Leaves for a Hungry Koala
Sabo quietly knocked three times on the door. He waited five seconds for an answer but when none came, he turned the brass knob and peeked inside, eyes flitting around the darkened room and resting on a figure slumped over a stack of official-looking documents and an assortment of drinks.
He crossed the room in four large strides. Koala was fast asleep on top of a letter from one of their colleagues who remained in Tequila Wolf, a country they recently freed from the clutches of the World Nobles. She had volunteered to take charge of the incoming paperwork but as she also had to tend to her duty as a fishman karate instructor, it took a toll on her health. Her skin was pallid and the shadows under her sunken eyes were dark.
Sabo laid a hand on her bony shoulder and gently shook it. "Koala."
Her fingers twitched but her breathing remained deep and even. He could only imagine how weary she was if she didn't smile when she heard his voice in slumber like she usually did. Hating to wake her when she slept so deeply, Sabo bent closer to her ear and whispered, "Koala, it's time to wake up."
She shifted and mumbled something into the letter, smudging the finely printed ink with her cheek and leaving a black streak on her skin. Sabo sighed. He'd better wake her up before she smeared the entire document and blamed him for it. "Koala, one of your students blew a gaping hole in the galley and the cook's about to skin him alive."
"He's innocent. It was my fault!" Koala shot up from her hunched position, glazed eyes darting all around to look for the cook until she realised Sabo was the only other occupant in her room.
Her confused expression was priceless. Sabo burst out laughing and slapped his hand on the desk, almost knocking over a cup of tea. "Your face!" He choked in hysterics that no-one except Koala would ever see. "You should have seen your face!"
Koala gave an annoyed huff and ran her hands through her frazzled hair. "That was a cheap way to wake me up."
"It was the only way to wake you up." Sabo chuckled. He leaned down, took her chin in one hand and tried to wipe the ink off her cheek with the other. If anything, he only made it worse. Koala batted his hand away and dipped her fingers in the cold tea to clean it off herself. Sabo watched her scrub her skin. "You need to take a break or you'll collapse one of these days."
"I don't want to hear that from you, hypocrite. There's too much work and I can't afford to laze around." Satisfied that all the ink was washed off, Koala wiped her fingers dry with a handkerchief and grimaced. She rolled her head around and sighed. "I've got a crick in my neck."
"That'll teach you to fall asleep in weird places from now on. Get changed and I'll grab you something to eat. You missed out on a great, noisy breakfast yet again."
She hadn't really. Sabo had snatched a few pieces of bread, and a serving of sausages and eggs before his comrades scoffed it all down like the hungry animals they were. But not even the prospect of a hearty breakfast could brighten Koala up, not when her appetite was reduced to the size of a baby bird's.
Sabo closed the door behind him and pondered. Koala needed some cheering up. How could he best achieve that?
Sabo sighed in relief as he entered the ship once more and wiped the sweat from his brow. They had docked at a summer island currently in its summer season, so the sun was relentless in its efforts to scorch their entire crew. More than half of them experienced severe sunburn. Sabo himself found his ears a bit more red than usual.
He hurried back to the galley, hoping he wasn't late. There weren't many people in there at this time, mainly those who opted for a second or third cup of coffee after breakfast. Conversation was low and serious but that didn't stop Sabo from racing in, grabbing a shiny white plate and depositing the load in his arms.
"Sabo, where have you been?" Hack, a yellow fishman with an impressive head of hair, sat at the dining table with a newspaper spread in front of him. It was a familiar sight, but Hack showing interest in his activities was rather unprecedented.
"On land. Did I miss something important?"
"No. But you never run off by yourself."
"I was just looking for Koala's breakfast. You know, I think I saw her cousin outside."
"Hm?"
Sabo held his hands out like a pair of paws and pretended to hop around. "Boing, boing, boing."
Hack gave him a funny look and Sabo gave up. The joke was lost on the fishman and there was no point explaining it because the fishman's sense of humour was practically non-existent. However, it was not lost on Koala who descended the stairs at that moment.
"The joke's on you." She sidled around the table and gave him a friendly jostle with her elbow. "Kangaroos and koalas aren't cousins and you'd know that if you bothered reading up on this country's fauna."
Sabo wrinkled his nose. He had a strong dislike for books stemming from all the times he had been locked up in his father's library. "I tried. They're marsupials so it's close enough." Changing the subject, he held out her plate and innocently said, "Here you go. Enjoy."
Koala stared at the bundle of branches on the plate. She picked up one of the small, leafy twigs and raised an eyebrow. "What's this?"
"Breakfast." Sabo couldn't stop the madman grin from splitting his face. He plucked it from her fingers and dangled it in front of her. "Don't koalas nibble on eucalyptus leaves?"
A snicker came from the other end of the table. From the corner of his eye, Sabo saw Bunny Joe with his nose buried in his coffee mug and curly brown locks covering his eyes.
Koala noticed it too, and swatted at him with a scowl.
Sabo stuck the sprig in his mouth like a rose, caught Koala around the waist and pulled her closer.
"Whoa!" She yelped and put her hands on his chest to steady herself.
"Dance with me!"
Sabo spun her around the table amidst the teasing catcalls of their comrades. Bunny Joe completely lost his sombre demeanour and chortled. Even Hack let loose a chuckle of mirth. Koala's face flushed bright red and she took the chance to grab Sabo's hat and yank it over his eyes.
"Hey!" He protested with a laugh and the sprig fell from his lips. "I can't see anything now."
"It's your own fault," she grumbled.
"You're blaming me?"
"Yes!"
Sabo hugged her tightly and caught a sweet, floral scent which he recognised at once. The tea, Koala's favourite oolong tea, still lingered on her cheek. She often enjoyed it with her favourite fruits and desserts but she liked it mainly because it was named after the Goddess of Mercy, and Koala strongly believed in second chances.
Sabo tipped his hat back up and looked down at her.
Koala returned his gaze with large brown eyes that were no longer dull but rather shining in amusement, and her skin had returned to a healthy tinge after all that frolicking, yelling and blushing. She looked radiant and beautiful, just as she did every other day.
Sabo breathed in, allowing his body to relax and meld into hers. He gave a smile, a genuine one devoid of tease and full of affection. "You know what that smells like?"
"What?"
"Forgiveness."
And he pecked her on the cheek.
A.N.
This fic is dedicated to the adorable kinderlinsbutt.
She drew these lovey-dovey pictures of these two darlings. It looks like I can't post links (ugh) so I'll link it on my profile. You guys can also find kindyart on Tumblr and search this post:
post/82735792686/koabo-koala-x-sabo-can-we-call-it-that-i-hope
Our works are two halves to a collaboration- they complement each other very well, if I do say so myself, so I recommend checking it out.
Let us know if you like Koabo as much as we do!