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.

the kettle boiled. her coffee tasted different to his at home; less bitter, sweeter and with more flavour. the sun slanted into the room differently. maybe it was the way her kitchen was so small and cute and reminded him of orange sunsets and warm spices, that he smiled. it reminded him of somewhere he could call home. who knows.

home.

baekhyun had felt glued to the spot, unable to decide whether staying or leaving was a better idea. the thought of hearing roma say his name in that soft, delicate voice again enticed him to remain in his position.

he knew, already, he was growing too attached. baekhyun couldn't place a name to the feeling, this feeling of needing. it was indescribable. just the mere sound of her voice could avert his gaze and focus to her attention, to be met with those big, twinkling blue eyes and those pouting, red lips. the way her lips would slowly curve to form a soft smile to reassure him. and herself.

she scared him.

it scared him that the only way he could stop it, was to be around her; near her. the lights. too bright. always. last night. all of the time.

but she also provoked it. the way her deep, blue orbs would penetrate his vision, look right at him, sincerity masking her fear. the other night, in the bar, when her hand had rested gently across his knuckles, making him feel like someone actually cared, gave a shit about him. for once.

it was all roma.

perhaps it was a need, something that overpowered desire. or maybe he was over-exaggerating. baekhyun wasn't sure how to combat it. he ran a hand through his soft tufts of hair, contemplating. although he wanted to see her, he half-hoped that she was still soundly sleeping, chest heaving, so he wouldn't have to face her before he left.

he needed to make a decision.

baekhyun put down his coffee. his heavy feet were dragged across the laminate flooring, back to the bedroom. he couldn't help but sigh in relief and allow his lips to lift at the corners at the sight of her resting form, now lying fully on her back, the sheets twisted in between her pale legs.

he wanted to stay.

but he knew he had to go.

baekhyun sighed. began to gather his things, concealing his bare chest with his creased t-shirt and leather jacket. baekhyun was reminded, once again, of his previous activities, the faint remnants of blood having stained the white material. he ignored it. pulled on his boots.

roma looked so beautiful. baekhyun didn't want to leave.

he'd noticed, from the other day, the endless piles of paper she had overflowing on her desk, spilling over the plant pots and notepads. he had grabbed a piece of paper, ripped off a corner, took a pencil and wrote her a note.

upon leaving it on her bedside table, he leant down and pressed a light kiss to her forehead. she moved slightly, inhaled a deep breath. he smiled. light patterned her pale features.

the sun had still been shining and slanting in as he'd left through the front door, making sure not to slam it, make too much noise.

outside, it was warm and humid. pleasant. enough so for him to comfortably tread his way home through the bustling, summer streets. he attempted to keep the attention he drew to a minimum, hoping the yellow light wouldn't bring a central focus to the inflicted damages, morning irradiance highlighting the scarlet wounds.

he hoped that kai or sehun were home so that he'd have somebody to speak to. hadn't seen much of them recently. his shoes felt heavy and his footsteps were uneven against the pavement, and his head spun so much that he almost couldn't locate the exact whereabouts of his flat.

shit, he didn't have a key.

luckily, or rather fortunately, as he arrived at the front steps, from a distance he could see the door was in fact open, kai standing there, shirtless, an unknown girl with one foot in the doorway stood with her back to his vision.

he sighed; shrugged his shoulders.

baekhyun mounted the stairs up to his front door, words and accusations already formulating in his mind.

"hey," kai greeted casually, flicking his ruffled hair, offering that signature grin, one arm resting against the frame.

"hi," baekhyun responded quietly.

kai and the girl's conversation came to a stop. a moment's awkward silence ensued.

"anyway, i'd better go," she slurred, her platinum-blonde hair glinting in the sunlight, the morning visibility bringing out her smudged make-up and bedraggled look, still sporting a tight dress from the night before.

she blew kai a kiss and, without uttering a word to baekhyun, budged past him and disappeared off into the heat of the day, stilettos clicking against the concrete.

before baekhyun could speak, kai had roughly enveloped him within his embrace.

"baekhyun!" kai shouted, bringing him in for a massive hug. they both tumbled in through the front door, baekhyun making the assumption that kai was still incredibly hungover.

"who was that?" baekhyun asked, dropping his jacket to the ground, once he'd managed to push kai off of him.

the door had been shut by kai.

"shit, man, what happened to your face?" kai speculated in shock, mouth opening wide. ignoring his prior question. kai also eyed the thick, white bandages wrapped around baekhyun's knuckles.

"nothing. just something at the club," he lied. it amazed him how easily he was able to bend the truth without flinching.

"shit," kai laughed. taking what he said without question. suggested that kai thought that it was just a regular occurrence.

"anyway. who was that?"

"oh, her. yeah, just a friend."

"a friend?" baekhyun pried.

"yeah. a friend."

the two boys' immature nature couldn't be hidden for long, as they burst into fits of laughter. baekhyun momentarily forgot about his own pressing matters as he watched kai laugh, the smirk he wore forming little creases in the corners of his eyes.

"kai," baekhyun joked, shaking his head.

kai grinned.

"where did you stay then after your fight?" he continued. baekhyun hunched his shoulders downwards.

"it wasn't a fight," lie, "and i stayed with roma."

kai's ears perked up from where he'd been flicking through his phone on the counter, his head raising from where it had been resting in the palm of his hand.

"roma," kai sounded out, confused for a second. then he remembered, his grin spreading even wider as he held in his laugh. "you mean your girlfriend?"

it was baekhyun's turn to look up from where he'd been untying the laces of his shoe, a defensive tone already taking over his speech.

"she's not my girlfriend," truth, "and it's not really any of your business, mate," he added cheekily, to hide the fact that he wasn't in the mood to discuss her in the way that kai was suggesting. kai wasn't exactly one to talk, anyway.

"okay," kai shook it off. "whatever you say."

as per usual, kai's attention span to supposedly interesting topics such as this one did not last long, as he became immersed within his phone and left-over beer again.

baekhyun walked towards his shared bedroom, taking off his dirty t-shirt and ripped jeans in the process. he ignored the pain that the simple action caused him as he removed his items of clothing, chucking them over to one side, shutting the door of the bathroom as he stepped inside.

their bathroom was much messier and dirtier than roma's, filled with over-spilling shelves and empty bottles, as well as the occasional lace underwear. fucking kai, he laughed, shaking his head.

body relaxed as the cold water from his half-working shower hammered onto his back, his shoulders, his damaged face. baekhyun sighed heavily. washed away the aches and pains.

the image of roma burned in his mind.

//

very boring chapter, I'm sorry, but hopefully you got a little insight into baekhyun :)