AJ has a match on Smackdown against Cameron. It's nothing special, the girl is ridiculous and easy to defeat, especially after Naomi interferes so she heads backstage, feeling anxious and a little glum. She had gotten used to being with Mike so now that she's here, and he's in Japan, she's just felt off. On top of that, there had been a pretty serious earthquake off the coast of Japan earlier in the day, and she had seen a tweet from Big E referencing it, but utter silence from Mike. She's pretty sure he's ok, but still. It rankles at her.
So when she collects her cell phone from the locker room and realizes that it's flashing, gingerly pressing a couple of buttons, she almost sinks to her knees in relief when she sees Mike's name. It's a text, since roaming charges are astronomical, urging her to turn on Skype, which she does, relieved that she'd remembered to bring her own laptop this week. Mike smiles, his entire face lighting up as soon as he sees her, and she feels her own expression shifting to match his. They just stare at each other for long, quiet moments before she breathes, "Hi."
"Hi, sweetheart."
Remembering sharply, she leans closer and examines every inch of him that she can see. "You're ok, right? That earthquake-"
He shakes his head, eyes shining with affection for her. "We're fine, sweetheart. Everyone's great. It shook us up a little, but we're ok." She scoffs but then laughs at his terrible pun when he winks at her. "Hey, can you do me a favor?" he asks her after they've discussed Japan and his matches, her contest against Cameron and Naomi's involvement.
"Of course, what do you need?"
"Is Ricardo at the arena?" She hesitates, then shakes her head. He frowns for a moment, deep in thought. "Could you text him and tell him to get on Skype?"
Her hand's already reaching for her phone when she looks back up at him. "What's going on, Mike? Is something wrong?"
"No," he draws out his response. "I just thought maybe he and Paige would like to talk to each other." He smirks at her as she nods thoughtfully. "As long as that's ok with you, we're going to have to split screen with them because she doesn't have a laptop or anything with her."
AJ releases a blustery breath, wondering when exactly she'd have a minute away from the former diva's champion, one hand resting protectively on her title belt, but as she stares into his eyes, she can only imagine how she'd feel not being able to talk to Mike whenever she wants, so she nods. "Fine, fine, I'll just... give me a minute." She types out a quick text to the former ring announcer and sends it, the two of them returning to their conversation until the notice that ricrod has signed in flashes on their screen. A quick invitation later and he's staring back at them, perplexed.
"Hey, man," Mike greets him.
"Oh... Hola, Mike," he responds. "What's going on? Is everything ok?" He looks nervous and AJ wonders if he'd been worried about the earthquake as well.
"Not much," Mike sighs. "We're between events now, waiting to travel to the next town... but there's someone here who'd like to say hello, so-"
Before he can even finish, Paige is there, leaning close to him to look at the Skype screen with a soft, happy smile. AJ frowns as she sees just how close she is to her husband, but this is vanquished as Mike shifts away and Paige's eyes remain focused on Ricardo. "Hey, Ricardo."
"Paige!" he gasps, gaping at her. "You- ay." He nervously runs his fingers through his slightly mussed hair, trying to tame it, and she giggles, shaking her head at him. "Hola, I- I wasn't expecting to see you on Mike's screen."
She smiles. "Obviously."
"How are you? I- I heard about the earthquake..."
"Yes, well, that was something else," she says. "But we're all doing fine. No worries." She smiles at him as he hangs on her every word, relieved just to be hearing her voice. "I don't want to take too much of AJ and Mike's time up." Her split-second glance towards AJ is more calculating than sincere, but the divas champion says nothing, waiting patiently to be back on the call, alone, with her husband.
"Ah, yes, me neither," Ricardo admits, though he's clearly reluctant to let the call go. As they talk for a few more minutes, AJ examines them, wondering if, when Paige's clear hunger to have the divas title back begins to overwhelm everything else, the girl will be able to handle it in a way that doesn't harm Ricardo. They're all entangled in such a messy web that any wrong movement could send any or all of them falling at break-neck speed towards the ground, and she may not like most of Mike's friends, but what hurts them hurts him and she doesn't want that for her husband.
She sighs thoughtfully, picking at the nameplate of her title belt, when Mike's voice attracts her attention. "Are you ok, sweetheart?" She looks up, shocked to find that Paige and Ricardo are gone now, leaving just them. "What's wrong? You look... really serious."
She stares into his eyes, finding comfort there, and feels her lips twitching up into that smile again. "No, just some... weird thoughts," she finally shrugs. "Everything's ok, Mike. But they'll be better when you're back with me."
He grins at her. "I feel the same way, but it'll be soon, sweetheart. Before Raw, right?" She nods, Monday still feeling like a lifetime away as he rests his hand on the screen and she follows suit, each wishing they could actually feel the other's palm under their own.
Monday is a big day. A long day too, though. They're all generally jet lagged or feel worn out, Mike stumbling a little just before he meets up with AJ in the airport. She bites back her giggles and lightly kisses him, tsking at the look in his eyes. "Poor baby," she tells him, leading him to the car.
"I need coffee," he mumbles. "Or something..." He perks up when he sees that's exactly what's waiting for him, his favorite kind right in the cupholder. Grabbing her around the waist before she can go around to the other side of the car, he nuzzles into her and kisses her neck, breathing his gratitude against her neck as she leans into him, shuddering softly.
Eventually she pats his arm and pulls away reluctantly. "Come on, we gotta get to the arena... and you do not want your coffee to get nasty by leaving it untouched for too long." He sighs and lets her go, slipping into the car and immediately snagging the drink, downing a good half of it. She watches him for a minute but he doesn't have the same insane reaction he had all of those years ago, so wiped out now that it only succeeds in waking him up enough that he can keep his eyes open.
It takes him a few minutes and he glances over at her. "Any reason why we're not moving, sweetheart?" he asks around another mouthful of the coffee, eyebrows raised when he realizes she's searching the parking lot. "What's going-" And then he sees her. Paige. He swallows. "Um, AJ..."
But the Divas champion shushes him lightly, resting a hand on his arm. "Keep your friends close, and enemies closer, Mike," she breathes before rolling down her window and calling out to Paige. The British diva pauses before heading their way, her eyes sharp and watchful. "What do you say we give you a ride? We're all heading in the same place anyway."
"Sure, why not?" she says in an overexaggeratedly chipper voice that grates at Mike's ears, and AJ's too by the look of it, her lips thinning as Paige gets into the backseat and stuffs her back into the corner. "Thank you guys so much!"
"You're welcome," AJ murmurs, turning her attention back to the road and her husband, obviously hoping that Paige would take the hint. She smiles sadly at Mike when he yawns, failing to muffle it behind his hand, and begins to drive. "As soon as Raw's over, we're going back to our hotel and you're getting all the sleep you need. We'll even book the room an extra night if we have to." His fingers rest over hers and squeezes as she changes gears and her smile grows.
Paige is the first to enter the arena, the first to see the various people milling around, and the first to call out, "Ricardo!" before dropping her bag right in AJ and Mike's path before walking quickly down the busy hallway to throw her arms around the pleasantly surprised man, grinning at him when he hugs her back.
AJ grumbles and aims a kick at the bag but slowly backs away when she looks up and catches sight of them, shaking her head. "Cute, stupid idiots," she mumbles, tugging Paige's bag over her shoulder and carrying it out of the walkpath. "Here," she says dully, dropping the item at Paige's feet as she finally pulls away from Ricardo and looks down.
"Oh, bloody- thank you, I'm sorry, I completely forgot!"
Mike and AJ both have their doubts about that, but Ricardo looks so happy, Paige's eyes shining sincerely as she turns back to him, that neither have the heart to actively start something right now, especially over something so petty.
Mike's match is first that night, against Sheamus, and he anxiously checks his face in the mirror. Knows all too well what Brogue Kicks can do to people, cracking jaws, breaking noses... hell, it had caused Ricardo to need to wear a neck brace for over a month a couple of years back. He swallows anxiously and is about to turn to leave when AJ's soft hands snake under his jacket, stroking his sides. "Hey," he whispers, staring at her in the mirror as she peers up at him.
"Hey." She kisses his jaw lightly and strokes his nose. "You're gonna be fine. I know you will."
"Gotta protect the moneymaker," he tells her with a sardonic smirk. She nods against him, shifting until she's in front of him, and leans up on her tiptoes, lightly stroking her fingers along his face, kissing every inch that she'd just touched as he rests his hands on her hips and pulls her closer, relieved to be able to touch and hold her again, the few days he'd been in Japan agonizing and lonely. When AJ pulls away, rubbing her hands against him a couple of more times before pushing him towards the door, wanting to make sure he doesn't miss his cue when the Authority gets out of the ring, he obligingly follows her encouragement, making his entrance just in time.
He has his face put on the titantron, the smirk only leaving his face when the match stops being shown so people could see who all is going to be in the Intercontinental title match- the match that has his name all over it, the only thing to make his prestige grow even more being to walk out with the gorgeous white belt around his waist... but it doesn't matter, he wins, he walks out with a smug grin, and he scoops AJ up and spins her around as she squeals and giggles, clinging to him. He hasn't felt this happy in awhile; after those losses to Jericho, he had definitely needed this, especially with the PPV just a few days away. He doesn't even mind when a rematch against Sheamus for Main Event tomorrow is announced later in the night.
Once finished with interviews, Ricardo joins him in AJ's locker room and they sit side by side, watching the show quietly while AJ prepares for her match against Eva Marie coming up shortly. Del Rio has a match against RVD and Mike glances over at him uncertainly, but he barely twitches, only tweeting quickly. When Mike reads it, not that surprised by his uncertainty, considering his history with Rob... and of course, his renewed friendship with Del Rio, he claps him on the shoulder and smiles encouragingly when Ricardo glances at him.
Mike isn't the only one leaving tonight with momentum as Alberto forces Rob to submit, exchanging a quick glance with the former ring announcer. "Hm," he smirks, shrugging. Quite a few of their opponents had won matches tonight, it means nothing. That Sunday, he will become champion once more. He has no doubt, he really can't at this stage in his career. Being champion means job security, after all, as long as he stays healthy.
They both idly watch Alicia and Cameron defeat Nikki in a match sanctioned by The Authority, but it's the next divas match held a little later that holds both of their attention. Ricardo because Paige is on commentary, and Mike because it's AJ's match against Eva. Paige keeps talking about her and AJ being frenemies, confusing the other three men at the table, and Miz has to smirk. Eventually AJ wins and Paige watches from the table as she celebrates the win, eventually joining them at the table and stealing one of the headsets, sitting crosslegged on the table in front of the British diva. Mike is pretty sure neither he or Ricardo take a breath as the two divas stare at each other, exchanging small talk and then complimenting each other on their hair. When AJ gets back to her feet, leaving Paige and the commentary desk behind, they both release deep breaths, exchanging glances.
"Are you as uncomfortable as I am right now?" Ricardo wonders, Mike releasing a sharp bark of laughter.
"Yeah, kind of," he mutters, clapping Ricardo on the back. Poor guy, he thinks. Gets a girl's attention but she not only dislikes my wife, she also has problems with his roommate's girlfriend. Leave it to the wrestling world.
AJ holds true to her word, collecting her husband and ushering him towards the car as soon as she's done, not listening to him at all as Ricardo waves goodbye, laughing slightly at the look on Mike's face. His arguments are token, however, and as soon as he's out of sight of everyone else, he succumbs to her peacefully and settles into the car, almost relieved. The drive to the hotel, the walk to the elevator, the trip upstairs, and then more walking down the hall, to their room, seems to take ages, each step torture on his exhausted body, but finally she lets them into the room and guides him to the bed, unsurprised when he flops face first into the pillows. She settles in, her weight against his legs, and peels his shirt off, massaging up his back to his neck and back down, kneading his sore, tense muscles until he relaxes, breathing heavily into the bed. She leans against him, their bodies flush against each other, and kisses at what of his throat and jaw she can see. "Mike, I think you have a phonecall to make," she tells him softly, holding his phone out to him.
He groans and sits up a little, staring at the screen blankly before he takes it. "Right," he nods, pressing the button to dial the number. As it rings in, she continues to kiss and nibble at his skin, smirking as he tangles his fingers in her hair, eyes fluttering against her ministrations.
"Hello?"
"Hey, John," he murmurs, looking down at her as she shifts against him. "Just got back from Japan and Raw's finally over for the night so I thought I'd call real fast before I went to bed."
John laughs, the sound coming from far away although Mike knows he has the phone pressed tight against his ear. "You sound wiped out, man. Jetlag?"
"Ain't it always?" he asks, dropping back against the pillows and smiling when AJ follows, her hands and lips returning to his heated flesh as he tries to focus on what John's saying. "Oh, right, I'm callin' because I heard you just wrapped that other movie... Boone the Bounty Hunter?"
"Yeah, just a few hours ago."
"Uh," he sighs softly as AJ blows cool air teasingly against his ribs, making his ab muscles tense. "Um, yeah, just wanted to say, you know. Congratulations. Maybe we can watch that one during Summerslam weekend or... so- something..."
John laughs faintly at his breaks in concentration, an all-knowing tone in his voice as he responds. "Yeah, that'd be great, I'll try to have a copy of what we've done in post-production by then." Mike's pretty sure he says something else after that, but sleep is coming on like a freight train by now, AJ's warmth and soft touches lulling him even further, and he feels a little guilty for it but he can't help it, the grip on his phone slipping as his hand falls to the mattress. The last thing he remembers is AJ gently taking the phone out of his hand, her voice soft and full of affection as she speaks into it, the words beyond his capabilities of understanding by now.
Main Event isn't as great as Raw had been. He does have MizTV scheduled, which makes AJ smile as she holds his hand backstage, squeezing his fingers while they walk side by side up to the ring, her eyes examining the set that she had helped him get once upon a time, even though he had initially hated it. Although the show starts off ok that night, Mike mocking Lebron James returning to Cleveland, Sheamus interrupts and Miz only just escapes without getting struck by a brogue kick, AJ soothing him with soft, warm strokes along his intact facial features, nodding in all of the right places as he rants about Sheamus and his disrespect. Her kiss quiets him and he sighs into her mouth, so glad to be home. Ohio, LA, it didn't really matter- he's realizing more and more that she's his real home, his smile growing as she clings to him.
He and Sheamus go back and forth for awhile when their actual match begins, Mike still trying to keep his Moneymaker safe. Sheamus is determined to hit the brogue, however, and Mike ducks aside- just to feel gravity slip, disappear as he hits the mat and is pinned, unable to squirm free as the ref's hand hits the 3 count by Miz's head. He curses and hits the canvas, his only comfort being that he'd kept Sheamus from finding closure by hitting the brogue. AJ greets him once more backstage, her hands immediately returning to his face to comfort him. He smiles wearily down at her and she breathes, "Come on, Mike. You still look wiped out... let's go back to the hotel and rest, alright?"
She's trying to lead him out of the arena when he pulls her back towards him, his hands possessively pressing against her lower back as he rests his forehead against hers. "Going back to the hotel sounds fine, but right now I want something a little more than sleep..." Her eyes flutter as one of his palms disappears from her back and brushes against her chin, his fingers trailing over her lips to part them gently, his gaze locked on her face as she licks her lips. When he leans in, lingering just inches away from her mouth, he smiles at her, all remaining soreness and exhaustion fading away at the wet warmth against his fingers, her lips glistening enticingly. "You, sweetheart." He then kisses her, swallowing her soft whimper before he takes control, leading her down the hall.