Lost My Heart in Gotham City part 1

January 17th, 2011 Gotham

Gotham wasn't the kind of city where you can just go out wandering by yourself in the middle of the night is what his uncle told him. This wasn't Keystone and it certainly wasn't Central is what Barry told him. Villains here were not to be underestimated and not be approached on your own. Wally shrugged off the warnings and ventured out on his own at 10PM. Both the Flash and Batman were on a case. It seems Captain Cold and Mr. Freeze decided to share their common interest with the citizens of this…err fair city. Barry and he would be staying in Gotham City for a week while they tracked down said villains and because Barry had "business" with one of the companies here. Wayne Enterprises or something like that, if Wally recalled correctly. The red head looked around the part of town he had wandered into and was slightly shocked to notice that he had unknowingly walked to the park.

He frowned slightly, Gotham and parks brought up a certain memory of a certain someone he had wished he had never met; the "boy wonder" of Gotham, Batman's protégé Robin. The kid was a total brat, was for too cocky for a kid his age and was downright annoying. Barry promised that they would get along perfectly, it didn't go exactly as planned and now all they did was glare at each other when ever in the same vicinity. Oh and the insults that they threw at the other…both mentors frowned disappointedly at both of their protégés at the lack of cooperation, which was saying something for Batman since he's the lone wolf of the league. But that was years ago when they were immature kids, now that they were immature teens they kept the insults and glaring to a minimum.

Wally huffed and watched as a puff of smoke escaped from his mouth curiously. He watched it rise and dissipate in the air, at the same time a tiny snowflake glided down from the heavens and landed on the red head's nose, melting immediately. He smiled slightly as he felt winters cold touch on his forearms and cheeks. He took a deep breath and exhaled again, watching his breath float away without a care in the world before he continued on through the park. He let his eyes analyze the park around him and found it rather…nice. Compared to the rest of the city this was like an oasis. There was no graffiti, no homeless people sleeping on benches and trash didn't cover most of the ridiculously green grass. It reminded him of Central, it reminded him of home. He never imagined that only after three days he would start to get home sick. Shoving his hands in his pockets to protect his finger tips from the cold he looked up noticing it was starting to snow harder. He should get back to the hotel before it started really to come down.

Straying off the path and through the grass, which had already started forming patches of snow on it, he headed to one of the play grounds, planning to cut through it. He stopped in his tracks suddenly when he noticed he wasn't the only one in the park anymore. On one of the swings someone was sitting, swaying slightly in the night only illuminated by the full moon, the small snowflakes only made it more…ethereal. It was a kid, a boy, maybe a little younger than him-fifteen or sixteen. He was totally not dressed for the weather they were in, but who was he to talk? He was a pair of shorts and a short sleeve shirt for crying out loud. The boy had hair as black as the night sky, dressed in a pair of gray jeans that hugged his legs snuggly. His shirt was a deep black V-neck tee that dipped pretty low into his chest and Wally wouldn't help but blush slightly, realizing that he was checking the kid out. His pale fingers clenched around the chain that was holding the swing in midair, causing the cold metal to clink cutting through the silence of the night. He looked up from his lap and Wally felt his heart jump into his throat at the sight of those clear perfect blue eyes that caught his green. It was like one of those photos or scenes in a really artsy movie where everything was in black and white and only one thing was in color and that was the kids eyes.

It was then Wally realized he probably looked like a weirdo who just got caught peeping, just standing there, looking at him. He gathered his nerves and walked forward toward the boy and as he got closer he realized that the kid looked…haggard and worst for wear. There were bags under those eyes and his hair looked kind of greasy like he had left gel in it for far too long. There was also a deep set frown that didn't look like it belonged on such a face. The red head hoped the frown was there before he came along, no that sounds mean but…

"You okay?" He heard himself say but he didn't remember his brain and his mouth communicating that they would talk to the stranger. Sometimes Wally's mouth just did what it wanted and it got him into so much trouble sometimes. The kid wiped his eyes, probably tears before looking back at the ginger, his frown fading slightly.

"What are you doing here?" He said in a hushed tone as if he was afraid the empty park would over here. He also ignored the question, Wally thought, slightly annoyed.

"Just uh…wandering around, y'know seeing the sights, avoiding muggers." He said jokingly, letting his charm flow into his words as he approached slowly, not wanting to scare him although he didn't really look scared.

"Wandering around Gotham at night by yourself? You have a death wish or something?" He sounded angry. Why?

"Well sorry I showed concern; I guess I'll leave you alone." Wally pouted, he would never acknowledge that he pouted of course but he did on occasions. A flash of guilt crossed the brunette's face.

"I-I'm sorry. That was rude of me. Been living in this city so long I'm not used to kindness from strangers." He tried to smile but it just looked strained. Wally couldn't help but frown at the sight.

"It's okay, I understand completely. This city is uh…something else." He treaded lightly with his words, not wanting to insult the boy's home town. He plopped down in the swing next to the brunette. "I'm Wally." He held out his hard. Blue eyes looked at him slightly skeptically before the boy took his hand and shook it firmly. Wally almost yelped when the boys calloused hand gripped his like a vice. To say that Wally wasn't expecting this…frail looking kid to have such a manly hand shake would be an understatement.

"Richard." Richard smiled slightly at the signs of shock on the red heads face. They let each other go and Wally flexed his hand.

"So, what are you doing out here in the middle of the night." Wally started to sway on his swing, a bit off set from Richard's own swaying.

"Trying not to think and failing miserably. Totally not feeling the aster."

"Aster?" Wally knows he's heard this word before but can't think of where.

"From the word disaster. If dis means bad or unfavorable then aster would be 'good'." Wally suddenly had a suspicion that this kid wasn't getting A's in his English classes.

"Uh, right." Wally laughed quietly causing Dick to give him a smile, an unstrained one and Wally liked that smile better, much better than the frown too. The ginger noticed that Richard had started shivering; he had completely forgotten it was snowing. There were flakes caught in Richard's hair, his too probably, as well as all over their clothes. "Hey, wanna get out of the cold? You're going to sick if you stay out here."

"Don't you mean we?" The brunette arched an elegant eyebrow that looked groomed if you asked Wally.

"Nah, I don't get sick. But I'd feel guilty if you caught the flu, so let's go. I saw a diner a block away from the park. Cup of coffee sound good? My treat!" He smiled sweetly. Something about Richard that made him feel…at home. And at home he let his mouth run. Richard chuckled at the rushed words but got up from his swing.

"Sounds good." Wally also got up and became aware that he was taller than the other boy by almost a head. He wasn't quite sure why that made him happy. Ego? Nah.

When they were seated in the diner and Richard and Wally had ordered. Wally ordering an obscene amount of food and Richard just a grilled cheese with tomato soup and of course the coffee Wally was treating him to. A comfortable silence came over them like a shroud and it didn't seem to bother the shorter boy who looked content with gazing out the window, watching the snow fall.

"So," Wally didn't do silence very well. "What were you thinking about out there all by your lonesome?" He looked at Richard who looked at him, then back out the window. "Well I mean in you don't want to tell me that cool but like I've been told it's always easier to tell a stranger your problems since they aren't objective…or something like that. I'll have to ask Uncle Barry again, I always forget." He was letting his mouth run but he didn't care because Richard looked amused and amused was better than sad.

"I just um…I" Richard stumbled over his words, trying to find the best way to put this. "I just got out of a um…really bad relationship. I was out there trying not to think about him." He looks like he wants to grab those words, those letters and jam them back in his mouth and down his throat; a feeling not too foreign to Wally.

"Dumped your boyfriend?" Wally asked as if it were normal, well, because it was, for him at least since he was bisexual-or pansexual; he wasn't sure yet, still discovering himself and all that. Richard looks shocked for a split second before the shock wears down into sadness and Wally regrets asking.

"He…dumped me." He rested his chin in his open palm, looking down at the pale yellow table. At that moment the waitress brought over their food. He looked at all that Wally had ordered in mild amusement and slight wonder. "You're seriously going to eat all that?" He asked, doubt evident in his voice.

Wally snorted. "Damn straight I am!" He proclaimed before digging into the pancakes first. Richard grinned before taking a slice of his grilled cheese, dipping it into the small bowl or tomato soup and taking a bite. They continued in this fashion for about ten minutes, Richard eating his sandwich prim and proper -at least to Wally, and the red head sloppily eating his three plates. He was surprisingly eating his food faster that Richard was his grilled cheese but it wasn't a race.

"You know, he's a moron for dumping you." Wally said suddenly, catching the brunette off guard and making him choke. He took a gulp of his cappuccino to clear his throat. He glanced at Wally suspiciously.

"Why would you say that?" He asked. "You don't even know me." He said quietly.

"I'm a really good judge of character and I can tell you're worth keeping." Richard flushed. "Plus your gorgeous, he's a moron." Richard flushed deeper, breaking their eye contact and looked out the window, trying to get his face back under control. He eventually shook his head.

"He said I was flighty and never there as much as I should be. It was true." He smiled sadly.

"Oh God, what are you fifteen? What's with you kids and needing to spend every second with each other?" Wally groaned causing Dick to quirk an eyebrow.

"Us kids? How old are you Mr. Adult?" He said in a slight mocking tone.

"I'll be eighteen in a few months!" He proclaimed loudly catching attention from the waiting staff. Richard snorted. "Trust me Richard; I've been dumped for those exact reasons. I've been called flighty and clumsy and all of that and what you need to understand is that that person, those people who say that just don't understand and probably won't understand so you have to keep looking for that one person who does." Wally was surprised, he never pegged himself for the heartfelt advice giver type but he was on a role and he wasn't stopping now. "I'm still looking for my "someone" too, so don't give up. You'll find him." A sincere smile graced Richards pale face and it looked perfect there along with the pink tinged cheeks.

They spent another 20 minutes chatting and eating, well Wally ate. He paid for the check, much to Richard's complaints, saying that he didn't mind splitting the check.

"Hey, do you mind if I use your phone? I need to call for a ride." Wally nodded and handed the brunette his phone. "Hey Alfred. Yeah could you? I'm downtown near the park. At the Diner, you know the place right? Mind not telling Bruce about this? Thanks Alfred." He hung up the phone but didn't hand it back to Wally immediately which Wally didn't mind as he watched the snow fall. "My ride will be here in five minutes. You need a ride?" Richard then handed over the phone which Wally pocketed.

"Nah, I'm staying like a block or two away. I could use the fresh air." Richard was about the comment on how dangerous Gotham was and how cold it's becoming outside but his argument was halted by the ginger. "Don't worry about me, I can handle myself. Plus I like walking, helps me think." He smiled making Richard smile and concede. They exited the diner at the same time a sleek black limo pulled up making Wally gawk as the driver got out and opened the door for his younger companion.

"Alfred this is Wally; Wally, Alfred." The brunette introduced them.

"Hello Master Wallace." Wally's eye twitched.

"It's Wally, and hi. Uh, Richard you own a limo?" The red head asked, his tone of voice conveying the obvious shock.

"No, my dad does." He said simply before getting in. Alfred closed the door and then nodded to Wally.

"Good evening, Master Wallace." He bid a good bye. Wally was still too shocked to correct the butler. Alfred got back into the limo and took off.

It took Wally a full 2 minutes to get over it. He shook his head and headed toward his hotel. His step faltered slightly as his phone buzzed in his pocket. He fished the device from his shots pocket wondering who would be trying to contact him at this time since he was sure it was past midnight back home. It was a number he didn't recognize, left a text message. Opening the message he smiled.

It read, "My name is Richard Grayson, look me up sometime. It was nice meeting you." Wally couldn't help but bit his lip as he started to reply, still heading toward the hotel. Maybe he wouldn't be some home sick now.

So, here I am again! Starting another fic and completely neglecting the others hehe…Well to be truthful my old fandom is starting to bore me and I think I need a break from it so more YJ fics!

Also I need a beta and I have no idea how to go about finding one-_-

ANYWAY! Review, and as always criticisms are always welcome and appreciated!