Summary: Payson Keeler met Austin Tucker when she a child, already recognized as a future Olympian. Ever since, he has been a big brother to her, an honorary Keeler. However as she grows up, life gets harder. Can they get themselves, and each other, through it all? TW: Eating Disorders

Disclaimer: I do not own the show or the characters, and the story title is from the band Superchick

Chapter Notes: In this chapter, Austin visits 12 year old Payson in Boulder for the first time, wanting to make sure that The Rock and Marty are right for her.

Beauty From Pain

Confidence in insecurity

Payson smiled to herself, standing in the arrival area of the Boulder Municipal Airport. Her mother was waiting in the car, while her father was home with Becca. She checked the board again, seeing that yes, the flight had landed, meaning that Austin, travelling domestically with carry on, would be out any moment. She turned back to the automatic doors, and saw familiar messy hair and bright smile.

"Austin!" She squealed, sprinting towards the tall boy.

"Pay!" He grinned, dropping his duffle in favour of picking up the petite girl and swinging her in a circle.

"You grew," she accused, staring up at him.

"And you didn't," he teased, ruffling her hair. He swung the duffle back over his shoulder, wrapping his free arm around the girl.

"Mom's just outside," she told him, "Dad stayed home with Becca, she's already asleep."

"You should be too, it's way too late for you."

"Austin," she whined, "it's only ten!"

"But you're only twelve, and you have practice tomorrow."

"Do you actually think I would have been able to sleep, knowing that you were landing?"

"Aw, you're still the same cutie as last year," the older boy told her, thinking of the last time he saw her.

"I am not cute," she glared.

"You're my little sister, of course you're cute to me. Don't worry, I'm sure the judges won't think so."

Payson elbowed him as they got to the car. Austin nudged her into the backseat while he dropped his duffle and backpack in the passenger seat and sat down next to her.

"Hey Mama Kim," he smiled.

"Hey there Austin, how's California been treating you?"

"Oh, it's great! They keep me crazy busy but I love it. It's gymnastics almost all of the time, but I've got this great place near the beach and I've been learning to surf in my limited spare time. You should send Pay to visit sometime, she would love it!" He enthused. His biological parents didn't approve of his gymnastics, or excessive lifestyle, hence his emancipation, but the Keelers always wanted to know about his life.

"That's great Austin," Kim smiled at him through the rearview mirror. "We'd love to send Pay down, but-"

"But we all want to keep her out of the public eye as much as possible," Austin finished. He had been the one to bring that up first. They tried not to make their sibling-like bond public because Austin was concerned about what it would be like for Payson to be shoved further into the spotlight than she already was.

Payson spent the rest of the car ride telling Austin about the Rock, Marty, and her new teammates, the boy listening intently. They pulled into the driveway shortly, Austin getting out to grab his bags. Mark, having heard them pull in, made his way outside to hug the boy, who was finally hugging Kim.

"Papa Keeler!" Austin grinned, hugging his pseudo-father.

"Hey son," Mark returned, taking his duffle. "We haven't finished setting up your room yet, since we want your opinion, so for now you'll have to crash in Pay's, that okay?"

Austin nodded before tilting his head in confusion, "my room?"

"Of course, you're our child too," Kim reminded him. "It's painted already but we wanted you to have a say in the layout and decorations." Austin nodded dumbly, struggling to process the idea of having his own room at the Keeler household.

"Come on!" Payson tugged his arm impatiently. "I need to sleep so that I'm ready for training tomorrow! Becca's asleep but she has to come to practice too so you'll see her in the morning. Yes, you have your own room, you can process that once you're settled."

Austin smiled at her, appreciating her no-nonsense attitude and her ability to know exactly what he was thinking. He let the tiny blonde lead him to her room, he and Mark dropping his bags on the floor. He took a moment to look around the purple room, laughing slightly at the motivational posters she had put up.

"No laughing," she ordered, already in her pajamas. "Change, then bed." Austin nodded, changing into his sweatpants and climbing under the blankets. Though most parents would be concerned at letting a young girl share a bed with an older boy, let alone one that she wasn't related to, the Keelers simply saw it as siblings sharing a bed.

Austin groaned as the blaring alarm woke him up the next morning. He reluctantly opened his eyes to see Payson having the same reaction. As she stumbled out of bed, reaching for her leo, Austin got up.

"Wait, Pay, before you put that on," he stopped her, digging through his bag. "I have something for you. I didn't exactly have time to wrap it, but I thought you might like it…?" He trailed off nervously, handing her a purple and green leo.

"I love it!" She exclaimed, pulling it on right away, while Austin pulled on his own. "It fits perfectly!"

"Of course it does, I know your size. Well, and I double checked with Mama Kim," he confessed. Payson grinned at him, pulling on a pair of track pants and one of his old t-shirts. She left for the kitchen while he finished pulling his own clothes over his leo. He joined her in the kitchen moments later.

"Austin!" Becca yelled when she saw him.

"Hey there Becs," he lifted her from her chair to hug her.

"Are you really coming to the Rock today?"

"Yes I am! I have to pretend not to know you guys, but I will be taking you for dinner tonight," he told the small girl, who grinned at him.

"Mom! Can we go to the Rock now?" Payson asked, tapping her foot impatiently.

"Did you even eat?" Austin asked.

"I had a banana," Payson told him, facing away as she filled up a large glass of water. Austin accepted the answer, although he was sure that he would have noticed. He packed a couple of bananas and a Healthy Bar into his bag, fully intending to make her eat them throughout the day.

Soon they were piling into the car, with the girls in the back and Austin in the front with Kim.

"So Austin, I forgot to mention this yesterday, but Mark wants to start teaching you to drive while you're here. He figures it'll be easier if you can drive the girls to practice, and secretly he's been waiting to teach one of his kids to drive since Pay was born." Austin nodded easily, trying to hide how happy he was.

They pulled into the Rock soon after, and Payson was out of the car before it was fully in park. They had already agreed that the Keelers would go in before Austin, who would then talk to Marty about Payson, the gym, and the possibility of him training there whenever he was visiting.

Payson was working with Lauren and Kaylie on their stretches when she heard the whispers begin. She turned to the doors, knowing that she would see Austin walking in. He had been too young for the last Olympics, but was already one of the most famous gymnasts in the circuit, a favourite to win in Beijing in a few months.

Sticking to the act, she rolled her eyes and turned away, going back to her stretches.

"Payson!" Lauren hissed excitingly, "That was Austin Tucker!"

"Oh, yeah," she said, nonchalant, "Austin's in town for a bit," she shrugged.

"What?" Kaylie screeched.

"What?" Payson asked, feigning confusion.

"Austin Tucker, THE Austin Tucker, World Champion and favourite for Beijing is in the Rock!" She whispered, her voice jumping a couple of octaves.

"So?"

"God Pay, don't you understand why this is a big deal?" Lauren asked, sighing when her teammate shook her head, "hopeless… Well, I think I'll go offer to show him the gym."

"Payson!" Marty called from the platform outside of his office, "Would you please show Mr. Tucker around?"

Payson stood, trying not to laugh at Lauren's expression. She made her way to the bottom of the stairs, where Austin met her.

"So, everything good?"

"Well, I like Marty, and he's willing to let me train here, and offered to train me himself when I'm here, but I'm getting the full tour from the star of the gym so that I can decide if they deserve you. He said that afterwards he'd have you and your friends perform your apparatuses for me, since apparently you're the Nationals' dream team." Payson grinned at him before being hit with a wave of dizziness. Noticing her slight loss of balance, Austin led her to the water cooler, forcing her to drink.

"I'm fine," she insisted.

"Sure you are. But you're having a banana during your first break," he told her. She just rolled her eyes, planning to tell him that she hadn't brought any.

"Alright, I'll show you the men's section first," she decided, leading him around the foreign territory. She only went to that side of the gym when they had demonstration days, where the highest level gymnasts would show their routines to the rest of the club.

"Alright, I like it. Now show me your side, that's what I care about."

Payson perked up, heading towards her side of the gym. She showed him all of the apparatuses, telling him the pros and cons of every single one.

"It's pretty good, let's see what you can do on them." Austin nodded at Marty, who was still on his balcony.

"Alright!" He called out, loud enough for the entire gym to hear, "can I have Lauren, Kaylie, Payson, and Austin at the beam?" The four complied immediately. "Girls, I'm sure you know that this is Austin, Austin, these are the girls that I was telling you about."

"It's nice to meet you," Austin smiled politely, letting them introduce themselves, although he and Payson both struggled to keep a straight face when she did.

"They're going to Junior Nationals tomorrow and are predicted to all make the team. Girls, Austin has agreed to watch your routines and give you some feedback before the meet, so please treat him with respect." The girls all nodded easily, and Kaylie made her way to the end of the beam.

She started with a leg swing mount, the easiest of the three mounts but fitting Kaylie's personality. The rest of her routine was not overly challenging, but her technique was fairly good. She had a playful air with her, but beam was clearly not her strength. Her dismount was the equally simple Bohmevora, with only a slight wobble.

Austin clapped politely. "I like what I see Kaylie, and I think you'll definitely place with it, but I think you should try to upgrade your mount, something that the judges won't forget." Kaylie nodded happily, letting Payson take the beam.

Payson opened with a one-foot mount, which Austin hadn't known that she was working on. Her technique was much better than Kaylie's, almost perfect, and her moves were more challenging, but her personality didn't come through in the same way. Austin knew that Payson was never satisfied with her performances, so he understood her focus on technique, but he made a mental note to talk to her about it. She dismounted with Nellie Kim's salto tucked with a twist, which was also more impressive than Kaylie's simple routine.

"Alright Payson, that was impressive. Your technique is almost flawless, but you need to let the judges see your personality. You can't just have them love the routine, they need to love you," he advised her, resisting the urge to ruffle her hair.

Lauren made her way to the beam, completely at ease. It was clear from the moment she began her straddle L mount that she was in her element, and Austin knew that the attitude would give her an edge. Her moves were more difficult than either of the other two, and her attitude was sure to get her points. She dismounted with a Khorkina, which he would not have thought possible for such a young gymnast.

"Lauren, I'm not going to lie, that was incredible. I absolutely understand why judges call you the Queen of the Beam. You're so comfortable and that gives you an advantage, but you need to tighten up your technique." The blonde smiled at him, accepting the advice. Marty gave them a break, telling them to meet him at the bars in ten minutes.

"So, I've heard that you girls are the dream team," he told the girls, handing a banana to Payson while the other two were distracted by the praise. She glared at him but reluctantly took a bite. "How would you girls feel about going to dinner with me tonight? I hear there are a few good places that serve the food we can actually eat," he laughed.

"I don't know," Payson sighed, "I have to look after my little sister tonight."

"Bring her with you," he offered.

"I'll ask my parents," she conceded, smirking at him.

"I can go, I just need to ask Daddy to bring me a change of clothes," Lauren beamed.

"Same for me, we can talk to our parents over lunch, we should get some water before we meet Marty," Kaylie pointed out.

The four made their way to the cooler to get some water before heading to the bars. Austin was most excited for that apparatus, knowing that it was Payson's best. The girls showed off the rest of their apparatuses before Marty called lunch. The girls all went to talk about their parents, telling Austin to pull on some clothes so that they could bring him to Spruce Juice. He nodded easily, and was leaning against the outer wall of the gym when the girls came out, each in track pants and a jacket over their leos.

Payson refused a juice, insisting that she was full. The girls accepted her excuse easily, but Austin still shoved a Healthy Bar and another banana at her, claiming that he was going to have them but if she wasn't having a drink, she needed the energy. She glared at him but ate anyways, not wanting to raise any warning bells. The group made their way back to the gym, where Marty told the girls to work on Austin's suggestions while he watched Austin's routines. The girls didn't see him again until the end of practice, all focused on their own training and never crossing paths at the chalk or the cooler. Austin did keep an eye on Payson, worried about her previous dizziness, although she seemed fine.

After their dismissal, Austin changed into his jeans and was once again waiting for the girls to change. When they emerged, he barely noticed Kaylie, Lauren, or Becca, focussing entirely on Payson's white dress and pink cardigan, amused by how uncomfortable she looked.

Payson led the group to the nearest restaurant, conveniently one that had a menu that catered specifically to the gymnasts' diet, making it a favourite. They sat around, eating and laughing, until Payson dismissed herself. She returned a few minutes later, looking pale and shaky, sitting down to gulp her glass of water. Austin filed her behaviour away to examine later, not wanting to confront her in front of the others. Aside from Payson's aparent discomfort, and therefore Austin's concern, the dinner continued pleasantly until Lauren and Kaylie had to leave. The Keeler group waited a few minutes before leaving as well, walking back to the Keeler household, all of them heading straight to bed.

Hey y'all! So, I'm rewriting this (and a lot of other fics), so hopefully this is better than the original? This was meant to be a sort of exposition, and next we will move on to Like Mother, Like Daughter, Like Supermodel. If you have any suggestions or requests, please let me know! This will mostly follow canon, but there will be some natural changes.

Love,

Arty