palette in the moonlight | x-files teen au

vii. remembering a freaky friday on a messy monday

[trigger warning for graphic depictions of abuse and violence]

[seriously this is the cliché fight chapter and considering the fact I'm edgy I'm going to milk this]

"Whenever I see you, you manage to become more jacked up than last time." Scully says, looking at her lab partner try to hide yet another blue, borderline purple bruise on his arm.

"I've told you before, I'm a clumsy guy." he responds, chuckling, pulling at his shirt sleeves.

Scully raises an eyebrow.

"Uh-huh." she replies, resting her chin in her hand. Her way of saying 'yeah, okay, mhm, I don't believe a single thing you're saying' without saying anything at all.

"Seriously, I'm fine," he assures her, "I mean, just remember last Friday. I can't open a car door without falling on my ass."

And Scully remembers Friday. But not that specific part of Friday.

She remembers coffee with Monica. She remembers what she told her about Mulder.

And for once, when he starts talking about aliens, she actually listens.

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It's almost fifth period when she hears laughter in the hallways, and it's almost fifth period when she decides to follow the laughter.

It's almost fifth period when she walks in on Dean Dermott repeatedly banging Mulder's head face first against his own locker.

A small crowd of six to seven people stands around them, cheering Dermott on.

Mulder doesn't shout. Mulder doesn't cry. Mulder merely whimpers every time the sound of skin and bones hitting hollow metal echoes across the hallway.

Scully pushes through the small crowd, and before anyone can stop her, she's firlmy grabbing Dean's arm.

"Stop it!" she shouts, but he ignores her, and keeps going.

"Stop it!" she repeats herself, digging her nails into his arm. "Are you deaf, asshole? Stop it!"

Dean's not much bigger than Mulder (it's more the fact that Mulder has barely any muscle or mass at all), but other than that, he's a stereotypical abuser, the kind that beats kids in school for hanging out with his 6th grade ex, and will probably end up beating his next girlfriend sometime in the near future.

He pushes Scully away, turning around. However, upon actually realising who it is trying to get him to release Mulder, he stops.

He stops temporarily, that is. Long enough to turn Mulder's face to look at Scully.

"Hey, Spooky, guess what? Your girlfriend's here to save you! Why don't you say hi, Spooky?" he teases sadistically.

Scully can't bare looking at Mulder, and Mulder can tell, desperately trying to turn his head back despite Dermott's grasp.

His vision is fuzzy, and he can barely keep his eyes open. Thanks to the black eye he earned before, she can almost not tell his right eye is open at all. He has a hard time realising who, exactly, Dermott is talking about at first; everything is blurry. Partly due to the fact he's trying to hold back tears, and partly due to the physical pain of having your head banged against an empty locker.