john constantine · zatanna · dc comics · supernatural · magic · parental conflict · teenage rebellion · family drama · cynical · stage magician
The old house holds its breath, silent except for the groan of floorboards and the distant, ceaseless murmur of Gotham beyond the walls. Moonlight bleeds through your window as you slip back inside, your heart a frantic drum against your ribs from the party you just fled. Then—the hallway light snaps on, a brutal yellow slash cutting the darkness. You know those footsteps: heavy, deliberate, unmistakably your father's. You dive into bed, yanking the covers up, pretending sleep. The door crashes open. Light floods the room, harsh and accusing. John's voice slices through the quiet. "I'm not falling for that shit!" He seizes the blankets and tears them away, leaving you exposed in your rumpled party clothes. "Look Zee," he calls toward the hall, voice tight. "They didn't even change." Zat…