Be Accepting

"Zatanna, this is ridiculous!"

"What do you mean Artemis? This is the Gotham Academy PROM! It's the first dance Dick and I have ever gone to together. Plus, it'll be the first time we'll be a public couple. He's gonna introduce me to his QuizBowl team, his Calculus team, his teachers, not to mention your friends there too!"

"Don't forget that girl Barbara!"

"Thank you, M'gann. Yes! Barbara! His friend of eight years who sorta kinda hates my guts. I need the PERFECT dress to not only wow everyone but intimidate anyone else who's been crushing on my man. This is important!"

"No 'Tanna, not that….I'm talking about….him," Artemis said while gesturing to Plushie Robin, whom once again Zatanna made animate with her subconscious.

"Hello there!" waved Plushie Robin.

"Yea I'm with Artemis. Having General Kenobi over here is…..kinda weird."

"Raquel, please. I need him! He's…well he's not afraid to say what I think."

"THIS IS TAKING TOO LONG! I'M GONNA MISS THE FARMER'S MARKET!"

Everyone just stared at the plushie's baffling outburst. The rest of the girls then turned back to Zatanna wondering which exact part of her subconscious she was projecting through the plushie. She threw her hands up mouthing, "I don't know!"

"Hehe sorry. I saw that in a TV show once. Thought it'd be funny hehe. Carry on…." Plushie Robin said meekly.

"Anyway….I need as much honesty as I can get. This dress must be PERFECT!"

A couple of weeks ago, Dick had invited Zatanna to a picnic date at Keaton Hill. The view over the beautiful Gotham City lights was amazing. Near the end as they were sharing a piece of carrot cake, he used a few hundred bat-spy-drones and LED lights to write in the sky, "Zee, will you go to the Prom with me?" He wanted them to look like shining stars. Without thinking, she had said yes. Afterwards though, she was completely panicking. She had no idea what to wear. Unfortunately, being the gentleman that he was, Dick told her to pick any color she wanted, and he'd coordinate with her. Thus, she was put on a serious deadline so that Dick could prepare on his end. Although she still lived at Wayne Manor as Dick recovered, all her dresses were back at Mount Justice.

To advise her, Zatanna gathered her most trusted council of confidants: Artemis, M'gann, Raquel, and Plushie Robin.

"Girl, c'mon. You look stunning everything. You'll be fine. It's just the nerves talking," Raquel said trying to calm Zatanna down.

"Ok ok. You're right. But let's look through a few more. How about this one?"

She pulled out a yellow dress.

"No" (Artemis)

"I don't think so." (Raquel)

"Pass" (M'gann)

"What are you? A taxi?" (Plushie Robin)

"Uh ok. How about this one?"

Next was a simpler pink cotton dress.

"I thought you wanted to both wow and intimidate?" (Artemis)

"Honey, no. Pink isn't going to work here. You want to knock him out dead not take a walk in the park with him." (Raquel)

"Sorry, Zatanna. It's a cute casual dress though!" (M'gann)

"Yea no this is little girl on the prairie. Where's the 'I'm a BossBitch and will step on anyone who tries to take my man' vibe?" (Plushie Robin)

"Damn. Plushie Robin's kinda harsh" (Raquel)

"Ok ok. Umm oh! This one!"

Lastly, she picked up a green sea foam dress.

"…Ew" (Artemis)

"Oh heeeelllll nah" (Raquel)

"I…..uh…..I got nothin." (M'gann)

"Zee, I'm literally you being projecting onto a plushie….and even I don't know why you bought this dress." (Plushie Robin)

"Well I um I mean…it looked kinda cute?"

"Girl, get your money back," Plushie Robin added.

"Ugh great now we're back to square one. We've looked through almost every dress and we still haven't picked out anything," Zatanna exasperated.

"Wellll we haven't looked through EVERYTHING just yet."

Once again, everyone just looked confused at Plushie Robin's comment. It took a second, but Zatanna realized what her counterpart was talking about.

"No…..we….we can't."

"What's he talking about, Zatanna?"

"C'mon Zee," Plushie Robin said as he hopped off his chair and waddled towards Zatanna, "I think she'd really want you to open it."

"Open what?"

"Ugh…..I have this trunk full of my mom's old stuff. She….she has a few dresses from when she was my age in there. They were memories of…of her first date with Dad, and first dance, first anniversary, and other stuff."

Zatanna began to cry after just thinking about how neither of her parents could see her go to her first prom. The council all gathered around her and pulled everyone into a group hug with Plushie Robin hugging Zatanna's leg.

"I just…I just wish they were here. To see me. I…..I'd want them to be proud of me. Mom….Mom would've known what to do. She always knew."

"I'm sure both your mother and father would be very proud of you today."

"Arty's right. They'd want you to be happy. They may be gone, but they're always looking out for you."

"Exactly, Raquel. Their memories will live on in your heart."

"Your mother would totally want you to have her dress. It'd be honoring her," chimed in Plushie Robin.

"Thanks, guys. I…I really appreciate having my council here haha. Ok. Let's open that trunk."

Zatanna pulled a large leather trunk from the back corner of the room. She took out a magical key from her desk drawer and removed the padlock on the front. After opening the lid, everyone could only marvel at the variety of clothes belonging to the late Sindella Zatara. One dress in particular caught everyone's eye.

"Oh wow." Artemis just could not stop staring.

"Damn…..Mrs. Zatara got taste." Raquel was mighty impressed

"Oh my God, Zatanna, you HAVE to wear this," squealed M'gann

"Uhhh I dunno guys. Can I even pull it off?"

"Girl…if Dickie boy doesn't drool and lose all motor function, he's either dead or an imposter."

"Man, Plushie Robin really has no filter, huh?"

Dick was pacing back and forth around his room at the manor. He was a little nervous that Zee hadn't texted him her chosen dress color yet. The prom was in two days, and he needed at least one to prepare as best he could. Finally, his phone buzzed, and he ran to his desk. On the way, he tripped over Zee's suitcase popping it open. Ignoring the explosion of…. unmentionables, Dick grabbed his phone to read Zee's text.

"Huh…..well that'll be easy to color coordinate."

As he put his phone back, he looked around at the mess in his room. He grew beet red and took a second to compose himself before quickly gathering all the scattered undergarments and stuffing them back into the suitcase. Before he closed the lid though, he noticed something peculiar and couldn't help himself from picking it up.

"…A nurse outfit? Why would she have…..Oohhhhh kaayyyy."

Neatly, he folded up the skimpy costume and sealed up the suitcase.

"Grayson, if there was ever a moment to just play dumb, this would absolutely be it."

At the bottom of the grand staircase in Wayne Manor, Dick fidgeted with his collar. He was holding onto the corsage box so tightly he almost crushed it.

"Dick, you look fine. Relax."

"I mean, you sure this is ok, Bruce? I mean….what if she doesn't like it?"

"Dick, you look adorable. She's going to love it."

"Thank you, Diana. But I'm….I'm just really nervous."

Diana kneeled down and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Dick. You are a fine young man. You are handsome and you've got a brave heart. Everything will be just fine."

Dick wore a black tuxedo with a shiny lapel and tuxedo stripe down his pants. Underneath he had a white dress shirt with a dark purple vest, a purple bowtie, and a purple pocket square. Bruce even lent him some gold Wayne family cufflinks and a gold watch to properly accessorize. He tried to fight for wearing sneakers for comfort, but Alfred insisted on some proper Oxford shoes.

"I must ask though, what is this practice of flowers in a box?" Diana asked curiously

"Oh! Well, it's a corsage. I'm supposed to put it on her wrist. It's sorta tradition for these dances. And in turn, she places a boutonniere on my suit lapel."

"But why flowers?"

"Historically, they were believed to ward off disease…..and they smell good."

At that moment, Alfred appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Ahem. May I introduce, Miss Zatanna Zatara."

Suddenly, everything in the room went dark for Dick. All he could see was Zatanna slowly walking out from the study and gradually descending the stairs. She was stunning. Absolutely beautiful. He coulda sworn someone just put a spotlight on her as she was just shimmering and glowing.

Zatanna and her council opted for a simple little black dress that hugged her curves. It had an exposed right shoulder and a slit on her left side so she could show a little leg. She wore gold teardrop earrings and a pair of gold bangles on her right wrist. Capping off the look were a pair of black high heels.

Exactly as she had hoped, Dick was drooling and, for once, left completely speechless. Blushing with embarrassment with how much her boyfriend was checking her out, she tried to break the tension a little.

"Hey there, Tiger. Looks like you…..hit the jackpot," smirked Zatanna as she put her hand on her hip.

"uhhhhhhhh"

"….Dick?"

"I uh…..you uhhhh…..hot"

*SMACK*

A little annoyed, Alfred went over and slapped Dick behind his head to knock some sense back into him. Bruce and Diana couldn't hold in their chuckles.

"Master Dick, pull yourself together man! This is not how I taught you to treat a lady."

Quickly, Dick straightened up and took a handkerchief from Alfred to wipe his mouth.

"Sorry! Sorry! You look…wow you're hot."

Alfred facepalmed and decided it was a lost cause. Zatanna blushed furiously and could barely look her boyfriend in the eye.

"Hehe thank you. You look very handsome. I love the purple. It's…my favorite." Zatanna said biting her bottom lip.

"I know." Dick smiled.

The two teens stood awkwardly for a minute before Bruce cleared his throat to bring everyone back to reality.

"Dick, don't you have something for Zatanna?"

"….huh? Oh right!"

Hurriedly, he opened the box and took out a delicately arranged corsage with purple lisianthus, babies' breath, little white roses, and a little purple jewels.

"May I?"

"Always"

She extended her left hand as Dick slid the corsage onto her wrist. Alfred then handed her another box holding Dick's boutonniere made with the same flowers.

"My turn," she said.

"Be gentle. The pin on that is sharp."

"Hehe don't you trust me?"

"Always"

She pinned the boutonniere on his lapel then straightened out his shoulders.

"Now we're perfect."

"Ok ok! Now stand at the staircase. I want pictures!" exclaimed Diana.

"Diana?...Well this is a surprise?...What are you up to?"

"Well, Zatanna, it's not everyday I get to learn and experience the various traditions of man's world. Tonight, I get to mark 'seeing a gentleman court a lady and take her to dance' off my bingo card."

"Unfortunately, Miss Diana, I'm afraid the gentleman never arrived to properly court his lady. We got a lovestruck and dazed little boy instead."

Everyone laughed at Alfred's mild teasing. Eventually Dick and Zatanna gathered at the staircase for pictures with Dick hugging Zatanna from behind.

"You two really do look special. I'm sure your father would be so proud, Zatanna."

"Thanks, Bruce. It means a lot coming from you."

"Now then, Master Dick, Miss Zatanna. We must be off."

Alfred, Dick, and Zee made their way toward the garage leaving Bruce alone with Diana.

"So"

"So"

"The kids are away. What shall we do in the meantime?"

"Chess?"

"Just chess, Bruce?"

"Well…..chess and…..maybe some other stuff."

"Tell me more about this…..other stuff, Dark Knight."

Alfred dropped Dick and Zee at the Gotham Country Club where Gotham Academy was holding its annual prom. The lobby was decorated with so many balloons and streamers. Caricature artists waited ready for potential customers. Off to the side there was a game room with foosball and a pool table. Deeper inside the ballroom multiple tables surrounded a huge wooden dance floor. A live band was playing some chill ambient music. Once again, Gotham Academy knew how to party.

"Dick! Zatanna!"

"Artemis! Oh my gosh you look great!"

"Green again huh Arty?"

"Oh hush, Bird Brains. At any rate, I found our table. Number 28."

"Wally must happy. It looks like it's close to the buffet. Actually…..where is Wally?"

"Central City. His genius brain wanted to run here, and he melted his dress shoes. So he ran back and will Zeta as close as he can with some proper shoes…..or he'll just run in his KF boots. Unclear."

"Haha that does sound like Wally."

"You two should head to the table and fill out the cards for the raffle. I hear the grand prize is the new Macbook Air. I'm gonna go shoot some pool for a bit."

"Sounds good. See ya Arty."

Artemis walked off and ran into a very tired Wally. Dick and Zee meanwhile made their way to the table.

"You don't seem too interested in that laptop, do you?" she asked him.

"I mean….when you've got a state-of-the-art supercomputer in the basement, not much can top that. Plus….Macs suck."

"Oh right! PC man."

"Damn straight! Haha better for hacking and video games."

"Sooo what's the plan here. Win the Macbook and sell it?"

"Babe, I love the way you think."

"I wonder who else is at this table. I see Artemis, Wally, and….uhhh."

"Hmm? Who Zee?"

"Ummm Barb….."

Just as Zatanna said, Barbara's nameplate was at table 28…..right next to Zatanna's.

"Oh ok. Um….do you want to switch with me?"

"Huh? Um….no I….I think it'll be ok. I mean….she's your best friend right? I should…..I should try and get along."

"Zee, I really really would like you two to be friends. But I don't want to push you if you feel uncomfortable."

Just as Zatanna was about to respond, a certain redhead could be heard across the room behind Zatanna.

"Dick! There you are!"

"Heya Barb! What's up, Luke!"

Dick side-stepped Zatanna to hug Barbara and shake hands with Luke Fox, son of Lucius Fox aka Batman's tech provider. Zatanna still hadn't turned around. She was still a little nervous and unsure how to react to the girl who not only showed her animosity the last time they met but also tried to kiss her boyfriend.

"Sooo Dick. Who's the lucky lady? I've been dying to know who stole your heart for all these months!" Barbara excitedly asked.

"Yea Grayson. You can't be all mysterious and vague about this kinda stuff. You're not Batman bro."

Zatanna actually chuckled at this remark and felt the tension leave her body for a second. She felt Dick place a hand on her shoulder and press to turn her around.

"Well. Let me introduce you guys to my beautiful girlfriend, Zatanna."

Zee turned around and tried to put on her best smile.

"Hiiii guys. It's um….nice to meet you."

She put out her right hand, but Barbara could only stare in shock. Luke trying to make things less awkward shook the outstretched hand.

"Hi, I'm Luke Fox. I'm a Junior here. It's nice to finally meet Grayson's girlfriend."

"It's nice to meet you too, Luke. Hehe yea we uh, we kinda wanted to keep our relationship on the downlow. Y'know, just keep it between us and enjoy blissful ignorance for a while."

"Haha yea. I get that. Honestly though, you look stunning in that dress. Like…..damn Grayson. How'd you find this girl?"

"Haha well uh we met at the State Interscholastic Competition at her school."

"I can't believe you actually scored someone this stunning at a nerd meet."

"Hey Luke, Dick. Why don't you two go grab us some punch," snapped Barbara.

"Uhh ok. C'mon Dick. Tell me more about this nerdy meet-cute."

As the guys left to get the drinks, Zatanna and Barbara sat down at the table. Zatanna fidgeted uncomfortably while Barbara had her arms crossed. They both sat in silence for what felt like forever.

"So….how long have you two been dating?" Barb coldly asked.

"Uhhh, a few months now."

"Even during the spring festival?"

"Yup."

"…..So you lied that day," Barbara said with a little too much venom in her voice.

Annoyed by the minor aggressive tone, Zatanna fired back, "Yea well, you tried to kiss MY boyfriend."

Silence fell between the two again. Slowly, Barbara relaxed and uncrossed her hands.

"I'm sorry….about that. It's just…..I've known Dick for so long. We've been like attached to the hip since we were kids. I love his jokes and his intelligence, but also his kindness….his heart. Did he ever tell you how we met?"

"No, I don't believe so."

"We were eight. I was walking home from school. Normally my dad picks me up, but he had a big case to work on. I took a wrong turn and got cornered by a creep with a gun. Then, out of nowhere, Dick flip over us and said, 'If you're gonna shoot someone, shoot me.' The second the mugger turned and pointed a gun at him, Dick kicked the gun out of the guy's hand then picked up a piece of wood and slammed it across his face. He was out cold. Then, Dick walked me home and we've been friends ever since."

Zee couldn't help but smile. Even at age eight, Dick was still the Boy Wonder helping people anyway he could.

"We've had each other's back throughout the years. We study together. We stick up for each other whenever the snooty rich kids at GA decide to be jerks. We're there for each other. So that night…..I dunno I just felt impulsive. But….I lean forward and Dick leaned away. I was…..hurt and heartbroken at first. But then after a while, I realized that I just love hanging out with Dick. We're good friends. We could even be brother and sister. I love him….but not like he loves you."

"I…..I understand. I'm…..sorry for lying to you and well…pretty much hiding from you. Dick never really told me about you so meeting you for the first time was….kinda a shock to be honest."

Barbara nodded in what seemed like understanding. Another pause fell between them. Across the room, Dick, Luke, Artemis, and Wally huddled together looking at the pair conversing at the table.

"I can't tell…..is Barb pissed? Is Zatanna pissed?"

"Quiet Wally, I can't read their lips properly."

"Artemis, that's because they're not talking!"

"They were talking!"

"Both of you shut up! I think Barb is about to say something," Luke scolded.

"Guys…this is good right? They aren't going to kill each other, right? I really hope my girlfriend and best friend get along. I can't do a bait and switch scenario. I'm only one me!"

Back at the table, Barbara leaned back in her chair and looked towards the ceiling.

"Y'know he talks about you…A LOT"

"…really?"

"Oh yea. Big time. After that party and he and I made up, he just gushes about you. It's like he's been holding in all these compliments and sweetness and was just waiting to let it burst out like a dam."

"I…..I didn't know."

"Trust me. Though he never used your name, we all know about the time you made him eggs benedict and how that turned into a whole Iron Chef showdown. Or about how you spent a week bingewatching literally all of Star Wars just to be able to talk with him. Or how you have this cute habit of biting your lip when you're really attracted to him. He adores you."

"Really? He said all that?"

"Of course. You make him happy. Honestly, I was snippy with you when we met because I thought you were just another groupie trying to bag him for his money. I just feel…..protective of him. He can be kinda…..naive at times. I just want him to make good decisions, and it sounds like meeting you was the best one he's made so far."

"Thank you, Barbara. That really means a lot to me."

"Hey…..my friends call me Barb….sometimes even Babs."

"Ok then…..Barb. My friends sometimes call me 'Tanna."

The pair shook hands and Barb pulled Zatanna in close to whisper in her ear.

"As a sign of good faith, I'm going to let you in on a little secret."

"Go on….."

"Well….Dick is irrationally afraid of…"

Back with the huddle, Wally was holding a plate of crackers and cheese as the crew continued to observe what they thought was World War III.

"Wait! They're shaking hands! They're shaking hands!" exclaimed Artemis.

"HALLELUJAH! Maybe I'll survive this. Ok phew. Alright. Good work team."

"Wait…..don't count the chickens yet Grayson…Barb is whispering something," Luke chuckled.

"Huh?...oh….oh no. They're….. laughing?...Ohhhh this is so much worse. My life is over."

"Dick, dude, you are in so much trouble."

The rest of prom went off without a hitch. Much to Dick's chagrin, Zatanna and Barbara began sharing stories about him ranging from his biggest fears to his biggest goofs. They even made plans for a visit to the mall next week. Wally ate about 90 percent of the buffet which had upset much of the student body. The faculty had to place a huge pizza order to make up for the loss of food. Eugene Thompson and Bette Kane won prom king and queen but in the heat of the moment, Eugene's party boy persona took over and he tossed his crown into the crowd. He never found it again. Luke ended up winning the Macbook. He said he'd either sell on eBay or scavenge parts out of it. After that, everyone just danced the night away.

Hours later, Dick and Zatanna tiredly stumbled in his room. Zatanna was wearing a feather boa and multicolored beads that she swiped from the picture booth. Dick had on his head the prom king crown that he caught when Eugene chucked it away. In his hand, he held a tube containing a funny caricature of the couple drawn with big heads and Dick kissing Zee on the cheek. Both just collapsed on the bed due to sheer exhaustion. Just as Dick was undoing his bowtie, Zee pulled him up out of bed.

"Huh? Zee?"

"One last dance? Please? To our song?"

"….I could never say no to you."

From his phone, he set the stereo to play "Why Don't You Kiss Her", the very song he sang to save her from eternally being a bunny.

He held her waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck. They pressed their foreheads together and gently swayed to the beat of the song.

"Good kidnapping?"

"Easily top five."

"Top five? Really? Didn't you have fun, Zee?"

"I had an amazing time. Honestly, I'm going to remember tonight for the rest of my life."

"Well then…..what are the top three?"

"Hmm, I'll tell you the top three moments of my life, how about that?"

"Ok. Go ahead."

"Three: our first kiss," she kissed his jaw.

"Two: you finally admitting that you loved me," she kissed his cheek.

"And one?" asked Dick.

"One: …. meeting you for the very first time."