Characters: Mick, Coraline
Rating: PG-13
Spoilers: Ep 1-7 of Moonlight, season 1
Summary : Standalone Snippet – a description of the 1950s scene in Coraline’s apartment, and how Mick proposed to her.
First posted : ff.net, January 2009.
Disclaimer : The characters are not mine, no money is being made and no infringement is intended.
Infatuation
Mick returned later that night, drunk, almost possessed with anger and desire. To avenge himself on Coraline, to prove himself. It was like he could not think, just feel, and he could not stop himself from going back to that place. He knocked on her door and called out. There was no answer. He looked through the window, and tried the terrace door. It was locked. He knocked again, and kept on knocking, walking past the windows like a caged animal, circling the terrace, wanting in. He knew she was in there, with him. He could not bear it. Finally, she came to the living room."Where's your boyfriend? Send him out!" Mick said, slurring slightly. "I got something for him..."
Coraline smiled at him, and he smiled back, although he was quite serious. He'd knock that guy out - he knew he could. He was taller and stronger. He leaned against the glass with his hands, steadying himself. It fogged up from his hot breath. Coraline said she was alone. Mick demanded she'd let him in. Calmly, she informed him that she was not in the habit of letting inebriated men into her house at 2 in the morning, but batting her eyelashes while she did so. Her refusal stirred something inside of him.
"You stood me up," he said angrily, "You stood me up three times."
"I'm sorry," Coraline said in a quiet whisper, looking into his eyes remorsefully. "We'll make it up." Then, she turned away from him, and started walking away, hiding a secret smile. Mick stared after her until he could not see her anymore. He sighed and closed his eyes, resting his face against the glass. She was gone. But as he opened his eyes again, he could see movement inside. She was coming back. He smiled, knowing he had won. He walked around the terrace to the window closest to her. They faced each other. Only a wall of glass separated them. Coraline smiled encouragingly, walking away from the window, and Mick knew what he had to do. He took up a metal garden chair and threw it at the window. The glass shattered. Coraline did not scream, or get angry. Instead, she looked at him with eyes that lured him in, drawing him inside like a siren. He stepped through the window frame and they met in a wild embrace, the glass crushing under their feet.
"Marry me," he said, his voice hardly more than a growl, while they breathed in between kisses. "Marry me." Coraline only gasped, pressing herself closer to him, but it was enough for Mick - it was a yes, and an allowance to continue. They consummated their engagement there, between the shards of glass, their hands clawing at each other's clothing in the feverish desire to feel burning flesh upon flesh, their passion fuelled by alcohol. It was like a battle. Cuts on knees and shoulder blades only peripherally noticed, the adrenaline of the pain only adding to the climax.
Mick awoke early, a cold draft blowing in through the broken window. He was lying on the floor, feeling sore all over. His hands and knees were cut and his head was pounding. Coraline was gone. Shreds of her gown lay at his feet. Guilt hit him like waves crashing onto the shore. What had he done? There was no blissful fog, no merciful veil over last night's events. It was all painfully clear. Breaking into her house. Taking her into his arms. Taking her. He also remembered, that she had not said yes. But she had wanted to, hadn't she? And if she hadn't, would he have noticed? Could he have stopped? His stomach turned, heavy with residue alcohol and swirling with shame. He sat up gingerly, brushing shards of glass off of his trousers, and stood up, swaying slightly. He would make it up to her and propose properly, give her everything she wanted, and make an honest woman out of her.
