Wally had never expected to be a ghost. Sure, he'd heard about them in stories, but he never thought they were real. Not until he died, and found that Dick couldn't see him. Couldn't hear him. Dick didn't know he was there.
For months Wally followed Dick around. When Dick sat down to eat the rare occasions he did, Wally sat next to him. When Dick cried, Wally cried. When Dick got angry, Wally got angry.
Wally had tried to get Dick to touch him so many times. He'd put his hand right next to Dick's, sit right next to him, but it never worked. Dick just passed through him. He probably felt a chill, but that was it.
Wally always saw Dick cry. Whether it was a few tears, or a full blown sobbing, collapsing inducing crying, Wally saw it. He wanted to just pick Dick up, to hold him close, to kiss him and make him happy. He tried to hug Dick during the episodes where he collapsed, but he never could. Dick would cry for hours, until he had the strength to stand again.
Wally yelled at Dick when he made stupid decisions. Such as jumping off a roof without his grappling hook in hand. Such as not eating for a week. Such as cutting his skin open with a razor blade.
Wally felt Dick's anger bubble up inside of him. He got angry when Dick got angry about a villain. He got angry when Dick got angry about Bruce. He got angry when Dick got angry with the universe for separating them.
Wally watched over Dick, becoming a guardian angel of sorts. He stayed by Dick's side at every moment, trying to convey that he was there. Dick never heard, like always. Wally had stopped expecting Dick to hear.
Wally watched as Dick grew numb inside. Wally watched as Dick lost any care in the world, besides what was left of Wally. He watched as Dick's world narrowed to an apartment and a dog. Wally watched as the dog was cut out of Dick's life, and Dick was left alone again.
Wally watched as Dick died on the inside. They were both dead in a way. Wally on the outside, Dick on the inside. He became a hollow shell, a prison for what was left of the soul inside. Eventually, Wally watched as Dick grew too weak to stand.
Wally couldn't let Dick die. Someone, in a last ditch attempt, Wally managed to contact Bruce. Bruce had taken Dick to the Manor, and Wally had followed. Dick had looked so weak, pale and skinny, that Wally cried. This was all his fault. He hadn't been able to do anything, now Dick was half dead.
When Dick woke up again, he noticed the change in scenery. He didn't see Wally sitting at the foot of the bed, but Wally didn't expect him to. He never expected Dick to notice him anymore. Ghosts were real. And being one was an absolute curse.
