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Lucky was not a word Mickey ever used. He never believed that anything that happened in his life was due to luck. No, Mickey either earned it or worked hard for it or fought for everything he had. Some might say it was luck when Paula was pushed out of her window but for Mickey, that just caused more problems. Not just because it left his and Ian's working situation up in the air but because of the toll it had put on their relationship.
But nothing was ever that simple for them. Sure, Larry was now their PO but after being married for six months they had yet another hurdle they had to deal with, a pandemic, which was taking jobs left, right, and center. People were out of work, businesses were closing or having to change how they ran, and considering work was hard enough for two ex-cons, it was now damn near impossible, which, if not fixed, meant getting thrown back into jail. Pandemic be damned, the justice system didn’t care about the situation, it just cared on whether they were violating your parole.
So when Mickey and Ian were about to accept that they would have to start working at a meatpacking plant, their last resort which had them both prepared to become disfigured at some point, luck suddenly was on their side.
“What the fuck do they mean by sterile. Like, do they want me to make sure no one jizzes on the equipment?”
Ian and Mickey look up from the kitchen table as Kev and V walk through the door, talking about jizz for some reason.
“Ah, hey guys.” Ian has learnt not to ask when it comes to Kevin and decides to just wait for him to explain.
Veronica puts her handbag on the bench while Kevin goes to the fridge for a beer. They both take off their mask and put it in a ziplock bag Veronica pulled out of her handbag.
“Hey, is Debbie back with the girls yet?” Exhaustion in her voice.
“Not yet. Shouldn’t be too much longer, she was hoping the park would tire them and Franny out for the rest of the afternoon.”
“Hey man, you used to be a doctor, maybe you can help.” Kev opens his beer and walks up next to V.
“Actually I was an EMT, but sure, what’s up?”
“These new rules and shit. Says if I want to keep Keg Zone open everyone has to wear a mask and I have to keep them 6 feet apart at all times, sterilise the equipment, and a whole bunch of other crap I don’t get.”
Ian nods.
“Yeah this covid virus, can spread through sweat, saliva, it can stay airborne for a while, and even just touching a surface someone with the virus has touched can transfer it.”
Ian learned long ago to keep his answers simple when it comes to Kevin. He wasn’t an idiot but big words still confused him.
“So what then, I got to chase after everyone with some cleaning spray?”
“You need somethin’ a little stronger, but yeah, pretty much.” Mickey decided to join the conversation.
“Well fuck V. All that shit is going to send our expenses through the roof. Masks alone aren’t cheap, now I got to add gloves and wipes and sprays. And how am I going to be able to train these guys if I’m going around after them, cleaning their mess like a maid?”
“I mean, I could help?” Mickey looks up at Ian like he was the smartest guy in the room. Which wasn’t a lie.
“I have my medical training, I know the ins and outs of how to follow the safety procedures, and this way you can focus on the training while I keep everything up to code.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, you’d actually be doing me a favour. Our PO is on our ass about getting a job and not much is available these days, so unless we want to go back to prison it's either this or the slaughterhouse.”
“Man this could actually work. We can’t pay you much though, at least not till numbers pick up again. This virus thing has a lot of people spooked.”
“And so they should be. Walking around without a mask, acting like they are god all mighty. I hope they get sick, it’s what they deserve after putting the rest of us at risk.” V takes the beer from Kevin's hand and takes a sip.
She then goes to sit at the table with Ian and Mickey.
“What about you?”
Mickey looks around like he is surprised someone asked him a question.
“What about me?”
“You got a job?”
“You deaf, did you not just hear Ian say we only have one option.”
“Can you mix a cocktail? Pour a beer?”
Mickey sits up in his chair, realising the implications of Veronica's question.
“Yeah, I uh, worked in a bar for a little bit when I first arrived in Mexico.”
He looks down and coughs, not wanting to say anything else. Although Ian and Mickey are now happily married, it was still a sore spot that they didn’t like to think about in their relationship. It took them ten years to get the happiness they are now enjoying together and maybe, if they both did things a little differently back then, they could have had it sooner.
“That's all I need then. You can start helping me out by working at the Alibi. With Kev next door I need some muscle to help lift the kegs, pouring the drinks and dealing with the deadbeats that we rely heavily on for income.”
Mickey looks from Veronica to Ian. Ian's smile shows how excited he is for Mickey to have this opportunity.
“Deal. But I swear, I have no responsibility when it comes to how I behave around Frank.”
“Please, if I didn’t see it, it never happened. He’s been trying to get away with not wearing a mask for weeks. I’ll happily let you kick his ass out.”
So that’s how Mickey ended up at the Alibi, wearing a mask he made out of one of Ian's old shirts, well, technically Liam had to help with the ear straps, said he learned a bit of sewing while he attended Hopkins Academy, but Mickey cut the material out. But fuck, buying masks was money they could not afford to spend right now so he’ll happily cut up more clothing if needed.
Mickey has settled in more than he thought he would when Veronica first suggested he could work at The Alibi. He knew the patrons that visited daily, hell, they even knew him since he spent a lot of time on one of the stools when Ian left for the army or came in picking up his money when he managed the rub and tug upstairs. But this felt different, it felt responsible, like he was an actual adult.
Every time he picks up a glass to clean or fill it with beer, his rings *clink* against it and the sound puts a smile on his face. Secretly he was glad the mask covered his mouth because no way did he want to explain to Tommy or Kermit why he kept smiling every two minutes.
It helped to know Ian was also working right next door. This pandemic had a lot of people on edge and Ian being the worrywart that he is, caused him to researched the hell out of Covid and has Mickey convinced that they should all be living in a bubble right now. But, life has to keep moving, so they are following the rules and keeping themselves and those around them safe. Secretly Mickey is just glad he isn’t working as an EMT right now, the risk is too high and although Ian would rather be helping those in need, Mickey selfishly wants to make sure that Ian is safe and out of harms way, which includes working with those infected.
“I’m telling you this is all just a conspiracy theory. Another way for the government to get more money from us and make us all live in fear.”
Mickey rolls his eyes and once again has to remind himself that Frank is his father-in-law, even if no one has ever used the word Frank and father in the same sentence unless it was for legal reasons.
“Frank I ain't tellin' you again, put your fucking mask on or get out.”
Mickey points to the sign above the bar that says “Enjoy your drink, but wear a mask!” He had to rewrite it after Kevin wrote wear like the place, where. Even then he struggled not to add the word fucking before the word mask.
The door that Kevin put in the wall between the Alibi and Kegs Zone suddenly opens and in walks Ian, sweat dripping down his face with his shirt clinging a little more to his chest than it did this morning. Another thing that makes Mickey love Ian working next door is the fact he gets to admire his husband every time he wants a drink and they get to take their breaks together, which can sometimes be more about eating each other rather than eating food. Not to mention, Ian uses his spare time to do Kevin's keg routine. Ian's chest and arms are more toned now than when they were in jail.
Mickey thinks back to how Ian had lifted him up and held him against the wall one night after they promised to close up so Kev and V could pick up the twins from school. Ian used all his strength to hold him while he pushed inside, never once losing his grip. The position was so intense Mickey's legs were shaking while they were wrapped around Ian's waist, but Ian was still able to hold him till they both tipped over, screaming each other's name as they reached orgasm. Mickey always wanted to have Ian fuck him at the Alibi. A lot of important memories for the both of them happened here and sealing it with married sex feels like the perfect way to top it off. Plus, the floors were always so sticky, no one even noticed the mess they left behind, but Ian and Mickey both knew it was there.
Mickey smiles as Ian sits on a stool in front of him and although Ian can’t see it, the way Mickey’s eyes crinkle are enough for Ian to know he is happy to see him and is smiling behind the mask.
“Hey handsome, mind getting me a drink?”
Mickey picks up a glass, *clink* and again smiles to himself, only this time Ian knows why he is smiling, because he told him one night while they were lying in bed, fingers intwined while Mickey looked at their double rings, still amazed that after all this time they were here. He confessed to Ian that hearing that sound makes any shitty day feel worth it because it reminds him that his husband is waiting for him at home.
He puts the glass in front of Ian and goes to pick up the empty one at the other end of the bar.
“Wait, why does he get a free drink?” Tommy pipes up.
“Because he is my husband, that’s why. So shut the fuck up and drink your drink. And put your fucking mask back on before you speak.”
Ian smirks at himself knowing that Mickey loves any excuse to put the word husband into a sentence. However, husband or not, Veronica knows that any drinks he or Ian have, Mickey pays for them at the end of the night by putting money back into the till. She just gets a kick out of the fact that Mickey acts like he is giving out special treatment, getting the regulars riled up while acting like she allows Mickey to give out “free” drinks.
“Man if I knew marrying a guy would get me free beer, maybe I'd have considered it.”
“Hate to break it to you Tommy but you ain’t packing what my man is. No one, man or woman, would offer you free beer with what you’ve got.”
“It’s true” Tommy looks at Kermit with a questionable look on his face.
“What, the urinals here are small.” Kermit shies away from the look Tommy is giving him.
Mickey laughs and shakes his head as he walks back towards Ian.
“You done for the day?”
“Yeah, Kev is locking up now and then I’ll help him clean it all up, wipe everything down, and then I’m good to go.”
“A’ight well, come back when you’re done and then we can head home together. V said Kev can take over for me when he’s done.”
Ian takes off his mask so he can finish his drink, realising how thirsty he actually was. He stands up and goes to leave when Mickey stops him.
“Ay, C’mere”
Mickey leans over the bar, pulls his mask down, and gives Ian a kiss. He pulls back with a smile on his face.
“What was that for?” Ian asks.
“Just a sample of what I have planned when we get home tonight.”
“Jesus, isn’t the sex meant to disappear when you get married?” Tommy takes his mask off to take a sip of his beer.
“Not if you marry the right person” Mickey fights back, lifting his mask back on and watching Ian walk away.
“Ey, clean your hands, you know that mask is covered in germs,” V calls him out as if Ian doesn't have this knowledge burnt into his brain.
“I know, I know, I’m on it.”
Mickey goes out back and starts cleaning his hands with soap, repeating the vows he said to Ian on their wedding day to make sure he is cleaning them for 20 seconds.
I, Mikhailo, take you, Ian, to be my husband. To have and to hold, from this day forward, for better or worse, richer, poorer, sickness and in health, to love and to cherish you, till death do us part.
Yeah, Mickey didn’t believe in luck, but he was damn lucky with the life he is now living.