Jason helped Alfred change Tim's bandages, while Dick checked the IV fluid. The three of them had worked out a system. Dick and Jason had made it clear that they weren't going anywhere; they insisted on helping Alfred take care of Tim. It had been three days since they had brought Tim home, and Bruce had been keeping his distance. Dick was still insisting that it was just his way of giving Jason space, but Jason didn't believe him. He just figured that Bruce wasn't willing to deal with him yet. They still hadn't actually talked about anything...including Jason staying once Tim was better; and Jason really wasn't looking forward to any more conversations with Bruce. He thought about leaving quite often, but couldn't bring himself to do it. After all, Tim had taken care of him after they had both been blown off a roof top, so he figured he kind of owed the kid... at least a little.

After all of Tim's bandages were changed and Alfred was satisfied with the rest of their work, he left them to watch over Tim-but not before reminding them both to get some sleep. Dick sat down in a chair next to Tim's bed while Jason just glared at all of the machinery surrounding them. "He'll be fine, you know? We got him here in enough time, and he'll be fine."

Jason nodded, but didn't say anything. It was the same litany he had heard over and over again for the past three days. Hell, he'd even given it to Dick a few times. Whenever one of them was brooding a little too much, the other would remind him that Tim was going to be fine, and he'd wake up eventually. It was just hard to remind himself of that when faced with the fact that Tim didn't have a spleen anymore, thanks to Damian, so his risk of infection increased dramatically. But since Alfred didn't seem too worried about it, Jason just assumed they were overreacting. The real problem was, he had no idea what he was doing here, or what he was going to do once Tim healed completely.

"Jason." Dick grabbed his arm, and Jason stopped pacing. He wasn't sure when he had started or when Dick had gotten up from his chair.

"Yeah?"

Dick stared at him for a moment before releasing him. "What's up with you? You've been on edge all day, and as much as I want to believe it's just concern for Tim, I can't really convince myself of that...not without taking a dangerous number of head shots first."

Jason shrugged, and tried to put on his game face. "Nothing, I'm just sick of watching you look like a sad little puppy."

Dick smiled brightly at him. "I am cute, aren't I? But, no, seriously, what's up?" Dick nudged him slightly in an attempt to get him to talk.

Jason sighed to himself, and slumped into the vacant seat by Tim's bed. "I don't know. I just keep thinking I should get the hell out of here before something disastrous happens."

Dick raised an eyebrow at him. "Like what?"

Jason stared at Tim's sleeping form for a moment. "I don't know; maybe another conversation with Bruce."

Dick laughed at that. "Come on, your last conversation with Bruce wasn't that bad." The laughter died away, and Dick seemed suddenly concerned. "Was it?"

Jason shook his head. "I don't know, man. It's just...I don't think this can work."

Dick raised his eyebrow again. "You don't think what can work?"

"This," Jason gestured to the cave at large. "It's just...I don't know. It was so much easier before all this shit started. I did what I did, and that was that."

Dick flipped into a handstand, and began pacing on his hands. "You mean it was easier before you cared about us."

"Yes...no, wait...who the hell said that I care about you?"

Dick just laughed at him again as he flipped back onto his feet. "Come on, Jason, admit it. You care about us, but you're not really sure how to care about us. You want this family to work, but you're not sure how to make it work."

Jason glared at him. "This isn't a family. You are not my family."

Dick sighed as he slung an arm around Jason's shoulders. "You know, you used to be able to say that with a lot more heat to your tone. Now? Not so much. Can't you just admit it that you want to be one of us again?"

Jason shrugged off Dick's arm. "Ha, I don't think I was ever really one of you."

Dick shook his head at him. "You really can't, can you? You can't even admit it to yourself. Look, the big scary demon is gone now. You can't use that as an excuse for why you're here, so..."

"I know why I'm here," Jason growled at Dick. "I just...don't see a reason to stay once he's better." He jerked his head in the direction of Tim's bed.

Dick's eyes widen slightly at that revelation. "Wait, you don't honestly think that Bruce is just going to kick you out once Tim is better, do you?"

Jason shook his head. "No, but you're assuming I want to be here once he gets better."

Dick sat down on ground next to Jason's chair. "Why wouldn't you want to stay?"

"What, and deal with Bruce? Who the hell would want to do that? Besides, I do have a place of my own, you know?"

Dick shrugged. "In the words of Alfred, 'your current living conditions leave something to be desired...' a whole hell of a lot of something, actually. I get that you don't want to stay here, but I've got an apartment, you know, and I wouldn't mind the company."

Jason laughed at that. "What? Stay with you? Oh, come on, without Tim there to separate us, we'd kill each other for sure."

"Well, it's still better than your current living conditions. Anyway, I've gotta get some sleep, so think about it?" Dick walked over, and brushed Tim's hair off of his forehead. "Night, little brother."

They both paused when they saw Tim's hand twitch. After a few moments, Jason turned toward Dick. "I'm sure it was just a..." He trailed off when he saw Tim's eyes flutter open.

Tim scanned his surroundings before locking his gaze on both of them. "What happened?" His voice was hoarse from disuse.

"Hey, little brother, what do you remember?" Dick moved to get Tim a glass of water.

"Ugly demon, pain, pain, and more pain." Tim coughed as Jason helped him sit up.

Dick handed the glass of water to Jason, and Jason held it up to Tim. "Yeah, well we managed to send the ugly demon home. Unfortunately, he managed to gut you with the knife I gave you before that happened. You're fine. I do hope, though, that you didn't have some weird attachment to your spleen, 'cause that's gone."

Tim blinked at him as he processed the new information. "Well, you know, it was one of my favorite organs."

Jason laughed weakly. "Yeah, well, I would think that there are more important organs for you to cry over if/when you lose them."

Dick smiled at both of them. "Okay, well, I think we should probably tell Alfred and Bruce that you're awake. It's been three days, little brother, and I'm sure that the both of them are as worried about you as we were."

Tim stared at them for a moment. "Three days? It's been that long?"

Dick nodded. "Yeah, it seems that you needed the sleep."

Tim sighed as he laid back down. "Yeah, I guess."

"I'll be right back, okay?" Dick hugged him gently before leaving.

Tim nodded, and, once he was sure that Dick was gone, he turned to Jason. "I honestly wasn't expecting you to still be here."

Jason shrugged. "Alfred was busy, and Dick sucks at putting in an IV."

Tim raised an eyebrow at him. "Uh huh."

Jason held up his hands defensively. "No man, I'm serious. You should see him put in an IV sometime. It's like watching an inebriated monkey work. I'm not really sure how he ever got Bat sanctioned, but I think Alfred's planning on working with him on it."

Tim laughed weakly at him. "I'm sure he'll suggest that Dick use you as a guinea pig then."

Jason shook his head. "All the more reason to be on my way, now that you're awake."

Tim stared at him for a moment, but didn't say anything. Jason was just about to turn to leave when he felt Tim wrap his hand around his wrist. "I think everyone would prefer if you stayed."

Jason gently removed Tim's hand from his wrist. "How the hell would you know? You've been unconscious for the past three days."

Tim shrugged. "I'm the smart Robin, remember? You should stay."

Jason sighed to himself. "You know, Bruce is going to want to have another conversation with me."

Tim nodded. "He'll probably make you promise to stop killing, too. What's your point?"

"What if I can't do that ,Tim?"

Tim breathed out a laugh. "You've already proven that you can."

"Hey, I've told you, I just had more important things to do."

Tim stared at him for a moment. "Uh huh. What's the real reason, Jason?"

Jason folded his arms over his chest. "That is the real reason."

Tim shook his head. "Except for how it really isn't. Come on, Jay, you already know what you want. Why are you so afraid to have it?"

Jason sat back down in the chair by Tim's bed. "It already fell apart once, Tim. Why the hell would I want to go through that again?"

Tim sighed. "Because it's worth the pain."

"Is it?"

Tim closed his eyes for a moment, and just when Jason thought that he'd fallen back to sleep, Tim opened them again. "I guess only you can decide that, Jason."

Before Jason could respond, Dick came back with Alfred and Bruce following him. Dick and Jason moved to the other side of the cave while Bruce and Alfred checked on Tim. Dick nudged Jason after a few moments of just watching the other two work. "So, it looks like you're going to have to make a decision sooner rather than later, Jay-bird."

Jason sighed to himself. "Yeah, it does."

Dick nudged him again. "So, what's it going to be."

Jason sighed again as he rubbed his temples. "Honestly, I don't know, Dick."

The End (for now)