Mike tries. He really, really does. He'd gone all out to needle Gunther into a rematch, even agreeing to never wrestle for the Intercontinental title while Gunther held it again. And he thought he'd have it too, having learned Gunther's tells and strengths, his weaknesses and everything in between the first time they'd wrestled.
After the tag match with DIY against Imperium, he had every confidence that a second one-on-one match was all he needed to end 2023 on the note he needed it to. Maybe that's where he went wrong, Mike's not sure. He'll never really know. But he walks into the match certain he'll walk out with the gold that had come to define his entire career around his waist.
He walks out empty handed and disappointed.
To their credit, Ciampa and Gargano are waiting for him with sympathetic looks on their faces, pats him on the back, Ciampa even offers him a bottle of water and for a minute it feels like before, when Mike hadn't yet ignored Tommaso fresh off of a hip injury and they were still close friends. "Thanks," he says blankly, sipping from it and exhaling slowly.
"Tough break," Johnny says. "I'm sorry it didn't work out the way you'd hoped."
Mike nods, rage building within him. He tightens his fist around the bottle, the plastic crinkling warningly, and Ciampa shifts to stand between him and Johnny, as if Mike's actually going to take his anger at himself out on Johnny or Tommaso or anyone other than himself, knowing that the rest of the night is going to be torture as he struggles just to breathe, much less anything else. "I'll see you around," he mumbles, taking his leave of them before he can do anything else to worry them.
He doesn't say much as medical looks him over. Sits quietly in catering and stirs around a bowl of chili listlessly before pushing the bowl aside and leaving, not even bothering to throw it away. He doesn't remember getting dressed or the drive back to his hotel room, in fact his mind seems like a blank slate until he's back at home the next morning, staring up at AJ's face as he walks up the stairs and hovers outside of their front door, mouth working but no words coming out.
"I'm so sorry," she says softly, wrapping her arms around him in a warm, consoling hug.
He shudders out a breath before hugging her back tightly, the disappointment and failure finally crashing into him. "Dammit," he mumbles, relieved that the kids are out with Taya and John on some holiday shopping trip and won't be back until he's hopefully had some time to get himself back together.
"I know," she murmurs. "You're going to be ok." She pulls back and smiles up at him. "I know you'll figure it out somehow."
He shivers, leaning forward and resting his forehead against hers. "I really got myself cornered on this one," he says wearily, her fingers stroking through his hair, making him feel moderately better.
"You'll get out of it," she says confidently. "You always do. I believe in you."
"At least one of us does," he sighs, her eyes softening sadly as she kisses him.
He'll shake it off in time to make the holidays good for his kids, for AJ, for his friends and the rest of his family. But for now, he just needs to wallow and find what comfort he can in AJ's arms.