WINDOWS INTO SOULS

[msl_cb]

Title: Windows into Souls Authors: MSL and CB Fandom: Star Trek Deep Space 9 Pairing: Garak/Bashir Rating: Age 18+ Word count: 7,104 Warnings: Explicit Summary: The first day Julian meets Garak.

He'd been standing by the window for a good half hour, waiting to see if the wormhole would open. It was one of the wonders of the galaxy, according to reports he'd read, and Julian was looking forward to a few minutes playing tourist now that his first day's work was done. He'd tried going to bed. It just hadn't worked. So he'd put back on his uniform and walked the long corridors of the Promenade and upper level, learning his new home.

Few shops were open at this hour. There was the Replimat, and a shop selling sundry personal items with a bored shopkeeper who'd stared curiously at him, the one small stalk on the top of his head tilting toward Julian as he'd walked by. Argelian maybe. Some variant of that race, anyhow. He had his old medical holotexts. He'd look it up later and maybe stop by and say hello to the man tomorrow night. He couldn't be as boring as he looked, Julian thought, with somewhat strained optimism.

What a day it had been! A wide mix of patients had left him pleased with his decision to go for this posting. It wasn't research, but there was an immediacy to personal medicine that he enjoyed, and the challenge to correctly diagnose among so many races had kept him on his toes - just where he liked to be. A fast, mental review of the day gave him a good feeling about the medical personnel he'd be working with. Quick, efficient, letting the patient be the center of attention, as they should be.

As for the other Starfleet personnel, they seemed like a good group. Especially the Trill, Jadzia Dax. Astoundingly beautiful woman. He was looking forward to getting to know all of them socially, especially her. She was single. He'd checked that out as soon as he'd gotten to a terminal. He wondered if she liked tennis. Sports was a great way to get acquainted.

A blink of light caught his attention and he stared in the direction he thought the wormhole was but, after a moment, relaxed again. Probably just an eye flash. He was getting tired and he should go to sleep. It was annoying that there weren't any benches by the window. He'd have to suggest that to someone. The exercise of walking had kept him awake and, now that he was still, he was beginning to fade out. A small change of air sent a shiver down his spine. For some reason Garak flashed into his mind. A strange and intriguing man. The first Cardassian he'd actually met. When the man had stood behind him and put his hands on his shoulders, there had been that same shiver. A spy. Not a character in one of his novels, but a real, live spy.

There was the strangest sudden sense that something was different. It took a moment for Julian to analyze the change and he almost laughed when he figured it out. "How long have you been there, Garak?"

"Not long. I was wondering what it was you found so interesting. After all, you must have several windows in your own quarters. Oh." There was amusement in Garak's voice. "You won't see the wormhole location from here for the next twenty-three minutes. The station rotates, you might remember."

He had forgotten, Julian realized. He must really be tired. Starting to turn from the window, a gentle but firm grip kept him turned away, while the man behind moved even closer. A soft voice near his ear raised goosebumps that Julian had no doubt were clearly visible, even in the low night lighting.

"Yes, you could lie in bed and wait for it, but the location won't show from your room for another two hours and ten minutes. Why don't you just stay here. I'll wait with you. But I wouldn't get my hopes up. Ships don't come through the wormhole all that often."

126.3 minutes till the view would come around there, Julian unconsciously calculated, wondering how Garak had known where his quarters were to have gotten the time so close. Ah, still spying, undoubtedly. All temptation to leave was gone. It had turned into a game, and Julian did love games. "How often does it happen?" Now that he was trying to sense him, Julian could feel Garak's presence in the warmth at his rear.

"Odd times. Operations will usually know in advance so, if you ask around, you can find out and arrange for a good viewing location."

The breath came closer and then a faint inhalation said that Garak was smelling him. Tempted to sniff his underarms, Julian realized what the most obvious odor would be. "Musk. My shampoo."

The next inhalation was louder and longer, the temperature at his neck increasing. "That's the base, but there's a faint herbal overtone."

Julian just stopped himself from gasping as a tongue flicked across the ends of his hair. He could hear the satisfaction in Garak's voice as he proclaimed, "Vulcan jeled seed. Just the faintest trace."

The goosebumps were now working their way down Julian's arms. Again he tried to turn around. Again, the grip on his shoulders stopped him. Fine, then. Two could play. "You must sell toiletries in your shop. You clearly have a nose for it."

The breath gusted on Julian's neck as laughter ruffled the soft strands of hair. "Fragrances are an art in themselves. I'll stay with necklines."

A finger moved to Julian's collar and barely grazed his skin as it circled around the fabric. An intense sensation moved instantly from Julian's neck to his groin as if they were directly connected, and his breath quickened. Concentrating, Julian attempted to breathe quietly and relax his body. A light laugh said he wasn't doing a very good job.

"Uniform styles are so restricting. A nice scarf would keep your neck more comfortable. It gets cool on the Promenade late at night." A rush of open-mouthed, warm air slowly spread over his bare skin. What a mother would do to warm her child on a cold day. But this was no mother. The goosebumps came back with a vengeance.

"Am I making you nervous?"

"No." That was immediately followed by, "Yes." The warmth moved away so that the breaths were only felt if you were trying to feel them.

"You have no reason to be. This is just that marvelous time at the start of a relationship when we get to know one another. We're going to be friends and you'll enjoy remembering these early days."

"Friends?"

The hands reappeared at his waist. Light but not constraining. Reassuring and disturbing at the same time. "Does our friendship begin before whatever happens between us or after? Still to be determined. That's part of the excitement. But, yes, friends. You're intrigued by me, but I don't think you know why yet." The hands gripped a little tighter before disappearing.

Julian let out a shaky breath. "And you do? If you're thinking I'm attracted to you, you're wrong. My tastes are more old-fashioned."

A small laugh accompanied Garak's hands resting lightly on Julian's hips. Julian knew that if he had any sense he should push those hands away, but he found himself enjoying the danger Garak represented. No one was here, but anyone could be. He was safe in this semi-public, and seduction was an intensely pleasurable experience. Besides, Garak was very good at walking the border of what was acceptable. Julian had just reached that point in his analysis of his reaction when Garak began moving Julian's hips slightly back and forth in the age-old dance. It was almost as if they were having sex right here, right now, in this empty, echoing space, whose walls the whispers never reached. But the mouth that spoke was close enough to his ear for Julian to feel the forming words against very sensitive skin. Safe? Right.

"You're intellectually curious. I am, too. For different reasons, but we both want to know everything that's going on around us. I think we're going to love exploring ideas together." For just an instant, Julian's rump bumped up against Garak's hard groin. "As well as exploring other things."

The hands at Julian's hips suddenly disappeared and the burn that the contact had ignited in Julian made him want to push back to reestablish it, but he didn't, of course. It was a game. Garak had made a point and Julian wasn't about to help him increase the score. It was difficult getting his breath under control, but Julian did. "Sports? Are you interested in tennis? I brought a holosuite program with me."

"It depends on the sport, of course. Maybe not tennis. I want a partner, not an opponent."

The hands were back, but Julian stiffened and, this time, didn't allow himself to be moved. The grip loosened and fingers moved lightly down on his hips - kneading, stroking - deeply pleasurable and discomfiting all at once. He put his hands on Garak's to move them away, but hesitated as the fingers performed their almost hypnotically relaxing massage. How strange to feel so relaxed while being touched by a stranger. Just a few more minutes. Then he'd politely take his leave and go to bed. Alone. But there could be nothing wrong in enjoying this for just a few minutes. He closed his eyes.

"When was the last time you were with someone?" The voice was soft.

"Three weeks ago." Julian's voice was also soft with remembrance. "The most beautiful woman. As lovely inside as out." At Garak's laugh, Julian swatted the hands his own still rested on. "She was a really nice person. It was her going away gift to me." Since the magic fingers hadn't stopped their movement, and he didn't really want them to, Julian let the conversation continue. "And you?"

"Four years. He wasn't very nice, inside or out. But you do what you need to do."

"Spy business?" Julian asked, excitement rising.

"A fabric supplier who was blocking access to some very beautiful material and would only let me have it with a side surtax." There was a long silence. "But I imagine that sex is just another tool in the spy craft toolbox."

"Spying was your profession before you took up tailoring, I believe."

"Oh, Doctor, you should never let yourself listen to gossip. Now that's not saying that I haven't some knowledge of spy craft. After all, customers will talk and it's hard to respond with your mouth full of pins, so I may have learned some tricks, while they talked, that would interest you. If we can believe the stories. And they were sometimes difficult to accept. How would a spy get away posing as a gardener for months at a time just so that he could poison the ambassador's vegetable souffle at a large diplomatic function? Personally, I think the fellow was bragging."

Julian stopped Garak's hand from its inspired wandering. Slowly, Garak started talking again and Julian let him continue the stroking.

"I remember once - a story I was told, of course."

"Of course," Julian agreed, letting his own fingers push Garak's in deeper, then slide over Garak's as Garak's moved to stroke his rump.

"The man was barely twenty when he was tasked with getting an access code out of this Klingon security officer. The man must have been one hundred and twenty, and a battle-scared veteran of too many wars. But he clearly had an eye for handsome young men, and the hero of this piece was considered quite good looking in his youth." Garak chuckled. "In another ten years, he could have just gotten the code through his computer skills, but he was young and his appearance was his major asset back then." Garak's voice drifted away.

"And?" Julian demanded, gripping Garak's wrists until Garak continued the story, which he did.

"And the young spy gave the old security officer a night to remember, took the code while the lech was passed out, and turned it over to his superior, then checked himself into a hospital for a week to recover."

"A week!"

"Broken scapula, cracked left radius and a chip off the right femur. As well as some minor internal injuries. But he did get a commendation for his night's work, so he had bragging rights among his friends for a month."

"Was it worth it?"

"Oh, yes. The ambassador's ship passed through the region without a single person knowing and Cardassian diplomacy was safely protected for another day." There was another long pause. "Spying isn't glamorous, but it is necessary."

"I'd love to hear your critique of some of my spy fiction."

"You see," Garak said, leaning even closer, "you're already imagining our future friendship."

"Look over there! Will that ship go through the wormhole?" Julian took advantage of a small ship headed in the general direction where he thought the wormhole would eventually be to change the subject.

Garak's face appeared beside his own as Julian pointed at the ship receding from the station. "No. Watch. It's going to make a sharp left turn in about nine..eight..seven... Well, just a little early. But that was a regularly scheduled shuttle, which means it's 14:23 in the morning and way past your bedtime. What are you doing up this late?"

"Why schedule a shuttle so late at night?" They watched together as the ship disappeared into the distance.

"This station runs most functions all three shifts. That shuttle brought supplies from Bajor and will take passengers back. They call it the Red-Eye. Quark's bar just closed. You'll get to know it very well. It's the main entertainment here. So Quark will be picking up supplies and putting them away now that he doesn't have to worry about customers. And some of those customers went directly from Quark's to the shuttle. There's a rhythm to station life, as you'll soon discover."

Garak rubbed his face lightly against Julian's before pulling back and then Garak's hands were on Julian's shoulders, this time massaging lightly. Yielded again to temptation, Julian leaned into the kneading. It was only when he heard Garak laughing that he realized he'd been making little moans of pleasure. He straightened up and the hands pulled him back to lean against Garak's solidness. He was tired, so he allowed Garak to continue taking some of his weight. For ten minutes they stood that way, physically close and looking silently out into the darkness. Julian couldn't remember when he'd been so relaxed that he could have fallen asleep standing up this way.

"You were going to say what you were doing up so late. If your quarters aren't ready, I'd be most happy to share mine for the night. I've only a single bed, but I'm sure we could both fit."

"I'm not interested, Garak." For some reason, Julian realized his earlier nervousness was gone. Talking with Garak had become more companionable than challenging. The banter was just that - light teasing that encouraged but didn't demand. "I was too excited to sleep. First night and all that. I wanted to see what the station was like when no one was around."

"I go walking sometimes myself. That's what I was doing tonight. I knew we were going to find we have a lot in common."

Garak's arms came around Julian and Julian didn't pull away. The deserted walkway made the spot seem private in some strange way. It had been a long time since he'd actually enjoyed just touching another body. Not for sex. Just for comfort.

"You do want to have sex with me, you know." The breath was intimate against his neck. The damned man seemed to read his mind.

Julian had to laugh. Garak did not give up. "No, I don't. You aren't my type. If you hadn't guessed, I like women."

"I guessed. I tend to be more open-minded in my interests."

Rubbing lightly against Garak, Julian closed his eyes. "You do this with all the new Starfleet personnel?"

A light kiss to his ear brought shivers again. "Actually, you're the first." As Julian started to turn in surprise, Garak licked his ears and tightened his arms. "Not my first, of course. But you are the only one I've approached on the station. Actually, you are my first human, if that interests you."

The tongue burrowed deeper into Julian's ear and Julian didn't stop himself, this time, from rubbing back against the hardness that began to rhythmically push against him. "I'm not going to..." The words died away as Garak's hand reached around and firmly grasped him. Then awareness of their surroundings made its way into Julian's mind and he pulled away. Garak instantly stepped back. Julian turned and, for the first time, looked into Garak's face.

There was no embarrassment, no apology. Just a soft smile that said that all decisions were up to Julian. Against his better judgment, Julian smiled back. Could anything be more idiotic than smiling at a man who'd just grabbed him? His eyes moved over Garak's face, tracing the lines and ridges in his mind and wondering if they were sensitive. That hadn't been in any of his text books.

"Too soon?" Garak asked.

"Too public," Julian found himself saying, immediately wishing he could take it back. But the feel of that grip, now gone, was still burning into his flesh.

Garak's smile widened. "Actually, this part of the upper level gets almost no traffic at this hour. Odo will be by in half an hour on his regular walk-around but, other than that, I've never met anyone here this late at night. If you were willing, I could lean you up against that window and take you twice and no one but us would ever know."

Julian couldn't stop himself from visualizing the scene and his reaction to the image must have been spread across his face because Garak began laughing uncontrollably. It was infectious and he found himself laughing, too. And when Garak gathered him into his arms, Julian clung as they laughed together. Then Garak pulled back, leaving their groins tightly pressed. The smiles of both men disappeared. What had been funny became very serious, and for minutes they just looked at one another.

"Not here, then." The words were so quiet Julian could hardly hear them. "When you're ready, my shop. It's very near. There's a back room where I sometimes stay the night."

Julian shook his head. This was all happening too fast. He'd only met this man and he was already imagining Garak slamming into the ass that Garak still held.

"Give us, say, two months of frequent intercourse, and I could keep you in climax for at least five minutes." The words were as mesmerizing as the circles Garak was rubbing on Julian's rear. "I've learned a lot of tricks listening to customers over the years."

"Spy sex 101? Or maybe it's the hook you were taught in class to get someone into your bed. Promise them anything and then they're compromised?" But he didn't move away or try to stop Garak.

"I could have you off right here and right now. Under one minute." Julian's disbelief must have showed because Garak added, "Shall I show you?"

The absurdness of the claim didn't match the calm seriousness on that face so close in front of him. If there was one thing Julian knew, it was the responses of a body. Especially his own. But Julian also knew body English, and there wasn't a trace of doubt in Garak that he could do exactly what he said he could. Well, why not? For science, if nothing else.

"As long as you leave my clothes on." When Garak didn't move immediately, Julian noted, "The seconds are ticking away and I'm not even hard."

Garak's lips curved upward and his fingers began moving in an odd rhythm on Julian's rump. Pressing and releasing, moving closer and closer together, approaching that desired entry while Garak's eyes never left his. Nothing unusual. Nothing that wouldn't be part of any normal fooling around. And then a quick movement that wasn't normal, that pressed deep inside him and Julian felt himself instantly harden. The fast rhythm that Garak began against his groin confused what the hands were doing behind him, but they were doing something deep beneath his scrotum. That was the last rational thought Julian had before he collapsed into Garak's arms, spent. Panting, with heart beating as if he'd just had a set on the court, Julian felt the solid body against him vibrating with laughter. He let his head rest on Garak's shoulder for a long time. "Five minutes, you say."

"Minimum." And with that, Garak leaned forward and kissed Julian firmly on the mouth.

It wasn't at all what Julian was used to, but there was an inevitability to the kiss that Julian found himself accepting. Letting his arms pull Garak even closer, he deepened the kiss and let his mouth open. An old game with a new player. They were matched in size and strength, and Garak was clearly willing to let him lead or follow as he pleased. There was no pressure to do more than he chose, but each new kiss and exploration with hands and mouth encouraged him to draw out reactions, just as they were being drawn out from him.

Now he could trace those ridges he'd only looked at before - light touches that made his fingertips tingle with the changing contours, while he carefully noted which touches turned Garak weak with pleasure. Different, but an exciting difference.

For the first time in his life, Julian began seriously considering having sex with another man. He'd never been interested before. Now, suddenly, he was. The decision was hardly conscious on Julian's part, but Garak seemed to know he'd made it almost before Julian did himself.

A few light kisses, then Garak pushed him away and toward the window. "The wormhole location will be showing in under a minute."

While Julian stared into the blackness, Garak held him and his soft voice began a very detailed explanation of what the experience with him would be like the first time. And while Julian knew the mechanics, as any doctor would, now he was hearing it from a lover's point of view.

The lecture complete, Garak held him for long minutes, well past the time the wormhole would have opened if any ship had been coming through. The now familiar breaths were bringing the goosebumps back to Julian's neck. "I'm sorry you didn't see it open. We'll have to be here to see it another night." A kiss on a sensitized neck. "Odo will be coming soon. We should go to my shop now. I have some cleaning materials there. Your pants are soaked and you'll want to get out of them."

Julian looked down. The black material was very good at hiding the moisture, but the dampness was rapidly becoming uncomfortable. He sighed. It looked like there were going to be significant advantages to taking a tailor as a lover. With a dramatic gesture, Julian took Garak's arm. "Lead on, McDuff. And make sure you remember to test the cleaning stuff on an inside hem first. I only have six identical pairs of these." They were both laughing as they walked away.

***********************

Garak had arrived at Quark's upper level ten minutes early, choosing a table with a good view of arriving customers on both levels. Tempting as it was to order something alcoholic, Garak restrained himself. He'd only had a few hours sleep after Julian had left, and he didn't want to dull a single nerve. He was determined to savor every moment of the most exciting thing that had happened to him in years. He moved a bit in his chair to ease the discomfort. Amazing just how out of shape one got for a strenuous sex session. And he really didn't want to ask the good doctor for something to numb his rear. He was looking forward to getting a lot sorer later in the evening.

There! Julian had entered on the lower level and was looking around for him. Garak waited to see how Julian would approach the problem, but the man almost instantly looked up to scan the tables by the railing and, seeing him, waved and started for the stairs. A glow filled Garak's chest. It had only been a few hours since they'd parted, but the excitement was instantly back. Calm, he reminded himself. Then Julian appeared in front of him with the widest grin it was possible to imagine and Garak's attempt at casualness was lost before it started. With a matching grin, Garak waved him to the place opposite.

"You're early."

"I can't stay long."

Garak's heart dropped before reason reestablished itself and he waved to catch the attention of a passing waiter. "Busy with patients?"

"Crazy. Half the station seems to have slipped in the bathtub or dropped something on an appendage. Nothing serious. Just continuous. What do you recommend?"

Heartbeat back to normal, Garak looked up at the waiting server. A raised eyebrow to Julian received a nod in return. "Two Plovian stews, two chocolate fruit slabs, and two Racassa juices."

"One Racassa juice and one Tarkalian tea, extra sweet," Julian corrected. "And I'd appreciate if you could rush the order. I'm running late."

The man gone, they looked at one another and the smiles returned in force. Julian nodded toward Garak's seat. "Did I do any damage?"

"Nothing lasting. Though I really should have my doctor look at the area."

"So I'm your doctor, too, am I? Well, I think an examination is in order. Is this evening still convenient? I believe I could fit you in between an appendectomy and an ingrown claw. That's assuming my earlier patient HAS an appendix."

"I think, my dearest Doctor, that I'm the one who will be fitting YOU in."

That sally broke them both up, as the returning waiter hurriedly set the dishes down and rushed off to another beckoning customer.

Garak watched Julian tentatively try the dish and was relieved to see him dig in enthusiastically. He started on his own.

"Oh, I forgot. I brought you something." Julian leaned down to the small medical case he'd brought with him and took out a holobook. "It's a spy novel. I'm looking forward to a professional critique."

"Well, if you're interested in my opinion of their sartorial choices, you have to realize that fashions are fickle and need to be judged by contemporary standards. But I will do my best." Garak didn't even bother to try to think who had last given him a gift. At least since he'd left Mila's tender care.

"I was more thinking of your opinion of their various spying techniques. Some of them seem rather clever. For example, they use what they call 'drops' to pass information along. A mark on a bench could say 'look in the trash can'."

"A mark on a bench could also mean someone slept on it with dirty shoes. Ah, well, I have very little to judge such things against, but I'm happy to do my best." He indicated the book. "Thank you." The thanks were quite sincere, and Garak could see that Julian recognized that. It was hard for Garak to remember when he'd worn such a real smile for such a long time.

 

"Are we still on for tonight?" Julian asked, pushing aside the empty stew dish and starting onto dessert.

"We could meet here when you've finished your shift, have dinner and then adjourn to your quarters. Your bed is probably bigger than mine."

Shaking his head, Julian swept his spoon around the bowl, searching for the last chocolate bits. "Never exercise on a full stomach. Doctor's orders. My place first, then dinner. I'll set the security codes for you. I'm sure you know where it's located." He stood up and swallowed the last of his tea. "I really have to run. Consider yourself kissed." And, with that, he was gone, leaving a bemused Garak to follow his movement through the growing lunch crowd.

He'd just turned his attention back to his own meal when Odo appeared and sat down in the chair Julian had just vacated. "Seems like a nice enough young man. Have a pleasant evening last night? Or was it this morning?"

"Very pleasant, if you must know. We share an interest in tennis." So much for erasing the security tapes from the upper level walkway, Garak thought. Odo must have had an eyeful. He hadn't expected the constable to have scanned through them so soon. Another piece of data to tuck away.

"Looking at his personnel record, he's one of the up and comers. Graduated in the top of his classes." Odo turned to watch one of the new arrivals saunter to the bar. "He also has quite a reputation among the ladies. Never serious and he's usually the one breaking off the relationships."

The intrusion into his personal life would have been annoying from anyone but Odo. Garak had no doubt Odo's subtle warning was done as a friend. He was the only real friend Garak had had on the station over these last few years. Garak nodded when Odo looked back. Odo returned it and got up. "I never will understand the obsession of most species for an activity meant for procreation."

"If you'd just let me introduce you to some of my customers, I'm sure they could explain the reasons far better than I could. Just let me know whenever you want me to set you up, Constable."

Odo's response was one of his typical grunts and, mission accomplished, he started for the stairs to the bar area, Garak watching him go. A significant glance from the waiter brought Garak to his feet so that the table could accommodate the next customer. Thinking about the coming rendezvous, Garak hurried along. The lunch break had been so short that he was anticipating having time to do some computer work before reopening for the afternoon.

***********************

Not only did the back room of Garak's shop have a bed and a small storage space, it also had a beautifully hidden computer and communications area with which he kept in sporadic contact with old friends and acquaintances. He might be out of the official information loop, but Garak was determined to keep up with the unofficial one. Knowledge wasn't power for him. It was safety.

From a wall beside the window - the reason Garak had chosen this particular location for his shop - Garak turned part of a wall sculpture and a table and attached electronics slid out at waist height. The room was shielded, and Garak doubted even Odo could find the equipment, even when it was in use. It took a very short time to attach to Odo's security camera network, and no time at all to find what he was looking for - the first moment he'd seen Julian.

The man was wandering in a somewhat confused manner down the Promenade, looking at goods on tables and peering into shops. The constantly moving eyes had been the first thing Garak had noticed. No, he corrected himself. It was the face and the body that had first attracted him. Garak was a lover of beauty in many forms, and this stranger had matched his notion of just what a handsome human should look like. And never had a Starfleet uniform looked so good. The black set off Julian's slim build, and the V of the neckline forced the eye downward. Even the communicator almost covered a nipple in a most intriguing way that made Garak's fingers itch to very slowly remove it from the tunic. And the color. Julian's ruddy facial hue played out the turquoise in a way that made the color glow. If Garak hadn't known how exceedingly pale it would have made him look, he might have been tempted to use that color in a suit for himself.

Actually, his own green suit was a good match to Julian's uniform, he thought, looking at himself keeping pace with Julian from across the Promenade but several tables away. Annoyingly, he suddenly realized that the stripes he had previously admired might be just a bit too broad. Perhaps something thinner next time. Oh, but the downward swoop of the front. That had been inspired. He was suddenly remembering the fingers that had followed down those lines during those passionate kisses in the deserted walkway. But that was for later. Now was for understanding what had brought them together.

It was while watching Julian that Garak had observed the curiosity with which Julian approached a new environment. True, he didn't know what to look for - the signs that experience said were important or essential - but his eyes never stopped moving and, when they did, it was over something that deserved deeper attention. Then, information integrated, it was on to the next item of curiosity. Right then - Garak could see it in his own face in the video - Garak had made up his mind to meet this man.

A few discrete inquiries while Julian was examining some holobooks - new Starfleet officers were an obvious topic of gossip - and he'd learned what he needed to know. There wasn't time to follow the images of the two of them in real time on the security footage since the shop had to open soon, so Garak speeded the video up until he saw himself approaching Julian at his Replimat table.

There! That was it. The moment Garak had decided that he wanted Julian. When Julian had asked him straightforwardly about his spying past. Direct. No subterfuges. And Garak could see the microexpression that showed his own surprise and, yes, pleasure at Julian's directness. This was a man, he had recognized, that he wanted to know better. Julian's passion and character glowed out through his eyes.

He watched himself stand and carefully place his hands on Julian's shoulders. Oh, the expression on Julian's face was wonderful. All he'd known at the time was the shiver and the goosebumps that appeared above the collar. But the open mouth. That very, very skillful mouth that had known just how to tease and satisfy his own mouth and, later, his body. Not that the lessons had progressed as far as they would. He hadn't yet entered that mouth, as he now decided he would tonight. Tonight he wanted to look down and see himself pumping between those beautifully formed lips. Wanted to watch Julian swallow as he came, thinking it would be with the same enthusiasm he brought to eating. His pants tightened and there was that temptation to satisfy himself but, he reminded himself, his own hand was no longer needed. Tonight someone else would take care of him.

And then he jumped the footage and location to the cameras on the walkway this morning. He knew to the minute when he had seen Julian at the window. There wasn't time now to watch the slow buildup and so he sped through the video, then paused. Another camera angle and he let it play - not the moment he brought Julian off, though he smiled smugly at the memory but, rather, that moment when Julian had been seduced. When he had decided that he would play a different game than the one he had previously played on a comfortable field. What a partner this man could become. Odo's warning nagged at the edge of Garak's mind, but he shoved it away. He'd gotten the relationship this far, he was willing to bet he could win more than just Julian's body. He'd been alone too long.

Quickly, Garak copied the multiple camera footage and put it away under tighter encryption than he usually used. This footage he knew he would want to watch again. He also knew he was going to have to ask Odo to erase the footage and that he would eventually be able to overcome Odo's reluctance. There wouldn't be many times that he would need to push that friendship to its edge, but Odo would understand that this was one of those times. Another thing to put on his To-Do list.

Then he sat staring at the keyboard. He'd already been at this longer than he should, if the shop was to reopen at its normal time. But he had to make sure that the footage was there. That the cameras had all worked properly. They were there purely for security. Every morning before he opened up the shop, he checked that no one but himself had appeared on camera overnight. Facial recognition was particularly easy when there was only one Cardassian to recognize, so checking for intruders took essentially no time. But he had known when he suggested the shop to Julian as a trysting place that the cameras were going to have another purpose and so, with a shaky breath, he turned on his own surveillance footage and watched the two of them fall into the room as they pulled each other's clothes off and fell onto the bed.

Julian had been desperately frantic and Garak had purposely allowed him to be first on top. Garak had wanted Julian relaxed when he entered in his turn. Zooming in, Garak paused the video just as that smooth shaft was about to enter him. Remembering how Julian had forgotten the lubricant in his haste, Garak fast-forwarded past that unfortunate part. There. The glistening shaft was now wielded by a doctor, with care and gentleness. And the camera angle gave a better view since Garak had remembered where they were aimed. He could vividly remember the feeling when he was entered by someone he so desperately wanted to be joined with.

But time was passing. He moved past footage he knew he'd want to play slowly and lovingly someday and reached the part where his own shaft was starting to enter Julian. A true Cardassian organ, he thought with pride. Large, thick and ridged for the intense pleasure of his partner. Julian was moving so that Garak's body would block the camera, but Garak was able to re-position him. There, he was part way in and he'd stopped to feel Julian's reaction. But then, suddenly, he was all the way in. He'd checked on Julian's well-being and, reassured, the long thrusts had begun. Garak could feel them now as he watched, but pushed the feelings away and backed the footage up.

Carefully he watched again and again, changing angles and examining Julian's body and face. Finally Garak was satisfied. Julian had consciously relaxed his body to accept the organ. For a first time experience, that was amazing. And Garak had enough experience to know that he'd been the first man to enter Julian. Julian hadn't been bragging about his sporting abilities. If that's what a natural athlete could do, Garak could just imagine how their sexual relationship was going to develop.

He'd seen himself with other men, and with women, countless times. He'd been taught to tape his encounters. This was different. He realized that he was almost as excited watching now as he had been experiencing it. There was not the intellectual separation he normally had, he realized with just the trace of separation he still had left. And the kissing. That was not Seduction 101, that was the need to merge with Julian. As the thrusting continued, Garak watched the strain in his body and then its complete relaxation. He'd never seen that expression on his face before. It was as though he was at peace and he was happy. He played the moment of climax again and again and, each time as if he were again experiencing it, the peace washed over him. Something was different in this joining and he couldn't identify it, try as he might. But in this footage he had memories that would last, whether this new relationship did or not.

It was hard to stop smiling. To think that a random interaction on the Promenade had led to this. He was still shaking his head as he copied out the footage, carefully encrypted it, and deleted the originals from his surveillance files. Standing up, he felt a coolness at his groin from the air conditioning on the damp front of his pants. It had been obviously quite a show. Luckily, he had a new suit in the shop that needed only the slightest alteration to be wearable.

He realized that by now it was very late to be opening the shop, and so wondered how he might spend the time instead. The answer came immediately to mind. Searching through the area at the back of the desk, Garak came up with six essentially invisible surveillance cameras. He knew the floor plan of Julian's quarters and he'd even checked the maintenance records for furniture delivery. Thinking a moment, Garak added another two cameras. Those would cover all angles, both rooms.

It wasn't voyeurism, Garak reminded himself. It was educational material to help him know how best to initiate Julian into some of the deepest secrets of the Obsidian Order's spy classes. Julian wanted to play spy and this was one way Garak was perfectly happy to help train him.

Turning to the storage area at the other side of the room, Garak searched for a box he knew he had put there several years ago. It was under quite a few others but well worth the effort to find. From the depths, Garak pulled out a fabric that almost floated on the air as he examined it for defects. It was perfect. Julian's measurements were deep in his fingertips, and the design of the robe he was seeing was so simple that it would take less than an hour to make. And it gave him the perfect excuse for visiting if Julian dropped in unexpectedly while Garak was installing the cameras. He'd explain the robe as a return gift for the spy book.

Now, moving with purpose, Garak slid back the communication center, and locked it in place. Then he gathered together the devices and material and carefully closed up the room. Try as he might, he couldn't keep the grin off his face. It was going to be an incredible night.

If he didn't fall asleep first, of course. Maybe a short nap was in order. He was looking forward to his dreams.