Tim rolled off his bed, striking the cold ground with a soft thud. A groan escaped him as he sat up, not wishing to peel open his eyes just yet. A painful hammering was raging on in his head despite the fact that he had slept for much longer than he usually did. Though his room was bathed in a comfortable darkness as the curtains were drawn shut, blocking out the sunlight. 

His hand fumbled for his phone, and when he finally found it lying at the bedside table, he opened his eyes at last, squinting to make out the time displayed on the screen.

"Two fucking pm?" Shock struck him hard for he had slept in for way too long, missing his classes as well as a hundred other tasks he had lined up for the morning.

In a frenzy, he got up from the ground, stumbling again over the duvet that had fallen along with him as he grabbed his clothes that were dropped nearby, tripping over the mess in his room. 

Though he couldn't figure out how he of all people could have slept in. It could only be possible if someone had deliberately drawn his curtains and shut off the ten consecutive alarms he had set on his phone.

And he realized that there could be only one culprit, "Jason Asshole Todd, I'll kill you!" 

He cursed under his breath as he stepped into the bathroom, forgetting to turn on the lights even. He had to splash his face with water multiple times before his senses went into a backup power mode for the only thing that could fully restart his system was coffee.

After getting dressed in a haste for he knew his backup wouldn't last and he didn't want to pass out in the bathroom, he pushed his feet into his sneakers, sliding down the railings of the huge flight of stairs that led to the living room, making sure to save as much energy as possible.

He trudged over to the kitchen, counting his steps for his eyes had fluttered shut and he was going through like a blind man, managing not to bump into any of the furniture in his way for he had had a lot of practice walking through the manor with his eyes closed.

"Alfred," he mumbled as he perched up on the stool by the breakfast counter, his head dropping onto the grey marble of the counter for it seemed as if he had been completely exhausted.

"Good day, Master Tim," Alfred Pennyworth, their family butler and trusted confidante greeted him placing a frothing hot cup of coffee in front of the almost dozing off boy.

The scent of coffee seemed to have roused him a little from his stupor as he grabbed the cup, not even caring that it had burnt his hand and downed it in one gulp. The liquid burned down his insides as well, but it was still not enough to reboot him. "Can I have one more?"

"Right away."

Shortly after Alfred had placed another cup in front of him which he drank exactly like he had done with the first but that once, his eyes finally flickered open and a small smile spread on his face, "thanks Alfred, you're the best."

But his contention was short lived for a heavy hand clapped him in between his shoulder blades almost making him choke. Tim switched immediately into a fight or flight mode, climbing on to the counter as he spun around to see the attacker.

"Woah Babybird, your CPU is heating up," Jason remarked mischievously, taking a seat on the counter beside him, "cool down or else I'll have to unplug you."

But Tim had launched himself on the elder one, making both topple down to the the ground. Jason had burst out laughing though his back had collided with the floor rather hard and Tim had landed on top of him, "Jay, how dare you break into my room and make me sleep for so long? I'm going to make you pay for it."

"Yup, after two more cups of coffee I bet," he pushed him off as he stood up, making no attempt to lift Tim up as well. 

It seemed as if sleeping for too long and the lack of coffee had made him really lazy as he merely looked up at Jay with his features set in an adorable look as he held his hand out towards him.

"Nope, get up yourself," Jay backed off, "oh and I will be nicking your stash of painkillers. You don't weigh as light as you look and my back hurts now from the mid air crash you did on me."

"Jason..."

Sighing and shaking his head as if weary of him, Jay grabbed him by the collar and pulled him up to his feet, "there, you good now?"

"Nope. Need more coffee."

He shrugged, "don't even think I'll drive you to that coffee shop. Walk yourself or ask someone else. You're such a useless piece of crap when you don't get any coffee."

"Your fault. You made me sleep in and now you're the one to blame for all of this."

Jason nodded, "very clever, Timmy, you always put the blame on every single person except your own self."

"Who told you to mess up with my alarms and the curtains?"

"It was a prank though I had a feeling I might regret it later."

"Don't you do so already?" Tim glared at him hostilely, eyes narrowing into slits before he fell forward and Jay placed a hand on his shoulder to steady him.

"Holy shit, Steph's right, it's almost as if you're drunk. And yes I am beginning to regret the prank for I certainly don't want to be stuck taking care of a pseudo-alcoholic."

"If you don't want to take me to the coffee shop, at least ask someone else to do so. Where is everybody? Dick? Barbara? Steph?"

Jay steered him back holding his arm firmly for it seemed as if Tim had begun to sleepwalk, "I don't know why I'm being so generous today but fine, I'll drop you there on my way out."

"Where are you going?"

"I have a date," he replied vaguely, "none of your business."

"At three pm?"

Jay winked mischievously. "I leave the rest to your imagination."

He rolled his eyes in disgust, "ew no. My imagination is highly explicit."

"I know, sucks to be you."

"Indeed," he mumbled, his head dropping on Jay's shoulder again, "I think I'll be needing at least eight cups today."

Jay was shaking his head as if disappointed, "you really have to get over this addiction of yours, it's doing you no good."

"And you really have to stop dating every other girl in Gotham, Bruce was complaining last night on how you're ruining his reputation."

Jay dragged Tim out to the garage, opening the door of his car and almost throwing him inside before getting in through the driving seat himself, "Bruce sure is one to talk. Must I remind him of his flings that have been all over the papers for months now?"

"You could try and receive another lecture or better still take Miss Kyle out on a date instead. Maybe that would boil over his patience and get you kicked out for good."

"You wish," Jay remarked, face breaking into an amused smirk, "though if you have to reach your coffee spot in one piece then you better zip your mouth shut or I won't hesitate to kick you out on the motorway."

Tim was silent for a short while in which Jay reversed the car and drove out of the Manor's premises, but soon enough he spoke, "maybe a truck would crush me then and I will eventually be free of this misery you people call life."

Jay chose to ignore his words knowing full well that Tim had a habit of relapsing into such awful thoughts and the only remedy was to ignore it, "maybe but luck never is in your favor so there's a high chance you'll survive just like you've been doing so at patrol."

He sighed in frustration, resting his head on the side as his eyes dropped shut again, "unfortunately you're right. Best of luck for the date though. Don't forget the flowers."

A smile flickered on Jay's face as he glanced sideways at Tim who had drifted into a sleep like state, "thanks for the tip but I don't take advice from teenagers who haven't been in any relationship at all."

"You say that as if it's a bad thing, but I have standards, Jay. I have class."

"Yup, says the boy who's going to be kicked out of this car and land straight at the door of the coffee shop in just a few minutes. Class and standards, indeed."

Tim straightened upon hearing him and soon as the car stopped, he stumbled out for he knew Jay wouldn't hesitate to act upon the threat he had just given, "alright then, crash on your way back."

"You too."

"Amen," he nodded solemnly as Jay drove off and finally pushed open the door to the coffee shop, stepping in and got engulfed by the familiar soothing scent of coffee. 

It had been long since the two cups he had drank at the Manor so he was badly in need of some more coffee and in such a state Dora's Coffee Haunt seemed no less than heaven to him.

***