MSR Fanfiction

Collection of X Files MSR fanfiction and inspiration. Basically any fics that seem 'true' (at least to my mind) to character and prefably where Scully retains agency.

[orangesnlavender]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The X-Files Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully Characters: Dana Scully, Fox Mulder Additional Tags: slight AU, Episode: s06e14 Monday (X-Files), Nightmares, Light Angst Summary:

Scully’s plagued by a false nightmare.

[h0lywaters]

From Our Wounded Heaven

Read the full fic on Ao3!

Summary: Following her kidnapping by Donnie Pfaster, Scully is still struggling in the aftermath of it all. She can't eat, can't sleep, and hiding it from Mulder is only growing more difficult as the days pass. Finally, she breaks, and the only comfort she can get is from him. Scully, navigating the turbulence of healing, journeys through the realisation that to be supported by Mulder, she must forsake her fears of being seen as someone to be saved—to allow herself to be vulnerable where it is safe to be. Rating: n/a Chapters: 3/? Contains: PTSD, panic attacks, nightmares, hurt/comfort

Chapter 1:

"No!”

Dana Scully's shriek pierced the silence of the night, ringing loudly even in her own ears. Her eyes scanned the room frantically, but search for the figure that loomed over her in her dreams was fruitless.

Despite this, she reached for the gun nestled beneath her pillow. Slipping it from its holster and turning the safety off, she threw the sheets from her body, rising hurriedly to press herself against the nearest wall. From here she had vision of her bedroom door without the threat of surprise from behind. Her heart thrashed in her chest.

Cautiously she crept along the perimeter of the room, her footsteps silent as she navigated her home with practised ease. The ritual had demanded her attention nearly every night of hers for the past month, when she woke from these dreams that felt all-too-real.

Donnie Pfaster stood above her, always, her arms bound and body bare as she laid in a bath of iced water. The stench of rotting flowers suffocated the room, flooding her senses with each gasp of air through her nose from the shock of the chill. It was all she could do, to scream out through her gag as he pushed her head beneath the surface.

She’d jolt awake then, the panic thrumming high in her veins, and nothing could soothe the disquiet that followed.

For weeks this had been her life, and each time he tormented her, she felt her distance from reality grow that much further.

As Scully finished her sentry, the heaviness of the night settled onto her. Any resolve she had managed through the rush of adrenaline abandoned her, and without a moment to catch herself, her lip quivered—a preamble to the heavy tears that fell hot on her cheeks.

The hours that followed were indistinct, distorted by lack of sleep and the anxiety that had made home in the pit of her stomach. She didn’t know when she had moved to the couch. She couldn’t recall when she had stopped crying, when the sun had begun to rise, nor when her eyes had closed and she fell into that brief sleep.

But now, as her alarm clock radio blared from her bedroom and she jolted awake, the reality that she had slept through the noise for far longer than she could afford hit her.

Scully’s eyes found her wristwatch, a curse pushing past her lips as she saw just how late it was.

She rose from the sofa and hurried to the bathroom to begin her day.

---

Scully pleaded in silent prayers that Mulder wouldn’t ask questions of her whereabouts as she walked down the hallway to their office. The walk felt longer than ever. She laid her hand upon the doorknob when she arrived, closing her eyes and imploring to God one last time that he wouldn't inquire much beyond the expected ‘Where’ve you been?’

She twisted her wrist and pushed forward, releasing an exhale as she opened the door and entered the room. Mulder sat at his desk, his attention shifting from a file laid out before him to meet her. He gave a half smile as their eyes met, leaning back casually in his chair.

“Stay up too late poring over the latest article in the NEJM discussing transesophageal echocardiography in the diagnosis of traumatic rupture of the aorta, Scully?”

Her lips twitched towards a faint smile that eventually reached her tired eyes, thinking to the journal in question. It was presently buried in a stack of unread mail on her kitchen counter, and she realised it had been weeks since she had read for leisure.

Closing the door behind her, Scully walked further into the office, placing her satchel in one of the chairs positioned opposite of her partner.

“You’re reading medical journals now, Mulder? Your usual brand of entertainment must be getting pretty boring.” Her brow cocked up affectionately, her smile easing into a subtle smirk as she approached the coffee maker.

In a tone that belied her fatigue, Scully admitted, “I haven’t gotten to read it yet, actually.” A playful look at Mulder was tossed over her shoulder. The weariness in her eyes was hard to be hid.

She looked forward once more, her back to him as she poured herself a cup and stirred a packet of sweetener into the black void. It looked unending—not unlike how the hole in her chest felt.

“The power blipped and I forgot to reset my alarm.” She hoped the explanation would be enough.

Silence followed as she took a sip of her coffee, trying to let the warmth of it ease her nerves some. She could feel his eyes on her back, and it was all she could do to not shiver. She closed her eyes and inhaled.

“Scully?”

Mulder’s voice broke the silence, gentle and warm. Her prayers began again.

“Hm?” She couldn’t bring herself to acknowledge him with a full word, busying herself with another swallow of coffee instead.

“You’re not well.”

It was neither question nor accusation. He knew her both more and less than she would have liked him to, and she knew he would be hard to hide from. Impossible, even. It wouldn't deter her from trying.

“Mulder, please,” Scully began, hoping a stern tone would be enough to put an end to him prying any further. Maybe it would have worked, if only it hadn't come forth as exhaustion.

“C’mon, Scully. We both know you didn’t forget to reset your alarm… that’s if you even lost power.” His concern made her feel cornered. The scrape of her mug was loud as it made contact with the metal cabinet of the coffee station when she set it down. She pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration, willing herself to not say anything she'd regret when she was finally able to get some sleep.

She heard him rise from his chair then, and her eyes closed even tighter. She swallowed her emotions down, and suddenly he was beside her.

“Did you even eat breakfast today?” His voice was quiet.

“I didn’t have time,” she quipped, not a lie.

“Did you have any breakfast last week? Or lunch?”

Her eyes flew open, enraged, her head turning sharply to throw a glare his way. “I didn’t realise I came to work to be on the receiving end of an interrogation, Mulder.”

“Scully, I haven’t seen you eat anything at all in weeks.” Another truth of his. His eyes held the heavy weight of his care, and Scully couldn’t bear to witness it. She turned her face from him, staring at the coffee that still rippled in its quake.

Mulder took her arm in a careful grip, gently turning her to face him fully. He didn’t remove his hand. Scully’s eyes settled on his tie, avoidant.

“Scully,” he spoke, in a voice so tender it gave her chills. She still couldn’t raise her gaze to look at him.

The knuckle of his index finger found the underneath of her chin, lifting it gently upwards until she was exerting more effort in her avoidance. Her lip trembled, and finally her gaze flicked to his, tears thick at the edge of her eyes. It took nothing for them to spill over.

She heard him say her name again. Her breath quickened, and words wouldn’t come. Everything felt so far away. Reaching for his arm, Scully couldn’t see beyond the panic closing in on her, and she was sure of nothing but the cold that filled her veins, now—the cold of that bath he had made for her, the pressure of his arms around her, restraining her, and she knew he would show her no mercy.

There was a woman’s scream somewhere far away, and Scully pushed against his chest, trying to free herself. Her vision grew darker until she could see nothing but black, and her fist came down hard, meeting muscle. His hands came to her wrists and she writhed, trying to break free and falling to the floor in the process. She kicked and flailed and screamed, and no matter what she did, he only held her tighter.

She was floating, falling, her consciousness fleeing. All she could do was give in.

Read the rest of the chapter and the full fic on Ao3! @today-in-fic

[kdgril]

The Long Game (32656 words) by KasCya Chapters: 29/29 Fandom: The X-Files Rating: Mature Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Fox Mulder/Dana Scully Characters: Dana Scully, Fox Mulder, Daniel Waterston Additional Tags: Post-Episode: s07e17 All Things (X-Files), What If Daniel Didn’t Go Away, Cannon Divergence, Obsession, Gaslighting, calculated antagonist, Slow Burn, Suspense, Medical Examiner Dana Scully, Daniel Waterston Is Not Over Dana Scully, Daniel Waterston Is the Villain Summary: When a suspicious death reconnects Dana Scully with a man from her past, the investigation quickly becomes more complicated than either she or Mulder expects. Because some evidence isn’t discovered. It’s placed. And someone has been playing the long game.

[pearlofthewoods]

Fic Rec - Promise Not To Stop (when I say when)

by @stxrdust-widow

This fic is a hauntingly beautiful post-irresistible story that gives depth and weight to Scully’s trauma, expanding on how that trauma might have materialised and affected her beyond what was shown in canon.

It’s an emotional hurt/comfort fic and has a gorgeous portrayal of Mulder gently coaxing Scully back onto her feet after her trauma overwhelms her. It’s sweet and soft and sensitive and overall a very thoughtful portrayal of a difficult topic. Gorgeously done OP!

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

Summary from AO3:

Exploring Scully’s trauma post Irresistible, how unresolved feelings can compound, and how accepting a little bit of help doesn’t have to be a bad thing.

Somewhat inspired by Mulder’s comment in Orison about how shaken up Scully was after this case.

p.s here’s a link to OP’s original post about the fic on tumblr if u wanna go support them <3

[mamuscript]

TXF Fic Recs

Not that I'm an expert or anything—and I'm sure all of these are ice-cold takes—but mostly so I have it to update as I fall in love with new ones: here are the TXF fics (all linked) that have moved me the most. They are in no particular order and categorized in no way whatsoever.

Lots and Lots of Files by Fandomme: the first TXF fic I fell in love with. Still (as of 4/2026) being updated, but there's plenty there to love already (289k atm). Internally consistent, canon-compliant, following the length of the series in (mostly post-ep) vignette form.

Incrementum by lepusarcticus: Absolute sexual poetry. Just unbelievable stuff. Lit a fire in my brain that has not gone out, months later.

Omens by lepusarcticus: A casefile with deeply satisfying UST—> RST MSR.

Blood Rush by danidedarcy: A fun college AU vampire story. Very good UST.

A Ponderous House by @cecilysass: Recently completed, but instant classic. The angst, you guys. So, so good.

The Marriage Spectacular by @cecilysass. I don't want to include too many by the same author(s), but it's easy to to do with cecilysass's work. Her fics are consistently great, and she excels at that border between yearning and angst. This one was sweet and funny and very satisfying.

Never Enough by ee_ombra_ombra: Not complete, but absolutely captivating. There's dark stuff here, so proceed with caution; it probably isn't for everyone. But the characterization and the prose are mesmerizing.

Goshen by Bonetree: I don't even know how to describe this one, other than must-read. Beautiful and sweet and intense.

Edges of the Night by oohnotvery: Incredibly angsty. Honestly makes me wonder if I should even be writing, myself, with how perfect and liquid the prose is. Very satisfying, great plot choices. A fun and moving read.

Love in all the Wrong Places by @sisterspooky1013: I went into this not knowing what to expect, and what a great time! I giggled with delight multiple times. Fun and sexy, and a great ending.

Days Off for Saving the World by lonegunga1 (@bakedbakermom): A post-Millenium fic that takes such time and care in its exploration. Sexy, fun, sweet, intense. Like slipping into a warm bath. There's plenty to savor—and the quality of the prose is stunning.

The Haiku Files by geekgirl25: Updating (at least) daily right now. A single haiku per episode from Scully's POV. Sweet, quick, and straight to the heart, like a little daily fun-sized candy bar.

isn't it messed up (how i'm just dying to be him?) by lovesprings: A post-Small Potatoes fic (which might be my favorite category; I'm a sucker for SP) in which Mulder is an absolute sopping mess over Scully in the best way. Very well-written smut.

Later by Soronia: In-sane-ly hot 🔥, you guys. Also mesmerizing prose. My favorite characterization of DKS that I've read, hands down.

One Week at Quantico by CrossedBeams: incredible yearning. A fun pre-series AU in which Mulder is teaching at Quantico while Scully is in training. Hits the sweet spot at 33k.

somebody crowd me with love (somebody force me to care) by @shimmeringlesbian: sweet and lovely, with tender connecting moments, lots of yearning and not-quite-saying-its. Fresh choices and characterization that feel like M&S. Still in progress as of 4/2026; I'm looking forward to its completion.

The Loneliest Road by Spark_a_Flame1013: a first-time, lonely-road AU in which, of course, they find one another. The first chapter in particular is one of the most perfect distillations of the MSR bond that I've read.

Things You Said by somekindofseizure: Incredibly beautiful prose. Incredibly hot. Angsty and angry and lustful and profound. It's a 6-part series totaling around 14k words.

---------------

Obligatory? Masturbatory? Who knows. Here's me: mamuscript on ao3

[spookysoph]

The Lovers

Part Nine of The Fool's Journey.

Her hands are still shaking. Agent Bocks and the officer from the Minneapolis PD whose name Mulder’s already forgotten don’t appear to notice, but from his vantage point he can see the way she presses them together beneath the table, can almost feel her willing them to still.

He keeps playing the tape back in his head, keeps reliving the look on Scully’s face as he gently tipped her chin up toward him, the way her lips quivered and her blue eyes filled with tears. Stoic Scully, always so solid, so unflappable. Rarely has he seen her really struggle, and never has she allowed him to witness her fall apart, not even after her abduction. Never until now. He can’t get it out of his head, the way her defenses crumbled as she fell into his embrace, her arms finding their way around him, clutching him tighter as the fear and the adrenaline overwhelmed her. Something in him broke open.

Now, watching as she answers their seemingly endless questions, he notices again the tremor she’s trying to hide. Enough is enough. “How about we start rapping this up, fellas,” he says, stepping forward and extending to his full height. “I think you’ve got everything you need.”

Read the rest on AO3.

Tagging @today-in-fic

[katebeckets]

idiots (affectionate)・[80/?] ⤷ 4.02 — “Home”

[libbytxf]

New story: 'The Fibonacci Sequence'

Chapter 1 of 6. Link on AO3

Scully makes a discovery at Mulder's apartment, and the story tracks the evolution of their partnership and relationship from that point on. The story explores the role of mystery in Scully's life. Seasons 3-7.

It’s an ordinary kind of inheritance for a rich boy from the Vineyard: a house, some bank accounts, the family jewels. So much of Mulder’s life and career—and by association, her own—has involved the grim inheritance and legacy of his father’s decisions. It’s strange to consider, for once, a part of the Mulder legacy that can be cleaned at the jeweler’s, and stored in a safe.

This is part of 'The Work of An Instant', a series of stories in which Mulder and Scully share a moment of sudden realization about their feelings for one another, while they are surrounded by other people. Each story stands alone, and can be read by itself.

[neverenoughmsr]

https://archiveofourown.org/works/87578221/chapters/235003441#workskin

[benoitblanc]

tuser benoitblanc's list of x files fics to change your life

below the cut, because this got LONG. happy reading xoxo gossip girl

casefic

beacon by cecily_sass

instinct by light_loves_the_dark

one hand tied by cecily_sass

she's beauty, she's grace by sunflowerseedsandscience

amor non reciprocatus by papernautilus

the boy on the beach by cecily_sass

you send me by spooky_nerd

angst

slow returns by o666666

the wonder that's keeping the stars apart by sisterspooky1013

tremors in the unshakable ground by coppersunlight

in this metallic silence by light_loves_the_dark

pilgrims creeping toward the dawn by softnow

anchored by wonderland

cancer arc angst

the imperfect art of saving a life by softnow

she still has her hair by mizdiz

they don't talk about dying by mizdiz

when you said never by backatpatrickpark

never by sisterspooky1013

dance without sleeping by wonderland

between sorrow and bliss by sunflowerseedsandscience

seaglass blue by melforbes

something better by bloodscully

maniacs in the fourth dimension by illinoise

bestow by o666666

she can just by edie_rone

faith by kittenscully

aus

paracosm by softnow

xtropy by deadcanons

fickle truths by mizdiz

a winter's tale by anjou

pause by cecily_sass

all that is dark and bright by malibusunset

you he did not fail by extraordinarily_ordinary

parallel by sisterspooky1013

six months by markwatneyandensemble

aus that are just slightly canon divergent

nuptiae sub rosa by sisterspooky1013 and xfmaweezy

the early on series by sunflowerseedsandscience

redux iii by softnow

beyond the shore by softnow

true lies by mldrgrl

the light of a clear blue morning by libbyt

how to lasso the moon by cabbagesandqueens (i'll admit this one is mine. i'm including it on this list because above all else i wrote this fic for Me. so it can go on my rec list it's allowed)

levity

the caller you are trying to reach by cecily_sass

love in all the wrong places by sisterspooky1013

x files aitas by maeveofconnacht

lord help the sister by o666666

die siedler von by kittenscully

misc (multichapter)

fox mulder, closet romantic by silhouetteofacedar

the marriage spectacular by cecily_sass

i'd like for you and i to go romancing by journeyintomystery513

baseball season by apostrophic

baseball metaphors by leiascully

four days on the 63rd parallel by frostbitepanda

plus one by alienqueequeg

misc (oneshot)

kiss it better by backatpatrickpark

at least most things by journeyintomystery513

center mass by kateyes224

one percent by bloodscully

unfinished business by all_these_ghosts

snakebitten by onpaperfirst

restructuring the food pyramid at midnight by justlikeswitchblades

your platonic relationship: an owner's manual by nanda

wips

lots and lots of files by fandomme

teacher's pet by fandomme (i am gnawing at the walls for the next chapter of this. ohhhhhh my god. EVIL cliffhanger)

i don't know, first base by fandomme (i am just keeping up with their whole catalogue atm)

blessed and stricken by mamuscript

hand to your heart by oohnotvery

when it all comes down to dust by plausiblestateoforegon

imposter syndrome by wonderx

method acting by mizdiz (will hopefully return from the war at some point. mizdiz if you see this i love you. you write the best cancer arc in the biz)

[mamuscript]

omg @benoitblanc, THANK you for including me; I'm so flattered to be on your list! 🥰 Genuinely grinning ear-to-ear. And to share such exalted company...! 🤩

[volpeantica]

#I concur with all of these

#such a great choice

[xfile999]

Journey to the Truth - tangent: Housekeeping (Misc Fic Recs)

As any avid fic reader knows, fic recs somehow just accumulate. How I happened upon the work, when, etc... who knows? But if I read something that really hits, I can't help but screenshot it as a reminder to shout it out into the fandom. The creator gifted us with something that I love, and maybe you will too. This is how I say thanks.

Post-episode: One Breath (S2 E08)

"Please Come Back" by sagan_starstuff - this was the first of sagan's that I read, and it is just...

Mid-episode: 731 (S3 E10)

"The X Between Us/Season 3, Chapter 10: E10 - 731" by Atths2 - a series by episode that I am hoping to catch up on in order to add to my rewatch regulars; the insight on this one is fab

Mid-episode: Herrenvolk (S4 E01)

"The View from the Outer Office: Herrenvolk" by Lara Means - I enjoy all of these fics written from Kimberly's POV, but this one in particular. I think it's because it's the setup for that scene in the hospital hallway? (M&S move through the crowd as if no one else were there)

Set After Terma (S4 E09), But Before Tempus Fugit (S4 E17)

"Bright Time (It's the Right Time) by sospooky (backintimeforstuff) - I am not big on Christmas fic, but here we are

"The Haiku Files" by geekgirl25 - a series of poems by episode that is currently at the same point that I am with my rewatch (S5 complete with FTF coming up). Here are a couple of my favorites from Volume Four: "Chapter 20: Small Potatoes" (S4 E20) "Chapter 25: Custody" (S4 E18)

Mid-episode: Demons (S4 E23)

"In Times of Trouble, Chapter 6: Demons" by stolendreams - I previously recommended from this series on my Scully's Cancer Recs and believe it is still in progress; his and hers angst here

Five Years In - Unspecified Timeframe

"It Just Happened" by beagentlesoul - current work-in-progress where M&S cross that inevitable line; explicit

General, Unspecified Timeframe

"Escape Speed" by Punk - short with early season feels

"Destined Reckoning - a Journey through The Stand" by Spark_a_Flame1013 - an msr set in Stephen King's post-apocalyptic world, but it is an independent story. This one's a long journey. I may have a thing for journeys.

xxxxx

Beyond the Pale: These fic are set in Season 6 or later, beyond where I've posted in my rewatch blog. Newbies be warned. Here there be spoilers.

Set sometime after Triangle (S6 E03)

"The Lake" by MSR_Pusher - from this past MSR Bingo challenge; this is unspeakably good

Set sometime in Season 6, Unspecified

"The Darkness Within" by Fox_sync - another current work-in-progress, this one features ProfilerMulder on the hunt, and Scully gets to see the dark side up close and personal. It's a psychological angst-fest, not for the faint of heart. I'm addicted.

Set sometime after All Things (S7 E17)

"You, Me, and The Rain" by Baroness_Blixen - from this past Fluffuary, I can't resist the Mulder spin on this scene. The timing doesn't really matter, but M&S are in an established relationship.

"Yes" by TabithaJean - from Fictober 2025, early relationship; super-short, it cuts straight to the truth

Pre-Revival (S10)

"I believe in us" by Baroness_Blixen - revival breakup makes me bawl. This is no exception, but I love the way BB writes Scully's insistence on hope

I don't really know which writers are on Tumblr. If you see your name, I'm happy to tag you. Just let me know. Thanks again for writing and reading and dreaming of the msr with me.

@sagan-starstuff @larameansxf @baronessblixen

[thatfragilecapricorn30]

Fic Friday (133)

Title: Backstop

Author: Fialka

Summary: smut biscuit

(A/N): Yup, it's PWP, post-ep Unnatural, and everybody's done it. Tough. We're grappling with the end of a monstrous casefile and we all needed a little fun tonight.

My Thoughts: I was having trouble coming up with a fic to recommend, but @laurencem brought up this lovely story and I knew I had to share. If you are an Unnatural Truther (meaning, you believe that Mulder and Scully got it on after playing baseball), then this fic is for you! It's the same author who wrote Arizona Highways, so you know it's well-written.

Enjoy! Tagging @today-in-fic

[scxllyxmxlder]

Sanitatem

(A/N: NC-17/nsfw. Immediately post s7e7 Orison. Little insert of my own canon, but it isn’t ridiculous or unbelievable in my opinion. Potential trigger warnings: slight dubcon initially, mention of cancer arc, and mentions of death/kidnapping (no death or abduction occurs in the fic, don’t worry). Really nowhere near as triggering as it may appear so give it a chance!)

Don’t look any further

The R&B hit from when she was thirteen. The note Orison had left her at the hospital.

She couldn’t escape the thoughts.

He didn’t give you a choice.

Keep reading

[lilydalexf]

👽X-Files Fic Rec Roundup 2025, Part 2

Here is a master list of my newest X-Files fic recs. You can find part 1 here. These and all my earlier recs can be found under my fic rec tag, where you can also read why I recced each story. I also newly posted the themed lists below. Enjoy!

Classic fics

Fics where Mulder says “that’s my girl” about Scully

Fics with Mulder and Scully at a Lone Gunmen party

Fics where Scully is a werewolf

Melissa Scully is heavily featured

Mulder being colorblind is featured

Pre-XF fics

Scully goes back in time to save Samantha

Season 7 fics

Bone Deep by @monikafilefan (Season 6 - 4,553 words - Teen and up) Deliver Me by Louise Marin (Season 4 - ~7,250 words - R) Not Orpheus, Not Eurydice by cecily_sass @cecilysass (cancer arc - 3,728 words - Teen and up) Sanitatem by @scxllyxmxlder (Orison - ~3,775 words - NC-17) Where the Ice Cracks by szxper (Angst - 1,452 words - Not rated) The Wish by ViXen (AU - ~11,600 words - NC-17)

[baronessblixen]

Truth on Ice

Fluffuary day 13: Confession

Set somewhere in season 6

Tagging @today-in-fic

~

“Are you out of sunflower seeds?” Mulder looks up with a questioning look, the pen he’s been chewing on still between his lips.

“Huh?”

“You’ve been munching on your new pen,” Scully says, not even trying to hide her smile. The pen was a gift from her young neighbor, Clara, who was so smitten with Mulder that she’d decided to give him one of her precious bright pink pens.

The girl’s mother and Scully had watched with matching smiles as the girl, who looked to be around six or seven, tugged at Mulder’s pant leg, asking him to bend down so she could share a secret. Mulder had ummed and ahhed as the girl whispered into his ear. Afterward, she grinned at him, missing a few milk teeth already, and handed over one of the pens.

“This is boring, Scully.” Mulder removes the pen from his mouth, sighs. He leans back against Scully’s couch. She’s been hoping that working from home would make things easier. Kersh has it out for them. They’ve been working on one boring case after another. Mulder is like a caged animal by now, just biting at the bars of his enclosure. Or pink pens.

“I know, Mulder. But the sooner we do this, the sooner we can forget about it, right?”

“I guess,” he says. A big sigh follows his words. “I just know that there are X-Files that… we should be working on those. We shouldn’t be doing this crap.” Scully knows that Diana is still sharing whatever she and Jeffrey Spender are working on. Just dangling the work in front of him like a carrot.

“I know, Mulder. First things first,” she reminds him. “We have to do what Kersh says.”

“But I can get creative,” Mulder says with a grin.

“Creative?” Scully asks, uncertain if she even wants to know.

“The pen Clara gave me,” he says, holding it up, “is magic.”

“Magic how?”

“She said, and I quote, you can make your words disappear, and no one will ever know what you wrote. Here, look.” Scully leans over to watch Mulder draw a small alien head. He then uses the other end of the pen to erase it. It’s gone.

“Magic, Mulder? It’s erasable ink.” He just shrugs, still smiling. “I’m going to make another coffee. Do you want one, too?” He nods, now engrossed in decorating their case folder, looking like a child on Christmas morning.

When Scully returns a few minutes later, he’s still at it. Except now the folder is mostly pristine again, no sign of whatever Mulder did to it. Scully stares at the file, at Mulder’s pen. She remembers meeting Clara and her mother a few days ago. The mother telling her how Clara had been drawing and erasing all day. And that the invisible ink wasn’t irreversible so.

Mulder is grinning secretively, making Scully anxious. She’s waiting for the right moment to steal that folder from him. Just to see if she remembers correctly.

“What did you write on there?” she asks him, trying to sound disinterested.

“Oh, just this and that. No one will ever know.” Or so he thinks. “Gonna use the bathroom real quick.” As soon as he’s disappeared, Scully grabs the folder and takes it into the kitchen. The ink disappears with heat, as Mulder demonstrated. It only makes sense that it would come back with cold. As she stuffs the folder between ice cream and her mother’s leftover stew in the freezer, she feels like a child again, too, when Charlie and Melissa were obsessed with a similar ink, writing secret messages to each other. She encoded them all, making them lose interest.

The sound of the toilet flushing brings Scully back to the present. She’s out of time. She takes the folder out of the freezer, hoping the few seconds were long enough to reveal whatever Mulder has done.

They were.

There’s the obvious: Mulder doodling penises and aliens. One doodle she thinks might be a UFO, though it could be anything. There’s a “Go Knicks!” scrawled off to the side, which is a given for Mulder. Then there’s the “Kersh sucks” in capital letters that makes her shake her head. But that’s not all there is. There, at the corner of the folder, are little hearts. Among them, written in small letters is a “Fox Mulder is in love with Dana Scully”. She stares at the words, trying to decide if Mulder meant them or if he was just having fun.

“So that’s the magic.” He’s joined her in the kitchen, standing behind her and looking over her shoulder. Damn his height.

“We can’t hand in this report,” Scully says, fully aware of how close Mulder is. “You wrote that Kersh sucks.”

“That’s the truth, though, isn’t it?” He puts a hand on her shoulder, squeezing it in reassurance.

“Is everything on here true?” she asks, staring at the words in front of her. They remain, don’t disappear again.

“The Knicks are superior,” he says, and she nods automatically. Two out of three.

“And?”

“And the third thing is true, too. But you already knew that, didn’t you? Scully?” He’s said it before, lying in a hospital bed. He’s said it more times, just not with words. Now it’s written in invisible ink, and it feels like her whole world is spinning.

“I – I think I knew. Know.”

“Good. Do you want to reply with magic ink?” He’s smiling, but it’s uncertain. Neither of them expected the evening to go like this.

“I don’t have to,” she says, turning around. His hands don’t know where to go, but she knows what to do. She gets on tiptoes and kisses him.

[bakedbakermom]

Latest Fanfics

Share the first sentence from your last 10 fics and then tag some buddies to do the same.

I was tagged by @talshiargirlfriend - thank you!!

Days Off for Saving the World

He kisses her as the ball drops, ringing in the New Year, ringing in his ears, tens of thousands of people cheering on the tinny screen in the empty hospital lobby like their screams are for them and them alone.

2. Mind the Gap

They’re about a month into this new “thing” between them, panting side by side on the sweat-soaked sheets of her bed.

3. Hot Springs

“Scullaaaaaaaay!”

4. she names for him the stars

They’re a hundred miles from their motel—middle of nowhere, middle of the night—when their wheezing rental car shudders, then clunks, then stops altogether.

5. Held

She writhes beneath him, the warm weight of his body pressing her into the mattress and those broad, strong hands of his wrapped around her wrists.

6. Quilt

Mulder tucks a faded quilt around their sleeping son, passed out in his carseat on the way home from buying groceries.

7. Fool Moon (with @thursdayinspace and @unremarkablehouse <3)

Dana Scully stalks down the hall toward the basement office, the click of her heels ringing off the walls with each clipped step.

8. Insatiable

Scully is right in the middle of one of her favorite pursuits when a soft snore makes her look up, and she realizes that Mulder has actually fallen asleep with his cock in her mouth.

9. Silver Fox

Mulder leans closer to the mirror, running his hands over the freshly-trimmed scruff of his beard.

10. Undine

They tumble through his door in a tangle of limbs and tongues, not even bothering with the lights as they push and pull each other toward the couch by blind memory.

I gotta say the opening line to "Insatiable" will always be one of my favorites 🤣

No pressure tagging @thursdayinspace @unremarkablehouse @dartmoorpixie @bookishscully @jaquescully @slippinmickeys @sagan-starstuff and everyone else who sees this and goes "ooh, that looks like fun!" - go toot your own horn, bestie, you deserve it.

[msrpusher]

The Lake

by MSR_Pusher

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works