He's pitching a hissy fit again. Daniel is not amused. He's always pitching a hissy fit over some stupid thing. He's waving a sock in Daniel's face, demanding to know where its mate has got off to, as if Daniel has anything to do with it. Daniel wants to shove the sock down his throat. He restrains himself. He always restrains himself.

Daniel has had a Very Bad Day. To be more accurate, Daniel has had a Very Bad Month. His girlfriend has left him. His record company is falling apart. He might have to start scouring the Brisbane bus system for artists. Or he might have to busk on the system himself. He might be in love with the git waving the sock. Yes, it has been a Very Bad Month indeed.

Daniel has handled all of the above with typical placidity. He has whispered to Ben that he is having a hard time. Ben has patted him on the shoulder. This is all the comfort Daniel gets. It is all he needs. Until now. Daniel has another issue, one that involves the git, but not the sock.

The git has just announced that he is moving away. Again. He is, in the midst of Daniel's uncertainty and crisis, abandoning him. And he's throwing a fit over a sock. Daniel stares at him until he becomes a little pink blur. Daniel thinks perhaps he can put the little blur in a box and pull it out when he wants to be entertained, or reminded why it is kept in a box.

Daniel doesn't know why he loves him. It's pissing him off. If he didn't care about him, then this whole moving thing wouldn't be abandonment. It would just be moving.

The little pink blur stamps its foot and swiftly becomes him again. Daniel blinks. He is disappointed he didn't grab the blur in time to put it in a box.

"Where's my sock, Daniel?" He demands.

Daniel stares at him. He starts to shrug, but his shoulders are too heavy. He starts to speak, but doesn't have the momentum to utter the shortest swearword. Instead, his lip quivers and he begins to sob. He doesn't know who is more shocked. Daniel doesn't cry. Daniel stands by while others cry. He is the shoulder to lean on. He is the ear to anyone's problem. Daniel does not need that kind of comfort. He is not that sort of person. He is a man's man. Even a man's man having a Very Bad Month does not cry.

The git is staring at him. Daniel pushes past him and storms into the bedroom. It is not his room, but he does not care. It is a room with a door that can be locked and that is what matters the most. He slams it. Then he curls up with a pillow and weeps. He cries so hard his throat is raw and snot trails from his nose to his chest. He doesn't bother wiping it. He likes the way it tickles. It reminds him that he is ridiculous for crying. He reminds himself that he has had a Very Bad Day every day this month and hasn't cried during any of them. That is because he doesn't cry.

He is pissed at the git for crying so frequently, like it's part of his routine: wake up, brush, breakfast, burst into tears, rehearsal...

The door opens. The git has a key. Of course he does. It is his room. Daniel turns away from him. He doesn't want to be comforted. He doesn't want to stop crying. He can't remember the last time he cried. He wants to get it right.

The git sniffles. This pisses Daniel off. He gets up and grabs him. He shakes him. The git is surprised. He is usually weak and compliant after a crying fit. Daniel guesses he is the opposite, because he has new founts of strength bubbling within him. He throws the git on the bed. He lands and curls into a fetal position to protect himself, but Daniel has made his point.

"Be quiet," Daniel whispers, in a voice so torn that it seems to come from some demon-child.

The git blinks at him. He is crying.

Daniel leaps on the bed. The git flinches, but Daniel does not hurt him. He wipes the tears away with his thumbs. "Don't cry," he says.

"But..."

Daniel puts his hand over his mouth. He doesn't care what he has to say. The git always gets his way. Usually Daniel does not mind. Daniel stays quiet and unnoticed. Today, Daniel minds. Today, he will have his own way.

"You're not allowed to cry. I am crying now. I have had a Very Bad Month. I am crying now. You may cry later, after I am done. But you may not cry while I am crying."

Daniel punctuates the final sentence by pushing down on the git's shoulders so he is bounced back by the mattress. The git nods. He bites his lip. Daniel knows he really wants to cry, but that is because he is foolish and doesn't know what else to do.

"So, uh, what's wrong?"

Daniel smiles at him. For someone who is an expert-crier, he knows nothing about offering comfort. Daniel decides he does not want comfort from him, especially since he is a big part of the reason Daniel is having a Very Bad Month. He turns away and puts his head in his hands. It is still his turn to cry and he does not want to waste it as he has never had a turn before.

He jerks away when he feels a hand on his back, but the git just puts his arm around him. He is not happy that the git is hauling him onto his lap. He tries to strike, but the git dodges his flailing arms. He is pinned. He glares at the git. The git ignores his icy gaze. He wipes Daniel's tears with his thumbs. He wipes Daniel's nose with his shirtsleeve. Daniel is grossed out by this.

The git notices Daniel's wrinkled nose. He pulls off his snot-stained shirt and throws it across the room. He kisses Daniel. Daniel is surprised. He kisses back.

"What's your deal?" The git asks.

Daniel ignores him. He isn't done kissing. He sits up and the git puts his arms around him. Daniel likes kissing more than crying. The git slips him the tongue. Daniel has never done this with a man before, unless one counts Mel Skankle in fourth grade, which Daniel doesn't. He loans the git his tongue, with the assurance that it will be returned before he suffocates.

He is now certain that he loves him. He remembers that the git will move far away soon and cries again. The git licks his face clean, but Daniel keeps crying. Then the git pushes him on his back and jerks his pants off. Soon Daniel makes a different sound. The git grins at him. He's proud of himself. Daniel will miss that grin. His lip quivers. He feels foolish without his pants. The git has no shirt and Daniel has no pants. Together they are either a fully naked man or a fully clothed one. If they were one person, it would be very difficult for the git to leave.

The git kisses him before he can cry. Daniel tells him he loves him. The git is frozen. Daniel apologizes. He tries to run, but the git grabs him.

"I love you back," he says.

Daniel wonders why he is leaving him. The git laughs. He says he was leaving because he didn't want to be around Daniel and his girlfriend.

Daniel sniffles. He says his girlfriend is gone. The git smiles. This makes Daniel happy. Maybe now he and the git can stay together. The git kisses him again. He kisses back.

"I should cry more often," he says, "if this is how it ends."

"Yes," says the git, "if this is how it ends."