Caving In

by peteprker

Sam never expected her life to end up this way, turned upside down by an infamous Gotham villain. It's been a living hell, every single day, until Dick Grayson brings her to Titans tower where she meets Gar Logan and Jason Todd. Titans season 2 Garfield Logan x Female!OC Jason Todd x Fem!OC

7. Chapter 7 - If It's Too Much To Carry

Over the next month Gar and Sam continue to get closer. After the night she spent in Gar's room, they both felt a bit closer. It was the best night's sleep Sam had gotten since her mom died. She didn't even have a nightmare. She just slept the whole night perfectly comfortable against Gar. And Gar woke up with a lopsided grin that makes her stomach swirl. Since then though, her sleeping in his room has only happened one other time because they fell asleep watching a movie. Neither of them really want to make it a routine too soon. They're just friends and going through the motions of everything together.

But they've gotten to know each other through just hanging out. Gar has shown her almost all his favorite video games and they've made a good dent in movies Gar dreams as classics that Sam hasn't seen. They talked more about their hobbies, Gar finding out Sam prefers to rollerblade places rather a bike or walking and she found out Gar prefers a skateboard. It made her smile because it does fit him.

They talked more about their past lives, focusing more on happy moments like when Sam attended her first concert with her best friend. She beamed so wide, voice booming from the walls as she told Gar about the whole night. A storm hitting and the entire city losing power besides that arena, her getting to stand third row, the energy of place she explained as the closest to home she could get without being home. And Gar talked about his dad teaching him to ride a skateboard, how he fell several times and had his trucks so tight he couldn't turn for over a month. He smiled and laughed the whole time, retelling the story of his mom being stressed cleaning his cut-up knees and hands. They spent hours just talking one night until Jason banged on Sam's wall telling them to shut up. It only made them laugh.

Sam and Jason also have been getting closer. Sam started training and the first week was pretty boring in comparison to what Jason had her do. But after a week and a half, Dick deemed Sam healed enough to train with the others. Sam still didn't think it was enough. Two training sessions a day against two people who have already been training for 2 months and Jason who's been training for over a year. She needs to catch up so, her and Jason do an extra session late at night. Sometimes Gar even joins them and those are Sam's favorites because it's just the three of them. The three of them together have gotten close. Jason even tags along for some movie nights with just them, along with the movie nights with Rachel. Rachel doesn't join them for the training though, she really does not like Jason.

Jason is still more closed off than Gar is but Sam tells him stuff and that gets him to talk a bit to her. Their conversations are either more banter-filled or a bit heavy. They can talk about their trauma with each other in forms of a joke until one of them cracks and asks something a bit more serious. It's one of the things they both kind of appreciate, the other knowing when the conversation should turn into something more productive without them having to get all dark and deep. And that's something nice with having someone who's gone through something similar with parental figures, it's easier to talk about. But, they do talk about their interests.

Sam finds out Jason hasn't seen too many movies, mostly horror and comedies because that's what he watched with his uncle. Jason is permanently invited to her and Gar's movie nights. And she finds out he did the graffiti on his wall. Jason offers to add some to her wall as a joke but she jumps at it. And she tells him she's tried before but could never grasp the whole spray paint thing.

Now, it's Sam's turn to pick a movie for group movie night and she picks Zombieland, a movie she declares as a classic and a must-watch. Jason and Rachel haven't seen it but of course, Gar has and he backs her opinion of the movie. A classic horror comedy, a must.

"That's the one with Emma Stone, right?" Jason asks as he plops down on the couch beside Sam, Gar following right behind him with two bowls of popcorn for the group to share.

"And Woody Harrelson and Jesse Eisenberg." Gar states, taking his seat on the other side of Sam, sitting between her and Rachel.

"Who the hell is that?"

"The Social Network?" Sam questions Jason and he just shakes his head. "You have really only seen like horror, huh?"

"It's what my uncle watched." Jason scoffs in defense.

"The Social Network is iconic." Rachel states, stealing popcorn from one of the bowls.

"We'll have to watch it. He plays Mark Zuckerberg." Sam explains as she turns the TV on, ready to get the movie going but she's sucked into a news report.

The other three teens continue the conversation about the Social Network and why Jason needs to see it. But, Sam is so wrapped up in the news report, their voices are completely drowned out. Her breathing hitches and she instinctively hits the closed captains, making sure she's hearing correctly and actually understands what they're saying.

"What the fuck." Sam mutters, seeing Jerry's picture on the screen.

Her words grab the other three's attention, all of them watching the news report. Jerry's picture makes him look like not such a horrible guy. He's got a big, warm, toothy smile. He looks like you're average jo and it sends Sam's blood into a rapid boil. They're calling him an upstanding civilian. Sam shakes her head letting out a dry, cold laugh. Jerry had supposedly saved a boy from a train, yanking him to safety and now the news says he's such a great citizen. A real great guy who saved a kid, completely unaware of the horrors that took place in his very basement. Then they have the audacity to talk about how he tries to help kids all the time. It's his true passion. He works with troubled youth at one of the youth centers in the city and wants kids to live up to their true potential. He explains, right to the camera with a big grin like he's not a complete monster, that some kids need help to reach that. Not a punishment or to be looked down upon, just encouragement, to know they're good enough and worth the effort. Sam nearly takes her pop from the table and chucks it at the TV.

"What. The. Ever-living-FUCK." Sam says, this time her voice is louder and filled with rage and shock. "Wha the fuck." She's almost shaking as she watches.

"Maybe we should shut this off." Gar suggests, gently taking the remote from Sam's hand before she starts melting it.

"He's such fucking liar and they're all just eating it up!" Sam waves her hand at the TV in disbelief.

"The media loves a fake hero." Jason scoffs, sitting back in his seat with the shake of his head. It turns his stomach. Of all things for Sam to catch on the news, it's her captor being celebrated.

"I get permanently fucking traumatized and he gets a fucking medal." Tears sting the back of her eyes as anger courses through her veins. It feels like Jerry is spitting on the grave he dug for her.

"That's not right." Gar states, unsure of what to even say right now.

How is anyone supposed to comfort someone who's watching their abuser and kidnapper get recognition for being a good person? After they left them for dead, no less? Gar is pretty sure there are no words or actions that could possibly make Sam feel better or offer her any type of comfort. The most he can do right now is agree with her.

"Just turn on the fucking movie." Sam scoffs, shaking her head as she matches Jason's position.

Gar does as he's told and loads the movie, air in the room stiff. Gar wonders why Dick hasn't done anything. Maybe he thinks the four of them aren't ready to have a mission or maybe he thinks Sam is too close to it, which she is, but surely something should have been done about him. It's more than it's Sam and they all know her and like her, it's that she's a kid and he almost killed her. Gar doesn't really understand how Dick didn't at least put on the Robin suit one last time and take care of him himself.

Jason glances to her and he wants to help. The guy should be dead for what he did and they still don't know if Sam was the only one he's done it to. He moved from Gotham, who's to say the reason he moved was because GCPD was actually catching onto something for once? Sam might not be the only one or the last one and this guy is just out there, claiming a sense of glory for making sure a kid didn't get killed by a train. That doesn't erase what he did or make some type of clean slate. He's a monster and someone should do something about the fucker.

But, none of them bring it up, they let Sam sit with it while the movie plays, almost hoping maybe it'll distract her. It is her choice and she raved about how it's one of her favorites. And it does help a little bit because Gar talks about how much he likes the typography animations of the film and Jason finds Columbus hilarious and can't believe he's survived the apocalypse so far. Rachel's favorite is, of course, Wichita. The three of them talking through the movie do lighten Sam's mood enough to laugh when Tallahassee is so determined to get a fucking twinkie.

As the rest of the movie plays on, Sam shelves her anger about Jerry. She isn't going to let him ruin a movie night watching one of her favorite movies with people she actually likes. So, she shelves it and figures she can deal with the anger later when she's alone. She puts on a happy face and jokes with everyone else about the movie.

After the movie, Sam doesn't stay to talk like they normally do, a routine more that her, Gar, and Jason have developed since Rachel is normally pretty tired after the movie. Instead, she heads to her room and locks herself inside. The movie ended and the floodgates of fury opened. She can hear the broadcast echoing n the back of her head, seeing Jerry's face every time she blinks. She can't let him live like that, thinking he got away with it. He can't just get away with what he did to her. With the public seeing him in such a good eye, he might get another foster kid. He'll say she ran away and foster kids do have a habit of doing that and then they'll probably give him another one. Another kid to torture and probably kill. She can't let that happen. So, she's going to hatch a plan. But before she can get the plan worked out, a knock on her door pulls her attention. She pauses for just a second before choosing to ignore the knock.

"Sam? It's Gar." Gar says through the door, worry laced in his words.

"Go away, please." Sam says, feeling bad for telling him to go away but not being in the mood to talk about anything. She doesn't want anyone to talk her out of this and Gar has the ability to do that.

"Please, let me in." Gar says through the door, his voice is a quiet plea and Sam ignores him again. He just wants to make sure she's okay and she knows that but she'll be fine after tonight. "Sammy?" The nickname burns her ears, he doesn't recall her often. It's normally when he's showing some type of affection or joking but this isn't that. There's genuine concern in his voice and Sam can't leave him out there any longer.

Sam comes to the door, opening it slowly. "I just want to be alone, Gar."

"Please talk to me." Gar keeps his stance outside the door. "I'm worried about you."

Worried.

Sam lets out a breath, hanging her head before letting him in. She shuts the door behind him while Gar looks around her room. It's really coming along now. Framed movie posters line every wall and two pairs of shoes sit on the foot of her bed. A few vinyls are sitting on a desk next to a black turn table.

"That newscast is messed up." Gar turns to face her, brows wrinkling together.

"Yeah, little do they know, right?" Sam scoffs, feeling the anger bubble in her stomach.

"Seriously, are you okay?" Gar asks. "It's okay if you're not."

"I'm just...upset." Sam admits. "Just sucked, ya know? But I really don't want to talk about it."

Gar's brows are knitted together, the concern is almost radiating off of him. "Maybe you should. I'm worried about you." He says with honesty.

Sam's jaw clenches as she shakes her head. "I'm not gonna do anything or go off the deep end, okay? I'm fine." Sam lies right through her teeth and she can feel the guilt coating her stomach like thick charcoal.

Gar huffs, getting frustrated because he knows her better than that now. She's not okay because she always lets him in her room. Always. "I don't believe you."

"Well, that sounds like a you problem." Sam quips so quickly, she didn't even think about talking to Gar and now she feels even worse about it. "Gar-"

"No, no it's fine." Gar scoffs. "My problem for caring, right?" He shrugs, a look of defeat-covered sadness fills his face.

"I didn't..." Sam pauses. This is one of the reasons she didn't want him in here. She knows how she gets when she's this kind of upset and that's mean. "I didn't mean it...like that. I just..." Sam lets out a sigh of defeat. "Thank you for caring about me and trying to protect me but this isn't your problem and I am not gonna put that on you."

"You can." Gar says as if it's the easiest thing in the world.

"I know." Sam nods, taking a step towards him. "I don't want to, though." Her eyes scan over his face. She is so scared of scarring him and ruining him. There's only so much one person can take and Gar has already been through so much and seen too much. It's not her job to bring him down the spiral with her. "I'm sorry, Gar."

Gar is really good at reading people. He's spent so much time alone or in silence around other people that reading them has become a second nature thing for him. He can just do it without even thinking about it and he's normally right. The way Sam is talking to him, the way she's dodging his eyes, the way she was faking a smile during a movie that's supposed to be her favorite, there is something serious going through her head. Gar has to think it's more than just flashbacks because she would tell him about it. They walk the tower, every single night together to make sure Jerry isn't around so Sam can sleep. Sam has popped into his room twice now due to a nightmare. Something is going on and he's scared for her.

"I just want you to tell me what's going on." Gar almost pleads with her.

"I just want to be alone." Sam's voice is defeated, almost begging him to understand. "Can we just talk tomorrow about it, please? I'll come to you, I will. But for tonight, I just want to be alone about it."

Gar nods and he gives up. He won't force her to talk even though he's worried. But, his biggest fear is her going after Jerry and she promised she wouldn't do that. So, he takes her word for it and accepts it.

"Promise?" Gar asks.

"I promise." Sam gives him a soft and small cornered smile. "Thank you for being here for me. You're really sweet, Gar." Sam nods at him, her eyes filled of heartache.

"No problem." Gar gives her a tight-lipped smile.

Sam closes the distance between them and wraps her arms tightly around his neck. He always smells like strawberries, the smell of home to her. Gar wraps his arms around her tightly, almost begging her not to let go. If she's hugging him, it means she isn't going off the deep end and she isn't going to spiral alone. He's right there and he will always be here. And Sam feels warm and comfortable, holding him close to her. He's always so warm, he just radiates heat and Sam adores it. She swears she could never feel cold or alone again as long as Gar is near. But, right now, her bones are aching to be frozen. Her heart is pleading with her to let the cold shatter her into a million shards. Every part of her wants to be freezing because freezing is sometimes so much easier than being warm.

Freezing is being alone and tired. Freezing is the feeling right before the rage sets in. Freezing is the acceptance of the rage that will come and the actions to follow. Everyone talks about how anger is red and hot. But, for Sam, it's always been subzero temperatures because it's lonely being so angry. At least when she's warm, it means she has someone in her corner, cheering her on, not letting the ice freeze over her when she's drowning, trapping herself in a lake. Being hot is allowing herself to vent and get it all out but freezing keeps her in place. Pondering and pacing about every horrible thing she's been dealt, the anger is the only thing keeping her heart pumping and something about the cold is addictive like a menthol cigarette so she lets him go.

"Thank you."

Gar nods. "Just, come to my room if you change your mind." Gar's hands linger on her back and Sam nods.

Gar breaks away and leaves her to herself, a sense of guilt filling his stomach. It doesn't feel right but he doesn't know what else to do. He can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped even if that's the hardest pill to swallow. Gar is always the helper but Sam doesn't want his help. And he wonders if she's too far gone to be helped right now. She's been through a lot and he wonders what is too much for one person. At some point, does someone just lose it and become something worse in the end? He doesn't want her to end up like that. But, he goes to his room and shut the door, keeping it unlocked in case she changes her mind, begging the universe to let her change her mind.

But she doesn't.

Sam decides she can wait until everyone goes to bed and then head to the comms lab. There she can look up Jerry, just like Jason and Gar did with her. She can probably get his address since this is Batman's house. Surely, the computers have access to a bunch of shit they shouldn't. From there, she can get a cab or an uber or walk if she has to, all the way to Jerry's and kick his ass.

In all honesty, she isn't completely sure if she's ready but she has enough confidence and rage to shrug it off. If he knows she's alive and kicking, that's almost enough. He has to know he did not win against her and it is not over. She wants revenge and justice and she wants him to never do that to anyone else again. And in her head, this plan will work. If he comes after her, he'll have to fight the others Titans, too and he'll lose.

She chooses to ignore how Dick will react when he finds out. Dick has the codes for the whole building that monitors who comes and goes at any time. Surely, he'll know someone left and when he checks the camera, he'll see her. If he figures it out, so be it. She's perfectly willing to take the chance, especially because she knows Robin wasn't always a defensive fighter. She's seen her share of older Robin videos when Robin still would have been Dick and he would fight unprovoked sometimes. Sam's sure he had a reason but the other guys didn't start the fight. To her, going to Jerry to pick a fight, is justified. So, she waits it out in her room.

It's been about three hours when Sam decides the coast is probably clear and safe for her to head out. She opens her door and checks the hallway, only seeing faint light from the city. She takes that as a good enough sign everyone is in bed and she heads to the comms lab. From there, she inputs the code which she finds to be a bit funny that all of them have access to it. Getting Jerry's address was a lot easier than she expected it to be. It was in her files from the foster care system, even his Gotham address was in there which, apparently, he still owns the home.

Once Sam has the address in her phone, she heads back to her room. She figured she'd get the address first and then get changed into something all black. This way, if she happened to wake someone up while getting the address, she could buy a little more time just to make sure no one was onto her. And it seemed to work. She changed without any issue and was on her way out, walking into the common area and almost to the elevator when a voice scares her.

"What're you doing?" He gives a scruffy laugh.

Sam winces, freezing and slowly turning around. "What are you doing?" Sam echoes, crossing her arms.

Jason is seated at the snack bar, arms over his chest and a devilish grin tugging at his lips. "Asked you first." Jason quips.

"I'm not doing anything. Your turn."

Jason gets up from his seat at the barstools. He knew she'd be up to something. No one gets that mad about something and just lets it go during a two-hour movie. He actually thought she'd go to the training room and end up hurting herself somehow so he waited and listened for her to come out of her room. He went straight for the kitchen only to see her not there and she wasn't in the training room. So, he waited, curious as to what she was up to.

"Right." Jason nods, walking up to her. "Ya look like you're up to something." Jason looks her up and down, noticing the all-black attire, something she doesn't normally wear. Her hair is even tied back, something he happened to notice she only does when she's training.

"You look like you're up to something." Sam raises, stumbling on her words. She has nothing. No ammunition in her arsenal for him. Jason isn't stupid or gullible.

"You're fucking bad at this, ya know that?"

"Bad at what?" Sam plays dumb.

"You're going to find him, aren't you?" His eyes narrow just slightly as his brows twitch up and Sam thinks he might actually be intrigued.

Sam pauses and is she that obvious? Of course, she does look suspicious creeping around the tour at two in the morning when everyone else is asleep. She's not in pajamas, she looks like she's going to rob someone. It's not a good look and she almost feels dumb for thinking she'd get away with it. But, why is Jason up then?

"You gonna stop me?" She challenges him.

Jason lets out a breath. "Nope." He shakes his head and Sam raises a brow at him. "Dick's gonna kill you if he finds out though."

"So, don't tell him." Sam snips.

"Let me come with you." Jason's eyes look her up and down. He doesn't want her to go alone. If it goes south, well, he'd rather not think about that.

"No." Sam chortles back. "This is my thing."

"Yeah? And if he has powers? You think of that?" Jason questions.

"I have powers. I can take him." Sam shakes her head, her voice defensive but almost whiney.

"Come on." Jason sighs. "Just to make sure you don't get yourself killed or some shit."

Sam narrows her eyes. "Didn't realize you cared so much about my well-being." Sarcasm drips off her words and she almost thinks Jason has some other angle he's trying to work here.

"You always gotta be such a bitch?" The last word has a touch of sarcasm to it.

"You always gotta be such an asshole?" Sam echoes him in the same tone.

Jason gains the smallest of grins as he licks his lips. "I won't tell Dick."

Sam shakes her head and it is a good idea to bring him. As much as she wants to think she can take Jerry on her own, he has a point. For all she knows, he does have powers and if his powers are better than hers or stronger, she'll need help. She hasn't had the training and despite Jason not having powers, he's very good without them and can hold his own. Bringing him would at least probably make sure she doesn't get herself killed or recaptured.

"Fine." Sam sighs. "Okay."

"I'm gonna go get my suit." Jason's voice fills with excitement as he spins on his heels, heading towards his room.

"Of course you are." Sam nods and takes a seat at one of the chairs while she waits for Jason.

Jason doesn't take long, he was much quicker than Sam thought he would be. But when he comes out, she gets to actually see him in the Robin suit for the first time in person. A part of her thinks he looks a little ridiculous, it's something about the cape. She never understood the cape. Hasn't Batman ever seen the Incredibles? But, there's another part that finds it pretty endearing. He holds himself higher in the suit, and it's not just the boots adding around three inches to his height. Jason is even daunting a genuine smile.

"What?" Jason asks, catching the look she's giving him.

Sam moves from her place at the counter and walks over to him. She gets a better look at the detail and she's never seen a suit up close. It's kind of cool actually. She reaches out and touches the cape, it doesn't feel like a standard, run-the-of-mill fancy fabric. It's interesting and it's a lot thicker than she thought but it doesn't feel heavy.

"Made with zylon fibers." Jason gives this arrogant grin as she drops the cape.

"Mm." She hums. "Which is what?" She eyes him carefully.

"Synthetic material." Jason explains and wiggles his brows. "Six times stronger than kevlar." He is beaming and it sends a rush of bubbles to Sam's stomach.

"So, you're bulletproof?" Sam asks, matching the smirking expression on Jason's face.

"Pretty much, flame retardant, too." Jason's head is held high and there's this look in his eyes as if expecting Sam to be amazed and impressed.

Sam has to drop the teasing grin, turning more into amazement because of course she is amazed by it. "That's..."

"Sick, right?"

"Yeah, actually. That's fucking awesome." Sam gushes. She never understood the cape but now she does. It protects him and suddenly, she actually really likes it. On him.

Jason laughs softly to himself, looking to ground and back to Sam. "Ready to kick some ass?"

"Hell yeah." Sam nods her head, quickly walking to the elevator.

"Here." Jason hands her a helmet as they get into the elevator.

"Oh, you really have a bike?" Sam asks as she takes the black full-face helmet from him.

"Why is that shocking?" Jason chortles.

Sam shrugs. "Dunno, guess it makes sense. You're not like a bad driver, right?" Sam teases him.

"Fuck you." Jason scoffs. "Can you even drive?"

"Shut up." Sam huffs. "No, I was held captive, remember?" Sam's eyes widen at him.

"I can teach you." Jason holds his head high, keeping his stare forward.

"I didn't even get my permit." Sam scoffs.

"So?"

"Illegal, Jason."

"Because what we're doing is legal."

"What if you just drive me around?" Sam gives him a toothy smile.

"I'm not your chauffeur but nice try." Jason laughs and he knows if she asked, he'd drive her across the country.

"Awww." Sam pouts her bottom lip at him but Jason just rolls his eyes.

"Real cute." Sarcasm drips from his words.

"I know." Sam gives him a cheeky smile.

The rest of the elevator ride is quiet and Sam follows Jason to the parking garage. His bike is parked off in a corner with a cover. Jason rips the cover off with ease. The bike is a matte black Kawasaki sports bike. Of course, it's a sports bike, Jason wouldn't have a cruiser. Somehow, it's all very fitting and the very idea of Jason driving something like a Prius makes Sam almost laugh to herself. The bike is better.

"Come on." Jason nods his head towards the bike as he swings a leg over, kicking up the kickstand.

Sam follows his lead, Jason tilting the bike slightly so Sam can actually get on. She's a bit short for the bike and it's a little difficult to get on. But, she manages it with Jason's leaning help. Once she's situated, Jason looks over his shoulder at her and he has this boom in his chest. He doesn't let people on his bike but she's different. She's on a mission and he's not gonna let her get herself killed. And he's in his Robin suit while she's dressed in something of a suit herself since it's not her usual wardrobe. Jason doesn't think he needs help kicking ass but the idea of having Sam with him? That's something he could definitely get used to. Maybe they'll make a good team.

"Ever been on a bike before?" Jason asks.

"Nope." Sam pops the 'p'.

"Alright, just hold on." Jason smirks at her and Sam deadpans.

"Ya know, if I didn't know any better, I'd say this is your way of hitting on me." Sam's mouth twitches up into a teasing grin.

"Good thing you know better." Jason quips, the smirk not budging. "Put on the helmet." Jason says as he slides his on, buckling it under his chin. Sam follows his lead, the helmet a little big on her but she's not going to complain. A helmet is a helmet. "Hold on." Jason nods once at her before sliding the face shield down and turning back around. Sam puts her own shield down and holds onto his waist, the cape bunched between the two of them.

Jason takes off and Sam's grip tightens around him. She's never even known anyone who owns a motorcycle, let alone had the chance to be on one and it's a bit scary at first, especially with her not knowing how Jason is as a driver. But, after a few minutes, she gets used to it and finds it a bit fun. It's a little cold with the winds against them but the city zips by them and there's a thrill and a sense of freedom that comes with it. Sam gets why he likes it.

Sam gave Jason the address in the elevator so his phone could give him the directions. The GPS instructs him through the com system in the helmets. Jerry's house is just outside of the city. Not too far from where Dick had found her and she gets why she was dumped there. She looked like just another homeless kid and if she were dead, it's likely the police would have thought that's all she was. Another homeless kid, another runaway, another addict. Maybe they would have cared a little more because she's a kid but she grew up in Gotham where it was normal so she doesn't think it would have been a big deal. But, finding a teenage body in suburbia? That's almost always some type of big thing. The city makes sense.

They reach Jerry's house in about twenty minutes but Jason parks in the alley. The alley behind the house is secluded, no cameras and some bushes that shield them and the bike. Sam gets off the bike first and then Jason. While Jason pushes it towards a tree to hide it a bit more, Sam stands outside the fence leading into Jerry's yard.

It's a pale wooden picket fence with a gate. It's basic but not too basic like the Cleavers, not to raise suspicion probably. But it makes her blood pressure spike. She can't believe she's back here and she could turn around, call it quits. This could end badly. It definitely could and her plan wasn't well thought out. What is she supposed to do? Walk inside and just go off? What if one of the neighbors hear? What happens if this gets them arrested? Does Dick have any pull here to get them out of it? If he does, would he help her or just Jason? Maybe this was a bad idea.

"You alright?" Jason asks as he stands next to her.

Sam looks to him, worry written across her face. "Yeah, uh, j-j-just can't believe I'm here."

Even in the dim light of the alley, Jason can see there's something wrong. "If you wanna go back, we can."

Sam is seriously considering it but she's so mad. The broadcast plays back in her head, them calling Jerry a fucking hero. He's a hero? She's standing next to fucking Robin. She was welcomed into being a fucking Titan and Jerry, Jerry the abusive piece of shit is a hero. That sends her blood into a boil again and eases every what-if situation from her brain.

"No, I'm good." Sam nods up at Jason before walking up to the gate.

She unlocks the gate, allowing Jason in first while she closes the gate behind them. And then there's the house. It's such a basic, small, family suburban home. It's a light red brick, white trim. One floor with a decent patio and patio furniture. It is so simple and so basic, no one would ever know what happens in that house and that irks her. It's not a creepy run-down place where everyone has some type of urban legend about him kidnapping kids. His house, his perfectly cut yard, him, it all seems so fucking normal and he might as well be a Cleaver.

"Gonna break down the door or some shit?" Jason asks just above a whisper.

Sam rolls her eyes at him. "He's such an upstanding citizen, surely he has a key, right?" Sam asks, looking up to Jason.

"Lead the way then." Jason gestures a hand out in front of him.

Sam walks over to the door and she does find it a bit convenient that the fence Jerry chose is so high. Someone would need a step stool to actually see over the fence and he has a fair amount of trees as well. She pushes the idea of why he'd want so much privacy away as she goes up to the door.

"If I were a fucking psycho, where would I hide a key?" Sam asks, mostly to herself as she looks around. "Flowerpot is too obvious and so is the rock and the mat." Sam mutters and Jason watches her, questioning if she'll actually find a key. "I don't want people to think I'm a psycho so I would have a key, in case I get locked out or something." Sam continues. "Somewhere people can get but not too..." Sam crouches beside the glass outdoor table and looks under it. "Idiot." Sam scoffs as she finds a key duct taped under the table. She rips it from the table and pops back up. "Got it."

"Nice." Jason congratulates her. "How'd you know?"

"Spent a lot of time here, you figure out where people would hide shit when you literally have nothing else to do but watch them." Sam explains as she walks to the door, gently placing the key in the keyhole.

"Fair enough." Jason shrugs. "Hey, you're not gonna kill him, right?" Jason asks as Sam gets the door unlocked. He doesn't want her to get killed but he doesn't want her to get that kind of blood on her hands. They really aren't supposed to be killing people, even if they might deserve it and Jason's worried Dick might kick her out if she does. Jason has a bad feeling.

"Of course, not." Sam shakes her head. "I hate him and want him dead but I won't give him that satisfaction either." Sam assures him.

She takes a deep breath, hand on the handle of the door. She shakes her head and opens it quietly. Sam takes a few steps inside, Jason right behind her. They can hear a TV coming from the front of the house and a faint light coming from in front of them. They walk quietly through the kitchen, the TV getting louder as they approach the open room with the light.

Jerry is sat in a Laz-E-Boy recliner watching some game show. He looks so comfortable and content. That's enough for Sam to lose all of her inhibitions. She walks from behind the wall and comes right into plain view, something Jason did not expect her to do. He thought maybe she'd sneak up on him but this is bold and that's when he starts to worry that she'll actually lose it. So, he walks up behind her.

Sam has a harsh stare on Jerry as he jumps slightly in his seat, the appearance of two people in the house catching him off guard. Sam knows it's because he's too comfortable with where he is. No one expects anything, why would he be the one on guard? Meanwhile, she's been living in a constant state of paranoia.

"Samantha?" Jerry says her name and it sounds like nails on a chalkboard coming from him. She never minded her full name, most people called her Samantha but then Jerry happened. She fucking hates her name now. But all Sam does is stare at him, fighting off the warming of her hands. He can't know he won.

He stands up from his recliner and makes the short walk over to her, expecting Sam to back away in fear but she doesn't. She holds herself tall, not breaking eye contact with the stare that could kill. Jason takes a step forward as if it were an instinct, almost waiting for Jerry to do something, ready for Jason to not let him lay a hand on her. Jerry ignores him and instead, gains a sinister smile as he looks down to Sam.

"You're back." His voice is almost cocky like he knew that if she were alive somewhere, she'd show back up and Sam can't quite figure out why he would ever think that. She'd rather be on the streets. It's not like she wasn't on the streets before. "I thought you were dead." He scoffs like it's some sort of taunt, a warning maybe.

Maybe he would kill her now if given the chance. Maybe that was his intention. Sam can't fucking tell what the point of it is. What she does know, is that she's fucking done looking at his smug face.

"Surprise, bitch!" Sam yells before grabbing his head and bringing it down, kneeing him in the face in one quick motion.

Jason takes a step back, allowing Sam to just go at it. Jerry stumbles and Sam doesn't take a second to let him breathe. She's quick to start landing punches and kicks, using all of her strength. She grabs the collar of his shirt and drags him to the ground before punching his face as hard as she can. Punch after punch lands and she can't figure out who she is or what she's doing now. Everything has turned red. Flashes of what he did to her cross her eyes with every blink. Him punching her, kicking her, the injections, the knife he dragged across her back once, strangling. Everything comes back in a tidal wave, pulling her under so far she can't focus on anything besides making sure he never gets up to do that to her again. But at some point, it starts to look concerning from where Jason is standing.

She's going to kill him if he doesn't stop her. Jerry had no chance which, if Jason wants to be honest, is a bit surprising. Sam hasn't been training long and she's not great at it. She has a lot of fight though, he'll give her that but he never thought she'd hold her own, not yet anyway. Jason always felt she had a long way to go and so did Dick. But, apparently, the rage and adrenaline flooding her is enough to fill the gaps of her fighting technique and it's scaring him a little. He won't let her kill him.

Jason moves behind Sam, bending over and wrapping his arms around her, pulling her off of him. Sam fights Jason as hard as she can but Jason is still much stronger than she is. She punches and kicks the air, tears wetting her cheeks, something she hadn't even noticed.

"Let me go!" She wiggles around but Jason just wraps his arms tighter, falling to the floor with her.

"You're gonna fucking kill him." Jason says in her ear. "Stop." Jason holds her against his chest. He will not let her kill him as much Jason wants to see him dead. Sam doesn't deserve to live with his blood on her hands. He won't let her.

"I don't fucking care!" Sam's voice nearly cracks as she fights him. Everything is red and blurry. She hates him and she isn't done yet. He tortured her for a year. She wants a few more punches in. She doesn't care that he'd not moving.

"Fucking stop!" Jason yells at her. "You're not fucking killing him, alright? And I'm not letting you go until you stop." His voice comes back down and his grip is still tight.

"He doesn't deserve to live!" The yell that comes from Sam is more of a sob. "He was gonna kill me!"

"I know." Jason's voice is understanding but stern. "You can't kill him. That's what he wants you to do. You wanna be like him?"

Sam pauses for a second, trying to regain her breath. Her heart thunders in her chest while her stomach burns. She doesn't want to be like him but she hates him so much. Jerry stole so much from her and he's so content with himself. It's not fucking fair and how is she supposed to live knowing that? But, with Jason holding her still, she gets a look at Jerry for the first time without tears clouding her vision. He's covered in blood. There's blood coming from his nose and his mouth, red marks smothering his face. He's unconscious and she knows Jason is right. She can't kill him.

"Okay." She sucks in a shaky breath, a hiccup following. "Okay."

"I will drag you outta here kicking and screaming if you go again, alright?" Jason asks before loosening his grip.

"Okay." Sam nods, swallowing the hard lump in her throat. She can't kill him but she does need to check something. "Stay." She mutters to him, her legs weak and she nearly trips over Jason as she gets up.

"Where the fuck are you-"

"I'll be back." Sam starts her walk down a hallway off the living room, almost zombie-like.

Jason sits on the floor, staring at Jerry. He really hates this fucker, too. But he knows they're gonna have to get out of here soon. He doesn't think they were too loud and he checks the windows, not seeing any of the neighbors' lights turned on. But, they can't spend too much time just in case. So, he ties Jerry up with some rope he brought and gags him, just to make sure he doesn't come to and escape while Jason grabs Sam.

Jason walks down the hall and spots Sam standing outside of a door with several locks going up to the doorframe. She's just standing there, not moving or saying anything. It doesn't take a mastermind to figure out that's the door to the basement. That's the only reason there would be so many locks. The guy was prepared for Sam, or anyone, to try and break out. Jason knows why she never could now. All those locks, what looks to be a thick door, she was starved and malnourished. She never would have had the strength and it breaks his heart.

"We gotta get outta here, Sam." Jason says from behind her, there's an urgency to his voice.

"Door is locked." Sam mutters, almost as if she's in a haze.

"Yeah." Jason agrees and he's watching her carefully, not sure what she's going to do next.

"It wouldn't be locked if he didn't have a replacement." Sam shakes her head, the fury she felt just seconds ago fades knowing what she'll find in that basement.

Jason's heart sinks into his stomach. He never thought they'd find someone else and he hopes she's wrong. But, just in case she's not, he doesn't fight her when she reaches for the locks with bloody and shaky hands. She unlocks six locks and opens the door with hesitance. A single lightbulb illuminates the landing at the bottom of the stairs. Sam remembers sitting there for hours before Jerry finally chained her up.

She'd run up the stairs at full speed, running into the door. It never worked and it usually led to her falling down at least a few stairs. It's nightmare fuel. But, she takes a deep breath and forces herself to walk down the stairs. Jason looks over his shoulder, making sure Jerry isn't behind them and he follows her carefully.

Sam is steady with her steps as they reach the bottom. The basement is the exact same how she remembers it. Dingy and grey, bad lighting, and nothing for any source of entertainment. There's no sign of food or water. All there is Jerry's experiment table with a medicine cabinet. He keeps sedatives in there from what Sam remembers. Her bones ache as she looks around until she spots the dentist-style chair she spent so much time in. But it's not empty.

"Oh, fuck." Jason sighs behind her, seeing a boy chained to the chair.

"You should call Dick." Sam says, her voice flat.

"He's gonna be pissed. Are you sure?" Jason looks to her and he knows it's the right thing to do but he won't call if she's not sure.

"Yeah, he'll know what to do." Sam nods her head as she makes her way to the boy.

Jason pauses for a second and watches her. It's great that they came and found this kid but he wonders how bad it's gonna mess her up. It'd mess anyone up, returning to the place of horrors to find someone else in their place. But, Jason doesn't sit on it, he runs up the stairs to call Dick and check on Jerry.

Sam approaches the boy who can't be more than ten. She's a little relieved looking at him. His cheeks are still pudgy and he doesn't seem to have any bruises or swelling yet which should mean Jerry hasn't started anything yet. But the boy is scared, jerking away from her to the best of his ability.

"Hey, I-I-I'm Sam." Sam whispers to him. "I'm not gonna hurt you." Sam takes one of the chains in her hands, using the other to melt the chain away from where it had him connected to the ground. Once the boy is freed, he's almost too scared to move. "Did he hurt you?" She asks.

"N-no." The boy's voice is small.

"Okay." Sam offers him a small but warm smile. "We're gonna get you out of here, okay?" The boy shakes his head. "My friend is upstairs and he's calling another one to help. Do you have parents?" Sam asks. The boy nods. "Do you know where they are?"

"M-my mom's..." The boy struggles for words, voice shaking. "In the hospital."

"Foster care until she's better?" Sam asks and the boy nods. "Okay, um...I used to live here, too." Sam tells him. "It's pretty scary but then my friends saved me. He's not gonna hurt you, okay?"

"Where is he?" The boy asks.

"Upstairs." Sam answers plainly and she catches the boy glancing to her hands. Sam finally realizes they're covered in blood, seeing a few deep cuts on her knuckles. "It's just mine, I'm okay." Sam partially lies to him. "Are you from here?" The boy nods again. "I'm from Gotham. Heard of it?"

"Batman is from there." The boy says.

"Yeah," Sam gives him a smile. "Pretty cool, right? Batman and Robin fighting bad guys." Sam sees a faint smile pull at his lips. "Robin is upstairs, that's who my friend is."

"Your friend is Robin?"

"Mhm." Sam hums. "Pretty cool, right?" Sam asks him and he nods again, this time with a little more energy. "Don't tell anyone, but he's kind of twerp." Sam tries to lighten the mood and the boy laughs faintly. "His cape is bulletproof though so I guess that makes up for it."

"It's bulletproof?" The boy's voice picks up just slightly.

"I know right, he just told me though and it's fireproof."

"That's cool."

"Right? It's pretty fancy."

"Why don't you have a suit?"

"I'm not really a hero yet but maybe I can talk to his guy about it one day." Sam scrunches her nose.

After a few more minutes of conversation with the boy, Sam mostly trying to keep him distracted, Dick shows up. He is pissed, so beyond pissed in fact, he almost doesn't look mad. He can't believe these two really snuck out of the tower on their own and went to hunt down Jerry. Behind his back. They have actually lost their minds. Dick doesn't know what he's supposed to do with the two of them. They can't do this, this is not what the Titans do. This was just reckless. Sure, Sam is new and still filled with unresolved trauma, but Jason? He expects so much more from him.

Jason directs Dick into the basement after Dick sees Jerry. Dick just held the bridge of his nose while Jason explained what happened. He really cannot believe this but he just tells Jason to make sure Jerry doesn't go anywhere while he foes to get Sam. Dick walks down into the basement and he gets a sense of what Sam went through. This was the only thing she saw for an entire year. The only person she saw was Jerry and it sheds some light on how Sam ended up here right now. Not fully because Jason didn't get much chance to explain what lead Sam on a mission tonight of all nights.

But, Dick shelves it for the time being as he sees Sam with a boy. This fucker had another kid trapped. It's unbelievable and Dick should have done something about him himself. It always should have been Sam's fight but had Dick known there was another kid, he would have done it. This shouldn't have had to fall onto Sam's shoulders.

"That's my other friend, who's friends with Robin." Sam tells the boy as Dick approaches.

"I'm gonna take over, is that alright?" Dick asks the boy and smiles kindly at him.

"He's the one that found me and saved me. You can trust him." Sam gives the boy a reassuring smile. And the boy gives her a nod.

Dick pulls Sam aside. "Are you okay?" Dick asks, seeing the blood on her hands.

Sam nods. "Yeah, I think it's mostly Jerry's." She whispers to him, not making eye contact.

"Okay, good." Dick nods with a hand on his hip. "Home. Now." Dick says through gritted teeth. "I will deal with the both of you when I get back." Dick shoos her upstairs and Sam waves at the boy before darting up the stairs.

She finds Jason in the living room with Jerry still. Sam finds it a little hard to look at Jason and Jerry. Jerry is a little too bloody and she's thankful Jason pulled her off of him. She shouldn't kill him and she doesn't actually want to. Had Jason not been there, she's afraid she wouldn't have been able to stop. She hopes she would have but she's not sure. But, Jason also witnessed all of that and that's the embarrassing part of it.

"Let's go." Sam ignores Jerry, walking past Jason and heading to the back door.

Jason is right on her heels, following her outside. He hates that he had to call Dick for this but Jason doesn't know how to handle another victim. Sam sure as shit shouldn't have to. Dick could at least, probably, clean up the mess. He was a detective and he is, legally, Bruce Wayne's son. Jason is sure Dick won't have issues with this but if it were just Jason and Sam, that might be an issue. He knows they had to but he still hates it.

"Hey." Jason calls after Sam as she opens the gate but she ignores him. "Sam." Jason continues as she reaches the bike.

"Yeah." Sam says, turning to face him.

"You alright? That was nuts." Jason's words have almost a touch of hesitance.

"Peachy."

"Don't bullshit me." Jason scoffs.

Sam doesn't ignore him. She never ignores him and she has a distant look in her eyes. He knows she's not okay and she shouldn't be after that.

Sam shakes her head. "I don't fucking know, alright?" Sam grabs the helmet from the ground. "Dick's pissed and he'll probably kick me out, ya know? But...Jerry is just..." She scrunches her nose as if fighting off something between fury and agony. "A monster."

Jason nods, walking up to her. "Yeah, he's a piece of dog shit. Doesn't deserve shit from anyone." Jason agrees with her. "Do you feel better?"

Sam shakes her head weakly this time. "No." She finally makes eye contact with him. "Not really."

"You should." Jason states. "He deserved it."

"I dunno." Sam scoffs, her eyes feeling heavy as the adrenaline starts to crash. "I'm just..." She pauses, looking away from him. "I'm so...pissed, I guess? But then I'm sad and upset and then I get mad again." She rolls her shoulders. "Like all I wanna do is lose my fucking mind over it but then I can't because I have to have some sort of control. Like I can't just take it out, it's bottling up over and over. And this didn't help the way I thought it would because it still fucking happened to me." Sam chokes down a cry. "It's fucking heavy and it still fucking happened and...it didn't fucking help."

Jason looks to the ground, feeling sad for her. He's never been through anything like this. They have similar trauma from Gotham but this, this is uncharted. He can't imagine what she's gone through. Just the glimpse tonight tells him it was, without a doubt, torture. But he wants to help because he cares about her. Jason cares more about her than he has about anyone else. She deserves better.

He gestures a hand, making a fist at her to signal for her to give him the helmet. She hands it over. "Take it out on me." Jason offers, switching the helmet from his right hand to his left. "And put it on me." His words are filled of ease as if it were the easiest thing he's ever said.

"What?" Sam furrows her brows at him, her eyes scanning over his face.

"Take it out on me. You're fucking pissed about it? Spar with me, I'll go easy on you so you can get all that shit out. You're fucking sad about it? Rant to me until you feel better." Jason looks to the ground and then back to Sam. "I'll carry your shit for you, alright?"

"W-why?"

Jason doesn't tell people how he feels, not usually. It makes him uncomfortable. It puts too much pressure on him. It makes him too exposed to the elements of being broken. He cares about her and he knows she's not that dense. He doesn't have to tell her.

Jason shrugs. "Just trying to help."

Sam wipes her face with her shoulder, feeling a sad smile come to her face. "That's awfully nice of you, Jay."

Jason finds the nickname endearing coming from her. "I can be nice."

"Sometimes." Sam jokes softly. "Um...thanks for...coming with." Sam's smile falls as her brows furrow. "And for not letting me kill him."

Jason's smile is warm. "Anytime." The warmth in Jason's chest is nice, comforting even and something he hasn't felt, ever. "Let me see your hand." Jason sticks out his hand as he closes the small distance between them but Sam just quirks a brow at him. "Your hands are covered in blood, let me see how bad it is, damn."

Sam laughs softly, putting her right hand in his. "Starting to hurt a little." Sam mutters as she pulls out her phone, shining the flashlight on her hand.

"You brought your phone?" Jason laughs. "Dick could have tracked that." Jason shakes his head, examining her hand. "Shit's gonna hurt in the morning."

"Yeah, pretty sure I got his teeth in a few punches."

"No fucking shit." Jason chortles, seeing the cuts across her hand. "You gotta clean this when we get back."

"Yeah, that'll be fun." Sam scoffs. "Ready to get out of here?" Sam asks.

Jason drops her hand, giving her the helmet back. "Don't get blood on my suit." He smirks at her, waking just past her to grab his own helmet.

"I'll try my best." Sam mocks, waiting for him to mount the bike. "Bulletproof, fireproof, but what? Blood stains are where the line is drawn?"

"No, I just don't that dickweed's blood on my suit." Jason chortles.

"Mhm." Sam follows his lead, getting on the bike as he leans it. "Sure, that's it."

"Shut up and put the damn helmet on." Jason shakes his head, putting his own helmet on. Sam laughs, putting the helmet on and sliding the face shield down before leaning forward and wrapping her arms around his waist. "Ready?" He asks, barely looking over his shoulder and he feels Sam nod against his back before turning around and sliding his face shield down and taking off.

Back at the tower, Sam and Jason go their separate ways for a few minutes. Sam goes into the bathroom to start cleaning up her hands and Jason goes off to his room to change out of his suit. While Sam gets the supplies, she's faced with some confusing feelings.

Jason is a lot of fun to flirt with and he's really cute. She actually likes his arrogance and snarkiness. He's tough and smart, much smarter than people wanna give him credit for but she also knows he's dangerous. He's rough around the edges and a bit of a wild child. Jason is just as fucked up as she is and she finds a sense of comfort in that. He chooses to be angry and have a bit more violence to himself. He can be kind of soft if the moment fits, but he likes to fight. And for Sam, it's comforting because that's the only thing she wants to do lately. Fight and be angry. It's nice to know she's not alone in that. And he makes her feel safe and understood without even trying. But, she does also find a sense of comfort in Gar.

Gar never would have let her go tonight. He would have been able to talk her out of it. Jason didn't even really try. Gar, despite his trauma, chooses to be kind and gentle. It's a foreign concept to Sam. To choose the opposite of what she's dealt. But there is something refreshing in it. There's something refreshing in his optimism even if his optimism seems a little forced like maybe that's his way of dealing with his trauma. Sam worries Gar pushes it all away so far it'll snap back like a rubberband one day. But Gar does it anyway and he's also very cute and smart and funny. They like the same movies and same tv shows. There are common interests. For Sam, she likes them both for different reasons. So, maybe her best bet is to keep those feelings to herself. She doesn't want to ruin anything between the three of them.

Sam starts the water and sticks her hands underneath, stinging and burning consuming her hands. She hisses as she tries to wash the cuts.

"Need help?" Jason asks from the doorway, watching Sam struggle to keep her hands under the water.

"Fucking please. This shit hurts and I need two hands." Sam groans which makes Jason laugh as he walks in.

"Lemme see." Jason holds out his hands for hers.

He looks over the cuts on her hands, now with less blood and better lighting. Bloody and bruised knuckles aren't new to him. He swears there was a point where they were always bruised. He saw purple skin across his hands more than he saw his normal skin tone. Since, being Robin though, the gloves take most of the blows. He doesn't miss it, the ache of bruises and scratching from healing scabs. But, he at least knows how to deal with it.

Jason grabs the antiseptic wipes from the counter that Sam had already taken out and takes her left hand in his. He doesn't warn her, he just goes right for it and starts cleaning the cuts gently. Sam hisses, swearing under her breath as the stinging consumes the cut.

"Sorry." Jason offers an apologetic glance as he continues. "They aren't that bad, the cuts." Jason explains.

"Hurt like a bitch though."

"Because you beat the shit out of someone." Jason chuckles. "It happens."

"Mhm." She hums, watching him carefully.

Gentle is not a word she would use to describe Jason Todd. In fact, in the month and a half she's been here, she doesn't think she's ever seen him actually be gentle about anything. But, he is now and maybe that's why she's so infatuated with him sometimes. He's not as two-dimensional as he comes across. There's a lot about him that's just some facade, maybe to push people away so he doesn't get hurt. After what he's been through, Sam sympathizes with that. But, she wishes he'd drop the act a little. It's fun, sure, but she wants to know more about him and find out what really goes on inside that head of his.

"Tell me something about you." Sam says, keeping her eyes on her hands as Jason switches to the clean the other one.

"Like what?" He asks, his voice flat.

Sam shrugs. "Dunno, something though. Like, something not a lot of people know about you."

Jason pauses, keeping her hand in his as he looks to her, expecting her to have some type of teasing expression but she doesn't. Her eyes hold curiosity and a sense of calmness. This isn't normally how they communicate. It's just banter and flirting but she seems genuine now. It makes him shift.

"Why?"

"Because." She shrugs again as she looks at him. "Curious, I guess. I won't tell anyone." Sam's eyes widen, this time a bit teasing. "I'll tell you something."

"No." Jason shakes his head, not having the game.

Letting people close? Not his strong suit. To him, there's no reason to tell her. What they're doing is fun. He's having a great time and he doesn't wanna ruin it by getting a little too real with her. The trauma is almost easier to talk about it because she's been through it. But talking about the things that make Jason, Jason, the stuff underneath the trauma, that's the hard shit. That's the shit no one can just know. The trauma is public information. It's not that easy to just talk about.

"What're you so afraid of?" Sam asks, the lack of teasing in her voice is almost making Jason uncomfortable.

"I'm not afraid of anything." Jason snarks, lying to himself.

"Hmm." Sam hums. "We're all afraid of something, Jay." There's that nickname again. "Just, I dunno, tell me something real about you."

Sam makes it so tempting. It's the way she smiles at him where he knows she's being serious but the very corner of the right side of her mouth twitches into a grin, just slightly. It's a kind of taunt thing she does with him when she's trying not to and it makes his stomach flip like he's on a rollercoaster. Something in the way her hand lays gently in his and the way she lets him in during vulnerable moments, makes him want to tell her.

Jason sighs, going back to cleaning her hand. "If you tell anyone, I'll kick your ass." Jason warns and Sam smiles, crossing her heart with her free hand. "You know the story. Mom's a smack addict, dad's a dumbass who got himself killed, uncle same shit." Jason explains and Sam nods even though he can't see her. "Foster care, the streets, juvie."

"Lifting cars?" Sam asks.

"Amongst other shit, yeah." Jason nods, tossing the antiseptic wipe into the trash and grabbing a roll of gauze from beside Sam. "I found this school when I was on the streets and slept in the rafters of the auditorium." Jason talks and he gains this gentle smile, one of fondness. He shrugs a shoulder. "I'd watch the theater kids at night when they'd have a show." Jason pauses. "Got pretty into it."

Sam's heart warms with him talking. The thought of Jason Todd being a theater nerd? Amazing, funny, endearing. Explains why he's so dramatic. It's not what she expected in the best way. That's the kind of real shit she wants to know about him. No one would have ever guessed that's his thing and she thinks it's adorable.

"Huh." Sam hums as Jason finishes wrapping her left hand. "Didn't peg you for a theater kid."

"Yeah, used to think they were the losers." Jason chuckles, taking her other hand in his. "Now, I wear a mask and a cape."

"That's kind of cute, actually."

"Shut up." Jason groans, thinking she's messing with him.

"No, I'm serious. Honest, it's cute. Jason Todd, a soft spot for theater. I dunno, I think it's cute."

Jason's eyes narrow as he looks up to her, not sure if he should believe her. But she has soft eyes as she looks at him. And her smile is so wide he finds it hard not to believe her. Maybe she was a theater kid and that's her big secret.

"What about you?" Jason asks. "I told you mine. You tell me yours."

"Okay, but you can't laugh." Sam doesn't fight him. It's only fair. Jason mimics her crossing her heart, a teasing smile on his face as he licks his lips. Sam rolls her eyes. "I love romance movies."

Jason huffs, trying not to chuckle. "Sorry, sorry." Jason snickers. "You don't seem the type. Your extensive knowledge of horror movies and shit."

Sam shrugs one of her shoulders letting out a sigh. "I love horror movies, man." Sam laughs. "But, I like romance movies. Ya know, where the guy gets the girl and he holds a boom box over his head. Or throws a fist in the air. I guess, The Breakfast Club isn't romance but I count it. Easy A though with all of the tropes, 13 Going On 30 during the photoshoot scene, How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days with Somebody Like You playing in the background." Sam lists some of her favorites. "I also like sad ones, though. I cry every time."

"Yeah?" Jason puts her wrapped hand down, raising his brows at her and instead of stepping away, he keeps the close distance to her. "Why?"

"Dunno." Sam shrugs once more. "I just do. Like I cry every time I watch A Walk To Remember. 'I'm sorry she didn't get her miracle. She did, it was you." Sam quotes the movie. "I ball my eyes out, every single time. Um, the Notebook, of course. Me Before You, I expect him to live every time and every time he dies. The Time Traveler's Wife, PS I Love You when she gets the last letter." Sam lets out a sharp breath. "Shit, I always expect a different ending, but it's all the same and I cry."

Turns out, they're both full of surprises. Jason never would have thought she liked romance films. It's more than her taste for horror, a lot of people like a lot of different genres of movies. It's also because of her attitude. Rom-coms don't seem her thing, she always seemed more of an action or dystopian person to Jason. But, she has a soft side.

"Full of surprises, huh?" Jason chuckles softly.

"Guess so." There's a shy smile pulling at Sam's lips and she feels warmer right now with him, than she has in a long time. "What else?" Sam asks.

"I read." Jason says, finding it easier to talk now. "I'll read pretty much anything. Always liked it but got a bit more into it on the streets. Libraries are free."

"Didn't peg you for a reader, either." Sam smile is sweet.

"You a reader?"

Sam shakes her head. "Dyslexia makes it pretty unpleasant." Sam's eyes widen with annoyance at herself. "I'm not illiterate or anything, it's just hard and I get frustrated." Sam laughs softly. "Wish I was though." Sam looks down, tilting her head to the right. "Alright," Sam breathes out, looking back to him. "Got any more questions?" She gives him a teasing grin, quickly raising her brows at him.

Jason hums and he could ask a million questions. He's liking getting to know her like this but Gar is also his friend. She seems kind of into him, a little at least. As much as he'd like to know what other hobbies keep her entertained or what her favorite memory is, favorite movie, any hidden talents she had, he's thinking maybe he should ask about Gar before this goes anywhere else. Getting to know her more without knowing what her intentions are, freaks him out a little. Why get close if she'll leave? So, he matches the grin and decides to play the game.

"Yeah, actually." Jason lets out a sharp breath, leaning forward. He places a hand on either side of her thighs, resting his hands on the cool countertop, his face just inches from hers. Sam eyes him carefully, her heart banging against her ribs. "What's up with you and Gar?"

Sam lets out a huff, a taunting smirk on her face. "Hmmm." She hums, trying to figure out his angle here. "Why?" She asks, tilting her head to the right.

Jason mimics her action, shrugging slightly. "Can't be curious?"

"You can." Sam states, trying to ignore the beating of her heart and swirling in her stomach.

"Well?" Jason asks.

Sam puts her hands over his and gets just an inch closer to him, playing his game. "Jealous?" She narrows her eyes at him slightly and Jason's heart bounces into his stomach.

The answer is yes. If there's something going on, yes, he's jealous. But, he's not so jealous that it would get in the way of his friendship with Gar or whatever is going on between him and Sam. That's petty and dumb, Jason has bigger issues than jealousy over a girl. But, there is a tinge of jealousy in his stomach at the thought of her with Gar instead of him. However, he doesn't want to give her that satisfaction. He can tell by the way she asked and the cornered grin she's giving him, she expects him to say yes. And he won't.

Jason's voice is low, brows raised. "You fucking wish."

Sam laughs softly, feeling her cheeks burn. Maybe she does want him to be jealous but that sounds like a lot of drama that would be tired and boring. But, she also doesn't have a witty comeback as much as she wants to. No one's ever been able to leave her lost for words but Jason does. He's so quick and smart that it leaves her tongue-tied. He's playing this round-and-round game so long, he's basically an expert. It's fun, though.

Sam's eyes narrow at him, searching for something to tease him with but she's got nothing. She's never noticed before but his eyes are really pretty. They're green, not dark green or hazel. They're a muted shade of something like a sea green with a yellow in the center. For a second, she thinks she could get lost in them like wandering through a forest with no destination or map, just the sun guiding the way. And he has a few dark freckles scattered haphazardly about his face that she wants to connect like constellations. He's cute, that was her first impression. Cute. But, taking a second to really look at him, he's kind of beautiful in a tragic kind of way.

"And if I did?" Sam asks, her brows raising, licking her lips and Jason gives this forced chuckle. The game is being played and neither of them are backing down, so he closes the distance just a bit more, their noses almost touching as Jason eyes her lips.

"Do you?" Jason asks. His voice has this taunting sense to it, like he's teasing her, about to make fun of her. But there's this hint of curiosity with it and maybe even a want in the tone. Maybe he wants her to wish he were jealous. Maybe that'd make the whole thing easier. She makes the move.

Sam rests her forehead against his, Jason's heart about to beat out of his chest and he's never felt this with someone before. He feels dizzy around her, his stomach this bubbly mess. He's excited to see her every single morning. There's this rush that almost, just almost, feels like putting on the Robin suit but different. He gets to be so unapologetically himself with her and that's not something he has ever felt before.

Sam's nose brushes his and every part of her is ready to dive into him. She feels electrified with him. Nothing about the trauma even matters with him because he's been through it. His mom, his dad, he fucking gets it and she doesn't have to hide or protect him from it. Jason is this unmovable force that makes her bones ache at the core. She's trapped in a rain storm but when Jason is around, he's the tunnel she gets to drive under. The tunnel that quiets everything around her even when it's still pouring. He makes her feel alive again.

"Maybe." Sam's voice is a whisper, she's not ready to commit to closing this. It can't be on her.

The game isn't so much a game anymore, not right now because they're too close for that now. They're trapped with bated breath between them, waiting for the other to finally commit to it. Sam wants him to commit to it so badly she can hardly even breathe. There's just something about Jason to her that she can't explain. And, Jason, he wants her.

His lips brush hers and there's hesitance it in. If he kisses her, the game ends. Something will come of this. It might be good and it might be bad. But something will have to come of it. They'll have some sort of discussion about it and he wants her so bad but he wants her to want him, too. So, his lips brush hers and he's just about to ready to say fuck it and close the distance. And maybe she'll kiss him back.

"What the fuck?" An exasperated voice pulls Sam and Jason's attention towards the door where Dick is standing with his hands on his hips looking absolutely exhausted and pissed and fed the fuck up.

Sam jerks away, pulling her hands into her lap while Jason quickly moves away from her, his cheeks turning a cherry red. Both of their lips are burning, as if they'd just committed to something that never even happened. It feels like they were hiding some dirty little secret when Dick walked in. They weren't doing anything different than what they normally do but it still felt different. A bit more vulnerable, a bit more hesitant. It felt different and Dick interrupted it. Neither of them even know if the other would go through with it. They hope the other would though.

"Seriously? You nearly kill someone and then you..." Dick gestures at them, trying to figure out what he walked in on. This is not where he saw this going. "Are doing whatever you're doing in here."

"W-we weren't doing anything." Sam glances between Dick and Jason. It's not a lie even if it feels like one.

Dick shakes his head. No one prepared him to handle this. No one prepared him to handle teenagers who apparently try to kill someone and then have a deep moment later. What is he supposed to do with that? First training behind his back and now this. The two common denominators in this have been Sam and Jason. In his eyes, Jason must be the bad influence because Sam is traumatized and Jason is probably encouraging the bad behavior. He can't let them just do whatever they want when they want. Someone's going to get killed and he's thinking the two of them together would be the cause.

"This," Dick waves an open hand between the two of them. "Whatever that is, no." Dick says and Jason and Sam look at him with confusion. Jason shifts his weight to his right foot, putting a hand on his hip while Sam shakes her head as if to be processing what's going on. "You two, no."

"Picking my friends now, huh?" Jason scoffs, annoyance raging from his bones.

"Looked a bit more than that, didn't it?" Dick fires back.

"Well, this is awkward." Sam huffs, more to herself. "We're friends, Dick." Sam groans. "I know, hard for you to grasp giving your history, but guys and girls can be friends." Dick's mouth moves as he's trying to figure out what she means. "Oh, Rachel told me that you hooked up with two of your friends and it seems you still have a thing for both of them. But, one left and the other is dating some other guy who was also your friend and a Titan." Sam explains, keeping her voice nonchalant and Jason nearly bursts into a fit of laughter watching Dick's face turn red.

"Okay, no, that's not-" Dick shakes his head cutting himself off. "This isn't about me."

"It could be. We could work through your parental problems and really get to the root of the problem because you might have commitment issues. That's what it sounds like." Sam explains while nodding her head, Jason snickering to the side not able to control himself. Dick's gonna kill her.

"We're not talking about me." Dick groans, growing more annoyed. He has got to do a better job at keeping his private life, private. "Stop deflecting."

"She's very good at it." Jason adds in.

"I think that's all our strong suits, to be fair. Notice that he turned it back to me. Deflecting." Sam says to Jason.

"No, we're not doing this. I'm not playing your game." Dick sighs. He wants nothing more than to go to bed. He didn't think he signed up to actually parent teenagers. He almost feels bad for what he put Bruce through. "You're both in deep shit." Dick's voice goes stern again and Sam accepts she can't get out of this one as much as she tried. "I expect more from you." Dick turns his anger onto Jason.

Jason's jaw nearly drops as his eyes widen. How the hell is Dick blaming him? "What?" Jason nearly yells, the word coming out as a scoff.

"You didn't do anything to stop her, did you? You could have come to get me but you didn't." Dick points full blame on Jason and Sam is sitting there almost certain this is a weirdly vivid dream. He can't be serious. "You're the oldest, you know better."

"Are you fucking serious?" Jason huffs. "I made sure she didn't kill the fuckface." Jason tries to defend himself.

"You should have come to get me." Dick insists.

"Right," Sam starts, her voice slow as she keeps glancing between the two of them. "You're blaming Jason?" Sam almost laughs at how stupid that it is.

"Let me guess, you take full responsibility because it was your idea and you manipulated him, right?" Dick throws their previous discussion back in her face. "You wanna be Robin again?" Dick turns his attention back to Jason. "Stop fucking up."

Sam watches the look on Jason's face. His face drops, for just a split second before turning into pure rage. Sam understands that Dick should be mad at them, absolutely. They did something stupid and dangerous. But, throwing Robin at Jason's face doesn't sit right with her. She doesn't know the story but it's pretty obvious being Robin is something that means a lot to Jason. You don't throw something like that in someone's face, not like that.

Jason walks up to Dick, standing toe-to-toe with him. "You don't fucking decide if I'm Robin or not. I'm the new Robin." Jason says pointing to himself, not looking all that intimidating having to physically look up to Dick. "You're just a washed-up version of a hero."

"Stand down." Dick keeps his voice level with Jason, not giving in to him.

"Jason tried to stop me." Sam speaks up from her spot on the counter, not wanting to see where this fight is about to go. Jason will not stand down and she doesn't think Dick will either. If she didn't know any better, she would think they were actually brothers.

Jason turns quickly to look back at her. He's surprised. He did not try to stop her. He basically encouraged her to go. He drove her there and didn't step in until it started to look bad enough. Jason knows the odds of Dick kicking him from the Titans are low because of Bruce but Sam? She's still new and if she causes more trouble than she's worth, Jason thinks he might. Deep down, he knows Dick wouldn't but somewhere in his head, he's afraid Dick would and Sam takes the blame anyway.

"He was getting a snack from the kitchen when I was trying to sneak out." Sam lies. "He-he, uh, he figured out what I was gonna do. He tried to stop me, convince me to go back to bed or he'd come get you. I promised him I wouldn't do anything."

Sam said she'd never rat Jason or Gar out which makes Dick find it hard to believe that happened. He does also know Jason and Jason isn't one to step away from a fight. Jason talking Sam out of it seems incredibly unlikely but Dick can't prove it at this point in time.

"Why'd he drive you then?" Dick challenges trying to find a hole in her story.

"I told him I'd be gone before he could get you. I was going regardless. So, instead of me getting into a strange car at two in the morning, he said he'd drive me as long as I didn't do anything. He only wore the Robin suit as a safety measure." Sam lies through her teeth.

Sam hasn't always been a good liar but it was something she needed to be better at. She has tells like everyone else, the way she kicks her foot out every few seconds, the lack of hand movements. But, Dick doesn't know her well enough to know her tells so she lies with the first thing that comes to her mind and by the look at Dick's face as he looks back to Jason, she's thinking he believes her.

Dick sighs. "Just," Dick starts, his attention on Jason as Jason looks back to him. "Come get me, okay? I have to be able to trust you."

"Right." Jason scoffs.

"Go to bed, I'm gonna talk to Sam."

Jason looks over his shoulder and Sam gives him a soft smile with a nod. Jason sighs, not wanting to leave her alone with Dick but it's probably for the best before he punches the guy. "Good luck." Jason scoffs, pushing past Dick and leaving the bathroom.

Dick walks further inside, leaning his hip against the counter while Sam is looking at her hands in her lap. Her head is hung as if she's waiting for the 'I can't trust you, you have to leave' speech she knows is coming. She wonders why she does that. Taking the risk of homelessness when she knows it's a possibility. It's not like she does it on purpose but she gets mad and frustrated, nothing else really matters at that point. The only thing that does is not being mad anymore. It clouds everything else in her brain. A booming kickdrum drowning out every better decision she's ever had.

"Is that actually what happened?" Dick asks, his arms crossed.

"Yep." Sam answers, not looking to him.

"What were you thinking?" His voice is disappointed this time, completely different than the anger he had towards Jason and it doesn't sit right with her but that's not the argument she wants to have right now.

"Guess I wasn't." Sam mutters. "Kicking me out?" She peeks an eye at him, her words hesitant.

Dick shakes his head, running a hand through his hair. "No." He shakes his head. "Wanna tell me what the hell happened though?"

Sam shrugs. "He was on the news." Sam says, her voice small and quiet. "They were congratulating him for being an upstanding citizen, an everyday hero, because he saved a fucking kid from getting hit by a train."

Dick nods once, understanding how she ended up at his house. "So, you decided to go after him?"

"I mean...yeah." Sam looks up to him. "It's just not fair, ya know? I'm..." She pauses, trying to find the right words as the fire dies out from her blood. "I'm scarred, physically and mentally from him. He did all that shit to me. I'm a freak now because of him. I lost what was left of my childhood because of him. He ripped me from my home. I talk shit about Gotham but it's my fucking home and he ripped me from it." She shakes her head as she looks back to her hands, picking at the bandages Jason applied. "He gets to be called a hero and I get stuck with more trauma."

Dick's anger for the night fades as he listens to her, for the first time, really listening to her. She's not snarky or fighting with him. This sees like the most honest she's been with him since he found her. He seems a part of himself in her. Angry and bitter and resentful of the life they're dealt. They were both just kids when their lives got ripped out from under them. No kid deserves that. It makes him sad, that's the one thing everyone in this tower has in common. Childhoods ruined by adults who are too selfish and cruel to think about their well-being. Or even care about their well-being.

"He thought I was dead." Sam scoffs, feeling the burning of the back of her eyes start. "He actually said that tonight. He dumped me for dead. Just...like that. Like I was trash. I'm not..." She pauses, her chin wrinkling slightly. "I'm not even upset that he didn't give a fuck, ya know? Because fuck him but...I am upset that a human can do that to another human. He tried to kill me." Sam's voice breaks.

Up until tonight, a part of her thought it really was an accident. Jerry just thought he went too far, he didn't mean to do it. But, tonight, the look on his face, he wanted her dead. She was too much maybe. Too big of a hassle because she put up a fight even with words. She'll never know his why and maybe that's for the best but the thing is that he did try to kill her. That's something that she has to sort through and live with. Beating someone to death is a personal thing, there's a burning hatred there and while she can't rationalize it, it's like she's trying to anyway.

She's putting blame on herself even when it doesn't make sense because she was the victim. From the time she was put into Jerry's care until the day he dumped her in that alley, she was the victim. But, she can't stop her mind from blaming herself. What about her is so un-fucking-bearable that someone would hate her so much they'd try to beat her to death? Beat the last breath out of her lungs? He's evil, he doesn't need a reason and it's not her fault, but that doesn't stop the thoughts. And she thought she'd be okay joking with Jason, maybe that would quiet everything for the night but now she's talking to Dick and she can't joke with him like that. And now it's haunting the marrow in her bones, aching and dragging.

"I'm not mad, okay?" Dick assures her. "Disappointed but I understand. That's a horrible thing you went through. I get that, I do." Dick starts. "But, you can't go off on your own like that. I know you had Jason but anything could have happened. You were in his house. You almost killed him." Dick keeps his voice steady and lacking of anger. "It sucks. I went to get revenge for my parents being killed and I regret it every day." Dick opens up a little making Sam look at him with a raised brow.

"Why?"

"I didn't kill him but because I went after him, he was killed by someone else." Dick explains. "He killed my parents but it wasn't my job to kill him or get him killed as mad as I was or as unfair as it is. That's just not our job."

"I didn't wanna kill him." Sam sucks in a breath, holding it for a few seconds before letting it out. "Just beat him up, rub it in a bit that I was alive and kicking. Show him he didn't win."

"I think you accomplished that." Dick raises his brows quickly.

"Yeah," Sam sighs. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry for losing it and dragging Jason into it."

Dick shakes his head. "Just don't let it happen again." Dick pauses. "You don't have to take the fall for him."

Sam rolls her eyes. "I'm not."

Dick nods, not fully buying it. "Okay, well, extra chores for a month then."

"That it?" Sam asks.

"Yeah, don't do this again." Dick pushes himself off the counter.

"Aye-aye, captain." Sam solutes him haphazardly.

Dick sighs with the response. "Just get to bed." Dick says before leaving the bathroom.

Sam lets out a breath, taking a second to be. There's a lot to unpack tonight. She looks at her hands and a part of her wants to grieve for the person she's become. Three years ago, she'd never hit anyone. She'd have someone threaten to hit her and she knew she'd never do anything about it. Fighting never seemed like the best solution. It always seemed so pointless but now she's here with bloody knuckles, fueled by anger. She gets it now but she doesn't know if she likes the feeling.

But, she's so sad and angry, like weights tied around her ankles. She's gnawing and clawing at them but they never budge. They just get stronger the more she struggles. Every day she lives and Jerry gets to exist in happy contentment, it's another pound added. Every day she lives and the Joker gets to keep on jokering, it adds weight to her shoulders. The anger and sadness cloud her every move. Grief is agonizing and numbing and all-consuming. And when she thinks she has something to make it better, it's temporary. Training, movies with Gar, video games, music, teasing Jason, beating up Jerry. It's all temporary relief. The second she's alone with her thoughts, it creeps back in, a tsunami receding the tides again.

And she wonders if she'll ever hit the acceptance stage of grief or if she'll just be trapped here alone for the rest of her life. So, she cleans up the bathroom and looks for a distraction because the guilt and grief feel too much.

Sam's fist knocks on the dark door softly and she waits a few seconds. This is a bad idea and she knows it. But she doesn't want to be alone and she doesn't want to think about anything. Thinking is becoming a chore and she feels haunted. Tied down and struggling. Beating up Jerry did nothing but make her feel worse which then, somehow, makes her feel even worse. It should have helped, it should have because he got what he deserved but it just makes her feel like the bad guy in all of it. They saved someone tonight but all Sam sees is Jerry covered in his own blood, thinking that's what she must have looked like. And a part of her thinks maybe she isn't any better than he is because she did to him what he did to her. It is different and she knows that but it's late and she can't be alone with those thoughts.

"Hey." Jason greats her, surprised to her.

He thought for sure she would listen to Dick and stay away from him. He's not entirely sure if he was serious about it but it wouldn't shock him. Jason is bad news, dragging everyone he cares about down with him.

"Can I come in?" Sam asks as if she's on a mission.

"Sure." Jason opens the door further for her and Sam walks in. Jason closes the door behind her, leaning against it, waiting for her to say something.

Something's off. No smirk, grin, or smile. No teasing comment. No remark about the half-empty bottles of Gatorade and Red Bull scattered about his room. She was, relatively fine and normal when he left besides being pissed at Dick. For a second, fear strikes him and he wonders if Dick gave up on her already. Jason knows that can't be it, Dick sucks sometimes but he's not that fucking horrible. But, that's also the only thing coming to mind.

Sam turns to face him, her expression almost flat and Jason watches her as she walks up to him. She stands just a few inches from him without saying anything. Normally, Jason would find this as a challenge, play the game again and see what happens in the safety of his room. But, not now. Not with the flat expression and distant look in her eyes. Not like this.

And Sam thinks about it. Thinks about kissing him and using him as a distraction, that was the plan coming here instead of waking up Gar. Gar would have too many questions and he'd have this way of getting her to spill her guts to him. She's too tired for that. It's too much thinking, too much emotion. But she's got her eyes locked on Jason's and she wants to kiss him because it'll be such a good distraction and it'll make her feel something incredible. It'll make her feel wanted and important, she won't feel so damaged anymore even if it's just a few minutes.

But that's not fair to him either.

She shakes her head. "Sorry." She takes a step back, swallowing thickly.

"It's okay." Jason says, still watching her carefully, concern starting to creep onto his face. "What's up?"

"I don't wanna think about it anymore." Sam answers candidly.

Jason nods and he has an idea. If it were anyone else, he'd go for it because kissing someone and letting it go wherever it decides to go, is a fun little distraction. But, this is Sam. And he swears if something is meant to happen, it won't be because either of them want to be distracted. So, he walks over to a dresser near the window and looks inside. Sam watches him, questioning what he could possibly be doing. She isn't sure what she expected him to do but say something would be high up on that list. Instead, he's just looking into a drawer so she makes the walk toward him.

"What're you doing?" She asks from behind him.

"Pick one." He says, gesturing a hand inside the drawer. Sam walks up beside him and sees several books. She raises a brow at him. "Just do it." Jason sighs.

Sam shrugs and goes along with it. She looks over the spines, studying them and it's kind of interesting, seeing what books he likes. There's dystopian young adult, horror, adventure, a few classics. It's like a little window into his world and there's something sweet and soft about it. But, she spots one that she's actually seen the movie for so she picks that one.

Jason laughs as she picks the book with the pale yellow spine. "You've seen the movie?"

"Yeah, of course." Sam answers with a laugh. "Of course, I've seen it. Is the book good?"

"You tell me." Jason takes the book from her and walks past her, going towards his bed.

She spins on her heels, the confusion and curiosity engraving itself across her face. "What?"

"When shit gets too fucking loud, I read." Jason explains, sitting on his bed while Sam walks over to the end of the bed slowly. Things get loud for him and escaping into a book helps. It quiets the noise. "Or I train but you don't seem like you want to do that right now."

"That would be a correct assumption." Sam states. "But, I just said I don't read." Sam's eyes are narrowed still waiting for Jason to explain what's going on.

Jason stretches his legs out before opening the book and flipping to chapter one. He clears his throat. "When Mr. Bilbo Baggins of Bag End announced that he would shortly be celebrating his eleventy-first birthday with a party of special magnificence, there was much talk and excitement in Hobbiton." Jason reads the first line and Sam's face softens and her heart stops in her chest, realizing what he's doing.

Not to be dramatic, but a part of her almost cries while he reads. This is probably one of the nicest and most thoughtful things someone has ever done. Reading is draining to her but his way to deal with shit. This is his world that he's inviting her into in order to distract her. Jason Todd is not nearly as calloused as he comes across and it's so warming and jarring that Sam is, yet again, at a loss for words. And she adores him so fucking much, she swears he makes all of her broken parts seem not so broken.

"You gonna just stand there or you gonna sit?" Jason asks as he finishes the first paragraph. He feels exposed again but for her, it's worth it. It'll always be worth it for her.

"Okay." Sam smiles at him, crawling onto his bed and sitting beside him.

He gives her this look of contentment, of ease. His eyes are soft, not sad or pained like they normally are. He looks comfortable, here with her and a book in his hand. Sam wants to cry so bad because something about him seems so perfect. He's perfect but in the way that something by Monet is or the way a glass vase is. He's perfect with every cracked, messy, and damaged parts of him because they make him...him.

Sam thinks maybe perfect isn't the right word for him because he has flaws, they both have flaws. To be perfect is to be flawless and Jason Todd is anything but flawless but to her, with gentle and adoring eyes, he seems perfect. Maybe to be perfect, as a person, is not to be flawless but to be flawed and still be unapologetically yourself. Maybe that's what is it. To be perfect, as a person, maybe it's because of the things you do and who you are rather than what's happened to you. Maybe being a perfect human is just being able to show softness even when all you have ever known is a life of tragedy and heartache. And to Sam, Jason Todd is perfectly flawed just like her.

Sam scoots closer to him and rests her head on his shoulder. The action surprises Jason a little but he falls comfortable with her against him. Jason thinks she's everything he could have ever asked for. He doesn't care about the violence or the rage that courses through her bones. He doesn't care that she has some issue with Batman over the Joker. It doesn't matter to him because she sees him for who he is. He is not Jason Todd, the arrogant asshole. To her, he's just Jason Todd. Jay. And Jason thinks that's what makes her perfect. That she understands him and she cares for him even when he's drowning in a war against himself. Jason Todd thinks she's perfect and he doesn't think anyone is perfect.

Jason looks to her and smirks because he can't help himself. "Unless you wanted to do something else." His brows wiggle as he teases her.

"Shut the fuck and read the fucking book, Jay." Sam rolls her eyes, sinking into him, looking over to read along with him.