#x files bingo

[freckleslikestars]

Pick-Up Lines

Drunk in a bar, MSR, season 6ish, rated Teen

@xfilesbingo prompt ‘the way you flirt is shameful’

1241 words, read here on AO3

The shit-show that was their current assignment had been wearing them thin, and, needing a drink and seeing that Mulder could certainly do with one too, she’d pulled over at the first bar she’d spotted during her turn to drive. They’d crossed the Arkansas-Tennessee border about three hours back, and in the dark, the highway wasn’t much to look at, so when the flickering neon sign had caught her eye without even having to turn off into one of the towns, she was more relieved than she’d ever let on.

It was cliché, more flannel, leather and denim than he thought could fit in one small bar, and he could count two staff members and three patrons in cowboy hats. Parton and Roger’s on the radio and a murmured comment of being overdressed as they situated themselves at the bar in their tailored suits. His request of a beer (okay, what beer, sir?) was shot down by Scully with a roll of her eyes and a shake of her head, two fingers held up as she requested a double Jack for each of them.

‘Hard liquor, Mulder, that’s what we need after the day we’ve had.’

And hard liquor they had, working their way through two, then three bourbons, slowly slumping closer and closer together on their stools, their backs propped up against the bar. They didn’t talk much, happy to watch the other patrons. Occasionally a conversation would pique one or the other’s attention and they’d nudge their partner with their elbow and nod over to whatever group were talking, murmuring a comment or chuckling about what was being said.

About halfway through their third drink, Scully nodded over to a guy and girl lounging against the pool table. With a moment to focus his eyes and hearing, he tried to tune into their conversation and figure out why she’d pointed it out.

‘If you’re gonna regret this in the mornin’, we can sleep ‘til af’ernoon.’

Mulder guffawed, drawing attention from various people around the bar, and Scully elbowed him none-too-softly, ‘would that work on you?’

‘Course not,’ she snorted, shook her head, ‘he’s been using lines like that all night. She seems to be going with it, too.’

‘What lines would work on you, then?’

She looked at him incredulously, ‘you think lines work on me? I look for more in a partner than one or two crappy one-liners. Why, what are your best lines?’ She was, admittedly, tipsy – though he wasn’t far behind. His less-than-frequent alcohol consumption took away the advantage his larger body mass had over her. And whilst that didn’t excuse her behaviour, it went a long way to explaining it because Dana Scully, buttoned up and straight-laced Dana Scully, did not make a regular habit of asking her partner for his best pickup lines.

‘Uhh, I don’t think I have any. I don’t make a habit of going and picking girls up at bars.’

‘Come on, you must have a few tucked away up there from your student days, at least,’ she was teasing, grinning up at him with a look he hadn’t seen from her in a while, not since their very early days of partnership.

‘Nope. You?’

She flashed him a grin, ‘there’s this one I used, more than a couple times, back in med school. It’s bad, though.’

‘Thought we’d agreed all pickup lines are bad.’

‘This is even worse. Hold on to your hat,’ she murmured, shaking her head and taking a gulp of whiskey, ‘okay, so...here goes. You ready?’

‘Uh-huh,’ he smirked, finding her fidgeting as she prepared herself cute.

‘Are you DNA helicase?’ she sniggered, ‘because I wanna unzip your jeans,’ she giggled, gone further than either of them thought, and he laughed, not because he understood any of what she said, but because she seemed to find it so hilarious.

‘And that got you laid?’

‘Once,’ she held a finger up, ‘with another med student. Everyone else I had to explain it to.’

‘Sadly, I think I’m falling into that second category right now.’

‘Helicase is an enzyme that splits the double helix. So, it unzips your genes.’

‘Ah,’ he smiled and nodded, ‘yeah, I see why that one only worked on another med student. Oh, hold on, I used this one once,’ he cleared his throat, turned to look at her fully, ‘if I said you had a beautiful body, would you hold it against me?’

Her cheeks coloured as he continued to hold her gaze, looking away from him when it got too much, forcing out a laugh, ‘did it work?’

‘Apparently not,’ he muttered, knocking back the rest of his drink. She was still looking away, seemingly focused on something he couldn’t see in the middle distance, and he dropped his hands to his thighs, rubbing up and down and sighing, ‘I’m going to the bathroom, then we should probably find a place to stay for the night – I don’t think either of us is safe to drive now.’

‘Mm, ‘kay,’ she nodded, not looking at him.

‘Ma’am?’

She whipped her head around, jarringly quick, to the bartender who was proffering a pair of cards, ‘number for the local cab company and the address of the nearest motel. You can leave your car in the lot out back tonight and come get it tomorrow – it’s only a ten-minute walk when you’re sober. And, uh...look, it’s none of my business and I don’t know what you guys have got going on, but the way you both flirt is shameful.’

‘Shameless?’

‘No, I definitely mean shameful. Like, it’s sad to watch.’

She worked her jaw as she tried to figure out how to respond, her brain taking a moment to catch up to the fact she’d just been insulted, ‘I...we weren’t flirting. We work together.’

‘Y’don't say?’ he gave her a mocking glance, ‘Ma’am, work together or not, I’ve seen flirting and I’ve seen bad flirting and that was definitely some bad flirting. I’m not saying do anything about it tonight but at some point, you might want to start picking up your end of the game.’

‘What game are you picking up?’ Mulder appeared beside her, wobbling slightly as he placed a hand on her shoulder for stability.

‘Motel down the road, if you angle the TV antennae just right you can usually pick up a game,’ the bartender said, looking between the two of them one last time, ‘tell you what, you call a cab and I’ll call ahead to the motel to get you guys a room.’

‘Rooms. We need two,’ Scully interjected, the frown creasing her forehead indicative of how hard she was struggling to sound authoritative.

‘Yeah, don’t push your luck,’ he laughed and walked away, leaving Mulder and Scully in uncomfortable silence.

‘So, you’ve got the number for a cab?’

‘Yeah. I should probably call – you’re looking a little peaky.’

‘Gee thanks, Scully. You sure know how to make a girl feel good.’

She snorted and tried to roll her eyes, though the effect was somewhat lost on him, ‘Mulder?’

‘Yes, Scully?’

‘Do...do you think we’re bad at flirting?’

‘What? No. No, of course not. Well. You’re not. I’m sure you could get any guy you want with that enzyme line.’

She smiled up at him as they walked out of the bar, bumping into him slightly as she listed, ‘yeah, your line wasn’t so bad, either.’

Tagging @today-in-fic

#my writing #txf #x files bingo #the x files #x files fanfic #xf fanfic

[tuttle-did-it]

I hate The X Files.

This show is about an incredibly intelligent, capable young career woman whose superiors decide to scuttle her career by making her spend years babysitting the mentally unstable man in the basement.

She is forced to be his primary carer, is repeatedly kidnapped and assaulted, her body is repeatedly violated, and she spends every day running after and covering up for the mentally unstable man, trying to get him not to do incredibly crazy and illegal things. Why? Because her stupid bosses hold HER accountable and threaten HER career when HE does anything they don't like.

And, oh yeah, they paid Gillian pennies compared to Duchovny, and they even tried to offer her HALF of his salary for the latest revival even though SHE was, by far, the more powerful actor by this point, with more awards and more lead roles. Because they are sexist arseholes who never valued Gillian.

Gillian was too good for this damned show. Scully was too good for this damned show. I have an excel sheet of every horrible thing they did to her, episode by episode.

I hate everything about this show except Gillian Anderson.

I gift to you my X Files Scully Bingo Card.

Next time you watch this awful show, see how many of these categories get filled up. Because most of the episodes have a lot of this.

#the x files #x files #gillian anderson #scully #dana scully #gillian was too good for this awful show #scully was good for this awful show #bingo card #x files bingo card #i hate mulder #i hate x files #scully was a great character #she was just treated like shit in 99% of the episodes #and gillian and scully deserve better

[catharsisxf]

I'm an embarrassingly slow writer so I won't be posting a fic per day but I'll hopefully make it through a few of these prompts from @msrafterdark!

Dashing through the Snow

Rating: G

Prompt: Best Christmas ever

AO3 link

____________________

S,

Meet me tomorrow at the base of the Masonic Temple. 9am. Dress warmly.

-M

Scully had gotten back to the office rather late on Friday after an autopsy had gone longer than expected. Still she was surprised that Mulder had seemingly already left for the weekend. As intrigued as she was by the note he'd left on her desk she sincerely hoped she hadn't gotten up early on the weekend for a case. It was only a couple days before Christmas and she really really needed to finish her shopping.

The Masonic Temple in Alexandria was situated at the top of large hill that gave impressive views of the surrounding area. Last night was the first decent snowfall of the season and as she trudged up one of the pathways leading to the building she noticed numerous families sledding down the terraced hillsides.

She spotted him immediately as she made it to the top of the hill. Wearing the bright green alien knit hat she got him as a gag gift last year he was practically bouncing up and down scanning the crowds for her. His toothy grin as he spotted her made her insides flip in a way that she wasn't quite ready to acknowlege.

"Right on time!" he beamed. He gestured to the large wooden toboggan next to him and waggled his eyebrows playfully.

"Mulder," she said as if he'd just presented her a slideshow about Bigfoot being personally responsible for crop circles. "You can't be serious."

"C'mon Scully, this is one of the best sledding locations in the area. We can't pass this up!"

She smirked at his giddiness and eventually nodded in acceptance. Mulder positioned the toboggan at the edge of the slope and motioned for her to have a seat. She had assumed they'd be taking turns but was surprised when he situated himself snugly behind her. Reaching around her to grab the strap he nudged them forward slightly. "Ready?" She nodded. Unsure of what to do with her hands she grasped his upper arms tightly.

As they took off down the hillside they quickly gained speed, the other riders becoming a blur in her peripheral vision. She felt a couple moments of weightlessness as they careened over the terraced slope. Coming to a stop at the bottom she felt breathless both from adrenaline and the feeling of Mulder's warm body wrapped around her.

"Whoo!" he exclaimed. "Let's go again! His enthusiasm was contagious and she found herself racing him back up to the top.

After a few more runs they headed back to their cars in comfortable silence, Mulder dragging the toboggan behind him. "The last Christmas I spent with Samantha we went sledding," he said suddenly. Scully glanced at him in surprise but he kept his eyes trained on the ground. "There were a couple places around the island where you could sled and she begged me for days to take her. It snowed Christmas morning so we spent all day sledding. She was so happy." He slowed and finally looked at her. "It was the best Christmas ever," he said quietly, a wistful smile on his face.

Her heart broke for the boy who whose world was shattered so long ago. Not for the first time she wondered how different he would be now if his childhood memories weren't forever tinged with sadness around the edges.

Stopping in front of her car she raised on her tiptoes and gave him a lingering kiss on his wind-reddened cheek. Pulling back she saw his eyes open slowly and a dreamy look on his face. "Merry Christmas, Mulder."

"Best Christmas ever," he whispered.

#the x mas files #x mas files writing challenge #x mas files #bingo challenge #the x files #txf #x files fanfic #mulder x scully #msr #fox mulder #dana scully

[thespookybean14]

Hi!! Here’s my favorite character bingo :)

I probably have a character type for sure

Honorable mention that didn’t make it onto this bingo that I also think about constantly: Rust Cohle from True Detective S1

Plus the template if y’all want it!

#spooky faves #thespookybean14 #little women #jo march #beth march #x files #dana scully #fox mulder #fantasy high #riz gukgak #midnight mass #velma dinkley #scooby doo #lisbeth salander #theodora crain #nell crain #bulbasaur #darkrai #ellen ripley #clarice starling #ellie arroway #satine moulin rouge #princess daisy #marvel #the haunting of hill house #daredevil #erin greene #the girl with the dragon tattoo #pride and prejudice #favorite character bingo

[narastories]

Hi Nara! To celebrate your new fic, I humbly submit Harry/Nicodemus to you for the ship bingo. (And Simms/Eileen if you feel like doing two!)

Thank you <3

Aaah, it takes a special kindness to ask me about a ship that you don't interact with. Thank you, friend <3

Harry/Nicodemus, my darlings

my friends are tired of me screaming about this. Yes, very tired, probably. I'm sorry. I don't intend to stop tho ^^"

I'm going to hit them with a crowbar. Gently. I mean neither will break. So I'm going to gently bonk them until they talk to each other properly and kiss lol

train wreck but I can't look away. They have a counter of how many attempts they made on each other's lives.

I want to write fics for this and luckily I doooo write fics for this <3

THAT one scene. you know the one. In the sense that I'm always making these posts where I go "You know THAT one scene where they do THAT thing that makes me CRAZY"

INTERESTING COMPELLING COMPLEX SCREECHING

this has no right to be a rare pair. I mean. I get it. On the other hand if Harry/Marcone became so popular, Harry/Nic wouldn't be a stretch, you know? :P

I need a 200k slow burn NOW. No energy to write it tho lol

person a deserves better than person b. Harry does deserve someone better than Nicodemus. But when I write them Nic always treats him right

they are divorced, possibly not for the first time. I'm re-listening to Skin Game and they bicker like a divorced couple. "Who needs no introduction." Right, cause you guys know each other better than you have any reason to, kiss already

could cut the tension with a KNIFE. Seriously. We had an actual knife involved at one point. Pinning up against walls. Choking. Hair pulling. It's great.

Overall, I just love their dynamic and the potential in this ship <3

Simms/Eileen

pleasantly surprised by being canon. Come on, Luke practically confirmed this will become canon. That is so cool!

I'm a casual shipper. I like them. Wrote a fic. Don't think I wrote it for the right reasons tho, and prob wouldn't write another. But I would 100% read more fic and like them overall.

THAT one scene. you know the one. When Fetch introduces them and Simms just looooks at Eileen for a little too long. Hope we'll get more iconic scenes with them in the next book.

unironically relationship goals. I think they would be good for each other, you know?

Thanks so much for playing! xx

#ask game #tumblr ask game #ship meme #ship bingo #nicodemus archleone/harry dresden #harry x nic #simms/eileen #fetch phillips archives #dresden files

[this-is-krikkit]

Hey Sunshine 💜

I hope you're doing well! I saw the post only now (thx Tumblr 😬) & I can't decide between Brienne of Tarth and Dana Scully for the Bingo thingy...

Mwah 😘

hey Val! ♥️ well, i'll decide for you and do both then hehe. thank you for the ask!

Brienne of Tarth

fuck her canon ending, she's actually pregnant with Jaime's child, who is still alive and well, and they're going to get reunited and be super fucking happy together over on peaceful Tarth. bc my own fix it fic said so!!!

hot take: brienne x tormund was trash and more sexual harrassment/fetishization on his part than actual attraction or love interest, and i will forever hate those two dumbasses show writers for humiliating my baby like this throughout the ending arc like she didn't have enough shit to deal with already

Dana Scully

a fucking legend and icon and i am in love with her. need i say more??? no. and as with Bri-gurl up there, fuck what canon put her through.

#brienne of tarth #game of thrones #the x files #dana scully #long post #character bingo #anti tormund giantsbane #anti tormund #asks #mutuals #youre-ackermine

[justawfulxmenart]

My favorite FBI Dad ...

#walter skinner #txf #the x files #fox mulder #dana scully #skinner has a cat ok #his name is bingo

[carrion-corvus]

If you get bingo I will send you a hand curated picture of my cat

#bingo card #bingo #bingo meme #midnight mass #hill house #Achillean #trans #x files #TMA #WTNV #chnt #lotr #atla #madoka magica #mitski #wwdits #hades game #Hannibal #the smiths #depeche mode #studio ghibli #bojack horseman #vulture culture

[thatfragilecapricorn30]

confession

msr, teen | 1k words | ao3 | @xfilesbingo prompt "confession" | tagging @today-in-fic

Mulder and Scully stumbled into his apartment, dripping wet, and immediately began shucking off articles of clothing. It was Mulder’s bright idea to pick up their food in a torrential downpour, instead of having it delivered, because he wanted to go to Blockbuster too. And of course Scully had to accompany him to ensure that Mulder actually picked a decent movie for once. She wasn’t interested in his obscure sci fi films, though it had been awhile since they had actually finished a movie. Usually, one of them had a better idea in mind of how they could spend their evening, and easily enticed the other away from the screen, which Scully couldn’t deny was definitely more fun than watching TV.

Once boots, jackets, umbrellas were all left in a damp heap on the floor, Mulder grabbed the food and the video to bring into the living room, while Scully continued to shake her head like a dog to dislodge the water in her ears. Even after being inside for a few minutes, she was still shivering from the cold rain and contemplated retrieving her go bag that was always kept in the trunk of her car. When Scully was first assigned to the X-Files, she very quickly learned that she would be jet setting across the country at a moment’s notice, so she started keeping a change of clothes and a travel toothbrush in her car for convenience's sake.

Mulder must have read her mind, because he called from the living room, “Go steal something of mine to wear,” which sounded much better than going back out in the storm. Scully went to scavenge for some sweatpants and maybe his Knicks jersey if she was lucky. She loved the well-worn shirt. Honestly she enjoyed wearing Mulder’s clothes - even though they were huge on her - because they were very soft and warm and often smelled like him. Scully also knew how much Mulder liked seeing her in his clothes. So possessive, she thought fondly while rolling her eyes, as she started looking through his dresser.

Even though Scully had spent a lot of time at Mulder’s, she wasn’t exactly sure which drawer contained sweatpants. Leave it to Mulder to have no organization system and just have random clothes shoved in together. It was a wonder that he was able to get dressed at all. This weekend Scully was going to stage an intervention over the state of his wardrobe. Mulder would hate it but she’d make it worth his while, and she greatly enjoyed the fact that she could do that now. While Scully was rummaging through one of the middle drawers, her fingers closed on a velvet box. She pulled it out and stared at it, feeling shocked.

“Scully, did you get lost in the closet?” she heard Mulder yell from outside the room.

She knew exactly what kind of box it was and opening it up confirmed it. She only got a small glimpse of the jewelry before Mulder was in the doorway. She looked up at him and his expression turned into his “panic” face when he noticed what she was holding.

“Something you want to confess, Mulder?” she asked, trying to joke but ended up sounding serious.

“You weren’t supposed to find that,” he said.

Scully snapped the list closed. She wasn’t sure what he meant by that.

Off her expression, Mulder amended, “You weren’t supposed to find that yet.”

“Is this for me?” she asked, her voice only coming out as a whisper.

“No, it’s for my other girlfriend. I see her on the nights I’m not with you,” he said with a smile, but Scully didn’t laugh.

He sighed, “Of course it’s for you. I’ve actually had it for a while but I didn’t want to scare you away and I was hoping to find the right moment and make it really special…”

“Special?” she asked. This came as a surprise. Scully had always been simple when it came to relationships and she thought Mulder was the same way. She didn’t care about fancy things or big declarations of love. The little moments were more important to her.

“Yeah, special. Like fireworks and a mariachi band and champagne.”

Now Scully laughed. “Mulder, be real.”

He moved to sit on the bed and Scully joined him. “I am. Well, not about the fireworks and mariachi band but I really was going to ask you in a nice way.”

She took his hand and squeezed. “I’m sure whatever you came up with would have been great. But for the record, I don’t expect or need anything like that. Getting to be with you is already special.”

Mulder pulled his hand away, only to put his arm around her and pull her close. “That’s why I love you. Because that’s how you think. But you deserve a lot more.”

Scully could feel Mulder’s pulse racing where she was leaning against his chest. She wondered if he was nervous about asking her. Did he really not know how she felt about him? Scully decided to lay the issue to rest.

“Mulder,” Scully said, still curled up against him. “The answer is yes.”

Mulder pulled back to look into her eyes and when he realized she was serious, his timid smile changed to the biggest, goofiest grin she had ever seen.

“Scully, I haven’t even asked you yet,” he stated playfully.

She leaned up to kiss him briefly. “But now you don’t have to worry about my answer. I’ll be waiting for something really spectacular now, though.”

“Oh yeah?” he asked as he kissed her more. He pushed her back on the bed. “Something like this?”

“This is a good start,” Scully said breathlessly.

She wouldn’t be needing those sweatpants now.

#here is a treat now that fictober is over #gonna try to work on these bingo prompts more! #msr #the x files #my.txf #txf fic #fox mulder #dana scully

[nine-fingered-entity]

i think i need to take an osha-mandated xfiles break. 5x6/5x7 sure were episodes. not sure how i'm feeling about those choices: like. yeah. inevitable outcome of previous plot threads but. hm. they sure had to maintain the status quo at the end.

were they good episodes? did i enjoy them? do i think they worked? maybe?????? do they contain subjects i have my own personal hangups on that are influencing my opinion? yes.

on a related note: do these episodes count as 'virgin birth' for x files bingo?

#the x files #gillian anderson absolutely killed the acting here though #dana....gnashing teeth #am actually seeking opinions on xfiles bingo im not sure how to rule this one #also actual unrelated note: where was scully's younger brother? #gonna watch live action one piece. osha mandated silly pirate possible hater break. then we'll get back to xfiles. #....dana scully....... .waugjjfjgjhksghjks

[cat-scarr]

Fill this out for 10Kat? 👉👈

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

the way you guys are still interested in my ship despite my lack of posting never fails to amaze me <3 spoiler warning for the story I REALLY HAVE TO POST SOON

#submission #thnx for the submission uwu #ben 10 #ben 10 x oc #ben tennyson x oc #oc files #ship opinion bingo

[freckleslikestars]

perfect lullaby

“For almost as long as they’d worked together he’d noticed a correlation between her proximity and his sleep; the chronic insomnia that had plagued him since the age of twelve letting up some around her – his own, personal sleep drug of choice – but he had never dreamed that the phenomenon was mutual.”

@xfilesbingo Prompt: 'I Wasn't Sleeping', MSR, General Audiences

839 words, read here on AO3

He’d noticed during their first case, their first plane-ride home after a case together, her propensity to sleep just about anywhere.

The flight home from Oregon was packed, unlike their flight out, and they ended up squeezed together, sharing an armrest as his gangly legs overflowed into the aisle.

Whilst more relaxed than their first ever flight, she still seemed on-edge as she restlessly thumbed through a paperback she’d picked up in the airport and then swapped that out for the inflight magazine. She shifted and fidgeted, cracked her neck and tried to stretch, turned down his offer of sunflower seeds, and all in the first hour.

When she put her head back and closed her eyes, he figured she wouldn’t manage more than about ten minutes before rearranging herself again and finding something else to hold her attention, but she surprised him, not for the first time that week, by dropping off almost instantly into a deep sleep.

They were over Idaho when he carefully removed her reading glasses and tucked them into his breast pocket for safe keeping, lest her head loll to the side and crush them.

The lights of Montana cities sparkled bellow as her soft, nasal snores competed with the whir of the air circulation in the cabin.

Around the time they flew across the Missouri River, her head dropped to his shoulder and she slouched into him. She hummed slightly as she nestled into his warmth, and there she stayed, sleeping soundly against him until they reached Washington.

She woke with a start when he tucked a strand of mousy hair behind her ear as those around them started disembarking, blinking sleep from her eyes and shifting herself as far from him as she could in the cramped quarters. He gave her a tender smile and handed over her glasses, waiting a moment to leave until they were the last ones left.

~~~

He’d often turn to her in the passenger seat whilst they crisscrossed the country in various pool and rental cars to find her dozing against the window, her warm, sleep-spiced breath fogging the glass.

He didn’t have enough fingers to count how many times he’d opened bleary eyes to see her slumped in a tacky vinyl chair beside his hospital bed, her neck at a crooked angle and her breath whistling through her nose.

Numerous times they’d be working a stakeout when around halfway through she’d stop responding to his outlandish theories, and he’d look over to find her eyes shut and her chest rising and falling in a slow, steady rhythm.

~~~

They were sprawled on her couch, take-out cartons littered across the table and file-folders spread across their laps as Die Hard played quietly in the background. It had been a long case, draining both of them emotionally and physically, but paperwork and bureaucracy wait for no man, and so they’d agreed to work through their reports at hers over Thai and cheap beer.

She’d nodded off around three-quarters of the way into the movie, her body slumping towards him. By the time Alan Rickman was being thrown off the roof of the building, she had curled herself into him, her arm slinging itself over his chest and her head tucking itself under his chin.  

The tape reached the end and he was loathe to wake her, so he reached over to the lamp on the table beside them and flicked it off, bathing them in the glow of the static on the screen.

He stayed there, sat comfortably with her tucked into his side, content to watch her sleep. It wasn’t until his bladder gave him no other choice that he brushed the tips of his fingers along her cheekbone, murmured her name quietly.

‘Mm...I wasn’t sleeping,’ she slurred slightly, eyes fluttering open to gaze up at him.

‘Sure you weren’t,’ he smiled, luxuriating in her body still pliant and soft against him.

‘Time is it?’

‘Half one.’

‘Mm,’ she nodded, her eyes drooping closed once more.

‘Scully, I need to get up. I need to pee.’

‘Mm. No.’

‘Yes. Come on, Sleeping Beauty; you should go to bed, too.’

She moaned and pouted, staying curled up a moment longer before pushing herself off of him, rubbing her eyes and yawning, ‘s’late. You should stay.’

‘Nah, you’re alright, Scully. My fish’ll miss me,’ he smiled, though, as he stood up.

She blinked up at him, doe-eyed, ‘stay. I sleep better when you’re around.’

For almost as long as they’d worked together he’d noticed a correlation between her proximity and his sleep; the chronic insomnia that had plagued him since the age of twelve letting up some around her – his own, personal sleep drug of choice – but he had never dreamed that the phenomenon was mutual.

She looked like she was about to retract her statement, shake her head and justify it and tell him to forget all about it, so he smiled softly down at her and nodded, ‘yeah. Okay. I guess they won’t miss me too much.’

Tagging @today-in-fic

#my writing #xf bingo #x files bingo #xf fanfic #txf #x files #msr #i'm such a sucker for them being one another's personal sleep-aids #we focus a lot on scully helping mulder sleep #but I think mulder also helps scully sleep a lot #particularly after her abduction #but almost instantly they're thrown into this situation together where trust is vital #and they rely so heavily upon one another for everything #Scully is pretty shaken after the belleflur case and I just think that she'd be more comfortable sleeping whilst he's around #also we kinda see throughout the rest of the show how light of a sleeper she usually is #waking to a noise outside in conduit #waking to the phone ringing almost instantly in wotc

[badassbutterfly1987]

Summary: Some days are better than others.

Fandom: Dresden Files

Ship: Thomas Raith/Justine

Prompt: chronic illness

#dresden files #fanfic #thomas raith #justine #thomas x justine #july break bingo

[catharsisxf]

A Little Something Sweet

Rating: T

Prompt: Homemade goodies

AO3 link

___________________

Knocking on Scully's apartment door he wasn't quite sure what to expect but it certainly wasn't the sight of her greeting him wearing a flour covered apron.

"Hey!" she beamed at him and he couldn't help grinning right back at her. They'd been spending more and more of their off hours together the past few weeks (including some pretty hot make out sessions) but this was the first time she'd specifically asked if he'd come over to help her with something.

He shucked his leather jacket and draped it on the couch then followed her into the kitchen. She had several piping bags filled with different shades of icing, a variety of sprinkles, and a few bags of cookie cutters set on the table. A mini Christmas tree twinkled festively in the corner while a small radio on the counter was playing a mix of holiday songs. Taking in the whole scene he instantly felt all warm and fuzzy inside.

"What's all this?" he asked as she dusted one end of the table with flour and grabbed a rolling pin.

"I'm baking sugar cookies for my mom's church bake sale tomorrow and thought you'd like to give me a hand." She opened the fridge, pulled out ball of dough and laid it on the floured surface.

She gestured to the cookie cutters. "Pick out a few."

As he dug through the bags he saw the expected snowflakes, trees, gingerbread men, candy canes...he barked out a laugh, "Scully, what in the world?!" He held up a bag of cookie cutters shaped like alien heads and UFOs of various sizes.

She smirked at him while continuing to roll out the dough. "What?"

"Do you really think this is what they're looking for at the bake sale? Where did you even get these?"

"I saw them at a little shop in Adams Morgan. I thought they were cute."

Shaking his head and smiling he selected a snowman and an alien head as she motioned him over to the newly flattened dough. He started working on cutting out the shapes while she grabbed another portion of dough from the fridge.

Grinning at her attempts to push back a couple stubborn strands of hair that didn't want to stay behind her ear, he couldn't help think of how natural this all felt. They had both been terrified that a shift in their relationship would ruin things between them or be awkward at best. But working along side her in her cozy kitchen, hearing her hum along with the radio, he felt his heart was ready to burst from the domestic bliss of it all.

Soon they had two full sheets of various shapes ready to go in the oven. He still wasn't convinced any of the church ladies were going to buy UFO-shaped holiday cookies but maybe he'd sneak a couple of those for himself.

Loading them into the oven Scully walked over to a timer sitting on the counter and twisted it. "So," she said facing him again.

"So," he echoed, moving to wrap his arms around her. Nuzzling her neck, he murmured, "Smells good."

"It's too soon to be smelling the cookies yet," she whispered.

"I wasn't talking about the cookies."

She smirked at him as she brought her arms around his neck, playing with the hairs at the back of his head.

He ran his hands slowly up and down her back. "How long do we have?"

"About 8 minutes."

He grinned and lowered his mouth to hers. His gentle kisses quickly deepened as she opened her mouth to him. Without breaking contact he reached behind her thighs and lifted her up to sit on counter. Her legs around his waist, she scooted closer to him and he started to feel lightheaded as she brushed against his crotch. Groaning, he plunged his tongue deeper and felt her nails dig into his skin.

He quickly undid the waist ties on her apron and pulled away from her just long enough to lift it up and over her head, tossing it somewhere behind him. She hummed contentedly as he pulled back the neckline of her sweater to place wet kisses where her neck met her shoulder. She had pulled his shirt out of his pants and was trailing her fingernails up and down his stomach. He inhaled sharply as she reached for his belt-

DING!

He grunted as she tried to pull away from him. "Mulder," she sighed. "I need to take them out before they burn."

"Those were the fastest 8 minutes I ever experienced. Are you sure we didn't lose time there, Scully?"

She rolled her eyes at him playfully as she jumped down from the counter.

"Sooo...now what?" he asked, as she placed the cookie sheets on a couple cooling racks, trying to ignore the tightness in his pants.

"Now we get to decorate them. Although..." she said, pausing to give him a significant look. "We do need to let them cool completely first and that could take a while."

A slow smile spread across his face. "Yeah?"

"In fact," she said as she picked up one of the piping bags. "I have way more icing than we'll need for the cookies."

His smile turned into a gape as he watched her back away towards her bedroom, piping bag in hand.

The cookies were definitely cool enough by the time they got back to them.

#the x mas files #x mas files writing challenge #x mas files #bingo challenge #the x files #txf #x files fanfic #mulder x scully #msr #fox mulder #dana scully

[nirikeehan]

Hello! For DADWC Prompt: Bad things happen Bingo: "Take My Hand!" with Thalia & Dorian (bffs). <3

THANK YOU CATHY!! I've been hyped for this one for ages and I am finally getting around to it.

For @dadrunkwriting and @badthingshappenbingo

Series: Dragon Age: Inquisition

WC: 1798

This one ended up getting away from me so I'm cutting it for length down to its relevant part. It's also occurring in the same story as this. For context, Thalia and Dorian are in the snowy mountains of Emprise du Lion, having just found a site they think houses old elven ruins and might be home to horrific abominations (and possibly an operation instigated by Solas?). Slight spoilers for the Tevinter Nights short story "The Horror of Hormak."

I also didn't proofread most of this. A true DWC experience.

---

“Maybe we should turn back,” Thalia said. A land bridge stretched out before them, allowing unfettered access to the ruins, but their circumstances suddenly felt a great deal more dangerous. “I can send a raven to Cullen, and then—”

“I’m sure he could scrounge up a few strapping lads wishing they were still employed by the Inquisition,” Dorian interjected drily, “but by the time they get here and tromp on up the mountain, what do you think would be left? Assuming there’s anything to find, of course. Just because the place is where we thought it was doesn’t mean there’s a nefarious operation happening below ground. But if we leave now, and there is someone here, we’ll lose the element of surprise for sure.” 

Thalia let out a slow breath, trying to ignore her sense of dread. “You’re right.” She chuckled, nervously adjusting the scarf around her neck. “It just occurred to me, if this was a combat mission like the old days…” 

“We’re two people short of a full party,” Dorian finished, with a smirk. “It is a little strange without Varric’s witticisms and Rainier’s constant brooding.” 

The comment brought a wry smirk to Thalia’s face. The four of them had been a dream team, once; her favorite agents to bring on a field mission. “I’m sure Varric is very busy these days, being viscount of Kirkwall. Couldn’t possibly tear himself away.”

“Rainier would be here in a heartbeat, though,” Dorian commented casually.

Thalia swallowed hard. “We’ve not time to reminisce,” she replied, and shifted to her Inquisitor tone. “Shall we call this strictly a scouting mission? We don’t have much manpower, and I don’t want us to get in over our heads. But if there’s something to find…” She cast a foreboding glance at their destination, “you’re right; it’s important we find it.” 

Dorian cocked an eyebrow as she spoke, but did not comment on her abrupt change of subject. “As you wish, Your Worship,” he said, with an exaggerated bow. 

“Oh, shut up.” Thalia dug her pole into the snow and started across the land bridge.

Standing among the ruins did nothing to tame them. The cracked stone walls surrounded them, and the silence, once peaceful, now held an ominous note. Thalia yearned for a gust of wind, just to make the place feel less like a tomb.

“Our research indicated this was an elven temple,” Dorian said quietly. They had assumed a defensive stance, backs facing each other, without thinking. “I’m not sure I believe that.”

“Why not?” 

Dorian gestured with a ski pole toward a pile of rubble poking out of a snow pile. “Because it has the layout of a fortress, does it not?” 

Thalia looked where he was pointing, and then around them. “Maybe. I’m not sure. There’s not enough left for me to tell, really.” She paused. “And I suppose you could say the Temple of Mythal served a dual purpose, couldn’t you?” 

“True.” 

Squinting, Thalia tried to picture what he meant. She supposed she could see it: if the crumbled walls they passed after leaving the landbridge was the entrance, they could be standing in the remains of some sort of courtyard. Or even an inner bailey. Did ancient elven even architecture have baileys? 

I bet Solas could have told me, Thalia thought, feeling a little queasy. 

Beside her, Dorian paced, leaving deeper and deeper impressions of his footprints in the snow. “The question is, if it is a fortress — what was it meant to protect?” 

“I don’t know.” Beyond the walls lay nothing but solid rock face. “There ought to be a door around here somewhere, shouldn’t there?”

“Precisely what I was thinking. Perhaps the stronghold is built into the mountain itself. It’s all a matter of finding it.” 

They began to walk the perimeter, scouring the mountainside for any sign of gaps, archways, or manmade carvings. Nothing revealed itself. The sheer rock wall extended up and up, ending in white-tipped peaks, and that was it. There was heavy snow all along the tips, Thalia noted, easily feet upon feet of it; the same sort of snow that obscured much of the site. “If there is an entrance somewhere, do you think perhaps the recent storm covered it up?” 

“Unlikely,” said Dorian. He stood a few yards away on a raised stone platform, his back to her. His voice sounded stilted and strange. 

Thalia frowned. “Dorian?” 

He glanced over his shoulder. He had paled considerably. “You should see this.”

“What is it?” Thalia frowned and hurried toward him, but he held out a palm to stay her. 

“Careful. No sudden moves, but…” He turned from her, looking over the far lip of the platform. “I think I’ve found our entrance.” 

Tenderly, Thalia picked her way up the small, crumbling steps to join him. The platform was made of an intricate pattern of ornately carved, octagonal-shaped slabs, fitting together in a pleasing geometric design. As she approached Dorian, she saw that a few feet from where Dorian stood, the stonework became cracked and uneven. Beyond that dropped off into only air.

“Good Andraste,” Thalia whispered. 

The black chasm was wide, and fell down, into total darkness; even the bright sunlight overhead could not penetrate its depths. 

Thalia demanded, “What the hell happened here?”

“I could not tell you,” Dorian said, “but I’m not sure it’s wise to get any closer.” 

That was apparent at a glance. Unlike Ramesh’s description of the mine at Hormak, there was no stair nor ladder, not even a likely location where they could set up a winch. This hole in the earth could not be man-made; instead, something terrible had caused a great collapse. But when? And why? 

Somewhere deep in the hole, something rumbled. 

It was faint at first. Thalia could have excused it as a distant groan of thunder — if it didn’t sound like it was coming from below them. Then, it grew louder, and louder still. The stone beneath their feet began to vibrate. 

“Whatever it is, I think we’ve worn out our welcome,” Dorian announced, and turned around to face her. 

Over his shoulder, a giant tentacle rose up out of the depths. 

Thalia had enough time to scream “Dorian!” before it attacked. The lumbering mass swung down violently at the ground near their feet. Some of the stones fell away into the abyss; the reverberation knocked both Thalia and Dorian backward. Thalia fell flat on her back, tried to to her feet, but the platform beneath her had shifted — tilted — downward. 

She let out an involuntary shriek as she slid toward the edge above the pit. One arm was all but useless: her prosthetic, in a crisis, became little more than dead weight. She clawed with her good hand, trying to lodge her fingers into a crack or crevice. Her legs flailed; her heels dug into the surface below her but would not gain a foothold. She hit a loose stone on her way down, which catapulted her into the air face first— 

And she halted. 

She was suspended over the edge, looking down into the yawning chasm, but she had stuck fast. Thalia looked behind her; her boot had lodged between two rocks; her scarf had come loose and wrapped itself around the branch of a spindly tree that clung to the lip of the pit’s overhang. Maybe if I can reach a branch myself, I can climb back up… 

Frantic, she looked around, but she ws alone. “Dorian?” she called. “Dorian?” 

“Oh, I’m right bloody here,” came a petulant voice from below.  

A few feet directly beneath her, Dorian clung to an exposed tree root, which was the only thing that kept him from falling. The tentacle had disappeared, but the rumbling still emitted from deep in the pit.

Dorian huffed. “So much for a scouting mission, eh?” 

 Thalia angled herself toward him and stretched out her arm. “Here, take my hand!” 

“Are you joking?” Dorian shot back. “You’ve only got one of them. How on earth are you even holding on?” 

“My foot’s anchored — don’t worry, just take it!” She wiggled her fingers, as if to prove how trustworthy they were.

“This was not how I planned to die,” Dorian grumbled, shimmying up the root to get in reach of her hand. “I wanted to be an old man, warm in bed, with a handsome someone’s mouth around my—”

“Dorian.” Straining, Thalia got in range of his outstretched limb and clamped her hand around his wrist. With all her might, she pulled. “Maker, you’re heavy!” 

“It’s not polite to make fun of one’s physical attributes in his final moments, my dear.” 

Gritting her teeth, Thalia tried to rear back and hook her other arm around the tree trunk to give her more leverage. She felt her prosthetic arm protest and buckle from the weight. If it detaches, I’m gonna lose him… 

With the additional force, Dorian slammed his hand onto the crumbling rock and hoisted himself back onto the platform. He grabbed at the tree and scrambled into it. Once safely nestled in the sturdy branches, he reached down and helped Thalia untangle her scarf and dislodge her foot from the rock crevice. It pulsed with pain and she was certain would be bruised black and blue, but it had saved them both. 

“So,” Thalia said with false cheer, once they had caught their breaths, “shall we hazard a guess as to what the hell that was?” 

As if in reply, the grotesque tentacle rose up once again out of the depths. It was a sickly grey in the light, covered in pseudopods and something else — what looked like it could be the outline of bones, eyes, and other orifices — but it was here and gone so quick it was difficult to tell. It swiped at them, missed, hit the remnants of the stone platform, causing the remains of the structure to crumble and fall. The noise from the collapse, joined with a tremendous bellow from below, shook the rocks, the tree, and the very air around them. 

And then above them all, high on the mountaintop, the snow began to slide. 

Dorian threw his arms around Thalia to shield her. The roar was deafening, and the avalanche whipped shards of snow and ice at their faces and clothes, but they were lucky — hanging above the pit in the tree, they were clear from its path. The snow fell directly into the chasm, and kept falling and falling. When at last the air cleared, there was no sign of the pit, the tentacle, or even of the ruins.

“Unless we send that raven to Cullen, and he can hire some strapping lads skilled at digging,” Dorian said blithely, “I fear we may never know.” 

#thalia trevelyan #dorian pavus #thalia & dorian fake dating shenanigans #x-files vibes #and lovecraftian horror #fics #dragon age drunk writing circle #bad things happen bingo

[awfullyfrond]

Character bingo with Roswell!!!

#qna #theminecraftgay #roswell #they ARE just like me bc i got into watching the x files after making it ros's canonical favourite show 😭😭😭 #no bingo tho unfortunately