There's this vibe in the air. Mike doesn't like it. He grits his teeth and clings to the tag belt laying lazily over his lap as he watches the sun slowly rise, casting a warm light over their house. Change can be a good thing, but he feels like this, whatever this is, is going to be the bad kind, and he already dreads learning what is leaving this pit in his stomach. He is distracted, thankfully, when his girls make their way to the patio and he smiles up at them, kissing Sara and then AJ, lingering on his wife's lips for a moment before reclaiming his seat, running his fingers over the cool plates of the title.
"What's going on, Mike?" AJ asks once Sara is fed and toddling off to play in the grass where they can keep an eye on her. "You've been tense all night, it's not... typical for you, even before a PPV match."
He shakes his head, frustrated. "I'm not even sure," he admits. "I just... feel like something's happening. Something big is on the horizon and I'm not even sure what."
AJ stares at him for a long, quiet moment before leaning closer and kissing him softly, gently. "Whatever it is," she says, "we'll figure it out together."
He stares into her eyes and nods slowly, moving the title belt to the table before gripping her hand and easing her over to sit on his lap. He nuzzles into her, kissing her jaw, her throat, along the back of her neck. "Thank you," he says faintly, his fingers brushing against her side, up her back. "I love you so much."
She flushes a little, swallowing hard. "I love you too," she breathes out, leaning into him and enjoying his slow, tender touches.
Mike is leaning against a crate, trying to focus on the monitor and not the scream trapped in his throat as he waits for their match. Shane is a few feet away, doing the same, when he hears a soft sound of a throat clearing. Thinking he's in someone's way of watching the monitor, he shifts back. "Sorry," he casts over his shoulder, going back to ignoring whoever it is.
But the person doesn't move, in fact, he feels a tap against his shoulder. "Mike."
That voice is familiar, the touch is exasperated, so he turns and gapes. "Maryse! What are you doing here?" Filming for Miz and Mrs. had been on a short hiatus after Maryse informed them all that she was ill, coming down with the flu, so he hadn't seen her in the last couple of weeks.
She licks her lips and looks away. "I asked Heath to bring me with when he had to come for Raw." She shifts her weight on her heells and shrugs. "Mike, there's no easy way to tell you this but just to say it. I'm a little over three months pregnant, Monroe Sky is going to be a big sister."
Mike stares at her, reminded of how he's been feeling, thinking he now has the answer. "Oh." More lies, more convincing the world that this child is his, building a reality show on his life with them, while his real family exists without him in California. He shakes his head. "You're healthy, right? It's not... like, too soon between pregnancies or something?"
"My doctor said he would've preferred us to wait a little longer, but I'm healthy and things appear good so there's no real reason for concern right now."
He smiles at her, still a little dazed. "That's so great, I'm happy for you." And he is, but he can't quite help thinking about how long he and AJ have been trying to give Sara a little sibling. Between his schedule and just life in general, nothing's come of it, and Mike worries that there's something wrong, something on his end that he could be doing more- more time off, less time doing media and everything else... But he's not even sure if that's the problem, kneading his forehead with a trembling hand.
Their match comes up much too quickly and Mike tries to hold it together. The truth of the matter is, while Miz and Mrs. continues on, he has to keep this charade going so he calls Maryse out and she looks calm and proud as she stands there and announces again she's having a baby. Shane makes his way out then, and lifts Maryse's hand while Mike points at them, trying to seem like he's anything but floored.
The match isn't good, and gets even worse after Mike encourages Shane to hit the elbow on one of the Usos, sprawling him out on the table and holding him in place. It works, but Shane is barely moving afterwards, and Mike tries. He truly, absolutely does, scrambling into the ring with the remaining Uso, but it's not enough- everything's a blur until he finds himself sitting up in the ring, the title belts in the hands of the Usos, staring out at a dazed, hurting Shane McMahon, apologies raining from his lips as he gazes at his partner, his friend.
He rages afterwards, feeling like he wants to scream, throw things, upend this entire room of everything inside it, Shane's attempts at consoling him doing little. Finally he registers Shane telling him to go home, that he'll see him on Tuesday, and accepts it. Finds a red-eye flight to California and takes it, jaw held so tensely that it hurts just to talk the entire flight. He ignores everything and everyone, wanting nothing more than to be with AJ and Sara, even if it's only for a day before he has to fly back out for Smackdown.
AJ looks surprised when she stirs at his presence, but seems to realize what's happened as she quietly rolls over and tucks him into her arms, petting his hair, kissing him softly. "I'm sorry you lost tonight," she whispers, and he shakes his head, knowing that they have so much to talk about, that Maryse's admission will yet again make things complicated for them, that both AJ and Heath once more will be on the outside looking in as they further this facade of the perfect little family for WWE and the USA network. She cups his face and stares deep into his eyes. "It's going to be ok, Mike. We'll make it all work like we did last time."
He stares up at her, jaw twitching and she leans in, softly kissing him, carding her fingers through his hair, rubbing his back gently. He gasps at the sensations, warmth spreading through him, ridding him of the numbness that's been clinging tightly to him since Maryse had confessed to him and he'd lost the tag belts, wrapping his arms around her and burying himself in her, shuddering and absorbing her warmth, her steadfast loyalty and love for him. He doesn't deserve her, he doesn't deserve his father's pride, he doesn't deserve Shane as a partner, he doesn't deserve any of this. He knows it.
But AJ still loves him, holding him together through the darkest hours that night, helping him to piece together all of the broken shards of his reality, and Sara Louisa beams when she sees him the next morning, throwing her chubby little arms around his neck and clinging to him when he leans in to pick her up the next morning. "Daddy!"
The day is spent quietly, Sara playing silly pretend games or watching bright, loud cartoons on the TV, and Mike spends all of it with her before putting her down for her nap, during which he finds AJ standing on their backstep and wraps his arms around her, staring blankly out at their yard as she holds his hands. "We're going to be ok," she insists softly when he starts to breathe apologies against her shoulder. "We are." She sighs as he kisses her, lips trailing against her skin, emotions overwhelming him all over again, and just like the night before, she's there to ground him, remind him, hold him together as it all falls apart, somehow even worse in the light of day.
Tears drip down his face as she lightly kisses the trails off of his cheeks, patient, loving, so careful with him as he holds her close. "I love you so much," he forces out and she smiles up at him.
"I love you too. Don't ever forget that."
He tries, especially when he has to leave early the next morning to make it in time for Smackdown. Even when he stands eye to eye with Shane and faces the truth: He'd been using Shane, for his father's affections, for the titles, for so many things. He'd never really cared about being friends with Shane, or anything else, until he'd actually won the titles alongside him and Shane had brought his father out, and George had said those words Mike had wanted to hear for so long. Yeah, George had been at ringside for things over the years, had quietly observed many pivotal parts of his career, even had a role in Miz and Mrs. (which Mike is still surprised he goes along with the narrative between himself and Maryse for that- George likes AJ well enough, or as well as George likes anyone, and he dotes on Sara Louisa whenever he gets to see her, so... Mike can't help but feel like George does it for his own aspirations, be it some level of fame, or maybe free publicity for the family business. Either way. He has a lot of thoughts and feelings crowding around in his head, trying not to lose himself in them) But thinking that maybe, just possibly, this'll be the moment his parents actually care about him had melted away, Mike soothed by hearing the words, seeing the look in George's eyes when he confessed to being proud of Mike, and telling him he'd loved him. Things George Mizanin never, ever had so easily said before.
Shane had done that for him, and Mike had repaid him by using him, urging him to do things that normally men Shane's age shouldn't have to do, things Mike would never, ever do himself. But he doesn't know when to stop so he finds himself falling back on desperation and the frustration of losing on Sunday and tries to wheedle Shane into using his powers as general manager to grant them a rematch. Shane balks until the Usos come out and insults them, putting special weight on the pointed remarks they make to Miz himself. Mike barely flinches but Shane's blood pressure flares, and the next thing Mike knows, they have it- Shane grants them a rematch at Fast Lane. Easy as that, a second chance in Cleveland, Ohio, where Mike's parents will be watching, and... He's almost dizzy with how easy it had all come together.
Walking side by side with Shane backstage, Mike feels ten pounds lighter. He'd fucked up, but there's a second chance now, to do things differently. To be victorious for his team. He casts a quick glance over at Shane and clears his throat. "Hey, man, really, thank you so much for trusting me with this."
Shane pauses and shrugs, staring over at him. "Anytime, Miz. Like I said in the ring, no one insults my partner like that." There's always this ridiculous sincerity bleeding from Shane's eyes whenever Mike looks at him and, despite his first nature to not trust many people, keep things close to the vest, he doesn't want to do it with Shane. Especially when Shane claps him on the back and grins at him. "By the way, congrats on the new baby. I forgot to say it before, so much was going on on Sunday."
He's the nicest McMahon Mike's ever met, just laid back and relaxed, eager to help and struggling to be fair in a business that matters so much to his family. So it's for this reason that Mike finds the entire story pouring from his mouth, Shane frowning and standing up straighter as he stares at Mike. "... so AJ and I were married a few years back, and we have this beautiful little girl named Sara Louisa. Maryse's children aren't mine, she's been in a relationship with Heath Slater for the last couple of years," Mike explains slowly, pulling his phone out and showing Shane a picture of Sara Louisa. "You understand, right?"
"That's a hell of a thing," Shane mumbles, staring down at the little toddler. "She has your eyes." He looks up at Mike. "You've just confessed a lot of things to me, here, Mike. Like, reputation destroying, career ending things."
Mike nods. "I know. But I can't keep this secret anymore, not from you at any rate. You're my partner, and... you deserve to know the truth about my life."
"I appreciate you trusting me enough to tell me this," Shane says slowly. "But it's a lot to take in. I should go to my father and tell him all of this right now, if it came out and USA Network learned of it, we could all be in some serious trouble, and the company's already in a tenuous enough position as it is..." But his eyes soften, just a little, as he stares at Mike, casting a quick glance once more at Sara Louisa's picture. "But I won't do that. For now. You did a good thing for Maryse when you agreed to help her get back on her feet, I imagine you never guessed how it would snowball."
"Absolutely not," he says, breathing a little easier. He doesn't regret confessing to Shane- in the scope of things, he feels like his truth is a lot less dramatic and interesting than most other wrestling controversies, but he knows that Shane's right- if the truth should come out, a lot of things would be ruined, irreplaceable. He accepts it, however, aware that this is the path he's put himself on, consequences be damned all of those years ago. "Thank you, Shane."
Shane sighs and gives him back his phone. "Lurking in there, Mike, is a really good guy, trapped under layers of lies and diversions. I have no doubt about that, and I hope some day you can find the strength to let him out so everyone else can meet him." Smiling vaguely at him, Shane pats him on the arm and walks back down the hall towards his office to focus on his general manager duties for what remains of the show.
Mike swallows, watching him go. Realizes for the first time that maybe he's more like George than he'd ever realized.