A/N: Written for the 'Learning Things The Hard Way' challenge, located in the Young Justice Challenge Forum. Got a problem with any of it, just don't read.

:-:-:

He didn't know how it happened. It just, did, ya know? And once it started...

He just really couldn't stop.

"Wally, c'mon man...this isn't you!"

Wally just let out an intoxicated giggle, not even recognizing the boy when he spoke. "Yeah well, you isn't you!" As if it were the funniest comeback in the world, his uncontrollable laughter erupted and he stumbled away from the outreached hand that tried desperately to stop him.

Yeah, like that would ever happen. He was out of the door before the boy, his best friend, could even take his next breath.

They all had tried to stop him from doing this at some point or another. The girl had cried, pleaded, but he wasn't in the best of moods that day and succeeded in sending her into a near coma with his violent reaction to her whining voice.

A few days later, the calmest of them all had tried to talk some sense into him. None of it went through, instead he chuckled and giggled, something about a fish, and ignored every word.

One just didn't get it, didn't get what he was supposed to be preventing. He only responded with anger, anger which led to such an enormous fight that the seniors eventually had to step in, tossing both to opposite walls of the abandoned building they had taken their brawl to. If he had stayed, he probably would've had to endure a long lecture and would've been cured from this addiction by force.

The last that had tried was the most important to him, when he was sober. He remembered that as he swerved through traffic with such blind speed that he was only relying on instinct to move left or right. A flash of the hurt look the boy had given flooded his thoughts for a second, before the honking of another car reminded him to move, again.

He stumbled, tumbling in front of another car. The driver skidded to a stop and before she could release her gasp, the yellow blur in front of her minivan was gone.

:-:-:

Alleys hadn't been so tempting before he found his liquefied tranquilizer. Now, they just looked so tempting, despite the whispering shadows and flickering lights. He wobbled by an overfilled dumpster, the smell getting him more nauseous than he had ever felt from any hangover before. There was no helping it. With a heave, the contents of his makeshift lunch and various liqueurs and beers forcefully removed themselves from his stomach. Over the sound of his own hurling, he didn't hear the chuckles.

"Well well well, look what we have here."

"Such a fine opportunity to send the League a message, ain't it boys?"

He turned around faster than his vision or brain could catch up. All he could make out was shadows.

"Whaddya wan-"

An insanely loud noise rang in his ears, and for a second he thought someone had slammed a pair of cymbals against his head. Then came the pain. A pain that electrified his body, a pain that snapped him into reality, even if just for a few long, excruciating minutes.

The chorus of laughter around him just blended into one, bass opera. As it faded away, he took notice of the feeling of wet concrete against his cheek. When had he fallen? Why couldn't he move? He struggled to find an answer but before he could, the shadows grew bigger, enveloping him into a silent, numb darkness.

-:-:-

When he woke up, the first thing that happened was M'gann hugging him until he felt like his chest would give out, sobs wracking her body and tears running down her face. For a moment there was some confusion. He blinked again, and then the room stopped being just a white color.

His team and a few senior members of the league, each with a different expression on their face, circled his bed. When had he gotten into this bed?

His mouth opened, but before he could process a sound, a lighting quick punch connected with his jaw. He coughed, with a vague thought that he could taste blood, and whipped his head back at his attacker.

It was his first time he had seen Dick cry.

"All I asked for was for you to stop before something happened." His voice was so watery compared to his normal tone. "Before something like this happened."

He turned and raced out of the room before Wally could even process what happened. Everything was just happening too fast, for once.

Minutes later, the seniors slowly left, with the exception of his mentor. He had an odd mixed expression of disappointment and sadness, but didn't say anything. For once, the man he had always looked up to had nothing to say at all. But the remaining members of his team did.

"You can't run anymore."

As blunt as it was, it got the point across quite well. He seemed to zone out once Kaldur went into detail. His jaw had dropped, and he stared down at his bandaged knees. His voice wouldn't aid him as his mouth moved and tears formed in his eyes. Kaldur stopped talking and headed towards the door, and with a soundless look, M'gann and Superboy left the room as well.

Flash stood next to the now shaking boy, gulping down the parent-like apprehension of his next words.

"You...you could've done so much better than this."