Mike cups AJ's face, kissing her hello as soon as he gets into the general area of the airport where security isn't so rigid about people waiting for their loved ones. She smiles at him before pulling away, looking down at the sheet of papers he's brought along with details for his Deal With It episode. "So what are we doing?" She takes them and skims through the papers before looking up at him curiously.
"Going to this restaurant and finding someone to make them do embarrassing challenges to win up to $5000." He smirks. "My favorite thing, embarrassing people, right?"
She laughs and leans into him, pressing kisses down his jaw. "At least they'll win some money, otherwise, I'd feel sorry for them with whatever madness you'll dream up." She gasps and squeals as he responds by tickling her, fighting to escape his teasing fingers, until he wraps his arms around her and pulls her closer, burying his face in her neck. "So where am I going to be watching this at?"
"It's your choice," he tells her softly, brushing her hair over her other shoulder. "You can stay with me in the sound room, or you can sit in the restaurant and watch the madness unfold without knowing what I'm telling the contestant, be surprised."
She hums and nods, kissing his mouth. "I think I want to be surprised. I'll sit in the restaurant, just give me a heads up where the cameras will be directed so no one sees me."
"Of course I will," he tells her, running his fingers through her hair with a smile. "For now though, let's go home. I'm not quite used to all of this traveling yet, and I think I'm still jetlagged a bit... I need a little TLC. And... not the WWE kind," he hastens to explain, grimacing at the glint in AJ's eyes.
"Alright," she sighs, stroking her fingers down his arm until entwining their hands, dragging him out of the airport towards their car. "Let's go home, and I'll see what I can do about that."
He grins.
The next morning, AJ wakes up in Mike's arms and leans up, kissing him awake. He sighs and blinks at her before glancing at the clock, groaning faintly. "Sorry," she tells him. "But you need to wake up so we can get ready for your Deal With It taping in a few hours."
"I know," he grunts. "Just... five more minutes?" She looks like she's about to argue but he sits up, smothering her protests with kisses as she clings to his arms, lips twitching into a smile even as she mumbles against his skin.
By the time they arrive at the set, things are mostly set up and Mike sighs, squeezing AJ's fingers. "Hey, can you direct my beautiful wife here to a seat where the cameras won't catch her?" he asks a production assistant, smiling and kissing her one more time before they lead her away, Mike turning to look for Theo Von to get in position for his own part in the episode. It doesn't take long, the guy selected, Jeff, not even lasting fifteen minutes before his friend, John, is completely resistant to the idea of giving him a footrub, no matter how hard Jeff tries to convince him. Mike is still laughing when he leaves the sound room to find AJ, shaking his head at the entire thing. It had been fun, and apparently AJ had been amused by it too, her eyes gleaming as she joins him. "Well, what did you think?"
"I think you're evil," she tells him with a fond smile, lacing her fingers behind his neck as she leans up on her tiptoes to kiss him. "A footrub, really?"
"Hmm," he nods, suddenly scooping her up and spinning her around, causing her to gasp out a squeal again as she clings to him. "I was mostly thinking of what I'd like to do for you today. Footrubs, and maybe some jewelry..."
"And kisses all over my hands?" she asks, giggling as he walks her out of the restaurant.
"And anywhere else I can think of," he shrugs, smirking against her cheek, his stubble tickling her.
"Well, I think I like the sounds of that," she grins, stroking his face.
AJ is curled up in Mike's arms that night, the two of them waiting for John to come by and watch Deal With It with them, finally finding some time between his projects to actually be social, when her phone rings. She frowns and squirms, reaching out for it even as Mike protests and tries to hold onto her tighter, squeezing her. "No, I just- it'll only take a-" She immediately shuts up when she sees who it is, pulling away from him. "Tamina?" The enforcer never calls her, not much for conversations in person much less over the phone. She had respected AJ's decision to need a break, even if it had limited her own usefulness in the company following her title match loss a few weeks ago, so this leaves AJ with an odd feeling in the pit of her stomach. "Are you ok?" She grows quiet and still and Mike sits forward, resting his hand between her shoulderblades, worried, as she releases a soft breath. "Can I... come and... help or... do you need anything?" Another terrible silence where worst case scenarios pass through Mike's mind before she nods, her hair tickling his fingertips. "Don't even think about arguing with me on this, Tamina. I'll see what flights are going out tomorrow, I'll be there as soon as I can." Whatever else is said, AJ takes it quietly before hanging up the phone with a 'goodbye' barely above a whisper.
Mike stares at her worriedly as she turns sharply and buries her face in his chest. "Hey, sweetheart," he whispers, surprised. "What's wrong?" As he strokes her hair, she merely sits there, not crying or shaking, just clinging to him. "Is she ok?"
"She needs knee surgery," she murmurs against his collar. "She didn't tell me until now because she didn't want to worry me... But I wanna be there for her, make sure she's recovering alright. So I'm gonna have to go figure some flights out after we watch Deal With It..." She looks up at him with a shaky smile. "I know she's gonna be ok, but I'm so used to her seeming... you know, invincible... that this just... I don't know. Her needing surgery, and recovery time, and everything..." She sniffs slightly as he pulls her closer and hugs her tightly, remembering how he had felt during John's neck surgery, and Alex's various surgeries over the last few years..
"It's gonna be ok. If you need anything, let me know." She nods against him and he smiles, kissing the top of her head. They sit there for awhile until finally there's a knock at the door and Mike settles her on the couch before going to answer it. "Hey, John," he greets him with a smirk. "Come on in." As he closes the door behind them, he explains the news about Tamina in a low tone, patting Morrison on the shoulder as he nods. "I just wanted to let you know because AJ's kinda shook up about it, she wants to fly out in the morning, so y'know. A lot's going on."
"Alright, man. I won't stay late then, we'll watch this and then if she wants me to leave so she can sleep or pack, that's ok. Have you seen the trailer for Hercules Reborn?" he asks as they walk into the living room.
"I have, I think," Mike says teasingly until he catches the look on John's face, his hand already going for his phone. "Yes, yes, I saw it," he laughs. "It looks good, man. When it comes out, we should do another watch party for it. When it's coming out again?"
"July fifteenth. Maybe we can make it part of the next belated Fourth of July thing. Notice how one of us is always out of the country, or it's on a WWE event night every year?"
Mike laughs. "Yeah, it's a conspiracy, but yeah, I think that would work."
"Great." John grins at him as they enter the living room. "Hey, AJ."
"Hey." She's still troubled and distracted throughout the start of the show, curled up in Mike's arms as he and John laugh at the first half of the show, his fingers running through her hair as she tries to think through her flight plan and what she'll need to pack and how long she might be spending in Washington and everything else. She does force herself back to reality when Mike's half of the episode begins, watching to see how they'd edited what she'd seen live earlier in the day.
When the first challenge is explained by Mike, urging the man, Jeff, to start discussing Sex in the City with his best friend while they wait to eat lunch together, Morrison rolls his eyes through a laugh. "Of course you would go there," he smirks.
"Hey, it's a good show!" Mike snaps back, his words breaking up into laughter as AJ shakes her head against his chest.
"Whatever you say, man." John laughs as they watch the rest of the challenge, the man actually succeeding despite his visible unawareness of the show. Round two is Mike telling Jeff about a gift they'd slipped into his pocket to give to his best friend, a sparkly brooch. He looks so embarrassed that even AJ has to giggle a little, Morrison rolling his eyes when Jeff succeeds at convincing the other man to clip it onto his shirt.
But that has nothing on the third challenge, Mike urging the man to kiss both of his best friend's hands. It's only then that Morrison notices something while chuckling at Jeff's reaction to the challenge. "Oh boy. Wait, is his best friend's name really John? Seriously?"
"Took you long enough to catch that," Mike laughs, watching the TV as Jeff succeeds at kissing one of John's hands, weirding him out. Jeff has to move quickly, but he only just sneaks a kiss on the second hand, Mike clearing him for the fourth challenge.
"Now why am I not surprised?" Morrison asks after the fourth challenge is explained- for Jeff to get John to give him a foot massage. Mike laughs at the look on his former tag partner's face as Jeff tries so hard to get John to do it, just for John to refuse until finally he has no choice but to give up the game, left with $1500. "Well, hey, it's not a terrible amount," Morrison shrugs. "But leave it to you to out-do yourself in trying to make others do embarrassing things to the point where you keep the guy from actually winning."
Mike smirks over at him, eyes gleaming as Morrison laughs when Jeff's best friend looks guilty upon realizing what he'd just cost him. Turning his attention back to his wife, now that the show's over, he mutes the TV and runs his fingers up and down her arms. "Hey, AJ, go figure out your flight plans and John and I'll figure out what to order for supper, alright?"
"Alright," she whispers, leaning up to kiss him before getting up and leaving the room quietly, cell phone clasped tightly in her hand.
"She ok?" John asks, tapping his fingers against the case of his cell phone.
"Yeah, you know. I think she's just worried about Tamina. She's so used to her seeming invincible and everything, this whole thing has really thrown her." Mike stands up. "But she'll probably feel better when she's with her tomorrow. C'mon, I have menus in the kitchen. Let's figure out what we feel up to, and maybe by the time we're done eating, Alex and Ricardo will have seen Deal With It on the east coast feed and we can Skype for a little bit."
John nods, looping an arm around his shoulders as he follows him in. "You buying?"
"What, you have a movie coming out and you're still cheap as hell?" Mike laughs, poking him in the side.
"Hey, it's one movie versus your three, come on," John huffs, smirking. "But I suppose I'd consider buying if a footrub was on the table."
"Uh, no, it's you who should give the footrub, John," he emphasizes, sneering as Morrison blanches, sitting down at the table to wait while he looks for said menus.
"Like I'd touch your nasty feet, geez. I agree with that other John, even $5000 isn't worth all of that."
"AJ doesn't seem to mind." Mike quickly glances up from his kitchen drawer to see the look of feigned disgust on John's face and laughs.
"I see what you're trying to do, kill my appetite so you don't have to buy mine." John glowers at him. "I know your tricks, man."
"And you still fall for them every time." Mike grins as he drops the piles of menus on the table in front of him triumphantly.
The next morning, AJ walks through the Washington airport, pulling her bag behind her as she wanders towards where her rental car should be waiting, biting her lip. Tamina, still barely able to walk as she waits for surgery, hadn't been able to meet her, leaving it to AJ to find her apartment, which is fine. AJ's confident enough in herself- and GPS- to do just that, but still. It's weird to be here without the enforcer by her side. She sighs and throws her bag into the backseat before orienting herself with the car itself and driving off. It's not that long of a drive, and she finds herself at Tamina's complex within the hour.
Unsurprisingly, Tamina herself is standing in front of the building, waiting for her, and AJ beams as soon as she sees her, realizing anew just how much she'd missed her friend. And it must be somewhat reciprocated because, this time, when AJ hugs her, Tamina returns it with her free hand, the other clinging to a crutch to keep herself up-right, and take some of the pressure off of her bad knee. "Come on, let's get you inside," AJ tells her, deciding to leave her things behind for now, wanting to make sure Tamina doesn't hurt herself worse in the meanwhile. "I'm going to guess that you've been put on that fun pre-surgery fast..." Tamina nods, looking less than thrilled at being reminded, and AJ pats her on the back. "Well, tell ya what, soon as we get you home and settled in, I'll cook you the biggest breakfast possible, how's that sound?"
The enforcer actually smiles at this. "You do cook a pretty good breakfast."
"Right?! Now, what else do you need to do before we leave to the hospital? I'm here to do whatever you want me to, just ask." AJ rocks back and forth on her heels as Tamina gingerly sits down.
"Honestly?" the older woman releases a soft sigh, giving in to a rarely sentimental moment as she looks down at her heavily wrapped knee. "It's enough for me that you're here. Thanks for bothering to come, AJ. I know I haven't always been the nicest to you..."
AJ swallows down her surprise and sits down next to Tamina, resting a hand on her shoulder and smiling at her when she finally looks over. "What are friends for, right?"
"Right." Tamina smiles back.
By Sunday, AJ is still taking care of Tamina, leaving Mike alone in California as he waits to travel out for the week's Raw- lack of use be damned- and he's surprised to find how little he likes his house being this quiet. He hadn't been here alone in so long, he's not sure what to do without his wife by his side. Yes, she calls every night and most mornings, unless Tamina's having a rough time of it, but it's still not the same. Which only makes Mike feel worse because, while the house feels so strange and lifeless to him while like this, it must feel ordinary to AJ, since she's here alone so much while he travels here and there for WWE and media and everything else. He sighs and goes to , needing some sort of distraction from everything going on with AJ, Tamina, and her seemingly unending break from wrestling.
The week prior, after such a long period of dominance, The Shield had crashed around themselves- Seth Rollins brandishing a chair wildly, taking out each of his brothers cruelly and callously, opening them up for further attack by Orton and HHH. For a wild, insane moment, Miz had seen a little of himself in the other man, remembering all too vividly the night he had turned on Morrison, left him laying on the mat. It still says a lot, now, looking back, that he had only done the bare minimum against his tag partner that night, fresh off of a goodbye hug- a kick, and his Skull Crushing Finale, and that was that- but every other betrayal since, Del Rio to Ricardo, this implosion here, various other tag teams over the years, had been overly brutal and physical, involving weapons and anger and so much pain that it could be felt from miles, states, countries away.
He smirks and wonders how things would've gone if he had just realized that the cool indifference he had been confused by that night was because he was numb and in shock at what he'd realized he would have to do upon being drafted, not because he didn't care about Morrison... no, but because he cared too much considering the business they were in. Hindsight, as they say, is 20/20, after all. He wonders what, exactly, Seth will realize about last Monday at some point in the future... but it's neither here nor there, the only reason he's thinking about such things is because there's an article listed on the home page of , boasting six replacements for Seth and he's lazy and lonely, bored, so he clicks it just to have a cheap laugh at whatever WWE may suggest.
There's the standard, somewhat weird suggestions- rookies from NXT, Ziggler, Rhodes- and the only thing he cares about is he doesn't see his own name until... until... he gets to option #5 and nearly chokes on his own saliva, eyes wide as he gapes at the name listed there. "No, no way," he mutters. Moving so quickly that everything seems to be blurring before his dazed eyes, he opens a tab, accesses his email, and quickly attaches the link to the body of a new message. That sent, he grabs his phone and sends a hurried text. Check your email.
It feels like a lifetime before his phone rings, Mike barely registering John's name flashing on it before he answers. "What the hell?" John demands, reading some of the oddly complimentary article back to him, sounding as flustered as Mike feels. "'The WWE Universe needs you now more than ever'? Really, I mean... I'm flattered, but what the hell?"
"I know," he mutters. "It's... I mean, it's great that they think highly of you enough to write this, but... I mean, whoa. Are you hiding something from me, John? Some great big sneak return planned or something?"
"Honestly, no. I've been so busy with my movies and OOYM fitness, and everything else... I wouldn't mind a return some day, probably sooner than later, but this article almost... makes it sound like I never left..."
"Yeah." The two friends remain on the phone for hours, reading and rereading the article, debating what it could possibly mean, if anything, as the sun slowly sets, casting them both into darkness only broken up by the glow cast from their screens.