"I think AJ was right," Mike says lowly, holdinig his phone close while standing backstage at Raw. He hadn't wanted to call his wife directly and tell her as much, so he'd done the next best thing. He'd called his best friend. "Morrison, I don't even know. Is it possible?"

"I'm watching the clips now," John says, and Mike can hear Raw in the background, sounding tinny and faint from John's laptop. He pauses, flipping from one to the next, and then whistles. "Well, damn, man, there's definitely something going on there. It's like the dude's a duckling and he's imprinted on you."

"Jesus Christ," Mike mumbles, pinching his nose. "Somehow that sounds even creepier than his having a crush on me. Why are you and AJ like this?"

"We like to torment you," John says with a laugh. "But seriously, man, what are you going to do?"

"Hell if I know," Mike sighs, turning around and stopping short. "John," he hisses. "John!"

"What?!"

Mike works as discreetly as he can, thankful that his flash is already off, and the shutter makes no noise while he's on the phone. "Look at this," he says, sending a picture message along. There's silence on John's end, then a ding, and Mike feels more than a little satisfaction when he hears the man hiss in disbelief.

"Ok, that's creepy as hell," John mumbles as Mike glances over to where Ciampa is lurking in the shadows, staring at him with intense, sharp blue eyes. "So Maryse isn't coming back full time?"

"No," Mike says.

John hums. "Got your eye on any potential future tag partners?"

Mike laughs in disbelief. "You think anyone wants to team with me considering my track record?"

"Good point," John says. "I guess just keep an eye out, and if he keeps creeping around, maybe let someone know. I mean, I know WWE isn't Lucha Underground, but we know the dude's been unhinged since long before NXT, and I'd hate to save to pull a search and rescue mission together for you."

"Yeah," Mike mumbles, relieved when Ciampa finally fades back into the shadows, footsteps fading away as Mike waits and watches. "He's gone."

"Weird, but that's good. I think."

"I'll be fine," Mike says. "Sorry to have bothered you."

"You're never a bother, Mike. Lemme know if he does anything else, we'll figure a plan out if needed."

Mike smiles, relieved to always have his best friend by his side. "Thanks, John. I will." He hangs up and heads for the exit, careful to keep a watch out.

Just in case.