Chapter Text
The doors of the botany lab slid open and Julian stepped through. Rows upon rows of potted exotic plants stood before him, multicoloured heat lamps hanging above them, heating the humid air and colouring the mist different shades of purple and green. Very 2270’s.
“Hikaru?” He called into the room, nerves and anticipation mixing in his stomach. From behind one of the tables, he saw a head pop up. Sulu smiled at him from across the room.
“Want to see something incredible?” He asked.
It wasn’t the starting point Julian expected, but it was enough. “Sure.” He weaved through the tables to where Sulu was sitting on the ground in front of an empty table, covered in a tarp. The section in front of him was hitched up, and when Julians sat next to him, he could see why. Under the table was the most beautiful plant he’d ever seen. It’s flowers resembled crystals more than anything organic, and they were radiating a soft pink light. Even from a century later, he’d never seen anything like them.
“They’re Tyzeanian bellflowers,” Sulu explained. “I didn’t exactly have permission from Starfleet to take them - in fact we weren’t meant to even be there in the first place - so I may have snuck them off while the captain ‘turned a blind eye’.”
Julian had to focus to keep himself from showing his surprise as Sulu rattled off the three discharge worthy offences as if they were nothing. Cowboy times indeed. Sulu reached out and stroked one of the glittering leaves and favoured Julian with a soft smile.
“I don’t usually bring people in there to see them.” Julian felt his heart skip a beat.
“They’re beautiful,” he said, eyes not shifting from Sulu’s. Hesitantly, he reached out and touched the back of Sulu’s hand. His anxiousness disappearing, Julian surged forward and met the man from the past’s lips with his own. Sulu returned the kiss confidently, leaning back and hitching up the back of Julian’s shirt. Julian made an eager little noise as the skilful hands stroked across his back and sides, and leaned forward to meet Sulu and lie on top of him.
They were both so invested in each other that neither of them heard the lab doors slide open and shut. Julian didn’t even register the other person in the lab until Sulu slid out from under him and sat up. When he turned around, he was staring into the face of Arne Darvin.
“You,” he breathed.
“Doctor Bashir!” Darvin exclaimed. “How good see you! How’s Mister Worf doing?”
“This is a restricted area,” Sulu said sternly, having pulled himself off the ground and brushing off his uniform.
“Oh, I’m very sorry,” Darvin said. “This will only take a moment.” He pulled out a phaser and fired a ballistic shot at Sulu. The projectile hit him in the side of the neck and sent him sprawling to the floor. Julian realised with a chill that he was Darvin’s patient zero.
He managed to dodge a shot sent for him, rolling behind a table. Just as he retrieved his phaser and leaned out to fire, Julian realised Darvin was gone.
“Bashir to all units,” he near yelled into his communicator. “Darvin just left the Botany Labs. He’s just shot down an officer.”
“On my way,” Dax said through the comm.
Julian slid across the floor to where Sulu was lying. He’d been shot in the neck with a dart, no doubt carrying the virus. Julian pulled it out and threw it into the air, vaporising it with a shot of his phaser. Now onto his patient. Even from such a short exposure Sulu was changing colour, the first sign of the virus spreading. Julian opened the false back of his tricorder, retrieving the hypo containing the virus’ cure.
“C’mon, Hikaru,” he muttered, waiting for the antidote to take effect. On impulse, he leaned down and kissed the other man tenderly. Almost as soon as Julian pressed their lips together, Sulu began coming back around. His eyes fluttered open, and Julian took a moment to admire his beautifully applied eyeshadow. Why on earth had eyeshadow for men gone out of fashion?
“What happened?” He asked groggily. “Why is my neck so sore?”
“While we were necking on I, uh, got a bit carried away,” Julian lied.
“Did I black out?” Sulu asked.
“Yes,” Julian said, trying to think of something convincing. “You, uh, fell and hit your head on the table corner.”
“But the last thing I remember is lying on the floor with you.” Sulu propped himself up on his elbows. “And If I hit my head, why doesn’t it hurt?”
“Because, um,” Julian started sweating, “because - none of this is reaalllll,” he said in a strange voice, wiggling his fingers around his face. “You are halluuuuucinaaaaatinngg. When I snap my fingers, you will fall asleep, and when you wake up, you won’t remember annyyy of thisss.”
Sulu squinted at him. “Are you trying to hypnotise me? That is so lame.”
Julian sighed and dropped his hands in defeat. “Alright. I shouldn’t be telling you this, but I’m from the future. My crew and I came here to stop an outbreak that would have killed everyone on this ship within the next 48 hours. I hope you know to keep that to yourself.”
“Temporal Prime Directive?” Julian nodded. Sulu sighed. “Hate that. But, I guess that means it’s for the best that we go no further.”
“Exactly,” Julian said. “I mean, can you imagine what would’ve happened if I’d shagged the future president of the United Federation of Planets?”
“The what?”
“Nice meeting you,” Julian called as he left the botany lab.
“Sisko to all units,” Julian heard on his comm. “We’ve apprehended Darvin. Stand by to be beamed back on board the Defiant.”
As Julian felt himself begin to disappear, he saw Sulu shoot out of the lab and meet his eye. He blew the lieutenant a kiss, and just before his eyes dematerialised, he saw Sulu blow one back with a smile.