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Mick opened the door to let Josef in. “Josef, I didn’t expect you by today. What’s up?”
“Mick,” Josef greeted casually, “Can’t I just come by to see a friend?”
“You, no, not really, especially when you smell like Beth. What’s up, is she okay?” Mick sounded more wary as he went on.
“She’s fine. I’m just here to prevent a freak out.” Josef ruined his casual attitude with a knowing smile.
Mick was just more confused. “What?”
“Yours, actually.” Josef continued frustratingly mysteriously.
“Why would I freak out? What’s wrong?” Josef wasn’t one to play around when it came to serious things, and this conversation was getting on Mick’s nerves.
“Nothing’s wrong,” Josef assured Mick as he made his way to the couch to get comfortable. “I come bearing happy news, actually, which, according to you, would be a reason to freak out; can’t interrupt our brooding session with happiness!”
Mick followed Josef’s lead and sat now as well. “Josef,” he called out impatiently, eager for the older vampire to get to the point.
“Your Beth came by to see me,” Josef responded with yet another smile on his face. He was enjoying toying with Mick like this way too much.
“She’s not mine,” Mick responded almost automatically.
Josef chose to ignore that silly comment and continued, “She was hoping to get some insight into you and was banking on me being a vampire, actually.”
“She what?!? She didn’t know! She had asked, but I haven’t told her!
“It’s fine, she was actually very discreet about it.” Josef shrugged, “Honestly, it was impressive”.
“What did she want to talk with you about?” Mick asked to get the conversation back on topic, whatever that topic may be.
“The desert incident scared her, but not enough to scare her away. She really cares about you.” Josef actually sounded a bit impressed and pleased.
“She has a boyfriend.” Mick dismissed, like both he and Beth had been doing these last few weeks.
“Not from what I got out of today’s conversation.” Josef countered.
“She broke up with Josh?” That was definitely news to Mick.
Josef just shrugged, again. “Anyway, she wanted to understand you better, so I told her all good but true things, of course. She was also intrigued about freshies.”
“No, she couldn't be!” Mick denied.
“No, you’re right, she wasn’t interested for the usual reasons, unfortunately,” Josef added that last bit a bit too wistfully in Mick’s mind. “She couldn’t mentally match what happened in the desert with a willing freshie, since your bite was quite painful, and not in the fun way.”
Mick felt that familiar shame wash over him again. He still felt horrible about what happened, but he thought that he and Beth had moved on from that. “What did you tell her?”
“The truth. You were starving, and while you were as careful as possible in the moment, you weren’t at your best. A vampire bite being sensual also requires practice, and while you were quite good at it back in the 1970s, it’s been a while since then for you.”
Mick growled.
“Hey, it’s true! No worries, I made it sound good.” Josef held his hands up in mock surrender. “As I said, I came to give you a heads up on a happy ending.”
“So, that’s it, she was fine after that?” Mick asked, still having trouble picturing this conversation between his oldest friend and Beth taking place.
“She was more than fine,” Josef reassured. “She clearly came to better understand you, and she wanted to hear that what happened in the desert wouldn’t happen again.”
“Of course it won’t!” Mick immediately bit out. “I didn’t want to bite her; she knows that.”
Josef shook his head. “Mick, you don’t get it, she’s not against the biting, she just didn’t want it to hurt.” He explained slowly and to the point.
“No, I’m not feeding from her!” Mick recoiled.
“She knows.” Josef waved off. “She was more interested in, let’s say, the romantic type of biting. It sounded like you two had had a conversation about sex before.”
“Yes, I told her it wasn’t possible,” Mick explained, still tense.
“Oh, oops. I ruined that false notion.” Josef said with a big grin. “Sorry!”
“What did you do?” Mick questioned, not liking where this was going, though he hadn’t liked anything from the conversation yet, except that part where Beth wasn’t upset anymore, according to Josef.
“I showed her what it was like,” Josef explained, leaving the details unsaid.
Mich was on him in an instant, fangs and claws out.
Josef sat still, laughing. He might not like to get his own hands dirty, but that didn’t mean he didn’t stay in shape. He knew he could knock Mick off if he wanted to. “Relax, she’s fine, I didn’t lay a hand on her.”
“You tasted her!” Mick accused.
“I showed her how good it could feel. Just a taste, barely half a pint. She was fine, I made sure she got home safely.”
Mick growled in Josef’s face once more for good measure, and then stalked off, pacing agitatedly. “So what, you came to gloat?”
“No, my friend. I came so that Beth doesn’t have to deal with you like this. I came in the hope that if you get 24 hours to process that she wants you enough to come see me, wants all of you, fangs and all, you won’t mess up this once in a couple of decades opportunity to be with someone you love.”