(Day 3)
Garak had already adjusted his own behaviour and reverted to conversing with the Doctor as though they were seated at the Replimat, ignoring their proximity and previous tentative affections altogether. He was determined that there be no evidence of any impropriety or favouritism to be found. Starfleet would hardly consider it appropriate for Bashir to have prioritised the suspected former Cardassian operative living in their midst. Heaven forbid, that he be responsible for the Doctor being court marshalled and removed from his posting on the station. Garak couldn't imagine how he would cope without this effervescent young man in his life. Bashir had single-handedly managed to make his exile here on Terok Nor almost bearable. The Doctor had protected him when he'd needed it, and now he could return the favour.
Garak was currently working on a tangible series of lies to explain away anything that Sisko and the others may find questionable in the good Doctor's conduct. He intended to take full advantage of the station wide system failures which meant nothing had been recorded over the last couple of days. On the plus side, they were legitimately stuck in his quarters. So, all he had to do was embellish the speed and timeframe of that process and they had an airtight excuse. It was an easy enough construct; Bashir had unexpectedly found himself trapped and, despite his valiant efforts, had been left with no choice but to stay put and hold out for rescue. Whether he could get the Doctor to go along with his deception was the real question. Bashir still seemed to view the truth in very black and white terms and had little appreciation for the grey areas where Garak truly came into his own.
Garak caught the Doctor repeatedly glancing in his direction, a strangely pensive look on his face. This wasn't good. They didn't have the time to wait for Bashir to skirt around whatever the problem was. The next time he sensed the young man's gaze fall upon him, Garak immediately turned to meet his eyes and called him out. "Is everything alright, Doctor?"
Julian jumped at the question; he hadn't realised how obvious he was being. Blushing, he tried to explain. "Yes, I'm ok. Well… it's nothing really. I'm just being silly… You know, Garak. You are the most observant person I have ever been around! It is honestly quite disconcerting at times."
Garak was interested now, what was the Doctor worrying about? Something was bothering him enough to try to deflect Garak's attention with flattery. A cheap but often effective distraction technique. Not Bashir's best work, though. Perhaps he wanted to start getting their story straight, which wasn't the worst idea. Garak raised an eye ridge at his companion. "If something is on your mind, it would be wise to speak about it now while we are alone. Assuming from your indication that you wouldn't want it to be widely known?"
Julian looked down at his hands and let out a soft sigh, he was being childish and didn't want Garak to think any less of him. "It's only Kukalaka… I've just spotted where he ended up in all of the earlier excitement."
Garak was perplexed, who was the Doctor referring to? He quickly glanced around the corners of his quarters, a pointless endeavour as he already knew they were alone. "My Dear, I'm afraid I need more information than that. Unless I'm very much mistaken, we are the only ones here."
Julian stood up, his cheeks burning in mortification. He shuffled over to the Cardassian before squatting to recover Kukalaka from his fallen position on the floor by Garak's feet. Straightening up, he tucked the bear securely under his arm and moved back towards his side of the sofa. Once he'd retaken his seat and was back under the blankets, Julian decided that he'd already given up his dignity and might as well do this properly.
Raising his head, Julian held Kukalaka out for Garak's inspection. "Kukalaka, meet Garak. He's a very close friend and for the last few days has been my temporary sleeping companion… Garak, this is Kukalaka. He's your predecessor, having shared the bed with me for as long as I can remember. He is my oldest friend and has gotten me through some of the darkest times in my life. Also, you don't need to worry, he's not the jealous type. Although, you've had some pretty big shoes to fill."
Garak honestly didn't know how to respond. Bashir appeared to be anthropomorphising some sort of stuffed animal and was talking to it as though it understood what was happening. The creature he was being introduced to had certainly seen better days. The textured material of his coat was threadbare in places and several of his limbs seemed to have been crudely stitched, implying he had been mended by the Doctor's own hands. Looking at the quality of the needlework, Garak could only hope it was historic. Otherwise, he wouldn't be letting Bashir anywhere near him the next time he needed to be patched up.
Garak allowed himself a small smile, the Doctor was clearly embarrassed but was persevering with his dramatic performance regardless. It was arguably juvenile behaviour on Bashir's part, but it was so inexplicably honest that he couldn't help but find it endearing. He decided he might as well get into the spirit himself and nodded courteously in Kukalaka's direction. "Charmed, I'm sure. May I ask what sort of animal I am in the illustrious presence of?"
Julian was thrilled that Garak had chosen to indulge him and play along. He had half expected to be laughed at. After all, still cherishing a toy into adulthood wasn't exactly normal behaviour. "Kukalaka is my teddy bear. Humans often gift their children with soft toys and animal shapes are very common. The idea is to give the infant something of their own that they can cuddle, to assist in self soothing and sleeping through the night. His design is based on a bear which is an Earth animal."
Garak tilted his head, still somewhat lost. "Aren't bears large and formidable predators on Earth? Or am I confusing them with something else?"
Julian nodded. "No, you're right. The more I think about it, the more the choice of a bear makes less and less sense. I'm not sure of the exact origin. There are many children's stories based around bears and similar animals, but they may have come later."
Garak's eyes lit up, now they were getting somewhere. "Aah, like your wolf cautionary tale? So, your friend Kukalaka is a reminder to be careful?" Garak dropped his voice to a whisper and conspiratorially leaned towards Bashir, cupping his hand around his mouth to obscure Kukalaka's view. "I don't wish to offend your oldest friend, but I'm not sure he is very good at his job. From what I've witnessed, you have never been particularly adept at holding yourself back from danger."
Julian burst out laughing and grinned at Garak. "I think he'd agree with your assessment there, I'm sure I worry him greatly."
As he pulled Kukalaka back for a hug, Julian explained further. "His role over the years has been less advisory, more to provide much needed comfort and company. I was alone a lot as a child, and he lessened the effect of that. I had no pets or siblings to play with and we moved around so often that I never really got the knack for making friends. Plus, you of all people know what I'm like. Those tendencies weren't any more acceptable when they presented in a young person."
Garak could tell how much this childhood toy meant to the Doctor, as far as he knew there wasn't an equivalent on Cardassia. Frivolous play was generally discouraged from an early age, or least that had been his experience. "I had no such toys growing up. Although, I took great joy from personally raising and tending to a number of plants in my youth. Oh, and I very briefly had a pet Regnar." Garak smiled at the memory; he hadn't thought about little Mila in years.
Julian smiled himself, glad to have seemingly brought forward a happy memory from Garak's past. "Regnar? I'm afraid that I'm not familiar with that species."
Garak shrugged. "Oh, I'm sure they are not very interesting compared to a large man-eating mammal. They are a small desert lizard found on Cardassia that are known for their camouflage skills."
Julian liked the idea of a young Garak having found a similar companion to Kukalaka. Garak could be surprisingly gentle when he wanted to and was fiercely protective, he would have been an attentive guardian to a small animal. Julian could see him now; assessing blue eyes always on his surroundings to keep his new friend hidden and safely out of harm's way. Julian nodded, internally melting at the thought. "Aww they sound cute; I wish I could have seen you together."
Garak rolled his eyes. "Regnars may not be the most fearsome of animals, but they are intelligent and cunning and should command respect. Really, Doctor, I will never understand the human preoccupation with insistently labelling things as 'cute'."
Julian stifled a laugh; he'd have to make sure he never referred to Garak in that way. Not out loud, at least. Although the Cardassian was cute when he got up on his high horse. He had a particular soft spot for the false haughtiness that Garak often applied during their exchanges. Julian quirked his lips and raised his hands in an acknowledging and self-deprecating gesture. "Each to their own. I've never claimed that either myself or humans in general are perfect! Perish the thought. We are all understandably a bit odd in our own way when viewed through the eyes of others. I believe the Vulcans have historically complained, on numerous occasions, that we are intensely illogical creatures."
Resisting the urge to engage the Doctor in a more animated argument, Garak simply smirked. "I can attest to that. Although, in my limited experience with Vulcans, that criticism is not only reserved for humans. They are a peculiar people and can be particularly hard to please."
Julian almost had to bite his tongue to avoid retorting that the fussiest, most difficult, and demanding people he'd ever come across had all hailed from Garak's own planet. The charming and enigmatic Tailor included! Instead, he kept things between them polite and gently steered them into safer and more neutral topics of conversation.
