This started out as a BrainsxMoffie fic, and ended up as BrainsxVirgil. Please review and enjoy xx

Brains and Moffie had been lab partners at Cambridge. It sparked an immediate friendship, which had lasted through their studies and they'd done their best to maintain despite the fact that their jobs required the upmost secrecy.

There was a short list of people who were allowed on the island, Moffie was on that list. Jeff had hoped that she would work for International Rescue along with Brains, but another offer came up and they went their separate ways.

After all those years Moffie was finally standing in what could have been their lab.
"How did you excavate the chambers?"
"They were al-already here, we just p-put some a-additional supports."
"Of course, the island is volcanic."
"W-was."
Moffie stared around, every time she saw something interesting, something better jumped out at her. There were schematics everywhere, formulas all over the boards, different coloured sticky notes which she guess correlated to each operative. The childish part of her was hoping that there would be mysterious bubbling liquids but there were none to be seen.
"Is that M.A.X.?"
A loud whistle and a flurry of beeps confirmed that it was indeed M.A.X. She crouched down so she was level with him.
"Look how much you've grown! You're getting big aren't you? Who's a good robot? Who's a good robot? You're a good robot!"
M.A.X. bounced up and down. Brains shook his head and grinned fondly.
"He's n-not a dog, Moffie."
"I can still make a fuss of him. He's come a long way since uni."
"It was a l-long time ago."
"I suppose it was."
They fell silent for a moment, reminiscing. She patted M.A.X. on the head and stood up.
"So, tell me about those gorgeous hunks upstairs."
"Wh-what ab-bout them?"
"The one in the lumberjack getup, he's your type."
Brains had just taken a mouthful of cold coffee and had inhaled most of it into his lungs. Moffie thumped him on the back until he'd stopped turning asphyxiation blue and returned to a slightly healthier appalled red.
"Moffie-"
"What?" She grinned.
"It w-won't happen."
"He's straight?"
"I d-don't think so."
"You've been here for more than ten years!"
"It's n-not something I n-need to know."
"Mmmhmmm. Totally a phase three Hiram."
Brains shook his head, blush becoming darker by the second.
"I am n-not a phase thr-three."
"Denial is phase three."
"They th-think we're t-together."
That was hardly unexpected. Plenty of people had assumed that they were together, and they had been. Not for long. They'd realised pretty quickly that they were better off as friends. And they'd stayed such close friends that most people didn't know they'd broken up. Moffie sat in the swivel chair and leafed through a folder of schematics while she considered.
"We can work around that. Would you want to date him?"
"Maybe." Brains sighed. "But what if I lose him?"
"You won't let that happen. They won't let that happen. Do you actually fancy him?"
Brains made a half-hearted non-committal noise which translated as yes.
"I think you have a chance."
"Can we just leave it at a phase three for now?"
So many of Brains' crushes ended up staying in phase three, Moffie was determined that this wouldn't be one of them.
"Okay, but when I check back in six months please be a phase four."
"I'll t-try."
"Is this cloaking tech?"
"Y-yes, but it d-doesn't work yet."
"You've got me now, I'm something of a genius you know."
Brains laughed. "Okay, genius. See if you can solve this."