"Hey, do you want me to uh...Change your bandage for you?" Risále asked awkwardly as she noticed Hyunwoo carefully peeling off the wrap around his head.
He smiled sweetly at her and she really couldn't help but think, No wonder Leon never forgot about him through all this time, he's gorgeous and has the sweetest smile. Immediately, she scolded herself mentally, No. Bad Risá. Bad. Just because they're both open to other relationships does not automatically mean you can like them.
"I would love that, thank you, Risále," He said, his voice smooth like honey and Risále sighed. Okay, maybe she could like them, she just couldn't assume that they would like her back. That seemed safe enough.
She walked over and carefully took the bandage off, picked up the wet towel, and gently dabbed away the dried blood, "If I hurt you, I'm sorry," Risále said, using a Q-Tip to carefully apply some antiseptic.
"I trust you, I believe you won't," Hyunwoo said as if this were a casual fact and Risále almost choked on her tongue. She leaned back to look at him and then laughed softly before getting back to his injury.
"Are you normally this charming or is this something I should look forward to?" Risále chuckled.
Hyunwoo looked at her, tilting his head. He really looked like a confused puppy at that moment and Risále had to hold herself back from cupping his face. That would be weird, seeing as this is the first time they have met. Suddenly, realization dawned on his face.
"I wouldn't mind it if you looked forward to it," This time Risále really did choke on air, and Hyunwoo covered his mouth to hide his laugh. Risále froze as a sense of deja vu rushed over her. She stopped and looked at Hyunwoo.
"Do I know you? I mean, have I met you before? I feel like I've said this before," Risále said frankly and the look in Hyunwoo's eyes was sad.
He sighed and gently took her hands, urging her to finish bandaging, "Think about it. You have to have realized by now that you feel like you've met everyone here. So, yes. You've met me before. And I know you. You'll...Remember more as time goes on."
"That's exactly what Apocalypse said…" Risále muttered.
"Ah, right. Leon mentioned that you had Apocalypse and she occasionally would come out to talk to us," Hyunwoo said, "Give her my regards."
Oh, he's a sweet one. (A)
At least we agree on one thing. By the way, you said Leon's sister and husband were people you cared about. Are you— (R)
Shut up. Don't ask. (A)
...Damn, bitch, alright. (R)
"She's a bit of a bitch," Risále sighed, "I apologize in advance if you ever have to deal with her. You know what, let's talk about something else. Leon mentioned you were close to Bella, would you mind...Telling me about her?"
"Oh?" Hyunwoo looked interested, "Is there a specific reason why you want to know?" He asked.
"Ah...Uh, no reason!" Risále said quickly. While Leon had mentioned Hyunwoo and Bella both seemed open to being in a relationship with more than one person, admitting that she was interested in Bella…
Hyunwoo was looking away, shoulders shaking, and Risále realized what was happening and sighed, "Leon already told you, didn't he?"
"He did say it was hypothetical. Although I love him, Leon has never been the best at being secretive or subtle, so it was pretty obvious," Hyunwoo explained and Risále couldn't help but feel fondness towards Leon.
"Well, would you mind telling me more about her?" She asked shyly.
Hyunwoo's smile seemed so gentle as he spoke about her, "Bella can seem a bit standoffish at first but really, she's a sweetheart. She's been through some tough times and it's hardened her a bit but once you get to know her, she's amazing. Even not knowing her so well, she's amazing. Leading a whole group of rebels isn't easy but she makes it look so easy. She…Takes a lot onto her own shoulders."
"She sounds amazing," Risále said softly, then cocked her head, "But she's also really hot."
Hyunwoo burst out laughing entirely at this, and Risále couldn't help but watch, transfixed. When he was fully laughing, he was absolutely breathtaking. Really, no wonder Leon was head over heels in love with him. No wonder Hyunwoo was head over heels in love with Leon. No wonder Hyunwoo liked Bella. Damn, why the hell did she have to be stuck in situations with people who were probably exactly her type?
"You...Shouldn't cover your face when you laugh," Risále said, swallowing slightly, "It's really pretty when you laugh."
"You're very sweet, Risále," Hyunwoo smiled, "And quite adorable. No wonder Leon...It's nothing, never mind," Something told her Hyunwoo had definitely meant to mention Leon but before she could ask, Fenix and Owen burst into the room.
The first thing Risále noticed was the marks on Owen and Fenix's necks but she didn't have the opportunity to say anything before Fenix spoke, "We need to go. I don't know what's going on but there was an explosion."
"Get dressed up, it'll be easier for us to get through the crowd if we can blend in," Owen said and that was about all he got out before Fenix dragged him off, "Val and Nia are already ready!" He managed to yell back at them.
Risále and Hyunwoo looked at each other, and the man sighed, "There's absolutely no way I can convince anyone to wait and think this through, is there?" He asked and Risále laughed, shaking her head, "I'll go get ready, you should probably go as well. I hope I get to talk more with you, Risále. You seem like a wonderful person."
"...Yeah. I'd like to talk to you more, too, Hyunwoo. You're quite a charming person, you know that?" Risále asked, standing up.
"I think I've been told once or twice."
"You know, I should tell you, a suit works very well for you," Hyunwoo smiled as they all arrived outside the half-destroyed manor.
"Yeah? Says you," Risále muttered, looking over Hyunwoo. The man looked really good in the button-down white shirt with the sleeves rolled up and the vest over it, "Alright, then let's—Mina?!" She called out as she saw a familiar blue-haired woman.
She whirled around, "Risále? Hyunwoo? Oh God, the kids as well—What the fuck are you all doing here?!" She screamed.
"Uh, surprise?" Risále shrugged and Hyunwoo sighed, "Where is everyone? We saw the explosion and got worried."
Mina also sighed and pushed her hair out of her face, "Here, take these," She handed them each an earpiece, "Xander managed to get into the White Lotus meeting, but they were expecting us. Kaedan, Chaewon, and Elliot went to back him up, Bella went to try and get the Wings, and Leon and Lumina are helping get people out of here."
"Alright, how about Fenix, Owen, and I stay here to help you guys, Risále, you go to help Bella get the Wings, Nia and Val, go back up Xander, Kaedan, Chaewon, and Elliot. The fewer people go after the Wings, the easier it will be to sneak in, grab it, and get out," Hyunwoo, cocking a handgun, and Ooh, there's that Southern twang again. Kind of hot.
Risále had to admit that while he had looked absolutely adorable before, watching him so effortlessly aiming and adjusting the guns to set them added a whole different level of attractiveness to him. She shivered slightly and tore her eyes away from his hands.
Mina nodded, and with that, they all split up. Risále watched as Hyunwoo ran over to Leon, who looked very confused at first but didn't hesitate to throw his arms around him and kiss his boyfriend. It looked as though Hyunwoo whispered something to him and Leon grinned as he waved at Risále.
He looked adorable, but she didn't have time to think about that right now. She ran up the stairs quickly and ducked into the tower that she somehow knew would lead her toward the upper floors, even though she had only been to the castle once before and had never seen a blueprint of it. Huh. Something to think about later.
Risále wasn't sure how she knew, but she had an idea of where the treasury probably would have been just after looking at the architectural structure of the building. The problem was that she wasn't sure where Bella was. As she was about to run into the next open hall, someone grabbed her arm and dragged her back. Before she could fight, her hands were immediately restrained, gripped tightly.
"Stop fighting, you're going to give us away," A woman's voice said in her ear, and Risále froze as she looked up to see a familiar ginger-haired woman. His throat dried up slightly and she had to lick her lips.
"...If you wanted to pin my hands down so badly, you could have just asked," She blurted out, and then immediately bit her tongue, "Sorry, that was—I don't know what I was going to say but that was not what I meant to say—" Bella let go of her hands and looked over her shoulder.
"The coast is clear. Let's go," She said, reaching up to tie her long hair back into a high ponytail. She didn't look back as she started walking and Risále quickly stood up to follow her. She didn't notice the small smile on the other woman's face, which disappeared as soon as it had arrived.
Risále looked around the big empty hall, "Where exactly is this thing?" She asked, following Bella. The woman turned to look at her, cocking her head and looking her up and down as if sizing her up. Risále really wished she wouldn't do that. Bella was attractive enough without her attention being squarely focused on Risále, she didn't need to make it worse. She seemed to assess her and then turned back, starting back up the staircase.
"You're going to come with me, and you're going to stay quiet and stay behind me the whole time. Do not cause any problems or I'm going to be very annoyed," Bella said almost confidently. One part of Risále wanted to agree instantly. The other half wanted to make some sort of joke.
"I—"
"I said, you're going to stay quiet," Bella turned, leaning forward, "I will tie you up and leave you here if I have to."
Risále had many things she could say to that. She decided to not say any of them, sticking to a simple, "Yes, Ma'am." Bella seemed to hum in agreement as they started back up.
Oh my God, you're ridiculous. (A)
Shut up, you don't know what this feels like. (R)
Is this what Chaewon felt like? This is actually hilarious. (A)
Could you maybe NOT talk about my friend's sister like you've done her? (R)
At the silence in response, Risále froze entirely.
Oh my fucking God, you had sex with Chaewon Song, didn't you? (R)
To be fair, her husband as well— (A)
I don't want to know this! (R)
Technically, you brought it up— (A)
No, we are NOT having this conversation, especially not when Bella is literally three feet away from me and I'm going to meet Chaewon and Elliot soon. (R)
"Here," Bella held out a dagger to Risále, "Leon mentioned you have a preference for daggers over anything else. These floors should be cleared out and empty but just in case…"
"Leon told you? You got to talk to him?" Risále asked, taking the knife from her. Bella hummed in response.
"Nice boy, no wonder Hyunwoo waited so long for him," Bella said as she stepped into the large room.
Risále looked at her, "You're not bothered by it? I was under the impression that you and Hyunwoo…"
Bella looked surprised, "Why should I be? He's so happy when he's with Leon, why would I ever want to take that away from him, especially when I love him as well? The only reason that Hyunwoo and I never pursued a relationship was because Hyunwoo didn't want to give up his relationship with Leon, and didn't want to be in a relationship with another person without Leon's permission."
"That makes sense…" Risále said softly, "Would you? Consider being in a relationship with more than one person."
"And if I told you I was already considering it?" Bella said, leaning to her, "Then what would you say? My type does tend to be dumbasses. I feel like Hyunwoo is the only exception to that."
Risále gulped, "Yeah, I love Leon, he's my best friend, but he can be really dumb sometimes," She laughed nervously.
Bella only raised an eyebrow, "I did mention my type is dumbasses, right? Good. Let's keep going," She said.
Risále was helpless to follow.