[ He is, unsurprisingly, eager to have less of himself on display to these people. He's already worked out where the men's room is, and he's quick to take the clothes and head in that direction.
He catches Alex's hand to kiss it before he goes inside, and then starts to change quickly. The paper gown is going to be left in a pile on the floor, sorry not sorry.
None of this stops him from continuing to call out to Alex. ]
So, start with where you're taking me. If that's the same story as how me and Kyle Valenti are legally bound to each other without anyone getting murdered, that's great.
Says the guy who yelled at me when I didn't jump fast enough to try to find him when he went missing. And I would like to remind you which of us was the one who ended up finding him.
[ He smiled a little and shook his head. ]
You live with Kyle. Because the undercity here is a piece of crap and Kyle's place is leagues better than the place they put us when we first get here. And with Nick. Who is basically... Well, he's kind of like you were somewhere between that last month or two before I left after high school and you just after I got back.
For Kyle, it developed kind of the same as it did back home. We're all we've got in the city, really. For Nick, I'm pretty sure you just brought him home one day and said 'can we keep him'?
[ Actually, he's not sure of the specifics of that. Whether Kyle and Nick were a thing before Michael got close to Nick or whether it really was the reverse, but the sentiment is the same. They're close. ]
[ That adds a different dynamic. Not just Michael and Kyle, but Michael and Kyle with some kid named Nick. It makes him pause midway through pulling a t-shirt over his head, and he pulls it on slower, thoughtful.
The comparison to his own younger, darker self gives him some pause. ]
So he's like me during the worst time of my life? That's good to know.
[ He's supposed to be finding out about himself, but he can't help asking: ]
So who are you contracted to? You don't live with Kyle?
He's a pain in my ass, but he's growing on me. I can see why you liked him so much. Just...Kyle and Nick are going to take it to heart because you don't really remember them. You remember Kyle, but there are a lot of things that happened here that changed things. For the better. So just remember that when they act weird. It's almost like full blown amnesia except that you do remember some things.
[ He chuckles a little at the question. ]
No. Maria. She wasn't here when you needed a contract, if you were wondering. I've got my own place not that far from where you live. I've lived here for...a while.
Time doesn't work quite the same way it's supposed to. So maybe you weren't too far off about the pods.
[ Michael pulls open the door to look at Alex, and leans against the frame. He finishes doing up the buttons of his shirt while he talks. ]
A while, huh?
[ He dips his head, studying Alex's face. Maria is here too. Something's clearly up between himself and Kyle. It's already obvious that there's a lot to take in, and that's why he's listening more than he's talking.
He sighs. ]
I should've asked you when you asked me. What's the last thing you remember from home?
[ It didn't seem so much in comparison anymore. Back before, it felt like he'd been here longer than he'd been home in Roswell. Before he had been here longer. But now, hell. Now he's lived his live without his father for almost as long as he's been here in the city. ]
I remember the same thing you do. Taking off that handanna and walking away from my father's statue. I didn't always, though. For most of that time, the last thing I remembered was that morning after you all fought Noah. Waiting for you outside your trailer.
[ Which had hurt. For a long time. But he'd also long since gotten over it even by the standards of the city let alone now. ]
I woke up with the memories around the same time you..disappeared.
[ Two years. That makes Michael stare at him. Two years, in a city where they're both third class citizens. Less than that, maybe. Two years, when sex was on a schedule.
And Alex was stuck in a different moment than him. What must that have been like? They were so far from on the same page, then. He's frowning by the time he finishes, and he looks up again, eyes careful. ]
I disappeared.
[ This was the elephant in the room. With a sigh, he straightens. ]
[ And Alex sighs and rubs his hand over his face. ]
It's a long story and most of it I don't even know. I didn't wake up until after. Or maybe just as. You died. You can die in this city and come back. A lot of this time, if it has to do with something that happened because of this city, it'll only be a few days and you'll wake up with the trauma of the death, but without any other repercussions.
But there's this girl, Hope. Her parents were...powerful. People from the city come from all kinds of worlds and she comes from one where witches and vampires and werewolves are real. And she's somehow all three. And here we come to things I don't know. Last I knew, she was human. Somehow in the time since then, she died, became a vampire, and her switch was flipped. Her kind of vampires have the ability to turn off their emotions. And Hope, she's been through a lot.
[ He takes a deep breath and steps closer, lifting a hand up to curl around Michael's neck. ]
I don't know what happened next. But you two were friends. She owns a bar and you worked there as a bartender. It's possible for friends or family to convince the person to flip their switch back. To push them into thinking that the risk of emotion is worth it. And you have a little experience in doing that. So the only thing I can think of is that you went there to try to push her back into her humanity.
It's a very 'you' thing to do for the people you love. She killed you. And when it's not the city, it seems like you lose your memories of the city for about a week. Exactly a week.
[ And god, Alex wishes he knew more about what happened. Because he's fairly sure that Michael went in alone. No backup. And he has things to say to that. But not until he remembers it. ]
[ Michael hadn't thought there was any good reason why he might be in this position. Still, hearing it like that isn't easy. He doesn't balk at resurrection the way most people would. That's happened in his own world.
But the story as a whole. Vampires, witches. Someone he loved, who killed him. That's his takeaway.
His eyes lock on Alex's face, full of worry. ]
I'm sorry. Alex...
[ He'd died. He'd died and Alex was left here, and if that position were reversed, Michael doesn't know how he would cope. ]
My god, I'm so sorry I did that to you. How are you not...yelling at me, how are you so calm?
First of all because you don't know anything about it. Not yet. I have questions, but I'm not going to be able to get answers until you remember. And until you can answer them, it's not fair to be upset at you for something you don't remember doing. Plus, I'm just really glad you're okay.
[ That flash of guilt, the one he couldn't help, hit again. Because Kyle and Nick wouldn't get this. Not really. Out of all of them, he suspects that he might have been closest to Kyle over the last couple of years. And maybe things are starting to change, but only just. ]
Come on. We should get you back. I'm not the only one who missed you.
[ Michael nods. It makes sense, it's not like he can explain himself when he can't understand why he would've done this yet. Hell, he just almost died back home. Why would he put himself in the same position here?
He touches Alex's arm, familiar and a little possessive. ]
Okay, I think Valenti will understand me spending a minute with my boyfriend before we head back.
[ Alex may not be the only one who missed him, but he's the important one. Michael knows that already. ]
[ There was a pause as Alex looked at Michael. So many things he didn't know. Didn't remember. And, Alex knew, so much he'd regret when he did remember, even if this part wasn't his fault. ]
Maybe not, but I'd feel guilty. We were all worried. And hearing you're back isn't the same as seeing you.
[ If he could try to ease the future guilt of basically snubbing Kyle and Nick, he'd do it. ]
[ That look on his face. There's something he's not saying, and Michael knows it. He frowns at him a little, but he falls in step with him all the same. ]
Okay, if you insist.
You gonna tell me what it is I don't know?
[ Or is it gonna be a happy surprise when they get there? ]
Things with me and Kyle were complicated for a while. And you stepped in when he needed someone. Kind of like when he went missing and you tried to come to his rescue. You two have been friends, good friends, for a while now. But specifics are for him to tell you.
[ Alex winced. That felt like something that happened ages ago. But also too recently. ]
We'd gotten closer because, for a while, we were the only ones from Roswell here. And then he hurt a friend of mine out of nowhere and what seemed to be deliberately. I tried to talk to him, but he... Let's just say there were things going on that I didn't understand at the time and I let myself be hurt instead of asking why he was acting like that. We drifted apart for a few months and you stepped in when he needed someone.
[ Michael thinks about that, about being the one to step in for someone who was otherwise alone. It's a strange thought. He feels like his and Alex's positions should've been reversed, and apparently they weren't.
It also seems to imply that he did the right thing, which. Is heartening, he guesses. ]
I'll ask him about it. I gotta say I never would've thought something like this would be between me and Kyle.
I have to admit that I was a little surprised. But then I lived through the last few years of life in Roswell. And had you telepathically slamming doors in my face because of him. And I'm not surprised anymore. He and I worked out our issues back home - and yeah, here, too - so I can't imagine it would have taken you that long to actually admit that you were friends with him.
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momijizukamori
no subject
Date: 2021-12-21 12:16 am (UTC)[ He is, unsurprisingly, eager to have less of himself on display to these people. He's already worked out where the men's room is, and he's quick to take the clothes and head in that direction.
He catches Alex's hand to kiss it before he goes inside, and then starts to change quickly. The paper gown is going to be left in a pile on the floor, sorry not sorry.
None of this stops him from continuing to call out to Alex. ]
So, start with where you're taking me. If that's the same story as how me and Kyle Valenti are legally bound to each other without anyone getting murdered, that's great.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-21 12:46 am (UTC)[ He smiled a little and shook his head. ]
You live with Kyle. Because the undercity here is a piece of crap and Kyle's place is leagues better than the place they put us when we first get here. And with Nick. Who is basically... Well, he's kind of like you were somewhere between that last month or two before I left after high school and you just after I got back.
For Kyle, it developed kind of the same as it did back home. We're all we've got in the city, really. For Nick, I'm pretty sure you just brought him home one day and said 'can we keep him'?
[ Actually, he's not sure of the specifics of that. Whether Kyle and Nick were a thing before Michael got close to Nick or whether it really was the reverse, but the sentiment is the same. They're close. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-12-21 01:01 am (UTC)The comparison to his own younger, darker self gives him some pause. ]
So he's like me during the worst time of my life? That's good to know.
[ He's supposed to be finding out about himself, but he can't help asking: ]
So who are you contracted to? You don't live with Kyle?
no subject
Date: 2021-12-21 01:31 am (UTC)[ He chuckles a little at the question. ]
No. Maria. She wasn't here when you needed a contract, if you were wondering. I've got my own place not that far from where you live. I've lived here for...a while.
Time doesn't work quite the same way it's supposed to. So maybe you weren't too far off about the pods.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-21 11:17 pm (UTC)A while, huh?
[ He dips his head, studying Alex's face. Maria is here too. Something's clearly up between himself and Kyle. It's already obvious that there's a lot to take in, and that's why he's listening more than he's talking.
He sighs. ]
I should've asked you when you asked me. What's the last thing you remember from home?
no subject
Date: 2021-12-22 12:15 am (UTC)[ It didn't seem so much in comparison anymore. Back before, it felt like he'd been here longer than he'd been home in Roswell. Before he had been here longer. But now, hell. Now he's lived his live without his father for almost as long as he's been here in the city. ]
I remember the same thing you do. Taking off that handanna and walking away from my father's statue. I didn't always, though. For most of that time, the last thing I remembered was that morning after you all fought Noah. Waiting for you outside your trailer.
[ Which had hurt. For a long time. But he'd also long since gotten over it even by the standards of the city let alone now. ]
I woke up with the memories around the same time you..disappeared.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-22 12:19 am (UTC)And Alex was stuck in a different moment than him. What must that have been like? They were so far from on the same page, then. He's frowning by the time he finishes, and he looks up again, eyes careful. ]
I disappeared.
[ This was the elephant in the room. With a sigh, he straightens. ]
Okay. What happened, why can't I remember?
no subject
Date: 2021-12-22 12:33 am (UTC)It's a long story and most of it I don't even know. I didn't wake up until after. Or maybe just as. You died. You can die in this city and come back. A lot of this time, if it has to do with something that happened because of this city, it'll only be a few days and you'll wake up with the trauma of the death, but without any other repercussions.
But there's this girl, Hope. Her parents were...powerful. People from the city come from all kinds of worlds and she comes from one where witches and vampires and werewolves are real. And she's somehow all three. And here we come to things I don't know. Last I knew, she was human. Somehow in the time since then, she died, became a vampire, and her switch was flipped. Her kind of vampires have the ability to turn off their emotions. And Hope, she's been through a lot.
[ He takes a deep breath and steps closer, lifting a hand up to curl around Michael's neck. ]
I don't know what happened next. But you two were friends. She owns a bar and you worked there as a bartender. It's possible for friends or family to convince the person to flip their switch back. To push them into thinking that the risk of emotion is worth it. And you have a little experience in doing that. So the only thing I can think of is that you went there to try to push her back into her humanity.
It's a very 'you' thing to do for the people you love. She killed you. And when it's not the city, it seems like you lose your memories of the city for about a week. Exactly a week.
[ And god, Alex wishes he knew more about what happened. Because he's fairly sure that Michael went in alone. No backup. And he has things to say to that. But not until he remembers it. ]
no subject
Date: 2021-12-22 01:04 am (UTC)But the story as a whole. Vampires, witches. Someone he loved, who killed him. That's his takeaway.
His eyes lock on Alex's face, full of worry. ]
I'm sorry. Alex...
[ He'd died. He'd died and Alex was left here, and if that position were reversed, Michael doesn't know how he would cope. ]
My god, I'm so sorry I did that to you. How are you not...yelling at me, how are you so calm?
no subject
Date: 2021-12-22 01:19 am (UTC)[ That flash of guilt, the one he couldn't help, hit again. Because Kyle and Nick wouldn't get this. Not really. Out of all of them, he suspects that he might have been closest to Kyle over the last couple of years. And maybe things are starting to change, but only just. ]
Come on. We should get you back. I'm not the only one who missed you.
no subject
Date: 2021-12-28 11:20 am (UTC)He touches Alex's arm, familiar and a little possessive. ]
Okay, I think Valenti will understand me spending a minute with my boyfriend before we head back.
[ Alex may not be the only one who missed him, but he's the important one. Michael knows that already. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-01-02 10:18 am (UTC)Maybe not, but I'd feel guilty. We were all worried. And hearing you're back isn't the same as seeing you.
[ If he could try to ease the future guilt of basically snubbing Kyle and Nick, he'd do it. ]
no subject
Date: 2022-01-03 01:02 am (UTC)Okay, if you insist.
You gonna tell me what it is I don't know?
[ Or is it gonna be a happy surprise when they get there? ]
no subject
Date: 2022-01-10 11:44 pm (UTC)[ A pause and a sigh. ]
Things with me and Kyle were complicated for a while. And you stepped in when he needed someone. Kind of like when he went missing and you tried to come to his rescue. You two have been friends, good friends, for a while now. But specifics are for him to tell you.
no subject
Date: 2022-01-19 11:21 pm (UTC)Had something similar happened here? Maybe something more.
It's weird to think about, and he's frowning, now. His hands settle in his pockets while he follows Alex. ]
Okay. I guess, let's go talk to him.
Why were you complicated?
no subject
Date: 2022-01-20 12:18 pm (UTC)We'd gotten closer because, for a while, we were the only ones from Roswell here. And then he hurt a friend of mine out of nowhere and what seemed to be deliberately. I tried to talk to him, but he... Let's just say there were things going on that I didn't understand at the time and I let myself be hurt instead of asking why he was acting like that. We drifted apart for a few months and you stepped in when he needed someone.
no subject
Date: 2022-02-09 10:13 pm (UTC)It also seems to imply that he did the right thing, which. Is heartening, he guesses. ]
I'll ask him about it. I gotta say I never would've thought something like this would be between me and Kyle.
Are the two of you good now?
no subject
Date: 2022-02-16 01:08 am (UTC)