Getting the crack van painted red with a white stripe took longer than I thought, but I'm hoping to make up for the late start as I finally start driving the van for Starsky & Hutch. As I considered how to approach this month's recs, I thought I'd focus on stories whose themes would usually not appeal to me--stories out of my comfort zone.

Fandom: STARSKY & HUTCH
Pairing: Starsky/Hutch
Length: 3936 words
Author on LJ: xtexan86
Author Website: Archive of Our Own
Why this must be read:
In the Christmas-themed S&H episode, "Little Girl Lost," Hutch plays Scrooge to Starsky's Christmas elf. During their inevitable gift exchange, Hutch gives a disappointed Starsky a tree planted in his name to maintain his "principles." Addressing the underlying causes of their opposing attitudes has given the fandom a long list of Christmas-themed stories. I rarely read Christmas stories, so in keeping with my focus, I decided to rec some stories that broke through my inner Grinch.

In xtexan86's short story, the guys are facing their first Christmas as housemates. They've moved in together as Starsky struggles to recover from Gunther's assassination attempt. Starsky is still adjusting to the reality that he'll never be a cop again, while Hutch is studying for the lieutenant's exam. As they face these new challenges, more than their careers are changing. Their relationship is straddling the edge of a radical shift as well. Hutch is comfortable with his feelings. He knows he's in love with Starsky. But Starsky, who is facing so many life-changes not of his own making, is unsure. The push-pull between them is believable and poignant. There's no saccharin solutions here, just two real people trying to figure out who and what they are now that everything has changed, and how to love each other.

All I Want for Christmas by xtexan86