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It feels as though someone had put a thin film over Mingyu's tongue.
He can feel each grain of the rice, the soft texture of it easily mushes against his teeth and hard palate. He can feel the fibres of the sliced beef, the clear difference between the lean stringy parts and the almost butter-like fatter parts. He slips a piece of lettuce past his lips, feeling the crunch under his teeth, wetting the surface of his tongue as he instinctive swallows the excess liquid.
He could still feel each and every small texture of the food in his mouth.
Yet there was barely even a hint of salt, sweetness or even bitterness on his tongue.
Mingyu would suspect that it was a case of severely underseasoned food but it's as though the rice, the beef and the lettuce were all stripped off the very foundation of itself. As though someone had picked apart the molecules of those food and removed the parts that allowed its natural flavours to be registered on his tongue.
To put it simply, since a few days ago, Mingyu had lost his ability to perceive taste.
Mingyu had then spent the following days wrecking his mind to figure out just what could have possibly went wrong. Did something happen the day before, the week before or even in the recent months? Was he in close contact with anyone that was seriously sick recently? Or did he eat something weird yesterday? Could his taste paralysis be caused by any physical trauma? Both Google and the hospital had failed to provide him with the answers to his burning questions.
It left Mingyu exasperated and desperate. Was he ever going to get back his tastebuds or was it just going to get worse? His condition seemed to be deterioriating —and it was plummeting fast. Just this lunch itself had proved it, other than the lack of flavours from the food, the usual heavy smokey aroma in the air of a barbecue restaurant was also missing. His loss of taste was affecting even his sense of smell— and Mingyu is getting frustrated.
"Still can't taste anything?"
Sitted across him, Seokmin asks, cheeks round as he stuffs another piece of beef into his mouth.
"Don't even talk about tasting, I can't even smell the grease right now."
"Oh that must suck…"
Seokmin gives him back a look of pity before squeezing in a scoop of rice into his almost full mouth. Mingyu can only watch in envy, envisioning the explosion of flavours from the oils of the beef and the fragrant white pearl rice on his tongue, just based off the satisfied hums that Seokmin lets out. It's really a perfect combination— that is if Mingyu can taste it.
Now, it's difficult to even put the glistening beef into his mouth, knowing that he will only end up feeling the slick of oil on his tongue and have the stringy fibres stuck in his teeth.
It's truly a nightmare.
He continues watching as the man infront of him picks up another 3 slices of beef, greedily stuffing it into his just emptied mouth, eyes turning into crescents the moment it touches his tongue.
What a weird character…
It makes Mingyu wonder if Seokmin just simply loves food that much or if he just does not care about him.
Across him Seokmin chokes, doubling down in a coughing fit. Mingyu sighs, passing over a cup of water.
"Eat slowly Seokmin-ah, there's no one here fighting with you anyways…"
Mingyu had met Seokmin through Seungkwan.
"He's the same age as you, a little introverted and a little…weird. But after getting close to him, he is just a crazy guy…"
Seungkwan had said it casually, spinning his pen as he introduced him. They were middle school friends, part of the same school band but had lost contact post-graduation and only recently reconciled on their university campus by chance. The topic came up after Mingyu had asked for his help to recruit volunteers for the upcoming school festival.
"Do you think he would mind?"
"Nopes, Seokmin-hyung might be eccentric but he is a really nice person. If you ask politely he might even sign up to be part of the performance… You guys are still lacking performers right..?"
That was how Mingyu had ended up meeting Seokmin— in the hallways outside Seokmin's lecture theatre. First impression wise, Seokmin was bland. He had shook Mingyu's hands with a shy smile, introduced himself with a gentle voice— nothing 'eccentric' or out of the norm. He was polite, agreed easily to the volunteer work and in all honesty, Mingyu had thought that he was someone easily forgettable. They had exchanged numbers and a few text conversations related to the school festivals but most of them ended quickly .
On their second meeting, Seungkwan had been around.
And that was his first encounter of Seokmin's 'eccentricness'.
On the get go Seokmin had essentially 'pounced' on Seungkwan upon spotting him. Enveloping his smaller friend in a tight hug— more than a hug, the almost 1.8m man was literally hanging off Seungkwan like a koala. Then he proceeded to land a few smooch on Seungkwan's cheeks before finally getting fended off.
Upon landing back into the ground, he had spun on the balls of his feet to face Mingyu. The smile plastered on his face was a hundred times brighter than the sun as he cheerily greeted Mingyu. He had even held out his hand first for a handshake and for some reason Mingyu took notice of how slim his fingers were and just how well-manicured his fingernails were in contrast to the rough calluses that littered his palms.
A comfortable Seokmin was talkative, Mingyu had eventually realised. With Seungkwan, he had chattered on and on about his sociology lectures, his latest home-cooked meal, the latest comeback of his favourite band, switching between topics with ease unlike the almost empty chatlogs of their Kakaotalk. Mingyu also noticed that he gets distracted easily, often changing topics mid sentence when he spots something interesting—a hot pink car, a puppy running down the streets, a random man with a chicken socks.
Mingyu wouldn't necessary classify him as 'weird'. Just someone brimming with radiance and life.
However, if there was one thing that made Mingyu go, huh that's a tad bit weird? It would be the way Seokmin would stare at him whenever he thinks that Mingyu isn't looking.
It's by chance, that Mingyu looks up from his ice tea, into a pair of big round eyes. It's shiny, brimming with curiosity but Seokmin never opens his mouth to ask about anything. He does it quite a lot, considering just how many times Mingyu had caught him. But Seokmin had never stopped staring, even when they end up making eye contact, he just smiles his thousand megawatt smile, eyes crinkling into crescents yet still boring into Mingyu's own.
Now, Mingyu looks at the Seokmin skipping around in excitement, pointing and gushing at the tarts behind the display case. Loud, almost boisterous and very childlike.
Is he even the same person from their first encounter?
"Gyu, do you want some?"
Mingyu turns to look at Seokmin, his palms— filled with a pile of mixed nuts hovers right in Mingyu's line of sight. And a pair of big round eyes stares back at him expectantly.
"I'll skip, you know that I can't taste it anyways."
Seokmin furrows his eyebrows and it strangely looks like the chinese character of eight.
Cute, Mingyu thinks to himself as he tries to stifle his own laugh, causing the eight to deepen further. Now, Seokmin looks as though he had been unfairly wronged and Mingyu slightly panics when the corner of his lips droops.
"I'll eat it."
Mingyu tries appeasing him, opening his mouth and waiting patiently for Seokmin to pour the pile of mixed nut in. Seokmin slowly beams back at him, twisting his body to prevent the nuts from spilling out. It's a weird angle and Mingyu instinctively laps at the barrage of nuts, its rough texture scrapping on the surface of his tongue.
It's an expected accident, that Mingyu would end up licking into Seokmin's palm.
The first thing Mingyu feels against his tongue is the calluses. Thick hard patches of skin on the base of his fingers, soft skin on the centre of his palm and the few grains of salt crystals from the mixed nuts.
Then he tastes it.
In a split second Mingyu tastes nothing, then the underlying lactic notes. It's barely noticeable but it has been weeks since Mingyu had last tasted anything, he was almost 100% sure that he had just tasted something.
And he had to confirm it.
Mingyu wraps a tight grip on the slim wrist infront of him, licking into the warm heat of it.
Seokmin yelps in surprise and tries to pull back but fails miserably. A wet muscle slides across his palms repeatedly, as though mapping out its structure. From the base of his thumb, to the bottom of his wrist, up his life line and into the gaps between his fingers. Seokmin feels a surge of heat rising up his neck and ears. From his angle, Mingyu's eyelashes flutters gently on his cheekbones as he buries himself into his own palms.
"W-what are you doing!" Seokmin shrieks.
It is only then that Mingyu's eyes snaps open and his grips loosen.
Seokmin snatches his hand back, flushing further when he spots the glistening wetness of his own palm. The room remains silent, the only exception being the sound of his own panicked breath. When the panic finally leaves his body, Seokmin glares at the offending figure infront of him. Even then, Mingyu looked unapologetic, eyes shining as he bore holes into Seokmin.
Then he reaches out to hold Seokmin's arms again.
"I can taste again! Seokmin-ah I tasted something!"
Mingyu laughs, excitement bubbling with every word out of his mouth.
Seokmin sighs but can't help smiling back at him. Afterall, Mingyu's happiness was contagious and Seokmin was geniunely glad that he had recovered. With a grin, Seokmin pulls him into a tight hug, putting the earlier incident at the back of his mind.
"Congrats, Gyu."
"—'m sorry that I got saliva all over you."
Mingyu mumbles into the crook of his neck, deeply inhaling the same creamy notes that had been present on his tongue just seconds before. It smells and taste just like a vanilla cream cake, sweet milky fresh cream with a tinge of almond.
"Mhmm it's fine, no biggie!"
Seokmin replies cheerily.
If only Seokmin knew just how badly his gums were throbbing from the mouthwatering scent.
Mingyu had asked Seokmin out for a date.
Seokmin had agreed.
There was a second and a third date before Mingyu had asked Seokmin to be his boyfriend.
On the fifth date Seokmin goes over to Mingyu's place.
It's a big apartment with a wonderful view of the Han River. Mingyu had offered to make dinner— wine and steak and Seokmin had joked that he was trying to fatten him up before eating him. Mingyu just laughed and replied with a lighthearted maybe.
The atmosphere was good and the steak was cooked to perfection. There was also a wine pairing that matched the red steak perfectly. It's only natural that at the end of the night Seokmin ends up in Mingyu's lap, lips smushed together as they drunkenly make out. Hands run loose, snaking underneath shirts, tugging on hair, clenching against firm chest. Soft moans slip out of Seokmin's lips when Mingyu starts palming his ass, hands gently guiding him to frot up against their clothed erections.
Mingyu had taken the chance to deepen the kiss, pressing his tongue pass the parted lips and licking into the sweet sweet caverns of Seokmin's mouth. It's lactic fresh cream, fragrant vanilla sponge and a tinge of tart strawberry from the Pinot Noir earlier. Greed tingles at the tip of his tongue, Mingyu tilts his head and fervently pressed further in, alternating running his tongue against teeth and nipping on the soft plump lips. It's sugary and addictive and it pulls out the sweetest whimpers from Seokmin's throat. Most importantly, it puts Seokmin's desperation on display and Mingyu likes that.
Seokmin is messy, rutting and twisting in his grasp as though his hips doesn't know how to maintain a proper rhythm. It's cute, the honesty of his body, helplessly seeking for a relieve yet unable to control his body. The control that he had handed over to Mingyu, his vulnerability laid bare for him to claim.
And Mingyu gives Seokmin just what he wants.
He starts with an affirming hum against his lips as he slides a hand into the loose shorts, wrapping a hand around his erection. It's hot and wet, dripping with pre-cum. Each slide of his hand also pumps out more of the sticky cum alongside pretty cries. The cum coats his fingers in thick syrupy substance, pale off-white against his own skin.
Mingyu’s mouth itches as he wonders how Seokmin would taste like.
With that, he pulls off Seokmin's lips and pushes him back onto the couch. Trailing kisses down his cheek, neck, chest. Down his warm and filled belly, his pelvic bone and meaty thighs. Each kiss leaves molasses coated all over his lips and when Mingyu finally reaches the center of his thighs, the scent of vanilla beckons at him and he gladly takes the erection into his mouth as Seokmin cries grows in volume.
It tastes just like its scent.
Saccharine sweet condensed milk. Mingyu swirls his tongue against the head of the erection and Seokmin's thighs trembles uncontrollably underneath his palms.
"A-ah M-mingyu!"
It spills warm fresh cum straight into his mouth. Smooth and creamy on the pads of his tongue. It's hot, like a cup of warmed honey milk and addictive, Mingyu wants to pull it out of him over and over again, let it coat every part of his mouth and throat, let it warm his own stomach. But Seokmin was gasping weakly underneath him, overstimulated and begging for mercy. So Mingyu gives it another lick and a small suckle hoping to pull out even the very last drop of ambrosia.
That would be plenty of opportunities to taste it again anyways.
Mingyu sinks his teeth into Seokmin for the first time, on the same morning he cuts his finger while making breakfast.
A waft of white musk and vanilla tickles the tip of his nose and immediately, Mingyu's gums had started up an unbearable itch. Seokmin had tears in his eyes, holding up his injured finger. Mingyu should have been concerned, should have wiped his tears and tended to his wound. Instead he stood in his spot, eyes trained on the oozing cut, down the trail of blood on his fingers, palms and wrist and onto the pristine floor.
"Gyu?" Seokmin had whimpered in confusion.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
The blood splatters.
It reminded him of the Pinot Noir from one of their earlier dates.
The same date where he had thoroughly tasted each and every part of Seokmin for the first time.
The taste of his cries, his skin, lips, tears, saliva.
His release.
The very essence of Seokmin.
The parts that Seokmin willingly laid bare for him.
The parts that pretty pretty Seokmin had thought was his all.
Mingyu wants more, as the greed in him is an insatiable parasite.
But what Mingyu wants, needs is beyond Seokmin's all. The all that Seokmin would never understand.
Mingyu wants the soft flesh that bruises easily at a slightly firmer than usual press, the tender purple blooms on his skin filled with dead blood, and the living blood running underneath, thrumming, pulsing.
Mingyu wants to relieve the burning itch on his gums, sink his teeth into the crook of his neck, run his tongue into the warm syrupy holes. Would he be able to feel its breath, the oxygen running through the veins? How would it taste? Seokmin's gasps of air, his body, his life, his everything.
Mingyu wants the entirety of Seokmin embedded in his body. Seokmin's flesh dissolved into his very being, Seokmin's precious blood running through his veins, Seokmin's every breath rising and falling deep in his chest. The syncing of their heartbeats— no, not just their heartbeats, their existence at the most basic, molecular level.
They could live happily ever after in the same body.
Drip.
Drip.
Drip.
The drops of blood turns into a puddle.
Mingyu gums aches.
Ah, he had forgotten the most important thing.
Would Seokmin understand?
Would Seokmin forgive the atrocities that he is about to commit?
His kind and soft-hearted Seokmin.
Ah, it'll be fine.
Mingyu is good at begging for forgiveness.
"You guys got together?" Seungkwan looks up in surprise, the phone in his hand tumbles to the ground with a thud.
Mingyu nods, slowly chewing on his sandwich. The wholegrain bread feels rough and dry on his tongue but Seokmin had made it for him, hence Mingyu forcefully washes it down with a mouthful of Coke. It fizzles sharply the entire way down the back of his throat.
"Yeah, why are you so surprise by me dating Seokmin-ie?"
To Seungkwan, it's rather unexpected that Mingyu had taken an interest in Seokmin. Mingyu's past partners were all vastly different from Seokmin. Whilst they all had their difference— Mingyu had dated partners of all age and genders, they all bared a similarity— they were all extroverted and outgoing, just like Mingyu himself.
The Seokmin that Seungkwan knows is far from that.
Seokmin is a big homebody, he doesn't have much friends, or rather he prefers to keep his circle small. Seungkwan can probably count the number of friends Seokmin has with one hand. The Seokmin that Seungkwan knows also gets drained in social settings whilst Mingyu thrives with the attention.
"I guess you guys just feels a little…mismatched? Personality wise…" Seungkwan grunts as he stretches to pick up his fallen phone.
"Me and Seokmin-nie match well though? We haven't had any fights so far…"
Mingyu takes another gulp of the Coke. It quickly turns the bread into a goopy mess and the ham sandwiched in between gets caught in the gap of his teeth when he tries to quickly chew it down. Mingyu swallows whatever he can before continuing.
"And he has been staying over at my apartment. We see each other almost 24/7 and we haven't had any big arguments. Isn't that a good sig—"
"—no wonder I haven't seen him in a while… You were hogging him all to yourself!"
Seungkwan looks at him pointedly.
The last time he had seen Seokmin was weeks ago, down the hallways where the older man had scurried away upon seeing him. Then he had gone almost MIA, barely responding to Seungkwan's texts or when he does, with short polite responses unlike his usual ones completed with a string of emojis.
Now, Seungkwan finally understands why. For someone with such a small social energy reserve like Seokmin, he must've drained all of it hanging around Mingyu. Hence the constant avoidance, yet polite short replies.
A very classic Seokmin-like move.
And it's understandable especially when Mingyu is such a big walking ball of energy. Being around him probably felt like being around a constant energy sucking black hole to poor Seokmin.
Seungkwan sighs, shaking his head when Mingyu takes a particularly big bite of his sandwich and chokes.
"Nevermind, just treat him well, hyung. But stop hogging him! He was my friend before he became your boyfriend!"
Seungkwan reaches over to pat his back.
"—and is that ham in your sandwich? With strawberry jam? That's kind of gross..." Seungkwan wrinkles his nose in disgust.
Mingyu shrugs, shoving the last bite of the sandwich into his mouth. Well, strawberry and cream was a great combination, it's too bad that he just can't seem to taste the strawberry.
Mingyu learns that Seokmin is good at forgiving.
Even as Mingyu sinks his teeth into his skin over and over again.
"I'll forgive you Mingyu-ah. Of course I will."
Seokmin would always whisper back with his soft trembling voice.
And this time round too, Mingyu is a sinner through and through, begging for his forgiveness as he tongues at the holes he had created, hoping its syrupy sweetness can distract himself from sinking his teeth into the centre of Seokmin's neck. Hoping that it can curb the urge to run his teeth against Seokmin's larynx— against the vibrations of his sweet sweet voice.
"A-ah!"
Once again it's calling out to him.
Seokmin arches up in his grasp, pushing further down on the cock buried inside him. His own weeps pitifully as it rubs between their bodies.
Mingyu's gums throbs.
"M-Mingyu-ah… Please…"
Ah, it's vibrating again.
Mingyu squeezes his eyes shut.
"Please…"
"…Please!"
And Mingyu gives in.
There's a silenced scream, wheezing and then the overwhelming scent of vanilla. Seokmin's mouth open and closes, body thrashing and squirming. His cock twitching as ropes of cum paints paints their torsos in white.
Seokmin's throat crunches underneath his teeth, coats the inside of his mouth with a thick red syrup, leaving chunks of rubbery flesh and soft cartilages on his tongue. Mingyu savours his kind words, drinks up his cloying whimpers and swallows the tunes of the melodic songs he enjoyed singing to.
It's sweeter than anything Mingyu has ever tasted.
And now that sweetness is engraved in him forever. Tattooed on his tongue and ingrained in every word he speaks, every sentence he forms.
It's their shared voice now.
Mingyu can't help the growing smile on his face.
"Will you forgive me this time too, Seokmin-ah?"
Mingyu is aware of how crazed he seems right now. There is blood smeared all over his cheeks and lips and also in the gaps of his teeth. He is heavily breathing , almost choking to inhale, to swallow more of that saccharine sweet vanilla in the air, potent as it leaks from the crook of Seokmin's gaping neck.
Seokmin lays underneath him desperately gasping and trembling and clenching weakly on his cock, yet his eyes remains as bright as ever.
Mingyu's throat itches.
"Yes, Mingyu-ah. Of course."
Seokmin slowly mouths.
Of course. Of course, Seokmin would forgive him.
Mingyu presses his lips to his forehead.
Ah, the warmth is already fading away.
Mingyu holds him tighter in his arms.
"I love you so much, Seokmin-ah."
Mingyu's throat itches again.
"So what is it about his weirdness?" Mingyu air-quotes the last word of his question.
Seungkwan stops spinning his pen for a split second, eyes shifting before he looks back at his notes.
"Well…"
"Ah, I don't know if I should be telling you this…"
Mingyu scoffs at his hesitation.
"..? Why are you being so secretive? Just tell me! Unless he's some kind of secret psychopath? Or murderer? But you said that he was nice? Why would you introduce him to me if he is a crimina—"
"—ay, okay!"
Seungkwan huffs, slamming down his pen.
"Y'know I moved here from Jeju right? There was a big accident a few years back at home and my mom got freaked out so we moved."
"What does that have to do with Seokmi—"
"Be patient!"
Seungkwan lands a hit on Mingyu's shoulder, exasperated.
"It happened right in our frontyard… I was playing with Seokmin-hyung— he was our neighbour's kid and we were similar age so we hung out a lot…"
Mingyu watches as Seungkwan's eyebrows furrows.
"The truck came towards us so fast… It was so big and we were just small kids… I saw bright lights… Then just grass and the smell of dirt. And the stench of blood. It was so strong I vomited on the spot."
Seungkwan squeezes his eye shut as he swallows.
"Then I saw his body."
Mingyu does not have to guess who he was referring to.
"He couldn't have survived that… There were bones sticking out everywhere, anywhere! I-I could see the inside of his skull, his brain, heck! His eyes were out of his socket! He was… squashed between the truck and the wall. He was literally snapped into half, Mingyu!"
Seungkwan was breathing heavily as the horrifying words pour out of his mouth but still he continues.
"But he showed up a week later, on his two feet as though nothing had happened. I really thought I hallucinated the whole thing y'know… But when I walk out of the house, the stench of blood in my front yard was still so fucking strong…"
"And mom freaked out because she too, had seen the state Seokmin-hyung was in… There was really no way someone could've survived from that. Let alone make a full recovery without any side-effects. And hyung… doesn't even have any scars, I saw him in the changing room."
"Yeah, so we moved. Mom was convinced that he is a doppelgänger. But even if he was that, I can't be mean to him when he has hyung's face and is still as nice as before. And technically hyung did save me then…"
Seungkwan quickly glances as Mingyu, who had been silent for a while.
"W-well! It's up to you if you believe me or not!”
"I mean… Even I would find it hard to believe…"