Unforeseen Complications
By Nikita
Warning: Slash, if you don't know what that means chances are you don't wanna know, go watch an x-file repeat and stay safe from my twisted version. Contains m/m hurt/comfort, romance, schmoop, and sex...at some point or another.
Disclaimer: I do not own the X-Files or any characters or plot lines associated with it. Chris Carter and the wonderful actors (especially Duchovny) do. I'm not making any profit off this story or the characters within. Don't bother suing, I'm a grad student with lots of student loans...I haven't got a penny.
Season Two, Alex has plans for Mulder, unforeseen complications arise...
Part One
Alex Krycek, patriot, double agent and sexy young stud couldn't believe the luck he had when he first saw his assignment: Special Agent Fox Mulder. 'Damn but his name is accurate. I love my job...' His assignment was to get close to Agent Mulder and follow orders from his unnamed boss who smoked like a chimney. Getting close didn't entail seducing him, per se, but Alex figured it'd be a great bonus. He'd have a better chance in getting information from the man in bed.
Not for a moment did Krycek doubt he'd eventually nail the sexy man. Although Mulder had a reputation for appreciating the ladies, he never dated them as far as any consortium spies could tell. Mulder never dated anyone for that matter. Just stayed home and jerked off to porn tapes or 900 numbers. He never picked anyone up at bars and seemed oblivious to the admiring looks he got from women at work and in public.
Agent Alex Krycek showed up for his first assignment with Agent Mulder in the god-awful suit and tie he had to wear for his cover. Despite that, he knew he'd have the man in his bed by the end of the week.
Things don't always go according to plan.
Mulder was rude, conceited and aloof. He ditched Alex on their first case and continued to work with his old partner, Dana Scully, whenever possible. Krycek could very well have been completely turned off and given up the idea of seduction except for a few very important details...
One, when Alex had shot the man threatening Mulder with a 'gun' that wasn't a gun Mulder had been surprisingly compassionate. Alex had truly been sure that the man had had a gun. It hadn't been his first kill, but he'd had to act as if it was. Instead of being cold or aloof, Mulder had insisted on driving him home, given him a pep talk and told him he could call him if he needed someone to talk to. Even more surprising was when he thanked Alex for watching his back and told him he was doing a good job.
Two, Mulder WAS attracted to him. He was sure of it. The man could act all he wanted, but Alex knew Mulder wanted him. When they'd been busy doing their paperwork for the New York case he'd gotten up to get them some coffee. Halfway to the waiting coffee pot he'd realized he'd forgotten his mug, turning back he'd noticed Mulder checking out his ass. Caught, Mulder'd quickly turned back to his computer, flushing faintly. Alex had kept his face as expressionless as possible until he returned with their coffee. Setting Mulder's down on his desk he'd smiled softly to Mulder when the older agent looked up. Mulder had blushed again and mumbled 'thank you.' Alex now knew he'd get the man eventually...
XXX
Alex stared out the car window, his eyes not really focusing on the scenery, but thinking about the case ahead of them. Several locals had been reported missing recently. Strange lights were seen in the forest and Mulder and he were there to investigate the potential for UFO abductions. Krycek wasn't happy to be in the middle of Kansas looking for little green men, but then maybe he'd be able to get somewhere with his plans for Mulder. So far he'd gotten exactly nowhere. In D.C. Mulder kept himself extremely isolated except for his trips to visit Scully and his geeky computer friends. Alex hadn't even gotten Mulder to go out with him for a beer after work, yet. The man always disappeared after work without saying goodbye. So now, away from those distractions, he hoped to get a chance with him.
Arriving at the only motel in town, Mulder pulled into a space in the crowded parking lot. Krycek wondered why it was so busy for such a small town, but went in to get them rooms. Returning to the rental car, he knew Mulder wasn't going to like the news...
"Hey, Mulder. I've got good news and bad news. Bad news is that there are a large number of UFO followers here in town and most of them are staying here. Good news is that I did manage to get us a room."
" 'A' room?" Mulder seemed frustrated, but not too badly.
"Yeah. Room 20. Last one left." They grabbed their bags and opened the door. Alex hid a grin as he waited for Mulder to see the rest of the 'good news.'
"Krycek, there's only one bed."
"Yeah, that's all they had, Mulder. We're lucky to have this room." Alex dumped his bag on the bed and went into the bathroom to freshen up and to allow himself the grin he'd been fighting. 'This is just too perfect...'
When he got out he saw Mulder frowning at the bed as he unpacked his bag. He was sitting in the only chair in the little room. Alex flopped down on the bed, arms above his head, instantly regretting it. 'Whew, I need a little more freshening up...it's too damn hot outside.'
"Hey, Mulder, I'm gonna grab a shower, wanna order a pizza?" Mulder looked up from his excessive rooting in his luggage and then quickly returned his attention to his bag, he jerked a shoulder, "Sure, what do you want on it?"
"Whatever, I'm easy..." Alex grinned openly this time as Mulder jerked his eyes up and into his for a moment. Alex just casually strolled back into the bathroom and shut the door. 'Just perfect..."
One large supreme pizza later, Alex sat watching Mulder out of the corner of his eye. Mulder was watching TV and reading casefiles with equal attention. Alex had been careful not to be too eager over pizza, letting Mulder relax a little. The man was so tense that he hadn't left the chair all evening. Only his feet were on the bed, propped up to make a better lap for the casefile he was reading since the table next to him was covered in them. Alex had finished his own paperwork as he ate and was now waiting for Mulder to put down his damn files and get into the bed. No such luck, yet, though. Yawning he glanced at the time, 12:30 a.m. 'Shit, we have to be up and at the Smith's farm by 6:00. No nooky tonight...
"Hey, Mulder? How about some sleep? Gotta get up early, you know."
Mulder glanced up from the file he was reading. "Oh, go ahead and turn your light off. I'll just finish this file up and then I'll turn in." Alex nodded absently and moved to shut the TV off.
"No! No, leave it on. I can't sleep without it on..." Mulder mumbled the last sentence and trailed off looking embarrassed.
"Oh. Okay, shall I mute it?"
"Um, no, go ahead and turn it down, but leave some sound on." Mulder focus firmly on the file before him. Alex shrugged trying to ease Mulder's embarrassment. He knew from his own files on Mulder that the agent had a sleeping disorder: frequent nightmares, insomnia, and even occasional sleepwalking. Mulder hid the disorder well enough by day that it didn't interfere with his work, but Alex wondered how Mulder could function with such a lack of peaceful sleep.
Shutting off his bedside light he turned on his side away from Mulder. Fifteen minutes later the other light went out and the bed dipped on the other side as Mulder finally climbed in. It was only a double bed and Krycek wondered why Mulder's body hadn't even brushed against his at all. Flipping over on his back he saw that Mulder was on the very edge of the bed, half sitting up, leaning against the headboard, eyes firmly fixed on the TV, which was on an infomercial. Alex didn't know why Mulder was practically dangling off the edge of the bed, but decided not to mention it. He just turned back on his side and squeezed his eyes shut willing himself to sleep...
XXX
3:30 a.m.
Stop 'n' Sleep Motel
Kansas
"Nooo...Don't- I..." Alex woke to a pitiful sound of Mulder whining in his sleep. The whine turned into a groan and Mulder started to thrash around.
"No! Please!" Alex didn't know what to do, but decided he should try to wake Mulder up.
"Mulder! Hey, Mulder, wake up, it's just a dream." Alex gripped his shoulder and shook him.
"No! Don't!"
"Hey! Stop it!" Alex gripped Mulder's shoulders with both hands as Mulder thrashed harder. As both of Alex's hands gripped his shoulders Mulder suddenly stopped thrashing and lay passive in his arms. Alex tried to look into Mulder's eyes to see if he'd woken up, but in the flickering TV light he could see that they were still shut.
"Mulder? Can you hear me?"
Mulder continued to lay there, hands loose and open, his head turned to the side away from Alex and his eyes squeezed shut further. Mulder whispered something that Alex wasn't sure, but it sounded like, '...Yes..I won't tell...'
"Mulder? Are you okay?" Mulder just stayed in that position. Krycek let go of his shoulders and Mulder ever so slowly curled up into a fetal position. He faced away from Alex who sat there staring at the bewildering behavior. Alex sat up and watched him the rest of the morning unable to fall back asleep.
The next morning Alex faced a disgustingly chipper Mulder. All right, he wasn't chipper, he was his usual dour self, but he was still better off than Alex was. He was exhausted, confused, and frustrated. Mulder acted like nothing whatsoever had happened the night before. He simply dived into their work without a second thought. Alex, meanwhile wondered what kind of dreams could make a grown man cry out like that at night and then curl up into a little ball. They had to be nasty dreams.
"Alex? Alex, let's get to work here." Krycek shook off his concerns and tried to focus on the case before them, no matter how ridiculous he thought it was.
XXX
Turned out it wasn't so ridiculous. Mulder had taken all of two hours to solve the case. A serial killer, not an alien, was a abducting the young women of the town and raping and killing them. Mulder found the shallow graves and led them right up to the killer's house.
Alex and Mulder had gone with the cops to arrest the surprisingly young and attractive man before he could kill another girl. Mulder had taken a cut to his forearm in arresting the bastard. He'd refused to go with the paramedics, only letting them clean and bandage the wound. Now they were finally heading back to their motel room after a long exhausting day. Alex was ready to drop. For once he didn't mind that Mulder just HAD to drive. He desperately wanted to crawl into bed and recuperate.
He fell asleep in the car on the way and was nudged awake by Mulder.
"Hey. Hey, sleeping beauty, we're here." Mulder got out of the car and walked around to his door. Alex was too tired to even open his own car door. Mulder sighed and opened it for him, reaching in he hauled Alex out and let him lean on him as they walked to the room.
"Geez, Alex, you need to get some sleep." Alex lifted his head enough to glare at his oblivious partner who just left him by the bed and went into the bathroom to wash up. Alex sank into the bed and fell asleep once more.
The next day they flew back to D.C. Alex was pissed, sure they had solved the case and caught the killer, but he hadn't gotten laid, had he? Mulder had remained off limits the whole time and Alex had gone to sleep both nights without a chance for seduction. Damn the man, but it just made him more determined. Fox Mulder was HIS. It was just a matter of time.
XXX
Hoover Building
Friday
5:55 p.m.
Alex cracked his back as he stretched in his chair after a long boring day of paperwork. He glanced over at Mulder who was drooping behind his computer. The man looked as tired as Alex felt. Maybe he could use this to his advantage.
"Hey, Mulder? It's nearly 6 o'clock. How about you and me go grab a beer? My treat." Mulder looked up surprised. Didn't anyone else at work ever ask the man out for a drink? Guess not.
Mulder glanced around on his desk, looking like he was trying to come up with an excuse, but finally said, "Sure, why not?"
'Bout time. Coupla beers, get him nice and relaxed, drive him home...' Alex pasted an innocent friendly smile on his face and off they went.
Mulder's car was being fixed, so Krycek even managed to drive them to the bar. When they'd gotten to his car he'd half expected Mulder to demand the keys, but he'd been pleasantly surprised when Mulder waited by the passenger door.
Alex considered driving them to a local gay bar he knew, but then decided not to push his luck. Mulder had been skittish so far, best to break him in easy. He drove to a nice relaxed bar that wasn't too busy considering the day and time. They grabbed some beers and managed to find some empty stools at the end of the bar. A TV was playing a ball game and Mulder watched with some interest. Alex pretended to watch, too, but really just watched his partner instead. The bar continued to fill and soon it was crowded and pretty noisy. They drank two more beers and munched on peanuts and pretzels. Alex patiently waited until Mulder seemed as relaxed as he'd get without being drunk. He then casually brushed against his hand when they both 'accidentally' reached for the peanut bowl at the same time. Mulder glanced over at him and noticed Alex's gaze, warm, but subtle enough not to set off any suspicions around them. Mulder suddenly ordered another beer and turned his attention back to the game with more interest than it warranted considering the fact that it was on a commercial.
Alex neglected to buy another beer, just nursed his for the rest of the evening as Mulder continued to drink. Finally, when Mulder was starting to slur his words in asking for another beer, he tugged on Mulder's sleeve. "Come on, partner, you've had enough. Let me drive you home."
Mulder looked like he was going to protest than finally nodded, letting Alex tug him out of the bar. In the car Mulder seemed to sober up some, he sat quietly as Alex steered them through traffic.
Once at his apartment, Mulder climbed clumsily out of the car and tripped on his way to the door. Alex got out of his car and steadied him. They silently walked up the stairs to his apartment door, the elevator out of order. Mulder leaned on him twice on the stairs when his balance faltered, Alex found it a little endearing to have an armful of docile Mulder, so different from his usual stubborn and contradictive self. Mulder hadn't once protested at Alex's help.
Mulder fumbled with the key until the other man finally grabbed it from him and opened the door. They entered and Alex led him to his couch.
"How about some coffee?" he didn't wait for a response, just let himself into the kitchen.
"Geez, Mulder, how do you live like this?" The fridge was completely empty except for a bag of coffee. Better than having rotting food in it, but Alex wondered what on earth Mulder consisted on. The cupboards were bare except for a box of cereal, a jar of powdered creamer and a small box of sugar. He put coffee on in the coffee maker, which was also the only appliance in the kitchen besides the microwave. Rinsing two mugs he found in the sink he waited for the coffee to finish. Mulder just sat on the couch where he had put him, staring at Alex in his kitchen.
"Mulder? You okay?" Mulder started as if caught doing something guilty. He looked into Alex's eyes, "Um, yeah. Just tired and a little drunk I guess, sorry." Damn, Mulder was being so passive and completely unlike himself. Was all that blustering and snide comments an act at work? The real Mulder was quiet and self-depreciating. His humor at work had often been self-depreciating, but with a touch of dry sarcasm to go with it, now it was sincere and kind of depressing.
"No problem. It's been a long week. You looked like you needed to unwind. Have any plans for the weekend?" Mulder frowned at him, "Huh? Oh, I've got a basketball game tomorrow, other than that...just work I guess." Mulder flipped on the TV in a casual gesture that spoke of a long-standing ritual.
Sitting next to Mulder, he handed the man a cup of coffee and sipped his own. He'd gotten used to making Mulder's coffee at work and didn't have to ask him how he took it. One of the perks of being the younger agent.
Mulder sipped the coffee absently, his left hand resting on the couch next to him. Alex decided to act before the coffee sobered Mulder up any more. Switching his mug to his left hand, he ever so casually rested his hand next to Mulder's and let his fingers brush against the other man's. Mulder's own fingers responded for a minute before the owner's mind took over. Jerking back his hand as if burned Mulder wrapped it around the coffee mug and glanced at Alex from the corner of his eye.
Alex sighed, "Mulder?" He reached over and flicked the TV off. "Mulder, I think we need to talk." Mulder closed his eyes briefly and then shifted on the couch so that he was facing Alex, remaining silent.
"Mulder, I'm attracted to you...and I know you are attracted to me. What's wrong?"
Mulder looked at him, his face blank. "Nothing's WRONG. I just...we can't."
"Why not? We're both off duty here and we're mutually attracted to one another, why can't we?"
"Because...I just can't. I'm not attracted to you, I'm sorry if I misled you." Mulder got up and walked to the door. Before he could open it Alex stopped him.
"Don't lie to me. I saw you check me out...and you were responding to me a minute ago..."
Mulder clenched his jaw, but refused to answer. Alex drew him into an embrace, Mulder responded for a moment then stiffened in his arms. Drawing back, Alex looked into his eyes, Mulder's eyes were shut, but a tear ran down his cheek. Wiping it away, Alex touched his chin and whispered, "Who hurt you?"
Mulder's eyes snapped open, eyes glistening. "What are you talking ab-"
"Don't, Mulder. I know what hurt looks like. Who hurt you?"
Mulder pulled away from him angrily, he stalked across the room, turning his back to the other man. Alex knew better than to pursue him. He waited for Mulder to speak.
"Just go. Please." Mulder bit out the words, not turning around.
"No."
Angrily, Mulder spun around. "No?! Fine. You wanna know? My father. All right? That the bit of information you are looking for? You can take that back to your consortium masters and let them use it how they like."
Alex didn't respond. He knew Mulder would suspect him of being a spy. He'd known Scully was right off the bat. What he couldn't do was let Mulder KNOW he was a spy. The best way to counter the suspicion was to ignore it and cultivate trust.
Mulder stood, his chest heaving and fists clenched waiting for Alex the accusation, to run away in disgust, to do something. Alex just stood there for a moment longer, then walking slowly to Mulder he pulled him into his arms.
"NO!" Mulder struggled, Alex loosened the embrace enough so it wasn't control, but he didn't pull back. Mulder stopped thrashing and very slowly moved his arms around Alex's back. Trembling, the older man finally let loose a sob and clutched Alex as he let go of his emotions.
Alex shook with the force of the other man's sobs, but slowly stroked Mulder's back whispering, "It's okay. It's going to be okay..."
Finally Mulder ran out of steam and his knees started to buckle. Alex stopped him from collapsing and tugged him towards what he figured was the bedroom. Mulder let him lead him. Alex snapped on the light and saw that the bed was covered in folded laundry and paperwork. He leaned Mulder against a wall and moved to clean it off. Changing the sheets into the freshly folded ones that had been resting on the bed, he then walked back over to Mulder.
The older man just leaned against the wall, watching him with exhausted eyes. Alex spoke softly, "I'm just going to get you comfortable so you can sleep, okay? He unbuttoned Mulder's shirt, ready for Mulder to stop him at any moment. He didn't, he let Alex ease off his shirt and then let Alex sit him down on the edge of the bed. Easing off his shoes and socks, Alex reached for the waistband of Mulder's pants. Mulder's hands stilled his movement. Looking up, Alex waited for Mulder to tell him to leave him alone. Instead, he saw Mulder's uncertainty, but no anger.
"It's okay, I just wanted to get you comfortable." Mulder nodded shakily and let Alex strip him out of the pants. Leaving Mulder's boxers alone, Alex gently pushed him back into the bed. Pulling the covers up, he made to turn out of the room.
"Wait-" Mulder called out to him.
"Yeah?"
"Don't- I- I can't sleep alone without the TV..."
Alex stepped back to the bed. "Do you want some company?"
"Yeah, but..."
"It's okay, we'll just sleep."
Mulder nodded, closing his eyes. Alex quietly stripped down to his own boxer-briefs and slid into the bed, leaving some distance between them. Mulder tentatively moved towards him until Alex held out his arms and let him move into them gratefully. Alex took him into a gentle embrace, careful not to restrain the man, but firm enough to give comfort. As Mulder finally slipped into an exhausted sleep, Alex remained awake and painfully aware of the situation he'd gotten himself into.
'Shit. I've gotten attached to him. Now what??' His objectivity was blown all to hell and he knew he'd soon have to betray Mulder. But all he wanted right now was to hold the man. All thoughts of fucking Mulder gone. He was still powerfully attracted to him, but he knew he couldn't fuck him and leave him. It'd destroy Mulder.
'Goddamn it. Now what...'
XXX