palette in the moonlight | x-files teen au

vi. consuming caffeine and catching up

She decides not to tell Monica about the car ride. Her best friend isn't like other people, but even she would assume that there's something going on between them.

They both take a seat at The Moonshine.

The Moonshine is a new café not far from school that, surprisingly, doesn't serve moonshine (issuing many 'false advertising' jokes from class clowns directed to the overworked young waitresses at the café).

The café itself is known for the fact that whoever makes the coffee also draws tiny symbols in it using the cream, and the symbol can, in a way, predict your future. The fortune cookies of coffee. Rather cute.

Scully and Monica both order coffee.

"Man, the weather was crap earlier," Monica starts, "Reminds me, you didn't have an umbrella. How'd you get home?"

"Bill gave me a ride home." Scully quickly lies.

"Really? He did that?" Monica asks, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Didn't you say you weren't on speaking terms since you walked in on him and his girlfriend procreating?" she can't help but chuckle at her own use of the verb 'procreate'.

"Oh, you know older brothers," the shorter girl takes a deep breath, indicating she's about to make something up, "no matter how angry they can get, they're always awfully protective of their younger siblings."

"Speaking of older brothers, have you and Spooky spoken at all since this  morning?" Monica inquires.

"What do you mean 'speaking of'? I thought Mulder was an only child." Dana asks as the waitress sets down their drinks, right before mouthing a "thank you".

"Why do you think they call him 'Spooky'?" Monica takes a sip of her coffee.

"The whole thing about aliens and space? His obsession with the two?" The other assumes.

"It's a long story, really." Monica adds.

"I've got time." Scully responds.

She leans back into the chair, crossing her legs.

"Well, he was pretty much normal til 7th grade. He had a younger sister, Samantha," Monica begins, "however, when he was 12, Samantha went missing. Their parents left them alone for the night, and she was gone when they came back. Everyone at school automatically assumed Mulder killed her after he claimed she was abducted."

"But isn't that a plausible explanation? Kids often get abducted straight from home." Scully interrupted.

"You didn't let me finish. He claimed that they were arguing, and a bright light appeared. That he saw some dark silhouette that paralysed him, and that she was simply pulled out of their window by some kind of tractor beam."

Scully stays silent for a few moments, looking down at her drink.

"Do you believe it? That she was abducted, I mean?" she asks.

"I don't know," Monica replies, her voice softer this time. "but I don't think he killed her, I can tell you that. I've known him since elementary school. He adored her, Dana."

Scully blankly stares at her still untouched cup of coffee.

"Can I tell you something? If that wasn't too much, I mean?" Monica asks, and the other lightly nods.

"I don't think they still believe he killed her, the kids at school," the brunette states, "I think, at this point, they're just fucking with him for the fun of it."

"God, that's vile." Scully feels her stomach turn at the thought of it.

"Tell me about it. I don't know how I'd stay sane in that situation." Monica replies, "But Mulder seems to manage."

Mulder seems to manage.

Once Monica finishes her coffee, Scully realises she hasn't even touched hers. Regardless, she pays for both.

Monica halts a cab, but the other decides to walk home instead of joining her.

They say their goodbyes and Dana heads towards her destination.

It's weird how a few sentences can make you feel different about a person. They can make you lose all respect for that person. On the other hand, they can also make you feel admiration you never knew were capable of feeling.

Or just one.

Or, in the case of Dana Scully, four words.

One noun, three verbs.

Mulder seems to manage.