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Riz sat alone in the dim Leviathan hotel room. The Bad Kids had decided to split up into pairs, leaving two people together in a room rather than the entire group in one. Of course, he had to be paired up with Fabian, Kristen had to have known what she was doing when she paired them together. Although Riz couldn’t complain, it meant he was alone for a while each night while Fabian snuck off to various places in the city.
Riz had been frustrated, he could not figure out what the next step would be in returning the Nightmare King’s crown to Augefort Adventuring Academy. Riz finally gave in to the frustration as he picked up a small dagger that he had stolen off of someone strolling the city. In the dim light, he drew lines in his skin connecting his tattoos, red, bloody lines mimicking the red yarn lines that he strung along his clue board. Tears pickled in his eyes as he mentally yelled at himself for being so stupid. The thoughts in his head were so loud that he couldn’t hear Fabian walking down the hall.
“The Ball?” Fabian’s voice cracked as he noticed what was going on. Upon hearing his voice, Riz quickly stumbled, attempting to hide the weapon and the blood that was slowly trickling to the surface of his skin. “The Ball, what are you doing?”
“It’s uh not what you think, I’m fine” The tears welling in his eyes and the pain in his voice clearly gave him away.
Fabian ran to get a roll of gauze and disinfectant, tears now welling in his eyes, “what were you thinking?” As he went to get the knife out of the drawer where Riz had stashed it a small, green hand latched onto his wrist.
“Fabian, stop,” Fabian’s hand retracted and Riz loosened his grip “I deserve this, why are you helping?”
“Deserve this? Riz, what are you talking about?”
The goblin started to sob, “I fucked it up, I- I can’t figure it out. I’m supposed to be the smart, mystery-solver, but I’m stuck.”
Fabian had talked to Fig the night before, asking her how he should admit his feelings to the small man. In an effort to be comforting, he started to clean Riz’s wounds. “You shouldn’t punish yourself for this, no one can figure out everything by themselves. You are smart, I promise you that, but it’s okay to need help, that’s why we have an adventuring party. Now, this is going to sting a bit,” he said, dabbing hydrogen peroxide on some of the cuts along his back. Soft cries from Riz were his only response. “I know this probably the right time, but you know why I call you The Ball?”
“Why’s that?” Riz asked quietly
“I call you that because you’re my world and uh you know, the world is a sphere and stuff.” Riz chuckled slightly, “No seriously, Riz, you mean an incredible amount to me. This really isn’t the best time, I know, but I like you, like more than a friend. I love you, The Ball.”
“This has to be a sick joke, right?”
“It’s not, I have real feelings for you, and seeing you so hurt and not telling anyone destroyed me. I want to do everything I can to help you be happy, and if that involves taking on on of the stress you do than so be it-”
Riz turned around, startling Fabian a bit and causing him to mess up wrapping the goblin's cuts. With as much passion as he could, Riz kissed Fabian. “I take it that I didn’t fuck up our friendship, then?” Fabian chuckled.
“Honesty, I feel stupid for not knowing you liked me back.”
“You don’t have to know everything in the world, The Ball. Now, you want a new perspective to look over your clues?”
“Not really, right now I could use some cuddling from my boyfriend,” Riz said, a dark blush covering both boy’s faces.