Scotty smiled at you sheepishly before meeting your eyes and you glowered. “Why’d you stop? I was enjoying that.”

“I could tell,” She said with a nose scrunch. “But I’ve gotta go get mum ready for bed.”

You sat up instantly, aware of the importance of her mother's care. The abruptness of your movement startled her, and her eyebrows jumped. “A-Are you leaving? It shouldn’t take long, but if you have to go I understand.” Her eyes darted around wildly.

“You need me to leave? I can go, give you your privacy.” You twirled the end of one of your locs around your pointer finger, eyeing her from where you were perched on her couch. Scotty fidgeted slightly, eyeballs scanning your body, her stare stirring your insides. You didn’t want to leave, spending time with her had quickly climbed to number one on your list of favorite things to do.

Her presence was inviting, the timid way she maneuvered through her days sucked you all the way in. Unnoticed by many, but not by you.

She was nice to you on your first day in the maintenance department all those months ago, guided you, and explained how everything worked with genuine care. Her actions spoke well of her intentions; Scotty wanted you to excel at your new job.

You recalled the way it made you feel, how you couldn't help smiling every time she spoke to you in that endearing way. She never lost patience with you, even when your own patience for yourself ran dry. It was such tenderness that sparked your feelings for her.

Pining after her in the way you were was pathetic, seeing as she clearly felt the same way, but you refused to jeopardize the friendship over a little crush.

“Uh, you don’t have to. Leave, I mean, you can stay. I’m sure she’d love to see you.” The twinkle in her eyes confirmed she shared that same desperation for you to stay. You tugged your bottom lip between your teeth, grinning before giving her a nod. She stood, stretching her arms above her head, and your eyes offhandedly fell to her exposed waist.

Stifling a whimper, you stuck your hand out, and Scotty grabbed it, pulling you right out of your seat.

Being on your feet placed you directly in her orbit. Bodies, faces, lips — barely inches apart. Your ears heeded the breath she sucked in, and you felt its warmth against your skin when she exhaled. Slow, shaky, and simmered. You let your eyes flicker to her mouth for a beat. Plump pink lips, slightly ajar and quivering before you. When you met her gaze, everything about her expression told you she wanted to bolt. Her eyes were wanting, but unsure. Fingers tapped her legs as she attempted to steady her breaths.

You felt the drumming in your chest increase the longer you peered at her through questioning eyes. She blinked at you cautiously, but there was no protest there. A step closer, then another one, and she still hadn’t moved. Her chest shifted up and down, and the sight of her tampered with your oxygen flow. You leaned in a little and it triggered her fight or flight.

Scotty took a step backward then, and she almost tripped over the coffee table in the center of the living room. “So mum.”

“Right, yeah no, of course. I’ll just pop in to say hello.” You nodded your head, hoping the movement would shake all conjurings of kissing Scotty from your mind.

“Yeah.” She shoved her hands into the pockets of her jeans and led the way to her mother's bedroom.

A soft knock, and then she was turning the knob. “Mum, look who's here.”

The older woman smiled fondly at you and you moved in for a hug. “How have you been, love? Still liking the job?”

“Yeah, I've been alright,” You sat on the edge of the bed, then pointed back at Scotty. “That one keeps me company most days.”

“Viv is great company.” Her smile widened and you didn't have to turn around to know Scotty was blushing profusely.

“She is, yeah.” Your dimpled grin popped out. The two of you rambled on about your days and the shows she'd been watching after Scotty excused herself to go run the bath.

Her mother peeked over your shoulder, making sure she was really gone before she whispered. “When are you gonna take her out on a date? You know she'll never ask ya first.”

“What? No, we're not–”

She smacked your hand and you startled. “Oh don't play that with me. I wasn't born yesterday, you know that? I see the way you look at her when you're over, and you should hear how she talks about you when you're not here. You know you're the only person she's ever brought round here?”

You tried for words, but only short stutters escaped you. The idea of Scotty talking to her mother about you was not one you expected, but it was one that made your stomach flip all the same.

“She talks about me?” Your throat dry as you croaked the words out, trying to hide your blush.

She nodded. “Every day. You’d think you two were dating the way she goes on about you and your days together. Which is why I was surprised when she said you two weren't going out on her birthday last week.”

“Wait, her birthday? When was her birthday? She's never told me, I always ask but she’s never said.” Confusion colored your face.

“It was last Friday. Never liked celebrating it, ever since she was small. She said you were too busy to go out with her, should've known that wasn't true.” She shook her head at her daughter's antics.

Last Friday. Scotty told you she was working a late shift last Friday, but never specified which job. She was twitchy when she spoke to you that day too, more so than usual, and now you understood why. That little liar. You scoffed in disbelief at the thought; Scotty would rather sit at home alone on her birthday than spend it with you. That just would not do.

Before you were able to respond to her mother, Scotty reentered the bedroom. “Bath’s ready mum.”

There was a smile in her voice. You stood up, preparing to leave the room when the woman squeezed your hands, passing you a knowing stare and you nodded.

Delicate. It was the only word in your mind as you watched the way Scotty cared for her mother. The way she guided her to the edge of the bed gently, allowing her time to adjust to the position. Reassurance came in the form of soothing words every step of the way to the bathroom. Love and tenderness were all Scotty knew, there was not a malicious bone in her body. Her aura was so delicate and tangible.

Pride consumed all her actions and it made your heart swell.

Her mother's confession bounced around your skull. She’d never opened the doors of her home to anyone before you, never invited anyone into her bubble of vulnerability, not even Dean. Everything about that fact filled you with warmth. You were important enough to share her home life with.

Scotty always showed you the parts of herself she shielded from the rest of the world, parts you adored. The feeling overwhelmed you, and you found yourself swimming in it. She gave so much of herself to those who held importance to her, and how lucky were you to be one of those people? All those high walls of defense came tumbling down around you, and you were adamant about showing your gratitude.

After about an hour, Scotty returned to the living room where you sat scrolling through your phone. The pitter-pattering of her feet inched toward you from behind and you turned to face her instinctively. Your smile was automatic, it always was when it came to her.

“Mum’s out.” She plopped down next to you and you leaned into her heat and the scent that clung to her, lavender body wash.

A beat of you two staring at each other passed and you spotted that familiar longing in her eyes, on her face. “I really like your mum. She's funny.”

“Yeah, she likes you too.” She giggled. “It's getting late, you staying over?”

You smirked, diving right into the opening Scotty was unaware she'd created. “You asking me to spend the night Viv? And where would I sleep if I did spend the night?”

“Oh um, I-I didn't mean it like that, just that if you didn't wanna drive this late you could stay. You could have my room, I can sleep right here on the couch. I mean it's not that comfortable, but I’d rather you be more comfortable than me if you did decide to stay over. I-”

You covered your mouth as you laughed, God she was the cutest. “I was just teasing, relax babe. I'm fine to drive. I actually have something to do in the morning.”

“Oh. Okay. I'll walk you out if you wanna go now?” You nodded and the pair of you headed to the front door.

“I had fun tonight.” You beamed at her as she stood, back against the threshold.

Scotty dipped her chin in that shy way you liked. “I did too.”

“Later.” You backed away awkwardly, huffing a laugh, not wanting to peel your eyes off her. You watched as she lifted a sleeved arm to scratch her head, somehow morphing it into a wave. Shaking your head, you got into your car, the hachings of a plan coming together in your mind as you drove off.

•••

“Oh my god! Scotty, I need you to come to my place right now! It’s an emergency, very urgent, just get here!” The faux desperation and terror in your voice faded with the call after you ended it, and you returned to gluing your lashes on. Janelle Monaé’s voice flowed from your speaker and you sang along in the middle of zipping your left boot.

Ten minutes later, rapid pounding at your door perked your ears up and you grinned devilishly. Right on time. One final spritz of setting spray and you grabbed your purse, making your way over to the door.

There stood a rather frazzled Scotty on the other side, sweat beads formed on her forehead, threatening to fall.

“You're here!” You pulled her stiff body in for a hug and she returned it cautiously. When you pulled away, your eyes met and yesterday repeated itself. Her mouth baited you just enough, only to offer you nothing. Push and pull; Scotty always pulled you in, only to push you away in the same breath.

Her erratic pupils scanned your made-up face and your risque outfit. Black mini skirt stopping slightly above the cup of your ass, matching black bralette that pushed your boobs up, and thigh-high boots.

Scotty was salivating at the sight of you and you smirked. Dressing this way was never something you did often, and it was certainly not something you did around Scotty, but it was worth her reaction. Her attraction to you had never been more obvious. Your exposed skin prickled under her observant gaze as she drank you in, creating goosebumps.

She stammered her words, attempting to refocus. “Yes, I’m here! You said there was an emergency? Are you okay? Are you hurt? Did someone hurt you? Who hurt you?”

“Scotty, Scotty, relax! No one hurt me, but there is an emergency! Come on!” You gasped fraudulently, then sprinted to the stairwell. Her own hurried steps were not too far behind you. Swallowing your giggles was a challenge, but you did your best as you trotted down the stairs and out into the open street.

You ran to your car, hearing and out of breath Scotty wheezing behind you before she hopped in.

“Where are we going? What's the emergency?” She huffed, chest heaving beneath her flannel shirt. You watched as she buckled her seatbelt. Destination unknown, but Scotty found no issue with following your lead.

You started the car, then turned to her. “So about that. There isn't really an emergency.”

“But you said–” The octave in her voice rose ever so slightly.

“I know what I said, but it doesn't matter now. Because you lied to me, Vivienne.” Her full name reeked of accusation as you spat it out. Scotty flinched, noting your disappointed tone. You watched her rack her brain for the lie you claimed she told.

She tilted her head, puzzled. “I didn't lie to–”

“Where were you last Friday? More importantly, what event took place last Friday, or didn't take place because of your lies and deception, Vivienne.” Maybe you were being a tad dramatic, you glared at her like she murdered puppies and she shrunk in on herself.

She reached for the door handle, ready to book it, but you beat her to the punch, you were faster. You’d anticipated her action, and you locked it with unrivaled swiftness.

Scotty sighed, and you knew it was in defeat. “Could you stop using my name against me please?”

“When you tell me why you lied to both me and your mother.” Your squint was deadly. Her uncomfortable shifting satisfied you, she was aware she was in trouble.

“I knew leaving you two together alone wouldn't be good. Mum talks too much.”

You scoffed at her, did she really think she did nothing wrong here? “And you don't talk enough! You lied! Why didn't you tell me it was your birthday?”

“I don't know. I didn't wanna make a big deal out of it. I don't like celebrating much. That's all, it's not as serious as you’re making it out to be.” She mumbled the last part under her breath, fiddling with her short fingernails.

Her frown made you ease up a little. “Well, you still could've told me. At the very least.”

“I know. I'm sorry.” She sniffed and you braced yourself for the waterworks.

“Hey, hey! None of that! It's okay, I'm not mad at you babe. That's actually why called you over. I'm taking you shopping, surprise! Late birthday shopping spree, it'll be fun!” Your squeal was uncontainable as you drove off. Scotty only rolled her eyes, knowing she'd lost the battle and the war before she even joined the fight.

•••

“Do you want that?” You quizzed after seeing Scotty’s eyes flicker to a black and yellow circular saw. A split second glance, but she definitely looked at it.

She bit her lip and shook her head. “No. I don't need that, it's over sixty quid!”

“That's not what I asked you.” She tried protesting, but you were having none of it. Your vehement glare was unmoving, unbreakable, and she folded. She picked up the saw and placed it on top of the growing pile of tools in the cart with a groan.

Choosing where to take Scotty on your day out was truly a no-brainer. The hardware store was one of her favorite places. Stepping inside and inhaling the scent of fresh sawdust turned her into a kid running rampant through a candy store. Getting her to go along with you paying for everything was the true obstacle. Strings of objections were to be expected, but honestly, your ears were off the moment you stepped out of the car.

Her happiness was apparent, despite her efforts to conceal it. Her little squeak did not go unnoticed when you told her she could get that drill she'd been eyeing since last month. She shoved it in your face with an enormous grin after deciding on a color.

“Ooh how about these? Do you like these?” You bent over to look at some hacksaws.

Scotty whipped around, excited to see what you were pointing at. She spoke in whispered shouts that you couldn't make out, the hacksaws piquing your interest now too. “Uh, I think you should stand up! Like right now! Hey! Hey! You keep those eyes over there sir!”

“Scotts what are you on about, do you like these or–” After straightening your back, and turning to face her, you were met with a curious sight. You quirked a brow, amused. Scotty stood in front of you, arms outstretched, mirroring the letter T.

“Um, what are you doing?” You pursed your lips, holding in a laugh.

She looked back at you, a smidge of irritation present on her face. “When you bent over your butt was showing, and guys were staring!”

“See! Nothing to see here, keep moving mate!” Her stance refused to falter as she scolded a middle-aged white man ogling your cleavage. Scotty's small frame did very little to shelter you, but she was persistent, and you liked that.

God, she was adorable, and her protectiveness over you was sexy. It took everything you had not to kiss her right there in the middle of the aisle.

“Well thank you for protecting me from creeps. Though I still need to know if you want this.” You held up the saw and she grimaced.

“I don't.” She lowered her arms finally, stuffing them into her pockets.

“We’re getting it!” You cheesed and she rolled her eyes for the seven hundredth time. “Keep that up and your eyes will get stuck that way.”

Scotty deadpanned, and you laughed. “Can we go now? I'm sure I have more than enough new tools. All of these can't even fit in my toolbox anyway.”

“Ooh, that reminds me! We're getting you a new toolbox as well. Your current one's kind of…” You pushed off with the cart before she had the chance to say a word; Scotty had no choice but to follow you.

“Kind of what?!” She struggled to pull your skirt down in an attempt to cover your ass and you wiggled out of her grip, giggling all the while.

By the time you were ready to check out, the basket was overflowing, so much so that Scotty had to hold several items in her hands. Her annoyance was forced, you could tell, but you decided to entertain it.

“This is too much stuff. Why do you think I need four different pipe wrenches?” She fumbled to hold them all in one hand, five packs of pliers in the other.

“You love wrenches! And they're all different colors, so.” You grinned. It made you happier than you envisioned to spoil Scotty. She deserved every bit of it. She took care of everyone, always neglecting herself in the process, this was your chance to take care of her, and cater to her wants.

She huffed a dry laugh before mumbling. “And maybe I can use one of them to whack those guys who keep staring at you.”

“What was that babe?”

“Uh, nothing. Just wondering how much all this is gonna cost is all.”

You narrowed your eyes at her snark. The comment did make you blush some, knowing she'd do that for you. “Don't you worry your pretty little head about that Scotts.” The head pat broke her grimace and she giggled involuntarily.

The two of you were next and you began unloading the shopping cart. When the cashier was all done ringing you up, your total was well over five hundred pounds. The amount barely moved you as you reached for your card to pay.

“At least let me pay half?” Her voice was hopeful, but there was no doubt she already knew the answer coming her way.

You slapped her hand away with force and Scotty winced. “Are you mad?”

Scoffing, you paid for the bagged items then exited the store with a frustrated Scotty in tow.

Scotty refused to let you load the trunk and instructed you to wait inside the car until she was finished, muttering something about it being the least she could do, but you had a feeling she just wanted you as far away from prying eyes as possible.

When she got in the car, she gave you a death glare and you chuckled. “Don’t give me that look. I know you had fun in there.”

“Are we going home now?”

Your sly smile gave her the answer she seeked and she whined.

•••

You sat outside the fitting room waiting for Scotty to emerge. Getting her into the store was a hassle, more so than it should’ve been. But you came prepared for her reluctance, sweetening the deal with promises of buying any color flannel her heart desired. She let up then, and you tugged her by the wrist through the automatic doors.

Upon entering, a coat similar to the one she owned and loved caught your attention. You had to beg her to try it on.

She exited then, and your dimpled smile covered your entire face at the sight of her in the coat. It guzzled her body up, making her look extra cozy and comfortable. Perfect. You enjoyed seeing her clothes all baggy on her. You nodded in excitement and she did the opposite, objecting to it all.

“Too expensive, plus it’s not even winter yet. I don’t need it.”

You waited for her to pull it off before plopping it straight into the basket without a word. She caught your smirk and stomped off in the direction of the flannels. How cute.

Red ones, yellow ones, greens, blues. Scotty sifted through the endless racks of patterned button-ups and her excitement made you simper. “How many can I get?”

“As many as you want, baby.” You noted how she flushed at the use of the endearment, dipping her head back to the clothes. Scotty was in heaven, you had no idea the effect multi-colored plaid shirts could have on a person before now. Truly a precious sight to see.

Your heart doubled, tripled in size as you gazed at her. Scotty held each shirt she liked up for you to see, desperately seeking your approval before making her final decision. You responded with the utmost enthusiasm each time, needing to keep her ecstatic. The scene before you was more than enough to tip your bucket of feelings over. They swirled inside you, dancing around each other in perfect harmony. Dips and flips and skips.

She wheeled the cart over to where you stood when she finished. A beam so bright plastered on her face, never wavering, and you bathed in it. “Alright, I’m done.”

“How many did you get?”

“Ten. I hope that's okay?” Her eyes softened, glaring into yours.

You gave her a soft reassuring nod. “That's perfect. Ready to check out, unless you want something else?” She shook her head.

Scotty followed you to the cashier, overflowing with joy. You love watching her get all giddy over seemingly mundane things.

The guy behind the counter barely met your eyes as he said your total aloud. “Can you stop staring at my fucking tits for two seconds and give me my damn receipt thank you?”

“Is he bothering you? Don't bother her, are you crazy?!” Scotty was practically ready to leap over the counter, and you wanted to let her. Outbursts like this were rarer than rare with her and extremely unexpected given her seemingly skittish demeanor. But when they did happen, you weren't afraid to admit you liked them, maybe even loved them.

“It's fine, let's just go.” You exited the store beside her as she pushed the cart to your car. The sun was setting now, and the dimming daylight accentuated her beauty, forming shadows and shadings as though she was an art piece. Your back was against the car, arms crossed as you watched her load the trunk.

She glanced over at you, having felt your staring. “What?”

You stuttered, throat clogged by words you were too afraid to utter. “D-Did you get everything you wanted?”

“I did, yes.”

“Good, I'm glad. And thank you for sticking up for me today. I like that side of you.” A half smile decorated your cheeks.

Scotty stepped closer, pushing you to inhale softly. “Of course, the idea of strangers looking at you that way makes me sick.”

Your irises locked on each other for what felt like forever, and the cycle was spinning once more. You felt her breath, same as she felt yours, both coated in want but weighed down by hesitancy. She stamped her eyes tight causing confusion to stir within you.

“There was one thing I-I didn't get today. Something I’ve w-wanted for a while now.” A hushed whisper ran your blood cold. Hope pooled in your stomach, you recognized her tone well, and you pushed onto your toes in anticipation.

“Whatever it is, you can have it, Scotty.” You blinked, needing to capture the look on her face forever, needing to commit it to your memory.

She sighed, long and drawn out, and her words knocked you back. “To kiss you.” Her warm hands steadied you when your knees wobbled and she simpered softly.

Her candor was jarring. Many months of her turning away, only to finally admit what she'd been wanting here in the open. No coercion, no you making the first move. This was all her, all on her own, and it couldn't have been easy. Your brave Scotty. It filled you with something stronger, more potent than love.

“You can kiss me.” There was a beat where she hesitated, as though your words had yet to register, but soon enough her lips were on yours. Soft, plump, just as you'd imagined. Everything about the kiss electrified you.

Only Scotty had this hold on you, only Scotty could roar your feelings awake in this manner. You needed more of it, more of her. You deepened the kiss, fingers tangling in her hair and she whimpered. A magnificent whimper, one you needed to hear for the rest of time.

She held you in place against your vehicle, lips moving effortlessly against your own. When you pulled away to catch your breath, the agony in her pupils let you know she wanted more.

“That kiss made me hungry.” You grinned, knowing she was suffering. “You wanna get food now?”

“One more kiss please, then we eat! Just one.”

You giggled. “I don't know Viv, my stomach is definitely grumbling right now. Don't you hear it?”

Her whine was the sweetest ever. “I just need one more kiss. I’ll even pay for the food, just kiss me again. You said I could have anything I wanted, this is what I want. I want another kiss.”

“Well since you're offering to pay…” You pulled her in again and she moaned this time, melting right into your hands with ease. Your palms caressed her cheeks, easy and delicate, just like she was. Scotty was as delicate as they came, and she was yours.

The two of you climbed into the car after several more pecks. She refused to let your lips go, and you weren't complaining in the slightest. “You know I'm not letting you pay for dinner right?”

She groaned, throwing her head back and you pulled off with a hearty laugh. “How much more money are you going to spend on me?”

“He had to take sudden leave for… reasons, and this is his replacement.  Get up here Scotty!” Jim yelled and you continued to look at him incredulously.

You heard heavy footsteps climb the metal stairs and saw this new man emerge from behind Jim.  

“Aye, Jim, I’m in the middle of re-calibrating the central system, whichever lunatic was here last converted the quantum regulator so it only picks up certain wave lengths…” The man started, his hands waving wildly and his thick accent made it hard to understand him, you assumed Scottish.

“The ship only needs to read the wave lengths that it could actually come across.  The settings before were set to pick up literally any wavelength, and it was using way too much power.” You interrupted, spinning on the man, your hackles raised at the newcomer.

“Well what if ye come across IgT-3 wavelength?  Huh?  How are ya gonna go about picking tha’ up?” The man started, stepping towards you.

“Well since that wavelength doESN’T EVEN EXIST ANYMORE, I can say we’re pretty safe.” You snapped, your hands tightening into fists.

“It’s a wavelength, lass, not a damn unicorn!” The man argued and you were about to rip into him when Jim stepped in between you two.

“Alright!  That’s enough, you two, you’re going to have to be working together, so you better cut it out!” Jim yelled, but he had a weirdly pleased look on his face.

Jim turned and stepped to the side, indicating to the yelling Scottish man, “Y/N, this is Montgomery Scott, our new chief of engineering.  And Scotty,” Jim gestures to you now, “This is Lieutenant Y/N, who was Bobby’s right hand down here for the past two years.”

You reluctantly nodded at Scotty, the defensiveness you felt from before fleeing from you as you took in the older man.  He had wispy red-brown hair, brown eyes, and a furrow to his brow that looked like it was permanently part of his face.  Overall, he was quite handsome if not soft-looking, like a little bear cub, and you cursed yourself for thinking so as you had just screamed at him.

“Now, if you’ll excuse me, I do have to get back to running this ship.” Jim said, “Can I trust you guys not to kill each other for at least the rest of your shifts?”

Jim didn’t even let you or Scotty respond before he clapped his hands together, “Good!”

You scowled at Jim as he walked out and he looked back, giving you a wink before disappearing behind the automated doors.  

Turning now to Scotty, who was looking at you like you had a third eye, you gave him a weak smile.

“Guess we’re going to be spending a lot of time together.” You shrugged.

“I guess so.” Scotty stuffed his hands into his pockets and swung on his heels.

“We don’t need the EL4-R wavelength detector either.” You said, meeting his eyes with a flash of amusement.

“Well ye better have a good explanation for tha’, lass, because I am pretty stubborn.” Scotty gave you a smirk before turning and walking down the metal stairs, you quickly following behind him, beginning to heatedly defend the system you and Bobby had worked so hard to develop.  

“What are you staring at me for?  Am I doing something ‘wrong’ again?” You growled as you turned to Scotty and straightened out your shirt, throwing on your worst glare.

It was a week into working with Scotty and things were not going well.

“You’d be much better off making those changes from th’outside, using the computer, rather than crawling up in there, ye might get stuck.” Scotty noted, crossing his arms over his chest and raising an eyebrow as he took in your grease-covered appearance.

“You calling me fat, Mr. Scott?” You leered, pulling off your gloves slowly.

“N-no, not at all, I jus’…” He sputtered, clearly taken aback by the question.

“I went in because a belt was loose, and that is not something you can fix from the outside.” You explained, your voice threaded with bitterness, and stalked back to your workstation, Scotty right on your heels.

“Lass, if we’re going to work together you’re gonna have t’stop being so… SO…” Scotty ranted and you spun on him, fury filling your veins.

“What?!  Stop being so what, Mr. Scott?”

“SO DAMN INSUFFERABLE!” Scotty exploded, his arms flailing and his stance became defensive.

“Mr. Scott, this is my ship, and it has been my ship for the past two years, so if I seem insufferable, it’s because you are on MY turf, trying to change the things that I programmed MYSELF.  It borders on insulting.”

“Lassie, half of the things yer able to program on this ship wouldn’t even be here if it weren’t for me.”

“Well I’m sorry your such a traditionalist, then, because TIMES CHANGE, OLD MAN!” You didn’t mean to call him old, but the insult just slipped out and you tried to apologize immediately, “I-I, didn’t mean that, I’m sor-”

“Get out.” Those two words made you snap your mouth shut with a click of teeth.  

You looked up to see Scotty’s expression was impassive and unreadable, his stance straight an unforgiving as he spoke, "Your shift is done for today.  You are dismissed.“

“I-I…” You were speechless, you never expected him to get this angry.

But as you met his eyes and saw how serious he was, your anger was renewed. You weren’t going to let him treat you like a child, and if he wanted you to leave, so be it.  You stalked passed him, grabbed your jacket, and you left, fairly sure that steam was coming out of your ears.

“Jim, he is intolerable, impossible, I-I can’t work with him.” You seethed, nearly crushing the glass that you held between your fingers.

“You and him are exactly the same.” Jim chuckled, nursing his own drink, and you wanted to wipe the smile off his face.

“We are not.  You can’t tell me I am half that stubborn."

"If anything you are double as stubborn as he is.  Try to get past that, you guys have so much in common that you should be inseparable.”

You snorted, “Inseparable.  HA.  Jim, I can barely get through a work day without that man berating me for pressing a key on the keyboard.  I can’t wait to leave my shift everyday, just to get away from him.”

Jim shook his head, still smiling that knowing smile he seemed to always wear, his blue eyes sparkling as he looked to you, “Just consider this one thing.  On your evening off, away from the ever-insufferable Scotty, you have not stopped talking about him.  What does that say?”

You rolled your eyes as Jim stood, patted you on the shoulder, and left.  

Was Jim right?  You seemed to always be talking about him, most of the time complaining, and your thoughts nearly always roaming to his red-brown hair and kind eyes.  

No.  You shook your head, dispelling the thoughts.  When Bobby was back, everything would return to normal.  Everything that had been turned upside down would right itself.  Right?

Even though your blood still boiled at the thought of your last encounter with Scotty, where he dismissed you from your shift early, you decided to apologize.

So, the next day, at the start of your shift, you went off to find Scotty, who was at his workstation.

“Uh, Mr. Scott?” You mumbled and toed at the foot of his desk where Scotty sat, entrenched in a conversation with Keenser.  

When his eyes fell to you, you swear his expression held disappointment, and you pushed down the rush of anger that it elicited.  

“imsrryfryellngatyouysterdy.” You sputtered, feeling the red flush of embarrassment hit your cheeks.  

“Sorry, I dinnae pick that up, a little slower?” Scotty insisted and you glowered.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you yesterday, alright?” You crossed your arms over your chest and dug your toe into the floor.

“Thanks, lass,” Scotty exhaled, his tone much softer than before, “and ’m sorry fer yellin’ at ya as well.”

You met his eyes now, and saw not a look of disgust or frustration, but one a lot more gentle, one that made you feel at ease, and you didn’t even realize you were staring until Keenser cleared his throat.

“Uh, alright… Truce?” You held your hand out over the desk to Scotty.

Scotty’s mouth tilted into a smile, “Truce.” He shook your hand, his palm warm and dry, “And stop calling me, Mr. Scott, it makes me feel old.”

And that was that.  

You quickly fell into a routine with the older man, which consisted of him questioning your and Bobby’s decision about something in the engineering room, and you retorting easily about why it was that way.  Eventually, after many a heated argument, you adjusted the systems to Scotty’s liking, and it actually made the ship run smoother, to your continual surprise.  

One evening you had been in such a heated discussion about quantum loop generators that you didn’t even realize your shift was over.  

“But what if you adjusted the equation like… this.” You wrote a few symbols on the paper that was stretched out on the table in front of you.

“No, no, that would change this later.” Scotty pointed out something, ripping the pencil from your hand and scribbling on the paper.

“Well now I can’t even read that, who taught you to write, a 4 year old?” You teased, laughing loudly.

“Hey, lass, I’ve seen your workstation, you are not allowed to tell me that I’m messy.” Scotty jabbed, a grin teasing at his lips.

“That’s not fair!” You gasped in mock horror and pushed at his arm playfully.

“What’s not fair is not being able to find anything when ya need it.“

“You’re an asshole.”

Scotty smiled over at you now, and your heart skipped a beat.  He had a really nice smile.  

You leaned back in your chair and stretched your arms above your head, cracking your back a few times.  You still felt Scotty’s gaze on you, and you nearly blushed at the attention.  Glancing at your watch, you groaned.

“It’s almost midnight!  Our shift’s been over for nearly 4 hours, what in the world are we still doing here?” You yawned but didn’t move from your chair.

“Guess we really got into our discussion.” Scotty suggested and as he turned his chair his knee bumped into yours, but he quickly pulled it away.

“Yeah, I guess.  It’s so nice to finally find someone who I can discuss these things in detail with.  None of my friends care about this stuff that much, they all think it’s really nerdy.” You played with the ends of your hair as you spoke.

“It is nerdy.” Scotty laughed, “But I agree.  You really know yer stuff.  Though since we are both so stubborn it can get pretty heated sometimes."

"I am not stubborn!” You defended.

“Now you’re bein’ stubborn about bein’ stubborn.” Scotty said, “That’s a new low.”

You stuck your tongue out at him and stood up, placing a hand on his shoulder and putting your face close to his ear, “Goodnight, ya big meanie."

Scotty’s cheeks tinged red as your breath caressed his ear, and before you could think too much about it you were sliding out the door, feeling Scotty’s gaze of disbelief on your back.

That was the last time you talked to Scotty before you saw him in the medbay with a tube down his throat.

On your shift the day after you had stayed up far too late with Scotty, you were informed that he would be going on an away mission to assist in repairing a ship, and you were to stay behind and be the acting chief of engineering.

“Not that I don’t basically run this ship on my own anyway.” You snorted to yourself as you snapped your com shut, thinking that if Scotty was here he would have shook his head and gave you one of his teasing smiles.  

Thinking of that put a smile on your face as you began your shift, excited to be in charge.  

The next two days left you less excited to be in charge, as you quickly missed Scotty’s witty banter and your heated debates about the details of the ship.  

You were lounging around Scotty’s workbench on the third day that he was gone, the ship running smoothly, and you had everyone kept busy making sure it stayed that way.  

Then, out of the corner of your eye, a piece of paper, tucked into the drawer of the very messy workstation.  But that wasn’t what caught your attention, it was your name, written in the corner of the paper in Scotty’s barely legible script.  You couldn’t help your curiosity as you reached for it, quickly glancing around the room, as if Scotty was going to suddenly show up and berate you for snooping.  

The paper itself looked like it had been through the washing machine, crumpled and stained, maybe at on point a page of a note book, torn out.  The words were written in pencil, and you were right, it was your name written in the corner.  

Dear Y/N,

You are one of the most infuriating, stubborn, quick-witted people I have ever met.  I don’t know how we made it through the first week of working together.  I thought one of us was going to kill the other.

But once you got your head out of your ass.  Once we started to get along, we were actually able to work together, and were finally able to put both of our big brains together and get stuff done.  

You snorted as you read on:

And I’m sorry for yelling at you.  I know I already told you that, but I really am.  I am especially sorry for dismissing you that first week.  I know you probably don’t care that much but I regret pulling rank and turning on you like that.  I just couldn’t stand you looking at me with such hatred and contempt, like I was just some stiff old guy that was getting in your way. It nearly killed me.  

Because if you looked at me like that, I would never stand a chance.  

Because I am enthralled by you.  

You stopped breathing.

Which is why I am writing all this stuff down rather than saying it to your face. But you’ll never read this because I would probably die of embarrassment. Because when I look at you, my brain goes haywire.  I lose all ability to coherently form a sentence.  Maybe that’s why I tease you so much, because anything else would come out as gibberish and you would think me a mad old fool.

It scares me, the way I feel about you, it makes me want to turn and run. Because I don’t deserve someone as fierce and intelligent and beautiful as you.  But sometimes, the way you smile at me, it gives me hope, like you might harbour feelings for me too, but it’s only fleeting, and the next moment you are yelling at me or teasing me or nearly zapping me with a live wire.

So, if you ever do read this, just know that I loved you from the moment I laid eyes on you.  And every moment since.  

Yours, Montgomery

You were an idiot.

The overhead com system sounded: Dr. McCoy to the medbay, immediately.

Your heart dropped in your chest. For some reason you knew exactly what the call was for.  And you were on your feet and dashing down the hallway before you could stop yourself, stuffing the letter into your pocket.

Skidding into the medbay, you were met with a cacophony of chaos, people running around everywhere, yelling, and machines were beeping and you could see flashes of injuries from the people lying on the biobeds.  Your heart was racing in your chest as you looked for, and dreading finding, the familiar red shirt and whispy brown hair that belonged to Scotty.  

A biobed slammed into your elbow and careened by, being pushed by a group of nurses, the red shirt making you take a second look, but it wasn’t Scotty.  

Suddenly, a flash of familiar command gold appeared in the medbay and you stalked right up to him.

“Jim, what happened?” You demanded almost breathlessly.

“Away mission gone wrong, the building that they were in was invaded, there were a lot of… casualties.” Jim explained, his eyes barely meeting yours and he began to stalk past you but you grabbed his arm.

“Scotty.” You dug your fingers into his arm and he looked back at you, recognizing the look of desperation,  "where’s Scotty?“

He looked at you with sympathy, "We’ll find him, Y/N.  I promise.”

And then he was gone, into the chaos, and you were left frozen in the middle of it, feeling more alone, more helpless, than you had ever felt before.  

When you realized you were more in the way than anything in the medbay, you retreated back to the engineering room, pulling the letter out of your pocket and reading it over and over, your trembling fingers nearly tearing the worn paper.  You fought an internal battle with yourself, forcing yourself not to cry because if you did, you were going to turn into a sniveling mess, no use to anyone, and you were supposed to be in charge.  

But worry made ice flow through your veins and you couldn’t focus on anything, even when Keenser came by and tugged on your sleeve.  

When your com beeped, you swear you took a breath for the first time in 20 minutes.  

“Y/N here.” You trembled.

“We found him.” It was Jim’s voice, and though you should be elated at his words, his somber tone made fresh tears prick at your eyes.

“I’ll be right there."

Snapping the com shut, you forced your stiff limbs to move from their perched position on the stool and you made your way to the medbay for the second time that day.  

"What happened?” You squeaked when you were met with an impenetrable wall of Jim Kirk on your way into the medbay.

“We don’t know 100%.  He lost a lot of blood.  Bones is working on him now.” Jim explained.

“Is he going to be okay?” You stammered, a tear sneaking its way down your cheek and you wiped it away quickly.  

Jim met your gaze firmly, his hand squeezing your forearm once, “They don’t know yet.” His voice was quiet, and you knew he was worried as well.

“He has to be okay, Jim.” You whispered, pleading with the somber captain.  

And then a change in Jim’s expression, barely noticable, a raise in an eyebrow, his mouth falling open a millimeter more, and it was like he knew.  The expression was a mirror and made you realize you cared for Scotty much more than you’d like to admit.  More than you even realized.  

Jim gave you a knowing nod and placed his hand on your shoulder, giving it a quick squeeze before he disappeared out the medbay doors.  

And once again you were alone.  And once again you didn’t know if your heart was going to be ripped out of your chest.

Eventually they let you in to see him, after Dr. McCoy had deemed him stable enough.

It was nearly a week after the accident, and you had been forced back to the engineering room, trying to keep the ship afloat while you felt like you were drowning.  You didn’t know if you’d ever felt so worried in your entire life, to the point where you were questioning if you should even be worried, as you had only known Scotty for a few weeks before the accident.  

But it was like a disease, like he had become implanted into your brain, and you heard him and saw him wherever you went.  If you were fixing something, you knew exactly how he would tell you you were doing it wrong.  If you were lying in your bed, staring at the ceiling in an feeble attempt to sleep, you heard his laugh or the lilt of his accent, shooting back a sarcastic comment at something you said.

Dr. McCoy threatened to keep you in the medbay as a patient, commenting on how often you were in there, checking up on Scotty, but you knew he noticed your dark rimmed eyes and the few pounds you’d shed at the lack of appetite.  

Then, one day, he agreed it was time you could go in.  Your breath instantly caught in your chest and you nearly cried at the relief of being able to see Scotty after a week of torture.  

He looked awful.  

He was tucked into the biobed, the white sheets accentuating just how grey his skin looked, how dark the circles were under his eyes.  There was a bandage over a cut on his forehead, and a splint on his left wrist, a machine hovering over it that you recognized as a bone regenerator.  Another, similar machine was working on his right leg, which was wrapped in a thick white bandage.  He had many wires and tubes coming out of him that were connected to several machines, including one that was down his throat, which you recognized as a ventilator.  

“He’s getting better, despite what he looks like.” Dr. McCoy’s gentle voice sounded from behind you, and he stepped into the room.

“He looks like crap.” You let out a watery laugh, finally letting the tears that you had held in for so long find their way down your cheeks.  

“Yeah well, he’s a fighter.” A strong hand came down on your shoulder, making you release a little sob, “He’s going to be fine, Y/N.” Dr. McCoy’s thumb stroked lines into your shoulder.

“Yeah, kid, you worry too much.” A new voice sounded and a flash of command gold came into view.  Jim.

When he saw your tear-stained face he offered a weak smile before stepping forward and wrapping his arms around you, Dr. McCoy’s hand falling away as you nearly fell into Jim’s embrace, finally letting yourself feel all the emotions you kept at bay the entire week.

Jim held you for what felt like hours, stroking your back and whispering soft encouragements into your ear.  

“That stupid idiot, coming into my engineering room, turning everything upside down, and then going and nearly getting himself killed.” You griped, taking shaky breaths from your spot against Jim’s chest.

“I don’t think the engineering room is the only thing he’s turned upside down.” Jim noted as he pushed you away, tucking a few locks of hair behind your ear before tapping your chin with his finger.

Looking up at Jim, he gave you a soft mischievous smile, and it made you blush, “Shut up.” You sniffed and pushed him away playfully, making him laugh softly.

Then you turned to Scotty, approaching him achingly, but you didn’t cry anymore, he was alive.  

You reached out and grabbed Scotty’s hand, stroking your thumb over the warm skin, watching the way his chest rose and fell in even breaths thanks to the ventilator.  

Dr. McCoy said he was getting better, it would just take some time.  And you realized, for Montgomery Scott, you had all the time in the world.

“You look like crap.” A voice naggled at you, rousing you from your sleep, but you didn’t open your eyes or lift your head, assuming it was Jim coming to say hi.

That was until a set of fingers tightened on yours, making your eyes fly open and your head pop up.

“Scotty?” You breathed, squinting in the bright lights of the room to see Scotty with his head propped up and his eyes open, a small smile on his mouth.

“Have you eaten anything recently, lass, you look worn down to the bone.” Scotty worried, his hand releasing yours to brush across your cheek softly, making your breath catch and tears prick at your eyes.

“You can’t say much, you don’t look so good yourself.” You joked with a watery laugh.

Scotty dropped his hand back to the bed, this time not touching yours.  He furrowed his brow as he looked at you, “Shouldn’t you be running our ship?"

You huffed a laugh, feeling a warmth in your chest when he called it ‘our’ ship as he usually referred to it as 'his’ ship.

"Yeah, well my shift doesn’t start until…” You checked your watch, your shift started 20 minutes ago, “now, but I left Riley in charge.”

“Riley?  Really?  He doesn’t know a plasma chamber from a 10 volt battery.  I’m surprised we’re still flying.” Scotty joked, but his face fell when he saw your expression.

“Now, lass, don’t cry, it was just a joke, Riley’ll get better one day, we’ll teach him, you and I.” Scotty’s fingers reached up to touch your cheek again, but you pulled back, wiping at them yourself.

“I better get going.” You croaked, standing, trying to ignore the hurt look on Scotty’s face, “I wouldn’t want Riley getting the port defragmenter confused with quad-core compressor."

Then you turned and left, despite Scotty’s protests, a million unsaid words on your lips, your heart aching to stay with him, but you forced your feet forward, to get back to work.  

"Y/N, Scotty’s asking for you again.” Jim’s voice came through the com you held up to your ear.

“Tell him I’m busy.” You called into the com as you wiped some grease off your brow.

“He’s very… insistent.  Why don’t you just come down here?” Jim questioned, sounding very exasperated.  

“Because I’m busy, Jim.” You retorted and snapped the com shut quickly, turning back to you work.

You hadn’t gone to see Scotty since he first woke up, so afraid of spilling your feelings or doing something stupid that you couldn’t bring up the courage to face him again.  So you threw yourself into your work.  A proper excuse if there ever was one.  

“Lass?” You were torso deep in an overhead boiler system and you banged your forehead at the sudden voice.  

You withdrew your upper body and rubbed at your forehead, looking around for the source of the voice.

It was Scotty.

“What are you doing here?  You’re supposed to be in bed.” You chided, but your voice held more malice than you had wished.

“You wouldn’t come see me, so I took matters into me own hands.” Scotty sounded upset, but you couldn’t bring yourself to meet his eyes.  

From where you were watching his knees you could see that he was leaning heavily on a crutch, and his balance was unsteady.

“I’ve been busy, Scotty, the ship doesn’t run itself.” You started putting your tools away, which was difficult with your shaking hands.

“You seemed alright to let Riley run things around here before, why not again?” Scotty argued, and you heard him take a couple of steps closer with his crutch.

“Because you were right, he is an incompetent asshole."

"What’s the real reason why you ignored my calls?”

“I told you already.  I was busy.” You stuffed a wrench in the toolbox.

“I don’t buy it, lass.”

“Well you should, 'cause it’s the truth.” A screwdriver.

“You’ve never lied to me before, what’s going on with you?”

“Nothing.” A small hammer.

“It’s obviously not nothing, you can tell me, Y/N, whatever it is, I won’t be mad-.”

“I READ THE LETTER.” You slammed the toolbox lid closed with a loud clank.

You were practically seething now, holding onto the toolbox for support, your shoulders heaving with each breath, your eyes watery.

“Where did you even find that?” Scotty breathed, knowing you were seconds from breaking down.

“I found it in your desk.  I…I don’t know if you meant for me to ever see it, but I did.  I’m sorry I snooped.” You stumbled over your words, heaving the heavy toolbox off the desk and turning to walk away.

“Y/N, wait.” Scotty called and you froze in your tracks, the toolbox swinging slightly in your hands, “before ya leave, all mad and upset and whatever else you’re feeling, I need you to know one thing.”

You were pretty sure you weren’t breathing at this point, and you turned your head sideways to indicate to him that you were listening.

“I meant every word.” Scotty stated, and you nearly dropped the toolbox.  

It took every bit of strength inside of you to put one foot in front of the other and walk away.  

It had been two weeks since the crash, and Scotty hadn’t come to see you, and you hadn’t gone to see him since you told him about the letter.  He was finally released from the medbay, but not cleared to work yet, that started tomorrow, so you thought you’d best find him before you had your first shift together.

You found him heading into his quarters.

“Hey.” You said, your hands nearly shaking from nervousness as you wrung them, “Can we talk?”

Scotty pursed his lips, his eyes meeting yours fleetingly before gesturing you to go into his quarters.  When the door slid closed behind you, you almost stopped breathing, and you turned slowly to face him.

“Listen, Scotty…” You started, having practiced the speech that you would give him over and over the past two weeks.

“No, you listen.” He interrupted, his eyes boring into yours, “You were never supposed to see that letter.”

“I know…”

“Lassie, will ye shut up for a minute, I’m tryna tell you something important.” Scotty snapped and you gulped, staying silent so he could continue.

“From day one you have been nothin’ but a pain in my hide, a misplaced cog in a sea of gears, a nuisance t’say the least.  But after the first time you nearly tore my head off over the tiniest string of programming, I knew you were something special.  And then I was done for, lass.  I wrote that letter because I couldn’t keep all my feelings inside, I needed to get them out, and maybe then I could go back to hating you, but I never stood a chance, ya see.  I never stood a chance because every time you waltzed through those doors, with your big brain and… and that look of determination on your face, every time you looked at me, I fell further.”

He took a breath, you had stopped breathing.

“And then I go and get hurt and who is at my bedside?  You.  So you cannae blame me if I thought for a wee second that you might actually may have returned those feelings.  I poured my heart into that letter and you basically told me it meant nothing t’you.  What am I suppos’ to think abou’ that?” Scotty’s tone was a mix of frustration and desperation, and his eyes raked your face as if searching for something.

“You’re supposed to think I’m an idiot.” You blurted, and his mouth pressed into a tight line, his eyes falling to the floor.

“Which I’m pretty sure you do.  And I’m pretty sure I am.  But you have to know why I reacted the way I did because I can’t stand the thought of you hating me, Scotty.  I just can’t.” You shook your head, emotions flying through you at the speed of light, barely controllable.

“Nobody has ever said anything like that about me before.  And it scared the hell out of me, Scotty.  The things you wrote… I-I never thought anyone would ever write such beautiful words about me.  Especially not you.”

You paused, wringing your hands in front of you tightly, your eyes now falling away from him.

“I tried to force myself to hate you, tried to tell myself that you were just something in the way of me becoming chief of engineering one day.  Because that would have been easier than feeling the way I do about you.”

Scotty’s eyes flicked up and you met his gaze, his mouth fell open, “And how’s tha-”

“You almost died.” You looked at him desperately now, tears perched on your lids, and you wanted to reach for him so bad, but you were still scared.

“You almost died and I thought my heart was going to grind to a halt like a C3 engine with no pipe oil.  And that’s when I realized how I felt.  That’s when I realized I wanted you looking over my shoulder and criticizing every thing I do, I wanted to hear your insane yelling when something wasn’t working like we wanted it.  We should be a team. We are the exact same, you and I.  We should be inseparable. And I’m sorry it took me so long to figure that out, but here I am, now, all figured out.”

You shrugged your shoulders, your hands tucked into your pockets, feeling  like he could see each and every emotion written on your skin, like it was that easy to express all the things you wanted to.  You were surprised to find a look of confusion on his face.

His brows furrowed more than you’d ever seen them furrow, and his gaze was hard, distant,  "I need some time to think.“ The words fell out of his mouth and suddenly you were staring at his back.

"Scotty, wait…”

And he was gone.

“Scotty?” You called into the near-empty engineering room.

It was the next day, Scotty’s first shift back, and having just arrived for yours, you had come in expecting a quiet, somber Scotty, but you couldn’t actually find him.

“Up here, lass.” You heard from above you and looked around until you spotted him, sitting on one of the metal bridges that criss-crossed the engineering room, his legs dangling and his arms resting on the railing.

You scooted up the stairs and strode over, Scotty not having moved an inch, not even turning to look at you, and you sat down beside him, dangling your legs over the edge as well and resting your forehead against the metal bar.

You observed the engineering room spread out in front of you, taking in all the intricacies and details of the room, feeling a sense of pride wash over you as you knew every last inch of it.

“She really is beautiful, isn’t she?” You commented.

“That she is.” Scotty breathed, but he still didn’t look at you.

“You okay?” You kicked his dangling foot gently and slid a little closer, so your leg just barely brushed his.

“I think so.” He responded and tapped his toe against yours.

He sighed and pulled back from the railing like he was going to get up to leave.

“We both got our chance to walk away from each other, how about we stay put for a minute?” You asked quickly, letting out a sigh of relief when he settled back into his spot.  

Scotty’s eyes met yours now and he pursed his lips, his stare sending a sparkle of electricity through you, “Alright.”

He regarded you a moment more before turning his eyes back to the room. You could tell he was fighting an internal battle, and it sent a pang of hurt through your chest at the fact that you were the cause.

“I’m sorry, Scotty, for everything.” You felt tears press at your eyes and your breath caught in your chest.  The words were not as easy to say as you thought.

“You have nothing t’a be sorry abou’.” He breathed, turning his head slightly to look at you.

“But I do.  I messed up.  I messed it all up and if I could go back I would, I… I would… I…” You started to cry as your emotions rose to the surface and slid down your cheeks in big, heavy drops, and your face fell into your hands.

“Don’t cry, Y/N,” Scotty soothed and he turned his body towards you, your knees pressing together, “You dinnae mess anything up.” He stroked a hand through your hair, once, as if he was unsure of the action.

“But if I hadn’t read the letter…” You peeked through your fingers at him.

“If you hadn’t read the letter, you would never know what I feel for you, because I either would be too damn scared to tell ya, or I would have tried and gotten all my words jumbled up and you would have told Dr. McCoy to throw me in the psych ward.”

You huffed a laugh despite your tears, and looked up to see Scotty’s soft smile, nearly falling apart as you did.  

“So I didn’t screw this up?” You knitted your brow and pressed your lips together, dropping your hands back to your lap.

“Nae, you did give me a run for my money, though,” Scotty shook his head and smiled as he turned back towards the engineering room, your legs still pressed together, “I thought for sure I’d come to work today and see a notice that you’d transferred to another ship, leave me behind.”

“Never.” You stated, and caught his eye for a brief moment before you joined him in looking out over the engineering room again.

You stayed like that for a while, just touching and breathing, looking out into the room, in both of your favourite places in the world.  Every second that you were suspended there next to him was like an eternity, and you never wanted it to end.  You realized, in a moment of clarity, how much you admired this man, how much you loved him.  

“Scotty, I…” You started, but were cut off when he took your hand.

This simple act had shut off your brain and made you melt as he entwined his fingers in yours, resting your connected hands on his thigh gently, a million unsaid words in one small gesture.

You drew closer to him, leaning your shoulder into his, and he seemed to relax into the contact. You couldn’t help but smile at the intimacy and the feelings that rushed through your body, the emotions that thrummed under your skin.

You stroked your thumb once across the back of his hand, and you felt him twitch instinctively, and he turned his head towards you.  A smile waited for him on your lips when he met your gaze.

His face was so close to yours that you could feel his breath on your face, and your heart rammed inside your chest at your closeness, at the anticipation. Meeting his whiskey brown eyes one last time, you were grateful that you didn’t have to move very far to press your lips to his.

You kissed him softly, reveling in the feeling of his lips on yours, and pulled away far too soon for your liking, wanting to gauge his reaction. His breathing was rapid and warm on your face, his hand in a tight grip around yours, and you met his eyes again, trying to let him know without words how much you loved him.

But it was when he leaned in, touched his lips to yours, that you finally let yourself go, let yourself be free from the tension that you had been submersed in these past few weeks.  You leaned into the warmth of his lips, his hand coming up and brushing across your cheek before hooking around the back of your head to deepen the kiss.  

And just like that you saw your whole future ahead of you.  Because the way he was kissing you, the way he was holding you, like you would break, like you were as fragile as a crystal glass, made you realize how much you couldn’t stand a future without him.  

You pulled back from the kiss, taking in deep breaths and you saw Scotty’s hesitation at your sudden movement, so you reached up and pulled his forehead back to yours.  

“MontgomeryScottIloveyousomuch.” You exhaled, barely able to contain your emotions, and you felt your hand start to shake as you stroked the back of his hair gently.

His eyes softened, mere inches from yours, and his hand that was still entwined with yours tightened even more.  He licked his lips and flicked his eyes back and forth between yours, but you kept your gaze on his, incessant and forceful, yet full of love.

“Montgomery Scott,” You whispered, slower now, “I love you.”

He responded by releasing your hand and bringing both of his up to cup either side of your face, his eyes regarding you under furrowed brows.  He looked curious, as if this whole “love” thing was a new discovery for him, and you felt tears almost perk on your eyelids when he started to stroke the skin of your cheeks with his thumbs.    

“Lass, you know I love you too, right?” He breathed and you felt your heart skip a beat.

“Well, technically you never actually said it, but…” You tilted your head playfully, a smile tipping up the ends of your mouth.  

Scotty smiled now, a welcome sight if there ever was one, and it made you smile back.  You closed the gap between you and him and pressed your lips to his, needing the contact, needing the electricity that it sent down your spine.  

You had no idea how long you stayed like up there, on the ledge, but you could say with 100% certainty that you wished you never had to come down.

All crew to report to the mess hall.

“Lassie, we really should… mhm.. go.” Scotty said across your lips, and you pulled him tighter against you, digging your hands into his hair.

“You really want to go, now?” You raised your eyebrow and pulled back, Scotty’s lips barely an inch from yours, both breathing hard, his eyes filled with longing.

As a response, he covered your mouth with his firmly, pressing your back against the wall, drawing you deeper into an electric kiss.  

All crew to report to the mess hall.

“Damnit.” You grumbled and broke the kiss, heat curling over your body, sparks spreading over your skin where Scotty dragged his hands along your sides.  

Scotty, the usually composed one, looked as dizzy as you felt from that kiss, and he kept you pressed against the wall.

“As much as I would love to stay here and continue our… activities… we better go.” You pressed a kiss to the corner of his mouth, and he tried to chase your lips with his.  

“No, no, Mr. Scott, duty calls.” You pressed a finger to his lips and he shook his head at you, giving your sides a squeeze.

“I told you not to call me that.” Scotty growled, low and gravely, eliciting another shot of heat low in your belly.

“What’re you gonna do?  Punish me?” You smirked playfully, drawing your tongue over your teeth, and Scotty shook his head and suddenly snapped your hands up and pinned them against the wall, before diving into another heated kiss.

Last Call: All crew report to the mess hall.

“Alright, we better go.” Scotty breathed along your cheek, and released your hands.

“To be continued.” You pressed a quick kiss to his lips and took his hand, leading him towards the mess hall.

“Did we miss anything?” You whispered as you drew up next to Jim, Scotty following close behind, hand still connected to yours.  

“Nah, he’s just going on about some new medical procedure.”  Jim whispered and you rolled your eyes, “Should I reprimand you for being late?”

“Probably.” You winked and turned to Dr. McCoy, who stood at the front of the room, already deep into some speech, and you quickly zoned out.  

This was your usual posture during meetings, hands connected, paying some or a little attention to what was being said, mostly happy just to be next to each other.

“Hey.” You hissed, and pulled on your connected hands, Scotty tilting his head down so his head was closer to yours, “I think we forgot to turn off the fragment generator."

"I turned it off, dontcha worry, darling.” Scotty smirked and pulled his head away.

After a few seconds, you pulled on Scotty’s hand again.

“What can I help ya with now, lass.” Scotty said, amusement making the corner of his lips turn up.

“Can we replicate some pizza later?  I’m feeling pizza for dinner.”

“Sure.”

“And can we watch a movie?  I’ll let you pick this time.” You batted your eyelashes up at him.

“You always say that, yet it never happens, now shush.” Scotty teased, tucking your conjoined hands into his pocket, which made you smile.

“You guys make me want to vomit."

You turned, raising your eyebrow curiously to see Jim standing just behind you, a look of disgust on his face.

"You wish you were us.” You teased and Jim huffed, dropping his eyes, but you caught the smile that crept onto his lips.

“… lead by our two best engineers, Scotty and Y/N.  Nice of you to join us.”

You snapped your head forward, locking eyes with Dr. McCoy and pretty much everyone else on the crew who had turned to look at you and Scotty.

“You do agree with the premise of the project, don’t you?” Dr. McCoy looked very unamused.

“Of course, Doc, we’re all for it.” You called and threw up a thumbs up, which elicited a few giggles throughout the crowd.

“Great, so I will see you two in my office after this meeting and we can discuss details.” Dr. McCoy nodded and turned back to the rest of the crew, continuing his speech.

“We are in so much trouble.” You giggled, pressing your cheek into Scotty’s shoulder.

“Yeah, well at least we’re in trouble together.” Scotty squeezed your hand.

You turned back to Dr. McCoy’s speech, resting your head on Scotty’s shoulder, knowing that whatever crazy adventure was ahead of you, you could count on Scotty to be by your side.

-Thanks for reading!  I hope you liked it!-

I’m just going to include my permanent tag list!  Feel free to ignore this post, this is just the entire fic in one place!

Not even five pages in the book, you heard the bell signaling a patron coming in. You rapidly hid your book and looked in front of you. Seeing Scotty standing there brought a bright smile on your face. The two of you have been friends for years since your college roommate Nyota introduced you. They are working at the same company that runs flight simulation. She is the one who writes and translates the manuals and Scotty is in charge of fixing both the planes and the operating program.

‘’Scotty, hi. How are you? You didn’t come by a lot this week and I was scared something had happened to you.’’  

‘’I am fine, it was just a busy week. I am sorry I scared you. Didn’t occur to me you would care about another person who frequencies the library.’’ He tried to not feel so disappointed by his own words. He liked you a lot and admitting he was certain you became bored with his visits was excruciating.

‘’What are you talking about? We are friends and I am delighted to see you every time. Now, did you come over here just to chat with me or do you need anything specific?’’ You moved your chair to see him better from behind the computer screen.

‘’I will require your assistance in pointing me towards the engineering section. We are going to feature a new type of aircraft in the simulation and I need to refresh my memory on how it works.’’

You lead him to the books he might need and after asking him about what type of aircraft he was interested in you went to search the database.

‘’(Y/N) can you come over just for a second?’’ He called for you even before you could make it back to the front.

‘’What is it, sweety?’’ He blushed at your nickname and pointed to the top shelf.

‘’Is there a ladder I can use to reach those books? I would feel more confident in knowing I checked everywhere.’’

‘’I will bring one to you right away.’’ You did that and then did some research for him.  

As you were writing down the codes of all the books you found, your coworkers came back. Linda, the one you usually have lunch with, brought your favorites sandwiches. You told her to wait for you at the room you go to eat so that you could inform Scotty about your break.

‘’Everything ok?’’ He nodded to you trying not to drop any of the books. ‘’I brought you the codes of some other books you might find useful. I’m just going to have lunch in the back so next time you need help, don’t come to me. Also, I will clear a table for you in the front.’’ He thanked you and stared at you as you left.

Your giggles at what Linda was narrating from the party was filling the whole library. Scotty could hear you from the table he had settled in. He was curious as to what was so funny to make you laugh that hard. He could still spot your amused expression when you return to the front.

You approached your friend to see if he was satisfied with that he had read so far.

‘’I have covered everything related to the aircraft and I just need to organize my notes and copies. I feel like I need to apologize for taking so many books and now someone has to put them back. And for taking up all your time earlier.’’ He was really cute when he was embarrassed or sorry and you wish you could say something about it.

‘’Don’t worry I love helping people, and putting books back is my favorite part of the job. Besides, I am glad I could help you.’’ You squeezed his arm.  

‘’You did that. Provided a distraction too but I managed to work through it.’' You felt confused and regretful for whatever you had done. ‘’I could hear you laughing from the back. It was adorable.’’

‘’Thank you, my friend was telling me about two guys that fought over who could do a headstand better and they both ended in the pool. It was hilarious.’’  

‘’I bet.’’ He didn’t know how to continue the conversation just to get you to stay a little longer.

‘’I will let you work now. I will come back when you know which books you definitely don’t need.’’

‘’(Y/N) wait, I have to tell you something. Do you know why I have been here all those times?’’ He hoped you hadn’t guessed and if you have that you would reject with politely.

‘’I assumed it was the closest library to your home. Because the company you work at is a two-hour drive away.’’

‘’I do it so I can see you. I like you, more than just a friend. From the beginning of our friendship, I knew you had something special. Your manners, your excellent personality, and your soulful eyes made me want to see you, all the time.’’

You reached out to him. ‘’I feel the same way. I have thanked Nyota countless times for introducing us. Everything you complimented me with I have thought about you. You have the most attractive smile I have ever seen.’’

‘’Can I kiss you?’’ You found him asking for permission cute and you nodded. It was a sweet kiss that you have dreamed about for weeks.

‘’I really need to get back to work now. However, we will continue this tonight at Nyota’s party. Only if you are ok with sharing the news with your coworkers. Mine are already spying on us.’’ You turned around and they didn’t even try to hide the fact they had seen the whole scene.