Dick closed his eyes beneath the domino mask, and rubbed at his temples; a futile attempt to ward off the impending migraine.
He had been called in for a joint meeting with the senior members of the team and a smattering of Justice Leaguers earlier that morning, and was happy to oblige. Of course, now that he was here…
"We're just worried about you, Dick."
It had become apparent quite quickly that this meeting was not about business, but about him.
"I appreciate the concern, but I'm fine, really. Truly whelmed. No need to worry," he assured, getting up from his chair, "Now if you'll excuse me, I-"
"Dick," Batman warned. With a grimace, he sank back into his seat, cross-legged.
"Fine. I'll bite. What exactly are you proposing here?"
"Well," M'gann hesitantly began, "taking into consideration the past few missions, and some... concerning changes in your behavior-"
"-You're a danger to yourself and others." Conner bluntly threw out.
"We just think…" M'gann continued, " temporarily, that it might be a good idea if you were to… well..."
"Take a break?" Dick supplied. "How long?" M'gann turned away, but not before he could note the flash of guilt in her eyes. He turned to Batman, searching for answers. Noting the stony glare and clenched jaw, he realized, "You want me to resign. Or am I being fired?"
"This isn't permanent, Dick," Black Canary assured, placing a hand on his arm. "We just think that for the time being-"
"'We' who, exactly?" Dick asked, snatching his arm away. "Everyone keeps saying 'we.' Are all of you trying to get rid of me? Or did he put you up to this?" he asked, gesturing towards Batman.
"Please know that we did not come to this decision lightly," Kaldur soothed, diverting the conversation. "We are doing this with your best interest in mind-"
"And yet you never thought to include me in the conversation until after you had already condemned me." With steady gaze and voice, he addressed the group. "Whose idea was this?"
His eyes darted from person to person. Finally, Wally met his eye. "Me. It was my idea,"
Dick gaped for a moment, unable to hide the betrayal. He planted his feet firmly on the ground, folding his hands in front of him. "On what basis?"
Wally grabbed at his hair, carefully treading forward. "You haven't been yourself, lately. Not since Ja-"
"Would you be?" Dick snapped back. "Look, I know I haven't been one hundred percent on top of things lately, but that's no reason to-"
"What happened in Bialya," Wally cut in, "with the Joker. That was the deciding factor."
Dick took a deep breath, forbidding his voice from betraying any emotion. "I'll admit. I lost my temper. It won't happen again."
"Lost your temper?" Artemis scoffed, "You beat the Joker to a bloody pulp."
"Like I said, it won't happen again-"
"Dick you almost killed him." Wally pressed, "You did kill him, for a second. If Batman hadn't brought him back-"
"Then we would have one less monster in the world."
"-Then you would be a murderer, Dick." The former boy wonder spun to face his mentor.
"Killing the Joker isn't murder, it's justice. After the hundreds- thousands of lives he's taken, lives he will continue to take for as long as he keeps breathing-"
"You would be a murderer," Batman insisted. "No better than the man who killed your parents."
"That's not fair, Bruce-"
"It's not your place to take the law into your own hands."
"Not my place?" Dick laughed, "That's a riot coming from you, the original vigilante."
"We do not decide who lives or dies."
"He killed Jason!" Dick lashed out, slamming his hands down on the table. "You say we don't get to decide who lives or dies, so why should he? You all lost a teammate. A friend. I lost a brother. Bruce, you lost a son. He killed Jason. Why should he be allowed to live another second?"
"He shouldn't," Wally acquiesced. "You're right. But that doesn't mean he gets to drag you down with him."
"And what if he had?" Dick slumped down, utterly exhausted. "So what?"
"Jason wouldn't have wanted you to kill the Joker on his behalf," Black Canary reasoned.
"No. He would want Bruce to do it."
Quietly, Dick stands up and pushes his chair in, clutching onto the back of the seat. "Y'know what, Wally? Maybe you're right," he admits in a quiet voice, "Maybe I could use a break after all."
"Dick-"
Without a word, he peels the mask off his face, places it down on the table beside his communicator, and heads for the Zeta tube.
Wally motions to follow, but is stopped, Batman's gloved hand pressing down on his shoulder. Together they watch their little bird fly off, hoping they have not lost him, too.