Ice: Attitude

Ice was finding it hard to settle. Even a dinner date with his husband and some very good sex to follow wasn't working to ease his mind or his nerves. He wasn't looking forward to the admiral he needed to meet in the morning. The other man was almost always able to get under his skin and Ice's calm exterior nearly always ended up slipping.

Maverick, curled up beside him in their bed, pressed kisses to his jaw.

"I feel like you're somewhere else," he said gently, then added jokingly, "Which is very rude, as I am very cute and just rocked your world."

"Sorry, Mav." Ice angled his head to capture Mav's lips with his own. "I'm trying to be here, with you." He sighed and ran his hands over Mav's back. "Maybe we should take a day off tomorrow."

Maverick pulled back a little, just enough to look Ice in the face. "You've got that meeting with Cox in the morning. I'd love to play hooky with you, but you're going to get in trouble if you skip out on that." He frowned. "What's wrong, baby? This doesn't sound like you."

Ice grimaced at the mention of Cox. "I could do without having to see him. At all."

Maverick frowned. He carefully moved himself over Ice so that he was laying atop him, Ice looking up at him from his back. Maverick ran his palms slowly over Ice's shoulders, his chest.

"I think it's a death and taxes thing, baby," he said. "You can't get out of it."

He was quiet a moment, rubbing Ice's shoulders, watching Ice watch him, his pale eyes such a soft grey in the low light. "I don't want to rile you up, but I know that sometimes when Cox comes around … you get a little … not cool. I mean, it's not like you let him shake you, because you're stronger than that, better controlled, but … you do, occasionally—please don't be mad at me—get kind of an attitude. Your sister calls you a brat when you do that, but I am … trying very hard not to use that word."

"I become a bit more like you when you're riled up."

Ice could feel himself relaxing, the more Mav touched him. He was still tense, under the surface, but his husband's touch was helping. It helped him to acknowledge the truth in Mav's words, without getting defensive or losing some of his cool.

Maverick raised an eyebrow, but he couldn't hide his smile. "Calling me a brat, Kazansky?"

"Only a small amount of the time." Ice smiled fondly.

"I'll take it," Maverick said.

He massaged up Ice's forearms, gentle pressure from his palms until he reached Ice's hands, which he worked with his fingers: palm, thumb, out to the tip of each finger.

"Listen," he said carefully, "I want to help you deal with Cox. I'm guessing sex is not the answer, as much as it pains me, since you're still wound up this tight afterwards." He brought Ice's hand to his lips, pressed a kiss to the palm. "I was thinking about my promotion. And your brat prevention technique. Would that help? It helped me. I know you don't need discipline the same way I do, but occasionally a spanking does help you let go of some stuff. Relax."

Ice might not have been able to relax fully, but he was relaxed as it was possible to be. Being with Mav, just touching and being touched...even when they weren't having sex...made him feel better in a way very few things did. He didn't immediately veto the idea. In fact, he thought seriously about it.

"I think you might have a point," he admitted. "There's a chance, a good chance, that it'll help. I know it helped you and I wouldn't expect you to experience something I wasn't prepared to myself."

Maverick kissed his knuckles. "I can take care of you, baby. You want it now? The same kind you gave me, like maintenance?"

Ice nodded. He reached out with his other hand and cupped Mav's face. Kissed his husband gently. "Thank you," he murmured.

"I got you, Ice. Any time. Every time."

He slipped off to Ice's side, then urged Ice to turn over with light touches. He rubbed down Ice's back, kneeling beside him. Ice moved onto his stomach and let his breath out slowly. His body relaxed and settled, responding to Mav's touch.

Maverick rested one hand on Ice's lower back, and began to rub his ass with the other, warming up the skin a little, getting him used to the touch.

"I love you," he said, and then smacked his flat palm down firmly against the curve of Ice's right ass cheek.

Ice drew in his breath and let it out in a quiet, near soundless gasp.

"I love you too," he whispered, the note of gratitude clear in his voice.

Maverick didn't think he could ever take control of the situation and guide and discipline Ice like Ice did him, but he had learned how to give a spanking. He delivered the smacks firmly and slowly, making sure to cover every inch of Ice's bottom and upper thighs, making sure the pattern was predictable in tempo but not in placement. He wanted Ice to stay present and feel the spanking; he didn't want him to be able to fall into the pattern and turn his brain off.

Ice breathed, slow and deep, as Mav spanked him. The swats stung at first, but as his husband continued, the sting began to shift to a burn. He shifted a little, though it was more in reaction to the swats, not in any attempt to get away.

"Starting to feel it, baby?" Maverick asked, though he didn't let up any. "Feel it. You gotta let this stuff out of you so it doesn't eat you up tomorrow. I love you. I've got you. You're safe."

He started to spank a little harder, a little faster. The slight grunt that escaped Ice's lips was as much in acknowledgement of Mav's words as it was in response to the slightly harder, slightly faster swats. He didn't fight or resist, automatically following his lover's instructions. He let himself feel. Not just the spanking itself, but all of the emotions … all of the heat … that were too close to the surface. That he needed a way to release, before it was too late and he let go at the worst possible time.

Tears filled Ice's eyes as he let himself feel, to experience … just let himself focus only on his husband and how Mav was helping him right here and now, in the moment.

Maverick could feel the change in Ice's posture, and he took it as a sign that the spanking was doing its job. He picked up the pace, and started putting more muscle into each smack, making sure the power came from his shoulder, not his wrist or elbow.

Ice wasn't fighting, was just letting himself feel, so he let himself react when Mav began to put more muscle into the smacks. He began to shift even more, almost squirming, as the tears that had filled his eyes began to blur his vision. As they began to slip out, along with the first quiet, hitched sob that escaped his throat.

"Baby, baby," Maverick said softly. "You're so good. You're so good, and I love you so much. Come on, baby. Let it out."

Maverick slowed the smacks, but he kept the strength behind them. Ice's ass and upper thighs were a deep, blushing pink, the skin burning hot beneath his palm.

The spanking hurt, of course it did, but it was a catalyst for much deeper emotions. Ice's breathing hitched again and then his body slumped as he began to cry, letting it out … Mav's words and actions serving as the needed catalyst.

Maverick tapered off the spanking slowly, giving one smack and then rubbing the spot soothingly for a long moment before giving the next one. After a few minutes, Maverick wasn't spanking at all anymore, just rubbing Ice's body, the bottom and thighs he'd spanked, and up his back, too.

"I love you," he said. "You did amazing, baby. Do you feel better? You don't have to answer. You don't have to say anything. Just let me take care of you. You're such a good boy."

Ice relaxed even further at Mav's touch, pressing into his husband's hands.

"Mmm...."

It wasn't words, not really, but an acknowledgement, letting Mav know that he did feel better and he did appreciate what Mav was doing.

Maverick lay down beside his husband, snuggling in close. He kissed Ice's shoulder, the joint of his jaw, the corner of his mouth. He kept petting him, his back, his hair.

"I'm right here with you," he said softly. "I got you."

"I know," Ice finally whispered, twisting slightly so that he could embrace Mav. "I love you. Thank you."

Maverick kissed him again, this time full on the mouth but still soft.

"You're welcome," he said. "And tomorrow when you meet with Cox, you'll feel all empty and clean inside, and you'll feel your butt burn and ache, and you'll remember this and feel better. That's what happened when you did it for me."

Ice smiled and kissed back, holding Mav close and tight. "I'll remember I have a husband who loves me enough to help me when I can't help myself."

Maverick smiled, ducking his head a moment. "Yeah, you do, Iceman. And don't forget it."

"I won't, believe me," Ice promised.

"You also have a husband who will give you a blow job in your office if your meeting with Cox goes well. Don't forget that."

Ice laughed outright. "I'll make sure to remember that, too."

Maverick kissed him. Snuggled close into the embrace.

"This is nice," he said. "I'm just going to rest my eyes for a minute."

"Mm," Ice said, and neither of them woke until the alarm trilled the next morning.