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p style="text-align: left;"strongDisclaimer: I do not own the WWE/it's related names, or any of it's affiliates. br /This is rated M for profanities/abusive themes. There's a happy ending though. br /Please review and enjoy!/strong/p
p style="text-align: left;"br /AJ stared blankly at the mirror that reflected her at the vanity she occupied. Her hands repeatedly br /fiddled with her messily curled pigtails that sprawled over her small chest. The diva's championship br /rested securely in her lap./p
p style="text-align: left;"Tonight on Smackdown, AJ's attire consisted of the usual "Love Bites" shirt, having the usual slits. br /She wore her usual jorts, and her usual thigh high converse with the usual hot pink laces./p
p style="text-align: left;"Today for most people, was anything but 'usual'. It was 'special'. February 14th. Valentine's day. br /Everything about it made her gag, and today simply left a bitter taste in her mouth. She hated br /this day, and being single wasn't the only reason why./p
p style="text-align: left;"Tamina stood from the distance and gave AJ a concerned look. The petite champion was usually br /never this quiet. By this time, AJ would go over their strategies and maniacal ambushes she couldn't br /wait to perform, All while a happy smirk remained on her lips./p
p style="text-align: left;"Twenty minutes of complete silence went by in the private dressing room, with AJ killing time by br /reading a comic book. Soft sighs sounded from her lips here and there. Escaping was easy, but br /today it was just too hard to do./p
p style="text-align: left;"The superfly diva never did pry. Since day one, she'd always let AJ initiate the conversation. br /It was strange, but it was how she knew that things were okay./p
p style="text-align: left;""Tamina." AJ broke the silence./p
p style="text-align: left;""Yes, April?" Tamina answered./p
p style="text-align: left;""Do you ever feel... alone?"/p
p style="text-align: left;"Tamina quirked a brow at AJ's words. She wasn't sure how to decipher the angle of such br /a broad question.. though, this was progress./p
p style="text-align: left;""Not really. I was, evidently, independent before I joined you."/p
p style="text-align: left;"AJ nodded, smiling softly until a faint sob left her lips./p
p style="text-align: left;"Tamina crossed her arms and walked over to her ally. The superfly's strong hand slowly stroked br /the back of her slitted shirt, caressing atop of the heart logo as if she could cradle the pain /She hated hearing AJ cry./p
p style="text-align: left;""My parents always fought on this day. No matter if we had enough food to get through br /another day, or if the cable didn't go off yet.."/p
p style="text-align: left;"AJ trailed on, angrily biting her lip as the tears fell onto her knees. Her parents always did fight, br /but the abuse and the blame game always mounted on Valentine's day./p
p style="text-align: left;"em"You're a whore! You don't love me! You'd rather stay home instead of renting a suite!"/em/p
p style="text-align: left;"em"We have to pay the fucking bills! we can't splurge on that..."/em/p
p style="text-align: left;"emSmack./em Everything onward, AJ hated to remember. Those details remained blurred out. br /Her father made decent money. A knock off merchandise salesman that partied the bill br /money away./p
p style="text-align: left;"He felt 'entitled' to the weekend./p
p style="text-align: left;"em"What the fuck do I have in this shack? I'm bored to death here."/em Sob./p
p style="text-align: left;"That piece of shit always said how her mother didn't mind snorting the prior weekend. br /Whatever that meant. The sirens outside their window was the only solace AJ found, br /all while she hid in her closet, sobbing lowly with a comic book clutched in her hands. br /She always wished Batman was real. He wouldn't let any of this happen./p
p style="text-align: left;""She was stupid-my mom. No matter how hard she cried from the bruises, she'd let him br /back in when it got dark. I'd ask her. Why mom? Why didn't the cops come this time? br /And you know what she would say? It's Valentine's day, April! I love him!"/p
p style="text-align: left;"AJ's voice went up an octave a condescending tone./p
p style="text-align: left;"Tamina nodded. The crimson haired superfly knew fragments of AJ's former life. br / Domestic violence shaped any girl that went through it. 'Family' was a blacklisted br /word in AJ's vocabulary. Tamina took note of that long ago./p
p style="text-align: left;""I mean. I'm fine now. I'm not there anymore. Even though I'm fine without... br /I mean. I hate these memories. Today. I don't want to feel so..."/p
p style="text-align: left;"Tamina interjected, gently brushing away raven curls that fell into AJ's face./p
p style="text-align: left;""Affected. by the past." Tamina said softly./p
p style="text-align: left;"The petite champion's sobs finally dimmed down. She wiped her eyes and glared br /at her own reflection. Her pink lips then pursed into a devious smirk. Tamina knew br /that look more than anyone./p
p style="text-align: left;""Yeah. But. That's over with. Smackdown is the present. I have a match with Cameron. br /Shame she has no one to dance with. Courtesy of Aksana!"/p
p style="text-align: left;"AJ found it easy to replace her pain with someone else's. A dysfunctional life lesson br /her parents implanted in her head. It was practically instinctive./p
p style="text-align: left;"Without remorse, she referred to Naomi's eye injury with a pleased look, rising to her br /feet to hold her championship over her shoulder where it belonged./p
p style="text-align: left;"No trace of emotion remained on AJ's tiny face as she skipped off to the arena hall with br /Tamina following. She was intact, and emotionally frozen. She was her own Batman./p
p style="text-align: left;"Later on, the match had as AJ predicted, her match with the ombre haired diva was a br /cakewalk with no outshining support from Naomi on the sidelines./p
p style="text-align: left;"The petite champion flashed a perfect smile as she backed up on the titantron with br /Tamina at her side. She laughed as the cameras panned to the ring where Cameron br /struggled to stand./p
p style="text-align: left;"Backstage, the joy from her victory was soon relinquished when the other divas br /squealed with delight as they ran to wherever they needed to go./p
p style="text-align: left;"None of them had any reason to be at work today, but their flashy dresses and trails br /of whorish perfume explained everything./p
p style="text-align: left;"AJ's eyes remained on her own feet as she bashfully walked down the hall to find br /Tamina, who mentioned earlier that she needed to go to the infirmary for a check up br /before she'd meet her back at the lockeroom./p
p style="text-align: left;""What's the matter, AJ? You kissed a quarter of the roster and you don't even have br /a valentine? Poor you." Nikki said with a smirk as the petite champion walked past./p
p style="text-align: left;""Shut up, Nicole. You can't say that out loud." Brie scolded her twin when AJ was br /out of earshot./p
p style="text-align: left;""Silicone cunt." AJ mouthed silently for Nikki, brushing off the insult br /as she went into her lockeroom./p
p style="text-align: left;"The sight of messily stacked choclate boxes and twelve loose roses that br /surrounded a neatly wrapped box on her vanity caught AJ's attention. br /It looked like Cupid's puke. Those weren't there before. Was this a prank br /by those Total Sellouts? AJ thought as she walked up to the foreign present./p
p style="text-align: left;"Slowly, her fingers pulled the pink ribbon loose, then slowly scraped away br /the metallic white wrapping./p
p style="text-align: left;"AJ's eyes widened at what the box contained. A perfectly framed photo ofbr /Tamina and herself standing at the titantron several feet apart./p
p style="text-align: left;"The superfly diva posed confidently, looking over at AJ who faced her br /with the biggest smile./p
p style="text-align: left;"This was one of their first shows together. AJ wore her raglan sleevedbr / Love Bites shirt, with pink striped socks right above her grey converse./p
p style="text-align: left;"The petite diva couldn't remember why, but she was happy that day. br /She only wore pink when she was happy./p
p style="text-align: left;"The words "Family is a little world created by love." neatly read in white br /script at the bottom of the black frame she held to./p
p style="text-align: left;"When Tamina entered the room, she cleared her throat to obtain AJ's br /attention that hadn't shifted in seconds./p
p style="text-align: left;""You said you hated the memories this day brought back... I wanted to br /change that. The quote is... stupid. Still, I wanted to help you see the word br /'Family' in the way it should be.."/p
p style="text-align: left;"Tamina said sternly as her eyes nervously met AJ's shocked stare when the br /picture frame slipped out of her hands. The petite champion tackled the tall br /superfly diva and sobbed against the Love Bites fabric atop her chest. br /It was a cheesy quote. But it was right. Family can't exist without...em love?/em/p
p style="text-align: left;""It's.. the stupidest quote ever! I didn't expect such weakness from you, br /Tamina!" AJ's sobs were replaced with laughter./p
p style="text-align: left;"Tamina quirked a brow and smiled when AJ hugged her a bit tighter. The remnants br /of her tears dried completely. Did Tamina really mean that?/p
p style="text-align: left;""Weakness? Do you want me to remind you what a Samoan Drop feels like?"/p
p style="text-align: left;"The crimson haired diva grinned playfully, placing a hand on her hip when br /AJ broke from their hug to gather the dozen roses in her hands./p
p style="text-align: left;""As if you could? You're hilarious. By the way, I know you're not very feminine, Tamina, br /but it's common knowledge to put flowers in a vase!" AJ said as-a-matter-of-factly, br /standing the picture frame up next to neat pile of flowers./p
p style="text-align: left;""Hmphf. Since when did you get so feminine?" Tamina questioned with a smirk./p
p style="text-align: left;""Since my family mistreated my V-day gift! Now go get me some water! Poison Ivy br /would kill you for this!" AJ retorted, scurrying to the nearby closet to find something br /to place the roses in. They were beautiful./p
p style="text-align: left;"Tamina smiled softly. The gleam in AJ's eyes finally came back. She knew the champion br /hadn't said the word 'family' in years, much less with any hint of joy in her voice until now./p
p style="text-align: left;"She couldn't believe how much she loved the skippy diva, and she loved seeing her smile br /just as much. To AJ, they definitely were a family just as that. She just never knew what to br /call their bond until now, and like the photo in that annoyingly poetic picture frame, that br /word never matched anything so perfectly./p
p style="text-align: left;""Happy Valentine's day, April." Tamina said as she watched her leave, heading to the br /bathroom and resisting the urge to victory skip. That just wasn't her style. /p
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