Chapter Text
It was a beautiful day on Terok Nor. You just couldn't see blue skies like on Earth, as space stations don't have an atmosphere, and instead of birds chirping the only avian creature you could find was the chief of security in his favorite non-humanoid form, a tarkelean hawk. He spread his wings as he glided down the promenade, sharp blue eyes scouting out possible disturbances. Something out of the ordinary, like a Cardassian towered over an especially small Ferengi boy.
Odo carefully avoided colliding with any bajoran prisoners along the way. He landed silently and perched on one of the guard rails, shifting into amber slime, and then into the approximately human form of himself. "Gentlemen. What seems to be the problem?"
The cardassian spoke angrily. "This little gargoyle was antagonizing me!" He spat. "He was sitting over there by himself, up on that deck with the rails, and he was laughing."
"Laughter is hardly a crime, to my knowledge." Odo glanced down at the child to make sure he wasn't injured. Thankfully he was unharmed, but Odo did recognize him. It was hard not to notice, as one of few Ferengi on the station, but this particular boy had a familial resemblance to one of Odo's personal acquaintances. Quark, the boy's uncle, the bartender. Odo could recall seeing him in the bar on occassion, helping wipe down counter tops and sweeping the floors. He pondered the legality of having an eleven year old work, but considering they were family and the fact that the Cardassians ran ore processing centers with far worse conditions, he decided it wasn't really a problem.
"Perhaps not. But he threw these at me." The Cardassian held up a small object pinched tightly between his fingers. It was brown, in two sections. Ah, Odo thought, it took him a second, they were replicated peanuts.
The boy, Nog, that was his name, remained silent and cowered before the large reptilian man. He stared up at Odo helplessly, probably just hoping he would let him off with a warning to stay out of any more trouble.
Odo kept his hollow eyes on the stranger. "Leave the boy alone. I'll make sure he doesn't bother you again." He harrumphed as the cardassian shot him a quick glare on his departure. Nog hissed at him after he left.
Odo knelt down in front of Nog. He was grumpy, irritable, and scary for sure, but he was surprisingly kind to children. His coarse voice softened, too.
"Why aren't you with your father?"
"Uncle Quark says it's not safe in there," He lied. It's dangerous everywhere on the station, Quark was never too concerned with safety, and Nog evidently just wanted to chuck peanuts at unsuspecting bystanders.
"You shouldn't be wandering around by yourself out here. I'll escort you back to your family." He harrumphed, getting back to his feet. "And don't...Throw things at people."
Nog followed closely behind him. "Please don't tell uncle I got caught again! He's gonna be so mad--"
"No one's going to be angry with you."
"But I thought you were chief of security! Uncle has a word for people like you."
Odo chuckled and glanced over his shoulder at the boy as they continued down the corridors. "Oh, does he now?"
"Well... Not really, he says there's a word, but he doesn't say it because he doesn't want me to swear."
"I see."
"But he just calls you Odo! Because he likes you." Nog grinned up at him with his fangs that were too big for his head.
"I doubt that."
"You're his friend, or you'd put him in jail too, Mr. Odo."
Mister?
Odo laughed lowly again. If he was speaking to anyone else he would have said, "No, I don't like him at all," but Nog was a child, and no child needs to hear bad things about his family. So instead, he told him,
"You should let him know that."
You know, as a threat. To keep him out of illegal activities.
He wondered if Nog knew what happened to people who went to jail on Terok Nor, that their sentence is decided before they even face a trial. That if Odo didn't secretly try to keep Quark out of harm's way, against direct orders, he might add, then Nog's uncle would have already been executed on Cardassia for his crimes without a second thought. Odo deeply hoped that no one ever realized that.
"He knows, don't worry, Mr. Odo."
"Hmm."
The doors to Quark's opened with a hiss when they stepped inside. The Ferengi behind the bar diverted his attention to the arrival of the security officer. Not just any security officer, but the chief, and not just any chief, he was Odo.
Nog quickly ran to his father Rom, who was stocking the shelves a short distance from his uncle.
Odo sat on his usual stool, leaned over the counter merely for intimidation purposes, and stared coldly at Quark.
Quark gave Odo a sneer of hospitality, as always. He mirrored him and also positioned himself over the edge of the bar, as if to say you don't scare me.
"Can I get you something, Constable?"
Odo never understood why that nickname caught on in the first place.
"Why are you letting a child run freely on the promenade, completely unsupervised?"
"He's not my son so he's not my responsibility. What are you asking me for?"
"That isn't good enough, Quark."
"Tell it to Rom. Rom!" Quark shouted across the room, but his brother was preoccupied now, clearing dirty dishes off the dining tables.
"One of these days he's going to get himself into more trouble than he can squeeze his way out of." Odo scoffed.
"I can't leave the bar, I've got a business to run. And his father's working right now."
"Couldn't his mother watch after him?"
"Shh!" Quark shushed him with a single finger to the changeling's not-lips. Odo grunted in protest.
"She left Rom heartbroken and worthless. As far as I'm concerned, Nog has no mother."
"Then have him stay here with you, but he can't go running around alone out there. He picked a fight with a 200-pound cardassian before I interfered."
"He shouldn't have to stay cooped up in here every day, the poor kid gets restless when he's bored. What he needs is a babysitter."
Odo sighed. "...I may be able to help."