A/N: Since Monday, I've been inspired to do something on Punk and AJ. It's a one shot-so far, but I'm toying with doing a similar story involving them and John Douchebag-initis and the whole People Power thing. What can I say? This might be my new fav shipping. Review if you dig crazy chicks (or dudes, if that's your thing) lol

All characters are owned by WWE, and are not the property of the owner. If they were, Zack Ryder would not be buried, the YES chants would not be muted, a working Divas Division would still be active, Kelly Kelly, Rosa Mendez and Alicia Fox would be modeling underwear on a platform some place like they're good for, and Laurinitis would be running a car wash somewhere instead of screwing up the company.

Hard to Handle

By Jean-theGuardian

Action speaks louder than words
And I'm a man of great experience
I know you've got another man
But I can love you better than him

Take my hand, don't be afraid
I'm gonna prove every word I say
I'm advertising love for free
So you can place your ad with me

Boys come along a dime by the dozen
That ain't nothing but ten cent lovin'
Hey little thing let me light your candle
'Cause mama I'm sure hard to handle, now,
Gets around

- Hard to Handle, Black Crowes

One Month after RAW 5/21/2012

It's funny how sometimes, the smallest things lead to bigger things in life, Punk absently mused, as he felt the small, tanned body of his new…something…fidgeting against him.

If you had told CM Punk two months ago that he'd finding himself hanging out…well, okay, a lot more than hanging out…with, of all girls, AJ during the after-hours of shows, he would've looked at you as if you had grown two heads and purple wings. It just wasn't likely.

But then, stranger things had happened…though, at the moment, he'd be hard-pressed to name one, even as she eagerly cuddled up against his larger, stronger frame as they just sat in the bleachers of a nearby high school on the outskirts of Pittsburg, where RAW had just finished taping nearly two hours ago, and gazed absently at the stars overhead.

It had started off fairly innocently about two weeks ago on RAW…no, actually, pretty strangely…

…Punk was smiling to himself, musing on how great a night it had been this far.

One night removed from Over The Limit—where he had, yet again, had the highlight match of the night by defeating his former friend Daniel Bryan for the WWE Championship in a classic matchup 10 years in the making—he had gotten even with Daniel for that little setup with Kane the week prior by turning the table on him for the Aberdeen, Washington native to receive his own beatdown from the Big Red Monster. After locking Bryan in the Anaconda Vice and making him tap, Punk added further insult by mocking Bryan with his own new 'YES! YES! YES!' catchphrase.

That had ALMOST been as satisfying as kicking the ass of that overrated, pompous egomaniacal—and frankly, old—Chris Jericho at both WrestleMania 28 and Extreme Rules; if Punk was a betting man, he'd wager that Jericho would keep his big fat mouth shut about him AND his family for a long, long time.

While Punk was once a friend of Daniel's, there wasn't a trace of the easy-going, comical buddy that Punk met in Philadelphia 10 years ago in Daniel Bryan now. In his place was an arrogant, egotistical weasel of a jackass, and apparently, one of the worst boyfriends ever, if what he did to AJ was any indication.

AJ…now that was another topic that had been on the Second City Savior's mind as of late. She had surprised the hell out of him last week when she wished him good luck before Over the Limit against Bryan. Right away, the situation had made him uncomfortable, and he had no qualms telling her so. Sure, Bryan and Punk weren't exactly on speaking terms lately, and everyone knew that he and AJ were Splitsville, but there was still an ages-old code that Punk abided…the 'bros before hoes' code. Getting close with his ex-friend's ex-girlfriend seemed too weird, and frankly, he didn't need that kind of drama in his life. Besides the fact, while AJ was cute as all hell…Punk had eyes, he knew she was hot…her behavior had become increasingly erratic in the last few weeks, driving the petite Diva even to lash out at her (former?) best friend Kaitlyn. That was enough of a red flag to make Punk want to steer clear of her. Sure, he admitted to himself that his heart went out to her while Bryan had treated her like crap, but he wasn't about to play the White knight superhero card; that was the big green boy scout Cena's MO, not his. Whatever problems AJ was going through, she was a grown woman and she'd have to sort it out like most adults do. But he wasn't about to be dragged into that mess; Punk had other priorities, like keeping his six-month reign as WWE Champion alive.

Yet, she popped up yet again last night at the PPV, wishing him luck and telling him that his match should be 'fun to watch.' It was becoming apparent to him that AJ wasn't going to go away that easy. And frankly, he didn't know how to feel about that…whether to think it was sweet or…really creepy.

"Hey, Punk! Punk!"

He couldn't help but to cringe a little bit. He was kinda hoping to avoid her tonight. But nonetheless, as he saw no other way out, he decided to acknowledge her presence with a reluctant "Um, uh…hi."

"Hi!" she answered in her enthusiastic, chipper voice, a sweet, almost fan-girl-like smile on her face. "Um, I just wanted to tell you something."

"You want to tell me that you're completely off your rocker, don't ya?" Punk said half-jokingly as he forced a patient smile on his face.

He felt a little ashamed of himself when he caught the brief flash of hurt in her pretty brown eyes. To her credit, she managed to brush that aside and flash another brilliant smile at him. "No, um…I-I just wanted say that I, uh…I really enjoyed watching you beat up Daniel Bryan."

Punk chuckled, figuring as much. "Oh! So, it's not that you're crazy, it's just that you're…what…sadistic?" He was only kidding around at that point; he couldn't help it. He was blunt, almost to the point of being brutal. He thought it, he said it, that was his way. Sure, he might come across as an asshole to most because of that, but, hey, better that then a liar. Besides, he figured AJ would just come back with a joke of her own or something, she seemed like a sassy little thing from what he saw of her.

Which was why he was completely taken aback when the smile faded completely, and the tiny Diva began running a shaking, trembling hand through her long brunette locks, panting angrily, trembling and eying him with a look in her eyes that was just plain…well, scary, for a girl that was only just over 5 feet tall.

What he didn't know was how AJ, inside, was trying to be sincere in her compliments. Even while she was with Bryan, she had harbored a little bit of a crush on Punk since his infamous 'Pipebomb' on the company last summer. His boldness, his daring…and, well, his looks, to be honest…had caught her eye, but she decided not to act on it, as she had other things going on at the time as a girl just trying to make it in the business. But after her relationship with Daniel had exploded all over her face in humiliating and very public fashion, all she wanted to do was find some way to move on. And, well, given that her crush had just beaten up her jerk of an ex-boyfriend, she figured it would be a nice way for her to break the ice between them.

But instead of a friendly conversation, from AJ's point of view, she was getting the cold shoulder…just like Daniel had given her. And in a way, like Kaitlyn had given her when her old BFF tried to get her to move past her biggest heartache before she was ready. She was at wits end, angry, lonely, hurt and just so very, very tired of having people step all over her. And as she turned to Punk with fire building in her veins, her tiny frame shaking with rage, she was more than ready to give this jerk—who she was only trying to be NICE to—a pipebomb of her own…

"Whoa, Whoa, time-out, time out!" a wary Punk warned as he made the 'time-out' symbol with his hands. He was so not in the mood for this right now, to deal with this insane little chick who wanted to go all Kaitlyn on him; and while Punk would never strike a woman, he knew, better than most, that words could be as effective as any kick to the head. "Before you freak out on me, and scratch my eyes out, you know, you HAVE to, that YOU'RE the one whose been acting like a fool this entire time…right?"

As she saw his stern, blunt green eyes bore into hers, she couldn't stop the wave of horrible memories from washing over her.. Daniel's cruel, pitiless smile as he humiliated her and dumped her on national television…The fans in the audience—too enamored with that stupid catchphrase of his—chanting 'YES! YES! YES!' while he did it, even as she could feel her heart shatter into a million pieces inside her chest…The hurt look on Kaitlyn's face after AJ had slapped her—both times…The pitying looks from her coworkers in the back, mixed with cruel chuckles and whispers from some her less-than-nice fellow Divas and Superstars…The nights that she had spent crying herself to sleep alone in her hotel room, wishing that this was all just a bad dream…and now, her longtime crush calling her a fool for her actions…

And despite her best efforts, there was only so much that a person could take. And then, what was a dry humourless chuckle as she looked away, ashamed, broke down into a sob, followed by pained tears, followed by more of each. Pleasedon'tcrypleasedontcryAJdon'tlethimseeyoucrydon', was the frantic thought that ran through her mind, but it only served to further the tears, prolonging her latest humiliation.

Stunned, Punk was at a loss for words…literally. Mentally, he was kicking himself as he realized the damage that he caused. He didn't mean for it to come out like that; it just sort of…happened. But then, it was that temper of his that often led him into trouble. Like Lita had told him before when they dated, "You know, Punk, you can be a real asshole sometimes." Except the redheaded Diva Legend often gave as good as she got; she was a firecracker, to the point where Punk had kind of enjoyed their verbal sparring. But while he heard AJ was spunky, he realized that he should have been cognizant of the fact that she had just come off a Top 5'er on the Worst Relationships Ever list. She was sad, and miserable and AJ was in NO condition to go tit-for-tat in a battle of wits with the Master of the Pipebomb.

Clumsily attempting to calm her down—while looking around for help in that hallway that wasn't coming anytime soon—Punk, with a hopeless sigh, gave up on trying to use words, as he stepped closer to the distraught young woman and held out his arms. "Okay…okay, bring it in, c'mere."

And despite her previous anger, all AJ wanted at that moment was to be held…by someone, ANYONE. So without another word, she found herself burrowed into his chest, crying her eyes out, her heart out, really.

Putting his arms around her, stroking her hair as he spoke soothing words to quiet her—"It's okay…everything's going to be fine. Everything's going to be fine…"—Punk couldn't help but to notice how nice her hair smelled. It was like…flowers, but with a hint of…wait, was that bubble-gum flavored shampoo she used? He knew because his own dorky sister, Shaylene, had sometimes used that shampoo when they were growing up in Chicago. Of course, on Shaylene, Punk called her a dork for using it; on AJ, however, it was—well, still dorky, but also kind of…sweet. And strangely…kinda hot.

Snapping back to reality, Punk realized that she was still crying, and, well, he could only repeat 'Everything's going to be fine' so many times before he'd be forced to make it a new catchphrase…which, somehow, didn't quite seem to sound as catchy as 'Best in the World.' "Okay…AJ, just…everything's…c'mon, just stop crying, everything's going to—"

Suddenly, the tiny Diva—self-conscious now and realizing that he was probably getting annoyed with her—pulled back and stared at him, her light brown eyes wide and attentive.

It was at that point that Punk felt a little tug of…something…in his chest as he stared down at her. There was a kind of innocence and awe in the way she looked at him, like a girl staring up at her favorite rock star in person. It was…well, damn it all, it was the cutest damn thing he'd seem in a while. And again…strangely…it was really kind of a turn-on. AJ was, after all, a very beautiful young woman. A little crazy, sure, but still…very beautiful.

With a chuckle, he leaned in closer to her. "You know," he confided to her in a warm voice, yet with a smooth smile that was turning her insides to mush. "I kinda dig crazy chicks."

A warm, hopeful smile spread on her lips, as she stared up at him starry-eyed. And somehow, to Punk, that was even more satisfying than it would be in locking both Jericho AND Bryan in the Anaconda Vise. Together. At the same time.

As he turned to go, he managed to turn the corner, when she caught up with him. "Uh, Punk?"

Puzzled, he turned back to her, about to joke if she was about to start crying again, but electing to use tact for once. "What's up?" he replied, as if nothing happened before.

"Um…sorry about that, back there," she stammered nervously as she wrung her hands, still clearly embarrassed. Of all things, she didn't need the WWE Champion, of all people, thinking she was a basket case. Her rapidly plummeting reputation would only suffer even worse for it. "I…uh, I'm just going through some stuff right now."

Punk's mouth turned up sympathetically. "I know. Daniel. You know, in his defense, he wasn't a douchebag when I knew him." With a wry smile, he added. "But maybe he needed time to grow into it; he always was a short little guy."

The chuckle she gave him brought an effortless smile to his lips, enjoying the way that her soft laugh sort of…lilted.

"I wish I had known that going in before I asked him out," she shook her head, as bad memories of their relationship again surfaced, her smile fading as a sad, pensive look took them over.

Thinking on his feet, Punk quipped, "He's ALWAYS been short, everyone knows that. You could dangle him from Hornswoggle's keychain, for Christ's sake."

Again, her enchanting laugh was his reward, as the two chuckled at the joke. This time, his growling stomach interrupted them.

"Hungry?" AJ asked with a shy smile.

"A little," Punk admitted. "I just lucked out that old Clown Shoes John Laryngitis didn't book me into anything tonight. Still, I'm hungry enough to eat a horse."

Her smile faded again, feeling guilty that she had held him up with her own drama. "Oh…well, I-I don't want to hold you up or anything."

Maybe it was the moment, maybe it was because she just looked so damn sad and lonely, and so damn cute…hell maybe it was a moment of temporary insanity…but as Punk regarded the small Diva, he felt a really, really bad idea come over him.

"You're not," he said plainly. " 'Cuz you're coming with me."

That surprised her, he could tell, her brown eyes wide in shock. "I…uh, what?"

"You're coming with me," he repeated patiently. "There's a cool diner me and a few buddies used to eat at around here when we were working the Indy circuit. Good food…I hear they make a mean cheeseburger."

Her smile grew wider at the mention of her favorite fast food meal. "Well, I do like… cheeseburgers," she smiled with a spark of excitement in her eyes.

So damn cute, Punk couldn't help himself from thinking. "So I heard. That is, unless you've got a match. I mean, if you're unavailable—"

"I'm available!" she chirped up quickly, bringing another grin to Punk's lips as she smiled shyly up at him, her heart filling with hope for the first time in what felt like forever. "I am unbelievably available…"

From there, the rest was history. Punk had some reservations at first about their…well, in hindsight, it was basically their first date. But to his surprise, it had been one of the more interesting dates he had been on in a while. In talking with AJ at that small, nearly-empty diner, he had put the notion of her being crazy to bed.

What he found was that at heart, she was just an energetic, kinda geeky, but sweet and funny girl, who had just become sad, lonely and heartbroken while trying to make sense of things after a bad—no, very bad—breakup.

He could relate. After all, he'd had some pretty bad breakups himself. The breakup with Maria, man, that one stung. Punk would barely leave his hotel room for a month after she dumped him; Colt and Kofi, two of his closest friends, could barely stand to be around him at that time, he was such a pain in the ass at the time, sullen, rude and snappy.

He talked a little about that, of course. In turn, she told him—sometimes through tears—all about Daniel and the horror that their relationship had become after he won that damn World Title. But in between that time, they talked and laughed about everything. Comics, work, movies, favorite old school wrestling matches, old back stories each one had, stupid things their coworkers and friends did. In the diner. In Punk's car. In the hotel lobby. In Punk's room as they talked until nearly dawn. True, there was no sex that date, not even a good night kiss. Just a long, tender hug and a kiss on the cheek from her to him as she left for her room to sleep until the mid afternoon, both high on lack of sleep and one another's presence.

It was one of those rare moments when one human being just connected with another and it just…clicked.

One 'date' soon led to another. And another after that. A few more following. They had started sleeping together about three weeks ago, and Punk was genuinely surprised at the kind of energy that AJ had brought into his bed. True, she wasn't quite as experienced as he was, but what she lacked in experience she made up for in raw passion and surprising stamina, all sinewy muscle and soft, sun-kissed skin, velvety lips and flowing brunette, brown-highlighted hair. So much so that he found his reserves being tested at times, thankful that he was able to keep up, his mind lost in the haze of her moans, screams and her amazing flower and bubble gum scent, until they found themselves sleeping in perfect bliss, utterly spent and satisfied.

Yet while the sex was good…no, mindblowing…there was something so tender and innocent still about AJ that made the chivalrous part of Punk want to protect her. She wasn't like the other women that he had been with. Maria was similar in many ways to AJ, but she never needed protection; she was from Chicago, and she was tougher than her bubbly exterior would lead one to believe. Lita certainly never needed any protection from anything; she was one of the strongest women he'd ever met, inside and out. And Beth? Often Punk found himself needing protection from her whenever they had it out.

As he idly found himself playing with a loose strand of her hair while she lay snuggled in his arms, taking in the brightness of the night stars as she eagerly pointed out a shooting star, he couldn't help but to smile at her.

AJ was different; sure, she was spunky and had an attitude, and there was definitely a fire in her that Punk liked his girls to have; he didn't go for timid little flowers, he wanted someone to challenge him, call him on his crap whenever he was out of line, and AJ was definitely strong enough to do so.

But he could tell that the whole Daniel-AJ thing had scarred her, left some deep wounds in her psyche, and so he felt the need to help her heal those wounds. To replace every harsh word with a soft one, every blow to her self-esteem with a kiss, a gesture to make her feel valued, safe and strong. To undo everything his asshole of an ex-friend did and rebuild the confidence of a very special young lady, both to him and the WWE Universe.

And Punk liked to think that he'd been doing a good job so far. He had noted, with pride, how the spunk and vibrancy in those spirited brown eyes of AJ's slowly began to rekindle, how the bounce in her step had returned, how the dazzle in that amazing smile of hers had begun to sparkle again. He wasn't the only ones who noticed, as coworkers and friends began to accept her back into the fold with open arms—even Kaitlyn, after much prodding and a setup by Punk to get the two longtime friends to talk alone and reconcile—and competing Divas began to take notice of AJ, who started rapidly piling up some wins in her column.

Of course, Punk and AJ agreed to keep their relationship on the down-lo for a while. Punk, after all, now had an enemies list a mile long with his WWE Championship putting him in the crosshairs of every Superstar in the back—including their useless GM John Laurinitis—and AJ, after her last relationship, just wanted to have something of her own to herself for a while, with less prying eyes.

The fact that Punk felt the same way was even more perfect for her. Already in her mind, she couldn't help but to draw comparisons between him and Daniel. Daniel was always putting her down, judging her on every little thing, from what she ate to who she was friends with to even how she dressed and what her hobbies were. Punk was simply content to let her be, and even shared in some of her interests, particularly comics and video games, one of the many ways the two spent 'quality time' together in his hotel room…when they weren't breaking the bedsprings with wild and passionate sex, of course. Daniel was always tense and moody, insecure about his success and his place in the company; Punk was laid back, breezy at times, completely sure of himself and who he was. Sure, he had a temper that he could aim at any given moment, but it was never at her. And the few times they had argued in their fairly new relationship…he would always apologize. And she would always seal it with a kiss…and more often than not, more love-making.

She didn't have to pretend to be anyone else that she wasn't anymore, like she had with Daniel. Punk was willing to sit back and let her be who she really was, to let her show the world the real AJ Lee, all sass and spark and strange sex appeal…a geek goddess, as Kaitlyn affectionately dubbed her. When her brown eyes met his green orbs, she found something that she could never find in Daniel's angry blue eyes…a sense of peace. Of happiness. Both in Punk…and in herself.

The sweetest one, for both of them?

The way that Daniel glared daggers at them whenever he spied the pair holding hands alone in a corner or eating at catering, how he plucked at his beard enviously as they shared a private joke and laughing near gorilla, or how his knuckles clenched white in jilted rage, AJ standing on her tiptoes to capture her new beau's pierced mouth with her own, as the couple shared a tender kiss near the locker room…usually punctuated with the Vegan ex-World Champion angrily knocking over a heavy piece of equipment and yelling at some scrawny stage-hand as he angrily stomped away in jealous fury.

And it never failed to draw the same reaction from either AJ or Punk. They'd stare in confusion at the noise, realize who it was that done it, stare back at each other…and laugh in mirth.

They who laugh last, after all, laughed best.

End…for now…

Hope you liked it, and hope more AJ/Punk fics come up. (We gotta come up with a nickname for this pairing. Crazy Pipebomb? ChickPunk? I dunno, whatever.) Reviews are a pipebomb down John Laurinitis's pants. Peace!