Meaning: Friendship, care
From her lonely position on the couch, Zatanna's eyes pan over the living room of Wayne Manor. Damian and Tim are arguing near the jukebox, no surprise there. Cassie's talking about something with Jason and Lucius by the sparkling tree. Diana and Bruce are sharing a seat…well, Diana's more in his lap than in the chair. And Dick's engrossed in conversation with the Batgirls, one of whom he has wrapped snugly around his left arm.
She feels a tight squeeze in her chest. He looks good, better than last time. Their paths don't really cross as much anymore but it still warms her heart to see that endearing smile he rarely seems to have on nowadays. She hears things are going well for him and his new partner. And no, she's not jealous. Zatanna Zatara doesn't do jealous. She's happy. He deserves it.
She covers her mouth to sneeze, embarrassed by the high-pitched squeak that escapes her throat. But nobody seems to notice. She doesn't know what she expected; most of these people live here. They're probably used to the cold by now.
When she looks back up Dick's gone. Her eyes dart around the room and she wonders where he is before shaking her head. She needs to stop. They're not close like that anymore.
She hugs herself tightly, doing her best to stay warm. Christmas around here's really quite brutal. But pretty soon she feels a light weight on the seat next to her, and she turns to see Dick Grayson smiling back at her.
He hands her a cup of steaming hot chocolate, and she hopes the blush on her cheeks isn't too glaring. "You looked like you could use this."
She smiles when his fingers graze her foot. It feels delightful, even just a tiny bit of skin-on-skin contact. It's been so long since she's felt it, she wants more. And if she noticed the pink of his cheeks, maybe she'd realize he wants more, too.
The jukebox starts to play her favorite song. She expects him to leave but he doesn't. He just sits there, perfectly content to revel in her company for as long as he possibly could.
If anyone else were to glance over later that night, they probably wouldn't be shocked to see wide smiles on either one's faces.
