#CALEB FROM JATP

[timothyslucy]

kinda ironic how nathan played an evil priest named caleb on buffy and then 15yrs later plays a cop on a manhunt for a serial killer named caleb. i guess the moral of the story is: never trust a caleb.

[thesunwillart]

Kinda hate myself for asking this (/lh) but you are the royalty of babygirlifying Caleb so,,, Caleb in A3??

anon, you are a hero for requesting this. and i am truly honored to be considered royalty of babygirlifying Caleb. i will wear this badge of honor!!!!

outfit meme 2 from here

[ace-with--a-mace]

weather is starting to feel like i need to rewatch jatp

[legolasghosty]

Kissing the homies goodnight for Willie (/Willex) because I feel like Willie would.

Ack I'm so sorry this took so long but here you gooo!

Willie ducked into the kitchen to grab the water pitcher and some glasses, praying he wasn't forgetting anything important. They knew it was just their friends crashed across various surfaces in the living room, but it was still nerve-wracking. Willie hadn't been to a sleepover in like... five years, let alone hosted one. They got why the foster care system had to check over people before they could stay overnight, but with the number of times Willie had moved around since entering the system, it just... had never happened.

Caleb had been hesitant at first when Willie asked if they could all stay over, wanting to ensure Willie was settled himself first. And also wanting to meet all of these kids before he let them have free reign of his home.

But it was finally happening. All of Willie's best friends (and his boyfriend, but they hadn't really managed to wrap their head around that one yet) were lounging in his living room at 2 in the morning, some closer to dozing off than others.

Willie wasn't sure which was stronger: the excitement or the terror of messing this up.

He was pretty sure he hit all the main bits on all the 'how to throw a slumber party' lists he'd found online: pizza, way too many types of ice cream toppings (they're not entirely sure how many of those canned cherries Luke ended up fitting in his mouth), random games (he'd never heard of turning pictionary into a drinking game with shots of soda, but apparently that was a thing his friends did), and a movie with lots of popcorn and cozy blankets.

So they're pretty sure they've done alright thus far.

Still, it'd been a long time since Willie did this.

He re-entered the living room just as Alex managed to grab the TV remote and turn off the rolling credits of Legally Blonde. Flynn looked to already be asleep, lying across one of the air mattresses with her feet up on Julie's stomach. Julie had propped herself up a bit on her elbows and was debating...something with Reggie. Both of them looked closer to dozing off than winning though. Luke and Carrie were both sitting upright on one of the couches, madly swiping on their phones and hissing at each other.

"Do I even want to know?" Willie asked Alex quietly, setting the water and cups down on the coffee table and rejoining him on the loveseat.

Alex groaned. "I made the mistake of telling them there's a PvP mode on this tower defense game they both play."

Willie tried to hold back his giggle. He failed.

Alex attempted to glare at them, but mostly just looked sleepily confused. "I'm serious, we're gonna have to take their phones away now if we want them to sleep," he sighed.

Willie winced. "Any chance the game will kick them off after a few rounds?"

Alex shook his head, then leaned over to rest his head on Willie's shoulder. "And they're both too stubborn to give in, I already tried it."

Willie rested their cheek against his hair, letting their lungs adjust to expanding and contracting in time with the light huffs of Alex's breath against their collarbone. "Is it online?" he asked.

"Yeah, why?" Alex responded, blinking up at him sleepily in the dim light of the lamp.

Willie smirked and pulled out his phone. Okay, so Caleb hadn't technically given him the password for the router, but like... it hadn't been hard. He opened the app on his phone that connected to the electronic and started typing.

Twin cries of annoyance erupted from the pair on the other couch a moment later, informing Willie of his success.

"It just kicked me off!" Luke complained.

"Same here," Carrie griped. "Willie I think your wifi died."

Willie looked up, attempting to look innocent. "Oh yeah, I think you're right," they agreed. "Ugh, this happens sometimes, it will probably come back in an hour or two, but we just gotta wait it out."

Both Luke and Carrie groaned, but seemed to buy it and tossed their phones aside. Carrie peeled off her sweater and tossed it down next to Flynn's head, before pulling a blanket up and over herself and stretching out along the couch. Luke slid down onto the air mattress beside Reggie, koala cuddling against his back. Reggie laughed and shifted over so Luke could share his pillow, still discussing... Okay Willie was pretty sure they were trying to figure out who in their friend group would be whom in Legally Blonde. Fair enough.

Willie felt Alex's tiny sigh of relief against his neck and shivered. It felt nice, being close like this and knowing it made Alex just as fluttery as it did them.

Alex brought his fingers up to his chin, then let his hand move forward, palm up. Thank you.

Willie tucked his phone away. "Don't mention it," he whispered, daring to brush his lips against Alex's forehead.

Alex's cheeks turned pink, but Julie interrupted before Willie could tease him about it.

"Hey, no PDA unless you're willing to share with the class," she mumbled, eyes heavy.

"You're one to talk," Alex pointed out, glancing pointedly between her and Flynn's feet still resting on her abdomen.

"Oh you wanna wake her up?" Julie snarked back, the words slurring together a bit.

"I don't think any of us have that death wish," Willie chuckled. They tapped Alex lightly on the shoulder in warning, then stood up. "And I don't mind sharing." Before Julie could respond, he ducked down and pecked her on the forehead. "Sweet dreams, Juju," they added, throwing a spare blanket over her and heading back toward Alex.

"Hey, we're part of the class too," Reggie called out. When Willie turned, he was sticking his bottom lip out, the puppy eyes mostly hidden by his drooping eyelids.

Willie glanced back at Alex, a little startled, but Alex just shrugged and gave him a sleepy smile. So Willie picked his way around to Reggie and gave him a goodnight kiss too. And then Luke perked up a bit and wanted one. And Carrie said she should get one on Flynn's behalf, since her girlfriend was asleep.

"I guess I should have warned you how clingy we all get this late," Alex murmured when Willie finally made it back to his side. "I kinda forgot you haven't been able to be around this before. Just feels really natural."

"All good," Willie promised around a yawn. "Just tryin'a be a good host."

Alex leaned over and hit the button on the side of the love seat to make it lean back, the extending footrest turning it into more of a bed. "It's perfect," he stated, pulling Willie in to lay beside him.

Willie let out a happy sigh and cuddled in closer. Alex's cool arms soothed the nervous energy that was always humming along their skin. He felt Alex's lips brush against his hairline.

"G'night Lex," they mumbled, eyes slipping shut.

"Good night, Willie."

[carebooks]

i’m sure someone talked about this when jatp first came out but i just rewatched it in years. (not because i forgot about it, not because i didn’t like it, but because it hurt so much to know this show wasn’t getting renewed and i had to avoid it in order to protect myself)

something i just love about the show is how they never bash on any other types of music. and each character has more than one genre of music to like.

yes, Sunset Curve was a rock band and Julie and the Phantoms are more rock indie/alternative rock band.

but that doesn’t stop Reggie from liking country music, “I shred on the banjo,” and Jeremy Shada later on actually writing and performing “Home Is Where My Horse Is” (which I recommend heavily).

that doesn’t stop Alex from getting into Dirty Candi’s bubblegum pop music and dancing alongside Carrie on stage, (and how hard it must be for Carrie, who’s father is a rock musician, and how his fans must hate that his daughter is a fem bubblegum pop musician)

that doesn’t stop Luke from absolutely going insane over Caleb’s first performance, “The Other Side of Hollywood” with it’s 20’s era vibe and Broadway level intensity. (he was also into more classic rock as shown when he tried playing a song that Bobby/Trevor stole for Julie) (and lets not forget that he can also make the most emotional ballad of alternative rock)

and that doesn’t stop Julie from alternating between piano, rock music, pop verses, love ballads, and indie rock. and she and Flynn never once talk badly about Carrie’s music genre.

everyone can have more than one type of music they’re interested in or just show appreciation for instead of bashing it or disregarding it and i love that this show did this.

[akileiaa]

I rewatched Julie and the Phantoms today and I can’t believe how many years it has been since it came out. Like four and a half years?? Where has the time gone? Also I haven’t watched it in like four years, mostly because I’m so mad it got cancelled and also because I know it ends in a freaking cliffhanger that will never get resolved. But today I just got this need to rewatch it and so I did.

And I have to say, after almost five years, I still think it’s amazing. All the actors are so talented, the music is amazing and so are the costumes! It just so good and it breaks my heart that we don’t get know what would’ve happened next. I have so many questions and things I wanted to see.

I want to learn more about Alex and Reggie’s families. I want to see more Alex and Willie and learn more about Willie too. How did he end up with Caleb having his soul? Does he have any family? When did he die?

I also wonder if they would have tried to free Willie from Caleb in the next season. I wish Alex had gotten his own song to sing. Did Julie learn Alex is gay and met Willie?

Also what is the boys’ unfinished business? How did Julie free them from Caleb? Why and how can they touch each other now? What is Caleb planning with possessing Nick? Aaggghhh I have so many questions!!

Anyone know any good fics that are continuation of where the show left off?? Recs are very welcome!

I have many headcanons too. One is that Reggie is bi (but maybe hasn’t fully realised it yet) and Luke is bi or pan. Also I think Luke and Alex dated in the 1990s, but decided that they just worked better as friends (but obviously stayed really close and still love each other).

Also I’m not really sure if it’s canon or not, but I like the thought that Alex had allergies and stuff when he was alive and still, as a ghost, carries his old epipen and other stuff in his fanny pack.

So uh that’s all the thoughts I had about jatp right now.

[horselovingbookworm]

Danny Phantom/Julie & The Phantoms crossover idea

So, I'm watching Danny Phantom after rewatching Julie and the Phantoms on Netflix, and I thought, "there's crossover potential here!'

This could also count as a potential Season 2 for JATP since NETFLIX DECIDED TO CANCEL IT!

Imagine...

Danny winds up at Julie's school (whether he's a transfer student, on the run, or on a mission to capture Caleb, can be up to you), and he gets a welcome/tour or something from Julie and Flynn. They meet up with Nick/Caleb, and the two immediately clock each other. Nick/Caleb slips off, and Danny lets it go for now, but decides to stick with the girls if only to keep tabs on him.

Julie & Flynn might invite him over after school to hang out, and she could mention that she's in a band. This could be where he connects the dots that Julie is the lead singer for JATP.

After geeking out that his new friend is in a popular band, they could head over to Julie's house. Introductions are made, and they make their way to the garage/studio.

Danny senses (or spots) Luke, Alex, and Reggie immediately.

YEP! HE CAN SEE THEM Y'ALL!

He innocently asks Julie who her friends are... cue everyone freaking out, an attempt at denial and gaslighting on Julie and Flynn's parts, confusion/shock/panic on the guys' parts, and confusion followed by realization on Danny's part that OH MAN THESE GUYS ARE GHOSTS!

Everyone wants to know how Danny can see them, and since everyone's secrets are pretty much out, Danny reveals his ghost powers.

Cue freak-out number 2!

Explanations and backstory dumping ensue, followed by Danny witnessing Julie and the guys practicing (also where he learns that singing with Julie makes the guys visible).

Meanwhile, Caleb has realized that Danny is a ghost, or at least has ghostly abilities, and starts plotting how to get him (and the phantoms) to join his club.

The rest of the crossover could include things like Danny and Caleb having an "I'm onto you" dynamic going on, Danny helping the phantoms develop their powers (intangibility, flight, ecto-blasts, etc.), them teaching him how to teleport, Danny picking up on Luke and Julie's chemistry, explaining cores and obsessions to the guys, helping them figure out their unfinished business, Danny potentially becoming a member of the group/band, them all just being best friends in general!

Please feel free to use any or all of the above as fic/art inspo! I just did this for fun, and you guys are more than welcome to add to this post if you come up with any other ideas! Hope you liked it! God bless!

[oriocookie]

potential jatp songs that would have killed me dead if they existed:

- legends (from their “legends on three” and “you guys were gonna be legends”)

- dahlia

- now or never (reprise)

- no regrets

- unsaid emily (performed in front of a crowd)

- this side of hollywood (countering caleb’s song ofc)

- SPEAKING OF i definitely think that if we got to see julie and caleb duke it out it would be through like a music battle which. HELL YEAH

- better together

- home is where my horse is (but it’s reggie being SAD because he doesn’t have a home and CANONICALLY has no attachment to his own life. baby boy who hurt you i need to kill them)

- my name is luke (steal it back from mf BOBBY)

- perfect harmony (PERFORMANCE VERSION)

- wake up (reprise)

[missjoolee]

Been stewing for a little now

JATP K-pop Demon Hunters AU

julie, flynn, and carrie are part of world sensation pop-rock group Triple Threat, secretly the demon hunters protecting the world from their supernatural threat

julie is the legacy of the three, her mom fighting demons the generation before

Caleb Covington is the King of the Demons, owning all of their souls, corrupting humans via their hubris. but due to the generations of demon hunters, his ability to recruit new souls has petered out and he's big mad

julie secretly has patterns. i'm not sure if i'd want her to have them for the same reason as Rumi. i"m leaning towards she and Rose were in an accident of some sort that resulted in Rose's death and her guilt/shame brought them forth.

Caleb in a last ditch effort, sends a band he recruited as demons back in the 90s to go steal Triple Threat's fans and bring souls back into the underworld

this is how Sunset Curve comes back to the world, probably with a different name though lol

shenanigans ensue

it's revealed that the guilt/shame they have is from running away as teenagers and abandoning their families

flynn and Carrie have fairly canon reactions to the "betrayal" finding out about Julie's patterns

i think it would be cool if the final song that defeats caleb ended up being a 6-parter incorporating both bands, as the demons fight for their freedom

not sure if it would be full HEA, or mostly HEA

[girlstuffnorp]

Julie and the Phantoms Song Recs: McFly Songs that are Sunset Curve/JATP Coded

So, McFly are a big British pop/rock band that have been around since 2003, and are still releasing music and touring at the time of writing in 2024. I saw them perform live in 2023, and loved it. 💖 That tour was to celebrate the release of the most recent album (at the time of writing) - Power To Play - and listening to that album immediately gave me Sunset Curve vibes, and then I subsequently realised that they had been making Sunset Curve/JATP-coded songs throughout their whole career. 🥺💖

Edit: So, McFly are really popular in Brazil, and they released a song with popular Brazilian band Fresno in 2023 as part of the Power To Play album - Broken By You... and I've just discovered that Fresno actually had a cameo in Julie e os Fantasmas (the original Brazilian show that Julie and the Phantoms was adapted from) in episode 3, so this whole post has gained a lot more validity in a '6 degrees of separation' kind of way 😍👏

I wanted to make a list of songs that I could see Sunset Curve/JATP performing/recording for their potential albums, some that just remind me of the boys, and some fun gems in between - these are all my personal preferences/opinions, so you may think differently, but here is the current tracklist in no particular order. (All with YouTube links of varying quality since a lot of the music videos/live performances give Sunset Curve/JATP vibes too IMO. All [except one] of these songs are also on Spotify etc.):

🎶 God of Rock & Roll (link here) (Screams Sunset Curve for me)

🎶 Where Did All The Guitars Go? (link here) (Also screams Sunset Curve for me)

🎶 Air Guitar (as McBusted with Busted) (link here) (Always reminded me of when the boys realised that people could see them play with Julie)

🎶 Ghostbusters (Live cover of song by Ray Parker Jr.) (link here) (On Youtube, but sadly not on streaming) (Maybe a bonus/hidden track on the album or they would exclusively play live at the gigs - I couldn't not share it because it's awesome from start to finish, and the boys would totally cover it as a joke 👻Also, imagine the boys getting the crowd to do call-and-response with them - iconic 😍)

🎶 I'll Be Ok (link here) (Gives me vibes of the boys helping each other through their crappy family lives in the 90s 🥺)

🎶 Five Colours In Her Hair (link here) (The song written during a jam session - the boys just having a laugh)

🎶 Make It Out Alive (link here) (As soon as I first heard this, the angst and melodrama of the song gave me vibes of the boys being cursed and under Caleb's control at the HGC 🥺)

🎶 Route 55 (link here) (A song all about friends having a great time together during an endless summer)

🎶 Don't Stop Me Now (Charity single cover of Queen) (link here) (They would have totally covered Queen during their jam sessions - respecting some of the best but putting their own fun spin on things 😂)

🎶 Transylvania (link here) (This song always gives me HGC vibes - so gothic and melodramatic, and Dougie's vocals in the chorus?? 😍)

🎶 Party Girl (link here) (Such a guilty pleasure song of mine~ This music video is slightly NSFW since it contains clips of the band's infamous vampire-themed short film that they all starred in 2010 to promote their album at the time [which even the band realise was a bad idea in hindsight, since it was clearly riding the Twilight wave]... but! Listening to this song also gives me ideas for a possible evil Julie possessed/controlled by Caleb - maybe sometime I will write them down~ 👀)

🎶Tonight Is The Night (link here) (A spiritual sequel to I'll Be Ok in my mind - when the boys realise that they're not really okay and need to ask for help to process all the shit that has happened to them - think what Luke went through in Unsaid Emily [and what we presume Alex and Reggie would go through in subsequent seasons] and the boys helping each other through it 🥺)

🎶 Too Close For Comfort (link here) (The obligatory break-up song on an album, and this performed live is everything - just heartbreaking 🥺)

🎶 Umbrella (Live cover of song by Rihanna) (link here) (Julie gives the boys a lesson in popular music during the 25 years that they've been dead, and they decide to surprise her with a fun rock cover of Umbrella to cheer her up one day)

🎶 The Heart Never Lies (link here) (The dramatic love song on an album that is really about the band's bond and sticking together through thick and thin)

🎶 Falling In Love (link here) (The love song that has a music video full of tour footage, which always make me think of the boys in Sunset Curve absolutely loving playing for a crowd, and the bridge/quiet part of the song giving the vibe of Julie, Luke, Alex and Reggie cherishing the moment at the end of Stand Tall before the boys cross over 🥺)

🎶 One For The Radio (link here) (The defiant song for everyone who dismissed Sunset Curve and JATP - I could imagine this as a song written in response to either record companies who wouldn't sign Sunset Curve/JATP, Bobby/Trevor or Caleb. It also gives me vibes of the boys appearing back onto the stage of the Orpheum to perform Stand Tall with Julie - defiant celebration)

🎶 Lies (link here) (The break-up song that gives me vibes of the boys standing up to Caleb. Also is it just me, or does Tom [you can see him at around 0:43 in the video] give Luke vibes in his styling? 😍)

🎶 Forever's Not Enough (link here) (The true love song that Luke writes for Julie, but will never admit that it's for her because he makes the lyrics vague enough 💖)

Tagging @ri-jane @phantomwriter95 @hemeraomara @1mnobodywhoareyou @legolasghosty

@floating-in-the-blue @60sec400

[darkphoenix180]

[suhlinah]

can we talk about how the lyrics to now or never foreshadows pretty much everything that happens in the series?

electric hammer to the heart - the shocks from Caleb

clocks move forward / but we don't get older, no - how the boys are still the same age when they reappear as ghosts

'til our stars collided - Julie

keep dreaming like we'll live forever / but live it like it's now or never - how the boys were dreaming of such big things while in sunset curve vs in jatp in the orpheum performance as they didn't know what crossing over was

one life, no regrets / catch up, got no time to catch my breath - pretty much all what the boys were dealing with in the first few episodes with the modern world

and clocks move faster / cause that's all we're after now - Caleb closing the gap on their chance to cross over

won't stop climbing / cause this is our time, yeah - it's their time that they'll become a huge band

[floating-in-the-blue]

50th Jatp Fic Stats

After posting it, I realised that Sacrifices and Surprises is my 50th fic posted on AO3 for Julie and the Phantoms and because I'm a numbers' bitch, I thought "why not collect some stats? I'm sure everyone is going to be just as intersted in those as I am!" So here we are (also I wanted to procrastinate at work).

Stats under the cut just in case you're not interested in them and want to scroll past ;D

50 fics!

...is not actually correct because six of those 50 AO3 entries are actually collections of assorted prompt ficlets etc instead of a coherent fic. But 50 is a nice number so we'll pretend they're all fics ;D

25/50 are gifts (to 9 people in total)

not counting the collections or ongoing series, only 1 is currently truly unfinished: Can I Interest You in Some Stolen Goods and My Heart? (I still have plans to eventually come back to this because I'm quite fond of the 'verse ... one day!)

I have four series and three of them are more or less actively ongoing (two more than the third, which is on hiatus)

41/50 are set in some kind of alternate universe, a handful of the rest are, let's face it, canonically improbable continuations of canon. There's 4 fics in total which are completely canon compliant (not counting various ones in the collections), which means I've fully embraced the 'what if' spirit of fanfic instead of clinging to canon ;D

31 are rated Teen and Up, 9 each for Explicit/General Audiences, and 1 Mature

for ships (main pairing only) we've got: -> 27 willex (surprise XD) -> 5 Alex/Luke/Willie -> 4 no ship/gen -> 3 Ghost4 (Alex/Luke/Reggie/Willie) -> 3 Juke (mainly thanks to @onlygenxhere ;D) -> 2 Ralex -> 2 polyphantoms -> 1 Caleb's harem (Caleb/Willie/Alex/Luke/Reggie) -> 1 Caleb/Willie/Alex -> 1 polycurve

the 50 fics have a total of 257,447 words* (*not 100% correct because Starlight Sonata is an extended chapter and so reuses a lot of words already posted in In Your Starlight) -> most words: In Your Starlight with 58,024 -> least words: Banded for Life with 130 (the gen band ficlet collection with just one ficlet so far) -> least words single fic: How to Ruin a Royal Wedding in One Easy Misstep with 319

looking at the years, we've got -> 2020: 5 fics with 13,929 words -> 2021: 15 fics with 121,076 words -> 2022: 4 fics with 36,290 words -> 2023: 16 fics with 31,469 words (lots of short ones in that year!) -> 2024: 7 fics with 37,246 words -> 2025: 3 fics with 5,875 words Due to the collections and some fics crossing over, these numbers aren't 100% correct. Also: OMG I'm on my sixth year writing jatp fic!!! Oo

13/50 are multi-chapters, ie 37 of these only have one chapter. It's clearly much more my style but I'm trying ;D In total, there's 114 chapters -> most chapters: Our Happiness is Made out of Fragments, the Willex ficlet collection, with 21 individual little ficlets -> most chapters for one single fic: In Your Starlight with 20 chapters

The following stats are already slightly outdated since I collected my numbers on Friday but then couldn't finish the post.

Hits: 42,280 total -> most: In Your Starlight with 6,877 -> least: Banded for Life with 41

kudos: 3,468 total -> most: Will You with 426 -> least: Banded for Life with 6

comment threads: 581 total -> most: In Your Starlight with 167 (remember this also had most chapters!) -> most on a One-Shot: Call For a Date, (Don’t) Fall in Love

bookmarks: 621 total -> most: Will You with 96

Are there any conclusions to draw from this? Not unsurprisingly, the collections are least successful (valid, it's more for archive purposes anyway). The early stories are still way more successful than the newer ones because they keep snowballing and the fandom was simply a lot bigger in those days. It's a little sad because I've written far better since but that's the way of things.

Otherwise, I don't know. I just know that I will continue to write jatp. For how long? We'll see ;D

Happy 50th jatp fic to me. Well done, Yeo <3

[1mnobodywhoareyou]

rewrite the pain

JatP | G | 2217 words | alive, aged-up AU

Is a special gift for @narcissusbrokenmirror - hope you like it! It'll get posted to ao3 sometime after I wake up :D

Bobby’s been running behind all day. Almost entirely of his own doing, of course: he’d stayed in bed longer than he should have, let himself get lost in nothing instead of getting ready, forgot to eat until it was almost too late. And it’s not even early. There’s no reason he couldn’t have been ready to be somewhere for 10am. Other than the way his brain just won’t LET him get things done.

He shakes his head to clear his mind, not letting himself fall down the self-hate rabbithole. He’s learning to not beat himself up about this kind of thing any more but, well, old habits die hard. 

Bobby looks up at the house shrouded by more greenery than Bobby’s ever seen on a residential lot before. He doesn’t even want to think about how much time, energy, and money it takes to maintain this yard. So he doesn’t. Or tries not to, anyway.

He double checks the address and makes his way up the walk. He rings the doorbell and waits. When there’s no answer, he knocks a few times. He backs down the walk when he’s met with nothing and triple checks the address. He confirms that he is indeed in the right place and looks around, trying to find signs of life or clues to where everyone could be. 

Bobby notices a sidewalk that crosses the front of the house and makes his way down it, peering around the side of the house as he reaches the corner. He can hear voices coming from the backyard and decides to brave the rest of the journey. 

He attempts a futile knock on the gate, knowing that nobody will hear it anyway, before pushing it open. He lets out a sigh of relief when he notices people he recognizes. 

Luke immediately catches sight of him. “Bobby!” he exclaims, running up to him and wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Glad you could make it. Bex will be so happy to see you!”

Bobby huffs out a light laugh, “Thanks.” He holds out the gift that he’d had tucked under his arm. “Where do you want me to put this?”

“Oh, I’ll take it. Let’s introduce you to everyone!”

Bobby hands Luke the gift as he agrees to the offer. He trails behind Luke as they make their way around the yard to meet Bex’s… family, he guesses. Who knew that one child could have so many adults who wanted to show up for her? He smiles in amusement to himself as he notices a distinct lack of other children in attendance.  

“So you’re Bex’s… babysitter?” one of the older men asks when Luke introduces them. 

“Yes, sir.”

“Huh. How does a man your age wind up babysitting toddlers?”

Bobby gapes at him. It’s not like it’s a question he hasn’t faced before. Or asked himself, quite frankly. But it’s not often that people are so up front about it. 

The more he sees about the inner workings of Bex’s family, the more confused he winds up about his answers to the question. How did he, a man in his early 30s, wind up babysitting Bex, a toddler with more than enough grown ups around to ensure she never gets a moment alone for the rest of her life? Granted, a LOT has happened in the last several months. Very, very quickly, even. But Bobby’s still not entirely sure how HE got here.

“Could ask how a man your age winds up at a toddler he’s not related to’s third birthday party, no?” a familiar feminine voice says from behind Bobby. 

Bobby turns to greet Carrie with a smile. “Hey, Care.”

“Hey, loser. Don’t mind Caleb. He’s just…” she narrows her eyes at Caleb, “like that.”

Bobby looks back at Caleb who’s mid-eye roll. 

“I’m here for the same reason the rest of us are. She asked,” Caleb rebuts. 

“Yeah, lucky us,” Carrie mutters under her breath. She turns her attention back to Bobby, “Did you and Luke finish the rounds?”

Bobby looks around the backyard, noticing that Luke had disappeared at some point, and confirms that he had met everybody new. Most of whom were Julie’s family. 

Carrie grabs him by the elbow and steers him toward the refreshment table. 

“Luke should have at least gotten you a drink before subjecting you to the chaos,” she says as she shoves a plastic cup full of punch into his hand. 

Bobby lets out a light chuckle. “It wasn’t that bad. Everyone seems nice and it’s only like four new people. They can’t be any worse than what I’m used to.” 

Just as he’s about to take a sip, he’s shoved backward by tiny arms wrapping around his legs. 

Bobby steadies himself and his drink, being careful not to spill it on Bex’s head. He looks down with a smile. “Hey Bex!” he greets, stopping himself from ruffling her hair when he notices that she’s sporting neat pigtails. He can’t help but wonder how many people it took to actually get her hair done. He laughs lightly to himself as he imagines a few possible scenarios.

Bobby crouches down to meet Bex properly. “Happy birthday, kiddo! You having lots of fun?”

Bex nods vigorously. In typical Bex fashion, she starts to rattle off all the things she’d been doing before he got there. Far too quickly for Bobby to follow. 

When she finishes, she stares at him expectantly. 

Bobby laughs. “Why don’t you just show me?” he offers. 

She reaches up for his free hand and pulls him away from Carrie. 

Bobby holds his cup up to Carrie in apology. She waves him off with a fond smile of her own. 

Bex leads Bobby around the backyard, showing him all her favourite things (and people). He waves and nods in acknowledgement to everyone Bex (re)introduces him to. He can’t help but laugh every time she pulls him away before he can get more than two words out in any given conversation she butts them into. 

Bex eventually bores of Bobby and is successfully lured away by games and treats and family. Specifically by Carlos deciding that he wanted to experiment with what kinds of things he could convince Bex to do. Bribery with candy included. 

Bobby shakes his head in amusement as he watches them walk away. He looks around the backyard again, taking in the mishmash of ongoing conversations. He notices that every single adult somehow manages to keep half an eye on Bex at all times. It’s not something he sees often from families of his other babysitting clients, not that he gets to see them engage with their kids directly very often. 

He tops up his cup of punch and climbs the handful of stairs to the porch. He leans over the railing as he takes in the chaos. While he has no issue being a part of the action when he’s wanted, he does still have a general preference for watching from the sidelines. Bex and Carlos are taking turns chasing each other around the yard, occasionally tagging in someone new who plays for a round or two before resuming whatever they’d been engaged in before. 

The creak of the porch stairs redirects his attention. He turns to see Alex climbing up the steps, wiping at his eyes. As observant as Bobby is, he’d somehow manage to miss whatever it was that had loosened Alex’s emotions. 

“Oh, shit. I didn’t think anyone would be up here,” Alex says when he notices Bobby, a slight wobble in his voice. 

“It’s okay, man. There’s room for two,” Bobby moves over to sell the point. “Y’alright?”

Alex sniffs before directing a grateful look Bobby’s way. He settles in against the porch railing in the open space beside Bobby. “‘S just a lot, you know?”

Bobby coughs out a dry laugh, “Which part?” 

Alex turns to look at Bobby, brows furrowed.  “All of it.” 

They both redirect their attention to the party below them.

“Wanna talk about it?”

“Not really.” 

“Okay. Well, if you change your mind…”

“I won’t. But thanks.”

Bobby hums in acknowledgement but doesn’t say anything further. While he doesn’t get it, he gets it. It’s weird coming from a life like his and seeing kids be loved so deeply. It’s beautiful but hurts in a way that he can’t quite put words to. He can only imagine how much more complicated those feelings are as a parent.

They stand together in silence for several long minutes. Bobby takes a sip of his punch. “This is how it should be, you know?” he finally says, breaking their not-quite-but-almost-comfortable silence.

“What d’you mean?”

“This,” Bobby repeats, gesturing out at the backyard. “A group of adults showing up for their kid. Loving their kid.”

Alex nods slowly. “Yeah. We try.”

Bobby huffs out another light laugh. “I’m not just talking about you, you know. Look at all these people who love Bex. It’s incredible. You built the most beautiful family. Every kid deserves this.”

“Yeah,” Alex agrees softly, “they really do.”

They fall into another comfortable, contemplative silence. 

This time, Alex breaks it. “Do you want your own one day?”

“Kid? God no. I’d only fuck them up. I love kids, obviously. But the best part of what I do is that I get to give them back. And any trauma I cause is probably pretty easily fixable, on the grand scale of things.”

Alex coughs out a dry laugh. “Yeah. That’s fair. Reggie had that fear for a long time. But I know some people never really get over it.”

Both of their gazes track over the backyard, landing on Luke who has Bex perched on his shoulders. She’s pulling on his hair and ears to steer him around. Alex and Bobby share a chuckle at their antics. 

“No, I guess not,” Bobby agrees with a fond smile. “I’d guess it’s probably pretty common for people who come from fucked up families. They either want to save anyone else from experiencing what they did. Or they overcorrect hard in the other direction and want to do it all different. Prove it’s possible.”

Alex hums thoughtfully. “Yeah, maybe,” he agrees before letting a grin take over his face. “That’s a lot of words for a Bobby,” Alex teases. 

“Yeah. Just been thinking.”

“Careful. I’ve heard that kind of thing’s contagious. And can hurt.”

Bobby lets out a dry laugh. 

 “I think that might be one of the hardest parts about parenting?” Alex says after a moment. “Imagining what could have been different. Questioning why things weren’t. For us, I mean.”

Bobby hums in acknowledgement, encouraging Alex to continue.

“I don’t know. I mean, I know we’re gonna fuck up. We have fucked up. But it’s not that hard to just… love your kid?”

“So then you keep asking why you weren’t deserving of that love?”

“Exactly. Shit hurts.”

“Do you and the guys talk about it often?”

Alex shakes his head. “No, not really. I mean, we don’t really need to. We all get it. We’ve been all each other’s had for pretty much our entire lives.”

“And now look at you. Giving Bex everything you never got and then some.”

Alex laughs bitterly. “Who knew there were families overflowing with so much love that they’d so readily adopt 4 wayward rockstar slash artist adults and their toddler.”

“The Molinas seem as great as you’ve all been saying.”

“And more,” Alex sighs. “We’re so lucky to have them. But it also shows how… I guess, unfair it all is? We should have had more. Bex should have had more. Like, yeah, gratitude for what we have, blah blah blah, but that doesn’t change what could have been, you know?”

Bobby offers Alex a wry smile, “I think Reggie or Julie would call that grief or something.”

Alex laughs. “Yeah, probably.”

“Well, they don’t deserve you.”

“That’s what Willie and Reggie try to remind me of. ‘If they can’t love all of you, they don’t deserve access to any of you,’” Alex says, mocking their voices. “And they don’t deserve the joy that is Bex either. And she deserves better than them.”

“Exactly. Enter the Molinas.”

“Enter the Molinas,” Alex firmly agrees,  “The family none of us could have ever dreamed of.”

Bobby lets out a self-deprecating laugh, “Can you imagine what it would have been like being raised by someone like Ray? An adult who cares about where you are. What you’re doing. How you are? More than just some trophy to show off? Or inconvenience to hide away…”

“Loves and encourages you in your full self.”

“What would Luke even write about without shitty parents?”

Alex laughs. “Would we even have the band? This family? I guess that’s a silver lining or some shit.”

“Or some shit,” Bobby agrees with a grin.

“It’s cake time!” Reggie yells from the kitchen, just inside the porch doors. He must have snuck past them at some point. Bobby and Alex exchange a fond smile. 

“Time to give this kid and her… everyone even more of a sugar rush,” Alex says through a grin. 

Bobby offers Alex his fist and Alex immediately knocks their knuckles together. “Right behind ya,” Bobby agrees as he follows Alex into the house. 

[narcissusbrokenmirror]

some niche jatp concepts that i never thought deep about before but i get puppy-cited when i think of it.

aromantic bisexual Rose Molina. Yes she married a man and had kids with him. Yes she was in a relationship with him for years, a very meaningful and special relationship. But nothing is always what it looks like.

lesbian demisexual Julie Molina. Maybe she's not even into guys just into really good looking butches and special friends.

he/him Carrie Wilson. Yes. He's that transboy from the bigoted legends of a really femme trans boy with long hair and heels n skirt and if u get his pronouns wrong, he will kick you or punch you in the boobs.

she/her Willie. Yes shes nonbinary and no she's not really feminine but she's androgynous and not into being called masc terms. She doesnt care you call everyone dude. Don't call her that. Theres nothing radical about terfs. Yes she's Alex's girlfriend what do you have to do with that?

Bisexual Caleb Covington. you can't tell me this guy doesn't get with the ladies just bc he's fruity. He's not a picky lover.

aromantic bisexual reggie. He likes to flirt he likes to make out. But he rather remain friends if that's okay.

Thanks for coming to my ted talk.

[innytoes]

Leverage + JATP crossover AU?? Like. Imagine Eliot and Sophie specifically having to deal with Caleb Covington

-I am so tickled by this idea. Like, they didn't even die, they're still alive. Like, you know that if ghosts were real, at least Sophie and Eliot would know. Parker too, but she's just like: um what's the big deal? They're just people who died. They're still awkward to talk to. (She is pissed about the whole, they can walk through walls and don't set off alarms thing, but then she realises they can't actually steal stuff so it's fine.)

-Parker has 100% heard someone skateboarding through an empty museum while she was stealing a painting, and just been like: that's none of my business.

-Nate never knew about the ghosts because everyone who did agreed it would send him off the deep end trying to get his son back.

-Somehow, Sophie got into the club (as a guest while grifting) and somehow managed to avoid the whole 'Caleb steals your soul' thing and he's still mad about it.

-You know she 100% enjoyed the show, though. She was sad she had to slip out to finish her whole grift before midnight.

-Eliot knows about Area 51/52, he knows about the Ghosts, okay. Moreau 100% had dealings with Caleb. Eliot totally had a stare off with Caleb's Chair Twink. No he will not have anything to drink, he's bodyguarding and also his Granny taught him better than to accept food or drink from what may or may not be one of the Fair Folk.

-Hardison is NOT OKAY when he learns about the ghosts. He is even less okay when he realises the others all KNEW.

-Breanna is just super stoked that the Phantoms in Julie and the Phantoms are real ghosts.

-Things hit the fan when they realise Caleb Covington owns the soul of Willie. Either Sophie or Eliot recognises him in an old photo album Nana was showing the team (much to Hardison's embarrassment because she was showing them his old tween pictures).

-Because Willie was one of Nana's foster kids. He was only with her for a few months before he got hit by that car, but he was One of Theirs and the fact that his soul is trapped is Not Okay.

-Let's go steal back a Willie.