AN: I had the most horrible thought when writing this in my head: what if they read it? 0.o So at that point, I have decided for a massive I'm sorry, both to the people I'm writing about and for the vague quality of what I produced thereafter. It's still fluffy! Written because, while watching them beat each other up is fun, I still think they're the cutest pairing around.

Disclaimer: I disclaim. Really.

He's knocking on the door before he can think twice, and he doesn't expect the sight that greets him when it opens. It would be logical, really, to expect to see Mike standing there shirtless in the doorway to his hotel room, but somehow Alex just didn't see it coming. Unsure of what to say, Alex just smiles slightly. "Hey."

He gives the other man a once over, not checking him out—well, not intentionally, anyways—but instead checking for any new injuries. This isn't something new; he's always been inclined to check on his friend after matches. The guilt he feels at any scrape he sees, though, is new: he's never been responsible for putting them there before. Alex used to be the one watching Mike's back, and though he knew from the start that their story arc would evolve into a rivalry, he never anticipated how hard it would be to hurt the other—even for work, unreal as it was.

"Hey," Mike greets, and there's something knowing in his eyes. "What's up?"

Alex shrugs. "I didn't see you after the show, so…"

"I'm fine," Mike tells him. "I've been in worse fights. You've seen me in worse fights. That was nothing."

Alex nods, and he knows that Mike isn't even lying. That fight could barely even be considered a fight at all. For some reason, that doesn't make him feel any less guilty.

"Want to come in?" Mike asks, moving back slightly to make room for Alex to pass him.

Alex hasn't ever wanted anything more than he wants to go chill and have beers in Mike's room. It isn't an uncommon occurrence for him, and somehow no matter what state or five-star hotel they find themselves in, when he's with the other he always feels at home. He can hear the TV blaring slightly and knows that Mike's probably not watching anything in particular—he's never able to sleep the night after a performance.

But Alex also knows that he really shouldn't, because half of his mind is already checking Mike out. A part of his mind is drooling over the other's finely sculpted and all too visible body, and he's tired tonight, so if he adds alcohol to the mix, he can't see this ending well. He doesn't know quite how he ended up half in love with his best friend; he certainly didn't plan on it. After all, he did always know they'd end up in a rivalry, so he really should never have gotten close to Mike, but the guy was just too much fun to be around. He hadn't noticed himself falling, either, until that horrible moment when he'd been so tempted to kiss Mike—on national television. That would not have ended well. By then, though, their rivalry was about to start, which he'd thought was all well—until he'd started beating up on Mike and realized how crappy it made him feel.

"Nah, I'm tired," Alex said, knowing how lame of a cop-out it was. They crashed in each other's rooms all the time—it wasn't like there wasn't two beds anyways—when they got too tired and drunk to try to find their own way back to their rooms. "See ya." He turned to head back to this room, but was stopped when Mike called out his name. "Yeah?" He turned back and saw something in Mike's eyes that almost gave him hope, but after a brief moment it was gone.

"See ya 'round," was all Mike said. For now, it was enough.

Reviews are love, and it's my birthday tomorrow, so reviews are much appreciated all around!