Originally written and uploaded to FanFiciton.net in 2013
Wally West, had just come back from a mission with the rest of the Young Justice team. It had taken more of a toll on him than he originally thought it would have. The villain, some crazed asshole, had the ability to take away powers. If it weren't for Robin's general badassery and Artemis' bow and arrow the team would have been in a lot more trouble.
When the speedster had temporarily lost his powers, everything slowed down to a stop.
It was as if his whole world had just been covered in molasses. He was so confused and nothing made sense; all he knew is that there was a sudden insatiable void inside of him that just ached to be filled. Something was missing and he needed it back before he died of sheer boredom.
When Robin and Artemis had defeated the villain, all the power energy began to return to each hero.
The world was still moving so slowly for the poor speedster, he couldn't think strait or move, just stared blankly at the slow world around him. The team were nowhere near him at this point so they could see how badly the sudden temporary loss was affecting him. This spat of lost power must have only lasted a few minutes tops, but it felt like a lifetime to Kid Flash. Eventually, enough of his energy had come back to set him off speeding about once more. Flirting with the ladies and annoying everyone to his heart's content.
No one would have guessed his powers were taking longer to fully come back. He hadn't eaten for such a long time due to the unexpected length of this mission. So his seriously heightened metabolism was burning up any power he had fast in replacement of food.
When they got back to Mount Justice, Wally had said a brief good-bye, then went to the zeta beam and was gone before anyone could really have acknowledged his departure.
There were two reasons behind this rushed departure. The first being that he was genuinely tired from the day's activities for once (and boy, did he need to eat). The second being that he knew his father was due home any minuet and he still had so much to do.
Wally had arrived back at his house (now in civvies) checked no one was around.
The house was silent, that's how he liked it.
No parent around.
Just him.
The speedster felt completely whipped of all energy "It must have been losing my powers." he thought and rubbed his head "If I get a snack I'll feel better..." but he knew he had to prepare his dads dinner first, before he could even consider taking care of himself.
The boys eyelids slid shut as he calmly collected his thoughts and encouraged his tired body to just keep moving. You could say he was switching himself on to auto-pilot.
Suddenly, he heard a massive bang come from behind him. Wally jumped, being pulled from his almost relaxed state. He mumbled something incomprehensible under his breath then mustered all his remaining energy to turn around and face his own personal hell.
Wally could easily guess the events about to occur. He'd lived through them long enough.
Wally's farther (Rudolph west) was drunk and a very angry one at that. He had entered violently through the front door after an evening's worth of drinking his life away, and witnessed his son just standing in the hallway. Not doing anything that even remotely looked like is chores.
"What the hell-?" the man spat "What do you think you're doing you good for nothing scum!" he crashed to his side leaning against the wall, far too wasted to even support himself. "Not making my dinner! Just standing there, wasting time! You disrespecting little runt!" Rudolph jabbed at the boy viciously with a half-filled bottle of vodka he held tightly in his sweaty calloused hand.
Wally took a step forward and turned to face his father "I got in late from a mission... I haven't had time to start yet."" he mumbled. When his dad anywhere near Wally, he felt like a powerless child. There was nothing he could do; it was like that villain had taken his power away once more...
"What's that boy? Go on spit it out you damn disgrace!" he stumbled forward, putting the hand not occupied by the bottle on his knee to stop him from falling over.
The speedster looked down over his right shoulder and choked back a whimper. Then, shutting his eyes as tight as he could. Gathering every ounce of courage he had. He yelled back sharply "I haven't had time yet! Why can't you take care of yourself for once? Oh wait, its 'cause you're a no good alcoholic asshole!"
The air surrounding the two males was filled with so much tension that you could probably cut it with a knife. Wally took in a shaky breath, he was vibrating with fear. He didn't know what drove him to suddenly yell like that, the beatings were always better if he didn't stick up for himself. The redhead's eyes were now wide open staring at his father waiting anxiously for his reaction.
In a perfect world Wally's mum wouldn't have died and his farther wouldn't have started drinking or abusing him. In a perfect world his uncle Barry would be his father and his aunt Iris would be his mother. But this world is far from perfect.
The loud smash of the vodka bottle was herd by Wally, and Wally alone. Then the gentle drip drop of the alcohol that had stayed around the inside of the bottle rang through his ears.
"You're gonna regret that you dumb shit." His farther spat venomously.
The broken bottle stabbed harshly in to Wally's side, he yelped in pain and was about to collapse when his farther caught him, somehow holding the both of them up in his intoxicated state.
"You ain't gettin' any rest yet." he twisted the bottle inside his son and pressed in a little further.
Wally's eyes were filled with tears but he wouldn't let them go not while his monster of a farther was around, no way. He gritted his teeth and clamped his eyes shut only letting the odd noise of excruciating pain escape is clamped jaw every now and again.
The bottle was removed and Wally fell to the floor, coughing vigorously and holding both his hands over the wound, pressing as hard as he could to try and slow the insane amount of blood that was flowing from it.
He panted hard as he tried to ignore the pain erupting from his side. Wally failed to hold back the tears that now were over flowing from his usually beautiful but now afraid emerald eyes.
"You're weak! No child of mine, you worthless shit." Rudolph grunted. The drunk farther then began to stumble out the door again before shouting at the poor boy "Clean the floor by the time I'm back or else I'll kill you and you can go live with your mother!" he delivered a sharp kick to the boy's leg then left, spouting a scrambled list of swear words in a fit of rage.
The door slammed shut. Leaving Wally alone, in a dying mess on the floor.
He'd never felt pain like this before. Coughing he pressed one hand on the floor to sit himself up whist still keeping the other hand tightly clamped around the bottle wound
"I-I think there are some glass shards I-in there..." Wally managed to gasp out, practically choking on each word.
He didn't know what to do; he'd never taken a beating like this before... The blood. There's so much blood...
Wally never told anyone about the beatings, too afraid of what everyone would think of him but also more afraid of his father's reaction. Now he needed help though, the speedster really didn't want to die, not now, not like this. There were still so many girls he hadn't hit on! Foods he hadn't shoved down his bottomless pit of a stomach! So many lives he has the potential to save.
His vision blurred as panic rose from the pit of his stomach and he looked desperately around the room for some kind of salvation. He then remembered the communicator he kept on him at all times to notify the team of any injustice occurring (his father's beatings didn't count until this instance). He reached for his ear letting the tears and cries of pain go free, struggling not the slip away in to the blackness of unconsciousness.
He went to click the communicator button, but hesitated. He needed to call someone he could trust, someone who didn't know his farther personally, someone who could help.
He reached up and pressed the call button.
"Robin...?"
"Hi Wally!" the speaker on the other end of the phone said. "Having a whelming day?"
The red head hacked a cough out "Been better." he said weekly, he wouldn't last much longer.
"Dude, you okay? What's wrong? Where are you?" Robin blurted in a concerned tone.
Wally sighed and managed to say and he grunted in pain, "I'm at my house, not feeling very asterous actually... Could you come get me? Please."
"Yes of course! I'm on my way! What happened?" Robin's voice picked up speed as he noticed something was very wrong with his best friend. He ran to a nearby zeta beam to transport him to where he thought Wally was. Luckily he wasn't patrolling with Batman at the time of his best friends distress call. "Wally? Wally?" Robin called again down the communicator, but received no answer.
Kid Flash had hung up.
Thoughts of what had become of his friend raced through his mind as he ran, finally making it to the zeta beam. He was soon running once more to the front of Wally's house. The boy wonder had made it in amazing time, adrenalin and worry pumping through his veins quickly driving him onward. The fact that the door was hanging a jar filled Robin with even more concern than he already had inside him. His worry was churning his stomach, a sickly feeling rising steadily up his throat, making him gulp in suspense of his friends fate.
The boy wonder burst through the door, examining his surroundings "Everything looks normal..." he thought slightly puzzled. Robin snuck around the house looking for the speedster; it wasn't long before he found a speedster at least.