I think Vimes is so invested in his image of himself as a plain, simple man who's completely ordinary in every way that it would take a lot to make him rethinking his own sexuality. He's clearly never thought of not-straightness as an option for himself (there's a bit in one of the books that talks about it, about Vimes basically understanding sex as another instance where you do what you're supposed to do and being puzzled by people who take a "pick and mix" approach). He's baffled by Nobby's dresses and by the love story of Bloodaxe and Ironhammer (where he really really wants to know which one of them was female and is deeply uncomfortable at the possibility that neither of them was, or [I don't know if this even occurred to him] they both were).
And Vimes can't even bring himself to acknowledge that he thinks Vetinari is a good ruler, even though his reaction to having to arrest him in Jingo shows that he really does. Plus, as you said, there's Sybil and Young Sam.
Vetinari's so good at ascesis and self-discipline that it's possible he prefers it; if he is aware of Vimes's complicated feelings, I agree that he might well choose to spare Vimes the suffering of self-knowledge. Vetinari's amazingly protective of him; I love the bit in The Truth when he tells William de Worde that the price of his cooperation is that the Times "not upset Commander Vimes" (more than necessary).
I do want to try writing Vetinari/Vimes, if I can figure out a reasonable way to get them together. At the moment I seem to be writing Vetinari/Drumknott. It's interesting how Drumknott sort of grows, in the books, from being "a clerk" to the fairly major presence he is in Going Postal and Making Money, where he goes everywhere with Vetinari, Vetinari confides in him, and when Vetinari talks to other people (especially Moist) he and Drumknott have a kind of conversational double-act going on. And then I read The Truth and the scene where William de Worde talks to Drumknott in jail made my head explode. Drumknott's protective of Vetinari, which no one else ever is, and to me that made their relationship absolutely fascinating.
And Vimes can't even bring himself to acknowledge that he thinks Vetinari is a good ruler, even though his reaction to having to arrest him in Jingo shows that he really does. Plus, as you said, there's Sybil and Young Sam.
Vetinari's so good at ascesis and self-discipline that it's possible he prefers it; if he is aware of Vimes's complicated feelings, I agree that he might well choose to spare Vimes the suffering of self-knowledge. Vetinari's amazingly protective of him; I love the bit in The Truth when he tells William de Worde that the price of his cooperation is that the Times "not upset Commander Vimes" (more than necessary).
I do want to try writing Vetinari/Vimes, if I can figure out a reasonable way to get them together. At the moment I seem to be writing Vetinari/Drumknott. It's interesting how Drumknott sort of grows, in the books, from being "a clerk" to the fairly major presence he is in Going Postal and Making Money, where he goes everywhere with Vetinari, Vetinari confides in him, and when Vetinari talks to other people (especially Moist) he and Drumknott have a kind of conversational double-act going on. And then I read The Truth and the scene where William de Worde talks to Drumknott in jail made my head explode. Drumknott's protective of Vetinari, which no one else ever is, and to me that made their relationship absolutely fascinating.
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