Okay, these are two of my favourite characters, and here is sort of why.
Let’s cast it as Garak and Bashir, because obvs.
So imagine Bashir and Garak are super-tight friends, and Garak is into Bashir, and Bashir is not into Garak. Canon, more or less.
Now imagine that they fall in love with sisters - again, more or less! - and marry the sisters, and the sisters are, like, Cardassian-Ferengi hybrids who are super pretty and super smart and have _super terrifying inlaws._
And also imagine that Bashir is from a ridiculously repressive culture (not quite so), as is Garak (very much so).
And then they each want to start a family. And they talk about it. And negotiate with the in-laws. And it’s all amazing world-building and Cardassian threats and Ferengi negotiations and steadfast Julian and wiggly Garak and
GOD, THIS IS PERFECT.

Except it’s not Julian and Garak, it’s Ivan and Byerly, and I haven’t had so much fun reading fic in recent memory~~~~