Zatanna's alarm clock went off at seven thirty and she groaned. Watching that movie with Dick last night had been great, in hindsight though, maybe not their best idea. Zatanna really did appreciate everything he did for her.
She pushed her blankets off of herself and headed to her bathroom. After brushing her teeth and putting her hair up she moved to the closet and changed into leggings and an athletic tank. She made her way to her door where she discovered a basket full of folded laundry and smiled, Alfred really was a saint. She moved it onto her bed to be put away later and headed down the stairs.
The counter was already set with plates and she sat down in her usual seat.
"Good morning, Miss." Alfred greeted her.
"Morning." She smiled at him.
Bruce nodded at her over his coffee, Dick apparently hadn't made it down yet.
Alfred set a glass of apple juice in front of her and she thanked him. Dick and Selina made their way into the kitchen at the same time and took their seats as well. Dick winked at her and she smiled at him. Being around him always lifted her mood.
The room was quiet as Alfred poured Selina her coffee and handed Dick a glass of apple juice. The only sound was Alfred finishing making breakfast, but it was a comfortable quiet. It was something she had gotten used to. She had been with them for about a month now, and she had grown to like the quiet of the Manor. Knowing she didn't have to talk was nice, because she also knew she hadn't really come to terms with her father's absence in her life.
Alfred set down their plates and they ate for a moment in silence before Selina spoke.
"Well, Zatanna, Bruce and I were talking last night, and we decided that it's time for you to join the team."
Zatanna gasped and looked over at her, "Really?"
Selina nodded with a proud smile, "Yes, you've been working hard. But, this doesn't mean that you can stop working hard." Zatanna nodded as she continued, "You can start training with the rest of the team, and you and I will continue to spar. Dick will be helping out too."
Dick looked over at her in surprise, but he didn't say anything. Zatanna couldn't help but be a little more excited.
Bruce took over explaining things from there, "Dick will be helping you because when he first started as Robin he was a long distance fighter. He used evasive maneuvers and fought defensively. I'm sure that you've noticed Selina and I have been giving you more defensive moves. That will be the focus for you, but you need to know how to be offensive as well. Dick and Selina can help you learn how to protect yourself and others even though you might not be the biggest or strongest in the field."
Zatanna nodded at him and he continued, "The team is a good place for you to get some experience under your belt."
"Yes sir!" Zatanna said excitedly. Dick nudged her with his arm and smiled at her. They both finished their food and excused themselves.
They entered the gym and got on with their morning workouts. Zatanna was working out her arms today and it looked like DIck was on a leg day. Zatanna hated arm days, pushups and pullups were not fun. But she did what she had to, and she was done with her workout in two hours.
Dick was done at about the same time as she was but when she was about to leave she saw him head to the back of the gym. She looked on curiously as he walked away. She then realized he was moving over to a trapeze at the very back of the gym. There was a giant trampoline under the swings too. She watched him climb up to a platform where one of the swings was tied off and he stood at the top. She walked closer to the trapeze and watched as he started to go through routines.
He was amazing! It looked like he was really flying! She laughed as he continued, it was really something to see. And it looked fun! Zatanna sat down at one of the benches to watch him. She didn't know how long she had stayed there watching him but eventually he came down.
"That was amazing!" Zatanna told him as he landed on the ground.
He beamed at her, "Thanks, Zee!"
"Come on," he nodded towards the door." let's get to the mountain."
Zatanna nodded, "When's training?"
"It's not till one usually, but we should go tell the team the good news!"
Zatanna's smile widened and she nodded.
"Just let me go change." He added as they headed out the door, "I'll meet you in the cave."
Zatanna went down to the cave and Dick showed up only a few minutes after her. They beamed to the cave together and made their way to the common area. The team typically hung out there on saturdays.
"Are you excited?" Robin asked her.
She nodded, "I am, I just hope I'm ready."
"Don't worry, Bats and Catwoman wouldn't have let you join if you weren't. Plus, we can all see that you're ready." Robin smiled at her.
That was all it took to get Zatanna to feel more confident, she knew he wouldn't lie to her.
"You always know what to say." She smiled.
Robin winked at her, "Glad I could be of service, ma'am."
She laughed then, and they stepped into the main room.
Artemis and Wally were predictably arguing about what should be on the tv. Magan and Conner were sitting on one of the love seats. And Kalder was staring at Wally and Artemis in exasperation.
"Zatanna, Robin!" Megan suddenly flew towards them.
"Hey Miss M." Robin offered.
And Zatanna gave her a quick hug in greeting.
The rest of the team turned to greet them as well.
"Zee has some good news," Robin prompted her and she smiled at him.
She cleared her throat and turned to the team who were waiting for her to speak, "Batman said I'm officially on the team!"
"No way!"
"Zatanna, that's great!"
"That's so good to hear!"
"Nice, babe!"
Magan had grabbed her in another hug and Artemis had come forward to put a hand on her shoulder.
Wally had zipped forward to congratulate her and Conner and Kalder had smiled from where they stood.
She let the girls lead her to the couch and the boys followed. Everyone settled into the living room and just hung out. Zatanna was starting to feel more relaxed with everyone. She hated that her father was gone, but there were worse places she could be right now. This...well it wasn't too bad.
Dick walked through the halls in between Barbra and Zatanna. They were halfway through their classes for the day and he was incredibly bored. He couldn't go out tonight with Batman, most of the team was busy tonight so they weren't going to do anything at the mountain either. All he had to do today was school and training later that night. It could be worse.
Dick sighed and tuned into the girls' conversations.
"-so my dad is making me go to this stupid city hall event with him!" Barbra ranted and Dick couldn't help another sigh.
He was being forced to attend the same thing. Seeing as Bruce was the richest man in the city, and one of the richest in the word, he was always invited to things like this.
"Dick, you'll be there right?" Barbra asked him and he nodded.
Zatanna shot him a curious glance and he shrugged, "Bruce always makes me go."
"It's like a gala." Dick explained, "Everyone gets super dressed up, I'll have to wear a tux." The teen rolled his eyes.
He glanced at Zatanna only to see that she was smiling, "But that sounds kind of fun!"
Barbra suddenly gasped, "Wait!" She grabbed onto Dick's arm, "Please take her with you Dick!"
"What?" Dick asked her, why would she want to make Zatanna have to go through that?
"Please?" The red head begged, "It will be so much better if she could come!"
"But, I obviously wasn't invited." Zatanna laughed.
"Everyone is allowed a plus one! That's how I'm going with my dad!" Barbra explained. "Dick can take you as his date!"
Zatanna giggled and Dick slapped his forehead, "I don't know."
"Oh come on, you don't actually have to date!" Barbra scoffed, "Plus I bet the media would just eat that up."
Dick swallowed, if anything that made him want to do it less.
"Dick," Zatanna said "what do you think? I think it would be fun if you're both going."
Dick looked at her face and then nodded, she genuinely looked excited.
Barbra squealed and hugged Zatanna. " We can go dress shopping together!"
"I don't think Selina has one yet, maybe she can take you both." Dick added.
"Yes! That would be amazing!" Zatanna beamed at him and he smiled back at her.
Dick shot a quick text to the group chat he had made that included Bruce, Selina, and Alfred.
Barbra wants me to take Zatanna to the City Hall gala, and Zatanna said that would be fun(I don't know why they think it's even remotely fun). And they wanted to know if Selina would take them dress shopping when she goes.
They had just sat down at their lunch table as he got a reply from Selina.
Don't act like you don't like it, Kitten. ;) Tell the girls we can go tomorrow when school is over. Make sure the Commissioner is okay with it.
Dick rolled his eyes.
Yes Ma'am
Bruce and Alfred were the next to respond.
Looks like Dickie's got a date…
Dick could feel his face grow a little bit hot, he glanced up and saw that the girls were talking to the rest of their group, who had just joined the table.
It's not a date!
He knew he wouldn't be hearing the end of this anytime soon.
It looks like the young master is getting an earlier start on dating than you did, Master Bruce.
Dick blanched at Alfred's reply. And then face palmed at what Selina typed next.
As long as he's not getting an earlier start on anything else.
The meaning behind her message was very clear and he hurried to answer back.
I'm only 13!
The three adults left it at that. Dick sighed and shoved his phone in his pocket and far away from any prying eyes. He did not want anyone to see that conversation.
"Barbra, Selina said to make sure it's okay with your dad, and she'll pick both of you up tomorrow after school."
The two girls beamed at him again. And he smiled, well at least they were happy about it, he really didn't understand why they would be. He pulled his phone back out of his pocket as he got one last text from Selina.
Maybe I should make them match!
Dick rolled his eyes, Bruce would wear a handkerchief that matched the color of Selina's dress whenever they went to galas.
He decided to just ignore the text. He wasn't sure if he should feel excited or not, after all it wasn't a real date. Barbra had orchestrated the whole thing, he glanced at his redhead friend to see that she was smiling slyly at him. His mouth dropped. Had she done this on purpose?
Zatanna and Barbra waited on the steps and talked excitedly. Dick had just walked down to the limo waiting for him after wishing them a nice evening.
Barbra giggled, "What a gentleman!" She called after him and he glared.
"I'm just being nice!" He called back.
The girls laughed again and he disappeared into his car.
"What kind of dress are you going to get?" Barbra asked excitedly.
"I don't know yet!" She smirked, she wasn't going to admit it but she wanted something that was going to catch Dick's attention, and hold it for the whole night.
"I want something red and sparkly!" Barbra sighed. Zatanna laughed and they moved over towards Selina's car that had just pulled up. Zatanna went around to the passenger seat and Barbra got into the back.
"How was your day, girls?" Selina asked when they were settled. She pulled the car out of the lot as they told her it had been good.
"Well, what are we looking for girls?" Selina parked the car along the sidewalk. Since Gotham Academy was in one of the nicest parts of town, it was also in the upscale shopping district. It only took them five minutes to get to the main street of shopping.
"Something red!" Barbra said excitedly.
"Mmm, I'm thinking something blue. Maybe baby blue." She told her mentor.
Selina smirked at her, "I think that will do just fine."
She opened her door, "Alright ladies, stick close."
The two girls complied and were both at her side as they moved forward.
They visited more than one shop that day and tried on a few dresses each. Barbra found herself a red one that she really liked, it was even sparkly. Zatanna found just what she was looking for and she was already excited for the Gala. And Selina had picked out an emerald green dress that she looked absolutely stunning in.
Selina had also insisted on paying for all three dresses. The two teens had both brought their fathers cards but they were quickly pushed away by the older woman. "Nonsense, my treat."
They both thanked her for the trip and the dresses and she smiled.
"How about ice cream and then I'll take you both home?" The girls nodded and followed her out to the car. The man that had rung them up followed them to put the dresses carefully in the car.
After their Ice cream Selina had dropped Barbra off and watched as she made her way to the Commissioner's spacious apartment. And headed off in the direction of the manor.
"So, are you excited?" Selina asked her with a smile.
Zatanna nodded and laughed, "Yeah actually, I think it will be fun."
Selina nodded, "The dressing up part always is, however the people can be unpleasant at times. Just stick close to Dick and Barbra. They won't say anything that could get them in trouble around Barbra for sure. And now that Dick is growing up, a lot of people are starting to be a lot more respectful."
Zatanna raised her eyebrows, "You mean they weren't always nice before?"
Selina shook her head, "No, they used to be pretty mean to him. A lot of the kids at his school still are. For starters Bruce took him in when he was little and a lot of people thought it was just to help Bruce's image. They would call him a charity case, and some still do, but hat definitely was not the case."
Zatanna gasped and Selina continued, "And I'm sure you've noticed Dick has more of an olive complexion too."
Zatanna nodded, "I've heard about him before I came to live here. He's Romani right? And… I know about his parents too."
Selina nodded, "Yes, well a lot of people weren't fond of his circus roots or the fact that he's a 'gypsy'. He was very self conscious about it for a long time when he was little."
Zatanna sighed, But.. you said people aren't really like that to him anymore, right?"
"They aren't as bad, now that he's growing up people realize that he isn't going anywhere. They don't want him to remember all of the nasty things they said when he inherits Bruce's company. Plus I think a lot of his peers realize just how handsome and successful he is going to be."
Zatanna narrowed her eyes, "That's just wrong. They were terrible to him for most of his life, and now they realize they might want something from him when he's older, so they feel obligated to be nice!"
Selina nodded again, "Yes, it is. But that's how this part of society works I'm afraid."
"I'm kinda surprised that Bruce is letting me go." Zatanna confided.
Selina laughed, "Why's that, honey?"
"Well… I don't know, it just seems like he would be really against Dick having any kind of distractions." Zatanna freaked out a little when she realized she had made it sound like this was anything more than them going as friends. "Not that I'm a distraction! But...still."
Selina smiled at her, "I know what you mean, and Bruce may seem intimidating and kind of like he doesn't like fun. That's not it though, he just cares about Dick a lot. He wants to make sure the Dick is always focused on what he needs to be focused on. And, that doesn't mean that Dick isn't allowed to have fun."
"Oh." Zatanna was still thinking. Friends were probably as far as her and Dick would ever get. Which she was fine with…right? Dick was amazing, and sweet, and really good looking, and always there for her though.
But he had a lot to deal with, and now she was starting to have more on her plate too. Plus with everything that had happened with Andrew, maybe she shouldn't be trying to date. If that was even what she wanted, she wasn't even sure she really liked Dick. Or...that was what she was going to keep telling herself.
It was Friday night and Dick pulled on the jacket to his tux and buttoned it up. He walked over to the mirror and sighed as he started to tie his bow tie. God he heated bow ties, they were even worse than ties.
He huffed and made his way out of his room and stopped dead in his tracks. Zatanna was facing her door, she was closing it and he swallowed hard. She was in a baby blue silk dress that hugged her perfectly. The back was cutout and held together by thin straps that were tight against her perfect skin.
He cleared his throat and she turned to look at him. He blushed a little bit when he realized she was looking at him as intently as he was looking at her. The top of her dress ended just above her chest but it was still tight. The silk gathered at her waist making her figure even more prominent.
"You look amazing, Zee." He told her, his eyes finally made their way to her face and it looked just as magnificent as the rest of her. She was wearing makeup but not too much. And her hair was in loose curls that tumbled down her shoulders and back. Her hair covered the thin straps of her dress. She was truly breathtaking.
She blushed and walked towards him slowly, "Thanks."
She took his hand, "So do you."
He laughed a little, "Thanks."
"Dick, Zatanna, let's go!" Selina called from the bottom of the stairs.
Dick pulled Zatanna over and let go of her hand only to link arms with her. She shot him a dazzling smile that he returned and they made their way down the stairs.
Selina was waiting for them and she looked as amazing as ever. She was wearing an emerald green, one shoulder, silk dress that had a high slit. Her hair was up and curls framed her face.
"You look great, Selina." Dick told her fondly and she pressed a kiss into the top of his head.
Selina turned and grabbed two small clutches from the counter behind her and handed a light blue one to Zatanna. The magician smiled at her and took it, she put her phone into it and closed it. The three of them turned as Bruce and Alfred came toward them. Selina walked forward to meet Bruce and the two of them linked arms before heading out the door.
Dick rolled his eyes and pulled Zatanna forward.
The ride to the Gala was quiet, Bruce and Selina seemed to be having their own conversation and Zatanna was already texting Barbra.
He laughed a little, "Is she there yet?"
Zatanna nodded and smirked, "She's already bored apparently."
He laughed again, "Yeah well at least she has us coming, I normally have to go with just Bruce and Selina."
Zatanna smiled at him, "Oh my, that does just sound terrible." She teased him.
He scoffed at her playfully, "You just don't get it."
When they arrived Bruce and Dick helped the ladies out of the car and walked towards the door. As Barbra predicted, the media went crazy.
"Oh my goodness! Richard! Who did you bring?"
"-she your girlf-"
"Mr. Wayne are you letting him date?"
"Looks like there's a new playboy-"
Cameras were flashing like crazy as the questions were being flown at him. He put a hand on Zatanna's bare back and led her quickly through the doors. He pushed them a little farther through the main entrance before stopping to look at her. She turned and looked back at the door before meeting his gaze with a laugh.
"Is it always like that?"
He clicked his tongue, "Sorta, yeah."
She laughed again then reached around grabbed his hand from her back to pull him forward, "Come on let's go find Barbra."
Dick smiled at her, "Alright, alright!"
They followed Bruce and Selina who had gone in ahead of them. Zatanna still looked excited. He had a feeling he was going to have a hard time looking away from her tonight.
Barbra was waiting for them at the end of the entrance hall. She looked good too. Her dress was sparkly, red, and form fitting with a scoop neckline. Her hair was stick straight and she was wearing makeup too.
The two girls hugged each other and squealed about how good the other looked and he rolled his eyes again. Barbra moved to go inside and Zatanna took his hand again as they entered.
Dick was used to this sort of thing but Zatanna wasn't, so he watched her face intently to try determining what she thought. Her eyes widened as she took in the decorations and the people there. Everyone was decked out in expensive dresses and jewelry. People were drinking champagne and mingling. Anyone under twenty-one had the option of sparkling water and there was always regular water if you asked. There were also trays of hordevours being walked around the room on trays. In the center of the room they could just make out an open circle meant for anyone who wanted to dance. There was live music being played from somewhere in the back of the room.
Zatanna pulled Dick forward and he followed her compliantly. They walked around as Zatanna just took things in. She turned to him, "It looks amazing in here."
"Yeah, they always go all out." He answered her.
Zatanna continued to look around and Dick surveyed the room again. Barbra had disappeared and the crowd of people around them all seemed surprised. They looked at Zatanna intently, obviously trying to determine whether or not she was one of them. Dick took a step forward so that he was shielding one side of her body. He swept his gaze around the room intently. He didn't want a single person saying anything bad about her, at least not where she could hear it.
When he was little people would talk badly about him only a few feet away. They wanted him to hear, they wanted him to feel even more out of place than he was. He didn't want that for her.
"Guys!" Barbra was at their side again balancing three sparkling waters. Even the sparkling water was served in champagne glasses. The three of them looked a bit more grown up in this setting.
The rest of the night was actually pretty fun. The three of them talked and joked around together. About halfway through the night Dick pulled out three tubes of edible glitter that he had bought just for this occasion. The three of them smiled devilishly at each other as Dick handed them out. They discretely poured them into the bowls of champagne and watched the confusion that ensured.
The night was almost over and they were playing a few slow songs. Barbra had disappeared again, only to reappear on the dance floor with a boy from Gotham Academy. There were actually quite a few of their classmates here. Most of them kept to their own groups though. They stayed away from Zatanna and he was perfectly happy not talking to any of them. He did catch a few dirty looks that were shot at her from Blair and Julia.
The lights dimmed around the room as more and more couples started to dance. Dick smiled and turned to his date, "May I?"
He held his hand out for her to grab. Zatanna laughed and took one last drink of her sparkling water before setting it down and allowing him to pull her forward. When they reached the dance floor Dick pulled her close to him. He wrapped one of his arms around her waist and splayed his hand on her back. He felt her tense and she wrapped one arm around his neck. They extended their clasped hands and they started to sway along with other couples. Her face was so close to his again and he smiled at her.
"Where did you learn to dance?" He asked her because it was evident that she knew how.
"My dad." She said hesitantly then smiled, "He loved to dance."
Dick nodded and let her have a minute of silence and she spoke up first, "What about you?"
Dick laughed, "Alfred made me take lessons when I was younger. He made Bruce do it when he was a kid too."
Something seemed to occur to her then. She looked around while they danced and then smiled to herself, "Look, Bruce and Selina are over there."
Dick glanced in the direction she was talking about and saw that his 'sorta parents' were dancing too. It was one of the rare moments that they let themselves just be happy. Dick felt a smile spread over his face.
He looked back at Zatanna and found that she was looking at him already.
"What?" He asked her.
She smiled and shook her head before laying her cheek on his shoulder as they continued to dance. He leaned his cheek onto her hair and sighed in contentment.
Zatanna really did have fun! She was starting to learn that any time she spent with Dick was time she was going to enjoy. Plus he had looked so handsome in a tux. And Selina had gotten him a baby blue hankie to match her dress. It almost felt like a really upscale prom. And Barbra had been really fun too!
As soon as they got in the car she started dozing silently. She leaned her head on his shoulder and she felt him wrap his arm around her waist to steady her as the car started moving. She only remembered bits and pieces of the car ride. She remembered Dick sounding annoyed while he said something about a camera. And she remembered when the car hit a pothole she started leaning a little and Dick caught her. He pulled her tightly against himself and Zatanna had pushed her face into his neck. She also remembered thinking about how warm he was and how safe he felt.
The car came to a stop and she vaguely registered doors opening and voices before her shoulder was being shaken. She looked up to see that Dick's face was practically nose to nose with hers and she smiled.
"We're home, Zee." Dick said.
She nodded and pushed herself off of him. She let him help her out of the car and then she latched onto his arm as they walked inside. She heard the car pull away from them and guessed that Alfred was taking it to the garage.
She rested her head on Dick's shoulder again as they walked through the house. She let him lead her up the stairs and into her room where she sat down on her bed. She slid her hands down Dick's arm so that she could hold his hand in both of hers.
"Alfred said he's going to make us some sandwiches since they didn't really serve dinner there. What do you want?" Dick asked her.
She tugged on his arm and he sat down next to her. She leaned against him as she replied sleepily, "Peanut butter and jelly."
He laughed softly and she felt him nod, "Yes ma'am."
She made no move to let him up and he wrapped his arms around her in a hug. He stayed like that for a minute and she sighed. This was really nice.
But then he made to get up, "I'll come get you in a few minutes. Why don't you change and then we'll go down and eat?"
She nodded and let go of his hand. As soon as he left she smiled to herself, she really loved being around him.
She pushed herself off of the bed and strolled into her bathroom. She stepped out of her heels and then took one last look at herself in the mirror before sighing and taking the dress off. She walked back into her room half naked and grabbed some sweatpants and a thin tank top. She turned around and had a mini freak out when she realized that her door was still open.
She moved quickly back to her bathroom where she proceeded to take her makeup off and put her hair up. Then she got dressed and made her way out of the bathroom.
Dick was lounging on her bed tossing a pillow in the air and catching it and she laughed. He looked over at her and smiled. She walked over and hopped onto the bed where she laid next to him. When the pillow fell down again she reached up and caught it before Dick could. She hugged it to her chest and turned to smirk at Dick. He glared playfully back and grabbed at the pillow but she turned. She laughed at his expression and dodged again when he tried to grab it.
They played like this for a while before Dick threw his arms around her waist and pulled her over to him. She giggled as she felt herself being pulled over and turned toward him.
They were suddenly nose to nose again. Dick was looking at her lips intently. He leaned forward just a little more. Zatanna could feel a blush creep onto her face.
Then Dick looked away and Zatanna sighed. She was still locked in his arms so she let go of the pillow and pulled herself closer to him. She snaked her arms around him and buried her face into his chest. She wanted him, and she wanted him to want her.
They laid like that for a minute before Dick started to get up again. She sighed again, she would have been perfectly happy to fall asleep like that.
"Let's go get some food." He said. He didn't look at her though.
He rolled onto his back and pulled his arm out from under her. She pushed herself up and held out her hand. He looked at her and rolled his eyes good naturedly before he took her hand and pulled her off the bed.
They headed down the stairs together and Zatanna was now certain of her feelings toward him. She didn't care about all of the other things going on in their lives,
She just needed to see if he felt the same way. If that almost kiss was any indication, he did.
