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It was Zatanna’s birthday—her first birthday without her dad. It had been months since Nabu trapped her under the helmet of Fate. Months since her dad sacrificed himself for her own good. Time had passed both painfully slow and so damn fast. She could swear it was just yesterday when she was complaining to Artemis about Zatara being overprotective—never letting her enjoy life, try to be a hero, or just have some fun. She didn’t blame him, not after losing her mom. They only had each other. But now she was alone… well, alone-ish.
She still had him.
From the first moment they laid eyes on each other, she knew it was love. He was dorky, adorable, handsome, skilled, mischievous, chivalrous… and yet mysterious. They hit it off from the beginning. She fell for him the moment she saw him shove M’gann aside to be the first to say hi. She giggled every time she remembered how his voice cracked like the teenager he was.
She was madly in love with him, and yet… she didn’t want him to know today was her birthday. Robin was her boyfriend—he deserved to know—but she didn’t want any fuss like they had for Wally’s birthday. She didn’t have the energy to deal with M’gann—much as she loved her—or the pitying looks from the other heroes. She just wanted another day. A normal one.
Zatanna lay on her bed in her room at Mount Justice. Some homework lay untouched on her desk—math. She hated it… or used to, until she found the perfect tutor. Her boyfriend, Dick. He was really smart and surprisingly good at explaining all that stuff. She’d be lying if she didn’t admit she might work extra hard just to earn those “good job” kisses.
She was supposed to wait for him to prep for an exam next week. She changed out of her school uniform into something “casual”—just a good ol’ sundress. The one she knew drove him wild.
Recognized: Robin – B01
She looked at herself in the mirror one last time before stepping out to greet her boyfriend. As always, she looked flawless. Gorgeous. Jaw-dropping—and without even trying.
“Hey! Rob—” Then she saw him.
A gloom settled over his face. Another fight with Batman? Another breakout at Arkham? He looked distraught—heavy on the dis.
“Is everything okay?”
Robin took a deep breath as he walked closer and held her tight. He had something in his hands.
“Yeah. Better now that I’m with you. Can we go into your room?”
She nodded, taking his free hand and leading him inside.
Once the door closed behind them, Dick took off his shades, and Zee saw those beautiful blue eyes she loved so much.
“Are you going to tell me what’s wrong?”
“Sorry, Zee. I didn’t mean—” Lo
Zee cupped his face, stopping him mid-sentence.
“Don’t you dare finish that. I love you. You’ve been here for me since day one. You held my pieces together and helped me get somewhat functional after…” She took a breath. “After my dad.”
She pressed her forehead to his. “So let me be here for you.”
Dick smiled softly.
“It’s not something big. Just Bruce and Alfred enrolling me in more extracurriculars so I won’t spend so much time with you or Wally.”
“In their defense… you did crash the Batmobile.”
“It was a miscalculation. And I told Wally to shut up while I was driving.”
“Are you sure it wasn’t because you barely reach the gas pedal?” she smirked, teasing him.
“I won’t dignify that with a response. And I am growing!”
“Sure you are, baby.”
“In any case, Alfred enrolled me in some baking classes, and I had to make this pie. That’s what I brought.”
“Really? That’s your big dilemma? Baking?”
“Hey! It means less time with you! That is a huge deal.”
“Someone can’t live without me.”
“No. No, I can’t.”
“It’s not fun to tease you if you just agree with me. You’re spoiling my fun!”
“I know. Want to try it?”
“Am I not getting poisoned?”
“Only one way to find out.” Dick opened the box, revealing a small cake with strawberries and icing. Simple, yet beautiful.
“Are you sure you made this? It doesn’t look half bad…”
“That’s because this is cake number 16. The others didn’t survive the oven.”
Zee let out a cute laugh.
“Let’s see if you’re as good a baker as you are a kisser.” Inside the box, there was just one spoon. “If I die after one bite… I’m haunting you for life.”
“I don’t mind.” Dick smiled, watching Zee take the first bite. Her eyes sparkled.
“Oh my gosh, Robin! This is delicious. Are you sure Alfred didn’t make it?”
“It’s 100% Grayson original. But it was Alfred’s recipe.”
“It tastes amazing. Definitely, you’re a better baker than a kisser.”
“Ouch!”
Zee ignored him and kept eating.
“New rule!” she beamed. “If you want to keep me as your girlfriend—and keep getting kisses—you have to bake me a cake at least once a week!”
“Are you holding your sweet lips hostage from your boyfriend?!”
“Yes. Yes, I am.”
Dick smiled as she fed him a spoonful.
“So… want to watch a movie while you bury your face in the cake?”
“Sure. I don’t feel like doing math.”
“When do you feel like doing math?” he said sarcastically. She stuck her tongue out at him.
“What are we watching, Mr. Rude?”
“10 Things I Hate About You?”
“Perfect. But please don’t get jealous this time.”
“Only if you promise not to drool over Patrick Verona again.”
“I’ll try my best.”
“That’s all I can ask.”
They snuggled in her bed, cuddling with the cake between them, stealing bites now and then. They laughed about how much Artemis acted like Kat. During Patrick’s performance of “Can’t Take My Eyes Off You,” Zatanna realized Dick wasn’t watching the screen—he was watching her.
“What? Do I have something on my face? Other than a face card that never declines?”
“Some icing. Let me help you.” Dick kissed her tenderly, lovingly. “Better.”
Zee blushed and smiled.
“You can’t help yourself, can you?”
“Not when it comes to you. So I gather you love my baking skills?”
“They’re alright. You get bonus points because strawberries are my favorite.”
“I know. I was leading the jury.”
“Smart boy.”
She snuggled closer as they kept watching. They laughed at the absurd teachers and students in the film.
Zee, without looking away from the screen, murmured,
“You know… right? You always do.”
“I do know what you’re talking about…”
“So the cake, my favorite movie, and privacy were a coincidence?”
“Of course. I just wanted to spend time with my incredible, talented, wonderful, gorgeous, smart, mischievous girlfriend—and make sure she has the best day… every day.”
She hugged him tightly.
“Thank you.”
Dick hugged her back.
“Zee, as long as this bird has wings, I will always wrap you with them—protect you… and love you.”
Many years down the road…
“Happy birthday to you! Yppah yadhtrib, raeD ymmom! Happy birthday to you!”
Four tiny humans surrounded a gorgeous raven-haired, blue-eyed woman in bed.
“My loves. My babies…” Zee hugged her children: the twins, Mary and Giovanni “Gio” Grayson (8 years old), Sindella “Ella” Grayson (5), and Zachary Grayson (3).
“Time to make a wish, Zee,” came the voice she knew better than any spell.
She looked up and met the eyes she had fallen in love with so many years ago—her now husband, Dick Grayson. He was standing there, holding a strawberry cake. The same kind he’d made for her all those years ago.
“I have everything I wished for… and more, thanks to you.” With help from her kids, she blew out the candles. The children clapped happily for their mom.
Then Dick kissed his wife.
“Happy birthday, Zee.”
Zee smiled. With a smirk and mischievous glint in her eyes, she whispered back:
“Say it backwards…”
Dick leaned closer to her, that timeless spark still dancing in his eyes—one that had never faded, not since the moment he first saw her all those years ago at Mount Justice.
He whispered, voice low, intimate, playful:
“…I evol uoy.”
Zee’s heart skipped a beat—just like it always had. Her breath hitched, not because she was surprised, but because he still had that effect on her. Always had, always would. Magic or not, he was her constant. Her grounding. Her wings.
The kids erupted in giggles.
“Mommy! What did Daddy say?” asked Ella with a grin, bouncing on the bed.
Zee tilted her head, grinning like the enchantress she always was. “A spell, my loves. The most powerful one ever cast.”
Mary gasped, her little eyes wide. “Did Daddy use magic?!”
Dick chuckled. “Just heart magic, sweetheart.”
Zachy was already licking frosting off the edge of the cake while Gio tried to sneak a strawberry. Zee let them. After all, today wasn’t just her birthday—it was their life. A life built off love, sacrifice, and a promise made in a small room with one spoon, one cake, and a dorky boy who couldn’t reach the gas pedal.
Zee leaned her head against Dick’s chest, the same place she always fit so perfectly.
“Do you remember?” she murmured.
He kissed the crown of her head.
“How could I ever forget the day I baked my way into your heart?”
Zee rolled her eyes. “You were already in. The cake just gave you extra credit.”
He grinned. “Zee…I need to confess you something. I never enrolled in any baking class.”
Zee reached out to the plate and broke off a piece of the cake with her fingers. She fed it to him, slow and tender.
“I know and yet…You passed. With honors. And you’ve been baking me love ever since.”
Their kids were already halfway through the cake, frosting on cheeks and crumbs on pajamas. Dick and Zee looked at each other, and in unison, they laughed.
Time hadn’t changed what mattered. Loss, growth, responsibility—all of it had come and gone. But the love?
The love had only deepened. Grown roots. Blossomed into these tiny, chaotic, joyful beings bouncing on their bed. Into the strawberry frosting. The worn sundress still hidden in the back of Zee’s closet. The pie-splattered recipe card Dick refused to rewrite because “the stains are the love.”
And into three little words whispered every night, every morning, every birthday:
“I evol uoy.”
Because as long as this bird had wings—he would always wrap her in them.