Anjo

27

| To Let Them Live.. is Selfish |

"Your hand looks pretty fucked up."

Bruce glanced over at his protege, the young teen leaned against the computer with their arms folded over his chest. They looked at him with a raised brow, but with obvious worry polluting their greenish-blue orbs. "I saw the police reports," Jason continued, directing his attention elsewhere as he stuffed his hands in his jean pockets. "They said he was barely even alive." A slight pause. "Don't you think that's a bit selfish?"

Bruce focused his full attention on the other, eyes squinted in distaste at what he was hearing. "What are you trying to say?"

They returned his gaze with a sideways glance, "That Dick wouldn't have gotten hurt if the Joker had been dealt with sooner."

"Jason-"

"It's just an empty thought, Bruce." Jason interrupted, running a hand through his charcoal hair, pushing it back out of his face. "I understand why you don't kill people and I mostly agree with your choice. It's just-"He stopped a moment, searching the air for words. "When I see the people I care about laid up in a hospital bed, fighting for their life, because some madman thought It would be fun to try and-"He sighed, "I just can't help but think it'd be easier to stoop to their level and take their life, so they can't hurt the ones who don't deserve it."

"If we do that then we are no better than them." Bruce reminded with a frown, turning to fully face the other. "I understand your thinking, we've all thought the same thing at some point." He sighed quietly. "Our job is to protect and help people, even those who do terrible wrongs in their lives."

Jason remained quiet a moment, brows furrowed slightly as he glared down at his feet. "If I were to be killed, would you still let my murderer live?" He quietly asked. "Because if Dick had died that night or if you were to ever be killed during a patrol.. I don't think I could do it."

Bruce went quiet, just looking at the other as they finally glanced back at them. A flash of hurt polluted the teens eyes before he covered it up with a forced breathy laugh. "Sorry. That's a difficult question to answer." He admitted, forcing a smile as he rubbed his neck, straightening himself out as he started walking away. "Just forget I said anything." He mumbled before walking up the stairs and out of the room.

Everyone was quick to notice the teens sour mood as he entered the mountain, eyes glaring past darkened shades as they kept their hands shoved in their jacket pockets. "Hey Jay." Wally greeted, popping up next to the other with a wave of the hand. "Here to see Dick?"

"If that's okay?" The teen asked, sending a small smile to the speedster.

"Yeah, he'd love to see you." Wally approved, returning the smile before stopping and grabbing the others shoulder lightly to halt their own movements. "Is everything okay?"

Jason paused a moment before simply shrugging, "As okay as it could be considering everything that happened a few days ago."

"Dicks healing up nicely if that's what your worried about." Wally assured. "They just want to keep him here a couple weeks longer and he should be good as new. He'll be back to his old self in no time."

"You sound like your just telling yourself that." Jason mumbled, turning and continuing on his own. "Who'd be okay after what he experienced- What you all experienced."  He stated, leaving Wally alone.

The automatic doors opened with a hiss, catching Dicks attention as he watched Jason enter, a bright smile already on their face as they waved. "Yo."

"Jason!" Dick beamed, smiling brightly at the other. "It's good to see you." Jason hummed lightly in response, taking a seat by the others bed. He was quick to notice the bags under the others eyes. His smile shrank a bit. "What have you been up to? Patrolling? Are you getting better?"

"I've been taking a bit of a break." Jason admitted, leaving out the fact that Bruce had kept him from patrolling the last few days as the Dark Knight made sure things had calmed down. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm feeling better everyday. Hopefully I can get out of here soon, but with the way my arm is right now, I doubt it. So looks like I'm taking a break too." Dick chuckled a bit at that, using his good hand to rub at the back of his neck. "How about school? How's that going?"

"Eh, pretty much the same. All those rich snobs know nothing except how to use their dad's card."

Dick chuckled, "Are you doing well in your classes?"

"History is a bitch, but everything else is a piece of cake."

Dick chuckled. "History isn't one of my strong points either. It's so much easier just looking it up rather than remembering it all if you ask me."

"Right?!" Jason agreed, showing a genuine smile for once. "I told Batman the same thing and he said that I shouldn't rely on technology like that. Batman of all people said that to me!"

Dick laughed at that. "He isn't wrong, but he is definitely not the person who should be telling you that."

"I know right?" Jason smirked. The room went quiet a moment, only a comfortable silence blanketing the area a moment before Jason brought up another topic of conversation. "So what are you planning to do once they let you out of here?"

Dick frowned a bit at that, immediately being reminded of the fact the world thought he was dead and that his home was now a main target for villains. "I don't know." He admitted. "I guess I'll have to figure that out when the time comes."

"You could always take Wally up on his offer and move in with him?" Jason pointed out.

"Central is a bit far from Gotham." Dick sighed. "I could always just get a new place, but that's kinda hard to do when you're dead."

"How about moving in here?"

"I don't know.." Dick sighed. "But I suppose it'll work out in the end. It always does."

"Yeah, it does."

- To Be Continued -