Here's chapter eleven! Once more, big thanks to everyone who reads, reviews and follows this story. Without you all, I wouldn't be writing this. Still waiting for the creative team to realize that Punk and AJ belong together. Stop torturing us already. Give us what we want. Seriously. It'd be much appreciated by everyone.
The Kiss Of Death
"Has anyone ever told you that you look like the son of Wolverine with your beard like that?"
Punk glanced up from his menu for a moment and gave the bushy haired man sitting across from him a blank stare, before turning his gaze to that of AJ, who was trying her hardest to hide a grin, covering her mouth with her hand while Punk simply stared at her.
"I thought you said he wasn't gonna ask any stupid questions."
"And I thought you were going to behave yourself tonight."
"That was me behaving!"
She shot him an unimpressed look while he looked bewildered, drawing a few chuckles from the two toned haired Diva across from them, while her boyfriend looked confused at the actions happening before him.
"Come on, you know I could have said a lot worse!"
"Why don't you two just get a room already?"
Punk's eyes drifted to the man called Derrick Bateman, glaring at him, his jaw clenched shut as he contemplated ways on how he could maim the poor bastard without anyone figuring out it was him who did it. He could see AJ and Kaitlyn giggling between the two of them, and he sighed. AJ had come to him earlier in the day, before their house show, and practically begged him to come out with her, Kaitlyn and Derrick for a makeshift double date. He had been leery of Derrick though, having heard many...interesting stories about him through the people he worked with on NXT. Daniel especially, since he was his pro, had nothing but weird things to say about the dude. So he had a simple request to AJ if he was going on this; he wouldn't ask stupid questions about anything. Yeah, that worked out real well.
"Derrick, come on now, leave the two of them alone. They're both here to have a good time just like we are, so hush", Kaitlyn said as she nudged him in the shoulder, shooting an apologetic look to Punk and AJ as well.
"Just saying...I can feel the sexual tension between the two of them. I'm surprised you don't feel it either, babe", he commented while he looked over his menu, not seeing the incensed, almost infuriated look on Punk's face and the massive blush creeping across AJ's cheeks. His eye twitching and hands slowly clenching into fists, he went to raise them and sock the weirdo in the face, but he felt AJ's hand on his wrist, lowering it back beneath the table, out of sight. She leaned over and whispered into his ear, and whatever she said calmed him down almost immediately. Didn't mean he still wasn't miffed at what the goof had said.
It was late Friday night, the show having ended a few hours ago. After the live events for the weekend were over, it was off to Dallas for Raw and then Los Angeles for SummerSlam week, with the event being the crown jewel of the week taking place at the Staples Center once again. Truth be told, Punk was looking forward to spending the entire week in Los Angeles, contrary to what he had said to many in the past. Sure, he wasn't the biggest fan of the 'City of Angels', but he knew that AJ was really looking forward to it, seeing as she couldn't stop gushing about it whenever she had the chance. So he was going to make sure she enjoyed the week there to the fullest. Step one was offering to fly her family out there, along with his own. Needless to say, she was taken back and more than a little surprised when he made the offer to her.
But that was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg. He had many more surprises and tricks up his tattooed sleeves, but he wouldn't utter a peep about them until they touched down at LAX. Sure, she had been a little suspicious of what he was planning for the entire week, and what he could be planning made her wonder how they'd fit anything in, seeing as the two of them were going to be super busy with events and parties and whatnot, but he remained tight lipped about it. No secrets were escaping him, and she'd just have to ride the wave to see what was gonna happen.
"I apologize for him, he's got no filter from his brain to his mouth", Kaitlyn mumbled under her breath as she surveyed her menu, making sure to discreetly step on Derrick's foot under the table, which earned her a glare as the pained look on his face faded. "He thinks it's perfectly acceptable to say things like this", she then added, looking at AJ to back her up.
"He's really not that bad, Punk", she said reassuringly, rubbing his arm soothingly, trying to calm him down. "We spent a lot of time together on NXT, he's really funny when you get to know him."
"I'm right here, you know", he piped in, stating the obvious, but he got roundly ignored by the three people at the table.
"You said he wasn't gonna ask stupid questions or say anything stupid in general", Punk repeated somewhat sardonically. "Telling us to get a room and saying I look like the spawn of Weapon X qualifies as stupid where I come from. And where I come from, you get the shit kicked out of you for saying less."
"Again, still right here and-hey! Not cool, bro. Not cool at all", Derrick stated as he shook his head in disbelief, disappointment written across his facial features as he tsked and went back to his menu.
"Yeah, you must hang around with Ryder", Punk murmured to himself while he rolled his eyes, suddenly feeling not too hungry as he was when the four of them entered the place fifteen minutes ago. "And now I'm not hungry anymore. That's just peachy", he said, fixing his glare on AJ, who could only smile at him sheepishly before burying her head into her own menu, while he sighed. "I'm gonna go get some air, I'll be back soon", he said, patting AJ on the top of her wavy brown locks before sliding out of the booth they all occupied.
Once he was outside, he took in a deep breath and sat down on a nearby bench to gaze up at the skies. She was rubbing off on him in that regard; always wanting to go outside when there was nothing to do in the bus, lay down on the grass and look at the night skies. Next time, he thought, they should do it on top of the bus; she'd surely like that. He was so lost in looking at them, though, that he didn't realize he was heavy one person on the bench.
"Having fun all by yourself out here?"
His upward glance drifted downward to the multi-colored haired Diva sitting beside him, a warm smile on her pink lips. He shrugged his shoulders, also rolling his neck a bit before going to do his wrists. "Just getting some air and thinking about stuff. Care to go for a walk, kid?"
"Yeah sure, that'd be nice. Even I need a little time away from Derrick here and there...and I'm dating him."
He couldn't help but laugh at that comment as the two of them stood up, walking past the parking lot and onto the sidewalk. The two of them remained silent for a few moments, Punk his hands in his pockets as he kicked a few pebbles out of the way, Kaitlyn brushing her hair aside as she took her glance off of the street and onto the man walking beside her. They weren't exactly friends, per se, but the more and more she heard AJ gush about how great a guy he was, even when she was still dating Daniel, made her wonder just how great he really could be. To start, he wasn't like the other guys, as if the tattoos and piercings weren't proof enough of that fact. She had also heard all the stories about him; some of them she believed, some of them were just too outlandish to consider. She knew he was an asshole and always spoke his mind about any and everything, and that he was one hell of an enemy if you managed to get on his shit list, but she had also heard, mainly through Kofi when AJ wasn't talking her ear off about him, that he really wasn't that bad once you got to know the dude a little bit. But if AJ, her best friend, had taken such a liking to the favorite son of Chicago, then maybe she'd see what was so great about him herself.
"You know, I've heard a lot of things about you. Some good, some bad. The good mostly came from AJ's mouth, though", she started off, eyeing the WWE Champion with a hint of suspicion and curiosity.
"Why doesn't that surprise me?", he muttered to himself, his eyes on the ground as they continued their short walk to where ever.
"Your reputation precedes you", she stated simply, raising her hands almost in defense. "But I mean, if AJ has nothing but glowing things to say about you, then you can't be all that bad. You won't believe how much she talks about you when it's just the two of us around."
Punk cocked an eyebrow at her statement, a smirk on his lips as he ran his tongue across his lip ring. "Really? I find that kinda hard to believe. Wasn't it you who last week came a-knockin' on her door trying to get her to talk about how our first date went?", he asked, kicking another pebble out of the way. "I mean, I may be hearing things, but that's what she told me. She doesn't really strike me as one to disclose her private life like that. Seems more like you wanting to know what's going on between me and her."
Kaitlyn stifled a chuckle as she swept some of her hair away, tucking it behind her ear as she walked in step with him. She had been had. "That may be true", she began, "but once you get her to open up a little bit about you, she can't stop, and that's not a lie. You've really made an impression on her, Punk."
"Yeah well, I'm not surprised. I'm kind of a big deal", he said with a smirk.
"So full of yourself, I definitely heard that about you."
"I'm the best in the world, why wouldn't I be a little full of myself?", he responded back cockily, extending his arms outward like he would if he were walking down to the ring. "You don't succeed in this business without being sure of yourself. It's a fact of life", he followed up with. "Or, you know, you succeed by winning little contests that nobody watches and get gifted a spot on the roster."
That earned him a glare from her as she stopped, mouth slightly hung open, a shit-eating grin creeping across the lips of the WWE Champion. She shoved him some and he burst out into a large fit of laughter, doubling over, his hand across his gut as he tried to steady himself. Kaitlyn kept muttering 'It's not funny' under her breath while the Second City Saint kept howling with laughter. Kaitlyn rolled her eyes, but then a devilish grin appeared on her lips, an imaginary lightbulb going off above her head as she turned to face him.
"Make your NXT jokes all you want, champ. Tell me though, how'd it feel riding in on John's mobster car before anyone knew you even existed?", he asked, the laughter ceasing almost immediately. It was now his turn to glare at her, shaking his head almost in disgust, though mostly disbelief. He went to say something, but she beat him to the punch, adding in, "Yes, I know all about that. I know my shit, Punk."
"Yeah, I can see why you and AJ are best friends", he remarked, scratching his beard as they came to a stop under a street light. "You just held your own though. I must say, I'm mildly impressed", he commented, folding his tattooed arms across his chest. "Not many people can trade barbs with me like that. I think I'll grow to like you. Eventually."
"And I've got no choice but to get used to you since you and AJ are practically attatched at the hip nowadays. But heads up, champ."
"It's already up."
"Cute. Anyways...AJ, she's my best friend. I'll do any and everything for that girl. So if I find out that-"
He waved her off. "Yeah yeah, I already know what you're gonna say", he said, looking slightly irritated that she would try to talk to him like this. He knew what the game was. Yeah, he was a jerk and an asshole, but for AJ...he'd do his best to keep his tendencies under wraps. "I'm sure you gave Danny Boy the same talk too, but this is different. Friend of mine or not, I'm not gonna turn into an overbearing, aggressive dick like he did. What he did to that girl was reprehensible and just wrong, but you really, honestly don't need to worry about that with me. She's a sweet girl, and-"
A ringing echoed through the air, stopping him mid-sentence. Kaitlyn rolled her eyes as she dug into her pocket to retrieve her phone, thinking it was her peculiar boyfriend texting her about something ridiculous, but was a little surprised to see that it was AJ who was the one texting her. Her eyes grew wider as she scrolled down and read the text, before she quickly put her phone back in her pocket, lips pursed together as she looked to Punk, who stood there confused by what was going on.
"We need to get back to the diner."
"Uh, why? What happened?"
"Derrick-"
"Say no more, let's get moving."
As the two of them hurried back to the diner in relative silence, Kaitlyn leaned into Punk's shoulder and nudged him in an attempt to get his attention, which it did. She gave him two thumbs up, a smile gracing her lips while they continued to walk. "Congrats, champ. You passed the best friend test. Which is more than what I can say about Daniel. He failed hard."
Thoughtful look on his face, the smallest of grins began to tug at Punk's lips as he nodded his head dutifully. He didn't say anything, nor did he feel the need to. He knew that he would treat AJ with the proper respect that a girl like her deserved. And though he didn't need anyone's blessing to do anything, part of him appreciated that she approved of him. Plus, the fact that D-Bry was pretty much reviled in AJ's little circle by everyone but her made him chuckle, and he knew he'd have to rub that in his old friend's face one day.
When the two of them arrived back at the diner, they saw a fire truck there, lights blazing in the night, an obviously peeved Derrick, who was animatedly getting into a very heated argument with what looked like the owner of the place, and a very concerned, wide eyed AJ off to the side, watching everything unfold like a car wreck you couldn't turn away from. When she spotted them, she pulled Derrick away from his argument and led him over to them, giving Derrick off to Kaitlyn, who smacked him upside his head, while Punk took AJ in his arms and hugged her. Standing on the very tip of her toes, she saw over Punk's shoulder that Kaitlyn was grinning and giving them two thumbs up. Smiling in the direction of her best friend, she simply nodded her head.
"You're not gonna believe what Derrick-", she began to say, but he shushed her rather quickly.
"Shhh. Don't talk, AJ. Let me have this for a minute before the stupid bastard comes over and ruins everything again."
He pecked her on the cheek, and they became red as she blushed madly. She felt like she was on top of the world as she tightened the hold she had around his neck. And nothing was going to knock her off her happy little perch.
So that's that! I originally had the chapter being a little longer, but I figured it'd just be easier to divide everything I had written in half and do it that way. So sorry if it's shorter than usual! Hope you all enjoyed though. Next chapter will be up soon, as will the next chapter of my new story featuring our favorite couple, Crazy Is The New Sane. Thanks everyone! See ya soon!