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Dick Grayson had long grown used to the nights of Bludhaven. Having spent countless honour on the prowl around the city, using the darkness as his ally in his battle against crime, he knew the city like the back of his hand. The rooftops, streets and alleyways were his hunting ground. The sounds of the city falling asleep became background noise to him.. Finishing the last of his coffee, he placed the empty cup on the ledge he was perched on and looked down into the building across from him - an old warehouse, long abandoned. However dim lights inside showed the figures of several men inside, moving crates and talking to one another. Jackpot.
Straightening up, Dick put on his face mask and became the vigilante Nightwing once more. He readied his black and blue battle suit, making sure it was ready for what came next. Wearing a Nomex, triple-weave Kevlar shell with reinforced gauntlets and boots for combat, his blue sigil on his chest and a utility belt with smoke, gas and flash bombs, a taser gun, Wing-Dings, bolas, a grapple gun and a number of other pieces of equipment, he knew that he could take down what was inside with ease.
With a running start he leapt off of the roof and towards a wide window. He burst in and cracked the window with ease, glass flying away from him as he landed in a smart crouch. The masked thugs staggered backwards in fright as he stood up slowly, the moon behind him casting a long shadow before him. He cracked his knuckles, fixating each of them with an intimidating glare. He’d learned from Batman that half the battle was the fear you installed in your opponents.
“Okay, we all know how this is going to go. How about you guys just leave now before things get messy.” Dick told the men, raising his arms placatingly. It had been a long week and he really would prefer to be done there as soon as he could.
In response, they drew a series of weapons out - knives, bats, wrenches. And began to approach him cautiously with angry curses against him and sneers on their faces. It looked like they wouldn’t take a hint.
“Alright then.” He shrugged, readying himself into a battle stance, beckoning his foes forwards.
Less than two minutes later, all eight of them were on the ground, unconscious and in need of medical care. After scouring around, Dick couldn’t find a single trace of what he was looking for. So he put a call into the police about what had happened so they could arrest the criminals and confiscate their product. Looking around at the room, he sighed with annoyance. It had been a long week, and it was about to get even longer. This was the fifth gang outpost he’d taken out, and he was still searching for what he needed.
“What’s a cute guy like you doing in a place like this?” A voice suddenly purred from behind, sending a shiver up his spine.
He spun around to see a familiar young woman of his own age strutting towards him, a teasing smile on her face. Her soft black hair, under a fancy top hat, cascaded down her shoulders. Her lips were adorned with red rosy lipstick, her eyes were a pure and bright blue, hidden under black delicate lashes that bore deep into his soul. Her skin had a soft tan from her ancestry, giving her a shade that was warm and inviting.
As always she was wearing her stunning magician’s outfit - a white bow tie around her neck, a white corset and gloves, a short and stylish black blazer, silky grey stockings and black heels. She looked incredible - her figure shapely, her appearance seductive, strong and deadly all at once. He felt drawn to her, just as he did each time he was in her presence. And with the light of the full moon shining through the windows, her charming visage was illuminated before him, making her look like an angel.
Each time he saw her, his heart fluttered and he was left breathless for a moment. A decade after he first met her, Zatanna Zatara was still the most beautiful and enchanting woman he had ever seen. It had been several years since they had dated - but he could never forget the taste of her lips, the feel of her body, the sound of her laughter. It was intoxicating.
“Waiting for beautiful magicians to pass by. It’s a popular custom here.” He replied to her, shooting her on his trademark charming Grayson grins.
“Then it’s a good thing that I’m here, Romeo.” Zatanna smirked in response, giggling to herself afterwards.
It was their usual routine of flirting. All harmless and casual, but always with a little hint of the two of them wanting something more. But since nothing had ever come of it, he always pushed it out of his mind. She was one of his absolute closest friends; he didn’t want to ruin their bond.
“It’s been too long, Zee.” He smiled, opening his arms up for a hug that she quickly stepped into and pulling her close to him.
“I’ve missed you too, Boy Wonder.” Zatanna replied warmly from against his shoulder, the sound oher voice resonating against his body. He didn't say anything, but the feel of her in his arms like this always felt so perfect to him.
“How have you been?” He let her go and stepped back, giving her room.
Zatanna sighed in exhaustion. “Busy. One crisis after another, like always.”
“So what are you doing out here?” He asked curiously.
“Can’t a girl just want to see her most handsome ex-boyfriend in the middle of the night?” Zatanna responded with a faux objection, pressing one of her hands to her chest.
He couldn’t help but laugh at her behaviour. “She can, but something tells me that there’s a little more going on.”
“You always were a smarty pants.” Zatanna teased him, strolling around him to observe the warehouse room and the bodies on the ground around him. “I was in the neighbourhood. Roy mentioned that you’d been on the grind here, so I wanted to come see if I could lend a helping hand.”
“Did he send you to look after me?” Dick asked suspiciously.
“He knows that you’re just fine on your own.” Zatanna reassured him quickly. She always knew what to say. “But two heroes are always better than one.”
“You’re not wrong there.” Dick agreed.
“Plus between you and me, something tells me Roy’s trying to play matchmaker.” Zatanna said, as she circled around him, and
“He's such a romantic, isn’t he?” Dick couldn’t help but chuckle at the thought of their red haired friend trying to set them up in his own ridiculous way.
“Considering that he married Cheshire of all people, I guess he is.” Zatanna remarked.
“Him and Jade are a cute couple.” Dick admitted. If someone had told him that Red Arrow and Cheshire would actually end up married and with a kid, he would have been shocked. Now, their relationship was just another strange but familiar thing in his life he had gotten used to.
Zatanna clapped her hands enthusiastically. “So, fill me in!”
Dick was confident that as Nightwing, he would be more than equipped to deal with anything in his way. But he wasn’t going to turn down the help of Zatanna Zatara, one of the most powerful magic wielders he knew. And he didn’t want to let her go without talking to her.
“Penguin and Bane are in cahoots again, shockingly. They’ve been trying to get a new avenue through Bludhaven. Drugs, guns, and whatever else they can get their greasy hands on. I’ve taken out their new outposts, but I just gotta find their main centre of operations. Then I can bring the whole operation down before it begins.” Dick laid out the situation.
“Sounds fun. Mind if I tag along?” Zatanna asked after thinking for a moment.
“I’d love that.” Dick said. He realised that it may have sounded a bit too romantic the moment he did so, quickly tried to correct himself. “I mean, I’ll take all the help I can get.”
Side by side the two began to leave the building, their job there done. Dick had parked his Nightbird around the corner for them to use to get around - as fun as it would have been to traverse via the rooftops, this was quicker and safer.
“You know, I have a friend who keeps their ear to the streets. They might know where their base is.” Zatanna mentioned, looking over at Dick while they walked.
“Magician?”
“Psychic. Owes me a favour. She’ll be able to give us a hand.”
“Dick nodded in approval. If Zatanna said that someone could be trusted, he was inclined to agree with her. He was about to agree with her, when the sound of footsteps on the pavement loudly reverbed from behind them. He and Zatanna were quick to turn around to see a small group of Bane’s men closing in fast.
“Reinforcements. Mind helping me send them back the way they came?” Dick asked.
“Oh, it will be my pleasure.” Zatanna cracked her knuckles, and raised her hands, light already emerging from the tips of her fingers. Sharing a quick grin, they readied themselves.
Their opponents didn’t even stand a chance. Her magic and his fighting skills, working cohesively together - it wasn’t even a close fight. When it was over, and the two were speeding away in the Nightbird, Dick couldn’t help but think about how well they worked together - and how right it felt to be by her side again.
--------
Dick leaned against a pillar, looking down at the street. Zatanna was on the ground, about to walk into a shop where her ‘friend’ stayed. Before entering she looked back at him. She reached her hand up to his lips, kissed her fingertips and blew a kiss back to him. He mimed catching it, making her giggle before she turned to open the door and enter.
Dick smiled dopily. Even with all his experience and confidence, Zatanna still made him feel like the nervous kid he was when he first started pining for her. He’d been with other girls since her, even loved them, but there was something special about Zatanna. She was his first - not just the first girl he ever had sex with, not just the first girl he ever loved, but the first member of the team (besides Wally) he’d revealed his identity to. With all that history, he found her constantly on his mind.
It had taken him a long time to realise what that meant. But after all the years apart, he knew that he was still in love with her. It wasn’t just attraction, but love. In his heart, the thought of a life with Zatanna made Dick Grayson feel more comfort than he ever would have thought. But no matter what he wanted, he couldn’t admit it to her. Their friendship after their break up was important to him, and he refused to scare her away from him based on what he wanted.
The sound of his phone ringing broke him out of his self pitying musing, and he quickly saw his best friend was calling.
“Hey dude, you busy?” Wally’s voice came from the phone.
“No, I’m good. What about you?” Dick replied, stepping away from the edge of the rooftop.
“At home, watching TV. It’s crazy how much I missed while I was away. Gotta catch up!”
DIck didn’t think he would ever stop being grateful that his best friend was back. After years of believing that Wally West was dead, he had finally returned to them almost a year ago. It was amazing, even if Wally now had an excuse for whenever he wanted Dick to do him a favour. He didn’t mind one bit. In fact the only person more happy than him was Artemis, who had quickly ensured that she and Wally were married as soon as possible. Dick was thrilled for the two of them. After being apart for so long, he knew they didn’t want to waste anymore time.
“I’m glad you’re using your time constructively.” He joked through the phone.
“Artemis has me easing back into hero stuff slowly. I’m ready to put on the red suit yesterday, but she wants me at home for as long as possible.” Wally complained to him, while munching down on something. His appetite had only increased since his return, much to Artemis’ woes.
“She worries about you.” Dick reminded him.
“I know. I love her so much. I’m just happy to be back with her.” Wally’s tone had suddenly become soft, and gentle. “So I won’t complain about staying home with my beautiful wife.”
“Married life treating you well?” Dick asked.
“Dude, I was stuck in the speed force for a lifetime. Literally anything is better than that. So being married to the most amazing woman in the world is basically a dream.” Wally laughed.
“That good, huh?” Dick chuckled to himself.
“Definitely. You’ll have to give up the bachelor lifestyle next.” Wally said knowingly.
“Well you’ve definitely earned yourself a break.” Dick replied.
“I’ll tell Artemis you agree with her. That will definitely get you some brownie points.” The two shared a laugh at that over the phone.
“Have I ever told you how happy I am that you’re back.” Dick grinned. He felt his voice break at the end, but didn’t really care. He had lost his best friend for years, so he wasn’t going to act like getting him back made him really happy.
“I missed you too, bud..” Wally replied sincerely. “You're still up for coming round to visit me tomorrow.”
“Absolutely.” Dick promised. They still had a lot to catch up on.
The two were silent for a moment, reflecting on everything that they had been through since they first met, Since they joined their team, since Wally had been lost in the speed force and then returned.
“So, what about you? What’s your Friday night like this lovely evening?” Wally asked, breaking the silence.
“Working down in Bludhaven with Zatanna.” Dick immediately knew he’d made a mistake telling his best friend that.
“You and Zatanna, huh? No kidding.” Dick could practically hear the amused grin on Wally’s face.
“Stop that!” He chastised his best friend through the phone.
“Stop what?” Wally asked innocently.
“That! That tone, right there.” Dick said.
“I have no idea what you’re referring to.” Wally asked with fake virtue. God, he could be the most annoying person in the world sometimes. And as his closest friend, he was doomed to deal with his antics.
“You are the least subtle person in the world.” Dick deadpanned into the phone.
“So you know what I’m going to say?” Wally asked.
“Yes!” Dick threw his hands up into the air in exasperation.
“Well I’m going to say it anyway.” Wally said.
“Shocker.” Dick resigned himself to his fate. He leaned against a pillar.
“We both know how you still feel about her. It’s pretty obvious to anyone he sees the two of you together for more than thirty seconds.” Wally told him.
“That’s an exaggeration.” Dick weakly protested.
“It’s not, Remember my wedding? Everybody in the building knew that you were smitten with Zatanna. Hell, even my dad knew!” Wally laughed over the phone.
Honestly, Dick didn’t have an answer to that. He knew that despite all the secrets he kept from the world, his feelings for Zatanna could not be suppressed.
“We live a tough life, Dick. You know that more than anyone. But I know that there is nothing that gives me hope and happiness like Artemis. Having someone love you and loving them back - it’s everything that we’ve ever fought for.” Wally’s voice became sentimental
“Wally…as nice as that sounds, you know it’s not that simple.” Dick claimed.
“Of course it’s simple! You’re head over heels for her! Don’t even try to lie to me.” Wally insisted.
Dick knew he was fighting a losing battle. “Okay, you're right.”
“When am I not?” Wally said smugly.
“It’s been years since we were together. I don’t even know if she’s even remotely interested in me.” Dick confessed nervously.
“I’m sure she is. She’s out in the middle of the night helping you in Bludhaven. She doesn’t do that for just anyone. If that doesn’t say ‘Sweep me off my feet, Mr Grayson’, then I’m an idiot.” Wally told him.
“You’re an idiot.” Dick snapped back with amusement - although he was already wondering whether Zatanna’s arrival was a sign that she cared about them in the same way he did.
“Silence!” Wally cried out with excitement. “ I watched you two break up the first time, even though I knew you were perfect for one another. Hell, you were the Best Man and Maid of Honor at my own wedding! I have a duty to tell you to stop being an idiot, tell her how you feel and go for it!.”
Dick’s mind was sent back to thoughts of Wally and Artemis’ wedding a few months ago. Full of friends and family, all overjoyed to see their friends together again. He had been Wally’s Best Man so he had spent a lot of time with Zatanna getting things ready for the big day. She had been an absolute vision in his eyes wearing a green dress, smiling back at him as Wally and Artemis said their vows, and the two had danced for hours afterwards. If he was being honest, it had reignited his feelings towards Zatanna; he felt like a teen with a crush like when he first met her.
“Plus Artemis would kill if I didn’t try to fix you guys up. She’s rooting for you two more than anyone.” Wally’s voice interrupted his memories.
“Wonderful.” Dick remarked. If Artemis really wanted two of her closest friends together, she was not going to be discreet about it until she got what she wanted.
“You deserve to be happy, Dick.. Don’t waste your chance while you still have it.” Wally concluded.
Just as he was about to reply, Dick glanced down to the street where he saw Zatanna step out of the shop. He whistled, getting her attention to let her know where he was standing. She waved back at him, preparing to levitate up and join him.
“I got to go, Zee’s coming out. I’ll see you soon, alright?” Dick said to Wally.
“You’d better. And remember what I said.” The speedster reminded him
“Will do.” Dick replied, hanging up the phone just as Zatanna floated up to the roof, landing beside him.
“Who was that?” She asked, while he pocketed the phone.
“Wally He says hi.” Dick told her. She looked at him almost suspiciously for a moment, like she knew what they’d been talking about.
“Well I’ve got a location. A nearby. Want to scope it out?” Zatanna asked with excitement in her eyes.
Dick rolled his shoulders in anticipation. “Let’s go.”
------------
Half an hour later, and they were scoping out the dockyard. They had quickly arrived at their destination, discovering that there was the sound of movement in a large boathouse. So they moved towards the rooftop of an adjacent office block
“Why did we break up, Zee?” Dick suddenly asked as they were climbing a set of stairs.
“Are you really asking that? After all this time.” Zatanna gave him a confused look at his query.
“Humour me. I guess I’m feeling nostalgic.” Dick told her. She thought for a moment before replying.
“I was a kid back then. We both were. It’s not so weird that we didn’t last forever, most teen relationships don’t last forever. And after Tula, Kaldur was so hurt. We both were afraid of losing one another. Breaking up made things easier at the time.” Zatanna explained. It felt weird for the end of their relationship to be summed up so easily, but it was all true.
“I suppose.” Dick eventually said. She was right, but his heart just didn’t agree with her for some reason.
“What does that mean?” The sound of Zatanna’s suspicious voice made him stop in his place just as they were getting to the top floor.
“It’s just…we were so close when we dated.” Dick said with a sad smile. “You were the first girl who I revealed my secret identity to. I was so happy. Sometimes I wonder if it was the right thing to break up.”
“We both agreed to end our relationship. It wasn’t just me.” Zatanna said in a clipped voice.
“I’m not blaming you for our break up.” Dick quickly backtracked.
“And I’m not blaming you either. Just don’t pretend like you were only looking out for me.” Zatanna said.
“I did want to protect you, Zee!” Dick defended himself.
They arrived at the top of the stairs to see a big hole in the ceiling leading to the roof. It seemed that was the only way that they would be able to get a good vantage point. They were about to ascend when Zatanna spoke.
“Dick, you were a young man. Don’t tell me that you didn’t secretly didn’t want out of a committed relationship.” Zatanna reprimanded him.
With that said, Zatanna muttered a spell under her breadth and levitated upwards to the roof. Shocked by the statement, Dick quickly used his grapple gun to rappel up to join her, landing behind her and jogging to catch up with her as she walked across the rooftop. He had wanted to have a talk about their relationship, but not when she was going to act like he wanted to cheat on the girl he loved.
“I would never have cheated on you!” He objected, aghast at what she had just said.
“Of course not, but our relationship ending gave you the chance to meet other girls.” Zatanna said sternly.
“What are you talking about?” Dick asked, getting hot under the collar. He stopped in place, unwilling to keep walking, and waited until she spun around.
“I mean look at your dating history since then. Raquel, Barbara, Betty Kane, and those are just the ones you dated. You’ve hardly a one-woman guy, are you? So don’t get jealous, because you moved on pretty fast yourself!” Zatanna admonished him harshly, her eyes narrowing. It seemed he was not the only one who had been meaning to have this conversation for a long time.
“‘It wasn’t like that! And it’s not as if you haven’t had relationships yourself. What about John Constantine?” Dick accused her, jealousy clouding his judgement. The moment he said it he knew how stupid it had been to say. And judging from the icy stare he was getting, Zatanna knew it too.
“Don’t even go there, Dick. You can’t lecture me about my life.” Zatanna gritted her teeth as she spoke.
“I wasn’t-I didn’t mean-Gaah! Forget it.” Dick threw up his hands in exasperation and began to quicken his pace.
This was not how he wanted this conversation to go. If Wally could see this, he’d slap him over the head for his stupidity.
However, Zatanna moved to stand in front of him and stop their advance with a penetrating glare. “No, you started this conversation! What are you trying to say?”
“I’m sorry, I’m not trying to be a jerk about it.” Dick apologised profusely. “I just….I don’t know what I’m trying to say. I think I wanted to know what went wrong with us. I know we’re friends, and I’m so happy about that. But sometimes I wonder if things had been different”
“Dick, what we had was something very new and intense. We weren’t ready to deal with all of…us. Not then. Look at our lives. We barely have enough to look after ourselves. Trying to deal with everything and be a couple…we were bound to end things at some point. It was for the best.”
“I guess. Sorry for bringing it up.” He said ruefully
“It’s fine. I think we needed to talk about it.” Zatanna said, turning around so they could continue on their way.
They arrived at the edge of the roof, and stood side by side in awkward silence for several minutes. Neither was willing to break the quiet between them. Eventually, Dick realised that being stubborn was not the way to go. He had been a senseless idiot, and he didn’t want his relationship with Zatanna to be ruined because he was jealous that she had dated a weird magician in a trench coat for a bit.
“I am sorry.” Dick looked over at Zatanna. He hoped she could hear that he really meant it.
“I know.” Zatanna replied, shooting him a forgiving smile. Immediately the tension between them was lifted.
“Did you ever think about what we could have been? If we stayed together.” Dick asked light-heartedly.
“I haven’t had much luxury for dreaming lately. Neither of us have.” Zatanna shrugged.
“Still, it’s a nice thought.” Dick mused. He glanced over towards Zatanna to try and see her response.
“...I guess it is.” She simply said.
As much as he wanted to keep talking to her, to actually tell her how he felt with more eloquence this time, he was alerted by the sound of movement from within the building they were watching.
“Heads up. We’ve got movement.” Dick pointed out.
The two heroes both turned to look at their target. Their personal time was over - now was the time for Nightwing and Zatanna to go to work.
-------
“Edisni em wohs.” Zatanna uttered an incantation. At the same time, Dick clicked a button on the side of his face mask to activate thermal vision, so that both of them were looking inside the building.
“Dick, there are hostages inside. Dock workers. Innocents.” Zatanna pointed out. Sure enough there were half a dozen people on their knees with several armed thugs guarding them. That would complicate things.
“And I see Bane.” Dick noticed. The big brawler was hard to miss, as usual. “Plus a dozen of his charming friends.”
“Alright. I’ll go after Bane, and his men. Draw as many of them towards me as possible. You focus on getting the hostages safe as soon as you can.” Dick laid out the plan. This was going to require a little more than just his fists, so he checked his utility belt for the gadgets he would need to give them an edge.
“I’ll get into position. Let me know when you want to get this party started.” Zatanna summoned a magical seal below her, levitating upwards and away from the ledge, about to float towards the side of the building.
“Zee!” Dick suddenly called out to her. He wanted to tell her something kind, something from his heart, but the sight of her looking back at him made him speechless for a few seconds .
“Be careful.” He settled on. He knew she was capable enough, and would be just fine, but he couldn’t help but worry about her.
“You too.” Zatanna replied - thankfully oblivious to his momentary panic.
Then she flew away. Dick cleared his mind; now was not the time to focus on his romantic woes. Now was the time to take down the bad guys. So readied smoke bombs, wing dings and his Escrima sticks and prepared to go to work.
When they stormed in, everything passed so quickly. Tossing smoke bombs into the building, Dick quickly focused on Bane’s goons, using his arsenal to take down as many as he could while Zatanna quickly used her magic to take down the hostages’ guards and get them to safety. They then turned to finish off the thugs, and Zatanna destroyed the crates of drugs and guns. Soon it was just Nightwing, Zatanna and a very pissed off Bane, with Kobra venom flowing through his veins.
Using the combination of Dick’s speed and gadgets, and Zatanna’s magic skills, they were able to quickly take him down to his knees. But just when it looked like they were going to take down Bane, the luchador let out an angry scream and slammed his fists into the pillars of the building by his side. His super strength shook the foundations, sending Dick and Zatanna staggering, which allowed him a moment to go barrelling into Zatanna and send her flying backwards.
“No!” Dick yelled at the sight. He saw red, and leapt into action with renewed energy and anger. He used a taser at full power to stop Bane as the bigger man charged towards, then sliced off his venom canisters with Wing Dings. With Bane losing power fast, all it took was a few well placed shots from his Escrima Sticks into Bane’s knee, shoulder, liver and head to knock the big guy out for good.
Dick wasted no time revelling in his victory. Throwing his weapons to the ground, he sprinted over to where Zatanna was lying and fell to his knees. With one hand under her head and another holding her body he pulled her up. Her heart was still beating, but her eyes were closed and she didn’t respond to him lifting her up.
Zee! Zee?! Are you okay?!” He called out to her, reaching a hand over to cup her face, hoping desperately for a response. Several moments passed as his anxiety about her grew until she finally spoke. .
“...My hero.”
Her eyes flitted open, full of mirth and amusement as he gazed back at her with his mouth open in surprise at her sudden recovery.
“lleps reirrab dne” She incanted, and a blue shimmer shone from her body before dissipating. “Simple protection spell. I’m perfectly fine.”
Dick let out a huge sigh of relief bigger than he thought he could ever have. His fear that she was hurt dissipated.
“Don’t ever scare me like that again, okay?” He told her once he had caught his breath again.
“You always were a worrier.” Zatanna joked. Her expression quickly turned serious when she looked at his face. He gazed deep into her eyes.
“I’m serious, Zee. If anything happened to you…” He trailed off, brushing some of her hair that had fallen across her face behind her ear. Just the thought of losing Zatanna filled him with more fear than he thought he could have felt.
“I know, Dick.” She comforted him. The worry he had felt moments before dissipated into calm, and he unclenched his shoulders. The adrenaline from the fight slowly began to wear off.
“We should get up.” Dick said, about to readjust himself.
“Not yet. Stay with me, just a moment longer.” Zatanna gripped him suddenly, her gaze becoming soft and amorous. Her voice was no longer teasing and seductive. It was sweet and tender, just like her eyes.
“....okay.” Dick was stunned in that moment, and powerless to resist her.
Dick didn’t know who made the first move, But after a second of them staring at each other their heads surged together and they began to kiss. Their lips crashed against one another in a tender lock. Re-familiarising himself with her intoxicating taste, Dick deepened the kiss and pulled Zatanna closer to him. She eagerly responded to him, snaking her hand through his dark hair and crushing her rosy red lips against his. He couldn't speak for her, but all thoughts of the world around them disappeared from Dick’s mind as he closed his eyes and just focused on kissing the beautiful woman in his arms, delighting in her muffled giggle at his enthusiasm while she reciprocated.
After what may have been thirty seconds or thirty minutes (Dick couldn’t say, his mind was completely empty with nothing but thoughts of Zatanna) they finally broke off their kiss, gasping for air as their wet lips broke apart. Dick knew that he should probably say something but all he could do was stare back at her wide eyes. He didn’t always wear his emotions on his face - however this time he was sure that Zatanna could see the joy he felt in that moment.
“What was that for?” Dick finally asked breathlessly.
“Who says I need a reason?.” Zatanna raised an eyebrow and smirked back at him.
“I’m definitely not complaining.” Dick admitted, making the both of them laugh.
“Are you hurt?” He asked again, checking her for any injuries. Luckily it seemed that her protection spell had been a success and she had avoided any harm in the fight.
“Just a scuffed jacket. Good thing I need to do laundry anyway.” Zatanna reached a hand up over Dick’s shoulder.” Come on, help me up.”
He quickly realised their position, and rose to his feet, pulling Zatanna up with him as he did so. They stood up together. Dick still held Zatanna close to him, one hand on her shoulder and the other on her forearm. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy the way she felt in his arms.
All of sudden, his mind kicked back into gear and he realised what the magician had just done.
“Wait a second. Did you really just sit back and watch me deal with Bane all by myself?” He suddenly asked, turning to look at her accusingly.
“It was your case! I didn;t want to steal your glory.” Zatanna defended herself with a look of faux innocence on her face.
“And then you decided to fake being injured and play the damsel in distress to mess with me!” Dick shook his head in shock. This was exactly the type of thing she’d do to him.
“Only because you’re such a gallant knight in shining armour!” Zatanna said. She couldn’t help but giggle at the end, making him roll his eyes in amusement.
Dick was about to step away from Zatanna when she suddenly pulled him back towards her. She reached her hands up to hold his face and pulled him down to her for another dizzying kiss for several seconds, sending his brain into haywire until she broke off with a satisfied smack.
“Am I forgiven?” She asked smugly, already knowing the answer.
“Absolutely.” He said anyway. He was grinning like an idiot, and didn’t even care.
The Bludhaven police arrived soon after to pick up the criminals (they needed a whole truck for Bane alone) and clean up the crime scene. When they left, the dock was abandoned with all traces of Bane and Penguin’s criminal activities gone before they were even started.
Dick and Zatanna decided to tail some of the hostages home, just to make sure they were okay. Parking the Nightbird nearby, they headed to the top of a small building to watch as one of the hostages, a dock worker, opened his door and his two kids came running out to
Dick pulled off his mask, freeing his eyes and rubbed his face tiredly. The week of violence and late nights had finally paid off. They had saved lives, taken down the bad guys and he could go home knowing he’d done his job right. Looking to his right, he saw Zatanna watching with a happy look on her face. She looked so pretty at that moment - easing all of his defences and worries with just the look in her eyes.
“I remember when we first started dating, when I told you who I was under the mask, you asked me if it was all worth it.” Dick started to speak. Zatanna turned to look at him as he did so. “I had a couple of bruised ribs from a fight we had the day before, so I thought that you were talking about all the injuries, and the scars.”
“I remember. You said something funny in response, so I laughed and forgot about it.” Zatanna told him,smiling at the memory. “You always could make me laugh.”
But it was more than that, wasn’t it? You were asking about the loneliness, the loss, the sleepless nights; everything that we see and wade through.”
“And?” Zatanna asked, a soft look on her face. “Is it?”
He looked down at the kids, hugging their dads fiercely. He thought of his own parents, and their graves, of what he would have given to see them again. But those kids - they saw their dad again. Their family was safe. Tomorrow they would wake up in the morning and their dad would be downstairs waiting for them.
He turned to Zatanna, and smiled widely.
“Absolutely.”
“That’s what makes you special, Dick.” Zatanna softened and gave him a look of affection. The type of expression that he had longed to see for years. She stepped close towards him, and cupped his cheek with her hand. He leaned his face into it unconsciously, looking down into her bright blue eyes.
“You have so much heart.” She whispered. Her eyes and voice all conveyed warmth and kindness.
In that moment, Dick could have been attacked by any super villain he’d ever fought, or crushed by a meteor from outer space, or vaporised by an invading alien species. He wouldn’t have cared. Nothing could even come close to hurting him in this one, amazing moment.
-----------
“A good night’s work, right?” Zatanna asked as the two of them walked through one of Bludhaven’s parks, which was deserted in the late hours of the night. A Zeta tube was nearby for Zatanna to get back to her home, and Dick had parked the Nightbird just outside the park.
“Yeah, we definitely earned our paycheck. If we actually got paid for all this.” Dick remarked ruefully. His mask was placed in his utility belt; now that his business as Nightwing was concluded, he was just Dick Grayson now.
“We need a union.” Zatanna said, making the two of them laugh “Anyway, I’ve got to get home and catch up on what little sleep I have time to get.”
Now that their job as heroes was at an end, they could enjoy Bludhaven for a change. The sky above them was lit up by countless bright stars shining down onto the two as they strolled through the quiet park. One of the nicer areas of the city where
“This was nice.” Zatanna said, coming to a stop as they reached the centre of the park. The Zeta tube was in a phone booth in sight ahead of them. This looked to be where they would say goodbye for the time being.
Dick tried to hide how much he didn’t want her to leave just yet. All he could do was smile. “Thank you for everything.”
Zatanna looked back at him. The wind had blown a strand of her soft black hair over her eyes, and she tucked it back behind her ear. He couldn’t tell what she was thinking but he knew that she was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen. As the moonlight illuminated her, it was almost as if she was shining amidst the darkness around them.
“Dick,I-...” She stopped herself, glancing down in what seemed to be nervousness. Holding her hat in her hands, she was tapping it gently like she was trying to gather the courage to say something.. He stared at her tentatively, until she suddenly raised her head again. He could have sworn he saw sadness in her beautiful eyes as she smiled at him.
“...don’t be a stranger, okay.” She said quietly, turning away swiftly.
The moment as she started to walk away was the longest of his life. Part of Dick, the rational side of his mind that he had tempered through years of crime fighting, told him to just let her go. They had their chance when they were younger. Why ruin their friendship now based on his selfish desires?
But the rest of his mind told him to speak up. To not let the girl he loved slip through his fingers because he was too scared. To listen to what his friend said and follow his heart. He could picture a future with Zatanna, a life together of happiness, and he knew that he couldn’t just give it up without a fight.
“Zatanna, wait.”
He didn’t realise he had called out to her until after the words had left his lips in a moment of desperation. She turned back to look at him, and he almost thought he saw relief and happiness in her eyes. He couldn’t be sure, because the sight of her wide eyes and the look of expectation on her face had him suddenly tongue tied.
“Yes?” She asked him. The sound of her voice reminded him what he had been longing to tell her, and inspired him to be honest both with her, and himself.
Working with you again, being around you again….I felt a spark. Something real. Something I haven’ felt in a long time.” He said nervously. The words began to tumble as he began to grow more confident in finally bearing his heart to Zatanna.
He stepped closer to her, gazing at her with his blue eyes and clenching his hands to steel himself.. “It reminded me of what drew me to you in the first place. And why whenever I think about the future… I can’t help but think about you. You before any other girl.”
Zatanna almost gasped at his admission, looking surprised. “What are you talking about?”
“I never apologised for our break up. I know we were okay after, but I know I was still being selfish. I was scared about how strongly I felt about you. So I let you go. I wish I had fought for us.” Dick said.
“It wasn’t just you, Dick. We both chose to give up what we had. It’s nobody’s fault.” She told him placatingly with a rueful smile on her face.
He reached out to take her hat and put it on the ground beside them, then took her hands into his. Zatanna didn’t resist, even running a hand over his knuckles instinctively. He felt electricity run up his arms at the sensation of holding her hands in his after so long, the type he only ever got with her. There was nothing like it.
“I’m still in love with you, Zee. I never stopped loving you. You know that.right?” Dick confessed finally, his voice wavering towards the end. He didn’t miss Zatanna’s sharp intake of breadth and the blush on her face.
“Of course I do.” She whispered back, squeezing his hands.
Hearing that made Dick’s heart almost leap out of his chest with joy. He didn’t even try to hide his grin. He laced his fingers between hers to interlock their hands.
“So why don’t we give it another try?” He asked leaning down to look her in the eye.
“Another try?” Zatanna blinked in surprise.
“A relationship. Dating, moving in together, all of it! I want to be with you again.” He exclaimed.
“We’re not teenagers anymore-.” Zatanna half-heartedly objected, but Dick was quick to squeeze their interlocked hands and reassure her.
“It’ll be serious this time. I want us to last. I want us to have a life together.” He told her excitedly, meaning every single word.
“Dick, you know who we are. Being a superhero means we never truly get that normal life...”
“But we could have something!” Dick said avidly. “Maybe not completely normal, but it would be real and true because we would be together.”
“Dick, what you’re talking about…” Zatanna paused and glanced away, making Dick’s heart lurch until her lips grew into one of conviction. “It would have to be serious.“Not just a casual fling, not just hooking up. I would need to know that you loved me and wanted to be a part of my life for the long term. Like Wally and Artemis.”
“That’s exactly what I want as well, Zee! More than anything! No matter what, I care about you and I will not leave you.” Dick replied eagerly, feeling hope and happiness. The same joy he felt when Wally returned. It was better than he ever could have thought.
He moved his hands out of hers and onto her arms so he could grip her tightly and caress her skin. “You're right; We’re not the same people we were when we started dating. But now we know who we are. We know what we want. We’ve grown up. If we believe in each other, I know that we’ll get our happy ending.”
He poured his heart out, words that he’d yearned to say for so long tumbling out of his mouth. When he finished, he saw Zatanna staring back at him with tenderness on her face.
“Please, Zatanna. You’re all I want. I’m not scared anymore.” He told her passionately. His eyes were practically begging her as he awaited her response.
A bashful smile appeared on her face, with cute dimples on her blushing cheeks. “Do you really think that this….us….could actually work?”
“Do you love me?” He asked with happiness.
“I always have, Dick.” She smiled back at him with wet eyes. He moved his hands up to her shoulders, holding her in his arms just as he’d hoped to do for so long.
“Then I know that we will.” Dick told her reassuringly. “What do you say? Come back to my place?”
“I promise, we can be as chalant as you like.” He teased, making her laugh. It felt like they were the teens they were when they first met again, full of optimism and excitement together. Dick loved it.
“Okay.” Zatanna replied with a beam on her face.
“Really? Because I’m pretty sure I’ve had this dream a dozen times before.” Dick grinned.
“Yes, you idiot!” Zatanna giggled, giving him a playful slap on the arm.
She reached her hands up around his shoulders and held his neck affectionately. Dick quickly moved his hands to hold his waist, feeling like he was on Cloud 9.
“I could never say no to you. I guess my heart always knew what I was hoping for all these years.” Zatanna told him
“And what was that?” Dick asked.
The smile she gave him before answering him was so bright it lit up the world around him.
“You.”
Together, they surged their mouths together and kissed sweetly. Years of hidden love was revealed as they collided together and kissed. When they finally broke off, Dick quickly used his nose to nudge against hers, making the two of them grin bashfully. .
“After all these years, it still feels like magic.” DIck murmured, feeling drunk off of their kisses already.
“Charmer.” Zatanna giggled in response.
“Only for you.” Dick shot back with a delighted smile on his face, leaning back down to kiss her again. He couldn’t help himself.
After a minute of kissing, Zatanna eventually stepped out of their embrace and took both of his hands in hers to walk backwards. She led him back the way they had come towards his car.
“Take me home, Nightwing.” She said, and so he did.
---------
“Okay, this is very nice.” Zatanna panted, recovering her breadth.
The two were back in Dick’s bedroom, cuddled up naked under his covers. Their clothes were strewn across the room, torn off and thrown aside in their frenzy for their skin to be exposed and connected to one another at long last. They made love under the moonlight; lips and hands locked, bodies entwined, filling the room with loud sounds of their reignited passion.
Now Dick lay on the bed with his head propped up by the headrest. Zatanna snuggled up to him, her head tucked under his shoulder so his arm could wrap around, with their legs wrapped around one another. They were both sticky with sweat, and their hair had been tousled and tangled in the heat of the moment. His blankets covered their legs, with their chests out in the open.
“Just ‘nice’? Is that all you can say?” Dick asked with a tired smile as he stared up at the ceiling. His hand traced a circle on her bare skin lazily, savouring how she felt.
“I would say ‘amazing’ but I don’t want you getting an ego.” Zatanna teased him.
Dick couldn’t help but smirk at that. The sounds of her cries of pleasure had been music to his ears. Nice to see that all his years of experience had paid off. “Amazing, huh?”
“There we go. Looks like I’m going to have to teach some humility.” Her hand began to slide down his chest slowly.
“How so?” Dick asked huskily, turning to look down at the goddess in his arms.
Zatanna looked back at him and bit her lip, mischief and excitement in her eyes. “I know a few ways.”
“Give me a couple of minutes to recover, and I’ll happily let you show me.” Dick said. He really wanted to go again, but definitely needed a moment to get his stamina back.
“Promises, promises.” Zatanna giggled. Her hand on his chest moved back up his chest,tracing each one of his defined abs as it did so to rest on his heart possessively - like she was holding onto what was hers. The sight of it made his heart skip a beat, and he wondered if she felt it.
They fell back into a comfortable, pleasant silence. Cuddled with the woman of his dreams, DIck just savoured the moment that he had had been longing for since he realised he loved Zatanna. His mind wandered in the quiet, bringing up memories of their past. He remembered what it had been like, to love someone for the very first time, and the warmth and joy she brought
“I’ve missed this.” He murmured into her hair with affection.
“Yeah, I could tell. I hope these are soundproof walls.” Zatanna remarked with pride.
“Not the sex…although that was pretty awesome. Spectacular. Mind Blowing.” Dick said.
“Flattery will get you everywhere, hot stuff.” Zatanna grinned.
“I missed being with you - no villains, doomsday devices, evil plots - just us together. It’s something I’ve dreamt about for so long. And now, it feels even better than I could have ever imagined.” Dick glanced down at the end, embarrassed at changing their playful mood.
“Me too, Dick.” Zatanna said, pulling him close to nuzzle his neck affectionately, like a kitten. Dick was quick to hug her back tightly.
She went quiet after that. Dick looked overt and saw tears in her eyes. He quickly turned onto his side to lie next to her, cupping her face in his hand.
“What is it, baby?” He asked with worry, desperate to know what the problem was.
“I’m fine, it’s not nothing you said.” She quickly replied, gently stroking his hair and blinking away her tears.
“I think for all these years, I’ve been scared of intimacy. Letting someone into my life.” Zatanna spoke quietly. “After losing my father…I thought that anyone I truly cared about would leave me all alone in the end. No one ever got as close to you did when we were together.”
A tear began to fall down her face. Dick quickly reached a hand across to wipe the tear away, looking at her with reassurance and comfort. Zatanna gave him a small kiss in response.
“But I guess I always hoped, deep down, that I’d let myself be vulnerable again. That someone who truly knew me would be there for me.” She confessed. She looked down for a moment, then raised her eyes back up to up at him.
“Thank you, Dick. For not giving up on us, after all this time. For reminding me that I can be happy.”
“I’ll do everything I can to remind you of that every day, as long as you’ll have me.” Dick told her passionately, staring into her eyes. Wanting to do nothing more than to let her know how much she meant to him.
“That might be for a long time.” Zatana said, now with tears of joy.
“I like the sound of that.” Dick immediately replied. Zatanna leaned on top of him, gazing into his eyes.
“I love you.” She said, beaming happily, her happiness infectious and making him grin back even harder.
“I love you too.” He said back. God it felt amazing to say.
Dick pulled Zatanna close to kiss her again, pouring out every ounce of love he had for her into the kiss. She reciprocated eagerly, clutching him tight like she was afraid to let him go. It was a good thing he had no intention of doing so. He felt himself already beginning to stir down there, and rolled her onto her back, chasing her with hungry kisses.
They fell asleep a few hours later after their second round. Sleeping soundly, they rested undisturbed by the world around them. Dick knew they’d wake up to a whole bunch of messages from other heroes, calls from Wally and Artemis (because Wally couldn’t keep a secret from her to save his life) and news of more crime and missions that they would have to deal with. But for that night, they rested in each other’s arms. Just as they both had been dreaming of for so long.
They’d wake up in the morning, and have breakfast together. She wearing nothing but underwear and one of his white t-shirts and him wearing nothing but a pair of shorts, they would soon find themselves in the bedroom once again before midday. In the evening, they would go out on their first real date together in years.
Their closest friends, Wally and Artemis, were the first to know. Dick’s Bat Family were next (Batman knew almost immediately of course), and the rest of their old teammates would find out after a week. After a fortnight, the superhero community all knew that they were together again. And a month after that, the eligible bachelor Dick Grayson and famous magician Zatanna Zatara became a public couple for the whole world to see.
They didn’t care. They were in love. The type of love that people dreamed of. The type of love that nourished your soul and gave you hope and joy. And there was nothing Dick Grayson would do to mess that up this time.