It was midnight and Dick was looking at his phone. He groaned, Zatanna hadn't left him any messages. He knew better than to worry, she could take care of herself and she was with Artemis and Star, but he couldn't help himself. He was in love with her, there was genuinely no one who knew him better.
The way a smile would creep onto her face slowly before exploding and lighting up the whole room, the way her mind raced in the midst of battle, making her just as cunning as she was lethal. The way she knew what he was thinking before he could voice it aloud himself, and the way she was truly beautiful inside and out. Her looks paled (if that were possible) in comparison to her humility and grace, even on the darkest of days. She didn't have super strength but it sure seemed like it, and she made him feel supported, in all that he did whether she agreed or not she supported him. Emotionally, mentally, hell sometimes even physically. Over the years, she had truly grown into his partner, his constant, and it scared him some nights, just how important she had become to him. He never once thought about losing her, his mind just wouldn't got there.
He had to make this right, he hated being angry with her because it just made him angry at himself. They hardly ever got into fights, but when they did…He clutched the phone as he thought of calling her first. He threw it to the edge of the bed, no he wouldn't call her first not when he felt this was the wrong way of saving her father.
Using Raven to enter into space between the realms of chaos and order, where Fate and Klarion were from…it was too risky. To make matters worse, Klarion gave her the idea, as if that weren't enough of a bad sign.
He knew firsthand what it felt like to lose family, but this seemed like too much and though he didn't know much about the mystic arts, he knew that according Zatanna that messing with dark magic came with a price.
"This isn't the same thing Dick and don't you dare try to make it sound like it is, because you know nothing about it!" she had told him a week ago.
"What's the difference Zee?! Huh?! Klarion obviously wants you to do his dirty work and you're falling right into his lap with this one!" He shouted right back at her.
"Don't you think I realize that he could just be using me? But I have to try, this is my father's life on the line, if it were your family- " she started
Dick's eye almost bulged out of his head, "DO NOT GO THERE WITH ME, ZATANNA!" he shouted in a voice that sounded too much like Batman's.
The second he said it he regretted it, he saw the pain on her face, the pain she had been hiding from him since the mission debrief. He thought she would storm off, or throw a glass, or curse at him until he was red in the face but she did neither of those things. It was so silent, you could hear a pin drop.
Tears flooded her eyes and painted her already flushed face, and she ran. She slammed the door to the bedroom, and sank behind the door where she held herself and cried.
Dick hung his head, he knew he was in the wrong then. He had never spoken to her like that, ever. After about an hour of listening to her cry, he decided he'd had enough, it was tormenting him knowing that he did that to her. The clock struck midnight just as he had finished suiting up, and started to walk out the door, just as he touched the doorknob he heard the swing of the bedroom door and saw her standing there, in the middle of the hallway.
"Where are you going?" Zatanna asked in a strangled voice. He looked at her, her face still showing evidence of her tears.
Dock opened his mouth to speak, but had to clear it. "Out." He whispered roughly.
Zatanna said nothing in response but he heard her pull in a quick ragged breath. He turned the doorknob quickly, unable to face the mess he'd made.
"Don't" she said, "Don't go." She said her voice pleading and breaking.
He froze, "I don't know if I can stay, not after…look I'm coming back Zee. I'm not leaving you, I just need a minute." He explained.
Zatanna walked over to where he stood and put her hand over his on the doorknob. "Please?" she said, her voice still full of unmasked hurt.
He looked down into her cerulean blue eyes before looking away at her naked feet, he shook his head. "I don't want to fight you, Zee." He admitted.
"Then don't," she breathed, she hesitantly put her hands on either side of his face. Her hands trembled a little, though she was clearly sure of her actions. She stood on the tips of her toes and pressed her soft, full lips to his.
He didn't hesitate as he responded to her kiss, with an anger and passion of his own. He hoisted her up so he wouldn't have to keep bending downwards, he pinned her against the door just as she pulled away for a quick breath. His mouth never left her skin and instead trailed down her throat. She ran one hand through his hair and used the other one to lock the door behind her before grabbing his face roughly and ripping off his domino mask.
His eyes were bloodshot and he sighed, meeting her gaze. She looked into his blue eyes, a different color from her own and read the questions and answers in them. She stroked his face soothingly with her thumb and nodded in silent agreement with him before closing her eyes and kissing him softly first and then passionately. He kissed her back fiercely and as she began to pull away at his costume, he walked them back into the bedroom without ever breaking the kiss.
That night, they said nothing and everything in their movements. He loved her, loved her sweetly and slowly. It was almost cruel how sweet he was and she knew it, he was punishing them both and her body sang for him. Though they had both climaxed multiple times, he never stopped for more than a few minutes. No, he would love her until their bodies ached of it and until her throat was dry from her pleading and screaming.
Finally, when their bodies could take no more, he pulled her into the frame of his body to sleep. Zatanna's eyes were still moist with fresh tears, tears of pain, pleasure, love and fear. He kissed her tears away softly, and she moved her hands trembling slightly from the physical exhaustion, to his chiseled, sweat covered face.
"I love you," she whispered.
"I know," he said, a hint of a small smile pulled at his lips, but then he frowned, "But you're still going, aren't you?" he asked. She could hear anger and hurt in the underlying tone of his voice. He was trying, hard, not to let it upset him the way it had earlier, she let his blue eyes pour into hers.
She wanted nothing more than to satisfy him, physically, emotionally…but she had a mission, the only mission that mattered since she first joined the team officially. Nothing, not even Dick, could sway her on this. Not if it meant she could succeed.
She nodded. He sighed and his warm breath washed over her face.
"So where does that leave us?" he asked quietly.
Her heart broke as she heard his own unmasked pain, echoing hers. Her breathing hitched and tears sprung in her eyes again. She smiled what she knew was a weak smile, and shrugged. "A truce?" she said weakly.
He pulled back a little to really look at the face of the woman he was holding in his arms. It was flushed, tired, her bright eyes torn between what he knew was an impossible choice for her. The bold had pooled to the center of her face, and the face that surrounded her face was matted with sweat and maybe even her tears. He was putting her through hell and he could see it, but he couldn't concede to this one. No…..he wouldn't. But there wasn't a will to fight there, neither of one could take the hurt anymore.
He nodded and pressed his lips to her forehead. "Okay, a truce." He agreed. He kissed her lips again and as she started to pull away, he let his lips linger on hers. She bit her lip in quick hesitation, before leaning in to kiss him again.
He looked her, his eyes, tight, hungry, angry, but resigned. He separated her legs, even as they trembled and hooked them overs his toned hips. He looked over her scathingly, wondering if she could really take it.
She could feel how raw she was from the last times, but if he was going to be angry with her anywhere, she wanted it to be in here because nothing had hurt worse than the words they would throw at each other later.
She gripped the sheets beneath her to steady herself and he plunged into her mercilessly, plunging into her so deep a sound foreign to her, ripped through her throat and escaped her mouth. He quickly took her lips in his and continued his plight.
He loved her again, savagely that time, harder, faster, without remorse. If he hadn't kept his lips secured to hers, she would've deafened him with her cries. Her body convulsed with wild pleasure, and as her body gave into the surge of the climax, her eyes rolling back into her head and bordering the line of consciousness they knew this is where the fight would end tonight, where nothing and everything would be said.
He looked at the phone on the edge of his bed, sighed, and ran his hand through his dark hair. He went to suit up, if she was fighting tonight then so would he. It would be a different villain, a different town, or maybe even a different realm but he'd fight until she came home. So there would be no fight left in him when she came back…little did he know…..she would do the same…..until she could finally go home. Where only peace would await her.