AJ sounds sleepy. Sara's teething again, which always makes things complicated, the toddler not liking it when she's in pain, understandably so. Mike rubs her back as he settles in bed, kissing her forehead. "Everything good now?" she asks into his chest.
"Yeah," he whispers. "Heath forgave all of us. We just had to lock them into a room so they'd have some privacy." He chuckles as AJ drifts. "We're a bunch of evil geniuses."
"Hmm," she sighs out. "Of course you are." She makes a sleeply giggling sound at his offended noise, tapping his pecs with her fingers. Inching up, she kisses him on the mouth. "I'm glad everything worked out," she offers before closing her eyes and falling asleep nearly immediately.
"Me too," he sighs, stroking her hair and kissing her forehead.
It's a busy week ahead for him. Not only does he have to regain his Intercontinental title against Roman on Monday, he has Mixed Match Challenge on Tuesday with Asuka. Two easy wins, he thinks.
He hopes.
He's stretching backstage, trying to limber up before his first big match since returning from filming Marine 6, when he senses someone behind him. He turns slowly, expecting a fight, or something, when he realizes who it is and relaxes. "Hey, partner."
Asuka grins at him, hair whipping this way and that as she moves. She says something in Japanese and he quirks his head at her, only knowing a few words here and there. So she tries again, face pinched as she tastes the English words on her lips. "You... will win?"
He laughs. "Damn straight I will win!"
Her teeth flash. "You... will win! You will win! You will win!" She chants this revised version of what they'd been chanting together in their videos for Mixed Match Challenge for the last few weeks. He laughs, allowing her to go on for a few moments longer, before holding his hand out to her. She blinks at him in some confusion before it seems to dawn on her and she meets him halfway, highfiving him.
"I will win tonight, then we will win tomorrow." He adjusts his sunglasses. "And I would not be surprised if, come round two, we're both winners of our respective Royal Rumbles." He winks at her, seeing that hunger in her eyes that so closely matches his own.
When the first part of his prediction comes true, neither of them are overly surprised. As Asuka dances around him, huge grin on her face as she flaps her kimono around her body, he stares at the calendar. Five days to see if they can make the rest of it be reality as well. He watches her with a smirk. I think we can.