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“Hey, who ate all the chips?”
“We’re out of Mountain Druid, too!”
“Didn’t anyone bring some chocolate?”
The voices of hungry (and thirsty) teenagers call out at Mordred Manor one Saturday evening. It’s another Bad Kids sleepover, but it seems that the snacks supply hasn't been replenished since the last one.
“Alright, alright, I’ll go get us some more snacks,” offers Fabian, to the cheer of the other Bad Kids. “The Ball, you’re coming with me.”
“Oh. Uh, sure. Let me grab my briefcase.” Riz hustles over to where he has the briefcase of holding stashed and then follows Fabian out the door and onto the Hangman. He tucks the briefcase in between himself and Fabian before clinging tightly to the half-elf’s back, and the two roar off down the road and to Thrallmart.
As they drive, thoughts begin to form in Riz’s head: this isn’t the first time Fabian’s insisted he join him for a small errand. In fact, it seems that the fighter-bard has had Riz accompany him on almost any errand he can think of; three snack runs, a visit to the library, countless rides to and from school, any time Riz mentions wanting a coffee… hell, Fabian had even picked up Riz just to have them stand and watch the Hangman go through a car wash one time because the motorcycle had gotten dirty while chasing geese at the park one day. It felt… clingy.
But was it a bad clingy?
The Hangman pulls up to the front of the store and the two young men hop off and pass through the automatic doors.
Fabian grabs a cart and motions for Riz to hop into the basket.
“I’m not a little kid, Fabian,” Riz argues.
“I know. But, hey, haven’t you ever wanted to do that thing where you run down the aisle and just scoop all the contents off the shelves into your cart? You could do that if you’re in there!”
Riz considers this for a moment and then nods. He hops into the basket and stands at the front, pointing forward. “To the chip aisle!” Fabian whoops and begins to run, pushing the cart ahead of himself.
The 24-hour Thrallmart is pretty empty at this time of day, so the boys holler and crow as they run down the aisles, shoving various snacks and drinks into their cart. Soon Riz is buried in a heap of various candy bars, drinks, nuts, and chips, laughing as he gets punch-drunk off of the experience.
“It’s like being buried at the beach, but less sand in my pants!” he says, then fishes a bag of nuts out of his shirt, causing Fabian to snort with laughter. Fabian pushes the cart up to a tired cashier and he and Riz begin to drop handfuls of food and drinks onto the conveyor belt. The cashier looks on, dejected yet slightly amused at the piles of snacks.
“We’ll help bag it,” Fabian offers, and Riz can see the relief spread on their face. Riz continues to unload the cart from the inside as Fabian goes around to the bagging area and starts to throw their shopping into many paper bags. When done, Fabian moves back to the cashier and happily pays for the food. He motions for Riz to climb onto the front of the cart, and then he rushes out of the store. Riz feels the sensation of wind blowing at the back of his head as Fabian rides the cart out of the store. The two laugh as Fabian steers the cart towards the hangman and pulls up just short, Riz jolting at the sudden stop. Riz pulls out his briefcase and they place bag after bag inside of it before Fabian returns the cart. Riz watches his friend run and ride the cart back to the front of the store and then jog back to the goblin who is waiting patiently on the back of the grumbling Hangman.
As Fabian straddles the motorcycle, Riz decides to speak his thoughts:
“Hey, Fabian? Why did you want me to come with you?”
“Because.”
“Because why?”
“Well, you’ve got your briefcase, for one. Makes it easier to haul stuff around on a motorcycle.”
“Yeah, but anyone could borrow it. Or Gorgug could have gone in his van; plenty of space in there.”
“...True… But, uh, you’re my best friend, so of course I’d invite you along!”
“Is that why you invited me to watch the Hangman get a car wash? Because I’m your best friend?”
“He, uh, needed moral support. He hates getting a bath.”
“Your bike hates me. If anything, I think he was embarrassed for me to see him covered in soap.”
“I- I just like being around you, ok? You’re my best friend and best friends spend time together. Didn’t we have fun tonight? That’s all that’s about!” Fabian says, visually getting flustered. He kicks the Hangman into gear and the hellhound-turned-motorcycle drives off with a demonic roar.
Riz has to scramble and hold tight to Fabian out of fear of falling off as they take off with a burst of speed.
He knows that Fabian essentially told him ‘end of conversation’ by starting up the bike’s engine, and that just makes Riz all the more curious about Fabian’s behavior. When they arrive back at Mordred, Riz opens his mouth to speak, but Fabian cuts him off with “Let’s hurry up inside, the others have been waiting while we were out goofing off.”
“Oh… sure,” Riz mumbles, shrinking in on himself at the idea that Fabian suddenly doesn't want to talk.
And it really does feel like that; when they get back inside and Riz begins to pull the bags out of his briefcase, Fabian grabs a bag of kettle chips and makes himself scarce, plopping down in a beanbag chair so he’s practically buried by the cushiness of it. The other Bad Kids all tear into the snacks (assuring the adults in the household that they’ll clean up later) and everyone settles into their respective seats as they get ready to watch a movie. Riz looks to Fabian, accustomed to sitting next to the half-elf during movies, but he’s munching loudly on his chips and taking up the entire beanbag. Riz sighs and settles for sitting next to Adaine on the couch, who happily passes him a bag of gummies.
Riz doesn't find the movie very entertaining, or maybe his mind is somewhere else, because he keeps stealing glances at Fabian, who seems to always be staring fixedly at the screen. It feels off, like he’s purposely staring and not watching, never reacting to what’s happening like the rest of the group. Riz keeps an eye on Fabian and notices that he’s not eating his chips, and then… yes, there it is. Fabian glances at Riz and then immediately goes back to looking at the TV. Riz chews thoughtfully on his gummies as he considers this oddity.
The movie finishes and everyone gets ready for bed, piling blankets and a mattress or two into the living room before dividing themselves up into different rooms to get changed. Riz stalks Fabian into a room, and when the door closes, he uses the opportunity to strike. He magically locks the door and then growls:
“Fabian, why does it feel like you’ve been avoiding me since we went to the store?”
Fabian literally jumps in shock at the sound of Riz’s voice, dropping the shirt he had been removing.
“The Ball!” he yelps. “You scared me half to death!”
“Don’t avoid the subject! Why are you avoiding me?”
“I- I’m not!”
“Hmm, really? We always sit together for the movie, but you chose to eat loud chips in a single seat. And I saw you looking at me during the movie! What’s going on!”
“N-nothing! I just… wanted to be alone for the movie.”
Riz glares at him, distrust in his eyes.
“Really.”
“...Really,” Fabian says, not meeting the goblin’s gaze.
Riz can see that Fabian’s still hiding something, but the half-elf isn’t willing to divulge his secrets, not even to his best friend. “Well… I had fun tonight,” Riz says with a sigh. “Thanks for choosing me to come with you. I’ll leave you alone now, since that’s obviously what you want.”
“The Ball…”
“I- just - you… you make me feel very special and wanted, but as soon as I bring it up, you don’t want to talk about it. I don’t really get why, but obviously it’s something you’re not willing to share, so… I’ll give you some alone time. Sorry for bothering you.”
Riz undoes his arcane lock on the door and opens it. He looks back at Fabian before closing the door and heading off to change into his own pajamas.
He heads back to the pile of blankets, pillows and mattresses that make up The Bad Kids’ nest and chooses a pile of pillows to sleep on. He sighs and goes through his crystal, re-reading past messages from Fabian and wondering what his best friend’s secret is. As he looks at his crystal, the others pile in around him, choosing their own places to sleep. Finally, he feels a warm presence lay behind him. He grins and flips over, ready to egg on Fabian to have him finally talk about what’s on his mind, but his expression drops when he sees that it’s Gorgug laying down next to him.
“Hey, Riz, what’s up?”
“Oh… Gorgug. It’s nothing. Just, uh, checking my crystal.” He looks around and sees Fabian far on the other side of the pile, laying beside Kristen. Riz scowls. Now he knows Fabian’s being weird; he hates sleeping next to Kristen because she kicks and gets his hair all tangled up when they sleep next to each other. Well, fine, if that’s how he wants to be, see if Riz ever joins him for any errands again! He flumps down into the pillows and wriggles closer to Gorgug, grateful for his warmth, and tries to sleep. Somehow he does, though it’s a fitful sleep, full of tossing and turning. When he wakes up, he feels bad for being such a restless sleeper next to Gorgug, though come to think of it, the half-orc usually sleeps next to Kristen, being one of the few who can stand her nighttime kicks, so maybe he never noticed.
That next day Fabian still avoids Riz, never looking him in the eye when they speak, and he leaves on his own without offering Riz a ride back home or to the office. Riz gets a ride from Gorgug, and, feeling dejected, he ends up slinking into his room when he gets home.
At school on Monday Fabian is cordial yet distant, saying ‘good morning’ and talking about classes, but he never asks Riz how he’s feeling or what’s new with him. As the week continues on, Fabian gets more and more withdrawn, until he’s merely waving to Riz from across the cafeteria at lunch before disappearing to the dance studio to eat there.
That weekend, no calls from Fabian come to invite Riz for an errand hang. Riz sits in his office, feeling bored, but moreso, feeling concerned. He makes up a clue board about Fabian, but he gives up halfway. Everything feels off. Everything feels wrong. Why did he have to ask Fabian? Why did he have to ruin things? He’d take it all back if he could. Darkness surrounds the edges of his vision and he feels like he’s drowning. It’s been a whole week of Fabian avoiding Riz, and he can't take it anymore.
That night, Fabian goes to bed as usual, though it takes him a while to fall asleep. He keeps telling himself that distancing himself from Riz is the best course of action, that with just a little time apart things will go back to normal. Then maybe they can hang out again and Fabian wouldn’t feel the way he does. Eventually he closes his eye and manages to sleep, though not for long. Very quickly he’s having a bad dream where he’s drowning in the sea near Leviathan, and he’s gasping for air as a heavy weight settles on his chest. He fights to surface, but the weight keeps him sinking further and further. Finally, he wakes with a start, sitting upright and swinging out his arms. He connects with something and hears a yelp and a thud. He turns on the light on his nightstand and sees a green tail sticking up off the side of his bed.
“...The Ball? What are you doing here?”
Riz grunts and picks himself up off the ground. Fabian can already see a bruise forming where his fist connected with Riz’s cheek.
“Oh gods! The Ball! I’m so sorry!” Unthinking, he leans down and grabs Riz’s arm to cast Cure Wounds on him. “There,” he says, smiling with relief. “That should fix it.”
Riz looks him over and smiles. “Nice to see you smiling, at least.”
Fabian quickly hides his smile and turns away.
“Nuh-uh. None of that,” Riz says. He climbs back on the bed and sits on Fabian’s chest, pinning him down the best he can with his small frame and -2 STR.
Fabian feels a familiar pressure on his chest and things click.
“Was that you sitting on me just now? Dammit, The Ball, I thought I was drowning back at Leviathan all over again!”
“Oh… sorry.” Riz scoots back so he’s no longer on Fabian’s chest and merely straddling his abdomen. “But I’m not sorry about waking you. You owe me answers.”
“I don’t think I owe you anything,” Fabian mumbles.
Riz looks crestfallen at this. “Not even as a best friend?”
Fabian can feel the sting of the words and looks downcast. “...Fine. Ask away.”
“You’re not going to run away?”
Fabian sighs. “No, I won’t. You’ve caught me.”
“You won’t lie?”
“...No.”
“Why have you been avoiding me?”
“...Because I’ve been afraid of talking with you.”
“Why?”
Fabian fidgets with the bedsheets beneath his fingers.
“Because… because you were asking questions I was uncomfortable answering.”
“...Why not just say that?”
“Because it’s hard keeping secrets from you. I feel bad doing that. Though… this just feels worse.”
Riz says nothing and just watches Fabian as he flops back onto his pillows, arms stretched out to his sides. He can feel the muscles move underneath him as Fabian gives a paltry laugh.
“Hah. Here’s the big answer you’ve been waiting for: I like you, that’s why I do all those things with you. I want to be around you all the time.”
“Oh. That’s normal, isn’t it? Because we’re best friends-”
“Gods, I knew you’d say that. No, it’s not because we’re best friends. I like you differently than as a friend. I mean, I do like you as a friend, but also… in other ways.”
Riz stares at Fabian, trying to process this. Liking him in other ways?
Fabian sighs and covers his eyes with an arm. “You’re going to make me say it, huh? Fine.” He sits back up and looks Riz directly in the eyes, his silver eye shining with an intensity Riz had never seen before.
“I like you romantically. I’m attracted to you. I want to date you. But you’re asexual; that stuff’s not for you, is it? So… I was just keeping quiet, trying to just enjoy my time with you.”
There it was, the truth that Riz had a feeling he knew deep down but was so desperate to ignore. Because it was true. Riz didn’t feel that way about Fabian.
“I… I’m sorry.”
“Yeah… Me, too. That’s the way the world works, huh? So now you know, and maybe I can get some sleep now?”
Riz unconsciously digs his claws slightly into Fabian’s stomach where he’s using them to keep his balance, causing the half-elf to wince but say nothing.
“Wait, that’s it?” Riz asks. “You’re just going to drop that bombshell and then tell me ‘goodnight’ and go back to sleep?”
“I’d like to.”
“I don’t get a say in this?”
“What’s there to say? You already apologized – not that you needed to – so there’s that. I’d like to just wallow for a while, if you’d allow me to.”
Riz screws up his face in anger. “I’m not going anywhere now that I’ve heard that!”
“Ugh, fine. Do you have something to say about all of this?”
“Damn right I do!”
Fabian sighs, a deep heave of resignation and dejection. “Hit me with it.”
“Y… You’re my best friend.”
“Yeah, and?” Fabian asks wearily.
“And… and you mean a lot to me.”
Fabian nods, knowing exactly where this rejection is going. Gods, he didn’t want to actually hear what he already knew, especially not from the one he has a major crush on.
“I’ve never had a best friend before. I’ve… never had friends before, aside from Penny. So I’m still new to this. I don’t want to stop being your best friend. Do we have to stop just because you like me… differently? I never minded the things we did together. Even the car wash. I’d do them with you again in a heartbeat.”
“We… don’t have to stop,” Fabian concedes slowly. “But won’t you feel weird knowing that I’m… attracted to you?”
“I don’t think so?”
“You’re not weirded out right now?”
“I’m flattered, and that’s weird. But… no, I don’t feel weirded out. You think I’m attractive? That’s… cool. Thank you.”
“Um… you’re welcome.”
“Are you going to try to kiss me or something?”
“What!? No!”
“But you’ve thought about it.”
“...” Fabian’s silence answers the question for him.
“See! It’s weirding you out!” Fabian wails, burying his face in his hands.
“It’s… not. I was just thinking about it for once.”
“For once? You’ve never considered kissing someone? …Huh.”
“Nope. … And nope, can’t imagine it. I’ll just have to try it.”
“What do you me-” Fabian’s cut off as Riz leans in, pulls his hands off his face, and kisses him on the lips.
Riz leans back and looks at the now-blushing half-elf. “That wasn’t bad, but I don’t really get it,” the goblin says.” …I mean, if you liked it, then that’s fine. I could handle a few kisses every now and then.”
“...w…What?” Fabian manages, his face still from shock.
“I’m saying that you can kiss me sometimes, if it makes you feel better. I’m ok with it.”
“I… still don’t really understand,” mumbles Fabian, his mind numb. This was turning out to be the weirdest of nights and he’s not sure if he wants this to be another dream or not.
“You like me and I like you. Maybe not in the exact same ways, but I’m ok with that. I’d rather have you kiss me occasionally than have you ignore me, if that’s what it takes to stay your friend.”
“No, no, The Ball- Riz!”
Riz freezes at the sound of his name coming from Fabian’s mouth, and once again his claws dig a little into Fabian’s stomach, though this time the half-elf seems to not notice.
“It’s not a concession! You don’t have to kiss me to stay my friend! I- I’m happy enough just being as we were! Don’t… Don’t force- Don’t think that you have to be kissed just to keep me in your life! That’s not what I want!”
“Then…” Riz looks at Fabian, confusion spreading across his features. “But… How do I make you happy?”
“I was happy just doing normal things with you.”
“But didn’t it hurt? To like me and know I don’t like you back the same way?”
“...It did… it does. But… I’m used to it.”
Riz sighs. “How can I be your friend and not hurt you?”
“Oh, Riz…” There it is again, his name coming from Fabian’s mouth, such a foreign sound…
“You’re not hurting me,” Fabian continues, unaware of Riz’s befuddlement at hearing him call his name. “It’s just… something that happens. I’ll survive. I’ll be ok. We can just be friends.”
Riz hesitates. He knows it’s a lie, but he’s not sure Fabian knows that.
“Fabian, do you believe what you’re saying, that we can just be friends like this?”
“Yeah, of course! Why couldn’t we be?”
“Because I know now. And I don’t think I could treat you the same, knowing what my friendship is doing to you. I… I think I need to go.”
“What? Riz!”
“Please don’t call me that,” Riz whispers, and he slips off of Fabian and disappears into the night.
Early the next morning, Riz shows up to Mordred Manor and knocks on the tower door. Adaine answers, escorting Riz in without question, but she does raise an eyebrow when the goblin asks if he could speak with her sister alone.
Monday morning rolls around and Fabian, pit in his stomach, heads to school to face his friends. He doubts that Riz has said anything, but he wonders how he can act normal around Riz after the other night. He greets the other Bad Kids as normal, and then, there, sitting on a tabletop rummaging through his briefcase, is Riz.
“The Ball-!” Fabian cuts himself off, not sure what to say, but Riz happily calls out to him.
“Good morning, Fabian! Ready for another sleepover this weekend?”
“Oh, uh, yes. And uh, good morning to you, too!” His smile feels a little plastic, not knowing how things will play out here in front of their friends, but Riz seems to not notice and he happily talks about how everyone had already decided on what movie to watch this time.
“Do you think we have enough snacks?” Riz asks.
“I would think so!” says Fig. “You two bought practically the entire store last time!” This gets a laugh from the other bad kids, except Adaine, who purses her lips in concern.
“Oh… Huh. right, right, I guess we did. Heh.” Riz gives a shallow laugh and then the bell rings, announcing that it’s time to get to class. Fabian watches the rogue leave with a puzzled expression on his face, and catches the same on Adaine. She walks over to him. “That was a little weird, wasn’t it?”
“Yeah…”
Adaine then Messages Fabian: Riz came by yesterday morning to speak privately with my sister.
Fabian looks at Adaine, confusion growing on his face.
“No, I don't know what for,” Adaine whispers. “But I thought you should know since he doesn't recall going on a snack run with you.”
“Thanks, Adaine,” Fabian says. The two split up and head to their respective classes, Fabian taking his time, lost in thought.
Later that day, when they have PE together, Fabian pulls Riz aside. “Hey, um, The Ball. I just want to know how you’re feeling.”
“I’m fine, why do you ask?”
“I mean, after Saturday, I was wondering if we still needed to talk.”
“Talk about what?”
Fabian blinks. “The Ball. You know. Saturday. When you broke into my bedroom and demanded that we talk?”
Riz laughs. “What are you talking about? Why would I break into your house? You’re so weird sometimes!” He shakes his head and runs off to the track where he begins to run laps.
Fabian ducks behind the bleachers and cuts class, searching out Adaine. He finds her in the library, reading during a free period.
“Adaine! The Ball is acting weird! He- he broke into my house Saturday night, demanding to talk, but now he’s acting like it never happened!”
“What did you talk about?”
Fabian shuts his mouth and looks away. “I… I’d rather not discuss it, if you don’t mind,” he mumbles.
“...Sure. Well, I think we – or maybe just you – had better ask my sister what they talked about.”
Fabian doesn't even care about the rest of his classes and heads immediately to Mordred Manor, where he finds Aelwyn sitting downstairs, flipping through the TV.
“Well, that was rather quick,” she says without taking her eyes off the screen. She turns off the TV and meets Fabian’s eye in the reflection of the screen.
“What did you and Riz talk about yesterday?”
“He asked for my assistance with a spell.”
Fabian’s fists tighten at his sides. “...What spell?”
“Oh, I’m sure you know – my specialty, the Modify Memory spell.”
“Did you-!”
“I sure did. All of it, the whole week with you. He said he couldn’t stand it.”
“How could you!?”
“What, it’s not like he’s totally forgotten all about you! He just forgot the past week, that’s all.”
“That’s… that’s just wrong.”
“No, wrong would be charging him for the spell. I did it for free, like a friend would.” She smiles sweetly.
Fabian bites his lip, unsure what to do.
“Are you going to go and have Kristen or Fig remove it? They easily could, you know.”
Fabian sits down in an armchair opposite of the couch Aelwyn sits at, and buries his face in his hands.
“I… I can't believe he’d be so… so selfish!” Fabian mutters. “He knows how I feel but he can’t stand the thought of me pining for him so he just has his memories of the whole event erased!? And he thinks I’d be okay with it??”
“I did tell him it was a poor plan, but he insisted.”
Fabian grimaces, and stands up. “Well, he can’t run away from this!” he rumbles, and he storms out of the house.
“It was a pleasure seeing you, too!” Aelwyn calls back, before turning the TV back on.
Fabian tears down the street back to school, the roar of the Hangman echoing his rage. How dare he try to hide from all of this? What a… a… rogue thing to do! When he pulls up to the school parking lot, he pulls out his crystal and texts both Fig and Riz to meet him behind the bleachers. They both show up, concern and confusion on their faces.
“Is everything alright?” Fig asks.
“No, everything is not alright,” Fabian says, eye burning with anger as he stares at Riz.
“What? What did I do?”
“You went and hid something from yourself, is what you did!” Fabian turns to Fig. “Fig, would you be so kind as to remove the curse on Riz, please?”
Fig’s eyes go wide. “You cursed yourself, Riz? Why?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” the rogue says honestly.
“No, of course you don’t,” Fabian sighs. “And Fig, this, honestly, is between the two of us, so when you’re done could you please give us some privacy?”
“Oh, but this is so juicy!”
“Fig!”
“Oh, alright, alright,” she mutters. She touches Riz and utters the incantation, and a shimmer of red and gold spreads across Riz’s skin where her fingers lay. Riz blinks, and then looks at Fabian and then Fig.
“...Shit.”
“‘Shit’ is right,” Fabian says, crossing his arms. “Fig, if you could please give us our privacy?”
She sighs, but turns away. “Yeah, yeah.” She walks away, looking for something else to entertain herself.
Fabian rounds of Riz, leaning down to get in his face.
“You had Aelwyn erase your memory of our past week together?? Because you can't handle the thought of me pining for you?? I never pegged you for something so… so cowardly!”
Riz shrinks down even smaller beneath the half-elf towering over him. He knew this would be coming, but he never really planned for it. He had hoped that Fabian would respect his choice, but here he is, angry and hurt, and… and it’s all Riz’s fault. He sighs and looks towards his feet.
“I’m sorry… I, I panicked because I couldn’t think of how to fix things, since my ‘kissing’ offer was rejected.”
“You didn’t think it would hurt me more for you to do this?”
Riz says nothing and focuses his attention on Fabian’s shoes. They’re scuffed and dirty, probably from running back and forth between Mordered and school.
“Fabian… please… I don’t know what to do about this.”
“You asked for it and you got your answer. You know what you do? You live with it! Like I do. Live with the fact that your best friend loves you more than you will, in a way you never will. I can’t stop it, and honestly, I don’t want to. So now you need to make a choice as to whether you’re fine with being my friend, or if you no longer want anything to do with me!”
“Is… is that it? Just those two choices?”
“What would be a third?” Fabian asks.
“I could like you back.”
Fabian scoffs. “Hah! Don’t push yourself, and don’t think that’ll make me happy.”
“You’ve never given me a chance.”
“I -!” Fabian backs off suddenly. “No… you’re right. I never did, did I? But.. that’s because you came up with the dumb idea of me kissing you to make yourself feel better.”
“Okay… you’re right, there. It was dumb. But I didn’t hate it.”
“Oh, goody. He didn’t hate it.” Fabian sighs and sits on the ground at Riz’s feet. “I’m sorry. You don’t deserve that. I’m tired, The Ball - Riz.”
“Please don’t stop calling me ‘The Ball.’ It hurts when you say my name, like you’re giving up something very, very important.”
Fabian looks up at Riz but is speechless.
“Yeah, turns out I prefer hearing you call me ‘The Ball’ because if you say my name I feel like you're breaking off our friendship, so please… don’t stop calling me ‘The Ball.’”
“But are we?”
“Are we what?”
“Breaking off a friendship.”
“What!? No! Never! You're too important to me, Fabian! I would never-! I could never forgive you if you broke off our friendship, and I’d never forgive myself for the same thing. What I’m trying to say is… can’t we be more than friends? You don’t have to kiss me if it feels wrong. But… I never want to stop doing things with you, never want you to stop calling me by your own special nickname. Take me out to do the most mundane things! You’re too important to me!” Hot tears have begun to fall down Riz’s face, and he kneels on the ground in front of Fabian so they’re closer to the same height. He inches forwards on his knees and presses his forehead against Fabian’s.
“I can like you back! I can like you back in a different way! So our feelings don’t match – they can still add up to the same, can’t they!?”
“I… I guess they can.”
“They can… Fabian, I care for you more than anyone else, and I’m really, really sorry that I thought I could just forget your feelings. It was cruel of me to do so, but I was scared. And, well… I really do like you. I want this to work out…”
“Me, too…” Fabian whispers. He moves his head back and looks at Riz, his eye wet with his own tears. “So what are we, then?”
“Partners, I guess. Different from boyfriends, but the love is there. It’s just a different kind of love.”
“It is there, The Ball.” Fabian clears his throat. “Um… is the offer to kiss you still on the table?”
“Yeah-” Fabian doesn't hesitate and presses his lips to Riz’s. He pulls back many seconds later.
“I love you so much.”
“I love you, too, Fabian. I’m sorry for being a scared idiot.”
“It’s alright. I’m an idiot, too. We can be idiots together.”