John hums and groans as Taya pushes at him. "What?" he asks, squinting up at her. She continues to poke at him with her toes and finally he sighs, pulling himself out of his lotus position, watching as she twirls. "Great costume, babe," he tells her, dusting himself off once he's back on his feet. He'd lost track of time, sitting in the sand, meditating, and now he's surprised to see the sun is slowly setting, casting a purple and pink glow over the water. "You're gonna look good for NXT tomorrow."
"That's the plan," she says, smirking at him. "Unfortunately Robert refuses to match with me, so we're going to look ridiculous, but I assume he's used to that."
John chuckles and dips in, kissing her. "No doubt. Too bad I can't be there, I'd complement you nicely. Maybe someday we'll both be on Raw, and then..."
Taya nods. "That'd be nice," she says, tangling her fingers in his hair and drawing him closer for a kiss. "Now wanna help me out of this costume?" she asks, smirk growing as he rests his hands on her sides.
"Like you have to ask," he scoffs, the two of them stumbling back into their apartment, John laughing as she giggles, trying not to trip over the heels of her boots.
Later, they flip through TV, Morrison pausing on Raw for a minute or two before glancing at Taya and switching back to ABC. She glances over at him knowingly but says nothing, the two of them sitting up a little straighter when the first dance of the night is Mike and Witney, dressed as Pinhead for Horror Movie Week, in honor of Halloween. "Huh. That suits him," he says dryly, and Taya scoffs a little, settling in closer to him.
Mike dances it well, Morrison thinks. He's not an expert, but considering the outfit, and the pins sticking out of his head, well. It could've been worse. The judges say as much, and Morrison huffs at the thought of one of them losing an eye from the outrageous costume choice for a dance like this.
By the night's end, Mike survives another voting round and John isn't too surprised, however antsy he's feeling to be able to do something about their fractured relationship. Even if it's just a couple of matches that ultimately go nowhere, and doesn't help the itch under his skin. At least it'd be something more than hanging out backstage, meditating in an attempt to clear his mind while he waits for something to give.
Taya seems to sense the path his thoughts are taking, and she turns to grip his jaw, searching his face. "Some day soon, he'll be back on Raw and you'll settle this," she promises him. "Just continue being patient, John."
"I'll do my best," he tells her, squeezing her wrists. "I will. Thank you, Taya."
She kisses him, slow and deep, and smiles at him. "I'll always be here for you, John. Whatever you need."
He rests his forehead against hers and breathes in softly, so relieved to have her, loyal and loving and so conscientious of him and his emotions and needs. "I love you so much."
"Love you too," she murmurs, leaning in for another kiss. "C'mon, let's turn this off and go to bed."
He doesn't even hesitate before turning the TV off and allowing her to take his hand, following her through the apartment to do just that.