There are times when life- in and out of wrestling- moves fast. One minute you're a guy in Ohio wanting to make it big in wrestling and Hollywood and the next you're using your Real World persona to catapult into WWE. Or you're a homeless kid struggling to survive New Jersey and the next, you're squaring off against a group of catty women all stronger and taller and- in some eyes- more attractive, but you still succeed at your dreams and even become cha,pion a couple of times.
It's always interesting to look back on, Mike thinks, the small and big choices he and AJ made over the years that brought them here, married with a daughter, this incredible house and so many friends that sometimes Mike isn't sure what to do with them all. He grazes a knuckle gently over his daughter's cheek, watching as she makes a face in her sleep, and chuckles softly. "Love you, Sara Lou," he murmurs before leaving her to her dreams.
AJ's birthday is on the day of his and Asuka's next MMC match so he surprises her with a huge cupcake before he has to start packing for the next round of events, observing how her face is lit in the candlelight as she sits in their backyard, watching the sun set. She's gorgeous. He's the luckiest man in the world, he decides all over again as she feeds him a pinch of the cake, eyes fluttering as he licks the frosting off of her fingers, a small smirk crossing his face when she shivers and sighs.
They polish off the cake together and AJ laughs when Mike stands and wraps his arms around her, hoisting her up and giving her a second to adjust before walking into the house, lips already tracing down her throat and along the edges of her shirt as he hums and sighs into her skin, her fingers trailing through his hair as he gently lays her down on their bed, brushes his fingers along her ribs, and chuckles when she hums out a whimper, curling her legs around him and drawing him in close. "Mike," she breathes out, and that's all he needs to hear as he eases closer and kisses her abs, a little softer and less defined since her retirement, since Sara, but still there. He remembers how much she'd loved her abs before they really got together and wonders if sometimes she regrets it.
He forces these thoughts away, trailing up to kiss her, feeling her warmth and need thrumming beneath him. "I love you," he breathes against her jaw and she beams.
"I love you too, husband," she whispers, her fingers digging into his shirt as he repeats the words against every inch of her.
-x
Raw should have been easy. Go in, trash Balor and those Club goons of his, then chill out the rest of the night. But of vourse not, Seth freakin' Rollins has to be a boy scout and save the day, curb stomping Mike's face into the mat. He mulls over what he'd like to do to Seth's face well into the next day when the breaking news strikes- the whispers end up being true. WWE has cleared Daniel Bryan to compete after years of it being deemed too risky.
His tweets on the matter are mocking but, beneath it all, he's somewhat happy for his almost-protege. He's thankful Asuka is there to cover for him, hold her own against Alexa while he struggles against Strowman's size and impossible speed. But even with Braun distracted by this blooming romance with Bliss, Mike can't get anything sufficient going, only just provides as the foil for +lexa's downfall when Braun spears him through the barricade and the current woman's champion's voice echoes over to them as she yells worriedly at Braun.
Silence reigns for awhile, then the bell rings and Mike lays there, barely conscious and tense until Asuka's music hits, relief almost strong enough to muffle his pain entirely shooting through him. He breathes in and out raggedly, fiery pain inching up his ribs, until she joins him, helps him up and out of the wreckage of the barricade wall, her excited chattering digging into his throbbing head until he realixes he needs to call AJ. But his vision is swimming and he can't take a deep breath without pain yet so he givea the phone to Asuka. "Speed dial 5," he tells her. "Tell AJ I'm ok."
He leans back against crates and listens as the two women he's closest to currently discuss his condition. Yeah, he thinks, eyes closed as Asuka relays everything she can in slow English. I'm pretty damn lucky all in all.