Carefully calculated high above the sunny street with it's fiery trees and minimum traffic, he pushes his speed and makes himself materialize in Tim's path.
"Happy Hallowee--"
There are packaged sounds and then candy dropping to the ground.
"Kon?"
"Dude, did you just throw candy at me?"
It's a stupid question but it's also reactive. Always part of Superboy's character, the sarcastic stating the obvious after the fact. One mistake, because Tim's heart had leaped in the split second where Superboy had suddenly appeared before him. Like lightning or danger or something unexpected.
Tim's composure comes back easily, despite the lost candy carried all the way from school. The pieces go ignored on the pavement.
"You nearly hit me in the eye," Superboy adds. Yes, it should have been deflected but as much as Tim hadn't expected Superboy, Superboy hadn't expected anything less than a happy greeting.
They are friends, right?
"Then I missed," Tim mutters, turning now to glance up and down the street.
"Chill," Superboy starts, coaxing his pride back. "I planned this carefully. There's rarely anyone out here because all the kiddies and families are getting prepped for some candy hunting. And I really do hope you don't throw treats at everyone because that's just plain not nice. Secondly, it's Halloween. I can wear this and hang out with you, no questions asked."
Tim continues to look around, apparently ignoring Superboy until his own search is complete--results acceptable.
"Tim?"
"One," Tim raises a finger, finally returning his attention to Superboy in front of him. "If my dad sees you, he's not going to believe that you're some punk in a shirt that I just magically happened to know. He's going to assume the obvious and unfortunately, it's also the truth." Tim runs his finger under his throat. "Two, it's Halloween: the worst night for out-of-state metas to be hanging around in Gotham."
"Tim, if you want I can change the suit and--" backtracking. It's possible that the floored candy can override the bitter taste growing in Superboy's mouth. That he's possibly made a big mistake but--
"Three," Tim interrupts, raising fingers again, "I wasn't walking home on my own but waiting for--"
"Draaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake!"
From around the corner, Superboy makes out a tall figure bounding towards them.
"That's Bernard," Tim answers, shifting to allow his classmate to see that he's heard.
"You mean the guy from your class you sometimes talked about?"
"Yeah," Tim tells Superboy. "No matter what, you can't let him know you're the real thing--"
"Tim, no problem I--"
"And don't you dare say that your name is--"
"Conner Kent? Got it, I--"
"No, you don't. Just--"
"Tim!" Bernard nearly tumbles to a stop, awkward yet laughing between pants. "I can't believe you have...have another friend!"
"Bernard," Tim starts, motioning to Superboy. "This is--"
"Nice costume!" exclaims the newcomer to the group. "Wow. It looks so much like the real thing."
"It's just jeans and a t-shirt," Tim interjects, shrugging.
"You should have went with the Superboy version with the jacket, the belts and the collar."
"Collar?" Superboy frowns.
"Bernard's a confused boy," Tim drawls, using the comment to regain control over his character. Superboy can hear the blood slow down inside of Tim.
Bernard straightens up, making himself close to a head taller than Tim. "No, I'm just more imaginative. Did you know that Timmy here plans to walk around tonight with my cousin and I in a bed sheet with holes?"
"That's your costume idea?" Superboy muses, trying to regain his own loss of character--whoever the hell he's supposed to be. "You are uncreative."
"One," Bernard raises a finger, probably taking the habit from Tim (or donating it), "Tim's mom is going to freak the hell out when she sees what he's going to do to her bed sheets."
"Step-mom, Bernard," Tim murmurs.
"And secondly, where did you get that costume? I mean, Tim hasn't even introduced us yet. He's rude like that."
"Bernard, this is--"
Redemption points required, Superboy pushes out his hand and introduces himself. "I'm Al Draper."
Tim makes a sound in the back of his throat. In the following second, Superboy decides that his ingenuity has prevailed, making even the ex-Boy Wonder amused. The perception changes when Bernard creases his brow as he shakes Al's hand.
"I know I've heard that before," he hums.
Another stolen glance at Tim reveals a very distraught look.
"Didn't you use that name the other day in Drama?" Bernard asks Tim.
"Possibly," Tim sounds out, clearly searching for a way to explain himself. In a minute, Tim will be showering Superboy with the withering 'I do the talking' look. "I really can't remember."
"You were supposed to think of original names," laughs Tim's friend. "Wow. You actually cheated at something. I'll sleep better at night knowing that you're not as perfect as you seem to be."
Superboy feels the need to laugh along, as if it's scripted. It feels wrong, what with knowing the opposite as true in regards to Tim.
"So, you're probably Tim's friend from his old school, huh?" Bernard continues, trying to lead them in the direction of where Tim's house is.
"Yeah," Superboy answers, now hoping that it's the right thing to say.
Tim makes no further comment as he falls in step between the two, hands clinging to the sides of his jeans and pulling off the image of someone completely and unabashedly normal. This also seems wrong, in Superboy's eyes. He tries to go along with it.
"Tim always talks about having friends. Hell, even a girlfriend nobody's ever seen. I would have just assumed that he had lived in a cave his whole life. A cave on Mars, just waiting for the day when he'd finally meet me to show him how to be cool."
Tim makes a snorting sound, much like something he'd do as Robin in the Tower or during Young Justice.
"Come on, Drake. You know it's true. Now think really hard and come up with a costume as good as Al's, here. You could go as Batman and pull off a World's Greatest thing?"
Superboy misses the flinch Tim should have had.
"Actually," starts the other. "I think Al had mentioned that he had a party to go to."
Bernard slows, leaning around Tim to look at Alvin. "Really? And you're not taking Timmy? Believe me, he needs to go out more. Meet real girls. The World's Greatest could probably get piles of girls!"
Superboy opens his mouth, already knowing that he doesn't have a prepared answer ready. He's already just been dismissed by Tim.
For his part, Tim jabs Bernard with his elbow and exasperatedly says, "for the last time, Batman doesn't exist. And I've already told Al that I agreed to spend the night with you and Ellie."
"Aw," drawls Bernard. "Isn't he so dependant?"
Tim rolls his eyes and starts heading forwards again, expecting both to fall into step.
Or, Superboy wonders, expecting Bernard to and for him to take his leave. It's clear that Tim's got infinite patience to wield for dealing with his sarcastic classmate. There's a growing feeling in Superboy, though, that warns that such patience no longer extends to him.
"I...uh, party is actually the other way," Superboy states, throwing a thumb over his shoulder. "I have a few others to pick up, but since I was in the neighborhood..."
"Well, you have a good one," Bernard grins, the expression easy to his face. "Remember, if you can't recall the event in the morning, then you'll know if you had a good time."
Tim nods and gives a small wave. "Thanks for stopping by, too. It was good seeing you."
"Sure," Superboy says. "It's no problem."
Hundreds of miles and two days of thinking about how to go about meeting Tim. It's no problem at all.
In parting, Superboy doesn't expect Tim to turn around to watch him leave as he crosses the street and disappears behind a line of houses. For his credit, Superboy doesn't try to listen in to see if Tim tries to apologize for Kon-El's presence; trying to excuse it or make it forgettable. It's not courtesy that deafens Superboy's ears…
It had been a stupid idea. File that away with all the others. Why did he think it would ever work in the first place? He knows Tim's situation and he knows that he has no right anymore in wondering if Tim misses him but--
Thanks for stopping by, too. It was good seeing you.
Upon ascending, Superboy can't decide on what he had heard behind those words. Something honest or something read from a script; something sad or if it all is just a final good riddance.
"Happy Halloween," he tells Gotham as it fades below him in reflected sunlight. At least someone should have a good night.