Work Text:
Garak's stare shifted doubtfully from the scolding mug placed gingerly in front of him, to the good doctor, who, with his hands clasped together, was peering expectantly right back. His lips weren't curled up in the corners with his usual dopey smile. No matter. Garak thought with a small smile of his own. His eyes smile for the rest of his golden face. Oh, his perfectly golden face.
"C'mon. At least give it a try." Julian coaxed in that rotten, cloying tone. Like the Raktajino. Garak reminded himself. He scowled with distaste at the dark syrupy substance in the mug.
"My shift starts soon. Besides, it's not nearly as sweet as the last time!" Bashir reassured him. When he was given a discouraging lour, he pushed the mug closer. "I promise?"
Not an awfully convincing argument, my dear Doctor… nevertheless. He sighed, hesitantly took the ear of the cup, and raised it to his lips. Admittedly, it had a rather pleasant auroma, and the steamy heat rising from the cup, flaring his nostrils, and the warmth radiating from the metal cup… He shivered instinctively. Meeting the liquid to his anticipating mouth, he immediately put the mug down too-hard and struggled not to retch.
Julian blinked, offering a napkin which Garak promptly accepted. "You don't like it?"
After a few moments of dabbing off his lips and regaining his integrity, Garak sighed. "The taste was… unexpected, to say the least." He paused, assessing the state of the mug. It still sat there. How unfortunate. "I can understand why you chose to mask such an overpaying experience with such large amounts of sweetener."
Julian laughed. "You still didn't answer my question: did you like it?" He leaned forward with anticipation.
Garak hesitantly lifted the mug once more, this time taking a modest sip, letting the bitter and powerful, yet strangely pleasing taste roll over his tongue. He set the mug down, thoughtfully. "I can see the appeal." He mused after swallowing the warm coffee, a sweet aftertaste forming on his tongue. "I suppose. Though it's nothing I won't be washing down with Rokassa juice."
Julian laughed, shaking his head. "You gonna finish that?" He gestured towards the nearly full cup. "I've got two full shifts to pull through." He explained, taking the mug with Garak's nod of approval, dumping in a generous dose of sugar and spooning it until it dissolved.
Garak watched Julian as he downed the coffee in a matter of moments. "Though I may understand it…" he watched with disapproval as Julian slid off of his stool. "It will never cease to amaze me how little you savor your food."
"I'm sorry, I've gotta go." Julian was barely paying attention to him now, sloppily cleaning his spot at the dining table, nearly tripping over his own feet. "Important operation today. I'll be back in our quarters at nineteen-hundred hours!" He planted a quick kiss on Garak's cheek before hurrying towards the infirmary.
Garak blinked, processing all that just occurred. Finally, he smiled softly, cleaning up after himself with a small nod to a passing Bajoran waiter. Once he'd tidied to his satisfaction, he headed towards his quarters with a brisk pace.
Once he entered, relief filled his scales as a wall of heat hit him from his quarters. He peeled off his heavy, thermal robe, quickly scrambling to the replicator near the corner of the room.
"Computer, one Raktajino. Hot. Twenty percent sugar." He watched, pleased as a cup of the hot liquid materialized onto the pad. He scooped it up in the ceramic saucer, plopping himself gingerly onto the sofa nearby, savoring the vile, bittersweet taste.
…
Julian gave a heavy sigh as he neared the door to their quarters. As the doors hissed open, Julian could hear hisses of another kind coming from the workroom.
"Garak?" He peeked his head in, met with nothing but their usual living room setup. He could hear a rambling and shuffling of some sort, along with the occasion hissing swears in Kardasi.
"Garak!" He called again, steering around the perfectly organized furniture, towards the workroom doors. Garak hastily stepped through the now open office, freezing when he saw Julian. "Garak!" Julian paused. "What happened to you?" He stared in awe at the pale, dishevelled, and frankly sloppy looking cardassian before him. Garak pressed his fingers against the frame of the door, swaying his tail in a vain attempt to steady himself.
"I'm afraid, my dear Doctor, your Raktajino doesn't seem to sit well with me…" He gagged, collapsing into Julian, who struggled against the weight of the heavier man. Eventually, he half-dragged, half-carried Garak towards the sofa, plopping him onto it with a groan of nausea escaping Garak's lips.
"Garak what happened?!" Julian repeated, allowing Garak to rest his head in his lap. He ran his fingers through his hair in an attempt to distract him from taking his pulse. "My god Garak, your pulse is racing. You didn't take anything did you?!"
Garak wheezed, a failed attempt at words.
"Garak you need to talk to me."
"I don't-" Garak's words were almost immediately interrupted by a fit if nausea, at which Julian quickly rose, (to the dismay of Garak), to grab a bowl from one of their cabinets, and a medical kit from a shelf near the exit. He hastily rejoined Garak on the couch, offering him the bowl. With shaky hands, Garak accepted it, his tail drooping weakly over the edge of the couch. The nausea finally subsided as Julian traced circles on Garak's back, who laid sprawled out on Julian's lap.
"Shh… shh…" Julian whispered softly. He ran his fingers through Garak's hair as another discontent mewl rang from Garak, another bout of dizziness hazing his sight. Julian slowly lifted Garak's arms off his lap, but the moment the nauseated cardassian realized what he was doing, he gripped Julian's arm with the little strength he had left, a silent plea. Julian sighed, prying one arm from the weak grasp trembling under him. He tapped his combadge.
"Doctor Bashir to infirmary."
"Nurse Jabara here, sir. Is there something I can do for you? It's already an hour passed your shift."
"Would you be so kind as to drop by my quarters?" Julian could feel Garak's grip tighten. "I think we have a medical emergency."
…
Garak trembled as Julian flung yet another thermal blanket onto the poor figure. He curled his tail around the closest thing he could get ahold of, which, (un)fortunately was Julian's leg. Julian sat criss-cross on Garak's bed, hovering that wretched tricoder above Garak's forehead. Really, can such an obnoxious sound be any louder? Garak wondered bitterly to himself, massaging his temple.
"Feel better?" Julian's half hearted optimism is hardly anything to fuel my recovery. Garak thought to himself, realizing he'd been scowling.
"Not really." He managed, clutching the bowl the doctor so generously offered.
"Well the good news is, you're fine other than a fever and a bit of an upset stomach." He sighed, flipping the tricoder shut. "You really don't feel better?"
Garak gave a mix between a chuckle, gag, and wheeze. "If I felt better, I wouldn't let you spoil me in this manner." He retched with an exhausted breath. "And I'd like to think I have a bit more than an 'upset stomach'."
Julian sighed. "Stubborn lizard…" he muttered under his breath. Garak cocked his head.
"My dear, I'm afraid cardassian hearing is slightly limited in comparison to humans; did you say something?"
Julian looked up quickly. "Me? Oh, no." He sputtered, flustered by the sight of the large, nauseated yet still amazingly becoming cardassian, who was still flushing a dark blue. Garak's impish smile widened as he slowly hauled himself to sit up, only for a finger to be placed firmly on his chest and push him back down. Garak whimpered, tightening his tail around Julian's ankle in protest.
Julian sighed. "Garak," He used that firm, familiar tone that always seemed to ruin the atmosphere. Perhaps that was the point, Garak mused.
"You're currently high off your ass on medical sedatives. To be frank, you shouldn't be awake right now. You need rest." He pulled the thermal blankets over Garak's bright blue chest, laying a hand on the ridged shoulder. "I'll be on the sofa outside. If you need anything, just call me. I'll be right there. The whole night." He patted his shoulder, lifting to exit the bedroom. Garak's tail quickly snaked around his wrist, pulling him back harsher than he'd intended.
"Stay." His voice cracked, and Julian wasn't sure whether it was due to the drugs pumping through his system, or the loss of a close partner in his view. He paused. "Please." Garak's anguished tone slammed Julian in the chest. With a surrendering sigh, he scooted towards the headboard of the bed.
The small distance between them was immediately closed as Garak pulled Julian into a tight embrace, which was, unfortunately, the moment Julian remember he had striped the cardassian of all of his garments for an added comfort before stacking the blankets onto him. He clenced his fist as it began to numb.
"Garak."
A mindless purr.
"My hand."
"What about it?" Garak cooed with a soft purr that Julian swore had a hint of arousal.
"At least loosen your grip. You'll cut off my blood flow." Julian hissed, though not an unpleasant one. Garak silently obliged, uncurling his tail from Julian's wrist.
"You didn't have to sto-" His breath hitched as Garak's tail curled around his hip, pulling him closer to Garak's warm-with-fever body. He hesitated, but Garak pulled harder, curling around his living, breathing, body warmer. Though he was already rather warm, Julian reminded himself. Well, with the blankets and fever and all. He hadn't realized he'd been frozen since Garak's embrace until Garak spoke.
"Why do you resist me?" Julian thought it obvious, and chuckled.
"Garak, each time you're either high or drunk, you manage to take up ninety percent of the bed." Garak huffed in a feigned offense, but Julian continued. "And on more than one occasion, you woke up wagging your tail so hard it nearly fractured Patella!" Garak couldn't help but smile. That, I do remember. "And that one time you got into the brawl with an andorain woman over a headband, and nearly got yourself-"
Garak quickly interrupted before the dear Doctor could continue. "You make a compelling argument, Doctor." He ran his fingers mindlessly through Julian's knotted hair. "But there are oh so many more adventures we have yet to disc…over..." His voice warped, a sudden wave of the sedative's effect washing over him. Julian smiled and carefully relinquished the pressure of the hidden hypospray on Garak's neck, sighing as his eyes finally glazed over and his eyelids became too heavy to keep open. The tail around his hip loosened, now merely flopped across his core. He smiled, admiring the sight of the unconscious, flushing, and unkempt Garak.
“Good night, my dear.” He whispered into the ridged ear with a soft smile, tucking some of his loose hair back into place.
…
Julian, unsurprisingly, woke up on the floor, one of the thermal blankets covering him like a cocoon. He glanced up and was met with Garak's impish smile peering at him over the edge of the bed. He hadn't combed his hair.
“Good morning…” Julian sighed, hauling himself up to stretch his sore, gangly limbs.
“It isn't morning.” Garak cooed.
Julian froze. “Computer, time.”
“The time is 0400 hours.”
Julian scowled, lowering his arms from his yet-to-be-finished stretch. Garak purred loudly, staring down at him. “Come back up.” He coaxed in a cloying voice Julian never seemed to be able to resist. “I'm getting cold.”
As soon as Julian's body hit the bed, Garak pulled him in tight, pressing his smooth forehead against his chufa with contentment. Julian cradled the back of Garak's head in a passionate kiss, stroking the dark, feathery hair adorning the cardassian's head and forcing a soft, echoing purr from Garak's throat.
Julian chuckled softly, closing his eyes. “I don't suppose you're going to want coffee with your breakfast?” Garak pulled him in for another embrace, their teeth clicking against each other.
“If it means I get this treatment every time,” He hummed, his breath hitched with anticipation. “I'd gladly have a Raktajino…”