Category: Mild Romantic Fluff

Characters: Sabo, Koala

Additional Tags: High School AU

Hey, everyone. Here's today's story for Saboala Week, for the Day Three prompt "School." It seems this event is chock-full of AUs, which is a refreshing twist from the content I put out normally. Also, this went in a completely different direction than I thought it would but I regret nothing. Anyway, enjoy the read!

Koala's round eyes were narrowed at she peered around the edge of the door to the classroom. Stealthily, she scoped out the scene; most of the students had arrived already and were scattered about in small groups chattering. The air was tinged with excitement and anticipation not normally seen on the average school day. Of course, this was indeed a special occasion that was looked forward to every year, by boys and girls alike; it was the eventful and fateful Saint Valentine's Day. The atmosphere was thrumming with emotion as girls delivered their chocolate full of feeling why boys secretly hoped that they would be on the receiving end this year.

Well, the average boys, at least.

Some guys were just graced with charisma and beauty; Saint Valentine's wasn't as nerve-wracking an event to them, because the sweets were heaped upon them by most of the student body. The most anxiety-ridden part, Koala supposed, was that they had to politely accept without curbing the girls' feelings too hard. In fact, in this sense, it was the girls that faced most of the pressure; it was an insane competition to impress, to make her chocolate stand out the most in feeble hopes of winning attraction from the object of their affections.

This year, Koala found herself in that very unfortunate scenario.

Her eyes locked onto her target. She groaned when she spotted the pile of little pink and white and red ribbon-laced boxes stacked high onto his desk. Some of them were so fancy; Koala's surely would be lost in the crowd. Most of them had probably been delivered anonymously. Those who faced their fears and presented their gifts to him directly would be more worthy of remembrance. That required nerves of steel, however, and Koala wasn't quite sure she possessed those nerves. The crowd was thick enough now that everyone would see her. They would feel sorry for her; with that stack of chocolates, he would only be accepting it out of gentility rather than genuine gratitude. Koala hastily stuffed the box of chocolate bag into her schoolbag and edged into the classroom, unnoticed by the boy she was desperately crushing on but had no courage to face.

Sabo greeted her happily when she walked in. They were best friends, after all. Swallowing her panic, she pushed her bag behind her, as if he could see the box within, and tried her best to pretend that things were normal. If he noticed her anxiety, he never made any mention of it.

The entire school day was a wrestling competition in Koala's head. Now that the morning rush was over, Koala could make more of an impression presenting her chocolate to him personally. Other girls had the same idea, though, and every time Koala worked up the nerve to do so, some bimbo would scamper up and shyly do just that. Sabo, naturally, smiled that toothy grin of his and thanked her jovially. Koala got sick of batting away the beating little hearts that poured off the girls as they scurried away to gab to their friends. At the end of the day though, she pitied them.

Not once did she see him eat any of it.

By the time the final bell rang and school was dismissed, Koala had resigned herself to try again next year. Usually Sabo walked her to the train station, but she had made up some excuse about club activities and dashed off so she could sulk in peace. After most of the student body had deserted, she sat on a bench just a few paces from the entrance, staring forlornly down at the box in her hands. It had become bent and ragged from a day in her bag, and the chocolate was now a melted lump with white streaks of icing swirled within. No boy in their right mind would find it appetizing.

"Koala!" She jumped violently when she heard him calling for her. In a panic, she shoved the box down into her cleavage just as he came rounding the corner. "That didn't take long. I thought your club stuff would last longer," he laughed good-naturedly as he approached the bench. Koala faked a smile and rubbed at the back of her head in a nervous gesture.

"Yeah, hehe, it didn't take as long as they predicted it would," she lied lamely.

"Great! I can walk you to the station then, yeah?"

No, please don't, she thought, feeling the box shift between her cleavage. For once, she wished for a smaller chest. Being crammed on a subway with a box stuffed between her boobs? Talk about uncomfortable. Just as she was thinking it, Sabo's eyebrows knitted together and his eyes dropped right to her chest. Wait, what the hell?! Sabo turned pink and looked away, coughing. "Uh, Koala… You've got a stain on your shirt…"

"What?!" she cried and looked down. Sure enough, brown chocolate was spreading its way across her bust. That would be hellacious to get out. Unabashed due to her panic, she popped the buttons open to remove the squished box from within. The chocolate had apparently begun to melt from her body heat and was now leaking out of the cracks in the flimsy box. "Aw, man," she pouted as she held it out a great distance so the thick brown liquid could drip down onto the sidewalk. She was completely oblivious to the fact that her bra was on full display for Sabo to see, because she was too upset at her utter failure of a Valentine's Day. This sucks, she thought with tears prickling the corners of her eyes.

"Um… Is that… Chocolate?" At his hesitant inquiry, Koala flushed and looked down at her lap in mortification. "Who… Were you going to give it to?" Her shoulders tensed a little at the scared tone in his voice. Could he possibly be afraid that she was going to give it to someone else? She peered up at him through her thick eyelashes. He was staring intensely at the crumpled box, eyes following every gloop of chocolate as it seeped out and splashed down onto the sidewalk below. Koala decided to test the waters. Maybe it wasn't a failure after all.

"… I was going to give it to you," she revealed quietly. Her heart like to jumped out of her chest at the excitement that passed over his face. He quickly reigned in his emotions, however, and returned that complicated look to his face. He coughed uncomfortably again.

"So… Why was it in your bra?" He said the word slowly, like he was forcing it out. It made Koala giggle a little. He was so shy.

"Well, I kind of psyched myself out of giving it to you…" He stared at her for a moment.

"Why? We're best friends." Koala's body went rigid at the statement and her arm fell a little from the tremor that gripped her. She didn't say anything, but there was no way that Sabo could miss the few tears that fell off her downturned cheeks. Her gaze was fixed on him through her eyelashes, though, and she watched as his mouth slowly fell agape as the realization that it was not simply "best friend chocolate" dawned on him. He looked at the box, then at her, and at the box again. Then, before she could say or do anything, his hands snatched out to take it from her.

"Wh-wha-?" she cried in surprise, her head snapping up. Sabo flipped the box open almost casually and he swiped up some of the goopy liquid on the tip of his index finger and shoved it in his mouth. He rolled his tongue around it with a thoughtful expression, then popped his finger out of his mouth and looked at her with a scarily blank expression.

"It's good."

"You just ate chocolate that was in my boobs!"

"It's pretty damn good for boob chocolate, then." Koala squealed in mortification and covered her face. How could he say something like that so casually?! She peered through her fingers at him when he began laughing, and sure enough, he stuck another gob of the chocolate on his tongue. Oh my God, he's really eating it… She thought maybe that it was just out of pity, but he really did look like he was enjoying it. "Hey, by the way, your blouse is still open."

"Eeeek! Oh my God!" she wailed and covered her chest with her hands. She didn't know whether to laugh or cry. She felt like she was in some cheesy rom-com anime. She couldn't exactly close her shirt, because there was still plenty of chocolate in her cleavage, and she didn't want to stain her shirt further, but like hell she was going to give Sabo a show by cleaning it off. There was no un-sexy way to do that. Oh, God, what if he made some crude joke-

"So, you want me to get that for you or what?"

"Sabo, what the fuck?!" she shrieked and shimmied down the bench to put as much distance as she could between them. Tomato-faced and scandalized, she looked at him wildly to see a stupid grin plastered on his face. "Don't joke like that!" she said as she fell onto her side on the bench and sobbed. Her heart was pounding in her ribcage. Was this what a heart attack felt like?

"Sorry. Can't help it. You're so cute when you blush," he shrugged as he licked more chocolate off his finger. It was a totally off-handed compliment, almost too casual, but Koala still flushed red from head-to-toe. Her temperature was probably in critical range at this point. Groaning loudly, she melted against the bench. She was chocolate now. Snickering, Sabo took a few steps closer to crouch down in front of her. She immediately hid her face with both her hands.

"I hate Valentine's Day."

"Aw, don't say that. I took your boob chocolate, didn't I?"

"Please don't call it that!" she begged, parting her middle and third fingers of one hand to glare at him with dark round eyes. He had that stupid grin on his face again. Asshole. She then sighed miserably into her palms. "Besides, you just did that because we're friends."

"Um, Koala, do you really think that 'just a friend' would eat chocolate that melted in your cleavage? I mean, that's a little weird, don't you think?"

"You are weird!"

"Jesus, go for my throat, why don't you?" he laughed and grasped his heart like he was wounded, even hanging his head in mock misery. He cocked his head to the side as he smiled warmly at her. "Koala, you know why I didn't eat any of the chocolate I got from all those girls?" She shook her head. Sabo loved sweets; it was a fact. She was actually kind of surprised he didn't smash on them immediately. "It was because I was hoping you would give me chocolate today." Behind her hands, her eyes widened such that her pupils were swimming in a sea of white. He tilted his head back with an exaggerated sigh. "I was so depressed because I thought my love was unrequited~" he trilled dramatically in a manner even the embarrassed Koala had to laugh at. He dropped his head back down to flash a bright smile at her. "I got it in the end, though, so all's well that ends well, I s'pose."

"Do you mean it?" she asked meekly. Sabo was a really nice guy. He would totally go to such lengths to make her feel better.

"'Course I do." Koala's tense body relaxed under his tender gaze. There was no lie in the way he was looking at her. Slowly, her hands fell from her still flushed face. "Can't wait until White Day. You can lick chocolate off my boobs~" he grinned stupidly. Koala screamed and pushed him by his shoulders, making him fall down on his rump as he laughed hysterically.

"I hate you! I'm going home!" she shouted at him as she jumped off the bench and began stalking down the sidewalk.

"With your shirt still open?" he called after her.

"Shut up!" she screamed and angrily buttoned her shirt back up, chocolate or no chocolate. She heard Sabo's sneakers scraping against the concrete as he scrambled to run after her.

"Koala! Come on! I was joking!" he laughed as he ran to catch up with her. She kept her shoulders hunched up and refused to look at him as she kept stomping down the street. "fine! I won't joke about it anymore! Please?" His pleading was invalidated by the continuous stream of chuckles leaving his mouth. Koala puffed out her cheeks in a clear pout, but acknowledged him by stiffly grabbing his hand to hold. It was like she always imagined it- big and warm and embracing. Too bad it was attached to his stupid arm that was attached to his stupid body that his stupid head with his stupid face was attached to. God, she wanted to smack that dumb grin of it, but why was it also maddeningly sexy. "Koala~" he chimed. The light tone of his voice practically made her answer him.

"What?"

"Thanks," he said and leaned down to peck her lightly on the cheek. She flushed and squeezed his hand on reflex, short-circuiting. Her other hand flew to her cheek, feeling it burn against the skin of her palm and fingers. "Hehehe. That was fun, but next year, can I just get normal chocolate?"

"Sure. I'll leave it at your grave!"

Yeah, needless to say, she never lived that one down.