Sweet Nicknames
(A/N: I'm British - more specifically I'm from England - but I have a friend that's a Scot and I just hope if she ever manages to find this, that she doesn't kill me for how I wrote the accent. I tried to make it as authentic to the country and character as possible.)
Word Count: 744
The day had been long. At least that’s how it had felt to you, and you were glad to finally be done with it. You made your way to the engine room to sit down there. Something about the room and its chief engineer always made you feel better. The warm hum of the warp core filled the space like a comforting heartbeat. Scotty was working on a panel, sleeves up, grease smudged on his hands. He glanced over his shoulders when you took a seat near him and gave you a lopsided grin.
“Ye look a wee bit tired there, lass” he said with his usual warmth. “Been overexerting yourself again, haven’t ye?”
You couldn’t help but smile at the familiar term of endearment. He always did that. Called you things like ‘lass’ and ‘darlin’, but today it hit you differently. Your cheeks warmed as you ducked your head to hide the blush that was slowly creeping up your neck to your ears.
Scotty noticed. Of course he did.
His hands stilled, and he tilted his head with a curious look on his face. “What’s this now? Yer blushin’, lass?”
You shook your head furiously, trying to ignore the fact that his noticing had made you blush even more. “It’s nothing. Just… you always call me that.”
“Aye,” he said scooting his wheelie chair closer to you. “I do. I’ve called ye that since the day we met. Thought you might’ve noticed by now.” His eyes twinkled as he leaned in slightly. “But seein’ ye blush like that – well now, that is a rare treat and quite a sight to behold.”
You laughed, rolling your eyes. “You’re honestly impossible.”
“Ach,” he chuckled, the sound pleasant and deep. “Maybe. But I cannae help it. Ye bring it out in me.”
“Ye bring out a lot more in me that I care tuh admit most days.” He muttered to himself, but you heard, and the blush returned full force.
There was a moment of comfortable silence before he spoke again, his voice more serious.
“Ye know, I dinnae call everyone lass or darlin’. Only the ones that matter.”
You being you couldn’t resist the little joke that had bubbled into your head.
“So, do you call Bones darlin’? I never noticed.”
“Oh eh! Stop that. Ye are terrible. I’m trying to be serious here.”
Your heart skipped a beat. “Oh.”
“Aye.” He reached out, gently taking your he and in his grease-streaked fingers. “And you, lass, matter more than all the dilithium crystals in the galaxy.”
“Well,” you said softly, squeezing his hand, “I suppose I’ll let you keep calling me that then.
Scotty grinned, his eyes warm with affection. “Good. I was hopin’ ye’d say that bonnie.”
For a moment he simply looked at you, his expression uncharacteristically tender. Then, with a mischievous glint in his eye, he added, “Though, now that I’ve seen how you react, I might need to call ye lass a bit more often.”
You rolled your eyes, but your smile betrayed you. “Terrible.”
“Me? Terrible?” he teased, laying his hand dramatically over his chest. “I’m just a humble engineer, doin’ my best to keep this ship – and you- I one piece.”
You laughed, “You make it sound like I’m a part of the Enterprise systems.”
“Aye,” he said with a nod, leaning forward with a grin. “Ye are, in a way. This ship wouldn’t feel the same without ye. I’d miss ye like I’d miss warp drive if ye weren’t here.”
Your heart swelled at his words. “That’s... the nicest and sweetest thing anyone has ever said to me.”
He gave you a soft smile, his gaze unwavering. “I only spoke the truth, darlin’. Your part of my world – and I’d like it to stay that way, if ye fancy that I mean.”
The hum of the warp core filled the quiet that followed. Scotty gently brushing his fingers over the back of your hand.
“So, what do you say lass?”
You smiled and leaned over to place a kiss on his cheek. “Of course, Monty. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be.”
He chuckled, and blushed himself. “Good. Because I’ve got a whole list of nicknames, I’ve been wantin’ to try out on ye.”
“Oh really? Like what?”
“Ach, ye’ll just have to wait and see.” He gave you a wink before pushing back to his console. “ But one thing’s for sure – Ye’ll always be my bonnie lass.”
