The BLTS Archive- On Top Once More
by Invicta  invicta11@yahoo.com

---

Disclaimer: Star Trek DS9 and the Star Trek characters are owned by
Paramount Pictures. All rights are reserved and no infringement is
meant.

Author's website: http://home.clara.net/shimmer/

Warning: this story contains male/male sex scenes.

Copyright (c) Invicta, July 2001. Feedback is most welcome.

Many, many thanks to my helpful beta reader on this story, Karmen
Ghia.

This is a sequel to 'On Top' which can be found at my website, but I
think this story will make sense even if you haven't read its
predecessor.

'On Top Once More' is dedicated to those very patient folks who were
there at WOTP when I promised to write it. That was as long ago as
April 1999, but better late than never, I guess. :o)

---

Who else could possibly have conceived of using a publicly viewed
wrestling match as a forum for an emotional and sexual declaration?
Only Garak.

Who else could possibly get into a complete hissyfit about the whole
thing afterwards and then tell Garak exactly where he could stick his
declaration? Only Bashir.

Well, perhaps not *only* Bashir. Nobody likes being taken for
granted, and in this case he felt as if Garak was doing exactly that.
His own consent to their courtship was not yet asked or given, but
Garak seemed to assume that he only had to say the word and Bashir
would obediently leap into his bed. And being in his own estimation a
kickass sort of guy, Bashir did not intend to put up with it. But
Garak saw nothing very bad in what he had done, in fact he viewed his
own behaviour as entirely acceptable. The ensuing argument lasted
longer than many of Bashir's previous relationships. Then the two men
parted company, most acrimoniously, and for a time the matter rested
there. Sulking began, seriously sulky sulking on both their parts.
Each of them was absolutely sure that they had been fundamentally
misunderstood and maligned by the other. Each of them did not intend
to say anything more on the subject until they had received A Very
Big Apology.

But the spirit of true love is a sneaky little critter, as Garak and
Bashir soon discovered. It pointed out to them, with considerable
persistence, that there was a very charming alternative to sleeping
alone in their quarters every single night. It mentioned (most
reasonably, which was the worst thing of all) that a little
contrition goes a long way, and also that the word 'sorry' took only
a second to say but could still produce miraculous results. It
reminded them both that they hadn't had sex in months, and that if
they didn't want to forget how to do it altogether then decisive
action was needed.

Bashir was the one to break the ice, but Garak would probably have
done it himself within a day or so. They both apologised, the Human
for his overreactions and the Cardassian for his presumptions. If
Garak's words of remorse seemed a little too effusive and glib to be
sincere, then Bashir either didn't notice or didn't allow himself to
notice. They then agreed to start from scratch and try to make things
work out better this time around.

For the next two weeks, Garak and Bashir did the usual things that
two people do when they are attracted to one another and interested
in forming an intimate relationship. The partaking of casual lunches
and the meeting for concerts and plays had come first. Later there
had been the more intimate dinners, six of them on six consecutive
evenings. By that time, any lingering doubts about whether they were
right for each other had disappeared, and both men were
overwhelmingly eager to take it to the next level. However, each meal
had still ended with awkward goodbyes at the turbolift, because
neither man wanted to force the issue and risk being rejected. But of
course, eventually someone had to take the initiative...

And so, as they waited for a turbolift one night after leaving the
Replimat, a suggestion had hesitantly been made by Garak that they
might take a cup or two of late-night coffee together, back at his
quarters. (In private. Alone. Out of the way. Cocooned within
soundproofed walls. Near to a replicator. Within easy reach of a
large bed.) And Bashir had accepted the invitation with such rapidity
- the "I'd love to" had in fact leapt out of his mouth before Garak
even finished speaking - that the Cardassian regretted waiting so
long to ask him.

They actually did have the coffee - for which can be blamed a slight
performance anxiety on Garak's part and an unusual shyness on
Bashir's - and then some more coffee, and even more coffee after
that. Both men felt nervous now that the time had apparently come.
Their deportment became noticeably less relaxed, and their
conversational style was as formal as if they were conducting
territory negotiations with the Romulans. But finally, a breakthrough
occurred. It took the form of Bashir accidentally spilling his fifth
cup of coffee all over Garak's sofa. Well, he said it was an
accident, and who would question the word of such a fine, upstanding
Starfleet officer? He repeatedly apologised as Garak patiently
cleaned up the mess. Garak found this palpable distress most
appealing, and reassured him that there would be no permanent damage.
And since it was the Cardassian way to show the utmost consideration
for a guest's needs, he decided that he should really make sure that
none of the hot liquid had spilled onto Bashir's pants. These things
happened, and Garak gravely reminded him that, if so, any resulting
coffee burns could be serious and might require medical attention.
Naturally, it was important to make sure that the young man was quite
all right.

So there he was, diligently rubbing a soft cloth along Bashir's leg
to mop up any coffee spills. It took Garak an awfully long time to
complete the job for some reason, but Bashir didn't seem to mind. He
simply sat there and smiled as the Cardassian's strong arm moved up
and down his thigh. After a while the cloth dropped onto the floor,
but neither of them noticed this. Their heads were close together,
eyes fixed firmly on each other. And of course, it was quite
understandable that a polite young man like Julian Bashir should feel
the need to give Garak a kiss of gratitude for his assistance. Even
eight or nine kisses was possibly not excessive, although others in
the same situation might have omitted the ass fondlings and loud
moans of desire which Bashir threw in as a bonus. Garak kissed and
fondled back with great enthusiasm; clearly he too had something to
be thankful for. And thus the scene was set; two virile men who had
both been deprived of sex for quite some time, alone together in
Garak's quarters.

---

"Julian, I must tell you that I intend to become your lover tonight.
I've waited far too long for this already, and I don't want to be
alone any longer."

Bashir smiled with relief. "I feel exactly the same way about it
myself, Elim."

Garak nodded with approval. "Then may we go into the bedroom now?"

"Yes, indeed we may."

"You're quite sure that you feel ready to consummate our
relationship?" Garak said, with the air of one who asked the question
for duty's sake alone, and who clearly did not wish to receive any
other reply except: 'I'm totally sure, so take me now, you warrior
sex god!'

"Yes, I am sure. There is one thing that I need to make clear,
however. I don't want to cause a problem for you, but--"

"Yes?" Garak said, uneasily hoping that Bashir was not about to
confess that he suffered from an infectious and painful sexual
disease which was primarily contracted by mouth to mouth contact.

"You know that Central Command have always refused to provide
Starfleet with a copy of the Cardassian medical database?"

"Yes, we are rather reluctant to reveal our anatomical strengths and
weaknesses to others. And anyway, when it comes to illness we look
after our own. Except when one is exiled as I am, of course, and then
a lack of skilled medical attention is meant to be part of the
punishment. Not that you should take that as a criticism; I know I'm
in good hands with you, Julian."

Bashir smiled briefly at the tease. "It's just that, because we don't
have a database... well, I know absolutely nothing about Cardassian
sexual practices. I don't even know what you look like naked. You've
been clothed whenever I've examined you in the infirmary, and I've
never had a medical need to use a tricorder to scan your, erm,
genitals."

"Why Julian, how very prudish you are! Legitimate medical need or
not, if I had been examining you then I would assuredly have peeked."

He grinned. "That would have been most unprofessional of me. So
anyway, my point is that you'll have to teach me what to do. The
sexual customs of our two species may be entirely different."

"Not from what I've been told," Garak said with a smug grin, pleased
at being able to teach his doctor lover a thing or two. "Constable
Odo once informed me that he'd seen a Human male engage in sexual
intercourse with a Cardassian male. Odo said that there are no
significant differences at all between our two species, in terms of
either anatomy or sexuality."

"Really? Well, that's good to know. But Elim, how exactly was the
good Constable afforded the opportunity to watch two men having sex
in the first place?"

"As it happens, I did ask him that question myself. He claimed to be
engaged in a surveillance operation some time during the Occupation;
it was apparently an investigation into a suspected smuggling
syndicate. One of the two men was a member of the syndicate, or so he
*said*. Personally, I think he's just a closet voyeur. In fact, he
might have been a closet at the time. Changelings have so many
advantages over the rest of us, don't you think?"

"Hmm. I didn't know you had those sort of discussions with Odo,"
Julian commented, looking acutely curious.

"We don't, normally. He just happened to mention it one day at
breakfast, during a friendly discussion about inter-species
diversity."

Bashir didn't realise it, but Garak was being anything but truthful
at this point. The so-called friendly discussion with Odo had in fact
been distinctly antagonistic. It had occurred a few months
previously, when the Constable had caught Garak using binoculars to
spy on Bashir from his shop. And those binoculars just happened to
have built-in recording equipment, as Odo soon spotted. Of course
Garak had tried to lie his way out of the situation, but Odo hadn't
believed a word he said. To avoid being arrested, there had been no
choice but to tell the truth and confess that his actions were not
motivated by a desire to commit sabotage, assassination, theft or
espionage... but just by plain old lust. And of course, Odo had found
this extremely amusing. Even then, Garak still had to trade
information with the Constable, in order to get him to keep quiet
about the matter. But the encounter had not been totally to Garak's
disadvantage, for after making several sarcastic jokes at his
expense, Odo had taken pity on him and told him about his own
experiences observing naked men at play. Garak had found this to be a
most illuminating discourse.

"Well, it makes sense really. After all, when you compare our bodies
it's obvious that most of the differences are cosmetic," Julian
pointed out. "Different skin colours and markings, that's all."

"Yes, quite. Now, the bedroom awaits, Julian."

"Impatient, aren't we?" he teased.

"No more than yourself," Garak said with careful nonchalance. He
would not push too hard, not now when he was so close to getting what
he wanted. If something went wrong at the last minute then it might
be some time until he got another chance.

"You have a point there," Julian admitted. "Shall we?"

They made their way into the bedroom. Julian was distinctly nervous
about the idea of sleeping with another man, something he had not
done before, but he trusted Garak not to hurt him - at least in this
arena. Neither man undressed right away. Instead, they climbed onto
the bed and started hugging and smooching. Freed from the spectre of
a dreadful sexual infection, Garak kissed Bashir as if his life
depended on it. If the ecstatic look on his face was to be believed,
his young lover found this most enjoyable.

"If you have no objection, I would like to leave the lights partly
on," Garak said when they broke apart. "I do wish to see all of you,
my dear, especially this first time."

"All right. Computer, reduce illumination by thirty per cent."

"That's better. I know you're going to be beautiful underneath those
clothes," Garak said softly. "You're very small, aren't you? I can
tell."

"What do you mean?"

"I am referring to your sxilibrckz."

"My what? That last word you used didn't translate."

"Your... organ of mating. The body part with which you engage in
reproductive and sexual activity."

"Oh, you're talking about my penis," he exclaimed.

"Ah, yes - penis. It is tiny, I assume?"

Julian looked rather annoyed. "Not really, no. I don't know what
you've heard, but I've never had any complaints."

"Now you're just being modest," Garak said with a fond smile. "I am
convinced that you have the smallest one I ever saw. Let me take off
your clothes and find out..."

Julian pushed away the Cardassian's outstretched hand. "Do you
normally insult your lovers in this way?" he snapped.

Garak stared at him blankly. "How have I insulted you?"

"By saying that my penis is small. Which it's not, by the way. I
don't think you'll be disappointed, Garak. Unless you have some kind
of obsessive preoccupation with size, that is." As indignant as he
sounded, inwardly Julian was uneasily wondering exactly how big the
average Cardassian was...

Garak looked even more confused. "Julian, clearly we have encountered
a misunderstanding of some form here. When I said that I expected
your sxilibrckz to be small, that was meant to be a compliment."

"It was? Really?" Bashir eyed him suspiciously.

"Indeed. Not that I'm disappointed if you're big," Garak said
hastily. "It's all the same to me. I just thought... you're so
slender, and a slim figure like yours normally means a smaller one.
At least, it does on my planet. I apologise for any offence caused."

Julian's face cleared and he reached across to slap a big wet kiss
onto Garak's cheek. "I'm the one who should apologise to you, Elim.
So, small is desirable to Cardassians?"

Garak rested his head against Julian's chest for a moment and
surreptitiously wiped the wetness off his face with a sheet. "Yes,
that is true. Not too small of course, but generally speaking that is
what we look for. And big is desirable to Humans?"

"That's right," Julian replied with a grin.

"I see. Well, it is of no consequence. However you are formed, I
still want you."

"Good, because that's also how I feel. In fact, I simply can't wait
for you to take off your pants!"

"Can you not?" Garak said with a smile. He was pleased to be the
target of such eagerly expressed desire. "Well, I see no reason not
to indulge you in that respect. Are you particularly attracted to
legs, Julian?"

"Yes, I am. And especially to what hangs between them..."

He frowned slightly. "I don't understand. I have nothing hanging
between my legs. Did you expect something to be there?"

Julian smirked. "Oh no, of course not. But I'd still like to look at
you without your trousers anyway. *And* your underwear. I want to
see... everything."

Garak lay back on the bed. "I think you adore legs, Julian. I think
they hold a special fascination for you."

"It's certainly true that I am second to none in my admiration for a
shapely thigh." He ran a hand down Garak's right leg and smiled at
him. "And few are more shapely than your own."

He chuckled. "Then by all means, you must remove my trousers without
further delay. I don't wear any underwear, however - are you
disappointed by that fact?"

"No, just surprised. You don't find that uncomfortable?"

"Not at all."

"Well, the few times I've tried it... never mind. Would it be all
right if I--"

"Most definitely."

Julian removed Garak's shoes and socks, dropping them carelessly on
the floor. He smirked as he covertly checked out his lover's crotch
and noticed a telltale bulge, visible even through the long overtunic
that the Cardassian was wearing. Eyes wide with anticipation he
reached his hands under the tunic, lowered the zip and started to
pull down the pants. He could feel his own cock stiffening, and he
hoped very much that Garak would be willing to be fucked tonight.
Watching his actions, Garak obligingly closed his legs so that the
pants would come off easier. When they had been drawn down to his
knees, Julian couldn't wait any longer. He eagerly pushed up the
overtunic and got the shock of his life. All he saw was smooth grey
skin, and nothing else. No penis, no scrotum, no genitalia of any
kind... just bare and undecorated skin, stretching all the way down
to the point where Garak's legs began.

"Elim... erm... I don't know any tactful way to ask this. Are you a
woman?"

"Of course not. Is that meant to be some kind of Human joke?"

He shook his head, still staring in disbelief at Garak's body. "No,
no joke. It's just that down here you look more like a women than a
man, to be honest. Are other Cardassian men shaped this way? Is
Dukat? I mean... Elim, *where the hell is your penis*?"

Garak quickly pulled up his trousers and stood up. He had no idea
what was wrong, but it was obvious that Julian was disappointed in
him for some reason. As he thought about it, he felt anger starting
to surface. What right had Bashir to take such a stance, when only a
short time earlier he had claimed that whatever the shape of Garak's
body, it would not diminish his desire?

"I am no woman, and nor is Dukat. I find that suggestion insulting in
the extreme. And frankly, I am shocked that you would even mention
that despicable man's name at such an intimate moment."

Julian looked embarrassed. "I'm sorry, my choice of words was
inappropriate. I didn't meant to offend you."

"Well, for one who was not even trying to offend, you managed to do
so magnificently."

"I really am sorry," Julian assured him sincerely. "But Elim, please
tell me - where is your sxilibrckz?"

"Sxilibrckz," Garak repeated, instinctively correcting Bashir's
pronunciation. He did feel a little calmer now that he had received
an apology. "It's a part of my chest, of course. It sits an equal
distance between my two nipples." Then he started to smile. "Now I
see why you wanted to remove my trousers first. Did you really think
it would be situated all the way down there?"

"Well, yes - you see, that's where mine is. I shouldn't have
questioned your masculinity, it was just the surprise, you know... "

"Not seeing a sxilibrckz where you expected to see one..."

"Exactly!"

The two men smiled at each other.

Garak looked at Bashir speculatively. "So then, your own sxilibrckz
is below your stomach?"

"Mmm. Do you think that it will be difficult to have sex because our
genitals are in different places?"

"Frankly Julian, I'm unable to say. Strange as it may seem, that is
not a question that I have ever been asked before. However, you are
an intelligent and adaptable young man and I am a positive genius at
improvisation, so I think we'll manage. Unless of course, you are not
willing to face such a challenge?"

Julian responded exactly as Garak expected him to. "I can deal with
any challenge you can throw at me, Elim. It's no problem at all as
far as I'm concerned. But I am puzzled about one thing - I could have
sworn that I saw a bulge in your pants before..."

Garak grinned. "You may have. I install two large inside front
pockets in each set of my own trousers. I use them to store a few
important personal items and special mementos. For purely sentimental
reasons, you understand."

"You keep special mementos in your pants?" Julian asked sceptically.

"It's the very best place to keep them. My quarters are not quite as
secure as I would like, you understand," he confided. "I have
precautionary measures in place to detect intruders but one cannot
make any location entirely secure, especially one which is partially
underpinned by alien technology. And as a Cardassian and an alleged
security risk - a most unfair classification, I might add - I am
occasionally subject to unannounced security searches. Under Bajoran
law they can check my quarters whenever they feel like it, but they
cannot perform a body search without good reason."

"Oh, I see." The fleeting thought crossed Julian's mind that as a
Starfleet officer, it was perhaps his duty to inform Constable Odo of
the existence and location of these so-called mementos, which were
doubtless nothing of the kind. Then he firmly told his sense of duty
to take the night off. "What a comical misunderstanding!"

"In retrospect, I suppose it is," Garak agreed tolerantly. "And now,
Julian, do you not think that we should *both* remove our clothes? I
am more curious than ever to see what you look like naked."

"That sounds like an extremely good idea," Julian said, his mind
busily working out a whole new range of sexual positions. Making love
to Garak would now be a challenge indeed. He pulled off his outer
tunic and watched Garak remove his trousers once more. "I was just
thinking about you having a penis between the nipples, Elim - that's
what I call a treasure chest!"

Garak rolled his eyes. "That so-called joke is not even worthy of a
response, Julian."

"Well, one of us found it amusing anyway," he said cheerfully.

"That hardly surprises me," Garak said with mock disdain. "To compare
Human and Cardassian styles of humour is to compare vole droppings
with fine kanar."

Julian threw a sock at him. "Just stop scoffing and get naked,
Cardassian."

"So bold now," Garak murmured. "We shall see how long that
continues..."

As the two men disrobed, Julian deliberately moved as slowly as
possible; he wanted to see Garak's penis before showing his own. Not
that he would mind if his lover's was bigger, of course that sort of
thing didn't matter, but if he felt like a dwarf next to Garak then
the lights were damn well going to be turned off altogether. And so,
he was still wearing a sleeveless T shirt and boxer shorts by the
time that Garak reached his last item of clothing. Sensing Julian's
impatience, he turned away teasingly while he removed his shirt. A
strong back, pair of shapely buttocks and two well-muscled legs were
then revealed, much to Bashir's delight.

"I definitely like the back view," he said appreciatively.

Garak twisted his head around and smiled at him mysteriously. "Do you
want to see the front?"

"Oh yes..."

Garak spun back to face him and Julian's mouth dropped open with
surprise. He was now looking at a completely naked Cardassian, and
there was nothing penis-like to be seen, not on his chest nor
anywhere else on his body.

Julian did not make the mistake of reacting badly this time. He
stepped forward to take a closer look at Garak's torso. There was
*something* there. Between the nipples, a circle of much darker skin,
heavily scaled. The circle was about 5 centimetres in diameter.
Julian could see that it was composed of multiple, overlapping layers
of hard skin. The edges of the layers were tinged with black. Garak
was looking at him; he clearly awaited a favourable response. In fact
he seemed rather proud, as if he were offering a rare delicacy. It
was an embarrassing moment for Bashir, who had no idea what to say or
do. As he remained silent, Garak tensed up.

"You don't like it, do you?"

Julian winced. "It's not that I don't like it, I just wasn't
expecting... could you possibly explain how it works?"

Garak stared at him coldly. "If you have to ask me that, then you and
I cannot be the same at all. Will you take off the rest of your
clothes now?"

Silently, Julian stripped. Garak took one horrified look at his heavy
balls and semi-erect cock before quickly leaving the room.

---

Julian didn't know what to do next. Clearly, he and Garak needed to
have a talk. Equally clearly, he would have to get rid of his
erection and get dressed before that could happen. He glanced at his
hard, throbbing penis with despondency; by now, he had hoped that
Garak's eager hands or mouth would be upon it. Instead, his lover had
ran out on him in disgust. It wasn't exactly the sort of sexual
adventure that he'd been hoping for.

He looked down at his penis again, willing it to flop. It refused.
Sighing, Julian considered his options. The best idea seemed to be to
take a quick shower and jerk himself off, but somehow this felt
unacceptable; it was as if he would be desecrating Garak's quarters.
He waited where he was for a little while, hoping that Garak might
soon return, but after some time had passed it was obvious that this
wasn't going to happen. Julian went into the bathroom, looking at the
shower uncertainly. It would only take a few minutes and then he'd be
done, but it just didn't seem right in the circumstances. He needed
to get dressed quickly, find Garak and clear the air with him.
Grimacing, Julian turned the water temperature down to cold and then
stepped under the shower.

It took about three minutes for his cock to become flaccid again -
three very long minutes. Uttering many loud oooh's and ahhh's, Julian
jumped about the shower like a kangaroo in heat, vainly trying to
keep the freezing water from hitting anywhere except his groin. As
soon as his impertinent erection finally disappeared, he turned off
the water and dried himself off with his own T shirt. Then he put on
the rest of his clothes and threw the T shirt into the waste disposal
unit before going back to the living room. Julian had assumed that
Garak would have gone out somewhere by now, and that he'd have had to
hunt the man sian did not reply. Julian could see
that everything was ruined now. Clearly they would not make love that
night, or probably any other night. But right then, what concerned
him most was that Garak was obviously distressed. Worried that the
man might feel uncomfortable because he was still naked, Julian went
back to the bedroom and fetched him a robe.

"Here you are. Why don't you put this on and then we can talk, okay?"

Garak looked up at him for the first time, his expression a curious
mixture of anger and mortification. "I'd really prefer it if you left
now."

"Well... I can understand that. Perhaps we can meet here tomorrow for
lunch and discuss it then."

"I think not. Talking would be simply a waste of time," Garak said
flatly.

"I don't believe that's true."

"But you don't understand how I feel."

"Well, if you won't talk about it then do you blame me? Look, even if
we don't discuss what's happened tonight, then can we should still
have lunch anyway tomorrow."

"I would rather not."

"The next day then? Or the day after that?" Garak did not reply. "In
that case , I'm not going to leave yet," Julian said stubbornly. "We
have to straighten this out right away or our friendship will suffer,
and frankly I'm far too selfish to let that happen."

Garak shrugged, put on the robe and went back into the bedroom
without another word.

---

For the first five minutes, Julian waited very patiently. After that,
his patience ebbed somewhat. Another ten minutes passed; he got up
and walked to the window, looking out at the stars. Five minutes
later, he was pacing the room impatiently. Another five minutes, and
he forced himself to sit down. He wondered what could possibly be
keeping Garak. Possibly he had merely decided to take a long shower.
However, he couldn't help but worry that Garak had gone to bed for
the night, in the hope that he would get bored and leave. After he
thought about it for a few minutes, Julian was convinced that this
was indeed Garak's intention.

Striding over to the bedroom door, he knocked on it forcefully.
"Elim, are you dressed yet?" There was no reply. "You do know that
I'm not leaving until we've sorted this out, don't you?" Still
nothing. "Look, I've had something a bit like this happen to me once
before and I do not want it to go through it again. Please come back
and let's talk."

Frustrated by the continuing silence, Julian decided to do all of the
talking himself. He sat down on the floor with his back against the
wall, this being the closest he could get to the bedroom, and started
to tell Garak a story.

"You know Elim, when something painfully embarrassing happens, the
best thing to do is to put it behind you and start over. The first
time I was in a situation like this with a friend we didn't do that,
which is something that I deeply regret. It all took place when I was
in my first year at Starfleet Academy. I found it very difficult to
make friends back then. It was probably my own fault - I wasn't
exactly blessed with an abundance of social graces at the time. I
tried too hard and scared people off in the process. Anyway, it was a
few months before I found another medical student to pal up with. His
name was John Folsom, a Human of about my own age. I liked John, and
he was very popular with most people - unlike me. But he let me hang
out with him a lot; he didn't seem to mind my idiotic ways. He was a
very tolerant sort of person."

"Well, after a few months John confided in me that he wanted to meet
a girl he could settle down with. He dated a lot but hadn't been able
to form a long term relationship yet, and he really wished to raise a
family as soon as possible. Now, there was a woman called Vanessa
Salke who was also in our year at the Academy. Very pretty and all
that. I suggested to John that he ask her out. He demurred at first
because she didn't have the sort of looks that he usually went for,
but I egged him on and eventually he did it."

"Within days of their first date, I noticed that John's conversation
was becoming more and more peppered with references to Vanessa. What
she did, where she was going, what her opinions were and so on. He
was really falling for her. Well, I've always been a bit of a
romantic, to be honest with you. Vanessa was rather rude and
patronising to me whenever we met, despite the fact that I'd never
done anything I knew of to upset her. However she was obviously good
news for John, so I after about a month I suggested that he ask her
to marry him. That was where I made my big mistake."

Julian shifted about on the floor, trying to find a more comfortable
position. "John liked the idea of marriage a lot so he did as I said
and asked her, but Vanessa refused him. I think the idea of getting
married scared her; she said it was too soon, too much pressure. A
few days later she broke it off with John, claiming that she couldn't
carry the weight of his expectations towards her. Only, in part they
were of course my expectations too - I had so much wanted to see him
get the happiness he deserved."

"John was devastated by all of this, but he and Vanessa were still
forced to see one another on a regular basis, both being students at
the Academy. And you know how people gossip; everyone knew exactly
what had happened. Both were so emotive about the split that before
long they were going to extraordinary lengths to avoid one another.
After a few weeks, Vanessa quit the Academy, claiming that she
preferred to move into civilian practice. I don't know if that was
the whole truth of it. John stayed with Starfleet and is currently
serving on the USS Barella. He made it clear that he blamed me for
the whole situation, although probably not as much as I blamed
myself. If it wasn't for me, things would have worked out a lot
better for him. I wanted to remain his friend but to John I was a
reminder of a painful episode in his life, and that's how it stayed
until graduation. He soon stopped spending time with me, and
eventually he went out of his way to avoid me. I had lost a good
friend, my only friend at the time."

"Garak, you matter to me. If  we let ourselves become so injured by
this that we can't even face one another then I'll lose you as a
friend too, just as I did John. And that would be a very big loss, as
far as I'm concerned. No more lunches in the replimat, no more
watching plays or playing sports together, no more--"

"Literary discussions?" Garak said as he suddenly stepped out of the
bedroom. Taken by surprise, Julian looked up to see that his friend
was now dressed and looking much calmer. He got up, wincing as a stab
of pain shot through his buttocks. The floor was much too hard to sit
on for long, he decided.

"Elim! How are you feeling?"

"Extremely distraught."

"I'm sorry to hear that," he said anxiously.

"Yes, I was just regaining my composure when you started to tell me
about your Academy days. That heartrending story which you so bravely
shared made me feel such an immense amount of pain and sadness that I
don't think I'll ever recover."

"Oh, very funny."

Garak shook his head gravely. "Why, it wasn't funny at all. Quite the
opposite, in fact. And even more dreadfully, I could tell that you
were sparing me the worst. Do be honest with me, Julian. Confess to
me what terrible fate really befell those two tragic lovers. Now let
me guess - Vanessa threw herself out of an airlock and John stabbed
himself in the heart. Am I right?"

"No, you are not at all right," Julian said, rolling his eyes. He
knew he was being made fun of and didn't like it much. "They're both
in perfect health and happily married to other people now, so I'm
told."

Garak ignored this. "Then perhaps it was poison? Or maybe they threw
themselves off the roof of Starfleet Academy in a double suicide
pact. Then again, he might have shot her dead for leaving him and
then turned the phaser on himself. Whatever it was, I know it must
have been completely distressing. Such sad creatures, my heart breaks
just contemplating them."

"Elim, if you don't shut up about it then I might just be tempted to
punch you in the mouth."

"Aggressive, threatening violence - just as I expected. You're
clearly still in pain," Garak said with an exaggerated expression of
pity on his face. "How could one not be after living through such an
appalling series of events? In fact, it was all so painfully sad that
you really should be dead too. That's really the only thing that
puzzles me. Why didn't you commit suicide along with John and
Vanessa?"

"Perhaps if I'd expired of alcohol poisoning after drinking my tears
of rejection away every night then that would have made more sense to
you?" he said snarkily.

"Indeed it would have. Do you feel suicidal now, by any chance? I do
hope the retelling of your catastrophic loss won't make you regress.
If I see you in Quark's every night from now on, I'll know to fear
the worst."

Julian sighed heavily. "As we say on Earth, sarcasm is the lowest
form of wit."

"My dear Julian, when one is trying to tap into an alien's sense of
what is amusing then any form of wit - even the lowest - is good
enough for me."

"Look, be serious for a moment, will you? I'm sorry I almost talked
you to death, but I wanted to explain how I felt."

"I do understand that, and you were quite right. You had more sense
than I did about this whole sorry affair. I have been a fool." Julian
smiled tentatively, and Garak nodded. "Yes, I mean it. It's not
pleasant to admit to foolishness, but on this occasion the
description is all too suitable. But to be fair, we both had a shock
tonight, did we not? Certainly I had no idea of what incredible
strangeness could be found under that businesslike Starfleet
uniform..."

"You think me strange?" He asked the question without anger or
resentment.

"I've rarely seen anything stranger," Garak said frankly. "Back home,
my duties never involved any in-depth contact with aliens; I always
preferred to work with my own kind. Had that not been the case, I
might have had a better idea of what to expect tonight."

"Uh-huh. Well, for myself I think I just assumed that fundamentally,
your body and mine would be alike. I didn't even the consider the
possibility that we wouldn't be. When I think of all the nights I've
wasted on fantasising about having my type of sex with you... well,
it's obvious that we were as clueless as each other."

"Indeed. A very sad state of affairs, I feel. You are a physician and
I am a man who prides himself on keeping fully informed, whatever the
situation."

"And on top of that, you've proven yourself to be a bad judge of
character as well," Julian said with an annoyingly smug smile.

"How so?"

"You let Odo play a sneaky trick on you, Elim. All those lies he told
you about what happens when Human and Cardassian males make love, and
you fell for every one of them."

Garak stared in surprise. "You really think that he was playing a
prank on me?"

"Mmm-hmm. I have noticed that the good Constable, contrary to what
most people believe, does have a sense of humour. He's just very
careful of how, when, where and to whom he displays it."

Garak frowned. "He's so serious 99 per cent of the time that the 1
per cent when he isn't, he caught me out... I can't less this outrage
pass without retaliation, you know."

Julian smiled. "There is a Human saying which seems appropriate to
this moment; revenge is a dish which is best served cold."

Garak beamed at him. "That is a very wise philosophy. It could almost
be Cardassian in its relentlessness. So, where do we go from here?"

"I really don't know, but I'm hoping that we are still friends, and
that we can have lunch together tomorrow as I suggested."

"Certainly we can. This friendship of ours is very valuable to me,
and I am not inclined to let it end."

Julian smiled, clearly pleased. "You won't get any arguments from me
there, Elim."

"But as to more intimate matters, it pains me to know that we are
physically incompatible. Ever since I first met you I have wanted
this, but my desires were all for nothing. I cannot even imagine how
intercourse takes place between Humans, but whatever you do, it is
obviously completely different to what we do. It is not pleasant to
know that we will never be lovers, Julian."

"Well I've just been thinking about that, and I'm not convinced that
you're right. You know, the way I'm made... you could get used to it,
if you tried. And I know that I could get used to the way you're
made. It wouldn't take me very long, either."

"But what would be the purpose of doing that?"

"To enjoy each other's bodies, to give ourselves pleasure as best we
can. Isn't that why you invited me over for coffee in the first
place? Maybe we don't have much in common physically, but there are
still ways that you could satisfy me, Elim. And I'm very much hoping
that I could do the same for you."

As Garak considered this, his face brightened. "It is true that there
are devices which could possibly be used by a Human... items created
for use within Cardassia's gay and lesbian communities. I could
replicate some quite easily and perhaps you could even bring me to
orgasm, with a little practice."

"That's the spirit! My dear Elim, we're going to have some sex
tonight or die trying."

"Just like poor John and Vanessa, in fact."

"You know, I really do regret telling you that story..."

---

The room was quiet. Garak was seated at his desk, reading steadily;
Julian had used his security clearance to allow him access to the
Human anatomy and sexuality sections of the Starfleet medical
database. In turn, Garak had sat Julian down on the sofa and given
him a Cardassian erotic novel which, he assured the Human, would tell
him everything that he needed to know. However, this was very far
from the truth. Garak had described the book as "powerfully sensual,
a seminal masterpiece of the genre which has been imitated many
times, but never bettered". After reading it for half an hour,
Julian's private opinion was that if this was the best erotica that
Cardassia had to offer, he'd hate to see the rest. He disapproved of
the imprecise language used by the author to convey the sex act.
What, he wondered, could one possibly make of a paragraph which read;

'Jalanav's sxilibrckz exceeded the strength of a leading yarlar while
his dutiful mate Dibielis tended to him with soft and gentle
gestures. As she continued to apply her molten fingertips around the
place where he most needed them to be, he became deep. Conscious of
his new wife's need, Jalanav applied soft, circular motions to her
most sensitive place. Soon, she too was deep and he was encouraged by
this, for he had feared that his inexperience would prevent such a
thing occurring before the noon hour. Before much longer, their fluid
started to run and he arose. Jalanav initiated the joining, and all
was well with them both.'

Julian groaned inwardly. Fifty pages of boring foreplay (thank
goodness he could speed read) and one hazy paragraph of sex; what a
disappointment. There wasn't any point continuing to read to the end;
after one orgasm, Jalanav and Dibielis had both got dressed and gone
back to work. What a dull couple they were. He only hoped they'd had
more fun having sex than he'd had reading about it.

For a while after that, Julian amused himself by watching the various
expressions which flittered across Garak's face as he read. He seemed
to be both horrified and fascinated by whatever information he was
absorbing. Eventually, Garak turned away from the console and looked
across at him.

"I'm glad I didn't ask you to explain all this, Julian - I doubt I
would have believed any of it unless I read it in Starfleet's own
medical records. So many techniques, so many different methods of
bringing pleasure to a lover... it's just not right."

Julian did a double take. "Why would you possibly think that? Surely
it's good to be able to have fun in as many ways as possible."

Garak rolled his eyes. "That is a very selfish attitude, Julian. My
people have one method of taking our pleasure and creating our
children, it serves us well and it always has. We can complete the
sex act reasonably quickly, which gives us more time to fulfil our
other responsibilities. You Humans on the other hand obviously
dedicate less time to work and more to play, probably to the extreme
detriment of your duties."

"Have you ever seen me fail to fulfil my responsibilities as a doctor
or a Starfleet officer in the way that you describe, Garak?" Julian
asked heatedly. "Name one occasion when I've neglected my work to
concentrate on personal pleasure. Go on, name one."

"I must admit that I cannot, in your case," the Cardassian replied
gravely. "But I still hold to my opinion, generally speaking that
is."

"But as we discovered earlier on tonight, you don't know anything at
all about Human sexuality, do you?" he snapped.

Garak smiled. "I'm learning fast."

"You clearly think our sexual practices are bizarre in the extreme,"
Bashir said disconsolately. It was galling to find that the many acts
which he'd so longed to enjoy with Garak were held in such contempt.

Garak nodded emphatically. "That is true. Things are not done that
way on Cardassia. I have been wondering however if we are perhaps in
the minority. Take the Bajorans, for example - are their sexual
customs similar to yours?"

"Yes, for the most part."

"Well, I suppose that explains why mixed race children born during
the Occupation were always artificially conceived."

"They were? I didn't know that."

"No doubt the men kept it secret because they wanted it to look as if
they had done all the work," Garak said snidely.

"I suppose you're right. So, now that you've seen something of what
we do in bed and disliked it intensely, I guess that's it. It's late;
I think I should go back to my quarters now."

"Did I say that I wanted you to leave?"

"No, but--"

"Then stay."

"What for?"

"I want us to have sex, Julian. I believe that you are right - we can
make this work if we try hard enough."

He beamed at Garak. "You mean I actually got you to change your mind
about something? Well, that's a first."

"Don't let it go to your head, Julian. I'm afraid that there are
certain limits which I must set before we can begin."

"All right, that's only reasonable."

"The idea of using such things as bondage, domination and pain as
sexual tools is unfamiliar and disturbing to me. It is an unhealthy
crossover of clashing concepts which, in my view, should never meet
at all. I cannot allow myself to do any of those things."

"Fine, I can live with that."

"Also, I will not under any circumstances permit myself to be
penetrated."

"Oh damn."

"Nor will I allow your sexual organ to be inside my mouth."

"That's a hell of a disappointment."

"And I am not willing to penetrate you."

"Not even once? But Garak..."

"I will not have sex in any public place or common area of the
station; the appropriate location for intimacy is one's quarters, and
nowhere else."

"And I guess holding hands is out too - that would be far too
personal, all those digits touching so brazenly. What am I left with,
blowing you a kiss from across the room?" Julian said with biting
sarcasm.

Garak frowned at him reprovingly. "I should also mention that these
boundaries will be regularly reappraised. If I feel more comfortable
within our relationship as time passes, then I might be willing to do
more things with you than I am now."

Julian brightened. "Then you can be sure that I'll do my very best to
make you feel comfortable."

"That, I can well imagine. Now tell me, how much of the book have you
read?"

"Quite a lot, but I've not found it at all helpful," he admitted.

Garak looked surprised. "But Julian, it is a most explicit work.
Surely it must have answered all of your questions about Cardassian
sexuality?"

"Elim, it doesn't even come close. The author has omitted a lot of
the important details, probably because it's usually read by people
who already know what's supposed to be happening. As I don't I found
it simply confusing, and there aren't any pictures which doesn't
help."

"Well, of course there aren't," Garak exclaimed haughtily. "As if one
possibly could display such intimate--" he checked himself. "Never
mind that. You will clearly have to learn by experience."

Julian grinned. "No time like the present, Professor Garak."

"I want to be first," he said urgently. "I've waited longer than you
so that gives me seniority rights. And anyway, I don't want there to
be much delay because that *thing* of yours might rear up again and
get in the way if I wait too long."

Julian laughed. "It's a penis, Garak, not a 'thing'. But we'll have
to do it your way by default, since you're not interested in
Human-style sex right now. Just show me what to do and I'll soon get
the hang of it."

Garak nodded and went over to the replicator. When the two items he
ordered had materialised, he brought them over to Julian. One was a
small bowl which contained a thick, glossy black fluid and a thin
metal spoon. The other was a strap-on device which he held up against
Julian's chest.

"This is what you must wear if we are to join with each other," he
said. "It is called a ytrajl."

The straps, Garak explained, slipped over the shoulders and crossed
the back. They held the ytrajl in place so that the device fitted
snugly in the centre of the wearer's chest. This part of it was oval
shaped and the colour of Cardassian skin. It was made of some cool,
moulded material, rather like a combination of marble and rubber.
Julian estimated that it was about four centimetres in height. He
noticed that it had a partially hollow centre; this was shaped in the
form of a cone, which tapered down to a narrow point inside the
ytrajl. Looking at it from directly above, it resembled a large eye.

"Garak, how does this work?"

"You'll find out when we start. I'm going to take my clothes off now,
and I'd very much appreciate it if you could at least try to pretend
that you find my body desirable."

He grinned. "I don't need to pretend; I really do find you attractive
and you know it. I'll get undressed too."

Garak sighed. "Is that really necessary? If your penis starts
pointing at me again in that persistent way then I'll probably lose
all interest in sex for months."

Julian glared at him. "Garak, my penis will be doing a lot of
pointing, persistent or otherwise, so you'd damn well better get used
to it. But as it's our first time, I'll leave my underwear on. Just
this once, you understand?"

"Your sacrifice will do wonders for my concentration," Garak
murmured.

Without the shock of the unexpected to contend with, the whole
disrobing experience was much more pleasant for both men. Garak
openly took pleasure in studying Bashir's lithe body, especially the
upper half. His eyes rarely strayed crotchwards, however; even with
underclothing on, he considered the Human's genital area to be an
unattractive proposition indeed. It was incomprehensible to Garak
that such bizarrely shaped organs could be attached to an otherwise
beautiful body. But that was the package in total, and since he knew
instinctively that he wanted to keep Julian Bashir as a lover for as
long as possible, Garak had already made up his mind to get used to
it.

Julian too found himself becoming interested in the shape of Garak's
body. He thought that after he had given Garak whatever kind of
orgasm the Cardassian wanted, he'd go home and pleasure himself while
thinking about Garak naked. Even though he keenly regretted the
non-existence of a Cardassian penis, and despite the fact that he
himself was clearly not going to get laid any time soon, Julian was
still feeling excited about making love with Garak. Perhaps it was
because he would be experiencing something new and exotic. It really
wasn't fair, giving Garak all of the pleasure and getting none in
return, but Julian didn't want to do anything until they were both
ready. And besides, it was quite clear from what Garak had said
earlier that this night should be viewed as an investment in the
future; if Garak got to know him better, then surely he would
eventually allow a greater intimacy between them.

---

Julian shimmied over to kiss Garak, but was firmly prevented from
doing so.

"When we are in the bedroom, my dear, and not before."

"Spoil sport," he said good naturedly, but complied nonetheless.

However, once they had moved into in the next room, Garak permitted
only the briefest of kisses before moving away.

"Where are you going?" Julian asked sulkily.

"To get on with business." Garak sat down on the bed and carefully
placed the bowl of fluid on the bedside table. "I will show you how
to apply this in a moment."

"Apply it where?" he asked as he joined Garak on the bed.

"Inside the ytrajl."

"Elim, I need more information. If I don't know what I'm supposed to
be doing, how can I hope to get it right?"

The Cardassian sighed. "You certainly know how to take all the fun
out of the experience, Julian. Before much longer you'll probably
pull out a padd and start writing this up for some medical journal."

"Well I'm sorry you feel that way, but how can there be any fun if I
don't know what fun means to you?" he pointed out.

Garak resigned himself to the necessity of explanations and strapped
the ytrajl onto Julian's chest. "Cardassians have a large, thick
breast bone which is broken only by a rounded cavity, one that is
cone shaped like the one within your ytrajl. The skin above it is not
unbroken, and it can change position. When a female Cardassian
becomes aroused, the skin of her sxilibrckz sinks down into the bone
cavity. Bariomeretic fluid is then secreted from one of her bodily
organs and passes up into the cavity within her breast bone, where it
is soaked up by the dropped skin. The liquid which I have placed in
this bowl is identical to that which would be secreted by a female."

"That's what it meant in the book when it said that the woman became
deep," Julian exclaimed, pleased that something made sense at last.

"Yes. But in case you are concerned, the issue of female bariomeretic
fluid to yourself does not mean that I expect you to take a typically
feminine role in tonight's proceedings. It is simply that the sex act
cannot take place unless both male and female fluids are involved. "

"I understand. So, while the woman's doing all that, what's the man
doing?"

"Caress the skin on my sxilibrckz and you will find out," Garak
replied mysteriously. "Go gently at first, then you may increase the
pressure after a minute or so."

Julian tentatively reached out and touched it. The darker skin was
hard and rough, much more so that the rest of Garak's skin. When he
pressed against the sxilibrckz, there was no movement. It was hard to
imagine that there was a hollow cleft underneath. Julian decided to
apply circular caresses with his hand.

"Inside the skin of the sxilibrckz can be found numerous small bones
which are-- Now that does feel good..."

"You were saying, about the bones?" Julian prompted him as he rubbed
his thumbs across Garak's chest.

"They are... completely flexible, yet also very strong. Normally they
are rigid, to hold the skin in place even against a direct blow, but
when one is aroused they soften in order to permit inversion. Ah now,
you must really have done this before, Julian..."

He glanced at Garak and smiled; the Cardassian's head was thrown back
and there was a look of relish on his face. He was clearly having a
very good time so far. "No, I'm just making it up as I go along," he
admitted merrily.

"I would never have guessed..."

"I should just keep this up, yes?"

"Yes. No! I forgot, before we go further you have to apply the fluid.
Just use the spoon... rub it inside the ytrajl, all around the inside
of the cavity."

"You know I feel completely stupid wearing this thing," he grumbled,
but he did as he was asked anyway.

The temporary pause gave Garak a chance to catch his breath. "You
don't look stupid," he assured Julian tenderly. "In fact, you look
quite adorable."

"Flatterer. Look, is this right?"

Garak checked the inside of the ytrajl, which was now black and
glistening. "That's it. You are ready for me;  now make me ready for
you."

They snuggled together on the bed, facing one another. Julian stroked
Garak's chest again, but this time playing with his nipples.

"Not there, in the middle," Garak said impatiently.

"You don't like me touching you there?"

"I don't need it anywhere else; just work on my sxilibrckz. Make me
go deep, Julian."

"And then, Elim? What happens then?"

"At first, as with a woman... the fluid is drawn up and soaks into
the skin. But that is not the end for a man - the skin reverses
itself, raises up from the chest to form a point, like the tapered
end of an ice-cream cone."

"This I have to see..." And Julian applied his fingers to Garak's
sxilibrckz with renewed vigour.

"If you were a Cardassian male then I would join with you... ahh...
after you dropped but before you reversed. Timing is all, Julian."

"So I've heard..."

As he continued to massage Garak, the Cardassian's breathing speeded
up and he sighed quietly with pleasure every now and again. Julian
could tell that whatever he was doing, it was what his lover wanted.
As Julian continued to watch Garak's face, he was taken by surprise
when he felt the skin that his fingers had been rubbing suddenly fall
away from him. Garak's arousal had begun. Julian was amazed to see
that the dark skin was now clinging to the inside of Garak's breast
bone. And then the black bariomeretic fluid appeared and slowly moved
up the skin - how did it *do* that, he wondered? - until Garak's
sxilibrckz was covered with it.

Julian wasn't sure what to do next, and since Garak's eyes were
closed and he now appeared to be in some kind of trance, it seemed
prudent not to interrupt him. He waited for about five minutes,
anxious to move onto the next stage, whatever that was. Then all of a
sudden Garak gasped sharply and the blackened skin slowly drew itself
up, rolling back on itself to form a circular, raised mound on his
chest.

"The tapered end of an ice-cream cone..." Julian whispered in awe.

Garak's eyes snapped open. "Lie back down on the bed," he commanded
Julian urgently. "Yes, right in the middle. Hurry up."

"Is it time?" Bashir asked anxiously.

"Yes. As you've not done this before, I won't expect you to
choreograph or mimic my movements. Just stay still. Very, very
still."

Garak climbed on top of him and positioned himself so that as much as
possible of their bodies were touching; arm to arm, leg to leg,
stomach to stomach. Then he carefully lowered his chest, pushing his
sxilibrckz into the ytrajl. From what Julian could tell, it seemed to
be a perfect fit; probably Garak had taken his own size into account
when he had replicated the ytrajl. The weight of Garak pressing down
on him was significant, but he liked it. As close as this, Julian
couldn't help but start to have all kinds of sexy thoughts. Useless
they may have been but with his lover literally right on top of him,
it seemed like the inevitable thing to do.

Garak closed his eyes, seemingly lost in a dream world. The minutes
passed and Julian started getting rather restless. He could feel his
penis stiffening; the intimate bodily contact with Garak was just too
much for him to take. Julian kept willing himself to go flaccid in
case Garak noticed. He wanted to ask him when the sex would start,
but didn't dare break into his lover's reverie. Presumably this was
some form of foreplay or preparation; perhaps Cardassians needed
plenty of time to get ready for sex. Perhaps soon he would start
doing something...

A few moments later, Garak's eyes opened and he sat up. He was
smiling brilliantly.

"Julian, that was a most entrancing experience. I've rarely, if ever,
climaxed with such vigour. How did you learn such subtle techniques?
I'm most impressed."

Julian didn't reply for a moment. He was too busy staring at Garak's
sxilibrckz, where the skin was already dropping down to its normal
position. "You had an orgasm? I didn't notice anything. When did that
take place?"

"Why just now, of course. You're right here, you couldn't have failed
to miss it. I hope you didn't fall asleep..."

"No, I was awake the whole time, but nothing happened!"

Garak chuckled. "A series of highly complex chemical and biological
reactions happened, all triggered by the blending of male and female
bariomeretic fluids. And what also happened is that you just made me
a very happy man."

"But we both just lay there..."

"I was in a state of bliss. And you, you made everything perfect. I
very much valued the way you worked so hard to enhance the sexual
experience for me."

Julian stared at him, unsure if he was being taken for a ride. "I
didn't do a thing, Elim."

"Oh you did," Garak assured him. "You are a natural at this. Your
modesty is endearing but quite unnecessary, I assure you. Really, I
am so glad that you talked me into consummating our relationship.
Here, let me unstrap you."

Garak leaned in close to remove the ytrajl and Julian took the
opportunity to kiss him on the cheek.

"Thank you for that, Julian, but I've had sex now and multiple
orgasms never happen for Cardassians, so don't waste your time."

About to utter an indignant reply, Julian was stopped in his tracks
as he noticed that crackling sounds could be heard which seemed to be
coming from right inside Garak's chest.

"What the hell is that?" he yelped.

"Nothing to worry about," Garak said briskly. "The strong bones
within my sxilibrckz turn to virtual mush during intercourse so that
the skin is able to invert. Now that sex is ended, they are reforming
to perform their usual function of protecting my genital area from
damage. The sounds you can hear are caused by the bones solidifying.
It will take just under ten minutes for the process to complete."

"Fascinating," Julian breathed, his medical curiosity to the
forefront.

"More so than anything you can display, Julian," he taunted lightly.
"Now, I must wash. I will be back soon."

Left alone, Julian pulled the bedcovers over himself and wondered if
he could safely jerk off now. He decided not to take any chances; if
Garak came back earlier than expected then he'd complain
vociferously, no doubt, at being greeted by the sight of an erect
'thing'. Instead, Julian started thinking about his new and
mysterious classification as Cardassian-style lover extraordinaire.

"I really don't know how I did it," he said out loud to himself.
"Subtle techniques, my ass! I just lay there like a fallen tree.
Still, if that's how he likes it..."

Having originally planned to leave at this point, Julian changed his
mind and decided that he would forego returning to his quarters to
masturbate if Garak would permit him to stay the night. He wanted
very much to sleep next to Garak, and to wake up with him in the
morning.

"I have just endured a most unpleasant experience," Garak complained,
the moment that he came back into the room. "I used the water shower
to clean up and I must have changed the controls accidentally at one
point, because the water was totally cold!"

Julian smiled charmingly, hoped he didn't look too guilty and decided
not to mention his earlier foray into the bathroom.

"Anyway, you seem to have made yourself comfortable," Garak
commented.

"I was hoping that you'd let me stay the night."

"Of course you may."

"There's no of course about it, Elim. There could have been some
Cardassian custom which forbids such things."

"Not in this case," Garak replied as he got into bed.

"I'm guessing that you go straight to sleep after sex, if you have it
at night, that is?"

"That is my usual custom, yes."

"Okay, then. Do you sleep with the lights out?"

"I do."

"Fine. Computer, turn off the lights."

Julian rolled over onto his stomach, his preferred going to sleep
position. "Please take note of the fact that I'm *not* asking you to
snuggle up to me, Elim. I'm sure that snuggling would be most
un-Cardassian. Doubtless all Cardassian couples stay a respectable
distance apart in bed during the night. In fact, many of them
probably sleep in different houses. Good night, Elim." There was no
response. "Elim? That was a joke, you know."

Julian felt the Cardassian's hand touch his back. "Julian... don't
you want to have sex too?"

"Of course I do, but I won't force you into it. If you ever feel
ready, then we will."

"I am ready now."

He sat up abruptly. "Ready for what? You put everything fun on the
forbidden list, remember?"

"Not quite everything," Garak said, and Julian could hear the
amusement in his voice. "I didn't rule out the use of stimulation by
hand."

"I hadn't noticed the omission," he admitted.

"Really? Then you must have thought that I had left you with nothing
to look forward to, and yet you still gave me such pleasure. That was
typically generous of you - and also typically stupid. Had our roles
been reversed, I would not have done the same. You should have
bargained with me, traded for what you wanted."

"That wouldn't have been fair, Elim. I was willing to wait, however
long it took."

"Well, it seems that you will not have to wait as long as you
expected..."

Before Julian could say anything else, he felt Garak's hands pulling
at his underpants and yanking them off.

"We're getting straight to it then, are we?"

"Don't pretend that you're not pleased about that, Julian. Anyway, if
you ask me, foreplay is completely overrated." He took hold of
Julian's penis, pressing against it steadily, causing him to moan and
shudder. "It's quite stiff already. Did you start without me?"

"Just do it!"

"As I recall, I'm supposed to move my hand up and down. Is that
correct?"

"Yes..." Julian hissed. He could feel himself hardening quickly. This
was not exactly what he wanted; there was no kissing then, and no
touching except on his penis, but he had waited a very long time for
sex with Garak, after all...

"This penis of yours feels as strange as it looks," Garak informed
him bluntly. "What are these lumps next to it?"

"Testicles," Julian gasped. "They store the-- Ouch, don't pull so
hard!"

"My my, aren't we the sensitive one?"

Garak's hands were rapid in their movement and firm in their grip.
Julian was hard as a rock now, writhing and gasping out his pleasure.

"You do move about a lot, don't you"? Garak observed caustically. "I
feel as if I'm in bed with a whole fleet of Starfleet lovers."

"Aggghhhhttt..."

"Better to stay silent than to say something which is meaningless,
Julian."

But he was beyond coherent words now. It was too perfect; quick and
dirty sex, but very, very sweet. He could feel his body tensing,
getting ready for the explosion. A fleeting thought crossed his mind
that he should have made sure Garak knew what to expect next, but he
couldn't hold himself back long enough to say anything. Julian yelled
out his pleasure as he orgasmed, his seed spurting out over Garak and
the bed.

"That was wonderful, Elim," he said when he could find the breath to
speak.

"For you, yes."

"Sorry if you didn't enjoy the experience that much," he said, rather
insincerely.

"Don't apologise - it wasn't meant to be enjoyable for me. Tell me,
how much of this revoltingly sticky substance did you expel? I feel
as if I've taken a bath in it."

"Sorry. It goes a little further than bariomeretic fluid."

Garak sniffed. "So I noticed."

Julian resisted the temptation to giggle. "Thank you for this, Elim.
Unlike me, you clearly don't have any subtle techniques patented yet,
but I still had a great time. Why don't you go and take another
shower, with hot water this time, and I'll clean up the room while
you're gone?"

"Very well. Julian..."

"Yes?"

"It was good, wasn't it?"

The question was casually posed, but Julian could hear just a chink
of uncertainty in Garak's voice. Or was he merely imagining it?
"Immensely good," he replied reassuringly.

"As I expected. Then of course you will want to have sex with me
again very soon."

"You bet. Tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that... But
next time, when we do it your way, I'll be on top and you can find
out exactly what it feels like to have an ice-cream cone shoved into
*your* chest. And by the way, I love you."

"I love you too, even if you are a man with a grotesque,
uncontrollable penis instead of a neat, practical sxilibrckz."

Julian laughed; he was secure enough in the knowledge of his own
attractiveness to other Humans to find this merely amusing. "Elim,
you say the nicest things."

---

The End