"Why do you think his name is Bad Bunny anyway?" Mike asks idly, sprawled out on the floor of his living room, George crawling all around him, babbling and laughing to himself as he pokes and prods his dad at every pass.
"I have no earthly idea," Morrison says from where he's stretched out over the couch. Sara is settled close to him, playing with his hair, mumbling to herself about split ends and frizz control, which makes him scoff and laugh in equal measure.
Monday had come and gone, the debut of Hey Hey Hop Hop going as well as Mike and John had hoped, the song already making its way up the iTunes charts. Take that, Elias! But Bad Bunny and Damien weren't far away, Mike's jaw still smarting from the punch he'd taken from his Wrestlemania opponent. "God," he mumbles, sitting up suddenly, disrupting George just enough to make him fuss, eyes wide as he looks at his father. "I can't believe Wrestlemania is a week away. This past year has been such a mess, it felt like we'd never get here. You know?"
John nods slowly. "Yeah, I do. It's been wild. But we managed it." He holds a hand out and Mike high fives him before turning back to George, who's still pouting but not as severely as before.
"So, John, I didn't really think to ask before but what exactly's going on tonight that we had to meet up to watch NXT?" AJ asks as she returns to the living room, scooping George up and plopping him down in her lap as she settles in her favorite chair facing the TV just right.
John simply smirks at her. "Oh," he says. "You'll see."
AJ huffs. "I hate it when you both get cryptic on me."
"Yeah," Mike protests. "If it makes you feel any better, I'm just as clueless as you are about whatever's going on."
AJ doesn't say as much but it's clear by the look in her eye that she is somewhat appeased by this. The group turns their focus back onto the TV, watching as the last show before Takeover: Stand & Deliver carries on. It's not a bad show, sometimes Mike has fun watching competitors he's never seen before doing their thing, some honing their craft, others polishing their already impressive abilities for whatever may come next.
Then Mike sees a dog on the screen. Not just any dog, however. He gapes at the screen, scandalized, before turning to John, his jaw dropped. "Was that-?" he demands. But no, John would never allow his dog to... Shaking his head, Mike turns his attention back to the screen. There's a match, another interview, and then... there's the dog again, and there is no doubt of it. "Prince Presley!" he cries out, turning once more towards John. "What's he doing there?"
"Guess you'll have to watch to find out," John shrugs, taking a slow, deep sip of his coconut water.
"Rude," AJ declares, saying it much more succulently than Mike ever could've.
The dog appears once more, running through the Performance Center halls, clearly having the time of its life in the empty arena... and then a teaser shows, saying something about Franky. "is that...?" Mike asks, frowning at John.
"Yeah, it's Taya," he says. "She wanted to start fresh, leave behind everything in her past. So we went over a list of possible names she'd like... and she chose 'Franky.' No clue why, really."
"Well, I hope it works out well for her," AJ says. "Kind of threw me with the dog, and the shoes. I think I just need a minute to digest all of this. Or a thousand." She laughs a little bit and pokes George's nose, watching her son wrinkle it in response.
"It took me awhile too," John says with an understanding chuckle. "She's been waiting for this chance for the longest time."
Mike nods. "I know she has," he says, clapping his best friend on the arm as he stands. "I think this calls for a celebration. Ice cream for all?"
The kids almost drown out AJ and John as they talk, and Mike laughs, leaning over to kiss Sara on top of her head before he gets up to serve. He's midway through putting slightly smaller scoops in the kids' bowls when Morrison joins him. Helps with the chocolate he's dripping onto the vanilla ice cream, but mostly keeps to himself.
Mike glances up once he's done, examining his best friend. "Everything ok?" he asks.
"Oh. Yeah," John says, though it's clear by his body language, shifting around from one foot to the other, his fingers fidgeting sporadically, it's not really.
"John," Mike responds, quirking an eyebrow at him.
"I just..." He huffs out a breath. "I'm sorry. I feel like I'm ruining Mania here."
Mike shakes his head. "Explain."
"Getting injured like this, now I can't help you against Bad Bunny, I feel like I'm just... useless. All I'm good for is talking points and music videos, and-"
"Hey, that's a very important part," Mike protests, but John barely seems to hear.
"You deserve a partner who can help you with things like Lashley and Drew and-"
"John!" Mike exclaims, dropping the spoon with a clatter and twisting to rest his hands on John's shoulders, searching his eyes. "I do. I have that. That's you, ok? So you're not cleared for contact right now. I don't care. Listen, the last ten years have sucked because for the most part, I had no one I could trust by my side. It's not like that with you. I know I can say or do anything and you'll be right at my side, supporting me. Ok? It's just how things work. I get sick or injured, you're there. You get sick or injured, I'm there. I just wish you'd believed in me enough to tell me when all of this began instead of just hiding it from me until a couple weeks ago." It's a mouthful, half of which he hadn't even realized he was feeling until it all came pouring out of his mouth. He blinks, feeling as surprised as John looks.
"I'm so sorry, Mike," he mumbles.
"I forgive you," Mike exhales. "Just... next time, come to me, ok? We can figure out anything together, but I need to know all the facts so I can help better. Alright?"
John smiles ruefully. "Yeah, alright."
It's a weight off Mike's shoulders, and he realizes that, more than losing the briefcase, more than everything with Bad Bunny, a lot of his anxiety issues from the last month or so have been from feeling this growing distance from his best friend. Things aren't perfect, no, it still aches somewhere deep inside that John had kept this injury from him- reminds him too much of when John's neck was messed up- but for now. He can take the apology and the promise at face value.
Wrestlemania week keeps inching ever closer. Things will get better then.