The alarm cut through the serene morning air and you felt the arms release you for a while to shut it off. Then they encircled you again, a chin resting lightly on the top of your head as you burrowed deeper into the lean, warm chest and tightened your arms around the muscular waist.

 

Baekhyun held you like this for another ten minutes, your tousled hair, drawing circles with his thumb on your , occasionally leaning down to press a kiss on your forehead. Then he pulled away and whispered softly, “Jagiya, I have to go to work. Stay home like a good girl okay? I’ll pick you up for lunch later. Text me what you feel like having today.”

 

Reluctantly you nodded and allowed Baekhyun to gently extract your body from his as he got out of bed. He stood in his boxers, exposed in the freezing Seoul temperature, and bent down to wrap the blankets tighter around you before rummaging for clothes in the drawer.

 

Sleepily you listened to the sound of Baekhyun humming as he went about his morning routine. You were slipping back into a light sleep when he returned, breath smelling of fresh mint and sweetness, and kissed you on your cheek before leaving for practice.

 

An hour later you woke up to a pain in your abdomen and silently cursed your life when you realised it was the time of the month again. Your cramps had a tendency to get especially bad when it was cold, and seeing how the snow outside the window was showing no signs of melting, this was going to be hard to get through.

 

Gritting your teeth, you slowly got out of bed and started putting on your clothes in slow motion. You settled with soft jeans and Baekhyun’s favourite gray sweater. You went about the house throwing together a simple breakfast of toast and coffee, but ended up with no appetite to finish either. And if anything, they only managed to make your cramps worse. By then your back was hurting, your head was throbbing, and you’d made yourself nauseas.

 

Feeling sorry for yourself, you crawled back into the unmade bed with your phone and laptop. You played Baekhyun’s songs, finding comfort in his soothing, smooth voice. You tried flipping through a few articles online, but they required an attention you could not afford at the moment.

 

When Baekhyun came back to pick you up for lunch, he was surprised that there was nobody throwing herself at him the moment he stepped foot into the house. He cautiously peeked into the bedroom, and saw you curled into a ball among the messy sheets, your brows knitted in a deep frown and your hands pressed at your tummy.

 

“Ah jagiya, are you not feeling well?” You opened your eyes at his gentle voice, and even the action of lifting your eyelids deepened the throbbing in your head. Your nodded once, reaching out with one hand for him to come closer, in need of comfort because you felt terrible.

 

Immediately he crawled into bed beside you and picked you up to sit you in his lap, cradling you like a huge baby. The movement sent a gushing sensation to the lower portion of your body and you groaned uncontrollably. Baekhyun held you tighter, sweeping the hair away from your sweat-slicked face despite the freezing temperatures, and you buried your face in his soft hoodie. The smell of him, the warmth from his body, the gentle way he held you, instantly made you feel better and you lifted your eyes to look into his.

 

His beautiful pupils were a shade darker with worry as he rocked you back and forth, trying to lessen the pain. You tilted your chin up for a kiss and he pressed a soft on onto your pouting lips. Contented, you buried deeper into his chest where you could hear the da-thump of his heartbeat, and closed your eyes, feeling him.

 

Cancelling his plans to bring you out for a fancy lunch, he went into the kitchen to whip up your favourite food. He brought lunch into the bedroom and spoon-fed you from the bed because he didn’t have the heart to make you stand up and walk to the dining table. When you were done he carefully wiped your lips with a paper napkin and returned the dishes to the sink. You listened to the running water as he washed them and suddenly felt thirsty.

 

“Baekhyun-ah…” Your voice sounded small and feeble to your own ears, but the sound of running water stopped immediately and Baekhyun was running into the room with a look of alarm in his round eyes as he asked what was wrong. You couldn’t suppress the smile that crept onto your pale face. “Oppa, I just wanted water…”

 

He relaxed visibly and returned with a glass of warm water and a straw. “So you don’t have to sit up, baby.” You kissed his hands as he brought the glass closer, and the straw to your lips, and was shocked to find that they were freezing cold. “Baekhyun! Why are your hands so cold? Don’t do the dishes anymore the water’s freezing! I’ll wash up tonight.”

 

His eyes disappeared behind a bright smile as he shook his head and said that it was okay.

 

“Gwaenchanha.”

 

Then he called the members immediately to tell them that he was going to pass the afternoon practice session because his girlfriend wasn’t feeling well, and he stayed at home the entire day to pamper and spoil you like a princess. When your cramps got extremely bad and you had to squeeze your eyes shut and wait for the wave to pass, he frantically rubbed his palms warm before reaching under your shirt to place them on your tummy. You found it adorable how he always muttered inaudibly under his breath when he was in his little panicked state. He gave your back a satisfying massage when you complained about it hurting the whole day,

 

You lay in his lap again, this time on the couch in the living room, your head nestled comfortably in the crook of his arm. You memorized every line and angle of his face as he flipped through channels absentmindedly, chuckling softly when he watched something funny and turning his face down to smile at you. He plucked a washed strawberry from the bowl on the coffee table and cupped it in his hands, warming it to body temperature, before feeding it into your mouth. And all you could think about was how perfect this boy was, how unbelievable lucky you were to have him as your boyfriend, and how loved he made you feel.

 

You reached an arm and brought his face down to you, attacking his lips with yours, as what started out to be a gentle kiss gradually turned hungrier and hungrier.

 

Outside, it was as if the chilly streets of Seoul had been bathed in the warmest glow.