#dr bashir i presume

[walkingstackofbooks]

I was just looking at the Dr Bashir, I Presume on Memory Alpha and damn, I would love to have seen the original plot and have several episodes where Julian is hiding his enhancements and then have a reveal after the build-up.

"Originally, this episode ended very differently to its finished form. In the original story, O'Brien finds out that there are problems with the LMH which have been caused deliberately by Zimmerman because he doesn't want it to replace the EMH. Bashir then informs O'Brien that Zimmerman is planning to reveal his genetic engineering secret, so O'Brien goes to see Zimmerman and tells him that if he exposes Bashir, his deliberate errors with the LMH will also be exposed. As such, there is a trade-off, and neither secret is revealed. "The reason this story was altered was actually Alexander Siddig. He didn't want to play the character as having a secret that only he, O'Brien and the audience knew about. He thought the long-term implications of this on his performance could be detrimental, having to portray the character every week as being in possession of this secret, and allowing it to inform everything he does, but in such a way that none of the other characters notice anything unusual. As such, Siddig managed to convince the writers to alter the end of the story so that the truth is revealed to all."

I get why they changed it and I'm glad they did - but I wonder if the fall-out from being exposed would have been explored more had it been an arc starting from this episode rather than all done at once.

Also O'Brien being the best bro is always 👌👌👌

Anyway, it is a delicious angst mine for my brain to chew on for a bit :P

[sshbpodcast]

Character Spotlight: Rom

By Ames

Among your A Star to Steer Her By hosts, Rom might be the most polarizing character from all of Star Trek. Some of us (and you all know when I’m talking about Chris) worship the ground this grand nagus walks on. And some of us (oh hello, I’m Ames) would rather throw him out an air lock. His rather offensive depiction as someone who seems to have low intelligence ends up contradicted by his otherworldly engineering skills. His actually very funny scenes get offset by how his whole character becomes a goofy punchline. His Ferengi values are deplorable and yet his character journey and love of his family are commendable. And that voice…

All that to say: this blogpost is going to be our biggest roller coaster ride yet.

So get ready to dig into a bowl of tube grubs and keep your tooth sharpener handy as we dig into the moments we adore about Quark’s lesser brother and the moments we detest about him. Read on below and listen to this week’s podcast episode (jump to 1:01:34) for all the Ferengi gossip. And don’t forget to call your moogie.

[Images © CBS/Paramount]

Best moments

You saved your brother’s life Let’s start off with the good stuff. In “Necessary Evil” when Trazko is pillow smothering Quark, Rom screams and screams for help, foiling the assassination plot and saving his brother’s life. And you know what, it’s actually a pretty funny button when Rom screams again when he realizes that, with Quark still alive, he won’t be inheriting the bar any time soon.

I would be proud to have a son in Starfleet Even I, a bonafide Rom hater, can admit that his relationship with his son is one of the best things about his character. We see him stand up to Quark (a rarity!) and support Nog’s desire to join Starfleet in “Heart of Stone” and we’ve got to give the guy credit for wanting Nog to pursue his dreams of becoming better than his father, low bar as that may seem.

The Ferengi not-so-Benevolent Association When the Nagus’s personality has gotten rewritten in “Prophet Motive,” he somehow ends up making Rom the senior administrator of his new Ferengi Benevolent Association. And you’ve got to give Rom credit for seeing a chance to scheme that even Quark didn’t notice, as he embezzles money from the foundation before Zek turns back to normal. He’s got the lobes!

Moogie’s got the lobes for business In addition to the lovely father-son relationship with Nog, Rom’s relationship with his moogie is also extremely sweet. He eventually supports her profit-making scheme in “Family Business” even though it’s illegal for females to make money, tricks Quark into coming to terms with Ishka, and by the end of the episode is in on the plan to hide some of her profits from Brunt, FCA!

My son’s happiness is more important to me than anything, even latinum It’s worth mentioning how supportive Rom is of Nog again because in “Facets” he foils Quark’s nefarious plan to sabotage his Starfleet Academy exam, even threatening to burn the bar to the ground because he places his son’s personal journey so highly. He also goes to Garak to have Nog’s cadet uniform made personally, which is just about the cutest moment in the show.

Our union, united, will never be divided Rom proves to be a champion of the laborer in “Bar Association” when he starts up a union for Quark’s bar to fight for better pay and working conditions. Again, it’s another practice that’s illegal under Ferengi law, but that doesn’t stop Rom (even when it gets Quark attacked), who rallies his band of waiters and Dabo girls together with confidence we’ve never seen before.

Number one dads! We don’t get a lot of scenes between Sisko and Rom, the two best dads of the station (sorry Miles, but neither of these proud papas left their child to die in the woods). When Jake and Nog are quarreling over their odd-couple habits in “The Ascent”, the two fathers concoct a scheme to get them to talk out their problems and be friends again by pretending there are no other quarters available.

Do I have a reason to stay? Maybe it’s because Lewis Zimmerman comes across as such a cretin, but it feels like a victory when Rom asks Leeta out at the end of “Dr. Bashir, I Presume?” and she decides to stay at the station instead of leaving to become Dr. Z’s sex object. Even though everyone already knew she’d say yes, it takes him the whole episode to muster the courage, but let’s take the win.

Self-replication. That’s the only answer. Rom’s contradictory character traits are nothing if not fascinating. Sure, he couldn’t find a cup of water if you dropped him in a lake, but he still comes up with the ingenious idea to have the cloaked minefield also be self-replicating to take on the Dominion in “Call to Arms.” Moments of sheer brilliance like this make Rom a character of simultaneous simplicity and complexity.

I walk through minefields Rom’s profound bravery is on display during season six when he works with the resistance to undermine the Dominion occupation. And it all caps off with “Sacrifice of Angels.” Rom may not have had time to prevent Damar from taking down the minefield, but he still sabotages their weapons array, giving the prophets the time they needed to save the day.

We’re not commandos, we’re negotiators What could have simply been a farcical play on The Seven Samurai or The Magnificent Seven gets a fresh take when Rom has a rare epiphany in “The Magnificent Ferengi”. The Ferengi don’t have the chops for fighting (except for Leck, whom we love), and Rom points out that they should treat the release of Moogie as a business deal, something more in their wheelhouse.

A kinder, gentler Nagus Rom’s entirely hyperbolized character arc concludes with him becoming Grand Nagus in “The Dogs of War.” Sure, it’s definitely entirely out of nepotism because his mother had put him there, and she’s also definitely going to be the one ostensibly in charge because she can pull his strings, but what a journey! And he’s so magnanimous about it that he even gives the bar back to Quark!

—

Worst moments

Not next to that human boy. I don’t want you to have anything to do with him. Onto the bad stuff! In “A Man Alone,” Rom doesn’t even have the caricatured voice yet, but does start the series with all the typical toxic Ferengi values. It takes a battle for him to agree to let Nog attend Keiko’s classroom, and even when he does, his anti-hooman racism shows when he won’t let Nog sit with Jake, just as Sisko didn’t want his son hanging out with that Ferengi trash either.

Now go to your room. And no studying. A few episodes later, Rom pulls Nog from Keiko’s school in “The Nagus” after getting criticized by Zek for allowing his son to learn from a hooman female. It’s one of Rom’s biggest faults (and Quark’s too): his preoccupation with displaying as a typical, profitable Ferengi even among people for whom their value system is hot garbage. Rom at least eventually overcomes it.

Rom’s. Nice name for a bar, don’t you think? Another case to make that point: Rom becomes the lackey of Zek’s son Krax and helps in the attempt to kill off Quark in “The Nagus.” It’s not until later that we see more brotherly love, one-sided though it may seem. But this early in the show, Rom is much more of a typical Ferengi, obsessed with amassing power, fame, and fortune above all else.

Ferengi, Romans, Countrymen: Lend me your ears We here at the podcast really rooted for Pel in “Rules of Acquisition,” a female who really has the lobes to break free of the government’s oppression of her gender. So when Rom outs her to Quark as a female (after a scene way too comically goofy of him literally looking through Pel’s socks to find incriminating evidence), we can’t help but start siding against him, the dirty rat.

You know, come to think of it, my ear’s bothering me too Like I did with the Quark post, I will call out all the uncomfortable uses of oo-mox whenever the show sinks to such a level. We see Rom trying to trick Faith Garland into giving him oo-mox in “Little Green Men” – while his son is actively getting it! – and I just find it so gross. For how much oo-mox is played up to be a sexual act in this show, this is sexual assault, plain and simple.

Too. Much. Oo-mox. And to make things grosser, we get even more oo-mox references a couple episodes later in “Bar Association” when we learn that Rom has given himself an ear infection from too much oo-mox. And it’s self-inflicted. So basically what we’ve learned from this scene is that Rom masturbates so much that he gives himself an infection, a detail I wish I never had to learn.

Even. More. Oo-mox. I’ve got one more oo-mox mention to get out of my system because I’m just so angry every time it comes up. Literally right after Rom has admitted to rubbing his ears raw to Leeta in “Bar Association” and she shows some sympathy for him, his response is to request oo-mox from her! They’re not even dating at this point! It’s disgusting. I hate it. Minus a hundred points.

The better to hear you with Speaking of Leeta, it’s exactly a season after this that Rom finally asks her out in “Dr. Bashir, I Presume?” (as we mentioned above!). But! This is a) after we learn that his first wife Prinadora swindled him on their wedding extension contract like a chump, and b) after we watch him literally tuning his ear to eavesdrop on Leeta and Zimmerman’s conversation. And somehow he still never gets the hint she’s into him. Like a chump!

If you liked it then you shoulda put a Bajoran earring on it I’m just gonna lump what a shitty partner Rom is to Leeta into one screed. In “Ferengi Love Songs,” he tries to make her sign a Waiver of Property and Profit just because Jadzia and Miles were teasing him about not being very Ferengi like. This after he started wearing a Bajoran-style earring, which strikes me as on the questionable side of cultural appropriation.

Later in “Call to Arms,” we see Rom trying to suggest Leeta’s wedding dress literally be a couple handkerchiefs and a loincloth (gross) and then once they’re married, he decides she’s leaving the station before the Dominion rolls in, without her getting a single say in her own life (more gross!). Why are all the men in this show so shit at relationships!?!?

You said the reward was twenty Shockingly, Rom’s incompetence hasn’t come up as much as I expected, but his ability to ruin things through miscommunication and shenanigans is on special display in “The Magnificent Ferengi.” He blurts out that Quark is cheating the other Ferengi out of reward money, riles up the rest of the team, and thus gets Keevan killed because he can’t keep big mouth shut.

Foul ball! I’m not alone in hating on the campy mess that is “Take Me out to the Holosuite” but Rom is so disruptively, dangerously bad at playing baseball that it warrants being on this list. How he makes it as far as he does in the tryouts only speaks to how terrible Sisko is at coaching. The guy breaks Quark’s damn head. That’s how bad he is. It goes past being funny to just being idiotic.

That’s why the lady is a scamp We have space for one more bad “Rom is a nincompoop” joke that doesn’t land. In “The Siege of AR-558,” we’re tortured with Rom’s deliberately atrocious cover of “The Lady Is A Tramp” just because Ira Behr really needed to shoehorn Vic Fontaine into as many of the final episodes as possible, and it shows because it’s just another lowbrow, asinine, bottom-feeding gag. Check that off the list.

—

Well, that may have gone off the rails but whenever I have to sit through oo-mox jokes, I get testy. And sadly I already know there’s going to be more of that next week with our final Ferengi spotlight on Nog! So make sure you’re following along to catch that, join us as we continue our watchthrough of Enterprise over on SoundCloud or wherever you podcast, engage in negotiations with us on Facebook and Twitter, and stop making oo-mox jokes!

[usstrekart]

I really enjoy the slower, character exploration of “Doctor Bashir, I Presume” (S05E16, Stardate Unknown) as we dig into what makes Bashir tick and finally get Rom and Leeta together. I am still not crazy about the massive shift of Julian's genetic manipulation backstory, but it is handled well.

This poster was a little challenging, but I always wanted to feature the holographic Bashir. I decided on a Bashir quote that really encapsulated the episode and a disintegrating holographic Bashir.

[oof-i-did-it-agaaiiin]

OH HE’S SO NEURODIVERGENT

[magpieandpossum]

I have a strong belief that everyone who even comes in contact with Bashir and has any semblance of a gaydar just...knows. Case-in-point:

+ bonus snark after he makes the adjustments:

[sutekinaoneesan]

Just something that recently crossed my mind when thinking about Julian and his relationship with his parents.

Do you remember season 1 all-eager-to-please-puppy-Julian? Just imagine what an argument between Richard and season 1 Julian would have looked like. They did have a lot of differences in the past ever since Julian found out about his enhancements at the age of 15. But somehow I cant‘t really picture season 1 Julian opposing his father in more than a teenager kind of way. He might argue with his father over something but in the end he complies with whatever his parents tell him because he‘s so desperate to measure up to everyone’s expectations because he thinks that it’s the only way to earn their love.

Then take season 5 all-mature-and-grown-up Julian who knows exactly how to step up for himself and defend himself. He’s no longer willing to do as his father tells him. You can see in Sisko‘s office how much he‘s uncomfortable with his parents showing their affection for him. While season 1 Julian would have quietly endured the whole thing, probably feeling even guilty for not being the perfect son, season 5 Julian is ready to defend his newly made home against his parent’s intrusion.

And I just wonder when exactly that change in Julian’s attitude toward his parents might have happened. I mean, of course he grows up a lot during his time on DS9 but I can‘t help but wonder if there was something, a particular event that caused it.

If we take Julian’s statement in Dr. Bashir, I presume? where he says that he hasn‘t been home for three years that would mean that the last time he visited home must have been somewhere around season 2. It’s only my guess but Armageddon Game is set in season 2 where Julian is believed dead and Sisko passes on the news of Julian’s death to his parents. Most likely Julian visited his parents after the events. My guess is that that was the turning point in their relationship.

Like

Richard: We thought you were dead. I’m so glad you’re here. Just imagine, all that talent gone for good. All that knowledge and all those skills.

Julian: We’re talking about my life! I nearly DIED. And all you’re concerned about is that my talent could have been wasted?

Again, it’s only my guess but it would make sense…

[haveyoureadthisfanfic]

Summary: Sisko sat back in his chair, a vaguely pained expression on his face. “Most of your health paperwork was adjusted already. However, there are certain forms that need to be refiled, by you. Specifically, forms related to health regulation 67.”  “The health regulation that has to do with interspecies sexual contact? I- oh god, they’re making me resubmit all my fuck forms?!” “Doctor!”

Author: @hingabee

Note from submitter: A very fun fic

[r0larens]

dr. bashir i presume is soooo navigating your relationship with your parents in your mid-late 20s core

[bubbles-floating]

Richard Bashir's A+ parenting truly is astonishing

[stopthatbluecat]

Siskoshir: Sisko Touching Julian

[simptasia]

fun fact: the first time i read julian’s memory alpha page, i cried

[walkingstackofbooks]

This scene has been living rent-free in my head for a month and I have thoughts

"The word you're looking for is unnatural, meaning, not from nature... Freak, or monster, would also be acceptable." (Dr Bashir, DS9 5x16)

I'm sure it's been said before, but the FEELS of this line-

To me, it sounds like Julian's reeling off a list of things he's been told he is. In any other situation, I'd assume he'd been bullied about his enhancements with these words and internalised them; but his enhancements were secret, so that doesn't fit here.

Which then made me think these are words Julian's collected from hearing about historical enhanced figures and then bullied himself with. Whether he heard them in a lesson, or in a friend's conversation, or even took it upon himself to research views of enhanced individuals, he seems to have learnt that genetically enhanced humans are freaks and monsters, and therefore so is he.

But I also looped back to the idea of his being bullied - (and I haven't watched past this episode so there may be something later to discourage this theory) - and I don't think it's too wild a guess to make that at some point he was. He's presented in the show as someone who just can't stop talking, who doesn't get social cues, who's "annoying"...it's not exactly a stretch to imagine a kid being bullied on those grounds.

(Nor is it a stretch to take these traits, among others, and headcanon that Julian Bashir is autistic. Many have, and it makes a lot of sense. And it works its way well into my little fiction.)

So as a kid, Julian is too smart and too loud and too eager. He has special interests coming out of his ears and learns everything he can about all of them, that's just the way his brain works. (That's what the teachers tell him, anyway, when some other kids call him names. They tell him lots of children are like him.)

((I can't decide if he's told he's autistic or not. On one hand, it's a convenient excuse for his parents to hide his extraordinary smarts behind. On the other, I cannot imagine them meeting the suggestion with anything but disdain and a snide "there's nothing wrong with our Jules", seeing as they're ableist af. But I imagine at the very least - with a little research and a couple of decent teachers - he must have had his own suspicions by the time he was a teen.))

I'm digressing - I apologise, at some point these thoughts became too long and meandering to be completely coherent. Right-

Too smart and too loud, his seemingly boundless knowledge is deemed as unnatural and freakish by his classmates. (When you're 7, any knowledge greater than your own seems pretty boundless.) And of course this was upsetting, and not easily forgotten. But as you grow, you do learn that people can be mean for little reason, and that whatever others think, it's perfectly okay for your brain to work differently.

Until you learn that it's not.

And here's where Julian Bashir realises that his childhood bullies were right about him. His academic abilities are unnatural and freakish (and, he will later learn, make him a monster). Because the line between "being able to learn everything that interests you because that's how your autistic brain works" and "being able to learn everything that interests you because that's how your genetically engineered brain works" is impossible to see. (Especially if your oh-so-caring parents take away the first option because "we made your brain perfect Jules, there's nothing wrong with you".)

Boy, that was a really long way of saying imagine if Julian was bullied for being autistic but ended up believing it was because of his augments and therefore that the bullies were right.

[danktrektho]

5 times Julian Bashir said “Oh Garak I could just kiss you” + 1 time he actually did

https://archiveofourown.org/works/39486180 pairing: garashir word count: 4034 rating: T+ fic under the cut

At the replimat, Julian and Garak are at their usual table. Julian is assuming his usual pose for such an occasion: leaning in, elbows on the table, hands clasped together in the air, wrists tilted so as not to obstruct his companion’s face, and smiling broadly. He laughs loud and scoffs louder, and Garak can’t help but think if his eyelids were a little bit lower, this would be a date. But it’s not, and he can’t get caught up in such fantasies. 

Julian takes a bite of food, he’s already mostly finished. He has a longer lunch break than he usually makes use of, mostly because he’s called away on emergency, but also because he is a bit of a workaholic. He’ll sometimes talk through his food, trying to hide it in his cheek like a hamster, or he’ll talk too soon after swallowing and his voice comes out deeper and choppy. This time is one of the latter.

“I’m sorry if I'm a bit distracted, I’ve been working on a vaccine for a disease from the gamma quadrant. So far it’s only jumped species to a type of ferengi beetle, but that means the ferengi are all the more at risk of catching it.”

“That’s quite alright doctor, your love for your work is commendable.” Julian looks down quickly and smiles shyly. Garak notices a slight flushing in his cheeks and he is captivated by it. Human skin seems so plain to a cardassian and he relishes the opportunity to see it color. He tampers down on the impulse to flare his nostrils. Suddenly he feels like leaning in, too.

“Thank you for saying so.” Another shy smile, this time with teeth. He sets down his fork. “But I don’t feel very commendable today.” He takes another bite of food. Garak remembers he is supposed to be eating. “I’m stuck on something, like a bad hang-nail.”

“Hang nail?” Garak inquires. He sips his red leaf tea demurely.

“Oh, it’s like… sometimes humans break a nail before it grows out, and when it does it can get caught on things and tear. It’s quite painful.” Julian takes a gulp of his tea.

“Oh, you humans and your keratin. It’s the toughest part of your body, yet it’s still quite weak.” Garak hides his smile by bringing his cup to his lips.

“Keratin… Oh Garak, I could just kiss you!” Julian says, throwing his napkin down on top of his plate.

His scales flush. “What?” he sputters. Julian picks up his plate and walks swiftly to the reclimator, swinging around their table like he’s doing a gravity-assist around the moon. “You just gave me a great Idea. I have to work while I’ve got the inspiration. I’m sorry to cut this lunch short, we’ll resume our discussion later.” He says, and then his long legs take him out of the replimat and swiftly to the infirmary.

Garak is left blinking in surprise. He shakes his head and drinks his tea.

Some weeks later, Garak has almost forgotten about that entire incident when Julian walks into his shop, rubbing his hands together in a nervous fidget.

“Doctor,” he says with a slight smile, tilting his head. Bearing his neck, and he doesn’t even think about it. “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

If this were his fantasy, Julian would say something romantic here. Or maybe not. Garak thinks that’s not really his style.

Julian smiles, like Garak’s comment has sucked all the nervous energy from his shoulders, and he stands at ease. “I know you're busy,” He looks around, and the store is empty. Garak gestures about the room and gives him a look that says ‘really now?’ and Julian flushes ever so slightly in embarrassment. “But I’m afraid I have a favor to ask of you.”

“Really? And what does this favor entail?”

“I need to recover a file. One from during the occupation.” He steps further into the shop, pacing as he talks. “You see, a virus has recently jumped hosts from cardassians to bajorans, and i’m afraid nobody knows how to treat it; except of course the Cardassians.” “And you want me to help you recover this file?” “Precisely.” he nods.

“You’re not worried about letting a Cardassian onto your computer system?”

Julian titters. “And what would you find? Medical files? If I had my way, every species would share their medical knowledge. No, I have nothing to hide.” and he smiles as if that’s true about everything in his life. But it’s not. Nobody can know about his genetic enhancement. He hides his whole self behind that open smile, and Garak believes it. Everything about Julian screams ‘I wear my heart on my sleeve’ from his boundless enthusiasm to his shining ideals to his expressive voice and deep brown eyes.

“I suppose I can close my shop for a few minutes.”

“You think it won’t take very long?”

Garak indulges in a smile, one that shows his pride over his talents. “No, my dear.” The word doctor is conspicuously absent from that sentence, but Julian doesn’t notice.

“Great!” he says, smiling enthusiastically. The walk to the infirmary is short, and nobody spares a glance at the handsome couple they make.

The computer interface is easily accessible and Garak’s fingers glide over the blue buttons, working so quickly and fluidly that Julian has a hard time following his inputs. Instead he looks at Garak’s face, which holds a stare of concentration, and a slight smirk of satisfaction. He pulls away from the computer and smiles in a reserved manner. The smile makes his eye ridges quirk up and makes Julian’s stomach do a flip.

“It’s done. Before you ask, I knew which disease you were talking about. You’d be surprised what things a tailor can pick up.” Julian beams at him, and Garak’s world tilts off-kilter. “Oh Garak, I could just kiss you!” he says, and he flies over to the desk to take a look at the file. Garak clears his throat. 

The walk back to his shop is hard, because a part of him wants to stay there and see if the doctor actually will. When he gets back to work, his thoughts are distracted, and he pricks himself with a sewing needle. It doesn’t hurt, mind you, the needle is so small, but Garak briefly entertains the idea of going to the infirmary for it. He shakes his head. It’s funny that for a man who hates going to the doctor so much, he’s fallen for one.

This time months have passed and Garak has put the whole thing out of his mind, it’s safer that way. Julian walks into his shop looking elegant like a bird. “Ah, doctor! I’m afraid your piece won’t be ready for a few days yet.” Julians shoulders slump. “That’s actually what I came to talk to you about. I’ll need the suit sooner than that. I’ve ah, got a date with a holosuite.” Garak quirks an eyeridge up. “Surely a man of your stature can land dates with non-holographic women.” Julian smiles, clearly flustered. A voice that sounds like Tain admonishes Garak for the fondness overtaking him. “I’m, uh, actually going on a date with a man.” He says, testing the waters. He doesn’t know how cardassians feel about homosexuality, and even if he did he wouldn’t know how Garak feels about it. 

Garak’s nostrils flare and his neck straightens out. “Well.” He clears his throat. “Shall I make him a suit too?” Julian chuckles nervously. “You’d have to ask him, I suppose. I’m not in charge of dressing him.” Julian looks down at his shoes. He rocks on his toes.

“Ah but I am in charge of dressing you, my dear doctor. I’ll shift my focus to your suit and have it ready to pick up tomorrow.” Julian smiles, and it takes up his face like a crack in a facade, looking as sincere as it is small. 

“Oh Garak, I could just kiss you.” He says softly, before he even realizes it. Garak is treated to the sight of a true flush of his cheeks. Julian clears his throat. “I mean, thank you.” He nods like he’s confirming a decision to himself and it’s final. “I, ah, appreciate it.” 

Garak is frozen in place, held by some invisible force, and their eye contact sends electricity through the air. Garak is the first to break away from it. Julian looks down at his shoes again. When Garak speaks, it’s from a voice rough with disuse. “It’s no trouble at all.” He says. Anything for you is implied.

Julian smiles, as if to stable a wobbly lip. “I’ll see you tomorrow” he says, and walks out, limbs buzzing.

The next day, something’s off. Garak can smell it in the air. He dons his yellow tunic ensemble with matching shoes, and keys into the station’s security network, as he does on his more paranoid days. He takes the pieces Odo has gathered and places them together with insight Odo can’t match. There’s going to be an attempt on Julian’s life today. 

He walks from his quarters in the habitat ring casually as if it’s a regular day. He gets on the turbolift and rides it down to the promenade, but instead of turning directly into his shop he walks past the replimat and into station security. 

He and Odo are friends but Garak suspects he never likes someone unexpectedly showing up in front of his desk. Odo is suitably disgruntled when he greets Garak and asks him why he’s there.

Garak leans in conspiratorially. “I have reason to suspect that an attempt will be made on Dr. Bashir’s life.” 

Odo straightens up, in an imitation of a natural way he’s seen others straighten to attention, but his movements do not follow from bone and sinew and are too fluid. This does not bother Garak and has not bothered him for a long time. He wonders when he let his guard down.

“Well that’s very serious.” Garak inclines his head. “I knew you would see it that way,” he says, almost-smiling.

Odo looks like this information bothers him. He furrows his loosely formed brow in consternation. “What do you base this speculation on, exactly?”

“As you know, recently a former colleague of Bashir’s escaped from a federation penal colony. There has also been a rise in illegal cosmetic surgeries– Illegal because, if i am not mistaken, they do not perform background checks nor do they afford proper caution in order to complete the surgeries quickly. Recovery time takes about a day, or else you won’t recover. And finally, Bashir has a date today, with a man.” Odo scoffs. “That’s hardly enough information to work off of, and I’m curious as to how you acquired it.” “I like to keep informed about current events, constable.”

He scoffs again. 

“So, what will you do with this information?”

The constable looks flatly at Garak. “There’s nothing I can do. Any precaution taken would be an invasion of Dr. Bashir’s privacy, something the federation evidently cares a lot about.”

Garak and Odo share a moment of not-quite scorn at the way the federation goes about justice. 

“I understand.”

“Now Garak, I don’t want you taking this into your own hands. I’ll keep a close watch on Bashir if it makes you feel better.”

Garak’s eyes gleam. “I wouldn’t dream of it.” he says, and they both know that Garak will anyway, and that Odo won’t stop him, but even changelings can enjoy pretense, so he settles into his chair– melts into it, really– and resumes reading from his padd as Garak takes his leave of the room.

Garak’s shoulders do not slump, he does not sigh, he does not clench a fist or flare his nostrils. No, nobody can tell how disappointed he is just from looking at him. He looks the picture of casual, although his reputation means nobody will treat him as such. It’s a short walk to Quark’s, which is a good place to gather intel on visitors to the station. He’ll have to get back to work at some point though, as Julian’s trousers sit unhemmed on his worktable.

He sits at the bar, which is somewhat empty, but Morn’s there, providing a sense of normalcy as he chats with another patron. 

Quark steps up to Garak like a batter would step up to home plate, though he wouldn’t understand that reference even if you told him what it meant. He’s cleaning a glass but it’s already spotless and Garak can tell he’s just doing it to keep his hands busy. “Let me guess, a glass of kanar?”

“Rokassa juice.” Garak counters. Quark looks almost offended. 

“Coming right up.” he says with deference.

After a moment he sets the juice down in front of Garak, and then plants his hands on the edge of the bar and leans in. “So why are you really here?” He whispers. He’s never been good at whispering to aliens, who can’t hear his voice at a natural whisper; and so his whisper sounds quite loud in the morning atmosphere of the bar. 

As Garak answers, Quark's face forms a smug smile, glad that his assumption was correct. “I want to know who has the holosuite reservation with Doctor Bashir.”

Quark pulls back. “Well.” he says with grandeur. “I can’t just give out that information. It’s private!” Garak sighs exasperatedly and hands him a slip of latinum.

“Only a slip?” Quark complains. Garak just nods. “I was surprised it was a young human man, considering which program they chose. His name was Da-veh or something like that. Dayffe?”

“Last name?” Garak asks. “Appearance?”

“Let me look… Dave Jackson. He had red hair and a beard, and stood as tall as Bashir's shoulder.”

Garak smiles. It unsettles Quark. “Thank you for your assistance.” he says. 

Quark looks a little self-conscious when he says “Don’t mention it.”

Garak drinks his rokassa juice as he scans the bar and dabo tables for anyone of that description. There is no one, and not about to go on a wild goose-chase he finishes his drink and goes back to his shop to work on the suit. He sews a bug into the seam, feels bad about it, and damages it’s power supply so it will only last a day.

 It’s ready and in fine shape when Julian walks in to pick it up. He strolls in with a confident ease, one you wouldn’t know was meticulously practiced.

“Here’s your suit, freshly finished. Would you like to try it on before you leave?”

Julian tilts his head and Garak tries and fails to not look at his neck. “Yes, I would.” Garak hands over the clothes and Julian goes into a dressing room. The pants are creased fashionably in the front and flared out a bit at the ankle to swish when dancing and call to mind starfleet uniforms of the 2260s. The bowtie sits nicely on his collar bone and the pleats in the shirt make the outfit look nice without the sports coat. The sports coat, on the other hand, is the right length and style, but the arms are too wide. Julian doesnt notice it. He steps out of the changing room smiling. “It looks great Garak!”

Garak tuts. “The seam needs to come in a bit more on the arms. Step up there and hold still.” he says, gesturing to the tailoring block. Julian does so and Garak takes out his supplies. His fingers brush at Julian’s wrists chastely when he takes the seams in, and Garak feels proud of his work. The suit had been so finely fitted that it seemed to a tailor’s eye to stake a claim on the wearer, that someone had known his body intimately enough to tailor a garment specifically to his needs, and had done so with great effort and care. It was more effort, he realized, than he had ever put into a garment before. Julian’s smile was dazzling. 

“I swear, you always make me look stunning!” Julian gushes.

“I’m just glad you like it my dear doctor.”

“I do, Garak, I mean it.” Julian says sincerely and with conviction, as if he owed Garak some amount of sincerity and was making up for it in pieces. 

Garak smiles a thin-lipped smile. “How much do I owe you?”

“Consider it a gift.”

Bashir flummoxes. “Nonsense, you worked hard and I should pay you for it.”

“I insist.” He says gently, no real urgency to it.

“Well I insist on paying you for it.”

“It is simply a pleasure to see you out of that uniform for once.” he says chidingly.

Bashir rolls his eyes. “Oh, very well, but I will pay you back for this somehow.”

“Oh I have no doubt you will.” Garak says, eyes glinting with mischief. That earns him another genuine smile. 

“I have to go, my lunch break is almost over.” Julian says, turning to leave.

“Doctor,” he calls. Julian turns around confused. “Don’t leave your uniform here, or I might be tempted to change it.”

Julian laughs, and picks up his uniform to get changed back. Garak hands him a bag to put his suit in and he walks off with a spring in his step.

Garak puts his listening device in his ear near the end of Bashir’s shift and goes to Quark’s bar. Dave is already there, at a table in the back looking around suspiciously. Bashir walks in looking like a million bucks. He spots Dave, and he spots Garak too. He gives him a little wave and then goes over to Dave. Garak can hear them greet each other. “You look gorgeous.” Dave says, and he sounds like he means it.

“Oh, this old thing?” Julian jokes. Dave laughs right on cue.

Julian holds out his hand and Dave takes it, and he’s up on his feet walking with Julian to the bar. “We have a reservation for a holosuite.” Dave says in his Australian accent.

Quark gives them the holoprogram and they shuffle awkwardly up the spiral staircase. When the holoprogram starts, Garak can hear the crashing of waves onto crystal-white sand. Steel drums break through the sound of wind and Julian is laughing at some joke. Suddenly he feels very aloof here, eavesdropping on his friend’s date. 

The holoprogram is of a fine glass table for two on the beach, with rose petals and music and drinks and oysters. They’re re-enacting a book Julian’s never read. “Can we turn the safeties off?” Dave asks, and Garak’s about to bolt up there when he says “I’d like to catch a tan.”

“You know,” the doctor admonishes, “UV rays can cause quite uncomfortable skin cancer. Computer, safety off.”

“I once dated a doctor. He mentioned meeting you, actually.”

“Oh? I’m quite fond of my colleagues.”

Dave’s eyes darken as Julian goes to take a sip of wine and suddenly Garak has overridden the lock and pushed through the doors. In his surprise, Julian spills wine down the front of his new white shirt. He looks very upset.

“Garak, look what you’ve done. You’ve ruined my new suit.”

“It’s stain resistant. Look out!” Dave pulls a gun from under the table. Julian has enough warning to move out of the way when he fires, and he takes Dave’s surprise to wrestle him to the ground and knock the gun from his hands. 

“Why are you trying to kill me?” Julian says angrily.

“Because you didn’t stick up for me! When you were called as a witness to my hearing, you didn’t show up!”

“What are you talking about?” he says gruffly. “I only met you three days ago!”

“I’m Doctor Brandon frederick. Does that ring a bell?”

Before he can answer, Odo comes into the room and shouts “What’s going on here?!”

Julian looks peeved. “He tried to kill me!” 

“Computer, end program.” Garak says, not unhelpfully. The gun disappears. Odo takes “Dave” to a holding cell. 

Julian wipes at his clothes, although there’s no longer sand sticking to them. “You saved my life.” Julian says to Garak, breathing hard.

“Well I couldn’t let you bleed all over that fantastic suit now could I?” 

Julian laughs, it starts small and then gets louder and lasts a while. “Oh Garak,” Julian says, gasping for air. Garak braces himself for the words he knows will follow. “I could almost kiss you.” Julian says, shaking his head fondly.

“Well. Let’s put this whole mess behind us, shall we?” he says, gesturing to the arch.

After the truth gets out about Julian’s augment scandal, Garak thinks he could use a bit of cheering up, so he sets up a prank on Quark, in full view of the seat he’s picked for them to eat dinner together. 

Quark screams in terror as he opens his crate of beetles to find them shifting in crazy colors, some strange liquid pooling out of their mouths. “My beetlesnuff!” he cries. Julian looks at Garak incredulously.

“Did you replace Quark’s beetles with my test subjects I had in stasis?” 

Garak smiles. “Oh, Someone must’ve.”

He chuckles. “Oh. Garak, you’re brilliant. I could kiss you.”

Garak looks at him in a way that says “Then do it” But Julian isn’t looking at him, he’s looking at quark, and slapping his knee. So Garak’s gaze shifts to a fond one and he enjoys the fruits of his labor.

They’re back at the replimat. Their usual table was left vacant as everyone seems to know to expect them there. They’re arguing about Shakespeare again.

“I know Romeo and Juliet are foolish lovers, that’s the point!” Julian says. He’s working up an attractive flush in his face as the argument’s getting heated.

“Yet human works I’ve read seem to treat it as a template for love stories.”

“I haven't given you any romance books Garak, and subplots are not representative of the quality of main plots.”

“Ah and there’s the problem. Humans have whole books dedicated to love. Why, not a single cardassi book is not dedicated to the state.”

Julian smiles sardonically. “Really? Not a single one?”

Garak nods his head with a smug smile.

Julian stands up from the table. “You are so– infuriating! I could just–”

“Kiss me?” Garak finishes for him. Julian looks caught off guard. “Then why don’t you?”

Julian crosses over to his side, grabs Garak by his shirt collar, and pulls him up. He stalks off and Garak follows him, and when they turn the corner Julian is on him, kissing him roughly as if he’ll never be able to again. Between kisses Garak says “We should– ah– go somewhere– else.” Julian nips at Garak’s aural ridge. “My thoughts exactly.” Then he runs his hand down Garak’s arm and links fingers with him in a way that makes his nostrils flare and his neck ridges darken. Julian pulls Garak along to his own quarters and they move past Kukalaka and into the bedroom where Garak realizes that Julian had been preparing for this with the warmer temperature in the room, that he had been wanting this perhaps as long as he had wanted Julian. They’re necking on the bed, which feels absolutely exquisite to Garak, but Julian keeps breaking away to talk. 

“I never let myself want this,” he says, “Because I knew I couldn’t lie to you. And if we saw each other every day, came together in this way, then you would know.” He resumes his ministrations and after Garak doesn’t reply he adds, “Or worse you wouldn’t know. And I would want you to know.” 

Garak just holds his hand tightly and doesn’t let go. He doesn’t tell Julian how privileged he feels to know anything about him at all. He doesn’t voice how impressed he was with Julian’s ability to keep up the lie. He doesn’t admit that he’s wanted this since that first day in the replimat. He just enjoys it, and that’s the most selfish thing he’s ever done.

[onesourceofbadinformation]

guy who has never not once stopped thinking about the carrington award subplot

[rayne-the-neutrois-nerd]

I finished making the playlist if any of you wanna check it out! If you're okay with a playlist of basically just kpop (mostly shinee) and vocaloid, that is. I tried to make it have a flow but eh

[vaguely-concerned]

Concept: After the one two punch of Tain’s death scene and the official augment reveal, Garak and Julian Do Not talk about it directly for a long long time, but Julian does pointedly assign Frankenstein for their homoerotic book club lunch after Dr. Bashir I Presume. Garak is…Untroubled. 

(“Monstrous fathers create monstrous sons all the time without ever resorting to anything so dramatic or crude as lightning rods and graverobbing, my dear Doctor. Why, in some families it’s practically a tradition. A family trade, honed to perfection over the span of generations.”

“Yeah?” 

“Could anything but such an iterative process explain the existence of Skrain Dukat, do you think?”

“Hah! You know what, you may have a point.”) 

It’s about. The mutual ‘We may both have been made into different kinds of monsters at the hands of our fathers and yeah I guess that kind of sucks. But at least at the end of the day neither of us is Gul Dukat’ emotional security of it all