Returning to California only hours after Ricardo admits to Mike that Del Rio has finally, finally told the younger man everything that should've been made clear to him months ago is aggravating, but Mike's chief comfort is that Ricardo will have Alex nearby, should he need him. It is also some comfort that the younger man had, after briefly checking on Alberto after Raw, came back to their joint hotel room and slept there. His sleep may not have been that restful, the man looking pale and worn ragged upon awakening, but Mike isn't sure his spending a lot of time with Del Rio would be that great either, risking falling back into the old patterns, which before just proved his dedication and loyalty to his employer and best friend. To do it now, after everything they'd been through, would only be all the more unhealthy, not that it was great before.
He's distracted and overwhelmed as he stares around his house, which shows no sign of the holidays on the horizon. He closes his eyes and shakes his head, grimacing slightly... when he hears a clicking noise from his front door, immediately on edge as he turns towards it, tilting his head when he realizes that the lock's just been unlatched, which means it can only be one person. Sure enough, when the door opens fully and the familiar head of his former tag team partner peeks in, he has to smirk. "You trying to get killed, you home invader?" he teases him, crossing his arms over his chest as he walks over to him.
"Am I really an invader when you've given me a key?" he asks idly, spinning the keyring around his finger. Mike rolls his eyes and turns his back on his best friend, twisting his lips as he stares over the gloom of his living room. "What are you doing, man? If I didn't know better, I'd say you were casing your own home." His joke falls flat and he frowns, resting a hand on Miz's shoulder, squeezing. "Mike?"
"I want to have everyone over for Christmas, but my schedule's been so stupid lately, I haven't had any chance to decorate... I can't have Ricardo, Alex, AJ or- or anyone over when it looks like this, but I don't know what to do. I don't have the time to do this alone- I have to leave for Main Event early tomorrow, and I'm just... I'm so damn tired," he groans, having very little time just to sit and be since, well... since Thanksgiving.
John continues to knead his shoulders, letting him talk himself out, before finally interjecting. "Well, lucky you that you're not alone then." He smirks and pushes Mike towards the stairs. "Now where do you keep your decorations? We'll get this sorted in more than enough time, you'll see."
And he believes him, allowing the other man to take control in his home, following him along blankly as they pull out box after box of ornaments, decorations, and various other seasonal things. Before long, everything's stacked in the living room and they're quickly going through them, John asking Mike his opinion now and again but just working by memory of how he's decorated the last few years, red and white garland sweeping over various surfaces, green candles resting on the main table with soft white ceramic snowmen on either side of it. Twinkling lights cover the mantle and Mike stares up at it with a small smile while John looks to make sure none have blown out since the last time they were used. "Looks good," he mutters while he sits down on the couch for a moment, glancing around as things slowly take shape around him. He thinks he could easily hold a holiday party here after all. Thanks to John.
"Luckily, none of the lights have blown out-" John's just said, turning to look at his best friend when he stops short and smiles slightly, shaking his head. "Guess you weren't kidding when you said you were tired," he mutters, not all that surprised to find Mike slumped against the armrest, fast asleep. He finds a blanket and shakes it out over him, leaving him to his rest while he quietly continues setting up Christmas decorations before tackling the most important part- the tree.
Warm lights flashing against his face wakes him up and he bats at whatever's in front of his eyelids, startled when he realizes there actually is nothing there. He groans and sits up, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, which then widen as soon as he can see again... "Oh my God," he mutters, looking around in amazement. Whereas before only some of his Christmas stuff had been set out, now it's complete. Little snow-covered houses have joined the garland on the table in front of him and the tree is standing in its usual place by the window, soft lights reflecting off of the different colored ornaments and more garland, this time pure sparkling silver. He swallows and shakes his head, wondering where John's gone, when he hears a soft throat clearing behind him. Twisting around, he looks up as John leans against the doorway, grinning at his awestruck expression. "So? Does it meet your approval?" he asks idly, pushing away to join him on the couch.
"What time is it?" he mutters, still dazed that he had accomplished so quickly what had left Mike floundering. "It- it looks amazing, man. Thank you so much. I guess I definitely have to invite you to my party now," he smirks, laughing when John pouts in an overexaggerated fashion. "What do you say? Want to go get something to eat? My treat."
Morrison sighs. "You just want to drip your fries in my chocolate milkshake when I'm not looking again," he grouses, eyes narrowed as he looks over at his tag partner.
"You know me so well," Miz grins before dragging him out of the house into the unfortunately cool California air. After arriving at a nearby burger joint, they sit and eat and talk, Mike telling him all about the latest drama involving Alberto and Ricardo, John shaking his head in amazement at it all. "Yeah," he mutters, stirring his straw around inside his glass. "Fun holiday season. I guess having Christmas here is a good idea, gets Ricardo out of Florida and gives him a break from all of that."
"Unless he decides to invite Del Rio too," John suggests, unable to keep himself from laughing at the look of horror on Mike's face.
"Oh God! I hope not," he shudders. "Him, in my house for days... yeesh. Why did you suggest that? I won't be able to sleep for a week now." But the longer they sit there, the more he knows: If Ricardo does ask it of him, he would say yes just to make the man's holiday a little less stressful, and so he could keep an eye on them, but he doubts it'll be a problem. Either way, should he be wrong, he'll just deal with it, depending on whatever Ricardo feels most comfortable with.
Main Event is... interesting, for lack of a better term that week. Mick Foley is there, dressed as Santa, but Mike is more humored by how the building is taken up by his friends and very few others. He of course is there for commentary, AJ and Tamina are there because the divas champion has a match against Kaitlyn, but Ricardo and Alex are also there, Mike's former protege claiming that he's tired of hanging around, rehabbing, and wants to get re-accustomed to traveling some. Ricardo had merely decided to tag along to take his mind off of things and Mike grins at them, resting an arm on either man's shoulders. "Well, I'm glad you're here," he tells them. "It'll make it easier to do this." When they all stare at him curiously, he squeezes Ricardo's arm. "A certain former tag partner of mine has told me I've been spending much too much time in Florida, so I've decided to have Christmas in California." Alex and Ricardo immediately look disappointed at this news, but he clears his throat, raising a hand before either could say anything. "And you're all invited to join me at my house; as it happens I have it on good authority Main Event's been preempted on both Christmas and New Years, so we can do whatever we want for a few days until we know who has to travel back out for Smackdown on Friday. How's that sound?"
A chorus of agreeing responses echoes around him and he joins the others in grinning too. "Great, see you there. But for now, the Most Must-See Color Announcer has to go do announcing." He smirks and kisses AJ, wishing her luck in her match, before walking to gorilla, humming softly under his breath. He even receives a Christmas present when Foley Claus comes out, laughing at the WWE rocking horse ornaments before Josh Mathews takes them from him, both of them falling silent when Curtis Axel and Ryback come out and begin bullying Santa. Having seen more than enough, Mike gets into the ring and he and Santa begin singing altered Christmas tunes, deriding both Axel and Ryback. Ryback looks like he's ready to attack Mike when Santa intercedes and makes a match with Axel against Mike, with he in Miz's corner and Ryback in Axel's.
Mike smirks, glad for the opportunity to defend Christmas against the bullies, before he collects his things- including the ornaments with a sly look back at Josh Mathews- so he can go backstage to prepare for the match. Alex and Ricardo are standing by the gorilla, talking lowly, when Mike slaps Alex on the hand, as if tagging him in. When both men look at him quizzically, he smirks. "You're up, kid. The commentary table's all yours for now." Alex's eyes light up and he immediately dashes out to ring side to take over for his former pro, Mike laughing before he realizes how quiet the hallway is, turning slowly to find Foley Claus and Ricardo staring at each other. "Oops," he mutters, having forgotten the year before and everything else for a few moments.
Ricardo swallows and presses his hands together. "Er, Feliz Navidad," he offers after a strained moment.
Foley Claus stares at him quietly for a moment longer and Mike considers dragging the ring announcer back to the locker rooms when he finally asks, "Have you been a good boy this year, Ricardo?"
"I, I tried," he mutters, staring bashfully down at his feet. "I really did."
"Mm hmm..." Foley Claus hums to himself, rocking back and forth on his heels with a twinkle in his eye. "And what would you like for Christmas?"
Ricardo looks up, surprised at the question. "Uh, um." He glances back at Mike before looking down once more, shame thrumming from his very pores, overwhelming Mike. "I want... things to be like they used to be..."
Mike aches for him, wishes he knew what to say to make all of this easier for him to digest, to understand. Months of being lied to by your best friend, especially after being hurt so many times by that same friend, would haunt anyone, and he doubts there's anything to say, still not entirely sure if Del Rio deserves Ricardo's forgiveness or trust after everything he'd done.
But Foley Claus is a better man than Mike and so he somehow finds the words. "Anything's possible with a little faith, Ricardo. Especially this time of year. Don't give up." He taps his finger to the side of his nose and winks. "You'll be alright, no matter how this all resolves."
"Gracias, Santa," Ricardo breathes out, clearly forgetting for a minute who exactly he's talking to- not that Mike blames him, he had forgotten as well that it's Mick Foley under all of the red and white fabric, the man looking and sounding so much like Santa that it's almost eerie.
"I'll see you in a bit," Mike tells the ring announcer, clapping him on the shoulder before turning back to Foley Claus. "Alright, let's go get ready to handle those bullies." When they're out of earshot of Ricardo, he glances over at the older man. "Thanks for that. He really needed the confidence boost."
Foley Claus hesitates for a moment before shrugging. "It's become clear over the past year that there's more to him that meets the eye at first. I didn't think it was possible... but I don't think he belongs on any naughty list."
"No, he doesn't," Mike agrees, pushing his way into the locker room to begin preparing for the match ahead. While warming up with easy stretches, he watches AJ defeat Kaitlyn with some help from Tamina, smiling as she skips next to her enforcer. He continues the winning spree, defeating Axel after Foley Claus stuffs a festive red Socko down Ryback's throat, keeping him from causing Mike the match.
Once Alex escapes the commentary desk, the group of them leave the arena, cheerful and happy. They're all going to be spending a few days in Texas so they don't have to go far for Smackdown, which is a relief. As much as they like their homes, the traveling can wear on anyone after enough time. But Mike wants to be prepared, although he also doesn't want to ruin the general happiness surrounding them. After some debating with himself, he rests a hand on Ricardo's shoulder and smiles at the younger man. "So, um... you know. Del Rio wasn't at Raw, and I'm wondering what's going on with that situation. Is he...?"
Ricardo sighs, looking a bit glum as he shrugs. "Last I heard from him, the trainer's being cautious, and insisted he take a week or two off. Sofia will be taking good care of him, I'm sure."
Mike nods, relieved that at least they wont have to worry about running into him, but also feeling bad for the ring announcer- it'll just mean less time for them to sort out whatever this is between them, leaving Ricardo conflicted and unhappy as he ponders the past few months and all of the things Del Rio had done and said. "I'm sorry, man," he offers, rubbing circles where his shoulders and neck meet, trying to sooth the tension out of his muscles, which only seems to help a very little before they get into the car to drive back to the hotel.
But after Smackdown that week, all of them are unhappy and tense when Tamina loses to Brie, who then gets some measure of revenge for her sister by pushing AJ clear over the chair she'd sat in while doing commentary during the match. Mike holds her until his scheduled match against Damien is next, interrupting the man's speech against Christmas, this attempt at defending the holiday failing in almost record time as the so-called Intellectual Savior uses his tights to pin him, Miz seething as he joins his girlfriend backstage, anger and disappointment in both of their eyes. "Dammit," he breathes out.
"My thoughts exactly," she grouses, reaching out and taking his hand as he turns back to the locker room, wanting to put this arena behind him, turn his attention towards Christmas and the few days they'll have in California just to relax and enjoy the holiday, away from losses and being utility players and whatever else.
He flies out to California early the next morning, wanting to look things over once more before the rest of them converge upon his house for the holidays. As he looks around at the job that was mostly Morrison's doing, he grins and sighs, trying still to get into the holiday mood. After the year all of them had had, it's hard to feel all that cheery but this is going to be his and AJ's first Christmas together, not to mention Ricardo's first when not working for Del Rio, and he knows he has to work if it's going to be special in any way, shape or form.
He's wandering around a store, looking at what remains of holiday decorations, when his phone buzzes. He thoughtlessly pulls it out of his pocket and answers without checking to see who's calling. "Hello?"
There's a brief hesitation on the other end and he's about to check to see who'd dialed him when he hears, "Hola, Mike."
"Oh, hey, Ricardo, what's up, man? Everything going alright?"
"Ah, si, I'm ok," he says awkwardly. "I just... I need to ask you something. And if it's too much, I definitely understand but..." He swallows thickly and Mike frowns, sensing where this is going to go. "Thanksgiving was... it was... hard. I know you and Alex, John, everyone did the best you could for me, but it was my first real holiday without Sofia or Alberto and... I still missed them. Now I know the truth and... things still aren't great, but I think about spending Christmas without either of them and... it just... I can't picture it. No offense to you or the others, everything you've done for me has meant so much, I don't know what I'd do without you all, but I kind of... just want one holiday to feel... a little more like it used to, you know?"
Mike releases a soft breath, staring blankly at the shelves of red, green and white stuff in front of him as he remembers the conversation Ricardo had had with Foley Claus. "Does this mean you're not coming, Ricardo? Do you want to spend Christmas in Florida with them?"
"No! No, no, that- I'm not ready for that either." He sounds shaky, like he's about to start crying again, and Mike winces sympathetically. "If it's not too much of an imposition... could... we maybe invite Alberto, his brother Memo and Sofia to Christmas at your house too?" He sounds so hopeful that it almost hurts.
Mike can only imagine how that would go. Even so, he can't stop the answer that he eventually mutters. "Yeah, sure, man, if that's what you want to do."
"I do," Ricardo whispers back. "Gracias, Mike. I... I don't know how I can repay you for everything-"
"It's Christmas, man. You don't have to repay me at all. I just want you to have a great time, alright?"
"Si, alright." After talking for a little while longer, figuring out plans and times and everything else, Mike returns to staring at the decorations before grabbing some more and tossing it into his cart with what else he'd already collected.
AJ and Tamina are the only ones at Raw that week, Mike not being needed so he'd remained in California, wandering the beach with John while they wait for the rest to be able to fly out and join them early Tuesday. Main Event thankfully had been preempted that week so they're all able to remain in the state until Smackdown. As he follows John's footsteps, he wonders how the man handles it over and over again- being in town, waiting for them all to join him for holidays or any other major thing. Though John had always been much more patient that Mike, it just sounds excruciating. He can't believe it's now been over two years since Morrison had been fired, that whole horrible night as fresh in his mind as if it'd just happened yesterday.
"I kinda can't believe you're making us celebrate Christmas with Del Rio," John teases him.
Mike shrugs listlessly. "Ricardo's been through enough this year, if he really wants it, well... I can't exactly say no, I guess. Besides I feel a little more confident about it all if we're all here for Ricardo if things somehow go badly. Which, considering how the last five months have gone thanks to Del Rio, could very well happen again. At least he won't be alone."
John stops and looks back at him, smirking in the twilight as the waves wash over his feet. "That's very thoughtful of you, Mike. I guess having Ricardo as a friend helped you grow up some." Miz sneers at him and he laughs, walking closer to the cool water. "And how are things going with AJ?"
"Better, too." He kicks at the sand a bit before shrugging. "She's calmed down since retaining her divas' title again. Now she seems mostly focused on the fact that she'll be the longest reigning divas' champion in a few weeks, so it's good that she's concentrating on something positive."
"Yeah it is," he nods as they trudge back up to John's apartment. "Are you going to take this Christmas stuff yet or just... let me keep it and not see what the hell any of it is for another few days?"
Mike laughs at his disgruntled expression. "I just didn't want AJ tripping over it and figuring it out. But yeah, she won't be in till tomorrow at some point so I'll take it." He scoops the bags up and smirks at the exasperated look on John's face. "See ya tomorrow, man!"
"You suck," he sighs through a laugh, walking him to the door. "See you then."
The next day Mike wiles away the time by running errands and emailing back and forth with WWE higher ups about his media schedule leading up to the New Year before checking all of the food he'd stockpiled for Christmas, double-triple-quadruple checking to make sure he has plenty of dessert ingredients, especially after the inconcievable Thanksgiving snafu. He's been home barely an hour when John arrives, settling in to wait with him in the living room as the others slowly trickle in- AJ and Tamina first from Texas, then Ricardo and Alex, with Del Rio, Sofia and Memo Montenegro arriving last.
Alberto peers around the house curiously as Mike stops Sofia from taking all of their jackets, waving a hand at her. "You're my guest, Sofia, take it easy for a night or two, huh?" He chuckles faintly at the uncertain look on her face, leaving the situation to Ricardo as he puts their jackets on hangers and presses them into the hall closet before returning to his friends. Memo still looks uncomfortable and out of place so Mike turns his attention to him, not wanting him to feel completely left out. "Welcome to the madness, Memo."
"Ah, gracias, Miz," he says, looking surprised at being addressed at all. "And gracias for having me."
"Any time, man. There's plenty of drinks, lots of food, so make yourself comfortable and help yourself to whatever's in the fridge. Mi casa es su casa," he says, glancing over at Ricardo who laughs and gives him a quick thumbs up before returning to his conversation with Morrison and Sofia. Memo nods and he leaves him to his own devices, wandering over to the couch where AJ and Tamina are sitting, wrapping a warm arm around his girlfriend as she curls closer to him. He watches closely when, awhile later, Alberto joins Ricardo and Sofia, John excusing himself after a few moments to sit with Alex and Memo on another couch, the two men discussing concerts in Florida that they'd been to in the past. Thankfully everything seems to be going alright and he relaxes, allowing the pure contentment of having all of his friends in one place suffuse him, finally giving him the holiday spirit he'd been trying to force since the season had begun.
He gives them all another half an hour to visit before loudly clearing his throat, distracting them from the various conversations being held. "Excuse moi," he says in an overexaggerated French accent. "As it's getting late and some of us are tired from flights or Raw last night, there's only one thing we have left to do tonight." John smirks behind his mug of eggnog as Mike collects the bag they'd bickered over the day before, settling down with it in the middle of the room. He's sure that everyone can tell just how pleased he is to have all eyes on him as he tears the bag open and pulls out the first item, holding it up so everyone can see it.
"Uh, Mike? Is that a stocking?" AJ asks him, eyes locked on it curiously.
"Yeah, it is," he smiles at her. "I bought one for all of us, and some fabric paint..." The further into the bag he goes, pulling out the various stockings, the more self-conscious he feels as the silence draws on around him. He starts to doubt if this was a good idea, or just a childish attempt at making himself feel better as he hadn't been up to decorating the house or much else for the season. When he finally looks up, though, he's surprised to see smiles on all of his guests' faces, blinking at them before smiling too. "Well, what are you waiting for? Come pick your stocking and start decorating it."
He doesn't even care what stocking he gets left with as his friends come up one by one, collecting each stocking and a bottle of fabric paint or two, sitting in a circle around an empty table. He watches with a faint smile as they all get to work, focused on the task while they share the bottles of paint courteously whenever asked to. It's a holiday miracle, he thinks, his last worry that there would be a war of some sort during this fading away.
He stands with his own stocking in hand and goes to join the others, sitting between AJ and Morrison as he paints his own name on his stocking and haphazardly dots white around the lettering to look like snow.