Cadence ( Part 2 of Rhythm ) Completed*

Chp 1: Prologue

"Shit," Mickey shouts as he slams his hands palm down on Ian's pecs to brace himself. Head falling back, he enjoys the moment as he ride's Ian's dick like a pro. "Shit," escapes his mouth again because Ian feels fucking good.

Surrendering to Mickey's ministrations, Ian sucks in his lower lip and bites it to hold it there as he watches Mickey work. He has both hands curled around the other man's hips, holding him steady so that their rapid pace is possible. There is a sheen of sweat on his body to match the one glistening on Mickey's.

Mickey lifts his hips and sinks back down, taking Ian in to the hilt. Ian looked blissed out and it makes Mickey's stomach flip because he loves that he can do this to Ian. He wants to blurt out "I love you" but the words are too soft and emotional to enter into such a primal moment between them. They don't need to be voiced for Ian to know them; it's evident by the way Ian is looking at Mickey, even though his eyes are lidded with pleasure.

"Mick," Ian pushes out on a desperate, heavy pant of air.

"Me too," Mickey responds, because he knows what that means. They're both close and when Ian moves a hand towards Mickey's dick in a sign of jerking him off, Mickey swats him away. "Nah, I'm..." he pauses to let out a moan when his hips rise and fall with aimed calculation. "So good." He shivers at the way he's angling Ian, making sure the tip of the man's arousal hits into the bundle of nerves inside of Mickey in just the manner he wants them to.

They ride that wave for a while, lost in it. Mickey's brain is short circuiting, which he's glad for because there's too much going on up there. He starting to think maybe his biology hates him, maybe he and Ian will never actually get pregnant again. But it's not for lack of trying. They've been trying, and trying, and trying. It's fun work at least, but right now Mickey is starting to feel the pressure.

A crackling comes over the baby monitor on the nightstand beside the bed a second before Mikayla's voice starts babbling "Da da da da da."

Ian's ears pick up on it immediately, head twisting like it's caught in a magnetic pull towards his daughter.

"Ignore her," Mickey orders, quickening his pace to get them back on track. "She's fine."

For a moment it's easy to do just that, but then Mikayla becomes more demanding and louder. Mickey knows his daughter is standing up in her crib at this point, bouncing on her legs. "Da da da!

"Mick," Ian tries, making a move like he's going to put a halt to everything and go towards her.

"Don't you fucking dare." Mickey holds a firm palm down to Ian's sternum. "I need like two more fucking minutes and she's fine. She..." He licks his lips and rocks back.

"She's our baby," Ian says dumbly.

"And she's gonna be the only one we have if you don't shut up and let me fuck you," Mickey barks at him before riding Ian good an proper, tipping his boyfriend over the edge of no return, effectively getting Ian's mind off of their child and onto the orgasm he's about to have.

Mickey knows he has Ian right where he wants him when the redhead's fingers twitch spastically where they're holding Mickey's hip. It's just a few more thorough strokes and Ian's letting out a litany of curses as he comes inside Mickey. The noises he makes send a jolt of arousal through Mickey and he slams down hard, rocking slightly until he too is coming, his release splashing across Ian's chest. They get frozen like that for a while, Mickey slumping forward to let the orgasms run their course as he catches his breath.

"Shit, Gallagher," Mickey breathes out, each syllable a little too elongated, showing his exhaustion. "Made me work for that one." He rolls off of Ian, flopping down beside him and running fingers through his sweaty hair.

"Worth it," Ian chimes in, looking own at his chest with an impressed raising of his eyebrows. Grabbing his discarded t-shirt, he wipes down the mess Mickey marked him with.

A snort of laughter leaves Mickey's mouth. They do a pretty good job of divvying up the work in the bedroom, and he's thrumming with pleasure and satisfaction.

As if she's realized that her parents finally have time to pay attention to her, Mikayla starts babbling again. A lot of it doesn't make sense but then Mikayla goes back to calling for Ian.

"Go 'head, Daddy. You're being summoned," Mickey teases, elbowing Ian in the ribs.

"Kinda hoped she would fall back asleep," Ian protests despite the fact that he is already yanking on a pair of sweatpants. He pads out of the room, leaving Mickey to lay in bed with his own thoughts. He can hear Ian's voice over the baby monitor now, speaking sweetly to Mikayla. That kid is so ridiculously enamored by her parents, as evident by the way she squeals when she finally has the attention of the man she'd been calling for. "Brat," Mickey whispers to himself, knowing full well that he and Mikayla are a lot alike in that way - they've grown pretty happy with attention from Ian. He also knows that she'll squeal like that just the same when he comes to get her, so she is an equal opportunist.

He listens to the conversation Ian is having with Mikayla while he changes her diaper, zoning in and out until he hears the little girl say his name. "Ta ta, up?" she says, and Mickey knows she's telling Ian she wants to be picked up, but not necessarily by Ian. He laughs to himself when his daughter's voice gets even sweeter sounding and he can picture her big blue eyes blinking at Ian; he already knows Ian's going to come marching into their room with Mikayla in tow. It's why he's not surprised in the slightest when he sees Ian holding her on his hip.

"Ta ta!" Mikayla smiles at her other father and reaches her hands out dramatically towards him.

"Sure, I do all the dirty work and all you want it your Tato, huh?" Ian plops Mikayla into Mickey's waiting arms.

"Hi baby girl," Mickey says, dropping a kiss to the little girl's head. "What are you still doing up, huh?" He kisses her again, Mikayla's bed head of hair tickling his nose. She looks damn adorable in her rainbow striped footie pajamas with her red hair sticking all over the place and eyes wide and alert. She nuzzles into the space between Mickey's chin and collar bone, a making a sound that Mickey can only describe as a happy coo.

She's a pretty perfect baby.

It's all Mickey can think when he reflects on his princess. She's perfect. It's cliché as hell, but it's true. Looking up, he catches Ian staring. "What?"

"Nothin'." Sitting on the edge of the bed, Ian gets a little dreamier eyed. "Just...she looks so much like you sometimes and..." He pauses and shrugs. "I jus' like what I see."

All Mickey can do is roll his eyes because Ian's way too emotional about this shit. Yeah, Mikayla's only the most perfect baby that's ever been, and she's got this way of reminding her parents that she might look like Mickey but she's all Ian sometimes. And...okay, yeah, maybe Mickey gets it.

Maybe that's why the fact that he can't get pregnant hurts so much. He wants to give Ian another reason to make that love drunk dreamy face. He wants another person on this planet that's part him and part Ian, and maybe this time Mandy will get her wish. Sure, Mikayla's got red hair, but maybe their next kid will resemble Ian a bit more.

He can hope for it, but right now he's going to hold on to what he does have because she's pretty awesome. And even though Mikayla doesn't realize she's doing it, just snuggling into her Tato makes Mickey realize that he's lucky to be her father. He can want more, but he doesn't need it.

That won't, however, stop him from trying.