Work Text:
Tina exhaled, watching her breath fog in the early morning air. She glanced at her watch. 1.30am. She had meant to come home earlier, but there had been an endless trickle of suits to schmooze. Every time she tried to leave the party, she would feel another arm grasp her shoulder or hear another "oh, Tina, just before you go…" croon from a few seats away. All she really wanted was to be at home on the sofa, in her pajamas, curled up in Bette's arms.
But Bette was in LA and Tina was in Toronto. She swirled her glass of vodka, listening to the gentle clink of ice cubes, knowing she probably shouldn't have poured this last drink. Tina had quaffed more than a few glasses of wine to make the party - and the guests - tolerable. When she finally made it home, and opened the door to her apartment, feeling the oppressive dark and the deafening silence, she had decided a night cap was in order. She would deal with any consequences in the morning.
Out here on the roof garden of her penthouse, she had a beautiful panoramic view of the city; the CN Tower, unmistakable. The Rogers Centre, shrouded in partial darkness now baseball season was over. Surrounded by buildings, and lights, and noise, and yet she felt lonelier than ever before. Tina opened her phone screen, the dual clock glaring back at her. It was 10.30pm in LA. Bette would surely be up. Tina navigated to her favourites screen and hit the call button.
"Hey, baby."
Bette could hear the slight slur immediately and the drunken smile in Tina's voice. "Hi, you. To what do I owe this pleasure?"
"What, do I need a reason to phone my girlfriend?" Tina emphasised the word "girlfriend". Since their reunion on Santa Monica Pier, she was seemingly never bored of using the word, dropping it in at every available opportunity.
Bette chuckled. "No, but I figured you'd be in bed by now, babe. Where are you?"
"I'm up on the rooooooof," Tina elongated the word roof, singing along to the well-known song.
"The roof? Are you okay?"
"Yes, baby, I just needed some fresh air after being at that stuffy party all night." Tina was suddenly quiet. Bette let the moment settle, sensing Tina was struggling with something she wanted to say. "I hate coming home to this apartment alone. It's too quiet, Bette."
At that moment, Bette wanted nothing more than to wrap her arms around her. If she could have jumped on a plane right there and then, she would have done it.
"Oh, T."
Tina tried to hold back tears, her eyes stinging. "I miss you. I hate being anywhere without you."
Bette couldn't help but smile sadly, feeling her heart swell with joy hearing Tina say this, and sad that she couldn't be there in person to comfort her. "I know, T, I feel the same way."
"But at least you come home to Angie."
"Hardly," scoffed Bette. "I'm lucky if I see her for more than five minutes these days. She spends all her free time at Bella's."
"Bella's, huh? Told you there was something going on there," Tina quipped before sighing. "If I miss you, and you miss me, then what are we doing in separate cities?"
Bette's heart jumped at these words. She had been waiting to have this conversation for weeks. She'd have happily had it the minute she felt Tina's lips return the kiss up on the crest of the Ferris wheel, but she also recognised that both of them should be sober for this discussion.
"That's a good question. Maybe we should revisit it in a couple of days."
"Or we could just visit it now–"
"--T, you need to have some water and get yourself to bed. Isn't it cold up there?"
Tina's tone turned amorous. "It's fucking freezing, baby, but I know what would keep me warm."
Bette laughed. "Also a conversation to revisit tomorrow."
"Ugh you're so mean sometimes."
"And you're a tease. Would you do something for me before you go to bed?"
"Changed your mind?"
Bette laughed again. "I'm serious. Just humour me for a minute."
"Okay. What do you want me to do, Porter?"
"I want you to look up at the night sky and tell me what you see."
Tina had been sitting on a reclining lounge chair. She swung her legs up and fully reclined into it, placing her now empty glass on the floor. "I see… very little due to Toronto's terrible light pollution."
"T, just try–"
"--okay, I'm sorry. I'm looking, I'm looking. Well, I can see the moon." She squinted. "And some stars are coming into view. And there's like… a house on its side."
"Can you see any more nearby the house? Perhaps shaped like a letter?“
Silence for a minute. "There's one like a… well, it's like a W. It's leaning a little. Kinda how I feel right now, leaning to one side." Tina laughed and Bette couldn't help laughing with her.
"Ah, you've found it."
"Found what?"
"Cassiopeia."
"Five stars right?"
"Correct."
"It's beautiful."
"Yes it is. Just like you."
Tina cradled the phone against her ear, as if doing so might transport her to Bette. "And you," she replied softly.
Bette smiled. "Every time we're apart, when you miss me, I want you to go outside on your rooftop. When the stars come out, all you have to do is look up, find those five little stars, and know that I'm looking up at the same sky, finding the same five stars, and missing you right back."
Tina sighed as a tear slid slowly down her cheeks. "I love you."
"And I love you. Now please, go to bed before that hangover really takes hold."
"I think it's too late for that," Tina replied, chuckling. "I'm gonna go back inside now. Goodnight, baby."
"Goodnight, T. Call me in the morning so I can really enjoy that hangover."