A/N: A little early-series-inspired drabble, probably mid-S2, assuming that timeline is correct. I know this doesn't align with 4x17 (where Scully mentions that Mulder has never remembered her birthday), but I like the idea of him wanting to do something nice for her, even if he isn't quite sure exactly what.
This is the first X-Files fic I've ever put on paper, so please be kind. :)
"Sir? How may I help you?"
Mulder shifts his gaze from the glass display case full of sugary, frosting-covered treats to the woman standing behind it. She's a little older—fifty-five, perhaps sixty—and he smiles at her as he notices her grayish-brown hair pulled up into a precise bun. He takes note of the name on her tag before he speaks.
"Hi there, Anna," he says, glancing down at the cupcakes in front of him. "I'd like to get a cupcake."
"Okay," she responds, smiling back at him. "Is this for you, or someone else?"
"Someone else," Mulder answers, resting his chin in the crook between his thumb and forefinger, which he taps lightly on his cheek as he ponders the variety of options.
"Your girlfriend?" Anna assumes, and Mulder shakes his head.
"No. My partner. We work together."
"That's lovely of you. Well, what does—" she pauses as she realizes she doesn't know the name.
"Scully. Dana, actually. That's what most people call her. But she's Scully to me."
"Is this for a special occasion?"
Mulder nods. "It's her birthday tomorrow, and I just…" He shrugs. "I thought she'd like a cupcake. Most girls like cupcakes, don't they?"
Anna chuckles. "Yes, son, I think they do. Now, what kind of cake does Dana like?"
Mulder pauses. "I don't know, really. We've only been working together for a few months. Not quite a year. I don't know her that well."
Which isn't entirely true, because Mulder knows that eleven months is quite a bit of time to get to know someone, particularly when most of his waking hours have been spent by her side. And when he considers what they've been through together in the last year, well—
But none of that matters in this moment, because he still doesn't know what kind of cake she likes.
"How about I tell you a little bit about each kind, and perhaps that will help you decide?" Anna suggests.
"That sounds good," Mulder says approvingly. He listens as she describes them all, flavors like vanilla, chocolate, red velvet, coconut, and the corners of his lips turn up into a smile when she says something about "buttercream," because he can just imagine eating that by the spoonful.
"So, dear. Which one do you think Miss Dana would like?"
Mulder points to a cupcake in the middle, covered in chocolate frosting with round sprinkles. "You said that one is funfetti, right?"
She nods in agreement. "Those sprinkles are throughout, as well, so it looks like there's confetti in the cake."
Mulder nods. "That's perfect."
Anna glances at him a bit skeptically, and he can sense that she wants to ask him why he didn't pick the red velvet with the cream cheese frosting, or even something with buttercream, but she simply removes the cupcake from the case and places it gently in a small plastic container.
He trades her a five-dollar bill for the cupcake and thanks her for her time. Anna offers him a small wave as he turns to exit the shop.
Mulder arrives early, before Scully, so he can set the cupcake in the center of the desk. He moves off to the side to work on some files so that she'll definitely notice it when she enters the office.
He hears her footsteps about twenty minutes later, and her greeting not long after, a cheerful "good morning!" in her honeyed tones.
"Mulder?" she calls out, shrugging off her peacoat. "What's this on the desk?"
He scoots back in his chair so that he's visible to her from across the room and grins, intertwining his fingers. "It's a cupcake."
"I can see that now," Scully says, leaning over to inspect it more closely. "Perhaps I should rephrase: why is there a cupcake on the desk?"
"I seem to recall something about a special lady's birthday," he answers. "I thought a cupcake seemed like a suitable breakfast for one's birthday."
He expects Scully to roll her eyes, but she doesn't; instead, she smiles as she picks up the small container and inspects the treat inside. "Funfetti," she muses, recognizing the sprinkles. "With chocolate frosting."
She doesn't say anything for a moment, and Mulder is suddenly nervous, thinking that she probably detests cupcakes or hates chocolate frosting or both, and mentally smacks himself upside the head for not knowing what kind of dessert she likes.
But then she pops open the plastic and removes the cupcake, and he admires her dexterity as she gently pulls the wrapper away from the cake and takes a bite, a bit of frosting remaining on her face.
Scully licks the remaining frosting from her upper lip, and Mulder tries not to think about the kinds of things that does to him.
She places the cupcake down on the desk before turning to him. "I think I need coffee to go with my birthday breakfast," she says. "Want some?"
"I'll go with you," he offers, and they make the short walk in comfortable silence.
"Thank you," Scully adds as they reach the coffee pot. "This was really thoughtful of you."
"You're welcome," Mulder replies, and reaches for the handle of the pot as she pours some sugar into her cup.
"How did you know I'd like funfetti?" she inquires, idly stirring the sugar into her coffee with a swizzle stick.
He shrugs as they walk back to the office. "A lucky guess. Seemed like an appropriate thing for the occasion."
Mulder's hand brushes the small of her back as she walks through the door ahead of him, and Scully smiles to herself. "Let's get to work."
He shakes his head. "Nah. Not yet. You need to finish your breakfast, birthday girl."