Febwhump Day 25 - Bound and Gagged
A/N: For Julian, it was the most humiliating mission of his life. For Miles, it was the funniest. Set between season 1 and 2.
Next time I’m asked to assist with establishing a medical clinic on an unfamiliar planet, I’m going to ask for a security detail to accompany me.
Or at least a phaser.
It was hard to find a comfortable position after being bound to a chair for five and a half hours, but despite the futility of the situation, Julian was still trying. His arms and legs had gone numb two hours and fifty-four minutes ago - not that he was counting - and he kept twisting in the vain hopes of improving the blood flow. The last thing he wanted to acquire from this was a deep vein thrombosis.
The whole scenario was going to look ridiculous when he presented his report to Sisko. He’d bid both of his nurses goodnight once their shifts finished, and had intended to follow suit once he’d completed his reports for the day.
That is, the patient reports, the inventory reports and the status report for Starfleet.
It was a lot of work that he could have delegated, but he’d decided it would be nice to get away from the runabout for a while. His colleagues never invited him to dinner anyway; no one would notice if he was a few hours late.
He’d been so engrossed in reading and re-reading his own writing, agonising over the best choice of words and descriptions, that he was caught completely off-guard when his assailant decided to clobber him across the back of the head. He knew something had happened between that and awakening in his current position, but his brain refused to provide anything other than a fuzzy memory.
All he’d been able to reliably ascertain was that he’d been assaulted, and the entire contents of the medication and equipment cabinets had been ransacked. Not even the paracetamol had been left untouched. He’d been tied hand and foot to the same chair he was sitting on prior, wheeled into the centre of the infirmary as a final gesture for whoever came across him. Having been sat on the same under-filled cushions for hours meant that his spine was now thoroughly protesting, and he was eager to move.
This is ridiculous. I’m genetically enhanced, for God’s sake, and I can’t get myself off of this damn chair!
Julian pulled again on the restraints, grunting as he strained to pull them away from the chair. Initially he had believed they were bandages, but those thoughts were dashed once his skin had started bleeding. Whoever it was, they obviously came prepared and are insanely talented with knots.
The overwhelming taste and fluffy texture of cotton filled his mouth, and it did an effective job of absorbing both sound and moisture. He’d shouted and screamed until his throat was parched, occasionally launching into a coughing fit when his gag reflex was inadvertently activated.
Part of him wondered why he’d bothered anyway; he was the only one left in the clinic, after all. No one was going to find him until the next morning.
It was going to be a long night. His bladder was already screaming at him, and his stomach had been rumbling consistently even before he was attacked.
He desperately didn’t want to acknowledge it, but he was frightened. He’d never been tied up before, and although he’d never considered himself claustrophobic in the slightest, there was something he found about being pinned in one position that kept sending his sympathetic nervous system into overdrive.
Julian wasn’t sure he even wanted to be rescued at this point. They will never let me hear the end of this. ‘Hey, look at Julian! They finally found a way to shut him up! Shame we can’t do that too!’
Surely I can dislocate my wrist or something, and these bindings will slip right off-
Voices! Despite knowing it wouldn’t help him in the slightest, Julian couldn’t stop himself from leaning towards the doorway. He remembered at the last second not to overdo it, as he still wanted to retain some sort of dignity and not be scooped up off the floor.
“…ere’s one life sign up ahead. Strong…and human. It’s got to be him.”
Jadzia! Oh, thank goodness! Someone actually cares…
Renewed with a fresh burst of energy, he struggled anew against his bonds. “Mmhmm!”
He paused, disappointed when all he could hear was footsteps. Guess I have to try again. “Mmmph!”
“Did you hear something?” Dax’s voice had grown louder.
So she’s not alone. “Hmmhmm!”
“Don’t think so. I’m reading an unusual power surge in this area, though. Let me scan it properly before we go any further.”
Julian’s stomach dropped, the newfound relief quickly evaporating. Oh my God, not the Chief. Anyone but the Chief…
Despite the burning dryness in his throat, he decided he needed to sacrifice what was left of his pride. “Mmhmm!”
“There. I definitely heard that!” Dax sounded like she’d begun jogging mid-sentence, only for her to appear in the infirmary’s doorway a few seconds later. Her expression morphed from relief to horror and sympathy within milliseconds. “Julian!”
“Careful, Dax! That forcefield is- oh my God!” Miles came into view, interrupted mid-sentence as his gaze caught Julian’s. Initially he was just as surprised as Jadzia, but to the doctor’s disappointment (but not his surprise), Miles quickly started laughing. “Well well! I guess Christmas came early.”
“Chief!” Jadzia reprimanded him harshly. “That is incredibly upsetting!”
“Oh, come on, Lieutenant! Aren’t ya getting at least a little kick out of this?” Miles covered his mouth as he giggled.
Julian felt his face growing redder by the second. He decided he was going to barricade himself in his quarters after he’d been released.
“Absolutely not,” Jadzia’s voice was laden with ice, turning from Julian to appropriately direct her disapproval. “All I see right now is a distressed young man who needs our help. Who has been sitting here for God knows how long, and who didn’t get into this situation deliberately. So stop acting like a child, and help him!”
Julian gave her an appreciative nod. Thank you, Jadzia. At least someone here has a heart.
“Alright, alright,” Miles threw his hands up in defence. “Just give me a second to deactivate this thing.” The Chief disappeared from view again, his high-pitched sniggers still audible to Julian’s enhanced ears.
He prayed his resentment wasn’t as obvious as he thought it was.
Bet you wouldn’t be laughing it was Dax in this mess. Or Sisko.
A few seconds passed before the forcefield fizzled away, allowing both officers to step through. He took notice of how Miles hung by the doorway and scanned the infirmary with his tricorder, while Jadzia immediately rushed over to him. She immediately set to work on the gag, her fingers working furiously at the knot. “Are you alright?”
Julian wasn’t sure how to respond. I’m alive, so I’ll accept that as a positive. But my pride has been absolutely shattered and I’m beyond embarrassed that you have seen me in such a vulnerable state and Miles is going to go and tell everybody and-
“Julian?” Jadzia paused, giving him a worried look.
Oh damn. “Mmm.”
Even when the bandages had been peeled away and his jaw could stretch again, he decided to keep those thoughts to himself.
He may be safe now, but he sure didn’t feel wanted.
