Title: Pillow Talk Author: Alelou E-mail: alelou123@aol.com Rating: G Category: V, H Spoilers: Rain King Keywords: MS UST Summary: Mulder and Scully sharing a room after the Kroner High School reunion. Short shipper-inclined fluff. Disclaimer: Chris Carter's and 1013's, not mine. Archive: Sure thing. Note: Thanks to MystPhile for support and feedback (mistakes are mine, not hers). This is a repost because original never made its way to Ephemeral. No changes. As I discovered with the first posting, getting feedback is delightful. (Suddenly I've become SO much better at giving it.) CoolView Motel 1:10 am Scully had finally managed to dislodge Mulder from his roost on her bed to the side chair, brush away what she hoped was the last sunflower seed husk, and give him a firm goodnight, before turning out the light next to the bed and rolling onto her side away from him and the television. The drenched high school reunion and its peculiarities had left her feeling a bit disquieted, but she was in no mood to examine those feelings while her partner was draping himself and his possessions all over this ugly little motel room. Going to sleep was seldom a problem for her and it seemed the the ideal solution now. Mulder could switch channels all night from the Danish modern side chair if he wanted; she wasn't even going to waste the energy it would take to get annoyed at him for his lack of consideration. "Guess I should turn off the lights and turn in, huh?" Could this be another X File? Mulder being considerate? Well, he occasionally was, she reminded herself. Though she sometimes suspected these occasions were merely isolated attempts to throw her off balance. "No need, Mulder." "Nah, I'll turn in." An enormous amount of metallic creaking ensued as Fox Mulder tried to fit himself onto a cot that was definitely not designed for a man of his stature. Scully resisted to the sudden urge to suggest a trade. She hated cots. It wasn't her fault a cow fell out of the sky into his room. It had apparently occurred to him that her bed was a lot more comfortable than his cot, too, because he threw out a laconic "Last chance to let me share the bed." "Good night, Mulder." "Good night, Scully." Creaking and shifting, then quiet. For a moment. "Hey, Scully, guess what Holman said about you..." She didn't say anything, but Mulder continued anyway. "He said that you were, and I quote, `beautiful' and `enchanting'." Okay, she couldn't pretend to be asleep through that. She countered easily, "Sheila said that you really knew how to kiss." Dead silence. "Scully, she kissed me, I didn't kiss her." "Yeah, I got that." "Oh, good. I mean ...." He abandoned that train of thought. "You know what else Holman said?" Scully sighed. She wasn't getting a rare visit from considerate Mulder after all. It seemed instead she was faced with the even rarer and more exotic chatty Mulder. "No, what?" "That he sees the way we gaze at one another." "You and Sheila?" "No, me and you!" Which Mulder was bringing this up, she wondered. Flirtatious Mulder? Joking Mulder? Hospital Bed Mulder? Only one way to find out, she supposed. "So what'd you say to that?" "Um, that I didn't gaze at you ... that I was perfectly happy with our friendship." Well, this definitely didn't sound like Hospital Bed Mulder. "Mmmm. That's nice. Well, good night, Mulder." The cot creaked as he shifted. "Scully?" "Mmmm?" Maybe if she sounded half asleep he'd shut up. "Do you think we gaze at one another?" Oh for God's sake, this was really too much. "Mulder, if after six years the worst anyone can accuse us of is gazing at one another, I'd say there's nothing for anyone to get worked up about." "Who said anyone's getting worked up about it?" "Mulder." "Yes?" "I'm going to sleep now." "Oh. Okay, good night." "Good night." He shifted noisily again, grunting and twisting in obvious discomfort. Scully turned and began to really settle in. "Scully, we never talk, do we?" Oh Jesus. Maybe it wasn't Mulder at all! But no, Eddie Van Blundht was miles away. "Why is that, do you think?" he continued, as relentless at inane chatting in the dark as he was in so many things. "Maybe because you only try to talk when the other person desperately wants to fall asleep?" "Oh. Sorry. Goodnight." Silence fell. Okay, so now she felt like a heel. She couldn't see those wounded-puppy eyes, but she could feel their wounded-puppy-ness from across the room. She sat up. "Mulder." "Yeah?" "You want me to take the cot and you take the bed?" "No, thanks anyway. Go ahead and get your sleep, Scully." "Dammit, Mulder!" "What did I do now?" "Just get over here." "What are you talking about?" "It's a big bed. Promise me no sunflower seeds during the night, and we can share." "Really?" He sat up, creaking, and she saw a dim outline of him in the moonlight. "No kicking and no blanket hogging, either." "Don't worry, I'll be good." He let himself in on the side away from the window and rolled over to face her. "Guess that means no wild passionate sex, either, huh?" "You're perfectly happy with our friendship, remember?" "Is that a no?" She didn't reply. As she anticipated, this totally unnerved him. "Well, good night, Scully. Thank you." "Good night, Mulder. And you're welcome." And outside, a gentle rain fell. -30-