Dolph wins. For a wild, short moment, Zack is relieved, although part of him is antsy and a little annoyed as well. Dolph winning means Sheamus has to kiss his ass, which, well, feels more than a little personal to Zack, but- His thoughts are disrupted when Sheamus fights back, knocks Dolph almost to the point of unconsciousness, then forces him to kiss his ass instead. Zack's jaw drops at how quickly everything's gone wrong, his brows furrowing as the crowd buzzes and the commentary team run it into the ground. "Damn," he mumbles, all too aware of how Dolph will respond to this. It's not going to be pretty...
He still tries, though. Walks resolutely down the hall to gorilla and is standing there patiently, a worried look on his face as Dolph stumbles through the curtain, face flushed and miserable. "Bro-"
"No," Dolph snaps, barely looking at him. "Just... stay back, kid. I don't need this right now."
"I just wanna help-" Zack tries, his heart sinking in his chest as Dolph levels a glare at him.
"I don't want your help. Just... give me space." He pushes past Zack angrily, leaving him alone in the hall, referees, tech staff, and random wrestlers and divas scattered around whispering about Dolph, about Zack, about everything.
He exhales sharply and squares his shoulders, walking in the opposite direction. If Dolph wants space, then that's what I'll give him, he decides. Spends the rest of the show in catering, ignoring everyone who approaches while he aimlessly scrapes a spoon through a rapidly melting dish of ice cream. When the main event finally finishes, he downs the melted ice cream in one rushed swallow, grabs his things, and leaves. No texts or calls from Dolph, so he avoids both their rental car and their hotel room, walking around in the dark, not really noticing anything around him, until he starts to shiver from the rapidly cooling temperatures. Late April isn't overly warm, especially after the sun's gone down, so Zack finally gives in and returns to the hotel, staring up in the general direction of their room, trying to figure out if the lights are on or not.
He considers for a wild moment calling one of the other wrestlers and rooming with them but that just feels so wrong that he stuffs his hands in his pockets and heads in, jaw working as he heads up the stairs, willing to delay this as long as he can. Unlocking the door, he finds the chain not on, which is a relief as he slips inside and finds the bathroom door shut, light pouring out from the gap in the bottom of the door. He hesitates, resting his hand on the wood, before walking towards their bed, head bowed while he empties his pockets and thinks about what to do next. Before he can come to a decision, the bathroom door opens and he hears Dolph call out. "Kid?"
"Yeah," he responds glumly. "Don't worry, I'm not gonna get in your way." He piles his phone, key card, and wallet onto the dresser before kicking his shoes off, moving to find something to sleep in, when-
"Kid, could you come here a minute?" Dolph sounds sad, and Zack closes his eyes, never able to deny him when he sounds like that. He walks over and stands in the doorway, still working to not crowd Dolph, when he clears his throat. "I can't- I ... I keep trying and trying, but I can't stop feeling his..." He shudders, looking away. "Or tasting..." He makes a faint gagging noise and Zack frowns at him, understanding what he means through his fragmented speech.
Zack sighs and joins him, quietly gripping his jaw. "Let me try to help with that," he sighs, reaching over and collecting toothpaste and brush, mouthwash. "Mine is stronger flavors than yours, so why not give it a go."
Dolph immediately sets on brushing his teeth so wildly that he looks like he's drooling, a flood of foam from the toothpaste dripping from between his teeth. The mouthwash only makes the visuals worse as bright blue liquid drip down his jaw to splash within the sink. Zack quietly takes everything away from him and shrugs. "What do you think?"
"It," he whispers, licking his lips quietly. "Yeah, it's better. Thanks, kid." Zack nods and stands up, ready to go to bed, when Dolph stands as well and blocks his exit. "I'm sorry," he says, looking Zack in the eye for the first time since leaving the ring. "I never should've yelled at you like that. It was just... embarassing and I..." He swallows. "I wanted to make Sheamus pay for both of us, and I didn't even come close."
Zack scoffs. "Oh come on, bro. Record books will always show that on this night, Dolph Ziggler beat Sheamus, no matter what cheating underhanded nonsense he did afterwards. You beat him," he repeats quietly, fingers digging into Dolph's jaw. "Not me, not Cesaro or anyone else backstage. You. No one will ever be able to take that away from you, bro."
Dolph smiles faintly. "Yeah, I guess you're right, kid. I mean, I'll need some massive amounts of brain bleach to erase the how it looked and felt, but... Yeah. I won."
Zack laughs quietly and steps closer, some of the tension leaving him when Dolph doesn't yell or look away, their eyes locked as he reaches out and rests his thumb on Dolph's lips, tracing them carefully. He sighs and eases in, Dolph's fingers digging into his jacket just before Zack kisses him. He tastes clean- like someone who'd been washing their face repeatedly for at least half an hour just to get any taste gone, and Zack's pretty sure that's the least of what he's done since walking away. "Love you bro," he murmurs into his mouth and Dolph grins into the kiss.
"I love you too," he breathes back, pulling away and resting his forehead on top of Zack's. "So..." He rubs Zack's back, not surprised when Zack yawns and lets Dolph take on more of his weight. "Let's get some sleep, kid. Alright?"
Zack smiles. "Sounds great, bro." So they find clothes and ease back the sheets, settling into bed, Dolph nuzzling against Zack as he hugs him close. "Things'll look better in the morning, bro."
Dolph nods, eyes already slipping closed. "They already do," he says quietly, drifting as exhaustion claims him.
"Hey, I think so too," Zack mumbles, kissing the top of Dolph's head before sinking into his pillow and watching Dolph sleep with a small smile.
