#worm lovin

Worms babey!!

19. Worms or frogs?

He had no business to still be thinking about it; nearly a week had passed since the night they spent together, and yet, Julian could not put it out of mind. Was he really so naive and excitable? Had his reputation become his reality, after all these years?

There were two possible answers, Julian thought to himself, as he sat down alone for lunch in the Replimat: yes, or no. He was still thinking about it, of course, because it had been fun. That was the plain and simple answer, he thought, looking at the seat across from him, which Garak would likely never occupy again. He had subscribed to the theories of candlelight and soothing instrumentals for years only because he had clear definitions and expectations for his relationships; it was not Ezri Dax’s fault she did not fit into any of them, and demanded her own. So, instead, the room was dark and her body glowed when he touched it, and he marvelled at her even when they were both asleep and dreaming. The music had been loud, pounding, exhausting, because Dax enjoyed the vibrations. Ezri had giggled and said she had not been with men often, and she pointed in teasing accusation at Dax’s current location, guiding Julian to kiss it, too, before they began.

Jadzia had told him once, years ago and half-seriously, that seducing a joined Trill was equivalent to having a threesome. This was the other possible answer, thought Julian: he was not being naive, but hopeless. He was still thinking about their encounter because he was still thinking about Jadzia, and about the time he held Dax in his hands and mourned two lives at once. It was not long ago at all, especially from the perspective of a symbiont who would live another thousand years, at least. It was a branding iron, scalding hot but only applied for a moment, and then Jadzia was another marking in a list of lifetimes. Julian told himself he had done all he could for her, and Dax was grateful in some way Ezri was still learning to express.