Dana Katherine Scully wears a suit of armor every day to work, but on their Friday movie nights, Fox Mulder is often reminded how human his partner really is.

I. Scully cries during movies

Neither of them really knew how it started. It must have stemmed from the past few cases that had so much paperwork Mulder and Scully were forced to pick one of their respective apartments to retire to after 5 pm on Fridays to finish. There were only so many hours the pair could stand being in the basement after weeks of terribly slow cases. Shoes and coats would be shed, takeout ordered, beers or wine opened, and the two would settle in for a night of bickering, writing up case reports, and exchanging theories of the supernatural (which Scully would quickly provide rational explanations for).

On this particular Friday, they had finished their work earlier than usual. "Scully, the food's still on its way. Want to stay and watch a movie or something?"

Her stomach grumbled, she didn't really have anything pressing waiting for her at home and she was looking forward to the General Tso's they'd ordered. "Sure, that sounds good." She put her briefcase back down. "Got anything good to watch?" She saw a smirk spreading across his face, "and I don't mean from your tape collection, Mulder."

"Killjoy." Mulder retorts back. He pointed towards the boxes on the floor by his TV. "I just got Braveheart from Blockbuster, too." He was planning on watching it tonight anyway but was much happier to have her company.

"That sounds great. I missed it when it was in theatres." Scully replied, settling herself into the couch. She was pretty sure that was right around the time they had almost gotten sacrificed in that cannibalistic town in Arkansas. Great times.

Mulder started the tape as the doorbell rang. He paid the delivery man, grabbed some plates from the kitchen, and put out the spread of food on the coffee table. "Well Scully, dig in."

They sat in silence for most of the film, both finding themselves engrossed in the plot. He wouldn't have noticed just how engrossed Scully had become if he hadn't heard the quiet sniffle coming from the other end of the couch. They had turned off the lights in the room, but the flashes from the screen and the subtle tinge of blues and greens from the fishtank bathed Scully's face in a soft light. Her cheeks were wet, a few tears streaming down her face.

He couldn't help smiling. She looked beautiful. She always did, but this moment felt different. She didn't have her walls up. She was just, Dana Scully. Who loves extra soy sauce on her fried rice, cries during the sad parts of movies, and doesn't notice how her partner stares at her in reverence when she's not looking.

II. Scully does not share her coffee-flavored ice cream

This week they met at Scully's apartment - which Mulder always preferred. Of course, it was always cleaner, more put together, and had more blankets and pillows to settle into the couch with. But what Mulder liked most about being in her apartment were the small touches of Scully's essence that existed throughout the place.

The apartment always smelled of lavender. Every time Mulder visited, there were always new books lying around waiting to be read. He wondered when she had the time to read them all. And, there was always, always two pints of ice cream in the freezer: a coffee-flavored pint, and another of any given flavor that varied from week to week.

Mulder had quickly learned that one of Scully's biggest guilty pleasures, when it came to food, was her coffee-flavored ice cream.

He had watched her come back from the kitchen and sit back down on the couch with a pint of ice cream and spoon in hand. She carefully took the lid off, placed it on the side table, dug her spoon into the dessert, and smiled as the cool sweetness melted into her mouth. She ate a few more spoonfuls before noticing that Mulder was staring at her and not at the television set.

"What?" She mumbled with the spoon still in her mouth, an eyebrow raised.

"You're not gonna share?" Mulder asked, with an expression halfway between amused and confused.

"Nope." She smiled sweetly.

It was his turn to raise an eyebrow. "What? C'mon Scully, you're not seriously going to finish that entire pint on your own and not offer your honored guest some!"

"You're right." She chuckled, "I'm not going to finish it all. I'll save some for another time." He watched as she made no indication of sharing and continued digging her spoon into the tub. "And since when are you an honored guest?"

He looked at her incredulously, a pout forming on his lips. She bit her own lip as she looked at his mouth, suddenly wishing it was his lip she was biting. What the fuck?

"Scullyyyyy." The way he drew out her name and peered into her eyes made her heart beat a little faster.

She sighed. "There's another tub in the freezer…" She couldn't help smile as she saw his face light up. He beamed at her and got up quickly to grab the other pint. She shook her head as she watched him go into the kitchen. Taking another scoop of ice cream into her mouth, she couldn't help but laugh quietly. "You're a child, Mulder. You know that?" She called out.

He bolted back into the room and leapt onto the couch. She couldn't help throwing her head back in laughter at the sight of the smug shit-eating grin he gave her. He hadn't seen her this smiley and carefree in a while. He hadn't realized how much he enjoyed it - how she lit up a room when she let herself, and how her smile lit up something deep inside his chest that he hadn't felt in a while.

"Are you happy now?" Scully asked, eyeing how quickly he was working through the pint of chocolate chip.

He looked her straight in the eyes and responded, "I'm very very happy." He meant it. She felt her cheeks flush. "But, would be happier if I could have some of this." He reached over to try and scoop a bit of her ice cream up with his spoon, only to be met with her batting his spoon away. "Scully, c'mon!"

"Nuh-uh Mulder. If you really want some of my favorite ice cream, you can buy yourself your own pint..."

The next time they got together for a movie at her apartment, he made sure to bring two pints of coffee-flavored ice cream.

III. Scully loves horror movies and jump scares

"Scream, Scully? Really?" Mulder looked at the tape box hesitantly, half chuckling to himself at the choice of their latest rental.

"What's wrong with Scream?" Scully cocked an eyebrow. "I wasn't able to catch it while it was still playing in theatres." This seemed to be a recurring trend in her movie-watching habits.

"No, that's fine. I've heard good things…" He wasn't going to mention that he'd already seen the movie when it originally had come out. And he would be lying to himself if he didn't admit that he was hoping to watch a horror movie together on one of their movie nights. The past few weeks they had chosen comedies (her pick) or sci-fi flicks (his) to keep the mood light - their recent cases had taken a heavy toll on them. Horror didn't quite seem to fit the mood in the office. But Halloween was around the corner and Scully seemed to be in the spirit.

Scully flipped the lights off and set the bowl of popcorn down on the coffee table. "If you spill these because you jump, you're cleaning up every last kernel," she smirked as she settled into the couch. They no longer sat on opposite ends of the couch, they had slowly become more comfortable in each other's spaces in these casual situations. They started sharing a blanket as it got colder in the year - Mulder claimed that Scully's favorite blanket was the softest she owned and insisted they shared. Their legs rested next to each other as he placed the bowl of popcorn down on their laps.

I won't be the one jumping, Mulder thought to himself, as he grabbed a big handful. "Scully… They don't taste like anything." He pouted at her, not understanding why she couldn't just pop it with butter like most normal people.

"My apartment, my popcorn. Now shush," she playfully batted his arm, "It's starting."

…

The movie itself wasn't that scary, but it did have a good few jump scares that Mulder remembered from his time at the theatre. He knew Scully liked horror movies (The Exorcist being her favorite, with Poltergeist coming in a close second) but he'd never watched one with her. Of course, he paid more attention to her watching the movie than the movie itself.

She wasn't particularly squeamish, and with the nature of the plot, the body count of characters received more eye rolls than scares from his steadfast partner. He did notice how she would tense up during the long, suspenseful sequences. As the tension built on-screen, he saw it building in her body language. She would lean further back into the couch or grip the edge of the blanket a little tighter.

As he looked at her, a thought, a bad idea, crossed his mind. What if… no, he'd probably get punched in the jaw if he even tried… He looked at Scully again, as she very intently stared at the screen. I could easily just - and without thinking better of it, he lounged over and wrapped his arms around her with a loud "BOO!"

"Jesus Mulder!" She couldn't help shrieking, a bit too loudly for her liking.

"What... are you scared?" he taunted, his voice dropping. Their faces were inches apart and electricity filled the room. That had been happening more and more often recently too, something would shift, and the energy between them would suddenly be charged with...desire? Lust?

Scully stared at him, her chest rising quickly as her body was trying to come down from the sudden rush of adrenaline. Her eyes flicked down to his lips and back up - and he caught her doing it. He tried to process that look of… was that desire? Before he could say or do anything else, she snapped out of whatever the hell was happening and realized she had been clutching his forearms tightly.

She gave him a soft shove to push him off. "No… you just, you caught me off guard." She rolled her eyes and turned back to the TV, a little embarrassed at how flustered she felt. She nervously tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and began fiddling with her necklace.

"Mhmm." he murmured back, as he leaned back into the couch, trying not to think about how hot her touch had felt as she held his arms, the flicker of her eyes mirroring what he felt inside, and how much he enjoyed the feeling of her nails digging into him. He shifted in his seat, trying to ignore the growing tightness of his jeans.

Jesus Christ, she hardly touched you.

The last 30 minutes of the movie felt eternally long for both of them.

IV. Scully is ticklish, very ticklish

It took them a little while, after Antarctica, to get back to their usual routines, including their movie nights. After physically recovering, they didn't talk too much about what had happened - especially not about what had almost happened in Mulder's hallway that night.

As Scully walked down that same hallway, pizza box in hand, her mind flashed back to that night. He was going to kiss me. I was going to kiss him. I wanted to kiss him. She furrowed her brow, unsure of what to make of the fact that she had been thinking about it for weeks now and still couldn't completely figure out what she was feeling. I was ready to quit. I was frustrated and emotional and confused. She scoffed quietly at herself, standing just outside his door. You can't even convince yourself with that one…

Before she could reach for the doorknob, the door swung open as Mulder practically trampled her. "Scully!" He tried to regain his balance, dropping the two large trash bags he was attempting to take out.

"Doing some deep cleaning, Mulder?" she asked quickly before he could question why she had just been standing outside his door.

"Oh um…" he reached up to rub the back of his neck. "I just figured since you were coming over I'd clean up a bit…" He was embarrassed to admit that he didn't care much for keeping things tidy when Scully wasn't around. "Make yourself at home, there's beer in the fridge." He pushed the door open for her. "I'll just go...throw these out."

She smiled as she walked in, noticing the light scent of cleaning products. Dropping off the pizza box in the living room, she headed into the kitchen to grab plates and drinks. After pulling out the two beers, she curiously returned to the fridge to open the freezer. In it, there was a bag of frozen peas and a new, unopened tub of coffee-flavored ice cream. She couldn't help enjoying the warmth that spread through her body. She heard the front door open and quickly returned to her tasks, forgetting the bottles of beer on the counter as she rushed back into the living room.

"So, what are we watching tonight?" They no longer used the pretense of doing work and putting on a movie to relax afterward. This was strictly time they both enjoyed spending together now. Mulder held up the tape - Practical Magic. She gave him a look.

"I've heard it's entertaining and could be good research material, don't you think Scully?" He popped the tape in the player and grabbed a slice of pizza.

"Research, Mulder?" She raised an eyebrow and put a hand on her hip. "On witchcraft or on Nicole and Sandra?"

Gasping dramatically, Mulder rolled his eyes. "I am offended that you think I have any ulterior motives besides stone-cold scientific research."

She paused to look at him and smirked.

Shrugging her shoulders, she replied in a husky tone, "I mean, I wasn't going to complain either way." Before his jaw could hit the floor, she left the room to grab the forgotten beers.

What the hell was that? Scully popped the caps off the bottles. Smooth Dana, real smooth. Running her fingers through her hair, she took a minute for herself in the kitchen. After closing her eyes and counting to ten, she nonchalantly walked back into the room, handing him a beer.

The movie had started playing, but Mulder couldn't concentrate on it. He downed the bottle quickly and set it on the table. Instead of turning back to the movie, he turned his body around to face Scully, sitting cross-legged.

She turned her head slowly and shot him a look. "What?"

"Oh, I don't know. Want to expand on what you alluded to earlier?"

Dammit. Scully thought he might have forgotten about that over the course of the last 15 minutes. "I don't know what you're referring to Mulder, now I'm trying to watch the movie you rented and -"

"Oh, c'mon Scully! You can't suggest what you just suggested and not fill in all the juicy details…"

She couldn't help smiling. "Juicy details, huh?" Shaking her head, she reached forward for the remote. "We have a movie to watch," she said, as she turned up the volume.

Mulder was feeling brave. "Scully…" he leaned over poked her softly on the side, attempting to prod anything out of her. Instead of answers, he was met with his partner practically flying off the couch. She's ticklish. Interesting.

"Mulder, don't you dare." She had crawled into a ball, attempting to protect her sides. She gave him a measured look. Six years. Six years they had worked together and she had managed to keep the fact that she was incredibly ticklish from him. She watched him lean closer, feigning innocence. "I swear to God Mulder…" He couldn't help grinning as he began mercilessly tickling her. "MULDER! Oh my GOD!" She was squirming and rolling around frantically on the couch. Tears were rolling down her face as she tried to push his hands away, she was laughing so hard. "Mul. Der. Oh. My. God." Without thinking, he grabbed both her swatting hands with one of his and held them over her head.

They lay flush up against one another, Mulder hovering slightly over Scully's small frame. He could feel her breathing heavily and feel the warmth radiating from her torso. He had been laughing hard, too. "Fine, fine. I'll stop if you tell me about your interest in researching Nicole and Sandra!"

She wriggled under him, their legs accidentally intertwining. Her thigh brushed up against his groin, and she didn't miss the sharp intake of his breath. "Absolutely not!" Before she could even attempt anything else, his hand darted back down to her side. She couldn't help thrashing around, shrieking and laughing. "Mulderrrrrrrrrrrr! Pleaseeeeee!"

Mulder stopped tickling her, laughing as they both caught their breaths. Her hair was disheveled, eyes bright and watery, a wide smile plastered on her face. She was stunning. Mulder realized he hadn't seen her smile so much in such a long time. Not the 1000-watt kind if smile he was witnessing right now. He couldn't remember feeling this light and… happy in so long. He didn't think he'd ever been this happy. Carried away by the moment, he reached down to fix some of her hair, running his fingers through it as he tucked it behind her ear.

She smiled up at him, flushed from the laughter and from the sudden realization of how physically close they were. She could feel his whole body pressed up against every part of hers. She chuckled quietly. Nervously. They didn't move. She could have sworn he could feel her heartbeat soaring in her chest.

As they looked at each other, faces inches apart, their thoughts both traveled back to the night before that bee had interrupted them. Scully inadvertently licked her lower lip. Mulder's eyes followed the movement. God, he wanted to kiss her.

Time stood still. He lowered his head slowly, pausing what must have been millimeters away from touching her lips. He looked back into her eyes. A question hung in the air, unspoken. He was giving her a chance to change her mind.

Her heart skipped a beat. And before she could change her mind, she leaned up and kissed him, eagerly and full of anticipation.

Holy shit. Mulder melted against her mouth. She was warm, soft, and tasted unequivocally like Scully. As her lips parted, Mulder couldn't help moan quietly against her mouth. The feel of her tongue entangling itself with his, her body pressing up against his, and her hands, which were now running their fingers through his hair, was almost too much for him. Fuck, she's going to kill me like this.

He broke the kiss abruptly, much to Scully's confusion. "Mulder?" She searched his eyes, quickly trying to figure out what had gone wrong, fearing she might have miscalculated his intentions in the first place.

He looked at her and heat shot straight down between his legs. Her lips were red and swollen from being kissed, her pupils were dilated, and a delicate blush had spread across her cheeks. She couldn't be more beautiful if she tried. "Scully… I…" he struggled to find the right words, his mind still cloudy from arousal.

"No, Mulder. It's okay. I'm… sorry. I didn't mean…" she started shaking her head, her voice taking a self-deprecating tone. God this is embarrassing. Where the hell is a bee when you actually need one?

"Scully..." He smiled, realizing she mistook his hesitation as lack of desire. She had turned away, embarrassed, but he tenderly turned her face back towards him. "Scully, look at me." When she finally met his eyes, he smiled wider at her. "I was going to say… that I need to know that this…" his eyes flicked down her body, "that this is okay." Feeling a bit self-conscious and embarrassed, he hung his head down."It's uh, been a really long time and I don't want to get carried away with something you don't… want…" He tried shifting his hips away from hers subtly, not wanting her to feel uncomfortable by how hard he was. Wow, like a true 16-year-old boy getting some for the first time.

It dawned on her what Mulder meant. Though she appreciated the hesitancy, the need pooling between her legs was overriding the gentle reassurances she undoubtedly would have given him, had they not spent six years building up to this moment."Mulder…" she practically purred, the sound sending jolts down his body, his eyes snapping back to meet hers "You really think that I'd let you kiss me like that..." she paused, wrapping her legs around his waist, bringing his hardened erection back down to nestle between her legs, "if I didn't want you to?" She emphasized her point by rocking herself once against him.

Fuck. His eyes shut, as he involuntary bucked up against her. God, she felt good. "You're...right…" he said between hitched breaths. If this were how he died, he'd be the happiest man on the planet. "I just -"

"Mulder, shut up." Scully rolled her eyes playfully and pulled his mouth back down towards hers.

The credits of the movie rolled down the screen, forgotten for the rest of the night.

V. Scully talks in her sleep

They both lay naked and sated, tangled in the sheets of Mulder's bed. Scully had fallen fast asleep after Mulder had given her a series of mindblowing orgasms for which he was immensely proud of. The last thought she had before falling asleep was wanting to wipe that smug look off his face but was too exhausted and giddy to even attempt it.

Though Mulder had dozed off initially, completely spent from exploring and learning his partner's body, he found himself slowly stirring awake. His limbs were heavy. The light from the streetlamp outside streamed in through the slivers of his window shades. He could hear Scully's soft and slow breaths, as she lay in a deep slumber beside him.

He turned on his side to face her, immediately wanting to wrap his body around hers and hold her tight. She looked beautiful in the dark room, her skin looked like it was glowing. He swept his gaze over her, trying to memorize every bit of her. The freckles that lightly covered her shoulders, how her hair looked spread out in tangles on the pillows, the way her hip and legs had curves in all the right places. That damned tattoo.

He reached over and gently traced his fingers around the ouroboros. He could still remember the exact moment he had gotten the call informing him of what had happened to her. The anger that flared up inside him. Anger at her for going off and being reckless. Anger at the asshole who tried to kill her. But mainly, anger at himself for being the biggest asshole of all. At that moment, he truly believed that he'd never deserve to be with her in any way besides their working relationship. And yet, here she was. In his bed. Asleep, after allowing him to make love to her for most of the evening and into the night.

He continued running his fingers over her soft skin, lost in thought. He jerked back suddenly when she turned over in her sleep, laying on her back. He frantically thought up excuses that he could use to explain himself to what he assumed would be his waking partner. Scully sighed deeply, still very much asleep and nuzzled the side of her face into the pillow.

"Scully?" he whispered, unsure if she was truly still asleep. He waited but didn't hear a response. Figuring he should probably head to sleep, he fixed the covers over both of them and settled back into the bed and closed his eyes.

Just as he drifted into sleep he heard a quiet, "Mmm... Mulder."

He turned to look at her, expecting to see her waking up. A lazy smile was spread across her face, but Scully was still in a deep slumber. Suddenly, her brows furrowed, causing him to do the same.

He wondered what she could be dreaming about that caused such a sudden shift of mood. "Don't." She mumbled. He stared at her, noticing her voice took on a slightly whiny in tone. "Mulder, please don't…" He felt his chest constrict. He didn't know what she was dreaming about, but he hated the thought that she was dreaming about him upsetting her.

He wasn't sure if he should wake her or not, he also wasn't sure if he should be watching and listening to this. Before he could decide on anything, she curled herself up protectively, mumbling so quietly he almost didn't catch it. "Please don't… leave me."

Scully… Mulder was simultaneously relieved, yet terrified. He slowly wrapped his arms around her protectively, bringing her closer to him. Her sleeping form immediately lost all its tension as she hummed approvingly. God, he could get used to this.

He held her tightly, hoping to the universe that things could start changing for them, in a good way. I promise I won't. He squeezed her softly, taking hold of one of her hands, interlocking their fingers.

Closing his eyes, he whispered softly, "I'm not going anywhere," as he nuzzled his face into her hair and fell asleep.