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It was a quiet night and the moon shone bright above the cluster of tents alongside Mount Justice. Cricket chirps sounded every few minutes from a nearby tree. Zatanna counted about twenty times now. A couple of feet away lay Artemis, sound asleep, completely unaware of the case of insomnia currently plaguing the dark-haired girl.
Earlier, she tried repositioning herself, figuring maybe her sleeping bag was resting atop an uneven patch of ground or maybe a covered rock. After what she guessed to be about an hour, Zatanna thoroughly gave up on catching any Z’s and lay awake, staring through the mesh top of their tent. The minutes dragged by painfully slow, and between the incessant crickets and Artemis’s breathing beside her, Zatanna could not stay still any longer.
Zatanna slipped out of her sleeping bag and laced up her sneakers. Before exiting, she reached for the fuzzy sweater at the foot of the sleeping bag and pulled it over her head, her chilled arms now coated in warmth. She unzipped the tent as quietly as she could manage, stepping out one foot after the other. Once outside, she tucked the tent flap back into place.
“Esolc eht tnet ylteiuq,” she whispered, and a few seconds later the zipper moved on its own until closed again.
Though she wasn’t the superstitious type, Zatanna felt the eerie chill wrap around her while a soft breeze whistled in the treetops above. The fog scattered across their makeshift campground wasn’t helping. So what if it was the night before Halloween? She wasn’t scared in the slightest. Still, she didn’t particularly want to be out in the dark by herself.
With an effort to avoid scattered twigs and leaves, Zatanna carefully made her way to his tent.
The whole thing was Canary’s idea, something about how enduring the elements together would be a good team bonding exercise. Zatanna was dragged along to join them while Zatara monitored the Cave. They had all said goodnight to each other a couple of hours ago. Exhausted, the group settled down for bed having spent most of the evening setting up their makeshift shelters.
Sometimes Zatanna would have trouble sleeping at home, but it was never this bad. She wrapped her arms around herself and walked through the little white puff of her exhale.
Once in front of the tent, she froze, unsure if he was awake. She shouldn’t disturb her teammate for something so stupid. Just because she couldn’t fall asleep didn’t warrant anyone else’s suffering alongside her.
Her mind wandered back to a few days ago when Robin insisted if she ever needed anything, or anyone to talk to, that he was there for her. She smiled thinking back at his obvious flirtations and began to chew at her lip.
He was the crime-fighting partner of Batman after all. The night was their domain.
“Robin,” she hissed, desperately hoping she was not waking Wally.
Soft snoring sounded through the tent walls.
“Robin, are you asleep?”
A whole minute passed with no response.
Zatanna rolled her head back and sighed, taking in the sparkling sky. Of course he was asleep, every other normal person besides her was lying in bed, probably having nice dreams, and very much not awake. Zatanna tugged at the sleeves of her sweater and almost stepped back to begin her retreat. Then, she heard light shuffling and moving coming from inside the tent before her.
“…No.”
He unzipped the tent with deft hands, careful to not disturb the speedster to his right. Poking his head out, Robin was face to face with a wide-awake Zatanna. He noted how her eyes almost glowed with the moon’s reflection and added that to the list of things he lov– really, really liked about her.
When he climbed out of the tent fully and zipped it back up, Robin quickly took a survey of the camp. There was no other activity leaving the two of them to be the only ones awake. Zatanna watched him for a beat until he returned his attention to her.
“Bad dream?”
“No, not exactly… I just couldn’t fall asleep.” Zatanna caught him stifling a yawn and felt her face redden. “I’m sorry if I woke you up, I couldn’t sit in that tent any more, and I… I guess I didn’t want to be alone.” Her voice petered out at the end.
Robin rested a hand on her arm and met her gaze behind his shades before pulling away. The cold of the night swiftly replaced the brief warmth of his touch.
“It’s okay, I was in and out myself. Guess that's what happens when you get stuck with the loudest snorer ever.”
Zatanna gave him a sympathetic look and bit her lip to restrain her laughter. Robin noticed and continued on.
“Really, I’ve had to kick him about three times already,” he exclaimed in a loud whisper. When a few giggles finally escaped Zatanna, he couldn’t help but laugh himself.
“We probably shouldn’t wake the others,” Zatanna breathed, trying to sober up. Glancing behind them at the other tents, Robin nodded.
“What do you say to another kidnapping?”
“I’d be enchanted.”
Robin took the lead as they moved away from the campsite. The soft lapping of the harbor faded into crunching leaves and branches waving in the breeze. As they traipsed deeper into the woods, the ground underfoot turned from gravelly sand to tangled roots. Following Robin, Zatanna ducked below the lower hanging branches and stepped around the patches of green overgrowth. Whatever adventure she had imagined in mind, this was definitely not it. Zatanna eyed the rough, rocky terrain ahead of them. The base of Mount Justice came into view and her gaze traveled up its steep, uneven edges. They stopped a few paces away from the closest boulder.
“I hate to disappoint, but I think you’ve overestimated my scaling abilities.” Zatanna raised an eyebrow at the boy next to her.
“What? Not a master climber?” He shot her a playful smirk.
“I would like to not increase my chances of an early death, thanks.”
“Don’t worry Zee, we’re taking the easy route.”
“Easy? I’m not seeing anything of the sort,” Zatanna said, crossing her arms as she squinted at the mountain.
Robin turned to her then and took a step toward her. “You trust me?” Her face relaxed.
“Of course.”
“Then let’s go,” he urged. “You’re gonna love it.”
The two worked their way along a path tucked near the sloping sides. To Zatanna’s surprise, the trek was not as difficult as it appeared. It helped that Robin was an excellent guide. One too many times, she had almost face-planted into the ground. So he decided it best to hold onto her hand to ensure they both remained upright. She didn’t mind.
“Where are we?” She asked, almost tripping on a giant tree root conveniently lying across the middle of the trail. Robin tugged at her hand, recentering her as they continued.
“You’ll see, we’re almost there,” Robin replied. After a few more steps, Zatanna looked over at him.
“So,” she began, drawing out the word. “Where is there?” She asked as she moved closer to his side. Robin glanced over at her, smiling.
“Zee, I can’t describe it to you. You just have to see it for yourself.” With a sigh, she trudged on beside him.
Right when Zatanna was about to ask if they were close again, Robin led them off of the path and pushed aside a cluster of branches.
“Wow,” Zatanna exhaled. They made it to a clearing just overlooking the water below. The moon shone in the ripples beyond, the flashes of light sparkling like stars.
“You don’t get this view in the city,” he commented, taking in the peaceful surroundings. Robin had seen his fair share of night skies, oftentimes perched on the edge of a building in Gotham, flying through the streets and fighting the never-ending crime in the alleyways below. Out along the ocean, the stars poked through the dark sky, and the moon was full, free from the usual ugly, metal obstructions.
“No, you really don’t,” she echoed. “A couple of times, I traveled with my dad for his shows. Whenever we’d ride out west and through the country, those were some of the prettiest night skies.”
Robin smiled to himself, remembering nights similar to those she described. “I’m sure nothing beats the views out there.” Robin caught her gaze and felt something stir inside him.
“Mm, very little,” she replied, her eyes tracing the lines of his face. Zatanna turned back toward the overlook. Robin only hoped the chill of the night covered the pink tinting his cheeks.
Robin leaned forward from his reclined position, his limbs feeling stiff from being in the cold. The two had settled on a spot along the edge, and while he wouldn’t mind staying with her all night, they had to return eventually. He turned to Zatanna. “Want to head back?”
“Sure, let’s go,” Zatanna grinned. They stood, stretching out their tired muscles. As she passed by, Zatanna surprised Robin by grabbing at his hand and tugging him forward. He obliged, wrapping his fingers around her chilled hand.
Once back at camp, the two made their way over to the fire pit. “I bet it's past midnight now,” Robin said as he settled onto the wooden log next to Zatanna.
“You gonna turn into a big scary bat?” She joked, elbowing him in the ribs. Robin scoffed and elbowed her back, thoroughly enjoying the sound of her laugh. Another thing he really liked about her.
“No, but don’t be surprised if you see a little birdy following you around later.” She grinned and tried to find his eyes behind the dark lenses.
“So long as it’s my birdy.” Her gaze fell to the lopsided smile playing at his lips. Zatanna hugged her arms around her knees and looked at the pile of logs in front of them.
“Oh, I know!” Zatanna blurted, raising a hand. “Emoc evila, erif!” She then turned to the boy beside her.
“Tell me a scary story,” she urged, the flames casting harsh shadows across their faces.
“What?”
“Come on,” Zatanna said, “I know you have some good ones. Scare me.”
“If you insist,” he replied, his eyebrows raising above the lenses and a devilish grin tugging at his face.
“It was a dark and stormy night…“ he started, waving his fingers around in the space between them.
“Robin!” Zatanna laughed and shoved at his shoulder. The two broke into laughter in front of the glowing warmth.
“Okay, okay,” he managed between breaths. “I’ve got one.”
Zatanna rested her elbow atop her knee and listened to him intently, her head propped against her folded hand. The whole time, all she could think about was the day she’d see his pretty face without those stupid glasses.
The sun broke through the array of scattered tents in the small campsite. Slowly, the Team stirred awake from their makeshift beds.
Artemis stretched her arms high above her head and let out a long yawn. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes, she noticed the sleeping bag beside her was empty.
“Zatanna?”
She slipped on her shoes and tied her hair back before exiting the tent. Across the way, she noticed Wally peering around the clearing with a confused look.
“Hey, have you seen Zatanna? She wasn’t in our tent when I woke up,” Artemis explained as she neared closer, covering her mouth as another yawn came on. Wally shook his head.
“No, I was gonna ask if you’ve seen Rob. I think I heard him leave the tent sometime last night but I can’t remember when.” Artemis narrowed her eyes at Wally, both of their friends having slipped away somewhere and more likely than not, together. The two exchanged a look when the rest of the group approached them.
“I was about to start breakfast, are you two hungry?” M’gann asked.
“Is that even a question? I’m always–”
“Yeah, breakfast sounds good.” Artemis interrupted, rolling her eyes at the redhead’s endless pit of a stomach.
“Great!” M’gann smiled and went to grab a pan. Kaldur looked between those present in the group and furrowed his eyebrows.
“Where are Robin and Zatanna?” Shrugs passed among the teammates.
Kaldur and Conner helped gather the ingredients and cooking utensils for breakfast. Eventually, the group made their way down to the fire pit to begin on the food. However, as they drew closer, they solved the mystery of their missing persons.
Robin lay with his back up against the wooden log benches, fast asleep. Beside him, Zatanna was sleeping curled into his shoulder with a blanket spread across the two of them. Wally grinned and slid his phone out of his pocket while Artemis did the same.
“He is so not getting out of this one.”