Star Trek Imagines (Reader-Inserts) Part One

DS9. Quark (platonic) - Marital Advice

You plopped yourself down onto a barstool and sighed.

"Long day?" Quark asked, wiping out a glass with a rag.

"You could say that," you replied.

Quark put the glass down and started to prepare your usual drink. "It wouldn't have anything to do with the little spat you and Worf had earlier, would it?"

You cringed. "You heard that?"

Quark smirked and handed you your drink. "I'm pretty sure the entire promenade heard. Worf isn't exactly quiet, you know."

You sighed again and took a sip. "Thanks."

"Though I didn't quite hear what you were arguing about, only that you sounded pretty upset and Worf was being as stubborn as he always is."

"I don't want to bore you with my marital problems," you mumbled, leaning your chin into your hand.

Quark shrugged. "Y/N, like it or not, I'm your friend. In fact, didn't you once call me your best friend?"

Your lips twitched into a slight smile. "Once or twice."

"Well, as your best friend, I am here to listen to all of your problems and give you advice about them. Especially if those problems involve your hot-heated husband. But, if you don't want to tell your best friend, tell your bartender. You know, we're practically like therapists."

"Oh really?"

Quark nodded and started to wipe down the counter in front of him. "Do you know how many people come into my bar and spill all of their problems to me?"

"I'm guessing a lot?"

"More than you can imagine," he replied. "In fact, your husband has even come in and ranted about his problems to me from time to time."

A faint smile spread on your face. You knew Quark cared for you and worried about you whenever you and Worf had an argument. Your smile fell and you sighed. "It's just that Worf can be impulsive sometimes. He puts himself into danger when he doesn't need to. He loves the thrill of the danger. He loves a fight. And I love how strong he is and how protective he is of others, I do. But..."

"But you're worried that one day he'll get himself killed."

You met Quark's eyes and nodded slowly. "He always volunteers for dangerous missions when he doesn't have to. And today he got a message from Martok, requesting Worf's assistance in some dispute on Qo'nos. And of course, my idiot husband said yes and went straight to see Sisko about it without even talking to me."

Quark nodded. "That does sound like something Worf would do."

You sighed heavily. "He's my husband and he doesn't even consult with me before deciding on these very dangerous missions. Does he even care about my opinion?"

"I think he cares too much, that's why he doesn't tell you until after he's been approved for the mission."

Your brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

Quark propped his elbows onto the bar and leaned closer to you. "Worf is a very proud man. He's proud of his heritage and his culture. He strives to be a good Klingon warrior and to prove himself to others. He likes being a hero. He likes protecting others and fighting for good causes. But - and don't tell him I said this - he's also very sensitive. He knows you care deeply for him. He knows that if he were to come to you with news of yet another mission, you would be very upset. He knows that you would worry and try to talk him out of it, and you would use your sad eyes and he wouldn't want to disappoint you by ignoring your advice. But he can't not go. He can't let someone else do the fighting because he needs to prove that he's a good Klingon and he doesn't want to sit back while others do the fighting for him. So, he makes the decision on his own so that there's no debate about whether or not he's going."

You stared at Quark for a few moments. When did he get so wise and insightful? "Wow, Quark, that... that makes a lot of sense."

He smiled and shrugged, leaning away. "Like I said, bartenders are practically therapists."

"I guess deep down I've always known why Worf puts himself into dangerous situations. But I just worry so much. What if one day he jumps in front of a Romulan disrupter beam and gets killed? Every time he's gone on another mission, the constant worry just eats me alive. And the fact that he just goes and volunteers for more missions... It feels like he doesn't even care sometimes."

"I know how frustrating that must be. Have you told him how much his behaviour affects you? Does he know how worried you get?"

Guiltily, you shook your head. "No. I know, I should tell him, but I don't want to make him feel more guilty because I love he genuinely loves what he does and I love that he feels the need to go and protect others and go on these missions."

"Worf may love going into battle, but he loves you more. He isn't a mind reader, though. You need to tell him how you feel. It isn't healthy for you to constantly be in such a strong state of worry. I may not know much about marriage, but I do know that you can't keep things like this bottled up inside without it affecting the relationship."

"You're right."

"Of course I am," Quark said. "Now go. Go tell your stubborn husband how you feel so you two can work out what to do about it."