There's video of a short backstage interview of Dolph and Zack after Smackdown, uploaded for the world to see. Zack watches it back the next morning, at first just listening to it while he works out, but there's something about it that catches his eye, makes him blink hard. They're usually subtle in public, Dolph keeping his touches simple, the worry in his eyes subdued enough that only Zack could notice the depth of his feelings after the beat downs by Sheamus. So this,... this is something else.

Dolph's eyes scope Zack's body, and... lingers, for lack of a better word, on his abs, before finally moving up to a more normal level on Zack's face. He replays the video, trying to determine if he's wrong, if Dolph's rolling his eyes or it's just the natural trajectory of his gaze, but no... A pleasant kind of warmth spreads through Zack and he grins, turning back towards the weights he's working on, casting a quick glance over when Dolph enters a few minutes later, earbuds in and raising his eyebrows with a small smile at Zack before settling down at one of the machines, adjusting the weights and tension, the usual that they all do before working out.

Zack gives him a few minutes before peeling his sleeveless shirt off, leaning over to lift some more. He feels the ebb and flow of each movement through his muscles, how they're tightening and relaxing every time he shifts his grip on the weights. His arms, his abs, along his core. He's been considering bulking, gaining more muscle, more strength, maybe catch the eye of someone important in the WWE, get back to where he was before, fighting for the US title, something, but for now, he has other agendas.

Ones that seem to be working out just fine as he feels the heat of Dolph's stare on his bare skin. He swallows and exhales, lifting the weights up once more before releasing them, noticing as Dolph tugs his earbuds out of his ears. "Kid, what are you doing?"

Zack blinks, the pure definition of innocence. "What do you mean, bro? I'm working out."

"Since when do you work out shirtless?" he grumbles, eyes tracing each ridge and line of Zack's abs, the muscles of his arms and up into his traps leaving Dolph completely forgetting about his own schedule as the weights lay at his feet, completely forgotten.

"It was getting too hot," Zack offers after a moment, teeth flashing when Dolph's eyes darken and he looks up at Zack. "I needed some air, I guess, bro." When Dolph exhales roughly, Zack shrugs. "Maybe you do too."

He leans down to snag his bottle of water and when he looks up, Dolph is standing, gripping Zack's shirt and pressing it against Zack's chest, his eyes practically deep blue flame as he feels Zack's slick, warm skin under his fingers. "You don't play fair, kid."

"What would playing fair ever get me when it comes to you, bro?" Zack laughs as Dolph's face twists. They're so close, he can feel Dolph's warmth, his fixed desperation, and it only makes him more brazen. "So is there something you came over here for, bro, or-?" His words are muffled, disappears completely into Dolph's mouth as he kisses him hard. Fingers are tracing his abs and Zack exhales shudderingly, tugging at the back of Dolph's shirt, suddenly understanding the heat behind Dolph's gaze on that video.

"You're gonna kill me with all of this bulking you're doing," he mumbles, finally leaning back and closing his eyes as he rests his forehead against Zack's.

Zack chuckles, nips at his mouth before pulling him closer. "That would make the whole venture pointless, bro. Who will get to enjoy the results of it all with me when I'm done?" Dolph rolls his eyes and Zack laughs anew. "If I'd known what muscle gain would do for you, I'd have done it sooner."

Dolph rolls his eyes, brushes his knuckles over Zack's jaw, down the column of his throat, along his collar to rest lightly between his pecs. "I'm glad you didn't. No matter how much I might like the changes you're making..." He presses another kiss to Zack's lips. "I didn't fall in love with a bunch of muscles. I fell in love with the silly, sweet broski that didn't give up on me no matter how many times I probably deserved it. Alright?"

Zack's eyes look misty when he nods. "Alright, bro," he says, voice shaky.

"Now," Dolph says, smirk taking his face back over. "Put your shirt back on and let's finish our workouts... and when we're done we can go home so I can properly count how many abs you have by now..."

Zack laughs, already flushed skin turning an even deeper red. "Sure, bro. Whatever you say." He tugs the shirt back on and Dolph forces himself back to the machine he'd abandoned at Zack's choice to test him.

"Damn straight," he mumbles, thinking of later, how he'll be able to use Zack realizing just how weak Dolph was to his thicker, more muscular form to his advantage.

He smirks.