#but if rnm gets to pretend roswell is a small town

[michaels-blackhat]

he was a skaterboy

it is no longer my birthday, but the self-indulgent fics continue because life has no meaning and because I can. This one is for @andrea-lyn who I just adore and who says things and then I go “ugh I’m writing it” and she goes “oh good, now I don’t have to” 

Background: part of a bigger au where Michael was adopted, Max and Isobel were not. M & I stay in Roswell because I manifested her powers and basically got them to stay. Anyway, all you really need to know for this is that Michael is a giant science nerd, but this time he’s a giant science nerd with opportunities… and a scholarship to a STEM high school.

The sun was shining for the first time in months it seemed. It was March and the sun was out and the temperature had climbed to the 60s. Michael grinned as he pulled his backpack a little tighter before he stepped off the campus.

He waved to his classmates as he left the Roswell Science Institute to walk the twenty minutes from school to his house. “Gonna take advantage of the weather,” he had told his mom at lunch. It was worth it, even though he’d get home with very little time to spare before he would meet Isobel and Max. They get out of Roswell High thirty minutes after his school is done, and they would often meet at The Crashdown where Max would make eyes at Liz Ortecho and Isobel would catch Michael up on the local gossip he missed. Isobel seemed to think that he wanted to keep up all the people they went to middle school with, even almost two years later.

He walked past the fields where the lacrosse team was practicing, past the track and field team, and finally made his way to the residential streets. The houses always flew by in the car, Michael never really noticed any of them before. He definitely never noticed the little skate park next to the playground about ten minutes from his house. This time he did, along with the long figure doing tricks on the ramp. Michael slowed down to watch, the distance between the chain link fence at the sidewalk and the ramp was not far and Michael could see the boy with long dark hair and black clothes clearly. It was roughly the same age as Michael, but he definitely wasn’t in any of Michael’s classes and, even with a skateboard, there was no way he made it from the school, changed and all, in such a short amount of time.

He watched as the figure fell down the ramp and popped up facing him. Michael watched the familiar face for a moment too long as the figure caught his eye.

“Aren’t you supposed to be in class?” He asked.

Alex Manes smirked at him, at least Michael was pretty sure it was a smirk, he was still a little too far away to tell. Alex took a step off the ramp and glided his way towards the fence. He looked different from the last time Michael had seen him, hair military short and face still a little chubby. Michael knew from Isobel’s gossip that the dynamic duo of Valenti and Manes was no more, knew the rumors about why it was no more, and knew that Alex had moved on to bigger and more emo things.

“You gonna rat me out for skipping Guerin?”

“Never did before, did I?”

Alex smiled at that. He leaned against the top of the fence, one of those half-sized ones used to corral kids but still open enough to give the illusion of space. With his elbows on the fence, he leaned with his chin in his hands.

“I don’t know, maybe you’ve changed. At that fancy school of yours now, who knows if you’re still the same kid I remember?”

Michael smiled in return and cocked his hip against the fence so that his body still mostly faced Alex, but making sure they were closer now. He had always liked Alex. He was smart, did his group work, had no problems having fun when there was a substitute for literature class and the students would take turns stealing the remote to turn the cd player on in the middle of class. Plus, he had always been nice, almost ridiculously so. He’d always volunteer to help, would share his lunch if someone forgot theirs.

He had a nice smile, always had. Still did.

“The only thing that’s changed is that they make me wear a uniform now,” Michael replied. “Still the same me.”

“Still too smart for your own good?” Alex fired back, smile still on his face.

“Maybe,” Michael said through a grin. “You still pretending you’re not just as smart?”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Alex said and looked down at his feet. “Definitely not like you anyway. And if I was smarter, maybe I wouldn’t be here and I’d be in class instead.”

“Nah, I’m sure you have a good reason,” Michael said as he kicked the fence where Alex’s foot was, an approximation of a friendly shove.

“Is avoiding Valenti-” Alex started before he cut himself off.

“Isobel told me.” Michael kept his voice soft. “She, uh, likes to keep me updated on all the people we used to go to school with.”

Alex’s smile was officially off his face. His eyes were downcast, his body stiff as he stood up straight and let his hands drop to his side. “Then I’m sure you heard why.” His voice was tight.

“Rumors,” Michael said, making sure his body hadn’t moved, that he was still casual and comfortable, so that Alex would find some form of comfort in it.

“That’s all I know. Plenty of rumors about me too, I just don’t go to your school anymore, so you wouldn’t know them.” He paused. “Do you want to know them? To make it even?”

“You don’t-”

“I want to, Alex,” he said, voice still low. It was a strange conversation to have on a sunny day at the skatepark, but Michael knew all the things said about Alex. Alex should know the ones about him too.

“Did you know that I blew the physics teacher? That’s how I always get the highest grades.”

“What!” Alex couldn’t keep the startled laugh to himself. “You are seriously like a genius! And they think?” Alex laughed again, body relaxed finally. “You aren’t even gay!”

Michael smiled. “Bi, actually. But yeah, that’s probably the biggest one right now. Some asshole is just mad that the scholarship kid is smarter than him.” He looked over at Alex, who was just staring at him.

“Bi?” He asked.

“Oh, yeah,” Michael replied, smile still on his face. “Figured that out some time in eighth grade when this really cute guy with this great smile asked me to be his partner for a math competition.” Alex furrowed his brows. Michael kept the smile on his face. “We won, by the way. That really made it all make sense, you know? Seeing him smile? Making him laugh? Best feeling in the world.”

He watched as the confusion cleared his face and he understood. “No way,” Alex breathed out. “You’re fucking with me.” He didn’t look happy.

“I’m not Alex. You can ask Isobel, if you want. We meet at The Crashdown every day after school.”

“She’d be in on it too.”

Michael raised his eyebrows. “I know she can be a little frigid, but have you ever actually seen her care enough about high school bullshit to actually participate?”

It didn’t seem to convince him.

“Ok, how about Max. He’d never fuck with anyone and he’d never do anything to risk his chances with Liz.”

“Yeah ok, you got a point. But still, you expect me to believe that you randomly passed me by and decided to tell me that what? You had a crush on me in middle school?”

Michael laughed and leaned over the fence to be just that much closer to Alex.

“Well, yeah. I actually expect you to believe that I decided to walk home on the first nice day in weeks. Didn’t expect to run into you.” He smiled and Alex seemed to smile back despite himself. “Happy I did. Your smile is just as nice as it was back then.”

“The Crashdown?” Alex asked after a few moments of silence.

“Yeah, we meet there every day.”

“How about we walk there together?”

“I was gonna stop at home and change, get out of the uniform.”

Alex made his way to the gate and let himself out. He waited for Michael to catch up to him.

“Maybe keep the uniform,” he said as he gave a gentle tug to the end of Michael’s tie. “It’s kinda cute.”

Michael smiled the whole way to The Crashdown.