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therumjournalsTitle: 46th and Pine: A West Philadelphia Love Story
Author:![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
therumjournals
Word Count: Epilogue - 700 (Total - 35,500)
Previous: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5
(Header details at the Master Post)
Chris locked his bike to the bike rack and squinted into the early evening light until he spotted Zach's familiar form on the other side of Franklin Square. He jogged toward him, watched his face light up as he spotted Chris, and let himself sag happily into Zach's embrace.
"Hey, hottie," Zach said, kissing him on the cheek. "How was your day?"
"It was okay," Chris said, trying and failing to contain his excitement.
"What, what? Tell me, come on, what are you so happy about?"
Chris beamed, clutched Zach by his shoulders. "How do you feel about the intersection of 12th and Lehigh?"
Zach thought about it and frowned. "I feel terrible about it. North Philly, right? Isn't that, like, a really shitty neighborhood?"
"Uh huh, well, that may be true, but there's an elementary school there with a big ugly wall just waiting to be beautified - say, you don't happen to know any artists who might fucking flip their shit at the chance to work with that kind of canvas, do you?
"Shut up." Zach's jaw dropped a little.
Chris grinned. "I talked to the mural coordinator today. I may have suggested a certain local artist who would love the opportunity to 'light up young faces and old places'."
"Are you quoting marketing materials to me?"
"I made that one up. You like it?"
"Chris, don't fuck with me, are you serious?"
"Nothing's set in stone yet, but yeah. They are looking for an artist and I did give them your name. They asked if you'd like to come into the office next week to talk about your vision and some place-based design concepts and - yeah, you know, I kinda lost them after that, but I know you should do it. You'll do it, right?"
"Fuck yeah, I will. Oh my god, Chris, that is amazing," Zach said, wrapping his arms around Chris's waist and attempting unsuccessfully to spin him through the air.
"Better work on those arm muscles, Quinto. You're gonna be working with bigger brushes soon," Chris said, laughing.
"Whatever. You're heavy."
"Sorry, but someone keeps feeding me delicious pasta on a nightly basis."
"We need it to keep our stamina up!"
"Everything comes back to sex with you, doesn't it? Speaking of which, I'm starving." He grabbed Zach by the hand and dragged him across the square to the burger stand. They sat on a picnic bench as Chris ate.
"Give me a bite," Zach said, nudging his shoulder.
"Hell no," Chris said through a mouthful of burger.
"Come on," Zach whined. "It smells good."
"No." Chris wiped his mouth with a napkin. “I don’t want to be a bad influence on you. And I don’t want to deal with the consequences.”
Zach rolled his eyes and took a sip of Chris’s milkshake instead. He played with the straw for a few seconds. “Summer’s moving out,” he said, finally.
Chris looked at him in surprise. “Really? Damn. Where’s she going? To live in a giant redwood or something?”
“Close,” Zach said, laughing. “You know that show, Whale Wars?”
Chris’s mouth dropped open. “You’re shitting me.”
Zach shook his head. “Nope.”
“So should we start collecting her bail money now?”
“I know, right?” Zach laughed.
Chris noticed his expression turning serious. “What?”
“So, I was thinking, since Lily and Cho have moved in….and since Cho is now an actual contributing member of society, we were thinking…instead of getting another roommate, maybe you and I could move into the front room. I could keep the third floor as my studio. And maybe we could even get-“
“No…” Chris said, a smile starting on his face as he realized what was coming.
“Yeah. A real bed.”
Chris threw his arms around Zach and faked a sniffle. “Zach. You’re all grown up.”
Zach smiled and shook him off. “Shut it, you.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too, asshole. Now come on. All these adult decisions are making my head spin, and I need to seriously kick your ass in mini-golf.”
“Wanna make it interesting?” Chris asked, standing up from the bench.
Zach shook his head as Chris took his hand. “You’re getting sexual favors either way.”
Chris grinned. “Then I will totally let you win.”
THE END
Author’s Notes:
First of all, thanks so much to everyone for reading, and thanks to everyone for encouraging me and for bearing with me as I taunted you throughout the writing process.
Most of the places mentioned in this fic are real. Fuego is a real place with a fake name where I spent many drunken Thursday nights when I was 24 and 25 (and yes, Citywide Specials are real too…unfortunately, they’re not actually city-wide). There are lots of localisms and references throughout the story, so let me know if there's anything that makes you go "huh?!" :-) And if you ever visit Philly, let me know, and I'll take you on the grand tour (Chris and Zach not included).
Author:
therumjournalsWord Count: Epilogue - 700 (Total - 35,500)
Previous: Chapter 1, Chapter 2, Chapter 3, Chapter 4, Chapter 5
(Header details at the Master Post)
Chris locked his bike to the bike rack and squinted into the early evening light until he spotted Zach's familiar form on the other side of Franklin Square. He jogged toward him, watched his face light up as he spotted Chris, and let himself sag happily into Zach's embrace.
"Hey, hottie," Zach said, kissing him on the cheek. "How was your day?"
"It was okay," Chris said, trying and failing to contain his excitement.
"What, what? Tell me, come on, what are you so happy about?"
Chris beamed, clutched Zach by his shoulders. "How do you feel about the intersection of 12th and Lehigh?"
Zach thought about it and frowned. "I feel terrible about it. North Philly, right? Isn't that, like, a really shitty neighborhood?"
"Uh huh, well, that may be true, but there's an elementary school there with a big ugly wall just waiting to be beautified - say, you don't happen to know any artists who might fucking flip their shit at the chance to work with that kind of canvas, do you?
"Shut up." Zach's jaw dropped a little.
Chris grinned. "I talked to the mural coordinator today. I may have suggested a certain local artist who would love the opportunity to 'light up young faces and old places'."
"Are you quoting marketing materials to me?"
"I made that one up. You like it?"
"Chris, don't fuck with me, are you serious?"
"Nothing's set in stone yet, but yeah. They are looking for an artist and I did give them your name. They asked if you'd like to come into the office next week to talk about your vision and some place-based design concepts and - yeah, you know, I kinda lost them after that, but I know you should do it. You'll do it, right?"
"Fuck yeah, I will. Oh my god, Chris, that is amazing," Zach said, wrapping his arms around Chris's waist and attempting unsuccessfully to spin him through the air.
"Better work on those arm muscles, Quinto. You're gonna be working with bigger brushes soon," Chris said, laughing.
"Whatever. You're heavy."
"Sorry, but someone keeps feeding me delicious pasta on a nightly basis."
"We need it to keep our stamina up!"
"Everything comes back to sex with you, doesn't it? Speaking of which, I'm starving." He grabbed Zach by the hand and dragged him across the square to the burger stand. They sat on a picnic bench as Chris ate.
"Give me a bite," Zach said, nudging his shoulder.
"Hell no," Chris said through a mouthful of burger.
"Come on," Zach whined. "It smells good."
"No." Chris wiped his mouth with a napkin. “I don’t want to be a bad influence on you. And I don’t want to deal with the consequences.”
Zach rolled his eyes and took a sip of Chris’s milkshake instead. He played with the straw for a few seconds. “Summer’s moving out,” he said, finally.
Chris looked at him in surprise. “Really? Damn. Where’s she going? To live in a giant redwood or something?”
“Close,” Zach said, laughing. “You know that show, Whale Wars?”
Chris’s mouth dropped open. “You’re shitting me.”
Zach shook his head. “Nope.”
“So should we start collecting her bail money now?”
“I know, right?” Zach laughed.
Chris noticed his expression turning serious. “What?”
“So, I was thinking, since Lily and Cho have moved in….and since Cho is now an actual contributing member of society, we were thinking…instead of getting another roommate, maybe you and I could move into the front room. I could keep the third floor as my studio. And maybe we could even get-“
“No…” Chris said, a smile starting on his face as he realized what was coming.
“Yeah. A real bed.”
Chris threw his arms around Zach and faked a sniffle. “Zach. You’re all grown up.”
Zach smiled and shook him off. “Shut it, you.”
“I love you.”
“I love you, too, asshole. Now come on. All these adult decisions are making my head spin, and I need to seriously kick your ass in mini-golf.”
“Wanna make it interesting?” Chris asked, standing up from the bench.
Zach shook his head as Chris took his hand. “You’re getting sexual favors either way.”
Chris grinned. “Then I will totally let you win.”
Author’s Notes:
First of all, thanks so much to everyone for reading, and thanks to everyone for encouraging me and for bearing with me as I taunted you throughout the writing process.
Most of the places mentioned in this fic are real. Fuego is a real place with a fake name where I spent many drunken Thursday nights when I was 24 and 25 (and yes, Citywide Specials are real too…unfortunately, they’re not actually city-wide). There are lots of localisms and references throughout the story, so let me know if there's anything that makes you go "huh?!" :-) And if you ever visit Philly, let me know, and I'll take you on the grand tour (Chris and Zach not included).
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2010-07-09 12:46 am (UTC)I also really, really want to visit Philly now.
no subject
Date: 2010-07-10 11:30 pm (UTC)thanks :-D
no subject
Date: 2010-07-09 12:57 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-10 11:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-09 02:10 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-10 11:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-09 06:11 am (UTC)This was totally the best lazy evening read I’ve had in a really, epically too-long time. Honestly, it was such a good time and I had so much fun just reading and being really happy and being really bummed that I completely blew off all of my other obligations (gym? Pffft…eff you, gym, I have no time for you; I‘ll get fat for Pinto) and ate leftover egg salad so I wouldn’t have to cook dinner. Under normal circumstances, I’d be kind of ashamed to admit that, but I’m totally not.
I love your love-affair with Philly. Penn was my third choice college, so when I was checking it out with my grandparents and my aunt (who are Straight. Up. Yinzers. For real.) it was full of lulzy good times and cracks about Filthadelphia (“Cain’t ya juss go ta Carneggy like da resta da spoilt kids n‘at?”) so when that little moniker was mentioned, I got a tad nostalgic. Actually, it pretty much kept a smile on my face the whole time.
I completely identified with Chris in this. It’s really hard being asked to decide the course of the rest of your life when you’re not even old enough to drink. Or barely old enough, depending. I just wanted to sit on the floor and cuddle him and tell him that it was okay to be overwhelmed and everyone else was just mean for forcing him to choose. You did a really good job of conveying his ambivalence in a way that made him seem more torn than wishy-washy, which made the whole thing sad and painful when it could have been irritating.
Zach’s a crappy vegetarian and he deserved to puke up cheesesteaks all night. That’s right! I said it!
My heart broke when Zach begged him to say. God, it was so perfectly poignant with just the right amount of desperation. I want to hug that moment.
Actually, I want to hug this whole fic.
And I want to hug you.
And…I’m going to end this before I propose marriage. Whether it will be to the story or to you, I can’t be sure.
This was awesome. Most fun I’ve had all week. Which is saying a lot, really.
no subject
Date: 2010-07-11 12:02 am (UTC)You did a really good job of conveying his ambivalence in a way that made him seem more torn than wishy-washy
thank you! i was really wondering how it would come across, so it's very gratifying to hear you say that. it didn't even occur to me that so many people would identify with chris in this, but i'm glad it made the plot that much more real for so many people.
Zach’s a crappy vegetarian and he deserved to puke up cheesesteaks all night.
But..but..he did it for LOOOOOOOOVE! ;-)
thank you again for the awesome comment :-D
no subject
Date: 2010-07-09 02:38 pm (UTC)Love it, love it, LOVE IT!
no subject
Date: 2010-07-10 11:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-09 05:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-10 11:34 pm (UTC)that mix is exactly what i'm usually going for in my fics :-) and i'm glad you enjoyed the OCs. one never knows how those are going to be received...
thanks!!
no subject
Date: 2010-07-10 02:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-11 12:03 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-11 12:46 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-11 04:24 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-11 01:54 am (UTC)i wish my comment was more elaborate, filled with constructive criticisms and the like, but there was really nothing i had any problems with.
oh, i thought the thing karl said to chris about him being upset whenever his papers don't get a standing ovation was so perfect. as a fellow english (literature & rhetoric, technically), i am so incredibly hypercritical of my own work that i, too, am upset when i don't always hear completely positive feedback. it's not good.
anyway, back to your story. it was fantastic. really. it goes without saying that i will continue to read all of your future work!
no subject
Date: 2010-07-11 04:26 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-11 05:12 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-11 05:19 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-11 09:41 am (UTC)I want to say, "already?? :'("
HAHA!
I LOVED IT!!! LIKE FOR REALZ! <3
no subject
Date: 2010-07-11 03:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-11 03:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-11 07:43 pm (UTC)here via crackenterprise
Date: 2010-07-11 08:40 pm (UTC)You captured one of my favorite cities very well -- thanks for that too.
Re: here via crackenterprise
Date: 2010-07-11 09:55 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-12 12:00 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-12 12:16 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-12 02:38 am (UTC)This fic was really interesting for me to read, because grad students are totally caught in the middle of Chris and Zach's extremes sometimes. One the one hand, most grad students are poor as shit and live with the hippies. On the other hand, they hope to become professors one day and are very intense about their schoolwork. I still don't like philly that much for a permanent thing, but it was so (freaky and) awesome to read a fic about it. It definitely is an excellent story!!! A true ode to Pinto and Philadelphia that does them both very proud!!
no subject
Date: 2010-07-13 12:54 am (UTC)i totally know what you mean about being caught between the two worlds. tbh, i'm sure zach was a good student and focused on his work in college too, but just kinda forgot what that life was like. i mean, i was a type a student just like chris, but after i graduated, i felt no guilt whatsoever when dan would decide to skip class to hang out with me ;-)
anyway, thank you so much for reading and commenting throughout, and i'm so glad you enjoyed the whole fic. THANKS!! :-D
no subject
Date: 2010-07-12 08:54 am (UTC)I liked your characterization in this, it felt effortless. At first I wasn't sure I would buy into the whole 'Zach as a total artist hippie' thing but you made it work and fit him perfectly. Of course, it helps that Zach in this story is so similar to me it was a little eerie. I related way too much to him ;)
Although, to be honest, I was kind of annoyed that Zach going to Berkeley with Chris didn't seem to be an option. I feel like it was a legitimate alternative, but I also understood why you needed Chris to make that decision and why Philadelphia needed to be the place they ended up.
Overall, a lovely story that I stayed up way too late reading. Such a pleasure, though. I'm warm and giddy all over.
no subject
Date: 2010-07-13 12:59 am (UTC)zach as a hipster/hippie just seemed so obvious to me. i'm glad it worked for you in the end :-)
and yes, i think that zach going to berkeley would have been an option, actually. in the end, his issue wasn't with berkeley, but with the way chris made the decision and why he made it. i think zach would have followed him there, but didn't want that to factor into his decision. and chris might have known that, but didn't want to bring it up because he wasn't even sure HE wanted to go. so, yeah, in RL they would probably have talked about it. but of course i had to have them in philly in the end...because Philly ROCKS ;-)
thanks so much for reading and this lovely comment :-)
no subject
Date: 2010-07-13 06:09 am (UTC)And I'll have you know, when I go to Hell for reading and loving RPF, I'M TOTALLY BLAMING YOU.
Just, GUH. *FLAIL*
So many great characters, you made the indie/hipster/college crowd come alive without just being stereotypes of the scene. I love your artist Zach and the way Chris totally doesn't get it but is completely OK with it :D (SERIOUSLY LOVE THAT. I WANT THAT IN MY LIFE NOW, PLEASE!!)
I love the way you handled their uncertainty and bittersweet sense of the 'end' looming over them (to be pushed away and not discussed because it makes it to real and everything happening NOW is just so much better) It was so completely believable and HUMAN and resonant.
You caught the giddiness of being with somebody new that you absolutely crave perfectly too, and I adore how you made their love grow, and how awkward they were with each other at first. Epic love for that, actually, going back to the real and the human bits - because who doesn't think they've fucked everything up with one stupid moment sometimes?
Argh! I should have been reviewing as I went, I know I'm forgetting some stuff.
Just every moment of this rang true, the casual ones, the hot ones, the awkward ones, the OMFG RIP MY HEART OUT WHY DON'T YOU ones.
I love this. And you :D
And I'll save you a seat on the Special Hell Express!
no subject
Date: 2010-07-13 11:37 am (UTC)one thing i really wanted was to have a realistic development of their relationship, so i'm really glad you commented on that :-)
thanks so much!
no subject
Date: 2010-07-13 10:07 pm (UTC)THIS STORY WAS GREAT!!! ALSO, NOW I WANT TO MOVE TO PHILLY...
I ABSOLUTELY LOVED THIS!!!
(And I'm sorry about leaving such a short and lame comment on this wonderful and deliciously long fic; I'm going on vacation in six hours and I really need to get some sleep first, but I am already looking forward to rereading this when I get back!!!)
no subject
Date: 2010-07-14 12:49 am (UTC)have a great trip!!!!
no subject
Date: 2010-07-14 01:54 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-14 02:11 am (UTC)(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2010-07-14 06:15 am (UTC)My only complaint? While reading, I got the image in my head of Karl (with that CREW BODY) joining in on the fun... And it didn't happen. lol but in my head, it did! XD
no subject
Date: 2010-07-14 11:20 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-18 10:45 am (UTC)I don't know if it's because of the way you portrayed it, the beautiful pictures you posted, or the citywide special...I'm a sucker for cheap drinks :P
But in all seriousness, the writing was superb. Especially the dialogue which really engaged me in your story. All your characters were well rounded, even if they only had small appearances, like Zoe, and they all felt very real to me.
I'm new to Pinto so I'm making my rounds of fiction and I'm always late to the party :P
I want a drink so bad after reading this, those boys were always getting trashed, I'm jealous. Real life doesn't allow right now :/ Why can't I be a Philly hipster?!
no subject
Date: 2010-07-18 01:04 pm (UTC)I'm so glad you enjoyed this story. i'm a sucker for cheap drinks too (which is only part of the reason we moved back to philly after 2 years in NYC) and yes, the fact that they are always getting trashed is directly based on my experience hanging out in that part of town and with those groups of people!
thanks so much for reading and for the lovely comment :-)
no subject
Date: 2010-07-23 06:57 pm (UTC)I just fucking DEVOURED this whole story (I'm such a douche for not reviewing every chapter, ugh) and I'm like, flipping out. I lived in Philly till just this June and FFFFFFFFfffff THIS STORY MAKES ME MISS MY CITY SO MUCH IT HURTS. OMG. I'm going to have to drive up there tonight and hang out in Clark Park.
Honestly though, I LOVED your characterizations. They might be my favorite I've ever read. And I love how each chapter had its own conflicts and resolutions and just, guh. it was perfect. CHOSEPH is the best nickname ever.
The nods to Philly and all the photos you posted just slaughtered me. It was so awesome to KNOW exactly where the characters were and all the little Phillisms that made me go "OH SHI-!!" (Whiz wit? I'm vegan and my friends ALWAYS TRY TO GET ME TO EAT IT. I had some serious empathy with Zach in that chapter. omg.) Seriously. I think this is the most excited I've ever been reading a fic. It was perfect. PERFECT.
Thank you so much, Fellow-Philly-Bean! You rocked this!
no subject
Date: 2010-07-25 11:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-25 09:24 pm (UTC)And as a Pittsburgh-resident I know I'm supposed to seriously dislike Philly (lol), but I've always enjoyed my visits there. And your descriptions were amazing...made the city like another character in the story & I love that.
Great job!! :D
no subject
Date: 2010-07-25 11:35 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-28 05:44 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-07-29 01:07 am (UTC)(no subject)
From:no subject
Date: 2010-09-17 05:57 am (UTC)Zach gets to do a mural?! How fucking awesome!
Yay! Chris is officially going to be part of 4609 after all!
Thank you for this lovely journey.
And also thank you for making me nostalgic as fuck with your pictures that made my heart ache and your little Illadelphia moments that have me clawing at the walls, waiting to go home in a few weeks. I think i'm going to have to stay an extra day or two before heading to NYC for AiA. ;)
no subject
Date: 2010-10-09 01:34 am (UTC)AND YOU SHOULD TOTALLY COME TO PHILLY! BUT SOON I WILL SEE YOU IN NYC!!!!!!!!!! :-D