Marble Statuette | T. Drake

[02]

"Welcome home, Olivia and Tim."

Vanya's voice greeted them as they stepped into Olivia's apartment after the end of the Fall Gala. Their launch had been a success and Jason had surprised them with an afterparty at Wayne Manor to celebrate the achievement of his genius little maniacs as he so fondly called them.

They were insisting that Olivia stay at the Manor for the night but she declined, saying that she was used to her room and would rather go back to her apartment. So after the celebration and the afterparty, Tim took her back to her own house.

Olivia kicked off her heels first thing after stepping inside and while Tim checked the security footage and reactivated Vanya's security protocols, she walked barefoot to the living room.

"Tired?" He asked as he sat down on the couch beside her.

"Very," she replied, resting her head on his lap and propping her feet up on the couch, "but I am also glad everything went well. I was freaking out internally during the speech, I hope it wasn't obvious."

"No, like I said you handled everything perfectly," he assured her, his soft blue eyes looking down in her dark irises, "I can bet Bruce is considering making you a part of his outreach team. He looked very proud of you when you were giving your speech."

She shook her head, "Please no, I can't handle the stress of communicating with so many people all at once. I did it this time because of Vanya but never again..."

"You should think about it, you were great up there."

"Nope. Too much pressure." She closed her eyes briefly, staying firm on her decision. "Besides, if Bruce tries to make me a part of any outreach team, I will just convince him not to. Piece of cake."

Tim chuckled, his fingers running gently through her hair, "It is kinda scary how much Bruce listens to you."

She peeled open an eye to judge his expression and laughed, "told you I am the favorite now. Deal with it."

When he didn't say anything in reply, she sat up, turning towards him.

"Aw, did it hurt your feelings upon not being the favorite anymore?" She asked, her dark eyes twinkling in amusement.

"No, I am just a tiny bit concerned," he went along with the slight banter, "what if you convince him to disown the rest of us?"

She puckered her lips into a frown as if thinking about it, "I could. Don't give me any ideas that you'll regret later. If I end up following them, it will be your fault."

He raised an eyebrow skeptically, "seriously, Liv?"

She maintained a very serious look until Tim's eyes shifted in uncertainty. He knew Olivia was unpredictable and if she was saying so, she might as well mean it.

But seeing him fall for her act, she laughed, flinging her arms around his neck, "Of course not, idiot. I love you guys, I wouldn't do anything of the sort."

"Thank goodness, for a second, I thought you were serious," he remarked, bringing her close as he held her by the waist.

"I should be concerned about how much I can scare you if I want to, but I will take that as a compliment nevertheless."

He didn't say anything in reply as his eyes were locked on her, taking in how stunning she looked in that Morticia get up. The pale makeup and dark eyeshadow brought out her eyes even more and he knew she loved that dress as it was a perfect look to wear at a villain's debut.

Seeing that he was speechless, her dark-painted lips broke out into a seductive smile as she remarked, "Penny for your thoughts, Mi Amor?"

"I've heard actions speak louder than words," he replied, a smile lingering upon his lips as well.

She brought her head even closer and he didn't need another hint as he took her breath away with an intense kiss. It was clear the two of them had been wanting to kiss each other for long as her hands clutched his shoulders tightly, deepening the moment.

She had pushed him down on the couch underneath her, letting his hand slide up her thigh as her fingers deftly undid the buttons on his shirt. The rest of the seconds ticked away in a heated passionate blur that ended with both of them in Olivia's bedroom, oblivious to the phone ringing outside in the living room.

***

Sunlight filtered in through the curtains but Olivia didn't wake up to the familiar sound of Vanya's alarm feature. Instead, it was a gentle kiss on the cheek and a Good morning, Liv from her boyfriend whom she adored so much.

"Morning," she mumbled, peeling open her eyes to be met with Tim's handsome features in front of her.

His tousled just-got-out-of-bed hair and sleepy eyes made him look even more adorable and even though she hated being woken up in the morning, she couldn't sulk at the moment. At least not with such a delectable sight to savor.

Her hands reached up to entangle in his messy brown locks, and he scooped her up in his arms, ignoring the startled gasp that escaped her as he took her to the bathroom.

"Hey, put me down," she tried to protest against it but to no avail.

"Steph has been calling us like crazy since last night," he explained, "and we need to go to the Manor. As soon as we can or she'll go banshee mode on us."

She thought about it, "I doubt that. Steph and a banshee? That's highly unlikely."

"You'll see for yourself then," he remarked, putting her down but as her bare feet touched the cold bathroom tiles, she wanted to be held in his arms again, with her feet away from the floor.

A smile spread on his face at the cute look she had given him.

"Here, you can wear these slippers. I'll be back in a moment." He gave her his slippers to wear so that she wouldn't be cold. Then he stepped out as if he had just forgotten something and would come back with it shortly after.

In the meantime, Olivia turned to the mirror and did a double take. Her makeup, unable to be removed fully last night, was faded and smeared, making her look nothing like her usual self.

The pale shade of the foundation was still clinging to her skin and the eyeliner also seemed quite dark and messy.

"Hey Timberly, look at me. I'm the one who looks like a banshee," she called out, looking for her pack of makeup wipes in the cupboard beside the sink, "I wonder how you didn't scream first thing when you saw me next to you looking like a horror movie."

He came back in, a bright smile lighting up his features. "Why would I scream? You're my favorite horror movie."

Olivia couldn't think of a reply fast enough as she didn't know if he was joking or had said that as a romantic dialogue.

So she replied with the only remark she could deem fitting at the moment, "Stop being so cheesy or I'll ask Vanya to fry you to a crisp."

***