Disclaimer: If it wasn't obvious already, I don't own Young Justice. And on that note, I hope you enjoy.
Tim couldn't believe what a crappy friend he'd been. Not that he was alone in this particular failure, but that didn't make him any less at fault. If anything, it made it worse. And Garfield was the one suffering because of it.
He hadn't noticed how different things had gotten for his green friend. In the old days, Garfield had lived in Mount Justice. The cave was a major hangout for the team, both on and off duty. Everyone used to do anything and everything in there, there was always someone there to hang out with. And even if they weren't, there was a huge forest and isolated beaches to entertain yourself with, both of which, Garfield loved, especially since there was a surplus of wildlife to observe.
However, the warehouse in Bludhaven was another story entirely. Not even the people living there really wanted to be there and the Watchtower, though cool and beautiful, seemed a lot more sterile, not like their homey cave. So naturally, most of the younger members of the team spent little time off duty up there. For everyone else, the change was dealt with fine. Everyone found new ways and places to spend time together or with others. And with everyone else adjusting fine, no one had really noticed the problem. It took even Tim far too long to see it.
It wasn't until months later, after a rather grueling training session, that he noticed anything was wrong at all.
"Man, I'm feeling moded with a capital M." Groaning, Bart flopped face first into the grass, lifting his head only long enough to nod respectfully to his cousin's monument. "I didn't know that I could get this exhausted!"
"Or sore." Virgil wasn't much better off, leaning against a tree as he sunk down. "Throwing giant pillars and attack droids at me all at once! What do I look like, a crash test dummy?"
"Training hard in a safe environment better prepares us for what'll face in the field." Tim muttered, a little tired and his breath hitching as he bumped his shoulder on a branch, but otherwise sounding like his usual, factual self. "Better off learning to deal with it here with teammates and Leaguers ready to intervene if something goes wrong than out facing the Joker or Mammoth."
"Besides, it's kind of fun!" Garfield grinned, getting dark looks from all of the others, bar Tim, who just grinned tiredly up at him, as he swung on a branch by his tail. Out of all of them, he had definitely had the easiest time. He had more experience than any of them, having had Nightwing and the others teaching him basically since he first moved into the cave and his power gave him a very unique advantage in that particular scenario. It solved a lot of problems if you could turn into a flea and slip through cracks, plough through projectiles as a heavily armoured rhino or elephant or dodge and slink around as any member of the cat or monkey families. Garfield had found it easy. "It was like a video game come to life! What could be more exciting?"
"Something that doesn't end with my skin being as black and blue as my armour?" Jaime offered, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"Like a movie!" Cassie exclaimed, her tiredness disappearing instantly as she whipped her starry eyes up over everyone with unrestrained excitement. "The new Zombie Invasion movie just hit the cinemas and Metropolis has an absolutely huge 3D theatre! What do you say we go check it out?"
"Big, comfy chairs, mondo-sized boxes of popcorn and soda to nurse my aches and pains while watching other people run for their lives, sounds crash!" It seemed Bart had found his second wind too, it only took a second for the speedster to jump to his feet and rush for a Zeta Tube, only stopping when he noticed the others weren't right behind him. "Come on guys, what are you waiting for?"
"For you to ditch the red and yellow, maybe?" Was Jaime's sarcastic response with a wave of his hand, drawing Bart's eyes down his body. "Bart Allen can turn up at the movie, but Kid Flash will cause too much of a scene."
"Oh, right, the retro secret ID thing." Bart shrugged uncaringly, but conceding before dashing off. A few seconds later, he was back in front of them in jeans and a grey and white shirt. "Well, I'm good now, let's go!"
"Give the rest of us a bit of time to change." Virgil groaned, slowly picking himself up and stiffly heading towards the showers. "Not all of us move at the speed of light. And I want some hot, running water on my muscles."
"We are pretty smelly." Tim conceded as Bart impatiently whined. "Let's meet in an hour, outside the theatre."
"Sounds like a plan." Jaime grinned, trudging toward the Zeta Tubes with Cassie floating beside him.
"See you there." Cassie called over her shoulder with wave.
"Aww, man! What am I gonna do for an hour? Do you have any idea how long that is for me?" Bart whined, pouting back and forth at his friends.
"Well...you could-"
"I guess I'll grab some Chicken Whizzies! See ya soon Amigos!" Bart didn't even notice the hopeful look on Gar's face, let alone how fast it shattered as he zipped off, the Zeta Tubes flashing and powering down before he even tried to finish his sentence.
"Yeah. I guess you can." The words barely made it to Tim's ears, even when he was only five feet away at best. The others definitely didn't hear it. But that didn't mean that the emotion behind it was hidden from the Boy Wonder.
Caught off guard, Tim turned stunned eyes up to find the young shapeshifter's body hanging lifelessly, the energetic happiness he'd had in abundance only moments before completely gone. Then there was his face. Tim couldn't remember the last time he saw such a sad, lonely look and he lived in Gotham!
"I guess I'll see you later." He didn't even get a chance to so much as ask what was wrong before Gar had shifted into a hummingbird and flown off.
"Gar!" He knew it was no use, Gar obviously didn't want to talk, he'd slipped into a small, flying form with the distinct purpose of hiding him fast in the trees, but he tried calling after him anyway. Seeing that he wasn't coming back, Tim let out a sigh before taking a seat and trying to sort what just happened. That wasn't like Gar at all. He never ran off like that, and what made him so sad? Usually the idea of hanging out...
And right there was when his brain snapped everything into place. Gar had done similar stunts like this a few times before, he just hadn't thought much of them. That weren't as abrupt or dramatic. And each and every one of them had happened at a similar moment. When Bart had dragged Jaime from the Watchtower to a baseball game, or when they'd all made plans to go to the mall or when Tim and Cassie had headed out to a park together for a fireworks display for a date when they briefly together. Gar had smiled and told them to have fun every time, but now that Tim thought about it, he never really looked, or sounded, all that happy and always took off in one way or another. Analysing the memories, he flinched when he realised that Gar's body language had sunk in every one of them too. He was also always ecstatic just moments beforehand too, joking around, soaking in everyone's attention...
"Oh, crap!" How could he have been so stupid! He wanted to kick himself, but seeing that didn't seem effective enough, he opted for hitting his head against the tree trunk instead. The answer was so obvious and to make it worse, the problem should never have existed. What kind of best friend was Tim?
Garfield felt lonely, neglected. There wasn't a whole lot of places he could go as himself, especially with the others for risk of blowing their cover. When was the last time Garfield got to enjoy the teenage bonding moments? Tim couldn't remember any since the cave blew up. Unless, of course, you counted conversations on the way to a mission site, where the conversations usually revolved around the job a lot, training, which was a similar deal and hardly normal teenage fun, or moments like these afterwards when the team groaned and complained...before coming up with plans that he couldn't join right in front of his face.
"Dammit, we're horrible people!" Tim hadn't felt self hate before and he, well, hated it. How could he not have noticed this before now? He's a teammate, a proud detective and Gar's best friend! He should have noticed and he really should have done something! The poor guy was starved for attention, the older members of the team, especially Connor and M'gann, were only getting busier and that meant that it was supposed to be Tim's job to pick up the slack and he wasn't even paying attention. He had to fix this. He had to make it right.
Fortunately, he did already have a plan. Starting with skipping the movie and tracking down his green friend for full night of video games.
But more importantly, he needed a way to ensure Garfield never felt this isolated again. Fortunately, he already had a solution coming to mind. Gar's birthday was coming up and this would be the perfect present. He'd just need a little help.
...
"Hey Tim." Zatana smiled as she opened the door. "I wasn't expecting you to visit today."
"Yeah, sorry, I probably should have called." Tim replied, smiling apologetically. "I was hoping you would be willing to help me with something."
"Of course. Come on in." Zatana nodded cheerfully, stepping to the side. Nodding gratefully, Tim stepped over the threshold and followed her down the hall to a very comfy looking lounge room.
Taking a look before sitting on a very plush couch, Tim had to admit to being impressed. He was confident that the Zataras had used some of their magic all throughout the room, all of the furniture looked to exotically designed for the average household and it was all very clean and organised, not a single ruffled couch cushion, chip in the furniture or stain in sight. It all looked expansively designed and maintained, but, unlike the Wayne Mansion, the room didn't brag wealth. Instead it had a very homey, welcoming air to it.
"So what brings the youngest bird boy to my humble home?" Zatana asked curiously, taking a seat across from him. "It would have to be something pretty amazing or pretty sneaky and forbidden if the Big Bat's funding and influence can't get it for you."
"I'm not planning on doing anything wrong behind anyone's backs!" Tim cried hastily, throwing up his hands and earning an amused chuckle from the mischievous magician before him. "I just need help with Garfield's birthday present."
"A present for Garfield?" Zatana asked, her grin shifting a little as she raised an inquisitive eyebrow. "Why come to me about that? I mean yeah, I lived with the little guy for years and I love him, but M'gann knows him better than anyone. Surely she could give you some ideas if you wanted something...special."
"Actually, I already have an idea." Tim muttered, blushing a little at the implication and coy smile sent his way. Trust Zatana to imply that! He mentally groaned. Slipping his hand into his pocket, he clasped it tightly around the yellow gem and held it up to a surprised Zatana.
"That's the gem I placed a glamour charm on for Dick." She commented, taking the offered necklace from the boy's hand.
"Yeah, but the spell seemed to stop working not long after we got rid of the Reach. I was hoping that you could do something similar for me again."
"You want to give Garfield a glamour charm for his birthday?"
"Yeah." Tim nodded, sighing sadly. "The guy's been really down lately, you know? The rest of us can take off our uniforms and move freely through world. You know, be someone besides the hero, go to hangouts, be normal kids. But Garfield can't get that. He's always green. The only time he gets to join us when we do things off the clock is when he hides in the form of a small, green animal and that cuts him out of a lot of everything. It's only gotten a lot worse since we lost the cave. So I want to help him experience the life of a normal teenager, make him feel less isolated."
"Aww, how sweet!" Zatana cooed, making his previously dying blush brighten right back up. "Aren't you the thoughtful best friend. I hadn't realised that it had been so bad. You'd think someone would have told me the poor guy was so miserable by now." She added a small, irritated frown quickly forming across her face. Like she'd said, the two of them had lived together for years in the cave before she joined the League and moved back to her father's home. She spent a lot of time helping to comfort him when he first arrived, crying his heart out over the death of his mother and had often played around with him both in the cave and the forest when he'd cheered up. The boy was a super compressed bundle of energy and excitement even before his powers truly kicked in and she found no small amount of joy playing around with him. She absolutely hated the idea of him being upset. The first time she'd seen him like that was more than enough for a lifetime.
She was well within her rights to be annoyed with the team. Why hadn't any of them brought his isolation issues to her beforehand? Last time she'd seen him, he was ecstatic, gaining new teammates and having the time of his life with his missions. If he'd shown even the slightest hint of loneliness or a feeling of being left out, she would have searched for the perfect glamour charm for him there and then.
Still, what does that say about me? She mentally scolded herself, frowning at the carpet guiltily. The last time she'd seen Garfield off the clock was back when Nightwing was claiming Artemis was dead. Yes, she'd been extremely busy, trying to keep her civilian life intact while working almost constantly for the League. With nine of the League's members off in space for a long, unfair trial, including most of their greatest and most powerful members, while the Reach and the Light were running rampart, she'd barely had time to sleep. But still, that wasn't good enough. Garfield, like Rocket and all of her original team mates especially, was family to her. She should have made time for him.
"Garfield's good at hiding it. All those shapes he takes gives him a great poker face." Tim sighed, bringing Zatana back out of her self-directed scolding. "Then there's the fact that everyone's always busy lately and when the day's done, they're either exhausted or too keen to go do whatever he can't do with us. It didn't bother him too much before with someone almost always around the cave to have fun with, but now...well, no one's seemed to realise just how big a transition losing the cave is for him."
"Well, I am going to bring this up with a few people at the first opportunity." Zatana stated with a look that promised a very strong...Tim didn't even wanna know. He was terrified of that look and he wasn't even the target of the rage. Still, the anger disappeared as quickly as it appeared, replaced with a thoughtful frown as she rose to her feet. "Let's get this started, shall we? I'm going to my library. Could you pull us a couple of sodas out of the fridge Tim? It'll probably take a while to get the perfect spell."
"No problem." Tim grinned thankfully, getting up himself. He knew he could count on Zatana. Still, what she said did draw a little curiosity. "Perfect spell? You're not going to use the one you used for Dick?"
"No, that one was basic, created an almost random look and would only last so long. For Garfield, I'm going to find something a lot more long lasting and specific."
Great. That sounded absolutely perfect.
...
It was almost perfect when Garfield's birthday rolled around. M'gann had, of course, planned a big party, as she did at every opportunity, but this time, it was set up at the Logan family's animal reserve, a place that Garfield had been hoping to visit for a while. So, that meant there was lots of food, lots of balloons, a ridiculously large music system and...a lot of effort to keep the monkey's out of it. And away from Superboy.
"HAHAHAHA! Just try to catch me!" Garfield on the other hand, was having as much fun with the monkeys as he was his teammates. Swinging through the trees, he'd somehow got them involved in a game of tag that no one could determine the rules to. One second he'd be chasing them all over the place, the next, he was laughing more than they were as they chased him.
It had been going on for nearly twenty minutes before he finally took a moment to rest on a low branch, his old pal Monkey resting on his shoulder as he smiled over the area. The entire team, Zatanna and Rocket were all sitting or standing around a stream of tables full of food, caught in conversations or staring up and laughing at his shenanigans. The day truly was perfect in his opinion. Not only was the weather great, but he got to visit his childhood home again and all of his friends made it. Super villain crime at least, was having a slow day so the Justice League was left to take care of anything popping up on their own while the team celebrated, and man, had it been fun! Everyone was covered in splotches from their super powered paint ball war, set up in teams of four. His team, consisting of him, Artemis, M'gann and Robin, had won, though you wouldn't know by looking at them. Somehow, a dance-off had occurred between Bart and Vergil, which was hilarious because neither of them could dance if their lives depended on it. It was like trying to see who could dance worse.
Cassie was completely camera happy, much to Garfield's delight. Every time he looked up, there she was, taking a photo. She'd captured almost every funny moment, and what she didn't, Barbra did.
"Gar, come down here, would you? It's time for cake!" His ears perked up as he turned back towards the house just in time to see Rocket and M'gann carrying out a huge, blue cake. Saliva pooled in his mouth just looking at it as he flipped down to the ground, bounding straight to the middle table as the others gathered around.
"Alright everyone, you know the song, right?" Cassie called cheerfully as the cake was set down right in front of the birthday boy.
"Oh, I think so. We're supposed to sing it in English too, right?" Jaime smirked, getting a glare and a few snorts from Impulse and L'gann.
"What else would you sing it in?"
"Spanish."
"Atlantean."
"Zatanna's backwards talk?" Garfield couldn't help but laugh himself at Cassie's pout as even Rocket got involved.
"Well, I don't know any of them, so let's stick to English." Gar stated amusedly, supposing that he should end Cassie's misery. "Now come on, let's get the song over with before the wind blows out my candles!"
"Very well." Kalder smiled before turning to the group. However, right before he could say a thing, Bart zipped in with his hands raised like conductor.
"Keep up now, boys and girls! One, two, three, GO!" Well, that made Gar wish to laugh harder and cover his ears at the same time. Half the team ignored Bart and sang the birthday son at the normal pace while the others tried and failed miserably to keep up with his almost blurring arms. In the end, Gar only caught any of the words out of that jumbled mess because the same ones were used so often.
"Ok, hooray and all that stuff." Jaime grunted, snapping one arm out to hold Bart's in place while the other covered his mouth before he could complain, though he was quick to send a bright smile Gar's way when he was done. "Go on Hermano, make a wish and blow out the candles."
"Gladly." Gar didn't even have to stop to think of a wish before he blew. What could be worth wishing for more, than to be able to spend time with my friends and family like this?
...
Of course, all good things must come to an end. The party had to wind down eventually. The time difference between Qurac and home alone demanded it, everyone having curfews or jobs to abide by.
Still, everyone did spare time to help with the packing up.
"This was awesome! Thanks for setting this up sis." Garfield cheered, wrapping his arms tightly around M'gann
"No problem Gar." M'gann smiled warmly, returning the hug with one of her own. "I'm just happy you enjoyed it so much."
"It was the best!"
"Yeah, but couldn't you open your presents at home?" Conner complained good naturedly, filling an entire sack with wrapping paper, boxes and ribbons. "We're just going to fly it all back anyway."
"Where are you even going to put all of this stuff?" Karen called, carefully lifting a few of the more fragile gifts while Mal carried the pile. "Is there even room for this in warehouse your staying in?
"Nope. Good thing living conditions are the next thing on NIghtwing and Batman's to do list" Mal grunted, carefully setting down his pile in the bioship.
"It can all stay with me and Uncle J'onn until we've got the new place." M'gann shrugged. "It's mostly books, video games and statues anyway. How much space can it take up?"
"Really, that's the bulk of it?" Zatanna asked, a curious frown crossing her face as she scanned the stash. "Hmm, now that I think about it..." Garfield just gave her a confused frown of his own as she looked at him before looking off to where the younger crowd was approaching. Or, more specifically, at Tim.
Now that he thought about it, he hadn't gotten anything from Tim. That killed a little of his buzz. He didn't want to sound greedy or anything, but he was Tim's first and closest friend on the team and Tim had gone out of his way to get something when everyone else's birthdays turned up. He knew that for a fact because he always asked Garfield if he wanted him to pick up his gifts for the others while he was out. It just made him feel a little forgotten.
"So what do you guys think? Interested?" Tim asked as they got into hearing range.
"Totally! This is gonna be so CRASH!" Bart cheered, pumping a fist into the air. "I always wanted to try one out. What kind of rides will they have?"
"Nothing that moves at your speed, I can promise you that now." Virgil shook his head amusedly. "But I'm game. Count me in."
"Hey guys, what are you up to?" Zatanna called, giving Tim a pointed look before looking over the group inquisitively.
"Tim invited us to Gotham for a carnival!" Cassie grinned from ear to ear. "It opens up in a couple of days, sounds like a lot of fun."
"Hanging out, rotting our teeth on cotton candy and thrills without the risk of life and limb, what could be better?" Jaime added happily.
"Yeah. Sounds fun." Garfield muttered, offering them a grin before turning back toward the ship. It did sound like fun. Fun he couldn't have. God thing he had those extra video games, he was going to need them over the next few nights.
"So, you'll come too, Gar?" Tim asked, stopping him in his tracks. "What do you say? You know you wanna."
"Yeah BB, you never come out with us!" Bart nodded enthusiastically, zipping right before the shapeshifter. "You're a party animal, literally! And who in their right mind would say no to partying it up twice around their birthday?"
"Thanks guys, but I think I'll stay home." Garfield shook his head, offering them a strained smile. He didn't really need to hear thrill and chill plans he couldn't be a part of on his birthday. "As much fun as it seems, I doubt I'll have much as a lizard in Tim's pocket."
"Well, I was hoping that you'd walk beside me actually." Tim stated, right as he moved in beside Bart.
"What? I'd blow your cover!" Garfield cried, flabbergasted, drawing the attention of the older crowd as they packed the last of the stuff away. "I mean, hello! I'm green! I can't just walk through a crowd like some normal kid! They'll think I'm a Martian and how many people are going to have access to a Martian?"
"I thought about that. Which is why I got you this." Tim smirked as pulled a small box out of his pocket. "Happy birthday Garfield."
"What?" Garfield just stared in wide eyed confusion as the box was placed in his hand. However, as he opened it, his confusion warped into amazement. "Isn't this..."
"That's the charm I used to infiltrate The Light." Artemis finished for him, a small smile crossing her face as the others stared on in surprise or wonder.
"That it is. Sort of." Tin nodded with a smile of his own. "I asked Zatanna to help re-empower it for you. It works a bit differently than it did for Artemis though."
"Really? You got this fixed for me?" He couldn't take his eyes off of it. He loved his powers and thought his green skin was cool, but it held him back so much from the world. Most of the time before, it hadn't bothered him too much, M'gann, Conner and the team were more than enough for him, but that didn't stop him from feeling isolated from the world, especially lately. To have an answer to that in his hands...an answer to a problem that he didn't even tell Tim and the others about...
"You'll have to shift back to your true form though." Tim warned him. "It's a new spell. Unlike Artemis', it'll only change your colouring back to your original self. That way, the spell uses less magic and the charm will last a lot longer, but it won't hide your tail and it's only a human shaped glamour. It won't alter the sensation of touch at all, so it's best that you are the shape it's projecting."
"And as time goes on, remember to check a mirror frequently." Zatanna added, drawing his attention to her own warm face. "Even you will see the Caucasian you while you're wearing the charm, so I managed to put in a warning. When the magic reserves in the gem are low, it'll conserve magic by not hiding your eyes. If your eyes are green, call me, visit me, whatever you want, and I'll reenergise it. It'll give us an excuse to catch up if we have another lapse in time together." She added with a wink.
"So, what do you say? Will you come with?" Tim asked hopefully as Bart actually vibrated with excitement.
"At least say you'll put that on!"
Beaming brighter than the sun, Garfield took the necklace from the box and shifted back to his true form a mere second before it clasped around his neck.
"Hey, he's a redhead! That's crash!"
"And cuter than I thought!" Garfield was barely paying attention to Bart and Cassie, or any of the others marvelling him. In fact, he spent about five seconds staring at his pale arms and legs before a loud squeal left his mouth and his body burst forward, hugging Tim and Zatanna at the same time.
"Thank you! Thank you so much, both of you, I love it."
"Not a problem, little guy. Happy to help." Zatanna chuckled as her shirt got soak with happy tears.
"Anything for my best friend." Tim grinned, hugging right back. "So, can we take that as a yes to coming with us?"
"Are you kidding me? YES!" Garfield exclaimed, turning a huge smile on the entire group. "You guys are never ditching me again!"
"Ditch? We've never..." Jaime cried, a little irritated before realisation struck hard, quickly switching his face to one sheepishness. "Oh. I guess it kinda could have been taken like that. Sorry hermano."
"We never meant to leave you out." Cassie added guiltily. "I guess we just didn't think it all the way through."
"Now I feel bad." Bart pouted, staring at Gar apologetically. "Sorry bud."
"It fine. What's past has past." Garfield shrugged it all right off. He was in too good of a mood. This was the best day of his life! Now, he got to have awesome super powers and experience a normal life and fun. How could he possibly be upset right now. "You can just make it up to me later. Starting with the carnival."
"Deal." Tim nodded, wrapping his arm around Gar's shoulder. "Now, let's get out of here. Gotta rest up if don't want to just sleep through the entertainment."
"Who plans to sleep!" Garfield cried, staring around excitedly from one person to the next. "I got too much excitement and too many plans to sleep! I've never actually got to spend time at so much as a mall without wings or a villain to fight. I wanna check out a bowling alley or a cinema or go to a NBL game! I haven't got time to sleep, I've got years of modern excitement to catch up on."
"I'll take you to the mall tomorrow, bud." Rocket chuckled amusedly.
"Movies are cool." Virgil volunteered himself.
"Everyone grab something, we'll need to wear this boy down." Zatanna laughed as they all boarded and took a seat. Garfield just beamed in response, sending another wave of thank yous Tim's way before setting about making plans with everyone.
As Tim watched, he could only scratch his head, amused of course, but you could definitely catch a few signs of nervousness.
"I think I just created Hurricane Garfield." He muttered to himself, only to decide a moment later it was only going to get worse when Bart got involved and got into an excited conversation with Gar about all the different concerts they could go wild at, preferably dragging a groaning Jaime along to 'expand his horizons beyond his lousy taste in music'. All well, he'll calm down. Eventually.
Hmm, good thing they were used to tough, wild, and extreme situations.