Twenty-Year Man

Fanfiction
Title:	Twenty-Year Man
Author(s):	Ellen Fremedon
Date(s):	July 20, 2011
Length:	24,908 words
Genre(s):	Slash, Casefic
Fandom(s):	Vorkosigan Saga
Relationship(s):
External Links:	Archive of Our Own
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Twenty-Year Man is a popular Ivan/Byerly fic by Ellen Fremedon. It was written as a fill for the 2011 round of Kink Bingo and posted to Archive of Our Own in July 2011. It has appeared on numerous Vorkosigan Saga fic rec lists over the years.

The fic's official summary reads:

Lord Ivan Vorpatril and Byerly Vorrutyer, making Vorbarr Sultana safe for (highly limited experiments in) democracy.

Author's Notes

Many thanks to Sanj and Dira for beta.

This was supposed to be a 4000-word bingo fill where Ivan and/or By got drunk and/or stoned, and had sex. Then it became an 8000-word story where they got drunk and/or stoned under more interesting circumstances, sobered up, and had sex.

Then the interesting circumstances turned out to be WAY more interesting than I had bargained for, and it ended up as the 25,000 word story in which Ivan and/or By get drunk and/or stoned WHICH CAUSES ALL THE PLOT IN THE WORLD TO HAPPEN, in the course of which they do, I promise, have sex.

So it's still a bingo fill, but. Some of my other kinks seem to have come along for the ride.

Reactions and Reviews

[Espresso Addict]
'He ran his gloved fingers under Ivan's collar, very slowly and lightly--Ivan shivered--and came up with a tiny slip of clear plastic, all that was left of a pharmaceutical patch. "Punch," By said. He slipped it into a sealed pouch and secreted it in a pocket. "Or to you and me--fast-penta."' This future novella starts out with a bit of a clichÉ, but matures into a complex & twisty plot resembling the political machinations thread of A Civil Campaign. Ivan takes centre stage, but there's a large cast including a well-drawn OC

[mific]
I recently read the entire saga via audiobook and this fic is spot on. The style's just right, the intrigues and dialogue are perfect for canon, and it's a fun read if you like the Vorkosigan books. This is packed full with politics and has slightly more gay sex than canon, otherwise it's bang on. A clever, hot and unexpectedly romantic read.

This is maybe the most interesting universe I’ve ever stumbled across, and it’s written with all the style of legendary pulpy thrillers. Ivan’s personal and political interests collapse, folding seamlessly into the narrative, weaving all the ends together for a mystery that keeps me up to 4 am to finish it, every time I reread it.