“It seems I’m not the only one who couldn’t sleep tonight. It brings me much joy that you have joined me for the gazing of the stars. You did receive the invitation, yes?”

Koriand’r did not need to turn to recognize the footsteps behind her; her heart already ached for their presence. The same footsteps that haunted her dreams.

The night was quiet, filled only with buzzing insects and the distant hum of the city. She often ventured to the rooftop of Titans Tower when homesick, dreaming of Tamaran. Of her subjects, and its lush green scenery.

Tonight, she wouldn’t be sharing her woes alone but with a beloved teammate she invited, hoping to chase away the loneliness.

“It’s not the stars or the twin moons you’d see on my planet,” she said softly, eyes tracing the constellations.

“But they are most beautiful from here.”

She looked up for a moment, before refocusing on the warmth next to her. It was easy for her smile to widen, her eyes to become half-lidded, as she fondly recalled their past. They’d bonded as aliens trapped between worlds. When she first landed on Earth, she gravitated towards the only other alien on the team; a Kryptonian.

At times, she wished for more than friendship with them. Her eyes flicked to their lips, recalling a distant memory—they had kissed once, so she could understand their language of Krypton. Now, she wished to kiss them for an entirely different reason.

She barely restrained the instinct to lean over and inhale their scent. Shoving one’s face into another’s scent gland was not considered socially appropriate. Donna had advised her to be less intense with her emotions, to engage in “Earthly courting”—and so she tried. She was a warrior, a princess, and a leader. She wasn’t born for slow-burning love.

How could she be, when her co-leader made the very stars feel brighter?

“But they are not the only beautiful thing tonight,” she said, stepping closer. She’d skipped scent blockers tonight, letting her natural scent drift across the terrance—musky but inviting, like wildflowers, and the crackle of a campfire.

“Because you are here.”