Miz hosts MizTV that week on Smackdown. Considering his guests are Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens, he's sure it's going to be dramatic and intense... More so after he hears Sami's side of the story and then introduces Kevin. Pleased that, for once, he's not getting interrupted or disrespected too severely, Mike thinks things will go the way he wants until Sami gets heated and Kevin heads back up the ramp to leave, just to get interrupted by Neville, who sets his sights on Kevin's intercontinental title belt.
Reminded of how he'd invited Neville over for Christmas, had tried to make the man feel welcome, Mike sees red and tells Neville that it's his show and he's not welcome. He mentions main eventing Wrestlemania just for Zayn to interrupt and tell him that those days are far behind him. Growing more and more angry, Mike attacks him but Sami fights back and Miz bails out of the ring, catching his breath close to Owens as Neville and Sami glares at them from opposite sides.
It's not entirely a surprise when the news is passed down that they'll be in a tag match starting next, Mike angrily pulling off his hosting garb and preparing for the match, blue eyes locked on Neville. He and Owens have a somewhat volatile relationship, never entirely getting along that well although they have many similar enemies. Even so, he's not entirely surprised when Owens bails when he moves to tag him in against Sami, grabbing his title belt and leaving. Aware of how futile it is, Mike yells at him, trying to get him to come back, have his back, but Kevin continues to retreat as Mike is pinned by Sami, losing the match.
He glares up at the ramp at where Kevin was standing, aware that he's booked on Superstars the next night. He takes his frustration and anger out on Zack Ryder, who gives as good as he gets for awhile but ultimately loses speed against Mike's temper and takes the skull-crushing finale, eating the pin a minute later. It only helps a little, Mike still pissed off over losing to Neville and Sami, being abandoned by Owens.
He paces around the hotel room later, not sure why he's still so aggravated. He doesn't like Owens, for the most part, but still. It's not fair, his being left behind to lose like that. He grimaces and scrubs at his face, remembering all of the tag partners he'd left high and dry and sits down heavily. "Karma sucks," he mumbles, slumping forward and dropping his chin in his hands.
Heading home the next day to spend time with his family helps Mike to shake off the funk he finds himself falling into, laying on his stomach on the floor with AJ and Sara Louisa, watching his little girl learn more about the world, slowly strengthen her muscles to prepare to hold her head up, and eventually crawl and walk. She gurgles and makes soft little whining noises when he holds out a soft bunny, teasing it against her nose and forehead. AJ tsks at him before lifting the baby up, taking the purple toy from him and holding it out towards her, smiling as she grips it. "There you go, sweetie," she whispers, kissing Sara on the side of the head before passing her off to Mike so she can stand up. "Come to momma," she says, soothing her as she fusses at getting moved back and forth so much.
Mike watches with a small smile as AJ walks off to prepare to feed her, settling in the rocking chair he'd bought her the week after she'd had Sara, lightly pushing them back and forth as the baby squirms and stares up at AJ with wide blue eyes, AJ humming while Mike wanders around and picks up the few toys scattered around from tummy time. Leaning over to kiss AJ on top of the head, Mike wanders into the kitchen and grabs a bottle of coconut water that John had left at his last visit, sipping from it thoughtfully.
AJ joins him a little later, watching the sun set with him, wrapping her arms around him. "'Bout ready to go to bed?"
He nods and turns, wrapping his arms around her and kissing her softly. "Yeah, soon." He rests his forehead against hers and smiles, staring into her eyes. "I love you."
"I love you too," she says, but a flash of emotion stops him short and he stares at her. "What is it?"
His fingers ghost against her lips, down her jaw. "Are you ok? There was this look in your eyes when you said that, like..."
She shakes her head, grip tightening on him. "It's dumb. It really is, it's just stupid."
He makes a face at her. "Tell me and I'll decide how stupid it is, sweetheart." She stays mum and he sighs, lightly tickling her sides. "Come on, I won't let this go until you do..."
She groans and squirms away from his teasing fingers, finally burying her face in his chest. "I'm just... I'm afraid I won't get my pre-pregnancy body back," she mutters. "And you're around all of the divas and everything, and..."
He pushes her gently back and stares down at her, certain that this has to be some sort of a joke... until he sees the look on her face, the fear and self-doubt. "Oh sweetheart," he hisses out breathily, gripping her shoulders and carefully guiding her down the hall to their bedroom. Pulling the closet open, where the body-lengthed mirror is, he stands there with her, flicking the light on and making her look at herself.
"Mike," she grumbles. "What-" Her voice fades as his hands trail down her body, exploring every inch of her before resting on her stomach. She's still about twenty five pounds heavier than she was, though she's already lost a couple of pounds. "Mike, stop."
"No," he refuses, staring at her, tracing circles in her stomach. "You were beautiful pre-pregnancy, you were radiant during the pregnancy, and you're luminous now." Leaning in, he presses soft, warm kisses to her throat, tipping her neck back against his shoulder. "And as soon as the doctor clears it, I'll prove it to you."
She sighs and leans back against him, closing her eyes and just allowing herself to feel. Thankfully she hadn't been too bad off after the pregnancy, truly worried that post-partum depression would hit her while Mike was on the road, but although she's felt her own fair share of anxiety and worry, she's bonded fine with Sara and everything seems to be progressing normally. Probably because I have a fantastic support system, she thinks, remembering how Alicia and Paige had been there from nearly the start, Mike also being a God-send with their little girl when he's home.
Only one person had been missing, really, and she frowns, turning to look at Mike. "Thank you," she whispers, wrapping her arms around him. "I owe you and everyone else so much... but I do have a question. Where's Star been?"
Mike sighs, surprised on some level that it'd taken her this long to ask. "Well, I haven't been keeping up with Lucha Underground, but I think... Marty the Moth was screwing with her again, and John was trying to figure out a way to help her. We haven't talked about it in a week or so, but she was in a match last week so I guess she's gotten away from Marty." He hugs her and whispers, "I'll call in the morning and figure out what's going on, but come on, let's get some sleep."
They check on Sara in the basinet, smoothing their hands along her stomach before slipping into their own beds, AJ sighing and pressing against Mike's chest. "Thank you for everything, husband," she murmurs, kissing his throat softly before nuzzling closer and falling asleep almost immediately.
He smiles and closes his eyes, relaxing to the sound of his girls' breathing.
-x
John and he meet up on the beach the next afternoon, John in the middle of his standard yoga. Mike watches him from afar, not wanting to get caught up in the weird mix of parkour and yoga that John more often than not tortures him with. "So how's the baby?" he asks over the surf, body twisted in a way that looks impossible and painful to Mike. "She good?"
"She's great," Mike says, digging his toes in the sand. "You should come visit her soon. But I mostly wanted to see you so we could talk about Star. What's going on?"
John frowns. "Well," he says, floating out of the position and staring at Mike. "She got free from Marty again... on her own this time... but there's some weird alliance with her and The Mack. I haven't seen her much lately, she seems to be avoiding me. She lost a match against this... Mariposa... and I haven't seen her since." He sighs. "I'm worried about her, but I don't know what to do. I know she's safe, at least she seems to be, but until I see her... and can actually get a minute with her, well..." He shrugs glumly.
"I'm sorry," Mike says honestly, scooting down into the sand to sit next to him. "That's rough. When I couldn't talk to AJ, everything felt so... wrong... To have to go through all of this, thinking she's in some sort of danger as well... I would be losing it right now." He reaches out and massages John's shoulder. "If you ever need anything, you know where to find me."
"Thanks," John sighs. They sit quietly for awhile before John gets to his feet, dusts his hands off. "What do you say we go get some food and go surprise your wife and baby girl? I get the feeling she's missing her uncle John."
Mike smirks at him. "I'm sure." Getting up as well, he claps John on the back. "Let's go."
After a nice night with his best friend, daughter and wife, Mike flies out for Raw the next morning. He arrives to find Alberto and Paige waiting at the airport rental area for him, smirking at the Mexican aristocrat. "Oh, you decided to join the party again, huh? What were you doing last week anyway?"
Alberto rolls his eyes at him, glance flickering towards Paige. "None of your business, Mike," he says boredly. "Let's go." Paige nods, her lips twisting in confusion, before she follows him to the rental car, Mike throwing his bags into the trunk.
Once they arrive at the arena, he's glad to see he's got a match against Sami early in the card. He changes into his gear and loosens up, stretching and taping up his wrists. Owens is on commentary, and Mike glares out at him, still sore from the tag match the Smackdown prior. He tries to focus on Sami for awhile but when Owens comes off of commentary and approaches, Mike goes after him, knocking him down with a forearm. Kevin's distraction works and Mike loses, punching the mat before he leaves. He stays backstage, showering and changing in Alberto's locker room, watching as Paige is confronted by Lana, Naomi and Tamina coming to back up the Russian woman. Considering what they'd just done to Alicia, Mike's relieved that Paige walks off unscathed.
Mike isn't sure what keeps him at the arena, but he refuses when Alberto suggests they leave, done with his business with the League of Nations and in need of some sleep. "No," he mumbles. "Let's just... stay and watch for awhile." Alberto looks annoyed, and Paige looks curious, but finally they agree, sitting down to watch the show. Neville wrestles Jericho towards the end of the show and Mike watches, gritting his teeth and eager to get his hands on Neville in the future... but then it happens. It's quick, occurs in a blink of an eye, one minute Neville seems fine, and the next he can't bear weight on his leg, slumping against the rope.
Jericho goes for the roll up while Mike's still trying to figure out what happened, but only gets the two. Jericho lunges to his feet and starts arguing with the referee, getting DQ'd. Mike swallows as Neville isn't shown again, slowly getting up and making his way out of the locker room. By the time he reaches gorilla, Neville is there, being helped back by the trainer and doctor. Their eyes lock and Neville hisses out, "Now's not the time, Miz. Leave me alone."
Despite this, as they lead Neville back up the hallway, Mike follows, ignoring the referees who are trying to stop him. "I'm not doing anything!" he finally snaps at them, relieved when they pull back and let him continue on. He slips into the trainer's office and watches as they examine Neville's leg and ankle, murmuring about a broken shin and ankle, deciding quickly to send him to the ER. Mike licks his lips, weighing his options, and finally... "I'll accompany him."
Neville stares at him strangely. "Why would you do that?"
"Because," Mike says simply. "You may not like me, but I did want to take you under my wing, and I'm aware of how injuries suck, especially this close to Wrestlemania. And who else is going to go with you? It's better than being alone... and if you need anything, then at least someone'll be there."
"I suppose," Neville sighs, too tired and nervous to argue.
Appeased, Mike nods and sits back to wait. By the time the trainer and doctor finishes splinting Neville's leg, preparing him to be moved, it's after ten and Mike messages Alberto, telling him to go on ahead without him.
He spends most of the night in the ER with Neville, waiting for x-rays. Somewhere around 3 AM, he looks up to find Neville fast asleep while sitting up awkwardly. Sighing, Mike puts his phone down and grips Neville under the arms, careful to settle him more comfortably without jostling his legs too much. As soon as Neville's comfortable, he finds a blanket and shakes it out over his body. "Good night," he mumbles, turning back to his seat and the phone.
When he falls asleep, he's not sure, but they both wake up to the news that Neville does indeed have a broken shin and a broken ankle, but won't require surgery. Considering, it's not as bad as it could've been. Mike releases a breath and helps Neville out to the taxi, holding his crutches as he settles into the backseat. Putting them in the trunk, Mike joins him as they drive back to the hotel.
"Mike?" Neville asks, the first thing he's really said all night since Mike had tagged along.
"Yes, Neville?"
He hesitates and runs his fingers through his hair. "I know things went badly for us, mostly because you're a pushy ass... but you're not always like that. You were kind to me at Christmas when you didn't need to, and here, tonight... You've proven to me again why, despite everything, you have a fair amount of loyal friends." He sighs and leans his head back against the seat. "I suppose all I can say is thank you. I wouldn't have made it through tonight as easily alone. You were correct."
Mike nods, biting down his urge to gloat and be smug. "You're welcome," he says simply, looking up as the taxi stops at the hotel. Getting out, he grabs Neville's crutches from the trunk and eases him out of the car, staying close just in case as they make their way through the lobby. "If you need something, you still have my card, right?"
Neville thinks for a moment, looking exhausted and close to falling asleep on his feet. "I... yeah, maybe."
Mike makes a face at him, urging him on to the elevator. "What floor are you on?"
"Four," Neville sighs.
They wait as the elevator closes, then lifts up to the correct floor. Mike holds his hand out for Neville's keycard, reading the number on it before guiding him down the hall. After unlocking the door, Neville eases down onto his bed and groans, rubbing his neck. Mike grabs his crutches and places them by the bed, close enough for Neville to grab when he's actually awake. "You going to be alright if I leave you here?"
"Yeah," Neville hums, scooting up the bed and settling back against the pillows. "I'm not going to move for the next ten hours, but yeah. I'll be fine."
Mike nods, lips tense. "Fine. But if you need anything..." He sets another copy of his card down on the bedside table, looking over at Neville. "You call me, alright?"
"Alright," Neville murmurs, his dark eyes locked on the glossy card. As Mike heads for the door, Neville shifts. "Thanks again, Mike."
Mike hesitates in the doorway. "You're welcome." Shutting the door behind him, he heads to the elevator and rides it up to the sixth floor. Letting himself in, he kicks his shoes off and slumps into bed, not even caring about brushing his teeth or anything else.
Paige stirs in the other bed. "Neville ok?"
"He will be," Mike sighs. "Sorry I woke you."
"Is fine," she breathes out. "Good night, Mike."
"Good night, Paige."