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She entered the office with extra force than she usually does. Mulder could see she was angry and frustrated. He wondered who made her so mad, and was willing to confront whoever it was.
"Scully, you... okay?" he asked.
"Yeah, I'm peaches !" she said angrily. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you. I'm just annoyed because the electricity and heating aren't working in my building and I'll have to stay at a hotel for a few days until they fix it." she added.
Mulder looked at her in confusion: “You’re staying at a hotel? Scully, why don’t you stay at my place? You have the key to it.”
She felt his gaze on her: “As nice as it is of you to offer, Mulder, and as small as I am, I don’t we can both fit on your couch.”
“I have a bed.”
“Where?” she wondered with a grimace on her face that suggested pure confusion.
“In my bedroom” he added nonchalantly, as if it’s the most logical thing in the world.
“Y-your bedroom?” still confusion riddled. “You mean space behind those doors where you can’t even step into from all your boxes?”
“Yes!” he said enthusiastically. “I mean granted it isn’t too accessible right now, but I have been meaning to get rid of some of that stuff, and well this seems like a perfect opportunity.”
She couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth: “So you mean to tell me that you have a fully functioning bed in your bedroom and you sleep on the couch?!”
He couldn’t help but grin at her shock addled face. He really was meaning to part ways with some of those boxes as he realized there really was no reason to keep all of it. He was going to get a storage locker for his precious case files and maybe some loved issues and tapes of his collection, but for the rest, he figured, it was time to go.
Lately, as Scully has been spending more time in his apartment for movie nights, he realized she really didn’t have anywhere to sleep in case she wanted to stay over. And he really hoped that one of these days she’d want to stay over. But he couldn’t have known that because she didn’t have anywhere to sleep, and he knows, even if he offered to sleep on a chair (which he definitely wouldn’t mind), she would never let him do that.
“Well you know I’m not much of a sleeper and besides I fall asleep easier with the TV so the couch is the perfect place for me to sleep. But as I was saying, I have been meaning to clean out the bedroom and today seems like the perfect day to do it, so you can stay over at my place instead of having to pay for a hotel.” he told her.
“Mulder, that’s very gracious of you, but you really don’t have to do all that.” she added with a slight smile. “I don’t mind staying at a hotel.”
“My bed is really comfortable though.” he said.
Her mind started going hundred miles per hour, thinking of her on his bed, with him right next to her. How many times has she wanted to stay over after their movie nights? She honestly stopped counting. She always wanted to suggest, but then she would remember she wouldn’t actually have anywhere to sleep, or well, she knew he would offer her the couch while he would slouch on one of his tiny chairs. She could never even think about accepting that.
“I’m surprised you remember, given that I’ve known you for five years and I never even knew you had a bed, which would suggest you haven’t slept on it in a really really long time.” she said the last part with a tiny mocking chuckle.
“While that might be true, Scully, you do remember that I have an eidetic memory.” he added with a suggestive grin. “Anyway, I will be cleaning out the room today, and you have a place to stay in case you change your mind. My door is always open to you, you know that. Both metaphorically and physically.”
She saw the flicker of pure sincerity in his eyes and she knew he really meant it. Moreover, she really wanted to stay at his place.
“Okay. But only if you let me help you clean it up.” she said.
As much as he would have LOVED to spend extra time with Scully, he wasn’t entirely sure this would be the best idea for their hangout, considering all the magazines and tapes he has.
She saw him contemplating for a few seconds, and before he could respond, she added: “I know it isn’t just the files you’d be clearing out. I don’t mind your hobbies. I don’t judge. Besides I wouldn’t mind seeing a pretty naked woman here and there myself.” She smirked as she said the last bit. Especially when she saw his jaw drop just a little. His face always did that when she would catch him off guard with her not-so-subtle flirtatious comments, which she did more and more often now. After her cancer, after getting a brush off with death, she decided to stop taking life for granted and not waste time doing what she really wanted. One of those things was Mulder.
“Okay, if you say so, Scully.” he added with a nervous chuckle.