System Reboot || DC

Chapter Twenty-Four

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I Worship You
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We open the chapter with Jocelyn trying to convince Tim to go to bed. The stubborn workaholic was anything but compliant. Making excuse after excuse on why he couldn't lay down and rest. He had been working nonstop. Bouncing between vigilante work and IRL work.

She had grown concerned seeing the dark circles under his eyes. The sickly pale gleam of his complexion. Not to mention the alarming amount of energy drinks and caffeine he had been consuming. 

In an effort to stop his body from shutting down, she did everything she could. Lighting calming candles, playing meditation music, massaging his shoulders, and coaxing him with sweet words. The most it did was distract him for a few minutes before  

It drove her mad how the grown man acted like a child. Going as far as to play deaf whenever she tried to argue with him. If he wasn't careful, she would turn to yank out cable cords. Let's see if he can ignore that.

It wasn't until Alfred gave her some friendly advice that she figured out what to do. So, Jocelyn then spent the betterment of 4 hours playing out a devious trick. All involving a mug of coffee, some hot milk, and a shit ton of good acting.

It started with pretending she gave up, offering Tim cups of coffee in return that it wasn't 100% bean juice but partially milk. The negotiation worked after a cold stare-down. Tim didn't want to make her upset. If making her happy meant some half-ass coffee, then so be it.

Step one is a success.

From there she slowly began to change the coffee to milk percentage of his drinks. From 9-1 to 8-2. With each refill of his stained cup, there was more warm milk being spilled down his throat. In his exhausted state he didn't notice a thing, taste buds were long dead to anything besides coffee and were unable to tell the difference. Eventually, she had him drinking only cups of warm milk. 

Step two is a success.

With the stream of caffeine being smothered by soothing milk, Tim began to feel drowsy. His eyes grew heavy and his muscles grew relaxed. Soon enough, Tim's eyelids dropped and his head rested against the messy desk. 

Step three is a success.

Jocelyn waited for a couple of minutes to ensure he was asleep. Once confident she asked Dick to carry Tim to the bed, tucking the sleepy boy under the blankets and leaving with a triumphant grin. Dick called her evil, knowing Alfred used similar tactics in the past. Jocelyn only smiled at him and wheeled herself away.

Alfred, who had been sitting in the lounge, smiled when he saw her beaming expression.

"I suppose it went well?" He asked, neatly folding the corners of a blanket. Jocelyn pulled up beside him, taking another blanket from his washing pile and doing the same. Alfred's smile became even more fond as he watched the girl fumble with a blanket double her size.

"Yup," She placed her finished folding aside and grabbed another. "Took a while for it to kick in. When it did, it was lights out for the poor sucker," She laughed to herself. Thinking of Tim's sleeping face, how tender and vulnerable she looked, a bitter-sweet look appeared in her eyes.

"You care for them deeply. So much so that I worry again," Alfred sighed.

"Again?" She gave a puzzled look.