Title: The Letter
Pairing: Mike "The Miz" Mizanin & Alex Riley
Rating: T

Summary: How will Mike react when Alex writes him a love letter?

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story.

A/N: I've had this idea for months now, finally got the proper inspiration.

There's a knock at the door and Alex's stomach drops. He honestly didn't think he'd be this nervous. He can't help feeling like a teenage girl all around - in his actions, in his current state of apprehension and it's all his doing. He starts thinking maybe he shouldn't have written that letter after all but now it's too late and Mike's here. And that means he's already read it and knows everything. Now he knows that his best friend is in love with him and has been for quite some time.

Alex swipes the back of his hand across his forehead as he approaches the door. His mouth is dry and now he's worried he won't even be able to speak and that just revs up his nerves even more. His heart is beating painfully fast and he thinks it's completely ridiculous that one man can have this kind of effect on him.

Alex reaches for the doorknob, his fingers slipping off at first but he grabs on tight with his second attempt. Fucking keep it together, man! he scolds himself and those are the last words he remembers thinking before he sees Mike's face.

Just seeing the guy calms Alex down tenfold and if he could form actual thoughts, he'd be thinking how beautiful Mike looks in this moment, even with noticeably puffy eyes – like he's been crying.

Alex doesn't say anything, just smiles softly as he moves to the side, opening up enough space so Mike can enter his room. When they turn towards each other, it almost feels like they're meeting for the first time but it's not awkward. It's everything – scary, nerve wracking, exhilarating, calming – everything but awkward. This doesn't automatically mean Alex knows what to say though so he just stands there opposite the one man who can complete him and completely break him. Alex knows he should speak but all he needs to say was in the letter so he waits. Cherishes these last few moments where it's still possible Mike's come here to profess his undying love for him and not to reject him.

"You forgot a comma," Mike deflects and it catches Alex off-guard.

"What?"

"At the beginning. Dear Mike and there was no comma," Mike shrugs. His sad eyes fall from Alex's gaze.

Alex breathes out somewhat of a laugh. Can't help thinking how cute Mike is but he can already tell this isn't a good sign - the way Mike's avoiding the real issue much like he's avoiding eye contact.

"Mike-"

"I can't," Mike finally reveals looking up to Alex. His voice, absent. His whisper, full of regret.

Alex takes a small step back lowering his head to the floor. He feels so embarrassed and exposed and there's nowhere to hide.

"I want to, but I can't," Mike shakes his head slightly, feels helpless in a way he's never experienced before.

"Because of Maryse," Alex guesses and he crosses an arm across his chest, grabbing the opposite tricep.

"Because of Maryse," Mike nods, "but there are so many other reasons, too. If things were different-"

"But they're not…and they never will be," Alex interrupts sadly, still finding it hard to look Mike in the eye but when he finally does, Mike sees a life he's denying - a life he could have with Alex under different circumstances - flash before him and it's almost too much to handle. Rather than break down like an absolute loser right in front of the man he's just rejected, Mike apologizes and heads for the door.

"Mike?" Alex calls out as he's turning towards the man. Mike freezes in place. The tenderness, the desperation in Alex's voice immobilizes him completely, except for the tears dancing in his eyes, begging for release.

"Do you?" Alex wonders referring to the question he asked in the letter. He watches as Mike lowers his head. Finally Mike turns around, slowly raising his eyes to meet the uncertain ones before him. Alex sees the tears yearning to break free and there's only one answer Mike could give that he would actually believe.

"Very much," Mike confesses and he's never been this honest with anyone about anything in his entire life.

Alex almost can't breathe but that doesn't stop him from rushing towards Mike and kissing him with every ounce of passion and desire and love he has for the man. Mike's tears finally fall and Alex catches them with his warm cheeks. He grabs hold of Mike's face and Mike's never felt more needed than he does right now.

For a second, this no longer feels like the end, but the beginning and Alex allows himself to cling to that feeling. He doesn't care how much more difficult it's going to be to let it all go. Denial is calling out to him right now and he'd be damned not to answer its call. Mike brings his hands up to hold Alex's face, his cheeks soaked with the mixture of their tears. Alex wraps his arms around Mike, never wants to let him go and finally it's all just too overwhelming, he just wants to hug Mike instead so that's what he does. He kisses Mike's dampened cheek as he passes it and rests his head heavy on Mike's shoulder for a moment.

"Alex," Mike whispers.

Thinking this is it, Alex places his chin over Mike's shoulder, holds him so close. "Don't go," he begs, not caring how desperate he sounds.

"I don't want to," Mike confesses, wrapping his arms tightly around the guy.

"Then stay with me."

"I can't."

"Just this one night. We don't even have to do anything. I just want to be next to you."

Mike pulls back, kissing Alex above his ear, his temple and finally above his eye. Alex lowers his head and Mike nuzzles against his hair, breathing him in. He already knows he can't deny Alex or himself, this one night so he takes hold of Alex's hand and leads him to the bed. They climb in, fully clothed. They don't even bother taking off their shoes, each wanting the other to feel comfortable and not pressured.

Alex reaches out to caress Mike's face and smiles contently as they lay next to each other. Mike mimics the gesture.

"Sweet boy," Mike says as he swipes his thumb over Alex's cheek, wiping away any remaining tears. He thinks of Alex's letter and how no one's ever expressed genuine love for him the way Alex has time and time again - the letter, a compilation of everything Mike already knew and felt.

Alex reaches up to hold Mike's wrist. Closes his eyes as he turns his face into Mike's palm. He lingers in the moment, wants to remember what this is like for the rest of his life. He used to think being rejected by Mike would be the most devastating outcome but now he knows he was wrong. To go on, knowing Mike feels the same way, is a crippling thought. In this second, Alex knows he's always going to wait for Mike, as long as it takes.

"You wouldn't think I was very sweet if you knew all the things I wanted to do with you," Alex quips as he looks up to Mike. He expects Mike to laugh but it doesn't come.

"You can have me, tonight," Mike offers himself up to Alex, swallows nervously.

Alex contemplates Mike's proposition and if he cared just a little less than he does, he'd be taking off Mike's clothes in an instant. But the fact of the matter is that he loves the guy too damn much.

"Turn around," Alex requests and Mike obliges without hesitation. His back is facing Alex now and he feels the guy moving towards him. He turns his head slightly, wondering what Alex is going to do and suddenly feels a hand on his hip. His heart starts to beat a bit faster in anticipation. He's never been with a man before and didn't even think to ask if Alex has.

Alex moves his hand up Mike's waist, under his arm, across his chest and pulls him close. His own body curled up close behind Mike and he just holds him. Mike's eyes start to well up when he realizes this is all Alex is going to do.

Alex feels immense warmth radiating off Mike, even through their clothes and it makes him feel safe and happy in a way he never thought possible. He closes his eyes and when he opens them the warmth is gone. An empty space is all that's next to him and he curses himself for falling asleep. He reaches out his hand to touch the spot where Mike had been but it's not empty like he had thought. He hears a crinkling noise as he grabs the single sheet of paper that's been waiting for him. It's a letter from Mike saying all he hadn't said the night before but Alex gets stuck on the first line. He can't help smiling when he sees the two commas Mike added after the greeting – one for him and an extra comma for the one Alex had forgotten in his letter.

It drives me crazy when Alex tweets and there's always two (sometimes three) commas all over the place and I always wonder why the hell he does that so I created a reason for it. It's too painful for Alex to follow Mike, seeing him tweeting about his life and whatnot, but he knows Mike follows him so he sends out this covert message in his tweets to remind him how much he loves him LOL I'm so silly. Hope you enjoyed it :)