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Stubborn Mouths: Humans in Translation | A Garak/Bashir Fan Fic

[nethenclawpuff]

An AU in which Julian Bashir is on the autism spectrum and upon arriving on DS9 as he does in canon, has different interactions with the characters we all know. The fic is generally from his perspective and though he is different, yes, he is still Julian Bashir and recognisable as such. It’s also interesting how he interacts with others, and how his relationship with Garak forms and grows. 

I love that though yes, he processes things differently to others and people don’t always get him and it takes them longer to understand, but him he is never written as broken in any way and the wider implications around this are touched on.

There’s a conversation with Kira about what humanity did with those it saw as disabled or broken, how deaf culture has been almost destroyed in trying to ‘fix’ them and moments on how the Federation pushes its views on this sort of thing, and other issues like reproductive health, on others without regard for differences of culture. All of which has very real implications for the real world.

It’s a really wonderful fic. I can’t speak for how it’d read to someone with autism but to me it seems very well done.

And one of the best things? Even though this is AU it also addresses something that is very much there in canon but that canon glossed over and then ignored where it really shouldn’t have been.

[geneticallyenhancedsecretagent]

I did not know this????

The way I wrote him (and I think the way Andy so wonderfully played him), Garak was attracted to Bashir. He knew that attraction was not going to be returned (or even particularly noticed) and that was okay. He considered Bashir a friend and a protegee. There’s nothing overt, there’s no big flags waving or anything. It’s all subtext. So maybe ‘clearly’ is an overstatement.

How about, 'It would not be wrong to interpret Garak as bisexual.’

Robert Hewitt Wolfe – Gay Star Trek fan series - Page 9 - General Media Discussion - Ex Isle Forums

[ladyyatexel]

indestructible

words by tinsnip
image by ladyyatexel

it’s just us—we ignore the crowd dancing

four-to-the-floor beats in my heart

(put your hand on my heart)

—robyn, “indestructible”

The corner is their compromise.

This club is loud and laser-bright and filled with smoke and sound, and Garak likes none of it, which doesn’t matter, because Julian needs to be here. It’s understood between them that these nights are entirely for Julian, not at all for Garak. This is, perhaps, not entirely true, but then what is?

Still, to put himself in the centre of a crowd of strangers… no. Instead, he’s found this corner, with walls to put his back against, and this is where Julian will find him when he’s ready.

Not far away, Julian is dancing in the crowd, arms up and mouth moving, and the flicker-flash of strobing light freezes him in a series of moments: eyes, mouth, hair, laughter. The air between them is liquid-thick with sweat and pheromone and perfume and buzzing sound.

He can feel the smile on his face, tugging at his mouth. It shouldn’t be there: there’s too much noise, too many people, too much, too much, and yet he’s smiling because Julian is looking at him, smiling for him. Julian gets to dance, to lose himself; Garak gets this.

An inquiry flashes between them in a moment of lifted brows, and it brings Julian to him through the thick air, through the people, eyes half-closed, grinning. When he reaches Garak he leans back against the wall, exhausted, exhilarated. His eyes close briefly as he gasps for breath, and Garak looks at him, at how the sweat is dripping from his mussed hair, at how his shirt is damp and clinging, at how his hands press back against the wall, fingers stretching. 

He can’t say anything. Julian wouldn’t be able to hear him if he did. The noise of the bass beat drowns out any possible conversation, any communication at all that isn’t delineated by touch and scent and widened eyes, and so when Julian opens his eyes and smiles at him and says something, Garak doesn’t ask him to repeat it.

Instead he leans in, watching Julian’s mouth moving, shaping amazing, shaping feel, and when he looks up uncomprehending Julian laughs and catches his hand and presses it to his chest.

Julian’s skin is slick with sweat. His shirt is just as damp as it appeared. He’s so warm against Garak’s palm, so warm between his fingers as his pretty hand entwines itself with Garak’s own. 

Feel that, says the shape of Julian’s mouth, and Garak presses hard, feels the vibration of the bass thrumming through his body, through Julian’s body, shaking them both where they touch, yoking their heartbeats together so that they beat in time with the insistent drum.

Can you, says Julian, do you feel, and Garak does; with warmth and sweat and the shape of a clever mouth and the heartbeat under his hand now pulsing inside him, Garak does.

• Indigo: Look at that. Jeeves can crack an egg one handed. Of course he can.
• Husband: Not only can he crack an egg one handed, he can do it without getting any on him.
• Indigo: Of course he can. He's Jeeves. He can do -anything- without getting any on him.
• Husband: *side-eye*

Friendly reminder that the songs Miles and Julian could have been singing instead of “Jerusalem” were “Louie, Louie” or “Rocket Man”. (x)

This should make your face go :3, in case you were wondering.

[ladyyatexel]

episode ends with Garak randomly jumping at some man to fix his clothes, good, good

[indigobluerose]

While Bashir makes this face:

And looks about a hair’s breadth away from doodling their initials on the tabletop.

[ladyyatexel]

[moonbean88]

i don’t even WANT to know…..