Amateurs, by Emrys (R/NC-17?)

[kelliem.livejournal.com]

I thought I'd get one last rec in this month- I know I haven't been a prolific reccer, but unfortunately the bulk of the fic in this fandom exists in zine, but not online form, so it's a little tough to rec some of the stories I would really like to rec. (Like Elizabeth Urich's Perestroika, and Jane Terry's Z-48.) I'm hoping that with the creation of the new automated MFU archive, The Chrome & Gunmetal Madhouse, that that situation may change. There are also a few favorites I share with ardent_muses (the next person up) so I decided to leave them for her to do.

Fandom: Man from U.N.C.L.E.
Pairing: Napoleon Solo/Illya Kuryakin
Author on LJ: not that I am aware of
Author Website: none that I am aware of
Why this must be read:

MFU is a fandom that not only has a lot of canon bondage (not of the BDSM variety, but of the actual bonds variety) but it is rife with opportunities for hurt/comfort. These guys regularly end up in situations that should put them in the hospital, at least for a while. Personally I'm not a big H/C fan but I know I'm in the minority, so here's a H/C story for y'all that passes my 'not too extreme' test.

This story twines a classic hurt/comfort scenario with something a little more than comfort, weaves in a thread of guilt for angst, and then ties it all together in a payoff that feels very in-character for two men who mostly rely on brains, not brawn, to get the job done. The story is:

Amateurs, by Emrys

Comments

[shayheyred.livejournal.com]

::nods:: Good one. I reread that a lot.

Nice.

[dustandroses.livejournal.com]

As a child...way back in the 60's, I used to imagine these two together...and now I've found them again. I was always an Illya fan. Very nicely done. I shall have to check out The Chrome & Gunmetal Madhouse now! Thanks.

[kelliem.livejournal.com]

I just recently rediscovered these two, as well, and it's been a lot of fun. :)

[green-key.livejournal.com]

I enjoy this story on a couple of levels. First, because it's not often we get to see Napoleon doing the hurting in the h/c scenario. And he hurts so prettily. Second, because the h/c is not overdone. I do enjoy a good h/c, but when the hurt is overly dramatic and the following comfort is oozing syrup from my screen, I'm put off. It feels "fake," for lack of a better term. This story felt right. Napoleon toughing it out silently and Illya offering comfort in that quiet strength which is his way for all things. In character and well done.

[elmey.livejournal.com]

The story can be found at the following URL:

http://web.archive.org/web/20021022062352/http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Alien/1117/amateurs.html