Dirk flinched away from her touch at first, but quickly accepted she was going to do it whether he liked it or not, and it was easier to just let her have her way. He took the sun screen when she offered it to him and obediently started covering his face and the parts of his shoulders Feferi couldn't reach. (He'd grown up in Texas and knew, despite being fair, that he wouldn't burn. He'd get a tan and more freckles than anyone else he'd ever seen. Except maybe Dave. Still, the sun screen wouldn't hurt.)

He scanned the crowd inconspicuously from behind his shades, cataloging each person as Feferi named them. (His eyes lingered on the bird for a moment. He hoped Dave didn't get any bright ideas and try to adopt a crow or something.)

He froze when his gaze settled on his younger brother. What the fuck? He was talking to some girl Dirk didn't recognize, but he assumed she was the one who told him about the meeting. Damn. He hadn't told Dave about this for a reason. How was he supposed to protect him if he insisted on being in the middle of everything?

Seeing Dave surrounded by a crowd of people, seemingly at ease but not at his side made Dirk feel a strange combination of proud and sick to his stomach. His fingers curled into a fist at his side. He dug his blunt nails into his palms.

Leave him be. He told himself. This is good for him. If something happens, he's only a few feet away. You can still protect him.

He still didn't like that Dave would know more about these supposed super powers and heroes, but Dave wasn't an idiot and he had access to the internet, he would have found out eventually.

Dirk took a deep breath and let it out slowly. This was fine. Everything was fine.