The small cafe on the corner of Cherry and Main is Dick's getaway place. Serving his favorite stuffed french toast, Lottie's Coffee is definitely his favorite place to wander to when he's off work or on his lunch break. Considering that Wayne Enterprises is only down the street, he's never wandering too far. Though maybe a little too far for Bruce's taste. Working in International Affairs with Bruce Wayne himself, Dick usually finds the Prince of Gotham calling him as soon as he steps out of the tower. Of course, Dick tends to sneak off when he feels he's not needed, even though Bruce has told him what seems like a million times that he's always needed. Usually when it's time for that speech, Dick will nod and sigh, because he's only heard this a thousand times already. But really, what's five minutes away from the tower to get a cup of coffee?
It's nothing. Nothing compared to the five hours he went missing on the last mission he and Batman went on. He'll even admit, not his golden hour. And although he doesn't like to make a big deal out of it (because everyone was making a big deal out of it, and it started to get annoying) the scar on his left side constantly reminds him that next time, a slip up like that won't be so easily forgiving. The scar is a small price to pay for his life. Thankfully, Black Canary got to it in time, sewed it up and made sure it didn't hit anything important. That would've been bad.
But the stuffed french toast and cinnamon hot chocolate aren't the only reasons that this is his favorite place in all of Gotham. She's sitting at the counter right across the room with her coffee and a good book. Her raven hair is curly today; yesterday she straightened it. She's wearing a jean skirt that reaches her mid thigh and a cream colored three-quarter length shirt. To make the outfit flow, she's wearing leather high heel boots that reach up to her knee. And just seeing her concentrating makes Dick sigh because, yeah, she's totally beautiful. And when she concentrates on something, she gets this crease right between her eyebrows and her cheeks flush a bright pink. He watches in amusement as she crosses her legs, the left on top of the right, then after a few seconds switches to the right on top of the left. Did he forget to mention that she's super indecisive when she's reading. It usually takes her about ten minutes to find a comfortable position to read in. Of course, reading in a small cafe on a bar stool can't be comfortable in the first place. But he hopes that she never finds a better place to get lost in her book because seeing her is his favorite part of the day.
And he's not like a stalker or anything. He doesn't stake out her house or track her phone calls, nothing like that. He just happens to be at the same cafe she is every day at the same time. Just coincidence. Purely coincidence. Though he has to admit that lately, it wasn't coincidence anymore. Now it was purely interest that brought him to this specific cafe every day at one. He was so interested in her. She just seemed so...mysterious. It's almost one thirty. By this time, she usually starts to finish off her coffee and pay, leaving just a few seconds after. Every day he talks himself up to speaking to her, just saying hi even. But every day he says he's going to do it, and he's pumped up for it, until she walks out with her book in hand and her hair cascading down her back behind her.
But today, oh, today's going to be different. He's been telling himself all morning to talk to her. And he's finally going to do it. "Come on, Dick, you can do it," he whispers under his breath as he watches her take the last few sips of her cinnamon vanilla latte. His phone rings but he just ignores it and puts it on silent. He doesn't need any distractions right now. He can feel his heart start to drum in his chest and before he knows it, he's walking towards her. He wants to stop and turn around, but something is stopping him from it. And then he's finally standing next to her. She looks up from her book and kind of smiles, acknowledging how awkward this is.
Without thinking, he holds up the pen he was writing with and gestures to her. "I think you dropped this," his voice kind of quivers but she doesn't notice. She just shakes her head and smiles a little at him.
"No, I don't think so," she chuckles softly.
He shrugs and before he knows it, the words are spilling into the air and he can't stop them. "I know, I just needed some way to talk to you." And he blushed bright red and almost face palms right there in front of her. Why he's so awkward, he'll never know.
But the girl just blushes and pushes a piece of hair behind her ear. "Oh uh..." And now she doesn't know what to say because this was just so sudden and really, what does a girl say to someone as charming as he is?
Dick can tell she's at a loss for words and he just kind of runs a nervous hand through his hair. "Uh, nevermind, I'll uh..." He mumbles the last part so she can't hear and turns to walk away.
"My name's Zatanna," She states, stopping him in his tracks. Zatanna. Dick turns around to see her biting her lip nervously. He smiles brightly now and sits on the stool next to her.
"I'm Dick," he introduces himself. "It's nice to meet you."
"You too," she agrees. And Dick's heart is racing a million miles a minute but he just doesn't care. He's finally talking to her and that's all that matters.
Dick fixes his tie in the mirror before turning to Wally. "How do I look?"
The redheaded speedster smiled and gives him a thumbs up. "Like a million bucks."
Dick chuckles and fidgets with his tie some more. "Thanks," he exhales nervously. "And Wally, thanks for being here."
"C'mon Dick, who else would be perfect to be your best man at your wedding?"
Yeah, today Dick's getting married, and he can barely believe it. He folds up his paper with his vows on it and slides it into his pocket. He stares at himself in the mirror one more time before turning to see Kaldur walking into the room. "It is almost time," the Atlantean announces. Raquel trots in behind him and smiles widely when she looks at the guys in their suits. She's wearing a slinky silver dress and high heels to match.
"Well you guys are looking dapper as always," She greets them. "Your bride is wondering if everyone's ready yet. It's almost time to start."
"Did Conner-"
"Yes, everyone is seated and ready for the wedding to begin," she smiles. Conner is the usher for the wedding. Dick wanted to suggest something else but Conner just grunted, a sure sign that he wanted to be the usher. Grunting is always a sign for something he wants. Raquel gasps slightly and pulls out a slip of paper folded nicely, handing it to Dick. "She told me to give this to you." Planting a kiss on his cheek, Kaldur's date wishes him good luck, loops her arms through the Atlantean's and pulls him out to the audience. Wally gives Dick a small pep talk before walking out to tell Artemis something before it's time.
Dick opens the paper, taking a deep breath to steady his breathing. "Don't be nervous, Boy Wonder. Just look for me, I'll be the one in white." And he smiles as he remembers when he told her his secret. She didn't freak out or scream and run away. She just nodded, smiled, and kissed his cheek and thanked him. At first he didn't know what for, but then he realized. She knew how hard it was for him to tell her as well as to keep it away. Both choices had ramifications Dick could dream of never having to encounter. But he knew he made the right choice. He slips the note into his pocket and heads out. Wally's just coming out of the girls' room and meets him in the hallway. Dick gives him a questioning look.
"They're all set."
Dick takes a deep breath and walks with Wally to the front of the church. His bright blue eyes scan over the crowd. Selina, Tim and Alfred are sitting in the first row, the three of them smiling excitedly at him. He just chuckles under his breath and sees everyone else in the crowd as well. Of course, the whole League was invited, not to mention the team. They're all sitting there, taking pictures and whispering in anticipation. Finally, it's time. The doors in the back open and Dick can feel his heart beating like a freight train. First, Don and Dawn come walking down the aisle as the ring bearer and the flower girl. And it's just adorable because Dawn decides to be the perfect flower girl and sets one petal at a time on the floor in front of her. The crowd chuckles and there are oohs and aws because it's simply the cutest thing anyone has ever seen. Dick's betting that Barry and Iris are just blushing like mad.
Megan and Conner walk down the aisle first. All of the bridesmaids are wearing lilac knee length strapless dresses with silver heels. Her red hair is in a curly bun on the back of her head. She's smiling widely. She planned the whole wedding so seeing it in action is really exciting. She and Conner part ways, moving to their spots. Conner nudges Dick slightly while a smile before standing next to wally. Next, Artemis comes down the aisle. The archer's hair is down, cascading over her shoulders in beautiful curls. Wally's breath hitches and Dick smirks because he sees Artemis smile and roll her eyes at her boyfriend as she walks over to her spot.
Finally, it's time. Everyone in the crowd stands up and turns to face the direction she'll be coming from. Dick's heart is racing again and he takes a deep breath to try and steady himself, though nothing could help him now. It's torture waiting for the doors to open, but after a few agonizing minutes, he sees her walking down the aisle. Zatanna's walking down the aisle, her arm looped through Bruce's. Zatanna's father died a few years ago from cancer. Since he couldn't be here, she asked Bruce to give her away and he gladly accepted. Guests are snapping photos and sighing about her dress and her makeup and her hair. And he almost thinks he sees Selina crying. It would make sense if she is, though, because apparently all mothers cry during weddings (he'd read it in a magazine). Dick's heart stops when he sees her. Her hair is curly and pulled into a simple updo with her transparent veil draped over the ringlets and falling down her back. Her dress is long, the train trailing behind her. It's not too fancy, but it's not too plain. For Zatanna, it's just right. Her skin is flawless and besides the swipe of mascara and lip gloss, she's not wearing any makeup. But she's never looked more gorgeous.
Finally she gets to Dick and he doesn't notice that his heart's beating again and Wally nudges him with a smirk on his face. "You dog," he murmurs quietly.
Dick chuckles and watches as Zatanna and Bruce kiss cheeks. Then the bride is standing in front of him and he can't believe that this is really happening. That she's really his. And he's not one to objectify people, especially Zatanna because he's just not like that, but even Zatanna knows that she's his and she couldn't be happier. And he leans in and whispers in her ear, "I'm trying to be nonchalant about this-"
And she giggles softly and looks at him with her bright blue eyes. "Be as chalant as you like." And the ceremony begins.
Dick and Zatanna are dancing the first dance of the night at the reception. He has his hands gently on her waist while she sort of leans into him, wrapping her arms around his neck. And they're not talking for almost a minute while the song starts. It's not an uncomfortable silence. It's kind of nice. Their foreheads are touching and they're just swaying and turning in circles. After another couple of sentences she looks into his eyes and smiles brightly. He sighs in content when he sees her smile, wishing he could freeze this moment and just be this close to her forever. But he smiles back and turns them in another circle.
"We're married," she muses like she's still getting used to the idea. Because, yeah, they're married now. And he's been waiting for this-for her-for what seems like forever. He just smiled and nods, leaning in to kiss her passionately.
She tightens her arms around him slightly, pulling him closer. When they break apart, the song is over and now others are coming to the dance floor to dance with their partners. Dick and Zatanna stay in the middle and look at everyone around them. Wally and Artemis are arguing about who's supposed to lead (before the soft arguing could turn into full out fighting, Wally kisses her and she gives in, letting him lead without complain), Kaldur and Raquel are swaying and turning like the rest of them but look like they're in a deep conversation, and Megan and Conner are laughing and twirling fervently around everyone else who laugh watch. Dick's eyes land on Bruce and Selina. At first, he didn't really think they would last, but now he sees that they love each other just as much as he and Zatanna do.
"I love you," He whispers to his bride who looks up at him and kisses his cheek.
"I love you too."
Two years later, Zatanna's water broke at two in the morning about a week before her due date. Even with all of the parenting books Dick read, he was still really nervous. But Zatanna assured him that being early was normal and happened all the time. That still didn't calm him down until they were in the hospital and Zatanna was stable. After about five hours of labor, she was ready to push.
Victoria Marie Grayson was eight pounds, nineteen inches. Despite being early, she was born healthy and beautiful. Dick kisses Zatanna's temple gently whispering, "I'm so proud of you," as he looks down at their daughter in her pink blanket.
Zatanna's cheeks are stained with tears as she looks down at Victoria. She plays with the baby's balled up fist, moving it back and forth gently. Victoria hasn't opened her eyes yet but when she does, they know that her eyes are bright sky blue. Zatanna moves her little puff of hair out of her face and kisses her head whispering I love you. She doesn't have to ask before she hands their baby to Dick, who cradles her head gently and sits on the bed next to his wife.
"She's beautiful," he whispers in awe. And for a second he's going to cry, feeling the sting of tears behind his eyes. But Zatanna laughs softly, as to not wake up the baby, and leans her head on Dick's shoulder, looking down at her.
"She really is," she whispers. When Victoria wakes up, her eyes are bright bright blue and are shifting curiously all around the room but finally lands on her parents. Dick really is crying now, tears makes their way slowly down his face. And Zatanna just turns his head towards her, both hands on either side of his face. She wipes away the tears on his cheeks and kisses him deeply before hearing Victoria go "ah?" and looking down at her with an amused smile.
"I love you," She whispers to their daughter who's blinking slowly, looking like she's falling asleep. Soon when her eyes are fully closed, Zatanna kisses her head again and leans her head back on Dick's shoulder, feeling herself drift to sleep.
Dick looks at his wife and daughter and sighs in content. "I love you," he whispers, looking at both of them. He leans against the bed, Zatanna shifting slightly against him. He can feel himself losing the fight with tiredness to stay awake. Soon his eyes are drooping and he rests his head atop Zatanna's. Before he falls to sleep, he whispers, "I love you."
"Come on, Dick, you can do it," he whispers under his breath as he watches her take the last few sips of her cinnamon vanilla latte. His phone rings and he contemplates putting it on silent but remembers that the League also calls him on that cellphone, and it could be important. He suppresses a groan before answering it.
"Hello?" He glances up at the girl. She's putting her bookmark between the pages and shuffling through her bag to find some change for a tip. He needs to hurry this up. "Yeah. Yeah. Wait, say that again," he mutters, getting out his pen and scribbling the list down on the napkin in front of him. "Uhhuh...yeah, I'll pick them up on the way home. I'll drop them by at the Mansion for Alfred. Okay, bye Selina."
He closes the phone and looks up, a smile on his face because finally he's going to do it. But she's gone. His smile slowly falls into a frown and he looks around. She's not here. She's gone. He sighs and walks out to get back to the tower. "Way to go, Grayson," he murmurs. "Way to go."
A/N: So I had this in my head all day and really thought it'd make a cute drabble. I hope you guys were surprised by the plot twist! It's a weird AU drabble, that Zatanna's not part of the team but Dick and everyone else is. R&R please! -Sarah