It's hard to focus on hosting Tough Talk the following night. Mike is incredulous over what Paige did, causing one of the more promising guys on the show to be eliminated. But he continues his hosting duties, trying to stay professional. His ribs still ache with every movement, his suit doing little to hold the pain at bay.
Upon returning to Alberto's house to sleep until his flight to California in the morning, he barely says hello to the others before escaping into his room to let them watch Total Divas, too eager to get out of his clothes and talk to AJ before sinking into blissful oblivion. Pure agony is the only way to describe pulling his jacket off, and the undershirt. His ribs are battered, the bruises dark against his flesh, and he sighs, all too aware of how AJ will react upon actually seeing them tomorrow. "Ugh," he grunts before laying down and dialing her.
He rolls over onto his side and waits as it rings, AJ answering on ring two. "Hey, Mike," she says softly.
"Hey, sweetheart, how are you?" he asks, burying his face in the pillows and pretending like she's right next to him.
"I'm doing ok," she murmurs. "Watched Tough Talk..." As her voice drifts away, he grimaces. There had been a minute where Mada had mocked him over Big Show being backstage, which had caused the larger man to come out, leaving Mike to run as fast as he could, considering his ribs. But he had been ok, Big Show hadn't touched him, and the moment had passed with no harm done. Still, the thought of AJ watching, anxious and worried, leaves him discomforted at the thought of her being stressed out at all during the pregnancy.
"I'm fine, sweetheart. He didn't lay a hand on me," he assures her. "I promise you, everything's ok."
She sounds young when she speaks again. "Ok. I miss you, Mike."
He smiles sadly and shifts the phone against his face, sitting up. "I miss you too, and I can't wait to come home tomorrow. That'll happen sooner if we get some sleep, so what do you think? Wanna get in bed and talk on the phone till one of us fall asleep?"
"Alright," she agrees, the slowly growing smile on her face audible in her voice. "It'll probably be you."
"I doubt it," he laughs, listening to the soft sound of rustling as she gets under the sheets and snuggles up with their pillows. "Comfortable?"
"Mm hmm," she says off of a yawn. When he chuckles, she huffs. "Shut up. It's been a long day." He doesn't say anything right away and she grumbles, "It always is when you aren't home."
"It's painfully long for me when I'm away from you too," he says quietly. "But I'll be home in a few hours, and I won't let you out of my arms then. Ok?"
"You'd better not," she hums sleepily. It's obvious she's almost out of it so he begins telling her about Tough Enough tonight, how silly Paige's selection was, until her quiet breathing is all he can hear on the other end.
Smiling, he listens for a few moments longer. "Good night, sweetheart," he whispers before hanging up and dropping the phone on the table, before curling up under the sheets and dozing off himself.
He's thankful for morning, the sky a soft blue, sun shining cheerfully when he gets out of bed, eager for his flight. Once more waving to Sofia who is as always busy in the kitchen, and receiving a travel mug of coffee for his troubles, he sneaks out while the others are still asleep and drives off to the airport in what's become a new weekly activity for him. Five more weeks of this, he thinks, sighing.
California is having weather similar to Florida so it takes Mike a minute to accept that yes, he had made it through the flight. He's not that surprised to find AJ isn't waiting for him, her tendency to fall asleep in the middle of the afternoon growing more regular the later in the first trimester they get. He smiles a little and walks out to the parking lot to wait for a taxi. Thankfully it doesn't take a long time and he's on his way home within the hour, but the drive takes awhile longer when he orders the driver to take a detour.
It's worth it though, and he returns home with a smile, unsurprised to find AJ asleep on the couch, her keys and purse nearby. She'd clearly been trying to meet him before her exhaustion won out. He releases a soft breath and settles next to her, running the item in his hand against her face softly. She barely stirs but he continues, trailing it down her arm and then across her throat. the tickling sensation must finally register with her because she stirs and moans, pressing her face into the couch cushions.
He leans closer and kisses her shoulder, brushing her hair aside so he can mouth at her skin a little easier, and this wakes her up as she sits up with a gasp. "Mike! Oh no, did I fall asleep? I'm so sorry," she gasps, eyes filling with tears as she realizes that she's missed his flight's arrival.
He winces and reaches out, wiping her cheeks. Pesky hormones, he thinks with a sympathetic sigh. "No, no, sweetheart, it's fine," he tells her gently. "I took a taxi. And besides, it allowed me to get you a surprise..." She stares at him with red rimmed eyes, sniffing miserably, until he pulls out a small vase. She watches as he places a lone, purple flower in with the others held by the delicate glass. His lips twitch uncertainly as she examines the violets, irises and primroses inside, waiting for her response.
"They're beautiful," she finally says, reaching out with a gentle hand to touch the silky petals.
He smiles, searching her face. "Do you know the significance of them, sweetheart?" She shakes her head slowly and he grips her hand, lifting it to his lips. "They're flowers for the month of February."
She looks confused, eyes trailing from the flowers to him before realization dawns and she starts to cry anew, happier tears this time. "Our baby..."
He places the vase on the coffee table before folding her up in his arms, letting her cry against him. "Yeah, your due date." He strokes her hair, waiting it out while wondering just how she'd handled these random emotional outbursts while he'd been gone. He feels awful at the thought of her being alone and upset, closing his eyes and pressing a kiss to her temple until she seems to calm, her hitching breaths slowing to a more normal rhythm. Once she calms, he pulls away, smiling sadly down at her. "Alright?"
She nods, wiping at her eyes but he takes over, lightly kissing her tears away. "I missed you," she hums, sighing as he shifts and settles her back against the couch cushions, nuzzling into her. "I'm happy you're home." He kisses and nips his way down her throat, brushing at her shirt to have access to more of her flesh, when she stops him by cupping his face, drawing him back up to her. He smiles before following her guiding hands to kiss her on the lips, deepening it when she parts her lips slowly. Whimpering into his mouth, she pulls away with a moan and shakes her head. "Bedroom, Mike."
He nods, drawing her up from the couch and as they walk through the hall, both have only one goal in mind: their much more comfortable bed. His arms are warm around her waist as they stumble into the bedroom, AJ giggling when Mike curses at the door which he'd just run into. She's missed him so much, so eager to feel the warmth of his body take away the chill of the last few days from hers that she doesn't think, leaping up and wrapping her legs around his waist as he walks backwards towards the bed. Her eyes widen in horror when he stops short, his knees immediately buckle and he comes very close to dropping her.
"Oh my God, your ribs," she exclaims, feeling horrible. Missed plane arrivals are nothing, this is causing him true physical pain. He grits his teeth, lowering her back to the floor with painstaking determination not to hurt her or the baby, and she stares up at him in horror once she's steady. "I am so sorry, Mike." Her eyes well with fresh tears but she forces them back with a hard swallow, having no time for a hormonal breakdown.
He shakes his head, trying to relax through the screaming of his midsection. "Not your fault, just lost in the moment, it's fine..." But he's sweaty and pale, and she feels even worse. "I'll be ok." He leans in for another kiss but she darts away, heading for the bathroom. He watches, perplexed, when she returns with a washcloth and begins wiping his face, taking away the cold sweat still beading his forehead. "I'm really going to be ok, AJ. It's not that big of a d-" But her hands are on his shirt, slowly lifting it up his chest, and he has no choice but to oblige her, raising his arms and allowing her to stand on her tippy toes, pulling it over his head where it drops from her limp fingers as she gets a good look at the damage spanning his ribcage.
His chest is a mess of purples and blues where Big Show had landed barely 48 hours earlier and she grimaces, realizing why he'd almost dropped her a minute ago. Unable to imagine how excruciating it must've been to have her randomly decide just to lunge up and force him to take her weight on, she guides him slowly to the bed and makes him sit down before soothingly wiping the towel over his arms and chest, taking more sweat with it and cooling his flesh. He watches her quietly, knowing that she won't feel better until she does this. She takes a breath once done and plants her hands on his shoulder, easing him back against the mattress. This time, when she settles on top of him, she's careful and makes sure that he doesn't look to be in pain.
He smiles and rests his hands on her hips, supporting her, but his grip slacks when she leans over and lightly kisses the bruises. Still hurts a little, the slight pressure against his sensitive flesh leaving him breathless, but as she continues on, moving left to right and covering every inch of his abused ribcase, he closes his eyes and relaxes, enjoying the feel of her moving against him. "Damn, AJ," he sighs. "Who needs doctors when they have you?"
She laughs, sending more curious sensations through his ribcage, before slinking up his body, careful to hover off of his chest. Stroking his hair, she kisses him softly on the lips. "A kiss a day keeps the doctor away?"
"Just one?" he pouts, gaze playful. She pretends to think about it before leaning closer and kissing the side of his mouth. He still looks disatisfied so she sighs and kisses the other side. His pout continues as she presses her lips to his jaw, moving up to his cheek where she kisses slowly. She fakes him out by moving towards his other cheek before stopping and claiming his lips in a hot, slow kiss that leaves his entire body tingling. When she shifts back, the dazed look on his face causes her to giggle. "I think I won't need a doctor for another year after that," he mumbles, his hands teasing up her sides.
"Good," she hums, smirking proudly, before he pulls her back into him and brushes her hair away, recreating that kiss all over her body.
Hours later, he's in the kitchen, looking at the things in their pantry. Whereas before, when both of them had been on the road with WWE so often, food options were pretty scarce, she had done a pretty good job of keeping essentials on hand, and things that he craved when not on the road. Tilting his head thoughtfully, he shuts the door and walks back towards the living room, finding her curled up on the couch with one of the primroses in hand, sniffing it. He smiles and leans against the wall, staring at her.
Eventually she looks up and smiles at him, holding her arms out to him. He brushes past the table, careful not to knock the vase over, before sitting down and lifting her up, settling her in his lap. As he hugs her and lightly nips at her neck, she sighs and arches forward to give him more room to work before her curiosity overwhelms her, her eyes locked on the vase. "Mike?"
"Yeah, sweetheart?" he murmurs against her flesh, causing her to shiver.
"Why are there three different kinds of flowers for February?" she wonders, tilting her head to look up at him as he reluctantly pulls away from her throat.
"Oh. Right. I researched all over the internet and everyone kept saying different things," he says with a frown. "Some said irises, some said violets... some said primroses... and I didn't know, so I brought each just in case." His hand is resting on her stomach, stroking her gently, and her eyes flutter as she leans back into his arms, still pondering one particular thing. "Do you know why I selected three of each?" he whispers, tilting her face so he can look into her eyes.
"You read my mind," she hums. "Why?"
"Nine," he says, taking the primrose from her and twirling it in front of her face, captivating her. "One for each week that you've been pregnant so far." She stares up at him, in awe of how simple the explanation is, and he smiles at her, not that surprised to see tears in her eyes again. "Now I need you to tell me which of the three you like the best so I can continue this. Or I can alternate the flowers each week, whatever you prefer..."
She shakes her head and kisses him, overwhelmed with all of this. "I'm the worst wife, I sleep through when I'm supposed to pick you up from the airport, and I forget you're hurt and jump on you, and you're just the sweetest..." Choked up, she stops talking and buries her face in his shoulder as he rocks her back and forth gently, trying to sooth her.
"There's nothing 'worst' about you," he chides her. "You're the best wife I've ever had." This makes her laugh brokenly and he smiles, kissing the side of her head. "I'm sorry I'm not here for you more, to help through emotional moments like this... or cravings... or whatever else you might need from me... so yeah, I'm going to buy you flowers and anything else that might make my absence a little easier on you. I hope you won't cry every time I do, but I understand if so. Happy tears are better than sad ones, anyway. And I don't want you to feel like you're not doing enough for me. You're giving me the best thing ever, and I will never stop feeling grateful towards you for that."
She hears him out, still buried against his neck, and he eventually falls quiet, stroking her back gently as she calms down. Once in control of her emotions again, she sits back and cups his face, kissing him. "Thank you." She examines the primrose for a moment before putting it back in the vase and pulling out a violet. "I think I like this best out of the three."
"Violets it is then," he declares, taking the flower from her and gently pressing it behind her ear. "It's not nearly as beautiful as you, but it'll do." He smiles as she hugs him tighter. "Now the real reason I came in here... what do you want to eat? Hm? I'll make whatever my girls want."
She giggles again and shakes her head. "We don't know what the gender is yet."
"Well, I still have a decent chance of being right," he says. "And if I'm wrong, I'll apologize to them when I meet them." He tickles her sides until she gasps and arches away from him, laughing herself breathless and trying to push him away with her feet. "So. Food?" he asks, his hands coming to a stop on her waist.
"Macaroni and cheese," she decides after a moment's thought.
He hums and leans forward, kissing her nose. "That I can do. Do we have the ingredients?"
She nods, eyes lighting up despite still being red-rimmed. "It's been a big craving so far, so yeah, we have plenty, don't worry." He laughs and leans in, kissing her once more, before getting up to start the noodles. She watches him go, appreciating the view, before laying back down on her side and staring at the flowers, dwelling on how fast the last nine weeks have gone. She can hear him rustling around, collecting what he needs from cupboards and the fridge.
He's just poured a generous amount of noodles into the pan when he hears her soft footsteps padding up behind him, pausing to look over his shoulder as she rests the vase of flowers on the table and then joins him, pressing a slick kiss to the middle of his back as she wraps her arms around him. "Lonely, sweetheart?"
"Mm hmm." She watches, kissing up his spine as he continues to prepare the food. The smell starts to get to her and she groans. "It always takes so long, I wanna eat now..." Her words cut off when he presses a slice of cheese in her mouth, her eyes almost rolling up in the back of her head at the taste. "Mmmm, so good..."
"Our kid's going to be a mac and cheese addict, aren't they?" Mike laughs, listening to her mumble around the cheese in an attempt to answer.
The rest of the night passes peacefully and they spend the next day wandering around the beach, joined by Star and Morrison a few hours later for an early supper. Mike can tell AJ is trying to resist ordering as much food as she wants, not wanting to clue Morrison in on what's going on yet (Two and a half weeks to go...) so he makes a quick note to offer her a snack before bed. It's clear that Star notices too because, once Morrison is gone, she spoons some of the pasta from her plate onto AJ's, winking while ignoring her protests. "Eat up, mami," she says quietly, sipping from her water as John returns.
Mike mouths a quick thank you to her, relieved that John's too focused on Ultima Lucha to notice what's on whose plate. He keeps John's focus on the match against Del Rio, talking to him eagerly about it while AJ eats what Star had given her. The meal ends fairly quickly once they're done eating, the two couples going their separate ways. "Star's pretty great, isn't she?"
"Yeah, I like her," AJ murmurs, lightly rubbing her stomach as they drive. "Do you think everyone'll be happy for us?"
Mike glances at her in the fading twilight, frowning. "Of course they will, sweetheart. Why wouldn't they?"
She shrugs. "I don't know. It just feels wrong keeping it from them for so long... I'm so happy and I can't even say anything..."
He reaches over and takes her hand, rubbing her knuckles soothingly. "They'll understand, sweetheart. And it's only a few more weeks, then we can tell anyone and everyone. They'll be thrilled, I promise you. There's no reason not to be."
She smiles, staring at him. "Ok. I believe you, Mike." She guides his hand over her stomach and they both reflect on how she's already starting to show, just a little. Most wouldn't notice, since she doesn't ordinarily wear many tight clothes anyway... but they definitely do. Soon they'll be feeling the baby kick for the first time, listening to its heartbeat at the next ultrasound, and pondering what colors to paint the nursery.
He closes his eyes at a red light, trying to imprint this moment to memory. "I love you, AJ."
"I love you too, Mike," she whispers back, neither quite wanting to shatter the moment, but both needing to say it.
-x
That Monday, Mike's reluctantly back at it, leaving AJ fast asleep before he heads for the airport. "I love you both," he whispers to her, kissing her forehead before picking up his suitcase and heading out. His ribs are still sensitive, though not as bad as last week, the bruising now an ugly greenish-yellow shade that makes AJ cringe when she looks at them, though it means they're recovering, and that's good.
He arrives at Raw to two pieces of news for him: He's been assigned to commentate Ambrose vs Big Show, and he's been taking off of Tough Talk. About to protest this move, he stops short when he hears why. "Oh, yeah, sure," he mumbles. But this means he'll be judging next to Paige, who he hasn't gotten along with well in matters to do with Tough Enough lately. "More drama, yay," he sighs, shouldering his bag and continuing on his way.
Big Show vs Ambrose is nearly everything he could ask for and more. He laughs as Ambrose sidesteps after losing, the larger man slamming straight through the barricade wall. He leaves before Big Show can get up and start raging, not wanting to get caught in that crossfire.
Paige is a busy girl this evening, first with her own match against Sasha Banks- which she loses- and then accompanying Becky Lynch and Charlotte to the ring for a tag match against Nikki Bella and Alicia. Although Paige looks far from happy over losing earlier in the night, the match seems to start off ok... until Alicia lands on her head and Mike freezes. They hadn't talked much since the week before Tough Enough began, and he regrets it now as he watches her fight through whatever damage that might've caused.
Her strength wans as soon as she and the twins make their way backstage, however, Brie doing what she can to help her walk up the ramp, but it clearly isn't enough as Alicia stumbles and almost trips over her own feet. Mike lunges forward and grips her under the arms, trying to catch her eye. "Hey. Hey, Foxy. Look at me."
"Don't feel good," she mumbles, squeezing his hand painfully tight. "Mike? Where's Alex?"
Red flags waving all over the place, Mike ignores the twins' uncertain chatter. "Alright, Foxy, come on, let's get you looked at. Can't have your brains scrambled for your wedding, huh? Although, considering who you're marrying, that's probably already the case, huh?" He loops her arm around his shoulders and helps her down the hallway, relieved that the trainer's office isn't that far away.
She grips his hand as he deposits her carefully on a cot. "Please stay," she begs him, dark brown eyes drilling into his. They're unfocused and painfully wide, and he immediately sits next to her. "I miss Alex," she mumbles, resting her head on his shoulder. "So much..." Her shoulders start to shake and he's not sure with laughter or tears, trying to see her face through her thick hair. "We're both going to be on the injured list for our wedding. Isn't that great?"
He has no comment for this, just wrapping an arm around her and hugging her close. "It'll be ok. If you guys need anything, AJ and I will help. You know that."
"You're a good friend," she mumbles, pulling back to look at him. "I'm sorry I was ever jealous about you and Paige being friends. I shoulda known... it's just she gets everything, y'know? The movies and the last match with AJ, and the divas' title... and now... now..." She closes her eyes and yawns. "The... big mansion... and no one cares that she betrayed me first..."
Mike grimaces at the bitter, confused diatribe, stroking Alicia's hair until she falls quiet. "You have a lot too," he tells her. "And AJ loves you. You were her bridesmaid, remember? Paige wasn't. It counts for something, right?" Alicia nods blurrily, Mike relieved when the trainer chooses then to walk in. "I'm pretty sure she's concussed, Jason," he tells the man.
"With a landing like that, it wouldn't surprise me. Let's see what we've got here." He takes over, allowing Mike to leave the room for a moment while Alicia struggles to follow his commands for the IMPACT test.
He's not surprised to find Paige leaning against the wall, staring ahead with an uncomfortable look on her face. He sighs and stands next to her, crossing his arms against his chest. "Are you rooming with the girls tonight? Because I can't leave Alicia alone tonight, and I don't trust the Bellas to care enough to keep an eye on her. But I don't want you feeling uncomfortable either, so... it's up to you."
Paige sighs and bites her lip, looking over at him. "She's right, you know. You are a bloody great friend." Shaking her hair out, she takes a breath. "We can room together. Alicia and I used to be friends and she has her reasons to feel put out with me. I haven't really been nice to her, and with the wedding coming up... I suppose I should make the effort, hm?"
"Yeah, that'd be nice," he sighs, thinking about AJ and how badly he wants there to be less stress in her life right now. "Hopefully she's alright with it too." Thankfully, on some level, she's too exhausted to argue so between the two of them, they get her into the rental car and to the hotel in one piece.
Paige helps her get ready for bed while Mike calls AJ to update her, that Alicia's been diagnosed with what appears to be a minor concussion. "But she's going to be ok," he hastens to add. "Paige and I are here to keep an eye on her and I'll have her call you in the morning."
AJ releases a soft breath. "Thank you, husband. Take care of yourself too, please."
"I will," he promises her. "See you on Wednesday."
"Can't wait," she sighs. "Good night, husband."
"Good night, sweetheart," he answers before hanging up. Making sure Alicia and Paige are still busy in the bathroom, their voices a soft murmur as they discuss... who knows what, he reaches into his bag and pulls out the ultrasound picture, rubbing a finger over it reverantly. "Good night to you as well, little one."