Zatanna @la-zatanna - Tumblr Blog

Welcome to the Magic Show

I'm Zatanna Zatara! Sorceress, part time Justice Leaguer, and overall Magical Girl. I'm here for all your magical questions, comments and concerns. It's rude to ask a lady her age but I've been besties with Bruce since we were teens so make of that what you will.

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I want a new magical adventure...

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the-bat-father

Nothing Stays the Same

Bruce looked at his phone, typing a response to Jason and then putting it down with a sigh.

He still remembered his strange dream from the night before and had the sinking feeling that it wasn't a normal dream. Nothing about his life had ever been normal but this...

Jason had these new and frankly unpredictable powers. And at the center of it...

This... Zeke.

He had to meet the man his son had become wrapped up with. He had to know if this was dangerous or not.

"B."

His head snapped toward the voice abruptly, eyes landing on Dick. The family was all home, still dressed in civvies, but they had convened in the Cave for the time being.

"I'm fine," he grunted, before anyone could ask, only serving to make them all less convinced.

Stephanie rolled her eyes from behind Dick. "Yeah sure. Look, Im sure Tango Twink is good people."

"We don't know that," Bruce gritted, hands clenching his knees.

"I'm doing a background check as we speak," Tim said, trying his best to reassure Bruce. "With my help-" Barbara cut in sharply.

Damian and Duke exchanged a look, Duke nodding for Damian to interject.

Damian sighed, stepping forward.

"Father, if I may? I did meet Zeke briefly. He didn't give the impression of wanting to hurt Jason. And Jason did seem to soften around him. Additionally, he can be subdued despite his magic... he isn't infallible. That is, if you must risk Jason's wrath to concoct one of your contingencies-"

"He has contingencies for us, too," Cass finally said, after having heard enough. "Zeke is not a special case. We must be prepared for anything at all times. Or we aren't bats."

There was a collective hum of agreement.

Alfred set tea down for all of them, having listened quietly. "Perhaps the young Zeke may surprise us. In fact, for Master Jason's sake, I hope he will."

Bruce sagged into his chair at the Bat Computer, taking in everything, the footage of Jason and Zeke's fight at the warehouse playing again.

"I just worry. Jason... for all his posturing, is the one among us who most wears his heart on his sleeve and after the last few disasters and with what my sources have told me about how he coped... I just don't..." he swallowed, ice blue eyes watching the way Zeke's powers shielded Jason at his own expense, the sorcerer taking a bullet to the shoulder- only for Jason to lose control entirely.

Dick rested a hand on his shoulder. "I know, Dad. I don't want Little Wing to get hurt again either," he told him, eyes darkening when he thought about the conversation he'd had with his best friend. Roy had been lucky Dick hadn't castrated him.

"Huh," Tim said, scanning his datapad with narrowed eyes. "Weird. His background check came back clean..."

Bruce arched a brow, "But?"

Tim raised his head. "But its like he popped up put of nowhere a couple months ago. Like he didn't exist anywhere before that. And even facial recognition pulls up no photos at all prior to that not even a yearbook photo. Nothing."

"Let's not jump to conclusions," Duke reminded them. "We've all seen a lot. This doesn't have to mean anything nefarious. Maybe he was running from something and had to change his identity. Or maybe-"

Bruce thought back to recent anomalies- the other Bruce he had met recently so different from himself, suspicion already rising.

"Or maybe he's not from here," Bruce finished for him.

Steph blinked. "Like Earth?"

Barbara stared at Bruce before it clicked. "Our Earth."

Bruce watched the screens again.

"Hn."

@zeke-in-gotham

blue-jay-redhood

Jason took deep, grounding breaths as he folded their clothes, taking his time to fold Zeke's with extra care, fingers tracing the hem of his coat with reverence. He loved seeing Zeke in it... and out of it.

He shook the lustful thought from his mind...

He couldn't focus around the man- or.... well, he could.

But only on Zeke.

He needed to...

He was nervous, too.

Today would give everyone something to prove. The thought alone made his heart race and palms sweat, brows scrunched as he worried his lip.

Would they like Zeke?

Would Zeke like them?

And that wasnt even the top of the list...

These new powers of his... they were getting more unpredictable and intense. So of course it would affect patrols. And Jason still didn't even know the source of his... magic?

There's also the subject of our little mate working our turf without permission. If he had been anyone else...

Jason might've killed him.

But he wasn't someone else. He was Zeke. And Zeke was Jason's.

Still.

What if it hadn't been Jason at the warehouse? Sure, Zeke could mostly take care of himself but...

He shook his head in frustration.

Something terrible could've happened to Zeke and Jason would never have known and he would never have seen him again and then he wouldn't feel all the amazing things he felt around Zeke that he'd never felt before.

What if Zeke got himself killed and then got spirited away to some other reality Jason couldn't reach?

He shivered, dreading that possibility.

He wanted Zeke... and he was starting to think he even needed him.

So he really hoped the family wouldn't fuck this up for him.

He decided to change in the laundry room, wearing his shirt with the red bat symbol and cargo pants. He laced up his boots and remembered he had a half mask in his room to pack in his duffle with a couple other things. He grabbed Zeke's clothes, walking to his room and finding him there still in just his robe. Jason's robe.

His mouth went dry. "You're so pretty," his voice cracked, handing him his clothes and picking his jacket off the top of his reading chair, shrugging into it before shoving a few things into his duffel.

"We'll head out in a few- woah," he breathed, watching Zeke conjure a new outfit onto himself. "You have got to teach me that."

He meant it, too. He wanted to learn more magic and to control his powers.

Just then he felt a soft little body rub against his leg with a purr. He looked down to see Hamza blinking slowly at him, making Jason smile and scoop him into his arms like a baby.

"Hey buddy. Uncle Dami has stuff for you at Grandpa B's house. You're gonna ride with Zeke today," he cooed, booping his nose and gently placing him in Zeke's arms.

"Alright, gorgeous, lets go."

He walked down to the garage where Jason's car sat waiting, the body painted a brilliant red. He pressed a button on the key fob and it turned on by itself. He didn't let Zeke touch the passenger's side door, opening it for him.

zeke-in-gotham

Never one to waste an opportunity, Zeke let his eyes close as he fell into controlled breathing as he let a barrage of filtered information wash over him. His scattered shadows around the alley and within his sanctum gave concise reports - the comings and goings of Ant and Maeve, the cleanup at the warehouse, petty crimes like muggings. Nothing of interest, of course not, his shadows would have alerted him immediately if anything truly concerning had come up.

It was strange. Even just having Jason in another room allowed him to refocus his mind to some extent, but instead of being consumed with his darling's presence, he felt his mind drifting in distraction with the yearning to be closer to his treasure.

My obsession doesn't falter in his absence, only changes shape.

Normally Zeke would find something that could distract and interrupt his thoughts so wholly unbearably annoying, such a distraction would need removed in any other case. With Jason he found his thoughts flow around and through this fixation on his beloved, accommodating and adapting. Devoting a string of conscious thought exclusively to his beloved seemed as natural as breathing.

If the others could see me now…

That line of thought was shut down and pushed away.

Irrelevant.

Focus.

Zeke let his eyes flutter open when he heard the sound of Jason's boots entering the room. His eyes raked up and down the vigilante's form and subconsciously bit his lip. Hearing the breathy way his treasure's voice cracked had him flushing faintly at the compliment, but his lips tugged in a smug little smirk.

"So are you, mi alma." He took the clothes offered to him, the ones he had conjured into a costume the previous night. Zeke stood up, but instead of dressing normally, he let the shadows rise and swirl around him. The costume disappeared from his hands as he conjured what he hoped would be a suitable enough outfit to meet Jason's family. A dark purple turtleneck, with black cargo pants, and military boots. Presentable but not too formal. The borrowed robe was now sitting neatly on the bed.

A soft, delighted laugh left him at his darling's reaction. Jason had seen him perform a similar feat the night before, but he supposed his beloved had been rather distracted at the time.

"I will gladly teach you anything I am able to, mi tesoro." Zeke wasn't quite sure if magic worked the exact same way in this universe as it did in his original one, but considering how little he'd had to adjust to using magic as he always had he couldn't imagine it could be fundamentally different systems.

Zeke felt his heart do a little pitter patter as he watched Jason hold the little black kitten like a baby, speaking to it so sweetly. His mind couldn't help but picture his lover cradling an actual baby.

Shaking the thought away - too soon - he smiled as Hamza was handed over to him, carefully holding the kitten against his chest while giving gentle scratches behind the ears and under the chin. He did so love cats, and this one belonged to his beloved, all the more reason to adore Hamza.

"Lead the way, handsome." He smirked, nerves about meeting the Batman and company mostly settled for the moment. Zeke felt more of those butterflies in his belly when they reached the garage and Jason opened the car door for him. It was such a simple gesture, but it was such a sweet, gentlemanly thing that was very Jason. He slid into the passenger seat, settling Hamza in his lap and buckling his seatbelt.

As soon as his treasure was settled in the driver's seat he reached for him, wanting the contact, needing to be touching him in some way. Jason would need his hands for driving, so keeping a hand on resting on his thigh on the drive seemed like a fine idea to Zeke.

blue-jay-redhood

Jason closed Zeke's door, walking around to the driver's side and sliding in beside Zeke. He had just put his seat belt on when he felt searing heat on his thigh.

His hands gripped the steering wheel so tight his knuckles turned white.

"Baby," he breathed, reaching for the gearshift. "You're gonna kill me."

And it wasn't anything Jason himself wouldn't have done but when every little thing Zeke did made him ache with want-

They were about to go to his dad's house, he reminded himself.

He shook his head, swallowing the saliva pooling in his mouth before backing out of the open garage.

He drove them calmly into the city, occasionally turning to look at Zeke and Hamza. The kitten was sleeping in Zeke's arms, sleepy little purrs drowned out by the car's engine yet somehow Jason could hear it clearly.

He blinked...

Huh.

Now that they left the house he found he could see little details in Hamza's fur that weren't usually visible to the naked eye, almost like sparkles. Even Zeke looked clearer and-

Badump.

It wasn't his own heartbeat. He normally heard it anyway. And it wasn't Hamza. The kitten slept with him often enough Jason knew it was slower.

He let out a shuddering breath, forcing his eyes on the road. His senses had enhanced somehow.

It meant he could hear Zeke's heartbeat.

What the fuck....

Cool!

But what the fuck...

At least it was steady for now which was the best he could hope for. He briefly wondered if it was because of The Beast's influence-

You would be correct. You're welcome.

He huffed, ignoring him.

Too soon, he was pulling into the entrance of the Bat Cave, parking close to the Batmobile and other bikes that belonged to his siblings.

He could see Damian was in scrubs likely returning from work since Brucs seemed to be doing much better these days.

Everyone else was suited up for patrol, Bruce sitting at the Bat Computer and Dick leaning in against the console next to him wrapped in some sort of discussion. Everyone else was scattered about. He could see that Stephanie jumped up first, pumping her fist in the air in excitement.

"They're here!"

Barbara looked in their direction with a smirk.

There was an unexpected addition and he almost groaned out loud when he saw Alfred serving her tea.

Zatanna...

He sighed, slowly getting out and walking around to open Zeke's door, offering him a hand to help him out of the car until the other man stood beside him with Hamza in his arms.

He threw the door shut, immediately wrapping an arm around Zeke and walking them futher into the Cave.

Damian greeted them first.

"Brother... Zeke. It is good to see you up and about," he told Zeke kindly, referring to his previous injuries.

zeke-in-gotham

"Sorry, just better when I can feel you." It was the truth, but also Zeke didn't sound that sorry about it, because why would he? They'd both demonstrated consistently that physical contact with each other provided a net positive effect on social and psychological well-being. If he had been the one driving instead he imagined that Jason's hand would likely have been very similarly placed.

It was completely logical and rational that he would seek out the contact. Did the justifications seem flimsy inside his own head? Possibly, but did he really need to justify the action?

Allowing his brain to spiral and circle around that in the relative quiet of the car as they made their way towards their destination helped keep him distracted and calm. Hamza's sleepy purrs certainly didn't hurt either. It wasn't until they entered the cave that Zeke could no longer keep his nervous about this meeting fully suppressed.

By the time the car pulled in next to what could only be the batmobile he'd heard about, plus some bikes that clearly belonged to the other vigilantes, Zeke felt the heaviness of everything. This introduction carried weight, but beyond that his mental barriers that shielded him from the worst of outside emotions were under considerable strain. The location was so saturated with pent up emotions and history that he felt almost that the air was too thick to comfortably breathe.

The person in scrubs was the only one he recognized from an actual meeting - most of the rest he had noticed splashed across news articles, magazine ads, or TV interviews. The blonde waving and redhead smirking were huge blanks in his superficial observations of Gotham so far.

His eyes were inevitably drawn to the figure that held the most overt magic in the cave - not including Jason or himself, of course. She was unknown too, and someone he immediately recognized as one not to cross. It was rare that he encountered someone he genuinely felt he should be wary of on principle. His darling seemed to not have expected her either, as he could feel the barely held back groan.

Interesting.

Zeke was temporarily distracted from his observations and assessments when Jason exited the vehicle and opened his door to offer a hand getting out of the car. His heart and stomach did little flips once more at the gentlemanly gesture and he was once again reminded that this was probably something he would need to get used to. With a faint pink tint to his cheeks he took Jason's hand and stepped from the relative safety of the car into the unknown of the bat cave.

It was comforting to have his beloved's arm almost immediately wrapped around him, Zeke was still a bit nervous, but the contact did settle something warm in his chest as he was guided towards the awaiting people. Having Damian be the first to approach and great them was also something of a relief.

"I'm a hard person to keep down for long, but without your help I definitely don't think I'd be this chipper today." Zeke replied goodheartedly as he shifted Hamza to be cradled by his left arm while he extended his right hand. "It's nice to formally meet you, Damian. I apologize for being too indisposed last night for a proper introduction. Also memory is a bit fuzzy but I believe I passed out before I could thank you. Genuinely, I truly appreciate the assistance."

the-bat-father

Bruce watched as Jason got out of his car and promptly walked around to open the passenger side door, guiding Zeke out. The sorcerer had a kitten in his arms- Hamza, Damian had informed him about before.

He observed the exchange between Damian and Zeke, arching a brow and hearing Dick whisper beside him.

"He's trying too hard."

"Hn."

Ice blue eyes shifted, finding Zatanna’s watchful gaze.

She winked at him- a good sign- and he instantly felt the tension bleed out of his shoulders.

Zeke wasn't being manipulative- he was nervous.

Good.

Bruce stood walking toward them with Dick not too far behind.

He remembered the file Tim had compiled, holding a hand out to Zeke.

"You must be Ezekiel. I'll be honest, I'm surprised Jason agreed to allow us to meet. But I'm grateful you're here."

Willingly, at least.

The others slowly gathered behind Bruce, and he didn't have to look to know they were assessing in their own way.

At least until a blonde blur sped past him to stand in front of Zeke with a delighted squeal. She was no speedster but she could get around him when she wanted.

"TANGO TWINK- You're finally here! I've been dying to meet you," she said, beaming at him. "Oh," she told Jason, "your boyfriend is even prettier in person. And he's so proper. Where did you find him?"

Jason shook his head nervously. "Stop... calling him that- he doesn't like it. I know he's pretty- I-," he stammered, overwhelmed himself, "Cat Cafe. Where I got Hamza. Also I haven't asked him yet so can you not-"

Steph squinted at him, making the words die in his throat. They sounded weak even to him. He and Zeke likely looked close to eloping Vegas style as far as the bats were concerned.

"Are you telling me you had a meet-cute at a Cat Cafe that inspired you to adopt the cat? The cat he's holding right now?" She asked quietly, with eyes that said, 'you're basically married, dumbass'.

His arm tightened around Zeke. "It's no rush and no pressure. I'm not going anywhere. But I won't let any of you make him uncomfortable either. Can you not ruin this for me, please-"

She held her hands up in surrender. "Fine. Zeke, welcome to the madhouse." She stepped out of the way and Bruce took it upon himself to help introduce everyone.

"These are the rest of the family. My other adopted children, Dick, Tim and Cass," he began gesturing for the others to greet him.

Dick shook his hand, "I'm the oldest. It hasn't escaped my notice that Little Wing here seems to be happier lately since you came along. Let's hope it stays that way," he said, smiling sharply- a little too sunny. He didn't know Zeke. And he wanted to trust him. But this was Jason and Jason had a bat habit of loving the wrong people. For Jason's sake- he hoped Zeke wasn't the wrong person.

Cass waved, already sussing out Zeke's vibe- and she didnt need magic to do it. She smiled warmly, waving at Zeke. "Hi! I think you are good," she said bluntly, hoping it would put him at ease. And usually, her judgment affected how the others moved.

Duke in particular noticed and also waved at him. "Names Duke. Good luck man. And welcome. Can I go take a nap now? It's past my bed time and I don't feeling like making the trip back." He asked Bruce.

Bruce nodded, concern clear on his face.

"Yes, I'm sorry if we kept you up longer. Go upstairs and rest."

Duke nodded, yawning and rubbing his eyes, letting Bruce pull him into a quick hug before heading upstairs.

"Duke works the day shift. I fostered him and he doesnt live here full time anymore but he's still family and welcome to stay here," Bruce explained, unsure why he felt like Zeke needed to know that. "There are others like that in our lives who aren't present right now. You will eventually meet them as well." He also wasn't sure why he sounded certain about that. Bruce had felt strange as of late. Knowing things he shouldn't. Another reason he'd called on Zatanna.

Tim stepped forward next to Bruce. He didn't offer Zeke a handshake. But he did stare at him for a long time.

"What are you hiding?" He said at last.

"Tim!" Jason snapped.

Tim appeared unmoved.

"He appeared only within the last month give or take. His file shows he didn't have a real life anywhere before that. Do you even know-"

"I know why you little-"

"Then it's a simple question. Why are you mad at me?"

Jason breathed harshly through his nose, trying to anchor himself to Zeke so he wouldnt reach over and throttle Tim.

"I'm- it's not my place to tell you. It's the entire reason we're here. He wasn't against explaining it. And have you considered, knowing what kind of family this is that maybe his past isnt any better than anyone's here?"

"That's fine. He can explain-"

"Tim."

Hearing the warning in his voice, the younger man softened. "I just don't want you to get hurt. None of us do."

Jason felt the fight die in his chest. "I appreciate that but you can't protect me from everything. None of us can do that. Just be there for me."

Tim smirked, sending Zeke an apologetic glance. "Unfortunately, that's not how this family works. Investigate first, and apologize for crossing boundaries later. You'll get used to it. You might even fit in. I look forward to hearing the full story," he said pointedly.

Barbara wheeled herself over. "Stop trying to scare him. You're not scary. Besides?" She said, "We have ways of finding out even if he doesn't say a peep. This is more courtesy than anything." She turned her attention to Zeke. "I'm Barbara."

Her eyes were kind, but penetrating, like the rest of them. There was always something they weren't saying, calculations simmering under every statement, observations being filed away for later. She wouldn't have been surprised if he felt like a bug under a microscope. "Thank you for the show by the way. We didn't know Jason could pull a dancer who could actually keep up with him." She hoped he took it for the compliment it was. Even if she had invaded their privacy on their first date. Whoops.

What could she say? She didnt want Jason to hurt again either.

None understood this better than Damian, who had been vocal about every heartbreak Jason had over the last several months.

So he put an end to Zeke's misery.

"Alright, everyone- enough. Jason is not a child. He's our brother. Give him some credit." He also turned to Zeke, smiling kindly. "Forgive us. It is true that we don't want him to suffer. But I can say that just watching the two of you in person, regardless of the circumstances- I saw enough. And I know you wouldn't dare. You took a bullet for him. And I'm grateful to you."

"As am I," Bruce said genuinely. "Thank you for watching his back and making sure he was safe and came home to us." The words were loaded with meaning, the words of a man who had lost a son. Of a man who still felt the loss even as that same son now stood in front of him. But he meant it. And when he looked at Zeke, he almost saw the ghost of the way Jason had been, once. The way he could still be at times.

So eager to please...

To be loved.

Usually, the reason for that... wasn't because someone had a very good life.

"Alfred, looks like we're chopped liver," Zatanna sighed dramatically, having practically materialized beside Bruce.

"Hardly, Madame," the Butler drawled. "I do the chopping around here." He inclined his head anyway. "Alfred Pennyworth, at your service. I am the Butler-"

"And the man who raised me after I lost my parents," Bruce finished for him. He hated when Alfred downplayed it and the old man knew it but said nothing. "You'll find this family is not like most. Many of us have a past. And that's okay," he told Zeke.

He felt Zatanna hook her arm over his shoulder, leaning on him casually. He was used to it by now.

"Does this make us siblings or cousins?"

Bruce's lips twiched. "Yes "

She nodded, "Yes, you know I like that ambiguity. It builds character," she clapped him on the chest, a motion that made Damian let out a wounded sound but she had pulsed a bit of healing magic into her palm. Bruce wasn't hurt, and everyone knew better than to think Zatanna would ever play with his life. She loved him in ways that weren't easy to define and perhaps only the first three Robins could even come close to understanding.

So of course.

Of course she came when he called, especially when he explained why.

She looked Zeke up and down, humming to herself. Between her and John, they'd seen just about everything. She almost wished he was there with her to see this.

"So... Demons, huh?"

Bruce blinked, looking back and forth between them. "I beg your pardon?"

He finally settled on Zeke, ignoring Jason's groan of misery.

She turned to Jason as well. "And you-"

"Titi, please-"

Bruce held up a hand.

"Enough. Everyone sit down." He waited until everyone was settled, noting that Jason didn't let go of Zeke- and sat back down himself, leveling the couple with a heavy look.

"Explain. Now."

zeke-in-gotham

The tension in the air only seemed to grow more oppressive by the moment, thick enough that he almost wondered if he could physically choke on emotions. He had lived in a haunted mansion with seven goddamn demons with big emotions. That had been a cakewalk in comparison. It was helped only slightly by the fact that so much of that emotion was focused on wanting to protect Jason.

Zeke wanted to protect him too.

Right now the best way to protect his darling was to ensure cohesion with this family of vigilantes. The more people surrounding Jason that wanted to keep him safe the better. His soulmate was precious and deserved this sort of bubble of safety and care.

As the Bruce Wayne and Dick Grayson approached, Zeke felt himself straighten his spine and square his shoulders. These were the longest serving defenders of Gotham, and even if he didn't quite share their reluctance to kill, he could respect their dedication and skill. Plus they were Jason's father and older brother, which while he wanted the approval of the entire family, these seemed like the ones he would most need to win over on principle.

He took Bruce's offered hand and shook it, still nervous, but marginally more confident after having received Damian's warm welcome.

"It is nice to meet you, Mr. Wayne, and I insisted it was necessary - " Zeke clicked his mouth shut and took a half step back as the blonde girl practically charged him. For a moment he hadn't even been sure she would stop and half braced himself for a collision before she halted in front of him with a squeal that made his eyebrow twitch.

Tango Twink.

She must be the one responsible.

Zeke's face had frozen into that polite mask he put on when dealing with the general public at her approach, with only that faint twitch giving away his discomfort at the rapid approach and that name. A moment was all it lasted, before a ripple of conscious relaxation passed through him. A reflex from years forced into fitting an expected image.

The comment about him being prettier in person had him leaning into Jason slightly. He wanted his beloved to find him pretty, but the compliment coming from someone else made him suddenly mildly self-conscious and he couldn't stop himself from turning faintly pink.

His head tilted slightly as Jason stammered out a response. All the warm fuzzy feelings bubbled up to hear his darling defend him from that silly moniker. Zeke reached up and gently squeezed his beloved's hand where it rested around him, and he gladly leaned more into his lover as that arm tightened it's hold on him. He wasn't even thinking about the open display of affection in front of Jason's family. It just felt natural.

Also he couldn't help that his lips almost twitched up into a smirk as Stephanie so helpfully pointed out how silly the arguments about their relationship status was. Officially they might not be boyfriends, but they certainly behaved like a couple.

By the time Dick shook his hand, Zeke was feeling a little more relaxed. Things were a bit tense still, but nothing catastrophic had happened yet, so he was choosing to believe the meeting was going at least neutral if not positive. Oh this was the guy that was going to give him a shovel talk at some point - Zeke could feel it in his bones. A little too cheery, smile a little too sharp. He knew that look all too well.

Zeke found himself blinking as the one called Cass waved and pronounced him as good. While he was grateful that she seemed to approve so far, he wasn't sure exactly of how she had reached that conclusion.

They were all assessing him sharply. That was expected. So was the suspicion. He was an outsider. An unknown variable. Something and someone they had to size up , to decide if they were a threat or not to someone they clearly cared for deeply. Zeke could understand that. He approved of it greatly even.

In turn Zeke had been assessing them, of course. His mind was trained to pick up on things without conscious thought. Hyper vigilance from trauma honed and weaponized to give him an edge for survival in Hell. Every demon was a threat to him, after all, and even the seven that he'd come to consider family had never been fully safe either. They tried, they had tried so hard, but they couldn't always control their demonic nature.

After Cass came Duke, and he managed to smile at him a little less nervous and more relaxed. The guy gave off a pleasant energy. He had power, he could tell, but it was more than that. It was more that he seemed like the type of person that would be easy to chill with.

"Ah, sorry for keeping you awake." Zeke looked genuinely sheepish about it. He'd been a bother to someone, and even though his presence had basically been demanded he felt a little guilty.

His attention returned to Bruce, and he got the impression that perhaps the man was saying more than he necessarily meant to, after all, he didn't have to explain any of that to Zeke. Also the assurance that he would meet the other extended conglomerate of Batman associates seemed to be said with a level of certainty that almost suggested recognizance or acceptance. It was hard to say for sure, Bruce was a hard one to read.

When Tim stepped forward without offering to shake his hand, when he just stared, Zeke felt himself straightening up again, spine rigid, chin lifting slightly as he stared right back. Was this an intimidation tactic?

Ah. There it is.

Zeke was prepared for this moment. Through his quiet observance he was not really surprised that it was Tim that initiated the questioning of his intentions. They were a family of detectives. It was to be expected. He wasn't even offended by the question, not exactly.

Despite being ready and willing, when he opened his mouth to respond he couldn't get a word out. His beloved had jumped in to defend him. Which was endearing but also unnecessary. He wasn't given an opportunity to express that, or to answer the question. It didn't surprise him that they knew his records were extremely new and that there was no proof of his existence before those records were generated - they'd have been poor detectives if they hadn't sussed out that much.

Instead of fighting to get his voice heard, he decided it was best to let Jason get it out now. He could feel how protective his darling was feeling and it warmed his heart. He reached up to rub gentle circles against his beloved's back in an attempt to soothe him.

Soon it was the redhead's turn, and his focus immediately shifted. His hand stilled on Jason's back and his eyes narrowed faintly as Barbara introduced herself and said that this was all a courtesy.

I would very much like to know how they would "find out" when I am not of this world.

His assessment of her threat level raised considerably.

"It's not often I find someone that can keep up with me, so I'm glad you enjoyed the show." Much like how Dick had greeted him, Zeke's smile had turned a fraction sharper, his violet eyes gaining flecks of green for just a moment. His hand was circling Jason's back again, grounding himself.

It was Damian that came to ease the tension slightly, and Zeke looked at him gratefully. It was good to know that at least one of them seemed to be solidly on the side of approving of him. His eyes shifted to Bruce as they both thanked him for what he had done the previous night. It felt natural to protect Jason, so while the thanks was not needed, he did appreciate it.

"Protecting him felt as natural as breathing. I will do it again. Every time." He would always protect Jason, his beloved was essential. Zeke thought being in any world without that connection now that he'd felt it would destroy him.

That brief loss of focus was enough for Zatanna's sudden appearance to startle him slightly. He didn't really physically react to it, it was far more subtle, the way his pupils jumped slightly, dilating before narrowing again.

"It's nice to meet you, Mr. Pennyworth. I know a thing or two about unconventional families." So the billionaire was raised by the butler, and for some reason Alfred tried to maintain the pretense of distance. He wondered if this butler was anything like the one he was familiar with. There had been a long time where Zeke had both admired and feared Barbatos. They had an almost antagonistic relationship at the beginning, but a mutual respect and understanding had eventually been found.

He couldn't imagine that he'd face the same issues here. This was not a scheming demon, after all.

What tension had managed to leech out of him returned full force as he came under this woman's scrutiny. While Barbara's threat level was deemed noteworthy, Zatanna's felt significant. He very much did not want to become this woman's enemy as she looked him up and down.

Violet eyes blinking were the only indication that he may have been taken off guard by her simply dropping the word demons so casually. Jason had a reasonable reaction to his entanglements, but he wasn't sure how the rest of the bats would take it. His eyes darted to Bruce nervously. Would they immediately mistrust him? Well, mistrust him more than they already did?

How much harder will earning their trust be now?

Before he could explain the exchange between the woman and his beloved was silenced and they were all ordered to sit. Zeke let Jason guide him on where they should be seated. Once Hamza was settled in his lap and he was sitting with his body pressed closely to Jason's side, he was finally given a chance to really begin the real purpose of this meeting.

"Where to even start…" Zeke huffed a nervous breath. "Let's start with Tim's question - I am not intending on hiding anything. Jason made it clear that you are familiar with the concept of alternative worlds, so it shouldn't be too beyond belief when I say that the reason I have such a short recorded history is because I am not from this version of the world. In fact, I don't think Gotham exists in my original universe. I had certainly never heard of it before arriving here shortly before Christmas. I have since been living in an apartment in Crime Alley, which is where in the city I first awoke."

That was a start.

"As for the question of demons…I'm afraid you're going to need to be a little more specific? I assume you're referring to my pacts? Or maybe to my blood? Unclear."