Disconnect

The flight back from Tokyo was long and silent. Although Beast Boy and Cyborg were doing their normal chattering, Starfire could not help but feel a little distant from the others. There were moments in the past few days that made her feel as though she and Robin would finally move to the next step in their feelings for each other, but he shot her down and reaffirmed that, as heros, they could never be more. Because of this, Starfire took time to think about her next move.

As the T-shaped tower came into view upon the horizon, relief struck each of the Titans. Although their trip to Tokyo was only a few days, it felt like years. As they were all unpacking the ship and discussing what would need to be done in the next few days, Raven's monotone voice spoke up.

"Isn't your birthday coming up Starfire?" The alien jumped at the question, suddenly becoming nervous.

"Why yes! I will be turning 19 this year!" She feigned excitement and flashed a big smile to her friends. Raven gave her a questioning look as she felt Star's aura fluctuate with anxiety. She was never good at hiding things.

"Aw yeah! We should have a party to celebrate." Cyborg chimed, already planning the event. "Besides, we just got through this big mission so it would be nice to kick back." He proceeded to carry the bulk of the luggage inside the tower, muttering off details that needed to be prepared. Robin, who had been awfully silent during the entire exchange, looked at his best friend. There were hints of swirling emotions within her eyes, but he did not question them. He felt it was not his place given what had happened between the two.

"I think it would be a good idea." The Boy Wonder's approval came as a slight shock to the others. Raven wordlessly nodded and went into the tower, craving alone time.

"Oh man, this party is gonna be so sick!" Beast Boy mused as he followed the sorceress inside. Robin turned to follow suit but stopped at the sound of a nervous squeak.

"Robin?" Starfire anxiously fiddled with her hands. He turned his body to her giving her his full attention which urged her to go on.

"There is something I wish to discuss with the team, if that is alright."

"What is it, Star?" Concerns was rising in his voice which made it harder for her to finish. Things were rocky between the two and they had been avoiding each other ever so slightly, but that didn't mean they didn't care for each other anymore.

"I think it would be best to discuss it with the others." With that, she gathered the rest of the things from the ship and headed inside. Robin watched her back as her hair blew wildly with the wind and caught a glimpse of sadness in her face. A pit began to form in his stomach as he punched into his communicator a team meeting in 3 hours and sent the notification. He swallowed his worry and went inside.

Starfire floated to her room quicker than usual. She did not want to see anyone, especially Robin. Small tears fell down her face as she felt the full brunt of emotions she had been stifling the past few days. She wanted to scream and cry until there was no sound left, but she settled for soft sobs muffled by her pillows. She had been on Earth for quite some time now. She always felt amazed by the strange things humans did on this planet. She had never met a more emotionally stunted species before. Despite the differences to her home planet, the Princess never felt out of place. It wasn't until she had time to think on the long ride home that Starfire had realized there was nothing left for her on Earth. There was no future here. She dug through her dresser until she found a communicator. This one was unlike her official Titans one as Cyborg had rigged it to reach deep space when he noticed her spending time on the roof looking towards her Planet which was too far to see. Starfire had painted it to resemble the violet sky of Tameran's late evening and would call home when she felt the need. Hesitantly, she opened the communicator and selected the preset that linked her to her home.

"Galfore?" Static filled her ears as she waited patiently for a response. Sometimes it took hours to hear back, but this time she only had to wait 20 minutes.

"Princess Koriand'r, I am here." The girl's heart filled as her caretaker's voice called through the speakers.

"I miss you very much, my k'norfka. I long for Tameran." The sadness in her voice reached him. It had been some time since they had spoken to each other. Galfore gave her the reassurance she needed and spoke with her until she was called to the meeting.

—-

The titans met in their living room. Night had already set across Jump and the city lights could be seen glimmering through the tower windows. As the Titans shuffled in, Starfire grew restless. She sat on the couch between Raven and Beast Boy as Robin debriefed on the recent mission, explained the new training schedule, and went over logistics.

"Be mindful of your attacks and be sure to keep the collateral damages to a minimum." He looked at Beast Boy with a light glare to which the changeling sheepishly smiled.

"Cyborg, do you have any updates for us?" The man shook his head.

"I will be making updates to the security system, but other than that there are no big projects coming up." Robin nodded and turned to Raven.

"Anything off that you can sense?" Her dark eyes shifted to meet the bright green of Starfires as she answered in the negative.

"Alright," Robin answered with question. "Then lastly, Starfire?" Kori jumped from the couch and switched places with the Boy Wonder. She stood tall and confident not wanting to show her true emotions.

"Friends," all of them were looking up at her with anticipation,"as you know the day of my birth is coming up soon." Hoots could be heard from the two rowdy boys.

"I will be turning 19 in just 8 days." Robin felt something tug at his stomach the more she spoke. Something was off.

"I have given it a lot of thought and I have decided," there was a second of excitement as the team expected their girl to make requests about her party, "I will be returning to Tameran 2 days before the day of my birth." Silence. Stillness. Starfire watched as mixed emotions flooded her friends' faces, but most evident of all was anger from their leader.

"It is Tameranean tradition the Crown Princess or Prince to take the throne on the eve of their 19th birthday. I can not allow Galfore to reign for much longer and my younger brother is not yet of age, and you all know of my sister Blackfire." She paused but stood firm. She could feel Robin seething from his seat. Cyborg looked over to his friend before speaking.

"But Star, if you go…" He trailed off but she knew what he was going to say.

"It may be a long time before I will be able to return to Earth." She stated, confirming his suspicion. The masked hero opened his mouth to speak but closed it before anything was said.

"You are all invited to join me on Tameran for my coronation. We will also celebrate my birth with a fest afterwards. You can also meet my advisors who will be working by my side as I rule my planet. I believe that my younger brother will be present as well as my older sister. I have heard they are giving her one day of release, but she is to be shackled throughout her free time." She started to sound almost excited. Cyborg let a sad smile spread across his face. Raven was as stoic as ever, and Beast Boy was still in shock.

"Oh and Galfore has requested Earth foods be brought to the feast so-" Starfires's excitement was interrupted by their leaders sudden jolt upwards. He stared at her through his mask steaming.

"Starfire you-" he stopped himself for a second, "you can't go! As your leader I am not allowing it." She was taken aback by his proclamation but was quickly angered by it.

"You will not allow it?" Her eyes began to glow and the others shrank away. "Who are you to tell me I can not help my people? Who are you to tell me I can not return home?" Her voice grew louder which shocked Robin at first. She never yelled at him.

"You are home!" His argument rang in her ears. This was her home, but there was nothing left for her here. Not after what he said to her in Tokyo.

"I love Earth and it's people. I love all of you, but I must look to the place where there is a future for me. The things that I want can not be found on Earth." Her tone grew sad as she looked down at the floor. Robin walked towards her reaching out for her but not making the connection.

"What more could you want Starfire?" He knew the answer to his question even before he finished asking. A pang of guilt and regret hit his heart as he inched closer to her only for her to retreat as they were about to touch.

"I wish to be more than just a hero." Robin composed himself and gathered his emotions. Those words held so much weight it felt like he was being crushed. She wanted what he refused to give her. Did she not understand that he was trying to protect her, not push her away?

The others silently left the scene to give the two time to talk. Starfire sat on the couch mulling over details of her departure when Robin came to sit on the coffee table in front of her.

"Is this about what happened in Tokyo?" He was afraid of her answer.

"In part, yes." Her bluntness made him flinch. "I wish to be something more with you Robin. But I understand why you rejected the idea." He perked up a little thinking she was seeing his point of view.

"If you do not view me in this way, there is nothing I can do." His heart sank. "I still wish to be friends, but I also wish for a future in which I am happy with someone by my side always." He could give that to her, if he let himself. He could be with her always. He could keep catching her when she falls. He could be…

"On Tameran, I was to be wed on my 18th birthday. My people take matrimony quite seriously as this is the person who you will spend the rest of your years with and my parents had already arranged everything before they passed. Previously, I had hoped that I would find a groom on Earth." Robin felt heat in his cheeks. "I noticed how different Earthlings approached this and I was determined to wait. But the only Earthling I wanted was you. After what we discussed in Tokyo, I now see that there is nothing here for me. I must return to my home and take my place as Grand Ruler. Galfore has arranged for my parent's wishes to be fulfilled and I am to be wed to my preselected groom in 6 months." Robin felt all the strength leave his body. He couldn't breathe and he swore his vision tunneled for a second. His mouth was dry and he felt like he was going to throw up. He was losing her. She was really going.

"Starfire, I-" he didn't know what to say. Before he knew it he had grabbed her and hugged her almost too tightly. "Please, please stay." The girl could barely hear his whispering plea. He sounded panicked. She wrapped her arms around him, lacing her fingers in his hair and using the other hand to rub his back.

"Dear Robin," he squeezed tighter knowing what she was going to say. "You are my best friend." He couldn't take it. "But I must find happiness and I wish that you do as well." Tears formed in the corner of her eyes. She couldn't bear to let go of all the hopes she had for them. She pried herself from his arms and began to retreat to her room.

"I wish for you and the team to be there at my coronation and wedding. Please consider it." and with that she left him. The room felt bigger around him and he felt cold. His world began to shrink and it felt like too much. He couldn't lose her. She was the glue that kept the team together. She was like sunshine, warming him when he needed it most. She was his partner, his best friend. Robin growled in frustration and struck the nearest wall leaving a rather large dent. The pain in his knuckles easing the pain in his heart, but not enough. Jealousy, anger, regret, rage, all of the emotion swirled within him until they quieted and only one was left.

In her room, Raven slammed her book shut and crawled into bed. Before she could close her eyes there was a terrible sound coming from her empathy link. It was the sound of a heart beginning to break.