A/N: Ever notice how many genii they have on the Enterprise, and none of them meet like normal everyday people? Hmm? Most of them have grown up with impeccable manners so this seemed, to me, to be a problem.
And if anyone has read my other Star Trek fic, I suggest listening to Sigor Rós-Glosoli. I feel that the video sums up Jim's life perfectly. But onward to more light-hearted humor. Reviews brighten my day!
It was a simple greeting, something the both of them had not had a chance to do before; saving Earth and Starfleet had kinda cut into that time. Sure, they had noticed each other, picked-up each other's name through the conversation, but they hadn't officially introduced themselves. And that simply wasn't going to work for either of them.
The Russian had slid into the seat across the table from the Scotsman in the Mess Hall without permission, but Scot didn't really care; as long as the lad didn't take his food, he could sit there as long as he wanted.
"Meester, ve vere not properly indraduced on da breedge. My name ees Pavel Andreievich Chekov." The Russian, Chekov, simply smiled at him, wisely not offering his hand. The Scott knew at that moment that Chekov was gonna be okay.
"Ah saw ye on the bridge lad, but dinnae think ta ask fer yer name. Sorry aboot that. The name's Montgomery Scott. Friends call me Scotty. "
"Very neece to meet you Scottee."
The two proceeded to awkwardly look for something to talk about. It was then that Scotty noticed the PADD that Chekov had brought with him had Admiral Tucker's Dissertation on Xindi Weapondry. There appeared to be carefully written in notes in the margin written in Cryllic script.
"Lad, are ye really reading that or just trying ta look guid?"
"Nyet! Ee find Admeeral Tucker's verk very eemportant and eenteresting. But Commander Jackson's Theoree of Exponenteeal Varp just as good."
"Ach that's nothing, ye ken. Now, Diggory's work is just ingenious."
It simply followed from there. Nobody else on the ship, except for the Captain, would have had any clue what they were talking about. Their distinctly different accents and pronunciation of words made absolutely no difference; they could hardly hear the difference. For them, they had lived around people who sounded so strange to their ears for so long that they barely processed it at all.
When Scotty walked into the Mess Hall the next day after his Alpha Shift, he quickly glanced around to see if he knew anyone there. His heart jumped little when he saw a head of curls sitting alone at a table give a small wave to him. Grinning like an idiot, he grabbed a plate of food and made his way across the room to where the Russian wiz-kid sat. He didn't realize until that moment how much he had looked forward to this conversation all shift until he started to argue with the lad over some dusty theory.
The Captain walked into the Mess Hall not long after, looking for any member of his bridge team to sit and enjoy a meal with. He could see his helmsman eating with the biologist, his doctor exchanging PADDs with his chief nurse and his first officer eating alone. The Captain glanced around for the two missing crew members he knew should be here; over in a corner near one of the windows he could now see them. His linguistis specialist had been moving toward his first officer; she had blocked his view initially. The pair was huddled over a few PADDs discussing the material on them; Chekov seemed to be trying to convince Scotty of something he didn't buy.
The Captian smiled. He knew the two of them would get along perfectly. He had seen in the mind of the time-traveler, but more than that he knew that being genii would bring them together faster than anything else. He sat down with his First Officer and Linguistic Specialist.
"It's good to see our two resident genii have met each other finally, don't ya think Spock?"
The First Officer, Spock, glanced over at the aforementioned pair and then back. "Captain, since Mister Chekov and Mister Scott met each other on the Bridge when planning out the Sabotage of the Narada and Captain Pike's subsequent rescue, I am confused as to what you are speaking of."
His Linguistics Specialist tried to explain it to the confused Vuclan, much to the Captain's amusement. "What Kirk is trying to say is that it's nice that the two of them met each other formally, not just in the middle of a Crisis."
"Then I must agree with the Captian on this matter. It is pleasing to see the 'genii' interacting outside of shift."
Captain Kirk ignored his eating partners to glaze over to the much discussed pair. They were getting up and leaving already, food left half-eaten and still arguing.
The nightly meetings became habitual. Sometimes other member s of the crew joined them, but most of the time it was just the two of them comparing everything from their childhood to crew members to recent missions. They were so alike: both avid drinkers and machine lovers with thick heavy accents that made it difficult for others to understand them; both with crazy ideas that seemed impossible until it saved the Enterprise; both of them misunderstood by family and subsequently unloved. Yeah, they were peas in a pod, and they needed to stick together.
That's what Scotty had told Chekov when the lad had asked.
"Scottee, vhy ees eet that you seet vith me vhen you could seet vith others?"
"Dinnae tell ye afore Pavel? Us geniuses haf'ta stick ta'gether, otherwise we'd both be goin' crazy, ye ken."
Chekov had given Scotty his trademark ear-to-ear grin before going back to food. But Scotty could have sworn he hear the Russian mumble something .
"Da, vee are familee. And familee sticks together."