TLP #002 Love

NOTE: Since I'm doing more than one 100-theme challenge, I'm going to use three-letter tags along with their numbers to help keep their titles distinct. This one will be the "TLP" challenge, short for "tulip," since that was the image the list's creator put on its thumbnail: organiclife4me.deviantart.com/…. I'll be using the TLP challenge for the continuing adventures of Scotty (from Star Trek) and my OC, Orin (his adoptive daughter).

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002: Love

If you asked a five-year-old (well, technically nine now--but as a Dinarian nelneer, Orin would always resemble a younger child in her appearance and mannerisms) to explain the word "love," you would likely get many different definitions; some comical, some cute, and some really quite serious in their innocent frankness. Orin knew this much: love could mean feeling happy when the person you loved was happy, but it could also mean caring for that person when he or she was sad. And she loved her "Unca Scotty" very much.

Scotty had had a bad day yesterday. He'd woken up to find a holophone message from Uhura, calling off the date the two had made previously. Uhura was as affectionate as ever, bless her, and the look on her face showed that she was very apologetic and regretful about the change of plans. It was simply that her family had decided to put together an important reunion at the time, so her planned date with her old friend (and her visit with him and his "bairnie" too, who also missed "Auntie 'hura" very much after the crew's retirement) would have to wait until a few weeks later. There was no real harm done, but it was of course a disappointment for everyone. Orin had seen how dejectedly her adoptive guardian had put away his handsome (if quite large), fresh-pressed waistcoat, bought specially for the occasion.

The upsets hadn't quit there. Later that morning, Scotty had spilled coffee on one of his favorite old technical journals, and tried not to curse. Then he decided to holophone his sister Maggie, just to catch up on things, but all she had really talked about was a depressing fight between her two eldest children. Of course Scotty was sympathetic, and sent his kindest wishes to his sibling and her family, but that conversation hadn't really done anything to lift his spirits. Finally, one of his PADD's storage chips had broken, corrupting the file where he had saved the notes he was preparing for his guest lecture at the university in Aberdeen. One of the engineering classes had invited him to speak there, and of course (wouldn't you know it) he hadn't yet saved an extra copy of his typed lecture, nor printed it off on paper. Orin could tell her guardian was in quite a "snit," as he would call it, though of course he didn't take it out on her. Still, it made the little Dinarian sad to see the old Scotsman slamming drawers and other objects with a bit more force than normal, and just being less of his usual bantering, jovial self when going about his daily activities. Scotty would normally have played with Orin at least twice by the end of the day (he had at least cuddled her quietly off and on in his lap, which, besides being the loving gesture he knew Orin always needed, also helped him feel a little better), but that particular evening, he had to re-write the lost lecture notes, since their visit to Aberdeen was going to be the next day. Orin stood outside Scotty's closed bedroom door, frowning. She wished she could help him feel happy again. Then a kind little thought entered her head, reassuring her. She smiled slightly to herself and trundled off to her own bed, knowing just what she would do the next morning.

Some little creaks, shuffles, and bumps could be heard in the kitchen of Scotty and Orin's home at daybreak. It would normally have just been time for Scotty to rise and get breakfast ready, but at that very moment, his bedroom door creaked open, revealing his tiny "bairn" nudging her way in with her foot and balancing a tray beneath her chin. She was in her pajamas, just like him, but evidently had already been awake for some time.

"Here ya go, Unca Scotty!" Orin chirped, waddling up to the old engineer's bedspread and plopping the tray onto it with slight relief. Scotty rubbed his eyes and looked over the offering in surprise. The plates on the tray held a child's attempt at a "toad-in-the-hole" (an egg fried inside a cut-open slice of bread, though this one apparently prepared in the safer microheater instead--as evidenced by the splattered yolk and rather tough, rumpled toast), some fresh strawberries, and two heated-up link sausages and slices of black pudding. There was also a large glass of milk, with chocolate syrup swirled and jiggled into it.

"Awww, well what's all *this* then?" Scotty sat up and asked kindly, already humbled slightly by the little Dinarian's sweet gesture.

"Breakfast in bed!" Orin grinned by way of explanation, pulling herself up onto the bed with Scotty. He big brown eyes softened, and she smiled up at him, sweet and guileless. "You were actin' sad yesterday, so I thought I'd try t' cheer you up."

"Och, Bairnie!" Scotty chuckled--a deep, warm, genuine chuckle, very welcome both to his and his adoptive daughter's ears. He hugged Orin swiftly to him. "What a thoughtful wee lassie I have." The two of them both snuggled happily for a few more seconds. "Mmmm, this *does* look yummy!" Scotty then inspected the makeshift breakfast appreciatively, partially for Orin's benefit, but really with very little acting involved. The toad-in-the-hole was questionable, but the rest was indeed setting his large belly rumbling.

Orin giggled at the audible growl, and Scotty chuckled again, winking. "Well... th' way tae a man's heart is through his stomach, Ah suppose," he quoted the old Terran saying.

Orin giggled at this as well, adding an observation of her own. "Dat's 'cause your heart an' your tummy are a lot alike, Unca Scotty!" She crawled on top of her chubby guardian, hugging his ample belly and placing her little ear over his chest. The little Dinarian spoke with genuine kindness and and attachment in her words. "Both so big an' warm an' soft."

Scotty wiped a tear from the corner of one eye, but couldn't help chuckling again, trying to follow his "bairnie's" logic. "Ah, but what aboot ye, me darlin'?" He scooped her up and tickled her own little stomach playfully. It was plump, but not quite as fat as his, proportionally speaking--and of course, proportions put aside, Scotty was at least three or four times Orin's size all over. "Ye've got only a wee little tummy, but yer heart's as big as auld Ben Nevis." He kissed the now-wriggling-and-giggling bundle in his arms.

Orin didn't bother to worry how a heart the size of a Highland mountian could apparently fit inside her tiny frame. She just rolled over to where she could kiss her adoptive father's chin, and wrapped her arms around his neck. "I love you, Unca Scotty," she whispered.

"I love ye too, Precious One," Scotty replied, hugging Orin back tight, his new day already as full of happiness as he could possibly wish for.

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A partial thank-you to for the idea on this one. I was contemplating what might make a good scene for this theme, seeing as love is something I emphasize in nearly every story and picture I make of Orin and Scotty. Vulcan suggested that Orin make Scotty breakfast in bed to cheer him up after he had a bad day, and, well, that seemed to fit as well as anything.

(...You know, I just realized when coloring these that both the stories/pictures I made up for my challenges today involved one character comforting another in a bad/sad mood... and strawberries. Oh well, they just compliment each other, I guess. fav.me/d80uyup )