"Will you go out with me?"

It seemed like such a silly, insignificant issue when there was a war going on. The entire Ops crew could be dead by this time next year— or next month, or week, or tomorrow. The station itself could even be destroyed, and the way things were going, it wasn't too far-fetched to speculate that nobody was going to get through this war alive. Having a crush on the chief of security was the least of Quark's concerns, or rather, it certainly should have been. But it wasn't. In fact, it was this constant sense of impending disaster that gave Quark so much urgency. He needed comfort. He needed stability. He needed somebody to love him, and Odo was the only person on the station who he knew could give him those things.

Odo stared down at Quark judgementally from across the counter— or at least that was what it looked like to Quark. It was hard to pin down exactly what was going through Odo's mind sometimes. Heat creeping into his cheeks and turning them an embarrassing shade of scarlet, Quark waited with bated breath for the constable's response. His heart was pounding, and his hand was frozen in midair, hovering tentatively over a Rigelian Sunrise he'd been halfway through mixing. Behind Odo, the customer who'd ordered it was tapping her foot impatiently, but Quark didn't notice. His eyes were fixed only on Odo.

Finally, after it felt like Quark had been waiting on Odo's answer for an eternity, the constable cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly and muttered, "I'd say that depends on how you define 'going out'."

Taken completely aback by Odo's unexpectedly roundabout response— to be perfectly frank, he'd been expecting a straight-up, non-negotiable rejection—Quark sputtered and stammered for a bit, face growing hotter by the second. How did he define going out? What kind of question was that?!

Putting a voice to his frustration, Quark snapped, "Going out means dating, you idiot! What else would it mean?!"

"Well, where and when do you think would be convenient for such an activity?" Odo asked irritably, leaning across the counter and morphing his legs a bit longer so he loomed over Quark. "In case you haven't noticed, Quark, we're in the middle of a war!"

Quark flinched, raising his hands with his wrists pressed together; Odo's expression softened slightly and he returned to his normal height, but it was a subtle enough change that Quark suspected he didn't want any onlookers to notice.

"Well, I'm sorry for trying to find a single shred of happiness to get me through this Exchequer-forsaken war," Quark said bitterly. Turning his back on Odo, he finally got around to mixing that Sunrise. His customer took the drink with a sigh of relief and speed-walked out of the bar like she couldn't get away from Quark fast enough. Once the customer had left, he sighed and turned back to Odo, who he noted with a touch of annoyance hadn't budged an inch after his not-really-a-rejection. "Well, are you going to accuse me of any crimes today?" he asked reproachfully.

Odo pulled out a PADD and typed something into it as he replied. "I was thinking of it, but perhaps now wouldn't be a good time," he said. "I'll leave you alone now, Quark. Goodbye."

He laid his PADD facedown on the counter before he left. Curious, Quark picked it up and flipped it over. He gasped when he saw what Odo had written on it: "How about lunch at the replimat tomorrow at 12:00 hours?"

Beyond flustered, Quark stumbled out from behind the bar counter and ran out of the bar after Odo, waving the PADD in the air frantically. "O-Odo! Get back here!" he cried, almost tripping over his own feet as he ran down the promenade. "You can't just do this to me and then leave! Do you want to date me or not?! Explain yourself!"

Odo suddenly stopped and turned around as Quark caught up to him, causing Quark to crash into him. Chuckling, Odo turned his body into a liquid material and enveloped Quark in it; Quark ended up with a mouthful of goo, which was none too pleasant and yet exceedingly pleasant at the same time. It was still very weird and uncomfortable, though, and hearing Odo laugh mockingly from around Quark was just plain disturbing.

Simultaneously aroused and indignant, Quark yanked himself out of Odo and pushed the Changeling away. "Why can't you ever just do things like a normal person?"

"Well, as all you solids seem to take so much pleasure in reminding me, I'm not normal," Odo said with a smirk.

Too flustered to think of anything even remotely clever or smooth to say, Quark muttered, "I hate you." Then he turned around and ran away, blushing furiously. He didn't realize he was still clutching the PADD until he was back in his bar behind the counter and busy mixing up another drink.