The snowfall is slowly getting harder. It's mostly dark aside from the cold and dull lighting from flickering lights on run-down buildings. He's getting nowhere and he's getting more scared by the minute.
He isn't fearless. Not like Batman, not like everyone else. His trained ears are picking up on the smallest of sounds as he dart across a rooftop. The building's tall and he knows it.
Someone's behind him and next to him and in front of him all at once. It's kind of terrifying, really. His breaths are coming out in puffs and he sees the end of the roof. He swallows because he's not entirely sure if there's another building after this one.
Nearing the edge, he jumps.
He's not very sure if he'll land.
•••
"You're crazy," Gardner says. He frowns, throwing Wally a dry look. "Do you expect anyone to fall for it?"
Wally flushes and he looks away. He balls up his fists and then unclenches one to rake slender fingers through his windswept locks. "Look, I know it's a stupid and risky thing to ask of you but believe me, I can make it work."
Gardner crosses his arms and raises his brows. He's dubious and very concerned about the whole affair. Wally can really see a similarity between how Gardner and Dick hold themselves at this moment. For a second, Wally sees a thirteen-year-old Dick Grayson glaring curiously at him before it fades away like a dream.
"Can you, West?" the boy says, challenging Wally. "You're asking me to do something that could get the both of us in trouble."
"Dude, please," Wally says in a strained voice. "I know my best friend like the back of my hand. You've got the looks and the way you carry yourself. I can help you play the part."
"Do you understand what you're asking me to do?"
Wally nods, looking into ocean blue eyes that carry the depth of the seas. "I do. As long as Bruce Wayne and his sons don't show up, we'll be fine. Please, Gardner, I'm doing this for him."
The ebony-haired teen cracks a smirk and Wally sucks in a breath at that. "You're a riot, West," Gardner says. "I swear, it's like you're in love with the guy."
"I-it's not like that!"
"I believe you," Gardner says and he sounds sarcastic. "Look, West, use your brain if you have one."
"Excuse me?"
The depth of those blue eyes disappear and are replaced with a blank appearance and absolutely no substance at all. "Let's say your friend is alive. Let's say he doesn't go to this final performance. According to the media, Grayson is—was—famous. The news of his return will obviously reach the press, right? If it reaches the press then it will most likely reach Grayson's ears. He'll know it was an imposter.
"Let's say he's alive and he does go. He'll be there in the crowds and I'll have done everything for nothing and you get your friend back.
"And let's say your friend's dead—there's a good chance he is, you know. If his death was caused by anyone out there, they'll know whoever was at the circus was an imposter. Maybe they'll alert the press. Who knows? What if he's alive and in the clutches of terrible people? They'll know.
"Oh, and the press. They're annoying. His family will find out. Someone will find out. And what then?" Gardner's eyes narrow at Wally, making the ginger step back an inch. "What then, West?"
The older teen steps up to the counter and looks down at Gardner. He has at least five inches on the sixteen-year-old. Gardner seems surprised by the approach and takes a step back. Wally slams a hand on the counter. "It's a risk we'll have to take. Dick would never let himself be captured and he is alive."
A delicate pitch-colored brow rises. Gardner has a tendency to utilize his brows to convey emotion. His smirk disappears and is replaced with an impressed smile. "I like your spunk," he says. "So"—he cocks his head back a bit—"what's in it for me?"
"I..." Wally rubs the back of his neck and his cheeks heat up. "I don't know."
"That's fine," Gardner says as he begins to untie the apron. He pulls it over his head, folding it neatly over his arm. "I'll do it."
Wally opens his mouth but he flounders for a moment. His eyes are disbelieving. "You will? Are you being serious?"
"We aren't friends," Gardner says, pouring the cold hard truth on Wally even though both boys already know that. "But you and Grayson most definitely are. You're doing this for him, right? If your only solution involves me then I suppose I'll do it."
"You are a life saver," Wally manages to say before a wide grin forms. Gardner is a little worried that the stretching will split Wally's face in two but he doesn't say anything about that.
Instead, he jabs a finger at something in the corner. Wally turns around and his stomach drops a bit when he sees a security camera. "That thing doesn't actually work, right?"
"Of course it does," replies a dry voice. "I'll take care of it though, don't worry. So, should we exchange numbers or...?"
"You'll take care of it?" Wally says, confusion lacing his voice. He narrows his eyes out of suspicion. "Are you... are you going to hack it?"
"Maybe, maybe not. What's it to you?" Gardner asks, leaning forward with a glint in his eyes. "Did your little friend have a penchant for hacking?"
Wally says nothing as he pulls out a crumpled receipt and a pen. Gardner might be a hacker, his mind thinks as he scribbles down his number. It's another freaky similarity between the two.
He hands it to Gardner and the teen's smooth hands claim it. The boy behind the counter tucks the paper into his front pocket and clears his throat. "So..."
"Lessons." Wally swallows. "I'll give you lessons. I-I can teach you about him and how to act like him and everything. We'll come up with a story and all that I guess."
"Sounds like a poorly thought out plan but okay."
"You won't tell anybody, right?"
The newspaper is folded up and handed to Wally. Gardner gives him a small smile before it disappears. "I'll try not to, West."
•••
Wally kicks off his shoes, leaving him in his black socks. He looks around as Gardner smiles a little awkwardly. "Well, this is my apartment."
"It's nice," Wally says, sensing Gardner's discomfort.
It really is nice. The walls are an off-putting white and the floor is a nice hardwood. The furniture is minimum but definitely modern. There are at least three bookshelves filled with books and they're evenly spaced and give a sense of symmetry. There's a sliding glass door that Wally assumes will lead to the balcony.
He's guided to the small kitchen area. There's a small marble island and the counters are spotless. Gardner grabs a banana from the fruit basket along with a pear and he tosses the banana to Wally. The both of them trail off into the living room.
"So, you ready to learn?" Wally asks. He silently wonders if Gardner ever sleeps. It's ten in the morning and he's pretty sure Gardner works an all night shift pretty much every single day. He pulls his backpack onto his lap and empties it on the coffee table that's suspiciously bare aside from a cactus plant in the center of it.
Papers and photos are spilled all over the table. He quickly sorts through it, making a less-than-organized mess. He takes a stack of index cards.
"You sure you can do this?" he asks. "According to the papers, the performance is in ten days. Will you be able to learn all this?"
Gardner taps the side of his head with a lazy and taunting smile. Wally swears he saw a brief smirk as the dark-haired boy takes the index cards. "Eidetic memory," he says. "With a good night's sleep, I can get it crammed into the ol' noodle."
Peeling the banana, Wally watches as Gardner takes a bite of the pear before delving into the mess of index cards. His eyes dart quickly across each one, his lips mumbling silent words that just tumble out. Wally finds the sight to be a little unnerving because Gardner is so startlingly similar and he just cannot get over it.
He looks away, unable to bear the sight for now. He wonders if he's making a mistake. After all, he's trying to fool the man who's grown up with Dick for six years and if he's unlucky he'll have to fool the Bat himself. He shudders for a moment, thinking about how much trouble he could get Gardner in if anyone ever found out what they were doing.
Green eyes wander around the room, observing any details he may have missed. He notices a lack of telling decorations. There's nothing that gives him an insight on Gardner's personality.
And that is actually very telling.
From what he can see, Gardner has secrets—maybe, at least. There are no pictures and nothing impractical or anything giving insight on Gardner's personality. Everything here is just enough to make the room seem like someone actually does live in it.
A yawn captures Wally's attention. He looks at Gardner and it's only then that he realizes how tired the younger boy looks. "Do you ever sleep?" Wally asks before he can stop himself.
Gardner captures Wally's eyes and there's a twitch in those lips again. "I do," he says. "When you work the night shift and don't go to school, there isn't much you can do."
"I guess?" Wally scratches the back of his head and looks over Gardner. "You just seem really tired."
"I suppose I am a little tired," Gardner murmurs, returning his focus to the cards.
Wally opens his mouth to say something but he's cut off when his phone vibrates in his pocket. Curious, he pulls it out. It's a text from his uncle, telling him he needs to get to the Cave immediately. He catches Gardner trying to look at the text and Wally stands abruptly and pockets the phone.
"I need to go," he says, giving the distant-looking boy an apologetic smile. "I'll be back soon though."
"All right," Gardner says. "I'll keep looking through these."
The ginger gives him a thumbs-up. "I'm positive you'll be able to do this," he says in the most confident voice. He runs for the door, leaving his bag so he has an excuse to feed his parents so he can come back later if he's home too late. He misses the curve of Gardner's lip as the door closes.
Getting up, Gardner stretches and yawns before he picks up the pear to continue eating it. He walks over to the door and locks it. As he walks past the kitchen area, he tosses the pear back and it successfully lands in the compost bin. He sits himself back down in front of all the papers and throws his head back with a groan.
"This," he says, "is a big mistake."
I hope y'all actually read the author's notes. I was hoping for people to offer me some ideas but I didn't get much. :/ It's cool though. I should be able to work out a few things.
Anywho, I'm trying to make Gardner be that distant-seeming kind-of-a-jerk-sometimes kind of person. And if you're a good detective, you should be able to make a few deductions by now and know what questions to ask.
And no. I have not decided whether or not Gardner is actually Dick. Every similarity is for the purpose of confuzzling the characters and the readers. I will not confirm or disagree with any assumptions you make.
Feel free to drop a few words into the review box. :) Have a nice life!