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Julian has taken the duvet and pillows from the bed and made a nest for himself on the sofa. It’s a ‘cold’ (for Cardassia Prime) winter evening—a mere 35 Celsius—almost comfortable for Humans. He strips off his clothes and instructs the computer to turn up the lights a little. With Garak out for the evening at an Oralian Way meeting he may as well be comfortable. He picks up his PADD and opens Preloc’s Meditations on a Crimson Shadow, which he’s in the middle of re-reading, pulls his feet up under himself on the sofa and wraps the duvet round his shoulders.
Realising he’s read the same paragraph several times and hasn’t taken in the information at all, he sighs and sets the PADD aside. The nuances of the shifting alliances and hostilities between Cardassia, the Klingon Empire, Bajor and the Federation have gone over Julian’s head—again—and he decides just doesn’t have the head for it this evening. He’d promised to discuss the novel with Garak next week, and no doubt the Cardassian will take great delight in showing off his superior knowledge and answering Julian’s questions about the plot he’s never quite wrapped his head around.
Julian turns his attention to what has been distracting him from his reading: the fact that he is an allosexual Human male, with all the desires and urges that entails, whose Cardassian boyfriend probably falls somewhere on the grey-ace spectrum. Julian wouldn’t change a thing about Garak—he loves him unconditionally for who and what he is—but it’s been three weeks since he last had release and his cock’s been twitching and his mind’s been wandering for the last few days.
He pulls himself up from the sofa and fetches lube and tissues from his stash in the bedroom before returning to his nest. He half-lies, back propped against the arm rest, one leg stretched along the length of the seat, the other dangling over the side, foot skimming the floor. He reaches his right hand down and cups his balls, rubbing lazy circles at the base of his half-hard cock with his thumb. He’s in no hurry; he wants to savour the building arousal and climax—he has the whole evening to himself after all.
Mind drifting, not focussing on any specific images or thoughts, but enjoying the sensation of his hand sliding over himself, Julian works up a steady rhythm of long, languid strokes, hand slickened by the lube he has liberally applied, cock growing firm under its steady pressure. He sighs contentedly, relaxing into it and lets his head loll back, a slight smile playing round the corners of his mouth as he gives himself over to this moment of self-indulgence. A quiet, throaty moan escapes his lips.
“Oh my, you do put on a good performance, dear.” Garak’s voice jerks Julian out of his private ecstasy and he sits up suddenly to see the Cardassian seated astride a chair, leaning on its back, watching him with a wide smirk. Julian hurriedly pulls the edge of the duvet over his lap.
“What—just what are you doing?” He stammers incredulously.
“Watching you, of course.”
Julian can’t decide if Garak’s genial smile is one of genuine innocence or if he knows he shouldn’t have crept up like that and watched without making his presence known. Cardassians and Humans have very different ideas about social propriety and they’ve had their share of misunderstandings, but he can’t help suspecting Garak is aware he’s invaded Julian’s privacy and is rather enjoying it. He sighs and sits up.
“Garak, I wasn’t expecting you back so soon.” His face reddens. “This is—er—I was doing something private. How long have you been watching me?”
“Only a few minutes.” Garak replies. “When I reached the meeting house, I realised my heart wasn’t in it tonight and turned back.” He waves a hand airily, “When I got home and found you...occupied,“ He stretches the word out, “I decided to use my old regnar skills to disappear in order to avoid interrupting you.”
“In order to spy on me.” Julian corrects him.
“You were so absorbed in your activity,” Garak protests, “And the sight was really quite beautiful.”
“Look,” Julian heaves and exasperated sigh, “You can’t charm your way out of this. You watched me, without my knowledge, while I was engaging in a private intimate act. That’s crossing a line, Garak, it really is!” Julian’s anger is boiling up inside him now and he half-rises from his seat, raising his voice to a near-shout. “Do you even know what I was doing?” He asks.
Garak stares at him coldly for a while before answering.
“Don’t think that because I’m an old man who rarely experiences sexual desire myself that I am unaware of the mechanics of sexuality. I believe the Terran term is ‘masturbation’.”
“I’m sorry.” Julian’s shoulders slump. Why am I apologising? He thinks, He should be the one to apologise to me. “I got defensive. I’m not really into being watched, especially without my knowledge or consent.”
“I will bear that in mind for future.” Garak concedes.
That’s as close to an apology as I’m going to get. Thinks Julian.
“Please, don’t stop on my account.” Garak continues.
“What?!” Julian is incredulous. “I just told you I’m not into being watched. Anyway, you’ve killed the mood now.”
“Funny, you usually like being the centre of attention.”
“Not for this!”
“Have you ever tried?”
“tried what?”
“Putting on a show.”
“No.” Julian throws a pillow at the Cardassian’s head in exasperation. “What would you get out of it anyway?”
“Vicarious pleasure.”
Julian gives Garak a questioning look.
“I like seeing you happy,” Garak explains, “And you looked very happy when I came in.”
“Right, we can try,” Julian concedes, “But there are rules: you stay sitting on that chair, and you don’t comment!”
“Very well.” Garak places his hands on the back of the chair and rests his chin on them, grinning, “Let the show begin.”
Julian closes his eyes and takes a deep breath. He holds it, trying to work his mind back to the state it was in before the interruption. He exhales slowly, opens his eyes and flips the duvet off his lap. Leaning back on the sofa, making deliberate eye-contact with Garak, he spreads his legs and brings a hand to his now-soft cock, sticky with drying lube. Garak nods approvingly as Julian works himself back to hardness, the initial awkwardness he feels at being watched so intently dissipating with his increasing arousal.
Still maintaining eye-contact with Garak and grinning coquettishly, Julian grabs the bottle of lube with his free hand, dripping it from a height onto his now-firm member. He places the lube down again and the free hand moves to his chest, rubbing and pinching at a hardening nipple. He pushes his feet against the floor and arches his back, thrusting his hips forward in time with his hands.
“Is this what you wanted to see?”
“Yes, my dear. I do believe it is.”
Julian throws his head back, thrusting harder, his right hand a blur as he pumps his cock. If Garak wants a performance, I’m going to give him one, he thinks as he moans and cries with abandon, twisting he head side-to-side, pushing himself inevitably towards orgasm. His cock twitches and he slows his movement, tightening his grip as hot semen spills over his stomach in two long spurts. He grins up at the ceiling for a moment, catching his breath, before lifting his head to beam a broad smile at Garak.
“Hmmm.” The Cardassian inclines his head, raising an brow ridge.
“Is that it?” Julian laughs. “At least when you overstepped my boundaries the time you broke into my holoprogram back on DS9 you had the good grace to applaud.” He reaches for a tissue and begins cleaning himself up.
“Would you like me to applaud?”
“No, just... Come here please?” Julian tosses the damp tissue in the direction of the waste reprocessor and settles back on the sofa, tucking his feet up beside him.
Garak gets up from his chair and comes to sit at the other end of the sofa. Julian tucks the duvet back around himself.
“May I have a hug please?” Julian holds his arms out hopefully. Garak scoots closer and leans his back against the Human’s chest. “Are you ok?” Julian asks, resting his chin on the top of the Cardassian’s head. “I mean, you did ask for a show and I gave you one, but I hope I didn’t—.”
“I’m fine.” Garak cuts him off. “Just a little overwhelmed. You were—are—so beautiful. I don’t have the words to describe it. Thank you.”
“For what?” Julian asks.
“For sharing it with me.”
“You’re very welcome my love.”
Garak twists round to kiss Julian’s lips and they make out for a while, bodies pressed close.
“My dear, you feel...I don’t know... different. Softer than usual? There’s a sort of glow to you.” Garak remarks when they come up for air.
“That’ll be the endorphins.” Julian kisses him again.