A/N: Happy holidays, all!
"It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas," TJ sings under his breath as he arrives home following his first time traveling as X-Division champion. He grins and kneels down to peer in at- Cupcake and Pugsley as soon as he gets close enough to their pens. "Hello, my loves," he greets them. "Have you both been good for Daddy PAC, hm? Yeah? You have? I knew you would be."
His grin grows when he hears Neville walk up behind him, his foot nudging at TJ's. "I told you to stop calling me that," he grumbles, arms crossed over his chest, an unimpressed look on his face as TJ stands to look at him.
"Aw, c'mon, Nev, you know you love being a piggy daddy as much as I do," TJ teases him, ignoring the sour look on his face and stepping closer to drape his arms over Neville's shoulders.
"I do not," he huffs, but leans into TJ's warmth all the same, some of the frustration easing from his shoulders as TJ kisses him, soft and slow. "I am, however, glad you're home in time for the holidays." He rolls his eyes, stepping back and examining TJ critically. "How did the tapings go? I know you had... plans."
"I did," TJ sighs, fighting to keep a grin off of his face. "Oh, boy, did I." He steps away from Neville and hoists his duffel up onto the couch with a grimace. "Well, I mean. I had a plan to go and challenge Raju, ya know." He tugs out his Manik mask and examines it for a moment before settiing it aside. Neville comes up behind him and watches, frowning, as TJ digs further and pulls out the dark tones of the gear he has to wear, setting that aside as well. "I really, really thought I had this all in the bag, but then it all got away from me..." He's leaning forward just enough that Neville can't really see what else he's doing. "And, I mean, well, a rollup is just as good a way to win as any, right?"
Neville blinks, hard, as TJ straightens up, turns to look at him with a proud grin, and places the X-Division belt on his shoulder. Neville freezes, and stares at it, his eyes wide and fixed before he turns his attention back onto TJ. "You did it," he says in a low voice, searching TJ's face.
"Yeah," he says quietly. "I did."
Something TJ's wanted since his alliance with Neville crashed and burned, something that was always a goal for him, no matter what company he may have been in at the time. A title, the accolades of being the best in a division that still feels like he's the king of to Neville, even after all of these years. The X-Division and 205 Live are vastly different, but Neville can see how and why TJ conflates the two in his mind."I'm proud of you," Neville finally says and TJ's face lights up with an incredible grin as he reaches forward, stroking Neville's cheek down to his jaw.
"Thank you," TJ murmurs. "I wanted this so badly. I can't even begin to describe it. To know that it's really, actually mine again..." He smiles. "It looks good on you." He snags the belt back a minute later and puts it back around his shoulder. "But don't get any ideas. I don't know if the wrestling world could survive another war between us."
Neville bares his teeth as he thinks about their origins in 205 Live, how disdain bred companionship, which steadily grew into this life they have together. Championships, and caretaking TJ's ridiculous pigs, and quiet nights spent in front of whatever video game TJ wants to play while Neville reads, the two of them curled up close. "Probably not," he agrees, bumping his forehead against TJ's. "Neither could we, I imagine."
It's a hell of an admission, and TJ swallows hard, before nodding slowly, giving in to his more vulnerable instincts. "I definitely couldn't. Not after everything."
"Thankfully we will never have to worry about that," Neville tells him simply. It's a fact, and that's the best way for either of them to treat it as such. Their slow lean into each other turns into hungry, deep kisses that quickly curl TJ's toes in his boots and he sighs out a groan, eager to properly get the holidays going now that he's free for a good couple of weeks.
"It's like a Christmas miracle," he laughs, lacing his fingers with Neville. "Here, I already thought I had more than my lucky share."
Neville rolls his eyes at him, hand resting on his hip. "I don't even want to know what else you may consider a Christmas miracle."
TJ pretends to think for a moment before leaning forward and kissing him again. "Pretty much always you, babe."
Neville huffs out a laugh but remains in place, hugging him back. "I think I just pissed someone off severely when they made me fall in love with you."
"oh, ha-ha," TJ mumbles, pressing closer to him. When Neville actually laughs, TJ knows he doesn't mean it and plays along with the joke, lightly swatting him. This leads to a fake scrabble between the two of them, which Neville wins when he trips TJ and sends him face first into the couch. Neville laughs smugly and hovers over him, unsurprised when TJ hooks his feet behind Neville's heels and sends him down as well, sprawling over TJ. "Merry Christmas," he smirks, wrapping his arms around Neville and squeezing him.
Neville huffs, and rolls his eyes, but there's more than a hint of contentment there. "Merry Christmas," he grouses, before claiming TJ's mouth in another, lazy kiss.