Part 10

It had been more than 2 weeks since Josef had last seen Mick. He had been staying at a hotel payed for by Josef, the idea of going back to his apartment, filled with memories of Beth, too painful for him to contemplate just for the moment. Josef had made arrangements for Beth as well, the best medical care money could buy and a private room in a nursing home where money could also buy protection from curious eyes. Mick had thanked him, genuinely, for that and Josef had tried to pretend it wasn't really anything to thank him for and brushed him off with a casual "what are friends for".

That was the last time they had spoken until Josef opened his door to a visitor at 2 am to find a rather dishevelled looking and grinning Mick standing there. He watched as Mick walked, or rather floated, into the foyer of Josef's mansion without waiting for an invite.

"Are you high?" he asked with a bemused smile.

"Mmm hmmm" came Mick's reply and Josef noticed his jaw was grinding and he was having trouble keeping his eyes from rolling up into the corners of their sockets.

Josef smiled and indicated for Mick to follow him into the private lounge room he sometimes used to entertain guests, asking him along the way if he wanted a drink, which Mick declined somewhat absently. He pressed a glass of blood into his hand anyway and took a seat on the lounge looking up at Mick with a little smile playing on the corners of his mouth. Mick looked down at him, drained the glass of blood in his hand and announced that it was way too quite in here and asked where the music was.

"You know where it is, put on whatever you want" Josef told him

Mick walked over to Josef's CD collection, chose a disc and placed it into the stereo system. The room was filled with the strains of All Because of You by Universal State of Mind and the irony of Mick's track choice wasn't entirely lost on Josef, about 1 minute fifty five seconds into the track, as Mick lay on the floor in front of him, he had to stifle a laugh when Mick raised his arms and began to trace patterns in the air with his hands.

"Having fun are we" he asked.

Mick turned his head and looked at him, all black pupils and no iris, as Josef heard him take a sharp intake of breath that caused his lower jaw to begin to shake.

"Josef? What are you doing all the way over there, I can't reach you"

Josef hesitated for a moment before sliding off the couch and lying down next to Mick, wrapping his arms around him and placing his head next to his, feeling Mick's hair rubbing against his face as he nodded his head to the beat of the music.

"Mick?" Josef said as he listened to the sound of Mick's teeth hitting against one another as his jaw clenched.

"What?"

"It sounds like you're trying to grind your teeth away" Josef replied.

"Josef?"

"What Mick?"

"I love you" he whispered through shuddering teeth.

"No you don't Mick" Josef whispered back to him

"Yeah you're right I don't" that last remark stung Josef more than he cared to admit and Mick quickly followed up with.

"But you do"

Josef felt a momentary twinge of panic run through him and he decided to try and make a joke of what Mick had just said.

"What? Love myself, well it's not like I haven't been accused of that before"

Mick stared at the ceiling and furrowed his brow "No I mean..." his voice trailed off and Josef thought to himself "Yes I know what you mean, just let it go".

Josef tried to distract Mick from the conversation and started tracing circles on his chest through the material of his shirt. Just then the track changed and the first driving notes of Positive Education by Slam began to ring out. Mick reached up Josef's hand, guiding it lower, pushing it down the waistband of his jeans and onto his erection.

"Josef....don't stop" he whispered as he turned his face towards his and pressed his mouth desperately onto his lips.

Josef broke the kiss and kept the hand Mick had pushed down his pants perfectly still. "Mick, I don't want to take advantage of you like this"

He heard Mick sigh gently as he responded back to him "Maybe I need you to take advantage of me right now Josef"

That was all the explanation Josef needed, he crushed his mouth back down onto Mick's, closed his hand around his hardness and began to stroke him firmly in time to the beat of the music, pressing his own straining erection against Mick's hip, through his pants.

He felt Mick begin to writhe and undulate his hips in time to his administrations, felt his fangs scrape against his tongue as he kissed him deeply and knew neither one of them was going to be able to hold out for long. Just then he felt Mick's back arch up as he started to go into the first shuddering strains of his climax and he drew his arm around his neck further, offering his wrist to Mick to bite down on. The sensation of Mick's fangs piercing his flesh caused a rush of pleasure that caused Josef to tip over the final edge, shuddering and snarling his release as he bit into the area just under Mick's ear.

Mick let go of Josef's wrist and reached his arms around his body, they lay there; wrapped up in each others embrace, quietly listening to the others breathing as it slowly resumed its normal rate.

Several hours past like that until finally Josef shifted and raised himself up onto his shoulder, looking down at Mick and brushing the hair from his eyes.

"Mick, the sun will be up soon, I need to go to bed soon"

Mick took a moment to respond to him, looking up at the ceiling as if he was lost in thought.

"Josef?"

"What Mick?"

"Can I stay here with you...please; I just don't want to be alone right now"

"Of course you can" Josef responded understandingly "You can sleep with me in my freezer, there's room in there for two if one of us lies on our side"

Mick nodded and spoke again.

"Josef?"

"Mmm" Josef responded.

"I don't think I can walk"

Josef laughed and kissed him on the cheek "I guess I'll have to carry you then"

With that Josef stood up, bent down and took Mick into his arms carrying him upstairs and placing him gently into the large industrial size freezer before climbing in to lie next to him. Moments later as the cold air swirled around them he heard Mick say in a small wan voice.

"Even if you don't mean it, can you just say it to me anyway?"

"Say what Mick?"

"That you love me, please I just need to hear it" he heard Josef hesitate briefly and swallow away the lump in his throat.

"I love you....now go to sleep" he added quickly.

"Thank you" he heard Mick's muttered reply and listened as his breathing slowed down becoming quieter and steadier as he fell into a deep sleep.

Just before Josef fell into his own repose he pressed his lips gently to Mick's temple and whispered to him silently.

"I love you"

Just as the soft refrain of Wonderful Life by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds floated up from the street below.

Speak our secret into your hands
And hold it in between
Plunge your hands into the water
And drown it in the sea
There will be nothing between us, baby
But the air that we breathe
Don't cry
It's a wonderful, wonderful life
If you can find it
If you can find it
If you can find it
It's a wonderful life that you bring
It's a wonderful, wonderful thing