Zack stares at the TV, his brow furrowed. Tensions between the other wrestlers on Team Cena and Team Authority had grown more intense with each passing week, and now Dolph was wrestling Harper for his Intercontinental title. Zack's vague feeling of unease proves warranted when Dolph loses, Harper standing over him while brandishing the title belt. He fumbles, grabbing his phone with his good hand and dialing a familiar number. "Hey, bro, I need your help with something. Yeah, it's kinda huge. Basically I'll owe you a year's worth of favors..."
Curt Hawkins meets Zack outside of his apartment ten minutes later, shaking his head as he holds the car door open so Zack can throw a bag inside. "I can't believe you want to drive down to Virginia," he grouses. "No one else was picking up their phone, huh?"
Zack glances at him and shrugs. "No one else I trusted, bro."
Hawkins groans, hating when Zack says such things so earnestly, waiting for his friend to get settled in the passenger seat before shutting the door and heading for the driver's side. "I thought you were supposed to rest for the next couple of weeks."
"I am," Zack sighs. "That's why you're driving. Don't worry, I'll pay for the gas." He awkwardly pulls out some 20s from his wallet with his good hand and stuffs them in Curt's console before facing forward.
Hawkins subsconsciously hums to the stupid pop music Zack insists on listening to, glancing over at his friend every red light. "Does it hurt much?" he wonders, noticing the tension on his face.
"It's just the cold," Zack sighs. "Probably something I'm going to have to get used to." They all do, to varying degrees- cold, rain, any kind of inclement weather eats through all of them, underlines every pain and old injury in their bodies.
Hawkins sighs, almost annoyed at Zack for leaving his nice, warm house, and dragging Hawkins from his own, just for this, but he imagines Dolph's not in a good place right now after losing, so it's not like Zack's going just for the sake of it. Either way, the weather's bad enough that the traffic is lessened and they make quick time. Despite leaving at 8 PM, they arrive just a little after 2 AM, and Hawkins parks outside of the hotel that Dolph had texted Zack about earlier in the day, reflecting on how they'd stayed here together the last time WWE had been to this part of Virginia.
Zack gets out with a grunt, leaning back in after he stretches carefully. "Come on, bro. Let's find Dolph's room, you can have the spare bed."
Hawkins makes a face, not sure he wants to share a room with the two of them, but cold enough that he finally gives in and trudges after Zack once he has his bag out of the backseat. What exactly Zack says to the woman at the front desk, Curt's not sure, but apparently it works- or the woman takes pity on him with his arm in the sling and everything else. He nods towards the elevator and Curt follows him, almost asleep on his feet as they wait for a free car to come and take them to the fifth floor.
Dolph's room is 505, easy enough to remember, and Zack isn't that surprised to hear Comedy Central blaring through the door, certain that his neighbors are hating him right now. He knocks as loud as he dares and shuffles around, eyes softening as soon as Dolph pulls the door open and stares out at them, confused. "What the-?" he mumbles before Zack throws his good arm around him and hugs him tightly. "You're here?"
"Yeah, bro, I'm here. Come on." He drags Dolph back inside and leads him to the bed while Curt trudges inside and shuts the door behind them, finding the remote and turning the TV down some before collapsing onto the free mattress, Dolph and Zack's faint murmurs not enough to keep him awake.
"You should be resting," Dolph insists, biting his lip as he helps Zack out of the sling, easing his arm down to his side protectively. "Not forcing Hawkins to drive around at all hours of the night just to find me..." Shaking his head, he leans in and kisses the side of Zack's jaw, mumbling. "Guess that explains why you didn't call or text after my match..."
"Yeah. Sorry about that," Zack sighs. "I just wanted to be here for you. I feel so worthless, stuck on my couch for the next few weeks. This at least... was something I could do." He runs a finger down Dolph's cheek and smiles when he leans in to his touch, eyes fluttering. "I'm sorry you lost, bro."
"Me too," Dolph murmurs, wrapping his arms around Zack's waist and pressing his face against his uninjured shoulder. "But this... this helps, you know? It does. I'm glad you came, kid." Zack's teeth flash as he grins, a soft groan muffled when Dolph kisses him anew. Once they pull away, Zack's fingers brushing through Dolph's hair, he half-turns to stare at the motionless lump that Hawkins has become, laughing faintly. "I guess I should wait until the morning to thank him, huh?"
"Yeah, I think so, bro," Zack murmurs, gripping Dolph's jaw and drawing him back over towards him, eyes dancing as Dolph leans in and resumes kissing him.
