Okay, so there is a little sex in this chapter but it's not too explicit. There is a policy against NC-17 stories on this site and I'm not too terribly sure where the line between M and NC-17 in stories like this is.

Xxxxxxxx

Randy paced his living room, back and forth. He chewed on his thumbnail and tried to ignore the pain in his head, left over from what he'd seen. Thankfully, Cody had left before it had happened.

His nerves were fried and he was so very tired of the entire town. He was tired of being reminded constantly of the worst night of his life. He was tired of people not believing him. He was tired of seeing Justin everywhere he went.

He couldn't seem to ground himself. Couldn't get his mind off it and back in the present. He needed…Hell, he wasn't even sure but he knew he needed something.

He was about ready to come out of his skin when John knocked on his door.

Xxxxxxxx

They stood about a foot from each other in Randy's small living room.

"What are you doing here?" Randy asked again, the look in his eyes one that John couldn't decipher.

"I just…wanted to let you know…" He paused, ran a hand over his head. "I wanted to let you know that I don't believe what Mike said." He only realized the words were the one hundred percent truth when they left his mouth but they were.

"You don't?" Randy moved closer to him, almost in his personal space.

"No, I don't." John's voice was firm, and he made sure there was no doubt in it. After spending time with Randy, after talking to the girl at the bar, he did believe her words.

"Good." Randy stepped fully into his personal space. He brought a hand up to the back of John's neck and suddenly John had another set of lips on his own. The kiss was fierce, fast, and it didn't take John long to respond to it.

John opened his mouth, gripped Randy's hips. Randy's fingers looped into his belt and he was being pulled towards the bedroom even as his belt was being undone. It was hard to think with Randy's tongue in his mouth and one hand gripping his belt while the other roamed along his chest.

It wasn't as if John had never done this before and it wasn't as if he hadn't thought about it since meeting Randy. He had thought about it. A lot. But too rapidly their first kiss was turning into other firsts.

"I don't think…" John started when Randy moved his lips from John's too his neck.

Randy pulled off his shirt, threw it aside. "You don't want this?" He asked before trailing his tongue along John's neck.

Randy pulled away. He worked on his own pants as he fell back on the bed before he stared up at John. The sight alone was enough to wipe any protests from John's mind. Randy was stretched out on the bed, shirt off, buttons undone on his jeans and biting his bottom lip as he stared up at John.

He sat up and grabbed John's hands, pulling him down. "I need this," he said quietly. "I need you."

John was on top of Randy then and after that, everything went even faster. Soon, Randy's legs were wrapped around John's waist and John was buried deep inside of him. And John was treated to one of the most beautiful sights he had ever seen. Randy, naked, back arched, and head thrown back as John moved inside of him.

He didn't have time to regret it as he got lost in touch, in the sounds Randy was making, as he got lost inside Randy.

Xxxxxxxxx

Randy woke with his head pounding and the images from his dream still at the forefront of his mind. He took a moment to breathe through the pain that had formed behind his eyes before he opened them slowly.

There was a heavy arm around his waist. John was sleeping peacefully beside him and the events of the night before came back as well. He'd had dreams like this before. Dreams like what had happened last night.

He'd been desperate and edgy when John had knocked on his door. For just a moment, he wondered what John would think about him when he woke. They hadn't even kissed before last night and he had pulled John into bed with him. John hadn't protested too much but still…

He'd had one night stands before. The entire town hated him. Nobody was ever willing to get to close to him and seven years was a long time. He'd had a few of them when he'd traveled into the city on occasion.

Is that what it would be? Maybe that's what it would be for John. But John had taken the time to talk to him in the bar, had taken the time help him after he'd been jumped, had taken the time to come over just to tell him that he believed his innocence.

That, more than anything, was what had made him pull John to him. He'd spent so much time with people looking at him like he was some kind of monster…John had no reason to believe him. He didn't know Randy the way that Trish, Cody, or Shawn did but he still believed it.

Randy was brought out of his thoughts when the pounding in his head intensified to almost unbearable levels. He rolled over on his side, dislodging John's arm and waking the man up. Randy hardly noticed.

He curled into a fetal position, wrapped one arm protectively around his head as the images and the agony came fast and hard. He saw familiar dark eyes, this time filed with both fear and pain. Then there was blood. Too much of it.

"Randy! Randy, what's wrong?"

His hearing came back and he had to choke back nausea. "Not so loud, please," he managed to get out, cracking his eyes open. He hadn't noticed John moving but the man was kneeling on the floor on Randy's side of the bed, the concern in his eyes clear.

"What the hell just happened?" John asked.

"Migraine," Randy answered with a wince, squeezing his eyes shut.

"They always come on that fast?" John's voice was still concerned and one of his hands hovered over Randy's shoulder, like he was afraid to touch him.

"Woke up with it," Randy said, avoiding the truth in that moment. It wasn't as if he could actually tell John. Besides Trish, nobody had ever believed him.

"Anything I can do?" John's voice had gone quiet, barely a whisper and despite the pain in his head, a small smile formed on Randy's face.

"Stay?"

"Sure." John got back into bed and wrapped himself around Randy from behind. Randy kept his eyes closed. The pain had lessoned enough that he could at least try and analyze what he'd seen. He knew who he'd seen; he just had to figure out when and where it would happen.

Xxxxxxxx

John wasn't entirely sure how it had happened. All he knew was that it had happened faster and a lot more abruptly than it probably should have. He'd had one night stands before but they had all been just that—one night stands.

He was usually given to sleeping with someone on the first date, at least not with someone he actually liked and could picture something long lasting with. He and Randy hadn't even technically gone out on a date, unless the talk in the bar or him dragging an injured Randy back to his apartment counted, which probably didn't.

Generally, though, John would have at least gone out on a date, maybe even gotten to first base by then. So, they'd skipped over a few-all-of the steps. He'd stayed because generally sex right off the bat meant it was probably a onetime thing and he didn't want Randy thinking that it could be for him.

He liked Randy and he was sure that there were other people who had skipped over all those steps before. And, hey, even if it had been a little soon, the sex had been absolutely stellar in his book.

Mike was going too pissed.

Still, as soon as the headache passed for Randy, he made his thoughts known. "We should go out on a date."

Randy smiled brightly in return.

xxxxxxxx

"I think my mom hates me." The words finally left Justin's mouth as he caught the ball. He held it a moment, running his hands over it before bounced it back to Randy, who took another shot for the hoop.

"She doesn't hate you." The automatic protest came from Randy a second later. Justin retrieved the ball again and dribbled it slowly, moving to stand beside Randy before taking a shot of his own.

"She doesn't even want me around anymore."

"You look too much like your dad," Randy said a little tentatively, a frown on his face.

"Yeah." Justin went after the ball again. He threw it to Randy, maybe with a little bit more force than necessary. "We gonna play?"

Xxxxxxx

Justin watched Randy worriedly. He was pacing, chewing on his fingernail, a frown on his face. Justin's legs twitched, like they wanted to join Randy in his restlessness.

"It's bad," Randy said after a moment. He tucked his free hand under the opposite arm, Justin suspected to keep it from shaking.

"How bad?" Justin asked, chewing his lip.

"She's really sick…" There was fear shining in his gray eyes when he turned them on Justin and he swallowed. He'd spent most of his childhood in the house, with the family.

"You haven't told anyone else?" Justin asked because he was the only one there.

Randy shook his head, resumed the pacing.

"Not even Adam?"

"Just you. I figured you should know…" First is what he hears unspoken. Randy's mom had basically adopted him when he and Randy had become friends. His own mother had barely been able to look at him after his father's death.

"She'll be alright," Justin said, tried to sound reassuring.

"Yeah." But Randy didn't sound like he believed it.

Xxxxxxxxx

"Where's Randy?" Justin asked Mike immediately, running his hand through his already messy hair repeatedly, the worry, horror making themselves known in his eyes.

"I don't know," Mike answered voice hard with a look in his eyes that Justin didn't have the energy to decipher.

"I gotta find him," Justin said, urgency in his voice. This was going to kill Randy, on top of his mom being sick…

"You need to listen first. I know who killed Adam." The words were firm.

"Who?" Because he'd kill them. Adam had been the third person, after Randy and Trish, that had made friends with him after he'd moved.

"It was Randy," Mike blurted out.

Justin scowled at him. "Is that a joke? Or are you just an idiot?" Justin started to turn away from him but Mike grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"Listen to me. I already talked to Randy. He described what happened to Adam down, knew what had happened even though he claimed that he made it there after. The cops are saying that it had to of been someone Adam knew that did it. Said that nobody broke into his house and that someone got close enough to surprise him with it, caught him by surprise enough that he didn't even get to fight back…"

"Randy loved him…you're crazy…"

But Mike wasn't finished. He kept talking, kept talking about the conversation he'd had with Randy earlier, about what he'd found out from the cops.

Xxxxxxx

Justin found Randy on the football field. It wasn't so much a surprise, mainly because he knew that Randy and Adam had come out there after dark sometimes. Adam had been crazy about football, planned on playing in college.

Justin was practically vibrating with rage. He was pissed at the cops for suspecting Randy, pissed at Mike for the same thing, and pissed at himself for the tiny bit of doubt that Mike had put in his head.

He was just so fucking angry.

Randy turned towards him when he walked up. "They're saying you did this," Justin blurted out right off the bat, still not believing.

Then, in that moment, he saw something that he hadn't been expecting, that had absolutely floored him. Randy's eyes flicked away from his and he hunched in on himself. Justin recognized the posture and the look in Randy's eyes instantly.

Guilt.

Before he knew what he was doing, Justin had lurched forward and his fist connected with Randy's face.

Xxxxxxxx

Even in such a small town, there was still crime. There was crime everywhere. There just wasn't as much where they lived. Still, Justin managed to stumble into it. He was halfway drunk, stumbling home through an alley when he found himself face to face with a gun and a guy demanding his wallet. And, fuck, he'd thought these kinds of muggings only happened in the city.

Only, well, Justin only had about fifteen bucks in his wallet and he didn't have any credit cards. The guy was pissed and Justin had always been a little bit too stupid when he was drunk. If it wasn't for the person that turned into the opposite side of the alley, or for the flying tackle he landed on the guy, Justin was pretty sure he might have died then and there.

Justin pressed himself against the alley wall, staring with wide eyes as Randy fought the man. The gun had been thrown when Randy tackled it and without it, he wasn't much of a challenge. He was a skinny little guy at least eight inches shorter than Randy. Still he managed a kick and then he was running. Randy didn't chase him.

Justin's legs gave out on him a second later but his eyes were still wide as Randy sat up, faced him.

"You alright?" Randy asked, standing and going over to him, probably intending to check him for injuries but Justin shoved him away.

"What the hell?" He asked because he couldn't say anything else.

Randy's eyes narrowed. "You could say thank you, Gabriel."

Justin almost flinched at the use of his last name. "You…" He trailed off because he couldn't say it. Couldn't admit out loud that Randy may have just saved his life and put himself in danger in the process.

"How did you…how did you get here?" Justin barely choked the words out.

Randy dropped back down, so that he was level with Justin. He looked tired all the sudden. "I saw it," he admitted quietly.

"You saw it," Justin repeated with a hysterical little laugh. They had both seemed to have forgotten what had just almost happened and that they were sitting on the ground in an alley.

"I tried to tell you…before. I tried but you wouldn't listen." He paused. "That guy was gonna kill you, Justin."

"You're lying." Because he had to be. Justin couldn't admit, even to himself, that he might not be.

Randy scrubbed a hand across his face. "I shouldn't have to justify myself to you. You should have known. I was in the hospital with Mom when it happened but I saw it…I just thought it was a dream…"

Justin closed his eyes and deliberately banged his head against the wall. "I can't listen to this."

He heard Randy move then and when Justin opened his eyes, Randy was close, in his face and his eyes were bright.

"Fuck you, Gabriel. You were my best friend. I told you about Mom first because she considered you a part of our family. I watched my mom waste away and I walked in to find Adam dead and you believed Mike when he said I did it."

"You were guilty," Justin said, a little desperately. "I saw it." He'd seen in it in Randy's eyes that night on the football field.

"I'm still guilty. I should have stopped it. I saw it happen before but I didn't get that it actually would happen. I thought they were just nightmares. I didn't know…"

Justin shook his head. He couldn't consider it. Couldn't. He'd believed it on that football field and he'd beaten the crap out of Randy for it, put him in the hospital even. If Randy was innocent, that meant that he'd put his best friend in the hospital for no reason, that he'd betrayed him…

"You accused me, been doing it since it happened. You spread it around town-"

"I didn't spread anything," Justin cut him off immediately.

"Now who's lying?" Randy's glare intensified.

"I didn't," Justin insisted. He was telling the truth. He'd been so horrified at what he'd believed Randy had done and then even more so at what he'd done to Randy after graduation that he hadn't spoken to anyone for weeks afterwards.

He had never protested when people had thought he'd spread it around. The rumor that Randy had killed Adam because he didn't want to come out when Adam did and that Randy had known details of what had happened to Adam but it hadn't been him.

"It doesn't even matter," Randy said after a moment. His voice had turned flat, emotionless. "Just…leave me the fuck alone, Justin." He stood and then walked away, leaving Justin to stare after him.

Justin supposed he was right. It really didn't matter anymore. He knew who had spread the rumors. There were only three people who had known about Randy's insight into what had happened to Adam. He was one of them. Trish was another and even though he hadn't been friends with Trish for a long time, he still knew that she would never do anything to hurt Randy.

Then, of course, there was Mike. Mike had been the most adamant in his belief that Randy was guilty. He had tried to convince everyone of it. Justin knew that he was the one who had taken steps to assure that the entire town believed Randy was guilty.

Mike had never harassed Randy but, even though Justin was louder about it, he knew that there was no one in town who hated Randy more than Mike.