Caving In | Titans

Chapter 9 - Rose

Over the next month, a routine develops for Gar and Sam. A few days of the week, Gar finds himself hiding out in Sam's room. Sam was right, Dick, Jason, and Rachel don't tend to bother him when he's in her room. And Sam actually did make a sign that reads 'keep out, ☠️' and hung it on her door. It's double-sided so the other side just says her name. She flips it around when Gar comes to escape and he finds it equally fun and sweet.

At first, they'd watch a movie or two and talk about whatever was bothering Gar. He's gotten better at talking about it and it's been a lot of him talking about Caulder House and his own nightmares of the day with Trigon's bullshit. Sam didn't know he had nightmares, too and she wonders how he hides it so fucking well. She's not nearly as good at it as he is and she worries about him. She never wants Gar to turn as bitter and calloused as she is about the world. He's too good. 

But, after the month, the talking and movies turned into something more comfortable. Gar will bring in one of his video game consoles. Sam will play with him sometimes but other times, she just likes to watch. Gar likes Resident Evil and that's a game Sam definitely prefers to watch. And Gar has his own collection of comics. Sam turned them down at first with having a hard time reading, but after reading over Gar's shoulder a few times, she got into The Walking Dead comics. Apparently, reading comics is a lot easier than reading a book. So, now it's turned into Gar playing video games and Sam sitting with her legs on his lap, reading one of his comics in a comfortable silence, a joke here and there thrown around.

Training has also been going well for Sam. Her hands have healed and so have the rest of her injuries. She keeps up well with Gar and Rachel now, the extra training sessions with Jason and Gar have helped significantly. And she's picked up knife throwing again, something she learned back in Gotham from one of the street kids she used to run with. She's rusty and not a sharpshooter by any means, but it's something. It eases some of the tension she feels in her shoulders. When she can feel herself wanting to lose it again because something brings back too many memories, she takes Jason up on his offer to let her take it out on him. They'll go for an extra sparring session sometimes, just the two of them and Jason helps her work through it without talking about it. It always makes her feel better and if she's being honest, she really likes the support system she has with the two boys. It's something she never thought she'd have after her mom died but every day she is so grateful for the two of them and even for Dick because he brought her here. That's something she has no idea how she'll ever be able to thank him for.

It's a morning session now though and Sam is in the training room with Gar and Jason while Rachel and Dick are out getting coffee. Dick has this bright idea to start blindfolding them to train because they can lose any of their senses at any time and they need to be prepared. Jason, of course, is really taking that to the next level by making Gar and Sam not have a blindfold while he does.

"Why do I have to sit out for this?" Sam fake-whines from one of the benches while Jason ties his blindfold behind his head and Gar stands in front of him looking bored.

"Because you have that combat shit. It defeats the purpose." Jason snips back.

"Well, I don't have to be blindfolded." Sam mocks him.

"Just shut up and watch us. Take some notes, you fucking need it."

"Oh, shut the fuck up, Jay." Sam groans, leaning back.

"When I give the word, come at me." Jason says to Gar, holding his wooden sword out, ready to fight. "And don't hold back." He says, Sam rolling her eyes into the back of her head. Gar nods, looking bored and displeased with doing this. "Did you just nod?"

"Yeah, got it. Just, uh, don't hold back." Gar makes a jittered movement as if to be mocking Jason, Sam almost snickering from behind.

"Don't kill each other please." Sam mocks.