At the end of the day, whether they're in the Cruiserweight division or the tag division, getting moved up to Raw is big, no matter who you are. So when their names are announced, when they think it's all but certain, they stare at each other, a growing grin spreading across Johnny's face. Tommaso's happiness is a little better hidden, his eyes gleaming just so under the living room lamp. "Well, guess we're main roster bound," he says.
"Yep." Johnny sits there for a minute, clearly thinking back on everything it took just to make it this far. Their years on the indys, Tommaso's time in ROH, all of the time spent feeling inadequate, under-appreciated. How quickly thinks had moved once they signed to NXT last winter. "We need to celebrate."
"How?" Tommaso asks, brows furrowing as he stares at his best friend.
In the end, it's not much because by the time they actually finish watching Raw, most places are closed, but Johnny gets a pizza, and they sit outside on the hood of Tommaso's truck and stare up at the sky as they eat the meat-drenched pie, quiet and calm. Everything finally clicking in place for them, they allow themselves this one last cheat day, clinking glasses full of root beer to mark the occasion properly. "To the main roster," Johnny says, a kind of bittersweet twist to his lips.
Ciampa understands. As incredible as it will be to be called up so soon, leaving their partnership in NXT behind when they still have so much unaccomplished- like becoming tag champions, for one- feels like a failure of a sorts. He wants to defeat the Revival, he wants to be better, longer champions than Alpha, he wants to do so many things that it's an itch under his skin he fears that even being in the Cruiserweight division will never scratch... but any forward movement is good, so he keeps his thoughts to himself, chews on his pizza and sips from his glass until Johnny is half-dozing against the windshield.
After throwing away their trash, Ciampa returns to the truck, nudging Johnny to a sitting position, and draws him into the house, dropping him on his bed and shaking out a blanket over him. He turns to leave but Johnny has a tight grip on his arm so he exhales and sits next to him, watching his partner sleep for awhile. "We'll be alright, man. Still friends, no matter what." They'd survived round one of the CWC, after all.
In the end, neither need to have worried. William Regal calls them into his office a couple of weeks later and lets them know that he's discussed things with those in charge of the main roster and between the group of them, they've decided NXT will be keeping Ciampa and Gargano for awhile longer yet. They're polite, respectful about the situation, nods and thanks Regal before quietly bowing out of his office to prepare for the night ahead.
They're halfway to the locker room when Ciampa turns to Gargano. "Please tell me I'm not the only one relieved," he mumbles.
Johnny pauses and stares at him for a long, tense moment. Finally he barks out a laugh and throws an arm around Tommaso. "Oh, God, I thought I was alone in that," he mumbles, burying his face in Ciampa's chest for a moment. "Raw would've been great, but I wasn't... wasn't fully ready in giving up on this, you know?" He taps a fist against Tommaso's shoulder and exhales, turning to leave. "Now come on, let's go work at winning those tag belts, huh?"
Tommaso watches him go, nodding slowly as a full, sincere grin creeps across his face for the first time since he'd seen that graphic on TV. "Yeah. Let's."