'The P-Word' with Johnny, Mari, and Danni

Returning home after a day of helping train what he hoped would be the future superstars of the wrestling world and still feeling a bit sore and beat up, Johnny enters the threshold of ‘Casa De Maverick’ in Los Angeles and sets down his backpack. He was still wearing his training gear and in dire need of the one thing that seemed to always make him feel better.

Well, two things.

“Danni? Mari? You home?” Johnny asks the quiet luxury apartment. There was typically trouble involved if the apartment was quiet but Johnny wasn’t worried as that trouble usually involved him. The door of the fashion studio opens to reveal Danni wearing a pair of black and hot pink noise-cancelling wireless headphones. Music seems to be resonating from them. She glances up to see Johnny and she lowers her headphones to hang around her neck with a smile.

“Welcome home,” she smiles sweetly, folding her hands in front of her. She approaches Johnny and kisses him with a slight lift in her right leg, being all cute. “As you can see, the apartment’s nice and squeaky clean. Mari’s in the bedroom. She said she wasn’t feeling very good, so I’m listening to my music like this.” She taps the headphones. Johnny wraps his arms around Danni and kisses the top of her head.

“I’ma go check on her then. See if she needs anything….but first THINK FAST.” Johnny says, locking his arms around Danni and very softly belly-to-belly suplexing her onto the massive SUMO brand beanbag chair they have in their living room.

“Ahh!” Danni yelps in surprise in the transition of the move and she squirms after the soft landing. She’s quick to sit up and stick her tongue out at him. “That’s three-and-one, Johnny. I thought you were supposed to let me win?”

“I set it up for you and everything and you didn’t even take it.” Johnny says. He grabs her hand and helps her up, kissing her on the nose before heading to the bedroom and softly cracking open the door. “Mari? Sweetheart? Mi Curandera? Are you decent? Please say no.”

Mari’s not in the master bedroom. Instead, she’s softly groaning in the bathroom attached to the bedroom. “I’m… not decent, but not in the way you’d like.” She sighs.

“Mari? Are you alright?” Danni peeks her head in from the doorway beside Johnny and tilts her head.

“Um… define ‘alright’...”

“Is it the flu? Do I need to make a soup and Gatorade run? I can totally do that. I had my shot too so I can totally cuddle when you’re feeling less barfy, hun.” Johnny says. There is a pause. “Need me to come in and hold your hair back?”

Curious, adventurous, Danni moves forward and stops in front of the bathroom. Her curious expression turns into one of deep concern. “...Mari?”

“D-Danni, Johnny, I’m not sick… not like that.” Mari shakes her head slowly. She’s kneeling before the toilet, her hands bracing the sides of the bowl. “I’ll be fine. The soup does sound nice. I’m not too fond of Gatorade, but vitamin water would be good.”

“Here, if your stomach’s upset, lemme grab the Pepto!” Danni reaches out to open up the medicine cabinet.

“No, wait--!”

But it’s too late. Danni opens it and finds something that’s completely out of the ordinary. Her eyes widen before she slowly reaches out and takes the small box.

“...this is a First Response pregnancy test.”

Johnny’s eyes go wide for a moment, then he takes a deep breath.

“Maricela…” Johnny says, “...I uh...that’s something we should definitely talk about.” Johnny takes a deep breath and completely opens the bathroom door.

“...” Mari doesn’t have the words. Trying to physically compose herself, she slowly rises to her feet and walks past them to sit down on the edge of the bed. She looks worse for wear, her tired eyes staring at the floor, her body shivering a little.

Danni looks at her before she looks to Johnny, a concerned look on her face. She’s never been in this situation before. “Johnny…?”

Johnny steps forward and sits beside Mari on the bed. He doesn’t say anything. He just takes her hand in his and holds it, locking their fingers together.

“I’m here. Danni’s here. No matter what.” Johnny says simply.

Instinctively, Mari tightly squeezes Johnny’s hand and sucks in a breath of air. She feels Danni sit on her other side and take her free hand. To this, Mari squeezes Danni’s hand as well. She breathes out and shakes her head.

“...It must have been in Rome. I don’t know how it happened. I don’t know understand why. We were being so careful. I didn’t want this to happen because I…”

Danni feels Mari’s body trembling and she squeezes her hand gently. “Mari…?”

“...I’m pregnant…”

There is a long silence and Johnny squeezes her hand as well. There are a lot of emotions but Johnny only has one response.

“Like I said...I’m here. Danni’s here. No matter what. We aren’t going anywhere. I love you, Maricela. We love you.” Johnny says. He gives her hand another reassuring squeeze.

“Johnny’s right! We really, really love you and we’re never gonna leave you.” Danni squeezes her hand again and nods in a slightly hyperactive manner.

Mari softly bites her lower lip and she breathes through her nose. “...I-I didn’t want it to be like this… especially when you’re in the middle of your war and… I’m afraid. But my moral compass won’t reject this…”

“I’m not...in a war, Mari. That thing? That’s over as far as I’m concerned and you don’t have to reject anything. If we’re going to do this then….let’s do it.” Johnny says. “Let’s… be parents. All three of us.”

“Me too???” Danni tilts her head, curious as to how that works. “I mean, I can be a godmother!”

Mari looks down at herself for a moment before she parts her lips and sighs. “H...how can you say that for sure?” She doesn’t want to bring up one of her concerns, but she doesn’t have a choice in the matter. “I thought you said you didn’t want to be a father, Johnny. That’s what you told Xaria.” There’s venom when she says that name. Ever since the Rainbow Angel’s turn, Maricela has resented her at every turn, especially after she hurt Danni the way she did.

“I said I couldn’t be a father to Christian and Jacques...and I can’t. Especially not after all that has happened between Xaria, Martin, and I, and especially not with my father’s influence in both of their ears. This is very much a different set of circumstances. Me not being a father to Christian and Jacques wasn’t an issue til a blood test that happened less than a year ago and only became an issue when Xaria needed to hate me. If you think me showing up and saying ‘I’m ready to be a dad now’ would change anything… it wouldn’t. They’d laugh in my face and find a new excuse to hate me.” Johnny says. “But the simpler answer than that is that I love you and I’m also gonna love the little person you squirt out in around eight months.”

“Ewww, that sounds gross!” Danni sticks her tongue out and huffs. “You’re supposed to say something sweeter like “I’m gonna love the little miracle of life you bring into the world!”, Johnny. You gotta be romantic and stuff!”

Even with her emotional instability, Mari finds herself chuckling softly at Danni’s comment. No matter how stressed out they are, the colorful-haired cutie always seems to reel them back in. “Danni… Johnny…” She squeezes their hands at the same time and looks at them for a moment. “Te amo. I love you both so much. If we’re going to do this, we’re doing this together. I-I’m still scared, but it’ll be okay… I know.”

“Damn right it will and we love you too...now go brush your teeth so we can kiss you, pukey.” Johnny says before kissing Mari on the cheek. Danni giggles and kisses the other cheek.

“Lo siento,” Mari slightly pouts before she rises to her feet and makes her way into the bathroom.

Danni glances over to Johnny and reaches out to brush a few strands of his hair. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m great, Danni. Let’s go start making some soup, okay?” Johnny says.

“Okay! Ooo, I’m feeling inspired by our time in Dublin. Can we make Irish potato leek soup?” Danni grins and bounces from the bed as she immediately makes for the kitchen.

Mari peeks out from the bathroom doorway and weakly smiles. She doesn’t know what life would be like without either one of these two.

She never wants to think of that.