My internet's been back for 15 minutes now and the first thing i'm going to do is upload! =] Also, can you let me know if there appears to be big chunks of text missing. Everytime I push 'save' some of it disapears. I think it's all there now though! Flaming internet! Argh!

It took Howard ages to find the King's Head. It was lucky he'd set out so much earlier than necessary. He still didn't know his way around at all. London was so big and it all looked the same to him. The taxi driver had tried to help him remember the street but Howard could tell he was getting fed up, so eventually, he'd just got out and taken his chances walking. He knew he wasn't far away… at least he hoped he wasn't far away. When Howard saw the battered sign of the old corner pub, he was hit with two conflicting emotions. Pride, that he'd found the pub all by himself and anxiousness, because he wasn't even sure Vince would turn up. He hadn't looked overly enthusiastic about the idea back at the hut and he'd done his best to get rid of Howard. Oh well, Howard decided, even if Vince wasn't here, a pub would be the best place to drown his sorrows.

He needn't have worried. As soon as he stepped over the threshold he spotted Vince. He sat at a table with two pints and his face broke into a massive grin of relief, when he saw Howard. Howard couldn't help feel Vince looked better, he wasn't shaking and pale anymore.

"Hey." Vince beamed as Howard slid into his seat.

"Evening." he smiled back, "This mine?" he indicated the nearest pint and took a sip when Vince said that is was."I needed that." Howard smiled. Vince nodded. "So, how did the rest of the festival go?"

"Yeah. It was good." Vince said. "Interviewed a few people, you know, usual stuff."

"Good."

"Yeah."

Then the silence hit. Loud and awkward. They both took simultaneous sips of their beers and the glasses hit the table at the same time but that silence didn't leave. They were both racking their brains for something to say but all either of them could think about was the weird ending to the earlier meeting.

"It's nice here." Howard tried eventually.

"Mm." Vince nodded. "I come here quite a bit with Kath."

The silence returned but Howard decided to press on with the conversation; "That's your girlfriend?"

Vince nodded and despite himself and all his better judgement Howard felt his stomach clench a little."What's she like then?"

Vince began to talk about her. She liked strawberries and the colour blue. She worked as a producer at the radio station and had been the one to give Vince a job. She liked reading and culture but could also challenge Vince at Super Mario Kart on the Super Nintendo. She seemed perfect for Vince and with every word the smaller man spoke, Howard became just a little less fond of Kath. "What about you?" Vince asked eventually. "You seeing anyone?"

"No." Howard said, "Haven't really seen anyone since…" I fell in love with you twenty years ago, something in the back of his mind screamed. And, as Howard looked at Vince, his expression open and interested, his eyes so bright and unforgettable, his grin so boyish and cheeky, he realised it was true but he couldn't say that. So instead he finished; "since a girl from uni. She broke my heart." That was true enough. There had been a girl in university, about the only person in his existence who'd ever shown even the slightest bit of interested in him, and she had dumped him, because she was sick of the fact Howard had never really made an effort with her, but his heart had been far from broken. Not in the way it broke whenever he thought about how he'd abandoned Vince all those years ago. Vince began to ask about her and Howard answered every question with ease. He didn't mind telling Vince anything. He knew everything would be safe with him. Even after all those years of separation he still trusted his old friend.

--

They started to meet up more often. The conversation was becoming easier. They were slipping back to the way they used to be. It was just like riding a bike. Private jokes started leaping back to the surface and phrases like 'hey, do you remember that time when…' were uttered every other minute. They'd laugh and joke for hours in the pub and then, undoubtedly, Howard would say something about Vince's boarding school or about his dad and Vince would suddenly be in a rush to leave. Howard would sigh afterwards annoyed with himself for being so stupid but it wasn't his fault. The curiosity kept getting the better of him. He couldn't help himself. He just kept blurting out the unanswered questions and there were still so many to blurt.

--

Vince was sat in the armchair in his living room, twiddling with the remote idly in his hands. It was the last episode of that new show 'Friends', which Kath, along with the rest of the world, seemed obsessed with but Vince wasn't really interested. He was thinking about Howard but wasn't he always recently? Ever since he'd met up with him, his old friend had been a screensaver for his brain. If he wasn't thinking about something else, he was sure as hell thinking about laughed loudly and Vince jumped, dropping the remote which clattered noisily to the floor.

"You okay?"

"Huh? What? Yeah. I'm fine." Vince gabbled, picking up the remote and throwing it gently to her.

"What are you giving me this for?"

"Didn't you say you wanted it?" he asked distractedly.

"No." she frowned. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. I'm fine."

"Riiight." she said, returning her attention to the programme and laughing again. Vince tried to watch it. He really, honestly tried. Usually, he quite liked the programme but today it was just annoying him and it didn't help that Kath had decided to commentate on every little thing that was happening.

"Oh no." she cried. "Ross tell her. Tell her you love her."

Vince groaned silently and tried to concentrate on something else as Kath giggled, "Ooo. Chandler's told Rachel. She's going to have to go after him. Go after him!"

Vince managed to occupy his mind by watching a pigeon, who was on the building opposite. He wasn't doing anything particularly interesting he was just going about his life's business, cooing and waddling as pigeons do. Vince thought about how brilliant it must be to be a pigeon. No boundaries, no rules, just you and the ability to fly where you want when you want. He knew where he'd be flying now if he could, to Howard's.

He wanted a bit of bloke time down the pub but as much as he enjoyed spending time with Howard, it was also waking up a hideous feeling in the very pit of his stomach. Every time he saw Howard now, he had to fight the ever-growing urge to hurl. He wanted to meet up with Howard all the time but he felt like his body was rejecting it. Every smile, every wink, every inside joke, bringing him and Howard closer but at the same time, somehow, pushing them further apart. He sighed. He was sure pigeons didn't have these sorts of problems.

Just then, Kath started ranting at the TV again.

"No. No. You don't like her! Oh Ross what are you doing? You're with the wrong girl. You're in love with Rachel."

Vince looked at Kath as the credits ran down the screen. She sighed.

"Don't you just hate it when two people who are in love just don't get to be together?"

Vince nodded, still slightly lost in his pigeon daydream and then he said; "They'll get there in the end though. Last ever episode probably because the writers will want to drag out the 'will they, won't they' scenario for as long as physically possible."

"I know." she sighed, getting up and sitting herself on Vince's lap. She curled into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "It's just sad."

"Mm." Vince agreed, rubbing her back gently for a moment before; "Right, well, I'm gonna go to bed."

"What? We haven't even had tea."

"I know but I'm tired and…" There was no 'and' so he just trailed off with another thing about being tired.

"Okay." she said, sitting up and looking at Vince, her blue eyes full of concern. "Are you sure you're alright? You've been acting really weirdly recently. It's like you're not really here. You seem a bit… distracted."

"It's just work." Vince lied. "There's loads to do at the moment. You know they're having a bit of a reshuffle of the DJ's. It's hectic."

"Hmmm." Kath frowned, running her fingers through Vince's short hair. She didn't look even half-way convinced but Vince, ignoring her obvious scepticism, pushed her off his lap gently and went to bed.

--

"Kath reckons I'm acting weirdly."

"You seem fine to me."

"Yeah but she's said it a few times now and she does know me best."

"Hmm." Howard failed to disguise his frown as he sipped his beer.

"What?"

"Well, does she really?"

"Who else is going to know me the way she does?"

Howard shrugged but looked straight at Vince, his eyes screamed I know you. I know you better than she does.

"What?" Vince said. "You!?"

Howard shrugged again, burying his nose deep in his pint.

"You've got to be kidding!" Vince seemed outraged. "You waltz back into my life after over twenty years and you think you know me better than she does. You don't. You don't know anything about me."

"Alright, calm down." urged Howard, hyperaware of Vince's raised voice and the other pup-goers who were peering over now with sordid interest.

"I love her." hissed Vince. Howard's stomach knotted like long-forgotten string in the back of an old cupboard but he said;

"I never said you didn't, Vince. I know you love her. I can see it in your eyes when you talk about her."

"Can you?" Vince asked, hating the surprised tone in his voice.

"Yes. But I really thought there'd be place in that heart of yours for a friend like me."

"What?" Vince blanched, his stomach churning furiously. He was going to be sick. He could feel the bile rising in his throat.

"Platonically." Howard clarified, but the red flush of his cheeks gave Vince reason to suspect Howard's feeling might not be entirely platonic. The stomach churning increased. The bile forced it's way up into his throat and he ran to the toilets quickly.

Howard found him hunched over in the end cubical.

"You okay?" he asked from a safe distance.

"Yeah." Vince chuckled feebly. "Probably drank too much."

"Yeah." Howard agreed, though they both knew Vince had had one pint and nothing else. Howard had a horrible feeling that this was strongly linked to Vince's 'food poisoning' back when they were teenagers.