After staying in the Manor for a while, Dick began to realize that he had a huge problem on his hands. While the boy had faced several issues in his life, being an ex-assassin and all, he had never faced a feat such as this one. Therefore, he knew for a fact, that he needed to solve this issue now or things were not going to end well.

To put it simply, Dick was bored. He hadn't gone to the cave since Batman hadn't assigned any missions and Alfred wasn't exactly the most entertaining person to be around- while he did make some good jokes every now and then.

Which is how Dick ended up flipping through channels on the large television screen in front of him. He was currently resting on a leather couch within the living room of the manor, and was attempting to find something, anything, that could rid him of his boredom.

"BRZZZZZ." The loud static rang through the room, probably loud enough for Alfred to hear in the kitchen nearby as he made dinner.

Dick continued to press on the small arrow button that rested on the mid-right of the remote. He wasn't sure if he would ever find a channel that wasn't static.

Suddenly, after what felt like years, an image popped on the screen.

"Victory is mine!" The teen called out, throwing his hand in the air.

"¡Mi Amor! ¡No me dejes!" A female actress was seem, tears falling from her eyes.

Dick stared at the screen for a moment, taking a moment to realize that what he was watching was indeed not in English.

"¡Por favor, te amo!" The female called out to a male who appeared to be leaving.

"Now this is what I call content!" Dick leaned back into the sofa, raising the volume, and pulling a small level on the side that allowed it to become a recliner.

Long story short, Bruce walked into the living room later that day to see Dicks eyes practically glued to the television screen. To be honest, the boy didn't even hear Bruce come home from work.

"Um... Dick? Dinner is ready."

"Hold up, Jose is deciding whether he's going to stay with Maria or leave her for her evil twin sister Martha who lives in the US and is only using him for his heritage."

Bruce paused,"I wasn't aware that you spoke Spanish."

"That's cause I don't."The teen continued to watch the soap opera.

Bruce let out a sigh as he walked over and turned the television off with the remote."Let's go eat. And remind me to tell Alfred that we should set up cable, or at least Netflix for you."

"You got it, Batm- I mean, Bruceman- I mean, Bat Wayne, No, Bruce! Argh!" Dick shook his head, not even being used to the name Bruce after spending so much time at the manor. Moreover, he began to follow the older man towards the dining table, but stopped halfway.

He had just realized something. Bruce had told him to remind Alfred to get cable set up. That would imply that he would be staying here for a while...

"Wait." Dick spoke.

"Yes?" Bruce replied quickly.

"How long am I going to be staying here for?"

"Just until we find Deathstroke and apprehend him."

Dick thought over this,"After that... C-Can I go back? To where I was before?"

"Yes, you'll still be allowed to stay at the Mountain."

Dick shook his head, his mind feeling foggy,"No, before that."

The room tensed, an awkward moment causing it.

"Ah, yes... I understand."

They were consumed by the said awkward silence for quite a while before Bruce spoke up again,"I will monitor your behavior and if you are doing well and that is where you wish to go... Then I shall allow it. Now let's go before our food gets cold."

"Yeah... Thanks." Renegade smiled slightly knowing that it would be strange to return to the way things previously were. Especially since he wasn't killing now.

---

Dick looked around to see his teammates, Batman, and even Alfred, all scattered across the floor. Their beaten corpses seeping blood everywhere.

"Wha-What happened?" Dick asked no one in particular. He couldn't possible fathom how such a thing occurred to these people who he had come to endure, as well as  bond with.

"You did. This is all of your fault." Dick quickly turned around towards the new deep voice. Unfortunately, he was met with the sight of his old master wielding a bloody sword in his palm.

"I-I didn't. I-I... I would never."

"They died because of you. They died protecting you. They died because you were too close to them. Their deaths are all on you. Each and every one of them. But what have you done for them in return? Wasted their food, time, money? Huh, I guess you really are evil on the inside, choosing to use these heroes like that. Not even I would do such a cruel thing,"Deathstrokes armor had blood splotches everywhere, making it obvious that he had been the one to commit the horrid acts of murder.

"No! I didn't. You did this! You killed them! You're a lunatic!" Dick backed up in an attempt to get away, but everything around him seemed to be pitch black, hidden in shadow, not even a few feet behind him was visible.

The older man let out a cruel chuckle,"Oh, apprentice... How you've changed... You too used to kill without a second thought... Now you're just pathetic, cowering in fear over such small things."

"What do you mean?" The teenager was still shaking with fear, yet those sentences stuck out in his mind, only adding to a growing thought.

"You're not the same person you once were when you were my apprentice- or even right after that. You are so much weaker now. You now feel many emotions such as sentiment and sorrow. Where as before, you couldn't care less about a life unless that life was your very own. These heroes did that to you! They gave you your memories back knowing exactly what effect it would have on you. They made you weak on purpose. If you're weak, you won't kill. They played you, Renegade. And they did it so skillfully, you didn't even notice what was happening until after the damage was done. Perhaps, it is a good thing they're dead after all."

"No! I-I- They- Stop it!"

"You know it's true! You'll never be that same boy you were only a few months ago. You don't even deserve the name Renegade anymore. I may just have to stop dealing with you in general. It wouldn't be fair with how pitiful you are now."

"No! Shut up! Stop it!"

Dick shot up from his bed to see Bruce Wayne holding him by his shoulders, with a frantic expression written on his face,"Dick, are you okay?"

The shaken boy recoiled in the large bed in which he was lying on.

"Did you have a bad flashback?" Bruce paused,"...Or a nightmare?"

The teen didn't respond.

"What happened? Talk to me. Is everything okay?"

It took a while for the ebony to say anything at all. He truly wasn't sure what to say. Though, when he did, his tone was quite annoyed,"Nothing happened. I guess you just wasted your time. You should go back to bed."

The man raised an eyebrow,"Excuse you?"

"Just forget that this even happened. Go back to sleep. You need your beauty sleep."

Bruce was still hesitant and rather confused on the situation,"Are you sure? If anything is wrong-"

"Yeah, trust me. I got it all under control."

Bruce slowly got up from the bed and headed towards the door. It was obvious that he wanted to stay.

I'm weaker now.

They made me like this!

I can't be weaker...

I can't stay with them...

"Wait, Bruce!" The said man turned around quickly, his face filling with relief.

"I-I killed my parents murderer. I had a flashback a while ago..." Dick wasn't sure why these words were spilling from his mouth, but at the same time he knew exactly why,"You know how the wires were tampered with during my parents performance? I avenged them and killed the guy who did it." He was reassuring himself, even if it wasn't in the best possible way. Dick was convincing himself that since he had gotten revenge for his parents, he wasn't weak. He killed a guy- he's killed plenty of people. What kind of weak person pdid that?

Bruce said nothing for a moment because replying in a whispered tone,"When did this happen?"

"He was my first kill. When I was with Deathstroke." Dick wore a faint smile of pride on his face, but it was not visible in the dark room.

"Thank you for telling me,"Bruce seemed uneasy,"You should go back to sleep. These past few days have been stressful for you and your wounds needs to still heal fully. You need rest." He then turned and walked out of the room, closing the door behind him.

Dick frowned as Bruce walked out. He had expected the Bat to act at least a little differently- to yell at him, scold him, call him a killer. Anything!

Though he just regarded it as the past, like it was nothing. He killed a man! Why wasn't he getting shamed for it?

Dick then paused as realized hit.

Killed.

Past tense. It had happened so long ago. Renegade could barley remember the last time he actually robbed a life from a deserving criminal. Hell, he shouldn't even be regarding killing as a punishable act.

His mind then decided to recall the day that he has spent with the team singing karaoke. Why had he let himself fall for their tricks? Why was he allowing himself to bond with them?

The ebony sighed to himself. Truthfully, was him being weaker such a bad thing? Maybe he could embrace it? Maybe it could turn out to be a good thing?

Dick fell back onto the bed, unsure of how to proceed with this new information.

School has me stressing.

If I messed up in this chapter, it's because all that's going through my mind is Chemistry and an English project :(

Thanks for reading