#mralexfocus

millie’s long list of malex fics | i can make your body echo (like we're in an empty room) / fic has been orphaned​

He’s still wearing turtlenecks at his high school graduation.

A character study of Alex Manes with regards to his relationship with his body and his sexual partners (and Michael specifically).

comment: there is so much beautiful language in this fic and it just bowls me over every time i reread it. it touches on some issues that alex has with sex, and how michael is a safe space for him. it’s about how much they want each other always. it’s so good. i feel something different every time i read it. remember to check those tags before you read!!

millie’s long list of malex fics | words echo out yesterday by estel_willow / @hannah-writes

He keeps telling himself ten more minutes. He’ll wait another ten minutes and then he’ll leave, go back to the cabin and think very carefully about his life choices. He never quite knows what to do with himself when he’s waiting, sitting and hoping for the sounds of Michael’s truck to rumble into view. He’s not good at waiting when there’s no military payoff but here he is, regardless, sitting and waiting for someone who may never come. He checks the time again.

Ten more minutes, he thinks. Ten more minutes.

In the aftermath of the season finale, Alex waits, and he takes care of Michael.

comment: this is another wonderful post-season one fic that goes through the process of michael spiralling and alex dealing with the interim. everything that hannah writes is beautiful and poetic, and this fic is no different. the ending is sweet and happy, and by the time you get to it, you really feel like it’s an ending well-earned. i love the progression that’s represented in this story, i love the sweet domesticity at the end. love every bit of it!!

millie’s long list of malex fics | Wednesday's Child by beamirang

Alex is engaged in an ongoing battle with his alarm clock. He's starting to think the damn thing is sentient. It knows he's always wide awake by the time it delivers its shrill ring and is enacting some kind of twisted psychological torture as payback for being made to feel redundant.

Instead of accurately recording the passage of time, his clock seems to be stuck in some kind of loop. It's been two fifteen for the last eight hours at least.

It's also possible that he's just massively sleep-deprived and the vindictive machinations of his alarm are all in his head.

Alex isn't someone you make plans to save, he's someone you ensure dies properly.

comment: i would be super grateful if bea would stop breaking my heart for like, a second. she continues to write the most devastating alex manes and it just takes my breath away every time. this one’s a little angstier than most, dealing with alex as a very unreliable narrator, which can be hard to face sometimes. it’s a slow progression towards a hopeful ending though, as michael starts to figure out what alex actually needs, and they learn to speak to each other instead of running around in circles. there are heavy, heavy suicidal themes in this fic so please thoroughly check the tags before you read, and have a little bit of fluff at the ready in case you need it afterwards. it is an incredibly good character study though, well worth the more challenging bits.

millie’s long list of malex fics | Unapologetically Himself by BeStillMySlashyHeart

“Manes,” he greeted with a nod.

Alex couldn’t do this. He put the bottle on the bar and turned to leave without a word. A hand on his arm stopped him.

Michael stepped in close so he wouldn’t have to shout over the din of the bar. “You can’t even say hello?” Alex suppressed a flinch at the bitterness in his voice. He knew he had put it there. Michael let go. “Oh right, I forgot. You’re an airman,” he spat the word out. “Can’t be seen associating with a common criminal.”

One time Alex won't let himself be seen with Michael and five times he does. Canon-divergent after 1x03.

comment: we could have had it aaaaall. this is such a sweet fic. it starts with alex not being able to be seen with michael in public and quickly moves to the times that he can. it’s exactly what we needed to see after the drive-in fiasco and god bless this author for delivering. number 5 is my favourite but i’ll leave you to make your own decisions on that.

millie’s long list of malex fics | i could not name the things i was afraid of by couldaughter

The first time Alex thought about family, his mom was out driving. She didn’t give him a hug before she left; dad said he was too old for that kind of sissy bullshit.

Alex sat on the porch every day for a week, letting himself pretend it was the dust making his eyes sting, and waited for her. He couldn’t remember when she said she was getting back, but he knew she was going to..

Alex’s family throughout the years. Canon compliant.

comment: what can i say? i love those found family dynamics and the fics that explore them. this one is very alex-focused, giving us snapshots of alex’s family throughout the years (the majority of which do not include the manes family, you’ll be happy to know). they’re such delightful moments of maria, liz, mimi, kyle, michael. it has other really wonderful moments that i don’t want to spoil for you but this fic is overwhelmingly warm and does include a malex get-back-together, which is why it’s on this rec list. if you love these family dynamics even half as much as i do; you will adore this fic.