Pricing pain worked its way over most of Randy's lower back as he woke up in the darkened room. For a minute he wasn't sure where he was until he saw the nightlight plugged into a socket on the living room wall illuminating the tent, he had set up hours ago, for his nieces and nephews to sleep in for the night. Randy sat up on the couch, that he had fallen asleep on, and rubbed his lower back in a failed attempt alleviate the annoying pain that caused him to wake up. Randy gave up on rubbing the knot out of his back and lead back on the couch while passing a quick glance to the clock that was barely lit up above the fireplace. 3:42 AM he was able to make out after squinting his eyes a bit.
After 15 minutes of trying to fall back asleep in a sitting position Randy decided it would be best for him to take his leave. He found an unopened envelope of mail and wrote down a quick note for his sister that Proton had dropped by and she should give him a call. Randy dropped the letter, note side up, in the middle of the kitchen table before putting on his shoes and grabbing his small backpack of belongings and then heading to his beat-up truck that was parked on the side of the road right in front of his sister's very nice home.
Randy fought to open the driver's side door, as he always did, due to one of the large dents in the side of the automobiles body. He tossed his backpack into the passengers' seat and then started up the truck, despite the engines protest to turn over at first, and then headed off to his house. Or more correctly put the room he rented from Shadow, Sandy's ex-husband.
Several days had passed and Randy had finally found himself getting out of his emotional funk due to running into Proton. He was still having dreams about his ex-lover nightly, but he was now finally to keep his mind focused at work at least. It was Tuesday evening and he had just got home to find Shadow about to take his pet for a run with him. Randy wasted no time making an ex-con on the run joke at the other man's expense that Shadow responded to by just glaring at the other man as he walked past the squirrel and then headed out the door.
Randy continued to grin proudly about his dumb joke as he grabbed a beer before heading into the living area of the house to drop his full weight down on the couch below him. The brown and tan furred squirrel had just started reaching for the TV remote when he heard a phone ring. He knew right away it wasn't his cell phone as the ringtone wasn't right. It was Shadow's and coming from the kitchen. The black hedgehog must have forgotten to grab it before heading out. Randy was tempted to ignore it as he finally picked up the remote and pointed it at the TV, but then sighed in annoyance before putting the remote back down on the coffee table and sluggishly standing up and heading towards the cell phone that was left on the kitchen counter right across from the fridge. "SANDY" was the name shown on the screen, so he figured Shadow wouldn't mind him taking a message.
"Hello, Randy's fuck'en fry. You fuck'en kill it and we'll fuck'en fry it!"
"Randy?" His sister asked seeming confused. "I'm sorry I meant ta call Shadow." She apologized seeming a bit distraught.
The smile Randy usual worn on his face faded away at his sister's seemingly unwell mood. "Ya did, but he went out fer a run, and forgot his phone. Are ya doing alright?"
"No." Sandy weakly replied and then let out a long even sigh. "It's Static's Ma." The female on the other line of the phone went silent for a moment before taking in a long breath and seemingly holding it in for a moment. "She's passed." She spoke quietly.
Randy closed his eyes tight as his head dropped down. He didn't know Valerie well, but he had met her on more than a few occasions and she seemed like a nice woman, so much so that he started avoiding events with her as the guilt of sleeping with her husband started to become too much for him to bear in her precents. "I'm so sorry." He stated back to her seriously.
"It's better dis way. She was going through a lot of pain with the chemo, so I'm trying ta take comfort in da fact she's finally at peace. I just hope Static, and Proton will come around ta seeing things da way soon. Static's not taking it well at all, and Proton is just sitting in his office staring at da wall. I was hoping dat Shadow could take some time off and watch the kids fer a few days until things calm down." Sandy let out another sigh as if she was already exhausted from the newly developed family crisis.
"Oh, we both know he well. Hell, I'll take da rest of the week off too and help out. Are ya at the house? I'll come by and pick 'em up right now." The male squirrel reassured his grieving sister.
"Thank you, Randy." He could hear his sister start to tear up while she started speaking again. "We're at Static's folks house. He got the call right after he got home from work, and I didn't want him ta drive in dat kinda shock so I strapped the kids in da Escalade and just drove here as fast as I could."
"I'll be right over. Just hang in there, little sister." Randy listened to his twin sister thanks him again before hanging up and grabbing his truck keys and rushing over to aid his sister and her family in their time of need.
Randy didn't think about the fact that Proton lived in a gated community at the time he was on the phone with his sister. He grumbled to himself as he prayed Proton hadn't updated his code since they'd broken up. 1467. Randy let out a happy, yet surprised, laugh as the gate started to open after he hit the pound key. Randy slowly made his way to the lavish property, due to speed limit restrictions, and pulled into the drive way to find an ambulance with lights flashing in the Roundabout at the end of the long drive. He parked off to the side right before the driveway to the five-car garage.
Randy walked up to the front door that was wide open, but before he was able to walk through the door he looked behind him to see two police cruisers pulled up and parked right behind his truck. "Damn it." He mumbled to himself becoming a bit nervous due to the police precents. "Just stay away from them and keep yer mouth shut around 'em, dumb ass." He warned himself in his head before turning back and making his way into the house. Randy was tempted to call out for his sister, but then decided not to considering the circumstances of his visit and the lingering police officers not far behind him.
"Mr. Randy!" An older gray female squirrel called out to him happily.
"Gladis!" Randy smiled at the woman but was surprised to find her running into his arms and hugging him. Proton's main maid was likely the only one besides Proton and himself that knew about their past affair. She would act oblivious to the two spending so much time together and Randy spending the night and sharing a bedroom with Proton, when his wife was away, but he knew she was just trying to be polite, and keep her job in tack.
"It's so good to see you again!" She pulled away from him and cupped his cheeks in her hands.
He could tell she was genuine in her happiness to see him. Likely because he refused to let her do all the work when he was around and helped her out when Proton wasn't demanding his attention. "You look just as beautiful as I remember." Randy smiled shyly at her. She was truly a sweet woman, and he was happy to see she was still doing well despite the fact that it was obvious she had been crying hard not long before he entered the house as her puffy red eyes gave way to her sorrow of losing one of her employers.
"I've been better." She forced a small laugh before started to cry again and diving in to hug him another time.
"We all have, darling." He returned her hug tightly and then petted the back of her long brown/gray hair. "It'll be ok. She's at peace now." He whispered to her as he started to find himself become a little emotional too.
"Randy?" A somewhat failure voice called from behind him.
Randy let got of Gladis and placed a hand on her shoulder while he looked back and saw Proton looking at him as if barely awake. He recalled how thin the elite man looked just a few days prior but now in the better light he noticed he was almost a skeleton. "Proton." He stated blankly. He was happy to see the man, but also alarmed for many reasons.
"The police called and wanted to talk to me, so I came to meet them out front..." He stopped talking as he seemed to lose his train of thought as he walked up to the younger male squirrel. "It's good to see you." He finally stated while stopping inches in front of Randy and looked him dead in the eye.
Randy turned back to the maid and gave her a quick kiss on the forehead before she bowed to take her leave, and he turned back to face his ex-lover. "I'm really sorry Proton. I have no idea da kinda pain yer going through, but I'm really sorry still." The two kept their eyes dead set on one another almost blankly before Proton finally broke and started to breath heavy and lightly tear up.
"I..." Proton seemed to struggle for his words as he looked at Randy.
Randy grabbed the older man by his shoulders and squeezed lightly. "Yer da strongest person I've ever known, Proton. Please be strong fer those in yer life dat ain't. They need ya!" Randy now started to tear up himself as he felt guilt, pain, and love mixed up and piercing fiercely at him all at the same time.
Proton started to full on cry, which Randy had never seen before, and pulled the young man into him for a hug as he leaned his whole-body weight into the other man's arms. "I don't deserve your kindness, Randy. Nor did I deserve her, but I absolutely don't deserve you. I never did." Proton continued to cry as he forced his face into Randy chest as the younger man used his might to hold him up despite him going full on limp in his arms.
"What are ya talking about?" Randy forced a laugh despite the few tears running down his face and pulling the older man up to find his footing. "I still love ya. I'll always love ya, daddy, cause yer you." Proton now pulled himself up so his nose was pressed against Randy's.
"I need-" Proton was cut off right as he moved to press his lips into Randy's by a loud knock on the open front door just 20 feet away from where they stood in the adjacent entry room.
"Mr. Electro?" A deep male voice called. "This is officer Gray and I'm here to talk to you about your wife."
A harsh sigh left Proton and assaulted Randy's lips. Part of the young man was relived but a bigger part of him was disappointed as he couldn't help but want to be very close to Proton again. Still there was a small part of his brain telling him not to act on his wants as Proton wasn't in his right state of mind and if he did give into what the older man thought he wanted it might kill any chance they'd have of a friendship later down the line. And he'd give anything to have the elder Electro back in his life... and he was well aware that too much damage had been done for them to ever have hopes of having a lasting romantic relationship again. One night of lust wasn't worth the rest of his life without him on a respectable level.
"Alright." Proton turned his head and called to the office that demanded his attention. He then looked back at Randy as he gripped the young man's hands tightly. "I don't know if I can do this right now." He spoke weakly as he started to look at the ground with sorrow.
Randy took in a deep breath and let is out quickly as he squeezed Proton's hands back. "Want me ta come with ya?" Randy hated the idea of talking to the police as he usually found himself being harassed and arrested for no reason by them often, already more than a few times there was reason for him to be arrested.
Proton looked up at him and gave him a weak smile of appreciation. "Thank you, Randy. I'd like that."
Randy continued to hold one of Proton's hands as they walked out the front door together. His mind was overwhelmed with worry, fear, guilt, and lust. "He's worth it all." Randy reaffirmed himself as they both stopped in front of the 4 police officers outside while still holding hands.