"There's a picture of me." Vince beamed, sat on the arm of Richmond's chair and leaning over him, to point at his own face in a copy of 'Goth Weakly' "Oh and there, that's me and Howard." he said turning the page. "Oh, oh, oh that's me and my friend Leroy."

"There's a hand in front of his face." said Richmond.

"I know." frowned Vince "He always manages to be hidden when there's camera's around. Oh look, that's me dressed like Nikki Sixx…"

"Oh." said Richmond. "To be honest, I'd rather read heat."

"…and that's me, my hair looks good there. I think you'd look good with your hair like that." Vince said, completely ignoring Richmond. "Maybe, you could…" he trailed off as he caught Howard's eyes. The older man looked a little hurt angry and… was that a hint of jealousy? So, Vince unwrapped himself from around Richmond and beamed at Howard as if to say 'see, I don't fancy him at all'.

"I've got it." cried Naboo, throwing down a book called 'Portals, Doors and Black Holes'. "Richmond?"

"Yes."

"Before Moss ran through into the living room, did you mention the door at all?"

"Umm, I don't know. Possibly."

"Yes, I seem to remember he did." Jen said suddenly. "He said something like, 'I'd like the door to open'."

"Say it now." said Naboo. "Say you want the door to open."

"I want the door to open."

"Vince, check the fireplace."

"Why me?" groaned Vince. "Make Howard do it." The older man scowled at him, which made Vince giggle like a naughty child, who knows they been cheeky.

"Vince!" warned Naboo.

"Fine." he said huffily, getting up and pushing the back of the fireplace. "Nothing, it's not open."

"Hmm," frowned Naboo. "But I was sure it would open. It's a Macabre Door, it says in that book that it can be willed open by a Goth. Try again he said, but really mean it this time."

"How can that ever work?" laughed Roy, "You can't force someone to say something and then tell them to mean it."

"Well if he doesn't mean it, you lot aren't going home." said Naboo.

"Mean it Richmond. For god sake, mean it!" Roy yelled. The Goth jumped, nodded and, closing his eyes, he wished, more than anything, that the green door would open. And, just as Naboo suspected, the door flung open. Vince peered through.

"Wow." he said, "Is that your world?"

Just as he was about to step through the door, Denholm strolled into the office bellowing "Jen! Roy! Moss! Where are you? I have a problem with my computer and no one is there to sort it out. JEN! ROY! MOSS! Hurry up or I'll wage war on computers." Vince virtually screamed and scurried across the living room hurling himself at Howard, who instinctively put his arms around the small mod. Despite himself, Richmond raised a smile when he saw this but he quickly shook it off before anyone noticed.

"Can we go home now?" he asked.

"I'd wait a bit." Vince squeaked, "There's a man in there and he's terrifying."

"That'll be Denholm" smiled Jen, "he is a bit scary."

"I don't really know if I want to go home." the Goth said suddenly, and the door slammed shut. "I like it here. Vince and Howard are nice to me, they never once stuck me in a cupboard or threatened me with a broom or…"

"But you can't stay here." Jen said softly. "You have to come home with us."

"You do." said Naboo, "If you stay too long terrible things will happen."

"Like what?"

"Well, um, I don't actually know. But I'm sure something bad will happen, it usually does when two worlds collide."

"But I…"

"Richmond." Vince said softly. "Richmond. It'll be okay. I know it will."

"How can you say that?" Richmond asked, storming out of the room dramatically. Vince followed, detaching himself from Howard, who looked a little embarrassed as the realisation of how close he'd been holding Vince hit him.

"Richmond?" Vince asked, sitting down on the bed next to the Goth. "What's going on?"

"I don't know. I just don't want to be in that cupboard anymore. I don't want to do a job that I don't understand. Everyone ignores me."

"They wont anymore." smiled Vince.

"We wont" agreed Jen, appearing in the doorway. "You can come out of that room whenever you want. We're happy to have you."

"Really?"

"Yes. But first we need to go home Richmond."

The Goth nodded slowly.

"Open the door." encouraged Vince, putting a comforting hand on the other mans shoulder.

"You know, I think I'll miss you Vince."

"I'll miss you too." smiled Vince, throwing his arms around the other mans neck. "But you can visit us anytime you want. I'll make sure I've got lots of Jelly Babies. Maybe we could have a game of gothic twister? Or gothic snakes and ladders, it's called lakes and daggers, it's genius… except there's no way of winning. Hey, maybe that's why Goth's are miserable, they play board games they can't possibly win."

"Maybe." agreed Richmond, a look of bemusement sneaking across his pointed features.

"Come on." said Jen softly, putting a hand on the Goth's shoulder. "Open the door, let's go home."

"Okay." nodded Richmond, closing his eyes and willing the door open. In the other room, the back of the fireplace opened up.

--

"Well, I guess this is goodbye." said Jen, hugging Vince and then turning to hug Howard. She seemed to linger on Howard's hug for an uncomfortably long time. Vince felt a pang of jealousy stab through his heart but it soon past when he saw Howard's face which was screaming 'Help, get her off me!'.

"Yes, thank you for the game it was very enjoyable." said Moss, holding out his hand. Vince took it uncertainly and the two men shared an awkward hand shake. After a few more goodbyes, including a screaming fit from Jen (and Roy, although he wouldn't admit it), when Bollo tried to hug them goodbye. Roy as good as pushed Moss through the fire place, before following him, muttering something about mad apes. Jen shook her head and looked at Vince and Howard apologetically. Before saying "Goodbye" and following the others through the fireplace.

Then it was the turn of the Goth. Richmond followed her but just as he was about to disappear he turned to look at the two men, who were stood side by side.

"Vince."

"Mmm?" said the mod.

"Just tell him. Tell him what you told me." And with that they were gone.

--

It was about an hour since the others had gone back to their own world. Naboo and Bollo had gone down the hall to sleep off their hangovers and Vince and Howard had been sitting in relative silence ever since. Richmond's words playing on both their minds.

"Here." Howard said quietly, handing Vince a mug of tea.

"Thanks."

"You okay?" Howard asked, after a few moments of silence.

"Yeah, it's just weird, you know."

"Yeah." Howard sighed, taking a long sip of tea, before falling, yet again, into an uncomfortable silence.

"How-"

"Vince"

"You first." smiled Vince.

"Look, what Rich-" then he paused, he thought for a moment and sighed "Your tea okay?" he finished limply.

"Yeah, it's fine." Vince smiled politely. What was wrong with them? Why was there conversation so stilted and awkward? Why could either of them just say what was on their mind?

"What were you going to say?"

"Nothing." lied Vince, "I mean, it's not important."

"Right."

Vince looked down at his mug, moving it around so that the, now cold, tea sloshed around in the bottom. The two men just sat for a while, both avoiding eye contact with the other. The awkward atmosphere building and building until Vince couldn't handle it anymore, he walked out, excusing himself clumsily. "I'm just going to… erm, yeah."

--

After a while, Howard decided he needed to get away from his own thoughts. So he climbed into the attic and up on to the roof. When he sat down, he was surprised to find Vince sat hugging the chimney for support, sobbing silently.

"Vince?" Howard gasped "Vince, what's wrong?"

"N-nothing." sobbed the smaller man, drying his tears with his sleeve.

"Look, is this about what Richmond said? What do you have to tell me? Is it serious? Are you ill? You're ill, aren't you? Oh God! Oh no. How bad is it?"

"I'm not ill." Vince said. "It's nothing important. Not really, I'm just being stupid. Over reacting as usual."

"Look Vince, if it's making you this upset then it's important. Just tell me what's wrong, eh?"

"I, I mean I… I"

"Come on Vince." Howard encouraged, "What can you tell a total stranger, but not me? Your best friend."

"I like you." Vince blurted, wincing as he said it as though expecting a punch to the gut, verbal or literal.

"Well I like you too but I really don't see what that's got to do with…"

"No!" interrupted Vince "I really like you."

"I really like you. I mean we've been friends for a very long time and…"

"No Howard, I mean I fancy you, have a crush on you, want you to be my boyfriend. However you want to put it." Vince almost shouted, blushing furiously, then he finished calmly. "D'you get it now?""Yeah." breathed Howard, his eyes wide. "That pretty much cleared everything up."

"I'm sorry if you thought I liked Richmond." Vince said quietly, his eyes falling to their fingers which had somehow become entwined. "And I'm sorry for acting like a git and for breaking your records and mocking stationary village and your clothes and for…"

"Shhh." soothed Howard, wiping away the tears which were starting to roll down Vince's cheek leaving tear tracks in the foundation. "None of that matters now."

Vince nodded, snivelling pathetically. "I'm sorry." he hiccoughed "I'm acting like a baby. It's just… I guess, I'm scared."

"Scared of what?" chuckled Howard, lovingly.

"Of how much I love you."

"Oh Vince." the older man breathed. "You have no idea how long I've waited for you to say that."

"Really?"

"Yes. I love you Vince Noir. That's why I acted so funny when you were all over Richmond, that's what I tried to tell you yesterday before Leroy rang."

"Really?" Vince repeated dumbly, his eyes lighting up. Howard nodded and leant forward so that their foreheads touched. So close. Their breath mingling. Noses touching. Hands caressing. Lips…

The cars theme tune ripped through the air, causing both men to jump away from each other violently.

"Damn phone." screamed Vince, pulling it out of his pocket and hurling it over the edge of the roof so that it fell to the pavement below.

"Ow." growled Bollo, who'd just gone to put out the rubbish. The ape went on to moan that the sky was falling for the next three days.

"Leroy and his bad timing?" enquired Howard, a smirk playing across his face.

"Yeah."

"You'll regret doing that in a minute."

"So." Vince shrugged "Now." he said, lowering his voice invitingly, and walking his fingers up the other mans chest. "Where were we?"

And with that, he launched himself at Howard, almost knocking him over the side, and stole a kiss. Howard's kiss. A kiss that Vince felt was so sacred. A kiss that only ever Vince would witness. The most beautiful moment. The most perfect moment . He loved Howard, Howard loved him. Nothing would ever go wrong again.

--

"Open. Close. I have power." announced Richmond. "Look. Open, and the door opens. Close, and the door closes."

"That's very good Richmond but you've been doing it non-stop for the last three days." groaned Roy.

"Ah, but watch this. Open, and the door opens. Shut. Nothing. Why doesn't it shut? I don't know. Close, and the door closes." he looked around at the others in the room, seemingly very proud of himself. "Do I amaze you?"


Thanks very much for reading!! And thanks very much for reviewing (they've all been brilliant)!! Can't believe I finished (I loved writing this it was SO much fun). Hope you enjoyed reading it!!!

Love ya'all!
Sisixx

[Also, as an after thought; I'm trying to work out what genre to put. I was going to put humour, but I don't really like doing that because it sort of assumes it's funny… oh well, doesn't really matter does it?]