radiance | baekhyun

12

03:06.

the kitchen was dark; quiet and filled with the heavy air of strangled breathing and silent whimpers. roma's bare feet were met with the harsh cold of the black and white tiles, slowly hopping from one foot to the other. hands frantically searched through her cupboards for something that could be of use to her;

tried to distract herself from the impending desire to be close to him, as well as the fear and air of secrecy as to how he'd ended up in her flat, again.

roma's heart beat rapidly. she was frightened.

baekhyun was leant over the sink, having rid himself of his stained leather jacket. revealed were the dark purple bruises inflicted upon his knuckles; upon his pale, cracked skin. the sound of the rushing water from the tap only emphasised the lack of conversation between them.

roma was scared, nervous; fumbling through the drawers and shelves in an effort to find the bandages and plasters. hands and fingers shook. water rushed loudly, like a waterfall. baekhyun groaned quietly. light from the prevailing moon slithered through the half-open window, shadowing the flooring.

she had flicked the light switch on as they'd entered together, repeating the action as the darkness remained, only to find that the bulb had gone, leaving her with the sole light provision of a few lit candles and the half-moon.

no words. nothing but silence. her mouth opened, but closed shut again.

baekhyun grumbled, the water flowing over his bare, wounded arms.

she found the bandages; climbed down from the counter and headed over towards baekhyun. bare feet silently touched the floor, didn't make a sound.

an arm carefully wound around his back, roma notifying him of her presence.

"baekhyun," she whispered, fingers stroking the material of his shirt.

he winced, turned. stared.

like a child, he looked lost and unsure of what to do, his bloodied hands shaking from the impact of what he'd done. as always, roma wanted to ask, to know something or anything or everything about this mysterious and confusing boy. but couldn't formulate the words to do so.

red and raw skin was evident, painful, even in the dimness. roma offered her help, holding out her hands to dry his freezing, cold arms with the towel. baekhyun complied, allowing roma's gentle touch to carefully wipe away the cold water and remaining blood stains.

after, she put the cloth away and to the side, fumbling and dropping the plasters on the counter in her attempt to grab them. she cursed herself silently, bent down to pick them up as she thanked the darkness, the shade obscuring her embarrassed state; her frantic gestures and movements.

as the silence fell, roma questioned her own sanity; questioned why she was doing this to herself. it was dark, and baekhyun's eyes were shining and reflecting like glass from the shadows of light. roma's heart was beating so loudly and violently, it felt as though it would burst right out of her chest.

"roma, you don't have to."

she knew she didn't have to. she also knew that baekhyun didn't mean that, as his pleading expression wasn't easily disguised, trembling lips suggesting otherwise. blood-red, still stained hands rested within her grasp as she unravelled the white material and wrapped it around his knuckles, making sure to be especially careful, clasping his fingers together.