E2 Baek x Jackson

@✵ byun baekhyun ²⁰/²⁰ Once Baekhyun was settling into his dumplings without burning his lips a second time, Jackson joined him to eat. He was still pretty full from lunch, but the distinct difference in western and eastern flavors made the dumplings much more enjoyable than they would've normally been on a full stomach. He ate two in the time that it took Baekhyun to finish one, and in the midst of chewing, could only roll his eyes in agreement and nod his head at the younger's compliments. There were only six dumplings per order, so the food was gone before they had even started. Jackson stared at his empty container box and sighed, "That was so perfect."

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ Baekhyun had just been expecting Jackson to go grab an iced water for him, but instead he got something much more satisfying. Grinning into their kiss, Baekhyun was all smiles when Jackson pulled away. Despite the throbbing over his tongue where hot soup scalded him. he reported dutifully, "All better, Daddy." He was much more careful with his next dumpling, biting out a small hole at the base to the soup out at his own pace. The dumplings were delicious — much better than any of the ones Baekhyun had back home. "Mmm!" he complimented, dancing on the spot as he chewed. He was a little full from drinking his coffee so quickly, but the dumplings were too tasty to pass up. "You're right! These are soooo good."

@✵ byun baekhyun ²⁰/²⁰ Jackson was unamused. How had he literally walked right into Baekhyun's ? He clicked his tongue in disapproval, deciding that he'd just sit with the comment instead of letting the older get away with any more imagery from a comeback. Watching as Baekhyun tried his first bite of the dumpling, Jackson even winced as the younger took a too-big bite into the dumpling and started to slurp out the liquid inside. "Ah- careful," he warned, though it was too late. When Baekhyun turned to look at him with with his 'save-me' puppy dog eyes, Jackson sighed and shook his head, leaning in to kiss the pain away, also getting a taste of the dumplings from Baekhyun's wet lip.

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ Baekhyun could never pass down the opportunity to flirt. Even if no one could understand him, he still said lowly, almost secretively, in Jackson’s ear, “Don’t you know that’s what I like?” Confident that he had filled Jackson’s mind with the imagery of his face from the night before, Baekhyun ripped apart his chopsticks and a packet of the sauce, creating a little pool of soy sauce for them to dip in. He'd had soup dumplings before, either from Yibo or Jackson taking him, but obviously, soup dumplings in Korea weren't going to be close to the real thing. He pinched at the stems, trying not to puncture the delicate skin, and led at the soup. It was hot — burning hot — but Baekhyun didn't let up until he'd drained the first dumpling of soup. Once it was dry, he straightened up, sniffling to Jackson as though the older could do anything about it. "It's really hot," he whimpered, as if he hadn't already been wanted once before he ate. "My mouth..."

@✵ byun baekhyun ²⁰/²⁰ If Jackson could only list one reason of why he wanted to visit Hong Kong, it would be this: he could hug Baekhyun out in public and no one even batted an eye in their direction. Their dumplings were sure to be fresh-made, since Jackson watched as the lady take out a stack of steamers and replace them with new ones every few minutes. The place didn't seem like it, but it was bustling. When their number was called out, Jackson almost stumbled as Baekhyun zoomed away with the bag of dumplings in his hand, "Hold them upright!" he warned the younger, grabbing two pairs of chopsticks before settling down in the opening with Baekhyun, "Careful babe, it's hot," he said, opening the lid to a box of dumplings for Baekhyun, "Try it, but be careful of the juices squirting out at you."

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ Throwing all his complaints out the window when he was hugged, Baekhyun was more than happy to wrap his arms around Jackson's back, snuggling despite how warm he'd been feeling all day. He didn't let go until their food was ready, and the moment Jackson retrieved the bag for them, Baekhyun was practically ripping it from his hands. He had his doubts at first, but looking around at the people enjoying their soup dumplings, Baekhyun was ready to eat, too. Luckily, another couple moved away from the standing bar table, leaving a space open for them. Baekhyun rushed over, untying the bag with the desperation of a man who hadn't eaten in days. "Hyung, quick! Before it gets cold."

@✵ byun baekhyun ²⁰/²⁰ "Don't you see the entire inside of the restaurant filled with people?" Jackson asked as Baekhyun opened the door to the dumpling place, "This is what we call, cheap and good eats." Seeing that there wasn't much room for them to sit, he figured they'd order and sit outside to eat. "Don't worry baby," Jackson reassured Baekhyun, pulling the younger close by the waist as he ordered in Cantonese without needing much direction, "Two orders of soup dumplings, please." While soup dumplings themselves were more of a mainland China favorite, Jackson knew better than to pass it up when this restaurant claimed it as their own specialty. He paid up, and then to give Baekhyun even more comfort, pulled him to a corner away from the gaze of all the other diners to hug to his chest.

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ “I want dumplings!” Baekhyun chirped, forgetting about the mountain in an instant when Jackson offered food again. They made their way across the street, and Baekhyun tossed his already-finished) coffee on the way (it was so hot outdoors). There was a menu pasted outside of the restaurant, and even if Baekhyun couldn’t read any of it, he was taken aback by how frayed the paper was. Why was Jackson always bringing him to these questionable places? “Uh…” Gingerly, he pulled at the sticky door handle with only his index finger, kicking the door open the rest of the way. “Are you sure this place is good?”

@✵ byun baekhyun ²⁰/²⁰ The mountain in Baekhyun's words was actually quite a distance off - Woh Chai San - so Jackson just smiled a little wearily as he shook his head, "Well...let's see how far we get along the streets first and then we'll decide if we want to head towards that mountain." Jackson would much rather stay down here, where there were people to interact with. He had precisely come on vacation to avoid working (and working out, despite how much he loved it). Luckily, Baekhyun was attracted to the street stalls with fried snacks, but Jackson didn't think those were really worth a second look at. "Don't you see them in tank tops?" he asked Baekhyun, "That's the ultimate uniform to make sure they don't overheat." All of a sudden, before he knew it, Jackson happened upon a fragrant smell. "Oh! Baby, want to try some dim sum?" he asked, "You know, different types of dumplings? That place over there looks really good, shall I get us some?" he asked, throwing all concept of 'dinner' out his window.

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ Along the street? Outside? Baekhyun disguised his groan as a heavy exhale. "And then... the street leads to the mountain?" he asked, completely clueless regarding the geography of the city when Jackson ignored his request. Taking a long sip of his coffee to combat the stuffiness in the air, Baekhyun slipped his hand into Jackson's despite his complaints about the heat. The thing about the hot weather, though, was that the smells of food floated over to Baekhyun much more intensely. He lifted his nose to sniff, distracted by the fragrance of food already. "Mm... what's that?" he asked, pointing to a stall that seemed to sell a variety of fried things. "Oh? The uncles just deep frying things there? Isn't he hot?"

@✵ byun baekhyun ²⁰/²⁰ Baekhyun's drink was a little sweeter, which would probably suit his boyfriend better. Jackson liked the smooth honey flavor that rolled over his tongue a little more, and he was secretly thankful that Baekhyun had this cup in his hand first. "We're going to walk along these streets," Jackson said, "This is a really popular shopping area." Of course, the first three spots they passed by were street food stalls, but Jackson didn't make a comment about it. He should've probably mentioned that the street food around here was quite popular too, but that would be too much for them to stomach if they were going to do a hearty dinner that night.

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ Baekhyun took a long sip of the honey latte before angling the straw from the caramel latte toward Jackson. "Oh... yes, it's very good," he said. Admittedly, he could barely tell the difference between the two, but he wasn't going to burst Jackson's bubble. They stayed in the mall while they had their drinks, thankfully. Baekhyun was in a much better mood when he wasn't melting and encased the humid heat. "What else are you going to show me?" Baekhyun asked, chewing on his straw. They only had a couple days here, which was unfair. How could Jackson book such a short vacation for them? "I heard about the mountain before. Will you take me?" 'The mountain' was definitely very ambiguous, but Jackson had to know what Baekhyun was talking about, right?

@✵ byun baekhyun ²⁰/²⁰ "I would believe it if you told me you were made of coffee, Princess," Jackson answered right back, smooth as he added, "Just your smell alone could wake me up." He let Baekhyun lean against him for the entire duration of time that they waited for their drinks. Though they had never specified who was going to drink what, Jackson naturally accepted whatever drink Baekhyun in his direction, so he poked the straw into the cup and brought it to his lips, sipping at the Raw Honey Latte. It was strong in coffee flavor and the honey added to its robustness. "Hm, this is actually kinda new...refreshing...pretty good," he commented, offering it up to Baekhyun to try first. Jackson was no coffee connoisseur, but this one sip alone was enough to tell him why so many people had good things to say about the place.

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ "What would you know? You're sniffing the back of my head." Despite the harsh words, there was a smile playing on Baekhyun's lips as he leaned back against Jackson, always easily comforted by the firm wall that his boyfriend was. When their order was called (Baekhyun caught the number in English), he shoved Jackson off him with a grin tossed over his shoulder, heading to the counter to receive their drinks. sticking a straw into each, Baekhyun handed one to Jackson at random, figuring they'd switch if he didn't like his. Giving his drink a vigorous shake and a long stir with the straw, Baekhyun sipped cautiously. Salted caramel! There was a tinge of salt to the sweetness of the caramel syrup, which blended smoothly with the latte itself. "Mm! So good. I like it. Hyung, what about yours?"

@✵ byun baekhyun ²⁰/²⁰ Baekhyun liked to pretend that he didn't have an opinion, but the both of them knew better than to actually fall for his act. Jackson was pretty sure charcoal was the most interesting drink on the menu next to the raw honey latte, but he settled for a sea salt caramel latte instead, at Baekhyun's behest. While waiting for their coffee to be brewed by the cup, Jackson followed Baekhyun around, sniffing at the different coffee beans and blends that the cafe sold. He wrinkled his nose when there was a tart, fruity scent from one of them. "Oh what is that...Singaporean blend? Not a fan..." he muttered, pulling Baekhyun in by the waist and standing behind the younger, "I think the Arabica blend is the most popular one," he murmured, his lips brushing against the hairs of Baekhyun's long neck.

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ "I'm not drinking charcoal. It tastes like gravel," Baekhyun deadpanned, before Jackson could push that onto him. "And I don't think you're going to like it either. Get something else." Once he'd forced him to switch it up to something more appealing, Baekhyun left Jackson behind to make a beeline for the display of coffee beans on the side. They packed the beans for sale as well, so the jars of beans were probably for sniffing. Like a child in a candy store, Baekhyun was more than happy to starting yanking things off the shelf to give them a sniff. Like the typical americano drinker he was, and to his dismay, he smelled no difference between any of them.

@✵ byun baekhyun ²⁰/²⁰ "Yeah, Cofflow," Jackson said, rubbing the back of Baekhyun's neck to praise his boyfriend for trying. The menu included food too, which he had not heard much about, but was quite impressed with the variety. They were just here for the coffee though, since there would be many things they could eat that night at dinner time. "Hm, let's get the Raw Honey Latte then," he decided when Baekhyun asked for his opinion, "And the Charcoal Latte sounds interesting, don't you think?" He knew Baekhyun was an Americano drinker, but since they were in Hong Kong, Jackson wanted to try something new, so he conveniently 'missed' the menu with the basic Americano and espresso drinks on there. "Let's get them iced, since it'll be a hot day today," he said, stepping up to order once the person in front of them finished.

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ "Koppeullo," Baekhyun exaggerated, even if he was very proficient with the English 'f' now. Jackson's selling point for the coffee shop didn't do much to interest Baekhyun, though. He was Korean; he only drank iced americanos. Who cares where the bean came from? The issue was, as they joined the line in the store, this cafe did not sell iced americanos. Baekhyun scoffed. Now he actually had to pick something. "What are you getting?" he asked, his vision swimming before him at the foreign menu, only relying on the illustrations of the drinks. They all looked the same, with only slight variations like a mint leaf on one or powder sprinkling on another. Baekhyun frowned before turning back to Jackson. "Can you choose one for me?"

@✵ byun baekhyun ²⁰/²⁰ The streets of Hong Kong were pretty similar to the streets of Seoul, so Jackson had no problem maneuvering his car through the busy and narrow streets as they made their way further into the city for their coffee date. "It's called...Cofflow Specialty Coffee," he said, remembering hearing a lot of good things about it, both from his acquaintances back home and from the online reviews he'd read while planning for their vacation. The coffee shop was located in a downtown area, which they would need to access by walking. Jackson found parking in a small, unattended lot a few blocks away, and he pulled out his phone to map the rest of the way there. "They source their coffee beans from around the world, so that's what makes it special I think," he reported to Baekhyun dutifully as they walked in the direction of the shop.

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ "You're just saying that," Baekhyun huffed, hugging Jackson's arm to his body while they made their way back to the car despite the humid weather. He was, however, more than happy to abandon the arm once the car was in sight, speeding over to climb into the air-conditioned space again. Melting into his seat, Baekhyun was purring as he angled the vents toward him. Their vacation felt... different. In Seoul, when Baekhyun went out, there was always a constant voice of reason at the back of his mind reminding him to keep himself in check, and that he had work the next day, and so on forth. Here, in a foreign country, it felt like a dream — a dream where he had no responsibilities, no nothing, where he wasn't Baekhyun and no one cared what he did on the street. He sighed his contentment, reaching over for Jackson's hand. "What cafe again? I forgot what you said earlier."

@✵ byun baekhyun ²⁰/²⁰ Jackson wasn't picky about who he asked, so he stopped the first person who happened across them, holding out his phone in a request for pictures. When the man agreed, Jackson thanked him before bounding back to Baekhyun's side and pulling his boyfriend close. He was never once to take serious photos, and so his poses consisted of a few funny faces and hand gestures - it was a set that he always ran through when someone took photos for him. Thanking the man when his phone was returned, he relinquished it to Baekhyun for the younger to scrutinize. "Don't be dramatic, you look good no matter what," Jackson said, pocketing his phone, "Wanna head out now? Let's go to that coffee shop I was telling you about."

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ What a good idea. "Go ask someone to take it for us," he said, holding onto their little corner for the backdrop of their photo. The photographer Jackson picked for them was a middle aged man who /surely/ had no idea about Korean singers, so Baekhyun wasn't shy with sliding an arm behind Jackson's waist and leaning into his boyfriend's side, his smile soft and practiced from hours in front of a camera. The thing with letting some old guy take their photo, however, was that Baekhyun's face turned out too wide in the pictures. He huffed after he reviewed them. "I don't look good in any of these," he muttered, shooting their photographer a glare as he pushed the phone back into Jackson's hands.

@✵ byun baekhyun ²⁰/²⁰ How cruel of Baekhyun to actually take away Jackson's wine as he said he would. He watched the younger gulp down his glass before they got up and headed to the highest observation deck. "Wow," he echoed after Baekhyun. Jackson had actually only been here once in his life prior to bringing Baekhyun, and it was when he was still a teenager. The view looked similar, but he didn't remember being so impressed. Everything looked grandiose in the distance, offering him the gorgeous view of a clear-skied Hong Kong. "Mm," he agreed, stepping behind Baekhyun and holding the younger by the small of his back, "Take it all in baby. Should we get a picture of us here?"

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ The portions served were decent, but between the two of them the plates were cleared before the half-hour mark. Baekhyun finished his wine before, true to his word, reaching for Jackson's glass. "You're driving," he reminded the older, draining the rest of the glass. Once they settled their bill, they headed up one more level, bringing them to a deck with floor-to-ceiling glass windows and even sections of glass flooring to allow one to look straight down. Baekhyun avoided those, making a beeline for the window instead. The view was even better without the obstruction of tables, the horizon stretching into nothingness from where they stood. Baekhyun's hands pressed against the glass as he leaned forward, the tip of his nose almost touching it. "So pretty! This is so romantic."

@✵ byun baekhyun ²⁰/²⁰ Jackson was just as satisfied watching Baekhyun eat as he was actually trying the foods himself. He was impressed by how much the younger could eat so early in the morning, but he had to admit that having these hot foods made it hard to resist taking bite after bite. He wiped Baekhyun's hand after the younger dropped a hot piece of beef on his palm, but other than that, they ate without any more troubles. Jackson liked the black tea waffle, surprised at how powerful the tea flavor came across. "It is actually really good!" he agreed, smiling as he fed Baekhyun another cut piece of waffle, "After this, let's take a walk around the observation deck."

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ “It’s okay, we’ll just eat off these,” Baekhyun said of the little plates over their table, taking a couple pictures of their food (the lighting was very good so high up) before he began to dig in, cutting out a slice of beef pie and blowing on his forkful before holding it up to Jackson’s mouth, his free hand forming a cup to catch any falling beef chunks. One of the pieces did end up falling out, and Baekhyun squeaked, whipping the chunk over his empty plate. “Hot!” He cut a chunk of the panini for himself next, his feet tapping against the ground in anticipation at the oozing cheese from the sandwich. It was flavourful and carby, everything that was against his company-assigned diet, and Baekhyun wolfed down the chink in a couple bites. “Mm! So good!”

@✵ byun baekhyun ²⁰/²⁰ "Aww baby, don't do that to me," Jackson frowned when his alcohol was being reduced. He didn't complain about anything else, really, but when he couldn't have his alcohol? That made him a sulky . Busying himself with being the perfect Instagram boyfriend, Jackson helped Baekhyun snap photos until they took a wide enough variety for the younger to scroll through in bed later. Their food didn't take long to arrive, and Jackson was pretty impressed with the plating. "I'll ask them for separate plates too, so we can share everything," he said, after briefly introducing each item to Baekhyun, "I've never tried a beef pie though, but it looks good."

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ Having no idea what Jackson ordered them, Baekhyun didn’t ask, figuring he’d know when the food arrived anyway. “No, half a glass for you,” Baekhyun decided, since Jackson was driving. They had foregone the public transportation today after Baekhyun moaned about how little air conditioning time he got if they had to walk from the subway trains to the busses. Despite the horrible angle Jackson would get from sitting beside him, Baekhyun handed him his phone. “Take a picture of me. The view is so pretty. I want to remember it forever.” His poses ranged from cool to cute while Jackson snapped, wanting a variety to pick from later.

@✵ byun baekhyun ²⁰/²⁰ Jackson's chest puffed up in pride when he saw the amazed look on Baekhyun's face. "Yeah Princess, it's pretty," he grinned, his hand flattened over the small of Baekhyun's back when they were seated. He didn't really glance at the scenery though, instead training his eyes on Baekhyun's face as the emotions of joy and curiosity so eloquently displayed themselves over his features. "Huh? I'm choosing?" he asked, "Okay let's see..." He took his job as tour guide seriously, and when the waiter came by to take their order, he requested without hesitation, "One black tea waffle, chicken panini, and a beef pie to share please. Oh, and two glasses of red wine." He smiled at Baekhyun, who hadn't the slightest clue of what they just said. In Korean, he told the younger, "Only one glass for each of us here, since I'm taking you to a real cafe later."

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ After washing up, Baekhyun felt awake and ready to go, even if he still hadn’t slept a collective ten hours over two nights. They made their way across the city to have lunch over in a tall observation tower, and Baekhyun was genuinely impressed by their window seating that looked out into the harbour that cut through the city. The rolling white clouds over a bright blue sky and luscious green mountains in the horizon sealed the deal. “Hyung!” he gasped when the waiter who led them to their seats had gone. “It’s so pretty!” Looking down at the menu, presented in English with tiny Chinese translations beneath them, Baekhyun gave it two seconds before he leaned back to let Jackson decide. “I just want to eat something good,” he said. “And something that pairs with red wine.”