"Over here," Alex said, eyes sparkling with mischief. He
crouched, naked, at the end of the couch. Near Mulder's feet.
Mulder stared at his suddenly unfamiliar toes. "Why are you
painting my toenails?" Alex had even used those plastic dividers to
keep the toes separated and the polish on the nails from getting
ruined. "Are you drunk? Sleep-polishing?"
"This all makes sense. I did it as a goof at first—"
"No, really?"
"—but I really like it."
"Oh, do you?"
"This may sound stupid, but they came out reminding me of
Faberge eggs somehow."
When Mulder wiggled his toes as much as he could, he saw silver
shine and tiny rainbows move. Alex had used one of the holiday
holographic confetti glitter polishes that came out to be worn for
Christmas parties. A few coats of glitter had created an intriguing
look of texture... Mulder saw a bit of what Alex meant. Like this,
the nails looked almost delicate, like eggshells, and the gleaming
colors and silver looked a bit like the ornamentation you saw on
the bejeweled eggs. He had the sudden inescapable image of his
toenails opening on hinges to reveal surprises inside, painted
portraits maybe...
Mulder shook his head. "I can see it, but it's the wrong season for
those."
Alex looked surprised that Mulder knew that. "I didn't start out
with that idea. Look, you've been so down lately, with the bureau
having you literally working on shit, your new assistant director
out to drive you insane, dealing with the horrors of cubicle life, and
everyone trying to force you to conform. I thought maybe I could
do something demented to cheer you up a bit, something you could
have as your own secret rebellion, that only the people you're
intimate with know about."
As surprisingly open as that monologue had been for Alex, Mulder
couldn't resist needling him a bit. "So, while Kersh may be
ripping me a new one, at least I'll feel like my feet are pretty?"
Alex actually looked a little bit hurt for a second. "Fuck you."
It took Mulder back a bit. He wiggled his toes again and realized
that he never gave his feet much thought as long as they carried
him around without pain. They had to be his most abused and least
appreciated feature. //After my head, of course.//
Now they demanded attention. Tiny lights in all the colors of the
spectrum gleamed and flashed amid shiny silver, making it look as
if his toes had been bejeweled, giving them an odd kind of
mystique. The miniature rainbows undulated as he shifted in the
light. He had festive feet. He couldn't help grinning suddenly.
"I like them. I just needed a moment to get used to the idea."
"You do." The tone couldn't be any flatter, to make sure Mulder
realized that Alex really didn't give a damn.
"Yeah. Every time I'll see them I'll think of you."
Alex's eyes remained wary, but his lips started to quirk up.
"That's always a good thing."
"How did the tsarinas thank the person who gave them the eggs?"
"I believe they offered to become the giver's slave, subject to his
every sexual whim."
"That doesn't sound like much of a chore."
"And let him call them 'Fox.'"
"That doesn't sound right."
Alex straddled him. "Ingratitude is a sin, Fox..." In continuing
with the egg customs, he kissed Mulder the traditional three times,
though not in the traditional place.
Mulder laughed. "Oh, hell, call me whatever you want. Who am I
to begrudge anything to the person who put the treasures of Tsarist
Russia at my feet?"
"Less talking and more thanking, Fox."
THE END AUTHOR'S NOTE: I have my own toes done up in the polish
mentioned, and they give me a grin...
Treasures
by Viridian5
Mulder woke in darkness to an odd, strong chemical smell and the
feeling of something pinning his feet. "Alex?" he asked in a
sudden panic and threw the cover away from him, leaving him
naked but in the dim light.
I wrote this Thursday, then Friday night's Christmas-themed
Millennium ended with a man getting his toenails painted! Sure,
it was red and done by a woman, but I still didn't know whether to
laugh or cry.
