Julian Bashir sighed ruefully to himself, his eyes lost as he remembered the particular incident. Was it even an incident? Had he brought this on himself?

He couldn't even remember what had led to it. One moment they'd been fighting, this he remembered. The next he'd been projected against the hull of the shuttle with the breath knocked out of him.

Cardassians, Julian thought suddenly. We were arguing about cardassian values. didn't think it'd get him so mad.

"Garak ..." he'd protested, shaking the stars out of his vision. "Garak, what are you--"

He never got to finish his sentence. Garak had suddenly been there, in front of him, too close for comfort. His lips had found the doctor's, and despite Julian's cries of protest, Garak had deepened the kiss, conquered the sweet Human mouth for his own.

Confusion had flooded the Human's features. He'd pushed at the heaving reptilian chest, pushed until he realized his own strength would never match Garak's. Searching pressure points, he'd let his hands roam over the tailor's back, finding one quickly with his medical knowledge. He'd pressed hard, and Garak had cried out in anger and irritation, forced to retreat from the painful touch.

Quite uselessly, Julian had ran to the back of the shuttle, searching, desperate for anything that might help him. On a bout of suspicion, Odo had taken away all the weapons from the shuttle upon discovering Garak was accompanying the Doctor.

Thus left defenseless, Julian had turned and watched as Garak made his way slowly to his position. Words gushed from his mouth, anything to appease the tailor, to strike a reasonable deal with the infuriated Cardassian. Floods of information tugged at his mind; things about Cardassian sexual practices he'd read about and dismissed. How argument and violence almost always led to arousal, and subsequently, not-so-gentle coition.

Panicked, he'd backed away as far as he could, his last argument before Garak closed in on him being that no one was piloting the shuttle. Laughing, Garak had shaken his head and killed the distance between them.

Julian recalled the precise details of their love-making

rape you idiot

with crystal clarity. And when he glanced down, a dainty cry was rested from his lips as he eyed the evidence of his arousal. The same cry he'd uttered when he discovered just how excited he'd turned when Garak had pressed him hard against the bulkhead.

I shouldn't be feeling this way. i shouldn't even be letting him off the hook like that.

"Don't deny it," Garak had whispered closely, his lips so close Julian could see the column of tiny delicate scales covering his upper lip. "I know you want this," he'd hissed, his hand clasping over the bulge in Julian's trousers.

"No," Julian had moaned. He'd tried to come off as confident yet only managed to reaffirm his weaker position. "Please, don't do this," he'd pleaded. His erratic breathing had betrayed him, the hardness still in Garak's hand a silent traitor.

And now he gets to laugh privately at my expense, Julian thought, breathing a sigh as he rolled over to his stomach. He leaned his chin over his folded hands and stared at the headboard thoughtfully.

"Odo," he said gravely. "I should tell Odo. Have him arrested. Let him spend another six months in a cell." Resolved, he stood and changed into a casual black shirt with matching trousers.

Instead, he went to Garak's quarters.

The chime sounded loud to his ears, and he flinched. When response lingered for five seconds, he turned away. Just then the door opened, and Garak was at the entrance. "Doctor!" he said pleasantly, stepping aside to free the way into his quarters. "What an unexpected surprise," he whispered when the door closed behind him.

"I'm here to talk," Julian said curtly, turning back to face the tailor. "Talk about what happened yesterday."

"What can I say?" Garak smiled, spreading his hands harmlessly. "I couldn't resist."

"Couldn't resist to rape me?"

"Interesting," Garak nodded thoughtfully, "how our two definition of rape seem to differ. Isn't rape a sexual act engendered by one individual to an unwilling other? Seems you were pretty willing to me," Garak smiled lewdly. "Once we got over the foreplay."

"This is nothing to joke about!! You bastard!" Julian flared, stalking toward the Cardassian. Garak received him with a peaceful smile and lascivious eyes.

"Then why are you here, my dear doctor?" he asked simply. Julian opened his mouth, then closed it again. He did, however, cry out when Garak's hand shot between his legs. "Have you been thinking of me Doctor?" he laughed, caressing the hardened sex.

Despite him, Julian melted into the Cardassian's arms. "You fucking son of a bitch," he whispered, almost as an endearment as he moaned when Garak's fingers pinched through the trousers over the flared head.

"I'm touched," Garak hissed back, enveloping Julian's mouth with his own, caressing the sharp tongue with nothing but harshness and bitterness. Julian cried out again, his knees growing weak as he buckled inside the Cardassian's embrace.

Julian knew Garak was treading on dangerous ground, but as it was Julian was giving no indication that Garak should stop. On the contrary, he was positively *craving* for the older man's touch, and the Cardassian bastard knew it.

Later, Julian thought as Garak led him forcefully to the bedroom. Later I'll tell Odo ... he said to himself, but of course he knew he never would.

The End