A/N: I'm alive. Barely. I am hoping to keep this one going but I'm just slower than ever. A million apologies but I hope you guys like this little bit.

Caylender: Thank you so much, dear. It means a lot to me that you feel that way. I am trying to get back into the groove of things with this chapter so I hope it's not too disappointing.

Syreina: Well I am very glad you approve.

AnetteBP: That is a long way away but time skips have started so maybe I can move this forward a bit faster now.

Casper97: Wasn't the darkest thing I contemplated happening to her; alas, I cannot/shouldn't do that just for the sake of having them have an easy way out. LOL

BigSister2: I really put the biggest thing in here for their talk but tidbits of the rest of their conversation will pop up as Randy starts using/needing them.

TakersDarkLover: Yes! I am glad you approve and the fact you dislike Randy's mom so much makes me feel like I wrote her exactly how I wanted to.

NatsukileeRKOlover: Sorry it took so long but I am very glad you enjoy it. Hope to keep your interest as it goes on. Thanks!

TriggerWarnings: mentions of emotional abuse

xxx

The ride to school hadn't been as uncomfortable as Seth imagined when he saw the look on Randy's face and was prompted to ask about why his boyfriend was so upset on his first national's game day. Seth had been caught up by Randy and then they talked about when Randy would be able to visit. He assumed it was for talking to his mom. Seth held Randy's hand and they planned a day for studying at Seth's house so Randy had enough time to mentally prepare himself for that conversation; it would be in a few days and Seth knew his boyfriend was feeling stressed. He bit his lip and leaned over to press a kiss on Randy's shoulder once the male had parked in his usual spot. "Hey.. you'll get through this."

Randy sighed and gave a slight nod before killing the engine and getting out of the car, "I just wish I didn't find out until after the game. I was.. so psyched."

Seth frowned as he followed Randy towards the entrance. "I know."

"I know you won't be there but.. think I can visit you after we're back in town?"

He nodded.

Randy smiled and placed a kiss on Seth's forehead before nodding towards the general direction of the gym. "Alright. I have to go talk to some of the guys and some of them came in early for last practice before the big game. You have an hour to prep for the midterm!" he warned, smirking a bit because he actually wasn't even worried about Seth's grade anymore. The smaller teen was all caught up and he'd been practicing religiously. He kissed Seth quickly before running to the locker room in hopes of seeing some of the guys there.

"Orton! You look like hell.."

He snorted and rolled his eyes as he playfully punched Dean's thigh. The kicker made an excellent show of being hurt despite the fact that Randy barely even touched him. "I did it so we could both look this way!" he grinned.

"Would you guys stop being annoying? How are you not nervous? We have a game against Westmont today, get serious."

Randy grinned at Cody despite the insults the male spewed at him. "I am nervous. I just know how to hide it better than you. You keep that energy up and Coach won't even let you step foot on that field today. We play like we always do; no less. We'll beat 'em." When Cody relaxed a little, Randy smiled because he felt he did his job as a captain at that point. He made sure Cody was okay before leaving him and quickly talking to Dean about the plan for them to get checked out of classes during fifth period so they could start their drive. "Yeah. You have to talk to your teachers and ask them for makeup work or whatever.. if you don't get their all clear then Coach will have your ass." Randy was fortunate enough to have Calaway fifth but he still had to talk to Del Rio before lunch period so he figured he would do that right after going over game plan and strategy with Coach, John, and Roman.

The plan as of now was to have Roman and him switch off as plan A randomly during plays so their opponents wouldn't find a steady pattern and they could shake them up a bit. It was a great plan for him and Cody would be choosing when it would switch from one to the other by signaling to either Coach or one of the captains. He was feeling a little more confident for their game now so he left to Del Rio's class, hoping the man would be there so he could turn in his assignment and apologize for having to miss his class.

"Hello, Mr. Orton. ¿En que le puedo ayudar? – what can I help you with?"

He smiled and took his homework out of his bag, "I came to turn this in. I know we have oral presentations today but I have to miss this class so I thought I would just turn in my assignment now. I can always present Monday if you want?"

Mr. Del Rio laughed, "—we both know you don't need to prove your Spanish abilities much anymore."

"Ah.. gracias."

"You are welcome. Will that be all?"

Randy bit his lip and looked down at his hands before shaking his head, "I.. wanted to ask if we could set up a time to talk? It is about family and I know there is .. you said you knew someone that may be able to help me?"

"Yes. Monday after school, I will be here after a teachers' meeting and we can talk then. Randall, I have to ask you: are you safe?"

His eyes widened slightly but he nodded regardless, "Y-yeah.. no, it's not an abuse thing; my family is just going through a rough patch and.. Seth made it pretty clear to me that I can't exactly take on this task alone."

"Smart man."

He chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck and feeling his skin heat up because now he was nervous and felt exposed and on top of all that he felt he may have lied when he said it wasn't an abuse thing because didn't emotional and psychological abuse count as abuse too?

"I will see Monday in class. Here is tonight's assignment." Mr. Del Rio handed Randy a worksheet then signed the sports' teacher acknowledgement of absence form that was required for kids to keep their responsibilities sorted at SBSH.

He blinked and nodded, smiling as he took the paper and leaving so he could get on with what he was sure was to be a long day.

The calculus test wasn't too hard but his mind was obviously elsewhere because when Seth asked him about the 3-D graphing problem afterwards he drew a blank and just shrugged at the male. The next two classes went by at their normal pace and Randy didn't have to focus too hard.

Randy had one class to go before lunch and game prep started; he hoped it would be easy but Ms. McMahon had a different idea. She gave them a pop quiz on the entire Macbeth play then they talked about recurrent themes in Shakespeare's other literature. To put it simply: the class dragged on and Randy was sure he was about to lose his mind. Fortunately, the bell sounded before he could commit mass murder and he bolted out of the room.

Lunch time proved to be more stressful than relaxing since Seth was with April preparing some things for next week's chemistry classes with their teacher. And Seth called him a nerd. The football player went over everything with his team, Coach Calaway decided to pull some of the JV kids up to their team just in case too many of the varsity got injured during play. That was reassuring. So Randy spent the rest of lunch eating and watching videos of the three kids that were pulled up as backups, being pretty impressed with one of them.

Phys Ed went just about the same: Randy was just watching play after play trying to see if they could use the kids to their advantage tonight.

"Orton! Unless you have a fatal injury, get movin' to the bus. I expect you to have the headcount done and everyone ready by the time I finish up here."

"Sir." Randy snapped out of his haze and paused just as the JV running back was dashing forward. He shut off the monitor then rushed to get his things; now that it was here he felt anxious and his body was drumming with adrenaline, hopefully that would continue throughout the night. When Randy got to the bus he grinned at the sight of Seth standing there with a small bag and flushed cheeks. He lifted a brow and hauled his sports bag over his shoulder before leaning over to kiss Seth's forehead. "You're supposed to be in class."

"I know. I sneaked away because I knew you were leaving soon. Besides, it's art and c'mon I don't need the extra time."

He smirked and wrapped an arm around Seth's waist, bringing the male in closer despite the fact that his team was howling at them from inside the bus. Randy noticed the blush deepen and he grinned, "Sorry, I just missed you. It's been a long day."

Seth nodded and handed Randy the bag, "I missed you too. You still coming over after the game?"

"Of course."

They shared a kiss and Randy smiled as he hugged Seth, thanking him for the wish of good luck and then they parted ways. He rolled his eyes at his teammates when he got on the bus, "Asswads, Seth ain't like you exhibitionists. Cut 'im some slack." That only earned him more whistling and Randy sighed as he let them have their fill. Soon though, Randy lifted his hand to shut them up. Even John remained silent after seeing the look on Randy's face.

It was as if a switch had gone off and Randy went from love stricken teen boy to determined team captain. "Enough! Fun time is over as soon as we leave this school. All of you are good at what you do and that is why you are here but none of that will matter if your heads are up in the clouds or anywhere but that field." There was a silence as they looked on to him and Randy's eyes skirted through the team, mentally counting each off as he spoke. "The ride there can be as damn loud as you want but I want to make it clear that if I see any lack of focus as we are exiting the bus, you will be benched." He sighed at that as his eyes connected with Cody's "This isn't the usual games. This is nationals and I don't care how many wins, losses, mistakes, or successes we have made in the past. None of that will matter out there today. Remember that it's an even playing field. We have to show these fuckers what SBSH is made of and why we got into nationals this year." There was cheering and the team seemed a lot more focused and some of them looked nervous but Randy didn't blame them, he was already jittery himself. "John and I will be going around later to go over plays since some of them changed with the pulls from JV."

There was a murmur among the team and Randy sighed as he let them get it out of their system. He didn't stop them until he saw Coach walking over to the bus with the three ex-JV members, two of which were juniors and one that was a freshman. "Before I hear y'all bitching, these kids got pulled up because Coach saw something in them that he saw in each of us. They are a part of this team now and as far as I'm concerned they are just as good unless they prove otherwise."

As the last of the team boarded the bus, he introduced the three 'new' players to the team just in case they didn't know each other already. The additional players were Corbin (offensive tackle), Zayn (running back), and Bálor (wide receiver).

Randy exhaled after Coach gave him the clear and went to sit in the back with Cody. He smiled at his friend, clapping him on the knee. "Alright?"

"Scared."

He nodded, "Me too."

"Doesn't seem that way."

Randy laughed, "I'm the captain. I'm supposed to keep you guys leveled."

Cody bit his lip and rested his head on Randy's shoulder. "I have a bad feeling about today, Randy."

"We go out there and play like we always do. Nothing is different. We all know you're a good TE, Codes." Randy took Cody's silence as acceptance and opened the bag Seth gave him, smiling at the thermal-control shirt his boyfriend got him since Randy had complained about needing a thinner one. He read the note and chuckled before sending Seth a text to thank him.

The rest of the ride to Westmont seemed to flash by, Randy spending most of his time walking and updating the team. The bus stopped just outside the lavish school and Randy inhaled, forcing himself to clear his head which actually proved easy considering the circumstances. Time for the game.

…

The ride to the hotel was quiet after the team fell asleep, their bodies exhausted from the physically as well as mentally draining game. Randy found himself dozing in and out of sleep with Cody's head on his lap and the smaller teen's blankets covering both of them. It was comfortable and reminded him of their childhood. He could hear quiet chatter among Zayn and John but was way too tired to even bother attempting to listen.

By the time he was ready for bed it was pushing midnight but he still called Seth and spoke to him about the game.

"Don't get me wrong, but.. how exactly did you guys win? When you called at half time they were killing you."

He snorted and shrugged as he peeled off his clothes "Westmont underestimated us after that. We pulled in Zayn and I benched myself a few of the plays, think the mind games got to them. But that freshman really proved himself out there. Got us a few field goals set up and some safeties too. I'll tell you more over lunch tomorrow. Right now I just want a hot shower and some sleep."

Seth took the hint and ended the call after a quick goodbye to Randy. He got himself ready for bed after putting his school things away while Randy showered and prepared himself as well. Seth curled up in bed wearing only his shorts.

{ Text – Ran: Cuddles. :c }

Randy grinned and slid under the covers before sighing and texting back:

{ Text – Sethie: I wish. I will be at your house late morning then we can have lunch after I talk to your mom. }

{ Text – Ran: I know. Me too. }

{ Text – Ran: I can't wait. And I'll be here holding your hand if you need it. }

Randy smiled and sighed as he sent Seth a voice message. "Thanks, baby. I know you'll be there. Let's get some rest, hm? We have a busy day tomorrow." With that the football player turned his phone to silent mode and fell asleep soon after.

…

Seth didn't bother to ask Randy at what time he would be there; knowing his boyfriend, Randy would want a lazy day so the swimmer had no real reason to get out of his lounging clothes. He walked around the kitchen, making chicken soup because it was cold outside and he figured he owed it to Randy to actually cook him the meal he'd promised him a few weeks back. He smiled when his mom walked in, "Hey, Ma.. you remember that Ran's coming over today, right?"

"I wouldn't be able to forget even if I wanted to. This is the fifth time you tell me just this morning. What's wrong?"

"Nothing.."

"Seth, I know my son."

"I.." he sighed and bit his lip as he cut up some carrots and added them to broth already sizzling over the pan. "It isn't really something wrong. Not with me. I just.. Randy is coming but he wanted to talk to you about some – family issues. I don't want to tell you more because this is his thing to tell." The two-toned male let out a long breath before looking at his mom with pleading eyes. "—just, don't make him feel pitied, please? I know you have a big heart, mom.. but he's.. ah, he can take sympathy the wrong way."

She looked at her son with a small smile on her face before kissing his forehead, "I will help as much as I can." With that she let Seth finish cooking –something the teen hadn't made time for since the move. She could feel this relationship was good for both the boys, not that she would say that aloud – yet.

He was able to relax after that conversation, cutting up the rest of the vegetables and sautéing the ones that needed extra cooking before adding them into the pot along with the broth. By the time he had put in the pre-made rolls into the oven, Randy had just attempted to call him but he didn't get a chance to pick up. Seth was about to call back when the football player's message came through:

{ Text – Ran: I just got to the school. I'll be at your house in a few. }

The thinner male sent back a heart emoji before heading to his room and attempting to tie his hair up. He was humming to himself again when he heard a knock on the front door. Seth hurried down and smirked once he opened the door for Randy, "Welcome back."

Randy grinned and kissed Seth softly, mostly for fear of his mom walking in to Randy ravishing her son. When they pulled away Randy let out a deep breath, "Thanks. My… everything hurts right now. I –" he inhaled, groaning quietly as he could smell the lunch Seth had made as well as the bread that was in the oven. "Did you cook for me, Sethie?" he asked, smile on his face when he saw the way Seth's cheeks flushed a dark color. "Aww thank you, babe." Hands found their way to Seth's waist and Randy pulled him in for a kiss. Just as their lips met he heard someone clear their throat. Randy dropped his hands immediately and pulled away, a sheepish look on his face as he looked at Ms. Rollins. "I.. sorry, ma'am" He looked horrified, staring at his boyfriend's mom then back to his boyfriend in a silent plea for help.

Seth let out a small chuckle at the same time his mom let out an airy laugh, both of them trying to console a now outright embarrassed Randy. "Babe.. it's fine. She knows we're dating. And.. unfortunately, she has seen worse." He admitted, blushing a bit as he lightly nosed Randy's cheek. Seth pouted when Randy didn't say anything, "C'mon, baby.. I wouldn't kiss you in the living room if I knew she got upset."

Randy relented, allowing the other to pull him close again and placing a light kiss on the shorter male's head. "I'll forgive ya if you tell me that whatever smells that good is ready for us to eat." He grinned, already getting over most of the embarrassment as he smiled at Seth's mom and followed them to the small dining area.

Seth grinned as he set out the soup for Randy as well as the salad bowl his mom helped him mix. He glanced over to the oven just as the light turned off and the piercing beep sounded from the machine. "You came just at the right time." He smiled at his boyfriend and walked over to take the rolls out. They were obviously still not set fully but he still moved them to a serving plate just so he could have their food all ready.

Randy watched the two-toned male finish setting their lunch up and couldn't help but feel a rush of affection flood him. He leaned over and squeezed Seth's hand quickly, subtly so his mom wouldn't see that intimate moment. "Thanks, Seth."

Seth nodded at Randy, cheeks turning that annoying tint of red again as he looked at his boyfriend then sat down once all their bowls were served and each of them had taken a salad plate. "You're welcome. I figured you needed it after that game."

Randy was grateful that Seth didn't mention the conversation just yet; he just nodded and began eating, a small, appreciative hum leaving his lips at the first taste of the soup. He could only give Seth a thumbs-up since he was too busy eating as quickly as the hot food would allow him to without burning his tongue. He glanced at his boyfriend every now and again as they ate, smiling politely at Ms. Rollins when they would make eye contact.

Seth was happy to eat in silence for now because he knew the alternative would be having his mom ask Randy questions and Randy being forced to ask her the questions before he truly felt ready.

The star football player finished off his food and cleaned up his face before looking at Ms. Rollins; he would have to wait for her to finish eating. Randy could feel the tension starting to build in the room now that he was done eating and it only made him start bouncing his leg. He had terrible anxiety as it was and adding this conversation on top of it was not the best thing for his never-ending rush of thoughts. Randy then decided to reach over for another roll, buttering it slowly as he glanced at Seth "—what were you up to after school yesterday?"

Seth smiled at the question and looked at his mom because he had a feeling she would be pleasantly surprised about this one as well. "I actually hung out with some of the swimming team after practice. Ted made a comment that he was alone and a bit down so I suggested we just hang out since I would be alone too. He liked that idea and it ended up with just about the whole team agreeing to go to Ted's house… I even got April to go and Punk almost went but he decided not to just before we headed out. I'll try to invite him to the next one."

Randy beamed at that, reaching over to mess with Seth's hair playfully, "That's great. Look at you, Mr. 'no one wants to hang out with me except you'! Did ya have fun?"

Seth only blushed more at that and fixed his hair as much as he could as he nodded. "Mhm. It was a good time. I danced a bit with April. She tried to teach me how to 'pop'." Seth laughed at that one, cheeks blushing a deep red now as he laughed nervously, "—it was a mess. Ted sent me a video today and god.. I'm not gonna hear the end of it." Even under the anxiety, Seth was actually happy as he said it because he recognized the difference between Ted's playful, almost affectionate teasing and the teasing he used to get before he made real friends.

Randy laughed at that comment, able to recognize the joy behind his lover's tone of annoyance. "That's good. And you're probably right that Teddy won't leave it.. that's just who he is." He grinned and began eating his bread before letting Seth's mom compliment her son on his branching out. Randy was actually really proud of Seth for that too but he would share that with the smaller male once they were alone. There were certain conversations Randy only felt comfortable having in private.

Seth smiled at his boyfriend and thanked him after his mom finally let his hand go; he could tell the woman was ready to cry and he really did not want that to happen so he just leaned over and gave Randy a light peck on the cheek and proceeded to ask his boyfriend how they ended up winning. He always enjoyed asking Randy what his favorite play of the night was because Randy was so genuine in his compliments towards others even if they were not around. The two-toned male laughed at the highlights of the game, shaking his head when Randy went into more detail and spoke about how the last 5 minutes of game play ended up determining the match. He was secretly glad he didn't go. He could only handle so much suspense in one day. "That's great! I'll bet that Corbin kid got along well with Dean!"

Randy laughed and shook his head, "Actually, Dean was pickin' fights with the poor kid for half the ride there. I think he's testin' him out but – I agree with thinkin' that they'll hit it off better once Baron passes Dean's little tests."

Seth smiled again and helped clean up their dishes, only clearing them off the table this time since his mother told him she would clean up later since Seth cooked. "So he tests everyone?"

Randy smirked and pulled Seth closer once the male was done cleaning up, kissing his shoulder softly "Yeah. He does. It's just who he is. I feel like he likes to push buttons to see if people will be able to take jokes around him if not, well, he just doesn't bother with them after."

Seth hummed at the comment and nodded; it made sense in a weird way. After all, Seth did a similar thing.

The star football player cleared his throat once Seth got comfortable again, cautiously looking over at Ms. Rollins. He smiled sheepishly once he saw the female staring back at him with a curious expression. "Ms. Rollins, I'm sure Seth told you that I w-wanted to ask you some questions." A small pause as Randy looked down to his lap though he was still holding Seth's hand in his. "You uh you don't have to answer them at all so I just hope I don't overstep with these conversations."

Seth's mom smiled at the young male, pleasantly surprised that he was so polite even when he was about to be the one opening up to a relatively unknown party. Still, she soothed his mind in any way she could; "I will answer whenever I feel comfortable, Randall. Now, please… how can I help you?"

Randy smiled at her, "Thank you." He let out a short breath, "Well, I –uh—my dad and mom are goin' through a divorce. Mom isn't uh.. she's not the best of people." His voice was starting to shake, hand trembling in Seth's hold. "She may not physically beat us but her words and distance are enough to leave lasting marks. –Elaine spent a good chunk of our lives breaking our spirits. She liked to keep us as 'in line' as possible; grades and appearance above all. I – as the oldest—took it upon myself to take the worst of it. I'd serve as the messenger between Elaine and my siblings. It worked – at least in keeping them away from the worst of it. But it also made me hate looking at my own reflection." He let out a small breath, eyes not even moving from his lap anymore. Randy was very grateful for Seth's hand squeezing his under the table. "I'd tell dad about the stuff she did when it would get to be too much. He was blind to the worst of Elaine's behavior until he saw it firsthand. A few weeks ago, he served her with divorce papers and she's trying to get custody of the kids she's attempted to break more times than anyone could count." He breathed out, "—dad's getting his team ready so I'm hoping it will go okay but.. the mental healing from all her abuse is draining us."

Seth bit his lip as he scanned Randy's face, hating the look of hurt on his lover's face but he didn't comment on anything, instead just letting Randy find his bearings again.

"So I guess I'm askin' f-for help with that. Healing.. I know it will take long and I know it will probably hurt a lot longer than I even want to think about but I wanted to know what I can do to help with the healing." He bit his lip, "Where's a good place to start? What do you recommend I do with Becky's situation?" Randy stopped himself when he felt Seth tap his thigh. The football player looked up at Seth's mom and smiled sheepishly at her, "Sorry. There's plenty on my mind."

"I can see that, dear. But.. let's start with the obvious part: distance yourself from her as much as possible. I take it you and your siblings are doing well on that one." She paused when Randy caught her up on Becky and sighed before fixing the fabric of her shirt. "—that's the hardest part. Realizing that the things you're being told about you are not true and that the people that you were told were mean and out for themselves are actually the only ones that care about you. It's hard to relearn the ways of the world after spending so long being taught the exact opposite."

Randy nodded at his boyfriend's mom "Yeah. I have tried to tell her many times that mom hurt all of us but she is so upset and she just keeps pushing us away. I don't know what else I can do."

"Give her space."

Randy stared at the woman in disbelief and shook his head but was stopped when she slowly put her hand up as if to stop him from an impending rant.

"The more you try to help or get inside the head of someone that's so damaged… the more they are convinced you are trying to control them too. Just let her breathe a little. Wait a few days and approach her about it again when she talks to you on her own."

He let out a small breath, nodding at the new piece of information and –truthfully- feeling like a jerk for not having seen that before. Randy let Seth's mom advise him on the other questions he had, his head spinning for the majority of that conversation. It wasn't until Randy's head actually started hurting a little that he stopped asking the woman questions. She had been way more open and helpful than Randy expected her to be. "Thank you, Ms. Rollins."

She smiled at the boy and then looked to her son. "I'm just glad I could help. You can feel free to come to me again when you feel like you need to. I can give you numbers of great therapists in the area."

Randy nodded, thanking her for that and pushing his chair away from the table. "Thanks again. I.. if I may, I would like to go relax now."

"Of course. You're welcome here as long as you'd like."

Seth smiled at his mom and thanked her silently before following Randy upstairs. He gently wrapped his arms around Randy's torso. "I'm proud of you."

Randy grinned and placed a kiss on Seth's cheek. "Thank you baby. I'm proud of me too." He let out a small laugh as his own, larger hands rubbed up Seth's back then down his lean arms. Randy eventually linked their fingers together. "Thank you for convincing me to ask your mom for help."

Seth nodded as he kissed Randy slowly, their twin flesh just barely touching at least until Randy pulled him even closer and lifted Seth up. His legs wrapped around the other's waist, pushing his body flush against Randy's as he slowly kissed along the football players jaw. "Thank you for letting me offer our help." He smiled sweetly before Randy began stepping towards the bed; soon, Seth was toppling over Randy before he knew it, squealing softly and laughing until Randy muffled his noises with a kiss.

A/N: Thank you for all the support. R&R ?