He didn't really know when such an obsession started to develop in his head, his heart, his entire body. An unhealthy obssession on his co-worker, Agent Dana Scully. Every detail he learnt about her fascinated him. The way she would put the strands of her hair behind her ear, how she looked with her clearly over-sized suit, her voice on the telephone when he would wake her at three in the morning to talk about a new case. The list soon became endless, discovering new facets of her every day. Maybe it all started when she returned from his abduction, maybe sooner, maybe during the night they spent under the pouring rain in Oregon, at the very beginning of their partnership.
He couldn't tell what he was feeling, though. Was it some kind of admiration, something that was totally normal to feel ? Or maybe it was more than that, something deeper, stronger, pushing the boundaries of their -oh so- special relationship.
All he knew for now is that this obsession was becoming too strong to handle. And seeing her, sitting cross-legged, dressed with casual clothes she had decided to slip on after their rather hard day they spent chasing fictional creatures, sipping her usual glass of wine definitely did not help.
"Mulder, are you okay ?" she eventually asks after a moment of silence, "You seem... lost in your thoughts." Mulder finally comes back from his thinking, turning his head to face her, noticing her raised eyebrow. Hu, another detail he could add to his mental list, that eyebrow she liked to raise at any occasion, giving her a judgmental look he secretly found kind of attractive. "Yeah, sure, Scully. I'm just a bit disappointed by this case. I really thought we were close to find something and didn't made a four hours long car ride for nothing." he answers with a little smile, grabbing his beer bottle and drinking a long sip, hoping that alcoohol could help him getting through this evening. They were sitting in a booth near a big window, the lights from the street mixing with the crappy lightning of the bar and reflecting on Scully's hair and skin. Even after a long day she was looking so great, her bright red hair enhancing her translucid blue eyes, those eyes that could kill a man. God, he really needed to stop focusing on her like that, he was going to loose his mind.
"Oh, I know what to do to cheer us up" he suddenly says, out of his reverie, raising his hand to the waitress, ordering a couple of tequila shots. "Mulder, I really don't know if this is a good idea. We have to leave tomorrow in the morning." "Come on. We won't drink that much. Just a little, to change our ideas. Plus, we don't actually need to leave that early. Trust me Scully, it will be fun. When was the last time we enjoyed each other company that way ?" he replys in a convincing tone. She simply nodds, she couldn't decline the proposal as the waitress was already here with the little glasses. And to be truly honest, she simply can't decline anything from Mulder when he made that puppy face, even if she would never tell him, it was already hard enough for her to accept it. Without thinking, they both swallow all of the liquor in a small gulp, laughing at each other disgust face. They didn't drink strong beverages that much and had kind of forgot how it burns your throat. After a short moment to recover, he raises his hand a second time for another couple of shots. "See Scully ? This will be fun." Mulder claims, letting out a wink. She answers by a smile, a real one. Wow. It was a long time since she had smiled at him like that. Right now, he is the proudest man on heart, having a Scully smiling at him in the most beautiful way, but this feeling is soon replaced by jealousy, like, does she smile that much on a regular basis ? Maybe she just didn't smile at him. Jealousy. That's new. "Ready for another round Agent Mulder ?" she asks mischievously grabbing her own shot in her hand ,clinking it against Mulder's and drinks it in one go. And before Mulder's amazed eyes, she lets out a soft giggle.
"How many of them can we take in your opinion ?"
But he can't answer right away, still stunned by his co-worker behaviour. How could she act like this now ? It wasn't the drinks for sure since she had only drank two shots but she seemed a lot more free than usual. And he found her beautiful. He seems starting to have a clearer idea of his feelings toward her and suddenly he finds the place hotter and impossible to look away from her lips, from that smile.
"Mulder ?" she asks with a concerned tone, emerging him from his invasive thoughts.
"Oh yeah, uh, sorry. Wanna find out ?"
To that question she only answers with a bigger smile.