Work Text:
“Mulder, please stop fidgeting. We have one more hour to go,” Scully whined, putting a hand on his thigh to stop him from shaking it. They were on their way home from their most recent case. It was another tough one. Mulder was still processing.
“Sorry, Scully. I’m cramped up and wired.”
He reached into the pocket of the seat ahead of him. A health magazine. Great. Maybe he could bore himself to death, he thought. But then he came across a quiz. “3 Psychological Questions to Ask Your Partner.” Well, he had a partner. Not the one they were talking about, but Scully came close. Well, as close as it was going to get for him. He looked over at her and smiled.
“Hey, Scully. Want to do a quiz with me,” he showed her the glossy page. A quiz? She hadn’t done a magazine quiz in a while. She used to love doing the Cosmo quizzes. There was never much credence to them, but they were fun.
“Will it get you to settle down,” she asked with an eyebrow raise.
“Probably. I think we need some pen and paper. Do you still have your notepad and a couple pens in your purse?” Of course, she did. Scully’s purse was like a convenient store. Last week he needed Chap Stick. She had three different kinds.
She dug through her black purse and found a #2 pencil and a blue pen which was missing its lid. She tore off a piece of paper for Mulder and kept the pad for herself. The top of the paper was left on the rings of her pad. She brushed it off, ready for her task.
“Alright, are you ready, Scully? I think we might find out a couple things about each other.” She highly doubted it. Mulder was pretty much an open book. She figured she already knew nearly everything about him. And this was psychology. A scientist rarely believes in psychology. There is no hard proof.
“Mulder, it’s a silly quiz. I’m sure it means nothing. What’s the first question?” Her tone was encouraging but also impatient.
“What is your favorite color? Give three, thoughtful examples why.”
They each started writing on their piece of paper. After a couple minutes, they both seemed happy with their answers and were ready for the next.
Mulder fired off the next question, unaware that their answers would change things.
“What is your favorite animal? Give three, thoughtful examples why.”
Scully scoffed. See, she thought, psychology was a pseudoscience. This was silly. But Mulder was suspicious. He was afraid he knew where this was going. He studied psychology.
“You finished, Mulder? I’m ready for the third and final, silly question.”
Mulder chuckled. “What is your favorite body of water? Give three, thoughtful examples why.”
Scully made a face. These were peculiar questions, but she was curious and wanted to indulge Mulder. Anything to stop him from bouncing his leg up and down.
“Alright, Scully. Are you ready to reveal your answers and figure out why you chose them, psychologically?” He asked, wagging his eyebrows. “Nervous?”
She laughed. “Are you nervous? Your answers might embarrass you, Mulder. Will this tell me that you were a bed wetter?” There was a gleam in her eyes. He pretended to take offense.
“Okay. The first question was your favorite color. Ladies first,” Mulder smiled, with a sneaky smile.
“Ok, so I chose lavender. And for my three reasons: It’s feminine but not overly done, like a Barbie pink. It’s indulgent, because you don’t use it every day. And, I just think it’s beautiful, in a plain Jane sort of way.”
Mulder was awestruck. This was a different Scully. Her answers were still Scully, but they had a little Dana in them too, if that made any sort of sense.
“Alright, Mulder. I showed you mine. Now show me yours.”
Mulder release a deep breath. His answers weren’t ask thoughtful as Scully’s. He was most certainly going to embarrass himself with his answers.
“I choose lime green. For my three reasons, I said: It stands out from all the other colors. It’s eccentric. And, it reminds me of aliens. Even though aliens are grey,” they both chuckled. Scully loved this side of Mulder. She loved the playful side. They were always so serious. It was nice to joke and laugh around with each other, maybe even flirt a little.
“Well, what does that say about us, Mulder? Are we doomed? Should I schedule an appointment with my therapist?”
He looked down at the magazine and smiled. This was going to be good. Scully saw the glint in his eyes. She returned his glint with a glare.
“Well, what does it say,” she pressed, getting impatient.
“Well, this says that your favorite color describes the view of your own personality.”
They both sat and thought. Did Scully feel like lavender could define her? Well, kind of. Some of those things she said could describe her. And then she thought of Mulder’s answers. He had said eccentric and stands out. Yes, that would be Mulder. Lime green would describe him. They were the exact opposite. Scully was anxious to find out what her other answers would reveal about herself and Mulder.
“Should we continue, Scully? This sounds like it’s about to get really interesting.”
“Let’s finish this, Mulder. The next question was your favorite animal. You go first this time.”
“Okay, I said a lion. My three, thoughtful reasons were: They’re self-sufficient creatures. They’re unpredictable. They keep you on your toes. And, I like to think that they’re actually incredibly lovable. What did you put,” he asked, looking over at her answers. She yanked her notepad out of his line of sight, holding it close to her chest.
Okay, Scully did not see him picking a lion. She was expecting a penguin or a giraffe. Something out there.
“Well, I didn’t get as creative as you. I picked a dog, because they’re intelligent and forgiving. They protect the ones they love. And, they truly are the only creatures that love you more than they love themselves.”
Mulder started chuckling.
“Why are you laughing?”
“It was just, I didn’t expect that from you. You caught me off guard.”
“We had a dog growing up. Her name was Lilly. She was patient, kind, and resilient. She was a rescue dog. I could tell you stories about her. She was the family’s dog, but I was her favorite. If my brothers started to rough house with me, she was on them. She never bit anyone, but her bark made it clear-‘Don’t touch Dana.’ She was always there, watching over me. I could count on her.
“That’s a very sweet story, Scully. I like it when you share a little piece of yourself. It reminds me that you’re human.” She rolled her eyes.
“Yeah, I am a constant surprise. So, what does it mean?”
“Alright, your animal choice reveals your perfect mate.”
Well, well. Did she just subconsciously describe Mulder? He was intelligent, kind, and protective. Nobody was allowed to touch his Scully. And yes, he loved her more than he loved himself. And you know what, Scully was most certainly a lion. Unpredictable. She always kept him guessing. Fiercely independent. And he knew that she had a soft side to her that she rarely let anyone see, but she was very loveable, nonetheless.
“Alright, I am afraid to know what my favorite body of water means, Mulder. We’ve been spot on with the last two. This was your idea, tell me what you chose.”
Mulder paused. Did Scully just admit that this quiz might actually have some truth to it? And who the hell was her perfect mate. Could it be himself? Did he have the same characteristics as a dog? He found himself smiling.
“I chose a river. I’m afraid to give you my reasons though. I think I know where this is heading, Scully. You’re not going to like it.”
Her curiosity was peaked, because she had no idea where this was going. “Mulder, it’s just me. You can trust me.”
“Alright, my reasons,” he looked at his list. Anything to avoid eye contact with her. “It’s fast and dangerous. It’s refreshing. And, it reminds me of summer time when I was a teenager. We would go cliff diving, in the deeper ends. It was exhilarating.”
She hummed in delight, imagining a younger Mulder cliff diving. A heartfelt story from Mulder was always nice to hear. She was glad he had some normal stories to tell from his childhood.
“Interesting. Well, I chose the ocean. It’s peaceful, but it can also be wild. I love how it settles my soul, as cliché as that is. And, it’s endless but never boring. So, what does that say about me?”
“Okay, Scully,” he warned. “You asked for it. You’re favorite body of water reveals the view of your sexuality.”
“Well, I mean…-“She stuttered.
What did she mean? What did any of this mean? Mulder knew he shouldn’t have pushed her. She wasn’t ready. He did secretly love to make Scully stutter. He guessed it was probably best to keep that to himself, though.
“Relax, Scully. You’re still the same person to me that you were an hour ago. I’m not judging you. I find all your answers to be very informative and fascinating. And spot on,” he winked. She flushed a pretty pink.
But Mulder was wrong. She wasn’t bothered at all. She had a look in her eye. A very flirty look. “A river, Mulder. Really?”
“Well, yeah,” he chuckled. “Hey, don’t rivers flow into the ocean,” he elbowed her playfully.
“Yes, yes they do. And doesn’t green compliment purple, Mulder?”
“Technically, yellow does. But, I said lime green and that’s pretty much the same thing,” he smiled.
“And, the opposite of a dog is a cat. You chose a lion,” Scully pointed out.
“I sure did. We are the exact opposite of each other, Scully. Does that worry you?”
“Mulder, we’re not the exact opposite. We complement each other. We’re the same in all the ways that count. If you had said ‘monkey’, that would be the exact opposite, and a bit alarming. If you had said, orange to my purple, it would clash. And, if you said lake to my ocean, it would be a little weird, considering that would be boring to my wild. Honestly, I thought you were the psychologist here.”
“So you’re saying we’re compatible?” He had a hopeful look to him. Yes, they were opposites, but weren’t opposites supposed to be attracted to each other?
“I am saying that we’re compatible in our own sort of way. We’re like puzzle pieces. We’re the exact opposites, but we still fit together.”
“And you’re okay with that?”
“Mulder, there’s nobody else that could, or ever would, be my other half. You’re the yin to my yang.”
He nodded his head in agreement, swallowing a lump in his throat. She really was unpredictable. He rarely got a heartfelt confession out of her. Every time it happened, he was left in awe. It was refreshing to know that she thought about the same things that he did.
“Yeah, I know exactly what you mean, Scully,” he pulled her in, kissing the top of her head. She rested her head on his shoulder and kept it there for the rest of the flight home.
THE END
RED