Author's Notes: I was going to write a fluffy piece set during the infamous 'kiss episode' of season three. But then I got dumped, I feel angsty as hell, am a bit screwed in the head anyway, so this is the result. Enjoy!
Chapter One
A part of him always knew that he would go back to these noble men, these salt of the earth, morally righteous, brave Bin Men. Certainly, these were not the type of men to turn their back on him, or throw him aside for a shiny new article of clothing. Of all that Vince had done, breaking his priceless jazz record to impress his friends, badgering him about the size of his eyes, mocking his taste in music and Stationary Village, this was the worst, by far. Howard tried not to think of it, as he lifted another bag of rubbish (not held together with a safety clip, how symbolic of the degeneration of society) into the compactor. Riley walked past and nodded at him. Good man, that one. They all were. Fine chaps. The memory flashed through his mind of Vince dancing about in his shiny cape behind Naboo, as the shaman paid no attention to his pleas for mercy. Howard took a quick look around himself. The other Bin Men were absorbed in picking up the rubbish. He quietly pulled up his sleeve and gave himself a quick, painful Chinese burn, then pulled his sleeve down again.
Riley walked past and nodded at him. Absolute King of a man. Behind him, a familiar figure stepped up towards him, still wearing the cape and vinyl outfit and looking, as usual, like a right ponce. Howard could never figure Vince's taste in clothes. Elegant tweed, soft browns, the complimentary elbow pad. These were what constituted style.
"You eating out of bins again?" Vince favoured him with his sunniest smile.
"What do you want?"
He only vaguely listened as Vince launched into a story. Always a story with him. Naboo in trouble. About to be executed. He needs Howard's help.
Howard recalled only a few years earlier, when they'd worked at the zoo together. Vince had looked up to him, then. What had changed, in the interceding years to create the self-absorbed nonce that now stood before him?
He didn't much care, and told Vince as such. He was with the Bin Men. These were his friends now.
"You sold me down the river for a cape. How do I know you won't do that again?"
"I said I was sorry." Vince sulked.
It's not enough, little man. Howard thought. I need a gesture.
"Alright there, Howard?" Riley asked, patting him on the back.
In a parallel universe, Riley didn't come up to check on his bin brother, and Howard said the words "It's not enough, little man. I need a gesture."
As a result, a completely different series of events happened.
"I'm fine, Riley."
The man patted him once more, in very manly fashion, before moving on.
What's the point? He thought. Vince will never change.
"Forget it, Vince."
"But Howard-"
"I've got to get back to work."
"With the Bin Men?"
Howard resented the sarcasm in Vince's tone.
"Goodbye, Vince."
This time, he turned his back on someone.
Vince stormed back down the alley, still a little confused as to what had just happened. Had he been thrown over, for bin men of all people?
He took out his plan pony.
"What do I do now, plan pony?"
The picture whinnied.
"Sweetheart! What are you doing back here? Don't you know it's dangerous to be walking around these parts, 'specially once as gorgeous as you." The hobo, who had accosted him earlier, drowned out the pony's reply. "Did you find the small eyed man you were looking for?"
"Yeah, I did." Something about this man's focused stare unnerved him. "Listen, I've gotta go so, take care." Vince started to move back down the alley. He wasn't sure what exactly he was going to do now. Maybe go to a quieter area and ask plan pony again.
"But there was something I was going to show you." The man smiled, revealing yellow teeth. "I think it might help you."
"Really?" Vince folded his plan pony and shoved the paper into his vinyl outfit.
"It's in here." The man gestured for him to come forward, then pointed to a more secluded part of the alley. Vince ventured forward and frowned. The smell was overpowering. How could Howard even begin to contend with it? The ground was muddy, the bags of rubbish torn open, spewing used condoms, plastic containers, wrappers, foodstuffs and other assorted items everywhere. A couple of rats feasted greedily on the banquet before them.
"I don't-" He went to take a step back. The hobo suddenly grabbed him by the cape and propelled him forward.
"Hey! That's my cape!" He shouted, as he overbalanced, landing heavily and smearing said item with all manner of disgusting substance. Now the man had done it. Vince didn't get annoyed easily, but this man had dirtied his shiny new cape.
"Why did you do that for?" He went to sit up, only to have a weight suddenly land on his chest, pinning him down. The man's knees pinned his arms to the ground as he straddled him.
"Indeed, what a beautiful cape." The man said. "Think I'll take it."
"No you will not! It's mine! Get off me." He struggled.
"I don't think so." The man said. "I told you a pretty little thing like you shouldn't be walking in this area alone."
Vince felt his stomach muscles suddenly clamp rigid, a coldness overtake his body.
"Get off me!" He shouted, louder. A hand reached down and clamped over his mouth.
"Sh… we don't want the bin men to hear do we?"
Vince's mind went to Howard. The man who had now abandoned both him and Naboo. He imagined seeing him in this position. No, no he could never have that. He had his pride.
He flinched as a hand went through his hair. His hair, damn it. No one was allowed to touch his hair. Not even How-
The man leant forward. That was when he felt it. This man's intentions obvious. His heart started to jackhammer. No, no no not that.
His mind flashed back to Kodiak Jack.
"I love my little Vincey." Disgusting arms reaching for him.
"Stay still and I won't hurt you." The hobo ordered.
No straightening wand to save him this time.
The hobo scooted back a little, releasing his arms, as he tugged at his trousers.
Muddy ground, his single brain cell told him.
Vince scooted up a pile of mud in his right hand and smudged it into the hobo's face then managed to push him off as the man shrieked, rubbing at his eyes. He then started scuttling forward, attempting to pull himself up to a standing position.
"You little bitch!" The hobo roared.
He grabbed Vince by the shoulder, swung him around and punched him across the face, with such force that he was driven back down to the ground once more. Vince felt his body go rigid with shock, as he was punched once more, his cheek exploding with pain.
He had never been hit before.
He attempted to scoot back, to curl up into a ball. The man easily flipped him forward onto his front and ripped the cape from his back, then dug his knee painfully into Vince's back, the delicate bones in his spine painfully rubbing together.
That's mine, Vince thought, unable to break free of the numbness that was overtaking his entire being. Naboo gave that to me.
"Think I'll keep this, thanks. It truly is such a lovely cape."
This doesn't happen to me. No, this doesn't. I'm sunshine. I'm rainbow. That's what Howard says. Bad things don't happen to me. No, no no.
No, this couldn't be. Him being stuck under a sweaty, smelly man in the middle of a rubbish strewn ground, his vinyl suit being torn open from neck to leg.
"Now, I'm gonna do what I was planning to do when I first saw ya." Hands crawling all over his bare flesh. "I'm gonna rape ya and throw you into that dumpster over there. What d'ya think of that, gorgeous?"
Vince moaned piteously. No, this doesn't happen to me. Not me. Not me. Not-
"Coming, H-man?" Riley grinned down from the cabin of the rubbish truck.
Howard frowned down the alley, where he had just Vince trop down a few minutes earlier.
"Actually, guys. I'm a little worried about my friend. I'll just see if he's ok."
The men, strong, brave little soldiers, nodded and saluted him. Howard continued down the alley, unsure of why he was even going after the nonce.
The only consolation in the brutal, painful bumming that followed was that it was over very quickly. Vince lay still through it all, moaning in pain and staring unblinkingly at a swirling wrapper before him. When it was over, the hobo rolled off him, whacking him on the butt.
"Thanks for the great screw, gorgeous."
Vince flinched. His mind felt broken into a thousand disparate pieces. He was barely aware of being lifted, carried across the alleyway. The man tipped him into the dumpster and he buried himself further into the rubbish, wishing to simply disappear, to not exist.
Where the hell was Vince? He wouldn't have gotten far. After all, that was why he had come to Howard in the first place, wasn't it? Because he needed his help. Howard wasn't even sure why he was determined to find him. He thought about the way they had treated him, and rolled up his sleeve, delivering himself another quick Chinese burn.
Then he heard it. Whimpering, appearing to come from the dumpster to his left. Feigning gallantry but in reality feeling shit scared, he slowly stepped over.
"Ah, guys?" He looked down the alley for his bin brothers. No such luck. They were long gone.
Gulping, he moved closer to the sniffling dumpster.
"A-are you ok?"
There was a pause. "Howard?"
Tbc…
