Exactly one week after Quark and Odo had their first "date" (Quark still wasn't sure if that was an appropriate term for whatever they were doing), Odo had to go on an important away mission. Quark drilled him for details over lunch at the replimat, but Odo told him that the mission was classified. From Odo's worried expression and overall subdued nature during the meal, though, Quark could surmise that it was going to be a dangerous one. Later that day, as Odo prepared to board the Defiant along with the rest of its crew, Quark ran up to him and then awkwardly came to a halt when Odo kept walking, brushing past Quark without sparing a glance.
Upset by Odo ignoring him, Quark fell into stride behind the constable and tried to keep up with his businesslike pace. "Come on, Odo, you can't leave without saying goodbye," Quark complained. "What if I never see you again?"
Sighing, Odo turned around to look at Quark. "I don't have time for this right now, Quark," he grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. "The Alpha Quadrant is in danger."
"But why can't you... why can't I..." Getting increasingly worked up, Quark jabbed a finger over at Nog, who was sharing a goodbye kiss with Jake before boarding the Defiant. "Why can't we be more like that?"
Odo looked startled at the suggestion. "W-well, I just don't think it would be very appropriate..." he mumbled, little ripples of agitation appearing on his body.
"Inappropriate? Screw that!" Quark snapped. "We're dating, Odo, in case you've forgotten!"
"Are we, Quark?" Odo challenged. "Are we really?"
"Well, we go out on dates, don't we?"
"I don't have to stand around and listen to your blabbering," Odo harrumphed. "As much as I'm sure you'd love to be rid of me, you are going to be seeing me again— I'll make sure of that."
With that, he turned his back on Quark and marched off to the Defiant. For the rest of the day, Quark was simultaneously fuming and terrified. He hated Odo sometimes, but the reason he hated him was because that stubborn Changeling was blind to how much Quark loved him. Honestly, it felt like they'd had a more intimate relationship before they'd started going out. Now everything just felt awkward... formal... forced.
As he furiously scrubbed at a stain on the countertop, which he'd been scrubbing at for the past ten minutes to no avail, Quark vented his frustrations about Odo to Morn, who was as good a listener as always. "I swear to the Exchequer, Morn, that man is going to be the death of me," Quark griped. "Why did he even agree to go out with me in the first place if he's just going to be like this?"
Odo cared about Quark; Quark knew that, although he also knew the Changeling was just as in denial about his feelings as Quark had been for years. But they were dating now! Sure, lunch at the replimat every day for a week wasn't very exciting, but if Garak and Bashir could make it work, why couldn't Quark and Odo do the same?
"I tell you, Morn, it's like we're not even dating at all," Quark went on. The stain on the countertop still refused to be scrubbed off. "Not once— not ONCE has he called me his boyfriend, or his significant other, or anything! He's never kissed me, or given me oo-mox, or... or even held my hand! He's never even..." Quark's voice faltered, and he tried without success to blink back tears as they welled up in his eyes. "He's never even told me he loves me!"
Morn gave him a sympathetic pat on the back, but by then Quark was inconsolable. He hunched over the countertop, a shuddering, blubbering mess, squeezing the rag in his hand and causing water to drip all over the counter. The water from the rag mixed with Quark's tears, which in turn were stained dark purple from his eyeshadow. At the sight of the wet countertop, Quark broke into another bout of sobs thinking about how hard it would be to clean it off.
A few days later, the Defiant returned to the station. It had clearly taken some pretty heavy damage, and all of the crew looked significantly worse for wear. Quark hovered anxiously in the docking bay as the crew disembarked, stopping to give Nog a hug and wincing at the cut on his nephew's browridge. He really didn't approve of that boy's career path, but not for the reasons he let on. Starfleet was such a dangerous profession, and Quark had been enough of a nervous wreck without having a kind-of, sort-of boyfriend to worry about on top of his nephew.
The crew of the Defiant took their time disembarking, mainly because most of them had sustained some injuries in their mission. However, Quark was relieved to see that at least everyone was alive. Finally, once almost everybody else was off the ship and on their way to the medbay, the person Quark had been waiting for made an appearance.
Quark wasted no time in running up to Odo and throwing his arms around him. Odo didn't seem to know how to react at first, and he pulled away and held Quark at arm's length for a moment. However, Quark could be just as stubborn as Odo could, and he was determined to get what he wanted. And what he wanted, if for no other reason than that he very well could have missed his chance forever, was a kiss.
Odo's mouth was really nothing beyond a slit on his face that he talked out of; he didn't have lips to speak of. This made kissing him less fun than kissing someone who wasn't a Changeling, but Quark was more than willing to make do with what he had. He clutched at the back of Odo's head as he moved his lips viciously against the constable's mouth, which was halfway open in shock. Odo didn't start kissing back until Quark gave him a little kick in the shin, and when he did it was clumsy and not sexy in the slightest. Whatever. It was still pretty romantic in Quark's opinion, considering the circumstances. Just the fact that he and Odo were finally kissing was enough to make it amazing.
It did make their next replimat date a bit more awkward than usual, but, well… wasn't it worth it just to say they'd finally done something other than sit across a table from each other and talk?
