Mike grumbles under his breath as he finishes the nightly loop around the house- peeking in at Sara, in at George, checking the doors and lights, security cameras, etc, before making his way back to the bedrooms once he's sure everything is as it should be. He's just pushed the door open when he hears a faint sniffling sound and immediately looks up, finding AJ hiding behind a Kleenex, her face ducked away from him. "Sweetheart? Are you ok?"
She tenses, then nods. "Oh yeah, just got something in my eye," she says feebly, even though her voice sounds shaky and rough, a dead giveaway.
He plays along, however, settling down next to her and gently taking the Kleenex away from her. "oh? That sucks. Let's see if I can see it, maybe we should wash it out with some eyedrops. I'm sure I can find some if you give me a minute."
She frowns, then looks over at him. "Mike," she whines, pushing at him. He chuckles a little and grabs her, tucking her into his chest. She huffs and clings to him, sniffling.
"What is it?" he murmurs into her hair.
She shrugs. "It's kind of dumb."
"Try me," he says, rubbing up and down her back.
"A character I like died," she says, sounding really morose over it. "In a plane crash. And I guess... it just hit me harder than I expected."
He tsks lightly, rocking her back and forth. "I'm sorry, sweetheart," he says. "I know that hurts."
She nods, burying her face further into his shoulder. "This helps though," she says, muffled.
He smiles. "I'm glad," he whispers, kissing the top of her head.
She nuzzles deeper into him and sighs. "I love you, Mike," she breathes out.
He nods, kissing her again. "I love you too," he responds, finding her hand and lacing their fingers together.