First crack at Gorillaz fanfiction. I noticed a lack of AU and non-cliché'd 2Dle, so I'm just clearing that up.
Dedicated to Bri, who likes 2Dle, and any Gorillaz fan who wants something a little different.
Just to be absolutely explicit: THIS IS AU, AS IN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE.
Give Me A Boost
Stuart "2D" Pot was, for all intents and purposes, a dullard of the highest degree and everyone in town knew it. His parents knew, his friends knew, the old drunk down the street knew and he was barely lucid at any time. Despite this naturally occurring dullness, 2D still managed to secure a job at the local library every summer, while he wasn't studying music theory and art at the local community college. Everything was local with 2D; anything further might require him to read a map.
The main reason he always secured the job when he came back was the fact that he was a shelf-reading extraordinaire. No one else could stand the monotony of just standing there and making sure that every little thing was in perfect order, but it was perfect for 2D. His mind, while full of zombie movies and pain-killers, was a peaceful place that couldn't handle the chaotic hell of front desk work. His body was tall enough to see the tallest shelf and flexible enough for him to comfortably bend down to the lowest shelves, but not coordinated enough to carry the tall stacks around the library and replace them.
2D's favorite section in the entire library was the children's section because they made work fun. While he made sure that the Nancy Drew mysteries were far away from the audiobooks of Winnie the Pooh, they would stare up in awe of the 6'2" giant that had invaded their 3'6" world. 2D would catch them staring and grin at them with two missing teeth and ask what they were doing. More often than not, 2D would get involved in their make-believe games and play any role from the princess who needed to be helped from the reading corner to the dragon who kept the stuffed bunnies trapped in the reference desk.
In fact, it was during one of his Dragon of the Reference Desk stints that he first saw her. He had been on all fours, ready to "roar" at any "intruders," and, rather than his usual group of "knights," there was a little Asian girl with headphones and a confused look on her face.
"Er… Hey there…" She cocked her head to the side, obviously still trying to figure out what to make of him. "Are you… Er… Like, lost?" 2D interrupted the game and stood up like a normal person. If the fact that she jumped back a few centimeters was any indication, the little girl hadn't been expecting him to stand this tall. "What's your name? Where's your mummy?"
"… Noodle."
"N-Noodle? Is that your name? Noodle?"
She rambled off something that 2D didn't quite grasp.
"I'm sorry? I didn't qui'e catch tha'?"
By that point, a man with skin that 2D swore was almost grey came up. After 2D reassured himself that he was not looking at a zombie, he actually tuned into what the man was saying. "-very shy about strangers, but I'm sure she'll warm right up to you. I'm Dr. Kyuzo, by the way."
"Er, I'm-"
"Oh, everyone knows you, Mr. Pot." 2D resisted the urge to inform this "Dr. Kyuzo" that "Mr. Pot" was his dad, and that he was just 2D. "I was just doing some research outside and noticed that she had gone astray. So, we'll be going now." Doctor Kyuzo bent down to "Noodle's" level. He said something to her that, again, 2D didn't quite catch.
She waved at him, a form of saying good-bye, and 2D waved back. Figuring that was that, 2D crouched behind the desk and awaited the "loyal band of knights." He thought it was an isolated incident and that it wouldn't happen again. But, every Saturday without fail, Noodle would be crouched in the "Reading Corner," watching 2D chase the other kids around.
Within weeks, Noodle started following him around the library. He had caught her peeking around one of the shelves. "Hey, you. Noodle, right?" When she nodded, 2D smiled; he was terrible with names.
She took a deep breath and slowly asked, "What… Are…?" Noodle cleared her throat and tried again. "What are you doing?"
2D blinked at the accent and pointed at the shelves. "This?" She nodded. "I'm shelf-reading. I'm making sure all the books are in the right places." She tilted her head to the side. "You know… Because people put 'em back wrong sometimes." 2D pulled a step-stool over to him and motioned for Noodle to stand up on it so that she could see what he was doing. He had started teaching her how to shelf-read and, even though they had a language barrier and an age gap, she picked it up.
Weeks later, 2D went off to school for a major in pianos and, as far as 2D was concerned, the library was a place to return to, and it would be the same way when he returned. That year, 2D was 23. According to the library card she had dropped once, Noodle was 10.
TBC. Bri would beat me up otherwise.