Celebrating the JatP Fan Community

[jatpfebfanfest]

Welcome to the JatP Feb Fan Fest

The JatP Feb Fan Fest is to provide an opportunity for all fans to show their support for each other and participate in a sort of “Secret Santa’ inspired gift exchange.

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Announcements:

Thank You JatP Fan Fest Secret Fantoms!!

Coming Soon:

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Important Information:

Timeline

Rules and Guidelines

FAQ/Info

Prior Announcements will be archived here

26/12/23:

Secret Fantom assignments have been sent!

18/12/23:

A Change has been made to the timeline.

15/12/23:

Interest and Prompt forms submissions are now closed!

3/12/23:

-Tomorrow 04/12/23 Interest and 'Prompt' Form submission begins. Please look for the link between 05-07 a.m. (UTC).

-Changes to Event Timeline have been made.

01/12/23: Changes have been made to the Rules and Guidelines

[squirrelno2]

All right so I haven't been active in the Julie and the Phantoms fandom in a long time, and although I know there are definitely still people creating and reblogging in the fandom it tends to be a much smaller handful of people than it used to, which for me felt disheartening and was part of why I've backed off from it. I'd love to see new stuff more regularly and start recirculating older things just to remind myself and anyone else who needs it how much I love this silly little show.

All this to say, I am putting out feelers to see if anyone is interested in a blog that runs consistent, casual event-type things for the fandom to try and revitalize interest in jatp fanworks, like featured weeks for individual characters here, fic rec events, etc. I'm toying with ideas to inspire people to pick up their wips, spark new stories, and highlight older content that didn’t get much attention or would just be nice to see again. I’d like to create a community space to liven the fandom back up for people who miss the show or got into the fandom after the hype died down. Does that seem interesting to anyone?

[michelangelinden]

Licking bath bombs (and other bad ideas)

Happy (belated) gift exchange @nebula-lad @jatpfebfanfest

I know this is so late, but I had a lot going on so I just wasn't able to finish this until now. Also this is not the drag fic I teased (I wish it was, trust me) but that somehow turned into an absolute monster of a fic with so much research that I had to pivot before you would have received your gift in November. So I wrote this instead!!

I hope you enjoy it!

Willex. 9.1k word. Rated T (warning for alcohol mention).

“Hi, welcome,” someone says next to him and Alex startles so much he steps to the side. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you,” the guy says apologetically, an easy smile on his face. Alex swallows and whatever he wanted to say doesn’t get out.

They guy’s wearing all black, a matching black apron around his waist, which made him kind of blend into the dark decor of the room. When Alex’s eyes travel upwards, he quickly finds that this employee is no less beautiful than anyone else in the store—warm, brown skin, high cheekbones, long, dark hair pulled back, and a friendly tilt of his head—and Alex decides he should not be looking at him like that for this long. Instead he focuses on the Lush lanyard around his neck, a trans pride button and a he/they pronouns button pinned just above their heart.

“Anything I can help you find?” the employee asks.

“Uh,” Alex responds dumbly. “Not really?” He doesn’t even know what he’s looking for. “I think I’ll take a moment…” to look around the store and also re-find my heartbeat, thank you very much. Alex has never been calm when faced with cute people.

*

The one where Willie works at LUSH and Alex is overwhelmed while looking for a present.

AO3 link and taglist in the reblog!

[best-fictional-band-poll]

Round 1 - Group 4/4 - Poll 6

Taranchula - Homestar Runner

Julie and the Phantoms - Julie and the Phantoms

Voting ended onMar 9, 2024

The winner of this poll will go through to round 2!

[princessmuk]

@thereigning-lorelai this is my gift to you for the @jatpfebfanfest! I really hope you like it :)

[innytoes]

Happy @jatpfebfanfest to @onlygenxhere! Have some Late Night Willex to round the day off.

[jatpfebfanfest]

Hello JatP Fan Fest Secret Fantoms!

Thank you all once again for making this event as amazing as it is/was!

Without all of you there would have been no event, and all of your creations are absolutely amazing!!

(Will be sure to keep you all updated regarding the likelihood of a future event!)

[lou-writes-things]

EXCHANGE DAY!!!

I had @legolasghosty. I hope you like this :) <3

***

"Alex was having a really bad night. Almost running someone over with his car did not help."

An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works

[starlady-baby]

HAPPY JATP FAN FEST EVERYONE!! 🎉

Here is my contribution! My recipient is @wolfpats! They said they were a fan of the boys hanging out together at the beach, so I ran with that idea. I imagine that this is them at the beach before their big show.

I hope everyone is enjoying fan fest and I love seeing what everyone made!

[innytoes]

Happy @jatpfebfanfest to @onlygenxhere, have some SweetTarts.

[jatpfebfanfest]

Absolutely loving all the art and fics from everyone so far!!

Love how everyone has had so much fun!! Thank you all again!

[nebula-lad]

Dancers in the Rotunda

Hello, happy February Fanfest Day! For this year's @jatpfebfanfest, my giftee is... @lyxchen! I hope you like the fic and art I made, and I hope anyone else who reads this enjoys it at well.

Read it on ao3

“Willie, I know you like breaking the rules, but this feels a bit much…” Alex says quietly, worried he’ll get caught if he’s too loud. 

Willie had decided to invite Alex to another hangout (definitely not a date, why would Willie want to go on a date with him) to boost their spirits amidst all the chaos of Caleb possessing Nick and the boys being almost-but-not-quite-alive. But he’d failed to mention that they were once again breaking into a museum, but this time in the dead of night, making Alex feel like he was accidentally going to rob the place, and be caught by James Bond or some crazy character like that.

Willie’s chuckle brings Alex out of his thoughts. “Relax, Hotdog. It’s not like anyone can tell us what to do. Not here, anyway.” He grins, grabbing Alex’s hand and pulling him along.

The two ghosts stop their wandering in the hall of artworks made by 19th century artists. They look around in awe at the art, fascinated by the glimpse of the distant past they were given. Alex finds himself drawn to a particular painting, lost in the scene as he stares at the ballet dancers within it.

“‘Dancers in the Rotunda at the Paris Opéra’?” Willie asks, reading the plaque next to the painting, then standing next to Alex. “I didn’t know you were into Degas.” He smiles, playfully knocking into him.

Alex huffs out a laugh. “Didn’t know that’s who this was by. I just felt drawn to it. Like I was in the scene for a bit.”

He nods. “What about it draws you in?”

“The dancers.” He explains. “I want to be with them. When I was younger I wanted to be a ballet dancer, and I read up on everything I could about the subject. I used up my allowance before saving for my drums to pay for records of The Nutcracker and Swan Lake and all those famous ballets so I could memorize them and their stories. I wanted to be that so bad…”

“But… you ended up in a rock band filled with rebels instead?”

Alex sighs quietly. “Yeah. My mother and father… They didn’t appreciate my passion for feminine stuff like that to say the least, and wouldn’t let me get lessons. But what I did have access to was music class at school and very determined friends.” He chuckles. “I became a rebel by proxy.”

“Nah, there’s no ‘by proxy’ with that sort of stuff.” Willie laughs as well, then looks at the painting quietly for a moment. “I’m sure you’d be a great ballet dancer, by the way. You’d look stunning up on stage.”

“I- What?” He looks over at the ghost by his side, only to find a soft smile and a genuine shine in his eyes.

“I said you’d look stunning.” He says casually, looking over at Alex. “I’ve never been to a ballet, but I’d go to one if you were in it.”

Alex stares at Willie in shock, trying to figure out if this whole situation is a dream. He never imagined being flirted with by a guy about his childish dream of being a dancer. All the times he’s admitted this to others, it had been met with teasing or denying. Not flirting, and definitely not flirting from a very cute guy who’s also a dancer (even if the dancing was maybe against his will).

Willie watches the light blush form on Alex’s face as he processes the compliment with an amused smile, and goes back to looking at the painting. Now that Alex has told his story, Willie sees the painting in a new light. He can imagine one of the dancers being Alex, golden hair glowing softly in the dimly lit studio as he practices his twirls and leaps and all those ballet moves that had strange French names Willie could barely pronounce. It seemed like a thing that was made for Alex, like playing the drums or wearing pink or being cute and funny and just the greatest. He looks back at the boy in question and smiles softly again. Maybe now…? “Hey, Hotdog-?”

Alex shushes him quickly, and in the silence he hears the footsteps of the night guard coming over to their hallway. Alex’s eyes widen in a panic, adrenaline coursing through him as he grabs the other ghost’s hand and pulls them towards a small alcove, hidden from the view of the guard. He takes a minute to catch his breath, then looks at Willie to find that he’s staring at him with the ever-present shine of amusement in his eyes, and maybe the shine of something else glistening there too.

Alex glances around his face, taking in all of his features as the guard's footsteps get closer and louder, or maybe that’s his phantom heartbeat getting loud as his gaze settles on Willie’s lips for a moment before looking back at his eyes. Willie’s hand that’s not gripping Alex’s own settles on the shoulder of his pink sweatshirt, feeling the other’s hand lightly touch his cheek. 

Next thing Willie knows, Alex leans forward and softly pecks his lips. It’s only a moment, but it’s enough to steal both their breaths away. Their phantom heartbeats grow louder once again as they let go of the other’s hand and pull each other into a much more passionate kiss.

Alex feels euphoric. Not only has tossing his anxiety away led to something good this time (instead of, y’know, death), but he’s now kissing his crush and the prettiest guy he’s ever seen, and this guy is kissing him back. He definitely feels like he’s dreaming now, with Willie clutching his sweatshirt hood to try and pull him impossibly closer and his hands running through Willie’s hair.

Eventually, though, Alex comes up for air he doesn’t necessarily need but doesn’t want to go without, and the two boys knock their foreheads together, sounds of breathing filling the silence. They look into the other’s eyes for a minute before Willie lets out a soft laugh. “I think the guard’s gone.”

It’s quiet again before they both burst out laughing, realizing the ridiculousness of this whole situation.

“Oh my gosh, we kissed for so long the guard’s gone.”

“Dude, you hid us away from a lifer that can’t see us.”

“I did? My anxiety really got the better of me…”

“It led to better things, though.” Willie grins at the other ghost.

Alex flushes, and covers his face with his hands to hide it. “Willie…” He whines, realizing that that whole thing really did happen. His eyes widen. “Oh gosh, wait, was that ok? Like, were you ok with that? It’s ok if you weren’t-“

Willie cuts him off with a soft peck and smiles. “It’s totally ok, Alex. I promise.”

Alex nods the tiniest bit, then after a beat throws his arms around Willie in a tight, comforting hug. Willie lets out a surprised noise, then grins and hugs him back.

They stay like this for who knows how long, neither wanting to let go until they had to. Alex lets go first, and sighs quietly. “Um, I should go. The guys are probably worried about me, and I’m sure you have things to do. So…”

Willie blinks. Oh, right, he works at a club of ghosts run by the worst guy ever. He doesn’t get to spend all his time with his- uh… “Can I call you my boyfriend?” He blurts out, not even thinking about the sentence before it’s out in the open. He feels his face flush now.

Luckily, Alex laughs a bit. “Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that.” He says, giving his now boyfriend a warm smile.

Said boyfriend grins, and gives him another peck. “Alright, go. Your band probably misses you.”

Alex nods and poofs out of the 19th century wing of the art museum, leaving Willie alone with the 200 year old paintings of landscapes, people, and a particular one that holds a trope of ballerinas practicing for their latest show. He looks at the painting once more, and smiles softly. “Catch you later, Hotdog.” He whispers before poofing out as well.

~~~

When Alex suddenly appears in the middle of the garage, Reggie lets out a sigh of relief as Luke angrily pouts on his couch. “Holy crap, there you are! We were worried about you!” Reggie says, hugging his friend.

”Woah, was I really gone for that long?” Alex asks, patting Reggie’s shoulder as he looks to Luke.

”Yes.” Luke grumbles. “You left in the middle of movie night, without telling us, and then showed back up after the movie ended! We were in the middle of Jurassic Park!”

”Luke, dude, we’ve seen Jurassic Park a billion times, no thanks to you. It’s not like I was missing anything in the movie.” He sighs. “I’m sorry for not saying something, though. I just thought you guys would make fun of me…”

”Why would we do that? We’re your friends!” Reggie frowns up at him.

”Yeah, like you haven’t done it before.”

”Where did you go?” Luke asks.

Alex frowns slightly, trying to figure out how to explain what happened. As he thinks, he feels his cheeks flush and he looks down at the floor to hide it. “I… I went on a date with Willie.” He mumbles.

Luke goes slack-jawed as Reggie squeals with delight. “You ditched movie night to be with him?!” Luke stands up, bouncing around from either annoyance or joy, Alex couldn’t tell.

”It’s a completely valid reason to ditch!” Reggie says. “Besides, you’d probably ditch if you had the chance to go hang out with Julie. You’re no better than Alex is.”

He opens his mouth to argue, but he quickly closes it, knowing the bassist is right. Reggie then turns to Alex again, an excited smile on his face. “So, do we get the deets? Did you guys scream in a museum again?”

”Uhhh…” The drummer squeaks, stuffing his hands into his pockets. “Well, we did go to a museum again, but no screaming. We talked about the paintings and what we liked and…” Alex trails off, his face flushing red again. “I might’ve kissed him.” He mutters under his breath.

The two boys cheer like they just got their best gig yet. “Finally! Alex, we’re so happy for you.” Luke grins, going over and jumping up to try and wrap his arm around the taller boy’s shoulder, with Reggie nodding along.

”Thanks guys.” Alex smiles a bit, feeling a bit embarrassed still but also relieved that his friends were excited for him.

Reggie gasps. “We should go tell Julie, and Ray and Carlos! They’ll be super happy for you too!”

”Ah, maybe we should wait until it isn’t, like, two in the morning to go and tell them.” He suggests.

”Ohh… Yeah, that’s a good idea.”

Luke chuckles. “We should still celebrate. Alex, what do you wanna do?”

The drummer thinks for a minute. “Well, it sounds like I owe you guys a movie. We could watch whatever you guys want to choose.”

”Nope, no no no.” Reggie interjects. “This is your celebration, you get to choose. That’s the rule.”

”Oh.” He mumbles. He didn’t usually choose the movies the three of them would watch. It wasn’t like he didn’t have favorites, he definitely did. He was just worried that the guys wouldn’t like what he chose, or that they’d just make fun of his taste. But… if letting go of his anxiety can lead to a date with his crush and getting to call his crush his boyfriend, then he could choose a movie he loves and not worry about what his friends think. “Let’s watch The Princess Bride, then.” Alex says.

After agreeing, the three boys sit down on Luke’s couch while Reggie turns the movie on. Alex pretends not to notice when his band mates get highly invested and find that they can’t peel their eyes off the screen. He also pretends not to notice the next morning when Julie comes into the garage, telling the three of them to wake up, that Luke replies with ‘as you wish’. He also notices a certain long-haired skater boy come into the garage during band practice, but this time he doesn’t pretend not to. He instead decides to make it everyone’s problem as he poofs over and kisses his boyfriend, thanking him for the night before.

[innytoes]

Happy @jatpfebfanfest, @onlygenxhere. Have some summertime Juke.

[wr0temyway0ut]

Wrapped Around Your Heart

Summary: Willie likes to think that they’re a pretty damn good boyfriend. For example, when their girlfriend told them that he was actually their boyfriend, Willie didn’t bat an eye. He simply told Luke he loved him and gave him his first haircut. When Luke’s parents gave him shit about transitioning, Willie sent his uncle to put the fear of Caleb Covington God in them. And when Luke spent hours meticulously measuring himself and researching which binders are the best, only to realize that even the cheapest options were out of his price range, Willie decided to take matters into his own hands. 

Read on Ao3!

A placeholder gift for @innytoes while I finish their actual fic for @jatpfebfanfest

[legolasghosty]

I Belong in Your Arms

Happy JATP Feb Fan Fest day!!!! This is my gift for @interestinglittlerelationship! Hope you enjoy! (Also sorry I'm a bit late!)

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Relationship - Willex Rating - Teen Additional Tags - Foster Care AU, Friends to lovers (mainly friends at this point), hurt/comfort, heavy on the comfort!

Summary -

Alex takes a right at the prompting of his phone and spots the hanging sign for Bohemia Roast. A grin spreads across his face when he spots a familiar figure lounging on a table just outside the cafe. He debates trying to sneak up on them for a second, but decides against it. The accidental elbow he got to the ribs last time he tried makes a solid case against it. “Willie!” he calls out instead, tucking his phone into his pocket. Willie looks up and Alex can see the exact moment he spots him, because his whole face lights up. Alex is still a good ten feet away when Willie rushes him, nearly bowling them both over onto the sidewalk with the force of his hug. Alex squeezes them back just as tightly. It’s been way too long since they’ve actually seen each other in person. 

Read Here on AO3, or read the whole fic below the cut!

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Alex hurries to the front of the bus, shooting a quick smile and a “Thank you” to the driver before stepping off onto the sidewalk. He’s 99% sure this is the right stop. Well. Okay, more like 64% sure, but that’s just the anxiety talking. His phone buzzes in his hand, telling him to go left. If Google can be trusted, his destination is only a five-minute walk away.

He turns and starts down the sidewalk. The sun is bright above him, even though it’s the middle of October. He ducks around a young couple taking pictures with some celebrity impersonator with a flashy white wig. Seriously? He hadn’t realized that was still a thing that happened outside of theme parks. Though maybe Hollywood is a bit like a theme park. It would explain a thing or two.

Alex takes a right at the prompting of his phone and spots the hanging sign for Bohemia Roast. A grin spreads across his face when he spots a familiar figure lounging on a table just outside the cafe. He debates trying to sneak up on them for a second, but decides against it. The accidental elbow he got to the ribs last time he tried makes a solid case against it. 

“Willie!” he calls out instead, tucking his phone into his pocket.

Willie looks up and Alex can see the exact moment he spots him, because his whole face lights up. Alex is still a good ten feet away when Willie rushes him, nearly bowling them both over onto the sidewalk with the force of his hug. Alex squeezes them back just as tightly. It’s been way too long since they’ve actually seen each other in person. 

“Your hair’s longer,” Alex mumbles without letting go, those same strands tickling his nose.

“You still have this hoodie,” Willie responds, his fingers tugging on the pink fabric.

“Someone told me pink was my color,” Alex snarks.

“That person must be a genius,” Willie says, chuckling. “I missed you,” he adds a moment later.

“I missed you too.”

Alex doesn’t bother saying more than that, not yet. Right now, he can just soak up Willie’s warmth and familiar presence. Sure, Willie’s hair is a bit longer, and Alex is taller than him now, but they’re still the same people they were a few years ago when they met. And even though they haven’t seen each other all that often since Alex got moved out of the group home after a couple of weeks, they’ve still been in each others’ corners ever since that first night.

Eventually, Willie relaxes a bit and Alex pulls back. “So,” Willie starts with a smirk, “what brings you to Hollywood?”

“Oh, all the famous people,” Alex jokes. “I think I even saw Marilyn Monroe back there.”

“Wow, de-aging technology has gotten so fancy,” Willie retorts with a laugh. “Hasn’t she been dead for like… a while?”

Alex shrugs, faining innocence. “I’m just telling you what I saw.”

Willie stares at him for a second before they both burst into giggles. It feels good, laughing with Willie again. In person, not over the phone.

“Come on, you have got to try this place’s iced teas,” Willie declares.

Alex just grins as Willie grabs his hand and pulls him into the little cafe. The interior is warm and cozy, lit largely by the sunlight that streams in through the front windows. Shelves along one wall hold a mix of plants and in-house coffee blends. The rest of the space is taken up by stools and tables, along with a couple of couches. The place is just the right level of loud, enough that Alex can feel the life flowing around him but not enough that he feels the need to shout. 

“Okay I know I said tea,” Willie says as they approach the counter, “but no pressure there. What do you want?”

Alex inhales the scent of fresh coffee. It smells great… for another time. “No I think I’m with you in the tea club today,” he responds. “Dan and Judy are nice and all, but I swear coffee is the only thing they drink. Period. I haven’t had a decent iced tea in like six months.”

Willie nods. “Makes sense, they sound like coffee people.” They glance up at the menu board. “I was going to try the passion fruit one this time, but the strawberry citrus I had last time was sick.”

“I’ll trust your judgment,” Alex agrees, swinging their still joined hands back and forth a bit. “Hasn’t steered me wrong yet.” He pauses, thinking. “Well, okay, except for that sushi thing. And Thor whatever number the last one was. And that dog that-”

“Hey, that last one is Google’s doing,” Willie protests, cutting him off. “I just gave you what the top search result was.”

“Yeah and then I got bit by a freaking lapdog,” Alex retorts, a laugh bubbling up behind his words.

“Wow, ‘freaking’?” Willie teases back. “Someone’s working on their language.”

Alex groans and drops his forehead down on their shoulder. “Dan and Judy blow a gasket whenever I say anything even remotely connected to a swear word,” he explains. “Like, come on, if you’re gonna be foster parents, you’ve got to be able to manage kids that come from homes where swearing is a thing.”

Willie winces sympathetically. “That’s rough, dude. You should leave them a nasty review on Rate My Foster Parent.”

“That’s not a real site,” Alex mumbles, but a smile is starting to pull at his lips again.

“But it could be,” Willie counters.

Alex rolls his eyes, then smirks. “Oh but how would lovely individuals like Ms. Hannigan ever stay in business then?” he retorts.

Willie shudders. “All the more reason for it to be a thing,” they decide. “I had to watch the 2014 Annie way too many times with Lydia while I was with the Bennets.”

“You have a point,” Alex concedes as the person in front of them finishes ordering and steps away.

“What can I get for y’all?” the woman behind the counter asks with a friendly smile.

“I think we’re in the market for iced tea,” Willie responds. 

He mirrors the barista’s grin, but it’s not the same as the easy one he’d been wearing a moment ago. It’s a bit tighter around the edges, lips closer together and fewer crinkles around his eyes. Alex is familiar with having different smiles for different situations of course, he probably has half a dozen himself. And Willie’s “I’m being polite” smile isn’t nearly as distinctive as it was three years ago when they met, which is a good sign. But still, Alex wishes he could lift some of the weight that pulls at their face when they’re pretending to be happy, but not sure if they’re allowed to exist. 

“And you said the strawberry citrus, right?”

Alex starts, realizing he zoned out for a second. “Yeah, that one,” he tells Willie. He gets a glimpse of the real smile again at that. It makes him feel all light inside, just like it always has.

Willie finishes ordering and reaches for his wallet.

“No it’s cool, I got it,” Alex says, hand slipping into his own pocket.

“Nah, Caleb gave me an allowance for this kind of stuff,” Willie responds, pulling out a $10 bill. “I think he’s trying to teach me financial responsibility or something.”

Alex shoots him a questioning glance. Willie’s eyes say, talk about it later. So Alex lets it go and just drops a $1 in the tip jar. The woman tells them it will be right out, so they head over to the other end of the counter. Alex leans back against one of the tall tables to wait. 

He’s a bit startled a moment later by a warm arm pressing against his own. He glances over to see Willie almost leaning on him, arms folded protectively and eyes fixed on the people behind the counter. Alex can’t help but remember all the times Willie grabbed his hand or pressed their feet together under the table or wrapped him in a hug back when they were in the same foster home. It had been nice back then, but 13-year-old Alex hadn’t considered why that was Willie’s first instinct for helping him. Heck, he hadn’t even heard of love languages till around a year ago.

Alex hesitates, then wraps his arm loosely around Willie’s shoulders. They don’t pull away, to Alex’s relief. Instead, Willie edges a bit closer, shoulders relaxing a little. Alex fights the urge to brush his lips against their cheek, just to see if that would make the real smile come back faster.

Neither of them stirs for a few minutes. The cafe continues to move around them but it doesn’t touch them. They just stay in their little bubble as they wait for their teas. They could be talking, but it’s nice to be quiet every once in a while with someone you love.

Eventually someone calls Willie’s name and slides their drinks across the counter. Willie darts forward, grabs the cups, and is back in front of Alex within moments. “Inside or outside?” he asks, grinning.

Alex glances out the window. “It’s still warm enough for outside,” he decides, taking his cup and grabbing Willie’s now-free hand.

“I don’t know, you might catch a chill, white boy,” Willie teases, following him out to the table where he’d been waiting earlier. 

“Eh maybe I won’t get yelled at for not going to church on Sunday then,” Alex jokes.

Willie frowns and Alex regrets his words. “They shouldn’t be yelling at you,” Willie points out softly. “Especially not for that.”

Alex shrugs. “Yeah, they shouldn’t,” he agrees. “But there’s not much I can do about it.”

Willie nods and squeezes his hand. They have to let go of each other as they sit down on either side of a small, wooden table, but Alex brushes his toes against Willie’s, just to keep the contact he knows is nice for them both.

“So, tell me all about-” Alex sets down his cup to throw up some jazz hands, “-Caleb Covington?”

Willie giggles. “Yep I guess that is how I text about him, isn’t it,” they remark.

“There are sparkles around his name like every other time,” Alex confirms, laughing.

“And I stand by it,” Willie states. “This guy is very extra. But… not in a bad way? I don’t think?”

Alex leans forward, resting his elbows on the table to listen. “I mean he did give you coffee money,” he points out. “Isn’t that stuff supposed to stunt your growth or something?”

“If I didn’t already know that was a myth, I’d believe it now,” Willie responds. “I swear Caleb drinks like half a pot of the stuff with breakfast and he’s like six-three or something.”

Alex laughs. “So what you’re saying is that you need something else to blame for being shorter than me now?”

“Guess so,” Willie says, nodding. They don’t say anything else for a moment and Alex waits, knowing by now that sometimes they just need a minute to collect their thoughts. “He’s cool so far,” Willie says finally, a bit softer than before. “And he’s gay, which is nice. I haven’t met his boyfriend yet, but he sounds chill from what Caleb says.”

“That’s great, Wills,” Alex remarks, offering an encouraging smile. 

“Yeah, he’s like the chillest foster parent I’ve ever had with all that,” Willie agrees. “He even… um… he mentioned we might even be able to get the legal stuff squared away so I can start HRT if everything goes okay with the GP next month.”

Alex can’t help the surprised laugh that escapes him. “Willie, that’s awesome!” he declares, grabbing Willie’s hand again. “You’ve been wanting that for like… ever.”

Willie nods and offers a hopeful smile. “Well cross your fingers for me,” they answer. “I mean… I don’t know if I’ll last long enough for that to actually happen.”

Alex immediately reaches across the table and latches onto their other hand as well, making Willie look up at him. “Hey, no,” Alex says quietly. “No blaming yourself for any of that. It’s not on you to make yourself this perfect kid that fits with all the random expectations of stupid white people. They knew they weren’t going to get perfect kids when they registered to be foster parents. Heck, they signed up for not-perfect kids when they decided they wanted to have any kids at all. Other peoples’ bad choices and reactions aren’t your fault.”

Willie bites his lip but nods again. “Yeah. I know that,” he says. Alex isn’t fully convinced, but he doesn’t push it. “It just sucks that I’m the one who gets screwed up after.”

“Yeah, it does.” Alex squeezes Willie’s hands, then lets go of one to take a sip of his tea. “Oh dang, this is awesome,” he remarks.

Willie grins, not all the way but close enough to make Alex feel fluttery. “Right? I don’t know what kind of crack they put in these, but it’s seriously addictive.”

“Yes,” Alex responds, pointing at him before taking another swallow. “How’s yours?”

“Sick,” Willie says. He sips at his drink again, then adds, “Caleb apparently comes here a lot. It’s not that far from where he works so he’ll come here on lunch breaks or something sometimes?”

“I probably would too if I was close enough,” Alex admits.

“Same. But he brought me here like the day after I moved in, something about serious conversations requiring caffeine. But said ‘serious conversations’ were all like… what kind of breakfast food do I like? And favorite movies? And allergies, even though I’m pretty sure that’s already in my file or whatever?”

“Sounds like my level of serious conversation,” Alex says, chuckling. “But I think I’m starting to see what you meant before about him being extra…”

Willie laughs. “Yeah, he’s just like that I guess. I mean he runs this fancy club place on Sunset Boulevard, so I guess it checks out. The place kinda sounds like an old speak-easy sometimes from how he talks about it.”

“Good think alcohol isn’t illegal anymore then,” Alex jokes.

“Man, I don’t think he’d get caught even if it was,” Willie responds. “He’s like scarily good at talking people into things. These couple of missionary dudes showed up at our door last week and I’m pretty sure Caleb had them questioning their own fancy book by the time they left.”

Alex smirks. “Serves them right.” He falls silent for a moment, sipping his drink. “So you like it there?” he asks.

Willie bites his lip again and nods. “Yeah, I do. And I’m scared I’m gonna mess it up. That I’ll drive him away.”

Alex laces their fingers together a little more securely. “Well whatever happens, I’ll still follow you,” he promises, just like he has dozens of times over the last few years.

Willie smiles, a bit shaky but so real and honest that it makes Alex’s face warm in its glow. “You too,” they reply easily. “We’ll figure it out.”

“One day at a time,” Alex finishes.

[merihn]

Happy @jatpfebfanfest to @invisibleraven! I hope you like these ❤️

[1mnobodywhoareyou]

emotional damage

willex | gen | 2,948 words

on ao3

thank you for hosting this event @jatpfebfanfest! it was great fun :D This is for the most lovely @floating-in-the-blue and I definitely experienced no crises writing for you <3 (she lies). I hope you like it! The greatest of thanks to @bbreaddog for beta-ing for me and @narcissusbrokenmirror for being my personal cheerleader! I appreciate you both so much!

“Ohhhh, look who it is Alex!” Luke teases as he catches sight of a familiar crew member helping them get set up for their show. 

Alex can feel the heat travel up his face to the tips of his ears. “Shut up!” he mumbles, trying to make sure his voice doesn’t carry across the stage. “I never should have told you.”

Alex crouches down to finish setting up his drum kit. 

“You should talk to him,” Luke insists as he unwraps a set of cables, laying them out as he goes.

“Not gonna happen.”

Alex feels an elbow rest on his shoulder and looks up to see Reggie grinning at him. 

“We talking about Alex’s favourite stage hand?” Reggie asks cheerily.

“No,” Alex grumbles at the same time as Luke excitedly exclaims, “Yes!”

Alex shoves Reggie off of him and returns to getting set up. He nods Reggie toward his own side of the stage, silently begging him to drop it. 

Reggie’s grin grows. He doesn’t move from his spot, calling back to Luke, “Hey Luke, how much you wanna bet that Alex can’t do it?”

Luke meets Reggie’s gaze and a grin of his own spreads across his face, “You’re on!”

“Terms?”

Alex interrupts them, voice laden with frustration, “Can you two not?” 

Both Reggie and Luke turn their most exaggerated innocent expressions on him.

“Not what?” Luke asks.

“Can you not make my personal life the center of your amusement?”

“That’s not… that’s not what we’re doing!” Reggie cries defensively. 

Alex raises an eyebrow, “really?”

“Really! We just want to see you happy.” 

“I AM happy,” Alex insists.

“Yeah but you could be happy AND have arm candy and someone to smash faces with.” Reggie’s grin is back as he finally leaves Alex to go finish his own set up. 

Alex rolls his eyes, “You’re ridiculous.”

“Guilty as charged!” Luke exclaims shamelessly before sending a dramatic wink Alex’s way.

Alex sighs as he turns back to his drum kit to ensure they’re set up properly for sound check. He doesn’t miss Luke’s exaggerated whisper to Reggie, “Loser buys pizza.”

“Mmmmm, free pizza! The best kind,” Reggie enthuses before returning to his bass.

“It’s rude of you to think I can’t do it!” Alex shouts back at Reggie and he’s simply met with Reggie’s signature shit-eating grin. 

“Prove me wrong!”

And Alex tries. He really, really does. He works himself up to leaving the green room and makes it halfway down the hall before he has to circle back. His second attempt has him almost all the way to the stage wings before he’s again fleeing to safety. Before he knows it, his time is up and they’re called to the stage. 

He gives it his all for their performance, the way he always does. If he maybe plays a little harder and sings a little louder, knowing that the person occupying so many of his thoughts is in the building and might be able to hear them, well then that’s for him to know and him alone. Though the knowing glances that both Luke and Reggie direct his way cause his face to flush. Maybe his thoughts are a bit louder than they should be. 

He doesn’t even know this guy’s name, it’s unfair that he’s completely taken over Alex’s thoughts.

Alex finds that after finishing their set, he doesn’t have the opportunity to even think about finding the stage hand. Between taking things down and interacting with fans, he completely loses his grasp on time. Before he knows it, Luke and Reggie are steering him toward their van.

“I WIN!” Reggie cheers and Luke sends a wry look Reggie’s way.

“You never set a time limit,” Luke pointedly reminds him. Reggie’s eyes widen, his face immediately falling into a pout.

Alex’s own expression brightens as he remembers their exchange. “YOU’RE RIGHT! You didn’t!” Alex claps Luke on the back excitedly. “Thanks, buddy!”

Luke grins, “Welcome! You still have to do it eventually though.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Alex grumbles as he starts the van. He’s the only one of the trio that can be trusted behind the wheel, as hard as Luke and Reggie might try to continue to convince Alex otherwise. How they managed to get their licenses, Alex will never know. “Where we going?” he asks.

“I still want pizza,” Reggie mumbles as he buckles himself up. 

Alex turns to Luke, “What’s the band account balance say?” 

Luke reaches down and digs out their cash jar, shaking it sadly.

“Not happening, buds. Unless one of you wants to treat,” he replies. What little they do have and keep in their individual accounts is normally reserved for emergency emotional support (or making bets at the expense of their friends), not impulsive pizza runs.

“Cup noodles it is,” Alex says as he steers the van toward home, grateful for the lack of traffic at this time of night. 

He doesn’t miss the way Reggie’s face falls as he glances in the rearview mirror. His heart shatters thinking about how often he’s seen that expression. Reggie might be good at hiding his feelings behind a goofy grin most of the time but Alex knows him and has learned to see through some of the cracks. The same way they have for him.

Alex takes a deep breath, refocusing on the road in front of him.

Luke gushes excitedly from the passenger seat, “We’re gonna make it, guys. I can FEEL it. Then you can have all the pizza you’d like, Reg!” He’s speaking in his typically amped up way that makes you wonder if he’s convincing you or himself. Apparently he’d also taken notice of Reggie’s pouting. Or, even more likely, just knows their friend that well at this point.

“Yeah,” Reggie agrees dejectedly. “It’s just temporary.”

Alex shoulder checks and moves into the right lane, slowing down to make his turn. He’s just made it to the corner when suddenly something thumps against the passenger side of the van.

“Holy shit, dude! You hit someone!” Luke exclaims, pulling himself forward in the seat to look out the window.

Alex immediately stops the van and shifts into park. He slams open his door, jumping out to see what had happened. “Shit. Shit. Shit. Shit,” he recites to himself the entire time he’s rounding the front of the vehicle.

He gets around to the front passenger corner of the van and notices a person brushing themselves off and pushing away from the van. They’re just barely illuminated by the street and headlights, still shrouded by the darkness of being just the wrong side of midnight. 

“Holy shit, I’m so sorry!” Alex rushes out as soon as he notices them.

“It’s all good, man. Not your fault. I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

Alex reaches them just as they remove their helmet, flipping their hair up and over their head as they do. As soon as Alex realizes who it is, his mouth goes dry and he loses all coherent thought. 

He’s startled back to reality by the sound of car doors slamming. 

“You hit Willie?!” Reggie cries, “Dude!”

Alex is sent reeling for a second time. 

He hit his crush. 

Who has a name. 

That Reggie knows.

“How did you-? Wha-?” Alex stammers as he looks between his friends and Willie, who hasn’t stopped grinning for the duration of Alex’s crisis.

Alex shakes his head, trying to clear his head but with limited success. He redirects his attention to Willie. “Are you okay?” he asks simply.

Willie nods, “Yep, totally fine! I’ve been through worse.”

“That’s not… Okay,” Alex runs his hand through his hair. He can feel his pulse quicken and he reaches out for the van, realizing that he needs some support to remain standing. Alex feels Luke immediately shift into crisis mode beside him. They’ve been through this enough times by now that the signs of oncoming panic are clear to his friends.

Luke guides him so that he’s half sitting on the front bumper. He starts to coach Alex through some deep breathing and grounding practices to stave off the impending panic attack. It only takes a few minutes for his breathing to stabilize and he’s able to tune back into what’s happening around then.

When Alex looks up, he notices Willie’s concerned expression and that Reggie is now holding a skateboard. He must have gone hunting for it while Luke and Alex were otherwise occupied.

Luke rubs a few more circles onto Alex’s back before standing to join the others.

“You good, bro?” Willie asks.

Alex nods. He wipes his hands on thighs and stands, “Yeah. I’m good. This is weird. I’m so, so-”

He’s cut off before he can apologize. “Dude, seriously. This was my fault. I literally skated into the side of your van.”

Alex directs a skeptical look Willie’s way so he continues, “Honest, it wasn’t even possible for you to have hit me. I’m the one who should be apologizing.”

Alex stares at Willie in with combined disbelief and awe for another moment before Willie’s voice interrupts his thoughts, “I’m Willie, by the way.” Alex looks down to see Willie’s hand extended in greeting.

Alex reaches out to shake it. “I’m-,” he starts before he’s interrupted.

“Alex, I know.”

Alex’s brain threatens to shut down yet again, “You… you know?”

“Well, yeah. You’re the drummer of one of the hottest acts in town. Of course I know who you are!”

“I told you!” Luke cries as he elbows Reggie in the ribs. Reggie grunts at the unexpected contact. Alex barely registers their activity as he continues to process everything from the last… Five minutes? Night? Day? Week? How long have they been in each other's orbits for?

“Hey, Alex,” Luke calls, “you with us?”

Alex turns to glare at Luke though he has to admit (privately) that Luke has once again succeeded in getting him out of his head. 

When he turns back to Willie, he finds he’s again met with that grin. An all-too-knowing grin. 

“Reggie owes me pizza, wanna join us?” Luke directs to Willie. Alex starts at the unexpected invitation but doesn’t have time to dwell on it before-

“I do not!” Reggie exclaims petulantly.

“You do!” Luke insists, waving his arm toward Alex and Willie. 

Alex turns to look at Willie, aghast with both the realization of what Luke is talking about and the implication that Willie is expected to engage with their chaos. “You don’t have to! I’m so sorry about them,” he says before turning back to Luke, “Are you serious right now?”

Luke crosses his arms across his chest and returns a smug grin, “TECHNICALLY, I win.”

“That is SO not what I meant,” Reggie mumbles.

WIllie looks between the three boys with confusion, “Win what?”

Before either Luke or Reggie have the chance to consider responding, Alex is between them with a hand covering each of their mouths. “Nothing. Nothing at all. Don’t worry about it.”

He feels them both lick his palms simultaneously and pulls his hands away from them. “You’re both disgusting,” he says, wiping his hands on his pants.

Willie muffles a laugh at their antics. He quickly composes himself before interjecting, “Luke said something about pizza?”

Alex turns wide eyes on Willie, “You want to come for pizza? With us?”

Willie shrugs, “Yeah, sure. Except it’s my treat. You know… for the damage.” He smiles at Alex again and Alex is sure that his brain has completely left the premises.

“Emotional damage,” Luke whispers teasingly, barely audible but loud enough for Alex to hear. He directs another glare Luke’s way. Luke’s only response is a shit-eating grin.

“YES!” Reggie whoops as he climbs back into the van. Luke very quickly clambers in after him. When Alex sends Luke a confused look, Luke simply nods toward Willie in silent suggestion.

Alex lets out a soft sigh. He redirects his attention to Willie, “Do you want a ride? We know a place that’s still open and is cheap enough that Reggie can’t eat you out of house and home.” He raises his voice toward the end of his sentence to ensure that Reggie can hear him and, hopefully, take the hint.

He does. “What do you think I am?” Reggie calls back, “Some kind of animal?”

“You said it, not me,” Alex mutters under his breath and Willie coughs out a laugh. Alex smiles at Willie before gesturing toward the van, “Your chariot?” he offers.

“My Prince Charming,” Willie says with a grin as he climbs into the van. Alex stumbles over himself in surprise as he walks around to the driver’s side. He takes a deep breath and a quick moment to calm himself before opening the door and climbing in.

Alex buckles up his seatbelt. He turns to ensure Willie and the guys had done the same before shifting into drive. After another shoulder check, he completes the turn he had started before hitting… being hit by…? colliding with Willie. 

There’s a moment of awkward silence as the four of them settle into each others’ company. It of course doesn’t last long.

“So Willie, what’s your favourite Sunset Curve song?” Luke asks as he pulls himself up between the two front seats. 

Alex groans, “Really, dude? Seatbelt!”

“Hey! My seatbelt’s on!” Luke insists as he tugs on the shoulder strap that crosses his chest for evidence. 

Alex rolls his eyes, “It doesn’t count when you stretch it out like that.”

Willie can’t help but laugh at their bickering as he turns to Luke to answer. 

He’s interrupted by Alex, “You really don’t have to answer him.”

Willie smiles at Alex, “It’s alright! I love your music. I think ‘Now or Never’ is my fave though.”

“Yeah? Why’s that?” Luke encourages Willie to explain further.

“Luke! Seriously, not everyone is as deep into music as you are. Sometimes people just like what they like!” Alex chastises Luke again.

“It’s chill, Hotdog. I don’t mind.”

Alex sputters at the unexpected nickname. Reggie chimes in from the back, as if pulling the thought directly from Alex’s brain, “Hotdog?!”

Alex can FEEL Willie’s grin from beside him. He finds his ability to focus on the road slipping away with each passing moment.

“Yeah, from that time y’all got so sick from street dogs?”

Alex groans again, “You mean when we almost died?!”

Luke reappears between them, “Do we get nicknames too?”

“Mmm,” Willie hums, “sorry, that’s a privilege reserved only for my favourites.”

Alex again feels his brain completely vacate the premises and yet somehow he can see the grin growing on Luke’s face without even looking at him.

Alex autopilots into the parking lot for the pizza place they love. He pointedly avoids looking at anyone as they climb out of the van and into the restaurant.

“Order for me!” Alex calls back to Luke and Reggie as he beelines to the restroom in the back of the building. 

He locks the door behind him and leans up against it, trying to swallow air into his lungs. This has all been just… too much. 

Alex finally manages to slow his racing thoughts enough to push off of the door. He takes the three steps required to stand in front of the sink. He grips the edges of it and stares at himself in the mirror, unseeing. This can’t possibly be reality right now, can it? Willie is absolutely flirting with him, right? But… not directly. Through his friends. He’s not dreaming or in some alternate reality?

He splashes water on his face to try to reset so that he can go back out there and face whatever is coming next. This is good. It’s a lot. But it’s good. Willie has not only taken notice of him, but actually seems to like him? Enough to know his name and feel comfortable teasing him, anyway. Enough to explicitly tell Luke and Reggie that Alex is his favourite. Alex is never anyone’s favourite. Okay, no, he’s not going there right now. He can do this. 

He lightly smacks his cheeks to refocus.

Alex nods to himself in the mirror, satisfied with his internal pep talk. He pulls a handful of paper towels from the dispenser and dries his hands and face. He takes one last deep breath before opening the door and heading out into the restaurant.

As Alex walks up to the booth the others had claimed, he overhears Luke and Willie continuing their conversation from the van.

“That searching for tomorrow line,” Willie says and Alex can see Luke’s grin grow from over Willie’s head. Luke and Reggie are on one side of the booth, facing the back of the restaurant, and Willie is on the other side, back to Alex.

“Ohhh, that’s Alex’s!”

“I know,” Willie replies cheekily before leaning conspiratorially over the table toward Luke, “you’ve got a hot drummer.”

Alex makes a choking sound, attracting the attention of all three guys. Willie turns, resting his forearm on the back of the booth bench, Luke’s eyes widen slightly but the grin remains, Reggie lifts his eyes from where he’d been focused on taking a bite of pizza and waves at Alex with his free hand.

“Yeah, we do!” Reggie agrees enthusiastically. He takes a bite of pizza and speaks around it, “We’ve been trying to get that through his thick skull for ages.”

Willie tracks his gaze over Alex’s body. Alex can feel the flush move up his face and to the tips of his ears. 

“Cute when he blushes too,” Willie winks at Alex before turning around, sliding over to make room for him at the table.