They're all back at it that Friday, leaving the troops behind them until the event in ten days, Mike scheduled to commentate the Usos vs Tyson and Cesaro later that night. He's tapping his fingers against his forearm, waiting for Mizdow to come back with coffee, when there's a knock on the locker room. He stares at it impatiently before sighing. "Come in."
A tech pokes her head in and looks at him. "Oh, Miz. That thing you requested... it arrived." She seems bashful as she hands it over to him, a small replica of the Slammy. Mike nods, wordlessly thanking her, and she ducks back out into the hall, clearly overwhelmed by his pure star power.
Smirking to himself, he settles down on the couch and glances over at his wife. "Think this'll do?"
She takes the thing from him and examines it from every side, resting it next to their real Slammies. They tilt their heads, Mike pursing his lips thoughtfully. "Looks fine to me," she shrugs, grinning impishly over at him.
He smirks back at her and grips her hand, pressing a kiss to it. "Knew I could count on you, sweetheart," he tells her. They're still sitting there, enjoying a moment alone, when Mizdow finally returns with the drinks and sets them down in front of Miz and AJ, about to walk away when he hesitates, spotting the replica Slammy. His dark eyes flicker over towards Mike, who waves a hand towards it. "That's yours," he says. "I know you've been feeling bad without a Slammy of your own, so here you go. It should go perfectly with the replica tag titles. How magnanimous of me, huh?"
Mizdow's brow furrows but he says nothing, gripping the small statue and finally retreating to his chair to mimic Miz in silence, working to keep his ability as a stunt double strong. Mike approves of his dilligence, and of the space to continue talking with his wife in near-privacy, kissing her as she wraps her fingers around his hand and squeezes gently. When it's time to go, he jerks his head at Mizdow and they get up, Miz collecting the titles and Slammy while his stunt double gathers the replicas, following him out to the commentary table. Mizdow mimicking him to his right, Mike is handling the commentary team's questions and stupid observations when his cell phone rings. He normally doesn't bring it to the ring but he had been waiting for a call from his agent so he'd had little choice, various things pending. His own future projects, and the results of Naomi's screen test.
"Excuse me," he intones, answering it. His agent, a hyperactive man full of bluster but the absolute best at what he does, is completely panicking on the other end. He pinches his nose. "Fine, yeah. Fine, I will go talk to her. I know, I know." He hangs up and gives his excuses before abandoning the match, Mizdow following him as he speed walks to the back to find Naomi. It takes awhile to find her, in fact the match going on ends before he locates her. He tells her she has to get Jimmy under control, that both of their careers depend on it. He's not sure that what he's said is registering with her but he hopes, somehow, that a little of it had as he buries his hands in his pockets and storms back to his locker room, grimacing.
AJ slinks up to him and runs her fingers up his jaw, staring at him. "Mike?" She nuzzles closer to him before her nails bite into his flesh, forcing him to stare at her. "You are just doing this because it's a good way to distract the Usos from your titles, right? You're not really enamored with her... are you?"
He gazes down at her, recognizing the lost little girl that has remained deep inside of her since Daniel Bryan had first broke her heart, their marriage and her various successes since only fixing so many of her self-confidence issues. "No, sweetheart, I'm not enamored with her at all. She's talented enough, but yes I'm mostly interested in what she can do for my upcoming title match. You're still the only woman I really care about."
"Good," she murmurs, leaning up to kiss him. "Well, you're not the only one scheduled to do commentate tonight... I'll be back." She steals another kiss from him before brushing her hair out of her face, skipping out of the room.
Alicia has a match against Nikki, AJ teasing the commentary team while watching the match progress. She's still hyperaware of her divas title, more so when Nikki defeats Alicia, rack attacking the diva a second time while AJ watches outside of the ring, grim determination on her face as she considers what it'll take to beat the move, become divas champion for a fourth time this Sunday. "I will do that," she mumbles, leaning down when Alicia is kicked out of the ring by the evil twins and collapses at AJ's feet. "Are you ok?"
Alicia groans softly, AJ gripping her arm and pulling her to her feet with all of her strength. "Come on. I'm sorry," she sighs, feeling a little guilty for being so wrapped up in her anger towards Nikki Bella that she hadn't even tried to help Alicia. She regrets it more when the vast differences in their height makes it even harder for their trip back up the ramp. Her eyes gleam when she passes the curtain to find Mike waiting, picking up the slack and helping AJ lead Alicia to the trainer's office, where they sit and wait for word.
Alex is rarely flown out for Smackdown anymore since the Smackdown preshows have ceased, instead staying in Florida doing things at the performance center or for NXT, so Mike isn't that surprised when he gets a phone call from Alex himself. "Hey, kid," he greets him, watching as Jason bustles around Alicia, examining her back and neck. "She's ok, up front. A little sore, but Jason is looking her over. AJ and I are here with you."
"Why didn't AJ do something?" he demands, breathing heavily. "She was right there, she could've stopped it, or something!"
Mike glances at his wife and shakes his head. "Alex, c'mon, you know how it gets when you're in the middle of it all. She was focused on Nikki and the divas title, and didn't think-"
"Clearly."
"Hey," he snaps, growing weary of this. "Come on, man. She helped as soon as she realized what was going on. Alicia doesn't seem to be mad, so don't..." He looks over at the woman and holds the phone out to her as soon as he realizes she's reaching out for it, grimacing in pain.
"Hey, A-Ri," she breathes, her fingers digging into the phone as Jason prods a more sensitive spot on her lower back. "No, I'm alright, just like Mike said. A little sore. Jason, Mike and AJ are taking good care of me. I promise." She looks up at them and smiles.
Apparently that does the trick because their conversation turns calmer, the topic turning to other things, so AJ and Mike step aside to let them have privacy, Mike's arm sneaking around her waist as she leans into him, tugging at his collar lightly. "Thanks for coming to help me with her," she murmurs.
He smiles down at her and kisses her forehead. "Any time, sweetheart."
-x
That Sunday, AJ is getting ready for her title match against Nikki so Mike leaves to find Naomi, determined to convince her that his success is hers. He's unsure what to think about the look on her face as he tells her exactly that, that if he wins tonight, she will win too. Mizdow follows him back to the locker room and he leans against the door, Mizdow's shoulders pressed against the frame as Mike watches AJ and tries to ignore the uncertain butterflies fluttering around in his chest. When she finally looks up, their eyes lock and he forces a smile, her face softening.
She approaches him once she's done lacing her shoes up and cups his face, leaning up to kiss him. "It's going to be ok, husband. We're both going to be winners tonight. Then we'll have to figure out what to do with two locker rooms again."
He chuckles and hugs her. "Sounds good to me, sweetheart." His match is early, the second on the card, and it makes him even more nervous. Earlier in the card means less time to prepare, get the feel of the crowd... whatever else. He stands at the curtain when it's time and breathes in, breathes out, and then makes his entrance, Mizdow at his side.
The match is a mess. Jimmy is angry, his tension and jealousy regarding Miz's interest in his wife making it hard for Mike to get the upperhand. Mizdow keeps doing his antics at ringside, on the apron, sometimes in the ring, and Mike grits his teeth as he continues to struggle to keep his head above water. It becomes pretty clear, however, that Mike's going to lose his title belts pretty fast if he doesn't do something... so he gets his hand on the Slammy and he hits Jimmy with it as hard as he can, relieved for the bell ringing to mark the DQ. May not have been a clean finish but at least they're still champion. He sighs and grunts as Mizdow collapses next to him, Mike tilting his head to look at him.
Damien doesn't seem overly impressed, but that's standard, so Mike makes it to his feet and stumbles backstage, spotting Naomi waiting for her husband. He's breathless and a little sore but he walks up to her anyway, holding his side. "I told you... if I won tonight, you would win tonight. My titles are still where they belong, so... I see good things in your future." He smirks at her before walking off, Mizdow following in his wake.
Mike sets the slammy and titles down before thankfully accepting a bottle of water from his wife, smiling at AJ as she curls next to him on the couch, her head resting on his chest while she waits for her own match. He strokes her hair and murmurs quietly, kissing the top of her head while they listen to the rest of the PPV. When the preview for her own match finally starts to play, she slowly pulls away from him and leans up, kissing him properly on the lips. "I'll see you soon," she tells him, smiling as he cups her face and kisses her again.
"I'll be waiting, sweetheart," he promises, sitting up and turning to stare at the TV, showing her that he'll make sure not to miss a moment.
She chuckles and skips out of the room, eager to get her baby back. She thinks she has a chance... she really does, especially when Brie gets herself ejected from ringside, but that's actually AJ's undoing. Because, while the referee is distracted, Nikki pulls something from somewhere- AJ does not want to know- and sprays her right in the face with it, blinding her. She gasps and struggles as the world tilts on it side, sharp pain stabbing up her side as she's hit with the rack attack, Nikki pinning and retaining the divas title. She can't see, her eyes are watering terribly, but she stares towards a blur that has to be Nikki, prancing around with her belt... "No," she breathes, "no, no, no..."
The referee is with her, Jason arrives shortly afterwards and she grips his arm, desperate for them to tell her that it's wrong, that she hasn't lost her opportunity, but they don't. Instead, they begin tilting her head back and rinsing her eyes out with saline solution, some of the physical pain and burning subsiding as she begins to cry, realizing that yes, her baby is indeed lost to her again. On top of that, she could have permanent damage to her eyes, and... and...
Arms wrap around her and she sobs, turning towards their owner. "Mike, Mike-"
"I'm here, I'm here, sweetheart. You're gonna be ok." As soon as Jason confirms that it's ok, Mike lifts her up and carries her backstage, her head pressed against his shoulder. "It's gonna be ok." Mizdow is nearby but he looks freaked out too, not bothering to mimic Mike right now, following him somberly back to the trainer's office where he gently lays her down and takes her hands, squeezing them. The trainers immediately begin working on her eyes again, rinsing them out some more, asking her how her vision is, pain levels, things of that nature. Mike stands as close as he dares without being in their way, watching her. She's pale and still crying softly, her eyes puffy and red, painful looking whenever he gets a glance at them.
"We've done all we can for now," Jason says quietly, resting a hand on her shoulder. "AJ? I want you to take a few days to rest, let the swelling and inflamation go down. I don't want to give you eyedrops right now, because that might make the reaction worse, but I will give you a prescription for some ointment that you can put around your eye to help with the pain. I'll be in contact with you for awhile, and I'll let you know when I feel confident with clearing you to compete again."
She's meek, seems so small as she nods, whispering, "Thanks, Jason."
Mike claps him on the back and takes his place by AJ's side, lightly kissing her tear-stained cheek. "Poor sweetheart," he whispers, brushing her hair out of her face, gazing down at her. She sniffs and hiccups into his collar as he rocks her back and forth lightly.
"I'm going to get the bags and warm the car up, I'll be parked by the door when you're ready," Mizdow murmurs, Mike glancing up at him in some surprise before nodding. Mizdow glances at AJ once more before leaving the room, his shoulders tight with determination.
"C'mon, sweetheart, let's get you in warmer clothes so we can get back to the hotel and let you rest for awhile, alright?" He kisses her on the forehead before gripping her hands, helping her from the cot. His arms are warm around her waist as he guides her down the hallway, glaring at anyone who dares to look at her twice. He feels slightly more calm when they arrive at the locker room, Mike holding her arm as he opens the door and leads her inside. She can see, he knows this, but her eyes are clearly hurting and watering so badly that she's more comfortable keeping them closed, and he prefers her to, hating the thought of her in agony. Leaning in, he lightly presses kisses to each of her eyelids, hugging her close. After a moment, he pulls away and snags her bag, tugging out a warm sweater and matching pants, drawing her over to the couch.
As he unlaces her shoes and pulls them off of her feet, moving up to pull her jean shorts off, her fingers find his hair and stroke through it softly. "I love you, Mike," she murmurs, sighing as he lifts her up enough to drag the soft, cotton-y pants over her hips.
"I love you too," he tells her, tangling his fingers in the sliced up hem of her shirt and pulling it over her head, kissing her bare shoulder before he tugs the sweater down her body, smiling slightly as she reaches out for him. He lifts her up and holds her close, pressing a lingering kiss to her forehead. "Nice and warm? Hmm?" She nods against him and he smiles. "Great, sweetheart. Let's get back to the hotel and you can rest..."
She nods again and presses her face to his neck as he walks out of the room, thankful with everything in him that a random, unfortunately timed knee injury had brought Sandow into his life for moments like these. With Alex always either gone or busy, and Alberto, Ricardo and John busy with their own indy careers, he'd be floundering otherwise. He's almost to the car when she looks up, her eyes obviously red and puffy even in the night sky. "Mike? I don't care what you have to do," she tells him softly. "But please... get my baby out of that Bella bitch's hands. Please..."
He stares at her, a thrill of fear shuddering down his spine. "Why would you ask me to do that, sweetheart? You'll be back in a few days, and you can do that yourself..."
She doesn't say anything for a long moment. "Please, Mike... Just do this for me."
Something in her voice, her demeanor since she'd lost again leaves him scared, unable to continue pushing her to talk to him... She will in her own time, I hope... He holds her tighter to his chest and nods. "Alright, sweetheart. I will, I promise."
-x
With this in mind, Mike and Mizdow go to Raw, AJ staying at the hotel to rest, recuperate until they can go home. Jason had visited her before leaving for the arena, checking her eyes. They look clearer in the morning light, but are obviously still painful, so he holds off for another day on giving her the all-clear, promising to check on her once more before Smackdown the next day.
Raw feels weird without her, empty and lifeless, as Mike wanders the halls and listens to the inane chatter around them. Mizdow has the sense to remain quiet, let him stew in it all in peace. He has a match against Jimmy Uso, which he's dreading, because there's absolutely no way his mind's going to be in the game. But he tries, God does he try... until Jey attacks him on the outside, hitting him in the gut with his own Slammy. He doubles over, his vision spotting up, and the next thing he knows, he's in the ring, Jimmy splashing him into the mat and compounding the agony his midsection is in, achieving the three count against him.
He's breathless, he's angry, he's worried, but he still has a promise to uphold to his wife so he staggers backstage and finds Naomi, bent over slightly as he struggles to breathe and talk at the same time. He tells her this is her final opportunity, that she will be a guest on MizTV for Main Event so they can discuss how she deserves to be Divas champion. As he stumbles away, he hopes that that's enough, that she will succeed against the Bellas and help his wife to feel better.
AJ's fast asleep when he arrives back at the hotel, however, so he doesn't find out what she thinks about his machinations. After shrugging his clothes off, he gingerly gets into bed next to her, his ribs still throbbing from the Slammy shot and splash, and wraps his arms around her, tucking her in close to him, kissing the top of her head.
Between Main Event and Super Smackdown, Miz feels like he's being ran ragged and tense, hoping that everything goes well tonight. Naomi wants it, he can tell as soon as she enters the ring for MizTV, and he tells her his people had worked their magic to give Naomi a title shot. As he says it, it reminds him of all of the strings that John had pulled once upon a time so they could compete for the tag titles and he could cash in his money in the bank briefcase... Shaking the memories away, he's telling her that he believes in her, probably the only one, considering how her husband's been acting lately... when the Usos run down and try to catch him. He and Mizdow bail, staring up at them in disbelief as the Usos lean over the ropes and yell at them.
"Idiots, can't they tell I'm just trying to help?" he mumbles as Mizdow shakes his head next to him, the two of them walking side by side up the ramp. He's not that surprised when a six man tag is made for Super Smackdown, which will be starting shortly. Having to team with Harper isn't much of a comfort, his hand inching towards his chest, where they had once etched LIAR into his flesh... Sure enough, it all falls apart and they lose when Miz gets splashed again, this time by Rowan, his entire midsection a burning pain as he's pinned for the second time in as many days.
Mizdow helps him backstage, Harper long gone already, and Mike claps his side as he deposits him on the couch, stepping aside to get him a bottle of water. He drinks slowly, that deep pain of struggling to breathe through aching ribs returning with a vengeance. "Dammit," he groans. "I hope Naomi has better luck than we have had the last few nights. I need her to... for AJ..." He leans back and presses the bottle of water to his forehead, glad when it actually helps to ease a bit of the headache trying to overwhelm him.
When Naomi vs Nikki actually starts, he's too jittery to just sit backstage and watch, pacing back and forth in the locker room for a bit before making his way to the gorilla position to get a closer look through the curtain. Even that's not enough, he leaves Mizdow backstage as he rushes his way to ringside, urging Naomi on. "Kick out, kick out," he yells, trying to encourage her on, keep her on top of her game, and away from Nikki's attempts at offense. He truly thinks she almost has it when the audience begins to react and he turns to find Jimmy storming towards him, a pissed look on his face. He tries to talk him down but it's clear it won't work, Jimmy too lost in his jealousy to care, so Miz retreats back up the ramp, his shoulders slumping when he hears the bell ring and Nikki's theme song start to play a minute later. "Dammit!" He kicks the wall, biting his lip. "Stupid Jimmy Uso, why couldn't he have just... left things along? She had it, I know she had it!"
He hates himself when he has to go back to the hotel, kneeling down next to AJ on the bed and kissing her awake. She looks up at him, eyes still a little puffy and red. "What happened?" she murmurs. "Did Naomi...?" His face tells her all she needs to know, hers falling in response. "No, no..."
"I'm so sorry, sweetheart, Jimmy Uso got involved, and it just... it didn't happen." She starts to cry and he scoops her up in his arms, rocking her back and forth tenderly. "I'm not giving up though. One way or another, I will make sure Nikki Bella loses that belt sooner rather than later. I swear to you. She'll pay for what she did to you."