I Want To Know What Love is…
Category: The Mighty Boosh
Characters: Bollo, Howard Moon, Naboo, Other, Vince Noir
Pairing: Howard Moon/Vince Noir
Rating: NC-17
Status: WIP
Length: 1-5k words
Rating: NC-17
Notes: The chapter names are all, in my opinion, great rock songs. My other great passion – besides The Mighty Boosh!
TITLE: ~~ Foreigner – “I Want To Know What Love Is.”~~
I Want To Know What Love is… by LeHitcher
[nextpage title=”Chapter 1 – I’ve got a feeling…”]
Chapter 1 – I’ve got a feeling…
Author’s Notes: Setting the scene – a night out for Howard and Vince raises some feelings of jelousy.
TITLE: ~~The Beatles – “I’ve Got A Feeling”~~
The music pulsated around Vince, he felt it in time with his own racing heartbeat. The club was hot, the air dense and oppressive and the smell of stale sweat seemed to ooze from the walls around him. He was wired and anxious and wanted to get on the crowded dance floor and get rid of some pent-up energy.
A couple of brightly dressed girls nearby had noticed him already. But then he’d gone out dressed with the intention of being noticed. Vince Noir didn’t own an item of clothing that wasn’t the height of fashion and tonight’s outfit was no exception. He sent a cheeky grin their way and wound his way through the crowd to the dance floor.
Vince loved to dance! He loved the way he felt swaying his hips to the music. Raising his hand in an acknowledgement to the DJ, a friend of his, he made his way over to a large group of dancers. As they spotted him a few of the female members of the group broke away and came over to bestow him with hugs and kisses.
One girl, a curvy brunette, lingered slightly longer than the others. She gazed up at him with shining blue eyes and whispered an invitation for some after-hours action in his ear. Vince patted her gently on the backside and grinned suggestively. The brunette skipped away beaming to rejoin the dancers.
Vince never drank much on a night out but it never stopped him from having fun. His sparkly personality and sexy style made him popular with women and men alike.
“ Hey Leroy!” He spotted his friend heading towards the group. Wearing an simple pair of jeans and a band t-shirt Leroy still managed to be the picture of understated cool. Leroy pulled Vince in for a brief man-hug and enquired about how his week had been. Vince gestured to the bar and the two men continued their conversation with a cool beer. This was turning out to be an enjoyable night out for Vince, the perfect end to a busy and exciting week.
“So where’s Howard tonight? He not fancy joining us?” Leroy asked fiddling with a beer mat.
“ He’d already got arrangements with Lester. I think he was a bit disappointed really. He would have been up for a good night out.”
Vince was disappointed himself, it was a rare occasion when Howard fancied joining the party scene. But Howard being Howard was reluctant to let down a friend. He was considerate like that Vince pondered feeling a warm glow toward his best mate.
The night sped past and before he knew it Vince was dancing his way into the early morning. The DJ was on fine form and was playing some of the best rock and indie tunes of the moment. People were constantly pouring in and out of the entrance doors so Vince didn’t notice immediately that Howard had arrived. When he did he bounced over to greet his friend.
Howard was dressed casually in his own relaxed style and for once looked at ease with himself. The older man smiled and Vince suggested a drink. In the quieter area around the bar the two could chat.
“You made it in the end, genius!” Vince grinned
“Yes siree! Howard TJ Moon out on the town, oww!” Vince rolled his eyes.
“So what happened to old Lester Cornflake?”
“It’s nearly 2am he buggered off hours ago!”
“Well I’m glad you came” Vince said sincerely. “Now come and dance, there are some gorgeous girls on that dance floor!”
The two men made their way back over to their group and jumped around in time to the beat. Vince was having a great time laughing with Howard as he tried to keep up with Vince’s extravagant shape-throwing. Howard had really come out of himself lately and seemed happier in social scenarios than ever before. The two friends had bonded over the last few months and were now closer than ever. Vince had a great respect for the older man.
To his surprise Vince noticed that Howard was also attracting his fair share of attention from the local ladies. But why wouldn’t he? Vince pondered on this. He observed Howard; gentlemanly and always interested in what other people had to say. He could draw people into conversation in a way that Vince envied. Vince was by no means as superficial as he sometimes made out but he did feel that he lacked the superior intelligence of his closest friend.
Vince’s style was a lot more physical and was more likely to grab a girl by the hand and drag them off for a snog than he was to woo them with his knowledge of romantic poetry.
Speaking of girls, the curvy girl was back and was doing some major flirting. Vince had to admit the attention was really turning him on. She wasn’t necessarily the type of girl that blokes would gawp at as she entered a bar, she was far more subtle. Her light brown hair hung naturally around her shoulders and she was wearing just a clever hint of make up that made her beautiful eyes look luminous. She was pretty and more importantly she had a brilliant sense of humour. He loved the feeling of her feminine body pressed against his.
The night was drawing to an end and they were all slightly sweaty from dancing all night. A few of the group were keen on chilling out and chatting so Vince invited them back to the flat. Howard had linked arms with a petite blond and was deep in conversation, her face eagerly smiling up at him. The flat was only a matter of five minutes walk away and soon the six of them were slumped on sofas and chairs chattering lazily and resting their tired feet. Vince was beginning to regret wearing his platform boots!
Howard was sat opposite him with the blonde girl, they were very close and Howard had a soft, serious expression. The look of adoration on the young woman’s face made his heart lurch. Weird, why was he suddenly envious of Howard? It wasn’t like he didn’t get any attention himself! About half an hour later he noticed them discreetly shuffle away in the direction of Howard’s bedroom. Vince watched them go with a heavy feeling.
He turned his attention to his brunette lady.
End Notes: Chapter 2 coming soon, please keep reading. Would be grateful of any feedback. Love ya xx
[nextpage title=”Chapter 2 – In The Morning…”]
Chapter 2 – In The Morning…
Author’s Notes: A new day and the events of the previous evening are forgotten when Vince is viciously attacked.
TITLE: ~~Razorlight – “In The Morning”~~
The water was cool and refreshing as it cascaded down on Howard’s body. Nothing beats a morning shower for waking you up. He thought. Howard felt good. Last night had been fun, once he’d shaken off Lester and gone into party mode. It made it so much sweeter that he’d managed to pull a cute little blonde. He smiled to himself at the memory. Howard Moon – the man, the legend!
He didn’t know where this confidence had come from all of a sudden, but he liked it! As he pondered on this his thoughts came to Vince. He’d really helped him lately, including him in his group of friends and encouraging him to express himself.
He’d noticed a change in Vince too he had matured lately. His free-spirited, humorous personality was still there but there was a new depth to him. Howard couldn’t quite put his finger on it….
Howard wanted to get into the shop early this morning, he’d planned to do some renovation work on the old piano. If he ever hoped to sell it he had to undo the damage that the cockney and that idiot punk had inflicted!
He turned off the shower and towelled himself dry. As he passed Vince’s room he noticed that the door was still closed. Normally he would knock to try and rouse Vince ready for work but he wasn’t sure if he had someone in there so he gave it a miss. Howard dressed, gave his hair a perfunctory brush, ate breakfast and was unlocking Nabootique within half an hour. He located his tool box and set to work on the piano.
He was startled sometime later when Vince flounced into the shop.
“Hey! You left early this morning!” Vince remarked. Howard glanced at his watch 11:26.
“And you left late! Go on, what’s the escuse?”
“Well I decided to wash my velvet catsuit, you know the one Mamma Zoom made for me? Well as I put it in the washing machine, I was sucked in and transported to another dimension. There was this giant clam wearing a trilby that tried to rape me so I had to knock him out using a frozen Vienetta. Luckily I managed to get away!”
Howard rolled his eyes, half amused.
“Best yet little man.” Vince looked infinitely pleased with himself. As Vince busied himself hanging up his leather jacket, Howard surreptitiously checked out today’s outfit selection. Electric blue shiny leggings coupled with a skin-tight Clash t-shirt, finished off with a black and silver headband worn like Rambo. Stylish and sexy and completely inappropriate work-wear! Typical Vince! Howard thought with a fond smile
“ So you had a productive night last night” Vince noted with a raised eyebrow.
“You could say that, but before you ask, Howard Moon does not kiss and tell”
Vince smirked to himself. It annoyed Howard slightly because he could tell that Vince had figured he’d bottled out. Howard knew he didn’t have to get physical to express passion but he didn’t much feel like justifying that to Vince. He’d spent the night discussing deep, philosophical concepts with his companion.
“ So do you think you will see her again?” Vince enquired. Howard studied his face, curiosity but something else too. Another emotion but Howard couldn’t quite figure it out. He looked almost anxious but why?
“Maybe, who knows? I might just play the field for a while. Not sure I’m ready to restrict myself.” Now the look on Vince’s face was one of confusion.
“Playing the field? Where has this come from?”
“Deep within, Sir. I told you before I’m a sexual dinosaur!” Vince couldn’t conceal his snigger. “Just because you don’t find me sexy, doesn’t mean there aren’t plenty of chicas out there just waiting to ride the love train with Howard Moon.”
“ I never said you weren’t sexy.” Vince answered.
Howard felt himself blush slightly at this compliment. He changed the subject quickly. Why do I care so much what Vince thinks?
The morning passed without event and at lunch time Vince headed off to buy lunch. Howard hoped he didn’t just come back with sweetie lips and teeth like Friday. Naboo and Bollo arrived both looking slightly vacant, two guesses what they’d spent the morning doing! They made their excuses and headed upstairs to the flat.
Howard was absorbed in dusting the jazz record display when Vince returned.
“Please tell me you got us something half….” Turning to look at Vince his words caught in his throat. His left eye was almost completely closed and bruised a vicious purple, his nose streaming with blood. Vince was out of breath and looked like he was about to collapse. Howard rushed to the door to steady him.
“What happened little man?” Howard’s brow furrowed with concern for his closest friend.
“Some geezer jumped me, said I’d been mucking about with his missus.” Howard put his arm around the smaller man to gently guide him to a seat, Vince groaned with pain.
Carefully Howard lifted his t-shirt. He gasped; Vince’s small frame was covered in angry looking bruising. In places you could see the outline of a formidable looking boot.
“You need to go to the hospital”
“It’s fine” replied Vince “looks worse than it actually is.”
Howard gently ran his finger over Vince’s ribs. His skin felt smooth and surprisingly warm. How could anyone do this to his Vince?
“ The girl that came here last night, was it her boyfriend?”
“It must be. She told me she was single.” Vince looked like he was about to burst into tears. Howard felt a lump in his own throat. He sat down beside him and pulled him into a gentle hug. Vince felt tiny and frail in his strong arms. Howard felt warm tears against his neck. He leaned over and kissed Vince gently on his head breathing in the sweet smell of coconut.
Whoever had done this to Vince was a dead man.
End Notes: Working on Chapter 3 as we speak…. please let me know what you think so far xx
[nextpage title=”Chapter 3 – Away From Here”]
Chapter 3 – Away From Here
Author’s Notes: Vince is still stinging from his encounter but as usual Howard comes to the rescue with a cunning plan
TITLE: ~~The Enemy – Away From Here~~
Vince felt stupid. More so than usual. He couldn’t believe that some chavy idiot had beat him to a near pulp. Just shows sometimes a cheeky grin and some sharp wit can’t get you out of any situation. He though wryly.
He was embarrassed that Howard had seen him in such a state. He knew that he could rely on Howard’s help in just about any situation but all the same he liked to present a cool, collected image to his mate. A few days had passed and Vince’s physical injuries were beginning to heal but he knew it would take some time for his pride to mend.
He wouldn’t mind but he didn’t even get lucky with that girl! She was so sweet that Vince would’ve felt sleazy giving her the come on, so the two of them spent the night talking. Even Howard would think he was lame for that! Even so she was adamant that she’d been single for a long time, why would she have lied to him?
So much about this didn’t make sense to Vince. He desperately wanted a distraction to take his mind off things. As usual his best friend seemed to have read him mind.
“Hey there little man!” He said cheerfully. “How about getting away for a couple of days?” Vince furrowed his brow in confusion.
“How come?”
“I cleared it with Naboo, he said that between him and Bollo they can manage without us for a few days.” Howard grinned encouragingly.
Despite his grey mood, Vince felt his spirits lift. It was really kind of his friend to go to all this trouble for him.
“Cool, so where are we going?” asked Vince with a grin.
“It’s a surprise, all I’ll say is pack for cold weather.” Seeing Vince’s face drop he added “Trust me Vince, have I ever let you down before?”
End Notes: A short one but it’s building I promise! Stick with me Booshies! xx
[nextpage title=”Chapter 4 – Velvet Snow”]
Chapter 4 – Velvet Snow
Author’s Notes: Howard unleashes his surprise on Vince.
TITLE: ~~Kings of Leon-“Velvet Snow” ~~
Howard grinned to himself, taking in the expression of wonder on Vince’s face. He took in the scene around them. Their log cabin was spacious and luxurious and even had it’s own hot tub out back. There was a thick covering of virgin-white snow surrounding the cabin and in a field nearby, a herd of reindeer were snuggled together for warmth. Howard had to admit it did look magical.
Vince seemed to absorb the bright-white light around him and a kind of warmth seemed to emanate from him through the frozen air. He could stand a stare at him all day long.
“Howard, it’s brilliant. I can’t believe you’ve done all of this just to cheer me up!” Vince put his arm around him and gave him a one-armed hug.
“Well I know how excited you get at Christmas and here it’s Christmas all year. Seemed like the obvious place to bring you really.”
“Lapland though? This is so cool. I’m gonna put my snow suit on!” Vince ran back into the cabin excitedly.
Howard was pleased that the trip was having a positive effect on Vince already. It would be worth every penny if it brought him back to his old self.
Ten minutes later and Vince was bundled up in his red snow suit and fluffy boots, frolicking about in the snow. Howard couldn’t help but chuckle at his child-like behaviour.
“Come on Howard, you boring old git! This is wicked!” Vince squealed.
Howard charged over to join him and the two of them dashed about like lunatics leaving haphazard trails in the clean white snow. Vince ran up behind him and shoved a large handful of snow down the collar of Howard’s jacket. Howard bellowed as the chill hit his skin and made a lunge for Vince. The two of them fell in a heap. Luckily the snow was still soft and suitably cushioned Vince’s sore ribs.
The two men lay side by side in the soft powder gazing up at the clear sky.
“This reminds me of being in the Artic Tundra.” Vince murmured.
“Ah, but this time we’re actually speaking!”
“Yeah and I haven’t got to leg it with any Polar bears.” They both sniggered at the memory.
“Good times.” Breathed Howard
“Happy days.” Vince added in agreement rolling over onto one side and propping himself up on his elbow.
Vince was smiling at him now, his huge blue eyes luminous. Howard suddenly felt the strongest urge to kiss him.
What the hell is that all about? He thought.
He swallowed and dragged his gaze away from those beautiful eyes. He put it down to the reminiscing. After all, if he was honest with himself he’d had a sort of weird man-crush on Vince in those days. Not that he fancied him or anything, no-more like he admired him and wanted to be more like the confident, younger man. He pondered now, was that really all it had been?
“So what’s the nightlife like around here?” asked Vince, breaking his chain of thought.
“Some bars a bit further down and a few restaurants. Fancy a drink then little man?”
“Yeah. I’ll just go and get changed.” Vince jumped up.
“AGAIN?!” Howard rolled his eyes and received a cheeky grin in response. “Just don’t be too long!”
Nearly an hour later Vince re-appeared from his bedroom. Howard had started to feel the cold so had moved into the lounge area of the cabin and was staring into the roaring fire. He was about to moan at Vince for taking so long but as he turned in his seat his voice caught in his throat.
Vince was stood there wearing a tight fitting pair of white trousers that had a shiny silver glitter woven into the fabric and a deliciously soft looking cashmere jumper in a pale icy blue. To finish off the outfit he was pulling on a pair of white, highly decorated cowboy boots.
It was a simple, yet completely beautiful outfit. Much more toned down than Vince’s usual outlandish style but never-the-less it looked perfect on his slight frame. Vince’s hair, which he’d been wearing shorter of late, was shiny and healthy looking. Beneath his glossy fringe his eyes were framed with a hint of eyeliner.
Howard wanted to pay Vince a compliment but his mouth suddenly seemed very dry and somehow he couldn’t seem to find the right words.
There were no words to describe Vince…
End Notes: Next chapter soon…. please comment. Also anything you’d like to see in the story, let me know and I’ll do my best! xx
