manchester united

“Manchester United.”

“Hmm? I don’t think I know who they are.” Fred looked up from her paperwork and saw that a faint smile was spreading across Spike’s face. She blushed when she realized that he was looking more and more attractive to her everyday and duly turned her attention back to her research.

“What, you didn’t think I went in for your shoddy American version, did you?” Spike asked. “You asked what my favorite football team is, and that’s what it is. What you Yanks would call ‘soccer’ and whatnot.”

“Oh! Oh, right, right.” Fred laughed softly. “Were you ever in any big fan brawls?” She looked up again.

The smile was now a full-blown grin, somewhat sly and lopsided. “Caused my fair share,” Spike replied. Then, somewhat wistfully, he added, “Not the kind of thing I can do anymore, ‘course.”

“Spike,” Fred began gently, “I’ll figure it out. We’ll get you all back to normal, or at least as normal as… well…” She frowned, searching for the right way to phrase her thoughts.

“Just let me actually touch things, and I’ll be a happy man.”

The way he slightly emphasized the word “touch” sent Fred’s pulse accelerating. Damn him, she thought, by turns amused and annoyed.

“All manner of things I wanna be touchin’, after all.”

That did it. Fred’s eyes met his, and Spike winked at her. She cleared her throat. “Um… well…”

He sat up straighter and looked away. “Sorry, sorry. Force of habit. Incorrigible flirt here,” he muttered quickly.

“Oh.” Fred made no effort to disguise her disappointment.

He perked back up. “No, lamb, that’s not what I meant,” Spike said, voice dripping with honey again. “Trust me, wouldn’t even say such things if I didn’t find you quite flirt-worthy. I do fancy you rather a lot, you know.”

She tugged at a strand of hair that had come loose from her ponytail. “Really?”

Spike nodded. “Really.”

Footsteps slowed outside the lab, and Fred sprang forward with a shriek when knuckles rapped quickly on the doorframe. “Oh, hey, sorry, didn’t mean to make you jump there.” Cole smiled placidly at her until his eyes fell on the chair Spike occupied. He glanced at the floor. “And I didn’t know you had company. I can come back.”

Cole started to turn back to the hallway, but stopped at the sound of Spike’s voice. “’S all right, Turner,” he said quietly. “Been meaning to come ‘round since I found m’self here anyway.”

Cole’s gaze swept to Fred, who held out her arm to the chair beside her desk. “Come in, come in, it’s fine.”

“Science girl here’s still workin’ on my little problem, you see. Bloody brilliant, she is.”

Cole nodded. “Cream of the crop.”

The room plunged into a heavy silence until Fred finally dared a nervous peek at Cole. “You, um, came for something…?”

“Right, yes, uh, Morrigan still has Knox working on the specs for that large-beam ultra-violet laser project, and I was just coming around to see how it was going.”

Fred smiled. “Just great. He’s been such a help to me.”

Spike rolled his eyes and slouched, propping his feet up on the desk. “Yeah, the magnificent Knoxy,” he sniffed. “Do please gush about him some more.”

Fred blinked. “Jealous?” she murmured.

Spike looked at Cole. “Er, no, no, not a bit. Why should I be?”

Cole’s eyes narrowed. “Are you two… I mean, not that it’s any of my business, William. God knows you and I are --”

“Excuse me?!” Fred squeaked. “Wait just a gall-darn second here!” She stood up and stared from one man to the other. “Spike is all fawning over me half the damn time, but meanwhile he’s having a… a thing with you?!”

“Not havin’ a thing with anybody at present,” Spike pointed out. “Decided lack of corporeality here. Makes having it off infinitely pointless.”

“But you used to,” Fred replied.

“It was a long time ago.” Cole laughed nervously. “It was when Phoebe and I were having some problems, and… Well, it’s over.”

“Wasn’t kidding when I said I fancied you, luv,” Spike told Fred. “Not gonna lie and say there was never anybody else, though.”

Fred looked at the two of them again, both looking vaguely shamed and guilty, both looking quite boyish and cute…

After a long moment, she shrugged. “You know, this is silly. We should all just go to bed together. I mean, after I figure out how to get Spike his body back, naturally.”

It took both Spike and Cole a full minute to regain the ability to speak.