A/N: Someone had to do it. After I waited for two days for another author to write this and no one did, I did it myself. Musical Inspiration: The Verve - Bittersweet Symphony. I own nothing and I don't earn anything either. Enjoy.
He had been nervous before. Hell, he had been nervous since he woke up this morning and even yesterday evening when he rolled around in his bed, desperately trying to find the sleep he knew he needed. Eventually it had come, but even his dreams had been filled with a lot of fast moving figures, bright colors and too many voices talking at the same time. The tension had still been there, had never left him … not since the day Vince had told him, and it had gotten worse with every passing day.
The moments when he stood backstage and waited had been the worst. There had been nothing to do, just standing there waiting for the tech guy to give him his cue to finally go out there and do what he had dreamed of doing for the better part of his life.
It had been crucial minutes that had felt liked hours to him. Because the only thing he could do in that instant was standing there and hoping, praying that this was real, that it was really happening, that someone wasn't just playing a cruel joke on him. He couldn't explain the feeling now, but it had made his whole body tense, had sent shivers down his spine and droplets of sweet down his neck.
No one of the others had been there, not even Riley. He didn't know why, didn't know if someone had told them to stay away or if they had done so on their own. Now it didn't matter anymore, but he was still glad for this few minutes of peace where is mind had been blank and filled to the brim at the same time. Because there was no way he could've borne the presence of another wrestler in these final minutes.
For an infinite moment it had just been him standing there and waiting to fulfill his dream.
Then the tech guy had motioned for him that it was time, that he had to go out there now. Mike hadn't hesitated, not for a second. Not this time.
After that everything was blurry.
He didn't remember much of his match with Randy – to be honest he didn't remember anything at all from the instant he stepped out in the arena to the moment he laid Randy out on the mat and the ref counted.
1 … 2 … 3 …
Suddenly, without warning, everything had come back full force then. The screaming and cheering fans, the much too bright light of the stadium, the ref holding up his arm, Alex hugging him and slinging his arm around his shoulders. It had been like the whole world came back to live in a sudden flash of noise and light and movement without warning.
He had done it.
That had been is only thought in that moment, the thought that made him raise his hands up while he knew he was grinning like a maniac. His body had been stuffed with adrenaline and there had been no room in his mind for a clear thought, but it hadn't mattered. He won. Mike Mizanin, the kid from Cleveland, the reality TV guy, had made it – against all odds.
They made their way backstage, he and Alex, arm in arm and he just felt like he could hug the whole world right now. Because he had done it and no one could take that away from him now. He had proven all of the people wrong who told him that he was just some stupid kid with a dream he would never be able to fulfill. He did it.
"Mike you did it man, you did it." Alex was giving him an almost stoned grin of which Mike was certain that it mirrored his own. He couldn't have cared less in that moment and just shook his head wordless at his friend, not finding the right words for how he felt right now.
"You were great, Mike!" the voice of Zack Ryder startled him out of his thoughts and for the first time Mike really took notice of his surroundings.
Somehow he and Alex had made it past the Gorilla Position and were now surrounded by a group of other wrestlers, of his friends, who all looked at him, big smiles on their faces.
Zack was the first in line, grinning from ear to ear and tugging him into a bear hug the moment Riley let go of his shoulders. Ted, Ezekiel and Sheamus were standing behind him with Santino, Kozlov and John building the rear, his former Tag Team partner rolling his eyes at Mike as if he wanted to say "Don't let it get to your head." and for the first time in a long time he could actually look at his ex-lover without an ounce of jealously. It felt good.
"Congrats man, you really earned it!" Ryder shifted from one foot to the other, hair tussled and sunglasses pushed up his head. Mike couldn't stop himself from thinking that the kid would make a good champ on day …and that he had to be getting old when he already thought about a guy five years younger than him as the kid.
"Thanks." he didn't know what else to say in return, but Zack seemed to understand and made room for Ted who gave him an almost regal nod before he gave up his stiff posture and poked him comradely in the rips, "Well done, Cody's gonna burst with envy."
They shared an honest laugh that reminded him of the way they had hung out together some years ago. Mike and Ted might never had been that close, but they still belonged to the same group of young ambitious wrestlers who wanted to be big in the business some day. Ted understood and Mike really wished Cody and Jack could've been there too.
"Anatha bastard I've tha share that title with… ya better be good, Mizanin." Sheamus slapped him on the back hard, but he still saw how the corner of the Irishman's mouth turned upwards when he said it. Even the resident ghost had a sense of what being a champion for the first time felt like and he wouldn't ruin Mike's moment.
When Santino shoved forwards he got a glance of a tall figure with tousled dirty blond hair leaning against a nearby wall and Mike's eyes – if possible – grew bigger than they already were. Adam should be… he was to out of it to know where exactly he should be at the moment, but Mike knew that it in no case was here at the Raw set in Orlando. His eyes were tearing up at the sight and he quickly regained his composure so that the man wouldn't see how much him being here meant to Mike – though Adam was Adam and so knew anyway.
Before he really knew it, Mike was encircled by a crowd of his coworker who were all chatting happily about his win and he noted for himself that he could get used to this. It felt incredible, the belt still slung over his shoulder, people congratulating him from all sides and knowing that today, by some miracle that other might have called fate or god, he had become a WWE Champion.
"And you really think we were the same back then?" Adam's voice carried over the noise of the cooled down crowd effortlessly.
"Yep, pretty much."
He would have known that voice anywhere. Strong, used to give orders and still at ease, a husky timbre that could be as much a caress as a whiplash and sent a shiver down his spine.
Mike's head jerked round sharply to stare at the man that now stood at the wall beside Adam, arms hanging loosely at his sides and glasses tugged in the collar of his black button down shirt. Chris Jericho gave him his best cocky grin when he saw Mike standing frozen on the spot, eyes wide.
For an instant time stood still – or at least for Mike it did. Of all people Chris had been the last man he expected to see here tonight. They hadn't been eye to eye since Chris left in September almost two months ago. He had talked to him a few times over the phone, but time had been short and the both of them had had enough other things occupying their thoughts to keep conversation short.
He hadn't told Chris about the title. It might have been childish but he had been afraid, afraid that Vince would change his mind in the last second and decide to extend Randy's run with the belt. The blond had been his idol for the longest time now and Mike didn't want to have to meet him empty-handed after he'd promised a title. Facing Chris only to have to tell him that he didn't made it after all, that another man got his chance… it would have made him feel unworthy, worthless even – something he couldn't bear, not in front of Chris.
"What's up, Junior? Cat got your tongue?" cerulean blue eyes flashed with mischief when Chris chuckled.
Mike blinked, a delighted laugh tore from his throat and the next thing he knew was that he was running for the blond, belt completely forgotten for the moment.
At first he hadn't been particular fond of Chris Jericho. He was the guy who always told you what you did wrong, he allowed no shortcuts and resorted to brutal honesty when it came to the talent – or lack thereof – of the younger wrestlers. But then, somehow, he had realized that Chris didn't do it to insult them but because he meant what he said and believed that they actually could get better if they trained hard enough.
From then on Mike quickly had discovered that Chris was truly one of the best in the business and he had become his idol. After that things had started to change and suddenly the blond had not only been his idol but also his mentor, his confident, his friend… his lover.
Chris was smaller than him and Mike knew that he had gained some 20 pounds since he had stopped wrestling. It should've been impossible for the man to catch him as easily as he did and spin him around in the air, but miracle that he was Chris managed and Mike simply crossed his arms behind the blonds' neck and let it happen.
"You didn't really think that no one would tell me, did you?" Chris grinned when he sat him down, "There's no way I'd miss this."
Mike opened his mouth to ask who had told him but closed it a second later only to shot Adam a dirty look, who simply laughed in return.
"You should be a little more grateful, Mikey." the Canadian winked at him, "I'm the reason you'll get a night of awesome celebration-sex."
Knowing better than to say anything in return, Mike simply joined in with the rest of the hallway when everyone burst into roaring laughter. There would be another time to get back on Adam. He was a champion now; there was no need to rush.
"Happy?" an oh-so-familiar voice whispered into his ear and Mike answered with a pleased hum. There was no place he'd rather be at the moment and no people he'd rather celebrate his victory with. This was his dream and at least for this instant he was living it.
He laughed, "Sometimes dreams come true after all."
The one who knows which film the song belongs to get's an imaginary cookie ;) Reviews are welcome.