"Scully?"
"Hmm?"
"Have you ever noticed how small you are?" Mulder said, amused eyes tracking her around the room.
He'd just watched as she tried to get something off a high shelf. She'd had to pull one of the chairs out from behind the desk and tip-toe precariously in her high heels to reach, and even then, she still had to stretch.
Scully didn't bother to look up from the paperwork she was lost in. "No, Mulder, I'd never noticed before," she said, head bent as she noted something down on the page.
He watched her carefully, pencil dangling from his mouth. "I think it's just admirable how you've soldiered on in spite of your condition."
"You'll be the one soldiering your way through an altogether different condition, if you don't stop bothering me," Scully said, still not looking at him.
But Mulder wasn't done yet. As determined as she was to get paperwork done, he was just as determined to procrastinate.
"It must be so difficult," he said, watching her with a crooked smile, "what do you do if there are high shelves and no chairs?"
Scully let out a long sigh. "Pass me the file, Mulder."
"What file?"
"The one on the desk."
"Oh, this one?"
Mulder picked up the file, raising it above his head. "Come and take it, then."
She gave him a warning look. "Mulder."
"You're the one who said you wanted it," Mulder said, examining his fingernails with one hand, the file lifted high in the air.
"I'm not going to play this game with you, Mulder."
"Who said anything about a game?" he said. "I'm just testing your prowess, your capability—"
Scully slammed her hands down on the desk, stood up and yanked his arm down so she could snatch the file from his grasp, before sitting back down and going back to her paperwork as if nothing had happened.
Mulder opened his mouth to stay something more, make another jibe, but then he thought better of it.
He wouldn't put it past her not to knee him in the balls if she so desired.
That didn't mean he'd given up, though.
An hour later, whilst they were waiting for a meeting with Skinner, standing alone outside of his office, he put his elbow on Scully's head.
"What are you doing?"
"You're perfect arm-rest height, did you know that, Scully?" he said, grinning at her.
Scully ducked out from under him. "Keep that up and I'll break your wrist."
Mulder had to smother a smile. Scully-threats were like music to his ears.
A few hours later, when the working day was coming to a close, and Scully had just closed the file and organised her papers ready for filing in the morning, Mulder stood in front of her.
"Well, another day done with, partner," he said. "High five."
He held his hand high up in the air. Scully gave him a withering look and pushed past him out the door.
Mulder followed. "Scully!" he called after her. "Hey, wait, are you still coming back to mine?"
At Mulder's apartment, Scully popped the cap off one of his beer bottles and sank down into his sofa.
"Tough day?" Mulder joked, as he sat down and joined her.
"Would've been easier if my partner hadn't been trying to bother me at every turn," Scully said, with a wry half-smile. "You know, just because I'm a bit smaller than you doesn't mean I can't keep up with you. You don't have to get all big macho man about it."
Mulder blinked. "Is that what you think I think?"
"Why else would you be going on about it all day?"
"That's not true at all," Mulder said, taking her hand and lacing their fingers together. "I know how tough you are. You think all six years of knowing you haven't taught me that you could kick my ass in a heartbeat?"
Scully snorted. "And don't you forget it."
Mulder wrapped his arm around her shoulder. "Never," he whispered into her ear.
That seemed to be the right thing to say, because Scully nestled close to his chest, her arm wrapping around his waist. Mulder pressed a kiss to the crown of her head, reaching up to run his fingers gently through her hair.
The truth was, Mulder loved that she was small.
He loved that when they hugged, he could comfortably tuck his chin on her head. He loved that she had to lift up onto her tip-toes to kiss him. He loved that when they fell asleep together, she was the perfect size for him to hold.
And he loved when she fell asleep on his chest at the end of a long day.
"Scully," he whispered, shaking her gently. "It's time to go to bed."
She didn't stir.
Mulder smiled, gently sliding one arm under legs, the other under her back and scooped her up into his arms. Her eyes fluttered, waking up a little, but she must have been tired because she let him carry her to the bedroom instead of wriggling out of his arms.
Most of all, he loved that she was small enough to carry, and that sometimes, on very special days, she'd actually let him carry her to bed.
Mulder smiled softly, and tucked her in, wondering how the hell he ever got this lucky.