#otp prompts january 2023
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if you're still accepting prompts, #14? fine if not!
Jane hobbled from her unmarked parked a block or so away to Maura’s front door. She shoved her hands in her pockets, not because it was cold out, but because balling her fists in her coat pockets somehow dulled the already dull, heavy pain slithering from the middle of her back into her hips. Work had been long already, with the murder of a social worker starting their morning. But then, it ended with Jane in a foot race with the suspect, which in turn ended in a chasedown tackle worthy of the NFL.
Jane had gotten her man.
But, she wondered, as she fished for her keys, if it was worth it. Thirty-five wasn’t old by any means, but sports and academy training and drug pursuits and near-death by serial killer had all taken their toll. And now, every morning when she woke up, she dealt with a twinge in her lower back before popping some over the counter pain meds and draining a cup of coffee. Usually, it was all she needed. When days like today rolled around, however, nighttime was filled with beer and heating pads until the moment she could respectably shuffle to bed and try to sleep the pain away.
She’d promised Maura a drink, however, to celebrate their break in the case. The compromise they came up with when Jane had texted that she didn’t feel like going out - in actually she didn’t feel like she could go out - was a bottle or two at home.
Well, Maura’s home.
“Knock knock,” called Jane when she pushed into the warm air of the front hall, though she didn’t knock and didn’t wait for Maura to reply before heading to the refrigerator. She pulled three bottles of Peroni from the top shelf, two for her, one for Maura if Maura was in a beer mood. She banged the first bottle against the countertop, and the cap popped off, clattering against the granite with finality.
“Jane is that you?” Maura did reply eventually, her voice carrying from the hall before her. She appeared, in leggings and an off-the-shoulder sweater, barefoot as she padded toward Jane. “It is.” she answered for herself.
Jane bit back the satisfied little sigh that settled in her chest whenever she saw the soft skin of Maura’s neck, sloping uninterruptedly into the soft skin of her rounded shoulder.
Just like Jane could admit she was aging, that her body wasn’t as resilient as it used to be, she could admit that she liked Maura. She was attracted to her. There never seemed to be a right time to say it, especially after Maura’s sadness, her anger at Jane shooting herself, but Jane regarded it as the most adult crush she’d ever had. None of the butterflies or the embarrassment or the fear of rejection could compare to the eventual net positive that confessing would be, it just… hadn’t happened organically yet. “It is. You want a beer? Or should I get out that cabernet?”
Maura smiled for the smallest of moments, until it bled away into a furrowed brow and a frown as she marched toward Jane, who had reached up for the cabinet with the wine glasses in it -something about Maura’s countenance that told her the answer to her question before Maura’s mouth could. Jane regretted wincing, though, because it apparently derailed the entire moment. “Lumbar radiculopathy,” Maura stated just before she palpated Jane’s mid-to-lower back, causing a couple ego-bruising yelps.
“Jesus,” Jane exclaimed when she regained the ability to say English words, “is it fatal?”
Maura huffed, and continued to feel. “Pinched nerve, sciatica,” she said. “How long have you been feeling like this?”
“Since I was twenty-three?” Jane joked. “Ouch!” she screamed when Maura put pressure. “Sorry. Uh, it’s been bad since I took down that chucklehead.”
Maura stopped. She forewent the wine for the beer that already sat on the counter, though she used a bottle opener rather than her expensive countertops to bust it open. “It’s been bad? Does that mean it was present before taking down the chucklehead?”
Jane laughed at Maura’s use of the term. “It’s uh, it’s always there, kinda barkin’. But I can usually manage with some tylenol and a few stretches.”
Maura shook her head. “Upstairs. My room please,” she ordered, taking the beer from Jane’s hand so that she held two.
Jane blinked. Not where she thought this was going. “Uh, what?” She sputtered. What the hell was there to say to that? She reached back for her drink but Maura pulled away.
“I will bring these up,” Maura answered. “But you need heat and some site-specific stretching,” she said, “and I happen to have a new massage oil that smells like mint.”
“Oh no,” Jane put her hands up and waved them. “I don’t need that. You don’t need to do that,” she backed up when Maura stepped closer, and shook her head. Her entire body tensed and she stood as straight as her spine would allow.
“You have degenerative disc disease,” Maura admonished. But, she softened when she saw the apprehension on Jane’s face. “It will help,” she said softly, “trust me.”
Jane let that sigh go finally, but for a different reason altogether. “A’right,” she said. “I’m goin’.”
___
When she had stumbled from the driver’s side of her car to the front door, Jane had no idea she’d end up half naked in Maura’s bed. Under Maura. Christ.
It was almost as sensual as it sounded, given how thin Maura’s leggings were and the heat Jane could feel from between Maura’s thighs resting on her own ass, but…
“You’re stiff,” Maura said quietly. Her fingers had warmed up the skin on Jane’s back, and the oil on them made a wet sound in addition to the very moist pressure of each rub. “And not because of the pain. You need to relax. This isn’t any different than any other massage you’ve gotten.”
Jane detested the mood lighting Maura apparently insisted upon, because it made Maura’s voice syrupy thick and deep. Jane wasn’t sure how, but it did and she had to contend with its potency. “Well I wouldn’t know,” she snarked just to grasp onto some wisp of control.
Maura’s hands stopped moving, but stayed heavy on Jane. “Wait. You’ve never had a professional massage?”
Jane shook her head this time. It swished on the pillow. Maura felt good putting all her weight on Jane despite the awkward conversation. “Do I look like I’m made of money?”
Maura resumed a light rub, more affectionate than remedial. “Well… then treat it like any other back rub you’ve been given. Obviously relaxing is paramount,” she said. Jane froze, stiffened under her, and she gasped. “Jane. No one’s ever… for you?”
“Never,” Jane answered, into the feathery down below her face. At least it hid her blush. “I don’t really… trust a whole lot of people. After Hoyt. And imagine some guy puttin’ his paws all over me when I’ve got sciatica. Sounds like hell.”
“Oh. I’m sorry,” Maura said. “That’s a shame.” Immediately her touch shifted from medical to loving.
And the vulnerability actually felt kind of nice. Jane couldn’t move, especially not injured, but at least Maura couldn’t see her face, and at least Maura was being kind. If Jane weren’t so thrown off by her own feelings, she’d think that Maura was also communicating something else. Something more. “Hey, listen,” said Jane, deciding it would be improper to wait any longer. “I gotta tell you somethin’.”
As if to make whatever forthcoming confession easier, Maura leaned forward, curling herself on top of Jane until her face nestled between Jane’s shoulder blades. “What?” she asked, her breath hot against Jane’s already hot spine.
“I… I am so into you it hurts,” Jane whispered, emboldened by their positions.
Maura laughed rich and loud into the cavern of Jane’s stretched muscles. “Is that what caused all this pain?” she asked. “Your attraction to me?”
Jane laughed, too, because it was the best response she could have expected. “It is a heavy burden to carry, let me tell you. Especially when you show up to work in those heels,” she teased.
Maura settled into her further and slid her arms up until they rested on top of Jane’s under the pillow. “Hmm,” she exhaled. “I can’t say it was on purpose even if I’d like to.”
“I just… things seemed to be getting a little hot and heavy in here,” Jane explained. “And I wanted you to know before anything went any further. I don’t wanna be a creep.”
“It’s sweet that you think this was hot and heavy,” Maura responded. She kissed the back of Jane’s head before sitting back up and stretching the skin around Jane’s lumbar spine all over again. “And it’s sweet that you would want to warn me. But I feel the same. Ok? I feel the same. But we really should work this out; it’s only going to hurt worse if I don’t finish.”
Her thumbs picked up the pressure in their work again, and Jane slammed her fists into the mattress. “Youch, fuck!”
“Maybe later,” said Maura, with a smile that Jane could hear in her voice.
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January Writing Challenge 2023 Theme: childhood.
Crayons
Nostalgia
Chalk drawings
Dolls
Grazed knees
Birthday invitations
Naivety
Training wheels
Superhero
Playground
Small spoon
Plastic tiara
Lollipop
Night light
Meltdown
Hide and seek
Shoelaces
Tattletale
Movie rental
Comfort food
Ballet
Blanket forts
Babysitting
Home alone
Dress up
Secret hideout
Band aid
Homemade
Packed lunch
Tears
Bows
Also see:
January Writing Challenge 2021
January Writing Challenge 2022
Writing Challenge Masterlist
Prompts Masterlist
#january writing challenge#2023 writing challenge#writing prompts#otp prompts#writing oneliners#dialogue prompts#fluff prompts#angst prompts#brotp prompts#writing challenge#writing inspiration#30 day writing challenge#writeblr
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Year of the OTP - January - "First Kiss"
Year of the OTP || Master List
January
first kiss | mission fic | fake dating | “whenever I look at you…” | snow | historical au
OTP: Miurani'kal'istae and Theron Shan (SW:TOR)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Conned a lot of imperial agents with phony backstories over the years.” Kal’istae raised an eyebrow and Theron smirked down at her, then winced slightly as the expression tugged open the cut on his lower lip. “Ah! I have,” he insisted. “And yet here I am, telling you the straight-up truth.”
The Chiss looked amused, crossing her arms and easing back on her heel. “So you say.”
He shrugged at her, and his grin was decidedly lopsided as he favored his split lip and the bruises blossoming on his cheek. “I don’t blame you for not believing me. I’m the enemy.” His expression sobered, as did hers. “At least, I will be again if we live through it all.”
Scarlet eyes snapped up to his, and even he could read the ire in that alien gaze. “You know better than to think like that.”
He shrugged, turning his own away. “I know.” He sighed, then gave a half-laugh. “Gotta say, though,” he murmured, his eyes sliding back towards hers, his smile sly, “I’ve enjoyed this while it’s lasted.”
Back on steadier ground - she didn’t want to feel compassion for the man! - Kal’istae smirked right back. “It has had its charm, hasn’t it?”
The invitation was clear in her cocky smile; but, it had always been there. Flirtation was as much a part of her kit as it was his, and it had been easy to play along when there’d been no chance of anything coming from it. Something had changed, however; there was a charge in the air, an electricity in her smile, a spark down his spine that warned that this was a corner he might not want to turn.
As he hesitated, she watched him with knowing eyes, and he could see the same internal struggle reflected in that glowing gaze. Damn, he thought, even as his lips spread in that trademark cocky grin, heedless of the pain of his cuts and bruises. When her own curved in response, he threw caution to the winds. “You could say that.”
It was even odds which of them stepped forward first. Between one breath and the next, she was in his arms, her own wound around his neck, fingers tangling in his short-cropped hair. He tightened his grip, hauling her up to her tiptoes, and closed his mouth over hers.
He’d expected cold lips and a stiff body, for a kiss without reason to be treated more as a burden than a joy. Too many spies - particularly the female ones - weary after days and months of using their looks and wiles to anyone’s end but their own, seemed to find no pleasure in even the most uncomplicated of affectionate expression. And the stories about the Chiss? Everyone knew the Chiss were…
Oh my. It was the last coherent thought he had. Her lips were soft and warm, her body pliant, molding itself against his as if made to fit. The hands in his hair gripped just this side of too-tight, with exactly the right amount of pressure. When her lips parted against his, her tongue darting out to taste and test, he could taste heat and spice and a hint of fiery sweet that made him think of a cordial, though he could not name the base. Twisting his fingers into the back of her jacket, he yanked her hard against him and sank into the kiss.
She’d expected stale caf and bad food. She’d expected bruising lips and grabbing hands. Most spies, in her experience, lacked subtlety when not plying their trades; as if unburdened by the need to seduce, they reverted to a rutting state. And to be fair, Theron Shan did not seem to her to be the kind of man to put much care in appearances unless he had to. Anyway, he was a Pub. Everyone knew Pubs were…
Oh my. Her mind skittered to a halt, trailing off into gibberish as she felt his mouth, firm and warm against her own. There was caf, yes - dark and rich with smooth chocolate undertones that cut the bitter and added a hint of sweet. There was spice, as well, a hint of burn on the tongue that left one craving more. As their tongues clashed, their teeth scraped, their lips bruised, she clung to him and chased wholeheartedly after the pleasure promised in his embrace, losing herself in the thrill.
Eventually, lung capacities reached critical and they parted, him with a sigh, her with a faint noise of regret. Untangling her fingers from his hair, Kal’istae slid down his body and took a step back. Theron’s fingers trailed along her hips before he pulled his hands back, folding them in loose fists to keep from grabbing her back. They stared each other, an unexpectedly awkward silence springing up between them.
Finally, Theron broke it with a half-hearted quip. “And they said I’d spontaneously implode if I ever kissed an Imp…”
Kal’istae barely stopped herself from blowing out her breath, hiding her lingering discomposure behind a faint sneer. “Perhaps by the time we reach Yavin Four,” she suggested, and Theron shot her a cocky grin.
“Not the most subtle hint,” he lightly rebuked, and she smirked at him, “but yeah. We need to get going.” He shrugged. “I’ll have Jakarro plot a route to Yavin Four. Who knows? Maybe if we ask nice, Revan will stop.”
He could see the retort in her scarlet eyes - it was exactly the same one that rested on the tip of his tongue. But she merely nodded and turned on heel, striding from the room.
As the door slid shut behind her, he exhaled sharply. “Stars. What was I thinking?” Giving a soft laugh of disbelief, he lifted his fingers to his lips, then winced as he brushed against his once-more bleeding cut. “Ow. Right. Business.”
It was all business. Right?
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Kal’istae paused in the curving hall leading out of the base and exhaled the breath she’d been holding on a sharp gust of air. “Flame,” she muttered, reaching up to press her fingertips between her breasts. “That was a mistake. And not one I’ll make again.”
But she took another minute to smile, committing the moment to memory, before dismissing it from her thoughts and returning to business.
It was all about business.
#swtor#miurani'kal'istae#theron shan#f!agent x theron shan#year of the otp 2023#january#prompt: first kiss
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YOTP January: First Kiss, Fake Dating
Title: emotional rollercoaster (of love)
Fandom: Star Trek AOS
Pairing: Kirk/Spock
Word count: 3,761
Written for: @yearoftheotpevent
read on ao3
Jim woke up in a good mood. The stars outside his window were bright. His uniform fit him like a glove in all the right places. He was on the greatest ship in the 'Fleet and his crew were the best in their fields.
It was just that kind of day.
His mood didn't sour throughout the first part of his shift, even when they recieved an urgent communication from the local diplomats of Horace Twelve.
"We cannot beam aboard today," said the attache to the Chief Matriarch. "The Matriarch is not well. I'm afraid you will have to join us on the planet. We apologize for the inconvenience, Captain."
Jim didn't feel inconvenienced. He was looking forward to seeing the place.
He had Spock send him a data packet on surface conditions, then went to fetch his Starfleet-issue parka. He met the rest of the away team on the transporter pad. Uhura, Sulu, Kilroy, and Benison stood waiting for him. He laughed at their puffy coats and furry hoods, then they all beamed down together.
The team from Horace Twelve was supposed to come to the Enterprise to finish negotiations. This was the final day of talks surrounding their admission into the Federation. There was very little left to do and Admiral Komack had already given Jim leave to take any legal action required to come to an agreement. Jim had read the briefing they sent about this little world and thought Starfleet might actually overlook any action taken to secure that much raw dilithium, legal or otherwise. It felt good to have that kind of creative freedom.
They were led to a podium inside a building that reminded him of a breezy open-air temple. It was freezing and the humans (plus Kilroy, a Betazoid on his father's side) instictively huddled close like penguins. Strangely, no one emerged with any paperwork or a list of concerns, as Jim had been expecting. There were really only formalities left to cross off the list.
Instead, the Chief Matriarch herself appeared, towing a younger female Horatian behind her. She led her to stand in front of the podium and then took Jim's hand in her own.
"If you will come with me, Captain Kirk," she intoned gravely. Jim went where she led him, right next to the girl. He quirked an eyebrow at her, but she only cocked her head in a curious movement.
"Captain, the negotations have proceeded well. We are grateful for the work you have done to facilitate our entry into your Federation of Planets. Therefore, before we finish these negotiations, we have decided to give you a gift." Her attache took something from the Matriarch's hand and came toward Jim and the young girl.
Jim was beginning to get a strange feeling about this. He felt the same generosity of spirit and lightness he had upon waking, but now he thought he might need to call Spock.
The attache lifted Jim's hand to place it atop the girl's. Before he could manage, he heard Uhura's voice snap through the silent hall.
"Wait," she called, voice bright with authority. Jim looked at her, smiling a question. She looked back at him with a concerned expression.
"The Captain must consult with his command team before accepting your gift, although it is very generous," she said politely. Jim was tugged away from the podium and a few steps away. "Let us take some time to discuss it."
The Chief Matriarch looked upset. The girl at the podium simply smiled at Jim as he was manhandled away by a grimacing Uhura.
She waited until they were out of earshot to round on him.
"Respectfully, Captain, what do you think you are doing?"
Jim looked to Sulu, whose boggled expression plainly said, No, actually what the hell is wrong with you? Jim almost laughed at the way his eyebrows pinched in like that. Sulu had a very expressive face.
He said, "I was trying to finish up negotiations. So we can all go home." As he said it, it didn't feel quite true. After all, why should he be in a hurry to leave Horace Twelve? Horace Twelve was lovely.
Wind from the open stone doorway dragged his hood away from his face and he hissed at the biting cold.
Uhura wasn't finished. "They were marrying you. Captain. I'm sure you noticed."
Jim had not, in fact, noticed. He looked back at the podium and saw that the attache was holding a pale blue ribbon in one hand. He remembered seeing one just like it in the dossier on Horatian cultural norms and mores. It was protocol for each member of an away team to be familiar with basic things like 'how to avoid getting married by accident' before interacting with a new civilization. Jim laughed to himself about the near-miss. What would he have said to Spock if he'd let himself get hitched on a diplomatic mission? A distant part of his mind remarked that he probably wouldn't find it very funny.
He said, "I think we should call Commander Spock."
+++
The away team stayed on the planet and made reassuring remarks to the Horatians as Spock consulted the admirality on board the Enterprise. Approximately two Standard hours after he recieved Uhura's transmission, he appeared in the doorway to the temple.
He greeted the group with a nod, then said, "Captain."
"Commander," said Jim. He tried to push his pleasure at seeing him into his voice. "Report?"
Spock's eyebrow twitched. "Admiral Komack requests that we use any means necessary to conclude negotiations and secure access to this planet's mining operation. He is aware of the situation, as it stands."
Uhura made an outraged noise. "Is he saying the Captain should go through with this?"
"Perhaps it might be best to discuss the matter with the Horatian Matriarch before making decisions," he remarked, dry as ever.
Discussions did not go well.
They were led to a wide stone table in a different chamber within the temple, where the Enterprise team sat on one side and the Horatians sat on the other. Jim said things like "Terran customs dictate..." and "...happy to find a suitable alternative..." but each time the Matriarch replied with a rebuttal (I'm sure it's the only way. and You insult my fair daughter, Captain. and Shouldn't we unite our cultures for real intergration?) he found himself seriously considering her argument. If he weren't feeling so damn good, he was pretty sure he would be alarmed by that. It was too confusing. Why was he so disoriented?
Not even 10 minutes into talking, he wordlessly pleaded for Spock to take over. Spock caught his look and took control of the conversation. Gratefully, Jim tuned out the Matriarch to watch his First Officer command the attention of the room.
That old feeling bloomed in his chest. The one he'd been very good at ignoring. It was difficult to remember why he hadn't liked feeling it, as he looked at Spock now. Spock was cool, confident, in control. Having him around made Jim feel safe and supported. It didn't make sense to resist him.
Something must have shown on his face, because Kilroy was looking at him strangely. Actually, Kilroy was half Betazoid, right? Maybe he could sense his sudden outpouring of fondness for Spock.
Spock was trying to get his attention by tapping his foot under the table. Jim tapped back, delighted.
"On that point, you are misinformed," Spock said to the Matriarch's attache.
Every head turned to look at Spock, and then at Jim.
In a slow, deliberate movement, Spock lifted Jim's hand to his face and pressed his wrist just under the hinge of his jaw. The air exited Jim's lungs. The rest of the table seemed to be having a similar reaction as Spock placed his own wrist near Jim's left jaw.
He knew what this was, of course he did. Just as the away team knew how to avoid being married, they also knew how to avoid intimate and romantic gestures. This was to prevent anyone getting into the alien planet equivalent of a good old-fashioned bar fight over somebody else's girl. It was not so that first officers could perform them on their unsuspecting captains in the middle of negotiations.
Spock was definitely misusing the cultural dossier. Jim's heart beat much faster than normal.
The Matriarch went an interesting shade of violet.
"This was not disclosed to us in the personnel briefing."
Spock lowered their arms, but didn't let go of Jim's hand.
"Our relationship was deemed irrelevant. We acknowledge the oversight," he said, primly.
Uhura had a resigned expression on her face. Sulu was clearly trying not to laugh. Benison was stoically gazing at them and Kilroy's mouth was doing something strange.
The Matriarch looked stubborn, but her features softened minutely as Spock pulled two fingers across the palm of Jim's captured hand. Jim thought he might faint from bewildered happiness. There was somethng wrong with him. Then again, maybe there was something wrong with Spock. He'd just been Vulcan kissed.
The Horatian Matriarch relented easily after that, allowing them to close discussions the standard way, with signed agreements and such. Her face was back to its usual healthy crimson.
Jim knew that smiling like a love-struck idiot was inadvisable, so he attempted not to. It was very difficult. He could feel Lieutenant Kilroy's eyes on him.
Finally, after what left like an eternity sitting at Spock's side and holding his hand, it was over and they could beam back aboard the Enterprise.
When they reached the transporter room, he removed his parka and pulled his clothes away from his skin where'd he'd sweat into them. It was weirdly quiet when he finished and he looked around to see that no one had done the same. They all still wore their heavy coats and they were all staring at him.
"What?" he asked. He'd been having muzzy thoughts about taking a water shower in his quarters and then passing out, as his shift had ended more than an hour ago. He could see from their faces that he might have to reschedule.
"Spock to Medical," Spock said into his communicator. "Captain Kirk is showing signs of abnormal behavior. I am bringing him to Medbay. Spock out."
Jim blinked and he was being herded toward Medical by Spock.
Bones yelled when he saw him and he knew they were both asking him questions. The lights of Medbay seemed intolerably bright. He didn't remember them being that bright, before.
"Can you say that again?" he said, maybe slurring a little.
Bones scowled in that way of his. It meant I am concerned about you and it's your fault. Jim smiled to see it.
"How do you feel, Jim?" Bones asked. It sounded like it wasn't the first time he'd asked.
Jim thought about the question. How did he feel? Well, he was happy to be with Bones, his best friend. He was happy that Spock had come with him because he was always happy to be around Spock, even if they were just standing around in the Bridge on duty. Especially then. He loved to watch Spock work-- he was brilliant. And he liked it that Spock backed him up whenever he had to make Captain-y judgement calls.
"Great," he said truthfully. There had been some unpleasant business on Horace Twelve, he was pretty sure, but Spock had helped him to take care of it and now they were home on the Enterprise. His eyes were heavy, so he closed them.
He heard Bones and Spock discussing something, maybe asking more questions. He heard a different voice speak up from the door to Medbay.
"Commander Spock. Lieutenant-Commander McCoy," it said. It sounded like Lieutenant Kilroy.
Jim heard "strange reactions" and "projecting all over the place, I didn't mean to invade his privacy." He wanted to tell Kilroy he didn't do anything wrong. Probably. It was Jim who was wrong, right? Something was wrong. His hearing was going wobbly.
Unable to fight the sudden dizzy feeling in his head, he decided to just stop listening.
+++
Jim woke up in a terrible mood. He was in Medbay, which was already awful. On top of that, his head was pounding.
The machines picked up his brain activity and Bones was next to him immediately.
"Gur," Jim croaked. "What the hell happened?"
He checked a readout and shined a light into both of Jim's eyes before answering.
"You were drugged," Bones said tersely. "Flooded up to your eyeballs in happy, suggestible chemicals. I couldn't get you to stop smiling and then you almost cracked your fool head open on the floor in front of me. We're lucky Lieutenant Kilroy was able to tell me your symptoms."
Jim started to remember. They'd beamed down to the planet because the Matriarch said she wasn't well. They'd worn those ridiculous puffy coats. Jim had stood next to someone who he didn't recognize and almost held her hand. Was that a Horatian marriage ribbon? Oh no. The rest of the afternoon played behind his eyelids in perfect clarity. He covered his face.
"Please tell me I'm not actually married to anyone." He could hear how pathetic his voice sounded. He was too busy being embarassed to care.
Bones snorted in an unfriendly way. "Nope. Not married."
Jim dropped his hands from his face to look at him, relieved. Bones only smirked and jabbed something in his neck.
"Your boyfriend is waiting outside to talk to you, however."
Jim hissed and jerked away from him. "Damn it, Bones! Wait, who... Spock?"
The doors opened to admit his first officer, who strode to stand next to the biobed.
"Captain," he said. "Are you well?"
He thought about it for a moment. "I feel like hell."
Spock gave a quick nod. "I am gratified to hear that."
Bones laughed, because he was an asshole.
+++
Obviously, they had to launch an investigation and renegotiate the terms of Horace Twelve's admission into the Federation. Jim was pissed off and already tired.
He let Security deal with the first task and stared gathering crew members to help him with the second. When the Horatians beamed aboard, they were greeted by Jim, Spock, Uhura, Sulu, Kilroy, and Jana, a science officer from Betazed. Spock had instructed Jana to notify Doctor McCoy immediately if she noticed any abnormal changes in mood among the Enterprise group. Kilroy was told to monitor Captain Kirk, specifically. Jim rankled and ordered him to also include Spock in his observations.
They'd had a moment of eye contact after that, Jim thinking I'm right at him and Spock giving nothing away, as usual. Jim had looked away first, unable to stop remembering the feeling of his fingers on his palm whenever he saw him. If he wasn't careful, he knew it would distract him all day, and they needed to be alert. He resolved to keep a careful distance and to minimize eye contact with Spock. For his own sanity.
His plan was promptly ruined when the Matriarch took one look at them, standing stiffly next to the transporter pad and said, "Ah, the lovers." She sounded sardonic. Jim could hear Komack's voice in his head saying "The dilithium, Kirk. I want you to woo that planet." Resigned, he smiled at her and moved closer to his First Officer.
Jim's mood only got worse as discussions progressed. There wasn't much to be learned from them that Security hadn't already gleaned in their initial interviews. Apparently, the drug they'd given Jim was always given to a bride or groom the night before a wedding to ease their nerves. According to the Matriarch, wedding celebrations on Horace Twelve could last anywhere from 3 weeks to 2 Standard months. The dose they'd given him would have lasted a Horatian an entire week and would not have affected them so intensely, but they hadn't accounted for Jim's human metabolism. It was that kind of carelessness that earned planets fourteen extra contract clauses.
Spock was keeping up their romantic charade admirably, but Jim knew he was making it difficult. Spock stayed by his side at the table during each session of talks. He touched his wrist when he referred to him. As they filed out of the room during breaks, Spock ostentatiously lifted his hand for Jim to rest two fingers there. If it weren't so painful, it would be sickening.
There was a weird tightness in his chest as he thought about Kilroy sitting on his other side, listening in on his emotions. Could he sense the way Jim's heart kicked up when Spock looked at him? Did he know that Jim's skin felt electrified just before Spock put his fingers on him? That feeling he had been unable to supress on the planet-- it was back. It was like letting it loose had only made it stronger. Like letting himself feel it only made it more difficult to stop. He did his best to push it away and out of reach of empaths and touch telepaths. Oh God, could Spock feel it? Jim was sure he wouldn't violate his privacy on purpose, but that wasn't as reassuring as it should have been. What had Kilroy said the day before? He'd been 'projecting all over the place.' Was that just because of the drug? Was he still projecting now?
When they resumed the discussion after the midday break, Jim couldn't stop himself from flinching away every time Spock reached to touch him. He didn't meet his eyes. Spock must have noticed, because he stopped finding Jim's wrist on the table top. When the final session ended and the Horatians had beamed back down to the planet, he only put a hand briefly on Jim's shoulder before he strode away.
Jim clenched his eyes shut and told Uhura he had a headache. Kilroy said nothing.
In the evening, after his shift, Jim decided to work through his goddamn emotions. He considered taking a page out of Spock's book and meditating in his quarters, but he was a restless kind of upset. He didn't think he would even be able to start the breathing exercises before he was up again, pacing. Instead, he walked to the observation deck.
+++
Seeing the stars like this always made him feel weirdly at home. It hadn't made sense to Bones when he mentioned it to him. He'd just named ten different kinds of viral infection he could catch in space and called him an idiot.
But maybe being born in space meant he belonged there. Then again, maybe he just inherited it from his mother.
He wasn't alone for long before he heard someone sidle up to him. A quick glance showed him Spock, buttoned up and straight-backed. He was looking out the window.
"I apologize," he said. Jim's whole body twitched and he started to protest.
"I apologize," Spock said, holding up a hand to quiet him. "For my actions on the planet."
Jim stopped, confused. His actions on the planet?
"I wish to be honest with you, Captain." He knew Spock well enough to see the tension in his muscles. "There was a 73.7 per cent probability that the situation involving the Matriarch's daughter could have been resolved satisfactorily in another way. However, I chose the most efficient option, not anticipating that it would cause you discomfort. For that, I apologize."
Jim's eyebrows bunched together. "What's done is done, Spock," he told him. "It's probably for the best that you lied to them. I was just a few minutes away from having my fainting spell."
"Twenty-one point two one minutes," Spock corrected.
"Exactly. Any longer at that table, I might not have been able to make it back to the Enteprrise by myself."
"I would have carried you back."
Jim blinked. "But I'm glad you didn't. That would be too embarassing, especially on a diplomatic mission like this."
Spock looked even more rigid. "Indeed."
They stood together and watched the darkness outside the hull. Jim could feel the balloon of emotions rising to the surface and held it down desperately.
"I know it probably made you uncomfortable today, having to touch me so much. Vulcans aren't big on PDA, right?"
Jim saw Spock incline his head out of the corner of his eye. "In general, no, Vulcans do not engage in affectionate displays."
There was a moment of silence.
"I was not, however, uncomfortable."
Jim looked at Spock and Spock turned toward him. "I'm--" Jim started.
Spock interrupted him. "I had no indication that you would lose consciousness on Horace Twelve and thus there was little need for haste, when I made the decision to decieve the Chief Matriarch."
He looked down. Jim stared at the top of his First Officer's head.
"I am a touch telepath. According to every precept of logic, I should not have chosen to touch your hands or kiss you in the Vulcan manner. Nevertheless, I did." He gazed at the observation window again.
"It did not displease me to touch you, Captain."
Jim couldn't say anything. He didn't want to leave Spock hanging after what was clearly an emotional confession, but he was having an internal crisis. The balloon was rising faster than he could stop it and he held onto it for dear life, trying not to blurt something stupid before he fully understood what was happening.
"Do you--" he cleared his throat. "What do you mean, exactly?"
He hoped he knew. He didn't think he could hold on very much longer.
"When you fell to the ground in Medbay, before Lieutenant Kilroy informed us of the situation, I was... emotional. I was reminded of your most recent loss of consciousness."
The last time he'd, what? Passed out? That must have been after... oh. Had it really only been a year since Khan? Jim remembered the feeling the cold glass warming under his and Spock's hands. He remembered Spock had called him his friend. His friend.
"Although it was illogical, I felt regret, that I had not told you of my regard before I kissed you on the planet. I was determined to rectify the situation when you woke."
Jim was losing his grip. "Regard, Spock?" he asked, softly. "What are you telling me?"
His eyes lifted to find Jim's. "I am in love with you."
Jim's smile felt like instinct. He moved closer to Spock and took his hand. The feeling in his chest started to leak out and he didn't stop it. He kissed him instead.
+++
The next morning, during the first break in meetings, Kilroy submitted a warning to Doctor McCoy.
It read:
Notice-- CPT Kirk and CDR Spock way too happy. Please advise.
#yotp 2023#year of the otp 2023#january prompts#fake dating#fake/pretend relationship#mission fic#first kiss#spirk#james t. kirk/spock#jim/spock#Star Trek AOS#jim x spock#this took too long and i am LATE#i have so much writing to do#what's with all the writing challenges in february though#fifteen#green-fifteen#my fic#fifteen-fanfic#fanfiction#fanfic#fic#i refer to this as the “how are you feeling?” fic in my head
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Just One Moment...
Their first kiss was one that Spock had never forgotten. He’d been on the run from Starfleet under false charges of murdering three people. Time had been a fluid concept for him, even when the Talosians had helped him. There were memories of those months when he was lost, he wasn’t sure what was real and what was the human part of his mind trying to find solace from the madness. Meeting her, the kiss they shared felt almost like a dream.
Sometimes he still dreamed of her, the dingy bar on a non federation star port. Her sitting alone at a table in the corner. Small missing pieces of the memories filtered in. The soft curve of her lips as she smiled sardonically. The deep seated grief in her eyes, her pain had been palpable, she didn’t seem to care who he was or why he sat with her. But she was astute even while deeply inebriated.
When Security were in sight, she surprised him as she kissed him, her hands gently covering his ears, something he usually despised as he hated people touching him especially his ears. But he knew she did it on purpose to conceal him in plain sight.
Soon enough, it didn't matter as he was lost to her. The pleasure was heady and intoxicating. Her kisses tasted like rich rum and strawberries. He couldn't explain it but there was something that was singularly her. All the intrusive thoughts and memories of the Red Angel and what it had shown him, faded to the distant corners of his mind.
After months of spinning out, he felt grounded, rooted into one place. Finally present. He kissed her back as he desperately held onto her and the feelings. He knew it was all fleeting, They both luxuriated in the kiss, taking and giving, seeking something from the other.
Before he could pull her into his body and take it further, she pulled back and smiled softly. She gently caressed his face and for the first time in a very long time, he felt hope, like everything would be ok. He couldn’t comprehend how a simple look could have such a profound effect on him. It took him a moment to realize she was talking. But he heard her as she told him that he was going to be ok and then gave him instructions on how to evade security and escape.
He left the bar, not before looking back once, she smiled and raised a glass at him. He felt oddly bereft as he realised he’d never see her again. That he’d never be able to feel what he had in those fleeting moments with her again.
Months later, their paths collided. This time, on the bridge of the Enterprise, he nearly didn’t recognise her until she spoke. Then the memories came rushing back, it was hard to compare the memory of her with the woman before him. She was the perfect image of a Starfleet officer and yet, he couldn’t help but wonder if she still tasted like strawberries. Wonder why she had helped him, but for now, the mission to save Number One came first.
[Posted on AO3 here]
#la'an noonien singh#spock#spock x la'an#la'an x spock#year of the otp#yotp 2023#star trek#star trek strange new worlds#star trek: strange new worlds#star trek snw#star trek: snw#ethan peck#christina chong#Star Trek SNW AU#it's very messy#prompt: first kiss#January Complete!
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Hey guys! I’m taking part in the Year of the OTP 2023 challenge here on Tumblr. I know it’s like 9 days late but life is busy. If you’re interested at all I’m sticking to Sonic/Shadow as my pair for the year. Feel free to read and share! Thank you so much!
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Writing Prompt Masterlist, Part Five
Masterlist of Writing Prompt Masterlists
The Prompts
28 Days of Smut Prompts
50 Dialogue Prompts, Part Two
50 Vague Angsty + Hurt / Comfort Dialogue Prompts
50 Ways to Say I Hate You Prompts
79 Dialogue Prompts
After the Kiss Response Prompts
And They Were Roommates Prompts
Angst Prompts for All Your Heartbreak Needs
Angsty Dialogue Prompts
Angsty Sentence Starter Prompts
Arranged Matrimony for Royalty Prompts
Baby, It's Cold Outside Prompts
Best Friends to Lovers Prompts
Bubbly + Reserved Romance Dialogue Prompts
Childhood Exes to Lovers Prompts
Childhood Friends to Lovers (Reuniting & Reigniting) Prompts
Chilly Winter Prompts
Christmas Pick-Up Lines Sentence Starter Prompts
Comforting Sentence Starter Prompts
Confrontation Prompts
Dancing in the Rain Prompts
Death Prompts That Tore My Heart Apart
December Prompts
Defending the Right to Not Say Prompts
Dire Situations Prompts
Emotional Hurt / Comfort Prompts
Emotional Starters to Kick You in the Feelings Prompts
Extremely Self-Indulgent Prompts
Fan x Celebrity Prompts
Fluffy Moments Prompts
Gestures to Get You on Your Knees Prompts
Hand Touching Prompts
Heartbreak Sentence Starter Prompts
Hurt / Comfort Dialogue Prompts
Hurt / Comfort Dialogue Prompts, Part II
Hurt / Comfort Dialogue Prompts, Part III
Hurt and Comfort Dialogue Prompts
I Love You Prompts
Injured & Healers Prompts
January Prompts
Kiss Sentence Starter Prompts
Love Languages - Quality Time Prompts
Magic Fatigue / Exhaustion / Overuse Prompts
Meaningful Gestures Prompts
Modern Royalty AU Prompts
More Break-Up Dialogue Prompts
More Sick Prompts
More Teasing Dialogue Prompts
Mostly Angsty Drabble Prompts
Non-verbal Starter Prompts
Noticing / Being Noticed Prompts
One True Pairing Moments Prompts
Other Ways to Say I Love You Starter Prompts
Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body Prompts
Physical Contact Starter Prompts
Pillow Thoughts Prompts
Post-Breakup AU Prompts
Prompt List #1
Prompt List #2
Prompt List #3
Prompt Set 2
Prompt Set 3
Prompt Set 7
Prompt Set 8
Prompt Set 10
Prompt Set 18
Prompt Set 25
Prompts for Angsty Conversations
Prompts for Characters Who Are Slowly Falling in Love
Question Sentence Starter Prompts
Random Angsty Sentence Starter Prompts
Reunion After Physical Trauma Prompts
Romantic Date Dialogue Prompts
Roommates to Lovers (Who Are Scared to Confess) Prompts
Royal Arranged Marriage Dialogue Prompts
Royalty Dialogue Prompts
Royalty Forced Marriage to Actual Lovers Prompts
Scenarios with Undertones of Tension Prompts
Seduction Starter Prompts
Send a Number to Do X With Prompts
Set the Scene Prompts
Sexy / Suggestive Dialogue Prompts
Sinful Sentence Prompts
Six Word Sentence Starter Prompts
Softer Shippy Prompts
Spending Time Together Prompts
Super Soft Intimacy Prompts
Symbol Meme Starter Prompts
Tearful Goodbye Prompts
Teasing Prompts
Tired / Exhausted / Feeling Very Weak Starter Prompts
Tol & Smol Prompts
Valentine Interactions Prompts
Valentine's Day Prompts
Where to Land Prompts
Whump Dialogue Prompts
Words of Love Prompts
Worried Sentence Starter Prompts
Year of the OTP 2023 Prompts
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Bunnyguard master post
July 1, 2023: in the spirit of shameless self-promotion here's a collective post for the Usagi Yojimbo/Rottmnt fusion Leosagi fic series I've been working on this year. somewhat celebratory because 1. I'm very excited to have hit the halfway mark on this project 2. my birthday is later this month and I can do a little treat for myself if I want 3. it's my first day off in ages and I can spend my time luxuriantly and frivolously. Prompts taken from Year of the OTP; titles from Richard Siken "Litany in which certain things are crossed out."
Post last updated December 22, 2023
Bunnyguard verse premise in three bullet points:
The cast of Usagi Yojimbo are embedded in the Hidden City
Draxum helped raised the turtles
Usagi gets hired as a bodyguard for Leo a month after the Krang invasion
January - "missionfic" - something other than the desperation
Usagi does his best to not embarrass himself while Leo tries to do the same and fails. (the hero shifts from one foot to the other)
February - "mermaid au" - no one will ever want to sleep with you
A first meeting sparks a series of increasingly dumb and desperate decisions. (the repeated image of the lover destroyed)
March - "mutual pining" - your heart, and it is painted shut
We skip ahead in the timeline to the point where Usagi has decided he's going to just quietly pine forever and Leo stops for five seconds of self-examination and immediately starts planning his wedding. (the same big and little words, all spelling out desire)
April - "No, I'm not dating your brother" - There is something underneath the floorboards
After a series of shenanigans, (some of) Usagi's misconceptions are corrected and Leo eventually gets a full night's sleep. (bruised and ruined, you poor sad thing)
May - "accidental pet/child acquisition" - Quit milling around the yard and come inside
Usagi uses his day off to be with his family, including his son, and Leo takes a turn being the babysitter instead of the babysat. (Inside your head you hear a phone ringing.)
June - "you're not what I expected" - These terms from the lower depths
After being chased by a demon, Leo and Usagi end up in the bones of both of their pasts, one after the other. (I have told you where I'm coming from, so put it together.)
July - "enemies to lovers" - recently we have had our difficulties
Leo screws up, Usagi gets hurt, and they have to work together to fix it. (the moment of epiphany, in gold light)
August - "au of your choice" (free space) - close enough to see the blue rings
Usagi fights a dragon and Leo has a bunch of minor problems happen all at once. (But it doesn't work, these erasures, this constant refolding of the pleats)
September - "hurt/comfort" - Are you there, sweetheart? Do you know me?
An unexpected attack forces everyone involved to reexamine their circumstances. (Love always wakes the dragon and suddenly flames everywhere)
October - "identity shenanigans" - I guess I can tell you that now.
Our heroes go on a date to a mob warehouse and find out things that were not exactly secrets but definitely unknown. (I walk through your dreams and invent the future)
November - "be careful what you wish for" - You want a better story. Who wouldn't?
A confrontation, a choice, a number of things undone. (It should mean laughter, not poison.)
December - "forgiveness" - so maybe I wanted to give you something
Our heroes reckon with their actions, and choose to try again. (I want more seats reserved for heroes. Dear Forgiveness, I saved a plate for you.)
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2023 HP Slash Fic Recs (January to August)
My favorite slash fics written in 2023! Full disclosure everything is Snarry except one fic which is Sirius/Albus + Snape/Albus.
In the Margins of What We Know by Malora (January)
Snarry, 27700 words, epistolary fic
Snarry doesn't really get a lot of epistolary fic. So when I saw this one I was super excited. Love it. Really creative fic with a lot of scope/worldbuilding without a lot of words.
Magic and Botany: The Bamboo Forest of Li Xian (book excerpt)
A bamboo forest is unusual compared to other forests in that its growth happens beneath the surface.
The Bamboo Forest of Li Xian, in fact, could be considered one organism. There is a single root system for the entire forest. Two shoots of bamboo, seemingly distant, can be connected in ways that are not easily seen.
Check out the rest of the Snarry Adopt A Prompt Fest 2022.
This Mirrored Perspective by @likelightinglass and zalil (February)
Snape/Harry/Tonks, 8000 words, PWP, Dirty bad hot wrong
Ok this is my OT3 and I don't really take questions. But this is my OT3 because of Likelightinglass writing An auror, a professor and a potioneer walk into a bar. This fic has a totally different vibe! It's intense, psychological, dirtybadhotwrong porn with peak self-indulgence. Definitely NSFW.
That nagging sense that he didn't deserve it.
Night Skye by @titconao3 (March)
Snarry, 11500 words, OTP comfort food fic
Heartwarming OTP fic! It's the best Snarry comfort food fic I read this year. Good vibes, sexy high chemistry, loving/intimate feels, brilliantly characterized, beautiful settings.
“One day…” He shakes his head and looks up at Harry, his eyes like coal.
“Today,” Harry says. “Today, Severus; that’s what matters.”
This is how, finally, Harry gets Severus to agree.
Coda to "Soft Touch" by @perverse-idyll (April)
Snarry, 3,300 words, Soft
Have recced before. Will rec again. Because everybody needs to read it for the soft tender vibes. Not really soft. But compared to the intense angsty fic this is a coda for, I feel like it's optimistic and soft and I just feel so happy for my OTP.
"Can a man not toss off in the privacy of his own room without being accused of sabotaging his bloody health? If you can't trust that I have a vested interest in my own recovery - "
Snape spotted Harry, and a flush raced from his collar up to his hairline, exquisitely pink beneath his unnaturally smooth skin. But although he swallowed his tirade, Snape didn't seem particularly put out by having practically shouted his masturbatory claims to the entire office.
Check out Soft Touch the perfect dysfunctional/dirtybadhotwrong massage fic which inspired this coda!
Devotion by @danpuff-ao3 (May)
Snarry, 27000 words. Intense/dirty bad/hot/wrong.
Exactly what I want from my Snarry! Honestly Danpuff is bringing the oldschool vibes of Snarry back with a bang in their fics every single time and I am just super spoiled now. Snarry forever :D Also love to see Danpuff going into longer fics this year!
Though the worst crime of all is Potter’s.
"Did you want to die?"
Also The boy knows — he knows — he can take anything he wants. That bitter surrender is surrender all the same. That the force of Severus’ loathing is fed by his longing.
Pro tip - Read Contempt together with this fic. Check out other fics from Snarry-a-Thon 23
Much Ado About Asmodeus by @ac1d6urn (June)
Snarry, 18100 words, Fluff
Fluff and crack! Really love the oldschool trope parody vibes of this fic. I actually haven't read something like this in a pretty long time. Going on my rereads! Also going on my holiday season reading list :D Also love to see Acid's insane prolific streak this year. I feel super spoiled as a reader! <3
Harry squinted against the rain and promptly attempted to expunge the phrase "Ventus Vultuosus, swish and flick when in a bind!" from his memory. Ugh. Curse you, Common Weather Weathering Spell #13! That'll be the last time I trust anything Witch Weekly puts out in fine print. (Except maybe that last fruitcake recipe.) Now that he thought about it, Auntie Annabelle's Advice Column on "Ten Ways of Bewitching and Beguiling Your Mr Right" didn't seem so reliable either, especially considering some of those later suggestions, and maybe even those in the middle too. Those were a bit wild.
Promises, promises... by SerenaEW, @acydpop (July)
Snarry, 5000 words, Fluff
Aww!!! The Snarry Summer Fluff I was totally praying for and really needed! Perfect Snarry Bang opener for my reading <3 Also the art! <3
Severus was looking at him, telling him, with only a glance, to shut up before you say something utterly idiotic.
The expression on Jamie's face looked nearly identical.
Check out the other fics from Snarry Bang 2023
Brillig by eldritcher (August)
Dumbledore saying "You disgust me" to people in his life but also meaning "I disgust myself". The more he sees himself in the other person, the more disgusted he gets. Intense, intense beautiful fic. But also healing because he finally overcomes that.
He disgusts you. Ratty, bony, skulking, pleading, raging, raving, frightened of the shadows and frightened of the fog, frightened of you.
"You did not save Lily!" he yells.
"You did not save James!" he weeps.
"You did not save me!" he whimpers, and huddles into himself and trembles as if the North Sea is in his very veins.
Also the math works out!!! Snape/Dumbledore + Sirius/Dumbledore = Snack by proxy actually.
Check out the rest of the spectacularly beautiful Frabjous which contains some of my all time favorite fics.
#hp#hp slash#hp slash recs#recs#hp slash 2023#snarry so much snarry#but i included one non snarry fic to beat the snarry bias allegations#i mean i have snarry bias sorry not sorry#hp slash recs 2023#fic recs#squashrecs#snape fandom#pro snape#slash fic
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Year of the OTP 2023 - Thancred & Aeryn Masterpost
Originally started by a Batman fandom group, Year of the OTP is a challenge to end up with 12 new fics from a series of prompts for one's favorite ship. They've been gracious enough to open it to anyone and everyone, however, so a few of us decided to add our Final Fantasy XIV wolships into the mix.
So here are 12 fics/screenshot sets for my OC Aeryn Striker with that canon rogue, Thancred Waters. Also migrating the stories onto my Ao3, mostly in "Unexpected" and "Despite the Gods We've Outlived", though a few stand alone in my "Aeryn Striker" series.
January - Dual Perspectives (ARR, Pre-relationship)
February - Linkpearl (Stormblood, early relationship, long distance)
March - Ladyhawke Fairy Tale AU (image set, plot summary)
April - Desert Divergence (AU/Canon Divergence, Love Confess)
May - Illness (ARR pre-relationship, sick fic/comfort)
June - Confession (Shadowbringers Love Confess, poorly timed)
July - Stars (Yearning at the start of Shadowbringers)
August - Snowstorm (Heavensward pre-relationship comfort)
September - I Wrote This For You (A letter of yearning, Endwalker)
October - On A Dark & Stormy Night (Dark Fairy Tale AU images)
November - Missing Scars (Post-Shadowbringers readjustment)
December - Home (post-Endwalker holidays & belonging)
Some of these did get written later, going back and filling in months I'd missed. Life happens! Also original story writing eating up my brain, but I cannot complain about more writing productivity!
This also let me get in at least one long-sitting WIP completed finally ("Snowstorm"; we're not going to talk about how long that's been in drafts...), while others still didn't mesh ("Meeting the Family" is being a rambling monster) but led to entirely new things getting written. And it got me to play with a few AUs, which I normally don't do, aside from the Halloween silliness, which found its way into this set as well.
Thanks again to YOTP for hosting and opening up this little challenge, and here's to a new year of creativity around all our blorbo pairings!
#final fantasy xiv#YOTP 2023#Wolcred#Thancred x WoL#Shippy Nonsense#Thancred Waters#Aeryn Striker#Lyn Writing#Lyn Edits
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Soft-ish prompts: "Let me do this for you, okay?"
I'm not sure if I'd prefer this as Jane to Maura or Maura to Jane, it has good potential for either....
Okay my request is for Maura to Jane in the Cafuddári universe if you are so inclined please and thank you.
Writing this kind of hit me in the feels 😅
___
“Night has fallen,” Maura says to Jane, and they are hovering in the doorway between St. Paul’s pastoral offices and the sanctuary itself. The length of the church, of the holy parts of it, appears interminable from this vantage point. Light is scarce, most of it coming from the votive candles to their right, at about the halfway marker of the massive room.
Jane laughs in that Italian way. “Night has fallen,” she says in her easiest accent, the one from home. The one she probably last used when in a church - that is, before last night. “You sound like one of us. I’m not sure if the change is a good one.”
Maura shakes her head, reminds herself that fear is speaking to her more than Jane is. “I am. I’m better for knowing you, even if it hasn’t been very long. Do you think you could try?”
Jane stares only ahead, but allows Maura’s fingers to thread through her own. “Melissa deserves a candle. She deserves ten. She had no idea about all this bull… about our world, and yet, she served the church. She let them torture her before she gave anything up. If she gave anything up at all. But I just don’t know if I… the pain if I try and it doesn’t…”
More than fear. Mortal terror. Maura refrains from cursing the God of Abraham only out of respect for Jane’s respect for this place - his rejection and his enforcement of that rejection has made a centuries-old being (those exist!) cower from the soft glow of candlelight. So, Maura swallows, reminds herself that cognition is so much more powerful than emotion at solving problems, and Jane is right. Melissa deserves honor from all of them. “Let me do this for you, okay?”
Jane’s head snaps toward Maura’s. “What?”
“Let me light the candle for you. For her,” Maura says softly.
Jane blushes, full of Maura’s blood still, and she sports an incredulous, half-exhilarated smile. “You don’t believe,” she says.
Maura turns to her, puts hands on her shoulders, rubs her thumbs over the warm skin on Jane’s neck. If she concentrates, if she pauses the affection, she can feel the periodic knock of the carotid - slow, inhuman, but full. She licks her lips, purpose renewed. “I can be respectful,” she says to Jane. “I can have a moment of silence.”
“You won’t pray?” Jane asks quietly.
Maura shakes her head. “No. I never have, and I probably never will. And because we are in a place of worship, that’s all I’m going to say on the matter.”
“Probably for the best,” Jane says, looking back toward the votives and the likeness above them. “Saint Paul is a total asshole.”
Maura laughs, loud and pretty and free. “He certainly wouldn’t approve of our nighttime activities, would he?”
“No, he wouldn’t,” Jane says. Then she turns back to Maura and her face grows long, serious. “Thank you, for this.”
“Stand behind me,” Maura nods. “Coach me, if I need coaching.”
Jane puts her arm out, asking Maura to lead the way. “I don’t think you’re gonna need any help at all,” she says.
They walk to the candles hand in hand. For Melissa.
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At the beginning of 2023, I saw a challenge called The Year Of The OTP: 12 prompts. 12 months. One ship. I chose BC/BC because I write One Thing™️
Some are short one shots, some are multi chapters, two are pure smut 😌 links and summaries below.
January: Snow
Prompt: Snow, Rating G.
Summary:
He puffed out, smoke mingling with the steam of his hot breath as he tilted his head back, watching the softly falling snow.
February: Valentine's Day
Prompts: Valentine's Day and established relationship/long distance. Rating E.
Summary:
Their Valentine's Day plans were interrupted by bad weather.
That's not going to stop them.
March: Fresh Starts
Prompt: Fresh Starts. Rating M. Angel/Demon au, sequel to Long Way Down
Summary:
The elders had always said falling was the most painful thing that could happen to an angel.
As Tommi had hit the water and felt bones breaking he could only think they had been correct, pain shooting through every nerve endings and as he slowly sank he wondered how he was even still alive, being quite literally tossed from one realm of existence to another was like falling from a plane without a parachute.
April: Painting you Blue
Prompt: University AU. Rating G. 5 chapters.
Summary:
but still… he was a teacher now.
What the hell had he gotten himself into?
He should have never let Niko and Joonas talk him into this
Or
Joel is a new teacher at the same university as his boyfriends and their good friends.
He is not excited.
May: Flower Moon
Prompt: Flower language. Rating G. Part of my Wolfpack AU.
Summary:
Aleksi is learning a new wolf tradition and wants to surprise his mates.
June: Can You Hear the Silence Getting Loud?
Prompts: Soulmates. Rating M. 5 chapters, part of my Soulmate AU
Summary:
For years Aleksi has been happy with his soulmates, his family long cut off.
Until a relative contacting him makes him question that choice.
July: Heaven (and Hell) on Earth
Prompts: Enemies to Lovers and Coffeeshop AU. Rating M. 5 chapters. Angel/Demon AU
Summary:
There were two men running the counter as he got there, looking at him with what could almost be called suspicion. One was tall, even taller than him, and muscly, while the other was rather short with curly honey colored hair.
"Welcome," the shorter of the two said, "what can we get you this evening?"
"Your strongest, largest espresso," Joel said bluntly.
His insomnia had decided to kick his ass that night, at least he could try to stay awake and be productive rather than be in his half awake, half asleep zombie mode that it usually sent him into.
The larger man chuckled a little and got to work on the drink while the smaller rang him up; there was something about them that kept Joel's attention on them, something about the shop that begged for his attention.
Maybe it was the name, Sinful Coffee.
August: Weathering the Storm
Prompt: Storm. Rating T.
Summary:
Blind Channel and their crew gets stuck at an airport in their hectic tour schedule.
Joel and Niko don't handle it well.
September: Beacon in a Storm
Prompts: hurt comfort, meeting the family, flood, shifter au. Rating T.
Summary:
Olli stared through the dark window of their home, trying to not panic.
The rain was getting impossibly heavier and Joel and Aleksi still weren't back; the dirt road leading to town had to be flooded by now, they could be stuck in mud or washed away if they weren't careful.
"We never should have sent them by themselves." Joonas mumbled, "we should have gone with."
October: Pop Princess, Hold My Hand
Prompts: Texting, couple costumes. Rating T.
Summary:
It's Joonas' turn to pick their Halloween costumes.
November: Be Careful What You Wish For
Prompt: Be Careful What You Wish For. Rating E.
Summary:
Tommi decides to show his boyfriends a new side of him
December: Opinion on the Season
Prompt: Holidays together. Rating G. Stand alone sequel to Rumors and Opinions.
Summary:
Niko sighed and exhaled the smoke from his lungs.
Holidays were always an interesting time of year. They all had a lot of family to see and it could be a tad overwhelming; seeing so many relatives in a short period, let alone all the shopping they had to do, arranging travel, arguments over who's family home they will wake up in on Christmas morning…
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THE YEAR OF NIKOLEKSI
At the beginning of 2023, I decided to participate in The Year Of The OTP: 12 prompts. 12 months. One ship. I chose Niko/Aleksi because, well, in Niko’s own words, they’re soulmates. 🤷♀️
I have a very bad habit of starting a writing challenge and then giving up halfway through. (Sorry, Whumptober and Whumpuary mods. 😅) But I actually completed YOTP, and I’m very proud of myself!! So, I’ve compiled all 12 fics into one masterpost:
January: DU LÜGST
Prompt: Historical AU
Word Count: 969
Summary: Vienna, Austria. 1794 A.D.
Niko has been studying abroad for a few years now, learning the art of music from a master composer. One day, he hears about a new, handsome face in town. A fellow Finn - and a fellow musician.
Tags: Alternate Universe - Historical, 18th Century, Flirting, Pre-Relationship, Short Oneshot
🖤
February: I’M A SHIPWRECK
Prompt: Mermaid AU
Word Count: 1,378
Summary: After a lover breaks his heart, Niko decides he doesn't want to live anymore, and dives into the sea. But, a mysterious savior drags him out of the water, back to shore. Niko isn't sure what shocks him more. That someone saved his life - or that that someone isn't human.
Tags: Suicide Attempt, Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Drowning, Near Death Experiences, Mouth-to-Mouth
🖤
March: TOWELS
Prompt: “Make Me.”
Word Count: 584
Summary: Aleksi is hogging all the towels in their shared hotel room, and Niko is annoyed.
Tags: Arguing, Flirting, Nudity, Implied Sexual Content
🖤
APRIL: WHAT ARE YOU DOING NEW YEAR’S EVE?
Prompt: “No, I’m Not Dating Your Brother!”
Word Count: 963
Summary: It's Christmas, and Niko is in Oulu, visiting his family. Aleksi is in a different city, but he decides to give Niko a video call, and wish him a happy holiday.
Joona can see the obvious crush Aleksi has on his brother, and decides to meddle a little.
Tags: Christmas Presents, Webcams, Fluff
🖤
MAY: MY CUTE HAMSTER
Prompt: Pet/Child Acquisition
Word Count: 546
Summary: Aleksi and Niko have been dating for about a year now. They already have Rilla, but they decide they're ready to adopt a second pet together.
Tags: Established Relationship, Short & Sweet, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
🖤
JUNE: IT WAS HATE AT FIRST SIGHT FOR US, DARLING
Prompt: Soulmate AU
Word Count: 801
Summary: Everyone has the first words that their soulmate will ever speak to them, written on the inside of their wrist.
But, there's just one problem. The words on Aleksi's wrist are "fuck you."
Tags: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Soulmate Identifying Marks, Enemies To Lovers, Short Oneshot
🖤
July: LET’S SEE HOW FAR WE’VE COME
Prompt: Vacation Together
Word Count: 518
Summary: Two years after their performance at Eurovision, Niko and Aleksi return to Rotterdam for a romantic vacation.
Aleksi is feeling a bit nostalgic.
Tags: Established Relationship, Vacation, Short & Sweet, Fluff
🖤
August: ENGLISH SUMMER RAIN
Prompt: Storm
Word Count: 538
Summary: Niko and Aleksi share a hotel room, the night before a festival gig. Aleksi discovers that Niko has a phobia of thunder.
Tags: Thunderstorms, Astraphobia, Sharing A Bed, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Short & Sweet
🖤
September: FIFTEEN LOVE
Prompt: Meeting The Family
Word Count: 1,374
Summary: Aleksi travels to Oulu, to meet Niko’s little sister, and cheer her on at her tennis match.
Tags: Established Relationship, Meeting The Family, Tennis, Fluff, Minor Injuries
🖤
October: PLAYING COPS & ROBBERS
Prompt: Couple’s Costume
Word Count: 1,056
Summary: On the final night of the Warrior Souls Tour, Nyamjantsan - better known as “Jaya” - from The Hu invites Niko and Aleksi to a Halloween party.
Niko really wants to wear a costume that matches Aleksi - but the DJ isn’t really sure why.
Tags: Halloween, Costume Parties & Masquerades, Jealousy, Love Confessions, Fluff
🖤
November: THE WORST WISH
Prompt: “Be Careful What You Wish For”
Word Count: 1,489
Summary: Aleksi is in love with Niko. But, Niko is in a relationship with Joonas.
When he spots a shooting star in the sky, Aleksi wishes - for one, selfish second - that Joonas would disappear, so that Niko could be his. Immediately, he regrets it. But, when Joonas gets into a terrible accident the next day, Aleksi is consumed with guilt. He can’t help but think this is all his fault.
Tags: Car Accidents, Major Character Injury, Hospitals, Pining, Not Actually Unrequited Love, Angst With A Happy Ending, Polyamory
🖤
December: ROSES ARE DEAD, VIOLETS ARE DOOMED
Prompt: Tattoo Parlor/Flower Shop AU
Word Count: 2,242
Summary: Aleksi is on the bus, headed to his part-time job at his aunt’s flower shop, when he meets a young tattoo apprentice named Niko.
Aleksi is only sixteen, and it only takes a day for Niko to become his first crush. But, Niko appears to have his eye on someone else.
Tags: Alternate Universe - Flower Shop & Tattoo Parlor, Teen Romance, First Crush, Light Angst, Not Actually Unrequited Love, First Kiss
#blind channel rpf#niko vilhelm x aleksi kaunisvesi#yotp 2023#let’s ignore that 7 of them were under 1k words#and that only 4 of them got posted in the actual month they were supposed to be posted#I got to write so many flavors of love - sweet and angsty and even a little bit spicy!#I had fun participating in this project. thank you event mods for a fun 2023 :)
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Year of the OTP challenge 2023
So I post a lot of my fanfics on here to share with everyone because well I write them when I'm inspired. That being said last year my dear friend @mischief-and-tea-by-the-sea convinced me to sign up for the @yearoftheotpevent challenge which was unlike any I'd ever taken the opportunity to participate in before where each month you were given prompts to use as guidelines and tell stories with them. I decided at the beginning to go with something that told a WinterIron story from a beginning and over the months evolved through a year's time (or I should say two timelines as the story truly begins decades earlier and is mixed with the 'present'). Throughout the year the story took a lot of twists and turns becoming it's own epic thing in it's 12 different monthly story installments telling a larger picture for these two along the way. It's a lot of story because well it took a whole year to produce and develop, but it's one that I'm particularly proud of because it was a HUGE accomplishment for me that I can proudly say I finished. With that in mind if anyone likes WinterIron and is looking for something with some length behind it to give them a read through the colder time of year, then I welcome everyone to take a look at this year long project under the cut as I had a lot of fun with it!
Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read this one and encourage me along the way in writing. It was truly a once in a lifetime adventure challenge and so much fun! I learned a lot about myself as an author through it and I would encourage anyone up for a challenge to give it a try in the future as well!
Year of the OTP challenge 2023
For the year of the OTP challenge there will be a story each month tied together by the one shot chapters. They will be listed below:
January: First Meeting(Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Rating T) Bucky Barnes is living a life of solitude on the run and hiding from Hydra in the hopes that he can find his way back to himself and his freedom again. On his path to freedom, Bucky encounters a younger Tony Stark hiding out from danger and hoping Bucky will play along in helping him escape the threat he's facing. When the two share an unexpected first meeting sparks fly and it opens the door to something more for each of them moving forward.
February: Surrender (Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Rating M) In the present day Tony wakes up handcuffed to a bed beside the last person he imagined finding in captivity. Together they are forced to face some unfamiliar feelings with one another while in the past Tony spends Valentine's Day morning with someone he realizes he can't live without. Both experiences open the door to something bigger than Tony had imagined possible.
March: Happy Birthday Baby (Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Rating E) Tony's unable to shake the aftermath of his time spent in captivity with Bucky. When Tony's feelings for Bucky prove to be more than he was prepared to face, Tony looks deeper into the past to discover a shocking reminder of a life beyond his reach. In Tony's search for the truth, he uncovers a secret that could change life for everyone around him.Meanwhile in the past Tony takes Bucky to meet his parents during a weekend retreat, but will their journey together prove to be nothing more than a disaster waiting to happen as a face from the past threatens their future together?
April: Turning Point (Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Rating E) In the present Tony reaches out to an old alliance to cope with the new truths he's uncovered about those he trusted. While revisiting those missing pieces of his past, he finds himself facing a darker truth about those people in his life he'd come to believe held his best interest at heart.
May: The Break (Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Rating E) In the aftermath of what happened the night of Tony's big presentation, Tony makes a hard choice about the future where his relationship with Bucky is concerned. Pushed into a corner, Tony makes a difficult decision that takes him back down a dark road while Bucky deals with the aftermath. Longing to be together, Bucky and Tony work to find a way to return to what matters most to them in their relationship.
June: Right Here Waiting (Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Rating M) It's June and Steve's still struggling with coping over discovering the truth about Bucky and Tony's relationship. When Pepper plans a post-birthday celebration party for Tony's birthday to bring everyone closer together, the scene erupts when tension reaches a boiling point. In the aftermath Tony takes matters into his own hands and has a few surprises in store for those around him. After a tense night at the tower, Tony takes Bucky back to where it all began for them decades earlier. As they explore the past they left behind them, Tony decides to take Bucky to his very first Pride where the two share a day filled with romantic surprise
July: Betrayals (Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Rating E) Steve learns a horrific truth from the past that threatens to destroy the future. With the Fourth of July around the corner Bucky and Tony make plans for the future before their conversation leads them to the past where things become increasingly complicated.
August: If I Could Turn Back Time (Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Rating E) In the past Bucky's dark history comes back to haunt him in the worst possible way. Meanwhile in the future Tony and Bucky are headed towards happily ever after when tragedy strikes under suspicious circumstances and Loki decides its time to intervene on his friends' behalf to make things right for them once and for all in ways that could change everything forever.
September: A Whole New World (Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Loki/Rhodey Rating E) Loki and Rhodey discover what other changes have been made to the new world that their journey into the past has created. Although it appears the world has become a better place in some ways, there are changes that leave them struggling to sort it all out. The quiet morning after Rhodey and Loki's return Tony and Bucky share some family time and discuss their friend's strange behavior upon returning from their honeymoon.
October: Making It Work (Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Rating E) Now that the threat to the future is out in the open, Bucky is struggling to make things work with the addition of the latest team member's arrival. After the TVA put one of their own into the scene, it feels as all the rules have changed with Bucky trying to figure out what comes next for him and the team. Sensing his husband's discomfort Tony decides to take Bucky away where their time alone refuels and energizes them as they work towards deciphering the mystery that Peggy's journal and Howard's mysterious ending have left wide open for them.
November: The Center of the Universe (Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Rating M) Tony Stark has always had a complicated relationship with his father Howard. Even with all the changes that have taken place after Loki and Rhodey traveled through time and changed the future for the better with Tony's family like with Bucky, Tony is still haunted by the mysteries that Howard has left behind for him to unravel. Struggling to make sense of what's been happening around him, Tony finds himself plagued by dreams and memories involving Howard that could prove to play a big impact on his future.
December: The Beginning of the End (Pairing: Bucky/Tony, Rating E) In 1989 Tony Stark is convinced that he's found his soulmate in the man who rescued him at a low point in his life. From their first meeting sparks flew, but there's a part of Tony that's seeking out even more from his new roommate. Will Tony be able to convince Bucky to take things to the next level between them.After a year of ups and downs Bucky and Tony's story comes full circle as we travel back to the beginning to see where it all started before finding our way to the present where things reach the dramatic conclusion. Will Bucky, Tony and their friends find their way to happily ever after or crash and burn when the enemy's plans come full circle?
#winteriron#tony stark#bucky barnes#winter soldier#iron man#starkbucks#winteriron fic#year of the otp 2023#loki#james rhodes#steve rogers#howard stark#maria stark#obadiah stane#tiberius stone#buckytony#tonybucky#year of the otp#long fanfic#marvel fanfic
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Year of the OTP
We shall blame @cilil for this.
Throughout 2024, I shall recycle the prompts of 2023 to make sure that I write at least 1 fic a month that is entirely for my own pleasure.
Let's count this as my "personal" fics...okay?
January - Faramir x Éowyn - Continuation of this fic
February - Glorfindel x Erestor with art by @sauroff
March - Daeron x Maglor
April - Caranthir x Finrod
May - Thingol x Finwë
June - Maedhros x Fingon
July - Angbang
August - Haleth x Caranthir
September - Varda x Nienna
October - Fëanor x Fingolfin
November - Nerdanel x Anairë
December - Firebird
Prompts and provisory pairings under cut
Thus far, my list of potential pairings runs as follows:
Russingon
Angbang
Firebird
Caranthir/Finrod
Nerdanel/Anairë
Daeron/Maglor
Glorfindel/Erestor
Thingol/Finwë
Faramir/Éowyn
Haleth/Caranthir
Varda/Nienna
Fëanor/Fingolfin
These may change yet once I'm starting to pair the prompts with the pairings...We'll see how I'll feel about this...soon :D
#og post#yotp#2023 becomes 2024#blame Cílil#masterlist of sorts#let's see#Fanfiction#writing#IDNMT writes#jrrt#Tolkien fanfiction
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Malex Fic - Thanks that was fun
I decided to try the 2023 Year of the OTP Event and of course I am late on the first month. In my defense this is the longest Malex fic I’ve written. For January, I choose the mission fic prompt.
This is canon divergent fic that takes place at the same time as S1. Alex and Michael were never together in high school. Michael didn't take the blame for the murders so while the cover up still happened, Isobel believes she killed Rosa, Kate and Jasmine. She isn't married to Noah and is just starting to date him. There are reference to canon genocide and past Miluca (although it happens before Malex in this universe).
The mission is a honeypot mission where Michael is sent in to find out what Alex knows about his father. Guess who falls in love?
Title is from the Barenaked Ladies song of the same name.
Thanks that was fun on AO3
“Alex Manes is back in town,” Isobel corners Michael between the bathrooms at the Wild Pony.
“I know,” he replies with a roll of his eyes. “It was kind of hard to miss with the whole parade and all.”
“I found out he’s looking for someone to do some maintenance around his house, and you need to get the job.”
“Why? I’m not that hard up for cash.” He kind of is, but he doesn’t want to admit that to Isobel. Also, seeing Alex for the first time since graduation brought back memories of the crush he’d had on him in high school. He tried flirting a few times back then, but Alex never responded. When Alex enlisted the spring before graduation, Michael had backed off. Then everything happened with Isobel, and staging an accident to cover up the murders and helping Isobel deal with what she had done had driven any thoughts of Alex right out of his head. It wasn’t a time he wanted to remember.
“Look, we all know his father’s up to something,” Isobel reminds him.
Michael nods because Jesse Manes is suspicious as hell-his career in the Air Force which somehow never takes him out of Roswell, the strange way he speaks about the rumors surrounding the 1947 crash and the way he throws his weight around raises a lot of red flags. He’s been worse the last few years, lurking around and asking questions.
“Well, he and Alex weren’t exactly buddy-buddy during the whole planning process and parade, but there was some weird tension between them. I think Alex knows what his father’s up to, and this is our best chance to find out. You,” Isobel points to him and smiles in a way that makes Michael very nervous, “are going to our honeypot.”
“Come on, Iz, you can’t be serious,” Michael groans.
“Well, it can’t be me,” Isobel waves a hand up and down her body. “I am definitely not his type. And Max is too uptight to explore his options so that leaves you, my ruggedly handsome, bisexual brother.”
“What makes you think Alex Manes is my type?” Michael protests, grasping at straws.
“Please,” Isobel snorts. “I saw the way you stared at his ass in high school, trust me it’s only gotten better with age.”
“It’s still a bad idea. Can’t you just see what he knows,” Michael gestures to Isobel’s head. Her face falls, and he immediately feels like an dick.
“You know I don’t do that anymore,” Isobel whispers, looking away from Michael.
“I know,” Michael takes her hand and squeezes it in reassurance. Isobel used to use her powers for silly, harmless things-getting an A on paper she never turned in, making her parents forget she was grounded. But as the years went on and Max still haunted the Crashdown, hoping Liz would come visit, the guilt of sending Liz away became a heavier and heavier burden.
And finding out someone’s secrets isn’t as easy as pushing them into doing something. Isobel wouldn’t be able to just persuade them to tell her what she wants to know, she’d have to take them into the mindscape. They might not be able to lie, but she would be just as vulnerable. It’s why they agreed she would never try it on Jesse Manes.
“Last resort, okay,” Isobel squeezes his hand back before dropping it. “Let’s try it the human way first.”
“Fine, but I am warning you ahead of time this plan is doomed to failure. Alex Manes is not going to fall for me and confess all his father’s deep dark secrets.”
“You're not a nerdy teenager who doesn’t know how to flirt anymore, Michael. Everyone wants a piece of the sexy handyman in the cowboy hat. Just wear your jeans low, bend over a lot and find excuses to take off your shirt. Like this,” Isobel plucks the beer bottles from Michael’s hand and slowly rolls it across her forehead and fans herself. “Sure is hot in here,” she says in a falsely deep voice. She tilts her head back and takes a slow sip from the bottle. She lets a little beer trickle from her mouth and chases it slowly with her tongue before winking at Michael.
“Never do that again. I’m scarred for life,” Michael grabs his beer back and immediately throws it away.
“Don’t pretend you haven’t seen those same pornos. Alex will be putty in your hands. Dammit,” Isobel looks at her watch, then quickly smooths her hair and straightens her clothes. “I’ve got to run, or I’ll be late for my date.”
“Be safe,” Michael calls out as she hurries away.
Isobel blows him a kiss, “Love you, too.”
Michael sighs and shakes his head. Isobel isn’t going to let this go so he might as well get started. He walks out of the hallway to the bar and catches Maria’s eye. It’s a quiet night so it’s not long before she comes over, his favorite beer already in her hand.
“Hey, DeLuca,” he stops her before she can walk away.
She eyes him warily, and he doesn’t blame her. They had a thing a few years ago and while it didn’t end badly, they never quite found their footing with each other-settling for less than friends but more than exes.
“Guerin,” she takes a step back in his direction.
“You’re still friends with Alex Manes, right,” he asks as casually as he can.
“Why,” Maria crosses her arms and stares at him.
“Stop trying to read me, it’s nothing bad,” he gives his best innocent smile. “I heard he was looking for someone to do some work around his house, and I was hoping you’d put in a good word for me.”
“Give me one good reason.”
He drops the innocent act, knowing he can be honest with Maria about this even if he wasn’t with Isobel. “Business has been slow at Sanders so I could really use the money. You know I’ll do a good job.”
“Fine,” she softens her stance slightly. “But,” she leans across the bar so they are face to face, “if you screw him over, I’ll mount your balls above the bar for everyone to see.”
“Fair,” Michael swallows audibly knowing it’s not an idle threat.
“He’ll be here tomorrow night so come early because he’ll leave before it gets crowded. I’ll let him know you’re interested.”
“Thanks, Maria, really,” Michael stands up to leave.
“Don’t make me regret this, Guerin,” Maria turns to another customer before he can respond.
Michael waits until he catches her eye, nodding and tipping his hat, before heading out, heart heavy. He hopes whatever he gets from Alex is worth it because if this goes the way he thinks it will, Maria will never speak to him again.
Michael shows up at the Pony the next night in his cleanest jeans and with his shirt buttoned most of the way up. He keeps the hat because this isn’t actually a job interview. Alex Manes is easy to spot-he’s sitting at a table not far from the bar, turning a beer bottle in his hands.
He’s alone, and Michael takes a deep breath before approaching him. “Manes,” he says, stopping to stand in front of the table.
Alex looks up from the bottle. “Guerin,” he replies, almost a question.
Michael hadn’t really thought this through. It’s not like they were friends, he doesn’t have a real reason to approach Alex. Not sure what to say, he just stands there awkwardly watching Alex.
Alex’s mouth twists in annoyance. “If you’re going to thank me for my service, don’t.”
“Fuck, no,” Michael can’t hold back a brief laugh. That’s the last thing he would ever do.
Instead of being offended, Alex seems to relax a bit at Michael’s reaction. “So what do you want?”
Alex’s eyes flick up and down as he looks Michael over, and maybe Isobel knew what she was talking about when she picked Michael to be the honeypot. He’s tempted to look back, flirt just enough to get Alex to follow him into the bathroom, but that won’t accomplish anything except scratching an itch.
Michael takes a step back and squares his shoulders. “Heard you were looking for a handyman. Thought I’d throw my hat in the ring, metaphorically of course.” Michael runs his hand along the rim of his hat and winks at Alex. A little flirting can’t hurt.
Alex looks toward the bar where Maria is watching them. “Maria told me you’ve done some of the repairs at the bar. Said you do good work.”
Michael shrugs and sends Maria a little wave. He wasn’t sure she would follow through on recommending him to Alex. Maria rolls her eyes at Michael and goes back to drying glasses.
“Give me your email,” Alex pulls Michael’s attention back. “I’ll send you the list of what I need done, and you can give me a quote.”
Michael gives Alex his information then excuses himself, figuring it’s best not to push just yet. He heads to the bar for his own drink. Maria’s in the back so he chats with the bartender for a while, and when he looks back Alex is gone.
The email is waiting in his inbox when he gets up the next morning. It looks like Alex sent it around 3 am so he’s either way more of a partier than Michael thought or an insomniac. He reads over the list between cars at Sanders. He can easily do everything on the list, and there is enough there to keep him busy for a good month. If Michael bid the way he wanted to, the job would be nice money, enough to carry him through the winter.
But the goal isn’t to make money, it’s to make sure Alex hires him so he sends it back with a ridiculously low price. It will cover materials, barely, but he won’t make any money and if anything goes wrong, he might end up in the red when it’s all done.
Michael waits until the end of the day to check his email. Alex’s response isn’t at all what he was expecting.
“I don’t need you pity. I can afford to pay for the work. Send me a real quote so you are paid fairly instead of losing money. If you can’t do that, I’m hiring Simmons and Sons.”
Michael makes a face. Simmons and Sons are complete assholes who overcharge for substandard work. But they’re big names in Roswell so they get all the city contracts and no one is willing to complain about them. Old man Simmons was good friends with Jim Valenti, is still close with the mayor, the Longs and probably Alex’s dad. He never hesitates to abuse those connections. His sons are a little older than Michael, and he remembers how Jim Valenti always looked the other way when they were caught speeding through town drunk or selling weed. Michelle’s not as soft, but the major still bails them out any trouble they find themselves in. Even if Michael didn’t have an ulterior motive, he wouldn’t want to subject Alex to them.
It doesn't take long to come up with a realistic bid, one that will give him some financial breathing room as well as getting him closer to Alex. Before he calls it a night Alex accepts his bid. He reluctantly texts Isobel to let her know their plan is in motion. He already feels guilty for taking advantage of Alex like this, but he knows their safety has to be his priority. They can’t protect themselves if they don’t know how much of a threat Jesse Mane-and possibly his son-are.
Michael and Alex spend the next few days emailing back and forth to work out the details. Alex will provide any materials related to the accessibility upgrades, and Michael will purchase everything else. Alex sends him several documents outlining exactly what needs to be done in terms of accessibility-primarily to the bathrooms and entryways. Alex also lets him know what tools he has at the house so Michael knows what he needs to bring with him. They also decide on a work schedule-Michael will work a few evenings a week once he’s done at the junkyard and Saturday afternoons. Although Alex assures him he can change that if needed since Alex works from home.
A few days before he is planning to start, the money needed for the initial supplies is deposited into his back account. Michael knows Iz would be pissed if she knew Alex had his bank account information, but it’s not like he uses an “extraterrestrials only” branch of Roswell’s First Federated Credit Union. He notices Alex also pays him the first half of his labor charges which is ahead of the schedule they set up.
Michael’s nervous when he finally knocks on Alex’s door. He lives in a quiet neighborhood, not as fancy as the Evans, but nicer than anywhere Michael can imagine ending up. Alex opens the door and waves him in. He doesn’t say much beyond an initial hello, and Michael finds himself standing awkwardly in the living room when Alex sits back down in front of a laptop.
“So I thought I’d start in the second bath, get that up and running before I start the demo on the master,” Michael says, hoping for some directions from Alex as to what he wants.
“That’s fine,” Alex looks up with a frown, like he’s surprised Michael is asking. “Whatever you think is best. The bars are in the bathroom if that’s what you want to do first.”
“Well since your new shower installation isn’t here yet, and it will probably take a few weeks to get the master bath done once I start on it, I thought you’d appreciate having a functionally accessible bathroom in the meantime.”
“Sure,” Alex shrugged before turning his attention to the computer. “Whatever you think.”
“Whatever I think,” Michael mumbles under his breath as he makes his way to the bathroom. He’s more used to people micromanaging him, and following him around to make sure he doesn’t steal anything rather than basically telling him to do what he wants. For some reason, he feels dismissed rather than trusted.
It takes a few hours to get the bars mounted. The ones for the toilet are easy, but since this is a small bathroom, the shower is a small corner unit and getting the grab bars in the recommended formation proves to be a bit of a challenge.
When he’s done, he finds Alex right where he left him. “Hey, you want to check out the bathroom before I go?”
“Is something wrong?” Alex doesn’t look up from what he’s typing.
“No,” Michael replies, bristling slightly. “I followed the schematics you gave me, but I want to make sure the height and spacing work for you before I go. That way I can adjust it now if you need me to.”
When Alex gets up, Michael notices he’s using a metal crutch that fits near his elbow. It’s the first physical reminder he’s seen that there’s a reason Alex needs grab bars in his bathroom. Alex walks away without a word. Michael doesn’t follow him, he thinks they would both be uncomfortable watching Alex check the placement of the bars.
Michael knows he made the right call when Alex comes back and thanks him without meeting his eyes. “Everything’s perfect, you did a good job.”
“I aim to please,” Michael tips his hat just to make Alex relax and smile. “See you tomorrow.”
When Alex nods, he gives a quick wave and heads out.
He’s almost back to the airstream when Isobel calls.
“Wel, how did it go?” she asks impatiently.
“He hasn’t fired me yet”
“Michael be serious,” she scolds him. “Did you find anything out?”
“Iz, I was only there for a few hours. Did you think he would confess his father’s a serial killer because I unclogged his drain?”
“A girl can dream,” Isobel sighs. “Just be charming or at least sexy. Pants too tight, shirt unbuttoned or, even better, shirt off.”
“Goodbye, Isobel,” Michael hangs up the phone before she can say anything else.
Alex doesn’t exactly give him a chance to show off. He doesn’t even open the door for Michael the next day, just yells for him to come in. He never budges from his computer the whole time Michael is there, and gives him an absent minded thanks when Michael leaves.
Michael spends Saturday working in the kitchen replacing the oven and range top. It’s not difficult work, but it’s time consuming and awkward. Once he’s wrangled the oven into place and hooked it up, he heads to the garage to bring in the new range top.
“You want a beer?” Alex asks when he comes back into the kitchen.
“Uh, sure,” Michael tries not to act surprised. He opens the fridge, gets a beer for himself and hands Alex one as well.
“Thanks,” Alex accepts the bottle with a small smile. “Maria told me to be nice to you.”
Michael laughs because that sounds like Maria. “So you and Maria?” he asks, hoping to get Alex talking.
Alex raises a brow at him, “Shouldn’t I be asking you that?”
“She told you about me?” Michael preens a little. “We had a good thing for a while, then we didn’t. No harm no foul, we just wanted different things.”
“What did you want?” Alex asks with a slight edge to his voice.
“Someone to come home to, a picket fence, maybe a dog or two,” Michael shrugs. “And Maria. . .”
“Maria’s too independent for that,” Alex fills in.
“Too independent, the bar and her mom need her too much for her to put that kind of energy into a relationship. Timing was off for us, but that happens.”
“And here I thought you were the love them and leave them type.”
Michael groans because some rumors insist on following him. “It’s all consensual and everyone knows the deal up front. There’s nothing wrong with two adults having a good time together. Just because I’m looking for my soulmate doesn’t mean I can’t have fun along the way.”
“Soulmate, seriously,” Alex snorts.
“Yeah,” Michael can’t help being a romantic at heart. “You know the person the cosmos designed for you, the perfect fit, the one destined to be in your life. I know it’s unlikely, but I can hope. I take it you don’t believe in soulmates?”
“I’d feel sorry for anyone stuck with me,” Alex looks down at his bottle and frowns.
Michael takes a drink and tries to decide how to redirect the conversation. “What about Liz Ortecho, you still talk to her much?”
Alex shakes his head. Michael names a few other classmates, but gets the same response.
“I pretty much cut off all ties with Roswell once I left for basic,” Alex explains. “I sent Maria a few postcards, but that was it. We hadn’t really talked in years until she found out I was hurt and showed up at the rehab center. Then she basically demanded I stay in touch,” Alex smiles at the memory.
“She’s a force of nature when she wants to be,” Michael says fondly. He tosses his empty beer bottle in the recycling and decides it best to end this on a good night. “Well, I should get back to it, thanks for the beer.”
Alex nods and turns back to his computer.
The next few times he’s there, Alex offers Michael a beer before he leaves. Michael keeps the conversations light and short so he doesn’t raise Alex’s suspicions. He finds he likes talking to Alex. Once he understands Alex’s sense of humor he realizes what a sarcastic asshole he is, and Michael loves that. He’s also smart-smart enough to keep up with Michael when he goes off on a tangent. But Isobel has been bugging him about making progress so he carefully broaches the topic of Jesse Manes.
“Kind of surprised I haven’t seen your family around now that you’re back in town,” Michael says casually, not looking directly at Alex,
“My brothers are all still active military. None of them are stationed nearby,” Alex explains.
“What about your dad? He still lives in Roswell.”
“My father’s the last person you’ll ever see here,” Alex snorts. “Taking a medical discharge confirmed once and for all that I’m a coward and not worth his time.”
“I’m sorry,” it comes out almost like a question because Alex doesn’t seem at all bothered.
“I’m not,” Alex dismissed his concern. “I would be happy to never see him again.”
Michael fiddles with his beer bottle, not sure where to go from there. He remembers Jesse acting like a proud father at the parade and what Isobel said about their being tension between him and Alex. Maybe all that pride was an act.
“Sorry,” Alex grimaces when the silence drags on. “Didn’t mean to be a downer.”
“Probably my fault,” Michael shrugs. “Isobel always says I’m terrible at conversation.”
“Isobel Evans?” Alex looks up sharply. “You’re still close with her, and Max too?”
“Yeah,” Michael rubs the back of his neck. Normally he’d make a crude joke, lean into the assumption that he’s slept with Isobel or Max or both of them. But if he wants Alex to open up to him, he’s going to have to show he trusts him. “They’re my family, or at least as close as I get to one. Not a lot of people know this, but we were found together in the desert as kids, lived in a group home together until they were adopted. Then we lost touch for a long time.”
“I’m sorry you were separated.”
“It sucked,” Michael admits. “But we found our way back to each other. And I’m glad they had a family growing up, that they had it easier than I did.”
Alex nods, and Michael decides he’s had enough honesty for one night. “Anyway, now I’m the one dragging us down. It’s late so I’m going to head out. See you tomorrow.”
The next day, Michael brings a six pack in with him. Alex gives him a puzzled look when he passes him on his way to the kitchen.
“Can’t mooch off you forever,” Michael explains as he puts the beer in the fridge. “Should be cold by the time I’m done.”
He spends the next few hours working on the master bath. The shower won’t be in for a few weeks, but he needs to update the plumping and replace the tile. When he reaches a good stopping point, he grabs two beers and joins Alex at the table. Michael rocks back in his chair while Alex shuts down his lap top.
“So if your not here for your family,”
“Definitely not,” Alex interjects.
“Why did you come back?”
“What do you mean?” Alex asks.
“No one comes back to Roswell voluntarily. There has to be a reason you're here.” When Alex doesn’t respond, Michael narrows his eyes and hums. “So the first choice is usually to repair a broken relationship with a parent or sibling, but you ruled that out. How about wealthy relative you never met left you a huge inheritance on the condition you live in Roswell for a year and marry.”
Alex just shakes his head.
Michael sighs dramatically. “Then it must be for love. You found out your ex is getting married and you want to win them back. You always regretted the breakup so you’ve come to sweep them off their feet.”
Alex looks at Michael like he’s lost his mind. “I was the gay, emo kid in a cowboy town. How many exes do you think I have?” Alex holds up his hand before Michael can respond. “And if you say Kyle Valenti, you’re fired.”
“God, no,” Michael laughs. “Not that douche. Can you believe he’s a doctor?”
“Kyle always wanted to be the best at everything,” Alex says, looking a little wistful.
Michael remembers that Alex and Valenti used to be friends before Valenti became a raging dick. His chest hurts remembering how Valenti had taunted Alex at Prom, how he pushed him around at school. “You weren’t the only one,” Michael says, hoping it will be some kind of comfort. “The only queer kid in Roswell, I mean. Bisexual,” he points to himself. “And Emily Rathburn fell in love with some girl in college. They got married last year.”
“That’s nice, I guess,” Alex frowns a little. “I still felt like the only one then, still felt alone.”
Michael nods, because he gets it. Even after he found Isobel and Max, he felt alone. All three of them were aliens, but they had a place here that Michael didn’t. He was the one who longed to go home, wherever that was. “Well,” he says, deciding to change the subject. “Since you shot down all my rom com reasons for you to be in Roswell, why did you come back?”
“Had some loose ends to tie up. There’s a company nearby that hires a lot of veterans with my skill set so being here is a way to get my foot in the door.”
There’s a weight to his words that makes Michael nervous, reminds of why he’s here. But he decides not to push tonight. “Hope it works out for you,” he says as he makes his way to the door.
The next time Michael walks into Alex’s, the house is quiet. Alex isn’t at the table, his lap is closed and most of the lights are off. “Alex?” he calls. The door was unlocked so he assumes Alex is home, but Michael has never had to look for him.
“In here,” Alex calls.
Michael follows his voice to the living room where he finds Alex slumped in the corner of the couch. He looks-Michael can’t actually say he looks bad, he’s too handsome for that-but he’s pale and drawn. It’s also the first time he’s seen Alex without his prosthetic. Alex always wears jeans when Michael is here so it’s easy to forget what happened to him. But now Michael can see where the sweatpants he’s wearing are tied off-highlighting the empty space where the remainder of his right leg used to be.
“Are you ok?” Michael asks as he comes to stand in front of the couch. Up close he can see lines of tension on Alex’s face.
“Rough PT session,” Alex waves away his concern. “I’ll be fine.”
“You want a beer?” Michael asks, already walking toward the kitchen.
“Thanks, but I can’t with the meds I took.”
Michael nods even though he’s out of Alex’s line of sight. He rummages through the cupboards and doesn’t find any tea, but he does find a crumpled packet of hot chocolate. He makes it with warm milk so it will hopefully taste better than the watery versions they used to serve at school functions. When he goes back to the living room, Alex has his head tipped back against the couch and his eyes closed. Michael sets the mug down gently on the table, not wanting to disturb Alex if he’s asleep.
But Alex cracks an eye open. When he spots Michael, he picks up the mug, smiling when he smells what’s in it. “Thanks, I haven’t had hot chocolate since I was a kid.”
“Thought you could use something warm.” Michael was going to say comforting, but that sounded too personal. “I better leave you to it and get to work.”
Michael planned to work on the patio, but he’s reluctant to leave Alex alone so he decides to paint the spare room instead. Painting is quiet work and it makes the silence in the house all the more noticeable. When Michael’s working inside, he’s usually close enough to Alex that he can usually hear him typing on his laptop or at least hear the quiet music Alex always has playing in the background. He barely manages to get the primer on before he gives in and goes out to check on Alex.
He finds Alex sprawled out on the couch, sleeping. He doesn’t look particularly comfortable,and there’s a part of him that wants to carry him to bed. Instead, Michael settles for gently moving his left leg which was dangling toward the floor back on to the couch. Alex doesn’t stir or react at all to Michael’s touch, just keeps sleeping.
Michael’s debating if he should get Alex a blanket when a text from Isobel comes in. Suddenly he remembers why he’s there. It’s not to fuss over Alex, but to find out what his father is up to and if Alex is involved. With Alex as deeply asleep as he is, it’s Michael's best chance to look for evidence. He forces himself to walk away, ignoring the pang of regret he feels when he sees the mug of hot chocolate is empty.
Two hours later, Michael’s had enough. He knows what brand of underwear Alex likes, that he has surprisingly expensive taste in shower gel and his homeowner’s insurance is due in two weeks. Michael also knows how many medals and commendations he has from the Air Force, he knows Alex has exactly one picture of his mother, and if he dies, Maria DeLuca gets his pension and the rest of his assets are to be sold or liquidated and divided between four different charities.
Michael shouldn’t know any of these things, and he wishes he could erase them from his memory. He stops on his way out to put Alex’s empty mug in the dishwasher. Even though it feels wrong after what he’s just done, he covers Alex with the blanket from the armchair, whispering “sorry” before he leaves.
Guilt sits heavy in his stomach as he drives to the Wild Pony to meet Max and Isobel. “So I searched Alex Manes house tonight,” he begins as soon as they sit down.
“Breaking and entering,” Max says in an angry whisper. “Are you kidding me.”
“I was there to work on his house so no breaking involved.” Michael throws his hands up, not sure why Max is questioning him.
He sees Max wince and knows Isobel probably kicked him under the table.
“Sorry,” Max says sheepishly. “I forgot about that.”
“Seriously?” Michael rolls his eyes. “No wonder Iz picked me.”
“Boys, enough,” Isobel scolds them before turning to Michael. “What did you find?”
“Not a damn thing,” Michael replied. He doesn’t tell them about the replica of Roswell’s gazebo packed away carefully in a box he found on the top shelf of Alex’s closet or the journals filled with song lyrics he couldn’t bring himself to read. “Alex keeps saying he and Jesse hate each other, and I guess it’s true. There isn’t a single thing in the house that mentions him or anything about aliens either.”
“He’s not going to leave that kind of stuff out in the open. Are you sure you looked hard enough?” Isobel questions.
“Personal lockpick, remember,” Michael points to his head. “I went through every drawer, every safe, the garage and his car. Nothing,” he repeats.
“So now what?” Isobel slumps back against the booth.
“I finish the job, make some money and you find some other way to figure out what Jesse Manes is up to.”
“So helpful, Michael,” Isobel complains.
“Hey, I did my part. It’s not my fault Alex doesn't know anything,” Michael protests. Part of him feels like the words are untrue, just because it looks like Alex isn’t involved, he could still know something. But everything he did tonight feels like a betrayal, and he’s ready to be done.
They argue a bit longer about the best way to spy on Jesse Manes without getting caught. By the time Michael leaves, they still haven’t come up with any real options.
A little before noon the next day, Michael yells to Sanders that he is taking a break. He swings by the Crashdown before making his way to Alex’s house. Michael knocks on the door, something he hasn’t done in weeks, but Alex isn’t expecting him.
When Alex opens the door, he thrusts the bag at him. “I brought you lunch,” he explains. “I wanted to make sure you were alright.”
“Yeah, I’m good,” Alex ducks his head. “Come in.”
Michael follows him into the house. Alex sets the bag on the table before turning back to Michael. “Thanks.” He steps closer, frames Michael’s face with his hands and kisses him softly. “Thank you for lunch and last night. It’s been a long time since someone took care of me.” When Michael doesn’t pull away, he kisses him again, deeper this time, tongue teasing Michael’s mouth open.
The look in Alex’s eyes when they pull apart fills Michael with equal parts hope and guilt so he does his best to deflect. “You thank all your friends,” he almost says ‘employees’ but he knows that wouldn’t be accurate when talking about what they are doing now, “this way?”
“Only the ones I want to fuck,” Alex says with a wicked smile.
“That what we’re doing here, Alex?” Michael asks.
“I’m not your soulmate, Michael. I know the deal. Just two adults having fun, right.”
It’s less than Michael wants, but more than he deserves so he’ll take it. Michael surges forward, taking control of the kiss and backing Alex up against the wall. Once he has Alex pinned, Michael drops to his knees. He makes quick work of Alex’s pants, pushing them down to mid thigh.
Alex is already starting to get hard, and Michael smiles, licking his lips in anticipation. He grabs Alex’s ass to pull him closer. “God, your ass,” he groans when his fingers dig into the muscles there. Michael is tempted to spin Alex around, worship his ass with his eyes and mouth, but Alex’s dick is right here.
Michael takes him in his mouth, loving the way Alex immediately starts to get harder. He doesn’t bother with finesse, just takes Alex as deep as he can. It’s sloppy and fast and Michael loves it, not bothering to wipe away the mix of spit and precome that slips out of his mouth. Alex buries his hands in Michael’s hair, tugging just hard enough to sting as he thrusts into Michael’s mouth.
When Michael strokes his fingers down the crease of Alex’s ass, he comes with a muffled shout. His fingers tighten even more in Michael’s hair, and Michael’s cock throbs in response. He lets Alex’s cock slide out of his mouth. Michael rocks back on his heels and licks Alex clean until Alex whimpers and pushes his head away. Before he stands, he pulls Alex’s pants back up, because no one likes to stand around with their pants down once they’re soft and spent, but doesn’t bother to fasten them.
Alex reaches for him, pressing his thumb against Michael’s swollen lips. When his cock brushes against Alex’s leg, he can’t help but whine.
“I can’t” Alex gestures between the floor and his leg.
“Don’t care,” Michael mumbles. “Your hand is more than enough.”
Alex looks at him for a moment before nodding. He licks his palm while holding Michael’s gaze then sucks each finger slowly into his mouth. It’s a little mean and a lot sexy, and Michael knows he’s screwed in more ways than one.
Michael has his pants down before Alex gets to his thumb. Alex’s hand is cool in contrast to the heated skin of his dick, and he moans loudly when Alex wraps his hand around him. He doesn’t tease, and Michael’s grateful as Alex jerks him off, strokes sure and steady. It’s over quicker than he’d like, but Alex doesn’t seem to mind, kissing him deeply before he’s even caught his breath.
Michael licks the come off Alex’s palm, repeating Alex’s earlier action. Alex’s eye’s darken, and Michael can’t help preening a little under the intensity of his attention. “I should probably get back before Sanders starts to miss me,’ Michael says reluctantly, cleaning himself up as best he can with his shirttails before refastening his pants.
Alex doesn’t respond, just slumps against the wall and watches him leave.
“See you tomorrow,” Michael calls on his way out, getting a lazy wave from Alex in response.
Michael’s not sure what to expect when he shows up the next day. Alex gives him a quiet “hey” when he walks by, but never looks up from his laptop screen. Michael tips his hat in acknowledgement and heads straight to the patio.
Maybe he wasn’t expecting Alex to greet him with a kiss, but he was hoping to get some indication from Alex as to where they stand. If that was it, if Alex just wants to pretend nothing happened, Michael won’t be the one to bring it up.
He spends the next few hours outside, taking his frustration and confusion out on the last of the concrete that needs torn out. The work is physical enough to keep him focused so can’t think about how Alex felt in his mouth and how much he wants to feel that again and again.
The sun has set by the time he’s done, and once he stops working the night air makes him shiver when it hits him. He heads into the house-sweaty, dirty and exhausted. He hopes to get out without attracting Alex’s attention. All Michael wants to do is go home, shower and sleep. He can’t face awkward small talk with Alex over beers tonight.
He’s washing his hands at the sink in the kitchen when Alex comes up behind him. Michael feels Alex breath on his neck before his lips find the spot beneath his ear. Michael shudders and tries to shrug Alex away. “I’m sweaty and gross,” he explains.
“Don’t care,” Alex says as he continues licks a line along the side of Michael’s neck. “I like the way you smell. Like the ground after it rains. It’s sexy.”
“You think so?” Michael turns in Alex’s arms, shaking his hands dry as best he can.
Alex takes his hat off and sets it on the counter. He twirls one of the curls he freed on his finger and tugs Michael closer. “Let me show you.”
He leads Michael into the living room, pushing him gently onto the couch. Alex shoves Michael’s shirt up to his armpits, leaving Michael to struggle out of it while he nuzzles and mouths at Michael’s chest. It’s all teeth and tongue, and Michael’s hips buck up when Alex bites one of his nipples.
“Pants,” Alex demands.
Michael kicks his shoes off and tries to concentrate, but Alex is licking and sucking along his collarbone and that’s all he can focus on. He gets as far as unbuckling his belt before Alex takes over, pulling his pants off and tossing them aside.
As Alex makes his way down his body, Michael spreads his legs as wide as he can, dropping one leg off the couch, to give Alex more room. Michael sighs in anticipation when Alex pushes him further up the couch and settles between his legs.
Alex rests his head on Michael’s thigh, pressing his face into the crease of his groin. For a moment he just stays there, breathing into Michael’s skin. Then he turns his attention to Michael’s balls, licking around them and sucking on them while one his hands plays with the wiry curls above Michael’s dick.
“Come on, man,” Michael pleads.
Alex looks up and smiles. “You want something?”
“Your mouth on my dick would be ideal right now.”
Alex shrugs like it’s no big deal then sucks Michael down almost to the root. Michael can’t help but thrust up, harder than he means to. But Alex doesn’t hold him still, just rides it out. Then he slides his hand under Michael’s ass, encouraging him to set the pace.
Michael likes to think he gives a good blowjob, but Alex is on another level. Once again it's over quicker than he’s like it to be. But once he’s done, he barely gets a hand on Alex’s dick before Alex is coming all over his stomach so Michael calls it even.
Alex watches from the couch while Michael gathers his clothes. His jeans are already pulled up and zipped although the button is undone, and Michael still hasn’t found his own pants. “I really need to get you naked,” he says without thinking.
“Next time,” Alex answers with a smirk.
His hand is on the door when Alex calls him back.
“Hey, you forgot this,” he walks out of the kitchen holding Michael’s hat. When he gets to Michael, he plops it on his head before kissing him. Before Michael can respond, he reaches around Michael to open the door and nudges him out.
They settle into a routine after that. Michael shows and does whatever work he has scheduled for the day, and then they fuck. It’s been a long time since Michael had sex with the same person more than once, and he forgot how fun it can be. They get off grinding against each other on the couch like teenagers one night, and the next day Michael jerks Alex off while fucking his thighs. There’s an enthusiastic, but perhaps ill advised round of sixty-nine in Alex’s bed. Somehow Michael almost gets hit in the head by Alex’s prosthetic, but when he comes seeing stars, it’s from Alex’s mouth not a concussion so he’s not complaining.
Michael knows they have an expiration date. There’s not much left to do at the house, and once he doesn’t have an excuse to be at Alex’s house, they’ll go their separate ways. Alex has given no indication he’d make an effort to see Michael and considering Michael, Max and Isobel are still trying to figure out what Alex’s father is up to, ending this before that happens is a good idea.
Still coming home, smiling and satisfied after Alex fucked him against the kitchen table, he’s unprepared for Isobel to blow the whole thing up. She’s pacing outside his airstream when he pulls up.
“Liz Ortecho is back in town,” she says as soon as he’s out of the truck and close enough to hear her.
It’s an eerily familiar way to start a conversion, but he’s pretty sure she isn’t going to ask him to honeypot Liz Ortecho. “So,” he replies.
“Max was with her at the Crashdown last week when Wyatt Long and his pals shot it up. They hit Liz, and Max saved her.”
“He what!” Michael shouts. “Last week? Why am I just finding out now?”
“He just told me.”
“I assume she knows.”
“Kind of hard to hide the sparkly, glowing handprint.” Isobel holds up her own hand as if Michael doesn’t know what she means.
“That’s just great,” Michael throws up his hands. “All these years of telling us to be careful, and as soon as Liz waltzes back into town, Max throws it all away.”
“It’s worse than that,” Isobel winces.
“He didn’t tell her about Rosa, did he?” Now Michael is pacing. “Wouldn’t that be the icing on the fucking cake. After everything we did to protect you, Max tells Liz not only did we kill her sister, we framed her for Kate and Jasmine’s deaths.”
“No, he didn’t tell her about that,” Isobel rushes to assure him. “But the reason he finally told me about Liz is that Jesse Manes showed up at the station today. He was asking the Sheriff about where Jim Valenti’s old files were stored. Said he needed them to clear up some Air Force case.”
“Shit,” Michael swears.
“I followed him from the station, and he met up with Kyle Valenti. I couldn’t hear everything they were saying, but I definitely heard ‘handprint’ and ‘Alex.’”
“You don’t know,” Michael starts.
“Alex knows something, Michael. Something big or at least more than we know. I have to find out what it is,” Isobel squares her shoulders.
“No,” Michael objects too fast. “I’ll get him to tell me. You don’t need to get into his head.”
Isobel narrows her eyes and stares at him. “Oh my god, you slept with him.”
“Wasn’t that kind of the point,” Michael says defensively.
“Not now, not after you said he was a dead end. If you’re sleeping with him now,” Isobel cocks her head. “Oh, Michael, you’re in love with him, aren’t you?”
Michael shuffles his feet and looks away. “Doesn’t matter. It’s over as soon as I finish his house so we might as well get something out of it.”
“It does matter,” Isobel looks at him with something too close to pity. “You don’t have to do this. If there’s a chance for you and Alex,”
“There isn’t,” he cuts her off. “And even if there were, this is more important. Protecting our secret, protecting our family is always going to be the first priority. I won’t risk that for Alex Manes, no matter how good the sex is.”
“So the sex is good, huh,” Isobel teases, willingly going along with his need to change the topic from his impending broken heart..
“It’s fucking epic,” Michael gloats just a bit.
“I’m sorry you have to do this, but you’re not alone.” Isobel stands up straighter. “I’m going to cozy up to Kyle Valenti, see if I can figure out what he knows.”
“Eww,” Michael makes a face. “What about the lawyer you’ve been seeing?”
“No real sparks there. I’ll just throw the lawyer over for a doctor. Mom will still be thrilled.”
“Just promise me you’ll be careful,” Michael says, resigned to Isobel doing what she wants.
“I will,” she promises, giving him a hug before leaving.
The next time Michael is at Alex’s he finishes the shower, the last of the renovations to the master bath.. It’s good work, something to be proud of. It’s also the last big project he has at the house. There’s a few days of work left in finishing up the patio, but that’s it. Time is ticking on both his time with Alex and his opportunity to get answers.
Once the bathroom’s clean, he heads to the kitchen to find Alex. “Shower’s done. You should try it out,” he suggests.
“You going to join me?” Alex asks as he stands up from the table.
“Thought you liked me all sweaty?” Michael asks.
“I do,” Alex looks him up and down, leering just a bit. “Just don’t leave, ok?” he reaches out and grips Michael’s wrist.
“I won’t,” Michael promises. Then to change the mood, he adds with a wink, “Want to see how much you enjoy all my hard work.”
Alex rolls his eyes, but lets go of Michael and disappears into the bedroom. Once he hears the water running, he strips and waits for Alex in his bed. When Alex comes out of the bathroom, he looks like one of Michael’s fantasies come to life. Steam billows around him, his skin is flushed and slightly damp, his hair slicked back from his forehead.
Once he makes his way to the bed, Alex sets his crutches aside and kisses Michael. “The shower head is a little fancier than I remember.”
“Thought you deserved an upgrade,” Michael shrugs. “You like it?”
“The massage setting was amazing,” Alex tells him, stretching out next to him and kissing his neck.
“I may have also adjusted your water pressure,” Michael admits.
“Thank you,” Alex whispers into his skin. “I think you deserve a reward.”
Michael’s not going to pass that up so he thinks about what he wants. “Turn over for me,” he finally tells Alex.
Alex looks up at Michael and studies his face, trying to determine how serious he is. When Michael holds his gaze, he smiles and turns over.
Once Alex is on his stomach, Michael moves to sit between his legs and pushes a pillow under his hips. He takes a moment to just look because Alex’s ass is as magnificent as he always thought it would be. He settles into a more comfortable position and parts Alex’s cheeks. “Can I?” he asks, making sure his breath hits Alex’s hole so Alex knows what he wants.
“Please,” Alex replies, already shifting to get closer to Michael.
Michael doesn’t hesitate, just presses his tongue against Alex’s hole. When Alex shudders and moans, he licks a stripe along the crease of his ass before returning to push inside him. They’ve never done this before, and Michael wishes they had, wishes they’d done this everyday because Alex loves it.
Alex is never still, he alternates between grinding against the pillow and pushing his ass closer to Michael’s face. And the noises he makes are indescribable.
“God, you were made for this,” Michael says in awe when he takes a break.
Alex whines at the loss of his tongue, and Michael gives his ass a playful smack before diving back in. Michael drags it out as long as he can, but sooner than he’d like Alex is coming into his own fist with Michael’s tongue buried as deep as he can get it in Alex’s hole.
It’s tempting when Alex’s is spent, sprawled face down on the mattress to fuck him right then while he’s still slick and open. But he wants to take his time, wants to make Alex come again so he eases the pillow from under Alex’s hips and tosses it on the floor before urging Alex to turn over.
Alex stretches and gives Michael a blissed out smile before reaching lazily towards Michael’s cock. “Want some help with that?”
“Not yet,” Michael swats his hand away because if Alex touches him it will be over before it starts. “Going to get you hard again first.”
“Ambitious,” Alex teases.
“Just watch me,” Michael promises, then proceeds to devote himself to Alex’s pleasure. He uses everything he’s learned about Alex’s body over the last few weeks-the places he likes to be kissed and stroked, the places he wants Michael to use his teeth and press deep into his skin. Michael knows how to make Alex bite his lip and shiver, how to make him arch his back and buck his hips. He makes him moan and curse, plead and demand, and that’s just the beginning.
When Alex is hard and weeping again, he uses his fingers to stretch him, getting him more open then he already was. He ignores Alex’s insistence that he’s ready as long as he can and when Michael finally pushes inside, it’s overwhelming.
Michael fucks him slowly, almost slower than he can stand. But it’s worth it to watch Alex come apart beneath him, to watch the sweat bead on his body, to watch him become more restless the closer he gets until he grabs his own dick and strokes himself to orgasm in time with Michael’s thrusts.
Watching Alex, feeling him tighten around him, pushes Michael over the edge. His own release washes over him, his rhythm stutters until he finally stills inside Alex. Michael collapses next to Alex on the bed, pulling out of him reluctantly. Alex gives him a sloppy, uncoordinated kiss before closing his eyes.
By the time Michael gets back from the bathroom with a washcloth, Alex is asleep. He cleans him gently before returning to bed. It’s tempting to fall asleep as well, but Michael doesn’t want to waste the time he has left with Alex. He settles close to him and watches him, pretending while he can that this is something he can have.
When Alex starts to stir, Michael watches the way his eyes flutter before finally opening. He turns toward Michael smiling when he sees him still there. “It’s nice waking up to you,” he says in a way that lets Michael know he isn’t quite awake enough to filter what he says.
Michael’s heart shatters because he knows this is the time to ask. He brushes the hair off Alex’s forehead and kisses him softly before going in for the kill. “If you hate your father so much, why did you follow in his footsteps?” Michael aims for casual and misses badly.
“Is that what you think I did?” Alex laughs harshly and pushes the heels of hands into his eyes. Then he turns to face Michael, all the softness, all the sleepy haziness is gone from his eyes. “My father has secrets, Michael, dangerous ones. Joining the Air Force was the best way to find out what they were.”
Michael makes a noise of inquiry, hoping Alex will keep talking.
“Being a legacy recruit in the Air Force, especially with a family like mine, opens doors. People talk, around you, to you, assuming you joined for the same reason they did, to carry on your family’s legacy. I took advantage of every opportunity the Air Force gave me, for the exact opposite reason, to destroy my family’s legacy.”
“Did you find what you were looking for?”
“Some of it, most of it. Got closer enough for this,” Alex gestures at his leg.
Michael stiffens at the insinuation. “You think your father,” he can’t even finish the thought.
“I can’t prove it. Yet,” Alex amends. “Friendly fire happens, more often than people think, but this wasn’t a normal accident. And he did a piss poor job at hiding how disappointed he was that I survived.”
“Jesus,” Michael swears under his breath. If Jesse Manes was willing to kill his own kid, he’s way more dangerous than they thought.
“When I left the Air Force, he wrote me off as a coward. He thinks he scared me off, that I came home to hide out and lick my wounds.”
“So why are you here,” Michael asks, echoing his question from weeks ago.
“To finish what I started,” Alex answers. He leans back, putting space between them that wasn’t there before. “Any other questions?”
Michael swallows hard because this isn’t his lover asking, this is the Air Force captain Michael likes to pretend Alex never was. He should push, find out just how much Alex is willing to tell him, but he sees the betrayal hiding behind the hardness in Alex’s eyes, and he can’t. “I should get going,” he says instead.
Alex nods and shifts so he is sitting against the headboard no longer touching Michael at all. He watches Micheal get dressed, watches as he walks out, without saying another word.
When Michael gets back to his truck, he pounds his fists against the steering wheel before taking a deep breath and driving away. He knows he hurt Alex, knows he ruined any slim chance they had at being something, and he still doesn’t have solid answers because he was too chicken shit twist the knife in Alex’s back. Michael’s tempted to drive straight to the Wild Pony and hand his balls over to Maria right then.
The next time he goes to Alex’s, the door is open, but Alex isn’t waiting for him. Instead he finds a note on the table explaining that Alex had some errands to run, and Michael should lock up when he’s done.
“Errands,” Michael snorts. He can’t blame Alex for wanting to avoid him.
After a few hours working on the patio, Michael’s ready to call it a night. There’s almost nothing left to do, and being here without Alex is uncomfortable.
Alex is missing again the next night, not even bothering to with a note this time. Michael drags out what little he has to finish, hoping Alex will show up before he’s done. He’s making some final adjustments to the gate when Isobel calls.
“Why is Alex Manes at the Wild Pony getting drunk and looking like he plans to stay that way?”
“Cause I fucked up Iz,” Michael sighs. “He knows I want something from him, something to do with his father.”
“Did he tell you?” Isobel asks, a hint of hope in her voice.
“No, and why would he? He doesn’t trust me, but he knows. He’s not involved.” Michael hastens to add. “I think he’s been investigating his father for a long time. So whatever Jesse’s up to, Alex knows what it is.”
“So I guess it’s my turn,” Isobel signs, hope turned to resignation.
“Not tonight,” Michael interjects. “Not when he’s been drinking.” He doesn’t want to think about what it means that he’s as worried about Alex as he is Isobel when he thinks about Isobel forcing him into a mindscape.
“Not tonight, but soon,” Isobel warns. “Now that Liz knows, we have to figure out who our enemies are before she turns on us.”
Michael hopes that won’t happen, that somehow Max can keep Liz on their side, but he knows Isobel is right. “Just give me a day or two to say goodbye.”
“Michael,” Isobel says sadly. “I’m sorry I made you do this.”
Even though she can’t see him, Michael shrugs. What’s done is done. “So how’s it going with Valenti?” he asks, ready to change the subject.
“Pointless,” Isobel huffs out a frustrated breath. “He’s as hopelessly hung up on Liz Ortecho as Max. I don’t know what they see in her. She’s.”
“Brilliant and gorgeous,” Michael interrupts.
“A self-righteous know-it-all,” Isobel continues as if Michael hadn’t spoken. “Looks like my date is here. Talk to you later.”
“Bye Iz, be careful,” Michael reminds her before hanging up.
Now that he knows Alex won’t be coming home, Michael quickly finishes the rest of his work. When he’s done, he’s tempted to leave Alex a note. Instead he leaves a copy of the itemized job list Alex originally sent him-with every item checked off-on the table. He locks up when he leaves, the click of the lock audible in the silence around him.
When Michael wakes up the next morning, there is a notification of a deposit in his bank account-almost twice what they agreed on. Michael tosses his phone aside with a sigh, it’s not like Alex can’t afford it, which is something Michael shouldn’t know, but he’s seen Alex’s bank statements. He’ll deal with it later.
It’s dark by the time Michael works up the courage to go to Alex’s. He rings the doorbell for the first time since this all started. When Alex opens the door on crutches, prosthetic off, guilt twists in Michael’s stomach. He shouldn’t get to see Alex like this-relaxed and vulnerable-anymore.
“I have something for you. Can you meet me out back?” Michael asks.
Alex just nods and shuts the door. By the time Michael stops by the truck and makes it to the patio, Alex is waiting for him.
Michael sets the firepit in the middle of the brick he laid. “I made that for you,” he says awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Thought it would look nice out here.”
“Thanks,” Alex sounds confused by the gesture. But he smiles as he studies the polished metal and the constellations Michael had punched out.
“You overpaid me,” Michael blurts out.
“You did good work, and it’s still less than I would have paid Simmons,” Alex explains.
“Yeah, well thanks.” Michael turns to go.
“Michael,” Alex’s voice stops him. “Did you get what you wanted out of this?”
“A paycheck and a good fuck? Yeah no complaints on either one.” Not prepared to be put on the spot, Michael reverts to sarcasm.
Alex looks frustrated, and for a moment Michael thinks he’s going to let him walk away.
“That’s not why you took this job.”
“What makes you say that?” Michael stays on the defensive.
“Maybe the third time you asked about my father. Or maybe it was when you searched my house.” Now Alex is the one relying on sarcasm.
Michael doesn’t say anything. He should have had an excuse ready, should have been prepared, but he never expected Alex to confront him.
“I know who you are Michael,” Alex continues. “Or should I say I know what you are.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Michael denies, but he knows his panic is showing.
“Come on,” Alex opens the french doors-the ones Michael installed-and gestures for Michael to follow. “We should have this conversation inside.”
Michael wants to run, wants to get in his truck and drive as far away from Roswell as he can. But if Alex really knows the truth, running won’t help. He needs to find out exactly what Alex knows.
“Can you grab a few beers from the fridge,” Alex calls out from the living room.
“Sure,” Michael says faintly. He takes it as a good sign. Alex wouldn’t offer him a beer if he was planning to ship him off somewhere to be experimented on.
Once they are both seated,-Alex on the couch, Michael on the chair closest to the door-Alex looks at him and sighs. “I know you and Max and Isobel Evans are aliens. I’ve known since high school.”
“How,” Michael breathes, too shocked to hear someone-Alex-say it out loud to deny it.
“It’s a long story,” Alex picks up his beer bottle, fiddles with it then sets it back down. “Before my mom left, she used to take us to the Reservation every weekend. She would go see this woman named Louise. She was old, seemed ancient to me, was in a wheelchair and didn’t speak. But she was a healer. My brothers were always running around, playing with the other kids, but I wanted to stay with my mom so I spent a lot of time with Louise. She used to tell me stories, in my head.”
“In your head?” Michael says skeptically.
“Like I said she didn’t talk. I asked my mom how she could do that and how she could help people because she wasn’t Native. My mother told me her powers were special, that they didn’t come from the earth.”
“You think she was an alien?” Michael tries to sound more skeptical than hopeful.
“Not then, but yes I believe she was an alien. The stories she told me were all about another planet, a war and people fleeing. I used to think she was just telling her own version of Star Wars, but now,” Alex shrugs.
Michael wants to ask for detail, wants to know everything she told Alex in hopes of finding himself in the stories. But he knows this isn’t the time so he remains silent.
“One day my mom was on the phone and she said ‘the children have come’ and then she told me Louise had died. One story Louise told me more than once was about the three sleeping children who were destined to save her world and how her job was to be their guardian until they woke up.”
Shivers run down Michael’s spine. It seems like too much to believe, but she had to have been talking about the three of them.
“My mom left soon after that, and I forgot about Louise and her stories. My main focus was avoiding my father. He was always cruel, but once he figured out I was gay he became more and more violent. I used to hide out in this shed behind the house that my grandfather built. When I was about fourteen or fifteen, I was looking for a place to hide stuff from my dad. I pulled up one of the floorboards and found a skeleton.”
“There was a body buried under your family shed?” Michael doesn’t understand what this has to do with him.
“It was my father’s uncle, Tripp. My father always talked about what a hero he was, how he died fighting for his country. But it turns out my grandfather killed him because he was in love with an alien.”
“Louise?”
“No, another woman named Nora. There was a journal buried with them. It said Tripp and my grandfather were at the original crash in 1947. Tripp helped Nora and Louise escape along with three children held in some sort of stasis pods. They hid in Roswell for a year, and Tripp and Nora fell in love. They were going to take the children and run, but my grandfather found out and raided the farm they were staying on. He captured Nora and shot Louise. Tripp got Louise to the Reservation, but he couldn’t save Nora.”
“What happened to her?” Michael was almost afraid to find out.
“There was a prison built by the military after the crash for the survivors. My grandfather ran it along with the Valentis. She was taken there. My grandfather suspected Tripp wasn’t loyal so he kept him away. Because he and my father were close, Tripp tried to get him on his side before my grandfather corrupted him. Tripp was trying to convince my father that the aliens weren’t a threat and get his help in freeing Nora and the other prisoners. My grandfather found out, and I assume that’s when he killed him.”
“I didn’t find the journal when I,” Michael gestures to the room. He’s not sure he believes Alex.
“I don’t keep it in Roswell. I have a safety deposit box my father can’t find.”
“Even if all that is true and great uncle Tripp wasn’t some sort of Grant Green crackpot, it doesn’t have anything to do with me.”
“Tripp said if they didn’t take the children out of the pods, they would open in fifty years. Louise died fifty years after the crash. It wasn’t hard to put the pieces together.”
“And the pieces led you to me?” Michael’s have a hard enough time connecting the dots in Alex’s story. He can’t see how Alex figured out the truth on his own.
“Not a first,” Alex shakes his head. “You know I don’t think I even knew Max and Isobel were adopted. But once I started investigating and found the article about the children found in the desert I recognized them.”
“So being adopted makes them aliens,” Michael snaps, crossing his arms. His instinct is always to protect Max and Isobel.
Alex gives him a look that lets him know he realizes Michael is deflecting. “Once I started paying attention, I saw how the lights flickered around Max, how Isobel always got her way. You were a bit harder. But I remembered you were in foster care, and I saw how close you were to Max and Isobel so I figured you might be the third child. I followed you around for a while and saw you moving things without touching them.”
Michael’s breath speeds up as he realizes how easy it was for Alex to discover their secret. The illusion of safety they’d clung to all these years was fading. “Did you, did you tell anyone?”
“No, never” Alex reaches across the distance between them and briefly touches his hand. “And once I figured out what my father was doing, I altered all the records on the three of you. It would be virtually impossible to connect any of you to the three kids found in the desert.”
“So why did you hire me? Why bring me into your house believing all this?” Maybe Michael wasn’t the only one with an agenda. What if Alex’s job was a trap all along?
“You may find this hard to believe, but you being an alien isn’t the first thing that comes to mind when I see you. Maybe I’ve known long enough to forget most of the time,” Alex seemed unconcerned. “Maria recommended you, and I figured if she trusted you, so could I.”
Michael shifts uncomfortably when Alex mentions trust.
“And like I said outside,” Alex continues, “I didn’t realize right away that you had other reasons for wanting this job.”
Michael realizes it’s his turn to explain. “We’ve thought your father might know about us for a while, but we didn’t know how to find out without tipping him off. When you came back to town, Isobel saw an opportunity. It seemed safer to try and get information from you rather than your father. Then she found out you needed someone to work on the house, and asked me to do it.”
“She asked you to seduce me,” Alex says flatly.
“Not like that,” Michael tells him hastily. He doesn’t want Alex to think sex was part of the plan, but he knows how it must look. “She just wanted me to get close to you, try and figure out what you knew.”
“And what did you find out,” Alex’s tone is cold. Michael can feel him pulling away, can feel the doubts about every interaction creeping in.
“Nothing more than you told me,” Michael admits.
He can see Alex running through their conversations in his head. He looks at Michael then sighs, “I wasn’t joking when I told you my father’s secrets were dangerous. But if anyone deserves to know them, it’s you.”
“Are you sure?” Michael shouldn’t ask, getting Alex to tell him the truth about Jesse has always been the goal, but he can’t help but want Alex to have a choice.
“The prison I mentioned earlier became a family project,” Alex continues, ignoring Michael’s question. “My father took it over from my grandfather. It was as horrible as you can imagine-experiments, torture, isolation. It’s a miracle any of the aliens survived at all let alone for as long as they did. Working there was its own kind of evil. It turned my father into the worst kind of zealot-one who truly believes what he’s doing is right, that he is standing between humanity and our destruction. That prison consumed him.”
“Is it still there?” Michael’s afraid of the answer. He longs to discover more of his species, but not if it means they’re still being imprisoned and tortured..
Alex shakes his head. “Several years ago, the Air Force pulled the funding and told my father to end the project. He didn’t, instead he funded it with his own money. But eventually he was caught. He should have been court martialed but the Air Force couldn’t risk a trial. Instead they destroyed the prison with all the remaining prisoners, all records and research inside of it.”
Michael can feel the blood drain from his face. It’s a horrible end to a horrible fate, and his last hopes of finding a family are destroyed with it. “Are you sure?” he can’t help but ask.
“I've seen the footage. When I got back to Roswell, I visited the site. There were no survivors. I’m sorry.”
Michael nods, lips pressed tightly together. There is nothing left to say.
“They made my father watch, but they should have left him in the prison to burn along with it. Let that be the legacy he always dreamed of,” Alex says bitterly.
Michael can’t help but laugh although it’s humorless.
“So that’s it?” Michael says. One stroke of a bureaucrats pen, and his whole species is gone. The secret they uncovered is nothing more than a story now, all the players dead. Michael wished he’d told Isobel no, that he’d never learned this truth.
“It should have been. I think my father would have given up after everything was destroyed, but he knows there are other aliens in Roswell.”
“You said,” Michael stands up, fear propelling him to his feet.
“Not you, not Max or Isobel,” Alex reassures him, holding up his hand to keep Michael there.
“How?” Michael asks, sitting back down. “If there was another alien, wouldn’t we know?”
“I don’t know,” Alex admits. “Nothing in all the records I’ve hacked indicated there were other survivors or how they could still be alive. But no one knew about Louise either. What I do know is over the last few years over a dozen people have been murdered-homeless people, vagrants, prostitutes. All the bodies have a glowing handprint on them.”
“Shit,” Michael buries his face in his hands. “If you know there is an alien murderer out there, why risk letting me get close to you?”
“The handprint is too big to be yours or Isobel’s, and it doesn’t match Max’s,” Alex says matter of factly. “My father and Jim Valenti covered up the murders for years. Now he has my brother Flint helping, insisting the murders are part of a military investigation and claiming the bodies. He won’t stop until he figures out who it is.”
“Liz Ortecho knows,” Michael blurts out. “At least about Max which means she knows about Isobel, I don’t know how much he’s actually told her. But she may have told Kyle Valenti who has been talking to your father.”
Alex’s face goes blank for a second. “Well, that changes things. My plan was to find out who this alien is before my father does and figure out how to stop them without resorting to genocidal prisons. But if he suspects any of you are aliens, he’ll assume you are involved in the murders, and I don’t know how quickly he will act.”
The theoretical danger of discovery Michael always feared was becoming very real. “I can’t let him hurt Max or Isobel.”
“He won’t,” Alex says with certainty. “I know what kind of monster my father is and exactly what he is capable of. I won’t let him hurt anyone else, including you.”
“You can’t promise that,” Michael shakes his head.
“This is what I’ve been working toward for years. It’s why I joined the Air Force. Not because I ever wanted to be in the military, but because I wanted to learn how to defeat him, how to take everything from him without him ever seeing me coming. I’ve kept your identity from him for years, that’s not going to change.”
“I can’t ask that of you.” Michael won’t trust his family’s safety to anyone else. He’s been alone his whole life, he doesn't know how to rely on someone else to watch out for him.
“You’re not asking. I’m doing this for me. I’m going to take my father down, and I’ll protect your secret while I do it. You don’t owe me anything. You don’t need to pretend,” Alex gestures between them.
“Alex,” Michael gets up and moves to sit next to him on the couch. Alex flinches, but waves Michael to the cushion next to him. “What happened between us wasn’t part of any plan. I wanted everything we did together, I wanted you.”
“And now?” Alex asks cautiously.
“I don’t know,” Michael looks down at his hands. “Even though what I felt was-is-real, it was built on a lie. I came here under false pretenses, I tried to manipulate you. I searched your house,” Michael forces himself to look back up. “And because of that, I know things about you-things that helped me fall in love with you-that aren’t mine to know. Maybe things you would never want me to know, but I do. How do we move past that?”
“I’ve been hiding my whole life,” Alex says quietly. “From my father, my brothers, my friends, everyone I ever served with. When enough of the people who are supposed to love and support you turn away, you have to believe the problem is you.”
“Alex,” Michael can’t help but interrupt, taking his hand. He knows that kind of pain and doubt. It had taken years of Max and Isobel refusing to be pushed away, and building relationships with people like Sanders and Maria for Michael to realize he could be loved. “It’s not you.”
“Maybe not, but that’s how I’ve lived my life. Keeping anything I valued, anything that made me different hidden. I’d like to think I would have learned to share those parts of me with you, but I don’t know how long it would have taken. It’s comforting to realize you know most of my secrets, and you haven’t run away. I’ve always been too afraid of letting someone know me to have a relationship. But I’m not afraid to be with you.”
Michael lets out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. He was prepared for anger, for Alex to say the betrayal was too big to come back from. Alex’s acceptance feels unearned, but Michael is grateful they still have a chance.
Because Alex still looks nervous and uncertain, Michael squeezes his hand and leans forward for a kiss. Alex meets his lips eagerly, his free hand coming up to tangle in Michael’s hair. It’s easy to get lost in the kiss, to push forward for more. But Alex pulls back, stroking Michael’s hair a few times before dropping his hand.
“You’re not the only one with an advantage,” Alex says. When Michael just looks at him, he continues. “Have you ever told anyone that you are an alien?”
“No,” Michael’s blood runs cold just thinking about it. It’s the number one rule drilled into his head-by Max, by his own fear of the consequences-no one can know. No matter how much he’d cared about Maria, he never considered telling her, never wanted to.
“I didn’t think so. And you didn’t choose to tell me either. And I can tell you again and again that you can trust me with this secret, that I won’t use it against you, but you are the one who has to be willing to believe me.”
Michael should be scared, but he’s not. Alex has known for over a decade. If Alex wanted to turn him in or hurt him, he’d had years to do it. But that brings up other questions. “Is that why you’re with me?”
“I don’t have ‘fuck an alien’ on my bucket list if that is what you are asking.” They both laugh.
“I don’t know what I’m asking,” Michael admits. “I’ve never been with anyone who knows what I am so I guess I’m wondering how it affects your feelings for me.”
“I don’t think it does. I won’t say it doesn’t matter because it’s part of who you are, and you matter. You being an alien isn’t something we can just ignore, but it’s not what I think of first when I think of you. It matters in that it’s one of the things that makes you the man I’m attracted to, the man I’m falling in love with.”
“I like the sound of that,” Michael admits. “You falling in love with me.”
This time it’s Alex who makes the first move, pulling Michael into the circle of his arms. He kisses Michael’s forehead and wraps his arm around him. Michael turns to nuzzle into his neck then surprises them both by yawning.
“Sorry,” Michael apologizes and rubs his eyes. “Now what?”
Alex looks at the table where their untouched beers are sweating into the coasters beneath them. “How about we get some fresh beers and sit by the firepit you built me. We can forget all this serious stuff for the night and talk about normal things.”
“Normal things?” Michael asks with a laugh.
“I don’t know,” Alex shrugs. “Music, movies, work. I’m sure you have a million questions about what I told you, and I have questions to, but”
“We aren’t going to solve the problem of your father or how whatever Liz and Kyle might know complicates that in one night,” Michael finishes.
“And we deserve a night to be together without secrets or hidden agendas. To start figuring out who we are together,” Alex adds.
“That sounds nice,” Michael admits. “But I don’t know how much I have in me.” He yawns again.
“So we’ll talk for a bit then see if that fancy shower you built me really is big enough for two, and you can stay here if you want.”
Michael definitely wants, and the way he kisses Alex leaves no doubt to his interest. “And tomorrow?” he asks almost breathlessly once the kiss ends.
“Tomorrow, we figure out how to destroy my father,” Alex holds out his hand, “together.”
Michael laces their fingers together. “Together sounds perfect.”
#malex fic#rnm fic#my fic#yotp 2023#honeypot mission#falling in love#happy ending#Michael and Alex will always fall in love#angst with a happy ending#secrets#maria deluca friendly
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