#mrxmas

millie’s long list of malex fics | this isn't the "holiday best friends championship" by thepredatorywasp / @usbournejez

Alex, the picture of control, treasured by every PA because his station is always pristine during breakdowns, is currently covered from the elbows down in flour, wondering why on earth he let Michael talk him into participating in something so bright and cloying. (“But, baby, you’d be so good and you’d get to meet Lorraine and Cake Ace guy!”)

Beloved and snarky YouTuber baker Alex Guerin has made it into the final four of the Holiday Baking Championship. He has charmed the nation and the judges with his deadpan wit and delicious vegan concoctions. But, can the last self-taught baker left in the championship beat out the three professionals? Will Maria rum-soak her way to the finale? Will Noah be the first molecular gastronomist to win the title of Holiday Baking Champion? Can Rosa calm her nerves and glide through to the finale with her elegant decorating skills? All will be revealed when their family members join them for the main heat. Stay tuned!

comment: this one is so much fun! i love a snarky alex who is soft for michael, and i love the alex written by this author. combine that with a fantastic au premise, a witty writing style, and some holiday cheer? you’ve got pure gold, my friends.

millie’s long list of malex fics | A Thrill of Hope by aewriting / @aewriting

Michael honestly hadn’t even realized it was December 23rd when he’d headed to the bar tonight. It had been a long day at the junkyard and, like so many other nights in recent memory, all he wanted was a cold beer and a warm body.

When Michael unexpectedly encounters Alex at a bar, misunderstandings ensue. But a freak snowstorm may be just what it takes to force them to finally communicate with each other.

comment: if you like tropes, this one’s for you! featuring jealousy, a snowstorm, only one bed, communication, reconciliation, and a hopeful ending. it’s not a rom com holiday fic, so be aware of that going in, but my god it’s good.

millie’s long list of malex fics | Lovin’ you is a gift tonight (Lovin’ you for all my life) by Bellakitse / @bellakitse

Michael spots brown eyes and full pink lips curved upward. They’re beautiful, but it’s the man’s eyes that Michael is stuck on. Eyes he’s seen before but not in ten years, eyes that haunt his dreams to this day. Eyes that are widening as they look back at him with recognition.

Alex Manes.

“Guerin?” He asks hesitantly, his voice barely above a whisper, while the disbelief is loud and clear.

He ends the call without saying goodbye to Isobel..

Ten years ago when Alex leaned in for a kiss, Michael panicked and with it missed his shot. He's lived with that regret for a decade. Some things are always meant to be though and fate gives him a second chance when he runs into Alex at an airport as they wait for their delayed flight.

comment: stef has killed me with a SECOND amazing, tropey holiday fic. i’m loving the trend of “alex and michael don’t hook up but meet up years later” and this one is just so soft and good. right from the get go this fic doesn’t pull it’s punches (michael admits to having a crush on alex in highschool while alex is watching him on the phone with isobel) and things just get better and better from there. even though you know what they’re moving towards, there’s these perfect little moments of tension that just had me wanting to keysmash.

millie’s long list of malex fics | in the morning by thepredatorywasp / @usbournejez

Unsurprisingly, the holiday has always been downright and purposefully laid back for Michael, Alex, and River. It involved Indian food, sparse decorations, a few reasonable gifts, sleeping until noon, too much TV, and smothering cuddles. 

But, that was all about to change. This will be their first Christmas back in Roswell since River was a baby. The three of them are flying back into Albuquerque because to fly directly into Roswell was egregiously over-priced. Their layover in Denver is a little over two hours and has been surprisingly low stress and very nearly pleasant.

This is Michael and Alex's first Christmas back in Roswell since River was a baby. Isobel has gone ham with the decorating. River is four and his new powers are causing him to have debilitating nightmares. Michael and Alex are just doing their best. Max is trying and failing. Kyle is just happy to participate.

comment: it’s pretty hard to put into words the emotion i felt when this popped up on my dash. elation doesn’t quite cover it. i cried at least once each chapter. kieran’s series is unfathomably good and i’ve been obsessed with it ever she posted the first chapter of scream in there. please do yourself a favour and read this story. fall in love with river “mouse” mohe guerin, as well as the way that kieran writes all your other favourites. god bless us one and all, indeed.

millie’s long list of malex fics | ‘Til it leads you to the one you love’ by Bellakitse / @bellakitse

Isobel Evans -ex Bracken- is putting the finishing touches on the movie trailer for the latest Michael Bay movie, trying to make it seem like it actually has a plot and isn’t just three hours of ad placements and explosions. She does this in the hope she can ignore two things. One, the engagement announcement in the L.A. Times. Which is currently on her work desk with a four by six picture of her ex-husband and the 22-year-old he found to replace her, and two, the laser-focus stare her assistant Rosa has been giving her ever since she opened the paper.

“You can’t just ignore me you know,” Rosa complains, nudging her with her foot, a notepad on her lap as she writes down any edits Isobel makes.

Alex and Isobel are not looking forward to the holidays. When their respective friends, Maria and Rosa, recommend they get away for Christmas and suggest they swap houses with a stranger the idea seems like a good one. Isobel goes to his cabin in Roswell, and Alex goes to her house in L.A.All they both want is some peace and quiet. Instead, they end up finding friendship, love and themselves. ‘The Holiday’ AU.

comment: holy hell, you guys. what a holiday feat! this fic is so delicious, truly a perfect rom-com-to-fic. the quick build-up of the relationships, the first kisses, the dynamics between isobel/alex and the people they meet, THE ENDING!! it’s all so good. if you haven’t read this yet, do yourself a holiday favour and carve out some time to do so.

millie’s long list of malex fics | maybe i’m not a boy who would stay, but isn’t it kinda fun to be together? by lostin_space / @spaceskam

“Fuck, I don’t know, I feel like I’ve got everything I could ever ask for,” Alex admitted. Both girls ‘aw’d obnoxiously as he rolled his eyes.

“You have to be wanting something, Alex, it’s human nature,” Liz prodded.

“Oh, I know!” Maria exclaimed, “A boyfriend! You need one of those!”.

Alex writes a letter to Santa to have a boyfriend for Christmas. He gets more than he bargains for whenever a spaceship crashes in the backyard.

comment: I LOVE THIS SO MUCH!! what a fantastic premise for a christmas fic. alyssa absolutely kills it with the cute factor, the flirting, the alienness of michael, and the teasing of liz + maria. it’s a total hoot but with underlying sweetness the whole way through!

millie’s long list of malex fics | I Can’t Chase You (But You Can’t Run) by EmmaArthur / @emma-arthur

“You'd have to bunk with Michael, of course, or would that be a problem?” Liz continues, already getting excited. “Oh, Alex, it would be great!”

Alex opens his mouth, and realizes he can't say no to that look on Liz's face. He nods, a little reluctantly. It sounds a little daunting. He has yet to really travel since his injury, and there will be logistics to figure out. But maybe Liz is right. Maybe an change of scenery, and being surrounded by his friends for a few days will do him good.

The memory of Isobel and Max's hot, queer brother has absolutely no bearing on his acceptance.

Liz and Maria drag Alex to Isobel's winter cabin, thinking it will do him good to get out of rehab for a bit. Alex can't ski, though, so he gets really bored by himself during the day, until Isobel's brother slips on ice and ends up stuck inside with him.

comment: hilarious and compelling. i’m addicted to emma’s dialogue in this, and the excellent way she writes alex. i can’t wait to see where it goes in the second part because the first part had me smiling so big!!!

millie’s long list of malex fics | Strangers At Dinner by mansikka / @mansikkaomenabanaani

"You know you will always, always be welcome at ours for Christmas, Alex. You really don't need to spend any time with any of them if you don't want to. You know, that, right?"

Alex sighs, his breath fogging up the Crashdown table where he's dropped his head face first, letting the soothing feel of Liz's fingers through the back of his hair take some of the tension from his shoulders. He has nothing to do with his family anymore. Alex hasn't seen his dad since he visited him when he was recovering after his surgery, and he can't have spoken to any of his brothers in six months. He doesn't miss any of them; not for the disdainful abuse from his father nor for the disinterested mockery from his siblings.

Alex really doesn't want to have Christmas dinner with his family but doesn't know how to get out of it. Could Michael Guerin's Craigslist ad offering his services to ruin Christmas dinner be the salvation he's after?

comment: another fake-dating-at-christmas fic!!!! i’m over the moon that this trope has been embraced. this one is fantastic because it includes alex and michael sticking it to his (shitty) family. i’m all about that.