Prompt - "Gone" suggested by anon
I don't own Young Justice or the DC characters.
"Hi, Garfield," called Nightwing from behind him.
The boy kept his eyes closed and his head leaning on the taut metal chain. He felt the weight of the seat shift and knew his leader had taken the swing next to him.
"How are you doing?" the teenager asked.
What was he supposed to say? He was cold. He smelled the horrible muskiness from the rain. His suit and tie was suffocating him. And he kept wanting to throw up even though he had barely eaten in a week.
"Fine," he replied.
Even when he was in human form, Garfield's hearing was sharper than any human's. From two blocks away, he could hear the door of the church open and close as various friends and team members began to disperse.
"I was 9," Nightwing whispered. Garfield looked to his leader, the leader who never even told the team his name, let alone his past.
"Really?" Garfield was surprised to hear his voice so hoarse. He hadn't used it since he stopped screaming at the crash.
"Yeah. And I could say the emptiness goes away, but that's not the truth," Nightwing said. Even through his civilian sunglasses, Garfield could see that the teen's eyes were shut tight. "But it stops being so sharp. It numbs. The scars are still there, but you keep living. Because they'd want you to keep living. Even when you want to give up, you keep living to honor their life."
The rain started again, but Garfield didn't get up. He just put his head into the crook of his arm and cried. He could feel Nightwing pull the swing to give him a hug. Garfield leaned into him.
"My mom's gone," Garfield whispered with a hitch.
"I know."