A/N: Man my motivation is like nil lately.
Each day had passed like the one before it. The girls got up, had breakfast, before going to morning training. Lunch and a nap usually followed, before another round of training in the afternoon. In the evenings, JJ was finding just enough time to check in with home before collapsing into her bed for the night.
They were six days out from the opening ceremony, but before they got to that, JJ's eighteenth birthday was the coming day. However, JJ was surprised when she realized she was far more excited about the upcoming Olympics than her birthday. Prior to being named to the team, when everything was still up in the air, it had been the other way around.
As JJ was laying out her things for training the next day, someone knocked on the door to hers and Aly's room. She straightened up, heading for the door and pulling it open. On the threshold, she found Larry Nassar, carrying the portable treatment table and his usual bag of medical supplies.
"Evening girls," he said with a smile. JJ managed a smile back, stepping aside to let him in and closing the door behind him. Even as she did so, a flicker of worry shot through her stomach as she remembered the standard rules all of Nick's gymnasts had to abide by with medical treatments. He was to be present for all medical examinations, unless the exam or treatment was of a sensitive nature, and in that circumstance, he would ask a female coach to take his place.
'But it's just Larry,' she reminded herself, following him back into the room as Aly rose up from her bed. Larry was a world class doctor, highly commended for his work treating all the gymnasts who had passed through the national team.
"I've got something for the birthday girl," he said warmly, reaching into his bag and producing a little box. He held it out to JJ, smiling as she tentatively took it and looked down through the plastic window on the top. Inside were five mini cupcakes, each decorated with a different icing flower.
"Thanks Larry," she said sweetly, moving to set them down on her bedside table. "I'll share them with the girls… I'm sure Marta would notice if I ate five cupcakes"
Aly giggled, watching Larry as he unfolded his treatment table.
"Alright, who's going first for a tissue massage?" he said conversationally. Aly looked over at JJ, who hesitated for a moment before she slowly shook her head.
"No, I'm ok. Nick wouldn't be very happy if I broke one of his rules," she said softly.
"You sure? It's just a massage," Larry pushed.
'Nick is your coach, you know his rules'
"Yeah, I'm ok. I really need to shower anyway, I smell like a sumo wrestler's armpit"
Aly laughed, slowly moving towards Larry's table. "You can stay and keep me company then"
"You're a big girl Aly," JJ teased, picking up her towel as Aly lay down on the table on her stomach. "I need to shower before McKayla decides it's time for a pampering session"
"Wait, what was that thing Mac said earlier when Marta told us to do fifty pushups?" Aly said quickly as Larry began gently kneading the back of her calf.
"I don't know, I wasn't really listening," JJ chuckled. "Seriously, Aly, I stink, I'm gonna go shower. I'll be back in like fifteen minutes"
As she turned towards the door, her towel, PJs and toiletries in hand, she failed to notice the shadow of worry that crossed Aly's face behind her retreating back.
"We're going to be so tired tomorrow, Martha will definitely know we stayed up late," Kyla said nervously as McKayla flung herself into the beanbag in the corner of Aly and JJ's room.
"Who cares? We have… three minutes until it's JJ's birthday and I'll be damned if I'm not helping her celebrate it!" McKayla replied, making JJ laugh as she took a seat on her own bed. "I can't believe you get to turn eighteen, at the Olympics, in a country where you can actually drink alcohol once you're eighteen"
"Oh yeah!" Aly exclaimed. "I totally forgot about that, drinking is legal at eighteen in England!"
"Somehow, I don't think Martha is going to let me celebrate by going clubbing," JJ said dryly, making the girls laugh again.
"Alright, alright, let's make this a little more interesting," McKayla chimed in as JJ opened the cupcake box and began passing them around. "JJ has to answer first because she's the birthday girl"
JJ looked warily at McKayla as the others began to giggle.
"If you had to sleep with any athlete here in London, who would it be?" McKayla asked mischievously.
"Max Whitlock," JJ blurted out before she could stop herself. Her cheeks immediately flamed red as the girls fell about laughing.
"Wow, you had that one locked and loaded!" Gabby exclaimed through her giggles.
"Shut up," JJ muttered, which only did the exact opposite in making them laugh harder.
"Is it because he has the same colour hair and dreamy bod as –"
"Aly, if you finish that sentence, I'm going to have to kill you," JJ said warningly.
"Oooh-"
"Can we change the subject now?" JJ asked loudly. The giggling continued, but to her relief, the teasing ceased.
"Hey look! It's midnight!" McKayla said excitedly. Seconds later, she had flung herself from the beanbag, throwing her arms around JJ and knocking her backwards onto the bed with a squeal. Before she could fully register what was happening, three more bodies had landed on top of them, and JJ was laughing hysterically beneath the pile.
"Happy birthday!" they all chorused amidst laughter.
"We are so gonna get caught," Kyla giggled. "You guys are so loud"
"Who cares? JJ's eighteen, and we're at the Olympics! There's never been a better time to celebrate!"
"I love you guys," JJ said through a little laugh as they began to pull away to give her some room to breathe. Aly beamed, throwing her arms dramatically around her friend.
"We love you too"
Training had been no different to usual. Other than a quick acknowledgement from Martha in the morning, the routine had not altered in the slightest. By the time the girls had made it to the cafeteria for dinner, they were feeling kind of tired, and JJ was longing for her bed in the USA complex.
They had all finished eating relatively quickly, their tired eyes not playing their usual game of spotting famous Olympians, and JJ had nearly failed to notice when Nick left the table suddenly without explanation. They cleared their plates away and resumed their seats, waiting for their coaches to leave the cafeteria and head upstairs, signaling it was time for bed.
"Now, I believe it might be someone's birthday?" came Nick's voice behind JJ and Aly. JJ looked up at Kyla and McKayla's faces; both girls were beaming. She whipped around, finding Nick standing behind her with a little cake, proudly bearing 18 candles. She couldn't help but smile even as the color crept up her cheeks. Nick reached over her, setting the cake down in front of her before resuming his seat.
"Happy birthday to you!" the table began to sang, and even as her cheeks burned a furious red, JJ was touched. "Happy birthday to you!"
By now, they had attracted the attention of many other tables, and the voices of other Olympians soon joined the chorus of her teammates and coaches.
"Happy birthday dear JJ! Happy birthday to you!"
Leaning forward, she blew out the candles with a grin, earning herself a round of applause from the cafeteria.
"That was embarrassing," she giggled as she turned towards Nick.
"Oh well," he shrugged, grinning as he pulled the cake towards himself and set about cutting it up.
"Happy birthday JJ"
JJ turned around, having to remind herself not to let her jaw drop open when she found Usain Bolt standing behind her chair.
"Thank you," she said airily, unable to fight off a huge smile.
"I've seen what you girls can do, I'm not surprised you were picked for the Olympic team. The Olympics can be a little intense… if there's anything I can do to help you, you let me know," he said warmly.
"You could pick me up and run me to my bed," McKayla said suddenly. Aly let out a squeak as Kyla and Gabby both buried their laughter into their team jackets. Usain stared at her for a moment, bemused even though McKayla was getting a death stare from Martha at the other end of the table.
"Oh my god… that's totally not what I meant," McKayla said quickly, making Usain chuckle.
"I know. I'll see you around," he laughed, waving it off and heading back to his table. As he left, JJ could've sworn she heard him mutter 'run me to my bed' under his breath and laugh again. She turned back to McKayla with a grin; McKayla's face was bright red.
"I'm never leaving the apartment again," McKayla said morosely.
The girls all stared at each other for a moment before they started to laugh. In this kind of pressure packed environment, sometimes laughing was all they could do.