Summary: Takes place on Dick's 18th birthday, December 1, 2015
Disclaimer: I don't own DC
Today's the day. Oh man, I better not fuck this up.
So far, Dick's birthday had gone splendidly. Alfred and Bruce had thrown him their customary Wayne Family party with Diana in attendance (she practically lived there at this point), Zee had texted him a ton of love emojis and asked when he was coming to the cave (she may have spent 5 nights out of 7 in Dick's bedroom, but she didn't live there), hell, even Roy had sent a postcard. A literal postcard. He was in Germany at the time, still searching for that damned original Roy Harper with Cheshire, so he couldn't exactly call. It was still nice to hear from him every now and again, though. The team had bombed his phone with wishes, he hadn't dared to look at the team group chat since he knew everyone would be going crazy on there, and even members of the League had relayed messages to him through Bruce.
But now it was time for Dick to take the ultimate plunge. He had been working up the courage to have this talk with Bruce for a while now, possibly a few years. Bruce had previously stated he was okay with it and he actually wanted it, but his approval was not all Dick was worried about. He had never done something like this before, he was worried he wouldn't be able to. But he had to try. It was about time he stopped being dependent on Batman.
"Uh, Bruce? C-could we talk?" Bruce nodded, leaving Diana and Alfred to clean the dishes while he and Dick stepped into a hallway. Dick looked to his mentor, who was the same height as him at this point. The kid had grown quite a bit. "I-I was thinking. Now that I'm 18, I-I think...I know we talked about this before, b-but I think it's time. I wanna quit being Robin." Bruce raised an eyebrow.
"You sure? It's a pretty big step for you." Dick nodded.
"Well, I'm a legal adult now. 'S about time I stepped out. I can't be a Boy Wonder forever." Bruce grinned before pulling him into a hug.
"You have no idea how long I've waited for you to say that." Dick smirked.
"Damn, you really wanna get rid of me, don't you?" Bruce actually laughed as he pulled away.
"In all seriousness Dick, I think you're ready as well. You've matured an impressive amount over the past few years, you graduated high school at the top of your class, you've been going great with Zatanna pretty much ever since you two hooked up, you even killed it in that interview with Gordon the other day. All that was left was this. One last step towards your independence." Dick smiled at his words.
"I loved being your partner. Best thing that ever happened to me. But I think it's time to move on. I gotta be my own man now. I'm thinkin' I'm gonna move in with Zee. Y'know, until I get a real apartment for us." Bruce frowned a bit at that, which Dick noticed. "Y-you don't think it's a good idea?"
"No, no, it's great. You're moving forward, every kid has to eventually. I'm proud of you. I just...I didn't expect to have to say goodbye to you so soon." Dick frowned a bit as he felt a tug on his heartstrings. Damn, I...I guess you're right. Man, I didn't expect this to be so hard. Bruce had been there for him for years, Alfred too. Some of his best memories were made in this building. Celebrating his first real Christmas after the accident, convincing Bruce to let him drive the Batmobile on his 17th birthday, bonding with Diana over several family dinners, playing chess with Alfred in between missions, bringing Zatanna to meet his family, learning how to cook from Alfred, hosting a graduation party for his high school class, confessing to Zatanna that she was his everything, it all happened right here. In a way, the Manor was a part of him. It had been his home for years, it was almost as big a part of his life as Bruce and Al were. He rubbed the back of his neck nervously before smiling at Bruce.
"I'll always be here if you need me. Besides, I'm just a Zeta tube away." Bruce smiled.
"I know. I'm just gonna have to get used to living in this old place without you." Dick swore he heard Bruce's voice crack just a bit, and if he didn't know any better, he would bet millions that he saw tears glisten in his eyes. He hugged Bruce tightly before responding.
"If you need anything, I'll be there in a flash. Anywhere, anytime."
"I know. And the feeling's mutual." The two broke off before Bruce smiled to Dick once more. "You and me, we're spending at least the next few hours together. And we're going on a fishing trip this weekend. No excuses. I'll get Al and Diana and load a movie in." Dick smiled.
"Lemme just text Zee and I'll be in the living room." Bruce nodded before going off to fetch the others. Dick messaged Zatanna that he would be over in a few hours, and that he would explain everything then, and he walked over to the living room to plop down next to Bruce on the floor under the couch Diana and Al were sitting on. They played the first of many movies as Dick got to enjoy one last family gathering together before his departure.
Hours later, it was nearing dinnertime as Dick left for the cave. Alfred had a similar reaction to Dick's news as Bruce, though a bit more teary-eyed. Diana wished him the best after a bone-crushing hug. He knew they were proud of him, it was all the assurance he needed, But that didn't mean it wasn't hard. As Dick stepped into the Batcave, he looked up to the sleeping bats, who almost seemed to be in a formation as if they were honoring his departure. Dick was a friend to the bats; he fed them Alfred's food time and time again even after the old butler served them their daily meals. Thank god they were healthy; had they been infected with some kind of disease, Bruce may have had to relocate his cave. One of Alfred's least favorite jobs was cleaning up after they would make their mess; over the years he and Dick had trained them to handle their business in the nearby ocean, even installing an access point for them to fly through to get there. Needless to say, he would be missed by the flying rodents. He saluted the bats as he walked past their "nest", and one even opened its eyes and flew down to his feet, landing in front of him. It looked into his eyes for a few moments before nodding, and Dick smiled as he moved to the side to let it fly back to its perch point. Man, I'm gonna miss those guys. He took a look around the cave, admiring the scenery. The waterfall, the vehicle bay, the Batcomputer, the trophy section. His eyes rested on his suit, stored inside a glass case for memorial purposes. Over the years, Bruce had gotten into the habit of creating a display for all the past batsuits he wore, and he extended the courtesy to Dick's birdsuits. Dick smiled as he looked at the three different uniforms he had worn throughout the years. Starting with his old makeshift suit, he made that one on his first night as Robin, just threw a cape, gloves, belt, and mask onto his Flying Graysons unitard before going to help imprison Tony Zucco. Next was a more armored suit. He remembered when Bruce had gotten him that, about 6 months after he first started. It was kind of a "graduation" gift; after Dick's preliminary training had been completed, Bruce gave it to him as a reward, his first ever true birdsuit, complete with black kevlar sleeves. Huh. I kinda miss the long sleeves. Gets mighty cold out there, short-sleeves are not a good fit. His next one was the suit he had worn for the majority of his career. The classic red and black suit, possibly his favorite. He had some of his best moments in that one. The formation of the team, kissing Zatanna, and way more. He dropped his bags and walked up to the final display case, running his hands over the glass frame protecting his suit.
"Yeah, I'm gonna miss you, too." Am I being too emotional? It's not like I'm never gonna be here again, I'm just...living in a new place now. Not a big deal, plus I've been waiting for this moment for years. Today's the day. Dick sighed before stepping back and taking one last look at his home. He picked up his bags and walked over to the Zeta controls, but didn't step in immediately.
"Well, I guess this is it." Bruce sighed as he walked up to him.
"Yeah. I'm proud of you, Dick. Always have been, always will be. Go...live your life. Be the best version of you that you can be. If you need anything, I'll be there before you can even ask." Dick smiled.
"Yeah, me too. I wouldn't have gotten this far without you." Bruce extended a hand, which Dick gladly shook. The handshake soon turned into a hug as Bruce patted his back.
"See you soon, Boy Wonder." Dick smiled. Even if he was giving up the suit, he would never give up that nickname. He broke off from the hug and nodded to Bruce, who smiled and gestured to the open Zeta tube. Dick grinned before jokingly saluting him and stepping into the golden light.
Today's the day.
I know I got a suggestion for Wally and Arty discussing their departure from the team, but that was actually on my timeline already, and it's gonna come a bit later (I like the idea of them leaving after Tula dies, so there's some small level of context for when to expect it). Sorry I couldn't write it right now, but I wanted to write it later down the road, so writing it now would have been a bit out of place for me. Feel free to leave comments or suggestions for chapters you wanna see. Next chapter up soon.