"I have to go," Mike whispers against AJ's shoulder, feeling her stir under his soft ministrations.
"No," she whines, burying her face in the pillow as he trails his hand down her spine. "Stop, I won't let you go," she insists, rolling over and tangling her legs around his waist, pulling him back down on top of her. He smiles down at her as his fingers dig into her hips, her hair spread out across the pillows as she shakes her head vehemently. "You're staying here, with me, and you're going to keep me warm."
He tsks at her and leans in, kissing her slowly, teasingly, adding to her frustration. "Is someone not liking winter already? Has California weather spoiled you so soon?"
She grumbles and digs her heels into his back as he laughs softly against her throat. "You have spoiled me, Mike Mizanin," she says flatly, her eyes belying her affection for him as he sits up and hovers over her, his change in position pulling her up from the sheets a few inches as she clings to him, even more determined not to let him leave the bed. Curling his fingers under her back, he holds her flush against him and trails kisses and soft bites against her neck, down her shoulder. She sighs into his hair as he continues to pour affection down upon her, eventually laying her back down against the pillows and finding her lips, kissing her intensely as his fingers tangle in hers and pin her hands over her head, smirking as she arches up into him. When he releases her and faintly touches his way down her body, her freed fingers now dig into the pillow case, breathing heavily as he watches her adoringly. "Mike," she murmurs.
"Yeah, sweetheart?"
"You're a tease." His laughter makes her smile, then gasp as he shifts and kisses her again, swallowing her muffled moan. "I'm going to miss you..." She's booked on Smackdown, so she'll be staying in the States for a few extra days, then taking the trip over with the rest of the crew for the rest of the European tour afterwards. Neither are thrilled with it, but there's little they can do about it except enjoy the rapidly evaporating time that they have left together, so as he trails his hands down her sides, she meets him half way with another kiss.
"I'm going to miss you too," he murmurs, resting his forehead against hers and searching her eyes as she finds his hand and lifts it to her mouth, pressing soft, wet kisses against his fingers before finishing with his palm, lingering there as they stare at each other, lost in the moment. Finally he smiles at her before yet again freeing his hand and teasing down her warm flesh, losing more and more of his will to leave as well. "I love you."
"I love you too, Mike." She smiles as he settles over her, nuzzling down her throat. "I knew I could make you stay a little while longer..." He huffs against her but doesn't stop his explorations to her absolute relief.
-x
Once Smackdown finally rolls around, AJ is far from happy. Her big obligation to Smackdown ends up being an interview that could've been held anywhere, at any time, anyplace, and yet while her husband travels from place to place in Europe, she's stuck here, talking about her upcoming title defense against Nikki Bella. Things only go from annoying to worse when Brie Bella interrupts. AJ tries to be the bigger person, telling her that she doesn't need to apologize, AJ knows it's Nikki's fault- when something impacts her from behind and distantly she hears Nikki Bella's abrasive laughter overhead, as she grips her face and writhes around in pain. Referees and the trainer, Jason, arrive within moments, Jason's touch careful and gentle as he helps her up and down the hall to his office.
She sits grumpily down on the cot and he checks her eyes, ghosting his hands down her skull and neck, evaluating her carefully for a concussion or whatever else. It thankfully doesn't take long before he pulls away and smiles sympathetically at her. "You're fine. I see no signs of anything wrong, but if something happens overnight, let me know right away." She nods grimly and he glances around. "All alone, huh? I guess it's rough with the others all overseas... including Mike."
"Yeah," she mumbles distantly, picking at her shirt when there's a knock at the door. Her eyes narrow slightly as he gets up to check and see who it is.
"Oh, I don't think this is a good time-"
"I'm not going to hurt her," the very distinct voice of Alicia Fox tells him. "I promise. Can I just... come in for a moment?" He glances back at AJ, who shrugs listlessly, and he steps aside. She immediately walks up to AJ and stares at her. "AJ... I know you didn't want an apology from Brie... I hope you'll at least consider accepting mine."
AJ stares up at her in disbelief before laughing bitterly. "Alicia, what's that saying? Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me? Why in the hell would you think I'd ever fall for the same thing twice, within half an hour, no less?" She's just jumped off of the cot, looking forward to nothing more than returning to the hotel long enough to pack so she can begin the long flight to Europe to finally be with her husband, when something makes her stop short. She turns slowly towards Alicia and tries to see her face but finds she's unable to, the taller diva's face shadowed by her hair. Gingerly stepping towards her, she brushes her hair away and peers up at her, startled into silence as she observes tears pouring down Alicia's face.
"I'm so sorry, AJ," she chokes out. "Everything... I messed up so bad..." She cries harder and AJ shakes her head, feeling horrible for her. "I don't blame you for not believing me, or... or agreeing to forgive me... I never should've trusted Paige, but you were ignoring me, everyone was ignoring me, and I just- I thought... maybe Paige would be a real friend, maybe we'd be..."
"I wasn't ignoring you, not on purpose anyway," AJ whispers. "I just thought... you were busy with Alex, and I just won my title back, and Mike was being... Mike, and I never realized there was a problem until you came out with Paige that night. I thought you'd always know I care about you, Alicia, even if I didn't spend every day with you. I wouldn't have made you my bridesmaid otherwise." Though, she has to reflect, considering how she'd also treated Layla (Not to mention Kaitlyn and Tamina before them), that whole bridesmaid thing doesn't hold a lot of water... no wonder Alicia had had her doubts. Alicia's shoulders are shaking, fresh tears pouring down her face, and AJ sighs. "Come here. Come on, it'll be ok," she says, awkwardly hugging the taller woman and stroking her hair. "Listen, we'll go together to fly to Europe, alright? Make sure we get seats together and we'll talk about things... Our guys, how disgusting Paige is, what you were on when you agreed to be on Total Divas, whatever you want. Alright?"
Alicia laughs weakly, nodding. "Alright, AJ. I'd like that."
-x
After what feels like a lifetime, Mike stands up as he spots the wrestlers start to come out of the gate. He keeps looking, waiting patiently, but when AJ first walks out, he doesn't recognize her at first because she's with Alicia and it stops him short for a moment. She notices him then anyway and takes off at a run, jumping up into his arms with an soft laugh as he grips her and holds her close. "Hi, sweetheart."
"Hey." He squeezes her tightly and looks over her shoulder at the lurking Alicia, raising an eyebrow at her. AJ must sense what he's looking at because she kisses him before leaning in to whisper in his ear. "Alicia and I are friends again. Not that I entirely trust her yet, but yeah, we're ok I think."
His hands slip up the back of her shirt and she shudders slightly as he pulls away to look at her. "Good, I'm glad. Just be careful, sweetheart." As she nods, he kisses her nose before settling her back down on the ground, his hand now slipping into hers. "Come on, Alicia, let's hit the road," he calls out to Alex's girlfriend, watching with a smirk as her eyes widen and she hastens to catch up with them.
After a couple of weekend events and a lot of travel by bus, they all arrive to where Raw will be held the next day, Alicia sharing a room with Miz and AJ since Alex hadn't been brought over for the Raw taping this week, staying in Florida to host the preshow from the studio built into the performance center. It's cool and bland out, AJ frowning out of the hotel window at the weather that makes sightseeing unappealing even without their busy schedules, so Mike wanders over to her and whispers to her for a moment. Her eyes brighten and she nods, grinning up at him as he draws her back towards the beds where Alicia is sprawled out, reading. "Hey, Alicia, get up, we're going to go do something and we're bringing you with us."
She looks hesitant as she sits up and puts the book down, her long legs curling under her as she looks at them uncertainly. "Like what?"
"You'll see," Mike singsongs even as AJ starts going through Alicia's bag, making a successful noise as she pulls something out of the bag. Alicia merely looks confused as she looks between the two of them, frowning, but Mike and AJ let nothing slip as the divas champion drags her friend into the bathroom. It becomes clear what the plan is once they've all changed their clothes and gone downstairs, towards the indoor pool. It's warm inside, the scent of chlorine heavy in the air, and Alicia's eyes brighten as she takes in the softly lit room with floor to ceiling windows that allow them to see outside. It may be cloudy out, but the temperature's regulated enough that none of them complain as Alicia dips into the pool and AJ and Mike head right over to the hot tub in a corner of the room.
Mike rests a hand on AJ's forehead and leans over, whispering, "You must be this tall to ride this..." She swats him but laughs nonetheless, watching impatiently as he sinks into the warm water and leans against the side, holding his arms out to her. She quickly joins him and they sigh together, slowly relaxing against the bubbles. "Ah, damn, this feels nice," he sighs into her hair. "I won't wanna leave..." His hands rest against her stomach and hip, tracing soft circles against her flesh as she leans her head back against his shoulder.
"Maybe we should just stay here," she suggests, her eyes shut. "Then I don't need to see the Bella bitches and you can have a few more moments to yourself without Mizdow trying to mirror your every action. I know you don't mind it, Mike, but it gets creepy sometimes." He chuckles softly and tilts her face, kissing her until she whimpers, melting into his arms.
"I doubt he could mirror that," Mike whispers against her lips and she shakes her head, making him smile even more. After awhile, they grow tired of sitting in the hot tub and Mike helps AJ out before joining her in the pool, the two women racing for awhile, AJ holding her own pretty well despite Alicia's longer legs giving her an advantage, before they both fall very quiet. Mike eventually opens his eyes and looks around, startled to find both of them missing. "Uh, AJ? Alicia?" He's just about to turn and look for them when hands wrap smoothly around his eyes and block his view. "AJ? Sweetheart, what are you doing?" She doesn't answer and he starts to frown, concerned, when a second pair of hands grips his shoulders and, with absolutely no warning, dunks him underwater. Despite having his vision back, it's now blurry and he quickly paddles above water, gasping and glaring around at the two women innocently floating in the water not far away, proud smirks on their faces. "I'm gonna get you," he tells them before kicking away from the side of the pool, chasing them.
Low end to high, it doesn't matter, he stays on them until finally he catches Alicia and tickles her into submission, her squeals and gasps echoing through the room until she gives up, tapping against his chest desperately. He lets her go and pushes her towards the side before turning to AJ, who's watching him warily. "AJ, just give up," he warns her. "I'm gonna catch you, you know. There's no point in trying to get away-" His words die away as she abruptly zooms past him, Mike rolling his eyes skyward before he takes off after her once more. Alicia watches from the side as they go left to right in the water, AJ avoiding by diving underwater just to surface behind him and on and on. She starts to think AJ will last, that Mike will eventually have to give up or risk missing Raw, when AJ doesn't come up for air like normal. It takes a minute for Alicia to realize that Mike's underwater too and she starts to worry, about to dive in and find them herself, when they both appear not far from her, and Mike pins AJ to the side, grinning down at her as she struggles playfully against him, the game finally finished. "Say it."
"No."
"Say it," he whispers, staring down at her as she continues to refuse. "C'mon, AJ, you know it's the truth." He lightly presses her hands against the warm tile floor surrounding the pool, holding her in place. "C'mon, sweetheart... no one'll know but us three..."
She finally groans. "Fine, you're a better swimmer than I am," she concedes reluctantly, Mike beaming down at her as he releases her hands and pulls her closer, kissing her softly.
Alicia giggles. "You're both too cute." She lazily kicks her feet in the water, wishing that Alex was here too, before pulling herself from the water. "Time for Raw, guys. Let's go. I need a shower to get this clorine out of my hair first."
-x
"No, wait," Mike says, not understanding any of this. "Why do we need a mini-Miz? Leave him with Heath Slater, he usually gets along with him better anyway... I think they operate at the same brain levels, or whatever."
"Hey!" Hornswoggle snaps, waving his short arms around angrily as Miz stares down at him, nonplussed.
"He has been following me hither and thither all day, Mike," Mizdow attempts to explain. "In my attempts to make him cease, he explained that he wants to join us, be another stunt double for you. When I doubted his lofty claims, he began to perform our mirror technique from the Miz's School of Performance. Very little does, but he impressed me. Despite the discrepencies in our height, he was able to replicate nearly every movement I was making. As good as I am, hardly, but quite capable of carrying his own weight."
Mike purses his lips and glances over at AJ, who shrugs before turning her attention back to Alicia's match against Paige on the monitor. "Fine, show us what you can do," Mike tells him. "If I'm as impressed as Mizdow, we'll give it a try during our tag match on Raw. But remember...I'm not as easy to sway as he is."
Hornswoggle nods nervously, standing at attention as he waits for one of them to do something for him to mimic. "Yes sir!"
Not long afterwards, Miz swallows his pride and stands on the ramp with Mizdow and Mini-Miz, paying little attention to what's going on at his feet. The tag match is him and Mizdow against Los Matadores, so of course El Torito is out there, waiting to continue his off and on feud with Hornswoggle. It's annoying to keep his focus on things happening in the ring but finally, with some help from Mizdow, Mike gets the pin and celebrates on the way back up the ramp with Mizdow and Mini-Miz, hoping that Hornswoggle will bore of it soon and go back to hanging around Slater. Though that hadn't happened with Mizdow, despite Miz's assumption that it would.
Thankfully, Mizdow keeps Hornswoggle busy while Mike watches AJ's match against Brie, unsurprised but still annoyed when Nikki attacks AJ after she successfully defeats Brie with the Black Widow. Once his wife returns to her locker room, he helps her over to the couch and settles her in his lap, lightly massaging where Nikki's rack attack had seemed to do the most damage along her ribs and side. "I'm ok."
"Of course you are," he tells her, kissing her lightly on the cheek. "Let's go back to the hotel and get some sleep, alright?" She nods wearily and he shifts,standing with her still in his arms. "Don't argue with me," he cuts her off before she can open her mouth. "I know you can walk, but just let me do this much, alright? I wasn't there to be with you after you were attacked on Smackdown, this is the least I can do." She sighs and nods, burying her face in the crook of his neck as he checks to make sure, whispering a quick thanks to Mizdow and Alicia as they pick up both his and AJ's bags and carry them along with their own to the car.
By the next night, AJ feels better, well enough to go to Main Event to support Alicia in her match against Cameron. "I just want to make sure Paige doesn't go there and try anything," she explains to Mike. "I can admit now that I kind of ignored Alicia when she needed me... and I'm not going to let it happen again. She was there for me when I needed her at the wedding, and I'm going to return the favor to the best of my ability now."
"Alright," he concedes, kissing her. "I have to travel on to the next house show, but you take care of yourself, sweetheart, and I'll see you soon. I love you."
She nods and smiles up at him as he reluctantly lets go of her hand so they can go their separate ways. "I will, and I love you too, Mike."