i love mature breakups and hated when Zatanna and Robin dated <3

Everyone on the team was dating someone. Wally was dating Artemis, Connor and M'gann were together and Kaldur was now dating Wyynde from back home. Then there was Dick and Zatanna. He liked her. Of course, he liked her, they were friends before dating and he wouldn't work with people who he didn't like. The issue was that he didn't like her as he should. Since their kiss on New Year's, they navigated their way into dating and as much as he enjoyed spending time with her, it didn't feel right. There was an important aspect missing that he kept convincing himself that he had but denial could only go so far. Now as he looked around at a team of close-knit relationships, he could see what he was missing. He liked Zatanna but he didn't love her. 

At first, he immediately denied the realisation as he had done before he'd given the odd feeling a name and purpose. He'd spent the last six months as Zatanna's boyfriend and he'd enjoyed that time thoroughly. He loved spending time with her, being as close as they were he felt that cold that followed him around for years finally ease and he could easily imagine a future with her. The only issue was he could do that with all of his friends. He loved being a part of the team, he loved being close with each of them and he could easily see them fighting together in the future. There was nothing to differentiate his girlfriend from his friends and he knew that was wrong.

After accepting it, he immediately feared the outcome if anyone found out. People always took sides when breakups happened and his chest got tight at the thought of breaking up the team because he entered a relationship he wasn't 100% in for. His stomach twisted at the imagined outcome of everyone hating him for not loving Zatanna and accusing him of leading her on the entire time because he'd stayed with her whilst knowing he didn't love her. He'd already lost one family and he couldn't lose this one. He couldn't see it fracture at his own hands. All of his future involved the team both as heroes and as civilians. A childish part of himself said that this break-up would take it all away and he couldn't do that. So he didn't say anything nor did he drop any hints about breaking up. Maybe he could pretend for long enough that he'd just suddenly actually be in love with her. He was a great actor.

Then he realised it was cruel. Zatanna deserved to be with someone who loved her just as much as she loved him. She deserved to be free to find someone like that and he'd be happy to help her match up with someone if she ever asked. He doubted she would. He'd run through their break up a million times by now and he could never imagine a case where she wasn't hurt by their break up even when he imagined lying about the reason. Never did he go to someone to give him an outside perspective on how she might react. Even seeing Dinah every other day, the only person he knows with the ability to give good advice on emotions, never made him mention anything about breaking up. It hurt when someone hints that he should go help Zatanna not because they're friends or because they work well together but purely because they're a couple. 

When they were coming up to being together for ten months, he knew he couldn't continue. It wasn't fair to get to the one-year anniversary and then break up right after. Even if it meant losing the team, he couldn't live with the secret anymore. It was making him sick with anxiety every time they talked to one another or set up dates. Something had to be done.

They were hanging out on the beach, just the pair of them, when he decided this was the time to do it. Zatanna could storm off inside to decompress or she could demand he leave to give her space. Inside the mountain, their friends were spending time together in their own couples and he would much rather they be out somewhere else but maybe he was wrong to think that. Someone would need to comfort Zatanna if he really hurt her by breaking up. 

"Dick, is there something wrong?" Zatanna asked, shaking him from his thoughts. He hadn't realised he'd been glaring at the sea whilst thinking. So much for being a good actor. 

"Yeah. There is," he answered. 

"Is it something with Bruce?" He shook his head. "Are you gonna make me guess?" He shook his head again and took a deep breath before reaching out to take her hands in his in an attempt to be comforting.

"Z, being with you has been great and you're amazing, like one of the most amazing women I know. I really like you but you deserve to be with someone who feels the same way. I'm sorry but I can't keep pretending I'm madly in love with you when I don't feel that way," Dick explained. He winced preemptively, waiting to be yelled at for not loving her as he should or hearing her cry over their lost relationship that she'd put so much effort into. He did like her. He liked her a lot but he didn't love her. This fling had been fun but their kisses meant as much as holding hands and he knew that's not how they should feel. He knew there was supposed to be more behind them. "We're gonna have to break up and I get if you're mad or want me to leave the team-"

"Dick," she interrupted. He didn't spare her a glance in fear of what he'd see when her voice was so neutral. "I'm glad we're breaking up." Now he did have to look at her to make sure he hadn't hallucinated this or that she hadn't put a spell on him. 

"Really? You're cool with it?"

"I've been meaning to break things off for a while but I never wanted to say anything. You're great too but we got together for all the wrong reasons. I just lost my dad and you were there, you were so understanding and you knew all the right things to say. I thought it was a sign we should be together and you made me feel better," she explained. "When we kissed on New Year it was a spur-of-the-moment thing and even though this has been fun, I haven't been in love with you. I don't think I ever was."

"So this means that we can still be friends, right?" 

"Yeah! I mean, you still helped me through losing my dad and what we have is a real connection it's just not romantic." They smiled at each other, both visibly lighter now things were out in the open. She pulled him into a tight hug that he happily returned, relieved that now he didn't have to follow it up with a kiss or a declaration of love. When they parted, he felt better. Now she could date someone who loved her properly. "I'm sorry if you think I used you."

"No, you didn't use me. I think we were both confused about what we were," he replied. He hesitated to continue but she had just opened up to him and it was only fair he did too. "I've wanted to break up for a while now and I never said anything, I should've said something sooner so you didn't have to worry about using me. That wasn't fair on you."

"Why didn't you break up when you realised?" she asked although there was no anger in it. There was genuine curiosity. His cheeks flushed in embarrassment and he rubbed his neck anxiously. They'd shared a lot during their relationship but there was always that nagging voice in the back of his head saying he shouldn't breathe a word of his personal life. That and he was surprisingly embarrassed to explain the reason. In hindsight, it was a little childish and far too pessimistic. 

"It's dumb," he told her but she gave him that look that meant he wouldn't get away that easily. "I lost my whole family that night. Everyone was gone. You guys are like my family and I thought if we broke up I'd lose everyone again but this time you'd all be here, you'd just not want me. I," he paused and worried his bottom lip. "I don't know if I could stand any of you not wanting me around." 

"They would never hate you."

"They've come close. In the simulation." She nodded slowly. "It wasn't fair to you."

"It wasn't fair to you either. I was using you to make me feel cared for since my dad...disappeared. We weren't fair to each other but now we are."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

The situation I imagined but couldn't really expand on

"The spell can be broken by true love's kiss," Zatanna explained, cringing as she did. Yet the team didn't have the reaction she was intending. Instead, they all breathed a sigh of relief and looked at her expectantly like she shouldn't have wasted their time with the explanation.

"Then just kiss him," Artemis told her. She sent the archer a confused look like it was the stupidest thing to ever come out with. "If you don't want us to watch, we'll go. I get you two like to be more private than the rest of us," she added reassuringly with her friends nodding along. It was then that the magician realised something she and Robin had completely forgotten to do. This definitely wasn't the time she wanted to do it but there would be no other excuse as to why she couldn't kiss him.

"So about that. We uh- we broke up? Like a while ago," she admitted. "We don't love each other."

"You didn't tell us anything?" M'gann questioned, hurt written all over her face. 

"It slipped our minds. Besides, it's not anyone else's business what happened between us."

"We're your friends! You could've at least given us the heads-up. We know he's secretive but we didn't think that of you," Wally argued.

"Well, we're not together! It was actually a really healthy decision for the both of us and we've both been much happier since then."

"That's lovely and all but how the fuck are we going to wake him up if no one loves him- wow that came out a lot harsher than I meant it," Artemis pointed out.

"I guess true love could be platonic?" M'gann suggested.

"Or I could just try and find a different spell? He could probably do with the rest."

"He's not gonna like... die or something?" Wall fretted.

"Dude, no. He's just sleeping. I'll find a different spell- why would I be cool with letting him die?"

"I don't know I'm taking in a lot of new information!"