Fic- Right On My Doorstep.

[pandalotte]

Title: Right On My Doorstep
Pairing or Characters: Howard & Vince.
Summary: Vince stays in for once, & howard suggests they watch a Documentary on Jazz, vince falls asleep, bad dream, wakes up upset with howard to comfort him...
Word Count: 1790
Rating: G
Warnings: None, apart from it being total fluff.
Disclaimer: I own nothing, i just like writing stories.
Author’s Notes: this Fic basically came from Me & cailenbraern being howard & vince...again. Thanks to everyone i pestered, mainly  colour_me_troll for putting up with reading it many times. I just worry..a lot. and only 2nd fic too, i should really do more...

Vince was annoyed. He knew his plans were messed up as soon as his phone buzzed on the table. “Sorry Vince, parties off, Djs not turned up, you’ll have to find something else mate”
Bloody typical he thought, he’d bought the best outfit & everything! Never mind, he was pretty tired anyway, & his feet killed him from the massively high boots he’d worn to the other party, just the day before. One night off couldn’t harm him right? Wrong he’d found out, because there he was, bored out of his brain watching a documentary on the history of jazz.

You see, when Howard had heard that Vince was having a night in, he jumped up with ideas of stuff they could do. Do a jizzsaw puzzle, clean the kitchen, or even just sit with a book, obviously Howard’s favourite pastimes. Vince had just rolled his eyes, but the seriousness of Howard’s face made him feel bad so he flashed a beaming smile at him.
He soon got the message & just let Vince watch TV, while he made them a cup of tea.

Flicking through the channels, he realised what drivel was on. When he’d last watched TV, it was fun and exciting, not all this bullshit, times had really changed he’d thought.
When he was little, he remembered such amazing films & TV shows, full of colours, and music, but now it was just the news over and over again.
“You want to put a film on Vince? I know just the thing that would cheer you up!” Howard shouted from the kitchen.
“yours & my idea of entertainment are quite different Howard, you like black & white films, and people looking angry all the time, really I don’t get their problem! I think its because the live without colour, who could live without neon?!”
“Im sure many people could live without neon Vince, would be a drop in headaches that’s for sure! Now move your feet!”

Howard returned with the tea, & carefully put on the table next to the sofa.
“anyway, as I was saying, I’ve thought of an amazing documentary we could watch…”
Vince Scrunched up his nose at that, which Howard did not find amusing.
“what you pulling that face for?! I told you, its brilliant, I just think it would be nice if we both sat down for once & watched something nice & also educational.”
“better not be educational, ill get a headache, no one wants that!”
“well would help If you wore less neon then wouldn’t it...”
Vince was quiet after that, just pulled a face to show his annoyance. Howard chuckled to himself, then sipped some of his tea.

Vince had given up in the end, couldn’t be bothered to bicker or sulk, which was a rarity for him, he felt he’d needed to let Howard have his way for once.

So there they were, Vince in his lightning pyjamas, & Howard In his roll neck jumper & nutmeg trousers for he did not wear pyjamas, he thought they were childish & girly, plus his skin didn’t agree with the fabric.
Vince was bored, this Doc had be going on for hours it seemed, and his eyes began to close, a cheeky 5 minutes wouldn’t be any harm he thought to himself, anyway, he’d want to finish the dream from the night before involving this fit lass who had amazing hair, & genius boobs.

He slowly drifted into another world, a world of monsters, old friends, new friends, complete strangers, and magical places. This world wasn’t good though, not at all. He’d been running, running from something, or was it towards something, he didn’t know. His mind was empty, not one thought, just enough to keep his legs moving, never stopping. But why?

The road suddenly became smaller, & when he finally stopped, he couldn’t breathe, his chest was tight & the road was a haze, but squinting in the distance he saw a body lying in the road. He cautiously walked up to it, confusion filling his empty mind. Slowly, but surely he realised who this body was. This limp, pale man was no other but Howard.

Why was Howard here, & why was he dead?! Realisation got to him, & he dropped to his knees, tears flooding his eyes as he grabbed the cold body & held it tight. He would never let go.
The longer he held, the more he felt like he was slipping away, so he kept squeezing & squeezing, wanting to feel this man in his arms, never leave him. But still he slipped, until he was falling fast back into the darkness, leaving the cold body of his friend behind.

He woke with a Jump, arms cuddled up to the blanket, fists scrunched in them. His fists were white, Whole body feeling cold, & he was sure he looked pale. He slowly let go, & rested again, but was interrupted by a grunt from the man next to him.

“You planning on watching any of this Vince? Because you could just come out and say if I bore you! Every time you do this, Every time! Ooh Its making me feel ill, Ooh its SO horrible, Ooh this ooh that, im fed up, it is not funny little man, not at all…”

Vince looked through his fringe & saw what was, a very angry man. Why is he so mad? He’d thought to himself, Vince had been like this before and he hadn’t minded, what was different now?! He started to panic, found himself scared of Howard, like a little child that had eaten all the ice cream, or knocked over a priceless Bowl.

Still hiding under his fringe, he began to feel upset, emotions taking over his body as he tried to keep the tears in. Howard had seen him cry many times but he wanted to stay strong. He tried so hard but he couldn’t help but let the tears run down his cheek.
Howard stared at him for a second, before realising the younger mans tears, & he reached out and squeezed his arm.

Vince gently rested his head on Howards shoulder, knowing that he didn’t like close proximity & sighed. This was one of the only times Howard would let him be close to him, when he was upset, or just felt sad, a rare occasion for both of them, usually Vince would walk around the flat as happy as ever whilst Howard worked in the corner on a new elbow patch design.

Vince slowly grabbed a small bit of thread dangling from the other mans jumper, & twirled it around his finger.
“what’s up little man? You know I don’t mean what I say, we always get in each others hair, its what friends do, they fight, they make up…”
“its not that Howard, really its not, I just….No its stupid.” He looked down at his fingers, and played some more with the string of cotton.
“ You can tell me anything Vince!”
“well, there was this dream I had, you know when I fell asleep yeah, which was totally unintentional, you know that right?” Howard nodded.
“well you were there, but you were dead, & I couldn’t hold you tight, you just kept slipping away. It was horrible Howard. Left me feeling empty, just nothing.”

Vince was really starting to cry now, and Howard was starting to worry. This really wasn’t like him, but he didn’t think too much about it, he just put an arm around Vince and held him tight. “I will always be here Vince, you know that right?”
“yeah of course I do Howard, it just scared me, that’s all.”
“Good, because I will always be here Vince, you may annoy me day in day out…”
“….thanks Howard” Vince replied rolling his eyes.
“..I haven’t finished! What I was going to say is that you mean everything to me Vince, I never get to say it, so here I am. You see what nice things can happen when you just stay in?”
“im not giving up the parties if that’s what you’re asking…”
Vince cuddles up to howards side and sighs once more. Howard holds him closer still and looks back at the TV.

Sitting in the now returning silence, they both relax, and soon they both finally get into the Documentry..well almost, Vince sits there with the string, pulling and pulling. Howard would bat his hand away, but he knows Vince will just sulk.

He sometimes thinks of him as a kitten, prancing around for attention, clawing his way into things, and curling up to Howard whenever there’s an opportunity. And with all Vince’s attention on that bit of cotton, he feels he may be right.

Time seems to pass quite quickly when they are in each others arms, and the Documentary soon finishes, Vince’s eyes barely keeping open.
“So, what did you think then?”
“..what?” Vince replied, stretching his arms.
“of what we just watched Vince, for 3 hours?”
“Ooh yeah that! Was ok, not my cup of tea though yeah? I enjoyed it though!
Vince sat up as he began to wake a little more.

“Howard, you know what you said earlier? When I told you of the dream and that you would always be with me, do you really mean that?”
Always be with him, Vince liked the sound of that. Ever since Howard had said it, he’d thought about it.
“Of course I do Vince, I will always be with you” Howard reached out and patted him on the hand, and Vince looked up and caught his eye.
“good, because I would quite like that..aslong as we don’t have to watch stuff like this all the time yeah?”
“yeah!” Howard moved forward a little, just a little and placed a kiss on the end of Vince’s nose. Vince turned away and giggled, suddenly feeling a little shy.

“your tash tickles you know! don’t go kissing me like that all the time, or ill sneeze!”
They both laughed at that, smiling and lightly stroking the other mans hand.
Vince looked up, and caught Howards eye, he didn’t know what it was, the gentle touch of his hand, the giggling, or the warm feeling in his tummy, but he slowly leaned in and kissed howards lips, so slowly, and he felt everything click into place, like a missing piece in a puzzle. it was perfect.

Vince knew that all the nights out were fun and all that, he could have the time of his life, but he’d always feel empty. But from this day he felt whole again, and realised that everything he needed to be happy was at home.