Sour Candy | T. Drake ✔

[09] Sleeping In

The bell on the door chimed as Tim entered Dora's Coffee Haunt, going straight to the counter per habit. Susan was taking orders but seeing him approaching, she let him take the notepad, knowing full well that he would scribble down his order himself.

By then everyone at the coffee shop was very familiar with all his little quirks; his habit of noting down his order himself, his corner seat and the fact that if he fell asleep in the comfort corner of the shop, it was almost impossible to wake him up.

After giving the order, he took it to the kitchen himself, pasting it on the soft board that had been installed the previous year as the orders were too much to be pasted on just the refrigerator.

Dora wasn't in the kitchen unexpectedly but Alex spotted him and a smile spread on his features, "so our resident coffeeholic has turned up at last."

"Good morning, Alex."

"Morning, though it doesn't look like it had been a good one for you."

He nodded, rubbing his tired blue eyes, "I almost didn't sleep."

"Almost?" Honey shaded eyes flickered in surprise.

"Yeah, almost... My siblings have an awful habit of drugging me to sleep in the end."

"If you don't keep yourself sleep deprived all the time, they won't do it," he gently ruffled his head, handing him the cup of frothing hot coffee, "Dora's upstairs. You could take this up with you too."

Tim nodded but asked, "has she taken an off today?"

"Not really. She said she'll join us at the rush hours."

He knew it was out of the ordinary but didn't ask Alex further as he climbed the spiral staircase that led up to their rooms. The door to Dora's room was shut so he knocked lightly.

"Come in," her voice sounded from inside so he pushed it open and stepped inside.

The room that was usually bathed in sunlight, was considerably dark as the curtains were not parted yet. Dora was still in bed but she sat up though seeing that Tim had entered not Alex, she dropped back again, visibly exhausted.

"Hey," Tim sat on the bed beside her, placing the coffee cup on the dainty bedside table, "you're sleeping in today?"

"Tired..." She mumbled, a smile flickering on her face as she snuggled closer to him, "so I told Al I'd join at the rush hours."

"Right," he finished his coffee then eased down on the bed beside her, "you sure everything's okay?"

"Yup."

Her eyes had fluttered shut again but Tim felt as if there was some other reason to her tiredness. Dora was an early riser and it was very unusual for her to stay in bed that long.

Perhaps he was too observant, he tried to assure himself, and perhaps there was nothing to worry about at all.

But when it came to Tim Drake, optimism never worked. Instead his brain would provide him a bunch load of pessimistic thoughts to argue against the slight optimism he tried to muster.

"Dora..."

She hummed slightly in reply to let him know she was listening.

"You've been a bit worried these few days," he spoke, "I noticed... But then I could be wrong. Still... Is anything the matter?"

Brown looked up in clear blue, "maybe you're right. But I'm not worried, I'm just a little sad."

"Why?"

She sat up and he had gently engulfed her in his arms, making a small smile flicker on her face as she softened in his loving embrace, "Steph's going to New Haven next week and I can't imagine how it would be like without her."