Where everything is Hallmark and Homos

“It’s such a nice day for a picnic,” Dick says, shielding his eyes from the sun as he looks out over the rest of the park. 

“You gonna come eat, or what?” Jason calls. Tim spreads out a real red and white checkered blanket under a large oak tree, because Damian had been adamant that if he was going to spend his day doing something so frivolous, they were going to do it right. The boy in question is dwarfed by the wicker basket hanging off his arm, filled to the brim with goodies from Alfred. Jason laughs at the sight and takes it from him, ruffling his hair as he does so. Damian takes an angry swipe at him and he arches out of the way, sticking out his tongue. 

There’s turkey sandwiches and potato salad and three thermoses of lemonade and a tupperware filled with brownies. Jason eats most of the sandwiches, but no one complains. 

When most of the food is polished off and the leftovers packed back in the basket, Tim pulls out a book and leans against the tree to read. Dick grabs a frisbee and whips it fast through the air, Jason taking off like a shot after it. They toss it back and forth a few times, their throws becoming faster and more and more space stretching between them, before Dick tries to coax Damian into playing too. 

“C’mon, Dami, it’s fun.”

Damian only snorts and goes back to viciously poking Tim’s bare foot with a plastic fork. Tim looks all the world like he doesn’t even notice, although once he pretends to stretch and jabs his big toe in Damian’s eye. 

“I don’t play childish games.”

“Let it go, Dickie. He’s just self-conscious because he knows he could never beat me,” Jason says. Damian glares, but does not rise to his goading. So Jason grins and twists his wrist as he tosses the frisbee…where it smashes into Damian’s face. The split second expression of shock is priceless, and then he’s sputtering angrily as he jumps to his feet. 

“I am going to kill you, Todd!” Damian races across the grass straight for Jason, who pretends to be scared and runs away. His laughter can be heard clear across the expanse, Tim looking up briefly before going back to his book. Damian launches himself through the air and locks his arms around Jason’s throat, trying to cut off his air and drag him to the ground. 

Dick chuckles as he makes his way back to Tim, knowing that their game has been temporarily put on hold—Damian will not rest until he’s had adequate revenge. He flops down on the blanket and puts his head in Tim’s lap, grinning cheekily up at him. Tim rolls his eyes, but smiles and runs his fingers through the other’s hair anyways. Dick closes his eyes and hums happily, soaking up the attention and bits of warm light streaming through the full branches above them. 

There’s an undignified yelp from across the grass and it should say something that neither boys even look. 

“What are you reading?” Dick asks. 

Tim continues to card his fingers through Dick’s hair, expertly turning a page with his thumb as he holds the book with one hand. “Shakespeare. A Midsummer Night’s Dream.”

“Read it out loud?”

So Tim does. 

Meanwhile Jason sits on Damian’s back, the boy squirming beneath him as he holds his head down. “Give up yet, imp?”

Damian manages to turn his head to the side, eyes burning as he spits grass out of his mouth and hisses, “Never.”

Jason doesn’t have time to react as Damian surges up, wiggling out of his hold and knocks him over. He slams his elbow into Jason’s side, momentarily pleased when the other gasps and wheezes. But then he wraps his big hands around Damian and stands, tossing him over his shoulder as he makes a beeline for the pond. 

“What are you—oh my god, no! You wouldn’t!”

“Oh, but I would.” Jason smirks wickedly and manhandles Damian into a better position to throw. 

“You heathen!” Damian yells in outrage. He squirms out of Jason’s grip enough to get his thighs locked around his middle. Jason tries to yank him off, but Damian just grits his teeth and loops his arms under Jason’s and grips his shoulders from the other side. Jason stops wrestling with him, lungs heaving as they stare stonily at each other, noses almost touching. Neither willing to give up, but unsure how to proceed otherwise. 

A sly smile spreads across Jason’s face, and he wraps his arms around Damian, crossing over his back warmly and hands supporting his thighs. “Wow, Dami. Didn’t know you were so hard up for a hug. You coulda just asked.”

Damian glares hard, but doesn’t loosen his hold. Because he knows Jason’s provoking when he hears it, and he knows that as soon as he lets go Jason’s going to toss him in the pond. Last time he ended up with sixteen leeches stuck to him and three very angry geese who chased him all the way back to the car. 

Minutes tick by and finally Jason realizes that Damian isn’t going to give. So he just shrugs and turns, walking back to their shady tree. Damian tries to climb down, but Jason’s tightens his hold, laughing at the blush rising up his cheeks. 

“I am not a child. Put me down this instant.”

“What? Surely the Great Damian Wayne isn’t embarrassed.”

“Put. Me. Down.”

Jason pretends to think about and then shakes his head, hiking Damian higher on his waist.

Tim merely raises an eyebrow when they make it back and Damian huffs angrily as he’s finally allowed back on the ground. He grumbles and yanks his shirt back into place, moving as far away from Jason as possible, which puts him on Tim’s other side. He leans against Tim’s bent legs, folding his arms on top of Tim’s knees and shoots Jason dirty looks. Jason’s smug though and just stretches out on the blanket and pillows his head on Dick’s stomach. 

The sun is warm, the clouds are fluffy in the bright blue sky, and the birds sing cheerfully in the spring air. It really is a nice day.

Tim goes back to reading to himself, and Damian rests his head on his arms, watching other families in the park.

“A teddybear,” Dick says after a while.

Jason frowns and cranes his neck back to look up at Dick. “What?”

“That cloud looks like a Teddybear,” and he points to the one he’s looking at. 

“Huh, you’re right, it kinda does.” Jason’s attention is now too focused on the slowly drifting clouds, seeking out shapes. “That one there? The one in front of that plane? It looks like a eagle about to catch that smaller cloud.”

Dick hums in agreement, next pointing out one that resembles a whale. They go back and forth like that for a while, Jason’s arm hooked behind his head and Dick playing with the streak of white in his hair absentmindedly.    

“Hey Damian, don’t you see any—“ Dick stops, because Damian’s asleep, his eyelashes casting dark shadows in the warm sunshine. Tim runs his nails lightly up and down his spine as he reads. 

Dick smiles and gets Jason’s phone to take a picture, even if he is going to get clobbered for it later.