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~~~
Jadzia Dax. She'd be there, all tall and statuesque in some shimmering gown that made her resemble a Greco-Roman sculpture of Hera, queen of the gods. And yet, Jadzia was unlike any queen Julian had read about, she smoked, gambled and fraternised enthusiastically with the dubious characters who frequented Quark's. She was driven, intelligent, possessing of centuries of wisdom - an experience that Julian would give his left arm for. Sure, you could be genetically enhanced for intellectual ability like he was, but to actually have lived for centuries, to have personally gathered that wealth of memories and have it all at your symbiotic fingertips...
Julian shook his head as he jogged casually down the steps of the promenade's upper level. Sometimes he wasn't sure if he wanted to be Jadzia more than he wanted to be with her.
He tried to think of her again in some long sparkling gown, smiling at him across the room at the upcoming Ambassadors' Ball.
Everyone had groaned when Commander Sisko had announced that Deep Space Nine was going to play host to a Federation social event.
"But why here?!" Kira had cried out shrilly in characteristic protest.
"Because," Sisko had replied with all of his usual gravitas, "we are being shown off, or rather we are acting as a point of curiosity."
"A far flung, politically precarious, former Cardassian hell hole in the middle of absolutely nowhere," Chief O'Brien had helpfully elaborated.
"Precisely," Sisko had nodded, "and I expect everybody to attend, looking as non-precarious and un-Cardassian as they can muster."
Julian knew he was the only one vaguely excited at the prospect of an Ambassadors' Ball. It was a chance to get dressed up, to impress the right people, to have conversations with other Starfleet members who might be stationed somewhere completely different. Well, of course they'd be stationed somewhere completely different - nowhere was like Deep Space Nine.
"Ah, Doctor," Garak's familiar voice drifted over as Julian stepped into the small but fastidiously neat tailor's shop. "I thought you might be paying me a call soon, I've already had several prominent figures turn up this morning and book appointments for evening gown fittings and tux alterations."
"The Ball," Julian nodded, "we've all got to go."
"Well," Garak smiled tightly, "not all of us Doctor. Some of us are being told to stay in our rooms whilst the adults have a civilised cocktail party."
"Sisko wouldn't want to hide you Garak," Julian raised his eyebrows, he was sure of it, "quite the opposite I would think - you're a living example of 'Cardassian Cooperation'."
"Cooperation?" Garak looked amused.
"Well, to be fair in your case coercement, but the Federation doesn't have to know that, they can just see you as a Cardassian living happily under Starfleet rule in this diverse society."
"You'll need to take off those glasses for the fitting," Garak replied, walking over to a nearby table and picking up a tape measure and a notepad.
"Glasses?" Julian felt confused, "But I don't wear glasses - I've got perfect vision, my parents ensured -"
"The rose-tinted ones you've got on," Garak turned round, his face wide with a smile that revealed just a little teeth. Julian huffed and rolled his eyes, "Really Garak, the way everybody's acting around here you'd think we'd all just be served out a punishment - it's a party."
"It's an event," Garak corrected before dropping down to his knees in front of Julian without warning. Julian swallowed hard as Garak edged closer to him, his tape measure ready.
"I thought you already had my measurements on file," Julian asked, his mouth feeling a little dry as he felt the first press of Garak's hand on his inner seam. "From when I got my uniform repaired?"
"I lost the file," Garak responded nonchalantly.
"That's most unlike you," Julian replied. Staring adamantly across the room and trying to envisage Jadzia wearing the sequined orange dress that was currently on one of the mannequins.
Julian curled one of his fists up into a ball as Garak's skilled fingers moved the measure higher, dangerously towards his crotch. It would be alright if Garak hadn't repaired the uniform he was currently wearing to be so tight fitting, then there'd be plenty of space and fabric between the Cardassian's current administrations and Julian's, well, sensitive, areas.
"Still up for lunch tomorrow?" Julian asked redundantly. Garak always had lunch with Julian on a Tuesday, and if he couldn't attend then he would let the doctor know days in advance. Julian relished Garak's company in a way the other officers couldn't understand. They regarded the lone Cardassian with mistrust and suspicion, sometimes even fear. Sure, Julian was suspicious of Garak and he knew half or more of the things told to him by the Cardassian were a flat out lie or at least a twisted embellishment of the truth. But Julian still felt like he trusted the mysterious tailor. Garak was a puzzle, one that Julian was eager to solve, although not too soon as the mystery was all part of the fun.
"Exiled members of the Obsidian Order do not make friends with human Starfleet doctors for no reason," Odo had warned Julian sternly after a particularly harrowing incident with an Obsidian anti-torture device. Julian had thought about Odo's words carefully since then. After all, the malfunction of Garak's cerebral implant had enlightened Julian to some uncomfortable truths.
"Living on this station is torture for me, Doctor" Garak had spat angrily at him, "The temperature is always too cold, the lights are always too bright. Every Bajoran on the station looks at me with loathing and contempt."
Of course, since then Garak's condition had improved, but Julian still worried about his friend, he'd also started noticing the aforementioned 'looks' of the other DS9 inhabitants a lot more. Sometimes Julian hoped that if they saw Garak with Julian - the 'respected station Doctor' that they might start to understand that the Cardassian was worthy of social interaction, that he wasn't just some militarised villain.
"Doctor?" Julian jumped back into the present of the tailor's shop. "I asked you to spread your legs."
"W-what?" Julian flushed. This was another curiosity of Garak's - the way he could make Julian feel embarrassed or awkward with a single sentence or smile. Julian had long ago gotten over his sense of shame when it came to dealing with other people, such as chatting up beautiful women, he was almost a smooth operator despite what O'Brien muttered under his breath. Garak, however, reduced Julian back down to being an uncertain teenager, constantly doubting his every move and word. Julian figured it must be a facet of their friendship, he'd never had many consistent friends who were male. Any other reason for it was promptly dismissed from his mind.
"I need to measure you properly and your legs keep snapping shut whenever I try to get near them like one of Mrs O'Brien's Venus Fly Traps," Garak stated, his eyes twinkling with amusement.
Julian didn't quite know how to take this so he simply did as Garak asked.
"So what kind of formal wear are we going for?" Garak enquired, "Seeing as I've heard you're all allowed to dispense with uniform for the evening I was thinking something dark and sophisticated?"
"Like yourself?" Julian raised an eyebrow, he was getting used to Garak's peculiar sense of humour.
"Oh my dear Doctor," Garak's pale lips twitched approvingly, "you flatter me."
"I'd like to look," Julian paused, "well, you know, impressive."
"Oh? And who exactly is it you're trying to impress?"
Julian opened his mouth but before he could give any semblance of an answer Garak pressed on.
"You see I had young Jake Sisko in here earlier asking for an outfit that would knock the socks off that Dabo girl he's dating - Mardah. Now isn't that such an exemplar of a civilised gentlemen that he should choose to knock her 'socks' off rather than any other part of the female attire?"
Julian swallowed, "Um," he very much doubted that Jake would have actually used the phrase 'knock her socks off' but he knew that Garak was trying to make one of his cryptic points.
"So I'll pose the question to you Doctor, what item of attire would you like to be knocked off of that special person when you walk in the room?" Garak pressed, his expression one of genuine enquiry, but there was also something tight and searching in his eyes.
"I feel like you're trying to trick me into revealing that I'm less of a gentleman than Jake Sisko," Julian laughed awkwardly as Garak smiled.
"Oh I would never trick you Doctor," Garak replied, "now where would be the fun in that?"
"Good, you're still open, I need - oh...Julian."
Julian jerked his head round as if he'd been caught in some kind of compromising position. Chief O'Brien was stood at the doorway to the shop. Julian wasn't surprised that Miles hadn't immediately noticed him, Garak always kept his store darker than the other establishments on the promenade.
"Here for a tux?" Garak asked cheerily. "Well I must say I am quite thrilled by the prospect of this ball bringing in so many new customers."
~
"He's an odd one that Garak isn't he?" O'Brien leaned over the bar at Quark's trying to get Rom's attention. So far Julian and him were failing to get refills thanks to the lascivious attentions of some Andorian women on the Ferengi.
"You just don't like Cardassians," Julian replied, raising his eyebrows as Rom gave the Andorians another round of Tulaberry wine on the house, Quark was not going to be best pleased with his brother.
"Well that's no secret," O'Brien snorted, giving up and sliding over the bar himself to grab the bottle of whiskey. "I'll tell him to put it on our tab later!" He exclaimed at Julian's amused expression. "Anyway, who does like the Cardassians apart from the Cardassians themselves?"
"They're an interesting race," Julian noted, taking a sip of the freshly poured amber liquid and feeling his throat go warm. "Garak's been having me read some of their great works of literature recently."
"Oh - enlightening are they?" O'Brien snorted again, shaking his head. Julian kept quiet, he somehow didn't feel like telling the Chief that they were in fact dreadful.
"Cardassian music is quite impressive," Julian shrugged.
"Oh I'm sure it is," O'Brien nodded, "probably sounds a bit like Wagner." He sighed, "Can you believe this bloody ball? What a chance for all the dignitaries to take a novelty trip to the frontier lands."
"We should erect giant wicker men and burn the tourists," Julian grinned.
"Don't tempt me," O'Brien chuckled. "It's bad enough I'm going to have to wear a tux, I didn't even wear one of those for my wedding!"
"I'm sure Garak will make you look very beautiful," Julian teased.
"Yeah," O'Brien raised an eyebrow and looked sideways at his friend. "So do you not find it strange the way Garak looks at you?"
"W-what?" Julian choked on his whiskey, having the unfortunate effect of bubbling it up his sensitive nostrils where it burned like Excalbia lava.
"Like he's planning something," O'Brien shrugged.
"Oh," Julian laughed in relief, "no that's just Garak's face - he always looks like he's plotting galactic domination."
"You sure he's not?" O'Brien muttered.
"Quite the opposite, I'm sure he is," Julian smiled.
"You feel safe around him?" O'Brien asked, taking the last swig of his whiskey and smacking his lips together with a drawn out exhalation.
"Safe?" Julian looked surprised. He'd never realised considered it, always being on a populated Federation-run space station. He remembered back to being alone in Garak's quarters with him when Garak's anti torture device had failed and all the Cardassian seemed to want to do was throttle him. When Garak's normally mischievously twinkling eyes had been brimming with bitterness and hatred. It had been months since that incident, dopamine enhancers were no longer flowing through Garak's veins and yet he still turned up every week for lunch to discuss the latest fashions, literature or more often, the latest space station gossip.
"Gentlemen," Jadzia announced suddenly from behind them, bringing her hands down on both of their shoulders. "Fancy meeting you here."
"Oh eh?" O'Brien laughed, winking so unsubtly at Julian that Julian wanted to knock his friend out with the rest of the whiskey bottle.
"Fancy a drink Jadzia?" Julian asked.
"Thank you Julian, that would be very kind, although unfortunately I can't join you," Jadzia gestured to behind her where Kira was sat with a frown at one of the round tables. "I'm on a girls' night out."
"Your idea I presume?" O'Brien enquired innocently as Kira's frown deepened further as a raucous cheer went up from one of the Dabo tables.
"She's been spending too much time with Odo recently," Jadzia whispered loudly, "I need to remind her how to have fun,"
"We could help?" Julian offered eagerly.
"Very sweet of you," Jazdia smiled beautifully, "but I think this is going to be strictly a girly affair."
"That's just not fair," Julian shook his head as she walked away, "She gets to be both male and female thanks to Dax."
"Feeling your feminine side Julian?" O'Brien smirked into his glass. "Maybe we'll get Garak to fix you up a nice ball gown?"
"Nothing wrong with that," Julian protested, "I'd just have to shave my legs."
He enjoyed that this time, it was O'Brien who choked into his drink.
~~~
"You've got to ask someone to go with you!" Christie half shrieked across an unconscious Wadi that Julian was currently attempting to remove the tonsils of.
"Pass the other scalpel will you?" he asked his nursing assistant, although right now Christie was offering very little 'assistance'.
"It' a ball," Christie insisted, handing over the razor sharp implement like it was a piece of candy, it was a wonder she hadn't inadvertently sliced herself to pieces by now.
"Exactly," Julian muttered, trying to ignore the beads of sweat dripping down his forehead, this operation had gone on for too long already. As soon as he'd pumped his patient full of anaesthetic it was like the tonsils had retracted into some sort of bulbous salivary gland. Doctors back home had it easy, last week Julian had had to perform a tentacle operation on a farmer from the Gamma Quadrant, it had been an incredibly trying affair and he'd nearly lost an ear to a particularly overzealous sucker.
"It's not prom Christie," he finished, finally pulling open a thick fleshy flap and revealing the elusive tonsils that were causing the Wadi's current discomfort.
"Oh no you don't," Christie trilled, "this isn't some Terran 'prom' thing. Don't you understand? Half the station would kill to go to this Ambassadors' Ball!"
"Well they can bloody take my place then," Julian swore as one of the tonsils unceremoniously exploded as soon as he pinched it with the forceps. Black goo dribbled down the front of his scrubs letting off an acrid smelling smoke.
"Christie are you sure those files you pulled up for me were Wadi physiology?"
"It's like you've all got golden tickets," Christie continued, ignoring him as per usual," you could take anyone you wanted."
"Well why don't I just take you?" Julian sighed.
"I'm already going," Julie stated proudly. Julie was a Bajoran medical student and therefore not officially a part of Starfleet or the Bajoran diplomatic envoy.
"Oh?" Julian asked, giving up and wiping his brow, regretting it when he noticed more of the caustic black goop on his rubber glove.
"Chief O'Brien asked me, seeing as Keiko's away on that botany mission down on Bajor."
Julian chuckled, "You mean you forced Miles and threatened to keep talking to him unless he agreed to take you as his guest?"
"Something like that," Christie's eyes glinted, "I promised I'd leave him alone as soon as I'm in the Ball Room."
"Well I don't plan on asking anyone," Julian stated, letting out a triumphant 'Hah!' as he extracted the second tonsil before his face fell, "Oh bugger they've got three tonsils."
"You could ask Lieutenant Dax?" Christie suggested coyly.
"I thought you wanted me to ask someone who wasn't already invited?" Julian huffed.
"You know I'm beginning to think you've grown out of that crush," Christie laughed, "you don't seem to be doing anything about it."
"I'm playing the long game," Julian muttered, finally ridding his patient of as many tonsils as he could find, although the last thing he took out could have been a tooth for all he understood about Wadi anatomy.
"I suppose you'll be taking your Cardassian then?" Christie sighed before exclaiming "Careful Doctor!" as Julian's hand slipped whilst stitching up his patient.
"My Cardassian?" Julian retorted, feeling flustered.
"Well you're the only one onboard who spends any real time with him," Christie looked confused, "you are friends aren't you? Only I always see you eating lunch together."
"Right," Julian nodded, "yes."
"Fancy having a Cardassian friend on a Bajoran Space Station," Christie continued.
Julian shrugged off his gloves feeling awkward, he didn't know much about Christie's history but nearly all Bajoran's had lost loved ones under Cardassian rule.
"He's not like the other Cardassians," Julian offered lamely, wishing he hadn't as soon as Christie's eyes turned hard.
"Of course he is," she snapped, busying herself with cleaning away the surgical instruments. "He's got that same possessive look in his eyes, like he owns you. At least, that's how he looks when he's with you."
"Really?" Julian fidgeted awkwardly with a towel, attempting to sponge off some of the Wadi goop. "I hadn't noticed."
"Cardassians are all about helping themselves," Christie announced, although her face had softened, "Even exiled ones like Garak. He's acquired you like an 'asset' to help him get something or get somewhere."
"You figure huh?" Julian grabbed a spare clean towel and dabbed at his face which felt hotter than ever.
"You can tell," Christie nodded knowledgeably. "The other day when Odo came to take you away from lunch early due to a medical appointment I thought the Cardassian might try to break his neck." Christie sighed, "if anyone was going to try and break a Changeling's neck it would be a Cardassian."
"I can't imagine Garak breaking anyone's neck," Julian shook his head, but there was an unnerving tingle down his spine. The Obsidian Order were synonymous with torture, homicide and assassination carried out in the dead of night when no one could place your screams. Since finding out Garak had been a prominent member of the Order Julian had been doing some of his own research on the Cardassian secret service.
He didn't like anything he'd found out. It was hard to imagine Garak, the tailor gently measuring Julian's leg as if he were something fragile that might break, that Garak in some kind of sinister militia who killed and maimed first and asked questions later.
Julian thought back to all the times he'd mentioned Garak in front of Christie, recounted jokes or stories that the Cardassian had told him. Maybe it had all been horribly insensitive, so much of the time he forgot Garak's blaringly obviously connection to the regime that had terrorized the Bajorans for so long. He'd endeavour to talk about Garak less from now on.
"I wouldn't mind you know," Christie said suddenly, as if sensing Julian's thoughts. "The man may be a Cardassian but if he's your friend he's got to be alright."
Julian raised his eyebrows and looked hard at Christie. She was small and blonde, as ferociously proud and stubborn as she was petite, a real force of nature. Incredibly attractive in her own way, for a moment Julian regretted that it was O'Brien that was taking her to the ball instead of him. But that was just for a moment, before she began nagging him about the state of his scrubs again.
~~~
"Chief, could you repeat that please?" Kira spoke into her comms badge as she glanced over at Julian and Sisko, who were both staring at her in confusion.
"Well I was down here trying to fix the climate controls for the holodeck so we can get the Ball Room up and running," O'Brien's hoarse voice came over the intercom system, "when Jake and I came across an errant software file."
"So you tried deleting it?" Sisko interjected.
"That's right Commander," O'Brien acknowledged, "only it turned out to be some kind of Cardassian malware that was embedded in the environment systems. Something to sense if the Bajoran workers were trying to manually override any of the tech systems, such as by hacking into them."
"Unbelievable!" Kira threw her hands up in the air, "The Cardassians left us a surprise parting gift. Only they could still piss me off despite not being on the station."
"So," Sisko ran his thumb and index finger across the bridge of his nose as he always did when he was getting a stress headache, Julian recognised the symptoms and would normally prescribe a pain-relieving tea. "You're telling me that some kind of 'anti Bajoran insurgency' software has been activated due to you deleting this file?"
"That's right Sir," O'Brien replied, sounding slightly sheepish. "We had no idea it was something left behind from the old Cardassian days. Otherwise we would have left it well alone."
"Sometimes I forget," Julian murmured, "that our 'home' was built by the Cardassian military."
"Really?" Kira raised her eyebrows, "because I'm reminded of it every day."
"Everybody quiet," Sisko snapped, "So this means -"
Suddenly the visualiser screens crackled into life onboard the operations centre. Julian flinched instinctively as an imposing and menacing Cardassian figure appeared in front of them, albeit in the form of a pre-recorded message.
"My name is Gul Dukat," the familiar figure announced, "And you, Bajoran workers, your attempt to seize control of this facility is going to fail. In one hour neurocine gas will be pumped into the main habitat areas unless you relinquish control back to Cardassian command."
Julian had only encountered Gul Dukat a few times before, and each time he'd been more threatening and nasty than the last.
"Oh for crying out -" Kira began but was interrupted by Jadzia.
"So all we need to do is convince the computer we've surrendered to the Cardassians?"
"It would seem that way," Sisko narrowed his eyes at the screen where Dukat's emotionless face had freeze framed.
"Screw that," Kira spat, "let's just evacuate everyone now," she marched towards the exit door only to be thrown backwards with considerable force.
"Kira!" Jadzia shouted at the same time Sisko exclaimed "Major!"
"Force field," Kira groaned as they all crowded round to help her up.
"I've got reports coming in that all section doors are being blocked by force fields," a red shirt announced from a desk that was lighting up like a Terran Christmas tree.
"Where the hell are we meant to get the Cardassian exit codes?" Kira coughed, standing back up with a slight sway as she leant out to steady herself on Jadzia's arm.
"Any ideas Chief?" Sisko pressed his comms to hear a responding sigh.
"Not yet Sir, Jake and I are going to work on crawling through the vents to the reactor though, see if we can shut things down from there, but it's going to take a fair while, we're on completely the wrong level."
"Acknowledged," Sisko nodded, "but hurry, we've not got long."
"On our way Commander," O'Brien replied, sounding resigned to his fate of crawling through more vents to try and save the day.
"At least we're safe in here for now," Julian shrugged.
"But we can't get out," Kira snapped, "and no one can get in, it's like we're trapped in a -"
"Oh I assure you Major someone can get in," a familiar voice trickled over them as the Cardassian stepped unharmed through the force field and into the Operations Centre.
"Garak!" Julian exclaimed. "What on Earth are you doing here?"
"I thought I might be of some assistance?" Garak held out his hands questioningly at them all. "After I noticed that force fields had gone up trapping everyone where they were I also noticed that the force fields allowed my Cardassian DNA to pass through unaffected.
"And you noticed this how?" Julian frowned, wondering if like Kira, Garak had taken a run at one of the shimmering barriers that could inflict serious electrical burns. The thought somehow annoyed him that Garak would be that rash.
"You were late for lunch," Garak smiled serenely, "so I thought I'd come and find you."
"What a hero," Kira muttered.
"Well if Garak can deactivate the force fields then we can evacuate those in the habitat rings," Sisko began before Garak held up a hand.
"I'm afraid not Commander,"
Julian saw Sisko bristle and tense along with the rest of the crew. They were all prepared for Garak to start giving some evil mastermind speech about how this had been his plan all along. It seemed ridiculous and almost farcical to Julian who knew this was just Garak's way of explaining something was impossible. He wanted to grab hold of Sisko and shake him shouting 'Look - he's here isn't he? This Cardassian spy you all constantly suspect - he's trying to help us!'
"You see," Garak continued, seemingly unperturbed by the hostile reaction he was eliciting, "the force fields only recognise my DNA, to travel through them with someone else would surely result in their incineration. I could demonstrate?" Garak moved a step towards Julian.
"That wont' be necessary," Sisko snapped frustratedly.
"Like always," Garak murmured, still staring strangely at Julian, "I can come and go but I cannot take anyone with me."
"Could you enter the Cardassian access codes we need to convince the computer the Bajoran Revolt is over?" Jadzia asked, tearing Garak's eyes away from the Doctor.
Had Garak really been willing to obliterate Julian with a force field to prove a point about his trustworthiness to Sisko? Julia felt half offended and half impressed at the gambit.
"I might be able to," Garak mused thoughtfully before his expression hardened into something that Julian had only glimpsed a few times before. Garak had caught sight of the Operations screen, Dukat's face staring unblinkingly back at him.
"Well that doesn't make for easy viewing," Garak swallowed hard, the Adam's Apple of his grey hardened throat bobbing as he did so. "I much prefer Klingon soap operas myself, far more entertaining and light-hearted, despite all the blood and revenge killings."
"Garak," Sisko announced, his voice seemingly calm and measured but Julian could tell he was losing his patience. "We don't have long before this entire station is gassed to death."
"Yes I think that happened in Season Two of 'House of Koloth'," Garak smiled faintly before moving deftly over to a computer interface and bringing up a Cardassian keyboard, the strange symbols flowing like a river of jagged patterns as he selected and rearranged them with considerable speed.
"A tailor of many talents," Jadzia whispered with a small smile as she walked past, squeezing Julian's arm.
"Well that is a considerable problem," Garak announced moments later as if he'd torn a stitch on Julian's new trousers.
"What?" Kira asked urgently.
"It would seem that Gul Dukat installed this software with his very own security measures," Garak sighed, "ever the paranoid one that Dukat. For instance he always thought I was trying to kill him. I only tried the once," Garak smiled toothily at the last part, looking over to Julian.
"And it was a weak attempt at that,"
Dukat's cold, slippery voice crept through the Operations Centre. Julian nearly jumped out of his skin, had the pre-recorded message suddenly turned sinisterly sentient? Julian didn't put anything past the Cardassians.
"WHAT THE HELL?!" Kira half screamed, causing Julian to look back round where he came nose to nose with the very real Gul Dukat who looked like he might be about to eat him.
"Jesus!" Julian shouted, scrambling back at once to put some measure of space between him and the Cardassian military leader. Dukat smiled widely as Julian backed up against something hard and unmoving. Somehow Garak had moved silently over to where he was, Garak's hands gripped Julian's arms tightly for a moment, steadying him before moving Julian to one side.
"Oh Garak, you slithering excuse for a Cardassian," Dukat's delighted expression slipped, "I should have known I'd find you in the centre of all this. Would you know," he turned to face Sisko, "I received a very interesting distress call a few moments ago, from myself. I realised some blundering fool must have activated the Terok Nor self destruct sequence."
"The self destruct sequence that you neglected to tell us about when you left," Sisko replied with an incredulous expression.
"It must have slipped my mind," Dukat shrugged nonchalantly. "The way we were rushed out of here it's a wonder we didn't leave more things behind, such as..." he paused, looked around before settling his gaze pointedly on the only other Cardassian in the room, "oh well like you Garak! You somehow ended up forgotten like the rest of our discarded trash didn't you?"
Julian could feel an angry heat coming off of Garak even though they were stood about a foot apart.
"They need your nullification code," Garak stated coldly, "otherwise the neurocine gas will be released."
They
Julian wondered if Garak really didn't count himself as one of them, he was acting as if it was only 'them' who were in danger.
"My codes, well I suppose I could be persuaded to hand those over," Dukat smiled, but it was the kind of expression Julian imagined a snake might make before devouring a live mouse whole. "Perhaps after a productive discussion with the Commander?" He nodded at Sisko before gesturing to the office that would previously once have been Dukat's.
"Wait for me," Sisko gritted, following Dukat into the office.
"Well it's not like we're going anywhere," Kira replied bitterly.
"Oh," Dukat paused by the office door, "I almost forgot, watch out for that replicator - it plays up sometimes during these little insurgency drills."
"The replicator?" Julian stated, scrunching up his face in confusion. Suddenly Garak swore loudly, it was the first time Julian had heard the Cardassian ever swear. Garak's unyielding solid frame was up against Julian's in an instant before Julian could even let out a gasp of protest. Strong arms wrapped around Julian's body as the first white blast went off somewhere near them, exploding part of the wall into smithereens.
"What is that?!" Jadzia cried out, ducking down behind the central round table.
"Get down!" Garak snapped, walking forwards and leading Julian backwards in some strange dance as explosions went off around them.
"Garak," Julian murmured anxiously, his face pressed tightly against Garak's chest, a hand cradling his scalp and holding him there. "You're going to get hit!"
"I can assure you Doctor, I am quite safe," Garak stated, although there was a vein of bitterness in his tone. You see like the force fields, the maximum intensity disrupter that just appeared in the replicator will allow my Cardassian DNA to remain unharmed. In fact right now my body is acting as your shield, otherwise you would have been blown up by now."
Garak manoeuvred over to the table where Jadzia was crouched, before depositing Julian underneath it's protective walls. Almost immediately Julian missed the other man's touch, somehow he'd felt far more safe in Garak's arms than underneath a table, however sturdy it was.
Garak walked calmly back over towards the replicator. "Green tea," he stated in an indifferent tone. For a moment Julian thought it might be some kind of Cardassian password but a split second later the disrupter dematerialised and in its place a cup of steaming tea appeared. After all, it was still a replicator.
"You took your time in disarming that," Dukat appeared from the Command office followed by a furious looking Sisko.
"Stop trying to impress everybody," Garak snapped, sounding uncharacteristically angry. Normally everything about Garak was calm and measured as if he calculated every work with tailored care and precision.
"Says the man who just carried a Starfleet officer to safety like a damsel in distress," Dukat laughed, but it was a cruel, un-amused laugh, all posture with no warmth.
"They could have been killed," Garak bit out, his eyes flicking towards the table where Julian and Jadzia were now emerging.
"And you would care?" Dukat looked genuinely surprised and a little bit curious. "Anyway, Commander Sisko has made it clear that my offer of help in return for permission to station a small garrison here has been rudely rejected, therefore I'll be taking my leave."
"Oh you fool," Garak groaned, causing Dukat to stride up to him furiously.
"What did you call me Garak?"
"Oh go ahead," Garak laughed, but like Dukat there was no mirth in his voice, "try and transport off this station but I think you'll find yourself a little bit stuck considering no Cardassian DNA is allowed to leave whilst the Bajoran 'insurgency' has not been remedied. You see Dukat, that was a little gift from our superiors that perhaps even you weren't aware of. It prevented cowardice - so I reckon you're stuck here to share our fate."
Dukat immediately slapped his hand to his own comms badge pinned against his black uniform. Shiny and hard looking like a scarab beetle shell, all Cardassian military wore the same attire. Julian hated it, it was such a far cry from the elaborate tunic suits that Garak preferred.
It was like Garak had predicted, Dukat was stuck there with them. The irony was not lost on Julian although he was too worried about their impending annihilation to really appreciate it.
~~~~
"It's pathetic," Garak spat venomously under his breath, "look at the way he puffs his chest out, trying to prove to Major Nerys that he's still completely in control."
"You really don't like him do you?" Julian whispered back.
"Like has nothing to do with it," Garak breathed out slowly, "it's my professional opinion."
"As a tailor?" Julian gave a small smile as he nudged Garak on the shoulder.
"What else?" Garak turned to him with an innocent enquiring expression. "Puffing your chest out to make yourself seem bigger is a very annoying trait in a customer when one is attempting to perform an accurate fitting."
Julian laughed before he could help himself, causing all eyes to flick to them in the Operations Room.
"I see you haven't changed Garak," Dukat stated, his eyes falling curiously on Julian, "still managing to make all the pretty young things laugh, even if they secretly fear you."
Julian felt Garak tense up uncomfortably.
"You see Doctor," Dukat grinned, "Garak is one man you don't want to find in your bedroom late at night if you know what I mean," Dukat made a slitting throat gesture with his index finger.
"Oh that was one time Dukat," Garak replied with a smile that Julian could tell was forced.
"This isn't helping," Sisko announced wearily, "do you think we could leave the Cardassian politics until after we've stopped the station blowing up?"
Julian watched Garak move away from him and he half wished he'd reassured his friend that he didn't fear him, at least certainly not in the way Dukat had implied. What Julian felt around Garak was a very different kind of fear, as if he was afraid of what the other man saw in him, could see through him.
"O'Brien to Sisko."
"Go ahead Chief," Sisko replied urgently, "I'm in the mood for some good news."
"Well, I've definitely got some of that Commander," O'Brien announced, but he still sounded wary. "I can disengage the reactor, resetting the system and stopping the self destruct sequence."
"But?" Jadzia prompted after a moment's pause.
"But I'd need a level 10 Cardassian clearance code to stop it from starting up again," O'Brien finished grimly.
"Level 10?" Dukat repeated angrily. "But that's -"
"Above you," Garak sighed, although Julian wondered if the other man wasn't finding the situation just a smidgen amusing.
"I'll," Dukat swallowed hard, the ridges of his neck straining slightly as he did so, "I'll have to contact the Dirocs for that."
"The Dirocs?" Kira asked, looking confused.
"A covert Cardassian space station set up on the edge of the DMZ," Garak explained, not taking his eyes off of Dukat, who was suddenly looking rather nervous. "There will undoubtedly be someone there in possession of a Level 10 code."
"I thought the Dirocs was a defunct mining facility," Sisko stated drily.
"High ranking defunct miners," Garak added with a shrug at the Commander's responding expression. "But they won't be best pleased at your involvement here Dukat. They'll have expected you to simply fly on by, leave us to our fate, but you just couldn't resist the opportunity to gloat could you? And now you've gone and officially involved Cardassia."
"Shut up Garak," Dukat snapped, but he looked uncomfortable.
"Contact them," Sisko ordered, annunciating every word clearly.
"If you don't we all die, including you," Garak stated lightly, pointing at Dukat who hissed at him. Pointing was considered rude in Cardassian culture, that was something Julian had learned during one of his many lunchtime conversations.
~~~ One Day Later ~~~
"I don't understand," Julian stood awkwardly in front of Sisko's desk, both the Commander and Gul Dukat were staring expectantly at him. "Could you repeat that?"
"In exchange for Gul Dukat and the Cardassian's aid during our 'insurgency' issue," Sisko began.
"An issue that wouldn't have even arisen if it wasn't for the Cardassian's in the first place," Kira snapped, entering the office through the doorway.
"Major I asked you wait outside," Sisko stated gravely.
"This is ridiculous," Kira exclaimed frustratedly, "just send the Cardassian officials a report on what happened. Why do they need actual Starfleet officers to travel all the way to Dirocs to tell them what they already know?"
"We are doing this to maintain good relations," Sisko grunted, although he seemed pretty unsure himself. "The Cardassian's unexpected involvement with the whole ordeal means some kind of hearing is in order."
"They're putting him on trial?" Kira asked, gesturing rudely to Dukat who stepped forward and puffed his chest out in a way that made Julian think of Garak's disparaging words.
"Absolutely not!" Dukat exclaimed indignantly, "Central Command have asked me to simply bring some of the Starfleet officers present in Operations to corroborate my account."
"Corroborate?" Kira laughed. "So you mean they think you could be lying?"
"I-" Dukat began looking both furious and flustered.
"Enough," Sisko groaned, he was massaging his temples, indicative of another headache coming on. Julian felt he really should find a more permanent solution to the Commanders tension migraines although all he could think of right now was retirement. Running a borderlands space station next to a hostile wormhole was never going to be a cakewalk.
"Look," Sisko sat up taller in his chair and placed the baseball that he seemed to be using as a stress ball back in its cradle, "I can't send you Major because there's no way the Bajoran government would let you go anywhere near a Cardassian enterprise - it would be a can of political worms in itself. I can't send Lieutenant Dax because she's needed here to welcome the Trill embassy, who I might mention are arriving two weeks early," Sisko looked like he might develop a twitch.
"It's fine Commander," Julian interrupted, "I'm happy to go, honestly."
"I suspected you enjoyed Cardassian company," Dukat announced triumphantly with a nasty glint in his eye.
"I'm sending Odo with you," Sisko cut across the Gul quickly.
"He doesn't need security," Dukat snorted derisively, "I mean honestly Commander, what do you think we're going to do with your dear doctor?"
"Well excuse me for remembering the last time you got your hands on one of my crew," Sisko stated coldly. Julian shuddered as he remembered having to repair O'Brien's jaw after the Cardassians had forcefully extracted two of his molars.
"Commander," Kira began hesitatingly, "Odo can't go,"
"What?" Sisko frowned at the Bajoran major.
"We had word in this morning, we've got more ambassadors arriving tomorrow and the day after that," Kira explained with a nervous and apologetic look at Julian, "but Starfleet won't be here until half way through next week."
"Why are they all arriving early?" Sisko threw his hands up irritably.
"They've come to see the little Bajoran station by the big bad wormhole," Dukat grinned gleefully, "they want to have a good old nose around before the party starts."
"I don't need security," Julian stated, more decisively than he felt. "The Cardassians know that if should anything happen to me it would cause a serious diplomatic incident." He directed the last part pointedly at a still unnervingly smiling Dukat.
"Excellent," Dukat clapped his hands together, "I'll have my ship ready to leave within the hour, I assume you're a fast packer Doctor?"
Julian nodded, although his eyes slid back to Commander Sisko as he did so as if to say 'I can handle this, don't worry about me'.
~~~
"Doctor, what a pleasant surprise," Garak announced as Julian hurried into the tailor's shop. "To what do I owe the unexpected pleasure?"
"I'm afraid I'm going to have to cancel our next lunch Garak," Julian explained.
"Again?" Garak clutched his hand to his chest, feigning some kind of dramatic grief. "Last time was understandable I suppose what with you being trapped in a room that was about to explode but what on Cardassia could be more important this time?"
"Funny you should ask," Julia cleared his throat and smiled nervously, "I'm actually going on an official mission."
"Oh?" Garak's eyes lit up with excitement and curiosity as he drew out two stools and offered one to Julian. "Well do tell - is it covert? You don't say," he looked around comically, as if suspecting eavesdroppers, "espionage?"
"Nothing quite so glamorous I'm afraid," Julian laughed, "I'm only going to be a messenger,"
"Oh," Garak slapped his knees enthusiastically, "and we must never shoot those must we Doctor?"
"I certainly hope not," Julian smiled, "although you can never be sure with Cardassians!"
The smile fell from Garak's face. Julian instantly worried he'd offended his friend with racial stereotyping.
"You're going to meet Cardassians?" Garak asked slowly, his face unreadable and blank, but his voice was hard.
"I'm going to that Space Station, the one Dukat called for help," Julian began.
"Dirocs," Garak interjected, his tone unchanging.
"Yes, Dirocs," Julian nodded, "well I'm going there with Gul Dukat to give a Starfleet account of what happened with the fake Bajoran insurgency."
"Are you now?" Garak asked again coldly, although it didn't sound like much of a question. "And why are you going? Why do they need a doctor if it's just a simple mission?"
"Oh they don't need a doctor," Julian explained hurriedly, "I'm actually the only one going. I mean Odo was going to be sent with me but he's got to stay here now due to increased security for the Ambassadors' arrival and...Garak?"
The Cardassian had risen up off his stool and was stalking towards the exit of the shop. "Garak where are you going?" Julian called after him but the his friend had already left.
"Well shit," Julian sighed, leaning the desk beside him and noticing a scrap of paper with "Julian's Measurements" written at the top in neat calligraphy.
~~~
"ABSOLUTELY NOT," Gul Dukat's voice boomed from somewhere up ahead in the corridor leading to the docking bay where the Cardassian ship was currently attached. Julian wondered what could have gotten Dukat so angry before they'd even left the station.
"This is my final decision," Sisko's voice replied, though it seemed weighed down and uncertain, most unlike him. "Garak goes with you."
"What?" Julian exclaimed out loud as he rounded the corner and came face to face with four men, Dukat, Sisko, Odo and Garak, the latter holding a large travelling bag.
"Oh Doctor," Garak smiled, "I was worried you were running late, I was about to come and get you."
"He's an exile," Dukat spat angrily, "he's not allowed - "
"Anywhere near Cardassia Prime," Garak finished cheerily, as if his exile had never bothered him, even though Julian knew better. "Yes but Dirocs is not Cardassia Prime now is it? And besides I won't be travelling their under any kind of Cardassian jurisdiction but rather as a temporary envoy from Starfleet."
"You're not Starfleet," Julian stated weakly, feeling very lost and wondering if he'd fully woken up this morning.
"Observant as ever Doctor Bashir," Odo sighed, "but Garak has been temporarily endowed with the privileges of serving as a member of my security staff and despite me not being officially Starfleet, I am a ranking official member of this space station and I can choose to send whoever I deem fit on such a mission as this." Odo turned his head pointedly towards a still fuming Dukat.
"This is an outrage," Dukat bit out between gritted teeth. "He could very well be incarcerated the moment we reach Dirocs."
"No!" Julian cried out in protest, looking imploringly at Sisko who ignored him.
"Garak is very aware of the risks," Sisko stated impassively, "he has made his decision."
"I don't understand," Julian shook his head at Garak who simply smiled.
"You're always telling me I'm wasted on being a tailor, Doctor, I thought I might try my hand at security for a while."
"This is not about you doing work experience with Odo," Julian muttered.
"I for one," Sisko's voice boomed, quietening the rest of them, "am glad you will have a familiar face to travel with to the Cardassian station." He paused, "especially seeing as that person will have an intrinsic understanding of Cardassian dealings."
"You're making him do this?" Julian wheeled on Sisko, "Because Odo isn't available? Garak could get killed the moment he steps foot on that space station -"
"Enough!" Dukat's voice boomed equal to Sisko's. "We're going to be late and you do not keep High Command waiting."
With that the Cardassian Gul turned on his heels and stormed off into the Cardassian ship. Out of a loss of what to do Julian began to follow him.
"May I remind you Garak," Odo's voice cut behind them, "that although I am aware you have been in the security business before. This time your job is to protect someone rather than whatever else it is you used to do."
"My dear Odo," Garak's smile turned feral, almost threatening, "I really don't know what you mean."
~~~
There was an echoing knock on Julian's door which he opened a moment later to reveal Garak. "How do you find your quarters Doctor?" Garak asked, clearly well aware of the irony as he shuffled into the cramped, metallic and spartanly furnished space.
"Snug as a bug," Julian grumbled. "It's a Terran saying," he added at Garak's raised eye ridges.
"You've been requested at dinner," Garak announced with a smile.
"Oh gods," Julian groaned, "I was rather hoping I could just stay in my compartment for a week until we got there."
"No such luck my friend," Garak smiled softly, "Dukat will try to have his fun one way or another."
"Whatever that entails," Julian muttered, pushing out of the door past Garak.
"You should change your shirt," Garak stated quietly, not moving from inside the bunk room.
"What?" Julian scrunched his face in confusion - was Garak being serious? He couldn't give a toss how formally Dukat expected him to dress, he wasn't some kind of performing monkey. I mean sure, the old cream sweater Julian had on was a little holey in places and hung quite low across his neck revealing the column of his throat and part of his chest, but Dukat would just have to deal.
"Please," Garak spoke even softer this time, making Julian freeze. "Change it."
Garak moved over towards Julian's rucksack, pulling out a high necked black shirt, when he turned back round holding it out his expression had schooled itself back into his normal delighted grin, "This one will be perfect!"
"You made that one," Julian snorted, already acquiescing and walking back into the room, tugging off his frayed sweater and holding out his hand for Garak to give him the new garment. Only it never came, Julian pulled the sweater up over his head so he could see again and to his surprise found that the room was empty, Garak already having left, the new shirt laying neat and ready on the bed.
Julian shook his head, he'd never understand Cardassians.
~
"You look wonderful," Dukat's voice drawled across the table causing Julian to choke on his soup and regurgitate a chunk of Cardassian purple gourd. "So," Dukat paused, "modest, covering your neck like that."
Julian's hand went instinctively to his throat which was clad in black fabric. He looked panickedly across to Garak who was disinterestedly blowing on his soup to cool it down.
"So tell me more about what my beloved Terok Nor has become," Dukat laced his fingers together, abandoning his soup in a way that made Julian wonder if it might be poisoned. He glanced back to Garak who was happily wolfing it down and figured it must be okay. Having been in the Obsidian Order Garak was probably quite experienced with detecting poisons.
"Well we certainly don't call it that anymore," Julian stated, imagining Major Kira's face if she could hear the Cardassian at that moment.
"Oh of course," Dukat laughed lightly, a tinkling sound that slid down Julian's spine like poured mercury. "Deep Space Nine right? Rather impersonal I would have thought."
"I think it probably feels more personable though than when the Cardassians were in command," Julian was determined to hold his own. To show this Cardassian Gul that Starfleet officers were not to be bullied or pushed around. Plus he'd promised the Major he'd get a few jabs in there, he imagined Kira's smiling face, her wide eyes lighting up. Perhaps when he got back he'd ask Kira to the Ambassadors' Ball - that is if he did get back.
"Are you bloody insane?" O'Brien had shouted when Julian had told him where he was going. "You can't trust a Cardassian Julian."
Julian looked back at Garak who was still pointedly ignoring him and wondered what the real reason was for the tailor to have come on this potentially life-threatening mission? He must have ulterior motives, Julian's little diplomatic assignment was obviously some in for the Garak to get back into Cardassian politics. Maybe there was somebody on Dirocs he wanted to speak to? Maybe he just hated being on DS9 that much and couldn't wait to be back in the company of like-minded Cardassians?
"You've been awfully quiet Garak," Dukat announced, staring at the other man as if he too were trying to work our Garak's motives for being here and whether it was going to end up undermining Dukat in some way.
"Oh I'm sorry," Garak smiled, looking up, "it's the soup you see - no matter how I programme them the replicators onboard Terok Nor just can't get it quite right."
"Yes, you must miss real Cardassian food," Dukat replied with a nasty smile.
Julian's heart skipped unpleasantly as he realised that Garak had called DS9 'Terok Nor'.
"It's not called that anymore," Julian interrupted both the Cardassians, hating the way he sounded like a petulant child at the dinner table with his parents.
"My apologies Doctor," Garak began, dabbing his mouth with a napkin but before he could continue Dukat began laughing.
"Oh he is quaint - I can see why you like his company Garak!"
Julian stood up indignantly, "If you'll excuse me, I seem to have lost my appetite."
"Oh no Doctor," Dukat hiccoughed as he took another gulp of Kanar, "I really meant no offence, please sit down, you haven't even had dessert yet."
"Oh there's dessert?" Garak asked, looking eager.
"Well that's up to the doctor," Dukat responded, staring oddly at Julian in a way that made his skin crawl.
"Perhaps something with Kamoy syrup?" Garak continued as if not noticing the exchange - perhaps he hadn't.
"Or we could do that," Dukat sighed regretfully, tearing his eyes away from the human doctor and snapping his fingers at a nearby serving attendant.
"Is this what dinners on your ship are normally like?" Julian asked crossly, "Just you?"
"Why?" Dukat licked his lips as some golden Kanar liquor drops spilled out. "Would you like me to invite some more Cardassians, Doctor? Just two not enough for you?"
"You!" Garak snapped loudly at another attendant, "Why haven't you refilled your Gul's drink? Leaving it empty is an unforgivable impertinence!"
Dukat dragged his eyes away from Julian and looked down at his drink in distracted surprise. "Why Garak you are observant, I hadn't even noticed it was empty," he murmured before laughing at the worried looking attendant. "You may live, this time."
For a moment Julian caught Garak's eyes across the table, the expression in them spoke volumes, but unfortunately it seemed to be in a language that Julian couldn't understand.
~~~
"Really Garak, you didn't have to walk me back to my room," Julian snorted, feeling a little light-headed from his own two glasses of Tulaberry wine.
"I'm your security," Garak stated with a smile that didn't look amused. "Odo would be most displeased if I was slacking in my duties."
"Yeah I'm sure you're really terrified of Odo," Julian laughed again, sighing as he leant up against his door and pressed the button to open it, noticing that there was no coded lock.
"It's only the first evening of many," Garak stated, pausing as he began to walk away. "Perhaps you should try to be quieter at the dinner table."
"What?" Julian turned around to where Garak was facing away from him. "What do you mean?"
Garak let out a sigh, Julian couldn't hear it but he saw the drop of the Cardassian's broad muscled shoulders. "Try to rile Dukat less."
"What like you do?" Julian snorted again, his eyelids were starting to grow heavy and all he wanted to do was crawl into his bed and go to sleep, ideally for a whole week.
"That's different," Garak whispered in the darkness, "Dukat has punished me as much as he can already, or at least he thinks he has."
"You -" Julian began groggily before realised Garak had already walked away. "Don't suit serious," Julian hiccoughed sadly before turning into his room and fumbling his way to the bed.
~~~
"My head hurts," Julian groaned, rubbing at it and wishing the onboard Cardassian replicators knew how to make the pain-relieving tea he often gave to Sisko.
"That's hardly surprising," Garak remarked impassively, not lifting his gaze from the book he was reading. Julian couldn't understand the title - it was in bold Italicised Cardassian script. "You drank at least five glasses of Tulaberry wine last night."
"No I didn't," Julian protested, "I had two, I'm normally fine with up to three!"
"Oh my poor naive Terran," Garak smirked, lifting his eyes up lazily and fixing them on Julian in a way that made him feel uncomfortable. "The Tulaberry wine served by Cardassians is a neat concentrate, not like the diluted versions the Dosi sell to other, less tolerant, races."
"You're kidding," Julian wrinkled his forehead in thought, "I'll bear that in mind at our next dinner."
"I would," Garak nodded approvingly, going back to his book.
"Doctor," Dukat's voice disturbed the otherwise quiet of the break room. Julian noticed Garak's knuckles turn whiter than usual as he tightened his grip on the electronic tablet. "I require your assistance."
Julian nodded and stood up, noticing Garak do the same.
"Oh for heaven's sakes not you too Elim," Dukat snapped, using Garak's first name. "It's a personal matter."
"All the more reason for me to be there," Garak replied with a pleasant expression, "I can always bring my book and promise not to listen too carefully."
Dukat snorted noisily, "Chance would be a fine thing, No, I just require the Doctor - we don't have any medical officers on board and a member of my crew has an old scar that's hurting, it's hampering him in his duties," Dukat added with a more serious tone. Julian rolled his eyes, of course Dukat's concern wouldn't emanate from any real sense of sympathy.
"We'll only be in the treatment room," Dukat sighed, noticing Garak's expression and somehow reading something in it that Julian couldn't.
"And I will be here," Garak replied coolly, sitting back down and offering Julian a strange tense smile.
~
"This is your treatment room?" Julian asked disbelievingly. "It's more like a cupboard."
"Cardassians are an enduring people," Dukat replied, reaching out and grabbing Julian's hand, placing in on his own before Julian could react. "Thick skin you see? The scales protect us from most minor injuries."
"I see," Julian stated woodenly, jerking his hand back. Dukat's skin felt cold, a sharp contrast to the heat of Garak's body when the other man had shielded him in the Operations Centre. "So where is the patient? Hey - what are you..." Julian trailed off as Dukat closed the door behind them, pulling the lock across.
"Privacy," he grinned at Julian, showing his unnaturally pointed incisors, "so valued in a small ship like this. Oh and I'm the patient."
"I don't think you exactly made that clear," Julian muttered, dropping his medical supplies bag to the floor and grouchily rolling up his sleeves.
"Oh dear didn't I?" Dukat smiled, walking over to the bench and hopping up on it so his chin was at Julian's eyeline. Julian wondered if all Cardassians were this tall and imposing, their physical bulk so aesthetically menacing, especially when clad in that horrible armour of theirs. Garak seemed almost small when compared to other Cardassians that Julian had encountered, although by no means less deadly.
"So do you actually have a scar?" Julian asked exasperatedly, taking an instinctive step back as Dukat began to unfasten his top.
"Oh I have many Doctor, would you like to see them?" Dukat asked with a predatory smile.
"Just the one that's hurting," Julian replied coldly, he was a doctor and he was certainly not going to let some hulking patient like Dukat unnerve him.
"Well that would be this one," Dukat stated, gesturing across his now bare chest. The skin was stretched and pale with plate like bones when the pectoral muscles on a human would have been. The scar itself was a long, thin cobweb string that looked very far from inflamed.
"And how is that stopping you from doing your job?" Julian asked, feeling insulted that Dukat would mock him like this, toy with the silly little human.
"It aches in the cold, you know how scars do that?" Dukat cocked his head questioningly as if he really wanted Julian's input on the matter, "or perhaps your skin is not so flawed?"
"I think you'll be fine," Julian bent down to do up the clasp on his medical bag. "I'll be getting back to Garak now."
"Oh yes," Dukat's smiled widened unnaturally and turned nastier than before. "Maybe you should ask to see some of his scars? He'll have plenty you see - being a tailor, such a dangerous profession."
"If that's all," Julian sighed, moving across to the door and realising to his horror that the lock was a fingerprint scanner. He wheeled back accusingly towards Dukat who simply shrugged with an innocent expression.
"Oh I'll be right over there to help you out with that Doctor," he remarked, "only my scar is spasming terribly right now so I think it would be best if I rested until the moment passes." With that Dukat swung his boots up on the bed and crossed his hands behind his head, lying down on his back.
"You - " Julian began before realising there was no point getting riled up about it, that would probably only feed into Dukat's sick games even more.
"Oh I remember the good old days," Dukat sighed, "when Garak still had some civic pride and loyalty in that black heart of his. When he worked for us."
Julian leaned against the door, his arms folded defensively across his chest. At least this confirmed that Garak no longer worked for the Cardassians under any official guise that Dukat knew about.
"There were stories about him you know," Dukat angled his head so he could look at Julian, freeing up one of his hands to travel down his hairless torso and rest on his lower abdomen. Julian looked away, a sickly feeling bubbling up his own gut. Everything about this situation felt very wrong, he half wondered if he could chop off one of Dukat's fingers and open the door that way.
"Elim the ghost," Dukat smiled again, although due to his head being sideways it looked as if his lips were cracking his cheeks wide open to reveal gaping crevices. "He'd be in and out before you could do anything about it, men, women, children, all fell under his instruments of death and pain."
"Stop it," Julian said weakly, he was starting to feel dizzy and more nausea was rising in his throat.
"Really Doctor, someone like you would be so valuable to the Cardassian Empire with your enhanced expertise, but you just don't seem to have the stomach for politics."
"Politics?" Julian huffed a bitter laugh. "Is that what you call it?"
"Eliminating rivals on your way to the top is politics my dear boy," Dukat replied lazily. "And believe you me if you ever stood in Elim Garak's way someone like you would have be 'eliminated' quicker than it takes you let out one of those quaint little human cries."
"I guess it's lucky I'm not a threat to him then," Julian muttered, wanting nothing more than to get out of this broom closet posturing as a treatment room.
"Not a threat perhaps," Dukat paused, "but perhaps an inconvenience. I mean who knows what's scheming in old Garak's head? Why did he so badly want to come to Dirocs with us?"
Julian shifted uncomfortably, pulling his arms closer around himself. "Not everyone's as two faced and sinister as you Dukat,"
For a moment Julian feared he'd pushed it too far but then Dukat let out a loud hollow laugh. "Oh Doctor Bashir, your naivety, as appealing as it may be really is quite limiting. Think about it, you're out here all alone, the only member of Starfleet onboard a ship composed entirely of Cardassians - I mean did that ever really strike you as a good idea?"
"Of course not," Julian admitted truthfully, "but it's my duty."
"And don't you do it well," Dukat turned back to him with a grin. "Just remember if Elim Garak does reveal himself to be less than 'friendly', you can always come to me for protection."
Now it was Julian's turn to laugh, loudly and incredulously. "You? Go to you for protection from Garak?"
"It might not seem so laughable at a later date," Dukat interrupted coldly, his voice hard and frost-like. I happen to be the only person onboard this vessel who could protect you from Elim Garak."
"I would never need your protection," Julian spat out angrily, still dazed at the turn this conversation had taken.
"Let's just see what happens when we get to Dirocs hmm?" Dukat asked, sounded a lot more composed now.
Suddenly Julian fell backwards and it took him a moment to realise that it was because the previously bolted door had opened behind him.
"Ow!" he exclaimed, hitting the floor with a thud and quickly scrambling up to see Garak wrenching the red and bruised hand of a Cardassian crewmate back away from the fingerprint recognition pad. "Unfortunately it didn't seem to like my thumbprint," Garak explained to Julian, "so I had to elicit some help from a volunteer."
Julian smiled to himself, the other Cardassian didn't look like much a volunteer to him.
"You were an awfully long time so I thought I'd come and ch-" Garak's voice faltered as he turned to look into the room and saw Dukat sprawled out half naked on the medical bench. To Julian's horror he realised at some point Dukat had even had time to unbutton his fly.
"Well as I was saying, really Doctor," Dukat beamed cruelly, sitting up and stretching his arms up to the ceiling so his biceps bulged with veins. "I never expected you to give quite such a thorough physical for a simple old scar - but perhaps it's a Terran medical custom?" He looked questioningly at Garak who for once in all the time Julian had known him seemed completely speechless.
"I mean you would know wouldn't you Garak?" Dukat continued, as if oblivious to the effect his words were having. "You've been living on that Space Station for a long time now, are the good Doctor Bashir's medicals always so wonderfully attentive?"
Garak's mouth snapped back, his eyes seeming to refocus with something Julian could only describe as white hot rage, the other Cardassian was seething with it. Julian had never seen Garak look quite so terrifyingly worthy of being in the Obsidian Order. "I wouldn't know," he replied, his voice like ice and his gaze unflinching from where it held Dukat's. "I try to avoid medicals."
With that Garak turned round and began marching in the opposite direction, his entire body language resonating with barely tamed violence.
"You -" Julian turned to Dukat. He wanted to shout at the Gul, to point out that Dukat had known exactly what he was implying there, but everything just seemed so twisted and wrong that Julian couldn't get the words out.
"You've gone awfully red Doctor," Dukat sighed as he prowled towards the door like an animal approaching his prey. Yet he passed Julian straight by and walked out into the dim lighting of the corridor. "Maybe you need to go and lie down?"
Julian was left gaping after the other man as he stood alone in the doorway to the treatment room. For some reason the last look Garak had given him had left Julian feeling saturated with shame, but he didn't know why - he hadn't done anything to be ashamed of. Unless you counted getting tricked by Dukat and even Garak could add his name to that list.
"I fucking hate Cardassians," Julian muttered, hefting up his medical bag and storming back towards his room.
~~~
Three days passed and Garak still refused to speak to Julian for some unfathomable reason. No matter how much Julian tried to engage the other man in conversation, Garak would merely shrug him off or offer a piercing quip to silence the matter at hand. It struck Julian just how mind-numbingly lonely he would have been on this trip had Garak not come along at all. The other Cardassians just avoided him for the most part, either looking at him with disgust, suspicion, or more worryingly, an undeniably leering expression.
"I didn't do anything wrong!" Julian announced finally, having grown desperate. At least this outburst, childish though it was elicited Garak's attention as the other man finally put down his book.
"I don't know what the hell you think happened or whatever frankly sickening thing that bastard Dukat implied but I didn't do anything," Julian exclaimed, rushing to get it all out before Garak ignored him again.
"My dear doctor," Garak sighed, "I am well aware by now that nothing happened."
"Then what's the problem?" Julian huffed, fighting the urge to stamp his feet in frustration.
"The problem is you let yourself get locked in a room with a Cardassian like Dukat!" Garak snapped exasperatedly. "You let him walk in behind you - giving him plenty of time to bolt the door."
"I'm pretty sure even if he'd walked in in front of me I wouldn't have had much chance of stopping him do that," Julian sighed, "have you seen the size of him?"
"It's not about size Doctor," Garak stated witheringly as if he were talking to a particularly unruly child. "It's about never letting your opponent get the advantage on you."
"Yeah well considering I'm all alone on a Cardassian ship bound for a Cardassian military space station I'd say I'm already a little disadvantaged wouldn't you?" Julian replied miserably, slumping down in his chair.
"Alone? Alone?!" Garak looked almost apoplectic with rage for the second time in three days and it was enough to make Julian sit up straight again. "Is that what you think you are you absolute imbecile?"
"Hey," Julian protested weakly, "I just meant I'm the only member of Starfleet here."
"And yet," Garak continued coldly, "if it were say, Odo, here in my place I'm sure you'd feel a lot less alone. I suppose I'm just another Cardassian am I?"
"Of course not," Julian replied honestly, "just, well why are you here Garak?"
Garak raised his eyebrows in surprise, before putting his book down on the nearest table and shaking his head. "I'm here because you were a fool to let yourself get put on this mission."
"I didn't have much choice in the matter," Julian interjected.
"Nonsense!" Garak growled. "With Commander Sisko you had every choice, he'd never force you to go. But of course you had to make it easy for him didn't you, to prove to him and all the rest of you Starfleet buddies just what a little Boy Scout you really are."
"New rule - you cannot use the references I teach you against me!" Julian grouched.
"I only use them because you wouldn't understand Cardassian ones," Garak replied coolly.
"That's not fair," Julian muttered, "you make it sound like we just talk about me and my culture, I'm always interested to learn about Cardassia only you're so bloody reticent about giving me any information about yourself."
"My point was," Garak sighed as if growing weary, "to illustrate just how little you know about Cardassia and its people."
"I know more than most Terrans," Julian replied, feeling indignant. He hadn't waded through those god awful Cardassian epics that Garak had loaned him for nothing.
"And that is not saying much," Garak concluded. "Dukat isn't bringing you to Dirocs to have you corroborate his version of events."
"Then why am I here?" Julian asked, feeling a confused pit of dread rear up in his already sensitive stomach. He'd passive aggressively binged on Tojal stew last night to make up for Garak's silence at the dinner table from Hell.
"To show the Cardassian Central Command that Dukat still has influence over Terok Nor," Garak stated gravely.
"W-what?!" Julian exclaimed, flabbergasted. "But that's insanity, I didn't come on this trip because of him, I came because Commander Sisko asked me to!"
"And Dukat will have asked him, albeit it in a roundabout way," Garak responded. "Manipulation runs in Cardassian veins. Dukat intends to drag you in front of the Cardassian Officials of Dirocs as his 'Starfleet toy', his proposed 'puppet'."
"I - he's going to pretend I'm some sort of..." Julian stumbled over the words, "spy for the Cardassians?"
"Ironic isn't it?" Garak smiled grimly. "That you will assume the role you always mistakenly assigned to me."
"And you knew this?" Julian leapt up, outraged, "and yet you still let me come?!"
"Unlike the Commander I wield no power over you Doctor," Garak replied, his face and tone neutral. "And besides, it was only a suspicion that a man like Dukat would use this opportunity to further prove his power. Posturing and peacocking were the downfall of his father and I very much hope that one day they will be the downfall of him."
"They'll see through it," Julian stated, shaking his head, "The Cardassian officials, they'll see I'm not loyal to Dukat in any way."
"You will meet them only briefly," Garak stated, "and looks count for everything. If Dukat can convince them that he somehow has ownership of you then he will have convinced them of his power within the Starfleet ranks of Terok Nor."
"Oh god," Julian shook his head, feeling sick. "Is that why he's been so creepily nice to me? To make it look like we're close?"
"I can only assume so," Garak nodded curtly. "And you forget I knew Dukat from before, I can assure you he would find claiming 'ownership' over one such as yourself quite, pleasurable."
"I'm sure I don't know what you mean," Julian bit out from gritted teeth, the pool of nausea deep inside him was turning into a whirlpool again.
"Of course it wouldn't necessarily have to be sexual," Garak continued as if explaining the latest piece of literature he was lending the doctor. "Just some kind of dominance would suffice."
"Yes, thank you Garak, I get the picture," Julian snapped, blinking hard and trying to will the images away from his already traumatised mind.
"Now do you understand why I came?" Garak asked, his voice gentle again, his eyes focussed softly on Julian.
"To stop Dukat's political connivings?" Julian suggested before seeing the look on Garak's face. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry Garak - I know why you came now. It was..."
"To protect you," Garak finished in an official sounding voice, "exactly what I promised to both Commander Sisko and Constable Odo. After all my dear Doctor, you are my friend."
"Friends, yes of course," Julian expected some sort of relief to course through him at having re-established his friendship with Garak aboard this lonely and threatening ship. Instead he merely felt an irritated twinge at the back of his mind.
"You know he tried to convince me to be afraid of you," Julian garbled out before Garak could go back to something that might make Julian scream, like reading his book.
"Oh?" Garak raised an amused eye ridge.
"He said...he said that only he could protect me from you," Julian blurted out, not sure what kind of response he was trying to provoke.
"Did he really?" Garak still sounded like he might laugh which was strange considering the circumstances. "And what do you think Doctor? Are you going to rush into his big strong arms the next time I come knocking on your door?"
Julian snorted, causing Garak to grin widely. "Yeah, I don't think that will be happening any time soon."
"So glad to hear it," Garak replied with a twinkle in his eyes as he lifted his book back up.
Julian was going to burn that damn book.
~~~
Julian sat anxiously in his room. They'd been docked at the Dirocs for two hours now and Julian was still confined to his tiny quarters. Garak had left the ship earlier, much to Julian's vocalised dismay.
"You worry too much Doctor," Garak had smiled in that serene way of his, "I'll be perfectly fine."
"If you don't come back in one piece I'm commandeering this ship," Julian had growled.
"Now that," Garak had grinned, "would be a fine sight."
Julian had dreamed about Garak the previous night, although it was the kind of dream that he still couldn't make sense of. Like the puzzles he was so fond of he knew all the pieces were there, he was just somehow afraid of putting them all together. It was being stuck onboard a Cardassian scouting vessel for a week - that was what was driving Julian crazy. There was no relief in the form of Quark's bar, the stoic company of O'Brien or even the teasing winks of Jadzia that had so kept him going in his futile struggle to win her affections.
Julian tried to picture Jadzia now, unzipping her blue science uniform. He sighed lengthily as he lay back down on his cot and began rubbing gently at his own thigh. The Cardassian vessel didn't exactly allow for much privacy, although it loathed him to agree with Dukat. However for the time being only a single Cardassian guard had been left on board and they were up by the main exit. Julian was alone...and what better way to pass the time and take his thoughts off of Garak potentially being in trouble?
Julian rubbed his hand in small comforting circles higher up his thigh until he came to cup his crotch warmly but firmly through his trousers. He massaged his balls as he exhaled deeply, trying to imagine the intricate Trill markings as they cascaded like a waterfall down a curved feminine side. As he squeezed his balls he felt heat rising in his groin, the blood pulsing harder.
Julian reached out his other hand, closing his eyes and imagining caressing the soft smooth skin. However to his surprise his fingers grazed against imaginary plates and ridges, hard instead of soft, rough instead of smooth. Julian gasped and opened his eyes, the room was of course empty.
"Take two," he muttered to himself, shaking his head and closing his eyes again. This time his dream came back to him. A Cardassian form took shape above him, weighing him down. Although the body on top of him, caging him in didn't feel wrong or threatening like being trapped with Dukat in that treatment room had. In fact this weight felt good, warm and right. Like it was something he'd always wanted but never known how to ask for. He clasped at his cock, now swollen almost painfully as it pushed up and tented the fabric of his pyjama trousers.
"Fuck Garak," Julian moaned breathily like a forbidden confession into the stillness of room as he palmed his dick, rubbing at the head with delicious friction. Fuck why had he never realised he was attracted to Garak before? Why did he do these things to himself? Fuck why did he have to make things so complicated?
"Shh," imaginary Garak's calming voice soothed in his ear, "shh, not now."
"Oh god," Julian choked as he imagined it was Garak's nimble and skilled hands that were massaging his cock and balls, that it was Garak's thumb that was rubbing the damp circular patch on his trousers where beads of precome were dribbling out of him in ardent arousal.
He imagined the rough drag of Garak's skin against his own, the Cardassian's warm breath against his neck, their fingers interlocking as Garak pinned him down and took him, thrusted up into him with reckless abandon. Their sweating bodies slipping against each other, seeking purchase on the sheets.
"Garak.." Julian whispered again, he was growing close now, he could feel the white pressure mounting.
"Would you like me to go and get him?"
Julian sprang bolt upright, slamming his head into the bottom of the vacant bunk above as he did so.
"What the HELL are you doing in my room?" Julian spat at a triumphant looking Dukat, who was leaning lazily against the far wall. "How long have you been there?" was Julian's second question,, but no less urgent. He could already feel the stinging pricks of tears in his eyes from where his head was smarting and his mind surged with an oppressive sense of shame.
"Oh not long," Dukat feigned inspecting his manicured fingernails. "Long enough to find what I saw very interesting though."
"Fuck you," Julian snapped, swinging his legs over the bed and getting to his feet, his erection had almost immediately withered and died and Julian was grateful for it. He couldn't have taken that added humiliation to this nightmarish scenario.
"So I was right," Dukat smiled, a horrible calculated smile, "you do enjoy Cardassian company. That could come in handy considering I'm about to take you on board a space station full of Cardassians who haven't had the comforts of home in quite a long while."
"Stay away from me," Julian bit back, torn between wishing that Garak was here and being desperately grateful that the other Cardassian wasn't witnessing Julian's shame.
"I haven't touched you," Dukat's stare went cold. "But you reek like I have and that will suffice."
"No," Julian let out a gasp that was torn between a cry and a protest. He reached frantically for his uniform under a pile of casual clothes - his uniform that would made him feel safe and proud again.
"Oh no need to change," Dukat grinned, "you're perfect just as you are."
Julian looked down to stare miserably at his pyjama trousers and the cream moth-eaten sweater that Garak had asked him not to wear to dinner.
"Let me change," Julian stated, trying to sound as authoritative as Sisko.
"I- Dukat began but then an even icier voice came from the doorway.
"Let him change Dukat."
Julian looked round to see Garak, evidently having just arrived back from his meetings onboard the station. Julian wanted to sob with relief, to run up to Garak and throw his arms around him.
"Fine," Dukat shrugged as if he couldn't care less and stalked towards the door, pausing before he'd fully exited and tilting his head towards Garak. "You know Elim, it's sweet really, I may have been the one here but he was moaning your name."
Garak's eyes immediately jerked away from Julian's and down to his crotch where a wet stain was still incriminatingly flowered across the front. Garak's expression turned into something far darker than Julian had ever seen on him before, it wasn't even anger, it was something Julian couldn't place.
"See you in a moment Doctor," Dukat called back airily, "after you've cleaned yourself up."
Julian blinked astoundedly into the silence of the room. "Whatever you think happened," he began gesturing towards Garak before drawing his hand back despairingly. "Look I didn't know he was there okay?"
Garak's eyes flicked back to Julian's, "you're going to be late Doctor, the council want to see you now. You don't have long to get washed and dressed."
"I won't bother washing," Julian shook his head, what a poor example he'd be of a Starfleet Officer, he was letting everybody back on DS9 down.
"No," Garak replied forcefully. "You need to wash, you smell of..." Garak trailed off as his eyes trailed downwards.
"Jesus!" Julian bit out, feeling embarrassed and exposed and hurrying to grab a towel. He moved to push past Garak towards the shower room but the other man reached out a hand and circled it around Julian's bicep. "I will kill him," Garak said softly, almost too quietly for Julian to know he'd heard it correctly.
"What?" Julian shook his head and looked at Garak's face. The Cardassian was smiling but there was something moving under the surface, something dark and sinister.
"I will kill him if he touched you in a way you did not want," Garak concluded, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.
"No," Julian stumbled backwards as Garak frowned at him. "I mean no - he didn't touch me, not at all. He was just spying on me."
Julian paused before exiting the room, "Don't kill him okay? He's not worth you going to Cardassian prison for or worse."
"Like exile?" Garak asked, clearly amused.
"Only a Cardassian would count exile as worse than life in prison," Julian shook his head fondly.
~~~
"And that's all of what happened," Julian concluded his speech to the Cardassian officials who were sat on high seated positions, looming above him, in the large room onboard Dirocs. The room itself resembled a courtroom despite Dukat's insistence that this was not a trial.
"You see," Dukat stepped forwards with a wide smile that looked almost plastered on. "It's exactly as I told you."
"And you then offered to come here with Gul Dukat?" One of the older looking female officials asked, peering over at Julian who was feeling very small.
"Without a second thought," Dukat announced before Julian could respond. Julian cringed as the Cardassian raised a hand to place on his left should, his fingers stroking the back of Julian's neck.
"Get off me," Julian growled, shrugging the touch away.
"He's nervous," Dukat laughed to some of the appreciative chuckles of the courtroom, "a Starfleet officer out here all by himself."
"I'm not by myself," Julian snapped, "Elim Garak volunteered for this mission also."
"Garak?" A voice crackled across the room with its intensity. Julian looked up to see its owner, an ageing man with a strange black stone brooch on his tunic. He wasn't clothed in military armour but he was sat higher than many of the other Cardassians. "Garak is here?"
"We thought it too insignificant to worthy a mention Tonar," another Cardassian spoke up. "The exile has slipped back here through some diplomatic loophole."
"He's my security," Julian jutted his chin out defiantly at the older man, wondering if judging from the exchanged anxious looks of some of the other Cardassians if he was in fact a member of the Obsidian Order?
"Is he now?" the Cardassian, Tonar asked, his voice grating over Julian's every nerve. "Then why isn't he present?"
"I hardly think - " Dukat began but fell silent under the look Tonar subsequently gave him. Julian could understand, he didn't want to be on the receiving end of that look.
"Summon Elim Garak," Tonar commanded some of the armed Cardassians who were stood by the door.
"Tonar," a thin man in black armour who sat nearly at an equal height to Tonar, began warningly, "it will not do to endow this exile with a voice."
"He has no need of a voice here," Tonar replied firmly, "however diplomatic protocol insists we allow all races to be accompanied by security of their choice." Tonar leaned further over to fix Julian with an assessing stare, "I assume you do choose Garak?"
"Of course," Julian nodded vociferously, enjoying the anger coming off of Dukat in pulsing waves. A moment later the double doors were wedged back open as a surprised looking Garak came wondering in, escorted by two guards.
"Elim Garak," Tonar announced weightily, causing Garak's gaze to jerk momentarily away from Julian and up into the stalls where they fixed on the older man with resolved recognition. Garak, however, merely bowed in reply, as if having anticipated not being allowed to speak. Sisko was right in that respect, it was good having someone here on Julian's side who understood Cardassian customs. Garak walked over to stand beside Julian, placing himself between Dukat and the doctor.
"So," the Cardassian female official continued, holding up a PADD and squinting at it in the dim light, far darker than any room on DS9 would have been, apart from Garak's tailor shop. "I understand Gul Dukat that you and Dr Julian Bashir communicate often?"
"Absolutely," Dukat nodded as Julian exclaimed, "Absolutely not!"
"An understandable reticence given present company," Dukat stated coldly, his eyes flickering towards Garak. "I can assure the Central Command that I have a maintained influence on Terok Nor.
"It's not called that," Julian gritted, feeling his jaw clench with frustration.
"Shh," Garak whispered under his breath, sounding eerily similar to the dream Garak that had shushed Julian for very different reasons that morning. Julian flushed at the thought of it and hoped none of the Cardassians noticed.
"May I remind the exile that he has no voice in this court?" Dukat shouted, throwing his arms out in a pleading gesture to the council.
"He's not talking to you, he's talking to me!" Julian snapped, "I'm allowed counsel aren't I?"
"You are," the woman nodded begrudgingly after a moment's thought.
"Well then I'm choosing Garak as my advisor," Julian huffed.
"And I choose Perikit as mine," Dukat suddenly announced. For some reason a hushed but frantic whisper went up around the room and Garak went very very still.
"Peri- who?" Julian shook his head feeling confused.
"The use of Perikit is forbidden by the Central Command," a large and pompous looking Cardassian official announced with an expression akin to horror.
"Only on Cardassia Prime and all other registered military assets belonging as such," Dukat smiled coldly, "I think you'll find that Dirocs would be exempt, given that it is officially a mining outpost, and a supposedly abandoned one at that."
"What's Perikit?" Julian hissed to a still very frozen Garak.
"A truth serum of sorts," Garak muttered back, "but it's irrelevant as it won't be used on you."
"A truth serum?" Julian laughed. "Is that all? I thought you were on about some Obsidian Order torture device!" Another murmur went around the room as Garak reached out to squeeze Julian's shoulder. "Doctor," he hissed before jerking his hand back. Julian followed Garak's gaze up to where Tonar was watched them with unconcealed interest.
"You mustn't agree to taking a Perikit test," Garak rasped, his voice sounded dry and hoarse, "Dukat will be able to manipulate you into saying things you don't mean."
"Oh believe me, I mean to say the truth," Julian smiled, shaking his head with relief.
"See?" Dukat exclaimed triumphantly, outstretching his hand and pointing towards Julian who ignored the rudeness of the act. "He's even a willing participant."
"No," Garak raised his voice.
"How dare you address your fellow Cardassians as if you were still one of us?" Dukat wheeled furiously on Garak.
"Tonar don't do this," Garak called out, eliciting a gasp at such an improper direct address, and from an exile no less.
Tonar sat indifferently in his high throne-like chair, regarding both Julian and Garak for a moment before nodding curtly, "bring a Perikit administrator."
A chorus of hotly arguing Cardassians ensued.
~~~
"Normally this is the other way round," Julian joked nervously as a Cardassian medic strapped up his arm and prepped a long silver syringe. "So why do Cardassians have to resort to torture if they've got this little trick up their sleeve?" Julian asked Garak who was pacing furiously on the other side of the room. The council members hadn't been called into the small medical room yet, but Julian was sure once they were he would be the centre of attention. The thought made him feel uncomfortable, but at least this way he could finally convince them of his version of events and get the hell out of here with his dignity intact.
"You're a fool," Garak spat venomously, causing Julian to flinch and not from the needle that was now scratching at his skin. "Offering yourself up like some sacrificial meat to those vultures!"
"It's just the truth Garak..." Julian began, feeling confused.
"Just the truth!" Garak let out a high pitched shrill laugh. "The 'truth' my dear doctor has destroyed lives, toppled regimes, been the downfall of even the greatest empires."
"Well this 'truth' is just going to expose Dukat for the creepy bastard he really is," Julian nodded with certainty.
"Your naivety really is insufferable Doctor," Garak snapped, turning away and beginning to pace again. "Oh and the reason why we don't use Perikit is because only 50ml of the fluid remains in existence, and that in itself belongs to individuals scattered across the empire, selling it for extortionate profits. Dukat's family owned exactly 2ml, or at least they did half an hour ago," Garak narrowed his eyes at Julian's arm where the empty syringe was now being extracted.
"And he's wasting it on me?" Julian exclaimed incredulously.
"For him it's not a waste," Garak sighed, "the loss of Terok Nor is the biggest blemish of Dukat's career, it's what he perceives to be holding him back on the career ladder he so desperately wants to climb. Proving he still has influence on high ranking Starfleet officers there would evaporate the doubt that hangs over his head when he stands in front of the Central Command and demands promotion," Garak explained, running a scaled hand over slicked back black hair.
"But surely he knows this won't work?" Julian frowned, the skin between his eyebrows creasing. "The truth will just expose his lies?"
"He hardly plans for you to be telling the truth," Garak snapped, "only the parts of it he wants you to."
"I - Julian began but was quickly cut off as the door swung open.
"Is he ready?" Tonar asked, striding into the room and looking far bigger and older than he had done up on his high seat in the court room. "I must say I haven't seen the exciting effects of Perikit for quite some time now. You kept it quite secret that your family still possessed a little stash Gul Dukat."
"Oh I'm sure nothing's a secret from you Tonar," Dukat smiled grimly as he strode into the room and moved to attach restraining straps to Julian's wrists.
"What the hell?!" Julian cried, lurching forwards to strain against the straps.
"It's a precaution dear boy," Tonar smiled as if he was finding the whole spectacle thoroughly entertaining, "some humanoid species become rather aggressive whilst on Perikit."
"You know that could just be because you've strapped them down and injected them against their will," Julian huffed.
"Perhaps," Tonar agreed with the kind of wink you might expect to receive from a friendly aging grandpa or uncle. "But like I said Terran, it's a precaution."
"Because I'm sure you couldn't all overpower me if you wanted to," Julian sighed, slumping back down and surveying the room full of Cardassians. Suddenly this whole idea was feeling like a bad one. He looked for Garak in the crowd but to his dismay couldn't locate him.
"Standardised test questions to begin with I think," Tonar smiled, "forgive me my friends if I seem to be taking charge, the role of inquisitor seems to still be ingrained within me."
Julian frowned and wondered what 'inquisitor' was really a euphemism for. Suddenly Julian felt himself slipping into sleep, blinking his eyes open a split second later in panic, it was like a hazy film had come over his mind and now settled there. The Perikit had obviously kicked in and judging from the answers he gave to Dukat's unsurprisingly invasive 'standardised' questions the formula was clearly working.
"Really? Not until you were twenty?" Dukat smiled predatorily as a pointed cough came from across the room. Garak was stepping forwards, "I know I have no voice here," Garak began, a benign smile plastered across his face, "but if I may counsel my crewmate," he gestured to Julian, "I would say that the standardised questions are over and we should perhaps get on with it."
Dukat narrowed his eyes coldly at Garak before turning to Tonar who was still staring at Julian like he was a new toy. "What?" Tonar asked distractedly. "Oh yes - get on with it Dukat. I'm interested to hear this Terran's 'truth'."
"Remember Doctor," Dukat stated seriously, "you may only answer my questions, nothing else."
"That's abs-" Julian had been going to protest that that was absurd but he fell quiet under the quelling glares of eleven Cardassians, Garak included.
"So Doctor Julian Bashir," Dukat rubbed his fingers together thoughtfully as if he were pondering what to ask, although Julian could guess that the other man had already planned this all out. He really needed to listen more to Garak's advice in the future.
"Tell the gathered Command members my name."
"W-what?" Julian stammered feeling very lost.
"My name Julian," Dukat smiled banally, "really you'd think this would be an easy question." Several of the other Cardassians chuckled, including the imperious looking plump Command official and Tonar. Garak, however, remained silent and still, his gaze not straying from Julian.
"It's Gul Dukat," Julian stated loudly, he'd half wanted to say it was 'dickface' or something similar just to see everybody's reaction but he very much doubted the serum would let him do that.
"Wonderful," Dukat smiled broadly, revealing his white rows of teeth as he did so. "So you can see I've already established our familiarity," he raised his eye ridges pointedly at a nearby scribe who was hurriedly tapping everything down on a PADD.
Julian rolled his own eyes, he wanted to yell that that was ridiculous and didn't mean anything but Garak's expression made him reconsider. He really needed to stop making things difficult for himself.
"Julian would you please tell the council about my scar?" Dukat suddenly asked disarmingly, knocking Julian for six.
"What?" Julian exclaimed, feeling dismay bubbling up inside him.
"You know the one," Dukat laughed in an almost affectionate tone, "the one that still gives me some trouble in the cold so I ask you to warm it up for me?"
'NO', Julian wanted to scream but for some reason the serum wouldn't let him and he knew why. Dukat was manipulating the truth, sure everything he was saying was the truth but it was a horribly mutated version of it, a farce of the real series of events that the Cardassian Gul was referring to.
"Have I said anything you don't know to be true?" Dukat enquired, holding his hand against his chest in feigned concern.
"I don't think that scar really hurts you that much!" Julian blurted out, cursing himself as he did so. Several of the Cardassians gasped, one even let out a chuckle. Julian had just inadvertently confirmed everything Dukat said.
"We have our quarrels," Dukat laughed, rolling his eyes dramatically at the assembled Cardassians. "But Julian won't you explain where it is?"
Julian looked over desperately at Garak, but the other man had finally stopped looking at him and was now staring at Dukat with such savage intensity that Julian half wondered if Garak wouldn't leap across the bed right there and then and tear the other Cardassian's head off, even if he did stand nearly half a foot taller than the tailor.
"It's on your chest," Julian muttered, straining his wrists painfully against the leather restraints that he now realised Dukat had put on him to stop him running away and spoiling the show. God it was a wonder they weren't handing out popcorn and corn dogs to the members of the Cardassian audience. They certainly looked like they were enjoying themselves, to see a member of Starfleet tied up and humiliated like this. And what made matters worse was that Julian had actually volunteered himself for this farce.
You're a fool.
Garak's contemptuous sounding voice played in his head.
"And how do you know it's on my chest?" Dukat asked cheerily.
"I've seen it," Julian gritted out, refusing to look at any of the Cardassians and instead down at his own hands, starting to go red and raw from being tied up like a sacrificial lamb. "When you undressed in front of me for the first time," the words came tumbling out of him like horrible unguarded secrets, spelling out completely the wrong scene.
"But -" he began but it was too late, Dukat had already pressed a cold scaly finger over Julian's mouth to silence him. The Gul, however let out a squawk of blustered indignation only milliseconds later as his arm was knocked forcefully away by Garak, who'd now moved even closed to when Julian was half sitting, half lying.
"Did you see that?" Dukat announced, wheeling on the other Cardassians. "The exile's impudence at striking a superior!"
Tonar sucked in air between his teeth as he gave Garak a strange look. "I'll allow it, this once. No physical touch should be necessary during Perikit interrogation - you know that Dukat."
Dukat sniffed and straightened himself up looking peeved but continued on regardless. "Julian from now on I really must insist on my right as interrogator to dictate the form of your answers."
Dukat turned to Tonar as if having asked permission for something before Tonar nodded abruptly. "Good," Dukat smiled widely, "then we're all agreed, from now on you shall only be allowed to respond with a simple 'yes' or a 'no'. Do you understand?"
Julian opened his mouth angrily before remembering that the faster he could make this nightmare go away, the faster he could get back to the relative safety and comforts of DS9.
"Yes," he replied dully, his face taking on what he hoped to be a sour expression, visually voicing his discontent with the whole ridiculously contrived affair.
"So Doctor," Dukat let out a long breath of contentment. "Have you ever touched me - skin to skin?"
"Y-yes," Julian stumbled over the words before he could rein them in. He knew how skin contact was viewed by Cardassians and it was the vestiges of something far more familiar than he had with Dukat.
"Have we dined together on multiple occasions?" Dukat asked breezily as Julian nodded and stated "Yes" again miserably. The absolute Cardassian fucker - he'd planned all of this from the start, he'd known he'd use that Perikit and be able to convince the Command of anything. So long as Dukat could show the gathered officials that the relationship he had with Julian was something like he was inferring that he could prove to them he had an 'in' on DS9. There weren't many officers that ranked highly enough to be in the Operations Centre on a regular basis, or be trusted with Commander's Sisko's confidence, but Julian was one of them. Julian wanted to scream or shout, to tug at his bindings and tell the Cardassians what he really thought of them.
"Have you ever touched yourself intimately in front of me?" Dukat asked without warning, leaving Julian gaping at him along with half the room.
"Y-you-" Julian began, feeling treacherous pin pricks of tears building up behind his eyes. He was a grown Starfleet officer, he would not cry in front of a room full of Cardassians who would probably revel in it.
"Answer the question," Dukat sing-songed in a voice that indicated he knew he had won. "Have you ever pleasured yourself sexually whilst I watched."
"Enough," Garak snapped, bringing his fist down to slam against the metal chair Julian was imprisoned on, making everybody in the room jump. "This is obscene!" Garak spat, turning to the gathered Cardassians, "Look at yourselves! It's disgusting."
"Garak you have not been allowed to speak," Tonar spoke up, his voice a friendly sounding reminder as if Garak was an old friend who'd left his wallet behind at the bar. However the older man's eyes revealed his true nature and they were full of cold, hard malice.
"You should be ashamed of yourself," Garak spoke now to Dukat, ignoring Tonar, which Julian guessed was something men did at their peril.
"Garak may I remind you he agreed to this," Dukat drawled lazily, although he seemed unperturbed by the other Cardassian's latest outburst, in fact he looked rather amused. Julian guessed the Gul felt he had little to lose now he'd already triumphed in exposing Julian's dirty little 'truths'.
"Oh please," Garak laughed hysterically, "he had no idea what a Perikit entailed. How was he to know it was nothing more than a mockery? No wonder it's been banned nearly everywhere."
"And yet here it still stands as legal," Dukat stated firmly, leaning towards the scribe as if to make sure she got that important point down.
"You're not in some kind of sordid relationship with this Starfleet Officer!" Garak exclaimed. "At least not one that he's been made aware of -"
"ELIM," Tonar's voice echoed through the room, chilling everyone to the spine. "As I said before, your voice is not welcome here, if you continue to defy me you will be removed."
Julian shuddered as he read the undertones of the statement and realised 'removed' meant far more than the man was bothering to say outright.
"Garak," Julian croaked, reaching out a restrained hand to clutch at his friend's sleeve, "please stop. You'll only make more trouble for us. I just want to go home."
"Well quite frankly Gul Dukat I want to congratulate you on your nice little conquest here," one of the Cardassian officials that hadn't spoken yet announced in a gleeful tone.
Oh yes, Julian was sure they were all very amused at a Cardassian's 'ownership' and 'domination' of some little Starfleet officer.
"You should have heard him," Dukat laughed along with the others, "moaning in that Terran way of his - a Cardassian name so foreignly accented on his pink little tongue."
But that was it, that was all Julian needed, Dukat had pushed his 'posturing and peacocking', as Garak had once called it, too far.
"Not yours," Julian spat out venomously. It had the desired effect, the room fell awkwardly silent. Only Garak made a small gasping sound.
"Excuse me?" the female Cardassian pushed forwards, her eyes narrowing at Julian.
"I wasn't moaning his name," Julian gritted, sensing his chance whilst Dukat had been forced into stunned silence. "I didn't even know he was there!"
"The Perikit is obviously wearing off," Dukat announced, sounding bored, but there was a vein of tension running through his voice.
"Oh I very much doubt that," Garak stated, his eyes aflame but not looking at Julian.
"I think I will ask some of the questions from now on," the woman announced. My name is Ambassador Medjel."
Julian half wondered if she'd been invited to the ball next week? The thought seemed so comically ridiculous given his current predicament.
"You are Doctor Julian Bashir of the Bajoran space station Deep Space Nine?" Medjel asked, taking centre stage at the foot of Julian's oddly sloped chair, if you could call the contraption as such.
"Yes," Julian replied, steeling himself.
"And you are not in any kind of relationship with this man?" she pointed to Dukat, eliciting a grunt of offense, although the stern looking ambassador didn't seem to care.
"No of course not!" Julian shook his head as well as if for extra emphasis. "I loathe him."
"But you admit to - certain intimacy with him?" Medjel asked, wrinkling up her nose as if the whole thing was rather distasteful. Julian noticed she'd been one of the few not to find his answers amusing.
"Not like that," Julian cried out, "nothing intimate. When he was topless it was because he tricked me. The dinners were just official business - Garak was there too, you can ask him!"
"I will," Medjel nodded, flicking her eyes momentarily and suspiciously to Garak. "And what about...the alleged..."
"I was jerking off," Julian barked, suddenly furious at the whole Cardassian race for putting him in this ridiculous situation where he had to discuss his masturbatory habits whilst under truth serum. "I don't know about you Cardassians but it's something Terrans do sometimes to relieve tension or stress or to give pleasure."
Maybe some of you should try it, he half wanted to add under his breath.
"I'm aware of the practice," Medjel stated and for the first time Julian could swear he saw a flicker of amusement in her blue eyes. "Are you saying you didn't engage in this act with Gul Dukat?"
"NO," Julian shook his head, feeling like he might throw up. "My door on the ship didn't have a lock. Dukat just came in and I didn't see him - my eyes were closed," Julian added feeling embarrassed, if it was even possible to feel more embarrassed than he already did.
"Nonsense," Dukat snapped, "he knew I was there, he was going on about a Cardassian scales, positively moaning about them."
"I wouldn't want your scales anywhere near me mate," Julian spat, causing a couple of the other Cardassians to let out tittering laughs that somehow no longer felt like they were at his expense.
"Whose name?"
"What?" Julian looked over to see Tonar eyeing him curiously.
"Who's name were you saying then - if not Dukat's?"
"Is this really necessary?" Medjel sighed, folding her arms across her chest as if she was very used to her colleague's 'quirks'.
"Garak's" Julian replied before he could stop himself. This was the moment when time seemed to stop, all the other horrible experiences he'd had on this mission from Hell, this, this was the one that made his blood stop flowing and his heart stop beating.
"You are in a relationship with the exile Elim Garak?" Medjel asked, looking surprised.
"No," Julian replied, his heart falling as he realised this was indeed the truthful answer, the serum wouldn't have allowed otherwise. "We're just friends, I just..."
want him to hold me in his arms and whisper sweet nothings into my ear forever? Smile at me in that disarming way of his and let me know that it's only for me? Laugh at my dumb jokes across the table at the restaurants of the Promenade? Bend me over and take me like the animal I know he can be?
"...like him," Julian finished lamely but truthfully. At least now the Perikit had worn off enough for him to have some semblance of control over his own answers.
"I implore the council to draw an end to these proceedings now," Garak's warm and reassuring voice melted over Julian like a much needed balm. A strong but gentle handle on his shoulder, the other reaching out to undo the restraints without waiting for permission.
"Agreed," Ambassador Medjel nodded, seemingly not taking offence at Garak's address. "We know well enough now to realise our time has been wasted." She looked sharply across at Dukat who seemed to wither under her glare.
"How interesting," Tonar announced to Julian's confusion. The older man was rubbing his hands together, his eyes narrowed at Garak who was busying himself with tending to the sores on Julian's wrists. "I will bear this in mind," the Cardassian added cryptically before sweeping out of the room, his long robes sashaying behind him.
Soon, one by one the room emptied of Cardassians until only Garak was left. At some point Dukat must have left but Julian hadn't noticed. He hoped the Gul had slunk out like a beaten dog, tail between his legs. Or maybe Julian just wanted to kick him between the legs, either would have sufficed.
"Garak I -" Julian began but the Cardassian hushed him.
"Not now dear Doctor," Garak smiled, but it seemed tight and tired. "We really must see if we can enlist transport back home to Deep Space Nine."
"You called it 'home' - and you called it by its name," Julian smiled.
"Yes, well," Garak huffed, "unlike you Doctor I don't need a heavy dose of Perikit to state the obvious."
~~~
Julian slept through the first two days of the way home on a passing Dosi frater. Occasionally he was awake enough to register a familiar Cardassian shape standing in the doorway, checking on him. "Go back to sleep Julian," the voice had urged him, but that couldn't be right because Garak never called him 'Julian'.
On the third day Julian awoke with a massive thirst, stumbling over to the replicator to find it predictably malfunctioning. Julian was starting to think life enjoyed playing these little tricks on him. Instead he slipped on some socks and exited his room to go in search of another replicator.
"I've asked you before not to wear those clothes in public," Garak sighed without looking up from his PADD in the main common room of the ship, he was surrounded by a sea of laughing and gambling Dosi who looked more like pirates than respectable traders. Julian grinned sheepishly, pulling his cream jumper up to cover his collar bone.
"It's most unseemly," Garak continued, "for a respectable doctor of your standing to go around in such unbecoming moth-eaten rags."
"Oh is that why?" Julian asked, raising his eyebrow bemusedly as he slumped down into a seat next to Garak and reached out eagerly for the tall glass of blue liquid in front of him.
"This isn't alcoholic is it?" Julian frowned at the beverage.
"No, it's some sort of root juice from the Dosi home world in the Gamma Quadrant," Garak stated informatively as Julian began to gulp it down, spilling some down his top in his hurry to do so.
"If possible you've made yourself look like more of a mess," Garak huffed disparagingly, although Julian could sense the fondness in his voice.
"Hey Garak," Julian hiccoughed and wiped his now stained blue lips with the back of his hand. "I've been wanting to talk to you about what I said when I was on the Perikit."
"No," Garak shook his head firmly, "of course I'm not objecting to you talking to me Julian,"
Julian
"but I don't want to hear another word about that hideous ordeal you were subjected to. Unless of course," Garak looked up with an expression of what Julian had learned was concern, even though to other people it might resemble anger, "unless you feel like you need to talk anything through. I've heard Terrans sometimes do that after, traumatic, events."
Julian smiled appreciatively at his friend, at least he hadn't lost Garak's friendship for all his foolish mistakes. "It's not really that, it's just, I know I said some things about you that must have made for awkward listening," Julian shifted uncomfortably in his seat, noticing that several Dosi eyes were now watching him with beaded interest. Who was this Terran who kept the company of Cardassians?
"I've never felt awkward when in your company," Garak stated softly, kindly. Julian's heart fell, surely this was the other man's way of letting him down gently. Perhaps he'd chuckle and comment on how naive and young Julian was, like he so often did. Perhaps he'd simply explain to Julian, that while flattering, he just didn't feel that way. Julian at least felt reassured that if the response had been going to be disgust then it would have come already. No, Garak was too much of a gentleman to react in any way that would cause Julian obvious distress.
"But unlike Dukat," Garak began, causing Julian to shiver, a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by the other man who paused for a moment. "I am not prone to varied and frequent conquests of an intimate nature."
"Oh," Julian replied, he hadn't been expecting that.
"You see Doctor," Garak sighed as he stood up and gestured for Julian to do the same, leading them away from the prying eyes and pricked ears of the common room and out down a winding corridor. "I understand what being alone on an unfriendly Cardassian scouting ship might do to a young Terran such as yourself. And I, being the only familiar and dare I say it, friendly, face there..."
"Oh!" Julian remarked again, although this time more brightly, "You think I was fantasising about you because there was no one else around?"
Garak made a low guttural sound, almost like a growl as he took hold of Julian's arm and marched them into the shared bunk room, closing the door behind him.
"Hey," Julian smiled weakly, "you told me to never let myself get locked in a room with a Cardassian remember?"
"I told you never to get locked in a room with Dukat," Garak half spat the name with thinly veiled distain. "I will always let you leave, if that's what you want," he gestured openly towards the door, stepping aside to clear a path for Julian.
"No, of course not," Julian shook his head sheepishly, feeling silly for even having brought it up.
"Do you," Garak looked frustrated now as he began to pace the room. 'Oh dear', thought Julian, a pacing Garak was never a good sign. Julian sat down quietly on the lower bunk and watched the other man walking purposefully up and down the small space. "Do you have any idea how hard this has been for me?" Garak snapped finally, finishing his sentence.
"Well the last two weeks haven't exactly been a breeze for me either!" Julian exclaimed, finding this all a little unfair.
"I'm talking about the last two years!" Garak shouted, making Julian fall silent, the pacing having stopped. "From the moment I first talked to you," Garak breathed heavily, running his hand down his face which looked paler than usual, "I wanted you. I could barely keep myself from touching you even then, claiming you in some way."
Julian absently remembered the first heavy press of a Cardassian hand on his shoulder all that time ago on the Promenade. It had seemed like it had meant something at the time but after much tossing and turning Julian had simply dismissed the gesture.
"I have watched you throw yourself at the feet of beautiful women for years," Garak stared upwards at the ceiling as if it might offer him some support during this trying time. "I've even given you advice on them - tried to help you because I thought it might make you happy."
Julian swallowed hard, his Adam's Apple sliding painfully in his constricting throat.
"When I realised that the counter insurgency programme had been activated my first and only thought was to get to you," Garak continued, "I knew some hidden weapons had been installed on in the Operations Room and I'd heard from Odo that that's where you were."
"It was in the replicator," Julian offered lamely, "the disrupter appeared there and you protected me, you shielded me."
"And I would have done so even if my DNA had not excluded me from its rays," Garak noted solemnly, making Julian's heart skip a beat. "As for when I heard you'd been asked to go on this preposterous sham of a mission to Dirocs with Dukat on your own," Garak shook his head as if he was being faced with complete insanity, perhaps that is how he'd felt Julian wondered. "I knew Sisko wouldn't listen to the warnings of a washed up Cardassian spy," Garak stated miserably, "I knew I wouldn't even be able to convince you not to go. All I could do was beg your Starfleet Commander to let me accompany you due to my knowledge of Cardassian culture."
"Dukat wasn't pleased," Julian noted miserably.
"He was furious," Garak laughed joylessly, "and that made me all the more convinced I'd done the right thing in insisting I come with you. I saw the way he looked at you, as if he just wanted to use you."
Julian shuddered instinctively, causing Garak to look at him with an expression of momentary surprise before standing up and walking over to join Julian on the bed. The two men sat side by side, millimetres apart but not touching.
"Sometimes at dinner I wanted to jump across the table and physically stop you from talking, or chewing on your lips, or playing with your collars," Garak sighed sorrowfully. "You just couldn't see it - the way that wretch of a Gul was looking at you as if he were more hungry for you than the food on his plate." Garak paused, sitting up straighter, "But I knew you wouldn't let me kill him, I knew the diplomatic incident for your Starfleet would be too great, but gods I wanted to. I wanted to creep into his room at night and slit his throat open whist he watched and knew it was me."
"Garak," Julian gasped.
"I nearly killed him again when I found the two of you together in that locked treatment room," Garak's voice tripped, leaving him to clear his throat with a rumble that Julian could feel resonating through his own chest. "The way he looked at you, as if he'd marked you somehow, even though it was clearly all in his warped mind," Garak rasped. Julian could feel heat rising off of him, the other man was clearly getting wound up.
"Garak," Julian whispered softly, "don't do this."
"He didn't even try to hide his sick arousal at your fear," Garak continued, ignoring Julian's protests. Julian himself hadn't noticed any obvious signs of arousal at the time, but he guessed Cardassian physiology was another area he'd trust Garak on.
"I didn't fully understand what had happened in your room when I found Dukat in there," Garak pressed on, more hurriedly now as if he was afraid of Julian walking away or telling him to stop again. "But I knew he was trying to taunt me by telling me you'd said my name. I figured it was another one of his devious mind tricks and all I cared about was confirming that you were okay," Garak stopped finally for a sharp intake of breath. "But then when you were forced to admit it during the Perikit interrogation," Garak growled again, deep, low and full of savagery. "I wanted to kill them all for making you do that. For wrenching that secret from you when it was meant to be yours to give or keep as you chose."
"You.." Julian hesitated, "you weren't angry that I wanted...that I want you in that way?"
"My dear Julian!" Garak exclaimed, suddenly turning to him with wide, disbelieving eyes. "Have you not been listening to a word I've been saying?"
Julian swallowed hard, forcing himself to match Garak's stare.
"If it had been purely up to what I wanted I would have laid claim to you the day I met you," Garak continued as if he'd never felt nerves or the fear of shame in his entire life. "And I would have done it again every day since."
"Garak," Julian murmured, he felt hot and shaky, shivers racking his body.
"Are you okay?" Garak narrowed his eyes and brought up his hands to rub up and down Julian's spasming arms. Julian couldn't help the sigh of relief as he surrendered his unstable body to Garak's solid and unwavering touch. He seemed almost to melt into the other man. "I am now," Julian whispered into the stillness of the room.
"We don't have to do anything tonight," the words were spoken kindly but they were laced with wild promise as Garak leaned forwards to rasp into the shell of Julian's ear.
"I think," Julian chewed on his lip nervously, "I know I really want to."
Without a moment's warning Julian was pushed roughly back onto the mattress, he was flat on his back staring up at a ravenous looking Garak.
"Garak!" Julian exclaimed a little indignantly but he was laughing.
"Yes Julian?" Garak growled, a deep rumbling noise that vibrated across Julian's entire body and silenced any retort on his lips. "Now," Garak murmured, fingering Julian's cream sweater between his scaled fingertips, "I've asked you time and time again not to wear this haven't I?"
Julian grinned, "but what if it's just the two of us?"
Garak drew in closer to Julian's face, Julian could feel his sweet warm breath huffing over him. As a doctor he also immediately noticed Garak's dilated pupils, the quickened thrum of his pulse - oh yes, Garak was just as affected as he was by this.
"If it's just the two of us I'm afraid I'm still going to have to request its removal," Garak grinned, a wide expression imbued with filthy promises.
Julian didn't waste time in replying or arguing, instead he wriggled up from in between Garak's strong thighs and started to strip, pulling off his sweater so hastily that it got caught around his ears. He could hear Garak laughing but he didn't mind, it was an affectionate, fond sound.
"What about you?" Julian panted, reaching out to stroke Garak's fine silk tunic. Garak reached for his buttons before hesitating momentarily.
"What is it?" Julian frowned.
"My dear boy, it just occurred to me that perhaps you aren't sure what lies underneath my clothes. I didn't want it to come as a shock to you."
Julian snorted and batted at Garak's shoulder, "thanks but I've seen a naked man before."
"A Cardassian man?" Garak continued curiously, Julian barely suppressed a smile at the thinly concealed jealousy in Garak's voice. Normally the Cardassian was far better at hiding his emotions.
"No," Julian shrugged, not wanting to remind Garak of the time Dukat went topless in front of him, besides the other man hadn't been completely naked. "But I know Cardassian physiology from medical textbooks, you're not all that different to us. You lack the redundant mammalian nipples that us Terran males have - oh!"
Julian took a sharp intake of breath as Garak reached out to trace lightly around his areola before gently rolling the bud of his left nipple between the pads of his fingers. Suddenly without warning Garak gave him a small tight squeeze leaving Julian to swear and jerk back. "Hey!" he protested weakly but realising there was no way he could hide the immediate swelling of his cock.
"An interesting reaction to pain," Garak noted with a raised eye ridge and a smug smile as his gaze flickered briefly downwards.
"You - you have scales down you back and ridges across your front and no -" Julian cleared his throat, "no pubic hair."
"Ah, yes," Garak sighed, trailing his hand lower down Julian's tanned torso until he reached the trimmed nest of dark curls. The Cardassian threaded his fingers through the ringletted hair dipping and swirling. Julian tried to arch up on the bed but Garak's hand refused to go lower, to where Julian really needed it.
His dick was fully hard now, throbbing and painfully erect. The dark skin had turned shiny with the taut stretch and the head was glistening with pearls of precome. A sticky line led from the tip to the hair above his cock. It was this silken strand of precome that Garak's fingers flicked through, coating the grey scales of the back of his hand. Julian gaped as Garak promptly abandoned his pubic hair to bring his hand up to his mouth where he licked a thick stripe, devouring the liquid hungrily.
"Fuck that's hot," Julian moaned, writhing to try and get closer as Garak's other hand stayed him where he was, flat against his chest.
"You taste like salt," Garak commented thoughtfully, as if critiquing a new dish on offer at the Replimat. "Most peculiar."
"What do you taste like?" Julian swallowed thickly.
"Oh I'm sure you'll find out," Garak smirked, reaching down to start unbuttoning and shedding himself of his tunic.
It was so strange to see Garak out of his clothes, the carefully embroidered shirts Julian had gotten so used to associating with the other man. Julian regarded Garak's now naked upper body, those tunics had certainly been doing the job of making Garak look like a 'plain and simple tailor'. Underneath the rich fabrics was solid muscle and deep ridges. His body looked older than Julian's, which was hardly surprising and there was a weathered maturity to the greyed skin. But Garak's sheer physical mass was a pleasant surprise that had Julian salivating already.
"Another difference," Julian stated, his throat feeling dry and like sandpaper as Garak stood up to start pulling down his pants, "is the genitalia."
"Oh?" Garak enquired with a small smile that gave nothing away. Julian let out a huffed laugh, as if the other man hadn't already gotten an enlightening eyeful of Julian's own cock and balls.
"Well ours is always on the outside," Julian continued, "exposed."
"Vulnerable," Garak amended, his eyes flicking dangerously to Julian's erection which was now curving towards his belly, straining for attention and touch.
"Whereas yours is sheathed inside," Julian commented, "only coming out for intercourse or sexual plea- fuck..." Julian breathed out between his teeth making a hissing sound as Garak finally de-robed. Evidently Garak's body was plenty on board with Julian's physical assessment as his thick pink member had already slid halfway out the other man's sheath, grey ridges on either side.
"Fuck it's huge," Julian gulped, "how do you walk?"
"By not having it hanging inconveniently between my legs," Garak replied, sounding considerably amused by Julian's flattering reaction.
"Go," Julian swallowed, before steadying himself to make his voice firm and determined, "go slowly okay?"
Garak looked up at him with such genuine affection and serious concern that Julian knew it would be okay. "I wouldn't dream of hurting you," Garak breathed quietly, but loud enough to make sure Julian heard and understood the gravity of his words, his promise for more than just tonight.
"I need, we need lube," Julian stated.
"Always in such a hurry aren't we Doctor?" Garak laughed.
"I know," Julian admitted, half apologetically, cringing at his own urgency. "But just, just right now I really want you to be inside me."
Garak stared at him for a second, looking more undone that Julian had ever seen the other man.
"It's broken," Julian told Garak as the Cardassian walked towards the replicator.
"No," Garak shook his head, "it's just combination locked to stop guests using up the resources."
He returned with a small pot of translucent oil, handing it expectantly to Julian.
"You want me to slick you up?" Julian asked, his eyes widening.
"Is that insulting in Terran culture?" Garak responded, looking momentarily abashed.
"No!" Julian exclaimed with a smile, leaning forwards just to take the tip of Garak's pulsing red cock in his mouth. There was a burst of crystallised sweetness on Julian's lips that had him thrusting his head forwards for more. Garak's dick slid into his mouth, filling him up so Julian's cheeks were stretched and stinging around him. Julian felt his eyes start to water and yet still there was more of that sweet tang that his tongue craved. He felt Garak's fingers stroke through his hair, grabbing handfuls of it and gently pulling.
Julian brought his hands up to caress Garak's scaled hips, his short and bitten fingernails digging in as a heady musk of arousal swirled densely across Julian's vision.
"Enough," Garak commanded, but he sounded desperate and his mouth was letting small gasping breaths escape. He drew Julian's head back with a gentle tug, staring down at him with glazed eyes and parted lips.
Julian clambered back on the sheets, his hand slipping on a sticky pool of his own dribbled arousal.
"I'd like to watch you, if that's okay?" Garak asked, climbing across to him.
"Yeah," Julian nodded, "I'd prefer that, I won't turn round."
"It might hurt," Garak whispered, his hand disappearing from where it was stroking Julian's cheek tenderly. Julian let out an unbridled gasp a moment later as he felt a thick strong finger touch tentatively at his puckered opening. The finger pushed in, already slathered with the lubricating oil which appeared to be self-heating.
Before Julian could register it Garak had three fingers in him and was pumping mercilessly, the Cardassian's other hand holding on to, and undoubtedly bruising the pert globes of Julian's ass.
"Fuck, like that, harder, fuck, give it to me!" Julian cried wantonly as he writhed and thrashed on the sheets. Garak was leaning above him, his normally polished black hair falling forwards out of place, his mouth hanging open and his gaze fixed intently on Julian's own.
"Fuck I want more!" Julian groaned, turning to one side and panting wetly into the abused pillow. "Please Garak..."
Garak's fingers slid out without warning, leaving Julian arching up off the bed, his spine aching as he moaned at the newfound emptiness in his ass that was begging to be filled up.
"Stop thrashing about," Garak ordered a moment later, putting a steadying palm flat on Julian's contracting abdomen, "be a good boy for me, I know what you need."
"Your fucking cock..." Julian groaned, trying his best to comply.
"Julian," Garak growled, leaning down and rasping into Julian's ear hotly, "I regret I'm no longer the youngest of men and if you would like this to last more than a minute I suggest you try to help me out here. It's been quite some while for me and you're being a little, how shall I put this, too perfect?"
Julian let out a triumphant laugh, that was probably the most honestly raw thing Garak had ever confided in him. "Fuck that," he grinned, "you're going to have to keep up with me old man."
Garak let out an angry roar that sent shivers down Julian's body, causing him to tense up so when Garak finally jerked forward and plunged himself into Julian's ass the burn around his rim flared up with sizzling heat.
"FUCK!" Julian cried, not caring who on the ship heard them as Garak began to pound him with reckless abandon.
"Not hurting you am I?" Garak grunted, slowing down for just a fraction, albeit a fraction that Julian knew was killing both of them.
"Don't fucking stop," Julian gritted, pawing desperately at Garak's shoulders as if to pull him further into Julian's own tight wet heat. Julian could feel his inexperienced ass fluttering and convulsing around Garak's throbbing member, straining to accommodate him but loving every second of it.
"Oh my beautiful young man," Garak groaned, the strain in his voice evident as Julian mewled in reply.
"Shit you're strong," Julian whimpered as Garak's body showed no sign of slowing, despite what the other man had pointed out about his age. Garak's hips pistoned like some kind of steam engine, thrusting him deeper and harder into Julian's clenching hole.
Garak leaned forward, pressing their bodies closer together and trapping Julian's erect but neglected cock between them.
"Shit fuck," Julian gasped at the rough friction of his own silky smooth abdomen providing contrast to Garak's rough hard scales. Suddenly, although Julian hadn't thought it possible, Garak began to speed up, his thrusts becoming more urgent and erratic. Julian responded eagerly, bouncing his own bruised hips against the Cardassian's steel body like a wanton little slut begging to be fucked and filled.
"Mmmph, I'm gonna come, I can't - shit Garak..." Julian moaned noisily as thick lashings of come spurted out of him, coating both him and Garak in heated wetness. Julian felt him black out for a moment of spent pleasure, he went limp as Garak continued to thrust and growl, suddenly going rigid and strained with another roar. Julian could feel Garak paint the inside of his ass with come, gallons of it judging by the swell. Julian could feel it leaking out of his ass and dribbling down his thighs.
Julian took a long shuddering breath as Garak's cock continued to spurt inside him, claiming and marking him.
"N-not bad for an old man," Julian said finally with a shaky laugh, his whole body was trembling with the aftershocks of his orgasm and as he lay his forearm across his face he could feel he was drenched in sweat.
The responding growl made Julian smile as Garak nuzzled affectionately at his neck, nipping his earlobe.
"But Garak," Julian paused, biting on his lip, "I've got to ask - what do you reckon your refractory period is?"
"You're going to regret asking that," Garak's voice was back to being controlled, sliding over Julian and causing him to turn to regard the Cardassian's mischievous and lewd grin.
Julian gulped.
~~~
~~~~ The Ambassador's Ball ~~~~
"I mean can you believe they used to run this place? Those Cardassians? Lizard creatures with those hard scales and harder hearts." The human woman tossed her long blonde hair and took a sip from her champagne glass.
"They're terribly savage creatures," a dark haired man agreed, nodding.
"He's talking about me in bed by the way," Garak announced to Julian with a dirty grin as they skirted past the onlookers and made a beeline towards a smiling, waving Jadzia.
"How are you not furious?" Julian snapped, his own face blotchy with rage, how dare this nobody from Starfleet come to their station and start throwing around insults about an entire race?
Garak sighed and patted Julian's arm reassuringly, "Oh let them think what they want, Commander Sisko's happy - we're a shining example of interspecies diplomacy."
"Diplomacy?" Julian felt his anger fade as Garak's firm grip steered him gently away from the idiot member of Starfleet. "Is that what you're calling it?"
"Oh yes," Garak grinned again, his expression almost feral as his eyes lit up, fixed on Julian's high necked shirt and what lay beneath. "You see, this," Garak reached out to tug the fabric down, revealing a blossoming bruise of pinks and purples, much like Julian's face was now turning. "Was very diplomatic of me."
"Come on!" Jadzia snapped, approaching them both and grabbing Julian's hand, tugging the human doctor and his Cardassian tailor towards the buffet table where Kira and Miles were waiting. "You simply have to try the canapés - they're made with some kind of Bajoran eel and it melts in your mouth." Jadzia gave a wistful sigh as if she was regretting she couldn't just eat eel canapés all night but might actually have to do some socialising.
"You're right!" Garak announced brightly, "these are delicious." The Cardassian quickly picked up another one of the pastry treats and held it out for Julian to try. Julian, misreading the situation as usual took this to mean Garak was finger feeding him. Julian dipped down to take the morsel in his mouth, skimming his moist tongue over Garak's scaled skin as he did so. When he stood back up he realised his mistake as nearly everyone, including Garak was gaping at him. Trying to chew and swallow a Bajoran eel slice under such scrutiny proved to be as taxing as it might sound. Julian gave a little cough before plucking Jadzia's glass from her hand and taking a relieving gulp.
"Did you say there are more of those?" Garak suddenly asked Jadzia, but his eyes were still fixed on Julian with a hot intensity.
Suddenly Jadzia snorted in laughter, breaking the tension and causing several uninvited rubber-neckers to turn away again.
"Sorry everyone," Julian whispered awkwardly to his colleagues, running a finger around the collar of his shirt and wondering when it had gotten so tight?
"Don't be," Jadzia stated firmly, this time her face lit up with genuine affection and happiness, "it's adorable."
"Not sure if I would have gone for that word, but yes," Miles cleared his throat, lifting his glass at Garak and Bashir, "congratulations to you both."
Julian flicked his eyes nervously towards Kira, surely if any of his close friends were going to object to him being with a Cardassian - she would be the one.
"I'm happy for you," Kira replied seriously to his searching expression, she nodded at Garak for the briefest of moments before turning to see Commander Sisko gesturing at her from underneath a napkin.
"So," Kira sighed, leaning back against the table, "that's the signal that means one of us has to go rescue the Commander from the Lurian Ambassador's amorous administrations. Julian I'm looking at you -"
"I'll go," Garak's voice was clear and warm.
"Seriously?" Kira turned round in surprise, her brow furrowed.
"I'm quite an expert on Lurian lace-making," Garak smiled disarmingly before turning to Julian and lowering his voice, "plus I very much hope such a move will endear me more to your Commander and entice him to give me his blessing in pursuing you."
As Garak walked away with a small sweet smile back at Julian, the doctor felt the gazes of all of his friends on him once more.
"What?" Julian asked, feeling slightly bewildered.
"He loves you," Jadzia stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the whole world. Julian, however, choked on the champagne he'd pinched from her.
"It's true Julian," O'Brien nodded gravely, although there was a smile playing at his lips.
"How do you figure that one out?" Julian asked, feeling slightly dizzy with hope.
"Lurians don't make lace," Kira announced, shaking her head as if Julian was the stupidest man in the world.
She was wrong, Julian thought as he beamed back at them, he was the luckiest.
*** The End ***