#see when i fell off a bike in japan and scraped up my left side at least it gave me scars that feel like a personalized souvenir from japan

[ticklystuff]

friends i got a fever and fell down the stairs in the past two days, italy is 0/10 rn do NOT visit

[lokisgame]

A Generous Donation [16]

[part 1] [part 2] [part 3] [part 4] [part 5] [part 6] [part 7] [part 8] [part 9] [part 10] [part 11] [part 12][part 13] [part 14] [part 15]

She pulled his mouth to hers and it was as if they were kissing for the first time. Mulder pushed the album gently aside and puled her into his lap, feeling the warm, trembling silk under his palms. They didn't rush. Holding tight and slowly claiming his mouth, she grounded his heart. These kisses could last a lifetime, if only he had time to breathe. "You wanna go to bed?" She asked, never letting go of his shoulders. "I don't think I can sleep," he said and they both laughed, relaxing into each other. He ran his hands over her back, feeling the silk slip under his palms. "Where did you get this robe?" Looking up, she met his smiling eyes. "I tell you, you have a son and you ask about my sleepwear?" "I guess I am." 

"It was a gift," she explained, "from Will and Emily." "Wow, that's not something a son would buy for his mom." "But definitely something a grown-up niece would buy for her single aunt." That made him laugh. "She spent some time in Japan, and Will went to visit." "Japan? Impressive." "That's Missy in Emily, once she tasted independence, she could never stay long in one place. Will brought this back, saying he and Em picked it out for me, when they visited Kyoto. You like it?" She spread her arms, letting the sleeves fan out and he saw white cranes flying across midnight sky. "It's amazing." "You can borrow it sometime," she teased, watching as his expression changed to somber again. "Does Will know?" Mulder asked and she lowered her gaze, drawing reassurance from his embrace. "He does about the IVF." She said, swallowing the memory. "When he turned sixteen he became obsessed with this idea that his father abandoned him. So I told him the truth." "How did he take it?" "Pretty good, considering age and his rebellious streak." "Meaning?" "He didn't talk to me for a week." "I'm sorry." "He thought he was a vanity project." "What did you do?" "Charlie talked to him, and we never spoke of it again." "You know what he said?" She shook her head, pulling herself closer. "Right now I'm just happy you're still talking to me." "Don't worry," he sighed, hugging her tightly, "I'm not going anywhere." "What about bed?" He laughed and kissed her neck. "Okay, fine, let's go to bed."

With her arm around his chest and her thigh draped over his leg, it was easy to believe, that this could be the first night of the rest of his life. Warm breath washed over his neck, filling his head with a mixture of shampoo, body lotion and something unidentifiably feminine, bringing up images of homemade cookies and clouds of perfume in the morning. This tiny weight draped over his side, once carried a life inside her. They grew together, winning, failing, learning. Now where did he fit into that story? Certainly not in the main credits. A supporting role, somewhere in the third act, maybe, Will's Father. Even if they shared genes, he couldn't claim the title with a clear conscience. He wasn't there for his first fever, first step, first bike rides and fist scraped knees. The thought humbled him and put fear in his heart. What if Will still believed his father abandoned him? What if now, he would refuse to accept him? What if this new knowledge, once more turned him against his mother? And what did Mulder actually know about the role of an adult male in a young man's life? His own father abandoned him, he could at least relate to that. Could he be the father, his father never was? Scully stirred beside him, drawing herself closer, fingertips flexing on his chest. "I can feel you thinking," she mumbled. "Shhh, go back to sleep." But she was already shifting, lips grazing skin and climbing onto his chest. Face to face in the faint glow of waning moon, he felt fingers comb through his hair. "It'll be okay," she whispered, honouring the midnight hush. Mulder sighed, running his hands over her thighs and back. "I'm sorry, I just have trouble processing it all." Beyond words, she let her head drop, and he held on. "Where do I fit in, Scully?" "Here," she replied softly, wrapping her arms around him. "Right here."

Scully woke up late, in an empty bed. "Oh no," she groaned and rolled over, burying her face in his pillow, "it was too good to be true." She breathed in the last of his scent, cold but still there. If she could have it bottled, just to have something to remember him by. "Hey, I still need that." She heard his voice and looked up, but blinded by her own hair, all she got was a soft thump and a laugh, when she tried to blow the tresses away from her eyes. "You still there?" He chuckled, parting the strands and taking her face in his hands. "There you are, good morning." "I thought you left." She said, before giving back the small kiss that was quickly becoming the best part of her morning. "Ye of little faith," he grinned and kissed her again. Scully sat up, giving back the pillow in exchange for a steaming cup of coffee. The pillow landed against the headboard, followed by Mulder, then her back, resting against his side and finally his arm around her waist. Settled, they both sighed. "Thanks for telling me," Mulder said, pressing a kiss to her skin before resting his chin on her shoulder. "When do you want to tell Will?" "I don't know," she said taking a sip, "he's so fragile right now." "But he's a grown-up too," Mulder said gently, "he has the right to know." "It's been ten days since transplant," she sighed, "I don't want stress to ruin his recovery." "Will he suspect something, if I visit more?" "Maybe, but he adores you, so we might get away with it, for a while at least." "Who else knows?" "Charlie," she said, sheepishly. Mulder chuckled. "That explains things." "And I guess Emily." "That's why she called me Uncle Mulder." "I don't know if Charlie told her or she figured it out on her own, it's like she has a sixth sense or something. I'll talk to her before I set out to kill my baby brother." "It's your mother I was worried about." "Oh, there's no need," Scully laughed, "you saved her favourite grandson, you could eat fried kittens for breakfast and she'd still love you." "Kittens?" "Or puppies." "I'm going vegan." "No you're not." She laughed and turned, setting her mug on the nightstand and draping one, slender, bare leg over his lap. The short, silk nightshirt rode up, and she saw his eyes follow the tantalizing lines. "You're right, I'm not," he teased, his tone turning smoky as he pushed her to lean back, "just don't tell your mom what I really like for breakfast."

"Hey kid." Mulder said when Will woke up. "Hi, where's mom?" "They called her in to some ER emergency." "Oh, right, it happens sometimes." "So, what's with the face wear." "You guys wear something all the time, I got jealous." "Don't joke." "They say my saturation is a little low," Will said, fixing the tube under his nose, "I told them, I could use some fresh air, but they insisted on this canned stuff." "Not a fan of the can?" Will laughed and rubbed his nose. "It tickles." "Leave it, try not to think about it." "There's not much to think about left." "What did you think about?" "You know, the usual, school, girls, grades." "Girls." "There's this nurse who usually comes for nightshifts." "And?" "I think she likes me." "You're a likeable kid." "No, I mean, she doesn't call me honey or darling, like the other mother hens around here." "What does she call you." "Will, just Will, and she doesn't treat me like a needle cushion. Very gentle, nice hands too, from what I could tell through the latex." "What else?" "What do you mean?" "You said you thought about FBI, investigative work. Even the smallest detail can be crucial to solving a case, so, pay attention. Practice on something that's easy on the eye before you have to deal with the gruesome stuff." "What did you see?" "You don't wanna know, and I don't feel like remembering." "That bad?" "If it didn't affect me so much, I would probably be an FBI agent, myself." "Agent Mulder," Will said, testing the words, "it has a nice ring to it." Mulder laughed. "It does, doesn't it."

"Dinner's in the oven." Scully said, plopping down on the couch, then promptly falling over. She pulled one of the throw pillows under her head and set the egg timer on the floor, making the little bells inside chime quietly. "Okay, but I repeat, you should have let me help, I'm surprisingly apt in the kitchen." "I'm sure you are, but this is my way of winding down. I tend to take out my frustrations on the chopping board and I wouldn't want you to get into crossfire." "That dangerous, huh?" "Fair warning." "I'll try to remember that, want a blanket?" "No, I'm good, ignore me, I'm just gonna doze for a bit." "Okay." Comfortable silence fell between them. Mulder worked at his desk, Scully relaxed on the couch, timer ticked off minutes going by. "What do you want for Christmas?" She asked suddenly, when he was sure she had fallen asleep. "What?" "Christmas, gifts." "I'm half Jewish." "And the other half?" She murmured, keeping her eyes closed. "Atheist and I think it's always been the bigger half, because it always wins." "There's no such thing as bigger and smaller halves," she said, smiling, "a half is a half." "Nobody likes a math geek, Scully." "Nobody likes a party pooper either, so what do you want for Hanukkah, Mulder." "You won't let this go, are you." "No," she replied, grinning, still with her eyes closed. "Then I'll let you know." "Okay, just don't take too long." She said and went back to playing possum.

"Professor Mulder!" Mulder heard someone call and, surprised by the audacity, turned around then laughed. "Charlie!"   The younger man grinned and stopped his bike a foot from where he paused. "I had you," he said as they shook hands. "No you didn't." Mulder chuckled, "I thought we were meeting downtown." "Sadly, I don't have that much time, but I was in the neighbourhood, so I figured I'll catch you here. Traffic is awful." "And it's just the beginning of Christmas rush." "You're a psychologist, so you gotta have some reasonable, scientific explanation." "Nope, beats me, and I don't even participate." "Right. Is there somewhere we can sit down around here?" "Sure, you wanna eat? There's a good Thai place down the block." "Lead the way." Charlie got off the bike and they picked up a steady pace. "I wanted to give you a heads up," Mulder said after a moment, "Scully is coming for you." "She usually does," Charlie laughed, "what is it this time?" "You telling Emily about the test results." "Oh," Charlie looked up, surprised, "oh! She told you!" "Yeah," Mulder smiled, slipping hands into the pockets of his coat and Charlie put his arm around his shoulders. "Thank you for what you did," he said with complete sincerity, "Will is a great kid." "In large part thanks to you, I imagine." "No, thanks to Dana, she did an amazing job raising him. And just when she was about to lose him, she found you, exactly when she needed you the most. I'll be forever grateful for that. Still," his tone changed, if only a little, "if you hurt her, I'll be there to make you pay for it." Mulder glanced up and saw the grin, back in full swing. "What? She is my sister." "I'll remember that." "I'm sure you will." Charlie laughed, good-naturedly slapping Mulder's back before letting go. "So, is that what you wanted to talk to me about?" "No," Mulder chuckled, "actually, it's about Christmas." "What about it?" "What kind of gifts does she like?"