It was three o’clock, which probably signified a lot of different things to a lot of different people. To the Titanium Titan for example, it meant it was one of the many times of the day where he would lock himself in his shrine room and simply be.
The room was rather tight with pictures cluttering every space on the wall. They were of White Pantera and him and Maria and Pantera and newspaper clippings from long ago featuring Pantera’s face. There were movie tickets from movies that showed long ago and gold trophies that had both of their superhero names engraved on it, a gift from the mayor from feats done ages ago.
There were also candles scattered around the room, giving the room an eerie shrine feel. And of course, there was red paint crudely scribbled on top of some of the photos where it read, “KILL MANNY RIVERA” and “GOOD TIMES” and similar messages in smaller, somewhat less obstructive print.
The Titan took his place facing a wall. He clawed at his stomach, which could be very painful especially when you had liquid metal arms.
He clenched his fists in frustration and tucked them under his arms. He was lonely. Desperately lonely. Because the truth was, no one actually wanted to be with him. At least that was what he had convinced himself of long ago and he stuck by it. By now, it was probably true.
He had grown into such a bitter and disgusting middle aged man. He hadn’t always been alone though. Of course not. He used to go to big parties and hero events and the citizens of Miracle City used to sing his praise. It used to be amazing, he remembered, and people used to love talking to him!
The memory made his hands instinctively turn into weapons -- his right one a long sword, his left an ax. He held them up menacingly to no one before tucking them away and turning them back into hands. He grumbled something unintelligible.
He wanted it back. He wanted people back, he wanted the crowds... He wanted attention, he wanted to be loved! Why was it so hard...?
The Titan shut his eyes tightly. He could feel a horrible headache coming on. He tried to stop thinking about it, but he couldn’t help it.
“It should be me!” His eyes shot open and his right arm, now a sharp blade, sliced through a picture on the wall of Rodolfo with Maria holding baby Manny. He cut directly through Maria and Manny several times until the picture was nearly in shreds. Only Rodolfo was untouched.
Like Maria wasn’t enough. Hadn’t it been a code -- an unspoken sort of rule -- that they weren’t to seriously date anyone in the Pantera Pit? That no one there was actually worthy of either of them because the only thing they really needed in the end was... each other?!
The Titan’s chest heaved.
Or maybe only he had been actually thinking of that. Because it was unspoken, something he had always taken for granted. But no. That superheroine, Plata Peligrosa, came along and one look was literally all it took.
He wanted it back -- the days before Maria and everything that came after. He wanted those Friday movie nights and ice cream bar Sundays back! If only he had Rodolfo, then he could have all of those good times back! Then he could be... be... happy...
A small voice in his brain argued against that though. It wouldn’t make you happy, it said.
The Titan reached with his hand, shaped again like an actual hand, and brushed Rodolfo’s face.
But it had to. It absolutely had to. There was nothing else he had in the world. That was all he had. His memories and was forced to cling to them every single day. They were his happiness. They were his glory days. They were everything to him.
So if that didn’t make him happy... what really could?
He turned one finger into a steak knife and slid it down Rodolfo’s face slowly, separating the two halves.