Mike forgets, sometimes. He spends weeks filming a movie, or working on things like Miz and Mrs, and people are generally supportive and cheerful and he slips. He thinks he loses his edge a little bit more each time, but whatever. Every time, he finds himself drawn back into the wrestling world and dipped back into the cold waters of the realization that no one likes each other, everyone will use the coldest, most vicious things to attack you with.
So it shouldn't startle him as much as it does, he supposes, when he's standing across the ring from Edge, and Edge suddenly goes low, very low with how Mike "leaves his friends high and dry to get fired" and Mike just... everything fades away, all of his indignation, all of the things he kind of wanted to say. Even Maryse looks concerned for him as he stands there, eyes wide and intense. He's not sure how exactly the segment ends, where they both leave it, will have to watch it back later, but he reaches out for Maryse and they leave back up the ramp, Mike biting down the urge to yell, kick something, fight, because dammit, this isn't dancing anymore, he can do that, no longer required to grin and play nice even as every aspect of his existence is scrutinized and picked apart on national TV.
He doesn't know where this leads- a match at Day One, or a confrontation at the Royal Rumble, but one way or another, Edge is going to regret those words, and how easily it was for him to throw John Morrison in his face like that.
He's back home the next day and there must still be some sort of horrible emotion on his face because AJ searches his experience for a long, long time, a frown on her face, and ultimately she kisses him, squeezes his hand, and tells him, "Just be back in time to help me tuck the kids in, ok? You know they love your voices a lot more than mine."
It hadn't even dawned on him? Really? That he could just go, do something about the itch under his skin. But he realizes what she means, and his love for her grows all the more as he kisses her. "I love you," he tells her, and then is gone, at the car, using as many short cuts as he can to avoid the worst of the LA traffic. He's at the beach within half an hour, racing up to the apartment that's almost as familiar as his house, and knocks at the door.
Taya answers and he stares at her for a long, long moment. "Hey, Taya."
"Hey, Mike." She looks blase about seeing him, no real emotion either way in her eyes, but finally she waves him in. "Heard about Raw last night."
"I'm so sorry," he starts to say, but she huffs, waves him off.
"Not like you're the one who said it," she muses. "John, you have company!" She casts one last glance at Mike before disappearing into a side room, leaving him alone to stare at the various odds and ends that comprise John and Taya's life together before the man himself appears in the doorway.
"Hey, Mike," he says, steady as ever. One thing had never changed, even when they were at each other's throats, even when Mike had done or said something to hurt John's feelings, he still spoke the same way to him, with the same glint in his eye. "Surprised to see you here so early. AJ get tired of your complaining and kick you out?"
"Not exactly," Mike says. "I think she just knew I needed to talk to you, to apologize."
John waves it off. "Nah, man. Taya was right. If anyone needs to apologize, it should be Edge. But we all know what a unrepentant jackass he can be, so I'm not holding my breath." His smile is benign, muted and slow, and Mike aches to see him be so accepting of it all.
"Thanksgiving was nice," he finally offers, still casting around for something, anything to talk about.
"It was," John says, grin growing a little more sincere. "Thank you for inviting us. Please tell AJ that as well. It was great to see the kids and, well, everyone else."
Mike nods. "I'll tell her." They stand awkwardly for a few minutes and Mike digs for something to say, anything that would give him a reason to stay with John for a little while longer. "Hey-"
"You know what-"
They pause and tare at each other, Mike waving him on, but John shakes his head. "You go ahead," they insist as one, then pull back and huff out laughs. John finally takes over after a couple of forced, polite waiting that runs the risk of spiraling back to awkwardness at any moment. "Wanna go to Wendy's, get some food through the drive thru, and then go sit on the beach and talk for awhile? It's a nice enough day out."
"Wendy's?!" Mike teases. "Where is my best friend, and what have you done with him?"
John shrugs. "Guess I'm just feeling like eating something a little trashy for once. You in? We can even have Frosties and french fries. I hear they have a new kind of fry that should be, like, incredible."
"Now you're speaking my language," Mike says with a grin, watching as John holds up one hand and ducks into the other room to let Taya know he's going out. Once he's back, Mike wraps an arm around John and leads him to the door. "Let's go."
That evening, after the kids are in bed, and everything is shifting slowly towards he and AJ retiring to bed early as well, Mike checks his phone one last time, and sees that Morrison has tweeted, warning Edge that he should be prepared for a slaughter against Mike. He laughs softly, shaking his head at his friend's way with words.
Yep, he thinks, tucking AJ in tight to his side as they walk to bed, her steps already slow and sleepy. Edge is just a loudmouthed asshole with a mic. He knows nothing about anything that actually matters.