The X-Files Ficlet: Summer of ‘73
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Title: Summer of ‘73
Author: Mistress Kat / kat_lair
Fandom: The X-Files
Characters: Samantha Mulder, Fox Mulder
Genre: Gen, pre-series
Rating: PG
Word count: 582
Disclaimer: Not mine, only playing
Summary: It’s not like Sam’s that bothered about playing baseball but at least it would get her out of the house for a few hours.
Author notes: Written for wendelah1 as a fill for her prompt in the ‘Sugar and Spice’ female-centric fanworksathon. Her prompt was: Samantha Mulder, gen, pre-series, "Fox, how come you never let me play baseball with you and your friends?" This is un-betaed.
Sam is bored. Summers in Martha’s Vineyard are boring. There’s nothing to do. All her friends go away because their parents take them on holidays to somewhere interesting, because their families are interesting and not as hopelessly, irrevocably boring as Sam’s.
‘Irrevocably’ is one of Sam’s favourite new words. It means something that can’t be cancelled or altered, something that is true or going to happen no matter what. Like Sam’s family being irrevocably boring.
Or Sam’s brother being an irrevocable buttface.
“You’re a mean buttface!” Sam says. She’s standing on the doorway, watching Fox carefully packing his gym bag.
“Yep,” he says, not even arguing back which is so annoying Sam kind of wants to go and kick him in the shins, just to get him to pay attention.
“Come oooon,” Sam pleads. She’s aware she’s pouting and that too makes her angry because Fox has the ability to make her behave like a little girl even though she’s way too grown up for stuff like that. “You never let me come with you. You said yourself that you were a player short. I’m eight now and tall for my age.” She’d heard mom say that to Mrs Leroy last week.
Fox snorts. “You’re not that tall.” He shoulders his bag and pushes past Sam, starting down the stairs. “And didn’t mom say you two were going to bake cookies?”
Sam follows him down and out to the front yard. “I don’t want to bake cookies. Besides, mom’s being... weird.” She whispers the last bit even though there’s no one else around to hear. Dad is at work like always and mom is hanging the laundry at the back.
Something about Fox’s expression shifts and softens; he knows exactly what she’s talking about. Over the last few weeks, they’ve spent a lot of evenings huddled together on the landing, listening to their parents fighting in hushed voices. Sam doesn’t know what about, but dad’s been even more short-tempered than usual and mom... well, mom keeps hugging her all the time and makes up things for her to do inside the house like she doesn’t want Sam to have any fun anymore.
That’s really why she is so desperate for Fox to take her with him. It’s not like Sam’s that bothered about playing baseball but at least it would get her out of the house for a few hours.
Fox hesitates, one leg already thrown over his bike, thumb nail worrying at the tattered handlebar. For a minute Sam thinks she’s won but then her brother shakes his head. “Maybe next time, Sam,” he says, looking almost regretful when her face crumbles. “Look, we’ll play catch when I’m back, okay?”
Fox pushes off and within seconds he’s out of sight, disappeared beyond the bend of the drive.
“Butthead!” Sam shouts after him. She’s seething and it feels almost irrevocable, like she’ll stay like this always; angry and alone in the picture book perfect summer’s day.
Of course, it doesn’t last. Before long mom comes looking for her and with a sigh Sam turns around and stomps back to the house. Fox won’t be back for at least three hours but when he is she’s totally going make him keep his promise and teach her to throw baseball. And hit it too.
And she’ll be so good at it that the next time he’ll have to take her with him. Because Sam sure isn’t spending the whole summer cooped up at home.
***
Title: Summer of ‘73
Author: Mistress Kat / kat_lair
Fandom: The X-Files
Characters: Samantha Mulder, Fox Mulder
Genre: Gen, pre-series
Rating: PG
Word count: 582
Disclaimer: Not mine, only playing
Summary: It’s not like Sam’s that bothered about playing baseball but at least it would get her out of the house for a few hours.
Author notes: Written for wendelah1 as a fill for her prompt in the ‘Sugar and Spice’ female-centric fanworksathon. Her prompt was: Samantha Mulder, gen, pre-series, "Fox, how come you never let me play baseball with you and your friends?" This is un-betaed.
Sam is bored. Summers in Martha’s Vineyard are boring. There’s nothing to do. All her friends go away because their parents take them on holidays to somewhere interesting, because their families are interesting and not as hopelessly, irrevocably boring as Sam’s.
‘Irrevocably’ is one of Sam’s favourite new words. It means something that can’t be cancelled or altered, something that is true or going to happen no matter what. Like Sam’s family being irrevocably boring.
Or Sam’s brother being an irrevocable buttface.
“You’re a mean buttface!” Sam says. She’s standing on the doorway, watching Fox carefully packing his gym bag.
“Yep,” he says, not even arguing back which is so annoying Sam kind of wants to go and kick him in the shins, just to get him to pay attention.
“Come oooon,” Sam pleads. She’s aware she’s pouting and that too makes her angry because Fox has the ability to make her behave like a little girl even though she’s way too grown up for stuff like that. “You never let me come with you. You said yourself that you were a player short. I’m eight now and tall for my age.” She’d heard mom say that to Mrs Leroy last week.
Fox snorts. “You’re not that tall.” He shoulders his bag and pushes past Sam, starting down the stairs. “And didn’t mom say you two were going to bake cookies?”
Sam follows him down and out to the front yard. “I don’t want to bake cookies. Besides, mom’s being... weird.” She whispers the last bit even though there’s no one else around to hear. Dad is at work like always and mom is hanging the laundry at the back.
Something about Fox’s expression shifts and softens; he knows exactly what she’s talking about. Over the last few weeks, they’ve spent a lot of evenings huddled together on the landing, listening to their parents fighting in hushed voices. Sam doesn’t know what about, but dad’s been even more short-tempered than usual and mom... well, mom keeps hugging her all the time and makes up things for her to do inside the house like she doesn’t want Sam to have any fun anymore.
That’s really why she is so desperate for Fox to take her with him. It’s not like Sam’s that bothered about playing baseball but at least it would get her out of the house for a few hours.
Fox hesitates, one leg already thrown over his bike, thumb nail worrying at the tattered handlebar. For a minute Sam thinks she’s won but then her brother shakes his head. “Maybe next time, Sam,” he says, looking almost regretful when her face crumbles. “Look, we’ll play catch when I’m back, okay?”
Fox pushes off and within seconds he’s out of sight, disappeared beyond the bend of the drive.
“Butthead!” Sam shouts after him. She’s seething and it feels almost irrevocable, like she’ll stay like this always; angry and alone in the picture book perfect summer’s day.
Of course, it doesn’t last. Before long mom comes looking for her and with a sigh Sam turns around and stomps back to the house. Fox won’t be back for at least three hours but when he is she’s totally going make him keep his promise and teach her to throw baseball. And hit it too.
And she’ll be so good at it that the next time he’ll have to take her with him. Because Sam sure isn’t spending the whole summer cooped up at home.
***