Hi! Another little ficlet, please review! x

Howard squinted in the bright sunlight and wondered how he had managed to persuade Vince to venture outside.

'S nice' Vince said lazily, drawing Howard out of his thoughts.

'Yeah' Howard murmured, reaching down and stealing Vince's sunglasses, smiling at Vince's look of wide-eyed indignation. His pretty eyes seemed to match the sky and Howard swallowed nervously.

'Look good do I, little man?' Howard asked.

Vince grinned, 'I always knew you were more editorial fashion' he mused, 'Its your height, you could do runway'

Howard nodded in agreement, swatting Vince's head affectionately when Vince pouted in his best model pose.

The park was busy, and everytime the spring breeze blew past them they could hear the excited shrieks of children by the swings, and the quack of nearby ducks.

'That one looks like a train with marshmallow puffs.' Vince laid on his back pointed into the sky, moving closer to Howard to show him when Howard looked confused.

'What, that? That's more like a crocodile, or something' Howard peered into the clouds and tried to discern if that bit was a spike on his tail or a tooth.

'Why don't we do this everyday Howard?' Vince asked, twirling a daisy round his fingers and taking Howard's wrist to fasten him a chain.

'Because…everything gets in the way' Howard supposed. 'And if you go out at the weekend, you don't get up till its dark again' he chided gently.

Vince scrunched his nose up, 'I'm not sleeping, I just like having a duvet day'

'Duvet day?'

'Y'know, when you just laze in bed all day, all cosy and warm like a little bug in a rug'

'That's not very productive, is it?'

'Its not always about being productive Howard' Vince stuck his tongue out the corner of his mouth as he carefully tied a knot in the last daisy.

'There' he said proudly.

Howard wasn't sure if he would ever take it off.

Not knowing what to say, especially with Vince's open, earnest face so close so he just coughed and bit his lip.

'Wanna push me on the swings?' Vince teased, reaching out and patting Howard's knees.

Howard laughed, 'I think you'll have to wrestle a child off one Vince' he said wryly, looking over his shoulder to the packed playpark.

'I can take them' Vince assured, puffing up his small chest.

'I don't think that's the point'

'But I could though, look at that one, he's got glasses and everything'

Howard, remembering his squint and resulting eye-patch in year 4 felt a pang. No wonder he couldn't watch Peter Pan.

'What about an ice-cream instead?' he offered, brushing Vince's hand from his knee and standing up.

'Awh thanks Howard' Vince beamed. 'Can I have a mini-milk?'

Howard grimaced at being a grown man having to ask for an ice-lolly meant for tiny tots.

'And I want it dipped in sprinkles' Vince added, a little challengingly.

'Vince…'

'And a flake'

Howard just stared at Vince. 'And the flake goes…'

'Right, lick the lolly, then stick it to it, with the sprinkles' Vince said authoritatively.

'That's disgusting Vince'

'Well I've had your spit in my mouth before Howard, its no big deal'

Howard flushed and strode off to get the ice-creams, hearing Vince giggle behind him.

xxxxx

Howard came back shamefaced with sticky fingers and a melting screwball.

'Here' he said, thrusting Vince's creation of an ice-cream at him.

'Thanks Howard' Vince said, admiring the sprinkles. Then he looked up, 'what happened?'

Howard shook his head and opened his lid, taking out his plastic spoon.

'Forgot what it was called' he mumbled, after a moment.

Vince nodded slowly, 'Okay'

'Only remembered one bit, so I was trying to repeat it, to help him'

Vince tried to suppress a laugh. 'So you ended up asking him for a screw, over and over?'

Howard went pink. 'Yes' he mumbled.

'Ah, that's not so bad' Vince said kindly, 'Sure it happens all the time'

'A small child got confused, and people got aggressive. I may be banned from the playpark, the ice-cream van and the pond' Howard muttered, forlornly trying to find his gumball.

Vince frowned. Then he stood up and walked off. Howard looked after him, completely bemused, seeing Vince look angry, gesture wildly then eventually turn away with a placating smile at the vendor.

'Sorted' he said, sitting back down, then shuffling against Howard's chest and passing him a flake. 'I explained, and its all alright now'.

'Oh' Howard said, placing an arm round hesistantly on Vince's stomach and shyly kissing his hair. He breathed out and looked up.

'What about that cloud, eh Vince?'