#winters over
msr | winter time | words: 850
It’s the coldest day, ever. The perky weathergirl has informed him this morning that the temperature would drop to 24 degrees. That’s -5 Celsius, folks, she adds, and Mulder wonders why she even says that.
Scullylistensto the news. She listens to it while doing chores. Mulder used to imagine her listening to things like Bach or even Bruce Springsteen at home, but that was before he really got to know her.
“I take a bath with it.” She laughs when he tells her that assumption.
“A bath with him? With them?”
“No, listening to them.” She chides playfully.
“Who do you listen to when you shower?” He asks.
“You.” She puckers her lips indicating for a little kiss, which he is more than happy to oblige.
But she doesn’t listen to him. Not when she’s showering nor when she’s doing the dishes. She listens to the perky weathergirl on channel 9.
Scully gets cold more easily than he does. The only time she’s ever complained about their office—besides her nonexistent desk, of course— was about the lack of proper heating. She mentioned it once to the Boys, and Langly gave her a handwarmer one Christmas, the little sneaky bastard. Mulder was pissed and so was Frohike; but it was Byers who said not cool man, that’s not cool.
Mulder would actually expect that from Frohike, but Langly? Really?
Sometimes he forgets how popular Scully really is with the boys and the girls.
Mulder brings a portable heater into their office after that New Year, and grins every time she moves it right next to her chair for warmth.
“You lack body fat, Scully.” He says with a serious expression and she rolls her eyes. Not that he has any complaint about Scully’s body, of course; he just thinks that she won’t be as cold.
He offers to move them to California for the sun. Warm, nice, sunny beaches. He’s got nothing tying him to anywhere; he can go wherever she wants to go. Anywhere in the world, as long as it’s with her.
“I like being closer to my mother, Mulder, and San Diego is more like…Bill’s turf.” She reminds him and chuckles when he winces. Only half of that wince is for show.
“We can stay under the radar. What about Pacifica?” He suggests. His cousin Barry lived there for a while.
“Pacifica?”
“Yeah. Near the coast. Warm Pacific Ocean. Not too sunny, not too loud. A nice quiet seaside town. We can go swimming every day, picnic on the sand.” He’s selling this place without even trying to.
“Mulder,” she stops him before he goes further, “you know people typically wear board shorts to the beach, right?”
Scully points at her knee to make a visual for him.
“Are you trying to say I can’t wear my Speedos? Not even the gray ones?”
“You have gray ones?” She responds with an arched eyebrow.
He frowns slightly at her comment; of course he does, most of his swimwear are in dark, solid colors, he’s sure. They’re nothing like his ties.
“I just wanna make sure you know,” she smirks, then adds with a certain nod: “I don’t want to move to Pacifica, Mulder.”
Mulder tries to read what she doesn’t say, then gives in to his curiosity. “Because you want to see me in Speedos?”
Scully just looks at him. She used to look at him like he’s an idiot when he says things like that. She still does, but she does it with a smile, and Mulder wants to make her smile for the rest of her life.
“If it’s by the ocean, the humidity’s gonna get us. We have aging bones and wounded joints. We’re not 25 anymore.” Scully sighs a little, “even with the heater on, I still think my apartment is cold. If I crank it up, I feel like it gets too stuffy and I can’t breathe. This is what I get for being down in that basement of yours without a proper heater.”
She smiles at him to let him know that she isn’t really complaining about her basement. Mulder quickly stands up and runs into her bedroom, leaving her confused with arched eyebrows too late to be seemed.
“Come here.” He says with his arms wide. Her comforter is draped on his shoulder like a cape, and he looks like the silliest Superman.
Scully steps into his open arms and he immediately wraps her up. “Might I interest you in the Mulderheater 3000? It’s loud, but it’s got the nicest motored heart that’ll keep your mind and body warm. You won’t even miss spring.”
“Mmm,Mulderheater 3000,” Scully knocks on his chest with her knuckles. “It’s got a nice built, but I think it’s hard to lug it around places…”
Mulder maneuvers the two of them into the bedroom as she giggles nonstop. Down on the bed they go, and Scully laughs into his chest. He does his best to rain kisses down on her, anywhere his lips can reach:
“Who said anything about going anywhere?”
Tagging@today-in-fic, thank you!
