Every summer Quinn spent a week at a sleepaway camp in the state park. Bert was living with him the last summer he went, but Quinn's parents had paid for it well in advance, and it would be too much to ask them to pay for Bert too. So Quinn got Bert out a bath towel, even though he knew he wouldn't use it, and instructed Bert to leave his secret pot stash alone, even though he knew he'd use it all.

He returned with stories about kayaking, hiking, playing guitar around a campfire, and even playing soccer. He told his parents and siblings everything over dinner his first night back, and Bert listened closely, asking questions and seeming genuinely interested.

The most recent time Quinn saw Bert cry was when they performed On My Own a week ago, and the whole crowd sang along. For the duration of that song, the venue was like one big, pulsing body, with one heartbeat and one voice. When Bert turned to look at him in the middle of the song, his face was damp with tears.

Seven years ago, when Bert and Quinn were clearing dishes from the dinner table, and Quinn handed him a bracelet made of braided string and said, "Oh, here. It's totally fucking gay, but I made this for you at camp." Bert looked up from the dishwasher, took the bracelet in his hand, and smiled with wet eyes. And that was the first time Quinn saw Bert cry.