Chapter Text
He "needed some things taken in." That's what Quark said when quoting the tailor in an annoyed tone. This stuck in Rom's mind long after the rest of his brother's hissy over Dr. Reyga was forgotten. It meant, obviously, that he'd been losing weight. That was a bit worrying; the clothes he'd seen the man wearing hadn't been terribly loose, which meant he'd been too thin to begin with. It couldn't possibly be intentional. So... how had he lost weight? Had he been eating?
He was wondering about it, when he spotted the person who'd invited him to the station in the first place. He slipped over to her the first chance he got.
"Hello Lieutenant," he said.
"Rom," she said kindly, "I know we don't speak much outside of Tongo games, but you can call me Jadzia."
"Oh... okay. Hello, Jadzia."
"Hello," she laughed. "What is it? Looks like there's something on your mind."
"There is. I haven't seen Dr. Reyga around much."
"Nobody has, he's been holed up in the research lab practically since he got here."
"He spends a lot of time in there, then?"
"Are you kidding? I had to pry him out the door to grab a raktajino with me this morning."
"Oh," he said with a little nod. "I was just curious."
"Rom!" came his brother's voice at an unneccessary volume. "Get back to work!"
"Yes, brother," he said over his shoulder, then turned back to the Lieutenant. "Well... enjoy the rest of your evening, L-... Jadzia."
"I always do," she said with a smile. "See you at the next game!"
"See you," he echoed as he slipped away to his next table.
When his shift was finally over, Rom took a detour on his way back to his quarters. The research lab was well out of his way, but he decided he was going to stroll past anyway. Just to check. Sure enough, as he slowed by the door, he heard light footsteps, instruments beeping softly, and a familiar voice humming thoughtfully. He was still in there, all right. Very likely hadn't left since Jadzia dragged him out for that raktajino- which would've been well over half a day ago by now. There were no food replicators in the research lab.
Rom pursed his lips. If Moogie were here, she'd have sat him down in front of a bowl of tube grubs the moment she saw him. He knew what he had to do. He continued on down the hall, quietly.
A little later, he stood outside the door again, this time carrying a large covered dish. He laid a hand on the access panel to request entry. When the door beeped, there was an abrupt stillness from inside the lab.
"... Come in."
The door opened in front of him, revealing a wide-eyed Reyga standing in profile at a computer. He stepped over the threshold, and the doctor's look of surprise only deepened with recognition.
"Oh," he said, "You're Quark's brother. ... It's Rom, isn't it?"
"That's right. I hope I'm not bothering you...?"
"No, no, not at all! I haven't had any company since Jadzia left." He looked at the dish in Rom's arms. "What's all this?"
"Well, I saw Jadzia at the bar, and she mentioned you hadn't been out of the lab much, so-o-o... I thought maybe you'd be hungry," he said, lifting the lid. He heard the soft click of Reyga's tongue against the roof of his mouth as his jaw fell slightly open. "I brought you some tube grubs. Just like Moogie used to make!"
It looked like he was going to speak for a second, but his stomach spoke first. It growled so loudly that Rom could almost feel it. Reyga's lobes went a bit red.
"And not a moment too soon," he continued.
"I... I haven't even seen fresh tube grubs in... it must be years now."
"Years? No wonder you're so thin."
Reyga gave a little guilty laugh.
"Well, to tell you the truth, it's been almost that long since I've spoken to another Ferengi. At least, until I got here."
Rom tilted his head, eyeing him thoughtfully.
"I've heard a lot of people wondering why you accepted Dax's invitation to come and conduct your research here... Was it because of us? Because there's a small Ferengi community here around my brother's bar?"
"There were many reasons I said yes. The opportunity to observe the wormhole not least of all, but..." he nodded slowly, "I'd be lying if I said that didn't factor into the decision. I may not be a model Ferengi, and I know very well I have little, if anything, to offer in our society- but it's still... agreeable... to have the opportunity to be around my own kind again. Especially if it doesn't involve going back to Ferenginar."
They looked at each other in silence for a moment.
"You should eat," Rom said finally, "or there'll be none of you left to be around us."
He handed over the dish, which Reyga accepted gratefully. There was a smile on his face, but it faltered for just a moment when he spoke again. He sounded a little choked up.
"Rom, I-... Listen, this is very kind of you-"
"It's no trouble," he said, patting Reyga's shoulder. "I'll just be glad to know you've eaten something today."
He chuckled softly.
"Thank you."
"You're welcome."
"You know, if you'd like to stay awhile-..."
"Oh! I'd like to, but I'm afraid if I don't get home, my son will get that Sisko boy in trouble for staying out late again. Tomorrow's a school day."
He'd managed to surprise Reyga yet again. At the mention of the world 'school,' he had visibly reacted.
"There's school tomorrow... for your son? He attends?"
"Y-y-yes...?"
"You... you encourage your son to study?!"
Rom shrugged.
"Sure. One of the Starfleet females set up a school for the station's children, and I decided I'd allow him to go. Quark still complains about it, but... Quark's not the boss of me. Well, he is the boss of me, but- you know what I mean. Nog's my son, not his. And he seems to enjoy it, so why not?"
Reyga was completely flabbergasted. He gaped for a moment, then gave Rom an odd look.
"Your son's very lucky."
"I do my best," he said modestly.
"I'm sure you do. ... Oh, well, I won't keep you any longer. You get home to your family. Goodnight, Rom."
"Goodnight Reyga," he said with a nod. He was almost out the door when he paused. "Why don't you come to dinner sometime? I've got an evening off coming up."
He watched a brilliant smile spread across Reyga's face.
"I'd enjoy that very much."
"How's the day after tomorrow?"
"Splendid! I look forward to meeting that boy of yours."
"Good! See you then."
Behind the closed door, Reyga sat and stared incredulously at the dish in his lap for a long moment before eating. When he finally did, he went so limp he nearly slid out of the chair. Was it hunger, or nostalgia, or simply that Rom was a good cook? Whatever it was, dinner with him and his son was sounding better with every bite. He still had a few jars of minced tube grubs... and he decided right then he was throwing them out. He was ruined for them now that he'd tasted fresh ones again. What was it Rom said? 'Just like moogie used to make'?
"Maybe I should give her a call," he thought aloud, taking another mouthful.