Punk finally made his way to the hotel room that he and John shared. When he opened the door John was not waiting naked as requested. He was fully clothed, lying on his side on top of the covers. The room was only lit by the lamp on the bedside table. Punk quietly dropped his things, kicked off his shoes and sat on the bed next to John. It was obvious John was still awake because his breathing was uneven.
"I know you're not sleeping."
"Who said I was pretending," John mumbled, still keeping his back to Punk. Punk placed his hand on John's shoulder and tried to roll him over on his back but John resisted.
"What's wrong? Usually I'm the withdrawn and reticent one."
Punk molded his body to John's; smoothing his hands over John's shorn hair and placed a light kiss on the back of his neck. John took a few deep breaths and turned around in Punk's arms to face him. Punk could tell John had been crying, his eyes red rimmed and swollen. Punk was usually the one that had to be talked down from an emotional crisis, not the other way around. Punk knew he had to tread carefully.
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"There's something I haven't told you. It happened around the same time we started dating and honestly I hoped if I just didn't say anything it would go away."
Punk remained silent, waiting for John to continue.
"It's my youngest brother, Sean. He was diagnosed with a brain tumor. He's been on intense chemo and radiation."
"Did something happen? Do you need to go home? Laurinaitis might be a dick about it but I could call Hunter, let Stephanie pull rank on him."
"It's not what you think. It's so amazing; I have no idea why I couldn't stop crying, relief maybe. The latest MRI showed that the tumor is shrinking, the treatment is working. I can't wait to see him when we're in Boston for the next Raw. There are going to be ecstatic Cenas as far as the eye can see. You're going to be there right?"
"It's Raw, of course I'll be there."
"No. I mean you'll be with me right, when I see my family. They want to meet you, though I have to admit that you're going before the firing squad when you meet my brothers, hopefully none of them will pull the trigger on you."
"That sounds ominous. Maybe I should call Hunter and see if I can't get out of Raw."
"If you don't want them showing up unannounced on your doorstep I would suggest that you just face the music. They'll love you because I do."
"Or they'll wonder what in the world is wrong with their sweet and trusting brother that he ended up with a crazy, tattooed freak."
"They already know it's you I'm dating. Just be yourself and you won't have to deal with a gaggle of overprotective Cena men."
"Maybe I'll just turn on the charm and get your Mom on my side. Moms have all the power."
"Your Mom has all the power. She somehow managed to put the fear of God into you which I still can't figure out. Can I ask you a question?
"Ask away."
"Well you're going to be meeting the entirety of my immediate family, why haven't I met anyone besides your Mom?"
"Because I don't speak to half of them."
"I know why you don't speak to your Dad. I do know how to use the internet and I've seen the promos you did when you were feuding with Raven in Ring of Honor."
"Then you have all the explanation you need."
"I know you have a sister due to the infamous Kevin Nash text."
"I have two sisters and a brother I do not speak to. Embezzlement tends to destroy any brotherly bond."
"Can I meet your sisters then?"
"If you want, next time we're in Chicago."
"What about Colt?"
"You didn't meet him when he was in the WWE?"
"Not really. Maybe in passing once or twice."
"What brought this sudden urge on?"
"We've been together for a while now and since I intend to keep you, I just thought it was probably time. Do they not approve or something?"
"They probably think that you're too nice for me but I think that the majority of the time as well."
"I'm not nice all the time."
"I've seen you beat people silly with a smile on your face."
"Maybe I was enjoying their pain."
"Really?"
"Okay, maybe not. My brother is getting better, wrestling is my dream job, I'm going to kick the Rock's ass at WrestleMania, and I have you…what isn't there to be happy about?"
"Indeed."
"The correct response was supposed to be you telling me that you're happy to be with me too."
"I am happy."
"It's just you forgave me for being a moron faster than I ever thought you would. You do like to hold a grudge."
"If I wasn't happy I wouldn't be with you, end of story."
"As if I'd let you leave in the first place."
"You're right. I'd probably have to quit wrestling, change my name and move to Madagascar or something."
"That still wouldn't be far enough away," John said, smiling his usual sunny smile.
Punk leaned in kissing John softly. He had been hesitant about John crossing the last line and meeting his dysfunctional family. His family was always something he kept fiercely private. Letting John meet them would obliterate any space that was left between them. There was only one last step after that and he didn't know if he was ready for it yet.
February 27, 2012
Monday Night Raw
Punk was thoroughly ashamed of himself. While John had been in the shower Punk had gone through his things. The only things of note were the Best in the World t-shirt that he had given him the morning after Money in the Bank buried deep in his suitcase and a sewing kit from one of the hotels that they had stayed at. Punk had never seen John sew anything, not even a button. That was probably because Punk would probably mock him about resembling someone's grandmother.
Punk and John entered the arena in Portland and Punk was immediately informed that he would be facing Daniel again in a rematch. Punk had quickly lost any respect he had for Daniel after the mess on Smackdown. He tried to walk away from the match once and then had cheated by holding the ropes in an attempt to pin him. He had also fallen into step with Laurinaitis which meant that Daniel was basically dead to him. The match on Smackdown had also seemed to involve half the roster and he doubted that tonight would be any different.
What he was really worried about was Jericho, particularly after his strange behavior at the house shows. Jericho seemed to do whatever he pleased and hand no checks on his behavior at all. He knew Jericho was in attendance even though he did not have a match and an idle Jericho was a dangerous Jericho.
Luckily the one thing that he didn't have to worry about was John who seemed to be in a particularly sunny mood considering what was going to befall him tonight. The Rock was returning with the express purpose of humiliating him but John seemed like he was happy to see the Rock or Dwayne as John had taken to calling him. John didn't even seem put out, unlike the rest of the roster, when the Rock strolled into the arena, surrounded by his entourage and escorted to a private dressing room far from the roster, and hadn't said a word to anyone.
Punk pulled on his gear and made his way to the arena entrance and found a crowd of highly hostile people: Long and Santino, Daniel, AJ, Otunga and Laurinaitis. This match had already degenerated into a clusterfuck even though no one had even stepped foot in the ring yet.
Punk entered the arena and played up to the crowd. Daniel was announced but it was not Daniel's music that played through the arena, it was Jericho's who entered with a mic already in hand. He had a feeling Jericho wasn't coming to the ring to wish him good luck in his match. He was sure that Jericho was trying to convey anger but the seizure causing Lite Brite jacket really undercut anything he had come into the ring to say. Even though Jericho said that Punk was one of his favorites that didn't mean that Punk was better than him. Jericho next argued that he had more experience due to traveling around the world to wrestle. Punk just smiled because he knew he had put his time in at ROH and other smaller promotions. Jericho tried to paint himself as some sort of rebellious force in the world of wrestling. Punk just rolled his eyes. Rebellion? Who precisely did Jericho think he was talking to? The last straw was when Jericho accused him of plagiarism and being a Jericho wannabe. He had listened quite long enough.
Jericho was immediately taken aback when Punk admitted how good Jericho was but instantly refuted stealing anything.
"The problem I have with you is you coming out here and insinuating that I've stolen anything from you. I've never plagiarized anything in my life. Everything I have I fought for and earned. You think you invented saying that you are the best? Are you kidding me? There was a guy I remember watching when I was a kid, you probably watched him too. His name was Bret Hart. The best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be. Did you invent that? Did you give that to him when you were 2 years old? He's Canadian; did you invent him being Canadian? Did you invent Canada?"
Jericho continued on. Punk thought he was egomaniacal? Jericho's ego could seriously eclipse the sun. Punk almost lost it when Jericho called himself undeserved on accident but he had to give it to the guy when he didn't correct himself and kept steamrolling through a list of accolades that every guy that stepped foot in the ring was aware of. He was growing sick of Jericho very quickly. Exactly who was Jericho trying to convince that he was the best. Punk knew he cheap shotted Jericho when he brought up Jericho's greatest accomplishment, being the first undisputed Champion. The way he came about attaining that title was tarnished and all the fans knew it. He wasn't their Champion; he was just some guy strolling around with belts that he didn't rightly earn. Jericho was also none too happy when Punk took a shot at Jericho for all the things he did outside the ring, which honestly, didn't mean shit to Punk. Punk craved competition, not the bright lights of the mainstream entertainment industry. He was more than happy for his entire career to take place between the ropes. Punk wondered how with all Jericho's outside interests he had any time to care what Punk was up to, much less apparently obsess over. Punk was growing tired of Jericho's drama queen behavior because if Jericho would have just asked for a match Punk would have readily given it to him. Punk had the urge to kiss Daniel when his music played through the arena and brought Jericho's Greek tragedy to an end.
Daniel walked down the ramp with his posse in tow. Exactly how many people did Daniel think it was going to take to beat him? Predictably Punk was attacked from behind when Laurinaitis distracted him. Punk couldn't blame anyone but himself for that because just one look at Laurinaitis' face and the urge to decimate the man took over. They were giving the fans one hell of a match until everyone and their mom decided to get involved with the match. Daniel took advantage of the confusion and again tried to duck out of the match until Sheamus showed up, the match ending as it had on Smackdown with Punk hitting Daniel with the GTS. Before the official could even begin the count Laurinaitis was in the ring calling for the bell. Punk and Laurinaitis started arguing but that was quickly cut short when Long entered the ring and knocked Clown Shoes on his ass and he found he couldn't stop laughing. As the ring started filling up with the warring factions Punk took his belt and headed to the arena entrance. There were quite enough people in the ring already.
He turned his back to the entrance to play to the crowd and found himself being thrown to the floor. Jericho started banging his head repeatedly against the steel grating and after a body slam, found himself in the Walls of Jericho, Jericho's knee pressing his face into the grating and he could not free himself. Jericho eventually let up when a horde of officials showed up. He was badly hurt and cringed when he had to be helped to the back. It made him look weak, which he hated above all things. He was surprised he hadn't been opened up after hitting the unforgiving grating so many times.
He was laid out in the trainer's room being checked over when John came through the door, the worry obvious on his face. Punk did his best to convince John that he wasn't as hurt as it seemed. John had a match with Miz and there was still the Rock to contend with. He eventually convinced John to leave for his match with the help of the trainers who went along with Punk's story that he wasn't that hurt. The second the door closed behind John he collapsed back on the table. He ended up on his stomach with ice packs on his lower back and the back of his head. He figured he could stay there for an hour or so but knew that he needed to find his way to the monitor bay so he could be with John when the Rock showed up.
Punk knew he was in trouble when he heard the trainer's room door open after 10 or so minutes. It was exactly the time when Punk thought John would be finished with Miz and returned to the monitor bay to find him absent. He heard the scurrying of feet and when he looked up the trainers were practically running from the room under the force of John's glare.
"So, this is your definition of not being injured? You do this over and over again. I'm your boyfriend not your opponent. If you're injured you can tell me. I'm not going to leave the room, find Jericho, and tell him that he did a hell of a number on you."
"I don't want to look weak."
"We all look weak sometime. If you don't want the roster to see you like this I understand but you don't have to lie to me. Can't you understand that if you're hurt I want to be here with you, to take care of you, to make sure that if Jericho decides to stroll into the room and take another shot at you I'm here to beat him until the trainers really have something to do."
John watched dumbfounded when Punk sat up and began to get off the table.
"What are you doing? Didn't you hear a word I just said?"
"The Rock is coming back tonight. You need to be in the monitor bay and I need to be there with you."
"Phil…"
"Don't worry. I'll let you submerge me in an ice bath once we get back to the hotel. Let's go."
A clearly frustrated John followed Punk to the monitor bay and watched as Punk just threw himself into a seat, showing no hint of the pain he was in. His eyes caught Jericho smirking at Punk from the back row. He took a seat next to Punk and watched the match between Show and Sheamus vs. Rhodes and Mark Henry. The final hour of the show was winding down and Dwayne would be showing his face soon.
John leaned over and spoke quietly in Punk's ear. "Do you remember telling me to stay away from Jericho no matter what happens? The same thing goes for Dwayne. He's going to say some nasty things but you're just going to have to stay in your seat no matter how pissed off you get. Dwayne is my problem. Do you understand?"
"I understand. It doesn't mean I'm happy with it."
The Rock's music started playing and the crowd was deafening. Punk leaned over to check Kofi's phone. There was a little less than half the show left. This was not going to be pretty. It took the Rock five minutes to quiet the crowd down so that he could even speak. After a Boots to Asses chant finally died down the Rock promised more chants to come. Punk just rolled his eyes. The crowd was going to follow the Rock wherever he led them even if it was moronic as hell.
The Fruity Pebbles chant, perfectly acceptable. John did have a revolving color wheel of shirts, each one more offensive to the eyes than the last; he had said it himself to John on occasion. Then came the Kung Pao Chicken chant. He had to admit that John and the Rock were perfectly matched in their ability to come up with come of the strangest phrases he had ever heard. The crowd lit up with a Rocky chant in response. The Rock had just basically read a menu from a Chinese restaurant and the crowd went crazy. And then the Rock started with the Twitter trending. Dear God was this ever going to come to an end? Of course John's lady parts eventually found their way into the promo. He looked over at John who was just smiling at the monitor. Punk breathed a sigh of relief when John stood up.
"Tell me you're going to go out there and smack him in the mouth and bring this to an end."
"Sorry but no, I'm going out there and make this even crazier."
Punk just shook his head as John left for the arena entrance. The Rock didn't seem very surprised when John entered the arena. John seemed far too happy for someone entering the hostile situation of facing an entire arena of Rock fans. The Rock was getting more and more pissed as John went on. Then John dropped what could only be considered a pipe bomb when he revealed that the Rock wrote notes for his promo on his wrist. There were places that you just didn't go in the business and John had just blown right past that line. The Rock looked shocked for a moment and then looked like he wanted to lay John out right then and there. John jumped out of the ring.
"Carry on, continue trending."
The Rock looked completely taken aback at the shot John had just leveled at him. The Rock continued on but he was obviously shaken. That was made entirely clear when the Rock threw the mic out of the ring, and reading his lips, wondered if the Rock knew that motherfucker was not considered in line with their PG rating. John had succeeded in throwing the Rock completely off his game and he was incensed. Score 1 for John.
AN: Three things
1) Info on Punk's family is thin on the ground on the net. If you spot a mistake please let me know so that I can fix it.
2) A heartfelt thank you to all my reviewers who are just as awesome as can be. Like most girls, flattery will get you everywhere, meaning the undeniable urge to update as soon as possible.
3) I was screwing around on YouTube as I tend to do when bored and started watching Gracie Breakdown. If you want to see Punk get tossed around Gracie Jiu-Jitsu style check it out. He is obviously more flexible than even us slash vixens are giving him credit for.