A/N After the last Young Justice episode, I pretty much had to write this. I'll explain it more at the bottom, but until then, enjoy. :)
Thank you so much, to my beta, FallenUpStairs! She helped me so much with this. ^^
Disclaimer This'll go for the entire story: I don't own. I own the plot, but all recognizable characters/objects/places are not mine.
~Aiva
Wally was lost in a haze, thoughts wandering freely and carelessly. He felt almost as if he were floating, drifting on a calm breeze or a gentle wave. It was nice, peaceful and relaxing. Dimly, he thought that he was supposed to be bored for some reason, but why would he have to be bored? A sense of urgency followed the thought, like there was something he was forgetting. But that feeling was soon gone, sliding away like water through fingertips. Brushing it away, he allowed himself to sink more fully into the daze of serenity he found himself in.
Nothing mattered beyond that; his history, personality…none of it mattered. Yet, some spark within him still clung to his name; Wally West. His name was Wally West. But even that didn't really matter. He was safe and comfortable, and that was what was important.
Dick fought the exhaustion that gripped him, refusing to go to sleep. He numbly glanced up at the calendar; August 5th. A month had passed since Wally's death, but still, the ache remained. Honestly, Dick felt guilty too, that he hadn't been the friend he should've before Wally died. Now it was too late to fix all of that, and that's probably what hurt the most. Dick knew he wasn't the only one in a depressed state; Artemis, Barry, Iris, Wally's parents, the Garricks, the Justice League, and the Team felt the loss just as keenly. It seemed everyone was suffering at least a little bit from Wally's death. The speedster, though he had been retired for a while before his passing, was still well known among them all.
His apartment in Bludhaven suddenly felt far too small, stifling and suffocating. Dick hastily stood, grabbing his motorcycle helmet before slipping out the door. There was no destination set in his mind as he slipped on the waiting bike, just an overwhelming urge to escape. He revved the engines and drove off, not caring that he was probably breaking most speed limits. He felt almost as if he went fast enough, he could outrun the awful weight of grief. Of course, it didn't work, but the cool air had at least cleared his head a little, allowing him to actually function.
Glancing around for the first time to see where he was, Dick was only a bit surprised to find himself at the zeta tube located in Bludhaven. He let out a small sigh, stepping off the bike with only a vague, uneasy purpose in mind. Talking to the graves of his parents had often helped him to feel better, at least in the long run. Maybe, just maybe, talking to Wally's would do the same.
Of course, Wally's body wasn't actually buried there. There was no body to be buried, considering the fact that the speedster had simply faded from existence completely. But they still had a funeral and buried a coffin. The people who knew Wally in his civilian life didn't know that there wasn't a body inside, and didn't need to. Still, being there at least made him feel a little closer to his late best friend. He would go and see the holograms, but he really didn't want to risk running into anyone else. Here, this early in the morning, there probably wasn't going to be anyone around, so it was a safer bet than the holograms. Besides, Dick didn't want a bunch of other holographic eyes staring at him; after a while, it became a bit disconcerting.
Dick stepped into the abandoned phone booth that served as the zeta tube, similar to the one found in Gotham city.
"Nightwing, B-01," the computerized voice announced as a yellow light scanned him carefully. He was soon whisked away, transported to Central City. Stepping out of the zeta tube, he pulled out a pair of sunglasses. Dick just felt more comfortable having them on, and concealing his face with a motorcycle helmet would just be odd, considering he had left the bike in Gotham. Besides, he really didn't want any random people on the street to wonder why there were tears welling up in his blue eyes.
Dick let out a small sigh and started walking. The Central City graveyard was only a block away, a distance he could cover in about five minutes, though it was long enough for a morning chill to cool his skin. While summer was only just drawing to a close, the misty air had caused the temperature to drop a few degrees. The cold air was noticeable only because he had neglected to grab a jacket, instead wearing nothing but a dark t-shirt. Dick didn't really mind though; focusing on the weather and the slight eddies and wisps of mist were helping to distract his mind from the reason he had come here.
However, he couldn't avoid it for long, especially when he was standing at the graveyard entrance. Dick exhaled lightly, stepping on to the neatly manicured grass that rustled beneath his feet. Wally's gravestone was to the left, not all that far from the entrance. A minute was all it took to reach the grave. Once there, Dick hesitated a little, shifting his weight uncertainly from foot to foot before sighing and kneeling down in front of the engraved stone, ignoring the dew that soaked the knees of his jeans.
"Hey…Wally…" Dick greeted slowly, voice a bit hoarse. He cleared his throat, trying not to pay attention to the way his eyes were already wet with unshed tears. "Everyone really misses you, you know."
Birds started to chirp in the background, the cheerful sound a painful contrast to the agonizing emotions that filled the acrobat. Dick focused on the sound for a minute before returning to the one-sided "conversation" he was attempting to have. "Artemis won't even go out as herself anymore. She goes as Tigress instead. She…she says it's because Artemis was your partner." His voice was trembling lightly now, the shake barely noticeable, but still definitely there. "Barry is really upset too. Bart is trying to keep his spirits up, but…I think Iris is helping him the most. That, and the twins on the way. You can see the bump now and Iris says they'll be kicking any day."
One salty drop finally spilled over, tracing a path down his cheek before falling to the ground. Dick cursed, wiping his eyes furiously with the back of one hand. "I can't do this!" he said, frustration clear. "I'm trying to hold it together, but…I just can't!" His shoulders were shaking now, quiet sobs escaping his lips. "I'm sorry, Wally. …I can't handle the fact that you're really…d-dead. You're my best friend, even if we weren't all that close in the end. I wish I could just…see you again and apologize for all the mistakes I've made. I'm sorry," he repeated.
Dick's head drooped forward and he simply cried for a good while, allowing his emotions to consume him for at least a moment. "I miss you," he choked out, because he did, he really did. The grief was sharp and piercing, like a blade that threatened to rip him to shreds.
He didn't bother to wipe the tears away this time, knowing it was pointless; more would follow. So Dick just kneeled there, mourning the loss of his best friend, feeling useless and painfully alone. He stayed like that for what felt like hours before peeling himself up off the ground. There was nothing left to be said, not today. He was barely aware of making his way back to Bludhaven, up to his apartment, and collapsing on his bed. Dick was drained, even more exhausted from the tears that he had shed, so slowly, he fell into an uneasy sleep.
Wally felt something tug against what awareness he had left, making him frown. He focused, a bit of that passive calm dissipating. He felt almost like he should try to move, to stand, but he instinctively knew that all of this would go away once he did, and Wally was incredibly reluctant to let go of this freedom from all possible worries and troubles. It was so easy to just stay still instead and allow himself to drift away once more.
But something stopped him from doing that completely, a nagging voice in the back of his mind. Words started to filter through his conscious, dim and garbled as if they were being said from underwater, though Wally managed to make out most of it.
"Everyone really misses you…" Who? Who missed him? He didn't remember anyone, he didn't remember anything beyond this sweet paradise he was in. Distracted by this, he was only able to pick up on the last little bit of the rest of the conversation.
"You're my best friend, even if we weren't all that close in the end. I wish I could just…see you again and apologize for all the mistakes I've made. I'm sorry. …I miss you."
The voice was starting to become incredibly familiar and Wally's brow furrowed in thought. Who…? In a flash of inspiration, a name came to him. Dick! The name of the mysterious speaker was Dick! He had a vague notion that he should know this man, that he had been close to him…weird. Wally was tempted just to ignore it, but his curiosity had been piqued now. He couldn't just let it go; Wally had to know how he knew this man and why he had interrupted Wally's peaceful state of bliss.
Wally focused all of his attention on reaching out, mind extending probing fingers to find a way to answer back.
A/N Basically, I'm still holding on to the theory that Wally didn't die, he was sucked into the Speed Force. It makes sense, since he only faded instead of just collapsing to the ground, dead. Of course, we won't ever be able to tell if that really happened because they cancelled the show...darn. Oh well.
No promises on how often updates will be since I now have three stories to work on, but I'll try my best to keep them as frequent as possible.
Reviews are greatly appreciated!
