Title: Sun burnt
Author: f.f. lindy
Date: 7/26/02
Spoilers: None!
Feedback: please, please, please! I'll print it out and put it in a special
folder in my writing binder and cherish it forever. vmf2004115@yahoo.com
Thanks: This never would have been written had it not been for the Fortuna
Rodeo where I get really sun burnt every year without fail. Most of it was
written while I was at home taking care of a sunburn, between applications
of aloe vera.
I sat down carefully on my couch, not letting my tender shoulders or neck touch the backrest. I silently thanked myself for choosing to wear a high backed shirt the day before, even if I had neglected the sunscreen. I let out a deep breath as I relaxed into the soft couch, glad to be home, and glad that I own a shirt that barely has straps. I picked up the remote and turned on the TV. I sat, purposely expressionless, trying my best not to raise an eyebrow or smile. The phone rang. "Damn it" I sighed without moving my red face. I stood and walked over to the phone in the kitchen. "Hello," I said, trying to sound cheery, but not doing a great job. "Yes Mom, I made I home just fine. I'm sorry I didn't call." I listened to her ask more questions. "Yeah, it'll heal. I got a bottle of aloe vera on my way home. Thanks for calling Mom. Okay. I love you too. Alright. Bye"
I took the phone with me this time and sat back down on the couch. I made a tiny groan as I accidentally hit the back of my shoulder on the couch. I grimaced; then groaned again, having tightened the muscles in my face. It felt like needles were going into my skin every time I moved. I watched TV for a while longer, trying to focus my attention on anything but my pain. There was a knock at the door. "Are you serious?" I asked to no one, then stood and hobbled over to the door. I looked through the peephole to see Mulder standing there. I opened the door and looked at him with what must have been the most pathetic look he'd seen in a while.
He just looked at me and I saw a smile start to erupt on his face. I sighed again, unamused, and slowly closed my eyes for a moment before lifting my lids to see a now grinning man before me. I'd yet to say a word, and wasn't planning on speaking until he explained himself. "You're sun burnt," he informed me.
"Is there a reason you're here, or did you just want me to answer the door so you could tease me?" I asked, my face still blank.
"I was just in the neighborhood and I knew that you would be coming home from your moms today so I thought I'd stop by. What happened?"
"Mathew's little league game was yesterday, we all went. I forgot sunscreen, and forgot a hat." Mulder walked in the door and I closed it behind him as we spoke. "It was three hours long, and we all got there almost and hour early." I was wearing a tiny spaghetti strap tank top that I only wear under sweaters and a pair of cotton pajama pants, I realized that it wasn't quite as modest as what I should've been wearing. Because of the size of my shirt you could see the one and a half inch stripes down either shoulder that marked exactly where the straps of the shirt I'd worn the previous day. You could see the low scoop outlined in red, with a tiny break from the uniform line where my padded bra had given me a touch of cleavage that provided a spot of white where the sun couldn't hit. The burn covered every bit of skin from these lines to the top of my head and to the tips of my fingers.
"I'm sorry Scully. Have you put any aloe vera on it? That helps."
"Yeah, I put it on at my moms and then again when I got home." I poked my arm to see if it was still sticky or if it was already time to reapply. "And I'm going to go put more on now." I decided. I walked into the bathroom and brought out a 16 oz. bottle of green goop. "How was your long weekend?" I asked as I began to smear the lotion thickly across my shoulders.
"Uneventful pretty much. I just sat around. I went out to dinner with the gunmen one night. That's about it, and our weekend is over in about 14 hours."
"Oh, don't say that. That means that in 12 hours I have put on a suit and go to work. Will you do my back? It really hurts to lift my hands above my head."
"Sure," he said. I handed him the bottle and turned around. My hair was pulled up in a half-hazard bun atop my head, conveniently off my neck. He began to very gently rub the lotion onto my upper back and neck. He then worked on the backs of my shoulders.
"Thank you," I sighed.
"No problem. It's blistered Scully, it'll probably peel."
"Shhh, don't say that," I begged listlessly.
"Sorry," he said. "Is there anything I can do?"
"No, I'll be fine. But thank you."
"Do you want me to make you dinner? It's just about dinner time."
"You don't need to do that. I can make us dinner."
"No, let me, please."
"If you insist," I sighed.
He boiled spaghetti noodles and found a little container of alfredo sauce in my refrigerator. He cut a few slices of French bread and baked them with garlic powder and butter. When all of it was done he dished up two plates and carried them to the table. "Pasta a la Mulder," he said with pride.
"Thank you," I said, and took a bite. "Mmm, this is really good Mulder."
"Well, I can't eat Chinese take out EVERY night," he kidded.
After dinner we did the dished and had coffee together before he went home. "I'll see you in the morning," I said, "I hope you have a nice night."
"You too," he said and he left.
My sunburn earned me extra attention at the office the next day. I wore a collared sleeveless shirt under my suit coat. As soon as I got into our stuffy basement office I took off the coat that was causing my shoulders to ache already, and unbuttoned the top buttons of my shirt. "Is it hot in here or is it just you?" Mulder asked jokingly when he saw me do this.
"Very cute Mulder," I sighed. "It still really hurts. I'll put back on my coat if I go back upstairs."
"Or you could not, and give a couple men something to smile about."
"I'm wearing more than I was last night," I said, referring to the tank top I'd been wearing when he came over.
I heard a man clear his throat behind me and turned to see Skinner standing in the doorway. "Agents, I wanted to thank you for your hard work on that case last week. I'm glad to hear that you had a -- relaxing weekend." He disappeared from the doorway and headed back to the elevator.
"Fuck," I sighed very quietly into my hands.
When we heard the elevator bing Mulder said aloud, "Well, it's official,"
"What?"
"Now everyone in the entire FBI knows we're sleeping together."
I sat down carefully on my couch, not letting my tender shoulders or neck touch the backrest. I silently thanked myself for choosing to wear a high backed shirt the day before, even if I had neglected the sunscreen. I let out a deep breath as I relaxed into the soft couch, glad to be home, and glad that I own a shirt that barely has straps. I picked up the remote and turned on the TV. I sat, purposely expressionless, trying my best not to raise an eyebrow or smile. The phone rang. "Damn it" I sighed without moving my red face. I stood and walked over to the phone in the kitchen. "Hello," I said, trying to sound cheery, but not doing a great job. "Yes Mom, I made I home just fine. I'm sorry I didn't call." I listened to her ask more questions. "Yeah, it'll heal. I got a bottle of aloe vera on my way home. Thanks for calling Mom. Okay. I love you too. Alright. Bye"
I took the phone with me this time and sat back down on the couch. I made a tiny groan as I accidentally hit the back of my shoulder on the couch. I grimaced; then groaned again, having tightened the muscles in my face. It felt like needles were going into my skin every time I moved. I watched TV for a while longer, trying to focus my attention on anything but my pain. There was a knock at the door. "Are you serious?" I asked to no one, then stood and hobbled over to the door. I looked through the peephole to see Mulder standing there. I opened the door and looked at him with what must have been the most pathetic look he'd seen in a while.
He just looked at me and I saw a smile start to erupt on his face. I sighed again, unamused, and slowly closed my eyes for a moment before lifting my lids to see a now grinning man before me. I'd yet to say a word, and wasn't planning on speaking until he explained himself. "You're sun burnt," he informed me.
"Is there a reason you're here, or did you just want me to answer the door so you could tease me?" I asked, my face still blank.
"I was just in the neighborhood and I knew that you would be coming home from your moms today so I thought I'd stop by. What happened?"
"Mathew's little league game was yesterday, we all went. I forgot sunscreen, and forgot a hat." Mulder walked in the door and I closed it behind him as we spoke. "It was three hours long, and we all got there almost and hour early." I was wearing a tiny spaghetti strap tank top that I only wear under sweaters and a pair of cotton pajama pants, I realized that it wasn't quite as modest as what I should've been wearing. Because of the size of my shirt you could see the one and a half inch stripes down either shoulder that marked exactly where the straps of the shirt I'd worn the previous day. You could see the low scoop outlined in red, with a tiny break from the uniform line where my padded bra had given me a touch of cleavage that provided a spot of white where the sun couldn't hit. The burn covered every bit of skin from these lines to the top of my head and to the tips of my fingers.
"I'm sorry Scully. Have you put any aloe vera on it? That helps."
"Yeah, I put it on at my moms and then again when I got home." I poked my arm to see if it was still sticky or if it was already time to reapply. "And I'm going to go put more on now." I decided. I walked into the bathroom and brought out a 16 oz. bottle of green goop. "How was your long weekend?" I asked as I began to smear the lotion thickly across my shoulders.
"Uneventful pretty much. I just sat around. I went out to dinner with the gunmen one night. That's about it, and our weekend is over in about 14 hours."
"Oh, don't say that. That means that in 12 hours I have put on a suit and go to work. Will you do my back? It really hurts to lift my hands above my head."
"Sure," he said. I handed him the bottle and turned around. My hair was pulled up in a half-hazard bun atop my head, conveniently off my neck. He began to very gently rub the lotion onto my upper back and neck. He then worked on the backs of my shoulders.
"Thank you," I sighed.
"No problem. It's blistered Scully, it'll probably peel."
"Shhh, don't say that," I begged listlessly.
"Sorry," he said. "Is there anything I can do?"
"No, I'll be fine. But thank you."
"Do you want me to make you dinner? It's just about dinner time."
"You don't need to do that. I can make us dinner."
"No, let me, please."
"If you insist," I sighed.
He boiled spaghetti noodles and found a little container of alfredo sauce in my refrigerator. He cut a few slices of French bread and baked them with garlic powder and butter. When all of it was done he dished up two plates and carried them to the table. "Pasta a la Mulder," he said with pride.
"Thank you," I said, and took a bite. "Mmm, this is really good Mulder."
"Well, I can't eat Chinese take out EVERY night," he kidded.
After dinner we did the dished and had coffee together before he went home. "I'll see you in the morning," I said, "I hope you have a nice night."
"You too," he said and he left.
My sunburn earned me extra attention at the office the next day. I wore a collared sleeveless shirt under my suit coat. As soon as I got into our stuffy basement office I took off the coat that was causing my shoulders to ache already, and unbuttoned the top buttons of my shirt. "Is it hot in here or is it just you?" Mulder asked jokingly when he saw me do this.
"Very cute Mulder," I sighed. "It still really hurts. I'll put back on my coat if I go back upstairs."
"Or you could not, and give a couple men something to smile about."
"I'm wearing more than I was last night," I said, referring to the tank top I'd been wearing when he came over.
I heard a man clear his throat behind me and turned to see Skinner standing in the doorway. "Agents, I wanted to thank you for your hard work on that case last week. I'm glad to hear that you had a -- relaxing weekend." He disappeared from the doorway and headed back to the elevator.
"Fuck," I sighed very quietly into my hands.
When we heard the elevator bing Mulder said aloud, "Well, it's official,"
"What?"
"Now everyone in the entire FBI knows we're sleeping together."