i wanna kiss you in the pouring rain
say i loved you from the first time i saw you
it's a surefire way to get your heart to break
that's hollywood, this is REAL LIFE
( rami malek , cisgender man , he/him/his ) was that JACE KHOURI taking the stairs ? the THIRTY-NINE year old MUSICIAN has lived in APT 3A for FIVE YEARS. i heard they’re pretty TEMPERAMENTAL, but some say they’ve been KIND. they’re pretty well known for VINYL RECORDS PLAYING AT ALL HOURS, THE BROKEN STRINGS OF A GUITAR, WORN LEATHER JACKETS. / / MAGGIE, SHE/HER/HERS, 21, EST
hi everyone! this is my sweet baby jace khouri; i’ve been playing him for a long time but it’s been a while since i’ve found a group that’s stuck, so i’m hoping this is it! i’m super excited to be here with you all! i don’t have any wcs as i much prefer to chemistry plot, so if you want to plot you can message me here or on discord (rami malek fan club prez#3182)!
family life: jace was born & raised in queens, new york. he has an older sister, jayla (whom he ADORES), and both of his parents are still alive and well. his dad, omar, doesn’t know jace is pansexual and likely wouldn’t approve. his mom, raina, also wouldn’t approve but just because of his dad. jace knows if he told her on her own she’d support him, but he can’t in good conscience ask her to hide it from him.
golden life: jace has lived in apartment 3a for five years and he really enjoys the atmosphere; he couldn’t necessarily call himself “close” with all of his neighbors, though, as he’s rarely home. recently, though, his job as a musician at a local bar shifted hours, so he’s only out at nights, most of the time.
dreams & goals: as simple as it is, jace wants to spend his life making music. he would be just as happy with a standing gig at a coffee shop as he would with winning a grammy; but right now he’s only playing covers at a bar, and he’d like to come out with some originals. he’s currently working on writing some songs... will anything come of it? only time will tell.
personality: jace is really friendly! he is quick to talk to people and make conversation; but if you rub him the wrong way, you’re instantly on his bad side and it takes a while to get off of it.
not to be too depressing, but i don’t have a lot of people to hold onto, at the moment. those who are close to me, namely my sister, jayla, i talk to almost every day. we text, we call, et cetera.
45. what would you never forgive yourself for?
intentionally hurting someone.
46. how do you feel about growing old?
i don’t know? i feel like i’m approaching middle age which is not great, but i’m looking forward to learning what my mid life crisis will be.
32. do you daydream? what do you usually keep your mind occupied with?
i don’t daydream, per se, but i will find myself making up a tune or thinking of some lyrics at random points during the day.
33. how do you feel about the unknown?
i say bring it on.
34. how do you respond to condescension?
the only people who are typically condescending to me are my parents or, sometimes, my students. in either case i usually shrug it off and move on, but sometimes if i’ve had enough, i’ll dish it right back to them.
35. do you consider yourself childish/mature for your age?
i’m forty, and i feel like i act forty. that said, if i had to pick one, probably childish.
36. what makes them blush?
fun fact: it actually takes a lot to get my cheeks flushed, because of my egyptian roots. however, the easiest way to do it is probably to compliment and/or flirt with me.
Stef doesn’t expect the compliment about his kids, but it makes him smile, quickly pulling out his phone to show Jace a picture of Caleb and the twins. “Thank you. Caleb’s twenty two now…and Andrea and Teresa are one and a half.” He explains, pocketing his phone after a moment, clearing his throat softly. “What about you? Married? Kids?” The singer asks, realizing about a moment too late that he doesn’t see a ring on Jace’s finger, though he knows that doesn’t really mean anything. “You don’t have to answer that if you don’t want to.”
somewhat forcing his smile to remain on his face, he shook his head. “no, no, it’s fine. uh, no, neither. i haven’t really had any serious relationship since college. just kind of been doing my own thing.” this was a half-truth, at best. jace hadn’t found the right person, although it wasn’t for lack of trying. “twenty-two, though, wow. is he good with them? must be nice to have a built-in sort of babysitter.”
astrid cupped the coffee in both hands and took a look at it for a few long moments before she cast her eyes up once more and smiled thankfully at jace. “two weeks? wow. welcome.” she said enthusiastically before lifting the coffee to her mouth and taking a tentative sip to lessen the blow of the temperature. “unpacking is a real chore. is that why you’re out here? escaping?” she joked before shaking her head. “what do you do? did you job bring you to mapleview?”
jace smirked, “thanks, happy to be here.” he meant it genuinely; he liked mapleview so far. it had only been two weeks but it felt like home already. he nodded in response to her question. “yep. i saved the kitchen for last: that was a mistake. got too overwhelmed so i took a break.” he took a sip of his coffee and nodded again. “yeah, i was offered the music teacher vacancy at the high school. what about you, what do you do?”
Cain smiled, most of the people he met didn’t know any ASL, so even a little bit was impressive and a nice change from what he was used to. “That’s great. I learned it as a kid, the only place available in my area to help me out was a school for the deaf and they were definitely experts in teaching really young kids how to communicate and I owe them a lot.” He smiled and showed the name sign he’d adopted as a kid, “I really loved it at the time, I’m sure there’s some psychology behind wanting to be heard and liking to be loud, but I really did enjoy it back that. I’m sure it’s probably too late to pick it up again, but I liked it while it lasted, now I just focus on trying to keep a very arrogant and talented magician alive.”
jace smiled at the affirmation. “maybe i’ll learn some more. i pick up things quickly.” he mimicked the actions of the other man, doing his name sign back to him, and grinned, a bit proud of himself. “it’s never too late, man,” jace said. “i mean, it doesn’t have to become a job or anything. i’m no expert on the drums but i know how to play a little; if you ever want to pick it back up i’d be happy to help you get into it. piano is also something i’ve noticed a lot of percussionists like, since it’s technically a combination of percussion and strings. that, my friend, i could teach you how to do until you’re a master. piano is my instrument.”
When Jace mentions the job offer, Stef nods, offering him a smile. “Hey, that’s great. I moved here a few years ago, after Caleb finished high school. My ex is from here. But, uh, she’s no longer in the picture.” Stef says, clearing his throat softly. He realizes a moment too late that Jace doesn’t know who Caleb is, or who the twins in the stroller in front of him are. They hadn’t really stayed in touch after they broke up, though Stef didn’t blame Jace for any of it. Things hadn’t really ended well between them. “—anyways. Definitely a weird coincidence. I’m glad you’re doing well though.”
jace wasn’t sure why he was surprised stef had kids, although the age difference between them had shocked his system a bit. a high schooler and two babies? jace couldn’t imagine. “i’m glad you’re doing well, too,” jace said. and he was. he harbored no ill feelings towards stef; in fact, he’d always liked to think that if they’d met at adults they could have made it work, or at least just been friends. he thought about walking away, but something stopped him and instead made him say, “your kids are beautiful, by the way. uh, good work. on the kids.” he felt like an idiot. good work on the kids? damn, jace, smooth. “they look just like you.”
THE BRUNETTE LAUGHED AT the stranger, nodding her head lightly as she accepted the cup of coffee. “ i’ll trust you, then. thank you for the free coffee. “ josie said before she took a small sip from the drink, setting it down on the table and returning to her reading of big little lies. but before she could dive into it again, she hears the question and turns her read towards him. “ oh my god, it’s so good ! “ she excitedly said. “ i started it last night and haven’t been able to put it down yet. i haven’t watched the show or anything so this is all new to me and i’m seriously loving every second of it. “ she chuckled.
happy he wasn’t bothering her, jace took a seat next to her. “i haven’t watched the show either, or game of thrones, or euphoria; i haven’t felt the need to commit to paying for hbo yet, but maybe now is the time...” he mused, listening to her talk about the book. “for starting it last night you’re pretty far into it,” he noted, “do you read a lot or is this a one-time situation?”
“Well if I ever get bored of design, I know what career path to go down instead,” Thomas said with a small chuckle. “Anything, really,” he replied as Jace asked him more about his work. “I just finished up on a website for a wedding boutique, and now I’m working on one for a new music store that’s opening up in a couple weeks,” he told him, leaning back in his seat. “That’s the fun thing about it,” he continued. “I like that it’s a different thing every time, you know? It keeps it exciting,” he said, smiling.
“yeah, i’ll put in a good word for you at the high school if you do,” jace joked, laughing with his new friend. “a new music store?” he asked, his eyes lighting up as he leaned forward with interest. “that’s so exciting; i’m in the market for a new guitar but haven’t found a place around here that’s selling them.” he smirked, taking a sip of his coffee. “well, when i’m looking for a website designer, you’ll be the first person i call. promise.”
“That’s really cool, I have no musical talent whatsoever, I played the drums as a kid, but I fizzled out as a teenager and my parents didn’t exactly encourage me to stick with it, and in hindsight I can’t really blame them.” He smiled at the question, he honestly didn’t mind the question at all, he’d rather someone ask if they were curious. “It’s alright, you’d be surprised at how many people are afraid to ask and think it’s better to just stare at me, I really don’t mind talking about it. I was born with paralyzed vocal cords, which is fairly treatable, but there were some complications with the surgery and they were never able to fix them entirely. I can make some sounds, but they’re all a little off from what most people can make. I’ll either communicate via the speech program on my phone or I use ASL, but not a lot of people know it, so the phone thing is easiest.”
jace nodded, then smiled and signed “what can i get you?” to cain before shrugging. “i know a bit of sign language. picked it up from a regular at the bar i used to work at. i understand it much better than i can speak it, though.” to demonstrate his abilities one more time, he quickly finger-spelled his name and then showed cain the name sign he and his regular had come up with. “drums are a tricky instrument, man,” he said, circling back to a previous topic. “you have to have a sense of rhythm deep inside you. i’m sure you’ve got some musical talent, though; i don’t know anyone who doesn’t.”
“aw, and here i was, jace, thinking i was special,” rina grinned, lifting the cup to her lips and taking a swig. “i’m only teasing you, silly. i know you wouldn’t sink that low.” they scanned the long line of people that stood before her. “you saved me from potential small talk about how deadly the wait is here. – what are all these people doing here today, anyway? is there some sort of thing going on in town i didn’t hear about?”
“awe, c’mon,” jace said, bumping her shoulder with his (gently enough so neither would spill their drink), “you know you’re special.” he looked around at the cafe crowd; about a dozen people dressed head to toe in stetsons and cowboy boots. “there’s a rodeo,” he said, plainly. jace didn’t have a strong desire to attend; he was more of an indoors man. “my guess is they’re getting their caffeine in before they go bull-riding.”
Stef is pretty sure he’s seeing things. Maybe Jake was right, he needed to get more sleep. But then the man in question responds, and Stef knows he isn’t hallucinating. Mapleview was certainly a far cry from Brooklyn, and the fact that they had both somehow ended up in the town was definitely surprising. “Uh…I live here?” He replies once he regains his composure, clearing his throat softly. “Are you here visiting, or..?”
of course he lived there. jace restrained a bitter laugh; of course moving to mapleview, the best thing to happen to him in years, would have a catch. it wasn’t that he disliked stefano. no, they’d broken up what felt like a lifetime ago, and jace was the kind of person to let bygones be bygones. still... he couldn’t help feeling the sting of jealousy he always felt when he saw stef’s name on a magazine, or heard his band’s song in the aisles of the grocery store. “no, man, i just moved here,” he said, hoping he hadn’t been lost in thought long enough that it was awkward. “got offered the music teacher vacancy at the high school.” he felt himself smile, albeit a bit forced. “weird coincidence, right?”
Thomas nodded as Jace spoke about being offered a job here. “I thought about going into teaching once, but I’m basically a big kid myself, so I don’t think that’d work out so well,” he said with a laugh. “I’m a website designer,” he told him as the other man asked about his own line of work. “It’s good fun, I enjoy it. I’m also not great at following set schedules so working for myself was a no brainer really,” he explained.
jace laughed. “you’d be surprised; most of the teachers at mapleview high are like big kids. the students like you more if you are. and i’d know, i’m one of them.” he smiled as thomas explained what he did, able to see how much he loved his work on his face. “that’s awesome. what kind of websites do you design?” he wondered. he thought this might be a good time to network a bit... he was thinking of getting back into the music scene, releasing an ep, and thomas might be the perfect guy to get his online presence going. he made a mental note to ask about it later.
Thomas smiled back at Jace, then followed him as he gestured for him to join him at a table. He hadn’t been planning to stay after he’d gotten his drink, but the guy seemed nice, and Thomas wasn’t one to turn down company. “I feel you there, you’re the first person I’ve met that wasn’t born here,” he agreed with a small laugh. “Well, I lived in Philly, but I just wanted to get a fresh start I guess. Just graduated, starting up a new freelance business… It seemed like a good idea to go somewhere totally new,” he said with a shrug. “What about you? What made you decide to move here?” he asked him as he took a sip from his cup.
“tell me about it,” jace said, punctuating the sentiment by taking a sip of coffee. “i feel like this is such a born-and-raised town, it’s crazy. nothing wrong with that, though.” he listened, intrigued by the other’s story. “philly’s nice. i’ve been there a few times. i moved here because i was offered a job; nothing fancy, just a teaching position at the high school, but it definitely beat working as a bartender. i just... wanted a change.” he leaned back as he spoke, looking around the cafe and really taking in his surroundings for the first time, before focusing his attention back to thomas. “so what’s your business?”
Stef was tired. The twins had kept him up the night before and he hadn’t quite been in the mood to go to the rodeo, but he had promised a friend that they would meet them there, so there he was that afternoon. After a while they part ways and Stef is mostly wandering around in search of a stand that might be selling something to drink when he thinks he seems a familiar face, but it couldn’t be. He mist be delirious from lack of sleep or something, though the face becomes clearer as he takes a couple of steps forward, clearing his throat softly to get the man’s attention.. “—Jace?”
@jacekhouris
the first thing to come into jace’s mind was no fucking way. fate had a way of bringing people together, he supposed, and jace moving to mapleview was how he’d been destined to reconnect with stef, or something. he wasn’t entirely sure how fate worked. “stef?” he asked, feeling like maybe the nickname was a bit to familiar to use on a man he hadn’t seen in over twenty years. “what are you doing here?” he wondered, although the question was probably better answered by jace; after all, one of them had just moved here and the other had been there for god knows how long.
