It's weird, TJ Perkins thinks later on. He'd gone from being virtually ignored by everyone backstage since losing the Cruiserweight title to having Austin Aries and Neville all but fighting over him. And although Aries had a couple good points, Neville's opinion rings the truest. Of course, the vague ego stroking he'd done by claiming he'd respected TJ more than anyone else backstage hadn't hurt. And TJ had followed his advice and won his first match in... well, in a very long time. It feels good. He stares down at his fists as he tears the tape off of them and closes his eyes, exhaling softly as footsteps head his way.
"I told you. You should listen to me more often." He knows who it is before they even speak, so Neville's rough accent isn't as much of a shock as it should be.
He looks up and stares at Neville, at his belt. Nods jerkily. "I know," he says simply, relishing the glimpse of surprise in Neville's expression before he pushes it away and grows stoic once more. "You were more right in those two minutes than anyone else I've talked to in my entire time in the WWE. I was a joke. I can be so much more. And I will be." He eyes Neville.
"Of course you can be," he says, adjusting his title on his shoulder, watching how TJ's eyes track it. The smirk on his face grows. "By my side, you can have anything you want. No one will be able to stop us." He pauses. "And you will be one step closer to getting another opportunity at this." He pats the belt and watches as TJ all but salivates at the thought of it.
"Right," he says. "Right." It means turning his back on the few friends he still has, going into this venture with Neville, which will probably just be them against the world because Neville doesn't have friends, he avoids everyone else in the division, walling himself off from them because he refuses to trust them to not be out for something more. Which is fine, honestly. No one TJ knew had tried to help pull him out of the slump he'd fallen into recently. He thinks they deserve to be left in the dust while he moves on, tries to find success in other ways. At Neville's side, recalling how to be vicious and self-serving, to fight with everything within him to get what he wants. At any means necessary. No matter who it hurts.
It's been awhile, he thinks, standing up and settling in just a step behind Neville as he turns to leave the arena. But I think I already enjoy it.