A/N: Hello all! Back for a brief one-shot. Written because I'm super proud of Punk as I'm sure most of you are. Took some guts to do what he did, more guts than I have. Hope he gets another shot at what he clearly loves doing. Enjoy! And disclaimer- I OWN NOTHING. I didn't even create any fake weirdos for this one ;)
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Punk paused suddenly as a camera was pushed up in his sore and cut up face. He turned around halfway and saw his coach leading his wife right to his side. AJ had warned him she wouldn't be on camera at all, but clearly her mind had changed. She had on a beautiful smile as if she didn't just witness one of the worst moments of his life. She wrapped her arm protectively around his waist and looked up at his ear than his face as they walked right to the locker room with a small entourage. Punk stepped in first before AJ, before the cameraman and before the rest of the team. AJ turned around suddenly and held her hand out.
"Not right now." She told the small group who looked confused.
She offered no apologies as she closed and locked the door behind her keeping everyone and everything away from her husband. When she turned around to find him she saw him leaning over the sink and glaring at himself into the mirror. Most people would think he was trying to assess his injuries, but instead she knew he was beating himself up. Cursing himself in his head. Beating himself up. Hating himself.
AJ walked up behind him but he couldn't even tell until she wrapped her small, yet strong arms around his waist and buried her face into his back. He didn't even flinch as he just took a moment to enjoy the comfort of his wife. He was chewing on his bottom lip as he held back his own tears now. The silence was deafening for her.
"I'm so proud of you." she whispered from behind him and he bowed his head in defeat and shook it. "Don't do that." She warned not removing her arms from him. "Please don't do that." she said placing a kiss between his shoulder blades.
Punk wiggled out of her grasp and walked away, further into the room with his hands over his face rubbing over the cuts and bruises.
"Can you just go?" He asked in almost a whisper.
"No I can't." She said to him simply.
"Ape, please-" He began.
"Stop hiding from me." She demanded practically jumping in front of him. "I've seen you cry before." she reminded him with half a smile.
"Is this in an image you really want to remember?" He asked mockingly as he sat in the nearest folding chair. "Your husband lost a fight and he's resorted to tears."
"That's not why you're crying." She assured him and kneeled down in front of him. "Tonight was an emotional night for you. It wasn't easy to be back in this building or in front of all of those people. You have a lot of emotions running through your mind right now and it's ok to get emotional but it's not ok to beat yourself up."
"I didn't beat myself up." He remarked coldly. "I'm sorry Ape." he said in a much softer voice. "You have no idea how sorry I am."
"For what?" She asked confused.
"Everything you sacrificed to help me do this was for nothing." He pointed out. "Part of the reason you left WWE was so you could be here supporting me, you moved to Milwaukee with me, you put yourself on TV, which I know you hate, you've been cooking and cleaning and taking care of me for the last few months, after my surgeries-"
"None of that was a sacrifice." She almost laughed. "We're a team. We're in everything together."
"It was a waste. I didn't even get a hit in." He recounted shaking his head in his disappointment. "I know I could beat him- I know-"
"I know that too." She assured him. "Tonight wasn't about winning. You won the second you walked out there. You put everything on the line. I wish I was half as brave as you."
"I told you I'd win this for you." He reminded her of his final words to her before his music hit.
"You did." She smiled sadly cupping his cheek and rubbing her thumb under the moistness of his eye. "I'm not lying to you when I tell you that you made me incredibly proud."
"It's done now Ape." He said shaking his head. "I'm going to get cut the guys at the gym-"
"They're your family." AJ cut him off. "And if you get cut from here so what? You were a money grab and they knew that. You can fight anywhere."
"Who is going to want me?" He asked seriously. "I mean it." He huffed standing up and walking away from her. He walked back over to the mirror and ran his hand over the cut above his eye.
"Anyone with half a brain." She answered grabbing a towel and walking over to the sink to run the corner under water. "Anyone who has watched you fight for this which is a lot of people." she added and then reached up to dab the cut about his eyes but he jerked his head away in annoyance. "Let me do this." She demanded. "I need to do this." she added and he softened his facial features.
Punk stood there and let her dab his eye to clean up the blood and then to clean up the rest of the blood around his face. She went back over his eye and sighed.
"You're going to need a few stitches." she whispered and he gently clasped her wrist with his hand and tugged it away from his eye. "I'm not disappointed in you." She said reading his eyes. "And I'm not ashamed. I've never been more proud of you."
"I sucked tonight." He reminded her quietly.
"That's not true." She said shaking her head. "I hate that you're going to beat yourself up over this, you would be saying the same thing even if you won. You need to take a moment and realize you accomplished something that most people only dream about. You're inspiring to so many people but more importantly to me."
"I wanted to do this for you." He told her almost desperately. "I wanted to win for you so bad-"
"You did." She said with ease and a cute smile. "I wish I was more like you. Brave, fearless, selfless."
"You're crazy." He almost had to laugh.
"I almost got you to smile." she teased pointing at his face as he tried to bow his head.
"What do I do now?" He asked her honestly. "Where do we go from here?"
"Hopefully away for a bit." She teased. "I really think we could both use some time away."
"I promised you that and I'm sticking to it." He assured her. "But after?"
"Is there a reason we have to decide right this second?" She asked with a laugh. "This isn't WWE there's no pressure to jump back into anything yet. Take a few weeks and regain some perspective, go to some Cubs games, go to the opened Blackhawks game, knock me up!" she suggested eagerly and he let out a loud laugh.
"I'm going to do all of those things." He promised her.
"Look at that ear." She frowned tilting her head to look at it.
"Yea, this is kind of your worst nightmare." he smirked turning to look back in the mirror and hissed when he tapped his ear.
"It's not my worst nightmare." She defended lightly. "Are you feeling ok?"
"That's the sucky part, I feel great." He said annoyed. "I felt great walking into that cage I knew I was going to win. I just-"
"There is no point to think about what if's right now." She warned him. "Right now I want to get you checked out by the doctors, have them close that nasty cut above your eye, get you cleaned up and out of here."
"I'm going to the press conference." He told her and her face dropped. "I always planned on going."
"I don't want anyone upsetting you." She said shaking her head. AJ was in full 'protective wife mode' currently.
"Nobody is going to upset me more than I upset myself." Punk had to chuckle. "I'll look like even more like a joke if I don't, besides it might be my last opportunity here."
"You don't owe anybody anything." AJ reminded him seriously.
"I do." He said matter-of-factly. "I owe it to my team, my coaches, my family and you."
"You don't owe us anything you've given up a lot as it is." She argued.
"I love that you're trying to protect me but I'll be ok." He smirked. "You can head back to the hotel and I'll meet you there. I'll have the driver come back for me."
"No." She said shaking her head. "I'm going with you."
"Ape, no." He said just as sternly.
"You need me there." She reminded him. "And I'm going to be there with you."
"I don't want you tainted by all of this, that's why you were in the back. All I need is for one smart ass to say something to you then I'll really lose it. I'd probably get my ass handed to me for a second time tonight..." he muttered.
"I'm going." She said to him again. "We're in this together and I want everyone to know how proud I am."
"I wish you'd stop saying that." He sighed.
"I'll say it every minute of everyday and I won't stop until you believe me." She told him and he gave her a faint smile. "Ready to have the doctor look you over?" she asked and he nodded.
"Wait." He said before she unlocked the door. "My ring." He said holding his hand out.
"Oh, right." She smiled unhooking her heart pendant necklace that he purchased for her as a thank you for putting up with all of this. He handed her his ring before he tapped up his hands and she placed it around the expensive chain. "Here." She said putting it in his hand. "It's the best day of my life too." she said with a sweet smile.
Punk leaned down and cupped her face gently and pressed his hips against hers.
"I love you." He murmured against her lips before releasing her. "Thank you for being by my side tonight, if you weren't-"
"You never have to worry about that." She smirked. "I love you too."
"Even with the ear?" He asked with half a smile pointing at it.
"In sickness and in health." She forced out and he laughed again. "I'm just kidding." She smirked. "It's a battle scar, I think it's kind of hot."
"At least I got something out of this night." He remarked halfheartedly.
"You got so much out of this night and I know you can't see it now but I promise you will. You're so awesome and you don't even see it."
"All I can see is you." He told her honestly as they stepped out of the room together.