honorary titan fan week 2020 day 5: backstory.

Lonely

"Do you feel the isolation?" Starfire asks, her hands warmed by the mug. She brings it to her lips and sips, the taste of ginger and mint reminding her of peaceful times on Tamaran.

Red Star peers at her with beady scarlet eyes. He should be in isolation, but she had coaxed him out of hiding. Soon, her friends will arrive, and she will leave. He will be safe with the knowledge that he had protected her from the elements, and all will return to the normal.

"Isolation?" he repeats, stepping away from the many monitors lining the wall of his vast living space. He chuckles and shakes his head. "This is my duty. I must stay here as I have explained to you."

A crinkle forms in Starfire's brow. She sets the mug on the oak coffee table and crosses her ankles. The couch is weathered with cushions which sink in a little too much. She fidgets with the smooth fabric and feels a coil threatening to pierce through as Red Star crosses over to her, standing at the far side of the couch.

"But you must wish for more," she offers, her eyes shining with concern. "This base, this home of yours, it is so far away from others. You are-" She pauses and taps her chin. "-I believe my friend Cyborg said the phrase is 'left to your devices?'"

"I suppose the phrase works. My situation must be strange to you, so I understand." He leans into the armrest and closes his eyes. There is much he doesn't wish to impart. His secrets are locked behind machines and codes, away from the civilians he desperately wishes to protect, and although he feels heat pool throughout his body, he suppresses it with a quick tensing of his muscles, crossing his arms tightly over his chest.

He needs to wait her out. Then, she will be on her way. She will rejoin her friends, and he will resume his duties.

"I was a soldier. I had been selected for a great mission," he starts and falters, his thin lips pursing together.

Starfire hurries to her feet, the table clattering when her knees brush against it. "Please, do not push yourself. If you do not wish to tell me, then you do not have to."

He smiles. Her honesty is more than appreciated. It's more than his superiors had given him when he signed the nondisclosure agreements, his bony arm quivering as he dragged his signature across the rapidly moving pages.

"Your injuries," Red Star says, gesturing to her cheeks, which have since regained their natural color, "should be healed. If you wish to leave, you may. I will not stop you."

"And you will remain here?" she asks, wringing her hands.

"It is for the best," he insists, turning away. He digs his fingers into his well-muscled stomach, applying enough pressure to stave off the build-up. Taking a breath, he forces his mouth to twist into a smile. "Though, since it seems you can be around me, then I will not be a bother."

Starfire gasps, her hands shooting to her chin. "You are not a bother! I am unsure if I have done anything to make you believe such an untrue fact, but I most certainly do not." She lowers her arms and floats towards him, quickly taking the mug and grinning up at him. "I am happy to make a new friend, so please, do not talk in the negative way of speaking."

Her order is stiff and earnest. She is a leader through and through, someone who will take control of a situation while others cowered. Red Star breathes in deeply through his nose and holds his breath, buying time for his response as heat reddens his pale skin.

"Understood. I am sorry," he eventually says, letting the tension break around them.

Her shoulders lower, but her worry remains. She sets her lithe, strong hand upon his shoulder and squeezes. None of the other soldiers in the security force would have given him a second glance. If he had cried or shuddered, they would have regarded him with stiff upper lips and white-knuckled fists.

"Do you wish to talk about it?" she asks, and he cups his hand over hers.

"Soon. Perhaps soon, but I must be starting dinner," he replies and withdraws from her, leaving Starfire to gaze at her hands, wondering why they feel as if they are smoldering.