#malex friendship

[meggie-jolly]

Best Friend's Boyfriend's Cousin - A RNM Malex Fanfic

Happy Holidays @bloggingbisexually! Here is your @rnm-secret-santa gift, I hope you enjoy it. It's a canon divergent AU where Michael never went back to Roswell and didn't meet Max and Isobel again until after High School. So Michael and Alex never met and when Alex plans to move to New York to pursue his music, Liz and Max think it would be a great idea to move in with Michael, who is in New York to go to NYU. As far as Alex knows, Michael is a cousin of Max and Isobel who they found through one of those DNA test kits and databank. I hope this fluffy roommate AU is to your liking, I certainly enjoyed writing it. Read it on AO3 (The formatting doesn't really translate onto Tumblr, so I recommend reading it on AO3)

“This is a terrible idea. I don’t even know this guy.”

“You don’t know anyone in New York. At least you know someone who knows him.”

“To be honest I barely know Max and Isobel, so it's more that I know someone who knows someone who knows him." Alex argued. "And what if I don’t get along with him? Then that will be much more awkward than if he was a random stranger with no connection to me or anyone I know.” 

Liz rolled her eyes, “Oh come on, give him a chance. Where else are you going to find a roommate that already has an apartment lined up?” 

Alex sighed, he didn’t like the idea of living with some relative of Liz’ boyfriend. It seemed too complicated and there was just something off about the whole situation. This Michael guy Liz wanted him to live with was supposedly a long lost cousin that Max and his sister had found through one of those online DNA test kits a few months ago and that they were just getting to know each other now. Michael was about to move to NewYork because he had a scholarship for an engineering program and was looking for a roommate. Alex was planning to move to New York as well to pursue his music and Liz, Isobel and Max had gotten it in their heads that that was the perfect coincidence and meant Alex and Michael should be roommates. Alex was not convinced and he had no idea what Michael thought about the whole idea. 

“What if he turns out to be a homophobic dick?” Alex asked in an attempt to convince Liz that this wasn’t the perfect idea she thought it was. 

“Iz and Max know you’re gay. They wouldn’t recommend him as your roommate if he’s gonna have a problem with your sexuality.” 

"Do they even know him well enough to know how he feels about queer people?"

Liz looked a little uncomfortable, "I think so."

Alex just raised an eyebrow at her in response and she rolled her eyes. 

"Oh come on, as if you would know if a complete stranger you found on the internet was homophobic or not."

Alex was about to reply, but Maria, who had been silently following their conversation for a while interrupted him. "Stop arguing you two. You both have good points, but honestly Alex, Liz is right, your chances in finding a good roommate in New York from a distance aren't any better than taking a chance on Max' cousin. Just ask for his contact info and set up a meeting or a call or something before you agree to live with him."

With a sigh Alex agreed, “I guess, but I’m blaming you two if this goes wrong. You four, actually.”

Liz grinned and pulled out her phone to get the contact details from Max. “I have a good feeling about this, so I’ll take that risk.” 

“Nope, stop. One of you with psychic feelings is enough,” Alex said with a groan which Liz and Maria only laughed at. 

Max replied with Michael’s contact information soon after and even though it took Alex a few days, he eventually reached out to Michael. They didn’t end up meeting, but they texted back and forth for a bit and had a short conversation over the phone. The convenience of it all won out in the end and Alex agreed to share the small two bedroom apartment that Michael had lined up in New York. 

A little less than a month later Alex arrived in New York. He'd been there only once before when Mimi had agreed to take him, Liz and Maria after they had saved up for it for months when they had been 15. They had gone to an open mic thing at a small coffee shop/bar place that Alex still wasn't sure three 15 year olds should have been allowed in, but Mimi had known someone there and gotten them in. It was that night that Alex' dream to someday be a musician in New York had been born and now it would finally become a reality. Hopefully.

He pulled out the key that Max had given him on behalf of Michael and opened the door to the apartment building. Michael had texted earlier that he was out and that Alex should just make himself at home, he would be back later and bring pizza. 

Alex was actually pretty relieved that he had the first few hours to himself. He walked up the multiple flights of stairs to the apartment, glad that he only had a backpack, a duffel bag and a suitcase. Apparently there were perks to having so little stuff to call his own. 

He unlocked the apartment door and stepped inside of his new home.

After exploring the apartment and unpacking his things, Alex ended up sitting on the couch, aimlessly scrolling through his phone and feeling awkward. He didn't have the wifi password yet, so he couldn't get any of his work for the remote programming course he was taking done, he didn't feel up to working on his music and he didn't want to miss Michael coming back, so exploring the neighborhood was out as well.

Half an eternity of boredom later - or at least it felt like that -, Alex was just about to go out after all, when he heard keys in the lock and quickly sat up straighter to make a good first impression.

The door opened and Alex' mouth went dry because, damn Michael Guerin was hot.

He had expected someone who looked like Max or Isobel, who were, in Alex' opinion, good looking but not his type at all. Their cousin on the other hand... Alex took in the grease stained jeans that looked well-worn and hung low on Michael's hips. He was wearing a slightly frayed but soft looking button up shirt that had more buttons undone than strictly appropriate for just coming back from work. To round out the look he was wearing a cowboy hat. In New York. And it didn't look pretentious at all, he just looked like a cowboy, which Alex supposed, he was. He was from New Mexico after all.

Michael set down the pizza box he was carrying, took off his hat and revealed messy, slightly sweaty curls that made Alex consider sitting on his hands to keep himself from reaching out to run them through Michael's hair. Fuck that guy was hot. This had been a spectacularly bad idea. He was in New York to become a musician, not to develop a crush on his roommate who also happened to be related to his best friend's boyfriend.

Michael smiled at Alex and pushed his curls back before extending a hand to Alex. "Hi, you must be Alex. I hope you found everything ok."

Alex stood up quickly and shook Michael's hand. "Yeah, it was no problem. Thanks for setting everything up." 

"No problem, it wasn't much. Just some cleaning and a few general repairs. The previous tenant was a bit… optimistic in his assessment of the furniture they left behind."

"Don't worry about it, we'll figure it out," Alex said with a shrug and realized he was still holding Michael's hand.

He quickly pulled his hand back and cleared his throat. "Uhm, I brought some beer to go with the pizza. I'll go get it."

"Oh sure, thanks. Let me just go wash up, I'll be right back."

Alex grabbed some napkins and a beer for each of them and then pulled out his phone to text Maria and Liz. 

05:43 pm

This was a terrible idea

Why did no one tell me he's hot?

Michael came out of his room a few moments later and sat next to Alex on the couch and Alex handed him a beer.

"Thanks, I went with plain cheese pizza, I hope that's ok. I wasn't sure what you like."

"Cheese is always good, thanks for getting it." 

"No problem, Isobel probably would have had my head if she found out I didn't do anything to welcome you."

Alex laughed, he didn't know Isobel Evans that well, but that sounded like her.

"Sounds like you three have gotten pretty close in a short time."

Michael shifted slightly uncomfortably and Alex regretted bringing it up instantly. It was way too personal a question for someone you met less than half an hour ago. He was about to take it back when Michale answered.

"Yeah well, they're the only family I've ever met, so…"

Alex took a swig of his beer to get a second to come up with an answer. "Well, it's really good you guys found each other through that DNA thing then."

"Yeah…" Michael nodded and took a swig as well, "What about you, are you close to your family?"

Alex couldn't help but laugh. "No. Not at all. That's part of the reason why I'm here. But let's not get into that tonight, ok?"

"Yeah, of course. Sorry to bring it up."

Alex just shrugged and they both ate their pizza in silence for a moment. Alex felt his phone vibrate in his pocket, probably with answers from Liz and Maria, but he chose to ignore them for now. 

The silence was starting to become awkward and Alex was racking his brain to come up with a good topic, when Michael spoke again: 

"So, Max said you're here to make music? What kind of music?"

That proved to be a shared interest as Michael played guitar as well and they fell into an easy conversation of their favorite music and bands. Alex told Michael about his plans for getting into the New York music scene and soon the pizza and beer was gone.

Once they both went to their respective rooms, Alex had a chance to check his phone. 

Liz Ortecho

05:57 pm

Is he? I haven’t met him yet.

Maria DeLuca

05:59 pm

Send us a picture!

07:19 pm

I can’t just take a picture of him, that’s weird. Ask Max or Isobel if they have one. 

Liz Ortecho

07:21 pm

Hold on, I’ll text Max.

Marie DeLuca 

07:22 pm

How’s the apartment besides the hot roommate?

07:22 pm

Pretty good It’s nothing fancy obviously. I definitely need a new mattress but it has everything I need.

Michael and I just had pizza and beer and talked for a while. I think we’ll get along fine. 

As soon as I get over how hot he is. 

Liz Ortecho

07:24 pm

Max sent me this picture of the three of them. He’s cute

07:25 pm

Okay, now picture him in grease stained work clothes and a cowboy hat. 

Marie DeLuca 

07:27 pm

I can see that I just didn’t know that was your type. I thought you were more into the brooding musician guy

07:28 pm

Yeah well I didn’t either. Maybe it’s just really early homesickness or something

Also he does play guitar. 

Maria DeLuca

07:29 pm

😂

Liz Ortecho

07:29 pm

😂

Good luck with that! Do you want me to find out if Max knows if he’s into guys?

07:31 pm

No! Don’t you dare! 

He’s just hot, I’m not starting anything with him. He’s my roommate and related to your boyfriend. That’s just way too much drama. 

I’m sure I’ll find other hot guys to hook up with in New York

Liz Ortecho

07:34 pm

Oh sure Still… the convenience… ;)

07:35 pm

LIZ!

Maria DeLuca

07:36 pm

😂 

07:38 pm

I miss you already. 

Liz Ortecho

07:39 pm

❤️

Maria DeLuca

07:40 pm

We miss you too! ❤️

07:42 pm

I should get some work done though so I can explore tomorrow. Talk to you soon! 

Alex put away his phone and pulled his laptop out. Michael had given him the Wifi password, so he could get started on his programming homework. 

Their life as roommates went pretty smoothly. Michael wen't to class and to his job, and Alex did his remote course work, worked on his music (so far none of the neighbors had complained), and he had also found a part time job at a little record shop. In his spare time he checked out as many bars, coffee shops and clubs that were known for letting newcomers play there as he could find. So far he hadn’t been brave enough to sign up for any open mics or anything similar, but he was starting to make some connections. The networking was his least favorite part about the entire thing, but it was necessary.

Since they were both busy and their schedules didn’t always line up, they didn’t actually see each other that much, but when they did, they got along great. From time to time they played music together, Alex had been able to organize Michael a cheap guitar from the record shop, and that really helped when Alex was hit with music block. It was also just a lot of fun, he hadn’t had many people to just jam with back in Roswell. 

Sometimes they tried to cook together. Neither of them had really had the chance to learn growing up, so now they were trying to teach each other. The kitchen usually looked a mess after they finished, but so far they had only managed one truly inedible thing, to both their surprises. 

Tonight they were attempting to make soup and since lots of sources on the internet had said they could basically just throw in vegetables and broth, cook it and then puree it, they weren’t using a recipe for the first time. 

“Okay, we have potatoes, sweet potatoes, carrots, bell peppers, peas, tomatoes and broccoli. Do you think it matters what we start with?” Alex asked, looking over all the produce that was spread out in their kitchen, which was too small to hold it all. 

Michael shrugged, “I don’t think so, I mean we’re cooking and pureeing it all together, so we don’t have to keep the different cook times in mind, right?”

“Probably not. Okay, I’ll start peeling the potatoes.”

“Good, I’ll tackle the broccoli.” 

They both got to work, luckily they had invested in some decent knives but even with those they were both cursing. Who knew it was so hard to peel sweet potatoes and cut broccoli?

“How do these little green bits get everywhere? I’m pretty sure we’ll still be finding them by the time we move out.” 

“Eh, I’m sure ants or something will get them. Maybe mice.”

“Don’t even joke about that.” 

Alex laughed and then somehow launched the sweet potato he was battling across the room. That stopped him short until both he and Michael doubled over laughing. 

“How the hell did you manage that?”, wheezed Michael. 

“I have no idea. That thing is surprisingly slippery.” Alex went to retrieve the sweet potato, rinsed it off and removed the last bit of skin before starting to cut it. 

“How can something that turns to basically mush when you cook it, be so hard when it’s raw?”, he grunted as he leaned his weight onto the knife to cut the thing. 

Michael chuckled, “We could probably find some pretentious life lesson in that, if we wanted.” He had finished with the broccoli and deposited the pieces into the big pot. “What next?”

“You could do the bell peppers.”

“On it. How is your sweet potato battle going?”

Alex dumped a batch of orange cubes into the pot. “I think I’m winning.” 

After the sweet potatoes, the regular potatoes were a piece of cake and Alex had them peeled and diced in no time. 

When they were finished with all the vegetables, the pot was much fuller than expected. 

"Uhh… how are we going to puree this when it’s done cooking?”

“I don’t know, it might shrink some during cooking?”

“Yeah… maybe.” 

Michael got the broth they had bought from the fridge and dumped it into the pot with a little too much force and some of it spilled. “Oops…”

Alex laughed and got a cloth to wipe it up, before peering in the pot. I don’t think that’s enough liquid. Maybe we should add some water?”

“You’re probably right”, Michael got the water and poured it in more carefully. Then he lit the stove and stepped back.

“I think we earned a beer.” 

“Good plan, but we should use the cooking time to clean up some of this mess”, Alex gestured at all the peels and vegetal bits on every kitchen surface and even the floor. 

Michael sighed, “I guess… But beer first.”

Alex laughed and handed Michael a beer who took a healthy swig before starting to get rid of the mess. 

The vegetables did not shrink significantly and they had nothing they could put over the pot and still have space for the stick blender they had borrowed from one of their neighbors. They looked at each other at a loss. 

“I guess we’ll just have to be really careful and clean up everything that spills after”, Michael said with a  shrug and handed Alex the blender.

“Why me? Admit it, you just don’t want to be responsible for the mess”, Alex complained but took the blender anyways. Michael just winked at him, which was severely unfair. Alex had managed to build up some defenses against the way Michael looked, but not against winks and smirks. He sighed silently and carefully put the blender in the pot. For some reason Michael hovered right behind him and watched the pot in concentration as Alex started to blend. It made him nervous. 

“Are you trying to telepathically keep the soup from splashing out?”

For some reason that question startled Michael, which in turn startled Alex and made soup splash out of the pot and all over their shirts. 

“Fuck!”, they cursed at the same time, thats stuff was hot. Alex quickly turned off the blender. 

“You ok?”, they asked, again in unison and then laughed. 

“Yeah, I think so.” Michael pulled open his shirt to check for burns and Alex’ mouth went a little dry. 

“Doesn’t look like an actual burn. You?” Michael looked up at Alex who quickly averted his eyes and pulled up his own shirt. There was a slight red spot, but nothing serious. 

“I’m good too.” He looked up just in time to see Michael quickly look away just as he had done. Huh. Was he maybe not the only one appreciating the view? Sometimes it seemed like Michael was flirting with him. He still didn’t know if Michael was into guys. The few times he had brought someone over, it had been women, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t be into guys too, right? He definitely didn’t seem to mind that Alex was gay. Alex had come out to him a couple of days after he had moved in, to avoid any ugly homophobic scenes later and Michael had been cool with it. He also hadn’t seemed to mind the one time Alex had brought someone home. 

“Good,” Michael’s voice pulled Alex out of his thoughts “let’s try again. Maybe without talking this time.”

Alex nodded and they got back in position. For some reason again with Michael hovering behind Alex and focusing on the pot. Alex did his best to ignore it and carefully blended the soup. Surprisingly, nothing more splashed out. It looked like it would a couple of times, but then somehow it didn’t. Alex decided not to question it. 

When they were done blending, they added in a little heavy cream, since Alex had read somewhere that it made the soup creamier. Then they started with the seasoning. Very carefully, because they had added too much or too little to their first few attempts at cooking. They took turns trying the soup, asking what was missing, adding a little and repeating the process over and over. Eventually they were happy with the result and looked at the finished soup. 

“Okay… that’s much more than expected. I think we might be eating soup for the next week straight”, Michael said. 

“Yeah… Maybe we can bring Mrs. Welly some when we return her stick blender?” 

“Good idea. Let’s eat some first, though. Who knows if it’s actually good if you have a full bowl.” 

It was surprisingly good and once they cleaned up, they went over to Mrs. Welly who was very grateful for the soup. She told them they could borrow her kitchen appliances any time, made them take two huge pieces of a delicious cake she had apparently baked earlier and promised she would have them over for dinner soon. All in all a successful evening.

Michael was a good roommate, but there were some things that were… a little strange about him. 

For one thing, he always kind of smelled like rain. Even when it hadn’t rained in a few days. Alex was pretty sure it wasn’t some sort of aftershave or lotion or something, they shared a bathroom after all. 

And somehow, it was a specific rain smell, one that kind of reminded him of going to the Reservation with his mom when he was a child. He couldn’t quite put his finger on why, he didn’t have a clear memory of it smelling like rain there, but sometimes, when Michael was standing close to him, he breathed in a whiff of that smell and it was like being back at the Res. Memories linked to smell were weird like that. 

Besides the rain smell, Michael sometimes smelled like nail polish remover, which was even stranger. Alex had never seen him wear any nail polish. Alex did sometimes, and he had bought a bottle of remover when he’d first moved in. The bottle was still standing in the little cabinet over the sink in the bathroom, but Alex could swear that the fluid level changed constantly. It was never empty, but sometimes it was fuller than other times. And he had seen an empty bottle of nail polish remover in the trash a couple of times. What was Michael doing with it? Did he need it for school, or for work? Alex had no idea why though, there had to be better solvents at a fancy science lab and a mechanics shop than regular nail polish remover. 

In the end he mostly chose not to question it. Michael was already distracting enough without analyzing strange smells. 

It felt like Michael became more distracting every day. The more comfortable they became with each other, the worse it got. Michael would tease Alex in an almost flirtatious way, which was a little unfair, if you asked Alex. 

Sometimes he brought whatever he was tinkering on into the living room and worked on it while Alex did his course work, or messed with his music. Alex loved watching Michael tinker, he was so focused and he would mumble things under his breath that Alex couldn’t make out, but enjoyed hearing anyways. It wasn’t like he would understand a word Michael said, even if he could hear it properly. Michael was a lot smarter than him and really talented with his hands. Sometimes it seemed like the parts Michael was putting together slotted perfectly into place without him even touching them. 

Alex had to be careful that he didn’t watch too long, because eventually he would start to wonder what else those hands could do… 

And, if he stopped playing music, or clack away on his computer, Michael would eventually look up with a questioning look and a smile and ask him if he was stuck on something. If it was music, he’d offer to help and if it was programming, he would suggest that they take a break and go out for a bit, or watch an episode of whatever show they were watching currently. Because yeah, they had become the kind of roommates that always had a TV show project they were slowly watching together and one person was not allowed to watch a single minute of the show without the other one there. Alex had never thought he could ever be someone who did that, but it was nice. It was time they spent together and a great way to wind down after a long day. 

Had they fallen asleep on the couch once or twice and woken up leaning against each other with a crick in their necks? Maybe. Did Alex secretly wish that would happen more often. Yeah, well… He was only human after all. 

A few times he had dosed of on Michael's shoulder and had woken up to Michael watching him with a look on his face that made Alex wonder if maybe starting something with Michael was worth the risk after all. Alex' slight oh-fuck-my-roommate-is-hot-crush had certainly grown into something more serious lately. 

There were moments when Alex thought Michael might feel the same way. When they were watching TV together, when they played music together, when they vented to each other after long days, when they stayed up too late because neither really wanted to go into their respective bedroom alone and leave the comfortable togetherness of the living room. Neither of them ever made a move though and so their lives just went on.

Alex' music was coming along pretty well actually, with Michael cheering him on. He had enough original songs for a small set now. Not that he was ready to perform an entire set of original songs yet, but he was considering signing up for his first open night. It was at a little coffee shop called Sip & Sing that he and Michael hung out at sometimes. He knew most of the regulars there and had become friends with one of the baristas. They had open mics once a month and the next one was coming up in two weeks. 

“You should do it Alex. Come on, you know you’re good enough. And you’ll know almost everyone there, it’s low risk”, Michael encouraged him one night when Alex had opened and closed the sign up page on their website for the fourth time that day. 

“Yeah but what if I tank and then I can never go there again?”

“First of all, you won’t. And second of all, Lucy forgot the text twice last month and everyone still welcomed her back there the next day. Everyone there will be supportive no matter how you do.”

“Isn’t that cheating then?”

Michale snorted. “Now you’re making excuses. Finding a friendly audience for your first live performance is not cheating.”

Alex sighed, Michael was probably right. “Okay, I guess… But only if you promise to come.” 

Michael put an arm around him. “Of course I’m coming! You couldn’t keep me away.” 

Alex smiled and leaned into him just a little. “Okay, I’ll sign up. And then you’re helping me pick out which song to perform.” 

“Which you will then change fifteen times until the actual night.” 

“Yeah well, everyone needs a system”, Alex said with a huff and pulled up the sign up for the fifth time. This time he actually filled it out though and even submitted it. Even though Michael had to threaten to do it for him before he finally hit enter. 

“Oh fuck, I’m gonna regret this, aren’t I?”, he said with a groan and buried his face in Michael’s shoulder, who was still sitting next to him. 

Michael laughed softly. “Yeah, multiple times probably. But you’ll be glad you did it in the end.” 

Alex regretted it that night in bed and even more the next day when he stopped at the Sip & Sing to get a coffee before heading to work and Rema, the owner, spotted him. 

“Alex! I saw you signed up for the next open mic! That’s great, I can’t wait to hear your song!” 

They insisted on giving him a coffee on the house and gushed about how great it was that he’d be performing. Alex kind of wanted to sink into the ground in shame. Especially when Lucy, one of the regulars, came in and heard Rema. She started to reassure him that he’d be great and that he definitely wouldn’t forget any lines. 

Alex was very glad when he managed to get his coffee and escape with the excuse that he was running late. 

Alex had decided not to tell Maria and Liz about the open mic. He knew they would try to come and honestly, that was too much for him for the first time. Maybe the second or third. He would text them the day of and risk their wrath. Michael would be there and a few friends from the coffee shop. That would be nerve-racking enough. 

He spend every free second working on the song (and just as predicted by Michael, changing his mind which song to perform almost every other day), which was finally too much for their very patient neighbors and they got a noise complaint. Alex was forced to not play between 11pm and 6am and to avoid playing around noon, which was probably for the best, he was starting to be a bit obsessive. Michael threatened to hide his guitar and music sheets regularly. 

When the day of the open mic finally came, Alex was a nervous wreck. 

6:36pm

Don’t be mad at me, but I’m performing at my first open mic tonight at 8. 

Liz Ortecho

6:38 pm

And you didn’t tell us?!?! Rude!

6:39 pm

I’m sorry! I’m nervous enough as it is, I promise I’ll tell you next time so you can come.

MariaAwww DeLuca

6:40 pm

It’s ok Alex, we understand. Good luck tonight! You’ll kill it! 

Liz Ortecho 

6:41 pm

Of course we understand. But I will ask Max for Michael’s number and pester him into recording it of us. 

He is coming right?

6:42 pm

He is, I wouldn’t have made it without him. 

Marie DeLuca

6:43

Aww, aren’t you glad we forced you into moving in with him?

6:44

Shut up!

… Yes, thank you. 

The alarm that Alex had set to get ready went off and Alex nervously rushed to the bathroom. He was already dressed and his nails were painted, he just needed to do his hair and put on his eyeliner. 

When he was done, way too early of course, he stepped out of the bathroom to find Michael waiting for him. He gave him once over and let out a low whistle. 

“Damn, you clean up nice Manes.”

Alex hoped his blush wasn’t too noticeable. “Shut up Guerin.” 

Michael laughed and slung his arm around Alex’ shoulder. “You’ll do great. Come on, I know it’s early, but if you sit around here, you’ll just drive yourself crazy. We’ll take the long way there and maybe get a milkshake on the way or something.”

Alex was really glad to have Michael to support him today. Something about him was very calming and maybe his crush on him distracted him a bit from his nerves. 

They got their milkshakes and an order of fries to dip in them. Michael always complained that it was weird, but he did dip his fries as well, so Alex had stopped listening months ago. 

By the time they arrived at the Sip & Sing, Alex was much more relaxed. Michael had kept him distracted the entire way there by telling him funny things that happened in class or at work, or quoting things from the group chat with Isobel and Max. 

Alex' phone dinged with good luck messages from Liz, Maria, Arturo, Mimi and surprisingly even from Max and Isobel. He smiled at his phone and put it back into his pocket. It was nice to know they were all thinking of him. 

“Hey, did Liz convince you to record my performance?”

Michael laughed, "She wanted me to livestream it for what felt like half of Roswell. You're popular." 

Alex groaned, "Please tell me you won't."

"No, don't worry. I'll record it and send it to her and then she can distribute it to whomever she wants." 

"That's only slightly better", Alex said with a sigh and went over to greet Rema and find out when his turn was. He was number three of six performers tonight, which suited him fine. 

Rema told him where to put his guitar and to give any needed details to Luke, who handled the technical side of the performances. 

When he got back to Michael he had gotten them drinks and found a table. Alex sat down and took a sip from his drink, his nerves were starting to come back. Michael seemed to notice and put a reassuring hand on his shoulder. Alex smiled at him thankfully. 

Rema came onto the little stage area and introduced the first performer. She was good, Alex had heard her here a few times before and two months ago there had been a flyer on the pin board advertising that she was part of the lineup for a mini pop-up concert in a nearby park. 

He didn't catch much of the second performance, it was a duo, but that was about all that stuck. When they were done, Michael squeezed his shoulder and whispered a quick "Good Luck!" to him as Alex stood up and made his way to the stage. 

"Our first first-timer for tonight is Alex Manes, who most of you know, I think. He's performing an original song. Give him a hand!", Rema introduced him and Alex nervously sat on the little stool and adjusted the mic and his guitar. 

He focused on Michael for the entire song, who was smiling widely and encouragingly while holding his phone up that represented all the other people in his life that loved and supported him through this. Suddenly he almost regretted not inviting Liz and Maria and swore to himself he would invite them next time. 

He got through the song without any problem and got a satisfying amount of applause and cheering from the audience, topped by Michael's best, earsplitting cowboy whistle. Alex couldn't help but grin from ear to ear on his way back to the table and when Michael greeted him with an equally wide grin and a hug, something in him clicked and he pulled Michael in for a kiss instead. Which was met by an enthusiastic response both by Michael kissing him back and the audience cheering. 

They were interrupted by Rema "Okay you two, there's time for that after the show. Now let's move on to our next performer…" 

Alex blushed and sat back down, a little closer to Michael than before. Michael smiled at him in a way that gave him butterflies and he couldn't wait for after the show. 

For now he settled in to listen to the rest of the performers, but not until he pulled out his phone.

8:23 pm

I kissed him. 

He kissed me back

8: 25 pm

The open mic thing went great, btw.

He was met by a ton of celebratory emojis from Liz and Maria and put his phone back into his pocket with a grin. 

#rnmsecretsanta23 #fanfiction #secret santa #malex #malex fic #roswell new mexico #rnm #rnm fic #michael guerin #alex manes #Michael Guerin/Alex Manes #liz Alex Maria friendship #liz ortecho #maria deluca #my writing

[jule1122]

Malex Fic - Love will get you there

Made with a day to spare!  This is my March fic for @alexguerinappreciation.  I choose the spotlight of Alex’s canon relationships.  I consider this a Malex fic because that is where we end up, but this is both pre canon and post canon so I write about Alex’s family, his relationship with Maria and Forrest on the way to Malex’s happy ending. 

It’s a 5 +1  about 5 times Alex wanted to change his name before the one time he finally does it.  Warnings for canon child abuse.

If you hate Maria or Forrest, please don’t read this.  Also if you really like Jim Valenti, you may not like how I wrote him.

Love will get you there on AO3

Summary: Alex was never much of a Manes man or 5 times Alex thought about changing his name and 1 time he did 

Title is from an Inhaler song.

I am going to put the whole fic behind the cut because it opens with Jesse being abusive.  Nothing graphic but I wanted to give an extra warning.

1.

“What did I tell you?”  Jesse leans in close to Alex’s face.  He doesn’t yell, he doesn’t need to.

“Don’t leave toys on the floor,” Alex sniffs.  His dad tightens his hold on Alex’s shirt.  “Sir,” Alex adds quickly before his dad can hit him again.

“I won’t warn you again, Alex.  Next time there will be real consequences.”

Alex tries to wiggle out of Jesse’s hold.  His back is sore from where his father used his belt.  Just thinking what will happen if he forgets to clean up again makes him start crying again.  He tries to hold back his tears, hoping his father won’t notice and ends up hiccuping.

“Manes men don’t cry,”  Jesse shakes Alex roughly before pushing him away.  “You're confined to your room for the rest of the evening.  Maybe some time alone will help you remember how to behave.”

Alex runs to his room, he wants to slam the door but he knows if he does his father will follow him and punish him again.  Instead, he hides between his bed and the wall and cries silently.  Once he calms down, he takes his camping bag from his closet and begins filling it with clothes.

“What are you doing, dork,” Clay asks from the doorway.

Alex startles and wipes his eyes before turning to face his brother.  Clay is almost as mean as his father, and he’s afraid to let him see him cry.  “I’m leaving.  I’m going to live with Mom.”

“Mom doesn’t want you, dummy.  She doesn’t want any of us.”

“That’s not true,” Alex insists.  He doesn’t yell even though he wants to because he doesn’t want his dad to hear him.  “If I tell her Dad hurt me, she’ll come get me.”

“No, she won’t,” Clay tells him.  “She’s been gone almost a year, and she hasn’t called once.  She’s not going to help you.  Even if she wanted to, Dad would find you and bring you back.  Manes men stick together, remember.”

“I don’t want to be a Manes man,” Alex says miserably.  He hates being a Manes, he hates all the rules.  Manes men don’t cry or laugh too loud or sing.  Manes men don’t waste their time watching cartoons or playing with girls.  He hates all of it.

“Grandpa will hide me.  I’ll change my name so people will know I belong with Grandpa, and  Dad won’t find me because I won’t be a Manes,”  Alex nods, confident he’s solved the problem.  

“You’re so stupid.  You’ll embarrass Grandpa just like you embarrass Dad.  He’d bring you back himself just to get rid of you.” Clay shakes his head.  “You’re a Manes, Alex, whether you like it or not.   You need to start acting like one before you bring all of us down.”

Alex turns away from Clay and ignores him until he leaves.  He takes everything out of his bag and puts it back, not bothering to wipe the tears from his face since there was no one to see him.  Clay’s right.  No one wants him so he’s stuck being a Manes.

2.

Alex kicks his feet against the edge of the exam room table until his father glares at him, and he goes back to sitting perfectly still.  He can hear the doctor explaining his restrictions and medication dosages to Jesse as the nurse adjusts his sling.  Alex lets the words wash over him, his dad will probably make him take the sling off as soon as they get in the car, and he won’t be giving Alex any pain meds.

It wasn’t like this was the first time Jesse had separated Alex’s shoulder so he’s used to the pain.  In the past, they’d always put it back in at home, but this time Jesse couldn’t get it to pop back into place.  He kept trying until Alex was throwing up from the pain, and then he finally drove Alex to the emergency room.

“Now Mr. Manes, I need you to step out of the room for a few minutes.”

“Sergeant Manes,” Jesse corrects the doctor.  “And if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to take my son home now.  He’s fine, there’s no reason to keep fussing.”

“Sergeant Manes,” the doctor begins again.  Alex almost smiles because he could hear the eye roll in the doctor’s voice.  “It’s procedure, which I’m sure you understand.  If you’ll just follow me, I can get you started on the discharge paperwork, and you’ll be on your way shortly.”  

Jesse stops in front of Alex on his way out.  “I’ll be right outside, Alex.”

Alex knows he’s pretending to be concerned, making sure the doctor thinks he cares.  He tightens his hand on Alex’s good shoulder enough to hurt.  It’s a warning to remind Alex that Jesse expects Alex to behave as if he’s in the room. Alex nods to let him know he understands.

“Alex,” the nurse directs his attention back to her once Jesse is gone.  “There is someone we’d like you to talk to.  Remember this is a safe space.  It’s ok to tell the truth.”

Sheriff Valenti comes in through a door opposite of where Jesse had left.  He follows the nurse into the corner, away from Alex, but the room is small, and Alex can still hear everything they say.

“He came in with a separated shoulder,”  the nurse begins.

“Alex is from an active family. Four boys, lots of roughhousing,” Jim interrupts.

“His x-ray showed scar tissue in the joint.  This isn’t the first time this has happened, and we also saw evidence of older untreated injuries.  I’m sure you understand why we’re concerned, Sheriff.” 

“I’ll talk to him.  Alone please.”

“Of course,” the nurse replies before leaving.

Jim walks to the foot of Alex’s bed.  “How are you feeling?

“Fine, sir.”  Alex isn’t lying.  They gave him a shot before they reset his shoulder, and he feels good.  Tired but not in pain.

“You want to tell me what happened, son?”

Alex used to pretend Jim Valenti was his father.  When Jesse really started hurting him, he imagined the Sheriff rescuing him and taking Alex home and promising Alex that he wouldn’t let Jesse hurt him anymore.  Then he’d admit that he was Alex’s real father, that he’d kept it a secret, but he would tell the truth to protect Alex.  He would let Alex live at his house, and Alex and Kyle would be brothers for real.

He would close his eyes and imagine Jesse showing up to take him back, and Jim stopping him.  He would stand in the doorway with his hand on Alex’s shoulder and tell Jesse, “Alex is a Valenti now.  You can’t hurt him anymore.  Don’t ever come back here again or I’ll have to arrest you.”

It’s a stupid dream, Alex knows that, but maybe it’s because Jim called him son that he decides to tell the truth.  “It was my dad,” he says.  “He was mad at me and this was my punishment.”

The Sheriff looks sad for a minute, and Alex thinks this is it - Jim will take him home, and he’ll finally be safe.  Maybe his dad will even go to jail, and he’ll be too afraid to even talk to Alex again.

Then he takes a step back and when he looks at Alex, he’s serious - not like Kyle’s dad, but like when Alex has seen him working.

“Alex, are you sure that’s what happened?  That is a serious accusation, and if you tell me that is what happened, I’ll have to let your father know what you said,” he says it kindly, but Alex knows it’s as much of a threat as Jesse’s shoulder squeeze had been.   “It’s easy to get confused when you are in pain,” the Sheriff continues.   “Maybe you are mixing up the pain you felt when your dad tried to help you with when you were injured.”

“You’re right,” Alex says flatly, the last of his dreams of rescue vanishing.  “I was fooling around with my brothers on the training course, and that’s how I hurt my shoulder.  My dad tried to fix it, and that hurt too.  I must have been confused.”

“That’s what I thought,” Jim sounds proud, and it makes Alex want to cry.  “Thanks for clearing that up.  You’ll be able to go home soon.”

Jim starts to leave, but he turns back to hug Alex carefully.  “You’re strong, Alex,” he whispers. “And nothing lasts forever.  Remember that.”

He does leave then, and Alex gets up to follow him, to ask him why he acts like he cares, but won’t help him, but he hears his father’s voice outside the door.

“What are you doing here, Jim?” Jesse asks.

“The hospital called in a suspicious injury.  You’re lucky I got the call and not one of my deputies.”

“How I discipline my son is no one’s business.  I don’t care what some bleeding heart doctor thinks.”

“I know that, Jesse,” Jim tries to calm him.  “But I can’t always be around to cover for you.”

“I’m not going to coddle him like you do your son.  Alex is a Manes.  He needs to toughen up.  Until he figures that out, he can take whatever punishment he deserves.”

“Just keep him out of the hospital and there won’t be a problem.”

Alex hears Jim walk away, and he’s back on the table, expression blank by the time his father opens the door.

3.

Alex doesn’t see Maria the day after Haley Moore’s party.  His penalty for taking part in Battle of the Bands is a day at his father’s mercy.  Alex cleans out the garage and runs through his father’s training course three times just to prove music doesn’t make him weak.  By the time the sun sets he is sore and exhausted and wants to die, but he’s been uncharacteristically cooperative all day so Jesse doesn’t object when Alex says he wants to shower and go to bed.

Back in his room, he picks up his phone and wonders if he should call Maria.  He knows what happens during ‘seven minutes in heaven’ doesn’t count once you leave the closet, and Maria hadn’t acted any different the rest of the night, but Alex can’t help but think about it.

It felt nice - kissing Maria, letting his hand brush across her chest.  He thinks he could do it again, and Alex never really imagined kissing a girl before.  Maybe if he could kiss Maria, be her boyfriend, his dad would back off.  Jesse doesn’t really like Maria, says she’s from bad stock - a father no one remembers and a mother who acts stranger every year.  But she’s a girl, and if Alex could love her, he wouldn’t be gay, wouldn’t be a sissy disgrace like Jesse says he is.

Alex thinks about it the rest of the night.  He tries to imagine his future with Maria. Maybe they would stay in Roswell together, and they’d still have their band and they could play at the Wild Pony once they were old enough.  Alex never thought much about having a family, but he thinks Maria would be a good mother - the kind who smiled and laughed and made kids feel loved.  He loves Maria, Alex knows that, so if he could learn to be in love with her, he could be happy, and it would be safe.

He’s still thinking about when he meets Maria at the Crashdown the next night to work on a science project.  Maria smiles at him like she always does, but she doesn’t try to hold his hand or anything.  They get their actual work done quickly, but Alex told his dad they had a lot to do so they have plenty of time to just hang out.

“Kate Long stopped by before you got here,” Maria tells him.

“I’m sorry,” Alex wrinkles his nose.  Kate is a bitch and she always gives Maria a hard time.

“Me too.  But she dropped her notebook, and I could see where she was writing ‘Kate Bernhardt’ over and over again.”

“Gross,” Alex and Maria both pretend to gag.

“No offense, Alex, but if we get married, I am not changing my name to Manes,” Maria says casually, almost like a joke.

Alex wrinkles his nose, “I’d rather be a DeLuca.”

“Alex Deluca,” Maria hums around the name as if considering it. “Mom would like that.”

“Yeah?”  Mimi is the closest person to a mother Alex has had in years.  He likes the idea of being her family officially.  “I’ll help you, you know, take care of her.”  Alex doesn’t mean only in this fantasy world where they get married, and he can tell by the way Maria’s expression softens that she understands.

“I know you will.”  She reaches across the table and squeezes his hand.  It’s not romantic but it still feels good.

Flint’s waiting for him when he gets home.  “Didn’t know girls were allowed in your kind of  closet, Alex.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”  He tries to shoulder past Flint, but Flint boxes him into the corner of the room.

“Heard you spent seven minutes of heaven with Maria DeLuca.  Didn’t know you had it in you.  She put out?” Flint asks with a leer.

Alex pushes him, hard.  “Don’t talk about Maria like that.”

“Chill out,” Flint rolls his eyes and follows Alex into the bedroom.  “I just never thought I’d get to talk about girls with my sissy little brother.”

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Alex glares at Flint.

“Then you can shut up and listen and maybe you’ll get it right next time.”  Flint lays back in the bed, crossing his arms under his head.  “First time I did seven minutes in heaven it was with Missy Osborne.  Everyone knows she’s easy so I figured I hit the jackpot.  She let me touch her boobs, under her bra.  And God, I almost shot my load right there.  Walked around hard the rest of the night.”

Flint keeps talking but Alex tunes him out.  It hadn’t felt like that with Maria.  Kissing her felt good and safe, he would do it again, but it wasn’t like that.  Alex wonders if maybe there is something wrong with him after all.

(He feels like that with Michael.  Just brushing their hands together makes Alex’s skin tingle where they touched..  When Michael kisses him for the first time, Alex feels like his whole body is on fire.  That feeling never goes away.)

4.

Alex is walking to the store after his shift at the museum when he sees Maria scrubbing graffiti from the brick outside the Crashdown.

“Need some help?” he asks, taking a sponge from the bucket. 

“Thanks,” Maria looks up and gives him a watery smile.  “Mr. Ortecho says to leave it.  There’ll  just be more tomorrow.  But I can’t.  It’s only been a few weeks, and they just won’t stop.”

Alex nods.  He’s barely seen Maria, seen anyone since the funeral.  But he’s heard about the harassment Mr. Ortecho has been dealing with and it makes him sick.  “Sorry I haven’t been around to help.  My dad’s been on me extra hard.”

“I think all our parents are,” Maria says sadly.  “Mom only lets me come here for a few hours and wants me at home the rest of the time.”

It’s not the same at all with Jesse, but Alex just nods.

“I can’t believe I forgot,” Maria suddenly exclaims.  “I never asked you about museum guy.”

“Museum guy?”

“You sent me this text, ‘On my break I had the best kiss of my life’ and then nothing.  Come on Alex, you can’t leave me hanging.”

If it weren’t for her bloodshot eyes, she’d look like the Maria he’d always known.  He wonders if Maia’s been happy about anything since Rosa died, and he can’t bring himself to tell her that moment led to a different tragedy.  So he tries to remember how he felt when he sent that text, how he felt before his father destroyed it all.

Alex closes his eyes and it is easier than he expected to remember everything about that moment in the museum.  How he’d been afraid Michael was there to tell him off or beat him up, but then Michael kissed him and everything changed.  He knew, finally, who he was, knew there was someone who wanted him as he was.  It was the best moment of his life.

When Alex opens his eyes, Maria gasps as the smile on his face. “It was the most amazing kiss,” he begins.

“How amazing?”  Maria teases.

“So amazing I would stay in Roswell forever if he would just keep kissing me.”

Maria laughs, and it’s a happy sound even if they both know he’s lying.  Alex can’t stay in Roswell - the town will kill him if his father doesn’t do it first.  But it’s nice to imagine a world where Michael is enough to change all that.

“Who is it?” Maria asks.

“I can’t,” Alex’s smile dims.  He already failed Michael by not keeping him a secret, he won’t do it again.  “He’s not out.  I can’t tell you.”

Maria nods.  “But he’s good to you, right?”

“He’s perfect,” and Alex means it.  When it’s just him and Michael, he’s happier than he ever imagined he could be.  He already feels Michael slipping away when they’re apart, and he can’t blame him.  Michael was hurt because of him, because Alex wasn’t careful, because he couldn’t protect him.  

But Alex is clinging to the future he wants for them despite his father’s threats and pressure to enlist.  Michael has a scholarship.  If he gets out of Roswell, Alex can follow him.  He’s been doing research for years, he knows how to hide.  They can change their names so his father can’t find them.  Not the same name, not now, but someday Alex thinks, when he knows they are safe, they can share a name, share a life for real.  One his father can’t take away.

Alex doesn’t tell Maria all that.  Right now they both need to pretend everything is like it was a few weeks ago.  Alex is falling in love, and Rosa’s alive and nothing hurts.

Alex thinks about kissing Michael in the bed of his truck, the sun on their face, Michael’s hair soft in his hands.  He thinks about how carefully Michael always presses his lips against Alex’s until Alex opens his mouth and then it’s like Michael can’t get enough.  He thinks about how Michael’s skin feels under his hands, how he loves to feel the beat of Michael’s heart in his chest.  He thinks about how tightly Michael holds him in sleep like he’s trying to hold Alex in place.  And he thinks about how desperately he wants to stay in Michael’s arms forever.

“He’s perfect,” Alex tells Maria again.  “He makes me happy.”

“He’d better or he’ll have to answer to me,” Maria makes a fist, and they both laugh.  “I’m so happy for you.  You deserve this.”

Alex nods and turns back to the graffiti before Maria can see the way his smile falters.

5.

Alex leans back against the headboard and watches as Forrest starts to get dressed.  He’s enjoying the way Forrest’s briefs stretch across his ass as he stands up to look for his shirt when Forrest sits back on the bed, phone in hand.

“I envy you, getting out of Roswell for a while,” he tells Alex as he reads his message.

Alex is leaving the next morning to track down the remains of Project Shepherd, but told Forrest he was on a long term recruiting assignment.  Forrest had come over with take out and a strip of condoms to ‘see Alex off.’

“Maybe if I’m in one place long enough, you can come visit,” Alex offers.

“Yeah, I’d like that,” Forrest turns to Alex with a smile before going back to typing furiously on his phone.  “I am definitely ready for a change of scenery.”  Forrest tosses the phone on the bed before pulling on his pants.

“Everything ok?” Alex asks, surprised by the bitterness lacing Forrest’s voice.  He’s never really seen him irritated before.

“Sorry, it’s just my uncle scolding me for offending one of his cronies.  He likes to remind me that everything I do reflects on the Long name,” Forrest rolls his eyes.

“What happened?”

“Some guy came up to me at the diner and wanted to know why I hadn’t been at the last few meetings of the Roswell Regiment.  He told me my family had a long standing tradition of standing between Roswell and undesirable elements, and it was time for my generation to step up.”

“Ouch,” Alex commiserated. He knew more than most about the weight of unwanted family legacies.

“I told him I was too busy sucking cock to play cowboys and Indians with the people on the wrong side of history.

Alex laughs because he can hear Forrest saying that.  “Well if they had a meeting in the last hour,” Alex pretends to look at a watch he’s not wearing, “I can vouch for your story.”

“I’m sure he’d appreciate the first hand account.”  Forrest sighs and runs his hand through his hair.  “You’d think between my hair and the general aurora of gay, they would understand that white supremacy and racism aren’t really my thing.  But they think all Longs are the same.”

“Being a Long sounds as bad as being a Manes,” Alex tells him.

“Does that mean you won’t take my name when we get married?”  Forrest asks, all smiles again.

“Absolutely not,” Alex says without even needing to think about it.

Forrest clutches his hands over his heart and gasps dramatically, pretending to be hurt.

It’s cute; Forrest is cute so Alex leans forward and kisses him.  He ignores the twist of wrongness in his stomach at the thought of marrying someone other than Michael.  He knows he and Michael are over for good, but he isn’t ready to start thinking about anyone else with the same seriousness.  

When Forrest kisses him back, Alex moves so he is straddling Forrest’s lap.  “Besides,” he whispers against his lips, “I’m not the marrying type.”

“Oh?” Forrest asks, sliding his hands under Alex’s ass and pulling him closer.  “What type are you?”

Alex bites back his instinctive response of ‘not the type who gets a happy ending.’  Things with Forrest are fun and easy, and Alex wants to keep them that way.  He pushes Forrest onto his back  and tells him, “I guess you’ll just have to find out,” before kissing him again and making sure talking is the last thing on either of their minds.

+1

Michael isn’t the first person he tells or even the second.  Alex doesn’t think anything of it because to him it’s obvious, and it never occurs to him that Michael just won’t know.

He tells Greg when Greg calls to confirm he can’t make the wedding.

“I’m so sorry, Alex.  I have an oral exam and an observation that can’t be rescheduled,” Greg says with obvious regret.

“It’s ok,” Alex reassures him.  He’d love to have Greg there - he’s the only real family Alex has.  But they didn’t really give him any notice.  “If we were planning ahead we would pick a date that works for everyone, but.” Alex trails off, not sure how to articulate the urgency he and Michael feel. Why waiting just isn’t an option.

“I get it, Alex, I really do.  After everything you and Michael have been through, you want to grab your happiness as soon as you can.  I am just so happy for you, for both of you.  And I’ll be back in a few months so you can show me all the pictures, videos, everything.”

“I think Isobel has an Oscar worthy production planned,” Alex laughs.

“I can’t wait,” Greg replies warmly.

“There’s one more thing,” Alex begins hesitantly.  “I’m taking Michael’s name.”

Greg doesn’t respond and the silence stretches out.  Alex hopes Greg doesn’t object.  It won’t change anything, Alex has made his decision.  But he’d like to have Greg’s support.

“Greg?” Alex prompts.

“Alex,” Greg says, voice thick before he clears his throat.  “I’m so proud of you.  I know how hard it’s been for you to let go of all the bullshit Dad shoved down your throat, to forget about the Manes legacy.  I’ve been afraid for a long time that you would never be able to put it behind you.  And now you're marrying the love of your life and starting a whole new life.  I don’t even know what to say.”

“You’re not upset?”  Alex can’t stop himself from asking.

“You’re my brother, Alex. I love you, and I want you to be happy.  That’s it.”

“Thanks,” Alex says, his own throat tight.  He wants to tell Greg he loves him too, but those aren’t words that were ever said in his house.  It’s been hard enough learning to say them to Michael, to stop feeling like it was safer to hold them inside.  But there’s something else he can say that Greg will understand.  “I want that for you too - happiness.  I’m free now, Greg, and I want you to be too.”

Alex stops by Eduardo’s office the next day.  

“What are you doing here,” Eduardo asks when he spots Alex in the doorway.  “Don’t you have a wedding in less than twenty four hours?”

“Kyle wanted a final checkup,” Alex shrugs.

“And?” Eduardo asks, eyes narrowing in concern.

“Clean bill of health,” Alex reassures him.  “And speaking of the wedding, I was hoping I could ask you for a favor.”

“Of course.”

“You know Michael and I have a honeymoon planned,” he begins.

“Yes, a month, I believe,” Eduardo fills in.  “That can be extended if you want more time.”

“I’m learning I’ll always want more time with Michael,” Alex laughs.  “But I think a month away is a good start.  Once we’re married, I want to change my name to Guerin.  I know the process can take time, and I don’t want to wait until we get back from our honeymoon to get started.  I was wondering if there is anything Deep Sky can do to speed things up?”

Eduardo leans back in his chair and smiles.  “Just leave everything to me.”

Alex feels Michael stumble just a bit when he tells him he’ll be signing his checks ‘Alex Guerin” from now on.  He accepts Alex’s explanation without any further questions, and then there’s so much going on - well wishes and goodbyes, Max leaving, finally putting Roswell behind them even if it’s only for a month - that they don’t talk about it again.

Three days into their honeymoon, when they return to their hotel after dinner, the concierge hands them an envelope he says was delivered for them earlier.

The outside just has their room number, no indication of who it’s from.  It’s the right size for weight for pictures.  Alex turns it over in his hands before holding it out to Michael.

“Maybe Isobel dropped off wedding pictures,” Michael speculates, coming to the same conclusion, when holding it up to the light doesn’t yield anymore information.

“I doubt Isobel drove six hours to drop off wedding pictures.”

“Only one way to find out,” Michael shrugs and hands the envelope back to Alex.

Alex sits at the small table in what passes for a dining area in their suite and waits for Michael to join him before he opens it.  He pulls out the contents and lets out a small gasp.  Alex holds his driver’s license, now labeled ‘Alex Guerin” in his hands, lets his updated passport and credit cards fall to the table.

Michael leans closer to see what he’s holding.  “That was fast,” he comments, picking up and skimming the note Eduardo left. He congratulates them again and lets Alex know the rest of his updated documents - employee ID, bank accounts, social security card - are locked in the safe in his office.

Alex’s hands shake as he stares at the ID.  He doesn’t realize he’s crying until Michael wipes a tear from his cheek.

“Hey, we can change it back,” he tells Alex, looking at him with concern.  “It’s ok if you changed your mind.”  Michael leaves his chair and turns Alex away from the table so he can crouch in front of him.

“No,” Alex pulls Michael up and kisses him.  “No,” he repeats,finally dropping the license so he can cradle Michael’s face in his hands and kiss him again. He hopes Michael can feel his happiness, his joy because he finds himself fumbling for words to explain what it means to see his name in writing.

“I want to rent a car,” he says when Michael pulls back and goes back to his own chair, holding Alex’s hands in his.

“What?” Michael asks, concern returning to his face.  “I know the truck’s old, but she’ll get us where we need to go.”

“No, I mean,” Alex shakes his head, frustrated with himself for communicating so poorly.  “Sorry, it was just the first thing I thought of that would require an ID.  I want to show off my new name.”

“Proud of it, huh?” Michael laughs, but Alex can hear the underlying hesitation.

“Michael, you have no idea.  I want to tell everyone.  I wish I was young enough to get carded.”

“I’m glad,” Michael says quietly, squeezing Alex’s hands.  “I’m glad it feels good to let that part of your past go.”

“It is, but it’s not just about the past.  When I saw this - saw ‘Alex Guerin’ in writing - I realized it’s less about letting something go than it is about moving forward.  Being a Manes meant something, and no matter how hard I tried, I could never escape it completely,” Alex takes a breath, relieved to feel that burden gone.  “But I’m not Alex Manes anymore.  I’m Alex Guerin, and I get to decide what that means.  That’s what I care about, who I am now, learning how to be your husband, building our life together.”  He pulled Michael’s left hand to his mouth and kissed his wedding ring.

Michael picks up Alex’s discarded license and studies.  He strokes his thumb over the picture before setting it down.  “I never cared about my name.  It wasn’t mine, it was just something they gave me because they had to.  I can’t tell you what it means or if there are Guerin family traditions, and even if there are, it wouldn’t matter because they aren’t mine.  Funny isn’t it, your name came with the worst family baggage imaginable and mine came with nothing, and we both suffered for it.”

“Michael,” Alex says helplessly, seeing the tears in Michael’s eyes. He reaches for him - to offer comfort, to fix what can’t be fixed - he doesn’t know.  “Your name means something, it had a history that you gave it - omelet breakfasts and secret lairs and music and undying devotion.”

“I’m not upset, Alex,” Michael leans back and tangles their feet together.  “I’m just so,” his eyes drift back to the table, covered in documents bearing the name ‘Alex Guerin.’  He turns back to Alex, and while the tears are still there, his smile outshines them.  “Thank you for wanting to share my name, for making it ours, for wanting to start traditions with me that we can share with our family one day - however that looks.”

Alex shakes his head, too overwhelmed to speak.

“And I promise we can rent cars and join every gym and grocery store and casino membership plan we can find just so we can show off our name.  But first I want to take my husband to bed and make love to him.”

Michael stands up and holds out his hand to Alex.  He lets Michael pull him up, then walks toward the bed unbuttoning his shirt as he goes.  “I love you, Michael Guerin,” he says as Michael pushes him onto bed and begins to undo his pants.

Michael’s answering smile is both wicked and sweet.  “I love you, too, Alex Guerin.”

#alexguerinmonthly #malex fic #rnm fic #my fic #alec centric #malex happy ending #forlex but ends malex #maria deluca friendly #forrest long friendly #alex and maria friendship #alex is always trying to escape being a manes #jesse manes is a monster

[bekkachaos]

How about #18 and platonic Kylex for the prompts? ❤️

18. “This is without a doubt the stupidest plan you’ve ever had. Of course I’m in.”

Alex and Kyle had come a long way since high school. For a while Alex wanted to hold a grudge, hated the person Kyle had become when he realised that popularity was an option for him.

And he did hold onto that, for a while, at least until Jim Valenti died. At that point Alex had one of those moments where he realised that the world was bigger than his teenage anger, and people were more than who they thought they needed to be in high school.

The first few times they started to interact again after Alex got back from his last tour he definitely felt that decade-old bitterness rising in his throat, and it took a while before he was ready to part with it. Well, a while and a few alien mishaps.

But spending time together again, Alex had started to remember why they got along so well as kids outside the forced proximity. Now, they spent time together a couple of times a week, either with their alien counterparts or without.

On this particular day though, Kyle and Alex had set up their meeting weeks earlier, because it wasn't just a casual catch up. Alex was using his tech skills to help Kyle set up the perfect proposal, and Michael had been enlisted to keep Isobel away until everything was ready.

"Give me a few broken bones, some corroded arteries even, I can fix up a human body no problem but wires and metal and... programming, no thank you," he said as he watched Alex hook his hard drive into the computer at the drive in. They (Alex) had hooked up some old monitors around the lot, then connected to the main projector. When the sun was setting he would get all of Kyle's carefully curated film segments together to play in the right sequence, and on the right monitors. At least he would when the systems started talking to each other like they were supposed to. "Seriously, thank you Alex. You don't have to do this if you don't want to, I can just find a less technological way of doing this."

Alex snorted out a laugh, looking up at him with a raised brow.

“This is without a doubt the stupidest plan you’ve ever had," he grinned. "Of course I’m in.”

It was Kyle's turn to snort derisively, folding his arms over his chest as he looked down at Alex who had gone back to tinkering with the connection ports.

"I'm sorry this is the stupidest? This? Not the time we were kids and I thought it would be smart to have you lock me in that rusty old fridge in summer? Or when I thought hey, you know what would be a good idea? Open heart surgery, on an alien?"

Alex raised an eyebrow because clearly, the pressure was getting to him. "To be fair, the heart surgery wasn't your plan. And it was a success."

"And the fridge?" Kyle said with a huff.

"I've seen sweatier men than that."

"Don't elaborate."

"I mean," Alex said with a grin. "Relying on Michael to keep a secret all the while spending the day with Isobel. I'll figure this bit out eventually, but he's the real wildcard here."

"He's kept bigger secrets, don't you think?" Kyle said.

"Yeah but this is a secret that will eventually be coming out, so there's really no motive for him to keep it. Hand me that hard drive would you?"

"What, you think Michael's going to ruin it?" Kyle said as he grabbed the hard drive from the backpack and handed it to Alex.

"No, I gave him a stern talking to."

"A stern talking to or I'll give you a spanking if you're a bad boy?"

"Hey, don't question the method if it gives you the results you want," Alex grinned. "And that would hardly be a deterrent."

Kyle rolled his eyes and ran his hands over his face.

"I'm just saying," he said. "Thanks, for helping."

"I'm your friend Kyle, that's what friends do when one of them wants to do an elaborate proposal," he said, looking up at him with a grin. "Especially when you're the tech-guy friend."

He turned back to the computer, finally opening up the sequencing program so he could stage the timing and hook up the visual to the right monitors.

Kyle thought about those words for a moment. His teeth dug into his bottom lip as he thought about what they meant, everything they had been through. How Alex had always upheld his end, and Kyle had let his end fall apart.

"Sorry I wasn't a better one," he said softly, and Alex turned back to him with a curious gaze.

"If you're talking about things that happened almost fifteen years ago-"

"I know I've probably said it before," he said, cutting Alex off. "But I don't really think there's a statute of limitations on treating someone like crap and then asking them to help you propose to your girlfriend."

Alex exhaled slowly, looking back at Kyle with kind eyes and waiting for him to say what he needed to.

"I just mean that I'm sorry for everything that happened between us. I guess the last couple of years especially have made me see it but I thought about it a lot after high school. I mean those friendships were just hollow and I didn't realise until I left. Thought about you a lot in those 10 years."

"I didn't really think about you," Alex said with a shrug.

"Fair, and I get that."

"I mean," Alex said with a fond shake of his head. "At least not until your dad. And I know how much it hurt me to hear about what happened to him. So all I could think was how much you must be hurting. Even thought about calling but changed my mind straight away because all I could remember was who you were when I left. And then I got back from a war and, I just didn't have the energy to hold that anger, you know? Suddenly seemed kind of stupid, to still be affected by something from high school."

Kyle made a humming sound as Alex made a satisfied sigh as he turned back to look at him.

"Is this you telling me I'm stupid?" Kyle said, eyes narrowed but a smile playing on his mouth.

"No," Alex shrugged, looking up at him with a grin. "But if that's what you took out of it I'm not going to correct you. I think I've got this all set by the way. You sure you're ready?"

"Hey, you make it look easy," Kyle said. "And you married Michael."

They chucked together, followed by a moment of quiet until Alex got to his feet.

"For the record," he said, reaching out to put a hand on Kyle's shoulder. "What I meant when I said this was a stupid plan was that you don't have to go all out on the proposal, intimate and simple works just as well."

"You think I should find a secret alien dimension and use the phrases 'I'm dying' and 'marry me' in the same sentence?" he said with a raised brow.

Alex rolled his eyes and lightly smacked his shoulder.

"Could probably meet in the middle somewhere."

Luckily, Alex had finished with perfect timing. He messaged Michael to bring Isobel down, and by the time the truck was pulling up the sun was shedding a soft orange and pink glow over the horizon.

Alex watched Kyle exhale heavily as he heard the doors closing and gave him a nudge with his elbow.

"Too late to back down now," he said, and Kyle turned to him with soft eyes.

"Thanks Alex," he said, nodding to him with that nervous excitement brewing inside him. "Really, I mean it."

Alex rolled his eyes again and reached out to pull Kyle into a hug. They had probably done it in the years since they reconnected, but it felt like the first time, the start of a friendship fully renewed, leaving the stubbornness of their past behind them.

They broke apart when Isobel's voice called out somewhere across the lot, Alex reaching over to start the sequence for Kyle.

"Go on," he said. "Really no turning back now."

Kyle grinned, one last tap to Alex's shoulder as he ran towards his place.

As Alex watched him disappear between the old pallets and the screen, Michael slowly crept up beside him.

"That was adorable," he teased.

"Shut up," Alex said, leaning into him as they found a vantage point to watch.

They'd all come such a long way since seventeen, and in a weird way, Alex wouldn't change a thing.

send me a pairing and a prompt from this list 💕

#kylex #kylex friendship #kyle valenti #alex manes #kybel #malex #roswell new mexico #rnm fanfic #thank you nonny 💕

[burntotears]

Title: Fireside Chats W/C: 1226 Summary: Kyle and Alex talk about big life decisions and their friendship.

AO3 Link or read under the cut

“So, Alex, you know about… things.”

“I'm sorry, what?” Alex looked over at the other man in confusion.

“Yeah, you know, like asking questions.” Kyle leaned heavily against the wooden tabletop they were seated at in the Wild Pony and even though they hadn’t had that much to drink yet, Alex couldn’t help but wonder if the doctor was already a little drunk considering he wasn’t making any sense.

“Am I going to need more to drink for whatever is happening here? What the hell are you talking about, Kyle?”

Kyle took a deep breath. When he continued his words were slow and deliberate, but he stared at the bottle in his hand rather than looking at Alex directly. “Asking people... persons…” his voice lowered to a conspiratorial whisper, “aliens… to marry you.”

Alex’s mouth dropped open. “Oh god.”

Michael and Isobel were currently spending some sorely needed quality time together. They hadn't talked a lot about Max being gone, but lately Isobel had wanted Michael to open up more about it and Alex agreed that his husband needed it.

That left Alex and Kyle to their own devices for the night. Sometimes it felt like they were the lost humans without their alien counterparts around. Just sort of adrift with no tethers until Michael and Isobel came back to claim them. Fuck, that was pathetic. No wonder they were drinking.

Kyle was unperturbed by Alex’s response. “Y’know, like... how you know when the right time is.”

“Well, considering I proposed when I was dying in an alternate dimensional prison literally built for my husband’s father and I tried to force Michael to marry me there, maybe I'm not the bastion of romance to hang your dreams on.” Alex’s laugh was sardonic as he brought the beer bottle to his lips again. It wasn’t that he hadn’t been certain about wanting to marry Michael, because he absolutely was, but making the proposal out of desperation wasn’t his proudest moment.

Kyle was glaring at him. “I still can’t believe you weren’t going to invite me to the wedding.”

“Right, that was the most important part. You missing the wedding.” Alex shook his head in amused disbelief.

“Yes, it was. You’re my best friend, Alex.” Kyle was looking at him so earnestly that it twisted something deep in Alex’s gut.

They had been best friends, once upon a time. When Alex’s father was beating the shit out of him, it was actually a relief that he got dragged to that stupid cabin and could spend some time forgetting about it with Kyle. Up until high school, he’d thought Kyle felt the same way, but once the bullying started, he wasn’t sure if he’d just imagined it.

But now? Alex hadn’t really thought about them being best friends so much as allies. They’d been forced together by their fathers once again and maybe that’s all it ever had been–a relationship of convenience created by two men in way over their heads.

Kyle could see the ambiguity written all over his face, because he continued, “You didn’t know that? After all we’ve been through these past few years?”

“You mean all the bullshit our fathers put us through?” Alex sneered, taking a long pull from his beer. “Teaming up so we can clean up their messes isn’t exactly the foundation of a great friendship.”

Kyle shrugged. “Probably not, if that was all it was. But we showed up for each other time and time again. That’s far more consequential than whatever bullshit legacies the two of them tried to leave us with.” Kyle drained the glass he held in his hand. “And the foundation already existed, it just needed to be repaired. By me.”

Alex raised his eyebrows, but he didn’t say anything for a long time, just swallowed thickly. He wasn’t sure how they hadn’t talked about this until now. It was easier to just stay on mission and take the small chats he and Kyle had had at face value rather than look too deeply into the significance the man held in his life. “Well you did. Repair it, I mean.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. You’ve been a good friend, Kyle. You are one.” Alex smiled over at him, holding the neck of his beer out toward him. Kyle picked up his own and knocked it against his.

“So… about that question,” Kyle prodded and Alex rolled his eyes.

“As a wise man once asked me, ‘what’s your heart telling you’?”

The doctor groaned and banged his head against the table. “That I’m way out of my league and it’s all going to crash and burn if I make one false step.”

“So par for the course,” Alex laughed, offering a patronizing pat on the shoulder. Kyle lifted his head to scowl.

“Not helpful.”

“You were actually expecting me to be helpful?”

“Come on, Alex,” Kyle whined. “Help a brother out.”

Despite the ridiculous phrasing, Alex did take pity on him. “You can’t look at Michael and I as an example because our relationship has been a trainwreck over the years. And I wasn’t kidding about how I proposed, Kyle. I was fucking scared that I would die and not get to spend the last days of my life being married to the man I knew I loved more than anything in this or any other world. And regardless of how sure I was about that, I shouldn’t have done it out of fear.

“I don’t regret it. I wouldn’t take it back and by the time I was healed and we were actually planning the wedding here, I knew we were doing the right thing.” Alex pressed his lips together tightly for a few moments before continuing. “But I still hate that I put him in that position. I should have waited until we were both safe back in Roswell and I definitely shouldn’t have tried to guilt trip him into marrying me in a fucking alien prison.”

He let out a heavy breath. “I doubt this is helpful for you. All I’m saying is that I really didn’t know what I was doing at the time. I don’t know if there’s such a thing as the right time. What’s ultimately important is how you both feel and how you navigate through it. If you think it’s time, then you should ask her. Even if she isn’t ready, as long as the two of you have the groundwork there, then it won’t matter. You’ll just wait and then down the road, when she does feel prepared to take that step, it’ll happen. And I’ll be there for you when it does.”

Kyle was watching him with such a contemplative look that Alex figured his brain must’ve glazed over while he’d gone off on his tangent. He couldn’t really blame him for it. He opened his mouth to say something else but Michael and Isobel appeared, sliding into the booth on their respective sides.

He kissed Michael briefly on the mouth and smiled over at Isobel. “How was your night?”

“Good, actually. Thanks for asking, brother.” Alex rolled his eyes at her use of ‘brother’, even though he smiled fondly at the same time. She turned to Kyle who still looked dazed. “Alex, did you break my boyfriend?”

Alex hummed in amusement. “He doesn’t need my help with that.”

#kybel #malex #kylex #rnm fic #roswell new mexico #(my fic) #(mine) #(rnm) #(kylex) #their friendship is too strong #i cannot deal with it #i don't know where this came from it just happened

[malex-crack]

We Make Do - Chapter 5 - Malex_Crack20 - Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019) [Archive of Our Own]

Chapter 5 is posted!!! 💖💖💖

Michael and Max get freaked out by nipple cream 🤣🤣

Also Michael yells at Liz and Maria 😂

#roswell new mexico #malex #alex manes #michael guerin #alex guerin #feliciafics #malex fic #max evans #max x alex friendship

[userlaylivia]

#I didn't put miluca in this because I don't ship them plus it's my poll I can put who I want lol #malex #kybel #echo #isobel x anasta #forlex #dallas x maria #I chose the ones that were canon plus a couple of my personal faves <3 #kyliz is there because they had a relationship and I loved their platonic relationship too!! #kyle x liz #kyliz #kyle x alex #they weren't a thing but I loved their friendship lol #roswell new mexico #tumblr poll #polls

[mazzystar24]

Can we please see the Alex manes defence squad assemble some time soon aka Michael, Kyle, greg (circa season two idk what is up with Greg now) and imma count Eduardo and Dallas on pure vibes

And if this were a dream scenario flint redemption and manes family reveal 😭😭

#I love kyle so much it’s ridiculous and their friendship is one of the few on the show deserving of rights #rnm #michael guerin #rnm s4 #alex manes #roswell nm #rnm spoilers #roswell new mexico #roswell new mexico spoilers #malex #rnm theory #flint manes #gregory manes #kyle valenti #Dallas Haines #eduardo ramos

[totalshipshow]

Calling all Malex shippers! 🤠🛸 👽

Tyler Blackburn and Michael Vlamis from The CW's Roswell: New Mexico will be sitting down with host @chero to chat all things Malex, Roswell, friendship, and more, for Tumblr's newest series: Total Ship Show.

Submit your questions here, and stay tuned for the Total Ship Show premiere on November 22nd.

#total ship show #malex #tss #roswell new mexico #michael vlamis #tyler blackburn

[smilingbuckley]

Seven Sentences Paragraphs Sunday

As an apology for not having posted my Roswell New Mexico fic yet as promised, here is a snippet! I'm not doing so great at the moment but when I feel better I want to edit the fic and add some more scenes at the end, so I don't know when it'll actually be posted. I'm hoping soon but I can't promise anything.

I was tagged by @diazsdimples who probably had a different fandom in mind 😂

Finally the portal is in sight. He jumps out, not bothering to lock the car, and rushes over to it. Sand rises around his feet as he runs, some of it sticking to his curls.

“Max!” he yells out.

A figure stands up and turns around. The moonlight shines on his face and shows Max. He doesn’t look much different aside from a small scar on his cheek. Max usually didn’t bother healing himself, more focused on healing others.

“Michael!” Max responds. He looks relieved. He opens his arms just at Michael approaches him and accepts the tight hug.

Michael would rather not have the others know that he cried, though he will confess it to Alex the moment they’re alone.

“Man, I’ve missed you,” Max tells him. A strong hand cups the back of Michael’s head, fingers spreading through his messy curls.

“I’ve missed you too,” Michael responds, voice muffled by Max’s jacket. It’s a weird one, but he supposes fashion is different on other planets.

For some reason I always love family relationships. Father-son figures, sibling figures, they always get to me. Michael & Max were brother figures even before finding out they're genetically related and I loved them from the start. So I have loved reading fics about them being brothers.

(Maybe it's me craving that kind of relationships, I don't have that with any family members.)

Buttt I promise there's also Malex in this fic! But it's Michael’s POV of reuniting with Max after five years of Max being on Oasis, so a big part is also their friendship.

#roswell new mexico fic #roswell new mexico #roswell nm #rnm #michael guerin #max evans #malex fanfiction #malex fic #malex #seven sentence sunday #writing #snippet #fanfiction

[malexfan10]

Hope this friendship will continue even after Malex gets their happy ending ❤️

#malex #michael vlamis #tyler blackburn #vlamburn #vlambase #roswell new mexico

[pastelwitchling]

Got a Daffodil prompt for you, since she's my favorite character in your stories ❤

The day of Daffodil's spay surgery is here and Alex is an absolute nervous wreck because his baby is going under the knife, even if it is just simple, routine surgery. Michael does everything he can to take Alex's mind off it and cheer him up. Even though Michael is nervous too. Daffodil is just fine though and they all end up in a big cuddle pile at the end.

Bonus points for evolving Kyle in the story somehow because I love how you write his and Alex's friendship (and Michael's long suffering tolerance 🤣)

@ashleymarie1684

***

Alex’s foot tapped restlessly in a discordant rhythm on the tiled ground, his elbows on his thighs, his fingers interlocked against his lips. Michael’s hand clamped down on his shoulder, and his knee stopped bouncing.

He looked up and found his husband the furthest thing from worried. If anything, Michael was smiling at him with amusement, fondness, love. He hoped it pierced through some of the dread in Alex’s chest.

“Babe,” he sat down beside him, his arm coming around his shoulders. “She’s just getting spayed. She’ll be fine.”

“I know,” Alex said, and his knee shortly went back to bouncing. Michael chuckled deeply against the shell of his ear.

“Breathe, Private.”

“I’m breathing.” A moment later, then Alex bolted up. “What was that?”

“Your imagination,” Michael said, unperturbed.

Alex exhaled shakily and sat back down, interlocking his fingers. He stared through the opposite wall of the narrow corridor they were in. The animal hospital in Roswell was not a big one, crowded with the noise and smell of animals awaiting procedures they didn’t want, medication they didn’t want, and evaluations they really didn’t want. Nonetheless, Alex had refused to leave for the less-than-half-hour procedure it would take the doctor to spay their six-month-old kitten, Daffodil.

“Your leg is going to kill you in the morning if you stay here,” Michael had tried earlier to no avail. “Why don’t you head home, get some rest, and I’ll stay with the furball.”

“Stop calling her that,” Alex said, kissed his cheek, and sat down.

So here they were, waiting and waiting. Michael tried to get Alex to eat, but he was too anxious for more than a few bites. Soon enough the doctor stepped out, a gentle smile on his face, and said that the kitten was fine.

“But we do want to keep her overnight to ensure the incision heals.”

“Okay,” Alex nodded in a way that said he was not okay at all about this decision. Michael very kindly did not laugh. “S-Sure.”

The doctor’s smile softened like he knew exactly what kind of parent Alex was, and reassured him again, “Daffodil is fine, captain. She’s asleep now. You can come pick her up tomorrow at noon.”

Michael wrapped an arm around Alex’s waist, pulling him in against him. “Thank you, doctor.”

He nodded, patted Alex’s shoulder, and walked away.

“Okay, beautiful,” Michael murmured against Alex’s cheek. “Let’s go home.”

Alex merely hummed, but he didn’t move, his eyes on the door behind which their kitten baby was probably sound asleep.

“You think she’s in pain?” he asked, as if he’d managed to keep the question at bay until just now.

Michael’s smile widened against Alex’s cheek. Had he ever felt this kind of love before?

“No.”

“Okay,” Alex nodded. “Okay.”

Michael kissed his ear. “Hey, you want to head over to the Crashdown for some dinner?”

“Okay,” he said automatically, eyes still on the door.

“Okay,” Michael said, and started to lead Alex away. Only until Alex managed to look away from the door did Michael dare glance over at it himself. She’s fine, he thought, and almost laughed at himself. Was this what it meant to be a dad?

Then he looked at Alex, and his heart surged with a love so overwhelming it threatened to kill him.

Whatever. As long as he got to be a dad with Alex.

***

The only scenario in which I support malex being parents.

Happy Malex Monday ❤

#alex manes #michael guerin #malex #malex fic #roswell new mexico #roswell nm #tyler blackburn #michael vlamis

[jule1122]

Malex Fic - All the things that give me love

This is my @malexremix fic for @notsowrites.  I was very lucky because I had so many amazing fics to choose from.  I decided to remix Quiet All The Noises, I lovely domestic fic about Alex not being able to cook, and Michael feeling at home.  You should definitely read it right now.

I wrote a sequel to the that story where Alex learns to cook and figures out how love and food can intertwine.  @notsowrites thank you for giving me such a wonderful starting point.  I hope you don’t mind where I took it.

No warning.  I stole the title from Erasure’s “Fallen Angel”

All the things that give me love on AO3

After Alex’s spectacular display of his terrible cooking skills, he waits for Michael to bring it up again, but he doesn’t. They didn’t really finish their conversation - not about Alex wanting to learn to cook or how Sanders was the one to teach Michael.  Alex had leaned over to lick some some dipping sauce from Michael’s lips and that was that.  Any discussions of cooking went right out the window.  A few days later there is a new pot on the stove to replace the one Alex ruined burning pasta of all things.  

He hates that pot so much; it's ridiculous, he knows, but every time he sees it, Alex feels like a failure.  He remembers there are still things he’s not giving Michael, still ways he’s holding back.  And maybe lack of cooking skills isn’t the most damaging way Jesse’s ghost still lingers over their lives, but it seems like an easy one to fix.

It’s not.

Alex spends weeks trying to cook on the nights Michael is catching with Dallas or Max or during the days when he works from home and Michael is at the junkyard.  Everything he cooks goes in the trash, the outside trash so Michael doesn’t stumble upon the evidence.  He blames the burned pasta on getting distracted by work and not focusing, so he gives cooking his full attention.  It doesn’t help.  Alex follows the recipes meticulously, he learns the precise measurements of a chop versus a dice versus a mince.  He can julianne and separate egg whites, but no matter how perfectly his prep work goes, something always goes wrong when he tries to bring the ingredients together.

Even staying in the kitchen doesn’t stop Alex from burning dishes or ending up with food that was too salty or flavorless or just completely wrong.  He keeps trying, but it feels like the more he tries the worse it gets.  Michael must know - there is no way he doesn’t notice the windows Alex opens to clear the smoke or the missing ingredients from the fridge.  But after a few times of asking Alex what happened to the chicken or broccoli he was sure they picked up at the store, he doesn’t say anything else.

“What happened to your hand?” Maria asks one night when he’s sitting at the bar at the Pony, nursing a beer and waiting for Kyle.

Alex glances at the bandage wrapped around his palm.  “I burned it.”

“Eduardo needs to up the safety protocols again, I see,” she teases.

“No, it didn’t happen at work.  It was, I was cooking,” he finally admits, embarrassed.  The slightly shocked look on her face doesn’t help.

“Alex, since when do you cook?”

The question isn’t a surprise.  Maria knows, everyone knows, Alex can’t cook.  “I can’t, obviously,” he waves his hand in front of her face.  “But I was trying.”

“Why?”  Maria takes Alex’s uninjured hand when he frowns.  “I don’t mean that in a bad way.  Just you’ve never seemed interested before.”

“Since we got together, Michael’s done all the cooking,” he shrugs.  It’s not much of an explanation, but he hopes it will do.

“Does that bother him?”

“I don’t think so,” Alex sighs.  “Michael hasn’t said anything.  It just feels like something I should do.  A way to show him I appreciate him and make sure he knows how important he is to me.”

“And you think you need to learn how to cook to do this?” Maria asks, skeptically.  

Alex shrugs again.

“Michael knows you love him. Alex, you show him everyday how much he means to you.  You don’t need to make dinner to make him happy.  Are you worried that he’s doing too much around the house?  Just talk to him before you start stressing about it.  You know how much Michael likes to take care of people.”

“I know, and that’s not really an issue.  We’ve found a good balance with the house stuff  that works for us.  Michael takes care of most of the outside chores and the gardens.  I do the laundry and most of the inside cleaning.”

“So would you feel more loved if Michael started folding clothes?”

“No,” Alex laughs.  “It’s not about chores.  I mean I like that Michael weeds the garden because it’s not something I want to do, and I know the garden is important to him.  It doesn’t feel like something he does because of me.  But when he cooks, it’s different, that does feel  like something he does for me, a way to take care of me.  And I want to do that for him.”

Alex thinks about how he feels when they are eating dinner, and he knows the time and effort Michael put into cooking, he thinks about the pride on Michael’s face when Alex tells him the food is delicious.  He doesn’t think Michael finding the laundry hamper empty and his clothes put away gives the same feeling of caring.

“Ok, so what are you doing wrong?” Maria asks, conceding that Alex isn’t going to change his mind.

“Everything,” Alex groans, dropping his head into his hands.  “I don’t understand how I can follow the recipe exactly and still end up with something inedible.”

“That might be your problem,” Maria purses her lips as she thinks.  “You are treating cooking like a computer problem, and you should be thinking about it more like music.  If multiple people play the same song, they aren’t going to sound identical.  The recipe is a starting point, but you need to adjust to your ingredients and cooking style.  If something smells done, check it before it burns instead waiting until the recipe says it’s done.  If a sauce looks too thick, add more broth or water.  Spice it the way you and Michael like it.  If you hate oregano, don’t use it.”

“You make it sound easy.”

“I know you, Alex.  You are making this way harder than it needs to be,” Maria narrows her eyes suspiciously.  “Alex, what have you been trying to cook?”

“Shrimp scampi, chicken cordon bleu, beef wellington, tamales,” Alex lists his most recent failures.

“Alex!” Maria’s laugh is bright.  “Is that the kind of food Michael cooks for you?”  She’s speaking again even as Alex shakes his head.  “You don’t need to impress Michael with complicated recipes.  If you really want to cook for him, start with something simple like chili or some kind of casserole.  You said you want him to feel loved and cared for when he eats your food, think about the last time food made you feel that way and cook that for him”

“Thanks, Maria,” he’s not sure her advice will help, but he appreciates it.  Alex spots Kyle walking in so he stands up and leans across the bar to kiss Maria on the cheek.  “See you later.”

She hands him another beer for Kyle and yells, “Good luck,” and he walks away.

He’s still thinking about Maria’s words a few days later when he comes home to a house that smells like cumin and chilis.  After a welcome home kiss, Michael herds him out of the kitchen.  “Dinner’s almost ready.  Go get changed,” he instructs Alex.

He doesn’t need a shower so Alex changes into more comfortable clothes and heads back out.  He reaches the table just as Michael is setting down a pan filled with sizzling food.  Alex wraps his arms around him from behind, kissing his neck and the spot behind his ear before whispering, “Thank you.”

Michael turns in his arms, kissing him quickly before pushing him away.  “You’ll have a lot more to thank me for after dinner,” Michael winks at Alex and slaps his ass.  “Now go grab drinks while I get the tortillas.”

“Tease,” Alex complains, but he does what Michael asks.

Once they sit down, Michael gestures to the food on the table.  “Steak and shrimp fajitas and jalapeno cornbread.”

Everything looks and smells delicious.  He knows the peppers and corn came from one of Michael’s carefully tended gardens.  Alex can’t help, but think of how the meal would look if he made it - overcooked shrimp, tough steak and rock hard cornbread.  But he pushes those thoughts away, instead telling Michael how good it looks as they load their plates.

“So Sanders taught you to cook?”  Alex asks.

“Yeah, mostly,” Michael answers around a mouthful of fajita.  He wipes his mouth and takes a drink before continuing.  “I started crashing at his place a lot, and when I woke up in the morning or showed up at night, he’d always say, ‘Let’s get some food in you, kid.’  I’d try and leave, and he would tell me it wasn’t charity if I had to work for it so he made me help.  Before long he told me I was better at it then he was, and I just took over his kitchen whenever I stayed there.”  Micheal’s smile is both pleased and shy.

“He was a good teacher,” Alex tells him as he reaches for another piece of cornbread.

“Picked some stuff up from Arturo over the years, whenever he needed me to fix something in his kitchen, he'd call me over and show me what he was doing.  He talks when he cooks, and I guess he noticed I was listening.”

“Liz told me his dream was to be the Mexican Emeril Lagasse,” Alex remembers.  “Said he drove everyone crazy narrating his cooking until they all got used to it.”

“I can see that,” Michael laughs.  “Learned a few things from Maria, too.  When I got the airstream and started cooking for myself, I realized a lot of cheap foods - flavored rice pouches, canned soups - have recipes on the back.  Ways to turn a side dish into a meal using other cheap foods. Gave me ideas of what I could put together.”

Michael shrugs like it's no big deal, and Alex doesn’t know how to tell him how amazing he is.  How he is in awe of how Michael took all these pieces - bits of kindness and necessity - and turns it into something beautiful.  He just absorbs the best in everything he finds and shows it to Alex like it’s nothing.  And Alex is greedy for every little piece Michael gives him, wants to hold them close and protect them.  He wonders if Michael feels the same, wonders if he has enough pieces to give Michael.

“Hey, you know what I haven’t made in a while?”  Michael taps Alex’s hand to catch his attention again. “Lasagna.  That was one of Sander’s specialties.  I can make it next week, have him over for dinner.”

Alex swallows around the lumps in his throat and turns his hand to grip Michael’s fingers in his, “Sounds great.”

Alex comes home early the next day and pulls up the recipes for bacon wrapped scallops and butternut squash risotto, but when he looks at the list of ingredients and steps involved, he closes his laptop with a sigh.  When Michael cooks for him, he’s sharing something precious with Alex, glimpses of happiness he’s salvaged from a shitty life.  Alex can’t do that with some picture perfect recipe that means nothing to him.  Alex isn’t sure he’s capable of giving Michael something like that, but for Michael he wants to try.  So Alex sits at the table and tries to remember a time before Michael when food made him feel loved.

Alex knows he’s forgotten more than he remembers about his mother, but he knows she loved him.  Before she left, dinner was a good part of his day.  He knows the food she made wasn’t fancy, suited to children’s tastes and the limited time she had to cook while keeping up with four young boys.  He remembers the way she’d ruffle his hair when she set his plate down - hot dogs with homemade mac and cheese, hand breaded chicken tenders with canned vegetable, meatloaf with real mashed potatoes and boxed gravy, spaghetti with jarred sauce and hand rolled meatballs, the loaf of white bread and butter on the table - and the way she’s kiss his forehead when she cleared the plates away.  She always fed Alex and his brothers early, before Jesse came home.  She didn’t eat with them, instead she waited for Jesse, making sure the boys were playing outside or in their rooms when he came home.  Alex doesn’t know if they ate the same food or if she cooked something special for him, just knows that she made sure the table was a safe space for them.  He remembers when his father was out of town, she would sit and eat with them, and dinner felt like a special occasion.  There would be dessert - ice cream or brownies - things Jesse didn’t allow in the house.

Alex spent years eating in mess halls or standing up in his kitchen or letting his food go cold while he worked through one more file.  But Michael changed all that.  Alex knows it’s not just the food, take out in the living room feels just as special as sitting at the table with a meal Michael cooked. Michael makes eating together feel like love, like it felt before his mother left when the dinner table meant laughing at Mom’s attempts to get him to eat his vegetables and sharing the best parts of his day. Before Jesse made dinner another interrogation, another chance to fail while forcing tasteless food past the pit in his stomach.  Maybe he won’t ever get Jesse’s voice completely out of his head, but he can make sure the other voices are louder. 

So the next time he tries to cook, he turns on the radio and thinks about his mother’s smile, and tries to find a way to give Michael that piece of himself.  It’s not magic, Alex still doesn’t really know how to cook.  But trying gets easier when he stops worrying so much about being perfect.  

The first time he makes something edible, he wants to pack it up and immediately take it to Michael.  He wants to present it to him like a gift and tell him, “This is me.  I wasn’t always broken, and I want you to know that part of me.”

But he’s afraid it will never happen again so he waits.  Alex keeps practicing until a bad meal is the exception rather than the rule.  He waits until he can share his food with Michael not as a one time gesture, but as part of the ongoing blending of their lives.  Another way for them to know each other and fill their house with love.

He picks a Saturday afternoon at the edge of summer when Michael’s in the garden checking on the pumpkins and other late season vegetables.  “Are you ready for lunch?” he yells out the back door.

Michael turns with a smile, “Sure, just let me wash up, and I’ll make some wraps with the leftover chicken.  Barbeque or buffalo?”

“No, you don’t need to do that,”  he follows Michael into their bathroom, leans in the doorway while Michael washes his face and hands before changing into a clean shirt.  “Lunch is ready.  Just waiting for you.”

“Did you run to the Crashdown while I was out back?  I wish you would have told me.  I would have had you stop at the hardware store.”  When he sees the way Alex is frowning, Michael runs his hand down his arm and smiles.  “Hey, it’s no big deal.  I’ll just go Monday on my way home.”

“No, it’s not that.  Just come on,” he leads Michael to the table, wondering how he has already managed to mess this up.  “I made lunch for you, for us,” he clarifies.

He leaves Michael at the table looking confused, then brings out the plates and bowls.  Once he’s done, he stands next to Michael, feeling silly to be offering him grilled cheese and soup as though it means something.  It does mean something, but all the words he had to explain that are gone, and he’s left with nothing but a simple meal.  He runs his hands through his hair and tries to think of something to say. “I put some pepper jack in the sandwich, and I made the soup, but I used canned tomatoes because we were out of fresh.”

“I know,” Michael catches his hand and stops Alex’s rambling.  “I used the last of the tomatoes last week to make sauce.  Alex,” Michael looks up at Alex, and what he sees in Michael’s eyes makes him lose his breath.  He can’t move, just lets Michael see him, and he knows Michael hears all the words Alex can’t say.  Michael squeezes his hand, and when Alex finally takes a breath, he brings Alex’s hand to his mouth and kisses his knuckles.

“Alex,” he says again softly, “thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” Alex replies just as softly.  

They both stay there, Alex standing, looking down and Michael, afraid to move and break the understanding between them, food untouched on the table until Michael shakes his head and laughs.  “Sit down so we can eat before the cheese unmelts.”

“I don’t think unmelts is a word,” Alex tells him.

“You knew what I meant,” Michael replies with a shrug.

They eat quietly for a few minutes, one handed since Michael hasn’t let go of Alex’s hand, and Alex can’t bring himself to pull away. 

 Finally Michael breaks the silence.  “So you’ve been at this for a while, learning to cook,” he waits for Alex’s nod before continuing.  “You have any other tricks up your sleeve?”

It’s a gentle opening, and Alex relaxes, knowing he can give Michael this part of himself, that Michael’s just been waiting for him to be ready.  It’s easy, knowing Michael understands, knowing Michael wants this small piece of Alex, that it’s safe with Michael, to tease instead of stumble.  “If you play your cards right tonight, I might make you pancakes for breakfast.”

Michael’s face lights up, and he kisses Alex over their mostly empty plates. “Breakfast in bed?”

“For you,” Alex agrees.

“Yeah?”  Michael’s smile turns into something soft and sweet.

“Yeah,” Alex echoes against his lips. He’s already dreaming of making pancakes in the early hours, love songs playing softly enough to let Michael sleep, of waking Michael with breakfast and coffee and sharing syrup sweet kisses.

#malex fic #rnm fic #my fic #malexremix #Alex & Michael love each other a lot #Alex just wants to show Michael how much #Alex & Maria friendship #domestic Malex #cooking as love #fluff

[bekkachaos]

♧ malex?

♧: One character playing with the other’s hair

Alex sat up in the cheap motel sheets in a post-sex daze, the TV playing softly in the background.

Michael lay with his head in Alex's lap, arm draped over his thighs and his body covered from the waist down by the thin white blanket. His eyes were closed, but he wasn't sleeping, he was just enjoying the lazy way that Alex was stroking his fingers through his hair and gently rubbing his head.

It was such a small thing, and yet it felt more intimate than anything else. He wasn't worried about anything around them, the whole world could be on fire outside the motel door and he wouldn't care, so long as he was lying in his husband's loving touch.

Alex let his fingers pull at his golden curls, stretching them out and letting them fall back, landing over Michael's brow before he was pushing them away again. His fingertips were soft, and warm. It was like the rest of Michael's body faded away and all he could think of was how Alex's hands felt on his skin.

read on AO3, or

He hummed appreciatively, turning his head only slightly to squint up at Alex. He looked down with a loving smile, letting his thumb graze Michael's cheek.

"Why does it feel so good when you do that?" he mumbled, squeezing Alex's thigh with one hand and dragging the other until it was behind his back, hooking on his hip.

"Because no one's ever taken care of you like this," Alex said, brushing a ringlet behind his ear. "Like I get to."

Michael held him tighter, shifting in closer so that he could kiss Alex's bare stomach.

"I've got to say though," Alex said, his lip turning up teasingly. "This is much nicer now that you've learnt how to use conditioner."

"I'll have you know," Michael said, narrowing his eyes up at him. "I've been using regular conditioner for a good seven years now, at least."

"Oh, am I going to get the same story from Isobel?" Alex grinned.

"You know, I don't like this little friendship the two of you have going," Michael said. "You're teaming up, it's not fair."

Alex chuckled, his stomach vibrating against Michael's chin.

"You're welcome to recruit Kyle to the dark side," he said, letting his fingers still and dropping his hand to Michael's shoulder.

Michael reached up to grab his wrist, pulling it back to his hair until Alex rolled his eyes with a smile and went back to caressing it.

"I don't think that's a fair fight," he said.

"You're right, it's probably not," Alex said, watching the way Michael closed his eyes with a sigh and shuffled down until he was comfortable. "Tired?"

"No," Michael said softly. "But I do wish we could just stay like this, never have to move or get up. I know it's not the most glamorous place, but I don't think I've ever been this..."

He trailed off and Alex smiled, knowing exactly what he meant even if he didn't finish the thought.

"It's perfect," Alex whispered.

Michael's eyes opened again, lips stretched in a delirious smile and he looked up at his husband. He wouldn't trade this moment for anything, in any world.

"Close your eyes babe," Alex said.

Michael obeyed, letting himself get lost in the tenderness of Alex's hands and settling in against his body like his own had been cut from it, finally piecing together with the part of him that had been missing.

Send me a prompt and a ship and I'll write a drabble

#malex #roswell new mexico #malex fic #michael guerin #alex manes #fluff #husbands

[gra-sonas]

Have you caught your breath after THAT ending?

Roswell, New Mexico Season 4 Episode 2 ended with a shocking twist! And it's a twist that will directly impact Michael Guerin, played to perfection by series regular Michael Vlamis.

Catching up with Michael is always so much fun, and we spent the early part of the interview discussing his next movie, Crossword, which he directed, wrote, and starred in! Make sure to follow his socials to keep abreast of news about this exciting project! Seriously, the movie sounds incredible.

The man is a machine, but we were lucky enough to pick his brain about all things Malex, what impact he hopes the role of Michel Guerin will leave on viewers, and he even let us know which of his castmates kills it at Super Smash Brothers. Check out the interview below!

Getting into Roswell here. Before we get into the episode, can you tell us a little about where we'll see Michael this season, his mindset, and what kind of journey he's headed on?

Yeah. Yeah. His mindset, it'll shift a little bit once he fully realizes that Alex is missing. He's never going to stop to find him. We've seen him do that in the past, but Malex has never been in a better place.

They are a full-blown couple, a full-blown item. There is no Michael without Alex. There's no Alex without Michael.

It gets pretty dramatic towards the end of it. Know that Michael is going to be a man on a mission. A lot of that, as he builds up to going after Alex, a lot of it is trying to figure out what's up with these aliens in town. What's going on with them and trying to stop them.

At the same time, when you're learning about someone that you're trying to stop, if you have strong ties to them, because you're from a similar place, it's got to be hard to not be intrigued or smitten by them.

I think Michael Guerin has a tough journey ahead of him where he's got to infiltrate this group, and he's got to get the answers everyone needs to stop these aliens. At the same time, he's trying to get, he can't help, but selfishly go for the answers that he's been searching for his whole life.

I think that's where Michael Guerin's going to run into some problems.

Sure. It's funny; you just merged into some of my other questions because when I was watching the second episode, I was thinking how much of Clyde I saw in Guerin, you know what I mean?

Some of the things he was saying about Earth and things like that got me interested in what those kinds of interactions would be like with Guerin, Clyde, and Bonnie, too. Are we going to see more of that?

Yeah, yeah. Oh, we're going to see a ton of that. Andy and Zoe, those are the actors playing Bonnie and Clyde, they were amazing to work with. I forged great friendships with them over the season, but we got some good drama coming on-screen between us. I'll tell you that.

Okay, cool. Also, with Michael and Alex, you touched on this as well, but I've liked seeing them together and discovering what it looks like for them to be in this committed relationship. I thought to myself during that bunker scene, the second one, that season one Alex and Michael could never have this conversation.

They just weren't at that place.

Never.

Yeah, exactly. Can you kind of speak to the place the relationship is at now?

I think it's the most mature it's ever been. I'm really proud of it. I'm really proud of them as characters. I'm proud of the writers for taking us that way. I think it's earned. I know the fans want more Malex throughout the seasons, but it's a slow burn. The best love stories take time.

I think they've really done a great job allowing it to grow, allowing it to shape into what it is now. It is the most fulfilling place our relationship has ever been in.

Guerin is still struggling with some things he's always struggled with. When you take someone who at one point in their life was fully broken, and we've all been there in different capacities, it takes a lot to get out of that. While things seem good, he still struggles in episode two.

By the end of it, he's at least self-aware enough to know that this is his person. He has to fully trust this person. If he can't do that, their love will never grow, which is why he's willing to let it grow.

I love the little assist from Sanders, too, with you guys' conversation.

Sanders is the man. That guy is the best. Nicholas. I love him. He's one of my favorites to work with.

Yeah. That was a nice scene.

He's like the father I never had. That's what he is.

Oh, for sure. Yeah. If there was one word you could use to describe Malex throughout season four, what would you say? How would you describe them?

One word. If it's one word, I'll say cosmic.

Okay!

Because that is the theme of us. I think what will be will be. So, I'm not going to give any spoilers away, but I think they're meant to be together, and that's all I got to say.

All right. I'll take it. In the first episode, we saw some good scenes between Michael and Dallas. It's nice to see Michael make new connections and make new friendships. I was curious, how do you feel that Michael's brotherly relationship with Dallas differs from the one he has with Max? If you see them differing at all.

No, I think they differ tremendously. It's like when you're talking to a sibling, sometimes when you're looking at a sibling, I don't know, maybe this is just me, and it's weird.

But sometimes, when I'm talking to a sibling, one of my sisters, and they're going on about politics or something, my sisters are so smart, and the way they talk to me sometimes.

If I'm talking to someone else on the street, I'm probably not putting on a front but seeming more engaged or more understanding or more knowledgeable about whatever we're talking about. When you're dealing with someone as close to you as family, you can't help but know that there's that imposter syndrome.

They know who I am. Even if I'm interested in what we're talking about right now, they know five years ago, I didn't know a thing about it.

When it comes to Dallas, he doesn't know anything but me now, so it's very loose. It's very free. It's very fun. There's no drama. There's no emotional weight to it. It's just two guys having a good time. Literally bro-ing down.

I told Alex in a previous season I can't go from love to or lust to 'sup bro' overnight, but with Dallas, you started 'sup bro,' and it's a beautiful thing.

Yeah, I like that.

Quentin is the man. I hang out with Quentin all the time. He's really good at Super Smash Brothers on the Nintendo switch. We play that all the time together. We forged such a bond outside of the show that it made it so easy to work together on screen.

That's awesome. Your chemistry carries over. Your real-life chemistry, because you can definitely see you guys seem like friends.

We are! We are friends. That's exactly right.

What are you most excited about viewers seeing this season as it continues to unfold?

I'm excited for them to watch Michael struggle with trying to stop these aliens, but he can't help but uncover truths about where he's from. He's in such a place where he is conflicted of doing the right thing, quote-unquote, whatever the right thing means to everyone.

Then doing the thing that satisfies him as a person and what he's been searching for his whole life. There is a beautiful conflict. The fans are going to see me deal with other characters throughout the season, too, which I think is really cool. Because you just touched on that with Dallas. It's the same thing for Bonnie and Clyde.

Just seeing Michael Guerin exist with new people. I think you learn a lot about him.

Cool. Now, these are some questions about Roswell in general. What's been your favorite storyline for Guerin up to this point?

Oh, well, that's easy [laughs]. That's so easy. Malex.

've got to ask!

Malex is my favorite storyline. It is vulnerable. It is scary. It is fulfilling. It is full of love. It's full of heartbreak. Literally, every single different emotion that you want to play with as an actor has been given to me in Malex. Saying even things like him handing the house keys to me and telling me this is mine.

You see in that moment, Michael Guerin does not feel like he deserves that. That was even a brand new thing I got to play. It is an ever-evolving relationship in the show that allows me as an actor to go to places that sometimes you got to do several movies to get to all those places.

With this one character development, I've gotten to go there, and I've gotten to go there repeatedly and try new things and learn about Guerin, which at the same time when I'm learning about Guerin, I'm really learning about myself. That is such a beautiful thing.

I love learning about myself. I love learning why I pick, and why I get angry at certain things. Why certain stupid things make me so happy when they don't mean anything to other people. What is it about me that is reflected in Guerin?

I get to do that with Malex. I love Malex the most.

In what ways do you think Guerin has grown from the pilot until now?

Oh my God.

So many?

Yeah, so many. I remember in the character breakdown, which I actually posted on my Instagram, "Alien 28 simmering."

There are all these things. This guy is just so mad at the world, and as an actor growing and as a character growing, I got to go from so much anger to more of a nuanced character who still is always, not always, but for a while, he's going to be that person that he starts at in the pilot.

It's fun to play with the fact that you can have all these feelings, you could be super angry, but you can find people like Alex where you just behave differently with them. That is what we've seen. I have that with my siblings too.

I have a different relationship with everyone in the show, but there is a special bond with Alex where I'm not as hard as I am with other people. The real softer Michael Guerin comes out with that. I think that was something that I really didn't have in the beginning, early stages of season one.

Even through it, we saw some things develop, but Guerin was just beat down in season one. He saw his mom die in front of him. Finally, every season he seems to have some kind of beat down like that, whether it's with his dad last year in the battle scene or my mother in Coffield prison.

But from season one to now, he's a much more fleshed-out person. That has to do with the writers and the character growth and myself as an actor growing and learning as well. Also, Michael Guerin, as a human being, learning that it's not worth it to be holding on to all this anger all the time.

Yeah, for sure. The last question for me here is that Michael Guerin genuinely resonated with fans on many different levels. With the series ending now, what impact do you hope the role of Michael Guerin and the series will leave on viewers?

Oh, man. I hope that viewers can see Michael Guerin and they can see themselves in them and know that it's okay to be flawed. It's okay to come from a background that you're not proud of. It's okay to have once in your life, not loved yourself. That is all okay. That is all-important.

The traumatic experiences that have happened to you in your life have shaped you into who you are now. Some people have dealt with way worse things than I will ever deal with, so it's really hard to speak on how everybody is going to feel and how everybody can overcome their trauma.

Some people, especially those with mental illness, it is even tougher.

I do think it's so important to always remember that who you are is okay. Accepting yourself is the first step. Very, very hard to do. I think Michael Guerin had four seasons, 50 some episodes to do that, and I think he's gotten to that point, especially by the end of this season, but that's the biggest takeaway.

I think we got to see the beauty and the flaws, not be so hard on ourselves, and in turn, we're not going to be so hard on others. That is what I think a lot of Guerin's storyline comes down to.

Awesome. Well, thank you so much. Your interviews are always so thoughtful. I really appreciate it.

Well, thank you, Whitney. Your questions are always so thoughtful, so that helps me.

Always. Thanks. You have a good day.

Yeah. All right. You, too. Talk to you soon. Bye.

#malex #alex manes #michael guerin #michael vlamis #mgv interviews #rnm 4x02 #rnm spoilers

[malex-crack]

We Make Do - Chapter 8 - Malex_Crack20 - Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019) [Archive of Our Own]

Chapter 8 is up!!! 💖💖💖

#roswell new mexico #malex #feliciafics #alex guerin #michael guerin #alex manes #malex fic #max evans #max x alex friendship

[lire-casander]

🎢🍦👀

thank you so much for playing along, my dear!

🎢 which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

oh man i wrote some wild fics back in the day. i started writing fic when i was about 13, so i have my fair share of wild rides.

if we're talking about plot and/or pairing, i'll have to go with anything i wrote for the hanson fandom, when i used to write hancest. yeah, you read that right.

however, my wildest ride story plot-wise would be a drabble that's no longer published (it no longer exists) that i wrote around 15 years ago. in 100 words, i showed a character witnessing a very disturbing scene and enjoying it. it wasn't me saying that that scene was good, or me condoning the fact (i'll tell you about it if you're really interested but it's very disturbing). it was me writing a drabble. that story cost me some friendships, and one of my friends from back then even tried to send me to the psychiatric ward for that fic which was, dare i say, very well tagged thank you very much.

now, if we're talking about a wild ride related to how it made me feel while i was writing it, i have two examples:

#1 - oscuridad y silencio. written in spanish, it's a sttory about domestic abuse that hits way too close home

#2 - from wedding bells to private hells (to fresh new starts and wish you wells). written in english, it's also one of the most personal things i've ever written. like, in forever. you can feel my feelings while i was writing it, i swear.

🍦 what's the sweetest fic you've created so far?

me, writing something sweet? horrified gasp. the nerve! i'm not sure about the sweetest, but one of my fluffiest fics is mousetrap, for the harry potter fandom. it's short, it's sweet, and i think it serves right for this category!

i do have other sweet fics, or better phrased, other sweet scenes in other fandoms. one of my favorites comes from a fic you know well. the raining scene from arashi (malex) is by far one my faves. i love writing rain scenes because they make me feel cozy, even if that doesn't make sense.

there's also a scene in por si acaso no recuerdas mis abrazos (yo te dejo mi canción) (david cook/kyle peek) that's way too sweet even for me. there's a moment inspired by mcfly's "all about you" when david is dancing with kyle's son on the kitchen floor that just melts my heart. btw, if you squint you might find versions of that scene, inspired by that very same song, scattered across all my fandoms. i love that image so much!

👀 tell me about an up and coming wip please!

i've been trying to write a story in a new fandom (which is already dead since the tv show was cancelled like 5 years ago), but it's proving to be very difficult because, somehow, i've managed to convince myself that what i have to say isn't worth saying. hence, i'm suffering from a major writer's block.

it's a m/f story where the main plot is angsty, as one may expect from me. the main pairing broke up in canon seven years ago. nowadays, she is a renowned oncologist coming back to los angeles from boston to attend her mentor's retirement party. he is a renowned neurosurgeon coming back to los angeles from london to attend the very same retirement party. they take the same flight from boston to la, and we can't say that they're excited to share the same space for hours after how they parted ways seven years ago. but apart from having to deal with seeing their ex after so long during a celebratory time, they also have to work together when the venue where the party is being thrown collapses and threatens the lives of everyone they love... including their own.

(i warned you it'd be angsty)

i'm also planning a tarlos christmas fic but that i'm not sure about yet.

ask me anything from this writer emoji meme!

#chamblerstara #you asked #you ask and lire answers #thanks for playing! #writer emoji meme #talks about domestic abuse