A/N: So have another chapter! It is a bit of everything to be honest. Oh and my wonderful fiancée talked about getting some of Seth's backstory in here so I plan on making that a thing soon though I do give you a snippet of that in here. Hope you guys like it.

Aestrix: Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy the development!

TakersDarkLover: Thanks again, bb. And yes, yes. This is rather slow but it gets there eventually.

UnholyVengeance09: They are! And she is a pain in my ass, honestly.

SamoRolly: Thanks! Hope you like this one.

AnetteBP: I might do that idea in here soon too, princess. ;)

TriggerWarnings: mentions of self-harm, self-hate, anxiety, depression, mentions of Alcoholism, mentions of anorexia

Seth kissed Randy's shoulder then watched the movie, content to just take this one day at a time. It'd been working out for them so far, maybe it'd keep working out.

Time flew by with them just talking about the movie and eating snacks while watching. Randy made fun of Seth every so often when the teen would jump or make a squeak-like noise but he really thought it was adorable. The football player found himself resting his head on Seth's at one point, eyes fluttering closed only to open every time the male was startled because of the movie. He felt Seth shift next to him and grumbled though he pulled away and looked at him, "What happened?"

Seth shrugged, looking at Randy and back to the screen "Your phone was ringing so I shut it up since you didn't even seem to notice." He gently rubbed along Randy's waist, fingers playing with the hem of the teen's shirt for a while before he gently caressed the bare skin. Seth felt Randy twitch suddenly and apologized, moving his hand back over the fabric.

"'m just ticklish." He explained, moving to kiss the smaller male this time. Randy kissed slowly, the way they did when one of them needed the comfort or when they just needed to feel each other. These kisses were rare and every single time they had one it'd been Seth initiating until right now. He felt Seth's hand dip under his shirt again and his breath hitched, shifting just to get closer. The kiss was getting deeper now and Randy could taste the sweetness from the Pepsi in the kiss but he only chuckled inwardly at it and placed a hand on the swimmer's thigh.

His entire body was aching now, that warmth consuming him and making him arch against Randy in a way that showed nothing but desperation. Seth hadn't done anything more than kiss another man before this but he wanted nothing more than to do so now. He grunted quietly when Randy's hand squeezed his upper thigh, having to break the kiss to take in a deep breath. "Randy.." he shifted slightly, cheeks flushing furiously as he saw the way Randy was looking at the slight tent in his sweats. Seth tried to move away from Randy's grasp but the teen placed a hand on Seth's chest and looked him straight in the eyes.

"I can stop."

No. Seth didn't want that. The teen shook his head very slowly, moving again but this time to get the snacks and drinks off the bed. When he settled back down Randy started rubbing at his inner thigh, painfully close to Seth's erection but not close enough. He made a small noise when Randy slid his hand inside Seth's sweats. The other teen took hold of his cock and made him bite his lip when the large hand started stroking him slowly. Seth was fully hard in no time, head resting back against the bedframe as small sighs and groans left his lips every time Randy squeezed just right or moved his fist fast enough. The coil at the pit of his stomach was winding tighter and tighter; Seth knew he'd be over the edge soon but he did nothing to warn Randy. He felt Randy shift but couldn't bring himself to look because he knew watching the football player do these erotic things would only make Seth come quicker. The fist sped up around his cock and Seth grabbed the sheets, teeth digging into his lip as he bucked against Randy's hand. He was close and was ready to beg Randy to tighten his fist a little more but then Randy's lips were on his neck and Seth breathed out a shaky moan, hips stuttering against Randy's fist. He drew in a breath, ready to moan out but Randy kissed his mouth then, effectively muffling Seth's noises of pleasure.

Randy grunted into the kiss, stroking Seth until the male complained into his mouth from the sensitivity. He pulled away altogether then, grinning a bit as he looked at Seth "I'll be back." Seth seemed far too out of it though so Randy left anyway, cleaning his hand up in the bathroom and biting his lip as he adjusted himself in his sweats before deciding he needed relief too. The football player quickly worked himself up, using just about everything he'd used on Seth and remembering the feel of the teen's cock in his hand. What really sent Randy over the edge in a matter of minutes was imagining the noises of pleasure Seth let out. He exhaled sharply when his own orgasm came over him, managing to catch most of it in his fist while the rest fell onto the shower floor. Randy bit his lip, moving to turn on the water and just sticking his hand in so that it could be rinsed off again.

When Randy joined him in the room again Seth was still blushing but he'd changed into a different set of sweats. He looked at Randy and smiled shyly "I could've helped."

Randy smirked and sat next to Seth again, kissing his jaw softly before just holding him the way he'd been before all of that. "You did help."

Seth only blushed harder, thinking about that only made his teenage hormones spike and he felt his mind getting carried away rather quickly so he just hid his face against Randy's shoulders. "Good. I'd be disappointed if I didn't." he was almost pouting but Randy didn't seem to mind. The other male pulled Seth closer and Seth just burrowed against Randy, his heart beating steadily as they both seemed to start ignoring the movie altogether and instead just got lost in each other's arms.

Randy smiled when Seth pulled away so he could put on the second Insidious movie, watching the teen and yawning a bit as he laid down in Seth's bed. He was glad Seth had a lot of pillows because he'd just taken two so that he could still watch the TV.

Seth laughed when he started the next movie, bringing the TV remote with him and looking at Randy "You goin to bed?"

Randy shook his head and patted the bed next to him, "No. I just wanna talk for a bit but everything hurts." He chuckled, shifting a bit to make room for Seth when the other started climbing on the bed. "I keep thinkin that something bad is going to happen, y'know?"

"Yeah.. I feel that way when you're not around. Like it's too good to be real."

Randy frowned, laying on his side to look at the other teen and grabbing his hand for comfort as he nodded. "Like every time I'm happy for this long, something comes along and takes it away.."

"Is that why you're.."

Randy didn't even need Seth to finish that question, he knew. His stomach wrenched with anxiety as he just laid there in silence for a few minutes. Seth was staring at him and Randy was looking back just as intently but he couldn't bring himself to answer Seth directly because every time he said it that way it made him see the flaw in his own way of thinking and if anything scared Randy more than the darkness consuming him it was change. "I.. just don't want to fuck everything up. I get so used to that happening that I think it's bound to happen in every aspect of my life."

"You aren't a fuck up. I don't know why you think that, your grades are fla—"

"Grades aren't everything!" Randy released the male's hand, his eyes already swelling because this reminded him too much of a conversation he had with Elaine far too often. "I.. f-fuck up everywhere but grades and football. They're all I have.."

"I didn't mean they were everything. I just can't stand you calling yourself a fuck up when I see the exact opposite."

Randy's breath hitched, gaze shifting to Seth's eyes as he shook his head. "H-how can you say that when you.. kn-know." He felt Seth's fingers trace over his forearm and he flinched, eyes closing now as the tears started flowing freely. No one, not one person had touched them this way, seeking them out and being almost delicate about it. A small noise left him as he pulled his hand back and shook his head, "D-don't. I.. hate them."

Seth nodded, placing his hand on Randy's face instead "I know you do. And I'm just letting you know that just because I know about them doesn't mean I think any less of you. When I saw them.. I just wanted to get to know you more. I .. misjudged you before." Randy was still completely silent so Seth took a small breath and continued. "I thought you were .. just another jock, like the ones at my old school.. the ones that I spent my life hiding from – the ones that ended up setting me up for pranks or teasing me about being gay..

"They did that?"

Seth nodded slowly, "..why I was so against meeting too many of your friends." He admitted. When Randy just nodded, Seth took a small breath. "That isn't even the most fucked up thing I thought."

"What is?"

He messed with his hair and shrugged, "I heard about the school.. saw your friends, your car, your grades and I figured a guy like you.. couldn't have any real problem going on in his life.. I t.. thought your worst problems were what new phone your dad refused to buy you." He winced as he said it because it sounded cruel even to him but life hadn't taught him any differently until he met Randy and a few of his friends. Seth swallowed, "Seeing those just.. it made me realize you were more than just a pretty face.. and I felt like an ass for thinking any different. I just wanted, and still want to learn more about you."

Randy didn't flinch at the way Seth said he'd thought about him before, that was exactly the mask he'd created for himself so that no one would suspect he was a shattered soul and treat him like a basketcase. Randy Orton didn't need any more reasons to hate himself, and shame would only add to that. The football player did tense a bit when Seth said he wanted to learn more about him, "Why? So you could fix me?"

Seth shook his head quickly, "So I could have someone in my life I could trust and they could trust me just as much. I wanted to learn about it because I knew you wouldn't make up stories about them.. because no one should feel as disgusting and empty as you do before a cut then as numb as you feel after." He fidgeted a bit, frowning as he reached for Randy. "I wanted to figure out the true reason why I believed in you so much from the first time we spoke.. why being around you made me feel comfortable in a way I rarely do."

The football player inhaled slowly again before squeezing Seth's hand back, "And.. have you found out why?" his voice was oddly quiet.

"…because you know what real, emotional pain is. Because you know how one little comment could make someone dwell in their darkest thoughts for weeks on end. But most of it is because you've committed yourself to making sure no one ever feels that way because of something you said or did."

Randy's tears were for an entirely different reason now. He shifted closer to Seth and smiled softly, "I'm sorry.. I.. kn-know you wouldn't think of me the way others do.. I just.. I prepare for the worst."

Seth nodded, "I know. So do I. But.. it's going good right now, for both of us."

"Well." He corrected reflexively before blushing and chuckling softly as he saw the look on Seth's face "It is. Everything is good right now." Randy relaxed back on the pillows, looking at the TV. He felt Seth cuddle against him and soon the two-toned male's head was on his chest. The football player stroked through the soft strands as they both stared at the screen once again.

"Let's just think about that right now. And if anything goes wrong, we'll deal with it one day at a time."

Randy smiled, agreeing to that and then focusing on the movie again. They still had a lot more to talk about but Randy could only deal with so much emotional detoxing in one day. He sniffled a bit, hand moving through Seth's hair as they both decided to spend the rest of the movie critiquing the movie and finding plot holes because apparently that was something both men were big fans of.

Seth was more than happy to have his head on Randy's chest, hand resting on the teen's bicep as they watched the rest of that terrible movie and then just switched it over to cable because neither of them were feeling up to moving out of bed. Seth smirked a bit as he kissed Randy's chest after a few hours of their cuddling and laughing together. "You sleepin over again?"

Randy shook his head, leaning down to kiss Seth softly then tossing his head back onto the pillows "I can't. I need to check on Nate and he has a soccer game tomorrow morning I'm going to."

"…Mind if I tag along?"

Randy looked at Seth and smiled softly, "I'll ask him but, I'm pretty sure he won't mind. I'll text you before I sleep?"

Seth shifted off Randy because he knew that meant Randy was leaving soon, "Sure. If he wants some alone time with his big bro, I get it." He smiled at Randy and watched as the football player pulled on a hoodie then pulled on some sweats over his basketball shorts. Seth slid on some flip flops and followed Randy out of the room, smiling a bit as they got to the front door. "Get home safe. And thanks for hanging out."

Randy grinned, leaning over to kiss Seth's forehead. "I will. Thanks for putting up with me."

Seth shook his head and gave the other teen a hug, lingering for a bit longer than usual and sighing out "Randy.. are we dating?"

Randy squeezed the smaller boy harder and pulled away only slightly so he could look into Seth's eyes. "Well.. I want to be. And you've had your mind on me since that day at the beach.." he teased with the last part, grinning when Seth smacked him. Randy pecked the male again, "I have been thinkin of you too though." He admitted, pulling away from Seth and smiling softly as he opened the door. "If you want to be, you have my answer.. if not, we can keep taking it one day at a time?"

Seth smiled hopefully, nodding as he pecked Randy's lips "I want to be."

Randy nodded and waved at the man once more "So you're mine. And I'm yours.. and you're stuck with me more often now." he grinned as they gave each other one last kiss before Randy was forced to leave when his phone buzzed in his pocket. He huffed, "I'll text you."

…

"Randall.."

"I'm home. I know it's late but I usually get home later." He sighed as soon as his mother knocked on his door. The teen walked over and opened it anyway as he looked at her "Yes, Elaine?"

The woman narrowed her gaze slightly but kept holding Randy's gaze. "I heard about your victory. That's the best way to get noticed. I'm pr—"

"No you're not. You are proud of the reputation I built as your son.. what is this about?" He crossed his arms, looking at the woman.

"If grades slip, I'm still pulling you out. Nationals or not, doesn't make a difference to me. And Nate told me you were at a friend's studying last night.. who was it this time?"

Randy chuckled, rolling his eyes at the comment "I know. Academia before everything. … Seth. His name is Seth. And he's actually my boyfriend now."

"Randall.. your grades cannot slip."

"And they won't. I'll get Salutatorian for sure."

She made a face at the word because she'd prefer her son to get the first slot but so long as he got something good, the football should surely make up for it. Elaine nodded, turning away from Randy's door "Okay. I needed to get that cleared up before calling to give my consent for your next tournament."

Randy's jaw locked though he nodded, grateful that this went by rather harmlessly. He saw Nate's door move a bit and shook his head before lowering his voice, "Nate has a game tomorrow. Seth and I are going.. will you come?" that was an attempt to help Elaine rebuild bridges, and a hopeful request from an emotionally-deprived son.

"No. Your father isn't back yet and even if he comes before the game he won't get nearly enough rest to make it to the game."

He let out a breath, nodding and saying his goodbyes to the woman again before watching her leave. It baffled him how she didn't seem to even see the hurtfulness of her words or her actions. Randy waited for the door to shut before heading over to Nate's room and tapping it lightly before opening the door. Nate was standing right next to the door and Randy smiled sadly at him, "Mind roomin with me tonight?" The look on Nate's face made Randy smile, he messed up his brother's hair before they shut the door to Nate's room quietly and headed into Randy's room. "You excited for the game tomorrow?" He shut the lights off then jumped onto his bed.

"I'm nervous.. it's the last game in this tournament."

"I know. But just try your best. You guys are doing a lot better this year than last year."

"…Yeah."

Randy frowned a bit and grabbed his phone as he looked at Nate "...Seth wanted to know if he could come watch you play.."

Nate smiled, excited that he'd have more than Randy there cheering for him. "Uh huh. Only if he joins us for snacks later?"

Randy chuckled and gave a slight nod before sending a message to Seth then both of them got ready for bed. He was asleep rather quickly, just as soon as he heard Nate's breathing slow a little.

…

The weekend had been longer than usual, the extra day giving Elaine extra time to try and dictate their decisions. Fortunately, their father came home early Monday afternoon and stopped her mid-rant. She'd been suggesting that Nate pick up another sport because obviously soccer wasn't his strong suit.

Nate's team lost the game, disqualifying them from the next round of tournaments as well as placing them in third for the last tournament they were allowed into.

Bob looked at his wife, shaking his head "He enjoys it. Randy's team used to have difficulties too and now he's the co-captain of the first team from SBSH to make it to nationals."

Elaine crossed her arms and fixed her gaze on Nate before turning her attention to Randy and nodding. She wasn't pleased but she was smart enough not to say much more in front of Bob.

Randy tilted his head at the woman that had birthed him, feeling a very deep sorrow wash over him. "She knows I made it to nationals. She 'congratulated' me by knockin' on my door the night after the game and telling me she was still willing to pull me out if any of my grades even hinted at dropping."

"You wouldn't actually pull him out, would you? Football means a lot to him and he's got salutatorian pretty much guaranteed at this point."

She fought the urge to glare at Randy but answered Bob honestly, "I would pull him out. No sport is more important than his education and his place at the top of the class."

Bob sighed, "He's not being pulled out unless he manages to drop a full letter grade in half of his classes." The male looked at Randy then because he knew there was no way in hell Randy would let that happen to his grades. He smiled a bit at his son, "Besides, this way he'll get a better chance at bein' accepted to prestigious universities."

Randy smiled before wrapping an arm around Nate's shoulders and pulling him close as he spoke up again. "Thanks, dad. Oh.. and I have an idea for Nate's soccer skills. The off-season conditioning is goin' to start soon at the high school, I can ask the captain of the team if he has time for private practice or if Nate can join in with them? If he's up for it.."

Nate smiled, "Practicing at your school?! Yeah! That would be so awesome!"

Randy smiled and looked at both of his parents, seeing them consider it before both gave a slight nod. He clapped Nate's shoulder, "I'll ask around and let you know. If not, we'll find another way to help you keep warmed up for next season, okay?"

Elaine shook her head at the sight of Randy coddling Nate that way. She didn't like the fact that her youngest was being spoon-fed in a way the other two never were. Then again, she forgot that the other two didn't have an older brother looking out for them at the right time. The woman sighed, "Robert, we have a dinner date to get ready for later. You need to clean up and the boys should work on their studies or maybe their sports instead since they are so important."

Bob sighed, "Elaine… not tonight. If you want me to go to this dinner with your friends, I expect you not to be badmouthing our sons the entire way over there."

Randy frowned, knowing very well what this meant and covering Nate's ears before heading upstairs. It was rare their father got into an actual verbal argument with Elaine about anything but when it happened it was usually because of her lack of mothering. Tonight was no different. Randy could hear his dad's voice get louder as Elaine kept trying to brush off the argument and say that Bob just needed rest. She spat something rather nasty at their dad before Randy heard heavy footsteps and a slam of the den door. He only hoped Nate missed most of that.

They got to Randy's room and the football player sighed as he uncovered Nate's ears, "Get whatever you'll need.. I'm gonna drop you off at a friend's house."

"Where are you going?"

"Anywhere but here. I might just hit the gym.. I need to calm down."

Nate bit his lip and nodded, rubbing his arm out of nervous habit "How bad was it this time?"

Randy didn't answer and instead shook his head before unpacking the bag he kept in his car since the stuff had been used. He busied himself restocking his overnight bag for terrible nights as he responded to his younger brother, "Just pack your bag, please, Nate. I don't want to talk about this right now."

"No one in this family wants to talk about anything until it is too late! This is why you hate yourself and why mom drinks her medication with alcohol and why Becky doesn't eat! No one wants to share ANYTHING!"

Randy could only stare at his younger brother in complete shock. The fact that Nate knew about all of their problems, including Becky's which Randy was completely blind to, left him speechless. The boy was wiser than Randy had already believed. He thought of something to say but by then Nate had stormed off and Randy heard rustling from his room. He could only hope the boy was getting his phone and money so he could drop Nate off at Ryan's or maybe Roddy's. The young adult sighed, fighting off the urge to cry as he finished repacking his things. He waited a few minutes before deciding to go check on Nate. Randy knocked on the boy's door quietly, "Ya ready, Nate?"

"I'm not going anywhere. They aren't who I need right now!"

Randy's eyes swelled with tears as he pressed his hand against the door, "I'm sorry, Nate. Just.. Please get your phone and your wallet. We can talk. Just not here." There was rustling behind the door before his little brother opened the door and Randy saw that Nate had been crying. He frowned, reaching out. The one thing you tried to avoid is happening. Don't let it continue. Nate doesn't deserve to carry this burden. He swallowed, "I'll fill up the tank with gas and we'll take a small trip. Lots of time to talk, that okay?"

Nate nodded hesitantly though he was still wiping tears off his face. He knew too many things for far too long and he seemed to be the only one in their family not willing to just ignore them. It was difficult but maybe this talk with Randy would help. "Have you asked?"

"I have a license and money. I'll let dad know. You don't have school work do you?"

"No."

"..then Ela—mom won't care."

He frowned, nodding again and shutting the door after he got his wallet and his phone along with a car charger. Nate heard Randy leave but it was okay because he needed to change since he was in sweats.

Randy walked downstairs, heart heavy when he heard the silence in the house. He knew that meant Elaine had left either to the patio or to the yard, either way she was drinking. The young adult sighed and kept his bag over his shoulder as he walked into the den. His dad was just sitting there reading through some old business books. The man got lost in his work when he was stressed or upset – Randy had to pick it up from someone. "Dad?"

Bob looked up, smiling at his son softly. It was a tired smile but a smile nonetheless. "Thank you for taking Nate upstairs. And I'm sorry about losing it."

"..you shouldn't be the one apologizing." He shook his head, "And.. Nate is kinda why I came in here. I'm gonna take him up to Gould Park to talk."

"About?"

"….he knows – a lot more than I thought he did. He's observant. Do you think you can.."

Bob only smiled sadly, "I'd love to come son.. but I just need some time to think about all of this. She was screaming at Nate.. practically telling him he had no potential." The male shook his head, rubbing his hand over his face before the worry lines returned to his face, "Things might change around here soon, Randall Keith. I'll be counting on you to at least clear some of this up with Nate. Make sure he still believes in himself."

Randy smiled, the weight of that task leaned heavily on his shoulders with everything else going on but he gave a slight nod "Yes, Sir."

"Don't call me that."

The man chuckled, leaning over to hug his dad because he could and Randy felt they both needed it at this moment. "Sorry, Pa. I'm gonna go now. I'll text you when we get there and when we start heading back too."

"Thank you, Son."

Another smile as he squeezed his dad then pulled away, "Love you."

"Love you too. Be careful."

Randy nodded, keeping most of the information he'd just gotten from his dad at the back of his mind for now because he couldn't even process that and he'd need all his mental resources to be able to have an in depth conversation with Nate. He grabbed his keys and screamed for Nate to hurry up. His younger brother ran down the stairs with his own overnight bag and Randy shook his head, "You're a pain in the ass."

"You taught me everything I know."

He laughed, messing up his brother's hair and heading to his car. Randy took his phone out once they were in the car and sent a message to his friends telling them he'd be off the grid for a few hours. Then he sent a special message to Seth letting him know he was spending a day with his brother and that they'd catch up afterwards.

"Stop sexting Seth and get to talking."

Randy rolled his eyes and smacked Nate on the head, "Shut the hell up. We don't sext."

"I know. You guys do the real thing though."

"…no."

"Wait.. you haven't?"

Randy shook his head.

"Why?! How long has it been? I mean you were crushing on him for a while, right?"

"We didn't come to talk about my sex life."

"Lack of."

Randy huffed, starting to drive them on the first stop on their trip "I taught you too well."

Nate smiled, glad Randy was still able to be relaxed for now because they'd have plenty to discuss after the car was filled with gas.

A/N: Review?