#lacrosse team jatp

[innytoes]

Inny rewatches JATP 4-6

Episode 4:

-Okay so this school has: a swim team (mentioned at the rally) and lacrosse team, cheerleaders, special FURRY cheerleaders, and a marching band. Dances in the middle of the week. Who the fuck is funding this school?

-I've decided I'm going full rarepair and I ship Nick with That Poor Boy Whose Sticks Julie Steals.

-When the boys write Hello Bobby on the mirror, the y has the little Sunset Curve swoop.

Episode 5:

-Willie enjoying the show while also saying hi to all his ghost club coworker pals never stops being good.

-Having fun going through the parts I've matched a million times and noticing all the little details. Did you know the bottoms of Caleb's shoes are shiny purple? I can just see him at his desk with a bottle of shimmering nail polish.

-Also spotted some some ladies dancing together. Dante and Fuego have competition. Let's go lesbians!

-The tiniest little nod when Alex asks Caleb to let Willie know he was looking for him and you're like: GAY ACCEPTANCE. HE'S BEEN WHERE YOU ARE. MY FEELS.... and then like 5 seconds later you're reminded Caleb is still a soulstealing evil bastard.

Episode 6:

-Still not over who the hell planned a dance on a school night. Julie missed THREE CLASSES? And then all those people going to Carrie's after party... I'm sure she wasn't the only one who overslept.

-Luke and his sadness flannel and the chocolate cake and I'm not crying my eyes are just sweating.

-Ray you know I love you but babe what is that hat. Please, sir. No.

-Also it is my personal belief that Ray went to Eats and Beats to see Carrie because he knows her fucking dad won't and even though she and Julie aren't friends anymore he wants there to be an adult who supports her.

[invisibleraven]

Phantom Carols

For the @jatp-adventevent prompt: Queer Day

Day Seventeen: Done We Now Our Gay Apparel <-AO3!

Julie comes to him as a teen and tells Ray that she thinks she likes girls and boys. Ray pulls her into a hug, tells her he loves her, is proud of her, and he’ll happy welcome anyone she brings home… when she’s old enough to date. She rolls her eyes and whines, but the small bitten off smile tells him all he needs to know as she skips off, presumably to tell Rose.

Ray breathes out a breath, running his palm down over his face and then grins. He loves that Julie is able to tell him this kind of stuff, and that the world is a kinder, though not perfect place for queer people now. He remembers the hatred from his college years towards his LBGT peers, and the subtle undercurrent of derision when both he and Rose tried a few things out, with her liking everyone, and Ray falling more on the ‘heteroflexible’ side of things, but happy enough to have a bit of fun if the opportunity arose.

When Julie is old enough to date, she and Flynn decide to go together with their dates, which Rose thinks is adorable, and Ray feels like it will make things way less tense for the girls. Julie is going with some guy from the lacrosse team. “Who’s the lucky guy Flynn?” he had asked as the girls got ready.

“Girl, actually,” Flynn replied. “I’m a lesbian.” She finished applying her eyeliner, then turned to look at Ray. “It’s Carrie, by the way.”

“Well then, good job. You’re both lucky girls.”

Flynn scrunched in on herself at that, and then bit her bottom lip. “I… I don’t identify as a girl actually. I’m non-binary, I’m using they/them pronouns now. Is that okay?”

Ray gathers her into a hug at that, assuring her-them-that it is, and promises to try and remember and be respectful. He’s never met anyone who identifies as non-binary, but for Flynn, who is practically a second daughter to him, he’s more than willing to learn.

A year later, Julie brings home her bandmates. Ray likes those boys, they’re sweet and respectful, and the music they make is pretty darn good. Rose has a smile for each of them as they come in the house, and she always has a tray of snacks at the ready for them. Today though, she’s out shopping, so Ray throws something together to bring out. Julie is squat between Luke and Reggie on the couch, the three of them hunched over a notebook.

But Alex is sitting on the armchair, another boy practically in his lap, playing with his hair. “Oh hey Mr. M!” he says with a wave. “This is my boyfriend Willie.”

“Yo!” Willie says with a jaunty wave.

“Very nice to meet you Willie,” Ray replies. “You’re welcome any time.” He turns to Julie then. “Make sure to get your homework done amidst all the song writing please, and dinner tonight is lasagne if anyone wants to stay.”

He leaves the garage then, but just after he clears the door, he hears Julie say. “I told you he wouldn’t care. He’s not like your parents.”

“I know, but he’s still a dad,” Alex replies. “He just… happens to be a good one.”

Ray has to smile at that, and by the time the band meets up again, there’s a Pride flag in the window and Alex beams when he sees it, nodding at Ray when he greets him.

Luke actually comes out to Rose, and Ray just happens to be there. He approaches shyly, asking her if she thinks Julie would say yes to a movie date if he asked. Rose beams and says yes, but he’d be better off asking Julie herself.

“And you don’t mind that I’m…” he trails off, but moves his cut off so the scars are visible.

“No,” Ray says firmly. “If Julie knows and doesn’t care, then why should we?”

“She knows,” Luke says. “And that I’m pan, and she likes me just the same. She’s pretty accepting.”

“Well I’m pansexual too, so she grew up knowing that who you are attracted to doesn’t mean squat as long as you’re a good person,” Rose replied, and Luke offers her a fist bump at that. Ray grins, and thanks whatever force sent these boys to Julie, and to them. He knows not every parent would be as cool with it, and from the whispers he's heard, some of these boys parents are not.

Reggie is the last one to come out, and it’s in a weird, roundabout way. Julie and Luke march into the house, Reggie in tow and tell Ray that they’re all dating now.

“O…kay, you want to give me more details there mija?”

“I’m bisexual,” Reggie says, his eyes downcast. “I… I kind of just figured it out recently.” He lights up though when Ray grips his shoulder, offering him a warm smile. Ray has a fondness for Reggie, and any chance to make his sunshiney self come out, he takes.

“We all like each other, so why not all date?” Luke supplies.

“Love triangles are stupid, especially when polyamory is a easy solution,” Julie finishes.

Ray and Rose exchange glances, but re-assert that they love them all, and whatever they need, all they have to do is ask. There’s a lot of hugging and tears, but Ray can see those boys adore Julie and each other, so what more can he ask? Life will be hard enough on them, he doesn't need to add to it just because he doesn't understand it yet.

He and Rose spend a lot of time researching after that, but they always let their kids... all their kids know that they are loved, accepted, and safe in their home. If the guys spend more and more time there after that, well Rose just starts buying more snacks, and Ray offers as many dad hugs as they need.

That holiday season, Ray puts up a small tree in the garage. The kids all spend most of their time there anyways. And knowing the varying levels of acceptance from their respective families, bedecks the tree in as many queer themed ornaments as possible. It's a rainbow mish-mash of flags and hearts, but it's theirs. Everyone loves it, and when he brings snacks out this time, he catches the conversation as they take it in.

“Man are there any actually straight people close to us?” Alex comments wryly.

“Tia Victoria?” Luke offers.

“She’s aro-ace actually,” Willie replies. “She told me herself when I came out as demi.”

“Carlos?” Luke proposes.

“Carlos is twelve,” Julie says and Ray can almost hear the eye roll. “He's still figuring himself out.”

“You dad,” Reggie replied.

“You rang?” Ray says as he comes in, setting down the tray of hot cocoa and cookies.

“We’re just saying you might be the only straight person we know,” Julie says as she thanks him for the treats.

“Who said I was straight?” Ray replies with a wink, walking out, whistling Jingle Bells, and giggling to himself at the gobsmacked teenagers he left behind.

[violetwolfraven]

Ghost Guitar Battle (3/3)

((Part 3 of Violet is a fucking idiot and couldn’t help herself from pursuing a random idea when she has actual requests sitting in her inbox. I’m so sorry y’all.))

Part 1 here.

Part 2 here.

I am well aware that this is corny as fuck but whatever. Also I know I tagged this as flarrie but it’s just in the background.

Warnings: depression symptoms, parent death mentions, character feeling out of control/mind control.

...

Nick didn’t know how long he was just kind of floating in darkness.

It was dark, but it was the kind of darkness where there weren’t shadows, it wasn’t night, there was just nothing there.

A few minutes could have passed or a few months. Nick wasn’t sure. All he really knew was that he was alone, just sitting there in the dark with his guitar.

Not like the stupid thing did him any good. If he tried to play, it just sounded muted. Whatever this void thing was, it didn’t have good acoutstics.

Everything in here was muted. Nick guessed it was convenient it sounded bad when he played, since he didn’t feel like playing anyway. He wasn’t bored, scared, sad, or whatever. Everything just felt... flat. It felt like he’d been sitting there forever.

“Nick?”

Wait, did someone just say his name?

Nick stood up, turning around and seeing—

“You’re Julie’s guitarist.”

“Yeah,” the guy nodded, “Hi. My name’s Luke.”

“Did Caleb get you, too?”

Luke shook his head, “No. Well, almost, once, but... no.”

“Then how are you... you’re a ghost.”

God, everything made sense now. How Julie’s hologram thing worked and why she didn’t perform at that dance. Why it seemed like she talked to herself so much lately. Why Caleb was so interested in her in the first place.

Hell, Julie had called him ‘Luke’ by mistake once. She’d been thinking about this guy.

“Yeah,” Luke agreed, “I’m a ghost. Long story short, no other ghosts can be seen by lifers when they play, so Caleb wants me under his control.”

“That’s why he came after me,” Nick realized, “I could get to Julie and Julie could get to you.”

Luke nodded, “Exactly. Only he slipped up pretending to be you. Carrie noticed and told Flynn and Julie. We came up with a plan to have me come in here and help you push him out.”

“Another ghost tried to help me. It didn’t work.”

“Wait, Willie? You saw Willie?”

“Yeah, but...” Nick sighed, “Caleb made him fade away. I don’t know what happened to him.”

“Oh. Okay. He’s my bandmate’s... he’s a friend, and we haven’t heard from him since he tried to help you. That’s why I asked.”

“Well, I don’t know. So... sorry.”

He was expecting Luke to leave, but he didn’t. He just fiddled with the strap of the electric guitar he was holding.

“So... what do you wanna play?”

“What?”

“I’m here to back you up, Nick. I can’t push Caleb out for you.”

Nick didn’t feel like laughing, but he did anyway, just at the hopelessness.

“I can’t push him out,” he said, “He’s too powerful.”

“You can,” Luke insisted, “This is your mind. You’re playing on your home turf.”

“But I’m not the one in control.”

“But you can get it back.”

“No, I can’t! I’m not good enough.”

“Not good—“ Luke cut off, sighing, “You think I thought I was good enough when I first started booking gigs with my band when I was alive?”

Nick didn’t even know what to say here.

“I was younger than you are now,” Luke said, “I was 15 when I started out. You think I thought I was as good as the bands with twice the experience and twice the recognition? No. But I acted like I did, because if you don’t at least pretend to believe in yourself, no one else will. You gotta sell yourself, Nick. Fake it till you make it.”

“I don’t think that’s how this works,” Nick muttered, “The stakes are higher than a gig.”

“This isn’t about the stakes. Don’t think about those. This is just about the music. Don’t think about the consequences, don’t worry about what’ll happen if it doesn’t work, just play. Feel the music. You’re a musician, so it’s a part of you.”

Nick still hesitated. He knew he couldn’t overpower Caleb, so what was the point?

“Come on,” Luke said, starting up a few quiet chords, “I believe in you. If nothing else, wouldn’t you rather say you tried?”

Nick picked up his guitar.

He started playing hesitantly, a sad song he’d picked up out of self-pity after Julie rejected him, before he made the mistake of getting off his butt and out of his house to give it one last shot.

He didn’t get very far in the song.

“Wha—stop, stop, stop. What was that?”

“I told you,” Nick said, vaguely irritated, “I’m not good enough.”

“No,” Luke shook his head, “No, your technique was fine. It was pretty good, actually, but you weren’t putting any of yourself into the music.”

Nick snorted, “Why do you care? We don’t know each other.”

And if you‘re close with Julie, you probably know about me as the guy who has a crush on her so why would you try to save me?

“You’re right, but this isn’t about me,” Luke insisted, “This is about you. You need to dig deeper, really connect to the music. Play something that’s you.”

Something that was him...

Nick was still hesitant to listen to the ghost his crush had a crush on, but...

He focused in deeper, and what started coming out when he started playing again was a tune something like an early 2000s pop/rock song. It was still sad, but definitely more him.

“There you go,” Luke said, but Nick wasn’t listening.

Playing guitar while feeling this deeply inside his own mind was trippy. It was almost like he could see and hear—

“I know, but what was I supposed to do, Chad?”

Nick was sitting at the kitchen table and picking at his spaghetti while eavesdropping on Ryan talking on the phone with his boyfriend in the next room.

It wasn’t that he didn’t like Ryan. Nick did like Ryan. But he still really just wanted his mom. The walls were thin here, and he could hear everything that was being said about him.

“I already told you this, but sure, we can go through it again. His mom, Amanda, is in my musical theatre program. Always shows up late and half-asses choreography. We all thought she was a slacker, but then a couple months ago she unloaded the fact that she’s a single mom and can barely afford to pay for a babysitter for her kid. She’s only in school at all because she got a scholarship.”

There was a pause, and Nick wondered what this Chad guy was saying on the other side. He wondered what Chad was like in real life. He was smiling in the picture Ryan had on his counter.

“His dad’s not in the picture. Amanda never said why, but... yeah, you can still come visit, but you should be prepared for the fact that Nick’s gonna be here. In fact...”

Nick heard Ryan sigh and felt a strong sense of dread at the change in his tone of voice.

“Amanda’s been in the hospital a week and she’s not getting any better. The way everyone keeps talking, I don’t think she ever will.”

That made Nick want to cry. Everyone kept telling him he was strong for dealing with his mom being sick, but he didn’t want to be strong. He just wanted her back, and it sounded like Ryan didn’t think that was going to happen.

“No, no grandparents. Amanda doesn’t have any family. None that she talks to, at least.”

Nick was really trying not to cry now, because... because if he thought about what would happen if his mom didn’t get better, besides how he would miss her, what would happen to him?

“Of course I want to take him, Chad. Nick is my friend’s son. He’s 5 years old and he has nowhere else to go.”

What was he talking about? Taking Nick where?

“Yeah, I know I’m a little young for this, but if I don’t take him, they’re gonna put him in the foster system. Nick’s been through enough. The last thing he needs is to get dumped with some stranger.”

If it was a choice between Ryan and a stranger, Nick knew what he’d choose, but he didn’t want that choice. He just wanted his mom back.

“Chad, I already decided. I’ll use my parents’ lawyers if I have to, but I’m taking Nick in. But... I don’t blame you if you wanna bail. You signed on for me. Not some kid you’ve never met.”

Nick didn’t want Ryan to lose his boyfriend because of him. That would be bad. They looked so happy in that picture on the counter.

Then he heard Ryan laugh.

“Okay, point made. You can meet him when you visit this weekend. You’ll like him. Nick’s a really sweet kid. Love you. Bye.”

Nick couldn’t hide his tears when Ryan opened the door and came back into the main room of the apartment.

“Hey,” he said, kneeling down to be on Nick’s level, “Hey, kiddo, it’s okay. It looks like you’re gonna be living with me for a little longer.”

“You think I’m gonna live with you forever,” Nick accused, “You and Chad. You think my mom’s not gonna get better.”

Ryan froze, then sighed, “I guess you heard me, huh?”

“Your stupid walls are stupid thin,” Nick grumbled.

“My stupid walls are stupid thin, aren’t they? Maybe the wall fairy should come fix them.”

Ryan seemed kind of discouraged with how Nick didn’t find that funny.

“Look,” he said quietly, “Nick, I know I’m not your dad. I’m not even like a cool uncle. I’m just your mom’s friend who wasn’t even that good of a friend until a little while ago. Before that, I was kind of a stupid stinky friend and that’s why she didn’t let you meet me—because she knew I was stinky and she was taking care of you.”

“She always takes care of me,” Nick sniffled.

“Yeah,” Ryan agreed, “Because she loves you. Your mom loves you so much, and that’s never going to change. It’s just that... pretty soon, she won’t be able to take care of you anymore. While she can’t, I wanna to do it for her. Is that okay?”

Nick just wanted things to go back to normal, but... well, Ryan was better than some stranger, if those were the only options.

Little Nick had been devastated when his mom died. It still made him sad sometimes that she was gone, but he had a few nice memories of her to look back on.

And plus, she’d been so busy with work and school that he’d rarely seen her, honestly. Nick had spent most of his early childhood with various babysitters until Ryan got custody.

And besides, especially since Ryan and Chad graduated and moved in together, he had more happy memories of them.

The music shifted to be less melancholy as Nick smiled, thinking of growing up with his dads. The first couple months where Chad clearly had no idea how small children worked but tried so hard to make Nick like him anyway. The confusion of them trying to navigate the system and register him for school. Moving to Albuquerque briefly after the 3 year program Ryan was in ended.

“Nick!” Chad chided, taking the bowl of cookie dough away, “You’re not gonna have any room for dinner!”

“What’s the problem with that?” Ryan asked with a smirk, “You’re a really bad cook.”

“Yeah, Dad,” Nick shot back, “You’re a really bad cook.”

It made him a little nervous when they both froze up a bit.

Nick was well aware that he’d never called Chad or Ryan ‘dad’ before. He wasn’t sure if they were even okay with him calling them that.

He just... wanted to try it out.

Chad and Ryan had taken pictures of him on his first day of kindergarten. They’d taken care of him when he got strep throat the November of 1st grade. Ryan had taught him to sing and Chad hadn’t been phased when Nick showed zero flair for basketball and instead got into little league lacrosse.

They felt like his parents, so Nick wanted to try calling them that.

Then Chad smiled, ruffling his hair, “Well, you can’t cook at all, little man, so I’d curb the sass.”

“Yeah, cause he’s 8 years old,” Ryan objected, “Still, Nick could open a cookbook right now and be better than you. I feel bad for Gabriella and all the other Wildcats’ partners. Zeke can cook so well because none of the rest of you can.”

“What, you think he absorbed the culinary ability from the whole team?”

“Yes.”

“You’re a bad cook too, Dad,” Nick pointed out.

Ryan gasped in fake offense and Chad laughed.

“Can we get pizza?”

“Oh, Chad, he’s definitely your child.”

“You’re blaming me for our kid having good taste in food?”

The tune was evolving again, into a more current style, optimistic and fun. Memories of learning the hard way that he was a really bad dancer and both him and his dads laughing it off. Messing around in their closet and stealing/borrowing old clothes they didn’t use anymore. Missing them when they went to away games or took acting gigs out of town, but being happy for them and cheering them on whenever school didn’t interfere.

Moving to California after Chad graduated and got signed by the Lakers, conveniently around the same time Ryan and Nick’s Aunt Sharpay decided to try out Hollywood and see how different it was from Broadway.

Nick was grinning now, thinking back on all those happy memories.

“What’s up, kiddo? How was school today?”

Nick dodged Chad’s attempt to hug him, “Gross, Dad, you’re all sweaty.

“Well, I was at practice all day, so... the sweat monster’s gonna get you!”

10-year-old Nick yelped, abandoning his homework to run away as his dad chased him around the house, only for them to run headfirst into Ryan and all three of them to fall to the ground.

“First, Chad, go take a shower. Second, is that my black fedora, Nick?”

Nick shrugged, “You don’t wear it.”

“I do too.”

“Not recently.”

Ryan looked like he wanted to argue, but realized he couldn’t, and that made Nick laugh.

“Shush, little man. Ask next time you borrow it. Chad, again, go take a shower.”

“Sure,” Chad stood up, “Meanwhile, you packed your things, right Nick?”

Nick nodded proudly, “Yup.”

“Great. Reunion’s tomorrow, so we’re flying to Albuquerque tonight.”

Should be fun,” Ryan added, “I think it’ll be the first time the whole gang’s in one place since graduation. Cause Sharpay missed the first year, Zeke’s flight got cancelled the second...”

“Yeah, it’ll be good to see everyone.”

Nick tilted his head, “Why’s everybody coming this year?”

As far as he knew, there was nothing special about a 6-year reunion. Or 2014. And the former Wildcats were all pretty busy most of the time, being the successful people that they were. If someone couldn’t make it, it wasn’t like the others would hold it against them.

Nick’s dads exchanged a glance and he realized they were hiding something. He wasn’t sure exactly what, but...

“What’s so special about this year?” he asked, “Don’t say nothing. I can tell it’s not nothing.”

They had another silent conversation before either of them actually answered the question.

“We weren’t gonna tell you until we got there,” Ryan admitted, “Cause it’s kind of a surprise, but you’re gonna be spending some time with Aunt Sharpay this summer.”

“Or Troy and Gabriella,” Chad added, “We made her promise she’d drive you over there if you got tired of her.”

Nick couldn’t see himself admitting he was tired of Aunt Sharpay even if he did get tired of her, but that wasn’t why he was confused.

“Why? Where are you gonna be?”

“On our honeymoon,” Chad answered, “Everyone’s in town this year is cause we’re getting married.”

They were clearly worried about his reaction, but they didn’t have to be because despite being only 10, Nick wasn’t blind. He’d seen this coming a mile away and just been waiting on when specifically it was going to happen.

“I want a little sister or brother.”

They both laughed, and Nick tried not to cringe too much at the sweat when they did a family group hug.

The chords he was strumming now felt suspiciously like some kind of love ballad, like the kind of 90’s songs that had played at his dads’ wedding. It brought back dancing with his Aunt Sharpay and various others of his parents’ friends. Stepping on more than a few former Wildcats toes, of course on accident. Kind of bitterly plotting the kind of mischief he was going to teach the others’ kids when the time came that he finally wasn’t the only kid anymore.

Of course, that brought back memories of that angsty phase Nick went through in his tween years, when he first started realizing exactly how young his parents were to have a kid his age and questioning if they ever would’ve taken him in if there was another option.

That hadn’t been a fun train of thought. The mood of the music dipped in response, corresponding to the anxiety Nick had felt about how his dads had adopted him because they felt like they had to, not because they wanted to. That phase had ended when he decided it didn’t matter as long as they wanted him now, but it had influenced how he’d acted around Lizzie when they first met.

Lizzie had been almost 4 when they adopted her into the family, an orphan like Nick who’s parents had died in a car crash. Now, of course, she was a sassy 8-year-old firecracker who goaded him into playing with her instead of doing his homework, but she’d been a lot more skittish when she was younger. And tween Nick had always tried not to act cold to her, but it wasn’t like he knew anything about being a big brother at the time and he didn’t always succeed.

The music took on a tune almost like a sadder, more complicated version of a child’s nursery rhyme.

Lizzie was a tiny person, and despite the fact that Nick had been the one to ask for a little sibling in the first place, he had no idea how to act around her.

It seemed like that feeling was double-sided, with how Lizzie seemed a little bit scared of him, so at least it wasn’t like he was the only one playing an avoidance game, here. They were avoiding each other. It was mutual.

That wasn’t to say he wouldn’t die for her, because even if they hadn’t gotten much chance to get to know each other in the month since she’d been adopted into their family, she was still his little sister. Despite the disconnect, Nick cared for her more than he knew how to say.

But he really wished he knew how to say it, considering Lizzie was crying and they were in a public place and he was just very awkwardly trying to calm her down and look for their dads at the same time.

You’d think it would be easier to spot an NBA player and a famous actor taking a break from their careers to take their kids to Disneyland.

Nick knew that in the event he got lost, he was supposed to stay in one place so that they could find him, but staying in one place was a lot less daunting when he wasn’t trying to comfort a crying 4-year-old.

“Shh, Lizzie, they’re gonna come find us,” he said, rubbing her back and trying to talk calm, “You’ll see. They’re looking for us right now.”

He didn’t say how he struggled with the thought that if it came down to it and something dangerous happened and they had to choose between looking for Lizzie and looking for him, he didn’t know what their dads would choose.

Nick shoved those thoughts down and tried to say more comforting things, but Lizzie just wouldn’t stop crying. The noise of the crowd definitely was not helping, only stressing her out more. Nick had no idea how to calm her down, except... maybe to distract her?

“Hey, Lizzie, can you tell me your favorite princess?”

Lizzie sniffled, looking up at him with way too much of a look like a kicked puppy.

“Cinderella,” she said in her tiny little voice.

“I like Cinderella, too,” he agreed, “Yeah. You know what Cinderella likes to do? She likes to dance. We’re gonna dance, okay? You can stand on my feet.”

Lizzie stood up, stepping up to stand on Nick’s shoes, and he hummed a Disney princess song, just swaying around in a circle and holding his little sister’s hands.

To, honestly, his absolute shock, it actually seemed to be working. She wasn’t crying anymore, at least, and she actually seemed to be calming down.

Nick made a mental note that princess dance parties were a good thing to do with small children.

Naturally, the guitar shifted to sound like the kind of emo music Nick was listening to in middle school, around the time when he first met Carrie and Julie and Flynn and the guys on the lacrosse team. A few bars sounded suspiciously like the showtunes his dad had showed him at that age, too, in an attempt to get him into theatre.

It wasn’t that Nick didn’t enjoy theatre, but he still preferred music to acting. He and his lacrosse buddies did do team-building parties where they watched musicals and danced and sang to them, though.

Those parties usually ended up being at Nick’s house, given that it was big and all the guys had pretty much become honorary additional big brothers to Lizzie anyway.

Also, given that Los Feliz was most known for its music program and definitely not for its sports, the guys all thought Ryan was as cool as Chad. And even though most of them had supportive parents of their own, the good half of the team that wasn’t straight seemed to find it reassuring that two gay men could be happy and raise a family together.

And despite the time conflict it created, they were all super supportive when Nick took up guitar.

The song he was playing now sounded a lot like the beginner songs he’d learned when he first discovered his flair for the intrument.

“Dude, you’re gonna get all the girls now.”

Nick laughed, “Bro, we’re only freshmen!”

“But girls like guys who can play guitar!”

“Tyler, you’re gay!”

“I still know girls find guitar attractive!”

“He’s right,” Ethan agreed, laughing, “Girls like guitars.”

“Oddly enough, boys like ‘em too,” Anthony chimed in, “I mean I know you’re straight, Nick, but...”

The thing was, Nick wasn’t completely sure he was. He knew 14 was about the age a lot of people started to figure out their sexualities, and lately... he’d found himself getting butterflies as much when Tyler actually managed to score in their games or Kai showed off his percussion skills in marching band as when Carrie let him tag along to her practices with her band and attacked every dance move or Julie played piano and sang with that amazing voice of hers.

The realization didn’t really scare him or anything. Nick guessed he’d known for a while, but just hadn’t put a label on it even in his head until now.

“I think I’m pan,” he admitted, “Like, pansexual.”

“Amen, bro,” Kai said with zero hesitation, “Girls are cute, boys are cute, nonbinary kids are cute, it’s whatever.”

Nick laughed and accepted a high five.

“Yeah, thanks for telling us,” Ethan agreed, “Not that it really matters, but let us know if anybody gives you trouble.”

Tyler nodded solemnly, “They’ll rue the day they messed with the Los Feliz lacrosse team.”

“Of course, ignoring the fact that none of us are very intimidating.”

“Oh, shut up, Chase.”

They all groaned, and Kai grabbed the TV remote to turn something on and tune out the logical person in the room.

“We lose every game,” Chase pointed out defensively, “I mean, no hate, Nick. Being pan is totally pantastic, but—“

They all laughed too much for him to finish that sentence, at which point Nick’s dads entered the room.

“Keep it down, boys, Lizzie’s asleep,” Chad scolded quietly.

All the boys apologized quietly and Kai turned the volume on the beginning of Tangled down.

“What’s so funny, anyway?” Ryan asked.

Nick grinned up at him, “I’m pansexual, dad.”

“Oh. Okay, cool. Want me to buy you a pan flag?”

“Look!” Luke exclaimed suddenly, almost making Nick lose focus and stop playing.

The darkness was getting lighter, the shadows receding. They were standing back on the stage at the high school and Nick wasn’t feeling hopeless anymore. It was still darker than it would normally be, but barely.

“You’re doing it! Keep going!”

The memories became shorter and more random, but Nick dug deep into his emotions and played harder, bringing back—

“Lizzie, you’re getting too big to stand on my feet!”

“Maybe you should grow faster!”

and

“Carrie... uh... would you want to maybe go out sometime? Like to a movie?”

“Um... yeah. Sure, why not?”

and

“God, I really feel for Julie. I remember how bad it hurt when I lost my mom.”

“You’d think she’d realize there’s no better way to channel your feelings than through music.”

“Carrie—“

“I’m just saying, we both know how it feels to lose mothers, and did Julie come to either of us for advice? No. She’s pushed away everyone except Flynn. I feel for her too, but I’m done trying to help when she clearly isn’t willing to accept it.”

and

“Carrie wasn’t helping, Nick. Maybe she meant to, but she was pushing way too hard. She of all people should know how deeply Julie feels things.”

“Flynn, I didn’t mean to—“

“I know. Unlike your girlfriend, you actually care about people.”

and

“I want a puppy.”

“I agree with Lizzie that we should get a puppy.”

“Hmm, Ryan, what do you think? Should we get the kids a puppy?”

“I think we should wait until I’m home from tour and then we should absolutely get a puppy.”

and

“She’s not bad, Tyler, just stressed out. You and the guys keep acting like she’s demon spawn, but the fact is that Carrie’s human. She makes mistakes and tries to play them off so people will keep thinking she’s perfect. She’s got the world watching her every move and I know what it’s like. It’s not easy having a famous parent, especially since she’s a performer with a radically different style than the shadow she’s trying to break out of.”

“I’m not saying it’s easy. I’m saying she said yes to being your girlfriend because you’re both popular and therefore make sense together. She doesn’t like you. I’m pretty sure Carrie doesn’t even like guys and is just too scared to come out and go after someone she actually wants. Plus, she talks down to you, like, all the time. I’m gonna stay your friend no matter what, but you have to see that yeah, maybe Carrie’s got it tough, but she’s not good for you and it doesn’t seem like she even wants to be.”

and

“This isn’t working out. I think we should to break up.”

“You think we should, or you want to break up because you have a crush on Julie?”

“What about your crush on Flynn?”

“What?! I do not have a crush on—“

“I know you well enough to know, Carrie, so cut the crap. I’m not stupid. You and me never really felt that way about each other and we both know it. We were together because it was convenient and it was easier than making a move on someone one of us actually had feelings for.

“Fine. Just try not to run back to me if you chicken out from pursuing a real, heart-stopping, complicated crush again. It’d be embarrassing to make the same mistake twice.”

and

“Julie is totally into you, man.”

“Shut up, Kai.”

“I mean not that I’d know, but she’s cute, right?”

“Shut up, Tyler.”

and

“Julie rejected me. She has a crush on the guitarist in her band.”

“Oh, dang. That’s rough, kiddo.”

“It’s fine, dad. It’s really on me. She had a crush on me for a while, but I was too occupied with Carrie to pay attention. And besides, I know high school relationships rarely last forever, so...”

“Hey, look at who you’re talking to. If you really like Julie, she’s worth one more try. You know, buy her some flowers and give it one last shot. But if she says no...”

“Respect that and leave her alone, I know.”

With one last chord, a terrified tri-tone that represented Nick’s fear when Caleb first possessed him, the shadows fully disapated, leaving Nick in a well-lit, very familiar theatre.

He wasn’t afraid anymore. He had his friends and his sister and his dads behind him, with him no matter what.

And Nick still wasn’t a hundred percent sure how that had just worked, but he could feel Caleb’s hold over him disappearing. The stage was fading not because he was getting shoved down out of control, but because he was regaining control of where his body was in real life.

“I guess that’s my cue to leave,” Luke said with a grin, “Good luck.”

He poofed away, and Nick found himself in that club Caleb had manifested when he won the first fight for control. He guessed the ghost had snuck him here between lacrosse practice and curfew.

There were a bunch of 20-somethings in brightly colored costumes who seemed to be practicing a dance nearby, but none of them were paying him any mind. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like Caleb was there, though Nick couldn’t feel him in his head anymore.

Whatever. He could see the exit from here, and from there he could find Julie and her band and help them beat that crazy dead magician.

Well, maybe he should go home first, and see his little sister. Find his phone and call the guys for a musical watch party as soon as possible. Definitely hug his dads, since the Broadway musical one of them was touring in was in town.

Nick knew he couldn’t tell them how he’d won a guitar battle for his soul, but he could enjoy that victory by himself, too.

[bluefirewrites]

Losing my shit over this page

‘even SPORTS’

[ourstarscollided]

@tangledstarlight and i did a watch party of JATP yesterday and my drafts are filled with some wonderful screenshots that i truly am giggling at.

Please see below for one of my favourites.

alt caption: there are two kinds of people who watch jatp.

[blackandblue13]

ooh fun little detail i forgot about until now: nick and the lacrosse team are joining julie and flynn's dance class for the next few weeks, not just until the "perfect harmony" performance. which means if when another streaming service picks up jatp, there will be scenes with julie thinking she's dancing with nick when she's actually dancing with caleb and probably slowly realizing that there's something off about nick bc this white boy cannot dance, when did he suddenly gain the ability

[caramelcal]

Songwriting and Fake Dating

Request:  Luke Patterson fic? Reader is hopelessly in love with her best friend’s (Carrie) step-brother Luke but isn’t suppose to be because they are “rivals” since she is apart of Dirty Candy & he is in JATP. BUT at a party reader ends up in a sticky situation that Luke saves her from by pretending to be her boyfriend. Which eventually turns into a deal they make? “I’ll help you with your writers block (Luke/Bc shes a mad lyric genius) & I’ll help keep the lacrosse team off your back”

Word Count: 1.25k

a/n: i love the idea of luke being carrie’s step-brother sm!! or him just being a brother in general, i have a feeling he’d be such a good brother...also pls keep sending in fic ideas hehe i have a great time writing em! 

Masterlist Part 2 (don’t worry, this part can be read as a stand alone but if you want to read part 2 you can)

You walked through Carrie’s house, trying to find your best friend after she invited you over for choreography practice for Dirty Candy. Your bag was over your shoulder, holding a change of clothes and a water bottle just in case you needed it. Wandering into the living room, you failed to notice the teenager sitting on the sofa, his guitar waiting idly in his hands as his gaze caught onto you.

He knew exactly who you were, you had been best friends with Carrie before his mother remarried to Carrie’s dad. You had been there all the way through and you were practically like an accessory to Carrie; he has hardly seen his step-sister without you by her side. He strummed his guitar, successfully grabbing your attention as he planned to, making you jump around to face him with your eyes wide.

“y/n,” Luke greeted, giving you a small nod as you looked at him uneasily, shifting from foot to foot. His gaze returned down to his guitar as he strummed it lightly; making your gaze make its way down to the strings on the instrument also, “Carrie’s down at the gym already, you’re late I’m pretty sure. Any of the other Dirty Candy members would have their necks cut off for being this late.”

“It’s only fifteen minutes, Luke,” You snapped as Luke looked back up at you, his eyes meeting yours.

You felt bad for snapping at Luke, obviously. You knew he probably didn’t mean anything bad about what he said but it was made clear to everyone in Dirty Candy that members of Julie and the Phantoms were the rivals and even though Carrie didn’t have the conversation with you, it didn’t mean you were an exception. She didn’t have anything against her step-brother, they actually did get along but at the same time, he was in a rival band.

So that’s why you had to act like this. Especially when you were the closest to Carrie. Imagine the other Dirty Candy members seeing Carrie’s best friend being nice to the rivals? Despite it being a known fact that you were the nicest member of Dirty Candy, you still had to stick by the band.

“It’s Carrie though,” Luke snorted, shaking his head as he put his guitar down by his side as he looked back up at you, “you should know how she is.”

“She’s clearly nothing like you think she is,” You quipped back as you crossed your arms over your chest. You felt bad for having to be mean to Luke, and you hoped that he knew that but you could never actually say that, “if you spent any time with your step-sister you’d know that.”

Luke simply put his hands up in mock defeat as he gave you a small smirk, “Alright then y/n. No need to be feisty. I won’t keep you any longer, better join the rest of your band.”

Simply nodding your head, that’s what you did.

. . .

It was later on that night you found yourself at a club. It was a little after your performance with the rest of Dirty Candy and currently, Julie and the Phantoms were on. They were good, something you would never be able to deny but they would never be able to deny that Dirty Candy was good either. Everyone knew that if the two bands somehow managed to put their differences aside and worked together, they would be unstoppable. But that never happened.

“Hey, y/n!” Someone said, putting an arm over your shoulder and a whiff of cologne hit you in the face. You looked up at them, eyes catching onto the styled hair of a member of the lacrosse team. Jack, you think.

Jack dragged you over to the rest of his teammates, who gave Jack knowing smirks. You fidgeted, feeling highly uncomfortable as some of the lacrosse team checked you out without any hesitation or embarrassment, your Dirty Candy outfit still on without the wig.

“Hey I need to get going-” You excused, trying to get away from the cocky lacrosse players as you looked over at the exit of the club, desperately wanting to be there right now. However, you were cut off by the ‘aww’s of the lacrosse team as they tried to usher you even closer to them.

“C’mon y/n, sit with us, just for a little.”

A few of the other lacrosse members backed up what the lacrosse player said, trying to persuade you to stay but only made you feel more uncomfortable, “Please guys, I really have to get going-”

These boys really were not taking no for an answer as they continued to persuade you, leaving for an arm to sneak over your shoulder and a body to slide next to yours, leaving the lacrosse guys to go quiet, “Hey babe, ready to go?”

Luke. Your eyes widened slightly as you looked at him, but only Luke seemed to notice, sending you a look to go along with it leaving you to nod your head. The lacrosse teams shared glances between them but your eyes were trained on Luke, slightly sweaty from his performance, breathing heavily but still as hot as ever.

He looked over at the main body of lacrosse players, smiling at them, “Thanks for keeping my girlfriend entertained whilst she waited. Having a good night, boys.”

With that, he steered you away from the lacrosse players but you could still hear the outbursts of confusion from behind you, “Patterson and y/l/n are dating!” “No freaking way dude! I thought they hated each other!” “Me too, man! Guess they don’t.”

Luke didn’t stop until you were both outside of the club and away from sight until he let go of you, spinning you around so you looked at him. Eyes wide, you stared up at him in awe, “Luke, I don’t- Thank you.”

“Don’t sweat it, but I guess us dating will be going around school for a while, huh?” Luke said, giving you a tight-lipped smile as he rocked on his heels.

You looked down at your shoes as you mumbled back, “Yeah probably.”

“We can’t call it off now, I guess but I have a proposition.” Luke suggested, making you look up from your feet to meet his eyes again, showing to him that you were listening, “Now before you object, I already know you’re crazy freakin’ talented at writing songs. So you help me write songs, and I’ll keep the lacrosse team off your back.”

“Luke...”

“Hey, I know we’re supposed to be ‘rivals’ or whatever but it doesn’t have to be like that,” Luke said quietly, looking at you with his big, hazel eyes, “we both benefit this way. I saw how uncomfortable you were in there, so I deal with that and you help me write songs. I’ve seen some of your songs, y/n, throwing them in the music room trashcan is not a way to hide it.”

“You went fishing in the trash for my songs?”

“Not important,” Luke replied to your question, rolling his eyes at your expression; arched eyebrows, and a slight smirk on your face before he continued, “What do you say, y/n? Deal?”

“...Deal.”

Luke gave you a wide smile, walking back towards the main street, and beckoned you to follow him, shouting out to you behind him, “Just don’t fall in love with me, y/l/n.”

You laughed lightly, him joining in as well as you ran lightly to catch up with him, “In your dreams, Patterson.”

[legendsonthree]

A timeline for Season 1 of Julie and the Phantoms. Click for better resolution!

The first image is just the events, and the second sorts them into which episode they happened in.

A Few Notes and Image Description under the cut.

The events of Week 1 (Ep.1 to Ep. 3) could’ve happened over any three school days (instead of Tuesday to Thursday, it could’ve been Monday to Wednesday or Wednesday to Friday). I just started on Tuesday to make things easier for myself.  

There could be anywhere from a couple days to a week between Ep. 3 (”Flying Solo”) and Ep. 4 (”I Got the Music”). Nothing in the show says they happened right after one another (or didn’t). I say a couple days to a week because it’s a long enough time for Julie and the boys to get used to each other a little, rehearse and write some songs while being short enough that Luke hadn’t gotten around to talking about their Sunset Curve songs yet.

Technically, both the LF School Dance and the boys visit to the Hollywood Ghost Club begin in Ep. 4, but the majority of both take place in the next episode (Ep. 5, “The Other Side of Hollywood”). 

The Orpheum performance definitely takes place on a Thursday, shown by this screenshot of Carrie’s laptop [~6:10] while she’s watching a video of the garden party with her dad at the beginning of Ep. 9 (Stand Tall).

Julie and Nick’s dance performance definitely takes place on a Friday, which anchors the rest of the events from episodes 4 to 7.

The writers forgot a weekend between Ep 7. and Ep. 8.

I’ll explain the last two points more in a reblog.

Image Description: A photoset with two graphics. The first is titled “JatP Season 1 Timeline” at the top in white text on a dark purple background. There are three rows of seven boxes, some with black text against a light purple background. The rows are divided into Week “1”, “2” and “3”. Each column has the title of a day of a week, from left to right: Sat/Sun, Mon, Tue, Wed, Thurs, Fri. The first box with text, in Week 1 under Tues, says “Julie runs out of music class, Julie plays the Sunset Curve CD and summons the boys, Julie meets Luke, Alex and Reggie.” The next box, in Week 1 under Wed, says “Julie sings ‘Wake Up,’ Julie can’t rejoin the music program, the boys sing ‘This Band is Back’, Luke gives Julie ‘Bright’.” The Week 1, Thurs box reads “LF Spirit Assembly, Julie and the boys perform ‘Bright’, Julie and Flynn argue, Alex meets Willie, The band performs ‘Flying Solo’.” After row one, white text against a dark purple background reads “Optional Week In-Between.” 

The week 2, Sat/Sun box reads “Julie and Luke spend the weekend writing songs.” The following box, week 2 Mon, says “Julie performs ‘I Got the Music,’ Alex and Willie Museum Date, The boys find out about Bobby/Trevor, LF School Dance, The boys visit the Hollywood Ghost Club”. The week 2, Tue box says “Julie oversleeps and misses class, the lacrosse team joins dance class, Luke’s birthday, The band performs ‘Finally Free’, Reggie scares Tia.” The next filled box, Fri, says “Ray comes up with idea for house party, Julie and Nick’s dance performance (‘Perfect Harmony’), The band performs ‘Edge of Great,’ Willie explains what Caleb did.”

The third row, Week 3 box Sat/Sun says “The writers forgot this weekend.” Week 3, box Mon reads “Alex and WIliie talk in the Orpheum, Nick asks Julie out at school, Julie visits the Pattersons (‘Unsaid Emily’), Luke tells Julie the truth.” The Thurs box reads “Willie hijacks the tour bus, Carlos finds out about the boys, Caleb kidnaps the boys, The band performs at the Orpheum (‘Stand Tall’). The last filled box, Fri, says “Nick stops by the Molina house to give Julie flowers.”

The second graphic is the same as the first, except the events are highlighted with different colors. “Julie runs out of music class” to “Julie sings ‘Wake Up’” is highlighted in red, with the words Ep. 1 written above the box in red. The events “Julie can’t rejoin the music program” to “Julie and the boys perform ‘Bright’” are highlighted in orange, with Ep. 2 written in orange below the Week 1, Wed box. “Julie and Flynn argue” to “The band performs ‘Flying Solo’” is highlighted in yellow, with Ep. 3 written in yellow below the Week 1, Fri box. 

Below “Julie and Luke spend the weekend writing songs” in Week 2, Box Sat/Sun, “(mentioned in Ep. 4)” is written in bright green. The events “Julie performs ‘I Got the Music” to “The boys find out about Bobby/Trevor” are highlighted in bright green, with Ep. 4 written above in bright green. “LF School Dance” and “The boys visit the Hollywood Ghost Club” are highlighted in light blue, with Ep. 5 written below in the same color. “Julie oversleeps and misses class” to “The band performs ‘Finally Free’” are highlighted in indigo, with Ep. 6 written in the same color above. “Reggie scares Tia” to “Willie explains what Caleb did” are highlighted in purple, with Ep. 7 written below the Week 2, Tue box and above the Week 2, Fri box. 

“Alex and Willie talk at the Orpheum” to “Luke tells Julie the truth” are highlighted in bright magenta, with Ep. 8 written below in the same color. “Willie hijacks the tour bus” to “Nick visits the Molina house to give Julie flowers” are highlighted in pink, with Ep. 9 written above.

End description

[shuffleoflove]

thanks to @nickalicious and @queenmolina, i can now post a bunch of british!jatp headcanons i made up as a joke a while ago (but didn’t post because i thought no one would find them funny):

when julie meets the boys in the garage she calls them nonces and tells them to get out

carrie is obsessed with love island and flynn makes fun of her for it (but she secretly watches it too)

carlos keeps being told off by ray for staying up late and watching i’m a celeb when he’s definitely too young for that show

(he also plays rounders instead of baseball)

julie and flynn know all the words to the charles II rap and the english kings and queens song (julie is only good at history because she loved horrible histories when she was younger)

they also watched trapped and thought the kids were actually trapped in the tower forever 😳

tia victoria is an avon representative (please tell me i’m not the only one who remembers those ads)

nick plays football instead of lacrosse (and by football i mean real football 😤) and gets into fights arguments with people who don’t support the same team as him.

when the lacrosse football team are told to partner with the girls in dance they just stand there and don’t move and the teachers have to physically force them to pair up (trust me, secondary school boys, especially sports boys, are just like that)

julie, flynn, and carrie all had a crush on liam from tracy beaker returns (every british girl’s favourite white boy). they all had a crush on elektra too but none of them talked about it.

they also watched the next step and none of them were sure whether it was a documentary or not (i know that show is canadian but it was such an essential part of british culture it might as well be british) 

at least one of the girls owned all the rainbow magic books (if you don’t know what i’m talking about, oh boy...)

sunset curve all did bronze dofe. luke, alex, and reggie managed to get seperated  from the group and get lost, which led to alex trying to frantically call bobby on the nokia bricks they’d been given. they passed in the end but all vowed to never do it again.

[owenjoyners]

so this is for the approx three (3) people who like jatp + are on tumblr + play sports but anyway

luke, alex and reggie played sports in high school. like for sure.

and before you come at me, yes, they did. maybe not for the whole short time they were in high school, maybe they only played for a couple years and then quit when they got serious about the band.

first, they all played basketball. they did for years, it’s one of the places they always saw each other at and one of the reasons they became friends. we see them playing in edge of great, and luke makes a free throw. now, this may not seem like a big deal, but in the wise words of nickelodeon’s knight squad’s warwick, free throws “are hard, guys.” and it looks regulation too. alex and reggie are lined up and spaced out how they would be if they’re on the opposite team, so they probably play against luke bc luke’s better (now we’re gonna get a little in depth but stick with me). alex is tall, so he’s under the basket on offense and defense. luke was a point guard, started the plays, often finished them. reggie was a shooting guard bc he’s a not super tall but can shoot really well.

they each played a sport on their own too. they needed something for themselves, but they always went to each other’s games when they weren’t playing in their own.

alex ran cross country. it helped with his anxiety. he didn’t have to do or think about anything expect running. he always had a song playing in his head, and ran in time with it.

reggie played baseball. third baseman. fantastic hitter.

luke played lacrosse. he needed an outlet for all the pent up feelings he had regarding just about anything and everything.

see also: alex’s little “put me back in, coach” which was a little too natural for someone who’s never actually asked to be put back in a game.

TLDR; sunset curve may be music gays, but they’re also sports gays. the three of them played basketball together.

[thelanguageoflovers]

so you’re trying to understand sophia and i’s jatp universe

@localspacelesbian​​ and I never intended for this to get so out of hand, but then it did, so here we are. We’ve got a few wips going, so I figured it was about time to get around to one of these.

it’s okay if you’re lost, because so are we! here’s a little guide to help you out (:

CHARACTERS:

The Lacrosse Team:

Spencer Montgomery-Wright: Our pride and joy. He’s on the lacrosse team, and can be seen being bewildered with Nick when the guys show up during ‘Bright’. Some have referred to him as the guy who is called ‘Letterman Jacket Guy’ on IMDb - these people are wrong. Letterman Jacket Guy is a white blonde guy. Spencer is black. He’s in the design program at their school and designs costumes for all the ballets. 

He and Nick have been best friends since they were little, and have exchanged stuffed animals (Nick gave Spencer a stuffed penguin named Texas, and Spencer returned the favor with a stuffed elephant named Oklahoma). They’re total astronomy dorks (Spencer calls Nick ‘Tor’ after Copernicus, and Nick calls Spencer ‘Cass’ after Cassini). They’re also in love, but they’re still working through that. 

Connor Nesbitt: The aforementioned ‘Letterman Jacket Guy’. He’s the captain of the lacrosse team, the very definition of a himbo. He’s in the cinematic arts program, but, like, really likes history.

Nick Danforth-Evans: Pretty self-explanatory, but the Danforth-Evans theory is canon in the SACU (Sophia and Adalie Cinematic Universe).

Chris McMillan: Chris is a sweetheart. He’s in the theater program but wants to be a farmer and raise sheep when he grows up. He just really likes farm animals, okay?

Barry O’Hara: A good dude! He’s in the dance program, and his Special Interest is linguistics and communication.

Rasheed Bakir: Rasheed!! He’s a bit of a running joke in our work, as he constantly hurts his legs and feet. He’s been known to ride in Connor’s car with a broken ankle hanging out the window. It’s fine. He’s in the theater program, hates Shakespeare more than anything, and is dating Ari Price.

Ari Price: Just a lil visual arts program kid. Constantly so worried about Rasheed. The Ultimate mom friend; his backpack is the equivalent of Alex’s fanny pack, and he makes a very good soup when one of the guys is sick.

Leo Montgomery: He’s Spencer’s cousin! Very buff and a little bit scary but is a whole teddy bear. He’s in the music program, and is so tired of watching Nick and Spencer pine. He’s a science nerd, except for biology. Fuck biology. All his homies hate biology.

Percy Mayer: We love Percy so much. He’s a Ballet Boy, and he’s fake dating a girl in ballet named Constance Hansen. He’s probably aro, but is still a little confused about that.

Oren Summers: Oren is a freshman in the visual arts program. Kind of just one of those nice guys you meet in school who are just cool to be around.

Grayson Radcliffe: Grayson plays the french horn in the music program, and is in our token heterosexual relationship with Jennifer Brickaday.

Dirty Candi

Kayla Lavelle: Y’all know Kayla. We named her ‘Lavelle’ because we went with a color based system and, yk, lavender.

Jennifer Brickaday: Yellow Candi! Dating Grayson, and we just don’t deserve her. Brickaday is a reference to the yellow brick road.

Andrea Turkis: Miss Turquoise Candi! Probably our favorite candi - she’s a lesbian and just gives the best hugs. (Turkis means turquoise in several languages.)

Velma Williams: Orange Candi! Straight up the coolest person alive. She’s aro, and helps Percy sort out his sexuality. Just really likes dinosaurs, you know? (Williams is for William of Orange)

Mary Brooks: Not a member of Dirty Candi, but their manager. Totally not in love with Julie what are you talking about that’s bananas (Mary - marron (brown) and Brooks is just a slightly less on-the-nose version of Brown).

Those Done Dirty:

Flynn Chadwick: Chat means cat in french, but we wanted Chadwick because it sounded neat.

Willie Greenwood: He just gives us green vibes I don’t know what to tell you

The Families:

The Danforth-Evans Family: Nick, Ryan, and Chad are a given. Nick also has a little sister named Phoebe Danforth-Evans. Phoebe is a gymnast and general rascal.

The Montgomery-Wright Family: Buckle up, y’all. Spencer has seven pets. - Laura Montgomery: Mom #1. Very chill, but very protective. - Francesca ‘Franny’ Wright: Mom #2. Just the sweetest, but is willing to cause harm to a bitch if necessary. - Dog: Herbert Fitzhoover (the light of all of our lives) - Cats: Tongs, Spoon, and Spatula. They’re just like old gay men. No further comment. - Bird: Chicken the parakeet. Spencer found him at the airport and just... brought him home. - Roomba: BoBo. Very Good Boy. - Kinda Penguin: Texas (a lesbian icon, married to Oklahoma)

The Chadwick Family:  - Dad: Nico Chadwick. Just, like, a really good dad. Living the life. - Older Brother: Andrew Chadwick. Absolute nerd, away at university, drinks his respecting women juice every day. - Younger Sisters: Rachel & Eliza Chadwick. Twins - they love tormenting Flynn. - Cat: Snoopy. The love of my life.

The Wilson Family:  - Cat: Peanut!! love him

The Mercer Family: - Alex’s Younger Sister: Annabelle ‘Annie’ Mercer. Deaf, has a bright pink hearing aid. Wants to be just like her big brother (is already halfway there, being that she is wildly queer).

RUNNING AND INSIDE JOKES:

Octoslashers III: Octoslashers shows up as some form of media in every fic we write. Every single one.

Twister: Alex is a GOD at Twister, and there’s no debating this.

Rasheed’s Leg: Rasheed breaks his leg, foot, or ankle somehow in every fic. He’s trying.

The Caleb Chew-Out: Let’s just say I’m making it my mission to write a scene into every fic of ours where a character yells at Caleb, and everyone is going to get their turn. 

Oklahomas: Oklahoma and Texas are soulmates in every universe. 

questions? let me know! i’ll add the answers (:

[the-edge-of-great]

10. “You don’t have to worry about me.” for @starrybumbles​ and anons

there was a discussion in the JATP discord today about julie wearing luke’s clothing, and well… :))

-----

“You don’t have to worry about me,” she says, and she’s lying.

There is something up with her. Does she really think she can hide it? From them? Luke laughs at the idea, but it’s in the bad way, leaving him in a mood that makes him want to end practice early, too. Of course, she set the vibe all on her own. What’s the point of rehearsing when their lead girl isn’t feeling it?

Reggie suggests following her to school. Julie never opposed the idea, not like the room boundary. She likes the company, Luke thinks. Of course she does; who wouldn’t want them around?

They split up because they want to explore. High school is so different in 2020. It’s the perfect people watching playground for Reggie, and Alex discovered a club for colors or something. Luke doesn’t get it, but Alex is obsessed.

Luke stays with Julie. Really, nothing of interest compares. He likes watching her in class: taking notes, answering questions, skillfully passing notes to Flynn. Every now and then, she catches him watching, and she gives him that smile that makes his heart melt.

Everything seems normal, so what’s really going on here?

The first incident is at lunch. She’s behind Carrie in line. They reach for the last brownie on the dish, and… Carrie lets her have it? Luke’s eyebrows raise. Julie says something and smiles, but she’s just as confused. Her face is twisted in that cute, puzzled stare, like she’s trying to uncover the world’s secrets.

Carrie doesn’t notice.

Luke falls into step with Julie. “What just happened?”

“I don’t know,” she mumbles. Then she shakes her head. “It was nothing. Probably.”

“You and I both know it’s not.”

She takes her seat next to Flynn, and Luke knows they’re done talking. He huffs and poofs out to find the guys.

The next time isn’t until after school. Reggie and Alex are back—Reggie is rambling. He adores the computer lab! And the Smartboards! And just, technology in general! He’s going to be talking all day, it seems.

“Did you figure out what’s wrong with Julie?” Alex asks, interrupting the next rant.

Luke sighs. “No, but I think it has to do with Carrie.”

“Carrie?” Alex repeats.

Reggie narrows his eyes. “What’d she do?”

“Gave Julie a brownie.”

“A brownie?”

“A brownie.”

Alex frowns. “Girls are weird.”

Finally, they spot Flynn and Julie walking out of the front doors. They’re smiling. Laughing. Luke grins; there she is.

And then there’s Carrie steps behind, texting. The guys share uneasy looks.

Julie suddenly turns toward her. “Hey Carrie,” she calls. “Happy birthday.”

Everyone stops.

Carrie blinks, frowns, and almost, maybe… smiles? “Thanks,” she says. “Julie.” Her smile is gone in seconds. She flips her hand over her shoulder and stalks off.

Luke’s waiting in the studio by himself. He wanted to talk to Julie alone, so Alex disappeared to find Willie, and Reggie is in the house. Probably watching Ray cook pasta again. When she finally arrives, he smiles at her. “Hey.”

“Hey,” she mumbles, slipping inside and pulling the door shut behind her. As she makes her way over, he closes his notebook and tosses it on the table. Just in time; she’s on the couch, laying down next to him, and her head is in his lap.

Luke hums, fingers stroking through her hair. “For someone who says she’s okay, you don’t look like it.”

Julie huffs. “Yesterday was Carrie’s birthday. She had a whole party, invited all of the girls from Dirty Candy and most of the guys on the lacrosse team.”

“So?” he asks. “You and Carrie aren’t friends.”

“But we used to be.”

“Okay, you’re going to have to dumb this down for me,” he says with a laugh. He brushes her hair out of her face. “I’m hopeless with girl stuff.”

Julie chuckles. Luke grins—it’s always a win when she smiles.

“When we were kids,” she begins, “we had this tradition of baking brownies for our birthdays. Carrie’s dad has always been weird about the kinds of food they eat.” A pause. “… For good reason, I guess. But he loved the brownies. He helped us bake the first batch for Carrie’s birthday; I was spending the night there. We danced and sang to old music. He brought out his guitar and followed us around the kitchen, singing everything we did.” Julie laughs. “He was so dumb. I miss hanging out with them, though. I mi—” She sighs. “I miss Carrie sometimes.”

“It’s weird hearing Bobby being good with kids,” Luke admits. “He used to be terrified of them. His niece came over to watch us practice one time, and I gave her ten bucks to just mess with him all day.” There’s a ghostly smile on his face as he thinks back. He doesn’t let himself do it often, just like when he first ran from home. He couldn’t afford to think about the past when the future was so bright… and the past was so painful. “It was hilarious.”

“Do you miss him?” she asks quietly.

He frowns. “Of course I do. I miss everything about my old life.”

“Right,” Julie says, “of course you do. I’m sorry—”

“No, no, it’s okay.” Luke shakes his head. “Really.”

A beat passes. His hand falls away from her hair as she sits up. Julie turns to grab his flannel he left on the other end of the couch. Ghost clothes are weird. Apparently, lifers can wear them. Or, maybe that’s just a Julie Thing. Luke smiles at the idea; a Julie Thing; another reason his girl is so damn special.

“That’s mine,” he mumbles as he watches her pull her hair out from beneath the collar. He reaches forward, fingers pinching the fabric to help pull it straight. It’s big on her; she has to roll the sleeves to uncover her hands.

“Think it looks better on me,” she teases, perhaps not serious at all, but she’s right.

He nods. “I agree.”

Julie blushes. He loves when she blushes—in general, yes, because she’s adorable, but when she’s flustered because of him, well… He grins at her.

“Do you…” She pauses, pulls at her sleeves, considering her request. Luke waits patiently, even though he already knows he’ll agree to whatever she asks. “Do you think you’ll ever forgive him?”

“Who, Bobby?”  She nods. He huffs, looks away, contemplates an answer. “Hell, I don’t know. Maybe.” Luke glances back at her. “Maybe if he had a good reason.”

Julie nods slowly. “That’s how I feel about Carrie. She’s the one who broke off our friendship, and… she never told me why.”

Luke takes her hand, thumb sliding over the grooves of her knuckles. “I want to hear more about you being a kid.” He doesn’t mention growing up around Bobby, but he realizes after that that’s also on his mind. And Julie’s a smart girl; he wonders in the way her eyes squint if she’s figured it out too.

“Only if you tell me about your life.” She grins. “I want to know everything.”

His mouth twitches into a smirk. “Deal.”

[skateboardtotheheart]

Slow On The Uptake

A JATP FANFIC - read on AO3 here

So I made a post the other day about how my brain took the idea that Nick is bisexual and that I wanted to see more of Ryan McEwan’s character (Pretty Lacrosse Boy) and decided to ship the two of them. Since Pretty Lacrosse Boy doesn’t have a name, I named him Tyler Doyle. And I wrote a fanfiction about them:

SUMMARY: When Nick gets a concussion during lacrosse practice, he needs a ride to urgent care. Thankfully for him, his teammate Tyler offers to drive him. Cue awkward conversations, pretty smiles, flustered looks, and “oh crap this guy is really cute”.

Getting slammed into the ground and getting a lacrosse stick to the head to match was not what Nick had planned when he’d gone to practice today. He probably could have avoided it, in hindsight. But he’d been distracted staring at Tyl- the sidelines- to notice that Cameron was about to slam into him until too late. Next thing he knew, Nick was laying on the ground, the back of his head smacking into the hardened ground below him and his stick smacking into his forehead. Pain shot through his head so quickly he didn’t even register the weight of Cameron on top of him until it was gone. He vaguely registered that Cameron was saying something to him- sorry, maybe?- but he couldn’t hear it properly. He clenched his eyes shut, groaning loudly. All he could focus on was the pain. 

Nick felt someone shake his shoulder, jostling him. Involuntarily he cried out in pain, and the hand immediately left. He had no idea how long he’d laid there, in the middle of the practice field, before squinting his eyes open. Standing around him looked like about four of his teammates, Coach Barron directly above him. 

“-orth! Danforth! Look at me, son.”

It took everything he had to focus his eyes on his coach. 

“There we go, kid. How you feelin’?”

Nick sat up, looking around at the teammates gathered around him. Coach Barron repeated his question about how Nick felt. Nick could barely comprehend the question, let alone words to answer it, but opened his mouth to answer anyway. Unfortunately for him, instead of words coming out of his mouth, Nick felt himself doubling over, leaning to the side as he emptied the contents of his stomach. He heard his teammates exclaiming around him in disgust, backing up from the huddle around him. He gagged and heaved the last of it out, and Nick felt an arm come around his shoulder keeping him upright as he almost fell into the pile of his own vomit. 

“Woah! You okay, Nick?” came the voice of whoever was holding him. 

“Doing great,” he coughed out, trying to get the taste of vomit out of his mouth while the pain in his head seemingly doubled. He leaned back into the person holding him, feeling their chest vibrate as they laughed at his response. 

“Okay,” Coach said, “You’re probably concussed. I’ll call someone to get you to urgent care-”

“I can drive him, Coach,” the vibrations against Nick’s back were oddly comforting and he closed his eyes. “No, no- gotta keep your eyes open, Nick. Can’t fall asleep.”

Nick still couldn’t properly distinguish who was talking to him. The voice was familiar, soft. Nick forced his eyes back open, feeling dizzy. He zoned out as coach and his teammate debated taking him to urgent care. As they did, Nick forced himself into turning around to see who had caught him from falling. As he caught sight of who it was, Nick let out a groan. He’d already embarrassed himself by getting pounded into the ground and then throwing up in front of the entire team. Why not go ahead and make things worse?

Tyler glanced down at him as he groaned, eyes trailing over him to check if he was okay, it seemed. Nick grunted a little bit, attempting to pull himself away from Tyler’s chest and sit up on his own. Tyler let him go, keeping a hand on his shoulder. 

“Alright, Doyle,” Nick heard Coach say. “You’re both free to go.”

Tyler smiled up at Coach Barron, nodding. Not that Nick would ever willingly admit it, but he wasn’t entirely sure it was the concussion that made him dizzy in the moment. When the dizzy spell was over, Nick’s eyes refocused to find Tyler watching him carefully. 

“Huh?” Nick let out, sounding as out of it as he felt. Tyler’s lips twitched up in a smile.

“I asked if you were gonna puke on me if I helped you stand up.”

“Oh. Uh- No. No, I think I’m fine.”

Tyler nodded, then stood up. He was already taller than Nick, but he looked like a giant as Nick sat uselessly, dizzy on the ground. Tyler held a hand out to Nick, which the lacrosse player took hesitantly. He pulled Nick up gently, resting a hand on his back when Nick stumbled. Nick couldn’t register much more than how light headed he was. He stayed silent as Tyler guided him to the sidelines to grab their bags and then out to the parking lot. Tyler didn’t try to talk much either, just whispering quiet reassurances when Nick got hit with dizziness and keeping an arm around him in case Nick fell. The journey out to Tyler’s car passed in a bit of a blur, and Nick didn’t realize he was actually sitting down in the passenger seat until Tyler was taking a slow turn out of the parking lot. 

“Thanks for doing this,” Nick managed, and Tyler looked sideways at him with a small smile. 

“You probably should try not to talk. It’ll only make your headache worse,” Tyler spoke in almost a whisper, and Nick was grateful for the reprieve of noise on his headache. 

“Had a concussion before?”

Tyler shook his head, keeping his driving as slow as he could on the busy LA streets. “Nah, but you know my step-brother Dylan? The drumline kid? Turns out marching band is way more dangerous than it seems. I think he’s had like three concussions since he joined the band.”

Nick hummed in response, allowing his eyes to fall shut. 

“No, dude, gotta keep your eyes open.”

Nick groaned. 

“Nick, seriously- until the doctor checks you out and we know how bad your concussion is, you shouldn’t fall asleep. Here-” Tyler reached in front of Nick, pulling something out of the glovebox as gently as he could, “-wear these, it’ll block out the light.”

Nick took the sunglasses from Tyler’s hand, slipping them over his eyes. He sighed in relief as soon as he did; the sunlight gleaming off the other cars on the street had made him want to cry. Nick wasn’t entirely sure what happened on their way to the closest urgent care. He vaguely heard himself talking- rambling, more like- even though Tyler had told him to stay quiet. He didn’t stop rambling until they’d arrived and the car was parked. 

“As interesting as the history of the platypus was, let’s go get you a doctor, yeah?”

If Nick wasn’t already so out of it, he was sure he would have been embarrassed. Is that what he's been talking about all this time?

As they walked into the urgent care clinic, Tyler was once again guiding him with a hand on his back. If Nick felt the urge to lean into the touch, he blamed it on his lack of proper coordination. Nick leaned into the counter of the nurse, receptionist, whoever it was Tyler was talking to instead. He didn’t listen to much of what either one was saying, but tuned in just in time to hear the- nurse?- ask if Nick had a guardian with him. 

“No, we drove straight from our school,” Tyler responded, “But his dad’s on his way.”

“He is?” Nick asked, squinting at Tyler from behind the sunglasses still covering his eyes. Tyler looked at him, frowning a little bit. 

“Yeah. Coach called him before we left, remember?”

“Oh,” Nick let out, not remembering whatsoever. Tyler gave him a strange look, a hint of a smile on his lips. Nick found himself staring at his teammate as Tyler turned back to the nurse, who was being informed that if they took a seat in the waiting room, someone would be out to see them shortly.

“How you feeling, man?” Tyler asked as he pulled Nick down to sit. 

Nick let out a breath, “Floaty.”

Tyler let out a laugh next to him, which he tried to cover with a cough. “Jeez, Cam really hit you hard, didn’t he?”

Nick let out a hum in response, tilting sideways until his head came to rest on Tyler’s shoulder. Tyler seemed to tense under him, and Nick almost moved his head, but then the other relaxed, sliding down in his uncomfortable waiting room chair so that Nick’s head was positioned more comfortably. Like he’d done with the rest of the afternoon, Nick allowed himself to zone out as they waited. He mindlessly watched people walk in and out of the urgent care clinic, letting them all leave his head as soon as they were out of sight. The only person he did focus on was the tall, blond man who looked like he’d just gotten out of teaching a dance class. His eyes locked on Nick almost immediately, letting out a deep breath. 

Nick smiled at him, picking his head off of Tyler’s shoulder. 

“One of these days, you or your dad is going to give me a heart attack, you know that?” he said in place of greeting, stopping in front of Nick. 

“Hey, pops.”

“Don’t call me that, it makes me feel old,” his father replied, kneeling down in front of him. “How are you feeling?”

Beside him, Tyler let out a huffed laugh. Both Nick and his father turned to look at him. 

“Sorry,” Tyler said, looking a little red. “It’s just- I asked him the same thing and he said he felt ‘floaty’.”

Nick’s father cracked a smile at that. “You must be Tyler? Coach Barron told me you drove Nick here?”

Tyler nodded. 

“Thanks for doing that, Tyler. I’m Ryan.”

“Oh, it’s, uh- It was no problem. My brother has gotten a concussion a couple times, so I’m, well- used to it? I guess?”

Before either of them could continue the conversation, a woman dressed in scrubs came into the waiting room, calling for Nick Danforth-Evans. Ryan stood back up, raising his hand so the doctor knew who she was calling. 

“Guess that’s my cue to leave,” Tyler said, and Nick had a strange feeling fill his chest at the thought. Even so, he nodded just barely, smiling at Tyler. 

“Thanks, man.”

Tyler just nodded. “Thanks for the lecture on platypuses. Learned a lot, actually.”

Nick ignored the laugh his father had let out, followed by “Really? You’re still telling people about freaking platypuses?” in favor of waving Tyler goodbye and watching his teammate leave the clinic. Eventually, his father gently pulled him to his feet, walking him slowly over to the waiting doctor. 

----------

Tyler wasn’t entirely sure what possessed him to do it. He and Nick weren’t not friends, but they didn’t know each other that well either. There was frankly no logical reason for him to be doing this. He told himself it was because he hadn’t been able to text Nick all day- he’d overheard Carrie saying that Nick had given a “no screen time” rule by his doctor- and wasn’t it only reasonable to follow up with the guy you’d taken to urgent care yesterday? Tyler ignored the part of his brain that told him the truth; he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about his teammate since he’d left the hospital yesterday, and he just wanted an excuse to see Nick again. So Tyler had taken his lunch period interrogating the other lacrosse team members to figure out what classes Nick was taking and with which teachers he had them. 

The reasonable part of his brain told him this was kind of creepy, and entirely unnecessary for him to do. But even so, he told Kayla to let Mrs. Kelly know that he wouldn’t make it to dance practice after school today, and he went around to Nick’s teachers’ classrooms. About 20 minutes later, he pulled out of the Los Feliz parking lot with a folder full of class notes, homework, and messages from teachers for Nick. He tapped his fingers against the steering wheel as he drove in the general direction he knew Nick’s house was. He’d only been there a few times, all for lacrosse purposes. Nick’s dad loved to host the team over- said he’d always done it in high school when he was on the basketball team and that it was a great bonding opportunity.

Really, the only reason he was doing this was because he just wanted to check on him. Make sure he was feeling alright. It had nothing to do with the way Nick had leaned into his chest on the field or rested his head on Tyler’s shoulder in the waiting room, and it definitely had nothing to do with how Nick had still managed to look cute when concussed and rambling about random things in the waiting room.

When he finally reached Nick's house, he parked his car in the driveway and just sat there. He bounced his leg, tapping his fingers against the wheel. Nick's house was slightly foreboding. Both of Nick's fathers made plenty of money, and it was one of the fancier houses in the area surrounding Los Feliz High School. He kind of felt like the house was judging him as he sat in the driveway, too nervous to actually go in. 

"This is stupid, Tyler," he mumbled to himself. "You're already here, just get out of the damn car."

It must have been another five minutes that he sat there, one hand ready to twist his key in the ignition and leave and the other on the door handle, ready to get out of the car. Eventually, he took his hand away from the ignition, pulling the key out. 

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” he grumbled, grabbing the folder and finally leaving his car. “It’ll be fine. Just say hey, drop the homework off, and leave without looking like a complete idiot.”

He schooled his expression into something casual and normal looking by the time he reached the front door. With all the determination he had, he raised his hand, knocking on the door. He didn’t want to use the doorbell; last time Dylan had a concussion he’d physically witnessed his step-brother crying at the sound. 

The door opened so quickly after his knock that Tyler froze in shock for a moment. He found himself looking down at a little girl he’d never met before- Nick’s sister, he assumed. She was dressed in a blindingly yellow princess dress, and atop her mess of deep, black curls was a plastic tiara to match. 

She cocked her head at him curiously, asking with no shyness in her voice, “Who are you?” 

“Oh- um. . .” He always felt awkward around kids. The only ones he ever really interacted with were his cousins. “I’m looking for Nick?”

“He’s in the living room!” the girl in front of him announced happily, pointing off to her left. Tyler hesitated, but stumbled through the front door as the girl grabbed his hand, pulling him into the large house. Tyler didn’t even know what to say, just struggled to not drop the folder of papers for Nick as he was forcibly invited into the house.

“Arabella, please tell me you opened the door because dad’s back and not because you just let some stran-” Nick cut himself off as he caught sight of Tyler behind the little girl- Arabella. 

“Tyler. Hey.”

Tyler cleared his throat, trying his best to put on a casual smile. Nick was seated on a large, fluffy looking couch. He was leaning against the armrest, his legs stretched out in front of him. Nick looked practically buried in the large sweatshirt he was wearing, branded with a faded EHS on the chest, and the soft white blanket thrown over him. Tyler felt frozen to the spot as he looked at Nick, his mouth opening dumbly as no words came out. He looked anywhere but Nick’s eyes, not sure he’d be able to function at all if he did. He was saved from the awkwardness as Arabella let go of her iron grip on his hand, moving over to the couch. Tyler winced in sympathy as Nick groaned and clamped his eyes shut, Arabella jostling him as she climbed into her brother’s lap. Even though both of them were adopted, Tyler could see a resemblance between the siblings. They had the same smile: a toothy grin framed by dimples. He felt himself smile softly as Nick instinctively wrapped an arm around his sister to steady her before she fell right back off the couch. 

“Ari, we’ve talked about how you’re not supposed to open the door for strangers,” Nick spoke softly, and Tyler had to suck in a breath. 

Arabella pouted in his lap, “He’s not a stranger! You knew his name!” 

“That’s not the- Look, just remember you have to wait for me, daddy, or papa before you open the door, okay?”

The girl- only 7 years old if Tyler remembered correctly- let out a heavy breath, still looking sure she’d done nothing wrong, but she nodded to her brother. She leaned into Nick’s chest, who carefully shifted her in his arms so she was next to him rather than on top. Tyler wasn’t sure he could stop the smile on his face if he tried. Nick looked back at him once Arabella was situated, casting him a soft smile that had Tyler feeling weak. 

“Sorry about her-” Arabella elbowed him, “-my dad ran out to the store and she was expecting him back soon. So, uh. . . What’s up, man? Don’t you have dance team after school on Thursdays?”

The question knocked Tyler out of his reverie as he remembered why he was here. He ignored the heat in his cheeks- Nick remembered he had dance on Thursdays?

“Oh, right, yeah. Um, I- well. I brought you your homework?” Tyler inwardly cursed himself for stumbling over his words. You’d think he’d never talked to the guy before. 

Nick looked surprised at the words, his eyebrows raising a little bit. Tyler had to glance away. 

“I didn’t figure you’d be at school tomorrow either, so I, um, I brought you tomorrow’s, too.”

Nick was just kind of staring at him, and Tyler shifted his weight between his feet. Silence lapsed between the three of them until Arabella whispered something to her brother that had Nick glaring down at her for a second. 

“Thanks, Tyler,” Nick said quietly. “I really appreciate that.”

Tyler smiled at him, nodding. “Yeah, it’s no problem.”

He held up the folder, “Is there somewhere you. . ?”

“Oh, um. Just that table right next to you is fine.”

Tyler nodded again, setting the folder down. Without anything to hold, he wasn’t quite sure what to do with his hands. He settled for stuffing them in his pocket. Tyler’s eyes couldn’t help but be drawn back to Nick. He looked sleepy and comfortable the way he was wrapped up on the couch. His hair was slightly tousled like Nick had been running his hands through it. Tyler fought the urge to go over and fix it for him. 

In order to stop himself from doing something stupid like just that, Tyler took in a deep breath and asked, “So how are you feeling?”

Nick shrugged a little, “Better. I don’t remember all that much from yesterday, honestly. Still kind of feels like my skull is gonna split open, but pain meds have been helping. This one-” Arabella let out a quiet giggle as Nick tickled her side, “-not so much.”

Tyler let out a huffed laugh. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure Dylan was ready to put my head through his snare drum last time he had a concussion.”

Nick laughed, but it cut off as he winced. Tyler grimaced at the sight. 

“Sorry.”

Nick just smiled as if to say “don’t worry about it”. 

Before either of them could say anymore, they heard the sounds of the door opening and footsteps coming into the room. 

“Hey, I’m home. Boo, I got you some Gatorade and these light blocking glasses that are great for concussions. And for the munchkin I got- Oh.”

Nick and Arabella’s father- Chad- looked up from the shopping bag he was holding, eyes immediately locking on Tyler. The lacrosse player wasn’t sure what else to do but awkwardly wave as Nick’s father regarded him. 

“I know you, don’t I?”

“Um, yes, sir. I’m on the lacrosse team with Nick.”

Chad nodded in recognition, “Right. Tim? Tyson?”

“Tyler,” Nick said for him, in what could almost be said to be a defensive tone. Chad looked over to Nick, raising an eyebrow at his son. “He was just bringing my homework over for me.”

Chad nodded at his son slowly. “Sure, kid. And thanks for doing that, Tyler. I was going to head over to the school tomorrow to do that.”

“It was no problem, Mr. Danforth-Evans,” Tyler mumbled, not sure what to do with himself. 

Chad snorted, shaking his head. “It’s just Chad, Tyler.”

Tyler nodded stiffly. He’d met Nick’s parents before, but something about this whole situation made it feel like he’d forgotten any and every way to properly interact with other human beings. 

“Well,” Chad said, holding his hand out towards his children, “Ari, why don’t we leave Boo and his friend to talk a little more and you can come help me put this stuff away.”

Arabella nodded, sliding off the couch and moving towards her dad. 

“Boo?” Tyler couldn’t stop himself from asking. Nick sighed, cringing. 

“I really liked Monsters Inc when I was a kid,” he explained, but Chad let out a snort. 

“Really liked? You insisted- and I mean insisted- on dressing up as Boo from that movie for three Halloweens in a row.” Chad’s face was lit up with the smirk of a parent who knew exactly what they were doing to torture their child. 

Nick ran a hand down his face, “Thanks for that, dad.”

Chad just smiled and picked Arabella up into his arms, walking past the couch into what looked like the kitchen from the angle Tyler was stood at. He dropped a kiss onto Nick’s head as he passed, laughing again as his son looked further embarrassed. Tyler couldn’t help the soft laugh that escaped him, which had Nick’s eyes turning on him. Nick’s face was tinged a soft pink, and Tyler was captivated by the way it made the other look. 

After a moment’s or two silence, Nick said, “You know, the only other person who knows the Boo story is Carrie, and she’s sworn to secrecy, so if that suddenly gets around the school- I’m coming after you first.”

Tyler held his hands up in surrender, smiling at Nick. “The only other person who knows is Carrie? Well, now I just feel special.”

Nick looked down at his lap, a small smile on his face. His voice was quiet, barely audible for Tyler to hear as he said, “Yeah, I guess you are.”

Tyler wasn’t sure what to do with that. His chest felt a little tighter at the words, and he bit his tongue to keep from saying anything to embarrass himself.

“I should probably head out. Let you rest,” Tyler managed to get out. Nick looked back up at him, an expression on his face that Tyler couldn’t quite pick out. 

“Oh. Yeah, sure. Thanks for- For bringing me my school stuff. And. . . for yesterday. My dads said I wasn’t the easiest person to deal with, so I’m sorry if I was annoying or anything.”

You look cute while rambling about how the platypus has been your favorite animal since you watched Phineas and Ferb, then practically gave me a heart attack when you put your head on my shoulder.

Tyler shook his head. “It’s no problem, man. You were out of it, but you weren’t annoying. I offered to drive you, remember? Anyway, I’m gonna go. I’ll let you know how that scrimmage game on Saturday goes?”

Nick nodded as much as he could without hurting his head and smiled at that- the toothy grin framed by dimples. Tyler sucked in a breath, forcing his eyes away from Nick. 

“See you later, Nick.”

“Bye, Tyler.”

Tyler forced himself not to look back as he left the house, moving swiftly back to his car. As soon as he was inside, he slumped forward, repeatedly thumping his forehead against his steering wheel. Maybe if he got lucky, Nick’s concussion would make him forget the entire interaction- every excruciatingly awkward moment that Tyler allowed himself to look like a complete fool. 

“Real smooth, idiot,” he said out loud as he started his car and pulled out of the Danforth-Evans driveway. 

It was going on a little under a year now that Tyler had had a crush on Nick. He’d caught the other lacrosse player doing a mini victory dance after a game last year and had quite literally fallen- he’d gotten so distracted looking at Nick’s hair and his smiles and the way the sweat made his arms glisten a little bit in the sunlight that he’d tripped over another team member’s bag, falling face first into the grass. 

He’d spent the last year both avoiding all and taking any opportunity to interact with Nick. He’d evidently gotten no better at stifling his pure embarrassing energy when it came to talking to him. He’d just add today onto the ever-growing list of Ways To Make Terrible Impressions On Your Crush. Fantastic.

----------

As soon as the front door shut behind Tyler, Nick buried his face in his hands. He could hear the footsteps of his father coming back into the living room, followed by quiet laughter. 

“I hate you,” Nick mumbled into his hands, but he knew his dad heard it anyway. “I have a concussion- shouldn’t you be nicer to me?”

“Hey, I wasn’t the one who knocked you in the head. Besides, what kind of father would I be if I didn’t take every opportunity to embarrass you?”

“The kind whose kids don’t grow up to hate him.”

Nick knew his father wasn’t taking his words to heart, as usual. For all Nick joked that he wanted nothing to do with his dad, the two of them had always been close. 

“Sorry, Boo, but if you’re going to invite a boy over to the house-”

“I didn’t invite him! I don’t even have my phone to invite him. He was just bringing me my homework.” Nick felt his face going even redder than it already was, and he kept it covered by pulling the blanket over his face to avoid his dad’s further teasing. 

“Out of the kindness of his heart, huh?”

Nick peeked an eye out, squinting at his father. “What are you implying here?”

His dad just shrugged, a little too casually for Nick’s taste. Nick sighed loudly, shrinking down into the couch cushions. 

“My head hurts too much for this.”

At that, his dad moved over to the couch, the teasing smile dropped from his face as he took a seat next to Nick. “Has it gotten any worse?”

Chad had always been the parent that took care of the kids’ injuries. He’d gotten so many himself as a kid that he knew the remedy and care for each one Nick or Arabella could ever get. Nick and his father agreed that if Chad ever got bored of basketball- he was currently an assistant coach for the Lakers- he’d likely be amazing in medical school. 

“No, it actually felt better when-” Nick cut himself off. 

When Tyler was here, his brain supplied the rest of the sentence. Nick wasn’t sure what to do with that information. He shut his mouth, frowning a little. He stayed silent as his dad fussed around him a little bit, shifting pillows and pulling the living room curtains closed some more, trying to block out as much light as possible. Nick ran back through the conversation with Tyler in his head. He thought about his teammate dressed in a pair of light colored jeans and his letter jacket that seemed just a little too big for him- Nick was so used to seeing him dressed for lacrosse that he never really saw him dressed casually like that. He thought about Tyler holding Ari’s hand. He thought about Tyler’s thoughtfulness in bringing over his school work so that Nick didn’t have to stress about it later, and he thought about the image of Tyler smiling at him. 

“Well, shit,” Nick let out softly, staring at the wall. 

“Language,” his dad chastised, but Nick ignored him. 

“Shit,” he repeated, then turned as quickly as he could without hurting his head to face his father. “Dad, can I have my phone?”

His dad frowned at him. “Nick, the doctor said no screens, remember? You-”

“Yeah, I know what she said. But I really need my phone. Please?”

“Why?”

“Because I have a concussion and I’m slow on the uptake and I really need to talk to Carrie right now. Ten minutes. Please.”

His dad looked him over, eyes narrowed. “Fine. Ten minutes. But don’t tell your father.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you,” Nick let out, holding his hand out to his dad. Chad grabbed Nick’s phone from where it was sitting next to the TV, then deposited it into his son’s hand. 

Nick scrambled with the device, wincing as he turned the brightness down all the way and pulling up Carrie’s contact. 

carrie

carrie

CARRIE

Carrie Wilson i swear if you don’t respond right now 

im gonna lose my damn mind

Okay okay I’m responding

What do you want

tyler was just at my house and he dropped off 

all my homework and talked to my dad and my sister 

and my head hurts i’m way too tired for this

Tyler??

Pretty lacrosse boy Tyler??

Nick I love you but I am not seeing the importance here

carrie he was at my HOUSE and he SMILED AT ME 

have you ever seen him smile???

because i know my brain isn’t like working right 

now or whatever but he SMILED AT ME and its 

all i can think about

Oh

Oh damn

Nick

My best friend and love of my life

Do you

Have a crush

ON TYLER DOYLE???

YEAH I THINK SO

CARRIE 

i always thought he was really pretty and cute

but hhnnngg i think it’s an actual crush and idk 

what to do about that

Oh my god

he smiled at me and i really wanted to kiss him

how did i not realize i wanted to kiss him

concussion make me dumb

Don’t know if the concussion is to blame for 

that but okay honey

fuck i have to go dad is taking my phone

WAIT WHAT

NICHOLAS

YOU CAN’T JUST LEAVE ME LIKE THAT

NICK

Nick was grateful he’d had time to lock his phone before his dad pulled it from his hands. He did not need the embarrassment of his dad catching sight of that conversation. He felt a little bad for leaving Carrie on that note, but he was too stressed about how did he not notice he had a crush on this guy to care at the moment. As his dad returned his phone to its original spot, Nick pulled the blanket back over his head, sinking down in an attempt to become one with the couch. As he shut his eyes, he felt his dad’s hand come to rest on his head, above the blanket. 

“I know having a concussion sucks, Boo,” his dad spoke softly. 

Sure. Yeah, let’s pretend the concussion is his biggest problem right now. 

“I’ll take the munchkin upstairs and keep her quiet, why don’t you try to get a little bit of sleep before your father gets home? I’ll wake you up in two hours.”

Nick sighed at the thought that his dad would have to wake him up. He’d had to do it all night as doctor’s orders. Every two hours, wake him up and make him answer a few memory questions to make sure his head injury wasn’t getting any worse. Nick was exhausted, and he knew his dad was as well. It was off season for basketball, so he wasn’t out of the house as often and had been the elected parent to stay up with Nick all night. 

“Love you, Nick,” his father whispered above him, and then the hand disappeared from his head. 

“Love you, too,” Nick mumbled. He knew at this point he wasn’t likely to get any sleep. Not when Tyler had been in his house and giving him that smile- Nick was pretty sure the image was now ingrained in his brain. 

Tyler had never been a teammate that Nick was close to, but he’d always been aware of him. Tyler was funny, and kind, and the two of them had had fun getting stuck in Mrs. Kelly’s fourth period dance class for those few weeks together. And there had never been any denying that Tyler was nice to look at. Really nice. Nice enough that Nick had allowed himself to get so distracted watching Tyler on the sidelines of the field that he’d gotten slammed into the ground and concussed. But he had been so sure that that’s all it was. Tyler was attractive, Nick knew it, and that was that. But then Tyler had driven him to urgent care without a hesitation, sat with him until his father showed up, and then brought him all his school work. Nick had been so struck by that that he’d sat on the couch, staring like an idiot until his 7 year old sister leaned up and whispered that he needed to say something. And damn, Nick might actually be grateful for the concussion because while it may have made him a little slow to realize that Tyler was right there and god, did he want to kiss him, it also saved him from becoming the blushing mess he knew he would have otherwise.  

“Well, shit,” Nick repeated once more, covering his face with his hands.

if you made it this far, thanks so much for reading!! I hope you enjoyed it!! if this gets a good response I’m planning on following it up with a part 2 in which they might go on a date or something like that.

tag list (let me know if you want added for future parts):

@sunsetcurve123

[missjoolee]

A non-plot idea for JatP season 2

So, I know that in Season 1, they can eat at the HGC but that's still in "their" bodies so what if food allergies still kind of apply?

But now! It's season 2, baby. Calebs got himself a nice new body to do things with and he is no longer inhibited by his food allergy. I want a running gag for the whole season where any scene with "Nick", Sacha is eating handfuls of popcorn shrimp. Or nachos with extra cheese. Maybe reece's pb cups. And the only reason is because caleb can't eat those things in his own body.

OR

if not that, He's constantly eating hot dogs any time they spend time with Julie (and probably by proxy, the boys). throw in the occasional pigs in a blanket. Reggie comments how it feels like he's being taunted, but nobody really remarks about it because "hey, we are teenagers and we've all had those weeks where we are obsessed with one type of junk food or another." ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Plus he is a teenage boy on the lacrosse team which means he probably was eating a lot before the whole "possession" thing.

[blackandblue13]

i am emotionally attached to every single jatp character. yes, every single one. that includes, but is not limited to:

the person wiping down bobby’s guitar onstage while sunset curve is talking to rose, the sunset curve fangirls that received shirts from reggie, sam and ella, ray’s realtor friend, carlos’s baseball team, dr. turner, everyone in tía victoria’s pilates class, cushion of sound, nitro network, the pedestrian that reggie walked through outside the orpheum on the guys’ first night as ghosts, whoever runs the bike shop right where reggie’s house used to be, the surfer dude that was confused about the origin of alex/luke/reg’s singing, ted talk guy, the tech coordinator for “wow” and “bright,” the kid that took julie’s spot in the music program, coachella kid, the tap-dancing janitor that probably thinks julie has gone off the deep end, the person with the nice hat on the hollywood walk of fame, marilyn monroe, the person in the chicken costume, dog suit guy eating his lunch on the bench, the australian school of music, flynn’s dad, the one (1) security guard at the santa monica museum of contemporary art, dr. crystal, the skaters that almost got in trouble but were saved by willie’s “tricks,” the bobcat gal who was having the time of her life dancing onstage to flynn’s sick beats, caleb covington, the maître d’ who steals his cape mid-song, the entire HGC orchestra and guests and dancers, dante and fuego, the twins, whoever gave flynn keys to the school, the dance teacher, the lacrosse coach, flynn’s dance class homie, nick’s dance class homie, the girl that did the “whoa,” the lady at the cafe who just wanted to take pics of her food in peace, the eats & beats cafe emcee, andi parker from destiny management, ray’s buddy from drakes, ray’s photography friends, the chef who died before he could share his recipe for french dip, downslide, the professional dude, tasha from the orpheum, rob the stage manager, and unnamed lady with flowers

[slimeyslimeyballsack]

the timeline for jatp is kinda hard to figure out tbh. everything between the dance and the backyard concert gets kinda messy. the day after the dance is a school day (meaning the dance was on a school night), the first time the lacrosse team joins dance practice, it’s Luke’s bday, and it’s the same day they do Finally Free at Eats&Beats??? and then it seems like the Edge of Great performance and the final dance thing with Nick and Julie is the day after or something, but then Nick says “even after three classes I still think i got worse” meaning they’ve had 3 dance classes together since the day of Finally Free… let’s say their final dance performance thing and the backyard thing were on a Friday. backtracking, would that mean that the first dance class with the lacrosse team was on Tuesday??? was the dance on a Monday night??? I’m so confused

I've been thinking about trying to make a comprehensive timeline idk if anybody would be interested

ask me stuff