TITLE: You made it far too easy to believe
AUTHOR: JackValentine
BETA: nattie_natalie
PAIRING: Mike "The Miz" Mizanin/Kevin "Alex Riley" Kiley
RATING: G
GENRE: Angst
AUTHOR'S NOTE: I dedicate this to Maej26, for always believing in Mizley, even when I felt like I couldn't believe anymore. You are amazing and inspiring. So this is for you and for all of us, Mizley shippers, who are still standing tall. We witnessed the end of an era. I know it hurts, but I know it's not over for us. For us it's never over.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the guys, Mr McMahon does.
Kevin was sitting on the carpet and playing with the dog thoughtlessly, when the phone rang. Kiley picked up without looking, still wiggling the blue rubber bone with his other hand.
- Hello?
- Um, hi, - the familiar voice, distorted by the iPhone mic, came through.
- Oh, hi, what's up? - asked Kevin, more casual than ever. Weirdly enough, he didn't even have to try that hard. What had happened seemed unreal still.
- I heard you got released.
- That's about right.
- I'm sorry.
- Well, I don't think you should be, this real estate thing is going pretty good for me...
- No, Kev, I mean... I mean, I'm sorry I wasn't able to help.
Kevin froze and stopped moving the dog toy around. He breathed in intending to say something, but nothing came out. He was thunderstruck motionless, not reacting to the little fluffy canine chewing on his foot instead of the bone now. Kiley inhaled again.
- God, Mike, it's not like you had to even try in the first place, - it was quiet at the other end of the line, - Mikey, - the name was tough to slip off of his tongue, unamenable, forgotten almost, - Mikey, I-
The sentence cut, as though the ending had snapped right off, without a fading inflexion or a tone of hesitation. He almost said it.
- Yes?
Kevin buried his face in his palm and closed his eyes.
- Ah? Yeah. Nevermind.
Kiley could almost hear Mizanin's teeth clench for a second, the way that they always would when Mike would try to contain whatever he had to contain.
- So... Will keep in touch, right?
- Right, - echoed Kevin, still casual, but with a bitter, bitter hint of sorrow that clutched at Mike's breast painfully.
- No, Kev, for real, - Mizanin added, his voice lower and milder, - hit me up some time.
- Yes, sir.
Kevin heard Mike fuff softly at the rookie vibe that Kiley put into his response and felt a bittersweet smile appear upon his mouth, too.
- Later, then?
- Later.
Mike hung up first. Kiley put his phone down onto the couch and glanced at the baby husky who was now chewing on the toy peacefully. "It's not the same, - thought Kevin, - but then again, it hasn't been the same for about a year now". He sighed and got up. "Is it gonna haunt me that I didn't say it?" - he wondered. "Probably".
His hand reached for the phone and covered the warm screen, but stopped and backed away a second before picking it up.