Zatanna sighed as she leaned back into the booth she'd been sitting in for the last hour. Her eyes were red and puffy, she was sniffling every few minutes, and she could barely stomach the plate of cheese fries in front of her.
"Come on, Zanna, don't let this get you down," thirteen-year-old Billy Batson pleaded. He was really trying to understand why his best friend was so sad. Sure, he got that Robin dumped her, but he failed to grasp why she let it get to her so badly. People got broken up with all the time, right? It was part of life, he was pretty sure.
The magician let out a heavy sigh and picked up a french fry, almost as if she was inspecting it. He raised an eyebrow, but didn't say anything. The gooey cheese dripped off of it and back onto the plate.
"Billy, it's just not that simple. I don't want to be sad, I hate being sad but here I am," she sighed, "sitting here, moping, probably the saddest girl in Fawcett City because of some boy," she let out a laugh but it was in no way pleasant. It was bitter, almost sarcastic sounding. She was making fun of herself.
"But hey, I'm a boy! And I'm trying to cheer you up!" Billy's innocent comment caused a smile to tug at Zatanna's pale pink lips. "Maybe he just wasn't thinking? Or maybe he has a lot going on?" He asked skeptically. Billy watched as Zatanna dropped the fry back onto her plate, the remnants of her smile fading.
"Yes and no. No, he was thinking when he did it but yes, he has a lot going on. The thing is, he won't tell me!" The seventeen-year-old groaned, throwing her head back. "He never tells me anything, Billy! That's the problem! I barely knew his secret identity! He just always kept secrets and now he's some new vigilante in Blüdhaven calling himself Nightwing? I know he's upset about Jason, it took so much away from him but he can talk to me! I've never not been there for him..." She sighed again, feeling the tears well up in the corner of her eyes.
"Zanna don't cry!" Billy frowned as his eyebrows furrowed together. "Look, he knew you were there but sometimes, people need to do things on their own and they don't give any warning to anyone about it. I mean it happens to the best of us." He was trying to be encouraging but he didn't know how else to reassure his friend everything would be okay. He wasn't Artemis or M'gann, he was Billy freakin' Batson, a thirteen-year-old with gifts from the gods, gifts which were clearly not helping.
"I'm sure he's sad too, being away from the ones you love is hard," he tried to reassure her.
"Then why leave them at all? It only hurts both in the end," Zatanna asked quietly. To that, Billy had no answer. The Wisdom of Solomon wasn't doing too much good for him now.
Billy had absolutely no idea what to say to his pseudo-sister. There was only one other occasion she was this defeated and even then, she always went to Robin because he was the one who comforted her initially. He was just barely a teenager and, although he felt much more mature, this was more than he could comprehend. He'd been around those who were a handful of years older than him for quite some time and learned to adapt but not to relationship stuff. That's why he was racking his brain for any kind of counter argument.
"I'm sorry I'm dragging you into this, Billy," Zatanna apologized, breaking their silence. Billy's eyes went wide as he shook his head frantically.
"No! I want to help!" He insisted. "You're practically my sister, Zanna," he watched her attempt a smile at the nickname he frequently used. "I want to help, I'm trying, but breakups don't make sense to me," he admitted. "Like, I get if two people aren't happy but I don't get it when you love each other but still separate."
"You're so innocent," Zatanna shook her head with the smallest hint of a smile on her face. "It's very grounding. I wish I had an explanation for you about that but the thing is, I don't know either. I've grown up surrounded by loving couples. My parents until my mom's death, my grandparents in Italy. All my friends had parents who were together. Some since they were freshman in high school. I just...I just thought..." Her voice trailed off as she let out a shaky deep breath.
"Was he your first love?" Billy asked before immediately regretting it. He shouldn't have asked but sometimes he just said things without thinking. "I'm sorry you don't have to answer," he added quickly before covering his mouth out of fear he'd say something else he'd regret.
"No...no it's good to talk about. I can't keep things bottled up. My dad taught me that," she said sadly. Oh great, he made her think about her dad, too? What kind of friend was he being? "Di-" she stopped herself, "I mean, Robin, yeah, he was my first love. He is my first love. I love him dearly, more than I thought I could and would ever love someone. He was my rock, my anchor, always there to love and support me like I was for him."
"I didn't realize I fell in love with him at first. We were just, so young. I didn't believe it. My dad didn't meet my mom until he was twenty. We were only fourteen. Once I let him in though everything just made sense. He made everything bad that had ever happened to me vanish like a magic trick. I'm a firm believer that everything happens for a reason and I thought he was my reason," she said sadly, her eyes flickered from her hands resting on the table to Billy. He was watching intently, listening to every word she spoke with consideration and care.
"You really do love him, even after all of this. The way you talk about him, it's like, woah." Billy was practically speechless. He'd never heard someone say so many kind words about someone who hurt them. It caused him to feel something in his chest he didn't quite understand. There was this emotion, he was sad but it was more than sad. He felt for Zatanna on a level he didn't really understand.
Billy hadn't noticed but Zatanna had tears streaming down her cheeks. She sniffled and grabbed a napkin from the dispenser to blow her nose before she spoke again.
"I'll always love him. There's a saying, something about never getting over your first love because it's always the hardest. I believe it. Heartbreak is nobody's friend but it makes you have revelations you never thought you'd have before. You get the chance to rediscover yourself."
"How are you planning on doing that?" Billy asked. He was genuinely interested in what Zatanna had to say, not that he wasn't before, but she taught him more than he could've hoped to learn about relationships. She was quiet for a few minutes before clearing her throat.
"Promise to keep a secret?" Billy nodded eagerly, tracing the letter "x" over his heart. "I was given an invitation to join the League and I think my first step in rediscovering myself is accepting," she said softly. Billy's eyes widened and a large grin took hold of his face.
"What? No way! They didn't tell me they offered you a bid! That's great!" He said excitedly. "It's the perfect first step! You get to be you, our magician, and we can fight alongside one another!" Billy's childish enthusiasm caused Zatanna to smile big, the first time she'd done so in the last few days. "It's gonna be great!"
"Well, I'm glad I have one supporter," she laughed. It made Billy happy to hear that laugh. He decided that he was going to do anything to keep it going. Nobody, especially Zatanna, deserved to be sad any longer.
"Come on!" Billy quickly stood up, throwing some money on the table and grabbing Zatanna's arm. She followed his lead as they practically ran out of the restaurant, both laughing.
"Billy where are we going?" She asked as he led her down the street. After she asked, they stopped in their tracks and Billy turned to look up at her.
"We're celebrating!" He declared. "New membership calls for some ice cream!" He said before taking off again, Zatanna in toe. She had already forgotten why her cheeks were stained with tears in the first place.
hey, all you lovely readers! long time no fic, lol.
my spring semester of university was HECTIC and i didn't have very much time to focus on my writing. however, now that summer is here i have so many ideas that i can't wait to share!
this fic was so much fun to write. i have this headcanon billy and zee are super close, like siblings. it makes me so happy so i hope y'all enjoyed too!
let me know what you think! as always, fave and follow, read and review! check back soon for more young justice fics, and let me know if you have any ideas you would like to see me write!
hope to hear from you guys!