Dream Weaver
Seven months had passed within a blink of an eye. Punk had been signed with UFC and had two fights in that time and the third one would be coming up in a few weeks. He was getting all kinds of endorsement deals and his fame was rising. He was undefeated so far but he didn't let that pressure him. The money he was making was nice and he enjoyed being able to buy pretty much whatever he wanted when he wanted. He wasn't making millions but he was making more than he had seen in his lifetime.
AJ on the other hand was working at a local animal shelter which made her happy. The hours weren't crazy and she was able to take off whenever she wanted to be there for Punk. She also would work with Paul on his website from time to time as well, not taking pictures but helping at shoots or being his eyes when he couldn't be there. She wasn't making a ton of money but Punk spoiled her like crazy. He always had flowers sent to her, would buy her designer dresses to wear to his fights, earrings, necklaces and anything she ever could ever want and more. She was a little excited for Punk's next fight since it was not only on an actual card to be featured on pay-per-view but it was taking place in Chicago as well. They hadn't been home in so long and she dying to see her father. Punk didn't seem as excited as she was and wasn't sure why but she'd get to the bottom of it.
She was just locking up the shelter and looked over to see Punk leaning against his car with his arms folded waiting on her.
"I thought you were training late." She smiled surprised to see him.
"I took the night off." He shrugged. "Why is it you always end up working at a place where you're the last one to leave?"
"I don't mind." She shrugged practically skipping over to him and greeting him with a sweet kiss.
"Did you eat already?" he asked opening the car door for her.
"I did, why did you have plans?" she asked as he got into the car.
"We have plans." He corrected.
"I'm intrigued." She grinned. "Hope it doesn't involve food."
"It doesn't." He said to her. "Which is why I'm glad you ate."
"What is it?" she asked.
"A surprise." he said driving away.
"What does it involve?" she asked him.
"Your lips." He said then gave her a quick smile before putting his eyes back on the road.
"This sounds sexy." She teased.
"It's not that sexy." He laughed.
"Before we get to this surprise what's going on with you?" She asked him.
"What do you mean?" He asked.
"You're not excited to go back to Chicago? I thought you'd be more excited." She noted.
"I am." He shrugged. "But there's not a lot there for me anymore. No family, no friends- this is just a fight."
"Why do you say that? What about Dean and the rest of the guys at the gym?" She asked him. "I assumed you go back and workout with them."
"I talk to Dean but that's it. The rest of the guys haven't been touch." Punk admitted.
"You think they're mad at you?" she asked.
"I know what they of me." Punk said driving. "I don't really care either."
"I thought they'd be happy for you." She said and he laughed.
"That's not how it works in this business." He reminded her. "A lot of jealousy. They think it has gone to my head and I guess they wouldn't be wrong."
"There's nothing wrong with being confident in yourself." She argued. "You have every right to enjoy your success."
"Do you think I've changed?" he asked her.
"No." She said to him. "You're the same Punk I remember." she smirked.
"You haven't called me Punk in a long time." He said to her.
"Don't get used to it, I prefer Phil." She said as he pulled over.
AJ looked confused as she looked around.
"This is it? This is the surprise?" She asked him but he got out of the car and opened her door for her. She then saw what he was talking about. "I don't know about this Phil." She said seeing the sex shop and he looked over to see what she was looking at it then back at her.
"Are you crazy?" he asked laughing taking her hand and hitting his car alarm.
"You said it involved my lips." She pointed out as he walked her to the store next door and she could see it was a tattoo shop. "You're going to tattoo my lips?" She asked horrified.
"Sort of." he said opening the door. "You're not getting a tattoo on your lips I'm going to get your lips tattooed on me."
"Really?" She asked surprised.
"Yes really." He said holding her hand as they stepped inside.
"It's just so permanent." She warned him. "Are you sure?"
"We've been together over a year. You're permanent." He laughed.
"Hey man we've got you set up in the back." A tattoo artist said waving them to the back.
AJ applied a dark lipstick and kissed a piece of paper that was then placed over his wrist to be traced. She watched almost cringing as the needle pressed into his skin.
"Does it hurt?" She asked watching carefully.
"I have a hundred tattoos." He reminded her.
"That's not what I asked." She said to him.
"A little." He admitted honestly. "This will probably be my last one for a while."
"It looks really good." AJ grinned.
"Why thank you." The tattoo artist said. The man's face was literally covered in tattoos.
"Did the one on your forehead hurt?" She asked him.
"Looking to get one there?" he asked with a laugh.
"No I want one on my finger." She said to him and Punk looked at her oddly.
"You've never mentioned wanting a tattoo before." He said to her.
"I feel like I should return the favor." She said to him.
"You want to tattoo my lips on your finger?" He asked with a laugh.
"Most women don't get lips tatt's of their boyfriends but when they do it's usually on the ass or-" He started but Punk silenced him.
"She's not getting it." Punk said to him.
"Why not?" she frowned. "And not your lips your name."
"My name?" he asked her. "Don't do a name it's so cliché."
"Most people don't do names in case of a break up and in a such a small spot on your finger it would be hard to cover." The artist warned her as he continued doing Punk's tattoo.
"We're not breaking up." Punk said a little annoyed to the man.
"So why can't I get your name?" She asked him. "Your nickname." she clarified.
"It's just a bad idea." The tattoo artist said.
"But my lips are ok?" She asked him.
"She's right." Punk said looking at her but talking to the artist. "She can get whatever she wants just add to my bill." And she smiled wide.
"Well, you're all done." He said cleaning off the tattoo. "What do you think?"
"Let's see." Punk said looking at it and gently grabbing AJ by the chin and examining her lips. "It's good."
"My turn." She smiled jumping in the chair Punk just got up from.
AJ was laying across Punk's bare chest as his thumb ran small circles around over her bare back. She looked at her bandaged finger while recuperating from the intense 'work out'.
"Regret it already?" he asked.
"Never." She said. "I just can't wait to take the bandage off. When can I take it off?"
"Tomorrow." He said kissing the top of her head. She had gotten the tattoo on the inside of her index finger and it was small but read 'Punk' clearly.
"Sure you won't regret it?" he asked her.
"You're the first and only love of my life." She said still looking at the bandage. "I won't regret it. What about yours?"
"You've been the one constant in my life since things got crazy with fighting I'll never regret it." He assured her. "Also, I love your lips."
"Excited to go home?" He asked her.
"This is home now." She said to him. "But I am looking forward to seeing my dad. I'm glad we're going to be there for a little while before the fight."
"Yea I mean I could catch up with some old friends." He said to her. "Not the guys from the gym obviously."
"That's their loss." She said to him. "I wonder if it's the same."
"I'm sure it is." he smirked. "You know what I do want to do?"
"What's that?" She asked.
"Go back to that hot dog stand and get us some." he chuckled.
"I have missed the dirty dogs." She laughed along. "I can't remember the last time we ate a stand."
"Yea. I mean back then we didn't have many dinner date choices." He pointed out.
"I loved it though." She said to him. "It was simple, it was us."
"I thought you were liking our new upscale dinners?" he asked her.
"I do. I like getting dressed up and having someone pour me water every two seconds too." She said to him. "I just want you to know that it doesn't matter where we've been. I've loved every second of everything together."
"Me too." He agreed. "I just always wanted to give you more."
"And you have and then some." She assured him. "You've made me very happy."
"I hope to keep that up." He said to her.
"You will." She said looking up at him and nipping at his lips but he pulled her deeper into the kiss.
AJ rolled onto his body fully and sat up on him and discarded the bed sheet that was covering her nude lower half and looked down at him. He kept his eyes locked on hers as he cupped her breasts then sat up and pulled her into a kiss. Her arms were locked around his neck as his hands moved to explore her back
"You're hard again." She smiled as her lips grazed him as she spoke.
"You're naked, what do you expect?" he asked seriously.
Punk quickly rolled her underneath himself as he began to kiss her again...
A week later they touched down in Chicago and jumped into the rental car. Punk passed by the hotel she knew they made reservations at and was confused.
"Are we going straight to the gym?" She asked him.
"No it's a surprise." He said.
"Another surprise? Are you getting another tattoo?" she asked him.
"No this is a surprise for the both of us." He said to her happily. "Get excited."
"I'll try." She said to him.
"Have I ever steered you wrong before?" he asked grabbing her hand keeping one hand on the wheel and kissing it.
"Nope." She smiled then looked out the window. "It all looks the same."
"It does." he agreed. "Maybe I've missed it more than I thought."
"You are Chicago Made." She teased referring to his nickname.
"I don't know why Paul came up with that." Punk said.
"I like it." AJ said to him. "You stand out more."
"That's what I'm striving for." He mocked.
"Do you think Tommy is at the gym?" she asked him. Tommy was a name she dare not mention since her first night in Vegas but she knew it would come up.
"Nah." Punk said to her. "He's training in Milwaukee. He got signed to UFC a few months back."
"How did you know that?" AJ asked.
"I've kept tabs on him." Punk said looking straight ahead.
"I didn't know you kept in touch with him." AJ said surprised.
"I said kept tabs not in touch." Punk clarified. "I don't plan on ever talking to him again. But Paul mentioned him a while back and I've been checking in on his fights. Could be a good fight for me."
"Why would you want to fight your former teammate?" she asked confused.
"Really?" he asked her slowly. "You can't think of one good reason?"
"The kiss?" She asked and he didn't respond. "That's ancient history. I feel like I ended your friendship with him."
"He ended it." Punk told her. "Asking you to begin with was the first nail in the friendship coffin."
"But it lead to us dating." She reminded him.
"I would have asked you out eventually. I was planning on asking you to those fights." He confided.
"Really?" She asked.
"Yup." he said. "And that asshole beat me to the punch just to spite me and have something that I wanted."
"He never had me." she reminded him.
"He wanted to." Punk said to her. "I knew you were too smart to fall for him but a part of me feared you falling head over heels for him and I'd have to live with seeing you two together everyday."
"Not my type." She said simply.
"I never asked you out because I thought I wasn't your type." he admitted.
"And think of all that time you wasted." She teased.
"I know." He said quietly. "We're making it up for it though."
"We are." She agreed as he finally pulled into a driveway. "Are we at a friends house?"
"Nope." He said taking his keys out of the ignition.
"Am I finally meeting your family?" she asked excitedly.
"I love you too much to expose you to them." he said seriously causing her to laugh. "Get out of the car." he laughed getting out himself.
AJ stepped out of the car and looked and saw a tattoo shop and her eye's widened.
"I thought you said this wasn't another tattoo." She pouted folding her arms but he unfolded them and took her hand into his own and lead her up the stairs.
"What's above the shop is the surprise." He smirked reaching into his pocket and pulling out a key and unlocking the door.
AJ stepped inside first and the place was absolutely huge. Gorgeous stairs, windows everywhere, brick walls and it was tremendous. The home was also completely empty.
"What is this Phil?" She asked.
"Our first home." He announced proudly. "You like it?"
"You own this place?" she asked him.
"We do." He clarified. "I hope you like it because it's all signed away already."
"I'm really confused." She said prying her eyes off of the home and looking back at him.
"After this fight I'm going to be off for a few months and we always said we'd come back here and I promised you a real big home when I made it big and this is it." he said to her. "I've been working on getting this place for a few weeks now. I always used to pass it and would say 'one day I'll be living here' and now we can."
"So we're moving back?" She asked him.
"I mean we'll be in-between." He said to her.
"I have a job Phil." She reminded him.
"I know you do but they don't mind you taking off for a while and then if you want to work you can go back to the pet shop while we're here." He said to her.
"I thought you'd like to be closer to your dad and now that my career has really taken off we have these options."
"What if I said no?" she asked him. "You already bought it."
"I can sell it." He said simply. "I was just-"
"I love it." She said putting on a quick smile and he eyed her carefully.
"You were messing with me?" He asked unsurely and she nodded.
"Our own home!" She screamed happily jumping into his arms. "I love it!"
"You haven't even seen most of it." He reminded her holding her around him.
"It's ours. I don't care if it was just four walls and a mattress in the corner." She said to him with a grin. "I can decorate this place!" She squealed.
"Do anything you want." He smiled putting her down.
"Larry is going to love it too!" she said walking around the empty living room. "And your teammates and Paul won't have keys to come and go as they please it's really just us."
"Just the two of us." He confirmed. "Do you want to look upstairs?" he asked but she was already racing up the stairs.
"Master bath." He said leading into her bathroom connected to their bedroom.
"The shower is huge!" she laughed. "It's the size of our entire bathroom in Vegas."
"Yup." Punk smiled. He was thrilled she was so happy.
"I don't deserve to live here with you." She said to him and he laughed. "I mean it. You've worked so hard to earn this money and get your dream home-"
"It's not a dream home without you." He reminded her. "You've helped me and you're with me. This is for us."
"Imagine how big our bed can be." She said as he lead her out of the bathroom.
"Huge." He confirmed and check out the view from our window." He pointed and she walked over.
"I can see downtown entirely." She said in awe of the beautiful view.
"And at night it's going to be all lit up." He said to her. "Wait until you see the roof. There's a hot tub and we can put a barbecue and furniture up there."
"This is amazing." She said to him.
"There's also a gym downstairs, four other bedrooms, two other bathrooms and a yard." he told her.
"I can't get over this." She said feeling overwhelmed.
"I just want you to be happy." he said to her. "I want to make you as happy as you've made me and I want you to have everything you deserve."
"I'm unbelievably happy." she said holding back tears. "I feel like I'm dreaming, pinch me."
Punk reached behind her and pinched her ass causing her to jump.
"You said pinch, you didn't say where." He reminded her before she could speak.
"What are we going to do with all these extra rooms?" She asked him.
"I was thinking one could be like a comic reading room." He suggested and her face lit up. "And who knows about the rest we'll figure it out over time. Maybe an office or two." He shrugged. "So you're really ok with this right?"
"Who wouldn't be? You've given me everything." She said honestly.
Later that night AJ went off to her father's house while Punk went down the gym. Surprisingly the reaction was fairly warm and welcoming but he was most excited to catch up with Dean.
"So you got a place out here?" Dean asked as the two sat in the office and caught up.
"Yea in Wicker. Town house." Punk told him and Dean whistled.
"I'm happy for you." Dean had to admit. "Insanely jealous but happy nonetheless."
"I appreciate it." Punk said to him.
"So we're going to be seeing a lot more of you around." Dean noted.
"For a few months. I'll still go back to Vegas when I'm in camp but Vegas isn't home this is." Punk told him.
"And how's AJ? You two still together?" Dean asked.
"Yea." Punk smiled. "She's with her dad right now."
"You've been together a while now." Dean pointed out. "Can't believe you've stayed with one girl though."
"Why's that?" Punk asked curiously.
"I could only imagine that women are throwing themselves at you. Hot new UFC fighter and all." Dean noted.
"You think I'm hot?" Punk asked and Dean laughed.
"You know what I mean." Dean said to him. "Has to be tempting."
"Not at all." Punk said to him. "I've never strayed from AJ and don't plan on doing so."
"So you're getting married?" Dean asked and Punk laughed.
"No." Punk said still laughing. "I don't do marriage. We're living together, we have Larry and we're happy with that."
"Well good for you I'm glad you're happy." Dean said genuinely.
"So how's it going here?" Punk asked.
"It's been great. A lot of new guys rolling through hoping to get the 'CM' Punk break." Dean told him with a chuckle. "Everything is pretty much the same."
"That's good." Punk said to him. "I've never seen the gym so packed before."
"Like I said you and I hate to admit it Tommy has really brought good attention to this place." Dean said to him.
"I hope there's room for me here to workout when I move back." Punk said to him.
"There's always room for you." Dean assured him. "Paul flying in this week too?"
"Yea he'll be in tomorrow AJ and I just wanted a head start." Punk said to him.
"Speaking of I saw her pictures she did with Heyman-" Dean began.
"Don't go there with me." Punk warned him and Dean laughed.
"They weren't 'Punk approved'?" Dean asked still laughing and Punk shook his head. "So what is she doing out there if she's no longer working with Heyman."
"She actually does help him out sometimes on projects but she's usually working at a shelter." Punk told him.
"She's a good girl." Dean reminded him. "Don't fuck it up."
"Haven't yet." Punk pointed out smugly. "Well, almost when I saw those pictures but I fixed that."
"Good." Dean said to him. "I'm hoping to get tickets to your fight by the way. Fucking free."
"I'll do you one better, walk out to the cage with me." Punk said to him.
"Seriously?" Dean asked.
"Yea this is Chicago and you're the reason I got noticed to begin with." Punk told him.
"I'll be there." Dean promised.
Punk was sound asleep in his hotel room bed with AJ. Both were exhausted from the trip and planned on sleeping in then furniture shopping but first thing in the morning there was banging on the door. AJ stuck her head up first since Punk didn't hear it.
"Phil." she whispered shaking his arm.
"Huh?" he asked rolling over to face her.
"Someone is-" She started but the banging started again and now Punk was fully awake.
"Who the fuck is doing that?" Punk hissed throwing the blankets off of himself and walking to the door in just his boxers. He opened the door an inch and Paul pushed in.
"Sorry to wake you but we have a big problem." Paul said frantically.
"It better be." Punk said running his hand over his face to wake himself up.
"Joey Russo is out." Paul told him. Joey was Punk's Chicago opponent. "Broken wrist during training."
"Oh fuck." Punk groaned.
"Yea but I have a way to salvage this." Paul said to him. "I just don't know if you're going to like it."
"Just keep me on that card." Punk said to him.
"Are you sure?" Paul asked.
"I don't care if I have to fight the fucking Boogeyman." Punk said to him. "This is my first pay-per-view fight I'm banking on that publicity and money, I have sponsors depending on me." he reminded him.
"Ok." Paul said to him. "I'll call Dana and tell him you said yes."
"It's always yes when it comes to fighting. I don't care who it is." Punk said to him and Paul nodded as he texted.
"I just told Dana you're in." Paul said to him.
"Fine, can I go back to bed now?" he asked Paul.
"Sure but you're going to want to hit the gym early." Paul said to him.
"Not today. Today I've got plans with AJ." He told him. "We're going to furnish our house in one big long ass shopping trip today."
"That's right you got a house." Paul said to him. "Well, enjoy." he smiled walking to the door. "I think we're really going to fill the United Center in a week. Two local Chicago fighters going head to head."
"What?" Punk asked confused as Paul began to walk out the door.
"CM Punk vs Tommy Parker." Paul smiled. "Former teammates duke it out. It's pure money." he grinned then closed the door.
A/N: What a wonderful life they're having...it would be a shame if someone messed it up :) This story has been super fluffy cute, time to work in the drama. Thanks for the reviews everyone!