Xoobilation Chapter 3
"Sugar?" Howard asked.
"Slow down, Romeo. We ain't dating yet."
Howard flushed and nearly dropped Vince's teacup.
"I meant, 'do you want sugar?'," he explained, aware he was talking way too fast. "It was mean to be a joke, because you love sugar..."
"I know," Vince interrupted. "I was just trying to lighten the atmosphere with a joke..."
Howard cursed under his breath as he dumped sugar into Vince's tea.
"Do you suppose Naboo was right?" Vince asked.
"No," Howard answered automatically before asking, "About what, exactly?"
"That it don't really matter if we did it or not, because we could have, and that's enough?"
"Enough for what, Little Man?" As he said it, the familiar term of endearment suddenly seemed overly personal, and Howard wished he'd said "sir" instead.
"Enough to ruin everything."
Vince looked so despondent, Howard powered through his discomfort to give his mate a pat on the shoulder. He was a bit too enthusiastic and nearly knocked Vince over, but it seemed to have the desired effect.
"Cheers, Howard," said Vince as he reached for the cup of tea.
"Don't worry, Vince. I'm sure we'll get everything sorted out. Howard Moon is a man of maturity and complication. He doesn't run from uncomfortable situations..."
"You ran away from Asda when you dropped that picture frame. All I saw was a beige blur, racing through the store, leaving behind a trail of Euros and apologies."
It wasn't much of an exaggeration, really. Vince's fanciful stories did not include many proper facts, but he had a knack for capturing the emotion of the moment. Howard had wanted to kill koi fish with his tears when Gideon had rejected him. He did have trouble looking people in the eye for an extended period of time. Howard Moon did not respond well to feeling exposed, and he always felt exposed.
"That was different, sir. That was a matter of trying to keep my name out of the papers. Can you imagine the headlines..."
"Tiny Eyed Geography Teacher Smashes Moderately Priced Photo Frame. One Person is Mildly Inconvenienced," Vince supplied.
"Yeah, but you know how The Sun spins stories. It would have been: Dashing Jazz Fusion Genius Goes on Epic Rampage."
"And He's on Drugs," Vince added.
They shared a long look, daring each other to be the first to laugh. It had all started with those looks, Vince's eyes dancing with laughter and his lips twitching as he tried not to corpse. Howard had realized Vince was attractive-ish in a strange way when he’d first come to the Zooniverse, but it was the barely-contained laughter that had made Howard take notice of the androgynous beauty and his pointy features.
Howard looked away and Vince swore.
"It's all wrong now," Vince said harshly. "I've mucked it all up. Took long enough."
"You didn't do anything wrong..."
"I don't remember everything that happened last night." Vince didn't blink as he spoke. He stared straight at Howard like it was the easiest thing in the world, as Howard tried his best to return the somber gaze. "But I remember some things, and I needed a tire iron to pry my pants off this morning..."
As soon as the words left Vince's mouth, Howard could remember it. He remembered Vince wearing nothing put his lucky pants, his hands gripping Howard's hair painfully as he squirmed. He remembered how the pants were dark with moisture from where Howard had mouthed him through the material, and he remembered the salty taste of sweat and pre-ejaculate.
He remembered sliding up Vince's body to kiss him on the lips and pressing their crotches together, with only their pants between them. He remembered how Vince had bucked his hips and cried out as he came.
He remembered pressing his lips to Vince's sweaty fringe and saying, "I love you."
"I don't know if you got off last night, but I know I did," Vince said without embarrassment or hesitation. "I don't know how you feel about that..."
"I feel like I should propose," Howard half-joked. "I have my Mum's wedding ring upstairs."
"Shouldn't your mum be wearing it?" Vince asked, the sparkle of laughter back in his blue eyes. "She's still married to your dad, right?"
"Yes," Howard sighed, "but, emotionally, she's already checked out. If he ever loses his capacity to open jars or empty mousetraps, he's as good as gone."
"People will snicker if I wear white," Vince said with exaggerated concern.
"People will think you're a ghost if you wear white," Howard teased.
"You could wear the dress," Vince suggested, his lips twitching impishly. "I know you like to show off your pins, so we could get something a little racy..."
Howard briefly imagined walking down a church aisle to Vince, dressed like a combination of Amy Winehouse and Robert Smith, and he took a risk.
"May I kiss you Vince?" he asked.
"Um... okay?"
Vince's cup hit the floor, but Howard didn't stop to sweep up the shards or mop up the tea. He was at a crossroads, and it was time to be a man of action. He took Vince in his arms and kissed him. If Vince was concerned with Howard's lack of skill, he hid it well as he clung to Howard. Vince had been quite short when he’d started at the zoo, but had grown to a fairly average height in his twenties. Still, Howard never stopped thinking of Vince as his Little Man. Holding him, Howard was struck by how small Vince felt. His oversized personality, high-heeled boots, and ridiculous wardrobe made it easy to forget that Vince was a peanut that Howard could carry in a rucksack.
It wasn't until Vince nearly fell over that Howard noticed he was standing on his tiptoes. With one hand on his waist and the other on his often-admired rear-end, Howard hoisted Vince off the floor, so they were eye to eye.
"Enough showing off," Vince huffed with twinkling eyes. "I know you're a lumberjack and I'm an Ewok."
"Do you want me to put you down?" Howard asked through a mouthful of hair as he tried to nuzzle Vince's neck.
"Never," Vince sighed.
xxx
Vince jumped on his bed and grinned up at Howard. From Vince's expression, an observer would imagine that Howard and Vince were heading out on a wacky adventure, rather than preparing to steer their friendship into the rocky shoals of physical love.
"It's like Christmas!" Vince exclaimed, bouncing on the bed. "We should have Xoobilation every year. This is genius."
Howard shook his head, nearly shuddering at the thought. "Maybe next year, I'll have got off with Witch Face Lady, and you'll be recovering from some Lester Corncrake lovin'..."
Howard ducked, but the pillow aimed at his head still hit its target.
"When you take the leap, it's forever," Vince reminded him. "You said that, and Howard Moon is legendary for keeping his word."
Howard generally intended to be a man of his word, but he'd been known to get lazy.
"Is that what you want?" he asked, trying but failing to meet Vince's eyes.
"You really got your mother's ring?" Vince asked, looking up at Howard through his lashes in a distinctly 'come hither' manner.
Howard grandly grabbed a dictionary that he'd disguised as a book of the history of jazz (there was always a chance Vince might actually look in a dictionary, with the proper provocation) and found the hollowed-out pages containing a small black velvet box. His mother had mailed the ring in an empty bottle of her antidepressants, but Howard felt it lacked elegance. When Vince had discarded the presentation box from one of his trendy stores for his amber ring, Howard had recycled it. One never knew when one might want to propose, and Howard believed in being prepared.
He held the ring box out to Vince, expecting a laugh, but his friend was staring at him in a distinctly confused manner.
"Is that my ring?" he asked.
For a moment, Howard was frozen in place. He couldn't move a muscle as flop sweat began to form on his forehead.
"Is that the ring I bought when I was tagging rock stars?" Vince asked, pointing at the box.
"No," Howard answered in a rough voice. "This is a different ring."
Vince began chewing on his thumb nail and mumbled, "Maybe we should just get started."
Howard put the unopened presentation case on top of his dresser and tried to move towards the bed with confidence.
"Why are you walking like that?" Vince asked. "You need a chiropractor."
"Hush, Little Man. This is no time for nonsense," Howard reprimanded, unsure of how to segue into the physical boundary-leaping part of their evening.
Fortunately, Vince reached out for Howard's hand and guided him to the bed.
"Whatever you're up for," Vince explained, staring at Howard's collar bone. "I know it might be your first time..."
Howard kissed Vince with all the romantic vigor in his soul. Maybe he didn't have a lot of technical skill, but no one was going to love Vince as well as Howard.
Clothing removal was awkward and exciting. Howard was eager too see every inch of Vince, but he was less keen about getting his own kit off. He'd gone rather soft in the middle since working in the shop. There was never anything to do, and Vince was always offering him candy.
When Vince ran a finger down Howard's chest and sighed, "I am going to kiss every single one of these freckles," Howard felt a little less self-conscious.
He felt exposed and silly as Vince made good on his promise, but Howard couldn't deny that it was nice to feel so... appreciated. Most people looked right through him, but Vince saw Howard and apparently liked his freckles. A lot.
Vince started at Howard's neck and worked his way down, quite possibly kissing every freckle on the way. When Vince got to Howard's soft and nearly freckle-free belly, he continued with his ardent attention. When Vince's fingers hooked on the elastic of Howard's pants, Howard nearly got the chokes. Howard knew a thing or two about oral sex, and one of those things was that it generally ended after marriage. Many men, especially his father, had encouraged him to enjoy blowies while he was single, because once he settled down they would end, except for the occasional birthday or anniversary gift.
As soon as he felt Vince's tongue, a light and wet presence, licking at the tip of Howard's erection, Howard understood why old men seemed so bitter.
"Like that?" Vince asked with a cheeky grin.
Howard tried to form a response, but it just came out as a groan.
"It only gets better," Vince promised, before taking the tip of Howard's cock into his warm mouth. It was unlike anything Howard had ever experienced. It was like a combination of every good feeling he'd ever had in his life. It was tea and jazz and Vince's silly stories, all rolled into one perfect feeling.
Vince had showered, but he hadn't done his hair properly. It felt soft to Howard's touch, instead of crisp.
"Your hair feels nice," Howard offered as his best attempt at being smooth. Vince moaned, and Howard felt it in every muscle of his body. It echoed through him, leaving aftershocks like an earthquake. Sex was both sillier and much more serious than Howard had ever imagined. He felt strangely at ease wearing nothing but his socks as he was fellated by his former underling. Howard has always been drawn to older women, but after his early twenties, just about anyone he came across was more sexually experienced and knowledgeable than he. It was a relief that Vince not only knew what he was doing, but also truly understood how little Howard knew. Howard knew the mechanics, naturally - he watched telly - but he'd gone to great lengths to keep other people at a safe distance. What had started as a healthy dose of paranoia had turned into something darker over the years. He had thought he could protect himself by keeping people away, but he’d been wrong. Perfect strangers broke Howard's heart on a daily basis.
Vince could break his heart in a moment. Occasionally, Vince did crush Howard, but he had a way of making it up. Even at his worst, Vince had a way of bringing Howard around and proving his friendship was worth the trouble.
Currently, Vince was making a hell of an argument for easing up on his "don't touch me" policy. Vince wrapped one hand around the base of Howard's cock while the other ran over his arse and fondled his testicles. Vince wasn't normally a great multi-tasker, but neither of his hands or his mouth slowed as he systematically tore Howard's brain into pieces.
"You're quite good at this," Howard said in a voice less manly and full of authority than he would have liked. It was a bit closer to a squawk.
Vince laughed without pulling back an inch.
Howard closed his eyes and focused on the feel of Vince's teeth occasionally giving him the slightest scrape, and the texture of his tongue as he licked Howard from base to tip. It only took a few seconds for Howard to realize that it was not one of his better plans. If Vince was willing, perhaps there would be a time when Howard could really relax and enjoy the feel of Vince's mouth, but he was currently rapidly building towards a climax to put all others to shame. Unfortunately, it would be untimely and downright impolite.
"Slow down, Little Man," he whispered, trying to sound calm. "Don't want to rush things."
Vince quickly pulled back.
"Sorry, Howard. Just got a bit excited," Vince apologized, ruffling his own hair with his hand. "Ugh, what is wrong with my hair? It feels all weird."
"It feels nice," Howard argued, caressing the dark locks.
Vince flushed and looked down at his hands, which had so recently been exploring Howard's most personal places.
"I don't want things to be over too soon," Howard explained. "You're..."
"Genius? Sexy? A dead ringer for Joan Jett in her Runaways days?" Vince asked with barely contained laughter.
"All of the above."
"It might be best if you tell me now what you're not interested in," Vince prompted. "I don't want to do anything that's going to freak you out, especially with half of Shoreditch gone mental from the Xoobilation refreshments."
"I want to do everything." The words tumbled out of Howard's mouth before he had time to edit his thoughts. "I want to make love to you in every way imaginable, for the rest of my life."
"Are you being serious?" Vince asked, looking oddly concerned. "Do you mean that, or have you gone insane because someone touched your love stick?"
"It's more like a love branch or love plank, and secondly, I have gone insane because the idea of spending the rest of my life with you has always sounded like a privilege rather than a nightmare. You drove me insane a long, long time ago, Vince Noir."
"You don't have to marry me just because maybe we did it, or because we’re going to do it. It can be just one of those things." Vince spoke in a quiet tone, as though the romance police were at the door. "I'm not trying to push anything here. I just..."
Howard silenced Vince's nonsense with a kiss. After their lips touched, Howard wondered for a moment if he should be uncomfortable - given Vince's recent activities - but he found it felt natural. It was obscene, to be sure, but Vince had a way of making the obscene seem charming. He'd often teased Vince about his bordello-like boudoir, but he'd had more than one fantasy about feeling the sensuous material of Vince's silken sheets under his skin as he explored Vince's body. Again, Howard was finding reality was much more difficult and rewarding than he expected.
"I been thinking, Howard… if you don't remember last night, then right now - this is definitely your first time, even if it's not technically your first time. It can still be however you want it. I'm up for whatever. They call me the Versatile Vampire of Shoreditch."
Vince was babbling and giggling as Howard kissed his neck and inhaled the familiar smell of his skin. For years, he'd literally tried to keep Vince at an arm's length, so he wouldn't fall under his spell. Vince didn't actually have sugar leaking from his pores, but his skin tasted fresh and inviting, the way Howard had always known it would. Vince was full of light and energy, and being close to him made Howard feel young and ready to face the world. Vince always made the impossible seem reasonable.
Howard had plenty of ideas about what he'd like to do with Vince, but he had no idea what Vince would enjoy. It was no surprise that he was offering to do whatever suited Howard's fancy. Vince could be a chore at times, but his heart was pure gold.
Howard looked into Vince's eyes and saw acceptance and desire and a whole slew of feelings he was unprepared to have aimed in his direction, so he looked away. Howard stared at the wall and felt his nerves and self-doubt taking over, crushing what could have been the greatest moment of his life. He was suddenly certain that he could not have made love to Vince the night before. There wasn't a potion powerful enough to counter Howard's self-defeating instincts.
"Slow down, Romeo. We ain't dating yet."
Howard flushed and nearly dropped Vince's teacup.
"I meant, 'do you want sugar?'," he explained, aware he was talking way too fast. "It was mean to be a joke, because you love sugar..."
"I know," Vince interrupted. "I was just trying to lighten the atmosphere with a joke..."
Howard cursed under his breath as he dumped sugar into Vince's tea.
"Do you suppose Naboo was right?" Vince asked.
"No," Howard answered automatically before asking, "About what, exactly?"
"That it don't really matter if we did it or not, because we could have, and that's enough?"
"Enough for what, Little Man?" As he said it, the familiar term of endearment suddenly seemed overly personal, and Howard wished he'd said "sir" instead.
"Enough to ruin everything."
Vince looked so despondent, Howard powered through his discomfort to give his mate a pat on the shoulder. He was a bit too enthusiastic and nearly knocked Vince over, but it seemed to have the desired effect.
"Cheers, Howard," said Vince as he reached for the cup of tea.
"Don't worry, Vince. I'm sure we'll get everything sorted out. Howard Moon is a man of maturity and complication. He doesn't run from uncomfortable situations..."
"You ran away from Asda when you dropped that picture frame. All I saw was a beige blur, racing through the store, leaving behind a trail of Euros and apologies."
It wasn't much of an exaggeration, really. Vince's fanciful stories did not include many proper facts, but he had a knack for capturing the emotion of the moment. Howard had wanted to kill koi fish with his tears when Gideon had rejected him. He did have trouble looking people in the eye for an extended period of time. Howard Moon did not respond well to feeling exposed, and he always felt exposed.
"That was different, sir. That was a matter of trying to keep my name out of the papers. Can you imagine the headlines..."
"Tiny Eyed Geography Teacher Smashes Moderately Priced Photo Frame. One Person is Mildly Inconvenienced," Vince supplied.
"Yeah, but you know how The Sun spins stories. It would have been: Dashing Jazz Fusion Genius Goes on Epic Rampage."
"And He's on Drugs," Vince added.
They shared a long look, daring each other to be the first to laugh. It had all started with those looks, Vince's eyes dancing with laughter and his lips twitching as he tried not to corpse. Howard had realized Vince was attractive-ish in a strange way when he’d first come to the Zooniverse, but it was the barely-contained laughter that had made Howard take notice of the androgynous beauty and his pointy features.
Howard looked away and Vince swore.
"It's all wrong now," Vince said harshly. "I've mucked it all up. Took long enough."
"You didn't do anything wrong..."
"I don't remember everything that happened last night." Vince didn't blink as he spoke. He stared straight at Howard like it was the easiest thing in the world, as Howard tried his best to return the somber gaze. "But I remember some things, and I needed a tire iron to pry my pants off this morning..."
As soon as the words left Vince's mouth, Howard could remember it. He remembered Vince wearing nothing put his lucky pants, his hands gripping Howard's hair painfully as he squirmed. He remembered how the pants were dark with moisture from where Howard had mouthed him through the material, and he remembered the salty taste of sweat and pre-ejaculate.
He remembered sliding up Vince's body to kiss him on the lips and pressing their crotches together, with only their pants between them. He remembered how Vince had bucked his hips and cried out as he came.
He remembered pressing his lips to Vince's sweaty fringe and saying, "I love you."
"I don't know if you got off last night, but I know I did," Vince said without embarrassment or hesitation. "I don't know how you feel about that..."
"I feel like I should propose," Howard half-joked. "I have my Mum's wedding ring upstairs."
"Shouldn't your mum be wearing it?" Vince asked, the sparkle of laughter back in his blue eyes. "She's still married to your dad, right?"
"Yes," Howard sighed, "but, emotionally, she's already checked out. If he ever loses his capacity to open jars or empty mousetraps, he's as good as gone."
"People will snicker if I wear white," Vince said with exaggerated concern.
"People will think you're a ghost if you wear white," Howard teased.
"You could wear the dress," Vince suggested, his lips twitching impishly. "I know you like to show off your pins, so we could get something a little racy..."
Howard briefly imagined walking down a church aisle to Vince, dressed like a combination of Amy Winehouse and Robert Smith, and he took a risk.
"May I kiss you Vince?" he asked.
"Um... okay?"
Vince's cup hit the floor, but Howard didn't stop to sweep up the shards or mop up the tea. He was at a crossroads, and it was time to be a man of action. He took Vince in his arms and kissed him. If Vince was concerned with Howard's lack of skill, he hid it well as he clung to Howard. Vince had been quite short when he’d started at the zoo, but had grown to a fairly average height in his twenties. Still, Howard never stopped thinking of Vince as his Little Man. Holding him, Howard was struck by how small Vince felt. His oversized personality, high-heeled boots, and ridiculous wardrobe made it easy to forget that Vince was a peanut that Howard could carry in a rucksack.
It wasn't until Vince nearly fell over that Howard noticed he was standing on his tiptoes. With one hand on his waist and the other on his often-admired rear-end, Howard hoisted Vince off the floor, so they were eye to eye.
"Enough showing off," Vince huffed with twinkling eyes. "I know you're a lumberjack and I'm an Ewok."
"Do you want me to put you down?" Howard asked through a mouthful of hair as he tried to nuzzle Vince's neck.
"Never," Vince sighed.
xxx
Vince jumped on his bed and grinned up at Howard. From Vince's expression, an observer would imagine that Howard and Vince were heading out on a wacky adventure, rather than preparing to steer their friendship into the rocky shoals of physical love.
"It's like Christmas!" Vince exclaimed, bouncing on the bed. "We should have Xoobilation every year. This is genius."
Howard shook his head, nearly shuddering at the thought. "Maybe next year, I'll have got off with Witch Face Lady, and you'll be recovering from some Lester Corncrake lovin'..."
Howard ducked, but the pillow aimed at his head still hit its target.
"When you take the leap, it's forever," Vince reminded him. "You said that, and Howard Moon is legendary for keeping his word."
Howard generally intended to be a man of his word, but he'd been known to get lazy.
"Is that what you want?" he asked, trying but failing to meet Vince's eyes.
"You really got your mother's ring?" Vince asked, looking up at Howard through his lashes in a distinctly 'come hither' manner.
Howard grandly grabbed a dictionary that he'd disguised as a book of the history of jazz (there was always a chance Vince might actually look in a dictionary, with the proper provocation) and found the hollowed-out pages containing a small black velvet box. His mother had mailed the ring in an empty bottle of her antidepressants, but Howard felt it lacked elegance. When Vince had discarded the presentation box from one of his trendy stores for his amber ring, Howard had recycled it. One never knew when one might want to propose, and Howard believed in being prepared.
He held the ring box out to Vince, expecting a laugh, but his friend was staring at him in a distinctly confused manner.
"Is that my ring?" he asked.
For a moment, Howard was frozen in place. He couldn't move a muscle as flop sweat began to form on his forehead.
"Is that the ring I bought when I was tagging rock stars?" Vince asked, pointing at the box.
"No," Howard answered in a rough voice. "This is a different ring."
Vince began chewing on his thumb nail and mumbled, "Maybe we should just get started."
Howard put the unopened presentation case on top of his dresser and tried to move towards the bed with confidence.
"Why are you walking like that?" Vince asked. "You need a chiropractor."
"Hush, Little Man. This is no time for nonsense," Howard reprimanded, unsure of how to segue into the physical boundary-leaping part of their evening.
Fortunately, Vince reached out for Howard's hand and guided him to the bed.
"Whatever you're up for," Vince explained, staring at Howard's collar bone. "I know it might be your first time..."
Howard kissed Vince with all the romantic vigor in his soul. Maybe he didn't have a lot of technical skill, but no one was going to love Vince as well as Howard.
Clothing removal was awkward and exciting. Howard was eager too see every inch of Vince, but he was less keen about getting his own kit off. He'd gone rather soft in the middle since working in the shop. There was never anything to do, and Vince was always offering him candy.
When Vince ran a finger down Howard's chest and sighed, "I am going to kiss every single one of these freckles," Howard felt a little less self-conscious.
He felt exposed and silly as Vince made good on his promise, but Howard couldn't deny that it was nice to feel so... appreciated. Most people looked right through him, but Vince saw Howard and apparently liked his freckles. A lot.
Vince started at Howard's neck and worked his way down, quite possibly kissing every freckle on the way. When Vince got to Howard's soft and nearly freckle-free belly, he continued with his ardent attention. When Vince's fingers hooked on the elastic of Howard's pants, Howard nearly got the chokes. Howard knew a thing or two about oral sex, and one of those things was that it generally ended after marriage. Many men, especially his father, had encouraged him to enjoy blowies while he was single, because once he settled down they would end, except for the occasional birthday or anniversary gift.
As soon as he felt Vince's tongue, a light and wet presence, licking at the tip of Howard's erection, Howard understood why old men seemed so bitter.
"Like that?" Vince asked with a cheeky grin.
Howard tried to form a response, but it just came out as a groan.
"It only gets better," Vince promised, before taking the tip of Howard's cock into his warm mouth. It was unlike anything Howard had ever experienced. It was like a combination of every good feeling he'd ever had in his life. It was tea and jazz and Vince's silly stories, all rolled into one perfect feeling.
Vince had showered, but he hadn't done his hair properly. It felt soft to Howard's touch, instead of crisp.
"Your hair feels nice," Howard offered as his best attempt at being smooth. Vince moaned, and Howard felt it in every muscle of his body. It echoed through him, leaving aftershocks like an earthquake. Sex was both sillier and much more serious than Howard had ever imagined. He felt strangely at ease wearing nothing but his socks as he was fellated by his former underling. Howard has always been drawn to older women, but after his early twenties, just about anyone he came across was more sexually experienced and knowledgeable than he. It was a relief that Vince not only knew what he was doing, but also truly understood how little Howard knew. Howard knew the mechanics, naturally - he watched telly - but he'd gone to great lengths to keep other people at a safe distance. What had started as a healthy dose of paranoia had turned into something darker over the years. He had thought he could protect himself by keeping people away, but he’d been wrong. Perfect strangers broke Howard's heart on a daily basis.
Vince could break his heart in a moment. Occasionally, Vince did crush Howard, but he had a way of making it up. Even at his worst, Vince had a way of bringing Howard around and proving his friendship was worth the trouble.
Currently, Vince was making a hell of an argument for easing up on his "don't touch me" policy. Vince wrapped one hand around the base of Howard's cock while the other ran over his arse and fondled his testicles. Vince wasn't normally a great multi-tasker, but neither of his hands or his mouth slowed as he systematically tore Howard's brain into pieces.
"You're quite good at this," Howard said in a voice less manly and full of authority than he would have liked. It was a bit closer to a squawk.
Vince laughed without pulling back an inch.
Howard closed his eyes and focused on the feel of Vince's teeth occasionally giving him the slightest scrape, and the texture of his tongue as he licked Howard from base to tip. It only took a few seconds for Howard to realize that it was not one of his better plans. If Vince was willing, perhaps there would be a time when Howard could really relax and enjoy the feel of Vince's mouth, but he was currently rapidly building towards a climax to put all others to shame. Unfortunately, it would be untimely and downright impolite.
"Slow down, Little Man," he whispered, trying to sound calm. "Don't want to rush things."
Vince quickly pulled back.
"Sorry, Howard. Just got a bit excited," Vince apologized, ruffling his own hair with his hand. "Ugh, what is wrong with my hair? It feels all weird."
"It feels nice," Howard argued, caressing the dark locks.
Vince flushed and looked down at his hands, which had so recently been exploring Howard's most personal places.
"I don't want things to be over too soon," Howard explained. "You're..."
"Genius? Sexy? A dead ringer for Joan Jett in her Runaways days?" Vince asked with barely contained laughter.
"All of the above."
"It might be best if you tell me now what you're not interested in," Vince prompted. "I don't want to do anything that's going to freak you out, especially with half of Shoreditch gone mental from the Xoobilation refreshments."
"I want to do everything." The words tumbled out of Howard's mouth before he had time to edit his thoughts. "I want to make love to you in every way imaginable, for the rest of my life."
"Are you being serious?" Vince asked, looking oddly concerned. "Do you mean that, or have you gone insane because someone touched your love stick?"
"It's more like a love branch or love plank, and secondly, I have gone insane because the idea of spending the rest of my life with you has always sounded like a privilege rather than a nightmare. You drove me insane a long, long time ago, Vince Noir."
"You don't have to marry me just because maybe we did it, or because we’re going to do it. It can be just one of those things." Vince spoke in a quiet tone, as though the romance police were at the door. "I'm not trying to push anything here. I just..."
Howard silenced Vince's nonsense with a kiss. After their lips touched, Howard wondered for a moment if he should be uncomfortable - given Vince's recent activities - but he found it felt natural. It was obscene, to be sure, but Vince had a way of making the obscene seem charming. He'd often teased Vince about his bordello-like boudoir, but he'd had more than one fantasy about feeling the sensuous material of Vince's silken sheets under his skin as he explored Vince's body. Again, Howard was finding reality was much more difficult and rewarding than he expected.
"I been thinking, Howard… if you don't remember last night, then right now - this is definitely your first time, even if it's not technically your first time. It can still be however you want it. I'm up for whatever. They call me the Versatile Vampire of Shoreditch."
Vince was babbling and giggling as Howard kissed his neck and inhaled the familiar smell of his skin. For years, he'd literally tried to keep Vince at an arm's length, so he wouldn't fall under his spell. Vince didn't actually have sugar leaking from his pores, but his skin tasted fresh and inviting, the way Howard had always known it would. Vince was full of light and energy, and being close to him made Howard feel young and ready to face the world. Vince always made the impossible seem reasonable.
Howard had plenty of ideas about what he'd like to do with Vince, but he had no idea what Vince would enjoy. It was no surprise that he was offering to do whatever suited Howard's fancy. Vince could be a chore at times, but his heart was pure gold.
Howard looked into Vince's eyes and saw acceptance and desire and a whole slew of feelings he was unprepared to have aimed in his direction, so he looked away. Howard stared at the wall and felt his nerves and self-doubt taking over, crushing what could have been the greatest moment of his life. He was suddenly certain that he could not have made love to Vince the night before. There wasn't a potion powerful enough to counter Howard's self-defeating instincts.