Garak had never been to your quarters before. You had never quite been comfortable enough to invite him over, and even if you were, what would you do? You couldn't offer him better food than any of the restaurants could and your quarters weren't so comfortable that he might show up just to be there. But you had gotten so caught up with discussing a book that you had lost track of time, and Garak had suggested meeting later again the same evening, and in a desperate move to avoid Quark's, you had said, "How about my quarters?"
So, here he was, standing in your doorway, waiting for you to invite him in. You tried not to think about the fact that he could get into your quarters anytime he wanted to.
When you opened the door, he smiled pleasantly... and then paused, pale eyes drawn to your shoulder.
"My dear, you seem to have a..." Garak licked his lips subtly, searching for the word, "creature."
You grinned. Yes, you had a pet on your shoulder, your dear little friend.
"It's a gecko, Garak," you informed him.
"A reptile." Like you, you didn't say. "It's a pet."
You could tell he was doing his best not to be taken aback. You weren't sure why— had he not guessed that you had a pet, and he was bothered that he didn't know, or was it just not Cardassian to keep a reptile as a pet?
"Ah," he said, still staring at it.
"Actually, could you take him for a minute, I need to get the kiwi off my counter— I totally wasn't thinking about Cardassians being allergic and he will absolutely hop into the sink if I give him a chance. He's weird." And you handed your pet to Garak without a second thought.
Garak stood there, palms open, with a strange, soft gecko in his palms, its round eyes gazing into space. The animal didn't seem to show much intelligence, but Garak could see the appeal of its soft features and peachy colors. It was certainly something he would have expected you to enjoy.
"A pet, hmm?" Garak’s eyes glinted as he stared the gecko-creature down. "Lucky you."
"I heard that." I came back to the door to usher him in. "I thought Cardassians didn't believe in luck."
"Oh... a figure of speech, my dear," he hedged with less grace than usual as he stepped into your quarters and handed the gecko back to you. "Why... a reptile, might I ask?"
"I wasn't planning on having one, but he was abandoned at a pet store, and they offered him to me for free," you said, shrugging, as you took your pet back to his tank. "He wasn't in good condition at the time. I like having him, though. Sometimes he's the only reason I get up and make food. I know he's waiting for me, you know."
Garak blinked slowly in that reptilian way Cardassians often did.
"... It is excellent choice to keep him, then, my dear," he said, perhaps a touch softer than usual. It was hard to tell.
You smiled back at Garak. "Yeah, I think so too."
But you were not talking about the gecko, and the moment Garak realized what you meant, he, too, could not help smiling.
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