Title: Sure About It
By: angstytimelord
Pairing: Tenth Doctor/Fox Mulder
Fandom: Doctor Who/The X-Files
Rating: PG-13
Table: doctorwho_100
Prompt: 47, Truth
Disclaimer: This is entirely a product of my imagination, and I make no profit from it. I do not own the Tenth Doctor or Fox Mulder, unfortunately. Please do not sue.

***

Mulder leaned against the console of the Tardis, stifling a sigh. How much longer would he be allowed to stay here on this amazing ship, with this incredible man who he was learning more about every day? He had a feeling that his time here was limited.

No, not a man, he told himself for what was probably the thousandth time. An alien. That was the only way that he could keep back his growing inner feelings about the Doctor; he had to remind himself over and over that this person wasn't human.

That didn't stop his mind from creating images of what he wished the two of them could spend time doing together, Mulder thought, his eyes straying to where the Time Lord was leaning over the console, studying the various readouts.

Mulder had to look away, swallowing to combat the dryness in his throat. How was it possible for him to want someone he knew was an alien? It was crazy. He shouldn't be thinking like this about a creature who only looked like a man.

The Doctor had assured him that there was no "other" body, and that what he looked like wsan't any kind of an illusion. This was his real appearance, so much like a human that Mulder wouldn't have been able to tell that he wasn't human if he hadn't known better.

He had, of course, explained about regeneration, a concept that Mulder found fascinating, if a little disconcerting. He wasn't sure he'd want to have that ability himself.

What if he didn't like the body that he regenerated into? What if he hated how he looked? Not that it really mattered, considering that just having the gift of being able to regenerate was incredible -- but it would suck to spend a lot of years in a body he hated.

Humans did that all the time, he told himself sternly. In fact, most of them did; not everyone liked how they looked. What other excuse was there for the popularity of plastic surgeons on Earth? And looks weren't everything, even to an alien.

If the Doctor had been in a different body, if he wasn't so attractive, would he have wanted to go off with the other man in the Tardis? Probably so, he said to himself, a wry smile curving his lips. There just wouldn't have been such a strong attraction between them.

Mulder was fairly certain that the Doctor wanted him, too. He'd seen the Time Lord casting what he might have thought were surreptitious glances at him, and he'd caught the hesitation when the Doctor had said good night and gone to his own bedroom.

He'd had the idea of going into the Doctor's bedroom and climbing into bed with him, just to see what the other man would do. But he hadn't been able to make himself go that far; it was as if there was a line drawn in the sand that he didn't quite have the nerve to step over.

That was unusual for him. He generally didn't have a problem with taking risks; that was part of what made life worthwhile to him.

But he was also fairly sure that doing something like that would get him taken back to Earth, the trip with the Doctor over for good. And if he was honest with himself, he didn't want this to end. He didn't want to go back to Earth, back to the life he'd led before he'd met the Doctor.

Even his past work with the FBI seemed dull compared to this. True, he hadn't become embroiled in any intergalactic mysteries, or taken part in ferocious battles between worlds. But he'd seen things in the short time he'd been on the Tardis that he'd never dreamed of.

What had surprised him the most was that there were other worlds that looked so much like Earth. He hadn't expected so many different planets to be so much like the one he was used to -- except for small differences like having purple grass, or a deep blue sun.

He'd often wondered about the Doctor's home planet, but he didn't talk much about that. When Mulder had brought up the subject, he'd been curt and clipped, only saying that his home was gone and not explaining why or how.

It was obvious that the Time Lord wasn't anxious to talk about the place he came from, and Mulder had decided not to push it. He was sure that was another thing that could very likely get him ejected from this magical mystery trip into the depths of the universe.

His biggest problem now was convincing the Doctor to let him stay. He'd already had his one trip that had been promised -- actually, he'd had much more than that.

The Doctor had told him that he could have one trip; only one chance to see the galaxy. And he'd been here for .... what? Days? Weeks? He wasn't sure about the time; it seemed to pass much differently here in the Tardis then it normally did.

He'd been given so much more than that. By Mulder's count, the two of them had been to at least a dozen different planets; he'd been able to see so much that he would never have thought could possibly exist side by side with the world he was used to living in.

It would have to come to an end sometime. An end that he didn't want to see. He wanted to stay here, traveling the galaxy with this man -- and he wanted their relationship to be on a more .... intimate footing than it had been so far.

The truth was, he didn't want to leave the Doctor. It hadn't been easy to admit that truth to himself; it would be even harder to admit it to the other man. He'd never been good at expressing his feelings; he was far too good at burying them under a mask of flippancy.

But he'd faced that truth front and center when he'd admitted to himself that he wanted more from the Doctor than just a trip in the Tardis. Now, his problem was telling the Doctor that he wanted more from him than what he'd been promised -- and how to go about voicing his feelings.

Raising his head to look at the other man, he was disconcerted to find that the Time Lord was watching him, an enigmatic smile on those sensual lips.

"What's on your mind, Fox?" the Doctor asked in that voice that always sent a slight shiver down Mulder's spine, that voice that he hadn't been able to get out of his head since the first time he'd heard it. Why did this man have to sound so damn sexy?

He'd always hated being called Fox -- but when the Doctor said his name, it took on a different sound than it did coming from anyone else. The sound of his name on this man's lips made him melt in some places -- and harden in others.

"I want to stay here," he blurted out without thinking of what he was saying. "I don't want to go back to Earth. I'd be bored there after all this -- I don't think I could deal with looking up at the sky every night, knowing you were out here and I wasn't with you."

The Doctor looked surprised at first; his dark eyes widened, then he looked down at the console again as though he was suddenly greatly interested in what he saw there. "Are you sure about that?" he asked, his voice subdued.

"Yeah, I'm as sure as I can be," Mulder said softly, his heart leaping in his chest. Was it possible that he wasn't asking too much, and that the Doctor wanted him to stay here, too? That was what it seemed like, but outward impressions could be wrong.

"I want you to stay here, too," the Time Lord told him, lifting his head again to look Mulder in the eye. "I was hoping you'd say that you didn't want to go back."

Mulder felt a wave of relief wash over him at the Doctor's words. He wasn't going to have to go back to Earth and resume the life he'd been leading since leaving the FBI. He wouldn't have to look up at the sky and wish that he was in a blue box with an attractive alien.

And maybe, just maybe, if he was lucky, his relationship with the Doctor would take a more intimate turn. He wasn't going to mention that now; he didn't want to push his luck. But he was definitely going to keep that idea in mind.

After all, he'd never gotten anywhere in his life without taking chances. Some of them had ended up being mistakes, true. But some of them had paid off, and he was positive that with a little patience, this gamble would be the best thing he'd ever done for himself.

He'd already taken a chance by accepting the Doctor's offer of a trip in the Tardis -- and look what that had gotten him. He'd felt as though he was starting a whole new life, one that was much more exciting and satisfying than the one he'd left behind.

Truth be told, he never wanted this to end. He could travel with the Doctor for the rest of his days, and be perfectly happy. He'd never thought this was what he'd ended up doing, but then again, he'd never known that a place like this -- or a person like the Doctor -- had even existed.

The Time Lord continued to look at him, their gazes locked and holding. The two men smiled at each other across the console, a smile that seemed to Mulder as though it held promises for the future. A future that he felt had suddenly become much more pleasant.

***