Author's Note: Wow! You all are so sweet! Thank you for the feedback. Happy Wednesday, where The X-Files is on but I'm stuck at work, so I write fanfiction to pass the time, lol. Okay so I saw a scene from tonight's episode with Scully in the morgue and this episode looks heartbreaking, oh my god. Anyway, hope you enjoy! Also, I'm really taking liberties with the Hoover Building, just go with it, lol.
Natural: (adjective) having an essential relation with someone or something.
Mulder had to admit, avoiding FBI mandated responsibilities was his strong suit. However, he couldn't take credit for this one, Mulder didn't even know they still required the physical fitness test. Being the fact Scully also hadn't done hers, he figured someone just wanted an excuse to get them out of the field temporarily.
"Sir, this is ridiculous. Mulder and I have clean bills of health and we haven't had any physical impairments." He knew Scully was on the same page he was and she was reluctant to accept this at face value.
They had been called up to the health office only to be met with the world's most unfriendly physician. "Look, Miss Scully. It's required every five years, and you both are simply overdue. There's no getting around it. Until those documents are turned in, you can't enter the line of duty. You can go to the designated area and get it taken care of by the end of the day."
As soon as "Miss Scully" left that poor man's mouth, Mulder knew he was about to get an earful. "Doctor Scully, and fine, but let it be know that it is completely unprofessional that we were not given any sort of advanced notice. We will get the documents back to you, but I expect you run your office more efficiently in the future." He mentally cheered, but kept a stern look on his face to back her up in solidarity. She quickly stood up and stormed out of the office and he followed behind her dutifully.
"There's nothing I enjoy more than the wrath of Doctor Scully," he joked as they made their way to the fitness field.
"Call me crazy, but I think if you're telling someone to get a physical exam for the FBI, knowing their title is 'agent' is common sense, that was just disrespectful." He could tell she was slightly embarrassed by her outburst, but there was a pride in her step that he couldn't help but notice. As polite and thoughtful as she may be, Dana Scully loved to crack the whip every now and then.
"So, what do we have to do for the exam?" He asked, not remembering the last time he did it.
"As far as I'm aware, they time how far you can run in a mile. There's also an obstacle course component thrown in." They rounded the corner and went to the gymnasium/outdoor section of the hoover building neither of them had been to in years.
They went to the front desk, told them what they needed to do, and were given a set of FBI sweats and tennis shoes. Mulder laughed a little at how Scully's tiny shoes made him look like Sasquatch. "So the most important part is signalling to the staff at the beginning of the track when you begin, and running to them when you finish the course so they can get your vitals. Other than that you're good to go," the woman at the counter informed them. They passed a fleeting glance before going to the locker rooms and meeting back out on the field.
"Do you want to race or go through this as a team?" He asked as soon as they were close enough. Mulder held back a chuckle at how short Scully was without her heels. If they were chest-to-chest she would have to completely crane her neck up towards the sky to look at him.
"I'm really fast, Mulder, I run every day." The playful glint in her eyes told him that she was baiting him.
"Oh is that a challenge?" He asked.
"Only if you want it to be." She was fully smiling by now.
"You're so on. Loser has to buy the winner dinner." Mulder knew he was taking a risk, it sounded like an offer for a date, but he wanted to see if she'd agree. After all, it was under the guise of a friendly bet.
He patted himself on the back when she put out her hand, "You're on." He shook her hand and made their way to the starting line.
As they were being counted down, Mulder turned to her and teased, "Hope your little legs can keep up." Before she had a chance to respond, they were running. Mulder was already impressed, what he had in leg span she made up for in lightness.
For a while they switched on and off; sometimes Mulder was in the lead, other times Scully was, but about a third of a mile in, Scully got the lead and kept it. He lost sight of her for a long while. The track and obstacle course were an outdoor event since it would add some difficulty and the Bureau wouldn't have to invest in as much equipment, instead relying on the terrain of the forest. As soon as the dense trees started, she dissolved into her surroundings. It wasn't until the obstacle part started that he caught up.
There were five ropes, high off the ground, that were tied to something on top of a fifteen foot dirt wall, leading up to a continued path once you got up. He presumed the ropes weren't always that high, there was probably some erosion because from rain, or maybe the FBI really just wanted you to use your resources.
Regardless, when he was about twenty five feet away, he caught Scully trying to jump up and down, hands above her head, trying to get a grip on the rope. When he got closer, he just stood there and watched. He had to say, it was pretty impressive how high she could jump off the ground, she even tried to jump and kick off of the wall to get some bonus height, but to no avail, Scully was too short to reach.
She was about to jump again when she caught sight of him, her face was flushed from the running, but her knew there was some new embarrassment added in. She stopped jumping and put her hands on her hips, glaring at him. He couldn't hold back his laughter, the whole thing was just, for lack of a better word, adorable.
"Ha-ha, so funny, make fun of my height impairment." She was trying to scold him, but it just added to the humor of the situation.
He took a few steps closer, so he could actually see her. Of course Scully would look stunning after running and exerting herself. Her cheeks were a dusty rose, and her forehead was covered with a thin layer of sweat. He was captivated when a bead ran from her hairline down her temple, and how full her parted lips looked with the soft pants coming out. He realized he was gawking at her and quickly spoke up to offer assistance. "Here, let me help you."
She sighed, but accepted. "Okay, if you just want to get on a knee and boost me up I - Mulder!" He hadn't really been listening to her suggestion. He had bent down, wrapped one arm around the backs of her knees, so that her butt was on his shoulder, and lifted her up into the air, using his other hand to act as a support along her back.
It must have really took her by surprise, because she was immediately leaning heavily into him, she was leaned over so that her breasts were smashed into the side of his head, and her hands were gripping the other side. Though the position was awkward, they still fit together as if it was the most natural thing in the world. From this position, he could hear how fast and loud her heart was beating. "I think you're supposed to be grabbing the rope Scully," he laughed.
"Please don't drop me Mulder, I swear to god." She was chuckling too, but he could tell she wasn't the biggest fan of heights from the way her fist tightened in his hair.
"I promise, I would never Scully," sincerity dominated his voice as he squeezed her lightly, proving his grip. He felt her move upright again and when she told him she had the rope, he let go.
Taking a few steps back, he saw she was able to grab a good way up, there was about a foot under her, but her feet were still dangling like a doll. "Do you need me to boost your feet up?" He made a move to do so when she shook her head.
"No, I got it from here, thank you." He took a step back, wanting to see how she was going to attempt this when his eyes shot out of his head. Scully, for the most part, climbed the rope without using her lower body. He knew she was pretty strong, but this was a display of upper body strength that he never would have guessed. He whistled in appreciation, and heard her chuckle in response.
He moved to another one of the ropes and started his, less impressive, journey up. He ended up with the rope sandwiched between his legs and he scooted all the way up inch by inch. When he climbed to the top, much to his surprise but also to his delight, Scully was waiting for him and she looked to be on the verge of bursting out laughing. "You looked like a caterpillar," she giggled.
"Actually, after this, instead of dinner, I vote we go for a massage. I think the muscles in my arms are in shambles," he joked, rubbing up and down the length of his arms with shaking, rope burned hands.
He felt all the breath leave his lungs at her reply, "Beat me and I'll give you a massage before dinner." He looked at her face and noticed a mixture of jovality but sincerity, and he immediately started running, only offering a shouted "You're on." He would have loved the opportunity to see her in her flushed glory right then, but he had a race to win.
He knew he only had a quarter mile left, and, to the beat of his footsteps, he repeated a mantra in his head; slow and steady wins the race, but fast and desperate wins the Scully. By the time he saw the thick white line in the distance, his legs were burning and he was gulping in air like a fish out of water. In the back of his mind he heard Scully running relatively close to him, but he couldn't risk turning and risking a look.
He practically threw himself over the finish line and nearly collapsed at the sudden halt of momentum. Turning, he saw Scully right next to him, heart over her chest, panting about just as loudly as he was. He hadn't even heard the medics come over until their statistics were being taken. It only took about a minute before they were told they were good to go, as the people were walking away, Mulder called out breathlessly, "Hey! What were our times?"
One of the women turned back with a beaming smile, "Not only did you two have the fastest times yet at the Bureau, you've been our first ever tie! You guys clocked eight minutes and forty seconds."
Once the women were out of earshot, Mulder turned to Scully. "What happens in a tie?"
Scully looked up at him, still catching her breath, with a mischievous smile on her lips. "Well, my arms are in pain too, so are my legs now. I guess we'll have to help each other. You choose before or after dinner, I'll choose where we eat."
With that, Scully walked off the field to change, leaving Mulder completely stunned with a goofy grin on her face. Of course I would be the one to try to instigate this as a date and, naturally, Scully would be the one to pull out the surprises.
He chuckled happily to himself as he wobbled to the locker rooms.
Hope you enjoyed that one, I don't think it was one of the strongest. I just wanted to play with their height differences. Please leave a review if you have a chance! I love hearing what you like and want to see, I want to give you what you want to read :) -Nicole (Tumblr: gaycrouton)