Over the next week, Sam, Jason, and Gar have secret late-night training sessions. They learned their lesson from the first night and were far more careful. Gar helped spar which to him, was also kind of nice because he also got an extra session. Sam likes the late-night sessions with them. It's different than during the day when Dick and Rachel are awake, too. This is just, the three of them and it feels really nice and safe for her. Sam has only woken up four nights over the last week due to nightmares.

Gar walks the tower with her after training and that helps a lot. Jason spends an extra hour in the training room after their sessions. To Sam, it's kind of like if the impossibility of Jerry being in the tower becomes real, at least Jason is awake. At least her and Gar checked the tower. The two of them just existing helps. And she honestly just really likes hanging out with the both of them and they like hanging out with her. They've almost become attached at the hip over the last week.

Now, it's just after ten in the morning and Sam is walking into the kitchen in a hoodie and pajamas. Gar and Dick are the ones in the kitchen this time and she's starting to wonder if Dick spends all of his time in here or the comms lab because almost every time she's here, so is Dick.

"Good morning." Dick chimes, touches of sarcasm in his voice. Sam waves her hand haphazardly at him as she takes a seat next to Gar.

"Good morning." Gar's voice is chipper and Sam gives him a soft smile.

"Why are you all morning people?" Sam quips.

"If you weren't up so late..." Dick states.

"I go to bed at a reasonable hour and wake up at a reasonable hour, Dickolas." Sam states, flashing him a grin. "So, do I get to train this week?" Sam cuts to the chase because she knows they'll be going for a training session soon. Dick does have everyone on schedule.

"No." Dick shakes his head and Sam deadpans.

"It's been a week!" Sam exclaims. "I'm fine."

"Yeah," Gar chimes in. "She seems fine." It's true. She's been doing just fine in their late-night sessions together.

"You were limping yesterday." Dick points out.

What Dick doesn't know is that Sam was only limping because Jason kicked her in the leg a little hard after she kicked him a little hard the night before. But, she can't tell him that without getting them all in trouble so she rolls her eyes.

"Yeah..."

She just wants to train with everyone else. Of course, she wants to keep the late-night sessions because she likes the time with the boys and she could use the extra training regardless. She's behind and Jason is a very good teacher. But, she just wants to be included. She wants to feel useful.

"You'll get to train soon." Dick assures her and he really just doesn't want her to injure herself more.

"Alright." Sam lets out a breath.

"Hey," Gar clears his throat, changing the subject, worried Dick will figure it out. "Did you wanna go see a movie today?" Gar asks looking at Sam.

"Uh..." She stutters.

What if she runs into Jerry? She can't imagine she would because if he thinks she's dead, he likely is trying to find another lab rat to test on. If he thinks she's alive with the whole lack of news about a dead body, not that there would be much news since she probably looked homeless anyway and no one cares much for those stories, he might have gone underground to hide in case she actually went to the police. Really, the odds of her running into him aren't very high but the odds of him showing up in the tower are even less than that but that didn't stop her from panicking about him being there. So, what if she does run into him while they're out?

"We don't...we don't have to." Gar assures her, realizing maybe an outing might not be a good idea but she was fine with going with Dick and going with him last week.

"No!" Sam says quickly. "I want to it's just...um...ya know? Sally's was close and I don't know where the movie theater is and what if it's farther and we run into him? And no one can come help if we need it?"

She felt comfortable going out with Dick because he rescued her and he's Robin. Robin and Batman take down worse criminals than fucking Jerry. Robin did just fine on his own without Batman so going with Dick was a lot easier. And having Gar and Rachel with her, made her feel a little better. Three people with powers, two of which aren't injured sounded a lot better than having one person, not that she thinks Gar isn't capable. She just doesn't want to put that all on him.

"We can see if Rachel and Jason wanna go." Gar offers with a soft smile. He definitely wanted to go alone with her but he's not going to force her or try to convince her. Besides, going out with everyone could be fun and maybe outings with a group will make Sam more comfortable going out in general, knowing nothing is going to happen.

"Are you sure?" Sam asks. "I-I mean...I think you're perfectly capable of taking care of Jerry if we did see him, I just...I wouldn't...I wouldn't want you to get hurt."

"It's okay." Gar chuckles softly. "I get it. I'd be fine though but yeah, we can ask."

"Here." Dick hands over enough money for four of them to see a movie, including snacks. "You guys have got to start doing chores though."

"Gotcha, will do." Gar takes the money from the counter with a giant grin. "Thank you."

"What'd ya have in mind?" Sam asks, leaning back in her chair as she keeps her attention on Gar.

"I was gonna see if there was anything you wanted to see." Gar offers, voice as chipper as usual.

"I haven't been to the movies in a year so I'm down with everything." Sam laughs softly while Gar pulls out his phone, pulling up the closest movie theater to see what they have playing.

"Oh! Have you seen Jumanji? With the Rock and Jack Black?" Gar asks with excitement. "For a reboot, it was so good!"

"It's one of my favorites!" It was one of the last movies she saw in theaters, or at all actually. "Jack Black is hilarious and Kevin Hart with The Rock is truly amazing. Perfect casting. Plus, Karen Gillan is hot so." Sam gushes and this is the most excited Sam has seemed since she got here, it's warming both Dick and Gar's hearts. If getting her to the movies will get her happy again, Gar will take her to see every single movie, even horror movies. "I didn't know they made a new one!"

"Yeah! Just came out! It looks really good, too! I bet Rachel and Jason will like it, too. They have a show at one?" Gar asks.

"Cool! I'll shower, you wanna ask them to go?"

"Sure." Gar's beaming with a sense of light as he grabs his bowl, bringing to the sink.

"Rinse it." Dick urges.

"Sorry." Gar laughs, rinsing his bowl and putting it in the dishwasher.

Gar rushes off to find Rachel and Jason, leaving Sam and Dick once again. Sam's begging for this not to become a routine. She gets up and grabs more cereal. She wonders if there's ever actual breakfast that's made given they're supposed to be training. She thinks maybe there should be, not that she feels entitled to it, but just that she's surprised Dick doesn't make everyone a breakfast that's good for athletes or something.

"You gonna be okay going today?" Dick asks her.

"Assume so, been fine before." Sam answers, pouring her cereal into a bowl.

"Your adoptive dad?" He asks and Sam realizes she's revealed too much but also can't be bothered to hide it from him. If Jason and Gar can research her, surely he definitely has.

"Mhm." Sam hums, grabbing the milk from the fridge. "But you knew that." Sam mutters. "Ya know, talks about Bruce Wayne and all, kind of figured you figured it out or something." She explains. "Presumably, the comms lab is just a giant bat computer."

"Bat computer?"

"Mh, that's what it's called right? Bat computer? Like Batcave?"

Dick lets out a sigh. "It's not a bat computer."

"Uh-huh, so like, but there's a Batcave, batmobile, BatMAN. So, does Bruce just name everything Bat-something when it has to do with Batman? Like...the baterang!" Sam exclaims and Dick just blinks at her. "Batshoes? Batcape? Do you actually call Wayne Manor Bathome? Bathouse? BatManor? If you get a dog, is the dog called...batdog? Like in Homeward Bound? Are you and Jason batsons?" Sam has a shit-eating grin. "And why are you called Robin? Sorry, why is Jason called Robin? Robins are birds. Not bats. So, birdsons." Sam scrunches her nose. "Batsons is better."

"You think you're funny."

"Oh, I'm fucking hilarious. Gar would be chiming in with other bat things, too." Sam laughs softly. "Jason would probably start calling things bat-something just to annoy you and Bruce."

"No," Dick shakes his head and Sam catches the glimpse of a smile. "Not everything is called batsomething."

"What a missed opportunity. Batsons." Sam snickers to herself. Dick shakes his head. "Anyway, don't go looking for him." She states. "Jerry, I mean."

"What makes you think I would?" Dick's brows furrow.

"Robin." Sam states.

"I'm not Robin anymore." Dick says with a sigh.

Sam rolls her eyes. "Mhm, whatever." She takes her bowl to the seat she was in previously. "So, you won't find him and hunt him down?"

"No, not since you asked me not to." Dick promises her.

"Thank you. Though, I do think that you should let bring him in when I'm ready." Sam points her spoon at him.

"Why would I do that?"

"It would make me feel better to know that I survived him, brought him to justice, and he can't ever do that to someone else ever again. Ya know, real Titans shit."

Dick hates the idea but he also knows he can't keep the teens locked in a tower forever training. Eventually, they will have a big bad to fight and take down. Maybe Jerry would be a good test run with the team, to see how they handle themselves and he'll be there for backup. Jerry doesn't seem like a huge supervillain, just a guy who beats on smaller people. On the other hand, however, he remembers what it's like looking for the person who wronged him, killed his parents and he ended up dead. He has to live with it every day and they aren't supposed to kill people. Even in a year from now, is he supposed to trust Sam not to go and kill him in a rage fit? It's something he'll need time to sit on.

"We'll see." Dick answers.

Sam pauses, spoon in the air halfway to her mouth. "Wait. Really?"

Dick shrugs. "I said we'll see."

"Well, I expected a complete and hard no so, alright then." Sam shrugs. "Soon as I'm not in pain-"

"Yes, you get to train then." Dick cuts her off. "Your eagerness seems..."

"Overzealous?" Sam chuckles while Dick nods.

"Yeah."

"I don't like sitting around and I wanna feel useful. Everyone else gets to train." Sam answers but her voice doesn't turn sour, just honest.

"Okay." Dick nods. "Get better, take it easy, rest, and you'll be training in no time." He offers her a smile, still not quite convinced she hasn't convinced one of the boys to start her training. Her eagerness is the selling point for her assumption.

"Aye-eye, Captain." Sam salutes him sarcastically as she eats her food.

Dick goes off to do whatever it is Dick does during the day while Sam finishes her food. Once she's done, she heads to her room to pick out something to wear. She doesn't have much but she has enough in her opinion. She opts for jeans and a black t-shirt with a red anatomically correct heart in the upper left corner. She tops it off with the forest green hoodie she picked out, remembering that movie theaters always tend to be a bit cool. With her outfit in hand, she heads to the bathroom for a shower.

Weirdly, she thinks her face looks worse. The bruises have started turning yellow which seems to be more off-putting. Yellow means they're healing but it just makes them look more like they're rotting rather than healing, in her opinion. She almost grimaces at the sight of herself because no matter how many times she showers, it's always off-putting but she shakes it off because she does want to go to the movies.

While in the shower, the rest of the bruises seem to be healing, too. It's all healing slowly, in her opinion, but healing nonetheless. Besides the boot print, that's still a blue tint and still causing some slight pain with her movements but it's something she just has to deal with. If anything, at least that's something she can take away. She'll be better at just dealing with shit, maybe.

After the shower, she gets dressed and gets ready. Once she's done, she heads to Gar's room to look for him. Gar's door is open when she gets there and Jason is sitting on one of the chairs in the middle of the room while Gar is digging through his closet, clearly looking for something.

"What's...what's he doing?" Sam asks Jason whose hair is still wet from his own shower, pointing to Gar.

Jason shrugs. "Looking for something to wear."

Sam glances back at Gar, his head fully buried into his closet, standing on one foot with the other pointed out like he's reaching for something. "Surely, it cannot be that big of a thing...right?"

"Appanrent-fucking-ly." Jason chuckles.

"I'm looking," Gar yells from his closet with a grunt. "For a hoodie."

"You're wearing a hoodie?" Sam questions, moving to sit in a chair beside Jason. "What's wrong with the one you're wearing?" She asks and it's the green one he loaned her her first day at the tower.

"Not big enough." He yells again.

Sam's brows are knitted, Jason just as confused as she is. "Right." She nods not bothering to dig more into that one. "You coming?" She asks.

"Yeah, figured I'd offer extra protection." Jason smirks at her.

"OR," Sam starts, raising her brows and pointing a hand at him haphazardly. "You could just come watch a movie to hang out and have, wait for it," Sam leans forward. "Fun." She gives him a sarcastic, open-mouthed smile.

"I have fun!"

"Beating a punching bag doesn't count!" Gar yells from behind them.

"See." Sam leans back.

"Oh, so you want me to go...for fun?" Jason quips and he has a teasing smirk that makes Sam's stomach twist.

She shakes her head, trying her best not to smile at him. "For fun." She echoes making Jason chuckle.

"I found it!" Gar yells, excitement in his voice as he finally emerges from the closet holding a green pullover hoodie that's definitely bigger than the one he's wearing.

"You sure do like green, huh?" Sam asks with interest. He does look very good in green and it matches his hair which Sam finds endearing.

"It's my favorite color." Gar beams, seeing her also wearing green. "You're wearing green." He states.

"I also happen to like the color." Sam laughs softly. "Why such a big hoodie?"

"For snacks." Gar smiles widely, tossing the hoodie he's wearing onto the bed and throwing the pullover over his head. He's basically swimming in it but it's cute.

"For snacks, dude? Seriously?" Jason asks.

"Yeah! Do you want to get up in the middle of the movie for them? And! We can bring our own!"

"Oh, breaking rules now." Sam quips, just wanting to poke some fun at him.

"They're expensive." Gar defends.

"That's fair." Sam agrees with him. "We always just used someone's purse."

"Really?" Jason looks between them.

"Come on, I find it hard to believe you paid for every movie you ever saw in a theater."

Jason gets a knowing grin, tilting his head quickly to the right and back up. "True."

"And what snacks are we bringing, Gar?" Sam asks as Gar walks over to them.

"A bag of Cheez-Its," Gar starts, Sam finding the choice in the first snack a bit odd for a movie theater but she lets him talk. "Airhead extremes, sour patch kids, and skittles." Gar finishes his list with a triumphant smile.

"Watermelon Sour Patch kids?"

"What other ones would they be?"

"Well, you've sold me." Sam stands up. "Was unaware there was candy here though." Her eyes narrow at him.

"I'll show you." Gar jerks his head towards his door. "You coming? We gotta get Rachel, too. She was just getting ready."

Jason lets out a sigh but gets up and follows the two out of the room. The three of them go to get Rachel and then head for the kitchen where Gar shows Sam where Dick keeps the candy. She only really investigated a few cabinets for food. She found the cereal and stuff in the fridge which was enough for her for now. But now, she knows where the candy is and suddenly, this place feels a lot better. Candy has a way of making her better about almost any situation.

Once Gar has the snacks secured in his hoodie pouch, the four of them leave for the movies. It's a fifteen-minute walk which was uneventful besides the few bickering comments Rachel and Jason had for each other. Sam is figuring out that's an everyday thing. She doesn't have siblings but she imagines that's how siblings are. Just, fighting, every day, for absolutely no reason and then being fine five minutes later.

She's happy she doesn't have siblings.

Her and Gar, on the other hand, walk behind them together and Gar talks about his favorite parts of the first movie. Sam remembers everything about the first movie but he was so excited so Sam asked for a little refresher and Gar did not disappoint. He mimics Jack Black's character, badly, but it made Sam laugh and made her stomach bubble. He explained the scene where Karen Gillan had to fight some of the bad guys while the rest of the team got the helicopter. Gar's hand flew around here and there with his words, expressing all the scenes and Sam chimed in with some of her favorite scenes.

It felt like just the two of them, not even noticing the bickering of Rachel and Jason after a few minutes. Jason and Rachel could have ditched them and neither of them would have even noticed. They're too busy being absorbed in the conversation that switched from Jumanji to games Gar thinks Sam will like to play since she likes PlayStation. He rambles about the different games and Sam hangs onto every word, becoming more interested in the idea of Xbox which might also just be because Gar likes Xbox. But she's willing to play the games with him regardless, anything to spend more time with him at this point.

Once they get to the theater, Gar and Sam separate only for him and Jason to get tickets and Sam and Rachel to stand in line for popcorn and a drink.

"So," Rachel starts, keeping her stare forward at the menu board with a smile pulling at her lips. "You and Gar?" Her tone is a little teasing but always kind.

"W-what, uh, what about Gar and me?" Sam asks, looking at Rachel and then back at the menu. She does love popcorn and there is truly nothing like movie theater popcorn.

"You guys seem..." She hums. "Like you're getting close."

"It feels like you're digging for something." Sam looks over at her, Rachel catching the smile and red cheeks on Sam's face.

"You'd be cute together, is all." Rachel shrugs. "Pink and green, ya know?"

"He is like..." Sam tries her best to hold back the smile that's splitting her face. "SO cute." Sam gushed. She remembers the last time she had a crush on someone and how exciting it felt but this feels so much better. And maybe it's because of everything she's been through where this little tinge of happiness feels so overdramatic she could drown in it or maybe it's because he's just not like the people she normally likes. "And funny." Sam beams. "And so fucking nice all the time and caring and protective and he's not a smart ass." Sam catches herself rambling. "He just..." Sam slows down, sucking in a breath. "He makes me forget all the shit, ya know?" Sam's smile grows a little sad with the words.

"Yeah, he's really at that. He found me in the woods and took me to the Doom Manor, as he likes to call it, and he made sure I was always safe. Always checking on me."

"Are you sure you're not into him?" Sam asks, just making sure she's not crossing a line.

Of course, Sam doesn't plan to do anything about it because while she rambles about how great Gar is, she knows she could do the same about Jason if Rachel asked. But, regardless, it's better to double-check.

Rachel shakes her head, scrunching her nose. "No, he's cute but there's nothing there."

"Cool." Sam tilts her weight to her toes and to her heels. "But like, we're just hanging, ya know? And stuff." Sam adds in, not wanting to give the wrong impression. She's not ready for anything, not when she's still having nightmares and tasting iron trauma. She won't put that on anyone and she never dives into anything that quickly anyway.

"Yeah, of course." Rachel nods, not believing her but going with it anyway.

"Okay, got the tickets." Gar chimes behind the girls. He hands them their tickets as he looks at the menu.

"Nachos." Jason mutters behind them. "Haven't had nachos in forever."

Sam looks behind her. "You're one of those? Of course, you are." She jokes.

"One of what?" Jason's voice raises.

"Who gets nachos instead of popcorn." She retorts.

"They're good, don't tell me you're a freak who doesn't like nachos?"

"I do! But when I can have movie theater popcorn."

"Did you wanna split a popcorn?" Gar interjects, looking at Sam.

"Yeah, sure." Sam offers him a smile. Rachel holding her smile to herself.

Sam looks over to a few people standing by the poster wall with the new releases and upcoming movies. She can feel them looking at her when she looks away and maybe she's just hyperaware of it because she doesn't feel very pretty now. Not that she was ever arrogant about her looks but she knows the blatant bruises are an eye sore and the rest of the tower is just too kind and too used to seeing them to say how bad they look. But, it makes Sam shift in her shoes, like she's too exposed again. And she's aware of all of the people around her which, any other time, would have made her realize the people by the wall probably aren't looking at her and just looking in the same direction but this is now and she can't help but feel like everyone around her knows. Knows someone is probably out there looking for her to finish her off and what happened to her. The color drains from her face and Gar notices almost immediately.

"Are you okay?" Gar touches her arm lightly to get her attention. Sam nods, her eyes darting around them and Gar knows something's going on. "We can go grab seats while Jason and Rachel grab the food." Gar offers his hand to her and she takes it without any hesitation. "Large popcorn, Smart Water, drink?" Gar looks to her.

"Coke's fine." She mutters and Jason and Rachel both nod.

Gar pulls Sam from the line and off towards the screening rooms, Jason watching them as they disappear. He feels bad for her because Gar wasn't the only one to notice the sudden look of panic on her face. He's seen it before, felt it, it's not something he ever wishes on anyone but he knows she's in good hands with Gar.

Meanwhile, Gar gets her into the proper screening room, the lights still partially lit with an advertising message on the screen for the food the theater sells. He lets Sam pick which row and then sits on her left.

"What's going on?" He asks, keeping his voice in a whisper and quiet, not to let anyone else hear them. It's a weekday so there aren't that many people here, still enough to make Sam uneasy but not nearly as many as a Friday night or weekend.

"I-I-I don't know." Sam pulls the sleeves of her hoodie over her hands. "I just...I saw people and I thought they were looking at me." She whispers to Gar. "And then everyone was just there, felt claustrophobic and my heart was racing and my hands got all sweaty."

"Sounds like a panic attack."

"Yeah," Sam nods with a sigh, her hand still locked with Gar's. "I got them a few times before after my mom died and on the streets and then ya know, first few weeks with Jerry. Never really had one in a normal situation before."

"It's new again though." Gar assures her. "It's understandable and there's nothing wrong about it or anything." He offers a sincere smile. "There were a lot of people out there, too. I don't think anyone was looking at you, if it makes you feel any better."

Sam gives a faint cornered smile. "Thank you."

"Did you still wanna see the movie?" Gar asks. "It's okay if you don't want to."

"No." Sam's voice raises slightly. "I do." She smiles fully this time. "I just...don't think I wanna be around so many people like that for a little while. Even when Dick and me went, there were only like five people in the stores so it wasn't a big deal, I guess."

"Okay." Gar squeezes her hand, realizing he's still holding it and her hands are still cold. "We can do this regularly if you want. Seeing a movie here to help you readjust if you think it'll help. I'm sure Jason and Rachel will be cool with it. We can grab the seat and they can get the food."

"I'd really like that." Sam blushes, looking down and back to him.

"If it doesn't help though, that's okay, too. We'll figure something else out." Gar holds his head high with a reassuring smile.

"Thank you, Gar." Sam sucks in a breath, feeling better. The dim light of the theater and lack of more people seems to have helped as did Gar talking to her. "I'm feeling a bit better now."

"Got food." Jason says from the end of the aisle as Rachel goes in first, sitting on the opposite side of Gar.

Sam and Gar disconnect for the first time since sitting down so they can grab their things. Jason already put her drink in the cupholder before handing her a popcorn. Rachel had Gar's water in hand with her own small popcorn. They all get comfortable in their recliner seats. Jason tilts his back with the footrest popping up while Sam just leans hers back slightly, pulling her legs up knees bent facing Gar. Gar pulls a knee up as he digs out a bag of Cheez-Its from his pocket making Sam giggle. His cheeks burn with the sound and he's starting to really love the way her laugh sounds to him. He offers a few Cheez-Its as the lights go down, Sam taking a few before switching to her popcorn.

The previews play and Sma's pretty excited about some of the upcoming movies she saw trailers for. She really missed movies. The idea of not doing anything for two hours besides watching characters on screen is what she considers ultimate peace of mind. Even horror movies bring her that comfort because it's fiction and she's safe, especially now with the three people that surround her in this movie theater.

The movie plays while Sam and Gar share popcorn and Cheez-Its, Jason even offering to share some of his nachos if he could have some popcorn. That's one of the reasons Gar asked for the large. Sure, him and Sam were sharing but he also knew Jason would be stealing some of it. They've gone to see a movie before and despite Jason saying he didn't want popcorn, he absolutely was stealing from Gar's small popcorn the whole movie. Rachel, on the other hand, is completely content with her own popcorn and some of the Sour Patch Kids Gar brought.

About halfway through the movie, Gar, Jason, and Sam finished off the popcorn, Gar putting the empty bucket by their feet so they don't have to hold it. Sam has her arm on her armrest, leaning comfortably and toward Gar. He thought maybe she was only sitting like that because it was easier to share the popcorn between them, though not easier for Jason who had to stretch a bit. But, now he kind of thinks either she's really just that comfortable or maybe, just maybe, she likes being a little closer to him. He likes the idea of the second one a lot more. So, he gets the courage from the pit of his stomach, sucking in a breath to reach for her hand. The whole arm move thing is way too ballsy, especially right now, so soon and with Jason and Rachel on either side of them. He'd never hear the end of it even if Sam weren't okay with it.

He interlocks his fingers with hers, sitting a little straighter and focusing a little too much on keeping his attention on the movie, he doesn't even notice Sam's moved her attention to look at him. She appreciates the effort and finds it be the cutest thing in the world that he's nervous about it. Maybe it's because this time it's not because he's trying to make her feel better like the previous time but just because he wants to. There's no other reason or purpose and it makes him nervous but Sam interlocks her fingers with his, giving his hand a squeeze while refocusing her attention on the movie. She can see Gar relax in his seat with a giant smile on his face from the corner of her eyes.

Jason looks over and sees it. It crushes him a bit. He talked to Gar and he's not that big of an asshole to intrude if his friend wants a shot at someone. But it is a little bit of a blow to the ego even if he kind of gets it. He never really had a shot anyway, maybe they're too similar and snarky. So, it hurts a little but at least his best friend seems happy and he does like the banter with Sam so he can't be too mad since he'd probably end up fucking that up anyway.

The movie ends and the group makes their way out of the theater. Gar and Sam keep their hands connected, lazy smiles on both of their faces as they start their walk back to the tower. To feel normal is something that's typically indescribable because it's normal. It's easy, every day, someone wakes up and just lives, does their thing, then goes to bed. Most people just have normal lives and those normal lives are sometimes boring, sometimes exciting but normal. Sleep, school or work, eat, friends, family (or a found family), hobbies. Normal. Day to to day life is just that, normal. But, for Sam, the idea of a normal life became a thing.

Not something day to day to shrug off but something she described as magical (which she does think is kind of lame but it's true). Because even in day-to-day life, in a normal life, even if it's boring, it is there and there is happiness and hope and love and fun. Even if the only thing someone does outside of their normal responsibilities is watch tv, that is something that brings that person happiness and fun. A normal life surrounded by normal emotions and actions and activities seemed so magical. An abstract idea of a dream life. To be normal because for so long, she lived in fear of the cops finding her, the Joker getting out of Arkham, Jerry. Nothing was every routine or normal about any of it, even living in Gotham. But right now, walking with her hand in Gar's and laughing as him and Jason mimic a scene from the movie dramatically, she feels normal. Magical, like she's living in that ethereal dream she felt was so out of reach, she'd fall to her death trying to grasp it. But here she is, happy and content and smiling and she hasn't known any of them long, but she feels loved.

And in this moment, normal life, to her, is confirmed to be magical and intoxicating.

Back at the tower, the group tells Dick about the movie, completely spoiling the whole thing for him. They took turns at first talking about their favorite parts before it turned into all of them talking at the same time with excitement. Dick found it to be a little overwhelming, being yelled at by 4 teenagers about a movie he hasn't even seen the first one to. But he also found it to be heartwarming and he had a real sense that this was going to work. The new Titans were going to work this time because all four of them were getting along so well, better than the last month has been. He even kind of feels like a proud dad in a way, watching them get overly dramatic about the movie and listening to them. He hopes it stays like this.

As the night goes by, the teens have a training session, Sam sitting on the sidelines with 3 bottles of Gatorade while she watches. After the training sessions and after a quick shower, Gar meets Sam in her room, a Nintendo Switch and the dock in hand. He connects it to the TV hanging on Sam's wall while Sam gets comfortable in the middle of the couch. Once everything is set up, Gar sits right beside her, handing her the left controller that has a green tiger print skin on it.

"Okay I have Mario Party, Mario Kart, Super Smash Bros, It Takes Two, Jason normally plays that with me." Gar chuckles softly, scrolling through his games. "Overcooked."

"We can okay Mario Kart." Sam cuts him off. "I had a Wii and I was unbeatable." Sam holds her head up, prideful smile on her face.

"We'll see about that." Gar huffs, a cocky grin pulling at his lips as he clicks the game.

"I can't beat you at Xbox games but I can beat you at Nintendo game you throw at me."

"I thought you liked PlayStation." Gar teases, selecting a circuit for them to play which of course, includes the harder Rainbow Road.

"I'm a multifaceted person." Sam quips, rolling her eyes at the selection of Rainbow Road knowing she spent hours just playing that race to make sure she could beat anyone at it.

Gar lets out a laugh. "So am I then!" Gar's smile turns into a smirk. "I do turn into a tiger so."

"Which I still have yet to see by the way!" Sam yells dramatically as she picks Yoshi.

"Hey! I normally play Yoshi!"

"You should have been faster." Sam laughs. "I have never used another character, even in Mario Party. The only one I pick differently is Smash Bros."

"Let me guess, Link?"

"Obviously." Sam chuckles while Gar picks Luigi.

Gar shakes his head. "I'm still gonna beat you though. Even with Luigi." Gar scoots to the edge of the couch, getting in a comfortable position and Sam can't help but laugh.

She crosses her legs, leaning against the back of the couch in a relaxed position. She's rusty but she is never one to back down from a Mario Kart competition. Does anyone though?

The two of them hold down the down button on their controllers right at the countdown hits 2 and the race starts. They fly by the bots and each collects a box. Gar gets a banana which makes him groan and Sam gets a green shell. She rolls her eyes knowing both of them did not get good power-ups which was to be expected running in first and second place. Gar tosses the banana just to get rid of it and Sam tosses her shell, hitting Gar, surprising herself. A booming laugh escapes her from behind Gar.

"Seriously!?" Gar yells out, collecting a second box.

"I didn't even mean to." Sam continues to laugh, missing a second box. "I normally end up running into my own shells."

"How do you even win then?" Gar asks through a laugh.

"Lots of skill, clearly." Sam squeaks as she hits a banana thrown by a bot.

"Sure, that's how it happens." Gar mocks.

"I'm gonna kick your ass." Sam states, brows knitting together and she knows he's going to be harder competition than her previous competition.

As the race goes on, they continue to get power-ups and occasionally yell about how the bots are unfair, every time they happen to get hit by something a bot threw. But they mostly are jokingly yelling at each other whenever the other hits them with something. Sam won the first two races by saving a red shell until the end to hit Gar with. He caught on to her plan quickly and did it to her on the third race to which Sam called him a cheater. Gar thought it was mostly just funny. With the final rest underway, Sam leans over and messes with Gar's controller at the last minute allowing her to win.

"THAT IS DEFINITELY CHEATING!" Gar yells, appalled with a giant smile.

"Is NOT!" Sam sticks her tongue out at him.

"HOW?! You moved my hands off of my controller!" Gar yells between laughs.

"I took advantage of a situation which is NOT cheating! It's strategy!" Sam defends, giggling the whole time, not being able to take herself seriously.

Gar blinks at her, mouth slightly agape. "That's not a strategy! Rematch!"

Before Sam can argue, the door opens without a knock and Jason storms in, shutting the door quickly behind him. Sam and Gar watch him, pausing their argument momentarily to see not only why he's here but why he didn't knock.

"Can I help you?" Sam asks.

"I can hear you in my room!" Jason groans. "You're gonna wake up Dick and we're not gonna be able to train."

"Oops." Gar chuckles.

"Our bad." Sam gives Jason a yikes face.

Jason shakes his head, his stomach twisting at the sight of the two of them comfy on the couch and he could hear the majority of their fake argument. Jason can't really tell if he's jealous of Sam because he's normally the one that plays Mario Kart with Gar (and definitely cheats to win) or if he's jealous of Gar because he likes just spending time with Sam but she doesn't laugh like this around him. It's an odd feeling boiling in his stomach, something he doesn't even quite know how to explain. But, he does his best to ignore it.

"You guys ready then?" Jason asks, hands in his pockets.

Gar and Sam check their phones, only to realize they've been playing for three hours and it's after two in the morning. They quickly get up, offering Jason an apology before following him to the training room. Jason stands in the center of the room while Gar stands next to Sam.

The three of them do a few stretches before Jason starts giving directions. To start off, just like every night before this, he wants Sam at the punching bag to warm up and Gar goes to grab the three of them Gatorade since that's the one thing they forgot this time. Jason wraps Sam's hands because she insists she doesn't remember how Jason does it. She does but she likes when he does it for her and it seems to make him happy when he does it. It makes him feel needed a little more.

"So, you just get to barge into my room without asking now?" Sam asks as she hits the bag, glancing at Jason.

Jason lets out a huff. "Not like you were busy. I could hear you."

"Mhm." Sam hums, taking a few more punches at the bag, the way Jason showed her. "What if you were hearing shit and I was naked?" Sam quips just to get under his skin.

She spots Jason tense up from the corner of her eyes. "I'd be scarred for fucking life, I guess." Sarcasm drips from his words.

"Oooh, burn." Sam laughs softly. "Can I barge into your room without knocking?"

"Only if you're okay with seeing me naked, Babe." Jason gives her a cornered grin and Sam stops to narrow her eyes at him.

"I like having eyesight, thanks though, DaRlInG." Sam gives him a smirk before returning her attention to the punching bag.

Jason watches and gives her pointers and he likes this a lot. He feels useful and despite the fact it's only been a week, he's seeing progress in Sam. She's determined and smart, he tells her how to do something one time and she's got it. It makes him feel like he's actually doing something right here. It's behind Dick's back but if something were to happen to her, at least she has another form of defense on her side and it's because of him.

Gar comes running back in, Gatorade in hand with a heaving chest. Sam pauses, turning to look at him and Jason takes a step forward, both of their faces wrapped in confusion. He gasps for breath before pointing down the hall. down the hall.

"Dick-"

"What the hell is going on?" Dick comes up behind Gar, arms crossing as he glares at the two teens by the punching bag.

Jason shifts his weight to his right foot, crossing his arms over his chest instinctively. Sam keeps her face emotionless as she looks at Dick just waiting for him to start yelling at her for disobeying him as if he's her dad. Gar looks shameful as he stands just behind Dick.

"Well?" Dick almost yells waiting to a response.

"We're not doing shit, Dick." Jason finally speaks up with a scoff.

"We're just hanging out." Gar chimes in.

"Can't we do that?" Sam asks.

Dick is being ganged up on by the three of them. He's so disappointed in all of them. Sam, of course he knew would try to get someone to train her behind his back. She's new and traumatized and everything is all very new to her. He can understand her. But Jason and Gar? Dick made himself clear to the both of them and yet here they are, going behind his back risking Sam getting injured further.

With Jason, a part of Dick almost expected it because Jason is already a wild child, reckless, doesn't think before he does anything, rebellious. But he's also the oldest and should know better, especially since he seems to actually care about Sam. But then there's Gar. Gar does what Dick tells him to besides the chores, sometimes he forgets but this? Training Sam behind his back? Where is that even coming from? He expects so much more from him. From all of them.

And he does not feel like dealing with their lies at two in the morning.

"Didn't I tell you not to train her?" Dick's attention is trained on Jason. Dick did warn him, specifically not to. Sam's determination and eagerness was a red flag and he had a suspicion she'd try to convince Jason to train her early.

Gar looks from Dick to Jason and his heart breaks for his best friend. Jason complains sometimes about how he can never do anything right according to Bruce and Dick. He puts all his effort into being Robin and he knows he's good at it but neither of them actually care or notice. It's just always whatever Jason fucked up this time. And now this is another thing. Gar was told not to help and he's right here but Jason is being blamed. It was Sam's idea but Jason is the one in trouble. It makes Gar grit his teeth and bite his tongue.

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Jason yells back at Dick in just as much disbelief that he's being blamed fully right now as Gar and Sam.

Sam's brows are knitted looking in between the boys. She didn't really understand why Jason has an attitude with Dick. She thought he was just like that, she is. Kind of, she has a reason but she's also just like that. But now she sees it. Dick didn't say Bruce was great and Bruce shipped Jason off here and now he's still not good enough for Dick. He's helping her, and safely right now. Why isn't that seen as a good thing? Sure they aren't supposed to be doing this at all, but it was her idea and Jason is just being a good friend.

"Yeah," Dick nods his head. "I told you she's not ready and you go behind my back and risk hurting her. What is wrong with you?"

Jason shakes his head, fists balling at his sides and why is everything he does always so wrong? Why can't these people that he looks up to so fucking much just have something nice to say about him for fucking once?

"Shut the fuck up." Sam scoffs, moving to stand in front of Jason, eyes locked on Dick.

"I told him—"

"So? I bet him, won the bet and this is what I wanted. And Gar is right there but you're only yelling at Jason. You told me multiple times that I wasn't allowed to train but you haven't started yelling at me yet. What? He's the oldest? Has the most experience so you expect more?" Sam, part of the gifted kids in school, knows exactly where Dick is going.

"Actually, yeah. I expect more."

"Stop expecting so much and you won't be so fucking disappointed." Sam's face is hard as she glares at him. "He made sure we were all being safe and it was my fucking idea. I manipulated him into helping me. Gar caught us and didn't want to snitch on us and risk getting us in trouble. The only one you have to be mad at right now is me."

Jason's heart warms with Sam standing up for him. She literally stood in front of him and took the heat. He is at fault because he did go against what Dick said but he doesn't deserve how Dick talks to him. He's never had anyone stand up for him like that. Not here, no in Chicago, not in Gotham. He can handle himself of course but he doesn't feel so alone with Sam defending him, cold and strong as stone.

Gar has a cornered grin, one Dick can't see with Gar behind him but Sam can. Jason and Rachel stand up to Dick but not like that and never to defend each other. And Rachel doesn't really get in trouble, she just disagrees with Dick sometimes. But neither of them quite fight Dick the way Sam does and with her not even knowing him, Gar can't help but find it both admirable and comical. She almost seems fearless even, standing toe to toe with him, with Jason, after everything she's been through. He likes that in her.

Dick sighs, looking behind Sam and to Jason. Jason gives him a cornered smirk, shrugging his head to the right. "Fine, Gar, Jason, bed now." Dick commands.

"Good night, Sam." Gar states with a wave and a grin.

"Night." Jason mutters but before he leaves with Gar, he offers Sam a small but thankful smile and a nod from behind Dick and then leaves.

Dick walks over to one of the benches and sits down, holding the bridge of his nose. Now he gets why Bruce only took one kid in at a time. This is way too much work. He understands the stress and chaos he brought on Bruce now because none of these kids make it easy on him and he knows he wasn't any better than any of them. Bruce definitely wasn't great and he's determined to be better than Bruce was to him, but it's not nearly as easy as he thought it was going to be.

"Gonna kick me out?" Sam asks, the coldness gone from her voice and is now filled with hesitance.

Dick looks up her, brows furrowing. "What? No." He shakes his head. "Of course not." He lets out a sigh and Sam shifts her weight from her toes to her heels. "Why would you think that?"

Sam shrugs. "I'm new." Her voice is almost nonchalant. "You're pretty mad, I got two of your guys to disobey you." She shrugs, trying to act more casual about it than the beating of her heart is saying. A part of her is actually panicking at the idea of getting kicked out. She doesn't have anywhere else to go.

"I wouldn't kick any of you guys out." Dicks voice isn't filled with anger anymore, instead, it's sad. "Is that why you got them to help you?"

Sam walks over to him and sits on the bench. "Kind of." She answers honestly. "If I fuck up and you kick me out, I won't have anywhere to go. I don't even know the city. But...the main reason is just," Sam sucks in a breath, feeling too exposed. "I'm afraid of running into Jerry, ya know? I never want him to know what he did worked. But I need to defend myself some other way."

Dick nods, understanding and while he thinks she shouldn't be training. It's clear, she'll just go behind his back and do it anyway. Her reasoning behind doing it is sound at least.

"Jason wasn't doing anything wrong. I didn't get hurt or anything, not any more than I already am and Gar was just the look out, we didn't even want him involved." Sam continues.

"You're really taking full responsibility for it?" Dick asks.

"It is my responsibility. My idea, my plan." Sam nods just once. "Why?"

"You don't seem the type to take the fall for other people."

"Well, it's true." Sam's hands are clasped in her lap as she looks down to her shoes.

"Yeah but you seem the type to save your ass regardless, especially if something that big is on the line."Dick watches her carefully.

She does not give him the impression that she rats people out. She does, however, give him the impression she would if her life or something significant was on the line. He thinks she'd try to talk herself out of it but eventually, if it looked a little too bleak, she'd flip and save herself. But, clearly, he misread her.

Sam scoffs, scrunching her face. "Let's get one thing straight, I am not a fucking narc, Dickolas." Sam huffs, taking full offense to what he said as she looks back to him. "And, I do happen to care about the both of them quite a bit so I'd never narc on them, no matter what."

"Both, huh?" Dick chuckles, shaking his head knowing this will probably cause an issue later that he'll end up having to solve which is not where he saw life going.

"Mhm." Sam hums, sensing Dick growing uncomfortable. "You don't wanna hear about it."

"Yeah, the less I know, probably the better when it comes to that." Dick laughs, a bit relieved. "Well, I guess you can start training tomorrow then." Dick caves because if she's going to do it behind his back, he might as well let her train. Getting caught isn't going to stop her and Jason, he is almost completely certain of that.

"Wait. What? Why?" Sam shakes her head.

"You're going to do it anyway." Dick lets out a sigh.

"Sweet, thanks." Sam gives him a grateful smile. "I am fine, for the record. You have nothing to worry about."

"Yeah, alright." Dick nods his head, not sure he completely believes her but has no other choice now.

"Well, can I go to bed then?"

"Don't let either of them drag you down, if you need to...narc, do it." Dick warns.

"Nah." Sam chuckles, standing up. "They'd kill someone and I'd help hide the body."

"You've known them two weeks!"

"When you know, you know." Sam nods once, smirking at Dick who sucks in a breath, tired of teenagers. "Goodnight, Richard."

"Don't call me that!"

"Dickolas." Sam chortles, leaving the training room, an exasperated Dick left behind.

Sam walks down the hallway towards the bedroom and she feels a sense of relief. She knew they would get caught eventually. Dick isn't stupid, especially having been Robining for however long that was a thing. Teenagers always think they're smarter than every adult in the room, but Sam is smart enough to know that. She's smart enough to think ahead of what the adults will say when she gets caught. She knew he'd be pissed though she didn't plan for him to blame Jason. She did have a whole speech begging Dick to let her stay which she's pretty happy she didn't have to use. It's not manipulation. Everything she planned to say was true but she planned it so she'd be prepared. She swore she would never be unprepared again.

And, she feels a lot better knowing that Gar and Jason wouldn't rat her out either. She wouldn't have blamed either of them if they had pointed the finger at her. But they didn't. Jason took most of the heat when it wasn't his fault. It's comforting knowing they have her back, even if it's only against Dick. She knows she can trust them.

As the rooms come into view, she sees both of their doors open which catches her by surprise. She was sure that with Dick being so pissy, they'd both have listened but nope. She reaches Jason's room first, where the light is still on and he's seated in one of the chairs, scrolling through his phone.

"What're you doing?" Sam asks, Jason shooting up from his seat with a gasp.

"Fuck." He grits his teeth, looking at Sam who's holding in a laugh. "What?"

"What're you doing? Thought you'd have listened to him." Sam leans against the doorframe.

"Nah." He scoffs walking over to the door. "I don't listen to Dick.

"Mmm." Sam hums, raising her brows. "Noticed."

Jason smiles, licking his lip. "How pissed is he?"

Sam shrugs a shoulder. "Calmed him down, I'm very good at pissing people off and calming them the fuck down."

"Right." Jason shakes his head.

"Start training tomorrow so." Sam holds her head up high.

"How the fuck did you get him to agree to that?" Jason's voice is impressed.

"Basically, he said that if I'm going to do it behind his back anyway, he might as well let me train while being supervised." Sam gives him a cornered grin, proud of herself.

"Wow." Jason raises his brows. "Welcome to the club, I guess then."

"Yeah? Sad kids beating the shit out of each other club? Perfect." Sam mocks.

Jason huffs. "Yeah, something like that." He sucks in a breath, his cheeks starting to ache from the smile plastered across his face. "Thanks for taking the heat from Dick."

"Please." Sam rolls her eyes. "Think I'd narc on you or Gar? Fuck no." Sam scoffs.

"Yeah, why's that?" The question is a taunt.

He knows Gar is into her but he can't help. It just came out and it's so natural with her which is weird to him because he doesn't actually think he has a shot. Not just because of Gar but because he's him. Why would someone like her be into someone him? But he said it anyway and now he's waiting for her to say some sarcastic, snide remark that both will hurt and make him laugh.

Sam knows what he's doing and she thinks it's cute. She can feel the heat creeping onto her face and she's trying her best to have a quick snarky remark but she has none. It's all blank in her head and maybe that's part of why she likes him. Jason is the only one that can make her forget a smart-ass comment because he's a bit too quick-witted. When Gar makes her speechless, it's because he makes her feel wanted, something she hasn't felt in a long time. Jason makes her feel like she's being punched in the stomach with an adrenaline bomb.

"Hm." Sam hums. "Wouldn't you like to know." Sam wiggles her brows at him.

"Yeah, I would." Jason challenges her.

Sam pushes herself off the doorframe, not willing to commit to whatever she's feeling out loud. "We don't always get what we want, Jason Todd." Sam teases before turning on her heels, going to leave.

"Sam!" Jason calls, catching her by her wrist, not enough to grab her, just enough to pull her attention back. She spins back, giant smile plastered on her face. "C'mon, not gonna tell me?"

If she had worse judgment, she would be walking right back to him but she has fairly decent judgment most of the time and that would make a mess she'd have to clean up. She doesn't want to mess anything up or even commit to anything like that at the moment. One mess at a time.

Sam laughs softly and she has this sinister grin that makes Jason want to pull her right into his room. "Maybe one day." Sam taunts. "Goodnight, Jay." Sam spins back around, Jason walking in between the doorframe to watch her and she doesn't even go into her room. She bypasses it and goes to Gar's. But, the nickname swims in his head, over and over like his favorite song. And he has no idea what he's getting himself into with her but he does know it's a lot of fun and he's always liked taking risks. Sam's a risk.

Gar, like Jason, is seated in of the chairs by the TV but he's on a laptop watching YouTube when Sam knocks on his door. He looks over at her, offering her a sweet smile before welcoming her. He's been worried about her since he left her with Dick. He was really mad and while Gar knows he wouldn't actually do anything besides maybe give her extra chores or not let her train longer, he was still worried for how she would take it. He knows this is something she really wants and he doesn't think Dick should punish her or withhold it from her.

"How'd it go?" Gar asks.

"Fine, I get to start training tomorrow." Sam beams at him.

"Really?" Gar asks with surprise but a smile stretches across his face. "That's awesome!"

"Yeah," Sam smiles shyly. "I'm surprised, actually. Thought he was gonna like kick me out or something."

Gar shakes his head. "He wouldn't do that. I don't think he'd kick any of us out, even if we killed someone honestly. He just worries about us." Gar explains, sounding a little annoyed with the last sentence.

"Yeah, that's what he said." Sam scrunches her nose. "Thanks for not ratting me out. I know, it was my idea and you weren't actually involved, but thanks anyway."

"Of course," Gar chuckles softly. "I wouldn't rat you out." He gives her a wide smile.

"Thank you." Sam's cheeks turn red again and she realizes she is in so deep with Gar and Jason.

They just make her feel so drastically different, she doesn't even know what to do. She wishes she could ask her mom. She knows exactly what her mom would say. She would tell her that if she likes them equally, to either not do anything about it, to not hurt either of them. Or, she would tell her to go with Gar because he's safer and nicer and softer. Jason is rough around all of his edges and shows no signs of slowing down for even the smallest of breaths. Gar would be good for her, good for her mentally and emotionally and for her healing. Jason would encourage every fire-filled thought she has which isn't always the best option. She knows that but that's what makes them both fun. Gar is fun in terms of comfort and safety. But Jason is fun in terms of adrenaline and chaos. But, she can't tell Gar that because that just seems cruel.

"I wouldn't rat you out either." Sam says softly.

"Thank you." Gar chuckles quietly.

The two of them sit in silence for a few minutes and Sam likes it. Sitting with Gar is the only time she can get her brain to stop thinking so much. Just being around him, calms everything down. There isn't this pressure around him to be anything besides just herself. She doesn't have to put on a show or an act. Gar just lets her be and she's never had someone where she felt like that with. It's always been something, a protective layer, an extra layer of sarcasm, a wall, something but Gar just lets her exist in peace. And she doesn't want it to end because she's still terrified of her own nightmares.

"Hey, Gar." Sam pulls Gar's attention from a wildlife documentary he was watching.

"Yeah?" He asks, pausing the video and looking to her.

"C-c-can...can I...can I sleep in here... tonight?" She asks, holding her breath with every word.

Gar's brows raise with surprise but his face softens and he gives her a gentle smile. There's a swelling of pride in his chest with the question. He always aims to make people feel comfortable around him. He never wants anyone to feel anything less than comfortable or like themselves around him. Gar isn't one to judge or care as long people are nice and genuinely try to be good people, that's all that's ever mattered to him. Maybe he's too idealistic for the world, but he thinks everyone deserves a place of safety and comfort.

"Uh, yeah." Gar nods quickly. "Of course." Gar shuts the laptop. "I can take one of the chairs or the floor." He gets up, walking over to the bed to grab one of his blankets and a pillow.

"Um...y-you don't have to...unless you want to." Sam sucks in a breath, chewing the inside of her cheeks.

Gar pauses, standing straight up before turning to face her. "A-are you sure? I, uh, I don't mind."

"I'm sure." Sam gives him a shy smile. "I'm gonna change and then I'll be back." Sam gets up. "Thank you."

Gar nods once and as Sam leaves, he gains the biggest smile he's ever had. Sam makes him feel so bubbly and happy. He knows she's going through a lot right now and that's okay. He doesn't mind taking it slow and figuring out what they're doing because they're just hanging out and he doesn't expect her to be ready for anything for a while. And, if he's being honest, he sees the way she flirts with Jason and the way Jason flirts with her. If she told him tomorrow, it was Jason, he wouldn't be surprised and would accept the friendship they're building. But, he's hoping that won't happen because it would hurt.

Sam is funny and cute and smart, Gar likes her sarcasm and quick wit. He likes that she's strong, not because she was forced but because that's just who she is. No one forced her not to go into the system, Sam made the choice on her own to opt to avoid it. She puts on this brave face even in pain and while maybe she shouldn't, there is something Gar admires about her for it. Sam is nothing if not determined and stubborn and he likes those things about her.

Sam comes back a few minutes later, the forest green hoodie and pajama pants covering her fully. Gar offers her a smile from the bed, where he's just sitting not sure how she wanted to approach this. Sam gives him a shy and sheepish smile before shutting the door and walking over to him.

"Uh...what side do you want?" Sam asks.

"Oh," Gar's eyes widen while he looks behind him. Normally, he sleeps on the left side but this is Sam and he figures maybe she won't want the side closest to the door. "I'll take this side." Gar says from his seat on the right side.

Sam smiles at him before walking to the other side of the bed and sitting down. "You would have a tiger print comforter." Sam chuckles softly and the blanket is really soft.

"I like tigers." Gar defends, spinning around and bringing his legs onto the bed.

"I still wanna see you turn into a tiger." Sam states, positioning the pillow behind her to a comfortable spot.

"I can ask Dick if I can show you tomorrow." Gar offers.

"Please!" Sam exclaims. "I bet it's fucking awesome."

Gar laughs. "Yeah, I think it's cool." Gar gets a little shy talking about it. He thought people would think he's a freak for it.

"It's cool that you turn into a green animal and my hands turn green when I do the acid thing." Sam shows her palm to him, glowing green as she moves her fingers.

Gar chuckles softly, watching the neon color fade. "Does it hurt?" He asks.

Sam shakes her head. "No, just feels warm." She pauses for a second and the acid thing feels...personal

It's her thing. This is one thing she can do that no one besides the people in the tower knows about. But, none of them know the extent or exactly how it works. The only one who even knows a sliver of it is Dick and that was an accident, both times. It just feels personal and she doesn't want to share it with anyone because it's hers. But then there's Gar and she does want to share it with him.

"Wanna feel?" Sam offers, her voice just above a whisper.

"You're not...gonna burn me are you?" He asks nervously.

"No." Sam shakes her head.

"Okay." Gar nods, completely facing her, not sure how she plans to not burn him.

Sam's palm of her right hand starts glowing and she makes a strong fist. She sits like that for just a few seconds before scooting closer to Gar. Her legs are crossed as she sits just an inch away from him and she places her fist against his chest, keeping her palm covered. Warmth spreads around her fist, right against his chest where his heart is. Sam can feel his heartbeat against her fingers and it's beating a million beats a second. She can't tell if it's because he's nervous about the possibility of being burned or entertained by the whole thing. But it's beating fast and so is hers. All Gar can feel is warmth, no burning or stinging. Just warm like a heating pad. He stares at her, amazed by it and he doesn't know how she even knew she could do that.

"How, uh, how did you know you could do that without burning me?" He asks as Sam pulls her hand away, the green fading.

"My hands get cold so that's how I warm them up. I tried it on myself my first night here, it didn't burn." Sam explains but keeps her position. "But, if I use my palm, I can burn myself. A flaw for my palms to be the only exclusion from being burned but yeah."

"That's pretty awesome." Gar smiles at her.

Sam blushes with his admiration. "Thank you." She pauses for a second. "So," She leans back, laying down on the pillow and she can smell Gar on the pillow. She never realizes how good he smells and it makes her smile. He smells like strawberries mixed with something nonspecific, not like toothpaste or vanilla or honey, but just warm. Like how home used to smell. Nothing specific, just warm. "Wanna tell me about your parents?" Sam asks.

There's s glint in Gar's eyes with the question. No one's asked about them. He gets it, of course, it's a bit of a sore subject for everyone. Rachel's mom wasn't even her real mom and her real mom basically traded her, and tried to kill Gar, for Trigon. Jason's parents are either dead, Dicks parents are dead. Everyone has parental issues here so he gets it. But...he always had a good relationship with his parents before they died and he misses them a lot. He wishes he could talk about them more but he always feels like it'll make everyone else sad for what they miss or what they could have had even for a short time while their parents were alive. But now Sam is asking and a part of him feels ready to burst in a puddle of warm water.

"Uh, yeah." He smiles, leaning back on his elbow, facing Sam. "I don't know where to start." His smile is so big as he shakes his head, eyes darting up to pull from memory. "They were really cool ya know? Even then I thought that, I never told them though. But they were humanitarians and just wanted to help anyone that they could. They were big wildlife lovers, too. We lived on a reserve." Gar beams while Sam hangs onto every word. "I guess that's where I get it from." Gar chuckles softly, looking back at Sam.

"I think you get a lot from them then." Sam gives him a soft smile.

"Yeah, I guess." Gar shrugs, a little bit of sadness encompassing his heart. "They were strong, too. They, uh, they wouldn't stop caring for other people until they actually couldn't get out of bed anymore." Gar sucks in a breath, eyes widening as he remembers how bad it got towards the end. "They tried to protect me from it, they always looked out for me and made sure I was okay. I know they felt guilty for not being able to protect me from whatever the hell that disease was."

"But you were saved." Sam assures him. "I'm sure that's a relief, wherever they are."

"Yeah," Gar nods. "Um..." He shakes his head. "My dad was a pilot." Gar doesn't want to talk about the sadness of it all. It hurts a little too much.

"A pilot?" Sam asks, gaining an enthusiastic smile.

"Yeah!" Gar explains, the happiness coming back into his smile before he leans over Sam, partially crushing her as he grabs something from the other nightstand. "Sorry." Gar apologizes bashfully. "This is them." He hands her a framed picture of a younger Gar and his parents in front of a plane. Gar isn't much younger but younger nonetheless and he looks just like both of his parents. Even now with the green hair. He has his mom's eyes and his dad's smile.

Sam smiles at the picture, feeling the burning in the back of her eyes at the thought of her own mom. "You guys were such a cute family." Sam says, holding the picture tightly. "Your mom was so fucking pretty."

"Thanks." Gar watches her look over the picture and he doesn't share it much. He doesn't hide it, it's out on display for everyone to see but no one ever asks and Gar doesn't tell. But talking about them, like they were in the next room, makes Gar feels close to them again. In a way, it hurts a lot more than he thought it would but in a different way, it makes him so happy because he loved his parents and he wants to talk about the good parts of them. "Mom was a cook in Congo. That's what she did."

"No shit." Sam says, still holding the picture. "That's really cool."

"Yeah, she loved helping people."

"Mm." Sam hums. "Sounds familiar." She gives Gar a joking smile.

Gar chuckles softly. "Maybe I take after her a little more."

"What about the video games? Did they get you into them?" Sam asks as she hands the picture, gently, back to Gar.

"Kind of, I think." His brows furrow. "We didn't play much but sometimes, my dad would play with me. But it really wasn't until I went to Doom Manor that I got into it. I wasn't allowed to leave."

"Ahh," Sam nods with understanding. "Escapism."

"Basically." Gar's smile falls. "But yeah," He sucks in a breath, forcing s smile back onto his face. "They were really great. I don't get to talk about them much."

"You can tell me about them whenever you want. I like hearing about them." Sam's smile is small but genuine.

"Really?"

"Of course." Sam's smile grows with her words.

"Okay, how about your mom?" Gar asks.

"Well," Sam clears her throat, finding the strength to talk about her. She realizes, she hasn't talked about her mom since she died. Not in detail, or about anything that didn't have to do with her death. Avoidance is clearly Sam's thing. "She was, weirdly enough, a wildlife vet for the zoo in Gotham." Sam laughs softly.

"That's awesome!" Gar yells.

"Yeah," Sam blushes. "It was cool because sometimes I got to go when an animal was about to give birth cause they had the cameras and everything. I watched a zebra give birth once and that was so fucking gross but awesome. Then, I got to pet it like a week later when the mom was more comfortable with people being around the baby. I didn't get to do it often because I mean, wild animals, but every once in a while I got to. My mom always taught me about the different animals." Sam rambles the words quickly, happiness seeping into every word.

"Ya know, that's cool, right? Like hanging out with a baby zebra? Having your own version of Steve Irwin."

"You would be a Steve Irwin fan." Sam chuckles. "I mean same." She says quickly. "But yeah, no it was really cool."

"What else?" Gar asks.

"She was kind and funny. I didn't take after her very much in the kind department sometimes but she always was. To everyone, even if they sucked. She always said that everyone deserves kindness."

"She's right." Gar chuckles.

"Mmmm." Sam hums, scrunching her nose in disagreement. "Not everyone. That's too idealistic."

"Yeah, maybe, but most people at least deserve it." Gar says. "What else?"

"Uh..." Sam stutters trying to think of more. "She was...incredible, ya know?" Sam shakes her head, scrunching her nose as if trying to find the right words. "I mean, she was...strong. I think I only saw her cry once and uh, it was when my dad showed up. I was 10 and had never met him before, never even saw him. No pictures or anything. He came by and my mom checked the window before rushing me off to my room. I snuck back out of course and hid around the corner while she opened the door. He was high as a fucking kite and just yelling at her. Saying some cruel ass shit and bringing me into it and she just stood there. She was a lot shorter than him but she never hesitated. Nothing, not a whimper or anything, she blocked him from entering the house, threatened him without a waver in her voice and he left. She cried after, of course but I remember that day so vividly because I think that was the day I realized she was my hero, ya know? Everyone thinks Batman and Superman are cool. Batman has cool gadgets and Superman has all of these superpowers but my mom? She stood up to some piece of shit addict who could have killed her on the spot. She did everything in her power to always protect me, no matter what. She was my hero."

Gar offers Sam a soft smile, his eyes just as soft and warm. "She sounds amazing." His voice is soft and it makes Sam want to melt right into him.

"She was." Sam tried to hold back tears. "I wish I could tell her about you. She would've liked you."

Gar is hesitant but he moves his hand over hers, lightly rubbing his thumb over the top of her hand. "My parents would have liked you, too." His voice is sad and soft.

Sam moves her hand out from under Gar's but only to grab her phone from her hoodie pocket. She goes onto the Instagram app that she already downloaded. She doesn't give a single fuck what anyone is actually up to or posting about anymore. Not when her life has been so shitty lately. It's all fake bullshit anyway. But, she does have pictures on her Instagram that she wants. She scrolls down two rows to find a picture of her and her mom.

"That's us." Sam hands Gar her phone and a smile comes to his face.

"You look just like her." Gar beams. Sam has her mom's smile and hair, and facial structure. They look like sisters.

"Thank you." Sam blushes as Gar moves to lie on his back, still holding Sam's phone.

"Can I...scroll?" Gar asks and Sam rolls her eyes and smiles at him, scooting closer to him.

"Sure, but don't make fun of anything." She states, resting her head on his shoulder. Gar repositions, bringing his arm around her while he holds the phone in the other hand so they can both look.

Gar scrolls to the top where he sees a picture of the movie tickets for Get Out. Gar puts the pieces together and realizes this was the last movie she saw in theaters, the last time her life was normal. It was the night her mom died. But he scrolls past it, choosing not to ask anything about it. The next few down were just some pictures of textbooks, some of Gotham covered in fog, a picture of graffiti with an unhelpful caption on if it was Sam's or not. He passes the picture of her and her mom and gets to a picture of Sam and another girl with dark hair, covered in paint.

"Who's this?" Gar asks.

"She was my best friend. We had a paint war at her house." Sam smiles at the picture.

She misses her, a lot but she won't reach out. How is she supposed to explain that she didn't reach out because she was held captive and tortured? How is she supposed to explain that she ran away from the last people that cared about her because she was scared of ruining their lives? That's too much and it's too big of a reminder of her old life. She isn't that person anymore and she doesn't think she ever will be, reaching out to her would be a sick and cruel reminder of that.

"Have you talked to her since you've been back?" Gar asks and he feels Sam shake her head. He looks down at her and he wishes she would. She has them now and that won't change, but that was a huge part of her life. She deserves to have it back. "Why not?"

"Too hard." Sam says simply. "I think I will one day but not now, not for a while."

"Okay." Gar sucks in a breath. "You know, you deserve to have parts of your old life back. When you're ready, of course." Gar clarifies.

"Thank you, Gar." Sam snuggles in closer to him and Gar pulls her closer. "You deserve to be happy." Sam sighs against him and the comment catches Gar off guard but he knows why she said it. The overcaring part of him seems to overcompensate. He squeezes her against him, rubbing her arm gently.

After only a few minutes, Sam falls asleep with her arm around Gar's torso and her head on his chest. Gar doesn't even notice at first, he's pretty invested in her Instagram, seeing who she was before everything, what she looks like without the bruising. What her interests are. Sure, Sam played up social media like most people do, but none of it was overly fake. She really does love The Last Airbender series and post-hardcore music. But her Instagram neglected any sign of negativity. Nothing about her dad or even a bad grade on a test. It's nice for Gar because he only knows her as someone who oozes trauma and heartbreak and sadness. Seeing who she presents to the world before, warms Gar's heart because he knows she'll get at least some of that back one day.

When Gar does notice she's fallen asleep, a soft smile pulls at his lips. He exits the app and locks her phone, bending awkwardly to put it on his nightstand on his side. He hasn't known her long but he finds himself wanting more moments like these as he carefully wraps his other arm around her waist. He wants more moments where they can talk about their families before the trauma happened. She has a lot going on but she makes him happy, makes him feel comfortable. In a way, she kind of reminds him of what home used to feel like. He can't put his finger on why, but that's what she reminds him of. Maybe it's because, while she's secretive and guarded, she's also completely herself in all her sarcastic glory. She just makes him feel happy so he cuddles up with her and finds himself falling asleep within minutes.