It Had To Be You
Title: It Had To Be You
Fandom:Moonlight
Pairing/Characters: Mick/Josef
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: All publicly recognisable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Summary: Josef surprises Mick with a confession, but who will really end up being the most surprised.
posted to moonlight_slash and smallfandomfest
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“Hey, there you are.” Mick found Josef outside, leaning against the sandstone railing of the garden terrace balcony installed as part of Josef’s office renovations. “I was wondering where you’d got to. I was about to send out a search party.”
Mick chuckled, and pressed a fresh poured glass of blood into Josef’s hand.
“Thanks.” Josef gave a brief nod of gratitude, and accepted the drink. Eyes fixed off into the distance. Looking out over the busy streets, and bright city lights.
Mick furrowed his brow, and then nudged Josef in the ribs with a friendly elbow. “You ok?”
“Of course,” Josef took a sip of crimson refreshment. Appearing to brush Mick’s concerns aside. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
“I don’t know,” Mick arched a quizzical eyebrow, and tossed Josef a no nonsense look, “you tell me. This is your party. Aren’t you supposed to be inside mingling or something?”
“Maybe I’m out here developing my artistic temperament,” Josef quipped, the line of his mouth drawn into a sarcastic smile, “you never know when one of those might come in handy.”
Mick snorted a laugh, and then placed a concerned hand on Josef’s shoulder. “Seriously though, if you need to talk, about anything…”
Mick gestured with his hand to complete the sentence.
“Well thank you very much, Dear Abby.” Josef quick witted. And then he was drawing an unneeded breath, and rubbing frustrated fingers across his forehead. “Ok, you want to know what’s wrong? I’m in love with someone that I can’t have, and it hurts like hell.”
“I’m sorry,” Mick’s voice was etched in sympathy, “I know how hard Sarah’s memorial…”
Josef cut Mick off. “It’s not Sarah.”
Mick’s surprise was evident. If it wasn’t Sarah, then it had to be - “Simone, but I thought everything was fine between the two of you?”
“No, not Simone either.”
“Then who?”
Josef threw back the remainder of his drink. And then Beth was calling out to Mick from the sliding glass door that lead onto the balcony. The opening refrain of ‘It Had To Be You’ could be heard playing inside.
“I love this song.” Beth grinned with delight, and then turned her attention to Josef. “You don’t mind if I steal him away from you do you?”
“You already have.”
Josef kept such thoughts to himself.
“We’ll talk later, ok?” Josef heard Mick toss back over his shoulder. He forced an agreeable smile, and then watched after Mick’s retreating form.
“Is everything ok, with Josef?” Beth asked as they headed onto the dance floor.
Mick drew Beth close, and began to sway with her in time to the music.
“I don’t know? I don’t think so.”
“You’re worried about him, aren’t you?” Beth leant back in Mick’s arms. Her expression mixed with sympathy, and concern.
“Yeah, yeah I am.” Mick replied, his own concern increasingly apparent.
Beth saw Mick glance over to where Josef now stood. Slumped elegantly against the wall on the opposite side of the room. Josef’s gaze appeared to track their every move across the floor.
“You really care for him, don’t you?” There was a certain undercurrent in the tone of Beth’s voice.
“Beth, Josef and I have been best friends for more than five decades.” Mick shifted defensive. “So yeah, I care about him. A lot. Is that a problem?”
“No,” Beth’s reply was a little too quick off the mark. She softened her tone. “It’d just be nice to know that you cared that much about me too sometimes.”
Mick was taken aback. “Of course I care for you as much as I care for Josef. Where is this coming from?”
“You spend more time with him than you do with me,” Beth lowered her voice. Words sounding more like a pointed hiss. “Anyone would think the two you were joined at the hip. And he’s a bad influence on you. That was the third time last week I caught you making out with some Freshie.”
“Feeding, Beth. Feeding, not making out.” Mick was beginning to lose patience.
“Yeah, well it doesn’t look like that to me.” Beth countered.
Mick shook his head, and raised his eyes skywards. “How many times do I have to explain this to you? Beth, I’m a Vampire. The whole blood drinking thing kind of comes with the territory.”
The music had long since finished. Mick pulled Beth off to one side. Hands on hips, and chin pressed forward. Challenging in his defense, and annoyance. They’d had this exact conversation one too many times over the last few weeks. He was beginning to tire of it.
“Yeah, well what happened to the whole drinking blood from a plastic bag thing.” Beth mirrored Mick’s stance, “I thought you wanted to be more human.”
“And I thought you accepted me the way I am.” They’d reached an impasse. Eyes averted for a moment, Mick let out a frustrated huff of breath, and then tried to defuse the situation. He was fed up with arguing. “Fine, let’s just get out of here. We’ll head back to my place. Watch a movie or something; spend some time together.”
“I’d like that.” Beth was suddenly all smiles, and laughter. Mick was relieved to see her in a more agreeable mood.
“Great. Grab your coat, I’ll just go and say goodbye to Josef.”
“Of course.” Beth curled her fists. The corners of her mouth turned upwards in the parody of a smile. Mick made it a point to ignore her rancour. The last thing he wanted was to start another fight. They’d been doing way too much of it lately.
“Trouble in paradise?” Josef cocked his head, and arched a curious eyebrow as Mick approached.
“No, everything’s fine,” Mick was lying through his teeth, trying to down play the situation, “She’s just having one of those moments, you know. Female insecurity.”
“Ah,” Josef stroked his chin, and pretended to look sage, “the dreaded female insecurity. Let me give you a piece of advice, my friend. Never use the words ‘that time of the month’ within earshot of a mortal woman. They will tear you to shreds.”
Mick laughed. “Actually, I think she’s jealous. Of you and me.”
“You and me?” Josef’s tried to affect a look of surprise, and then offered Mick an arched brow grin. “What, am I planning to spirit you off somewhere?”
“Yeah, I know,” Mick laughed again, and shook his head. “What are the chances?”
Forcing a laugh, Josef placed a hand on Mick’s arm, and wished him a good night.
“You too, Josef,” Mick replied, and returned the gesture, “take care of yourself.”
“Don’t I always?” Josef gave a lopsided grin, and then chortled with amusement when Mick rolled his eyes.
Josef dropped the act as soon as Mick’s back was turned. His expression pained as he watched Mick walk out the door with Beth. His arm wrapped loosely around her waist.
A week later Mick was on Josef’s doorstep, bottle of Scotch in hand.
“Did she let you out for the night?” Josef greeted Mick with a wry smile.
“No,” Mick deadpanned in response, “I snuck out the bedroom window. I think I’m going through an adolescent crisis.”
“Touché.” Josef flourished a hand, and then stood back to let Mick in.
“I’ve got some hot liquor,” Mick announced, and stepped inside, headed towards the living room with Josef following close behind, “a bit of cool Jazz, a box of Cuban cigars. What else could you want on a Friday night?”
“How about some decent company.”
“Oh ha ha, very funny,” Mick took a seat on Josef’s leather couch, and tilted the bottle of Scotch in a mock toast. “You’re a real comedian.”
“What can I say,” Josef pretended to inspect his fingernails, “It’s a gift.”
Mick reached for a couple of tumblers on the table in front of him, and poured the both of them a generous measure of Scotch.
“Here,” he slid one of the glasses over to Josef seated opposite him, “get that into you. And then you and me are gonna talk.”
“Oh goody,” Josef responded with sarcastic glee. “Let’s talk about you, and Beth. How is Beth by the way? Everything going well is it?”
“Yes.” Mick nodded, and gave a patronising smile.
“Bullshit.” Josef drained the contents of his glass in one swift gulp, and then placed the tumbler back down on the table with a pointed clink.
“We’re working on it.” Mick tried to wave a dismissive hand. “It’ll be fine.”
“Who are you trying to convince, Mick,” Josef arched a pointed eyebrow, “me, or yourself?”
Mick had planned to come over this evening to discuss Josef’s relationship problems, or lack thereof. Now he found himself drawing in a sharp breath, and letting the floodgates open. It was a relief to finally talk about it.
“This was supposed to be the one thing I wanted more than anything. Despite everything that might have kept us apart, I thought Beth and I were meant for one another. Like it was predestined or something…”
“…So what happened?”
“That’s the thing,” Mick threw up frustrated hand. Words flowed forth in a tangled mess, “I don’t know. It’s like everything’s gone wrong. All we seem to do is fight, and argue. We can barely stand to be near one another sometimes. We rub each other up the wrong way. I can’t seem to do a thing right. She wants me to be more human, and then she gets upset if the thinks I’m pretending to be something I’m not. She complains that we can’t sleep together because she’s not a Vampire, but she doesn’t want to be turned, and then…”
“You know what I think your problem is, Mick?” Josef interjected. “You’re more in love with the idea of Beth’s humanity, than you are with Beth herself.”
“Well at least I’m not in love with someone I can’t have.” Mick smiled, and raised a pointed eyebrow of his own. “How is the pining business these days?”
“Ouch.” Josef pretended to look mortally wounded.
Mick poured another round of drinks. “So, come on, fess up. Who is she?”
Josef shifted uncomfortably, toying with the fresh filled glass Mick had just handed to him. “No one.”
“Don’t you hold out on me, Josef Kostan,” Mick grinned, and wagged a finger in Josef’s direction. “Come on, I bared my soul, now it’s your turn.”
Mick wasn’t going to take no for an answer. Josef averted his eyes, teeth working distractedly over his bottom lip. Etched in contemplation.
And then Josef was getting to his feet. Drawing himself up to his full height. His voice clipped. “Ok, you really want to know who I’m in love with?”
I’m all ears.” Mick reached for the glass of Scotch in front of him, and raised it to his lips.
“It’s you, Mick. It was always you.”
Mick near choked on his drink. Spraying a mouthful of amber fluid across the table. “You, what? You’re kidding me, right?”
“Nope.” Josef’s expression was steadfast.
“Wow.” Mick scrubbed his fingers through his hair, wide eyed, and struggling to come up with a suitable response to what he’d just been told. “I…ah…wow.”
“You said that already.” Josef smiled, and then shifted into a flurry of nervous activity. “Look, I’m sorry. This is a shock for you, I know. I shouldn’t have said anything. You should probably just go. I’ll get your coat. We’ll pretend this whole thing never happened. Blame it on the age old scapegoat of alcohol...”
“Josef,” Mick grabbed Josef’s hand as he tried to rush past. He could feel the spark of Josef’s longing flowing between them. “Relax. I just need some time to process, ok?”
Josef nodded his understanding, and smiled when he felt Mick’s thumb stroking across the back of his hand, offering reassurance.
“We should probably still call it a night.” Reluctantly, Josef disengaged his hand from Mick’s.
“Sure, no problem.” Mick stood up. Trying his best to smile nonchalant, and pretend they were just shooting the breeze. “I’ll see myself out. We’ll catch up some other time.”
Outside Mick sat in the car. His hand rested on the keys in the ignition. A myriad of thoughts, and images raced through his mind. Him, and Beth, the niggling, the constant arguments, the disappointment when he realised it was nothing like what he had expected, or wanted. And then there was Josef, Josef who accepted him, Josef who actually encouraged him to be himself. Josef who apparently loved him just the way he was, despite all Mick’s faults he seemed so fond of reminding him about.
Josef who had been there for him for more than fifty years, and never asked anything in return, except companionship.
Mick smacked a determined hand against the steering wheel. And then he was climbing out of the car, and striding back towards Josef’s front door. Hammering a fist against the solid wood.
Josef looked surprised to see Mick back on his doorstep so soon. “Did you forget some...?”
Mick grabbed Josef’s face either side, and kissed him.
“Ok, wasn’t expecting that.”
Mick took Josef by the hand and lead the both of them back into the living room. A disc was slipped into the CD player. The sounds of Frank Sinatra filtered through the air.
It had to be you, it had to be you
I wandered around, and finally found
The somebody who
Could make me be true,
And could make me be blue
And even be glad, just to be sad
Thinking of you…
“Come on,” Mick held out his arms, “I saw you watching me dance with Beth to this song. I know you wanted to be the one I was dancing with that night.”
“My God, he’s finally cracked.” Josef affected a dramatic look of concern, and then grinned as he stepped into Mick’s embrace.
“You know if we’re going to give this whole love, and relationship thing a go…”
Mick began to sway with Josef in time to the music.
“…This whole ‘love, and relationship’ thing?”
“Yeah,” Mick laughed, and then pretended to look stern. “A few things are gonna have change to around here.”
“I hate you already.” Josef huffed with put on indignation then.
“No you don’t.”
Mick smiled, and drew Josef closer. And then he was pressing his lips against Josef’s ear, and whispering words Josef never thought he would hear Mick say.
It’s you, Josef. It’s always been you. I just needed someone to hit me over the head, before I realised it.”
With all your faults,
I love you still
It had to be you, wonderful you
It had to be you.