Title: I'll Chase Down Shooting Stars, Just For You
Rating: mild T
Word Count: 3,600+
Characters: Dick/Zatanna
Summary: He hates Fate, or rather, Nabu for putting her through this in the first place. He's an ass.
Prompt: #179: wish
Other Inspirations: none
Note: I began writing this before "Happy New Year" aired, so it dismisses that future. Also, Dick and Zatanna are above their grade level so they'd graduate in the same year as Artemis, Bette, and Barbara.
I'll Chase Down Shooting Stars, Just For You
He doesn't even realize how big today really is until teachers are ushering students all around them to find their place in line, and he's just standing there with his virtually weightless blue gown suddenly feeling like a several dozen tons over his tuxedo.
They're graduating.
And it's not like he ever doubted that they would (because Bruce and everyone else in the League would probably have their heads otherwise), but he just kind of thinks it's too soon.
He looks at Bette—their student body president and valedictorian—mouthing the speech she spent over a month perfecting and memorizing and remembers how she nearly tackled him to the ground when he revealed his alter ego, more upset that she'd been the last of their circle of friends to know than of the actual secret. He looks at Barbara—their class president since she'd transferred to Gotham Prep in the fourth grade—and remembers that he couldn't help but notice the brilliant smile she had when they first met was the same smile she donned when she first became Batgirl.
Then Artemis is coming to stand by Barbara with some sort of typed list in her hands, and he remembers the dazed and confused expression on her face when he snuck up behind her on her first day at Gotham Academy and snapped that priceless photo, and remembers how hard she laughed when he'd used that photo as his caller ID on her phone.
Now they're all eighteen and literally moments (well, more like a few hours) away from receiving their diplomas, and it just hasn't quite hit him as hard as it is right now.
"You're not going to like, run away, right?"
He turns around and finds Zatanna smiling at him. Her hair is more curled than usual and other than a coat of mascara and lip gloss, her face is make-up free and still beautiful as ever.
"Like my outfit?" she asks, doing a small twirl, and he sees a little bit of the purple dress she's wearing underneath the blue gown as the satin material flutters. (He was there when she bought the dress, though, so it's not like she's kept it a secret from him or anything.)
"Oh, definitely," he teases. "I especially like your taste in gowns, if I do say so myself."
She laughs and pokes his shoulder. "Very funny." He just grins. "But seriously, Dick, you're looking a little paler than usual."
"I'm kind of overwhelmed," he admits, "big emphasis on the over."
She looks around, taking in the sight of the students and teachers and the sound of the chatter around them, and exhales, "Yeah," like she knows exactly how he feels. "I'm going to miss this place."
He smiles.
When she first moved into the Cave, Bruce let her be home-schooled by Red Tornado for the rest of her freshman year and left it up to her to choose where she wanted to go in the fall. She'd chosen Gotham Academy because of him and Artemis, obviously, but also because she'd gone to a Catholic school and the prestigious academy was definitely a closer environment to it than Happy Harbor High.
Her eyes completely lit up as soon as Alfred dropped them off in the limo, and for the entire first week, whenever someone would ask her about how she was settling, she'd gush about the restored architecture and vine-wrapped ivory walls and stone fountains.
It was love at first sight.
Though, as he's studying her expression now, it's obvious that something else entirely is bothering her.
"What's the matter?" he asks, watching her eyes dart to him and hold his stare. "Come on. You know you can tell me."
She just looks at him for a few more seconds before giving him this sad smile that he wasn't really expecting, letting out a humorless (he may even consider it bitter) laugh. "I just wish my dad could be here to see me walk across the stage."
She says it softly, but by some miracle, he picks it up clearly above the noise level.
Right.
"Zatanna…"
She shakes her head, swiping her finger over the corner of her eyes and muttering something about messing up her mascara. "I shouldn't have… I'm sorry. I know it's stupid."
"It's not stupid at all," he says kind of louder than he'd intended, and she kind of looks around to check if anyone is paying attention to them. Then looks back at him, tears dotting her eyelashes, and he takes her hands in his, squeezing her fingers lightly.
He thinks of everyone out there in the audience, all of their families and friends sitting on those foldout chairs he knows the class officers spent hours arranging, and knows that, out of all those people, the one and only person Zatanna truly wants to be there to see her graduate is trapped inside a helmet and probably off somewhere else in the world, saving the day.
"I really miss him," she says softly, voice quivering, and he grasps her chin with his fingers before gently kissing her forehead. "I really miss him," she repeats, tightening their joined hands.
"He's incredibly proud of you," he tells her. "Nothing will ever change that."
She nods kind of hesitantly, like she's not entirely convinced of it herself, but the small smile she gives lets him know that she'll believe it soon enough.
... ...
The morning of their induction ceremony, he finds Zatanna wringing her gloved fingers together while she paces the width of a hallway. It's a hallway that branched off from another hallway that leads to the library, where they're supposed to be waiting until Diana and Clark come to bring them outside.
He'd noticed her leave about two minutes before he left to find her. He thinks he has an idea of why she's so shaky and it's one of those things that require you to be alone.
(But obviously not for too long, hence him finding her.)
When she turns on her heel to pace back for another lap, she looks up and meets his eyes from behind his mask. Her eyes are glassy and brimming with tears, and he slips his fingers under his cowl before peeling it off. They've been together for almost five years and she's known his identity for about four, and right now she needs Dick Grayson, not Nightwing.
"Come here," he tells her, and he opens his arms in the same second that she runs into them, pushing his fingers through her hair like he knows she's always had a weakness for.
"He's going to be there today, Dick." Her voice is muffled because she pushed her face into the crook of his neck. "I don't think I can… I can't…"
Dick tightens his jaw a little.
Generally, he tries not to hate people. Sure, he can hate the things they do and hate the choices they make, but Bruce once told him that there has to be something that separates the heroes from the bad guys. He can count on one hand the number of people he truly hates.
Dr. Fate, at least for right now, is definitely one of them.
He hates how broken Zatanna first was when they were younger, and continues to be, even now that they're both over eighteen and about to become official League members. He hates Fate, or rather, Nabu for putting her through this in the first place. He's an ass. He nearly kept her and Wally and Kaldur prisoner, kept Kent Nelson from being reunited with his wife for a long time.
Losing a parent, he can relate to. But what Zatanna's going through—having her father right there, but not getting to have him?
He's not saying he thinks it might've been better if Zatara had passed away instead, but hell, it just might've.
"Want me to kick his ass for you?" he asks, and he really kind of means it. He didn't want to say he hates Nabu, because if anyone's going to hate him, it should be Zatanna.
She gives a small laugh. "That wouldn't be right."
That's the thing about Zatanna, too. He's never once heard her say anything disrespectful about Nabu or treated him any less than she would her own peers or elders. He thinks it's because she's trying to separate her personal matters from business. He also thinks it's because she wants to be civil towards Dr. Fate, knowing that her father is watching and not wanting to disappoint him.
It's something that can't be said about most of the other Leaguers, Batman especially. He took losing his old friend a lot harder than anyone other than himself and Alfred, and probably Clark and Diana, would've gotten from his exterior reactions.
"Have I ever told you how in love I am with your big heart?"
She manages a small grin and looks up at him.
"Seriously, I do," he says, even though she didn't say anything. "You have no idea how badly I wish I could do something, 'Tanna."
"That makes two of us," she mumbles. He wipes some of her tears away with the pad of his thumb, and her smile reaches her eyes this time as she adds, "You know what you can do, though?"
He grins. "Say your three favorite words?" he guesses. She nods and then lets out a small squeal when he holds her by her waist and twirls her in the air, pretending to drop her a little before easily catching her with one hand on her back and the other tucked underneath the bends of her knees. "I love you."
She places a gloved hand on his cheek and leans up, whispering, "I love you, too," against his lips before kissing him gently.
... ...
Two months months after he proposes to her, he finds himself in the den with Bruce playing a sixth round of pool. It's been a while since they've hung out, just the two of them, and Zatanna offered to go out to lunch with Selina for a girl's day out so that they could have their alone time.
He sinks two more into the corner pocket across the table from him when Bruce says casually, "Zatanna asked me if I could walk her down the aisle."
Dick just looks at him.
See, it's not like he's just hearing of this idea.
About a week after the engagement party Donna threw them, he came home from work and found her sitting on their bed. An ornate box he recognized as the one item she wanted to drive to their new apartment herself was opened on the nightstand, and pictures were spread out all around her: all of them of her parents' wedding, both the ceremony and the reception.
It was the first time either of them brought up the fact her father wouldn't be the one to walk her down the aisle, even though he's sure they've both thought of it before then.
He'd carefully lifted her into his arms, making sure not to ruin any pictures, and sat down on their couch in the living room with her, his fingers tangled in her hair and the knuckles of his other hand running up and down her arm as she cried softly and none of them said anything.
When she finally did speak, though, he'd been kind of surprised that the first thing she said was, "Maybe Bruce could do it."
It makes sense, too. Bruce and Giovanni had been friends for a long time before him or Zatanna came along. Shortly after Zatara became Dr. Fate, Bruce told Dick how he'd been waiting in the hospital when Zatanna was born, and stayed with Giovanni when his wife had disappeared. Giovanni was there for Bruce when he'd lost his parents, and defended Bruce's choice to bring Dick into his life.
Plus, Bruce stepped in as a father figure for Zatanna, using what he'd learn from Giovanni and what he could research to help her with her magic and just being there these past few years as strongly as he's been for Dick.
He'd told her he loved the idea, after lightly teasing her how non-traditional it was—her future father-in-law also being the one to give her away.
She'd laughed softly and reminded him that it's okay, since they're not at all the traditional couple.
So he knew she was going to ask him, and she reminded him again just over the weekend that she was going to do it soon. Obviously, though, he didn't realize how soon she'd meant.
"Yeah?" he asks, gripping his cue.
Bruce nods. "I told her how I wish Giovanni could be the one to do it," he says, and Dick simply nods because, yeah, he wants that for her, too. "But I said yes."
He smiles widely, and he thinks he hears Bruce chuckle when he pulls the man in for a hug and says, "Thanks, Dad."
... ...
The envelope feels heavy in his pocket as he's stepping through the front door of their apartment, kicking it shut and locking it behind him. Zatanna is in the living room with her hair clipped up and a large piece of paper with some sort of diagram on it spread out across the glass coffee table.
She looked over her shoulder at him when he first walked in, though, and gave him this smile that showed off her pearly white teeth.
Their wedding is a week away and while most brides would be stressed, Zatanna is kind of euphoric all the time. He knows it's because they've had like, twenty different people helping them plan this thing since the beginning. So other than finalizing all decisions, they always had someone helping them. He also knows it's because she shares his anticipation of being married.
In all honesty, they don't need rings to know that they love each other. But they want a wedding and want to share it with their friends and family, so there really wasn't any reason not to have one.
He walks over to her, dropping a kiss on top of her head before asking, "What's this about?"
"This is the seating chart for the reception," she informs.
He exhales, "Ah," and glances over at the mess of names written in her loopy script, some of which were crossed out and placed elsewhere. "Can't we just let them sit where they want?"
There's a twinkle in her eyes as she laughs. "I tried selling that to M'gann." Then she shrugs one shoulder. "No such luck."
He hums and sits down beside her, kissing her soundly on the lips. But she's wearing these shorts that always ride up when she's sitting down and when his pants pocket brushes against her leg, she pulls back and gives him a look. "What's in your pocket?" He just kisses her again, making her laugh against his lips and pull back. "Stop trying to distract me, jerk."
She's smiling at him, teasing, but when he just stares into her eyes, her expression dims.
"What's going on?"
"Just tell me you'll… Come here," he mumbles, and she lets him pull her onto his lap. "Fate came to talk to me today," he tells her, and watches as she sucks in a breath and holds it for a few seconds.
"He did?" she whispers. Dick nods. "Why?"
"He wanted me to give this to you," he explains, pulling the envelope out of his pocket and placing it in her hands. "He told me he wished you would read it."
She looks down at it and flips it over, and then makes this little noise that has him holding her tightly against his chest, rubbing her arm soothingly. "That's Dad's handwriting," she says, and he runs his thumb across her smooth skin, kissing her temple when he sees her eyes water.
"I think you should read it," he tells her, making her look at him. "Read it in the room. I think… I think you need the alone time with your dad."
She bites her lower lip. "You'll be right out here?"
"Of course I will." He grasps her chin with his fingers and kisses her forehead. "I'll be right out here."
... ...
He makes stuffed French toast with banana slices and caramel while she's in the room, because she loves breakfast for dinner and craves sweet things whenever she's emotional. Then after he's washed all the dishes he used, and recopied the seating chart with all of the names at the right table onto a new piece of a paper, he decides to check on Zatanna.
She pulls open the door from the other side right before he knocks, and for a second, they sort of just look at each other.
"Hi," she says softly.
"Hi," he echoes, and then pulls her into his arms and kisses her forehead.
He combs his fingers through her ponytail (she ties her hair up when she's anxious—she probably washed her face before coming out, too, and rearranged the pillows a dozen different times before putting it back to how she found them), and she mumbles, "The letter was from my dad," against his chest.
"Yeah?"
She nods. "You can read it later, if you want."
"I don't have to," he assures. "Not if you don't want me to."
"I want you to." She tilts her head to meet his eyes. "There's actually a portion he wrote that he said he wanted you to read, too."
He smiles softly. "Alright."
"The letter was long," she tells him, laughing a little. "It really did sound like my dad, like I could hear him giving me this lecture. He said that even if he hates it, this is how it has to be for now and that the world needs both him and Fate." She shrugs her shoulder a little. "I… I think that even though I'll never stop hating the idea, I can't hate my dad for sacrificing himself for what we all fight for."
He kisses her forehead again, letting his lips linger against her skin as he listens to her take a deep breath.
"You should really read the letter, though," she chuckles softly. "He just kept telling me to be careful and that he'd always be watching, then he started talking about you."
"Uh-oh," Dick chuckles. "He didn't try to talk you out of marrying me, did he? Or did he give you the talk? God, imagine Fate writing about that."
He grins when this laughter bubbles out of her. "Well, he didn't go too far. He just said to make sure I knew the choices I was making, as well as the consequences."
"Did he, now?"
"If he were really here, I'd tell him he was being meddlesome." He laughs. "I'd also tell him that you're everything I've ever wished for. But I think he knew that. The letter made it sound like he was threatening to make sure you were going to take care of me."
"Of course I am," he says.
She scoffs a little, poking his shoulder. "Are you saying that I need to be taken care of?"
"Are you saying that you're not going to let me take care of you?" he counters.
She rolls her eyes. "Speaking of which," she says, "is that delicious aroma coming from the kitchen what I think it was?"
"If you think it's my famous French toast, then yes."
She licks her lips, and then laughs when he throws her over his shoulder, walks them into the kitchen and then sits her on the counter. He brings their plates from the table, and stands with her legs wrapped loosely around his waist as they feed each other and she tells him the agenda for the next few days until their wedding.
... ...
They have a party for their daughter's second birthday at the Wayne Mansion because Bruce and Selina have a soft spot two miles wide for Maria and practically smother their granddaughter.
Zatanna didn't think it needed to be so fancy since Maria is only two, but Dick talked her into letting them throw it.
So they're all in the large den right off the main hallway leading from the foyer, carrying on casual conversations with kids running about, a few people playing pool, and Alfred walking around and treating everyone to snacks. Zatanna is sitting down on one of the leather couches with Maria on her lap and Artemis beside her, hers and Wally's daughter (their second-born, just under a year old) in her arms.
He's standing somewhat across the room from them, talking with Raquel and Kaldur, when he catches Zatanna's eyes and smiles at her.
Then Dick feels someone tap his shoulder, and turns to see the back of Alfred's head as he walks away with a tray of empty champagne flutes in hand. He grins. "If you'll excuse me," he says to Kaldur and Raquel, and tries not to laugh when he hears Raquel whisper, "It's time!" to Kaldur.
He walks over to Zatanna and interrupts hers and Artemis's conversation by pressing their lips together, and Maria giggles between them and hides her face behind her tiny hands.
"Want Daddy to carry you?" he asks, and Maria nods and stretches her arms up towards him.
He lifts her up and into his arms, and Zatanna smiles at the two of them before talking with Artemis again, saying something about how she's wishing Maria won't give her as much trouble as she gave her dad when she starts learning magic. And he knows the exact moment Bruce and Selina walk back into the room, because Zatanna's eyes water instantly and she sort of stops breathing for a few seconds.
Maria is looking at the doorway, too, with her eyebrows wrinkled and this cute little look of confusion and curiosity on her face. Then when Zatanna gets up and kind of runs across the room, Maria watches her mother throw her arms around the man standing between Bruce and Selina.
"Sweetheart, would you like to meet your other grandpa?"