这是不是一本书。.

            The phrase taunted Minseok from its home within his Mandarin textbook.  “This is not a book.”; a seemingly useless sentence that the Korean simply couldn’t master.  He wasn’t sure what it was that was holding him back – be it the tonal structure or the fact that he would probably never have to use this as an entertainer – , but his frustration was rising as the minutes ticked by. 

            After nearly another hour of struggling on Minseok’s part, Jongdae entered the scene, accompanied by an armful of snack food and a small stack of DVDs; they had the night off and the vocalist was more than ready to make the most of it with his boyfriend.  Sensing something was off, Jongdae set his pile down on the coffee table and made his way over to the older man.  

        Hearing the other sidle up, he lifted his head, dark bags making his exhaustion evident.  His notes were scattered around him on the floor, book open to the same page it had been hours before.

            “Jongdae,” he whined, eyes widening in an attempt to endear the younger.  “I need help.”  Minseok opened his arms as an invitation for Jongdae to comfort him from his lap, but pouted when he showed no signs of moving.

            “With what, baozi?”

            “I can’t get this phrase.” he stood, moving to cling to Jongdae.  A groan falls from his lips as the younger avoids every attempt at contact.

            “Let’s make a deal; I will only kiss you if you can get this right.”  Minseok’s face fell, all hope lost in gaining comfort from the younger man.  He sighed.  The least he could do was try, besides, he would have to master this eventually and if he could get a kiss out of it, even better.  The couple hadn’t exchanged much more than pecks on the cheek, so getting over the shyness they’d developed was high on his list of things to do.

            It took Jongdae five minutes to realize Minseok wasn’t making any progress and another two to compose himself enough to actually help him.

            “No, no,” he chuckled.  “Say it like this.”  Demonstrating was easier said than done, but the lesson was still fresh in his mind and he was becoming impatient with their lack of time spent together. Thankfully Minseok’s next attempt showed improvement, but it had yet to become perfect.  Jongdae tried again, exaggerating tones and slowing down his syllables.  After yet another failure, the elder looked ready to burst into tears. 

             “You can stop, Jongie, I can just try again tomorrow.”  His voice cracked in the middle of his statement, revealing just how disheartened he had become.  Determined, the younger shook his head, raising one hand to lift Minseok’s chin and the other to rest just beside his lips.  He repeated the exercise, this time, using his thumb to adjust the elder’s mouth as he spoke.  With each new attempt their faces drew nearer; by the time Minseok was spot on with his pronunciation, their breath was mingling, eyes focused more on lips than anything else.

            They’re unsure who initiated the contact, but within seconds their mouths are melded together.  What started as a soft, unsure pressure soon became a rougher slide of lips on lips, teasing tongues, and hands tangling in hair as the passion between them grew.  Jongdae pulled back, face flushed, and grinned.

            “You finally got it.”