Structural Integrity

This is a very good m/m romance short story. It's unusual in a way that felt fresh to me. It's about a couple who have a major conflict and then resolve it. You also see how they got together, through flashbacks, as well as how they got to the point in their relationship where unaddressed issues came to the surface. The writing style is matter-of-fact rather than flowery, which I feel serves the story well.

It's set in a fantasy world, and the worldbuilding is subtle. Kel reads as trans to me, which comes across as incidental. The story also isn't about orientation, and the society seems queernormative. Social class does play a big role here, though, as does the nature of their relationship.

I'm very happy to have read this. I hope that the author returns to these characters and this world in the future, but this lovely story stands alone very well.