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Odo walked stiffly along the Promenade, hands resting behind his back, his brows knit in a deeply pensive expression. Between Sisko's needlessly passionate reverence for beets, Dax's abrupt snippiness and that weird thing Kira said, the previous evening had been very… odd.
Odo paused outside of Quark's bar, as he often did, turning his head to look through the window.
As it was mid-morning, things weren't particularly busy in there. Quark was idly organizing bottles under the bar while jabbering to Morn about some inane thing or another. Morn listened and stared, placid as ever, occasionally lifting his drink to his mouth.
Odo considered his options… then entered the establishment with purpose, walking right up to the bar.
Quark paused mid-sentence, lifting a brow and shifting his stance as his guard went up. Odo usually only walked like that when he was hoping to arrest Quark for some imaginary crime.
The look on Odo's face didn't match his stride, though. He didn't appear angry or frustrated. Instead, he looked confused… maybe even a little bit concerned? No… not quite concerned.
Vulnerable; he looked oddly vulnerable. Not in a distressed way, exactly. It was the way he looked whenever he was trying to figure out some strange new social situation. If Quark had to put a word to the look, it was actually kind of--
"Quark," Odo said, addressing him firmly, as if broaching a matter of some great importance. "Do you think I'm cute?"
Quark almost dropped the bottle he was holding. For a split second, he felt accused, somehow seen, as if Odo had walked in here and read his mind. But that couldn't be right! If Odo had read his mind, the question probably would have come out as annoyed, maybe outright angry. Instead, it just sounded cautiously puzzled.
"Uh…" Quark huffed a nervous laugh and looked at Morn, eyes silently begging for help of some kind - though even Quark didn't know what it would be. Morn gave Quark an extraordinarily dry look, then just stood up and lumbered over to one of the Dabo tables, taking his drink with him.
… what the hell was that!? Quark thought, wondering why his friend would just abandon him like that. He looked up and saw that Odo was starting to look a little impatient as he waited for an answer to his question.
"Well--" Quark started. Of all the scenarios he always remained mentally prepared for, this had never even been a remote consideration. He took a deep breath and decided to stall for time by throwing it right back at Odo.
"Do you think I'm cute?" Quark asked wryly, giving an exaggerated little shimmy of his shoulders.
"Quark, I'm not even sure what it means to think someone is cute. That's why I'm asking," Odo said, his tone patient - but in that way that suggested it wouldn't be for much longer.
Quark furrowed his brows curiously and shed most of the sarcasm for the moment, realizing that Odo's confusion actually seemed genuine.
"Oh. Well, ah… It's when you think someone is…" Quark pursed his lips in thought, gesticulating vaguely, like he was grabbing and squeezing something. He never stopped to think about how difficult it would be to describe this to someone who probably didn't have any biological capability for attraction at all.
A part of him hoped that his visible inability to explain it might cause Odo to just drop the subject. But if anything, Odo just focused all the more, leaning in attentively, the look on his face almost pleading for answers.
Quark bit his lip contemplatively, eying Odo. "This is harder to explain than I thought it'd be. But I guess it's when you just get… really happy when you look at somebody. When you feel… lighter around them! It's when you think they're adorable. And funny. And sometimes you just wanna squeeze 'em!"
Quark got a little more animated than he really meant to, clenching both hands into fists as he bounced on his feet with a giddy, cheerful grin. It took him a second to realize that his movements had not been a demonstration, but rather, they were a reaction to the person in front of him.
Odo's eyes widened into a severe, intent stare, as if he was trying to figure out whether he should be offended by that or not.
Quark's grin abruptly fell and his eyes also got wide.
"So… um… why do you ask, anyway?" Quark asked, hoping to veer the conversation away from that little thing that just happened.
Odo gave Quark a fleeting once-over, then slowly began to relax, grateful for the veering. He rested his arms behind his back again, looking out over the room. "Yesterday, Major Kira said she… thought I was cute."
Quark deflated. Try as he might, he couldn't stop his shoulders from sagging. All he could do was hope Odo didn't notice. Quark looked down at the bar and just uttered in a clipped, subdued tone, "Oh."
Odo noticed. Of course he noticed. He tilted his head, his expression turning concerned. "Is that… bad?"
Quark glanced up to give Odo a slight glare before quickly looking down again. He sighed in frustration and started pouring himself a drink. "For Vedek Bareil, maybe," Quark muttered sarcastically. It was bad for him, too… but he sure as hell wasn't gonna say that part out loud.
Odo's eyes widened again, this time in horror. "What--!? You mean she had some kind of… romantic intent when she said that!?"
He shook his head, refusing to believe that possibility. "No! No, it can't be that. She's too happy with Bareil. Even if she was dissatisfied, she wouldn't be having those kinds of… feelings towards me," Odo said, looking away again, making as if he were terribly interested in something over at the far side of the room.
This time, it was Quark's turn to give Odo a once-over. Though this one was a little slower, as Quark began to suspect that he didn’t have the full context here. Odo was right. Kira wasn't the disloyal type. Maybe Odo was just doing something weird and she thought it was funny. It wouldn't be the first time.
Quark took a sip of the drink he just made, eyeing the distance between himself and Odo, wondering how it got so narrow all of a sudden.
Then he, too, stared straight ahead at the rest of the room, feeling a particular thought bubbling its way up to the surface - it was one that never failed to show up when Odo was this close to him. He reflected on how, just a moment ago, he believed he was in a reality where he might never have a chance to act on that thought.
And since he wasn't in that reality, after all - maybe he ought to take the opportunity while he still had it.
Quark let a few more beats pass, taking another drink. He shifted his weight. He felt his shoulder press against Odo's chest a little. He also felt, notably, that Odo did not move away, despite the fact that they were both trying so hard to pretend to ignore each other.
Finally, Quark let the intrusive thoughts win, voicing them aloud.
"You are cute, though."
Odo looked at him, silently.
Quark looked up. What he expected to see on Odo's face was shock, confusion, probably even anger.
What Quark actually saw was the most devastatingly smug fucking smile that he'd ever laid eyes on in his entire life.
Odo didn't say anything. He didn't even give one of his little grunts. That immensely satisfied expression spoke countless volumes, and Quark was struck with the horrifying realization that this entire conversation had just been one big interrogation.
And he had CONFESSED.
Even though the feeling was mutual, they'd both always know that Quark caved first.
Odo smoothly turned and just walked out of the bar. Quark hastily put down the drink and took off after him, yelling out, "Odo! ODO! HEY! SAY IT BACK! YOU ALREADY GOT ME TO SAY IT, NOW SAY IT BACK! ODOOOOO!"
Normally, Odo preferred that people didn't shout on the Promenade… but in this case, he made an exception, just smiling all the way back to Security as Quark's comically frustrated howls bounced off the station walls.