It’s no secret that Taemin has a quick temper. Neither is the fact that he is an impulsive person, acts-before-thinking type of guy.

It’s also no secret that he has been on his toes, waiting for the release date of the Exclusive Collector’s Edition of The Fault in Our Stars, personally signed by the one and only John Green himself. He even has the date circled in red permanent marker on his calendar. That’s how much he has anticipated to buy a physical copy.

When Taemin walks into the bookstore with an extra bounce in his steps, he quickly identifies what he’s been dying to purchase. A row of hardcover books, shining silver title jackets and everything perfect, staring back at him with all their glory.

He could practically hear the angels singing, symphony of harps playing in the background—

The melody stops. His paradise crashes. Lee Taemin, 178 centimeters, is apparently too short to ing reach the highest shelf.

Great.

Perfect.

Taemin grandly delivers a speech inside his head, dedicating respectfully to his mother and how thankful he is towards her for giving birth to him, and also his father for helping the process, especially the part where he ing forgot to pass down the tall genes to Taemin. Two more inches could be useful.

Just when he wraps up the speech, a boy who has the perfect height walks down the aisle.

“Excuse me, hi,” Taemin calls out, discreetly wipes away the sheen of perspiration from jumping toward the top shelf. “Can you help me get a book from there?”

The boy tilts his head to where Taemin is pointing, then wordlessly extends his arm out.

“Thank you—uhm your name?”

“Kai.” Kai grasps the book effortlessly, no tiptoes, no hopping hopelessly in one place. Life isn’t fair sometimes.

“Thanks so much Kai, I’m Taemin by the way, you don’t know how much I was struggling—”

Book in hand, the male before Taemin actually has the nerve to take one look at the cover, then rolls his eyes and snorts at the book. Taemin can’t believe that he felt grateful this person barely five seconds ago.

“So you’re one of those people,” Kai says ‘people’ like a toddler discriminating vegetables. Full of judgement and distaste.

And because Taemin believes he’s a decent person, suppresses the urges to fight this kid, smiles, then asks, “Do you have a problem?”

“Not really,” Kai hands him the book. “Well, enjoy your cheesy novel, little nerd.”

That’s the last straw. Taemin rests his precious The Fault in Our Stars on a closer shelf. Then it comes out of instinct—his impulsive and quick temper kicking in—that Taemin particularly pushes Kai into a table with stacked nonfiction novels on top. Kai falls forward and knocks a handful of best-sellers down on the floor.

Great. Taemin feels warm and fuzzy inside. Perfect.

“Well why don’t you go enjoy your boring nonfictional novels? Dickhead.” Taemin turns around to walk away triumphantly, only to be faced with two angry looking employees pacing in his direction. One of them wears a tag that says ‘Manager.’

Great.

Perfect.

Five minutes of stacking books neatly on the table, two minutes of both getting an unforgettable speech about public disruption, ten seconds of bearing the news that they’re now officially banned from the bookstore, and a full three and forty five seconds of walk-of-shame towards the exit later – Taemin comes out of the store empty-handed.

“It’s all your fault that I can’t visit here anymore! And I didn’t even get the chance to buy my signed Exclusive Collector’s Edition!” Taemin fumes.

“Me?!” Kai’s voice rises the same octave as Taemin. “I wasn’t the one going all Hulk in there!”

“But you were the one being such a critical about my ‘cheesy novel’! And FYI, it’s called contemporary romance young adult novel.”

Kai huffs, hands shove deep in his pockets, while Taemin turns to shoot a glare at a pole. They stand there in silence, cooling off or expecting a ride or waiting for the other to apologize first, who knows.

After a long, excruciating pause of tension in the air, Kai interrupts the silence. Anger entirely gone. “It’s a metaphor … see,” he says. “You try to flirt with a cute boy in a bookstore, but you end up saying something stupid and give him the power to shove you into a pile of books.”

Taemin whips around faster than you can say ‘John Green.’ “Did you just …” His eyes are wide, impressed. “Improvise a The Fault in Our Stars quote to fit with our situation … ?”

Kai nods in uncharacteristically shy and bashful manner. “My little sister has the book. I borrowed it, read it in one sitting. The movie was good too.”

Now Taemin’s the one who’s uncharacteristically shy and bashful. He doesn’t really know what to say to that. Or the fact that this boy he just pushed thirty minutes ago thinks he’s cute. “Oh,” he manages to mutter. “Sorry … about going … violent on you.”

His own apology comes off as awkward and uncomfortable, since he’s not really used to admitting his wrongdoings to someone.

Kai’s apology sounds more or less the same. “And I’m … sorry for what I said.”

Do they hug it out now? Bro fist? Give each other a friendly handshake? Walk away? Exchange phone numbers? Emails?

Taemin wishes he was as smooth as Augustus Waters or as literate as Hazel Grace, because he has no single clue on what to do next in this situation.

“Um, maybe I can make it up to you? Go over to Starbucks and talk?”

Kai’s talking in question marks and looking so unsure of himself, Taemin can’t help but think that he likes this side of him better.

“Sure, it’s a date.”

“Oh, right, a date.“ 

“Yes. And you can make it up to me by paying for my venti chocolate frappuccino, extra caramel on top. Okay?”

Kai grins, the type of smile that brightens up his whole face. Maybe okay will be our always.“Okay.”

one of the reposted drabbles from my tumblr, thank you for reading!

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