Wax Figurine | T. Drake ✔

[50]

Wayne Tech soon got a new addition to the list of employees as Olivia joined the department. Tim was already managing it alongside Bruce but when Olivia expressed her interest to work there, Bruce let her join too.

She was skilled in software and technology as she had been helping her parents out in their lab from a very young age. Besides, Bruce knew firsthand how resourceful she could be so she was indeed a beneficial addition to the team.

Right then she and Tim had been working on creating an automated software that would work as a personal assistant and manage most of the residential tasks just like Vanya did. The project itself was titled VANYA and Olivia was using what she remembered about the original Vanya's programming to modify it into the new software with Tim.

It had been a month since she had joined Wayne Tech and her life had attained a stable stage as she finally had everything on track without the fear of it being snatched away. As she was accustomed to living alone, she had talked to Bruce and rented out an apartment close to the Manor, just like she had once told Tim she would.

Those days she had been working late hours at the labs of Wayne Tech as the project was drying to a close and it was scheduled for a launch in the upcoming Fall Gala. Tim would often stay with her and the two along with their team had been working diligently to finalize everything.

Olivia had just checked the testing reports and turned sideways to talk to Tim about them but found him asleep out of exhaustion. His head was resting on the desk, inches away from the keyboard and his hair fell over his eyes, obscuring them from view.

She paused, a soft smile flickering upon her face as she gently brushed his hair back from his forehead. He stirred slightly but didn't wake up, indicating that he was indeed quite worn out for him to just pass out like that.

Tim could go for days without sleep on an overdose of coffee but there were times when he got fully exhausted and would just pass out.

Knowing the remedy for it, she let him sleep a little longer until she finished all her work then left her seat to go to the department's coffee maker.

They had a rule for the staff not to disconnect the coffee maker because Tim could need coffee at any moment with no fixed time. So even if they were working overtime, the coffee maker was always ready to supply Tim with his dosage of coffee.

Taking his cup, she pressed the buttons on the machine and then placed the cup underneath, frothing hot coffee pouring out shortly after. She also kept her tea sachets in the small cabinet by the coffee maker so all she had to do was boil some water in the electric kettle for herself and put one sachet of tea in it.

A mixed aroma of lavender tea and coffee drifted through the space as she placed both cups on the tray and took it back to the desk Tim was asleep on. Placing her own cup aside, she set down the coffee cup close to Tim but at a safe enough distance for him not to knock it over when he would wake up.

As expected, a short while later the scent of strong coffee reached him and he straightened, eyes still closed. "Did you make me coffee?"

"Yup," she replied, handing him the cup upon seeing that he was still too sleepy to look at it himself.

"Thanks," he mumbled, taking in a deep gulp from the cup, the strong dark liquid pouring down his throat.

At last, his clear blue eyes fluttered open as the coffee began to work its magic on him after a few more gulps. A lazy smile spread on his face to see her sitting on the chair beside him, drinking tea.

"You're tired," she remarked, "you should rest."

"You've been overworking too," he replied, "I will rest after the project is done with."

She shook her head, a slight trace of concern flickering in her eyes to see the dark rings around his own, "but I don't have to go out on patrol too, unlike you. You have been exhausted with all this burden."

"I am fine."

"No, I won't hear a single excuse from you," she warned him, "you're taking tomorrow off and you will be going to bed soon after patrol. I will call Steph to make sure of that."

His lips puckered into a frown, "but there's so much work to do... I can't take an off."

"You can and you will, or else I will ask Bruce to ground you," she remarked and a smug little smile crept over her features, "between you and me, I am more of a favorite and he'll definitely listen to me."

The frown deepened, "no, I am his favorite."

"You now have competition, sweetheart," she blew him a light kiss, knowing it would annoy him, "now finish up your coffee, pack your stuff and go home. Or else I will get you grounded."

He watched her packing up her things as well so after he had finished his coffee, he stood up and saw what he had been working on. But before he could do anything else, she pressed save on the keyboard and shut down the system.

"Olivia, I was checking something," he protested but she shrugged it off.

"Later, Timberly, you really need to go home and rest in this one hour you have before patrol."

Knowing that rebooting the system would take time and she was right, he also had to leave for patrol so he gave up.

She was switching off the lights and checking that everything was secured then when she was done, she took his hand in hers and began to drag him out.

"Stop... Where are you taking me?"

"Home, Timothy, how many times do I have to tell you?" She remarked as they came to the parking lot with him still trudging unwillingly behind her.

Spotting his car, she took his keys and unlocked it, pushing him into the passenger seat.

"Hey, you're not driving," he spoke up but it was too late as she had gotten in from the driver's seat and buckled in the seat belt. "I don't wanna die!"

"I know how to drive, so relax. Or rather do put on your seatbelt because I might be what they call a slightly rash driver."

"Olivia, you're not... Driving...!" But his voice trailed off as even before he could buckle up the seatbelt, she had pressed her foot down on the accelerator, the car speeding out of Wayne Tech's premises.

"And what were you saying? You don't wanna die? That's a first," she laughed, knowing there won't be much traffic on the roads that late at night.

"You call this slightly rash? Olivia, for the love of God, slow down... You're gonna crash my car!"

"Keep squealing Timberly and you will get your car crashed by distracting me."

She laughed, seeing him settle back into the seat grumpily and fasten his seatbelt, knowing she wasn't going to listen to him. The least he could do was ensure his safety and hope they didn't crash on the way home.

They still argued like children and they still did everything they could to annoy each other but that was what made their relationship fun and rooted. It might seem the opposite to any onlooker but despite all the teasing and annoying, they loved each other deeply and cared for each other.

If Olivia was the flame then Tim was the wax that let the candle of their love burn; neither could exist without the other even if it might end in a melted pool of wax eventually. A thousand candles could burn yet not compare to the light they had for each other.

And that was what made their existence together quite special.

***