A/N: This one is just for fun!
What's the deal with JJ and Will?
Ahh, this has been sitting in my inbox since about June. I'll do my best to explain it even though I'm not 100% sure on all the details, and I honestly don't make a habit of following gymnasts' personal lives.
Basically, as most people know, JJ's dad died of cancer in July last year, right after she was named to the Olympic team. Instead of being able to take the time to grieve properly, JJ threw herself headfirst into the Games and came out with a nice handful of hardware. Then she and Will got engaged, they took a vacation… all this amazing stuff kept happening and by January, JJ hadn't actually processed her father's death. So then she went to an event in LA with Aly and did some… seriously regrettable stuff. She herself said she drank way more than she can handle, and did cocaine. This resulted in her basically having a blackout period later in the night, and the next thing she remembered was waking up in her hotel. What happened in that blackout period was that Will caught her fooling around with some dude at the event. Which is pretty rough. He was mad, she couldn't remember, the whole situation got horribly messy and Will ended up breaking off their engagement. A couple of weeks later, they broke up altogether. JJ was diagnosed with complicated bereavement disorder, which basically means her brain doesn't actually know how to process intense feelings of grief and sadness and it manifests into other dangerous behaviours. It's taken a long time, but as far as I and anyone else knows, they're back together, the engagement is back on, and they're happy and strong. As they absolutely deserve to be.
What are your predictions for Worlds? Who do you think the USA are going to send?
These post-Olympic Worlds are always the hardest for the USA, because they could field an entire team, but alas, they can't! This year they can send up to four gymnasts, with a max of three per apparatus permitted to compete in qualifications. Now, obviously one space on each apparatus is taken by JJ, because she's a beast and I can't believe how great she looked at Nationals even after all these years of competing at the top. But that leaves two other spaces per event. They could take Ragan Smith and Jordan Chiles? But then you also have athletes like Jade Carey, Ashton Locklear, and Riley McCusker who had standout individual event performances and you could take two of them to complement each other and fill 'one' space. I really don't know outside JJ, and I mean, Ragan is a pretty safe bet as well. Valeri Liukin is going to have a tough job, but I'm sure whoever he sends will be perfect for the job. As for predictions… I'd honestly say that AA, BB, and FX are JJ's to lose. She could also squeak out the vault title, and she's up there for bars as well, but those events both have a bit of a deeper field than the others this year, what with returning world champions and newcomers with incredible difficulty, so it will be interesting to see what comes of it all.
Do you think JJ will go for Tokyo?
JJ has said she is retiring at the end of this year, so sorry to burst your bubble, but no.
I can't believe how strong JJ is for everything she's been through this year, and then making it all public during Nationals, I was in awe!
She really is a pretty incredible human, isn't she? I knew she'd been through a lot, but I never would have guessed it got that bad, especially after everything she went through with her sister. I know a lot of conservative parents out there will be clutching their bibles and claiming JJ is a terrible role model for their children, but in reality, she's the exact opposite. She's finally finding her voice and showing all gymnasts that even when you are one of the undisputed BEST in your sport, it is completely ok if you're not ok, and that even when you win the Olympic all-around title, it's ok to step back from the public eye and focus on your own health and happiness first. I'm really proud of her, she's come a long way from the person she was in 2012, and she should be incredibly proud of herself.
It was loud, the air filled with jazz music, laughter, voices yelling across the street to their friends. The smell of alcohol, sweat, and an abundance of strong perfumes wafted through the air, a complete assault on the senses as the ten strong group weaved their way through the Bourbon Street crowds.
"Are we going to be able to get Kyla and Simone in?" Aly asked as they drew closer to the first bar they were aiming for.
"Yeah, piece o' cake," Sam called back, laughing as he did. "Come 'ere Simone, you're gonna stand between me and Will. If you just follow right behind me, we'll get you in. And Kyla, I'll attest to the fact that you're like… a month shy of your 21st birthday and you're gonna be on your best behaviour"
Kyla and Aly shared a look, a smirk crossing their faces.
"We're so getting arrested," Kyla muttered, making Aly snort and bury her face in her hands.
By some incredible stroke of luck, the security guard checking them into the venue was an avid Olympics fan. After adorning both Simone and Kyla with wristbands to signify that they were underage and making them swear to abide by all policies, the group was waved inside to a large table in the corner that gave them easy access to the bar.
"I can't believe that," Sam snorted as they sat down.
"Perks of bein' an Olympian," Lisa laughed. "The bars here are all technically allowed to admit underage patrons, but I've never seen them actually do it, they all refuse entry"
"We're just special," Simone giggled, flipping her hair over her shoulders.
Jason stood at the head of the table, tall enough to get everyone's attention straight away. "Alright, first round on me, what's everyone having?"
Ten minutes later, he and Will were returning to the table, divvying out drinks as requested. Two virgin pina coladas to Kyla and Simone, three alcoholic versions to JJ, Aly and Katie, beers for Stacey, Sam, Jason and Will, and a margarita for Lisa.
"Can't believe my baby brother is finally gonna get married," Sam crooned over his beer as they all got settled around the table. "Far earlier than any of us ever did"
"When you know, you know," Will said with a shrug.
"Yeah, you knew when you were eight," Sam snickered.
"I can only imagine what he was like," Aly giggled. "He's already the literal heart eye emoji when he looks at JJ now"
"Yep, I can attest, it was the same when he was a kid," Jason replied with a laugh, taking a swig of his beer and leaning back in his chair. "Dad couldn't even keep up the 'you better not hurt my daughter' act because he was trying to put it on with the same kid who'd been following JJ around like a sick puppy for ten years"
"You make that sound terrible," JJ admonished with a grin. "You're such an asshole"
"I'm a big brother, it's in my job description," Jason chuckled, earning a nudge to the ribs from Katie. "Hey!"
"She's got a point you know," Katie said sternly.
"Katie, I swear you and I married the same person," Lisa said in amusement, swirling the garnish on her drink around the top of the glass. "Sam is exactly the same, he's always bullyin' Will, I think he finds it fun"
"I do not bully him!" Sam shot back. "He gets what he deserves!"
"It's ok Lisa, I grew up to be taller and heavier than him, we all know I'd throw him down in two seconds," Will smirked.
"Yeah, pity it was Charlie, not me you tried to throw down the other day"
"Charlie had it comin', I know he's our brother and I love him, but he can be a real fuckwit at times"
"It's all that Bible thumpin', goes straight to 'is head," Sam said with a laugh as Lisa let out a disapproving scoff.
"Shush you two, it's hard to know better when you grow up in the south"
"We all grew up in the south!" Sam and Will exclaimed together, before looking at each other and bursting out laughing.
"Will, you left the south when you were eight, you don't count," Lisa shot back with a grin. "Pennsylvania's a far cry from Louisiana"
"I don't know, they thump their bibles pretty hard up in Pennsylvania too," JJ chimed in. "PA is home to some of the most conservative towns outside the south"
"I have very little idea what's happening," Kyla whispered at the other end of the table as she leaned towards Aly with a giggle. "Their accents are so heavy"
Aly laughed. "You need to spend more time around Will, then you start to pick it up"
"Alright, alright, enough Charlie bashing, the poor guy isn't even here to defend himself," Jason called out as the conversation began to pick up heat.
"You wanna hear what he said about your sister"
"I really don't," Jason said simply, smirking at Will as he sipped his beer. "All I hear is that you gave him a good knock around for it"
"Yeah, and split his lip open in the process. How are you gonna be a cop?" JJ teased, leaning over and resting her head briefly on Will's shoulder. "You can't even fight your brother"
"So mean to me," Will laughed, dropping a kiss to the top of JJ's head. She lifted her head a moment later, smiling as she stretched up slightly to press a quick kiss to his lips.
"Get a room!" Sam teased, starting up a round of ruckus cheers aimed at the young couple.
"No, don't let JJ and Will out of your sight, they'll find somewhere to have sex!" Aly called out. Jason choked, almost spraying his drink across the table as JJ's cheeks burned red.
"What?!"
"Last night at the party! I realised these two had disappeared, and found them having a quickie in the upstairs bathroom!" Aly replied, breaking into laughter as she spoke.
Jason's jaw dropped as everyone laughed. Sam was grinning from ear to ear, reaching across the table to high five his little brother.
"I don't know why you're highfivin' me, JJ did most o' the work," Will chuckled, returning his brother's gesture as he spoke, only to get walloped in the ribs with the back of JJ's hand. "Ow! JJ!"
"I'm so proud," Katie said dramatically, before laughing and reaching across the table to squeeze JJ's hand. "My little JJ is all grown up! I can't believe there was ever a time you called me freaking out because Will got a little over excited on the couch"
Everyone burst out laughing as Will's cheeks turned pink. Shaking his head as he tried to fight back a grin, he lifted his beer, taking a sip to try and disguise the embarrassment on his face.
"I was eighteen, ok? And a virgin… I wasn't very good at controllin' myself," he chuckled. Then he turned to look at JJ. "Is anythin' we've done a secret? Or does at least one person at this table know?"
JJ giggled, leaning into his side. "Girls talk babe"
"I'll take that to mean the latter," Will laughed.
"And hey, Jason, you can look horrified all you like, but I'm way tamer than you," JJ teased.
"Doubt it, I remember the bite marks on tour," Simone quipped.
"Bite marks?" Jason exclaimed, his face incredulous as the table dissolved into more laughter. "Who bit who? Actually, no, I don't want to know"
"Babe, use your brain, if Simone saw the bite marks on tour, who do you think it was?" Katie said with a devilish grin.
"Stop!"
"Well it definitely wasn't the bite marks on Will's dick she saw," Aly piped up.
"JJ!" Will exclaimed amongst a round of surprised exclamations, whirling around to face his fiancée who was now doubled over in hysterical laughter. "I told you not to tell anyone about that!"
"You bit him?" Katie shrieked, tears of laughter cresting her lashes.
"No, no, it was the girl he dated before me, it happened while I was in London," JJ laughed. "I will quite proudly admit I've never bitten him!"
"Kill me now," Will groaned, his face bright red as he dragged a hand down his face, but even so, he was unable to hide the grin. By this point, most of them were struggling to sit up straight, their sides hurting from laughing so much as Jason's bewildered face stared back at his wife and his sister.
"God, I never would have picked you for being a fiend," he said, unable to help but laugh as JJ shrugged nonchalantly.
"Ok, ok, I have an idea," Sam called out over the ruckus. "Sort of like Never Have I Ever. Let's go round the table, say something you haven't done, everyone can drink if they have, then we'll share stories and decide who's was worse"
"Man, I'm gonna be stone cold sober, you're all more adventurous than me," Kyla laughed from where she was sitting between Aly and Simone.
"Ky, your drink is virgin," JJ giggled.
"Just like me," Kyla said with a nod, the girls all giggling as she took a sip of her drink.
"I'll start us off. Never have I ever been caught havin' sex by one of my parents," Sam called out.
There was a short pause, before Will, JJ, Lisa, Katie, and Jason all took a drink.
"You're so lyin' Sam!" Will said as he set his drink back down.
"Swear on my life. Mom and Dad only ever found out I was havin' sex-"
"- at fourteen," JJ chipped in.
"- thank you JJ, at fourteen, because I didn't hide the condom in the trash properly. They never actually caught me. What about you? Spill. Who caught you? What were you doin'?"
JJ and Will glanced at each other, an amused grin spreading across JJ's face.
"My dad," she said with a chuckle, turning back to face the table. "It was when I had a broken leg. We weren't having sex, but Will was on full display"
"Jesus, JJ, how did you not send that man to an early grave?" Jason exclaimed as the table burst out laughing. "Dad saw Will's dick?"
"Unfortunately," Will mused, only raising the volume of the laughter at the table.
"Jason, enough playin' innocent, who caught you?"
"It was our mom!" JJ exclaimed, pointing at her brother. "In the shower, with his high school girlfriend, Dana"
"Yeah," Jason laughed. "I wasn't the smartest of teenagers. Forgot to lock the door. Mom came in and Dana was on all fours holding the edge of the bathtub. I was behind her"
"Fucking hell," Katie said, tipping her head back as she laughed and slapped a hand down on the table. "Your mom puts up with so much from you two, I swear to god"
"Lisa?"
"Mine's pretty borin'," Lisa giggled. "I was gettin' hot and heavy on the couch with my first serious boyfriend. Didn't hear my dad come home. He came into the room and found me topless in my boyfriend's lap"
"Nice," Sam said proudly, lifting a hand to high five his wife as the others laughed.
"Katie?"
Katie grinned. "I think, even after Sandy finding Jason raw dogging some poor girl in the shower, and Michael getting a full view of Will's family jewels, that I have you all beat"
"Oh yeah?" Jason smirked.
"I was a bit wild as a teenager. And as a result, that meant I was a bit more adventurous than most. So when I decided to try out handcuffs for the first time, what I didn't expect was my grandma walking in during an unannounced visit while I was butt naked, spread eagled on the bed with my hands cuffed to the headboard, and my boyfriend at the time finishing on my chest"
There was a moment of dead silence, before the entire table burst out laughing, drinks sloshing across the wooden surface amidst the ruckus.
"Is your grandma still alive after that?" Kyla asked incredulously.
"Yeah. Unlike in American Pie, she didn't die on the spot of shock," Katie laughed. "But she was pretty conservative so believe me, I got my ass absolutely handed to me"
"I would so have PTSD," Simone squealed.
"You get over it," Katie said with a shrug, grinning as Jason slung an arm over her shoulders.
"Maybe it's time for us to get the cuffs out again. Recreate your defining moment," he said teasingly.
"Ew, Jason," JJ said, crinkling her nose even as she tried to fight off a grin.
"I bet you've done worse," Jason shot back.
"Alright, Katie, you're up, prove Jason right and catch these two out," Sam said, giving JJ and Will a devilish look.
"Ok, never have I ever… gotten a sex toy stuck somewhere and had to go to the ER," Katie said with a smirk.
There was a split second, before Lisa lifted her glass and took a long drink, much to the loud amusement of the group.
"How have I not heard this story?" Sam laughed as his wife prepared to share.
"It's not that big of a deal," Lisa chuckled. "I was in college, started experimentin' with toys, and, well, I forgot one of the cardinal rules of… playin' in the back"
"Flared base!" Aly exclaimed, pointing eagerly across the table. Lisa nodded, making them all laugh as she shrugged, a huge grin adorning her face.
"It got lost and I had to go to the ER to have it extracted"
"That's amazing," Katie chuckled.
"Alright Aly, go for gold, what have you got?"
Aly smirked. "Never have I ever had sex in the gym when I was supposed to be training for Worlds"
"That seems oddly specific," Kyla mused, looking over at JJ. Moments later, the blonde was lifting her glass, taking a drink as Will sat back beside her with a proud grin on his face.
"Nick would kill you," Jason said as she set the glass down.
"What Nick doesn't know won't hurt him," JJ said with a grin. "He was sick with the flu and it was like a day before we were due to leave for a camp, so he gave me the keys to go in and do some conditioning and light training in the evening once all the kids had cleared out. Will came to watch and… we ended up having sex instead"
"How many times did you have sex in the gym that night Jennifer Jareau? Was it enough that when I saw you at camp you were walking like you'd just got off a horse?" Aly called out. Simone snorted, her drink spraying across the table at Katie, who jumped aside and burst out laughing.
"Yeah, it might've been a few," JJ giggled, her cheeks flaming red. "Every piece of equipment we touched was sanitised afterwards, but that did nothing for my body the next day"
"You guys are crazy," Stacey chimed in with a laugh, having been a near silent observer the whole time. As they all laughed at his shock, Simone leaned over, patting his chest and resting her head on his shoulder.
It was only just the beginning of what was set to be a good night.