"Maybe he should just quit."
JBL had said it after his loss to El Torito, Heath is told later on. Various superstars in the back, even some of the divas, are laughing and gossiping about it and it gets harder and harder to keep his head up as he walks past them, ignoring their pointing fingers and gazing eyes. The whispers and giggles as he trudges past, sore and more than a little angry. Wrestling had been his dream for so long, and his livelihood beyond that... so the thought that someone would so cavilerly say he should just give up, leave the company, and then... what? eats at him.
He'd fought for years in developmental just to make it to this stage, had suffered injuries and all sorts of indignities as a NXT rookie, and yeah he's nowhere near where he'd like to be on the card right now, but leave? Quit? Just the thought of it makes him ill. He'd quit basketball, sure, but he'd done that for most of his life and had finally tired of it, decided to see how far he could get in wrestling. And, all things considered, he'd done alright. Tag team champion, had faced off against so many big names in the business... It leaves him in awe when he really thinks about it, but there's so much more he wants to do...
Finding his way back to the locker room, he sits down on a bench and stares ahead blankly, cradling his face in his hands. He's not sure how much time has passed when a large hand claps against his shoulder, rubs down his back. "Ginger?" He doesn't respond vocally, simply leans over and presses his forehead into Wade's shoulder, content to hide there for awhile. Wade frowns and brushes the hair out of his eyes, trying to catch a glimpse of his face, even at this strange angle. "What's wrong? Hmm?"
He shakes his head and buries further into Wade's warmth, the British man getting truly worried when the locker room door opens just long enough for "I think JBL's right, he should just quit!" to echo back inside from the hall.
Releasing a breath, he shakes his head and guides Heath's miserably flushed face up, staring into his dark, swimming eyes. "They're bullocks, ginger. You cannot possibly not know that. None of them know you like I do." Nudging his knuckles against Heath's jaw slightly, he smirks. "No matter how bad it gets, you're not a bloody quitter, not like they are. I don't know anyone else who would keep challenging the legends just to get his arse kicked again and again and still get up and try again... It's bloody ridiculous, but it's you, and I wouldn't want you to change just because some worthless prats couldn't keep their mouths shut."
Heath ponders this, licks his lips, and sighs glumly before pulling away, smoothing his hands through his hair and trying to put himself back together physically and emotionally. "I know," he mumbles. "I'd never... just sucks hearin'. I know I ain't in a great place with my career, but I do take pride in everythin' I do and hearin' I should just quit like that... and the entire locker room talkin' about it..." He shakes his head, peeking over at Wade with a pained frown, which eases a little when Wade reaches over and wraps an arm around his shoulders.
"I know," he says. "You remember when King basically said something ridiculous like that to me? Nothing came of that. And nothing should come of this, either. The commentary teams are hardly anyone worth listening to." He squeezing Heath's shoulder with a small smirk. "Do you feel better now?"
"Yeah," Heath nods, his eyes fixed on Wade's face. "Thanks, Brit." Leaning closer, he rests against Wade's shoulder for a moment before pulling up and softly kissing him. "You're nice'n'warm."
"And you need to visit the trainer," Wade says, smirking and ignoring Heath's protests. Pulling him to his feet, Wade guides him out of the locker room, down the hall. HIs hand leaves Heath's back a moment later as he spots JBL out of the corner of his eye, wandering over towards him with a dangerous stance from days long past on the dark, dreary streets of England that his body still naturally slips into when he needs it to.
Their heights aren't that different, but JBL has been retired for a number of years, so he blanches when he sees Wade coming. Before he can speak, Wade's leaning in, his arm resting imposingly against the wall next to him, boxing him in. "Next time you think someone should quit, perhaps take it up yourself before you open your worthless mouth and say something you'll end up regretting, hm?" Brushing off Layfield's suit with brisk movements, Wade's lip twitches up in a smirk as his voice lowers into a deep, dark drawl. "Or I'm afraid I may have some very bad news for you..."
JBL's eyes flicker over to rest on a wary looking Heath standing a few feet away for a moment before he nods, speechless, relieved when Wade's intense, blue gaze leaves him and the man walks back over to his former Nexus teammate, drawing him down the hallway with a steadying hand on his back.