Title: Trust Exercise
Characters: Peter, Sylar
Words: 1,600
Rating: PG
Warnings: None.
Setting: The Wall
Summary: Peter puts his cards on the table. Sylar isn't so willing.

Peter took a seat at the kitchen table and showed what he had in his hand – a deck of playing cards with a red, interlocking Arabesque-type pattern on the back. Sylar took the seat across from him, waiting to be told what was going on. Peter turned the deck so the faces of the cards were visible and spread them in a sloppy arc. He was no professional. Despite many casual games of cards, Peter had never gained any special proficiency with them, but he didn't need it for what he had in mind.

Sylar leaned forward to examine them, reaching out to tease the two jokers and the rules card from the end. He glanced up at Peter in question, because for some games one might leave in the jokers. For most, they would be set aside. Peter gave no indication of what Sylar was to do.

"This is a trust exercise," Peter explained. "See the cards?"

Sylar moved the jokers and rule card to the side anyway, then reviewed the rest of them. He raised his brows at Peter and said nothing, as though the question was too obvious to answer.

Peter scooped the cards back up and set to shuffling them repeatedly. Sylar watched Peter's hands intently as if trying to detect any sleight of hand. Despite having Nathan's memories, Peter supposed Sylar couldn't be certain Peter hadn't learned a new skill at some point. He tried to shuffle normally, but the scrutiny made him self-conscious.

Peter dealt five cards face down in front of Sylar, arranging them in a row with each card about an inch apart. He dealt five cards in front of himself the same way. Then he set the deck down in the middle. Sylar puzzled over the layout without touching his cards. "What are the rules?"

"It's simple. We each lift the first card and look at it. I'll say the name of my card. You'll say the name of yours. Then we both show our card and see who lied and who told the truth."

Sylar blinked at him twice, then stared. He lifted his first card and looked at it. Peter made note of the lack of argument, discussion, or question. He took Sylar's action as a signal to begin and looked at his own. It was the two of diamonds. Sylar's face was carefully impassive as he regarded his card. He kept it perpendicular to Peter so there was no way Peter could see it. "How is the score kept?"

"There is no score. It's not a game to win or lose. It's an exercise I want to go through with you."

Sylar tilted his head slightly, letting his eyes slide to his card, then back to Peter. Peter waited as quiet and still as he could, letting Sylar work through this. Because that was the point. It was the exercise by itself. He had worried this was too cruel, or would set off Sylar's paranoia about manipulation. He had been concerned Sylar might even become violent if he suspected he was being tricked or mocked. Peter didn't know what Sylar would do. But he wanted to find out. He needed to find out, if they were to build any sort of decent relationship between them.

"Then it's a mind game," Sylar said, which was close enough to the truth that Peter didn't dispute it. With a falsely conversational tone, Sylar asked, "Is it like that other game where if both tell the truth, they each get a point, and if both lie, they each lose a point, but if one tells the truth and the other lies, then the liar gets two points and the truth teller loses two?"

"That … sounds like the Prisoner's Dilemma," Peter said. "That's important, but it's not what this is or is about. This is about trust."

Sylar gave him an unimpressed look. "Then tell me what your card is."

Peter looked him straight in the eyes and answered without looking down at his card, off to the side, or anywhere else. "Two of diamonds."

Sylar's brows twitched. "Show me."

Peter looked at the card Sylar continued to hold and had said nothing about. His eyes went up to Sylar's, who remained patient and guiltless at having immediately broken the rules. It was surprisingly painful to realize how little trust Sylar had for him. Peter exhaled steadily. He turned his card over. It was exactly as he had announced it. Sylar studied it, then looked at Peter. He kept looking at Peter as he put his card down, face-down – unseen and unannounced.

It was a challenge – a dare. Not only was Sylar refusing to state what his card was, he was refusing to turn it over. No doubt he was waiting to see what Peter would do. He could reach over, flip the card, and lecture Sylar on the rules again. He could insist Sylar do as he was supposed to do. Which one would be meaningful in developing trust?

Peter tried to ignore the itch on the back of his neck that hadn't been there a moment before. It was purely psychosomatic, discomfort brought on by the conflict. He also resisted the desire to grimace in displeasure. Instead, he reached for his second card as though nothing untoward had happened. Sylar's lips pursed slightly as he mirrored Peter's actions. Peter looked at his new card. Sylar looked at his. Peter said, "Jack of clubs."

Sylar's eyes narrowed. He looked from Peter to the back of the card as though he might develop x-ray vision. But he wasn't going to ask questions. He just wasn't, and seeing that was fascinating to Peter. It was terribly important to know and realize. It was also gratifying to know that Sylar was as off-base with this as Peter. They were two swimmers treading water, each concerned about being pulled under by treacherous waves. Sylar put his card down, face-down just like the other. Peter copied him. Sylar said, "Let me see yours." Peter obliged by flipping it. It was as he'd said.

Sylar swallowed and pulled his head back in muted consternation. He lifted his third card, glanced at it, and set it back down. Peter lifted his, examined it for a moment longer, and set it down. Sylar asked, "What is it?"

"Four of diamonds."

"I have an ace," Sylar asserted as though it were some manner of trump card.

"Okay." When Sylar didn't move following his statement, Peter set his card down face up – the four of diamonds. Sylar gave it a suspicious look, then lifted his fourth card, leaving his possible 'ace' unconfirmed. He didn't put his fourth card down, preferring to hold it as he had the first ones. Peter looked at his own fourth card and said, "King of spades."

"Three," Sylar said cautiously, "of diamonds."

Peter really had to work to keep his expression neutral. He wanted to smile. He wanted to thank Sylar and congratulate him and heap praise on him for having made it far enough to admit the identity of his card (or the potential identity – he might be lying). But the exercise wasn't over yet. Peter nodded once and set his king down, face up. Sylar looked at the card in his hand. He started, twice, to set it face up. But then at the last instant, he disappointingly flipped it to face down, his gaze shooting to Peter's face to catch any trace of emotion that Peter hadn't been able to keep from his features.

Peter didn't know how good or bad a job he was doing on the expression front. He was certainly disappointed at how guarded Sylar was, even though this was much better than a worst-case scenario of Sylar refusing to do it at all, or being so threatened by the uncertainty of the proceedings that he became violent or demanding. It could be worse. At least he was willing to struggle through this, learning and adjusting along the way. Peter sighed and reached for the fifth card. Sylar lifted his. Peter said, "Two of hearts."

Sylar glanced at his a second time, then at Peter. He laid down his last card unannounced, but face up. Peter's heart skipped a beat and the corner of his mouth lifted. It was the six of spades. Peter showed his briefly to confirm it, then pushed all the used cards off to one side without flipping any to see the ones Sylar had left facedown. They ended up in an untidy pile. Sylar stared at them in unvoiced dismay, but did nothing. Peter picked up the deck and dealt five more cards in front of each of them, just as before.

Sylar picked up his first card immediately, pulling his eyes away from the mess of the discard pile. "This goes on until I realize you're going to tell the truth every time, is that it? Some proof of your honesty and good intentions?" There was an edge to his voice, but under that seemed to be actual curiosity.

Peter shrugged. He looked at his first card. "Queen of hearts."

"Jack of spades." Sylar set his down, face up. Peter put his own down the same. A small, serious frown creased Sylar's features as he looked back and forth between the cards. He appeared perplexed.

Peter picked up the second card. Sylar matched him. "Two of clubs." "Ten of diamonds." The cards were revealed and matched what they had been announced as. The other three sets followed quickly, with Sylar setting a rapid pace. When done, he regarded Peter with that same serious frown.

Peter pushed the last set of cards off to the side to join the others. Sylar was distracted from peering at Peter. He grimaced and gathered the pile to him, sorting and flipping cards as Peter shuffled the deck to give him time. It seemed time to offer an explanation, before Sylar's patience and good humor with the process was exhausted.

Peter said, "Last night, we talked about honesty. You said it could be dangerous – being honest. I've been thinking about that. You play your cards close to your chest. I thought maybe we could practice trusting each other and being honest. Doing something low stakes – no score, no winner, no loser. Just … practice, like you've said I need to do with abilities. Maybe trusting each other is something like a muscle that we can strengthen through exercise."

Sylar finished arranging the discard pile to his standards. "Is this an escalating operation where we steadily reveal more and more incriminating things about ourselves? That sounds like a game I will not fare well in."

Peter put five new cards in front of Sylar and himself. "I'm not doing this to trick you, trap you, or make you reveal anything you don't want to reveal." He drew his first card. Sylar looked at his facedown cards, seemed to consider his options, then lifted the first one. They went through the five cards in sequence, per the rules, with both of them announcing the correct identities of the cards before proving it. It was slower than the second round. Sylar let Peter set the pace this time. He followed along in a more relaxed manner. Peter had to resist the impulse to lie on the last card just to get a reaction. That, perhaps, was a stunt for another day, when they already had a foundation of trust between them.

At the conclusion, Sylar collected up the used cards and put a hand over the deck before Peter could take it. He set the deck on top of the discard pile, consolidating them into one. "I think," Sylar said thoughtfully, "I understand this … exercise. Let me think about it."