![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
colabottles.livejournal.com posting in ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
booshslashhavenTitle: Snow Angels and Winter Kisses
Pairing: Howince
Word Count: 4,619
Rating: PG
Summary: Howard takes Vince on a mystery holiday and gets more than he bargained for.
Challenge: Holidays, challenge #24.
Disclaimer: I don't own The Mighty Boosh.
A/N: Thank you very much to the lovely ![[info]](https://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
el_gardner for betaing this for me! Hope you all enjoy the story.
“Could all passengers for flight BA43574 make their way to Gate 4, you will be boarding shortly.”
Howard looked down at his ticket and stood up immediately, realising that this was their flight. He looked down at the floor; around him were 4 huge pink bags containing all of Vince’s hair products, favourite CDs, several changes of clothes and two pairs of stiletto boots. Howard had told him that he wouldn’t be allowed hairspray on the plane, but he was insistent on taking them in his hand luggage – in his own words, he never knew when the paparazzi might appear and take a cheeky snap of him while he was off guard, so he may as well look his best for that moment. And anyway, Vince had already charmed the man behind the bag-checking desk into believing that he only had books in the bag, despite the clunking as he walked – he just had the natural ability to get away with everything, as if butter wouldn’t melt.
Howard sighed heavily. He looked around; Vince was nowhere in sight. This was typical of him. He hauled the four heavy bags onto his shoulders and started walking to the only place he could be – playing on the arcade games. The flashing lights and electro beat music screaming out from the games at the end of the airport would easily grab Vince’s attention.
Howard cleared his throat as he reached the tiny room crammed with gaming stations, all completely empty apart from Vince, hunched over the sweet-grabber like an excited 6 year old.
“Hey Howard, I’ve almost won a sherbet fountain! I’ve got it in the right position and everything, just a few more Euros and it’s mine!” Vince said, not bothering to turn around – he was too engrossed in the game.
“A few more Euros? Vince, how much have you spent on that?”
“Well, I had 20 Euros in my pocket so I changed that and used it... and I just found 5 Euros on the floor. How lucky is that?!”
Howard closed his eyes and shook his head. He couldn’t believe that Vince was only 10 years younger than him, he was still like a child.
“Vince, you’ve spent close to 25 Euros and haven’t won anything! You could’ve hired Bertie Bassett as your whore for the night with that, you idiot. Come on, our plane’s leaving now.”
Howard threw the hairspray bag at Vince and walked off briskly towards the gate with Vince trundling along behind him.
“Are you gonna tell me where we’re going yet Howard? I feel like I’m being abducted! I have a right to know where I’m going to be spending the week thank you very much.”
Howard looked back at Vince and laughed slightly. “Just be patient. I’ll tell you when we’re on the plane. If you were observant enough you’d know by now, but you’ve spent the whole time in the airport on the grabber so you’ll just have to wait and see!”
Vince huffed and picked up his pace so he was walking next to Howard. “Alright. But honestly, if it’s somewhere out in the wilderness like last time, I’m having Naboo pick me up on his carpet. I’m not joking!”
And with that, the two squabbling friends walked up to the desk, showed their passports and walked down the corridor leading to the plane.
-----------
“Are we there yet?” Vince moaned, folding and unfolding his legs agitatedly.
Howard put his face in his hands and sighed. “Vince, we haven’t even left yet. Can’t you just go to sleep?”
“But I wanna know where we’re going!” Vince cried in a very childlike manner.
“I’ll tell you when you wake up. That way I get some peace and you get some rest.”
Vince fidgeted in his seat, struggling to get comfortable in the little space he had. He shuffled around in his chair, finally lifting the armrest up and resting his head lightly on Howard’s shoulder, finally looking comfortable.
“Vince...” Howard began, but stopped himself. He wasn’t used to physical contact of any sort, he’d always just thought he wouldn’t like it. But this was... surprisingly nice, just feeling Vince’s soft hair and body heat through the thin material of his jacket was a completely new sensation but one that he didn’t dislike.
“Hmm?” Vince mumbled sleepily.
“Nothing, it’s alright.”
Vince fell asleep very quickly, long before the plane started to take off. Howard was secretly terrified of flying – he’d only done it once before and that was on an expedition to find out if Tommy Nooka really had relatives in Germany – but as the plane began to gather speed, Vince’s soft breath against his arm was somewhat soothing, which all felt very strange to Howard, but welcome nonetheless.
The plane began to gather momentum and the engines roared as it lifted off the ground and into the sky. Howard’s heart pounded frantically, and he went to grab the hand rest – which he didn’t realise Vince had moved before, and ended up accidentally clamping his hand around Vince’s instead. Vince mumbled something about auburn unicorns under his breath and squeezed Howard’s hand unconsciously in his sleepy daze. Howard looked at his hand awkwardly, wondering whether to move it. He hadn’t meant to hold Vince’s hand, that was obvious; but the fact that it felt so nice was stopping him from pulling his hand away. Vince’s surprisingly strong grip was very comforting, and his hands were broader and manlier than Howard had ever imagined. Not that he thought about Vince’s hands often.
After a few minutes of getting used to the feeling, Howard began to almost feel dirty holding Vince’s hand without his permission, so he wriggled his hand out of his grip and placed it on his own lap gingerly.
He looked out of the window and noticed that there was a scattering of clouds underneath them; he realised they were at cruising altitude, which relaxed him. He didn’t mind this part of the journey so much. He rested his head on the back of the seat, closed his eyes and drifted off into a comfortable sleep...
------
“Howard,” Vince whispered, poking his cheek lightly to try and get his attention. “Howard! Howard? Oi, wake up you batty crease!”
Howard opened his eyes slowly, realising that Vince was still leaning against him but he was now awake, poking his face.
“Urgh, Vince! Talk about rude awakenings.” Howard swatted Vince’s hand away from his face and leaned back to go back to sleep.
“I think someone woke up on the wrong side of the plane!” Vince cooed.
“Ugh, I was just enjoying the sleep, alright? It was taking my mind off the flight.”
“Well we can do something then,” Vince suggested. “Hey, remember that crimp we made about flying? Flying through the sky, like Mr seagull, ooh! Ooh...”
The man in the next seat turned his head and raised his eyebrows at Vince. Vince turned away to look out of the window, obviously embarrassed. “Not the time for a crimp then... Oh, I still don’t know where we’re going!”
Howard braced himself – he knew Vince would kick up a fuss as soon as he found out their destination.
“We’re going... skiing. Up the Swiss Alps.” Howard closed his eyes tightly and waited for all hell to break loose.
“...Seriously?”
Howard nodded slowly.
“Wow! WE’RE GOING TO SEE LEROY!”
Howard had never thought about it that way, not even as an excuse for why he was dragging Vince of all people on a skiing holiday. He wasn’t exactly sure himself. He just spent all his time with Vince... it would be strange if I he went on holiday alone or with someone else.
Howard’s eyes flicked from side to side edgily. “That’s right! That’s exactly why I’m bringing you here.”
“It’s not, is it?”
Howard shook his head guiltily.
“It’s alright,” Vince said. “I know he’ll be there! Besides, how many different places can you ski? Surely not that many! We’ll find him.”
Vince hopped up and down in his chair excitedly. It was the opposite reaction to what Howard had expected, but it was a welcome one. He looked down to check his watch and as he did so, the tannoy crackled into action and the pilot’s voice spoke over the plane.
“Could all passengers please fasten your seatbelts, we are about to begin descent.”
“Oh shit...” Howard muttered under his breath.
“What is it?” Vince asked, looking at Howard with a worried expression on his face. When Howard breathed deeply as the plane began to tilt downwards, Vince realised what his problem was. “Oh I know what it is... you don’t like flying, do you?”
“Especially not the landing bit,” Howard finished.
Vince laughed and smiled at Howard. “Come on, it’s alright. If Gary Numan’s not scared of flying a plane, why should you be scared of sitting in one? It’s fine! The only thing that you should be scared of is how flat the pressure has made my hair.”
Vince was right, there was nothing for Howard to be afraid of. He couldn’t help but shake though, and Vince noticed this. He leaned in and looked at Howard serenely, then without saying a word, tucked his hand under Howard’s on his lap and let Howard squeeze gently, to let out his tension. This time the hand-holding was consented, and Howard had never felt so cared for by a person than he did at that moment; and the flight was the last thing on his mind.
-----------
The giant coach wound around the mountains for what seemed like days before they reached their destination. They had gone through every form of entertainment imaginable – eye-spy, count the snowflakes, storytelling and, of course, some quiet crimping – and just as they felt they couldn’t take any more, the vehicle stopped outside some tiny log cabins.
The holiday rep stood up at the front of the van and grabbed her microphone lazily. “Ladies and gentlemen, we have reached our destination. We hope you have a brilliant holiday,” she spewed out half-heartedly.
“Genius,” Vince grinned. “Let’s go get our suitcases!”
Vince plodded out of the coach, nodding at the rep on the way out, who grinned and waved back flirtatiously. He was wearing his platforms and the mirror ball suit – not the best outfit for the snow. He began to shiver violently as soon as he stepped out of the van. His eyes widened and he began to look around frantically.
“Howard!”
“What?”
“Why is it so fuckin’ cold?!”
Howard looked over at Vince – he was shivering violently, his eyes bigger than normal, his jaw hanging much lower than he thought was even possible. Howard couldn’t help but laugh – he looked hilarious.
“What are you laughing at?!? I packed a range of metallic jeans and sun hats, I would’ve brought my glam rock ski suit if I knew we were going skiing! I’m gonna FREEZE, soon people will be melting my last words in a tent at this rate!”
“Vince – you’re an idiot.”
Howard laughed as he unloaded their suitcases out of the van. He pushed the large, multicoloured case across the snow, and it stopped at Vince’s feet.
“If you’d have paid any attention back at the flat rather than mincing around with half of the female population of Camden, you’d have noticed that Naboo and I spent the best part of a day choosing the warmest outfits out of your wardrobe to replace your shiny pants and sombreros. Don’t worry!”
Vince looked down at his suitcase, unamused. “Alright,” he said through gritted teeth. “But if the clothes aren’t colour co-ordinated, or if they’re out of fashion, I’m off!”
Howard chuckled and shook his head as they plodded off through the snow to their tiny wooden lodge.
Vince squealed as he walked through the door. The huge open fire was already lit, and the barrier of heat hit them as soon as they stepped inside. Vince ran over to the fire and sat down on the rug next to it, making the most of the heat. Howard brought the cases in with him, put them down at the back of the room and sat next to Vince, mirroring the way he was warming his hands up on the roaring log fire.
“Shall we take a look round?” Howard asked after sitting by the fire for several minutes in a comfortable silence.
“Yeah, alright,” Vince said. He took his hands away from the fire and placed them on Howard’s cheeks, the warmth of them burning Howard’s freezing cold skin. Howard shrieked and pulled his face away reflexively. Vince giggled and held his hands out to help Howard get up off the floor. Howard took his hands and hauled himself up, but didn’t let go straight away - Vince pulled his hands away and left Howard feeling embarrassed as he grabbed his suitcase and began tugging it up the stairs.
“Shit!” Howard heard Vince squeal as he reached the top of the stairs.
“What is it?” Howard asked, abandoning his suitcase and running to find out what was wrong with Vince. But he didn’t need an answer because as he got through the door of the bedroom, he froze, just as Vince had.
Staring back at them was a huge king-size bed, covered with a beautiful royal-red silk sheet with tiny petals scattered across it decoratively. Candles burned on the huge oak dressers either side of the bed, emitting a dim glow onto the walls. The room was luxurious and amazing, but not quite the room they had been expecting.
“Howard,” Vince started quietly, turning his head towards Howard to reveal his gob smacked expression.
“Yes Vince?” he said, expression equally shocked as he turned to face him.
“What room did you order?”
Howard closed his eyes and thought for a minute before answering. “Well I just rang up and ordered a suite for two...”
Vince put his hand to his temple and shook his head. And he thought he was dense. “Oh well done, you idiot! You’ve gone and ordered us a couples room haven’t you.”
“Apparently so...” Howard shook his head and turned around. “You know what, I’m going to reception. I’ll be back in two ticks.”
Howard shot out of the room leaving Vince on his own. He looked around - the room was beautiful and the smell of wood mixing with the strong aroma from the candle was wonderful, and it complimented the low red lighting. It would be a shame to have to go to a different cabin. Vince perched on the end of the bed, picked up a petal and fiddled with it absent-mindedly, waiting for Howard to come back.
------
Howard stormed in three hours later with a very angry look on his face muttering under his breath.
"Argh, you know what? I give up. There's no more rooms left. I tried my best to persuade the girl on the desk to change her mind but nothing's going to help! We're stuck in here."
Vince looked up at Howard and smirked. "I bet you didn't say anything did you."
Howard looked down at his feet sheepishly.
"I bet she asked you what was wrong then you fled as far as you could across the mountains because you could never argue with a girl. I remember when we were in high school and the girl behind the till in the newsagents gave you change for a tenner rather than twenty. I told you to tell her and you froze like a statue! Face it Howard, you're not a confrontational person. I doubt you could even confront a female fly at the best of times!"
"Alright Vince, that's enough! I'm a gentleman okay, gentleman treat women with the highest respect. I'll have you know sir that women fly at me because of my manners!"
Vince giggled. "Whatever you say Casanova. Right, so what're we doing about sleeping arrangements then? I refuse to sleep on the sofa. It'll mess up my hair too much, and never mind the smell! That old afghan hanging over the back will make me smell like an old woman, imagine if I bump into a blind person on the slopes! They'll think I'm a rotting pensioner."
Howard shook his head. "Vince, I swear there's something wrong with you. Anyway, I can't sleep on the sofa. It's too small. And I'll freeze sleeping anywhere else! I guess we'll have to do top-and-tail."
Vince nodded and looked at the clock - 10:34pm.
"I'm gonna grab a shower then go to sleep if you say we have to be up and ready to go by 10am tomorrow! I need my 10 hours sleep or I'll end up with bags under my eyes." He grimaced at the thought then galloped into the shower.
Howard was tired himself, too; it'd been a long day of travelling and (thinking about) arguing with receptionists. He pulled back the luxuriously soft duvet to reveal a soft pink sheet covering an incredibly comfortable mattress - a welcome sight. He piled one pillow on top of another and put them at the bottom of the bed for Vince, got undressed down to his boxer shorts and tucked himself in, getting comfortable.
Half an hour later Vince came out of the bathroom, hair towel-dried and wearing just a towel around his waist. Checking that Howard was completely asleep, he ripped the towel off quickly and replaced it with a pair of y-fronts. He blew out the candles gently and found his pillows at the end of the bed. He didn't like sleeping top-and-tail - there was something about sleeping with someone's feet in your face that he wasn't particularly fond of. He dragged the pillows back up to the top of the bed and lay down next to Howard before dropping off himself.
----
Vince woke up shivering. He turned to the clock: 3:18am. He sat up and looked to his left - Howard had taken all the duvet. No wonder he was cold. He pulled at the blanket to get his half back, but to no avail - he was well and truly wrapped up.
Vince crept towards Howard and gently lifted his arm. He didn't wake up. He did it again, but this time lay down and shuffled underneath his arm, back into the warmth of the blanket. Vince felt forward for Howard's chest and pulled himself closer, craving the warmth of his embrace. He lay his head on his chest and comfortably fell asleep again quickly, listening to Howard's heart beating steadily underneath him.
-----
"VINCE!"
Vince woke up just as Howard shot out of bed. The chill of the air around him hit and he started to shiver. "What the hell Howard!"
"Why were you cuddled up against me when I woke up? Was this a cruel plan? I know we kissed on the roof that night but it doesn't mean I'm gay, I told you that! I'm strictly women only, you hear?"
"God Howard I know! Calm down. I woke up, you had all the duvet. You wouldn't give me any, it was the only option I had! Come on. You can't say you hated it."
Howard sat down on the bed next to Vince, offering him some of the duvet. He took some and cuddled it, making the most of the warmth.
"It was just a friend warming up another friend, agreed? I was just doing a good deed."
Vince grinned. "I agree. Fancy doing another good deed? I'm freezing."
And with that, Vince wrapped his arms around Howard and nuzzled into his chest again, falling asleep swiftly.
Howard just smiled and stroked Vince's hair softly. After all, he was just doing his friend a favour. No matter how good it felt; he was definitely just helping...
-----
The sound of the alarm clock ringing out across the cabin rudely woke Vince and Howard up. Vince lifted his head from Howard's bear chest and smiled.
"Ready to go skiing? Woohoo!"
Vince launched himself out of bed and opened his suitcase to see what Howard had packed him. Lying there on the top in all its glory was a shiny red cat suit. Vince's eyes glowed as he stared at it reverently. He looked at Howard, and the sheer love in his eyes at that moment was un-missable.
"You... you packed it... you remembered... THANK YOU HOWARD."
He launched himself at Howard and embraced him tightly, obviously excited. Howard was shocked at himself that rather than flinching away, he hugged him back. Vince pulled back and grabbed the suit.
"I'm going to put this on. Get dressed quick; I can't wait to get out there and show Switzerland my amazing look! I'm so lucky, the cat suit look has just come back in too..." Vince mumbled to himself as he walked out of the room to get dressed.
Howard chuckled at how happy he'd made Vince, and quickly threw on some thermals ready to embrace the cold outdoors.
-----
The journey to the slopes was a short one - their cabins were only one stop away. They picked their skis and boots, Vince taking extra long to choose his - 'they can't clash!' - before making their way towards the ski lift.
They got into their carriage and went up the mountain, Vince speaking to a local bird on the way up, asking him if it was misty at the top. As soon as they reached the peak, they got on their skis and made their way to the instructor.
"Welcome boys!" the instructor shouted across to them. "You're late, come here! You don't want to miss the introduction."
Howard shuffled forward as fast as he could, keen to hear the background on the mountains and the safety precautions that need to be taken. Vince, on the other hand, had other plans.
He reached the instructor and stood there for a minute, so Howard wouldn't be too suspicious. As soon as he noticed that Howard was too enthralled in the lecture on the slopes to notice his absence, he took off his skis and ran off.
He ran through the snow, a feeling that he loved - it reminded him of the tundra and the fun that he'd had there with Howard. Yes, they might've been captured by parka people, but what's an adventure if there isn't an element of danger involved?
He spotted a small wooden cabin, similar to the one that they were staying in, in the near distance. He ran towards it, eager to find out if there was anyone in there for him to talk to and possibly get some Swiss style tips from. But as he was running towards it, he tripped and fell into a ditch. It looked level with the rest of the snow, but judging by how far he fell down, it obviously wasn't. He had to climb to reach the top again, and as he did he giggled foolishly. He took several steps back and took a running jump into the ditch, belly flopping and sinking down slowly. He laughed as he felt himself sinking down; this would keep him amused for quite some time.
-----
"...And that is why you should report a ditch if you find one. They can be lethal! Any questions?" the instructor finished, and Howard looked around to Vince.
"Wasn't that interesting Vi--"
Before he had chance to finish, he realised Vince's absence.
"Vince?" he shouted desperately. He turned around to the rest of the group. "Did you see the man I came with? Barely a man, looks like a woman. Dressed as a can of coke."
The group shook their heads slowly, their mind's eyes conjuring up obscure images of a transvestite coke can.
Howard looked around desperately before noticing a shiny red speck in the distance, throwing itself to the ground. He shook his head and got his poles at the ready, pushing himself along the snow as quickly as he could to reach Vince. The group behind him sniggered as they watched him slide away slowly on the skis.
When he reached Vince, he was hidden by a thick layer of snow. He unclipped his skis and went to sit next to Vince.
"You know what the instructor just told me?" he said quietly.
"What?" Vince said; voice extremely muffled by the snow covering his face.
"Twelve people have died by falling into those ditches."
Vince quickly climbed out, a horrified expression on his face. "Are you serious? I was having a blast there! I was looking for Leroy. Seeing as he's a spy, he's probably hiding somewhere like that."
"Yeah okay Vince. Just don't do it again, okay? I don't want to go home one Vince down."
Vince chuckled and sat next to Howard. "I understand. Hey, you know what I haven't done yet? A snow angel."
He threw himself back into the snow and started moving his legs up and down wildly, moving the snow out of the way. He stood up to reveal his feeble attempt at a snow angel - it just looked more like an imprint of Vince than any kind of angelical figure.
"That's crap Vince."
"You think you can do better? Go on then."
He pushed Howard down on the snow and laughed as he watched him helplessly flailing his legs. Before long they were both in stitches, and Vince sat on the floor on top of his 'snow angel' next to where Howard was lying.
Howard looked across at Vince - the snow was falling slowly and gently, lightly sprinkling his hair. The light of the sun bouncing from the snow reflected in Vince's eyes beautifully, making them shine. His skin was perfectly pale but against the snow, he looked almost tanned.
"Vince..." Howard started without even thinking.
"Hmm?" he said, smiling slightly.
"Oh nothing. I was just going to say... it doesn't matter."
"No go on! You'll leave me thinking forever otherwise."
"I was just about to say that you look pretty in this light. Please don't laugh."
Vince chuckled, but not in a mocking way. He stood up briefly before sitting himself back down on top of Howard, straddling him.
"You're not gay, are you?" he quoted.
"No. But you don't count as a male. You're your own breed."
Vince giggled and leaned down. "Well that's good then," he said quietly. "Because I've been wanting to do this for a while now."
And with that, he bridged the gap between them and touched his lips gently against Howard's. Howard breathed in deeply; he'd kissed Vince before, but the passion and emotion in that kiss seemed far more intense - this time, they both wanted it to happen.
Vince kept his lips just above Howard's without touching his teasingly. Howard made the move this time, lifting his head up slightly and pulling Vince's down with his hands. This time the kiss was longer, and more passionate - as the tension that had been building between them was finally released.
Vince rolled over onto a fresh patch of snow so this time Howard was straddling him. He looked up into Howard's eyes - the snow was falling behind him, and he sighed at the beauty of the moment.
"This is perfect," he said as he ran his fingers through Howard's hair gently.
"I know," Howard smiled.
And when they left, they left three imprints - one of Vince's 'snow angel', one of Howard's failed attempt, and the final one of both of them, lying next to each other, enjoying the beauty of their surroundings and the love between them.
Tags:
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-02-18 04:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-19 01:24 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-19 01:25 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-18 06:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-19 01:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-18 08:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-19 01:29 pm (UTC)Thanks ;)
no subject
Date: 2009-02-18 09:29 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-19 01:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-18 09:48 pm (UTC)And Howard not arguing over the room was a lovely touch. I'm confrontation!phobic too, so I can totally relate ;)
no subject
Date: 2009-02-19 01:32 pm (UTC)I needed a reason for them to keep the room! Apparently that was a good choice ;)
no subject
Date: 2009-02-18 10:59 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-19 01:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-19 06:48 am (UTC)I loved Howard being unable to confront the reception lady, and at,
"Vince?" he shouted desperately. He turned around to the rest of the group. "Did you see the man I came with? Barely a man, looks like a woman. Dressed as a can of coke." I literally laughed out loud.
:D Thanks for sharing this, very cute!
no subject
Date: 2009-02-19 01:34 pm (UTC)Thank you! :)
no subject
Date: 2009-02-19 07:08 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-19 01:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-02-19 09:40 am (UTC)Will you kindly explain to my boss that I cannot go to work tomorrow as I have melted into a big mushy pile of goo?
Thanks
xxx
no subject
Date: 2009-02-19 01:36 pm (UTC)Rofl, thanks for reading!
no subject
Date: 2009-02-19 03:54 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-11 09:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-05-21 10:20 pm (UTC)xx