The Funnest Place on Earth
A gift for @tiredlayla for a discord server event! :) Damian vs little civilian things.
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Bright blue sky, fluffy white clouds, warm yellow sun, brightly colored tents; Damian doesn’t care for any of it. He tucks his crossed arms closer to his chest and scowls as the wafting smell of fried confections tickles his nose.
“Why are we here, Richard?”
“It’s the circus, Lil’ D! We’re here to have fun.”
Richard throws an arm across Damian’s shoulders. Damian moves to shrug it off, but Richard will not be dissuaded. Trying any harder would just be using unnecessary energy; instead, he relaxes slightly under the weight.
Purely for tactical reasons, of course.
“I will not have fun,” he insists, but it sounds weak even to himself.
“Pretty sure it’s impossible not to have fun here, kiddo.” Richard’s grin is entirely too wide. “Look, it’s even in their slogan: The Funnest Place on Earth.”
Damian wrinkles his nose in disgust.
‘Funnest’? Really?
Absolutely disgraceful.
“Maybe you’ll feel differently once you meet some of the performers! Circus folk really are some of the coolest people you’ll ever meet.” Richard flags down a man with bright hair and an obnoxious pantsuit, and then steers Damian over despite his protests.
“Hi, little man!” The clown looks down at Damian with an eerily painted smile. Not as eerie as another clown Damian could name—it looks like there was a decent attempt made to distinguish the face paint easily enough for the Gotham natives, anyway. “Look at that face! This is The Funnest Place on Earth, there’s no room for frowns here! I bet a balloon would help turn that right upside down.”
Stubborn, Damian scowls harder. He opens his mouth to insist the opposite and dismiss the man entirely, sharp words poised on his tongue.
.
Somehow, they walk away with a balloon tied to Damian’s wrist, over the sweater he obstinately refused to move out of the way.
“Completely pointless,” Damian complains, lip pulled up in disgust and arm held aloft, to keep the balloon away.
But when Richard comes closer, phone in hand and matching balloon tied to his own wrist, his smile is so bright and unabashed that Damian allows a single selfie.
He can always delete it from Richard’s phone later.
If he wants to.
