Meaning: Jealousy, transition
Zatanna was sitting at the bar, swishing her drink aimlessly and scratching the underside of her ear before she scoffed and picked up the glass. She really didn't know why she was even at the League's Christmas party this year because she really wasn't feeling a party right now.
Today was a pretty crappy day, which by her standards meant it was a perfectly normal day. Artemis and Wally quit the team, the League in all its infinite wisdom paired her with Nabu for a mission, and she was pretty sure next week's show would be cancelled due to new developments with the hosting theatre.
And worst of all, she had to see them here.
She'd heard the rumors. She knew it was only a matter of time. But hearing and seeing are two different things, and as soon as she got a glimpse of him dancing with a familiar redhead, the raven-haired sorceress started to feel even more pathetic than she already did.
Zatanna knew she had no right to get upset. They held no claim over one another; friends with benefits was all they'd been for over a year now. He'd asked her out countless times, but she always said she wasn't ready for him. She kept asking him to wait on her. Of course he had a right to move on; she wouldn't have wanted him to spend his whole life pining over someone who wouldn't ever give him the time of day he deserved.
But he was her first…her only real love, and fair or not, her stomach churned at the mere thought of seeing him with someone else. Especially someone she knew had harbored feelings for him even throughout his relationship with the magician.
It was like the universe was telling her to move over, to stop pretending she would ever be to him what he was to her, to make way for who he was really meant to be with. And that hurt more than she cared to admit.
A familiar hand found its way to her shoulder, and she jumped in her seat, quickly diverting her gaze away from the "couple" in front of her.
"You know they're just friends." She rolled her eyes and took another sip of her vodka.
"You sure they know that?"
Bruce frowned. "Maybe not. But they'll remember soon enough."
"You don't think they'll last?"
"I don't." The Dark Knight watched her down the last of her alcohol and placed his palm over her small, cold hand. "Because he's still in love with you. I think deep down he's always been in love with you."
Zatanna bit her bottom lip and stared into the empty void of her drained glass. "You don't think he should move on? Be with someone who's actually worth his time?"
Bruce sighed. "He's my son. I want him to be happy. It's what I've wanted since I first took him in." His hand pulled away from her wrist and planted itself on her exposed shoulder. "But what I hope you've come to realize is that I want the same for you."
The magician finally looked into his steely grey eyes, her lip quivering and her pupils growing blurry from a growing buildup of saltwater. The older man pulled her into a hug which she returned desperately, gently rubbing her back as she wiped her tears on his tuxedo. "Give it time. You two will find your way back to one another." Bruce gently ran his fingers through her midnight black hair. "I've seen you two enough to know it's meant to be."
"Bruce Wayne giving me dating advice. Looks like nothing's impossible after all." He smiled.
"Well, I managed to put a ring on Wonder Woman, so I suppose I'm not completely helpless." She chuckled weakly into his chest, and he gently pulled away from their embrace to take hold of her hand. "Come on. You look like you could use some dinner, and this catering is no substitute for some Christmas ribs."
She nodded meekly and smiled, letting him drag her away from the party and into his limo. Before getting in, she took one last look back to see Dick and Barbara sharing a drink, and she shook her head before closing the door.
Maybe Bruce was right. Maybe he wasn't. But all she knows for sure is that life's too short to spend miserable, and she intends to live hers to the fullest, no matter who she'll turn to see by her side.
