Work Text:
When Mulder returned from taking Daggoo for his evening walk, Scully was already in the kitchen, boiling water and measuring pasta. He wasn’t surprised to see her, she told him she would be coming by the house to see the dog tonight, but he was almost startled to find her in the kitchen in the midst of preparing a meal. He assumed she would eat before coming over or bring pizza or Chinese, which is what she usually did. Always happy to see her, and always excited by the smell of food, Daggoo jumped up on the back of Scully’s legs and pawed at her thighs for attention.
“Down boy,” Scully said, nudging him down by bending her knee, even as she eased a grip of spaghetti noodles into a pot. “Just wait a minute.”
“You’re cooking?” Mulder asked.
“Just spaghetti. Why? Did you eat?”
“No….no. Smells delicious.”
“That’s the sauce.”
Daggoo jumped back up on Scully’s legs and she nudged him away again. “Down,” she said.
“Come on Daggoo,” Mulder said, distracting the dog. “You want treats?”
Daggoo quickly abandoned Scully and ran after Mulder out of the kitchen. Scully had barely picked up a wooden spoon to stir the sauce when Mulder called out to her from the other room. She sighed and checked the heat levels on the stove and set the spoon down in a cradle on the counter.
“What can’t wait?” Scully asked, padding into the living room with socked feet. Mulder was on the floor with Daggoo, wrestling a chew toy away from him.
“Aw, Scully, spaghetti cooks itself. Daggoo and I have been waiting since last week to show you something.”
“So show me. I don’t want the sauce to burn.”
“All right.” Mulder sat back on his heels and swiped a bag of small dog bones off the coffee table. Daggoo dropped his chew toy and barked. “Daggoo, sit.”
The dog sat down and stared intently at the treat in Mulder’s hand, panting.
“That’s it?” Scully asked.
“No, that’s not it. Lay down.”
The dog got down on his belly, paws stretched out in front of him, still staring at the treat in Mulder’s hand. His nose twitched and he strained his head closer.
“Roll over,” Mulder said, rotating his wrist to mimic the motion the dog was supposed to take.
Daggoo rolled over and got to his feet, shaking himself from head to tail as he stood.
“Fist bump,” Mulder said, curling his hand into a fist and holding it out in front of him.
Daggoo sat down and put his paw up, hitting Mulder’s knuckles. Mulder grinned and opened his hand so Daggoo could take the treat, which he happily crunched in half and it broke into little pieces on the rug. Scully chuckled and Mulder got up from the floor, closing up the bag of treats to stow away in the kitchen cabinet.
“This week we’re going to work on playing dead,” Mulder said, following Scully back into the kitchen.
“Maybe you could teach him to set the table,” Scully answered.
“I’ll work on that after I teach him how to grow opposable thumbs.”
Mulder put the dog treats away and then washed his hands. He took Scully’s not so subtle hint and gathered plates and utensils and arranged the table, watching her as he folded paper towels into napkins. Standing there, monitoring the noodles like a hawk as though noodles didn’t cook themselves, he was suddenly overcome with the urge to put his arms around her. He missed this quiet domesticity they used to share once upon a time. He wanted more of this, but he didn’t know what Scully wanted.
Mesmerized, Mulder watched Scully lift the wooden spoon out of the saucepan up to her mouth, blowing lightly on the red sauce before she took a taste. She licked her lips and then cocked her head. “It’s a little garlicky,” she said.
“Let me try,” Mulder said, moving up behind her and putting his hands very lightly on her hips. He leaned over her shoulder and she turned just a little, her hand cupped under the wooden spoon as she moved it closer to his mouth. He took a small sip of the sauce and she raised her brows in question.
“I think it’s perfect,” he said softly, guiding Scully’s hand down so that the spoon rested in the pan. He let go and she turned towards him fully as he took her face with both hands. Her eyes closed half-way as he lowered his head and he whispered her name just before their lips touched.
No sooner had their mouths made a step towards familiarizing with each other again, but Daggoo barked behind them, startling them both, causing Scully to jump and she dropped her head to Mulder’s chest. He held on to her back and he could feel her heart racing under her ribs where his fingers pressed against her.
“Dammit, Daggoo,” Mulder said, turning to look over his shoulder. “You’re a terrible wingman! I thought we were friends.”
Daggoo barked again and Scully shook with laughter and nerves. Mulder smoothed a hand over the back of her head before he released her and she turned around to face the stove again, a rose-colored bloom darkening her cheeks. The dog shifted on his feet, ears up, clearly agitated. He emitted a soft growl.
“You’re too close,” Scully said, glancing down at the dog. “He sees you as a threat.”
“To who? To you?”
Scully shut off the burners and bent down to pick up the dog. He squirmed and whined and moved his head to keep his eye on Mulder. “It’s okay,” she said, petting the dog and scratching under his chin. “Mulder isn’t going to hurt me.” She stepped up against Mulder and glanced up at him, raising her brows a little before she looked back at Daggoo. “Put your arms around me, Mulder.” Mulder was only too happy to oblige. Daggoo growled, but she shushed him and laid her head against Mulder’s chest, waiting until the dog calmed and then his tail thumped between them.
“Take him,” Scully said, relinquishing the dog over to Mulder, but keeping her hand on his head to reassure him.
“I’m not trying to steal your lady,” Mulder said to Daggoo, rocking him unconsciously like a baby. “You can put the jealousy away.”
“It’ll probably take a little time to get accustomed to it,” Scully said.
“Is there going to be…opportunity for him to adjust?”
“There might be.”
Mulder tightened his arms a little and lifted the dog a little higher up on his chest, changing his grip. “We cool, Daggoo?" He asked, raising his curled fingers up by his shoulder. “Fist bump?”
Daggoo lifted his paw up and hit Mulder’s hand and then licked his chin.
The End