Each Day That Passes

Baekhyun checks his watch, blowing out his cheeks and jiggling his legs and feet in impatience. He looks out of the window and mentally wonders for the millionth time what time they will actually reach the company. He clenches and unclenches his fist and glances at the time again. He mutters a curse under his breath because he's late. Very late. Again.

"I'm sure she'll understand," Junmyeon squeezes his shoulder comfortingly.

Baekhyun shakes his head worriedly. "You don't understand," he breathes deeply. "She's leaving for Japan and we won't be able to see each other for weeks. And..." He trails away and looks out of the window again. "Just, I can't be late again."

Taeyeon didn't really get mad at him that last time that he was late and had missed to say goodbye before she left. She's rarely ever really upset with him, because that's how she is. She's kind, sweet, gentle and completely understanding. He supposes it's because she's been in the industry far longer than he has been and she knows how hard it is to be in a relationship in it. He's just afraid that one day Taeyeon is going to realize that it's too hard and that she doesn't want to be in it anymore.

Baekhyun doesn't really want to be without Taeyeon. He can't be without Taeyeon. He's always had feelings for her, slowly brewing and churning in him the moment they'd met. And ever since they got together, he's been working really hard to make it worth it for her, to never make her think that being with him is a mistake. He never wants to make her feel that there could be something better than this, someone better than him. Because Taeyeon is everything to him. Everything. She's bigger and better than his dream of becoming a singer and he would drop it all in a beat if she asked him to.

"We're almost there," Kyungsoo reaches out and pats his thigh.

They are, and the moment that the van stops, Baekhyun jumps out and runs the whole flight of stairs towards the rooftop, ignoring Chanyeol calling after him from the elevator.

He reaches the rooftop and sees that it's empty. He takes a seat on one of the two benches and buries his face in his hands. He can't believe he missed her again. This time, he thinks that Taeyeon has cause for getting upset. She'll probably ignore him for a couple of days and then he'll start calling her, maybe call Tiffany or Hyoyeon for some help because they're always the ones helping him out. Maybe he'll send her some flowers, not caring if it'll cost him a lot because Taeyeon always, always deserves the best. And, really, in this industry, you don't just work hard for the fans' love, you work extra hard for true love, too, because, like fame, it can disappear in a snap of a finger.

There's a hand on his shoulder and he jumps because no one rarely comes up on the rooftop whenever he and Taeyeon meet up. s and SNSD are pretty helpful that way.

But it's no one who shouldn't be up there.

"Taeyeon!" Baekhyun jumps up from his seat and pulls her to him in a tight hug. "I thought you'd already left. I'm so sorry I'm late."

Taeyeon laughs and pulls away, reaching up to cup Baekhyun's face. "Don't be sorry. You're here and that's what matters," she assures him.

He leans forward and kisses her, wrapping an arm around his waist, the other hand gentle on her cheek. Sometimes he really thinks that he doesn't deserve Taeyeon. 1/9 of the nation's girl group, amazing and an incredibly beautiful person... it always makes him wonder what she sees in him.

"I love you," Taeyeon says when she pulls away, as if she knows what she's thinking. "I'll see you when I get back."

When Taeyeon had left and Baekhyun's all by himself, he closes his eyes and breathes a sigh of relief. He knows it's okay now, but with each day that passes, Taeyeon's popularity increases and Baekhyun's rise to fame comes faster. It will always get harder and there may come a time when it will be too hard and they'll come at that crossroad where they'll have to decide whether to push through or just stop.

They will definitely get to that point, but not yet. And when they do, he knows that he will still be trying. Because he will always try for Taeyeon.