Title is a line from the song "Home" by Gabrielle Aplin. It's my favorite go-to song for whenever I'm homesick.
O
Starfire felt confined. The tower's wall seemed to close in on all sides around her soul, stifling it. Her head, weighed down by invisible pressure, kept her eyes glued to her plodding feet. One by one they navigated the last few stairs to the roof, the heaviness in her heart grounding her.
She brushed a stray red lock from her face as listless fingers grasped the knob. The door swung open allowing the cheery sunlight to stream in. Despite her best efforts, the star's rays always managed to lift her spirits. Today was no exception. Her lips quirked up in a half smile more befitting of Raven as she stepped out onto the roof.
A drifting shadow on the left caught her attention. Peridot eyes quickly ascertained the source of the dark already turning towards the source of the noise she had caused.
"Friend Raven. I am sorry. I was not aware you were up here. I shall leave and retur—"
A pale gray hand raised to stop her. "Don't."
The princess hesitated, another apology formed on her lips as her brow creased.
Raven beat her to the punch. "You're upset."
"I…" The empath shook her head, tapping a temple with a delicate digit. "Must I explain myself? Come here. Sit."
Right. She felt things. Starfire had forgotten. Raven always said she… what was it? Broadcasted? That's right. She was a loud "broadcaster."
"I am sorry, friend, I forgot." She muttered as she moved to settle next to the pale girl.
The sorceress's shoulders hunched, lips pressed in a tight white line. "Don't apologize. Explain." She ground out, then seemed to rethink her tone and added more gently. "You'll feel better if you tell someone."
Warmth tinged her cheeks. "Of course. You are right." Her eyes shifted away from the sparklingly magnificent view of the bay to focus on her long orange fingers with their sharp, red painted nails. She spent several minutes going over her words in her head, wanting the clearest version the first time around. The princess really wasn't in the mood to feel both sad and aggravated at the confusion produced when something got lost in translation.
Slowly, Starfire released a breath and spoke. "I am… Sick with the home."
"You're tired of the Tower?"
Xhal! Would her words never come out right the first time? "No. I am... missing... my home. Today is Nel' tak, the Tamaranean celebration of home and family."
"Ah. So that's it." Raven tilted her chin up slightly and closed her eyes. The backs of her hands rested on her knees, palms up, though she no longer maintained her lotus pose. Silence passed between them for several minutes before the empathy cracked an amethyst eye at her. "You're homesick. Are you missing Galfore?"
Starfire sighed as she interlocked her fingers. "Yes. Him and... Everything."
Raven hummed and shifted in her seat. "I'm sorry…"
The princess glanced up from her hands to regard her friend. "Do you not miss your dimension as well?"
The empath chewed on her lower lip for a moment before answering. "No, not really. Not the way you are."
Starfire sat up little straighter in her seat surprise pulling her small round brows upwards. "How can you not miss your home? You are not from here."
She sighed, apparently expecting her shock but unsure of how to respond to it. Raven ran her fingers through her violet hair before responding, "That place—Home-didn't hold a lot of kindness to me. I was raised in isolation. Not even my mother could show me affection. It was a cold, lonely place most of the time."
Her heart ached for her teammate. "I, too, have known many hardships in my life… but I have also known much love in my home life. I am sorry."
A tiny Raven smile graced the empath's lips. "Don't be. Azar was one of the few to show me any warmth back then. When I left I learned something: I didn't miss a place. I missed a person. Home, to me, was a person."
"So, to you, home is Azar?" The princess smiled a little, her eyes turning skyward as she thought of her dear Galfore.
Raven's head turned towards her, amethyst eyes glittering in the light of the sun. "Home is anywhere my heart is."
For a second, her eyes darted away from hers, fixing on the door to the roof with the same little smile she rarely ever revealed for anyone. The Tamaranean felt her excitement grow.
"Friend Raven, do you have a home for your heart here?"
The smile quickly vanished along with her eyes as her hood phased back over her head. She turned her face back towards the view of the bay but not before the princess saw the faint blush staining her cheeks. Oh yes, her friend had a very special home for her heart, indeed.
A sly grin gave Starfire's features a distinctly feline quality. "Friend Ra—"
The empath stood abruptly and stalked towards the door, muttering apologies for the time in a garbled mess of English and Azarathian. The roof door was encased in black and flung open, nearly ripped off its hinges in the process. Beast Boy tumbled out in a green heap after it.
Spread-eagled on his back, he blinked up at the dark Titan, a sheepish look on his face. "Uh. H-hey, Rae…ven."
Blushing furiously, the empath said something incomprehensible and portaled out. Starfire watched in amusement as the changeling scrambled to his feet and fled back through the door. When it was quiet once more she floated up and away towards the exit.
"Perhaps a visit to the home of my heart is in order." She hummed to herself as she flew away.