singing from the streetlight

( 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)!

44. how do you hold onto people?

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.

11. how do you blow off steam?

playing piano, or going outside and playing with my dog, almond.

12. physically, do you feel warm or do you always feel cold?

i definitely run warm, i sleep with the fan on at all times, even in the dead of winter.

42. is there something you aren’t very good at, but enjoy doing nonetheless?

cooking for sure; baking i’m decent with, but cooking? forget it.

49. do you talk to yourself?

i sing to myself, but generally no talking.

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.”

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?”

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.” 

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.” 

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.

“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. 

“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.” 

“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?”   

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..?”

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. 

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. 

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​