Woo! M'kay, this is, as promised, dedicated to Chugirl2526, who gave me the idea, but (As stated in the previous chapter) is done in a slightly different way. Love and kisses from Noel Fielding and Julian Barret (Am I spelling his name right?) to all the reviewers ;)
Btw, this doesn't affect the chapter in any way, but all through writing it I had an urge to say 'Congratu-welldone' and had the 'hello little dear' song in my head, which makes a slightly odd combination... (For anyone who doesn't know, it's one of the songs on the radio show :P )
One last thing before I stop babbling:
"Listen, you just give us 48 hours, and we'll get the job done. If we weren't so bloody miserable!"
LOL, I've been watching it on youtube :P
"Vince!! Vince!!" Howard flung himself out of the flat, but was met with an empty silence as he looked up and down the road, only to find Vince nowhere in sight. He was all set to just run around every street to find his friend, but was stopped by a hand on his arm.
"Howard listen," Naboo actually looked concerned, instead of his usual calm expression, "I've got to tell you something. If we don't get Vince back soon, and reverse the potion, chances are, we won't be able to reverse it". Howard was horrified, and was still darting glances down the street, even though it was clear Vince wasn't coming back.
"So what do we do?! How do we find him? Isn't there some kind of potion or spell you can use?" Naboo shook his head slightly.
"It took most of my power to make this potion, you're just gonna have to hurry". Howard nodded and ran to get his car keys.
"Remember Howard, you HAVE to find him quickly!".
But this fell on deaf ears as the key was already being turned in the ignition
--
Speeding down the roads, Howard was thinking desperately. Where would Vince go? How would he manage to coax him back? And more importantly, would Vince be ok out there on his own? Howard worried about him enough when he went out drinking, but now, with the mind of a three year old, anything could happen. A series of horrible images ran through Howard's head. Vince getting ran over, Vince being seen by his friends, Vince being offered sweets in a strangers car... Actually, there wasn't much chance of that happening, Howard shook his head, he didn't look like a three year old. Still, he could get seriously hurt if he wasn't found soon. Howard cursed himself as he remembered just sticking Vince in a thin t-shirt and some jeans after that bath. He didn't even have any shoes on. And... yep, there's bad luck. Flecks of snow were beginning to appear on the windscreen.
--
Vince shivered violently. After running from the flat, he's taken refuge somewhere were he had so much fun with Howard.
Howard
Vince whimpered. He couldn't believe Howard wanted to hurt him. They'd been having fun before that short man and gorilla turned up. It was their fault, not Howard's. Howard had given him a hug and tried to make it all better.
Now his feet and hands were going blue and numb with the cold...
--
Howard drove around, going back down roads in case he missed Vince in his hurry. He had been everywhere he could think of, but hadn't found anything. He knew Vince better than he knew himself. He knew exactly what he bought for his hair, where he wanted to go on holiday the year after next, what he had wanted to do when he was a child...
A small memory came rushing back to him
"When I grow up, I wanna live in the park..."
He put the car up to 5th gear. (A/N I thought you had to use this to go fastest, but apparently you use it when you want to go faster, but 1st isn't fast enough :s It's too confusing for me, so just go with it and don't ask questions ;) )
--
It's too cold, I don't like it, I want to go home..
To Howard...
Vince's heart wrenched as he sat on the bench, crying. He didn't mean to run away from Howard. He loved him.
Howard will come. Soon. He'll come soon
The mantra in his head kept repeating, over and over, but it wouldn't block out the sobbing or cold.
--
Howard parked the car and leapt out, running as if there was a bear after him. He flung open the park gate, but had to slow down, because there were so many patches of ice. The last thing he needed was for him to be taken to hospital while Vince was still out there somewhere. He veered off to the right, in the direction of the play park. It was getting quite dark now, as it was nearing Winter, and was really cold, so there was absolutely no-one there. Except one person.
"Vince!!" Vince jerked up at the sound of his friend's voice. He was too cold to move, and his eyes hurt from crying. The tears that he had shed had frozen down his face and the same had happened when his nose had run.
"H-howard!" It was barely a whisper but Howard caught it. Sweeping the younger man up in his arms he just clung onto him, willing all of his energy and heat to transfer into Vince. Running finger's through his hair, Howard was almost crying, shushing Vince and rocking him slightly.
"It's ok now little man, there there, sshhhh, it's going to be ok". And Vince believed him.
--
Getting back to the flat had been easy. Howard merely seated Vince in the passenger seat, put a blanket over him, and strapped his seatbelt on. But leaning over the younger man to fasten it, he had arms around his neck and Vince sobbing into his shoulder.
"I'm sorry Howard! I didn't mean to run off, but the n-needle..." He broke into even more tears, and Howard could do little but hug back, and whisper soothingly,
"No Vince, don't you ever be sorry. It was my fault not yours. Do you understand?" Vince nodded and sniffed. Howard smiled for what seemed like the first time in weeks and went round to his side of the car.
--
"Naboo? I've found him! But he's really cold and scared, so we should sort him out first" Naboo ran downstairs, batting away the fumes of the hookah he and Bollo had no doubt just finished off. On seeing them, his face broke out into a relieved smile and he ordered various people about at top speed.
"Right Howard, give him another bath, the just dress him in his pyjamas. Bollo bring the potion back up to the flat, then if he hasn't calmed down after the bath, pull funny faces or something".
Both man and animal just shook their heads and set about the jobs they were given.
--
"Naboo? He's ready. He's really sleepy as well, so I don't think he'll struggle as much, but still, he is going to make a fuss when he sees that needle" Howard muttered out of the corner of his mouth to Naboo, as Vince trudged into the room, rubbing his eyes, looking just too cute. Howard gave Naboo a small wink and nod, and went to sit on the sofa.
"Vince? Come over here a minute" Vince walked over to where Howard sat and immediately snuggled up on his lap. He was sat facing Howard's chest, with his legs curled round the older man's stomach, so that they wrapped up on his back. Howard smiled as he looked down to see Vince's thumb once again creeping towards his mouth. He put his arms around him and rocked gently, from side to side.
Naboo took this chance to once again approach with a giant needle. He pushed Vince's sleeve up and squirted some iodine (A/N I think it's iodine. Again, as with the car gears, just go with it :P)on the top of his arm. Vince jumped a little at the sudden cold liquid making contact with his arm, and looked around. His eyes foucosed on the needle and went wide. Howard pulled his head away and nestle it into his chest.
"Vince, listen to me. Do you trust me?" He asked the question in such a serious tone that Vince looked up in amazement, forgetting the needle for a moment. He nodded yes, at which Howard exhaled happily and said,
"Well you need to have this needle in you, ok? It'll feel like a small scratch, but it won't be for very long, and if you think it hurts, just squeeze my hand ok?" Vince's eyes started watering but he nodded again. Howard smiled at him and put his hand in Vince's. Naboo stepped forward again, this time managing to get the needle into the man's skin. Vince squeezed and looked up fearfully at Howard.
"It hurts Daddy" He whined, but as Naboo looked up in amazement, Howard just shushed him and said,
"I know, don't worry, it's over now". Naboo took the needle out, a satisfactory amount of blood in it, and quickly bore it over to the potion. Howard rocked Vince some more and gave him a beautiful smile.
"Well done Vince, you were a really big boy" Vince smiled at him and sniffed some more.
"Vince?" Naboo came back with a cup full of what looked like warm milk, "Drink this, it'll make you pretty tired, but just go with it". Vince looked over at Howard uneasily and got a shaky smile back. He was never going to see this side of Vince again. Sure, he was childish sometimes, but not in this amount, not enough to make him this cute. Howard gave him one last hug, one last hand through his hair, and murmured,
"Drink it all little man, and I'll see you in the morning" As Vince became sleepy, Howard carried him into his bed and tucked the covers over him, making sure the night light was on. He smiled at the man curled up under the covers, sighing slightly, his whole face illuminated under the starry, October sky, and a solitary tear ran down his cheek.
Aww! Don't worry, I'm determined that this story should have a happy ending :) Please review, it'll make Howard feel better...