The footsteps became louder as they neared the door to Mulder's apartment. Gun already in hand, the FBI agent sat tensely on the edge of his couch, waiting. The footsteps stopped, and the shadows of two feet under the doorway gave away the position of the man outside Mulder's apartment. He tensed, waiting to see whether the man would reveal himself freely, or just try to break the lock. A sound of the lock being picked answered his thoughts. Mulder's forehead creased, and he began to bite nervously on his impressive bottom lip. The door then opened, and the intruder stood still, framed by the light of the corridor.
"Krycek!..." Mulder gasped. He kept his gun pointed at the man clothed only in black. In response, Krycek smiled, shrugged off his leather jacket, and began to walk slowly over to Mulder. The FBI agent, instantly suspicious, quickly motioned with the gun for the man to keep his distance.
"Oh, please, Mulder," Krycek said dismissively. "I know you're not going to shoot me, and I'm not here to do the 'gun, handcuffs and abuse' thing with you...this time." He paused to give a seductive smile. "Not that I don't want to, because you know I do."
Mulder desperately tried to hold back the beginnings of a blush, at the sudden reminder of their past encounters. He regained his composure expertly, and stared the other man straight in his intense green eyes.
"I know you do. So do I. Maybe next time, huh?" he said with an equally seductive stare.
Krycek smiled cheekily and nodded.
"Do you want to know what I had in mind, Mulder?" he asked, while moving closer to the FBI agent.
"It better have something to do with my gun, handcuffs or abuse, otherwise I'm not interested," replied Mulder stubbornly, with a glint in his eye.
"Oh, it might," Krycek replied innocently. 'I suppose we could improvise a bit...'
Mulder looked at him impatiently.
"Come on, Krycek. You better tell me what you have in mind, or I'll just kill you now. I still believe you killed my father, you know. It's not like I don't have a reason to blow your brains out."
Mulder took the safety off his gun for emphasis.
"Oh, please!" Krycek said laughingly. "That old excuse. You know your father has nothing to do with why you turn into a sadistic maniac every time you look at me."
Mulder considered arguing, but decided he wanted to know Krycek's plan first.
"Well, Krycek. What's your great idea?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm.
"Tell me, Mulder," started Krycek, while sliding into a chair. "Do you watch 'NewsRadio'?"
Mulder stared at him like he had just grown an extra head. Not that an extra head would surprise someone who embraces the paranormal like a favourite teddy bear, but still...
"What?!" Mulder spluttered out. "I really hope you didn't come over here for popcorn and videos, because you are gravely mistaken if thought that was going to happen."
Mulder glared warningly at Krycek, with a 'You better explain yourself quickly or even you might not like the consequences' look.
"You're so narrow-minded sometimes, Mulder," started Krycek, baiting the FBI agent. "If you'd just use that imagination that I know you have..." He shot Mulder another killer look. Mulder was instantly glad that he was still sitting down, as his knees probably would have given way at that expression.
"Sorry, Krycek," he said sarcastically. "I did see it, if you must know. What are you up to?"
Krycek grinned.
"You remember the scene at the start, where Joe and Matthew have a little electrocution-fest? Well..." He left the rest of the sentence hanging in the air, for Mulder to grab onto.
"Ohhhhh!...," Mulder exclaimed. An evil smile crept over his face. "You're a sucker for pain, Krycek. You just keep coming back for more. Though I admit I never thought you'd bring your own ideas with you."
Krycek shrugged his shoulders modestly.
"I thought, that considering you hopefully don't own a train-set - as that would be really pathetic if you did - that maybe we could make liberal use of a butter knife and your toaster. Or maybe a light socket and my tongue..."
Mulder pulled at the tie at his neck, suddenly thinking it was getting very hot in his apartment.
"Ahhhh...I think...that'll be...acceptable..."
"Good," said Krycek, in a professional voice that sounded like he'd just settled a business arrangement. "Well...would you like me to go outside and pick your lock again so we can start 'in character', or would you prefer to start here and just make up some weak excuse for getting rough with me?..."
"Ummmm...," pondered Mulder, like a kind in a candy store. "I think that first one would be best."
Krycek smiled, and without another word, rose from his chair and walked smoothly back to the door.
"Hey, Krycek...," Mulder yelled after the man. Krycek turned and raised an eyebrow in question. "Would you like to be paid now or later?" Mulder asked sarcastically, noticing the business-like attitude Krycek had suddenly developed.
The other man smiled smoothly.
"This is charity, Mulder. You know you can't afford me."
Mulder swallowed convulsively, out of nervousness and anticipation. He ripped his tie completely from his neck, feeling its strangle-hold all too uncomfortably. Krycek meanwhile, had turned and left the room. Mulder waited tensely for the game to begin...
Suddenly, the sound of the door being picked once again, broke the silence, making Mulder almost drop his gun. The door was pushed slowly open, and Mulder was sure Krycek could hear his erratic breathing, which was nearly as loud as his heart pounding in its cage. Suddenly the door was fully open, and Krycek stood once again in the doorway, framed by the light of the corridor. His expression revealed his thoughts, if only for a split second. Mulder smiled slightly as he caught Krycek's expression, that read with blatant seduction: 'Let's begin'.
Mulder quickly remembered to compose himself, and repositioned his hands to hold the gun more firmly, despite the sweat that was dripping off his shaking limbs.
"Get inside and shut the door," he barked roughly. The other man complied. Mulder decided to use his reliable grudge against Krycek, to being their night with.
"You killed my father. Give me one reason why I shouldn't just shoot you now."
Krycek looked worried, knowing the other man wouldn't believe him, as he had already tried to tell him the truth many times before.
"I didn't kill your father, Mulder. I told you that."
Mulder jumped up from his seat in one swift movement, lunged at Krycek, and began to beat him to the ground with his gun.
"You murderer! You killed my father, you lying bastard!"
Krycek tried unsuccessfully to shield the blows from the gun with his arms, but was wrenched up from the floor, and thrown forcefully across the room. Before he could recover, Mulder was upon him once again, dragging him by his hair across to the power socket on the wall.
"No! Mulder!" Krycek gasped, but was cut short when his head was slammed into the plaster above the socket.
"Shut up," Mulder commanded the younger man, then pushed Krycek's head further towards the wall. Krycek desperately tried to pull back, but was no match for the crazed FBI agent.
"Please! No!" Krycek begged again, but was rewarded with a knee being dug painfully into his lower back. He arched back reflexively and made a futile attempt to unbalance Mulder, who was pressing him into the floor with his lean body. He managed to free an arm, and searched frantically for anything which would release him from Mulder's death-grip. Before he could grasp anything, Mulder wrenched the younger man's arm back, and forced it painfully up his spine. Krycek then thought he heard the sound of handcuffs being retrieved from Mulder's pocket. He was correct in his observation, as suddenly his free arm was yanked behind him to join the other, and together they were locked tightly. Krycek opened his mouth to plead with the FBI agent again, but a hand clamped tightly over it before he could speak.
"Didn't I tell you to shut up, Krycek?" Mulder whispered harshly. "You say one more word, and I'll kill you. Do you understand?"
Krycek managed to move his head enough to nod his compliance. Mulder then slammed the younger man's head back closer to the socket on the wall in front of his face, and then with his other hand, grabbed a knife from somewhere behind him.
"Tell me, Krycek. Have you ever been electrocuted? Because you're about to be, you know," Mulder purred softly into Krycek's ear. He pushed the man's head the last few inches to the wall, so his mouth was lined up with the socket.
"You know what I want you to do, Krycek. Incase you don't, let me name the two things involved: Your tongue and this light socket. Take the hint."
The knife suddenly appeared at Krycek's exposed throat.
"For every second you don't do as I say, this knife will move a millimetre further into your skin. Do you understand?"
Krycek nodded his head a fraction, being careful not to accidentally slit his own throat. A little pressure was added to the press of the knife on his throat, and Krycek almost slammed his own head into the light socket in his haste to save his neck. He whimpered ever so slightly as the electric current ran through his body, shocking him suddenly. A twisted smile broke out on Mulder's face.
"Good. That wasn't so difficult, was it? Do it again."
Krycek knew better than to stall this time, and electrocuted himself once again. He nearly screamed in shock as Mulder held his head to the wall for a full five seconds. He could feel how swollen his tongue was, and hoped desperately that Mulder would take pity on him.
"Oh, Krycek, did that hurt? I'm sorry," Mulder said uncaringly.
"Hmmmm...Maybe once more will do, I think."
The knife pressed deeper against Krycek's throat, piercing the skin to produce a thin line of blood. The younger man moaned at the sudden shot of pain, and quickly placed his head back on the socket again, for the final time. Mulder once again held his head in place, but for a full ten seconds this time. Krycek's body jerked convulsively as the electric current ran through him, and he let out a piercing scream just as Mulder pulled his head away, breaking the connection.
The two men lay panting on the floor for a full ten minutes after. Krycek gathered enough strength to reach for the keys for the handcuffs that were lying on the ground near him, and freed his arms. He then turned his head enough to look at Mulder, and smiled slightly to see that the man was as sweat drenched and exhausted as he was. He slowly pulled himself up into a sitting position, and exercised the muscles in his mouth, to get everything working again. After a few test runs with his voice, he was satisfied that no permanent damage was done. He then rose to his feet, and slowly made his way to the door.
"Hey, Krycek," Mulder suddenly yelled after the retreating figure of the other man. Krycek turned and waited patiently for Mulder to continue on. A strange smile broke out over the FBI agent's face.
"You're about a quadruple-agent, who has possibly everyone in the world after you. You're amoral, ruthless, devious, and untrustworthy to name but a few of you're more endearing characteristics," he explained with a hint of sarcasm. "So tell me - Why on earth would someone like you be watching 'NewsRadio'?"
Krycek burst out laughing at the utter exasperation coming from Mulder's voice, as the poor FBI agent tried to find the logical answer to his yet unanswered question.
"I could answer you, but that would be no fun, would it? Just catagorise it under all the other secrets I haven't told you, which eat at you from the inside."
And with that, he turned and left.
THE END