"I can't believe Halloween is so close," AJ says, a wistfulness to her tone. Mike nods, nuzzled into her neck, and she sighs, stroking her fingers through his hair. "I'm sad we can't take the kids out. Their costumes were going to be so cute." With the pandemic raging outside, however, she can't take the risk. Mike's journeys back and forth for WWE is more than enough for her right now. She pulls back and pouts at him. "Don't you think so?"

"Yes," he says honestly, running his finger over her lips, before leaning in for another kiss that distracts both of them for a good couple of minutes. She moans softly into his mouth and he chuckles, hands soothing down her sides as she sighs and rests her forehead against his, staring into his eyes. "I'll be home for once. We'll do something for them so they can still dress up. Even if it's nothing more than to go see John and Taya. Maybe we can even do a virtual thing with Alicia and Ricardo. We'll figure it out."

"Ooh, you are an intelligent one, husband," AJ says, her eyes brightening as she weighs his idea. "Tamina would probably want in on that too, I'll see what all I can do." She kisses him slowly, enjoying the feel of his hands on the small of her back. He grins against her skin and she sighs softly, breath hitching at the end of it when he traces over a sensitive spot that leaves her arching up against him. "Mike," she gasps, nails biting into his shoulders as he mouths down her throat, still amazing her with the hot tingling pleasure he sends up her spine so often during moments like these. Even after all of these years.

"I love you," he breathes into her ear and she melts anew, content to be lost in his affections for awhile longer.

"I love you too," she whispers back, watching lovingly as he kisses down her body, his hands easing her closer, Mike's smirk growing at how she reaches out for him, tangling their fingers together and holding on as he explores, trailing down her stomach, scraping his teeth over her hips, mouthing at her thighs until she whines, free hand twisting in his hair. "Mike," she chokes out, and he looks up to find her staring back down at him, eyes dark with need. "Please."

"Please what, sweetheart?" he teases her, and she looks affronted through the haze, about to respond in impatience when her trail of thought is washed away all over again by him and she groans, hands leaving his hair to dig into the sheets pooling around her. He eases back after a few moments and smirks up at her, resting his head against her hip. "AJ?"

"Why'd you stop?" she breathes, body trembling and so, so desperate to feel more of him against her skin. "Mike-" He realizes she looks really, honestly upset and he thinks maybe toying with her is the last thing she needs right now.

"I'm sorry," he soothes her. "I misunderstood the mood." He strokes his knuckles against her side, listening to her breathing hitch and tremble at every brush of his skin against hers, and he smiles. "Let me make it up to you."

This time, she finds his hands and holds on tightly, Mike able to feel the intensity of the moment through the unrelenting pressure of her fingers digging into his palm, and the slight pricking of pain fuels his movements, his need to reassure and comfort her, guide her back to where they were earlier before he mistepped.

Later, when she's buried in the pillows, smiling lazily up at him and stroking her fingers down his face, he leans in to kiss her and she laughs softly, humming into his mouth. "Thank you," she whispers against his skin, and he strokes her side again, drawing a small gasp from her lips.

"My pleasure," he says with a wink, and she huffs out another laugh, trailing her arms over his neck, content to just lay in his arms and drift closer to sleep with each breath.

-x

"It's not fair," John grouses. "We were supposed to leave all of this shit behind on Smackdown."

Tucker had confronted them earlier, and Mike had barely blinked when he announced he was going to find a tag partner and he wanted to wrestle them. Mike nor John were concerned, certain that no one would want to partner with Tucker after months of watching him do nothing on Smackdown, but still. Two on one is still more than either man in Heavy Machinery deserves, Mike thinks. He sighs and glances over at his partner's brooding form. "Well, you and I absolutely agree on that, but we can take him. No one's gonna agree to partner with him, which makes it 2 on 1. We've got this easily."

Except that Tucker brings out who he calls El Gran Gordo but it's so clear that it's Otis under the mask and cape that Mike sees red, immediately lecturing them on the sanctity of the Money in the Bank briefcase and how Otis doesn't deserve it, John agreeing eagerly by his side. The match that follows is disgusting, Mike too angry to properly focus, and ultimately, they lose. He is fuming on their way backstage and John tentatively rubs his back. "Hey, man," he says quietly.

"What?" Mike snaps back.

"It's gonna be ok. Maybe we can use this somehow in the court case."

It's a good idea, he'll have to run it by his lawyers, but yeah. It does nothing to ease his temper. He storms into their locker room and leans against a wall, trying to catch his breath while John changes out of his gear into a more comfortable pair of jeans and a baggy merch shirt of theirs. Mike glances up as he walks by and can't help the small twitch of his lips, some of his angst easing as he realizes that no matter what, John at least has his back. "Hey, John?"

"Yeah?" His best friend looks up and their eyes lock, a small smile crossing his face.

"Thanks," Mike sighs. "It's like you're the only one who gets me. Everyone else just... lacks something..."

"No one is as awesome as we are," John says with a shrug.

"That is true," Mike sighs, finally pulling away to change as well. "That is very, very true."

He's not sure where this all will lead, but he thinks, as long as he has John by his side, he'll be just fine.