It had to have been all those years of idolizing Robin.
That was the only reason Garfield could come up with for why the boy was so familiar. Years of reading that terrible comic adaptation. The hours spent staring at the posters of the Dark Knight and Boy Wonder sidekick. Maybe that was why the disheveled black hair, steel gaze, and larger-than-life stature seemed so comforting. Garfield had certainly spent enough time obsessing over the male to know every curve of his face.
And if that had been it – just the appearance of Robin being familiar – the shapeshifter wouldn't have lost so many hours of sleep. But it wasn't, and the enigma that was the Boy Wonder did keep the hero up at night.
Kept up with the question: why.
Why the scent of Robin's hair gel, mixed with his suffocating cologne felt like a security blanket. Why the commanding, angry tone of Robin's voice sounded so... unnatural. Why Garfield could almost see the intelligent, kind eyes that were wrapped in the ocean, ghosting behind that domino mask. It didn't make sense. The Titan's leader has never taken off his mask before, he is rarely anything but stern, and Garfield has choked on lesser powerful scents.
So, why did Garfield know these thing?
The things that could never be conveyed through paper.
"Stick to the West and call me if you run into any trouble," Batman's voice ordered over the static of Richard's communicator.
"You got it, Batman," Richard replied as he swung between the monstrous buildings of Gotham. The young hero had been positively giddy: he had finally been trusted on his first solo patrol. Sure, Richard loved Bruce – the man was like a second father to him – but one could only take the oh-so-cheery attitude for so long.
After months of having to beg, and preform extra training, the boy had finally been given a step towards freedom. Just for the hell of it, Richard belted a "yahoo" into the breeze. He hadn't felt that alive in years.
Richard landed gracefully on a rooftop, preformed a few front flips, shot his grappling hook at the next building, and swung himself closer to the ocean. The brunet decided he had spent enough time enjoying himself and decided to actually scout out the area.
The child landed on another rooftop and reached into his utility belt for a pair of binoculars. Everything seemed pretty quiet. He pressed the tool to his masked eyes so he could take a look around. No suspicious lights had been on in the closed CEO building. The man that lingered outside a dim house waited for a locksmith – making that day the fourth time that week he had locked himself out of his own home. The women that spied into the store window were jotting down gift ideas. The tattooed teen that followed the dog tried to catch the animal to return it to it's owner.
Richard decided to radio his mentor to see how he was doing. "Everything looks fine on this end, need any backup?"
"No. Just keep an eye out, Robin, crime never takes a day off." came Batman's reply.
Richard rolled his eyes and tucked the communicator back into his belt. Batman had never steered him wrong before, so he would listen to the man, but he wished the caped crusader would relax every now and again. Richard strolled over to one of the gargoyles that overlooked the city's bridge. He leaned against the stone figure and stared wistfully at the calm scene before him. Rarely was Gotham ever peaceful; Richard would be sure to milk every moment he could get.
The young hero's eyes gazed over the outline of the large bridge. He stared for a short moment before a sudden alarm went off inside his brain. Something hadn't been right.
Richard fished out his binoculars to take a closer look. Fog floated just above the road, there were no blinking lights, no idling trucks or cars. Everything looked normal. Still, something nagged at Richard. His eyes finally found an unusual outline on the bridge: a dark blob that had been so still Richard hadn't even noticed the figure was a person. A person that approached the edge of the bridge and then climbed on top of the safety ledge.
"Oh no," Richard breathed, launching his grappling hook and propelling himself towards the bridge. The figure still stood on the ledge, so Richard landed a couple of feet behind them. The hero was at a far enough distance not to intimidate them, but close enough to grab the figure if need be.
"Hey there," Richard said trying to keep his tone light, "You might not want to be up there: it's pretty dangerous."
He heard the water below them push and pull, and heard the wind command the fog to dance, but Richard heard no words from the stranger. He half expected the person to remain silent and just got for it. But slowly, his reply came. "...So?" croaked the figure.
Richard was taken aback by the response. They sounded young yet almost... dead inside. The Boy Wonder had never dealt with a situation like that before. When his brain caught up with him, Richard echoed back, "So?"
"So, what if it's dangerous?"
"Kid... believe me, this is not the answer to whatever's bothering you," he tried to reason. Even in the dim lighting, Richard could see the person's shoulders tense and their arms shake slightly.
"How would you know?" they seethed. Each word was venom out of their mouth. Richard wanted to protest, but was cut off. "You don't know me! You have no idea what I've been through! Y-you don't..." the voice trailed off as it began to become more strained. "It's better this way," they whispered, voice brittle and hoarse.
A surge of panic went through every muscle in Richard's body as he realized he was loosing their attention. The dark figure slid one foot closer towards the edge. If he didn't do something, Richard would end up having to dive into the chilly water and fish the kid out.
"Wait," Richard said quickly, throwing his hands up. "You're right, Kid, I don't know who you are. Or anything about you for that matter. So... so, how about we talk?" Richard suggested in desperation.
The words seemed to surprise the figure. After some hesitation, they slid their foot back again and asked, "Talk?"
"Y-yeah. Just talk," Richard breathed in relief. "And maybe..." Richard paused in uncertainty, "And maybe if we find a solution to whatever is bugging you – that isn't killing yourself – we can do that instead."
Silence. Richard chewed his bottom lip as he hopped he hadn't said the wrong thing. Carefully, the person asked, "...And if there is no other way?"
"Then I won't interfere,"
"You promise?"
"Yeah, I promise," Richard lied. If need be, he'd pull the kid out of the river kicking and screaming. But the hero hoped the stranger would see another way before it came to that. "So, Kid-"
"Don't call me kid," they snapped. "It's Garfield... but most people call me Gar,"
Richard didn't bother to ask for a last name, if the kid wanted to tell him, they would have. "Garfield," the hero repeated to himself, testing the sound. He smiled at the semi-openness. "I'm Ro-" the hero paused, "... Richard... my name is Richard."
More silence told the brunet that he'd have to pry a little for any information he wanted. "How old are you, Garfield,"
"T-ten," the child muttered. It felt like someone sucker punched him in the gut. This person had been even younger than himself! Sure, Richard figured the stranger was a kid, but a part of him hoped he had been wrong. Richard was shook out of his thoughts by a quiet voice asking, "W-whatta 'bout you?"
"I'm Thirteen," Richard replied. The hero liked that the stranger had given him a chance, but he still didn't enjoy staring at the back of the kid's head. Well... hood. "Garfield, could we talk face to face?"
The figure tensed again before they vigorously shook their head. "No," they answered.
Richard pursed his lips and furrowed his eyebrows. "Why not?"
"I said no," Garfield hissed. They seemed to regret their anger as they muttered, "B-because... then you won't wanna talk to me. You'll say mean things,"
"I wouldn't-"
"Yes, you would! They all do... 'cause I'mma f-freak," the younger murmured.
The reminder of how close the child was to jumping kept Richard from argument. They were upset, and the hero didn't what would have set them off. "I'm sorry. You don't have to face me if you don't want to, but then how about you sit down? That way, you don't slip before we've finished talking?" Richard suggested.
Garfield slowly nodded before they sat on the ledge. The hero allowed himself to relax at the sight. He'd have more time to grab the kid if they were to jump. "Can you tell me why you're up there?"
"There's no other way." Garfield replied simply. The words were heavy with meaning Richard wouldn't understand, so the Boy Wonder waited. As predicted, the child began to elaborate. "I... I wanna run away, but I can't. They'll find me and bring me back. A-and then he... o-or" Garfield choked back a sob, "N-no one believes me! Liar! Liar! T-they say he's a go-good person, but he's not! There's no other place for me to go."
Silhouetted hands flew to Garfield's face. From the sound if it, Richard presumed they were rubbing away tears. The hero had been at a loss; he didn't fully understand what the kid had tried to explain. Between gasps of air and sobs, Garfield said something that put everything into clarity.
"I-I wa-want my p-parents back,"
'Ah,' Richard thought to himself. An orphan that had been thrown to a neglectful – or more likely abusive – guardian. Written off as a liar whenever they told anyone of the true horrors they've endured. If they ran away, police would just bring them back to their current guardian. And from the sound of it, they had no other family or friends to turn to.
In that moment, Richard felt a connection with the child. He had been orphaned after his parents were murdered only a year ago. Had it not been for Bruce, Richard could have ended up in the same position as Garfield. The sounds of the young child's bawling, and the understanding of their situation tore at Richard's heart. He tentatively took a step forward, sure to shuffle his feet to alert the other of his approach, and placed a gentle hand on Garfield's arm. Almost immediately, Garfield leaned into the comforting touch.
A smile threatened to make it's way on Richard's lips. No matter how much they fought themselves over it, they seemed to crave affection. Quickly, Richard's face returned to one more solemn. "I know how you feel,"
Richard continued before Garfield could lash out. "I lost my parents too. We were acrobats and there was... an accident one day while preforming. So, I know you're feeling hurt... and lost... and maybe even guilty," Richard said slowly. The way the child drew into themself, Richard knew he hit the nail on the head with his assumption of guilt. "But things changed afterwards: it got better. It can get better for you too, I can make sure of that,"
Their crying had mostly subsided, but there were a few sniffles here and there. After a moment, a small voice asked, "Does it ever stop hurting?"
"No, but you move on... for them and yourself," Richard answered honestly. Life without his family had been a hard thing to become adjusted too, but he did it. Falling into a depression wouldn't have brought them back anyway. Still, he missed them with ever ounce of his being. "What do you say? You can stay with me until we figure out a way to nail that guardian of yours,"
"...And then?"
"Then we'll figure it out was we go," Richard said.
"You... you won't change your mind when you see me?" Garfield asked. Richard wondered what would make the child keep referring to their appearance. Perhaps they had some sort of deformity or mutation. Richard resolved that no matter what was abnormal about them, he wouldn't turn Garfield away.
"I won't change my mind," Richard reassured.
Slowly the figure nodded. They stood up once more and faced the hero. Richard couldn't see much because of the shadow of their hood, but large green eyes and fanged teeth lit up from the moonlight. Their shy gaze turned to one of fear. "No," Garfield whispered to himself, "y-you're one of them!"
Richard's eyes widened in surprise and confusion. Garfield shouted at Richard to leave as they turned back towards the water. Richard leapt forward, wrapping his arms around Garfield's stomach to keep the kid grounded. "Get offa me! You're just gonna turn me into the police," Garfield claimed, struggling in Richard's grasp.
"No, I'm not," Richard argued, tightening his hold as he tried to keep from getting elbowed in the face. Suddenly, there was no long a child in his grasp. Instead, a worn jacket had taken their place. Richard stared at the jacket in shock before movement caught his attention. A small green bird attempted to fly away from the hero. The boy had enough experience with meta-humans to put two and two together, so Richard dove forward to capture baby bird in his hands. He managed to close his hands around the creature without falling over the bridge himself. The hero sighed in relief before plopping down onto the ground and leaning against the safety ledge.
The bird pecked at it's gloved prison, but it was futile. Garfield then tried to change shape, but Richard forced his hands to not give way. "Lemme out! You promised if I changed my mind-"
"I promised if we didn't find an answer, I wouldn't try to stop," Richard corrected. "But we did find an answer," he yelled to the bird clasped inside his hands. He didn't bother telling Garfield that he was never going to follow through with that promise anyway. Richard sighed, "Why would I turn you into the police? I already said I was going to help,"
"Cause a all the bad things I did," Garfield admitted.
Richard thought over the younger child's words. The kid could have been on the street before being given to the system; they probably would have ended up needing to break some laws to survive. Stealing food, breaking and entering, trespassing, the list could go on. Although laws shouldn't be broken, Richard understood why Garfield did what they did. "If I let you out, do you promise not to fly off?"
"...Fine," Garfield grumbled.
Richard's hands loosened slightly, but quickly clasped together again as a thought struck him. "Or change into some other animal and run off?"
Garfield was quiet a moment and Richard was glad he had asked. The kid had been planning to escape the moment Richard let go. "Yeah, yeah, okay... I won't run off,"
With some hesitation, Richard unclasped his hands and let them fall to the ground. The bird landed between Richard's legs and transformed into a more human appearance. The smaller kid seemed to try to glare at the hero, but they couldn't have looked less threatening. With their jacket gone, the poor kid had been shivering; their cheeks shined with tear streaks; the red-ish tint of their nose gave an odd contrast to their otherwise green skin; and the kids pointed ears were comically large in comparison to the rest of them. They looked pathetic. "Garfield," Richard said softly, "it doesn't matter what you did while on the street. It's okay, I'm not going to turn you in."
"How can I trust you? You went back on your promise to lemme jump,"
Richard could have made the same point he made before, but looking at the kid's face made it hard to lie. Richard slowly let his hands reach for his face, making sure Garfield had been watching, before he peeled off his domino mask.
Garfield sat in utter silence, baffled that the hero would do such a thing. "I just want to help you. Please, let me," Richard begged, dropping his mask so he could grab the younger kid's shoulders. Seeing the earnest expression on Richard's face allowed Garfield to believe in the Boy Wonder. Richard saw tears began to form in those large eyes, and the kid's bottom lip to quiver.
Before he knew it, the green child threw themself into Richard's arms. He returned the embrace just as strongly and rubbed soothing circles into Garfield's back. Before Richard's uniform could become completely soaked, his communicator buzzed with life.
"Robin, is everything okay?"
Richard was about to grab the communicator, but noticed Garfield had tensed. "What's-"
"That was Batman," Garfield murmured to no one in particular. They tried to pull away from Richard's grasp, but the hero held on tight.
"What are you-"
"T-that was Batman. The Batman! You might – b-but he'll definitely..."
"We won't-"
"Come in, Robin,"
Richard gritted his teeth as he struggled to get to his communicator and keep Garfield from leaving. "Stop! We won't tur-"
"I have your coordinates and I'm on my way,"
Garfield stopped struggling a moment to look into Richard's eyes. "Thank you for finding me... but I'm sorry, Richard," the green child whispered.
Before the hero's very eyes, they disappeared.
"Garfield?" Richard asked, searching the night sky for any animal he could find. The hero quickly stood and searched more frantically. "Garfield!?" he called. Still, no answer. Richard sighed in defeat. He noticed the kid's dirt covered jacket still on the ground and picked it up. Richard gazed at the clothing absently for a moment as he thought over his options. There had been nothing else he could have done. He just hoped the kid had learned something from that day.
Richard pulled out his communicator and pushed the 'talk' button, "I'm here, Batman. Everything's fine..."
Richard hadn't realize it at first, but his first meeting with Beast Boy wasn't actually their first meeting.
It was only after the adrenaline died down, and the shapeshifter took off that goofy mask, did realization hit. Then, he felt a flood of joy and relief. The wide-eyed kid he had meet all those years ago did live. They lived and they have a better life now.
Beast Boy didn't seem to realize this, and though Richard wanted to find out how their life went after that meeting, he was never going to tell his teammate. Who was he to remind the young hero of the day they hit rock bottom?
No, he was never going to do that. But there was one thing Richard could tell Beast Boy. One thing that could sum up all of his feelings and wouldn't seem out of place to say.
He was proud.