A Resignation (Closed - Bruce)

After all these years working together and how many blow-ups and arguments they had, after how many times he swore he'd never work or speak to the man again, Dick Grayson knew that it was just the nature of relationships. They drove each other crazy because, aside from Alfred, no one knew the other better than they did. It came with the territory. Dick had learned how to read all of Bruce's non-verbal cues so they could work together in silence. It wasn't just that, though. They were family. "Yeah, I'll be around. You guys can't shake me that easily. Someone needs to be around to keep Alfred in line." Alfred gave an offended sniff of the nose and Dick cracked a smile. He'd miss seeing Alfred every day. Being in the Manor and having him around all the time reminded him of being a kid and, in a lot of ways, he was leaving home again. He wasn't the only one that he was leaving through. Damian was going to be a fun conversation.

"I'll let Damian know. I'm sure he'll take it well." Just like he had trained with Bruce, Damian had trained with him. Being raised by his mother and the League made Damian a quick study though. It didn't take long before he knew what Dick was going to do long before he tried to do it. That was twofold of course. He knew Damian well enough to know how he was going to take the news that Dick wasn't going to be Batman anymore. When Bruce returned Damian had already broken his tough demeanor to question if that meant Dick wouldn't be Batman anymore. At the time it wasn't true. Bruce still needed him to hold down Gotham while he started the Batman Inc. initiative but this time... it was just time to go. Damian will pretend that it doesn't fade him or he'd make some sarcastic remark that Dick wasn't good enough for the role... but he'd be upset inside. 

Dick smiled when he felt Bruce's hands on his shoulder. He was a grown man. He told himself it was silly to think that he was still looking for Bruce's approval after all these years but it was the truth. It was a testament to the type of man that Bruce Wayne is. Just the action of picking up the mantle of Batman and carrying it forward was a beast in itself. Just Bruce saying those four words made all the nights spent wondering if that's how Bruce would have handled a case or a fight. There is so much to live up to. "Thank you, Bruce, but no one can do it like you. I'm happy you're back." 

Bruce Wayne