X-Files Fanfiction
Chris Carter's paranormal procedural paired believer Fox Mulder with skeptic Dana Scully and accidentally invented modern shipping — the word itself comes from this fandom. Decades on, AO3's X-Files corner remains a temple to MSR (Mulder/Scully Romance), filled with casefile fic that recreates the show's monster-of-the-week structure, missing scenes from nine seasons of charged glances, and revival-era fixes for William and the disastrous finale arcs. The fandom's literary standards are famously high, a legacy of its mailing-list era.
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What is X-Files fanfiction?
X-Files fanfiction is fan-created stories set in the The X-Files universe. With over 25,000 works on Archive of Our Own, X-Files is one of the most popular fandoms in the fanfiction community.
These stories explore beloved characters like Fox Mulder, Dana Scully, Walter Skinner, The Smoking Man, and many more. Writers create everything from short one-shots to epic novel-length adventures, exploring relationships, alternate universes, and "what if" scenarios.
Most Popular X-Files Fanfics
These are the highest-rated X-Files stories on AO3, ranked by kudos from readers.
Fan Art
by msrafterdark
Tumblr has seen fit to change its TOS policies regarding "adult" content, and unfortunately that means a lot of the intimate illustrations I've done over the years are no longer allowed. AO3 will now be the new home for these fan drawings.Generally everything in this set is MSR, unless otherwise ind
Fox Mulder, Closet Romantic
by SilhouetteOfACedar
The Unauthorized FBI Guide to Seducing Your Platonic Colleague
Incrementum
by lepusarcticus
They’re just worked up from the case, he tells himself. They’re just blowing off steam. Just this once.**On temporary hiatus**
Territorial Pissings
by OnlyTheInevitable
After being repeatedly flirted with while working a case, Scully gives Mulder permission to be openly territorial and possessive of her in the hopes of scaring off her suitors. A task he is more than willing to help with.
All That is Dark and Bright
by Malibusunset
Up through Emily (except Emily does not die. Please see author’s notes).
Gaslight
by SisterSpooky1013
Dana wakes up to a life she doesn’t recognize, a life in which someone very important is missing—if only she could remember who.
Mine
by lepusarcticus
Mulder finishes his sentence.
Partners with Benefits
by OnlyTheInevitable
Mulder and Scully try being friends with benefits. Will it work out, or will their feelings for each other complicate things?
He is the Master of His Fate, She is the Captain of Her Soul
by ScullyLikesScience
Story begins during the final events of “The Sixth Extinction II: Amor Fati.” It then chronicles a canon-compliant progression of Mulder and Scully's relationship throughout Season 7, including the beginning of their love affair, and on through Seasons 8 & 9. The story will conclude post-IWTB, and m
Undercover Swing
by 2momsmakearight
Mulder and Scully go undercover to find a heinous criminal..., who also happens to hosts sex partiesFINAL CHAPTER UPDATED!!
Time Enough at Last
by bayloriffic
Sharing a room with Scully isn’t nearly as much fun as he’d hoped it would be.
Times Colliding
by OnlyTheInevitable
One night Mulder went to bed with his pregnant wife, and the next morning he wakes up back in 1998. Not only does he have to convince Scully to believe him, but they have to figure out how to make things right again so he can get back to the life he's worked so hard for. All the while, in 2018, Muld
Words of Lust
by OnlyTheInevitable
Their attraction to each other is something that can't be ignored. A compilation of Mulder and Scully's desires through one-word prompts.
Ka(M)a/(S)utra
by msrafterdark
I genuinely don't know how many poses I will get through, considering many of them will push my anatomical studies beyond my artistic abilities (lol), but consider this the Kama Sutra with Mulder and Scully. ❤
Nurse Mulder
by OnlyTheInevitable
When Scully gets injured on a case, she tries her best to hide it from Mulder, but he inevitably finds out and it turns out Scully needs more TLC than she initially assumed.
Nuptiae Sub Rosa
by SisterSpooky1013
A series of canon-compliant missing scenes showing that some dynamics of Mulder and Scully’s relationship may have changed much earlier than previously thought.
Chicken Dinner
by cecily_sass
Dinner at Mrs. Scully’s. Mulder overhears Maggie speaking to her friends about her daughter’s relationship with her partner. What he hears floors him.
Five Years and a Lifetime
by MonikaFileFan
Dana Scully is an award winning pediatrician who meets Fox Mulder, a gifted child psychologist at a medical conference where they spend one steamy night together. Five years later their worlds collide once again, forcing them to face the past that will change their future in ways neither could have
Be Kind, Rewind
by OnlyTheInevitable
Mulder and Scully are tasked with watching porn together while researching a case, but it doesn't take long for the conversation to stray from professional observations to personal revelations.
The Newlywed Game
by OnlyTheInevitable
While going out for dinner, Scully runs into an ex and Mulder valliantly pretends to be her husband. However, that little lie traps them into having to play the Newlywed Game in front of a bunch of strangers and they have to navigate admitting feelings they haven't even admitted to themselves.
X-Files Fanfics by Length
Pick a reading commitment — from one-sitting one-shots to 100k+ epics:
Best X-Files Fanfic Rec Lists
Popular X-Files Ships
MSR
Fox Mulder/Dana Scully
Mulder and Scully invented modern shipping — the term itself comes from X-Files fandom arguing over them in the 90s. A believer and a skeptic, partners for decades of conspiracies, abductions, and one improbable child, theirs is the ur-text of the slow burn.
10,000 works →
Krycek/Mulder
Alex Krycek/Fox Mulder
The treacherous triple agent betrayed Mulder in every conceivable way across seven seasons, then kissed his cheek before vanishing into the conspiracy. 'M/K' was one of the 1990s' defining slash ships, all handcuffs, grudges, and Russian detours.
2,500 works →
Common X-Files Tropes
Popular Characters
Frequently Asked Questions
How many X-Files fanfics are on AO3?
There are over 25,000 X-Files fanfiction works on Archive of Our Own, making it one of the platform's largest fandoms.
What are the best X-Files ships?
Popular X-Files pairings include MSR, Krycek/Mulder. Each ship has thousands of dedicated stories exploring their relationship.
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