A/N: TW for this chapter. Grooming and slightly predatory behaviour is discussed.

Camp was even more gruelling than JJ remembered.

Despite the fact that this year's World Championships were an individual worlds, meaning no team competition would be contested, Marta seemed adamant to prove that off the back of a euphoric Olympic team gold, the USA still had the best gymnasts in the world. The girls were being pushed to the grindstone, and JJ was sure that muscles she didn't even know she had were hurting.

On the second night in the stifling Texas heat, she made her way back to her dorm after her shower. They hadn't been given a huge amount of food for dinner, and she was still hungry. Not only that, but the pure amount of effort she had put in on her morning practice combined with the heat in the stuffy gym had made her throw up during their morning break. Luckily the only person who had seen her get sick was Kyla, and she had kindly gotten JJ a drink of water while also promising to keep it between them. And then, as if that hadn't been enough, JJ had turned around mid shower to find the biggest cockroach she had ever seen crawling down towards the floor. She had hurriedly rinsed her hair before diving out of the stall, eager to put as much distance between herself and the pest as possible.

She let out a heavy sigh as she shook her damp hair out over her shoulders. Needing a bit of comfort, she had pulled out Will's shirt to wear to bed, and already, the soft cotton and the faint smell of her boyfriend was making her feel more at ease.

Pushing open the rickety wooden door, she found her bunkmates sitting around the room, talking and laughing happily. She had roomed with Simone, Maggie, and Kyla again, as it had proved to be an easy relationship between them all, and this time, McKayla had joined them as well.

"Hey! Is the water hot?" McKayla called as JJ hung up her towel by the door.

"Barely. Plus you might have to share the stall with a few dinosaur sized cockroaches," JJ said dryly.

"Yeah, I'm good. I'll just wear my natural odour," McKayla replied, dramatically sniffing her armpit as the girls laughed. "Is that Will's shirt?"

JJ looked down, plucking at the shirt and looking back up at McKayla, who was waggling her eyebrows suggestively. "Yeah? So?"

"You missing your man?" McKayla said teasingly as the younger girls giggled.

"Mac, you'd miss your boyfriend too if you had one," Kyla laughed, trying to come to JJ's defence.

"Yeah, but I don't have one, so I have to live vicariously through JJ," McKayla said point blank as JJ got herself comfortable on the edge of her bed. "Which brings me to my next question, have you sucked his dick yet?"

JJ's jaw dropped as the room seemed to erupt in laughter. She could feel the heat creeping up her cheeks as she tried to choke out an answer, but she couldn't seem to wrap her tongue around any words.

"I-I-"

"McKayla, leave JJ alone," Kyla laughed. "You are way too much sometimes"

"If you really have to know, Mac... yes I have," JJ replied, grinning even as her cheeks turned bright red. The girls all shrieked, Maggie and Simone seeming to hang off of every word. McKayla nodded, smiling up at JJ with a look of satisfaction on her face.

"Our little JJ is all grown up!"

"I'm older than every single one of you," JJ said with a smirk. "Now, does anyone have a candy stash? Dinner was pathetic and I'm starving"

"I got you!" Simone said eagerly, diving off her bed and into her duffel bag. She straightened up just moments later, clutching a packet of Oreos, a bag of Jolly Ranchers, and a packet of Doritos.

"Oh my god, I love you," JJ groaned, slipping off her bed to sit on the floor beside Mac as they eagerly tore into the snacks. They ate for what felt like ages in a comfortable silence, stopping every now and then to make sure no-one was coming along the wooden walkway.

As hard as camp was, JJ was glad to be back in full swing. There was something about competition that made her breathe deeper, and live fuller. It was just too good to be back with her closest friends.

The third day of workout ended with JJ in Larry's treatment room, Nick at her side as always, while Larry worked the knots out of her aching muscles.

It was a gentle silence that hung over them as he worked his way up her calves, until someone knocked on the door.

"Hey Nick, can I borrow you for two secs?" came Aimee Boorman's voice. Aimee was Simone's coach, a kind woman with a short blonde bob who had a heart big enough to carry each of the girls in it.

"Yeah, as long as it's quick," Nick replied, wandering over to the door. JJ lifted her head, watching as he stood in the doorframe chatting quietly with Aimee. She noticed when his eyes flicked over every so often towards her, clearly keeping an observant eye towards his gymnast.

"JJ, how are things with you and your boyfriend?" Larry asked softly as he pressed hard on a particular sore spot on the back of her thigh. JJ winced, her hands balling up into fists as the pain ebbed from the muscle.

"Uh... they're... they're good," she replied, her voice getting smaller with each word.

"Are you on birth control?"

The question immediately struck JJ as odd; why would her sports physio need to know if she was on birth control? As far as she was concerned, it wasn't really any of his business.

"Uh... I... I-"

Then she became aware of his hand working its way further up her thigh, slowly going down between her legs and towards the table. Her heart began to race, and she squirmed a little further up the table.

"I'm not really sore there," she said quickly, and then out of nowhere, Nick was back by her side.

"Can you work on her calves a little more? Marta had her walking on her toes up and down the beam a million times," he said with a chuckle.

"Sure thing," Larry said easily, bringing his hands back down to her calves.

JJ looked up at Nick, who seemed to be on the verge of a frown. When she caught his eye, he leaned back against the wall behind him

'You ok?' he mouthed, just enough for JJ to understand what he was asking without Larry seeing. JJ nodded, swallowing hard and taking a deep breath.

As she walked back to her dorm a little while later, her brain was especially puzzled over what had happened in the treatment room. She didn't know why Larry made her feel so weird. He was a doctor... and not only a doctor, but the best! He had been doing this for nearly three decades, he had kept all the gymnasts that she had admired healthy and strong so they could achieve their dreams.

And as for the moment of panic; she'd been to a million physios in her life. All of them had had to put their hands in places that would seem to be inappropriate normally, and she'd never once batted an eye. But somehow, when Larry did it, it just felt weird. Not to mention the weird questions.

"JJ"

Turning around about ten metres from her dorm, JJ found Nick walking up behind her.

"You alright?" he asked gently. "I know Larry can be a bit strange sometimes, I see it on your face"

"Yeah, I'm ok. He's just... I don't know, he's just weird," JJ said with a shrug. "Like... really socially awkward"

Nick chuckled. "Yeah"

"He asked about my birth control," JJ blurted out suddenly. Nick froze, before his brow once again furrowed into a frown.

"He what?"

"He asked me. If I was on birth control. After he asked me how things were going with Will," JJ said softly. "It... it was weird, Nick. It was as if he was trying to get me to talk about... you know"

Nick bit his lip. "That's... no-one's business but yours. Even from a USADA standpoint, whether you're on birth control or not is actually irrelevant in a sports context"

"That's what I thought," JJ said softly. "I don't know. I don't think he meant any harm by it, it just really threw me off"

"JJ, I want you to promise me something," Nick said gently, looking at her with a seriousness she didn't think she had ever seen in his face. "If he ever does or says anything that makes you uncomfortable like that again, you come and tell me, ok? I know I'm always with you, but on the off chance something happens and I'm not around, you tell me. Because you come to camp, and you compete for USAG to further your goals and push yourself to be your best, and it's not fair for someone to make you uncomfortable"

JJ nodded. "I promise. But it's ok, Nick. Like I said... he's just strange, I'm kinda used to his weirdness now"

"I know. But I mean what I say, kiddo, I need you to tell me if you're uncomfortable"

Promising again that she would, JJ bid Nick goodnight, before making her way across to her dorm. Her muscles did feel significantly more relaxed, and she knew she'd be grateful for the rub down when she got up in the morning.

He was the best. And he was going to help them get where they needed to go.