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meggiejolly · 1 year ago

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

05:43 pm

This was a terrible idea

Why did no one tell me he's hot?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Liz Ortecho

05:57 pm

Is he? I haven’t met him yet.

Maria DeLuca

05:59 pm

Send us a picture!

07:19 pm

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

Liz Ortecho

07:21 pm

Hold on, I’ll text Max.

Marie DeLuca

07:22 pm

How’s the apartment besides the hot roommate?

07:22 pm

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

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

As soon as I get over how hot he is.

Liz Ortecho

07:24 pm

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

07:25 pm

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

Marie DeLuca

07:27 pm

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

07:28 pm

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

Also he does play guitar.

Maria DeLuca

07:29 pm

😂

Liz Ortecho

07:29 pm

😂

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

07:31 pm

No! Don’t you dare!

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

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

Liz Ortecho

07:34 pm

Oh sure Still… the convenience… ;)

07:35 pm

LIZ!

Maria DeLuca

07:36 pm

😂

07:38 pm

I miss you already.

Liz Ortecho

07:39 pm

❤️

Maria DeLuca

07:40 pm

We miss you too! ❤️

07:42 pm

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Good, I’ll tackle the broccoli.”

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

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

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

“Don’t even joke about that.”

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

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

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

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

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

“You could do the bell peppers.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Yeah… maybe.”

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

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

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

“I think we earned a beer.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

“Isn’t that cheating then?”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

6:36pm

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

Liz Ortecho

6:38 pm

And you didn’t tell us?!?! Rude!

6:39 pm

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

MariaAwww DeLuca

6:40 pm

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

Liz Ortecho

6:41 pm

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

He is coming right?

6:42 pm

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

Marie DeLuca

6:43

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

6:44

Shut up!

… Yes, thank you.

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

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

“Damn, you clean up nice Manes.”

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

8:23 pm

I kissed him.

He kissed me back

8: 25 pm

The open mic thing went great, btw.

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

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

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jule1122 · 1 month ago

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Malex Fic - Maybe you'll come back as someone that you like

My @rnm-secret-santa gift for @dayscrazed. Canon divergent S1 fic that tries to figure out what would happen if Alex and Michael never got together in high school. Instead they hook after the reunion - Michael's a high school teacher back for the summer and Alex joined Deep Sky after he was injured in the Air Force. They both have secrets to keep, but fall in love. Alien drama with Noah and sibling bonding with Isobel. I hope this makes your holidays a little brighter!

Title from the gorgeous song "Life's Gonna Kill You (If You Let It) by Man-Made Sunshine

Maybe you'll come back as someone that you like on AO3

Summary:

“I used to steal your guitar in high school,” he tells Alex. “I know.” Michael raises his brow but doesn’t say anything so Alex continues. “You always returned it and tuned it better than I could so I didn’t see a reason to make a big deal out of it.” Michael laughs and shakes his head, “I was trying to get your attention.” When Michael and Alex hook up after their 10 year reunion, it was supposed to be a one night stand. They are both back in Roswell with secrets to protect. Falling in love wasn't part of the plan.

Alex sips his drink and does one more visual sweep of the room before caving and pulling out his phone. “Where are you?” he asks as soon as Liz picks up.

“Alex? Oh my god, is the reunion today?” Liz sounds surprised to hear from him.

“Liz,” Alex groans.

“I am so sorry. I meant to come, I really did,” Liz apologizes frantically. “It’s just the samples came in and the preliminary report is due next week. I haven’t even left the lab in like three days. I completely forgot.”

“I hate you,” Alex tells her, but there’s no heat behind it. It's his fault for not insisting the drive back together. He knows how easily Liz gets caught up in her work.

“You love me and you know it,” Liz laughs. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“You better,” Alex threatens before hanging up.

Now what? Alex only agreed to come to the reunion because Liz begged him to go with her. The drinks are watered down, and the next person who thanks him for his service might not make it out alive. Alex decides to cut his losses and leave, but he stops on his way out when he notices an open room off the main hallway. Something is off with his prosthetic, and he should fix it before he starts the drive back to the cabin.

The room is bathed in blue light from a projector rotating through a slide show of high school pictures. Alex ignores them, and props his foot up on an empty chair and rolls up his pant leg. It doesn’t take time to find the problem and make an adjustment. Alex pushes his foot against the chair and sighs in relief when nothing pinches or rubs uncomfortably. He’s about to roll his pant leg back down when he hears footsteps behind him.

“Nostalgia’s a bitch.”

Alex turns and sees Michael Guerin standing in the doorway. He knows him as well as he knew anyone in high school, maybe a little better since their social circles occasionally overlapped. Michael was friends with Max Evans who has an obvious crush on Liz. They hung out a few times, but weren’t close. “I don’t know. Other than a fully functional leg,” Alex taps his prosthetic because he refuses to be ashamed of it, “there’s nothing I miss about high school.”

Michael gives his leg a quick glance, but doesn’t linger on it. “So why are you here? It can’t be for the free drinks because they suck.”

Alex laughs, “I was supposed to meet Liz Ortecho here, but she bailed. You?”

“Isobel organized the whole thing and threatened me with pain of death if I didn’t show up.”

Neither of them say anything for a minute, and Alex straightens up, ready to leave before things get awkward when Michael speaks again.

“I used to steal your guitar in high school,” he tells Alex.

“I know.” Michael raises his brow but doesn’t say anything so Alex continues. “You always returned it and tuned it better than I could so I didn’t see a reason to make a big deal out of it.”

Michael laughs and shakes his head, “I was trying to get your attention.”

“Really?” Alex asks. It never occurred to him that Michael could have an ulterior motive for taking the guitar.

Michael shrugs, and Alex looks him over. He’s grown into his features since high school - long legs and broad shoulders. His tight jeans and light cream colored sweater look good on him. It might be too warm for the sweater, but Alex can’t really justify his own leather jacket so he decides not to judge. It’s Michael’s hair he can’t look away from - curly and wild, brushing the back of his neck - Alex wants to get his hands into it. Alex hasn’t been with anyone since things with Forrest fizzled out and for the first time in a while, he wants. “You have my attention now.”

“Do I?” Michael smirks and rocks back on his heels. “You want to get out of here?”

“Desperately,” Alex laughs. They walk out to the parking lot together, pausing when it becomes time to go to their own vehicles. “Do you still live in Roswell?” he asks Michael.

“Fuck, no,” Michael says, his face falling. “I’m staying with Max Evans.”

Alex thinks quickly and realizes there is no reason he can’t take Michael to the cabin. “I’ve got a place if you don’t mind a bit of a drive. You can follow me.”

Michael’s headlights remain steady behind Alex’s the whole time so he knows Michael hasn’t changed his mind. He lets him in the cabin and watches the face Michael makes when he takes in the decor - all heavy furniture and dark would. “Doesn’t seem like your kind of place,” he finally remarks.

“It’s not,” Alex agrees. “It’s Jim Valenti’s old cabin. He left it to me when he died. I’m only here for a short term assignment so I haven’t bothered redecorating.”

Michael nods, “Just tell me there won’t be any dead animals staring at us in the bedroom.”

“The only eyes on you will be mine,” Alex promises, holding out his hand. Michael reaches back out and Alex leads him to the bedroom.

He immediately pulls Michael in for a kiss. It’s heated from the start, Michael instantly opening his mouth for Alex. When he gets his hands in Michel’s hair, it’s just as soft as he imagined - curling perfectly around his fingers. Michael moans and tilts his head back when Alex tugs at his curls, and Alex turns his attention to Michael’s neck, sucking a mark just above his collarbone.

“I want to get my mouth all over you,” Alex tells him.

“Yeah?” Michael looks at him, eyes already heavy with desire, lips slick and shining.

Alex nods and nudges Michael onto the bed. He strips Michael’s sweater off him quickly, and is moving toward his belt buckle when Michael laughs and starts to help him.

“All you had to do was ask,” Michael teases. “Alex, please take your clothes off. See how easy that was.”

Alex takes off everything but his underwear, Michael’s already seen his prosthetic so there’s no reason to hesitate. Once Michael is naked, Alex lays down next to him. He kisses him again, letting his hands roam over Michael’s body, learning the feel of him. Michael’s more muscular than Alex expected, skim smooth and taut over his body. It doesn’t take long before his mouth follows the path his hands had taken.

Michael is beautifully responsive - moaning when Alex sucks on his nipples and grasping at Alex’s hair and shoulders when he licks and bites at the skin near Michael’s hips. Alex licks his lips when he finally gets to Michael’s cock. Michael is already hard and leaking, and Alex can’t wait to taste him. He nudges Michael’s cock with his nose, breathing in his scent, but he stops at the last second, barely remembering to ask, “Do I need a condom?”

“No, I’m clean, tested and everything.” Michael assures him.

“Good,” Alex hates the taste of latex. With nothing to delay him, he takes Michael’s cock into his mouth. Michael hips twitch, not enough to choke Alex, but enough to push his cock in deeper. Alex moans around him and licks at the shaft, pulling back until just the head is in his mouth. He sucks at it then traces around it with his tongue. When Michael gets restless, shifting on the bed and asking for more, Alex works his way back down.

As much as he wants to take his time, he’s hard himself and wants to get Michael off before he comes in his own underwear like a teenager. He slides his hands under Michael’s ass and encourages him to move. Michael takes the hint, thrusting carefully into Alex’s mouth. It’s not long before Michael taps his shoulder, “Close,” he moans.

Alex nods but doesn’t pull back. Instead he sucks harder, swallowing happily when Michael’s come floods his mouth. He waits until Michael is still to release him from his mouth, resting his head on Michael’s thigh.

“Jesus,” Michael pants. “You’re good at that.”

“Lots of practice,” Alex laughs. He stretches out and moves high enough up the bed to kiss Michael. He winces when his cock brushes against Michael’s hip.

Michael must notice, because he pulls back. “Let me,” he gestures, reaching for Alex’s cock. He waits for Alex to nod before pulling his underwear off, maneuvering it carefully around Alex’s prosthetic.

“Lube?” Michael asks, moving away briefly when Alex points to the nightstand.

Alex sighs in relief when Michael wraps his hand around him. He closes his eyes and moves to the rhythm Michael sets, thrusting up when Michael pulls back.

Michael’s other hand drifts to Alex’s ass, and Alex opens his eyes to see Michael biting his lip.

“Can I?” Michael asks.

“Yeah,” Alex grants permission, spreading his legs to make it easier. He shudders at the first brush of Michael’s finger over his hole. He doesn’t do much more than that, stroking around his rim without pushing more than the tip of his finger inside. Another time Alex would ask him to finger him, stretch him open while he jerks him off, but Alex is already on edge, and he just wants to come. All it takes is the press of a second finger, and Alex is spilling over Michael’s hand.

By the time he catches his breath and opens his eyes, Michael is standing next to the bed, awkwardly gathering his clothes. “I’m just gonna go.”

“Sure,” Alex shrugs. He’s a little disappointed, but they both got what they came for. “Bathrooms off to the left if you want to get cleaned up.”

“Thanks,” Michael gives him a quick wave and leaves the room.

Alex waits until he hears the front door close to get up himself. He’s still tired from his orgasm, and all he wants to do is get his prosthetic off and take a shower.

The next morning, Alex begins reviewing the files for his assignment. Reunion aside, he’s not in Roswell to socialize. Since Deep Sky recruited him after his injury, his primary assignment has been decoding the alien artifacts and devices Deep Sky has acquitted over the years. He’s only been told the bare bones of his family’s involvement with aliens and his own personal investigations have been stonewalled. Director Ramos insisting on not allowing him to work on an assignment with personal ties.

But all that had changed with the discovery of an alien serial killer in Roswell. Deep Sky needed to find the killer and neutralize the threat before Jesse Manes did. Roswell is a tight knit community, and a stranger coming into town would draw too much attention. With the reunion as the perfect excuse to bring Alex back, he was assigned the case. Alex intends to leverage it for information on exactly what his father is up to. No matter what Director Ramos plans, Alex will be the one to bring his father down.

Alex spends the day meticulously studying the files on each of the ten murder victims. He needs to find something to establish a pattern, but so far he hasn’t found anything. Due to how the alien kills the victims, establishing an exact time of death is impossible, and since the victims are vagrants, prostitutes and drug addicts with little or no family ties, there is no reliable information on when they were last seen alive.

Alex has given up for the day and is putting away his laundry when he spots the hat. Michael’s cowboy hat is sitting in the corner of the bedroom where it must have landed when Alex pushed it off his head. The hat is black, and the bedroom doesn’t have the best lighting so he’s not surprised neither of them noticed it before Michael left. He snaps a quick picture and looks for Michael’s name in his contacts, grateful they had exchanged numbers before leaving the reunion as a precaution in case they got separated on the way to the cabin.

“Forget something,” he tests Michael along with the picture.

There’s no response, but about an hour later, someone knocks on the cabin door. Alex isn't surprised to find Michael on the other side. It’s not like anyone else knows where he is. “Hey,” he greets Michael, waving him inside.

“Sorry for just showing up, but I was out driving when I got your text and the signal’s not the best out here.” Michael explains.

“No problem,” Alex shrugs. The hat is clearly visible on the coffee table, but neither of them move toward it. “Are you hungry? I could heat something up.”

Michael shakes his head. “No, I’m good.”

“Is there something you do want?” Alex moves closer to Michael, not quite touching him.

“You could fuck me,” Michael says boldly, closing the remaining distance between them.

Alex kisses him roughly, grabbing his shirt and pulling Michael along as he walks backward toward the bedroom, only stopping when he backs into the wall, startling a laugh out of Michael.

“Sorry,” Alex apologizes. “Still getting used to the layout.”

“It’s fine,” Michael kisses him again, quick and bruising before taking Alex’s hand and leading this time. “Just come on.”

Alex sits on the edge of the bed and pulls Michael into his lap. They keep kissing, rough and eager, pulling back occasionally to catch their breath. Alex works Michael’s shirt out of his pants, sliding his hands underneath and urging him out of it.

“I want to get you hard,” Michael pants while Alex thumbs at his nipples.

“Yeah,” Alex agrees breathlessly. Michael gets up and strips out of his pants while Alex works on getting his own clothes off. He won’t need much help getting hard, cock twitching as soon Michael gets down on his knees.

Michael strokes Alex’s thighs, pushing his legs apart and settling between them. Michael takes him in his mouth, sucking gently, hands still rubbing his thighs, just brushing against his balls. Alex braces himself with one hand, dropping the other on Michael’s head. He finds himself playing with Michael’s hair again, combing his fingers through it and wrapping the curls around his fingers.

When he’s had enough of Michael’s teasing, he gives his hair a sharp tug, and Michael releases him with a drawn out moan. “You like that,” Alex teases.

“Not hard to figure out,” Michael counters. Michael takes the lube and a condom from the drawer while Alex settles against the headboard. He pulls at Michael until he’s straddling his lap, grabbing the lube before Michel can open it.

“Let me,” he tells Michael, coating his fingers with the lube. Michael starts to move away, but Alex shakes his head. “Want to ride me?”

“Hell, yeah,” Michael rises up on his knees and leans forward, bracing himself on Alex’s chest.

It’s not the best angle, but Alex doesn’t mind. He likes that he can still kiss Michael like this. Alex reaches behind him and circles his hole with his finger. He waits for Michael to push back against him before he presses inside. Michael opens beautifully, meeting every thrust of his fingers, it doesn’t take long before he adds a second then a third finger.

Michael’s movements become more frantic and his cock drags along Alex’s, causing both of them to shudder. Michael pulls away from Alex’s mouth, “Come on, you said you’d fuck me.”

Alex nods, pulling his fingers free. He barely gets the condom on before Michael is sinking onto his cock. As soon as he settles, Alex holds his hips steady and thrusts up as far as he can.

“Yeah,” Michael moans, throwing his head back. “Just like that.”

Michael’s tight and warm around him, and Alex wants it to last forever, but he’s already close. He tries to slow things down, but Michael pinches his nipple and whines, “Come on, harder,” when Alex relaxes the pace.

Alex gives in, fucking Michael as hard as he can from this angle. It’s all he can do to keep his eyes open and watch as Michael starts to stroke his own cock. He tightens around Alex, and Alex holds on as long as he can, but finds his own release as soon as Michael’s come hits his chest.

“Thanks,” Michael says breathlessly as he slides off Alex, both of them wincing slightly at the separation.

“Any time,” Alex laughs, meaning it more than he should.

Michael stands up, “I’m just gonna,” he gestures toward the bathroom.

Alex waits until he leaves and takes care of the condom. After a few minutes, he makes his own way to the bathroom, passing Michael in the hallway. “Hey,” he stops Michael with a hand on his arm. “You can stay if you want.”

Michael doesn’t say anything, just nods and keeps walking, but he’s in the bed when Alex comes back to the bedroom. He’s on his phone, but he sets it aside when he notices Alex. “Just letting Max know I won’t be back tonight.”

“It’s not a problem is it?” Alex isn’t sure why he’s asking. He knows Michael isn’t involved with Max, but he feels like he should check.

“Nah, he doesn’t care, just likes to know I haven’t dropped off the face of the earth,” Michael says easily.

“Ok,” Alex sits on the bed and taps his prosthetic, “I’m going to take this off now.” He doesn’t ask, it’s not like leaving it on is an option, but he wants Michael to know what he’s doing. Michael watches, eyes curious but not judgemental, as Alex removes it and takes care of the liner.

Alex turns out the light and gets into bed. It’s awkward, and he remembers why he never spent the night with Forrest. Then Michael sighs dramatically and moves closer, still not quite touching, but closing the distance between them. Alex rolls onto his side, throwing his arm around Michael’s waist, and slowly relaxes until he falls asleep.

When Alex wakes up he’s alone, he’s not surprised, but he is disappointed. He waits a few minutes for the feeling to fade before he gets out of bed. Alex grabs his crutches, shorts and Tshirt and heads to the bathroom. He takes a quick shower, letting the hot water wake him the rest of the way up. Once he’s dressed, he heads to the living room to start on the files again, but detours to the kitchen when he smells coffee.

Michael’s standing at the stove, jeans on but barefoot and shirtless. “Hey,” Michael turns and smiles when he hears Alex come in. “I was just about to wake you. Omelettes will be ready in a minute. Coffee’s done, but I didn’t know how you liked it.”

“Hot,” Alex jokes as he fixes his coffee. He sets it on the table, and gets some forks and napkins before sitting down. Michael already has plates waiting, and he fills them, setting them on the table before getting his own coffee and joining Alex.

“I hope you don’t mind,” Michael points to the omelettes. “I couldn’t fall back to sleep and thought I’d make myself useful.”

“You didn’t have to,” Alex reassures him, “but I appreciate it. I’m not much of a cook.”

“I noticed you didn’t have much stocked, but I thought maybe you were just settling in?”

“Not sure how long I’ll be here,” Alex admits with a shrug. “I’m only here for a job, and the faster it’s done the better, but it might be more complicated than I hoped.”

“What do you do?” Michael asks. “I assume you’re out the service.”

“Yeah, I took a medical discharge after this,” Alex taps his prosthetic. “I’ve been in cyber security ever since. I have a local client who’s experiencing some pretty serious breaches so I need to figure out what’s going on,” Alex lies easily, following the cover story Deep Sky gave him. “What about you? How long are you staying in Roswell?”

“I’m here for the summer,” Michael tells him. “I teach science at a high school outside Albuquerque. Since I was coming for the reunion, I decided to stay awhile.”

“You do that every summer?”

“No,” Michael laughs. “This will be the first time I’ve been back for more than a weekend.”

“Well, this is the first time I’ve been back at all,” Alex admits. “But I’m based out of Albuquerque so maybe we would have crossed paths eventually.”

“Maybe.” Before he can say anything else, Michael’s phone alerts. His eyes go wide when he reads what’s on the screen. “I’ve got to go. Shit, I’m sorry, but I’ve got to leave.”

He stands up and immediately heads to the door. “Wait,” Alex yells to stop him. “Michael, you need to get dressed.”

“Jesus, sorry,” Michael apologizes again.

Alex follows him to the living room, where he throws on the clothes he’d left folded neatly on the back of the couch. “Keys,” Alex reminds him.

Michael pats his jean’s pocket and pulls them out. “Sorry about leaving you with a mess, but I can’t stay.”

“It’s alright, just be safe,” Alex tells him. Michael leans forward, and for a moment Alex thinks he’s going to kiss him, but then he turns and leaves. Alex stands in the doorway while he drives away, wondering just what has Michael panicking, and if it’s something he needs to know about.

Michael calls Max as soon as he gets on the road. “What do you mean Isobel’s missing?” he demands.

“Noah called this morning looking for her. I guess she never came home last night. I covered the best I could, but I don’t know where she is,” Max sounds as stressed as Michael feels.

“We have to find her.” Michael didn’t tell Max where he spent the night, and he’d rather not get into it, but he can’t exactly hide that he’s not in town. “I’ll head out to the caves and check the pods. I’m not that far from there. You check around town.”

Isobel isn’t in the caves or anywhere Michael can see her. He’s not sure where to go next when Max calls him. “I found her,” he tells Michael.

“Where? Is she ok?” Michael demands.

“She’s fine, just confused. I found her in a clearing past the junkyard you worked at in high school.”

“What was she doing there?” Michael can’t think of any reason for Isobel to be there.

“No idea. I’m taking her back to my house if you want to meet us.”

Max meets Michael on the porch, dressed in his Sheriff’s uniform. “I have to get to work. Can you stay with her?” he asks.

“Of course,” Michael agrees. “How is she?”

“Upset. She doesn’t remember anything about last night. She was just sitting in the grass in the same clothes she wore yesterday. I made her take a shower, and she’s sleeping now. I just don't want to leave her alone.”

“I got her,” Michael reassures him. “I’ll call if we need anything.”

“Thanks,” Max hugs him gratefully before leaving.

Michael enters the house quietly. Isobel is asleep on the couch, she’s frowning even in her sleep, and Michael just wants to fix everything for her. He settles for adjusting her blanket and settling in the armchair across from the couch. He plays on his phone for a bit, opens an email from his principal about curriculum updates, but he can’t concentrate - too busy looking at Isobel every few minutes to see if she’s awake. Michael ends up flipping through the books on Max’s coffee table, desperate for a distraction.

“I didn’t think ‘War and Peace’ was your thing,” Isobel says, startling Michael.

“It’s not,” Michael makes a face and sets the book down. “You’re awake,” he adds as if it wasn’t obvious.

“Unfortunately,” Isobel sits up, pushing off the blanket and rubbing her face with her hands. “Michael, what’s wrong with me?”

“I don’t know,” he admits, joining her on the couch and wrapping his arm around her. “But we’ll figure it out, and it will be ok.”

“Will it?” Isobel asks, sadly. “Because last time this happened, I killed three people. I can’t let that happen again.”

“It won’t,” Michael says, horrified at her distress. “Max and I won’t let that happen again. I promise.”

“How? Are you going to follow me around every minute of the day?”

“We will if we have to,” Michael promises.

“You don’t even know where I was last night. I don’t know where I was. I could already have killed someone, and how would I even know?” Isobel asks, her eyes filled with tears.

“Iz, I don’t know, but will figure it out,” Michael hates feeling helpless, but all he can do is hold her while she cries.

Once Isobel finishes crying, Michael makes her a cup of tea. They sit in silence for a while - Michael unwilling to offer more empty promises and reassurances. They don’t know what’s happening to her, and they don’t know how to fix it. Eventually Isobel sets her cup down, and looks at Michael, determination on her face, “Alright, talk to me about something else. Anything else.”

“I hooked up with Alex Manes,” he tells her without meaning to.

“Ohh, your high school crush, nice,” Isobel high fives him.

“I think it was a mistake,” Michael shakes his head.

“Why? Is he bad in bed?” Isobel asks, making a face.

“No, that is definitely not the problem.”

“Then what is?”

“I think I like him,” Michael admits. “And it can’t mean anything, but I think I want it to.”

“Then let it,” Isobel tells him, taking his hand. “You don’t have to be alone.”

“I can’t do it, Iz. I don’t know how you stand it - loving someone and lying to them all the time.” Both Michael and Max thought marrying Noah was a mistake. But he made Isobel happy, and that’s all they ever wanted for her. Michael knew he wasn’t meant for that kind of happiness.

“I’m not lying to him. I’m not!” Isobel insists when Michael makes a face at her. “He’s never actually asked me if I was an alien. I know I’m keeping something from him, but it doesn’t change the way I feel about him.”

“You don’t think he’s going to figure it out?” Michael asks, not convinced she can hide this forever.

“I don’t use my powers like you do,” she reminds him. “He’ll never know.”

“What about kids? It would be hard to hide a baby with powers,” Michael reminds her.

“I told Noah I couldn’t have children. Don’t,” she stops Michael before he can protest. “We don’t know if I can, if we can have babies with humans, and I don’t want to be an experiment. We were just starting to talk about adoption when this happened,” Isobel gestures to her head.

“It seems like a big risk to me,” Michael tells her.

“He’s worth it,” Isobel shrugs and smiles. “But enough about me. When are you going to see Alex again?”

“I don’t know that I am. I shouldn’t,” Michael admits.

“Yes, you should. Look, it doesn’t have to be serious. You’re only here for the summer so have a fling. Enjoy yourself. Alex is hot, you said he’s good in bed so spend a few months getting laid.”

“Ok, that is officially too much talking about my sex life. I’m going to make you some lunch,” Michael stands up and puts an end to the conversation.

Isobel leaves a few hours later, insisting she needs to be home before Noah gets back from work. Michael doesn’t want to let her go, but they can’t keep her prisoner. Max calls after work and tells Michael he’s going to hang around Isobel’s for a while to make sure she doesn’t wander off. At loose ends and with Isobel’s voice still in his head, he decides to reach out to Alex.

“Sorry for running out on you this morning. Buy you a drink to make it up to you?” he texts.

It’s almost ten minutes before Alex replies, “Love to but not up to the drive tonight. Rain check?”

Michael’s disappointed, but he understands. Alex’s cabin isn’t that close to town, and it’s a bit of a drive just for a drink with a guy you slept with a few times. He could still hit up the Wild Pony or Saturn’s Rings, but he’s not in the mood to be surrounded by strangers. And Michael doesn’t want to spend the night sitting around Max’s house, worrying about Isobel. So he sends another text, “Have you had dinner yet?”

This time Alex answers right away, “No.”

Michael smiles, “Go to Crashdown order.”

His phone alerts right away with another text.

Alex is happy to hear from Michael, but sighs when he reads the offer for a drink. After Michael left, he’d spent the day researching, not bothering to put his prosthetic on. As much as he wants to see Michael, the thought of putting on now and driving into Roswell is not appealing. He debates with himself for a while, but eventually declines the offer - hoping Michael will read his interest in a rain check as genuine.

Michael’s offer of dinner is even more of a surprise, and one Alex eagerly accepts. He straightens up while waiting for Michael - making sure everything related to Deep Sky is securely locked up. He’s just finished wiping down the counter, when Michael knocks.

“Come in,” he yells. He takes the bag from Michael when he enters the kitchen, kissing him softly. “Thanks for this.”

“We should probably eat soon,” Michael tells him. “I put the milkshakes in a cooler, and the food is still warm, but it won’t stay that way for mich longer.”

“Is that your way of letting me know you won’t put out before dinner?” Alex teases. “I’m kidding,” Alex holds up his hands and laughs at the expression on Michael’s face.

“You can’t reheat fries, Alex. It would be a crime to let these get cold,” Michael says, barely keeping a straight face.

“You have a point,” Alex concedes “Come on.”

It doesn’t take long to get everything set up so they can eat. Alex moans after taking his first few bites, “Nobody makes enchiladas like Arturo.”

“I’ve always stuck with the classic,” Michael tells him, indicating his plate with a bacon jalapeno burger and what must be a double order of fries.

“Here,” Alex cuts off a chunk of enchiladas and slides it onto Michael’s plate. “I’ll trade you for some fries.”

“Help yourself,” Michael turns the side of his plate with the fires toward Alex. “You’re right,” he says after trying the enchiladas. “These are amazing.”

“Told you,” Alex says smugly.

They both go back to eating, not saying much until they are cleaning up. “Oh, I almost forgot. Arturo said to tell you hello, and you’d better come by in person before leaving.”

“You told him you were coming here?” Alex asks, surprised because he knows Michael didn’t tell Max where he was staying last night.

“No, he figured it out. Told me he took the Banana Foster’s Ranch milkshake off the menu years ago because you were the only one who ever ordered it. Said you were lucky he had the ingredients for other menu items and could still make it for you,” Michael tells him with a smile.

Alex freezes. “And it’s ok that he knows?” Alex isn’t sure what it was about him that had people questioning his sexuality long before he got his first piercing or even thought about wearing eyeliner to school, but it’s not like that for everyone. He wouldn’t want to be responsible for accidentally outing Michael.

“Sure, why wouldn’t it be?” Michael asks, clearly confused.

“If he knows you're with me, he’ll assume,” Alex gestures between them. “I don’t know if you're out or if it could be a problem with your job.”

“Oh, not it’s fine.” Michael waits while Alex puts the last dish away then walks into the living room. He sits down on the couch and motions for Alex to join him. “It’s sweet that you’re concerned, but Roswell’s not my home anymore. Max and Isobel already know, and I don’t care what anyone else thinks. As far as my job, I work in a fairly liberal district. I’ve never made any big announcement, but I don’t hide the fact that I’m bisexual.”

“I’m glad,” Alex says relieved. Deciding a change of subject is in order, he asks Michael about his career. “So teaching? As smart you are, I thought you’d end up like Liz Ortecho - multiple doctorates in some fields no one else ever heard of.”

“That was the plan,” Michael admits with a laugh.

“What happened?”

“I was on track with my engineering degree, and I started doing some tutoring on the side. Fell in love with it and realized I liked teaching science more than I liked being a scientist.”

“And you don’t regret it?” Alex asks.

Michael shakes his head, “Best decision I ever made. What about you? I know your family is all about the military, but I was pretty surprised when you enlisted.”

“So was I,” Alex admits with a laugh. “That was never the plan. I was going to be the one to break tradition, to get out.”

“So why didn’t you?”

“I never had a real plan. I wanted to make music, but I was realistic enough to know that was a long shot. Things got real intense with my dad senior year. I felt like I couldn’t win with him. As much as I wanted to get away from him, I also wanted to prove him wrong. I thought that if I joined the Air Force and did better than him, he would have to admit he was wrong about me, that I wasn’t weak or useless. Stupid,” Alex shakes his head.

“I don’t think it was stupid,” Michael puts his hand on Alex’s knee. “Families can fuck you up as much as not having one does. You did the best you could.”

“Maybe,” Alex places his hand over Michaels, interlocking their fingers.

“Did it help?” Michael asks, “with your dad?”

“Fuck, no,” Alex laughs harshly. “We haven’t spoken since I was hurt, and he reminded me of what a disappointment I am. I think he would have preferred I was killed so he could have pretended I was a hero.”

Michael studies him for a moment, and Alex regrets being so honest. But then Michael stands up with letting go of Alex’s hand. “I for one am very glad you are still alive.”

“Yeah?” Alex asks, not really a question, as he stands up as well.

“Yeah,” Michael repeats. “And since dinner is over, you should let me show you just how happy.”

Even though it’s Alex’s house, Michael is the one to lead the way to the bedroom. Alex is more than happy to follow.

Michael stays the night and the next, on the third day he brings over his duffel bag from Max’s. They don’t talk about it. The closest they come is a brief discussion of past relationships.

“Nothing to report,” Michael says cheerfully. “No one’s ever stuck around for more than a night or two. Until now, I guess.”

Alex isn’t surprised, but he pretends to be. “Seriously? I’m not sure if I should be flattered or concerned you’ve become desperate.”

“Good question. I’ll let you know when I decide. What about you Manes?”

Alex stiffens without meaning to. No one’s called him that since he left the Air Force, and he hoped he would never hear it again. He shakes his head, “Alex please.”

“Sorry,” Michael doesn’t push for more of an explanation. “So Alex, have you left a string of broken hearts in your wake?”

“Hardly,” Alex laughs. “You know what it was like here. I never said I was gay, but everyone seemed to know. But it was not like there was anything I could do about it.” Michael starts to protest, but Alex cuts him off. “I didn’t know you were an option. When I joined the Air Force, I just wanted to fit it so I put anything personal aside. I did date someone at work for a while last year.”

“Was it serious,” Michael asks.

“Not really, but I wanted it to be,” Alex admits. “I met Forrest at a work function, and he was ex military like me, but he’s very comfortable in his sexuality, in who he is. I envied that and also found it very attractive. He hit on me right away, and I was so flattered, it was easy to go along. It felt good, going on dates with a cute guy who liked me, I’d never had that before.” Alex smiles at the memories.

“What happened?”

Michael rubs his leg. It’s a gesture of comfort Alex doesn’t need, but he likes it when Michael touches him so he leans into it. “I think I liked the idea of Forrest more than I liked Forrest. It fizzled out when we realized we wanted different things. Forrest likes to push, to challenge people, to force a different world than the one we grew up in. I admire that about him. But I didn’t want to make a statement. The more comfortable I got with my sexuality, the more I realized I wanted the things that always seemed out of reach - marriage, a family.”

“I want that too, the whole picket fence. A dad band,” Michael confesses.

“A dad band?” Alex laughs.

“It didn’t steal your guitar just to get your attention. Music has always been the best way to quiet my head,” Michael tells him.

“We should play together sometime.” Alex can picture it, making music with Michael. He can picture a lot with Michael he’s not ready to admit to. He leans back and pulls Michael on top of him. “But not tonight.”

“No,” Michael agrees before he kisses Alex. “Not tonight.”

“Tell me what you like about teaching,” Alex asks Michael one night after dinner. Michael had shown up with groceries and made lasagna. They’d fucked on the couch while it cooked. It was perfect and natural like everything with Michael is.

Alex has spent his whole life alone, but Michael fits with him in ways he never imagined. They aren’t together all the time - Michael leaves during the day so Alex can work in peace. He spends time with Max and Isobel or visits some of the communities outside Roswell, but he comes back every night. Michael accepts his disability in a way Alex hadn’t expected. He doesn’t ignore, just treats it like every other part of their lives. He hands Alex his crutches as easily as he hands him a cup of coffee. Michael took one look at Alex’s shower chair, shook his head, and reinforced it so it could hold both their weight when they showered together. Michael is brilliant and funny and kind, and even though he knows it’s destined to end in disaster, Alex is falling in love.

“How long do you have?” Michael jokes.

“All night,” Alex is completely serious. He’ll listen to Michael talk all night if that’s what he wants.

“Science is one of those love it or hate subjects you know. Or that’s how people talk about it so kids are convinced they are good at it or have no hope of passing. The kids who come in excited are a blast. They are ready for every experiment and new theory. But I really love showing the kids who come in afraid or already defeated how accessible science can be. You just have to find a way in that works for them, and when they start to get it or at least stop fighting it, it’s the best feeling in the world.”

“I wish I had more teachers like you,” Alex says, smiling at Michael’s enthusiasm. “What do you normally teach?”

“I’ve taught a little bit of everything. I like chemistry better than biology.”

“You just like blowing things up,” Alex interrupts.

“Who doesn’t like blowing things up?” Michael agrees. “This past year I had freshman for Earth science which is pretty cool and intro to biology. Then I had seniors for advanced chemistry and physics. Weird mix, but it was a fun year.”

Michael tells him more about his classes, and Alex listens, falling even more in love.

Almost a week into staying with Alex, Michael runs out again after getting a text. They are in bed, trading stories about celebrity crushes when Michael’s phone goes off with a rapid series of texts.

His face drains of color as he reads them. “Fuck, I have to go,” he says as he scrambles out of bed and throws on some clothes.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Alex offers.

“No, Michael says sharply. “Sorry,” he apologies, running his hands through his hair. “It’s just something I need to take care of.”

“You don’t have to explain,” Alex tells him gently. He wants to push for answers, but he knows this isn’t the time.

“Thanks,” Michael hesitates before leaning in and kissing Alex goodbye. “Don’t wait up.”

Alex tries to settle and go to sleep, but he can’t stop thinking. He doesn’t know what is going on with Michael, but he has a bad feeling it could be related to his assignment. He knows Michael isn’t responsible for the murders, and he doesn’t believe he would cover them up, but if he’s in contact with the killer, he could be in danger without knowing it.

Realizing he’s not getting anywhere running through worst case scenarios in his head, Alex gets up and decides to go back over the files. There has to be something he’s missing, some connection between the victims that can lead him to the killer. Until the murders began, Deep Sky had no idea there were any aliens in Roswell besides Michael, Max and Isobel, and they have all been eliminated as suspects.

Studying the files doesn’t yield any new information nor does reviewing the records he hacked from the Sheriff’s Department. The killer chose his victims well - no friends or family to push the investigation forward or demand justice. The official reports contain little information beyond the victim’s name and where and when the body was found.

None of the sites where the bodies were recovered have nearby security cameras Alex can access so that’s another dead end. He can’t go around town asking questions without raising suspicion or alerting Jesse to his investigation. Deep Sky believes Jesse is aware of the murders, but has made no more progress than they have in identifying the killer. Alex needs to keep it that way.

The sun is just starting to come up when he hears Michael’s truck approaching the cabin. He quickly logs out of all his files and shuts down the computer. He’s laying on the couch by the time Michael comes in, a random cooking show playing on the television.

“Hey,” Michael frowns when he spots Alex. “I told you not to wait up.”

“Couldn’t sleep,” Alex shrugs. “Thought I’d get some pointers,” he gestures to the television.

Michael snorts. But he sits down when Alex lifts his legs, resting his hand on Alex’s ankle once they settle. “Sorry to keep you up.”

“Michael, are you alright?” Alex asks.

Michael doesn’t answer, just sighs and tilts his head back, resting it on the couch. Alex shifts until he’s sitting up, giving himself a better view of Michael. “Please,” he prompts. He wants to help Michael if he can, but he also needs to know there is something going on that he should get involved in.

“Our senior year, Isobel, Isobel Evans,” he clarifies, “starting having migraines bad enough she would black out. Freaked the hell out of Max, but they stopped just before graduation. Now they’ve started up again and she’s gone missing a few times.”

“That must be scary,” Alex places his hand over Michael’s. There’s something in the timing that he can’t quite place, but he knows is important, but he puts that aside for the moment. It’s more important to be there for Michael.

“The last few times, Max has found her out in a field. She doesn’t remember leaving her house or how she got there. I’m afraid she’s going to hurt herself,” Michael admits.

“I’m sorry. What do her doctors say?” Alex hates asking a question he knows the answer to, but it would be more suspicious if he didn’t ask.

“They, umm,” Michael stumbles over his response. “They haven’t been able to figure out what’s causing them.”

“Is that why you decided to stay for the summer?”

“Yeah, it’s a lot for Max to handle on his own.”

“What about Isobel’s husband?” Alex doesn’t know much about him, but he knows Isobel is married.

Michael shakes his head. “Isobel doesn’t want him to know. We’ve been covering for her, but I keep telling her, he’s going to find out.”

That probably means Isobel’s husband doesn’t know she’s an alien. If he knew about the migraines, he might insist she see a doctor, something Alex is sure she wants to avoid. “Well, she’s lucky to have you,” he says instead of asking more questions.

“Not many people know this, but Max and Isobel are my family.” Michael leans into Alex, pressing closer when Alex wraps his arm around him. “We were found together before they were adopted. I’d do anything for them.”

Alex kisses the top of his head and takes a deep breath. There isn’t much he wouldn’t do for Michael, but this isn’t the time to tell him that. “Let’s go back to bed,” he says instead. “You’ve had a long night. Let me take care of you.”

Michael calls Alex the next day, a surprise because while they text occasionally, they never call each other. Alex suppresses his instinct to ask Michael if anything is wrong, “Hey, what’s going on?” he asks instead.

“Isobel wants us to come to dinner tonight,” Michael tells him.

“Do you want to go?” Alex is happy to defer to Michael’s preference.

Michael hesitates. “I’d like you to get to know Isobel, and Max,” he finally says.

“I’d like that too,” Alex says, a little surprised at how much he means it. “Just so you know, this meeting the family thing is a one way street. I have no intention of talking to mine again.”

“Your father always seemed pretty intense so I’m happy to avoid that situation,” Michael laughs.

“You have no idea,” Alex tells him. He plans to keep it that way.

“I’ll be home, back,” Michael corrects himself, “in about an hour. We can leave around six.”

Alex smiles at Michael’s slip, but doesn’t call him out on it. He’s starting to think of this as Michael’s home too, but he needs to finish his investigation and let Michael in on what he knows before they can really move forward. “See you then.”

“So what do I need to know?” Alex asks on the way over.

“Max is super over protective, more of Isobel than me, but he might be a little standoffish. Isobel loves to tease me. She’ll probably make at least one bad joke about my sex life.”

“So she’s the one to get the embarrassing stories from,” Alex laughs.

“Absolutely not,” Michael objects. “I know what I told you yesterday, but we really don’t talk about being family in front of other people. We just say we are friends.”

“Ok,” Alex takes the hand Michael isn’t using to steer and squeezes it. That’s something he’ll want to know more about another time. “What about Isobel’s husband? What’s he like?”

“Noah?” Michael shrugs. “He’s nice. He’s a lawyer. He moved to Roswell after I left so I don’t know him real well. But he adores Isobel and that’s all that matters.”

Isobel’s house is exactly what Alex expected from an event planner married to a lawyer - showy and way too big for two people. But she greets Alex warmly and leads them to the back patio for dinner which is a much more relaxed environment than the formal dining room they passed on the way out.

Noah Bracken’s manning the grill but he steps aside to introduce himself to Alex then hugs Michael which is more familiar than Alex would have anticipated based on how Michael talked about him.

“Where’s Max?” Michael asks when Isobel is getting their drinks.

“Oh, he had to cancel.” Isobel and Noah share a look before she continues. “They found a body in the Wild Pony’s parking lot.”

“Jesus,” Michael swears under his breath. “Was it anyone you know?”

“No, Max said it was a vagrant. Someone he’s picked up for loitering a few times. Probably an overdose,” Isobel adds.

Alex tries to keep his face neutral, to seem curious,but not too interested. “Was anyone else hurt?”

This time it’s Noah who answers. “Thankfully, no. It looks like the body might have been dumped there overnight when no one was around. I’m just hoping it doesn’t scare anyone off from Ranchero night. The next one is later this week.”

“Maria’s still doing those?” Alex asks. He hasn’t thought about Ranchero night in years, but he remembers how proud Mimi had been when she was able to offer free meals and a night of laughter and music to anyone who needed it.

“Yes, she’s even expanded in recent years - adding medical services and legal advice. She gets a great turnout,” Noah tells him.

“Don’t let my husband be too modest,” Isobel turns and beams at Noah. “He started offering the legal advice and wrote up the contract for the medical services.”

“Isobel exaggerates. My whole firm is involved in helping the community. But enough about me. Isobel, why don’t you tell them about the hospital fundraiser you’re planning.”

Alex can’t help but notice how quickly Noah shies away from attention. He does it all through dinner, deftly redirecting the conversation any time it starts to focus on him. Like Michael said, he’s nice, pleasant even, but in the most generic and forgettable way.

“So Alex,” Isobel turns to him once dinner is over and they are enjoying a glass of wine, “what are your intentions toward Michael?”

“Isobel, please,” Michael groans.

“No intentions,” Alex tells her with a smile. “I’m just enjoying getting to know him.”

“Well, Michael’s always been a bit of a playboy, but he’s getting too old to play the field.”

“Iz, stop, seriously,” Michael pleads.

“What?” Isobel bats her eyelashes innocently. “I’m not scaring you off, am I, Alex?”

“Not at all,” Alex shakes his head and laughs. “Please continue.”

“I hate you,” Michael mutters, kicking Alex under the table.

“Michael’s like a burnt marshmallow. I’m serious!” Isobel protests when Alex bursts out laughing and Michael hides his face in his hands. “He’s all rough on the outside but soft and gooey on the inside.”

“Ok enough wine for you,” Noah moves to take her glass away, but she holds it tightly.

“He’s so good with kids. You should see him with his students,” Isobel tells Alex earnestly. “They all adore him, even the grumpy, too cool to smile ones. Michael’s meant to have a family.”

“We’re going to go now,” Michael stands up and tugs on Alex’s hand until he gets up as well. “Before you really do scare Alex away. Noah, thanks for dinner, steaks were delicious.”

“Nice meeting you,” Alex shakes Noah’s hand as Michael tries to pull him away. “Isobel, call me anytime you want to talk about Michael.”

“Not happening,” Michael shakes his head.

“Love you, too,” Isobel shouts as they are leaving.

“Dinner was nice,” Alex says when they are on the way back.

Michael snorts, “Easy for you to say. I am never letting you and Isobel talk again.”

“Just try and stop us,” Alex kisses Michael on the cheek. “It’s nice that she cares so much.” Isobel talking about Michael having a family only confirmed what Alex already knew. Michael wanted a future with someone - a dad band, he remembers Michael telling him. More and more, Alex found himself hoping he could be that someone.

Michael grumbles, but doesn’t really say anything. Alex is content with the silence. It gives him time to think. While it’s not confirmed, he’s sure the body they found will turn out to be another alien murder, making his investigation both more complicated and more urgent. He needs to look into Ranchero night since there is a high likelihood the victims would have attended.

He is still mulling it over when they get back to the cabin, but there is nothing he can do until morning. Once they’ve locked up for the night, Alex pulls Michael in for a kiss that quickly turns heated.

“I thought you didn’t have any intentions toward me,” Michael teases when Alex tugs at Michael’s belt.

“None that I wanted to share with your sister,” Alex retorts, turning and walking back to the bedroom, confident Michael will follow.

It doesn’t take long for Alex to get his answers. He calls Maria and confirms all the victims had attended Ranchero night at least once. The murders don’t line up with Ranchero night - that would have been a pattern too obvious to miss. But Alex can only assume they are using Ranchero night as a hunting ground. Of course there is no surveillance footage, but Maria is able to send him a list of volunteers.

“Fuck,” Alex swears when he reads through the text. His worst suspicions are confirmed. Alex opens another tab on his laptop and starts researching.

When Michael gets back to the cabin that evening, Alex is pacing the floor.

“We need to talk,” he says as soon as he sees Michael.

Michael’s stomach drops. He thought things were going good with Alex, doesn’t know what he did to screw that up. But it doesn’t really matter in the end. Maybe it’s better this way before he ends up like Isobel, trying to manage a relationship built in lies. “It’s alright,” he tells Alex, even though it’s the farthest thing from alright. “I’m just going to go.”

“No,” Alex looks confused, then understanding dawns. “That’s not what I meant. I just need to talk to you.”

“About what?” Michael moves away from the door, into the cabin.

“Sit, please,” Alex guides him to the couch. He doesn’t speak again until Michael is sitting, but he doesn’t join him, just resumes his pacing. “I’m going to ask you something and it’s very important that you tell me the truth even though you won’t want to.”

“Alex, I wasn’t lying when I told you I was clean,” Michael tries to joke, to break the tension, but it falls flat.

Alex starts to say something, but then snaps his mouth shut and does a circuit of the room. He comes back to stand in front of Michael, but he still doesn’t say anything.

“What’s going on?” Michael asks. He has no idea what could have Alex so uncertain. “You wanted to talk, so talk.”

“God, I don’t even know how to ask this,” Alex runs his hand through his hair. “Please don’t lie to me. Do you know that Noah is an alien?”

“Are you insane?” All Michael can do is laugh. Noah is the most human person he knows. “You’re seriously asking me if Noah, Isobel’s husband, is an alien. I think being in Roswell is messing with your head.”

“It’s not a joke. I need you to tell me if you knew.”

“Noah’s not an alien,” Michael’s starting to get frustrated. Alex is way off base, but he can’t let him continue on this path because it might lead him to the truth about Michael. “I would,” Michael starts, then cuts himself off. He can’t explain to Alex why he can be certain. “I don’t know what kind of game you’re playing, but I’m not interested.”

He starts to get up, but Alex’s next words pin him in place. “You would know, that’s what you were going to say. You would know because you’re an alien. You, Max and Isobel.”

“No.” It’s all Michael can say. He’s glad he didn’t get up because he’s not sure he could stand right now. He’s lightheaded and his hands are shaking. “No. You’re wrong. You can’t say that.”

“Michael.”

Alex crouches down in front of him. Michael wants to tell him to get up, remind that staying in that position will hurt with his prosthetic. But he can’t think about Alex now. Not when the whole fabric of his life is being ripped apart.

“Michael,” Alex says again, waiting until Michael focuses back on him before speaking. “I know about the three of you. I’ve known for years. I know it’s a shock, but you’re safe with me.”

“You’re wrong. You can’t just say things like that. I don’t know what’s going on with you, Alex but you need to stop.” Michael doesn’t know what to do. He wants to run, to get to Max and Isobel and warn them. But he can’t leave until he convinces Alex that he is wrong. He just doesn’t know how to do that.

“This isn’t how I wanted to tell you. I wanted to ease into it, or hopefully wait until you were ready to tell me. But we’re out of time. I asked you not to lie to me. I’m being honest with you. I know you and Max and Isobel are aliens. I know you were found in the desert together exactly fifty years after the crash in Roswell. I’ve seen the pods you spent those fifty years inside. I know, Michael. You need to understand that.”

The bottom drops out of Michael’s world. No one can know, that was the truth he, Max, and Isobel lived by. Their secret had to be protected at all cost - from everyone, Max and Isobel’s parents, Isobel’s husband. But Alex knows, Michael can’t deny it. “How,” Michael almost sobs.

Alex stands, wincing slightly. “Can I sit?” he asks, gesturing to the couch. When Michael nods, he sit down, taking Michael’s hands in his. “I know this is a lot to take in. The short version is I don’t work in cyber security. I work for an organization called Deep Sky. They’ve been studying aliens for decades, years before the 1947 crash. I study alien artifacts - items that have been found or turned over to Deep Sky - trying to figure what they do, looking for patterns. A few months ago I was given a new assignment.”

Michael sucks in a sharp breath. “Is that what this is?” He pulls his hands away and points between the two of them. “Am I your assignment?”

“No,” Alex looks horrified at that thought. “Seeing you at the reunion, getting to know you, falling in love with you, none of that was planned. I haven’t told anyone at Deep Sky about our relationship. I wanted to keep you away from all this, but now I have no choice.”

“What are you doing here, Alex,” Michael asks, not sure he really wants the answer.

“Over the last few years there have been a series of murders in Roswell. The victims have been prostitutes, drug addicts and homeless people so none of them have been investigated thoroughly. Their bodies also had a glowing handprint on them.”

Michael reels back. What if this is why Isobel’s blackouts started? She asked Michael if she killed anyone, and he had been so sure the answer was no, but now? “Isobel,” he says without meaning to, immediately wishing he could take it back.

“No, it’s not Isobel,” Alex reassures him. “By the time I was given the investigation, you, Max and Isobel had already been cleared. That meant there was another alien in Roswell Deep Sky doesn’t know about. I was sent here to find out who it is so we can stop them.”

“You think Noah is the killer? Alex, I still think that’s crazy.”

“Noah volunteers at the Wild Pony’s Ranchero Night. That’s where he finds his victims. There is no record of Noah Bracken anywhere before he showed up in Roswell. He doesn’t exist. He works at a law firm, but has never tried a case or filed a brief. His whole life is a facade. The only reason he can maintain it is by using his powers to keep people from asking questions or even planting false memories. I am not sure of exactly what he can do or how he does it, but it’s the only theory that makes sense,” Alex lays out his case.

“Maybe he’s in witness protection,” Michael tries to come up with a logical explanation for Alex’s discoveries. “He couldn’t use powers on Isobel. She would know.”

“He doesn’t have to. I think Noah targeted Isobel, married her, because he knows she’s an alien. She won’t ask too many questions because she can’t answer them herself. He knew if she was worried about protecting her own secret, she wouldn’t notice what he was keeping from her.”

It makes a twisted kind of sense. Michael always wondered how Isobel kept her secret, wondered why Noah never asked more questions, especially recently when Isobel’s blackouts caused her to disappear. But if Alex is telling the truth - about Noah being an alien and the rest of it, Isobel has been living with a killer. “You’re sure?” Michael has to ask.

“I am,” Alex nods. “You really didn’t know?”

“No fucking clue,” Michael scrubs his face with his hands. He doesn’t even know where to start. “So you know about aliens. You work for an organization that knows about aliens. You figured out my sister’s husband is an alien before any of us did. And he’s a serial killer.”

“I know it’s a lot,” Alex starts.

“And you’re falling in love with me,” Michael adds because he hasn’t forgotten that detail. It might not be as big of revelation in the grand scheme of things, but it matters.

“And I love you,” Alex repeats solemnly.

Michael doesn’t know what he feels. Part of him wants to run, to go to Max’s and pretend this conversation never happened. He’s been avoiding thinking about his feelings for Alex for the same reason he’s never been in a relationship before - fear of being discovered. But Alex already knows what he is, and he’s looking at Michael the same way he did when they woke up this morning, the same way he did yesterday and the day before. “I,” Michael starts, unable to finish.

“Don’t,” Alex places his hand on Michael’s knee. “You need time to process all of this. Then you can decide how you feel. Just don’t shut me out.”

Michael shakes his head. “Do you need anything from me?”

“If you didn’t know about Noah,” Alex begins, pausing to look at Michael for confirmation.

“I didn’t.”

“Then no. He’ll be picked up discreetly in a few days, but until then there’s nothing to do. As long as he believes his identity is still a secret no one is in danger,” Alex explains.

It seems too easy. Just wait it out, and Noah will be gone. How are they going to explain it to Isobel? Michael pinches the bridge of his nose. It’s too much to think about right now. “Can we just set it aside for tonight? I can’t deal with all this right now.”

“Of course,” Alex agrees easily, squeezing Michael’s hand. “You should eat. Come on, I’ll heat something up for dinner.”

Dinner, that’s why Michael came home - to have dinner with Alex and maybe fuck before bed. Not to have his whole world turned upside down. They both pick at their food, and Michael goes back to the living room while Alex cleans up. He doesn’t turn on the television or even look at his phone, just sits there. Alex is gentle with him the rest of the evening, guiding him through their nighttime routine. It would piss Michael off if there wasn’t some part of him that needed it, needed to be led through the motions of life while he tried to figure out what to do.

Michael waits until they are in bed - a respectable distance apart instead of pressed together like normal - to broach the subject again. “What did you believe them?

“What” Alex asks, not expecting the question.

“Someone comes to recruit you out of the Air Force and tells you their company focus is aliens, why do you take the job? Why didn’t you laugh in their face and go get some easy government job? Why did you believe them?” Michael asks again because that’s another thing he can’t understand. How did Alex get involved in this in the first place.

“Because I already knew. Not about the three of you, but about aliens in general,” Alex tells him.

“How?”

“I told you my father was abusive, but he was also secretive and paranoid. Right before my mother left, I heard them fighting. She was yelling at him about spending all their money to fund his obsession. I didn’t know what she meant, and when I got older I thought maybe he had a mistress. But then I found my grandfather’s journal. He wrote about being at the 1947 crash and how he found his purpose in protecting humans from the invaders. He helped to capture any survivors and imprison them. My father always talked about the Manes legacy and protecting his father’s vision. I think that’s what he meant.”

“We weren’t the only survivors?” Michael always hoped there were more aliens like them, but he could never be sure.

“No, but I don’t know if anyone else is left. It was over seventy years ago. But once this investigation is over, I should have the clearance to access the classified files on my family and find out what my father is up to so I can stop him.”

And it hits Michael that of all the people to fall in love with, he picked the guy who’s father and grandfather might have killed whatever family he had. It’s so absurd he has to laugh. “Your grandfather must be rolling over in his grave.”

��Probably.” Alex laughs with him.

Michael lets it go at that. He turns off the light and tries to sleep. When Alex reaches out for him, he doesn’t tune away.

When Michael wakes up, Alex is watching him.

“How are you doing?” Alex asks him.

“Better,” Michael spent most of the night thinking. His first priority has to be making sure Isobel is safe. Once Noah is no longer a threat, he’ll have to tell Max and Isobel the truth about Alex. “I don’t know how to act around you,” he admits.

“Nothing has to change,” Alex tells him with a frown. “But you don’t have to lie about anything. You can use your powers if you want to or talk to me about what it was like when you figured out you were an alien. But that’s not why I am with you so if you don’t want to talk about it again, we don’t have to.”

“It’s that easy, huh.”

“It can be. Maybe not easy,” Alex admits. “I know it will take time for you to trust me, to believe your secret is safe with me, but we can get there.”

“It's not just my secret.” It’s one thing to trust Alex with his own safety, but Max and Isobel should have a choice too.

“I know, and once this is over, we can talk to them together. This can be a good thing, not being alone.”

“Maybe,” Michael shrugs. He can’t think that far ahead. “I should get up.”

“I think you should stay here today.”

“Can’t,” Michael sits up and stretches. “Max is off today, and I’m supposed to help him with some stuff at the house. He’ll be suspicious if I cancel.”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why,” Michael frowns at Alex. “I thought you said it was safe.”

“And it is,” Alex insists, “as long as Noah doesn’t suspect anything. Can you really spend the whole day with Max and not tell him? And what if you run into Noah? Could you act normally around him? He might know with you saying anything, we don’t know how powerful he is.”

Michael’s frown deepens. Alex isn't wrong to be concerned. There are a lot of things that could go wrong, but he can’t spend the day cooped up in the cabin. “I won’t run into Noah. And Max and I don’t really talk that much about our feelings. It’s just for a day. I’ll be fine.”

“Michael,” Alex puts a hand on Michael’s shoulder. “It’s not a chance you should take. My father knows about the murders, but not who did it. If he somehow gets tipped off and gets to Noah first, he could find out about all of you.”

“I haven’t seen your father once since I’ve been in Roswell.” My shrugs off Alex’s hand. “Are you forcing me to stay here?”

“Of course not,” Alex doesn’t hesitate.

“Then I’m going. I’ll be careful, I promise.” He stands up before Alex can say anything else. “I’ll see you later.” Michael kisses Alex on the check and hurries to the bathroom.

Michael wasn’t lying about spending the day with Max, but he didn’t tell Alex that he was meeting Isobel for breakfast first. He won’t tell her the truth, but he can’t do nothing. He has to protect her.

“You should have brought Alex,” Isobel pretends to pout when Michael sits down alone. “I have so many great stories to tell him.”

“I think you should stay with Max for a few days,” Michael says instead of responding to her.

“Why would I do that?” Isobel makes a face at him.

“I think he’s lonely. I was supposed to spend the summer with him and I’m spending most of my time with Alex.” It’s not a great excuse, but Michael hopes she’ll buy it.

“Please, Max has lived alone for years. He doesn’t care that you’re shacking up with your hot boyfriend,” Isobel rolls her eyes. “I’m not leaving my lovely house when he doesn’t even have decent internet out there.”

“Ok, look, I”m not supposed to know about this, but Alex is investigating Noah’s law firm. Insider trading or something like that,” Michael figures it’s closer to the truth.

“I knew the managing partners were shifty,” Isobel exclaims. “But what does that have to do with me staying with Max. Noah’s not involved in any of that.”

Michael hates how confident she sounds in Noah’s innocence. The truth about him is going to devastate her. “I know, but something’s going down in the next few days, and I think it would be better if you weren’t caught up in all of it.”

Isobel’s gaze softens. “I know you worried about me, and it’s sweet. But I’m not that fragile.”

“Iz, please,” Michael pleads.

“I’ll think about it,” Isobel compromises.

Michael knows he can’t push harder without making her suspicious so that has to be enough. “And you can’t tell Noah. If he finds out ahead of time, it will look like he was in on it.”

“Oh, don’t worry,” Isobel replies, a hint of bitterness twisting her expression. “If there is one thing I am good at, it’s keeping secrets from my husband.”

Their food comes before Michael can think of a response. He lets Isobel change the subject as they start to eat.

His day with Max goes as expected. He teases Michael a little about Alex based on Isobel’s recounting of their dinner, but he doesn’t press for details. The long list of chores Max has been putting off keeps them busy enough that Michael can avoid blurting out that Alex knows their biggest secret. Still he’s relieved when they wrap up for the day. Michael showers at Max’s and changes into the last set of clothes he has left there.

Michael decides he’s going to tell Alex if they don’t deal with Noah tomorrow, he’s telling Isobel and Max the truth. He can’t take another day of lying. When he approaches the cabin, he sees Isobel’s car in the driveway. He can’t think of any reason Isobel would have gone to see Alex without telling him unless she wanted to confront him about Noah.

“Shit,” Michael mutters as he gets out of the truck. He promised Alex he wouldn’t say anything, and while he technically kept that promise, he knows Alex will be pissed. Michael just hopes Isobel didn’t tip Noah off.

He’s mentally practicing his explanation and apology when he sees the driver’s door of Isobel’s car is open and the engine is still running. Michael’s concern quickly changes to fear and sprints up the porch stairs.

“Alex! Isobel!” he yells as he throws open the door.

No one responds, but he sees Alex backed up against the wall, hands out in front of him.

Isobel advances on him, “You should have stayed out of this. What I do doesn’t concern you or your kind.”

“Isobel!” Michael shouts again. Isobel ignores him, but Alex catches his eye and shakes his head. Then he nods toward the door.

Michael shakes his head back at Alex. He doesn’t know what’s happening, but there is no way he’s leaving. Even if he called for help, it would take too long for anyone to respond. He’d never hurt Isobel, but he has to find a way to protect Alex.

“You aren’t the Manes I imagined killing,” Isobel taunts Alex. “But you won’t be the last, so I might as well start with you.”

Michael moves closer and sees Isobel’s expression is completely blank. The voice is hers, but it doesn’t sound right either - flat and mechanical. He remembers what Isobel told them after they found her with Rosa’s body. She couldn’t remember anything, said it was like she lost contact with her body and when she came back, Rosa’s body was in front of her.

Something clicks in Michael’s brain, and this time he yells, “Noah!”

Isobel turns toward him and he shudders under her emotionless gaze.

“You were always too smart for your own good. Imagine how powerful you would be if you actually put that mind of yours to use. I almost regret having to kill you as well.”

Isobel takes a step toward him, but before she can come any closer, Alex pulls a syringe out of his pocket and jams it into her shoulder. Isobel’s eyes widen, and Michael sees them fill with confusion before she collapses.

“Isobel!” Michael lunges forward and manages to break her fall, easing her onto the ground. He pulls her into his lap, relieved to see she is breathing.

He turns his attention to Alex. “Are you alright?” Michael asks. “What did you do to her?” Alex sits heavily on the end of the couch and Michael looks between him and Isobel not sure where to focus his attention.

“I’m fine,” Alex waves Michael off when he starts to get up. “The shot temporarily suppresses her powers, ending Noah’s control over her. It will wear off in a few hours. I’ve got to make some calls. We need to get Noah into custody now. Call Max, warn him. Have him come out here, Isobel will need him.”

The next few hours pass in a blur. Alex spends most of them on the phone in the bedroom. He steps out long enough to tell them when Noah is taken into custody, but quickly disappears again. Michael has his hands full with Max who arrives panicked, and once he knows Isobel will be alright, he switches to interrogation mode - demanding answers Michael doesn’t have.

“I don’t know, Max,” Michael shouts, frustrated, after the fifth time Max asks him exactly how Alex found out about aliens. “He just told me last night, and I was more concerned with Noah being a serial killer. It has to do with his family and the people he works with. The details can wait until this shit with Noah is taken care of.”

Max eventually concedes that he’ll have to be satisfied with Michael’s bare bones explanation until Isobel has time to process what happened with Noah. Isobel remembers nothing after she stopped at home to tell Noah she was staying with Max for the weekend. Telling her the truth about what he saw is one of the hardest things Michael has ever done. Isobel is understandably horrified, and Michael brings Alex out long enough to reassure Isobel that he isn’t hurt and that he doesn’t blame her for what happened.

“I love you,” Michael hugs Isobel tightly when she and Max are ready to leave.

“I’m so sorry,” Isobel begins.

“No, no,” Michael stops her, wiping the tears from her cheeks. “You have nothing to be sorry for. I just wish we had figured it out sooner before Noah hurt you. We’re going to take care of you, ok.”

Isobel nods, returning Michael’s embrace before stepping back.

Max hugs Michael as well. “I’m sorry about earlier. I was scared and frustrated that Noah could do this right under my nose, but I should have listened to you instead of yelling.”

“I get it,” Michael tells him. “We’ll talk more later.” Michael looks back over at Isobel. “You’re good right? I’ll be by in the morning.”

“Yeah, I got her,” Max says quietly. “I’ll make sure she gets some sleep, and we’ll see you tomorrow.”

Once they leave, Michael collapses onto the couch, the stress of the last few days catching up to him.

It’s after midnight before Alex wraps up his last phone call. He’ll have several reports to file in the morning as well as beginning the logistical aspects of his transfer, but for now all he wants to do is sleep. When he walks out into the living room, he’s surprised to find Michael asleep on the couch.

Michael’s curled up in the corner of the couch, head at an awkward angle that makes Alex wince. He sits down next to him and gently shakes his shoulder.

“Hey,” he says when Michael opens his eyes. “I thought you left with Max and Isobel.”

Michael shakes his head before sitting up and stretching. “No,” he mumbles around a yawn. “They need some time alone. I’m going to see them in the morning before they leave.”

“So Isobel accepted the offer?” Alex confirms. Deep Sky had offered treatment to Isobel - specialized doctors and therapists who could help determine exactly what Noah did to her and make sure there was no lasting damage as well as helping her deal with the emotional trauma.

“Yeah, Max is going to take a leave of absence, stay at my place so he can be nearby.”

“That’s good.” When Michael yawns again, Alex stands up and holds out his hand. “It’s been a long day. Let’s go to bed.”

He convinces Michael to take a shower while goes through his own night time routine. Even though it’s late, after the day he’s had, Alex knows he can’t afford to skip his stretches. He still finishes before Michael, waiting in the bed when Michael comes back from the bathroom. Alex expects he’ll want to go right to sleep, but Michael turns on the bedside lamp before turning off the main lights.

When he gets in the bed, Michael sits up facing Alex. “I love you, you know,” he tells him, taking Alex’s hand. “I thought I did before, but tonight, realizing how close I came to losing you, I knew.”

“I love you, too,” Alex minds him, his heart aching. As happy as he is to know Michael returns his feelings, he hates the circumstances surrounding their relationship. “I’m sorry it had to happen like this. You deserve better than all the secrets and”

“Murders,” Michael finishes for him.

“You definitely deserve better than the murders,” Alex laughs.

“I won’t lie and say I’m not scared,” Michael admits. “We always thought we were alone - me, Max, and Isobel - and the most important thing we could do was keep our secret. And now everything’s changed. It’s not just you, other people know about us, have known about us. And we don’t know if Noah is the only other alien or if there are more. But I’d rather figure it all out with you than alone.”

“I’d like that,” Alex says, a little choked up at how much it means to him to have Michael trust him like this.

“So what’s next?” Michael asks.

“Now that Noah is in custody, I’ve been assigned to Roswell. Once I’m briefed on what my father’s up to, I’m going to figure out how to bring him down,” Alex tells him.

“Roswell, huh,” Michael shakes his head.

Alex hesitates just a moment before sharing this next part, “Roswell is looking for a new high school science teacher.”

“Seriously,” Michael side eyes him.

Alex shrugs, refusing to apologize for arranging it. “This town is full of secrets, Michael. When I find out what they are, I think the answers will belong to you - you, Max, and Isobel. I don’t know how long it will take for me to find them, but I think you want to be part of it when I do.”

“You’re right,” Michael leans into Alex’s chest, yawning once again.

“Alright, time to sleep.” Alex reaches over to turn off the light, but stops. “You want to go house hunting tomorrow?”

“House hunting?” Michael asks.

“This place,” Alex gestures to encompass the cabin, “was always meant to be temporary. It’s time to find something more permanent.”

Alex’s heart settles when Michael smiles and kisses him softly, “Sounds good to me.”

#dayscrazed #rnmsecretsanta24 #malex fic #rnm fic #my fic

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