"How's he doing?" Mike asks, leaning against the counter of the hotel bathroom, staring blankly at the beige wall across from him.
There's a pause as shuffling comes from the other end of the phone, a door clicking shut while Morrison wanders around his apartment. "Not great. He's mostly stayed in the guest room since you and Alex left. I've gotten him to come out once or twice, for food, but he doesn't really eat a lot." Mike opens his mouth, about to ask something else when John continues, reading his mind in the way that used to annoy him but now is more of a comfort. "He hasn't said much either. I think he's still in shock."
Mike shakes his head, rubbing a hand down his face and up through his hair. "I really hate that we had to leave so suddenly," he mutters. "Has he touched his things?"
"No, the bags are still in a pile in the corner of the room." John sighs, sounding about as worried as Mike is feeling. "Maybe if I put him on the phone with you when he wakes up, it'd help some."
Swallowing, Miz shakes his head. "I... don't know what to say. John, I don't understand what he's going through." He closes his eyes. "I brought him to you because I... I assumed you would..."
John falls silent and Mike winces, thinking he's overstepped, bringing back those memories from the draft... but when Morrison speaks again, he sounds calm, almost sympathetic. "Is that what you've been thinking about?" He sighs, shifting against the phone. "Mike, really. I do understand on some level but... what Del Rio did to Ricardo is so much worse. It's like... when you turned on me, it lasted a split second. It happened so quickly, I barely remember it. But Alberto's was... it was extensive, it was personal. I'm sure it'll be burnt into Ricardo's memory for a long time to come, and it's just... it's going to take awhile for him to even start to move past it."
Giving up on standing, Mike returns to the main room of the suite and slumps down in his bed, carding his fingers through his hair. "Unfortunately," he sighs. "I just wish I could do more for him."
"Just be there for him, and don't push. He was strong enough to deal with Del Rio for three years, through all of the highs and lows, he'll make it through this too. It'll just take time and patience."
Mike smiles, perhaps the first true smile he'd felt like expressing since Monday night. "Therapist John Morrison, at our service."
"Hmph. I should charge you all."
"But seriously," he says quietly, looking up as Alex enters with bags of food for them both, laying it down on the desk to wait for Mike to get off of the phone. "Thanks for all of this. Agreeing to let him stay, and everything else." He nods when Alex motions to the bag before ducking into the bathroom. "Anyway, um... I have to go. Alex just brought back something to eat. I'll see you in a few days, huh?"
"Good, there's a box of dreadfully illegal fireworks in my living room with your name on them and I would like to get rid of them at some point in the next two weeks."
Mike chuckles. "Yep, that's the plan. Bye." Upon hanging up, he goes over to dig through the bags, sort out what's his and what's Alex's. When the younger man comes out, their eyes lock and he shakes his head, some of the hope fading from Alex's face. "No change."
"Damn," he breathes, slumping down in his seat. Mike rests a hand on his shoulder, massaging the tense muscles there before sitting across from him to eat in silence as they ponder what's to come.
Although Main Event goes by quickly, Miz relieved that there are no recaps of what exactly happened on Raw, Smackdown is next on the horizon and he stares at the email alert about MizTV for probably the millionth time. He taps his knuckles against the screen, looking over at Alex with a disbelieving smirk. "You know, I hated when AJ gave me this show... It's kind of grew on me since, but it's always so damn weird when she's a guest on it."
"Are you going to be ok, Mike?"
He forces a nod. "Sure, kid. Kind of have to be, right?" He can't lose it. Though he'd come close the week prior, he's pulled himself together with strength he'd not been sure he had, taking charge over the whole Ricardo situation, helping to find a safe place for him and getting his things away from Del Rio's house, and he has to continue to be strong for the ring announcer, especially when his future is so uncertain. AJ's drama isn't the first thought in his mind anymore, the most of his focus now on Ricardo and supporting him through this as well as he can.
So although he feels detached from the whole proceedings, he still mocks her about her former boyfriends, some of what she says about people using her and then discarding her digging deep inside him in a place where he knows, once everything else quiets down, he'll dwell and obsess over, let the guilt wash over him like poison through his bloodstream all over again, but for now... for now... he has to focus on Ricardo, on hosting Summerslam, on the beach party. On trying to get through this hellacious month.
When he and Alex return to California for the week's worth of events leading up to Summerslam, they head to LA for a few hours to check on Ricardo and John before continuing on to Raw and it's a solemn Morrison who greets them, glancing over his shoulder. "Hey, bit of a head's up," he whispers as he lets them inside his apartment. "Ricardo wants to go with to Raw tomorrow."
Miz pales slightly, staring at him. "You can't be serious." He doesn't wait for an answer, entering the apartment to find Ricardo sitting awkwardly on John's couch, staring down at the bag between his feet. If not for the slump to his shoulders, circles around his eyes and the unhealthy tinge to his skin, one would almost be able to trick themselves into thinking that he's fine, but as soon as Mike sits next to him and looks deep into his face, he knows better. The younger man looks devastated, still, his eyes dull and blank. "Hey, Ricardo."
The ring announcer swallows and glances from Mike to Alex and back. "Hola," he whispers, staring down at his hands. He is still speaking very little, but progress is progress, and Miz thinks he should be happy for any movement in the right direction, but his heart hurts to hear how weak his voice sounds on even that small word.
"John tells me you want to come with us to Sacramento," Mike says after a moment, careful not to include Raw in the equation. "I'm not sure it's a good idea, man. You need your rest, and..."
"I need to- to... at least be nearby," he says pleadingly, his voice fading away as he swallows. "Please, Mike. I don't know what I want to do but- please..."
Miz releases a pained breath, staring at him uncertainly. "How about a compromise? Alex and I, we'll drive you to Sacramento... but you stay at the hotel. If you come to a decision on what exactly you want to do, you call us and we'll come get you. Other than that, you just relax and give yourself time. There's no hurry, you know? You don't need to decide right this moment what you want to do. We'll support you either way, I just don't want you to risk further injury when you're still not sure."
Ricardo sniffs, nods. "Si, alright, Mike. Gracias." His face falls as Mike leans forward and hugs him, gripping his shirt in response. "All of you. Thank you."
Mike pulls away with a small smile and wraps an arm around Ricardo's shoulders, squeezing gently. "Now, we need to decide what we're going to do about the beach party." He looks around at Morrison and Alex, smirking. "What do you think, boys? We can do it on Tuesday, or Thursday... or hold off until after Raw next week, I guess."
As the three men go back and forth on pros and cons for each option, the ring announcer watches on silently, observing their easy camaraderie with each other, trying not to cry.
Mike isn't all that surprised to find that all he has to do is another edition of MizTV that night for Raw, his match count very low since he'd been announced as host of Summerslam. If he'd had any energy to spare, he'd worry about it, but really, it gives him more time to focus on Ricardo and everything else going on around them, so it's fine. For now.
He and Alex have just walked into the building when he comes face to face with Alberto Del Rio, who sneers at him. He swallows and clenches his hand into a fist, eyes narrowed as they examine each other. Alex is hovering nearby, in case he needs some sort of backup, but the world champion just laughs in his face before pushing roughly past him, hand tense around his title belt as he walks back down the hallway. "Bastard," Mike grits out.
MizTV is fairly late in the show, so he and Alex wander the building for awhile, Mike trying to calm down after that unwanted run in. He's watching on one of the monitors near catering, lips twisted unpleasantly, while AJ and Big E come out for a tag match against Khali and Natalya, of all things.
The ending is confusing, AJ tapping after Natalya lets go of the sharpshooter, but eventually it gets locked in completely and the Divas' champion taps again, Big E coming in just to eat a chop from Khali. Miz winces at the ugly finish before looking over at Alex. "Well. That's some prelude to Summerslam, huh?"
"Yeah," Alex mutters. "Weird." Despite keeping a close eye on their phones, Ricardo hadn't called and they both sigh in relief when Del Rio's match against Kofi finally begins, the oddness of the evening continuing when the world champion comes thisclose to losing to the freshly returned superstar a few times before finally eaking out a victory. "Do you think, even if he'd never admit it, that the loss of Ricardo is starting to get to him? I mean... his win-loss record hasn't been stellar lately."
Mike smirks. "Wouldn't that be apropos? Maybe he'll lose the World title this Sunday." Outside of his own various championship feuds, he'd never cared excessively about other people's title reigns, but this one... especially now, he wouldn't mind seeing it end. Even if it's to Christian, or Sandow, both men he's had various issues with over the past couple of years.
"I wouldn't complain," Alex says.
Miz nods, clapping him on the shoulder as he stands. "Gotta go get ready for the ever important MizTV. I'll see you later, kid."
"Yep, bye."
He doesn't have to do a lot for MizTV this week, just saying enough to get Daniel and Cena tense, before standing back and letting them go at it, smirking at their ridiculous shirts as he stands there in his suit, thoughts still on everything else he has to do this week. When HHH comes out, he's relieved to leave the ring, allowing the three men to do whatever, not wanting any part of it. As soon as he makes it backstage, he smirks at Alex and stands alongside him, watching the fall out of his show. "Glad I'm not in that melee," he sighs. "C'mon, let's get out of here, check on Ricardo."
Alex nods, following him to collect their things. They drive in silence to the hotel, Mike tapping his fingers against the steering wheel at every red light, anxious to see how the younger man is doing. Upon arriving, they trade shushes as Miz unlocks the door, both men blinking against the darkness while they slip inside. They exchange glances, Alex finding his way to the bathroom and turning the light in there on so they can see somewhat without risking disrupting the ring announcer, Miz releasing a soft breath when they find Ricardo fast asleep in one of the beds, his phone held tightly in one fist. They'd seen his text earlier in the evening, during the replay of the week prior, and it had only made Mike want to find Del Rio all the more and kick his face in, but he'd refrained.
Now, he stands over the younger man and gently tugs the phone out of his hand, running fingers through his hair when he whimpers and rolls over in his sleep, visibly distressed. "It's ok, Ricardo. It's just us," he murmurs quietly. "You're alright. We'll be back in LA soon and we can begin to put all of this behind us, huh?" At least he wishes it to be so, tired of all of the bad, dwelling on all of the pain surrounding the past few months.
He hopes that Summerslam will be a badly needed fresh beginning for all of them.