The McMahons are a strange subject for pretty much anyone who's asked about them. Pretty much every wrestler has an opinion on them- favorite members of the family, ones to avoid. Miz has had run-ins with both Stephanie and HHH, and while he thinks Vince likes him to some degree because of how willing he is to drop anything and do media or involve himself in the most recent charity event, he knows he's nowhere near the top of the old man's list in preferred talent.
Then there's Shane McMahon. Yeah, he has his own issues with ego and pride, what McMahon doesn't honestly, but Mike actually kinda likes him? He'd stepped up, at least, when Mike had hurt his leg and fought for their brand, and not for his own success but just to keep Raw from getting a win against the blue brand this close to Survivor Series. And yeah, they end up getting murdered at the actual PPV, but Shane hadn't stopped fighting for them once, and Mike almost feels bad for directing him to perform Coast to Coast after Coast to Coast, especially after Braun nearly knocks his head off with a lariat on one of them. So they lose and Mike stews over it for awhile, pondering blame, and cause and affect, all of those weird things he usually never considers- some of it falls on his own shoulders, yeah. It's not all Shane's fault, he'd tried his best but had been left alone against three impossible competitors, so...
Yeah, Mike feels kinda bad. So he urges Paige to let him host MizTV with Shane as his guest, and he uses the time to talk him up, try to smooth things out after the disasterous showing they'd all had on Sunday. Even tries to do Shane's infamous shuffle, which is ridiculous and more fun than he'd realized, even for an Ohioan with absolutely no rhythm as he jerks around awkwardly and tries to look like he has any idea what his feet are doing during Shane's entrance. Unfortunately his second idea goes as well as any other idea he has had lately, and he puts them in a tag match, he and Shane against these two nobodies, and... and he's grandstanding so much, trying to show that they could be great partners, could maybe even go after the Bar someday, that this... this...- he doesn't even remember the guy's name, ok?!- just comes out of nowhere, rolls him up and gets the three count.
He stares ahead, lips parted, eyes wide, shocked and dismayed. Almost feels like crying right then and there, the LA crowd trying to cheer him on, but he can barely think straight, cringing internally as Shane comes into the ring, a weird look on his face, but he's cool about it, tries to comfort Mike on their way back up the ramp, waiting until they're away from the crowd, trudging backstage through the halls to the locker rooms. "Hey, Mike, really, it was a nice thought- gave it a try, you know." Shane chuckles a little, shrugs. "Guy my age being tag champs, what an idea. I gotta hand it to you for trying to think outside of the box, but I'm sure you've got better things to do than form a tag team with someone like me, so-"
"Not really," Mike confesses lowly, and Shane stops short, looking over at him with an eyebrow lifted.
"Excuse me?"
Mike spreads his hands out. "Look at me, man. I haven't had much to do in a long time. I'm good for random MizTV segments, and to fill space here and there, but I haven't even gotten an opportunity at the US title in a long time. I feel like I'm just spinning my wheels between movie roles and it... it's exhausting."
"So you thought if you teamed up with a McMahon, no less, maybe you'd get some extra attention," Shane fills in the blanks, staring at Mike.
Mike flushes with shame, looking away. "Something like that," he confesses lowly and Shane releases a deep breath. "Not to say I haven't grown to appreciate your style," he hastes to add. "You saving the day after I tweaked my leg, that was a thing of genius, honestly. What people never seem to realize about me is even though a lot of what I say is exaggerated just a smidge, I do generally mean what I say. Everything I said about you tonight, I meant. You're, like... the only really tolerable McMahon."
The words just pour out without his really thinking, and he gapes at Shane, expecting anger, maybe a series of punches to his face and upper body for insulting the man's family, but no... Shane just throws his head back and laughs, then cringing as every ache and pain from Sunday is reawakened at the sudden movement. "Well, I mean, thank you for that, I guess," he says, teeth flashing as he grins at Mike. "I won't tell my father or sister you said that."
Mike swallows, stepping forward uncertainly. "So we're... we're ok?"
Shane nods, clapping him on the shoulder. "Yes, Miz, we're fine. Just... next time, maybe, keep tag team wrestling to the actual tag teams. As for future opportunities, you're good at getting your way eventually, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I'll see you around, ok?" He turns and slowly, painfully, walks away as Mike watches him go, wheels still spinning.
"Oh yeah. I am good at getting exactly what I want," he mumbles, envisioning the tag belts around his waist.
-x
"So your new best friend and preferred tag partner is Shane McMahon," John intones as he and Taya settle at the Mizanin table for their Thanksgiving meal, John laughing at the look on Mike's face. "Hey, man, really, I could think of worse people to replace me, but geez. A McMahon? That's some lofty goals, brother."
Mike glowers at him, about to interject, when Taya speaks up. "Oh, let him have this, Johnny. He's not had a very good week. What was the name of the guy who pinned you again?" Her grin is full of innocence, but there is mischeviousness in her dark eyes.
He points his fork at her. "Don't you start. Even my two year old daughter keeps giggling at me, and she only knows a few dozen words."
"Sara is a smart child," Taya says, laughing at John drops a roll on her plate. "Thanks, hon," she says, cupping his face and kissing him.
"Of course she is," AJ says, bringing out the sweet potato casserole that she'd spent the better part of the morning on. "She's my daughter."
"Hey," Mike protests weakly, "I had a hand in that too, you know."
AJ leans in and smiles down at him, hair pouring over her shoulder and taking his breath away as he looks up at her, enthralled. "Of course you did, husband. She gets her looks from you."
"Poor kid," John and Taya chime in together, breaking out in laughter as Mike glowers at them.
"I hate you all."
"Happy Thanksgiving to you too, Mike," John says cheerfully, clanking his glass against Mike's and grinning at his best friend, Mike shaking his head and trying to hide his twitching lips behind a glower. "I see that smile, don't even pretend with me." John smirks at him. "You know no other tag team will outdo Mizorrison, no matter how often you try to recreate that magic."
"You know he still has all of Slammies you both won in his office," AJ interjects with a laugh.
"So does this one," Taya says, the wives sharing a quick roll of the eye, breaking out in laughter afterwards.
"Hey, sweetheart, whose slammy is that next to mine?" Mike asks, tapping a finger against his jaw.
AJ looks abashed as John and Taya laugh. "I have no idea what you're talking about," she says loftily, ignoring them as they laugh at her. "More sweet potatoes?" she demands, ignoring Mike entirely even as she stuffs more food onto his already overfilling plate.
Later on, once everyone's fed and the table is cleared off, AJ and Taya playing with Sara, John and Mike wander around the backyard, frowning at the lingering affects of the horrible fires that've been burning through Los Angeles the last few weeks. "So," Mike says slowly. "If I do get into a tag team with Shane, you won't really mind, will ya?"
John chuckles, scrapes his toe through the dirt. "Nah, Mike. It wouldn't really be a holiday if I wasn't giving you grief about something, right?" He stuffs his hands in his jeans pockets and rocks forward. "By what I can remember about Shane, he's the most tolerable McMahon, so-"
Mike laughs sharply. "That's exactly what I told him," he confesses.
John stares at him incredulously. "And you're still breathing? I mean, one does not insult the best in the world's family and walk away breathing."
"Co-bestie," he corrects automatically and John rolls his eyes at him. "But no, when I told him, he... he agreed." He shrugs. "I think we'd be ok partners. But I'm not sure if he'll agree. He kinda seemed to think I was going to give up after losing Tuesday."
John shakes his head, grinning. "Well, he still has a lot to learn about The Miz, then, I guess." Sobering, he claps Mike on the back. "Seriously, man, if this is what you really want, I hope it works out for you."
John giving his stamp of approval to Mike's plans makes him feel warm, a grin spreading across his face. "Thanks, Johnny."
He feels lighter, suddenly, like things will work out after all. That he'll do something incredible that will leave Sara impressed with him, instead of giggling at her silly daddy. He hopes so, anyway.