Having someone like Dick Grayson as a friend was a good thing for 13-year-old Garfield. The two had both been in a similar place at the same age so when Garfield had trouble coping with his grief he would often turn to the older male for comfort and with today being the anniversary of his mother's death, he needed all the comfort he could get. Slowly trotting through the quiet and empty halls of the cave in the direction of the kitchen, he found his sister, as always slumped over some sort of pot or bowl, trying her best in mixing what he assumed had been cookie dough turned to concrete by now.
Sighing he shuffled over to her and wrapped his thin arms around her waist. He couched off to the side, trying to choke back tears but found it rather difficult. She looked just like her. She even had the habit of making horrible cookies just like his mother once did.
"Hi Gar." She greeted in her sweet bubbly voice, but her tone cracked when she looked behind her and saw her brother's single tear, rolling down his right eye.
She had seen that Facebook like and knew that it meant her little brother was in pain.
"Whats wrong?" She asked, spinning so she could face him but without severing the hug.
He sniffled a bit and buried his face into her stomach and tightened his grip over her midsection. Frowning at the contact, Megan's gaze shifted over to the calendar tacked to the wall. The date had long since been marked out with a dark marker, this had been done by Gar a few days after the incident. Bending a bit, Megan ran her fingers through his tangled, sleep tousled locks and planted a gentle kiss on his forehead.
"I know Garfield... I miss her to." She whispered, giving him a gentle hug.
He whimpered softly, but being the young hero he was did not want to show pain at all. Instead he pulled back from the hug, whipped his eyes and tried to put on a brave face.
"I-Is Robin at the cave today?" He asked, trying to clear his throat to keep his tearing voice from cracking.
"Not today. But I'm sure you can go visit him at his house. He shouldn't mind." Megan answered, straightening herself out and returning to her cookies. "Take the Zeta tube. But first."
She turned to him and instantly his skin turned back to its original tan color, his tail disappeared as did his fangs and fur.
"Thanks Megs." He called over his shoulder.
It was something the two siblings discovered they could do. Due to their blood link, Megan was able to shape shift her brother as well. So he could turn to a normal looking boy when he wanted to. But he preferred his animal look over anything else. Even so, even though Dick knew him in either form and the Batcave was secret, it was still a good idea to go in disguise.
Dipping into the Zeta tube that led to the Batcave, the boy stuffed his hands into his pockets, his amazement that had come from the transformation soon melted back into the sadness he had felt earlier. Huffing heavily, he closed his eyes as his being was disoriented and tossed about through what he had been told was the fabric of space and time, but it felt more like air to him. He usually just felt dizzy and at this point the occasional nosebleed, not the expected mega headache because all the secrets of the world had just run through your head like they do in Doctor type feel. Then again, Wally had been the one who told him the Zeta Tubes worked that way, and most of the things coming out of Wally's mouth at that time was nothing but shit so it would be wise to assume that that was a load as well. However, it was the answer Garfield accepted because while your pieces are being shuffled and tossed about only to be put back together, it becomes difficult to process a single thought except for how breakfast tastes the second time around.
He had the answer for this question: Same way it tasted over an hour ago. If made my Megan, it was burned or runny or over sweet, but in the same sense good.
"Hey Gar." A semi-deep voice rumbled into his ears. "What brings you here?"
Looking up, the half animal teen looked up and met a pair of baby blue eyes.
"Oh hey Dick." Garfield mumbled, looking down at his black converse and scratching his artificial red locks until they were tangled around his slim fingers.
Over the time the two had known each other they managed to develop an understanding of each other's body language. When Garfield got this way it usually meant he was mere seconds from breaking down. The older male took a minute to register this type of movement and searched in the back of his mind to pull forward what the day's date was. He took a deep breath when he remembered. This Garfield took as his way of saying 'Go ahead. I know whats going on now.'
"I don't know how you do it Dick..." He muttered as a pair of strong arms took him in. "Its so freaking hard!"
"For a piece Gar... I would have to agree with you." Dick mumbled into his hair as he ran his own fingers through it, slowly untangling the knots made by the smaller boy.
"How do you deal with it?" Garfield muttered, copying his earlier actions with his sister's embrace and pressing his face into the older boy's chest.
"To be honest. I don't really." Dick admitted sadly. "You just kinda learn to live with the way things are.""
The disappointed look on the boy's face told Dick that was not the answer he was hoping for. Sighing, Dick put a firm hand on the boy's head.
"Well that wasn't the best way to word things. I think what I meant to say was, over time, you'll still miss them no doubt, but you learn how to move on and deal with the pain." Dick rephrased.
Garfield sniffled again, his way of asking for the boy to clarify. Dick sighed and put a firm hand on the boy's head.
"Come on. We'll talk about this over lunch." He sighed but put on a weak smiled when the younger did the same.
It was a Saturday afternoon and the oldest teen wore a faded Scooby-Doo cartoon T-shirt that had been worn so many times it looked over-sized on him and for pants he wore light blue plaid PJ bottoms. A completely different fashion choice then the proud Nightwing Garfield was used to seeing. Not that it was a bad thing, anything Justice League related today only reminded him more of the woman who took away his mother. So up the stares he followed the older boy until they found themselves in the kitchen. A bowl of soggy cornflakes and a few strips of bacon sat on a paper-towel clad plate. It was obvious that breakfast had been Dick's first concern that morning, and his second concern had possibly interrupted this, what ever it may have been.
"OK, so what do you want for lunch?" The black haired teen asked running his fingers through his locks in an attempt to make them at least presentable. "We could order a pizza if you want."
The boy's eyes lit up, confirming the answer to be a yes. So within fifteen minutes the pizzas had been ordered and the boys found themselves planted on the couch watching what ever crappy cartoon they could find on Boomerang. This particular cartoon dealt with five teenage heroes who protected their city from their T shaped tower, eating pizza in their free-time.
"Hey Dick..." Garfield started slowly, setting his piece of pepperoni pizza back on its plate. "Have you ever wished life was a cartoon?"
"Whys that?"
"In cartoons like this, characters just bend and stretch, you never really see them die and they always seem so happy." Gar pointed out.
"When I was little, yeah. I sorta did wish that. When I first lost my parents." Dick sighed. "But it was kinda a stupid wish. But I found something even better then a cartoon."
"Whats that?" Gar questioned, picking up his pizza again.
"Actually living it." Dick muttered, sitting up a bit. "You know, I think thats how I actually learn to live with things. I found something else to look forward to in life. Going out and making sure people are safe at night and trusting that I'm doing some good for my parents."
Gar smiled and settled back into the chair he was sitting in. Just in time to catch a glimpse of the villain being defeated. He smiled to himself as he imagined himself on patrol later on that night. Making sure that no one else would get hurt from those people ever again.