#or did Quark give him a stress headache?

[incorrectgarashir]

Julian: This isn't a joke, I've got blood on my hands- Garak: You're a doctor, dear doctor. Isn't it an expected workplace hazard? Julian: I've literally got a nosebleed Garak, just get me a tissue!

[pastelgrungewrecker]

Fathers and Well-Wishers

{Semi-Direct Sequel to This}

There are moments that the words don’t reach. There’s a grace too powerful to name.

“I’m DONE TODAY.”

Whirl sighed, disappointed, as Mimi gathered her crutches with grinding teeth and situated them under her arms. The heavy sounds of unsteady and new steps was loud in his ears as she passed through the back door into the house.

He shook his head.

It was more of the same through the day.

It was Perceptor and Mimi reduced to a screaming match because “You need to be ACTIVE Froggy- sedentary activities could have disastrous side-effects and I don’t want you suffering anymore than you have!”

It was Drift and Mimi snarling at each other when he told her to listen to her father because “He has your best interests in mind, and you need SOMEONE to look after you!”

It was Brainstorm trying his best to be gentle, and ending up being heavyhanded enough for Mimi to shakily get up on new prosthetics and limp away from him with a stormcloud expression.

It was Ratchet knocking on her shut bedroom door, and getting no answer but the sound of a dresser being shoved in front of it.

It was Whirl, after Mimi had stalked in and set off the house, shaking his head and rubbing his temple from the headache that had formed. Ratchet sat in his usual armchair, Perceptor perched on his thigh while Drift lounged on the floor in his feline way.

Brainstorm paced angrily, wracking his brain for a solution to a problem that was still clouded in his vision when Cyclonus returned along the sound of rampaging feet. The gathered adults looked up at the kids who ran in, only to tip toe down the hall and listen at the door for a moment.

They watched, and Quickdraw knocked softly.

“Hey Mimi? You okay in there?”

“I’m fine.”, was the sighed answer, “Just... having a day, okay?”

“‘S all good, sis. We’ll be playing a couple rounds on the tv in my room, if you wanna join later. You want first shower tonight?”

“I’m fine, QD.”

“Okay.”

Ratchet raised an eyebrow as Quickdraw shepherded his siblings away from Mimi’s bedroom door with hushed tones.

Cyclonus looked over the silent living-room gathering, and frowned deeper as his gaze froze over at the visible stress on each face. Perceptor breathed a sigh of relief when Cyclonus’s back went ramrod straight, and he stepped silently to Mimi’s door.

Tap, tap, tap. Overlong nails, perfectly kept, rapped on Mimi’s door.

“I am coming in, little one.”

He pushed against the door, and frowned at the weight for a moment until the sound of furniture sliding on the floor was suddenly loud in the air. The door opened to show a glimpse of Mimi pulling herself back onto her bed, prosthetics left beside it, and then Cyclonus closed the door behind him.

“He’ll talk some sense into her.”, said Perceptor matter-of-factly, “It’s a specialty of his with the kids.”

“Not sure about that, Perce.”, said Brainstorm, “His expression didn’t exactly say Not In My House.”

“Then what do you think he’s going to do?”, snorted Whirl as Ratchet chuckled.

Brainstorm glanced back at the door, “The look on his face was like an angry hen discovering their brood’s been messed with.”

Cyclonus was in Mimi’s room until night fell. The moon had begun to rise, the other children tapping on Mimi’s door and softly calling their “G’night!” even though there was no answer.

Once again, worried parents gathered in the living room, television playing but the volume too low to bother noticing. Ratchet’s foot tapped a rapid two-time tempo out on the carpet as the door finally opened, and Mimi stood with Cyclonus’s arm around her shoulders.

His face looked like thunder and lightning; like hurricanes and hellstorms as the crags and sharp cliff-edges of a long life stood in stark relief.

He led her out; gentle in his touches but still shaking with anger.

He sent a look from parent to parent, before he growled his words like a dragon breathing fire.

“I have never seen so stupid and insensitive a group in my long life.”

Stunned silence. Cyclonus held Mimi closer, letting her arms go around his waist and her face bury itself against his side as she murmured, “Don’t be upset, Papa-Cy-”

“Your eldest has lost her LEGS. She has lost her sense of SAFETY she has sacrificed the only DUTY that MATTERED to her... And the lot of you do nothing but poke and prod and pinch at her. She has been home from surgery for LESS THAN A MONTH.”

The sea of shocked and paling faces simply ramped Cyclonus’s anger higher.

“YOU ARE ALL AN EMBARRASSMENT.”

He looked to Brainstorm, “When you were tearing your hair out over that Quark fellow- what did the ones around you do?!”

“N-Nothing, really they-”

“They let you be, they let you realign, did they NOT?”

Brainstorm squeaked softly at the sharp uptick in Cyclonus’s barked words but nodded.

Cyclonus looked to Ratchet, “And you, old medic- when your hands were damaged, when you were lamenting your loss of importance- were crewmates hassling you to work more, work harder after experiencing pain?!”

Ratchet said nothing, but gave a short shake of his head.

Cyclonus looked to Drift, and narrowed his eyes, “I will not mention the coddling you received from Rodimus- I still find it distasteful; if, in the end, necessary. And yet you did not afford your CHILD the same respect. Pathetic.”

And then to Whirl, “You, who knew firsthand how being disregarded felt; how could you, Whirl. How could you simply ignore what she was working through in order to sate your desire for The Way Things Were.”

Perceptor opened his mouth to speak- a terrible decision as it were. Cyclonus rounded on him, in highest of tempers and coldest of rage.

“I didn’t need so much time after I lost-”

“You refused to ACCEPT such time, Perceptor; and we all know how that colored your treatment of Mimosa for HOW LONG exactly?”

A killing blow, as the color drained from Perceptor’s face rapidly and all who gathered looked to the shivering young woman clinging to Cyclonus’s side.

He spoke again, “This is not wartime. This is peace, after a fashion. This is new- and so is she. You have all blinded yourself with your dependency on her active showing of love. Blinded yourselves to the point where you forgot one simple thing.”

He looked at them all, disgust and some kind of disappointment on his face.

“She is a child, compared to us. She may be the eldest of the younglings but for Primus’s sake she is a CHILD. She is far younger than any of us were when we experienced this kind of LOSS.”

“She is no wide-known scientist. She is no premier CMO. She is not a star Aerial Corps member turned Clockmaker,  no artisan defiled in his decline.”

He rubbed Mimi’s arm, gently murmuring comfort to her a moment before continuing, “She is no deahtbringer wounded in battle. She is no nightmare turned hero. She is our Mimi, and she has not yet graduated school- She is our eldest daughter, and she has experienced a sudden and painful loss.”

His eyebrows tilted down.

“How dare all of you deny her the chance to MOURN.”

Whirl stared at his metallic hands; oddly fingered and scuffed and remembered how long it took him to accept them as part of himself. He winced, remembering as he berated Mimi to simply “Get with the program, Froggy- they’re your legs now, no going back!”

Brainstorm covered his trembling mouth as he looked back on his “well-meaning” prodding, seeing it a new and nagging light and turning his back on Cyclonus.

Ratchet let his exaustion and worry show, trying to say his apologies for looking away from behaviors he had known shouldn’t happen, shouldn’t be promoted- and yet were allowed under his watch.

Drift gnawed his lip and hung his head, hugging his knees for a moment before he remembers seeing Mimi trying to do the same in the hospital while he sat by her bed- remembering hearing her fidget and begin to sob and realizing what she had tried to do, what she had realized had been taken, “...You tried to... You cry when you hold your....”

Perceptor was stunned, silent; Mimi looked at him, and looked away. All this time he had thought he had been comforting her, consoling her, when- He simply had assumed it was his place to...

“Thankfully, our other children respect such things. And act accordingly. I am glad to know our eldest raised them right.”

The room was heavy and silent; pained and regretful. Cyclonus nudged Mimi to give him room to move, and took her face in his rough hands before kissing her forehead.

“I am sorry, for what has happened. Take the time you need, youngling- I will be here when you are ready. Now... Go wash up, tomorrow is yet another day. If you would like; you may come with me to the Primal Temple, and see the gardens, or pray if you like to.”

She nodded, “...Yeah, yeah I think I’d like to do that, Papa Cy.”

“Very well. Get ready for bed, little one. It’s late.”

No eyes followed her as she limped; as her slow steps took her away- unsteady as a fledgling and measured as a mourning widow.

When the bathroom door closed, Quickdraw stepped out and shot a glance at his fathers, and he shook his head; tapping at the bathroom door and murmuring loud enough for Mimi to hear that if she needed help, to call for him.

Cyclonus nodded his approval, turning once more to the silently gathered.

“She is proud, and strong, and resilient. But she is not untouchable. She has experienced a new kind of pain- a pain we all may be familiar with, but a pain we were given time to deal with.”, he said, low and level and calm, “I am ashamed of you all right now, that you would act this way. I expect every last one of you to apologize to her; it is the least you could do.”

And with that, he walked away. A pause by the bathroom, listening to be sure Mimi was not having difficulties, and then he continued- safe in the knowledge that the second she was in trouble, Quickdraw, at least, would answer her call.

And for the night, the house was quiet.

When Mimi awoke the next morning- it was not to her normal blaring alarm clock; the sun was long up, the house quiet, and Cyclonus gently shook her shoulder with a tiny smile.

“Come, the gardens await you- and, perhaps, peace on some level.”

Mimi paused, listening for the usual calls of her name and giggles of her siblings and heard nothing. She blinked, and laughed weakly.

“...Papa Cy?”

“Yes?”

“....Can you... Can you help me grab some clothes? I still haven’t rearranged things to make them... easier to get.”

“Of course, little one. When we arrive home, perhaps that will be something that can be taken care of- if and only if you feel up to it. Otherwise, I would happy to start on it for you.”

“That... That would be really helpful, actually.”

She dressed in immodest silence, leaning on Cyclonus when she needed to and teaching him the way she adjusted the straps on her new legs. The door creaked, and she looked up.

Brainstorm waved slightly, his smile tight and his eyes averted.

“Hey kiddo- I... I brought some things, to help with the pressure of the, uhm. Legs. I know Whirl mentioned they can rub pretty bad.”

“...Thanks Bee.”

“Of course. You two have a good day, okay? And... And I’m sorry. For not understanding.”

Mimi looked down, holding padding and covers for the ends of her thighs, and nodded, “...It’s okay.”

“It’s... It’s really not.”

Brainstorm stepped closer, kneeling down and putting his hands over hers as she set aside what he brought, “I always brag about how smart I am, and here I am making some really stupid decisions for my own dumb reasons. It’s okay to be hurting- it’s okay to be sad and it’s okay for all those things to be confusing and hard to deal with. I’m sorry for not giving you a chance to do just that. I’m sorry for trying to make everything be what it used to be. It’s okay for things to change- it’s not your fault; but some of this stuff? The blame falls right on me- on all of us.”

“Bee, it’s okay, really, you and all the dads are only human-”

“You’re human too.”

Mimi jolted, looking to meet Brainstorm’s gaze before blinking away the dampness in her eyes, “... Thank you.”

“You go see those gardens, okay? You and Cy make a day of it. We’ll hold down the fort here.”

He kissed her cheek, making a grand and goofy display until she cackled and whined “Beeeeeee!” before he ruffled her hair.

With a nod to Cyclonus, he got to his feet, smoothed out his rumpled shirt, and took his leave. 

Mimi sat for a moment before trying to push herself to her feet and huffing when it was hard to get it just right- And two iron hands came into her vision. Cyclonus raised his eyebrows, his smile widening slight as Whirl stood in his just-awake glory. Mimi looked up to him. 

He smiled weakly, tired, apologetically.

“C’mon, I’ll anchor ya, ‘kay?”, he rumbled, “It’s tricky, gettin’ used to new balance.”

“So you’ve said.”, she mumbled, almost bitter but mostly tired.

A wince, and a sigh, “...Yeah. It... It takes a while to get used to but- if you decide you want me to, I’ll help ya figure things out. When you’re ready.”

She got up slow, Cyclonus following, and stumbled onto her still-new feet and landing against Whirl’s chest. His arms went around her and he kissed the top of her wavy mop of hair as he hugged her tight. She was still for a moment, then returned the embrace.

The moment passed, and then Whirl released her and stepped back- his hands cold but gentle on her shoulders, “You have a good day with Cy, m’kay? The kids are already off to school- Perce and Ratch’ll get ‘em in a few minutes. They’re on half days for a bit longer. Drift is on dinner duty, and Brainstorm’s got dibs on homework hour.”

Mimi nodded.

A careful squeeze of her shoulders, and he was gone. Cyclonus offered his arm to steady her, and they walked through the quiet house and out the front door.

Mimi’s alarm clock sat silent- the digital face dark. The cord hung limp, unplugged from the wall.

Later, it would be replaced by a small envelope. Marked with shakily written glyphs for Dri, filled with words he had never been good at saying.

She liked the Primal Temple’s gardens.

They were quiet, they were calm. They were walled and lonely in all the right ways....

They were safe, to someone who’s dreams felt the exact opposite.

[randomnessunicorn-imagine]

✬ SCENARIOS / PREFERENCES: SECOND MEETING ✬

「 Star Trek DS9 x Neutral! Reader Drabbles  」

{ Every drabble has its plot so I recommend to read the first part and then this one. There will be other parts, of course. Leave a like and share if you appreciate! }

PART 1: http://randomnessunicorn-imagine.tumblr.com/post/181721362583/scenarios-preferences-first-meeting-with-the

🌟  Benjamin Sisko  🌟

The commander was a brilliant man and you liked spending time with him.

Not many days had passed but, thanks to your mild and friendly personality, it was not difficult to earn Sisko's friendship. You were grateful and you did not regret even one moment of the decision you made. This space station was not bad at all, on the contrary, it intrigued you, you were very curious and impatient for something that was about to happen.

"What kind of feeling did you mean last time? By the expression on your face, I wouldn’t say it was a normal feeling.” He said, drinking his coffee.

"Yes, I'm doing research, I’ve not still found anything concrete... That feeling helped me, it brought me here." You answered, making Sisko even more curious.

"Really? Explain that to me, please.” He asked, raising an eyebrow.

You looked him in the eye and knew that you could trust him, maybe you should not have confessed this secret, but you read in his eyes sincerity and curiosity. You smiled, nodding.

"Well, you know? I am for a quarter betazoid, my grandmother was and even my mother has developed some kind of mental powers... Very strange.“ You explained, smiling shyly.

The commander was amazed by your confession but he did not understand how this could have anything to do with your job.

"I would never have said that, now I'm more confused than before." He nodded, taking another sip of coffee.

"I know… It's absurd. My telepathic abilities are not very developed, I have never been very capable to handle it. I have always defined myself as a simple human being.” You explained, sighing, "But sometimes I perceive, I mean, I feel things. Feelings, like the feeling that brought me here. I would define it as a kind of... Invitation." You said, staring at the emptiness inside your empty cup of tea.

"That’s why you’re here. As if, it were a sort of premonition…?” He asked, confused but fascinated at the same time.

"Exactly! That's it. I often see future events during the night, I perceive emotions that do not belong to me, these sensations remain for a long time. This one in particular, it is tormenting me.” You explained, sighing.

"I understand. It's strange. So the only logical explanation you have about your ability is that it can be related to your grandmother. You have developed betzoid telepathic abilities in ways others have never had.” Sisko said, truly interested in what you said.

"You are very perspicacious, commander. I believe it is so but I don’t have a more rational explication. It happened even when I was a child and very often, my visions came true. It's scary." You said.

"And this feeling about the space station worries you?" He asked.

"I don’t know, it's a positive but alarming feeling as well. Something extraordinary is about to happen but then... " you have explained but you are stuck, you were hit by a terrible headache.

Sisko, worried about your safety, was about to call the doctor when he was called by his first officer who told him that a mysterious wormhole was just appeared in space.

.

🌟  Julian Bashir  🌟

A new day begun and the doctor was already in his sickbay waiting for his patients. He hoped it was going to be an interesting and curious day, not that he hoped people would get sick, but he did not like to be bored.

Today, new staff would come to the station, including new members of the medical staff like nurses and scientists, so he was content and he could not wait to know his new colleagues.

At that moment, his thoughts were interrupted by the mechanical sound of the door opening.

"Good morning, Doctor Bashir." A familiar voice spoke, but he was turned and so he did not recognize the person, but it was a lovely voice, he smiled.

"The visiting time has not started yet..." he said, turning around and a surprised expression appeared on his face.

"Are you okay?" You asked and in fact, the owner of that charming voice was you, the person he had met yesterday.

"Yes, I guess you're not here for a check-up." He asked, smiling.

"No, fortunately I have no health problems. I'm the new nurse, but I think I don’t have to introduce myself." You told him, giving him the PAD with your professional information.

He had not read anything about his colleagues because he loved the surprises and now he was really intrigued.

"Oh, I didn’t imagine you were part of the new staff. You didn’t tell me." He said, smiling.

"No, I wanted to surprise you, did I succeed?" You asked in a playful tone.

"You did it! Welcome to Deep Space 9." He said, nodding happily.

"It’ll be a pleasure to work with you." You said, smiling tenderly.

"No, pleasure’s mine.” and he smiled too.

His day could not start better than that and he was sure, next days would be even better.

.

🌟  Kira Nerys  🌟

You spent two days in prison, it was not a great stay and you were really worried for your little sister.

Actually, you were not alone in this space station because you were with your uncle and your younger sister. Your uncle could not be defined as an honest, nice and altruist person. He was the definition of horrible, arrogance and rudeness, so you could not stand him. Your uncle had the bad habit of beating you and your sister, and so many times, you sacrificed yourself and took his violence for her. You just wanted to protect your sister and you could not do it inside a cell.

In fact, you had stolen those gold nuggets for her, to buy something to eat, since your uncle was selfish and so you had to take care of your sister alone.

After 48 hours, you were released even if Kira did not agree and she was afraid you could commit another crime.

Your criminal record was still cleaner than Quark's, the person you robbed, so maybe you had learnt your lesson and she had nothing to worry about.

After your release, you were free to come home and you ran as fast as you could to reach your quarters, hoping your sister was fine but you did not find her anywhere and so you thought she was with your abusive uncle. The only place he could stay was to Quarter’s bar because that man loved gambling.

You found your sister there, she was crying and your uncle was about to slap her in the face when you started screaming.

“You bastard, don’t touch her!” you put yourself between your sister and uncle, taking his slap.

In that moment, the security came and they took you and your uncle, there was also Kira watching and she was not glad to see you there.

“You again, are you searching for new troubles?” she asked, blocking you.

“No, it’s not how it seems, I can explain.” You tried to explain yourself, “I was just defending her, he wanted to beat her, I couldn’t stay here to watch. I didn’t do anything wrong!” you said while your sister was hugging you and crying.

“That little bitch complains and cries all the time, I had to stop her!” your drunk uncle said, and then he was taken away by the security men.

Kira knew you were honest and you were not the guilty one and so she let you go.

“Ok, you’re innocent now but don’t think I’ve forgotten what you did last time!” she said with severity.

“I know, I’m sorry for what I did and I won’t do it again, I’ve not even told you the reason why I stole that gold.” You talked, maybe you needed to vent with someone and you were so desperate that she nodded, sitting with you in a table of the bar.

“Ok, if you want to confess your crime I’m here to listen, but I’m not your friend, I’m giving you the chance to redeem yourself.” She said and then she looked at your sister, maybe she was the reason why Kira decided to give you a chance to explain yourself.

“Thank you, Commander.” You nodded.

Maybe it could not help you to resolve your problem but it could help to heal your nerves from the stress this life gave you.

.

🌟  Jadzia Dax  🌟

You could not forget Dax's beauty so easily, she was the thought that kept appearing in your mind.

Her presence tormented your dreams and your desires. You continued to observe her without ever speaking to her as if you were blocked by a kind of shame, by an irrational fear, perhaps you were afraid of not being enough for a woman like her.

What could you tell her that she did not already know? What experiences could you narrate to her that she had not already lived in her past seven lives? Whatever you had told her, she would have continued to ignore you, finding her PAD more interesting than your words.

You craved her, you wanted to know and love her more than anything else, you knew that this was impossible because the trill race had precise rules on romantic relationships but you wanted to be the exception. Her exception.

You had to be brave and try your luck. This life was an hazard after all and you had to risk it all.

"Hello, do I bother?" You asked Dax, appearing calm but you were so anxious.

Dax remembered you, since she had noticed the way you looked at her and she wondered why you had never talked to her until now. People usually invited her to dinner, everyone was interested in her, but she politely refused all their invitations.

She also observed all your moves, just as you observed her, but she was not sure of your intentions.

After a few seconds, she looked up and looked at you, smiling, and she shook her head.

"No, you’re welcome." her smile was mysterious and fascinating, you would watch her smile for hours but you knew you could not waste any more time.

"I heard you're a Tongo fan, do you want to play with me?" You asked, smiling.

The expression of Dax changed, now she was curious, surprised that you had proposed to play this game.

Maybe you were different from the others, you just wanted to be her friend without ulterior motives or maybe you just wanted to know her. She did not expect it, especially after all the time you spent watching her like a maniac.

Her smile widened and she nodded, "Sure, but I warn you I'm very good at that game, so it will not be easy to defeat me." She replied, putting down her PAD.

Your big chance arrived, you felt so happy that you would jump all over the hall but in the end you just nodded, smiling radiantly, "May I win or lose, it will be a pleasure to play with you, Jadzia Dax." You answered, spelling every letter of her name.

.

🌟  ODO  🌟

Last night was very hard for you, you drowned your sorrows in alcohol and you risked feeling sick. Fortunately, Mr. Odo came before you passed out on Quark’s counter and convinced you to come back to your quarters.

Now that you thought about what happened, you felt ashamed, you did not want anyone to see you in that miserable state but it happened. You were so sad that you did not care about anything anymore, you were still suffering but now you were sober and you regretted what you did. Unfortunately, you knew it could happen again because the wounds in your heart were still bleeding and you might have fallen into the abyss again.

There was something you wanted to do, you wanted to thank that member of the security that helped you yesterday. You have not talked so much with him, but without his help now you would really be sleeping on the floor of the bar, stinking like a drunken bum.

Despite the alcohol and the confusion, you still remembered his face, his austere and cold expression of a strict diligent man, completely loyal to his duty. More people should be like that, you thought, even if you did not know him at all but you trusted him unconditionally, you did not know why. You had to thank him and find some of the honour you lost yesterday.

You dressed and then you came out of your quarters, you looked so different from the sloppy person of last night. Yes, you lost your mind and you kept being afraid, anxious and worried.

Your steps were quick and you walked until you found Odo, he was doing his reconnaissance, so you approached him.

"Good morning, sir!" you said, your voice was shy and then he turned around.

Odo remembered you, but he did not expect to find you here, usually people spoke with him when there was a problem and then his thoughts went to Quark, Odo thought that ferengi had bothered you again.

"Good morning, do you have any problems?" He asked politely.

"No, I'm fine... I wanted to thank you for yesterday, I was in terrible condition. I didn’t want to cause troubles, I'm very sorry. Thank you very much for helping me." You said in a weak voice.

Odo raised an eyebrow, he knew that you were not a bad person and by your insecure voice, he also understood how vulnerable and scared you were.

He nodded, "You do not need to thank me, I just did my duty. I advise you to avoid certain places at night... Well, avoid them every time, actually." He said, looking at Quark's bar with severity, "This station is full of thugs, be careful. "

"Yes, I see. I am grateful that there are people like you who protects this space station. I feel safe, thank you." You said, timidly, and then you showed him a small smile.

Odo was surprised, it was rare that someone thanked him for his job. He realized that you were sincere, he was proud of himself.

Odo just nodded and then returned to his job but he did not forget your words, your smile.