Chapter Text
When Scotty walked into his own bedroom— on January 1, 2263— Khan got up from the bed immediately, a smile spreading over his pale lips.
'And to what do I owe the pleasure of your enormous smile this morning, Montgomery-Scotty?' he asked, clear blue eyes teasing affection. 'Did your date with the good doctor go so well?'
Scotty had opened his mouth with both excitement and pure joy, but then he hesitated. 'I, um...'
Prompted by such a conflicting reaction, Khan scanned that engineer with appraising eyes, to land on the gleaming ring on the fourth finger of his left hand. Before he could fall apart, he forced a smile. 'Congratulations~' he said, kissed Scotty's flushed cheek, and slipped out the door.
With no thought in his head but finding a place he could fall apart in secret and be understood, he went to the one door he knew would take him— and not take away Scotty's innocent joy. His hand slammed against the surface of that door for the second time in hardly more than a month, and for the second time in a month, no answer came.
No more thoughts existed.
Khan fell to the floor, hugged himself into a ball, and dissolved in tears.
Entirely absorbed in his misery, he didn't hear the footsteps approach him— quickly, and breaking into a gentle run at the sight of him. Knee hit the floor, and then a hand touched his shoulder.
'Khan~'
Khan could barely hear the voice, but he looked up into the charcoal eyes of the one who had sworn to be his friend in times of desperation.
Seeing the all-consuming misery on the Augment's face, there was only one conclusion Spock could draw.
'Scotty said "yes"~'
Khan collapsed again, right there in front of his door, where anyone could see him if they passed by— including Scotty or Bones.
'Mr. Singh, please~' Spock gripped his hands and pulled him gently to his feet. 'Come in.'
Once safely inside, the Vulcan allowed Khan to collapse on his bed instead.
~ ~ ~
It was a long time before Khan could manage to calm down enough to even speak. The first thing he said, was—
'I always knew it would happen. It's funny— you would think it'd be less of a fucking shock.'
Spock's charcoal eyes looked at him with something approaching tenderness, for a Vulcan. 'We are never prepared to see the one we love choose someone else, Mr. Singh.'
'That wasn't exactly your situation, was it though, Mr. Spock?' Khan's voice wasn't cruel, but it held the barest edge of mocking.
'You are correct, Mr. Singh,' Spock confirmed, softly. 'I often thought he would, however— most notably at the beginning of our...' He looked like he couldn't find the right word to describe it, even now. 'Beginning,' he finished, eventually. 'I remember that feeling well, rest assured. It was an agony.'
Khan's hands slipped through his hair, gripping his head tightly. 'It is that and more, Mr. Spock,' he whispered. 'For what I have, which keeps me sane, how much will it change once they are wed? They will grow closer, and oh, they won't mean to, but they'll push me further away. What then shall I become?' He swallowed reflexively. 'I think that I shall die~'
Spock's hand twitched at his side. 'Mr. Singh, you cannot draw that conclusion with certainty,' he attempted in comfort. 'Mr. Scott will certainly–'
'Try to keep me close,' Khan finished, laughing from the pain. 'But you should have seen him, Commander. It was as if the sun fallen over his face and illuminated it from within. He looked as happy as you did to marry the captain, only with Scotty's innocence and open radiance. He was the embodiment of joy~' He laughed again, as Spock watched him quietly. 'And for any other reason in this fucking galaxy, I would be happy just to see it— but not for this one. This one is the one that is trying to kill me in every breath, or drive me to madness.'
Just then, a knock came to the door, with just the right amount of uncertainty for Khan to recognise it instantly. 'Heaven and God,' he uttered beneath his breath, with an accent of despair— 'save me.'
Spock held out a warning hand, walked over, and opened the door.
There stood Scotty.
'Um, sorry to disturb ye Commander, but is Khan with ye by chance?'
Spock's hand twitched. 'Why would he be with me, Mr. Scott? Is he not customarily with you, these days?'
'Ah...' Scotty didn't seem to have an answer for that. 'So... ye haven't seen him?'
The bare amount of hope in his tone was painful.
Again, the vague twitch in Spock's hand. 'Is there a message you wish me to convey on your behalf?'
Khan couldn't see him, but he could envision the engineer's crestfallen face as if he were standing at the door himself.
'Er... no. Not really. Just... y'know... that I'd like to speak with him...'
'Of course~'
Scotty seemed to rally himself. 'Is everythin' alright then, Commander? Ye didn't come to breakfast... that's why I thought maybe...'
'If you are enquiring as to my health, it is exemplary, Mr. Scott, thank you. I had something which required my immediate attention. The captain is well aware of this, in fact he directed me to it. Was there anything else? Or may I return to my business?'
Khan could just imagine Scotty's sudden flush— he knew every inch of him so well.
'Ah, er, no, thanks Commander. Sorry to disturb ye.'
'It was no trouble,' Spock returned, and shut the door as Scotty went on his way.
He walked back over to Khan and stood very properly in front of him. 'Mr. Scott would like to speak with you, Mr. Singh,' he conveyed dutifully.
Khan burst out laughing and burst into tears at the same moment. 'A Vulcan cannot lie!' he gasped, tears streaming down his pale, blotchy cheeks. 'How grateful I am to be on the beneficial side of that half-truth, this time~'
Spock did not smile, but more seemed preoccupied. 'I do not enjoy to manipulate the truth with Mr. Scott,' he said, finally. 'He cares for you very much.'
Khan shuddered. 'I do know that, Mr. Spock... it is his greatest and most painful quality.'
Spock couldn't seem to think of a thing to say in reply. 'I am sorry,' he murmured.
Khan wiped his cheeks and abruptly got to his feet. 'Well, it won't be any success to fool them if I don't try a little harder,' he announced, with only a slight waver hovering in his tone. 'And as the one thing I will not allow myself to do is ruin Scotty's joy, I best be going. But I wonder, Mr. Spock... would you invite me to play chess with you this evening?'
Spock blinked. 'Pardon me?'
'So that I may say that you have, and you shall not have to lie if it comes up.'
'Ah,' Spock managed. 'In that case, I indeed invite you to play chess with me this evening, Mr. Singh. Along with any other evening you deem useful, for the time being.'
This elicited a small smile from Khan, and he bowed his head at Spock and left through the door.
~ ~ ~
'Khan!!' Scotty shouted when he walked into Engineering, dropped his tools, and pelted toward him. He grabbed him at the shoulders. 'Where were ye?? I was damn worried for ye! Are ye okay??'
Khan forced a laugh that sounded light-hearted to Scotty's ears. 'Mr. Scott, I merely went to congratulate your doctor on finally having the nerve to ask you. However, it appears I should have gone to the dining hall instead of the Med Bay, so I have been thus far unsuccessful.'
'Well, he should be at Med Bay by now,' Scotty pondered, 'but we should get to our work too. Did ye eat somethin', then?'
'Scotty, Scotty, don't worry about me so much,' Khan laughed. 'Your doctor will get jealous. I am perfectly capable of taking care of myself, I assure you~'
'Oh, alright,' Scotty grumbled. He pointed a finger at him. 'But ye cannae blame me this time! Ye found out Len and I are engaged and walked out! Does... does it not hurt ye?'
"Oh, if only you knew."
'Scotty, you give me no credit,' Khan replied instead. 'I knew that Bones would ask you to marry him eventually, and I knew that you would say yes the moment he did. I was plenty well-prepared for it, don't you think? I gave you up to him long ago, so what's for me to be hurt about? Answer me that~'
'Ye still get upset by it sometimes!' Scotty protested. 'Ye just... ye had me worried, that's all! I wanted to know ye were alright!'
'Scotty,' Khan lied, with a sweet, soft smile— 'I am fine.'
~ ~ ~
When suppertime finally came, Scotty had returned to his perfect, joyful state, and he greeted Bones with unparalleled enthusiasm.
Bones laughed. 'Hey there, darlin'~ I missed you, too.' But in his own way, he seemed as happy as Scotty.
Khan smiled, with a heart that broke a little more each moment. 'Congratulations, Doctor,' he said. 'Although I could have saved your worry stone the hole through the middle and told you he would say yes six months ago.'
'My worry stone has not got a hole through the middle, ya snarky little–!!' Bones burst out— a little more loudly than he intended.
Heads turned, and he flushed that lovely rose colour that matched his lips.
Turning back to Khan, he rolled his eyes and settled on— 'Good to see ya in good humour, Khan~'
He then touched Scotty's hand, and they walked to get food, Scotty jabbering all the while.
Keenser walked up to Khan, stood at his side, and patted his hand twice before walking away. Instantly, Khan felt on the edge of tears again, but he hid it well, pushed it down, and got his own meal.
He was just aiming for a nice little table in the corner when Scotty waved him over enthusiastically. Sighing softly, he walked over to join them.
How he got through dinner with a smile and an easy laugh, Khan never knew. All he knew, was when they asked him to play games with them, he finally had an excuse to get away— which he utilised instantly.
'I'm afraid I received an invitation already, from Mr. Spock,' he said smoothly. 'And you know how I love my chess. But by all means, you two lovebirds have a good time. I'll see one of you tonight, and one of you in the morning.'
With that, he had slipped away, and now he knocked on the door to Spock's quarters with a trembling hand.
With no seconds wasted, the door slid open. 'Mr. Singh— please come in.'
Khan obeyed in good form, as if Scotty himself were watching from the hallway, but the moment the door slid shut again, his façade collapsed.
'Mr. Spock...' he breathed, finally allowing some semblance of his true emotions to show— 'you have no idea how pleased I am to be in your company tonight.'
Spock seemed almost touched, but he rallied quickly. 'You are welcome here for as long as you desire to stay, Mr. Singh— Jim is not expecting me tonight.'
Instantly, Khan looked guilty and conflicted. 'If I am keeping you from your obligations,' he began.
'I keep my obligations to my husband and my captain for the majority of my hours,' Spock replied. 'I am interested now in keeping my obligations to my friend.'
Still, he flushed faintly copper at the use of the term— as if not quite certain it could be applied. Khan, however, fell just shy of tears.
'In that case...'
'Would you truly like to play chess?' Spock supplied. 'Or merely spend time in alternative company? Let me assure you that either is agreeable to me~'
Khan offered a faint smile. 'I do love my chess, Mr. Spock. Especially against such a worthy opponent.'
~ ~ ~
Snuggled up against the man of his dreams, Scotty felt all his worry melt away for the first time that day. 'Khan really seems alright, y'know,' he murmured. 'I'm so glad. It couldn't have been further from my mind when ye asked me, but when I saw him I was worried it'd hurt him.'
'So was I, when I saw him,' Bones admitted roughly. 'He seems normal enough, though. Guess it's not too much different from us bein' together for him?'
'Must be,' Scotty allowed himself to believe, snuggling even closer. 'And since that's the best possible outcome, I vote we celebrate the occasion.'
'More?' Bones asked with a slight chuckle. 'Last night wasn't enough celebration for ya?'
'Was it for you?' Scotty returned.
Bones looked at the ceiling, pretending to consider it. 'Nope,' he finally admitted. 'Nah, I want ya all to myself for a least a week before I'm done celebratin'. BUT... since I know ya won't agree to that, I'll settle for just tonight. What d'ya think?'
Scotty grinned. 'I'm all yours, Leonard McCoy... until bedtime.'
Bones sighed dramatically.
'I just want to make sure he's really okay,' Scotty protested. 'Ye cannae really disagree with that!'
Bones sighed less dramatically. 'No, I don't,' he conceded. He leant over and pressed his lips to Scotty's. Scotty, who melted beneath him like the most joyful snowflake giving way to the sun.
Feeling Scotty give himself up completely with each new kiss he gave him, that was what gave Bones the first true certainty he'd felt in the past 366 days.
Nothing in all the galaxy was better or more beautiful than this.