A/N: this is a flashback chapter, I'm gonna put in a few of these every now and then to show how Vince and Howard's relationship fell apart, how they really coped when Howard left and just little things like that to help the story along. Tis short but enjoy, its all my brain can produce right now, I'm shattered!
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"Howard?" his voice was quaky as he addressed his sleeping friend. He was sat bolt upright in his bed sweating after a particularly frightening nightmare involving the death of Gary Numan and an army of Nicky Clark 'hottest you can get' hair straighteners. He focused on the black lump of Howard sleeping through the darkness and whispered a little louder. "Howard?"
"What?" His voice was spiteful and almost a hiss, a tone he'd picked up recently whenever he spoke to Vince. The black silhouette moved noisily in the dark and Howard let out a sigh in annoyance. "Vince, its three in the morning, what do you want? If you've woken me up just to take the piss out of me like you did last night just forget about it, I can't be fucked with it anymore." He made a big fuss about getting comfortable in his bed, rolling over to face the window, and pulled the duvet right up under his chin.
Vince's eyebrow creased in the dark and he dropped his gaze from Howard's bed. "I had a really scary dream." He waited for a reply, sitting uncomfortably in the dark for a full minute before turning to face Howard's motionless form. "Howard?"
"What do you want me to do about it?" His voice erupted into an angry whisper from under his duvet. Vince recoiled slightly, more from shock than fear and once again his gaze dropped from his friend.
"Well… can… can I sleep with you?"
"What?" Howard's voice came out louder than intended and Vince turned slightly red.
"Not like 'sleep with you' sleep with you, but sleep in your bed with you. I just don't wanna be alone tonight." the room fell silent and Vince wished he knew what Howard was thinking, but after a few seconds silence, which felt like a lifetime, Howard replied, his voice quiet and tired, but not a physical kind of tired, an emotional one that made him sound a lot older than he was.
"No Vince, I can't do it anymore, I can't-" he paused, words escaping him. "I just can't do this anymore, I can't be your verbal punching bag all day until you need a shoulder to cry on, then come to your beck and call. I can't, no, I won't be that guy anymore. I'm sorry Vince. Go to sleep."
Vince's gaze didn't leave Howard's bed, he just stared in silence at the motionless form of his best friend wondering what happened to them as tears began to streak down his face.
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I'll update as soon as, working on chapter 4 right now so don't hurt me for the lack of current story, I'm just pooped so my brains really not working properly. If you don't think flashbacks like this are a good idea let me know and i won't do anymore, i just like leaving you all in suspence lol
