Chapter Text
His sleeves rolled up, tie loosened hours ago and that stupid pair of glasses on his nose. Everyone with eyes would find him attractive and add that the way he cared about her, his little quips she tried not to smile at and literally having saved her life, everybody would fall in love with him. And not even life saving in the way most FBI partners will, well that too, no he literally found the cure to her cancer. How could she not be in love with him? It was only logical. Everybody would.
Yes, it was the only logical conclusion.
Oh, god. He is opening his drawer. A quick prayer to God but no luck he is getting his seeds out. She hates and loves them with a passion. The way he twirls his tongue around them it drove her positively crazy. It is ridicules how he affected her. She knew that and believe her that she tried to stop it, her more than partnerly thoughts about her partner.
She knows she should look away, stop another pair of panties from being ruined. But she doesn't because she was incredibly weak for this infuriating man and his perfect mouth and tongue she definitely doesn't dream about at night. If he would just glance at her for a moment he would notice her staring which also really should make her look away. But still she doesn't
They were already by seed number eight and slowly she herself found her staring concerning. Perfect, she thinks as he licks over his lips. Slowly, languidly and truly maddening.
She needs a distraction, a nice, attractive man that was nothing like Mulder. Only that she had tried that and had felt awful afterwards, like she had cheated on him in some kind. And not to forget that Ed had tried to kill her or that she hadn't even admitted to herself at the time that she was desperately in love with Mulder.
She isn't sure if she even had been in love with him at the time in a romantically sense. At least a little, if the feeling of betrayal told her anything.
"Scully?"
Fuck she was still staring at him. "Hm?" Straightening up, pretend to have thought about something very hard that wasn't his tongue.
His brows furrow in worry. "You're alright?"
She clears her throat, an unsuccessful attempt to regain her composure. Why does he have to be so sweet right now? Can't he throw a file on her desk and destroy her weekend plans? "Yes, sorry I zoned out."
"Something on your mind?"
It's been only about two weeks since she went into remission and he is worried over her more than ever. If she didn't know she would be exactly the same she would be more annoyed. "I have to get groceries later. How's your arm?" Diversion. Diversion. Diversion.
He rolls his shoulder a few times and throws a paper ball in the bin with a boyish grin. "As good as new."
She wouldn't go that far. A knock on the door sounded and they both turn to it as it opens. Skinner. Exactly what's missing right now.
"Agents."
"Sir. What can we do for you?" Mulder asks, standing up. After the disaster their, what should've been a team seminar was, he is extra complying. It is on a small level amusing on another, little bigger level, frustrating, because he could if he wanted to be cooperative.
Her eyes fall on the file in Skinner's hand before he answered Mulder and she sees her weekends plans fly by. Not that she has that many. Visit her mother, mentioned grocery shopping and wallowing in her feelings for her colleague. So really a wild two days.
"Team building seminar. Next week in San Francisco," he says court and hands Mulder the file.
"Sir—"
"No discussion Agent Mulder. Your flight is Monday morning and you're going straight to the hotel from the airport. No, detours. I'm going to check in with the organizers to make sure you don't take off after a day." He takes a look at her, telling her with his eyes that it is her responsibility to get Mulder there and keep him there. As if she could if he really wanted.
"Of course sir," she replies, stepping next to Mulder. There were a lot of things she would rather do than to be stuck in a stuffy hotel with other agents building furniture towers but her weekend plans were not destroyed and they could have taken worse than San Francisco. It's been ages since she'd been at the west coast, even longer when she doesn't count their cases where they have usually not much time for strolls along the shore.
"Good evening Agents."
Skinner is out the door before Mulder can set on to complain. He throws the file on the table where it almost slips if not for her hand stopping it. He mutters something to himself, annoyance just so ebbing off him. She doesn't pay him any mind, knowing he will need a few minutes and opens the file. Their flight and hotel information and the schedule— five days. Okay maybe there were not a lot of worse things than five days of a team building seminar. The one last week was three days which honestly more than enough days.
A quick glance up at Mulder but he is still mumbling angry. Better keep that from him as long as possible. Better for her to take the file with her home or he'll find a way to loose the plane tickets or something. It will be a long week. An even longer one if he is in a bad mood the entire time.
He turns back to her and she quickly shuts the file shut. "I can't believe it Scully. I thought we had at least until next year or I would've thought of something. How did he even find something so quick? Doesn't he have to signs us up weeks or months in advance?"
She can't hold back a small smile at his frustration but stands, gathering her things to hid it. "No idea but I'm going to call it a day. Monday, eight a.m. at the airport. Don't try to get out of it Mulder."
The hum that leaves his mouth, as he flops down on his chair, is not all that reassuring. But better than nothing, she tells herself with a sigh. "Don't stay too late," she says, before leaving their office. Her eyes lingering on him a moment longer than necessary.