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Gotham Academy was hosting the annual prom. Like usual, Dick Grayson, currently a Sophomore, had already been asked to prom by multiple girls – this was a boy’s choice dance too! “It’s A Magical Night” was the theme. Dick Grayson was not the type to go out of his way to attend these events, he didn't even like going to the galas Bruce Wayne put on year after year.
—----------
This year was different. Artemis wanted to go with Wally, and she had mentioned it to Zatanna while on a mission. Asking Wally was not a problem, they had been seriously dating for years now, and recently, Wally and Artemis were more focused on school than missions. They were planning on fully retiring as soon as Wally graduated this year. Zatanna agreed, this was going to be one of their last times they could be teenagers together.
“Zee, maybe you could ask Dick” Artemis suggested. The idea made Zatanna giddy but what if Dick didn’t want to go?
Artemis could see the puzzled look on her friend’s face, she knew she must be worried about something.
“How often do we get to do normal teen stuff together?” Artemis asked
“Well… I mean we went to a movie a few weeks ago…” Zatanna recalled
“You mean you bought tickets to a movie and ended up in a battle with the Joker?”
“Okay well…. There was…. Uh…..” Zatanna couldn’t recall a recent activity that didn't get overshadowed by other priorities. Wally and Artemis were now Team members on an “on call” basis. On the other hand, Zatanna and Dick never took days off.
“See what I mean!” The archer was almost too excited to prove her point.
Artemis was right, plus they haven’t had an actual group date in quite a while.
—---------------
“Hey, Dick!” Barbara Gordon greeted the Boy Wonder at his locker. They had Calculus together next period.
“Oh, hey Barb.” Dick looked confused at the tone of Barbara’s voice. There was extra pep in her voice, it didn’t take a detective to know something was up.
Barbara blabbered on about her day, as they walked down the hall towards their class. They walked past one of the giant banners advertising the prom. He chuckled, “magical night?”What kind of lame theme was that?
The idea of a formal dance wasn’t particularly appealing to him, but unlike Wayne events, this one was not mandatory, which gave the dance an appeal, plus it wasn’t like he didn’t have plenty of girls lining up wanting to ask him to the dance, plenty of girls he could ask.
Dick gestured at the banner and asked Barb, “has anyone asked you yet?”
Barb shrugged, “waiting for the right guy to ask me, plus there’s always next year”
—--------------
The dance was coming up quickly, next week in fact. Artemis had already asked Wally, to which he had shrugged and reluctantly agreed to after being assured there would be food.
If Wally was that easy to convince, how hard would it be for Zatanna to ask Dick? Why was she hesitating?
It was a boy’s choice dance, after all. Maybe she was hoping he would ask her, since she didn't attend Gotham Academy. What was the Boy Wonder waiting for? They weren’t actually dating, which may have been the cause of this delay. They would occasionally hang out, and when they did they genuinely had a great time. Sometimes it would end with a peck on the cheek, sometimes it ended with more, and sometimes just a hug.
If she didn’t act now, she might not get the chance to ask him… or worse, he might ask someone else.
“Artemis, I need your help,” said the magician one night.
—------
Wally told Dick to meet him at the Cave the next day after school. Dick didn’t question it, it wasn’t the first time the friends hung out at the cave with no explanation.
All day, while at school he had been thinking about the dance, an unusual thing for him to process. He knew he should ask someone soon, but even if it was last minute, he would still be able to find a date.
Barbara was probably free, they had been friends for a long time, and she was his first kiss. It could be fun.
Then there was Zatanna. He and Zatanna hadn’t gone on any dates recently, in fact, It had been a while since they did anything non-mission related. A couple days ago they sat and talked after a mission till midnight, but they hadn’t actually gone out. Robin genuinely enjoyed Zatanna’s company. It was like they were cut from the same fabric. They understood each other in ways that nobody else understood. Her sense of humor was too much like his. She probably won’t say no.
Plus, Wally mentioned Artemis was taking him to Gotham’s prom. Artemis and Zatanna were really good friends, so that could be a fun group. The last time they went on a double date…. Whenever that was… he was sure it was fun.
“Okay, it’s decided, I'll ask Zatanna.” He thought to himself.
Maybe, he will ask her after doing whatever Wally wanted to do first.
—----
Zatanna made sure nobody else on the team would be home, just in case it was too corny… or if Robin said no. No matter how good of a friend you are with someone, being rejected is still embarrassing. She was glad Wally had agreed to lure the bird to the worm.
She got started on the decorating
“Ecalp sremaerts dna srats no eht sllaw” her eyes glowed “ekam meht dlog”
Pretty soon, the cave looked like a galaxy and there were free floating letters spelling
“ P R O M ?”
She was excited and yet nervous, but before she could really react the Zeta tube activated and spoke, “Recognized: Robin B-01”
Robin walked in in his usual civilian attire, complete with his dark sunglasses hiding those eyes.
She was hidden by a nebula, she could see the face of astonishment when the Boy Wonder walked in, she knew his eyes were wide under those sunglasses. As she appeared from behind the nebula, his jaw dropped to the floor. It was quiet for a long time, but it wasn’t awkward silence. Robin was basking in the galaxy that surrounded him as he made his way over to her.
“I was going to ask you!” He said to her, once they reached each other. He took her hands.
Now it was Zatanna who was shocked. With the dance only days away now, she thought she wasn't even on his radar for the dance.
“So will you go with me?” He asked, completely hijacking the big event she had just prepared.
“YES!” She shrieked in excitement!
They embraced, he pulled her in for a kiss.
“This moment could not be more magical,” Robin thought
—--------
A day off, at last.
It was the day of the dance.
The girls were getting ready at Artemis’ house, at the request of Paula Crock. Paula just wanted to see her daughter dolled up for a dance. Artemis found a dress she loved, a floor-length, navy blue, A-Line Halter top. Zatanna, on the other hand, picked a mermaid shape with an asymmetric top in rose gold with tulle at the very bottom. Both dresses had sparkles. This made them shine brighter than usual.
They would be meeting the boys just outside Wayne Manor.
Both boys cleaned up nicely, Dick with his slicked back hair found a tie that matched the shade of Zatanna’s dress perfectly. Wally, on the other hand, had to borrow one of Dick’s ties. It was almost a perfect match.
The girls arrived and it was banter like usual between the friends. Artemis made some comments about Wally in a tux, but nothing else mattered to Zatanna and Dick.
Zatanna had seen Dick in civilian clothes before, but the shock of seeing him in his suit sent shivers down her spine. He was smiling so wide, she was sure this wasn’t real. In his hands, he was holding a beautiful rose corsage for her.
For Dick, seeing Zatanna in such a beautiful dress knocked the wind out of him. His heart was beating so fast, he was sure she could hear it.
“Wow, Zee, you look… beautiful,” Dick said. Beautiful didn’t even begin to describe it. Zatanna blushed.
“Thank you,” Zatanna was also at a loss for words. She wasn’t sure what to expect.
Dick gestured for her hand and slid the corsage on her wrist.
“Esor ereinnotuob!” she said, and a boutonniere that matched her corsage perfectly appeared. She placed it on Boy Wonder and he tried to hide his excitement. Her face was so close to his, he leaned in and kissed her.
“A magical night” he said to himself, maybe it wasn't a silly theme after all.
Alfred took couples pictures and then they were on their way.
A day off.
—----
They pulled up to the venue, the dance was on going. The group could hear the booming bass coming from inside, Wally stepped out of other car and opened Artemis’ door for her
“M’lady?” He said while offering his hand to help her get out of the car. Artemis laughed and took it.
Dick disappeared and suddenly Zatanna’s door opened, which was normal, but usually she used magic to do it herself. Dick offered his hand and she took it. Gracefully, the couple walked over to Artemis and Wally.
“Let’s do this!” Dick said, a little more enthusiastic than he meant to lead on. He was just thrilled for the opportunity to be here with some of his best friends, including the girl of his dreams.
The dance went like most school dances go, fun party pop tunes, adults making sure the punch didn’t get spiked, and then came a slow dance…
Wally and Artemis were already on the dance floor, you could tell by his face that neither of them really knew what they were doing, but together they still moved in sync, just like on the field. Artemis smiled, probably more than any other time, she was happy.
“What do you say, Dick? Want to dance?” Zatanna asked while holding his hand.
Dick knew how to dance, he was a pro at ballroom dancing, but he never really used this skill outside of Wayne events and only when needed.
“Uh… sure” he said, shakily.
Zatanna could not possibly know why he second guessed it, she knew he probably was a master at dancing too. There were very few things that the little bird didn't know how to do. He was just afraid she wouldn’t be able to keep up. He pulled her in and they started dancing. She kept up pretty well. They let the music guide them and move them in precious harmony. By the time the song ended, all eyes were on them. Everyone clapped. They had danced so beautifully together, it was almost … magical.
Zatanna could see out of the corner of her eye Artemis and Wally eyeing them and smiling.
“Whoa, Zee, where did you learn to dance like that! I haven’t ever met anyone who could pull off some of those moves!” Robin asked
“My dad taught me after my mom died. They used to dance all the time, it was a way of showing their love to each other.” She stated, emphasizing the love. Dick understood, it was just like his parents on the trapeze. Her eyes down, the mention of her dad always made her sad, ever since he became Dr. Fate. He knew she missed him.
“Hey! It’s amazing, thank you for being a great dance partner.” Dick said, giving Zatanna a quick kiss on the forehead.
They regrouped, continued having fun and eating snacks. The dance was nearly over but neither of the couples wanted the night to end.
“Let’s go get some ice cream or something” Wally suggested, Artemis elbowed him on the ribs.
“Do you ever think of anything other than food?” She asked, fully aware that the answer was probably no.
“Food sounds good, I am starving!” Zatanna said, Dick was glad they were on the same page.
They made their way over to a diner and ordered some food. They spent a couple hours talking about school, plans for the rest of the year and normal teenage stuff.
It was getting late, so the couples parted ways. Leaving the magician and the acrobat all alone.
They made their way back to the Cave. Dick noticed that he and Zatanna were still holding hands. It made him feel warm inside and another huge grin spread across his face. Zatanna was just glad he never let her go. She wished that they could have nights like tonight more often.
“Recognized, Robin B-01, Zatanna B-08” the Zeta tube computer announced their arrival.
“Thank you for the magical night” Zatanna said to Robin as they made their way out of the tube. The way she said ‘magical’ made him crack that laugh she loved.
“Thank you for being the best partner” Dick responded, a wide toothy grin on his face.
This time it was Zatanna who pulled him in for a kiss, one she didn’t want to let go of.
“Good night, Boy Wonder,” she said to him as she started making her way to her room, but Robin pulled her back for another kiss.
“Good night, Zee.” he said before finally letting her go.
“A magical night” he whispered as he made his way back to the Zeta tube to take him home.