Day 2 : Relationship - Malex of course
Day 2: September 2, 2019 : Relationship: Family, friendship, romantic… Share something you love that focused on a relationship within the show (canon or not)!
I came into this fandom honestly, and late, for the queer representation on a CW show. A hot canonically gay character? Pining and miscommunication? Secrets and lies? Sign me up. I thought I was prepared but alas, I was wrong. I did not intend to have my brain hijinxed for months now in hyperfixation because of Alex and Michael. I did not realize that months later I would be taking probably throwaway lines from the show and building vast headcanons with them. I really had no idea I would feel the urge to write again, something that has illuded me for so many years I figured it was gone for good.
I used to be bored watching canon pairings play out on screen- it’s why I got into slash (Xfiles first, then Trek, Stargate Atlantis, Teen Wolf, etc), and even later on I enjoy the non-canon het pairing (Veronica Mars before LoVe happened, now the 100 with Bellamy/Clarke) - because if it is on screen, then what need do I have for fic? Then these two assholes came into my life, on screen, and proceeded to fuck it up and themselves over. So the grounds are fertile for fanfic to say the least.
So here are 3 AUs and a canon rec of interesting, compelling, original takes on Malex.
Falling in Love Is So Bittersweet by neapeaikea @neapeaikea https://archiveofourown.org/works/20027839 Michael takes that scholarship at UNM, and on move-in day meets Alex again for the first time since the night in the shed when they didn't kiss. [I love it when someone takes a left turn from canon. Here we have Michael reconnecting at university with Alex, saved from the trauma of their first time in the shed, but that doesn’t make thinks very rosy either. They are both keeping secrets, Michael’s more focused on their alien roots, and Alex is just trying to stay safe from his father. This captures all of the fun of college- Alex has that disappearing roommate that seemed to be on every floor when I was in school, and Michael’s roommate is a cool OC trying to make his own identity in school. This has everything- sweet pining, the joy that comes from learning new things, the freedom to be yourself- ugh it just breaks my heart that Michael didn’t make it college in canon. ]
Satellite Call by erisgregory @erisgregory https://archiveofourown.org/works/18794380/chapters/44592784 WIP Alex is home from the air force but finds he is as lonely as ever. He engages an escort one night under a pseudonym and when the escort arrives it's his high school love, Michael Guerin. [So I am an easy bitch who loves a good hooker story in a fandom. This is canon adjacent, taking place just prior to the reunion and dovetailing through episode 5, where it leaves off. Even though it’s unfinished, this story hits so many good kinks of Michael pining, of Alex being touch-starved, of the two of them miscommunicating, and of course the sex is very hot. Alex being home in Roswell, after losing a leg, really wants to feel again, but he doesn’t trust himself in a hook up culture, he thinks a paid transaction would be easier all around, at least until he realizes he has paid for Michael. It’s just the right mix of hot and angsty- and gives new life to the scene where Alex sees Michael take money from another guy.]
Commit to memory this path of fire (a tale of symphony and rhyme by Lire Casander @lire-casander https://archiveofourown.org/works/19474963 - Michael and Alex through the years with music as their shared language. [Here is the canon compliant rec, and it’s a good one. This fic is meant to be read aloud I think, because the language is very lush and emotive, and no surprise - lyrical. It feels just what it is supposed to feel like (I’m in awe at this feat) -it’s about music and love. 22,000 words that really make up a symphony in my mind of Michael, how he is formed as a person, how he loves Alex, and how music is not just the language they communicate best in, but how it ties him to the earth. The relationship of music and math is not just theoretical in this story, it’s visceral. This goes post finale and the payoff of their separation and coming together is so good and satisfying. A rainy day, your favorite album, a couple of tea and this fic, it’s all I need to have to feel comforted. ]
Something dumb to do by christchex @michaels-blackhat https://archiveofourown.org/works/18203030/chapters/43061009 Michael and Alex actually communicate and how that impacts their relationship through the years. WIP [This fandom loves a good secret marriage fic, and I applaud this whole heartedly. This one is my favorite, it has everything you want with Michael’s devotion to Alex, despite space. It gives Alex a brother who doesn’t suck (thank you!!!) It has an air of reality in that Alex wouldn’t spend 10 years in Iraq, he was clearly posted all over the country. It has the beauty of their relationship secret slowly getting spread to family and friends, and of course, the lingering pain of the alien secret. Alex still isn’t sure why Michael wants to stick by him during his service, but he’s smart enough not to question it too much. If you need an antidote to angst and want to revel in a romance, this is the story for you.]
