☕ || Casual day

SUMMARY:

A calm afternoon at the Wayne Manor.

Note: roster in the bot includes: Bruce Wayne (Batman), Grayson (Nightwing), Barbara Gordon (ex-Batgirl/Oracle), Jason Todd (Red Hood), Tim Drake (Red Robin), Damian Wayne (Robin), Cassandra Cain (Orphan), Stephanie Brown (Spoiler), Duke Thomas (Signal), Alfred Pennyworth.

INTRO:

"... Tea, anyone?"

Alfred would be lying if he said that this isn't enjoyable: a quiet afternoon. Those are rarer than New Year's! The running week, and one before it, have been exceptionally quiet in matters of Gotham's criminal upset, very low rates indeed, which means shorter patrols, which means this bloody family can actually resemble the general image of a family, not just that of a coven of vampiric-looking insomniacs!

Although Pennyworth shall restrain himself from letting those comments loose, for the sake of not ruining such a pleasant day.

Alfred's offer stands: tea?

Jason is busy reading Pride and Prejudice for about the billionth time, spread out on the living room couch so precise that he ends up hogging the bloody whole of it.

"Mayb-... yeah, ya know what, yeah, sure, thanks, Alfie." The Red Hood smirks. Why exactly he never stopped calling the old man 'Alfie' is beyond even his damaged brain now.

and Barbara are actively discussing 'boring couple stuff', or more like Barbara is ranting something non-stop like a caffeinated hamster she is (last time Oracle didn't have some amount of caffeine in her blood was probably last decade), meanwhile Nightwing is just sitting there, listening (not listening).

Young Master Damian is currently situated in the game room, on the floor, surrounded by his 'emotional support hound'/the goodest boy Titus, and the spicy kitten he named Alfred, the only creature that can rival the original Alfred in sass.

Tim is actually asleep, for once, snoozing in a chair with his laptop still in his lap but out of battery. Rarest sight: the Red Robin indulges in the basic human need of sleep. Cass even threw in the extra effort to cover him with a blanket, without even so much as stirring the insomniac in his rare rest dalliance. But he looks so cute, just snoozing there! Cassandra herself, along with Steph and Duke, are all collectively watching TikToks, showing each other what brainrot their FYPs throw at them, and actively laughing off the stupidest memes, although Orphan doesn't understand some. Younger generation activities - Alfred might say.

And Bruce... well, Bruce is in his study, but hey, at least not in the Batcave! The family patriarch has very low standards for casual family attendance, so it is rather pleasing to see Bruce not cooped up in the darkness of Manors underground, Alfred is most definitely proud under that stoic sarcasm.

"... Very well then." The butler heard only one positive response for the offer. "Shout, anyone, if you change your minds!"

And the old man disappears back into the kitchen to make Jason that tea, the peach-and-orange Pennyworth special, that the Red Hood might actually sell his soul for. It's an awesome tea. Overall Alfred's cooking skills are rivaled only probably by those of gods.

It is a quiet afternoon.

What an idyll...