Vincent blinked his eyes open slowly, eventually squinting them against the sunlight pouring into the room. It took a minute for memories from last night to come flooding back to him, his heart racing just at the thought. He brushed his hand through his hair, hardly believing what he did last night.

A part of him felt sick with guilt, but that felt like a reflex. It was programmed in him to feel that way because he had been told so many times that touching another man like that was wrong. However, he remembered Father Leery’s words and reminded himself that he was exploring the path that God laid out in front of him. That meant trying things with Ian. Things that felt… really good.

He swallowed hard as he ran his fingers down his chest, remembering how good Ian made him feel. He even enjoyed pleasuring Ian, even if he didn’t have much experience. The entire experience was so intense, so heated. He couldn’t help but want to try more.

He realized he was in Ian's room, on his bed. He didn't remember coming in here. Maybe he was carried to Ian's room after falling asleep by the fire.

Wanting to see Ian, he climbed out of bed with a bit of a spring in his step. He noticed folded clothes at the edge of the bed, ready for him. Ian must've placed it there. He put on his clothes for the day, checking himself in the mirror before stepping out of the room. He spotted Josh a few feet away, patrolling like usual.

“Morning, Josh,” he said. He was glad that Josh was back. Things were starting to not feel so bad. He just had to lean into the circumstances and accept his feelings. He had fought so hard for so long, and he was tired of it.

“Good morning,” Josh greeted Vincent.

“Is Ian around?” Vincent asked, hoping that they could talk and maybe spend some time together. It meant a lot to him that Ian tried to get to know him more last night. He felt seen for once. Ian didn’t look at him, expecting to find his husband. He just looked at Vincent and expected him and not Eton.

“Mr. Barabossa had to leave for a trip this morning,” Josh replied.

“What? He didn’t say anything about a trip. Where did he go?” Vincent asked, feeling his happiness wilt. He couldn’t believe that Ian just up and left without even saying anything to Vincent. Not that Ian owed Vincent any sort of notice, but it was just polite.

“He didn’t say,” Josh said.

Vincent sighed, his shoulders slumping. He guessed that Ian had business to attend to. Vincent had been looking forward to seeing him, but Ian always answered when business called. It was a part of him. Vincent didn’t know all of the nitty gritty details about Ian and his business, and he was honestly afraid to find out.

Josh glanced toward Ian’s bedroom, a small smile crossing his face.

“Is your memory coming back, Eton?” he asked.

“Why do you ask that?” Vincent asked, feeling a cold sensation wash over him.

“Because you were in Ian’s bed,” Josh replied.

Vincent’s blood ran even colder. His insecurities and worries started to run rampant as his mind raced. He thought that Ian saw him last night, but what if Ian thought that he was pleasuring Eton instead of Vincent? What if Eton was on his mind instead of Vincent?

Vincent felt silly for thinking that Ian possibly had feelings or desires toward him. Ian loved Eton. He couldn’t possibly be developing feelings for Vincent, a completely different person than his husband. It didn’t make any sense, and Vincent felt like a fool for believing he was actually seen by Ian.

“No,” Vincent replied before walking toward his room.

“It’s time for breakfast,” Josh called out.

“Not hungry,” Vincent muttered before disappearing into his room and shutting the door behind him. His heart still raced when he thought about Ian, but he wasn’t even sure what to believe anymore. If Ian was here, Vincent could ask if Ian thought he did intimate things with Vincent or Eton, but he was alone with no comfort.

***

Ian was gone for a whole week. Each and every single day dragged by for Vincent, who waited around for Ian to finally get back. His worries continued to roam around in his head, threatening to keep him awake at night. He was worried because he was starting to feel stronger things for Ian, and he wanted Ian to feel something back for him. He just didn’t know if that was the case or not.

Morris came by every evening to check on Vincent. He didn’t give Vincent much information about Ian’s trip, but Vincent managed to find out that Ian received intel on De Leon’s location and went to Mexico to hunt him down. All that Vincent cared about was if Ian was alive or not.

The second Morris stopped by the villa today, Vincent hurried to the foyer.

“Anything?” he asked, needing to know if Ian was okay or not. The silence was driving him crazy. He couldn’t believe that he hadn’t spoken to Ian for a whole week. It was torture, and his own mind was driving him crazy.

Morris sighed, expecting Vincent’s daily interrogation.

“He’s fine,” he replied.

Vincent let out a breath of relief before heading to the living room to take a seat. He bounced his knee anxiously, wondering what Ian was doing right now. Was he safe? When was he coming home?

“I wish he’d leave this crazy business. He’s just going to get himself killed,” he muttered.

Morris sat next to Vincent.

“He can’t quit. Nox is part of him,” he replied.

“Where did all of this even come from?” Vincent asked.

“Well, the Barabossas have always been wealthy. They were in the oil and banking business,” Morris explained. You can think of Ian’s great grandfather, George, as the head of everything. He had a bunch of rich friends that all did risky ventures to gain more money, so they all came together to form Nox Congregatio to finance those ventures.”

“Just sounds like greed,” Vincent said. He didn’t want to think of Ian as some greedy, money-hungry person.

Morris shrugged.

“Everyone is greedy about something,” he pointed out.

“Do you think Ian is a greedy person?” Vincent asked.

“I wouldn’t really call him that. He’s determined to get what he wants. So, yeah, that’s money to keep his business afloat, but he’d also tear apart cities for you,” Morris replied.

Vincent knew that Morris was talking about Eton, but his heart still skipped.

“He does seem protective over those he loves,” Vincent said. He knew that for sure. Honestly, Ian did have some good qualities, but he had done terrible things. Vincent saw that with his own eyes. “But he’s so ruthless too.”

“He has to be. He can’t let people run over him. He lowered his guard once, and you ended up in a coma. That incident just made him even more strict,” Morris replied.

Vincent supposed that made sense. He just didn’t like to remember that night of Ian killing that man. Obviously, Ian was desensitized to that, and there was probably no fixing that. Ian could be a great person, but he could be a bad guy too.

“This De Leon guy seems dangerous. What if Ian isn’t careful enough?” he asked. He was afraid of hearing the news that Ian was killed. He didn’t know what he would do.

"Ian can be impetuous. You’re his weak spot, but love makes anyone vulnerable,” Morris said with a shrug. “It’s a trade off.”

Vincent sighed, wishing that things were simpler. Of course, he had to land in the body of a mafia leader’s husband out of all things. Ian was surrounded by greed, corruption, and danger. Yet, he still had somewhat of a good soul. Vincent wondered how that was possible.

“We seem happy,” he murmured, acting as Eton. He was tired of doing that, but he wanted to hear Morris talk about Ian and Eton. Maybe if he could learn more about Eton, he could shift his own behavior to act more like Eton. Then, Ian might connect with him more.

That thought nearly made Vincent shake his head at himself. He didn’t need to be acting like Eton. He was his own person. If Ian didn’t like him for him, then Vincent wasn’t going to act like someone else. Besides, maybe he just liked the physical things between him and Ian. The emotional stuff was just his own brain’s confusion over everything.

“Happiest couple I’ve ever seen. Never had your hands to yourselves,” Morris chuckled. “I don’t know. You made Ian fiercely protective, but you also made him have a soft side too.”

Vincent already figured that Eton was touchy. Maybe he needed to give in to his desires to touch Ian a little more. He wanted to explore his desires, which meant fewer clothes and more touching. What a strange path he was on.

Vincent and Morris talked a little longer until Morris left for the day, leaving Vincent alone with Josh and the servants in the villa. Vincent decided to try to distract himself by browsing through the library. It was his favorite pastime here.

He decided to check out some other shelves in the library that he hadn’t explored yet. The books on the shelves toward the back corner of the library were dusty, having not been touched in years. Vincent browsed through them, trying to find anything that caught his eye. He stopped when he spotted a journal tucked away.

Vincent flipped through the pages, seeing countless journal entries. When he flipped to the inside of the cover, he saw George Quentin Barabossa signed at the bottom. His eyes widened when he realized that this was Ian’s great grandfather’s journal. He considered putting it up because there was no telling what was in there, but he couldn’t help his curiosity.

He flipped to a page toward the beginning of the journal. The date was 1902, stretching back past Vincent’s own time. He stood still as he let his eyes trail over the first line on the yellowing page.

***Hello, my lovelies! I have set a new Ink goal. Please see my note below for details!

Gen.

"Sorry, Greg. I'm not leaving. This is my place now too." These words from a man he barely knew threatened to shatter whatever remaining sanity Greg had after going to great lengths to move on from the death of his fiancé. As if his dead ex's betrayal wasn't enough, he must now deal with another blow from the grave: an unexpected visitor who was everything Greg wanted to avoid.

- Ink Goal: 50,000

*Cover illustration by LuckySR