It was late that Friday night, but not as late as it would usually get. Howard was still awake on his bed when he heard the sound of light footsteps on the stairs and before he knew it, Vince opened the door to the bedroom quietly as he didn't want to wake up the Jazz maverick.

There was no need to be quiet, though. Howard sat up in his bed and turned on the lights to let Vince know that he wasn't asleep.

"Vince? Why are you home so early?" Howard asked his friend in a tired, confused voice. "It's only 2am! You never leave the club before 5 in the morning. Didn't you have fun?"

"Don't worry, Howard, the club was genius," Vince whispered to him and grinned reassuringly, "I just didn't feel like stayin' tonight."

Howard kept his eyes on his friend as he sat down on the opposite bed. All of a sudden, he felt quite overwhelmed and he knew that he was dangerously close to blushing; Vince looked stunning. The young electro boy was wearing tight, red satin trousers and an even tighter black satin shirt that revealed his lean, skinny frame. The top buttons on the shirt were left open, and Howard bit his lip as he realised that Vince's chest was exposed.

"Uh…" Howard swallowed hard and blinked a couple of times. "Too crowded perhaps? Or were you just tired?"

Vince shook his head and leaned back against the wall, seemingly determined not to break the eye-contact he had with Howard. (If only he knew how Howard felt every time he looked into those big, blue eyes of his that could outshine a pair of sapphires.)

"No, I wasn't tired." Vince admitted and shrugged. "And it wasn't more crowded than usual. A couple of guys asked me to dance a few times, but I didn't like the way they looked at me so I told them no. But I didn't even leave because of them."

"No?" Howard didn't know why, but it suddenly felt like he was connected to his friend in a manner that was rather new, rather profound. Vince was sitting there in front of him, looking at him, talking to him like Howard was the most important person in the universe. Howard sensed a swelling feeling in his own chest. Vince could have stayed at the club with his numerous friends, he could have danced all night, surrounded by his admirers, he could have been anywhere out there in the fun, exciting, wild streets of London. But instead, he was here. Right in front of Howard. And Howard was dying to know why.

Vince shrugged again as he relaxed against the wall. "I think I left because… Well, just because I felt like it." He said. "I guess I was hopin' to catch you while you were still awake, although I really feared you'd be asleep by now. You always go to bed so early, Howard."

Vince teased Howard by adding an accusing tone as he said this, and now he was grinning at his friend, looking innocent but at the same time, mischievous as ever. Howard's breath got stuck in his throat and he didn't know what to say. Had Vince come home early because of him? What did this even mean?

"Did you come home early because you wanted to see me?" Howard realised that he probably sounded desperate and slightly pathetic. "But why?"

"I just wanted to talk to ya!" Vince announced, looking a bit more serious this time. "I feel like it's been ages since we've talked, just you and me, Howard."

"What? No it hasn't!" Howard could feel his cheeks burning, and so he pulled the covers up closer to his face. He truly hoped that Vince didn't notice. "We talk every day, Vince. We live and work together, remember?"

"That's not what I mean." Vince said, leaning forward and intensifying the way he looked at Howard. "We haven't done anythin' together just the two of us since… Well, I don't really remember. Naboo and Bollo are always with us, and some days I feel like you have been talkin' to them more than me."

It wasn't that Vince sounded sad or hurt, but the look in his eyes still made Howard flinch as the guilt washed over him. He really didn't mean to ignore Vince, or hide behind Naboo and Bollo. He really didn't mean to, but yeah, it had happened anyway, more times than he was willing to admit.

"I'm sorry about that, little man." Howard said in his nonchalant voice. "We can spend more time together, just the two of us, if you want. In fact, there is a TV documentary about the history of jazz tomorrow…"

"No way!" Vince interrupted his friend, half grinning, half scolding. "When I said that I wanted to spend more time with ya, Howard, I meant quality time! And jazz has nothin' to do with quality."

Howard opened his mouth as he thought of a clever come-back, but in the end, he simply gave up. He could barely look Vince in the eyes anymore. Especially not when his friend was wearing that glittery eye-shadow and his hair was all… all straightened, shiny and perfect. It hurt every time he thought about it. Every time he heard Vince laugh or every time he smelled his friend's hairspray. It just hurt, and Howard knew that he needed to look away.

"Hey, Howard, are you okay?" Vince's voice was all soft and full of concern, and Howard's heart grew bigger in his chest, filling him with even more pain. (The sweet, dangerous kind of pain). "Howard, look at me. Please."

Howard told himself to stop being so childish, and so he turned his head around and cast a look upon his friend. Big mistake. Vince smiled at him, calmly. His blue eyes were shining and all Howard could think of was what it would feel like to touch the smooth, soft skin of his or perhaps even feel the warmth of his lips on his own… Oh bloody hell, what a wanker he was! No wonder people thought he was pathetic. This was Vince – Vince for crying out loud – his best friend through so many years. Howard couldn't look at him this way, he just couldn't. And he certainly couldn't shut him out either, just because he was having a crazy daydream every now and then. That wouldn't be fair to the young electro boy who obviously didn't suspect a thing.

Vince sighed quietly, and his eyes grew slightly darker. "See, that's the look you've been givin' me all week. No, all month I think." Vince sighed again and looked down at his own hands. This time, he truly looked upset and Howard wanted to kick himself for making his friend feel this way.

"What look?" Howard asked as though he didn't know what Vince was on about. "I haven't been giving you any looks, have I?"

"Yeah you have." Vince insisted. "You've been giving me really sad stares for ages now, Howard, and it makes me feel really weird. I didn't say anythin' to hurt you, did I? Please tell me what it is, because I can't stand the idea of you being mad at me…"

"Whoa, whoa, hold on, little man," Howard changed his position on the bed, feeling alert, "I'm not mad at you, Vince. Why would you think that?"

"Well, you've been avoidin' me all week." Vince told him straight. "Every time we've been alone together, you've made some weird excuse about havin' to be somewhere else even though I know that's not true. I asked you if you wanted to come with me to Topshop, you said no, I asked you if you wanted to come with me to this new, genius night club, you said no, I asked you if you wanted to hang out and just practise our new gig, you said no." Vince looked down in the floor as though he was beginning to feel uncomfortable about the conversation. "I'm starting to think that you have a problem with me, Howard."

And there it was. The final stab of guilt. Howard couldn't stand it anymore. He couldn't bear to see Vince looking so worried an unsure of himself.

"No – god no, I don't have a problem with you, Vince." Howard got up from his bed and he went over to sit next to his small, skinny mate on the opposite one. "Listen to me, you didn't do or say anything wrong. I'm sorry if I've been acting like a berk recently. I didn't mean to ignore you, I swear."

As soon as Howard had sat down next to him, Vince lightened up instantly and he quickly grew confident enough to smile again. "Do you really mean that?" He said in a much happier voice, and he was his old self again.

"Sure I do." Howard assured him and tried his hardest to smile, even though looking into Vince's precious, gentle face still hurt him more than anything. How could he even begin to describe how beautiful Vince was? How the sound of his cheerful, ecstatic voice and the look of his delicate features made every day of Howard Moon's lonely, pathetic life worth living…

Vince interrupted his chain of thoughts by wrapping his arms around Howard's neck and pulling him into a fierce, heart-felt hug that could have squeezed the breath out of Howard, had the smaller man's arms not been so skinny and unmuscular.

"Thank god," Vince breathed near Howard's ear, and the jazz maverick could feel his own heart beating faster and faster, "the last thing I wanted was for you to be hurt, Howard. That would have been so awful…"

Howard just nodded. He was unable to speak a single word. As his poor, confused heart kept pounding in his chest, his small eyes became slightly watery and he knew that his shaky voice would have betrayed him. How could he live on like this? How could he pretend that everything was fine, that there was no pain in the world, and how could he even stand to be in the same room as Vince when he… when he loved him so much that he just wanted to die!

HVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHV

A few days later, Howard and Vince were driving home from a gig together, the van stuffed with a few of their instruments and, frankly, piles of Vince's outfits. The punk hadn't been sure what to wear, and as they were running late, he had been forced to bring all his options with him. Vince had tried on outfit after outfit in front of Howard, forcing the miserable jazz maverick to help him pick the most stylish, sparkling clothes that would truly remind everyone that he was, in fact, Vince Noir, rock n' roll star. But to Howard Moon, of course, he was rather Vince Noir, love of his life, and for that reason, the ache in his chest returned when he had to watch his friend wearing his shiny clothes and a big grin. He hadn't even been able to tell Vince just how beautiful he looked, as much as he had wanted to. He had chickened out once again and merely told his friend that it didn't matter what he wore – that people were there for the 'sophisticated, jazz-influenced music', not for the stage show.

Lies. It was all lies. Howard knew better than anyone that people had only showed up to look at Vince and admire him from afar. And Howard didn't blame them. Vince had looked magical as always. Adorable, admirable – gorgeous. He had won over every single one of them with his charms.

As they were heading home in the van, Vince looked over at Howard before putting on one of his mixed tapes. As soon as 'Cars' began to play, Howard sighed loudly and gave his friend a quick look of annoyance.

"Is this another one of your Gary Numan tapes?" He groaned miserably. "Vince, please, haven't I told you again and again that you should let the driver pick the music?"

"It's not a Gary Numan tape!" Vince told him whilst moving around in his seat to the music, happy as a clam.

"Then why is Gary Numan playing?" Howard asked him irritably. He was sick and tired of the fact that Vince managed to ignore his song requests every single time. It was all about him. It was all about what Vince Noir wanted. Howard loved him bitterly, deeply, but God – sometimes it felt like the entire world only existed to make the young electro boy happy and grand his every wish. What about Howard Moon's many wishes?

"It's not a Gary Numan tape," Vince insisted with a cheeky smile, "it's a Howard and Vince tape! See."

Vince skipped ahead to the next track, and Howard was stunned to find that one of his own beloved jazz songs was playing. He raised his eyebrows in surprise and looked over at Vince, his mouth falling open.

Vince was clearly amused by the expression on the jazz maverick's face. "Look, I thought it was about time that you and I stopped quarrelling about which songs to listen to. So I made a mixed tape with both your favourites and mine. I guess that's only fair even though my taste in music is clearly better than yours!"

Vince was looking at Howard in anticipation. Howard was taken aback by what he had just heard. Vince did care about his wishes after all. Howard did matter to him, at least in a way. Oh, he could feel the love for his friend blossom painfully in his chest once again…

"Well… thank you." Howard whispered, feeling incredibly stupid. No wonder Vince didn't love him the same way as he loved Vince. No wonder people always made fun of him. No wonder he had never kissed a woman and was still a virgin… Howard felt ashamed of himself for having groaned at Vince and for having assumed that his friend was being selfish. Vince had only been trying to lighten the mood – probably because Howard hadn't spoken a word to him all night. He had been ignoring Vince again, pretending not to listen to him and not to care about his outfits and his make-up. And now he hated himself again for having been so foolish.

"Hey Howard, stop that." Vince said all of a sudden.

"What?" Howard asked, his voice full of confusion.

"Stop giving me those sad eyes. Not again. The gig was genius, everything went better than we thought it would." Vince paused the song and looked over at his tall friend, feeling worried about him all over again. "You… You're not mad at me, are you? I mean, if I said something to annoy you…"

"No, Vince. No. I'm not annoyed." Howard breathed heavily without taking his small eyes off the road. Yeah, he wasn't being convincing at all.

Vince didn't say anything to question this. He didn't dare ask again. Instead, he decided that Howard needed distraction. Whatever problem he was dealing with all by himself, Vince thought that he could do with some cheering up, and so he turned up the music and let it play a different tune, one of the most jolly songs he even knew. Howard turned his head in surprise as Vince began to sing along loudly, almost dancing around goofily with a funny, endearing expression on his face that made the older man's stomach tickle. Vince never failed to make him smile. Not even this time.

"Wh-what are you doing?" Howard asked him in a nervous voice before letting out a small giggle. He simply couldn't help himself.

"What does it look like I'm doin'?" Vince shook his head at him in a taunting, but loving manner. And then he broke into song once again: "I'm walking on sunshiiine…"

Howard laughed at Vince's overly cheerful smile and his extravagant arm movements, and he felt himself loosen up. How could anyone ever feel down when Vince Noir was around? He was such a light in the dark – he always managed to breathe a little bit of life into even the darkest corners of Howard's soul and Howard's mind. Even his heavy heart began to hurt in a sweeter, more satisfactory way. He was breathing in Vince, and Vince was taking over his entire body and system. And Howard loved it. He never wanted to let go of him – never. He couldn't live without someone so beautiful and happy – someone so loving and kind and gentle…

"You really are made of sunshine and rainbows, Vince." Howard breathed hoarsely, but maintained the content smile on his own lips. "I think you're… you're great."

"Cheers, Howard," Vince winked at him, "I think you're pretty great, too."

"No, but I mean… You're really great. You're like the most important thing I have. I – I don't know what I'd do without you."

Howard could feel himself blushing again and he immediately regretted every word. Even though he kept his own eyes on the road, he could sense that Vince was staring at him and he reckoned that the younger man could probably see right through him. It was only a matter of seconds before he figured it all out – before Howard had made a complete fool of himself by declaring his feelings for his only true friend in the world.

"Howard…" Vince whispered, suddenly sounding hoarse and awkward like Howard. "I…"

"No, Vince, hold on." Howard cut him off, too nervous to hear what the other man had to say. "I'm sorry, okay? I didn't mean to freak you out. I was just trying to tell you what a good friend you are. That's all, I promise."

Howard's heart was pounding in his chest once again, and he sensed Vince's hesitation.

"Howard," Vince tried again, "that's great, but I think that I need to be completely honest with you…"

Howard thought that he was going to vomit – oh no, this was Vince trying to tell him thanks, but no thanks. Of course Vince didn't need anyone to freak him out and scare him like this by acting all shifty and intense. What was Howard even thinking?

"No stop, please! No need to say anything, little man." Howard chuckled nervously and it made Vince raise his eyebrows in surprise. "Let's just forget we ever had this talk, shall we?"

Vince studied Howard's face carefully, not sure what he was supposed to make of this. "Is that what you really want, Howard? To forget about our little talk?"

"Yes sir." Howard answered him in an almost panicky voice. "Forget I even said a word."

But as soon as they made it home and Howard parked the van outside of Naboo's flat, Vince couldn't stand his friend's silence anymore.

"Howard," he said and touched the larger man's shoulder before any of them climbed out of the vehicle, "please tell me what's going on. You're acting all weird again."

"No I'm not!" Howard hissed and pulled back like he'd just been stung by a bee. "Please, don't touch me."

"All right." Vince tried to hide his disappointment by looking down at his own feet. "I guess I was just trying to say that I…"

But as soon as he let go of Howard's shoulder, the jazz maverick seized his opportunity to fleet the van and he ran towards the front door, letting himself in before Vince could even get a grip of what had just happened.

"Howard!" Vince followed his friend stubbornly into the flat, but Howard was already upstairs, trying to get as far away from the younger man as possible. "Howard! Howard, what's wrong with you? Are we playing hide and seek or somethin'?"

Vince ran up the stairs and he found Howard standing by the window, facing away from him.

"Howard," he said as he walked straight towards him, "you're scaring me. What's wrong? Why won't you talk to me?"

Howard took in a deep breath, knowing that there was nowhere to run this time. He had to come clean. He had to tell Vince what was going on. There was no other option.

"I can't… I can't talk to you, Vince. Not right now. And not all the time." Howard could feel himself shaking and he was glad that he couldn't see Vince's face and that Vince couldn't see his either. "You have to back off and leave me alone for a while. It's too much. I feel like… I feel like I can't breathe."

Vince's face grew paler with shock. He had never thought that he should hear those words come out of his best friend's mouth. Not in a million years. How could this be happening? It was Howard. It was his Howard! Well, not his, but as good as. How could he be losing him after so many years?

"Howard, what are you saying?" Vince gasped and moved forward even though Howard had asked him to do the opposite. "Are you getting tired of me? Did I do something? What's wrong?"

"It's not something you did," Howard struggled to breathe through his own anxiety, "it's me. I'm sorry, Vince, I just can't be around you right now. It's killing me – I feel like I'm drowning or something…"

"Drowning?" Vince exclaimed dramatically. "Why, Howard? Am I smothering you?"

"Yes… No… It's not your fault. I've just got some issues." Howard trembled again and Vince could see it this time. "I'm sorry, but I'm gonna need you to step back."

"But Howard, it's me." Vince stepped closer and touched the tall man's shoulder again. "You can tell me anythin'. Don't shut me out."

"Don't touch me!" Howard cried out loud and freed himself from Vince's sweet, light touch. "Please, Vince, just leave me alone. I'm begging you!"

Vince was silent for a short moment, but then he couldn't hold his words back. "You are mad at me. I knew it. Please, Howard, tell me what I've done wrong! Please, I can't lose you – not like this. You mean too much to me. You can't just ignore me and shut me out of your life like that. I need you, I…" Vince could barely escape the panic that was building up inside him. If he didn't get Howard to look at him soon, he feared that he might begin to cry. "Howard, I love you!"

Howard thought that his heart skipped a beat when he heard Vince's last words.

"No, you don't!" He heard himself saying and he finally spun around to look at the lean man in front of him, through very teary eyes. "You don't love me – not as I love you, anyway. I truly love you, Vince, can't you see that? Can't you see how much it's killing me every single day?"

"Killing you?" Vince repeated in a scared, desperate voice. "Howard, what do you mean? Do you really love me? And why do you run away from me if you do?"

"Because you don't understand!" Howard blurted out. "Look at you, Vince. You're the most popular person I know. Everybody wants a piece of you. Why would you ever settle for an old, ugly berk like me when you could have anyone you wanted?"

"You're not ugly!" Vince told him firmly, feeling worried now that he knew how low Howard thought of himself. "You might be a little old, but I don't care about that. Howard, it's always been you and me, hasn't it? I don't care about anyone else. I don't want anyone else…"

Vince reached out for the older man's hand, but Howard only took a step back and snorted.

"You're saying that now, Vince. Maybe you're only saying it to make me feel better, I don't know. But what will happen in one year – or in five or ten? When you find someone younger and more handsome than me who likes all the same things as you." Howard wiped away a couple of tears. "I'm not right for you. I have no business thinking about you that way. You're my friend – my best friend. But you could never be my… my…"

Vince thought that he could feel his own heart breaking when he watched the look in Howard's eyes and saw him taking another step back. This could not be happening. He could not lose Howard like this. Oh bloody hell, he had waited too long to tell the poor fool the truth about how he felt!

"You're wrong," Vince told him and stepped forward, "you're wrong, Howard. I could be. I really could."

Without giving it much thought, Vince tried to lean in and kiss the crazy jazz maverick's lips, but Howard panicked and escaped him once again. He ran out of the room, leaving Vince behind to pick up the broken pieces, and he locked himself in the bathroom, falling down to his knees immediately.

He hated himself for doing this. Why had he turned Vince down like that? The love of his life… How could he do that to him? And above all, why couldn't Howard just accept the fact that Vince loved him back? Why couldn't he just let himself be happy? Perhaps he didn't feel like he deserved that kind of happiness… But Vince on the other hand, he certainly did. Howard only wanted for him to find love and be happy – but he had always assumed that that would be with someone else.

It didn't take long before Vince came to the door, begging for Howard to open up so that they could talk. When Howard refused like a stubborn child, he suddenly heard quiet sobs coming from the other side of the door and he knew that he had truly managed to hurt Vince's feelings. Vince was crying – over him. Howard couldn't believe it. Vince never cried. He was made of sunshine and rainbows and everything that was pure and good in this world. Did this mean that, perhaps, Howard was wrong after all? Maybe Vince really did understand the heartache as well as Howard did.

"Howard, I know you don't believe me, but you're the only one for me whether you can see it or not." Vince was trying to speak calmly even though he hadn't managed to keep his tears back. "I'll never be interested in anyone else. I only want you. And I'm sorry if I've ever hurt your feelings or made you believe that I didn't care about you. I'm sorry."

That was it. Howard couldn't stand it anymore. At first, he had truly believed that he was the only one with a heavy heart. But knowing that Vince was hurting too – that was just wrong. Howard dared not make him suffer. He opened the door quietly, and just like that, he was staring right into Vince's confused, surprised blue eyes – bluer than the deepest oceans and ten times more beautiful. Vince began to wipe his tears away, obviously dreading what Howard was about to say to him.

"Did you just apologize to me?" Howard asked in a much more steady voice, looking into Vince's eyes. "You never apologize. Especially not when you haven't done anything wrong."

Howard gave him a careful smile, and Vince blushed furiously, not knowing what to do or say all of a sudden. Howard was stepping up close to him now, and their breaths would soon begin to mingle.

"Well, that's what love does to you." Vince muttered without grinning at all. "It makes you do and say crazy things, right Howard?"

"Right." Howard whispered and snaked his arm around Vince's waist before leaning in again. "I believe you this time, little man. Forgive me for being stupid enough to ever doubt you."

Not wasting any more time, Howard simply closed the space between them, crushing his own lips against Vince's in a desperate, long-awaited kiss.

HVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHV

The door to the bedroom was basically kicked in as Howard had his hands full. He was carrying Vince in his arms, the younger man's legs wrapped around his waist, and as soon as they entered the dark and silent bedroom, Howard moved to push Vince up against the nearest wall. Vince moaned loudly as the larger man began to attack his neck with hot, nibbling kisses and Howard took this as a sign that he was doing it right. Even though this was his first time, he found it surprisingly easy, surprisingly natural, to touch and feel Vince up – and to let the younger man touch and feel him up, too. Howard had been waiting so long, spent so many hours just wondering, imagining, daydreaming what it would be like to feel Vince in his arms. To feel the warmth of his skin, hold him close and taste his sweet, sweet kisses… Howard didn't want to stop. He wanted more. Oh god, it was all so good and he felt like an idiot for having waited so long for something so magical.

Howard moved his lips across the sensitive skin of Vince's throat and he trailed his kisses back towards his mouth. Vince wrapped his arms around Howard's neck even tighter and brought him closer, opening up his mouth in a most welcoming manner. Howard did not hesitate to take advantage and stick his tongue down his friend's throat – he was being frisky and confident and he loved the idea of finally being able to initiate what he desired the most.

Vince closed his eyes as Howard ravished him and deepened the kiss once again, and he enjoyed the feeling of the other man's moustache scratching at the sensitive skin around his mouth. He couldn't believe that this was actually happening. This was Howard – his sweet, awkward, lovable Howard who had never before allowed anyone to even touch his arm or shoulder. He loved Howard more than life itself and Howard loved him back… Nothing could ever be bad again, Vince decided as Howard's kiss made him moan and sigh even louder. Nothing could ever hurt again after this.

Everything was bliss…

Howard backed away from the wall after a while and carried Vince over to his own bed, pushing him down on it before placing himself on top, gently. Vince grinned widely with excitement and began to unbutton Howard's Hawaiian shirt eagerly, raising his head so that he could whisper in the jazz maverick's ear:

"I can't believe I'm finally in your bed, Howard."

Howard blushed immediately at the thought of Vince having longed for this. He opened his mouth to say something, but his brain had obviously shut down and he couldn't think of a single word. Vince smiled up at him, adoring what he saw. He giggled sweetly and kissed Howard's blushing cheek and Howard was overwhelmed with emotion. Vince's smile was so angelic, so innocent – and his blue sapphire eyes, oh they were more alive than ever.

"I love you so much." Howard whispered and bowed down to kiss the beauty that had been trapped underneath him. "You should never be allowed to leave my bed again."

"Cheers, Howard, I would be quite happy to live here." Vince laughed endearingly. "I love you too."

Even though he quite enjoyed feeling Howard's weight on top of him, Vince slowly wriggled free from underneath the larger man and changed the positions so that he was straddling him. Howard looked pretty excited by this, and Vince bowed down to kiss him whilst fingering at his now unbuttoned shirt. He eagerly pulled the shirt off Howard's body and kissed his naked chest slowly and tenderly. Howard's eyes nearly rolled back in his head and he could feel himself grow harder and harder. Starting to lose all self-control, Howard suddenly wrapped his arms around Vince's skinny body and pulled himself into a position that allowed him to sit upright. With Vince balancing on his lap, Howard began to pull the skin-tight satin shirt over his head, almost gasping in delight when Vince's chest and torso was exposed.

"You're so beautiful." Howard heard himself whisper. His eyes might have been full of lust, but his voice revealed his deepest emotions and his profound love. He reached out his hand to caress and cup Vince's face and they looked each other in the eyes.

"You really think so?" Vince asked him, and much to Howard's surprise, he looked down, blushing shyly as though this was the first time that he had ever received a compliment from someone. (Howard knew that this was not the case).

"Yes I do." Howard planted a soft kiss on Vince's naked chest, then over his marked ribs, then above his small bellybutton. "You're the most beautiful person in the world, Vince. At least to me."

It wasn't long before they had stripped each other completely naked and had pressed their warm bodies close against each other's. The two of them were rolling around in the bed, arms wrapped tightly around each other.

"Hold on a second, Howard," Vince said and paused when he could feel Howard's growing erection near his thigh and he knew that something was about to happen really soon, "you're a virgin. Are you sure that you are ready for it to happen?"

Howard gave him a calm smile and wrapped his arms around the electro boy's slender waist. "I have been ready for this in years, Vince. I don't want to wait any longer."

Vince placed a gentle kiss on his lips and snuggled closer. "All right. Are you nervous?"

Howard shrugged. "Maybe a little bit. But I want this, I'm sure."

Vince smiled at him and gave him another quick peck on the corner of his mouth. "Genius. Don't worry, I'll guide you if you need it. We can take it nice and slow if you prefer."

Howard thought about it for a moment. He felt so ready… "Or we can do it like this!" He exclaimed and moved very suddenly, pinning Vince down on his back and rolling on top of him. Vince squeaked with surprise and giggled happily, loving both Howard's confidence and eagerness. Oh yes, this was the perfect way of doing it…

However, Howard found himself slowing the pace slightly as he was about to enter the man underneath him. He knew very well that Vince wasn't a virgin, but he still seemed so small and fragile in Howard's arms, and the last thing he wanted was to hurt him if he let himself get carried away.

"Howard, it's okay. I'm not gonna break." Vince said when he noticed the other man's hesitance. He caressed Howard's arm encouragingly.

"All right… Just wanted to make sure that you were ready." Howard smiled awkwardly. Truth be told, he was relieved that Vince was encouraging him at this point. He was so ready that the throbbing was becoming painful. He didn't really want to wait anymore.

"You're such a gentleman." Vince sniggered. "It's really sweet of ya. Come here."

Vince helped Howard relax a little bit by initiating another kiss and the jazz maverick was truly grateful for that. He could feel himself grinding against Vince, pressing their warm bodies closer together. He had closed his eyes as the kiss went on and now it was sweeping him away completely. He forgot all about his own hesitation when Vince began to roam his hands over Howard's back, hungrily. As the two of them continued to kiss and touch each other fondly, Howard finally allowed himself to move in between Vince's legs. As he entered him slowly, he could feel the younger man clutch the sheets with one hand and Howard's shoulder with the other. Even though Vince had let out a small gasp, there was no indication that he was in pain or wanted Howard to stop. In fact, he bit his lip and smirked, looking sexier than ever as a lock of raven black hair fell over his eyes. His hair was a mess and for the first time in the history of Vince Noir, rock n' roll star, the young man didn't care.

Howard kissed Vince's face, closing his eyes again as he entered his beloved friend fully. Vince's body jolted slightly and for a second or two, it sounded like he was holding his breath, struggling not to gasp out loud again. But then he went back to moving his hands over Howard's back and down towards his butt cheeks, caressing him, encouraging him to go ahead, and Howard knew that it would be all right for him to move around – to thrust.

"I love you so much." Howard panted in his ear as he began to move in and out of him, slowly and gently at first, but he'd soon speed up the pace. The feeling was so amazing – it seemed as though he'd been sucked into the sweetest daydream ever known to man. Howard Moon – who would ever have thought that he'd grow up to be so lucky, to experience such sweet affection?

Vince's arms tightened around Howard's strong, robust body and he threw his head back in a gasp, black strands of hair falling over his face, falling on the pillow, falling everywhere – Howard bit his lip hard at the sexiness he was witnessing and moved quicker, thrusting harder and harder. Vince was finally unable to muffle his own voice and he began to moan loudly and uncontrollably. He was surrounded by Howard – Howard was all that he could taste and see and feel… Howard was without a doubt the biggest man he'd ever been with, and the sensation of Howard moving in and out of him still had Vince gasping for air and clutching at the sheets. But there wasn't any pain – only an overwhelming pleasure. Every time Howard moved, Vince's body moved with him, helplessly, and he was only happy to surrender himself into Howard and let him have the control of both their bodies.

He belonged to Howard Moon and no one else – it had always been that way, even if it had taken him a while to realise it. And no one else had ever made him moan and beg for more this eagerly or made his body spasm so delightfully when he thought that he almost couldn't take it anymore.

Yes, he was Howard's and there was no denying it. Vince Noir could have died with a smile on his face when the sweet, handsome man in question finally let out a triumphant groan and collapsed on top of him, suddenly having experienced the greatest satisfaction of all.

HVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHVHV

They had fallen asleep in each other's arms, in Howard's bed. And the next morning, Vince woke up to find that Howard's arm was still wrapped around his waist, possessively, whilst his own head was resting on the jazz maverick's chest. He smiled sleepily and flung an arm over Howard's stomach, hugging him dearly.

"Vince?" Howard's voice startled him. "You awake?"

Vince raised his head and looked up at him, smiling again. "Yeah." He said, trying hard to supress a yawn. "You?"

"Yeah, I'm awake too." Howard laughed and began to stroke the electro boy's soft, smooth hair. This had Vince closing his eyes happily, obviously enjoying himself.

"Howard – last night was the best. Don't ya think?" Vince snuggled closer so that they were face to face, Howard's arm still around him.

Howard kissed his face and bit his lip before answering. "What happened last night, Vince," he spoke slowly, "it has changed me. I'm a new man."

Vince frowned in surprise and gave Howard a worried look. "What? But I never wanted you to change!" He blurted out.

"You don't understand," Howard said and held him tight, "it's a good change. You've opened my eyes, Vince. I can now see all that is good in this world. I am no longer a man of sorrow. I am no longer a man of loneliness. I have discovered love and happiness, thanks to you. I love you, Vincent Noir – and I always will."

Howard's little speech had stunned Vince and for a moment or two, he was dangerously close to blushing like a teenage girl. "Aw, Howard, you're always so poetic," he then breathed and kissed the older man's cheek, "I don't understand how you pull it off, but it's very romantic. I love you, too."

The compliment had Howard's heart swelling with pride. He was never used to receiving compliments, especially not from his electro friend.

"So," Howard smirked confidently, "was I any good last night?"

Vince took a hold of his hand and brought it up to his lips so that he could kiss it. "You were the best," he said in all honesty, "you must be a natural. I thought you were going to make me pass out for a little while, you know."

Howard couldn't hold back a wide grin. He was starting to feel excited all over again. He remembered the sound of Vince's helpless moaning and he remembered how he had thrown his head back, surrendering to every bodily sensation. Oh, they were definitely doing that again…

"You were pretty great yourself," Howard said and squeezed his hand, "just looking at you makes my body tickle. You have no idea how sexy you are, little man."

Vince was going to comment on Howard's nick name for him, but as soon as he opened up his mouth to speak, Howard covered it with his own and the two of them shared a long, passionate kiss. Howard was definitely feeling playful – he was teasing Vince with his tongue and biting at his lower lip, and Vince loved it.

"So what did it feel like?" Vince asked him when they broke apart after a minute or two. "Losing your virginity, I mean."

"It was the most magical moment in my life." Howard said and rolled on top of his friend once again. "I never want to be away from you again. It's you and me, all the way. Right?"

"Right." Vince agreed and kissed Howard's neck, taking in the heat of his bare skin. "It's you and me, Howard."

The two of them had returned to kissing lazily and feeling each other up when a sudden knock on the door made both men flinch and pull away from each other.

"Are you guys still asleep?" Naboo yelled impatiently from the other side of the door and knocked again. "You're supposed to open up the shop in thirty minutes, remember? And Vince, I know it takes ya at least forty minutes to do ya hair!"

Vince had to cover his own mouth to stop himself from giggling, and Howard gave him a dirty smile.

"Sorry, Naboo!" Vince said, sounding suspiciously happy.

"We'll be right with you, Naboolio!" Howard lied, and this had the small shaman shaking his head.

"I told you, Bollo, they've started shagging each other," Naboo said as the gorilla followed him downstairs, "I knew this would happen sooner or later."

"Hmm, I got a bad feelin' about this." Bollo added. "Harold idiot. Vince precious flower."