Disclaimer: I do not own the characters or real people in this story. The characters belong to the WWE, and the real people own themselves. This is pure fluff so no age requirement. Read away!
A/N: Anyways, I wanted to do a Dolph/AJ one-shot kind of revolving around her WrestleMania diary because how cute was that freaking diary, and thanks, WWE, for implying that Dolph and AJ sleep in the same bed by, you know, putting them on a freaking bed! Anyways, this one-shot turned into a two-shot, so this is part one.
I hope you enjoy, it's so fluffy you should probably eat some cotton candy while reading it, just to add onto the sweetness. If you want to leave a review and tell me what you think, go right ahead, I'd love it if you did. If you hate it and want to be brutal, I welcome that too. :)
Despite sleeping next to each other, time during WrestleMania week was at a premium. There were signings, and radio row, events, and AJ's diary. She would have to wake up at 3, he wouldn't have to wake up until 7, and they had yet to really have any joint appearances. So they would kiss goodnight, go to sleep exhausted then wake up at different times, go about their day, and that then repeat it the next day.
So when they finally got a moment together (not alone, mind you, as they were sitting in the car with a photographer, a camera man, a reporter, and a handler), she curled up into his side reflexively, sighing just a little, just enough so he could hear and he smiled to himself. He wanted to kiss her, wanted to make out with her (hey, she was his girlfriend, he was more than allowed), but with all the other people in the car, it made him uncomfortable.
Yes, the Show-Off wasn't really into showing off.
She grabbed her phone and started typing something, her fingers moving quickly over the letters, and a second later, he felt his phone buzz in his pocket. He pulled it out, looking at it, wondering who was texting him, when he saw it was the woman next to him. He glanced at her in confusion, but she just nodded towards the phone, a slight tilt that only he could have caught. He unlocked his phone and went to his messages.
You look really handsome.
He smiled a little bit, no teeth, just lips quirked up at her as he began typing something back. She eagerly went to her phone when it buzzed its message, You look amazing in that dress. Where the hell did that come from?
She giggled, always loving the easy flirting between the two of them. Even before things became serious and real and all the wonderful things associated with that, there was always an easy undercurrent of attraction, a flirty look here and there, a suggestive comment, a double entendre. It built between them, so casually that one day it was just…there. They were just there, and together, and somehow it worked and fit.
They were opposites, that was as easy to tell as the weather looking outside a window. She was introverted, geeky, preferring to get lost in the world of comic books while he was extroverted, happy in a crowd, and into so much comedy she felt like she could quote any comedy special over the last 30 years. But they worked. They worked in a strange, wonderful way that let them keep their independence while still being committed to each other, and it was refreshing and strange and funny and happy, most of all happy.
When I went shopping yesterday, which was horrible, but I saw this.
He complimented her all the time because he was that kind of guy. He noticed things. It was probably because he was more meticulous about looks than she was, but the noticing, the acknowledgement was a nice thing to take with her into a day. Knowing she looked okay, knowing she looked good enough for this man, this beautiful man to compliment her, it propped her up in ways she didn't know she wanted.
I'm glad you did.
She curled into his side even further, taking a moment to just take him in. He always smelled good, and the scent had become kind of an aromatherapy for her. When she took in his scent, she was with him, and when she was with him, she could drop any façade and just be, and just sit, and just not be what everyone thought she had to be. Sometimes she wasn't perky or giggly or awkward, sometimes she was just there, and knowing she could be that person around him was enough to make her want to fall asleep right there.
Thanks, I missed you.
I missed you too.
It was a simple phrase, not even something romantic or anything, but it was enough to make her stop with the texts and wrap her arms around his waist, holding onto him tightly as his warm pulled her in protectively. "You guys look like you haven't seen each other in years," John, her reporter said, "don't you two share a room?"
"Time is scarce these days," Dolph answered for her because her eyes were closed and she was on the verge of taking a cat nap. His voice was floating above her somewhere, and she felt content and safe enough to maybe catch a few. "I'm almost hoping there's some traffic so we can really catch up."
She smiled, still not opening her eyes, but just at how romantic he could be without even trying. That was another surprising thing she found when she started to fall for him. He said romantic things without them being meant as romantic. She unconsciously searched for his hand, probably making a fool out of herself in the process (she was praying she didn't accidentally grab anything else, the WWE Universe didn't need to see that), but he seemed to anticipate her move and grabbed her hand, intertwining their fingers together, making her content smile downright pleased.
"So what are your plans for the rest of the day?"
"Her, her, and more her," Dolph told them, and that pleased smile, yup, it turned right around into a grin.
"He should be mad at me because I woke him up at 5 this morning because I didn't realize he was on the second shift," AJ said, her eyes still closed, but she wasn't going to sleep knowing that Dolph was here and with her.
"Then she has to go and tell the whole world about it," Dolph joked, and AJ giggled a little bit. "But really, the rest of the day, it's her, we're doing the reading challenge, and tonight, we don't have anything else, so we're just going to hang out."
"Would you mind if we get pictures of that?" Rich, the photographer wondered.
"Of us in our hotel room?" Dolph asked slowly. "Sorry, guys, but those photographs are ones you have to pay for."
"Hush," AJ said, squeezing his hand tightly.
"What?" Dolph laughed, "I'm preserving your modesty over here."
"No, just hanging out, you know, what you guys do to wind down, would that be okay?"
"Babe?" Dolph asked.
"It's fine," AJ said, quieting down again as everyone in the car took a moment to pause. AJ let the silence of the car roll over her and before she knew it, she was dozing. It was only for a few short minutes before Dolph was gently shaking her shoulder awake.
"Come on, no rest for the wicked, remember?"
Her entire life felt like it was being served on a silver platter.
She was in her relaxation clothes, sweats, a Pokemon t-shirt, and striped socks, and she was lying on her bed reading a comic book, all of which was not unusual. Nor was it unusual to have Dolph at the end of the bed in one of his signature hoodies and sweats, texting or doing something on his phone. What was unusual was the photographer taking pictures of them as they tried to act happy-go-lucky. What was unusual was being told how to act when she was trying to hang out with her boyfriend.
When they were finally left alone, she put her comic book on the nightstand next to her, turned off the light, and crawled down to the end of the bed, flopping her body down next to Dolph's. He continued to look at his phone, even when she gave a slight noise to get his attention. He only reached out and ruffled her hair, and she pouted.
"I hate having them around," she admitted because he would listen. And he did as he put his phone down, and she wondered briefly what or whom he was texting. "Who are you talking to?"
"My girlfriend in the lobby waiting for me," he answered in deadpan and she groaned and turned on her back.
"Can you tell her to wait like ten minutes so I can vent to you?" AJ looked over at him. There was still one light on in the room so it gave him this hazy glow, almost as if she were looking at him through a soft lens.
"I mean, I guess I could, but she's kind of pushy," Dolph said, scrunching up half his mouth. He pushed his phone to the side a little and emulated AJ's dead fish impression. "So who do you hate?"
"I don't hate them as individuals, but I'm tired of the cameras. I'm tired of them following me, I'm tired of reliving things I didn't want to relive. I'm tired of them following us around, making us pose like we're…I don't know, animals."
"What kind of animals do people make pose?" he asked her, but he leaned over and kissed her. "Look, they're not here the rest of the night, and they won't be around Saturday night and—"
"How do you know they won't be around Saturday night?" AJ asked.
"Because we're not doing anything after our signing, and the Hall of Fame ceremony will have already started and everything."
"Must you bring that up?" she buried her face into the bed, "I really wanted to see Trish get inducted, and now I can't. I mean, sure, I got to talk to her, but it wasn't the same, you know."
"No, I get it, I would have loved to have seen Mick and Bruno get inducted, but it'll be okay," he reached his hand out to rub her back. After Sunday, they won't be around, and we can just go back to hating each other and not being together as a couple."
"Oh, so you mean the farce will finally be over?" she asked him.
"Until Raw, then we'll have to pretend again."
"Can we pretend right now?" she asked lightly.
He leaned over and kissed her, "Pretending is fun. So…now that I got that kiss out of the way, would you hate me terribly if I went out?"
"With your girlfriend?" AJ asked.
"Yes, with the girlfriend," Dolph nodded. "Don't worry, she'll have me home by morning. I'll sneak in here, nobody will be the wiser."
"What's she look like?"
"Short, brown hair, pretty fit, but like not as fit as me," Dolph told her, "and like, not great-looking, but like, I'd guess good genes run in the family, has an older brother who is just smoking hot."
"What's her name so I can introduce myself?"
"Briley," Dolph said. "I was going to go to a comedy club…I figured you'd want to go to bed early…"
"Briley, huh? Sounds pretty," AJ said with a sigh, "well, I suppose you can go, but don't stay out too late."
"You're the best, babe, you going to bed early?"
"Yeah, I'm going to try," she told him. "I'm exhausted after the day we had, I just need to unwind, order room service, and do nothing, but you have fun, and you see all the great comedy acts that you can and—"
"I just want to let you know my ex is going to be there?"
"Nikki?" AJ wondered, not concerned about her. She was with John Cena now, and while Nikki was catty to her from time to time, muttering unnecessary remarks as she passed, AJ believed it stemmed from AJ's storyline with John and not any lingering jealousy of her being with Dolph now. "I didn't take her for one with a sense of humor."
"Ouch, burn," Dolph told her, "but no, um, Amy…she's performing and yeah…you're cool with that."
"As long as you don't get too athletic with her," AJ told him and he moaned and fell on top of her, burying his face in her neck. She took a second to rub the nape of his neck. "I kind of wish I hadn't agreed to this diary now. I feel like I'm on display, and now they're dragging you and E into it, but more so you, I mean, this is our hotel room."
"I know," he told her, his breath warm against her neck. "It's okay though."
"You keep saying that."
"Well, all the important stuff still goes on behind closed doors."
"Pervert," she kidded with him.
"I am not," he pulled away and looked down at her. "I promise, I'll take your mind off of them."
"How?" she asked. "By what means?"
"You'll just have to wait and see."