#unpredictablybittersweet

[henrysglock]

has somebody written out a list of the titles on that st4 inspo board?

[baldrambo]

What do you think Hopper’s funeral was like? I’m kinda curious about whether or not that’s going to be addressed.

I am SO sorry for getting to this like 80 years after you sent it, lmao.  This was such a good question and the more i thought about it the more I got these clear images in my head of that day, and the more I wanted to just write it. I have 0 expectations that it will be addressed, honestly, SO here is Jim Hopper’s funeral service, told through the eyes of 4 non-Party members.

It was the last funeral, and by far the largest.  Karen Wheeler found herself thinking it was also the most beautiful.  She shifted her weight in her tall black heels and glanced around at the throng of solemn people in black.  The casket stood at the epicenter, a large block of shiny wood that shone brightly in the afternoon sun.  In a way, the symbolism of it felt silly.  There wasn’t a body.  There hadn’t been any bodies.

Attempting to banish the morbid thought from her mind, she glanced sideways at Ted who was staring solemnly at Pastor Charles.  Was he reading from the Book of Revelation again? She found it next to impossible to concentrate on any of the readings, anymore.  Ted had willingly attended every funeral with her, without complaint.  A fresh wave of guilt struck, and she swallowed.  Holley peeked over from her Dad’s arms, her large blue eyes carrying a new weight to them.  She was a kid now, not a baby anymore.  Karen reached over and gently caressed Holley’s cheek and that familiar, deep and abounding love for her children coursed through her like a powerful current. Karen wondered how someone could ever survive the loss of a child.

Karen turned to Mike, who stood stoically on her right, his hands at his sides like a soldier standing at attention.  He was staring over Pastor Charles, his attention on the trees in the distance, his eyes unfocused.  His mouth was set in a tight, straight line.  He hadn’t said a word all morning.  Hadn’t said a word since dinner last night.  The dinner table had been deadly silent, the new norm.

“I don’t want to go to the funeral tomorrow,” Mike spoke up, his voice eerily flat and quiet.  Karen looked up from her plate and squinted at Mike, confused.  “It’s the last one, Mike.  And it’s for the Chief.”

He clenched his fork in his fist and looked up at her, a strangely hollow look in his eyes that made her stomach start cramping up in knots.  “I’m not going.”  Karen looked over at Ted for help.  His attention was conveniently focused on Holley.  Karen put her silverware down, gently.  “I know this is upsetting for you, Mike, and….”

“No. No! You don’t know!”

“Mike...” Nancy reached over to put her hand over his and he wrenched it back standing up in his chair abruptly.  “It’s not like I actually wanted him to DIE!” He shouted, kicking at his chair. It went flying backwards, striking the wall.

Karen and Nancy both stood up.  Nancy stopped her.  “I’ll go.” She gave her mom a reassuring look, and wiped her mouth with her napkin, tucking her chair into the table neatly.

Nancy was standing at Jonathan’s side, leaning on his shoulder, her hand wrapped around his arm. Nancy kept sneaking glances at Jonathan, whose hands were in his pants.  Jonathan wouldn’t meet her eye, his attention fixated on Joyce who was staring ahead, stone-faced, at Pastor Charles.  Her face was still strangely devoid of emotion.  Will flanked her on the left, a head taller than her now. Clearly uncomfortable, he kept shifting his weight and looking over at Joyce, too.  

3 days after the fire, Will answered the door, his polite smile more a grimace. He stepped aside to let her in. Joyce was sitting at the kitchen table, a large ashtray full of cigarette butts in front of her.  She’d looked up at Karen, large, dark circles under her dry eyes.  “Thank you for stopping by.”  Karen nodded, watching the trail of smoke from Joyce’s lit cigarette float up towards the ceiling. Joyce redirected her attention to the ashtray, barely blinking. Karen looked nervously over at Will who gestured silently towards the front door.  Unnerved, she stopped in the doorway, turning back.  “If she is upset and needs someone to talk to….”

“She hasn’t said much since the fire,” Will interrupted.  “Thank you for stopping by, Mrs. Wheeler.”

Nancy caught Karen’s eye and gave her a small, sad smile.

Karen had thought, naively, after the fire, that they might, finally, trust her.  Trust her with this weight they carried with them, this weight that had been hanging around since that girl had made an appearance in Hawkins. She couldn’t shake the feeling that they knew, they ALL knew something she didn’t.  Even Joyce.

She glanced down again at Mike.  His lower lip was quivering.  Karen reached over and slipped her right hand into his.  He gripped it back, tightly.

***

Scott Clarke thought Karen Wheeler was still the most beautiful woman in Hawkins.  He watched her place her hand in Mike’s, her black dress effortlessly drawing attention to her slim figure.  She had been his first crush, he remembered.  She dated Scott’s older brother, Rob, when Karen and Rob were seniors in high school.  He had been in….6th grade? 7th?  It felt like an eternity.  A bead of sweat dripped down his neck in the heat.  He tugged uncomfortably at the collar of his button down.

There were beautiful white lilies lying delicately on the casket and perched in small bunches surrounding the funeral attendees.  They were freshly picked.  Were they the Chief’s favorite flower? It didn’t seem like they would be.  He thought the Chief was probably the type to prefer wildflowers.  He thought he would prefer wildflowers at his funeral, too.

He would remember the morning after the fire for the rest of his life.  He woke up like any other summer day, fried 2 eggs, toasted two slices of bread, and sat down at the kitchen table with a fresh cup of coffee in his Friday mug.  His weekly copy of Science Magazine opened in front of him, he flipped on the news, prepared to ignore another day of local Indianapolis crime.  Within moments, his coffee and breakfast were forgotten.  Frantically thumbing through the prior year’s class roster, he stationed himself in front of the phone for the next 5 hours.  It was around three in the afternoon when he finally got off the phone with the Police Department and marked the last student on his list safe.  Moments later a sobbing Ms. Landon called.  Frank Rose in last year’s 5th period math class disappeared from the 4th of July Festival and was presumed dead in the fire. Scott had gone over and spent the evening with her.

Suddenly growing aware of the silence, Scott blinked, focusing back in on Pastor Charles.  He stepped aside to allow Flo from the Police Station to begin her eulogy.  Scott glanced around him at people growing increasingly uncomfortable in the heat.

Maxine Mayfield was conspicuously absent.  Scott hadn’t seen her since her brother’s funeral.

Lucas Sinclair stood adjacent to Scott, his parents behind him.  He fiddled with the buttons on his coat and his mother swatted at his hands, leaning in and whispering in his ear.  He stood up straighter and turned to his left.  Dustin and Claudia Henderson were standing beside the Sinclair’s, Claudia Henderson periodically blowing her nose loudly into her handkerchief. The boys exchanged a look and turned their attention another ten feet away to a handsome, familiar-looking older boy with longer hair.  The older boy met their gaze and shook his head slowly.  A warning.

It had been the boys that first made him suspect something else was going on.  

A few days after the fire, Scott reached up and knocked on the door.  Erica Sinclair opened it a moment later, staring up at him.  She put her hand on her hip.  “WHO are YOU?”

“Mr. Clarke.  I’m here to see Dustin and Lucas.”  Moments later he heard loud thudding on the steps and the boys appeared in the doorway, shoving a protesting Erica back into the house behind them, shutting the door loudly and standing up against it, staring awkwardly at him.

“I came to check on you, boys.  Dustin, when I stopped by your house your mom said you both had been at the Mall the night of the fire.”  The boys exchanged a worried glance and turned back to Scott.  Lucas grimaced.  “Yeah, we….we were there. It was….it was a really, really big fire.” “Huge,” Dustin interrupted.  “We were…we got caught in it.  But we got out.”  Lucas nodded along enthusiastically.  Scott swiveled between the two of them, skeptically.

“Anywayyyy, we better get back inside.  Almost time for dinner.  Thanks for stopping by, Mr. Clarke!”  Lucas called out as he scrambled for the doorknob.  “Yeah, thanks!”  Dustin scuttled inside after him, shutting the door abruptly.  

Scott looked down at his watch. 2:55pm.

The boys had stopped fidgeting and were focused on Flo now, their faces solemn. Scott looked back over at the older boy, who was staring up at the sky, as if he were trying not to cry.  Steve Harrington!  That was his name. He’d nearly flunked the boy in 7th grade. He had to be 17? 18 now? How did he know Dustin and Lucas?  Frowning, Scott turned back to Flo, who was struggling to finish her statement.  Joyce was standing just beyond the casket, as resolute as ever, the crowd of mourners centered around her and her sons.

Strangely, Scott found himself wondering if Joyce ever figured out what was wrong with her magnets.

***

If only the Chief were here now, Calvin Powell thought to himself, to see the entire town of Hawkins show up for his funeral.  He could just picture him blustering about the office with a lit cigarette hanging out of his mouth.  “Just bullshit obligation,” he’d mumble.  And if he knew Flo would be the one giving an impassioned eulogy on his behalf, he would be mortified.  Powell stared over the casket as Flo’s lilt carried across the field.  Well, the Chief could suck it. Because he’d gone and gotten himself killed, and now here they all were.  Without him.

Scott Clarke was standing straight ahead of him, watching over Dustin Henderson and Lucas Sinclair.  There were some hardened people in this town, but that man certainly wasn’t one of them. He’d been on and off the phone with Scott Clarke the day after the fire.  That’s when he’d still been acting as de-facto Chief. Not anymore, of course. The Feds had seen to that.

Powell re-directed his attention to Flo as she walked towards him, wiping at her eyes as she folded her notes up and tucked them inside her dress.  He gave her a small, reassuring smile and squeezed her shoulder as she stood beside him. Callahan was nearby with his young wife.   When the Chief took over, everyone figured he would make Callahan Deputy. He ruffled a few feathers by naming Powell.  He still remembered the Chief’s first week on the job.

“I already TOLD you,” Roger Walsh sneered.  “I’m here to talk to the Chief.  “Well I’m Deputy,” Powell cut in.  “So I’m here to….”  Walsh interrupted by sniffing and crossing his arms, his lip curling in disgust. “Deputy.” He clicked his tongue, staring Powell down.

Hopper waltzed into the station, his eyes red-rimmed, and headed over to the counter for coffee, ignoring the two of them.  “Chief Hopper,” Walsh interrupted him, uncrossing his arms. “I need to speak with you about….”  

“Talk to my Deputy,” Hopper interrupted, tipping his head back and swallowing a swig of coffee.  He turned towards the men, grimacing.  “I don’t have time for whatever *this* is today.”  Hopper headed past the men towards his office. “This is bullshit,” Roger cut in.  “You are the Chief, I don’t want to talk to this nigg…..”

Hopper stopped and swiveled, aggressively grabbing the man by the scruff of his shirt, pulling him forwards.  He smacked his lips.  “What?” He tilted his head, looking down at the man, his face stormy.  “Go ahead.” His voice was dangerously low. “What were you going to say.”  Roger gawked at the Chief, terror in his eyes.  Hopper let go and pushed the man backwards. “Get the fuck out of my station,” he growled.  “Powell, I don’t want to see him again.”

Flo nudged him sympathetically.  He was crying.  Powell sniffed, angry with himself.  He promised himself he wouldn’t do this.  Not here, not now.  The Chief wouldn’t want him to. He swiveled away from her, hoping Callahan hadn’t seen him.   Jonathan Byers was standing next to Pastor Charles now.  He was wearing worn down black trousers, his right hand resting in his pocket, a piece of paper in his left.  He took a deep breath and began reading.

The Feds had showed up within days, sauntering about the office arrogantly.  Powell wasn’t sure how a picture of Hopper’s dead daughter contributed to a federal investigation but then again, what did he know? He was just a small-town cop.

Jonathan Byers had chosen today of all days to demand an audience with Powell. He stood in front of the desk as Powell scooted his chair to the side for a man with dark shades.  The man looked up at Jonathan pointedly and then continued out of the office with a stack of papers from the bottom drawer. Another agent strolled in and also stopped for a moment to stare at Jonathan, recognition all over his features, too.This second man grabbed another box of papers in the corner.  

Powell opened his mouth to question the boy when Jonathan blurted, “Flo said you were helping her with Hopper’s funeral arrangements.  I want to give a eulogy.”  Confused, Powell frowned, scooting his chair back to its proper place. “Son, that is very nice of you to offer, but….”

“He was there for my Mom and I, when Will disappeared,” Jonathan interrupted, passionately.  “When NO ONE else was,” his voice broke and he looked away. Taking a deep breath, he looked back over at Powell.  “We’re the only family he has, now.”  Powell didn’t have it in him to say no.

Things grew quiet and Powell re-directed his attention to the boy, who was struggling.  He stopped to put his head in his hands.  Nancy Wheeler approached slowly and took his other hand, standing with him.  Jonathan got himself together and continued.  Powell glanced over at Joyce, who was staring down, her eyes trained on the grass.

Powell felt the worst for Joyce Byers.  Ever since Lonnie skipped town she’d been on her own, and she always seemed one bad day away from a breakdown. But the Chief had a way with Joyce.  Powell suspected the Chief had been sweet on her, he even teased him about it once.  “I was with her when we found Will in the woods. I’m just doing my job,” the Chief had shrugged.

As Jonathan finished up his speech, he walked back to his mom, hand-in-hand with Nancy.  Jonathan reached for her hand when Joyce turned away suddenly, retreating towards the parking lot.  The entire town watched her as she went.  As if she were the Chief’s Widow.

Powell never bought that the Chief wasn’t sweet on her.  Just like he never bought that Will had been lost in the woods, or the fire at the Mall was just a fire. But then again, what did he know? He was just a small-town cop.

***

Jane always came to visit, at least every two weeks, without fail.  But it had been a long time.  Too long.  Slowly but surely, Terry Ives built up her strength to go and find her daughter.

Terry squeezed her eyes shut, her daughter’s features coming into crystal clear focus.  She reopened them, pushing herself up from the rocking chair.  A bed lay fifteen feet in front of her, a still figure laying on top of it.  

Jane.  Her feet splashing in the inch of water that filled The Void, Terry approached the bed, her heart pounding.  Jane’s eyes were closed, and she stirred for a moment on the sheets. Asleep.  

Standing there for a moment, Terry sized up the faded green comforter and white bedframe.  This wasn’t The Cabin.  Terry kneeled beside the bed, water soaking through the bottom of her nightgown.  Faded tears stained her daughter’s sleeping cheeks and a beige shirt was folded in her arms.  A small patch on the arm read “Hawkins Police.”

Terry leaned forward and rested her hand on her cheek.  “Jane,” she whispered gently.  Her eyes fluttered and opened.  Jane blinked for a moment, confused.  Jane sat up slowly and looked around, still gripping the uniform.  “Jane!” Terry exclaimed, louder this time. El continued to look around the room, the confusion turning into despair.  “Mama?”  She whispered, clutching the shirt tighter.

Something was terribly wrong.  She could barely feel Jane’s energy, it was weak.  Too weak.  Terry rested her hand on her daughter’s cheek again, but she didn’t move.  Jane squeezed her eyes shut tight.  “Mama,” she murmured, and a soft sob escaped from her lips.  She pulled the shirt to her chest.  “I can’t feel you, Mama.  I can’t feel him,” she began to cry, her despondency like painful tendrils reaching into Terry’s own heart.

Horrified, Terry glanced around her desperately.  Why couldn’t Jane see her?  Why couldn’t she feel her? Something fuzzy beside the bed grabbed Terry’s attention. Focusing in on it, a small nightstand materialized.  It was adorned with a lamp, a clock, and a picture frame.  The frame included 2 small boys and a petite brunette woman.

The woman. The woman who came to see her with the Cop. Why was Jane in her house?

Terry heard a noise behind her and turned around slowly.  A small green car came into focus.  Terry took a few small careful steps forward.  The woman was resting her head on her arm, leaning up against the car. She was taking shallow, shuddering breaths, her tiny frame quaking ever so subtly.  In pain.  

She was wearing all black, standing in tall grass.  Not with Jane.  As Terry approached, the woman picked her head up.  Her big brown eyes were filled with tears.  She put her hands up to her eyes, dabbing at them carefully with the backs of her hands.  The grief etched into the lines of her face matched Jane’s. Taking one final deep, sharp breath she squared her shoulders and started walking away.

Terry watched her figure pass by Jane’s bed, fading away into a cloud of smoke. Where was the Cop?  Terry felt the beginnings of exhaustion creeping into her mind and she pushed them away.  She had to find the Cop.  She fought for a mental image of him.  Her mind was going fuzzy, Jane’s bed fading in and out like a t.v. station competing for a signal.  Panic creeping in, she squeezed her eyes shut, pushing for the memory.  Her breath grew raggedy from the strain as she opened her eyes.

Another bed began to materialize, this one without a bed frame, this one far, far away. Yet somehow so close.  Blinking, Terry slowly stepped towards it, the image continuing to cut back and forth with her daughter’s.  As she grew closer to him, The Void seemed to expand around her.  The air grew colder and her heart began beating faster.  Thump, thump, thump.  He was lying on his side, curled up in a ball.  Shivering.  Not safe.  She was a few feet away when his voice grew slightly stronger, his image momentarily clear.

“You don’t tug on Superman’s cape….you don’t….spit.  Into the wind.  You don’t pull…the mask off that old lone ranger…..and you don’t….mess around…..

….with Jim.”  The hopelessness and fear were so powerful, Terry nearly froze.  Mustering her last bit of strength, she reached for him.  Her hand closed over his.  Terry gasped audibly. “El?”  He whispered into the darkness.

And with that, he was gone.  Jane was gone.  Terry felt the sensation of falling, sharply, backwards.  She grasped for something, anything, in front of her as she fell, her hands closing around thin air.  She landed in her rocking chair, now frozen in place.

“Terry?  Terry!”  Becky leaned over her sister.  “Why is the lamp blinking, honey? What is going on?”

“Breathe,” Terry whispered. “Sunflower.  Three to the right, four to the left. Rainbow.  Four fifty. Breathe. Sunflower. Three to the right, four to the left. Rainbow.  Four fifty.”

“Terry, what is it?” Becky whispered, urgently.

Breathe.

[lizmaximoff]

What are some of your big ST4 theories?

So, I feel like a lot of what is going to happen regarding Hopper is going to start with El. 

I think she might experience dreams about where he is at, but she hasn’t fully regained her powers so she and the Byers probably think that it’s just really intense night terrors or something. But then BAM she gets them back and then everything kind of falls into place.

I think that Murray is going to be getting intel about Americans being imprisoned by Russians. After he gets maybe a photograph, he recognizes one of them as Jim. He’s probably going to try to get in contact with Joyce, but she probably is going to say that he’s just rejecting reality or something. But then after El gets her powers back and actually sees Hopper in a place that resembles Russia, she contacts Murray and then they flee to Russia (I really want to say that El is going to go to Russia with them, but tbh I’m not 100% sure about it).

Obviously, Hopper is going to have a huge story arc based off of what David has said in interviews. I think it’s safe to assume that while he’s alone, he probably has a lot of time to reflect on things that have happened in his life and that’s how we will learn about the “boxes in the basement.”

I do believe that Joyce and Hopper are going to end up romantically together by the end of the season. If it doesn’t, I don’t think that will make any fucking sense.

Unfortunately, I haven’t really had any desire to think beyond Hopper and El’s storylines, so that’s all I have in my brain at the moment!

[willel]

Without changing ST3, if you were able to write your own plotline for Jonathan in ST4, what would you do?

I think I’ve written about this before

https://willel.tumblr.com/post/614523229446553600/what-do-you-foresee-in-regards-to-jonathans

[scoopsohboi]

strawberry

strawberry: favorite desserts?

ooooh!

i love brownies, and plain froyo, and cookie dough

[jonathan-byers-remade]

Oooo nice username!!!! I’m jealous

thank you hun!! i honestly STILL can’t believe i have this url, it’s a true dream!!

[midweastindigo]

Pass the happy! 🌻🌈 When you receive this, list 5 things that make you happy and send this to the last 10 people in the notifications.

asdhfkjdhsf hi! :*

1. sunflowers

2. drawing

3. the smell of freshly cut grass in the springtime

4. animal crossing new horizons

5. my flamingo string lights

[share-the-damn-bed]

Ever written about your Top 10 Jancy moments? If you haven’t, what are they?

Wow. You know what, I don’t think I’ve ever talked about (or formally considered) this before. The closest thing I’ve done is rank my top 7 Jancy episodes before season 3 dropped. SO, this will be fun! Thank you for asking! Disclaimer: This is not a finalized list of my top Jancy moments (scenes). I went with my initial gut reaction to pick 10 moments and ranking them was HARD. I’m sure if you asked me to come up with my top 10 moments tomorrow, there would be variations. I love all of their moments but this is just how I’m feeling today, you know?

10. S3E4 - Car Fight

This is definitely an unpopular opinion but I don’t care: I love this scene. This fight is incredibly raw and real to me. I love that they are both right but lack the perspective to see beyond their own worldview. This is a fight a couple can grow from and become stronger from as a result. We are so incredibly lucky that they chose this realistic conflict instead of some cheap jealousy, love triangle-esque plot.

9. S1E7 - Tiger Mural

Jonathan walking over and sitting close to Nancy in silence is so incredibly soft, powerful, and comforting it takes my breath away every time I gif/rewatch it.

8. S2E5 - Pillow Talk

This is the first time we see them actually talk about their feelings for one another and the first time I watched this scene I was an actual puddle.

7. S1E6 - Police Station

I’ve explained before how I view this scene as the first time Jonathan accepts his feeling for Nancy by letting her help and care for him. Additionally, I think this is where Nancy realizes she likes Jonathan as well.

6. S2E6 - Denial & First Kiss(es)

In the scene immediately following their first kiss(es) they are so adorable and jittery and you can feel the butterflies in their stomachs. And the kiss is well, THE KISS, so obviously it’s on here. Their first kisses are amazing because they feel like the proper resolution for all the pining in season 1 and season 2.

5. S1E5 - Fight in the Woods

I have explicitly mentioned that this is the scene that caused my Jancy ship to sail. Before this scene, I thought they were cute. After this scene I liked them and needed them to get together. Love knows how to fight.

4. S2E1 - Hallway Flirting

What makes this scene so amazing is that it shows Jancy’s natural chemistry. At this point in season 2, there’re no supernatural forces bringing them together they’re just walking between classes and flirting because they like each other. It’s pure and cute and I love it. We really don’t see any other scene like this throughout the series.  

3. S3E8 - Private Goodbye

Truly, any of the top three moments I have listed here could be switched for the top spot for one reason or another, but this scene is everything I’ve wanted for Jancy since season 1. It is so incredibly loving, and soft, and comforting. They are so in love here and it makes me weepy. I love this scene so much that I consider it the perfect ending for Jancy (not the moving away part, obviously). Truth be told if the show ended and that was their last scene, I would hardly complain.

2. S1E8 - Mending Wounds

I feel like I don’t even need to explain this one. This was the culmination of their feelings for one another in season 1 and I still gasp every time Jonathan whispers “Nancy?” Soft babies being the softest.

1. S1E6 - Bed Sharing

If the forest fight in season 1 episode 5 was when I started shipping Jancy, their little sleepover in episode 6 was when I fell in love with them. The first time I watched this scene, I was pretty sure I was dreaming when Nancy said “Can you just come up here?” The whole hurt/comfort while both being terrified scenario really cut me to my core.

[will-on-the-internet]

Pizza and Beer | Mulder x Scully

Summary: When Mulder arrives at Scully’s apartment with Halloween movies and promise of pizza and beer, neither of them expect to be wrapped up in each other by the end of the night. 

Warnings: None, though it has not been edited closely so there could be a few mistakes! Sorry!

Word count: 2.6k

A/N: Please be kind, this is my first ever MSR fic so I am very nervous about posting! Let me know what you think. Also requests are open and you can find my taglist and masterlist in the links below! And thank you to @wolfish-willow​ @lunalovecroft​ and @unpredictablybittersweet​ for your input, advice and support!

Tagging: @cececroft​ @today-in-fic​ @wolfish-willow​

MASTERLIST! | TAGLIST! | REQUESTS!

When the phone rang at 3 in the morning, Dana Scully expected it to be an emergency, like an agent calling her to come down to a crime scene or Skinner demanding that she be at headquarters at once. What she didn’t expect, was to pick up the phone and hear Mulder’s calm and light-hearted voice on the other end of the line, his fingers tapping away at the computer keyboard in their office.

“Hey Scully, wanna go on an adventure?” Mulder asked this question like he hadn’t just woken Scully up in the middle of the night, and like it was the most normal thing to ever ask someone over the phone, with no warning and when the sky was dark. Scully let out a frustrated sigh and rolled her eyes, not that Mulder could see of course, before falling back against her pillows with a soft thump.

“Mulder, it’s 3 a.m.!” She was exasperated already, and she only felt worse after she heard her partner chuckle on the other end of the line. She knew he was smiling, knew his eyes were squinting slightly as he looked down at the notes in front of him, and also knew that he would be slipping his free hand into his pocket to fish out a sunflower seed.

“Exactly, the perfect time to go find out about the unknown footprints that appeared in Southern California last week. C’mon, we could make a little holiday out of it, go to a beach even?” Scully knew that Mulder was trying every trick in the book to make her say yes, but after only getting home at 1.30 am and not getting to sleep until 2 am, she just wanted to rest, spend the next weekend catching up on laundry, doing some reading, maybe even having a bubble bath. So, she shook her head, voice softening as she started to speak back to Mulder.

“Look, we just finished a case and got back from North Dakota only a couple of hours ago. I need some sleep Mulder, and I’m sure you do too. Now, I’m going back to bed, if you still wanna go monster hunting tomorrow than by all means call me, but for now, let me sleep.” She hung up then, not even giving him enough time to respond and she put the phone back on its stand, before pulling the covers further up her body, shielding her from the cold October air.

When she got up the next morning and started making herself a breakfast of sesame bagels topped with cream cheese, avocado and smoked salmon, she had forgotten all about Mulder’s late-night call. It also seemed like he had forgotten too, because he didn’t ring her at all that morning, nor even as the morning turned to afternoon and she was eating leftover pizza while watching re-runs of some drama on television.

But then someone was knocking on her door, the voice on the other side muffled by the sound of the television. Scully sighed as she stood up from her couch and moved to answer it. She checked the peephole first and let out another sigh and closed her eyes for a small moment before opening it, really not wanting to see her partner right now. It was the weekend after all, and weekends were meant to be free from work, from colleagues, and as much as she loved Mulder, she needed a day, just one day of peace.

“What are you doing here Mulder?” She spoke as she swung open the door, revealing her co-worker standing on the other side with a lopsided grin and two coffees in his hands, a plastic bag hanging from his arm. He came in without being invited, but they both knew that Scully wouldn’t have opened the door if she didn’t want him coming in, and moved to the kitchen table, placing the hot drinks and bags down before facing his partner.

“Well, I thought, since it’s Halloween weekend, and we’re too old to dress up and go trick or treating, we should order some pizza and watch some of the classics…” Mulder’s voice dropped off as Scully turned to him with an amused look on her face, pushing some of her ginger hair behind her ears. He poured the contents of the grocery bag onto her table, revealing multiple videotapes of the usual Halloween movies.

Scully let out a chuckle at his excited face and shook her head gently as she moved to pull two mugs from her cupboard, pouring the hot coffees into them and then passing Mulder’s to him.

“And here I was thinking I was going to have a normal weekend of watching junk on tv and sorting through laundry.” Mulder openly laughed at this, his eyes squinting slightly as he smiled at his smaller partner.

“You call that normal? I call that boring.” He walked towards her television set then, pushed the videotape into the slot and grabbed the remote from the coffee table.

After nearly six years of working together, Scully had learned that Mulder has a constant tendency to make himself at home in places he felt safe and comfortable, with her apartment being one of those few places. And with this in mind, she watched as he relaxed back against the sofa cushions, pulled off his shoes and rested his socked feet on the edge of the coffee table. He looked over to her, patting the seat next to him, and all she could do was send him an exasperated look before sitting down next to him, leaning against the arm of the sofa.

“Fine, Mulder. I’ll watch crappy scary movies with you. As long as you’re paying for the pizza and the beer.” Mulder nodded back to her in agreement, and then lifted the remote, clicking play.

The night started off normal, they were just two friends watching movies together in Scully’s apartment, sipping mediocre beer that was already making Mulder’s cheeks feel warm, and eating greasy pizza that they were sure to regret the next morning. The television screen glowed, and colours flashed around the room as Mulder watched the villain chase after a screaming girl, and Scully took in the way he was so focused on the movie. It was enchanting, watching his gaze flicker with every movement on the screen, how his face scrunched up when blood or gore was shown, how he rolled his eyes when something was so cheesy it was just stupid. Her focus was only pulled away when he started muttering, voice low and blending with the sounds of the movie.

“What was that Mulder, what did you say?” He looked at her after she spoke, glancing to her and then back to the television in hopes of not missing any more of the action that Scully had grown bored of.

“I just said that the detective has got it all wrong. The murderer isn’t going after blonde-haired girls because he likes blonde hair. He’s going after them because they remind him of his mother and sisters.” Scully didn’t know what to say to that, so she just let out an amused chuckle and took a swig of her beer, letting Mulder continue. “And damn it, Scully, these cops have no idea what they’re doing. They keep looking over the important details in favour of the unimportant ones, just so it fits their idea of the murderer and his motives.”

His voice was getting higher then, louder too, and Scully couldn’t help but watch him as he moved his hands around in frustration, before collapsing back against the sofa with a pout on his face.

“You know Mulder, not every detective can be as smart as you, not even fictional ones.”

“I know, but the production team of the movie could still do some research to make their plot seem more accurate. Right now, it’s just a load of rubbish.” He let out a sigh as the end credits rolled across the television screen and sucked down the last dregs of beer from his bottle, looking at Scully after. “You want another beer and more pizza?” Scully nodded, letting Mulder take her empty plate and bottle, and then opened her mouth to speak.

“Movies aren’t always supposed to be realistic, Mulder. People watch them and enjoy them because they’re a form of escapism, something to distract our selves from the real world when everything becomes too dark and scary. They’re not meant to be taken literally.” She spoke to him as he stood up and walked to her kitchen, watching as he pulled another two bottles of beer from the fridge and noticed how the corners of his mouth turned down slightly as he picked up a couple of pizza slices and loaded them onto the plates.

“I get that they aren’t meant to be taken literally, Scully, but they could have at least done better.” He huffed as he walked back over to her, handing her the beer and pizza and then sitting back down next to her with his plate on his lap.

“You really wouldn’t like E.T then.”

“Don’t even get me started on E.T, Scully.”

The two drifted back into silence after that comment, munching on pizza quietly as the next movie played on, and the sky outside was already dark when Mulder caught Scully not watching the movie for the umpteenth time, focused instead on something else.

Maybe it was the fact that she had already nearly finished two beers and a whole pizza, but Scully couldn’t focus on anything but Mulder. She felt warm whenever he sent her a soft smile, like her heart was going to burst when he let out a loud laugh, felt safe when the two of them started leaning against each other on the couch, not noticing that there was now no space between them. He caught her staring at him at that moment, watching him with all the concentration in the world as he turned to tell her a piece of information about whatever serial killer the movie was trying to portray. But he closed his mouth when he saw her eyes on him, suddenly feeling like there was no movie, no crappy pizza or beer. Just her blue eyes watching him.

“You know…you really should be watching the movie, Scully. You don’t want to miss the best bits.” His voice was quiet, nearly shaky as he stared right back at her, and he smirked ever so slightly when she realised she had been caught, eyes going wide and mouth hanging open in surprise. But she didn’t falter, didn’t let him get the upper hand as she just let out a charming smile that had his cheeks going red.

“Says the man who just called all the movies we’ve watched tonight ‘rubbish’.” They were so close to each other now, faces inches apart and the sides of their bodies pressed against each other. The movie was forgotten about, and so was their food and drink, especially when Scully spoke next. “Besides, Mulder, I’ve got something much more entertaining right in front of me.”

“Oh yeah? And what is more entertaining than the movie right now?” She didn’t give Mulder an answer straight away like he thought she would. Instead, she opted to wind her arm around his neck and pull him closer gently, fingers carding through his hair softly, ready to stop at any time if he became uncomfortable. But he didn’t, because he was pressing into her more, eyelashes fluttering as he sighed from the feeling of her hand in his hair, and hesitantly, he placed his hand right on her hip, fingers ghosting the material of her sweatshirt.

“You…” Scully kissed him then, gently at first because she knew that he might have pulled away. Yet he was kissing her back, so hotly that it was taking her breath away, skin warming and his tongue running against her lips that she nearly let out a loud sigh, before pressing herself to him in a flurry of tangled limbs and his mouth moving across her jaw and down her neck.

Maybe it was the alcohol, maybe it was the fact that she tasted like beer and greasy cheese pizza, and maybe it was the feeling of sweet relief that he was actually kissing her that Mulder felt like he was floating above it all, on top of the world and never wanting to come down as long as he lived. He fixated on the way her fingers felt against the skin of his arms, how she started to sound out of breath but also so wanting it made him want to cry, how his lips against hers was the most perfect thing he had ever felt.

“You know, when you came over wanting to eat pizza and watch crappy movies, I kinda knew this was going to happen.” Scully’s words came out in a whisper against his lips, and her hot breath fanned out across his skin as she pulled away ever so slightly, letting him run his hands up and down her sides.

“Oh yeah? How?” Mulder was pressing delicate kisses to her cheeks, jaw, neck, any skin he could reach and smiled as he made her blush.

“Well, think about it, Mulder. Alcohol, greasy pizza and late nights tend to lead to a person making some risky decisions.” He chuckled into her neck, fingers gliding over the skin of her stomach and waist after he slipped them underneath her sweatshirt, and she gasped into his hair at the feeling, before swallowing it back down and pressing her lips to the side of his jaw.

“And what do you think, Scully? Is this a good risky decision, or a bad one?” Scully didn’t even need to think about the answer to this question, just looked right at Mulder as he pulled his lips away from her skin, brown eyes melting at the sight of her smiling at him, beaming so lovingly that he wanted to cry.

“This was the best decision I ever could have made.”

Scully and Mulder wrapped themselves in each other, a cocoon of safety, love, warmth and trust surrounding them as they kissed on Scully’s couch, the movie playing on in the background and the pizza and beer going cold, forgotten and untouched for the rest of the night. And when Scully leaned her head against her partner's chest, and he kissed the top of her head and brushed his lips against her hair, she let out a soft sigh, lingering in this moment of peace. Until she remembered the conversation over the phone from the night before.

“Mulder?”

“Hm?”

“What happened with the footprints in Southern California?” Mulder squeezed her shoulder gently as he chuckled at her question.

“They were nothing, just some kids playing a practical joke. Although, a trip to the beach would have been nice.” Scully hummed in agreement, leaning back against Mulder, and before the two of them knew it, they descended back into blissful silence, focused only on each other.

Scully loved normal weekends. She loved the peace of just lazily reading a book in bed, having a long bubble bath and cooking herself a meal with a glass of wine in hand. But she also loved the weekends that crept up on her after a long week of solving cases, the weekends where she was left surprised that even though nothing went to plan, everything seemed to work out well anyway. And this weekend, the Sunday before Halloween seemed to be one of those weekends because even though she didn’t get any reading done, had take out instead of cooking and didn’t even get her laundry folded, Mulder was here, holding her, kissing her, loving her. And that was all she could ever ask for.

[missaudreyhorney]

Five Famous Crushes

Tagged by @unpredictablybittersweet​ and @im-not-great-at-making-up-names

Tagging: @pkg4mumtown @kingphillipblake @hoefordarkness @idjitmonkey @manawhaat

1. David Harbour (my main man)

2. Elle Fanning (my main woman)

3. Ayesha Curry

4. Christina Hendricks

5. Jon Hamm

Honorable mention: Pedro Pascal and Winston Duke, solely from pictures I’ve seen on Tumblr

[jonny-byerss]

Five Famous Crushes

I was tagged by @unpredictablybittersweet

I tag @meekfollower @pusheen1802 @strangest-hour @lunalovecroft and anyone else who would like to do it!

1) Tom Holland

2) Charlie Heaton

3) Natalia Dyer

4) Darren Criss

5) Chris Evans

[baldrambo]

Rules: tag 9 people you want to get to know better.

Tagged by @unpredictablybittersweet

Top 3 ships:

(This is totally an evil question because I have 15+ ships. I am *that* person. But if you are wringing my arm....)

1. Bill Buchanan/Karen Hayes - 24

2. Bill Adama/Laura Roslin - Battlestar Galactica

3. Charles Carson/Elsie Hughes - Downton Abbey

Last song - Pony by Ginuwine (that 90′s playlist though lol)

Last Movie - Contagion 

Currently reading - Nothing, sadly. Send me a rec!

What food are you craving right now - donuts from my favorite donut shop. Which is really sad because gluten fucks me up (ugh)

I tag everyone who sees this! And you can say i tagged you! :)

[lizmaximoff]

Game of Thrones?

I know virtually nothing about this show. The only thing that I know is the ending and why people hate it so much lmao

[andcontemplation]

Video Store Fridays -- the full list

With the help of @unpredictablybittersweet and @hopbyers98​  I got all VSF off the whiteboard and into a spreadsheet this afternoon (yes that is how bored I am) and I’ve pasted all 274 titles alphabetically below. @unpredictablybittersweet​ and I will be working on getting it organized and searching for patterns & clues 🔍 If there's something you think is notable about any of these movies, hit the reblog and let us know!

<< BE KIND, REWIND <<

300

12 Monkeys

13th Warrior

2001: a Space Odyssey

28 Days Later

47 Meters Down: Uncaged

Ace Ventura Pet Detective

Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls

Almost Famous

Altered States

Amalie

American Sniper

Analyze This

Annihilation

Aristocats

Armageddon

Arrival

Assassin's Creed Movie

Avengers: Age of Ultron

Babe: Pig in the City

Back Draft

Basketcase

Batman Begins

Batman vs. Superman

Battle of Big Rock

Beauty and the Beast

Beetlejuice

Behind Enemy Lines

Beverly Hills Cop

Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey

Billy Madison

Black Cauldron

Black Swan

Blade Runner: 2049

Blair Witch Project

Boondock Saints

Borat

Bram Stoker's Dracula

Broken Arrow

Burn After Reading

C.H.U.D.

Cabin in the Woods

Carrie

Casablanca

Castaway

Children of Men

Cider House Rules

Clueless

Conair

Congo

Constantine

Crank

Crimson Tide

Dances With Wolves

Dark Knight

Death to Smoochy

Deep Blue Sea

Die Hard 1 2 & 3

Dogma

Don's Plum

Don't Breathe

Doom

Dreamcatcher

Drop Dead Fred

Dukes of Hazard

Dumb & Dumber

Easter Egg (not a movie??)

Edward ScissorHands

Emma

Enter the Void

Event Horizon

Ex Machina

Fallen

Fargo

Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift

Ferris Bueller's Day Off

Final Destination

Fisher King

Forrest Gump

Fugitive

Full Metal Jacket

Get Out

Ghost

Ghostbusters

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Girl, Interrupted

Gladiator (?)

Godzilla: King of the Monsters

Good Fellas

Good Will Hunting

Hackers

Harry Potter & the Chamber of Secrets

Heat

Hell or High Water

Hellraiser (I + II)

Hidden

High Fidelity

High School Musical

Highlander

Home Alone

Hunger Games

Hurt Locker

I Am a Fugitive From a Chain Gang

I Am Legend

In Cold Blood

Inception

Independence Day

Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark

Indiana Jones: Temple of Doom

Innerspace

Inside Out

Interview with a Vampire

Into the Spiderverse

Island of Dr. Moreau

It Follows

It's a Wonderful Life

Italian Job

James Bond (all)

James Bond: Skyfall

John Carter of Mars

JP (= Jurassic Park?)

Jupiter Ascending

Jurassic World 2: Fallen Kingdom

Karate Kid

Karate Kid

Kingsmen

Knives Out

Labyrinth

Leon: the Professional

Let The Right One In

Little Miss Sunshine

Long Kiss Goodnight

Lord of the Rings: Trilogy

Lord of the Rings: Two Towers

Lost Boys

Mad Max: Fury Road

Magnolia

Mask of Zorro

Men in Black

Mimic

Minority Report

Misery

Mr. & Mrs. Smith

My Cousin Vinny

Mystic River

Never Been Kissed

Nightmare 3: Dream Warriors

No Country for Old Men

North By Northwest

Ocean's 11 + 12

Ocean's 8

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest

Open Water

Orange County

Ordinary People

Paddington: 2

Pan's Labyrinth

Papillon

Paradise Lost

Peter Jackson's King Kong

Peter Pan

Pineapple Express

Platoon

Predator

Primal Fears

Princess Bride

Prisoners

Pulp Fiction

Ravenous

Reality Bites

Red Dragon

Reservoir Dogs

Robocop

Rushmore

Saving Private Ryan

Scrooged

Se7en

Shape of Water

Shooter

Sicario

Silence of the Lambs

Silver Bullet

Sky High

Society

Source Code

Speed

Splash!

Splice

Spy Kids

Star Wars

Star Wars: Rogue One

Starship Troopers

Step Up 2: Step Up 2 Tha Streets

Stoker

Superbad

Swept Away 

Swingers

Sword in the Stone

Swordfish

Tangled

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles

Terminator 2

Terminator: Dark Fate

The A-Team

The Birdcage

The Birds

The Book of Henry

The Cell

The Craft

The Crazies

The Crow

The Descent

The Devil's Advocate

The Fifth Element

The Fly

The Good Son

The Goofy Movie

The Graduate

The Green Mile

The Guardian

The Guest

The Hobbit: I, II, II

The Lighthouse

The Matrix

The Mist

The Mummy

The Natural

The Neverending Story

The Orphan

The Peanut Butter Solution

The Perfect Storm

The Prestige

The Raid

The Revenant

The Ring

The Rock

The Shining

The Terminal

The Visit

Thor: Ragnarok

Timeline

Titanic

To Kill a Mockingbird

Tombstone

Total Recall

Toy Story 4

True Lies

True Romance

Truman Show

Twister

Unbreakable

Unforgiven

Unleashed

Very Bad Things

Wanted

War Dogs

War Games

Wayne's World

Wedding Crashers

Weird Science

Welcome to Marwen

Welcome to the Dollhouse

Wet Hot American Summer

What Dreams May Come

What Lies Beneath

What Women Want

What's Eating Gilbert Grape?

Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Willow

Wizard of Oz

You've Got Mail

Young Sherlock Holmes

Zodiac

Zoolander

[scoopsohboi]

#23

[fatui-harbingers]

rules: tag 9 people who you want to know better/catch up with and then answer these questions

Tagged by @unpredictablybittersweet 💕

last song: all I know is it was something by Meghan Trainor haha

last movie: Emma

currently reading: nothing rn

currently watching: Dark

currently craving: I ate a bit ago and am sipping on some sprite so nothing atm!

Tagging @reblogged-the-reblogger @florencepugh @the-darkling @mercysheart @cheddarholt @visenyatargaryen @tearsricochet @hharry @haillily