Spices

      The political situation in the quadrant was changing rapidly. The threat of war with the Dominion forced the Obsidian order to accelerate a number of projects. It took Garak, absorbed in observation, a while to remember that it had been too long since Julian had told him about his own success.              It was late afternoon, and a spicy wind came in through the open windows — the garden was blooming, the Cardassia was blooming, and the soft heat warmed through the bones that had forgotten about warmth during their time on DS9. Garak left the PADDs and went out onto the terrace to rest his eyes. There was an unspoken question in the tangle of colors, in the harmonious combinations — for every plant in the garden had been chosen wisely.              Time passed quickly, and Garak was surprised to realize that he got too used to being around Julian. So close that the tension became sometimes as sharp as the searing tay`evenn, a spice that only the most skilled cooks added to the dish. At the same time, Julian, who had expressed his feelings so directly, didn`t take any other step forward. And each time they froze in front of each other, as if there was an invisible divide between them.              «To reflect on feelings instead of finding the solution to a political problem?» Garak chuckled. «How cynical it is in relation to the testaments of the Obsidian order.»              He was tired of the tension, but…              Garak ran a hand over his face and went down to the garden. He walked along the swept paths, and scents of flowers wrapped him like the lightest of fabrics. The deceptive peace had to explode — to shatter into shards, wounding and reminding of what it means to feel alive.              The peace in the quadrant was teetering on the edge, and Garak needed to remember that, find solutions and discover benefits. But his own soul had lost its peace too long ago, and even the vaunted training of the Obsidian order`s agents was failing.              «Garak?»              Garak turned to see Julian on the terrace. Dressed in Cardassian fashion, he smiled mockingly.              «Are you back already, my dear?» Garak replied with a soft smile. «Honestly, I was expecting you for dinner.»              «Remember our argument?» Julian came down into the garden and was now walking slowly towards him.              «You still haven`t said what you`re betting.» Garak`s eyes narrowed slightly as he caught his gaze.              «It doesn`t matter, because I`ve already won.» And Julian handed him the PADD. An official order flashed on the screen: Julian Bashir was the head of researches for the Obsidian order now.              «I can only congratulate you.» Garak handed the PADD back. «Your success strikes imagination. How did you arrange that?»              «Oh, Garak, does it matter?» The smile that crossed Julian`s lips was particularly predatory. «You owe me a secret.»              «What would you like to know?» Garak seemed to cede. «My past? Why did we met on DS9?»              «It was interesting when I was playing the role of a Starfleet officer and you were playing a tailor who wasn`t a spy at all. One day you will tell me all these stories, and I will believe them all, because they are all true. Especially the lies, right?» His gaze hardened. «No, Elim. I`m interested in other secrets.»              «You want to know, would I run away with you, don`t you?» Garak turned away.              A gust of wind came, whirling petals, dropping them on the immaculately clean paths, bringing the anticipation of the coming rain. The weather was changing.              Julian lingered with an answer or, perhaps, waited for Garak to stand down and look at him again.              «No,» he said at last. «That doesn`t matter either.»              Garak nodded in agreement and glanced over his shoulder at Julian.              «Well, in that case, I`ll choose the secret myself…»              «No.» And Julian took a step toward him, breaking the invisible line, breaking the boundary they had held for so long. «I won`t let you escape.»              «To escape?» Garak chuckled. «But, my dear, do I seem to…»              The heat of the day was nothing compared to the heat of someone else`s lips. With touches that burned the ridges, with a greedy tongue that invaded so suddenly and so insistently that there was no choice but to comply.              Garak slid his hands around Julian`s waist and couldn`t help but pull him closer, clinging to his back as he remembered his own desires for a moment.              «I won`t let you escape.»              «Julian…» Garak evaded another kiss. «And so what do you think, is the secret out?..»              «No.» His fingers stroked the edges of the ridges with a tenderness that made Garak feel a dull annoyance. It was as if there was doubt, uncertainty, and therefore unreliability and carelessness behind it.              «No?» His hand went to the back of Julian`s head, pulling him down for another kiss — the harder one, similar to a bite, to a fight. Having his lip bitten, Julian turned slightly and bit into the ridge on his chin. A wave of excitement ran through Garak`s body, and he instinctively squeezed hard Julian`s shoulders. «What... do you want to know?» He could barely control his breath.              «You.» The ambiguity added a sharp thrill to the excitement. «And you conveniently owe me.»       

***

      Windows were open, and the wind brought the freshness of rain mixed with scents of flowers. A dizzying smell that could not be inhaled enough. The soft chill was cooling heated skin.              ...The downpour struck at the very moment when Garak sensed the rough bark behind him — Julian pressed him into the tree trunk with enough force to leave scratches. They were soaked to the skin in an instant, and Julian laughed as he pulled him toward the house, ripping off his tunic on the move.              Streams of rain traced his muscles, and it was an amazing sight, Garak couldn`t deny him attractiveness.              And couldn`t refuse everything else.              It looked like they were undressing as they walked, at least Garak couldn`t see anything on the floor from the bed. Julian`s breathing was even now, but his own heart was still beating faster, though perhaps it were the sensitive fingers that continued to draw the converging lines of the ridges, to explore them on his chest, on his thighs, to run teasingly down his stomach.              Having his eyes closed, Garak allowed himself to remember how they helped each other to get rid of the wet cloth, how Julian grinned predatory when they paused for just a moment, while deciding what role and to whom would be assigned for today.              And remembered how their foreheads touched at the moment of orgasm.              It was impossible to deny that he let Julian in too far. «You won`t leave me either now or ever later,» came to his mind inopportunely. He had to admit that Julian was right, that he had read him, figured him out, got the feel of him much faster than Garak had.              «You got old.» Garak chided himself. «Got old and emotional.»              But no guilty conscience arose in his soul. Instead, Garak bit lightly at the skin of Julian`s neck — the possibility looked too tempting.              «Ready to another round?» Julian responded sleepily. His voice was relaxed and soft, and for a moment one could believe in this deception, remember of that naive doctor, whom — Garak would not have agreed to admit it out loud — he wanted to push into the wall right in the replimat.              How did he know how dangerous such desires were when it came to Starfleet officers?              Laughing at his own thoughts, Garak finally answered:              «If your work is over for today, my dear, I have some paperwork to do.»              «Are you sure they can`t wait?» Julian rolled over and loomed over him. Their bodies were almost touching, and Garak felt the heat again, followed immediately by excitement.              «You`re persistent,» he breathed out.              «I thought you`d noticed this before and appreciated it.» Julian chuckled «And you`re only talking about it now.»              It was incredibly tempting to give in once more, to be swept back into feelings and sensations that came in a refreshing downpour, but Garak managed to hold it together and freed himself from Julian`s embrace.              He got out of bed, and the cool wind brought a vague sense of disappointment.              «Well, you`ve got your prize,» he sighed.              «Not at all,» Julian turned out to be behind him immediately, his hands stroking the ridges «I`m just getting started to know it...» And he bit Garak just below the back of his head, guessing with precision the spot that sent an electric shock through his entire body. Garak stifled a groan and turned to face him, only to be drawn back into the kiss.              The downpour outside the window intensified again.