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“Why do you hate that newcomer so much?” Ryis asked as Y/N walked away. The two men were standing together in the town square.
March folded his arms, grumbling something under his breath. When he finally answered the question, he only said, “Just because I do.”
“You want to go to your room and talk about it?” Ryis asked. He knew that was where March felt most comfortable.
March nodded. “Sure.”
Soon, the two of them were there. Ryis put an arm around his friend comfortingly. March blushed, but Ryis didn’t seem to notice. “So, talk to me,” Ryis said. “What’s your beef with the newcomer?”
March sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Look, it’s not like I don’t want them to help Mistria—I may not like that we need them, but we do. It’s just. . .”
“Just what?” Ryis asked gently.
Match bit his lip, not wanting to say it. Then, before he could help it, it all came bursting out of him.
“Because I want to be the face of Mistria—blacksmithing has been my special interest for so long, and it brought me to the top!” he exclaimed. “And when I’m number one, I feel like I’m good for something, despite my faults & quirks & shortcomings! But if Y/N takes my place . . . what am I good for?
“AUGH!” He let out an angry shout. Tears came pouring down his cheeks, and he shook his head angrily, his fingers tapping against his knee in a series of rage-filled stimming. “This is so stupid. . . I’m so stupid; why am I crying?!”
“Hey, it’s ok,” Ryis said comfortingly. He gave March a squeeze. “Let it out.”
That was all the permission March needed, and he let out a sob. Ryis gave him a hug, and soon March was crying all over his friend’s shirt. Ryis just held him, gently stroking March’s hair.
When March was finally done, he realized how close he was to Ryis and turned quite red. Clearing his throat, he sat back up, turning away from his friend. “Thanks,” he said. “I didn’t realize I was so frustrated.”
“Don’t mention it,” Ryis told him gently. “And . . . for what it’s worth, I like your quirks. They’re what make you, well, you. And I don’t want you to feel like you have to make up for things that aren’t bad in the first place.”
March turned to Ryis in surprise. A few tears came down his cheeks, and he wiped them away. “Thanks, Ryis,” he muttered.
Ryis smiled. “Of course, dude.”
He put his arm around March, and March put his head on Ryis’s shoulder. The two of them stayed like that for quite a long time.