Chapter Text
"As much as I want to, means as much as I want to." Odo told Mora on their way from Quark's.
"I'm hearing a lot of 'you' here." Mora said, picking up on what he had just said.
Odo stared. "I don't understand."
"Precisely! And how could you if all you ever focus is yourself. Come on." Mora took his arm and turned them around.
"Where are we going ?"
"Back to your friend. You are going to apologize."
Odo threw off his arm immediately.
"I will do no such thing !"
Mora gave him a look that was so calm, Odo might as well not have protested.
"See it as a lesson in social integration. If it's only ever 'you' and not 'we', however should you keep your friends? No, you will apologize to your little Ferengi friend right now, so he will know that you weren't mad at him, but only at yourself."
"I wasn't and I won't."
"Why- why don't we go there, have a nice stroll, you can tell me about your daily life and we see what happens when we get there ?"
Odo knew what would happen, he wasn't going to apologize. He let himself be turned around anyway.
"That was quick." Quark told them with a grin, when they walked toward the bar.
"I'm sorry, I haven't asked your name before." Mora said
"It's Quark."
"Oh, yes, that quite makes sense given the name of this establishment." Mora told him with a dazzling smile. "So, Quark, Odo came back to apologize for acting so rudely before." Mora looked at Odo still with his big smile, one hand on his back pushing him slightly forward. "Weren't you, Odo ?"
Odo mumbled something affirmative, not looking either one in the eye.
"Great! Now take each other's ear-"
"His what?!" Odo said in shock.
"Your ear, it's gonna be a talk from pagh to pagh."
"No way !"
"Fine, then just take each other's hands-"
"His hands ??"
"Odo, now you're just being difficult. Here-" Mora took Quark's hands and put them against Odo's.
Quark looked up at him, careful, as if expecting to be arrested for this any minute. Good.
"Don't just have your hands next to each other!" With that Mora took Odo's hand and manouvered it until it had taken hold of Quark's fingers. Mora's smile was a lot less dazzling by now.
"It's a- it's a start." He sighed. "So, now I want you, Odo, to look into Quark's eyes and tell him that you are sorry."
"No." Odo said flatly.
"Excuse me?"
"First off, why should I look into Quark's eyes? It makes no difference, he can hear me just fine when- if I said it from the other side of the bar."
"That's not the point!" Mora said, sounding frustrated for the first time.
Meanwhile, Quark's eyes were darting back and forth between them. The Ferengi looked almost afraid to breathe. A nice change. Except for the fact that they were holding hands during it.
Mora heaved a sigh.
"Odo, just do it, okay ? Believe me, everything has its reasons."
"How should this vage statement help me understand ?"
"Odo, please."
"Fine." Odo groaned back. Odo redirected his eyes to look into Quark's.
"It wasn't like that." He told him, then turned to Mora. "Can I go now ? I have a lot of work to-"
"Of course not ! Odo ! What kind of apology was that supposed to be ?"
"It was a little threatening.." Quark offered, then shrugged his shoulders apologetic.
Mora's hand ran over his nose ridge in a calming manner.
"Odo, just look into his eyes and say the sentence 'I am sorry, Quark.'".
Odo looked back at Quark, sighed and said: "You heard him."
"..still sounds like a threat." Quark admitted in a small voice.
"Odo !" Mora said with a more agitated voice.
"Doctor !" Odo bellowed back. Quark whinced and Odo realized he was crushing his hands. He quickly reduced the pressure.
"Odo, please, if you would just..." Mora pleaded.
"Alright ! If that will end this whole ridiculous thing!"
Odo stared into Quark's eyes as if he had just ridden a hoverboard on the Promenade.
"I'm...sorry."
"'Quark'". Mora supplied. Odo groaned again, before saying: "I'm sorry, Quark."
"Uh, thanks." Quark said. "For what ?"
Odo stared at him. Then at Mora. Who was looking very excited.
"That's good, very good ! Now tell him for what it is you're apologizing!"
"I don't know because I don't actually am." Odo told Mora matter of factly. Mora's smile, however, didn't fade. He raised a finger and it brought a memory of the recent conversation with Quark Odo would rather like to forget.
"Oh, no, but you do. Quark," Mora said, turning to him, "you said some very nice things about Odo and he reacted very negatively. How did this make you feel ?"
Quark widened his eyes. "How did this make me feel ?" He looked briefly at Odo, then down on the counter. "Well,.."
"I'm sorry for reacting 'negatively'." Odo said quickly, making the Bajoran and Ferengi look at him in surprise. "I don't want to know how you felt, so here's your apology, you don't need to say anything else." Odo continued.
Mora was the first to speak.
"Odo, that was...! Both thoughtful and selfish, I don't really know what to say."
"I would like to say something." Quark spoke up. He sought Odo's eyes. "Odo, I really meant what I said about you doing a good job. Despite what you probably thought I was trying to accomplish with that. I think you are good at maintaining security, which is, and I know how that sounds, crucial to conduct business. What good is it to have your pockets full of Latinum from a deal you overlooked- I mean, from a deal, when your pockets end up empty just as quickly after being robbed in the middle of the Promenade? So, thanks for that. For doing a good job. Everyday."
Odo was still staring into Quark's eyes, not believing what was happening in front of him. He heard Mora sigh happily next to him.
"Now wasn't that nice ? What nice friends you have, Odo ! Even if-" Mora went for a good natured reprimand, "-that wasn't the task, and most importantly, Odo was supposed to do the main talking. Isn't that right, Odo ?"
"Then I apologize for taking Odo's speaking time." Quark said resolutely.
"What do you think you are doing ?" Odo asked him. He was instantly scolded by Mora.
"Odo, there you go again! Be nice to your friend!"
Odo sighed. Rolled his eyes, while telling Quark:
"Sorry for that sentence right now." Since he could hear Mora mouthing it, he added 'Quark'.
"It's.. alright." Quark said, looking surprised to receive those words from him. He even smiled a little. It looked unsure. Odo liked this better than his leer.
"I .." Odo went on, following a whim. "..also didn't mean to crush your hands earlier."
"I'm fine, I've had clients drop heavier stuff on them."
"No need to downplay it, Quark." Mora told him. "Odo is genuinely apologizing, you can tell him how you felt about it."
"No, he doesn't." Odo replied sharply, not looking at Mora, eyes still locked on Quark just like their hands.
"Odo! You can't decide for other people ! Don't you see, you're reverting to your 'you' mindset again."
"I felt a bit scared for a moment." Quark answered in between them. Odo's eyes widened, while he went on hastily. "Just for a short moment. I might have wondered how to count my strips with broken fingers, but that was just a really short thought, we got doctors after all, heh."
Odo lowered his head. "I'm sorry." He told him very quietly.
Quark wanting to wave his fingers to dismiss the gloomy atmosphere ended in their joined hands waving from side to side over the counter. "It was really only a short moment!"
Odo looked up again, meeting his eyes. Quark showed him another small, non-leer smile.
"Now wasn't this nice ?" Mora's cheerful voice boomed, hands coming down on both their shoulders. "Didn't this make you feel good and more connected?" Before either of them could answer, he went on:
"Now, Quark, tell Odo how you felt about him not reacting positively when you were saying such positive things about him to me."
"He doesn't have to." Odo growled. Mora shook his head, disapproving.
"Odo, there you go again. You need to know how you make others around you feel. This is how you start feeling connected to them."
Odo ignored him and instead leaned forward towards Quark, looking into his eyes, while pulling his hands closer.
"Quark, I'm sorry for reacting the way I did earlier. I....I actually-" He struggled to go on.
"-I accept your apology." Quark said promptly. As if wanting to spare him having to go on. Quark pulled slightly on Odo's hands in return and showed another one of those soft smiles. Odo felt... grateful.
"But you can't accept yet!" Mora cut in between. "Odo hasn't finished his apology!"
Quark's smile turned into a grin towards Odo, yet somehow Odo found he minded it less. Not breaking eye contact with Odo, Quark told Mora: "Oh, he has."
Mora looked between them in confusion, then heaved another sigh.
"Is there anything else you want to say to Odo, Quark ?"
"Would you like to have dinner with me ? I mean,.. both of you,..of course."
While Odo was not done staring, Mora gladly accepted.