#jalloween in july

[spookyshipperfics]

Boyfriend

Find it: a03 / Fandom: The X-Files / Rating: Mature

Part of the Do You Like Scary Movies? series

Tagging @today-in-fic

What is it About? Scully and Mulder might have recently crossed into a romantic relationship, but that doesn’t mean she wants to call him her boyfriend. However, when Mulder surprises her while babysitting her godson, it has Scully questioning her stance on labels.

Read a Sample:

She’d just scooped the pumpkin seeds into the trash when her phone chirped.

“Scully,” she answered, making eye contact with the jack-o’-lantern on the kitchen table.

“What are you wearing?” Mulder purred on the other end of the line.

She rolled her eyes, even without him there to be her audience. “Not a costume if that’s what you’re wondering.”

He sighed. “Not even the witch hat?”

“Not even the witch hat,” she echoed through a smile, remembering how he’d plopped down the pointy black hat on the desk this morning. What? It’s Halloween? He’d teased with a mischievous grin. “What do you want, Mulder?”

“I miss you,” he admitted with such sincerity it made her heart clench.

“I miss you too, but I’m babysitting my godson tonight. I told you that.”

“I know,” he replied. “That’s why I’m outside.”

“You’re what?” she gasped. Scully marched into the living room to peek through the drapes. Sure enough, she spotted his car in front of the house. He must have known exactly what she would do because the car light flicked on. He gave her a little wave before hitting the switch, encapsulating himself in darkness again.

“Mulder,” she practically hissed, “How long have you been out there?”

“I just got here,” he responded. “That’s why I called.”

“I’m supposed to be babysitting.”

“Sneak me in once the kiddo is in bed.”

“He’s already in bed,” she said, reliving her godson’s protests. It had been a long night of trick-or-treating. Trent had been over-tired, too much excitement and Halloween candy to blame.

“I’ll be there in a minute then,” Mulder assured before any protest could leave her mouth.

A soft knock returned her to the kitchen. She pulled open the back door to find Mulder in a fitted gray T-shirt, hands shoved into the pockets of his jeans.

“You could have come through the front,” she remarked.

“Then I wouldn’t be sneaking in,” he countered before planting a kiss on the edge of her mouth and pushing into the kitchen.

“Mulder,” she sighed. “We are both in our thirties. I don’t necessarily have to sneak you in.”

“You’re no fun, Scully.” Curious hands halted their exploration of the jack-o’-lantern centering the table. “I was thinking we could steal some booze and raid the fridge. Maybe get a little handsy on the couch.” He waggled his eyebrows.

“Ellen said I could help myself to anything in the fridge, so snacks and alcohol shouldn’t be much of a problem.”

“Gee, you sure know how to dampen a guy’s fantasy,” he teased. Ever the investigator, Mulder surveyed her friend’s kitchen like a crime scene, fingers dancing across knickknacks and parsing through a forgotten stack of magazines on the counter. He’d only been to Ellen’s house once to pick her up when her car was in the shop. He’d never been inside.

“You’ll notice that I didn’t say anything about the last half of your musings,” she offered. “Getting a little handsy on the couch shouldn’t be much of a problem either.”

He stopped in his tracks. “Admit it. You like the idea of playing the innocent babysitter, don’t you?”

Her only response was an eye roll. She opened the fridge Mulder was so interested in raiding and removed a bottle of white wine.

“Did you hear about the patient who escaped from Smith’s Grove Sanitarium last night?” Mulder asked, never deterred by her silence.

She shook her head as she set about uncorking the Chardonnay.

“I was listening to the radio on the way here,” he continued. “Local law enforcement issued an official warning. They’re calling him dangerous and most likely armed.”

“What’d he do?”

“The broadcast mentioned something about murdering his sister when he was a kid.”

“Jesus.” She was mid-pour and focused on keeping her hand steady. “Of all the days to escape, he decided on Halloween. You’ve got to admit that’s a bit creepy.”

“Guy’s been locked up for close to fifteen years. Maybe he wanted to get some trick-or-treating in.”

“Smith’s Grove Sanitarium is only a couple of hours from here. Do you think we will get involved?”

“Without anything overtly supernatural going on? Doubtful.”

She thought back to Donnie Pfaster and was suddenly grateful for Mulder’s disinterest in the manhunt. Human monsters were often worse than fantastical ones. With the glasses filled, she put the bottle away. No more than a second after she closed the refrigerator door did she feel Mulder directly behind her, hands on her hips.

She spun around to face him. “About those snacks. What do you want?”

“What do you have?” He took a step forward, pinning her against the counter. He was so big, so close, that warmth blossomed between her legs.

“Popcorn. Chips. Pretzels, maybe.” Scully hoped she sounded normal, but her growing arousal had a slight quiver slipping into her voice. “Oh, I also have candy. Lots of Halloween candy.”

“Hmmm,” he purred as one of his hands traveled from her waist to the button on her pants. “If I was craving something sweet, I’d much rather taste you.”

“Dana?” Trent’s sleep-hazy voice drifted from the doorway. Mulder jumped back from her like he’d been scalded.

“Trent! Hi,” she stuttered already half-way across the room. “What’s wrong?” Her hands darted out to rub his shoulder in a clumsy maternal gesture.

“I just need a glass of water,” the child responded, eyes bouncing between her and Mulder.

“Oh, Trent, this is Mulder,” she blurted, suddenly feeling a lot like the guilty, horny babysitter of Mulder’s boyish fantasies.

Mulder approached Trent. Scully half-expected him to formally shake the kid’s hand. Instead, Mulder gave him a fist bump. “Hey, buddy.”

“Are you Dana’s boyfriend?” Trent asked.

“Something like that,” Mulder responded, turning to her with a wink.

Warmth flooded her cheeks. “Mulder is my work partner and my friend.”

Mulder’s shoulder deflated the tiniest bit. Her heart turned heavy. An anchor pulled it from her chest into the pit of her stomach, where it felt low and hollow.

She’d been minimizing their relationship since it crossed into romantic territory. Still, she wasn’t ignorant of the way Skinner’s curious gaze studied them from across the room. The way her brother’s eyes narrowed when Mulder accompanied her to their last family barbeque. Yet, even her mother’s inquiries were met with groans and brush-offs.

Mulder and I are just friends.

Fear and embarrassment kept the truth from leaving her lips. Fear that a label would only bring complications. Embarrassment that she was the woman who’d gotten entangled with her co-worker against policy… again. But who was she kidding? She and Mulder were never just friends. She owed him more than another brush-off—much more.

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