"Take off your clothes," Sebastian ordered.

"What?"

"Don't make me repeat myself," Sebastian shoved him forward. "You're too smart for a human. Take off your clothes. How am I to know you didn't hide something in case you got trapped?"

Vincent stared, hoping this was a terrible joke, but when Sebastian remained quiet he sighed. Vincent took off his clothes. Sebastian eyed him up and down and then shoved him into a cell, closing it. "Don't expect regular meals. I doubt Milord will let anyone down here outside of himself."

"It's so cold," Vincent's teeth chattered.

"Maybe you should've thought about that before you came back," Sebastian snapped. "Go find some human to love and leave me and my careful plans for world domination alone!"

"Are you sure you should be telling me that?" Vincent raised an eyebrow.

"I've been at Milord's side for fifty years," Sebastian placed his hand on his chest. "I've crafted his loyalty and formed a beneficial relationship. He will not trust you so easily if you try to whisper words of warning," Sebastian's eyes filled with a tiny flame of rage. "Don't even attempt it or I shall murder you myself this time instead of leaving it to the hands of filthy humans." Sebastian locked the cell and turned on his heel to leave. He returned shortly after with a bucket of water and threw it at Vincent. "You smell of soot and dirt," he sneered and walked out officially this time.

"I wonder if he is secretly an omega," Vincent's teeth chattered. "He seems like he is compensating for something." The terrible thought crossed his mind that Sebastian was Adrian's mate. He forced it aside and rubbed his arms up and down, trying to generate heat.

Hours passed like this. Vincent grew colder and colder by the minute. He wondered if his lips were turning blue. He shook his head. He can't die like this! That's so boring. The door opened to the dungeon room and Adrian walked through. He glided across the way and stopped in front of Vincent's cell. He took off his cloak and threw it between the bars. Vincent reached for it and wrapped it around him. It was warm even though Adrian's skin was still cold. Was it still cold?

"For the first ten years, I avenged you. For the next ten years, I mourned you. For the last thirty years, I've been building an empire instead of loving you." He paused and his eyes softened for the first time since Vincent saw him again. "But, for the past 1, 577, 836, 800 seconds, not a moment has gone by where I'm free from thinking about you," he gritted his teeth and folded his hand into a fist.

"I-"

"No," Adrian raised his hand. "I need time to process this. I thought you were dead. It's been moments for you but years for me. Don't speak." Then, he turned to leave just as he came.

"So, does this mean he doesn't have a mate?" Vincent snuggled up into the cloak and smelled it. "I'm going to hope this means he doesn't have a mate."

...

"Hello?" a mop of fluffy hair was the first thing Vincent saw while opening his eyes. Thick rounded glasses and a smirk. This vampire was lying down on the ground as Vincent was.

"Are you supposed to be down here?" Vincent wrapped the cloak more tightly around him. He clung to it, as if it would change the inevitable fact his relationship to Adrian was tarnished.

"I think you should thank me first," Othello grinned, holding something that looked like a pill in between his fingers. "I have all the nutrients you need right here. You've gone without food for quite some time, right? Sebastian certainly wouldn't feed you and Dracula is off doing who knows what moping about."

"You're going to feed me?" Vincent stared at the pill. It must be something like a vitamin. No pill capsule. Just something ground tightly together.

"Not exactly," Othello continued smiling. "I'm going to invest in you, so to speak. If I keep you well-nourished, will you give me information?"

"Information on what?"

"On your travels, of course. You know things an ordinary human would not know," a shadow cast over his face, or maybe it was just Vincent was noticing for the first time that he had heavy bags under his eyes. If there was anything close to the perfect image of a 'mad scientist' this was what Vincent would assume to be that.

"I shall try my best," Vincent agreed, reaching out his hand for the pill. It felt cold in the air. He didn't want to hold it out that long. The vampire grabbed his arm, pulling it forward, and Vincent's head was slammed into the bar of his cell. He stared at his arm, cutting gashes into it with his nails, from Vincent's elbow to his wrist, and then licked Vincent's arm.

"Hm, not very sweet after all," his eyes were amused as he continued to lick the blood. "You smell sweet but there is a darkness in your blood. No, a sadness? What is this flavor?" His eyes only became more and more curious, wanting the answer, but not finding it. Vincent winced but didn't panic. He could tell these wounds looked bad but were more of scratches.

"Your heart isn't beating faster. Are you not afraid of me?" He moved his tongue down to Vincent's hand, licking his palm and lifting his gaze to make eye contact.

"There is nothing that could possibly scare me more than the thought that he would never accept me again."

"Hm? A romantic..." The vampire placed the pill into Vincent's palm and released his arm. "My name is Othello. I look forward to working with you." He stood up at last and exited. Vincent stared at his arm and then at the pill. What were the chances this was actually poison? Did it matter at this point? He closed his eyes and sighed.