Be a Big Green
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
*DING DONG*
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
*DING DONG*
Annoyed at the constant noise, Zatanna rolled over in bed, grabbed Dick's forearm, and wrapped it tightly around her head to muffle the sound. The louder the knocks grew, the more she buried her face into his chest.
*KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
"Ughh she's early," Zatanna groaned.
"She's your guest."
"But did she have to come so early? I really don't want to get up right now."
"She's your friend."
"Yes, but who the hell shows up 45 minutes before the meeting time?"
"Maybe she's excited to see her old high school buddy."
*DING DONG*
"Oh for fuck's sake," she grumbled reluctantly getting out of bed.
Too tired to find anything that would make her look presentable, she grabbed anything off the floor that felt soft. Putting on the bare minimum of clothing, she straightened out her hair and closed the bedroom door.
"KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK*
"Coming!" she yelled pitter-pattering on her bare feet across the apartment.
Upon opening the front door, she was immediately met with a squeal and a bear hug.
"ZATANNA! OHMYGOSH IT'S BEEN SOOOOO LONG!"
"Hehehe hi Cecily! Come in come in!"
Cecily was Zatanna's best friend from her days at Saint Andrews High School in Manhattan. They were two peas in a pod. While most guys tried to hit on her and most girls teased her out of jealousy, Cecily was always by her side. She never once asked Zatanna about her superhero father, especially after his indefinite hiatus. She simply stuck close to Zee ever since they were project partners in history. They made a killer Edward Jenner poster even using toy syringes to make the presentation pop a little. Though Cecily respected Zatanna's privacy, she always found the opportunity to prod Zee about her "mysterious boyfriend" back when Robin still hid behind masks and sunglasses. "Who's the lucky guy Zee?" "Say, why are you busy on a weekend, Zee?" "Gasp, is that a hickey I spy on the prim and proper Zatanna Zatara?!" Of course, Zatanna took these questions in stride. After all, she was the one who helped pair Cecily with her boyfriend Tommy. Tommy boy was an enigma in himself. He could be considered a shy guy. He was somewhat of a closet geek with a love for superheroes, Star Wars, anime, etc. However, the dude had the athletic build of Andrew Luck. Man stood at six feet five inches and could spin a football sixty-five yards flat footed. His forty-yard dash was clocked at 4.5 seconds flat. As such, the coaches did not care if he read the "Tokyo Revengers" manga instead of "The Blind Side" so long as he also read the playbook and prepared for games. For a while he and Cecily danced around their feelings for each other. But with a little nudge from Zatanna, Tommy finally found the courage to ask Cecily out. Ever since, the trio were just the three best friends that anyone could have. Zatanna was crushed when she had to break up their little group and transfer to Gotham Academy to be with Dick. But Cecily never held it against her friend. Instead, she encouraged Zee to chase after her man.
"Ohh I'm so happy to see you, Cecily! It's been ages!"
"It sure has. Did I wake you? You look like you just got dressed."
"No no! It's nothing really hehe."
"You look comfy. Didn't realize Dick wore Superman boxers. Also, for a guy who dropped out of MIT, he sure owns a lot of LSU shirts."
"Huh?"
Zatanna looked down and realized that she was once again just wearing Dick's clothes. The soft cotton shorts were blue with Superman shields all over and the shirt was one of many LSU eye of the tiger shirts. Blushing a little at how unkempt and unprepared she must look, Zatanna flipped her hair and tried to come up with an excuse.
"Oh would you chillax, 'Tanna! I get it. The guys have super comfortable clothing. Those boxers feel breezy don't they."
"Come to think of it, they really do. Huh, who'da thunk it. But enough about my attire, where have you been? It's almost as if you got transported to another dimension or something."
"Oh you know how these things are. The author forgets I exist and only puts me in every once in a while so long as my original KrownedCreator is cool with it. So here I am on one of those crossover deals."
"….What?"
"Hehehee kidding! Been busy. Unlike you and Dickie, I'm actually trying to do well in college! Speaking of, where is your hunk of a man anyway?"
"Hi Cecily!" Dick called out from behind the bedroom door.
"Ah there he is. Hi Dick! You know Zatanna has your pants, right?" Cecily greeted back.
"I'm well aware haha!" he yelled back.
"You gonna come out and say hi?"
"Do I have to?"
"Har har Dick! Find another pair of pants and come out here!" Zatanna scolded.
"Shirt too?"
"What do you think?"
"Ooo Zatanna, it's ok. Shirt's optional, Dick!"
"Very funny, Cecily!"
Zatanna rolled her eyes before opening the fridge and handing Cecily a pack of coconut water.
"So, Cecily, how's life at GU?"
"Brutal. My thesis is literally sucking the life out of me. Day in and day out, send draft to professor, receive draft with notes, fix draft, realize a new epiphany, rewrite thesis, rinse and repeat cycle."
"Heh sounds like a blast."
"I mean I still enjoy it. One of those savor the process type of deals, I guess. But by God I'm going to be so happy when it's all said and done. When I officially turn it in, you and I are gonna drink the bars of Gotham completely dry. By the way, for future reference, crème de menthe is an excellent liquor choice for when you have to buckle down and just write."
"Uhhh I'll keep that in mind haha."
"Hey! I saw you on Endocrine the other night! Girl, you killed! Absolutely fantastic. I knew your dad was all cool with his tricks, but you were just amazing!"
"Thanks, Cecily. I'm really glad you liked it."
"I know magicians don't reveal secrets, but seriously, how the hell did you hide an entire coat rack in your hat!?"
"Smoke and mirrors," Zee winked.
"Fine fine! Keep your secrets. So uh, what's this whole arrangement here? Why are you and Dick both home and not at work?"
At this point, Dick finally emerged from the bedroom with a scruffy bedhead and a slight five-o'clock shadow on his chin.
"Damn, he wore a shirt," Cecily sighed.
"Sorry to disappoint, CC," he chuckled.
"Anyway, I don't mean to pry but why are you two just lounging around for the time being?"
"Well, I'm getting transferred to a different precinct, but coincidentally I took my detective's exam around the same time my transfer was getting processed. So now they're just waiting to see if I passed or not. Either way I'm getting transferred but they're waiting to see if I'm coming over as a detective or an officer so they can adjust the budget accordingly."
Zatanna rolled her eyes before taking a swig of coconut water knowing full well the timing of Dick's exam was no coincidence whatsoever.
"So yea," he continued, "the department just gave me paid leave until my scores come out. Which leaves me at home to spend time with my love."
He opened his arms towards Zatanna who was about to jump into them. At the last second, he swerved and pointed towards the TV in the living room.
"My Playstation 4!" he gestured to the console, "OW!"
Almost borderline angry but somehow still playful, Zatanna smacked him on the head.
"Hahahaha cut him some slack, 'Tanna. He as a man can't help himself. All they think about are video games and sex."
"I hope that Dick is a little more advanced than that."
"Keep hoping, honey! OW!" he tried to joke as Zatanna smacked him again.
"Also, what's with this scruff? Weren't you going to shave?"
"C'mon Zee! I'm on vacation basically! Can't a guy grow out a tiny beard once in a while?"
"Not when the little hairs are so prickly!"
"But I'll look so manly. Like a lumberjack or something."
"You say this, but again, those tiny strands of hair cut like steel."
"Ohhhh I get it. They rub you the wrong way when I…..travel down under in bed."
Blushing furiously, Zatanna swung for his head once again before Dick ducked laughing. Cecily couldn't help but giggle at the exchange in front of her. They felt so at ease with each other. A happy couple teasing and bickering like they were married. Course they wore rings and lived together. Marriage at this point would just be a formality. But they were together. They were happy. Just like she had hoped they would be.
"You two are adorable," she whispered a little too loudly causing Dick and Zee to turn and look at her, "Sorry sorry haha. It's just looking at you both reminds me of Tommy."
"How is the big lug anyway?" Dick asked.
"Doing well. Working on his bachelor's of engineering up at Dartmouth. I don't know why he insists on both playing football and doing a BE. I told him to just take the fifth year since everyone does it, but he is determined to finish in four. He wants to be challenged so he says."
"Sounds like another stubborn meathead," Zatanna teased eyeing her once stuck-in-a-rut boyfriend.
"He'll get through it. Those football players are tough," Dick commented.
"Yea, I just miss him though. We call and chat every night, but long distance is hard. I miss his touch. He's so warm and soft. But alas I chose this. I wanted him to thrive at an Ivy League school and I didn't want to hold him back."
"He misses you too, I bet."
"Yea yea. On the bright side, that whole quarter system D-plan bullshit has its perks. His break lasts from Thanksgiving all the way till New Year's. Plenty of time to get reacquainted hehe. Speaking of, we should all hang out when he comes back. It'll be like the good ol' days plus Dick!"
"That'd be fun," Zatanna agreed.
"Yea," Cecily mused, "Remember that time you got so many Valentine cookies and gifts that your locker looked like it was about to explode?"
"Oh my gosh, yes! Hahah. I was so worried about opening it. I thought for sure it would burst open covering the halls with candy," Zatanna laughed.
"Thank God Tommy came in clutch with not one but TWO jumbo trash bags hahaha."
"Wait, was that the ginormous bag of candy you brought over that Valentine's Day?" Dick asked.
"Haha yup. But I was happy to trade it all away for a plate of nachos and movies with you, baby," Zee smiled kissing him.
"Hahah Wally sure appreciated that huge bag stash of candy. It was gone by morning."
"Really? Why?" Cecily asked.
"Uhhh because he and his girlfriend are super competitive! They had an eating contest to see who would get sick first! Spoiler hehe they both got horribly sick," Zee quickly saved.
"Hmm alrighty then. Oh! Dick, Tommy wanted me to tell you that he's starting next week!"
"Really," Dick asked with excitement.
"Yea! He's normally the backup's backup but the first guy got hurt and the second guy threw like five picks and the coach got fed up. So, my Tommy boy is starting against Harvard next week!"
"Oh my gosh, Cecily! That's so exciting!" Zatanna squealed.
"Why don't we go see him?" Dick asked.
"Huh?"
"Well, Zee and I aren't doing anything. Are you free next week?"
"Uhhh lemme see," Cecily said pulling out her phone, "Yooo the Monday after is a faculty day. I have a long weekend!"
"Trip to New Hampshire?" Dick asked.
"Trip to New Hampshire!"
"Man the campus here is so small and homey," Zee commented.
"The mountain air feels really good. We're in the middle of nowhere but it's so peaceful," Cecily added.
The three-hour drive up to the granite state was almost uneventful, but Dick kept getting lost since all the forest roads looked the same. When they passed by the same rural gas station for the third time, Zee got fed up and used a sneaky locator spell to help guide them to Dartmouth. They booked a single room at the Hanover Inn as Cecily would most likely bunk with Tommy by the night's end. In the meantime, they took a stroll down Main Street and stopped by Morano's Gelato for a sweet treat.
"Mmmm this rosewater gelato is divine!" Zee squealed, "Here, Dick. Try some!"
"Oooo that is good."
"I can see why Tommy likes it up here. Everything is in walking distance. Everyone knows each other," Cecily commented.
"Probably no killer clowns on the loose," Zee whispered to Dick.
"Hey, let's check out the COOP! We need some Dartmouth gear to blend in!" Cecily suggested.
"Holy shit is that Dick Grayson?!" a girl called out from afar.
"Oh no…" Dick groaned.
Barreling towards the trio was a group of three sorority girls and a couple of frat guys. Dick looked around for an exit route to avoid this mob while Zatanna stood firm ready to bite off the hand of any girl who'd dare touch her man.
"Oh my gosh it is! What are you doing up here in Hanover?" the leader of the group asked.
"Uhh I'm here for the Harvard game. The quarterback went to high school with my girlfriend," he answered wrapped an arm around Zee's waist hoping to deter the girls.
"Oh my gosh really? You went to high school with Jaedon Matthews?"
"Uhh, no actually I went school with Tommy. Number seven? We're here with his girlfriend Cecily," Zee answered gesturing to her friend.
"Ohhhhh. Anyway, Dick, we're trying to form a tech startup called DartSmash. It's pretty much a dating app where users ask each other only three questions and then they decide if they're interested or not."
"Uhhh ok, that sounds neat. But only three questions? That leaves a lot of room for interpretation."
"Yup! And the mystery is part of the fun! We're a little small, but we've got about a hundred users on campus. We were hoping if you'd be interested in investing."
"Oh? Uhhh sorry but I don't really have the capital to do so."
"Huh? But aren't you Bruce Wayne's son?"
"Well yea, but I'm just a cop right now. I work in Bludhaven although I might get promoted to detective soon."
"Oh well, would you like to try it out? I'm sure plenty of girls here would be interested in you. Plus, celebrity endorsement," the girl tried to wink suggestively, "We could make it worth your while."
"OK! Pitch is over! Nice to meet you all, but we've got a game to catch," Zee huffed before grabbing Dick's arm and dragging him across the street.
"Uhh Go Big Green!" Cecily awkwardly exclaimed following a fuming Zatanna.
A little later, the trio hopped over a few people and found their seats in Memorial stadium. With a late 6 pm kickoff time, Cecily figured they would get cold once night fell. So, they visited the campus store and got decked out all Dartmouth style. Zatanna found an oversized Dartmouth hoodie with sleeves long enough to hide her hands. Dick opted for a black and green jacket that Zee couldn't help touching since it felt so soft. He was definitely going to savor wearing it on this trip before Zee inevitably stole it for herself. Cecily found a football sweater with the number seven to support Tommy.
After the coin toss, Harvard chose to kick and give the ball to Dartmouth first. Cecily got up to cheer but remained quiet. She looked back and forth but could not find her boyfriend.
"CC? What's wrong?" Dick asked.
"I don't see Tommy."
Darting their eyes back and forth, the trio looked all around before seeing number seven standing around with a headset.
"There he is," Zee pointed out.
"Wait, I thought he was starting?" Cecily asked.
"I guess they're going with that other guy instead. Tommy's relegated to signal calling," Dick sadly observed.
"Oh. Darn."
"Sorry Cecily. But hey, maybe it will be a good game," Zatanna tried to reassure her.
It was not a good game. Midway through the third quarter, Dartmouth trailed 17 to nothing and a few people started to make their way out of the stadium. Zatanna shivered a little clutching Dick's arm more closely while Cecily just hung her head down.
"Well? You're the football fan. What do you make of this?" Zee asked.
"This is bad football," Dick answered.
"I mean, it's not LSU but still…"
"Zee, Harvard is outgaining them 268 yards to 78. Dartmouth hasn't even crossed the fifty-yard line yet. The line is leaky, and the quarterback can't run. He's making terrible reads eyeing down his primary receiver. A couple of guys are running open but the line can't hold long enough for him to see. The defense is fine, but they need to score points. They should put Tommy in."
"Right!" Cecily perked up.
Just as Dick gave his analysis, the Dartmouth quarterback threw his third interception of the night putting Harvard in the redzone. Boos and jeers began spilling out from the stands. Cecily stood up from the bench and yelled as loud as she could.
"PUT TOMMY IN! THIS GUY SUCKS!"
Number seven on the sideline quickly turned around and spotted his girlfriend screaming like a maniac. Meekly he flinched and waved his arms to quiet her down.
"Cecily! You're embarrassing him!" Zee scolded.
"I don't care. It's the truth. They should put my Tommy in!"
A field goal later put Harvard up 20 to nothing and the Dartmouth stands were starting to look a little bare. However, out trotted number seven.
"WOOHOO LET'S GO BABY! WOOOOO!" Cecily cheered.
"Hmmm interesting," Dick noticed.
"Hmm? What?" Zee asked.
"I've seen this formation before. This'll be fun."
Tommy was under center with a tight formation. A receiver and a tight end were on either side of him and bunched close to the offensive line. A single running back stood behind him. He began his cadence before abruptly spreading out the formation. He backed up in shotgun as his running back settled beside him. The receivers and tight ends spread out across the field forcing the defense to open up.
"Set…HUT!" Tommy yelled.
At the signal, all the receivers ran full speed up the field taking the opposing corners with them. The running back flared out towards the flat drawing the linebackers. Waiting patiently, Tommy spotted a hole in the line as his guard and center pushed the defensive tackle back. Quickly, he tucked the ball and sprinted forward past the defensive line and right by the linebackers. With his speed, he rumbled down the field for a good thirty yards before the safety finally got him by the ankles.
"Whoa," Zee and Cecily exclaimed.
"Now we're talking," Dick smirked.
A few plays later, Tommy faked a hand off to the running back, rolled to his right and fired a laser into the endzone. The ball landed right into the outstretched hands of his tight end who just barely tapped his toes in bounds. Boom, touchdown!
"YASSSS THAT'S MY BABY! WOOOHOOO GO TOMMY!" Cecily shouted.
A little later one minute and forty-five seconds remained in the fourth quarter. Tommy had breathed new life into the Big Green. Two drives resulting in a touchdown and a field goal had cut the Harvard lead down to three points. On their own twenty-yard line, with the score 20 to 17, Tommy began his final drive.
"Let's make a bit of a wager," Zee decided.
"Hmm?" Dick leaned over.
"I'm curious to see how good you are at this. If you can guess correctly all the plays Tommy will run on this drive, I'll honor that promise from when we were in high school."
"Hmm I'll take that bet."
Tommy stood in shotgun with three receivers bunched to his right and one to his left. The running back motioned from his right side to his left.
"I'm guessing this is a run," Zee stated.
"Nah. It's an rpo. Quick play action then he'll zip it to the receiver on his left who's gonna curl."
Sure enough, Tommy faked the hand off and threw the ball to the receiver on his left who turned around just as the ball hit him in the hands. First down. Dick gave Zee a cheeky grin.
"Ok one for one, Grayson. Seventy more yards to go."
Quickly hurrying up to the line, the players lined up in a two-by-two set with two receivers on each side.
"Pass play," Zee wagered.
"I don't think so. Linebackers are cheating out leaving the middle open. QB draw up the middle."
Tommy signaled the running back out wide to the right. At the snap, he stood up pretending to look for a pass but then tucked the ball and immediately ran up the middle for fifteen yards. He slid down as the safety dove for his head. Ball on the forty-five. One minute to go.
"Two for two, baby," Dick smiled.
"Whatever. You're just lucky."
"Can't help but feel like a third wheel here!" Cecily chimed in.
"Sorry, CC. But this wager of ours is a bit….personal," Zee apologized.
"Oh my God it's a weird sex thing, isn't it?" Cecily cringed.
Dick and Zee looked at each other and giggled.
"You two are disgusting," Cecily rolled her eyes as the couple just shrugged.
With twelve seconds left on the clock, it was 4th and 3 on the nineteen-yard line. Dartmouth took a timeout to discuss their next move.
"Well then, Nostradamus, any ideas?" Zee asked.
"They're gonna go for it."
"C'mon, no they won't. There's no time left. They're gonna kick it for the tie."
"Nope."
"Dick, look. The field goal unit is coming out."
"It's a fake."
"You're crazy."
"Maybe….but so is Tommy, the holder."
"…..oh shit."
Sure enough, at the snap, instead of putting the ball down for the kicker to try a field goal, Tommy picked the ball up, tucked it in his arms, and ran up the field towards the left side of the line. Slipping right through the thin crease in the line, Tommy found space to accelerate and run free untouched into the endzone with no time left on the clock. Touchdown! Dartmouth won 23-20.
"LET'S GOOOOO! THAT'S MY BABY!" Cecily howled as she jumped from the bleacher and stormed the field.
Zatanna sat motionless. Her jaw left agape as she could not believe Dick predicted all eight plays on the drive correctly. Finally realizing her "punishment" from the bet, she slumped forward and buried her face in her hands.
"Oh my God I am so screwed," she grumbled.
Dick put a hand over her shoulder and patted it lightly. He leaned forward and kissed her cheek.
"Nah. You're gonna look so sexy."
Suddenly, all five hundred or so people became dead silent. It was so quiet Zatanna couldn't even hear the autumn wind blow by. She looked up from her hands and there was nobody in the stadium. Not a single person. No fans. No players. Not even her boyfriend who was supposed to be sitting next to her. She looked around with fear suddenly consuming her every being. Then, all the stadium lights focused on midfield. Right on the fifty-yard line stood a pale-white-skinned girl with blonde hair. The girl tilted her head a little and held a solemn face. She stared directly into Zatanna's eyes and uttered a single word.
"Secret," she whispered.
"Zee? Zee!"
"Huh," Zatanna gasped lifting her head from her hands.
"You wanna go down and find Tommy?" Dick asked.
Zatanna looked around and saw the stadium full of life and joyous cheers. Dartmouth fans were still rushing the field with pure excitement at defeating the longtime rival. Dick stood beside her extending his hand. She shook her head to wring out the creepy feelings she held and put on a smile hoping Dick didn't notice.
"Let's go congratulate Dartmouth's newest quarterback!"
Late into the night, Tommy invited the trio to a party in the basement of his frat, Sigma Nu. Dick and Zee weren't really appreciating the vibe with the horrid stench of stale beer in the air and the freakishly sticky floors. However, they powered forward for the sake of Cecily and to hang out with Tommy.
"Why aren't you hanging out with your teammates, Tommy? You led a comeback win against a hated rival. You should be celebrating!" Dick asked.
"Yea but you guys are here! I haven't seen yall in ages. Besides, I hang out with those guys all the time. I like to have a variety of social spaces. It's why I joined SigNu instead of GDX aka the football frat. I wanted to diversify my friend groups. Plus, the brothers here at the Nudle are all weebs. My kind of people!"
"So what's with these ping pong paddles? Why are the handles broken off?" Zatanna asked.
"Oh! They're for playing pong! Here I'll grab a table and teach you!"
The basics were pretty simple. Ping pong rules sorta applied in that the ball is only allowed to bounce once on either side before being hit. Each side would have to try and use the paddles to hit the ball across the table and into the opponents' cups full of beer. If a ball fell into a side's cup, the players on that side must drink said cup. However, one sniff of the cheap beer nearly made Zatanna retch. So, she demanded wine to be poured into hers and Dick's cups. Tommy took it easy on the beginners, but the game quickly got heated once Dick got the hang of the mechanics. By the end, Dick and Zee lost but not by much as Tommy and Cecily still had two and a half cups left.
"Damn, Dick. Bro, were you hustling us? You've played this before, haven't you?" Tommy congratulated.
"Nah. It's just simple trigonometry."
"Ever the humble bragger," Zee teased kissing his cheek.
"Ayo Tommy, we need two over here," one of the brothers yelled over.
"Coming! Dick, you want in?"
"Uhh sure, I'll play."
Zatanna and Cecily settled over by the bar while Dick and Tommy paired up at a nearby table.
"So, seems like you and Dick are doing really really well," Cecily started as she poured wine into hers and Zatanna's cups.
"Yea, we're in a such good spot. I'm honestly very happy."
"Hehe I can see that. You two seem perfect for each other. A blind man could see that."
"Honestly, I just got lucky. He's so sweet and kind. He supports me and I support him. I wouldn't have it any other way."
"Well, then forgive me for asking, but why aren't you two married?"
"Huh?"
"I mean, you've been dating for seven years now. You live together, you sleep together, you have a pet bunny together. Why not just make everything official?"
"Uhhh I don't know really. It's never really come to mind. We've kinda just been busy. He's got his police career, and I've got my magic shows. I don't know."
"Do you love him?"
"Absolutely," she answered without hesitation.
"Does he love you?"
"I'm pretty sure."
"Bullshit. He adores you."
"Ok fine."
"Then yea, you two will get married. It's not a matter of if but when."
"But what if he finds someone else? What if he doesn't want commitment?"
Annoyed, Cecily smacked Zatanna on her head.
"OW!"
"You seriously think a man who currently lives with you and who suggested a trip to her best friend's boyfriend's college so that you can reconnect with said high school friends is going to get tired of you? Girl, please."
From the corner of her eye, Cecily spotted two pompous trust fund boys approaching them at the bar. They slicked back their blonde hair and straightened out their polo shirts and salmon shorts. From the look on their eyes, Cecily could clearly tell these two idiots were gonna shoot their shot. An idea popped into her head.
"Watch this," she told Zatanna.
"Hello ladies," the first boy spoke, "I'm Trent and this is my boy, Arden. We haven't seen you two before."
"Oh we're not from around here. Just visiting some friends," Cecily answered.
Zatanna tried to correct her saying that they were here with their boyfriends, but Cecily swatted at her hands.
"I see. What's a couple of gals like you doing down here in a place like this?" Trent asked.
"Oh y'know. Just exploring, checking out the scene. Nothing too major," Cecily replied.
"Well, how's about we show you two a real Dartmouth experience. You know there's some called the Seven here."
"Oooo do tell."
"You see, there are seven very special places on campus. There's the lawn of the president's house, the stacks in the library, the middle of the Green, the steps of Dartmouth Hall, the top of the Hopkins Center, the fifty-yard line at Memorial Field, and the BEMA aka the Big Empty Meeting Area."
"And what, pray tell does one do at these special places?"
"Oh, it's a group activity. Normally pairs. A man and a woman go to these places and….get to know each other."
Trent moved a little too close to Zatanna for her liking. Slowly he tried to lean in and gently rub her arm. Clearly uncomfortable, she shifted and tried to turn away from him.
"OW!" Trent shouted, "What the fuck was that?!"
Out of nowhere, a ping-pong ball had zoomed across the basement hitting Trent square in the eye. He was actually knocked backwards a couple of inches and the ball left the beginnings of a black eye.
"Oops. My bad! I was sooo off target with my swing," Dick yelled from the pong table.
"Who the fuck do you think you are?!" Trent shouted.
"Yea! Don't you know who his father is?" Arden added backing up his friend.
"Hehe sorry fellas. Honest mistake, really," Dick said putting on his 'aw shucks' face.
"Why you piece of-"
"Piece of what? Care to finish that statement?" Tommy interrupted.
"Oh uh…heyy Tommy. Great game today man!"
"Uh huh. Anyway, I'm sure my friend and I don't appreciate you two making moves on our girlfriends."
"Oh uh hey man we didn't really know."
"Well now you do."
With that, the two windbags left the basement and the party continued.
"See? From how much you raved about how cool he is, Dick doesn't do 'off-target'," Cecily pointed out.
"Ok well still. I dunno. Marriage just seems different. Like it would change things," Zatanna answered.
"What's there to change? You move-in together? Check. You sleep with each other? Honey we are so way past that. To be frank 'Tanna, marriage is just putting another label on your relationship. You even have matching rings!"
"Yea, but-"
"Yea but Yeabut Yabbut. Girl, I'm willing to bet all my life savings that he's already got a ring for you. He's just waiting for the right moment."
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because if he doesn't, then I've failed my multiversal purpose in life."
"Huh?"
The girls were interrupted once again by the roar of the basement crowd. They looked over and saw Dick and Tommy taking off their shirts along with their opponents.
"Uhh what's going on?" Zatanna asked.
"Oh, Tommy has mentioned this before. I think this is called half cup-half cup."
"Annnd what does that entail?"
"Umm I think they do this when both sides only have half cups left. Next hit or sink wins."
Sure enough, as Zatanna and Cecily pushed past the crowd, two cups filled only halfway with beer sat across from each other on opposite sides of the table. Tommy served first and back and forth the ball went. While most eyes followed the ball, Zatanna noticed that a lot of girls around the table weren't even paying attention to the game. Many of them were drooling or licking their lips while staring at a shirtless Dick Grayson. Sweat dripped down his chest as his muscles rippled after he hit the ball back to the other side. There were some scars here and there on his body, but that only increased the intrigue of the crowd.
"Who is he?"
"I've never seen him before."
"What's with the scars? Is he a bad boy?"
"I hope he's a bad boy. I've been a bad girl."
Zatanna cringed listening to all these thirsty thots lusting after her man. Her blood boiled as the ball went out of bounds and a girl wiped the sweat off Dick's face with her sleeve. Not really paying attention, he thanked the girl and focused back on the game. He looked around the basement and noticed the column off to the side.
"Hey, Tommy. You wanna know how I won the state championship for my Quizbowl team in our senior year?"
"Uhhh sure?"
The opponent served the ball towards Dick. With a sly grin, Dick swung his paddle sending the ball zooming through the air. Like a laser, it flew upwards hitting the ceiling, back down towards the column, gently bouncing on the opponent's side of the table, and into the final cup with a plop.
"The winning question was about trigonometry."
There were a few seconds of silence as everyone just stood around in shock. No one could comprehend what just happened. Finally, the opponent processed the trick shot and slammed his paddle onto the table. The crowd erupted realizing that Dick had just won the game. The girls tried to make their way towards him, but they were all shoved away by what felt like the force of God himself. Leaping into his arms, Zatanna hugged him tightly planting kiss after kiss on his sweaty face.
"Wait what?"
"Who's this bitch?"
"Dammit they must be dating. Look at how he's kissing back."
"….I wouldn't mind a threesome."
Dick held Zee tightly to his chest and spun around with joy. When she finished her kissing onslaught, Dick nuzzled her nose and rubbed her back.
"Hehe I gotta shake the opponents' hands, Zee. It's good sportsmanship."
"You can multitask, Grayson."
A while later, close to around 3 am, Dick and Zee walked out of SigNu with the intention of going back to the hotel. As predicted, Cecily opted to stay with Tommy at his dorm. Slightly chilly, Zee wore both her hoodie and Dick's new Dartmouth jacket.
"Man, that was fun. So, this is college life," Dick mused.
"I've heard that Dartmouth is the drunkest out of all the Ivy Leagues. They drink sooo much compared to everyone else."
"With how that party was going, I don't doubt it."
"How can you drink that piss water they call beer? God that was disgusting."
"I wasn't really drinking. I tossed it down the drains when no one was looking haha."
"Sneaky sneaky."
"Years of going to galas with Bruce taught me a few things y'know."
"I see."
Dick took a peek back to see the street full of life. Music blared from all the frat houses as students walked in and out of the house doors and cheered down the lane.
"Man, Dartmouth students go hard. How can the school's president get any sleep around here?"
"What do you mean?"
"That's his house right there. Next to SigNu."
"You're saying the president's house is right there, next door to SigNu? Here on frat row?"
"Yea. Why?"
"Baby, have you ever heard of the Dartmouth Seven?"
The next morning, Tommy and Cecily waited impatiently at Lou's Bakery. Tommy was starving so he ordered a grilled blueberry muffin and chowed down first. Cecily tapped her finger on the table occasionally glancing at her phone. She had called Zatanna six times already but was met with voicemail every single time.
"Where could they be? You think they made it home ok?" Cecily worriedly asked.
"I'm sure they're fine. Hanover's a small town. We don't have any crazies around here," Tommy tried to reassure her.
"But still. They haven't called or anything. What if they got lost!?"
"Hanover Inn is literally in the center of campus. Maybe they overslept."
A cold breeze flew into the diner as the door opened and two raven haired bodies hurried inside. Quickly Dick and Zatanna found and sat down at Tommy's and Cecily's booth.
"Are you two ok? Where have you been?" Cecily asked.
"We're fine! Haha. We uh overslept a little," Dick replied.
"I don't blame ya. The party went on pretty late last night. At least you got to sleep in a cushy hotel room. I love Cecily but trying to squeeze into a college twin-sized bed can be tough," Tommy said.
"Well, we didn't go home straight away," Zatanna meekly answered.
"Huh? Where did you go then?" Cecily asked quizzically.
"Yea. Collis Late Night snacks closes at 2am," Tommy also wondered.
"Uhh Hmm. Since we were on frat row already," Zatanna started, "we checked out the president's lawn."
"And then the stacks in the library," Dick added.
"Then the Green," she continued.
"Then of course Dartmouth Hall."
"The BEMA was tricky because honestly we had no idea where it was."
"After that though, the top of the Hop was nice. Soft carpet."
"And we just finished up at the fifty-yard line at Memorial Field," Zatanna rounded out the list.
Cecily and Tommy sat stunned. Eyes wide and jaws left open. Cecily looked down still trying to process the information while Tommy began counting his fingers.
"You did them all?" he asked.
"In one night?" Cecily commented.
"You're supposed to space them out throughout your time at Dartmouth!"
"Yea well, technically last night was our entire time at Dartmouth," Dick shrugged.
"Well shit, Grayson. How much stamina do you have?"
"And what about you, 'Tanna? Aren't you sore as heck?!"
"Eh, we've done it for far far longer. Besides, I never pass up good sex," Zatanna said nonchalantly (or chalantly depending on how you think about it), "Anyway, what's good here? Oooo eggs benedict!"
Cecily nudged Tommy a little. As he looked over, he saw a twinkle in her eye as she raised her eyebrow suggestively. Immediately he shook his head.
"Oh no. No way. Nuh uh. Forget it. I won't last through all seven," he adamantly rejected.
"Well drat."
A few days later, Batman gathered all six of the original team members to the Cave for a new mission briefing. Of course, they were waiting on the final two members to arrive.
"Why are they always so late?" Wally impatiently tapped his foot.
"Baywatch, we all know why they're late," Artemis snarked.
"Well yea. I just don't want to think about it."
"Recognized: Nightwing B-01, Zatanna Zatara B-08"
"Finally!" Wally exclaimed.
"Honestly you two, you have got to learn how to keep it in your…whoa," Artemis stuttered.
"Oh. My. Gosh," M'gann squealed.
"Holy hot mama-cita," Raquel stood stunned.
Kaldur and Conner declined to comment while Batman shook his head and facepalmed.
"Hey guys! Sorry we're late. Zatanna took a while to get ready," Dick chuckled.
Meekly, Zatanna stepped forward with one arm crossed behind her holding the other arm and exposing her midriff. Her head was bent down so that her hair would curtain and cover her blushing read face. Per the wager, she had arrived for the mission briefing in a black and yellow cape, black combat tights, black gauntlets, and a bright red crop top with the signature Robin "R" on the left side of her chest. Embarrassed, she crossed her arms in front of her chest.
"Uhhhh hi everyone," she shyly greeted.
"Alright! I'm gonna say it," M'gann started, "You pull this look off way better than Dick."
"Agreed," Raquel added.
"One hundred percent," Artemis approved giving a thumbs-up.
"Dannng 'Tanna. You're really rockin' the red," Wally complimented.
"Our very own Girl Wonder," Conner finally found his voice.
"While you do look stunning, I must ask: what brought this on?" Kaldur asked.
"Sigh. Never question Dick's knowledge of football…"
Dick burst out laughing and wrapped his arm around her waist.
"I told you you'd look sexy."
AN: Hey everyone! Hehe longest chapter yet at nearly 7k words. Sorry for the filler fluff, but I realized that I accidently gave our happy couple a vacation window as we wait for Dick's detective scores (Let's be honest he's gonna pass but still!) Plus after his near scare with Jason, I figured we let the two relax a little. Sorry if this was all just mindless filler. I got sorta carried away since Dartmouth is my school and I wanted to sneak in some fun inside jokes. Thanks again to Lover of Romance246 for letting me use her OCs Tommy and Cecily. Sorry if I added a few liberties for fun!