Over half this chapter was typed with a broken arm - the things I put myself through for fan fiction! Lol. It took bloody ages. Enjoy!

The next morning when Howard woke up, the bed on the other side of the room was empty and had clearly not been slept in. Howard frowned, making his way out to the kitchen, freezing when he saw Vince curled up on the sofa, a frown on his face. Vince as himself might do that often enough, but Howard's body was just a bit too big for the piece of furniture, and he looked quite uncomfortable. Howard's heart softened as he realised Vince must have been trying to give him some space, despite the obvious discomfort from sleeping on the sofa. His back was going to kill him later…

Good. Howard thought, his anger and hurt from the previous day not quite forgotten. Besides, he's made me sleep there countless times before. But for some reason Howard just couldn't muster up the emotions he knew he should be feeling. He just felt sorry for the younger man…

"Vince?" Howard whispered softly. There was no response. He stepped forwards and laid a hand on the other man's forearm. "Vince?"

"Hmm…g'way. Five more minutes."

"It's morning, li…Vince."

Vince sat up, wincing slightly as his back straightened out. "Fuck. I reckon we should get a bigger sofa, this one's much too small."

"Back trouble?" Howard teased. Vince glared.

"You've had it before, no need to look so happy."

"Sorry." Howard said with a smile.

"You know, I've stopped expecting to wake up back in my body." Vince said. "It's…weird how quickly I've gotten used to being you."

Howard thought about this. "I know what you mean."

"Howard?"

"What?"

"What…what if we never change back?"

"We will Vince." Howard said firmly. "Naboo's working on it."

"But it's been ages."

"It's been about 6 days."

"Yeah, that's ages!"

"It'll be fine. It always is, yeah?" Howard smiled. "This is sort of like the old days."

Vince gave him a mocking look and rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I remember how we used to switch bodies all the time."

"I'll make some tea." Howard shook his head and turned towards the kitchen. He knew what he'd meant - it had been like the old days with Vince needing his reassurance and comfort. It had been…nice. But Howard got the feeling Vince might not understand that. He heard Vince get up and go into the bathroom and unconsciously reached up to touch his hair, remembering how long the younger man normally took to get ready. He still felt a bit guilty about cutting Vince's hair - even before he felt the need to hide behind the glitter and the makeup his hair had been his pride and joy. The day he'd dyed it black the younger man had actually cried, afraid he'd done the wrong thing by his precious 'do…

"Are you gonna make that tea or what?"

Howard started, realising he hadn't even got as far as boiling the kettle. "Yeah, I'm doing it now." he insisted. He turned to face Vince and realised he'd shaved. "Do you mind? I'm trying to grow that moustache back you know."

"And when it's your face again, you be my guest." Vince looked around. "Any food?"

"I dunno. Check the cupboards."

Vince pulled open the nearest cupboard. "Ok, the cupboard is actually empty. I didn't think that was even possible." he went and pulled open the fridge door. "Nothing in here either! Except milk for the tea…" he sniffed the bottle and grimaced, jerking it away from his face. "Actually scrap that, there's not even milk. This stuff smells like it's been here since last year…"

"Black tea and no breakfast it is then!" Howard glanced in irritation towards Naboo's bedroom. "Honestly, you think he could have noticed all the foods gone and been shopping."

Vince frowned. "Hold on though, there was food yesterday!"

"So…what? Naboo got stoned and ate it all in the night?"

"Wouldn't be the first time." Vince bit his lip. "Howard?"

"Yeah?"

"Are we gonna talk about last night? Now we're a bit less emotional, I mean."

Howard looked away. "I said all I needed to. It's behind us, yeah?"

"But it's not, is it? I know you, remember. The smallest thing will send you into a massive sulk - like that time I threw away one of your god-awful shirts you didn't speak to me for three days - and yet here you are acting like nothing's happened."

"It's called moving on. You made a mistake, its over."

"But-"

"Keep an eye on the tea, will you? I'm going to…um…get dressed or something."

"Don't walk away from me. We need to talk about this!"

"Just leave it, Vince." Howard muttered, shutting the bedroom door behind him with a snap.

Howard successfully managed to avoid him for the rest of the day. Every time Vince tried to talk to him he somehow managed to find something else that needed doing.

"We're going out." Naboo announced that evening. "Bollo's got a DJ gig."

"Right." Vince replied distractedly, his focus on yet another Friends episode on E4.

"We'll be back tomorrow."

"Cool. See ya later!"

Once they'd gone, Vince turned the telly off with a sigh. Just him and Howard now. Surely he could get the other man to talk to him? He was still slightly weirded out by just how quickly everything had changed for him. He wasn't used to this; having to clamour for someone else's attention. These days what, or who, Vince Noir wanted, Vince Noir got.

He knocked on the bedroom door and pushed it open without waiting for a response. Howard was curled up on his bed, fast asleep. Vince rolled his eyes. It was only 10pm.

"Howard?" Vince perched on the side of the bed and shook him by the shoulder. "Oi, Howard!"

Howard opened his eyes. "What do you want?"

"I want to talk to you. About yesterday."

Howard groaned. "Oh for God's sake, Vince, will you leave it alone?!"

"No."

"Look, I've got rather a lot to deal with right now, we both have, so lets just forget that bit of drama ok?"

Vince ignored him. "Do you remember how we were back at the zoo?"

"Vince, I just said…"

"Just answer the question!"

"Vaguely." Howard sighed and sat up. "Although I'm not sure how much of it was real, now."

"I used to look up to you so much, you know? You were like my hero. You had a way with the animals, you were the only person to care about me in…well, my whole life to be honest." he frowned. "Only, when we moved…I dunno, it was like you became someone different." Howard opened his mouth to protest, but Vince carried on hurriedly. "I mean, I know you didn't, not right away. But how I…looked at you changed, maybe? I dunno. But suddenly you weren't someone important, or someone I had to impress or look up to, you were just…Howard."

"And that's a bad thing?"

"I dunno." Vince looked down at him. "Is it?"

"What do you mean?"

"It was like you…shrank into yourself. Like without me constantly looking up to you, you didn't see the point of trying to better yourself, or chasing your dreams any more."

Howard shook his head and looked at Vince. The words he'd been about to say died on his tongue and he sighed. "Maybe I didn't."

"Why?"

"You know what my childhood was like. You say I was the first person to care about you; well you were pretty much the first person to care about me. Before you came along I was just Howard Moon, a college drop-out working at some tiny under-funded zoo managed by an insane pervert. But then when you were there…I was important. I meant something, I wasn't a failure. And I know you used to take the piss a lot, and we'd have fights, and there were those rumours you started about me and Jack…"

"That weren't me!"

"Vince, we both know it was. But despite that…I don't know. I felt like I belonged. Like you needed me. And then we came here, and you made all these other friends, and you didn't need me any more…"

"Of course I needed you! I'd just lost all my animal friends, we'd moved somewhere I'd never been before, I didn't fit in with any of the animals around here…why do you think I had to go out and make so many human friends? It felt like you were constantly testing me, waiting for me to slip up and prove what a crap person I am."

"You're not a crap person."

"Really?" Vince smiled ironically. "So how I've been treating you, that's the sign of a good person, is it?"

"And I really helped the situation, didn't I? If I wasn't so certain the world was against me, maybe I'd have noticed you hadn't changed so much."

"Yeah, but…" Vince giggled suddenly.

"What?"

"How mad is this? We're each trying to claim it's our own fault!"

"Makes a change from so much blame."

"Hmm." they sat in silence for a few minutes. "Howard?"

"Yes Vince?"

"I'm…" I'm glad this happened. I'm glad we're getting better. I'm so sorry for everything. "I'm sorry I turned into such a tit-box."

"Yeah. So am I."

"Sorry I turned into a tit-box? Or sorry you did?"

Howard laughed, and Vince grinned back. "Both!"

"Charming!"

"Of course." Howard rubbed his eyes sleepily. "What time is it?"

"Only 10. You're like an old man!"

"I must look like one too." Howard muttered, yawning. "I'm surprised you're not running around screaming for your straightners and eyeliner to 'sort me out'."

"Nah. You're beautiful." Vince said without thinking. Howard chuckled.

"God, you really are a total narcissist aren't you?"

Vince grinned back. "Hey, it's not my fault God made me perfect!"

But inside his stomach was clenched. That wasn't what he meant - sure, he knew that with makeup on and his hair perfectly styled he could pretty much get anyone he wanted. But when he was like Howard was now - 2 days worth of stubble growth, face completely clear of makeup, hair still scruffy from sleep - this was when Vince Noir would look in the mirror and hate himself. He thought he was far from beautiful…and yet when he looked at the face opposite his now he couldn't think of anything he'd change about it.

The grin faded as he realised he still had eye contact with Howard. The other man's forehead was creased in a frown, and Vince's throat suddenly felt very dry. He licked his lips nervously, wondering how much of what he'd been thinking had shown on his face. Wondering what Howard thought about it. Wondering why he was so comfortable that they were sat so close, just looking at each other, how easy it would be to just lean forwards and… He shook his head hurriedly. "Although I suppose some eyeliner couldn't hurt…"

"I'm about to go to sleep, Vince. Who's gonna see me?"

"I suppose." he stood up. "I'll let you get back to sleep."

"Right. Night, Vince."

"Night."

Howard watched the other man leave the room. He couldn't believe how quickly this had all happened. This time last week he would have happily killed Vince, but now…now he was able to think about Vince and see the sweet blonde-haired kid he'd first met. He was able to look at Vince's face in the mirror and once again notice the good things about him (not that he'd sat staring into the mirror for hours. No-sir! Howard Moon didn't do such things). He closed his eyes and began to drift off back to sleep.

It was another couple of hours before Vince came back in. he started towards his own bed then paused, changing direction to where his friend slept. The other man's face was contorted in a frown, and as Vince watched he whimpered slightly.

Hesitating for a moment, Vince sat down next to him and laid a hand comfortingly on his arm, stroking it softly until Howard quietened and the frown vanished.

"I know I've been a complete twat lately. But I am going to change, I swear." he whispered softly. "And I'm so sorry that I ever hurt you."

There was no response from the sleeping man beside him. Vince sighed and ran his fingers gently over his friend's pale face, brushing a lock of black hair off of it. He leant forwards and kissed Howard gently on the cheek, before laying back and putting his arms around his friend, hugging him as he fell asleep.

Vince woke up feeling strangely warm and comfortable. Somehow during the night they'd shifted position so Howard now had his arms wrapped around him. Vince smiled slightly, wondering how that had happened.

Rubbing his eyes sleepily he carefully got out of bed, so as not to wake Howard. He was lucky really that the jazz maverick hadn't woken in the night; he'd have probably been terrified at finding someone there with him. Vince slipped off the side of the bed…

Then promptly fell over when he realised the floor was a lot further away than it had been. Either that or he was shorter than he was before…

Vince's hands flew instantly to his face, running over his cheekbones, his nose, his mouth. He reached up and grabbed hold of his hair. Feeling the soft thickness he was more used to instead of just 'brown smoke'. Vince rushed over to the mirror and stared, a million different emotions running through him when he saw his own face looking back at him.

A huge grin spread over his face. "Ha!" he yelled in delight, running out of the room. "I'm back!" he yelled excitedly, running down the stairs and yanking open the front door. "I'm back, baby! Whoo!"

It was then he realised he was still wearing his pyjamas and hastily shut the door again. Then the manic grin was back and he raced upstairs again, bursting into the bedroom and flicking on the light. "Howard!"

"Whuzzat?" Howard muttered.

"Howard, we're back! We're us again!"

"What?" Howard stared at Vince in shock, then reached up to feel his own face. "Oh thank God!" he scrambled out of bed and ran to the mirror, staring at his face. "I never thought I would be so pleased to see my own face staring back at me!"

"We're back!" Vince yelled again, laughing in delight. Without thinking, he threw his arms around Howard's neck and the older man spun him round. "This is genius! Oh, I have to call Leroy and Chris and…oh, everybody! I feel like going partying!" with that he skipped out of the room. Howard stood there in the middle of the bedroom, his arms feeling strangely empty.

"Yeah. Genius." he mumbled. "Back to normal."

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