Author’s Note: This story is just a little different from what I usually write. Contains scenes which might be disturbing to some… Dukat *is* crazy, and it’s taking place in season 7:ish, even if I wouldn’t call this canon. Some very minor spoilers may occur for “Afterimage” and “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges”… The Dukat in this story isn’t the regular hunky sextoy I usually write *grin* Just thought I’d warn my fellow Dukatophiles out there.

Thanks: Thanks to BGM, who once wrote a story where Garak was going through some sexual heightened phase in his life. Part of the idea for this sprung from her story, which I cannot remember the title of as I write this. (Editor's note: The story is called "The Changing", and it can be found at Cardassia Sutra) Some part of it can be attributed to my very first fanfic story Reptilian Romance (which I wrote long before I even ventured onto the ‘net) although Garak’s emotional state does not in any way resemble the Urge.  The rest came from the delightful view of our sweet, delicious Julian tied to a chair in “Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges”

Last but not least, thanks to my betareaders VastSee, Moriah and Cattnip. Without you... well you know what, this story wouldn’t be what it is. I love you all! kira-nerys

Feedback? Yes please. All feedback is welcome to kardasi@kardasi.com
You can find my other stories on http://www.kardasi.com - Lady Kardasi’s Domain

Summary: Julian finds himself tied up and blindfolded. What is going on?

«:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:» TIED UP «:*´`³¤³´`*:»§«:*´`³¤³´`*:»

By: kira-nerys

Julian was ready to scream. He’d been sitting there for ages and it had made his patience wear thin. What was going on? Nobody heard or seemed to care about him. The computer did not respond to his commands. He tried once more.

"Computer, contact Captain Sisko!”

Silence.

“Computer, open a channel to Ops.”

No response.

“Computer, respond!”

Still no reaction whatsoever. The realization that he might no longer be on Deep Space Nine had dawned on him long ago, but calling for the computer seemed to be the only thing left for him to do. Tied up, with a blindfold over his eyes, there wasn’t much else he could do except worry and allow fear to take over. He wasn’t about to do that. Perhaps he should be grateful his captor hadn’t gagged him as well? Julian sighed in exasperation. The surroundings were silent and appeared empty; the usual noises on the station didn’t reach him. It was as if he was alone in the entire universe, and the only noise that reached him was the thudding of his own pulse in his ears. It was just a little too quick to feel comfortable and he tried to will himself to relax and remember what had happened.

Everything had seemed normal when the alarm went off this morning. Nothing had warned him that he might not be alone in his quarters. Then he had felt a hypospray against his neck, and now? Now he had been sitting here for god only knew how many hours, tied to this chair for no apparent reason. Nobody had shown up to check on him. Was this some new scheme on the Dominion’s part? Julian had to laugh despite his predicament. His laughter bounced eerily against the walls and he shuddered. The Dominion? That sounded terribly unlikely. But where were his captors and why weren’t they checking up on him? Nobody seemed to have heard the screams that had made his throat feel like an open wound.

Julian sighed and leaned his head back. His arms and legs were beginning to hurt from sitting still for so long. It felt like he'd been put through the wringer. His neck and back were aching and if he still had buttocks, he couldn't feel them. His stomach was growling. How many hours had he gone without proper nourishment? He hadn’t eaten before falling into bed last night, exhausted from the overtime in the Infirmary. Exhausted from the horrors of the war. And now what was going on?

Section 31?

But why would Section 31 tie him up in a chair? That didn’t make sense. Nothing made sense.  Why place him here with no one to interrogate him or coax him into once more helping their unauthorized little agency? There was no Sloan to persuade him.

The Dominion then? Again Julian wondered what they could possibly want from him. No, it couldn’t be the Dominion. An idea formed in his mind – a practical joke. It just had to be a practical joke. Maybe Ezri and the Chief had decided to cheer him up? He relaxed just a little at that and the fear that had threatened to overwhelm him subsided. His musings were abruptly cut off when the shackles around his wrists and ankles suddenly disappeared at the familiar sound of a transporter.

“Dr. Bashir. I suggest you eat and relieve yourself. Within 30 minutes you will be put back into the restraints. You may remove the blindfold,” said a voice through some kind of communications’ system. Julian tried to recognize the voice, but couldn’t. He couldn’t even determine if it was male or female. Gratefully, he tore off the cloth covering his eyes and blinked against the bright lights. It took several seconds for his eyes to adjust, but then he turned around to view his surroundings. It seemed he was in a room on the station after all. The smooth curves of the bulkheads and the eye shaped windows were all too familiar. But where on the station was he? Everything seemed so familiar; from the Cardassian replicators to the layout of the room. Apparently there was nothing wrong with the computer. It was just ignoring his commands, and seemed to be working just fine and dandy from the opposite end.

“I demand to know what is going on!” Julian shouted. He was no longer afraid, merely annoyed that his friends would keep him there for such a lengthy time without even talking to him. Finally he was convinced it was all some stupid joke on the Chief’s part.

“Miles Edward O’Brien, stop this foolishness now and let me out of here,” he ordered, but there was no response.

The com-channel was abruptly closed and he had to accept that it was no use demanding an explanation. His stomach was growling and he was desperate to use the facilities. Julian decided to go ahead and see to his discomfort first, and then he could eat while checking the surroundings. He stumbled unsteadily from the chair and rubbed his numb wrists to get the blood circulation going again.

*  *  *

As he emerged from the bathroom he looked around the room, which seemed like any other room on the station but not quite right somehow. He went over to the replicator:

"A cup of Tarkalean tea and two cheese and ham sandwiches," he ordered.

It didn’t react.

Julian slammed his fist into the wall and cursed. This joke was going too far. If it was a joke… The prospect of it being a joke seemed less likely by the second. A plate with some unidentifiable food materialized on his table and he walked over to it. He smelled it suspiciously.

“I assure you Doctor, it is edible,” a voice told him.

“And why should I trust you?” Julian snarled.

“Because I need you awake and alive,” the voice retorted. “If you do not wish to eat, that is fine by me, but I suggest you do try.”

“Who are you?” Julian asked again. His heart began to thud violently again. He had been kidnapped for real, but by whom and why?

“All in due time, Doctor. All in due time,” the voice said and again the com-channel shut down.

Julian decided to eat and he wolfed down the tasteless food in a few minutes.

"Edible?" he muttered. "Barely!"

Garak would have been most displeased with him for eating so quickly, he thought. On the other hand, not even Garak would have found anything positive about that flavorless goo. When the plate was empty, Julian rose and walked around the room, trying to stretch his sore muscles and view the surroundings as best he could. Was this a holographic projection of a room on Deep Space Nine, or was he actually still on the station? Something inside him objected to that idea.

He looked out through the window and realized that this was another reason it all felt so wrong. The stars, the wormhole… The stars were still there, but strangely out of place and the wormhole…it was the stupidest thing, but it was as if he couldn’t ‘feel’ it out there anymore. He didn’t know exactly where it should be, but he could no longer sense it…

Dax would have accused him of being stark raving mad if she ever heard him claim that he could ‘sense’ the Celestial Temple…

Julian moved closer to the window and looked out to the sides in both directions. Everything seemed real enough. He could see the edges of the station disappearing on both sides as he looked out. Other than that? Space - all he could see was space and the docking ring.

“Dr. Bashir. I am giving you fair warning. You will be transported back to the chair again. I trust you have eaten?”

“Yes, but… “ His words were cut off by the familiar sensation of a transporter beam and he suddenly found himself again shackled to the chair. He groaned and leaned his head back.

“Why are you doing this to me?” he shouted, trying to suppress the fear in his voice. “There’s no reason to keep me tied up since I am obviously not going to be able to flee from these quarters!”

Only silence met his words.

Suddenly the door slid open and a Cardassian male entered. The shadows in the doorway did not allow Julian to see who it was immediately, but as soon as the man began to talk Julian inhaled sharply.

*  *  *

The station was abuzz with activity. Two of its most well known occupants had simply disappeared last night. When Doctor Julian Bashir had failed to report for duty that same morning it had not taken the command crew many seconds to realize that the young human was missing. He was no longer on the station. Not only that… but the resident tailor – Mr. Elim Garak, was missing as well.

“Their disappearances are obviously connected,” Colonel Kira said with a note of distaste in her voice. “I knew it. I always knew that Garak was not to be trusted!”

“Come on Kira. We can’t be sure that Garak is the one who has taken Julian away from the station.” Ezri said softly.

“Oh, I would bet good money on that one.” Kira snorted.

“Then you might lose more than your savings, Colonel,” Sisko mumbled with a preoccupied look on his face. “I know you don’t trust Cardassians in general and Garak in particular, but I have to say that Dax does have a point.”

“Okay,” Kira said. “For argument’s sake. Let’s say that Garak is indeed not responsible for abducting Julian. Then where is he?”

“Did it occur to you, Colonel, that they both might have been abducted?” Odo said solemnly, and Kira blushed. It was obvious to all of them that the thought had not even dawned on the Colonel. “There are faint transporter traces in the doctor’s quarters, indicating that he has been transported out of there. The abductors must have fairly sophisticated equipment for the transport to go undetected,” Odo continued as if he did not notice the flush on Kira’s face.

“Or there is someone on the station helping them,” Kira pointed out. “We do have to check the logs and see if there is any way to determine whether the security has been bypassed in order to allow an unauthorized transport to go undetected.”

“Do it,” Sisko ordered. Kira simply nodded and went to work. “Chief, you help her.”

“Aye, Sir!” O'Brien responded, but he seemed preoccupied. Worried about his friend of course, Sisko thought. They were all worried, but O'Brien and Bashir were close friends after all.

“I will investigate Garak’s shop and his quarters as well,” Odo stated and turned his back to the captain and headed out of Ops.

Sisko nodded briefly to nobody in particular and then he went to his office. He sat down behind the desk and grabbed the baseball lying on the shiny surface. He looked at it for a few seconds and then it occurred to him - this was just the sort of scheme he would expect from Dukat. But why in heaven’s name would Dukat abduct Julian? Garak – now that was another matter entirely. Sisko huffed angrily to himself. Dukat hated Garak, but why Julian?

Irritated, Sisko put the baseball back in its place and started pacing back and forth across the office. No, maybe it wasn’t Dukat after all. But the feeling that he was onto something would not leave him alone.

“All right,” he said to himself. “So let’s just assume for a moment that it is Dukat."

*  *  *

“Hello Doctor,” the velvety tones greeted him, the softness of the voice only making the man seem more dangerous and untrustworthy.

“Dukat, what do you want with me?”

“Ah, always so impatient. I guess that is a flaw of the young,” Dukat tsked condescendingly as he moved closer to Bashir. “I assure you Doctor, you will come to no harm in my care.”

“Why have you brought me here and where are we?”

“You mean your enhanced little brain hasn’t figured that one out?” And the truth dawned on Julian. The station was as he knew it, but they were obviously not on Deep Space Nine. There was only one conclusion to make.

“Empok Nor…“ he whispered. Empok Nor, the abandoned Cardassian station where Garak had gone stark raving mad, killing several Starfleet officers because of an unknown compound. What if Dukat had come into contact with it? Julian swallowed down the bile that threatened at the back of his throat.

“Very good, Doctor. Very good!” Dukat said approvingly and shot him a satisfied smile that sent chills through Julian. “Then I suppose it is only a matter of time before you realize why I have brought you here as well?” he continued.

“No, Dukat. I must admit that I don’t have the vaguest idea.” And that was true. What did Dukat want with him? Why had he gone through so much trouble in abducting him and bringing him here?

Dukat walked over and crouched beside the chair. He reached out with his hand and caressed Julian’s cheek. “Ah, such beautiful skin. I can almost understand…” he mused aloud.  Julian withdrew his head from the caressing hand with a feeling of disgust. Dukat’s blue eyes were unnerving and he wanted to avoid that intense gaze. A dangerous glint appeared in Dukat’s eyes and his grip around Julian’s chin tightened, hard enough to bruise. “I think not,” he purred. “You just sit back and let me do to you what I wish.”

Julian stared at Dukat and he tensed even more. What the hell was the Cardassian planning to do to him? The expression on his face was unreadable. He seemed eerily at ease, as if this whole scenario was as pleasing as taunting Kira had always been to him.

Dukat chuckled.

“Well then, Doctor Bashir, if you are so eager to find out what is going on I will not keep you waiting any longer.”

A moment later Julian could hear the sound of another transporter beam. He winced when he recognized the familiar shape of his friend Garak. Dukat rose to his feet and sighed. “Such a pitiful creature…” He stared down at the tailor’s unmoving form with a look of disgust on his face, but Julian felt a stab of fear rush through his body.

“Oh God no. Garak, what have they done to you?” Julian whispered, as he saw the sickly pale shade of Garak’s skin. His skin was clammy and the color so drained his face seemed almost white. Julian fought to get out of the metallic restraints, but they kept him thoroughly caught and he could not move and he most definitely could not get loose. He hardly noticed the chafing on his wrists as he struggled to get to his friend.

“Damn it, Dukat! Let me loose so I can help him!” Julian screamed. Fear for himself was now forgotten and all he could think of was trying to help Garak.

“Still wish to help him after the way he has been treating you lately?” Dukat snarled and looked at him with disdain in his eyes. “Why help the man who treats you like you are worth nothing?” Julian winced at the cruel words. Sure, he and Garak hadn’t been on the best of terms lately, but he still cared about his friend a great deal, and this was no time to remember those petty arguments they’d been having. How did Dukat know about those anyway? Julian frowned. The former Gul must have contacts who kept close tabs of his old enemy. Julian tried to ignore the threatening shadow of Dukat looming over him and focused on the tailor lying only a few feet away, still unconscious.

“Garak, can you hear me?” Julian said softly, hating the tremble in his voice. He knew how much Dukat hated Garak and he wondered what the former Prefect had done to his friend. Was Garak going to die? The sickly pallor to the tailor’s skin suggested that the he was not going to feel well once he woke up from his unconsciousness. If he woke up…

As the minutes passed by, Julian couldn’t take his eyes off his friend, waiting for some sign that Garak would wake up, dreading any indication that he would stop breathing. Dukat just stood there, looking at them both. As if the universe had decided to calm Julian at least a little bit, a low moan came from Garak and the Cardassian finally moved. A huge sense of relief came over Julian as he watched his friend sit up and put a hand to his face. As Garak sat, the color of his face changed somewhat to a healthier shade of gray.

*  *  *

Garak swallowed violently. He felt so sick. His head was swimming, stomach churning and he ached fiercely all over. He put his hands to his temples as if holding his head would diminish the overwhelming nausea. He put his head down between his knees for a moment, suddenly afraid he was going to pass out again - or throw up.

That’s when he remembered what had happened to him. A Cardassian, vaguely familiar, had materialized inside his shop, injecting him with a drug before he had had time to react. The unpleasant sensations coursing through his body led him to believe that he had been in stasis. But why, and for how long?

Slowly the nausea and the pain subsided and he could look around. At first his vision was blurred, and he blinked in the bright light, trying to steady his gaze on something. He realized then that he was not alone. Someone was sitting on a chair not far from him, and he almost groaned when he recognized the familiar form of Doctor Bashir. Oh no, he thought. Oh no - not him - not now!

Worse yet. Dukat was standing beside Julian with a hand on his shoulder and a positively nasty smile on his thin lips.

*  *  *

“Garak, are you all right?” Julian asked tentatively.

“Doctor?” Garak responded and lifted his head to look him in the eye. The Cardassian’s eyes were bluer than Julian had ever seen them.

“What did you do to him?” Julian snapped and stared at Dukat.

“Who? Me?” Dukat asked innocently. “I have done nothing but beam Garak in here. Look at him. He will be back to his old self in no time.”

“You don’t look very well. Your skin is so pale.” Julian couldn’t hide the concern in his voice. He tried to ignore Dukat who stood beside him, looking at them like a child with a new pet. His curiosity was disconcerting. What did he believe was going to take place here?

“Dukat… I should have guessed,” Garak said and rose to his feet. He swiftly turned his back on them and walked over to the edge of the room. Julian stared after him. Why did he not try to attack Dukat? Why did he turn his back on him?

“What is wrong with you, Garak?”

“There is nothing wrong with me, apart from the fact that Dukat must have put me in stasis for a while. I feel sick. It will pass.” Garak waved his hand in a familiarly dismissive gesture. But Julian wasn’t fooled for a moment. The Cardassian looked like he was going to pass out at any given moment. Garak continued. “It is a common knowledge that Cardassians don’t take well to being put in stasis.”

“Ah, yes. I am sorry about that, tailor,” Dukat said and walked over to Garak. He sat down on the bed beside him, casually as if they were merely socializing. He didn’t even seem overly cautious, as if knowing that Garak was in no condition to attack him. “But it does have a good side effect I think. I don’t have to worry about you getting the upper hand on me, now do I? You see, that is why the young doctor is in restraints and you are not.”

Julian relaxed somewhat. That was true. Most Cardassians got very sick when put in stasis and it weakened them. Even he knew this, despite the fact that the Federation medical base still could use some more information on Cardassian physiology and mentality. Then he saw the tension in his friend’s shoulders.

“There’s something more, isn’t there?” Julian said.

“Your friend is very perceptive,” Dukat chuckled and rose as Garak lunged after him. Julian’s chest constricted when he saw the flicker of pain rippling across Garak’s features. No wonder Dukat seemed to be in such control. He was in total control, with Julian tied up, unable to move and Garak in no shape to do anything.

“Yes,” Dukat mused aloud as he strolled across the room. “Yes, why don’t you tell him?“ Dukat was obviously amused by the whole situation, because when he turned around to look at them he was smiling again. “Why don’t you tell this young man the truth about yourself for once, hm, Garak?” Dukat took on his most persuading tone of voice and leaned forward to get his head at eye level with Garak who was still sitting down on the bed. “It is, after all, inevitable that he finds out eventually.” Dukat sounded infinitely pleased, as the words left his mouth. Garak didn’t respond, but Julian could literally see the tension grow in the other man.

“Why don’t you tell me the truth?” Julian asked, for once agreeing with Dukat. It was a novel sensation and he didn’t like the satisfied smile on Dukat’s face. Julian tried to ignore him. “Tell me what is wrong?”

“I will keep you here as long as it takes,” Dukat stated and leaned against the wall in a leisurely pose. He looked at his nails as if wondering whether he should cut them or not. “And you will have to tell him yourself and my patience is not unlimited.”

“Is there any chance I could get out of these restraints?” Julian asked.

“You should ask Garak that question. For obvious reasons I will not let you loose. Perhaps your friend could help,” Dukat suggested amiably.

“I really wouldn’t know, Doctor,” Garak responded as he turned his back on them and sat on the bed again. The tailor didn’t even look at the restraints. Julian frowned. This wasn’t like Garak. The Cardassian appeared incredibly uncomfortable. Julian kept wondering why until he saw the way Garak was looking around, taking in the surroundings with an unusually agitated expression on his face. It seemed he was uneasy with the fact that he was more or less locked up in a bedroom. Julian frowned. Garak was feeling bad and he wasn’t his usual self, but never before had he been able to read the Cardassian so easily. The truth dawned on Julian. So that was it; the room was not to make him feel comfortable but to make Garak feel ill at ease. But why did it make the Cardassian feel so uncomfortable?

Suddenly the lights in the room dimmed and the atmosphere changed.
“This is so much better, don’t you think, Doctor? Much better for the eyes…” Dukat purred.

“Dukat!” Garak growled under his breath as he rose to his feet, swiftly moving past Julian and closing in on their host. Dukat seemed perfectly unperturbed as Garak grabbed his arms. . “Don’t do this! You can do whatever you like to me, but don’t do this!” Underneath the anger Julian could clearly hear a slight tinge of humiliation and - fear?

“Ah, Garak. I haven’t even begun,” Dukat’s voice cooed in response. “This will be such a suitable revenge, don’t you think?”

“What will be a suitable revenge?” Julian demanded. “Garak!” The Cardassian did not even turn to look at him. He remained still in front of Dukat. Some kind of silent conversation was going on that Julian could not comprehend. “Damn it! Tell me what is going on!”

“I have entered the Phase, Julian,” Garak said with a strange inflection to his voice.

“And what does that mean?”

*  *  *

Garak didn’t respond immediately. He let go of Dukat’s arms as if they suddenly burned him. He walked as far away from Julian as he could. He ended up near the replicator. He was trembling inside. Fear and other emotions were wreaking havoc with his body. He needed distance. He needed to get out of there before doing something he would regret. He stood there for a long time with his back turned towards Dukat and Julian.

What was he going to say? He had never intended on being in this kind of situation with the young human in such close proximity. Dukat was a cold and devious man. Garak thought he had been able to keep his attraction to Julian a secret to everyone, but apparently Dukat had seen through his charade. The other Cardassian had obviously kept very close tabs on him and knew exactly when he had entered the Phase. He was still weak from the stasis and he knew attacking the other Cardassian would solve nothing. Garak swallowed. It had already begun. The desire he felt for Julian was normally something he could control quite easily. But now, as the heightened state of arousal was beginning to course through his body he knew it was only a matter of time…

Oh dear gods, Julian, he thought. I never meant for you to find out, and certainly not like this! I want you so much I don’t see how I can resist. As he turned back towards the other men, Garak wanted to lash out at Dukat. The knowing smile that crept across the other Cardassian’s cold features made him furious.

“What will it be Garak? Will you slake your thirst in the young Doctor’s body or will you humiliate yourself before me?” Dukat’s eyes narrowed to slits. “Either way is fine with me.”

Garak swallowed, he had to tell Julian the truth. That way at least he would be prepared when Garak could no longer fight this. There was no choice to be made. He would never, ever do anything to hurt Julian no matter how much he wanted the young man. He would rather die. He would rather humiliate himself in front of Dukat for all time. But everything inside him fought the notion. He could not let anyone see him so vulnerable, no one. Not Dukat; not even Julian – especially not Julian.

*  *  *

“Tell me Garak!” Julian pleaded.

He could see the Cardassian struggling with his normally secretive personality, while seeming to realize that he had to be truthful this once. Dukat would not accept anything less. Julian waited patiently as the minutes passed by. Eventually Garak spoke again, in a soft, and uncharacteristically subdued tone.

“You know Betazoid females enter a highly accelerated period of sexual need as they reach a certain age, do you not?”

“Yes,” Julian agreed and he realized immediately what Garak was driving at. “And this is now what is happening to you?” he continued.

“Yes,” Garak agreed.

“But what does that have to do with us?” Julian stared at Dukat. “Why are we both here now and why have you… Oh!”

The last was a simple gasp of understanding as the truth finally hit home. Oh God! Had his suspicions about Garak been true all along? He drew a deep steadying breath and decided to ask the question straight out, hoping for an honest reply for once.

“Garak, tell me the truth. Are you - are you homosexual?”

“Oh he is brilliant!” Dukat said and clapped his hands together in joy and walked over to Garak. “Don’t you think he is just brilliant?” Dukat put his hand on Garak’s shoulder in a friendly gesture. Garak shrugged it off.

“Don’t touch me!” he growled and pushed Dukat away but even as he stumbled backwards the other Cardassian seemed more amused than angry.

“Why, Garak. Do control yourself. Is it getting really bad?” he taunted. “Do you need to do something about it? I would be only to happy to comply if I thought it would help you,” he continued insincerely. “But I think the only one who can stoke your particular fire is a certain Starfleet Chief Medical Officer…”

Garak turned around, but he didn’t reply. He moved along the wall of the room, as far away from Dukat and Julian as possible, back to the farthest wall. Dukat threw his head back and laughed. Julian felt a white-hot rage settling in his stomach as he looked at the former Prefect of Bajor. He had once believed that perhaps this man was not evil, but now he realized he had been wrong. He used to be naive and gullible, but no more. Dukat enjoyed seeing Garak suffer.

As Garak reached the other end of the room, he slid down the bulkhead to sit on the floor. Julian watched him as he leaned his head back to the wall and closed his eyes, wrapping his knees in his arms. He had never seen Garak so vulnerable ever before. A stern mask of self-control and shame permeated his features. Julian worried about what would happen to them now that Garak seemed so unable to help out. Yet at the same time he felt protective of the tailor.

“What do you expect will happen here, Dukat?” he snarled angrily. “That Garak will lose his control and jump me? While you stand beside us and cheer him on?”.

“It would be a pleasing turn of events, but there are other solutions,” Dukat admitted and chuckled happily. Julian wanted to strike him, square in that smug face.

“But why? Why are you doing this? In what way would that be a revenge for you? Why would Garak doing this to me make a difference to you?” Julian wasn’t even looking at Dukat as he said this. His eyes were still trained on Garak and he saw the tailor wince at the disgusted tone in his voice. Garak would lose the battle eventually, however much he was fighting it. The burning inside those bluer than ever eyes told Julian that much.

Dukat didn’t respond. Julian suspected he was simply waiting for him to figure things out by himself. And it didn’t require much thought. Julian was the only close friend Garak had on the station, perhaps in the entire universe. By putting them in this situation, making it inevitable for Garak to eventually give in to the Phase, Dukat would have managed to ruin the one relationship that really meant anything to Garak, thus making his isolation and exile complete. Dukat’s cruel plan was perfect. He couldn’t have chosen a better person to be tied up like this with Garak, Julian realized. How could they fight this? How could they possibly fight Dukat?

And then an idea formed in Julian’s mind. It would not be the first time he was with a man, and he was pretty sure Dukat was counting on him not being a willing participant to this whole thing. Would it really be so difficult, Julian asked himself and looked at Garak in a different light. He never really had contemplated this turn in their relationship. True, he had been attracted to men before, but his life had been filled with willing females. He had never really needed to seek companionship among his own gender and to have a relationship with Garak hadn’t really crossed his mind other than fleetingly.

He looked at Garak for a long time. The Cardassian didn’t seem to notice. His face was closed; his features tense and distant, and his legs pulled up close to his chest in a very defensive posture. Julian let his eyes travel across Garak’s body. Those strong, muscular legs, so well shaped and agile. The large, strong and long-fingered hands now resting on his kneecaps – what would it feel like to be caressed by those strong hands? Julian suddenly found himself wondering what Garak would look like when letting go; when lowering that shield of easy companionship. What depths of emotion really lay behind that calm exterior?

Images of Garak letting his shields drop flashed through Julian’s mind. When he was almost going insane because of the implant; the panic when he was locked up in the small crawlspace in that Dominion prison, or when he had been overwhelmed by guilt because he was helping the Federation decipher the coded messages from Cardassia. Those were all negative emotions, but what if all those feelings were concentrated in something positive like passion – or even love? Something stirred inside Julian at that thought.

What would it feel like to be kissed by those sometimes-cruel gray lips? Julian found that he wouldn’t be averse to finding out. And he found that he really wanted to help Garak. How could he let his friend know without ruining this whole scenario? God only knew what Dukat would do to them if he found out that his devious plan was about to backfire.

“You are so evil, Dukat,” Julian whispered tiredly, hoping to cover the road his thoughts had taken.

Only a satisfied chuckle answered him, as if Dukat took that exclamation as a compliment.

*  *  *

“Captain,” said Odo as he entered Sisko’s office.

“Constable, have you got anything new for me?”

“Yes sir, it appears that the transporter signature is Cardassian in origin. Thanks to the chief we can be pretty sure that whomever is holding Julian and maybe Garak captive, they are Cardassians.”

“Did you find any evidence that Garak has been beamed out of his quarters too?”

“Yes, and we also found traces of a medical compound used when putting Cardassians in stasis. I would conclude that Garak too, has been taken from his quarters against his will.”

Sisko turned around and looked out the window, his thoughts wandering for a moment.
“Sisko to Kira,” he said as he slapped his com-badge.

“Captain?”

“Set up a staff meeting in ten minutes.”

*  *  *

“It would appear that both Garak and Dr. Bashir have been abducted by Cardassians and the only logical conclusion to be drawn from this is… “

“Gul Dukat,” Kira spat. “I knew it!”

Sisko gave Kira a curt look, and she silenced as she blushed an interesting shade of pink. As far as Sisko remembered, Kira had suggested that Garak had abducted the doctor on his own and it was quite apparent that Kira hadn’t forgotten.

“Now the question is where he might have taken the good doctor and our resident tailor,” Sisko continued calmly.

“As a matter of fact, I might be able to shed some light on that, Captain,” O’Brien said. “I have been working on some modifications to the Defiant’s sensors and I have fine-tuned them to detect a specific warp signature. If we can find out where this ship was when they beamed Julian and Garak out of here we might be able to follow their trace.”

“And how do you suggest we do this?” Worf grumbled. “It is not likely that we will find the specific area in which this ship was situated when beaming the doctor off the station.” The Klingon did nothing to hide the fact that he couldn’t care less that Garak too had been abducted.

“As a matter of fact,” Kira said. “This might not be as difficult as you would think. The ship must have been outside the station’s sensor range to be able to stay undetected and still it must have been within transporter range. Now this would be virtually impossible if it weren’t for this fact…. “ Kira rose from her chair and walked over to the display. She punched a few buttons and a map of the Bajoran sector appeared. “This is where the Wormhole is,” she said and pointed at the coordinates where the anomaly was situated. “Normally, this would not be a range at which we would have trouble detecting a ship, but because of the mass of radiation from the Wormhole a ship could actually ‘hide’ here without being noticed, and it would still be close enough to beam someone aboard.”

“That would still mean that someone had to disable the detectors on the station. Nobody should be able to make an unauthorized transport on or off Deep Space Nine without the alarm going off,” said O’Brien.

“That is not our first priority at this moment. However, Constable, if you can find this someone I would be grateful. We may be able to get more information about the whereabouts of this ship if you do.” Sisko turned to O’Brien “Chief, you and Dax try to determine if there has indeed been a ship ‘in hiding’ at these coordinates and try to find a trace of their warp signature for us to follow.” Then he turned to Kira and Worf. “Commander, Colonel, prepare the Defiant for departure as soon as possible.”

*  *  *

“Garak,” Julian said softly. “Look at me.”

“Leave me alone, Doctor,” Garak responded curtly. He refused to even look at Julian. He couldn’t stand seeing the look of concern in those brown eyes. He didn’t understand humans sometimes. He wanted Julian, and Dukat would probably find some means to force him to take him eventually, and still he was concerned about Garak’s well-being?

“We have to resolve this in some way.” Julian insisted.

“There is only one solution, I assure you, Doctor,” Dukat’s amused baritone informed him. “It may take a few hours, it may even take days. Frankly I am quite pleased to see Garak fight this. I wonder how long it will take before his convictions falter and he ravishes your delicious young human body hm?”

“Be quiet Dukat!” Garak growled. The words from the other Cardassian called up vivid images in Garak’s mind. Julian sprawled on the bed beneath him; that golden skin uncovered and just waiting for him to caress it, to taste it. Garak stifled a moan and tried to push the images away. He was so hard it hurt. The nausea was gone and all he could think of was Julian. Those slender limbs, those beautiful brown eyes and that lovely mouth. He could not allow himself to even look at Julian. Eventually that young human would be his undoing. He forced himself to focus on the fact that Julian’s beautiful hazel eyes would fill with hatred if he ever gave into the longing that was coursing through his body.

“Ah, do my comments bother you, Elim?” Dukat said and moved closer to the tailor. He leaned down and stared into the other man’s eyes intently. “How unfortunate. I am quite amused by your emotional state. I had no idea the young doctor had gotten… “ Dukat waved a hand impatiently in the air. “ – how is the human expression – under your skin, so thoroughly. Shall we provide him with the specifics of Cardassian physiology, tailor?”

Garak only closed his eyes and willed himself to relax and not respond to Dukat’s taunting words. He refused to look at Julian to see how the words were received by the young physician.

His eyes flew open however when Dukat rose and moved back towards Julian. Again he put a hand on the young man’s shoulders and moved it slowly upwards over the delicate neck in a touch that could only be described as a caress. Garak was mesmerized.

“I can assure you, Garak, I do not find your attraction to this man so difficult to understand. Many of your colleagues might find your tastes strange or even disgusting, but I can easily see what the doctor’s attraction is to you. The caramel skin, those full lips and the beautiful hazel eyes.” Dukat’s hands roamed over Julian’s golden skin and Garak could see how Julian tensed, but forced himself to remain still. It was apparent that Dukat’s touch was most unwelcome. Yet Garak couldn’t stifle the moan this time, and he buried his face in his hands in shame.

Damn Dukat! Damn the man who knew his weaknesses so well.

“Ah, yes. I might take him myself if you wait too long, Garak,” Dukat said almost wistfully and let his hand drop from Julian’s face. Garak’s head shot up in anger, almost grateful to Dukat for making him focus on something else for a moment.

*  *  *

Julian watched as Garak got up from the floor and he couldn’t help but staring at him with widening eyes. A stab of sheer horror shot through him. The mere thought of Dukat doing that to him was infinitely worse than the thought of Garak slaking his need with his body.

“I thought that would catch your attention,” chuckled Dukat. “He is very desirable.”

“Even I could not believe you would stoop so low.” Garak said flatly. Dukat didn’t seem to take Garak’s words seriously. He just laughed.

“Don’t let him do this to me!” Julian gasped. Garak didn’t even look at him. “Garak, we need to talk about this!”.

“Hush, Doctor. I do not think talking with you would be in my best interest right now.”  The tailor’s voice was eerily calm and he didn’t even look at Julian. The horror inside Julian rose and he closed his eyes and forced himself to relax. Garak would not let Dukat do this to him. He just wouldn’t!

As if sensing Julian’s fear, Dukat moved closer to him. “No,” purred the former prefect. “There are a lot of other things Garak wants to do to you right now, and talking isn’t one of them. He would probably want to touch you like this…” Dukat leaned over his shoulder from behind and Julian went rigid when the Cardassian’s cheek nearly rested against his as he moved his large hands wantonly over Julian’s shoulders and down his front.

Gods, don’t touch me, don’t touch me, don’t touch me. Julian repeated inside his head over and over again as he tried to force himself to relax. If he remained calm and didn’t show his disgust and his fear so blatantly, maybe Dukat would leave him alone? He glanced at the tailor.

Garak’s whole body was tense. He stared at Dukat’s hands in horror and disgust, but underneath that disgust, Julian could see both the shame and the deep need within his friend. Julian could see it from where he was sitting, and he realized that the only thing he would be able to do now was to persuade Garak into giving in. The Cardassian would rather kill himself than let Dukat rape Julian, and his heart constricted with a new emotion. Julian relaxed at that knowledge and almost forgot the touches of Dukat’s hands although the caresses grew more intimate by the second.

“Garak,” he whispered and finally his friend lifted his head and met his gaze.

Julian didn’t recognize the emotion he was feeling at first, but when he saw Garak’s eyes widen and heard the slight gasp from the Cardassian’s throat he recognized it. It was trust, tenderness, and lust all tangled up into one curious emotion, and it was directed at Garak.

Julian inhaled sharply and thanked God that Dukat couldn’t see his face at that moment. It would have been their undoing.

*  *  *

“I should have known Quark would be involved in this!” Sisko hissed as he walked toward the Defiant.

“At least we know where the ship was headed now. Let’s just hope that they are still there.” Ezri said as they entered the bridge. Sisko took his place in the captain’s chair and the Defiant’s thrusters roared to life as they eased their way out of reach from Deep Space Nine before engaging the impulse engines.

“Go to full impulse and head for Empok Nor,” Sisko ordered. Minutes later, as they made their way out of the solar system, the warp engines were engaged and the Defiant flashed out of the Bajoran solar system.

*  *  *

“Go ahead Garak,” Julian snarled, suddenly feeling a rush of security. They had to get through this. “Do whatever you have to do. If you want me, then take me!”

“You’re giving him permission?” Dukat asked, his voice disappointed as he rose to his feet and walked around the chair to look Julian in the eye. Julian refused to shy away from the intense gaze this time. .

“Yes, I am giving him permission. I’d rather have Garak do it than you, and if Garak doesn’t you will, right?” Julian spat.

Dukat only smiled and Julian knew he was right.

“Garak can use my body for what he needs, then you will let us go, if you keep your word that is! I hate the position you put me in! I hate you both! I hate Cardassians!” Julian did what he could to keep his voice as spiteful and venomous as possible, and his face strict with hatred so that Dukat would see that he really meant it. At the same time he was trying to convey to Garak that this was okay, this was all right for Garak to do.

“I will keep my word,” Dukat said coldly and then he nodded and turned his back on them for a moment. He paced back and forth, seemingly deep in thought. Julian didn’t waste any time. He turned his head and stared at Garak. Give in, he pleaded with his eyes. I will not turn my back on you. I will never turn my back on you, Garak. I assure you.

Not for the first time in his life did Julian wish that he was telepathic, but perhaps somehow the tailor still understood, because he moved closer to him and put his arms on Julian’s shoulders. Julian shuddered, a tiny jolt of fear coursed through him. It had been so long ago since he was with a man, and this was not the scenario he would have chosen for him and Garak to be together.

Dukat’s pleased chuckle was tinged with menace as he sat down on a chair to watch.

Then Garak hands moved over him, much the same way Dukat’s had only moments ago, yet this was nothing like Dukat’s caresses. Julian did what he could not to show the pleasure that suddenly ran through his body at Garak’s touch. Plasma fire, your touch is like plasma fire, Garak, he thought and closed his eyes.

“I will not hurt you, my dear Doctor, and I wish it would not come to this, but I need you. I need you more than you could possibly imagine, and I’d rather do it than let Dukat do this to you. At least I will not hurt you.” The tailor’s voice was strained, as if the words had been forced out of him. It was obvious he was fighting the weakness that the Phase was with all the strength he could muster.

“I want you and I will not hurt you,” Garak repeated.

Julian bit his lip and could not believe how those words affected him. His body slowly responded to the words and the tone of Garak’s voice. ‘

“You are so beautiful,” the tailor continued as if oblivious to anything but what he was doing to Julian.

God, Julian thought. I’m going to get a hard-on if he talks to me like that. Even with Dukat staring at them he realized he wanted this. But he had to hide that truth.

“I can not do anything to stop you, Garak, but by God I am going to let you pay for it!” he snarled, with a voice so menacing Garak flinched and withdrew. Then, again their gazes locked and the uncertainty in Garak’s blue eyes faded. Julian knew the tailor had received the message, through the contradictory signals he was given. “I will fight you with all that I am!” Julian continued. Garak’s hands, still resting on his shoulders began caressing him and Julian fought not to moan. How could Garak’s touch be so different?

Garak was touching him in a way he had never done before. The tailor had touched him before, but not like this. He was caressing him, deliberately trying to arouse him. His hands were traveling from his shoulders to his neck, carefully touching the sensitive skin on his throat and his chin. And by the Gods, nobody’s touch had been so welcome to Julian before in his life.

“Don’t touch me!” he hissed and it was all he could do not to lean his head back to give Garak more access to his throat; not to lean back and feel the Cardassian’s strong chest against his scalp. He squirmed away as best he could, while what he really wanted to do was to beg Garak to run those strong hands through his hair; to move around and kneel before him and kiss him. The restraints were even worse now, but he was also grateful for them. If they hadn’t been there, he would have touched Garak, and those touches would have been far from the ones Dukat was expecting.

“Don’t fight it and it will soon be over,” Garak crooned with that hypnotic voice and Julian wanted so badly to give in, and he wanted to show Garak how much he wanted this, but he couldn’t do that. He mustn’t let Dukat find out that he was indeed taking pleasure in Garak’s tentative first caresses. The pale blue eyes of the other Cardassian were trained on them intently, monitoring their every move, their every gesture. Garak moved around to his front and kneeled, as if he had read Julian’s wishes. Garak’s face was filled with passion and everything inside him responded to that, but he forced away the need and the desire Garak was provoking in him

“I will fight you to my last breath, Elim Garak!” he spat, clenching his jaw not to gasp as the Cardassians hands moved over his chest, expertly unfastening the clasps of his uniform. Julian knew he was growing harder and there was nothing he could do about it. The thought of those gray hands touching his bare skin was driving him mad. Oh Gods, the truth was he would come if Garak touched him like that. Dukat would see it, and what kind of message would that send to the insane man?

“Garak,” he found himself begging, now a genuine tinge of fear in his voice. “Don’t do this!”

“I have to, Doctor. Don’t you see? It’s too late,” and Julian couldn’t help but gasp when he saw the raw need in Garak’s face. He was – flushed, and his skin had taken on a darker shade of gray, giving his chiseled features an even more uneven look. He looked beautiful, Julian realized. He craved to be loose from the shackles, not to fight the tailor, but to touch him, to let his fingers trace those hollows and ridges in the familiar face. He could not remember wanting to touch anyone so badly before. He knew his eyes betrayed him and he had to say something to hide it.

“It’s never too late, Garak! I never thought you were one, not being able to control your emotions. Such a pitiful creature you are; to give in to your desire like this! To force yourself on someone who doesn’t want you!” Julian hissed.

“Oh, insults, insults!” Dukat’s happy voice washed over them. Both Garak and Julian turned rigid at the sound. “If you wish to arouse Elim, my dear doctor. I think you are doing just beautifully!”

This was not going to work, Julian realized as Garak kneeled in front of him. He couldn’t pretend to fight Garak when his whole body was screaming at him how much he truly wanted this. Once Garak undressed him it would be obvious to Dukat how aroused he was by this. All blood in his body seemed to be rushing to the places Garak was caressing and his uniform did not manage to hide his incredible arousal. He almost couldn’t stifle a groan as Garak’s hands moved over his body, removing his uniform, the cloth only stopping at the restraints. With a violent pull from Garak’s strong hands the cloth ripped and the uniform top was in tatters around Julian’s waist. It seemed Garak had forgotten Dukat. His face was alight with need and desire, the blue eyes almost sparkling.

“I want you,” Garak whispered and looked straight into his eyes. “I’ve wanted you for years.” The words sent a rush of blood to Julian’s groin and this time he did moan aloud. Garak leaned forward and kissed him to silence him. Garak’s tongue invaded his mouth and Julian couldn’t help kissing back. He wanted to taste all he could of that warm, exciting mouth. He tried to pull away, to make Dukat think he didn’t want this, but Garak’s hands cupped his head and forced him to stay in place. Julian gratefully relaxed and allowed himself to enjoy the kiss fully. His head was swimming with need. God, he wanted this so badly he couldn’t believe it. He wanted to throw his arms around that corded neck. He wanted to run his hands through the black hair to find out if it was as silky as it seemed to be. He wanted to caress Garak in return. He bit his lip not to let out a disappointed whimper as the tailor withdrew.

“And now you’re going to take me,” Julian said hoarsely, the sound less an accusation than a means to reveal his longing. “Whether I want you to or not!” he added defiantly in a desperate attempt to keep the pretense going. He was achingly hard and the only way to keep Dukat from noticing was the way Garak was standing, hiding his lower body to the other man. When Garak’s hands moved over his stomach and down to the fastenings of his pants, Julian lifted his hips almost imperceptibly to allow the Cardassian to pull his clothes off. But he couldn’t allow this he realized, just as Garak’s hands came around his waist to remove the rest of the uniform.

What would Dukat do to them if he realized this was a dream come true for Julian; a dream he didn’t even know he had…

*  *  *

Suddenly the restraints around Julian’s wrists and ankles were gone. It took him several seconds to realize he was free and when he did, it took another few seconds to know what he was going to do with that freedom.

All he wanted to do was rise to his feet and throw himself at Garak. He wanted to wrap his arms around that strong body and run his fingers through the silky black hair. He wanted to kiss those gray lips and moan into that mouth as Garak’s hands roamed over his body. But he couldn’t do that. Dukat expected and wanted him to fight Garak, and as much as Julian hated the thought of doing anything Dukat wanted, he knew he had to do it. He would do it so swiftly and so well that neither Dukat, nor Garak would know what hit them. With the speed of a striking cobra he rose to his feet and dug his hands into that sensitive spot on Garak’s chest, the Cardassian equivalent of the solar plexus, and watched as Garak fell to the floor, unconscious.

He winced at the hurt expression on Garak’s face. It told him that his friend believed he had betrayed him. He was dismayed that Garak could think such a thing, but sent a grateful thought to the fact that he was physically engineered and enhanced. Without that, he would never have been able to surprise Garak the way he had just now. He had to make Dukat believe he didn’t want this. Julian bit his lip, knowing he had to make Garak understand at the first opportunity that presented itself. Right now he had only postponed the inevitable.

“Very good, Doctor.” Dukat complimented him. “I was beginning to think you were enjoying this,” The Cardassian rose from the chair and moved to stand before Julian. He suddenly reached out and squeezed Julian’s rather prominent erection. He laughed when Julian could not quite hide the involuntary arousal and disgust he felt at the intimate touch. Then Dukat continued with a smile on his lips: “But I guess I was mistaken. I will leave the two of you alone now, until Garak wakes up next. I believe he will not be so easily overpowered again.“

Julian was just about to reply when the familiar tingling of a transporter beam cut him off. He felt disappointed at the fact that Dukat was so predictable. Putting him in the chair again, restrained, so he could not fight Garak once he woke up. But as he rematerialized he knew he was someplace else. It took him a few moments to realize he was on the Defiant’s transporter pad.

*  *  *

Being on the Defiant, dressed in little more than his briefs and the tattered remains of his uniform, still half-aroused was less than comfortable. He turned around only to find Garak’s still form lying beside him on the floor. Two security guards moved to get Garak to his feet, but Julian reached out.

“No, leave him alone. I will take care of him.”

“Will you need any assistance, Doctor?” Sisko’s voice asked from behind him. Julian flushed when he turned around and saw the concerned and wondering look on the captain's face. He realized he made a pretty strange picture, but he straightened and looked right into the captain's eyes.

“No thank you, Captain. I would however appreciate some place where I can talk to Garak privately before we arrive at Deep Space Nine.”

“All right, but you realize I am going to need a full report on this incident?” Sisko informed him sternly.

“Yes sir,” Julian responded. “I will submit a full report to you when we get back to the station. Right now I only want to make sure that Garak is okay.”

Sisko simply nodded and walked out of the transporter room, motioning the two security guards to follow him.

“Garak,” Julian said softly. “Wake up, I know you’re feeling a bit lousy just now, but if only you wake up I will get you to sickbay and you’ll be good as new in a matter of seconds.”

“I doubt I will ever feel quite ‘new’ again, Doctor,” Garak responded with a gloomy voice. “I should be grateful if you would give me something to kill the pain and then assign me to quarters.”

“I will do no such thing, Garak. Come on!” Julian said with his normal cheerful voice and put an arm around Garak’s waist. He could feel the shiver in the Cardassian’s body travel to his own. He swallowed and their eyes met. He could see the desire still burning inside Garak’s eyes, despite his obvious pain. “We’ll get there, Garak,” he whispered. “Don’t worry. We’ll get there, but first we need to talk.”

It was difficult for Julian as well. Garak’s body was warm, comfortable and infinitely more desirable than Julian could ever have imagined, as his friend was leaning against him. Slowly they made their way towards sickbay. He found that his grip around the Cardassian’s waist was a little more possessive than necessary; that he pulled Garak a little closer than he would have with any other person in the same situation. He also caught himself inhaling deeply. Never before had he realized how good Garak smelled; a strange mixture of spices. When they finally reached the Infirmary they were met by two nurses who helped Garak sit on one of the biobeds.

“Give him a painkiller,” Julian was surprised to hear the detached efficiency in his own voice as he turned around and got rid of the torn uniform and pulled on a new one from the closet in the Infirmary where he always kept extra uniforms. He caught Garak staring at him from the corner of his eye and he sent the Cardassian a warm smile. At that Garak seemed to relax just a little. “He has suffered a blow to his /uzme hint/.”

The Cardassian words translated to /very life/. The Cardassians believed that their life force was concentrated there, just beneath the drop shaped indentation below their collar ridges, and Julian found himself thinking that this was not so far from the truth after all. If he had hit Garak too hard, he might have hurt him severely. As it was now, the Cardassian was only slightly bruised and in a fair amount of pain.

Julian ran a dermal regenerator over the ugly bruise on Garak’s chest and they were all set to leave sickbay.

*  *  *

“You do have a lot of power in those delicate hands, Doctor,” Garak said as they were making their way to the mess hall ten minutes later.

“I am sorry I had to do that, Garak, but you know as well as I do that it was only a matter of minutes before Dukat would have seen through my act. I had to stop it somehow. I don’t know what would have happened if the Defiant hadn’t shown up when she did. I would not have dared hit you like that once more.”

Garak nodded, and Julian was relieved to see that the tailor seemed to understand his motives.

The mess hall was empty and they replicated some hasperaat and sat down on one of the couches in front of the windows. Stars swizzled by at warp speed and Julian found himself thinking that sitting here like this with Garak felt so normal, and yet so different. He couldn’t look past the heat in Garak’s blue eyes. He couldn’t ignore the responding heat inside him as he met that gaze.

“Julian,” Garak said urgently and Julian turned to look at his friend. They had hardly touched their food. They hadn’t talked, but it seemed it was too late for talking now.

“Yes,” Julian responded, knowing that the place they had chosen for this was not the right one. Knowing, but unable to do anything about it, he moved closer to the Cardassian. As if on their own accord his hands moved across the hard expanse of the Cardassian’s chest. Garak closed his eyes briefly and let out a soft gasp. He was dressed in a black tunic with silver embroideries on its shoulders and arms. The fabric was coarse underneath Julian’s hands and he tried to imagine what it would be like to feel the Cardassian’s warmer-than-human flesh and skin underneath his palms.

“Julian,” Garak repeated as if only tasting his name, letting it roll off his tongue like a delicacy. Shivers ran down Julian’s spine at the sound, never before had he realized what a beautiful, enchanting voice Garak really had.

“Say that again,” he whispered and lifted his head to look into Garak’s eyes.

“Julian,” Garak repeated. “I love you.” The expression on his face was open and vulnerable, and Julian was lost. With a whimper he moved his hands from the Cardassian’s shoulders into the luxurious black hair, pulling the tailor’s head down for a kiss. When their lips finally met, heat rushed to Julian’s groin and he moaned into Garak’s mouth. The kiss was just as exquisite as Julian remembered, and he surrendered completely to the joy of it. Garak caressed his back, and Julian shifted slightly to allow the other man more access and he leaned into the kiss with more enthusiasm than he could ever have imagined. Not only did Garak smell wonderful, he tasted even better.

“Garak,” he moaned. “You feel so good, I had no idea you would feel so good.”

“Julian,” Garak said once more and pulled away. Julian let out a protest, but silenced when he saw the look on Garak’s face. It was distant, and yet so vulnerable it made Julian’s heart ache. “Why are you doing this, Julian? Tell me the truth.”

Julian couldn’t help but laugh at that. “If I do, will you tell me the truth later?”

Garak avoided his gaze. “I might.”

“All right,” Julian relented. “After all it doesn’t cost me half as much to be truthful to you as it does for you to be truthful to me.” He didn't mean to be cruel and felt bad when he saw the wince on Garak's face. He didn't comment on it however. Instead, he rose from the couch to get some distance between him and Garak. He knew that he wanted his friend now. Their relationship had changed forever and as he stood, looking out through the window he was unclear of how he really felt about it.

Garak was silent, no doubt waiting for him to talk. “At first…” Julian began. “I was shocked to find out that you felt this way about me. And the thought that you were in this Phase was scary. Being tied up like that, not knowing what you were going to do to me, not being able to fight it if I wanted to was scary. I was afraid that you would take me against my will.”

Garak hissed. “I would have, I assure you, Doctor, that within the appropriate amount of time I would have taken you whether you wanted me to or not. Dukat would have seen to that.”

“But I did want you to!.” Julian said and turned around to make sure Garak knew he meant it.

Garak rose from the sofa and walked over to him. The Cardassian's eyes were black now with anger and frustration. He stood so close that Julian could see the thin ring of blue around his friend's fully dilated pupils. Garak leaned even closer and said with a menacing voice. “Did you? Did you really want me to tear the clothes off you and fuck you? Shove my cock into that pert little ass of yours until you were begging me to stop? Because that is what I would have done, I assure you!”

Julian didn’t look away, didn’t try to hide the arousal that Garak’s blunt language caused inside him. “Yes,” he whispered. “That is exactly what I wanted you to do. That is exactly what I still want you to do. I want you to fuck me and I won’t beg you to stop either.” Then he moved closer to the Cardassian and looked deep into those blue eyes as his hands grabbed the tailor’s shoulders in a strong grip, digging into the neck-ridges so hard he knew it must hurt, but he wanted to know that Garak was really listening to him. Garak winced at the pain but Julian could see the arousal beneath the pain. “And then, when you have fucked me and come so hard you see stars, I want to do the same to you. I want to bury myself inside you, enjoy your tight ass just as you enjoyed mine. Then I want to come so hard inside you neither of us will know where one of us begins and the other one ends.”

Garak pulled away and turned his back on him, but not fast enough to hide the raw longing in his face.

“And when exactly did you come to this mind numbing realization, Doctor?” he asked menacingly. His voice was colder than ice, but Julian realized that the contempt was directed more at himself than Julian. “When you realized I had gone into the Phase and needed someone to fuck or I would die? When you realized there is no one else on the station that would be willing to sacrifice themselves so that I would live? Was that when you decided you would give me a pity-fuck?”

“You could die from this?” Julian asked in horror.

Garak swiveled around in a flash. His blue eyes looked at Julian with suspicion. “You didn’t know that?” he said.

“I know nothing of the Phase, Garak. I hadn’t even heard about it until Dukat was so gracious to tell me that you were suffering from it. As far as I recall he mentioned nothing about the condition being lethal. He only said that you would give in to it eventually.”

Garak remained silent, as if contemplating that fact.

“Is it so difficult for you to believe that I could actually want you Garak?” Julian asked softly, “Believe it - stop fighting it, because I do. I do want you. I want you so badly. Look at me!” he said and grabbed Garak’s arm, forcing him to turn around. “I’m so hard I can’t stand it. Look at me, Garak,” he repeated when the Cardassian still didn’t respond. “- touch me. Feel this?” He pulled Garak’s hand closer and cupped the Cardassian’s hand around his aching shaft and he groaned from the pleasure of feeling Garak’s touch through the coarse fabric. “Can’t you feel it Garak? Can’t you feel how hard I am and how much I want you?” Julian’s voice was now a husky whisper and he gasped aloud, and closed his eyes when the Cardassian’s hand finally squeezed his erection, and caressed it almost reverently.

“More, Elim. Please touch me more…” Julian begged and pulled the tailor closer to him. Their lips met yet again in a kiss that grew more insistent by the second. Julian opened his mouth to let those perfect lips caress his, to let that agile tongue into his mouth, inviting it to an erotic dance that sent pleasure coursing up and down his spine in a way that made his knees weaken. Garak pulled him into his arms and when his erection pressed into Garak’s Julian could not stay quiet.

“Oooh, God, Elim. You feel so good,” he moaned.

“Julian,” Garak whispered. “You really want this, don’t you? You want me as much as I want you?”

“Oh, yes. I had no idea I wanted you as much as I do.” His hands dug into the tailor’s shoulders as they kept kissing, openmouthed - almost desperate kisses that left them both breathless. Garak’s skillful hand went down between them again and it moved expertly over Julian’s aching erection, caressing him more insistently through his clothing. “Garak, I’m going to come in my pants if you keep that up!”

Garak groaned at that exclamation and Julian moved his hands down the tailor’s front to touch Garak as intimately. This time it was Garak’s turn to grab at his shoulders as Julian reveled at the feeling of Garak’s hard cock in his hand.

“Julian,” Garak whispered hoarsely. “I think we better find a more private venue for this…”

As if waking up from a daze, Julian flushed. They were in the mess hall after all, and even if it wasn’t likely that anyone would show up, it wouldn’t be a good idea to take that for granted. Julian looked down on himself. Not for the first time he wished the uniforms were a little less tight and a little less revealing.

“I can’t leave here like this,” Julian said huskily. “I might as well wear a sign on my forehead that says ‘I want to be fucked by Garak now’”

Garak groaned at his words and yanked him into his embrace and kissed him hungrily. They nearly forgot where they were once more. When Julian finally pulled free they were both breathing raggedly.

“I am afraid my arousal is no less evident, my dear Doctor,” Garak said dryly and Julian lifted his head to look at his friend and he realized Garak was right. Once again his skin was flushed dark gray, and although Julian had seen Garak this way many times before, he knew this time the other man was not angry or embarrassed, and no one else seeing him would believe that either. The smoldering passion inside those blue eyes was a dead give away.

“Oh god, Garak, I want to be in my quarters, behind locked doors. I want to be in your arms kissing you, making love to you not to be disturbed by anyone for hours.”

“You are not helping matters any, Julian,” Garak said.

“I know, I can’t help it. I want you so much.”

Suddenly Julian had an idea and he grabbed Garak by the hand. “Come on,” he said and the Cardassian followed suit with a puzzled look on his face. Julian walked over to the corridor, peeking around the corner. Voices could be heard through the hallways.

“I can’t believe Dukat would kidnap Julian and Garak like that,” Dax said.

“Cardassians have no honor. I am not the least bit surprised at their actions,” Worf said stiffly and Julian pulled back with a feeling of terror in his chest.

“I sincerely hope that they are not coming here,” Garak said with more than a little pain in his voice.

Julian peeked around the corner again and drew a deep breath of relief when he saw his two crew-mates turn to the right at the end of the hallway. “Come on,” he said to Garak as they ran across the corridor.

“Where are we going, Julian?” Garak said and sounded just a little bit annoyed.

“I feel like a teenager trying to find a place to make out.”

“Make out?”

“Kiss, and touch each other…” Julian explained with laughter in his voice. “Oh, here we are.”

It was a small bathroom, and Garak rolled his eyes.

“Will you be all right in here?” Julian said as he realized just how small the space really was.

“That depends on what you are planning to do to me,” Garak said with a lustful look on his face.

“I’m going to make you come, Elim,” Julian responded and smiled wickedly when he saw Garak’s face. The Cardassian closed his eyes weakly and leaned back against the wall. Julian sank to his knees in the scarcely lit space. He reached out and made sure the door was locked. Then he moved his hands over Garak’s tense body. The Cardassian groaned as soon as Julian’s hands made contact with his bare skin as the young man pushed away the fabric of his tunic.

“Touch me, Julian. I’ve wanted you to touch me for so long.”

“I’m going to touch you, Elim. I am touching you.” With that Julian moved his hands down to the fastenings of Garak’s trousers and opened them, swiftly pulling them down. Garak’s erection jutted out of its restraints eagerly, one clear drop at its tip. Julian instinctively leaned forward and licked it away.  That produced an almost agonized moan from Garak. Julian’s breathing was ragged and he was so excited he couldn’t believe it. The taste, the feel of Garak was sensational.

”Make me come, make me come in your mouth,” Garak hissed urgently. “I feel like I’ve been hard forever…”

Those words sent a jolt through Julian and he groaned. His erection was pressing painfully into his clothing and Julian worked to unfasten the pants so he could release it. He sighed in relief as the pressure eased just a little. At the same time he grabbed Garak’s sex to steady it and then he took Garak inside his mouth. He moved his lips slowly over the shaft, licking all the while. Slowly, lightly he took more and more of the tailor’s erection inside, careful to keep his teeth away.

“Oh Gods, Julian. Harder, please… Don’t tease me now.”

Julian started licking the tailor’s cock more urgently. Feeling the hard flesh ease in and out of the warm depths of his mouth was an exquisite sensation. Up and down in slow, rhythmic movements, and then he withdrew slowly to lick along the length of his lover. Garak dug his hands into Julian’s hair and almost slid down the wall, as his knees were buckling under him. Julian reached out to steady the tailor against the wall. He could feel Garak relax into his grip, as if grateful for the support of his strong hands. It would not take long for Garak, Julian realized as he felt the flesh harden even more inside his mouth. Instead of teasing Garak he relaxed his throat and took him in completely, alternating hard and gentle suction and letting his tongue lap at the underside of the tailor’s cock.

*  *  *

Garak couldn’t believe what was happening. Now Julian was no longer forced to do this. He was doing it of his own free will, and the mere thought of those warm, full lips, that delicious tongue caressing his hard member was almost enough to push him over the edge. His knees were weak and if it weren’t for the surprisingly strong grip of Julian’s hands around his waist, Garak knew he would have slid to the floor.

His groin tightened under Julian’s exquisite caresses. Oh gods, how he had longed for this, for seven long years he had wanted to feel Julian touch him like this. Something gave inside him as the tension rose. Something crucial. Some barrier he had still tried to maintain in his relationship to this lovely young man simply crumbled and fell as those lips fought to bring him the release he so desperately needed. Gods, Julian, he thought. I love you, I love you so much.

“ … Julian… I’m going to come…” Garak groaned.

Julian moved one of his hands over the hairless skin of Garak’s balls and squeezed them gently. Garak let out a hoarse cry of relief and pleasure as the caress pushed him over the edge. He nearly blacked out as he shot his seed down Julian’s throat.

*  *  *

The orgasm kept going and Julian couldn’t swallow it all. As he felt Garak’s juices run down his chin, his own release crashed down on him. It took him completely by surprise, and its intensity forced a strangled moan out of his mouth. The feelings washed over him with incredible force. Garak’s evident pleasure as he reached his peak had pushed him too over the edge.

“Julian,” Garak said and slid down to sit on the floor in front of him. Julian pulled him into his arms and they kissed deeply. As they parted, Garak sighed.

“I needed that. Gods, how I needed that from you,” Garak leaned his head against Julian’s shoulder and Julian’s heart constricted as he noticed what frame of mind Garak was in. The tailor’s arms came around his waist in an almost desperate grip.

Julian tightened his hold on Garak as well. He felt overwhelmed by his strong reaction to this. He desperately tried to hide his emotions as they fought for mastery inside him; need, fear and an almost overwhelming tenderness. Julian looked Garak deep in the eyes. The unbearable tension he had seen in the tailor’s face and body the last few weeks seemed to have just drained away.

“Thank you, Julian. I feel so much better now.”

“Me too,” Julian said breathlessly. “I didn’t even touch myself… and I came so hard I don’t believe it!”

Garak looked down on Julian and smiled a little. “Indeed you did. All over your uniform too”

Julian smiled back a little sheepishly. “It’s the second one I’ve ruined in one day. I don’t believe it. If this is going to set the style for our ongoing relationship, I have to see to it that I have more uniforms at hand.”

Garak looked at him, suddenly serious and Julian realized what he had said.

“Relationship, Julian? Is that what you want?”

Julian averted his eyes, but Garak reached out with his hand and forced him to look into those incredibly blue eyes. “What do you want Garak? For once let me know what goes on inside that brain of yours.”

Garak sighed deeply. “Having you in my life would be like a dream come true. I thought you knew that. I meant what I said. I do love you, Julian. But the question is, how do you feel about all of this?”

Julian drew a deep breath. How did he feel about it? He looked at his friend. Garak and he had known each other for seven years and now, by mistake, he had found out what Garak truly felt. What would have happened if Dukat hadn’t intervened?

“Tell me something, Garak, “ he said. “Would you ever have told me the truth?”

This time it was Garak’s turn to look away. Julian knew the answer without Garak having to say a word. He rose to his feet and fastened his clothes and tried to get rid of the worst of the spots. He would have to get to a change of clothes without being seen by anyone, and he had a lot to think about.

“Give me some time Garak. I need time to figure this out.”

*  *  *

Garak nodded and rose to his feet as well. He couldn’t believe what had happened. He and Julian had just had a wonderful experience together, but it had backfired because of his need for secrecy, and now he didn’t know how to set things right. For the first time in a very long time, Garak cursed his personality and the way he needed to control every aspect of his life. Would Julian understand why he hadn’t told him?

Did he even understand himself? He felt like all the laws of physics suddenly had become null and void. Never in his wildest dreams could he have imagined that Julian would want him in return. He had always figured the young man to be totally heterosexual, but the way he had touched him; the way he had sucked him off told a completely different story. That was not the caress of a man who had no experience in these matters. He looked at the slender form of Julian leaving the bathroom.

A silent agreement that Garak would wait a few minutes before leaving passed between them. Garak sighed. What would happen now? And in how many other ways had he misjudged his friend?

As Julian left, Garak wondered if he was as good a spy as he thought. Julian was most definitely proving to be a puzzle, not as easily solved, as he had believed that first day when he had seen the young man in the Replimat.

That day he had fallen for a pair of hazel eyes, which seemed to be able to soothe any ache inside his battered soul. Over the years Julian had gotten to know him better than anyone else in the universe and Garak had never revealed so much about himself to anyone. Never in his wildest dreams had he believed that anyone would accept him the way Julian had. Even knowing what he had done in the past, Julian had accepted all of him.

Garak waited another minute before leaving, wishing he had told Julian how he felt long ago.

The End (for now at least)
 

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