Sky Blue and Black

Fanfiction
Title:	Sky Blue and Black
Author(s):	Sylvia Bond
Date(s):	1995 (in print), ? (online)
Length:
Genre(s):	slash
Fandom(s):	Starsky & Hutch
Relationship(s):
External Links:	Sky Blue and Black; also at AO3
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Sky Blue and Black is a slash Starsky and Hutch story by Sylvia Bond. It first appeared in the zine Red Hot Lovers and then was published online.

Summary

"Starsky and Hutch go undercover in a gay bar to fight the war against drugs. Unfortunately, the guy they go up against (Joshua Bright) decides to rid the world of one more do-gooder cop, kidnaps Hutch, and tortures him for information on the names of the people he works with. There is rescue and comfort at the end, but the middle is dark-dark-dark."

Author's Comments

Velveteen Hutch went to Linda Cabrillo’s fanzine called Turned to Fire. I also sent her Sky Blue and Black, but she rejected it. I remember her saying, with much kindness, that the fandom didn’t much call for the kind of aggression and violence that the story contained. She did say that Velveteen Hutch was perfect (suggesting a change in the title from “The Velveteen Hutch,” to just ”Velveteen Hutch”), but I was somewhat put out. Writing Velveteen Hutch had been easy for me, with its first person viewpoint (Hutch’s) and the breezy, easy stream of consciousness that came to me as I typed. So, thusly, since it was easy, it could not possibly be worth anything. On the other hand, writing Sky Blue and Black had been hard. The story had a plot, a bad guy, two points of view, and was long. Not sure how many words, but at least three times as long as the other story. Thus, it should be worth more. But it wasn’t. I eventually found a home for it in Caro Hedge’s Red Hot Lovers, but the zine had limited release, and very few readers. To this day, I’ve gotten very little back about it, but I still think it’s a good story...

One day, while driving along [in my car], I heard Jackson Browne’s song (from whence came the title for the story) on the radio. I somehow floated home while listening the lyrics, which seemed to be a combination of love and hate, hope and despair, and a the mixed-up emotions that two people in love might very easily share. The title, as well, seemed provocative, as blue and black are the color of bruises. I felt so very bruised inside and out and I wanted to write a story where Starsky and Hutch would feel bruised as well.

So I wrote the story, see. I put Hutch through hell and made Starsky watch. Then I made Hutch watch while Starsky went through hell. Then I made Hutch leave so Starsky could suffer some more trying to find him. Then I let them be together in the same room, but they had to reveal the most painful of secrets. Then I made them re-live the events of the original torture…and in the end, it was a pretty dark story. Perhaps too dark for the Starsky and Hutch fan community, I don’t know. I never received any feedback on it, but I did receive one verbal comment at a convention that the story was a downer. Which didn’t make any sense to me because it had a happy ending! No one died! Eventually the story was published in Red Hot Lovers, because the publisher was a friend of mine and she was a nice person.

When I think about this story, I think about that time and how cathartic the writing was. I’ve had people tell me that spending time on fanfic and other fannish activities is foolish and a waste of time. But I tell you what, there was no better way for me, personally, to work through what I had gone through than writing this story. Writing fanfiction saved me. It allowed me to express what I had gone through in ways that I could not have done speaking aloud to another person. It turned out to be the most valuable of therapies.

Reactions and Reviews

Unknown Date

The boys get hurt, there is guilty Hutch, there is such sweet angst. Seriously I love this story. Sylvia Bond is awesome. The gradual slide into slash is so lovely and there are some scenes that make my chest ache with emotion.

2005

They are best friends, partners, and the department knows that they can pass, so they send them undercover in a gay bar to catch a crook. The problem starts when the guy gets out on a technicality and Hutch swears that he will never let anyone exploit what they are to one another ever again... They are taken through trials and tribulations, from kidnapping to the Blue Sky motel, and many points in between. They push each other, they fight and yell and try to work out what exactly it all means. To move forward, you have to forgive. You have to let go of the past in order to focus on the future. They both have to learn that and accept it. And then they must learn to accept something that they both feel, but couldn't really put into words. They learn to quantify what they really mean to one another. It's an extension of who they are, one more step into the future.

2014

This was a wonderful story! The end notes said it was not well-received at the time, but it truly is a beautiful work. The plot is very believable in the world of Starsky and Hutch. I loved the way you wrote and I'm very glad that you posted it here. I'm glad that you had this outlet to deal with the darkness you were experiencing. Writing, whether original or fanfic, can be very cathartic.

2017

A truly wonderful story filled with everything that is so very special about these two beautiful guys. I couldn't agree with you more Sylvia - about the therapeutic value of writing - particularly in this fandom. Because lets face it, there are not too many places like being inside of Starsky and Hutch's relationship where a love so pure can heal and restore any number of deep hurts.

I'm glad it helped to heal yours.

Thank you for your gift to us.

I didn't think the story was dark. It was what life is made of. Bad things happen to good people.

Mostly they happen when people love one another. True love will overcome any obstacle and forgive anything. My life partner strayed. He came back to me. He could never understand how

I could forgive him but that part was easy. The hard part was convincing him I meant it.

2018

I loved this story! This story showed how strong their love is, and it got them thru a lot! They stood by each-other like they always do. Their friendship and love is such a wonderful and special thing. Thank you for writing this story, which I enjoyed. I never get tired of reading their love stories.

I am glad it helped you as well. Fanfiction are stories that can help take our minds off things when we need happiness, or need a break from life. There is more to them then people think. Don't let someone give you grief for writing stories. If it makes you happy, continue. As a reader, I say please continue, because you have a very good talent. My only suggestion is to break your work into chapters instead of leaving it one LOOONG chapter. Hope to read more stories from you! :)

I've never understood complaining about a dark Starsky and Hutch story- in the fifth episode, Hutch is abducted and forcibly addicted to heroin, a rape metaphor if I ever saw one. Starsky is shot and nearly poisoned to death. It's a dark show with dark themes, for all its goofiness. Maybe what people mean is this story is complicated and deals with complex emotions. It delves into the darker parts of who the guys are- Hutch and his endless hairshirt and Starsky with his need to be taken care of, to know someone cares about him. I love this story and loved it the first time I came across it on the Starsky and Hutch archive. Maybe it would have been better received if it had ended up with them living together and married as so many do, but I like the way you left it, with them still getting used to this new dimension of their partnership.

2021

This is absolutely wonderful!!!! I love how deeply you explore the weird balance of their dynamic.

Onscreen, we see a deep love mixed with actions and words that don't often match it. We don't really see explicitly what Starsky gets from their relationship or the reasons Hutch nags him....which is exactly the gap that fic can fill, as you do here!

The dynamic you've depicted here rings true. I can feel their love shining through the pages in a way that feels realistic and true to character. The h/c scenes are delightfully brutal and vivid. Thanks for this marvelous fic.

It’s a wonderful and beautiful story. Well written, tender and poignant. I’ve read it twice and it retains its power through their deep love. I don’t understand how it could not be well received. The dark exists and they defeat it through love which is how we all have to. They have each other and escape from the darkness.

2024

I read this story on a train trip in one go, didn't put it down. If I hadn't known this train line by heart, I would have miss my stop! I love this, the angst is top tier and never too much, just the right amount in the right progression. Thank you for uploading it here after all this time!