Risále was surprised to wake up in her room. The last thing she remembered was looking up at the stars with her head in…Bella's lap…
Holy shit, that had actually happened.
She may have been drunk, but not drunk enough to forget what happened. First, Bella in the storage pantry, and then Hyunwoo flirting with her while doing her makeup…What in the hell was happening? Were they both actually into her?
As she sat up, she coughed slightly. Feeling her throat was dry, Risále stood up and opened the door to her room, carefully padding down the hall. The clock at the end of the hallways told her it was about 3 AM and the last thing she wanted was to wake anyone else up.
Turning into the kitchen, she froze at the sight of another person there. Sitting on the counter, looking out the window behind him, was Leon.
He looked beautiful.
He hadn't done anything, although, in her eyes, Leon never needed to do anything to be beautiful. The moonlight streamed through the window, giving his grayish-blonde hair an almost ethereal glow, his eyes looking sharp, electric, and yet melancholy. The huge t-shirt hung off of one shoulder as he swung one leg back and forth while the other was up on the counter. Risále gulped before stepping into the kitchen, "Hey, you," She called.
"Oh, it's you, Risá," Leon turned his head to look at her, smiling a little, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Couldn't sleep?" She asked.
"Thinking about too much. You?"
"Wanted some water," She held up the jug helplessly.
"Oh, don't let me keep you up, you must be tired. Both of us crashed while we were on the roof. My sister brought me inside, and Hyunwoo brought you. The kids all crashed though, so the others had to carry them all in," Leon said quietly, looking back out the window.
Risále put the jug down and hopped up on the counter next to him, nudging his foot over to make room for herself, "Well, I'm not going to be able to fall asleep if I leave you here like this. Tell me what's up."
Leon sighed, "You…Exactly how much have you remembered, Risá?"
Oh. So it was about that.
"I…Quite a bit. But not everything. I remember that we started off in that...Godforsaken program. What was it, the Gifted Child Project? There were others...I don't remember anything between then and when that bastard Arsenio made us official scientists, though. I remember he did it so that we could make proper discoveries, but he'd have access to all of it. I know I made the safe, and that the password was my birthday, although I don't know how Apocalypse knew that. But I get the feeling…Leon, were we…Bad people?" Risále asked quietly.
Leon sighed again at this, "It's…Complicated. We did stand by and let a lot of bad things happen, I won't lie to you. But they were holding a lot against us. In a way, they did manipulate us into doing a lot of the things we did but…We were part of the White Lotus, so did we hurt people, knowingly and unknowingly? Yes. Yes, we did."
Risále looked down, "Was…Was Hyunwoo there? Not part of the White Lotus but I remember seeing him there?"
At this, Leon looked a little pained, "...I wish I had never gotten him involved. I wish I had convinced him to leave that damn place the moment he stepped inside because if I had, I could have saved him so much pain. Do you…Remember how old you were when you left?"
"I don't remember leaving, Leon," Risále responded quietly, "How did I get out of there? I remember being sixteen while I was there, and then nothing. Blank. There's nothing there for the next three years, and then I found you guys."
He bit his lip, and then slowly began speaking, "You…You don't need to worry about the leaving part. Even if you don't remember, I do," Risále looked at him, surprised. He took a deep breath, "I was also sixteen at the time. You finally had enough of listening to them, of doing what they wanted. I don't know what they were holding over your head, but it seemed that they…Didn't have that leverage against you anymore. When you tried to fight back, they locked you up and planned to kill you off. I…I couldn't let that happen. You were my friend, you were the only one who truly knew what I was going through, so I…I broke you out. And I planned to help you run away."
The pieces clicked in Risále's mind. The timing. Leon's age. The fact that he had planned to run away. It made her heart hurt, "Oh, Leon, no. Don't tell me, this when Hyunwoo thought…"
"I didn't mean to leave him," Leon whispered, "I knew that if I told him, then there was a chance that if he got caught…I didn't realize at the time that just by being with him, I had dragged him into the crossfire. I was only supposed to be gone a few days, just to get you out and then I'd be back with him. But you and I got separated immediately after I broke you out. I…Don't know what happened to you after that. I kept looking for you but you were nowhere to be found. Eventually, after two weeks of searching everywhere in Sector 3, I went back," Leon looked away at this, "They'd already taken him by then. They told me he was alive, but that I had to stay out of Sector 3 if I wanted him to stay that way. So, I…Left," He said shakily.
Risále's voice was hushed, "I…I'm so sorry. God, I'm so sorry, Leon, that—I can't even imagine…"
Leon shook his head, "It wasn't your fault," He said firmly, "You couldn't have known what was going to happen. This…That was why I kept going back to the edges of Sector 3 when I was scouting. I didn't tell Lumina and Mina exactly why because I knew they believed Hyunwoo was already dead at that point. They would have tried to stop me from going there for my sake so I could move on. I couldn't give up until I knew for sure."
"And you have him back now," Risále said softly, "That's what really matters. And look at that, you found me again as well. It's all been set right."
Leon looked at her, an unreadable emotion in his eyes, something so deep and strong that Risále was sure she had to have misinterpreted, "...Yeah, I did find you both again. Almost everything's been set right."
She felt his fingers timidly against her hand. When she looked down, he seemed to pull away, opening his mouth to apologize. Risále didn't let him, she grabbed his hand, holding it and smiling at him with determination.
"You're right. We still need to get payback."
"Bella said you knew something about what was in the safe," Risále looked a bit hesitant to answer that and Leon quickly held his hand up, "We don't need to talk about it in depth now, I just want to be able to relax for a bit. But I'd like to know what you know?"
Risále nodded, "Don't ask me how I know this specifically because I have no idea but…The Wings, I don't think they're just one thing. There are two parts to it that we need to find, and the flash drive in that safe was a clue to one of those things."
There's also an activation key.
Look who finally decided to show up. Finally over your little pining strike?
If you don't shut up, I won't tell you what you need to know.
Fine, fine, I'll leave it! Just tell me.
"Give me a minute, Local Ghost Bitch has finally made an appearance and apparently has decided to bestow her knowledge on us," Risále informed Leon, who choked on air.
"Should you really be talking about a dead Queen who possibly committed mass murder like that?" He asked, and Risále shrugged.
Bitch-
Just tell me what I need to know and we'll get back to this later!
Fine. There is an activation code and an activation circle, it involves you, Leon, and one other person. You'll remember your code eventually, Leon already knows his, and don't worry about the last person. I'll take care of that.
Alright, the activation circle, where is it?
Once you find the two parts of the Wings, you'll find out.
Cryptic bastard, can't you just tell me?
Firstly, no, I can't actually tell you. Secondly, even if I could, I wouldn't.
You are the most insufferable old hag I have ever met.
Right back at you, kiddo.
I'm sorry, KIDDO?
I'm thirty-three. Silence, fetus.
…Damn it. Don't disappear on me like that again.
What, were you worried about "the insufferable old hag"?
No, I need you to explain this to everyone else later.
You bitch—
"—And that's enough Apocalypse time for one week," Risále announced, looking back at Leon, "She said there's an activation code and circle. Apparently, you already know your code?"
Leon thought about it, "I guess she means my identification as a White Lotus scientist? Which in that case, yes, I do know it."
Risále shrugged, "I don't know, your guess is as good as mine. She said I'll remember mine on my own, and that there's a third person that we need, but she said to leave it up to her. We'll get the location of the activation circle when we find the two pieces of the Wings. More information to come soon."
"Huh. Well, that's certainly interesting information, especially since I didn't know about any of this beforehand. I think the first person you need to tell about all this is Bella since she's the one making the mission arrangements," Leon said thoughtfully, then saw the look on Risále's face, "...Or other arrangements, Jesus Christ, Risá, you're down bad."
She groaned, "It's so bad, Leon, she's actually so hot and she's not making it any easier on me."
"Tell me about it," Leon sighed, "She could judo flip me and I'd thank her for her time."
"Same. Also!" Risále pointed at him, "Tell your boyfriend to stop flirting with me because…Because…Well…Stop laughing, it's not funny!" She smacked his arm, "Listen to me, it's bad for my heart! Every time he calls me a pet name, I'm seconds away from losing my mind. He's a pretty boy and he's hitting on me! What's a poor girl like me supposed to think!"
Leon giggled, "I think you're handling it remarkably well. But you're right, what does a girl like you think about it?" He leaned in conspiratorially.
"Well, I…" Risále stopped hesitantly, "I think he likes me as well? Earlier when I was drunk I…Might have told him to kiss me and he told me to ask him again when I'm sober and he'll take me up on my offer so…"
Leon sighed, "Risá, my dearest dumbass, why is there an 'I think' in that observation. If he tells you to ask him to kiss you, I'm pretty sure he likes you."
Risále bit her lip, "Is that…Okay with you?"
His eyes softened and he smiled gently, "Of course, why wouldn't it be? My boyfriend is dating my best friend as well? That just means that I know that both of you are good for each other. I say go for it, Risá. I'm supporting you both all the way, you don't have to worry about that."
Risále was staring at him, wondering how a person could be this precious. Leaning forward, she tucked a piece of his loose hair behind his ear. There was only a few inches between them, and Leon's breath caught.
Then, she wrapped her arms around him, hugging him and burying her face in his neck. Leon let out a huff of laughter, wrapping an arm around her as well, "What is it, Risá?"
"I'm just…Really glad you're my best friend," She said into his shirt, hiding her face as if it would also hide her pounding heartbeat.
He was just so sweet and pretty. Risále really loved him.
"I'm glad, too," Leon said, patting her head, "Now, come on, we should both get to bed. It's already like 5 AM, and I know there are some early risers in this house."
Risále nodded and allowed Leon to lead her off the counter and up the stairs. As they walked to her room and stopped outside the door, Risále felt strongly she had to do something.
Without thinking, she put her hand on Leon's shoulder and pushed herself up, pressing her lips to his cheek, "Thank you," She smiled, before entering her room and closing the door.
Leon stood in shock for a few moments before he buried his red face in his hands, a smile on his face. Taking a deep breath, he turned to go back to his and Hyunwoo's room, only to find his boyfriend standing in the doorframe, looking at him with a raised eyebrow.
"Not a word, Hyun," Leon warned him.
"All I was going to say is that you're both adorable together," Hyunwoo smiled opening his arms. Leon didn't hesitate to walk into them and wrap his arms around the other man, grumbling slightly. Hyunwoo laughed, "Although, if I'm being honest, you're both a little dense—"
Leon kissed him to shut him up.