WHAT I DID ON MY SUMMER VACATION

[msl_cb]

Title: What I Did on my Summer Vacation Authors: MSL and CB Fandom: Star Trek Deep Space 9 Pairing: Garak/Bashir Rating: Age 18+ Word count: 14,556 Warnings: Explicit Summary: Julian decides to take Garak on a real vacation. Garak decides to take Julian. A first time story.

"You've put up the sign saying you're on vacation for a week?"

Garak sighed. It was the third time Julian had asked. "Yes, the sign is up. And, before you ask, I've arranged to have fabric deliveries stored, I've informed security, and my single bag is packed and sitting by the door."

"It's a shame Odo couldn't have arranged to come with us. He's always talking about flying and the nature reserve would have been perfect. I would love to watch him fly." As Julian said this, Odo was approaching an Andorian who was arguing with Quark. Within two minutes, the man was flat on the ground and being removed by the hurriedly called security. Odo's scowl was clearly a yard-wide smile of satisfaction.

Garak turned back to Julian. "I think you're seeing him in his natural hunting ground. As he said, it was just a scheduling conflict. We could always delay our trip until we're all free."

Shaking his head, Julian emptied his drink and signaled a waiter for another. "My psychological health could be permanently damaged if I can't get out into real fresh air occasionally. Besides, you and I never seem to find enough time to really talk. Say what you will, there's nothing like a camping trip with a friend to make you feel at peace with the world. Even if the world is determined not to be at peace with you." As Julian had known it would, the word 'friend' brought a look of happiness to Garak's face. The man didn't have many, certainly not here on the station, and he could use a little bonding time to lift some of the cynicism off those broad Cardassian shoulders.

"And you don't mind spending half our vacation in the city? We could skip the concert, if you really don't want to go."

"There's fresh air in cities, too. Well, most of them. And I wouldn't miss a good Vulcan thinter string group when it's so close to the reserve." Actually, it was seeing a promotion for the concert that had gotten Julian thinking about getting Garak off the station. Garak's music collection showed he had a particular fondness for the instrument. And Julian, if not a devotee, was pretty sure that he could tolerate a two hour concert. If not, there were always the practically invisible earplugs and an opportunity to reread, in his mind, one of the newer research articles.

"I'm surprised you wanted Odo and I for company. I would have thought that the nurse you were seeing would have been your first choice."

"It was getting awkward at work, so Shirley and I broke it off."

"The lovely young woman down in engineering."

"When our conversations started turning toward a permanent relationship, I decided that this one had run its course."

"Then, surely, that waitress at the Klingon restaurant who kept serving you extra helpings."

"That wasn't the only thing she was serving that I was getting bored with."

"So you're not dating now. Very frustrating, I'm sure. Perhaps you'd like me to introduce you to one of my customers. Odo seems to not be interested, but I'm sure that I could help you meet some very lovely, as well as willing, young ladies. Perhaps an Andorian to whom I've just sold the most stunning green silk cafton. I just ask that you are especially careful if you ever get a chance to remove it. There was a lot of love sewn into that particular design."

"Were you plowing that particular field yourself?"

"No. While she is a perfectly delightful girl, the key word is girl. She's your age, but with an innocence that makes her appear years younger. My preferences run to more experienced beauties."

"You've managed to keep your liaisons amazingly quiet on a station that prides itself on the speed of its gossip transmission. Which reminds me, I tell you about my lady loves. What sort of a friend keeps his own a secret?"

"Someone with absolutely no stories to share. You see before you a celibate man."

"By choice, I hope."

"To some extent. Being a Cardassian on a Bajoran station is not particularly conducive to a satisfying sex life. And of those I suspect might have been agreeable, there was no spark." Garak spread his hands. "And so I remain as you see me - reliant wholly upon my own highly skilled self.

That made Julian laugh. "I'll remember to go to sleep first while we're sharing a tent. I'd hate to think that I was responsible for preventing the relief of your frustration."

"I just may remind you of that," Garak assured him.

"I never showed you the experimental science suite we're running in Quark's holosuite, have I? It's coming together beautifully, if you'd like to take a look."

That perked Garak up, Julian was glad to see. Curiosity was something that bound the two of them together. "I hope you got a good deal from Quark. You've had that suite reserved for at least a month. Can we look at it now?" He was already getting to his feet.

Picking up and emptying his new drink, Julian nodded and got up, a little less steadily, to join him. "The Captain got him a Starfleet contract that has him devising new potential experiments for us. It's all I can do to keep him from drowning the purchasing office in suggestions. I know for a fact he's been looking into expanding the suite area. I haven't had the guts to tell him that Starfleet is planning to move the whole experimental setup to headquarters."

As they headed for the stairs up to the suite, a beaming Quark waved and turned back to the bar. "Expect more drinks and a multi-course meal. Quark thinks I've got more influence with purchasing than I do."

"You could tell him," Garak said.

"I could," Julian agreed with a smile, opening the door to the encryption-locked suite, and waving Garak in first.

The space was enormous. And empty. The only thing that was visible in the black room was a far wall where small holograms floated from floor to ceiling. Garak started to walk toward them, but Julian stopped him. Nodding at the images, he explained, "Those are the twenty-three experiments that we're running in here. The idea is to make it easy to go between them. Say, for example, we're running an analysis of lava."

At a gesture from Julian, one of the holo-icons flew toward them, expanding in size until it completely filled the suite, except for the area in which they stood. "That table over there contains molecular analysis equipment. But suppose that we'd run out of sample." With another gesture, the laboratory spun back into place as an icon again and, with a third gesture, a glowing icon expanded into an active volcano. Instinctively, Garak jumped back as Julian laughed. "There's a shield between us and it.

"So how do you get your sample?"

There was a wide grin on Julian's face. "That's the fun part." One more gesture and two small figures in the top right hand corner of the icon wall expanded in size until they appeared just out of range of the flowing and disappearing lava. The figures were the exact duplicates of Garak and Julian.

"Mine was created when we came in," Garak said, fascinated. "I only finished that suit an hour before we met for dinner. You, of course, always wear the same boring uniform so there's no way of knowing when your image was made. But why no protective gear?"

"Unnecessary," Julian said. Suddenly Julian bent down and scooped up a handful of lava. With two gestures from Julian, the volcano miniaturized back to the wall and the laboratory returned. Julian dropped his sample into the analysis intake. Again, Julian gestured and the laboratory disappeared, leaving only the two dopplegangers.

Garak applauded. "Bravo! Absolutely inspired. But how were you controlling your double?"

"Brainwaves. I know what a movement feels like and I tell him to do it. So 'Take a sample of lava' is now a command that my replica, which is saved between my visits here, understands. As is, 'Analyze the sample you're holding.' Try it with yours. No words. Just think it."

Intrigued, Garak stared at his counterpart. Immediately the other Garak began to rotate from the waist up until he reached the body's limit and, still attempting to face Garak, fell over, pulling Julian on top of him. The two lay there intertwined as Julian started laughing.

"When you start out, you need to give him more direction. Once he's doing what you want, you can assign a phrase to the action. It's rather like creating a macro when you're writing a program. Another way of doing it is to imagine the action taking place. That he can exactly copy. The clearer your imagination, the more lifelike the action. It takes a little getting used to, but directing by imagining is the easiest way to work with these characters."

"I can feel your weight on me," Garak said, looking down at his front.

"Yes. But notice that there's no pain or pleasure sensation. Otherwise, my double couldn't pick up the lava. There is body feedback, of course, because you need to be able to continuously adjust the amount of pressure your character might be applying." With a smile, Julian looked at his double who slowly licked Garak's nose. Julian burst out laughing as Garak quickly put his hand to his nose and found it totally dry.

With a quick glance at Julian, Garak's face showed intense concentration. One hand at a time, his duplicate grabbed Julian's ass to hold them tight together, groin to groin, and then raised his head and kissed Julian.

From the intense reaction Julian was getting to this unexpected contact, it was obviously much too long since he'd last bedded one of the station lovelies. A glance at Garak showed that he, too, had developed a large bulge in his pants. Julian knew he should make his double get up. He really should. But the real Garak standing beside him was looking so very smug.

"Still a bit crude, or maybe you've been overrating your skills."

Julian pressed back into the kiss, subtly moving his lips. Garak's breathing increased and he looked at Julian as Garak opened his mouth and put his tongue into Julian's.

This was definitely not the sort of experimenting that Julian had been doing in this room, but he had to admit that it was fascinating. While he'd never been attracted to men, he was naturally curious. And even if it was only copies that were rolling around on the floor, the fact that the two real men were standing several feet apart while being sexually stimulated meant that this was a lot more like one of those masturbatory sessions he'd had with his young male friends when they were trying to figure out just how to get the biggest bang for the least latinum. Well, maybe he could think of it as just a grown up boy's experiment, he thought, and used his mental tongue to open Garak's mouth wider. He never looked at Garak, but it didn't affect his aim. Telling Julian to push his tongue into Garak was something the surrogate could figure out how to do all by itself. Bless artificial intelligence.

For a long time, not a word was spoken as the two men stared at one another and their dopplegangers kissed and clutched on the floor, bare feet away from them. This went on for minutes, the only sound being the panting breaths from the real pair. Then, suddenly, Garak's face tensed and Garak flipped Julian successfully over, returning to kissing him but now from the top position. Before Julian could flip them back, Garak began a slow grinding of his pelvis against Julian, and then a rhythmic pumping motion.

Julian's eyes almost began to close but he forced himself to keep them open and watch Garak, their erections mirroring one another's. The longer the bump and grind continued, the redder their faces grew and the more their reactions showed on their faces. It was building faster than Julian had imagined and he was beginning to think that he was going to come, just standing there looking at Garak.

"I'd really rather not get these pants wet. Come over to the wall and let me take care of both of us." Garak's voice was low and intense, breathy with urgency.

The sudden interruption was almost like having cold water thrown on him. The fantasy was moving too rapidly back into reality. Julian shook his head. On the floor, Julian became unresponsive. That didn't stop Garak who redoubled his efforts to excite the figure beneath him. Julian felt the pressure of a virtual hand begin to move over his organ, bringing him back to full erection. He stopped himself from trying to swat the nonexistent hand away.

"All right," Garak said finally, holding Julian's eyes. "Nothing real. Well, fabric dries and this material is supposed to be stain resistant. Can we finish this in there, if not here?" He indicated the two on the floor with a gesture of his head.

"It was a game, Garak, that got out of hand." Immediately, Julian realized the inappropriateness of that phrase as the pressure on his cock increased and the strokes speeded up. He could hear the unsteadiness in his voice. "We're friends, not sex partners. Do you really want to put that at risk?" The strokes on his cock never slowed and the pressure of the imaginary hand, if anything, increased.

"You're my best friend. I wouldn't hurt that for anything. But it's been so many years and, as a doctor, you must be aware how difficult that is for a man. How frustrating. I'm so close, Julian. It's a replica in there. He doesn't care what mine does to him. I'm not laying a hand on you, much as I would like to. You don't have to do anything. Let me do it all. Think about Starfleet if that would help but, as a friend, let me finish what you started."

Julian was never sure afterwards if Garak had just been so convincing, or if he'd wanted it just as badly as Garak had, but hadn't wanted the responsibility. For whatever the reason, he nodded his head.

He kept his eyes fixed on Garak's, noting small changes in Garak's expression as Julian felt a chill on his legs as if his pants were being removed. There was an instant of panic as he felt the hardness of the floor on his front, even though he stood completely erect and separate from the nearby figure. And when he felt something begin to invade his ass, calmness was only restored by the reassuring half smile Garak gave him. Then he was filled. His mouth fell open in shock and he almost lost his balance. Garak started to move toward him to steady him, but Julian shook his head and Garak stayed where he was.

The mass came and went and Julian was torn between the sensations and watching Garak's face lose its ability to control his expression. Watching Garak's excitement grow was almost more exciting than what was happening deep inside Julian, himself.

After a few minutes that Julian knew from experience was Garak playing with the speed and depth of penetration to keep himself from coming, Julian could see in Garak's face the moment he decided to stop controlling and let passion rule. He was moments away from climax, himself, and Julian's ass was burning with a sexual excitement he'd never felt before.

Then a familiar sound startled Julian. His head whipped to look at the figures on the floor. Garak, still dressed except for what was necessarily exposed, was humping Julian with the franticness that said he was in the last throes before climax.

With a quick gesture, Julian sent the figures back as icons on the icon wall, Garak still frantically pumping into Julian, and brought the volcano back to fill the room. He looked at Garak, who hardly seemed to notice what was happening. A fast slap on Garak's cheek could have been his last move, but a quick jump back saved him until Garak was back in thinking mode instead of pure reaction. The virtual mass was gone from his ass. Julian moved to Garak and squeezed his arm, then let Garak walk away to a corner and stand there, back turned. Julian plastered a smile on his face and stood facing the holosuite door.

Quark finally got the encrypted lock open and entered, a large tray of food in hand. He barely glanced at the lava that flowed at his feet as he called for a table, which appeared, and put down the tray. "So, I can see I'm just in time to save you from instant immolation with two cool, tall glasses of my newest invention, 'Mt. Tilago Fire Fumes.' Drink these and you won't care if that blasted mountain blows its top." Garak had rejoined them and he and Julian reached out for the smoking beverages. Quark tilted his head in thought. "Maybe 'Frozen Lava' would have been a better name. What do you think?"

Julian choked at his first sip. "What about 'Volcanic Eruption'?"

"Volcanic Eruption. Takes your head right off. I'll think about it. A name is twenty-five percent of the value of a drink, you know."

"We're going to eat downstairs, if you don't mind, Quark," Garak said, not looking at Julian.

"By all means," Quark said, picking up the tray again. "I'll set you up on a table by the entertainment. I've got an Alderian acrobat booked for tonight. The ways she twists her body..." Quark's smile as he licked his lips said it all. He went out, leaving the two of them holding their drinks.

Neither said a word as Julian gestured the figures to the foreground again. At a glance from Julian, Garak raised his duplicate to his feet, then Julian did as well. They straightened their clothes, then sent the characters back to the icon wall. He gestured Garak out. They still hadn't said a word to one another.

**********

"I really wish you were coming with us, Odo," Julian said, his words slurred after five Volcanic Eruptions in Quark's and two large brandies here in his quarters. "I want to see you fly."

"Tempting as that sounds, I've already promised to meet a Cardassian source on Gestard Two and it would be too confusing to try to reschedule. We were, if not friends, then at least professional peers. He's still in security and I'm looking forward to learning what his sources have been saying. Perhaps another time. Which reminds me," He looked around the living room. "Where's Garak? Your shuttle is leaving very early tomorrow."

"Bathroom." The alcohol seemed to have numbed most concerns and Julian's smile was a bit lopsided.

"That was half an hour ago," Odo reminded him. Julian just blinked. Getting up, Odo walked into the bedroom and stopped. Garak was spread out full length on Julian's bed, snoring lightly with face turned so that he didn't suffocate in the cover. Julian staggered into the room and tried ineffectually to pull him to his feet. A few unintelligible sounds were the only response.

It was difficult, just looking at the man passed out in his bed, to realize this was the same person who had wanted to pull the pants he was now wearing down around his ankles and have his way with his virgin ass. But, what the hell, Julian thought with drunken logic. He still had his pants on and Garak was in no condition to cause any trouble. Julian collapsed on the bed next to him.

Odo looked down at the two of them and started to turn away. "I'll call some of my security people to get Garak to his quarters."

Julian lifted his head. "Don't bother. It's only a few hours until we have to leave anyway. This way I know he won't back out. Could you get someone to take his bag to the shuttle bay? He said it's packed by his door. And maybe have someone call us so we don't oversleep." He shoved somewhat ineffectively at the lump lying beside him. "And maybe help me move him so I've got some room. Nothing I hate more than a space grabber in bed."

**********

The alarm ripped through Julian's skull, bouncing off the bone and richochetting through alcohol-clogged brain tissue. With a flailing jerk, he slapped his com badge. He apparently hadn't changed into his pajamas. A calm voice announced. "This is your wakeup call, Dr Bashir. Security chief Odo's complements." Julian managed a mumble that he hoped sounded like thank you.

His skull was pounding, his mouth was a cesspool, and he seemed to be stuck to something in his front. Against his better judgment, he opened his eyes enough to let in some blinding light. But all he could see were blue eyes above an uncomfortable smile. Garak! He pulled back and screeched as his genitals seemed to be caught between Garak's legs. Now his eyes were open. Looking down he could see that his Starfleet trousers were down around his knees, and Garak, usually immaculate, had the same problem. The memory of their almost encounter yesterday came back in drips and drabs. It took a moment for Julian to recover his savoir faire.

"Good morning. It seems we're a bit stuck together. Sorry." And with that, Julian pulled himself apart from Garak, got up and hurried into the bathroom, pulling his pants up as he went. He closed the door and leaned on the sink. Trying not to think too hard - it just made his head hurt worse - Julian got out the bottle of instant sobriety and chug-a-lugged down a dose before he had time to think what he was doing. He hardly even noticed the taste as he peered into the mirror. He'd just had sex with Garak!

It took a few minutes to finish what he needed to do, then he straightened his back and opened the door. Garak looked like he'd gone back to sleep. He'd had at least as much to drink as Julian had. There wasn't time to deal with any of this now. They had to catch the shuttle. He shook Garak, even as he attempted to pull the man's pants up. "Garak! Wake up. You need to get dressed. We have to get to the shuttle dock in half an hour. Your bag is already there. You just need to get cleaned up. Garak!"

Garak's eyes opened and an incredibly happy grin filled his face. "We did it, didn't we? Was it good?"

"I'm sure it was wonderful. I have to change my clothes. Why don't you take a shower?"

As he sorted through clothes to wear today - his bag had been packed since yesterday - Julian could hear the water running and Garak humming. Who knew Cardassians hummed? Who knew anywhere near as much about Cardassians as he apparently now did. An image of a flaccid, ridged cock came into his mind. It was stuck in public hair with something Julian preferred not to imagine, since it had probably come from him.

Garak appeared, naked and toweling himself off. "Would I possibly be able to borrow some underwear? Then I'll put on my no longer so new suit and run over to my quarters for a change."

Julian pointed to a drawer and put his shoes on while watching Garak getting dressed. Finished, Garak started for the door, then paused to look closely at Julian. "Are you all right? I didn't hurt you, did I? I'm afraid I can't remember much about it."

"I should be asking you that question," Julian said, suddenly the doctor. "You said it's been a while and I hope I used lubricant with you."

"I'm fine. I must have been on top because my rear is quite intact."

"So is mine." Julian suddenly realized what they were both saying. "So we didn't... That is, we must have been fooling around in our sleep but, other than mutual nocturnal emissions, it seems that we didn't sleep together."

His relief wasn't reflected on Garak's face for an instant, but then Garak smiled. "So our virtue remains intact. That either speaks to our strength of character, or to the high liquor content of Quark's drinks. Don't worry about it. Doesn't mean a thing." He waved and was gone.

Julian sat down on the rumpled bed. He wasn't quite sure how he felt. Relieved. Disappointed? No, of course not. Laughing now, Julian got up and headed for the living room. There was probably time to grab a fast bite before he had to run for the ship.

**********

Not the blue one. Julian had said that the weather was moderate where they were going. The blue one was a heavy fabric. His fingers reluctantly moved to the next suit in the closet. That combination of fabrics was a particular favorite of his.

A blinding headache wasn't making it easy to concentrate. What to wear should have been his major concern. He had little time to change as it was. But all that he could think about were those long moments he'd spent attached by dried semen to the one person in the world he would have been happily stuck to for life. Julian!

 

Some slight movement had awakened Garak. He could still remember that moment when he'd become aware of their mutual nakedness and intimate coupling. Everything had seemed normal at first. Well, as normal as awakening inches from a most beloved face could be. He'd quickly realized they weren't in his quarters. The bed was too big. For at least a minute he'd stared at those lips and remembered the feel of them on his. Well, the feel of Julian's replicant on his replicant, but what the hell. It was when that thought had led to the memory of embedding himself deep inside Julian's body, and that memory to the inevitable erection, that the pain of his organ trying to free itself from the dried semen had forced him to realize that they were nakedly entwined together. If fireworks hadn't already been going off in his head, they might have then.

Lovers! Finally! After years of wanting the man and keeping desire hidden beneath the thin fabric of friendship. He noticed himself stroking a filmy night robe that he rarely wore except to cover himself while imagining licentious scenarios where someone else's fingers stroked the fabric. And himself underneath. Without thinking, he removed it from the closet and threw it on the nearby chair. One never knew when opportunity might arise. He had seven days to turn fantasy into reality. If only his head didn't still ache. Concentrate. Time was passing.

The next suit was a loud orange that he immediately passed by. On his next closet cleaning that one would have to go. Ah. Yes. Suede. He remembered every heartstopping cut into the fabric and every careful placement of stitches to achieve - if not perfection - then balance and artistry. And the neckline! The viewer would be forgiven if he found his eye drifting to where those glorious ridge lines disappeared and found himself mentally following them lower. For just a moment Garak closed his eyes and imagined Julian's hand pleasuring itself on the layered lilac fabric, and Garak luxuriated in Julian's imagined touch, which Garak would feel on his naked skin beneath the sensuous material.

But closed eyes and a pounding head just jolted him wide awake with the fear he was about to throw up on the cloth before he even had a chance to put it on. Running out of the closet and into the bathroom, Garak chugged down his own Cardassian version of sobriety. At least it wasn't as noxious as Julian's, he thought gratefully.

Julian! In moments he'd ripped off his clothes down to Julian's underwear. Time for only a brief stroke of the briefs and then he was into the suede suit and almost out the door before running back to get the night robe. One could always hope. Garak had been doing that for a very long time.

**********

It had taken hours, but they'd finally climbed to the top of a steep mountain from a more gently sloping side. Reaching the highest point, Garak and Julian shrugged off their backpacks and collapsed on the ground, panting. The view was spectacular. They were on a wide ridge that curved out on both sides, surrounding a wide valley floor through which ran a wide stream of purple water. The water was actually the normal transparent green/blue, but the rocks beneath ranged from a deep indigo to a light lilac. It was beautiful.

A loud cry above their heads drew their eyes to a pair of high wheeling hawks, circling overhead and looking down at them as if to check them out as possibly a fast snack for their nestlings. Garak waved a lazy arm and the birds flew off to look for something smaller.

"Odo would have loved this," Julian sighed, watching as the birds disappeared into the distance.

"He certainly could have taken a faster route up than we did," Garak complained. Sitting up, he opened his pack and began searching around, eventually coming up with a collapsing/expanding cup and a packet of powder. Opening the powder into the cup, he laid it down and waited for the anhydrous compound to begin absorbing water out of the air. Then he searched again to find a small piece of chocolate that he unwrapped and split in two, handing half to Julian.

"You know they make instant chocolate, don't you?" Julian asked, slowly nibbling the small piece.

Garak nodded. "Not the same." He ate his just as slowly, then washed it down with the water that now filled the cup, handing the cup to Julian to finish.

"I'm really glad we came together." Julian's eyes suddenly widened and his mouth clamped shut. Garak started laughing and lay back down, hands beneath his head. "You know what I mean." When Garak wouldn't stop laughing, Julian threw the empty cup at him, the light weight vessel hardly making it across the short distance it had to fly. Julian lay down himself and watched the soft clouds scooting across the sky.

But once the thought had been spoken, it was impossible not to remember either last evening or this morning. Friendship and sex wasn't a good combination, in Julian's own experience. And Garak was too good a friend to lose over something that was so easy to take care of elsewhere.

Then, guiltily, Julian remembered Garak's lack of opportunities for sex. Well, it couldn't be as bad as Garak thought it was. Garak was smart and charming and handsome, in his own way. And Julian was able to personally vouch for the fact that the man was very well endowed. Not that he ever would, Julian thought with horror. That was a secret that would stay between them! Just remembering that virtual mass in his ass started an erection beyond Julian's frantic effort to ignore. He rolled over, away from Garak, so as not to be obvious.

But maybe he could fix Garak up with someone. There was that nurse he'd broken up with. No, she was dating an engineer on another shift.

"I've seen it before. You don't have to be embarrassed." Part of what startled Julian was that he hadn't heard Garak moving so close behind him. Almost instantly, his ass began to ache with the memory of what Garak's replica had done to his own double. That did nothing to reduce the hardness, so he found himself aching on both front and back.

"In fact, I've even seen it in all its naked glory. You are beautiful, you know." The voice was so soft that Julian knew just how close Garak was lying behind him. "Remember this morning?" As if Julian would ever forget! "You thought that we'd had intercourse and the world didn't end. If something happens between us, it won't break us apart." The body behind him moved until it was tight against his back. There was no mistaking the erection that pressed against his pants.

"Only a couple of times have I had sex with a friend. That is, someone I wasn't in love with. Or in lust with," Julian corrected himself. "And neither time did it end well."

"What happened?" Garak's arm came around Julian and slowly stroked his chest.

"The first time, she thought I was falling in love with her and felt betrayed when she realized I wasn't. The second time, I found out she was screwing the whole dorm and I caught a really nasty infection that made me the laughing stock of my pre-med class." Unthinking, Julian snuggled back against Garak. "Of course, most of my classmates had the same problem. But still." The hand moved down to his cock, but Julian grabbed it and moved it back to his chest.

"I promise you that you'll catch nothing from me but pleasure. And I won't be destroyed if you don't fall in love with me. Is that a good enough start for a relationship?" Julian laughed. The laugh stopped when Garak began a slow and gentle humping of his rump. "I want us to be lovers, Julian."

Julian moved forward away from Garak and sat up. Garak leaned up on his elbow. "Are you disturbed that I want you?" He was silent as Julian thought about the question.

It was a while before Julian finally answered. "You were right about this morning. If we survived that, we'll survive this. We're friends. That's the bottom line. I'll just get used to knowing that you've joined all of my myriad admirers who are always wanting into my pants. How can I blame you for having such excellent taste?

"Does that mean I get into your pants?" Garak reached out a hand and laid it on Julian's now flaccid cock.

Julian lifted the hand with two fingers and moved it to Garak's own cock. "No. It means that I'm going to be okay with the fact that you want to."

Garak lay back down and put his hands under his head. "I can live with that. But I can't promise you that I won't remind you of the glorious experience that you're missing."

Laying down, himself, in a mirror of Garak's posture, Julian relaxed. "You forget, Garak, I've already sampled your storied skills. Some evening I'd be happy to give you a short critique and perhaps some suggestions that could improve your chances of finding someone to lie down for you. Consider that a dividend for your brilliant choice of friend. Always glad to mentor those in need."

"I hope you realize that I consider myself challenged," Garak said with a leer rolling over onto Julian.

"No, Garak!" Julian cried, trying to push him off. Garak held him down but smiled reassuringly. Julian could feel himself relaxing.

"Fight me."

"I don't want to fight you. I just want you to get off of me."

"Consider this a lesson you're going to enjoy. Throw me off. Use all your strength." With that, he began a bump and grind against Julian, who, taking his request seriously, began to fight to knock him off.

Julian considered himself to be as good at hand to hand combat as any other Starfleet officer. Better than most, he would have admitted. But this wasn't the by-the-book exercise between officers. Garak was good, and he seemed to know what move Julian was going to make before he made it. And all the time, he kept up the humping that was having the expected effect. Julian was hard as he ever got. Very slowly Garak leaned down and began a kiss that proved his claim far better than mere words could ever have done. Julian stopped fighting and started kissing him back.

He lost track of time until, in the distance, he heard laughter. Now when he pushed Garak, the man fell off him easily. Quickly Julian straightened his clothes, as Garak did the same. There was nothing either of them could do about their bruised and swollen lips. While Garak worried about grass stains on his pants - absurd, since he'd been on top for their wrestling match - Julian concentrated on getting his breath under control and his erection down. By the time the laughing couple appeared at the top of the hill, both Julian and Garak were able to happily wave.

"We are not lovers," Julian said from the corner of his mouth as the couple passed.

"I never said we were. But admit it. You liked being able to wrestle with me full strength. A lot of the enjoyment you'll find with a man comes from not having to hold back at all."

"You're not getting into my pants," Julian insisted.

"All right, if that's what you want. But I would suggest that you close your fly then. That nice young woman gave you a very odd look."

Julian's head bent instantly to see a perfectly closed pair of pants, and up again to see a laughing Garak. Raising a hand, Julian took a swing only to miss and leaped up to chase Garak who was now running along the path.

**********

"Forget what I said earlier today. If I live through the night, this is the last vacation I am ever taking with you. I think you're trying to kill me." Garak huddled in his sleeping bag, shivering in his beautiful, but ultra-thin, night robe.

Julian looked over, annoyed because he'd almost gotten to sleep this time. Garak had been complaining for a good half hour. Frustrated, he sat up and opened his own bag. The tent air was cold, he had to admit. "Stand up," he said, pulling Garak out of the soft nest he had burrowed into. With easy mechanical skill Julian put the bags together and pointed at the combined one he'd arranged on the tent floor. "In!" Garak dived in and Julian followed.

It was crowded but, after a few minutes, Garak's shivers reduced and the temperature in the bag went up. Garak's sigh was loud in the quiet. "Better?" Julian asked. He could feel Garak nod, then heard his teeth, which still occasionally chattered. Wrapping himself around Garak, he waited until he could feel the man start to relax, then let himself snuggle tight against Garak's back, arm pulling Garak close.

It was a strange experience for Julian, to lie entwined with someone his own size. Again he began thinking of that moment when he had been willing to let Garak have his way with him. That had been really close. If Quark hadn't come in...

Garak laid his arms on Julian's, which were wrapped around Garak's waist. "Don't worry about it."

"Still reading my mind?"

"You don't make it hard. Well, actually, you do."

Embarrassed, Julian realized he was hard. He tried to pull back but Garak just shoved back with him. "You're here to keep me warm. Don't you think I've felt something like that behind me before?"

Slowly, Julian forced himself to relax. Garak was right. A hard cock wouldn't be anything new to the man. But then Garak turned over and Julian found them face to face, hardness to hardness. Garak's hands began moving down Julian's back. Julian tensed again.

"We're away from the station, so no one is going to know if anything happens between us. And if it does, it will be because you've decided that it should. Everything is up to you. Whatever you want is what's going to happen. So stop looking like a scared virgin."

Julian had to admit that the description was rather apt. He was nervous. "Why don't you roll over and try to fall asleep?"

"On one condition. You take off your pajama bottoms and get used to touching my ass. And I will play non-responsive sex doll and go to sleep like a good little boy, while you play out all your fantasies and curiosities in perfect safety." Garak rummaged around in what must have been a pocket in his robe, because he pulled out a small packet and put it into Julian's hand. "Lubricant. Just in case you decide to get serious with your sex doll." And with that, Garak pulled his robe up to his waist and rolled over.

Julian lay there for a minute, then started laughing.

"Quiet. I'm going to sleep."

It was so absurd, Julian thought. He was lying in a sleeping bag in a tent in a wilderness area with a half naked man who wanted to be his sex doll. He couldn't help it. He lay his forehead on Garak's back and laughed again.

"SSShhhhh."

When he finally got himself under control, Julian curled tight up against Garak's back. He was very warm and the tent was cold. It was a few minutes before he muttered, "What the hell," and took off his bottoms, curling back up so that he was tucked tight up against Garak's ass. As promised, Garak never moved. His erection returned, harder than ever. A small pressure on Garak's leg and it lifted enough for him to tuck his cock between those strong, warm legs. He closed his eyes and just rocked himself into a minor frenzy. And still Garak stayed unmoving, though Julian was well aware that Garak was wide awake.

When he was just moments from coming, Julian pulled away, breath coming fast and body hot. "What would have happened yesterday?" His voice was soft.

It was a minute before Garak replied, as though he was searching for the most likely context to the question. "If we'd had sex yesterday?"

"Yes."

"Nothing. We would have gone down and had dinner, and today we would have climbed this mountain and frozen on the top of it. Nothing would have changed between us unless you wanted it to change."

"Go to sleep."

"Yes, my dear Doctor."

The need for release was gone and Julian knew he could have curled up against Garak's back and gone to sleep, but there seemed to be a safety here in the dark that encouraged him to take things further. A few pushes and pulls positioned Garak so that Julian could push his erection just into Garak's ass. Not very far. Not far enough to call it intercourse. Just enough to stimulate the tip of the organ that he began to push in and out.

The sexual excitement had returned with the first touch. Now it was just a matter of playing with it. Of letting himself see how close he could get before pulling out and letting the intensity diminish. He could feel that the early fluid leaking out was gradually lubricating the passage, and the strokes were beginning to go in deeper. Not letting himself think of the already made decision, Julian felt around in the sleeping bag for the small packet he had dropped, and ripped it open. Smearing the lubricant on himself and rubbing his hands on his pajama top, he grabbed Garak's hips tightly and began pushing himself in deeper.

Garak was tight. Sex doll or not, Garak was using his anal muscles to make it as good for Julian as he could. Julian let himself slide in deeper and deeper with each stroke until he was in as far as he could go. Panting, he lay his head on Garak's shoulder, feeling the ridges rub against his cheek. He lay for what seemed like forever, letting his breath come back and his legs stop trembling, then he began to move again into the welcoming hole. No movement of the body into which he pushed distracted him. No sound took his attention away from every small and large sensation. Without having to worry about his partner's pleasure, Julian could concentrate on his own. When the realization came upon him that he wouldn't be able to stop this next rush of feeling, Julian just let himself go and began pumping hard and deep until chills ran over his whole body and his world collapsed to a single point of pleasure. The climax went on way beyond his expectations, but he just rode Garak's ass and savored every expulsion of the semen he could feel shooting out. When it was finally over, he collapsed onto Garak's back, sweaty and panting. He didn't bother pulling out, and he was asleep in less than two minutes.

Only when Garak could feel that Julian was asleep did Garak move slightly to stretch cramped muscles and enjoy the feel of the cock still in his ass. A wide smile spread across his face. Whatever Julian called it now, they had just become lovers. It would have been wonderful to turn over and hold Julian with all his strength. Nothing sexual. Garak needed no release. His release was in his heart. If Julian's had been beating fast - something Garak had felt against his back, though that beloved organ was now pumping peacefully away - Garak's was close to exploding with happiness. All that was needed now was for Julian, too, to understand what they could be to one another. Friends, yes. But, oh, so much more. And soon Garak, too, slept, the smile never leaving his lips.

**********

"Heels down! Haven't you ridden a taft before?"

"Of course. It's just that the idea was to get to where we were going. Not to look like a tourist while we did it." But Garak did push his heels down for a while. "These haven't the smoothest gait. My ass is getting sore."

That was the first time any potential reference had been made to their adventure of the night before. And morning. Upon each awakening through the night, Julian had taken his pleasure with his supposedly sleeping bed partner, ignoring the occasional chuckles that made their way out of lips that were probably tightly pressed together. He'd occasionally ridden hard, trying to see if he could get some reaction out of Garak, but Garak had kept to his intention of leaving the exploration to Julian.

"Want some numbing lotion? My med kit can replicate some."

"Maybe I'll just put together a saddle pad next time we stop."

Julian pulled his mount up and dismounted. Garak followed suit a little more awkwardly. They both looked around at the wide blue expanse of grassland that ran up to the cliff they were paralleling. By mutual agreement, they pulled rugs out of their saddlebags, spread them out near the cliff and sat down to enjoy the scenery.

"The path described in the brochure crosses that creek over there," Garak pointed, "and then continues through the canyon between the painted rocks. You can see the whole, winding opening from here." Julian nodded. "Another short distance and we're at the coast where the ship is going to transport us back to the campground."

"We could arrange to switch to fresh animals and ride back, if you were willing."

"Aren't I always?" Garak replied, with a leer that was ruined by the trembling lips that couldn't help breaking out into a wide smile. Without thinking about it, Julian leaned forward and lightly kissed Garak. They both looked surprised, then pleased. Julian lay back and Garak moved so that they lay hip to hip.

"We seem to spend a lot of time staring at clouds," Julian said, his voice expressing contentment, rather than boredom.

"And breathing all the fresh air you could possibly want. If you like, I'll check at the local tourist stall and see if they sell bottled air. Then you could open a can whenever the smell of the station got to be too much. And, just think. The cans should be almost weightless so we could fill our bags with them and..."

"Enough!"

Garak subsided and they continued to watch the clouds form and disperse as a strong wind blew them across the landscape.

"I've never approached sex this way before. I keep thinking I should feel guilty for not taking care of you." Julian's hand found Garak's and their fingers entwined.

"I expect my turn will come. Patience, I'll have you know, is one of my cardinal virtues."

"And if your turn doesn't come? What if I decide I don't want to complicate things between us any more than they are?"

"You don't really expect me to say that the sky is going to come falling down on us, do you? It will be fine, whatever happens. I'm enjoying the sex game we're playing. But I also enjoy trying to educate you toward a more realistic view of life, and hearing about what you're working on, and learning the intricacies of racketball, and sharing meals. The sky is perfectly happy exactly where it is. And so am I."

One cloud, in particular, began looking remarkably like a professor Julian had once had in medical school. Same huge, hooked nose. Gradually the nose flattened out.

"You were incredibly tight." The hand Julian was holding tightened for just a moment, then relaxed again. "Have you ever done that? Played with a living sex doll?"

"No. Think I'd like it?"

"Oh, yes."

Garak's fingers tightened again. He rolled over so that he was leaning over Julian. "Think you can stay unresponsive while I kiss you?"

"Piece of prekla pudding." Julian turned so that they were facing one another and let his lips open slightly.

"Oh, I like this game," Garak managed to get out between soft kisses.

It wasn't quite as easy as Julian had thought it would be, letting lips and tongue and teeth explore his own without kissing back or pushing his own tongue deep into Garak's mouth. Then Garak rolled on top of him and began rubbing their groins together while his kisses deepened and he sucked on Julian's tongue.

That was it for Julian. With a heave, he rolled Garak back onto the bottom, took his place pressing Garak into the grass as he quickly rubbed himself into climax. With a last deep kiss, Julian fell off, then lay on the grass, eyes closed and heart still racing.

"We have only ten minutes to make the rendezvous. Do you want to watch me take care of myself, or shall we find some more interesting way for me to get off tonight? Together." The soft question was accompanied by small licks at panting lips.

Julian opened his eyes. This playing virgin was getting ridiculous. He'd taken Garak, and Garak had taken him in simulation. There was absolutely no reason that they shouldn't take this all to its logical conclusion. He'd worry about what would happen when they returned to the station when he had to. For now, he thought with a thrill, he was about to screw and get screwed out of his mind.

"Do you mind waiting?" Garak shook his head and smiled. "Then wait." Garak's smile broadened as he nodded in agreement.

**********

The smiles were completely gone as the two men stumbled into their tent as the sun was just setting. They had waved off the return flight and ridden back the same way they'd come. Well, almost the way they'd come. For all their vaunted navigation skills, they'd managed to get lost twice and had almost been forced to spend the night out on the trail. Then there had been the half hour hike back to their campsite from where they had dropped off their tafts.

They'd neatened the tent before they'd left, so it was mostly an empty space with the main supplies against the walls. With a sigh, both men dropped their backpacks. Groans accompanied Julian's slow and awkward collapse onto the ground. He stretched out and closed his eyes.

"If this was a holosuite, we could call for chairs."

"Not again, Garak. Fresh air. We agreed."

"I have muscles aching where I never knew I had muscles."

"I knew. I just never thought about them. Give me a minute to rest and I've got an instrument that will have us good as new in no time. Can you get my med kit out of my backpack?"

Slowly, painfully, Garak leaned over, opened the bag and ran his hand around the interior. Then ran his hand around again. "Not here," he told Julian, who didn't open his eyes.

"It's there. Look again."

Staring into space, Garak's eyes lit with remembrance. "That taft wrangler. The one with the cut hand?"

Julian lifted himself awkwardly onto an elbow. "I used the kit to heal the wound. Oh, gawd!" He lay back down. "I left it on the bench."

It was a long evening and a longer night. Sex, as a concept, was never raised by either man. Nothing else rose either.

**********

They'd agreed that Garak deserved to complete their vacation in luxury, so they were checking into the second best hotel in town. Julian was at the concierge desk checking into concerts, museums, sporting events and such, while Garak waited to get the desk clerk's attention. While he waited, he glanced at a video ad on the hotel facilities. One scene caught his attention. A smile spread across his face.

"Yes, sir?" the clerk finally asked.

"I wonder. Is the Honeymoon Suite available?"

**********

"Like it?"

Garak stepped aside to let Julian enter the massive room. Once he got his bearings, Julian realized what it was they were in - a miniature holosuite. He was certain when Garak pulled from his pocket something he'd gotten from the front desk. A few swipes at the control, since that's what it clearly was, and the room began changing around them.

The first room that formed around them was embarrassingly familiar to Julian - a bordello, though missing its usual complement of compliant females. Music played low, with a steady, pulsing beat just perfectly timed to encourage customers to finish up quickly and free the space for the next customer. There wasn't a surface there that wasn't designed for sex. Name a position, however obscure, and one of those curved cushions would make it the easiest thing to maintain. He met Garak's laughing eyes and shrugged. The room disappeared.

The next room was a luxurious suite - more like what Julian had expected. There was a hot tub in front of a window with a changing view - now a spaceport, now a raucous bar. The bed would have filled his living room. Again his eyes met Garak's.

"Boring?"

Julian nodded. Garak looked back at his control. A seascape. Julian shook his head. Damp sheets. A mountain top. That disappeared before Julian could react. A hot spring with an air-conditioned tent with clear plastic walls. They both smiled and put down their bags.

Julian peered into the tent. The entire floor of the large area was a mattress. A folded duvet in the corner said Garak wouldn't freeze if Julian made the tent temperature comfortable for himself.

"The path seems to run around a series of hot pools. I assume it's meant for jogging. And this," Garak indicated a very flat rock. "is our sun-bed." Julian reached out a hand and, sure enough, it was a mattress as soft as the one in the tent. "So, what first? A dip in the hot tub or a dip in me? This is a clothes optional spa and I, for one, am planning to let all of me enjoy the 'fresh air.'"

Julian ignored him as he leaned over the water of the hot tub. It bubbled a yellow-red that made it look too hot but a carefully dipped finger showed it was the normal temperature for such tubs. He sniffed his finger. There were no chemicals that he could detect. Garak came over to do the same while Julian went to his pack and got out his med scanner. Julian shook his head. "I'm not getting into that. Do you have any idea how many people have done in there exactly what we're planning on doing in there?"

Garak turned his back and started speaking into the control, which was obviously also the house phone. He turned back after a minute. "They'll have it emptied, cleaned and chemically balanced, but it will take about five hours."

Julian put back his scanner and picked up his bag, looking around. At Garak's gesture to a rock near what had been the door, Julian went over to open the room safe and stuff in his bag. Garak offered his as well and they checked that it was well locked. At Garak's sigh, Julian moved to him and kissed him deeply.

"We don't need the hot tub if you want to get started now."

Garak slid his hand along Julian's erection, then gave it a regretful pat. "The maintenance crew will be here in just a few minutes. Perhaps the museum? The concert isn't until tomorrow night."

Julian's sigh was louder than Garak's had been. Once he had made up his mind that they were going to go full bore, he was ready to get started. Five hours. They could wait that long. It would just make it better, he comforted himself as he gave the room one last, longing look before closing the door.

**********

"Baa-BOOOMMM!" Another spectacular firework burst over the heads of the museum visitors. As a tourist destination, the museum prided itself on the theatrical and the unusual. Each room was a separate holosuite, which allowed, in this case, a vaulting sky into which the pyrotechnics flew and exploded to the never-varying oohs and aahs. Julian had called up reclining chairs and he and Garak lay in comfort watching the aerial extravaganza. Low on the horizon, a running legend explained the type of fireworks being seen. Information like that put the museum on the educational institution list, and allowed it to augment its finances with grants.

Julian reached out for Garak's hand and used it to pull Garak's chair tight up against his. "I used to go to displays like this when I was a little boy." A loud "Sshhh!" made him lower his voice to a whisper. "Before I decided to become a tennis champion, I was going to be a fireworks engineer."

"I don't remember seeing anything like this when I was growing up, but I did see fireworks once on Metlin Three. Not this good, of course," Garak whispered back.

A particularly large ball of gold sparks generated yells and applause.

"It's only an hour before we can get back in our room," Julian reminded Garak, squeezing his hand in a rhythm to make his future intentions perfectly clear. "Tell me," his voice dropped even lower so that Garak had to lean toward him to hear. "What positions are your favorites? And who gets to be on top first?"

"Anything that gives me good stability and deep entry. Shelat, probably most commonly. And you get to be on top first. I want you as relaxed as possible when I first take you. What about you?"

Julian leaned over for a quick kiss. He really would have liked to have copped a feel, too, but the fireworks lit the room too much. "I like a lot of variety. And I like to go all night when I don't have to get up early." They smiled at one another.

The sky suddenly filled with every type of effects that had already been seen - spiders, time rains, willows, chrysanthemums, peonies, palm-shells. And the explosions were almost deafening. This time, the sparks sustained themselves all the way down, disappearing just above the head of the tallest man there. Gradually it faded out and the applause took the place of the booms.

Julian and Garak moved their chairs to upright positions and stood, the chairs vanishing when they did. They slowly followed the crowd to the next room - astronomical effects. But the first one was the wormhole, so they left the crowd there and went on to the next, which had already emptied.

Julian took advantage of the almost privacy to pull Garak into his arms and kiss him hard and long and deep. He only stopped when he heard a giggle and saw two young children standing beside them, looking up and laughing. The two of them laughed back and moved to the walls to see what the featured art in this room was. It was a while before Garak finally said, "Neo-modern with an overlay of primitive."

Julian grinned. "I was more thinking anti-naturalist, but I think I agree about the primitive overlay. Though maybe with a soupcon of Vulcan sandpainting."

"Vulcan?" Garak asked, increduously, then leaned sideways to see how it looked in that orientation. Julian copied his posture, as did the two children who had followed them. They all straightened up, then the four of them shrugged their shoulders in unison. At a call from their parents, the boy and girl grabbed hands and ran in the direction of the call. Julian and Garak followed them more slowly.

The next room was dark, lit with fire. Predominantly dark red images playing on the walls. Obviously Klingon and, from what Julian remembered of his art appreciation classes at Starfleet, the High Medieval period. He raised a small camera and circled the room, trying to get in most of the images, Garak following after.

"For Worf?"

Julian nodded as he lined up another shot. "He claims to have an ancestor who was a prominent artist from this period. Who knows, we might be looking at the work of Worf's 18th great grandparent."

A commotion off in a far corner of the room caught their attention. The stance of both men instantly changed as they went into high alert. Raised, angry Klingon voices were beginning to draw a small, curious crowd. Julian and Garak shared a look and then moved forward, touching people lightly and gesturing them to leave the room. Both Julian and Garak knew enough to give angry Klingons a very wide berth. Among the few people now left were the two kids who had managed to escape their parents again. Then there was the sound of a blaster. Immediately screams filled the room and the remaining people began running away from the fighting.

But the two children stood frozen and alone in front of a small group of Klingons, whose uniforms proclaimed their different clan allegiances. Julian started to run forward to grab the children when one of the Klingons turned and met his eye. There was a sudden motion of a hand to the man's waist and then Julian's vision was blocked by a mass of lilac suede that knocked him over, and a weight that held him to the floor. Guttural screams continued for a moment, and then he could hear the whining sound of transporter beams. And then the room was silent.

But the weight still held him down. Garak. But Garak's beloved suede suit was now a mixture of deep red, alongside the purple hues of which Garak had been so proud. A small smile appeared on Garak's lips as his eyes met Julian's, and then his eyes closed. Looking down, Julian could see a Klingon throwing star embedded deep in Garak's abdomen. It was silver, a piece of Klingon art in this Klingon room, with multiple blades at multiple angles to slice deep and then to stick. It had done both.

Slipping out from under the, hopefully not dead, weight, Julian attempted to see what the damage was even as he screamed to the still frozen children "Get someone with a local communicator. I need to beam to the nearest hospital. Go!" They went.

**********

"Steady." Door opened, Julian slipped a hand under Garak's arm and helped him into the room. "Computer. Chair." As a large chair appeared, Julian moved him into it and helped him down. "How are you feeling?"

"Like I'm being held together with elastic bands." Garak put his hand over his abdomen.

"You are," Julian assured him. "That was one of the worse hospitals I have ever had the misfortune to be in. And I didn't even have my own equipment." As he said this, Julian unlocked the room safe and got out his medkit. Adjusting the scanner, he began to run it over Garak, concentrating on his abdomen. His face was serious.

"I've had worse wounds, my dear Doctor. Just give me some time to rest, and a few of your magic potions, and we will continue with our salacious plans for this evening. I don't give up that easily."

"Forget it, lover boy. The only screwing you're going to be doing is into your pillow. Now strip and let me get you to bed."

Garak shook his head. "I'll strip, but then I'm getting into that hot tub."

"That's a really bad idea, Garak. You need to get into the tent and try to sleep. And I need to make arrangements to get us back to the station. That wound of yours needs some regeneration that the infirmary can handle in minutes. The sooner I get you out of here, the sooner you're going to recover."

Again Garak shook his head. "Hot tub. I know it's not the thing for this sort of injury, but indulge me. I take higher temperatures than you do. I won't melt and I won't stay in long. Swathe me in waterproof bandages, if you're worried about infection. Just a few minutes? Come on, Julian. Help me with my clothes or do I have to jump in fully dressed." He looked down at the blood stains covering the now stiff and hard suede. "I really liked this suit." He fumbled at the fastening.

Julian slapped his hand away and began getting Garak out of it. Whether he went to bed or got into the hot tub, the clothes would have to go. The top came off quickly, as did Garak's shoes, but he had to help Garak to his feet in order to very carefully remove his pants. The bandage covering the wound was already stained, but Julian had expected that. The slice across Garak's stomach was wide and it was a wonder that the skin was sticking together at all. He estimated that the wound would hold for a good eighteen hours after he got Garak back to the station, if they left now, but not much past that.

He'd been the one to work on Garak. He wouldn't have trusted him to any stranger, especially in that benighted institution, whose main expertise seemed to be in broken ankles and bites from a slightly poisonous local lizard. Garak had sustained a horrendous wound, once Julian had seen the damage. Garak's intestines had only been held in by the tightness of his underwear, which Julian had had to cut off. What Julian had desperately needed was a regeneration bed. But all he'd gotten when he'd demanded one was confused looks as if they didn't even know what he was talking about. So fine. He'd done trauma work often enough to know how to patch Garak back together. He just needed to get him off this planet and back to the station.

But when Julian looked into Garak's eyes, the pleading look tore through him. He held out for a few minutes, then efficiently replaced the old bandage with one he'd gotten from the hospital supplies and then went back into his kit and brought out waterproof tape. After he'd helped Garak down into the hot tub and watched the look of relief replace the one of pain and be, itself, replaced by relaxation, Julian could feel some of the tenseness going out of him. He'd give Garak those few minutes while Julian made arrangements for their return. Tomorrow morning should be good enough. Much as he wanted to get Garak back into proper care, some rest would probably help. Julian knew Garak was exhausted from the long night and the long day they'd just been through.

"Jump in," Garak said, sitting up straighter now. "If I can get this thing up..." He indicated his limp and lifeless organ, "this will be the perfect place to initiate you into the sublime sexual experiences you can look forward to with me."

"I'm not getting in there, Garak. I've got arrangements to make."

"Make them later. Right now, I need my doctor. And I need him naked."

That look was in Garak's eyes again and Julian found himself undoing his clothes, while swearing under his breath. A moment and he slipped beneath the hot water. While Garak tried to get hold of him, Julian took Garak's pulse, then kissed him, estimating the temperature differential from their previous kisses, adjusting for the temperature of the water and the time he'd been in the tub. He thought Garak might be running a slight fever. His pulse was a little fast, too.

"How are you feeling?" Julian asked, repeating a question he'd been asking all the previous night and all day.

"Wonderful," Garak said, hand on Julian's cock and eyes slowly closing.

"You should never have thrown yourself in front of me, Garak."

"Since you wouldn't have done it for me if you were the one who saw that damned Klingon start to throw."

That shut Julian up. Of course, he would have done it. Any Starfleet officer would have. But Garak was a civilian. Who loved him, a small voice said. Julian pushed the thought away. He'd worry about that later.

"Let's go to bed, Garak."

"I knew you wouldn't be able to resist me. Give me a few minutes to enjoy the heat and then you can help me out."

"Three minutes. That's it." With a last kiss, Julian got out of the water and walked near the door and turned his back on the hot tub. He'd gotten his hands on a good communicator and started his calls to make the arrangements to get back to the station. First he arranged reservations, then he let his infirmary know Garak's condition and explained what he expected to do when they arrived. The communicator showed that he'd given Garak an extra two minutes. He turned back to the hot tub to let Garak know that his soak was over when he realized that Garak wasn't there.

It took a moment for him to realize that Garak would have been unlikely to have gotten out of the tub by himself. A cold feeling grew in his stomach as he ran over. Garak was not in the water but, rather, under it, mouth and eyes open. Beneath the froth of bubbles, Garak's body moved slowly with the movement of the water.

Julian turned off his emotions and, putting the communicator safely down next to the tub, he jumped into the tub and grabbed Garak under the arms. With difficulty, he dragged the dead weight out. Laying him flat, Julian started pushing on Garak's chest, alternating with blowing hard into his mouth. When no change occurred, Julian checked the carotid pulse. There was none. He grabbed up the communicator and punched the button for an operator. "Medical emergency; tell the local hospital it's got two to beam up from this room. Now!" Tendrils of panic began to force their way up, and Julian forced them back down again. He returned to the pumping and blowing, his mind racing ahead while he designed his medical plan. "Live, you bastard, or I'll kill you myself!"

**********

Julian looked around the room and was satisfied. Everything was as it should be. There, on his bed, was a naked Garak, deep in sleep. His color was good, and the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest helped relieve the knot in Julian's chest that came every time he looked at the man. It had been so close. He shook away the morbid thoughts. That was past. All the tests had indicated that the repairs Julian had worked on for so many hours had succeeded. There was no sign of abdominal infection, and brainwaves said that the CPR he had kept up until he'd been dragged away by other fresh medical personnel had worked.

Now all that was necessary was to wake Garak up from the protective coma they'd put him in. He should have been in the infirmary, of course, but Julian knew Garak well enough to know that it was the last place he would want to be. And so here Garak lay, surrounded by medical monitoring machines. Julian scanned them again. All fine. Okay. Time to get this started. Swiftly and efficiently, Julian removed his clothes and got into bed beside Garak.

Laying by Garak's side, Julian momentarily closed his eyes and thanked medical science and his own skill. He leaned over and lightly kissed the mouth that lay slightly open. Then he leaned up on his elbow. "Are you ready, Shirley?"

"I think so, Jules. My displays are showing good numbers for Mr Garak."

"You still willing to monitor us? I don't want you doing this if it bothers you."

"I'm a nurse, Jules. I can handle this."

"We were also lovers, Shirl."

"Which is why you asked me. I'm grateful you trust me. Now don't worry. I've got the theory down. I'm just hoping it works the way you described."

Julian looked at Garak and gave instructions to his duplicate to run a hand over Garak's duplicate's cock.

"Yes!" Shirley's voice sounded broken. "I felt that."

"Just keep checking the monitors. I'm afraid I'll be too distracted. After all, it was because I was distracted that I let him..."

Shirley interrupted him. "It's not your fault, Jules. It happened. It won't happen again."

"No, it won't," Julian said with determination. "Now just make sure you keep quiet. I'd never live it down with him if Garak knew I was monitoring him like this."

"I know, Jules. He won't know. But why in the world you want to have sex with him in his condition I can't imagine. You're not a sex fiend. I can vouch for your complete normalacy in that area."

"I'm not sure that's a complement. But, be that as it may, he is. And when he wakes up, I'm going to have the devil of a time keeping him out of my ass. This way, he gets what he's going to demand without a lot of body movement. I trust my repairs, but I really want to be conservative."

"You're the doctor," Shirley conceded. "Okay, I'm ready. Wake him up whenever you're ready."

One deep breath and Julian put a hypospray to Garak's throat. Almost immediately Garak's eyes opened. There was confusion there, and then more confusion as he looked around the room. "How did we get back to the station? What happened? Did the wound give way? What day is it?"

When Garak tried to rise, Julian pushed him back down. "It's two days later. The wound is fine now and you can get up tomorrow if you feel well enough."

"So, what happened?" Garak insisted.

"You drowned." That sounded too stark. "I brought you back. There's no brain damage, but I kept you in a coma just to let everything settle. How do you feel?"

"Drowned? I died?"

"Just for a while. I decided that the vacation would be too boring to continue on my own, so I revived you. You'll get my bill. How do you feel?"

"You are extremely repetitious, I hope you know." At the look on Julian's face, Garak capitulated. "I have a headache, and I feel like someone punched me in the stomach." He quickly added, "Don't look like that! I'm fine. I have a good doctor." Seeming to suddenly realize Julian's state of undress, a smile spread over Garak's face. "I have a naked doctor. I feel great."

There was nothing weak about Garak as he flipped Julian onto his back and slipped on top of him. Julian couldn't remember being happier. Garak was most obviously well and alive. He blinked away a little moisture and held Garak just a little tighter. Garak pulled back and looked at him.

"I'm sorry for what you went through. I'm all right."

"I know," Julian said, and pulled him back for another round of kisses.

When Garak would have taken things further, Julian stopped him with a firm grasp on Garak's upper arms. "No! Tomorrow we'll both screw the life out of each other..." Julian stopped and choked. Garak kissed him. Julian pulled away and tried again to explain the rules. "You can be as athletic as you want to be tomorrow, and we'll make love as often as you want." He'd used the term purposely. "But, for one day, you're going to follow your doctor's orders and that means no physical sex for you." He flipped Garak back onto his back.

Garak reverted to that look that usually broke Julian's best of intentions. Garak's voice became lower and more seductive. "I know some incredible positions that don't involve much strain or movement. Have you ever heard of Vulcan amlar? I can teach you."

"You can teach me tomorrow," Julian insisted, not weakening but putting away that information for later use. He made a quick visual scan of the monitors, though none of the auditory alarms had rung. Garak was fine. But still... "I knew you were going to be trouble today, so I am prepared. Behold." With a few dramatic gestures, Julian lay back and let Garak see the changes. The bed remained the same, with Julian's clothes beside it, but the room was gone. In its place was the experimental room with two naked figures lying on a duplicate of their bed just a foot away. They were looking at one another with the same intensity that Julian was looking at Garak.

Garak began laughing a deep belly laugh, until a small ringing sound made Julian dive for Garak's lips to stop the laughter and distract him. "As I said, we take it easy today."

Pulling away just enough to glance at the unmoving duplicates, Garak smiled. "How easy?"

"Whatever you want - as long as you do it with simulation."

"Not what I had in mind, but it will make excellent foreplay. Personally," Garak indicated a large and extremely hard erection. "I'm ready. Shall we get right to our interrupted plan?"

Julian tried to ignore the stab of pain that tore through his chest. Garak might have missed the cause of that interruption, but Julian remembered every minute. and he knew it would be a long time before the memory lost its immediacy. He shook his head.

"Slight change of plans. You on top will be more strenuous, so I go first. Any problem with that?" At Garak's widened smile, Julian nodded with satisfaction. "Then flip him over."

It was almost funny to watch Garak concentrating on moving his figure. It took a few spastic jerks before Garak was on his stomach. Julian moved more smoothly to position himself behind. When Garak would have grabbed Julian's cock as they watched, Julian swatted his hand away. "Just feel it." He had his double push into Garak's double before Garak could say anything else.

It took some mental effort to divide his attention between instructing his doppleganger to keep the movements smooth and regular, and watching Garak's face as he felt himself slammed into. And scanning the instruments. Julian tried to do that while his replica paused deep inside Garak's at the end of each thrust. The only change in the numbers were the ones that might be expected. Body temperature, heart rate, breathing up. Some muscle contraction, but not enough to cause any worry.

Julian directed his surrogate to speed up the strokes and let Garak lean over to kiss him while he concentrated on keeping the motion steady and letting his own excitement grow. His eyes started closing with the realization that he was going to climax very soon, but he forced himself to keep them open and to do one last scan of the instruments. All within reasonable rates. With a sigh, he deepened the kiss with Garak and allowed the feelings to grow until he couldn't have stopped himself if he had wanted. Not that he did want to. His mouth was wide open and Garak's tongue was deep inside him when he came. It was one of the really good ones - high and long and completely satisfying.

Frightened suddenly that he'd stopped thinking about Garak's numbers, Julian froze for a moment, then relaxed. No alarms and nothing from Shirley. She wouldn't have been shocked by what just happened. Julian had taken her that way a number of times and she'd enjoyed it. He just hoped that she had been able to keep her mind on the monitors better than he had. A hand began massaging his cock - keeping it hard. Julian firmly removed it and kissed Garak in apology. "You're not changing my mind by doing that. Stick with the simulation or your doctor is going to put you back in the infirmary. All by yourself."

Julian wasn't sure if it was the threat or the kiss he offered again, but Garak lay back, smiling at him. For some reason, Julian could hear the words "I love you" shouted out through Garak's eyes. He thought he might have a vague idea what a marshmallow felt like.

"My turn," Garak said softly, and Julian nodded, glancing around at the monitors to check initial numbers. Garak's laughter didn't deter Julian in the least. Julian put Julian onto his knees, an obvious invitation for Garak to put Garak to the business they were here for.

Garak really wasn't that good at controlling his simulatum, but he got better with every attempt. Julian thought Garak would immediately go for penetration, but he was clearly underestimating the man. He watched Garak's face concentrate, as he felt invisible fingers begin to investigate his erection and soft scrotum. For an instant he panicked. He had seen some of those jerky movements, but the touches became more controlled caresses and, gradually, Julian relaxed.

Even through an intermediary, Garak was good. And he seemed better at multitasking than Julian had been as he leaned down and began a sensuous exploration of Julian's mouth, even as those invisible fingers began playing a melody along Julian's spine that started from his groin. And then the fingers momentarily disappeared and he suddenly felt a mouth surround his cock, even while a real tongue reached deep within Julian's own mouth. And the imaginary fingers! Again he felt the pressure building until, once again, the quadrant was focused in his cock and a tongue almost strangled him. It was a long time after he came in what he pictured as Garak's mouth before he could get his breath back enough to say anything and then all he could say was, "Thank you."

"It's going to be my pleasure, never fear," Garak assured him.

There was a delay, which Julian assumed was Garak scooting his replica out from under Julian, and he took the opportunity to check the monitors again. All the numbers were higher, but nothing out of line. Garak was fine.

Garak must have thought so, too, because he was smiling as he leaned down to kiss Julian. And, as he did, Julian felt the virtual cock begin to push at his opening. Unconsciously, he relaxed his rump and let his legs spread slightly. Garak's smile broadened as he recognized Julian's reaction. Smug. It was the only word to describe that expression.

Then Julian lost track of what he was thinking, and a large mass began to fill him, much as it had almost a week ago in this very room. A real hand began to stroke his cock and Julian was lost between the front and back sensations. The mass was now fully in and was still, allowing Julian to wiggle slightly to explore the feeling. Garak leaned forward to take his lips again and the mass began moving slowly in and out of Julian.

Eyes open, both Julian and Garak stared at one another as the feelings within Julian grew more intense. Suddenly there was the sound of a low groan. Everything froze. Julian could feel his face flushing even more than the sex had caused it to redden. Garak's eyes narrowed and then his face relaxed.

"Nurse Kantel. I don't think we've met before, though I have seen you in the Infirmary."

Now it was Julian groaning. A voice that was attempting to be steady, but which was still breathless from the recent exertion of the duplicate she'd been monitoring, tried to respond just as casually. "No, I haven't had the pleasure." There was a gasp and she quickly added. "Not that it was pleasure... I mean... Oh, damn!"

Garak laughed. Julian tried to decide whether to bury his face in the pillow.

"I assume you've been monitoring my health. Are my numbers satisfactory?"

"They're just fine, Mr Garak. Nothing out of the ordinary given the activity... Excellent numbers, Mr Garak."

"I look forward to having you join me for lunch someday when you might be free. We clearly have a great deal of common experience and I'm always fascinated by those little pieces of gossip that make social intercourse so interesting." Julian felt the mass in his ass slam in deep and hard. Both Shirley and Julian choked. "But I do think we can safely say that these machines will give the doctor all the information he needs on my condition." Another hard slam. "So, if you don't mind, Nurse Kantel, perhaps you could retire to put together the report that I'm sure Dr Bashir has already requested you prepare."

"Doctor?" gasped out Shirley.

Julian started laughing. "It's fine, Shirl. I checked the numbers, too. They look all right. Skip the report and just go find that engineer you've been dating. Have a wonderful evening."

"Bastard!" But she was laughing, too. "Dr Bastard, I mean. Don't expect me in early tomorrow. I'm planning to sleep in. And I will take you up on that lunch, Mr Garak. I have a great many stories that I'm sure you'll enjoy hearing."

There was a number of small noises which suddenly disappeared. Garak leaned over Julian and stared at him in severe silence.

"You died, Garak!"

A gentle kiss. "I'll have to deal with that sometime myself, I know. But right now we've got more important things to think about. Concentrate on me, and I'll concentrate on you. We're making love to one another. Enjoy it."

And Julian did. They laid there together, eyes fixed on each other as the feelings generated by their replicas rose until they both knew it was finally going to have to end. For this time anyway. They were almost at their climaxes, mouths open and both breathing hard, when they heard the holosuite door open and a loud gasp.

"Go away, Quark!" they yelled in unison.

He did.

They hardly noticed.