Kyungsoo loved books, but he refused to switch to the digital ebooks that everyone around him seemed to prefer. The feeling was completely strange and foreign. With the physical books, he could run his fingers across the pages and easily skim through to find previous passages. Kyungsoo admitted there were positives to digitizing, such as the convenience of holding more than one book in a device, but what if the stupid device died? He tried his brother's once and it hurt his eyes. It would take years before Kyungsoo could adjust, if ever. 

What irked Kyungsoo were the dumb reviews, most especially when he turned the book over to the back cover expecting a summary. He didn't care for the reviews, if he liked it, he liked it. He once read a book that his favorite author reviewed and it was horrible; Kyungsoo almost doubted his author. The stickers were irritating as well. Whoever decided to begin placing stickers on books needed a slap across the face. With a book. Hardcover.

Humming softly to himself, Kyungsoo searched for the book he had been waiting for ages to release. He scanned the shelves, but the book was nowhere to be found. There, at the bottom of the shelf was the author's name. Kyungsoo crouched down and tsked to himself in anticipation, but when he reached the last book at the bottom shelf, he grimaced.

He stood up and tilted his head back, eyes squinting to the very top left shelf to the right of the previous one he had been searching. He saw the book, but there was only one copy. Kyungsoo had to get it before someone else did. He tip-toed and extended his arm as far as he could to reach his prize. His fingers barely brushed against the spine of the book. Kyungsoo took a deep breath and tried reaching once more, but the book was too high up.

He glanced around his surroundings for a step stool or a worker or cameras. Find none of the above, Kyungsoo stepped up on the bottom shelf and reached for the book. Just as he thought he would succeed, a hand darted out and snagged it. Shocked, Kyungsoo faced the owner of the arm. Seeing that the stranger had no intentions of handing the book over, Kyungsoo's eyes narrowed, "Excuse me, I was just about to grab that."

The man looked down at Kyungsoo, "You should have been faster. I'm getting the last copy." The man held up the book to taunt Kyungsoo before walking past the shorter male with a smug grin.

Not taking anyone's crap, Kyungsoo reacted before he knew what was happening. He leaped after the tall stranger, wrapping his arms and legs around the man, "That's mine! I saw it first! Give it to me!"

"Get off!" the stranger shouted, his arms flailing. He lost his balance and the two tumbled to the floor, Kyungsoo's back hitting against a shelf, causing an avalanche of books to fall on top of the both of them. That didn't stop Kyungsoo from crawling over the man and prying the fingers away from the precious book. "Hey!"

Kyungsoo managed to snag the book, but the stranger reached out for his ankles. Kyungsoo hit the floor, the book flying out his hands and sliding down the aisle. The stranger began dragging Kyungsoo along the floor, attempting to pull him back as far as he could before sprinting after the book.

"What is going on here?" an employee asked, ducking to pick up the book. He approached the two customers and looked from one to the other, recognizing who they were -- his two friends that he had actually planned on setting up together because they were two weirdos who would have gotten along well. He just about rolled his eyes and walked away. "Kyungsoo? Chanyeol? You have a good excuse as to why you trashed my boss' bookstore?"

"This guy jumped me for the book," the stranger -- Chanyeol -- responded.

"I had it first," Kyungsoo said. "I was obviously reaching for it when you snatched it away."

"You couldn't even reach it, with your short little legs and teeny-tiny arms."

Kyungsoo's eyes narrowed and he began kicking wildly with the leg Chanyeol was still holding onto. "Then I suggest you stop dragging me."

The employee glanced at the book in his hand before waving it in the air, "Guys. Hey. Hey! Chanyeol, let him go."

Chanyeol dropped Kyungsoo's leg with a thud.

The employee gestured to the fallen books, "Unless you want to pay for all the damages, tidy that up. You should know how we organize them. I'll be back."

"Where are you going?" Chanyeol asked as he eyed his book in his friend's hand. "I was going to buy that."

"We have more copies in the back."

Sorry this wasn't Baekchen, I originally had it planned as Baekchen with Jongdae as Kyungsoo and Baekhyun as Chanyeol, but then I remembered that Baekchen are basically the same height so it wouldn't have worked lmao.