Engravings

Dick walked over to where Bart and Barry were standing. The three of them stood in the middle of a circle imprinted into the snow by the speedsters’ feet. Dick’s eyes stared at a spot where a third set of footprints ended.

Bart squeezed Dick’s shoulder before walking out of the circle.

Barry looked at Dick with tear filled eyes, “He wanted me to tell you he loved you.”

Dick nodded, squeezing his eyes tight behind his mask to hold back his tears. “Barry, is he really, you know-“

“Gone? I don’t know. It’s possible he’s stuck in the Speedforce, but I honestly don’t know.”

Dick slowly walked over to the circle and gently traced his fingers over the tracks where Wally’s footprints clearly ended. His fingers slightly stirred up the snow. Dick furrowed his brow when he saw something glint in the moonlight. He gently pushed away the snow to reveal a gold ring.

Dick picked up the ring and took a shaky breath. He turned the ring over in his fingers before taking off his left glove. He looked at a matching gold ring on his finger. He took off his ring and held it beside Wally’s.

A tear streamed down his face as he looked at the rings’ engravings. On his ring the word ‘Always…’ gleamed in the moonlight. On Wally’s the word ‘…Forever’ completed the engraving on Dick’s ring.

A tear streamed down Dick’s cheek and landed in the snow. He enclosed his hand around the rings and whispered, “I’ll love you always and forever, Wally.”