Bones
Requested Anonymously
You hadn't been with Damar for very long. And saying you were with him felt a little inaccurate. You had been on a handful of dates that were difficult to schedule in the first place due to how busy he was with the whole "rebuilding Cardassia" thing, and nailing down a relationship in the midst of that was certainly a project neither of you had tackled. He seemed keen, though, and you were at least flattered. He kind, respectful, gave you all of the right kinds of attention even if he couldn't give a lot currently, and he kept finding the time to make dates happen when it seemed like he could barely make time to sleep.
Today was a great example. Two of his major appointments had been canceled at the last second, and the first thing he did was call you and ask if you wanted to spend the day with him. Never had he been able to offer so much dedicated time in one day.
How could you say no to that?
And it wasn't even for a date, which you weren't disappointed by in the least, as it turned out. He just wanted to spend time with you. He had a mountain of paperwork while you had brought a small project, and you both dared to sit on the same loveseat and figure out how much touch was okay at this early stage of undefined relationship.
As it turned out, touch was perfectly fine. You expected he might be hesitant, since Cardassians tended to be particularly modest, but he inched towards you as much as you inched towards him, and next thing you knew, both of you were leaning on each other while while working. He would take breaks to look at you, or rest his left hand on your arm while he worked with his right.
It was just so endearing.
At one point, he turned until his forehead bumped against yours. You thought he might be moving to kiss you, until you realized he was rubbing one of those funny ridges against your head. If you were a Cardassian, you would have a matching ridge to rub against his. Was that like a Cardaasian kiss? Maybe less, you surmised from his behavior. It seemed a little bit more in the range of cuddly hand-holding, perhaps. His eyes were closed and he seemed content.
Eventually, unfortunately, had to move your head— you were getting a crick in your neck.
"Sorry," you whispered when he gave you a bleary, questioning look. He looked so tired! You still couldn't believe he asked you to come here instead of just using the time to get some sleep. "Just need to readjust."
You pressed a hand to the back of your neck and stretched gently. A satisfying pop told you when you had stretched far enough, and you relaxed happily. Except that only lasted for a second, because suddenly, Damar was up and staring directly into your face with a very serious, concerned expression. His hands gripped your upper arms.
"I'll call the doctor," he said, squeezing reassuringly, like he was a firefighter promising you would be okay as he prepared to carry you out of a burning building. "Are you allergic to any pain medications? I have several painkillers here that I believe are human-effective."
"What?" You were completely bewildered, even if his concern was oddly sexy. "Why?"
He squeezed your arms again, speaking gently but firmly. "You just broke multiple bones. I heard them. I don't not know if it is good that you did not seem to feel it, but—"
"Damar, that wasn't a broken bone! I'm fine, see?" You turned your head back and forth so that he could see that your neck worked just fine. "I'm not hurt at all."
He blinked, just as bewildered as you are. "... How?"
"Fluid between my joints releases and reabsorbs CO² as the joint is moved. Sometimes that CO² forms little bubbles that can pop. Sometimes it's loud, but it's harmless." You shrugged. "I'm guessing Cardassians don't do that."
"We do not." He loosened his grip on your arms, staring down at you curiously. "It doesn't hurt?"
"Nope. Helps release a little tension, actually. Here—" Threading your fingers together and pressing outward, you popped your knuckles. It was quieter than the cracking sound from your neck that had scared him so badly, but the series of pops would still have been concerning to an alien whose body didn't make those sounds unless injured.
Damar flinched, looking down at your hands like they might be twisted and ruined. Obviously, they were not, and you wiggled your fingers to prove it.
"Fascinating," he said, tracing his fingers over yours briefly.
"Thank you for being so concerned. That was really sweet of you and I appreciate knowing you would act fast if I was hurt," you informed him. You tended to say that stuff out loud as much as possible. Previous relationships had taught you that not saying it wouldn't help you or him.
If he were human, he might have blushed. As it was, you thought you saw a shadow of color briefly flush through those scaly ridges.
"... Humans can be so direct," he said. It didn't sound like a complaint.
"Yeah, some of us can," you agreed. "I was kinda surprised that you were interested in me. I thought Cardassians like obfuscation and arguing?"
"Obfuscation and arguing are for the young and passionate. Or simply passionate. I am... tired." Tired was an understatement. You couldn't remember seeing Damar look anything less than exhausted, even now. "I did not want to push and prod and argue and guess for a year or so before daring to show my hand by asking you to spend dedicated time with me."
"... Well, I'm glad you dared." You took his hand in yours. "Sit. You're exhausted."
Relief washed over him; you could see it in the sudden sag of his shoulders. He nearly tumbled back onto the loveseat, and you found yourself bearing the weight of a fairly heavy Cardassian again. It was nice.
You quietly went back to working. Damar didn't seem like he was getting much done, but that was probably because you were being used like a space heater. Which you kind of liked. Lizard boyfriend, you thought, and kept your giggles to yourself.
After a little while, you realized that Damar hadn't even pretended to be working. You looked over to check what he was doing, and you discovered that he was fast asleep, head pressed on your shoulder and breathing shallow. You held in a squeal at the cuteness, and the weight of the action settled on you. Cardassians tended to be suspicious, distrustful creatures, and sleeping in front of someone they didn't trust entirely didn't seem to be something they would do unless it was impossible to avoid. And, yes, Damar was exhausted, but certainly he could have kept himself awake if he didn't trust you.
You let out a contented sigh and set your work aside so that you could take his hand in yours, threading your fingers between his. Maybe he was right— a nap was in order.
