Words: 2,375
Fandom: Chicago (2002)
Relationships: Roxie Hart/Velma Kelly
Additional Tags: Character Study, Canon Compliant, Dysfunctional Relationships
Being on stage has always put Velma in the mood for sex. After she and Veronica had taken their bows, she would walk into the wings with applause echoing loud in her ears and a flush in her cheeks, and she and Charlie would slip into the closest empty room for a quick fuck. Loose sequins and blush-pink dust and powdered bronzer sticking to the backs of her thighs as some showgirl's secondhand vanity rocked under her ass. Nails dug into Charlie's shoulders and hips, and the drumbeat from the Onyx's band thumping loud enough to hide the noise of the counter bumping up against the wall, the rhythmic back-and-forth scrape of its legs against the floor. The night she was arrested, cuffed in the back of a paddy wagon that smelled of sweat and cheap cologne, Veronica and Charlie's blood still stubbornly staining her nail beds, she'd ached. Shifted against the seat for the littlest bit of friction, something to ease all that need between her legs while her body had thrummed with post-performance thrill and adrenaline. (She'd nearly combusted before she was alone in her cell and could finally do something about it.)
But then she'd been in Cook County, where her only performances were snapshot things, teasing words and hinting smiles at hound-dog reporters who wanted every scrap of scandal she had to offer. Batting her eyelashes double-time for the innocence act, talcum powder passed along by Mama that she'd used to pale her cheeks, all bloodless shock at how gruesome the scene had been, how her poor heart had just frozen in her chest when she'd seen Veronica and Charlie laying so still, and all that blood—
By now, she's fucking nailed the big finish: the slow, single tear.
Flash bulbs don't burn as bright as stage lights, though, and the questions from a handful of two-bit journalists can't live up to the applause of an SRO crowd at the Onyx. The faintest smell of sugar instead of the rich sweetness of chocolate dissolving on her tongue. The ghost of a sensation instead of a proper itch, but maybe that's for the best when there's no one to help her scratch it. But she gets by. Stretched out under the blanket, her fingers slick and deep within herself, searching after some of the only heat there is to find.
Still, it's a sad imitation of what she's really after, coming with a quiet shiver instead of a toe-curling scream; she's never really shone as a soloist. For Velma, whether shimmying on stage or between the sheets, all the real friction and heat, all the true satisfaction has always been in the give-and-take with her partner.
And then Roxie shows up.
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a little fluff for @starrystevie's birthday! hope it's the absolute best day! ✨
Eddie misses Steve.
It's equal parts cute, and maybe a little pitiful because it's only three days in Chicago for his friend's Bachelor Party, but it's already been two days and he misses Steve. Bandit digs his claws into Eddie's thigh as he makes biscuits and begs for pets, curling up comfortably next to Eddie's lap and leaving Steve's side of the couch overwhelmingly cold and empty.
"I know, kid. I know," Eddie coos, scratching their cat behind the left ear as he purrs.
He's glad that Steve had been able to get the time off from work to go, and he's glad that Steve's made friends on his recreational basketball league, and he's not jealous. At all. Not even a little bit.
... Okay, maybe he is a little bit jealous that Brandon gets to see him sweaty and gross in the June heat, running around doing whatever jock-activity they've planned in the backyard of their rented house all weekend, but who can blame him? Steve never gives him a reason to feel insecure so he knows this isn't about Steve. It's not rooted in anything even remotely related to him or their relationship— it's all about Eddie and the nasty voice in the back of his head that pulls out a bullhorn and screams not good enough on a loop.
Condensation from the beer in his free hand drips down his wrist as he rests his elbow on the arm of the couch. It's not the first time he's felt this way, and Steve himself has admitted to feeling the same way from time to time, so he knows that it'll pass. He just needs to focus on something else: DND campaign planning, sketching, writing, cracking out the ol' guitar. He could rewatch Howard the Duck for the hundredth time, or maybe even Labyrinth—
Buzz, buzz, buzz.
Eddie's phone buzzes on the coffee table and he fully expects it to be Gareth or Jeff, or maybe Robin. They have plans later that night, both of them missing Steve and all. What he doesn't expect is a series of text messages and 19 photos from Steve.
How funny. It's been five years since they'd become EddieandSteve but seeing Steve's name and smiling photo on his phone sets his little hummingbird heart aflutter even still.
steve 👑: it's so goddamn hot here
steve 👑: we're playing cornhole now and just threw a football around
steve 👑: sweating all the beer and vodka out as a I go, that's healthy, right? don't worry, I'm drinking a shit ton of water.
Steve includes a selfie of himself, smiling closed-lipped with a baseball cap on backwards and the neck of his tee-shirt drenched in sweat. Eddie wants to lick him dry and that's a thought he'll never tell a living soul, probably not even Steve. No, no definitely not Steve. He'll never live that one down.
steve 👑: oh, and fishing was good! we made some bets on who could catch the most and then who could catch the biggest. I tied for first place for the biggest and I caught 17. brandon got 20 so he won that bet. I'm only letting it go because it's his bachelor party lmao
Eddie swipes to the next photo, one of Steve and Brandon holding their two biggest catches. Steve's sunglasses are sliding down his nose, no doubt from the sun warming his glistening skin, and he's smiling wide against the railing of a boat. As much as he misses him, Eddie can't help but mirror his smile. Call him lovesick or 'down bad', as Robin says, but seeing Steve happy makes him happy.
He continues swiping and reading the little blurb attached to each photo, some of which don't even include Steve but Eddie appreciates them all the same. They don't include Steve, but it feels a lot like Steve trying include Eddie in the weekend. The last picture is one of the entire group, all dozen or so guys lined up on the ship. Brandon stands in the center surrounded by the rest of the group with Steve shuffled in no meaningful spot but to Eddie, Steve is the center of every photo, every moment, everything.
Eddie starts to type a response when his phone dings again. This time, Steve sends a voice message and Eddie presses play so quickly, he nearly knocks poor Bandit off his lap.
Hey, takin' a break from cornhole. I won, by the way, had to make up for losing to Brandon in the fishing bet.
Steve laughs and Eddie's stomach flips. Robin's right. He's down very, very bad for this man.
But I just uh, I miss you, and I know maybe that's sorta lame but I do. The party's great and all, but I can't wait to get back home tomorrow. Tell the kid I said hi. I love you, Ed.
He replays it a few times and shamelessly taps Keep so it doesn't disappear before sending his own voice message.
It's no more lame than me sitting here with Bandit sharing how much we miss you, so you get a pass. I mean, you get a pass on everything all the time, but don't let that go to your pretty head, okay? I'm so fucking glad you're having fun and sowing your jocky oats, but selfishly, I can't wait for you to get home. I'll make it worth your while.
He huffs air through his nose and laughs low in his throat.
Oh, and Robin's coming by in a little bit so I'm gonna grab a bottle of wine. Don't be surprised if you get a FaceTime call later. I love you too, Stevie. So goddamn much.
Eddie sure does miss Steve, but it stings a little less knowing that Steve misses him, too.
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Tommy was nowhere to be found when Buck was in the gym though. That was 100% about Eddie. As was the Christopher thing because he didn't want to be replaced in Eddie and Christophers lives by anyone, for any length of time. The only time I really felt him trying to get Tommy's attention was their first scene together. But that was purposeful by the writers. They wanted to have it both ways and needed Buck to want both of their attention but have no idea why.
I've sat here for almost a full day wondering how to respond to this, and honestly, I very nearly deleted it without responding because... I barely go here. I just shifted over to 911 as my main fandom. I was a One Chicago blog a little over a week ago and yeah, one well timed rewatch might put me back on that train.
I just came over here because I watched the show, enjoyed it, and wanted to have fun with other fans. My posts are my opinion and my observations, and are obviously not meant to speak for all of canon or even any faction of the fandom besides myself (and maybe Kit, but our opinions vary sometimes too, and we live together). I just pointed out what I noticed, and the trends that I picked up on, and how I thought they were intending to establish Buck wanting Tommy's attention - which, in my opinion, they did really well.
So, I'm just gonna put a screenshot of the post this is referring to right here:
Here's the thing. If you watch every single episode of the show looking for Buddie moments whenever Buck or Eddie is on screen (and I saw a lot of that after last night's episode to the point that I'm getting exhausted and annoyed), then that's all you're going to see, even if that's not what they're trying to show us.
It's been especially bad since 7x04 and the BuckTommy kiss. Everyone is looking at his canon queerness through a Buddie lens and ignoring everything else around it. They're making his coming out to Maddie about Buddie, and they're making his attraction to Tommy about Buddie, they're making episodes we haven't even seen about Buddie.
In reality, none of that is about Buddie or confirming future Buddie or anything of the sort. He and Maddie mentioned Eddie in that scene because the conversation started when he said he felt like he was lying to Eddie and he didn't like it. Yes, Eddie and Tommy are similar, and I understand joking about Buck having A Type, but that doesn't make his attraction to Tommy any less genuine. And we don't know anything about 7x06 yet, but everyone is talking about Buddie getting drunk and sleeping together, or Tommy seeing them interact - as he's already seen because the three of them have had scenes together and he's canonically spent time with Chris - and immediately stepping back from the relationship because there might be something there.
Buck is going to his sister's wedding with Tommy. Buck told Maddie and Eddie about Tommy. Buck wants to dance at the wedding with Tommy. He wants to try for something with Tommy. Eddie encouraged him to go call Tommy and work things out. Buck is going to be out to everyone at the Madney wedding because he wants to be there with Tommy as his date.
I don't know. It's just frustrating to see this really good queer relationship tossed to the side because it's not the Popular Ship. Just because you don't ship it or you aren't looking at it directly, it doesn't mean it's not still there.
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