A/N: Special thanks to @DC_lover @RobxKf and others for the support!

IMPORTANT:

Should I have any certain pairings in this book? If so, what should they be? Traught, Chalant, Birdflash, etc. No Supermartian though bc cRinGe.

Remember to vote and/or comment if you enjoy this chapter!

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Chapter Four: The Consequences
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He knew this day would eventually come. He just didn't know it would be so soon.

The look on Bruce's face said it all: he was actually being serious.

Robin was done.

---

"Bruce, why?" Dick begged. "There has to be a better reason."

"I don't need to give you a reason Dick. This is my crusade and I decide whether or not you're a part of it." Bruce glared at the boy, sending chills down his spine.

Dick began to panic. How was he supposed to respond to this?

"You don't make that choice Bruce! I wanted to be Robin to honor my parent's memory, and you're trying to take that away from me! I won't let you!" He snapped. Bruce stared at him in disbelief. He couldn't believe Dick had just talked to him like that.

"You've been suffering too many injuries lately. It's not good for someone your age." Bruce claimed.

The younger boy scoffed. "Oh, so it's good for someone your age?! All you do is brood- is that good for your health either? Your a fucking hypocrite."

Bruce took a deep breath- wanting to stay calm. He couldn't let Dick's words get to him. "You're right. But I want what's best for you."

"Robin is what's best for me Bruce! Without him I'm nothing..." Dick replied, his last sentence a whisper.

Bruce didn't want to say it... but it was the only way to keep him safe.

"I don't want you to be Robin anymore because I've been wasting too much of my time having to tend to your injuries. Your abilities have gone downhill lately, and unfortunately they'll continue to. This is what's best for you, and for me." Bruce explained, his words cutting Dick like a knife.

Dick didn't know what to say. Was he really a liability? Inadequate? Was he really worth nothing anymore. He had spent the past 4 years fighting for Bruce- he would die for the man. And now, that same man was telling him he couldn't be the one thing that truly kept him alive. That same man was telling him he was worthless. What a fucking joke.

So, Dick didn't say anything. He ran towards the stairs leading to the manor, ignoring Bruce who was calling his name.

How was he supposed to deal with this? How was he supposed to watch Bruce fight alone? How was he supposed to tell this to his team?

How was he supposed to overcome this?

He finally reached his room, closing and locking the doors behind him. Turning on the bedroom lights, he glanced at the large framed picture of him and his family.

They were probably disappointed in him. After all, his other father figure was disappointed in him too.

He stared at the clock. 11:19pm.

Batman was probably heading to patrol Gotham right now- without his Robin.

Without his stupid sidekick.

That word angered him. Maybe he should've done the same thing Roy did at the very start. If he quit, he wouldn't have to deal with the pain of being fired.

"Screw you, Bruce." Dick whispered to himself.

He went over to his closet, pulling out a bag. He put in a decent amount of clothing, and other necessities. He also changed into civvies. Once he had gathered everything he needed, he looked back at he picture on his wall.

His family. Their cheery smiles and bright outfits. Dick's mother, father, cousin, and aunt- all dead. Plus his uncle who was comatose.

"Goodbye." He stated quietly- not quite sure as to who he was saying goodbye to. His family? Alfred? Bruce?

He pushed open the window, being cautious as he did so. Dick gave one last look around his room.

And then he left.

---
Mount Justice
Two hours later
---

Artemis winced as Green Arrow finished bandaging her arm.

"You alright, Artemis?" He asked her with concern. She nodded.

They were in the med bay, along with the rest of the team, excluding Robin. Batman insisted that he take Robin home to be inspected.

Aquaman was speaking quietly to Kaldur, and Flash was comforting Wally who was in a lot of pain because of the injuries he suffered. Martian Manhunter was talking to Megan, and Black Canary was helping Connor with his kryptonite issue while Zatanna assisted.

"You alright kid? I heard you and Robin took quite a few hits." Flash said, sitting in a chair next to the bed Wally was laying on.

Wally sighed. "Yeah. I just hope Rob is okay."

Flash chuckled. "You know Batman will take good care of him."

"That one's a no-brainer." Wally replied with a smile. He imagined Batman taking care of his little Robin, while Robin insisted he was completely fine- a very Robin-like thing to do.

"It sure is. How's the shoulder feeling? I know taking the knife out wasn't too fun." Flash said. Right when they got back to the cave, they had to remove the knife, or else Wally would've died from blood loss- plus, it's not like Wally wanted a knife in his shoulder for the rest of his life anyways!

"It's doing fine. I'm still worried about Rob, though. After I blacked out, anything could've happened to him." Wally claimed worriedly.

"He's fine, Wally. Don't worry about him. Focus on getting better, alright?" Flash assured.

Wally rolled his eyes playfully. "Ugh, fine. I know Mom and Dad will kill me when I get home."

"They know what happened. Since you're staying here tonight to recover they'll come and visit you tomorrow."

Suddenly, Batman entered the med bay. Everyone stopped to turn and look at him, as if he had something important to say.

"How's everyone doing?" He asked gruffly, and received replies of "good" and "alright."

"Batman. How is Robin doing?" Kaldur asked. Batman seemed to stiffen a little.

"I'm not sure." He replied. Wally instantly became angry.

"What do you mean you don't know?! He's your protege for God's sake!" Wally shouted, and his mentor put a hand on his shoulder.

"I checked over his injuries. He's fine, but vulnerable." Batman explained. Black Canary gave him a questioning look.

"What do you mean?" Megan asked, confused.

Batman gave a small sigh. "Robin is gone."

"Gone?! As in dead?!" Wally yelled, panicking. What the hell was going on?!

"No, Wallace. Robin ran off." Batman replied and there were a few gasps.

"Bruce. What do you mean he ran off?" Black Canary asked- Batman cringed. The others kept quiet of the use of his real name.

"What reason would he have to leave?" Superboy wondered aloud.

"Because I fired him." Batman admitted.

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

---

Dick had no idea where he was going. He just kept walking.

All he had to do was make sure no one could find him. Especially Batman. He didn't want to have to face him after what he did.

As Dick walked a gravel road, he kicked a few pebbles. He was bored out of his mind- and had been walking for at least an hour or two.

He could see the giant buildings from Gotham afar, towering over the sky. Dick had flown off of those buildings countless times as Robin.

Dick came across a large stream, the water rushing quickly against the jagged rocks. He leaned up against a tree, plopping down on the ground with a 'thump.' He sighed.

He couldn't help but let his mind drift to what happened earlier.

'I've been wasting too much of my time having to tend to your injuries...'

Dick wanted to cry- but he was too strong for that.

The only reason he was "strong" was because he always had to put on a facade whenever he was hurting. It came naturally while working with Batman. Having to hide small injuries, hiding feelings... maybe leaving Bruce was for the best.

Accepting that this had actually happened and it was reality was tiring Dick. Also, he had walked a pretty good distance- so, he let his eyes close and his body slump down into the cool grass.

---
Back at Mount Justice
---

"YOU DID WHAT?!"

"I fired him." Batman repeated.

Everyone stared at him. What were they supposed to say?

"Why did you fire him?" Black Canary asked.

Before Batman could speak, Wally interrupted. "Fire? You fired him?! As if it was some kind of job?! How dare you!"

"I fired him because it's what's best for him." Batman lied right through his teeth, none of them picking up on the bluff.

Green Arrow scoffed. "I'm surprised you're telling us this. Usually when it comes to Robin you handle it on your own. So why?"

"Because I need help finding him." Batman stated. "Please."

"Bruce, he obviously left because he doesn't wanna come back. Maybe he'll work it out on his own." Flash pointed out, and a few people nodded sadly.

Black Canary groaned. "It's honestly a bit selfish of you. These kids were just beat to a bloody pulp, and they're tired. Is now really a good time?"

Batman's tone darkened. "They were beat to a bloody pulp because they failed the mission- that's their faults. And yes, now is a good time because he's out there somewhere and he's vulnerable. He's very likely to be noticed and kidnapped, maybe even killed- and his death would not only be my fault, but all of yours as well."

A few people shuddered. Batman was right.

"You can search tonight, Bruce. We'll help you tomorrow." Flash said, and Batman gave a small nod. He then left the med bay, closing the doors behind him.

"Umm... so Batman's first name is Bruce?" Artemis asked Green Arrow.

"I guess he is super serious about this if he doesn't care about us mentioning his identity." Green Arrow thought aloud.

Martian Manhunter spoke up. "Yes, however it is best if we do not speak of his last name."

Artemis rolled her eyes.

"I hope Robin will be okay. He must be hurting so badly- I can't imagine." Megan said empathetically.

"You all need rest- you'll be staying in the med bay tonight. Get a good sleep, we will worry about Robin tomorrow." Black Canary assured, and all of the teen's mentors said their goodbyes.

After the mentors began to leave, Barry paused and gave Wally a small hug.

"It's alright. We will find him." Barry told him quietly.

Wally just looked down.

The leaguers finally left, leaving the teenagers to themselves.

"I can't believe Batman... " Wally growled.

"You need to calm down, Wally. Batman did what he felt he needed to do- we must not judge him for it. Although, his reasons for doing it are lacking detail." Kaldur spoke.

"Flash was right, maybe Robin will work it out on his own. He can take care of himself... for now we need to recover so we can find him." Artemis pointed out, shrugging. Zatanna nodded in agreement.

"Goodnight everyone."

---
The next morning
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Dick woke up in the same spot he had fallen asleep at last night. The clouds were blocking the sunlight, and it was a bit chilly outside.

He shivered. It was actually kind of cold out here.

He didn't know what to do so he just sat there.

Seconds went by and he was already bored.

Dick grabbed his bag, looking through it. His hand brushed a small piece of paper.

He grabbed it carefully, taking out the small paper. It was a picture of his parents, their smiling faces.

He didn't remember putting that in his bag. But, he was glad he did. Dick smiled.

If only they were still here. His smile faded.

He sighed, fiddling with the edges of the soft paper. It was a bit crumbled, because it was old and he held it all the time after their deaths. A few months later after getting used to his new home, he stopped.

Ugh. His home.

Dick stood up, holding the small picture in his hand. He walked to the edge of the huge stream, sitting down.

He put his other hand in the water- it was freezing.

The air wasn't much warmer, so Dick hugged his arms to his body, still gripping the piece of paper.

Dick looked behind him when he thought he heard something- or someone.

He stood up quickly. Bruce didn't find him, did he?

Dick turned back to the stream and suddenly felt a presence behind him. He had no time to turn around before someone grabbed his head, smashing it into a nearby tree. His vision blurred and darkened, and he could barely stand.

Right. The concussion... it was probably worse now.

He groaned when he felt warm liquid traveling from his head down his neck and arm. That didn't make things better.

He had no time to react when the person kicked him in the back, knocking him right into the stream.

Dick's hand couldn't hold onto the small picture that fell into the grass, next to the stream.

That was the last thing he saw before everything finally faded to black.

---
To be continued...