backwordscompatible | IC CONTACT (HAVEN)

Is that a threat or a promise?

[She had to tightly press her lips together to keep from laughing at the expression on his face. He was strangely adorable when he was so obvious; she was so incredibly tempted to give in right there and then.]

[But there would be time for that later. Plenty of time. They still had that, after all.]

[And speaking of...]

[In her effort to avoid his gaze momentarily, her eyes drifted downward. As did her hands. From his shoulders to his upper chest. Not so much feeling the solid muscle beneath his shirt as she was simply feeling the lack of injuries. Without realizing it, her mind flashed back to that horrific first morning, when she'd awoken to find him covered in gaping wounds. Bleeding everywhere. She traced over each and every single spot in her mind's eye. And with her fingers, as if wanting to make sure that all of him was still really there.]

[It was.]

I know one way to find out.

[Kon is about to offer Zatanna a hand when she forestalls him. Not that he can blame her -- his chest is pretty great. He preens a little, but it doesn't take him long to realize that her focus isn't inwards, and not on him.]

Uh.

Zee? Objectification. You're doing it wrong.

-- or too well. I'm not sure here.

[That almost snaps her back to the present. Almost.]

Would it help if I said I was picturing you shirtless right now?

[Albeit covered in bandages.]

Actually, it would. Am I also holding two tickets to that thing that you like?

[Kon's hand settles on Zatanna's arm.]

I really am fine, Zee.

No. I looked down and suddenly they were diamonds.

[The smile was getting hard to resist. She even had to suppress a small bout of laughter at the joke.]

[Still...almost as in defiance (or simply wanting to feel it for herself), her hands kept traveling downward. Not enough to make things that uncomfortable. But enough. Tracing the outline of his abs. They were all there. Ever last one of them. Solid. No doubt covered in scars, but those remained unseen behind the fabric of his shirt.]

[When she'd woken up that morning to his smiling face, healed with even less explanation than why his injuries had reopened in the first place, her first instinct had been to hug him. No, that wasn't entirely true. Her first instinct was to stare dumbly at him for what had to have been a solid ten seconds. Then, her second-first instinct had been to hug him. Tight. He was a super; he could handle it. Arms around his neck, face buried in his shoulder. She hadn't thought to question it at the time.]

[Which was exactly why, now that she'd had time to let the reality sink in...she just had to be sure.]

...I know.

[She could feel it, as real as he would feel the sensation of her hand as it slipped into his.]

So. About that walk?

I really got to stop doing that.

[Kon grinned as Zatanna took his hand. He'd been worried for a minute then, not entirely sure why. Her reaction had reminded him of just how long she'd stared at him when she woke up that morning, long enough that Kon's inital jubilation and relief had faded and he'd started to worry that maybe he wasn't as fixed as he thought he was ... Again, Kon was really glad that no one had been there for that first awakening. Apparently being in a state of suspended death tends to make stomachs cranky.

Which reminded him.]

If you want to do something a little more practical than holding hands, we could find me some new sheets.

Hey, I'm not complaining. Something something girl's best friend, right?

I should be offering to pierce my ears just so I can wear them.

[It was the Haven effect. Try as she did each and every day to keep on smiling and joke and, on occasion, get others to join in the laughter ...she was scarred. More than just physically. Time and again, this place had proven it was literally out to get them all. Whenever a glimmer of happiness managed to peek through, the Yao or somebody else would see fit that didn't last.]

[And even before Haven. She'd lost her mother when she was almost too young to remember. She lost her father because of a stupid thing she did. One by one, her friends had come and gone. Robin. Artemis. Wally. M'gann. She'd lost them all too.]

[She refused to lose one more person she loved. She'd said as much that morning, although her words may have been lost while uttered into the crook of his neck.]

Anything else on your list for today?

There may come a time when a lass needs a lawyer, but I don't think you want to try piercing them.

[Objectively, there's nothing wrong with Zatanna's smile. It's nicer than a lot of smiles Kon has seen. And he means a lot of smiles. But it lacks Zatanna's usual sparkle, so comparatively it just falls flat. Which is weird, because all the ingredients that make up Zatanna's usual amazing smiles are right there and --

Right.]

Let's see. Flaunt, sheets -- no, that's it.

Which coincidentally means that if there's anything you want to talk about, I'm entirely listening.

[Hey, it's not like piercing ears was really all that impossible a feat. There were preteen girls who could do it themselves. An ice cube, an apple, and a needle. Maybe not the most painless way to do it, but it was a way.]

Entirely listening. Wow. No pressure there.

[Actually, one thing had been on her mind in particular. Something she had been hesitant to bring up ever since she first learned about it, if only because she knew Kon too well not to guess how it would go.]

Now if I only knew entirely what I wanted to say.

[Look, if you want to talk about piercings, talk to the guy with invulnerability and an earring. Like, if that is not dedication to the cause, what is.]

Hey. Hey. That was one time!

-- that I know of.

[Kon thinks back quickly. Did Zatanna tell him she loved him and he missed it on any other occasions?]

[Actually...and it wasn't until he subtly referenced that moment she even realized...she hadn't. It wasn't that he had missed it again. She'd never actually said it again. Just the one time. Not even directly. A comment, made in passing, during a moment of nostalgia.]

That would make two of us, then.

[Who only knew of the one time.]

Good.

[Kon is going to casually bump his arm against Zatanna's.]

Don't scare me like that, geez. I am a delicate flower.

[It was almost like he'd promised to do that or something earlier, gosh. Just as she bumped right back, also as inwardly promised.]

You're telling me the thought of me holding out on you in some way scares you?

Not you. Me. I'm scared I'll miss something big.

Again.

...you do know I was never actually mad at you or anything for that, right?

[Far as she could remember, she never even pretended to be mad.]

Which just goes to show that you have the patience of a fucking saint. Because if it was me in your shoes, I would have pitched a fit.

But yeah, I know. I guess I'm always afraid I'm gonna miss something big.

[Now that was a damn, dirty lie if she'd ever heard one in her life. Patience? Pah. More like she was too amused by the whole thing for way too long to ever end up pitching a fit.]

Tell you what. Next time, I'll give you a heads-up.

Yeah? So, like 'Hey, Kon, life-changing event incoming in 5?'

That'd be cool.

[You're really killing her inner (and outer) sense of spontaneity here.]

Maybe not in so many words, but something like that... [She abruptly turned and gave him a soft peck on the lips] ...or that.

What that lacked in fore-warning made up for being clearly signposted.

I can live with that.

...wait, are you saying you need to be fore-warned every time I kiss you now?

I am pretty sure I could not fail to notice being kissed by you, even in Haven circumstances.

Well, there was that one time...

[Though, in his defense, he was unconscious.]

What, really?

You're messing with me. You're not messing with me. How did I miss that?

Was I unconscious?

[She laughed. Softly. Not at him, exactly, but...okay, no, she was laughing at him. But she laughed out of love.]

I'm messing with you. And you were unconscious.

It was while you were sick. Korra and the others kept me away for so long that, by the time I got back to the room, you were completely out. I kissed your forehead before heading to sleep.

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