Valentine took a deep breath before he knocked on Zac's door the next evening. He waited for an answer before he walked in. Zac laid stretched out on his bed, TV playing in the background, but he wasn't paying any attention to it.

"What do you want?" He groaned as he looked at Valentine. 

"To make peace." He commented, "or some kind of understanding." 

Zac laughed, sitting up. "Make peace?" 

"Yeah." 

"Pass me that beer." Pointed Zac. 

Valentine put on a firm smirk as he picked up the bottle. That was sitting right next to Zac on the nightstand. 

"Why now? And not from the beginning?"

"Look, this is already hard for me." Valentine looked to the ground, kicking the floor. "It's not easy being what I am. Alphas only make it harder. Alphas with chips on their shoulders even more so..."

"OH! It's my fault. I see." Zac finished off his beer, then got up from the bed heading to the mini-fridge. 

"Yes, but no. That's not what I meant. Fuck!" Valentine let out a long sigh. 

He thought this conversation through like ten times before he walked in here, and now he wasn't sure what to say. He moved over and took a seat on the couch. 

"What's with the clothes?" Asked Zac.

Valentine wasn't in the usual attire one wore on the bottom floor. No little black shorts. Shorts he'd burn if he could, but he needed them when he had to work fight nights. Instead, he had on his clothing. Light washed relaxed jeans, old school ripped band tee, and beat-up converse. 

"What's wrong with my clothes?"

"Nothing. Just that band fucking sucks." 

Valentine shook his head. "They do not." 

"Yeah, they do." Zac took a seat next to him on the couch. 

"You have a bad taste in music then." Replied Valentine. 

The two of them sat there for the next hour talking about music alone. Neither of them moved from where they sat. Valentine thought that maybe this little door would allow him to keep moving things forward between them. Zac even got relaxed enough that he let go of that sulking mood, allowing Valentine to breathe a bit more easily. 

* * * * * * 

The perk in his overall mood rolled into the following week. Valentine was pleased with his progress. Things weren't perfect between them, but he expected that. Their personalities at the core are pretty close to the same. So that made things hard for them. However, he felt that a better mode meant a better Zac, which meant he would be better in the ring. 

"Hey, what are you doing tonight?" Asked Zac as Valentine passed by his room. 

He could smell his sweet scent from down the hall, but his door was open, so that made things even easier. Valentine leaned in his doorway, shrugging. 

"Not really sure." 

Zac huffed as he grabbed his things to head down to the locker room to get ready. 

"Not really sure." He mocked. 

"Well, maybe if you ask me directly, my answer might change." Valentine smiled. 

If Zac wanted him to watch his fight, he needed to ask him. He was under no obligation to watch any of the fights. Especially not with his only free time. 

Zac looked down at him, Valentine patiently waiting. 

"Will you watch my fight tonight?" Asked Zac. 

"What's the magic word?" swayed Valentine. 

"Please." 

"Of course. I'd love to. Thanks for asking me." 

Valentine had been working on Zac being more polite towards others. Teaching him manners he never seemed to have learned growing up or has come to ignore because he had gotten away with it for so long. Valentine saw it as bettering him as a person. Zac thus far was not a fan of it. It honestly belittled him, but there was something about Valentine that oddly made him comply for the most part. 

"I'll find you in the pit." Commented Zac as he broke off at the locker room. 

Valentine headed into the main event room. It was already packed with clients hooting and hollering as they put in their final bets for the evening. Golden eyes looked up to the box Shaw always sat in, finding him to be looking right back down at him. The look in his eyes stated that Zac better win this one. 

He had barely found himself an open spot to stand in when one of Shaw's goons came and tapped him on the shoulder. 

"Shaw wants you to watch the fight them him." 

The goon didn't wait for an answer. He yanked Valentine up by the arm, dragging him up to the private box.