One last spell | Dick Grayson and Zatanna Zatara

Chapter 19: eht tsrif dna tsal

"Guess that's something we have to answer together."

Dick sighed — sounding not tired, but nervous, almost hopeful. The sun was dipping lower, orange light brushing over his skin like something soft, almost unreal.

"I want to be with you," he said quietly. "I wanna be your boyfriend, no matter how cheesy it sounds. We care about each other — deeply — you can deny it if you want, but it's there. And I think we can figure it out together. At our own pace."

Zatanna felt it exactly the way she expected to. Warm. Gentle. And terrifying.

She breathed in, the smell of salt thick in the air, and tried to steady the sudden pressure behind her lungs.

"I've never thought of us as a real couple," she started, feeling her own voice tremble around the edges. A wave lapped against the pier, slow, steady, and she watched it to keep her breath even. "And don't get me wrong — it's not your fault. I just... I guess I never thought about having a boyfriend. A real one."

She laughed softly, shaking her head. "I kissed a guy at summer camp when I was twelve, but it was nothing compared to... this. And when I got home, I told my mom. I remember the way she smiled at me. I still see it."

Another wave rolled in. She let the sound carry her for a second.

"And after everything, after us, that night we first kissed... when you left my room, all I wanted was to tell her about you. She would've been thrilled. She would've loved you." A small chuckle escaped her, warm and aching all at once. "God, she would've gone crazy about you being Romani too."

Dick moved closer, the boards beneath them creaking softly. "Yeah," he said with a wide, soft smile. "My mom would totally freak out about it too."

Zatanna kept going before her courage dissolved.

"We'd probably agree not to tell my dad yet." Dick snorted, and she elbowed him lightly.

"Because he would've yelled at me for being too young, and then demanded to talk to you to 'know your intentions.'"

"And I would've loved to tell him my intentions with you," Dick said, squeezing her hand.

She let out a real laugh — one that shook something deep inside her. "No, you wouldn't. My mom would never let him near you. They'd fight about it." She could picture the exact tone, the exact words, in an argument that never happened and never would. The image stung more than she expected.

"I loved my family," she whispered. "It wasn't perfect, but I was happy. I was loved."

The sky above them shifted to pink and purple, the light glinting on the water like broken glass.

"And I was never the kind of girl who dreamed about some charming prince. Or building my own family someday. Or getting married. Or even having a boyfriend." Her voice cracked, but she didn't stop. "Maybe I was too young to think about any of that, and about the boyfriend thing too. But now I have to, because I've been so in love with you... and I miss having someone there for me. Someone to tell me what to do when I'm lost."

She took a breath, sharp and unsteady.

"A while ago, Artemis complained about her mother giving her this weird talk about protection and teenage pregnancy — when she and Wally weren't even close to that." Zee paused. She shouldn't be telling this. She knew it. But something in Dick's quiet presence made honesty feel easy, like breathing.