A/N: Enjoy!
The day had arrived. The day of the final that no-one, not even Nick, had expected JJ to make. And yet here she was, in the warm-up gym with Nick as the first half of the final carried on in the arena just beyond.
She'd been running some drills for about five minutes, just wanting to stay warm and loose, when she noticed Nick giving her a funny look from where he was watching her.
"What?" she asked, her lips quirking into a smile as she stopped what she was doing.
Nick chuckled, glancing down as he straightened up from where he was leaning on a practice beam. "You're normally chewing on your own stomach acid before a meet. Yet this morning, you're probably the most relaxed I've ever seen you in my life. I think I even heard you singing at breakfast"
JJ laughed. "I… I guess I am pretty relaxed… I mean, I wasn't really expected to make this final. So I don't really have any expectations. I just want to enjoy it"
"You're a great bars worker kiddo. People just don't give you enough credit for it," Nick said reassuringly. "But definitely… whatever you do today will still come out as a massive achievement"
Nodding, JJ adjusted her grips again, wanting them to be just right when the time came to compete.
A short while later, she was heading back into the arena with Nick in tow. Beth Tweddle was about to compete, the hometown favourite for a medal in this final. JJ would be next, followed by Gabby, and then the German girl, Elisabeth Seitz.
She knew she had the capability to medal. She just had to go for broke and aim for all of her connections with exquisite form. Aliya Mustafina was holding a very strong lead with a massive 16.133, while He Kexin sat in second with a 15.733. She probably couldn't surpass either of them. At least… definitely not Aliya. And Beth was likely to score very highly as well. But if she went for her complete difficulty, she could probably nudge out a fourth place finish.
She stayed focused as Beth completed her routine, following Nick up onto the podium and beginning to chalk her grips as he prepared the bars. The noise in the arena was still loud for Beth, but she was barely aware of it. She was completely in the zone.
Shaking her hands, she walked over to stand between the bars, facing the judges as she waited for her green light. It felt like barely a second later that she got it, and then she was saluting the judges with a smile before turning to face the low bar.
She suddenly felt a rush of confidence… and strangely enough, it was all boiling down to the leotard she had chosen to wear. White was a colour she didn't normally wear… and bars was a final she wasn't expected to make.
Yet here she was. Wearing white. Competing in a bars final.
Leaping off her feet, she grasped the bar and glided cleanly beneath it, before casting up to the top of the bar and holding a strong handstand. She immediately committed, swinging her feet down in between her hands and then back up to the top of the bar as she did a full pirouette. She swung her feet down again, releasing the bar and soaring backwards to the high bar. As soon as she grasped it, she allowed the swing to carry her up, before pushing herself back down into a piked Tkatchev, flying back over the high bar to catch again.
"Nice JJ!" Michael yelled out, his voice carrying through the near silent arena.
From another handstand, she swung down through a straddled stalder, before flicking up into a straddled Tkatchev, immediately connecting it to a Pak salto. Her grip was strong, so she continued into her last release, a stalder swing into a flight with half turn to the high bar.
She was almost smiling as she pulled up into handstand for her dismount. With two giant swings, she let go of the bar, flipping easily through a clean double layout. When her feet hit the ground, stuck cold, the crowd broke into ecstatic applause, and her smile was almost larger than life itself. Unable to contain herself, she quickly saluted the judges, before punching her fist into the air as she turned to hug Nick.
"That was unbelievable!" Nick gushed. "Why can't you do it like that every single time?"
She laughed, picking up her spray bottle as they passed the chalk bucket. She was first down the stairs, getting a congratulatory hug from Beth Tweddle and then Aliya Mustafina as she walked back to her bag.
"Score for Jennifer Jareau. 15.766"
JJ turned to look at Nick, who's jaw had dropped.
"You're in third," he gasped quietly. "You passed He Kexin"
"No way," JJ replied, but moments later, her eyes were landing on the proof.
She didn't immediately celebrate, for there were still two to go. But when Gabby made a noticeable error halfway through her routine, things seemed to solidify.
After a difficult but not quite as precise routine from the German girl, Elisabeth Seitz, JJ could hardly dare to believe it. When the final scores went up, her heart leapt.
WOMEN'S UNEVEN BARS FINAL
RK
1 - MUSTAFINA A. – RUS - 16.133
2 - TWEDDLE B. - GBR - 15.916
3 - JAREAU J. - USA - 15.766
4 - HE K. - CHN - 15.733
5 – YAO J. - CHN - 15.700
6 – KOMOVA V. – 15.666
7 - SEITZ E. - GER - 15.266
8 - DOUGLAS G. - USA - 14.900
"Look at you go kiddo!" Nick gushed, sweeping her up into a massive hug and lifting her clean off the ground. She laughed, clutching onto him as she felt a strange wave of emotion wash over her. He was so proud of her. And she was so proud to be a product of his hard work. For he had never had an elite before, and he was learning just as much as she was on this journey.
"I'm so proud of you JJ," he said warmly as he set her back down. She beamed up at him, her cheeks flushing pink.
"Might wanna save the praise until we're all done," she teased. "I could completely change your mind tomorrow"
She was almost finished getting ready for bed when she heard a gaggle of familiar voices enter the room she was sharing with Aly. She picked up her hairbrush from the counter, running it through her hair as the voices got louder. Grinning, she left the bathroom and was not at all surprised to find that McKayla, Kyla and Gabby had all migrated into their room.
"Got any snacks?" Kyla asked, looking pointedly at JJ. JJ laughed, pointing towards her bag. Kyla and Gabby immediately rushed over, happily digging through the bag of things JJ had accumulated during their time in London in search for food.
"Ok, I'll talk to you tomorrow night… yeah… we will," Aly said into her phone. "Ok… I love you too… goodnight"
"Oooh is that your boyfriend?" McKayla teased as Aly hung up the call. Aly rolled her eyes, grinning.
"Sure Mac"
"Have you spoken to your boyfriend today JJ?" McKayla continued as JJ dropped down onto her bed. The girls giggled.
"Get lost Mac, he's not my boyfriend," JJ laughed, tossing her brush into her duffel.
"Yet," McKayla replied nonchalantly, coming to sit on the end of JJ's bed. "My future husband told me good luck today"
"Oh yeah, which one is that?" JJ said with a smirk.
"Usain. It's only a matter of time before he proposes," McKayla replied, flipping her hair over her shoulder. The girls giggled.
"Mac, does he even know your name?" JJ teased.
"That's rude," McKayla replied dryly, making the girls laugh even more.
"I mean, he told you good luck and you're not even competing anymore, he doesn't even know you"
"We're gonna get married"
Aly snorted, crawling further up her bed as Kyla and Gabby joined her, snacks now in hand.
"I mean, we're soulmates," McKayla continued, leaning back casually and resting on her elbows.
Gabby perked up, the bag of gummy bears sitting loosely in her hand. "I thought Max Whitlock was your soulmate?"
"You know, it's just whoever gets there first"
"Well, you can have Max, and I'll have Usain," Gabby said eagerly. McKayla raised her eyebrows.
"Hmm, a bit of friendly competition I see? You do you boo," she replied, making the girls laugh.
"Max is pretty cute," Aly agreed.
"Ooh, a LOVE triangle!" McKayla cried dramatically, popping back up again. "It's on girlfriend, and watch, I'll steal both your Olympic husbands"
They all dissolved into more giggling, which was broken when Kyla shyly spoke up from between Aly and Gabby.
"I… Michael Phelps," she said softly, making McKayla's eyes shine. "I think he's really good looking"
"Ky, he's like nine feet tall," Gabby teased, making Kyla's cheeks flame red as they all started to laugh again. "Something tells me that wouldn't totally work, if you catch my drift"
"Keeping it in the team, I like it," McKayla teased. "What about you Jayje, who's your Olympic crush?"
"Yeah, you said you liked Max too, give Mac some more competition," Aly said with a grin.
"I… he's cute, I guess," JJ said lamely, playing with the rumpled edge of her duvet. "I don't know, I thought he was cute, but I've had second thoughts"
"Do you even like boys, JJ? You can tell us!" McKayla pressed eagerly, a mischievous glint sparkling in her eye. "Or do you just like…. one boy?"
"I like boys!"
"Are you sure, because you're suddenly not as keen on Max as you were the other day and he's about as cute as they come!"
"He's just not my type. He's too… short"
"That's ballsy coming from you, Jennifer Jareau!" McKayla scoffed through a grin. "Queen of the short asses over here!"
"JJ likes tall boys with dark hair and Southern accents," Aly giggled.
"OOOOOOHHHH!" the girls all chorused as JJ's cheeks flushed red.
"Do you wanna kiss him?" McKayla asked through a laugh. "Will, I mean"
"I… he's the only… I can only see myself… he's the only person I want to kiss," JJ stammered. The noise in the room grew infinitely louder as the girls all whistled and laughed.
"OOOOOH!" McKayla chorused again, leaning towards JJ.
"Shut up," JJ grumbled.
"Hey, at least you won a medal today. That's surely enough to satisfy you for a while," Gabby giggled.
JJ frowned, before muttering under her breath. "That's great, but I just really want a kiss"
"Oh, I can arrange that for you," McKayla teased.
Aly laughed. "Are you coming on to JJ?"
"This doesn't concern you Alexandra!" McKayla sniped. Kyla and Gabby giggled, eagerly watching the unfolding events.
"I want kisses too! You've never offered to hook me up!" Aly exclaimed.
"Shh, Aly, your time will come," McKayla said in a hushed voice.
Kyla scoffed. "Don't act like you're the supreme sex god, McKayla"
Gabby laughed, rising from the end of Aly's bed. "I'm gonna head to bed and leave you guys to… whatever this is," she chuckled, heading for the door. "I'll see you in the morning"
Barely a second after Gabby had left the room, McKayla leapt towards JJ, pinning her down to the bed. Before JJ could register what was happening, McKayla's lips were against hers, and Aly and Kyla were both howling with laughter.
'Oh my god, she's actually DOING IT!' JJ screamed in her head, trying to push McKayla away. Then something that felt suspiciously like a tongue brushed her lower lip, and she found a little more strength.
"Ugh!" JJ laughed as she pushed McKayla away amidst the deafening laughter. Sitting up again, she wiped her mouth. "Did you slip me the tongue?!"
"Gotta get some practice in for you," McKayla shrugged.
Unable to help but laugh, JJ shuffled back against her pillows, wiping her mouth on the sleeve of her shirt. Silence fell around them, permeated only by the occasional giggle.
"You and Will are gonna make beautiful babies one day," McKayla said suddenly. Kyla and Aly laughed, while JJ picked up the nearest pillow and flung it at her friend. McKayla ducked, laughing as JJ nearly lost her balance. "Why do you get so defensive whenever we bring up Will? I mean, you clearly like him, hell, you admitted it to me and Aly back at camp"
"Because it's frustrating, I mean… it's so new, and I hate people teasing me for stuff like this, but also… it's so not like me, I mean, some days I can't get him out of my head and I just need to focus!"
"Imagine being best friends with a super hot guy for like ten years, only to finally wake up to how hot he is at the Olympics of all times!" McKayla continued, seeming to have not heard JJ's response.
"I know! That's why I'm so mad! But it doesn't matter because there's no way he would like me back"
Aly quirked an eyebrow. "Uh, have you looked in a mirror?"
"I'm too little for him, he's like six feet tall," JJ protested.
"Big guys like small girls, it makes them feel tough and strong"
"Well, I'm never around anyway because I'm always at training, or a meet, or something else related to gymnastics"
"He's been your best friend for ten years, Jayje, I'm sure he's aware"
"I've never even kissed anyone!" JJ said exasperatedly. "Well, except you, you crazy person. How would he ever want a relationship with someone so inexperienced?"
"You never know until you try"
"It's too hard"
"Nuh uh," McKayla said defiantly. "You are not getting out of this one. You're gonna tell him exactly how you feel when you get home. And if you don't, I'm gonna call him and tell him for you"
"And how do you think you're gonna get his number?"
"What makes you think I haven't already taken it out of your phone?"
JJ's eyes widened. "Well, like I said… I'm too inexperienced. I mean, he's definitely slept with at least one of his previous girlfriends"
"Oh good, so when you two have sex, at least someone will know what they're doing. There's no point in both of you being useless virgins"
"Hey!" the other three girls chorused. JJ rolled her eyes.
"I'm not useless!" she protested.
"Really? Ok, what would you do if a guy came up to you and said he wanted to have sex with you right now"
JJ let out a heavy breath. "Probably cry… or panic… or both"
"Run," Aly added.
"Scream," said Kyla, earning a giggle from the room.
McKayla took a deep breath, before reaching for JJ's hand. "You're gonna tell him how you feel Jayje, because you know what? Worst case scenario, he doesn't feel the same way. But then at least you know. And it'll kinda suck for a while, but you'll get over it. You've gotta stop living in this scary middle place. I know you're a little on the shy side, but the world isn't gonna end if you actually grab life by the balls and take a chance for a change. And you know something Jayje, he most definitely is gonna feel the same way about you, because he has eyes, and a brain, and a dick. And all three of those things work in your favour"
JJ had to laugh. Shaking her head, she turned her hand over beneath McKayla's, gripping it and giving it a squeeze.
"Ok… I mean… if I can win an Olympic medal on an event I never expected to make a final for… I can… I can tell Will I like him"
McKayla beamed. "Atta girl"