A/N: It has been too long. And I will say that the main reason I am writing this is because this is my most realistic fic and because I have addressed social issues here and from the fanbase I've gathered for The Other Side I know some of you feel the same way about the issues. Sorry it took me so long.

TakersDarkLover: because he has a fear of things going to shit.. it's part of the depression, bb. If you do want an in depth explanation DM me?

Guest: thank you!

SmoothieCat: You're very welcome and hope this one is okay if you even get around to reading it.

SamoRolly: Thank you!

…

Seth pushed his hair back again, hating the way the curls prevented him from having neat hair especially after swim practice. Still, he had to admit he loved being on that team and the fact that he seemed to be appreciated for his speed made him feel better about himself. Being on the team also taught him a few things about SBSH itself, like people in this school were apparently pretty open about their sexualities here and at least three of the guys on the team had boyfriends. It was a lot different than Iowa that was for sure.

He wasn't even sure if he was wearing 'party appropriate' clothing since he'd never been to a high school football party in a town like this. Seth grumbled as he pushed his hair back again and waited next to Randy's car, arms tucked in close to his body as if he was trying to make himself as invisible as possible.

"I can hear your thinkin from the field, man. Relax."

Seth flinched and looked over at Randy, smiling nervously as he stopped messing with his hair and fixed the strap of his gym bag. "Shut up. You'd be the same if you were new and picked on at your old school."

Randy didn't comment because Seth rarely talked about this so instead he waited until he was at the car and messed up the two-toned male's hair "I probably would be. Lucky for you, this school is much better and you're at least tolerated." He teased.

Seth huffed, fixing his hair yet again and cursing Randy under his breath before sliding into the car with his gym bag on his lap.

The football captain smirked, sliding in as well but tossing both bags into the back and looking at Seth "Relax. We got the beach as an escape, remember?"

That did make him at least start breathing normally again. Seth gave a slight nod but quickly felt his cheeks flush that slight tinge of red when he remembered the first time they met and how that'd gone. "They gonna be playing ADTR at the party?" he asked hopefully.

"Nah. That's most of the reason I leave. They don't get it."

With that, Randy started driving them to the beach house and their conversation consisted of favorite bands and songs. He might have been made fun of for the MyChem interest but he got Randy back with the BVB talk. By the time they were parking towards the back of Mickie's beach house, Seth was calm and laughing along with Randy as the male sang some Pop Punk cover of a Taylor Swift song. "Jesus…" he muttered, swallowing hard as he saw the line up of cars and the crowd of people around the house "I thought you guys tied?"

"We did."

"…what the hell is with the ball?"

Randy laughed, "The tie qualified us to keep in the tournament. If we win next week we get to go to state eliminations then nationals. First time SBSH is even in the running for this shit."

Seth nodded, fingers sliding through his hair once more "Congrats."

"Thanks. Now let's go. Unbutton the top two buttons of your shirt."

Seth flushed, looking down at his shirt but doing as he was told before avoiding Randy's gaze altogether.

"It's not so I can check ya out.. Dean can be a dick when it comes to fully buttoned shirts since he's that v-neck-wearin, white trash kinda guy." He informed Seth before grinning as he slid out of the car and winked back at the still slightly flustered teen ".. not gonna lie though, I'll be checkin you out anyway."

The walk up to the beach house was tense mostly because Seth was a blushing mess and Randy thought he'd overstepped some line.

"H-.."

"Th-.."

They both stopped, looking at each other and laughing.

Randy smacked Seth's shoulder lightly and squeezed the muscle "Let's just get this shit over with. I don't wanna be here any more than you do. But I like ya so figured we'd suffer together."

Seth chuckled and gave a slight nod as they stepped into the porch area that was crowded with inebriated teens dancing to some unknown song. He stuck close to Randy until they were inside, immediately reaching for a beer when they were close enough.

"Ran!"

Both men turned to see Mickie running up to them excitedly. The short girl gave Randy a hug then smiled a wickedly large smile as she said, "I have a surprise for you."

"That so? You letting me stay in this place for a full weekend on my own?"

She laughed, "No! Guess who's here!"

Randy looked at Mickie rather confused but as soon as he saw the blonde head weaving through the crowd towards them, he knew. He looked at Mickie, "Didn't John tell you?"

Mickie smiled nervously "So she might not know you're here. Surprise for both of you!"

Seth could feel Randy's discomfort and gently tugged the male's sleeve "Time for a walk?"

Randy looked at Seth and shook his head, "Not yet.. I just need to clear this out."

"Micks!" The blonde giggled and wrapped an arm around her cousin before her brown eyes landed on Randy and she smiled nervously. "Hey Randy."

A slight nod, "Taryn."

The look Taryn flicked towards Randy's lips didn't go unnoticed by Seth. He shrunk himself back a little because that was what was in his nature, avoiding attention when it was possible. The swimmer watched as Mickie got distracted by the music then left the three of them alone. Soon Randy's voice was guarded again as he talked to Taryn. Honestly, Seth couldn't hear most of it. He only made out some words along with some heavy sighs from both sides. He was surprised though when they both hugged it out, just shifting awkwardly because he had nowhere to go since he only knew Randy here.

"Thanks."

"For what?"

"Honesty. Guys woulda strung me along until I put out or refused to then told me how they felt." She chuckled, rubbing the back of her arm.

"Your school sounds worse than mine." He teased, ignoring her thanks altogether because he didn't see a reason why she should be thanking him. Randy finally turned to Seth, seeing him leaning against a Table with his dark eyes flicking over the crowd nervously. The football player nudged Seth and smiled at him before turning back to Taryn, "…Tar, this is Seth, my friend. He just moved a few weeks back. Seth, this is Taryn, Mickie's cousin that lives in San Fran."

Seth smiled, nodding at the blonde and extending his hand only to get laughed at and pulled into a small hug. Cheeks flushed yet again because Seth wasn't expecting that. "N-nice to meet you."

Taryn smiled, gaze switching between the two teens. She met Randy's gaze with a knowing look, grinning at the football captain before taking a deep breath and putting her hands up. "Nice meeting you too. I'm going to go find Mickie because I need some food.. you two have fun!"

Randy smirked at the wink she tossed his way, grateful that the conversation was well-received after all. He winked back and faced Seth only to see his face a deep enough red that Randy could make it out even in the dim lighting. The football player had to hide a chuckle, wrapping his arm around Seth and squeezing him lightly. "Lighten up."

"What was that about?"

"Taryn? Uh.. we tried something.. didn't work out all too well. She's nice but, too different I guess."

Seth rolled his eyes, "Not that."

Randy pretended he didn't hear that, dragging the teen with him towards his group of friends so they could get the introductions out of the way for the night.

The male huffed, dropping the conversation only because he saw the group of guys and a few girls that were staring at them from across the room. Two of them were murmuring things to each other and Seth fidgeted a little, tugging his sleeve out of Randy's grip. "Randy?"

He turned, frowning at Seth before seeing the worry on his face and looking down. He couldn't even imagine what it was like being harassed by people so often that meeting them was fear-inducing. Randy stopped and faced the two-toned male, "I know it won't help much but they just wanna meet you. Only Cody knows you and that's 'cause Ted is your captain.. we don't have to be there long."

Seth was very aware of how Randy fully turned his back on his group of friends to make sure none of them knew what he was saying. He exhaled, hands shaking slightly so he tucked them in his pockets. "I'm gonna be awkward."

Randy laughed then, turning back around as he called back to Seth "I wouldn't expect any different."

…

John waited patiently for his turn, arm looped around Mickie's shoulders as he watched Dean punch Seth in the arm in that weird ass way he did to show he liked someone. The co-captain smiled, watching on as he took a sip of his drink.

…

April walked back over to the group with drinks in hand, smiling wide when she saw Seth was there. She handed both drinks to Dean then wrapped her short arms around Seth's body even though the two-toned teen was currently talking to Ted. "Hey! I didn't know you were coming?!"

Seth tensed as soon as the arms wrapped around him, preparing himself for the worst but he heard the quiet voice and smiled wide. He turned back, not returning the hug but engaging in conversation with AJ regardless "I didn't either. It was kind of a kidnapping if you ask me."

"Uh-oh.. who was it? You're on their radar." April warned, looking around warily before almost jumping out of her skin when Dean's hand rested against her waist. "eee! Don't do that!" she smacked the kicker, immediately earning a bashful apology and pointedly ignoring how the entire crowd of guys started hollering at Dean because apparently he was 'whipped' or whatever the hell that meant.

"You guys know each other?"

April turned to Randy and smiled, "What gave it away, the bear hug?"

Randy snorted as Dean laughed his ass off and picked on Randy. Both men oblivious to the silent conversation April and Seth were having as April clarified who was the one that brought Seth over. Her eyes widened a bit and she smiled at Seth giving him a subtle nod before she kissed Dean's jaw and whispered against his ear, "You can keep teasin your bros or you can keep me company on the dance floor. Your choice." She slid out of his grip and walked over to the dance floor with her drink in hand.

More hollering and teasing erupted in the group when Dean stopped mid-conversation with Randy and followed April like a damn puppy. This time, Seth joined in because he liked April and seeing how she had that effect on one of the team members made him smile. He even smiled when Randy tsked at him for joining in, shrugging a bit because it all felt surreal that Seth Rollins was in this environment and having a good time.

Minutes ticked by, mindless chatter and more teasing happened yet John didn't get to meet Seth one-on-one so he decided to walk over and introduce himself. He let Cody finish his interrogation before tapping Seth on the arm and giving the two-toned male his dimpled smile. "Seth, right? I'm John… the other captain of the team, not that anyone remembers with this superstar on board." He nodded at Randy.

Randy rolled his eyes, deciding to stay quiet for the time being as Seth and John got acquainted. He heard some talk about classes and sports and then the mention of AP Calc and Randy looked over at John cautiously.

"Oh.. you're the person he's been tutoring." It all made sense. John looked at Randy and grinned, shaking his head at him and opening his mouth to talk to Seth again. "Ya kno-.."

Randy wrapped his hand around Seth's wrist, tugging him a bit "Wanna get more drinks?"

Seth, looked at Randy, smiling wide and giving a slight nod. "We'll be back. Nice meeting you guys." He had to fight back the urge to fidget and bite his lip when the crowd waved at them and murmured their own responses. The swimmer started heading towards the drink table with Randy next to him, feeling rather happy with the way they all seemed to at least like Seth.

…

John looked to his left when a large hand rested on his shoulder.

"What's up, cap?"

He nodded towards Randy and Seth, "That the guy you were talkin' about wanting to sleep with?"

Roman looked and chuckled, "Yeah. Now you see why I didn't?"

"Mm.. Turn you down?"

"..he didn't have to. I caught it before I even asked. Let Randy know about it too.."

John nodded, "He alright?"

"He's a decent person."

John gave one more nod, looking at Roman and deciding they'd drop the conversation for now as they both joined in on the conversation in the group.

…

"Just one."

"I can't."

"Yes you can."

He muttered, flushing a bit as he drank the rest of the beer "No. I mean I don't know how."

Randy rolled his eyes, "You literally sway and bounce to the beat."

"I won't be good."

"..no one here is good at it, Seth. C'mon. Just one then we can do whatever the hell you want."

He bit his lip, tucking his arms against his sides again and staring at Randy. Then Randy offered Seth his hand and Seth flushed as he stared at it then looked around. A few people had noticed but he wasn't worried about that because the rest of Randy's group of friends was now staring after Dean got payback for the teasing by hollering at Randy. He swallowed and stared at the hand, "R.."

"One, Seth. Please."

He exhaled, taking the captain's hand and faintly hearing clapping but the tech music drowned most of it out. Seth let Randy lead them towards the middle of the large living room area, that familiar flutter returning as they stopped. Thankfully the music was nothing but beat and it was rather easy to find the rhythm. Soon Seth and Randy were jumping a bit to the beat and just swaying together. He could feel Randy move closer but he didn't make a move to do the same mostly because he could feel the eyes on them. Seth bit his lip when Randy's hand landed on his waist, faltering a bit but quickly getting back into it. He heard the beat change all of a sudden and knew they were at a different song. The Iowan stopped but quickly found the rhythm again and started jumping with Randy, their bodies dangerously close but not quite touching anywhere besides where Randy held Seth.

"Song's over."

Seth flushed, biting his lip and looking down "I know. It's okay." When he looked up to meet Randy's gaze he inhaled sharply as he noticed how close Randy was getting to his face. He leaned up slightly, hand trembling as it rested on Randy's shoulder. Then –

"THIS SONG IS FOR MY BEST FRIEND AND THE DAMN BEST PLAYER ON THE TEAM! ENJOY YOUR NIGHT, KEITH." John switched the track, knowing damn well how Randy felt about Wonderwall playing and this was sort of John's payback for Randy trying to avoid Seth and him meeting.

Randy looked over to the slightly raised stage, glaring at John because they were so fucking close then Wonderwall started playing and Randy tensed up, face flushing imperceptibly thanks to the flashing lights. "We don't ha—.."

"It's fine." Seth bit his lip, hand relaxing on Randy's shoulder before the other arm draped over the other shoulder. He felt Randy pull him close and just like that he was hopeless. This song was perhaps the only song that could have made Seth fall deeper into the pit and all because he'd accidently seen Randy's arms at the beach that night. He felt Randy hesitate the first time 'maybe you're gonna be the one that saves me' played and Seth rested his head on Randy's chest, swaying with him slowly because he needed to offer this man comfort of some sort and right now this was the only way he could do it in such a public setting.

Arm wrapped around Seth's torso, hand clutching at the male's back. He never danced this song. Never. Mostly because he didn't believe in that whole saving bullshit but also because it felt too personal, too raw. John knew that. But right now, Randy couldn't even think about being upset with his best friend because he had Seth in his arms and the male didn't seem freaked out by this whole thing. Then he felt Seth's hand drop from Randy's shoulder and lightly trace over Randy's left arm. He knew what Seth was doing and Randy let out a shaky breath, drawing his arm away from the touch and shaking his head. He heard the Iowan apologize but that only made Randy want this more.

The song ended and Randy and him were still swaying, Randy's nails digging into Seth's back and Seth's hand wrapped around Randy's bicep. Seth breathed out a bit and Randy pulled away abruptly. The football player rushed out of the house and started walking towards the beach. More specifically, Randy started heading to that private place because he needed time to think and to pull himself together emotionally again. He could hear Seth stumbling after him and he bit his lip, slowing down for the man and feeling that sharp tug to his arm.

"Randy!.. If you're gonna leave me here at least let me know!"

He looked at the Iowan as his brow furrowed in confusion.

"Don't look at me like that. I'm sorry if I .. crossed a line, okay? I just like you, the thing I saw at the beach.. that doesn't change anything."

Randy inhaled, pulling Seth close and kissing him hard. He could feel his emotions getting the better of him and shut his eyes tightly, tears threatening to spill. The smaller teen kissed back but Seth was calm about it, slowing down the kiss and bringing Randy back down to an emotionally level state. He let out a loud sob-like sigh, "S-sorry."

Seth shook his head, taking Randy's hand and leading the larger teen towards the little alcove much like Randy had eased Seth onto the dancefloor moments ago.

There was silence between them, nothing but the soothing crash of the waves and the steady breathing sounding around them. Randy focused on his steps, kicking off his shoes at some point when they were close enough to the water and feeling too open right now. "Seth.."

"I know. We don't have to talk about it. Not now, not ever if you don't want to.. Just.. let me try?"

He stopped right in front of the chair-like rock, staring at Seth and fidgeting as he replied "They're gonna pressure you to talk. I don't talk to them about this shit… not anymore."

"I don't care."

"…Seth.."

"Please."

Randy gave a slight smile, looking down at his bare feet and nodding as he took a seat next to Seth on the rock, placing his hand over the smaller teen's and just staring out at the crashing waves.

A/N: Review?