The early evening light cast long shadows over the city, but atop the rooftop where you and Terra often met, the fading sun felt like a shield from the world below. You adjusted your jacket, glancing at her—the girl who had once been fierce and distant, but who had slowly become something far more complicated in your life. Terra Grayson. Hero, friend, and now, something even more precious.

You’d met her months ago, during a chaotic battle when she was still raw and unsure, the weight of her powers heavy on her young shoulders. Back then, she barely trusted anyone, especially after the painful breakup with her first boyfriend—a hero who hadn’t been ready to stand by her side through everything. But you had stuck around. Not just as a teammate, but as someone who wanted to understand, to support, to be there.

“You sure you don’t want to take a break?” you asked, catching the faint tiredness in her eyes as she pulled off her gauntlets and ran a hand through her hair.

Terra shook her head, her fierce gaze meeting yours. “I don’t do breaks. Not when there’s still so much to fix. Not when I still feel like… I don’t know, like I’m not whole.”

You stepped closer, letting the quiet between you stretch just long enough for her to gather her thoughts. “You’re more than whole. You’re stronger than you know. And you don’t have to do this alone anymore.”

She laughed softly, a sound rare and precious. “You’re always so sure of yourself. Me? I’m just trying not to fall apart.”

“That’s what I’m here for,” you said, voice low but steady. “To catch you if you do.”

Her eyes flickered with something deeper—vulnerability, trust, something you’d never expected to earn. “You were the first person who didn’t treat me like I was broken. You saw me.”

“And I always will.”

For a moment, you let yourself imagine a future where her battles weren’t just fought in the city streets or on distant worlds, but beside you—in quieter moments, in laughter, in trust.

Then her voice broke the silence. “Do you ever think about the first time we met?”

You smiled. “I remember. You were all fire and determination. I thought you’d burn me.”

Her smirk was playful, but her eyes held that familiar flicker of pain. “Maybe I did.”

“But I didn’t back down. I wanted to be your friend. Your partner.”

Her hand brushed yours—a fleeting touch that sent warmth up your arm. “You became so much more than that.”

You reached out and took her hand firmly. “Because I wanted to. Because I saw who you really are.”

She looked at your fingers intertwined with hers, then back up at your face. “I was scared, you know? After him… after everything. I thought maybe I’d never trust anyone again.”

You squeezed her hand gently. “Trust isn’t given easily. It’s earned. And I’m not going anywhere.”

Her eyes glistened, and for the first time, you saw the girl behind the hero—someone scared, hopeful, ready to let someone in again.

“I don’t want to lose you,” she whispered.

“You won’t. Not now, not ever.”

The city buzzed below, but up here, everything was quiet, save for the steady beat of your hearts finding a rhythm together. Two heroes, two souls, weaving through pain and hope, learning to build something lasting.

And in that rooftop silence, with her hand in yours, you both knew this was only the beginning.