Title: Don't Close Your Eyes
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Josef Kostan/Mick St. John
Fandom: Moonlight
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,571
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my own imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the lovely Josef Kostan or Mick St. John, unfortunately. Please do not sue.***
Mick leaned back against the pillows of Josef's bed with his lover in his arms, careful not to wake the other man. He loved times like this, when he could hold Josef and enjoy being with the man he loved. A calm peacefulness settled around him, quiet and comforting.
Lying here in the night, with Josef in his arms, gave him a peace he rarely knew. Especially during these last few weeks, when there seemed to be some soft of danger lurking behind every corner to weigh him down with some new worry every minute.
Why did people suddenly seem so willing to attack Josef? They had even managed to get into his home, which was what frightened Mick more than anything else. The thought that Josef was so vulnerable sent a shiver of fear through him.
How had anyone managed to get into Josef's apartment? They had been through the background checks on all of the people who worked in this building, and anyone who seemed suspicious had been given their walking papers. So that had been taken care of.
But they hadn't found the person who had let those attackers get in. That was what worried Mick the most at the moment. Whoever it was had managed to slip through their fingers -- which meant that Josef could still be in danger.
He had to move in here as quickly as he could. The lease on his apartment didn't run out until the end of the month, which was only another week, but he wasn't going to leave Josef alone and unprotected for that long, even though his lover insisted that he could take care of himself.
Maybe Josef could have fended for himself with no problem when Mick had come in and found those three men skulking in his living room. But Josef had apparently not known they were there -- or else he'd been lying in wait for them in the bedroom.
That was very possible, of course -- but wouldn't his boyfriend have informed him of that fact if that had been the way it was? No, Mick was sure that he'd been sleeping, unaware that there were people in his own home who wanted to kill him.
It wasn't like Josef to be so careless of his own safety. But he'd gotten used to living here, used to the thought that the people around him were trustworthy. It had been a long time since he'd had to be overly cautious, on his guard even when he slept.
He was sure that his boyfriend would be like that now; Mick himself was used to sleeping lightly, even when he was safely in the freezer in his own home. If anyone entered his home without permission, he would be awake and alert in an instant.
Josef normally would, too. He knew that. But his boyfriend hadn't been sleeping much at all lately; Mick was more than aware of that fact. Josef had been consumed with worries, and the only time he slept securely was when he was in Mick's arms.
He must have been so tired that night that he'd let his guard down, and that couldn't be allowed to happen again. Mick had to find whoever it was that threatened his lover, and make sure that Josef could sleep again. Even if he had to do that on his own.
At the moment, he didn't feel like either one of them could close their eyes, for fear of what might happen. Even now, when he should be able to feel relaxed and comfortable after making love to his boyfriend, he was nervous, keyed up, alert for any possible danger.
Mick didn't want to live like that -- and he didn't Josef to, either. Even though they did have to watch their backs at times because of what they were, they shouldn't have to be vigilant and alert for any sign of danger every moment of their lives.
He wanted nothing more at the moment than to close his eyes, lie back against the comfortable pillows and go to sleep. But there was still some menace in the air, something that told him not to close his eyes for a moment, or something might leap out at him unexpectedly.
Was that only his paranoia, or was there really something lying in wait for them? Mick took a deep breath, closing his eyes for just a moment. He wished that he could clear his head and think, sift over all of the evidence he'd found so far.
But he was too tired for that. Eventually, he'd have to go to sleep -- and then he would be just as vulnerable as Josef had been. He had to get to the bottom of this soon; whoever was threatening his boyfriend had to be found, and eliminated.
What would he do if he couldn't find this person, if they kept slipping through his fingers like quicksilver? Mick heaved a sigh, causing Josef to stir in his arms. The other man's eyes snapped open; he was awake instantly, his body going rigid in Mick's arms.
"What is it?" he whispered, as though he'd never been asleep. "Mick, what's wrong?" He could feel Josef's muscles tighten, as though the other man was ready to leap out of bed stark naked to go after whatever enemy might be lurking nearby.
But Mick only shook his head, tightening his arms around Josef's slim waist. "Nothing, babe," he said, his voice low and husky. "Go back to sleep. You need to rest. You haven't been sleeping enough lately, and you need to. I'm right here. Don't worry."
"I never worry when you're here with me," Josef murmured, settling into Mick's embrace again. "But you need to get some sleep, too. You can't sit up all night worrying that somebody's going to come after me. Go to sleep, Mick. We'll be okay."
"I'll try," Mick whispered, brushing a gentle kiss across Josef's forehead. He lay still, silent and unmoving, until he could tell by Josef's steady breathing that his boyfriend had fallen asleep in his arms. Only then did he relax, breathing a sigh of relief.
He was glad that Josef hadn't asked him why he was still awake. He'd expected that question, but Josef had probably been too groggy to realize that Mick hadn't closed his eyes all night. Lack of sleep could do that to anyone, even a vampire.
Mick didn't want to close his eyes. He didn't want to let down his guard for so much as one second, but he knew that sooner or later, he would have to. He couldn't go for much longer with little or not sleep -- and he wouldn't be any good to Josef if his senses weren't keen and alert.
But how was he going to even mange to close his eyes, let alone sleep, when he knew that the man he loved might be in imminent danger? He didn't trust anyone else to take care of Josef, to watch over him. No one else loved this man like he did.
No, he wasn't going to entrust Josef's safety to anyone else. He'd find a way to sleep when he could, and try to be at his best when he was with his boyfriend. Josef would probably say that he was being silly and melodramatic, but he didn't care.
Maybe others could be trusted to keep his boyfriend safe, but Mick wasn't going to take any chances. He knew all too well how easy it could be for humans -- or even other vampires who weren't invested in what they were doing -- to let their guards down.
He wouldn't take a chance like that. He'd have to ensure that people would be around Josef when he wasn't, but he wouldn't be able to completely trust them. He'd worry about his lover every moment that the two of them weren't together.
Okay, so maybe Josef was right, and he was being overly melodramatic and worrying too much. But he'd learned to err on the side of caution in his time as a vampire, even if Josef had a tendency to throw caution to the winds far too often.
Josef was usually more careful about keeping himself protected, especially after Whitley had sent that assassin after him. But lately, he had been more devil-may-care, and apparently someone had taken notice that he was letting his guard down.
Well, he was here to make sure that Josef was safe and protected, Mick vowed to himself, stifling a yawn. Even if it meant that he couldn't close his eyes. If that was the price he had to pay to keep the man he loved from harm, he'd gladly pay it many times over.
He shouldn't close his eyes .... not even for a moment. But even as he spoke the words to himself, Mick's eyes were closing, and sleep was overtaking him. Within a few moments, he had joined Josef in slumber, their breathing the only sound in the quiet room.***