Hit - Requested by anonymous - February 10th, 2020
Season 6 - Mulder accidentally hits Scully
After six years of working with Mulder, she had grown accustomed to walking into the office only to be met with something unexpected. Sometimes it was a grotesque image being projected onto the wall in anticipation of her arrival, other times it was Mulder doing something strange at his desk, but today it was Mulder precariously standing on the back counter while trying to get something down from on top of the bookshelf near the windows. That was new.
"Mulder?" she prompted, walking forward and setting her bag down on her seat.
He turned to look over his shoulder, and even at this weird angle she could see a smile spread across his face. "Hey, Scully," he greeted, continuing to rummage for whatever it was he was looking for.
Scully walked around the desk to stand at his side. "Don't we have a stepping stool?" she asked, watching as he stood on his tip toes, towering over her by a few more feet than usual.
"Do we?" he asked playfully. He knew as well as she did that it was in the back room, but apparently ten feet was too far for Mulder to walk.
She rolled her eyes and let out a small chuckle. "What are you looking for?" He was silent for a minute before mumbling something softly. "What was that?" she asked.
"I, um, lost my good pen," he admitted.
"You lost it?" she repeated teasingly. "And your first instinct was to check the highest point you could? I thought only sharpened pencils got that kind of treatment."
"Ha. Ha. Scully. Very funny," he deadpanned in staccato, shifting things around on the bookshelf.
Scully was about to look down and she if the pen was somewhere on the ground when her attention was caught by Mulder's outfit. He'd asked her to come in on a Saturday, and while she'd pulled out her normal business attire, he'd come in rather casually. It was a rare occasion to see Mulder in jeans, but it was something that she always cherished. From this angle especially, she felt like she was really able to appreciate how well Mulder filled out- "Scully!"
Worried he caught her leering at him, she looked up only to see a book falling straight towards her. Having no time to protect herself, the heavy text fell directly onto her cheekbone before thudding uselessly to the floor. The shock of the impact caused her to cry out as her hands shot to her face in an attempt to soothe the impact.
She'd barely registered the pain before feeling one of Mulder's hands grab her upper bicep while the other gently grabbed her wrist. "Scully, I am so sorry," he lamented, guilt heavy in his voice.
"It was an accident," she replied from behind her hands, making her voice sound slightly distorted and muffled.
The hand on her arm rubbed up and down in a comforting motion while he tried to encourage her to remove her hands. "Did it hit your eye?" he worriedly asked.
Scully shook her head and let her hands fall, wincing slightly as the pressure was taken away. It took a second for her eyes to focus after being clenched shut, but when they did, the first thing she saw was Mulder's puppy dog eyes and pouty lip just a few inches from her face. "I'm fine. Really," she said, letting Mulder's gentle hand tilt her head so he could see the damage. "What was that? War and Peace?" she joked.
"The dictionary," he laughed humorlessly, his thumb stroking her cheek lightly as if his touch could absolve her of pain. It was working.
Mulder was standing unusually close to her, even for him, and she felt like she could practically feel his body heat radiating off his body. He was also touching her as much as he possibly could while checking to make sure her cheekbone was the only victim of Merriam-Webster's wrath. "I'm so sorry. I should have been more careful," he apologized again, looking painfully contrite.
She laughed softly and twitched her cheek to test if it hurt. "I'm really fine, Mulder. It was just surprising."
He pressed a sweet, gentle kiss to her cheek before pulling her into a tight hug. If she felt right, he kissed her temple too before laying his head on top of her own and rubbing his hands up and down her back. "You do me a favor by coming in on your day off, and I repay you by hurling books at you," he joked while she wrapped her arms around his middle and returned the hug.
She let the good side of her face press into his shirt while she enjoyed the feeling of his doting attention. Usually she was the one soothing his wounds. "Stop apologizing, Mulder," she mumbled against his chest. She felt her face flush when he kissed the top of her head a few times, and she added, "Or I'll give you a matching bruise."
She felt his whole body vibrate as he laughed before pulling back. She caught his eye and saw his attention dart down to her cheeks. "Now they both look red," he mused, his brow furrowing.
She rolled her eyes in embarrassment and let go of him. "They do not," she replied childishly, turning her attention away. She looked back in time to catch a small smile playing at his lips, and, as always, she quickly deflected. "So where do you think you threw your pen?"