THE DOG DAYS ARE OVER
A/N: The story idea came to me after reading a summary of Dog Eat Dog and realizing that there was a very easy way for Lauren to deal with the Max/Payson problem. I figured seeing as the only spoiler in this is 'they find a dog' that it was safe to post it before the episode aired. I have decided by my own preference, that the dog found is a Cocker Spaniel, cos they're so darn cute.
Disclaimer: I do not own Make It or Break It. Or a cocker spaniel – sigh.
Summary: Lauren was surprised she hadn't thought of it sooner. If Max Spencer wasn't going to . . . submit to her feminine wiles, then she'd simply have to march her pukey green leotard into Sasha Belov's office and tell him exactly what was going on with his favourite gymnast. Something told her that he wasn't going to be happy.
The Dog Days Are Over
Lauren glared as Payson and Max congregated around the water cooler, speaking in hushed tones. The water cooler! How clichéd could people get?
She knew that something was going on between them, but it was still Payson 'no-sex-until-after-the-Olympics-and-maybe-not-even-then' Keeler, so she knew it wasn't something something. Payson wasn't interested in boys – 'just middle aged men,' she thought scathingly – and Max would realize eventually that any chance he might have with Payson became official null and void on the 12th of August 2012. She was just annoyed that the two were spending so much time together, even if it was completely innocent - at least from Payson's end.
"Lauren, focus," the clipped British voice of their coach cut in to her thoughts. Sasha was standing on the edge of the mat with a stern expression, waiting for some explanation for why her floor routine had finished two beats behind her floor music.
Lauren bit her lip, making her expression look nervous and contrite. If she played her cards right, she might just be able to kill two birds with one stone – she could keep Max and Payson apart, and keep Sasha focused on more pressing concerns so that he wouldn't even think about ruining her happy family.
"I guess I'm just worried about Payson," she said carefully. "She seems to be spending a lot of time with Max and I know that Payson just wants to be friends, but I think that Max wants more than that and yeah . . ." She trailed off with a worried grimace letting Sasha fill in the blanks.
He turned his head in Payson's direction – of course he knew exactly where she was – just in time to see Max make some incredibly forward gesture and Payson respond with a slightly uncomfortable smile. Lauren couldn't have planned a more perfect moment for Sasha to discover them if she'd gone over there and directed them herself – Max, you stand way too close and invade Payson's personal space; Payson, just be yourself and respond in the most awkward way possible even if you are somewhat flattered by the attention.
She saw Sasha's body tense, his reaction even better than Lauren had anticipated. He was beyond angry and looked ready to test his right hook on Max's face. She almost felt guilty for what that meant, but she'd make it up to Max by being the one to hold frozen peas to the side of his face until the swelling went down.
"Spencer! My office!" Sasha hollered angrily across the gym. The whole floor of gymnasts jumped at the unexpected belt from their coach and scattered out of his way as he stalked the path to his office, stomping up the steps and slamming the door behind him.
"Do you think he knows?" Payson asked concernedly as the still stunned Max stood holding his grips limply in his hands. "Maybe I should go with you."
Max shook his head, coming out of his daze. He put on a calm front and responded. "There's no point the both of us taking the rap. You should go check on the dog – make sure he hasn't done anything to her while I handle the warden."
"Sasha wouldn't do that," Payson said surely, not appreciating his attempt at humour. "I think I should talk to him. I was the one who – "
"I meant now, Spencer!" Sasha's voice bellowed from within the office.
Max shrugged at her worried expression and began to walk the green mile. He passed Summer and Mrs Keeler on his way and they both gave him sympathetic looks as they went by. He supposed that he was going to get chewed out by Sasha for trying to keep a dog here at The Rock, but he reckoned it was worth it in terms of moving forward in his attempts to woo Payson.
Sasha coolly gestured for him to shut the door and take his seat as he entered the office. This calm, simmering version of Sasha seemed somehow more frightening than the man that had been yelling at him moments earlier.
"I probably should have made it clear that any changes made while Coach Darby," he said derisively, "was here in my absence, were repealed upon my return," he began sternly.
Max gulped nervously as the reason for this little discussion became perfectly clear. It wasn't about the dog. It was about the 'no-dating rule' he'd heard Lauren complain about on numerous occasions, and about him getting too close to one of Sasha's precious gymnasts.
"The elite girls are the heart of this gym," Sasha continued stonily. "The rest of them are just window dressing. Each of those girls has a very real chance of medalling in London – especially Payson – and I will not let anything get in the way of that.
"You are expendable," he finished darkly. "Payson is not."
Sasha sat forward a little, resting his elbows on his knees and bring his hands together in front of him. "Do you understand, Spencer?" he asked almost pleasantly.
"I do," Max gulped.
"Good," Sasha nodded. He sat back up, turning his chair away and shifting through the pile of paperwork on his desk. "You should try adding an extra twist to your vault," he suggested disinterestedly. "It's not difficult. I had the same vault when I was a junior."
The implication was clear. It was one thing to be threatened by his own coach, but there was something deeper in the words: a warning that he would never be good enough – not for the Olympics, and not for her. He had been weighed and measured up against one of the greatest gymnasts that ever lived, and he had been found wanting.
"Payson?" Sasha asked, frowning at the only gymnast left this late in the evening.
She glanced up at him with a worried expression, catching her lip between her teeth as her eyes flashed with sorrow and guilt. "Are you okay, Payson?" he asked seriously, approaching her slowly.
She nodded, taking a few moments to find the nerve to speak. "I just . . . it's not fair, Sasha. I can't let Max take the fall like this," she told him in her determined, stubborn manner that he had missed in his absence. "It's my fault as much as his. I'm the one that suggested the annex."
"Payson, as much as I appreciate the show of solidarity towards one of your teammates, I have no idea what you're confessing to," he told her honestly, smiling a little despite himself. "What did Spencer do to the annex?" he added with a narrow gaze, still intent on blaming whatever it was on the male gymnast.
She sighed and shook her head, looking down at the ground. "It's nothing . . . I mean, it's something but it's not really Max's fault and . . .
"If you didn't know about Suki then why did you talk to Max earlier?" she asked suddenly as she lifted her head to question him.
"I was just reminding him of the rules here at The Rock," he answered vaguely. "Who's 'Suki'?"
She crinkled her nose in annoyance, cursing her own stupidity. She knew she couldn't lie her way out of this one, and what was the point really? It wasn't like hiding a dog in the annex came under any of the misconduct rules of The Rock charter.
"Wait here," she instructed, raising her hand in the universal gesture for 'stop'. She ducked out the side door to the annex, jogging to where she'd left Suki earlier that day.
As tempted as he was to follow her, Sasha stayed where he was, listening intently for anything that might hint at what to expect. There was some low murmuring from Payson and a soft, repetitive thud of something hitting the ground. Then there was a bark and the sound of sharp nails and padded feet on the linoleum between the two buildings. The door opened and a small mongrel cocker spaniel came bounding towards him, barking excitedly and slobbering all over the place.
"Suki, I take it?" he addressed, lifting an eyebrow as he crouched to stroke the stray animal. "Payson, what on earth made you think you could get away with hiding a cocker spaniel here at The Rock?" he asked her seriously.
"I was hoping we'd get her back to her owner before anyone found out," Payson admitted sheepishly. "Max reckons she's just a stray, but she's been looked after so beautifully that I think someone must be missing her.
"I think she really likes you," she added with an endearing smile.
He shook his head, biting back a laugh. "Buttering me up isn't going to make me forget that you tried to hide a dog here, Pay," he said sternly as Suki (which, given who had named her, was probably short for Tsukahara) playfully nipped at his hands, trying to engage him in some kind of play fight. She was still very young, judging by her size and temperament, which made it all the more likely that she had an owner somewhere worrying about her.
"What?" he asked after Payson had been quiet for far too long. She was blushing when he looked up from Suki and her eyes were widened in surprise.
"You've just . .. you never called me that before," she answered quietly, biting her lip nervously and looking at him through her lashes.
He silently admonished himself for the lapse. This was another of those lines he wasn't supposed to cross, like joining her at ballet classes, taking her on special outings, and spending time alone together in an empty gym. Nicknames were for friends and sweethearts, not coaches.
"Sorry," he uttered guiltily.
"It's fine," she replied, cautiously moving closer until she was crouching down beside him, running a hand across Suki's back. "I mean, we're friends, aren't we?" she asked uncertainly.
He swallowed thickly and nodded. "We are," he confirmed.
"And I get to call you by a nickname," she added with some confidence. "Unless you want me to call you 'Alexandru'," she joked.
"I'd rather you didn't," he replied, which wasn't exactly true. She frowned and looked slightly hurt, so he tried to explain himself. "No one's ever really called me 'Alexandru' except my mother. It's a bit of a mouthful."
"But it suits you," she offered quietly, blushing when she realized what she had said. "I mean, it . . ." she began, trying to backtrack. The words couldn't be taken back and they implied so much more than just the suitability of his name. The words were too intimate, and this time she was the one crossing the line, sitting there awkwardly flirting with her twenty-eight year old coach.
"I suppose it does," he said lowly, saying what was needed to keep them from having to face what was happening. "What have you been doing to try and find Suki's owner?" he asked.
Payson was relieved for the sudden change of subject. "I've been checking the community notice boards to see if anyone's posted anything about a lost dog," she told him. "Max said he'd make some posters but he hasn't had the time to take a picture of her."
"Of course he hasn't," Sasha snorted derisively.
"What do you mean?" she asked, cocking her head in confusion.
He smiled gently at her befuddlement, feeling his heart race a little on its own accord. "Sometimes, Payson, I think you are far too sweet for the world of competitive gymnastics," he told her affectionately. "Max hasn't had the time to take the picture because he's using Suki as an excuse to spend time with you," he explained to her, stilling her hand with his own.
"Spend time with me?" Payson questioned, still not understanding what he was trying to say. "But we're here together at the gym all the time and . . ." she trailed off as Sasha's meaning slowly dawned on her. "Oh no," she said shaking her head adamantly, "it's not like that. Max likes Lauren and he's just concerned about Suki and . . .
"I'm an idiot for not seeing this sooner, aren't I?" she said hopelessly, sitting back and bowing her head into her hands.
"Not an idiot, Pay. Just very, very sweet," he assured her kindly. He moved a hand to her shoulder, squeezing gently so that she would meet his gaze. "You'd think after being friends with Lauren for so long you'd know a thing or two about manipulation," he teased her with a small smirk. He almost laughed aloud as he realized that he'd been as much of a fool as she had – he'd thought that the little breakthrough over Lauren's twisties had put him beyond the range of Lauren's cross-hair, but it seemed he had been manipulated by Lauren as much as Payson had been by Max.
"If there were ever two people that deserved each other more," he said tiredly, shaking his head.
"Us or them?" Payson laughingly replied. She gasped as her own words sunk in – she'd done it again and this time there was no taking them back.
She met his gaze and he could read the fear and desperation in her expression, begging him to simply let the words go and forget she'd even said anything. If it had been two months ago, right after the Worlds team trails, he probably would have done just that, but his time away from The Rock and his return had given him a new perspective on things.
"Both I think," he answered her lowly. "Maybe us more than them.
"But not now," he added, kissing her lingeringly on the cheek. "Not yet," he reiterated.
She nodded, seeming to understand him, although a tear rolled slowly down her cheek. "Will you look after Suki for me?" she asked in a small voice. "It's short for –"
"Tsukahara," he finished for her. "I thought as much."
"I knew you would," she nodded.
She waved goodbye, comforted by the silent promise that it wouldn't be forever. Just for now.
~ FIN ~