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"Hi," Mulder says as he opens his door. "Sir." He adds.
He's been really bad about that lately. The only people that knock at his door are his mom and Scully. Everyone else slips the lock, comes in through the window, just happens to listen in.
So yeah, toothbrush in hand, halfway in his mouth, shirtless with a towel around his shoulders and his jeans only halfway zipped, Mulder answers the door with a "Hi," and has to add the "Sir."
"Gimme a second," he mumbles as he crunches his toothbrush and shuffles to the bathroom, toweling off his hair and wincing as it all stands up straight on end. He could, if he wanted to, stick his tweezers into the electrical outlet next to his sink. At the very least, it would excuse his hair. And possibly kill him, but considering that his partner, his life partner, the love of his life, the person he should absolutely not be sleeping with and who should absolutely not be in his apartment and very definitely shouldn't be in his bedroom and... well.
There are a lot of things Mulder could take back from that morning, if he could.
He hears Skinner come in behind him, shutting the door and moving into the living room.
Good. Okay. That's fine.
Slipping a shirt on and heading out, it hits him how weird it is to see Skinner here. He's in a white tee-shirt and jeans. Casual.
Scully is naked in his bedroom. Presumably. If she hadn't jumped off the fire escape yet, which he wouldn't have put past her.
"So, uh..." he rubs the scruff on his chin, "Is this a social call, Sir?"
Skinner sighs and sits back on the couch.
The couch Mulder had Scully spread eagle on seven hours ago while they fucked each other's brains out.
"It's a yes and no, Mulder, and trust me, I don't want to be here anymore than you want me here."
"I mean," Mulder looks around. "You're always uh. You're welcome here any time. Walter."
He catches Skinner's side eye.
"Good."
The second hand on Mulder's clock ticks.
Hopefully, he thinks, Scully did jump off the fire escape. He might follow her.
They're careful enough. But they also know they're bugged ten ways from Sunday and nothing in their lives has been secret since their first informant looked at him and died.
Scully sort of had to buy in to that when she decided to be his...
Girlfriend?
How. Fucking. Weird.
Skinner, and Scully, and boyfriends and girlfriends and life partners and everything is just so fucking weird.
"So... the social call?"
"Yeah," Skinner rubs the back of his neck. "Look. Aiden went down yesterday."
Aiden. Six-foot five-inch Aiden. Mr. I can sink a three pointer from the logo Aiden Jefferson.
"Okay?"
Mulder slow rolls playing stupid. He typically does this, and he knows it frustrates Skinner, but the more it frustrates Skinner, the more it amuses him.
"And... look," Skinner has had enough. He stands and looks at Mulder. "Fuck off, Fox. We need you to play."
Skinner is also the only person left alive on the planet, save for one very naked lady currently in Mulder's bed, that can get away with calling Mulder "Fox".
He grins. "Or what, Sir?"
"Or fucking... WHITE COLLAR... is going to run away with the tournament."
But here is the funny thing about people with egos.
And to be sure. Fox Mulder and Walter Skinner both have them. And so does Dana Scully.
And Mulder would have dropped a glass had he had one in his hand, as she comes out of the bedroom dressed in yesterday's jeans and an oversized Oxford hoodie.
"Mulder," she says, and she walks by Walter Skinner himself to the kitchen and pours three glasses of un-expired orange juice. She hands one to Mulder and doesn't hesitate to hand the other to her boss. "We are NOT losing to white collar. Get a shower and get on the court."
And that is how Violent Crimes and other activities beat White Collar Crimes for the third year in a row in basketball.
And.
How Walter Skinner found out his two "other activities" agents were pursuing other activities.