Vince woke up the next morning (or early afternoon, to be precise) with a blistering pain searing his skull. It didn't help that Howard was downstairs slamming doors as loud as he could. Vince groaned loudly as the room span when he tried to sit up. He couldn't remember much about last night but he knew that Howard had shouted at him and he didn't fancy facing him this morning. He could tell by the pristine state of the pillows next to him that Howard hadn't come to bed, so he knew he must have done something really bad. Howard had never slept on the sofa before… well, except for that time when Vince had been really sick and they'd both slept on the sofa because Vince didn't have the strength to move upstairs.

Vince got up groggily, wrapped a dressing gown around him, Howard's, because it was too big for him, it smelt nice and it made him feel cosy and safe. He padded slowly down the stairs, wincing every time Howard slammed a door.

"Howard." he groaned croakily, but the older man didn't seem to hear. "Howard." he repeated, as he wandered through the big hallway and into the kitchen. Howard was there, iPod in his ears, sat at the breakfast table and scribbling furiously on a note pad, then, for no apparent reason, he stood up and slammed a cupboard door. Vince's hand's flew to his ears and he gritted his teeth angrily.

"Howard!" he yelled, then immediately regretted it as his head throbbed painfully. It worked though, Howard looked up and pulled a speaker from his ear.

"Oh good." he said coldly, "You're awake."

"you're a jerk." spat Vince. "What you slamming those doors for?"

"It's part of the song." lied Howard coolly.

"Rubbish! You're doing it because you know I've got a headache."

"You're not hung-over, are you Vince?" he asked with mock surprise.

"Drop dead." muttered Vince, trudging over to the draw, where they kept medicine. He searched through the various packets for a moment and then said "Where's the aspirin?"

"By the sink." sighed Howard, pointing to a glass filled with cloudy aspirin-water.

"Thanks." Vince whispered gratefully and downed the mixture in one. He placed the glass down on the side and looked up to find Howard staring at him with a strange expression on his face.

"What?" asked Vince, half sulking, half anxious.

"We need to talk." the older man said seriously.

"About what?"

"About us. How did this happen?"

"How did what happen?" Vince asked, rubbing his sore head. Howard didn't know if he was playing dull just to infuriate him or whether he genuinely couldn't see the cracks forming in their relationship, either way it only reassured Howard that they needed to talk.

"This… us. We're not… right. Something's changing between us."

"No it isn't." Vince frowned, walking over to Howard in a way that suggested he wanted to sit on the older mans lap. But Howard wouldn't let him, if he had then Vince would have taken his mind off things with a delicious kiss and then the problems would be left to fester under the surface. So Vince had to content himself with sitting on the table, whilst Howard pressed on.

"Vince. We hardly see each other anymore, you're working all day and then you go out all night. The only time I see you is when you get in from parties and then you're always too wasted or too tired to do anything. I feel like we're drifting apart. Are you… I mean have you… Do you still, you know… like me?"

"Howard." Vince said gently, "I love you. If I could spend all my time with you, I would, but I can't. I've got a lot of work on at the moment. You know I'm working really hard on writing this new album."

"You've been working on it for nearly a year. You've written about 30 songs for it!"

"I know, but none of them are good enough."

"Come on Vince, music comes easily to you, I bet the songs are amazing."

"There not." Vince sighed, "listen to this." he hopped off the table and left the room, returning a few moments with a CD in his hands. He popped it in the small stereo my the microwave and pressed play. The song that bled from the speakers was awful but Howard forced a smile and said, "See, that's not so bad."

"Don't lie to me Howard!" he shouted, pushing the small stereo off the work top and allowing it to smash into pieces, shards of plastic bouncing around the kitchen. "It's crap! I can't put that on an album. And Frank's piling on the pressure, saying if I don't get it out soon he's going to pull my funding."

"He can't do that, surely? You've got a five CD contract, haven't you?"

"Yeah, and he's only doing it because he wants to buy a bigger house, he needs the money off my new album to pay a deposit or something. I don't know. I'm not sure how people buy houses, I just wrote a cheque for this place." Howard thought about the massive, five bedroom house, the swimming pool in the garden and the studio in the basement and wondered just how filthy rich you had to be to simply 'write a cheque' for a place like this. "I guess I'm just getting stressed" frowned the younger man "And the more annoyed I am, the worse the songs are, so Frank yells more. By the time the day's over I just want to forget about it so I get drunk!… I hate it." he finished quietly, his head drooping sadly.

"Alright," said Howard, standing up and putting his arms around Vince. "You have to tell me things like this Vince. We're a team, we can work through anything together, right?" Vince nodded against his chest. "So, why are you struggling to write songs? What's changed since a few months ago?"

"Zak," Vince said quietly.

Zak! Howard's heart stopped, Who the hell was Zak?! If this guy so much as touched Vince Howard was pretty sure he'd kill him.

"Who's Zak?" Howard squeaked, trying to remain calm.

"He's my drummer." Howard breathed a sigh of relief. "Or at least, he was my drummer. He used to help me write the songs. All my best hits, except for the one I wrote for you, I wrote with him… and then…" Vince sobbed hard and Howard realised for the first time that the smaller man was crying "he, he said he'd had a better offer… that this up and coming American rock band called Sweet Antics wanted him and that he was leaving. He said I was washed-up, old news and ever since that I haven't been able to write anything. I mean, I've got Chad but… it's not the same." he paused for a while and the looked Howard right in the eyes and said, "Am I washed-up?"

Vince's eyes were red and blood shot, he was pale and he had dark circles beneath them. Howard had never seen a more sorry sight.

"Don't be silly." he smiled, pushing the younger mans hair out of his face. "You're one of the greatest song writers of all time and you're beautiful and you've got an incredible stage presence and everyone loves you. I love you."

Howard knew they were having one of those moments, (a moment when the real Vince Noir exposed his true feelings) when Vince blushed prettily. Howard smiled, Vince was told these kind of things almost daily but usually he simply nodded and agreed, he never blushed… ever. Vince opened his mouth to say something just as the doorbell rang.

"Get rid of them." Vince whispered, clutching the front of Howard's shirt like a frightened child. "I don't want to see anyone today. Tell them I'm ill."

"How d'you know they're not here for me?" Howard asked indignantly.

"No one calls for you." Vince grinned cheekily.

Howard smiled and shook his head before walking to the door, promising to get rid of whoever it was. He was looking forward to spending a lazy day with Vince. They hadn't just stayed in and done nothing for a while and he was sure that this was what their relationship needed. You can do something with anyone, you can only do nothing with those you love.

--

Vince sat on the kitchen table, swinging his legs impatiently. How long does it take to tell someone to shove off? He thought angrily. He'd just started planning the numerous films he wanted to watch and games on the Wii he was going to beat Howard at (he always beat Howard it was inevitable), when he heard the distinctive sound of the two sets of footsteps approaching. Vince was furious. How dare Howard break his promise? Who was so important that it was worth ruining their private day for? Then, Vince heard the unmistakable clicking of high heels and all became clear as Alice poked her head around the door.

Vine's heart plummeted. Goodbye romantic day with lots of kissing and cuddling; hello uncomfortable day with lots of awkward and uneasy silences.

"Vince." Alice nodded solemnly, putting down a few newspapers on the table next to him. Vince glanced down at them. It seemed to him that she'd picked out every paper with a headline that suggested Vince was 'back to his playboy ways' and brought them with her.

"Care to explain these." she said accusingly.

"Nope." Vince said insolently, throwing daggers at Howard as he appeared through the door, looking more than apologetic.

"See Howard, he's guilty!"

"No I'm not! There's so many lies spread in the papers you can't believe this, surely. I'm not sleeping around. I love your brother too much."

In the corner of the room, Howard blushed, he always did when Vince told someone else he loved him.

"You say whatever you need to, to get what you want."

"What!?"

"Look read this." she snarled, forcing a magazine under his nose and pointing a bitten fingernail at a line which read:

'"I thought he loved me, he told me he did." says Maryanne, 25, another casualty of the Noir charm.'

"It's all lies." protested Vince.

"No smoke without fire, what about this one?"

' Amy, 24, told us "He said I was different, I was the one. Told me he was going to leave Harold for me."'

"What d'you have to say to that, huh?"

"I only know one Amy, that old woman who lives down that lane, you know Howard. Vampire-lady." Howard nodded, but Alice wasn't looking at him.

"Whatever," she scorned. "You're a liar and a cheat, if you want to sleep with all these people then stop tagging my brother along."

"I'm not tagging him along!"

"You're a whore!"

"I don't have to listen to this." Vince cried, jumping off the table dramatically and storming from the room, eyes fixed on Howard as if to say 'stick up for me then'.

The door shut and Alice turned her attention to her brother.

"That's the sign of a guilty conscience." she said, as Vince silently pressed his ear to the door.

"It's also the sign of someone who's sick of being falsely accused, because of things the papers say."

"So you accused him too then?"

"I was…" Howard paused, as he tried to find the right word. "concerned, for a while. But I know it's not true now."

"How?"

"Because he told me it wasn't… and I trust him. I've got no reason not to. He's never let me down before. Anyway, what's come over you? You used to support me and Vince."

"I know, but that was before…" she waved her hand in the direction of the magazines. "I'm just looking out for you Howard. I don't want you to get your heart broken - not after…"

"She never broke my heart."

Vince gasped silently. She!? Who the hell was 'she'? And how had she broken Howard's heart? Vince held his breath, in case his loud respiration caused him to miss a vital word.

"You loved her." Alice reasoned.

"No, I only thought I did."

"You married her."

Behind the door, Vince was livid. Married!? Howard had never mentioned being married.

"Look, the only time I've ever been broken hearted is when I was away from Vince. It hurts like hell when he's not around and when he..." Howard stopped. He was going to say 'when he stays out all night and wont tell me (or more accurately can't remember) where he's been' then he thought better of it. He didn't want to give Alice more ammunition to fire at him.

"Nothing." Howard mumbled, after Alice asked what he was about to say.

"Hmmm." she frowned. "Do you think that maybe you and Vince should take a break, if things are bad I mean. Absence makes the heart grow stronger, right? And you look a bit peaky."

Vince felt the anger boiling up inside him. How dare she? How dare she suggest he was bad for Howard? Howard would be dead if it wasn't for him.

"I'm fine." insisted Howard.

"You don't look fine. All this stuff with Vince is making you ill."

"Being without Vince put me in a coma and Vince was the one who pulled me through."

"You'd have pulled through anyway. I'm confident of that."

"NO HE WOULDN'T!" Vince screamed, suddenly exploding through the door. "because you" he pointed shakily at Alice. "You were going to let the doctors turn off the machine! You were going to let him… you were going to let him…" Vince was so angry he could hardly speak and he simply couldn't bring himself to say the word 'die'. So he just stood, fists clenched, face red, shaking furiously. "I hate you!" he spat venomously and with that, he burst into tears and ran from the room for the second time in ten minutes.

The loud, house-trembling bang that followed told Howard that Vince had left the house but he didn't care. He had bigger, earth shaking, life wrecking problems to deal with than an emotional rock star.

"Is it true?" he asked quietly, as Alice gabbled something about over active imaginations.

"I never wanted you to die." she said truthfully "I…"

"Did" Howard cut in, looking her right in the eye. "you say that they could turn off the machine?" She looked at the floor, her eyes brimming over and, just like that, he knew it was true. He didn't want to believe it. He couldn't believe it. But there it was, right in front of him. Her inability to look him in the eye was all the proof he needed. His own sister. The only person, or so he'd thought, who'd always stuck by him but it turned out that when it really mattered, even she had given up on him.

"Get out." he said quietly. She nodded tearfully and made for the door. "And take your stupid papers." he added.

"I think you should read them. Surely not that many people can be lying. I'm just trying to protect you. I love you."

"HA!" scoffed Howard. "You were going to let me die. You don't love me. You're a bitch! Vince loves me."

"I only came down here because you said you were having relationship problems. And the problem, by the way, is probably that your life doesn't revolve around Vince!"

"Well that can't be true because it does!"

"Look. Vince'll chew you up and spit you out if you let him, which you are. I mean where is he now? He's run away. This should be all about you, but he's tried to make it about him. He's an attention grabbing, spoilt brat and if you're not giving him enough attention well… he's going to get him from somewhere else."

"How dare you!" Howard seethed. "Get out!"

"I'm only trying to do what's best for you!" Alice cried honestly.

"OUT!" Howard roared, pushing everything off the table so that it smashed to pieces. Alice gasped. She'd never seen Howard look so angry, he was bright red, the vein in his neck was pulsing dangerously and he was glaring at her with a murderous expression on his face.

"I'm sorry." She whimpered as Howard practically picked her up and threw her from the house.

He slammed the door shut and sank to the floor. He felt physically sick. It had all been a lie. Every memory he had of his sister had just been warped by this information. He felt so alone. He wanted Vince, needed him. He felt he'd never needed the young man more and where was he? Who knew? And in the silence dangerous thoughts began to creep into his head. Maybe Alice was right. Vince did crave attention and Howard hadn't been giving it to him so much recently… maybe he was getting it somewhere else. Maybe he'd been getting it from Zak and that was why he was so upset when he left. Maybe it was Chad that gave him the attention he deserved and that's why he'd been so upset these last few months or maybe there was more truth than Vince was letting on, in these stories about him and various girls and guys that kept ending up in the papers. Maybe Vince had never been faithful, he wasn't exactly used to monogamy, maybe he'd decided he just couldn't do it. Howard was sure that the young rock star loved him but staying faithful was a whole other thing.