Chapter Text
Scotty
It was always the same. He was locked up inside a strange house, one he didn’t know. He ran for his life.
“Montgomery, come back here. I have to show you something.”
Khan. His ex-lover was chasing him and it always ended with him catching Scotty and pulling him to the house’s bathroom.
He knew what he’d see there. He had seen it a hundred times. But Scotty still wasn’t ready for it.
“Leonard…”
There he was. The true love of his life. He was lying on the cold floor, a puddle of blood forming beneath his body. His cold lifeless eyes which were once filled with warmth and light stared blankly at the ceiling.
Khan forced him to watch the man. Scotty didn’t know for how long but his ex always told him the same thing.
“This is your fault, Montgomery. I’ve killed him because of you.”
The Scotsman cried, screamed, sobbed violently.
Khan turned him around and cupped his face in his hands. A smile crossed his face as he looked Scotty straight in the eyes.
“You belong to me, Montgomery.”
And he knew it. He knew that he doesn’t stand a chance. Suddenly there was this gun in Kahn’s hand.
“Let’s stay together forever.”
He couldn’t suppress the scream as he sat upright in the bed, tears still running down his cheeks.
The engineer’s breath was shaking uncontrollably and he pulled his knees close to his chest and just cried.
And suddenly there were arms wrapped around him, hugging him tightly.
“Shh, it’s okay. Everything’s alright. I’m here. It was only that nightmare. It’s not real.”
Leonard. He was here. He gave him comfort. And Scotty leaned into the embrace, knowing that it would eventually calm him down sooner or later.
McCoy
His eyes jerked open and his heart raced as the scream woke him from a sound sleep. McCoy was disoriented for a moment. The room was dark; his phone said 2:37 when he tapped it. He heard Scotty’s crying and everything made sense. McCoy sat up and moved to embrace the engineer.
“Shh, it’s okay. Everything’s alright. I’m here. It was only that nightmare. It’s not real.”
He felt the weight as Scotty leaned into him. McCoy held him tighter.
“It’s alright darlin’, I’m here,” he continued to soothe.
McCoy loosened his grip a little and moved one hand to start rubbing circles on Scotty’s back. He hung his head against Scotty’s shoulder. The flood of adrenaline he had woken with was wearing off. Scotty’s nightmares seemed to be happening more often.
“Shh, darlin’, we’re alright, we’re ok.”
Scotty’s cries were beginning to slow.
“Good. Just breathe. I’m right here, I’m not going anywhere.”
He felt Scotty’s body take a deep breath as his cries finally stopped.
“Good darlin’, take another couple.” McCoy took an exaggerated breath with him.
“I’m sorry I woke you,” Scotty said as he got himself under control.
“Don’t worry about it,” McCoy said, even though he was worrying. “Now come on; let’s try to get some more sleep.” He ran his hand through Scotty’s hair, and gently pulled him back to lying down.
“I love you Leonard,” Scotty said as he snuggled in tightly to McCoy.
A thrill went up McCoy’s spine. Months now, and still every time Scotty said his name… he let out a happy sigh.
“I love you too,” he answered. He held Scotty close, and kept one hand rubbing the Scotsman’s back, until they were both asleep again.
Scotty
A few hours later Scott was already up, preparing breakfast in the kitchen. It was the least he could do for Leonard and everything the man did for him.
It didn’t matter how often the doctor had told him to stay in bed on his day off; he wanted to be there for him. To be useful.
Maybe it was in his blood after the seven years he had spent with Khan. The urge to do something. Clean, cook, wash the dishes - it had all been part of his daily routine. So it wasn’t easy to just lean back and relax.
“Morning darling,” a southern accent greeted him from the door and Scotty turned around from the kitchen island to smile at Leonard.
“Good morning mo gràdh.”
At the brogue his boyfriend lifted an eyebrow in confusion.
“What?” He laughed and Scotty chuckled softly. Leonard still had to get used to him talking in Gaelic from time to time.
“Mo gràdh… it means… uhm… it’s hard to explain,” he thought about it for a moment, before he finally found a word for it, “My… my love! Yeah, I think that’s fitting.”
“Well then,” Leonard walked over to him and pressed a kiss onto his cheek, “This bacon smells great, mo gràdh.”
Scotty couldn’t help but laugh at Leonard’s pronunciation of the word. He would teach him sooner or later.
“Then sit down please.”
But Leonard grabbed him by his shoulders and made him sit down at the table.
“No, no, no. You sit down. You prepare breakfast, I’ll serve it.”
Even after all the time the two of them had spend together it still felt strange for Scotty to have someone so caring around him.
He loved Leonard. He loved him just so much. And he was grateful for every minute they could spend together.
“Have I told ye how much I love ye, Leonard?” Scotty asked when Leonard sat down across from him after placing breakfast on the table.
“Now that ya mention it…” The doctor placed a finger on his chin, pretending to ponder the question.
“I don’t think the ten times in the last 24 hours were often enough. So please tell me again.”
Leonard leaned over to Scotty and kissed him.
“Alright then, I love you so much.”
McCoy
McCoy rolled over and hit his alarm as it woke him. He glanced at Scotty’s side, but of course it was empty. He heard noises from the kitchen and knew the other man was making breakfast. Maybe someday he’d teach him to lounge and sleep in on a day off. He stretched and looked around for some clothes.
A few minutes later he stood in the kitchen door and watched Scotty. He had been through so much, but watching him move lightly around McCoy’s kitchen, you’d never know.
McCoy filled to bursting with happiness.
“Morning darlin’,” he finally said, drawling the words out.
Scotty turned to look at him and smiled that smile that lit up McCoy’s heart.
“Anything you want to do today?” Scotty asked him as they finished the breakfast he had made.
“I’ve got to cover that half shift for Geoff, and then the afternoon is all yours,” McCoy smiled at Scotty. “Whatever you want.”
Geoff had covered a great number of McCoy’s shifts as he recovered from the gunshot and all the days he needed for court. It was the least he could do, to let the man attend his kid’s soccer game.
McCoy held in a sigh. Sometimes he wished they’d had a kid, he and Jocelyn. He would love to have that feel of little arms holding tightly around his neck or a small hand in his. But, he knew it was better they hadn’t. It would have torn him apart to put a child in the middle of the hell the divorce had been.
He came back from his thoughts as Scotty touched his arm.
“Still with me mo ghràdh?”
The words had felt clunky in his mouth when he’d said them to Scotty’s amusement in the kitchen. But from Scotty’s lips they sounded like music.
“Yeah darlin’, just lost in a thought.”
“Oh?”
“Thinking on Geoff having fun with his kids today,” McCoy answered. He glanced at the clock on the stove.
“Ah hell, I better get moving.” He leaned forward to kiss Scotty then turned to go get ready for work.
In the shower he wondered again about Scotty’s family. Thinking about Geoff had brought the idea to mind. It was at the trial when he had learned that Scotty’s family had cut ties with him because of Khan.
If they knew things had ended, would they welcome Scotty back? The rare times he mentioned them, the pain was evident in his voice, and it made McCoy ache to hear Scotty in pain.
One of these days he’d ask the engineer. There were getting to be so many ways to communicate across the world, and so easily. But, no. Not yet. Maybe the next time Scotty mentioned one of them. McCoy didn’t think he could just bring it up without reason.
Scotty
When Leonard mentioned his colleague and the time the man spent with his kids, Scotty heard a strange undertone of bitterness and longing in his boyfriend’s voice. Was he sad that he didn’t have any kids? The opportunity had been there for him.
Even though Leonard never mentioned his ex-wife Scotty knew about her. Jim had accidentally slipped it into a conversation once but the Scotsman didn’t dare to ask the doctor about it. If Leonard wanted to talk about it he would tell him on his own. And Scotty would be waiting patiently for that day.
Thinking of Jim he decided that maybe he could pay the man’s cafe a visit in the morning. Leonard could drop him off there on his way to work.
Scotty didn’t like to admit it but he was always kinda scared to be alone. The unfounded fear that Khan might come back for him to take him was engraved into his body and soul. That was the reason why he couldn’t stay in Leonard’s house all by himself. He loved the place but… only when Leonard was there. The doctor made this place a home.
When Leonard got back from taking a shower, all dressed up, Scott had already put the dishes into the sink and was ready to leave.
“Can ye drop me off at Jim’s cafe? I’d like to ask him if he can get a book for me?”
Leonard seemed surprised at first but then he smiled and nodded.
“Of course, let’s go. Mo… mo… gr-“
Scotty chuckled softly as he took Leonard’s hands in his. He was trying so hard.
“Mo gràdh,” Scotty finished for him as he kissed the doctor’s lips. The man nodded.
“Yeah, that… that was just what I was about to say.”
They left the house and drove off.
McCoy
McCoy was unsurprised but happy when Scotty asked if he’d drop him at Jim’s. He’d get to spend more time with him that way. And maybe Scotty would want to have lunch there when McCoy finished work.
The sun was out as he pulled the car out and he smiled. No fog for once. He dropped a hand off the steering wheel as they got going and reached for Scotty’s fingers.
He knew better than to ask if Scotty wanted to be dropped at the cafe or if he wanted to walk over from the hospital. He’d drop him off at Jim’s. The Scotsman thought he was subtle, but McCoy could see he was still uncomfortable on his own.
And he couldn’t blame him. Seven years of poisonous words spreading through his head, taking residence deep within his thoughts…
McCoy found himself glancing over his own shoulder every now and then, even though he knew better. Khan was going to be locked away for most of the rest of his life. There was nothing to fear there anymore. And yet… sometimes he’d see someone in the corner of his eye and his heart would stop, before his rational thoughts caught up.
“What book are you asking Jim about?” He finally broke the comfortable silence between them.
“Oh, it’s one Keenser was telling me about. A history of engineering in the area.”
McCoy smiled to himself. Of course it was engineering.
“Can you ask him if he’s got mine in yet? They were supposed to be here last week.”
“Of course mo ghràdh,” Scotty smiled over at him.
McCoy laughed. “I’m gonna learn to say it, I promise.”
He pulled up in front of the cafe a short while later.
“Tell’em I said hello,” McCoy said after Scotty kissed him and was getting out of the car.
“I will. See you soon!”
He waited until Scotty entered the shop before he pulled away. He drove into the underground hospital parking lot and hoped Geoff had a good time. It was a great day to be outside.