John is tense, watching from the exercise area as Star comes out to the Lucha Underground ring for her match against Pentagon Jr. He had been worried about this since she'd told him Dario Cueto had sanctioned it, and to see her standing there, her blonde hair shining in the bright lights overhead, a determined look in her dark eyes as she waits for her opponent, only makes him feel worse. The match itself is brutal, Star giving as good as she gets, and he feels ill as she fights on and on, refusing to give up. His eyes trace every hit, impact and slam that her body takes from Pentagon Jr., making a map of it in his mind, but then... she spins around into position and hits Pentagon Jr. so hard that when she covers him, he's actually too dazed to come back and she wins.
He swallows, eager to go see her, but realizes that he'd failed at doing the exercises she'd urged him to do to distract him while waiting for her match, her check off list staring up at him teasingly. He sighs and moves over to the weights, beginning to work through the list when Alberto Del Rio makes an appearance. Tells him that he's the main reason Alberto had come to the temple, after mocking him for losing the trios match the week prior. After John tells Alberto that he's not someone Alberto can slap around, he leaves the training room and finally allows himself to go see Star, knowing that she'll accept Del Rio interrupting his flow as a reason for her list not being completed. He stands in the doorway, watching her meticulously packing her things up with a small smile, before clearing his throat.
Her eyes light up as soon as she spots him, dropping her ring gear in the bag before walking quickly to him. Her hug is warm as she kisses the side of his face. "Hola," she murmurs, resting her face on his shoulder. "Did you see?" He nods and she kisses him happily. "I refused to give up."
"Yes, you did," he says lowly, fingers brushing against the warm flesh of her waist. "I'm proud of you, Star." She beams up at him and he leans in, brushing her soft blonde hair out of her eyes. "Can we leave now?" She nods and he reaches over, snagging her bag. "Let's go." Fingers tangled together, they walk side by side out of the temple to the car, both eager to return to John's apartment.
After a short drive, the only thing slowing them down being the always painful LA traffic, he leads her upstairs, unsurprised when various aches and pains from the match begin to show themselves. Not that she'd admit it but her gait is slow, a struggle as she sinks onto his couch and releases a groan of a breath. He stands over her for a moment, wishing he could do something to help her, when an idea dawns on him. He kisses her quickly before escaping into the bathroom and running a bath, checking the water with a well practiced hand. Finding it hot enough to ease most discomforts but not enough to hurt, he nods and walks back to the living room, not surprised to find her mask laying discarded next to her on the couch. She's gazing up at him with a sleepy expression and he smiles, leaning over to pick her up. She curls her arms around his neck and allows this, nuzzling her face in his shoulder as he walks her through the apartment, helping her to shed clothes as they go.
Carefully laying her down in the water, he watches as her lips part in relief, the warmth doing its job. He pours in a soft vanilla bubble bath, allowing it to foam up before turning the water off. She lays there, pliant, as he sits by the tub, making sure she doesn't fall asleep and sink under the soap. He dips a wash cloth in the water and starts running it over her face and shoulders, washing off the grime and sweat from the match, the temple never especially clean. After a few moments of this, she catches his hand and presses it to her lips, kissing his palm. "Thank you, Johnny," she whispers.
"My pleasure, Star," he says, feeling oddly choked up as her kisses trail down to his wrist. He inhales sharply and leans closer, tangling his fingers in her hair and drawing her out of the water towards him, kissing her lips as she murmurs in Spanish, the sound of her voice leaving him breathless. Pulling away, he begins to methodically rub the wash cloth over the rest of her body, cleaning her off as she watches him quietly. Once done, he gets to his feet and helps her stand, wrapping a fluffy towel around her.
She hums, unsurprised when he once more picks her up and carries her into the bedroom, resting her on the bed. She's stubbornly independent and would never admit that she needs a man, but sometimes, in the privacy of either of their apartments, his soothing care of her is more than welcome, especially after her horrible past with people of either gender. She'd known very little more than abuse since she was young and it's nice to have someone who seems to genuinely care for her. That, and his bed is very soft, more than welcoming to her weary, battered body. She's just sunk into the pillows, closing her eyes, when she feels his warmth suffusing through the folds of the towel. Peeking at him, she watches as he hovers over her, his eyes intense on her face, her body. She starts to feel shy, wanting to look away, but unable to as he rests a hand on the towel, carefully parting it enough to reveal her midsection, where he lightly kisses her warm flesh just above her ribs.
She's about to ask what he's doing when he slinks up her body and presses a lingering kiss to her throat, a shiver rocking through her when he immediately backs away, heading back down the bed to where she can't see without craning her neck around which she doesn't really have the energy for... Even so, she gasps, eyes fluttering when he lifts her leg and lightly kisses the back of her thigh and it dawns on her finally. He's kissing every inch of her that Pentagon Jr. had struck earlier in the night, trying to rid her of the pain, the memories, all of it. When he returns to the pillows, kissing the back of her head, and her temple, she catches his face and stares into his eyes, overwhelmed with all of the emotions she's feeling. "Johnny..."
He smiles sweetly at her but she can't think of anything else to say or do, so her fingers slowly grasp thin air as he moves away, this time tracing kisses along her stomach, before moving onto her knees. When he rolls her onto her back, she wonders how he knows just where to go, though she thinks she knows, remembers how intensely she always watches his matches, hating each strike and blow that causes him pain. The towel shifts around her once more but she allows it, releasing a soft sigh as he kisses her lower back to the middle of her back, then crawling back up to wrap his arms around her, pulling her into a sitting position. As she snuggles against him, he gently kisses the top of her head before laying her back against the pillows, resting his forehead against hers. Their eyes gleam as they stare at each other, Star wishing she felt a little less beat up, a little more energetic.
It must show on her face because his eyes soften as he leans in and kisses her softly on the lips. "Close your eyes, Star," he tells her gently. "Go to sleep. You're safe here."
She nods quietly. "I know, Johnny," she sighs, obliging him. As he settles in next to her, wrapping her towel-clad body snugly in the sheets and then hugging her close, her eyes slip shut. She wants to say something more but sleep overwhelms her quicker than expected and her last memory is rolling into him, pressing a soft kiss to his collar.
-x
Mike's phone rings. He groans and peeks an eye open in time to see AJ, who is sprawled out on top of him, lean over and slap at it like it's an alarm clock. It instead rings anew and she looks like she's about to tackle it to shut it up when he wraps an arm around her waist and holds her close to him, plucking the phone off of the table. It's an email alert and he sighs, not surprised to find it's from WWE Studios. He kisses her forehead before laying her down on the bed, begrudgingly getting up. His bag, still warm from the European tour and Raw, is too easy to find, even easier to repack, and he hates every second of it, although he looks forward to putting the last few weeks of constantly having to protect everything from Sandow behind him as he travels to Vancouver.
Once packed, he ducks into the bathroom and showers quickly, staring at himself in the mirror as he makes his hair look airport-acceptable. He's about to go get dressed when AJ slinks up behind him, her arms wrapping around his midsection. He leans into her and smiles. "What're you doing up, sweetheart? You were fast asleep when I came in here."
She doesn't say anything for a moment, pouting sleepily, and he releases a breath. "You're leaving, aren't you?" He nods wearily and she closes her eyes, kissing his forearm. "Not without me, you're not."
"Sweetheart..." His words are quieted when she waves her phone at him, Mike immediately guessing. "Did you...?"
"Buy a plane ticket to Vancouver? Yes, I did," she says. "Same flight as you too, the last seat available. So while you and my little English muffin films this movie, I get to visit our favorite spots and write my book. Fresh settings, should get my creative juices flowing." She smirks up at him, looking a little more awake as he lifts her up and sits her on the counter, leaning in to kiss her. "Besides, we can treat it as a second honeymoon..." Her fingers trail through his hair, mussing up what he'd just accomplished, and he makes a face at her as she giggles innocently. She wraps her legs around him and rests her head on his chest, listening to his heart beating. "Are you glad I'm coming with you?"
"Of course I am," he whispers, kissing the side of her head and lifting her, carrying her back into the bedroom. "I just know you're busy with your book, and I don't want you bored and lonely. I know Marine 4's filming wasn't that great of a time for you, and I don't want you to relive that when I'm busy and unable to stay with you sometimes."
She hesitates then presses a warm, open mouthed kiss against his ribs. "I admit, I wasn't in a great headspace back then, no... but I'm beautifully happy right now, and I've already been away from you enough the last few weeks, so I'll be more miserable if I don't go with you. This time, I can explore Vancouver with a clear head and no regrets." She squeezes him and he swallows, leaning in to kiss her, her fingers tracing down his face. "Alright?"
"Whatever makes you happy, AJ," he breathes out. Her grin is all the answer he needs.
The flight is quiet, AJ gently stroking Mike's hair as he sleeps, his face pressed against her shoulder, still dragging from jetlag and everything else. It's pretty clear whatever time during the first few days in Vancouver not filming will be spent recovering, and she's ok with that. He deserves it, after the rough traveling that's behind European tours, along with the permanent loss of working with her due to her retirement, and all of the media that Marine 4's release had required. She is relieved that this movie appears to be lowkey, no stunts or fight scenes. Just a simple Christmas movie, with an easy enough plot to determine who deserves to be Santa's elf. She smiles and kisses his forehead, closing her eyes. "I'm sure, when it's time, that Sara Louisa will love watching her daddy act in these kinds of movies..."
They land, Mike stirring slightly because of the voice of the flight attendants, and the general rough feeling of the wheels hitting the tarmac as the plane slows. AJ's lips on his guides him the rest of the way to reality and he squints at her as she deepens the kiss, her fingers trailing down his lap. He's mumbling a protest, not sure what she's doing, until his seatbelt comes loose and she pulls away with a smirk, catching his eye and pulling him out of his seat. "We're here already?"
"It's been a few hours, husband," she says. "You slept through the entire flight."
He looks shocked, then a bit ashamed at leaving her to her own devices. "Sorry," he starts to say, but her finger on his lips stops him and he sighs, rocking forward into her warmth. She smiles up at him before turning and looking for the overhead compartment with their carry ons. As soon as she spots it, he reaches over her and snags the bags, putting hers in her hands. She smiles up at him and he winks at her, hand warm on her back as she inches into the aisle, following the others out of the plane.
"AAAAAAAAJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJJ!" the scream is so loud that everyone stops and looks around, worried, until Paige rushes up and all but tackles AJ, lifting her up and spinning her around.
"Holy shit," she breathes through a laugh, forgetting for a minute that she's surrounded by people- children, everything. "I missed you too, Paige," she offers as soon as she's back on her feet.
Mike raises an eyebrow as he walks up to them, staring incredulously at Paige. "Don't tackle me," he warns her, but she leans forward and hugs him too. "I thought you were injured?"
She shrugs. "I am, it's just the doctors forget I'm British and have wrestled since I was young. I'm tougher than I look." She beams at her co-star and his wife before wrapping her arms around AJ and walking her through the airport, talking about everything she's seen since arriving here.
Mike nods, his eyes darkening as he follows them. No matter what she says, he can tell by the ashen look of her skin that she's not entirely a hundred percent yet, reminding himself to keep an eye on her. No matter what she claims. After checking in at the hotel, Mike leads both women to a restaurant, scooting in next to AJ before Paige's clinginess could get the best of her again. Thankfully it's a quiet time for the restuarant, so they have most of the place to themselves, able to talk and catch up before the real craziness with moving filming begins the next day.
When Paige orders little more than a turkey club and barely picks at it, he frowns, his worry growing, but she catches his eye and smiles at him, finally lifting the sandwich and taking a bite of it. "Better, mother hen?"
AJ glances at her husband before laughing, resting her head on Mike's shoulder. "Get used to it, my little English muffin. He's even worse when he's away from the grind of being a WWE superstar."
"I can only imagine," she says, nibbling on a couple of fries as he pouts down at AJ.
She giggles and leans up to kiss him. "It's one of the reasons I love you, don't worry." After they finish eating, AJ making fast work of her grilled cheese and Mike working through his grilled chicken with gusto, they drop their bags off into their room before meeting back up with Paige and going to the studio. The same place he'd filmed Marine 4 at, Mike is overwhelmed by the memories surrounding it and smiles down at his wife before leading her down the familiar halls to the break room, their hands tangled together as he holds the door open for her. "It's still here," she calls back needlessly, staring at where they'd placed the lock showing that they were there.
He walks up behind her and hugs her, examining its sustainability. "I told you it would be," he murmurs, kissing her neck as she nods and leans into him. "I love you, sweetheart."
She beams and tilts her head, kissing him on the lips. "I love you too." Paige finds them and realizes what they're staring at, stepping into a different part of the studio to give them this time alone. "I'm happy we're back here." He nods in agreement and kisses her, rocking her back and forth in his arms as they both turn their gaze back to the lock glistening in the late afternoon sun.
When filming begins, they fall into a bit of a routine. Paige knocks on the door around 7 AM, the three of them go down for a quick breakfast before they leave for the studio and AJ returns to the room to get what she needs to continue her book, sometimes staying in the hotel but usually going to the nearest park and people watching between typing up the carefully worded sentences that were inside of her for so very long. Then, after hours have passed, she stops for lunch, finding a new place to write from- usually a quiet place by the lagoon that she'd discovered the year prior, where she stays until the sun starts to set and she feels a bit chilly.
She then returns to the hotel and meets back up with Paige and Miz, listening to their chatter about the movie while they eat, and tells them about her progress with her book. They then look at her old, battered list of places to visit from last year- which she had kept as a souvenir, just to dig back out when she'd booked her flight so Paige could experience ... some... of the things they had, before choosing somewhere to go.
It's always late when they return, Paige excited and eager to explore without the exhaustion of WWE touring waiting for her in the morning, Mike equally amused and exasperated at having to try to keep up with her. "I'm getting too old for this nonsense," he grouses to AJ when Paige begs for yet another go on a carnival ride on their second night in Vancouver.
She grins up at him and kisses him. "Consider it practice for when we have kids," she tells him, eyes twinkling as he groans and buries his face in her hair, shaking his head in despair. "C'mon, husband."
"Fine, fine," he sighs, allowing her to drag him over to Paige's side to get back in line.
She's the happiest she's been in a very, very long time.