Apple pie

      “Garak,” Julian said, having put the cup of tarkalean tea aside. “I think you should reconsider your views on meal. I can pick up a proper diet for you to loose overweight easily.”              Lunch time was almost at its end, but there was a delicious piece of apple pie in front of Garak, produced according to a new recipe, appeared in replicators’ base quite recently and therefore incredible popular. Cardassian tailor, probably, fell fashion victim as well, and Julian was really concerned that he had got notably stouter lately.              “Really, my dear?” Garak narrowed his eyes at him slightly. “You know, Cardassians have their own ways to fix this problem.“              “Do they?” Julian answered a little derisively. “Perhaps, I have poor image of your physiology. But it’s not a surprise, ‘cause, while retreating, Cardassians have destroyed the bigger part of the data base.»              “Perhaps, I might be able to clarify some aspects of our physiology for you,» Garak said, taking a bite of the pie. “If you don`t mind talking about it”.              Julian was kind of tired of talking about literature, in which Garak constantly made him look like an untidy and incompetent schoolboy, so such a drastic change of subject seemed very attractive to him.              “I never refuse the opportunity to learn something new that will help me in my professional career,» he agreed hastily and somewhat ceremoniously.              “Well, then, come to my apartment after your shift today,” Garak leaned a little closer to the table and added in a whisper, «there are too many extra eyes and ears, don`t you think so?»              “Absolutely,” said Julian, and got up. “Sadly, I have to go now”.              “Of course, my dear doctor, of course,” Garak saluted him with his fork.       

***

      Julian, inspired by the suggestion of the tailor, whose secret he had been trying to solve for so long, returned to sick bay full of energy. When Jadzia checked in, her sharp eyes did not miss it.              “I have a feeling,” she said, ordering a cup of raktajino at the sick bay’s replicator, “that you have a date, Julian.”              “No,” he objected. “So much better. In the evening I will have a fascinating conversation”.              “Really?” Jadzia took a sip and grinned. “And this isn`t exactly a date?»              “Exactly,” Julian confirmed. “We`re just going to discuss the diet’s issues of some individual cardassians”.              “Diet?” she raised her eyebrows.              «Yes, I`m sure you`ve noticed that Garak lately has got quite a noticeable…” Julian hesitated, then finished in a lower voice, “tummy?”              “Tummy,” she repeated, as if confused. “A very interesting topic for conversation, Julian,” trill`s smile hid in a cup of raktajino.              “Nutrition and metabolism issues are very important to medicine,” Julian said sternly. “If the body does not receive the proper amount of nutrients…”              “No lectures! I perfectly understand what you`re talking about.” She was immediately at the exit. “It will be interesting to know how your exciting mission ended.”              “I`ll answer any question, if you have sufficient level of access,” Julian chuckled, completely ignoring the fact that Jadzia outranked him.       

***

      Julian was guided, and that was without any doubt, by a genuine scientific interest. By the end of the shift, he was in a very enthusiastic mood, as he usually was when a mystery was finally going to be solved. He probably hadn`t felt this excited since he was a student.              Later, as he walked through the corridors of the station to the habitat ring, he almost dreamed of how vividly they would be able to argue with Garak, this time not on the territory that the cardassian had completely taken over, but where Julian himself would certainly turn out to be more experienced, and therefore more competent.              Perhaps winning an argument was a little petty to be happy about if you were a Starfleet officer, but today Julian hardly cared. He was tired of Garak constantly finding ways to get around him in any conversation.              Right now, Julian didn`t doubt himself. He was an expert in xenobiology, and his knowledge was sufficient to quickly understand the nuances of another race’s metabolism. This meant that he would make a healthy diet right during the conversation and convince Garak, using the knowledge just received from him, that he should choose a more restrained version of the diet, thereby unconditionally wiping the nose of the eternal partner in disputes.              Julian`s thoughts were a little chaotic, but he was elated ahead of time, so he couldn`t help smiling. Having stopped at the door of Garak`s apartment, the self-proclaimed Hannibal, determined to cross the Alps in triumph, rang the bell.              Garak opened up almost immediately.              “Oh, my dear, you`re just in time,” he said, letting Julian in. “I see you`re in a good mood. Was it an easy shift?”              “No, I`m just... glad to meet you,” Julian paused a bit.              This was the first time he`d been in the apartment of the cardassian, so he looked around with curiousity, appreciating the understated but stylish decor — as much as it was possible to create something individual within the walls of the station.              “Sit down,” Garak pointed to the sofa. “Can I get you anything? Canar? Springwine?”              Julian rolled the words on his tongue, thinking it would be a good idea to discuss it with Garak with a glass in his hand, and decided:              “Perhaps, springwine would be better.”              “One day you`ll appreciate the taste of canar, my dear,” Garak smirked, setting a couple of bottles on the table. “So, you`re excited about this conversation?”              “Oh, yes,” Julian took the glass from his hand. “I was consumed with curiosity.”              “Oh, those Starfleet doctors,” Garak`s smile grew more enigmatic every moment, “how easy it is to intrigue them.”              “You sound like a spy,” Julian said with an innocent grin, relapsing into his favorite role and feeling completely at ease in it.              “Really?” Garak sat down next to him and raised his glass of canar in salute. “So maybe we should drink to spies — real and imaginary, and all the curious and inquisitive, before we get to the main topic.”              “Excellent idea,” Julian was the first to take a sip. “I hope you didn`t poison me. Anyway, Jadzia knows I`m here…”              Garak looked at him reproachfully.              “How could you think such a thing, doctor? I wouldn`t sacrifice a good conversationalist.”              Julian was immensely flattered that Garak considered him such, so he allowed himself to relax even more — especially since springwine, with its pleasant aroma, made him feel a slight surge of excitement. Surely because of the upcoming conversation.              Garak watched him intently and, apparently noticing something in his face, began:              “So, you would like to discuss how the cardassians…”              “…get rid of the extra roundness,” Julian nodded, slapping his stomach emphatically.              Garak frowned, but agreed:              “Exactly, my dear.”              “Give the secret away,” Julian leaned forward a little.              “This is a very delicate subject.” Garak chucked strangely. “But you are so insistent that I will not refuse.”              He took a sip from his own glass, and Julian repeated the gesture, hardly tasting the springwine, so curious was he to see what points his opponent had in store for the argument that was sure to follow. Julian drew himself up and even ran his left hand over the collar of his uniform, as if to loosen it.              Garak bowed his head slightly, noting the awkward gesture, and then stood up.              “Well, there’s no need to delay.”              “Indeed,” Julian agreed, looking at him in fascination. His head was buzzing, but perhaps the best of the Starfleet doctors, completely engrossed in the prospect of learning something new, didn`t bother to give it any thought.              Garak`s hands went over the garment, meticulously smoothing out the creases, and then found the clasps, hidden in the seams. Just now Julian realized that he had never seen Garak in this outfit before, but there was no way to see or appreciate the intricate cut, since the cardassian had definitely begun to undress.              On the one hand, Julian got confused, and on the other, some part of him agreed that it would be much more convenient to talk about physiology in this way. Besides, now he could find out with all the possible certainty where the cardassians ridges ended, since the trill spots had not worked out.              Meanwhile, Garak took care of the upper part of his suit and was working on the lower one. He was standing with his side turned to Julian, and Julian even crack opened his mouth to note that his tummy was definitely there. Stripped of trousers and even underwear, Garak turned again, his expression unreadable.              Julian swallowed unintentionally. The blood rushed to his cheeks too intensively, though he should have remained completely impassive — like a doctor to a stubborn patient. But he couldn`t help it — a burning curiosity made him explore closely the cardassian`s skin, somewhere decorated with rudimentary scales and crisscrossed in places with the curves of the ridges. His gaze drifted by himself from the drop-shaped cavity in his chest down to another one in his groin. And... finally, Julian realized what exactly he was seeing — the tight-fitting folds that for sure were hiding the path to the organs that were obviously intended for…              He didn`t have a chance to finish the thought. The folds parted, releasing a completely stunning size of a penis. Garak narrowed his eyes slightly in annoyance and ran a hand over his stomach, as if reminding them what part exactly of the body they were going to discuss.              “As you can see…” he began, but Julian interrupted, getting to his feet.              “It`s flat, right…” having taken a couple of steps, the would-be Hannibal stopped, biting his lip until it hurt, because he almost reached for the area that glistened so attractively with natural lubricant. “Is this a…”              “Not what you were thinking,” Garak`s voice sounded almost daring.              “Absolutely,” Julian answered kind of out of place.              “But you have to pay for information,” now the cardassian was looking at him with an expression so strange that it would have seemed dangerous to Julian had it not been for the context of the situation.              “What do you... mean by that?” he asked, taking another half step closer, as if his will had deserted him along with his common sense.              “Don`t you think, my dear, that I intend to deal with the consequences of your curiosity alone?” Garak pulled him toward with sudden urgency.              Julian knew he should step back, refuse, walk away, but as soon as he put his hands on Garak`s shoulders and felt the throbbing roughness of his neck ridges under his fingers, his curiosity took a new turn.              “I think I`m... ready to give you a helping hand,” Julian said, licking his lips, dry from the wine.              “I`m afraid you can`t do it but with one hand,” the cardassian smirked ominously, sending a whole army of goosebumps down Julian`s spine before fleeing, leaving his General in lonely pride on the battlefield.       

***

      Jadzia found Julian in the replimat before the shift started, absently stirring raktajino with a spoon, looking off into space. If looking closely, one could see the faintest blush on his cheeks. Extremely intrigued, Dax sat down next to him.              “Julian?”              “Oh… Dax… Jadzia, good morning!” he started up.              “Did you get sick?” she was getting worried, but then an important thought flashed through her mind. Very significant. However Dax didn`t catch her, thus she just went on with the second question. “So how did your conversation with Garak end yesterday?” And she took a sip.              “It…” suddenly Julian`s blush became much more distinct, “it wasn`t a tummy,” he answered, and his look was so eloquent that Jadzia snorted, almost choking on raktajino.