Work Text:
Kira was returning from dinner with Jadzia when Odo approached them near her doorway. He was nervous about something. She could tell because his strides were not as deliberate and confident as usual. He didn't have his deputy by his side. He was alone.
"Hello, Odo!" Jadzia was tipsy and clutched his shoulder, making him scowl.
"You rearranged my office again, Dax!" he accused.
"Prove it!" she smirked, giving herself away.
"You love your pranks. That doesn't mean others have to find your antics humorous."
"Don't be such a sourpuss!"
"Do me a favor. Bother Worf with your pranks instead. He must find them hilarious. That's why the two of you are a pair. Leave me out of them."
"Can we help you, Odo?" Kira asked softly, trying to change the subject and wind him down.
Whenever he looked at her, she felt like all his focus was honed in. His tiny quarrel with Dax was forgotten. It was as though the Trill beside her didn't exist anymore. He straightened his simulated spine and put his arms behind his back.
"I would like to speak to you alone, if you don't mind," he announced.
"Juicy!" Dax exclaimed.
"I have a favor to ask of the Major," Odo said flatly. "Run along, Dax. Maybe you will sober up and stop acting like a child."
"Trying to make me feel shame? Nice try!"
Despite her curiosity, Jadzia Dax turned away. Kira would likely tell her what the request was later. She was aware of how much teasing the Changeling could handle. She loved testing that limit, but she didn't want to make him truly angry. It was all merely good fun.
"Well, what is it, Odo?" Kira gazed at her Changeling.
"I am going to have to undergo a battery of tests again," he sighed with exasperation. "Now that I have gained my former abilities and state, every scientist and doctor within Federation influence wants a piece of me. Literally. I only really trust Julian, but he's convinced me to leave the station for a time. The problem is that it's quite a while to leave a certain someone behind."
It took Kira a matter of seconds to realize who he was getting at. More like what. She was the only person on the station that knew about his pet.
"I will make certain they are taken care of," she nodded and smiled.
She copied his gesture, straightening her spine and putting her hands behind her back. But she wasn't in uniform like usual. Since she had gone out with Dax, she had put on a cocktail dress, treating Odo to the rare sight of her looking glamourous. But Odo had mastered keeping his expression neutral and hiding his most inner thoughts. His eyes lingered and she supposed he was gauging whether she knew exactly what she was agreeing to. She was clever enough. He seemed satisfied.
"Thank you, Major."
"Ah, one moment," she called him when he tried to step away. "What does it eat?"
"Oh," he stopped midstride. "The replicator is set up to know. I'm afraid the little fellow hasn't had much of an appetite, so I doubt he'll eat much anyhow. He simply hates being left alone for too long."
"I understand. Try to enjoy your time off station. You don't leave it very often."
"Luckily this appointment is only for an evening so I'll be gone about twelve hours. You need only check on my quarters the last few."
"Will do, Constable," she saluted.
He was going to thank her but remembered he already had. No need to be redundant.
When the time came, Kira Nerys entered Odo's rooms. Being trapped as human had been quite a change for her Changeling friend. Regaining his shape shifting abilities meant his odd jungle gym was back. But now he had a replicator, a bed, and other things humans required. All she had to do to find Odo's pet was follow the sounds of purring.
The Tribble that Odo had brought through time awaited her, snuggled within Odo's pillowcase. He was a sandy colored ball of fluff. His master sterilized the creature after he realized his blunder the hard way. It wasn't common knowledge to most citizens of the Federation that Tibbles reproduced rapidly and through asexual reproduction. Kira had never heard of them before and how was Odo supposed to know when he didn't even come originally from the Alpha Quadrant?
It didn't matter now. This Tribble in particular was now rendered harmless. He had responded well to Odo and vice versa. Kira had caught Odo with the creature and agreed not to tattle on him. She found the whole thing cute and amusing. Imagine, Constable Odo breaking his own rules about having any sort of pet on board the space station. Technically not even fish were allowed!
Kira buried her face in the Tribble's fur and gave him plenty of kisses. It responded with ferocious purring and cooing.
"You must miss Odo, don't you?" she whispered. "Don't worry, he'll be home soon. Honestly, I miss him too!"
Tribbles moved notoriously slow, but it rolled into her outstretched hands. She stroked the creature as she checked her messages. If Jadzia Dax had access to the room, she'd rearrange everything. But Kira was careful not to touch anything she didn't have to.
"Are you hungry, little guy?" she imitated the Tribble sounds, knowing it was foolish, but no one was around, so she didn't care. "Please eat. Odo is worried about you."
She requested Tribble food from the replicator. Sure enough, a few pellets poured out into a bowl. She placed it in front of the creature but the creature seemed uninterested. She replicated herself coffee and a snack of nuts and berries. She tried to entice the Tribble to try her food with no success.
"Do you prefer leafy greens? Maybe you are tired of the pellets and my food isn't digestible for you."
But no matter what she tried, the Tribble didn't eat. She was slightly disappointed but Odo had warned her he was being fussy. It was content being stroked as she went back to her work.
"Don't get sick!" she tried to order the creature. "Don't get sick! Especially not on my watch! Odo might never let me watch you again!"
It cooed.
It was getting late and not even Klingon coffee could keep her awake anymore. She gave up waiting for Odo to return and placed the Tribble in his pillow case, kissing it goodnight. The purring sounded similar to snoring when she left the room.
The next morning was Tuesday and she had her weekly reports with Odo in his office. They'd taken those up again. Odo looked like he was in a better mood at first. He had a coffee waiting for her.
"How is your guest?" she asked. "Is he eating again yet?"
Odo stared at her and answered only by saying, "I appreciate you looking after him. But you shouldn't have to do it ever again. I'm done with all these examinations."
"That's a relief for both of you, I'm sure."
He began to launch into his report. Kira could sense that something seemed off. She met Jadzia at Quark's bar once the shift was through for the day.
"So what was the favor he wanted?" she demanded to know.
"Don't!" Kira said with a hint of warning. "Must you know everyone's business?"
"Ugh, you sound like Worf!" she groaned.
"Oh, I know!" Quark butted in. "He asked you to take care of his Tribble!"
"His what?!" Jadzia screeched.
"Sh!" Kira clapped a hand over the Trill's mouth then glared at Quark. "How do you know about that?"
"I could hear the creature at night. You all keep forgetting I dwell so close to his quarters and my ears hear everything! What I find strange is that Odo's Tribble died last week."
"What?" Kira squawked. "How is that possible? Then where did the Tribble I was taking care of come from? And why didn't you run to Sisko and blather that Odo was keeping a forbidden animal?"
Jadzia and Quark exchanged a glance. Then Quark began to explain.
"Tribbles life span depends on how often and how much they reproduce. Since Odo neutered his, it lived longer. But no one actually knows what the life span of a Tribble is. Some live for only a matter of days because they had so many litters in so little time. But most rodents don't live for much longer than two years. Odo had his for well over a year. I was going to blackmail him when I found out he wasn't merely shape shifting into a Tribble, he actually had one. But within a few days, he informed me that the critter had stopped eating and died on its own."
"Did he replace the Tribble?" Kira asked.
"Not likely. They're supposed to be practically extinct. The Klingons destroyed their home world years ago. The only ones that are around are whatever Tribbles others kept as pets and the Tribbles we accidently brought back."
"Maybe he was shape shifting into his pet as a way to grieve it?" Jadzia suggested.
"Then why have me come and babysit when it was Odo the whole time? I don't understand that part! It's not like Odo to be deceptive!" Kira was beginning to get upset.
"Because Odo-" Quark paused as Jadzia gave him a piercing glance. "Odo trusts you Kira. He trusted you enough to let you in on the secret. And he's only recently regained his shape shifting abilities. He didn't have the heart to tell you the Tribble was gone. He wanted to spare your feelings but also his own. He obviously loved that creature. I still wish I could have wrangled some latinum out of him over the whole thing. Useless now because with the Tribble dead, I can't prove he committed Time Crime."
"And I'm no snitch," Dax reassured Kira. "I won't tell."
"None of us will. Quark, is there any way you could help me get another Tribble for Odo?"
"I'll keep my eyes peeled. It's not likely and I don't want to get on the captain's bad side."
"Worf would be incredibly unhappy if he found out there was a Tribble on board," Jadzia agreed. "Besides, would Odo want another Tribble if they live such short lives?"
"I guess we'll never know."
Kira kept the knowledge of the Tribble to herself, never breathing a word of it again. She didn't inform Odo she knew about his 'prank' either. She'd never been allowed a pet but she understood grief. No matter how long or short lived a person or creature was, there was never enough time. That was a hard lesson for a Bajoran, human and especially a Changeling to learn.