Forever.

Three years into the relationship, and Vince still isn't sure why Eric is with him. He's the kind of guy who could get anyone he wanted, with a successful career as a manager of the Hollywood elite, a generous spirit and a compact, tight body that caught quite a few eyes. Still, through the ups and downs, Eric had stayed by Vince's side and had been happy to be his other half. He had clapped louder than anyone when Vince had won the Oscar after Gatsby, cheered harder than anyone when he took the Globe home the next year for a small indie film that had barely registered at the box office and cried more than anyone when Vince had thanked him first both times.

Vince had set out to become a star thirteen years ago when he came out to Los Angeles. He was determined to live a better life than the one his mom had put up with when he was growing up in Queens and felt it was his job to give the same to his friends and Johnny. Now that they were all doing well on their own, Vince was starting to feel his responsibility wane. He was still at the top of the Hollywood game, but the drive wasn't there like it was before. He didn't crave the attention, need the money, want the girls or look forward to the toys. He was perfectly happy to be at home curled up with Eric on the couch, watching the Knicks and drinking beer.

It had taken him a long time to reach this point, but he was finally sure that this is what he wanted to do. He hadn't talked to anyone about his plan. The truth was that he was kind of scared to make a big change. The only one he had really made since he had come out to L.A. was finally admitting that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with Eric has his partner and not just his best friend. Other than that, he had left the big choices up to E and trusted that things would work out. While he still had faith that everything would end up okay, he didn't really know what that would look like. He just knew that it was probably the right choice.

"I was all in the minute I followed you out to California, Vin," Eric said one night in bed, "so of course I'm gonna roll the dice with you one more time."

It had taken a lot of courage to tell Eric that he wanted to leave Los Angeles and his film career behind, but Vince was ready to go home. He was ready to be a New Yorker again and make a name for himself on stage. Their mothers weren't getting any younger, and Vince was getting more serious about starting a family with Eric. He wanted to raise their children closer to family.

"Are you sure, E? I know that you love working at the agency. It's not really fair to ask you to give everything up just because I want to make a change," Vince acknowledged. The biggest thing he had learned from Eric over the past few years was how to be less selfish. He had always been generous with some things, but he had finally learned what it was like to share a life with someone. "If this isn't what you want, I can probably do some stage work here. It's not New York, but there are a lot of things here."

Eric knew that Vince would never be taken seriously if he started his theater career in California. He also knew that he didn't have to work another day in his life if he didn't want to work. He would find something in New York that suited them both. If nothing else, he could be a stay-at-home dad while Vince was working on Broadway and still manage a few people from the East Coast.

"I'm sure, Vin," Eric agreed, rolling onto his side to look down at his partner. Vince was a beautiful man with an even more beautiful heart. "Who's going to break it to Turtle, though? I mean, I'm still not convinced he knows what to do without you."

"There will always be room for Turtle wherever we end up," Vince said, and Eric nodded with a small smile in agreement. The four of them – Vince, Eric, Turtle and Johnny – were a family in every sense of the word. There was nothing that mattered more than their friendship; it mattered even more than the romantic relationship between Vince and Eric. "Besides, I think he'll be okay. He's going to graduate soon, and Ari promised to help him get set up with a few labels. Drama is still out here, so the two of them will have each other." Vince was quiet for a moment, his eyes fluttering shut as Eric traced his fingertips over Vince's smooth skin. "Do you think that people will think I'm giving up?"

Eric thought for a moment. It was rare that Vince cared what anyone thought about him outside their tight circle, but it was clear that this had weighed heavily on Vince's mind for some time. "Hey, look at me," he ordered gently. Vince peered up through his dark lashes. "You have done everything that we always dreamed of when we were kids. You worked with the big names, won the awards, made the money, got the fame. Who gives a fuck if anyone thinks you gave up? We know better. This was never going to be our forever, Vin. It was just a pit stop on the way to the life we always wanted to have. It may not look like you thought it was going to look, but we're still living the dream."

Vince reached up and held Eric's hand over his heart. "It's better than I could have ever imagined," he said meaningfully, needing for E to get that this was – that they were – more than he ever thought he deserved. "I think we'll be pretty happy in Manhattan. We can get a townhouse and start looking into adoptions like we wanted. Maybe look for a house in the Hamptons in the summer and keep a place out here for the winter. We'll still have to come back and see the guys, right?"

"Hell yeah we're gonna have to come back here. How long do you think your brother and Turtle are going to last without us here? I bet they call for bail money within the first month," Eric wagered, causing Vince to laugh and relax a little. "I promise you that I'm going to make sure you get everything that you ever wanted, Vin. It's my job, remember?"

Vince allowed to Eric kiss him before nodding his reply. A decade ago, they had stood in the kitchen while Vince licked brown sugar from his fingertip and agreed that Eric would make all his choices for him. He had make sure that Vince's dreams came true, and in more ways than they had ever planned, their dreams had come true together. Vince had no idea what forever looked like, but if it looked anything like the past, it was going to be a beautiful life.