ADVERTISEMENT A bit of fluff I composed back when I was still pretty new to fanfic. (Don't worry, I haven't forgotten the Sisko/Odo thing I promised. It's on the way soon ...) AUTHOR: C. Zdroj TITLE: A Kiss is Just a Kiss ... PART: 1/1 RATING: PG-13 SERIES: DS9 PAIRING: O/K SUMMARY: Every O/K writer has at least one "Kira Gets Drunk and Sees the Light" story. This is mine. :-) DISCLAIMER: Paramount owns the DS9 universe and characters. No copyright infringement is intended here. Please ask before reposting or republishing. ARCHIVING: ASC, BLTS. Others please ask. FEEDBACK ADDRESSES: czb@comcast.net; odosgirl@yahoo.com AUTHOR'S NOTES: This is one of my earliest O/K stories, written back in 1997 for the second issue of Love and Justice. This new-and-improved edit has, I hope, a few better word-choices than the initial version, but is substantially unchanged. It appears here with the permission of the Love and Justice editor, me. ;-) ~~~ A Kiss is Just a Kiss... by C. Zdroj The Trigellian ambassador poured Kira her third glass of wine, and its rich golden color seemed to fill her entire field of vision. Across the table, Odo was watching her with evident concern. Why, she wondered idly, taking another sip, did he always have to look like the school hall-monitor, so stern and disapproving? Too bad he didn't drink, she reflected. It might loosen him up. She wondered if she was coming down with something, for she felt strangely light-headed. The next thing that caught her attention was the ambassador telling some kind of joke ... something about a fish. Kira began to giggle, and then to laugh so hard she nearly fell off her chair. She heard Odo mutter something low that sounded vaguely apologetic. Poor old Odo. He could be such a killjoy sometimes ... Odo came around the table and helped her to her feet, even though she really didn't need help at all. "Come along, Major ... I think you're going to need your rest for tomorrow." He took her by the elbow in spite of her protests. Sometime later, she was not certain exactly how long, Kira was aware only of feeling very heavy and sleepy, and being carried over the threshold of her quarters. *Like a bride,* she thought sleepily. The person who had lifted her set her gently down on the bed. *Wait a minute,* her admittedly fuzzy brain prompted her, *You're not married ... * Kira opened her eyes and blinked at the suddenly blurred ceiling patterns. Her mind was pleasantly fogged. She heard the punch-line of the fish joke in her head and began to laugh helplessly. "I fail to see anything funny about this," said an irritable voice somewhere down by her feet. She felt one of her boots being removed and realized that the other was already gone. The cool air felt good on her suddenly exposed bare skin. "Odo," she murmured, recognizing the crankiness in his tone. "What are you doing here?" She attempted to push herself upright. Odo took her by the shoulder and pushed her gently, but firmly, back down. "I'm putting you to bed," he groused. "And I hope you're satisfied ... Prophets only know what the people on this planet will think of us now ... " "Excuse me," Kira muttered back with equal irritation. "Am I supposed to have done something offensive?" "Only if you count challenging every man in the room to a fist-fight." Kira giggled. "I did that?" She closed her eyes and sighed contentedly. "What else did I do?" "I'd rather not discuss the details, Major ... you're really not in a fit state." She managed to sit up and swing her feet over the edge of the bed while Odo watched in dismay. "You really shouldn't move around too much ... " he advised warily. Kira's hands moved up to the back of her neck and she began wrestling with something. Odo realized in the nick of time that she was trying unzip the back of her jumpsuit. He moved over to her, kneeling in front of the bed, took her wrists and gently drew them down. "I ... don't ... think you want to do that ... just now." She laughed and gazed at him playfully. "Why?" "Well, uh ... " "Maybe *you* want to help me take it off. Hmmm? I can hardly go to sleep with it on." "I ... ah, don't think that would be ... appropriate, Major." "Major ... " she laughed, mocking him. "You're always so formal." She pouted at him. "Don't you want to help me take it off, sweetheart?" She leaned in close to him and Odo, panicking, released her hands. She looped her arms around his neck and drew him closer. "You don't have to be so shy. We've known each other a long time. We're best friends, aren't we?" "Well yes ... but ... " "But what ... sweetheart?" She smiled impishly. Kira brought her face close to his, so that her forehead touched his. Odo could only gulp and stare. Kira was startled by the blue of his eyes. Funny how she'd never really looked at them before. They had a depth and clarity that was stunning. He was cute when he was nervous. But why should he be nervous around her? She stared at his face, and even through the haze of the alcohol she'd consumed, she felt herself pierced by some strange emotion. She sat up slowly, drawing away from him. Odo didn't move. After a moment or two, Kira reached up and touched the side of his face. "You worry too much, Constable." Her voice was low and gentle. Her fingertips ran unthinkingly from his cheekbone up to his temple. His skin was very soft. "You're such a mother hen ... " She smiled once more. Her lips brushed his lightly, and then, with a movement that was irresistible, she kissed him. His mouth was warm and soft. Odo backed away with a terrified look on his face. I think ... that is ... I ... I should leave now, Major. I'll ... I'll see you in the morning." She watched blankly as he made his way to the door and then vanished. Kira gazed at the door for a long time before she rolled over and fell asleep in her uniform. **** "I had ... such a strange dream ... " She put a hand to her head. "No ... not a dream--it ... I ..." She looked up across the table at him. "Odo ... did I ... *kiss* you last night?" "I think you had rather too much of that Trigellian wine," Odo responded, carefully avoiding the actual question. He pretended to study the data-padd in his hand. "Ugh. Don't remind me. I'm never touching that awful stuff again. Gods, what a headache ... " "Would you like me to get you anything?" She stared at him for a long moment, and Odo felt a prick of panic. "I *did* kiss you, didn't I?" she said. Her gaze was intent. Her expression hovered between shock and fascination. Odo faltered. "Well ... it was ... I mean, you were ... not quite yourself." "Oh Prophets," she hid her face in both hands, "I'm so sorry Odo. I must have acted like a complete idiot. I didn't mean to embarrass you, I swear it." Odo reached hesitantly across the table and touched her hand. "It's quite all right, Major. I wasn't offended." There was an awkward pause. "These ... things happen .... " An uncomfortable silence descended on the table. Odo went back to reading his data-padd and Kira began to eat her breakfast more hurriedly. *Gods--I don't dare ask what else I did ... kissing couldn't have been the end of it ... What if ... what if I tried to seduce him? He'll never look at me the same way again ... * She could remember the kiss now with the weird, perfect clarity that sometimes comes after a dream. She recalled the warmth, the softness of his mouth. She tried to study him covertly across the table--his lips, in particular. They were thin and had a slight downward curve, forming a rather tight, prim-looking mouth. Funny ... it hadn't felt that way last night. Odo looked up at her sharply. "Is anything wrong, Major?" "Oh, no, no," she stammered, making far too many extraneous gestures with her hands. "I ... I was just ... curious about something ... " "And that would be?" queried Odo, dreading her response. "Well ... I just wondered if you ... if you ... I mean--did you like it?" "Like what?" "Uh ... well, you know ... kissing me. Did you like it?" Odo was momentarily dumbstruck. Like it? It had been exquisite. He could have died of pleasure. But he could hardly say that. On the other hand, if he pretended that it had meant nothing, she might very well be hurt. Women could be sensitive about such things--or so he understood from Dr. Bashir and Chief O'Brien. He decided on a middle course. "It was ... far from unpleasant, Major." He could have winced as soon as the words came out. They sounded so ridiculous and pedantic. Kira scowled. "What the hell is that supposed to mean?" *It means,* thought Odo grumpily, *that I am trying to keep our friendship from getting savaged by hormones.* Aloud, he only said, "It means ... yes ... I did ... like it ... I suppose ... " "You *suppose*?" He looked at her helplessly. "What do you want me to say?" Kira sighed, "I ... I don't know. I suppose it is an unfair question. Look, let's just forget I asked, okay?" **** It was a silent, miserable ride on the turbolift back to their rooms. They stood shoulder-to-shoulder with hands folded behind their backs, for all the world as if they were anticipating a dress inspection. Neither of them said anything. The turbolift was halfway to Kira's floor. "Odo, I ... " Her words were lost as he blurted out something at the same moment. She tilted her head at him. "What did you say?" His voice was very soft. He was staring down at his feet. "The kiss. I liked it. Far too much." She raised his face with her hands, and in that instant wondered why in hell she hadn't seen it before. All that tenderness and desire. Plain as day. "Computer. Pause turbolift." The lift stopped. She looked up at Odo. Ever so gently, her hands came to rest on his broad shoulders, then lightly traveled up the back of his neck to ruffle through his hair. She wound herself around his body, pulling him into slow, sweet kiss. He was warm as she remembered ... better than last night--and this time he kissed her back, his arms lifting her off the ground and pulling her tight against his chest. Her legs wrapped around his waist, keeping his body close. The world outside was nonexistent. "This ... " she whispered, "is much better than I remember." "Yes ... but I wonder if ... perhaps ... we should ... restart ... the lift ... people will be ... waiting ... to use it," Odo murmured around their ongoing kiss. "Let 'em wait ... " Odo didn't argue with her. ~30~