rinney/brance oneshots

rinney- beach day

Finney Arellano closed his eyes.

The sun was particularly warm that day, gentle on his pale skin but just hot enough that sunscreen was a necessity.

After all, Finney's ass did burn like a motherfucker.

He felt the crisp sand beneath his skin, soft and grainy, sticking to his back in tiny clumps. With his sensory issues, that would usually be a nightmare, but today was different.

He wore a pair of sunglasses, shielding his eyes from the sun, a shelter of sorts, not protecting him from others eyes but protecting his eyes from others.

The wind washed over him, and he shuddered, enjoying the moment of cold before the sun returned, stronger than ever. He heard the sounds of people around him, the laughter of children and the grumbles of the older generation.

He heard conversations, swirling around him in the wind, all different types of voices. He listened to them intently as they came and went, chuckling at the jokes and sighing at the stories. So many people. So many lives.

He felt content.

It was a lovely day to be at the beach.

"Finn, you're burning up."

A deep voice, tinged with concern.

"Mmm," Finney responded shortly, his eyes remaining closed. "Nice."

"Baby, I'm not kidding."

Hands pressed on his chest, nudging gently. "You look like a tomato."

"Thas' not nice!" A high voice this time, riddled with the gentle squeak of a child just barely out of toddler-hood.

Finney's eyes opened at last.

Two pairs of eyes were staring down at him, one of them an irritably amused brown and the other a distressed chocolate brown.

"You don't look like a tomato, I promise." Theodosia Arellano wrangled her hands, comforting her father by petting his arm. "Daddy's being a bully."

"Am not," Robin responded grumpily, folding his arms as he regarded his daughter. "He looks like a giant tomato."

The two stood over Finney, adorned in their respective bathing suits, Robin wearing bright red swim trunks and Theodosia dressed in a polka-dotted swim suit.

Finney glanced at Theodosia. "Do I look like a tomato?"

"No!" she shrieked, jumping onto his stomach. Finney huffed a gasp of surprise as she collided with his chest, knocking the oxygen straight out of his lungs. "You look like my Dad."

Finney wrapped his arms around her, kissing her cheek. She giggled, the sound of pure, unbridled happiness. "You wanna hear a secret?"

It was a conspiratorial question, soft and mysterious. Her eyes sparkled with delight when he nodded. This was so exciting!

But oh, her daddy was listening. No, this was a special secret for Dad and Dad alone. Daddy didn't have a part in this.

"Go away!" she demanded fiercely, raising a tiny fist in Robin's direction.

Robin looked away, pretending to focus on the seashore but paying close attention all the while, a tiny smile dancing on his lips. Theodosia turned back to her father, grinning naughtily as she announced rather loudly:

"You're my favorite dad."

Finney gasped scandalously, and Theodosia laughed sweetly, delighted by the reaction. 

"No!" Finney whispered, brown eyes round with shock and just the tiniest hint of pleasure at the news. "You're joking."

Theodosia shook her head vigorously. "Nope."

Robin suddenly shot forward, grabbing the little girl around the waist and squeezing her tight. He placed a kiss into her brown locks as she wriggled like a worm, cackling as she tried to escape his iron grip.

"I'm not your favorite?" he demanded, releasing her and sending her tumbling into the sand.

The rubber-like child sprung back up in seconds, shaking herself wildly and sending sand spraying in all directions. "Dad is my favorite!"

Finney laughed warmly, sitting up and grabbing his husband by the arm. "C'mere."

Robin came crashing into Finney's arms, his head tucked comfortably in the crook of Finney's neck, body splayed halfway on Finney and halfway on the sand. He yelped dramatically, wrapping his arms around Finney's neck in what looked like a choke hold but was more of a gentle touch.

"Think you can beat me?" Robin hissed, ramping up the drama for little Theodosia.

Finney chuckled, responding by snatching Robin by the waist, his voice lowering a few notches. "I'm her favorite, Rob. You can't beat that."

The fight was on.