E2 Group Play

@✵ henry lau ᵖʳᵒᵈᵘᶜᵉʳ "Nuh nuh nuh," Jackson answered sloppily, dragging a finger down Henry's lip as if enticing him, "You'reeee the best...at it all!" He was seeing double at this point, so he had to lay down and close his eyes. "Even the best...partner!" At least he was still thinking coherently enough to say that much. There wasn't much else that Jackson could do to keep his consciousness, so despite all of Henry's efforts to help him wash up, he turned in for the night right after that, leaving Henry to his own devices.

[post deleted by owner]

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ Henry thought Jackson's body amazing, but in his stupor it seemed that he neglected to actually respond. "Uhng..." he groaned when Jackson suddenly grabbed at his hand. "Who?" he slurred, scratching Jackson's stomach gently with his fingertips. "Oh... that idiot Choi Chanhee... he doesn't know what he's f'kin talkin' about," he made sure to say loudly, in case he wasn't actually saying it aloud this time. "If you were my boyfriend, I would be soooo proud of you. Muaaaaaah," he said, finishing off with another wet kiss against Jackson's cheek. "Cuz you are sooo good at everything. I'm so jealous... honestly..."

@✵ henry lau ᵖʳᵒᵈᵘᶜᵉʳ Jackson was used to showing skin...to Baekhyun. He didn't think too much about it when Henry asked him to essentially strip, so he did, pulliing the shirt straight up and off his body. He pouted when the praise didn't start rolling in though, and so he grabbed the older's hand, pressing it flat against his abs, "Whaddya think?" he asked, his half-lidded eyes clearly searching for some kind of amazed response or envy in Henry's eyes. Jackson groaned as he chucked his shirt off to the side and then fell back against the mattress, grinning stupidly, "This why...this why I go to the gym! HE SAYS I go to the gym too much...but this why."

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ Henry had no idea what Jackson was trying to do. He ended up pressing a kiss back against Jackson's cheek. It was very platonic, of course, so he was sure Victoria wouldn't mind. "What're you doing?" he followed up with anyway, the motherly instinct kicking right back in. Of course, he had to represent his love while she wasn't around. "You can't go to sleep with durty clothes... c'mere, lemme take them off." Without trying to even sit up, Henry pulled at the hem of Jackson's shirt. "Show me that skin, boy."

@✵ henry lau ᵖʳᵒᵈᵘᶜᵉʳ Jackson's body and mind chose very specific tasks and thoughts to act on when he was intoxicated, and so when Henry kept reminding him about the bathroom, he beckoned the older to follow him with a lazy waved hand. "C'mere," he said, smiling sleazily again, "This way..." in which he led them straight into his Master bedroom. Jackson's next goal was to pull Henry by the wrist and push him into bed. "Sleep now..." he said, shushing the older and tucking him in with the covers. "Hushhhhhhh," he insisted, even leaning in to press a good night kiss on Henry's forehead.

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ If Henry was lifted like this while he was sober, he definitely would not have been cool with it. Now, he giggled like a little girl and hugged Jackson around his neck as he was hauled upstairs. Stupid idea, really, but they somehow made it up without falling backward and cracking either or both their heads open. "Now..." Henry slurred, sliding out of Jackson's arms and stumbling in a wild direction. He was already not familiar with the layout of Jackson's home, but his sense of direction was much worse with his foggy mind. "Gotta wash your fase," he mumbled, still intent on taking care of Jackson even when he could barely care for himself. "Come on, baby. Bathroom..."

@✵ henry lau ᵖʳᵒᵈᵘᶜᵉʳ At some point, it just felt right for Jackson to swing a leg over Henry's thighs and keep it there. Just one leg. The other one remained sprawled out on the other end of the couch. It was starting to get warmer, and so he spread his arms out too, to distribute the heat or something against the wide surfaces of his couch. But, whenever he felt a breeze, he would simply take another gulp of whatever bottle of liquor was in his hands and he'd feel that comforting warmth again. When Henry finally decided it was time to call it a night, Jackson didn't protest, but he had his own way of going about it. Instead of letting Henry support him, he took the older's hand to stand but then bent and picked Henry up under his knee and behind his shoulders, carrying him bridal style. Given his intoxicated state, Jackson stumbled just a little, but it wasn't enough to make him topple. He grinned sleazily as he blew the older a kiss, "I gotchu baby boo, where we goin'?"

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ Henry felt inexplicably warm when Jackson leaned in close. They lazed around, drinking to the stupid show that just kept showing and showing on the enormous television in the living room. By the time they finished the fourth bottle, Henry had definitely had /enough/. Jackson had a very unreadable expression on his face. He was probably long gone, Henry thought. He was still somewhat conscious, so he had to be at least the somewhat responsible one. "Aight," he mumbled, struggling to stand first. "Les wash your face and getchu to bed, baby boy."

@✵ henry lau ᵖʳᵒᵈᵘᶜᵉʳ At this point, Jackson was too far gone to be having a full on conversation with Henry anymore. He simply made a satisfied face when Henry finished taking his drink. As they got up and stumbled over to the couch, Jackson had his arm firmly clasped around the older's waist, pulling him in close with an ironclad grip. Jackson settled down on the far end of the couch, then leaned in so that his lips almost touched the side of Henry's neck. His warm breath permeated across the older's skin as he mumbled, "Ain't nobody dying tonight. We livin' it up baby."

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ "Ooh my god," Henry said, half his mind telling him it was too extreme to drink straight from the bottle (he was old), the other half telling him that this would, indeed, be an awesome way to put himself in a drunken stupor. Before he could decide for himself, Jackson was already tilting the bottle up against his mouth, so Henry had no choice but to drink, gulping until Jackson lowered the bottle again. "Holy ," he mumbled, already feeling the alcohol hit him like a truck. At the rate that Jackson made him drink, there was no way there was going to be any cleaning up done, so Henry dragged them to the couch (along with a new bottle of whiskey that Henry may or may not have had a part in choosing). "Are you tryna kill us?"

@✵ henry lau ᵖʳᵒᵈᵘᶜᵉʳ "Oooohhh yeahh," Jackson called out, as if he had just remembered something extremely important, "I have thaaat bottle!" His eyes were closed but with big beckoning motions of his arm, he welcomed Henry to join him again. Jackson took the bottle from Henry, spinning the cap off of it. "It's best to have it this way," he said, raising his brows like he was sharing a secret tip. Tilting the bottle straight into his mouth, he took three large gulps of the spicy liquor before hissing in pleasure. Throwing his arm around Henry's waist and pulling him close, Jackson brought the bottle up to his friend's mouth, the flick of his brow telling Henry to do the same.

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ It was no surprise that the meats were all finished between the two of them. But even if there was no food left to pad their alcohol intake, Henry still stumbled over to the liquor cabinet to fish out their third bottle of brandy. "Oh, yes," he grinned, already a little tipsy from how fast they were doing shots ("One shot every time the girl in the TV show screamed 'oppa'.") "Honey~" he called out as he stomped back to the dining table with his prize. "I hope you're still up for this. I'm trying your twelve-thousand dollar bottle of Hennessy, so you better at least stay awake for this."

@✵ henry lau ᵖʳᵒᵈᵘᶜᵉʳ "Hell yeah seriously!" Jackson confirmed, more interested in pouring himself a glass of the Remy Martin over his freshly curated ice cube. He also prepared a glass for Henry and placed it in front of the older. "Hyung has to cook for me, of course!" Jackson said, nudging Henry in his side, "This is a good practice for when you're eating with my sister-in-law!" He grinned as he said then, then let out a high pitched squeal as he raised his glass to toast Henry. "I like my beef just swizzled around, not overcooked, thanks!" he said, blowing the older a kiss. And for the next three hours, Jackson and Henry ate until the table was cleared off and the bottle of liquor was empty.

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ Being friends with Jackson really had its perks. "Seriously?!" he was practically trying to lug the thing to a side already, as if Jackson might change his mind. "You're the best, you really are." If there was no Victoria in his life, Henry would be very much vying for the number one spot in Jackson's heart. The flashy car! The enormous kitchen! Stupid gadgets like this ice maker! Henry could have it all without lifting a finger, and he could write to his heart's content without having to cater to the music making big-wigs. They brought their drinks to the table, where the grill and pot were ready for them. "Alright, eat up. Or do you need hyung to cook for you too?"

@✵ henry lau ᵖʳᵒᵈᵘᶜᵉʳ Jackson grabbed two tumblers off his rack (conveniently some of the only serve ware that he had out) and placed them in his and Henry's spot. His partner returned with his drink of choice and Jackson clicked his tongue, nodding in approval, "That's the good stuff," he pointed out. He grinned as he picked up the tongs that were attached to the side of the ice machine, dropping in a sizeable ball of ice into their glasses. "Don't worry about the cost!" Jackson exclaimed, unplugging the machine and pushing it towards Henry, "Take this one home with you, I have another one in there!" he said, flicking his chin at his shelves, "What's the point of having a sweetheart you can't pamper, right?"

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ “No, I don’t,” Henry said, cracking open the top to fill it with a bottle of water he picked up from one of their grocery bags. They messed around with the settings before pressing the singular button on the machine, and a timer for five minutes flashed on the screen. While they waited for that (and the grill, /and/ the hot pot water), Henry invited himself to Jackson’s cellar to pick their drinks. They would start with something light, of course — or so Henry told himself. The moment his eyes landed on the bottle of Remy Martin XO right at his eye level, he pulled it out without even considering anything else. Of course, when the opportunity for expensive liquors was presented, one /had/ to take it. By that time, the ice machine was done, and Henry watched with wide eyes as a perfectly round ball of ice rolled out the slot. “Holy . How much did this thing cost? ‘Cause now I want one.”

@✵ henry lau ᵖʳᵒᵈᵘᶜᵉʳ "Leave the mess, it's not meant to be yours to worry about," Jackson casually comforted Henry. Though he was tired, he eventually felt better and more energized as they made their stops to pick up their ingredients. By the time they arrived home, Jackson was up and ready to participate with Henry again in the whole cooking process. While the older set up the table, Jackson went to pull out the drinks as he promised. From the shelves, he pulled out his ice-making machine, proudly bringing it to show off to Henry at the dining table. "Watch this," he said, plugging it in, "It's instant ice, do you believe me?"

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ "If we're /both/ drunk, who's going to mop up the mess?" Henry still didn't think bringing home pre-grilled meat was going to be very entertaining, so they bought a tiny table-top grill (which conveniently came with a hotpot pot attached at one end. Jackson didn't want him to cook, so Henry compromised with buying pre-marinated meats for their barbecue-slash-hotpot date. Henry hadn't been over to Jackson's place often, so each time he did, he was wowed by how luxuriously spacious it was. He was envious — what he wouldn't give to provide Victoria with a life like this! And Jackson wasted it on boys like Choi Chanhee (well, supposedly not) instead. They set up their new grill on one end of the dining table, so that they wouldn't have to reach far. "Show me your ice maker thing," Henry demanded once they got everything set up and were waiting for the grill to heat and the soup to boil base to boil. "The one you said where you can make round ice cubes."

@✵ henry lau ᵖʳᵒᵈᵘᶜᵉʳ Even if Jackson was tired, he still could quip with Henry. "Nuh nuh no, you promised barbecue! Don't try to skimp out on me babe!" he said, buckling up and leaning against the headrest. He didn't want Henry to have to cook - this was supposed to be casual! "Just get some grilled meat and let's have soju at my place. I have whiskey and tequila too. Been waiting to share them with you," Jackson said, raising his brows suggestively. "We're not done until we're drunk!" he declared.

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ "Say no more." Henry caught the keys, giddy to have a chance to drive the y red beast Jackson kept. He walked Jackson to the passenger side, whistling as he lifted the butterfly door for the younger. Although there wasn't much for Jackson to hit his head on, Henry hovered a hand over his head anyway, like he would do with Victoria, while the younger got into the car. "What should we eat?" Henry asked once they were both situation, helping himself to the charging wire. Since they were going straight to Jackson's place, they couldn't bring back already barbecued meat. "I'll cook for you. Or we could get pizza, since I don't think you'll have any real groceries in your fridge for me to use."

@✵ henry lau ᵖʳᵒᵈᵘᶜᵉʳ Jackson rubbed his eyes as he tried to push the sleepiness out of him, but it was rather difficult. The bright lights in the company hallways suddenly turned glaring, so he only kept one eye open and squinted uncomfortably as Henry escorted them out. "Just sleep over, babe," he told Henry, easily accepting the alternative suggestion when it was offered. They made it out to the parking lot, and Jackson naturally pulled his Ferrari keys out, holding it out to Henry, "I want to be your passenger princess tonight, love."

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ Henry tucked his arms beneath Jackson’s shoulders and heaved him up and off his chair, grunting in effort when he did. From there, they continued to walk out like that, stuck together at the hip. “Aiyo, look at you,” Henry said as they waited for the elevator, peering down at Jackson’s hooded eyes. “We can just bring some takeout to your place so you can go right to bed after. Your eyes can barely stay open! And hyung won’t have to bring your heavy all the way back to your place after you pass out. How does that sound?” The elevator arrived, and Henry tugged Jackson to walk, one arm wrapped tightly around Jackson’s weight to keep him close.

@✵ henry lau ᵖʳᵒᵈᵘᶜᵉʳ Jackson had a tendency to work until he fell asleep over his equipment. It was a habit of his that stemmed from his never-ending high expectations for the work he created, always believing that what he created could be tweaked in some way to become even better. Henry seemed to have a better work-life balance than he did, which meant he called the shots of when they started and stopped. Looking up and blinking his eyes dramatically to force himself awake, Jackson hummed, "Oh- yeah, let's go." He lifted two arms limply, hanging in midair as he pouted and whined to Henry, "Sweetheart, help me. I need to lean on you~"

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ With this head start Jackson had given him, Henry was /more/ than willing to let Jackson drink his fill tonight, tomorrow night, and for as many nights as Jackson wanted. They worked hard, no distractions, into the evening, only taking a break to order lunch halfway through. Henry was satisfied with the work they'd done in a day, but there was a lot more polishing to be done. "Let's wrap up for today," Henry suggested, seeing the droopiness in Jackson's eyes. "You barely ate your lunch. Let's go. Barbecue, right?" Henry squeezed Jackson's shoulders, not liking the tension he felt beneath his hands. He should probably take Jackson to a masseuse first. "Barbecue~ Baby boy, wake up."

@✵ henry lau ᵖʳᵒᵈᵘᶜᵉʳ Henry's reaction made Jackson even more giddy, and he gave the older a secretive smirk in response to all the questions. "I always had this in me," Jackson said, crossing his arms and leaning back in his chair in a display of all his music-creating mojo. "But you're right, I did get a boost in muse a while back, and this happened to be the product of that." Seeing how much Henry legitimately liked the song, Jackson held up two hands in resignation, "Hehe, alright it's all yours babe," he said, winking at Henry and blowing him a kiss. "You're going to have to do a lot of compensation, such as taking me out on a drink tonight. Barbecue /and/ soju," he bargained, "And that's only the start!" Jackson eventually reached over to throw an arm around Henry as they put their heads together to refine the perfect wedding gift song.

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ Henry listened intently, but he couldn't help but give Jackson a knowing smirk when he heard the lines. Whoever this guy was, Choi Chanhee or not, he was doing something good to Jackson's muse. "Oh my god," he said, reaching over to the trackpad to slide the progress bar, playing the first couple lines again. "What is this?" he exclaimed, nodding along to the melody, feet tapping to the beat. It was romantic and emotional, all in one. Henry was stealing this one, and Jackson was not allowed to have it back. "You went from writing all those angsty songs to this? Who is this guy, and what's he done to you? Sheesh!" The lyrics held the same sentiment as the chorus all the way through. While they let the song play, Henry printed out a copy of the lyrics from Jackson's laptop, making little annotations and changes as they went through the song together from the top. "Obviously, I'm singing this for noona at our wedding," Henry said, as if Victoria had already said yes. If Jackson was his best man, he'd be too busy with the groomsmen duties anyway to prepare a performance. "Sorry, baby boy. Hyung will compensate you."

@✵ henry lau ᵖʳᵒᵈᵘᶜᵉʳ "Ah , then we gotta get right to work sweetheart!" Jackson exclaimed. They had less than a year to write their music, and if Henry was going to be busy with the wedding preparations in a few months (according to his timeline) then they had even less than a quarter of the year to write the perfect wedding song. Jackson spun around on his chair to his laptop once his hands were set free and he scrolled through a few of his demo tracks, playing snippets of the melody before skipping to the next one. "This one," he said when he found a suitable one. Jackson turned up the volume, just as the lyrics went:

'Cause you're the right time
At the right moment
You're the sunlight
Keeps my heart going, oh-oh-whoa'

@✵ jackson wang ʳᵃᵖ ᶜᵒᵃᶜʰ "I'M SERIOUS," Henry yelled right back, sending to grip Jackson by his wrists in his excitement. "If everything goes well... I want to be married before the end of the year." Overwhelmed by his love for Victoria, Henry sank into his seat with a sigh, glancing over toward Jackson again when he spoke. Henry had been so preoccupied with the ring that he had forgotten one of his greatest assets. "Oh my god, you're RIGHT," he exclaimed. "We've written them enough to last them three full comebacks. We've got more important things to focus on right now. Show me what you got, baby boy." Of course, since Jackson spent all his time in the studio, he better had a few lines to lend Henry for the time being. "You got any lines I can borrow?"

@✵ henry lau ᵖʳᵒᵈᵘᶜᵉʳ Henry lowered his voice, but the information only made Jackson louder. "OH SHIIIIIT, ARE YOU SERIOUS?" His voice thundered in the studio, but it was just the two of them in there, so Jackson made no effort to lower his voice, "DAMN I'M SO EXCITED FOR YOU HYUNG. YEAH YOU KNOW IT. I CAN'T WAIT." He shot up in his chair, declaring dramatically, "I WILL WRITE A SPEECH THAT PERFECTLY DESCRIBES HOW PERFECT YOU AND NOONA ARE FOR EACH OTHER." With the new happy undertones to their conversation, Jackson got an idea, "Let's write a wedding song for you," he said, "The boys have enough songs in their album for now. Whaddya say?"