Chapter 2 - Somebody To Someone

The next morning comes and Jason wakes up first, still laying on Sam. This is the first night in weeks he feels so well-rested, so comfortable. He pretends that Sam isn't part of the reason he actually slept well. It's definitely just a coincidence. He decides it was just complete exhaustion from not sleeping and the flight to and from San Francisco. That's all it is. But he takes a moment to smile softly as Sam sleeps.

He wonders if today will be different. Every single time they fall asleep together, they wake up the morning after and it's awkward. It always feels like something happened when it didn't and neither of them ever know what to do about it. It's as if they're too vulnerable with each other to be just friends and they both know it, deep down in the very back of their heads. But neither of them ever want to address it so it gets weird. And he wonders if it'll be like that here, with just the two of them and Bruce.

Jason doesn't let himself sit in comfort for long before he gets up, careful not to wake up Sam. Once he's on his feet, he takes the blanket and pulls it over her shoulders with a tender smile before he heads off to the kitchen. He finds Bruce in the kitchen with a morning coffee on one of the tablets.

"Good morning, Jason." Bruce says, looking up from his tablet. Bruce definitely walked by the bedrooms which were wide open and found the two of them asleep on the couch.

"Morning." Jason responds, his voice a little happier than usual.

"Late night?"

Jason freezes at the fridge before looking over at Bruce. "No." Jason scoffs. "We fell asleep watching a movie."

"Okay." Bruce chuckles softly, mostly to himself and Jason's eyes narrow at him.

Jason pulls out a carton of eggs, some cheese, and some ham before heading over to the stove. He warms up the pan with some butter and gets a cup of coffee for himself. Jason gets the eggs ready to be put in the pan for an omelet, grabbing a few of his favorite spices and he gets to work. Jason always preferred omelets for breakfast, they're easy, filling, plenty of protein, and there's a million ways he can make them. He always mixes it up and he likes that. He's definitely eating more here than he was at the tower and his body is immensely grateful for it.

While the first side of his omelet cooks, Jason gets more ingredients out from the fridge and cabinets. He's now gained Bruce's attention again. Jason always makes food for himself. Even when Alfred was around, Jason would prefer to make his own food or at least help. But, Bruce is watching him take out milk and flour and that's definitely not a part of Jason's usual breakfast. And Bruce figures out what he's doing as Jason starts measuring for a batter and he smiles fondly to himself, going back to his tablet.

By the time the batter is done, Jason is ready to add cheese to his omelet and flip it over. While he allows it to finish cooking, he grabs the griddle and warms that up. He grabs a plate for both meals and dumps his omelet onto the plate before adding some batter to the griddle. While he cooks the pancakes, he stands at the counter and eats, going to Instagram while he waits.

He scrolls a little before Instagram decides to show him a post from Sam from a week ago because of course, Instagram can't be in chronological order. It's a picture of her and Krypto in her room at the tower. The caption reads "I may have stolen him from a Conner again" and Jason smiles to himself before flipping the pancakes. He remembers when Krypto came to the tower and despite finding out who Conner is, she was still more focused on the dog and Jason thought it was cute. Finding out someone is half Superman and half Lex Luther should have been the most important part of that conversation but not to Sam. It was Krypto. Jason double-taps the picture before clicking her profile.

She posts often, usually a picture a day. It's always a mix of what she decides to post. A lot of it is the Titans though. There are pictures of everyone, some look like she may have forced them to sit for the camera where others are candids. There's one where Gar, Conner, Dick, and Kory are sitting in the living room with Krypto. Dick and Kory are seated beside each other laughing, Conner is laughing beside Gar while Krypto is trying to steal a piece of pizza from Gar as he eats. There's another one of Sam and Kory smiling at the camera together, another one of Sam and Dick. There are pictures of San Francisco, too. Not very many, but a few that look like they were taken from her window at night. And there are a few of just Krypto but most of the pictures Sam is in, she's in with other people. And Jason spots one from a few weeks ago with the two of them and he feels his heart shoot into his throat.

He's seen the picture, he was tagged in it. But, his heart is in his throat anyway because it's a picture of them posted while he wasn't even at the tower. And he likes the picture a lot. The four younger Titans went to see another movie and Sam insisted Jason take a picture with her outside of the theater while they waited for Gar and Rachel to use the bathroom. Her nose is scrunched because Jason had insisted he be the one to take the picture, his arms are longer. And then he told her some innuendo that got her to laugh and he took the picture. He looks proud of himself and he thought maybe she would have deleted it. But, she didn't. Jason saw it a few weeks ago and he has the same reaction today. Heart in his throat and stomach twisting into a knot.

Jason finishes the pancakes and eats his omelet. Once he's done, he grabs the plate with a bottle of syrup and a fork. Bruce doesn't say a word as he watches Jason leave the kitchen and he can't help but chuckle to himself. Jason is in so deep and Bruce thinks it's funny. He wonders when Jason will figure it out.

Sam woke up a few minutes ago. She feels really well-rested. Similar to Jason, this is the most sleep she's gotten in probably a month. And she can feel the difference. She isn't sure if it's Jason or being back in Gotham, away from the city that caused her so much agony. But she is happy to have gotten some good sleep. Though, she is surprised to not have Jason by her when she wakes up. Her being covered with the blanket definitely does not go unnoticed however and she can't help but smile softly.

"Morning." Jason chimes as he sees Sam sitting up, eyes still filled with sleep.

Sam raises a brow, seeing him carrying a plate of pancakes. "Good morning? What are you doing?"

"Didn't wanna hear you bitch that I made food and didn't save you any." Jason plays it off.

"Uh-huh, so you made pancakes? Don't you usually do some type of egg?" Sam questions him knowing damn well that is not the reason he is bringing her pancakes.

Jason shrugs. "I wanted pancakes. I can eat them—"

"No. No, I will take them, thank you," Sam lets out a laugh, taking the plate from Jason. He does not want her to know he went out of his way to make her favorite breakfast. She's never said it's her favorite but it is the one breakfast item she actually puts effort into making and she has never turned them down.

Jason takes a seat beside her as Sam cuts the pancake with the fork. "Wanna do something today?"

"Uh...I had an idea...don't think you'd wanna partake though." Sam clears her throat as she starts eating her breakfast.

"What is it?" Jason laughs. "Can't be that fucking bad."

"Haven't, uh, haven't visited my mom in awhile so..." Sam nods her head slowly, brows knitting together as she dodges Jason's stare.

"Oh." Jason swallows his tongue in response. He's visited his mom a few times, usually for her birthday. It doesn't get any easier but Bruce took him once so he wouldn't have to go alone and that helped. It was hard and Jason doesn't like to talk about it but, it was kind of nice having someone there. "I'll go if you want me to."

Sam looks over to him with a sad smile. "You sure? Like, you don't have to. Shit is depressing as fuck."

"I don't mind." Jason shrugs.

"Thank you, Jay." Sam's eyes are soft and she's thankful for him.

"You're welcome."

"Oh!" Sam perks up, deciding got drop that conversation. "A few things, training, Batcave, license."

"Am I supposed to decipher that?" Jason chortles. "You wanna train now or? What about the fucking Batcave? And a license?"

"Yeah, when are we training because I know that you do it all the time and I can't get out of the habit. I wanna see the Batcave. Gotta see it, seems neat. And with being legally an adult, I don't need a permit now to get a license."

"We'll train after you eat if you want." Jason chuckles. "I'll show you the Batcave eventually? You gonna walk right in there or you asking me to teach you?"

"Well, it would be nice. Unless you wanna drive me around forever which I'm more than happy with." Sam beams at him.

"Nah, I'll teach you. I'm not your chauffeur." Jason's eyes widen as he leans closer to her.

"I would pay you." Sam offers him a goofy and toothy grin.

"With what fucking money?" Jason chortles.

"Hey! I might be poor but we don't need to address that." Sam swallows her food. "I mean, I could pay you with my gratitude." She gestures her fork at him.

"Gratitude doesn't pay the bills, babe." Jason lets out a breath and he swears she's so cute when she's trying to be cheeky.

"What bills?!" Sam questions. "Bruce pays the bills."

Jason grins widely. "I'll pay bills when I move out." Jason states.

"Mhm. But, until then, gratitude."

"No." Jason shakes his head. "You can learn, you'll be fine. Just don't fucking kill any of us."

"I'll try my very best." Sam rests a hand sarcastically over her heart.

"Yeah, alright, hurry up."

"Yes, sir." Sam hums, rolling her eyes.

Jason heads off to his room to change while Sam finishes eating. She swears they're the best pancakes she's ever had. She isn't sure what made Jason decide to make her pancakes but she really likes it. It's really nice and sweet. Once she's done eating, Sam takes her plate to the kitchen and puts her dishes in the dishwasher. She heads to her room and changes into sweats before walking down the hall and knocking on Jason's open door. That's new.

"Hey." Sam greets with a cheeky smile, Jason sitting on the edge of his bed, scrolling on his phone.

"Ready?" He perks up and Sam always likes how he looks in sweats. It adds an extra level of comfort about him.

"Always. Maybe I can beat you this time."

"Not even in your dreams." Jason stands up, confidence radiating off of him. Sam is positive, one day she'll win.

"Well, I don't dream about you so." Sam shrugs and Jason rolls his eyes, letting out a groan.

"I know that's a lie." Jason walks up to her and jerks his head towards the door. "Come on."

Sam follows Jason to the other side of the manor where there's a training room. It's similar to the one in the tower. A workout bench, two treadmills, lots of weapons, a mat in the center, a few punching bags. Bruce clearly likes one design and sticks to it. Sam thinks that's fair. The two of them stretch for a few more minutes, getting ready. Jason trains a lot by himself and sometimes he still trains with Bruce. He misses training with Sam though. It's always fun for him, but it's different with her. She has an ease about it, even when she's very serious. And she never expects Jason to go easy on her.

"Standard way we do?" Sam asks as she gets to her feet, Jason joining her.

"Yeah, pin for five. Best out of three."

"Pin for one?" Sam questions and Jason chortles.

"No! I'm not letting you win."

"Fine." Sam lets out a huff and the two of them take their positions on the mat.

Jason nods his head, a signal for them to start and takes a step forward. Jason moves closer to her, Sam takes a swing at his head and Jason dodges it, coming right back and jabbing her in the side. Sam pulls her leg up, kneeing him in the hip. Jason isn't even phased by it and goes for another hit to her head. Sam dodges this time, taking a few steps back. Her head throbs right in the upper front of her head so she makes a quick move to the ground, kicking Jason's feet out from under him. Sam moves over to him but Jason lets out a laugh, kicking her in the chest, so she falls back and he's quicker than she is. Jason moves over her, off to the side and keeps his arm on her shoulder.

Sam narrows her eyes at him, grabbing his elbow with one hand and jamming her elbow into the cook of his in a quick motion. Jason's arm gives out and Sam grabs his arm, using it as momentum to flip them over and pin him down.

Jason grins up at her. "Nice."

"Been practicing."

Jason lets out a sigh and he's about to do something. Sam can feel the throbbing kickstart again. Just as Jason is about to grab her to toss her to the other side of him, Sam grabs his arm midair, pushing it off to the side and pinning it on the other side of him. And she starts counting.

For all of one second, Jason thinks about letting her have this one. She's never gotten him down so quickly and for this long. She's fighting dirtier than she normally does. Jason does not go easy on her but he's always had a suspension that she goes easy on him. She's not today though. And Jason would be lying if he didn't find her confidence and fighting attractive. But, Jason doesn't let people win and he's a lot stronger than she is.

Jason kicks his knee up and into her side, making her shift to the left and he gets his shoulder free. He presses his forearm to her sternum, making her move back just enough while Jason grabs her arm. He uses her arm as momentum to pull her forward, pinning her chest to the ground while he pins her arm behind her back and he counts.

"Five." Jason gives out a cocky smirk while Sam turns her head to glare at him from below him.

"I was so close."

The difference between sparring with Jason versus sparring with Gar is that Jason is a lot faster. She's always one step ahead of Gar with the clairvoyance. But, with Jason, he accounts for it already. While Sam is supposed to be one step ahead of him, Jason is already three steps ahead of her knowing exactly what she'll do because he knows what she'll do. So, he's quick and ready to change direction at any point. It's incredibly frustrating but, Sam is also thankful because she learns a lot from him. She learns to think further ahead than just her next move and to watch who she's fighting and how they move.

"Close doesn't count here." Jason taunts her. "Grabbing my arm was good though." Jason chuckles, standing up and he offers her his hand.

Sam rolls onto her back and shakes her head. "Not falling for that." Sam slaps his hand away. Jason is the type of person to offer a helping hand and then twist their arm behind their back. He may have done that once or twice back at the tower. To all of them.

"You've come a long way." Jason lets out a laugh while Sam gets to her feet.

"I didn't have a choice. That shit hurts." Sam moves a foot away from him, knowing he's going to strike in the middle of a conversation. He always does. And that's when Sam decides to play his game.

"It's better to learn here--" Jason starts and Sam cuts him off with a punch to the stomach, immediately followed by a kick at the back of the knees, making Jason kneel on the floor.

Sam grabs his arm and twists it behind his back, pushing him forward and onto his stomach before using her weight to, hopefully, keep him there. Jason is actually a little offended. She used his own thing against him and he didn't see it coming. And because he didn't see it coming, he's impressed. But, Jason is still stronger and Sam gets to four and she's so sure she's going to win, but Jason thinks that's enough. Jason rolls into the turn and uses his other arm to grab hers, yanking her off of him and pinning her in under five seconds.

Sam fights against him and she cannot let him win so quickly. He has her upper body pinned so she uses all of her strength to kick her knees up and presses them firmly into his chest as he gets to four. Jason lets out a groan and his grip loosens on her arm just enough for her to move. She slides her arms from under his and quickly grabs his shoulders, spinning the two of them around so she's back on top. This time, she gets on top of him, wrapping her ankles around his thighs to the best of her abilities and pins his biceps, right above his elbows, down, putting all of her weight on his arms.

Jason looks up at her,  his breathing a slightly rapid, and she's a little closer to his face, maybe two inches. Her hair is a mess already, strays of pink flying around and her chest is moving quickly with her breath but she has this look of confidence that makes his stomach twist and turn. Jason would be lying if he didn't find this whole exchange hot. She actually has him pinned. With her ankles around his thighs, he can't kick up and move her off of him. She's using all of her weight on his arms in just the right place, her fingers digging into his skin to make sure he can't move. It's getting under his skin and he kind of wants to do something about it but then Sam hits five.

"HA! I DID IT!" Sam cheers loudly. "FINALLY." Sam tilts her head back, not letting her grip loosen on his arms.

"Cute." Jason lets out a scoff while Sam doesn't move. She keeps her position and all of her strength. Sam looks at him with a large smile that makes Jason's head swim. "You can move." He states as easily as he can.

"No." Sam shakes her head and Jason raises a brow at her. "If I move, you'll pin me before I have a chance to move away."

Jason laughs because that's exactly what he was going to do. "How you gonna get outta this then?" There's a teasing smirk that pulls at his lips.

"Well, we can just stay like this, it's fine." Sam states, almost shrugging her shoulders.

"You wanna stay on top of me?" Jason asks and the smirk that comes to his lips sends her stomach spiraling.

"You don't seem to mind." Sam strikes back because he's not actually trying to get up.

Jason tilts his head just slightly to the right with the raise of his brows before he looks back to Sam. "Could be better." Jason looks to her lips and the close proximity makes him feel like he's falling into a volcano.

Sam narrows her eyes at him despite her heart coming up to her throat. He glances at her lips and Sam swears she's going to lose her mind every single time. "Yeah, and how's that, Jay?" Sam closes just some of the distance between them because if he wants to go there, she can, too. She has the upper hand right now anyway.

Jason gets an idea because Sam is growing flustered. He can always tell because she takes just a little longer with the quip and she mimics what he does. And while he thinks it is absolutely adorable, this is training and he's going to win. He will play dirty and he does not care. But in his defense, the first time they ever did any type of sparring, the first day they met, before Jason knew about her combat clairvoyance, Sam grabbed his arm and tried to distract him by calling him cute. This is all fair game.

Jason leans up with his neck and Sam doesn't move because she figures they're playing their usual game. She just has the upper hand because he can only move so far. And he is moving that entire distance, their noses nearly touching. Sam's heart stutters as she looks from his eyes to his mouth and she thinks about it. For a split second, she thinks about it.

"Could think of a few ways." Jason's voice drops and Sam nearly combusts. Her breathing hitches in her throat, her grip loosens just enough on Jason's arms and Jason gets his smirk going. "Especially, because you lose." Jason lets the words drip from his mouth before he yanks his arm from under Sam's grip, using it to shove her right off him. He spins them around, pinning her down on her back. Sam looks at him with an unamused expression. "That's two, babe."

"Fuck." Sam groans. "I'm gonna get you back for that. That's not gonna happen in a real fight, Jay."

"Doesn't matter, it worked." Jason chortles, leaning up and moving off of her. "How the fuck are you even gonna get me back?"

"You'll see, you won't like it. But, it will work."

"You have a plan already?"

"Mhm." Sam hums, sitting up. "It's been picking at me but if we're gonna play dirty..."

"Play as dirty as you want." Jason quips.

"Oh my gosh." Sam lets out a groan. "I set that one up."

"You did." Jason chuckles before getting to his feet and offering a hand to Sam. "Knives?"

Sam slaps his hand away. "I trust you in every other circumstance, but in a training room." Sam pushes off the floor and stands up.

"I've trained you well." Jason chuckles.

"Mhm." Sam rolls her eyes. "Yeah, knives."

The two of them walk over to the spot where there a few targets hanging on the wall. Sam has her knives from the tower with her while Jason grabs some of the blades that usually go in the Robin suits. They stand side-by-side and Sam gives him a cocky smirk.

"I can beat you here."

"Bullshit." Jason states, throwing one of his R's and he gets just below the bullseye.

Sam smiles wildly, grabbing one of her knives, without looking. She turns towards the target all while pulling her arm back and throwing the knife. The motion is fluid and quick, with almost no aim involved and she gets a bullseye.

"Okay." Jason feels the lump form in his throat. Nice. 

"I did a lot of it when you left." Sam states before she does it again.

Jason watches her carefully and she's always been good at it. That first day was a fluke. She brushes it off and says she's just okay but her aim is almost always perfect. Jason wonders if maybe one of the side effects of Jerry was sharpshooting. Not that he doesn't think she could do it, he's just never seen anyone with that much accuracy so quickly. But, he bites the question back and throws one of R's, hitting the bullseye.

"I taught you." Jason states, looking over at her.

"You refreshed my memory." Sam corrects him. "Thank you for that."

"Don't mention it." Jason chuckles as Sam hits another bullseye and he cannot help but stare as she throws five more, all in a quick motion.

Sam can feel his stare on her and she can feel her heart start to race a little. Something about him staring at her makes her nervous but it's the good kind. It's the kind of nervous people get before something they're excited for happens. Her heart quickens and her hands go a little clammy and she tries not to look at him. But, she can't help it and when she looks over, he's basically gawking at her and it makes her cheeks shoot red.

"What?" Sam asks looking back at the target.

Jason shrugs, looking back at his own target, trying his best to hide the flush of his cheeks. "Nothing."

Jason sucks in a breath and he didn't realize he was actually staring. Well, not enough for her to notice. He can't help it though. She throws the knives with so much ease and he thinks she's just so pretty, it's hard not to stare.

"Turn you on, Jay?" Sam sucks in a breath with the teasing remark, glancing over at him with a smirk.

Jason clears his throat, a grin tugging at his lips as he watches his target. He pulls his bottom lip between his teeth and decides to just say it. "Yeah, maybe a little." He glances back over at her and she misses the bullseye with his remark, her body straightening. Jason can't stop the chuckle that leaves his lips. "You missed, babe."

"Shut up." Sam lets out a groan and she watches as Jason picks up one of the R's, ready to throw it. "I mean, if this is all I have to do to turn you on, that works." Sam states with an easy shrug of her shoulders and she can see Jason eyeing her from the corner of his eye, not falling for it. So, Sam continues just as he pulls his arm back. "Really thought I was gonna have to send you nudes." Sam states and Jason misses the bullseye, snapping his attention right to her as his breath catches in his throat.

"You did that shit on purpose." Jason states with the raise of his brows.

"Maybe a little." Sam lets out a snicker, looking back at her target. Sam throws another knife and the bullseye is getting filled and Jason can't bite the question back anymore.

"Hey," Jason nods his head up at her. "How do you do that?"

Sam looks over at him, brows pulling together. "What do you mean?"

"Bullseye, I mean." Jason shrugs a shoulder. "You're good at it. How do you do that?"

"You almost never miss, too?"

Jason shakes his head. "Yeah, and I've doing this shit longer than you have. I just mean, you always been able to do that since Knife Guy?"

Sam shrugs, looking back at the target and throwing another knife, hitting the bullseye again. "No? Knife Guy is cool and all but he wasn't like Clint Barton teaching Kate Bishop or something."

"So, this is new?"

Sam looks over and she gets what he's saying. She's thought about it, too. She never misses unless she's distracted. Sam was not the sports person in school. She just didn't like team activities so she never played. So, her hand-eye-coordination, she knows for a fact, could have been better. And Knife Guy taught her what he could. She wasn't bad at it after practicing a lot but she's definitely world's better now than she was then. A part of her just wants it to be a coincidence.

"Mhm." She hums and throws another knife, Jason confused with the short response. But, he thinks of every conversation they've had about her powers. She does not like them because of Jerry. She likes throwing knives. So, he drops it because this can just be her thing.

"I'm just saying you're damn good at it." Jason shrugs his shoulders, getting a look at the left corner of her mouth perking up.

"Thanks, Jay." Sam smiles softly and she watches him throw another R.

He wasn't Robin long before she went with Jerry but she remembers the new Robin not using weapons very often. Dick used to use the R's and a bo staff frequently. That was another indicator someone new had taken the mantle. And she caught up on some of the Robin videos back at the tower, still hardly any use of any weapon when it comes to Jason. "Why don't you use weapons?"

"What do you mean?" Jason asks.

"I mean," Sam picks up another knife, throwing it at her target and hitting the bullseye. "Like, I almost never see you use weapons. YouTube, training, all that. You almost exclusively use your fists. Dick has those electric batons or whatever. And he used a bo staff as Robin sometimes. Bruce has Baterangs and stuff. Curious why you don't usually use anything."

Jason shrugs, noticing she's out of knives. "Here." Jason hands her a few of the R's. "Can't rely too much on the toys, they won't always be there."

"That's fair." Sam throws an R and hits one of the knives currently on the target, the R clanking to the ground. "Okay." Sam lets out a defeated sigh and Jason lets out a laugh. "I mean, that's a good point." Sam watches as Jason throws another R. "Do you think that's also dangerous though?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, like, you have to be up close, right? Combat and shit. At least with a bo staff, batons, baterangs, knives, and the R's, all of that shit, puts you at a distance away from the person you're fighting. Ya know, don't bring a knife to a gunfight kind of deal."

Sam has a point and Jason is aware of that. But, he'll always have his fists. When he had to defend himself, he had his fists. He's always had those and always will. They never let him down. But, he can lose a baton or run out of baterangs and R's and the bo staff only puts so much distance between them. Dick was always better with that stuff than Jason anyway. So, he uses his fists. And maybe he likes the adrenaline boost he gets from the close contact with anything dangerous.

"Yeah, but I can handle myself." Jason shrugs his shoulders.

"I know you can." Sam laughs softly. "I'm just asking, I swear. Curious."

"Better with my fists." Jason throws another R and hits the bullseye and Sam wonders why he thinks his fists are better because from where she's standing, he's really good at this. And Jason is always very confident in his abilities.

"Well, just, ya know, be careful when you go out and shit." Sam looks back at her target, throwing one of the R's.

Jason chuckles. "Always am."

"Right." Sam states sarcastically. "And how's that blackeye, Jay?"

Jason lets out a huff, a grin on his lips. "Don't even feel it."

"Yeah, okay." Sam rolls her eyes.

"You prefer knives for that reason?" Jason asks, turning the light back on her.

"Yeah," Sam chortles. "I don't wanna be up close and personal with people who are trying to kill me. Been there, done that, no thank you."

"Good point." Jason states.

The two of them continue to throw their weapons for a little longer before going back to another round of sparring. Sam doesn't get so lucky this time and Jason wins all three rounds. Sam can't complain though because she did win one round which is better than she normally does. Jason is also proud of her. She's come a long way since that first training session. It makes him feel good, too because that means he's actually kind of good at the teaching thing.

The two of them make their way to their rooms. Jason grabs clothes to shower first and Sam waits in her room. Jason has a look in the mirror and the guy last night got a little more lucky than Jason let on. Despite the Robin suit, it's not completely protective against massive blows. It protects him from sustaining serious damage but bruises still pop up and he has one that's a deep shade of maroon with blotches of purples on his rib cage. He's gotten really good at acting like injuries don't hurt. But he grits his teeth anyway because the guy never should have landed a single hit, let alone several. It was easy but he paused and hesitated for a few seconds. And he hates himself for it.

Jason gets in the shower and lets the steam cloud his harsh thoughts. Meanwhile, Sam checks her phone, seeing a text from Gar and another from Dick.

Dickolas: just checking in. How are things going?

Gar 🐯: how was your first night?

Sam goes to Dick's thread first figuring he probably won't have much to say back.

Sam: Good, manor is cool and I pinned Jason in a round for sparring so👌🏻 bruce has left us alone mostly

Sam: good Jason and me watched a movie and hung out

Sam sends the two texts and lays back on her bed, clearing her notifications as she waits for Gar to respond. Gar is always good about texting back pretty quick when he's not absorbed in a video game or movie.

Gar 🐯: that's good how is he? Have you told him yet?Gar 🐯: that you picked himGar 🐯: no offense didn't mean it that wayGar 🐯: i mean you said it was him thats allGar 🐯: Sorry 😅

Sam: good he seems happy here and no lolSam: it's fine i know you didn't mean it that lol

Gar 🐯: any nightmares?Gar 🐯: you should you told me 🤣

Sam: no slept okay actually Sam: because you needed to know! Don't tell him 🔪🔪🔪

Since getting Gar back and Jason leaving, Sam and Gar have had talks about it. About her picking Jason. Gar told her it hurt and she has never felt more guilty. But, that it was okay because a part of him always knew it would be Jason. He promises there would never be any hard feelings about it. Instead, they just moved on from it and Gar got over it. He asked about her feelings for Jason and if she ever plans to tell him. Sam has actually kind of liked being able to talk a little bit about it with someone who isn't Rachel. Her and Rachel are good and have been since the night of the carnival. And her and Jason are also on good terms now but Rachel is still a little biased. But, Gar isn't. Gar is Jason's best friend. So, it's been nice.

Gar 🐯: im happy for youGar 🐯: i won't 🙄 you should do it and rip the bandaid offGar 🐯: ive known for a over a month and hes my best friend

Sam: thank you you doing okay?Sam: i think he knows tbh nothing happened idk seems like he does

Gar 🐯: yeah all good 👍Gar 🐯: whats that mean?

Sam: good you'll tell me if you're not right?Sam: idk its different here cant really explain ig Sam: i promise i'll tell him just not atm 😅Gar 🐯: ofc promise im fine lolGar 🐯: good youre my best friendsGar 🐯: im rooting for you guys 💚

Sam: goodSam: lmao thanks gar 🩵Sam: give Krypto a kiss for me I miss him 😔

There is something reassuring with Gar saying he's rooting for them. Gar is not a bitter person by any means. But, she did worry a little bit about it because she never wanted to hurt him. It's nice that he's in San Francisco rooting for them. It makes her feel validated in a way. She was sure of her choice, she is still so positive. But, hearing it from Gar, feels good.

"All yours." Jason states from Sam's doorway.

His hair is a wet mess, disheveled like he rubbed it with a towel once and called it good enough. He's wearing a maroon t-shirt with a black faux leather jacket over top and a pair of jeans. Sam smiles softly because the leather looks good on him. And his disheveled hair makes him more endearing. There's just something about him.

"Thanks." Sam walks over to one of the dressers and grabs a change of clothes. And the Gar text is picking at her brain because of course it is. Sam made her decision not to tell Jason, now. She doesn't want to rush into it with him. All the two of them know how to do is run and push. Rushing into it, for her, means that's more likely to happen and she does not want that. Not with him.

"You alright?" Jason nods his head towards her.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine." Sam brushes off the question and she is fine, just trapped in her own head.

She should have protested his reasoning. She shouldn't have let herself have the same reasons for not being with him. She should have asked more about Rose. She should have kissed him sooner. She should have begged and pleaded with him to stay at the tower. She should have went with him. She should have went with him when he came back. She should have just told him but now they're in a mess because there was never the talk about how they feel about each other. There was never a denial of how they feel about each other but it never happened anyway. And she doesn't know what to do about that.

The more she thinks about it, the more she realizes she did it again. Jason gave her one reason to not be together and she took it and ran with it. Sam had one reason and she took that reason and ran away from him. She ran away from him. Sam's still a flight risk even when she doesn't realize she is and so she bites her tongue because what if she never stops running? Jason Todd deserves someone who won't run away from him. Sam decides, they can flirt and get a lot closer and whatever happens, fine. But she won't be the one confessing anything until he does. Because she thinks, if he does, she won't be able to run from him then. But he has to say it first. Jason gave her a reason to run last time and maybe if he didn't, she wouldn't have. And if he tells her or does something about it, that's a reason to stay. Because running from him without that confirmation, made it easy. And she knows, she could never run if she knew for certain that he felt the same way. It gives her a reason to stay for the first time ever because he deserves it.

"You sure?" Jason pushes. She didn't look too happy when he walked in.

"Yeah," Sam shrugs, grabbing her phone from the bed and walking up to him. "Just Dick and Gar checking in."

Jason nods with understanding. "How'd that go?"

"Fine, told Dick I pinned you and Gar asked how you were."

"Why?"

"Because you're his friend," Sam laughs softly. "Wanna head out after my shower?" Sam ditches any other questions Jason might have. Just in case.

"Sure, grab food after and teach you on the bike?"

"Oh, you're gonna teach me how to rid a motorcycle?" Sam raises her brows at him.

"More fun." Jason beams.

"It is kind of fun."

"Exactly, so hurry up."

"Bossy, bossy." Sam shakes her head, rolling her eyes before walking off towards the shower.

Sam heads to the shower and showers while Jason goes to talk to Bruce. Jason lets Bruce know what the plan is and that he's gonna teach Sam how to drive. Bruce does not look pleased by that and Jason assures him that they'll be safe. He wouldn't do anything that put her in any danger. Bruce finds Jason's protective nature with Sam a little amusing and doesn't protest. That's also not the reason Bruce didn't seem pleased. Bruce just remembers the time Jason decided to ride the motorcycle in the Manor and might be a little concerned Sam would join him on that one. But, he doesn't protest anyway. The boy might be reckless and a little insane, but he will make sure Sam is safe at all costs no matter what and maybe he learned a lesson about riding motorized vehicles in the house.

After Sam's shower, she meets up with Jason in the kitchen. Jason already has both helmets with him and hands one to Sam. He tells her they'll have to get her a proper helmet that actually fits if she's gonna be riding with him and on her own. Sam likes the idea.

The two of them head to the cemetery. It's a gloomy day as it normally is in Gotham. Sam thinks it's always so gloomy because of the shit that happens here. It's like the universe is grieving for what the city could have been instead of the horrors it's bred. It's gloomy and sometimes feels hopeless, but this is her city and she loves it anyway.

They reach Sam's mom's plot where there's a small headstone that reads her mom's name and "loving mother, friend, and daughter". Sam chews the inside of cheek as she stands with Jason, looking down and her chest feels so heavy. Coming here isn't easy and maybe part of why she does is so can feel the pain of it. When she was on the streets, sometimes it all felt like a blur. Dumpster diving, stealing, running away. It was a sad and debilitating reality and routine she fell into. She didn't have the energy to let herself grieve or even feel panicked about her next meal. But then she'd come here, and it's like she's reminded she's alive. She has a life. She has a life that she can find a purpose in and reason worth living for. It hurts but maybe she needs it to hurt sometimes.

"So, this is it." Sam lets out a sigh and takes a seat on the grass, pulling her knees to her chest and resting her forearms on her knees.

Jason follows her lead, mirroring her position. He glances at her before looking back at the gravestone and her mom wasn't that much older than his. "You okay?" He asks.

Sam nods her head once, keeping her head forward at the flowers that don't look too old. "I guess. Just....weird."

"What was she like?" Jason asks, and he's also never really asked that either. While he doesn't hate his mom, he doesn't like to talk about her. Not like that, getting to know the person she was because Jason isn't sure he really knew her at all. But, then there's Sam whose mom wasn't an addict, who wasn't neglectful. There's Sam who had a mom who cared and she cared for her, too.

Jason spots the corner of Sam's mouth pulling up just slightly. "Fun, funny, kind. Like, Gar kind of kind actually. Where you wonder why and how they're like that." Sam sucks in a breath. "Uh, caring and protective, strong."

"You take after her then."

"Yeah, thanks." Sam lets out a sigh, the sad smile falling and she never thought she did. "I don't know. It doesn't feel like it sometimes. She told me I was a rebel without a cause. Getting into trouble, sneaking out. She never did any of that I guess. My smart mouth. The running." Sam glances over at him, Jason's full attention on her. She rolls her shoulders and tugs her sleeves over her hands. "We got along the majority of the time. It was just the two of us, ya know? Be fucking miserable if we didn't. But, then sometimes we'd butt heads and I don't know."

"What?" Jason raises his brows at her. "Don't think you're any of that shit? Because you are."

Sam shakes her head. "I am not that nice and you fucking know it." Sam lets out a soft laugh until it's cut short with the shake of her head. "We'd get into a fight, right?" Sam looks over at Jason. "Usually about some stupid shit I did. Caught tagging a building, skipping school and her getting a call about it, sneaking out and coming home at like five in the morning. Just bullshit. And she'd...give me this look and..." Sam shakes her head, biting her bottom lip. "I don't know, I thought she saw more of my dad in me, sometimes. And because I don't know him, I can't dispute that thought. She did everything for me and I still just....took it for granted, I guess." Sam sucks in a breath.

Jason wonders if she realizes that she was running then, too. Sam says her mom was great and she was good at being a mom. She wasn't too hard on her and just cared about her and loved her. But, Sam set herself up to be in trouble and part of that is just teenage rebellion. Most teenagers do that shit. It's not a big deal but Jason has a feeling Sam was running because it was good. And maybe there's a sliver of fear that creeps over his veins that maybe she'll run from him, too if things are too good for too long. And he worries he'll let her because he won't have to push her away. But, he pushes those thoughts away because this isn't about him. So, he falls on wondering, silently, why she runs in the first place.

"We all fucking do that shit though. Take shit for granted. Look, I didn't know her," Jason states and he turns to face Sam slightly. "But, the way you talk about her, I don't think it had shit to do with your dad. Maybe she was just worried about you."

Sam smiles softly. "Yeah, I know." Sam nods softly. Deep down she knows that's probably what it was but with her mom not here, she overthinks it anyway.

"And you are like her." Jason states. "You might be a smartass but you talk so much about how nice Gar is and you're the only one that's had my back the whole damn time. That's fucking nice of you." Jason lets out a chuckle knowing he is not the easiest person to defend sometimes. "Sometimes you're funny." Jason offers her a smirk and Sam nudges him with her shoulder as she rolls her eyes. "And you stood up to fucking Deathstroke to defend me. That's badass, strong as shit." Jason rolls it off and Sam furrows her brows at him. He always does that, when it's a genuine compliment, he looks away and brushes it off.

"Thank you." Sam sucks in a shaky breath. "I just really miss her."

Jason's brows furrow and stretches an arm around her shoulders and pulls her into him. Sam leans her head comfortably on his shoulder. Letting the weight crush her chest and tears brim her eyes. It's just hard. And she knows she never got to grieve normally and maybe if she did, it'd be better. But, it hurts and Jason rubs her shoulder as she sucks in a breath. He knows it doesn't exactly get better, not really. There will always be that part of his heart that's missing, despite it all. But, it gets easier. The pain and the hollowness, it gets easier and maybe that's just being used to it. But, he also knows telling her that isn't going to help.

"I'm really sorry." Jason rubs her shoulder. "Bet she'd be proud of you. How far you've come and shit. Or she'd be pissed for you facing off with a tiger."

Jason feels Sam shake against him as a laugh leaves her lips. "I swear all I kept thinking was that she's definitely somewhere screaming at me. She would have been so mad."

Jason laughs with her. "You don't like taking direction from authority."

"Neither do you!" Sam exclaims lifting her head up, but she doesn't move away from him. "I swear she'd be like 'I taught you better than that!' As if every kid in Gotham is raised knowing all about wild animals that aren't been native here."

"At least you were taught cool shit."

"That's fair. I know so many random animal facts." Sam states and there's a bit of sarcasm in her voice. "Not sure what I'm supposed to do with those, but I got 'em." Sam laughs softly.

"Tell me one." Jason shrugs his shoulders.

"Otters hold hands while they sleep so they don't float away from each other." Sam blurts out and it's her favorite animal fact. Otters are some of her favorite animals. "That's so cute I might cry if I think too much about it."

Jason lets out a laugh and he thinks that might actually be the most wholesome thing he'll ever hear her say. "So, what they have soulmates or some shit?"

"Actually, depending on the species of otter, yeah, they mate for life. Most species are polyamorous but some, like sea otters, mate for life. So do geese, wolves, bald eagles, beavers, some penguins." Sam rambles off and Jason's brows furrow, a look of amusement coming to his face. "Oh, most people think otters are cute and harmless but they're literally not." Sam states dramatically and Jason swears he could listen to her ramble about animals all day if she'd let him. "They are in fact predators and can get violent and be pretty aggressive. There's a reason Mr. Otterton in Zootopia was grouped with predators like a snow leopard."

Jason shakes his head, closing his eyes for a second. "I'm sorry, Mr. Otterton?" Jason lets out a cackle. "Zootopia?"

"Disney movie." Sam laughs.

"You will watch anything." Jason chuckles but he finds it endearing.

"Absolutely." Sam nods her head with confidence.

"Okay, what else you got?" Jason nods his head up at her and Sam starts rambling, Jason hanging onto every word.

After an hour at the gravesite, Sam and Jason swing by Excellent Gotham, one of Sam's favorite restaurants in Gotham. She used to frequent it so often she became kind of friends with the owners' son who happened to be on a lengthy delivery when they showed up today. So, she was very happy Jason didn't have a preference where they got food from and she got to choose. Once they finish their food, they head back to the manor.

Once back at the manor, Jason declares he's going to teach Sam how to ride.

"Do you have any idea how any of this works?" Jason asks, putting the bike down on its kickstand.

"Not a clue." Sam shakes her head.

"Okay." Jason taps the right handgrip. "Throttle, you use it to go." Jason states and Sam narrows her eyes at him. He squeezes the black metal in front of the throttle. "Front brake." Jason grabs the other piece of metal on the left handlebar. "Clutch." Jason picks up his foot and lightly taps one of the metal prongs. "Gear shift." Jason gestured for Sam to follow him to the right side of the bike. "Back brake." Jason taps the metal prog with his foot again.

"Uh...okay." Sam thinks about all of that, questioning how she's supposed to know how or when to use the clutch and gear shift. "How do I know when to shift?"

Jason laughs. "Yeah, I don't want you to die and I don't want you to kill me so you're not shifting today. Just learning how to move and stop." Considering Sam has never driven anything in her life, he is not taking any chances here.

"Yeah, that's fair." Sam laughs softly, looking to the ground and back to him.

"Put on the helmet." Jason states and the confidence just radiates off of him. "We'll get you one that actually fits you properly later." Jason states and Sam does as told. "Get on the bike and put the kickstand up."

Sam does as told and the bike is heavier than she thought it was going to be, her feet barely touching the ground. But, she holds the bike steady as Jason turns the key in the ignition to get it started. The bike revs under her, vibrating slightly.

"You're in neutral so you're just gonna walk it a bit." Jason shrugs, crossing his arms.

"That's it?" Sam raises a brow at him.

"Yeah, that's it." Jason grins at her.

"Why? I mean, what's the point of walking it?" Sam questions as the two of them start walking.

"Getting used to how it feels under you, the weight of all of it. Making sure you can keep it balanced." Jason explains, keeping up with her with ease.

"Ah, makes sense." Sam nods and she thinks this is nice.

Jason teaching her. She likes when Jason teaches her things and this time, it's not actually something that involves fighting. He's good at it, of course he is, but this is different, a good different. It's something he enjoys outside of the violence and Sam swears he could teach her anything and she would be down to learn.

Sam keeps walking the bike while the two of them talk, Jason beside her. Since Sam got to ramble about animals, she asks Jason about some of his favorite books and plays. At first, he brushes it off but after a few minutes of Sam's never-ending questions, Jason just starts talking. He gets really dramatic when he talks about Hamlet and West Side Story and Sam thinks it's the cutest thing in the world. He's one of the most dramatic people she's ever met but she adores that side of him. His flair for the dramatics is endearing, enticing, and entertaining. And Jason really likes talking about this stuff with her because he gets to be himself, fully with her. She participates in the conversation, asking questions and he swears he's never had anyone that cares enough about his interests to have these conversations with.

"Alright," Jason lets out a breath, sticking his hands in his front pockets as the two of them come to a stop. "Now, you're gonna shift but only to first."

"Right, okay." Sam feels the nerves creep into her veins. Jason makes this seem easy but she's not so sure she has the confidence he does with this.

"You'll be fine. Pull the clutch in and shift down."

"Down?" Sam raises a brow.

"Yeah, all the way down is first, up one is neutral, second, third, and fourth are all up from there."

"That seems backwards."

"Just the way it is." Jason chuckles softly. "It's gonna jerk though so make sure your feet are planted."

Sam pulls the clutch in, looking down at the shifter and she shifts down. The bike jerks forward just as Jason said it would and Jason grabs the handlebars and Sam's heart jumps. Her feet are planted firmly but it scared her nonetheless and Jason could see it across her face. But, he laughs softly anyway.

"I told you."

"I didn't expect it to jerk that much." Sam's eyes nearly bug out of her head.

"Yeah," Jason laughs. "Lots of power in first gear." The comment is more sarcastic than serious. "Okay, you're gonna give it just a little bit of gas as you release the clutch slowly. Don't turn your hand on the throttle too much or let the clutch all of the way out too quickly because you'll eat shit." Jason states casually. "And please don't dump my bike. I like this one."

"Wow, rude. No faith."

"Well," Jason eyes her.

"Shut up." Sam groans as Jason takes his hand of the handlebar.

"Once you start moving, just put your feet on the foot pegs. Seriously, don't pull the throttle pack too much." Jason gains a mixed expression of worry and firmness. She has a helmet on and she can definitely handle falling off with barely even moving. But, there's a part of Jason that's a little worried anyway. "You'll whiskey throttle and fly off the back. Same shit if you let the clutch all the way out too quickly."

"Are you sure?" There's hesitancy in her voice. The last thing she wants to do is fly off the back of a motorcycle. It's gonna hurt and she will probably die of embarrassment.

"Yeah," Jason laughs. "You'll be fine, you're doing good."

"Mhm." Sam hums and Jason backs away while Sam does as he directed.

Jason is really good teacher. She hopes he knows that because even Dick let him teach her, Rachel, and Gar training stuff back at the tower. Dick didn't just do that out of the kindness of his heart. It's because Jason is actually good at it. He's rough about it and he doesn't sugarcoat anything but that's why he's good at it. Sam thinks it's kind of sweet of him.

Sam jerks forward but she keeps her grip on the bike as she starts to move going just fast enough to not tip over. Jason watches her ride around the driveway with a giant smile across his face. He knew she could do it. It's not actually that hard. Anyone can learn to ride. It's just different than a car but same concept. He's proud though and it makes his heart thunder in his chest.

Sam grabs the front brake and slides her foot under the back brake as she comes up on Jason again.

"Okay, that's not too bad." Sam beams, looking at Jason, still holding the brake.

Jason lets out a laugh, looking to the ground and back to her. "Told you it wasn't that hard." Jason teases. "You can keep going, get used to it. I'm not gonna let you shift higher today or anything. You gotta get used to this first."

"Thank you, Jay."

"It'll be nice to have someone to ride with." Jason brushes it off. He's just glad she's enjoying it, that's his thing she's enjoying.

Sam rides around while Jason watches her and she looks to be growing a bit more comfortable with it. His chest swells as he watches and he just, adores her. When she told him she'd be back in Gotham, she'd show up in a bit, it made him so happy. Jason doesn't normally get his hopes up but Sam makes him think it's okay when it involves her. She doesn't lie to him, she hasn't given up on him. She's the only person who's actually really there for him all the time. If she says she's going to do something, she does it. And he's so happy he didn't let his pessimism get the best of him. She makes him happy.

Over the next half hour, Sam keeps riding around and Jason teaches her more about the bike. He tells her how to change the oil, when she'll need to change it. She gets an entire rundown on the maintenance that she is completely positive she will not remember in an hour but she lets him talk. He's so excited to talk about it and teach her. Even if she does remember, she'll probably ask him again just so she can listen to him talk like this.

"You're really good at this." Sam says as she takes the helmet off, sliding off the bike.

"What?" Jason asks, sticking his hands in his front pockets.

"Teaching." Sam states. "I mean, you trained me and uh, well, even when shit didn't go as planned, I sure as shit would have been a hell of a lot worse if not for you. I'll give you some credit on the knives. This." Sam shrugs. "You're good at it." Sam's smile is soft but filled with ease.

"Thanks." Jason feels the heat creep up to his cheeks before he gains a cheeky smirk. "I'm good at a lot of other things." Jason licks his bottom lip and Sam feels her heart skip

She shrugs her shoulders, raising her brows at him. "Maybe I'll let you show me one day." Sam beams at him, spinning on her heels and turning towards the manor.

Jason's eyes shoot open. His brain short-circuits and he has nothing. He doesn't have a single come-back and he has to look to the ground, sucking on his teeth. And he wishes she would actually let him. But, he keeps that thought to himself as he looks back up to see her turning around with a pride-filled smirk. It always should have been her.

"Ah-ha." Sam chuckles, seeing the tint on his cheeks. "Good to know that's what finally does it."

"Fuck you." Jason quips back, letting out a sigh. "You'd chicken out of that, too."

"Would I?" Sam scoffs and she can see Jason searching for something to say. His mouth is slightly open and his brows are pulled together just a little as if trying to figure out how serious this exchange is. Sam gives him a cheeky smile and shrugs. "You're cute when you're flustered, Jay." Sam turns back around and starts walking back to the manor.

Jason stands there for a second and no one leaves him grasping for words and there's Sam. A part of him worried, a lot, that he fucked things up with her. Deathstroke, the roof, leaving, Rose. Leaving again. He's still worried about all of that, worried that if something happens, he'll ruin her. He's worried she'd die for him, all of that still stands. But, they've been alone for a day and he feels so fucking happy and the weight of the world doesn't feel like it's suffocating him. She's even being bolder with the banter and maybe a part of him thinks it's not all fucked up for once.

The night rolls around and Jason goes on patrol with Bruce. Sam isn't sure when she'll get used to that. Bruce Wayne being Batman. It actually makes complete and perfect sense, but it's also just so weird. And she wants to know how he even manages to still be Batman, he seems old. Isn't he tired? Physically, mentally? If not, how the fuck has he managed not get tired? And shouldn't he be in pain? All those years of Batmanning should definitely be catching up to him.

Sam swears she'll always have a little bit of an issue with Bruce. Jason relies too much on Robin, she will never tell him that, but he does and part of that is Bruce's fault. He weaponized Jason's grief in the same way he did Dick and now Jason uses Robin as a crutch for all of his trauma. And, despite her differences with Dick, she'll hold that against Bruce, too. Dick was just a kid when Bruce took him in, younger than Jason was and Bruce weaponized his grief, too. Bruce, isn't a bad person but, Sam cares about Jason and Dick and it rubs her the wrong way. But, she does, at least, respect Bruce for still making an effort to be Batman, for all the shit he's seen. Even if she thinks he needs to kill a few of those bad guys every now and again. It can't be easy being Batman all these years. And at least he's trying to help the city, both as Bruce Wayne and Batman. It's more than anyone has ever really done for the city. For the city, her and Jason call home.

Jason comes back home nearing three in the morning. He hangs up the Robin suit in the Batcave before heading for a shower. It's a rough night. Bruce had to bail him out of a hairy situation. It was something Jason, otherwise, should have been able to handle. He's handled worse but he just, freezes. He sees himself falling all over again and Deathstroke. The pain in his legs kickstarts like an engine backfiring and he freezes. His hands shake and it is insufferable. And Bruce doesn't even really ask. He just asks if he's okay and that's kind of the end of it. It's rough and Jason feels so useless.

Deathstroke destroyed a part of him he's had his entire life. Fearlessness. The ability to function even when he is scared. It's like Deathstroke put a block on him and he's just supposed to deal with it. He can't. He swears he can't stay like this because it's who he is. The fearlessness, it makes him who he is. If he weren't fearless, he'd have been dead years ago on the streets, he never would have become Robin, and it pisses him off and scares him even more. Not being fearless, scares the air right from his lungs. So, after his shower, he goes the one place he doesn't have to worry about any of that. The one place he never has to feel scared.

Sam's room.

Sam's in bed, covered with her comforter. The TV is playing some show Jason's never seen before and her bedside lamp is on. She's on her phone, looking to be scrolling while Jason stands in her doorway. He actually expected her to be asleep but he's glad she's not.

"Hey." Jason greets.

Sam looks over to him and he doesn't have to know she's only awake because he wasn't home. "Hey." Her smile is tired, eyes half-lidded and it makes Jason chuckle.

"Why're you awake?"

Sam furrows her brows and she's too tired to have a quick remark. "I don't know." Sam shrugs, looking back to her phone for a second before looking back to him. He doesn't have another bruise on his face, but he looks off. He's slouching a little more than usual and he's favoring his leg. "You alright, Jay?"

Jason nods. "Yeah, yeah, all good." Jason shrugs it off, letting out a breath.

"You gonna come in...or?" Sam questions him, barely squinting at him.

"You inviting me in?" The corner of his mouth twitches up.

"Are you a vampire?" Sam quips.

"Depends, that a turn-on?"

Sam rolls her eyes and deadpans. "Hilarious." Sam lets out a scoff. "Seriously, you coming in or what?"

Jason sucks in a breath, pushing off of the doorway and walking in, shutting the door behind him. Sam's heart swells as he moves over to her, plopping onto her bed. Sam can smell the fresh soap and shampoo. His hair is still wet and sticking to his forehead. He always looks so messy after a shower. She swears it's adorable.

"How was patrol?" Sam asks.

"Good, kicked some ass." Jason grins at her.

"Always kicking ass out there." Sam laughs softly. Jason looks at her phone and sees her camera roll. It's a picture of him, her, and Gar before Rose showed up. Sam's holding the camera and Jason is laughing beside her while Gar looks like he's in the middle of one of his video game rants, beaming with pride. Sam looks so content between the two of them. "Any new bruises or injuries?"

Jason's brows furrow as he turns his attention back to her. "No." He scoffs. "All good." Jason smirks at her. "Why?"

"Just making sure you're alright." Sam laughs softly, looking back at her phone.

"What're you doing?"

"Looking at pictures." Sam states, scrolling to another photo of her and Jason. He has his arm around her shoulders, making a face at the camera while Sam is rolling her eyes.

"Everything alright?" Jason asks. She's the sentimental type and he starts to worry a little bit that maybe she's not as happy as she seems in Gotham and that's why she's going through her camera roll.

"Yeah, just wanted to look through some pictures." Sam nods and there's nothing to it. Sometimes, she just likes to look back at pictures. That's why they're there. Sam swipes to another photo, seeing another picture of Gar and Jason, in the middle of some argument over Mario Kart. They're smiling but Gar's arms are tossed to the sides while Jason has a death grip on the controller, one arm extended forward. "I always liked this one. You're both so fucking dramatic and for what?" Sam lets out an airy but tired laugh.

"It was a very intense game, alright?" Jason lets out a hardy laugh, nose crinkling. "He cheated!"

"I'm like 99% positive, you threw a red shell at him and he used a banana to block you." Sam blinks at him.

"Yeah, cheating." Jason defends.

"That's not cheating, Jason!" Sam lets out a booming laugh and Jason hopes she always laughs like that.

"Can I see?" Jason asks, holding his hand for her phone and Sam narrows her eyes at him, holding her phone tighter. "What? Afraid I'm gonna find your nudes?"

"Of course not." Sam shrugs and hands him her phone. "You'll probably get all red and blushy if you find them."

Jason offers her a fake glare, swallowing thickly as he looks to her phone. "The fuck you even have nudes for?" Jason asks, going back to the grid view of her gallery. She has an actual folder titled 'Titans' and it makes Jason smile. Of course, she does. "You're not talking to anyone." Okay, maybe he's fishing so he keeps his eyes trained on the screen, forcing himself not look at her.

"Just in case, gotta be prepared." Sam watches Jason's jaw clench and she's having a blast.

This type of flirting with him is a lot of fun because she knows some of it is actually serious this time and it's a matter of time before they cave. It's fun and there aren't any consequences to what they say or what they do. It feels freeing.

"My phone is always available." Jason smirks.

"Don't threaten me with a good time, Jay." Sam lets out a laugh, finally getting a look from Jason. His brows are raised and his grin is devilish, definitely taunting her. "What're you actually looking for?" Sam asks before Jason can come back with something snarky.

"This." Jason clicks the photo, handing her the phone and it's a picture of the two of them in the training room.

Her hair is a mess and Jason is disheveled, both of them are sweaty but they're smiling at the camera. They look tired but content and happy. It was a week before Deathstroke happened. Before shit hit the fan.

"Why this one?" Sam glances at him and she knows the only reason she even took it is because she thought Jason looked really cute that day. But, she suspects that is not the reason Jason was looking for that one.

"I always liked that one." Jason answers simply and a part of Sam wants to audibly say 'aww' but she holds back. "It was the one you took before Deathstroke." Jason withholds the fact that it's actually her contact photo.

She sent it to him that night and he changed it to hers. She just looked so happy and content and the fact she looked that way with him, made him happy. There are other pictures he really likes, some he took on his phone, but he really likes that one, too. Even looking like a mess, covered in sweat, she's pretty.

"Yeah," Sam smiles softly. "Me, too." Sam clicks the options button and sets it to her background on her phone and it makes Jason chuckle but his heart thunders in his chest. And he figures if Sam is gonna change her background, he could do the same. So, he pulls out his phone.

He leans in closer, holding the phone above the two of them, the camera is open and ready. Sam looks over with his movement, his shoulder on top of hers and she lets out a laugh. He's so ridiculous in the cutest way possible. And Jason takes the picture as she laughs still looking at him and he thinks he might actually be able to taste his heartbeat in his throat as he looks at the picture.

"What're you doing?" Sam asks, looking at the picture and it's not the best one ever taken, especially in the low light but it's not horrible.

"Needed a new background." Jason smirks over at her, clicking the options button and setting it to his lock screen.

"Oh, I get lock screen privileges, huh?" Sam teases as she feels herself wanting to burst into flames of adoration.

"Could change it back." Jason laughs with the hollowed threat.

"No," Sam shakes her head. "It's cute."

"Shut up." Jason mutters, his cheeks a pretty shade of red.

"I'm serious!" Sam defends with a shrug. "Send it to me." Sam urges and Jason just furrows his brows at her before going into their text thread. He attaches the picture and once it comes through on Sam's phone, she saves it. She goes into her gallery and sets it to her lock screen. Jason thinks he might go into cardiac arrest, right here, right now. "See, it's cute." Sam beams at him, holding her phone so Jason can see the lock screen.

"Now we have matching lock screens, huh?"

"You and me." Sam beams at him and Jason completely melts. And he has the 'fuck it' thought. Just to tell her and rip the bandaid off because all he wants to do is kiss her. But, then Sam starts talking. "You...sleeping in here? It's late." Sam keeps her eyes on her phone this time, worried she might combust if he has that cocky grin of his this time. She just likes when he's around. It feels safe.

"Do you want me to?" Jason raises his brows at her and he definitely wants to but only if she does. He bites the truth back because her asking that single question, gave him enough time to back out.

"You can't just answer a question, can you?" Sam laughs softly, finally looking over at him.

Jason lets out a sigh and laughs softly. "No, course not." He shakes his head. "Yeah, I can." Jason sits up, lifting his legs up so he can get under her blanket and he was kind of hoping she'd ask him to stay.

Sam leans over, plugging her phone in before putting it on her nightstand and turning the light off. She moves closer to Jason, resting her head on his shoulder while he wraps his arm around her. "You can always stay here, I don't mind."

Sam feels Jason let out a breath from under her and she smiles softly. He feels so comfortable with her and he has no fucking idea what he even did to deserve that. He swears, every single day, he doesn't deserve it, deserves her friendship but she shows up anyway. She makes everything better.

"You can always stay in mine." Jason's voice is rough and whispered, sending a chill down Sam's spine and she bites the inside of her cheek.

"Thanks, Jay." Sam rubs her thumb over his shirt and Jason traces circles on her bicep, his eyes on the TV while Sam starts to drift to sleep.

After a few hours of sleeping peacefully, Sam is stirred awake. She's drowsy and groggy, almost feeling a little delusional. But, she can feel Jason shifting under her and gasping for air. And she can hear his heart thundering against her ear. His heartbeat snaps the tiredness from her eyes as she sits up, realizing he's having a nightmare. She sits up quickly, flipping on the lamp before turning to face him.

"Jay." Sam nudges him softly, no use. "Jason." Sam shakes his shoulder a little harder, still not waking him up. And Sam hates how distressed he looks when he has a nightmare. It's not fair. "Jason, wake up." She keeps shaking him and finally, Jason's eyes shoot open as he takes a breath.

The nightmare flashes before his eyes, swimming in his head as he catches his breath. His chest is heavy and hollow as he breathes and every part of him is sick of this. It's exhausting and miserable. It's terrifying. And then his eyes land on Sam. Her brows are pulled together, eyes still heavy with sleep there's worry etched across her face. And his heart sinks further because even though she's seen him have nightmares before, this is his place. His environment and it's still happening. He feels weak.

"Hey, you were having a nightmare." Sam's voice is gentle and soft, groggy.

Jason clears his throat, sitting up. "Yeah, I'm fine."

Sam's chest aches as she looks over him, his breathing still fast. "What happened? Deathstroke?" Jason never likes talking about them, especially when they're fresh which Sam can't say she blames him for.

Jason looks away from her, his eyes landing on the TV that's now off. "It's fine." His voice is rough and low, etched in exhaustion.

Sam rests a hand on his cheek, lightly pulling his face to look at her. "You and me. It's okay."

Jason sucks in a full breath finally and he has no clue how she does it. Her hand on his cheeks calms him down just enough. She touches him and it all melts away. And she doesn't look at him like he's weak or fragile or broken. The only thing across her face is worry and understanding. Her eyes are still bright even in the low light and even when they're filled of the sleep she should be getting. But, she's up with him, looking at him with her eyes that Jason swears can put an entire supernova to shame.

"Different this time." Jason mutters. "It's fine though, I'm fine. It's not a thing." Jason clears his throat as Sam slides her hand off of his cheek as he sits up.

He can't bring him to tell her what it was about because that would mean possibly telling her about patrol. In the dream, instead of Bruce bailing him out, Bruce stood back to teach him a lesson of some sort but the guy had a gun. Sam woke up Jason before the bullet hit him.

"Not a thing?" Sam questions, her voice is quiet. "How often are your nightmares?"

Jason shrugs, being reluctant. "Not that often."

"Liar." Sam lets out a scoff.

"Enough." Jason admits with a sigh, hanging his head for just a second before looking back to Sam.

Sam nods softly. "It's gonna be okay, Jay. You'll be okay." Sam's eyes dart across his face as if she'd be able to tell what nightmare has him panicking tonight.

"Fucking sucks." Jason admits with a scoff.

"I know. Nightmares are tortuous. You can always tell me about them, Jay. I'll listen all fucking night if you want me to." Sam shrugs her shoulders with ease and the only thing she wants is for him to be okay.

"I know." Jason nods and he has no doubt she would. But, he'd never ask that of her. It's not her job. He is not her responsibility.

"Good. Do you wanna talk about it?"

Jason shakes his head, his messy curls bouncy slightly with the movement. "Nah, I'm fine. Just wanna fucking sleep." Jason clears his throat and he's done talking about it. He's too tired for this shit. And he wants this to be right with her. So, he taps the top of her glove-covered hand with his fingers. "Can we just lay back down?" He offers her a tired and lazy smile.

"I have an idea." Sam perks up as she tosses the blankets off herself in a quick motion before getting up.

Jason watches as she heads over to the dresser against the far wall, confusion wrapping itself across his face. "You normally have ideas this early in the morning?"

"I always have ideas." Sam states as she grabs something thin and rectangular Jason can't make out from his spot before she walks back over to the bed. Sam lays down in her spot and opens her arm, gesturing for Jason to lie down. "You can lay on me this time." Sam smiles softly up at him, his brows still furrowed but Jason isn't going to protest. 

So, he lays down, resting his head on her chest and he can hear her heartbeat. Sam pulls the comic in front of them and she can feel Jason vibrate with a laugh before picking up his head to look at her.

"Seriously?"

"What? You read to me and it's not a novel but it is, technically, a book." Sam beams with warmth and Jason has never felt so cared for.

"You're gonna read to me?"

"Yeah, the fonts in comics are easier to read and there aren't large blocks of text which also make it easier to read." Reading is his thing, it works for him. Him reading to her works for her. The very least she can do, is offer the same to him. Read to him until he falls asleep.

Jason almost kisses her. Right then, right there. He almost just bites the bullet and does it because that's so nice. It's sweet and caring and thoughtful. He wonders if this is how she felt the first night he offered. His chest is warm and swarming with fire. But, Jason doesn't do it because he's not sure if that would be right. Especially right now because he just had a nightmare and if he's going to kiss her again, he doesn't want it to be because he's scared from a nightmare or being kidnapped and tortured or something insane. If he's going to kiss her again, he actually wants it to be because it's just them. No fucking trauma is involved for once. So, he shakes the thought of it away for right now and lays down.

Sam wraps her arm around him, holding the comic up with one hand once she gets to the first page. Jason rests his arm over her torso, sliding his hand under her shirt, keeping it near her hip. He can hear her heartbeat start to race with action and a grin pulls at his lips. He didn't do it for that reason, he just wants to be close. His hand rests right near her hip and his thumb rubs over the spot, he can feel the raised skin and unfortunately, he knows exactly what it is.

"What'd ya do?" Jason asks, his thumb still rubbing over the scar and Sam says nothing. She doesn't read. She stiffens entirely under him as she chews her cheek. Jason picks his head up, looking up to her with furrowed brows. And she offers him a lazy shrug, her eyes dodge his and he knows. "Fucking seriously?" There's anger in his voice, a stark contrast to how he sounded seconds ago.

Sam nods her head once. "Yeah, uh, asshole really wanted to make sure I wasn't hiding powers from him." Sam grits her teeth. "There are more." Sam shakes her head, finally looking at Jason. "But, uh," Sam sucks in a deep breath. "Just didn't tell anyone."

Jason's jaw squares and clenches. He's sad for her, absolutely but he's pissed. She didn't deserve any of it. No one deserves that. To be tortured and beaten and scarred. And Jason swears he'll never let anyone do that to her again. He'll walk through fire if he has to. He doesn't care.

"Hey." Jason sits all the way up, facing her and cupping her face. "I don't give a shit, alright? But, any fuck tries to do that shit again, they'll have to go through me and they won't wanna do that."

Sam offers him a sad smile as her heart skips a beat because she already knew that. Deathstroke was proof of that but it warms her heart anyway because despite his general form of recklessness, she's never felt more safe than when she's with him.

"You always gonna try to protect me?" Sam offers him a quip.

"You and me, right?" Jason offers her a sly grin and he gets a gentle laugh from her.

"Yeah, you and me." Sam repeats with ease and she hates the scars. She dodges looking at them in the mirrors. She's intentionally never mentioned them but, Jason doesn't care. And something about him wanting to protect her, makes it feel okay. "Thanks, Jay." Her smile makes Jason feel like he's being tossed head-first into the sun and he can't help but smile back. "Okay, seriously, lay down so I can read to you. You need to sleep. I'll stay awake a little while longer just in case you have another nightmare." she swears she'll fight the nightmares away for him if she has to.

Jason slides his hands from her cheeks with a soft laugh. "Look who's bossy now."

"Don't act like you don't like bossy." Sam quips and Jason's laugh fills the room as he lays back on her chest.

"Could get used to it if it's you, babe." Jason quips which earns him an eye roll that he can't see.

"Flirt." Sam mutters through a laugh, getting the comic ready again. "Okay, this is issue three. Did you want context?"

"Nah, you can just read. If I'm confused, I'll ask." Jason assures her and he slides his hand back where it was, right over the scar and his thumb brushes over it. This time though, Sam relaxes under his touch, a gentle smile on her lips.

"Okay...this looks bad. Really...really bad." Sam starts reading the first panel. "But, believe it or not-- it's only the third most terrible idea I've had today and today I have had exactly nine terrible ideas."

Jason follows along, looking at the panels and he feels so content right now. The last person who read to him was his mom but Jason can't even remember how old he was. He knows he was young. But, now he has Sam who's reading a comic book to him and a part of him thinks it's a little funny because, like she said, comics don't have large blocks of text. They're pretty easy to read but she does it anyway because she knows it'll calm him down. It'll quiet the voices in his head that tell him he doesn't deserve this or her. And Jason's heart swells, because he feels important. Important to her. He feels like he's somebody to someone. He is someone to Sam just as Jason Todd.