11/19/99 Puppy Tale by Araxdelan Rated- PG13 Sumarry- Krycek gives Mulder a puppy. Disclaimer- I may not own them, but I love them best. Notes- I got the idea when waking from a dream, and it pestered me until I wrote it. This is in no way a serious piece; this would never happen in canon. It's just a cute piece to cheer me and my friends up, because we've all been down in the dumps lately. This is an angstfree!fic, which means that even though this story is post TRatB, Krycek has two arms. ============== Puppy Tale ============== After a long day at the office, Mulder was headed home to relax. But the moment he reached his door, he knew it wasn't going to happen. Inside, he heard a familiar voice shouting, "Bad puppy! Very bad! No! Get down!" For a few seconds, he considered turning around and heading back to the office. Going to a bar, the Lone Gunmen's headquarters, Scully's apartment. Anywhere as long as it wasn't inside his apartment. But eventually his curiosity won out, and he inserted the key and turned it. Un-holstering his gun, he slammed the door open, and pointed the weapon inside. To his surprise, a scraggly brown puppy ran between his legs and out the door. Alex Krycek, on his hands and knees, ran after it, yelling, "No! Stop! Wait!" Mulder moved to the side to allow him to pass, and stood staring in amazement as Krycek caught the puppy, lifted him up, and carried him back into the apartment. When they were both inside, he shut the door, and looked towards Krycek for an explanation. But Krycek was too busy at the moment to notice Mulder staring at him. Surprisingly, he seemed almost oblivious to the fact that Mulder was home. He wrestled with the little dog, smiling and laughing as it tumbled around on the floor. Realizing that he wasn't likely to get Krycek's attention with a simple stare, Mulder cleared his throat. Krycek looked up, and his smile grew broader. "Hey, Mulder! Glad you're home!" Mulder, his gun now hanging limply from his hand, considered pinching himself. He knew that he had to be in a dream. Instead, he simply asked, "What are you doing here?" Krycek ignored Mulder's question, and sat back, watching the puppy chase a ball of paper across the floor. "Mulder, c'mere. And put the damn gun away." Mulder was too confused to refuse. He put his gun away, took his coat off, and sat next to Krycek on the floor. The two watched the puppy play rowdily for a few minutes. It then grew tired, and drowsily made it's way to Krycek's lap, where it curled up and went to sleep. Krycek began idly petting it's fur, and finally turned his whole attention onto Mulder. Mulder said, "Nice dog you have there." "Yeah." "That doesn't explain why it's in my apartment." Krycek smiled guiltily, and looked down at the furball in his lap. "Well, Mulder, this isn't really my dog." Mulder raised his eyebrow. "No?" "No. I found him wandering around in the streets today. Little guy almost walked right into traffic. I grabbed him before he could. He wasn't wearing any tags, and he looked hungry and cold." "Looks like he is your puppy now." "Not exactly. You see, I don't really have a permanent place to live. It wouldn't be safe for me to live in one place for any extended amount of time." Mulder began to grow suspicious. "Uh-huh?" "So, I thought that maybe you could take him." "And why should I do that?" "C'mon Mulder. I don't have any friends. Fuck, I don't know a lot of people who would see a puppy as more than a convenient lab animal. But you, you're kind, you live all alone and could use companionship..." Mulder sighed. "Can't you just take him to the pound?" Krycek looked horrified. "Mulder, you *know* what they do to animals there!" "My building has a no pets rule." "Since when have rules stopped you?" "I go out of town a lot." "Can't you get someone to look after him while you're gone?" "I wouldn't trust anybody but Scully, and she always goes with me." "What about the neighbors? Or a kennel? If worse comes to worse, I can come over and take care of him while you're gone." "You *really* want me to take this puppy, don't you?" Krycek rolled his eyes. "Mulder," he began, in a voice of worn patience, "would I come here, to the house of a man who hates me, risking my life, if I didn't *really* want you to take the puppy?" "I guess not. Sorry." Krycek sat petting the puppy, and Mulder sat watching him. The sight of a man he thought a ruthless killer petting a puppy brought a smile to his face. This new side of Krycek was quickly changing Mulder's opinion of him. For the first time since Krycek had betrayed him, he considered that perhaps his judgment of the man hadn't been fair. And he did admit that the puppy was cute. And he didn't want to kick the poor thing out on the street. "Krycek?" "Yeah?" "Can I hold my puppy?" Krycek smiled. "Sure Mulder." He lifted the puppy from his lap. It whimpered a bit, but didn't wake. He laid it atop Mulder's legs, where it curled into a ball. Mulder examined the creature. The little mutt couldn't have been more than four months old. It's fur was long and pale brown, mottled with dirt. It's ears were floppy, his tail stumpy. He was a thin, horribly pathetic thing. He was the cutest puppy Mulder had ever seen. Mulder ran his hand over the muddy fur. The puppy opened his eyes long enough to see what was happening. Deciding he liked it, he licked Mulder's hand and went back to sleep. Mulder smiled gently at the puppy, and then at Krycek. "Thank you. He's wonderful." Krycek smiled back. "What are you going to name him?" "I don't know. I haven't thought about that yet." "That's okay. You can spend some time with him, get to know him, and then you can figure out what to name him." "Get to know him? He's a *dog*." "So? Dogs have personalities too." "But it's an animal." "You haven't been around animals before, have you?" "No. I've never had any pets, except for fish." "Well, I guess I'm going to have to teach you how to take care of him." "I guess. And I guess I'll wait until I get to know the dog until I name him." "Good. Now, let's take this little guy into the bathroom, and I'll teach you how to give him a bath." "Good, cause he really stinks." ======================================= Krycek ran the bath water, adjusting it to a comfortable temperature. "The first thing you have to do you have to do is test the water. You don't want the puppy to burn or freeze." "Okay." "Where's the drain plug?" Mulder handed him the plug, and Krycek let the bath water run, filing the tub. When it was an inch high, he turned it off. "Don't fill the water higher than this. We don't want the puppy to accidentally drown. And don't leave him alone." "Because he'll drown?" "No. Because he'll get water *everywhere*." Mulder laughed. "Okay, you'll probably want to get out of the way now. The puppy is bound to splash. You'll get your suit wet." "But I want to help." "If you want to help, change out of your suit." "Fine." Mulder stripped himself of his jacket, shirt, and tie. He hung them neatly on the back of the door, and turned back to Krycek. Krycek looked a bit surprised that Mulder was half naked. He stared. "Krycek?" "Hmmm?" "What next?" "Oh... uhhh... we put the puppy in the tub." Krycek began to reach for the puppy, but Mulder reached out to stop him. "Wait! Aren't you going to get wet?" "Probably." "Then you better take your shirt off too. If that one gets wet you aren't borrowing one of mine." Krycek smiled. "Okay Mulder. I'll take my shirt off." He pulled the garment up and over his head, and tossed it into a corner. It was Mulder's turn to stare. He always thought that Krycek was very attractive, but a shirtless Krycek was down right irresistible. He fought the urge to throw Krycek down to the floor and fuck him senseless. Krycek was oblivious to Mulder's desire. More interested in getting the dog clean before the water cooled, he picked the puppy up off the floor. Holding him carefully, he placed him into the bathtub. The little puppy barked and splashed, and Krycek raised his voice to be heard over the noise. "Okay, Mulder? Are you paying attention?" "Yeah." "You have to hold the puppy very gently, just like this. It keeps him from moving around too much. He'll get used to the water after a minute, and you can let him loose to wash him." "Okay. I can do that." "You want to try?" "Sure." Krycek let go of the puppy. Scooting over, he let Mulder kneel down next to him and grab the puppy. But Mulder couldn't quite get a hold of the hyper-active animal. "No, Mulder. Not like that... you have to hold him around the neck and shoulders... here, I'll show you..." He knelt behind Mulder, and put his arms around the other man. He grabbed Mulder's hands, and guided them into the proper position. "There. Just like that. Do you see? Mulder?" The second Krycek had moved behind him, Mulder's thoughts had drifted elsewhere. At first he marveled at the smooth feel of Krycek's skin. Then, as Krycek drew even closer, he concentrated on the way Krycek's nipples rubbed across his back. And then he went back to his earlier fantasy. But this time the roles were reversed; Krycek was throwing him to the ground. When Krycek interrupted his thoughts, he was half-way to a mental climax, and his pants had suddenly grown tighter in the crotch. He shook himself, and tried to concentrate. "What were you saying?" "Mulder? Are you okay?" "Hmm... oh..." Mulder cleared his throat, "yes. Just fine. Now, what's next?" Krycek slid back and away from Mulder, moving to his side. They sat shoulder to shoulder, and Krycek continued his instruction. "Now we wash him. Can you hand me the shampoo?" Krycek squeezed out a bit of shampoo, and applied it to the dog's coat. He began to lather it a bit, and then grabbed Mulder's free hand. He positioned Mulder's fingers, and gently began moving them. "Good. Make sure you don't get any in his eyes. If you do, rinse them with water. Okay, you don't have to hold him so tight now, he's calmed down a little." The little puppy had indeed calmed down. Once it realized it wasn't in any danger, it resigned itself to a bath. But it made sure to whimper and struggle now and then, voicing it's disapproval. Mulder, for his part, was trying desperately to keep his thoughts pure. But the rhythmic scrubbing was lulling, and it was easy for his mind to wander. And the heat of Krycek's shoulder pressed up against his own was very distracting. He considered this new attraction, and if he should pursue it. He thought that perhaps Krycek would be receptive to his advances. The man *had* kissed him. But even if Krycek was willing, he wasn't sure if it was a good idea. The man was a criminal, after all. The puppy jumped up, nipping at Krycek's fingers, while Krycek laughed and tried to tickle him. His laugh was husky and rich. It was almost as beautiful as the smile on his face, in Mulder's opinion. Mulder decided that if he was going to have sex with a criminal, at least it would be a gorgeous criminal that saved puppies. Probably helped old ladies across the street, too. "Now we have to rinse him. Let the water out, and run the tap." Mulder did as he was asked. Remembering his earlier lesson, he tested the temperature of the water. He then turned to Krycek, and waited. "Splash some water on him. That's fine. Keep doing that until all the soap is rinsed. I'll hold him still." Mulder, being careful not to get water in the puppies eyes, rinsed the dog with handfuls of water. The puppy was still small, so it didn't take long to finish. Mulder turned the water off and scooped the puppy up while Krycek got a towel. The men wrapped the dog in the towel and gently wiped him down. The puppy made a face at them. "Hey!" Mulder said, "Look, he's scowling at us!" Krycek laughed. "I told you dogs have personalities. I think this little guy is stubborn. We should call him Mulder!" Mulder scowled at him. "See! You're making the same face!" "I am *not*!" "Are too." Unable to properly counter such an argument, Mulder simply said, "Shut up!" The puppy realized that it was being ignored, and made it's escape, scampering into the other room. Krycek was laughing too hard and Mulder was too busy being angry at Krycek to notice. "It's not *that* funny!" "Ye... yes... when you make that face..." Krycek once again dissolved into fits of laughter. Mulder, frustrated, shoved Krycek. "Hey!" Krycek promptly shoved him back. Which inevitably led to Mulder shoving *him*. "Take it back, Krycek. I don't have a dogs face!" "I never said you did." Snort. "Well, you have a rat's face." "Hey!" Mulder smiled, and playfully pushed Krycek again. Krycek, tired of the game, knocked Mulder backwards on the floor. The two wrestled happily for a few moments, before Mulder spun Krycek over and pinned him down. Holding Krycek down with his lower body and leaning over him with a hand on either side of his head, Mulder looked down at him. Krycek was breathing heavily and smiling in a way that took Mulder's breath away. Mulder stared into his eyes, marveling at the deep green color. Mulder felt himself drawn downward, towards Krycek's parted lips. It was at that moment that the dog began barking loudly. Both men's heads snapped towards the source of the sound. It was then that they realized the puppy was no longer in the room with them. "Mulder, we have to go get the dog." Mulder, nodded, but paused for a moment, not quite ready to let the moment end. After a few seconds he reluctantly stood up, and walked into the other room to see what the puppy was barking about. Krycek had followed him out of the bathroom. When they reached the living room they began searching for the dog. It didn't take long before they found him, standing in front of a pile of his own excrement, barking. Mulder looked at Krycek, who shrugged. "What? You expected a stray dog to be house broken?" "The cleaning supplies are in the kitchen, under the sink." "You expect me to clean this?" "Yes. You're the one who brought him in the house." "You're the one who's going to have to clean up after him from now on. You should get used to this." Mulder sighed, and looked down at the puppy. "Bad dog." The dog looked at Mulder, and then shook himself, spreading stray droplets of water all over the floor and Mulder's suit pants. ======================================= Mulder poured the puppy a bowl full of the dog food Krycek had bought. Then the two cleaned up the mess together, and spread newspaper on part of the floor in case the dog had to go again. The floor once again pristine and protected from further accidents, they sat down together. The puppy executed an ambitious jump from the floor, and landed on the couch. It climbed between the two men, and fell asleep. "So, Mulder, have you thought of any names?" "I should just call him Trouble." "You're naming him after me? How sweet." Mulder laughed. "But, seriously, I still don't know what to call him. I could just cop out and give him a dog name, like Spot or Rex..." Krycek wrinkled his nose. "Those names are boring." "Well, what are your ideas?" "Hmm... Julian." "Julian?!" "Yeah. He's like this rowdy little kid with a name that's too dignified for him. Julian." "Nah. How about Scruffy?" "Too obvious. He's all brown; you could call him Cocoa." "What a fruity name. All the other dogs would beat him up." Krycek smiled. "We can't have that." "We should give him a science fiction name." "Skywalker?" "Nah." "Spock?" "I kinda like that one, but he doesn't really look like a Spock." Krycek rolled his eyes. "Ford Prefect." "No... but there was a dog in the fifth Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy book. They named him after the president, and he had the best name...." "Know-Nothing-Bozo the Non-Wonder Dog?" Mulder smiled. "Yeah, that's it!" Krycek was smiling too. "Well, if you're going to name him that, you might as well just name him after the current president, and call him Slick Willie." "Wait, I like that. Willie. He looks like a Willie." Krycek peered at the sleeping dog. "Yeah, he does. Hello, Willie." Mulder and Krycek smiled at each other, and both began petting Willie. They enjoyed comfortable silence until Krycek accidentally rubbed Mulder's hand. They stared at each other, and Krycek repeated the action. Receiving an encouraging look from Mulder, he began gently stroking the other man's fingers. Mulder leaned forward. He wasn't interrupted this time, and he softly kissed Krycek. Pulling back, he said, "Thank you for the puppy." Krycek smiled. "If I get you another puppy, will you give me another kiss?" Mulder cupped Krycek's cheek and kissed him again, deeper this time. When they parted, he asked, "Will you come back and visit Willie?" Krycek, with a grin now permanently stuck on his face, said, "I promise to come and visit you both." === The End ===