“Well John, has this Robin had to deal with the ferocity of…a concerned mama bear?” she snarled playfully, curling her fingers into pretend claws before dissolving into laughter. “I’ll tell you what I tell Hiro, just because it’s your best friend doesn’t make it okay. You know your own body and limits better than anyone else. I know you’re a good man to a fault, so that’s why I have to ask. If you aren’t going to remind you to take good care of yourself, someone has to.”
She slid his regular into his hands, patting them with a smile before she went back to grab her summer spread of goodies from the back. His question about her day did not go unnoticed, as she waved a hand dismissively in his direction as she walked. “Oh goodness, it was much the same as always. Fred came by and had a fantastic comic book hall. Taught me all about Red Sonja and while I still don’t understand it all, it’s always nice to see someone excited about something. Speaking of…” The cafe owner emerged from the kitchen with a mile-wide toothy grin. “I have a sampling of my summer treats for you to try! There’s a fresh fruit tart, a buttercream beachball cookie, aaaand something called ‘unicorn toast’. I need your complete and honest opinion about all of these, okay? No beating around the bush.”
“No, no she hasn’t,” John laughed, hearing her out before he chimed in again. “Don’t worry yourself over me, Cass. It ain’t a forever thing. Sometimes you just need to make a few sacrifices to make sure something important happens - or that something doesn’t. I don’t do anything without a good reason. Unless it’s just for some good ole’ fashion fun.”
He smiled at her when she handed him his coffee, softening at the little pat of her slender hands on top of his. In that moment, he resisted to temptation to pull out his flask in front of her to add a lil’ something special to it. He wasn’t in the mood for a second mama bear speech, just her company. “But I do appreciate your concern. More than you know,” he said, breaking eye contact with her only to take a small sip of his coffee.
John enjoyed listening to her about her day. She always had such funny stories about the kids that were around her, in and out of her shop. He’d met a couple in passing, so he knew faces to their names. “I’m waaaay behind on my comic book game, but I am sure I’ll get the full update too next time I see ‘em,” he laughed, similar to her in that he was often an ear to listen. But sometimes, the listeners needed someone to listen to them, too, and he liked to make sure she had that person in him.
A question mark formed over John’s head when she darted back to the kitchen. When she walked out, he shook his head, grinning at her, both in disbelief and not surprised. “Cass, you’re a goddamn saint, you know that?” He chuckled, looking over the selection of treats. “I was ‘bout to get real jealous at that bag of cookies I saw that kid run out with. Shoulda known better that you’d have something sweet waitin’ for me, too.”
