Title: Just Another Day
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Josef Kostan/Mick St. John
Fandom: Moonlight
Rating: PG-13
Word Count: 1,744
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.

***

"Do you know what today is?" Josef demanded as Mick walked into the living room of his penthouse, looking up from the book in his lap. "I don't think you do, or you'd have been here earlier. I bet you completely forgot all about it, didn't you?"

"Forgot all about what?" Mick asked, his curiosity piqued. He had no idea what Josef was talking about; he couldn't recall any special plans they'd made, or anything to indicate that this was some kind of special day. "This is just another day like any other day."

"Just like any other day." Josef rolled his eyes, looking annoyed. "Think carefully, Mick. Are you absolutely sure that you're not missing something? Something important that maybe you ought to have remembered?" He raised his brows, looking expectant.

But try as he might, Mick couldn't make heads or tails of what Josef was talking about. His mind went back over the last few days, trying to remember anything that seemed significant, but he couldn't. "Josef, I'm sorry. I don't know what the hell you're talking about."

Was it his imagination, or did he see a flicker of hurt cross Josef's features before the other man put down his book and got up from the couch to stalk over to the windows. Josef shrugged, shoving his hands into his pockets, his tone careless when he spoke.

"Forget it. It's not all that important. I just thought you might make something special out of the day, that's all." He turned back to Mick, his smile forced. "I'm kind of busy today, so I don't know if we'll have a lot of time anyway. You don't have to be here."

Mick felt a shock go through his body at those words; it sounded as though Josef was treating him like any other of the people who worked for him, dismissing him as though he wasn't wanted or needed. That wasn't like his boyfriend at all, especially not lately.

"Josef, what's going on?" he demanded, keeping his voice steady. "What am I supposed to remember? I don't know what it is, but you're obviously pretty pissed off at me for forgetting something I shouldn't have. Refresh my memory, okay? I'm sorry I upset you."

"I can't believe you don't remember." Josef didn't turn back to look at him, but Mick could hear the hurt in his voice. His boyfriend actually sounded petulant -- and hurt. "Today is the anniversary of the first time we met. I thought that was something you'd remember."

Mick wanted to slap himself as soon as Josef said the words. Yes, that was an occasion that he should have remembered, considering how much Josef had come to mean to him. But at the time, it hadn't seemed all that significant.

When the two of them had first met, he'd thought that he was in love with Coraline, that he would live with her and love her forever. He hadn't known then what she was -- or what Josef was. And he'd never thought that he could fall in love with a man.

It had taken decades for him to realize what Josef meant to him, even though he was sure that in the back of his mind, his feelings for this man had been growing and turning into something even stronger than love. But at their first meeting, he hadn't had a clue.

"Look, Josef, I'm sorry," he said softly, inwardly berating himself for being so stupid. But he couldn't really be expected to remember that day, could he? After all, at the time, he hadn't had any idea of what he and Josef would eventually mean to each other.

If he'd known all those years ago that this man would be the love of his life, of course he'd remember the day they met. He really should have remembered it anyway, he told himself with a soft sigh. It obviously meant a lot to Josef that he did.

"I know anniversaries are a big thing," he began, hoping that he could say the right words. "And this one is important to me, just as much as it is to you. But you've got to realize that all those decades ago, I didn't know what you'd mean to me. I didn't even know what I'd become."

Josef's shoulders slumped, but he didn't turn around. "I know," he said, the words coming out on a sigh. "I'm the one who should be sorry. You didn't realize back then how I felt about you. You were too wrapped up in how you felt about Coraline at the time."

"I wish I hadn't been," Mick told him, his voice soft and gentle. "That was a mistake. But I'll say one thing -- even though I hated her for turning me and I didn't want to be what I was, if she hadn't, then I'd probably never have found you and we wouldn't be here today."

"Yes, we would," Josef murmured, shaking his head. "If she hadn't turned you, I eventually would have. I knew, Mick. I knew even back then that I was in love with you. I didn't admit it, either out loud or to myself, but I knew how I felt."

Mick crossed the room to stand behind Josef, placing his hands on his lover's shoulders. He almost felt like crying at Josef's words; he knew that it took a lot for the other man to admit those things to him. Yet another wall in their relationship was crumbling to the ground.

"I wish I'd known," he said softly, his heart in his words. "I wish I had known then how you felt, what you were, what I would become. I guess that explains why I was so drawn to you, even though I thought we were just friends. There was always something more under the surface."

"So you felt it right at the beginning, too," Josef said softly, finally turning around to look at him. "And yet you don't remember that day. I bet you don't even remember what you thought about me the first time we met, the first time we looked at each other."

"Yeah, I do." This was a question that Mick could answer promptly and truthfully, without any shadow of a doubt. "I thought you were this really cool guy, and at the same time, I was a little jealous of you because I thought Coraline might care about you."

"That was the first thing you thought about me?" Josef's face fell, the look of anticipation that he'd taken on when Mick had begun speaking changing to one of dismay. Josef hid the look quickly behind a bland facade, but Mick had caught the fleeting disappointment in his features.

"That was what I thought on the surface," he corrected, his voice gentle. "But there was more than that. I thought you were really good looking -- and I wanted to get to know you. I'll admit, at the time I thought it was a friendly sort of thing, but I know now that it was more."

"Was it?" Josef murmured, moving closer to him. His gaze met Mick's, his eyes searching his lover's face. "You thought I was good looking, huh? Did you think Coraline would fall for me because of that? You must not have had a very high opinion of yourself."

"At the time, I didn't know what to think of myself," Mick said with a shrug. "She was the only thing on my mind. You know that. I wasn't thinking clearly at the time. It was a long time before I got my shit together and realized who I'd really wanted all that time."

"You always know how to make a good save, don't you?" Josef asked softly, finally sliding his arms around Mick's waist. "Even when you've said the wrong thing and you know it, you can always smooth it over and make me feel better."

"I don't know that it's such a great gift to have," Mick said, shaking his head. "I don't mean to make you feel bad, Josef. You should know that. But it's better for me to be completely honest than to lie to you, isn't it? That's the last thing I'd ever want to do."

Josef nodded, sighing softly and leaning forward slightly to rest his forehead against Mick's. "I'd rather have the truth than a lie, even if the truth hurts," he admitted. "But it does hurt that you didn't remember this was the anniversary of the day we met."

"Hey, I remember now," Mick told him, placing a finger under the other man's chin and making Josef look up at him. "And we can always do something special to celebrate the day." His voice lowered, becoming husky and barely audible. "Or we can just spend the day in bed."

"That's kind of what I was thinking," Josef whispered, his gaze holding Mick's. "I was hoping you'd say that -- since it's Saturday, and I don't have any business deals, unless you have some case you should be working on, we both have a lot of free time."

"And I know exactly how I want to spend it," Mick said, chuckling as he looped his arms around his lover's waist. "Come on, let's get this party started. It might only be the two of us, but that's the best kind of party we can possibly have, if you ask me."

"You know, you forgetting what makes today special might be a good thing," Josef told him as they headed for the bedroom. "It gives me the chance to ask for anything I want from you. And I know that you'll feel like you have to give me what I ask for."

"Oh, I think I know what you're going to ask for," Mick said with a soft laugh, his arm tightening around Josef's waist. "And I'm not going to have any problem giving you exactly what you want -- and more," he added, brushing a kiss across Josef's lips as he pulled the other man into his arms.

***