"Nothing Would Please Me More. You're Always Welcome, Doctor." Nothing Would Please You More??? NOTHING???

"Nothing would please me more. You're always welcome, Doctor." Nothing would please you more??? NOTHING??? You are living in the fallout of a planet-wide nuclear apocalypse and you can't think of a single thing that would make you happier than seeing the same little twink you already spent 7 years pining over?????? Garak babygirl there is something genuinely fucking wrong with you

I'm never going to be normal about Garak/Bashir.

Imagine being so convinced that you're a monster, respectively, because of unimaginable violence you were groomed into committing and because you're autistic and were given illegal medical treatment against your will so you could pass better. Imagine meeting someone who doesn't just see you but forgives you and refuses to leave you.

Imagine knowing all your life that you can never trust anyone because "sentiment is the worst weakness" or because doing so would destroy your life.

Imagine going your whole life hiding your skills and true self out of necessity, and finding the pleasure of someone who challenges you enough for you to pull down the mask just a little bit.

Garak seeing Bashir as the best of the federation despite being literally barred from service and can never truly be comfortable anywhere because of it, can never have a home. Yet here is this exile, welcoming you where everyone else has treated you like an annoyance.

Bashir engaging with Cardassian culture and, despite their differences, giving garak a place to share the things about Cardassia he loves. A taste of a home he thinks he can never reach. This is arguably the thing that gives Garak a cornerstone to help rebuild Cardassia once he loses Tain who, up until this point, is the cornerstone of his political compass. Garak calling Julian "the kindest voice in my head" and, tho he'd never admit it, he uses that voice to build a better Cardassia.

Imagine being loved in your entirety and finding yourself better because of it.

Deep Space Nine 2x16, “Shadow Play”

I just cannot get over what a beautiful job Avery Brooks and Cirroc Lofton do playing father and son on DS9. The deep love and mutual respect that glows between them makes me so happy, and I appreciate that the show takes the time to develop their relationship instead of just skipping straight to action scenes and expecting us to accept that they’re a loving father-and-son duo without ever proving it to us.

It means a lot to see a dad who never responds “because I said so, that’s why” when Jake asks him a question; a dad who cultivates a relationship with his son based on their mutual love of things like baseball while also encouraging Jake to be his own person.

Also, I hope this scene helped parents watching it learn what being a supportive parent looks like. Ideally, parents wouldn’t make any assumptions about what their kids will grow to be, because it’s clear that Jake feels pressured to join Starfleet. But even though Sisko made the mistake of assuming Jake would want to be in Starfleet too, when he realizes his mistake he recovers quickly. He’s quick to reassure his son that all he wants is for Jake to find his passion and do it well. He doesn’t protest that “surely you’ll change your mind, Jake,” or say he’s hurt by Jake’s comment that Star Fleet is “too much like you.” Instead, he is proud of Jake for saying he wants to “find what’s me.” He doesn’t expect his son to be a perfect little clone of him whom he can mold to fit his own desires – he is proud of Jake for striving to be his own person.

It’s just. pretty cool.

i think what bothers me about "garak would never allow himself to be happy" takes is they presume he has the strength of character to resist it. he absolutely cannot. he's nibbling on illegally imported chocolates all day even though he's gonna blow up his own shop later. julian looks into his eyes for three seconds and he crumbles. he does not have the ability to really push julian away and keep him there. it's like, one of the core things about his character and the way they interact. i don't even think he would wait for julian that long post canon before just going after him like he did in OMB. he's a fucking. puppy dog. he's been told he must deny himself and be a finely honed tool of the state and there is literally NOTHING he is worse at.

"I want what they have" and it's the soul mate bond between an unhinged repressed gay alien and a repressed bisexual man with a heart of gold

Do y’all remember in A Stitch In Time when Garaks getting the everliving shit beat outta him and he’s just having the most amazing beautiful psychedelic and spiritual experience lol. Thats me every single day except Barkan is just my life and the wire is my inherent joy and whimsy