pairing: BaekLay
length: 2080 words

“Clear your schedule this weekend. I have a surprise for you.”

And that’s how Lay found himself in the passenger seat of Baekhyun’s car, with no idea of where they were headed. Honestly, he didn’t mind. He loved spending time with his boyfriend. But Baekhyun usually never kept any secrets from him. The younger male definitely tried to. But he’d blurt out the news within hours, sometimes even minutes.

At least he knew Baekhyun could never cheat on him. The poor boy would get caught immediately and he knew it. Lay softly chuckled to himself with this thought. Not that he ever believed Baekhyun would cheat on him. They were a match made in heaven. At least that’s what his grandparents said whenever he’d call home to update them on his life.

Baekhyun had managed to keep his mouth shut for the duration of the week, which Lay found quite amusing. He could tell that his boyfriend was itching to speak about their weekend plans, but had managed to successfully keep mum about wherever he was planning to whisk Lay to. Even now, as they drove on the highway, Baekhyun still hadn’t let out a peep about their destination. He wasn’t even using his phone’s GPS to navigate, so Lay was completely in the dark. As a foreigner, the older male still found the roadside signs quite confusing so he ignored them, knowing that they wouldn’t be of any help.

So Lay didn’t try to pry and instead joyfully sang with his boyfriend in the car to pass the time as they traveled, their voices beautifully harmonizing together. He could have napped, especially since his job as a dance teacher and professional choreographer left him physically exhausted every day. But it didn’t seem fair to make Baekhyun drive in silence, especially since this trip was supposedly a surprise for the older male.

Finally, the car pulled into the driveway of a small white house surrounded by a beautifully lush garden. Lay knew this wasn’t where Baekhyun’s parents lived; he had already met his boyfriend’s parents and visited their residence, soon after they began dating. Moreover, Baekhyun’s home wasn’t in this mountainous area. He didn’t think Baekhyun had bought a house for them either; they were still young and the apartment that they shared was enough for them at the moment. Not to mention, neither of them were rolling in money, so it wouldn’t have been practical to buy a house anyway.

“Baek, where are we?”

Baekhyun took a deep breath before spilling out, “Remember how you kept saying you wanted to go to Gangwon-do to visit my grandmother? Well, we’re here in Yanggu and this is where she lives. I’ve been planning this for awhile now, ever since I told my grandmother you wanted to visit. She’s been really excited to meet you. I hope you don’t think this is stupid or anything and I know you don’t like taking time off of work since the kids love going to your classes, but I just thought this would be nice because it’s going to be our third anniversary soon and I wanted to do something for you and—”

“Whoa, slow down, monster.” Lay leaned over and sweetly kissed his boyfriend while tightly clasping their hands together. “I’m really touched that you remembered such a silly request I made so long ago.”

“Of course. I never forget anything you say,” Baekhyun declared proudly, causing Lay to raise his eyebrows at that comical statement. “Okay, I might’ve forgotten a couple of things you’ve said in the past.”

“More like everything, you doofus,” Lay clarified affectionately as he tenderly patted his boyfriend’s soft, silky hair. “But I’ll forgive you, because you remembered this wish and that’s more than enough for me.”

Baekhyun beamed as the two of them stepped out of his car. “We’ll be staying here for the entire weekend, since we came all this way. Might as well stay as long as we can, right? Is that okay with you?”

“It’s fine. Sehun can help Xiumin take care of the weekend classes and Kai is putting the finishing touches on the dance for the new idol group we’ve been contracted to teach, so it’ll be fine if I’m gone this weekend,” Lay reassured him with a wide smile. “The world won’t fall apart if I’m not working for a few days.”

“Great! Let’s go meet my grandmother then!” Baekhyun excitedly interlocked their fingers and pulled his boyfriend to the front door. Using his free hand, the younger male jabbed the doorbell and the two of them could hear a faint jingle reverberate through the walls.

A few moments later, the door opened to show a short, gray-haired old woman. “Oh, Baekhyun, it’s you!”

“Hi Gran!” Baekhyun temporarily let go of Lay’s hand to give his grandmother a warm hug.

“Come in, come in.” Baekhyun’s grandmother quickly ushered the couple inside. “It’s been ages since you last visited. And is this handsome young man the one you’ve been telling me about?”

Baekhyun nodded vigorously, replying, “This is my boyfriend, Lay. He’s been wanting to meet you for a long time now.”

Lay quickly bowed to the old woman and introduced himself. “Hello Grandmother! My name is Zhang Yixing, but please call me Lay. It’s much easier to say than my birth name. Baekhyun’s told me so much about you.”

“Oh my, how did my little grandson manage to find such a well-mannered, good-looking man? Please make yourself comfortable.” Baekhyun’s grandmother swiftly directed them to the couch in the living room before asking, “Is there anything you boys would like to eat before we talk?”

“Baekhyun told me your sweet potatoes are amazing,” Lay answered enthusiastically, causing both Baekhyun and his grandmother to laugh out loud.

“Did he now? Well, I’ll have to stop by the grocery store later, so I can make the dish for you boys during your stay. I can quickly cut some fruit for now,” the old woman offered as an alternative.

“That’ll be perfect, Gran!” Baekhyun’s grandmother disappeared into the kitchen while Baekhyun leaned on Lay’s shoulder. “What do you think of her so far?”

“I can see who you got your bubbly personality from. How often did you visit her when you were younger?”

The younger male slightly scrunched his nose as he thought for a moment. “Well, I’d stay here for summer vacations with my older brother and the entire family would come for Christmas. Since my grandfather died before I was born, we basically made this place the headquarters for family gatherings so she wouldn’t be lonely. Once I went to college, I came a lot less. I think the last time I visited her was a year and a half ago, when my brother wanted to show off his newborn son.”

Lay smiled when he saw how Baekhyun’s expression shone brightly as he reminisced about his past. If it weren’t for this dork, who was currently tracing circles on the older male’s leg as he spoke, Lay didn’t know how he’d be able to stay young. It was hard being in a different country, away from family and in an unfamiliar environment. And although he loved his job and the people at the dance studio he was part of, it was still exhausting to work for eight hours a day, seven days a week.

If he didn’t have Baekhyun waiting for him at home each night with a hot meal waiting on the table and a warm bath already drawn up, Lay probably would’ve given up on everything long ago. Baekhyun was so light-hearted and positive that it was contagious, which was good for the dancer.

Baekhyun’s grandmother returned to the living room with a large glass bowl filled with an assortment of fruits, ranging from kiwis to strawberries to cantaloupe melon. “I wasn’t sure what you liked, Lay, so I just prepared a variety for the two of you.”

“I’m not picky with fruits at all, Grandmother. Thank you so much,” Lay said, quickly taking the heavy bowl from her and carefully setting it on the table for her.

“Where did you learn such great manners, Lay?” she gushed, pleased that her precious grandson was with such a nice boy.

“I lived with my grandparents for most of my life,” Lay explained fondly after quickly swallowing a strawberry. “Respect and courtesy were a big part of my upbringing.”

Baekhyun’s grandmother turned to her grandson and looked at him pointedly. “Baekhyun, you need to learn how to be polite from your boyfriend.”

“Gran!”

She ignored him and leaned towards Lay, whispering loudly, “Do you want to see his childhood photos? I’ve got a goldmine of pictures that you’ll never see anywhere else.”

“Don’t embarrass me in front of Lay!” Baekhyun turned to his boyfriend with panicked eyes and began pleading. “You really don’t want to see these pictures. They’re old and dumb, and we have better things to do and other things to talk about and—”

Lay cut him off and faced the old woman with a wide smile. “I’d love to see these pictures, Grandmother.”

Baekhyun groaned, knowing that the battle was lost.

--

The couple spent a relaxing weekend at Baekhyun’s grandmother’s home. It was like they were in their own little world as they fished and played in the river nearby, and hiked up the mountains to stargaze at night. And each day, Baekhyun’s grandmother would have a feast waiting for them on the dinner table, which the two famished boys would gratefully devour. She always made sure to spend a little extra time on the sweet potatoes, knowing that Lay was partial to them.

When the weekend ended and the pair had to return home, Lay almost felt like crying because this endearing old woman reminded him so much of his own grandparents, whom he missed terribly, and this had probably been the best weekend he had ever spent with his boyfriend. They were away from the hustle and bustle of the city, and there were no responsibilities to worry about. It was just him and Baekhyun doing whatever they wanted, and Lay couldn’t imagine going on such a carefree trip with anyone else.

Baekhyun noticed how tightly Lay hugged his grandmother and smiled joyfully to see that two of the people he loved most had grown to love each other in such a short time. It almost felt criminal when he had to softly tell his boyfriend that they needed to leave now so they could get home before nightfall. Baekhyun’s grandmother openly wept while Lay blinked back tears as he promised to come back soon.

As they drove away, it was completely silent with the exception of the quiet sniffles coming from Lay. Baekhyun felt his heart break, because this was supposed to be a happy trip and he hated seeing his boyfriend sad. He soon exited the freeway and pulled over to the nearest available sidewalk curb. “Do you want to talk, Lay?”

The older male roughly brushed away his tears before answering, “Sorry, I don’t know why I’m so emotional.”

“No, don’t be sorry. Come here, you.” Baekhyun undid his seatbelt before leaning over and enveloping his boyfriend between his arms. “You miss your grandparents, don’t you?”

Of course Baekhyun knew what was bothering him. Baekhyun always knew how Lay felt, without him ever needing to really vocalize it. “It’s just been so long since I last saw them,” Lay admitted as his heart wrenched with pain. “Sometimes, I just really miss home.”

Baekhyun knew why the older male hadn’t outright expressed his sentiments earlier. His boyfriend hated showing weakness and even though Baekhyun would never judge him, Lay was too stubborn sometimes to say anything. “Don’t ever be ashamed of feeling that way, okay?” the younger male firmly instructed Lay. “Everyone gets homesick, especially when they’re as close to their family as you and your grandparents are. You know what? Let’s visit them on our third anniversary.”

Lay was taken aback by Baekhyun's sudden suggestion. “A-are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t bring it up otherwise. Besides, your grandparents love me. Of course they’d want to see me,” Baekhyun boasted, puffing up his chest with pride.

Lay burst out laughing, feeling the cloud of gloominess slowly leave him. “You are so lame. God, I love you, Byun Baekhyun.”

“I love you too, Zhang Yixing,” Baekhyun answered before lightly kissing his boyfriend. “Now let’s go home.”

♈♈♈