Work Text:
Odo smiled as he arranged the Toubian fire roses in their vase. The embers nestled deep within their petals glowed as they shifted. Open flames weren't allowed on the station except for religious purposes, but as Head of Security Odo had taken it on himself to decide that the fire roses didn't quite meet the criteria needed to be banned. They weren't dangerous so long as they were cared for properly, and banning them would have caused endless paperwork on other types of botanicals.
And, of course, they were the very favorite flowers of his special guest and she always did have a way of convincing him to bend the rules just a little bit.
As if by merely thinking of her he had summoned her to his quarters, the doorbell chimed. Odo called out permission for her to enter and then Lwaxana appeared in all her glory, filling first the doorway and then the room with her presence. Odo, trained to notice every detail in an instance, took in all of the changes since her last visit. Her hair was magenta now; her perfume had switched from floral to spice. He had never seen the strangely sparkling stones at her ears and throat before or the pattern of lace in the elaborate train of her skirt. And that was all he had time to absorb before Lwaxana was in his arms, pressing her lips against his cheek with great enthusiasm and talking a mile a minute.
"I am so delighted to see you, Mr. Odo! My goodness but the unboarding procedures take forever in Bajoran space! I said to the officers, 'don't you know who I am? For Heaven's sake! I'm the Daughter of the Fifth House, Holder of the Sacred Chalice of Rixx-'"
"Heir to the Holy Rings of Betazed." Odo was unable to keep himself from finishing her title for her. Fortunately, Lwaxana laughed.
"And Ambassador of Betazed besides", she agreed. "So I really don't think it's asking too much that I be processed before the group of dusty Andorian prospectors with who knows what germs crawling all over them. Nonetheless, I'm here now." She gasped with pleasure, taking in the scene in front of her for the first time; unlike Odo, Lwaxana was prone to hyper-focus on only what she wanted to see and therefore it had taken her a while to notice anything besides her friend. "Why, you dear sweet man! What is all this?"
"Sit", Odo commanded, nervously forgetting to soften it with a 'please'. Luckily, Lwaxana was difficult to offend and it was almost impossible to upset her when she was presented with a table laden with several of her favorite things. He settled her into one of the overstuffed comfortable armchairs he had procured in anticipation of her visit. She sighed rapturously at the fire roses, stroking the petals and smiling as they hissed at her touch. Clapping her hands in delight, she insisted on pouring them both a glass of Bajoran spring wine despite Odo's protestations that he didn't drink. Ultimately, it was easier to cooperate and she was right in her guess that the crystal flutes he had chosen did produce a hauntingly beautiful note when clinked together in celebration. She made a great show over choosing only one perfect piece of candied Ghadoplite fruit to eat and although Odo noticed that the bowl seemed far emptier once he returned to the room after retrieving her main gift, he sensed it would be better to say nothing about it. Instead, he quietly placed the delicate wooden box in front of her.
"For me?" Lwaxana didn't bother to hide her delight. "You shouldn't have!"
Odo approximated a shrug as well as he possibly could without a spine. "It's just something small." He knew, beyond any doubt, that Lwaxana would have arranged for something very elaborate and unnecessary to arrive for him later in the evening so it was better to have some spacing between those gifts.
"Oh!" Lwaxana sighed with pleasure as she drew the shiny gold ear cuff from its velvet nest. "How beautiful!"
"They're Korban pearls." Odo couldn't help reaching over to point out the elongated baubles set into the glittering chain. They were less showy than the jewels she usually wore but Odo had followed his instincts and was pleased with the results; she seemed genuinely thrilled with the stones. "You can only find them in the ocean surrounding the Bajoran province of Korba and they're the only Bajoran pearls with that pinkish cast to them. They're a traditional gift to give-"
"On a third anniversary." Lwaxana finished his sentence for him. "I'm the Betazoid ambassador, Odo, remember? It's part of my job to learn the cultural customs of any new worlds that are likely to apply for-". This time, she cut herself off with a laugh. "Okay, I looked it up. I couldn't help hoping you would think of it."
"Of course I did!" Odo hastened to reassure her. "It's been three years almost to the day that-"
"You rescued me. And rescued Falcor." Lwaxana reached for her bag. "And he's such a beautiful little boy. I brought you some holos." She pulled a handful of small round disks out of her bag and Odo estimated there must have been several million pictures stored on those. "But we got it annulled, my dear. This isn't our anniversary anymore."
"I disagree", Odo informed her. "If someone on this station commits a crime – say, smuggling in Dorbingian flame lizard eggs – and for whatever incomprehensible reason Captain Sisko chooses to pardon them, well, the bulkhead in Loading Bay C is still no less melted."
Lwaxana arched an eyebrow at him. "Quark?"
"Of course. But my point is, the administrative decision makes no difference. Those lizards still damaged the wall. And our marriage..."
"Damaged you?" She wrinkled her nose.
Odo shook his head. "Changed me."
Lwaxana rose to her feet. For a moment, he wondered if he had offended her. Despite all the time he had spent among humanoids, he was still far from an expert at predicting their reactions. In this case though, he needn't have worried; Lwaxana was merely moving closer to him. She knelt to the floor beside his seat and hugged him with a fierce strength that should not have surprised him coming from her, but still did. Momentarily startled, he hastened to return the embrace. He had a sense that it was more awkward than hugs usually were, but it seemed to suffice.
She fumbled with the ear cuff; she needed one hand to hold her elaborate hairdo out of the way. "Give me a hand?"
He helped her fasten the jeweled cuff into place. "There. Beautiful."
She laughed and returned to her seat. "I never thought I'd be pleased to be compared to a Dorbingian flame lizard. But thank you, my dear. I love it."
She beamed at him over the rim of her wine goblet and he arranged his face into a smile in return. It didn't come as naturally to him as it did to humanoids, but in that particular moment, it just felt right. He raised his own glass for another toast and let that singularly perfect note fill the room once more.