ABRACADABRA.

 " 'course i noticed it, lovey. who d'you take me for? " the type of man to skip most of the show because he couldn't handle the heartache of watching her at her most brilliant, obviously -- which was the truth that he couldn't bring himself to say out loud but that they doubtlessly both knew.

john's eyes lock onto hers in their shared reflection ( as though entranced, and he might as well be ) right up until her hand reaches his cheek. they immediately slide closed, blissful, and his head tilts away from zatanna's shoulder just to chase that soft silk of her glove, starved for any touch she's willing to give him.

" missed you. " he murmurs, and there's no mistaking that claim for anything but brutally honest. it's one of the few things left on this earth that he wouldn't dare lie about. john cranes his neck, his eyes still closed, turning his head until he can press his lips to zee's palm in the form of vague, lazy kisses. " always do, though, don't i? "

and starved for touch he certainly is, as the hand at her zipper abandons its lofty ambitions of undressing her in favour of much simpler desires ( and so he can press himself fully against her back without an inch of breathing room between them ), and it settles instead against her hipbone. while the other drifts to caress her waist and stomach in slow, gentle circles, his lips venture down to the hem of her glove, to the pulse point on her wrist.

❝ i wish i could claim to be better, ❞ she starts, her elation at his eagerness clearly bleeding into her words. she's cheeky and confident as her breath starts to catch in her throat. john knows all the ways to undo her, there's just no way he doesn't know it, yet he's being so polite. it's a thought that has her smirking at him in the mirror even though he's not even looking anymore. ❝ -— but you and i both know that would be a lie. i've never been good at that. ❞

she's incredibly fond of him, always has been; he'd never have been her boyfriend if she wasn't. she doesn't move her hand that his lips brush against, enjoying the attention there, but she assesses the situation of their positioning through the reflection. confident he's holding her upright as she leans further back into him, her other hand moves to press against the hand that palms her stomach through her costume to get him to stop. this has him finally opening his eyes again, looking at her to make sure he's not doing something wrong. that's a notion she's more than happy to correct immediately. ❝ sweetheart, i was just kidding. ❞

@spellaholic sent : ❛ isn't this place amazing? ❜ / from here & accepting.

when hal had received an invitation from zatanna to attend one of her magic shows, he was more than delighted. admittedly, he hadn't seen her in a handful of years ⸻ mostly because he almost never worked alongside the league these days. and even then, usually she'd been busy doing her own thing [ ... ] of course, as a longtime friend he was happy she'd been doing so well for herself. so naturally, he accepted the invitation.

besides, with a show in california, it was right at home for him. a short flight, just a couple minutes north. when he'd arrived, he looked around at the place in awe [ ... ] a big venue, just as she deserved. and it was a sold out show, too. the lights, the thick velvet curtains that hung from the stage, it was all so intricate and beautiful. given his short flight time, he was far earlier than many, so there weren't a whole lot of others filling into the auditorium just yet. he had time to look around, and admire the setup of the place before he found his seat.

but as if she'd appeared right behind him, he heard the sound of zee's voice, and he turned to see her standing behind him. ❛ zee, hi. this is amazing. ❜ he smiled, offering to give her a quick hug after such a long time.

❛ was hoping you'd remember me when you made it into the big leagues. ❜ he teased playfully, taking another quick glance around the stadium.

however, her presence among her audience has an ulterior motive; she was definitely looking for her old friend, and knew exactly where he'd be located because she was the one who personally sent him the ticket in her frilly purple stationary that she absolutely gets a kick out of using; he's positioned in the front row right on the floor, the same place that VIP's usually get into if they're specially selected by her to attend. zatanna's always been more of a sentimentalist than an air head, however, and would prefer her actual fans to get the seats, so she rarely abuses this privilege. when hal turns to say hello, the ease of him leans against her with a familiarity that feels like home.

[ BANDAGE ] : sender bandages a wound on receiver.

[ GUIDE ] : sender puts a hand on he receiver's back to guide them somewhere.

[ WAVE ]: sender waves down receiver to get their attention.

[ SIGN ]: sender raises their hand to sign to receiver. what follows can be anything the sender desires.

[ LIFT ]: sender lifts receiver's chin to look at them.

[ LIGHT ]: sender lights receiver's cigarette/candle/etc.

[ FIND ] : sender finds receiver beaten and/or bloodied.

[ PIN ]: sender pins receiver against the wall during combat/sparring.

[ GET DOWN ]: sender tackles receiver out of the way of danger.

[ TAKE ]: sender takes a hit meant for receiver.

[ CAUGHT ]: sender finds receiver somewhere they aren't supposed to be.

[ TRAP ]: sender traps the receiver somewhere they don't want to be.

[ DARLING ]: sender touches receiver's cheek.

[ SNATCH ]: sender snatches receiver's wrist as they turn to go.

[ STAB ]: sender stabs receiver.

[ DRAG ]: sender drags receiver from point a to point b.

[ SIT ]: sender sits on receiver's lap.

[ EN GARDE ]: sender and receiver get into some kind of fight.

[ DRUNK ]: sender finds receiver drunk.

[ BLOOD ]: sender walks into receiver's room covered in blood.

[ FLOWER ]: sender offers a flower to receiver.

[ HOLD ]: sender reaches to hold receiver's hand.

[ BRUSH ]: sender brushes a strand of hair out of receiver's face.

[ NOTE: ] sender writes a note for receiver. the contents are whatever the sender decides.

[ EYES ]: sender notices receiver looking at them.

[ STOP ]: sender raises hand to signal the receiver to stop in place.

[ TAP ]: sender taps receiver on the shoulder to get their attention.

[ WAKE ]: sender gently wakes receiver from a nap or otherwise.

[ MORNING AFTER ]: sender and receiver wake up together for the first time after a night of passion.

[ BLANKET ]: sender drapes a blanket over receiver's shoulders.

[ HUDDLE ]: sender and receiver huddle together in an effort to stay warm.

[ TUG ]: sender pulls receiver away from them.

[ PUSH ]: sender pushes receiver away from them.

@spellaholic asked: [01.] finding privacy in a cramped dressing room.

 john had only caught the very tail end of her show - although 5 minutes was probably a record for him, to be honest - before he vanished from the roaring, adoring audience. a little magic trick of his own. disappearing from a crowded room and reappearing in zee's dressing room backstage, lounging on a velvet loveseat like he owned the place. ta-da!

" you're better'n this place, love. still, bloody good show, though. always is. " john doesn't even know the name of the theatre and he still knows that much. this little dressing room is too small for all of her star power, but then again, he supposes, it's not a bad size for making excuses to get closer.

john pushes himself up again and sidles right up behind zee as she leans towards the mirror on her vanity table. he settles his chin on her shoulder to grin at her reflection while one hand rests on her waist and the other comes up to the zipper on the back of her costume -- but doesn't dare start tugging on it. yet.

zatanna can feel her heart starting to pick up speed as it thumps away in her ribcage, the sound also beginning to hammer away against the shells of her ears. she glances at him through the mirror, traces the lines of his face from the edge of his smile to the top of his nose between his eyebrows. the violet of her gaze then moves to latch onto the stormy blues of his when her tongue darts out to swipe against her bottom lip.

she briefly wonders if he'll like the taste of her lipgloss.