Bruce escorted him into the apartment though he didn't feel like it was because he thought he could runoff. More so that he'd overheard the wheezing and had become concerned about it. "Do you need help?" the older asked as they got to the apartment door. 

"I can fix myself up," Dick responded. That was only half of a lie. On a better night, he could do that without question. He knew the steps well after doing them enough times on his own so it wouldn't be an issue of memory either. Selina couldn't always be there for him and he'd developed a need to be independent when it came to taking care of himself. He didn't want her to worry he supposed or maybe it ran further than that. Yet tonight, he wasn't so sure he could get everything fixed especially since he wasn't sure how to fix the things inside. Perhaps he should let the older help. Maybe. He shook his head of the thought and got out his keys, unlocking the door and stepping inside to the empty living room. "She's not home?" Bruce commented.

"Never is before dawn," he answered. He put his keys in the bowl and let out a huff upon feeling the presence of the hero linger in the doorway. It was clear that he wasn't going to be left alone until Selina showed up but he couldn't tell if that was because he wanted to rat him out for the CADMUS situation. No doubt she'll find out on her own but he didn't need a snitch doing it. "Close the door behind you B and keep your inquiry friendly or so help me I will knock you out."

"You couldn't knock me out. You're good but you're not that good," Bruce responded though there was a light tone to him. As light as he could get. "A whole building collapsed on you. I'm surprised you're still standing ."

"I'm just as surprised as you are," Dick replied. He grabbed the first aid kit from the counter, worrying the older at it already being out, and went to the couch to start. He pulled off his mask and his ears tilted when he heard Bruce move to sit on the armchair. So he was making himself comfortable? There was going to be a conversation then. He couldn't fault the guy. He had just accidentally helped create a team of teenage heroes that he now had to occupy. That would be cause for conversation enough. "You mad about me sneaking off with Walls?"

"Mad at him more than you. I'm not supposed to expect much of you," Bruce replied. He then seemed to realize how that last part sounded and jumped to correct himself but the younger stopped him.

"It's fine. I'm a criminal after all," he mumbled.

"Yes well," he seemed lost at what to say next. "Do...do you like it?"

"What kind of question is that?"

"A genuine one. One that will help me decide if even offering you the trial period has put people in danger."

The younger didn't reply for a bit as he sat back on the couch, deep in thought. He liked doing his job but did he like his job? Those were two separate things. He'd begged Selina for this opportunity and to say he didn't like what he was would be an offence to her sensibilities. So he had to think about this carefully. What did he like? Well, the independence was amazing. He was able to go as far as he wanted or as close as he wanted from home. Hell, he didn't even have to go out if he didn't want to. There was such a wonderful feeling of freedom that came with the job and he was thankful for that but was that his job or was that just something he got to do because of the job? He liked sneaking about and being a cryptid to the local media. He liked being mischievous and getting into a little trouble was never not fun. Sneaking around was certainly part of the job but he did that outside of his assigned tasks. He could sneak around without following after information his client wanted. There was that note too. The clients. He liked some of them, namely Mr Freeze who he just felt sorry for. He also gave information to Batman in exchange for little pieces of technology. Those were the better clients. Then there were the likes of Bane and Joker. Both of them were rather rough with their deals. Get us this information or we'll kill Catwoman. They always asked for the worst information. The type that could lead to a lot of people getting hurt so he did his best to water down what he found out. Some kind of compromise he supposed. When they were happy with what they were given, everything was great and he could hop back to it. When they weren't, well...he was out of commission for a bit. Getting information and selling it on was his job so if he didn't like that part then he didn't like his job. The job that helped out Selina and gave him so many fun nights was also the job that got him hurt and pulled the pair apart. So did he like this? Yes and no but that wasn't the answer Bruce would want to hear. What he wanted to hear was whether he was prepared to give it up entirely in favour of being a hero. Dick had done nice things sure but he wasn't sure if anything he'd done could be considered heroic. He just did what he thought was right, he wasn't checking a manual to catalogue which side of the field he fell on. "I like the doors opened to me thanks to what I do. Do I like what I've done entirely? No. I don't think anyone does," Dick finally replied. The older let out a sad chuckle.

"You'd be right. Heroes aren't wholly good beings, Richard. We have faults, we do bad things sometimes and we make mistakes. I'm not asking for you to be a golden boy."

"Why do you want me to be a hero B? You've never expressed interest in me switching sides before but then I destroy one building and you're suddenly obsessed with the idea." Bruce fell silent at the question. It was an important one that Dick needed to know the answer to. Let's say, hypothetically, he became a hero. What then? So much would change and how would he know that scrap of the loss was worth the gains? If the team fell through for whatever reason then he'd be left up a creek without a paddle and he would never put himself in that position. He wasn't going to be alone again. "Honestly? Nearly every part of me is screaming not to let you become a hero and join the team. You can't be trusted, you have a history of double-crossing and you sell information for a living. I've arrested you twelve times already and every time you get out thanks to a prison riot you construct," Bruce admitted. Dick smirked at the last part. The riots were some of his proudest work. People were so easy to manipulate after being locked inside for a little bit that he only had to steal someone's things and plant them on someone else. Then boom! He was out before they knew it and sauntering back home to receive plenty of hugs and kisses from Selina. "But there's a part that remembers the times you've double-crossed someone was to help me. You're smart and have plenty of experience that's transferable to hero work. You are a good person, you're just doing a bad job." Dick fought hard not to show how happy that last part made him. "That's why you're getting the opportunity."

"Let's say I become a hero. What then? I can't stay with Selina. She'll never get work again with a hero living with her," he wondered aloud.

"There's space," the older paused. "There's space at the Mountain. The clone you saved tonight along with Aqualad will be taking temporary residence there. It's beneficial to have you somewhere with high vigilance during the trial."

"So you're saying I could live in some Mountain with a bunch of people I don't know?" Bruce nodded. "I can make it work. Suppose it would be nice to have more friends around my age." He drew in a long breath which his ribs weren't at all happy about. 

"Being a criminal can only lead to one place," Bruce commented.

"Same place every hero will end up, no?"

There was a silence between them before Bruce got up. "I can't say life will be much easier," he began. "But I can say you'll do a lot more good. You have to ask yourself, Richard, do you want to use your expertise for good or do you want to continue to be the lackey of villains?" Dick didn't reply and watched the man find his way out of the apartment. He stared at the door as it closed behind the vigilante then drifted his eyes down to his utility belt where he found his phone. He pulled it out and found a message from Wally. 

Flashy: still alive?

Kit: just about - can I ask you something?

Flashy: shoot!

Kit: reckon I could make a good hero?

Flashy: are you thinking about it????? it'd be so cool!!

Kit: but would I make a good hero?

Flashy: yeah you would!! you can do cool backflips and stuff!! you'd be awesome dude

Dick hummed to himself. It would be cool to be a hero. He could solve mysteries, use his knack for finding information for good, hang out with Wally more and do all the fun things with the same adrenaline rush. He'd still be running from villains only there wouldn't be a bad deal beforehand. His parents would probably be much happier with the legacy of their son being a hero rather than a thief. Yet through all that good, he focused on one thing. Selina. The woman who took him in off the street and raised him with no reason to. She could've left him in that street but she didn't. Becoming a hero would mean abandoning someone who gave him so much. It was a stab in the back. They really needed to talk about this and he could only hope she took it well. 

The next morning, he woke up to a lot of aches but also a lot of anxiety. Really the perfect combination. He got up with a wince and thought about his conversation with Bruce the night before. A hero. Imagine that. He could really be a hero but that came with a lot more rules than being a villain did. More rules sure but he could also do a lot of good. He felt nice when he did good things but surely a hero shouldn't be so selfish in their motives. Then again, he would be selfish to continue doing criminal things and putting people in danger. Soon enough, they'd want information that would kill a lot of people. Could he stand the blood on his hands? There was a knock on the door that took him out of his thoughts. "Are you decent?" came Selina's voice. He smiled softly upon hearing it. It was silky smooth and so confident. Although it was impossible, he thought Selina never had a day where she wasn't sure of herself. She always seemed to know who she was and what she was doing. He was jealous of that especially now. 

"I'm decent!" he called back to her. The door opened and Selina swiftly walked in. She had two mugs in her hand, one smelled of coffee and the other like hot chocolate. She wore her usually big shirt that had some phrase on it that had faded over the years. Some of the shirts were still legible and most had someone's reunion class on them. She must've had five years worth of class reunions shirts all from different schools. She sat beside him on the bed and offered up the mug with "I love Star City" written across it. The writing was chipped and the colours had faded but he loved the mug either way. He'd gotten it for Selina the first time he left the city and she'd fallen in love with it. For a good month, she wouldn't dare use it. Now it was used up. Destined for the trash but they wouldn't throw it away. It held too many great memories. Selina took a sip from her mug, one that was a lot less thoughtful and was much older than Dick, and ran her fingers through the younger's unruly curls. "I'm told you got into some trouble last night," she commented. The teen's eyes dropped to the warm brown in his cup and nodded. "You're certainly outdoing my track record. When I was your age, I was stealing things from mall kiosks. Here you are levelling a building." She took her hand away and wrapped his back around the mug. "I'm surprised you didn't tell me. It's not often I get a call from Batsy to tell me what you've gotten up to." Dick shrank back at the mention of the hero. What had he said? How had he gone about telling her? Did she know? Part of him hoped he had told her but then the other part hoped he hadn't. This was something that had to come from her protege, not her on and off boyfriend. "You saved someone. A clone of Superman?"

"Yeah, he was grown in under a month. A perfect clone of the dude just missing the personality part. Suppose that proves the nature vs nurture debate," he answered. He'd like to see what became of the clone. Superboy was fascinating. Maybe horrifying to the hero he was modelled after but fascinating nonetheless. "Are you mad?"

"No. No, I could never be mad at you for doing that." He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. At least she was okay with that. "I heard they're forming a little team. Has the boy you're friends with on it. I uhm-" She paused and put her coffee down on the bedside table, something Dick mirrored. She held his hands in hers. Her hands were slender whilst his were small but they were both somewhat calloused. She ran her thumbs over her knuckles before she resumed speaking. "I heard about the trial Kitten."

"Selina, I didn't know-"

"Hush just for a moment dear. I need you to hear this." He kept his mouth shut. "You are one of my proudest achievements in life. Raising you in my own image only to see you surpass my expectations has brought me such joy. You've grown into such a bright and kind boy and I can't wait to see what you become." Her breath hitched as tears pooled in her eyes. Her hands gripped onto his harder than they had before. She gave him a watery smile as she went on. "But to do that, I have to let you go. I have to let you choose and it breaks my heart because I still see you as that little alley cat I found that night despite how much you've grown." Dick felt tears run down his cheeks. He didn't like seeing her upset. He wanted her to be happy. "Kitten, you have the freedom to choose who you want to be. No matter what I'll always love you as my own even if we have to be separated. You're always going to be my little acrobat." 

"Mama," Dick sobbed out. She quickly snapped him up into a hug and held him close. He didn't want to leave her but he knew what she was saying. She was freeing him before he could even tell her about the fears of leaving her. She was telling him this was okay. He needed to hear it but fuck it hurt. It hurt so much. They wouldn't be able to have the relationship they do now, not if he followed the hero path. No one would trust either of them if they did. He loved her so much though. He loved her nearly as much as his own mother. She raised him, cared for him, clothed him, loved them. She was his mother in every sense of the word besides biological and yet he had to leave her now. They had to go their separate ways. She wasn't meant to be a hero and he wasn't meant to be a criminal. Nothing could change that.

The pair cried. Cried harder than ever before. Even harder than when they watched The Notebook. It felt right though. This wonderful chapter of their lives was coming to a close and both knew it regardless of speaking it into existence. Their relationship couldn't stay the same no matter how much they wished it to remain the way they'd made it. Yet the love would still be there. Catwoman and her Kitten would remain just not in the same way as before. Their sobs eventually died down and they somehow got to a point where Selina was cradling Dick, petting his hair and scratching behind his ears. He let out little purrs and she cooed every single time. He wondered if she was committing them to memory. Just in case they couldn't be this close again. They would, he would make sure of it but it wouldn't be for a long time. They had to readdress themselves. Assert themselves in their separate worlds as separate people. His breath hitched here and there as he tried to recover. He studied her features as he sussed out if she was really okay with this. He wanted her to be happy. If she wasn't happy, then it wasn't worth the pain. "Are you gonna be okay?" he asked quietly. His voice sounded groggy from the crying. It sparked a memory from when he was younger and had a nightmare. Memories of his parent's fall morphed into something he could never unsee and daren't describe. He'd woken up to her shaking him. She was so panicked and when he burst into tears, her worries were less than eased. That night, she'd pulled him into her lap and simply comforted him until he could speak. He couldn't remember what he said but he remembered how safe he felt in her arms. Just as he felt safe now. Would he feel that sense of safety again? He hoped so. "I'll be alright. It may take some time but it would be worse if it didn't take any time at all," Selina answered. "Will you be alright?"

"I hope so. I...I want to try this. Being a hero. Just afraid I won't hack it."

"Oh, you'll hack it my Kitten. You did so well picking up what I taught you that I don't doubt you'll do it again with whatever they teach you," she reassured him. She smiled warmly and cupped his face with her hand. "You're going to be a great hero. I'll always be a greater criminal though." He snorted and rolled his eyes but the love he had for her was hard to hide even for joking purposes. 

"We'll see about that," he argued. She hummed and mindlessly stroked his hair. He'd miss this.

"We best get you ready for the move, hm? Make sure you have everything and anything."

"Can we stay like this? Just for a little longer?" A surprised yet pleased look ran across her features before she nodded. 

"Of course. We'll stay here as long as you want." He smiled. They wouldn't be moving for a while then.