Title: The Law of Mutual Attraction by gemjam
Fandom: Red Dwarf
Pairing: Rimmer/Lister
Categories: Tricky to categorise; I'll go with romance, humour
Length: Medium (6,100 words)
Warning: None
Rating: NC-17


Author on LJ: It's a headless blunder operating under the illusion of a master plan.
Website: Unknown


Summary: Lister starts seeing things differently when Rimmer gets a body.

Review:

There's a bitter-sweet quality to this story, which is almost as close to being of epic length as this fandom ever gets. It starts with a nice premise - Rimmer now has a hard-light body, but Lister doesn't feel that he's getting the full benefit of it. This is a train of thought which leads Lister into uncharted territory; he's thinking in depth about how Rimmer experiences sensations, and at the same time paying a great deal more attention to the way he does himself. Everything he does, everything he eats, gradually begins to have sexual connotations for him as he acknowledges to himself that actually he is as horny as hell - and he cannot imagine why Rimmer, in his new body, would not be feeling the same. It's a short step from there to actively making a pass at Rimmer - and, although Rimmer responds, it's not with the alacrity that Lister might have been hoping for. This is certainly not going to be the standard 'mutual passion and falling blissfully into bed' scenario; indeed, the author does not merely pay lip service to the complicated relationship dynamic between these two but actually considers it in sufficient detail to give a convincing account of the way it might be adjusted to include sex.

Rimmer, of course, considers the options in his usual not-quite-getting-it way, and then approaches Lister with a proposition. “I don’t like you and you don’t like me, but I think it might be mutually beneficial if we stopped smegging around and just had sex.” That's not the sort of offer Lister has ever been known to refuse, especially considering Rimmer is pretty much the only game in town. And when they do get down to it, in spite of Rimmer's lack of experience, there's certainly plenty of mutual satisfaction to be had.

What makes this story unusual is not that it's hot - although undoubtedly it is. It also intelligently and clear-sightedly portrays its characters as flawed whilst at the same time holding out the hope that once they have overcome their mutual antipathy there might be something better ahead for them. I have categorised the story under 'humour' and 'romance' yet it is neither hilariously funny nor sweetly romantic, but then I would hardly label it as 'angst' either. It is actually delightfully realistic, slightly downbeat yet hopeful, and utterly charming. As always I would have liked to see more but, like a good party guest, the story chooses exactly the right moment to make its exit. For Rimmer and Lister nothing has changed, but everything has - and for the better, although they may not exactly realise it at the time.

Link: The Law of Mutual Attraction