Luhan prides himself in being an excellent kisser. He’s had his fair share of relationships –with both men and women – and it’s easy for him to read them, to know who likes it a little sweet, who likes it a little rough. Sometimes it’s a little nip to the bottom of the lip that elicits a small gasp, that makes the other person tighten their grip in his hair, makes them groan in his mouth; sometimes it’s soft pecks on the side of the mouth, the jaw, the cheek - almost demure yet inviting, that sends shivers through their bodies.

He enjoys kissing, loves it, in fact – although most of his previous partners had been more inclined to skip past the preliminaries and head straight to the finish line. Luhan prefers to savor them, to taste them, every part of their mouth, their skin – because that’s how he remembers them. There’s the boy he remembers back in boarding school in Beijing who tastes of sweet tea, who used to kiss him open-mouthed and sloppily. And then there’s the girl he thought he had loved, once, who had laughed as she kissed him and tasted of strawberries and honey, before she had left him for another.

(This is, of course, one the reasons he dislikes strawberries, but that is a story for a different day.)

Away from his family, from his childhood ideals, Seoul opens his eyes to a different life; of failed auditions and long nights trying to juggle his homework and this newfound freedom. When he begins working under Kris at the strip bar, he learns the taste of expensive liquor and cheap cigarettes, of fine wine and stale cigars.

But Minseok, Luhan begins to discover, tastes a little different.

Minseok is coffee, but not the cheap instant mix that comes pre-packed on the shelves in the mini-mart beneath his flat. Luhan learns this when they officially start dating and he drops by Minseok’s coffeehouse in the day to convince him to sneak to the back for a quick make-out session. Sometimes it’s the sweet taste of caramel that takes away the bitterness of roasted beans, and then, sometimes, it’s just an infusion of chocolate and mint that has Luhan deepening his kisses, just to get his fill of Minseok.

(And sometimes, when Luhan is resting his head on Minseok’s chest, sated and pleased with the way Minseok had responded to his kissing, he thinks of warm blankets and cuddling indoors during winter, and feels his chest tighten a little with an unnamed emotion.)

"What did you drink before I came by?" Luhan asks one day when they finally break apart from their kiss, both breathing heavily. He's looking down at Minseok, who’s lying across the couch in his own office as Luhan straddles his hips.

Minseok’s lips are swollen and well-kissed and his hair is a mess. Luhan’s almost proud of how debauched he looks.

Minseok gives him a curious look. "I had coffee. Why?"

On an impulse, Luhan leans down and along Minseok’s lower lip once, briefly before releasing him. He can taste something that's sweet, but not quite. It lingers on the tip of his tongue.

He purses his lips together, thinking. "It tastes… different.”

“One of Jongdae’s clients visited Brazil recently and came back with a gift for him. He wanted me to try it.” Minseok tilts his head slightly, an amused look on his face.

“It doesn’t taste like you.”

Now Minseok is grinning at him. “That’s a roundabout way of saying you didn’t like it.” Luhan loves it when Minseok smiles at him, because it gives him a chance to reach up and poke at his cheeks.

He does it now, but this time in retaliation for Minseok’s teasing voice. “You’re making fun of me,” Luhan pouts. “I never said I didn’t like it.”

“In that case, why don’t you give the drink a try? I can brew a new cup for you.”

“But we were in the middle of something more--” Luhan rolls his hips a little—“interesting.” He’s rewarded with the slight gasp that escapes from Minseok’s mouth.

Minseok gives him a coy look. “Don’t let me stop you--” Whatever he’s about to say goes unfinished, because suddenly there’s a light knock on the door to the office.

Sighing, Luhan brushes his hair out of his eyes, before clambering off Minseok to let him get up.

“One of the customers is making a fuss over her drink,” Minseok tells him when he comes back to Luhan, after exchanging terse whispers with Yixing, his employee, at the door. “Do you want to wait for me back here while I deal with this?”

Luhan chooses to join him outside instead. He sits on one of the stools at the end of the counter and pulls out his mobile phone, checking it for messages, occasionally sneaking glances at Minseok as he handles the grumpy patron.

He gets distracted playing Angry Birds^TM on his phone and doesn’t realize that some time has passed, until he’s interrupted by Minseok when he slides into the seat next to Luhan, setting a cup of hot coffee on the top of the counter.

“Here, give the drink a try.” Minseok slides the cup closer towards Luhan. “I made it a little sweeter this time, since the last cup I made would have been too bitter for you.”

After several seconds of alternating between staring at the coffee and at Minseok’s eager, puppy-ish look, Luhan puts his phone aside and reaches for the cup. He blows the surface slightly to cool it down, before taking a tentative sip.

After several more sips, he sets it down.

"Well?" Minseok looks a little anxious. "What do you think?"

And because Luhan is feeling a little mischievous he leans in and captures Minseok's lips in a lingering kiss, one that leaves him a little breathless. When they finally break apart, Luhan clears his throat, and leans back onto his seat. He his lips, which tastes of orange and chocolate and Minseok. "Now it’s perfect."

As Minseok blushes bright red, Luhan has to admit that it’s a good color on him.