#scottyxreader

Electric Moves

“Alright that’s the last of the wires!” you yelled to your superior wiping your safety glasses clean of debris.

“Alrigh’ let me take a look at ‘em,” Montgomery Scott said, crouching next to you. He examined the junctions of the circuit boards and nodded in approval. “Not bad…not bad at all Lieutenant. No bubbles… joints are solid. This soldering is better than some of my own. Must be those steady medical hands.” He winked at you and you put your safety glasses back on to conceal a blush.

“Thank you Mr. Scott,” you replied.

“Lass, I’ve told you already just call me Scotty. Don’t make me order you now,” he joked.

“Sorry. Thank you Scotty,” you put your tools back in the small box and hand it back to the older man. His hand brushed over yours as he takes it from you making your breath hitch.

“No thank you for lending us a hand down here. Doctor McCoy said you were a fast learner but neglected to tell me you were a near genius with mechanics. I ought to have a word with him, keeping a talented lass like you all to him—_______, you alrigh’?”

Scotty must have noticed your face morphing into a deep red from underneath your goggles. You run the back of your hand across your forehead, hoping he’d buy the redness from the heat down in the engineering room.

“Yeah I’m…I’m fine just warm. Goodness how do you live like this down here all the time? It’s hotter than Vulcan!” You exclaimed, earning a chuckle from Scotty.

“Well I s’pose we just get used to it eventually, ain’t that right Kern?” A man slightly younger than Scotty nods in agreement, through you’re pretty sure he didn’t hear what Scotty asked. “Well I think we’re all done down here. Thank you again. It was an absolute pleasure having you down here. I hope we’ll see each other soon.”

He held his hand out to you and you took his surprisingly gentle hand in your own. “Any time, Scotty. It was an honor working on her.”

“Her?” he asked, eyebrows raised.

“It! Her—uh the Enterprise!” You ran your hands over your face. Surely your blush was obvious by now.

Scotty belted out a hearty laugh. “Lass, I thought I was the only one who referred to the ship as a lady, other than the Captain of course.”

“Well—yeah it’s like in those old stories about sea mariners and pirates and even in early space exploration. Their ships were always referred to as female so I just kind of let it slip into my vocabulary. Besides,” you gestured to the warp core. “The Enterprise is like a human being. She has a heart, a circulatory system, a brain…All sorts of anatomy. It’s just made of metal.”

Scotty looked at you full of admiration. “Lieutenant _______ I believe you and I are going to get along quite well.”

You turned to him and smiled. “I sure hope so Scotty.”

The next few days you doubled back and forth as both Assistant Medical Officer and engineer. Though most of your time was spent in med bay assisting Doctor McCoy with patients and testing, you also assisted Scotty with warp core diagnostics and repairing small details on the lower decks. You grew fond of the crew down below becoming friends with Ensigns Kern and Russell but your admiration mostly resided with Scotty. If fact, your admiration was becoming even more: each time you passed him your heart would speed up and you could feel yourself going red. Your stomach flipped and your knees weakened and if your eyes met his, oh stars your words would catch in your throat and you could barely keep yourself from stammering. Eventually, though your heart still raced when he got too close, you managed to get used to his sweet conversations about the starship and his daily life.

Two weeks after the two of you met Captain Kirk announced there would be a week-long shore leave after a recent encounter with Harry Mudd left the Enterprise in disarray and in need of refueling.

“Can’t believe we nearly lost the ship in a bet. Mudd would have had us floating through the galaxy if you hadn’t gotten that gauge recalibrated Mr. Scott,” Bones said as he stepped off the landing pad and onto the Federation sanctioned planet.

“Aye, but I can’t take all the credit Doctor. In fact it was your assistant who wrote the equation. She’s the real star of the show,” Scotty said clapping a hand on your shoulder.

“Well Lieutenant, seems like we owe you a drink or two,” Bones said.

“That’s very kind of you but I plan on curling up with a good book and working on some small projects I’ve been meaning to get done during leave,” you replied.

“Ach lass you have to take a bit of a break. You’ve been working plenty,” Scotty said.

“Thank you Scotty but I’m going to sit this one out.”

“I understand,” he replied. You didn’t catch the sadness in his eyes as you turned to head to your hotel room. “It won’t be the same without you!” He called after you.

You turned around and threw him a dazzling smile. “Enjoy your evening gentlemen!” You responded with a mock bow and disappeared into the crowd.

As soon as you were out of sight Bones turned to Scotty. “You really have it bad for her, don’t you?”

Scotty scoffed at the doctor. “I haven’t the slightest idea what you mean!”

Bones rolled his eyes and retorted, “Oh please. ‘It won’t be the same without you’?”

“Well I simply meant we would miss her.”

“You’ve been looking at her like a lovesick teenager. It’s sickening,” Bones responded. The two of them began to walk to a small diner, serving refreshments from different parts of the galaxy. “One bourbon and a scotch on me.”

“Doctor you aren’t going to get me drunk and have me spill my secrets.” Scotty said as a Betazonian male placed his drink in front of him.

“You don’t need to spill anything it’s written all over your face. You get all goo goo eyed with her. Nurse Chapel noticed it, Uhura noticed it, hell, even Spock has mentioned how you’ve been talking about her nonstop.”

Scotty sighed and took a sip of his scotch. He ran his hand through his chestnut hair for a moment before saying, “I don’t know what to do McCoy. She’s on my mind constantly. Working, off duty, hell even in my dreams. The first day when she came down to work on the circuitry she was so kind and sweet, a wee shy too, but she’s also smart and creative. The way she figured out the equation to save our ship was incredible!”

“Then what seems to be the trouble, Mr. Scott? You aren’t technically her reporting officer so there aren’t any regulations against it.”

“That’s not the problem I just…I don’t want to make her feel uncomfortable. She’s a quiet woman and she hasn’t made any indication that she wants to pursue anything outside of work. I, well, I don’t even know if she considers me a friend,” saying that out loud broke Scotty’s heart and McCoy could see it on his face.

Bones waved the bartender over and ordered another round for his friend. “Listen Scotty, I’m a doctor not a love expert. But I do know my assistant pretty well and she talks about you a lot. She sings your praises. Hell, she’s been spending more time with you than in her own office. The girl likes you she’s just too shy to make the first move.”

Scotty shook his head in doubt and McCoy sighed. “Come on Scotty. Let’s finish up our drinks and we can talk about this some other time. I know Jim was thinking about going to a little hole in the wall club of some sort and I’m going to need someone to help carry his miserable behind back when he out drinks himself.”

Scotty stared into his glass and said, “Aye.”

 ***

Meanwhile you began to unpack your shore leave bag, distracted by Scotty’s words.

‘It won’t be the same without you.’ What could he mean by that? He’s never been out with me before, heck I’ve never been out with anyone on the starship before. Could it be that he had hoped I would come out?

“This is all so confusing!” You yelled to yourself, throwing down a towel. “Stupid feelings.”

You flopped on your bed and stared at the pastel purple ceiling weighing your options. You could continue to pine after Scotty in secret, watching him as he eventually fell in love with someone else and—no that felt awful. You could tell him how you feel, get rejected, and never be able to work in the same room with him—that felt even worse.

You sat on the edge of your bed and sighed. You needed to do something to keep your mind off Scotty. The clock on the computer on your desk flashed 20:00.

“Computer, what is there to do on this planet during the evenings?” You asked. The computer whirred to life, ticking with calculations.

“Sources for entertainment near your current location. There are six bars within walking distance. Two are karaoke bars, three are exotic stripping clubs, and one is a dance club.”

A dance club? You thought excitedly. It’s been so long since I’ve been dancing. “Who’s performing at the dance club? Anyone good?”

The computer whirred again before stating: “Popular intergalactic band The Orion Experience will be performing live throughout your shore leave.”

“Thank you Computer. That is all,” you said and the computer powered down. You sat on the edge of your bed staring at your luggage in front on you. If I’m going to do this, I’m going all out tonight.

You sprung up in excitement and grabbed your bag. “Screw sadness, screw the rules, I’m about to be Cinderella at the ball.”

An hour and a half later you checked yourself out in the mirror. You purchased two dresses, your choice for this evening was a jeweled emerald green dress that stopped mid-thigh and white boots. You even splurged on some makeup and changed your hair. At a glance you could barely recognize yourself.

Shooting a wink at your reflection you strutted out of your room and out the door not even noticing the three Starfleet officers you passed on the street.

***

“Mr. Scott, Bones is right. You need to just come right out and say it. Quick, like a band aid. It will be over in a minute.” Captain Kirk tried to persuade the Scotsman.

“Thank you, Captain, for the sage advice. And thank you Doctor McCoy for telling the Captain about my personal affairs, I greatly appreciate it,” Scotty replied with a glare to the brunette.

McCoy rolled his eyes. “Well I’m sorry but I wasn’t going to let you look like a depressed Sehlat the whole shore leave.”

“I do not look like a depressed Sehlat!” exclaimed Scotty. Bones and Kirk stared at him intensely and he relented. “Gentlemen, I thank you for support. But I’m an old man—much older than __________. And she should be with someone else her age. As beautiful as she is, finding someone else wouldn’t be a problem.” Scotty’s eyes began misty and he blinked back tears.

Kirk clapped a hand on his friends shoulder. “Now Mr. Scott there will be no tears tonight. The night is young and there is a bar just down the streets with all sort of intergalactic alcohol. Let’s forget about our problems even if it’s just for the night.”

But I don’t want to forget about her. Mr. Scott thought to himself, but he knew voicing his opinion would get drowned out by his two friends. “Aye, where are we going lads?”

“Well,” Kirk began rubbing his hands together. “I thought we would check out that bar I was telling Bones about earlier. I’ve heard that they have these dancers that—“

Kirk was cut off as a woman walked past in a short green dress and white boots. The three men stared after her as she sashayed out the door into the crowd.

“Jim…who was that?” McCoy asked staring after her.

“I’m…not sure. I don’t recall ever seeing her before,” Kirk replied.

“She has to be on the Enterprise though. This hotel was booked for us by Starfleet and no other ships are docked so it’s just us,” Scotty said.

“She couldn’t be a Romulan spy could she?” McCoy asks.

“A Romulan, spy or not, would never—could never—have that strut in their step. Especially in those shoes,” Kirk responded.

“Of all things you could comment on you mention her footwear?” Bones joked.

“Of all the things I could comment on her shoes were the most appropriate. Do you have anything to add Doctor McCoy?”

“Not at all, Jim.”

“Good,” Kirk began to follow the woman but was stopped by Scotty.

“You don’t plan on following her do you?” He asked.

“Scotty, the three of us have no idea who she is and we know our crew better than anyone else. Whoever she is, she’s obviously gotten through our security systems and we need to know how. Besides aren’t you two a little curious to see who she is?”

Scotty sighed for what seemed to be the hundredth time that day and he followed his two friends through the street after the mysterious, and yet oddly familiar, stranger.

The bar pulsed with the beat of the band and you were bumping and grinding your way through the crowd. You felt different, alive, on the dance floor. A cheer went through the crowd as you spun through a dance circle. Each move was filled you with energy, you were electrified by the music and you sang out with the rest of the crowd.

“Somebody told me, you got electric moves. Out on the floor you’re like lightening striking,” you sang off key with everyone as the band went into the final chorus. You turned again as the song began to transition to another but froze mid step as you spotted McCoy, Kirk, and Scotty staring in your direction whispering to themselves. You made eye contact with the chief engineer for a brief second, both confusion and recognition evident in his eyes. He slowly got off his chair and began to walk towards you, startling you out of your trance. You turned your back towards him and ran out the door.

***

The three men sat down at bar scoping the dance floor for the mysterious woman.

“You sure she went into this one Jim?” McCoy asked the blond sipping a drink.

“Positive. Keep your eye out for anything suspicious,” Kirk said surveying the dance floor. “Mr. Scott, have you given any more thought to what Bones and I were saying earlier.”

“Now Captain, I told you I don’t want to pursue anything—“ he was cut off by a cheer and applause on the dance floor.

“There Jim! She’s over there,” McCoy exclaimed. The three men stared in her direction, watching as she danced sensually, hands in the air laughing and stomping her foot to the beat.

“She looks familiar. I just can’t put my finger on it,” Kirk said. McCoy and Scotty nodded fixated on the woman. She did one final turn as the song transitioned into a new one but, as she looked in their direction she froze.

“It can’t be…” Bones mumbled.

“Is that…Lieutenant ___________?” Kirk asked still staring at her.

Scotty watched her intently as they maintained eye contact. It was _________ there was no doubt in his mind. Seeing her with such fire in her soul was intimidating, there was no doubt about that. She radiated confidence and seeing her with such energy made Scotty’s heart swell in infatuation. Clenching his fists, Scotty knew he had to take a chance or he was going to have a heart attack. Taking a deep breathe he stood up, knees weak not from the alcohol but from the nerves. He steadied himself and began to approach her gaining confidence with each step. However about ten steps in the woman who held his soul broke eye contact and ran out the door, leaving the shattered pieces of his heart where she last stood.

***

Morning hit you like a Bat’leth; your mouth was dry and every vibrant color of the wall sent a wave of nausea through your body. The headache you had was unsurmountable and you grabbed the hypo you left on the table and injected it. Moments later your headache was gone and your nausea was slightly more manageable.

You revisited the events of last night grinning s the memories came back to you. You looked at the dress that was discarded on top of your suitcase with a fond grin, eagerly thinking about the second number you had waiting for tonight. However your feelings of excitement were smothered as soon as you remembered who saw at the bar watching you. McCoy. Kirk. Scotty.

“Oh my God,” you cried out to yourself putting your head in your hands as you tried to erase that memory from your mind.

They must have thought I looked ridiculous, you thought. I made such a fool of myself. Tears pricked at your eyes and you tried to will them away. Even though you knew none of them would make fun of you—well McCoy might tease you but you could handle him—you knew it would impact how the other two would look at you. If there was a black hole close enough you would jump right into it.

Your stomach growled and decided to get something to eat to keep your mind off of everything. Throwing on your blue Starfleet uniform you walked across the street into a diner. Beings of different races, genders, and ages sat throughout the establishment and were even peppered with Enterprise officers and crew.

Walking to your table you heard the voice of someone you didn’t want to hear: Captain Kirk.

“Lieutenant _________! Come have a seat with us,” he said.

You sighed and though you could have rejected his proposal you also wanted to have a moment to explain yourself—to explain you didn’t always look so uncoordinated and dramatic.

“Good morning Captain, gentlemen,” you nodded to McCoy and Scotty as you sat beside the latter. He didn’t greet you with the usual smile he always had around you. In fact he didn’t greet you at all.

“We were just discussing this woman that we saw dancing last night. It really was something else,” Kirk said.

Oh God here it comes, you thought to yourself.

“She was fantastic, _________, you should have seen her. She had this control over the floor. It was almost supernatural,” McCoy exclaimed. “At first glance we thought she was you,”

You nearly choked on your water. “You thought she was me?” They didn’t realize it was me?

“We certainly did. Then Scotty said you planned on working on some projects during shore leave,” Kirk replied. “How did they turn out?”

“O-oh. Fine. They weren’t anything too difficult,” you replied, relieved.

“And your reading? How was that?” Scotty asked bitterly.

You were taken aback by the harshness in his voice. “It was…fine I guess. Scotty are you—“

“I’m fine Lieutenant __________,” Scotty said. Kirk and McCoy exchanged looks as Scotty got up from the table. “Lads I have some work that I need to catch up on so I’m going to head back to my room. Have a good day.”

The three of you watched as Scotty left the diner without as much as a goodbye to you. You looked down at your plate of food that was just served suddenly nauseous again.

“What the hell was that all about?” McCoy asked in shock.

“I have no idea,” Kirk replied. “But I intend to find out.” He and McCoy followed the Scot out the door leaving you behind, your food hardly touched as tears welled in your eyes.

***

“Scotty! Hey Scotty!” McCoy pounded on the door to the Chief Engineer’s room. “Open up we know you’re in there.”

“Step aside Bones,” Kirk said, punching an override code. The doors slid open to Scotty’s room revealing the Scot seated at his table a bottle of scotch in hand.

“Hello lads, I wonder what brings you here?” Scotty asked sardonically, taking a hearty swig of his drink.

“You know very well what brings us here Scotty. What the hell is your problem? You’ve been in a crappy mood since we got back to the hotel last night and now you’re taking it out on _________?” McCoy asked, arms crossed over his chest. Kirk watched Scotty, slowly putting pieces of the puzzle together.

“I don’t feel like answering that question, Dr. McCoy. Frankly I don’t want to discuss anything with anyone. I wish to be left alone with my scotch,” Scotty said.

Captain Kirk sat at the table to level himself with Scotty. “Scotty,” he said. “Mr. Scott, look at me.”

Scotty sighed and turned to Captain Kirk. Kirk studied him for a brief moment.

“We were right weren’t we Mr. Scott?” Kirk asked softly and put a hand on his friend’s shoulder.

McCoy looked between the two. “Right about what, Jim?”

“The woman at the bar last night. It was Lieutenant __________, wasn’t it?” Jim asked.

Scotty stared at the Captain for a long time before whispering, “Aye.”

The three men waited in silence, waiting for someone to say something. The room was filled with nothing but the ambience of chatter in the halls and the echo of Scotty’s affirmation.

“She ran from me,” Scotty said mournfully.

Kirk nodded.

“Why? Why would she run?” Scotty asked.

“I can’t answer that for you, Scotty,” Kirk said.

Scotty stood up and walked to the window, looking out at the city below. Midday had approached by then, the sun high up in the cyan sky. “I don’t know what I was thinking going up to her. She was having the time of her life dancing and singing. What would she want with an old fool like me?”

“That’s horseshit,” McCoy said, going over to Scotty.

“Bones…” Kirk warned.

“No, Jim I have to say it. Scotty what you’re saying is pure horseshit and you know it. You’re making assumptions and that’s all you’ve done this whole time. Have you even talked to ________ about your feelings yet? I bet you haven’t and I guarantee you have her feeling like complete crap after the way you ignored her this morning.”

Scotty contemplated everything his friend said, knowing he was right. He hasn’t talked to ________ since they docked and not giving her a chance to explain herself wasn’t fair.

“But why would she run from us. From me?” Scotty asked.

“Hell if I know. Maybe she was embarrassed that we saw her, you know how shy she is. And I’m not saying what she did was excusable, but dammit talk to her. Ask her why she ran away and tell her how you feel. Because if you don’t you’re going to lose any chance to have with her, and that will be a damn shame,” McCoy said.

Scotty nodded his head, understanding that everything McCoy was saying was tough love. “Do…do you have anything to add, Captain?”

Captain Kirk waved his hands innocently. “No…no I do believe Bones covered it all.”

Scotty grabbed some glasses from his cabinet and poured drinks for the three of them. “Well then let’s have a drink shall we? And then…well then I’m going to go make a visit to ________’s quarters.”

***

You wrapped your hair in a towel as you stepped out of the shower and threw on some loungewear. Your hangover was completely gone by now but in its place was a heavy heart. You messed up really bad, running away from him last night and then not explaining yourself this morning. You looked at the dress laid out on your bed and sighed, debating whether or not you still wanted to go out when you heard a knock on the door.

“Who is it?” You called out.

“It’s Scotty. May I come in lass?” He asked.

You nearly tripped over yourself running to the door, pressing the button to open the door to let him in.

“Mr. Scott, good evening,” you said hoping the waver in your voice wasn’t as prominent as you thought.

“Back to calling me Mr. Scott are we?” He asked gruffly as he stepped inside.

You winced at his tone. “Sorry…Scotty—“

“I was joking _________,” he said with a small smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.

“Oh.” The two of you stood in silence trying to figure out what to say next. Moment’s passed, then you two both began at once.

“Lass, I—“

“I’m sorry.”

The two of you looked at each other at the same time before letting out nervous laughs.

“You’re sorry?” Scotty asked in slight confusion.

You nodded. “Yes I…I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have run from you. I didn’t…I didn’t want anyone to see me dancing and I was so embarrassed when I saw you…” You were so overwhelmed with everything your lip began to tremble.

“Now, now ________, don’t you start crying,” Scotty said as he wrapped his arms around you and pulled you close to his chest. “You have nothing to be sorry for, this is my fault. I jumped to conclusions.”

You allowed yourself to be held by him for a moment, relished breathing in his scent of scotch and oak, and savored the feeling of his one hand stroking your hair while his other hand rubbed circles on your waist.

After a moment you pulled back to look him in his eyes. “Jumped to conclusions?” You asked.

Scotty took a deep breath and took your hands in his. “Yes I…I may have thought you didn’t want to have a dance with me. Thought that you thought the idea would be repulsive.”

Your hand flew to your mouth. He was going to ask me for a dance?  “I thought you were going to tell me that I looked ridiculous,” you confessed.

Scotty’s eyebrows shot up his forehead. “Now why in heavens would I do that?” He exclaimed.

“I mean…I probably did look ridiculous flailing around like I was,” you said.

Scotty laughed. “You looked nothing of the sort. You…you were incredible! You dance beautifully, hell McCoy and Kirk didn’t even recognize you until I told them today. We thought you were a spy.”

“A spy?” You shout in laughter.

“You have to admit you looked a lot different last night.”

You chuckled and nodded. “I certainly did.”

You two stood in silence for another moment. “Why would you think I wouldn’t dance with you?” You asked.

Scotty sighed, “It was a little foolish of me. I’m so much older than you are—“

“Not by that much,” you cut in.

“But still old enough. I thought you were repulsed by the thought of it. I should have known better,” he said.

“Scotty, I would have very much liked to have danced with you had I not run away,” you said placing a hand on his cheek.

He put his hand over yours, rubbing it slightly. “________ I believe we both are foolish.”

You nodded in agreement your eyes captured in his gaze.

“I—also was going to tell you something last night.” Scotty said hesitantly.

You nodded for him to go on.

“Seeing you dancing there—every time I see you as a matter of fact—I get so overwhelmed in your beauty. That day you first came into engineering you were just a ray of sunshine without saying anything. Then you finished those wires and talked to me and I thought I was going to pass out. You talk about the Enterprise like she was your child and I know you can’t see the way your eyes light up when you talk about her but I do and it can make even Klingons blush. You can imagine what it does to my heart.” Scotty paused to take a breath and you could feel your heart racing.

“_________, I know this might be wishful thinking but I need to tell you that I like you. That I am falling head over heels for you. And I don’t intend on making you feel uncomfortable in any way regardless of how you answer my question. If you want to just be friends and never speak of this again I will. If you want me to leave you alone for the rest of our time on the Enterprise together I will. I just want to ask if maybe you would like to go out with me?”

Your breath hitched head absolutely spinning with every word he said.

“Scotty,” you began. “I would like it very much if you would kiss me.”

A chuckle of relief escaped Scotty as he wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you in for a gentle kiss. It was neither long nor short, just enough for the two of you to lose yourselves in each other’s touch of your lips.

You both pulled away, light blushes on your cheeks.

“I would love to go out with you Montgomery Scott,” you told him.

Scotty was so overjoyed that he let out a boisterous laugh and hugged you, lifting you a few inches off the ground.

You laughed, body feeling like it weighed only feathers.

“Would you like to go on a date right now?” You asked boldly. “I was thinking about going to the dance club again.”

“Now how could I pass up dancing with the most beautiful woman in the universe?” Scotty said, pecking your cheek.

You blushed, realizing you would never get used to being showered with complements. “Wait here,” you said. “I’m going to change.”

“You could always change right here.” Scotty joked, laughing as your face turned crimson. “I’m teasing you. Go ahead and get ready.”

You shook your head and grabbed your dress of your bed. “Go ahead and sit down. I’ll be right out.”

Scotty sat down and waited in anticipation. He took in all the details of your hotel room wondering what kind of stuff you kept in your room on the Enterprise. He saw your dress from last night peeking out from your suitcase and he chuckled thinking about the last twenty-four hours. You were his; he was yours even with how ridiculous you both acted.

A few moments later, you poked your head out the door. “Hey Scotty, would you mind zipping me up?” You asked holding the front of your dress up.

Scotty looked at you, mouth open in shock. Your hair and makeup were styled the same way you did yesterday but the dress was different. It was a dark blue glittery dress with three quarter sleeves. The dress was short in the front and long in the back and flared out beautifully. You wore black pumps with it.

“Scotty?” You asked, snapping him out of his trance.

“Sorry lass, you just…you look stunning.” Scotty said as he walked over to you.

You turned and he slowly zipped up your dress his fingers occasionally brushing against your skin, leaving your skin burning where he touched you.

Once zipped, Scotty kissed the nape of your neck making you go weak in your knees. You turned to him and pulled him in for a searing, passionate kiss. His hands pulled you tight, dipping you slightly, and ran them across your back. You ran your hands through his mahogany hair gasping slightly at his desperation. He took that moment to slide his tongue in your mouth increasing the passion of the kiss.

The two of you pulled away after a moment, blushes evident in your faces.

“I do believe you owe me a dance.” Scotty whispered to you.

You smiled and pulled him towards the door. “I certainly do. I believe we have time to finish this later if you want?”

“For you, my love, I have all the time in the world.” Scotty said, squeezing your hand as you led him to the club.

‘’See (Y/N), you can be an extremely difficult opponent when you focus on the game. Queen to C4.’’ Christine studied the board anticipating your next move.

‘’I am playing to enjoy my free time. I am not competitive like the rest of you. Yesterday Leonard was staring me down to distract me while we were playing. And that’s part of what I'm doing now. Rook to B6. Check.’’  

After you won the game you thank Carol for her help.

‘’Wait, was she helping you the whole time? And you left to play by myself?’’ Christine pretending to be annoyed by her friend’s betrayal.

‘’No, she was just my mentor. I wanted to win at least once this week. To gain some confidence before the mission on Friday. I haven’t been on such an important mission before and I am a little worried.’’

‘’Don’t worry about it, Ensign. You will have the best people there with you.    Jim said taking a seat next to you with Jaylah. You hadn’t noticed them earlier and he scared you a little.

‘’I know that Jaylah will protect both you and Scotty while away. And Lieutenant Collins knows what to do in the event of hostiles, he has been attacked once and beat them. There is nothing to worry about.’’ His reassuring words thought fell on deaf ears because right at that moment the people he was talking about entered the room. And all you did was to stare at the man you had fallen in love with since you started working at the enterprise, Montgomery Scott. You met in your first week when he came by your room to check on Jaylah, your roommate, who had broken her arm. She was asleep at the time so you made sure Scotty knew you were taking care of his friend. His charm and his caring personality are what drew you to him and in a few months, you ended up daydreaming about dating him.

‘’Are you listening to me?’’ Jim interrupted your thoughts.

‘’No sorry. What were you saying?’’ You turned to face the captain and give him your undivided attention.

‘’Nothing important. Now, I’m pretty sure I know why you weren’t paying attention to me.’’ He smiled knowingly at you.

‘’You know?’’ You thought you had kept your crush a secret from everyone.

‘’It’s obvious (Y/N). You are staring that I would try to believe you are trying to read his mind.’’

‘’Please don’t tell him anything. I will try to find the perfect opportunity to confess my feelings myself.’’

‘’Of course, don’t worry about it. I promise to say nothing. Now, you should go get everything ready for your mission.’’ He watched you leave and took another look at the men across the room. Scotty was still talking to Lieutenant Collins about something, the chief engineer was obviously passionate about while the other man seemed a little bored. At that moment Jim felt happy he only promised not to talk but you didn’t say anything about meddling. So, he came up with a plan to help you find your opportunity.

For the next few months, it was like someone was trying to sabotage your changes with Scotty. You barely saw him and when you spotted him somewhere he was always busy. At first, you didn’t think anything of it, still, you began getting worried. What if Jim had told him about your feeling and he was afraid to reject you?

On top of that, you weren’t sent with him on missions anymore. It was like Jim thought you and Collins made a good team you were sent everywhere together. When a linguist and an engineer were needed someone, it was always the two of you. You started getting sick of seeing his face. Not that he wasn’t attractive still you missed the time you get to spend with Scotty. You would talk about the ship, your families or your home back to Earth. You knew it would be a stupid decision to question the captain but you thought that asking him about it wouldn’t hurt. Maybe after the next mission.

So, when a spaceship crashed, you found yourself on the rescue team. You were sent to communicate with any survivors so they will aboard the ship and then allow the doctors to treat them.

The mission was hard but you and the rest of the team managed to bring all the survivors on board. The engineers that were on the team were able to salvage some of the spaceship’s part in order to be included in making the new one for the crew. You were proud of yourself since it was a major success and you finally used some of the languages that your supervisor had taught you.

However, the bliss you felt from completing the mission didn’t distract you from the conversation you wanted to have with the captain. You just had to make sure to voice everything like you wanted to gain experience working with some other members too and not as a complaint against lieutenant Collins.

‘’Hey (Y/N) congratulations on the mission today. All our patients seem to feel at ease with you and were thankful they could communicate with someone. Great job.’’ Christine complimented you.

‘’Thanks Chris, I appreciate it. Listen, I can’t talk right now and I bet you still have a lot of work. Do you mind if we talk about this over breakfast tomorrow?’’ Your eyes were once on her and once scanning the corridor for Jim.

‘’Of course (Y/N), are you looking for something?’’

‘’Yes, Jim, have you seen him?’’

‘’He was just here to be briefed by doctor McCoy about the patients. He said he was going to his quarters to work on something.’’

‘’Thank you, Chris. I will see if I can find him there.’’

Just as your friend mentioned Jim was in his quarters making sure all the parts of the crashed ship had been properly cataloged to be sent back so they can be part of the new ship. He was done when you showed up and asked to talk to him.

‘’(Y/N) just the person I wanted to see. One of them to be exact. I will plan a little celebration for our mission when the crew of the USS Gladiator is all healed. And I would love to honor all the team who achieved it. What do you day?’’ He motioned you to sit with him on the couch.

‘’That would lovely both of us and for them. To left their spirit a little. However, there is something I would like to discuss with you. I don’t want you to take this personally or as a complaint. Just as a question.’’ You paused trying to find the right words even if you had practiced this in your head all the way. Jim didn’t interrupt you, he was curious and let you speak when you were ready.

‘’Is there a reason I’m always on away missions with the same people? I mean, I could learn some more things if you change the structure of the teams.’’ You looked hopefully at him hoping he would agree with you.

‘’I see your point and I do believe it’s a good strategy. But I would hate to break you and Collins apart. You seem to work fine together and honestly, I am expecting a thank you for pairing the two of you together for so long.’’

‘’Why would I thank you, Jim? It’s not like he is the best engineer to work with. I would thank you if you paired me up with Scotty because he is the best, or with any of my friends.’’

‘’What do you mean? I pair you with him so you can talk about how you are feeling. You told me you liked him.’’ You both looked confused by his conversation.

‘’I never said that. What are you talking about?’’

‘’Back before your first difficult away mission. Don’t you remember? I was trying to ease your concerns and you totally blew me off to stare at him.’’

That day came to your mind and you realized what had happened.

‘’Oh, my God Jim, I can’t believe this. I wasn't talking about him. If you remember that scene clearly, he didn’t enter the room alone.’’

‘’Yes, he was with...  He tried to picture the scene. ‘’Scotty. He is the one you were talking about?’’

‘’Yes. I have been in love with him since my first week here. Please tell me you are the only person on the enterprise who knows about my apparent crush on Collins. You haven’t told him anything, have you?’’ You started panicking at the prospect of him believing you like him.

‘’No don’t worry. I haven’t told Collins anything about it. You should probably talk to Scotty though. With how much time you have spent with someone else he might have gotten the same idea I had.’’

‘’Jim you are absolutely right. I will go to talk to Scotty right now. Also, I'm not going to be able to have dinner with you tonight. I might end up making other plans.’’  

‘’Of course, Ensign, just make sure you thank me later for my help.’’ You gave him an annoyed look.     ‘’For making you admit your feelings by matchmaking you with another.’’ He giggled as you blew him a kiss and left to find your future boyfriend. However, what he failed to mention was that Scotty knew about his matchmaking plans from the beginning. He even helped execute some of them.

When you made it to engineering, Scotty was filing the reports from a previous away mission.

‘’Ensign (Y/LN), can I help you with something? I see here that your mission was successful. Congratulations on communicating so well with the survivors of the crash. I am sure Lieutenant Uhura must be proud of you.’’

‘’She is, all the survivors seem to trust me enough to allow me to translate the doctors that are treating them.’’ You were excited about helping those poor people. However, your nerves were overwhelming.

‘’And I'm sure you worked perfectly with lieutenant Collins.’’ You were too focused on what you wanted to tell him to notice the tone of his voice.

‘’We worked well together. But I’m sure you mentioned it because you were aware of Jim’s plans, right?’’ His eyes fell worrying you have figured out he was hoping to be in Collins’ position. However, you thought he was just sorry for helping Jim. He nodded without saying anything out of fear that his voice would crack.

‘’Well… that shows us that even though he is a certified genius our captain can sometimes be a little dense.’’ You approached Scotty and stood in front of him.

‘’He was right about me having feelings for someone. Just got the person wrong.’’ You hoped that you had given him enough clues to realize what you were implying.

‘’What do you mean? Who is the right person?’’ He dared to feel hope even after telling himself for months that you wouldn’t look at him.

‘’A beautiful guy who can always make me feel safe around him. Who makes sure I’m comfortable after any jump and who once had to carry me to the med bay. Who has an amazing sense of humor and the most adorable accent I have ever heard. Do you believe he will ever let me be more than just friends?’’ You looked into his eyes to determine the answer yet he beat you to it.

‘’Absolutely, he would a fool not to. Only an idiot would deny the opportunity to date such a beautiful creature. One that can brighten up the room with their presence and who can be reasonable even when angry. And I would like to know if that person would like to have dinner with me.’’ He shyly reached for your hand.

Jim, Bones and the Sulus watched you walk down the street with some flowers in hand down towards Scotty's shop.

“Do you think he’ll invite her to the dance,” Jim asked nonchalantly.

Hikaru and Bones sighed, “Can you just leave this alone, Jim,” Bones barked. “All I’ve heard about for the last few days is Scotty and the drifter.”

Jim looked over at Bones with an impish smile. “Can you blame me? It’s interesting. Plus,” Jim grunted pushing off from the counter, where he had been leaning. “I’ve never seen Scotty like this! It’s good for him! Did you see them when they came in here the other day?!

“They came to the diner after they left our shop,” Ben interjected, leaning back into the conversations.

“After they went to the orchard. But they were all smiles and just chatting up a storm! She asked about Scotland,” Jim excitedly slammed his hands on the counter. “And she didn’t look bored after fifteen minutes, hell she asked for more detail! Guys, can’t you see?”

“That this will end in terrible heartbreak?” Hikaru suggested with a laugh. “If they keep getting pushed together they’ll only end up hurt at the end when she leaves.”

“Not true! She has no real ties to Chicago! It’s just a job! No friends, no family, no anything! She said so herself to him!”

Bones rolled his eyes like he was a conspiracy theorist, “You really have nothing better to do, do you?”

“Not till you get off work,” countered playfully with a wink.

You smiled at the small bunch of flowers in your hands. You tried your best not to read to much into it. It was probably just a friendly gesture. But no one had ever given you flowers. That wasn’t something people did. Right? No, no, no. Scotty was just a nice guy, you didn’t really mean much you were a unwilling client.

Still, you wanted to return the favor, taking half of the bouquet he got you to him.

You walked into the office, not finding him, then to the garage and you saw him leaning over the engine of your car, humming. “Scotty?” He whirled around looking surprised, a smear of grease on his forehead.

“Lassie,” he looked down at your hands. “Oh! Y-you got them!” He looked nervous, his eyes flicking from your hands to your eyes.

“I did,” you smiled warmly, feeling your own face grow warm.

“Well, you said you couldn’t keep anything alive, and you looked like you were really liking the flowers so I thought you could use some. And these ones are already technically dead so you don’t gotta worry about taking care of them. So when they,” he trailed off, hand on the back of his neck, suddenly realizing that he was rambling.

“Whither into crispy petal bits,” you encouraged with a small laugh.

“Right, you wouldn’t feel guilty,” he nodded. “So, did you not like them?”

“OH! No,” You shook your head vigorously. “I wanted to thank you, so I brought half over to brighten up your corner of town. I-I hope you don’t mind.”

Scotty stared at you for a good minute, his hands reaching for the small vase in your hands. “No, I-I don’t. Thank you,” he said softly, taking the flowers. “This is awful nice of you.”

“Well, you’ve been awfully nice to me.” An awkward silence hung in the air as you rocked on your heels helplessly. “So, what are you doing? I heard that you got the parts for Atticus.”

“Aye,” he beamed as he motioned for you to follow him. “Take a look. I’m taking out the old parts so I can replace them.” You looked in at the jumble of metal, nothing made any sense to you, so you glanced over at Scotty whose eyes were flitting around the machinery. “It’s beautiful huh?”

“Yes, I suppose, even if I don’t have a fucking clue what I’m looking at.”

“I could always teach you, so you know some things before you go back home,” Scotty offered, picking at his hands.

“I suppose, but I think that ruins the magic, and it relieves your tricks as a magician.” He started to laugh and shake his head. “What?”

“You are a romantic ain'tcha, Lass?”

“What do you mean,” you turned your head hoping he wouldn’t see your blush.

“Turning simple mechanics into magic.” You remained silent, especially when a hand dropped down to yours. “I like it. It’s endearin’.”

Your heart was hammering so hard in your chest you wondered if he could hear it You looked at your hands and over at him. Your face burning up. His look was so soft but you yanked your hand away. Probably a bit too hard. “I-I should go. I-I’ve made a deal with Jim, to um...Work with him.” You babbled at him walking backward, “So I don’t feel like such a freeloader.  I’ll see you tomorrow.” You turned tail and squeezed out the door. Once out of sight you ran to your room at the bed and breakfast, heart thudding wildly.

Scotty stared at the spot you were. He wrung his hands while he sighed and shook his head. “You are an old fool, Montgomery.”

You had spent a few days helping out Jim in his diner. Sweeping, cleaning dishes, hell you even put a few orders for deliveries in. Jim was getting sick of you because it was not at all helping his matchmaking plans. As you were stacking plate Jim leaned next to you.

“So, Y/N. It not like I don’t appreciate your help. Hell, I don’t think this place has been this clean in years.”

“But,” you inquired, looking towards him.

“But, you need to get out more. See more of the town. See Scotty..”

“I can’t help him.  I look into that engine and I have no idea what I’m looking at.” Jim scoffed as he picked the towel off your shoulder, slinging it over his own.

“I mean cleaning wise. You’ve seen it. The man could use less clutter in his life.”

“Jim, I like the diner. I meet so many people.”

“I thought you wanted to be useful,” Jim poked.

“Well, yeah.”

“You’ve outlived your usefulness here.” You gave him a blank look and shook your head.

“Okay, fine whatever.”

So, pushed out of Jim’s, you slid into Scotty’s office for the first time in a while. You stepped up to his desk where he was mumbling to himself looking at papers. “Scotty?”

“Lass? I didn’t think I see you for a few more days…”

“I-I thought you could use some help,” you offered, uselessly gesturing to the mess around him. “Make calls, file things?”

He grinned wide, “ Ach, Pavel's gonna love you. I just bought the lad on, you know, to train. I was gonna make him do all that. I’m useless at it.”

“Good thing I’m here then,” you smiled back at him.

“Aye,” He eyes finally met yours and there were a few beats of silence. “Good thing.”