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“i’m so proud of you, kiddo.”
fuck, he told himself he wasn’t gonna cry.
riz swallowed the lump in his throat that drew when sklonda said those words to him, and he lowered his gaze from where it had met his mom’s through the mirror. she was standing just over his shoulder with both hands on his waist in an embrace from behind, and it was just the two of them in the small room that had been assigned to him and his party.
“thanks mom.” he cleared his throat when he realised he hadn’t spoken yet and the quiet had drawn out for long enough, and she simply squeezed his waist before stepping back to give him some space to think. “i wish—i know he is watching, but i just—i want dad.”
the silence that permeated the room shifted then, at riz’s words, and he turned around to meet sklonda’s gaze. she looked world weary for a moment, like the heaviest weight imaginable was resting on her shoulders, but she simply gave him a sad smile and nodded once. riz watched as she wiped at her cheeks, the gold of her wedding band glinting off of the sunlight that was streaming through the windows, and he couldn’t help but return the smile.
“he’s here,” sklonda said with a shuddering sigh, and riz nodded in agreement as he felt the air shifting. even in heaven, his dad was always watching to make sure they were happy. “and gorthalax, he—you know riz, he never wanted to replace pok in your life. that’s not his goal. but he’s a good man, and i know he’s not your dad, but he’s doing pretty good right?”
“i think dad would agree with you on that.” riz laughed loudly at her words, and the door creaked open for a moment.
“am i interrupting?” speak of the devil and he shall appear.
“no, you can come in.” riz nodded and gave gorthalax a smile as he squeezed himself through the door, eventually taking a seat on the floor and fixing his suit jacket so it wouldn’t get dirty. a matching wedding band was on his ring finger, and riz smiled to himself at the sight of it. there was a happy feeling in the air now, and he knew that pok was approving of the match as well.
“so, you’re getting married today.” gorthalax didn’t cut any corners as he made his way straight to the goal, and riz’s freckled cheeks turned a dark green in a blush as he ducked his head. he was getting married today. “nervous?”
“terrified, more like.” riz breathed out, his pupils blown wide as he looked at his stepfather, and the demon simply laughed before nodding a few times. sklonda smiled and moved back to sit on one of gorthalax’s giant thighs, leaning back into the side of his chest, and he let out a deep rumble from his chest that reminded riz of the way goblins purred when they were content before relaxing.
“i get it, really,” gorthalax said, and riz swallowed again before biting his bottom lip. he had long gotten used to the slight sting that came from his fangs digging into his skin, but this was such a habitual action for him that it didn’t phase him anymore. “your mom is the only person i’ve ever been married to, and while i am perfectly happy committing myself to her for the rest of our lives together, it’s a little scary. sure, you can go back from marriage if things don’t work out—you can get the bond broken, you can sign those divorce papers, you can get rid of the wedding ring, but it won’t be the same. you know i suck with words,” and at that, riz and sklonda both nodded while stifling their giggles at gorthalax’s rambling, “but you really made this promise to spend forever with him before marriage even came up in conversation between the two of you. this is just a new adventure in your life that you’ll be undertaking, one that has just as many risks and twists and turns as all your other ones, but this is the most exciting one. you’ll find new things about him that make you fall in love with him all over again every single day.”
riz’s mind was trailing off into really thinking about gorthalax’s words, and he absentmindedly saw the way that sklonda’s yellow eyes were getting a little teary, but none of that mattered because his stepfather was absolutely right—even now, fifteen years after they met, riz was still falling in love with the little things that fabian said or did. getting married was simply another stepping stone into the end goal that they were going to spend their life together, and riz’s nerves quickly morphed into the excitement that was running through his veins.
a knock sounded at the door that broke through riz’s thoughts, and he turned to see adaine standing there with a small smile on her lips. his ears perked up, and she gave him a single nod.
“it’s time. are you ready?” adaine asked in that soft voice of hers as she pushed the door open, and riz could feel the rest of his lingering nerves wash away at the sight of his best friend with boggy in her hands. he nodded a few times (he couldn’t stop nodding, but the words just weren’t coming out of his mouth) and stepped closer to her, and adaine let go of boggy with one hand to wrap an arm around his shoulders. “you look great, riz.”
“thanks.” riz managed to get at least one word out, and his hands came out to take boggy when he was offered for just a moment. he was careful to not claw the familiar as he squeezed his middle gently, and boggy only made a soft ribbit before riz passed him back to adaine, but his job had been done well—riz was feeling more like himself in that moment.
“i’m gonna go sit down,” sklonda said softly, squeezing riz on the shoulder (when had she stood up, had he been that out of it?), and the two of them stepped aside as she left the room. adaine paused for a moment before looking at riz with a searching gaze, and he deflated slightly.
“i’m ready, i swear.” riz swallowed again and licked his lips before wrapping his arms around his waist, and adaine stepped forward to place a hand on his shoulder just like sklonda had.
“i get it. come on, you’re going first so fabian can make that giant entrance like you know he wanted.” adaine rolled her eyes and stepped back out of the open door, and riz nodded before following her out. he could hear the soft thuds that gorthalax made as he followed the two towards the double doors that were there, and adaine paused in front of them before turning to riz. “when the doors open, you two will walk slowly down the stairs and the aisle to the end of it where kristen is standing. she’ll do the rest.”
“thanks, adaine.”
“i’m really happy for you, riz.”
with those words, adaine slipped out of the doors and went to go take her seat, and riz let out a shaky breath before turning to look up at gorthalax beside him. he wasn’t a bride, neither him and fabian were, but he had still wanted somebody to walk him down the aisle. sklonda had burst into tears when he asked gorthalax one night over takeaway, and even gorthalax had shed a few tears before accepting the honour happily. gorthalax had been there through everything once that conversation happened—helped riz with tuxedo fittings, helped with some of the planning, even came with him to buy the ring he wanted to give fabian.
it wasn’t his dad, but gorthalax was the best stepfather anybody could ever have.
“next big adventure.” riz mumbled to himself before looking up at gorthalax with a small smile, and gorthalax simply returned it before holding his arm out in the way they had practised. the air beside riz shifted until he could feel an invisible hand in his, and he gasped just the slightest bit at the feeling—his dad was still there, and he was going to walk riz down the aisle as well. the double doors opened as soon as riz’s hand was placed firmly in gorthalax’s arm, as awkward as the feeling was, and riz’s heart skipped a beat as he took in the sight of their venue.
they had chosen a mansion that overlooked the celestine sea from atop a cliff for their wedding ceremony and reception, fabian’s love for the water and its secrets still ringing deep in his heart, but the rest of the decorating had been up to aelwyn and ayda. the couple had told the two girls that they wanted simple but naturally beautiful, and they had certainly delivered—the long carpet that served as their aisle was a shimmering white that made it look like they were walking on clouds, and the seats on either side of it were covered in an abundance of vines. there was an archway where kristen was waiting at the end of it that was covered in vines and deep red flowers that riz couldn’t name off the top of his head, and the view was spectacular.
gorthalax cleared his throat quietly to get riz back to the present, and he blinked his yellow eyes a few times before they started walking down the aisle. fig had forgone her normal bass guitar to simply stand at the microphone and sing one of the many songs she had written for her band, wearing a surprisingly understated black dress for the occasion, and playing the piano for her was zayn darkshadow, more solid in that moment than riz had ever seen the ghost. when riz made eye contact with fig, she gave him a wink with a happy smile on her lips, and riz could feel the surge of confidence that came from the magic she had sent him. adaine was sitting in the front row but turned back to face him, her eyes suspiciously shiny, and tracker was sitting beside her with the biggest grin on her face. gorgug wasn’t anywhere in the audience, being with fabian to walk with him down the aisle, but zelda and ragh were sat on fabian’s side and watching him with fondness as well.
“hey riz.” kristen whispered as him and gorthalax had made it to the end of the aisle, and she stepped forward to hug him before letting go. gorthalax did the same, scooping riz up into a tight hug that cracked his back before lowering him back down to the ground.
“i love you, kid,” gorthalax said in a hoarse whisper, and riz looked up to see that his stepfather was already getting teary eyed from the ceremony before it even properly started. riz could feel the tears starting to well up in his own eyes before he blinked them away, and he nodded as he couldn’t get the words out. the invisible hand in his own squeezed three times before slipping away, and riz watched as gorthalax went to sit down next to sklonda on the end of the row so others could see past his imposing height. on sklonda’s other side, there was an empty chair that was going to stay empty, and riz smiled at it before getting into the right spot.
the music floating from zayn’s piano slowly flowed into something different, the double doors on the other end of the aisle opened to reveal his fiancé standing there with gorgug at his side, and riz’s breath caught in his throat.
he had opted for something more simple but still much more formal than his normal three piece suit for work, his tuxedo a deep black that helped his green skin stand out in a flattering way. it was just the pants and suit jacket with a plain black button-up underneath it, but the tie was a deep red that fabian had suggested he wear. and now, taking in the sight of his fiancé walking down the aisle towards him, he could see why.
fabian was in a deep red suit of his own, the shirt underneath a glittering silver that caught the sunlight at all the right angles. he was wearing a black tie that matched the deepness of riz’s own tuxedo, and his eyepatch was the same red as his suit was. his shoulder-length hair had been mostly left alone, save for a few braids that had red charms hanging on them, and riz could even catch a glimpse of subtle eyeliner to make his lone silver eye stand out. there was a smile on his lips that only grew the closer him and gorgug got to kristen and riz, and the latter let out a shaky breath as he returned the smile. fabian’s caramel skin shone in the light of the setting sun, and it was only when he was a few steps away from the end of the aisle that riz realised that his eye was shiny too.
gods, his fiancé was stunning.
gorgug gave fabian a hug before patting riz on the shoulder as they made it, and kristen quickly hugged fabian as well before nodding at gorgug. as the half-orc went to sit down with his partners, kristen moved to get her things ready for the ceremony, and riz looked up at fabian...who was already looking at him like he had hung the moon and stars in the sky for him.
“hi,” fabian said in a whisper meant just for him, and he held out his hands in an offering. “you look amazing, i just—i have no words.”
“hi.” riz couldn’t help but let out the shaky breath of laughter as he raised his hands up to place them in fabian’s, taking care to not nick him with his claws, and he tilted his head to the side as he gazed up at fabian. “you look—you’re beautiful. i’m so happy.” fabian opened his mouth as if he was going to speak, his cheeks dusting a faint pink that was almost invisible in the sunlight, but kristen chose that moment to start the ceremony.
“there’s not really a specific script for marriage ceremonies, because every love is different.” kristen started off once fig and zayn had stopped playing, and riz couldn’t help but snort at her words. in front of him, fabian looked like he was trying to hold in his own laughter, and riz squeezed his hands once. “there is for religious people, yeah, but these two are different. they’ve been through a lot, both together and separately, and they’re still standing here before you ready to fully commit to each other with a magical bond that i know will be so powerful it will continue to hold even in death.”
and really, kristen wasn’t wrong—riz had been in love with fabian for years, since they met in freshman year when fabian had dunked him into a trash can and then had rescued him from the butthole of a creamed corn monster only hours later. they both had fallen hard and fast throughout the course of finding out the truth about kalvaxus and his eventual defeat, and even the struggles that they had experienced during spring break of sophomore year had been nothing in comparison to their love. even when riz had been faced with baron and the nightmare that fabian would leave him behind for somebody who was taller and more beautiful with less pointy teeth and claws, he had held out hope.
this was real, fabian and his love for riz was real, and they were about to get married.
“i understand that the two of you wanted to write your own vows,” kristen said gently, and riz nodded a few times before looking up at fabian with big eyes.
“let me go first, because if you start i’m going to become a complete mess and i’m not going to be able to speak.” riz blurted out before fabian could open his mouth, and the audience laughed as fabian blushed a bright red before nodding a few times.
“i—i suppose you’re right, the ball.” fabian puffed up his chest for a moment before giving riz a fond smile, and the rogue shook his head before breathing in.
“that silly nickname.” riz started, not having written anything down but knowing it was all coming from the heart anyway, and he laughed quietly before looking up at fabian. “i was bullied in school, you know. before we met, before i went to aguefort. my mom and i were the only goblins living in solace at the time and nobody really understood that, you know? they didn’t understand that we’re more than what the movies say we are—we don’t steal, we’re not all evil and greedy. we’re hardworking, honest people. you weren’t the first person to see that out of our friend group, but you understood a lot faster that i’m more than just a goblin.”
“of course you are,” fabian whispered softly, squeezing riz’s hands again, and riz bit his lip when he saw the way that tears welled up in fabian’s eye.
“i think the most pivotal moment of our friendship was when we were in jail.” riz continued with a smile, and he could hear the way fig cackled over the laughter of everybody else. fabian’s shoulder shook a bit, and he was smiling even with a stray tear threatening to run down his cheek. “when you told me that you were going to ask me to prom as your date. said you had the whole thing planned, and the hangman was gonna help you with the promposal even if he didn’t like me back then. you weren’t even grossed out when my mom and i ate kalvaxus’ head, kissed me as soon afterwards as you could, and made me wear your letterman jacket for the rest of our school days because you weren’t going to let anybody think i was single. just...every moment with you is something i cherish, because it’s real and you’re real. and i’m really happy right now. i love you.”
“i love you.” fabian mouthed as their friends and family all clapped for them, and riz laughed quietly even as he let go of one of fabian’s hands to wipe at his cheeks.
“gods, you guys—i just—you two are my favourite.” kristen was wiping her eyes as riz turned to look at her, and he gave her a toothy grin that she returned before she looked up at fabian. “now to top that, seacaster.”
“oh, i will applebees.” fabian threw kristen’s joke right back at her before laughing quietly, and riz couldn’t help but gaze up at him as his hand slipped back into his fiancé’s. “i was mean to you when we first met, that much i know and i regret it now, the ball, i hope you know that. our first days of friendship were very strange and awkward, but i pushed past that because seacasters don’t get scared!”
“spring break!”
“fig!”
riz couldn’t help the burst of laughter that came out of him, and he just barely managed to catch the look of fondness in fabian’s gaze before the half-elf continued.
“then we became close. i’m still not sure how, but i started deferring to your opinion over my father’s.” fabian cleared his throat and riz could see that he was getting emotional from everything. “you became so much to me so quickly, and it was terrifying. ragh was good to me about it the few times i asked him to stick behind from practice, and he gave me the best advice on how to confront my feelings for you. in jail...i was so worried that we weren’t getting out, that things wouldn’t get fixed in time for us to save the world, so i confessed everything to you until adaine told me that you had passed out and missed it all. i kept it all in until we defeated kalvaxus, because there was no way i was keeping it a secret after the badass way you killed him.
“we’ve been through so much together, been together for years, but i still fall in love with you. i never thought anybody would love me the way that you do, with how broken i am. i mean, i lost my mother and father in the same night and you still let me cry on your shoulder and never judged me for it when cathilda and i didn’t want to live in that house all by ourselves. look, my point is, you just—you mean everything to me. you are my entire world, and i don’t want to spend another moment in this world if it doesn’t have you in it with me by my side.”
riz sniffled quietly as he looked up at fabian, his bottom lip quivering, and fabian gave him the softest of smiles as he leaned down to kiss him. the rogue clutched tightly onto fabian’s hands as he kissed him back, and as riz pulled away, he realised that he was crying.
“i love you so much.” fabian breathed against his lips before pecking them again, and riz could feel the way his heart skipped a beat before nodding a few times.
“i love you too, i’ll never love anybody like i love you,” riz said as fabian pulled away, and the half-elf smiled so prettily riz could cry if he wasn’t already.
“now for the rings!” kristen exclaimed to try and break the mood as she wiped at her eyes again, and riz laughed from where he was holding onto fabian’s hands before loosening his grip and eventually letting go. jawbone stepped forward from where he was standing and held out the ring box that riz had bought, and the rogue gently took it (and the ruffle to his hair) with a fond smile up at the werewolf. he slipped the ring out of the box before taking fabian’s left hand in his, slipping the ring onto it. it was elven made and silver with a sparkling yellow gemstone in the middle of it that fabian had remarked before ‘matches your eyes, the ball, of course it’s my favourite’, the overall design just the right touch of feminine that fabian embraced within himself, and he leaned down to kiss fabian’s finger just over the ring before straightening back up.
on fabian’s side was sandralynn with a ring box of her own, and fabian licked his lips before letting go of riz’s hands to take it from her. he pulled out the ring and handed her back the box with a kiss to her cheek, and riz held his left hand out for his fiancé to take. fabian slipped the ring onto his finger and copied riz’s movements, a kiss to his knuckles placed oh so gently onto his green skin. it was also silver but dwarven made from the looks of it, with a swirling moonstone in the centre of it that riz had mentioned once before reminded him of the way fabian danced in fallinel all those years ago.
“and finally, for the bonding spell.” kristen announced as riz lost himself into fabian’s eyes, and he swallowed heavily before reaching out to take fabian’s hands in his once again. the half-elf was shaking slightly, and the gleam in his silver eye betrayed his fear that the spell wouldn’t work, but riz felt confident (whether it was his own feelings on the matter or if it was the bardic inspiration fig gave him beforehand, he had no idea).
adaine stepped forward along with fig who had come down from the stage, and they created a three point circle around fabian and riz so they could help kristen with the spell since it was powerful. ayda had come across it on leviathan at the compass points library, and after researching on it with aelwyn, they had brought it up as a possibility. fabian hadn’t even blinked when they mentioned it would tie their souls together permanently, and riz might have jumped him for it when they got back to the manor (of course he had).
the ancient language swept over riz as the spell was spoken, his eyes locked with fabian’s one eye, and he felt the sensation of magic running through him. it felt heightened, his love for fabian growing until it filled him completely, and the next breath in that he took had him gasping as something shifted, and suddenly fabian was there in the back of his mind. the look in fabian’s eye said that he felt it too, and the two of them couldn’t help but laugh as they pressed close together.
“i pronounce you both husbands, now get those kisses!” kristen shouted from beside them, but riz only heard her voice as if she was on the other side of a wall before fabian was leaning down with both hands on his waist to connect their lips in a deep kiss.
riz’s hands came up to cup either side of fabian’s face as their lips moved together in a slow but practised dance, and he leaned up onto the tips of his toes to better reach fabian even with their height difference. the half-elf—his husband now, he can finally say that—smiled against his lips and scooped him up into his arms to kiss him better, and riz’s finger slid up to tangle themselves into his silver hair as his fangs scraped lightly against fabian’s bottom lip. after what felt like forever, they both broke apart for some air but stayed tangled up together, fabian’s strong hands holding him up steadily by his waist, and riz pressed his forehead to fabian’s with a wide grin on his lips.
“i’m so in love with you fabian aramais seacaster, i love you so fucking much,” riz said in one breath as he took in the sight of his husband, and fabian’s lips spread into a smile so bright that it rivalled the sunset just beside them.
“i’m in love with you, riz gukgak. i will love you for all eternity, because even death isn’t enough to separate me from you.” fabian replied before pressing kisses all over riz’s face, and the rogue laughed as he squirmed in fabian’s arms. the sounds around them slowly started coming back into focus, and there was a happy piano melody playing as everybody cheered.
their friends were especially happy in this moment—gorgug was held up by ragh with zelda on his other side, holding a tissue as he cried; fig and ayda had their arms around each other’s waist as they cheered, ayda whispering something into fig’s ear before kissing her cheek; tracker had kristen in her arms from behind her in a back hug, kissing her cheek as kristen continued crying even with tears streaming down her cheeks; adaine and aelwyn were hugging each other while watching the proceedings, aelwyn crying more than her younger sister.
“come on, i want a moment alone with you before the party starts.” fabian’s voice broke through riz’s observations, and the rogue looked at him with a smile before nodding a few times. he was carefully set down and he leaned against fabian’s side, an arm winding around his waist even if the angle was awkward with how short he was compared to his husband, and there was a loud revving noise that sounded over the piano.
“wait, are we going for a ride?” riz asked with a loud laugh as the hangman went around the people to park at fabian’s side, and the half-elf grinned fiendishly before moving away from riz’s side to get on.
“what, are you scared, the ball?” fabian challenged with a question of his own, his hand outstretched and his eyebrow raised in a challenge, and riz laughed before taking it and climbing onto the back of the infernal motorcycle. he wrapped his arms around fabian’s thin waist and looked out over the audience for just a moment, a smile on his lips.
cathilda was standing beside jawbone and sandralynn with the brightest smile on her lips and a proud gleam to her teary eyes, proud of the way her almost-son had grown into his own person, outside of the shadow of the legendary bill seacaster. sklonda and gorthalax were just as happy as they looked at riz, gorthalax giving him a fist to the air while sklonda cheered loudly for him. and in the chair next to sklonda sat the form of pok gukgak—just for a short moment, of course, as he was in heaven, but he was there with a smile on his face. riz’s breath caught in his throat as they made eye contact, and pok gave him a salute and a thumbs up before fading away.
“love you dad.” riz mumbled to the air, and he squeezed fabian’s waist as he pressed up against his back.
“so, where should we go?” fabian asked with a smile evident in his voice, and riz hummed quietly before leaning up to speak into his husband’s ear.
“doesn’t matter. cause every day’s an adventure with you,” riz said with a kiss to fabian’s pointed ear, and he could feel the heat from his blush before the hangman revved noisily. he could almost hear the way aelwyn would scold the motorcycle later for ruining her perfectly good spelled carpet, but it didn’t matter as they shot off down the aisle and around the mansion to ride around on the road that overlooked the cliff.
the adventure was finally underway, and riz couldn’t be more excited to see where this one would take him.