Vince was surprised. He was surprised that he didn't loath being 'up North', as much as he thought he would. Actually it wasn't too bad at all, he was actually enjoying himself. It wasn't even as cold as Howard had warned him it might be, the weather had changed from the night before, and it was sunny and hot, and hazy in the late evening sun. He didn't even need the sequined jacket that was slung over the crook of his right arm.

The people Vince had seen were different, he'd expected Leeds to be a never ending palette of browns, and beiges and the dreaded nutmegs and muffins. But it was actually quite bright, and Howard stuck out in Leeds the same way he stuck out back home in London. Vince had expected Jazz, and rubbish fashion. But there wasn't really any Jazz, in fact they'd driven by two electro clubs on the way to the botanical gardens. And people were fashionable in Leeds, not as fashionable as they were in London, of course. But they made an effort, and Vince had even clocked a couple of pairs of skinny jeans he wouldn't have minded owning, and a jumpsuit.

Howard had seemed to completely forget where they were, because he was voluntarily holding his hand, as they made their way back from the playing field. Howard never normally held his hand, okay so sometimes he did, mostly when he was drunk, and then it wasn't just public demonstrations of hand holding. But even now when they were finally together, generally he still shrugged him off. It was just Howard's thing.

Vince wasn't about to break the spell, by pointing out all the uncharacteristic hand holding they were engaged in. Howard didn't even realise until they were standing in front of his parents' garden gate.

'Howard?' Howard jumps back reeling away from Vince as if he'd been burnt, pulling his hand roughly away.

The voice came from a woman. She's leaning against the porch of Howard's parents' house smoking a thin purple cigarette. Vince has never seen a purple cigarette before. Howard almost falls through the garden gate in his eagerness to greet the woman, who's chuckling away. She's tall, and graceful, older, she looks a bit like Howard's sister although her dark hair is much shorted and speckled with grey. Everything about her is purple, from her cigarette, to her shoes, and tights which can just be seen poking out from under her long velvet skirt. She's an old hippie, Vince reckons.

'Aunty Mariella!' There's no way that, that woman can't be Howard's aunt, for a start she seems to interesting.

Howard stops awkwardly suddenly in front of her.

'Howard, you're so tall. I didn't realise, those photos you ' Her accent sounds strange, it's a bit like Howard's but it sounds vaguely Spanish to. Howard blushes at the compliment, and Vince smirks.

'I always knew you would be a big boy, Howard.' She flicks away the last of her cigarette, Vince watches it fly through the air, expecting the smoke to be purple, disappointed by the fact that it's grey.

She holds him, Howard, she flings her arms tightly around him.

Vince watches it with a sharp pang, he'll never have an aunt like that.

'It's nice to see you.'

'Oh Howard, you sound all posh.' Mariella chuckled, Howard blushed again.

'And this much be, Vince?' She asks peering around Howard, fixing Vince with a knowing grin.

Mariella is silent for a moment regarding, and contemplating Vince, tapping her chin with her long tapered index finger as she stares at him. Vince braces himself for the insults.

'It's very nice to finally meet you, Vince,' She clasps his hand enthusiastically, he's distracted by the rings on her fingers, there's at least one ring on each finger all glittering away.

'You're a very pretty boy, prettier than your pictures.' She winks at him, flirting outrageously.

Vince warms to her immediately.

'I'm Howard's Aunty Mariella, I'm his Mother's sister.' She helpfully points out her position in the family tree. She reminded him off someone, it's Mrs Gideon, she's got that way about her, all glamorous. There was a time when Vince would have tried to put one on her, even if she had been Howard's aunt. He's not just about Dollybirds, and androgynous boys, no, Vince has always had a bit of a weakness for the older woman. Ever since he'd fallen for Twix LaRoux, when he'd been in year eight, and she'd been in year ten. God he'd fancied her rotten, he still did a bit, every now and then he'd still walk past the window of the hairdressers she owned. He'd thought about letting her cut his hair a couple of times, but that would have been like cheating on Howard.

'Gran!' There's a shout from inside followed by loud clattering feet, and then a girl appears, her head poking out through the front door. She blinks at Howard, and then flashes Vince with a bright toothy smile. She looks as if she's about sixteen.

'Oh. Hi.' She nods coyly; she's got an angular choppy platinum bob, small brown eyes, and freckles.

'Gran?' Howard can't hide his surprise, glancing at the girl he's only ever seen before in photographs, who looks just like his cousin. She's sixteen though, or well maybe not she could be eleven or even ten, she obviously is a Moon, they age differently to normal folk.

'Oh yes, this is my Granddaughter Audrey' Mariella proudly introduces her Granddaughter, who is busy trying to shrink her neck back into the rest of her body.

'Audrey, this is your cousin Howard.'

'Great.' The young girl rolls her tiny eyes, suitably unimpressed.

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'Come here.' Vince giggled, wrapping his arms around Howard's thick waist.

'Vince, no we can't.' Vince had cornered him in the kitchen when he'd been bringing their plates back from the dining room. It had been a proper stuffy sit down meal, and Vince being Vince had decided that getting drunk would be the only logical way through it. The side effect of Vince being drunk, is Vince being desperate for a shag. At home Howard never bothers to fight him off, because well, he likes Vince jumping on his bones the moment he bursts through the front door. But their not at home now, and now, is not the time for those types of shenanigans.

'Oh come on 'Oward, I just want a snog yeah, I'm not gonna rip all your clothes off and go at you on the kitchen floor, or nothing.' The smirking in the corner of his mouth and the glint in his eye, lets Howard know that, that was in fact exactly what he was thinking of doing.

'Little man, come on don't you want your pudding?' The moment the sentence leaves his mouth, Howard knows it was a wrong choice of words. Vince launches himself on him, like some sex starved cruise missile, slamming his back hard against the work surface behind him. Vince's tongue hungrily probes inside his mouth, insistent.

'Oh.' Reflex suddenly takes over and Howard pushes Vince away with a frown, it's a little harder than he means to do it, Vince stumbles backwards a little. He glances sheepishly in the direction of the interruption; his Aunt is hovering in the doorway of the kitchen.

'Your Mum sent me to get the ice cream, love.' She announces, Howard's not sure what sort of reaction he was expecting, but he was expecting something, anything. He'd been, well his 'best friend' had been kissing him, and nothing, not even a raised eyebrow. Just an 'oh', or is an 'oh' all his sex life merits?

'Why don't you this into the dining room, Vince.' She hands him a bottle of red wine, and Vince dutifully stumbles back into the direction of the dining room.

'That wasn't…Vince is just drunk, it wasn't what it looked like.' He stumbles over his words, scratching the back of his neck. She smiles.

'So, Vince isn't your boyfriend then?' She queries.

Howard stutters opening and closing his mouth, unsure of what to say. She simply chuckles, making her way casually across the kitchen opening the freezer compartment door. A rush of cold air suddenly blasts against the side of Howard's leg.

'I think it's about time you had someone special in your life, love. I've always thought you were a great catch, a big strapping lad like you…' Mid rummage through the icy compartment she pauses, her eyes gaze tilting upwards slightly.

'Or has there always been a 'someone' in your life, Howard?'

'No, no this…' Howard swallows hard.

'…this is a new thing.'

'Well, you look good on it Son. Now, Raspberry Ripple or chocolate, vanilla and strawberry?' He contemplates it for a moment. He feels like a weight he didn't know he was being weighed down by, has been lifted off his chest. Howard considers Vince and Kitten's identical sweet tooth.

'Both.'

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Howard wakes up with a sudden snort. His heart is racing and for the briefest of moments he struggles to know where he is in the darkness.

'Vince!' He calls out. His hand splays out to feel the familiar comforting figure next to him, but instead there is nothing, an empty void.

His heart picks up speed once again, and he wonders if it's all been some horrible wonderful dream, that's finally come to an end.

The panic doesn't last long however, soon his small eyes adjust to the darkness surrounding him. Glancing upwards he spots the shadow shape, snoring lightly in the middle of his sister's bed. Kitten hadn't wanted to share his camp bed that night, instead he'd been brave enough to sleep on his own.

Silently Howard untangles himself from his sweat soaked sheets, making his way across the room hovering over his nephew's sleeping form. Howard watches him sleep, his eye lids moving rapidly, his breath soft and shallow. He's tempted to reach out and touch him, but in the end Howard changes his mind, Kitten is a light sleeper and he'll only end up waking him, and they've got another big day tomorrow.

Howard slips out of his sister's old room, he had been thinking about splashing some water on his face in the bathroom, but there's really only one place he wants to be. He tiptoes carefully across the hall remembering all the creaks, and lose floorboards. Howard suddenly feels like he's twelve years old again. He creeps back into his old room. Howard's ears suddenly prick up at the sound of Vince's voice.

'It's all free…for me?' Vince's voice sounds hollow and emotionless, Howard recognises the familiar tone that the younger man adopts when he's talking in his sleep.

'Can Gary come? He's already there! Where are my sunglasses, I can't…find 'em…'

Howard carefully climbs into the bed next to Vince, angling himself awkwardly on the edge. He tries not to wake him. Howard doesn't want him to wake up, he just needs to feel him, to be next to him, he can't shake off the traces of his dream. He just needs Vince. Howard wraps his arm over Vince's sleeping from, soaking up all his warmth.

'HHoward,' He stills for a moment wondering if he's accidentally woken him up.

'Howard, the best…best thing has happened…I own Topshop! I've got a, a special key, and Gary is coming.' A smile slips over Howard's tired features. He affectionately plants a kiss on the back of Vince's neck.

The plan had been to get up and retreat back into the safety of his sister's old room, but somewhere along the line Howard must have forgotten, because the next time he opens his eyes its morning.

'Alright, small eyes.' Vince grins at him, pressing a kiss on the end of his nose. Howard blinks at him for a few moments.

'I have to, I have to go.' Howard mumbles, Vince catches his arm holding him in place before he has a chance to escape, he's surprisingly strong.

'Fancied some midnight bumming did you, Howard?'

'Sss, keep your voice down Vince.' Confronted by the flustered expression on Howard's face Vince erupts into a sudden fit of giggles.

'Vince!'

'Its s'alright Howard, no one can hear us, it's still dead early it ain't even properly six o'clock yet.' With his free hand he gestures in the direction of Howard's old Wombles alarm clock. Registering the time on the clock Howard stops struggling, and melts back into the sheets next to Vince.

'I didn't come in here for sex.'

'What, did you come in 'ere for then?'

Howard swallows hard, as Vince tucks his head underneath his chin.

'I had that dream again.'

'What, the one about The Stones playing Jazz?' Vince quizzes, tugging on a strand of stray hair, twisting the thick black glossy lock around his index finger.

'No Vince, that was your dream.'

'Oh yeah.' He chuckles.

'It was nothing, it doesn't matter.' Howard exhaled shakily.

'Howard, go on tell me I wanna know.'

'I dreamt that you, that you…' His cheeks began to glow, he felt silly given voice to a silly dream.

'…that you went off me, that you left me again.'

Everything suddenly fell uncomfortably silently. The silence however was soon punctuated by a sharp burst of laughter.

'Vince?' Howard glanced down at the younger man, the hurt beginning to well up inside of him.

'You're an idiot, small eyes.' Vince gasped, his laughter subsiding.

'Thanks.'

'Oh don't get like that. You know what I mean.' Vince smirked, leaning up he began to pepper Howard's stubbly chin with kisses.

'You know I'll never go off you 'Oward. And I didn't leave you last time, I thought, you know what I thought.' That was the first time either of them had mentioned what had happened since Vince had come back on the day of Howard's sister's wedding. It had been months of not talking about it, they'd both locked it away. It still hurt even now, knowing that there was a part of each of them that would never entirely forget or trust the other. One of them was always leaving, in their own minds at least.

'I won't though; I'll never get sick of you Howard. I love you.' Vince squeezes against the side of Howard's body tightly, and in exchange Howard flashes him his warmest grin.

'I know.'

'No, I really mean it.'

'I know.' He brushes a few stray strands of hair from Vince's face and kisses his forehead.

And, everything keeps on being unsaid.

Vince's mood suddenly flip-flops from serious concern, to being mischievous and horny.

'Oward.'

'Hhumm, Little man?'

'I didn't half wanna shag you last night.'

It's Howard turn to laugh. 'I had noticed, little man.'

'You don't bum me that often do you, Howard?' Howard fixes him with a look.

'Na, you know what I mean,' Vince whispers softly against his ear.

'Well, you don't exactly give me much chance Sir. You're practically on top of me every time I walk through the front door, any door.' Vince desperately tries to stifle a giggle. Howard can feel his warm breath against the side of his neck.

'Its all that power of the Moon business you're always going on about, it's your gravitational pull thing, I just can't resist you.'

'Well, there's no denying it little man, you're not the first to have been mesmerised by my sexual potency and dynamism.'

'What's, dominoes got to do with it?' Vince's features twist into a confused frown, Howard can't help but exhale a world weary sigh. One day he'll say something, and someone will understand him.

'Nothing little man.'

'When we get home,' Vince muses, returning back to his original train of thought, before Howard had brought up the whole subject of sexual dominoes.

'When we get home,' He repeats softly. 'why don't you tie me to the bed, I reckon I'd like you bumming me senseless for a change, plus it would be good exercise for you.'

'What are you trying to suggest, that I'm filling out or…' Before he has the chance to finish his sentence Vince catches his fleshy ear lobe between his teeth, nipping at it sharply, sending shockwaves pulsating down the length of Howard's body. He melts from the inside out, like Marmite on warm toast.

'Any…thing, anything.' His breath gets lodged tightly in his chest. The ear thing always reduces Howard to a quivering mess, Vince knows this and deploys it with the skill of a military dictator, bending Howard to his every whim. He presses his teeth down a little harder, grinning at the moan his action exudes. And then just like that, he lets Howard go. Vince watches him, as he lays there next to him silent just blinking.

'You're a cruel bitch, you know that.' Howard speaks breathlessly. Vince simply shrugs.

'You love it.' He does, the fact that Vince can twist and manipulate him into doing anything appeals to the sadomasochistic side of Howard's complex personality. He angles his head glancing over at his clock, which is still counting down the minutes. Howard motions to get up, but Vince catches him again holding him in place.

'Vince, I have to go.' Vince grins as he kisses him. He can be funny about kissing Howard in the mornings, he's got a thing about morning breath.

'Alright.' Vince casually flops back into the centre of the bed spreading out once Howard has vacated, placing his arms behind the back of his head. Howard steals another quick kiss, before carefully leaving the room.