AU- i'm too short to reach the top shelf and too stubborn to get a stool. you watched me take a running leap for it before you offered to grab the book for me
It was the last book that Maka needed for her report, and her jaw dropped when she finally found the right title perched on the top shelf in the D section. She'd already been balancing six other books in her hands, most of which were a struggle to find themselves. The library was disorganized on that particular day because of midterm season so each book was a hassle to find, not to mention that some students simply did not know how to reshelf one properly while they browsed. For the record, she was tired; she wanted to go home and start on the assignment so she could catch Agents of Shield on TV, guilt-free. Honestly, who could blame her for being a little more unreasonable that day than usual?
Maka looked around first for a free stool, and she spied one about three rows down the aisle in another genre section. It was too far, she grumbled to herself, unwilling to waste any more time that afternoon. With her current collection tucked safely away on the ground against the shelf, she rolled her shoulders in preparation.
Curse her Japanese genes for making her short and curse her Irish ones just the same.
She got onto her toes and reached as far as her little arms could go… which really wasn't far at all. The tips of her fingers barely touched the second shelf, and she was beginning to get desperate. No amount of hopping could change the fact that she absolutely could not grab her missing book. Maka gave one last attempt at it, straining her back and holding her breath. (But let's be real, the phrase 'don't hold your breath' applied more than ever before.)
It was starting to get personal now. Her hand made no advancement and the stool was beginning to call her name. She dropped her arms onto the shelf closest to her and pouted. At that point though, making the walk of shame to retrieve it would have been too embarrassing for her fragile ego. Her honor was on the line when she crafted her final plan in her last ditch effort; if she failed, she would check out her remaining books with her head down and with her figurative tail between her legs.
One. More. Go.
Maka backed up to the edges of the walkway without breaking eye contact with her prize. Her laces were re-knotted and the tongues were adjusted. After taking a weathered triathlon's position, she charged ahead in the fastest sprint she'd made since graduating high school, and leapt towards the top shelf with her arms outstretched.
She didn't make it.
Flailing limbs saved her from an undignified splat on the carpet, but she remained clinging to a shelf with her legs dangling underneath her like a monkey. It was only then when she heard unrestrained laughter booming off the walls of the library. She turned her head and realized with dread that there had been a witness that entire time, and that witness was on the floor himself, holding his stomach and pointing at her ridiculous position.
The sudden noise brought a multitude of eyes on her and she could hear a couple of more chuckles coming from behind her. She plopped onto the ground just in time before a librarian came to hush the boy, threatening to throw him out unless he kept it under control. Maka wish they would.
He eventually stopped to catch his breath and apologized to the man for causes a disturbance, but at the word, he met eye contact with Maka and painfully held in another chortle. Once the authoritative figure left, he addressed her.
"Bro, bro that was wild."
Maka ignored his comment, brushing past him to pick up her pile to check out. The boy took it all in stride though, and he continued to make small talk about how hilarious her attempt was, describing the events with strange enthusiasm and making an emphasis on just how futile it was. He jabbed a thumb towards himself, telling her that as a return for the show, he would grab the book she needed for her.
"Which one is it?"
"The purple one," Maka grumbled.
"The one with the squiggles on the side?"
Her lack of a response appeared to be just enough for the boy to roll his imaginary sleeves up his tank top. He seemed just as short as she was- give or take a couple of inches. His mussed blue hair gave the illusion that he was a little taller than he really was, and she wondered if it was carefully styled to get that effect. Still, he had no better luck than she did, yet why did he look so confident that he could succeed where she had failed?
She squinted as he tapped his chin and rolled her eyes when he took a step back to look at the angle through his fingers in the shape of a rectangle. There was no way... was the boy really trying to echo her moves? Oh buddy, he was.
He took a running start and jumped to reach the top shelf, but where she had failed, he hadn't. His legs were quick enough to slip into one of the middle rungs, providing himself with enough support and enough room to carefully select the book. She realized that his upper body was more built than he let on; his muscles were on display while he kept himself propped up. He dropped down back to her side and fist bumped the air triumphantly.
"It's ya boy, Black Star, saving the day again yo!"
Well she'll be damned.
Maka left the library immediately, speed walking away from the alarm system's aggressive beeping with the boy running to catch up to her, book waving above his head.
Written for MaStar Week 2017 Day 4 Laughter