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Garth bounced eagerly on his toes, gaze fixed on the edge of the dock. He was gonna spend the day with Aquaman! After joining the Teen Titans, Garth didn’t get much one-on-one time with the hero. Finally, they had an entire day to themselves. Arthur was as much of a parent as a mentor to Garth, and the young boy savored their time together.
Above the gentle waves, a blond head peaked out of the water. “Hey there, tadpole.”
“Arthur!” Garth yelled as he jumped into the ocean.
“It’s so good to see you!” he laughed as he pulled the boy in for a hug. “Now, what do you say we get away from the surface for a bit?”
Garth grabbed Arthur’s shoulders, and they began to swim downwards. In Atlantis, children often held onto their parents' shoulders while swimming, allowing them to travel faster or longer than they could on their own. Garth was growing quickly, but he couldn’t yet keep up with the Aquaman himself. Plus, he liked holding onto Arthur. It made him feel safe.
“So,” Arthur began, “how’s it going with your new friends?”
Garth puffed out his cheeks and blew a stream of bubbles from his mouth. “Fine”
“Oh come on minnow, you know you can talk to me.”
He sniffed. “I dunno, I just don’t think they like me all that much.”
“That can’t be true,” Arthur insisted. “From what I hear from the JL members, everyone loves you. Diana says Donna won’t stop talking about the stuff you all do together.” Garth squeezed his eyes shut and offered a non-committal hmph . “I really thought you all got along.” He stopped swimming to look at the boy.
“Maybe,” Garth started, avoiding eye contact and hugging his arms. “But no one ever really laughs at my jokes. Or they just ignore what I say.” It felt good to let it all out. He thought back this morning.
“Alright team, gather 'round,” Robin called. “We’ve just received word that Condiment King has raided all the sauces from a nearby Batburger. Seems like he’s gearing up for a fight.” He paused and looked at the team. “We gotta figure out what he’s planning.”
“Maybe he just needed to season an extra large burger,” Garth joked. The room was silent - no response from any of the heroes. Not even a half-pitying chuckle was sent his way. He grunted. He didn’t think his joke was that bad.
Wally snapped his fingers. “I’ve got it! Maybe he’s planning to open his own fast food chain: Everything But the Burger!” At this, Dick and Roy burst into laughter while Donna let out a groan. Garth crossed his arms and stared at the ground. No matter how hard he tried to be a good teammate, the others always seemed to prefer to listen to someone else.
Arthur put a hand on Garth’s shoulder, bringing him back to the present. “I’m sorry tadpole, that sounds hard.” He took a deep breath. “But you are speaking to them aloud, right?”
“Huh?” his eyebrows drew together.
“With your mouth?”
Garth took a sharp breath and turned red. A soft smile crept its way onto Arthur’s face. The young boy turned away and buried his face in his hands.
“Hey there, minnow, it's alright. I know you’re still getting used to the surface way of doing things.” Garth huffed and stayed put. “But I want you to know I’m really proud of all your progress.”
Garth lifted his head. “Really? But I can’t even speak right.”
“Hey, now. You’re trying to learn a completely new culture, a different way of life! Of course it’s not going to come easy. But look at you! I’m so impressed with how far you’ve come.”
Arthur reached out and ruffled the boy’s dark curls. “It wasn’t too long ago that just standing in the sunlight was overstimulating. Now, you’ve made some amazing surface friends, joined a superhero team, and saved the world a few times.”
“Well,” Garth sniffed. “We haven’t actually saved the world yet.”
His smile widened. “But I know you will . I’ve loved having you by my side these past years, but I can’t tell you how happy it makes me to see you learning new things on your own.”
Garth’s face split into a matching grin. “I’ve been working super hard to be the best hero I can be.”
“That’s my boy. Now, don’t give up on your new friends just yet. It’ll be hard to remember at first, but try speaking out loud when you have something to say.” Garth bit his lip nervously but Aquaman continued. “I know they’ll love your personality just as much as I do. You just have to give them a chance to see the real you.” He thought for a moment. “Tell you what. If you promise to try speaking out loud with the Titans, I’ll take you to see the sea turtles hatch on the Galápagos. Shake on it?”
Aqualad’s face lit up and he stuck out his hand. “It’s a deal!”