The Miz squints, staring up at the tree as he delicately strings lights around it, tongue poking through his teeth. "Ugh, the worst possible part of doing this," he mumbles, squirming between the tree and the wall to fit the lights behind there as well.
"You could've asked for help," John chides him, returning to the tree with a big box of ornaments that Maryse had directed him. "These could've waited a minute."
Mike shrugs, still trapped in some branches. "Felt like I could handle it myself while you were searching the upstairs closet, but yeah, I guess so." He pushes the lights into John's hands and making a motioning movement with his hands, watching as John sweeps the lights around the front of the tree before handing them back to Mike so he can get them around the back. They keep going back and forth like this until reaching the top of the tree, John stepping back with a smirk as Mike wiggles free and steps back to look. "Not bad."
Garland is next, and then bulbs, the two of them listening to Taya and Maryse talk over coffee in the kitchen, cooing over Monroe Sky and her first Christmas. John chuckles, digging through the box while Mike leans up to place a red bulb as high up as he can reach. "Did you ever imagine we'd be here in ten years, man?"
Mike pauses and glances down at him. "What, still friends, or married and with kids?"
John shrugs. "Both, I guess." He shakes a few bulbs free from each other and chuckles. "I mean, we didn't exactly get along when we first began partnering. It took awhile for you to see what a goldmine you struck with me as your partner."
Mike scoffs. "Oh please, I was a perfect joy to be around then, you were the stick in the mud who only cared about parkour and your glittery abs."
"Oh my God," John laughs. "I'd forgotten about bedazzling my abs! Maybe I should bring that back..."
"Uh, no," Mike says, pointing at him. "I don't think Lucha Underground's Johnny Mundo would stoop to such levels."
John makes a face at him, returning to the box to dig out some more. "Here," he says, standing up and helping to put some more ornaments out- other multi-colored balls, some silver and gold ornaments in the shape of sleighs and snowflakes that had come from Maryse. They work quietly for awhile, falling back into that old, well-known dance of knowing where the other's at, keeping from tripping over each other as they circle the tree a few more times, placing ornaments here and there until they think it looks good. "Taya?"
"Hey, Maryse?" they call for their wives at the same time, smirking at each other.
"Yes?"
"Could you both come in here and tell us what you think about the tree please?"
"Coming," Maryse calls back and in a few moments, she and Taya appear in the doorway, blinking at the tree.
"Wow," Taya murmurs.
"Told you, leave them to it and it'd turn out pretty well." Maryse winks at her and saunters into the room, handing Monroe over to her daddy to examine the tree closer.
"It's beautiful," Taya offers, leaning into John and smiling as he kisses her.
"Yes, very nice job, Mike," Maryse tells her husband, joining her husband and daughter as they turn to look at the tree. "But there is one thing missing."
Mike clucks at her. "Do you truly think we would put the tree on without you two here to witness it? That's the best part!" Handing Monroe back over, he leans down and pulls the star out of its box, nodding at John as he walks up to the tree and stretches as best as he can to put it up there. Until, that is, he almost overbalances and takes the whole tree down with him. "Shit," he mumbles, eyes squeezed shut until he feels a hand pressed against his back, the tree wavering but holding.
"Such a klutz," John teases him and he opens his eyes to find that John was holding the tree in place while keeping him from overbalance all at the same time. "Now, try that again- wthout almost knocking the tree over, mmkay?"
"I'll try," he says dryly, stretching up once more and, with the two of them working together, succeeds at getting the star in place. "There ya go."
"Yep," John says, looking up at it. "Now come on, we have to plug this bad boy in and see how it looks."
Mike lets John handle that, stepping back towards Maryse and Taya, sheepishly shrugging as they whisper to each other. "It wasn't that bad!" he insists, not sure what they're saying but somehow knowing it's towards his almost wrecking Monroe's first Christmas. Choosing to ignore them, he turns just in time as John plugs in the tree, which lights up the entire room between the soft glow of the star and the rotating lights around the tree itself. "Wow."
"It's gorgeous," Maryse says, smiling brightly as Monroe gapes at it, in awe. "Isn't it, baby girl?"
"You guys did a really great job," Taya says with a wide smile. "It's incredible. I almost wish I'd helped with it." She teasingly pinches John as he makes a face at her, laughing.
"No, you don't," he rolls his eyes, leaning in to kiss the top of her head.
"Ok, true, I don't, but it's still an amazing looking tree."
Mike and Maryse laughs at them, before stepping closer to the tree, Monroe lightly brushing her fingers against the branches and babbling softly. "Merry Christmas," Maryse murmurs, Mike smiling at her.
"Merry Christmas, yes. Isn't it going to be the merriest, Monroe?" he asks his daughter, playing with her chubby fingers as she stares up at him, lips parting. "Of course it will, you're spending it with mommy and daddy, and Uncle John and Aunt Taya..."
"And we're all going to spoil her something awful," John laughs, coming up and chuffing her under the chin lightly.
"Great," Maryse groans.
"You say that like you're not going to too, a little bit, mama," Taya teases her and Maryse huffs, looking away. "I'm taking that as a yes," she laughs.
Letting it go after a few moments, Maryse faces them once more, shrugging. "What else would you expect on my little girl's first Christmas?" which makes them all laugh again.
She joins in after pointlessly glaring at them and the five of them look up at the tree, enjoying the lights as they continue to glow cheerfully, reflecting off of the various ornaments and garland. "I love Christmas," Mike mumbles.
"So do I," John says. "You really should do more Christmas movies, Mike. Why'd that stop?"
Maryse moans, burying her face in her hands. "Why did you have to mention that?" she mumbles, not surprised as Mike's eyes light up and he turns to debate ideas with John. "No no!" she snaps, gripping him by the arm and keeping him by her side. "No movie talk right now."
"Oh fine," he pouts, just to mouth later at John, who nods with a smirk as they resume enjoying the Christmas tree with their wives and Monroe Sky.