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Julian sighed as he entered his quarters, only to let out an ‘oomph’ as he was suddenly pinned against the wall, and he was being kissed within an inch of his life.
“You’re eager,” Julian remarked as he gasped for air, and his attacker went for the throat.
“Since those Prophets leashed me, this is literally the only thing I can do.”
“Does that mean you’re weakening to my suggestion of helping me in the Infirmary, Skrain?” When they had launched their assault to retake DS9, no one could have predicted the Prophets intervening when they hadn’t before, and their intervention didn’t involve Captain Sisko. The battle had reached its height, victory was assured, when the wormhole opened. A blue light shot out of it, hit the Defiant, and went straight for Julian.
In this altered timeline, the Prophets' intervention completely shifted events from their original trajectory. Instead of Ziyal's tragic demise followed by Dukat's descent into madness and eventual alliance with the Pah-Wraiths, Julian found himself at the center of a new attempt to change destiny. The blue light that struck the Defiant forged a link between him and Dukat and set him on a path to prevent the devastating future where Cardassia burns. This change meant that the alliances and betrayals familiar to the original timeline were no longer set in stone, with new possibilities emerging as Julian aimed to protect his friends from a fate he had witnessed.
“You are The Bashir; we have seen you through The Sisko’s memories, and we believe you can change this. Are you willing to change this?” A Prophet wearing Jadzia’s face asked, and he responded,
“Yes, anyway I can! Please, tell me there’s a way to save my friends!”
“It involves a sacrifice on The Bashir’s part.” This time, a Prophet wearing Miles’ face warned him, but Julian ascertained,
“Anything; my life is unimportant in the face of my friends' lives and happiness.” There seemed to be a pause as a Prophet wearing Nerys’ face asked,
“We have not revealed what the sacrifice will be, and yet The Bashir is ready to give its life. Why? The Sisko has maintained that all life has value; why does The Bashir believe its value is less?”
“I am an Augment; my parents abandoned my rights when they made me a Freak they could be proud of, instead of an imperfect human.” Julian had been unable to withhold the venom as he made this statement, which might have had something to do with a Prophet wearing Data’s face, commenting,
“That statement is in error; from what we can see, Augments are humans. The sacrifice is that you will be bonded to the Pah-Wraith’s potential Emissary; if The Bashir keeps the Fire Emissary in line, this future need not come to pass. The bond serves as a link that ties your fates together, forming a connection both profound and restrictive. It imposes limitations, such as preventing The Dukat from exercising any of its power without your consent, and ensures that neither of you can cause physical harm to the other. This bond will alter how you interact, forcing cooperation in unexpected ways. However, be warned, the bond's effects extend beyond the physical; it will influence your emotions and thoughts, sometimes making it difficult to distinguish your own feelings from those of The Dukat.” At that moment, Julian experienced a sudden wave of determination mixed with fear—not his own, but Dukat’s. The unfamiliar surge made him uneasy as he realized the bond was already blurring their emotions, interweaving their mental landscapes in a way that defied logic. Julian grimaced at the idea of being bonded to Dukat of all people; his standing in Starfleet already wasn’t the greatest, and being bonded to such an enemy would probably see them exiled to some planet in the Klingons’ territory. He had to ask,
“How will my being bonded to Dukat change anything?”
“The Bashir believes it is a monster, but has a heart that cares about all life; The Bashir has only killed when in defence of another or itself, and has done all The Bashir can to save those that others would not waste time on. The Dukat, as The Bashir calls him, is a monster who believes itself a hero and liberator; it would gladly sacrifice thousands to further its goals. By being bonded to The Bashir, its power will be destroyed, and it may learn of compassion as we have learned of Linear Time from The Sisko. The Dukat will be unable to wield power over anyone unless The Bashir gives it. Is The Bashir willing to do this?” This Prophet wore Sisko’s face as it asked this of Julian, and Julian nodded as he replied,
“Yes, if the price of my friend’s safety and happiness is my own happiness, then I’m willing to pay it.”
“The Dukat will be unable to hurt The Bashir, and we shall give The Bashir aid in controlling The Dukat in the forms of The Damar, who knows The Dukat’s strategies in getting its way, and The Garak, who will keep The Damar in line as well.” The Jadzia Prophet informed him, and Julian had a moment of happiness at the thought of him and Garak being together, only to be reminded,
“Garak doesn’t love me; he loves Ziyal, and you shouldn’t mess with that.”
“The Sisko has used that word before; what is love?” The Nerys’ Prophet asked, and Julian did his best to answer,
“Love is hard to explain, but it’s an emotion that fills you with a great deal of something powerful; humans have an old saying about the ones you love being the ones who can hurt you the most, and it’s true. Sometimes that love is returned, sometimes it’s not, such as my love for Jadzia; she only sees me as a friend, which is its own kind of love. People have debated for thousands of years what love really is, and I could spend a thousand more years telling you about the different schools of thought on it before you kicked me out of wherever we are. Still, Garak has not had a good life and should be with someone he loves. I will do what I can to handle Dukat and Damar.” The Miles Prophet again appeared before Julian and asked,
“You believe The Garak does not love you, and yet you will still accept The Damar’s help?”
“Dukat is an egotistical ass who is about to lose all his power and be bonded to someone he’d rather see dead; he’s a bastard, but I do believe there is still some good in him as he does love Cardassia, and he obviously loves his children if Ziyal’s death drove him insane. My own parents murdered their child so they could have me; maybe having his best friend with him while having no more access to power will help the good in Dukat flourish.” The Prophet wearing Sisko’s face looked at Julian as though he were quite the anomaly before announcing,
“We have made our decision.” The light left Julian and returned to the wormhole, leaving Julian, Garak, Damar, and Dukat on the bridge of the Defiant, each with a silver band on their left wrist. Julian explained to Sisko and Dukat what had happened, and had invited Dukat to try hurting Julian; he had struck Julian hard enough to give him a black eye, only to be thrown across the room by an unseen force, and break a transverse rib.
So, that all led to the here and now; Dukat and Damar could only go so far from Julian before they started to feel terrible, physical pain, and any efforts to transport Julian off the Defiant and later the station caused problems for the transporters. The long and short of it was that the quartet had to be together, and Cardassia soon erupted in civil war as some wanted to continue following the Founders, while others wanted to expel them from their empire. For Dukat and Damar, however, they were stuck on the station with Julian and Garak (who apparently had the same protections as Julian since Dukat attacked him as well, only to again be flung across the room).
It was tricky explaining it to Starfleet, but the facts were there for all to see, and when one Admiral suggested just throwing Julian into a cell as well since he was an Augment, General Martok promised retribution since Julian was a Friend to the House of Martok. No one was willing to test Martok on the matter after they had just received a boon in the war, not long after the Breen joined the Dominion over Cardassia’s status. Still, Sisko pointed out, the two soldiers were, in essence, exiled like Garak was, surrounded by those they had intimidated and belittled, so it was hardly as though the pair got off scot-free.
The quartet had to navigate their daily routines with precision. Julian continued his duties at the Infirmary, ensuring that the constant presence of Dukat and Damar did not interfere with patient care. They established shared schedules to balance privacy and proximity, finding ways to maintain a semblance of normalcy despite the enforced proximity. Starfleet duties were rearranged to meet both the station's needs and the unique condition of Julian's bond, ensuring that their roles remained efficient and the station ran smoothly.
Damar helped out in Garak’s shop, and Dukat worked on properly mending his relationship with Ziyal, who revealed that what she had for Garak was what the humans called ‘Puppy Love’ and their being apart had lessened it. Dukat was still hardly thrilled about the whole arrangement, particularly the fact that the quartet of three Cardassians and one human had to stay together, but there was literally nothing he could do. It got even worse the night they consummated their union (a week after the whole thing started; an itch that affected all four and Julian quickly figured out what was happening); Dukat and Damar had been in a prior relationship, but Dukat could now only top Damar if Julian gave him permission every. Single. Time.
Garak once teased that Dukat should stop asking Julian for permission since Dukat obviously enjoyed (read: loved) taking Damar’s prUt, but Julian scolded Garak; whether or not Dukat enjoyed it, if he wanted to top Damar, that was between the pair. After an incident where some Bajorans tried to act tough with Dukat, thinking he had been ‘de-clawed’ as it were, Julian made them back off, only for some human merchants to remark it was natural for ‘monsters to stick together’.
Dukat saw Julian flinch and then turn away, not defending himself. In that instant, Julian's mind had been a whirlwind of emotions. Shame washed over him like a tide, each wave a reminder of the teenage insecurities he wished he could bury. Each slight and doubt cast upon his human nature tugged at the threads of inadequacy sewn into him from a young age. Being an Augment, Julian often felt like an outsider looking in, perpetually measuring his worth against unattainable standards; was he really that brilliant, or was it all a facade, a monkey parroting true greatness? These dark moments were more than just fleeting moments of weakness; they were reflections of a lifelong turmoil he had carried in silence. Until the Prophets forged a connection between himself and Dukat, as well as the secondary bond between them, Damar, and Garak.
Dukat, noticing the silent struggle in Julian's eyes, began to explore the doctor’s psyche with a newfound curiosity (he had nothing else to do since his relationship with Ziyal was improving, so why not learn more about the man who literally sacrificed his happiness to mate with someone he hated to prevent a horrible future?). Though he only had access to his daughter’s interactions with Julian (before the Changeling) and Starfleet psyche evaluations, Dukat found himself drawn to the complexity of this man who bore so much shame simply for existing. Despite only having access to bits and pieces of Julian's history, Dukat was fascinated by the layers of resilience hidden beneath Julian's vulnerability.
Damar, utilizing his underestimated computing skills, dug into the traces of 'Jules' - the boy Julian once was. Both Dukat and Damar found themselves surprised by the mingled vulnerability and steadfastness they uncovered, attributes that fueled a strong sense of protectiveness within them. This protectiveness, though unspoken, touched Julian in ways he rarely allowed himself to recognize. At night, with a Cardassian on either side and one on top of him as they used his internal warmth and the coolness of their scales helped him while their sheer weight made them ideal weighted blankets, he grappled with the emotional weight of these new bonds. Could this sense of belonging be real?
Alone with his thoughts, he dared to feel the warmth that came with knowing he was no longer just a lone wanderer. It was hard to tell what was natural and what was the bond the Prophets had created, but the Vulcans on board did their best to help them build their individual mental fortresses to make sure that, while the bond aided them in finding balance, they did not lose their sense of Julian, Skrain, Corat, and Elim.
Julian’s fortress resembled the various libraries he used to escape his bullies, Dukat’s resembled the house he grew up in, Garak’s was a garden that was far more deceptive in appearances, and Damar’s actually resembled the Naprem, where he had found more fulfillment in protecting Cardassia as a pirate, then as a Dominion lackey. As the bond grew, they taught each other more about each other’s culture, and Julian hoped to find some way of bringing some elements of Cardassia to the station, while the trio of Cardassians tried to learn more about human courting rituals.
In the present, however, Dukat grumbled,
“I may be weakening, mouseling, but that doesn’t mean I’m ready to be your assistant and listen to people whine about simple injuries.” Julian thought about rebuking Dukat’s remarks, only for the man to get Julian’s uniform open and nip his collarbone. He moaned as Dukat’s hands cupped his thighs and lifted him so he was more properly pinned against the wall.
“I suppose this means we’re not moving to the bedroom, or at least the couch?” Dukat shook his head as he managed to get Julian out of his uniform (pretty much tearing it off; jumpsuits weren’t designed for this kind of wear), and reminded him,
“Garak and Damar will be home in a half hour at least; this is my only time with you without Garak critiquing my technique, even while he’s speared on Damar’s prUt.” Julian could admit he had been impressed when Garak did that; the three of them were well-hung, but Damar was… well, Garak and Dukat were Riding Hounds and Damar was a Zabu. He had yet to take Damar in his ass as his ajan, as the others called it (and he adopted it as vagina was so clinical but pussy sounded so dirty sometimes), had better stretching capabilities; not that he and Damar got many chances together, as that left Garak with Dukat.
“There are times I don’t know if you still hate each other or if you just argue for the sake of arguing; it is how your species flirts, and you even argue about pillow placement.” Dukat was trying to remove Julian’s undershirt (the teal suited him much better than the old lavender) as he remarked,
“That’s important for an optimal nest, especially with how many pillows you like.” Dukat gave up and used his claws to tear the shirt off, prompting Julian to comment,
“I've told you that I like to frottage against pillows; I have ever since I was a teenager.” Dukat smiled as he remembered the first time he and Damar saw that as Garak took Julian; it was odd, but unique, which meant Dukat liked it. His claws carefully thumbed Julian’s nipples, an act that had Julian arch into him, inviting Dukat to again nip at his collarbone. Julian sighed as he rocked his hips, the ridges on Dukat’s waist adding delicious stimulation as they dug into his thighs, a spot Julian enjoyed having touched.
“If this is the itinerary for tonight, can we at least move to the wall that separates our bedroom? I have no desire for passers-by to hear thumping and think you’re trying to beat me or something.” Dukat rolled his eyes as he stood straighter, encouraging Julian to quickly wrap his arms around Dukat’s shoulders and lock his feet around Dukat’s ass.
“You’d think they would learn I literally cannot hurt you; if I so much as flick you, I feel as though I was slapped by a Klingon.” Julian nodded as he was settled against another wall, but was cheeky as he drew Dukat in closer and rubbed his rains against Dukat’s pelvis, above his ajan. Dukat’s eyes were almost completely black as he growled.
“You are pushing for a brutal mating.”
“Skrain, wall sex seldom leads to tender lovemaking,” Julian remarked with a cocked eyebrow, which had a mischievous gleam enter Dukat’s eyes as he everted and entered Julian, but only the tip, and proceeded to do a typical rocking Cardassian motion, rather than the thrusting motion favoured by humans.
“I can be tender when I want to be, S’h’iosr’ha.” Julian whimpered as Dukat played dirty; he had been learning Kardasi via the computer so he could understand his husbands, only to come across Dukat and Garak arguing in their mother tongue with Damar acting as a referee. As Julian listened to the sibilant hisses spoken with passion, he understood some words being spoken, but hearing them spoken properly instead of being mechanized via computer, did something to Julian’s libido. He had tried to hide his reaction, but Garak never missed a trick, especially when he scented the air; if there was one thing worse than having sparring husbands, it was husbands who could all speak a language that aroused the fourth husband, and decided to gang up on him.
“This isn’t tender, Skrain, this is teasing and considerably less polite.”
“I’m a soldier, which doesn’t require me to be polite, mouseling.”
“But you are an aristocrat, which requires manners.” Julian argued as he tried to jerk his hips and bring Dukat in deeper, but the man simply moved far enough away to prevent it, and still kept the tip of his prUt in Julian. Unlike humans and some other species, Cardassian prUts were more sensitive at the base opposed to the tip, meaning the bastard could keep this up for quite some time unless Julian got sneaky.
“Manners leave the equation when married; my parents were barely civil to each other.”
“All things considered, are they really the model you want to aspire to here? Because, apart from you and Garak, which I still think is beginning to thaw between you two, you get along great with Damar, and you are warming up to me.”
“Bite your tongue about Garak, mouseling.” Dukat ordered as he fought with himself; arguing was a form of flirting for Cardassians, and Julian was so chatty and argumentative even during sex! He didn’t understand why some thought him annoying when, as an argumentative doctor with his features, if he had scales, Julian would be highly sought after as a mate on Cardassia. Obviously, another area in which Cardassians were superior to other species was that they saw the doctor’s true worth (ignoring that he had tried to kill said doctor and was only with him now because of those damned Prophets - he had heard of Garak’s attempt to kill the doctor as well). He wanted to pound this mouseling until he made dents in the wall, but he wanted Julian to beg first; he had to get his fun somewhere. Julian took the choice out of his hands as he smirked, leaned forward, and whispered,
“I think you’d rather I bite you, Skrain.” So saying, he ducked down and bit Dukat on the neck… right on his kinat’hU. Julian’s dull human teeth wouldn’t leave a mark, but he felt the pressure. Dukat stilled before striking like a Cova, grabbing Julian’s wrists and slamming them against the wall before hissing,
“I thought humanss had a ssaying about biting ssleeping dragonss? If you don’t want a ssore back tomorrow, sstay sstill, ssweetling.” Julian weighed his options before replying,
“I’m pretty sure that’s why my ancestors invented painkillers… Iguana-boy.” Julian gasped and almost screamed as Dukat slammed into him so they were chest-to-chest. Julian did yelp as Dukat bit his neck (those never had a drawback), and then started pounding Julian; he was going to probably be a mass of bruises before Garak or Damar took a dermal regenerator to them, but he would treasure them as so many of his partners had treated him as though he were made of glass. Once, after a very fulfilling night, Dukat had commented that Julian had been made to be a Cardassian’s mate as he was argumentative and could take their affections.
Garak, of course, had to counter that proper Cardassian matings took a lot longer, and Julian was too impatient, but Damar merely countered that patience was taught… and Garak had been a bad teacher so far, so that left Damar teaching Julian patience. Julian couldn’t help snickering as Garak sputtered and Dukat laughed uproariously (missing the fact that Damar had also called him impatient), and Damar had looked like the cat that got the canary as he petted Julian’s scaleless neck.
“One day, your mouth will get you into sserious trouble, mousseling.” Dukat hissed before he devolved into hisses and clicks of a more basic Cardassian tongue that served to ramp up Julian’s arousal. Julian may not have been able to aurally arouse Dukat with his tongue the way he could, but he still did his best to bite, scratch, and stroke his neck scales. This made Dukat growl like some giant crocodile and just pounded Julian’s poor pelvis, making him wonder if Dukat had something about Julian being made for Cardassian mates as a normal human or Bajoran would probably be in danger of a shattered pelvis at this point.
Though, to be fair to the sex- and former power-crazed megalomaniac, when Julian let out an involuntary whimper, he did ease off a bit, and changed his angle so that Julian’s g-spot was now being grazed. There were times when Julian wondered if Cardassians and humans were always meant to be mates since Cardassians enjoyed using humans as basking rocks and Cardassian prUts were great for reaching human pleasure spots. Doing his best to focus as his pleasure nerves were overloaded (and he legit worried about leaving a dent in the wall Jadzia would memorialize), he again leaned down and bit down as hard as he could on Dukat’s kinat’hU, which caused Dukat to empty into Julian, which triggered his own release, which encouraged Julian to bite down harder, which helped milk Dukat’s prUt.
“Shortsightedness may be your worst quality, Dukat, but your impatience, obliviousness, and lack of self-awareness are right up there.” Dukat growled but Julian stroked his shoulder scale as the pair were snatched from their afterglow, turned, and saw Garak and Damar standing not too far away from them.
“How long have you two been standing there?” Dukat barked as he shifted, drawing a whimper from Julian, which prompted Dukat to give him a quick kiss in apology as Damar went for the regenerator.
“Oh, since around the time our Ch’ulian called you ‘Iguana-boy’ which, my dear Doctor, I must disagree most strongly with as Dukat is neither a boy nor an iguana; more of an ancient gecko.” Garak smirked as Dukat growled and would have tackled him if Cardassians didn’t have a feature that locked mates together to ensure pregnancy (when Major Kira told Julian about that, she helped him procure stronger birth control which Dr. Girani made sure he took it religiously; Julian wanted children, but was uncertain about passing on his dangerous DNA, and getting pregnant in a war was the height of irresponsibility). Julian yelped as the knot was tugged in his oversensitive ajan, which again drew his and Damar’s attention.
“The regenerator only helps with the bruises, little one.” Damar and Julian were almost the same height, but that didn’t stop Damar from calling Julian ‘little one’.
“I know, and it would ease up if Skrain here would stop pulling!” Dukat kissed Julian in the Cardassian way as he apologized,
“Sorry, sweet one, but Garak has no room to talk about age or appearances with his stubby ne-” Dukat yelped before he could finish as Julian dug a nail into his kinat’hU and glared as he scolded,
“No body shaming! You finish that sentence, Skrain, and you won’t be able to touch me or Damar for a month!” Dukat almost bit his lips as he knew Julian’s threats had teeth; though Julian would not let him come to any harm, not being allowed to touch Damar or Julian meant if he wanted to have sex, he’d have to ask Garak, who never let him top but knew how to touch him to make him cum like a cadet new to the academy; highly embarrassing.
It was a unique union as Julian never topped; the prosthetic was uncomfortable for him, and the others didn’t enjoy it. Garak mentioned something called a 'strap-on,' but Julian had blushed like an Earth tomato, which meant Dukat and Damar had research to do. While the Cardassian trio enjoyed both giving and receiving, Julian held the real power in the relationship. Dukat, Garak, and Damar, despite their varied strengths and assertive personalities, were acutely aware of Julian's emotional and moral influence over them. Each partner, in their own way, submitted to Julian’s welfare and choices.
Garak, who was often surprised by his own complex feelings for Julian, harbored affection that seemed to hover between platonic admiration and romantic interest. His appreciation of Julian's intelligence and cunning went beyond mere camaraderie, resulting in a fierce protectiveness and emotions difficult to identify and categorize. Dukat, though he would ridicule and tease, respected Julian’s boundaries implicitly (having very little choice in the matter in the beginning. Things had changed when he discovered Julian cared a great deal for the Cardassian orphans still on Bajor, something that conflicted with how they had been taught of humans). Damar, meanwhile, found Julian’s kindness both an anchor and a revelation, guiding him towards a more open perspective (which helped ease the tensions with Ziyal, though Julian never told a soul, save for Sisko, about what he had seen). This unlikely dynamic was founded on Julian's profound understanding of his partners, creating a balance where he could control the decisions without overtly displaying dominance.
Their group dynamic had shifted dramatically since their initial bond, evolving into a complex tapestry of interdependence and shared burdens. Julian's role had grown beyond merely being a reluctant, unaware leader; he had become the emotional core that tethered them. In a private moment, Garak had once commented to Julian, "You have transformed us from disjointed individuals into a family, perhaps the most formidable in the galaxy." Julian had merely smiled, knowing well the power of belonging they all felt, and how it gave them strength none had anticipated. Dukat had heard of this incident from Damar, and admitted he heard Lieutenant Dax remark to O’Brien that Julian had to be the most protected person in the quadrant, with three komodo dragons for husbands. If they weren’t such fierce reptiles, Dukat might have taken offence at such a comparison. Dukat sighed as the knot eased and he gently removed himself from Julian before easing him down on his legs, where he was steadied by Damar. Garak then spoke up.
“Corat, don’t you think it a little rude that Dukat jumped Ch’ulian as soon as he got home? And, that Ch’ulian allowed him to have his way seems very concerning to Ch’ulian’s state of mind, wouldn’t you agree?” A mischievous gleam entered Damar’s eye as he registered what Garak was suggesting. He smirked as he asked,
“Maybe the pair of them need a little lesson in patience?” As Julian caught his breath, he said to Dukat,
“I think we’re in trouble.” Dukat flushed as he responded,
“I think you’re right, mouseling.”