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Garak, by nature and necessity, was a thorough man. He had learned early on in his life not to chase after whispers when he should hunt down information. So it was not lightly that he was here, in one of the millions of little moons that littered the quadrant, on something that was not quite chase nor hunt.
Word had reached his ears that Julian Bashir was missing, taken from his new posting on the USS Kir’shara, and had been for some time. They certainly lived in uncertain times, that the Federation could not only lose an officer so easily, but find it so far hard to follow the breadcrumbs to where he had been taken that Garak had no choice but to leave Cardassia in the midst of his important gardening work and go to the good doctor’s aid once more.
It hadn’t been so hard a choice as it should be, to put Cardassia in the viewport once more. At least this time, he knew her brown visage amongst the deep black would be waiting for him soon.
A shuffle of feet sounded ahead, and Garak blended back into the shadows, knowing that part of the hunt was to wait for the prey to come to you. And this facility, made from sheet metal and assembled together identical to hundreds of other bases in these barely colonised parts of space, held many places for the gardener to sit back and watch his trap unfurl.
It was a Cardassian that emerged first, matching Garak’s own assumptions, speaking brusquely to the Romulan at his side.
“-much longer. You assured me you’d leak the information immediately.”
“And I have fulfilled my part. You made similar assurances that he would leave immediately on receiving such information.”
A laugh, and there, pulled along by another, bulkier Cardassian, was Bashir. The Human wasn’t so drastically changed since they’d said goodbye at the airlock- certainly dishevelled from whatever misadventures brought him here. A touch of grey perhaps just above his ear, though Garak knew better than to bring attention to it, and the beginning of a beard around his jaw.
Still, looking at Julian, especially after their prolonged distance, brought about a familiar softening in Garak’s chest, warmed further as he began to verbally spar with his captors.
“You really think you could make Garak leave Cardassia?” He said, looking far too relaxed for his current position. “Do you know anything about that man at all?”
The Cardassian sneered.
“We know he would come to the rescue of you, Doctor.” He spat, looming into the human’s space as though it would change the unimpressed arch of his brow, “Garak is weak, like so many of his class. Weakness is why he exists in the first place, why better men should have his position, why he would leave his duty to Cardassia and the state to chase after some alien paramour.”
Bashir smirked again, barely a crack in it to a less trained person. At a safe distance, Garak moved, never letting the human’s face leave his view as he let the room work to his advantage.
“Oh I assure, Garak has his priorities quite straight. I know where I rate on them.” He continued, never one to back down. Perfect for Garak, as he slithered shadow to shadow.
Keep going, Doctor, he thought to himself, hands twitching with anticipation, do what you do best and dazzle them with that sharp tongue of yours.
“Derrera, I assure you that Elim Garak has abandoned his post on Cardassia, which would be sufficient for your purposes-” the Romulan began, only the be cut off by Derrera with a snarl.
“I want Garak here and in atoms. And he will come for this human he loves so very much.”
Garak paused, the hitch in his heartbeat as unnoticed as his breathing had to be, and found his attention moved foolishly to Bashir alongside the rest of the room.
“Oh please,” he said, shaking off the hold of the bulkier Cardassian, arms thrown out as though they were a forcefield, “Garak would never be so in love with me. As you pointed out, I’m just a human.”
“I can see it in your face- you love him.”
“I never said I didn’t.”
Oh Doctor, Garak thought, hearing just as all did the crack in his voice, the faltering of his posture.
Perhaps it was time for the hunt to end.
Derrera made a triumphant noise, moving towards Bashir again only for the doctor to sidestep again. The movement was allowed, Derrera too busy gloating over the human’s hunched head.
“So he is here.” he said. Bashir’s head snapped up, once again matching Derrera’s glare.
“Oh by all means, search the whole moon! I told you, he's not anywhere close. If he left Cardassia then God knows where he is right now, but I promise you, he has far more important things to think about and he isn’t giving a damn about me! And I'm just fine with that.”
The feeling in Garak’s chest now was no less familiar, but far more tight. Tight as a crawl space, as a crash of rubble on Romulus, as tight as he should have held onto Bashir all those months ago.
Unfortunately, Bashir has more to say it seemed, now he had the room's attention.
“Garak is the most frustrating, brilliant and enigmatic man I have ever met. Of course I love him- everyone else can wonder but it never occurred to me otherwise, even when he would never let me close enough to know him as much as I wanted. But one thing I do know, if I happen to find myself in danger, let me tell you, Elim is not stupid enough, or sentimental enough, and he is certainly not in love enough to find himself standing in it with me!”
A resounding, sharp crack echoed in the room, and the body of the bulky Cardassian fell to the floor with an undignified tumble.
Bashir, eyes reluctant, traced up from the slumped form, to the impeccably shined shoes, well tailored-trousers, and the ever genial smile of Elim Garak.
“Hello, my dear doctor.” He said, allowing his eyes to linger far too along in Bashir’s.
“Oh sod you.” Bashir said, voice admirably holding off from a stutter, but still not altogether steady.
“Well, that’s not very polite.” Garak chuckled, taking the opportunity to step closer, close enough to once again feel the unending warmth the human gave off, “and after I so brilliantly and enigmatically rode to your rescue. Something you seemed utterly disbelieving of. If I weren't so proud of this pessimism, I might find myself insulted.”
“I knew you were there.” Bashir mirrored his steps, lips already fighting against the determined effort they made at a smile.
“Of course, a very ingenious distraction.”
“I’ll take that compliment. Good to see you again.”
“And you, my dear.”
“Garak!” Came the wretched, frankly unpleasant growl of Derrera, disruptor raised and pointed towards the subject of his ire. “I knew you would come crying after your little human!”
Garak sighed, turning to face the other Cardassian with projected effort.
“Whilst I would thank you for arranging this charming reunion, I do take issue with you now trying to ruin it with your ill manners.” Beside him, Bashir snorted.
“I brought you here to kill you, you pathetic worm!” He roared, disruptor waved around as though improper handling were more intimidating. Even his Romulan companion looked unimpressed.
“And you’ve done such a terrible job of it. Why, there were no alarms, no traps, nothing to warn you before I walked in here and dispatched of your companion. It was practically a warm invite!”
“I-”
“Excuse me,” Bashir interjected, hand nonchalantly sliding up Garak’s arm, “I’ve waited quite a while to see this man again, so if you could stay quiet while we catch up.”
“You’re both going to die here.”
“So, your escape route? I hope you had one beyond trading witty words with my captors.” Bashir continued, turning to Garak as though there were no one else in the room. With the intensity of his brown eyes, Garak began to feel the same way.
“Escape? Ah yes!” Garak said, finding himself sinking back into the performance he’d always indulge in on DS9, reaching into his pocket, “Shall we continue this conversation somewhere more scenic?”
“Excellent idea.”
Derrara fired, of course he did. An ex-glinn from a prominent military family who could never excel even despite his auspicious heritage never thought ahead. Never saw variables when he could focus on a target. Never listened to advice, even shouted as closely as it was from his companion who spotted at last the little devices Garak had laid around them earlier.
Bashir and Garak shimmered away, catching only the afterimage of flames flaring out and an echo of an enraged scream.
**
“I thought I had been promised somewhere more scenic.”
While Bashir was quite right, and the mundanity of the inside of his shuttle had fled quite away from Garak’s mind as he was rather swept up in his unusual moment of heroism, he was hardly about to admit to it.
“Patience remains as ever, my dear, a virtue you are yet to learn.”
He was quick to work, stepping away from Bashir’s space and to the helm where his fingers danced thoughtlessly over their next co-ordinates. Not memorised for any particular occasion, of course, but just the place for the conversation he could sense building up between them. And helpfully just a few moments away in the shuttle.
A virtue, perhaps, but not a welcome one at this time.
Satisfied with their course, Garak rose and turned back to the doctor. His gaze, so recently mirthful and challenging, suddenly seemed evasive, fixing to the ground as Garak approached.
“Doctor,” he asked, hands controlled at this side, “Are you injured in any way?”
“No,” Bashir replied, “No I’m quite alright.”
Garak nodded, a worry he’d only now identified in its retreat washed away from him, replaced by an uneasy anxiousness. It had been rather easy to be confident and brilliant and enigmatic in a situation of his own domain. This was all unknown, and therefore very dangerous territory for the Cardassian.
Oh dear, perhaps he should have taken the ship to Borg territory or some such. A little banter over peril to help ease the mood.
Instead, the ship shuddered as it reached its destination, and Garak found his hand reaching out to the doctor’s shoulder quite of its own volition.
“Shall we, doctor?” he asked, feeling the jump of Bashir’s muscle beneath his palm.
They moved, Garak still guiding them both, to the bay doors already open onto a dusky red sky, and a rolling ocean of water and firestone below them. An unlikely mix that never merged but never separated- sapphire and crimson. Solid and liquid. Cold and heat. The two eased down, letting their legs dangle over the scene. The moments ticked on, staring out across a landscape no less alien for the lifetimes of exploration between them both.
Predictably, Bashir broke the silence.
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, voice a far cry from the cocky captive man and eyes fixed on the horizon, “for dragging you away from Cardassia.”
“Sorry? There’s really no fault with you for Derrera and his short-sighted schemes.”
“Not so short-sighted, it did take you from your important work castellan.” There, a teasing tone began to work its way back in alongside a slide of his eyes.
And suddenly, they were across a replimat table again, and no time had passed at all. An ease, which he had fought against in DS9, and again in Cardassia, barraged through once more. Demanding even in it’s gentleness, and Garak had no more resistance to give it.
“Dreadful title isn’t it? To think, Cardassia is in such dire straits as to give me power! Still, I know I am doing something right- if your work falls apart the moment you leave then it was shoddy workmanship to begin with. No doctor, I promise my absence hasn't hampered the new beginnings we're sowing in Cardassia,” Turning his head fully, his hand moved to Bashir’s cheek and moved him in turn, “Especially when I had far more important matters to attend to.”
Bashir swallowed.
“Garak, what I said in there-”
“Was quite the lovely speech, my dear, though I think it is time for me to return the favour. Particularly as you made some rather dismal assertions of my character and I should like to correct them.”
“My dear, if there is anyone in the galaxy who can turn me into a stupid and sentimental man, enough to send me flying from my home in a heartbeat for a chance to be the white knight I’d revile in any of your insipid earthen tales, it is you, and only you. And should you ever doubt that you are alone in your love, well-”
Bashir-Julian- moved easily, eyes half closed as their lips met.
Easy, as it always was with this man. Garak had never realised just how much he craved a temperate comfort from his tempestuous life until Julian’s mouth matched into his like a simplest of children’s puzzles.
They parted, Julian’s hands having found their own way to frame Garak’s face delicately as if he ever needed such a thing, but leaving barely an inch between them.
“Yes,” Garak breathed, eyes fluttered half way shut so that he didn’t entirely lose sight of Julian, “Yes, like that I suppose.”
Another kiss, and again, it was hard to pull away now he’d had a taste. Impossible to pull away from the well when he’d never known how strong his thirst had been. Amazingly, it was Julian who brought it to a long enough pause to speak, hand pushed firmly across Garak’s chest to hold back his seeking lips.
“You know,” he said, eyes opening fully once more, “You really have been away from Cardassia long enough as it is.”
Garak rumbled unhappily.
“I told you, my dearest, it is not-”
“So long.” Julian continued, “that I imagine you have to go straight back there after this silly farce. You can’t afford any detours after a starship that could be who knows where by now.”
Garak leaned back, allowing just a few more inches of space as his eye ridge raised alongside the edges of his smile.
“Well, I suppose I am an awfully busy man.”
“Oh extremely. And if you can't return me, I suppose you’ll just have to take me with you.”
The smile, languid and challenging, was more than enough to have Garak pushing in once again. This time aiming all over the soft skin of the human’s face, delighting in each jump of muscle from the laughter it caused.
“We are for once, in absolute agreement,” he said between kisses, pushing Julian back until his back hit the metal floor of the shuttle, and his arms wound gladly around Garak’s shoulders.
“Though I think, we have some time yet.”