Disclaimer: I own nothing

Hehe, some fluff in this one. I couldn't resist.

The Mighty Boosh

Holly woke the next morning at 10am, because Vince was banging around the room, apparently looking for something. She groaned and rubbed her eyes, sitting up slowly, looking at him in annoyance.

' What're you doing? ' she groaned,' it's Sunday! When normal people sleep in! '

Vince grinned, turning around from where he was rifling through the wardrobe,' Ah, morning Holly. ' And without another word he turned bck to the wardrobe.

' Looking for something? ' she asked.

' Got it,' he announced, triumphantly holding up a bright blue trilby hat.

' Hey! That's mine,' she protested, clambering out of bed and very nearly falling over.

' Can't I borrow it? It matches the outfit,' he pointed out.

Holly regarded him a moment, before shaking her head,' No - it doesn't. You've got green pants and a red shirt! You look like a christmas tree! '

' Hey! I'm reliably informed that the mis-matched look is coming back in! Besides, I'm off out with Leroy today, and I wanna look cool - he's gonna take me to meet some hot girls he knows. '

' Well you're not having my hat - I want to wear it today! ' Holly said, plucking it from his unsuspecting fingers.

' What? ' Vince frowned,' you haven't even got dressed - how d'you know what hat's gonna go with your clothes? '

' I don't,' Holly admitted, twirling the hat around on her finger,' but I just really like this hat - you know I have a things for hats right now. '

Vince stuck his tounge out at her and huffed,' Fine. I'll just wear my boring black hat. '

' Great,' Holly nodded, jamming the vivid blue har on her head and laying back down in her bed.

She layed awake for a while, before telling herself that she might as well get up since she wasn't going to get any more sleep now.

She got up and washed and dressed quickly, jeans and a t-shirt, but was sure to put the hat on - it wasn't that she had particularly wanted to wear it, but she'd wanted to annoy Vince - he always borrowed her stuff, and she never got a lot of it back. At least she return his stuff ... most of the time.

When she entered the kitchen, Naboo and Bollo were playing cards in the living room, Vince was buttoning his jacket up, ready to leave and Howard was reading the paper at the table.

' Hey guys,' she said as she entered the kitchen.

Naboo looked up briefly and muttered,' Hey,' whilst Bollo nodded at her. Vince didn't acknowledge her, having already seen her today. Rolling her eyes at their lack of response, she crossed from the living room to the kitchen.

' Morning Holly,' Howard said quickly as she passed him. Immediately, he cursed himself for being so eager. However, she didn't seem to notice, he thought thankfully.

' Hey Howard,' she said warmly, heading for the cupboards in the kitchen.

' Right, I'm off to meet Leroy! ' Vince called. After an inquiry into when he'd be back (he didn't know) and if he'd be back for dinner (he had no idea if he'd be back at all that night) his friends said goodbye and let him leave the house.

' These girls must be something special,' Howard said,' it's not like him to be up so early. '

Holly cleared her throat - he was still reading the paper, and she'd been staring at him. He was quite handsome when he was concentrating. ' Um ... yeah,' she said. God, this wasn't like her, she thought, she wasn't one to get tounge tied, or shy.

This was all the Moon's fault - it had gone on about love, with its infuriating song, and if had made her realise she was in love with Howard. Being in love was something new - it was ... weird. It made her feel insecure and light-headed.

She realised she was still staring at his face in profile, and turned her back to him, flicking the switch on the kettle.

' Cuppa? ' she asked him, the two syllabes catching in her throat.

' Mmmmm, please,' he agreed.

' Better make Naboo and Bollo one too - last time I missed them out, I thought Bollo was going to throw something at me,' she told him.

She opened the cupboard where the cups were kept, only to see that none of them were there. They weren't on the draining board from where she'd done the washing up last night, either. Yeah, she'd actually done it - they worked on a rota for cooking, cleaning the kitchen and living room, and doing the dishes. A rota which Vince never stuck to and Bollo usually forgot about, which meant that the other three got to do the bulk of it.

Sighed, she opened the next cupboard - maybe someone had put them away in the wrong place. The cups weren't in any of the lower cupboards.

By now she was opening and shutting the doors of said cupboards quite loudly, and Howard had lowered his newpaper to watch her in amusement.

Pulling a face, she stretched out an arm and yanked open the cupboard above the one she'd originally tried. The cups were all there on the higher of the two shelves - the shelf she couldn't reach.

' Ugh,' she complained, looking over her shoulder at Howard,' Bollo's put everything away again, I take it? Why does he have to put them there? He knows I can't reach up there - nor can Naboo, he's even shorter than I am.'

Howard continued to look amused,' Here, let me help,' he said, coming to stand behind her and reaching up to retrieve the mugs. Her back was pressed against his chest and he blushed at the close proximity - she feeling equally flustered.

She could feel his quick heartbeat as she was pressed against him, and one of his arms was almost touching her cheek as he reached up.

He was embarrassed at being so close, but also pleased about the way being close to her gave him such a thrill. Her stomach lurched with every milli-second of the touch.

When he put the 4th and final cup on the worktop, Holly turned around quickly, her nose pressed against his chest. She blushed and lifted her head.

A moment of electricity seemed to pass between them and they just stared at each other. Howard found himself spell-bound by her vivid blue eyes, which seemed only more vivid by the bright blue hat and matching feather boa. Their hips were almost welded together and neither of them seemed to have the will power to move.

Holly smiled - not her usual broad grin, but a softer smile - and looked down, breaking the gaze, before looking back at him.

Howard cleared his throat,' Well ... um ... '

Holly shook her head,' Sorry, Howard,' she mumbled, placing her hands on his shoulders and sliding from her place, trapped between Howard and the worktop.

Howard stood there for a minute as she crossed to the fridge to get some milk, wondering what had just happened - they'd just ... stood there. God, things were getting weird.

Holly tried to hide from Howard by heading for the fridge. What was happening wth them? She'd just stood there ... staring. Was this what love was? God, love was odd.

*****

The house phone rang at about 6pm, and Howard was the one who answered it.

He was met by an excited Vince telling him he was going to a club with Leroy and the girls, and probably wouldn't be bakc that night.

Holly was watching America's Top Model, which she'd taped a few days early and not had a chance to watch until now, and listened to Howard's side of the conversation.

' Vince, yeah, hi ... yeah, we're all fine ... oh, at all? ... Alright, well thanks for letting us know, you know how your sister would flap about it ... d'you want to talk to her, by the way? She's just here ... '

' Nah, you're alright,' Holly heard Vince say loudly, clearly meaning for Holly to hear.

' Cheers, Vince! ' Holly shouted, knowing Vince would hear her,' nothing like a bit of love from your big brother, is there? '

' Ok see you later, Vince,' Howard said, hanging up.

He then looked at Holly,' Vince says he's off to a club tonight - getting on well with one of the girls, might not be back tonight. '

Holly nodded,' Alright. Great, actually - means I get the room to myself. I love him like, but he's started snoring. I can't do with it ... Oh no way! It's Vince's turn to do all the washing up '

' So I'll do it,' Howard shrugged.

' You're cooking,' Holly reminded him,' it's not fair that you have to do everything ... '

' I don't mind,' Howard told her.

Holly paused before saying,' I'll tell you what; you cook and I'll do the washing up,' she offered.

' You washed up last night,' Howard pointed out,' and you hate washing up ... you say it messes your nails up ... how about we both do the washing up, eh? You wash, I'll dry. Or the other way around. '

Howard rustled up a lasagne for dinner - Howard was quite a good cook, Bollo was suprisingly good and Naboo cooked all sorts of things with spices and herbs. Vince couldn't cook at all - his turns to cook usually compromised of micro-wave meals and takeouts.

When she first moved in, Holly had tried to cook, but after the time she set fire to the kitchen - resulting in she and Vince running around throwing water and covering it up with towels, and Howard then exasperatedly showing them where the fire extinguisher was - Naboo banned her from using the kitchen. So she too, resorted to take-away menus.

After eating, Bollo and Naboo went to tidy up the attic leaving the other two together.

Holly grinned at the pile of dishes in the sink - so many that they were almost falling out of said sink. It was suprising just how many pots and pans Howard had managed to use in cooking a meal for just four people.

' Guess we'd better get on with this lot, yeah? ' she smirked at him.

Howard nodded,' What're you doing? ' he asked.

She paused, before saying,' I'll wash up. I hated getting my nails messed up, but then Vince showed me those cool rubber gloves he uses, so it's quite fun now. '

Howard laughed and soon after, Holly was standing at the sink wearing the pink and green striped rubber gloves which went all the up to her elbows. Howard stood beside her, in front of the draining board, holding an orange towel.

' Did you have to put that much washing up liquid in? ' Howard asked her, shaking his head.

Holly picked up a plate and washed it with the green scrub, grinning without looking at him,' But I like all the bubbles ... they're funny! '

Howard rolled his eyes and didn't answer.

They slipped into a silence which lasted only a few moments, before Holly filled it - silence wasn't good, she decided. ' You know,' she said,' I hope Vince starts taking a few more nights out - I could do without his snoring sometimes.'

' Is that why you went on the roof last night? ' Howard asked.

Holly shrugged,' No that was just - hey wait! How did you know I was out there? '

Howard pulled a face,' I dunno - I couldn't sleep, and I heard someone go up to the attic. Knew it wasn't Vince since he sleeps like a baby - Bollo hates going on the roof and it didn't seem like Naboo, because his room's at the other end of the corridor . . . so what were you doing out there? '

Holly blushed, not wanting to tell him of her pondering love,' I was talking to the moon. '

Howard gave her a look of disbelief - the look he often gave Vince when he was talking about things that just sounded like rubbish,' You were talking to the moon? ' he asked.

' Yeah,' she answered innocently.

' Talking? To the moon? ' Howard asked as she handed him a plate.

' Yeah! ' she repeated, more defensively this time.

' And does the moon ... talk back? ' Howard asked, raising his eyebrows.

' Sure does,' nodded Holly,' I dunno if it talks to everyone, but it always talks to me when I try talking to it. S'quite nice actually, if a little ... backwards. '

' So, just to clarify, you went on the roof to talk to the moon? ' Howard asked.

' Oh, no,' Holly told him, shaking his head,' I actually went there to just sit and think and stuff, and I ended up talking to the moon. Don't you think the roof is a good place to sit and think and stuff? '

' What d'you have to think about? ' he asked.

She shrugged, knowing she couldn't tell him she'd been thinking about her newly discovered love for him - that was just out of the question.

' C'mon, you're a sunshine kid,' Howard grinned,' you don't get all serious and brooding ... '

Holly stuck her tounge out at him, and gathered some of the bubbles up in her hands, throwing them in Howards face.

She laughed as Howard spluttered; Howard narrowed his eyes and it made her laugh even more.

' You look like a shrimp,' she giggled, causing him to frown at her.

' Howard Moon does not look like a shrimp, Sir,' he said indignantly,' or madam, I suppose. '

She gathered more of the frothy bubbles in her hands and batted them in his direction. He tried batting them back, and after this proved inefficent, he decided enough was enough and leaned into the sink, picking up a handful of bubbles and shoving them into her face.

' My hair,' she shrieked, a hand flying to the bits of her hair that hung out from the bottom of the trilby,' Right, that's it - this means war! '

And then they were involved in a full scale war. Neither of them stopped to think how childish it was - somehow it didn't matter right now. All they were bothered about was having fun.

Eventually, their war was broken up when Naboo stormed into the kitchen.

' Will you two ballbags keep the noise down? ' he demanded,' and what the hell have you done to my kitchen? It looks a right state! '

It was true that water was everywhere and the most of the dishes remained unwashed. Howard and Holly's clothes were all wet and both of them were pink cheeked and out of breath from the laughter.

' Get it cleaned up, will you? ' Naboo commanded before stalking away.

When he was gone, Holly burst into quiet giggles, and Howard rolled his eyes.

' This is all your fault, Holly. You and your bubbles. '