It's Valentine's Day. Zack is home alone in New York, trying to keep himself occupied with re-organizing things around his apartment, working to distract himself from the fact that Dolph is all the way over in Abu Dhabi. He's elbow deep in Star Wars merchandise when he realizes his phone's lit up. He dives for it, undoing everything he's managed up to this point, and finds a tweet from Dolph waiting.
HEELZiggler 14 Feb 2015
wrestler #ValentinesDay cards
I'm just a HEEL,
missing my BOO
#HappyValentinesDay
He snorts at it, typing out a response.
HEELZiggler I get it. You're a comedian
He halfheartedly goes back to cleaning and re-sorting things, leaving his phone nearby, and immediately looking over as soon as the device lights up again to find Dolph's response.
ZackRyder and a wrestler... Are you still one?
He stares at it. Laughs bitterly. Hadn't been used since the rumble, so he replies in kind. Tries not to sound as dejected as he feels about the low shot.
HEELZiggler I just do Rumbles now
Dolph says nothing else. Zack tries to go back to organizing but quickly gives up on it, standing up and going into the kitchen to get a drink, a distinctly unhappy look on his face.
The trip ends within a couple of days and Dolph's back stateside, but Zack's still not flown out for events that week, so he stays at home. Responds to whatever texts and calls he gets but mostly keeps to himself, each night sent staring at the ceiling and thinking about Dolph's words until his body forces him to sleep, or in the gym, working at getting back the muscle loss he'd experienced thanks to his arm injury.
When Dolph returns home, he's cheerful, greets Zack with a kiss and proceeds to put stuff away, pack new for the next flight out in a couple of days. It's only when he finishes that he seems to realize something's wrong, the apartment oddly quiet. Zack uncharacteristically still. "Hey, kid, is everything alright?" he wonders.
"Yeah, never better," Zack says, listlessly flipping through channels, looking for something to watch- and failing. He doesn't move when Dolph walks between him and the TV, he barely blinks when he sits next to him.
Dalph watches him for a few minutes and then says, "Hey, I missed you on Valentine's Day, you know."
"Yeah, I saw your tweet," he says, barely blinking.
It clicks with Dolph then and he exhales through his teeth noisily. "Kid, have you been sitting here stewing about my tweet the entire time I've been gone?"
"No," he mumbles. "...Just most of it."
Dolph drops his head back against the back of the couch and reaches over, playing with Zack's hand, the ring residing there patiently. "Kid, come on. I didn't mean anything by it-"
"And I started it by calling you a comedian, I know," Zack mumbles. "It's dumb. Let's just forget it-"
"Well, that'd be easier if you didn't look like I kicked your puppy or something," Dolph says, glancing over at him before cupping his face and drawing him in. "Look at me." He waits until Zack finally meets his eye and smiles a little. "Look, it was low, I shouldn't have said it, especially when we were separated on Valentine's Day of all things." He strokes Zack's jaw for a few moments before sitting up straight. "How about this, we'll do over Valentine's Day. From this moment on, this is the 14th. We'll get dressed up, we'll go out somewhere fancy for supper- I will treat this time- and then we'll come home and watch some lame movie that you've been wanting to watch for awhile, and see where the night takes us. How about that?"
Zack's teeth flash as he grins, leaning into Dolph's touch. "Even if I want to watch Star Wars again?"
Dolph groans but nods. "Even then, kid. Am I forgiven?"
"Yes, you're forgiven," he says, kissing Dolph's fingers as they tease over his lips. "But where are we going to get a reservation at at this hour?"
Dolph smirks at him. "What would you say if I said I had us booked in advance at that fancy Italian place we've both been wanting to check out from the moment I learned about the Abu Dhabi tour happening on Valentine's Day?"
Zack gapes at him. "I'd say I love you so damn much, bro." Dolph laughs, squeezing Zack back when he throws his arms around him in a tight hug.
"I love you too, kid. Now go, get ready!" he says, shooing Zack away and leaning back against the couch to watch him go. "Yep, you've still got it, Ziggler," he mumbles to himself.
