"En serio, no sé si puedo aguantarlo," Risále sighed, flopping back on the bed in Leon's room as he was sketching something in a notebook, "¡Los dos son tan atractivos, no es justo para mi!"
Leon sighed, looking over at her, "Risá, stop moving so much or you're going to make my hand shake. Besides, si es una problema tan grande, hace algo sobre esto. You've got a mouth for a reason, woman, and that's to communicate."
"Pero no es simplemente, ellos son…Son dioses y yo soy…" Risále began to say but the boy frowned at her, cutting her off.
"Risá, be confident in yourself. You're gorgeous, and if they don't like you as well, which let's face it, sabemos que ellos les gustas, but in a situation where they didn't, that would be really stupid. You're smart, funny, strong, beautiful, amazing, and uh…I said strong already, right?"
"Yup."
"Great, people find that attractive," Risále was starting to wonder if Leon found that attractive. It would be nice if he did. She was pretty strong, "Point is, eres guapísimo, no dudes de que."
Risále sat up and looked at the other boy who had gone back to sketching. He didn't even seem to notice he was studying her, but slowly, she noticed that as he let his loose blonde hair fall around his face, he was covering up the bright red flush on his cheeks.
Was Leon flustered?
"Gracias, Leon. You really are an amazing friend, you know that?" She said softly, leaning over to tuck his hair behind his ear, "How do you even draw like that, you can't even see anything."
"Mhm, yeah—I…" Leon muttered under his breath, managing to turn even redder, "I should—I think I left my hair clip downstairs, I'm gonna go get it. I'll be right back—Do you want anything?"
Risále smiled, "Just some water should be good."
As Leon left the room, she flopped back on the boy's bed. Her heart was racing, and she couldn't get Leon's blushing face out of her mind. He was absolutely adorable, and really she didn't know how much her heart could take. Really, it was dangerous that Leon could be flustered so easily, he looked cute when he was flustered. But he considered her his best friend, and she didn't want to ruin that for them. As much as she liked him, she couldn't stand the thought of losing him.
Her thoughts began to drift towards someone else as well though, a certain ginger-haired woman. Bella was…Well, Risále couldn't lie, she was extremely attracted to the girl and if she was being honest, she couldn't help but believe the other girl was attracted to her as well. The only thing was…Risále couldn't tell if Bella was just sexually attracted to her or really liked her, the way Risále had realized she liked her.
Bella was commanding, strong, and the perfect leader, but she was kind in her own quiet way, the way she was with Hyunwoo, Val, and her own brother. And something about the way she teased Risále and Leon differently made Risále's heart squeeze. Even though the woman always acted annoyed, Risále couldn't help but feel happy that Bella seemed to tolerate it, she even seemed to find it amusing. She hoped that one day, maybe Bella might like her back the same way she did.
Risále was sure that Bella liked Leon as well. She had gotten the idea when they were at the Winter Ball, but she had noticed it more and more with the teasing smirks she gave him and the small remarks she made to make him blush. Risále almost thanked her a couple of times, Leon was a sight when blushing. She really hoped that they both got together as well, both of them deserved each other.
And Bella's relationship with Hyunwoo…It was sweet. They seemed comfortable with each other like they knew each other's movements by heart, like they were soulmates. Bella was soft around Hyunwoo, and Risále guessed that it came from the fact that being a rebel leader, she really only had one person to rely on. She was glad they had each other, Hyunwoo would always take care of Bella, and Bella would always protect Hyunwoo.
And Hyunwoo. Dear Lord, the one who had been causing the most problems for her recently. It really just showed how good of a person he was that he held no hard feelings against her when he had been taken hostage while Leon tried to save her. Even more than that, he seemed to have some sort of knowledge about her feelings for Leon and Bella and wanted her to act on it. Hyunwoo was gentle, kind, and so, so loving. For someone who seemed to have been hurt so much, all he wanted was to help people. And he…He seemed to care about her too. Every time she thought about him, she couldn't help remembering when he did her makeup, his gentle touches, his smile, his soft voice, his lips…Fuck, she was down bad.
"Ay, por los dioses," She muttered. Hearing the door creak open, she threw her hand over her eyes as she called out, "Leon, yo quiero besar tu novio, por favor, ayúdame," She groaned.
"Hm? What was that, Risále?" She shot up, covering her mouth and face heating up as she realized the person who had stepped into the room was not Leon. Right. Because Leon shared this room with his boyfriend. Boyfriend, meaning Hyunwoo. The same person she had been daydreaming about mere seconds ago.
She had to calm herself down, Hyunwoo probably didn't know Spanish anyway, "Ah, it's nothing. What's up, Hyunwoo?"
"Nothing much," The boy sighed, grabbing a large sweater and tugging it over the tight—fitting tank top he had been wearing. The tank top accentuated his small waist and sculpted chest, while the sweater was so large it hung off of his shoulder, "I was just going to go out. You were waiting for Leon?"
Risále gulped as she watched him fasten the black choker around his neck, "Yeah, we were just talking…"
"Just talking, hm?" He teased, "When I ran into him, he was all red, though. I wonder what you mean by 'just talking', then."
She spluttered slightly, "I didn't do anything! I just moved his hair out of his face, you know better than anyone how easily Leon gets flustered!"
Hyunwoo hummed before approaching her on the bed, "You're right…But I'm more interested in what I heard you say at first," He leaned back against the bed next to her, looking at her with a smile on his face, "Quieres besar al novio de Leon, hm?"
Oh, fucking hell.
"Shit."
Hyunwoo turned and stood in front of her, his hands on the bed on either side of her, "Leon taught me a bit of Spanish. I did mean what I said back then, Risále. Just ask me to kiss you, and I will. Why wouldn't I want to kiss you? You're kind, funny, intelligent, beautiful, and you make the people I care about happy. All I need to know is you want this too."
Risále looked him in the eyes, and she could see the honesty in the bright violet. His words hit her. Hyunwoo wanted to kiss her as well. If…If they both wanted it, then why shouldn't they? Leon and Bella had said they were alright with it so…So…
She carefully reached up, cupping Hyunwoo's face in her hands. Leaning in close, her eyes dipping down to his lips before she said softly, "Please. Kiss me."
Hyunwoo smiled, "Of course," He whispered. Her eyes fluttered shut just as the man leaned forward, pressing their lips together. It was a soft, slow kiss, not rushed or hurried at all, but Hyunwoo was leading it, kissing her long and leaving her breathless as he pulled away, "Was that good?"
"I don't know, I think I need another one just to be sure," Risále whispered. She could feel Hyunwoo's little laugh against her mouth as he leaned in to kiss her again, this time it was just a touch more passionate. Risále's hands moved from Hyunwoo's face to his shoulders, then draped over his shoulders as Hyunwoo stepped closer. She parted her legs easily, wrapping them around his waist, letting out a small sound as he nipped at her lip. Pulling him down with her as she leaned back, Hyunwoo was pressed against her, kissing her slow and languidly.
Risále knew they wouldn't go any further of course, not unless Hyunwoo specifically expressed so, and pulled away, breathing hard. As she looked up at the ceiling, she felt Hyunwoo pressing kisses all over her face and giggling, "See, all you had to do was ask. And I'm not the only one that works for," He said, laughing.
It took her a moment to process what he said, and while laughing, she spoke out, "What—What do you mean by that…Hyunwoo, stop, that tickles!"
Humming, he finally let her go, giving her time to breathe, "You're a smart girl, you'll figure it out," He said kissing her forehead.
"Wait, I…Hyunwoo, what does this mean? What are we?" Risále asked, holding him against her but going to sit up.
The boy considered that for a moment and then spoke, "I think that depends on what you want, Risále. Without thinking about anything else, what do you want us to be?
There was no hesitation, "I want you to be my boyfriend."
"Wow, you didn't even have to think for a second there," Hyunwoo laughed, "Are you sure about that? After all, if that's what you want, then we'll be official."
Risále grumbled, "You're literally amazing. Like I sometimes wonder how someone as good as you actually exists. Of course, I'm not going to pass up the chance to date you, I'm taking anything I can get."
Hyunwoo looked a bit surprised at this, before he burst into giggles, "Oh, darlin', you're adorable. If that's what you want, then yes. I will be your boyfriend. And don't worry about Leon and Bella. They're both okay with this as well."
"Wait, you've talked to them about this? How…How long have you liked me? No, wait, how long have you known that I liked you?" Risále asked.
Hyunwoo grinned mischievously, "Oh, a while for sure."
Risále covered her face, "Oh God, I'm an embarrassment."
The boy simply pulled her in for a hug as he tucked her head under his chin, "No, you're not, sweetheart. You're adorable. Now, come on. I was supposed to take Bella on a date, and I'm guessing she's waiting downstairs for me. You can talk to Leon as well."
"Oh, you were going out with Bella?" Risále asked.
Hyunwoo smiled, a bit of slyness in it, "Interested, hm? Sweetheart, do us all a favor and just ask her. I think everyone is just waiting for you two to do something. Anything at this point."
"...Is it really that obvious?"
"Painfully obvious."
Risále sighed, "Listen, asking you to kiss me was anxiety-creating enough. I don't think I can talk to Bella just yet."
"Take your time, darlin', we're just teasing you," Hyunwoo said gently, "None of this is ever that easy. Just know that all you have to do is ask."
Risále glared at him, "You and that southern accent, I swear I'm going to lose my mind," She muttered. For a moment, Hyunwoo looked confused before realization dawned on him.
"Hm, Leon and Bella did say that it was attractive…" He grinned a little, "You like it when I talk like this, hon'?" The accent was much stronger now and Risále immediately put her hands over his mouth.
"Nope. No, no, no. Stop. I need my sanity, please. Let's just—Let's go before I actually lose my mind over how hot you are," Sliding off the bed, she sighed as she noticed Hyunwoo giggling, leaning up and pressing a kiss to his lips, slightly giddy that she was allowed to do that now.
Holy shit, she had a boyfriend.
As they walked down the stairs and made their way to the foyer, they were both surprised to see Leon and Bella sitting there, the woman looking over at Leon's sketchbook as he excitedly showed her something. Her expression was soft as she watched him talk.
"She really likes him, huh?" Risále whispered to Hyunwoo.
"She's just waiting for him to notice, but…Well, I adore Leon, but he really can be slow with picking up things like this," Hyunwoo sighed.
Bella finally seemed to notice them, and gave them a sly smile, "Well, look who it is. Looks like you two had fun."
Leon looked up as well, a grin on his face, "I'd say I'm surprised, but then again, I'm really not. Took you long enough."
"Oh, look who's talking," She stuck her tongue out at him.
"Which one of you walked in on us?" Hyunwoo sighed. Bella raised her hand, and he shook his head fondly, "Of course you did, Mira. Well, I guess the secret is out, even though it's not really a secret. Risále and I are dating as well."
Fenix, who had been in the kitchen, tilted his head out and wolf-whistled, "Congratulations, guys. Man, Hyunwoo really is collecting partners like his life depends on it. Looks like some of you need to catch up, hm?"
"Fenix, you may want to watch what you're saying or I'll tell Owen, Nia, and Val about the time you managed to launch yourself into the air with a water hose when you were four," Bella said warningly."
"Wait, now I wanna know—" Nia's voice could be heard, but Fenix pushed her head away, laughing nervously.
"You know what, I said nothing, we're all going shopping, see you later, bye!" He exclaimed in one breath, pushing the other three teenagers out the door.
Bella rolled her eyes and shook her head, "That boy, I swear…Anyways, you ready to go, Hyun?"
"Yeah. Have fun, you two. We'll be back soon," Then, Hyunwoo seemed to reconsider his words, "Well, not too much fun," He looked at both of them, raising his eyebrows teasingly.
Risále and Leon both blushed red.
"Hyunwoo!"