A/N: I have just spent the day doing statistics and Japanese. My brain is on the point of imploding, and do my school care? No. Of course they don't. Tomorrow I have two REAL GCSEs, in RE and History. To say that I am slightly panicked would be an understatement.
This idea pounced on me whilst out strawberry picking (who've guessed?) two weeks ago, and has been stewing ever since. I figured I needed to give Vince and Howard a break, considering what I'm doing to them in my other stories. (Which will be updated A.S.A.P)
Disclaimer: I do not own the Mighty Boosh, or the Kinks. Nor do I own Strawberries. (I do however own a packet of Strasberries; strawberries mixed with raspberries. They 're quite exciting)
Begin!
Howard was beginning to question whether taking Vince for a day out had been such a good idea after all.
"C'mon Howard, hurry up! Otherwise all the good ones will be gone!" Vince piped up from his perch on the edge of the passenger seat in the van. He hadn't been able to sit still all morning, and now was fidgeting and pointing out things from the van window in such a childlike way that Howard felt he needed to check on him every two minutes, in case he'd accidently picked up someone else's toddler by mistake.
When Naboo had given them the day of because of the weather, Howard hadn't wanted to waste the opportunity. It wasn't raining or snowing, oh no, much worse. It was sunny and hot, and Naboo had declared that this was bad for business because 'no one goes shopping when they could be having a BBQ or sitting in a pub garden'. Howard found it almost impossible to imagine Naboo doing either of these thing, but he wasn't about to say so and miss out on a lazy day. It was indeed boiling hot; the sun was beating down upon the tarmac so much that Vince had wondered aloud whether the ants must feel like they're in a sauna. Outside the shop window, small children ran amok with ice creams, leaving sticky trails behind them for the bees and wasps to clear up. Bollo had refused to move from in front of the fridge, moaning that his fur made sitting in the sun unbearable, until Naboo had reminded him that gorillas came from a much hotter climate than a slightly sweaty Dalston.
By mid-morning even the usually impassive Naboo had to claim defeat, and removed his turban, and proceeded to fan himself with it. Both he and his familiar sat slumped on the sofa, with a shaman-powered fan at their feet, blowing Antarctic air into their faces, and whipping their hair about.
Vince had sat in the corner of the room moaning about how the heat made straightening his hair impossible and how he was so bored.
After about 10 minutes Naboo was practically begging Howard to get him out of the flat.
So that was how Howard and Vince had found themselves in the old van; with the air-con on full blast, speeding towards the nearest strawberry-picking facility. It had taken about half an hour for Vince to believe that strawberries grew on bushes, but now he was as excited as an adventurous fish that had just discovered the nearby rapids.
"The good ones won't all be gone Vince" Howard sighed, attempting to keep a straight face.
"But how do you know that? When everyone finds out about them they'll be gone well quick. Can't you drive any faster?"
"No, I cannot 'drive any faster' Vince, I'm only 5 miles per hour below the speed limit as it is!" Howard huffed. "And anyway, everyone already knows about the strawberry bushes."
That was, quite possibly, the worst possible thing to say. Vince spent the next 10 minutes harassing Howard at every turn, trying to get him to overtake other cars in the one-way system and pressing every button on the radio, all the while moaning that it was a waste of time now anyway because they would have run out.
Howard could've sworn he felt himself sprouting grey hairs.
...
When they finally arrived at the small farm shop Vince practically leaped from the van and managed to get to the shop door before Howard had even managed to get his seatbelt off.
"Vince!" Howard called, "Don't run-off!"
'Oh God.' He thought 'now I sound like his dad as well.' But he was glad to see that Vince was jiggling impatiently at the shop entrance.
"C'mon Howard!" he shouted over to the taller man who was grabbing his wallet out the back of the van. Luckily, Naboo had wanted Vince out the shop so much that he had just flung the shop credit card at Howard, and told him that he didn't care how much they spent, could they please just stay out till it cooled down?
Howard wandered over to where Vince was waiting at the front of the shop. "Alright?" he asked, and was answered with a long babble of talk that pretty much translated to 'can we start now?'
After they had bought a punnet each from the woman behind the till, (who had kept throwing coy glances at Vince, that was, until he squealed in delight at the little basket he had been given and practically skipped out towards the picking area), they began to wander through the sweet-smelling bushes. Howard made sure he was always behind Vince, trying to make sure he didn't somehow find a way to make strawberry picking fatal. He really wouldn't put it past him.
He watched with a small grin on his face as the younger man seemed to be absorbed in his task, studying each strawberry before he picked it; checking for even the slightest hint of green. Howard was quite content to just walk behind him, picking all the perfectly good berries that Vince had rejected. He smiled when Vince began to hum to himself between bushes. Occasionally mumbling the chorus; quiet enough that only he and Howard could hear him. Howard recognised the sounds of one of Vince's favourite Kinks song, and even began to tap his hand against his leg to the beat. Vince's happiness was contagious.
"And I love to live so pleasantly,
Live this life of luxury.
Lazing on a sunny afternoon;
In the summertime,
In the summertime,
In the summertime,
In the summertime…"
….
When they arrived back at the Nabootique in the early evening, with stained red lips and only one basket of strawberries, Naboo and Bollo were sat back in the sofa, watching an old re-run of 'Grow your own Drugs' and making notes. Neither of them noticed that the two men were grinning stupidly, or that Vince didn't even seem to care that he had drips of bright red staining his white shirt. Naboo simply held out his hand for the credit card, and Bollo grunted loudly in greeting.
The rest of the strawberries were eaten that night on the roof, dipped lavishly in sugar and various sprinkles (courtesy of Vince). The heat of the day had lessened slightly, but the warmth was still tangible in the still air. A few small fluffy clouds had floated into the dark sky, and the stars shone brightly, unhindered by the absence of streetlights.
Howard and Vince sat in silence. But it wasn't uncomfortable; there was just no need for words. You've heard them called 'companionable silences', silences where two people are able to just think, and know that the other is doing just the same.
They sat there for 2 hours, quietly eating strawberries under the stars.
And when it was time for a good night's rest, only two words were needed.
"Thank you".
Another A/N: reviews please ;)
Oh also, if anyone wants to email me with any requests/ideas for my other stories/ just a chat they're always welcome, my email is on my bio. :)