Okay, so they knew this was a bit excessive, but he had started it. Richard John Grayson had started it and by god, she would finish it!
The idea of taking vengeance had come to her as she sat and watched Artemis give Wally, who had apparently dared Dick to to do what he did, the lecture of his life. She could pull a prank too. She would have to make it just as scary as Dick had made his. But honestly!? How could he have been that dumb. She knew he blamed it on the fact that he had gone through with every dare placed before him and was just making sure he had a perfect record, but this was just ridiculous.
Said prank had been that Dick had gotten into a wreck while driving home from some restaurant he, Wally, and Roy had gone to. She was still baffled by the utter idiocy of such a prank because Dick had been in so many life or death situations that he should know better that to pretend. The people that cared about him already worried about his health enough and didn't need more reasons to stress over him.
The Boy Wonder had called her while she and Artemis were shopping and recounted what had happened with a shaky voice. She had absolutely freaked out and almost immediately called Selina. Dick who hadn't intended the Prank to reach the ears of his parents, had hung up the call and unknowingly to Zatanna rushed home to ease the worry of his parents. Obviously that hadn't ended well for him and not ten minutes after he arrived at the Manor trying to explain to Bruce and Selina it was just supposed to be a harmless prank, Zatanna arrived still fully convinced that there had been an accident.
Once Dick had been chewed out by a furious Selina he turned to Bruce, who had been silent during Selina's tirade, only to receive yet another lecture. Zatanna waited until they were finished and as he turned to leave she held a hand up. He winced and stopped in his tracks as she dropped her hand.
"What the hell! Why on earth would you think that was a good idea?" Zatanna had proceeded to rant for a few minutes before turning around and walking out with him close on her tail. She had Zeta-ed back to the cave without another word and he decided to give her some time to calm down.
That had been when she discovered Artemis berating Wally. Something the archer had said during her rant, "What if one of us did something like that to you?! How would that feel?"
And a lightbulb went off in her head. She would just have to get him back.
So now, she was sitting on her bed with Selina standing in front of her applying and ugly shade of dark purple eyeshadow all around her eye. When she was finished with that color she added a light green and just a smudge of blue.
"And...voila! A perfect black eye." The ex villainess exclaimed and took a step black so she could see her reflection.
"I look terrible!" Zatanna said brightly as she inspected her eye.
Selina laughed and started putting makeup back in her bag. Zatanna stood and went to get a closer look at her eye.
"It looks so real." She noted as she leaned over her dresser with her face almost touching the mirror in front of her.
"Well let's hope so. Dick is a smart boy, if it doesn't look just right he will know what we're up to." She turned back to the magician and placed her hand on her hip as her mouth drew into a smirk.
"Got your story ready?"
Zatanna nodded with the corner of her mouth turning up into a smirk of her own, "He is going to freak."
Selina laughed once again and picked up her bag. "I'll see you later, darling." She called this over her shoulder as she walked out.
Zatanna walked over to the closet and pulled out a pair of jeans and a shirt before changing out of her leggings and sweatshirt, which happened to belong to the boy she would be exacting revenge on in just a few minutes. When she was satisfied with her appearance she walked out of her room and over to Artemis' room.
When the archer opened the door she momentarily gaped before her mouth turned into a smile. "Looks good, Zee."
"Thanks!" She replied enthusiastically as she walked past the blonde and over to the bed.
"Ready?"
The magician nodded enthusiastically and pulled out her phone. She pulled up Dick's contact and took a deep breath, and willing every ounce of acting ability to the surface of her brain, she pushed call.
"Hey Zee, what's up?" He asked oblivious to what was coming.
"Dick." She said her voice shaking and inwardly she was very proud.
"Zee? What's wrong?" She could hear an edge to his voice and had to hold in a smirk.
She took another deep breath lough enough for him to hear and spoke again, "Dick...um" She paused to sniff to make it sound like she was crying, "Um, som-something h-happened."
"What?! What happened? Zee?" The edge to his voice was more apparent now.
"Um-" Sniff " I was in the p-parking lot at the m-mall and some guy was walking by and-and he wolf whistled-," Sniff " - he asked me where I was going off to in such a hurry-"
She heard what sounded like a low growl come from the other side of the phone as she continued with her story.
"And I-I said n-none of your business. And th-then he was like, who said it w-wasn't. S-so I just said screw off" She paused and sniffed a few more times, making the crying more convincing, "and-and th-then he just hit me!"
"He what?" Dick's voice was lower and held and edge she hadn't heard before when he asked the question he already knew the answer to.
She just sniffed again and she heard what sounded like something being thrown. "I'm coming to get you. Where are you?" He asked with a hard voice and Zatanna saw Artemis smirk.
"N-no, I-I'll just go to the M-Manor." She cried into the phone.
"Zee...just...please let me come get you. I'm really worried about you. Tell me where you are, I'll come get you." He insisted
"No...I'm just gonna zeta to the batcave. Will you be there when I get there?" She asked keeping her voice shaky.
"Yes, of course. Please hurry and be careful."
Zatanna hung up and she smiled up at Artemis, "You know, I would feel bad but then I just remember him calling to say he got in an accident, and I then I don't feel so bad."
Artemis laughed, "Yeah, I get it." She said and they walked over to her door together.
"Make sure to tell me how it goes!"
The dark haired girl nodded and shoots the archer a smile as she leaves. She walked quickly down the hallway and out to the heart of the cave where the Zeta beams were located. She quickly punches in the coordinates of her destination and she is granted access before the computerized voice sates her name and number and she is whooshed away.
When she arrives at the cave Dick is pacing in front of the gate and Bruce is sitting in his chair with his eyes tracking his protege's movements. Selina is leaning on the examination table and Zatanna notes a very small smirk. As she steps out Dick rushes to her and touches her face gently.
"Zee…" His eyes roam over her frame checking for any more injuries but ultimately settle back onto the black eye she was currently sporting" Who the hell did that? Did you get his name? Licence plate? Anything?"
Zatanna shook her head looking at the floor, and Dick let go of her face and took her hand. "Zee? Hey, talk to me" He says quietly and then Zatanna feels the smirk form on her face.
She couldn't help it, she had felt a little twinge of regret at the beginning but it had faded as she thought about his own prank. He took a step back and raised an eyebrow at her expression before looking backwards obviously hoping for some help from his surrogate parents.
His face contorted in confusion when he saw that both of them were smirking at him. It took him just a few more seconds to cross his arms and grind out, "Really?!"
Zatanna laughed "Got you. How does that feel."
He narrowed his eyes then turned to face Bruce and Selina once more "What the hell!"
Alfred who had been standing by the stairs tsked at the foul language and Bruce raised his eyebrow, "Language."
Dick rolled his eyes and looked back at Zatanna "This is ridiculous! You know that right? It was a dare!"
Zatanna narrowed her eyes as well and but laughed "But this is just a prank!"
Selina chuckled lightly and Dick turned his glare on her before running a hand through his hair and spitting out "Fine!"
He walked to the stairs where Alfred was and passed the old man before climbing the stairs and leaving the cave. Zatanna rolled her eyes and followed.
She found him in his room glaring out his window and she walked over to him. She linked arms with him and laid her head on his shoulder. He tensed at her touch and she couldn't help another eyeroll.
"See. It sucks doesn't it." She comments quietly
He looked down at her momentarily before sighing and pulling his arm out of her grasp and putting it around her waist. She kept her head on his shoulder.
"You can't do that to me again." He said quietly and she could hear that edge again.
"Then you can't do it to me." She challenged "Even if it is a dare."
He sighed again and brought her around so that she faced him then pulled her into a comfortable embrace. He spoke into her hair as he agreed and she relaxed against them.
She smiled and looked up at him expectantly. When he glanced down at her he rolled his eyes and laughed before ducking his head and kissing her.
When they pulled apart she laughed and he frowned.
"What?" She asked, confused.
"Mind taking that off now?" He asked her with his eyebrow quirked.
"Oh." She had forgotten about it, "Yeah sure thing."
"Puekam ffo!" She felt the makeup clear from her face and Dick smiled
"That's better."
She rolled her eyes and sat down on his bed. He walked around the edge of his bed then hopped on, positioning himself so that he was in the center of it leaning against the headbored. When he was settled he patted the spot next to him. She rolled her eyes but crawled over. As soon as she sat down he pulled he onto his lap and wound his arms around her.
She couldn't help the giggle that escaped her lips and that only encouraged him. Soon she was gasping for breath as he ruthlessly tickled her. When he finally did stop they were content to just sit there with each other and talk.
She had gotten her revenge and she got to cuddle. Damn she was good! She chuckled quietly to herself and smiled up at Dick, only wishing that this moment never passed.