An Even Tighter Closet
| Fanfiction | |
|---|---|
| Title: | An Even Tighter Closet |
| Author(s): | Rosemary C. |
| Date(s): | 1997 |
| Length: | |
| Genre(s): | slash |
| Fandom(s): | Starsky & Hutch |
| Relationship(s): | |
| External Links: | An Even Tighter Closet |
Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
An Even Tighter Closet is a slash Starsky/Hutch story by Rosemary C..
It was published in Cross the Line and is archived online.
This story was nominated for a STIFfie.
Reactions and Reviews
"An Even Tighter Closet" by Rosemary C.--It's a first-time story and being such with that kind of title, you can probably guess it's not going to be a Happily Ever After kinda ending. Set around the episode "Hutchinson: Murder One", it is another entry into the "Why are they so shitty to each other in fourth season" category of stories peculiar to S&H. I liked this for a couple of reasons, one of which is that Starsky is sympathetic and always basically Starsky--but he's an asshole, too. I don't generally think of the two of them quite as they are written here, but it still is in character enough and certainly well written enough, to work for me fairly well. The second thing that worked for me is a very minor side point made: That Turquette (from the episode "Huggy Bear and the Turkey") and Huggy are lovers. It's a weird thing to note, I know, but it's something I don't remember seeing before and even though I'm not exactly a huge fan of the episode, I think it's perfectly plausible and a nice touch. [1]
Because endings aren't always happy, and in this story, that's okay.Originally published in the 'zine "Cross the Line" (still in print) this story brilliantly weaves the events of "Hutchinson for Murder One" with a healthy dose of slash, angst, hurt, comfort and humor.
In a nutshell, Starsky loves Hutch, and desperately wants to tell him, but then there's the murder of Vanessa, sending our boys on the lam. Hiding out at Huggy's, things come to a, uh, head.
Perhaps it was subconscious planning on Starsky's part or maybe he really was more asleep than awake. Whatever the case, the drowsing detective was not aware of the moment when the nature of his touches altered, when a reassuring rub became a sensual glide, when an innocent hug became something only slightly less than a lover's embrace.
Shoulda slept on the floor, Starsk. Or maybe not...
As the story progresses, it gets better, it gets worse, then better, then... not so much with the better.
Visibly torn, Hutch tried to explain, "I barely know myself today and I don't recognize you at all. The day before yesterday, we were cops, sworn to uphold the law. I knew that we…stood for something, but now..."
Ah, Hutch, Hutch. Such angst, such confusion...
Okay, I won't spoil it for you, but suffice to say, this story practically begs a sequel, but there isn't one, and that's okay, too. [2]
Ro is on LJ tiranog just so you know;) And she's always written of the same mindset I have, Vanessa saying "The woman hasn't been born that could take him from me." and Starsky knowing that "Maybe the woman hasn't been born who could take him from you, but I'll lay you odds that the man has." It's perfectly in line with where the series went. Hutch's theory that "We're becoming more important to each other than the job and…" is also really evident in the show. They passed that line before the show even began airing, so backing off now isn't going to help. [3]
Wait. What?! This is where it ends?!!! [4]
References
- ^ In 1997 Michelle Christian posted this review to the Virgule-L mailing list. As with most of her Virgule-L reviews, Michelle gave permission for fans to forward the review to any fan or mailing list that might be interested. The review was sent to the Starsky & Hutch mailing list, Venice Place where both the editor and her friends expressed deep dissatisfaction with both the content and quality of Michelle's review ("cavalier, dismissive, negative"). While the topic of reviews and feedback was not new to either mailing list (in fact many of the list members on both lists had been subscribers to Starsky & Hutch and Star Trek letterzines of the 70s and 80; letterzines which had thoroughly debated the topic), Michelle's review sparked multiple discussions over whether reviews should focus on the positive while deemphasizing the negative, whether average readers had the right credentials to offer up reviews and whether the wildly divergent expectations fans had of reviews - and each other - would ever find a meeting ground. For more see the Fanlore section on Reviews.
- ^ a 2004 comment at Crack Van
- ^ a 2004 comment at Crack Van
- ^ comment at Starsky & Hutch Archive (2018)