Luther had placed the small camera in a very inconspicuous place, one Doctor Bashir would never think to look. In between various notebooks and padds, sat his beloved teddy bear, or as the doctor liked to call him, Kukalaka.
It was quite easy to carefully place the microscopic camera in the fur. It had embedded itself immediately, and there was no way for it to be detected unless someone was actively searching for surveillance equipment, and even then, he had several other cameras and mics ready throughout the doctor’s quarters, just waiting to be activated.
It surprised him that the Cardassian hadn’t done a full sweep of Doctor Bashir’s quarters before beginning a relationship, but perhaps he was becoming feeble in his middle age. He had once even picked up the bear himself, but he was unable to notice the camera, nor did he appear to be looking for one.
Luther got a full view of his fat, scaly face as he examined the teddy bear, but the camera was not disturbed. Perhaps, he was feeling some sort of disgusting sentimentality towards the doctor’s things. The Cardassian didn’t strike him as the sentimental type during his first surveillance of Deep Space Nine, but Luther had been wrong before. He’d certainly been wrong about Doctor Bashir, although that had been a more pleasant surprise.
Day after day, Luther reviewed the footage, waiting for something he could use against the man. But he was staggeringly normal.
Most of what the camera picked up was fairly mundane. Mostly just the doctor going about his daily routine: leaving for work early in the cycle and returning late, occasionally hosting guests for dinner such as the O’Briens. Garak came by rarely, but when he did, it was typically for a sexual encounter, which was frequently of little interest. For all of Doctor Bashir’s promiscuity, he seemed hardly adventurous in the bedroom.
He did witness some of the doctor’s occasional bouts of loneliness. There were times where he would watch the doctor spend hours in bed, staring at the ceiling. Depression wasn’t uncommon among Starfleet officers. Other officers that Luther had under surveillance showed the same behavior, although he didn’t have much interest in them. The doctor had far more potential than the other people he kept tabs on.
The day he saw Doctor Bashir bring ropes into the bedroom, Luther assumed the man was simply suicidal and was planning on choosing a more painful method than that of a phaser. It was rather admirable; him choosing not to take the easy way out, albeit a bit foolhardy, as there was a greater risk of being caught and “saved” during the attempt.
It made perfect sense for the doctor to be suicidal, even if it would be a waste. They were in the midst of a war, he had recently learned of several old classmates who had been killed, and his relationship with the Cardassian appeared to be deteriorating, if his lack of visits was anything to go off of. Him ending his life would just be another blip in history. Another person with great potential who cracked under pressure.
But for several weeks, the ropes remained untouched. He saw the doctor sometimes take them out and study them, but he never even attempted to tie a noose, nor did Luther see him examining the light fixture that would support the rope perfectly.
Reluctance to take the final step was quite common, so Luther didn’t make much note of it. It would’ve been more surprising for the doctor to have ended his life immediately after acquiring the ropes.
And yet, he soon realized that the ropes were not intended for suicide, at least not entirely.
The Cardassian had entered the doctor’s quarters for the first time in several weeks, something that did surprise Luther; he’d begun to believe the relationship had entirely ended.
Upon the Cardassian entering the bedroom, Doctor Bashir had taken the ropes out. There seemed to be some sort of discussion, though it was too quiet for the camera to pick up on it. Soon after, Doctor Bashir stripped naked and laid on the bed. Luther watched as the Cardassian began to loop the ropes around the doctor’s body. It wasn’t run of the mill bondage however, as the doctor didn’t appear to be restrained.
Admittedly, it was interesting to watch. The ropes seemed almost like an art form, as Luther watched the Cardassian create an intricate design along the doctor’s body. Down his legs, the ropes appeared to form a ladder of sorts, while others crisscrossed along his torso and formed the shape of a child’s drawing of a star.
The ropes themselves were deep red, something Luther hadn’t previously taken notice of, but he did when he saw how well it melded with the doctor’s skin. The deep red complimented his warm, brown skin, much like the uniform the doctor wore when performing surgery.
The strange thing, was that Luther couldn’t see any signs of arousal from the doctor. He was nude, yes, but he looked more like he was in a spa rather than engaging in some form of rope play with his partner. All the lines Luther had seen develop upon his otherwise youthful face were gone, and his body was loose without an instance of tension seen.
Luther had heard about people who engaged in such things to relax, but he’d always scoffed at it. Who relaxed by getting tied up by their partner? Clearly the doctor’s masochistic tendencies extended past his refusal to commit to anything or anyone outside of his work.
Would he let just anyone tie him up like that, or was that privilege reserved just for the Cardassian? The idea of stealing the doctor away again and tying him up in a similar way was quite delicious. Having the doctor at his mercy, unable to move a muscle, subject to whatever he desired…
Luther felt an uncomfortable stirring in his groin and shifted in his seat. Damn his body’s reactions, damn the human body in general. His desire to break the doctor was not one of a sexual nature, not at all. He was not the Cardassian, who got sexual pleasure out of doing such a thing. He was better than that. If he wanted to control the doctor in every way possible, it was only because of all the potential the doctor had.
Luther put in an order for ropes that looked similar. Perhaps when he next saw the doctor, they could have some fun.