A/N: I LOVE this chapter
Used to rising early for training, JJ was the first to wake the following morning. Warm and cosy beneath the soft blankets, she lay completely still for a moment, keeping her eyes closed as she savoured her still sleepy state.
Even thought she was half asleep, a part of her was still embarrassed about what had happened the night before. While she knew the last year had led to her emotions being much more volatile than usual, she was a little ashamed that she hadn't been able to keep it under control the previous evening. But the other part of her knew that Will's response had been genuine; she'd broken down in front of him enough times to know that his first priority would always be to make sure she was alright. As awful as it had felt to have a meltdown in the middle of what should have been nothing but love, she knew there was no judgement.
Rolling onto her side, she reached out and grabbed her phone from the bedside table. At the top of the screen was a message from her dad, which she immediately opened.
Hope you enjoyed your first day in Hawaii sweetheart, and you're not worrying about your old dad too much. I just thought I'd check in and let you know everything back here is completely fine; your mom runs a tight ship *laughing emoji*. Enjoy your time away, ok, because I want to hear all about it when you get home. I love you kiddo!
Smiling, JJ sent back a quick reply, before setting her phone back down and turning back towards Will. He was still asleep, lying on his back with one arm draped up above his head.
Shuffling closer, JJ tucked her head into the crook of his neck, draping an arm across his stomach as she cuddled up against him. The gentle movement was enough for him to start to stir, his eyes slowly opening to the soft light filtering into the room through the gap in the curtains.
"Oh... hey," he said groggily, rubbing his eyes as he looped an arm around JJ's shoulders.
"Hey," JJ said softly, a small smile crossing her face. "How'd you sleep?"
"Like a baby," Will chuckled. "You?"
"About the same," JJ replied.
Comfortable silence washed over them for a minute, before Will spoke again. "You ok? After last night, I mean," he asked gently.
Taking a deep breath, JJ nodded. "Yeah... I think so... but I don't want to talk about it"
"Ok," Will said softly, tracing gentle circles on her upper back with his thumb. "How about we go and get some breakfast? Then we can decide what we want to do today"
"Sounds good to me," JJ replied, throwing the covers back and leaping out of the bed. "I call dibs on first shower!"
Will laughed, sitting up. "Don't take too long, or I'll be in there with you!"
JJ laughed as she disappeared into the bathroom, and as small as it was, after her tears the previous evening, Will was just glad to see her smiling.
At this point, what medals do you think the US team will be eligible to take next summer in Rio?
Well, it really depends on who makes the team, but quite honestly, as long as that team has Simone Biles, Jennifer Jareau, and a bars worker, they'll be apt to win eleven out of eleven potential medals. And yes, that's me saying JJ can win a bars medal and a vault medal next year. People keep saying she's not good on bars (stop listening to Tim Daggett), but she's literally medalled on bars every year since 2012 except for this year, and the only reason she didn't this year was because of tie technicality. She could quite easily go to Rio and come home with six medals, Simone can easily come home with five, plus a bars worker to fill the gap Simone leaves (likely Kocian or Locklear I would imagine, unless a new senior explodes next year with a 7.5 bars set that Marta can't leave behind). Now, the only finals that really have a question mark are bars and vault; JJ is good, and she's a definite contender, but bars have been getting quite deep these past few years, and vault will be dependent on if she upgrades and what other vaulters are bringing to the table, so we'll have to see who ends up in the final and then see.
This all is dependent on who the heck makes our team though!
Do you think JJ's starting to burn out?
I don't think so. She's still upgrading (and still ROCKING those upgrades) and getting better each year, I don't think we've seen her hit her peak yet! If anything is going to come between her and Rio, I don't think it'll be burn out... I think it'll be her dad's illness. But don't take that as a prediction; that's literally just my thoughts on the matter.
Warm sunshine beat down on her skin as she lay on her stomach down on the beach in front of the resort. She had her eyes closed, her head resting on her arms, and for the first time in nearly a year, she felt like her mind and her body were at peace, no longer polluted with the turmoil she had waged against all year.
Something moved above her, blocking out the sunshine. Droplets of water landed on her skin, making her smirk.
"Can you move?" she mumbled, refusing to lift her head. She got a deep chuckle in response.
"Nope"
Lifting her face, she squinted up at her boyfriend, who was standing above her with a devilish grin. Without any warning, he reached down, wrapping his arms around her midsection and lifting her up as easily as if she were a child, making her squeal.
"Will!" she shrieked, laughing as she tried to wriggle out of his grasp. "Stop using your size against me!"
"Never!" Will exclaimed, holding her bridal style and starting to make his way down to the water.
"Put me down!" she laughed, looping her arms around his neck in an attempt to hold on. Next thing she knew, Will was splashing through the waves, laughing maniacally as she shrieked at him to stop. Moments later, as he was spinning around, he lost his footing, sending both of them crashing into the sparkling blue waves.
Surfacing as quickly as she could, JJ pushed her hair out of her eyes, unable to fight back a grin even as she shot daggers at Will, who was getting back to his feet. "You suck... SO much!"
Will burst out laughing, ducking when a clump of seaweed came flying at his head. "You love me anyway"
"Not a chance!" JJ shot back through laughter, only to scream again when Will rushed forward, bending down and scooping her up again, this time throwing her over his shoulder, firefighter style. She laughed, pummelling her fists against his back. "Will! You asshole! You know I can't fight back!"
"That's why I date girls half my size," Will teased, lifting her down from his shoulder and wrapping his arms around her to hold her against him. "Then I feel big and strong"
JJ laughed, cupping his face and pressing a quick kiss to his lips as the waves continued to roll through against them. "Except I'll still school your ass in a rope climb"
Will pretended to pout, before his face quirked back into a grin. He slipped one of his hands down lower on JJ's body and playfully pinched her ass. She flinched, her jaw dropping as she slapped his chest.
"You're so annoying!" she exclaimed as he laughed, before finally letting her back down onto her feet. Breathless, she collapsed against him, still giggling from all the carrying on. "Now I'm gonna have to wash my hair before dinner"
Will chuckled, taking her hand as they started to make their way back through the shallows towards the beach. "But you had fun, don't lie"
JJ said nothing, simply looking up at him with a raised eyebrow. He laughed, swinging their arms back and forth as they waded out of the water and back up the beach. By the time they made it back to their stuff, she had dropped the annoyed act and was laughing alongside him. Picking up her towel, she began to towel off the worst of the water from her hair.
"I'm so excited for dinner tonight... the pizzas at Ferraro's sound amazin'," Will said happily, wiping the water from his chest.
"You're always thinking of your guts," JJ said with a giggle, snapping her towel towards him and laughing when he jumped back.
"Um... hi... sorry to interrupt"
Turning at the small voice behind her, JJ smiled when she saw a young girl approaching her who couldn't have been too much younger than herself and Will. She was a little taller than JJ, with long dark hair that fell to her waist and deep caramel skin that glowed from time spent in the sun.
"Hi," JJ said warmly, a curious expression on her face.
"You're... are you Jennifer Jareau? The gymnast?" the girl asked somewhat timidly.
"Yeah," JJ said, her face softening into a smile. "What's your name?"
"I'm Leilani, I... I didn't want to interrupt, but I'm a huge fan, I just had to come and say hi," Leilani said, her voice getting a little stronger. "I've been watching you compete since you first turned senior, and you're just awesome"
JJ laughed. "Thank you, that's really sweet of you!"
"I didn't think I would ever have the chance to meet you. I've lived here on Maui my whole life, I've never left... one of my travel goals is to make it to the mainland for Nationals," Leilani said, her confidence growing along with her smile. "In the meantime, I just have to suffice with getting my gymnastics fixes from Tumblr and Twitter"
"Oh man, some of the people on social media are ruthless," JJ laughed. "But some of you are pretty funny, it's always entertaining for me to get on and see what you're all up to"
"Yeah, well... I actually have a bit of a confession to make," Leilani said with a bashful grin. "I'm jareaumanar on Tumblr... and I think that's why I sometimes come across as a bit weird online, I'm just such a huge fan of your gymnastics and I honestly thought that living out here, I would never have an opportunity to actually meet you and tell you how awesome you are in person"
"You're too cute!" JJ gushed through a huge smile, stepping forward and eagerly giving Leilani a friendly hug. "Seriously, like... you guys are hilarious at times, I'm always laughing reading your posts, but more than anything you're all so supportive!"
"I try my hardest from the middle of the ocean," Leilani laughed, gesturing back towards the water as JJ stepped back again.
"What I would give to live here," JJ groaned, making Will and Leilani laugh. "Pittsburgh is a great city, don't get me wrong, but the snow"
Leilani giggled. "I've literally never seen snow"
"It's beautiful until it's in your shoes, up to your knees, and the roads are covered in black ice," Will piped up from behind JJ, making the two girls laugh. "Send me back to the bayou for six months out of the year and I'm happy"
"Ugh, but the humidity," JJ groaned.
"See, that's what's so good about Hawaii. We get the beautiful weather but none of the humidity," Leilani added.
"One could only dream. This is Will, by the way," JJ said with a grin, gesturing to him. "I'm guessing I probably don't need to tell you who he is"
"No," Leilani said with a laugh, shaking her head. "You look so much taller in photos!" she said as she looked over at Will, making him and JJ laugh.
"I think that has more to do with JJ looking taller than she actually is unless you're standing beside her," Will laughed, getting an eyeroll from JJ.
"I... I'm so sorry if I'm being weird, I just... I can't believe I'm actually chatting with the most decorated gymnast in America"
JJ had to laugh. "That's very sweet of you, but I promise we're normal people too," she giggled.
"Anyone who can flip like you and Simone is the exact opposite of normal," Leilani said seriously, getting an ecstatic nod of agreement from Will.
"Simone is pretty insane, I will admit," JJ laughed.
"What's it like to compete with her?" Leilani asked.
"It used to be intimidating as hell, because she's so good you just can't win, but now it's just a breeze. The one thing I do hold over her though is that she hasn't beaten me on beam yet," JJ said with a grin. "And I don't plan on letting her"
Leilani broke into a huge smile. "Yessss, don't give up the beam title!"
"Have you done gymnastics?" JJ asked.
"I do adult recreational classes at pretty much the only gym on the island, but nothing serious. I just learned a front aerial last week, which is exciting," Leilani said proudly.
"Nice!" JJ exclaimed, lifting a hand to get a high five out of Leilani, who by now, was positively beaming from ear to ear.
"I'm actually studying at the moment though, with the hope of going into sports journalism and more specifically, elite gymnastics, since we gymnastics fans definitely feel the coverage is lacking"
JJ shook her head with a smile, clearly impressed. "You guys all rock, you know that?"
Leilani smiled, blushing slightly. "I'll let you guys go since I know you're on vacation, but is there any chance I could have a photo with you?" she asked, somewhat sheepishly. JJ chuckled, nodding as she tied her towel around her waist and shook her hair back from her face. Without even asking, Will stepped up, taking the phone Leilani was holding out to him and then backing up to get a good shot of both of the girls.
"Alright... and one more... there we go. They should be perfect for social media," he said after snapping a few. As he went to pass the phone back to Leilani, JJ took it from his hand and turned to the dark haired girl.
"Let's get a selfie too," she said with a smile. Leilani nodded eagerly, leaning in as JJ opened up the camera and snapped a selfie of the two of them. As she went to snap a second one, Will dived into the background, sending both of the girls into fits of laughter as the photo was snapped, capturing a perfectly candid moment.
"Oh that's awesome," Leilani laughed, taking the phone back from JJ's hand. "Well, thank you so much. I'll leave you guys to enjoy Maui. If you need any recommendations, you know where to find me"
"Absolutely!" JJ said with a smile, waving as Leilani bid her goodbyes and headed off down the beach. Turning to Will, she couldn't wipe the smile off of her face. "She was so nice!"
"It's all part of your charm," Will said with a grin. "People can't help but love you"
Giggling, JJ stepped forward, stretching up on her toes and looping her arms around his neck. "I am pretty lovable, aren't I?"
Laughing, Will shook his head, his hands coming to rest on her lower back. "You're getting a big head, Jareau"
|jareaumanar|
Sooooo, not to brag, buuuuuutttt...
|catalinaponors|
What, what?
|jareaumanar|
*posts the selfie JJ took*
I KINDA MET JJ
|tkatchevmeifyoucan|
WHAT THE FUCK DUDE. WHAT WAS SHE LIKE
|jareaumanar|
She was SOOOOO nice! I felt so bad intruding, but I couldn't walk away without saying hi, I knew I'd be kicking myself. But she was literally so nice, and we ended up chatting for a few minutes. I told her who I am online and she got really excited haha!
|catalinaponors|
Omggggg I can't deal! That is so cute! What are the chances!
|jareaumanar|
I know right! Like, I've lived in this area most of my life, and I was just walking on the beach which I literally do almost every day, and there she was! It was insane! But literally so nice, like I know everyone gets the vibe off her that she's just this sweet, down to earth person – from what I saw, it's 100% correct.
|golden-butterflies|
You are seriously too cute haha! It was so nice to meet you! Thank you, and everyone else for supporting us in this crazy sport – it doesn't go unnoticed!
Dinner at Ferraro's had been especially amazing. As promised, the pizzas had been delicious, and they had relished in the view from the oceanfront dining area as they laughed and talked the evening away.
Will had had serious heart eyes all night for JJ. After watching her push herself through an exceptionally difficult year, the contrast to how she looked now had completely warmed his heart. She was relaxed, laughing easily at the things he said. There was no tension in her shoulders, no eyes fraught with a frown. Just sunkissed skin and a smile so bright it could've lit up the whole resort.
After indulging in quite a few cocktails, they had made their way back to their room. Despite being tired from spending the day out in the sun, they had found it in themselves to show their physical appreciation for each other yet again; only this time, there were no tears involved.
As warm and content as he felt afterwards, however, Will couldn't sleep. And so, many hours later when he should have been out like a light, he found himself sitting out on their balcony, his gaze drifting between the distant crashing waves of the ocean, and the sleeping form of his girlfriend just through the glass doors. She was passed out on her stomach, the sheet caught around her naked frame as the moonlight spilled through the open curtains and softly illuminated her face.
Will had always known he loved JJ. But he had never once fathomed that it was possible to love someone this much. And while they had discussed it, even briefly, so they knew where they both stood... he knew it was the decision in his head that was keeping him awake.
He looked down at his phone, the time steadily ticking away towards three in the morning. Heaving a sigh, he pulled himself off the outdoor sofa and made his way back into the room. Slowly, so as not to make too much noise, he closed the sliding door behind him, before pulling the sheers across the windows; that way they would still get some morning sun, but not so much that it would rip them out of their sleep at half past six.
Walking over to the end of the bed, he bent down and picked up his pants from the floor. He reached into the pocket, only for JJ to let out a sigh and start shifting around beneath the sheet. He froze, waiting to see if she was going to stir, but inevitably, her breathing resumed its deep rhythmic pattern, and she was resettled on her side.
Letting out the breath he didn't realise he had been holding, he pulled his hand from the pocket of his trousers, his fingers closed tightly around the tiny object he had been carrying around all evening. With near silent footsteps, he carried both over to his suitcase, dropping the pants on top of the rest of his clothes, before toying with the little box.
It wasn't that he was scared. Or nervous. He knew it was what he wanted, and he was fairly certain on JJ's stance too.
No, it wasn't fear holding him back.
For in the twelve months that he had had it, the opportunity had presented itself multiple times. Yet, each time, something in his gut had told him it wasn't the right time.
Was there ever a right time? He wasn't sure. But for all the terrible romantic advice he had ever gotten from his dad and his brothers, one thing his dad had told him had always stuck with him.
Trust your gut. You'll know.
Heaving a sigh, he reached into his suitcase, tucking it deep into a pair of socks and burying them right at the bottom. Then, with surprisingly heavy eyes, he made his way back over to the bed, carefully shuffling in behind JJ. He wriggled up behind her, her skin radiating warmth towards him as he draped an arm over her side and got settled in. As he closed his eyes, a waft of her shampoo caught him, a sweet smell of coconut.
He took a deep breath, smiling as JJ subconsciously moved her arm to rest on top of his.
The right time would come. All he could do was wait for it.