In honor of DickBabs week day 3 Parenthood.
“Mommy, why is Daddy painting my sister?” The 4-year-old son of Dick and Barbara asked
Barbara glanced over at her husband a few feet across the room. He’d dressed their 2-year-old daughter in a long-sleeved one-piece bathing suit and was currently using a makeup brush to make sure he applied sunscreen to every inch of her exposed skin. Barbara slipped her son's swim shirt over his head
“Cause Nathan your daddy is an overprotective machine.” She grinned
Dick rolled his eyes “Daddy is not overprotective.” He passed the redheaded toddler, who was covered in white lotion off to Barbara. He scooted over to be in front of his son. “Your sister and mother are both redheads. Leah has your mom's skin tone. They have pasty white skin that burns easily. It’s the first day of our summer beach trip last thing I want is your Leah getting burnt .”
The 4-year-old boy smiled “Do I burn easily Daddy?”
Dick chuckled bopping his son's nose with the brush “You have the same skin tone as me.” He brushed his son's jet-black hair back “But that doesn’t mean we don’t need to protect our skin too. Close your eyes so I can put some sunscreen on you too”
The boy obeyed allowing his father to put on the thick white lotion
As the family of 4 made their way from Bruce’s beach house down to the water Barbara leaned into her husband to whisper to him “You and Nate both tan. Do you think it was necessary for him to also wear SPF 110?”
Dick chuckled watching the boy run ahead a few feet from them toward the beach. Leah on Barbara’s hip, him carrying all their Beach items
“I mean my point stands we do need sunscreen too. Maybe not spf 110.”
“Where’d you get that anyways? Barbara inquired
Dick shrugged “Online, I researched the highest SPF on the market. I meant what I said, I’ve been looking forward to our first family vacation for months. I didn’t want anything to spoil it, including my two little redheads getting sunburned.” He reached over, ruffling Leah’s hair “Even if the trip is just 4 nights and 5 days at Bruce’s Key West beach house.”
She smiled “This is more than a perfect trip. Honestly I quite like using Bruce’s house. It's comfortable and private.” she looked over at Dick. She could tell by his body language that he was wishing their lives were simpler so that he could wisk his family off for a week somewhere that isn't directly linked to the Batfamily- a house linked with a zeta tube so if a crisis arose one of them could boom tube back to Gotham. Arranging 5 days took months of planning, compromise, and worm from the whole family, just for them and they were thankful for it. But sometimes they desired normalcy from time to time.
They stopped and set down their things, watching as Nathan grabbed his same toys. Barbara set Leah down, smiling as the little girl felt the same between her toes.
Nathan walked over taking his little sister's hand “Come on Leah let's make a sand castle.”
“Castle!” the two-year-old chirped
Dick chuckled “And maybe later Daddy will rent a surfboard and show you two how he can do that.” he pointed to the surfers out in the water
Nathan's eyes widened “Daddy you can surf!”
Leah gasped “Daddy Surf!” she mimicked her brother
The man smiled “Yup before you two were born Mommy and I went to the beach and I taught myself.”
Nathan grinned “Daddy you can do anything.”
Dick smiled down at his son til he felt something poke his back “Like put sunscreen on me? We were so busy getting everything together I forgot to put some on”
Dick grinned “I didn't bring the brush.”
She smiled “Looks like you'll have to rub it on me with your hands “
He grinned “Oh no what a chore.” he dramatically squeezed the lotion into his hands, rubbing them together. “Now take off the cover up and let me get to work.”
