She feels like he’s finding any and all excuses to not go home tonight.
Not that she minds. But the pizza box has been emptied out and both rentals are watched; there’s really nothing more to do.
She’s let out two yawns so far, but Mulder’s still on his butt. In fact, he seems to be sitting closer and closer to her as the horror movie progresses. She almost though he was going to get under the afghan with her, but no, Mulder just wraps it around her like she’s a baby and tucks it so she can’t really move.
Like a cocoon. She feels like she’s in a cocoon, and recalls his fantasy of being a Mothman and cocooning the both of them up.
That sounds really attractive now, given it has been a rather chilly spring.
Scully shifts a little and frees herself a bit from her afghan restrain. He turns and gives her a boyish smile. Sometimes she feels like she’ll do anything when he gives her that smile.
Good thing Mulder has no idea; he typically unleashes that particular smile when he’s happy—clearly, he has no idea what that smile does to her. It makes her utterly speechless. So far, he employs the puppy-dog eyes and the pouty lips, but not the boyish smile.
Scully hopes he never find out this potential kryptonite.
“Penny for your thought, Scully.”
“Hmmm…” She wonders if it’s time to ask him to go home. “I feel like I’m in a cocoon.”
She decides against it. Maybe later. She wants to see where this is gonna go.
“Have you…” She sees a playful glint flaring up in Mulder’s irises. “thought about testing my hypothesis?”
“Which hypothesis?” She arches an eyebrow. He has so many.
“The sleeping bag one.” He pretends to tug on her afghan, “the best way to stay warm.”
“I thought it was the best way to regenerate body heat.”
“Aw Scully, you do listen to what I say.” Mulder sounds happy and she rolls her eyes.
“Considering that could’ve been the final conversation we ever had if we didn’t make out of that forest alive, yeah, I was listening.”
Mulder gives her a look that tells her he’s flattered, and she tries to sit upright while staying wrapped in the afghan cocoon.
“Here, let me help you.”
They struggle for a little, neither of them knows what the other one is trying to do. In the end, the cocooned-up Scully is lying on Mulder’s lap.
It’s getting kind of hot, she thinks.
“So, where was I?”
She feels like Mulder’s giving her a way out.
“Testing hypothesis.”
“It’s been a really long time since my high school science classes, Scully, and you’re the scientist. Tell me, how does one go about testing a hypothesis?” He says as he finds a good place to rest his hands on her afghan.
“Well, first, you’ll have to rewrite your hypothesis.”
“Help me.” He begs in a playful tone.
Scully gives a breathy chuckle. “You said, the best way to regenerate body heat is to crawl into a sleeping bag naked with someone already in the sleeping bag—”
“Naked.” He adds before she finished her statement.
“Thank you. Now, if we’re testing for the best way, we’d have to come up with several methods to regenerate body heat, don’t we?”
Mulder looks spaced out.
“Can you think of some other ways to regenerating body heat?”
He is seriously thinking about her question and she wants to laugh. After a few seconds, he smirks: “Taking a shower together.”
“Oh, does it?” Her expression says no.
“What if we… just simplify the hypothesis to something like… will crawling into a sleeping bag naked with another naked person regenerate body heat?”
“It has to be a statement, Mulder.”
Mulder rubs his eyes with his left hand: “This reminds me why I didn’t go into science.”
Scully chuckles. “This is fun.”
He looks unsure.
“Can’t you do it?” He challenges.
“Well, Mulder, this is your hypothesis, and I’m just your lab partner, aren’t I?”
“Um, crawling into a sleeping bag naked with another naked person already in it regenerates body heat. There.”
“Now we have to make it better, make it testable.” She says honestly.
“Oh God, Scully, when does it get to the good part?” Mulder whines.
“You mean selecting the appropriate sleeping bags and figuring out the methods and identifying your variables and designing and selecting the control group?”
Mulder stares at her, speechless.
“I think there are much easier ways, Mulder.” She finally says after laughing at his expression and feeling pleased with herself.
“A much easier way to conduct an experiment?” He asks cluelessly.
“No, a much easier way to get two people naked.” She says matter-of-factly.
“Scully…” Mulder breathes out dazingly.
Scully bites on the inside of her lip to keep from laughing. She thinks she’s finally discovered one of Mulder’s kryptonite.