Milk And Cardamom | S. Brown ✔

[14]

Mornings at the Wayne Manor were hardly ever a silent affair. The Wayne family consisted of way too many people as a consequence of which antics at the breakfast table were rather common.

And the most frequent of all these morning hazards were fights over the last piece of bacon or the last refill of coffee.

Judging all of them at breakfast, no one could suspect that bunch of dysfunctional family members were the reason there was peace in Gotham. For by day they were just regular people going about their lives normally, but at night they donned their cowls and capes, transforming to the city's beloved vigilantes.

The kitchen was a warzone with a food fight going on when he stepped in, eyes widening in alarm as a dinner plate came whizzing towards him. He caught it effortlessly as if it was a mere frisbee game, setting it back on the table.

It seemed as if the chaos going around hardly affected him as he silently took his seat at the counter, applying some marmalade onto a slice.

"Apologies, Master Tim, but you'll have to wait a while for coffee."

He looked up to see Alfred Pennyworth, the family butler.

"I couldn't save it for you beforehand and Master Richard and Master Jason are already fighting over the last one."

He smiled, "it's alright, Alfred. Take your time."

"No need," a girl with blonde hair and sparkling green eyes took her seat beside Tim, "I saved some for him. Just don't tell those two."

"Thanks Steph," Tim's smile widened as she handed him a cup.

"This is the last cup though so you better finish it before our big bros realize I nicked it," she whispered.

Tim had just finished the coffee when there was a shout, "hey where did the coffee go?"

And right next moment, he was down on the ground with Jason pinning him against the floor.

"You were not supposed to have it, Replacement. Only those people are worthy who wake up on time."

Steph had sneaked away again not wishing to be part of the fight, though she had given him a thumbs up. Dick came to Tim's rescue however as he hauled Jason away from him.

"You do know you weigh a ton, Jay. You would have squeezed him to death." He offered him his hand and helped him to his feet.

"He's a late riser and according to the rules, late risers don't get coffee," Jason remarked with a slight frown on his face.

"And what happens to the rules when you wake up late?" Tim protested, "as far as I know, Todd, you always break the rules. So it's no big deal if I broke one today."

"FYI, being the family's disappointment is my job not yours," he replied, "so breaking rules only suits me."

Dick came in between the two, acting as a shield for the younger one, "when had you gone to sleep last night, Tim?"

He shrugged, "the usual time."

"And by that he means he woke up on his computer desk this morning with the PC still on, right Timbo?" Stephanie had returned as she analyzed that there was no risk of further fighting.

Tim's face reddened slightly, "well... I was working on a case."

"Not again! This is your excuse for everything," Jason added, "you don't eat or sleep on time because you're working. You can't hang out with us because you're working. You miss out on all the fun because you're too busy working on these cases."