CHAPTER FOUR – change is in the air

A couple agonizing weeks later and Mike gets word from the top that Alex is coming back. Mike is so fucking happy he doesn't even know what to do with himself. As soon as he calms down and is able to think actual, coherent thoughts, he promises himself that this time will be different. He'll be friends with Alex again. No pressuring him for anything more, even if he still wishes things were different.

The first time the two men see each other again they end up in a familiar hug, both so happy to see the other. Mike thinks that maybe Alex had the same idea of just putting the past behind them and starting over since there didn't seem to be any tension between the two anymore. He's hurt by this, of course, but if the last couple weeks have taught him anything, it's that just being close to the guy is all Mike really needs anyway. At least, this is what he tells himself.

Things seem to resume as if the last few weeks never happened and they're back to how it used to be - just an easy, fun, carefree friendship, and so what if maybe sometimes Mike thinks about rolling around naked and making love with his friend, that's totally irrelevant. Well, not really. Mike can't not think about Alex when he closes his eyes to go to sleep at night. He thinks about their one perfect kiss and most nights that's enough but the more time he spends with Alex again, the more he starts wanting more again - the more he starts wanting everything. He often wishes this had been just a fluke, but it's lasted too long and it runs too deep.

The next few weeks prove to be a clusterfuck of emotions for Mike. First, he's ecstatic to main-event WrestleMania with his best friend and the experience only brings them closer. It reminds him of when he won the WWE Championship and the way it bonded the two of them. Then, he gets another scare when Alex is drafted to Smackdown and it's like déjà vu all over again thinking he's losing Alex but Creative assures him that it's only for one week. They were telling the truth, thank God, but after that, he loses his Title and this is not looking good. He starts to worry about the show's plans for the future and what they would do with his friend now that everything's changing. The Championship is what held them together, it's what connected the two and without that, Mike seriously starts to fear the worst. It didn't help matters that Alex seemed to be much more affectionate to him in the ring lately. Mike can't help but wonder why the younger seems to be holding on so tight. That's the feeling he gets anyway. All this extra attention since Alex got back certainly hasn't gone unnoticed but it's just in a friends-kind-of-way, right? He's not sure what to think right now except that something is about to happen.

xxx

It's a sunny afternoon in mid-May and the two men are on their way to the next hotel. Mike glances over to this right and sees that Alex might be asleep but isn't sure.

"Alex, are you awake?" Mike asks gently.

"Yeah, Mike," Alex answers from his semi-conscious state.

"Has anyone talked to you about the upcoming storyline for us?"

"No, Mike."

"Alex?"

"Yeah, Mike?"

A smile blooms across Mike's face, he absolutely loves hearing Alex say his name but he knows the guy's tired so he figures he'd just leave it at that. "Nothing. You can go back to sleep now." And without thinking he reaches over and runs his fingers through his friend's soft hair causing Alex to smile softly before drifting back to sleep.