HAPPYHOLIDAYS: Got this done just a few minutes ago :D Your reviews make me feel happy inside, especially those pertaining to imagery and little hidden meanings they picked up on :) cause I litter this story with a lot of that stuff. Here ya go! Tried to make it happy and bright for the festivities!

chapter 22

Howard currently stood in the zoo centre, one hand clamped down over Vince's mouth, and the other waving off the surrounding keepers with a nervous smile. They just shook their heads and moved on with their lunch hours. When Howard was certain they had tuned him and the kid out, Howard finally released the boy, who whipped around to stare up at him, eyes huge.

"What was that for!?"

"What was that for? I never asked you to go and invite the entire staff to my performance!"

"Oh come on, Howard! You're always complainin' about how no one in this zoo ever gives you the time of day. Here's your chance to get some recognition!"

Howard didn't have a counter-argument for that. It was silly, but he didn't want anyone he knew personally, and had to encounter every day, to see him up on stage singing. It was an old insecurity, this not wanting to put himself out on a limb, for fear of being judged, but it was just one of Howard's foibles he'd never been able to shake off over the years.

Vince looked guilty now at Howard's obvious discomfort, and made to allay some of his friend's worry. He shrugged loosely, gesturing at the backs of a few retreating keepers.

"Well, you shouldn't worry too much. None of them seemed too enthusiastic. Doubt any of them will even show up...sorry, Howard. Guess I should've asked before shouting out to everyone about your gig."

"That's alright, Little Man."

Howard shrugged off his earlier panic with a pat on Vince's shoulder. Looking to his wristwatch, he realised that they only had four minutes left to their free time. Best get an early start. Saying so to Vince, who shook his head at Howard, the man went off toward his assigned post, the aviary. Looking back, he observed Vince from a distance for a few moments, sitting on their bench and listing to Fossil dance around in his office to some pop band. Howard then went about the rest of his day, trying very hard not to let his mind wander to his new gig, which would be in only three days now.

The rest of the day passed in relative quiet, except for Vince's little "dress-up" stunt he tried to pull with the lion. Poor old cat didn't know what was happening, and Vince was just lucky the animal had no teeth anymore. Still, Howard was internally grateful for the distraction from his entangling thoughts. Externally, he was dragging Vince from the lion's exhibit by the arm.

An unexpected knock at the Lodge door brought Howard's eyes from the television. Vince also looked up from his coveted new book, which he was currently scribbling in with a neon green pencil.

Getting up, Howard walked toward the door, opening it to reveal Joey Moose. The man leant on the doorframe, offering Howard an easy smile.

"Hey Moon, what say you and me head on to the pub? Get some drinks, yeah? It's been a while."

It had been a while. Quite a while, in fact. Weeks had gone by since Howard and Moose went out to their usual pub together. Funny, Howard honestly hadn't even thought about going out at night like he used to. Not since he had a reason to stay in. Howard glanced toward where Vince sat, cross-legged on Howard's bed. The boy looked on between the two men in silence. Howard turned back to Moose, offering him an apologetic smile and shrug.

"Sorry, Joey, but I think I'll just stay in tonight..."

Moose's smile became a bit sadder, and Howard couldn't help but feel guilty for his once-drinking buddy. The man stood straight and began stepping away, nodding slightly.

"Alright, then, mate. I get ya. See you around."

He walked off into the night, toward the zoo gates, and Howard closed and re-latched the door. He made his slow way back to sit down on the couch, glancing over to Vince, who in turn watched him for a few minutes before going back to his writing, pencil now moving slower than before. Abruptly the boy whipped his head up to look across the room at Howard, and the man braced himself for some kind of question pertaining to Moose or why he didn't go out for drinks like he used to.

"Why're you growin' whiskers out, Howard?"

Well that was unexpected. It took the man a moment to reply, brows drawn in confusion.

"W-well, I've actually been thinking about growing a mustache. Think it'd look quite nice-"

"More like gross! Shave that thing off 'fore it gets worse, Howard."

The older man sighed and gave Vince a reproachful look, which the boy combated with a stare of his own, eyebrows raising. Why did the kid always have to take issue with the strangest things! Besides, a mustache was sure to make him appear older and more mature, and now that he knew he was to be up on a stage singing a crazy song created from the brain of a child, well, perhaps a mustache would show that he wanted to be taken seriously. Nooka had had a mustache, after all; and used to carry on and on about how it was a dignified symbol of manhood. The boy wouldn't understand all that, though. He was just a boy. Best to give him a simple answer.

"I'm not shaving it off, Vince."

"Well I will! Just you wait-"

"If I wake up to find it gone, I'll come at you like a buzzard, you got it?"

Now it was the kid's turn to sigh heavily, and lower his head back to his writing, leaving Howard in blissful silence for a few hours before the man decided it was time to sleep.

Howard stood stiffly in the Keeper Lodge as Vince circled around him, adjusting here and inspecting there. Howard wasn't entirely certain how Vince asking him what he planned on wearing to the gig resulted in nearly two hours of Vince rooting around through Howard's old clothes; the ones he hardly ever wore anymore. The teenager grinned widely as Howard watched the cogs and wheels move at an accelerated speed within his head.

Finally, Vince stopped prowling about his person, coming to stand in front if Howard, who let out the breath he'd been holding in. Vince's expression held approval, which boosted the older man's confidence quite a bit. Vince looked at him, smirk playing up the side of his face, but his eyes held a more genuine smile.

"My my my, you're gonna look sharp tonight! With this outfit and my song, you're sure to get his attention!"

Howard smiled back down at the boy, before what he said fully registered.

"Wait what? Him? Who's him?"

"Oh? Didn't I tell you? Yeah, the head of Pieface Records is gonna be there."

Vince's tone as well as the way he walked away from Howard to the other side of the room told Howard that the boy had been keeping this secret from him on purpose, and for good reason. All of Howard's self-confidence crawled into the cracks in the wooden walls as he felt himself deflate like a leathery balloon.

"Oh god. Vince I can't do this!"

"Yes you can-"

"No I can't! You never said the head of a record company was gonna be there!"

"What difference does it make?"

"It makes all the difference!"

Vince sighed and looked up at Howard, hands on his hips in an exasperated manner that made Howard feel ten. Vince did have a point. Howard would've just done the show the same whether he knew the head of whatever record thing was there or not. Howard sat down on the couch, checking the time and noting that they had about fifty minutes before they had to be there.

The walk there took an agonising eternity, Vince all the while fluttering around him in circles as they moved down the pavement, throwing compliments and reassurances at the older man every second, his breath steaming visibly around them both like fog. Howard knew the kid was only trying to help him, but his voice grated on Howard's brain and eventually he had grabbed the kid mid-circle and, as gently as he could, told him to shut up.

Howard once again felt that amazing rush as he sat on stage, singing for all he was worth, trying not to think about how weird the song itself was or the crowd watching him, lest he dry-heave like he did about ten minutes ago in the toilets. He was honestly very grateful to Vince; not just for standing over him as he spat up bile, hands moving in soothing circle over his back. No, he was grateful that the boy had so much faith in him and his talents that he got him into gigs like this. He pretty much forced Howard to realise his potential, and as soon as Howard had stopped kicking and screaming, so to speak, he'd felt nothing but gratitude.

Before Howard wanted it to, the song was coming to an end. This time, however, Howard let his instincts overtake him, and instead of slowing the tune to a stop, he simply played on. He no longer sang; the lyrics were over, but Howard fingers glided over the guitar as he improvised a tune that carried on for a few more minutes before the man got ahold of himself. Howard reluctantly closed his song off, and relinquished the stage to the next talent scheduled for that night.

Vince waited for him this time at a table they'd gotten just before Howard went on. His face seemed to be a cross between surprised and amazed. He leant up on his elbows the instant Howard sat down across from him.

"What was that!?"

"Um...improv?"

Now that Howard was off the stage, it was like a switch had been flipped. Now he stared down at his hands, self-consciousness keeping him from daring to look up at the surrounding people who he felt were watching him. They had to be. Argh, he had done horribly! He knew he should've just made up his own damn song!

"That was amazin', Howard! I mean, it was a little jazzy for my tastes but-"

"Oh who are you kidding, I was awful-"

"C'mon Howard, stop beatin' yourself up and just be happy. You did great!"

Howard smiled across at the kid as a waitress came over. Howard once again let the boy order an alcoholic beverage, but on the condition that he only have three at the most. Vince looked at him like he was a lunatic, but conceded. Howard himself just ordered water. Drinks were expensive and he needed to save up his money. A certain fifteen-year-old had a birthday coming up in the next week and Howard was planning on a frantic scouring of the town next time he went for groceries.

When Vince was into his second drink a man came up to their table. He was smartly dressed, and Vince instantly put his glass down, signaling to Howard as he talked.

"Howard, this is the head of Pieface Records-"

"Please, call me Arthur."

The man smiled politely as he stepped around Vince's chair and shook hands with Howard, who didn't trust his voice and so just smiled silently.

"Your performance this evening was rather impressive. Your musical skills are rather excellent, and the lyrics are so...strange. But that's what's popular these days, isn't it; an air of oddness. I like you sir, what's your name?"

"Uh, Moon, Howard Moon."

"I like you, Howard. I'll definitely be keeping my eye on you in the future."

With that, the man walked back to wherever he had come from in the dimly lit room. Howard was too busy seeing stars to really pay much mind to anything for the rest of their time in the restaurant to halfway home, finally coming back to himself as he crossed the road with Vince ahead of him. The boy seemed lost in his own musings, and Howard left him to it, continuing the walk home in mutual silence.

Vince hadn't needed to plan Howard's next performance. Turns out the little brat had given out Howard's number to various places, and the man received a call one afternoon not even two days after his last gig. If he were a freer soul he would've danced. Vince clapped him on the back, singing his praises with a wide grin and a 'you see?' look on his face.

The next day, as he and Vince sat around eating their lunch, Mrs. Gideon walked by, and Howard had did the unthinkable. Before he could talk himself out of it, he was asking her to come to his performance. She had smiled brightly and agreed to meet him there. Howard had glowed the rest of the evening, only just remembering at the last minute that he was to search out a present for the kid. Thank god Vince always opted out of grocery shopping with him, claiming that he'd die of boredom.

Vince had planned a large party in the Lodge, but it would have to be a few days off from his actual birthday, as they had to wait until the weekend, since Vince told them all they could stay the night; and without even asking Howard first! Honestly, it would've been alright with Howard, if his gig hadn't been planned on the very same night. He wasn't sure if Vince did it on purpose or if it was simply bad timing. Either way, he quickly laid down some ground rules as the kid rolled his eyes and assured the man that it would only be his friends from school.

That's what Howard was worried about.

Vince, Howard and Leroy gathered around on the floor, Howard's large duvet cast underneath them. They were each digging into a small cake Leroy had brought with him, which Howard was very relieved for, as he honestly couldn't afford to buy one himself.

Howard was quite proud of his final choice as a present for Vince. He'd spotted it through a shop window. It was a pure white cowboy hat with a simple silver ribbon sewed around it, and Vince had literally tackled Howard to the floor when he'd revealed it. It wasn't by any means as expensive as Leroy's gift, but Vince currently wore it atop his head proudly, as though it were a crown, and that was all the man cared about.

Speaking of, Leroy's gift was a new video recorder. He'd even bought a few tapes for Vince to fill up, which he surely would within the month, at least. Howard held it up now, fitting a cassette in and trying to figure out how the damnable thing worked.

"Is it on? I can't tell."

"It's on, mate, see the red light? That means it's recording."

Howard, who'd been holding the recorder on Leroy while he'd talked, now swiveled it to face Vince, who sat with his knees tucked under him and a mouth full of cake. Howard smiled at the kid as Vince gave him a dirty look for filming him while he was eating.

"So, how old are we today, Vince?"

Howard hated that question. His mother used to ask him that every freaking year, and for some reason it always irked him. It just felt patronising somehow, as though he were three years old and didn't have the mind to know his own age. Nonetheless, he found himself uttering the same dreaded sentence to the boy before him, who hardly paused in his savage eating of the cake. Some things don't change with age, it seemed.

"I'm sixteen years old."

A bit of cake fell from his mouth, and he scrambled to scoop it up and back into his mouth, causing Howard to grimace and Leroy to laugh, smacking Vince's arm when he stuck up two of his fingers at him. Howard hadn't been so sure of Leroy when he'd first met him, but after spending the night talking casually with him as they lay down the duvet and had Vince close his eyes as they brought out the cake, Howard thought that the young man was alright. Hey, Vince could've done a lot worse in choosing a best friend. Howard smiled at Vince from behind the camera Vince, throwing another question out there for lack of anything else to say.

"So, you'll be driving by next year; should start practicing now. You know, I can teach you. We'll have to borrow Leroy's car, if that's alright with him. It'd have to be a scheduled thing. Maybe you can come over for a weekend an-"

Howard had begun talking with Leroy toward the end there, and the young man had been nodding back at Howard as they readied to make plans for Vince's driving education. But before they could even start, the kid was sitting straight and talking over Howard.

"'M not driving."

Both men looked down at him, brows drawn in confusion. They spoke in unison.

"What?"

"Why?"

"Because, I just don't want to."

Howard shook his head at the kid. He couldn't be serious.

"Vince, everyone needs to at least know how to drive. I mean, I'm not saying we're going to buy you a car any day soon, but some day you're going to need one to get around. I mean, who's going to drive you everywhere your whole life, a chauffeur?"

"You will."

Vince was no longer looking into the camera, which was still aimed on him. He looked past it and straight at Howard, with a completely serious expression. He seemed so sure of himself and the knowledge that Howard would drive him everywhere his entire life. Howard sighed, his tone coming out softly, trying to get the boy to see reason.

"I'm not going to be able to do that your entire life, Vince. After all, I'm not going to live forever. You need to learn to care for yourself."

Vince ignored his last sentence; a small, still serious smile settling on his face.

"Of course you will, Howard."

Leroy had thankfully broken the silent static that was building in the air by asking for the recorder from Howard so he could film both he and Vince as they finished off the last of their cake in silence. Howard loved the kid dearly, but he really hoped Vince would start living in the real world sometime soon. He was growing far too old for this make-believe nonsense.

(You know what would make a fine present? Why, a review! haha only joking. not really. Have a great Christmas, everyone! Hope you enjoyed this chapter!)