#jenna & kyle fic

[welldonekhushi]

Call of Duty OC: Samantha "Scarlet" Wright 🦋

Finally, after ages, I came up with Scarlet's biography sheet! So in case you guys are curious about her, you can go through this post, hope it helps! (⁠◍⁠•⁠ᴗ⁠•⁠◍⁠)⁠✧⁠*⁠。

If you want to see any artwork or fics on her, go to the #samantha scarlet wright tag for her content!

GENERAL

Name: Samantha

Full name: Samantha Wright

Codename: "Scarlet", Hotel Two-Six, Butterfly

Age: 29 years old

Gender: Female

Nationality: British (UK)

Languages spoken: English (native), Arabic (conventionally), Russian (for intelligence purposes)

Date of Birth: March 9, 1984

Place of Birth: Cambridge, England

Sexuality: Heterosexual

Martial Status: Single (married in 2017 to John "Soap" MacTavish, her childhood friend — diverging canon AU)

Occupation: British SAS (Special Air Services), member of the Task Force 141

Status: Active

Rank: Sergeant

Universe: Original timeline (2011-2017), reboot (alternative AU)

Faceclaim: Jenna Coleman

Song: Tangled Up by Caro Emerald (Lokee Remix)

Biography: Samantha Wright, under the codename "Scarlet" followed her dream in joining the most elite forces of the British Army, after hearing about her father's experiences in the military. As her hard work pays off, she finally gets selected for the SAS, and then for the Task Force 141, for her skills and strength. There, she meets a very old friend, that she missed and deeply cared for..

AFFILIATIONS:

Task Force 141

Captain John Price

John "Soap" MacTavish

Kyle "Gaz" Garrick

Simon "Ghost" Riley

Hannah "Sparrow" Clayton (@revnah1406)

Sergeant Annabelle "Kit" Pham (@applbottmjeens)

Charlotte "Jade" La Jardin (@sleepyconfusedpotato)

2nd Commando Regiment (@kaitaiga)

Sergeant Damien Whitlock

Captain Lachlan Jones

Los Vaqueros

Colonel Alejandro Vargas

Rodolfo "Rudy" Parra

Alyssa "Aly" Martinez (@alypink)

SKILLS AND ABILITIES

Weapon induced: M4A1 Carbine, M4A1 Grenadier w/ Red Dot Sight, M14 EBR Scoped

Fighting style: Hand-to-hand-combat, martial arts, a bit of jiu-jitsu

Special skills: Has good agility, wits and strength from intensive physical and mental training.

Talents: Is able to strategise a plan for greater impact.

Shortcomings: Is a bit sensitive and confused when it comes to choosing a decision which leads to life or death.

PERSONALITY

Myers-Briggs Type: ISFP (The Adventurer)

Is a positive presence among everybody: Yes, a soldier sure is a tough-hard individual who is determined to follow their duty, but Scarlet is the opposite. She maintains her duties and also motivates and cheers others up to keep moving and never surrender, as taught by her father. The reason why others notice when Scarlet is present with them, they feel calm and encouraged.

Emotional, but also dangerous: Sure Scarlet looks like she's a sweet presence among everyone, but at the same time, we shall not forget she's SAS-trained. When things get serious, she gets serious. During some missions (1 and 2), she has shown remarkable strength and courage by eliminating enemy soldiers in combat, as if she's a different person. The cheerful presence Scarlet holds among others has another dark side inside that she never reveals, but towards her enemies.

Can indulge with anyone, and is respectful: She'd love to make friends or teammates! It doesn't mean she doesn't give importance to anyone, but she especially bonds a lot with Soap. They two have been childhood friends since the start and everyone notices how close they both are and thinks if they two are a couple. Even if Soap is her best friend and he has a superior rank, she'd still respect him as her Captain. But sure, personally, they two engage like they used to.

Very empathetic: Whether it's a random person or not who is dying in her arms, it breaks her. It happened once when she tried to save a person who was losing their life and in the end they couldn't make it. It makes her want to blame herself a bit, thinking she didn't do her duty right, even if everything wasn't in her power. Also, if she sees anyone in distress, she's able to console and help them in time of need, the reason why Scarlet is able to sympathise and understand others well.

BACKGROUND STORY

Born as Samantha Wright, she lives in a small town in England with her father, Albert Wright, who is a former SAS-soldier under the codename "Bolt", and mother Elizabeth. When Scarlet was a toddler, she used to hear stories from her father about him working in Special Air Services, an elite special forces unit, and retired the day when his one leg was brutally injured that made him unable to walk or run.

Those stories gave Scarlet an idea to also join the SAS like him, but her father chuckled and said that right now she was too young to do so. Sometime later, she met John MacTavish, who recently moved into her neighbourhood from Scotland, but wasn't happy that he shifted away from his homeland. She wanted John to be her friend, and make him familiar with the surroundings so he'll get used to everything and love staying at his new home. And soon, they two grew closer, and became best friends.

They two had a similar goal — to join the defense. And one day, that day had to come between the two, when John had to leave for military school. Bidding her best friend a bittersweet farewell, unsure what future has for them in between, John encouraged her to follow her dreams. Taking that as a motivation, Scarlet kept John close to heart, while continuing her aspiration to join the SAS.

Her father got to know about her plan, saying that it won't be easy, since the SAS had the toughest selection processes. That sure unsettled her for a while, but didn't make her back off from her decision respectively. Instead, she learnt a couple of exercises, tips and tricks on self-defense from him that mentally and physically prepared her fully at the same time.

When she recruited herself in the selection process, it was an absolutely different experience for her. The way her mind drastically changed during the training quite traumatized and scared her, knowing what it feels to be in the SAS. But, keeping her father's words by her side, she didn't let the weakness and fear sink her in and moved on further. At times, she was ridiculed by others that she'd never be able to complete the process, but chuckled it all out instead.

The day came, when her hard work paid off, and she finally became eligible for the special forces. It was a blessed feeling for her, as if luck always stood by her side. And this is where, her journey begins..

[pastelwitchling]

Maybe you could write happy ending to chapter 222? Thank you!

Sequel to this fic.

***

Michael didn’t go back downstairs. Maria and Liz decided they were better off attending the funeral, offering whatever assistance they could, even if it was unwelcomed.

“You should really be down there, Michael,” Max said after half an hour, when he’d come to the attic to find Michael sitting where Alex had been, head rested back against the wall. “He needs you.”

Michael swallowed thickly, ignoring the ache in his chest at those simple three words. “He has Long.”

“Yeah,” Max sighed, coming to sit at his side, “he has Forrest. And he has Kyle, and Jenna, and Greg . . . but none of them are you.”

“He doesn’t even want me here, Max.”

Max hummed. “Is that why he keeps looking over his shoulder like he’s hoping you’re standing there? Is that why he keeps reaching for a hand that isn’t there?”

Michael faltered, and looked at his brother. “Really?”

He smiled gently. “I guess I could tell you that he’s a good one, that he’s the kind worth fighting for, but . . . he needs you, Michael. Do you really need to know anything else?”

Michael searched Max’s face, and knew in his heart that his brother was not humoring him, not easing the pain, not protecting his feelings. One look, and Michael knew he was telling the simple truth. That whatever Alex said, however hurt he was, he needed Michael at his side. Even if he was too angry to want him now, he needed him. And Michael would be damned to leave him to need alone ever again.

Without a word, he pushed himself off the floor and headed for the door. Out of the corner of his eyes, he could’ve sworn he saw Max’s smile widen.

Michael found Alex in the living room, Forrest at his side, a hand on his back. Michael hung back, watching as Forrest murmured something into Alex’s ear and Alex nodded, then Forrest was heading towards Kyle to help him serve food.

Michael’s fingers curled to fists, and for a long while, he sincerely considered forgetting it. Heading home and drowning his sorrows in a beer and leaving Alex to the safety of Perfect Forrest. But as soon as Forrest was gone, Michael saw it. He saw the exhaustion in Alex’s eyes, the way his shoulders fell and his smile dimmed and the light of his eyes darkened ever so slightly. He saw the strength fade. It seemed that Alex admired Forrest so much he didn’t want to show how weak he truly felt.

Maybe, in the end, that was what made Michael actually special. He was the only one that knew and loved Alex back before he’d turned into a soldier. Before exhaustion and weakness and fear was beaten out of him. Maybe it was knowing that Alex needed a punching bag more than anything else that had Michael stepping forward.

He leaned against the counter beside Alex, and only the slight raise of Alex’s brows betrayed any surprise that Michael was still there.

“It’s okay,” Michael said, and for a moment it looked like Alex wouldn’t answer.

Then he asked, “What’s okay?”

“To be tired,” Michael said, and Alex stiffened.

“I’m not tired.”

“It’s okay to be sad, too.”

“I’m not sad,” he said through gritted teeth. “He was a monster and he deserved to die.”

“It’s okay,” Michael insisted, “if you don’t want to fight for a while, Private.”

“And you’d know all about not fighting, wouldn’t you?” Alex said edgily. Michael didn’t flinch, didn’t tremble, didn’t blink. Alex sighed shakily and pinched the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry,” he croaked.

Michael swallowed, his eyes burning, and he whispered, “I’m not.”

Alex hesitated, then finally—finally—looked over his shoulder at him. He looked more frightened and tired than Michael had ever seen him. His eyes filled with tears that refused to fall and the barely noticeable tremor of his lower lip made Michael’s fingers itch to hold him.

“You can push me away however hard and for however long you want,” Michael told him, his own voice strained with the strong need to touch. “You can yell at me and snap at me and say whatever you feel like. You can fall in love with someone else for now and you can forget about me for a while. I’m not leaving you alone, Alex, and I’m not giving you up. You’re mine, and I’m going to keep you safe. So you can go ahead and cry for the father you could’ve had, or because you’re angry, or even because you hate me a little. Cry if it’s what you want, it’s okay.”

Alex said nothing as Michael held his gaze, then a tear rolled down his cheek. And another, and another. He opened his mouth like he might try to say something, but closed it as he realized he had no idea what. Michael’s hand inched towards Alex on top of the counter, his heart breaking as the man he loved cried silently, lost and afraid, but Alex turned away and scrunched his shoulders, hugging himself tightly instead.

So Michael just stood there, watching him and waiting to see if he was needed. He wouldn’t leave him, he wouldn’t let him go. He made a vow to himself right then that no matter what Alex did or said, Michael would hold onto him, because if he was sure of anything, it was that they belonged together.

Then Alex said—

“Don’t go anywhere for a bit.”

Michael looked up, hope soaring faster and stronger than he could stop it. And his lips quirked, just to himself. He turned around and rested his weight against the counter, arms crossed. He had the feeling he had a long wait ahead of him. It’s okay.

“I’m right here, Private. I’m not going anywhere.”

***

Happy malex Monday ❤

[elizabethortechoweek]

Thank you to everyone who participated in the celebration by creating and sharing content! Incase you missed anything:

Day One: Running

Start Again- edit by @infp-obsessing-over-everything

Half Moon- edit by @bisexualalienss

Day Two: Research

Team Science- edit by @impalachick

Intrepid- fic by @infp-obsessing-over-everything

Day Three: Risks

It Takes A Village- fic by @ajna-eye-cogitations

Risk (Liz&Isobel&Jenna)- edit by @impalachick

Day Four: Rage

I am woman- edit by @pleasantfanartist

Not Ready to Make Nice- edit by @bisexualalienss

Liz Ortecho + Revenge- edit by @infp-obsessing-over-everything

Day Five: Romance

Liz love quotes (Max)- edit by @infp-obsessing-over-everything

Liz love quotes (Kyle)- edit by @infp-obsessing-over-everything

Reality Set In- edit by @pleasantfanartist

Day six: Regeneration

Liz’s 2x01 monologue- edit by @infp-obsessing-over-everything

Day seven: Reign/Rain

This Dream in My Soul- playlist by @infp-obsessing-over-everything

Petrichor- fic by @impalachick

Any and all late submissions are welcome! Just tag the blog so that it can be shared. And if for some reason your creation was missed please reach out. Thanks again to all the wonderful participants and can’t wait to see you guys next May!

[dr-lizortecho]

writing asks: 💘🦋💞💝

Thanks for the ask!! Sorry- it took so long (but alas I was swapped with the homework- and still have some tonight cause my time management is terrible and I really thought i could do ten hrs in one night, lol)

💘Is there any posted fic you want to rework/re-edit/re-write?

Yes! I would love to give the Season One au (with Kyle taking Jenna’s place as Max’s fwb) another shot- especially now that the reason I ended up ditching the universe is so far behind me. Also, in a few more years I want to take another stab at Swing Life Away (because it means so much to me) and explore the stories better, since it taught me so much about story formatting.

🦋what are you most insecure about when you post a fic?

Anything new tbh, whether it’s a character, ship, kink or world set up. Outside of that I know where my writing quality and grasp of grammar and tense lies- so I’m not scared for formatting reasons (if I was I wouldn’t post!)

💞what's the most important part of a story for you? the plot, the characters, the worldbuilding, the technical stuff (grammar etc), the figurative language

The characters! They’re why I write- I use it as a sort of meta to explore them and understand them, and also, because they’re what I love about media it’s my love for them

💝what is a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

Intrepid! The Liz Ortecho/Anatsa Mufaro lost decade college fic, it actually had readers, lol

fic writer asks

[stillcosmic]

Hi! Crazy question (trying to write a fic, don't worry about it) but you wouldn't happen to know any names of the other cops who work at Max's precinct, would you? I think Kyle's mother was a cop at some point, and also that blonde woman whos name I can never remember but played Freya on Orginals, but she is like, and FBI agent now or something, right? Are there any official cops that work there? I'm more than happy to make them all up, but if Max has like, an official boss or something he reports to, I'd like to get that right. If not, I can always come up with fake names.

michelle valenti was sheriff for a while

freya is jenna cameron aka "cam"

[dayscrazed]

A continuation of my AU where Michael is adopted by the Evans’s instead of Max. 

Based on RNM 2x03. Liz and Kyle discuss their progress. Jenna's in town and she hangs out with Alex and they bond despite the awkwardness of having both dated Max. Isobel goes through a traumatic process, but her brother Max is there. Rosa spills the beans to Maria who confronts Liz. Alex finds new information and shares with Max. WARNING. THIS CHAPTER TALKS ABOUT ISOBEL's ABORTION.

-----

Okay! So, Malex are living together (at Max's house). Bet you guys can guess the foreshadowing with Alex and his music in this chapter...;) This opening scene is supposed to parallel the Maria/Michael omelette thing at the beginning of 2x03, but it's decidedly different for various reasons...you'll see. Another deviation which was mentioned last chapter is that Isobel tells Max that she's pregnant. Partly because she has her adopted brother physically there and partly because he'd feel it anyway, which does come in to play and is why one of her brothers is physically with her during the process in this AU. Again, TRIGGER WARNING. Jenna is back in town, but she doesn't really have a reason to care that Michael's dead, so her interest is in Max, which leads her to Alex at the Project Shepherd bunker. So, they bond instead of her and Liz. This was fun because they are both military. The end of their convo (which was Liz in canon) actually works really well for Alex and I loved writing it. Instead of talking with Jenna about her experiments, Liz talks to Kyle and their convo reflects various ones they've had in canon as well as what Liz tells Jenna in canon about Rosa. Rosa freaks out Maria and since there's no alien boyfriend to take her anger out on, it all comes out on Liz and of course she brings up things unique to this 'verse like Liz avoiding her over Michael and her and Alex's relationships with the alien boys. Lastly, Max hasn't been as traumatized and fired up about his mom as Michael had in canon because of his childhood. Therefore, he hasn't found the newspaper yet, like in canon. However, his time with Isobel through her process does get him to that place by the end when Alex brings what he found.

[andrea-lyn]

The final chapter, the finale, the end, From This Moment On:

The cavalry arrives at Caulfield to determine the future for the institution and the aliens inside, Alex gets his knee fixed, and the pod squad starts looking forward to their futures.

This isn’t my swan song of Roswell fic, but it does feel like a conclusion in some ways. When I began writing this, it was because I wanted to know what it would be like to have Dr. Max Evans being a healer because of his powers and Deputy Kyle Valenti because his family legacy expected it of him. I don’t think I will be writing something like this again, which is why it feels sort of like a bookend, to me.

To those of you along the way who left comments and reblog notes, I can’t tell you how much it meant. There were moments when it felt uphill to get some of this done, but to have your support meant the world.

I hope you enjoy this last hurrah in this verse.��

❤️

[rnmremix]

Hello remixers!

It’s that time! First, we just want to congratulate and thank everyone who participated in Roswell New Mexico Fanfic Remix 2020! Everyone did a fabulous job with their remixes, and we’re so excited for you all to finally read them! 

Click here to be taken to the entire collection, or navigate using the list below to be taken directly to a specific remix:

Pity Party for Three by loveislove87 / @captainsassmanes for @8verity8

There’s More Room In A Broken Heart (the I Know Nothing Stays the Same Remix) by @andrea-lyn for @aewriting 

Mortal kings are ruling castles by @irolltwenties​ for @signoraviolettavalery

Different Names for the Same Thing by SuburbanSun / @unbreakablejemmasimmons for @andrea-lyn 

Maybe I Will Be Ok by ninhursag / @ninswhimsy for @bestillmyslashyheart

the alien conspiracy (remixed) by milzilla / @queersirius for @christchex 

If I Gave You Every Piece of Me by ViolettaValery / @signoraviolettavalery for @el-gilliath

para bellum by @beamirang for @captainsassmanes 

My T-Shirt by @bestillmyslashyheart for @caitlesshea

Janus by @christchex for @ninswhimsy

Petty Pace by @aewriting for @partsofthesamecosmicbeing

Said Yes by @caitlesshea for @irolltwenties

Shades of Green by @el-gilliath for @unbreakablejemmasimmons

First Trek by @8verity8 for @beamirang​

wasted times and broken dreams (violent colors so obscene) by @irolltwenties​ for @queersirius (pinch hit)

Once again, thank you to everyone who participated!

💜💜💜

[female-overlord-3]

Bring Them Home Ch 6

Accept some help <- ao3 link

Prev - Next

People think planning is an amazing and easy thing like the movies. It’s fucking not when you have people not trusting your judgement and arguing against you. Alex would pull his hair out but training recruits already did that for him, so this is pretty much child's play.

“Max for the last time if you disagree on every suggestion or decision I make, you will be left here with Isobel like I originally intended but chained to a chair.” Alex declares when Max says having Kyle stay in the getaway car is stupid.

“I’m just saying-” Alex is having none of it. “You want a valuable member who has medical experience to be vulnerable and possibly hurt or killed.”

“This isn’t some military crew you can order around Alex.” Max argues but that gets a laugh out of Alex, Cam, Michael, and Kyle.

Michael actually has to lean on Alex to breathe. “Max besides Cam here we wouldn’t know a thing about infiltrating an army type facility and she only came cause Alex is fucking persuasive. Chill out and let someone who knows what their doing lead alright.” He tosses him a bread roll. “You did what you could so far but we have help now. Take it.”

Michael knew Alex could handle Max being difficult for longer but he doesn't know how much longer he could handle Alex being all authoritative and hot.

"Michael your hand." Alex murmurs. Michael turns and blinks at him, still not used to Alex using his first name, and confused until he sees his hand is molded to Alex's neck and his thumb is rubbing against it.

He's not really sure what to do though because he wants to keep touching Alex but he thinks Alex is asking him to stop. They were fine earlier and Alex even took the initiative to hold hands. Are hands okay but not what he's doing now?

They really need to talk because Michael can't mess this up, he needs to know what he can and can't do.

Alex can see the uncertain look on Michael's face turn to frustration and he didn't want that when he mentioned Michael's hand, he just needed to concentrate.

“I’m trying to be in charge right now so either keep your hand still or move it somewhere else please.”

Michael can do that. A shoulder seems like a neutral area so that's where he moves his hand.

They focus back into the conversation and things settle after that. Once all the food as either been eaten or put away, everyone decides a break from planning would be good.

Alex slips away and reclaims the chair he had when he first got here,  bringing his laptop out to continue going through the files. A glass of water settles on the table in front of him and he smiles before refocusing.

From what he's collected he has data of footage, medical records, finances, blueprints and employment list that go back until the 1980's. Not everything but he'll take what he can get.

He goes over the blueprints of the building and noting all the changes made over the years, the most recent, only being a decade ago. With the building being an old prison, most of the exits and entrances are kept the same, minor rooms added and updated plumbing but still pretty outdated security.

Alex can work with this easily.

He moves onto the employment lists and seeing how much it's thinned out over the years, taking note of which branch is keeping it funded and thankfully it still has the current higher-ups listed. That'll come in handy.

That quickly turns into finances and Alex can see how time really has made a difference because the budget is less than half from the last decade. He can make an easy case to have his father dishonorably discharged especially with what he still has after he relocated him.

For once he finally feels like he's winning against his dad. He's protecting those he cares about, keeping them safe and going to free people who should've been helped instead of made prisoners.

"Alex."

Looking up he grins at Michael.

"Hey I've gone through most of the stuff I got from Caulfield and now I have what I need to finally get my dad off our backs. I haven't looked at any of the footage or medical records but I really don't think I can stomach them right now. I-" he's cutoff by lips brushing against his cheek.

"Take a break?"

Alex hesitates and glances back at his laptop. He could probably find something else to use with another 20 minutes.

"Just 10 minutes. Come join us, Liz is talking about her college days and I know Cam is waiting for you so you can swap more army stories."

A warm hand starts rubbing at the tension in his neck and shoulders.

"Or we could stay here. Not going to lie, it's kinda nice just being able to touch you knowing I can."

Alex sighs into the touch and nods.

"Fine 10 minutes but that's it."

Michael just grins and puts all his focus on turning Alex into relaxed goo.

"Thank you." He murmurs while working as many knots as he can out of Alex.

Alex just hums and relaxes further into his chair.

When Alex's breathing evens out and Michael sees his eyes closed, he grabs a blanket from the couch and lays it over him, kneeling down to slowly and gently remove his prosthetic.

With it removed and hidden under the chair, Michael stands and leans down to press a light kiss to Alex's head, a giddiness hits him because he can do that.

He throws a pillow behind him but it's caught.

"You going soft on me Guerin?"

Michael just hums and he brings his drink to him, keeping his back to Kyle while he keeps his eyes on Alex.

"What do you want Valenti?"

He glances at him for a second before turning back to Alex.

Kyle just grins, face soft as he hugs the pillow to his chest.

"Hey I'm-" Kyle pauses hoping Michael let's him talk. "I'm glad he lets someone take care of him." He finally says keeping his eyes on the back of Michael's head.

Turning he looks to Kyle with a rare kind smile.

"Me too Doc."

[spaceskam]

@lire-casander put the call out for a fic based on a poem called forever is composed of nows aaaand I'm poetically inept so I googled what it meant and heres some fluff

Kyle saw her before she saw him which was a given whenever she was who she was and he was who he was.

Nonetheless, he saw her and he liked her. He liked the way she carried herself. He liked the way she charged into the hospital without fear. He liked the way she took over every room she entered. He liked her no nonsense attitude. All of it made him want to be the nonsense.

Before he could figure out the right way to word it or the best way to approach her, she was gone. A few half-stories made one big story that, once again, everyone in town loved Max Evans, but she left for bigger, more important things. Which felt like bullshit since she was helping them take down a government conspiracy and then just left in the middle.

"You know, I kinda had a thing for Cameron," Kyle admitted to Alex one night. He hadn't known what he expected in response but it wasn't what he got.

Alex scoffed and said, "Don't be like me."

"What do you mean?"

"Don't wait. You never know when things are going to change and you don't know when things are going to end. The only thing for certain is now. I didn't take what I had when I had it, and now I can't have it. Don't do that. Don't waste opportunities," Alex told him. Kyle nodded and decided he wouldn't.

And he surely didn't. He tried to listen to Alex as best he could and took ahold of now. He saw a pretty girl in the back of the bar? He approached her. He saw a man in the gym who looked oddly attractive? He asked him to coffee. He had a bad day and needed platonic affection? He didn't overthink asking it of Alex. He kissed who he wanted and who also wanted him in that moment. He saved lives he perhaps wouldn't have if he'd second guessed himself. He followed his gut. He learned things about himself and he learned things about others. 

Confidence was freedom and freedom was now.

Jenna Cameron came into town five months after she'd left. She returned with a new haircut and a new way she did her eyeliner and the same way she walked into the room. She let herself into the Project Shepard bunker with an air of rightness that Kyle couldn't take his eyes away from.

"Did you miss me, boys?" she asked. The look on her face said she didn't need to hear the 'yes' to know it was there.

None of them hugged even though Kyle considered going for one. She explained she was back for research and she asked questions only a person who'd been digging could have. Every time Kyle thought about speaking up, he didn't.

For the first time in months, he found himself hesitating. Alex seemed to notice the change.

"What happened to taking control of your life and living the now?" Alex teased.

"What if she rejects me?" 

"Then she rejects you and you move on."

"Says you."

"Do as I say, not as I do."

Kyle found himself outside her hotel room a few hours later. He didn't know what he was hesitating for. All he was going to do was ask if she wanted to get dinner. Nothing was scary about dinner. He'd asked tons of people to dinner. He'd done scarier things and he had no idea how long she was staying. This could be his last chance.

"Hey, I was wondering if–"

"Why are your pants still on?"

Kyle felt the air leave his lungs and he smiled, letting her pull him into the hotel room. She took charge here as she did everywhere else. She stripped him and herself. She asked for permission with raised eyebrows and whispered 'tell me what you need's. It was a lot and Kyle could barely keep his mind from disappearing into somewhere else that could only handle right now.

After, she let him stay.

"I wanted to ask you to dinner," he said.

"I'm leaving in the morning," she said.

Kyle considered asking her to stay, but he remembered what Alex said. You can only have right now because you never know what tomorrow will bring. So he let her leave because that was tomorrow and then it was now and now he was alone. But he got his right now for a moment.

All for which Alex called him an idiot.

"You're the one who said you never know what's gonna happen, so just make the most of now!" Kyle told him. Alex scoffed.

"So? That doesn't mean you can't try to keep anything! That doesn't mean you're only allowed something for a few seconds! You still have to fight for what you want. If you can have what you want forever, isn't that better than just right now?" Alex responded. Which made Kyle feel like an idiot.

Jenna Cameron was gone for another five months, but this time sparing video chats with Alex and occasionally with Kyle though they were two very different video chats. One of them came when they were both having dinner. Kyle noted that when he asked her to dinner, that wasn't what he pictured. She simply smiled at him which was worth it. 

When she returned, she came to Kyle instead of the bunker.

"You're taking me to dinner tomorrow night," she told him. Kyle had raised his head high.

"And you're staying in Roswell."

"You want that?" 

"I want you and not just for right now."

Jenna stared at him and he didn't know how to prove that he meant it. He didn't think there was any way to do so other than for it to happen.

She made herself at home in his bed and it took a few hours of seeing how well she fit to find the right words to convince her.

"If you'll let me, I would like to share the next ten minutes with you," he said, "And maybe when those ten are up, I could ask for ten more."

"Just ten?" Jenna asked, touching him without asking because she didn't have to. He closed his eyes and bowed his head into her skin.

"I'll keep asking, I promise."

"Me too."

He kept his word.

[kyle-valenti]

Takes a Woman to Tell a Man (kylex drabble)- ao3

----------

“Valenti, when the hell are you going to ask him out?” Jenna asked Kyle one day under the horrible fluorescent lighting of the bunker where any blush he had might be drowned out. 

Luckily Alex wasn’t present. He wouldn’t put it past the blunt cop to ask the question no matter the setting, especially since their working relationship was still fairly rocky after their first meeting on Project Shepard. Frankly, Kyle is a little surprised that she mentioned anything personal at all. “Excuse me?”

 The look he was on the receiving end of wasn’t pretty. If he thought the Ortecho sisters could be stubborn and slightly condescending at times, Jenna had them beat by miles right now. “I'm getting real sick of your puppy dog eyes. Screw the town. Kiss the boy.”

“It's not like that.”

She snorted. “Oh, it's like that. Don't make me pull receipts and embarrass you.”

Blowing out a breath he wasn’t aware he had been holding, he angrily defended himself. “He just got out of something, Cameron, and unless you haven't noticed we don't have free time.”

“You take that brave attitude with you in surgery?”

He glared at her, and all she did was give him a cocky smile in response. “Just saying. I'll even leave your clubhouse for a day.”

“Today?” he asked sarcastically. “Right now?”

“God you boys are dumb.” She huffed, rolling her eyes. Apparently she had given up because she turned back to the research on Caufield that all three of them had reluctantly been pouring over. Generally Cameron was more of an action person, but ever since Jesse Manes was in a coma, they had hit a wall on which direction to take.

To the comment on him being dumb, though, he stood up and decided he could leave early as he shot back, “Yeah well I gotta go use my doctorate degree to save lives, so lock up.”

 Ex-military soldiers were going to kill him if aliens didn't first. 

  __________________

Cameron had been hanging out in the bunker more and more often, hovering over Alex and waiting for something to do. Somewhere between the alien murders, the project to kill innocent beings, and the coma Jesse Manes had put in, she had been spooked. Alex understood the feeling, but he was starting to get tired of her increasing boredom.  

Especially when out of the blue she interrupted his concentration and sighed. “Valenti ask you out yet?”

“What?”

He swiveled his chair around in time to see her roll her eyes. “Come on airman, you heard me.”

“Kyle is straight,” he told her in pure bewilderment. Cameron didn't seem like the type of person to randomly wish people together, but she was clearly more than bored if she had imagined this up. 

“I think all those computer screens have blinded you.”

It was his turn to huff, and he turned around to face his browser again. “I think I know him better than you do.”

“Yeah?" she challenged. "Which one of us has been here around him in Roswell the past 10 years?”

He couldn't argue that, and he honestly doesn't have the time to, so he cut it off. “Not every queer person falls in love based on close proximity."

“How about shared past, friendship, goals, good looks?”

Alex rolled his eyes. “He's not that good looking.”

Okay, maybe that was a stretch. He didn't like being randomly assaulted with personal questions though, so he felt slightly justified. 

“Yeah okay, Manes. I'm headed out for patrol duty, you keep coming up with those alien theories and denial you've got going on.”

What was that about?

  ____________________

 “Cameron coming?” Alex asked Kyle awkwardly the following day. The doctor only shrugged, barely looking up. “Said she’s busy with some police thing.” 

Even though he had hoped Kyle would ignore his frown, he doesn’t, and Alex receives a raised eyebrow to which he shrugs. “Liz was just on the phone trying to get me to come to a movie with her and Max.”

“Ah,” Kyle said, and there was something odd in the tone that seemed all too similar to the way Alex felt.

“Has she talked to you lately?” he asked, trying not to seem weird.

It was still weird, but Kyle wasn’t meeting his eyes to even tell. “Not really. You?”

“Not really.”

Now, Kyle looks up, brown eyes searching. “She did, didn’t she? I told her you weren’t available.”

“That was your argument?” Alex demands, completely caught off guard. This wasn’t how this was supposed to go, not by a long shot, and how was he ever going to go into another conversation with Kyle Valenti without feeling blind?

“I mean,” Kyle fumbles. “Yeah, and even if you were it’s not like we have time or--,” he’s red now, in a way that Alex hasn’t seen Kyle Valenti ever be since middle school, and it would be a lot more endearing if it made any sort of sense. “Why, what did you say?”

Alex stares. “Not every queer person falls in love with each other.”

“Right. Yeah, that too.”

There’s clear hurt that flickers across his face, but it’s gone in an instant and Alex can’t help the question that tumbles out. “Do you have a crush on me, Valenti?”

“Not right this second,” Kyle muttered. “We have actual work to do.”

“Isn’t that my line?”

The doctor won’t look at him, nerves pushed down, and now Kyle is hard angles with a blank but broody face that's pretending to read the scrawls of a 1950s military scientist. “I don’t hear you saying it.”

“Kind of busy deciding if you had a fever or if your cheeks were just that red,” Alex told him, pushing. Because fuck it, he had the right to push. After growing up with that pretty boy who was so smart but so dumb, then putting up with the ups and downs through the years, he had the right to push more than anyone else.

"Fuck you," Kyle snapped, with only a brief glance up of narrowed eyes, yet a firm tone. "I got off of a sixteen hour shift to come down to this place and help read files. Can we do the high school payback after I get sleep?"

Alex scoffed. "Not until you tell me if you have feelings for me."

Blowing out a breath, Kyle leaned back in the chair. "What do you want to hear, Manes? That I'm a hypocrite? Former stereotypical bully with repressed sexuality syndrome?" 

The tone was angry, but not toward Alex, and that's what softened some of the emotional blow. Sighing, Alex shook his head. "That hasn't been what I wanted to hear for months, Kyle. I want to know if you have feelings for me, and only that. No bullshit."

"Fine," Kyle said, but he was looking at the ceiling, the typical anxious nerve of his showing, before he cleared his throat and managed to look Alex in the eyes. "Yes, I have feelings for you. Do whatever you want with that."

"Whatever I want?" Alex asked. 

Kyle shrugged, barely making eye contact now, which made it easier for Alex to walk over to him and into his space. He stood as soon as Alex did so, and neither of them seemed to be sure of what will happen, but Alex made the quick decision to choose exactly what he wanted to do with the confession by kissing Kyle. 

Maybe some part of him had expected it to be fake, but nothing is false about the way Kyle inhaled sharply and folded immediately into him, grasping Alex's neck and pulling him in. They were only kissing, but everything was visceral and heady and Alex wasn't entirely sure he wouldn't pass out from the paradoxical familiarity and newness of it all. This was Kyle, the same boy he had sleepovers with before everything in life hurt, the first person to mean the world to him, and there was a stinging beauty to that… but this was also Kyle Valenti, whose hands were now rough from washing his hands to save lives and who smelled like sandalwood shampoo and whose growth into a man inspired Alex sometimes.

By the time there's no jackets, no shirts, and on the way to little pants, Jenna walked in on them. 

"Thank God," she announced, looking far too smug as they scrambled to find a way to look decent, even if she looked shamelessly unbothered. "Let me know when it's safe again. Also one of you owe me a girlfriend for playing matchmaker."

Kyle didn't have any more time than Alex did to come up with a comeback before she left, and both of them had to take only a second to think on whether she was serious before Kyle shrugged. "Isobel?" 

"Later discussion," Alex told him, a smile on his face, and then their interruption ended as they pick up where they left off. 

_____________

[pastelwitchling]

Hi, how are you? I hope you're having a good day! This is just out of curiosity (and because I need a distraction) so you don't have to answer if you don't want to.

Since you have written kylex, forlex, and maxel, do you have a favourite between those three? Or maybe you find one of them easier to write? And if you had to recommend just one of your fics for each of them, which one would you recommend?

Ohhh I love writing questions, so thank you for asking.

My favorite is hands down forlex. I personally love Forrest Long and am very sad we didn't get them together for a longer time. They're definitely the easiest to write, not just because they actually dated, but because their chemistry is off the charts.

That said, the forlex work I would recommend is Under the Sea, which is a merman au that I'm very proud of.

For kylex, which I also enjoy and I'm going to cheat here a little, is Sense and Sensibility which is, you guessed it, a Jane Austen retelling. It's malex in terms of who dates Alex and kenna (Kyle and Jenna?) in terms of who dates Kyle, but the story is really about Kyle and Alex's relationship as adopted brothers, and it's definitely one of my favorites I've written.

And for max x alex, who I can't have officially together outside of an au, I'll go with Pride and Prejudice. I don't think that one needs any explanation 😂

[lire-casander]

Of the pieces you’ve written for the Roswell NM fandom, which one is your favorite that you posted and why? Were there any you loved but felt didn’t get the reception you expected? And, regarding the monster fic - will there be Malex? Thank you, and love your writing!

I have written 42 pieces for the RNM fandom, which is a lot in less than a year, if I may say so!

Of all my stories, I am oddly proud of a few, which is a feat since I don’t really like my fics, but I’m happy with how 4 turned out to be:

1. arashi (I will never ever stop saying this is by far my fave) –> @chamblerstara gave me the best of ideas to work with, and I went with it as well as with rain as a theme, and tada! I really like the growing tension that blows up in their faces, and how it circled back to them and the rain and their feelings.

2. commit to memory this path afire –> it’s the longest fic I’ve posted in this fandom, and it took me so long to finish it. It was a struggle halfway through it, but I had the best help in the world and @hannah-writes made it readable and wonderful

3. just like these memories i can’t undo –> I have a penchant for Alex helping Michael when he’s spiraling. It was written for a prompt that I was so graciously given through an ask, and if @insidious-intent didn’t stop talking to me after having to read through the first draft of it, then I know she’ll stay around forever. It was yet another fight, because the characters didn’t want to be written the way I had pictured them to, but I really liked the fic.

4. ten feet under and upside down –> here’s a secret: I write fics around one single sentence. I mean: I think of a line, of a scene, and I build the whole fic around it, no matter where that line is in the final plot. This one started out with the line that’s the summary; it was so powerful, that it took me by surprise. Writing this as a character study for Michael, how losing his mother affected him and how he deals with the aftermath of learning about his past… it was a gift I didn’t think I could write. Yet there it is!

About fics I wish they had got better reception? I guess there are a few, but there’s one I still feel a bit bitter about. I wrote a fic about Mara, about how she had to put her son in a pod and give herself up so Michael could live, it’s titled the way our horizons meet, and although it got several hits, I still think it was deeply overlooked. Maybe it’s just my impression, to be honest.

Regarding monster!fic, I’m afraid I don’t know. I wanted it to be Malex, but we’re 5 chapters into writing, and for now the only pairing it’s Miluca, but it’s never explicit. Since I want it to be as close to canon as possible, it had to start over with Miluca, with Max dead and with Rosa alive. The pairings that are listed in my sketch document (the place where all the ideas go) are:

Michael/Maria - because of canon

Michael/Alex - because I can’t live without them

Liz/Max - because duh, they’re an item now

Kyle/Jenna - because they’re my favorite het ship in this fandom

But we’ll see how it develops. I’ve already written the ending for the fic (and I have yet to choose a title!), and I can tell you something: there will be Malex, but I’m not sure when!

[dr-lizortecho]

from the fic asks: 3, 5, 10, 11, 16, 21, 22

What’s your favorite fic that you’ve written?

Hands down Swing Life Away, however bad and I’ll planned 😂

What’s a fic idea you’ve had that you will never write?

Never say never (lol), but all sorts like I have ideas ALL the time and not enough time in the day, but probably the Liz/Max/Kyle/Jenna ot4 where they’re just chilling and in love that kinda just documents their life as two married “couples” and the moment they decide maybe the suburbs isn’t a bad idea cause then they’ll have space to all live together…

Is there a fic that got a different response than you were expecting?

Ummm- not really? Except maybe the first Valevans one I wrote at the drop of the peak intrest in the pairing? So I think use me absolutely

Do you have specific playlists for writing fics?

Most long fic has its own playlist and anything short usually as on to three songs, but those are all specific to the fic of that makes sense

At what point in the process do you come up with titles?

Either it pops in my head the second I envision the fic, it’s a lyric from a song I listen to on repeat or a scrape together something after the whole thing is written

Have you ever deleted an entire scene after spending hours laboring over it? If so, why?

Never, just huge chunks of them and then rewrote them with a different vibe or jumping off point (I am ascend addict, once it’s in my brain it stays)

Do you know how your fic will end before you start writing?

That really depends, long fic yes (the general vibes as well as the endings for all major players) for medium fics it depends on the writing bug that bites me (sometimes I super excited dive in and write 3k and post it the same day- less these days that I’ve actually started writing and editing and working on my fic) and for short fics there isn’t really an end to be had since they’re one scene- the whole thing just comes as the initial idea

[planetsam]

Michael Guerin, Space Pirate

Huge shout out to @signoraviolettavalery who made a great post about a Martian au that I cranked up the angst on by deciding Alex would be a great space voyeur to Michael’s space pirate. 

Being stuck on the graveyard shift feels oddly appropriate.

He thinks Michael would have loved the irony of it.

Alex takes a long drink from his coffee. He watched the launch after it happened, in one of the staff break rooms. He didn’t think much of it, only the 3AM shift he had the next morning was on his mind. Now he wishes things were different. Not that he fully expected his high school fling to remember him, or to realize that he was working for NASA as well. Alex is in SatCom, he monitors their satellites. Eyes in the sky, some people call him, but he likes to think of himself as an Interplanetary Voyeur. Most of his education and training goes to waste. He didn’t mind it when he felt like he was a part of something bigger than himself, making sure that everyone got home safely. 

Now when he looks at the red planet, all he thinks is how Michael finally got his wish. 

Michael always wanted to be part of something bigger. He also wanted to get the hell off the planet. Alex remembers their endless conversations about it, laying under the real stars when they could and the fake, tacked on stars when they couldn’t. Michael found his way off the planet. And was the most popular astronaut to boot. He was the only one surprised at that. Alex saw his face everywhere. Each time it kicked up a gut punch of emotions. Mostly now it was a sadness that was far too familiar when it came to him, to them—now though there was a finality to it. The idea that Michael would be bones on Mars and the only way Alex would ever see him was in old footage was borderline incomprehensible. For the moment Alex let himself not think about it and focus instead on his job. The storm had cleared and he focused on what they could see. It was highly unlikely they would ever see Michael’s body, the dust storm would have buried him. But Alex hopes he does. Michael deserves that closure.

Taking another hit of caffeine, he turns to scrolling through the pictures and cataloguing things that have shifted in the dust. He frowns and zooms in towards the HAB. Alex refines the pictures, teasing out a clearer image. He can picture the conversation in his head, he knows the exact arguments. He brings up the images from the past few days. The way things have shifted does not line up with what is in front of him. The solar panels should be completely covered, but they are clean. Spotless, or as spotless as anything gets on Mars. He looks again and triple checks just to make sure. The chance is impossibly slim. But his hand is already reaching for his phone. He thumbs in the number for security.

“I need the emergency contact number for Dr. Kapoor,” He says, “this is Alex Manes in SatCom.”

“Are you sure it’s an emergency?” The bored voice asks. Alex isn’t sure of anything at the moment.

“Yes,” He says instead.

The head of the mission is wildly above his pay grade and Alex has been raised to respect the chain of command. Why his violations of it seem intrinsically linked to Michael Guerin is something he doesn’t have the capacity to figure out at the moment. Not after the phone rings twice and he hears the man on the other end clear his throat. God, he’s woken his boss up at 3:35 am. 

“Hello?”

“Hi, sir, this is Alex Manes in SatCom,” he says, “I think Michael Guerin is alive,” there is a distinct bang and a groan, a whispered apology and the sound of feet moving, “the solar panels are clean.”

“And you’re sure it’s not the wind?”

“Yes, sir,” he says, glancing up at the screen as the next round of images come through. He almost drops the phone, “sir, the Rover has moved.”

“What?!”

“The rover moved,” he says, scrambling to look at the photos again, “the solar panels are clean and the rover has moved.”

“I’ll be there shortly.”

Fuck. Mars.

Fuck it so hard.

Michael is over this planet. He wants off. Why he can’t find a planet he wants to stay on is beyond him and now definitely is not the time for those deep philosophical questions. He’s got more pressing issues like making sure the hole in his gut closes without infection, finding a way to supplement his food and, oh yeah, contact earth. 

“Look, I’m not upset about being left behind,” he tells the log, “that’s protocol. What pisses me off is the fact that I’m doing everyone’s homework,” he shakes his head, “here’s my new universal constant: a group project will always end with one person doing all the work. We’ll call it Guerin’s Law.”

He has an idea for contacting earth. The problem is that it rides on earth knowing he’s contacting them. He’s got no idea if anyone has even figured out he’s alive. He doubts it. But there’s a chance. He knew it was bullshit but he had an affection for the dramatic Rover that gave it’s dying words and sang itself a birthday song every year. Michael has had plenty of those birthdays. And of course when he’s already doing everyone’s work, he now has to do the extra credit and pull off the save. If he doesn’t get an A, he’s fucking suing. He looks in the camera, aware this could be his last message.

“Captain Evans,” He says, “none of this is your fault, I forgive you for everything if that’s what you need to hear,” his solemn face turns deadly, “but if this doesn’t work and I die listening to your alarmingly inclusive Donna Summer, I will turn your life into the karaoke bar from hell.”

Seems like a good note to go out on.

Summer eat your heart out.

Alex looks over the chart again.

And again.

The spotlight is nerve wracking. They have established Michael is alive, but they don’t have a way of communicating. He knows Michael is trying to figure something out and everyone is scrambling to find it. He also knows he has an advantage. It’s been years, so many thing have changed, but he’s got a good idea of how Michael’s mind works. He follows the paths the Rover is making and connects the dots before anyone else. 

“Opportunity?”

“It lines up,” he says, “he’s going for the Rover.” 

“Let me make some calls.”

Thankfully the Opportunity team is largely still around. By the time Michael gets  it up and working, they are ready. The images come in and patch together. Alex is awake for twenty hours straight but he’s there when the images come in. Michael standing in front of two signs and holding a third. Alex’s heart leaps into his throat and it’s got nothing to do with the truly staggering amount of coffee he has consumed. A cheer goes up and he sits down before his knees can do anything like buckle. Michael’s face is just visible. Alex can make out a single curl that’s half escaped from his cap and it’s always the little things. Michael is alive. They point the camera towards the ‘yes’ sign and the next image is blurry but only because he’s jumping up and down. He’s got no back up supplies and he’s jumping up and down.

Alex thinks he might be the one who dies in all of this.

OPP: Huston we had a problem.

DSN: Good to hear from you. 

OPP: You have no idea.

So the communications issue is more or less resolved which is awesome. And he’s saved Opportunity. Which makes him even more awesome. All around it’s awesome. Except Isobel still thinks he’s dead which is less than ideal. So he’s in a little trouble on that one. But he would trade everything for her to yell at him. Not that he’s got a lot to trade. 

OPP: hey, DSN whose babysitting me tonight?

DSN: SatCom

OPP: no shit

DSN: language

OPP: fuck

OPP: whose babysitting? got a name?

DSN: alex

OPP: i’m michael

DSN: i know

OPP: does this mean i’m super famous? think i can get free fries at the mess?

DSN: no it’s alex. from high school.

Michael is literally on a different planet but he jumps anyway and twists around like he’s being spied on. Alex was a punk kid who, okay, he may have been slightly in love with. But his homophobic dick of a dad ended that. He may have crossed Michael’s mind a few times, but never enough to do something like look him up and see that they worked for the same place. For some reason he feels more comforted by this news than he has by almost anything else. Except maybe that people knew he was alive at all. 

OPP: no fucking way. i thought you said you were joining the Air Force.

DSN: i did. then I went to grad school and joined NASA. 

OPP: wait SatCom figured out i was alive. was that you?

DSN: yes

DSN: i saw the solar panels were clear

OPP: and you thought that was me?

DSN: i figured even you would clean if your life depended on it.

Michael snorts, it’s not like he’s had much to clean back when he knew Alex. He was living in his truck. But when he thinks about his desk at NASA—okay it is a mess. He can admit that. It blows his mind that Alex has been here the whole time. That Alex figured out he was alive. He tries to reconcile the idea of who he remembers with whoever found him. But all he can picture is the kid who unknowingly saved his life more times than he can count. More times plus one, if he thinks about it. Probably plus more to come, if things keep going this way. 

OPP: do you still have that septum ring?

DSN: go to sleep

OPP: come on, do you? 

DSN: no

OPP: too bad, I thought it was kind of hot.

DSN: bed, michael

OPP: yes dad

DSN: please do not call me ‘dad’, they are reviewing these

OPP: ok daddy

Captain Isobel Evans reads the message several times to be sure. Then she gathers everyone together. She’s thought she was a good leader this whole time, focusing on getting the crew that was still alive back home even though the only thing she wanted to do was cry over the loss of her crew member. She runs the scenario over and over again. But it remains the same. There was no other choice. Now she doesn’t know what to think when she has to tell them. It’s only Max she looks at when she speaks. 

“Michael’s alive.”

Pandemonium erupts from the others but Max stares at her. His own horror and guilt reflect hers. Michael is alive but he’s on another planet. Michael’s alive but who knows for how long. She made the call to leave him, but as the ship’s doctor he made the call that he was probably dead. They are both culpable and innocent, but Isobel blames herself more than anyone. She should have given the order to wait, no matter the risks. They all scramble over to the communications screen. Kyle gets there first because it is, after all, his chair. He refers to it as his ship too. Then again he is the one who flies it. 

HRMS: sorry we left you on mars, we just don’t like you that much. 

OPP: assholes

OPP: hows the cptn?

HRMS: we’re all good. how are you?

OPP: bored af

OPP: look. boobies ( . Y . )

HRMS: michael!

That night Max sits hunched over in his bunk, arms wrapped around himself. He never should have said that Michael was dead. But he and Isobel have been running over everything. But now it turns out Michael is alive and he can’t fathom what it must be like for him to be back there alone. Did he know that they would learn he was alive? Did he think he would die there a second time and no-one would know? The thoughts are horrible and each occurs to him in rapid succession until he thinks they might drive him crazy.

“Hey,” Liz slips into his pod, “how are you holding up?”

“I told Iz there was no way,” he says, “he’s been there the whole time and i had no idea—“ he stares at her, aware he is asking for answers she doesn’t have, “what if he dies there? How is he going to spend four years there until we launch another mission?” 

“He’s going to be fine,” she says, cradling his face in her hands. He ignores the rules, the fraternization line they always dance around and leans into her touch, “he’ll be okay and soon you will laugh about this,” she smiles, “after you buy him all the vodka on earth.”

“I’ll buy him whatever he wants, as long as we get him back.”

OPP: alex

OPP: ALEX

DSN: i’m sorry, Alex has been transferred to SatCon.

OPP: GO GET HIM

Huddled in the Rover, Michael forces his breathing to be steady. He cannot afford for something else to go wrong. Behind him, the HAB stands as a shell, blown when he failed to pressurize it correctly. It broke. He broke it. His crops are gone and he feels like crying. Which is not going to help. He can’t panic. He can’t flip out. He wants Max and Isobel and his pod on the ship that’s getting farther away with each second. Mostly he wants the person on earth whose his lifeline in this. He forces himself to look away from the screen. Maybe Alex is asleep somewhere. Maybe he’s just as fed up with his bullshit as he was in college. Michael grips the chair. No, no he is not giving into his abandonment issues because he’s literally the only person on a planet and his only friend won’t answer the phone. Mars is his planet and he refuses to have them go down like this. 

DSN: michael what happened?

“Thank you Martian God,” he breathes

OPP: the hab depressurized 

OPP: i’m ok. crops are gone. all of its gone.

DSN: you’re ok. thats the main thing.

OPP: says the guy with seamless at his fingertips

DSN: i told you you were going to have to learn to cook one day

Michael laughs despite everything. And okay maybe it ends in a sob, but just one. Alex throwing shade like they’re texting and this isn’t a life or death situation makes him feel so much better. He knows Alex is probably hyperaware of being watched but he’s still willing to do it. Michael knows it shouldn’t be a big deal but he’s alone on a planet. The only person who can judge him is in a mirror and he sure as hell doesn’t bring one of those on the rover. 

DSN: michael are you there?

OPP: i’m there i’m just outraged

OPP: i am an extraordinary boiler

DSN: do i want curly or regular fries with this sandwich?

OPP: asshole

OPP: thanks

DSN: hang in there

Maria Deluca, astrodynamicist extraordinaire figures it out. 

She checks her math, swears loudly and breaks her almost new piece of chalk. Guerin is a planet away and he still manages to ruin her love life for at least—ugh—another year. Asshole. Why couldn’t he have just stayed on the ground with Alex like he wanted to? She writes out her calculations and tells the mission heads. Then she does the right thing and hides the info in the latest data dump for the ship, knowing her wife and her bff will figure it out.

That evening she finds Alex in SatCon. 

He looks awful and she feels the same annoyance at Guerin. They’ve both slept with him and she might have had feelings for the mop haired cowboy at one point, but Guerin is good at leaving and being so focused on one thing that he fails to see anything else. Like an unhappy boyfriend or girlfriend. She sits next to Alex and hands him a cup of coffee. 

“Any word from the space cowboy?”

“His food supplies are ok but the rations are getting to him,” he says, “part of its mental but the rest—“ he shakes his head, “he shouldn’t have to deal with his issues up there.”

Michael was food insecure for most of his childhood. He’s good at functioning on limited calories but he’s also scared of not getting his next meal. The fact that Alex remembers that makes Maria want to hug him. She settles for sighing and shaking her head at the situation. All of NASA has been reading their back and forth. For science. The fact that it reads increasingly like a romance novel is definitely not important. And people definitely aren’t taking sides. She doesn’t have a Team Alex t shirt like some people. Just a baseball cap. 

“He’ll be okay,” she says.

Alex nods wordlessly but his eyes are glued to the screen where their communications occur. She nudges him. 

“Say hi,” She says. 

“I can’t. He needs to focus.”

“You can still say hi,” she says. 

“It’s a waste of resources.”

Rolling her eyes at men and their excuses she nudges his chair out of the way and gets at the keyboard.

DSN: hi

“Maria!”

Ten seconds later the reply come.

OPP: hey i was just about to message you

OPP: you miss me that much?

“Maria—“ Alex tries for the keyboard.

DSN: always

Alex grabs it finally.

DSN: adokfjosiaf

OPP: you ok?

DSN: sorry. yes. 

OPP: good. i miss you too.

Alex sucks in a breath and Maria grins. It’s almost almost worth another year with her wife. Not quite but almost. Alex gulps and stares at the message. His fingers hover over the keyboard as he hesitates, swamped by an insecurity Maria has seen before. She looks between him and the keyboard, sending every mental signal she has to him. 

DSN: keep going and we can see each other again

OPP: dunno, you could always come to Mars 

OPP: visit me

DSN: I like earth 

OPP: you’re making this song way too relevant 

DSN: what are you listening to?

OPP: I would do anything for love

“That is my song,” Maria says, “my song with my wife.”

“She’ll be back soon,” Alex offers.

Maria hates them both.

“This is a mutiny,” Isobel says, “we all need to participate and we all need to agree. Kyle and I know the consequences. We’re military. But the rest of you need to understand this could mean the end of your careers. They might not let any of you fly again,” she says, “it also means another year without your families. There isn’t any shame in wanting to go home. We do it together or not at all.”

“No one gets left behind if we can get them,” Kyle says, “I might be flying this thing but I am still a doctor. Do no harm. I vote we go back.”

“Michael is my brother,” Max says. 

“My family is here,” Liz tells them, gripping Max’s hand, “let’s do it.”

“I’m sorry, could you repeat that?” Jenna, their long suffering media relations director says.

“The Hermes is in the middle of an unsanctioned maneuver to slingshot themselves back to Mars using earth’s gravity as an assist.”

“So a mutiny,” she says, “you want me to put out a press release that says a bunch of astronauts turned space pirates have performed a mutiny?”

“Actually it’s Guerin who would asked to be referred to as a space pirate, since he is technically commandeering a vehicular over international territory.”

She sighs. It’s too early for a migraine. 

“I hate everyone in this room.”

DSN: michael

DSN:  michael update me

DSN: GUERIN

DSN: captain blonde beard, do you copy?

OPP: CBB: i copy. everything’s good

DSN: you are taking this way too far

OPP: CBB: that’s kind of judgmental for someone whose not a space pirate

OPP: CBB: if you were here id make you walk the plank. by that i mean solar panel

DSN: find water and maybe it’ll work

OPP: CBB: i have to starve, become a pirate, now i gotta find water too?

OPP: CBB: anything else?

DSN: come home 

OPP: CBB: only because I want to, not because you’re making me

He modified the ship like they tell him but until he’s in there,  he doesn’t feel so great about sitting there. Not until his radio crackles to life with the first human voice he’s heard in over a year.

“Guerin, do you copy?”

“Iz!” His voice breaks around the syllable of her name.

“Michael, oh thank god,” she says. Isobel has had her game face on this whole mission, hearing the relief makes the tears break free, “we’re launching you, strap in.”

“Tell Valenti to be careful,” he says.

“I got you, Guerin,” Kyle says, “you ready to come home?”

God that sounds so nice. 

“I don’t know, it’s kind of nice having this all to myself,” he chokes out.

“We got you, hang tight.”

He blacks out. 

When he comes to, the ship is too far away. He can hear the swearing. It’s bad. He takes a deep breath and refuses to give in to the panic. The side door opens and he sees Isobel coming towards him. Max is on the side of the ship. His family is there. 

“I’m going Iron Man,” he says, punching a hole in his hand.

“Michael!”

He aims himself as best he can and propels towards Isobel. She reaches and just when he thinks this isn’t going to work, they collide. They lurch violently to the side but she locks her arms and legs around him and snaps a carabiner to the front of his suit. The lead connecting them snaps taut and for a moment he’s sure it failed. He’s dead in space. But he blinks several time and nothing has changed. The relief shatters him in a way he didn’t know was possible and Isobel lets out the best laugh he’s ever heard in his life.

“I got him!” She calls and everyone erupts into cheers, “I got you,” she says.

“You have terrible taste in music,” he tells her. 

They reel them in. The only possible reason he would let go of her is to throw his arms around his brother. Max clutches him and Isobel together as the hatch seals and the chamber pressurizes. Michael collapses against his siblings who take his weight immediately, undoing his helmet. Their voice goes into his ears, no radio or texts. But the first human hands that touch him belong to a friend.

“Mikey!” He’s not even mad about the nickname as she hugs him and then works on getting the suit off him.

“Liz! Get me—“

“On it.”

She gets him out and then Max and Isobel are there. Kyle and Liz fall with them and it’s a big pile of tears and hugs and laughter and snot. He doesn’t care. The pile make their way to the comms to message that they have him. Unwilling to let go of each other even though Michael is very aware that he needs a shower.  

CMMND: good work! Come home.

 Alex has his last 3AM shift the night before they get back. Maria keeps him company. She suggests that he come with her to the families area but he turns her down. He’s not family. His boss insists he come with him to the command center. He watches the ship land. When he sees Michael pop out, throw down his helmet like he made a touchdown and throw his hands up, he feels like the breath he’s been holding for the six months it’s taken to get back to earth can finally be released. Michael is okay. Everyone is okay.  He staggers from the room.

“I’m gonna just—five minutes,” he says. He’s woken up every night certain the news will come in that Michael is dead. He has to go to a second funeral. Michael is fine. He’s dizzyingly exhausted with the thought. He drops onto the couch. It will be hours before he sees him. “Five minutes,” he tells himself and closes his eyes.

He wakes up to the smell of hazelnut coffee. 

He opens his eyes, already knowing what he’s going to see. All the ways he thought about this going, Michael crouching there in a NASA onesie with his hair wet and two cups of coffee isn’t it. Alex carefully sits up, afraid that this is a dream. But Michael stays every time he blinks. When he’s sitting, Michael holds out the coffee cup. 

“A small token of my—“ 

Alex throws himself into his arms. The coffee goes flying as Michael bands his arms around him, equally tight. Two years of text messages sent through a Rover and suddenly all of their other senses are flooding with each other. Alex never wants to let go of him and he can feel Michael trembling against him. Their faces are buried in each other necks and he’s never been so glad they are the same height. 

“Thank you, thank you,” Michael breathes into his neck and Alex clutches him closer.

“This was all you.”

“It wouldn’t have been if you hadn’t seen me.”

They pull back enough just enough to look at each other, taking in the differences. The reports all say how driven Michael has been with his recovery and Alex has been pushing harder at his own pt. In that moment he doesn’t think that it matters. He doesn’t care what either of them look like or what state they are in. He just wants Michael here. Michael presses his lips together, his eyes dragging to his lips. After everything, there’s something he immediately recognizes. 

“You’re not seeing anyone,  are you?” He says.

“No, this really infuriating guy named Captain Blonde Beard keeps texting me at 3am.”

Michael is still laughing when he kisses him. 

This, Alex thinks, is more than worth the wait. 

[dayscrazed]

A continuation of my AU where Michael was adopted by the Evans’ instead of Max. 

Based on Roswell NM 1x10.  Isobel is woken up from her pod. Max talks to Jenna and then they investigate the alien murder spree. An emergency at Liz's lab causes chaos and confusion. Meanwhile, Alex and Kyle discover clues. Signifiant points of this chapter are that Max is the cop who needs to follow the rules and Michael is reckless because he's in love with Liz.