MISSION POST: Shi Maro Space Station - Day 47 - OPEN

[enterprise_npc]

The air was one of breathless anticipation as all off duty personnel - military and civilian, Aian and Marosi - lined the viewports to watch the Starfleet ship come in to dock. Murmurs raced through the watching crowd at her strange design, at the unfamiliar words emblazoned across her hull

Comments

[my_god_man]

Goddamn, he hated parties. Well, that wasn't true. Your typical, informal party was usually a blast. Definitely so when there was alcohol. But what he was facing right now as he was being ushered through like a monkey on a leash was not what he'd consider a real party. Bad enough he was in a damn monkey suit. And oh look at all those faces pressed against the glass to watch them be herded out into the pen

[transwarp_beam]

Official functions like this had to qualify as some form of torture. What was the point of a party that didn't even have anything proper to drink? He wasn't even sure why he was required to attend. There was no good reason to have engineers at a diplomatic function - as a profession they weren't known for their tact. The opposite, really.

But in general it wasn't difficult to put him in a good mood, and he grinned as through the crowd he spotted one face always guaranteed to do just that. Oddly sickly-sweet punch in hand he ambled on across the room and raised his glass in greeting. "Y'look like you're enjoyin' yourself."

[my_god_man]

As that couldn't be further from the truth, Leonard didn't think it was aimed at him. He kept looking down at the funky-colored punch, thinking about how he'd had Anderson sterilizing something about that same hue from the bottom of biohazard buckets just earlier. Morons were sometimes good for Life's little chores. Wasn't until he saw a familiar, fuzzy blond head in his peripheral that he put two and two together and got Thank God.

"Jesus, Scotty, yer a sight for sore eyes. When'd you get here?" Leonard clapped a hand on the deceptively strong shoulder and squeezed gently. The last few days had been consumed with mission prep work. They hadn't had a chance to be together for a while, again. That grated on him. "An' you musta had me mistaken for someone who doesn't know a good party, if ya think that," he grumbled on. Because he had to behave, he didn't grimace. It was a close thing, though.

[transwarp_beam]

"Been here a while now," he replied, smiling broadly back. His expression took on a mischevious edge as he added innocently; "Nah? Would've thought this'd be just your sort'a thing. Right up your alley."

[my_god_man]

Leonard snorted loudly before he could stop himself. It took real work to be an asshole with Scotty around. "Naw, no room after all the regs they've shoved up 'my alley'," he rolled his eyes, but the hand on the engineer's shoulder shifted so he could stroke the nape of his neck with a broad thumb. "I get makin' nice with these guys, but why the hell am I required ta be here? I'm just a doctor."

An ambient Aian ambled on by just then, curious enough about the two of them to greet them at a polite distance. Leonard straightened a little and gave the fella a tight smile. The guy seemed more interested in the disturbingly colored hors d'oeuvres. Leaning in just a smidgen, Leonard mumbled to Scotty, "Don't suppose you've brought some flavorin' for that concoction yer carryin'." He would have, if he hadn't been forced into that promise. Damn gentleman's honor.

[transwarp_beam]

Scotty gave a snorted almost-laugh of his own at that. "What, an' y'think there's good reason t'have an engineer here? Ah well. 'Least we can suffer together, eh?" He leaned into the touch as much as - possibly slightly more than - was strictly appropriate for the time and place.

"C'mon now, would I do a thing like that?" he replied with an air of wounded innocence. It didn't last long; with a grin he pulled his jacket aside to reveal a strategically positioned hip flask. The good stuff, of course. There was no call to go dissolving a perfectly good hip flask with moonshine.

[my_god_man]

"Engineer? Good point, but yer fourth in command so a Man of Responsibility." That last bit he stressed in a mockingly important voice. Just to get a rise out of Fuzzy. The leaning earned the man a warm smile that had nothing to do with sarcasm or mockery. Leonard's hand was encouraged to rub more purposefully, massaging some and caressing other times.

Catching that little reveal, there was no holding back the grin on Leonard's face now. That's his engineer. Going along with their easy bantering, he replied, "Well, that's a shame. I'd be willin' ta do 'bout anything for a li'l additive right now." He lightly raked his nails over the back of Scotty's neck, just once, smiling like a sneaky old cat.

[transwarp_beam]

"Don't get cocky, mate, you're no' that far behind me there," he replied with raised eyebrow. His similarly teasing reply to the next statement was lost, however, at the graze of nails across the back of his neck. "Steady on," he said lowly, catching the exploratory hand in his own; "Keep that up an' I might forget we're in a public place here."

[my_god_man]

"Darlin', if the chain of command ever gets down ta me? We'll all be too far behind. Whattam I gonna do, launch hyposprays at Klingons? Negotiate check ups with Tellarites?"

Stopping Leonard's hand caused some brow raising. Not that he didn't know that was a sure way to get Scotty all nice and affectionate. Leonard had just... forgotten, how strong a turn-on it was. Truth be told, it surprised him some that he could still elicit that kind of response in anyone. Jocelyn had sure thought he'd lost his touch towards the end of their marriage. Chuckling softly, he turned his hand around so it could briefly hold Scotty's.

"Now wouldn't that be somethin'? I'd go ta more shindigs if that was promised." He winked and gave the hand a squeeze before returning his to more innocent activities around the man's shoulder blades. "I'll gladly put that thought on hold. Sorry 'bout that."

[transwarp_beam]

"Aye, an' I'm meant t'come ridin' t'the rescue wieldin' a monkey wrench?" Scotty said, snorting; "Let's just agree we'd both be useless an' move on."

He grinned. "Just better be careful, eh? Wouldn' want t'get thown out'a this brilliant party." He paused for a beat, looking theatrically thoughtful; "...actually, on second thoughts..."