"So, Malcolm, who do you think is hot?"

"Pardon me?" Malcolm looked up, slightly startled at the blunt question, though with dinner companions such as his own, he really shouldn't be.

Hoshi gave him a look as she dipped her spoon into her bowl of chocolate ice cream again. "You heard me." She looked over at Travis beside her. "We always talk about our own interests."

Travis nodded, fingers laced around his cup of coffee. "Yeah. You always listen but never speak up. How are we supposed to set you up if you don't ever say anything." He grinned playfully.

"I believe that is the goal; to keep you two out of my business. As if I want to be set up with anyone…"

Just one person in particular is all.

"So you don't think *anyone* is hot on ship? Not the least bit sexually attractive?" Hoshi batted her eyes at him.

Malcolm swallowed down a chuckle at her and amended. "Present company excluded, of course." He winked at Travis.

Travis wasn't letting him off so easily. "Oh, come on, Malcolm! Give us some dirt. There *has* to be someone, other than us."

Why did they suddenly give a damn about his sexual interests, anyway? They had always been content to simply ramble on about Liz Cutler's lips or Michael Rostov's backside, without more than a grunt of acknowledgement from him. Why pay him mind now?

Well, like hell he was telling *these* two, even if they were his best friends, anything on the subject. He grasped for a suitable but obvious answer. "Hrm, T'Pol has a nice bum."

He looked back down at the PADD in front of him, hoping they'd leave it at that.

"No shit." Hoshi sighed and rolled her eyes, grabbing the PADD away from him. "Like no one's noticed the view is nice. Who else? Someone more compatible and accessible, maybe…"

Was she coming on to him again? He flustered some and looked to Travis, gesturing at Hoshi. "She's not going to accost me in my quarters some night, is she?"

The other man laughed as Hoshi blushed. "She hasn't told me about it. "

"Travis! No, Malcolm, I didn't mean *me*. I know you long for me, Lieutenant, but I'm sorry to say it won't happen any time soon."

"So there is hope yet?" Malcolm quirked a grin at the teasing. He reached for the PADD again. Hoshi spotted him and moved it to the other side of the table.

"Okay, besides your burning desire for T'Pol and Hoshi, anyone else?" Travis asked.

"Nope. I live a lonely, sad life longing for women who do nothing but despise and scorn me."

Won't they ever drop this line of questioning?

"I don't despise you, Malcolm!"

"Ah, but scorn me, yes." He crossed his arms over his chest defensively.

Travis glanced at him over his coffee. "No… men on that list, Malcolm?"

"Lord, now you're both after me."

"No no, not me! I was just thinking of—" Travis suddenly yelped and jumped in his seat. "Ouch! Hoshi!"

She glared at him from across the table for a second, then smiled brightly at Malcolm.

What the bloody hell was going on? Why did she just kick Travis?

"You *sure* there's no one else? Someone… you spend a lot of time with?"

Shit!

"You *are* trying to set me up!" He sat up straighter in his chair, scowling at the both of them. "I don't care which… crewman put you up to this, but I'm not interested."

"It was not a *crewman*, Malcolm. Ouch! Hoshi, stop it!" Travis scooted his chair back and pulled his legs out from under the table, away from Hoshi's attacks apparently.

"Travis! Shut up! He didn't want us to drop these big of hints…" Hoshi turned back to Malcolm, seeming to realize he's still there. "Uh, not that there's anyone, really, we were just, um, wondering."

Malcolm carefully scrutinized both of them. Someone… a male someone of rank… had asked them to test out his interests?

His heart skipped but he quickly swallowed down the hope building in his chest. For all he knew, it could be Phlox.

"Right… well, there's no one I'm interested in, who could possibly be interested in me."

Travis looked ready to speak again but hushed as Hoshi warningly cleared her throat.

And then he walked in to the mess hall from the Captain's Mess…

It can't be him, it can't be him, it can't be him. Jonathan Archer ask Hoshi and Travis to look in on his romantic interests? It was preposterous. It was horribly far fetched at the least. He wouldn't ask his friend… their mutual friend… to ask about him… would he? But really, no, this was silly! The man was his *Captain*! It wasn't… He wouldn't…

Malcolm's thoughts melted as Jonathan glanced over and met his gaze while turning to pass through to the corridor… and kept the eye contact… eyes searching… needy, almost… lost maybe… yes with a spark there beneath…

He couldn't breath. He couldn't think.

Jonathan didn't look away until he'd crossed the room, until he'd nearly have to turn around to keep his eyes on Malcolm's. Malcolm spotted a hint of a blush cross Jonathan's features, before he disappeared out in to the hallway.

Malcolm reeled as he took a deep breath. The man had never… They'd stolen looks before but not like this.

He blinked and turned as he felt Hoshi lean in close to him. She was all grins.

"Oh no… not interested at all… I'm sure he meant to nearly run over Cunningham on his way out…"

Malcolm blushed furiously and cleared his throat.

"So… why exactly does he need you two, again?"

***

END