Disclaimer - I do not own the Mighty Boosh, this is just for fun!

Chapter 8

Howard couldn't sleep. He lay awake, eyes glaring out into the darkness.

On the opposite side of the room, Banoo was fast asleep in Vince's bed. He had insisted on letting her have it for the night and was sleeping on the sofa instead. Howard despised the thought of this little pixie sized terrorist wrapped up in Vince's sheets, her head on his pillow. She shouldn't be here. How had things turned so utterly upside down in the last 24 hours? The night before they had been on a high from their gig, laughing together about how badly it had gone, but both relishing the experience. Then all of a sudden, an awkward confrontation in a coffee shop, followed by masses of uncomfortable silence, followed by some strange ex-shaman lunatic crowbarring herself into their little world.

Couldn't they just go back and reset the whole day like it had never happened?

Howard couldn't take it anymore. To his own surprise, he found himself getting up out of bed and creeping down the hallway to the living room.

Vince was sprawled out asleep on the sofa, looking like a raven haired angel. Howard smiled to himself and kneeled down next to him.

"Vince... hey, Vince..."

"Uhh... Wa... Wa'swrong?" His voice was laden with slumber.

"I can't sleep."

"..."

"Vince? You awake?"

"..."

It was no good. He was completely out of it. Howard wasn't exactly sure why he had come to try and wake him up anyway. He just wanted some kind of normality again. He found just talking to Vince a huge comfort when the rest of the world felt restless and unsafe. He knew he could always count on his warm smile and affectionate banter. But maybe not when he was fast asleep.

Howard turned to go back to bed, when Vince rolled over and dozily grabbed his hand. Howard froze.

"S'alright...Howard..."

The tall northerner found himself carefully squeezing his fingers round Vince's smaller hand.

"I miss you Vince."

"...M'right here..."

Their hands stayed entwined together, both men holding on more tightly than they realised.

"You're not though... Should be you in there with me, not that...Banoo." He spat her name out with disgust. However the mention of Vince's new-found friend caused him to wake up, suddenly alert. He subconsciously pulled his hand away from Howard's, barely registering that they had even been joined together.

"Oh here we go, starting on Banoo already. I knew it wouldn't take you five minutes Howard!"

Vince felt angry. Why couldn't Howard just leave him alone? He never returned any of his advances. Vince had been giving him the hint for the last two years, and when he finally called him on it, all Howard could say was that he didn't feel the same. Yet he resented Vince meeting anyone new, or having a life without him. Why couldn't he just let him just try and be happy?

"Oh right, is that how it is? I notice you've suddenly woken up at the mention of her name."

Howard felt angry. Why couldn't Vince be more sensitive to his feelings? He knew the way he felt or he would never have brought it up in the coffee shop. Howard had been pining for him for as long as he could remember, and when he finally admitted it, all Vince could do was laugh at him. Yet he was getting all serious and defensive about some perfect stranger, more worried about her feelings than the man who had been there for him all his life. Why did he have to treat his heart so carelessly?

"What's it to you eh Howard?"

"Oh nothing, nothing at all. You go right ahead and get all pally with some total stranger you know nothing about. A completely psycho one judging from what Naboo's been telling me."

Vince tutted. "Give 'er a chance Howard, you don't even know her. You're just jealous because I've actually found someone else to spend a bit of time with other than you."

Howard felt stung. "Oh OK. Fine. That's how it is." He stood up and began to walk back to the bedroom.

"Oh come on Howard, don't be like that. I like Banoo but she's not..." In his sleepy haze he almost said 'but she's not the person I'm in love with' Luckily he stopped himself just in time. "...she's not my best mate. You are."

Best mate. Normally Howard liked the term, but tonight it seemed to make his heart ache. He was the mate, the friend, the buddy. He was never going to be the lover or the loved. He was stupid to think that he even stood the semblance of a chance. Vince went for pretty, pixie-like girls like Banoo. Not tall, bearded men like him.

"Look, don't worry about it Vince. You...you do what you have to do. Don't let me stop you." He carried on walking away.

"Howard..."

"Yeah?"

"We're still gigging tomorrow right?"

Howard cracked the smallest of smiles. "Course little man. Moon and Noir, taking over the spectrum of sound. Better watch out coz you'll never be found."

Vince gave a big grin and then curled up back to sleep.

Howard fought back the unbelivable urge to lean down and kiss his dozing Prince goodnight. Instead he gently ruffled his long black hair and crept quietly back to bed.

Vince felt tingles shoot through his body at the touch of Howard on his hair. He secretly opened one eye a small fraction to watch the tall, dark maverick leave the room. He looked rugged and handsome in the dark of the night, like a majestic lone wolf lurking in the shadows.

As he drifted off to sleep, Vince dreamed that he wasn't just a pretty boy. That he was actually a pretty girl. Someone who Howard could fall in love with completely.

xXx

As Howard got back into bed, he finally felt the heaviness of sleep washing over him.

Just before nodding off, he heard a strange, high pitched sound coming from the other side of the room.

A snicker.

His dreams that night were more like nightmares. Nightmares with the face of a dark-haired pixie.