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“Hey,” greets Dick quietly, voice thick with sleep.
Bette Kane sits in his windowsill in front of his bed, having broken in through the window. Dick sits up at turns on the lamp on the nightstand next to him.
“What d’you need?” He rubs his eyes and yawns after finishing. Bette waits patiently for him to finish, staring at the polaroid photos strung up on his wall. She smiles softly when she sees a photo from last Hanukkah.
“I just need someone to talk to right now,” she says almost hesitantly, carefully. Dick moves to the edge of his bed then. He invites her to continue with a quick look. “I,” she pauses for a moment, sniffling, “wow, this is a lot harder than I expected.” She chuckles sadly. Dick only watches.
“Take your time.”
Bette nods. At one point in her life, she’d be able to tell what Dick was thinking. What he was feeling. They had a connection that Bette shared with no one else, and it was special to her.
It’s different now. They’ve grown, changed. They’re different people than they were a decade ago. People drift. Bette hadn’t realized that it happened to her and Dick until now.
The pale moonlight flows into the room, illuminating Bette while casting her shadow on Dick. She sits in the light while Dick is in her shadow, sitting lazily on his bed, staring at her with wide eyes. Briefly, she jokes to herself that the roles should be reversed. It isn’t a joke anymore when she realizes it’s true.
“I guess I’ll just outright say it,” she chuckles hollowly again, avoiding Dick’s gaze, “I’m gay. Lesbian.”
And then, a split second later, her eyes find his. He sees the fear in them. The shock. The hurt. He’s seeing her truly for the first time, and she feels like she’s floating. Dick only smiles.
He steps out in the light now, floor creaking with his body, and strides towards her. He pulls her up from the windowsill and wraps his arms around her tightly. She lets herself rest her head on against his shoulder.
For a moment, just one moment, she feels young again, fourteen meeting him for the first time. He’s charming, kind, funny. He’s everything she wished to be and more. He runs his fingers through her hair and she almost melts. For a moment, just a brief moment, they’re truly friends again.