The Right Moment
by Annie Maul
It was no secret to anyone that he thought she was attractive. It didn't matter that he was technically one of the "bad guys." He flirted with her every time they crossed paths, and despite the fact that it drove Robin crazy, Red X observed the coral pink blush across Starfire's face in those moments she'd understood one of his many innuendos.
The masked criminal didn't want to out her, but the alien girl's starbolts seemed a little weaker, and her accuracy lowered as they were hurled in his direction after he'd make a phallic reference. The attacks were downright laughable if he'd complimented her eyes or hair.
On a night when she sat alone, contentedly sipping on a bottle of mustard at the Titans' favorite pizzeria he joined her. It was the first time Starfire could recall not attacking Red X, as he'd encountered her on accident, a little too tired to joke about bananas and cucumbers that night. He declined the offer of a slice of her thin crust sausage and mint chip pizza, but watched in fascination as she devoured the pie, a wide grin stretched across her face.
"Wow. You're so cute," he blurted out, voice oddly burdened with wonder.
"Red X, I am already informed of your thoughts about my appearance. Do not mistake this statement as boastful, but you indeed refer to me as the 'Cutie,' do you not?"
"O-of course," he murmured. "But… In all honesty this is the first time I've ever seen you smile."
"Oh," she replied, gulping another mouthful of mustard, gazing into her lap.
Before he could talk himself out of it, the thief slid his fingers over hers in an uncharacteristically shy manner. "I'd like to see that smile again."
She agreed to show it to him again the following week, granted that he could coax it out of her.
He had. Red X was funny, and more sensitive than Starfire had expected.
They'd only been doing this for a month, meeting on Jump City's slower crime days, always outside, always at night, and always on the roof of a high rise (any that wasn't too windy). He brought snacks, she brought drinks: not only mustard, but exotic drinks from Tamaran that he sometimes liked or sometimes couldn't even swallow. Together on a picnic blanket she would point out significant objects in the sky, regaling him with tales of her home galaxy.
There was a night when the alien girl recalled her younger brother, her typically boisterous voice uncharacteristically vulnerable, and before he could stop himself the thief had slipped an arm around her shoulders, resting her head in the crook of his neck. His free hand crossed her body to rest on her hip.
Red X immediately came to his senses and expected to be blasted. She'd never let him touch her like this before. He was instead answered with a pair of firm arms snaking around his waist.
When her weight made them both sink down onto the blanket, neither moved to correct their position. Starfire curled up against her enemy and closed her eyes, burrowing into his side, nudging his cheek with her own.
He let his hand move up along her waist, a little shocked but no longer shy. She was equally surprised but enjoyed it, pressing into his body, until both of his arms slipped up around her torso.
They lay there, face to mask, just breathing beneath the sky, until their senses returned. There was a pause.
"I'm sorry-"
"No, it is my apology-"
"I got carried away, and… You're so warm!"
"Yes, my kind is quite resilient to the cold, we collect solar energy and-"
"I can't believe how full of surprises you are-"
"Red X, you flatter me-"
"No, Cutie, honest, you're just so-"
"I am what..?"
Their lips locked together, between frantic breaths beneath the chilly air. Red X's mask and gloves lay discarded to the side along with picnic items that were hurriedly swept off the blanket. The alien princess straddled him, arms wrapped around Red X's shoulders and neck; his were curled possessively around her waist with a hand splayed across the bare skin on her back.
Starfire's exhales came out in puffs of steam around their cheeks, he noticed, opening his eyes to look at hers. She leveled an ardent gaze at him, a little redder in her face.
"Perhaps this was all too forward," she breathed, and ran a finger along her companion's lips. "But… it had not occurred to me… it is I who should be referring to you as the 'cutie.'"
"I'm… flattered," he laughed, leaning back against the picnic blanket. Still holding him to her, he let one hand slip into her hair while the other reached to retrieve his mask.
Her hand stopped his. "Are you leaving?"
"We should. The sun's coming up."
"Can we not stay like this a while?"
"This is already too good to be true."
"It is not enough of the 'too good' to seem false." She pouted. "This is very pleasant, but indeed feels as it should."
He pulled his reaching hand away from his mask. "Now, I'm intrigued. What would be too good to be true, in your mind?"
Starfire's face flushed, eyes flickering downward. "A bed," she started.
Red X answered with a sharp exhale and wide eyes. "You're absolutely right about that. At this point I'd be floored."
"And perhaps, even your couch, should you have one." She inched closer towards his face.
"I h-have one," he murmured, pressing his lips to hers again. "It could be, it doesn't have to be… Depending on what we'd do."
"What would you do?" Her lips sought his again, and this time they were occupied for a little bit longer.
"Don't ask me that," he breathed, once their lips had parted again. "I'm not even sure."
"What would you want to do?" It was punctuated with another brush of the lips.
The corner of his mouth curled up in a devilish way, with his eyes telling her exactly what she suspected.
"Indeed, that is much too good to be true," she answered quietly, with a soft exhale.
"But," he broke his silence, "Maybe, for the moment, breakfast isn't too much to ask?"
"It is not."
Author's Notes:
I wrote this out on my phone last night. I come up with short premises sometimes but this is admittedly just a reason to write them making out. lol