Title: Starless Night by Seishuku Skuld
Fandom: Les Misèrables
Pairing: Valjean/Javert
Categories: Romance, established relationship
Length: Short (~900 words)
Warning: None
Rating: PG-13 ish


Author on LJ: We Are Writing Dreamers
Website: Rose.Is.Rain (seems to be mostly anime- or manga-based fiction).


Summary: Javert liked the darkness, he liked the stars

Review:

For reasons that pass understanding the author seems a bit embarrassed about this story, referring to her nervousness about posting it and warning defensively for "old man snoggage". In fact its only fault is that is it so short; in other respects it is lyrical, keenly observed and yes, romantic, and gives us an insight into a small moment of tenderness in an ongoing relationship between two men who have found one another late in life. Seishuku Skuld shows us the inner workings of Javert's mind, showing persuasively how he has changed from a solitary, driven individual to become - albeit perhaps to his own confusion - half of a committed couple. Simply being able to illustrate this mental process is a sign that a writer has given considerable thought to her characters and their feelings, and absolutely no apology is necessary; this is slash fiction which is not about sex, not even about romance, but about love - and there is no maximum age limit for loving and being loved.

I wish the writer had had the confidence to write more for these two, but she has obviously turned her attention elsewhere and I will be perusing her other work with interest in future. Meanwhile, I can recommend this story as a little gem of observation; it may not qualify as 'epic' in the ordinary sense, but it certainly has epic qualities and gives us a glimpse of an epic love. There should be more fiction like this in the world.


Link: Starless Night