radiance | baekhyun

13

10:42.

baekhyun had forgotten how beautiful roma looked in the mornings.

a single strand of light had illuminated the shadows beneath each and every curve of her body, filtering in through her long-sleeved shirt and her fallen hair. she'd looked so comfortable, fragile, maybe. like glass. like the shimmering sun.

he'd woken before her, sitting up in bed, having stretched out his weary limbs only to remind himself of the injuries he had sustained, as the simple action proved to be a painful one, causing him to wince.

bright yellow streamed in through the windows.

purple and blue bruises were scattered across each of his knuckles; his pale skin damaged and scarred, brought out by the luminescence of the morning light. he registered them, confused momentarily, only to remember the actions he'd carried out last night. the thought made him cuss, muttering "fuck" under his breath as he turned to observe her peacefully sleeping form.

roma had looked beyond description. lying half on her front, an arm resting closely to his. he'd noticed how they'd woven themselves together during the night, legs resting against one another and arms tenderly touching. perhaps unintentional. baekhyun couldn't tell. all he'd known was that the feeling of her skin against his was something he couldn't quite explain. something he wanted to feel all the time.

he'd removed himself now, wondering to himself whether she'd felt the warmth of his body next to hers. the proximity of the two of them had startled him but comforted him as he had awoken from his deepened sleep, a slumber that had been filled with tossing and turning and last night and fighting and her.

roma.

her thick mess of dark hair sprawled out around the white pillows and sheets. pale skin matched the light colour of the duvet. soft arms and legs lay delicately upon the bedspread. he smiled.

baekhyun had watched quietly at how her chest fell evenly, breaths leaving her being at a normal pace. he wanted to touch her, but feared that she might break, crack under the pressure. instead, baekhyun had stretched a little more, yawning in a reposed manner, and got up, bare feet colliding with the floorboards.

looked around and observed. like every other morning, the sun painted a golden glow upon the objects and furnishings that lay in its wake, creating a brighter appearance, an aura that somehow mirrored in his own thoughts and mind. in spite of his cuts and bruises, and the darkened memories of last night, the vision of roma's sleeping figure and the light pouring in made everything okay.

sort of. maybe.

legs shook, but he propelled them forward, heading for the bathroom. it was easy to locate, the small cabinet and the pink shower curtain bringing back the memories of when he'd been in the same position of staying over only a few days ago. light blue tiles accompanied the pale turquoise of the sky outside. the familiarities of the bathroom calmed him.

he tried not to gasp in horror at the battered appearance of his face, but still the image shocked him. a hand reached up to trace the large cut and to carefully poke the protruding bruise below his eye. he winced: tried to forget. baekhyun reached for the tap and sighed as he cupped his hands together to splash the cool water onto his aching face.

with a gasp, he brought his face to the mirror again, watching how the water trickled down his chin. pattered across the basin. he turned the tap off, reached for the hand towel and dried his heavy eyes.

he had thought to himself how normal it felt to walk from the bathroom through to her living room and kitchen. as if the entire ordeal was a normality, something he could get used to. with the sun pouring in. baekhyun stood, bare feet, bare legs, debating on what to do next. he didn't know. roma was still asleep. sun was still bright.