After the Ball by Ariadne (NC-17)

[franciskerst.livejournal.com]

And now back to slash!

Fandom: THE MAN FROM U.N.C.L.E.
Pairing: Napoleon/Illya
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: Lyrebird's Mound

Why this must be read:

Because I promised sensine an amnesia story! Because I sadly failed to find a convenient Christmas story when it was the proper time.

More seriously, because it's simply an excellent story, a convincing first time story, neatly written and cleverly developed, with acute insights and good characterizations. Because the situations and the two men's reactions and interactions are plausible and fitting with their age, genre, job and previous relationship (not always the case in slash stories).

Everything begins with a moment of drunken lapse of self control: alcohol, as everybody knows, being assuredly the most effective of deshinhibitors among the easily available pychoactive substances. So, they are both fairly intoxicated and Napoleon is getting more and more aware of his partner's and friend's physical presence and attractiveness, while Illya is loosing his inner defenses against his deeply repressed feelings. Not original? Maybe but I tend to think this scenario remains the most acceptable for men of this kind, having the background, the profession and the personality they have, especially in the US and in the sixties. Lust as a start looks to me more credible than love. It can play the role of an eye opener but not at once. For the moment it only pushes them entangled in a hot knot of shivering limbs under the Christmas tree! But that's only the beginning of the story, which is more about the aftermath of the coupling than the coupling itself.

And what about amnesia? Well, it's just a partial amnesia; a side effect of hangover, but it plays an important part in the plot and the psychological evolution of our heroes. I won't say anything about the method used by Napoleon to revive lost memories! just read the piece...

After the Ball

Comments

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Hadn't read this one before; it's lovely! Thanks for reccing it.

[franciskerst.livejournal.com]

My pleasure...I try to find the old goodies which deserve to be remembered. I also very much appreciated the story you got as Xmas gift but it's too new to be recced; everybody must know it now; better to do a little archeology.

[sensine.livejournal.com]

Thank you! This is a great story, and I'll bookmark the link at once for my collection of amnesia stories *g*