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"Ugh, Julian, you won't believe the day I've had," Miles sighed as he sat down next to him at the bar in Quark's.
"Ah, how was working with the Cardassian scientists? Is it true you nearly collapsed the wormhole?"
"Well, not me, personally!" Miles looked slightly affronted. "That was the Obsidian Order's doing, actually."
Julian leaned in, resting his elbows on the table. "The Obsidian Order? You don't mean to say those scientists were operatives?"
"No, just one of them. The other two were decent folk, as far as Cardassians are concerned. That's been the strangest part of it all, really."
"What, friendly Cardassians?"
"A little too friendly, if you know what I mean. D'you know Cardassians actually flirt by arguing with each other?"
"Really?" Julian grinned. "How did you find that out, Chief?"
Miles shot Julian a glare. "How do you think? You know how frustrated I've been with the technology on this station, so I'm sure you can imagine what it's been like actually having to work with a Cardassian scientist. To top it off, apparently 'males simply don't have the head' for engineering on Cardassia. So you see how every task we had to complete turned into an argument!"
Julian laughed. "Oh, you must have done a number on her!"
"Apparently so." Miles chuckled into his ale. "Bloody Cardassians."
Julian stared at his own drink in contemplation. "Miles…," he began, not looking up from his drink.
"Hm?"
"If Cardassians flirt by arguing… Do you think that means… Do you think Garak has been flirting with me?"
Miles nearly choked on his drink. "God, Julian, don't ask me that!"
"Well, I don't know anyone else with experience—."
"I accidentally flirted with a Cardassian woman because I disagreed with her. I wouldn't exactly call that experience."
"But still…"
"Listen, if you really want to know, you should just ask Garak."
"He's not exactly a reliable source."
Miles shrugged. "No one else is going to be able to tell you his intentions but him. Though why you'd even want to know..."
*
"Julian! How are you doing?"
"Hm?" Julian looked up from his raktajino to see Jadzia sitting down at his table in the replimat. "Oh, I'm all right."
"Really?" Jadzia took a sip from her own cup with a crooked smile. "You looked like you were kilometers away just now."
Julian laughed awkwardly. "I suppose I've just had a lot on my mind lately." His face brightened as an idea occurred to him. "Actually, Jadzia, maybe you can help me. Do you know anything about Cardassian customs?"
"Oh, sure. I wouldn't say I'm an expert, but I know a bit. Is Garak giving you trouble?"
"Ha, I suppose, yes, you could call it that."
"What do you want to know?"
"So, er, Miles told me about his… misunderstanding with that Cardassian scientist."
"Gilora Rejal."
"Yes. He said that Cardassians flirt by arguing. And so that got me thinking… I've been having regular debates with Garak over lunch for about two years now, and there's frequently been an argumentative tone to our other interactions. Does that mean… Do you think he's been flirting with me?"
Jadzia set her mug down on the table, eyes wide with surprise. "Are you telling me you two haven't been sleeping together all this time?"
"What?"
Jadzia laughed. "Julian, if Garak hasn't been flirting with you I'll eat my uniform. Have you seen how he looks at you? That man wants to devour you, plain and simple."
Julian buried his head in his hands, grasping at his hair to keep from floating away or maybe disintegrating. "Plain and simple, huh?"
Jadzia gently squeezed his shoulder. "Hey, now you know. I'm sorry for assuming you already did."
Julian looked up, panic rising in his gut. "But what do I do now?"
"Well," Jadzia said, pursing her lips in thought. "I suppose he's waiting for you to make the next move. You should ask him out!"
"Right. Ask him out. Ask him… Out. Ask. Garak. Out."
Jadzia downed her coffee and got up. She put an encouraging hand on Julian's shoulder, looking down at him with a dazzling grin. "It'll go great, I know it."
Julian managed a shaky nod.
Jadzia walked away, waving as she exited the replimat and calling over her shoulder, "Good luck!"
*
Julian had resolved to go through with it at their next lunch, so naturally he was running late. He hurried along to their table, where Garak was waiting for him.
"Ah, Doctor," Garak said cheerfully. "How good to see you. I was beginning to wonder if you were going to make it. I hope you don't mind, I took the liberty of ordering for you."
Garak gestured to a mug of what was surely Tarkalean tea (extra sweet) and a plate of hasperat. Julian smiled as he sat down. The sweetness of the tea and the spicy, briny taste of hasperat were exactly what he needed after a rather harrowing morning.
"It's good to see you too, Garak," he said as he held the tea up to his nose, taking in the soothing scent. "I'm sorry I'm late. Emergency surgery. But I can extend my lunch break a bit, if you have the time."
"Oh, yes, I have plenty of time till my next appointment and I doubt there will be customers waiting by the door for me to return."
"Wonderful. Now, I'm dying to know what you thought of the Odyssey…"
Time flew by as they fell into their usual back-and-forth, and before Julian knew it, it was time for him to return to work and he still hadn't asked the question. It was now or never. They reclamated their dishes and walked onto the promenade. Julian took a deep breath and gathered his courage.
"Garak," he said, willing the tremor out of his voice, "I was thinking… There's this performance in Quark's tomorrow night, and I was wondering if you'd like to… Go there? With me?"
Garak's face gave nothing away. Julian waited for an excruciatingly long moment for him to smile and say, "Why, Doctor, I'd be delighted."
Julian smiled in relief. "Great! Then, er, shall I meet you at Quark's at 2100 hours?"
Garak inclined his head. "Certainly. I'll see you then."
*
Julian arrived early, wanting to ensure they would have a good seat. He ordered drinks—"Seats are for paying customers only!"—and picked a table in the corner near the promenade, underneath the balcony. They wouldn't have the best view of the performance, but it was a secluded spot where they wouldn't be easily observed. Besides, they would be able to hear the music just fine. Julian kept his eyes open as Quark's filled up with guests, hovering back and forth between the promenade and the table. Finally, at 2100 on the dot, Garak appeared—and Julian's heart skipped.
Julian had put a great deal of thought into his own appearance, choosing to wear a suit Garak had made for him. It was all made from the same deep emerald green fabric shot through with bronze and consisted of an asymmetrical tunic shaped out of geometric panels and slim trousers. He had washed and moisturised and put on a dash of cologne. He had even allowed Jadzia to put make-up on him: the barest hints of blue eye-shadow on the corners of his eyelids. All in all, he thought he looked quite dashing.
And there was Garak. Julian should have expected he would have something special saved for a night like this. Garak wore a dark purple ensemble with a lower than usual neckline. Details of blue patterned silk matched the subtle touch of pigment in the crest on his forehead, both accentuating the blue of his eyes; eyes that were locked on Julian as Garak walked down the promenade toward him.
Julian bumped against the table in his rush to greet Garak, jostling their drinks. Garak met him with his usual smile and a hand on his upper arm—did his touch linger longer than usual on Julian's bicep, or had he always done that? Julian still wasn't sure how much he'd missed and misinterpreted in their previous interactions. He barely registered Garak's words in all his nervous excitement.
"Good evening, my dear doctor. I must thank you again for your invitation. You do look splendid, if I may say so myself."
At that, Garak held Julian at arm's length to appraise the full look.
"Thank you, I mean, it is a marvelous suit. You—." Flustered, Julian's eyes drifted down, unhelpfully drawn to the ridges on display. "You look very handsome as well."
"Why, thank you, my dear," Garak preened.
Julian stepped back, whirling his arms around to point out, "I, er, got us a table."
The performance had already started. Julian didn't know much about Bajoran music, having mostly heard it in the background during festivals, but this certainly made for a pleasant atmosphere and wasn't so loud or overpowering that it discouraged conversation. He sipped on his Til'amin froth and eyed Garak over the rim of his glass. Garak was looking casually around the establishment, or rather, appearing to look casually. In truth, he was probably scanning the room, cataloguing entrances and exits, and assessing the people around them for threats. Finally, his gaze landed on Julian. Caught staring, Julian fumbled for something to say. Is it too early to say he has beautiful eyes?
"How is the kanar?"
Garak smiled wryly. "Oh, it's quite adequate. Among the best one can get outside of Cardassia, I'm sure."
Julian could slap himself. How is the kanar? What an inane question. When did he become so awkward, so self-conscious? Step up your game, man!
He glanced at the musicians, surreptitiously moving his leg so his knee touched Garak's. "They're quite good, don't you think?"
Was it his imagination, or did Garak's knee press back, ever so slightly?
"They are talented players," Garak acknowledged.
Something in his tone, though… Julian eagerly took the bait.
"Not your kind of music?"
"Bajoran music has a tendency to be somewhat too… simplistic for my taste."
"And I'm sure Cardassian music is far more complex."
Garak waved his hand as if this was obvious. "Of course."
"Can't there be value in simplicity? Isn't there skill, for example, in hitting a perfect note, with nothing else to distract from it?"
"Skill, certainly, but art requires more than that. What is there to interpret? What story is being told?"
"Well, aside from the fact that art can simply be beautiful, or fun, of which I'm sure I'll never be able to convince you,"
—Garak's eyes were sparkling, and Julian actually felt butterflies in his stomach—
"there is so much that can be said with a single note, with silence even. Do you know there are pieces of Earth music that consist entirely of several minutes of silence?"
"But that's nonsensical, doctor, music and silence are definitionally opposed! Leave it to Earth to try to integrate such incompatible concepts."
Julian raised a finger. "Not true. Every piece of music necessarily includes silence. You can't deny that."
The way Garak looked at him was really very distracting. Rather than huffing and reluctantly conceding his point, or swerving to a different topic, the man was smiling and leaning in, inviting Julian to continue. Julian hadn't even noticed they'd moved closer to each other and now there was barely any space between them.
"So," Julian said, momentarily wavering. "So, it's only natural to experiment, to see how much silence a piece of music can contain before it ceases to be music. And then there's the environment to consider; is anywhere ever really silent? How does ambient sound contribute to a performance? I mean, take Quark's, right now. People are drinking, talking, laughing—is that really separate, or is it part of the music?"
Garak sighed as if Julian had said something particularly ignorant, all but rolling his eyes. The effect of this was somewhat undercut by his also taking one of Julian's hands in his and leaning forward, lowering his voice. "It is obviously separate."
"I don't think it's so obvious," Julian replied, even quieter. Garak's face filled his vision, grey scales and scutes and bright blue eyes and thin reptilian lips, slightly parted…
Garak leaned in past Julian's face and whispered in his ear, "What do you say we continue this conversation somewhere more private?"
"My quarters or yours?"
They had ended up opting for Garak's quarters. Julian lay nude, half-dozing in Garak's bed, while an equally nude Garak nuzzled into him contentedly, holding onto him with a lazy possessiveness. He didn't mind. Comfortable, warm and well-fucked, he wouldn't mind staying there forever. He ran a hand through Garak's hair, taking in its unusual, feathery texture.
"Why didn't you tell me?"
"You'll have to be more specific, my dear."
"Why didn't you tell me that you were flirting with me?"
Garak hummed into the crook of Julian's neck. "You got there on your own eventually."
"No, I didn't! I had to find out from Miles!"
Garak raised his head. "Chief O'Brien noticed that I was courting you before you did?"
The word 'courting' did a funny thing to Julian's stomach that he chose to ignore for the moment. "No, he told me Cardassians flirt by arguing. I put one and one together after that. With some assistance from Jadzia."
"Now, however did the Chief come by that information?"
Julian couldn't help but grin. "He appears to have accidentally seduced one of the Cardassian scientists who came here to set up that communications relay through the wormhole." He forced his face back to a blank expression. "Don't tell him I told you."
Garak made a point of looking affronted. "I would never."
Julian sighed. "No, you'll just allude to it to annoy him. He's going to hate me."
"Hm. Apparently it's his fault for telling you."
"So it is." Julian closed his eyes. "Mind if I fall asleep here?"
"Oh, my dear Julian, as long as you stay with me, you may do whatever you like."
Garak lowered his head again, their conversation ended. The room was dark and quiet, barring the background hum of the station and the slowing breaths of two bodies intertwined. Julian smiled, and relaxed under the weight of his lover, and listened to the silence.