Perceptions
Tyler picked up another win, despite the finger injury he had suffered two months ago. Not that his finger got in the way at any point in his matches, nowadays, it was just a nascence whenever he held his phone for his post-match video and selfie intake. But it did get in the way when having to delete photos and videos from his phone when he needed to.
That, subsequently, happened after almost every match. It wasn't that he didn't like the pictures and videos, but there was a point where he just didn't want to be living in his gimmick 24/7. It never stopped him once from striding down the hallways to his private locker room (always being booked several weeks in advance to avoid being near anyone he didn't want to be around).
Unlacing his boots, then kicking them off of his feet, Tyler decided to watch some of the show before showering. This gave Tyler time to lay on the couch, not rush, and not have to be interrupted unless some backstage crew member had told him to look like he was still sweating if there was a backstage segment after showering. He really didn't like having to mess with his hair and put water on his hairline and chest after he had a match and already cleaned up just for a two minute (if that) segment backstage.
As his luck had it, about twenty minutes later, nothing had been signalled for a promo or anything, just some interview with Neville. At least Neville talked about Tyler, and not those ridiculous ears and haircut that Tyler thought that Neville made halfway decent. Ugh, no, not even halfway! It just shouldn't have looked like it suited anyone! But, it was somehow able to fit the British man perfectly (in an odd way, at least).
Not that Tyler had even bothered to look in Neville's way, unless he needed to or the two had run into each other. More often Neville's fault from Tyler's, at least, that was what he thought. The only time the two men spoke was to talk about business, and Tyler barely listened to a word Adrian has ever said. However, that was if he could get a word in without Tyler interrupting him about petty details like insulting the other man's attire or how he acted around people.
Adrian Neville had always been, as Breeze had claimed, "too nice" to everyone. It wasn't that Tyler hadn't been telling the truth, but the fact that he had noticed how he behaved backstage to people made Adrian wonder if Tyler had noticed him more than once thought. The thought was quickly dismissed when Breeze began to mumble about how Adrian's fashion sense and looks should be changed under his breath.
That conversation had taken place a couple of months ago, and Tyler shuttered every time he thought back to when he had to spend an extended period of time with that uggo. Two minutes even exceeded the limit. But seeing that Neville hadn't exactly been comfortable with the situation either made Tyler feel the slightest bit vindicated that the man was feeling the same way he was. Actually, Tyler definitely felt worse about being stuck in a room with Adrian for about twenty minutes.
Tyler made an effort to get as much sweat and grime off of his face and body before getting out. There was only a certain time frame that the roster could stay in the University for before they would have to go home or back to a hotel room after a show. It was always a priority to Tyler that he leaves before everyone else walked out the door to the garage. Again he seemed lucky, Tyler hadn't been in the shower for too long, having enough time to towel dry (he never wanted to use a blow dryer, since the heat would damage his hair even with heat protecting spray), and brush his hair back into a ponytail. Just how he preferred, hair out of the face, more people could admire his natural good looks.
Making sure his attire, phone and anything else he brought with him was packed, Breeze double checked his clothes were looking good (dark blue jeans, black leather shoes and a white V-neck t-shirt with an unbuttoned dark grey vest over the top). He straightened out his shirt and vest, picked up his bag with all of his belongings expect his keys that were in his hand and turned off the lights in the locker room just before closing the door behind him.
Everything was going to go smoothly, get back to the apartment he was renting and do everything he needed to before getting some sleep. Having to wake up early the next morning for interviews and press conferences came with the business, but it wasn't something that Tyler particularly enjoyed when it messed with his sleeping schedule. It hadn't been until Tyler reached his car that his plan abruptly changed.
"Breezy!" Tyler rolled his eyes before turning his attention to Adrian Neville, who was running up to Tyler's sports car with his gym back over one shoulder. It was suddenly that Tyler had stopped rushing enough to realise that there was smoke in the air and a bad smell. Quickly scanning the garage, he saw that Neville's small rental car was puffing out smoke from the bonnet. "Yeah, not the best circumstance, eh?"
"What do you want?" It was almost as if Tyler had even noticed Adrian presence until that moment when he posed the question, curtly at that. Whether Adrian had refused to acknowledge the tone of voice, or if he was just worried about his situation, the shorter man had continued to speak.
"I need a lift back to the hotel I'm staying at." This earned an eye roll from Tyler that Neville could actually see. Once again, just like the question, it had been ignored. Tyler didn't want to waste anytime standing around, but he also didn't want to just let Neville into his car. What if there was grease or dirt on his shoes or hands? He'd make Neville clean the entire car, interior and exterior, until it was cleaner than when he got in, if that was the case.
"Get a ride from someone else, then." Tyler placed his bag in the backseat of the car and shut the door again. He twirled the keychain on his finger for a moment before he continued speaking. "I'm not letting you in my car!" To prove he wasn't kidding, Tyler moved into the driver's seat of the car and started the engine. The roar of the motor startled Adrian for a second before he regained his composure. He tapped on the glass with his knuckles gently, and Tyler, getting annoyed that the other man would even touch his car, wound his window down.
"You really want a lift that bad?" Neville nodded, trying not to smile at the almost halfway considerate words that were coming out from Tyler's mouth. A sigh crossed Tyler's lips, then pursed them together in a tight straight line when looking over to the car that was now being towed away by a tow truck. He motioned his head to the backseat, surprising Neville greatly at the generosity being shown. Neville almost threw his bag in the backseat of the car and slid into the front passenger's seat before Tyler changed his mind. Something that frequently happened when the blonde haired man did something even slightly different to his normal routine; everyone knew he was a person that could change in an instant. But Neville hadn't seen an even close to 'nice' side of Tyler before his car had broken down. Why waste the opportunity to get a ride in a flashy sports car, anyway?
The pair sped off out of the underground car park, forcing Adrian to adjust himself in his seat. He wasn't used to driving in fast cars, and it had made him feel a little sick initially. Tyler smirked, seeing the other man looking almost uncomfortable for once. The-Man-That-Gravity-Forgot was feeling a bit of a sinking feeling, so it seemed; and was obviously not used to any kind of G-force that could be used against him. Maybe he had a fear of being on roller coasters?
"Want me to slow down?" Neville shook his head, and Tyler noted that he looked a lot better in that moment than he had just a few short seconds prior. To say Tyler was relieved (and not just because Adrian hadn't messed his car up) was an understatement. He actually felt a bit better knowing that Adrian was looking better too, much of the colour that had been drained from his face returned. There hadn't been much choice but to slow down, when a red light and several cars had forced Tyler to halt the car.
Truth be told (even though it was only in Tyler's head), it hadn't inconvenienced Tyler too much to be giving him the lift to the hotel, being a quick stop that was not too far from Tyler's apartment complex. Not that he would admit that he almost had a small spark of happiness when he had a sudden thought to not be driving alone. The most he did when returning home from a show was have a shower and call his parents. Yes, there was a small part of Tyler (almost the most minuscule part of his brain) that actually liked being around people. But he didn't want to admit that to anyone, barely to himself, much less the man that was sitting beside him, now enjoying the car ride.
"So, how far do you live from the arena?" Adrian asked, trying to spark some kind of conversation. Tyler had shown some kindness in giving him a ride, but neither had spoken for about five minutes. A momentary glance to Neville, Tyler could see that he was sitting with his head near the window still resting on the headrest. It was almost like he was trying to sit further away from Tyler, suddenly making both men feeling uncomfortable.
"I only live a couple of streets down from the hotel you stay at." Neville nodded slowly, but thought nothing of the fact that Tyler knew the hotel. But there was a lot of NXT Superstars and Divas that stayed at the same hotel he did. Management had even booked the rooms for every roster member unless they had any other arrangements on where they would be situated. Neville couldn't rent an apartment due to his green card not being fully processed for the time being. Tyler had got everything processed before he got into the WWE developmental system in the FCW days.
"Judging by the car, I'm guessing the place you live at is nice." Tyler shrugged, slowing the car down. It had only been a few minutes from the arena and already the hotel was slowly rolling closer. Adrian shifted in his seat once more, remaining silent as Tyler pulled up to the curb of the street. Both men didn't say anything; not when the car was fully stopped or even when Adrian had stayed in his seat for a few moments longer than he would have been comfortable with. It was odd that Adrian didn't want to up and leave right away, guessing that is was only because the car was so comfortable.
"You know we're here, right?" The other man nodded, stepping out onto the curb and retrieving his bag from the backseat that was alongside Tyler's. The entire situation of the blonde man, who had any chance to get a title shot, to give him a ride had rattled Adrian's brain. What had also caught Adrian by surprise was that Tyler was leaning on the side of the car, just near where Neville had been sitting. He could have easily sped off back to his home, instead choosing to get out for some reason.
Tyler finally had time to get a good look at the exterior of the hotel booked for talent. It had at one point been painted a blue shade like some hospitals he'd seen, but all of the paint in the world wouldn't fix up where the current job had chipped, cracked and faded away. Screwing his face up, Tyler sniffed harshly at the sight; suddenly getting out of the sight of the building was the only thought in his head.
"It looks a lot better on the inside, trust me." The words of Neville didn't help make Tyler believe him. Again, Adrian was nice about some things, and what he thought looked good never usually did. People did see how he dressed himself, right? If Tyler actually cared about Adrian in any way, he'd be getting new clothes for the man. It almost pained Tyler to see someone not know how to mix and match colours correctly.
"Well, thanks for the ride." Adrian spoke, breaking the awkward silence between the two. Tyler's head moved up and down on its own once without him controlling it. Somewhere along with looking at the almost run-down hotel, his gaze had moved to Neville himself.
Neville's light blue jeans looked somewhat baggy at the bottom, covering most of the view of his black leather dress shoes (who even wears dress shoes casually?). His shirt, however, wasn't too bad. Adrian always had a way to get shirts that were his right size, but they never should have been tight at the chest, not like how the red shirt he had on should be. It had some picture and writing in black but Tyler couldn't make out what it was when he removed his gaze just before Neville caught him looking. No, he was actually staring at the shorter man, and part of Tyler didn't mind it.
What was happening to him, and didn't Tyler seem as disgusted by Adrian as much as he should have been?
Once again, the two men had managed to make the moment awkward. Tyler for not saying much, and Neville for his own reasons that he didn't even want to think about. Adrian adjusted the gym bag he had on his shoulder, clearing his throat as if it would help the situation. As if reading each other's thoughts, Tyler ran back over to the driver's seat of his car and slid in as Adrian walked off through the automatic opening doors of the hotel.
'What the hell was that?' The voice of reason finally kicked in, at the wrong time. Where was the voice when he had pretty much been checking out Neville just a couple of minutes prior? Oh, right! This side of him only showed up when he was out of an awkward situation and not during the moment. Tyler almost smacked the palm of his hand against his head, but remembered he had already taken off from the hotel to where his apartment complex was.
"I'm tired, and Neville has no fashion sense. That's all!" Breeze argued back, and then sighed. Great, now Adrian Neville had Tyler arguing to himself? Never had anyone had that effect on him, until now at least. It wasn't like he liked his opponent, or anything; his haircut was awful, taste in clothes a mess and the accent could barely be understood. Even if, for some unknown reason, Tyler seemed to think that maybe what was being criticized wasn't so bad. He had rushed out of his car, almost forgetting his bag in the process, and racing up to his apartment.
"No, no, snap OUT OF IT, TYLER!" Yelling at himself didn't do anything; expect making him feel like his sanity was slowly slipping away. To be fair with himself, not many people argued with the voices in their head unless it was a legitimate reason or they were crazy. Not be sure if Neville was the former, Tyler picked the latter excuse to cover his tracks.
But Neville had been creeping up to him slowly, week after week, encounter after encounter. For weeks he had been thinking more of his feud opponent, something that several months ago would have caused Tyler to want to actually have someone smash a ladder onto his face. Okay, maybe not that far, there was no way that a ladder would be going anywhere near his face while Tyler still breathed in air.
Close to anger, Tyler grabbed a singlet, boxers and a pair of pants before walking into his bathroom. The hot water calmed his nerves, and he almost forgot about had happened. And to make himself feel better about how he felt, he purposefully stayed in for a longer period than he was used to. It was a habit he had as a child, to waste all of the hot water for his family when he was angry and or suborn about something, even if it was something petty as the food his mother had cooked before his nightly shower.
Tyler dressed himself in his clean clothes he had laid out to change into. Towel drying his hair for the second time that night, he decided to leave his hair out and down. Hair ties tended to be annoyed to his hair to find they would be tangled the next morning. Stretching out, hanging to damp towel on the towel rack and shutting off the light in his bathroom, the young man brushed his hair with a comb in hand.
A knock sounded from his front door, and not expecting anyone to come around, Tyler pulled the door open to go tell the person off. But he couldn't, not with who was standing in front of him at that moment.
Adrian Neville. Neville was standing at his door (how he even got the number, Tyler wasn't sure about that) in a fresh change of clothes himself and the hint of burning on him. Obviously this man did use a blow dryer to dry his hair quicker. That was not something that could be forgiven easily by Tyler.
"What are you doing here?" Tyler snapped, yet still moving aside to let Neville in through the doorway. Glancing at the digital clock on his microwave nearby, Tyler could see it was close to midnight. Both men had press interviews to do the next morning and this is what Neville thinks is a good idea? Well, he certainly made himself at home, sitting on the three seater leather couch with a small glass table in front of it.
"A lot better than the room I have, I'll give you that." Adrian remarked; taking a quick look around the place he could get a view of. Tyler narrowed his eyes momentarily before sitting on the other side of the couch Neville was on.
"Again, what are you doing here?" There was less edge to Tyler's tone, but the annoyance was still present in his words. Neville shifted uncomfortably (how many times had he done that around Breeze in the last couple of hours?) before looking at Tyler in the eye. It was a stare that made Tyler feel a little uneasy himself.
"I just wanted to see what your place looked like." Tyler scoffed at the response. He knew that wasn't what Neville wanted to see. "By the way, you really should invest on wearing you hair down in the ring; it looks good on your skin." Looking down at his shoulders, Tyler realised something else; he had no shirt on. His face went warm.
"And you look good, even with a flushed face." For a second, Breeze's mouth hung open. He wasn't expecting the words 'You look good' to come out of Adrian's mouth. Sure, the whole 'pretty boy' comment had crossed his lips a few times for promos, but never anything even close to a compliment that was condescending in any form. He felt… complimented by Neville. And he didn't note for a moment that Adrian had moved closer. That was until Tyler felt something warm on his skin.
Adrian's breath to be exact. They were now just centimetres apart and neither knew what to do next. Tyler didn't know what the sudden turn of actions was caused by, one hour they barely spoke, the next they were, well, in each other's faces. And the worst thing was that Breeze wasn't minding the situation one bit. He actually lost his mind for a short period of time, and that was all it took.
Tyler leaned in, not knowing what to expect. Their lips had pressed together; Tyler hadn't thought Adrian's lips would be so soft, that they would actually feel nice against his. But they did; not to mention that Adrian was a surprisingly good kisser. And that would be something that Tyler would admit to Neville, but there would be a lot he wouldn't admit.
"Uh…" Tyler stared at Adrian with half closed eye, his mouth trying to form sentences and instead mumbling incoherently. Adrian let out a small chuckle at the stammering of the man that kissed him, and he had more than happily kissed back.
"That was, um, really… nice." Tyler nodded, swallowing the lump in his throat. For once he was scared to speak, in fear of saying something wrong. Or having Neville surprise him in return by slapping him in the face to slap some sense into him. It didn't mean that Tyler want Adrian to stand up and walk over to the front door of the apartment he had entered in. "I'll see you in the morning for the interviews."
Tyler sunk into his bed, not in the literal way, but he certainly felt like he wasn't in his body. It was amazing that Tyler didn't want to be near Neville several months ago, then small moments that creeped up to that day, had changed everything Tyler felt toward Adrian.
Yeah, that kiss had been something very special, indeed!
A.N. It took me two days but I finally finished this one shot. And I actually love this! To me, NXT has become my favourite part about the WWE, especially the Neville/Breeze feud. I will most likely be doing more NXT related stuff in the future. Anyways, I really tried to make this long (about 2,000 words) and I exceeded my own expectations. Enjoy, and I hope you guys love this as much as I do.