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Brunt’s heart was pounding as he walked through the corridors, keeping his ears and eyes open to any potential threats. Peeking his head around the corner of a wall, he saw a guard standing outside of the entrance to the brig. Thankful that he would only have to kill one person, Brunt aimed his phaser and fired. He quickly made his way into the brig and looked around for any other guards that he would have to deal with. Having realized that no one else was in there, he looked over to the prison cell and hoped that Ezri was safe. But what he saw nearly brought him to his knees- the familiar faces of two Ferengi that had both died long ago.
Quark.
“Brother, look out! It’s Brunt,” Rom’s voice echoed in his head.
“I don’t think it’s our Brunt.”
Brunt stared, he never thought he would be able to hear Quark’s voice again. For a moment, he felt all of his worries, all of his problems slip away as he drowned in the warmth of that wonderful sound. Brunt got lost in those feelings as he thought back to the first words that voice had ever spoken to him.
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“Nice to see another Ferengi around here. What can I get you? Whatever you want, it’s on the house,” the bartender smirked.
Brunt immediately noticed the way his nose wrinkled when he smiled and couldn’t help but be a little affected by it. So, he grinned back, “How generous of you. I’ll take a glass of Yridian brandy, and your name?”
“Quark,” he put his wrists together in the formal Ferengi greeting.
Brunt mimicked the movement in return, “Nice to meet you. I’m Brunt.”
Quark smiled at him, “One Yridian brandy for Brunt coming right up.”
Brunt’s eyes followed Quark as he moved across the bar and began to make the drink. He noticed a warmth fill his body- a sensation that he hadn’t felt for a long time. He didn’t understand it but something about Quark made him feel so different- not so empty.
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Suddenly, Brunt was brought back to reality. He remembered where he was and what he had to do. He moved over to the cell and tried to unlock the keypad for the force field.
“What took you so long?” Nothing he did was ever good enough for Ezri.
His mind was still far away, stuck in the memories that had been dredged up at the sight of this other Quark. Still, he answered, trying to sound as if he was perfectly fine.
Brunt thought he didn’t do a particularly good job as his hollow voice croaked, “Sorry, been a little busy.”
He was having a hard time figuring out the passcode and could tell that Ezri was growing impatient, “Are you going to get us out of here?”
“I’m working on it,” he gave up trying to unlock the keypad and decided it would be easier to shoot it with his phaser.
The force field lowered and Ezri stepped out, immediately taking a weapon from Brunt.
He turned to Quark and Rom, still in shock over their presence, “You two must be hungry.” He looked into Quark’s eyes, “I’ve got food and drink on the ship.”
He noticed Quark eye him warily, searching his face, looking him up and down cautiously. He realized that the Brunt this Quark knew must have been a lot different than him.
His Quark trusted him, loved him. This one didn’t.
Brunt walked into the cockpit of his ship and heard Rom arguing with himself over the logistics of alternate universes.
He offered Quark a bowl of tube grubs. Quark put his hands up and shook his head, “Oh, no.”
Brunt wished this Quark would stop being so untrustworthy towards him. The entire time they’d been in the same room together, Quark had blatantly shown his suspicion of Brunt.
Nevertheless, he set the bowl on a table next to the chair Quark was sitting in, “In case you get hungry.”
Brunt knew he must have been starving by now. This one was stubborn, just like his Quark. Brunt looked into his eyes and could have sworn he saw a hint of appreciation in them- an indicator that Quark was becoming less cautious. But maybe he was just seeing what he wanted to see. He gave a small smile to Quark who returned it with a smirk of his own. Brunt’s breath got caught in the back of his throat as he took in the familiar sight. He knew that if he didn’t look away, his emotions would begin to overwhelm him.
So, he turned to Ezri, “I put a cup of hot tea by your bunk. You should get some rest.”
Ezri nodded, “It has been a long day.”
“You’re telling me,” Rom yawned and got up to leave, with Ezri following him.
Brunt sat down in the chair across from Quark. There were so many things he wanted to say but he couldn’t. It wouldn’t matter. This wasn’t Quark, not really. This person was just a stranger.
They sat in silence for a few minutes and Brunt became trapped in his memories again.
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Brunt walked into the bar and looked around for Quark but wasn’t able to spot him anywhere. He went up to Rom who was working behind the counter.
“Where’s Quark?”
Rom froze and looked down, “I- I tried getting a message out to you.”
Brunt felt his stomach drop, he didn’t like the somber tone of Rom’s voice, “What message?”
Rom anxiously wrung the towel that he was holding in his hands and didn’t respond.
Brunt grabbed him by the lapels, “Tell me where he is, Rom!” His voice was high and desperate. He already knew what had happened, just from the way Rom was acting.
“The intendant discovered what he was doing.”
Brunt let Rom out of his grasp and leaned over the bar as he put his head in his hands. He felt tears fall from his eyes and watched them gather in a puddle on the countertop.
“They told me it was quick... He didn’t feel any pain.”
Brunt continued to cry and he heard Rom’s footsteps fade away from him.
Once again, he was hollow.
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“Ezri said that you and me from this universe were close.”
Quark’s voice ripped Brunt from the awful memory. He was grateful for the distraction, but he had hoped Ezri wouldn’t mention his relationship to this Quark. He didn’t like to think about it or talk about it. Everything was too painful. This situation shoved the dagger in his heart a little deeper.
Brunt didn’t know what to say, so he just nodded.
“I remember, all those years ago, being told that he died. It was a strange feeling, knowing that you- well another you- had just been killed in a different universe.”
Brunt wished he would stop talking about this- anything but this.
However, after a few moments of Brunt not replying, Quark spoke up again, “I’m sorry... for your loss.”
Brunt could feel Quark’s gaze sear through him, right into his bones. He didn’t want to look over to him. He didn’t want to see the living embodiment of a dead man, of his dead lover, staring back at him.
Brunt picked at the dirt under his fingernails, “Thank you.”
“This whole thing- seeing you, except you’re not really you- it's... weird. Must be hard for you.”
Brunt nodded, once again unsure of how to respond. So, he decided to change the subject, “You don’t trust me.”
Quark shrugged, “Sorry, it’s nothing against you. It’s just that the Brunt I know isn’t someone I can trust.”
“Who is he to you?”
“He’s a bastard- a liquidator for the FCA. He says he hates me- he’s even tried to have me killed a few times- but you know what’s really pathetic about him? He’s hopelessly in love with me and tries to hide it.”
Brunt breathed a faint chuckle out of his nose and mumbled, “I guess some things stay the same throughout every universe.”
Quark paused, “I don’t think you should compare yourself to him. He loves me in a selfish way. I have a feeling you’re not like that.”
“It seems like there’s more to your relationship than you’re letting on.”
“Brunt is someone I call when I need a quick fuck. That’s all he is to me. He doesn’t deserve to be anything more.”
Brunt was at a loss for words. This whole time he had been wondering in the back of his head whether this Quark and his Brunt were anything like him and his Quark. And now Quark had confirmed that him and his Brunt were more than just enemies, yet he talked about him with such disdain. Brunt didn’t know how to react, so he didn’t say anything.
“He’s never been honest with me, never really opened up to me. He doesn’t respect me, so why should I respect him?” Quark sighed, “Sorry, you probably don’t want to hear about my issues and I probably shouldn’t be talking about him like that to you anyway. Don’t take it personally.”
Brunt looked over to him, “I don’t. He’s not me.”
Quark held onto Brunt’s gaze and smiled, “That’s for sure.”
Brunt looked away after a few seconds, unable to bear the sight of those once familiar eyes staring back at him. For so long, he wished that he’d be able to see the glimmer in Quark’s eyes again, see his smile one more time. But not like this. This was wrong.
Quark awkwardly coughed, “So, what about me? Am I the complete opposite of your Quark?”
Brunt paused to think about it. This Quark was certainly different- he was more confident, more cunning, more selfish than his Quark. “You’re more... Ferengi.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Not necessarily. It’s just that we’ve learned how to assimilate here. That’s how we survive.”
“That’s too bad.”
Brunt shrugged, “That’s life.”
Quark reached over and placed his hand on Brunt’s arm, “That’s no life for a Ferengi.”
Brunt stared at the hand that was touching him- the warmth felt like it was burning a hole through his jacket, scorching his skin.
After a few seconds, Quark must have realized the tension he caused and removed his hand, “Sorry-”
Brunt grabbed onto Quark’s wrist before it was out of his reach. He turned over the hand and examined it, tracing his fingers over the lines of Quark’s palm.
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Brunt and Quark laid in bed, entangled in each other’s limbs. Brunt could feel a slight tickle on his neck as Quark softly breathed in and out.
“You know I can tell you your future.”
Brunt smirked, “Oh, really?”
Quark sat up and Brunt slightly craned his head to look at his lover’s face.
“Give me your hand.”
Brunt obliged and watched as Quark tenderly touched his palm. After a few moments, he closed his eyes and focused on the feeling of Quark’s fingers as they floated over his skin.
“What do you want to know?”
Brunt contemplated the question, happy to humor the man in front of him, “How long am I going to live?”
Quark brought the hand up to his face to examine it as closely as he could, “At least 220 years.”
“220, huh? How did you figure that out?”
Quark grinned at him, “A master never reveals his secrets. What other wisdom would you like me to impart on you?”
Brunt paused for a while and finally asked, “Will I be happy?”
Quark looked at him with a serious intensity and kissed his knuckles, “You’re always going to be happy.”
“How do you know?”
“Because you’ll have me to cheer you up.”
“Is that a promise?”
Quark stuck his hand out, with the back of it facing towards Brunt, “Promise.”
Brunt touched the back of his hand to Quark’s and they both moved their palms to their hearts, “A deal is a deal, Quark. I’m going to hold you to this.”
Quark laid back down next to Brunt and re-situated himself in his arms. He pressed his nose to Brunt’s, “I don’t know why you worry so much. I’ll always be here for you.”
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Brunt felt a warm wetness sliding down his cheeks as he came back to reality and noticed that he was still clutching onto Quark’s hand. Brunt kept his eyes closed tight, hoping that he would be transported back to the memory he had just experienced. He wanted to feel Quark’s nose nuzzled against his own, just one last time.
Brunt felt a hand wipe away the tears from his cheek and he opened his eyes to find Quark gazing at him with the same serious look his Quark had given him all those years ago. For a moment, he believed that the person sitting next to him was his Quark. For just a split second, everything was okay. And in that sweet, fleeting moment, he felt whole again.
Brunt shook his head and wondered how he could be so foolish. This wasn’t his Quark and he never would be.
Brunt abruptly pulled his hand out from Quark’s grasp, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” Quark’s other hand was still on his face, now cupping his cheek.
He looked into Quark’s eyes and thought he could see a hint of sympathy. Brunt tried to resist those absurd desires that were still circling around his head but he couldn’t. He was so exhausted from the constant emptiness that had been slowly devouring him since Quark’s death. He needed to feel that sense of wholeness again, even for just one more second.
Hesitantly, Brunt reached up to touch his hand to the one Quark was resting on his face. Quark softly smiled and grabbed the other side of Brunt’s face with his free hand, bringing their heads closer together until Brunt felt Quark’s nose touch his own.
Any semblance of composure Brunt had left went away. A steady stream of tears fell down his face and he couldn’t control the sobs that heaved from his body.
“It’s okay to be sad, Brunt. You don’t have to keep your feelings inside. You can be open with me.”
Brunt continued crying and Quark kept their noses together, comforting him. After a while, Brunt calmed down and opened his eyes. Quark slowly let him go and they stared at each other for a few moments.
Brunt tried to compose himself enough to speak, “My Quark once promised that I would never be unhappy because he would always be with me. Thank you for keeping his promise.”
Brunt noticed an affectionate glimmer in Quark’s eyes, “Maybe me and him aren’t so different, after all.”
“Maybe not,” Brunt smiled.