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What if Mickey and Ian had a safeword for everyday life? Like when Ian teases Mickey and starts going too far with Mandy, Mickey has a way to make him stop. Or Mickey says it when Ian starts acting a bit too manic for his comfort. It's a way to stop the situation from escalating into chaos and they both abide by it. Ignoring the safeword is not allowed.
Safeword....
--
Over the years Ian and Mickey had managed their lives quite well. They fought...sure...but nobody quite understood how they could just stop like that. Like right now. Lip was watching his brother and his boyfriend argue, and it was getting heated, and interesting, but Lip knew it wouldn't turn into anything, because somehow they always stopped before it got bad like they used to. They never threw a punch, they never pushed too far.
"Think they'll actually do it this time, they have been fighting more lately?" Debs asks eyeing them.
"Nah man, they always stop and then they get all lovey-dovey, it's fucking sickening. Sometimes I really do wish they'd punch each other." Carl comments from the side. The fight continues. "Fuck, Did Ian just tell Mick to hit him?"
"He does that. Don't know why Mick backs off everytime he does." and just like everytime before, Mickey's eyes change from anger to something else and he backs up and step or two and whispers something that the other Gallagher siblings can't hear.
--
"I'm sorry." Mickey whispers and puts his head down a little and Ian steps to him and wraps his hands around his body.
"Love you." Ian says as a way to let him know it was all fine. and Mickey looks up and pulls his boyfriend for a kiss and they hear the groans behind them.
Their families might not understand it, but they had a system. After years, of fighting, and not understanding each other. Years of fighting just to be together, they knew one thing. If they could find a way to stop whatever bullshit they were about to start, just from being the hardheaded men that they were they were going to find a way. and find a way they did. A couple of years ago, Ian had come up with it in the middle of the night.
"A safeword, we need a safeword." Ian spits out and Mickey eyes him.
"Like for sex? You thinkin' of doing some weird shit to me that I don't know about?" Mickey said half joking but entirely confused.
"For everything. sex, fights, all of it. if either one of us says the word or phrase we stop. stop the fighting before it gets to punching and hating each other, we stop and think about what we are saying but we only use it if the other goes too far. Or we feel suffocated or something. Something that even if we are in front of family doesn't sound too girly or gay or whatever, its better than me begging you to stop or you getting angry and storming off if I say something. What do you think? Is it stupid?" Ian rambles on thinking of his idea and what Mickey's potentially snide remark might be to it.
"You know firecrotch, that might be the best idea you've ever had, well....Besides showing up at my door with a tire iron, as stupid as that was, I kinda like how it turned out."
It took all of a month to figure out what they should say. It couldn't be just some random word, somebody would know something's up automatically if they said some word neither of them would bring up in conversation and it couldn't be a common word that they said all the time either, such as fuck. or any number of curse words really. So one night, after a particularly amazing round of sex, that left both boys panting and wanting even more, Mickey straddled Ian with a bright and smiling face which undoubtedly creeped Ian the fuck out.
"Again...already? can't even give a man time to breathe, alright."
"I got it."
"Huh?"
"The safeword or whatever you fucking called it."
"Alright, let's have it."
"Fucking hit me," Mickey says.
"Excuse me? Mickey now isn't the...Wait...Seriously? won't that start a fight more than end one?"
"No...not if we don't let it. Think of it man, it's perfect. If i say something fucked up...you just tell me to hit you, that's like a slap in the face because...the only time you've ever said that...to me...I did, and I've regretted it every day of my life, and Like hell, if I would ever tell you to hit me, not really."
"and how do we know it's okay? like if you say it and I back off, how do I know you're not still ready to actually hit me?"
"I love you," Mickey says.
"Mickey I love you too...but that doesn't answer..."
"Shut up you big goof. I meant that's how we know. After the fight, we look up and say I love you. If we can still say I love you, then we're fine, we'll work it out. It's not too far that we can't come back from." Mickey says in a completely honest moment.
"Okay," Ian says nodding.
"Okay."
--
Ian and Mickey walked back to the others hand in hand and sat down by the bond fire.
"You guys suck." Carl whines.
"Excuse me, kid?" Mickey says quirking an eyebrow.
"You're boring. You two used to be interesting, now even your fights are fucking boring and predictable. Don't you want a little adventure in your life huh?"
the boys bust out laughing.
"We have plenty of adventure kid, we just prefer not to kill each other. " Mickey laughs.
"Speaking of adventure....Mick, I think it's time to go home." and Mickey stands up fast. The best part of the fights.... fucking damn.
"So soon?" Fiona asks coming over.
"Best part of the fights is making up." Mickey says and Carl shakes his head.
--
"Okay, I have to ask you a question," Lip asks a few weeks later, this time, Ian and Mickey hadn't even fought, Mickey was obviously annoyed about something when they got to the house and Ian was rolling his eyes or something of the sort, and out of nowhere, Mickey spoke. "Fucking hit me." He says with no venom, none at all, he just sounds tired. and Ian holds out his hand.
"Fine give me the damn pills," Ian says and Mickey does. then Ian huffs one more time before spitting out, "I love you." and Mickey returns the words and they sit down and hold each other.
"Hmm," Ian says looking tired and a little shaky.
"What the fuck is with you two....First, we don't see you actually fight, for months, and then that...how does Mickey wanting you to punch him in the face have a damn thing to do with you fucking taking your meds?" Lip asks. Ian just looks over at Mickey and shrugs.
"We have a system okay? Nosey ass." Mickey says wrapping his arms tighter around his boyfriend as if to hold him steady.
"A system?? The threat of violence get you two going?"
"No...Well yes, but that's besides the fucking point. We just know when we've gone too far is all, and we stop ourselves. It works for us."
"and I haven't been cut off in over a year. I like when I'm getting laid regularly." Mickey adds.
"Shut up."
"Nope. Ain't gotta. You gonna say the words and make me?" Mickey jokes but he knows Ian won't, not like that. Ian just shakes his head and kisses the back of Mickey's neck.
"You okay man? " Mickey asks.
"Yup. all good. just shaky. Hate adjustments. But you were right. It'll get better." Ian answers and Lip eyes his brother.
"The....wait....no fucking way...." Lip says and Ian and Mickey laugh because it's easy to see when Lip finally figures something out.
but the boys just continue to cuddle in their chair, because the best thing after a fight....and the I love you's at the end of those fights really do make all the difference.