Bright colours, fluorescent clothes, loud electro beats, glitter, girls, guys, fashion; it was heaven for Vince Noir. Everyone loved him and he was a king.

And that's the way it had always been for as long as anyone could remember. Whether Vince was naturally popular like back at the zoo, or whether he worked hard to discover the next big thing like now, he was always number one.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Don't lie to me. I've been playing Jazz for the last ten minutes and you haven't complained once."

"Have you? I didn't even notice it."

"Aren't you going to tell me to turn it off?"

"No, leave it, it's alright."

Howard nearly fell off his chair in shock. "What?" he spluttered. "What about your allergies?"

"It's fine."

"Okay, this must be serious. What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Vince!"

"I'm fine."

"I know you better than that. I don't believe you."

"Fine, don't believe me." and with that Vince Noir stomped up the stairs to the flat leaving Howard to wonder what had happened to the supposed sunshine kid.

When Howard found Vince later on that afternoon, he was feverishly sewing more sequins onto his glitter ball suit.

"Surely, that's already glittery enough." he said.

"It needs to be better." Vince answered distantly as he frantically sewed.

"Why?"

"Because his will be better."

"Who?"

"Him. My stupid damn brother."

"Oh. Him."

"Yes, him. He's coming to visit."

"I don't understand why he gets to you so much."

"You don't get it though, do you? You don't know what's it like to grow up always being second best. You don't know what it's like to be in someone's shadow all the time."

"Trust me. I know exactly what that's like." Howard frowned at the bitter irony in Vince's words. "I just don't let it bother me and you shouldn't either."

"But I've managed to make something of myself here. I'm popular, my party's are legendary and my hair is the talk of Shoreditch."

"So, he'll be second best."

"But he won't. He'll swoop in and take everything. That's why I've got to make this glitter ball suit better. He won't have one of these. There's only one in the whole world, Jean Claude Jaquettie made it especially for me."

"Well, there you are then." Howard said, "He won't have one and you can show him how much better you are."

"Yeah. He won't have one."

He did have one brighter and shinier than his younger brother's. Vince saw it as soon as he stepped out of the taxi and the electro poof swore loudly.

"What?" Howard asked from the counter.

"The little… look," he scowled, pointing in the direction of his glitter ball suit clad brother. "he's got my outfit on."

Howard got up and moved stiffly to look out the window just in time to see the older Noir brother, signing copies of Cheekbone for two giggling girls.

"Unbelievable, he's been here five minutes and he's already on the front cover."

"Don't let it bother you Vince. Be more like me, someone at the Jazz club is better than me at scatting but do I let it bother me? I do not sir."

"Was that the one who had an allergic reaction to that crab soup you made them all?"

"No." Howard blushed.

"It was!"

"Well, I didn't know he was allergic to crustaceans, did I?"

"Yes you did. You'd said about it a couple of weeks ago."

"Shut up." Howard frowned. Vince laughed like a hyper child but the laughter died immediately when the bell on the shop door rang and a voice said;

"What's the joke little brother?"

"Alright Gary." was the sullen greeting.

"Yeah, I'm genius! Have you seen cheekbone?"

"No." Vince sulked.

"They've done a cover shoot on my hair. It's gonna be hairstyle of the month in the next issue."

"But I'm always hairstyle of the month."

"Not anymore then, eh Vincent."

"Don't call me that." The younger of the two brothers grumbled moodily.

"It's your name."

"I don't care every one calls me Vince now. Vince Noir, rock and roll star."

"Ha. More like Vince Noir, no one knows who you are."

"Get lost Gary!" Vince scowled, as he took his place behind the counter, drawing Howard to Gary's attention for the first time. Suddenly, a smug grin spread across the older Noir's face.

"Howard Moon. Still putting up with irritating brother then, are you? You are a saint."

"Well…" Howard blushed slightly.

"You still pioneering the Jazzfunk movement?"

"Yes I am. As a matter of fact I've got an exhibition of my finest tracks tomorrow evening at the Jazz club."

"Wow! Things are going really well for you then."

"Yes, sir. You should come tomorrow Gary, you could be my plus one."

"Brilliant."

"What?" cried Vince from his side. "I thought I was your plus one."

"Yeah." Howard said apologetically, "About that Vince. You see the thing is, Gary really understands fast bebop to all it's intricate depths and you... well you're like a glittery bauble, nice to look at but empty inside."

"I am not a bauble and he doesn't understand bebop at all!" Vince shouted, "He'll be just as bored at your pointless little jazz thing as I will!"

"Pointless little jazz thing?"

"Oh… Sorry Howard. I didn't mean. It's just…"

"Well, I'm sorry I bore you."

"Oh don't be like this."

"But at least you won't be bored tomorrow because I'm taking you off the guest list."

"But…"

"Is that your suitcase Gary?" Howard asked turning back to the older of the Noir brothers.

"Yeah." he said, indicating a purple case with glittery starts plastered all over it.

"It's very nice."

"What?!" Vince screeched, "I've got exactly the same case and you said it was a eye sore."

"Yes, well Gary seems to carry it off with some panache."

"Pa- what?"

"Style."

"I'm stylish!"

Howard gave him a disbelieving look before heaving the suitcase up the stairs followed by Gary, who was trying to convince him that he was named after Gary Numan, though everyone knew that he was too old for that to be true.

Vince kicked the counter with his pointy shoes. Why? Why did Gary have to come and visit now, just when everything was going so great? Why did he have to come and remind him of his humble beginnings in South London? Vince had enjoyed telling the tales of his upbringing in the jungles of India. He enjoyed talking about his step dad Brian Ferry. It hadn't mattered that he'd never actually met Brian Ferry or been to India.

He heard the sound of laughter trickling down the stairs and upbeat tones of… that had better not be crimping. If Howard was crimping with Gary, Vince was going to kick off.

They were crimping and Vince was in mid leap, about to pull all of Gary's precious black locks from his skull when Bollo caught him and dropped him ungraciously onto the hard floor, muttering something about protecting 'precious Gary'.

Unbelievable, Vince groaned internally as he got to his feet dusting off his clothes. Gary had been there a total of four minutes and it was already as though Vince didn't exist. It was just like when they were kids.

--

"And it's the final of the School's singing competition and it's come down to an all Noir final." cried a pretty, blonde girl named Katie, who'd taken on the job of presenter. Vince reckoned he loved her. He was only fifteen but he was pretty sure she was the one. They liked the same music, they had the same shampoo, they watched the same TV programmes, they were made for each other. He just knew it.

"First up… is Vincent Noir." ("Vince. It's Vince." Vince muttered under his breath.) "And he's going to be singing Together in Electric Dreams."

The school hall cheered and on he walked. It went brilliantly. He hit every note. He pulled some fantastic shapes. Pencil, question mark made of cheese, side panel of a tractor. He was on metaphorical fire. As he reached the end of the song, the entire hall rose to their feet. A standing ovation. A standing ovation! He was sure to win now. He'd like to see Gary beat that.

"Wow. That was… amazing." Katie smiled at him as he walked backstage. "Maybe we'll go for a milkshake after the show."

"Yeah, definitely." Vince beamed back.

"Cool."

"Cool."

Vince watched as Katie disappeared through the curtain and waited until he heard bell-like her voice echo over the tanoy system. "Next up. It's Gary Noir with 'Cars'."

Gary strolled on stage and everyone shot to their feet whooping and cheering like they'd never seen anything so brilliant before in their lives. Vince's brain cell screamed with fury. Gary had managed to get a standing ovation before he'd even started and the audience didn't sit down throughout the entire song. They danced around trying to copy Gary as he pulled wilder, more elaborate shapes than Vince could even dream of. As the song faded, the kids went mad, leaping up and down and screaming with delight.

After waiting countless minutes for the excitable kids to stop cheering and sit down, Katie spoke again.

"I think there's a clear winner." she grinned. "Everyone please make some noise for Gary Noir!"

If anything the cheering was louder and more deafening this time. Vince kicked wildly at a nearby speaker and returned to his dressing room feeling thoroughly dejected. He'd worked really hard on this. He'd practiced for weeks and weeks. He knew for a fact Gary had had one rehearsal last night in front of their parents. How did everything come so easy to him? It wasn't fair!

"Vince." called a soft voice through the door.

Katie. He still had his date with Katie. It wasn't a completely wasted afternoon.

"Vince. I just thought you should know, I'm going to get a milkshake with Gary instead. Maybe we'll do something next week. Yeah?"

He was pretty sure he died whilst she was talking to him. She'd broken his heart and he was 99% sure you couldn't live without a heart. He wanted to scream and yell about how utterly unfair it all was, about how he would be better for her than Gary ever would but all he did was call back;

"Yeah. Have fun." in a tone of forced cheeriness.

That evening Gary brought Katie back to their house for tea and introduced her to their parents as 'my new girlfriend'. Vince just stood up and, announcing he was tired, went to his bedroom to punch a pillow and cry. In the back of his mind all he could think was how he'd lost his first love to his brother.

--

As he watched Gary and Howard arguing playfully over whether Gary Numan or Weather Report were better, Vince felt the same empty, hurt feeling wash over him as he had all those years ago and, just like back then, he sought out the comfort of his room.

"ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!"

Howard and Gary looked up. Howard reacted first and ran to his and Vince's shared bedroom.

"Vince? What's wrong?"

"What's this?" he asked, pointing a trembling finger at a purple glitter star case, which had taken up residence on his bed.

"It's Gary's case."

"I know what it is!" Vince snapped irritably. "Why is it on my bed?"

"Well, he's our guest! I assumed he'd have your bed and you'd sleep on the sofa."

"No!" Vince cried. "He can sleep on the bloody sofa."

"Don't you think you're over reacting just a little bit."

"No I do not!" Vince was furious. His fists were clenched tight and was shaking with anger, his blue eyes were dark and narrow, his brow furrowed. For the first time Howard thought that the beautiful Vince Noir looked ugly.

"Vince, just calm down."

"I am calm!" He's not. "But I'm not letting him get away with this. He steals everything from me."

"Like what?"

"Katie! You! Bollo! And now my bed."

"Firstly; who's Katie?"

Vince blushed, "Doesn't matter" he muttered.

"Secondly, he's not stealing me."

"He is!"

"He's not. You're my best friend Vince."

"You say that now." the younger man replied bitterly.

"And I mean it. Howard and Vince, all the way. Yes?"

Vince nodded, sniffing a bit.

"Okay. Now, if you want your bed so much, you can have yours, Gary can have mine and I'll sleep on the sofa, okay?"

"No, it's fine. I'll sleep on the sofa."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes." Vince sighed.

"Right. Can I go?"

Vince nodded, blushing a little. He felt stupid now. Just as the older man reached the door Vince called his name.

"Yes, little man?"

"I'm sorry. I think I did over react a bit. It's just a suitcase on a bed, right?"

"Exactly. Now, can I go? Me and Gary are going to have a Satsuma fight in our vests and pants."

Vince's eyebrows knitting together and he growled in a way that sounded disturbingly like a green acquaintance of theirs; "But that's our thing."

"I know, but Gary thinks he's got a better technique for it and Howard Moon likes to keep an open mind. I'm willing to try anything."

"You never try anything that I want to do."

"Well, maybe Gary's a little more persuasive than you."

Suddenly Vince screamed, loud and long like a dying banshee. The noise was still ringing through the flat when Vince had gone, slamming the front door behind him.

"What was that about?" Gary asked a startled Howard.

"I really don't know."

As Vince ran away from the house, his feet pounding on the grey pavement, all he could think of was how he'd lost his best friend to his brother.