can i break your wip rules and ask about a little bit of the the two-body problem?
Apologies for taking so long to reply. Time sort of ran away from me when I wasn’t looking.
You can! But, also, you're not really breaking them at all, as the next bit of The Two Body Problem is actually titled Dead Weight in my drafts - I can't remember why, but it is! I'm afraid this fic has taken a little bit of a backseat due to circumstances IRL - these days, I have just about enough brain power (and spare time) to update short, generally plot-less smut fic with any regularity. However, it has not been abandoned! I'm still chipping away at it, and I hope to get chapter 4 up in the not too distant future. The aim is to have it finished by Christmas, though I'm not entirely sure how realistic that goal is, given that it's run away and developed a plot. As things stand so far, we have Garak and Bashir currently getting used to being in each others bodies (and unable to remember exactly how it happened, or the 12 hours or so before. Sad times, considering what they got up to...); an empty canister left outside the control panel of the exploded holosuite in Quark's bar; Odo and O'Brien investigating the attempted murder of the engineer who discovered said canister; and a mysterious, shadowy figure making a nuisance of itself by hiding in cargo bays and braining unwitting engineers. So, what's next? A little more mystery. A little more tension. A little more memory loss...
In the next chapter, you’re going to find out exactly how they lost their memories. More, too. But let’s not give it all away, eh?
Here's a little snippet from chapter 4...
“I must admit, having you here is pleasant, despite the circumstances,” said Garak over the rim of the teacup.
They were finishing breakfast. Tarkalean tea—extra sweet, Julian noted with interest—for Garak; a mug of something dark, hot and distinctly fishy for Julian. As the doctor sat and sipped delicately at his beverage, all he could think was that the comparisons made themselves.
“Careful, that almost sounds like the truth,” Julian said with a forced grin. “Next thing you know, you’ll be telling me all your secrets.”
“After this, do you think I’ll have any left?”
Garak had a point. Short of a minor miracle, Julian doubted either of them would come out of the situation with much mystery remaining. For Julian himself, that boat had already sailed—at least when it came to the more intimate aspects of his friend’s body. He tried very hard not to imagine how long it would be before Garak reached a similar state of awareness.
And failed.
“I’m sure you’ll continue to surprise me,” he said, shifting upon his seat. “Whether I like it or not.”
Garak quirked a dark eyebrow. A small smirk curled at the edge of his lips—one that was decidedly more attractive than it had any right to be, considering who’s face it was. For Julian, it was almost like looking in a funhouse mirror. Familiar yet not at the same time, the weirdness of watching his own face react so openly at the behest of Garak’s emotions sending a strange little thrill down his spine.
He was going to end up with some sort of complex at this rate. Narcissus eat your heart out, Julian thought.
“What are your plans for the day, Doctor?” Garak said after a moment.
“No idea. I’ve been relieved of duty for the foreseeable, and given that we’ve been confined to your quarters, my to-do list is remarkably free.” Julian drained the last of the strange liquid from his mug, and set it down upon the table with a clink. “However, I’d like to take a look at your sutures at some point today. They weren’t fully healed when we left the Infirmary. I promised Jabara I’d keep an eye on them.”
Garak’s face darkened. He sighed heavily, eyes becoming wary.
“If you must,” he said with a dismissive wave.
Julian rolled his eyes.
“There’s no need to be like that. It’s my body, Garak. It’s not like I haven’t seen it before.”
“Not with me in it, you haven’t.”
Julian let the unintentional double entendre slide. He didn’t think pointing it out would achieve anything. Well, anything other than a different variety of pointing, should his mind continue to dwell upon it. He’d had enough of that for one day already.
“What about yourself?” he said, trying not to think about what had happened in the shower. Or in the corridor afterwards. “Any plans?”
“My accounts require attention.”
“Living life to the full, I see.”
“Not all of us can live a life of leisure. Some of us still have work to do,” Garak replied.
Julian sighed. “I suppose I’ll have to entertain myself, then.”
“Not at all, Doctor. I had a vain hope that you might help me.”
