Lunch period arrives what feels like all too late after a hectic morning where Michael Guerin had punched Wyatt Long in the face for Maria. While she still thought he was an idiot for having done it, she downs a brownie for sustenance and brings Rosa along outside with her to go check on him. Unsurprisingly he was in the spot she had expected, clearly having ditched at least one class prior, and Rosa skipped over to him and roughly grabbed his hand to check on the bruise. Rosa scoffed, putting her hand to her chest with what was only half-kidding offense. “You fought him without me there? En serio? How dare you!”
Sitting up a little more against the metal bleacher column he had been leaning against, Michael gave a casual shrug. There’s still a smirk on his face as he does so. “Can’t help it if you’re always late to wake up, Ortecho.”
“He was dumb.” Maria said, a scolding look on her face that didn’t quite match her eyes. Both sat down without caring about chairs, Rosa too lazy and Maria liking to feel the earth underneath her. The shade provided overhead was just enough and while the teachers usually checked underneath here, the school was luckily short staffed due to a field trip. Also lucky was the lack of campus security in a small town.
“No, he was right.” Rosa huffed. “Fuck Wyatt Long.”
“Thank you,” said Michael, turning to Maria with a smug look in response. Maria rolled her eyes, but Rosa still looked angry and displeased at the idea of Wyatt Long being within feet of Maria, because she continued, “Are you gonna hate me if I run over and slap him?”
“Yes!” Maria exclaimed. “Stop with the violence, you two! He’s not worth it.”
Rosa made a disgruntled sound, muttering, “Pacifist.”
“I am a lover, yes.” Maria replied with a teasing tone; one that Michael couldn’t help but use to flirt with a sultry, “Tell me more.”
She hit his arm and although the other girl rolled her eyes, Rosa was still distinctly smiling as Michael winked Maria’s way.
“Gross, stop.” She huffed, no meanness in her voice. “Even Kyle Valenti thinks we’re dating.”
“Kyle?” Rosa laughed. “Kyle’s not remotely observant enough to think that.”
Michael made a noise at that. “He was just being an ass because I commented on how he was clearly in love with Alex Manes.”
Maria glared now. “Be nice to my favorite gay and the clearly repressed football jock.”
“Here I thought you were about to pick a favorite bi.” Michael joked.
“Why would she?” Rosa challenged with a smirk. “I’m right here.”
“Right,” Michael drawled sarcastically. “Just because you two have sleepovers--,”
“Oh my god, you two.” Maria snapped, but that was the wrong decision because the two mischievous partners-in-crime looked at her with sudden interest. Michael was the first to pounce. “We making you uncomfortable, Deluca?”
He’s all but grinning, not even hiding behind a smirk, eyes alive. Even Rosa is clearly amused and holding onto laughter.
“Why the hell did everyone have to go on that museum trip?” Maria huffed, trying to ignore both of them and the feelings that rose up when the direct attention of two people who hated the world but liked her was suddenly her way. She definitely needed more friends, or at least less nerdy ones. “I need Liz.”
“You’d really use my baby sister to get out of flirting?” Rosa asked, letting out the laughter now.
Maria could feel her cheeks heat and she folded her arms stubbornly. “I’m about to use Kyle to get out of this. Luckily I have tests to study for.”
“What test?” Rosa replied, one eyebrow arched. “We have all the same classes.”
“And you suddenly pay attention?”
Rosa gave in with a playfully exasperated expression. “Okay, okay, mi vida; we’ll stop.” Then, amending as she looked conspiratorially at Michael, she said, “Well. I’ll stop.”
“I’ll try.” Michael shrugged, pretending to look as thought it would be heavy work. “I have considerably less self-control.”
Quirking her head, Rosa retorted. “Challenge accepted.”
Michael raised his eyebrows in response, before laughing. “Yeah okay.”
“Why am I always babysitting you two?” Maria sighed. “Please, tell me.”
“You’re the one who brought the pot brownies to school.” Rosa pointed out.
She couldn’t say much to that. Home had been stressful with her mother’s sudden memory lapses when it came to finances and worrying about colleges after SAT scores was even more anxiety inducing. If she was rich and privileged like Isobel Evans, maybe she could afford some xanax, but in the meantime her anxiety attacks would have to be treated herbally. Childishly, she pointed at Michael. “He’s the one who brought the flask.”
Definitely unapologetic, he shrugged. “Less teachers, more fun.”
“Fun?” Rosa asked. “We haven’t had fun in a while.”
“True.” Michael added, lighting up even further. Maria groaned. “Is this another ‘steal the principal’s desk’ situation?”
“No, but that was fun.” Rosa said thoughtfully. “We should have more… teenage fun. We have the drugs, the alcohol, now--,”
“I am not having sex under the Roswell High bleachers!”
Rosa gasped before laughing awkwardly, and Michael’s grin took an even brighter turn. “Wow, Deluca, I see where your mind’s really at.” Then he turned to Rosa, who noticeably looked pinker, and paused. Slowly, he inquired. “Do you want me to go?”
“No.” Rosa replied. It wasn’t like she and Maria belonged to each other, true, but something about the mischievous Michael Guerin staying around after Maria’s slip seemed to create palpable tension. Fumbling, the beautiful brunette added, “I mean we’ve all kissed before forever ago, right? Why don’t you pick your favorite bi, Maria.”
“I’m not sure choosing favorites qualifies as fun.” She retorted, trying not to withdraw into herself. She was safe with them, she knew that, but it still felt dangerous somehow. She looked at Michael. “No sudden objections?”
Michael scoffed. “You actually think I’m going to object to being kissed by two hot girls? I’m only human, Deluca.”
Biting her lip after rolling her eyes, Maria tried not to think about how attractive her last name was every time he said it, because that was such a ridiculous thing to find attractive. Rosa had picked up on the habit, although used it far more rarely, and now she was stuck in between them.
“We don’t have to--,” Rosa began. Shaking her head, Maria came to an abrupt decision. “You decide who goes first.”
“Ladies first.” Michael declared congenially.
When Rosa turned to Maria she looked hesitant and unsure. Charged moments weren’t exactly new to them, but they didn’t exactly kiss outside of spin-the-bottle or seven-minutes-in-heaven games. Any heterosexual excuse to be made, somewhere between Rosa’s Catholicism and Maria’s fear of being vulnerable to someone.
Only two seconds pass before the hesitation is over and then Rosa’s lips are soft and inviting like Maria remembered, tasting of cinnamon gum and tajin mango suckers. It’s an addictive flavor, especially with the flood of emotions it foretells every time. At first it’s closer to chaste than not, given the company, but like many times before it deepens until they hear Michael shift and quickly break apart.
Maria expects some dumbass comment about not needing to stop for his sake, but either he’s too turned on to make it or he simply knows better for the moment. Shockingly, it seems like the second choice with the almost exposed look he has on his face now. For whatever reason, maybe because of his general outward mask, she had thought that while she’d be safe this would still be a fun game to him and not something where his eyes would be soft and his body language almost nervous.
More than anything else, that makes her choose to kiss him first.
With Michael she can only taste the cheap whiskey he’s been drinking all afternoon, but his skin smells like desert rain, and it’s quite possibly the most confusing contradiction for him she could ever conceive. The shape of his lips might be a contrast to Rosa’s but he still uses them quite well and by the time she pulls back out of mindfulness for Rosa, she’s breathless yet again.
“Obviously I’m not actually choosing.” Maria said primly, trying to cover the fact that she had to clear her throat.
“Well I feel used.” Michael teased, but a miracle had happened because it looked like he was blushing too. Michael Guerin. Blushing.
Rosa made an exaggerated roll of her eyes. “As if you’re not getting off to this tonight.”
“Rosa!” Maria snapped, actual hurt rising. It was silly to be upset about offhand humor from either of these two, she knew that. They both felt more than they would ever let on and jokes and sarcasm were their defense for almost everything. Rosa went to apologize, but the overwhelming feeling in her chest was too much. “Don’t. I’m just—I’m going to go sober up.”
They both called after her, but she ignored them both.
“I should really avoid weed, huh?” Rosa deadpanned sadly.
He raised his flask. “I can’t say anything. You gonna follow her?”
“You?” she asked without an answer.
“You’re her best friend.” Michael countered, and while it wasn’t technically sexist she still narrowed her eyes at the ‘you’re both girls’ vibe it gave off. Either way, it was still a painful statement and she muttered, “Yeah. Friend.” Michael went to say something—either an apology or a lecture—but Rosa shook her head. “I’ll give her a head start. You should check on her later too, though.”
Michael scoffed. “Come on, Rosa, she doesn’t want me. I’m just a guy she can use to pretend she’s straighter than she is.”
“Ay, you’re dumb.”
“And if she did want both of us?” Michael demanded, turning things back into their normalcy of confrontation and stubbornness.
“At least you’re not ugly.”
That seemed to take the wind out of his sails at least, but he did give her a look. “Glowing endorsement, Ortecho.”
She smirked. “And I guess you know how to kiss for a white boy.”
“That I’ll take.” He replied, chuckling despite himself and looking annoyed about it.
Rosa gave him a two finger salute as she got up to go after Maria.
Hi how r u? I just wanted to ask if you would something to happen between Kyle & Michael? And do you think they will get together? And do you want it to be a serious relationship?
hey! ❤
Do I want something to happen with them romantically? Yes! I think they have a ton of chemistry and that it could be really fun and sexy. Not to mention finally having bi Kyle confirmed would give me rights like never before.
Do I think they'll get together or have a a serious relationship? No, not at all. Ignoring all of the show reasons, even in-universe I think they'd have trouble in an actual relationship without a third (hence my tags on myluca recently). Kyle is always busy which I think Michael would love at first but hate in the long run as his need for space in a relationship lost to his high need for attention. Michael's cynicism would get extremely irritating for Kyle quickly, not because Kyle is some patron saint of positivity but more because Kyle is just as cynical as Michael and he has to choose not to be given what he does every single day. Which lends into their main incompatibility of Kyle being someone consistently waking up to choose to heal, help others, grow and live by a full code vs Michael's lifestyle of waking up to choose which past trauma to avoid today. But! Since Michael states he's going to change that behavior, drink less, and help more, maybe in the future?
(as a general disclaimer on all current rnm meta from me though, i haven't watched all of s2)
i accidentally deleted a gifset i was going to reblog of Maria's s2 vision of kyle and how she and michael saved him but i don't remember who made it so someone please send if possible?
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