"One plus to the draft," Mike muses to AJ as she hands him some mushed peaches for Sara Louisa, watching with a soft smile as he begins to feed their daughter. "I have an extra day to spend with my favorite girls now." He purses his lips at the baby and laughs when she pokes her tongue out at him, showing uncertainty towards the fruit that she's just being introduced to. "Isn't that right, SL? Daddy gets to play with you a little more." He pats her chubby hand as she squirms around, eyes lighting up as she fully tastes the peaches. "I think someone likes it," he chuckles, leaning over to kiss the top of her head. "Have a little more then."
"You're adorable with her," AJ sighs, her smile growing as both father and daughter look over at her, matching blue eyes still more than a little overwhelming. We made that, she thinks in awe before cupping Mike's face and kissing him slowly. "I love you."
"I love you too," he hums against her lips before turning back to their daughter, resuming the careful feeding.
Later, when AJ is about to put Sara down for her nap, she hears a knock at the front door and blinks. "Huh?" Mike brushes past her, kissing her shoulder before he makes it to the front door and answers it. "Mike, the baby's going to be asleep soon. Who is that-?" Her words die away as Taya and John walk in, John winking at her as he takes his sunglasses off. "Oh. Hey, guys. What's up?" She tries to seem cheerful but with the baby just about out, now's the worst time for company.
John seems to sense it, smiling at her. "We're not here to mess with Sara's naptime, don't worry. Actually my best friend asked me for a favor, so here I am."
Mike smirks at him as Taya gently guides AJ away from Sara. "What's going on?" she wonders, peeking back at her baby as the men lean over the crib, checking on her before disappearing down the hall.
"Well, John and I are going to stay here," Taya explains. "You and Mike are going to go to John's apartment and have a bit of a date night. We'll take good care of the baby, John tells me he's watched her before, and you two can relax, have some fun without worrying about a reservation or anything else. The food's already made, you just have to reheat it a few minutes and should be good to go."
AJ gapes at her, then smiles through some bashful tears. She loves her daughter, of course, but sometimes a break sounds like nirvana. "Thank you," she breathes out, hugging her new friend. It's weird to think that not that long ago, it was John and Star doing this for them, but things change quickly in the wrestling world. So do relationships. "I'm so glad John found you."
Taya's laugh is soft. "So am I," she murmurs. "Now, mama, let's find you something to wear that'll knock Mike's socks off."
Once they meet at the car, all Mike and AJ can do is stare at each other. Her dress is rich green, a retro number with a pleated skirt that she'd bought while pregnant and hadn't been able to wear. His suit is a light grey with a green tie that matches her outfit well. She beams at him, their hands lightly tangled together as he drives them to the apartment. Things are quiet, the radio's even off, and they just enjoy each other's company through LA's traffic. Upon arriving, he walks around the car and holds his hand out to help her up, smiling as she smooths her skirt out. "Come on, sweetheart, let's see what those two did."
It's very similiar to after their wedding, soft white lights trinkling around the room, a table set up by the kitchen with plates and silverware waiting for them. "Taya said all we have to do is heat up the food and then relax," AJ says, heading into the kitchen and peering into the fridge. It's lasagna and garlic bread and she smiles, already anticipating the taste of it. Reheating it in the oven by the written instructions Taya leaves her is mad easy and before long, they're sitting at the table, enjoying their meal.
Mike is in the middle of telling her about the locker room scuttlebutt following the draft when he stops short, realizing that she's staring at him with a soft smile on her lips. "What is it?" he wonders, putting his fork down and reaching for her hand. She beams at him, leaning closer so he can kiss her knuckles.
"I've missed this," she admits. "As adorable as moments with Sara are, I guess I've missed it just being us. I wouldn't want to always be away from her, but sometimes... it's nice, you know what I mean?"
He nods, continuing to kiss her knuckles. "I get what you mean," he agrees. "I get more of a break than you do, because I'm on the road so much. But I do miss being alone with you sometimes. We're both lucky we have great friends like John and Taya willing to help us though."
"This is true," she agrees, exhaling sharply when he turns her hand and presses a soft kiss to her wrist before letting her go. They resume eating and Mike continues talking, but there's a certain tension in the air as they try to hurry it along. Once they're done and Mike has taken their plates to the sink, rinsing them off before rejoining her, she drifts her arms around his shoulders and he squeezes her sides, smiling down at her. She shifts into him and closes her eyes as he lightly dances her around the room to no music. He spins her around and pulls her closer, kissing her warmly as she arches up on her tippy toes to reach him easier. "I love you."
"I love you too," he mumbles, nuzzling against her. As he lifts her up, deepening the kiss, everything beyond this moment- Maryse, his career, their friends babysitting their daughter- disappears for a few moments. Her shoes hit the floor with soft thuds as she wraps her legs around his waist, hugging him. He chuckles into her skin and rubs her back, kissing her softly.
-x
Although he likes it, it's weird only working the PPV, getting an off-day and then working Smackdown. The less chance he has of getting injured, the better for AJ, for Sara, for his movie career. But still, for the most must see superstar, it's odd getting relegated to only one show again. Watching Bob Backlund react in a ridiculously aggressive fashion after Maryse slaps him, tearing his shirt off and approaching her menacingly sends Mike into protective overdrive, getting out of the ring and going after him to distract him from her. He pushes him down, which sends Darren out after him but any attempt of offense fails- Mike retains his title after being counted out and he waves Darren off, wrapping a protective arm around Maryse as they walk backstage. All in all, she's not too bothered by the insane old man's actions after all of her years in this business, but still. It makes him see red to think about it.
She cups his face and shakes her head, smiling at him. "Thank you for saving me, Mike. But please, relax. I am fine. That ridiculous old man did nothing to me, thanks to you."
It takes a few minutes but he nods, finally accepting her assurances. "Let's get out of here," he mumbles.
The next day, he and Maryse explore Buffalo, New York, for a short while before returning to the hotel to get some badly needed rest. He and AJ facetime for awhile before she puts Sara to bed, but his exhaustion quickly catches up with him as well and he doesn't remember the rest of the night.
His first night as a full-fledged Smackdown superstar is supposed to be simple. He's away from Darren Young, and now he can focus on other things. Like hosting MizTV and re-introducing Orton properly to the WWE Universe. Except that Orton is a boring guest, so he chooses to interview himself for awhile. It only goes downhill when Orton interrupts and challenges him to a match. Which goes spectacularly badly after Orton lands on his shoulder, a cold kind of rage taking over Orton's icy blue eyes. All Mike can do is gape as Orton falls into another gear, RKOing him twice in a row before finally pinning him.
It hurts, and it's far from the first impression he wants to make post-draft, but it is what it is. Gritting his teeth, he makes his way slowly up the ramp with some help from Maryse and they're in the trainer's room when Heath joins them a little later, his midsection aching thanks to Rhyno's gore. They exchange glances and Mike sighs, collapsing back against the cot with a groan. "This sucks."
"Yes it does," Heath and Maryse echo.