Sleeping with Zatanna
By atfirstdawn

*Mature content warning
*All mentioned characters are copyright of DC Comics


"Rood kcolnu." Spoke Zatanna to her apartment door to gain entry.

"Y'know... keys exist." I said through a groggy slur in an ill-conceived attempt at humour while I hung limply from her shoulder.

"Yeah but I'm a magician and magicians have a habit of losing things, too many top hats. Come on, we'll get you something for your face."

Dragging me into her surprisingly cramped and cluttered apartment, Zatanna led me to her bed, laid me down as gently as she could and took a closer look at my injured face. In the back of my mind I hoped that I didn't look as bad as I felt, considering I felt as if I'd gone ten rounds with Doomsday.

"Jeez, Wonder Woman really did a number on you, didn't she? Thank goodness she only hit your ethereal form... I can't imagine if she'd hit your physical form instead, she was really going for it." Zatanna's tone was one of worry mixed with an increasing sense of dread as she visualised the mental image of a crazed amazon obliterating my head with a single swing of her fist.  

"I don't want to think about it... My physical form has been separated from my ethereal form several times and I've always managed to re-assimilate with it. But today, with her, had she hit my physical form... Maybe I'm not cut out for this superhero lark after all."

"Don't think like that, this stuff is terrifying when you first start out. I was scared in the beginning too, but the Justice League helped me, they made me one of their own and helped me reach my true potential. I have no doubt that they'll do the same for you, you just have to be patient."

"I guess so... Hey, thanks for letting me crash here tonight."

"Well you really should have let Batman check you into the Watchtower's medical bay or at least have let Superman give you the once over with his X-ray vision."

"Yeah but Batman scares me and I'm not letting Superman check out my underwear."

"You do realise that's not how his X-ray vision works, right?"

"Yeah, I know... I just couldn't resist. But really, thanks. I'd rather be here than there." I said with a weak smile that she seemed to appreciate.

"Well you did save my life. I'd be minus a head right now had you not gotten in the way of Diana's fist, its the least I can do. Nezorf saep raeppa, here." She replied as she pressed the cold pack gently against the side of my face.

"Frozen peas?" I asked with a raised eyebrow (which I instantly regretted raising).

"You'd prefer frozen broccoli?"

"No, its just, did your freezer disappear?"

"Funny, lie down, get some rest." Replied Zatanna as she replaced her hand with mine over the pack of frozen peas.

From her softer than soft pillows, I watched Zatanna stand up, leave the room and return again in only a few seconds with a top hat. Placing the top hat at the side of the bed she gave me a wink and changed from her magician's costume to a pair of hot-pants and a tank-top in an instant.

"Spell-ahollic." I murmured with disappointment in my voice.

"I know, I know, I'm trying to kick the habit."

Sitting on the edge of the bed, Zatanna picked up the top hat she had set aside and started rummaging around inside of it. Most of her arm became hidden in the impossibly deep hat as she probed for whatever she was looking for. I knew it was magic, some kind of enchanted space saver but with a head as sore as mine the sight seemed to be a little more surreal than it should have been.

Eventually Zatanna pulled what she had been looking for from out of the top hat. It was something I recognised but something I had never expected her to own. A latex ball with two thick leather straps and a heavy looking buckle; a ball gag. Despite the pain raising my eyebrow caused me I raised it regardless as Zatanna pulled the straps tight between her hands, brought the ball to her lips and opened her mouth.

"Wait, what the hell are you doing?" I asked with an overly concerned tone.

"Taking precautions. Things could get dangerous for you tonight if I don't."

"Huh?" Was the only reply I could muster.

Turning to face me eye to eye, Zatanna's expression turned sullen and deadly serious...

"Okay, listen, you'll need to know this eventually, and I'd rather it come from me than anyone else..." She waited for a nod from me, which I gave, then she took a deep breath and began her tale. "Three years ago John Constantine and I were... involved. We were inseparable, the Mistress of Magic and a black magic con-man. We were a strong team, so strong that we were enlisted to help the Justice League vanquish the Furies of Apokolips. We saved the day but just barely. What happened on Apokolips affected me and I began to have nightmares, Batman put it down to a form of PTSD. Anyway, the nightmares were so intense that I began to sleep-talk and... cast spells... and one night, one particularly bad night, John was unable to wake me and in my terror I cast a spell. The spell fragmented John's soul and scattered it throughout time and space, it was a forbidden spell only to be used in extreme situations... I don't want the same happening to you."

"I-I'm sorry... I, uh, could leave if you want, if you'd, umm, like me to?" I garbled while at a loss for words.

"You wouldn't make it very far, I'm still not sure if your skull is in one piece. Besides, its not as if I've never been gagged before... Get some rest." Her voice still carried a heavy tone of regret but she still managed to muster a comforting smile.

With the frozen peas still held against the side of my face I watched with a rapidly beating heart as Zatanna opened her lips to the ball gag and pushed it into her mouth behind her teeth. Biting down on the latex, as if she had done it a thousand times in the past, she then took the two leather straps and pulled them tight over her cheeks. I swallowed hard with the driest of throats as Zatanna buckled the straps behind her head. She looked so delicious and I could only hope that my wide eyed and elated expression wasn't giving away that I liked the sight of her like that.

Turning her attention back to the impossibly deep top hat, Zatanna fished around within it once more and eventually pulled out a pair of medieval looking shackles. Slinking under the covers and lying down beside me, Zatanna raised her arms above her head, shackled one wrist, pulled the lengthy chain through the bars of the bed's headboard a few times each and then shackled her remaining wrist.

"Mrmmph mmph" she mumbled while staring at me.

"Uhhh, goodnight to you too?" Came my shaking and uncertain reply.

Nodding her head at me, Zatanna took a deep breath, closed her eyes and fell asleep almost instantly.

And so ends my first day as a member of the Justice League, I thought to myself.

I didn't get much sleep that night, but no dream I may have had would have come close to the vision lying beside me.

I wonder if this is going to happen every time I get hit in the head... I do hope so...