#miluca friendship

[prouvaireafterdark]

Temporary Wounds (1/2)

When Alex brings his new boyfriend to the Wild Pony, Michael could really use a friend.

Also on AO3! 

***

Michael’s pretty sure he’s never hated anyone more in his life.

Well, he thinks, clenching his newly healed left hand into a fist, maybe that’s a bit of an exaggeration. But still. Fuck this guy.

Michael can see him in the reflection of the mirror above the bar, crowding into Alex’s space, his hand very clearly on Alex’s thigh, where they sit at one of the back tables with a bunch of dudes Michael doesn’t recognize. He sees how relaxed Alex looks too, all confidence and casual smiles, his arm slung across the back of that blue-haired fuck’s chair, and it just… well, it breaks his fucking heart.

He’s lost track of how many daydreams he’s had that looked just like that: Alex, relaxed and happy in Michael’s presence, not a care in the world that other people can see the two of them clearly together, fitting like two halves of the same whole.

It was a nice fantasy, but that kind of PDA was always, always off the table for them. Alex was just too scared.

Not that Michael can blame him exactly. He knows how internalized homophobia works. Still there’s that nasty voice inside him—getting louder and louder these days—that makes him wonder what’s so fucking special about this guy that he gets to bask in the glory of Alex Manes in full view of the whole damn bar, and Michael had to fight and beg for scraps of his attention for a decade.

Why wasn’t I worth it?  he wonders sadly, picking at the waterlogged label on the neck of his beer. He knows that’s not fair, knows he’s not exactly easy to love, but still. It hurts.

Before he has too long to stew in his feelings, Maria walks into his field of vision, polishing a glass behind the bar in front of him.

“Why are you doing this to yourself?” she asks him.

Michael looks away and takes a sip of his beer. “Don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Sure,” she says, “You’re just staring at your own reflection in the mirror like it just insulted your mother.”

The last person Michael needs to be reminded about right now is his mother, and the look he shoots her tells her that.

“Shit, I��m sorry. I didn’t mean—“ she says, eyes wide and apologetic.

Michael raises his hand up to stop her. “It’s fine,” he says. It’s not, the wound still fresh even after all these months, but none of that is Maria’s fault.

A woman at the other end of the bar waves Maria over, and she gives him another apologetic look before she puts the glass down and goes to take her order. He keeps his eyes fixed on the woodgrain in front of him, resisting the temptation to look back in the mirror.

It’s another long minute before Maria returns, so when she asks, “Do you want to talk about it?” Michael’s not entirely sure what she means.

“About what?” he asks, taking another sip of his beer.

“Your boy problems,” she clarifies, nodding discreetly in the direction of Alex’s table.

Surprise and suspicion war on his face at that. Michael can count on one hand the number of times the people in his life have showed any interest in listening to him talk about his feelings and he can’t help but feel like this is a trap.

“Isn’t that a conflict of interest?” he asks instead.

“Why?” Maria asks, “Because we used to—“ she starts to ask, but breaks off, struggling for the right words before she just finishes with, “you know.”

He does, though he isn’t sure what to call it any more than she is. Dating feels like too strong a word, but fucking doesn’t sit right either. Whatever it was, it went on for exactly long enough for Michael to ruin whatever chance he had to make it work with Alex before said blue-haired fuck waltzed into town with his stupid skinny jeans and denim jackets that were actually 80% patches and pins with dumb slogans on them like SAVE EACH OTHER THE WHALES ARE DOING FINE and WILL COMMIT SINS FOR CONCERT TICKETS.

“Because you’re his friend,” Michael answers.

“Sure, but, unless I’m mistaken, I’m yours too,” she says, and that... Well, that comes as more of a surprise than it probably should.

Sure she lets him back in the Pony for drinks and he listens to her vent about her latest troubles with Mimi, but there was a good two weeks where they didn’t talk at all after their non-relationship quietly imploded and she found out about the whole alien thing. He didn’t think he’d made it that far back into her good graces.

A year ago, he might’ve joked that Maria does like him after all, but now all he can do is ask, “Really?”

“Yes, Guerin, Jesus,” she says incredulously. She grabs a bottle of whiskey and pours him a glass. “I’d ask who hurt you, but I think I already know the answer.”

Michael can’t help but laugh. “If you want to make a list, we’ll be here all night,” he says, lifting the glass of whiskey and shooting it back in one go.

When he meets Maria’s gaze again, he sees that she’s frowning at him.

“Look, Guerin…” she says, hesitating before she reaches out to cover his hand resting on the bar with her own. “If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine, but if you don’t think you can talk about it, that you’re not allowed to or something, I just want you to know that that’s not true. If you need a shoulder to cry on, I’m here.”

He lets that hang between them for a moment before he replies.

“You don’t have to be, you know,” he says. He knows Maria’s feelings for him went a little deeper than his went for her and he doesn’t want to hurt her again.

Maria just rolls her eyes. “I’m trying to be nice to you here, Guerin,” she says. “Would you just shut up and let me? Besides, I’m psychic. I know you want to say yes.”

Michael bites his lip to hide his smile.

“Yeah, okay. Thanks,” he says. He’s planning on leaving it at that, not wanting to spill his guts during opening hours where anyone—including Alex, wouldn’t that be fun—could hear him, but he catches a glimpse of Alex in the mirror and he just can’t help but ask, “Look, I, uh, I don’t really want to get into it now, but…” Maria watches him patiently. “If I ask you something about him will you tell me the truth?”

Maria considers that carefully. “I won’t lie to you,” she says, “but I might not answer either.”

“Fair enough,” he nods. He wouldn’t want her to betray Alex’s confidence anyway.

“What do you want to know?”

“Is he happy?” Michael asks.

Maria hums in consideration, fingers toying with her pendant. Michael feels like she’s holding his heart in her hands.

When she finally says, “Yes,” he thinks he feels it break.

When, a second later, she adds, “Well, in a way, I guess,” Michael has to swallow the grief that’s clawing at his chest to ask, “No offense, but what the fuck does that mean, DeLuca?”

“Look, I don’t know everything, and I wouldn’t tell you even if I did, but…Okay, you’ve probably noticed Alex has been channeling his inner Gerard Way these days, right?”

Yeah, Michael’s noticed. He about had an aneurism when he saw Alex’s new leather jacket, and his hair is definitely not short enough to meet Air Force regulation. His new look is hot as fuck, but Michael doesn’t see how that plays in here.

“Yeah, and?”

“This new guy he’s with encourages that, I think. Makes him feel like he did in high school, back when he was a feisty little shit who took no prisoners, fuck the consequences, you know?”

Michael nods, eyes on the glass he’s twisting between his fingers. How could he forget? He watched that boy die in front of him in a tool shed eleven years ago.

Suddenly, he doesn’t feel much like talking anymore.

“Well, thanks for the pep talk, but, uh, I’m gonna head out,” Michael says as he stands up and puts his hat back on. “It okay if I settle up next time?”

“It’s on the house,” she says, a sympathetic smile on her face. “Sad cowboy discount, one time offer.”

He rolls his eyes, but smiles and tips his hat in gratitude. “Thanks, DeLuca.”

He tries not to let his gaze wander to the back of the bar on his way out, but Alex’s laugh draws his attention like a moth to a flame.

His new boyfriend isn’t hanging all over him anymore and he’s got his hand wrapped around a half-empty pint of beer. He must feel Michael’s eyes on him because he meets his gaze across the room.

Déjà vu hits Michael square in the chest, and he expects Alex’s smile to fall from his face, for him to look away and pretend he never saw him, but… he doesn’t.

Instead, Alex’s smile mellows into something softer, something meant just for him. It makes him feel like he’s been scraped raw and hollowed out, the ache in his chest so great he feels like he might keel over at the slightest breeze.

Michael plasters on a fake smile, waves for good measure, and leaves the bar to nurse his broken heart in peace.

[cakebeam]

[lovecolibri]

you: taking a break from rnm; us: flooding your inbox with salty rnm asks ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ but yeah, we kinda know theres one m&m scene (from that spoiler vid of her falling from the building and sounding mad/exasperated with michael for i guess saving her. sidenote - if there is one characteristic of m, that i hope the show will not get rid of as part of her seasonal personality transplant, it's her condescending/smug tone she constantly uses with mickey, but this time without the *cute girlboss girfriend* framing) and there unfortunately quite a lot of scenes at the pony but i still hope the show will limit malex&m interaction. like i made my peace with the fact that they will insist theyre bffs and whatnot, but let it be like the friendship apparently m and rosa has - few lines about it, but *never* showing it. also, ppl saying its impossible to separate these characters cause theyre all mains forget that alex and max have yet to interact

lol, keep ‘em coming! I love answering asks, and we all know I am always down to be salty! Was that BTS video confirmed to be m*ria? I know there was some debate that it might be Rosa. Not gonna lie I’m already dreading a lot of season 3 so I am mentally trying to prepare for the absolute worst so I can be pleasantly surprised when it’s not as bad as I feared, but then again season 2 managed to surprise me with just how awful it was even though my expectations were so low, so who knows! Also I cannot even look at m*ria on my screen after that episode, so no matter what she does during the season I’m not gonna want to see it 🤷‍♀️ 

I am cackling about your “seasonal personality transplant” line because it’s absolutely true! 🤣🤣🤣 But yeah the way she always talked, to Michael especially, was...not great. She always struck me as that person that all your other friends insist is wonderful and just The Best, but you see zero actions from that person to ever back up that sentiment and constantly see things to the contrary, but they are “nice” so everyone just assumes they are a good person and keep trying to tell you they are but you are not fooled. That is the vibe I get from her and I am gonna lay a lot of that squarely at c*rina’s feet because that’s the vibe I get from her as well. Just the, “I’m such a good friend, so I can do literally whatever I want” kinda vibe. 

I definitely made an Isobel-hearing-Michael-make-comments-about-Max’s-Sex-Life lip-curl of disgust every time they had a BTS pick at the Pony which is part of my dread about season 3 because I know they are going to be there a lot, probably because with Covid they had limited set options and it’s big enough to spread people out. But still. No thanks.

And I am still cackling about how season 1 was all about how Rosa was m*ria’s best friend to the point I assumed m*ria was older than everyone and was in a grade with Rosa and they were bffs not her and Liz because of how little she was actually Liz’s friend and more the person she went to when she needed info about Rosa, and then they brought Rosa back from the dead and did not have them interact at all for almost the entire season. Like???? WTF! And then your comment “also, ppl saying its impossible to separate these characters cause theyre all mains forget that alex and max have yet to interact” is SO SPOT ON! Like, it would be SO EASY to not have m*ria be anywhere near them or interact with them except in group scenes if even that. And did m*ria interact with Max at all before ep 9 in season 1 or any time after that until he was hired on at the Pony in season 2? And even then did it show them together working? Hell, Alex and Kyle barely had any screen time together and he didn’t interact with Isobel at all in season 1 either did he? Just let the friendship die. We don’t have to have a big blowout (you know they won’t because c*ria wrote them into a corner by touting “diversity” then writing m*ria’s character as doing things that make her an awful friend while having the other characters praise her for being The Best) but it could be subtle like Alex just casually having “things” to do any time a group hang or meet-up is suggested where m*ria is involved or telling Kyle (or Forrest) he isn’t exactly comfortable going with him to the Pony and them giving a knowing look at leaving it at that. They are (supposedly) adults after all and we know Alex doesn’t like to cause a scene, but they could show it in subtle ways that make it clear that a) Alex is not oaky with what m*ria did, and b) that he is setting more healthy boundaries for himself without having to have a lot of exposition about it. 

But I know that’s all wishful thinking and the show is going to sweep everything under the rug and pretend nothing ever happened and everyone is all buddy-buddy. *deep sigh*

[angrycowboy]

Alex Manes & Maria DeLuca | Roswell, New Mexico “Sex & Candy”

[litwitlady]

Guerin Week Drabbles (2/7)

They haven't seen each other since their breakup.

'DeLuca.'

'Guerin.'

She narrows her eyes at him. 'Bar's closed.'

'Even to me?' He winks.

She sighs. 'Especially to you. Bar tab just keeps climbing.'

‘Thought all that incredible sex might have skimmed a few bucks off the top.’ He grins, hopeful. A softness in his eyes.

'There's something you should know.' She leans over the bartop to whisper in his ear. 'I've had better. Much better.'

Michael watches her walk away. Head tossed back as she cackles. The sound of her laughter one of the very best things on Earth.

[signoraviolettavalery]

lmao i realized that what I need is michael looking between alex and forrest being happy together, and himself and maria and their dumpster fire of a relationship with zero love and chemistry

and realizing, wow, he drew the short straw

he ran away from alex to something ‘easy’ and his something easy is fucking lackluster, and meanwhile alex landed himself an adorable hottie with heart eyes who loves the fuck out of him

and being like, “welp, so that’s what a happy relationship looks like. It’s def. not what I have with Maria. It’s what Alex has.” 

cause, uh, if we’re comparing love interests here, there’s Forrest and then there’s......Maria Deluca, I guess. Although it might be preferable to date a cactus than her. It’d sting less. 

[andrea-lyn]

'The worst part was when my mother asked me why we didn’t see each other anymore, casually, with a flippant sort of curiosity.' Maria and Alex friendship RNM during/after the love triangle

10 degree angle

For ten years, Alex didn’t speak to any of his friends while he fought someone else’s war.

He makes a lot of excuses for it. He’s busy. He’s not in the right emotional space for it. It would be unfair when so much is classified and he can’t share that with them. The truth is that he’s making excuses because Alex doesn’t really like the person he’s become and he wants to keep Roswell separate from that – or maybe just his friends. Definitely Michael.

When things go to hell the day Max dies, Alex finds himself withdrawing again.

He speaks to Kyle, he and Michael and Isobel talk about alien plans and strategies, but what hurts the most and feels the strangest is that even though he’s back in town, he’s stopped talking to Liz and Maria, because he’s not sure he can.

Why he can work with Michael and not talk to Maria, he’s not sure, but he thinks that it has to do with the fact that he and Michael have been through so much and maybe Alex feels like he deserves a little suffering, after what his family has done to Michael’s. He can cope with Michael hurting him with spiteful words and bitter looks, because he knows it’s better than Michael deciding to exit Alex’s life for good.

He’s just not as sure what he’s done to Maria to earn that kind of pain.

Life is full of suffering, though, a lesson that Jesse Manes had beat into Alex’s head.

They don’t speak, at all.

Days turn into weeks, and Alex only drinks at the cabin – six-packs that he grabs from the liquor store or Kyle picks up for them – and then weeks become awkward months.

Somewhere in the middle of that icy silent treatment, Liz folds. She shows up at Alex’s cabin with a plate covered in tinfoil, the smell of churro pancakes wafting through the door even as he stands there and debates sending her away.

“Please, Alex,” Liz insists. “I need to apologize and I have news.”

His stomach rumbles, betraying how hungry he is. It’s the only reason he folds in the end, opening the door to Liz and nodding for the kitchen. “Forks are in the first drawer on the right,” he says quietly, still not sure why she’s here because she’d made it clear that she wanted Michael to move on to something new.

That someone isn’t him.

Still, she says she’s here to apologize, so Alex will take it. “So? What did you want to say?”

“That I’m sorry I took a side and thought that I knew the whole story. I’m sorry I put my nose where it didn’t belong, and I’m sorry I hurt two of my best friends in the process.”

Alex frowns at her, even as he digs into the pancakes. “How the hell did you hurt Maria?”

Liz shakes her head, letting out a rough sounding exhalation. “I really thought Michael and her would be good. I thought he’d let her in, that whatever kept you two apart meant that she and him could have something, but then he lied to her. He lied to her about his hand and about his past. I’m pretty sure I haven’t gone a week without at least one frantic text or call from Maria asking what’s so wrong with her.”

Liz stares at the pancakes miserably.

“She went from upset that she was feeling the way she was to completely torn apart thinking that she was losing her mind, like her mother.”

“I don’t think you should be telling me this, Liz,” Alex warns.

She might be one of his best friends, but she does this. She charges in headfirst and she doesn’t stop to think about the consequences. With a pang, Alex thinks about how Max had a habit of doing the same. Maybe they would’ve been perfectly suited to one another after all.

“I know. Shit, I know,” Liz admits. “I’m here to apologize, I’m here to say I’m sorry, and I am here to beg. Please go talk to Maria? Please?”

Alex wants to know why Liz isn’t asking the opposite.

“Why can’t Maria come here?”

“Because I sort of thought that at least if you go to her, the liquor would help a little more than being isolated in the middle of nowhere,” Liz says bluntly. “You know that she and Michael are done. That’s the news,” she says, as if everyone doesn’t already know that. It hadn’t been a quiet flame-out, even if Alex hadn’t known what to make of it. “And I think you’re both miserable over a self-destructing alien, and we need all the friends we can get.”

Alex could say that he’s got all the friends he needs, but he knows it’s not true.

“I’ll think about it,” he tells Liz, which isn’t a promise.

She nods like it is, though, and leaves him alone.

He knows he should feel bad about the fact that he doesn’t go to the Pony to talk to Maria, but he needs time to process all of this. He’d been hurt, genuinely hurt, and while he knows that other people have to live their life, it doesn’t mean that he’s ready to open the door and go right back to square one.

He tells himself that it won’t be like this forever.

Unfortunately, he’s deliberately ignoring the part where unless someone does something about the situation, then it very well could be.

*

30 degree angle

Kyle is, weirdly, the one who convinces him to go back to the Wild Pony.

“Kyle, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

“Alex, come on,” Kyle protests. “You are literally avoiding the Pony just so you don’t talk to her and I can’t drink in the weird bunker much longer.” He shakes his head. “It’s sad. It makes me feel like we’re turning into our fathers. It’s been months and Guerin is fucking half the town, but neither of you. I know that’s shitty to hear, but what’s done is done. Okay? Can we please go back to the Pony.”

He could say no, but Kyle’s the one steady friend he’s got right now. He’s pretty sure that if he pissed him off and lost him, then he wouldn’t have anyone, which even he can acknowledge wouldn’t be a good look for him.

“Fine,” he accepts. “When it’s awkward, just remember that you’re the one who asked for this.”

Kyle ignores his plight, clapping him on the back as he forces them to charge headfirst into a place Alex has been avoiding for weeks. It hasn’t changed, but he’s not surprised. It hadn’t changed in years, why would a few weeks have managed to change the Pony. Once Kyle’s inside, he heads off to the bathroom in a completely unsubtle way the second Maria finishes up with her patrons and locks eyes with Alex.

Kyle really would make the worst criminal, wouldn’t he?

“Alex,” Maria greets him, sounding nervous. “Hi. Kyle texted, said you were coming.”

“Did he?”

“I might have tried to lean on him to get you here,” she admits. “I wanted to talk to you and you ignored Liz, which I didn’t think was possible.”

Alex turns his beer, picking at the label as he tries to avoid looking at her. It’s awkward, if only because he knows that they need to talk, but he doesn’t really want to. Maybe they can make this work, though, if he sets down a few firm ground rules.

“Fine,” he allows, “on one condition.”

Maria eyes him warily, with that look on her face like she’s trying to read him. “Okay?”

“We don’t talk about Guerin,” Alex says flatly. “Not while I’m here.”

Maria opens her mouth, like she wants to protest, and Alex gets it. There’s a lot between them that’s gone unsaid that has to do with Michael, but he can’t deal with it. It doesn’t matter that Alex and Maria both aren’t dating Michael, he’s not ready to sit here and rehash a history that’s still too painful to relive. Alex is putting all his energy into not walking away. He really doesn’t think he can muster up the energy to deal with reliving the pain of Michael walking away from him and turning the tables – only, it’s not into the stars, as Alex had been expecting, but into someone else’s arms.

It doesn’t matter that he and Michael are friends. It doesn’t matter that Michael and Maria aren’t sleeping together.

He’s just not ready.

Maria doesn’t look fully convinced, but she seems to understand that Alex isn’t offering a choice. It’s either they avoid the topic or they don’t talk at all.

“Fine,” she relents, after a long pause. “Did you see what that asshole Wyatt did? Using Hank as an excuse to go after Isobel because he thinks she had something to do with it is low…”

Well, Alex never did say that they couldn’t talk about Michael’s family, so he’s stepped right into that one. Still, Maria’s got all kinds of gossip that Alex never would’ve had otherwise, because he’s been self-isolating himself out at the cabin.

“I hadn’t heard,” he says, and slides in closer to listen to the rest of this juicy tale.

At some point, Kyle rejoins him like he’s figured out it’s safe to re-enter the fray. Alex glares at him because it’s clear that he’s been avoiding them until he’d decided that things are safe, but he’s also quietly relieved that Kyle had been so adamant that they come here tonight. He knows that there’s a long way to go before they can bridge the gap, but this feels like a good start.

“What are we talking about?” Kyle asks, pressing both hands on the bar like he’s ready to jump in.

“Rosa’s fashion sense,” Maria shares, because they’ve moved on to one of their old hobbies – critiquing other people’s clothing. “She’s stuck a decade back and none of us have the heart to tell her because…”

Well, how do you tell the dead girl that maybe she needs to find a pair of pants that aren’t ripped?

Also, Alex thinks that’d be the pot calling the kettle black, given his former tastes.

“Yeah, not it,” Kyle scoffs. “She pre-hates me for being the half-brother she never wanted. You really think I’m about to tell her that her flannels need to be retired?”

They spend the next few hours talking about their fashion tastes, for better or worse, and Michael’s name doesn’t come up once. It only occurs to Alex when Kyle drops him off later that Michael hadn’t come up at all and it hadn’t felt strange or awkward to avoid talking about him. Why should it? Michael came into their lives like a hurricane long after Maria and Alex had forged their tight-knit friendship.

To get it back, they’re going to have to figure out how to do it while he’s there, but for now Alex will focus on the foundation and one day, they’ll see if their new friendship can withstand that hurricane.

*

right angle – 90 degrees

Just as Alex feels like he and Maria have managed a détente, the universe barges in as if trying to point out that what they’re doing isn’t enough.

“Alex.”

He’s in the middle of Liz’s lab, readjusting his prosthetic after a quick visit to talk about aliens, having taken off the leg to give himself a quick massage while Liz went to grab coffee. He turns to see Maria in the doorway, and no Liz in sight.

He has to wonder if Liz put her up to this, but Maria’s got her coat over her shoulder and a visitor’s badge on, which means that she’s probably not here for a casual visit. It’s not the first time the both of them have been in the same space, but it feels strange to run into her here. It’s not like he can run. For one, his leg’s not on and for another, she’s blocking the door.

“Is everything okay?” he asks warily, glad she’s not in a hospital gown, but what other reason could she be here?

Maria averts her eyes. “Mom’s here for some tests.”

Guilt hits Alex quickly, thinking about how his avoiding Maria and talking to her because of how much it hurts means that he’s also taken to avoiding Mimi, which makes him feel like a complete ass. He opens his mouth to say as much, apologize for not being there, when suddenly, the piercing sound of the fire alarm goes off.

“What’s going…?”

Maria doesn’t even finish her question before the sound of the door bolting shut echoes in the room. Alex’s eyes widen in alarm, because he has a bad feeling. He gestures for the door as he efficiently works to get the prosthetic back on. “Maria, check the door,” he says.

As he’s buckling himself back in, Maria’s tugging on it, pounding her fists against heavy glass. “Hey!” she shouts. Can anyone hear me? There are people in here!” She keeps working on it, but it’s clear that they’re not the only ones in this situation and being in the lab, they’re far from the most critical case.

Alex stares at the door and can’t believe what he’s about to say.

“I guess we’re going to have to wait it out.”

The doors still haven’t unlocked two hours later, but Maria and Alex have migrated to sit on the floor, side by side. “You know what the worst part of today has been?” she says quietly. “On the drive here, Mom asked me why we didn’t see one another as much anymore. It’s like she knew, like she could feel it, and I hate the idea that the universe is so out of balance that my Mom’s third eye picked up on it.”

Alex gets it, he does, but the problem is that he also doesn’t think that he’s ready to forgive and forget.

“I think part of the reason I’m so mad at you is because you did everything right,” Alex admits, feeling a clicking in his throat as he swallows. “You stayed. You didn’t walk away from him. When he held you after the incident at the UFO Emporium, you didn’t tell him to go and you didn’t run either. When he kissed you, you stayed to talk. And I’m mad at you because you were able to do that and I couldn’t, not with my fear of Jesse in my head,” he gets out, gritting his teeth to get the words out. “And I’m so mad that you could, and I know it’s Michael who showed up, but I was mad at you.”

Maria stays silent, like she knows that Alex needs to get it out.

It’s not even about how much he loves Michael, though he does. He hasn’t ever stopped, and he’d stood in an exploding building, willing to die for Michael. No, instead, he’s pissed off at Maria for being the kind of person that Michael’s been looking for.

Talk about not being fair, but it’s not like Alex understands it.

“Well, then, I’m on the train of being pissed off, because we broke up within weeks because he wouldn’t tell me the truth and I was mad at him. I’m mad at him for making me open up to the idea of him, of making me want him and even love him, but then for him to keep secrets from me that he still won’t tell me, but he’ll clearly tell everyone else! I’m so pissed at Michael Guerin for coming into our lives like a tornado and not even being able to be mad at him because he destroyed himself worse than he took me out.”

Alex lets out a ragged and pained sounding scoff. “Well, then the trifecta’s complete, because I am one hundred percent sure that he’s pissed at me and has been for a decade,” he gets out, and wishes it didn’t hurt so much, but it does.

For all that Michael looking away reminds him of the last ten years, feeling that derision and hate from Michael about how Alex walked away and how things between them don’t work is like someone’s carved a hole in his chest that he doesn’t know how to fill.

Maria threads her arm in with Alex and curls in against his shoulder. “Michael doesn’t hate you.”

“You haven’t seen him, Maria,” Alex says quietly. “He’s pissed at me because I keep walking away. I didn’t know what else to do, but he’s pissed and…” And maybe Alex can’t blame him, because look how crushed he got when Michael did the same to him only the once.

“If he hates anything, it’s how much he loves you. Even when we were together, there would be these small moments when we’d be lying together in bed and I’d feel this aura radiating from him.” She squints, like she’s trying to put a name to it. “And it took me a few days to realize that it was the same hope that came from you. It was a longing and seeing as I was right there with him, I don’t think that it was me he was longing for.”

Alex feels the ache deep in his chest, because it’s all well and good to hear that from her, but it doesn’t matter.

“He’s fucking someone inappropriate every week,” Alex bites out. “I know that I kept walking away and I know I told him I wanted to be friends, but it hurts, Maria. Thinking about you with him, it hurts, because it makes me feel like I’ve never been enough and I missed my chance…”

He rubs at his eyes, hating that he feels so torn up about this.

“I’ve loved him since I was seventeen,” he says quietly. “I let my fear be louder than that love, and now I’m paying for it. I lost my friend, I lost him, and now I don’t know if I’m going to get either of you back.”

“If you’re done being mad at me,” Maria says quietly, pressing her cheek to Alex’s shoulder as she holds him in, like she’s scared he’ll run, “I could use my friend back.”

Alex turns into the warmth of her body. She smells of her intoxicating perfume and the sweet smell of liquor that means she’s been doing inventory. She smells like Maria and Alex burrows in for a one-armed hug, not sure he’s ready to keep being mad at Maria, especially when he’d forgiven Michael a while ago.

“Maybe we just have to figure out how to talk to each other,” Alex says quietly. “I didn’t exactly write much when I was in Iraq.”

Maria’s quiet for a minute, then adds, “Neither did I.”

Maybe Liz hadn’t been the only bad friend of the three of them. Maybe they all need lessons on how to open up, be vulnerable, be open.

The doors unbolt in the middle of their awkward seated hug, and within seconds Liz is bursting into the room. “Alex! I’m so sorry, it’s the new security feature after the last incident and…” she trails off when she sees Maria and Alex hugging on the floor. She blinks, clearly stunned that it’s happening, but there’s also relief in her eyes. “Can I get in on that?”

Maria nods, her eyes blurry with tears, and waves at Liz eagerly. “Get down here!”

They’re free to wander the hospital, but Alex doesn’t want to move when he’s finally feeling like he’s grounded and in the exact right spot for the first time in so long.

*

120 degree angle

It’s been ten months since Alex and Maria stopped talking.

It’s been eight months since they started again.

Both those numbers seem ridiculously small, given what happened last night. It feels like those incidents should have been years ago, but they’re not. Alex is nervous as hell, but he’s here at the Pony, sitting at the bar and waiting for Maria to finish serving a few customers because there’s something he needs to talk about with her.

“Why are you so nervous?” she asks, squinting at him. “No psychic read needed, I think I felt your leg shaking from down the other end of the bar.”

“Last night, I went on a date,” Alex shares, anxiously.

“Which one was it?” Maria asks eagerly, leaning in with wide eyes. “That hottie from the base? Forest? Your tinder date from Santa Fe?”

Alex hasn’t been chaste for the last half a year, exploring who he is now that his father is in a medically induced coma and can’t interfere in his life again. It’s been incredible to learn about what he likes, but last night had reminded him that above all else, he loves one thing the most.

“It was Guerin,” Alex says. “Michael.”

He’s been dreading telling her. He’s been worried and barely slept because he’s been so excited to come rave about this, but he’s also been picturing every scenario in his mind. He watches her for every facial tic and reaction, but there isn’t a hint of jealousy on her face and there’s no anger. It’s been ten months since they almost let themselves splinter and Maria understands how much Alex loves Michael.

He’s here, he’s staying, and finally, he’s decided to fight for Michael.

“Please tell me he took you somewhere better than that trailer,” she says with a disgruntled snort. “You made sure he used a condom, right?”

“Aliens,” Alex reminds her. “He can’t get diseases, even if he tried his best to act like a sexual lint roller and press himself up against as many dirty surfaces as he could find. Metaphorically,” he deadpans. He knows he doesn’t sound very excited, but he’s been grinning since he’d admitted to going out with Michael, and not just that, but the way his name had sounded out loud. “We went out for a nice dinner at Isobel’s. She cooked pasta and Michael grilled, and we had a really nice time,” he admits.

Maria gives him a curious look, like there’s something about Alex she’s not getting.

“Am I still hopeful?”

“No,” she says, shaking her head, and smiles fondly at him. “You’re past hope. This time, you know.”

“You’re not mad?” is his next question, which is the one that he’s really worried about. They barely survived Michael barrelling in between them the first time. What happens if this is all Maria putting on a front and he loses her? He doesn’t want to admit it, but if it came down to Michael or Maria, it’d be a really rough call, as things stand these days.

“Tell me it’s not a fling,” she says.

“It’s not,” Alex insists instantly. “It’s really not. I love him.”

“That’s why I’m okay,” Maria admits, even if her smile isn’t as wide as it could be. “It hurts because I want something like that and I thought that maybe I could get it with Guerin, but I can’t steal other people’s happy endings to make my own.” She smacks her rag on the counter, a determined look on her face. “Besides, I deserve a man who’s willing to tell me the truth.”

“You definitely do,” Alex agrees. “We’ll stay away from here for a while, though, just until things calm down.”

The last thing he wants to do is mount Michael in the middle of the Wild Pony, because that feels a little like cruelly rubbing Maria’s face in it. From the look of gratitude on her face, Alex knows it’s the right decision.

“I’m glad you two are making it work,” she promises, reaching over to squeeze Alex’s hand, closing her eyes, which means she’s reading him. This time, Alex lets it happen, because maybe there’s something good hanging around the corner. “I know I don’t have to tell you this, but it looks good, Alex,” she promises, squeezing his hand a little tighter. “You’re happy. And you’re surrounded by friends.”

It’s pretty much all he could ever hope for, even if he’s not sure how he managed to deserve it.

“Thank you,” he says, and means it with all his heart. “Thanks for letting me have this happiness.”

“You’re one of my best friends,” Maria promises. “We’re not forgetting that, not anymore, not either of us.”

*

180 degree angle – straight angle

“Are you ready for this?”

Alex stares at himself in the mirror, glancing over his shoulder to where Maria’s poking her head in the door of her bedroom. She’d given it up to him for the day, because the cabin is too far for them, but it makes him feel like he’s intruding on her space. Still, given her responsibilities, Alex is also fairly sure that giving up her bedroom and her mirror is the least she can do.

“How’s my tie look?”

Maria wanders closer, adjusting the flare of her dress as she fidgets with it, getting the orchid bowtie back in shape. “Would I be a good maid of honor if I let you go out there without looking your best?” she quips, and gets it straightened up. “You look good.”

“Yeah?” Alex is nervous as fuck, because it’s been years and he knows that he and Michael have created a strong foundation, but sometimes Maria and Michael will have one of their serious talks and Alex will wonder if today’s the day Michael realizes he’s made a mistake.

Maria constantly reminds him that they’re only friends, but that little voice in Alex’s head doesn’t want to go away.

“You should see him,” Maria shares, with the secretive wink that only another person who’s slept with Michael can truly give. Of all their friends, no one else will ever appreciate Michael in that way, because Maria is the only one who knows about all the devious tricks that Michael can do. “I think he managed to convince Isobel to get him a pair of pants that fits just a little too small.”

It’s exactly the relief Alex needs and he catches himself laughing at the image he’s creating in his mind.

“Or he washed them and shrunk them and Isobel’s only noticing now,” he jokes, trying to calm himself down. It’s not that he’s worried about making a mistake, but he’s still in disbelief that today is happening. After all, with all the speed bumps they’ve gone through, the suspension of their relationship ought to be wrecked.

Instead, here they are, getting married.

“How are you doing?” Alex asks.

Maria squints at him like he’s lost his mind. “You’re the groom. I’m not the one who should be answering that question today.”

“Yeah, I’m the groom and I get what I want. What I want to know is how you’re holding up,” Alex keeps stubbornly charging down that road. “I know how hard weddings can be, never mind when one of the grooms is your ex.”

“It’s been years and Michael and I went on about two dates,” Maria says, rubbing Alex’s shoulders as she gets him positioned in front of the full-length mirror. “I’ve seen his vows and yours. I know that the words you two use to describe each other would’ve never been him and me, and that’s okay. I’ve learned to be okay with that. I’m gonna go find my own cosmic, epic, connected romance and then I’ll make you suffer through it.”

She leans in to kiss him on the cheek.

Instead of ducking away, though, she lingers. “And,” Maria promises, wrapping her arms around his back in a tight hug, “just to make things fair, you can make out with him a few times so our friendship playing field is evened out.”

Alex lets out a soft laugh. “Michael might get kind of mad about that, but we’ll see,” he playfully says.

Maria finally releases him to duck away, heading out the door.

“Don’t be late! The rest of your life is waiting for you at that altar,” Maria calls over her shoulder, “and he looks hot in the kind of way you definitely wanna tell your Mama about!”

And soon, Alex is going to take that last name and all that goes with it, and he’ll have his best friend at his side while it happens.

He’s absolutely ready for this.

[salmonthestoryteller]

Salmon’s Roswell New Mexico Meta Masterlist

This is the last season, but I’ve written so much on this series, it kind of deserves its own list separate from the fanfics.

Alex vs Jesse

All about Isobel

Echo’s Series Finale Ending

End of Season 2 Reactions and Season 3 Speculation (RNM)

End of Season 3 Overall Likes and Season 4 Wishlist (RNM)

Friendships - Roswell New Mexico

How to Side Character - RNM Version I Have a Theory (RNM s4 Plot Speculation - Collective Consciousness)

Isobel and Female Character Stigmas

Just Gonna Nope on Wyatt Long’s Arc in RNM S3

Let Maria Be Angry (s2)

Liz & Michael (s2 & s3)

Liz Ortecho (s1)

Malex - Bunker Scene s2 Argument

Malex & Character Growth

Malex - The Guitar and Financial Status

Malex - Heading in the Right Direction (Season 2)

Malex - s2 Growth Malex - Summer Flashback and Miscommunication

Maria & Being a Caretaker

Maria - Being Irresponsible over her Health (s2)

Maria - Loneliness and Hope

Maria, Mimi, Elderly Care & Undiagnosed Illness

Maria’s POV (S1)

Marosa Feels Michael & Alcohol

Michael & Liz

Michael Funds His own Science Lab Michael’s Headspace 1x13

Michael’s Mindset (s2)

Mr Jones and Alien Powers Spec

My Struggles with the Writer’s Character Choices for Maria

Not Cool Max Part of why I dislike Miluca in s2

Pick a Character - Liz

Pick a Character - Max Please Stop Kidnapping Your Characters - I’m Begging You!

RNM Kidnapping Plot Struggles

RNM Season 2 & Health

RNM Season 3 Complaints RNM Season 4 Episodes 1-2

RNM Season 4 Episodes 3-4

RNM Season 4 Episodes 5-6

RNM Season 4 Episodes 7-8 RNM Season 4 Episode 9 RNM Season 4 Episodes 10-11

RNM Season 4 Episode 12 RNM Season 4 Episode 13 - Rant RNM Seasosn 4 Episode 13 - Rave RNM s04e06 Rant

RNM s04e08 Rant

Roswell New Mexico Ships - Plot Speculation (written before s2)

S1 Miliuca vs S2 Miluca Science Bros Season 4 Parallels The Stowaway and Nora - 47 Flashback Speculation

That Darn Love Triangle

That Scene (02x06) Tripp Manes & More 47 Flashbacks Speculations

Why I’ll Never Be Over Losing Nobel Why Wyatt Long’s Insto Redemption is Cringey

[ladynox]

Nox’s Fanish Content: Roswell New Mexico

Fanfic

Solo

i thought i was a fool for no one/oh baby, i'm a fool for you (status: complete; malex)

Summary: Alex loved Michael like this, warm and pliant under his touches. Accepting whatever was given to him, no matter how gentle or rough or teasing, until he couldn't take it any longer. Until Michael had to pull back, drop to his knees, and plead: "Alex"

For RNM after Dark

palabras sinceras (status: complete; malex)

Summary: In which Alex gets turned into a cat and Michael frets.

Podfic by the amazing Cath w/ cover art by the superb DrLemurr

A New Year, A New Hope  (status: complete; malex)

Summary: New Years Day fic

A New Year, A New Hope  (status: complete; malex)

Summary: New Years Day fic

Six  (status: hiatus; malex)

Summary: Michael had known it was stupid to go through Albuquerque. Big cities were always full of Infected, which are bad sure, but also people which are the absolute worst. Michael would take a raving horde of zombies hungry for human flesh over living and breathing people any day. But cutting through Albuquerque was the fastest path to Roswell. Michael didn’t want to go around. He’d been separated from his siblings long enough.

Note: This fic was originally going to be much longer but I've fizzled and I can't seem to reignite. I believe what's been posted is self contained and provides a satisfying enough ending as a one-shot. So that's what it's going to be now. A one shot.

Rough Stock (status: complete; miluca)

Summary: Michael just wanted to live in this moment forever, where nothing else mattered but the two of them.

i could make you smile if you stayed a while (status: complete; miluca with background malexa)

Summary: The morning after The Threesome was full of uncertainty. Maria sorts through the emotional aftermath of the night before.

Podfic by the lovely Cath

Broken Sign (status: complete; miluca) 

Summary: It's almost like the Wild Pony itself is annoyed with her for breaking up with Guerin.

i set my clocks early cause i know i'm always late (status: complete; Michael & Maria)

Summary: S3E3 coda. Maria confronts Michael on his behavior.

A Tremendous Thing  (status: complete, marilex friendship, background malexa)

Summary: Alex gives Maria a gift.

Written for the Maria DeLuca Healing Crystals Celebration

Co-authored with @beautifulcheat​

Crossed Wires (status: complete; malex) 

Summary: Michael's been kicked off more than one Starfleet posting. So when he was reassigned to the USS Roswell, he decided to keep his head down and behave. This decision is immediately thwarted when he meets her hot Vulcan captain. This might be the first time Michael got kicked off a posting for flirting with a captain.

Podfic by the lovely Cath with absolutely gorgeous cover art by mythras_fire

Art by the amazing Slynella 

Contigo me encontré (status: ongoing; malex) 

Summary: The Lockhart House was once a home, although it was never a happy one. Steeped in tragedy, it still stands today, in the heart of Old Town Roswell, attracting ghost hunters and those seeking to catch a peak of something from beyond the veil. Contrary to popular myth, it wasn’t currently haunted (except by one paranormally talented docent). It was Michael’s favorite job and the best part of his summer home from UNM. Or at least was until Alex Manes was hired to man the gift shop, complicating an otherwise fun and easy job.

For: RIP Roswell

Shelter (status: complete; malex)

Summary: It was pouring when Michael pulled up to the airstream. The wheels of his truck skidded on the mud, a combination of the speed at which he was traveling and the water that hadn’t fully soaked into the parched earth. It was hard to see through the deluge, but this was his home. He didn’t need to be able to see carry his bundle into the airstream, wrapped up within the folds of his coat. Just a bit of power and the door swung open, allowing Michael access. “I don’t think he followed us,” Michael said to the small, shivering form that was curled up in his jacket, locking the door firmly behind him and peeking out. “Can barely see anything in that rain.”

For: RIP Roswell

The Great New Mexico Fake-Off  & Petit Four (status: complete; malexa; background forlex & echo) 

Fake-Off Summary: Michael had tons of secrets. Sex secrets, murder secrets, alien secrets… they defined him. Most of them, he hated keeping. There was one secret, however, that he was determined to take to the grave. Or Michael learns to bake. Or cakes are a metaphor for Michael's love.

P4 Summary: While Michael attempts to hide his new baking habit, life in Roswell continues and the people around him have some things to say about all the cakes that are popping up.

Note: Petit Four are a series of short companion/background pieces to The Great New Mexico Fake-Off. They are meant to be read in tandem with Fake-Off.  

Art by the fantastic Lychee Jelly (spoilers for chapter 4) 

cause you're the one who resonates (status: complete; malexa)

Michael and Alex were so handsome together, so soft and effortlessly intimate. Maria couldn't help but imagine how nice it would be settled between them, warm and safe... It's time to go, Maria thinks. Alex disagrees.

For RNM after Dark

Dealing with Dragons (status: complete; miluca)

Summary: In which a rebel princess meets a recalcitrant dragon.

Note: Part 1 of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles

Dealing with Knights (status: complete; malexa)

Summary: An unhappy knight must save a rebel princess from her dragon husband.

Note: Part 2 of the Enchanted Forest Chronicles

Milestones (status: hiatus; malexa, background echo) 

Summary: Maria, Michael and Alex have been in a v poly relationship for years. Peacefully cohabiting together. That peace is upended when Maria realizes she's pregnant.

The Truth Is Right Here  (status: complete-ish, see below for details); eventual malexa, background Kyliz, endgame kaliz) 

Summary: Maria Deluca and Alex Manes had been partners, both in the X-Files department and in marriage, for years. They each had their own reasons to search for the truth, and it just made sense to do it together. Michael Guerin was just a con trying to keep his head down, serve his time, and not attract the wrong type of attention. He definitely had not bargained on being loaned out to a couple of alien hunters.

[Update 1/8/23: I have marked this fic as complete, even though technically we are simply on hiatus. However we stopped at a very good pause point that could serve as a finale, so if you've been waiting to catch up -- this is an excellent time to do so.]

Edits/shitposts

Malex

Miluca

Manes family 

Malexa 

Marilex

Maria DeLuca

[neeterloveschenford]

Thoughts on RNM 3x12 and 3x13

And now we are at the end. I actually took off work today because I knew I wouldn't be able to sleep and I wanted to have all day to write my review. (Obviously I needed it.) There were good and bad things. I am less annoyed today than I was last night. But there are still so many things that could have been done better in these two episodes. So I did things a bit different this time. I've got my list of things I liked and a list of things I didn't like. Followed by my feelings on what could have been done to make things a little more coherent. So here we go folks. Let's dive right in!

Likes:

I really loved the Alex/Max talk. I would like to see more of them together. They understand each other, just like Liz and Michael understand each other. Also, I never knew I needed the word handana in my vocabulary. But I did and now I will spend the rest of my life using it as often as I can.

How Max quiets the noises for Liz. The parallels between Echo and Malex this season. They are really leaning into the cosmic soulmate connections.

How respectful Kyle is of Isobel and Anatse. He understands that his feelings are his and he can’t project that onto Isobel. When she finally realizes her feelings, it’s going to be all the sweeter for her to know that he’s waited on her to catch up to him.

I love the relationship between Isobel and Maria. I don’t care what anyone says. The sisterhood between them is very special. I still have my problems with Maria, but she’s been so much better this season. It gives me hope for next season.

Same for both ladies' relationship with Rosa. I love how much all the ladies love and support each other.

The Malex bunker scene. To me, this is their new place. Both times they’ve been here this season they have communicated with each other and came to a place of understanding and support. I just love how much they’ve grown. And Michael worrying that Alex wouldn’t love him if he killed Jones just about broke my heart. They’re just everything to each other and I am completely here for it!

Isobel made a great OR nurse. The faith that she has in Kyle is wonderful. No wonder he’s falling in love with her.

Max’s brain probably is pretty boring. Jones is always there with the perfect burn. That’s why I’m going to miss him so much!

I know that everyone is going to bash Maria, but I don’t hate the fact that she figured out Kyle has feelings for Iz. I like the fact that they are friends. I wish we could have more friendship moments between all of them.

I also don’t have a problem with the fact that Maria was the one who found Michael. No one else had a clue where Jones had taken him, so it would have taken even more time for them to figure out where he was at, meaning he could have possibly bled out. So I’m good with it. There was no hint of Miluca. It was all about getting to Alex for Michael and Maria only had appropriate concern for a friend that was bleeding out in front of her. So I think it worked. Deal with it.

I loved the fact that it took Jones stabbing Michael to get anything out of him. That’s how strong Michael is. If he wasn’t such a psychopath, I think Jones would be quite proud of him. Even pushing his buttons with Nora he couldn’t break him with just his mental powers. I love how we are finally seeing how incredibly powerful Michael really is.

I want to know more about the triads on Oasis. Jones had one. So does that mean that everyone on the Oasis was part of a triad? If so, is this sort of like something that keeps the Oasians sane? Did they have to be in a triad for mental health reasons? Perhaps it’s kind of like what we would consider a healthy family dynamic here on earth. I am currently obsessed with how the Scandinavian countries are always the happiest countries in the world. And a lot of the articles I’ve read about it say that it’s because they put a focus on family and community that we haven’t had here in the states for many years. So maybe the triad is a way to promote happiness, family and community? I don't know. Kind of makes sense though.

I love the fact that after the pod squad saved Kyle, Eduardo, and Heath, Isobel cuddled Kyle along with Michael. Girl really needs to realize she has feelings for him too!

We can keep the pep talks with Kyle. He’s the wisest person on this show and everyone would live long happy lives if they would just listen to him.

I am kind of obsessed with how Max always uses Alex to get Michael to listen to him when he’s talking about Liz. They are leaning so hard into the cosmic soulmates angle. I love it. In all honestly, I’m kind of pissed we’re not getting some kind of soulmark story out of this!

I’m going to need Kyle to dance to Shania every single episode from here on out.

The second wisest person in Roswell is Rosa. Everyone should also listen to her. Must be a Valenti trait.

I don’t much care for Echo, but that was a super sweet moment between them. I love that they finally brought back the memory of Liz sharing her earbud with Max when they were kids. And it’s cool that that is the thing that allowed Liz to know which Max was Max.

Yay Alex to finally save the day! And it totally cracked me up that he tased him right when Jones and Max switched again.

And no, I do not have a problem with Maria throwing the sword to Isobel. She is the only other person who is genetically capable of touching it.

I think it was interesting that Jones grabbed Max’s head with his glowing hands. Is a part of him in Max now? Just enough to make him more interesting next season? We can only hope.

The coat is back. The coat is back! THE COAT IS BACK!!!!!! I really like that brown jacket of Michael’s with the sheepskin collar and that beautiful embroidery on the front. I have missed that thing all season long. It was one of the only things that made me happy in s2. He looks amazing in it. And he was wearing it when Alex met him at the pony when Michael needed to talk about his mom and that Sanders was Walt. That would also be one of the few things that brought me joy last season.

Isobel is still the second biggest Malex shipper in all of Roswell. She is only eclipsed by Sanders.

I am still a little bummed that there was no kiss or I love you in front of Jesse’s statue, but the removal of the handana and the walking down main street holding hands was just chef’s kiss. God, I love these two so very very much! And this was such an important step for them. Sure being together at the pony is a statement, but if anyone gave them any trouble Maria would throw them out. By starting their forever away from their loved ones where anyone can see them they are telling the world that they are not afraid of what the future may hold. It was a very special moment.

It was super cool to see Shiri. I wonder if she’s going to be recurring next season. If so, that would be excellent. Now we just need Nick Wechsler to take a turn on the show. Majandra and Brendan can stay tf away with their crappy attitudes. (Which amuses me because they were my favorites from the OG. I actually watched CSI Miami for a minute cause he was on it briefly.) And who is this potential Tess character? I am intrigued. I know it’s not actually Tess. From what I understand she and Nasado were original characters to the OG series and they can’t use them because of copyright issues. That’s why “Tess” is always a person they went to school with that they mention but is never seen. But she can still cause lots of mayhem like Tess did. Hey, I wonder if that’s supposed to be Bonnie? Maybe she and Clyde were the ones that Jones woke up with the Lockhart machine! That’d make sense why they would be part of Michael’s story next season. They served the dictator and now that he’s gone, they are trying to be in league with his son.

Dislikes:

So were the three coffins supposed to be Michael, Dallas, and Eduardo? Or were they supposed to be Max, Isobel and Michael? I wish they had never done this storyline. Either that or had made it the actual storyline for the season. Once again they tried to cram too much plot into 13 episodes. At least this time it was like 5 plots instead of 27. Still better than s2.

It annoyed me that Isobel let Jones make her doubt Liz so easily. She knows all Liz cared about this season was saving Max and Maria.

Listen Jones. You need to leave Sanders be. Also, can someone go check on him? Did Maria?

There were a lot of pep talks this episode. Possibly two or ten too many? Especially since Liz and Heath had like five. I think they could have maybe kept it at two and then given us another Malex moment and lengthened the ones we did get.

I really wanted to see Alex do something besides poke at the Lockhart machine.

Why did we have the Frozen Mo’s talk with Heath? I know we had a lot of Echo, but that really should not have been something Liz confided to Heath. He’s boring and I only want him to live because it would upset Dallas if he didn’t.

I do not understand why we had Jones learning that Michael loves Alex more than anything if he never does anything to threaten Alex. Especially if he was going to die at the end. I don’t get it. Does anyone out there get it? If so, can you explain it to me? This was pointless if there wasn’t going to be any interaction between them. Yes, an injured Michael did rush to Deep Sky to give him the Lockhart machine to protect Alex. But still. Waste of plot if you ask me.

And of course we had to have another Harry Potter reference. Look, the first movie I ever saw in a theater was Return of the Jedi. It started an extremely long obsession with Star Wars. I grew up with it. I don’t think I could count the number of times I’ve seen Empire Strikes Back. It will forever be my favorite movie. But even after almost 40 years of being obsessed with something, I don’t use as many Star Wars references as these people use Harry Potter. It’s getting a little old y’all.

Yes, Eduardo. Jones can bend a bullet five times in a row. He can bend a bullet a billion times in a row.

Why does a super secret research facility only have one ultrasound machine?

Why are 7 or 8 year olds listening to Sledgehammer? I was 7 or 8 when this song came out and I hated it until I was an adult. I thought the music video was cool, but I would never listen to the song if it wasn’t on mtv.

When we finally get a present day I love you from Malex, it better be the most epic thing that we’ve ever seen. Seriously.

How did Jones know the bats would show up? Also, how did Michael and Alex not remember the bats would show up? There was a whole episode about dead bats. I talked about the grossness of dead bats extensively when I reviewed that episode. How could they forget about the bats?!?

Why was Alex the only one who didn’t show up for the final showdown? I think it is really ridiculous that he wasn’t there. Or at least give us a reason that he wasn’t. Gives us a line about how he has to do something at Deep Sky that is crucial to their plan working. Anything. It doesn’t have to make sense. I have hand waved most of the science things this season. I could do it one more time. Make it make sense!!!

I hate that Jones is dead. I love him. He’s the best villain we’ve had. I’m sure we’ll get some flashbacks with Jones down the road. Especially since Michael is supposed to learn more about their home planet next season. But I’m going to miss his snarkiness.

Why is the timeline on this show always so wonky? It hasn’t been 15 years, people. Where can I apply to be the fact checker for this show? They are in obvious need of one.

I’m not going to speculate about the lack of Tyler in these two episodes. If it was because of covid or his anxiety, it’s frankly none of our business. I hate it when people speculate about celebrities' health. I’ve always hated it, but it bugs me even more since I started working in the medical insurance business. Mind your own beeswax people. That said, it’s kind of unreal how they can’t write things in a way that would explain why certain people are not where they are expected to be. If Alex was not going to be on the frontline of defeating Jones, it would be because he was doing something vital to that defeat somewhere else. If that had been addressed, then we all would have been able to handle it a lot better. I think if we were to ask Chris, then he would have said, “Oh yeah, Alex was at Deep Sky doing this and that.” And I ‘m sure that he was, but you can’t just expect us to make that assumption. At the pony, Isobel asked where Alex was. Michael told her that Alex and Eduardo were trying to figure out if Jones had actually sent a message with the Lockhart machine. That made sense. We knew why he wasn’t there and were informed that they were meeting up later for their first date. See, not that hard.

Final Thoughts:

I know I have a lot of dislike with these two episodes. I feel like we had so much good buildup with eps 8, 9, and 10, that we got ripped on the Malex front with 12 and 13. We had two beautiful moments, but we could have had so much more. I mean we had like 10 Echo moments. And I know that they are the main ship and that Malex were already back together, but they really need to spread the wealth a little bit.

All in all though, this season was a HUGE improvement over last season. It’s by far my favorite. And going into s4 we will have no lingering Carina ideas to deal with. (I am squarely blaming the whole Wyatt thing on her. She is, after all, the one who wrote 3x01.) So let the debating and theorizing begin! Hope y’all that are new to the fandom stick around. We are a total and complete mess sometimes, but this little crazy fandom got me through the worst of the pandemic. I don't know what I would have done if I hadn’t had you lovely people to flail about Malex with. So until s4, I bid you adieu! Happy hiatus and may it never last as long as the last one did ever again!!!

[letstalkabouttvshows]

I really wish I could like Maria’s character

DISCLAIMER: This is a post about what I understand from the storylines we’ve seen so far. I can be totally off. This is just my view on the character. 

Ok? Ok. 

When I watched the first episode of Roswell, these were my impressions: 

1. I enjoyed this episode way more than I thought I would.

2. Kyle is gonna be the jerk, huh?

3. The siblings dynamic it’s promising. I want to learn more and Michael is my favorite

4, Ok. I totally buy the Alex and Michael love story. That look in their eyes, wow.  Tell me more!

5. I don’t like Maria. 

Aside from number 2, I still stand by my impressions. 

There’s just something about Maria that, overall, made me like her the least in the pilot and for that matter, throughout season 1. 

And it shouldn’t be like that. 

She’s supposed to be the best friend, the fierce owner of a bar where all the characters come together but most importantly, she’s supposed to be the grl pwr power house. 

All the potential is there, so WHAT HAPPENED? 

I really wish I could like Maria’s characters because I think the writers are doing a terrific job for her story arc in season 3. 

>>> But how can I shake off the previous 2 seasons out of my system when it comes to her? <<<

Mainly for me, what I can’t get over is the fact MARIA DATED THE LOVE OF HER BEST FRIENDS LIFE. 

Damn, that’s something hard to overlook. 

I know, I know. 

The writers tried to incorporate some of the original source into the show and did it in a terrible way. 

It felt out of the blue, rushed, without any real development that’d convince us that Maria could actually be a real contender for Michael’s heart compared to Alex.

I am a Malex fan. 

Their story arc was one of the things that got me hooked in this show, but I also am a fan of good storytelling. I’m all up for development, twists and turns. 

So if they wanted to have a Miluca story arc, well, compel me away. Build it in a way that feels organic and makes sense. 

Well, that wasn’t the case. 

What we got instead was Maria, Alex’s best friend, that knew that he had a guy that “kissed him to crazy, stupid, love” and that she could sense he was back in his life just because Alex was hopeful again.  

We got a Maria that knew all of that and STILL GOT TOGETHER WITH MICHAEL. 

Despite saying “his my best friend”, “it was nothing”, “it won’t happen again”.

Maria crushed on Michael. 

Well, we can’t blame her. 

Not even Alex “falling for Michael is the easiest thing to do” Manes, can’t either, apparently.  

On the other hand, Michael got together with her, yes, because he had a thing for her, I’m not saying he didn’t like her but more than that, Maria was an escape. 

At that point, Michael found out and went through so many tragic things, all at once, and smacked right in the middle of all, was Alex. 

“I love him, probably always will. But lately that love just hurts”

So Michael made sure that he would not have to deal with him and Alex. 

And here’s the thing. 

That actually is >>>in character for Michael<<<. 

He can’t handle feelings, especially when it comes to Alex, so he protects himself and literally puts things in the way so he doesn’t have to deal with them. 

But, Maria? GETTING TOGETHER WITH THE LOVE OF HER BEST FRIEND’S LIFE ??? (did I mention this before) 

That’s not supposed to be >>> in character for her <<< 

But unfortunately, now it is. 

Maria didn’t consider Alex’s feelings for Michael, probably thought the connection between Malex was more on Alex’s side than Michael’s and it came across like she really thought that whatever she had with Michael was deeper than what Alex had with him, despite knowing everything. 

And to what end?

She breaks up with Michael because “someone else can make you happier”. WELL, DUH. 

As amazing as her journey has been in season 3, I still feel like they need to address the fact SHE GOT TOGETHER WITH THE LOVE OF HER BEST FRIENDS LIFE. 

Hoping for an actual apology from her to Alex is asking too much?

Probably. 

But it could make the the elephant in their friendship disappear and give us, the audience, a sense of closure and getting back on tracks with her character so we can all like her without all of this in the back of the storyline. 

Maria, I truly want to like you, but c’mon, we need some of that friendship you supposed to have with Alex, actually, to come through.

Again, I really want to like Maria’s character. 

Can we make that happen, writers?

[cakebeam]

[lovecolibri]

I wish guerin would've been the one to dump m*aria, not the other way around. And i certainly wish he would've held his tongue with a certain three words 🤨 so i guess now i'm imagining m*aria trying to get guerin back and him rejecting her and telling her he realized that alex truly is the love of his life and that their "relationship" was a mistake he won't repeat because it's alex who he wants back, not her. Because I'm Petty Like That

Well, we all know I'm a salty, salty bench so I feel you there. The whole m*luca thing was poorly conceived, poorly timed, and poorly written. I am eternally bitter the show ruined the snarky, reluctant BFFs we could have had with M&M. I'm sure the show is going to try and bring that dynamic back but it is too little far too late for me after season 2. Doing m*luca the way they did nearly killed many people's love for and belief in Malex which is pretty difficult after the stellar and believable performances by Vlamis and Tyler. They made that love feel real. And cosmic and painful and beautiful. It was an epic love story that was narratively moving forward, with Alex confronting his dad, and Michael pushing to stop keeping secrets. As much as Alex's behavior at the start of 1x09 was OOC as a set up for m*luca to have their one-off bang in the desert (sidebar, don't try that at home kids! It's full of sand, cacti, thorny scrub brush, scorpions, snakes, coyotes etc and is altogether unsafe and unsexy), it did give us that beautiful moment of Alex "what I want doesn't matter" Manes, finally saying what he wanted to say. That scene is one of my absolute favorites and it took the sting out of the m*luca scene a bit. If that would have been the end of it, I could have accepted C*rina's excuse that it was in "honor" of the OG M&M. 

If the show had decided to have them fool around during the lost decade and maybe have Michael think he's catching feelings, I would have been okay with an ILY from Michael then. And when Alex comes back from his deployment and Michael realizes nothing holds a candle to what he feels for Alex, we could have seen him break it off with M*ria. No matter what, not having Michael break it off was also a huge mistake (in a sea of other mistakes), because it puts the shadow of m*luca over all the rest of Malex’s relationship. Alex will always have that "what if" in the back of his mind that he was the second choice. As much as it's nice to see Alex going after what he wants, and being there for Michael and showing up, and not running like he used to, it would also have been nice to see Michael also going after what he wants. He put his wants and needs on the back burner for so long for Isobel (and Max) and I would have loved for him to realize that he is allowed to have needs and have them met. We could have seen that explored with him realizing he was hiding and stagnating in that relationship with M*ria, and been the one to call it off after Alex get’s kidnapped and he realizes what he is willing to do for Alex. Instead, we got him doubling down out of panic, and now we have to spend another season waiting for him to catch up to where Alex is, instead of seeing them grow together. 🙄

As for M*ria trying to get back with him, as much as my petty heart would love to see her actually face some consequences for being The WorstTM, I really hope the show doesn’t have them interact at all. Which I know also won’t happen, but I’m hoping they keep their interactions to a minimum and related to alien business. I know everyone is all “blah, blah people can be friends with their ex’s, blah” but after how manipulative she was with him that relationship was toxic at best and it is way healthier to just let it die. I’m sure the show wants us to forget it happened and so I’m worried they’ll never bring it up again and have the characters act like it never happened but I think it does a disservice to the story to just ignore how anything that happened before will affect the characters moving forward. We saw that with how Caulfield, Michael’s hand, Alex’s reenlistment, etc, etc, etc got forgotten or mentioned in a single line and never spoken of again. And that ruined the storytelling for season 2 and made for inconsistent characterization for many characters. 

[eg515]

Character ask game? Sounds fun, I'm in🥰

RNM: Isobel, Maria, Kyle

Shameless: Ian, Mandy

GG reboot: Audrey

Have fuuuuun❤

girl I can't even fit this into one post 😭 why are you doing this to me 😭💖

okay, part one: Roswell New Mexico

I wanted to add a gif of only Isobel but this is just too good not to share

What I love about them: I love her character development. she's come so far since the s1 mean girl she was! I love her relationship with Maria, Rosa and Liz. and I loved her journey of coming out 💖💜💙

What I hate about them: she hasn't done anything wrong, ever 💕 the thing is, I'm a sucker for the mean girl characters she was in s1, and now she is amazing. even the bad stuff she's done, I can understand her reasoning and might even do the same.

Favorite Moment/Quote: "save a horse, ride a cowboy" aka Isobel and Michael trying to convert Max in the bar in s2. I loved when she came out to Michael. her conversation with Michael about wanting to be a mom in 2x10. everything with her and Kyle at Planet 7 in s2. everything in 2x02 with the lentil. spending the full 3x09 episode cockblocking delmanes. kicking Jones' ass in 3x08. I'm gonna stop now while I still can.

What I would like to see more focus on: I want more Isobel/Michael scenes simply because I love them together, but s3 has been pretty good on that. honestly, I think the show gives everything pretty well.

What I would like to see less focus on: see above, the show is dping pretty well I think.

Favorite pairing with: so the gif of her and Kyle at Planet 7 from s2? I was shipping them at the time (also kylex, but that's another story). it looks like s3 might finally deliver on that and I'm here for it 👀

Favorite friendship: also with Kyle, especially in early s3. and Maria and Isobel trying to be sisters is amazing. I'm not counting Michael bc he's family but they are my favourites.

NOTP: I don't think the show proposed any pairing I didn't like. obviously not counting Noah, but he's six feet underground.

Favorite headcanon: I just know that Isobel and Michael drive Max absolutely crazy with all the shitty bi puns they make constantly.

What I love about them: everything 💕 she's badass, she's loyal, she's kind, she has a good taste in men, she has great style, she's a good friend, she's smart 💕

What I hate about them: nothing, she's literally perfect 💕

Favorite Moment/Quote: Alex: How does any straight men survive you? Maria: They don't. I love the scene when she finds out about Rosa being alive. it's heartbreaking, but it is amazing. that...certain scene in 3x09 with delmanes 😌 in the pilot, when Liz wants to leave the reunion, but Maria requests a song to make her stay and they dance 💕

What I would like to see more focus on: her in general. delmanes.

What I would like to see less focus on: nothing I can think of

Favorite pairing with: 😌 Gregory Manes our beloved ❤ I also liked miluca too. too bad it was clear from the beginning that they won't last.

Favorite friendship: Alex. except for that thing that happened in 2x06 that we don't talk about. ever.

NOTP: there isn't really one. I just want her to be happy.

Favorite headcanon: I'm coming up with these on the spot, but I think that after Rosa died, she used to listen to the same music Rosa liked and scribble lyrics everywhere to feel closer to her.

What I love about them: Kyle my love 💕 I love his character development. the s1 flashbacks showed him to be a jerk and a bully, and we got to see how far he's come. I also absolutely love that he still pretends to be annoyed by Max, despite clearly having a good relationship. also, I'll never get over him having his bi awakening watching Alex threaten a mortician to give them the dead body of Isobel's alien husband so they can give Max a heart transplant. iconic. also his thing with closets. the writers are not subtle.

What I hate about them: I don't think there is anything. not a fan of who he used to be in high school, but he was a kid and he clearly matured and became a better person since.

Favorite Moment/Quote: like I said with Isobel, everything that happened with them at Planet 7. early s2 doing an alien heart transplant at 2am with his high school ex on her current bf in Michael's underground hideout and he's just "I guess this is my life now". "You called and I broke the speed limit." the scene with Liz about stealing dna or cells and Liz goes "hi, have we met?" looking through his dad's cabin with Alex. his scenes with Rosa, trying to be a good big bro. "Is everyone in love with Max Evans?" s2, Max: "I tried to call you", Kyle: " who gave you my number?"

What I would like to see more focus on: him being alive. yeah, right now that is my standard. just. let him live.

What I would like to see less focus on: his death, thank you very much. a little less impaling, a little more being alive.

Favorite pairing with: I really liked the idea of him and Isobel back in s2. now in s3 they seemed to become close friends and I accepted and loved that. it looks like from 3x10 that the writers might go there afterall and I'm not complaining 👀 I still want him to come out though, even if he never hooks up with or dates a guy (though that would be a huge miss on from the show). it would just be so great if a bi woman and a bi guy dated. I'd love to see that.

Favorite friendship: Alex and Kyle, true gay-bi alliance, unparallelled comedic duo.

NOTP: idk... I liked him with everyone. with Liz, with Isobel, with Alex for that short while it seemed like it might go that direction, with Steph... really, he was great with everyone.

Favorite headcanon: he totally, 100% kept that alien plushie.

okay, this was part one. I'm afraid tumblr might eat my post otherwise, so I'll post the rest separately.

thank you, bestie 💖 it's been fun, as always 💖 I'm so happy I could bully you into watching this show 😌💕

[rnmfanvids]

Ruin the Friendship || Miluca

By Chris31313

Paring: Miluca

Characters: Michael Guerin, Maria DeLuca

Music: Ruin the Friendship by Demi Lovato

Links: Original Tumblr Post