Richard Grayson stared out over Gotham city. His blue eyes scanning the rooftops for any sign of other people. He was fourteen now, and he was leaving. A bag lay at his side, full of everything he would need in his journey. Money, clothes, and his Robin suit. Of course, his spare one was still at the manor. He would never wear it again. He just…didn't belong here. He looked up at the moon, its light reflecting off of the black Kevlar suit he wore now, with a blue bird stretched across the front. With one last glance around the city, brought a mask up to his face, placed it over his eyes, blocking their electric light, and turned. As he walked away, the bag slung over his shoulder, he thought about what his fa- Bruce, would think. And, as fast as you could blink, he was gone.

NIGHTWING*3*NIGHTWING*3*NIGHTWING

Bruce Wayne stepped through the manor, adjusting his tie slightly. He stopped just outside of a closed white door and knocked thrice.

"Dick? It's time for dinner," he said. When he received no reply, he knocked again. "Dick?" still no reply. He turned the doorknob and stepped into the room.

"Master Bruce, perhaps…" he froze when he discovered that his son wasn't there.

"Dick, we don't have time for games. We need to eat dinner so that we can go on patrol!" He said commandingly, stepping further into the room. A large orange envelope on the nightstand caught his attention, and he walked over to it, opening the flap quickly. Inside, he discovered a large handful of letters. After shuffling through them, he realized that they were addressed to all of Robin's team-mates, and a handful of the Justice League members. Four letters in the back of the pile, however, were what caught his attention. One was addressed to Alfred, one to Batman, one to Bruce, and one to Dad. He handed Alfred the envelope, told him to deliver them to the people they were written for, and slit open the envelope for Bruce.

Hey, Bruce

Yeah, it's me. Dick. Thanks for everything. Thanks for the shelter and a place to call home. Basically, thanks for giving up some space. Even if you were never home to see me use it.

~Dick

His heart slowly began to break. He knew where this was going. He opened the letter for Batman.

Batman

I want you to know that I value your training. I value the life you gave me. I value the chance to be Robin. But all that's going to waste now, huh? The years of training, it's all going down the drain. Here's the thing. I knew what I was signing up for when I took on the name. I knew it would take work, practice, dedication. But what I didn't sign up for was this feeling. This feeling of emptiness that I have whenever I put on the suit. The feeling of anger that would come with that work. Because I was never good enough for you. Whenever we would train together, I would try to show you what I could do; how I'd improved…And every time, you would just look at me in disappointment. Tell me to keep working. Tell me that I'm not there yet. And it hurt! I would train until my bones creaked, and I still wasn't good enough for you! All those missions we failed, all those people who died! All because of me. Did I ever really deserve to be your sidekick?

-Robin

Bruce's hands shook as he opened the last letter and began reading.

Dear Daddy

I love you. I really, really do. But you never loved me back. No one did. Not you, not the team. Maybe not even Alfred. I'm just so sick of it Dad! The numbness that I felt. Yeah, I seemed happy. But I wasn't. You knew about most of my scars, but what about the ones on my wrists? On my thighs? On my heart? Yeah, the physical ones will fade, but not the mental ones. Do you know how it felt to watch your father dote on another boy? Yes, I loved Jason like a brother, but I still wanted love. It hurt to know that you'd rather he than me. He who came after me. It hurt to know that you'd be happier with him, if only I wasn't there. So, now I'm not. By the time you find these letters, I'll be laying dead somewhere. In an alleyway, the bathroom, the bottom of the ocean. Who knows, really? Well, enjoy your time with your son. I hope, in time, you realize that all I needed, all I wanted, all I craved…

Was love.

~Richard