the adventures of spooky and starbuck

Sunrise

I am currently listening to 1901 by Phoenix on repeat and it don't bother me. Oh and if you haven't yet listened to Hell or Highwater you're missing out. Jesus, David is amazing ok.

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Ever since the party, Mulder had avoided Dana. It was subtle, more like avoidance out of fear or nervousness than avoidance out of anger. Dana could tell he was avoiding her, but she didn't ask for an explanation.

It had been awkward for her, too. Dana had embarrassed herself by crying in front of Mulder, and she regretted it. She didn't regret opening up to him... there was a certain part of her that needed that since a very long time. What she regretted was that she was afraid Mulder would feel, or had felt, personally responsible for her.

Not only did it restrict Dana's personal strength, but it also made her uncomfortable. Ever since she was little, Dana had a problem with authority. When she was thirteen, she would sneak out and smoke her mother's cigarettes. Ever since then she was a light smoker.

After the party, Dana realized that Mulder represented a certain authority. She would follow him around loyally, barely even questioning him. She realized she would probably do anything for him without question, and it frustrated her. Yet, she still needed Mulder's approval in some way. She needed him to notice her.

So she knocked.

"What? What is it Scully?" Mulder asked sleepily as he opened the door. Dana wasn't even surprised that he was awake at two am. She stuck her hands in her pockets and looked him in the eye.

"I'm getting a tattoo. You coming?" She asked. Mulder smiled. He disappeared for. Second, returning with his Polaroid.

"Yeah," he answered. Dana stood aside so he could come out. Mulder locked the door and they walked out the door. Mulder's room was on the first floor, so it was easy to get in and out from there.

When they were outside, Dana reached in her jacket pocket for a cigarette and a lighter. She took one out and lit it. Mulder glanced at her, raising an eyebrow. Dana puffed out the smoke from a tiny gap in her lips.

"What is it?" She asked. Mulder looked away. He shrugged.

"I just... it's bad for you to smoke, I don't want you to get hurt." He answered. Dana sighed. There we go. Personally responsible. She took out the cigarette with two fingers and threw it on the floor, extinguishing it with her foot.

"The tattoo parlor is nearby, somewhere near The Cherry, I think," Dana informed. Mulder nodded. His mind seemed elsewhere. More specifically anywhere but Dana. Yet again, avoidance.

They didn't speak much the rest of the time, mostly a one-sided rant about sleepovers from Dana. When they reached the tattoo parlor, Dana had just finished complaining about how uncomfortable sleeping bags are.

The pair walked through the double doors. Inside, the walls were covered completely by designs. Anything and everything could be found on those four walls. There was a reclining chair and some stools on one side of the room, parallel to a counter. Mulder wandered off to check out the designs while Dana walked over to the counter.

"Do you have a pain chart? I'd like to check what area is the most painful," she asked. The man behind the counter said nothing and handed her a plasticized piece of paper with a labeled human body. The most painful are was the groin and the front of the hip, about five inches below the belly button. The groin was out of the question, so Dana opted for the front of the hip, to the side. Now what do I want permanently inked onto my skin? She wondered. What has marked me so deeply that I want it with me forever? She asked herself. She glanced at Mulder. He was staring at some small designs. She smiled to herself and walked over to him, standing on her tiptoes to look at the designs. There were alien faces, some stars, spaceships, planets, and... Yes! Dana smiled even wider and walked back to the counter. She gave her request and the artist led her to a room behind the counter. Since she chose to be tattooed on the hip, Dana had to take off her trousers, so she got some privacy. The artist sat her down and she watched him dip the needle in black ink. Fear settled inside Dana, the primary fear of pain. The artist walked back to her and brought the needle close to her skin.

"You ready?" He asked. Dana bit her lip and nodded.

Now, when she had checked for the most painful place on the chart, Dana hadn't realized quite how painful. When the needle pierced her epidermis, Dana let out a small scream. She stared at the needle dragging across her skin. Hot tears escaped her eyes.

"Shit, shit, shit!" She screamed. The artist didn't flinch. He continued to draw as Dana screeched.

Thankfully, the tattoo was small, so it only took 10 minutes. Of pain and screams.

When Dana came out of the room, all bandaged up, Mulder was getting his bicep tattooed. His face was red and he was scowling intently. Dana snickered at his grimace.

"Heya, Moldy," she greeted. Mulder shot her a pained smile. He glanced at her arms and shoulders, noticing no bandage.

"Hey..." he groaned. "Where'd you get yours?" His voice was hoarse and strained, which made quite a hilarious effect. Dana raised an eyebrow.

"That's a secret," she said, making Mulder smirk. At least he isn't in pain anymore. Dana approached him carefully, not wanting to surprise the artist and make her jump. When she saw the design, she rolled her eyes.

"Of course you're getting 'trust no one' tattooed onto your bicep," she mused. Mulder grinned. Dana carefully took his Polaroid from his lap and oil three steps back. She snapped a shot and watched it print. The artist finished drawing and disinfected the results and bandaged it up.

"You're all set," she purred. Mulder smiled and payed her. He and Dana walked out, quite satisfied.

"Well, that was fun," Dana said. Mulder smiled. The sun was rising, setting a pink and orange glow on the world. The trees seemed peachy and the grass was shadowed by the buildings and the trees, making it almost black. Dana smiled at the beautiful scenery.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?" She murmured. She could feel Mulder staring at her.

"Yeah, it really is," he answered. Dana rolled her eyes. She stared at Mulder.

"Mulder, are you really going to do that cheesy romance movie thing where you look at the girl and say 'yeah, it really is'?" She teased. She knew Mulder was probably staring at her for a completely different reason, but it was fun to tease. Mulder smirked.

"Whoops, you got me, how embarrassing," he said in a suave movie-star voice. Dana sneered and started walking towards a particularly gorgeous tree. Its branches were smooth and low, easy to climb. Dana hitched herself up on the lowest branch and sat down, her legs dangling. She was facing the sunrise. Mulder walked over to her and stood in front of her, watching the golden-rose sun. He meant back on her dangling legs, getting comfortable to watch the sunrise. Dana smirked and put her arms around his shoulders and posed her chin on his head.

"You okay there, Sculls?" Mulder asked in a cocky voice. Dana lightly kicked him.

"Shut up, asshole."

anyway, what do you think of this chapter? Is stuff happening too soon? Are they too close? Ugh. Creator's curse, man.

- Phancifiles