A/N: To all those who enjoyed the Sweet and Short Exchange, here is a continuation of our story. This is based on a Sabo x Koala roleplay which I have written with my RP Partner. If you enjoyed their interactions, please don't forget to drop me a review of what you think. I would really appreciate it and it also encourage me to post PART 2 of our story if there are enough interest out there.
A Night in the Kitchen
It was another quiet night at the Revolutionary base. Most of the troops were away on assigned missions. The office was empty and Koala, assistant to the Chief of Staff, was busy working away on his paperwork when suddenly she heard a presence at the door.
"Huh? Sabo-kun, you are still here?" She turned around to see him in surprise.
"I'm always around." Sabo made a pokerfaced expression.
"What do you mean you are always around? You are hardly around whenever we needed you here the most!" Koala wasn't pleased at all.
"Even if I wasn't around, you can still reach me through my Den Den Mushi." Sabo countered. Bad move, Sabo.
More clouds of pink smoke puffed out of her head. She parted her lips and was just about to say something, but clenched her teeth instead. "When was the last time you even picked up my call?" Seriously bad move...
Shit. Sabo mentally facepalmed at his own idiocy. "Um.. yes-ter-day? He was ready to run before an angry Koala unleash her wrath to his poor cheeks. Slowly and carefully, he took a few steps backwards. Each step he took backward, she followed suit by taking one step forward. "Why you... idiot! Not only the calls, but all that paperwork you left behind that I have to finish it up for you. You owe me big, Sabo-kun!" Her cheeks now puffed up in anger.
His eyebrows raised in realization. Because to him it has been an unsolved mystery how his paperwork already finished without him touching it. "So.. it was you who did my paperwork then!" He chuckled. "I thought it did itself!" He patted Koala's hat repeatedly.
She blinked several times under her cap. Now that he was closer, she reached up on to her tippy toes and pinched his cheek with her gloved hand. "Y-you are not serious, are you? What are you? Like 5 years old? Everyone knows paperwork don't get done by themselves!"
"Ouch!" He winced in pain. Oh how much he hated it when Koala ALWAYS targeted his precious cheek. "But I have never caught you working on it!" He still insisted. Definitely begging for his other cheek to be pinched.
Oh and if that's what he wish for, she will gladly oblige. Left hand slowly reaching out and pinched his other cheek before stretching it out till he cries mommy. "That's because you are hardly here! Now can't you even show some appreciation for all those late nights I stayed up slaving away for you?" She thought he would be use to her pinches by now.
"Stwop Kwoawa, that huwts!" He begged for mercy like a kid getting scolded. Koala's pinches were even more ruthless than any monster crab out there, he swore. He didn't want to give in because of his damn pride,but his cheeks hurt. He couldn't stand it anymore. "I'm swowwy. I—
"There..." She let go of his cheeks and they snapped back to their original position. Deep down she didn't mean to hurt him but his constant disappearance and reckless behaviour just make her frustrated and... worry. "Next time if you just walk off on your own again without telling anyone, I..I will lock up the kitchen from you." Her voice seemed to calm down a bit now that she has the upper hand
"WHAAAT?!" Sabo's jaw dropped until it hit the floor. No way he could live without raiding the kitchen at night. "Why are you so mean to me?! Whyyyyy?"
She didn't figure he would be this upset. She placed both her hands up in a placating manner hoping to smooth out the situation. "Alright, that would happen only if you run off without telling any of us. Anyways, speaking of the kitchen, I wouldn't mind getting something to eat though." She knows food can always cheer the Chief up , and most important of all it helps to stop his continuous whining.
His face softened, eyes lit up at the suggestion Koala made. No matter how much he wanted to stay upset, but at the mention of food and how his stomach growled in response, it changed his mood. Besides, Koala's smiles were infectious. He smiled slightly. "But.. it's past meal time." He stated a matter of fact. "That means you are suggesting something... illegal." This time playfulness had returned to his mood as well.
Oh gosh has it past meal time already? She will never hear the end of this from him now. "W-wait a minute here... I didn't realize the time flew by so fast." She insisted. "So, what do you prefer we should do?" And how did he end up making her feel like she is the guilty one?
"Just because it isn't meal time, it doesn't mean we can't eat." He reminded her. Koala was the type of person who follows the rules all the time, for all he knew of her. Sabo grinned innocently. "Let's raid fhe kitchen. You don't want to starve to death, do you?" He teased.
Azure blue eyes widened in disbelief. She was astounded to have heard the mere suggestion of stealing food from the kitchen. "But Sabo-kun, you know we can't do that! We will get in trouble and I am not even hungry right now." She protested while tugging at his sleeve to not head towards the kitchen, but then came a rumbling sound from her stomach that betrayed her words. The rumbling sound was so loud, that he was sure it could be heard in one hundred meters away. Well, that was exaggeration. "That's it! You're coming with me!" He stated. Without waiting for her answer whether she agrees or not, he took her by the wrist and tugged her along.
"W-wait!" Before she even had a chance to retaliate, she was dragged down the hallway, heels stumbling along to keep herself from falling. They went past the mess hall before arriving infront of the doors to the kitchen. From the outside window, one could see the lights were off and the kitchen appeared empty. When she tried turning the door knob, it wasn't surprising that it was locked. "See, told you this is not gonna work. Maybe I will just go back to my room and grab a granola bar instead." She was prepared to turn around and head back.
"Can you just lower your voice?!" He said with a whisper as they lurked outside to scan the kitchen if there were any workers nearby. They came to a stop, leaning against the wall. Carefully, Sabo peeked inside through the window, squinting his eyes in the process. He might be a little distracted for doing his task, but it didn't go unnoticed when Koala tried to leave the spot. "Hey!" He whispered pulling her next to him again. He gave her a look, telling her that the fact the door was locked doesn't mean it was a dead end. He gestured at a window and then he went over and easily pulled it open. "This one is never locked." He leaped and in landed on his feet inside the kitchen. "Are you coming or you plan to stand there like Noland Statue?" He teased.
Having been stopped in her tracks, she glared back at him in defiance with the expression that tells him she is not liking this one bit at all. She nervously watches as he stealthily infiltrated the kitchen through a side window. "Sabo-kun, I really don't think we should be doing this." But her hesitation gave way to the hunger pains that is slowly creeping up on her and seeing him already in the kitchen and hurrying her up, she could only sigh in defeat. "Oh alright, if anything happens, it will be all your fault!" She try to keep it down in a whisper as she followed suit and hopped through the side window. Her plan was to get the food and then get out of here as quick as possible.
"Come on, Koala. What is life without a little risk like this?" He nudged her shoulder after she joined him inside the kitchen. Sabo took a look around his surroundings to make sure they were clear, then he shut the window close, to avoid suspicion. He seemed very well composed and tactical, that could explain the amount of experiences he has in sneaking into kitchens. He opened up the fridge and started to browse through the items. "Get that basket." He ordered her as he pointed at the object in the counter. "We are taking a lot."
She took the basket and handed it over to him as he started loading it up with an enormous amount of food. Time was ticking and suddenly Koala thought she heard a sound. She cupped his wrist and squeezed it tight to grab a hold of his attention. Placing a finger upon her sealed lips, the two stood there silently as they listen and heard a set of footsteps approaching towards them. This was not good at all. There was not enough time to escape from the kitchen and all they could do is find a place to hide without being found out. Koala's eyes swiftly observed the situation and noted the pantry across the room. She began to pull him away from the fridge and headed towards the pantry. "Hurry! We need to hide. Unless you could think of a better idea..." She huffed quietly beneath her breathe.
"What?" Sabo said, thankfully in a low tone, as he turned his head to look at her when she grasped his wrist. His mouth was already half full with some food that he couldn't help resisting it any longer. His eyes read her body language, so he swallowed down everything inside his mouth rather hastily. Sabo focused his hearings, and he concluded Koala was right. They were not alone anymore. Ugh. Who was it? He wondered. If they got caught, then they would get punished by Dragon-san or Iva-san. There was no end of it, Sabo didn't have time to spend cleaning-the halls or bathroom. It was torture. He nodded, silently telling her that she was in charge here. This time he would trust her guidance. She pulled him along, away from the fridge. He didn't forget to shut the fridge's door in the process to not raise suspicions. The pair slowly-headed to the pantry, and it was like a dead end. "Do you think we can fit in that closet?" He whispered, briefly looking behind his shoulder as he spotted one chef walked towards the fridge.
Call her unimpressed when she saw pieces of food still sticking out of his mouth, but this was not the time to be giving him a scolding. She will have to add this to a list of things to do later. And whether they can fit in the pantry is no longer a question at the moment. They have no choice given that they were pretty much cornered. Not wanting to get into trouble and thinking on an empty stomach, Koala turned the knob to the pantry door. In what felt like a split second, she pulled Sabo forward and shoved him roughly into the crammed pantry before jumping in herself afterwards, closing the door behind her just in time before they were spotted. Thankfully she was able to completely close the door behind her. They have to adjust a few limbs here and there in order for the two of them to fit in. Sabo was shoved against the shelves, while Koala remained sandwiched between him and the door. Otherwise, if the room was any more smaller, their plan would have been foiled. Now they will just have to wait it out in the dark until the coast is clear before they can make their escape.
Sabo emitted a small yelp when she shoved him rather harshly toward the small pantry. The room was dark. There wasn't any source of light in there. With a flick of the tip of his index finger, he created a small fire. The light was enough to make him able to see her again, and noticing the scowl on her face. She looked stressed, and he suppressed a chuckle. "Believe me, this was not originally my idea to have to eat inside this pantry." He said with a whisper. Sabo grabbed her hand with his free hand and pulled her down with him so they could sit on the floor. What's done was done, they had a big catch in the basket, so let's just eat instead.
The appearance of his flame illuminated a warm glow to the small enclosure. Koala is still not use to the idea that Sabo can materialize into fire. As this is still new to him, she fear that one day he might accidentally burn down the entire base. But he reassured her with the gentle tug of his hand as they both lowered themselves to a sitting. "Oh, I am sure you didn't plan this, but we are here is because of you!" Koala retorted still in a hushed tone. She reached out for some pieces of cheese and fresh fruits from the basket and nibbled on it like a hungry chipmunk would with a tower of nuts infront of them. Now having eaten some food, she is feeling much better. The ginger head reached into the basket again and found there was only one piece of sandwich left. She gazed back at Sabo under the flickering flame with a smile and handed it over to him. "Here, take this." Afterall, it was thanks to him that she is no longer starving at the moment.
Sabo actually ignored her accused reply about how their 'Raid the Kitchen Mission' turned out. His focus was on the food as he began to eat with one hand while his other hand kept the small fire alive on the tip of his index finger. He might be a fan of foods, and he loves to eat, but he wasn't gluttonous like Luffy. His appetite was still normal, he wasn't greedy to take all the food in sight. Especially when he was sharing it with Koala, he could be considerate and even slowed down to give her time to choose which one she wanted to eat from the basket. They ate silently, enjoying this small time of peace where they spoiled their tummy. Sabo was as hungry as her, because the routine training drained a lot of his energy, not to mention the tension when getting scolded by her also burned his calories. The basket was almost empty. They could only see one last sandwich. Sabo's hand was about to claim it but he thought better so he withdrew. He looked up at her, catching her big shiny eyes. Before he could let her know to take it, she already picked it and offered it to him while smiling. Sabo's smile in return was a little reluctant. His hand did accept the sandwich, before he split it into two pieces in equal size. He offered that piece to her and his smile grew softer. "We always share." He said.
His last three words repeated in her head. She suddenly felt a warm fuzzy feeling in her heart and it wasn't from the fire that currently lit up the room. She also recalled the time when Sabo decided to share an apple with her when they were supposed to be peeling them as kids. Except this time, instead of pinching his cheeks and giving him heck for it, she gratefully took the other half of the sandwich with a smile and silently munched on it. In between small bites, she would quietly steal glances at him and the way he is happily enjoying this time puts a smile on her face. Once the food was done, they heard footsteps heading away from them. Koala asked Sabo to snuff out his flame before standing up and opening a slither of the doorway to see if the coast was clear. The kitchen is now empty but the soft glow of a lantern caught her eyes from afar. A shadow was approaching the kitchen with silent footsteps and it looked like the person jumped into the kitchen through the side window. Just like they did. Koala gulped as the tall figure suspiciously approached the fridge and opened it. She slowly closed the pantry door shut again and turned back to Sabo, whispering close to his ear. "Is Dragon-san. What do you think he is doing in the kitchen at this time of night?"
His eyebrow raised in disbelief. The leader of the Revolutionary, the world most wanted man, snuck inside the kitchen to raid food like them? That was weird. He could have easily gone through the door if he wanted to eat anytime. It was hard to understand. However, one thing he was sure, that both Sabo and Koala didn't want to get caught even when Dragon was also doing the same. "What do we do?" He asked, oblivious at how they were in each other's personal space, and their faces were close.
Koala on the other hand was feeling a bit awkward. Soft curves now pressed upon his button blue shirt. Her face glowed a blushing red at their current predicament. "H-how should I know what to do?" Her voice a little shaky this time and carried a touch of unease. She got one hand placed on his shoulder and the other on the door for balance. "Aren't you the Chief of Staff? Why don't you make a decision?" She pouted, taking a deep breath to calm herself down before proceeding to think in a logical manner. "Well, we can't go out there now. Let's just wait it out some more. After he leaves, we make a dash back to our rooms and pretend we saw nothing."
"That sounds like a plan." He agreed, his breath fanned her face as he said in a hushed tone. Sabo then blinked into realization how close they were at the moment, and if anyone caught them here, they might see it differently. His eyes glued to hers, but still noticing the red tint on her cheeks. His hands somehow ended up resting comfortably on her waist. For no reason his heart thumping rapidly. Despite their close proximity, she actually found his scent quite soothing and welcoming. Wait! No, no, no... she quickly shook that thought out of her head. They've known each other as friends for so many years, she never thought they could be anything more than that. There was a line drawn between the leader and his subordinate, and being the rule abiding girl that she is, she wasn't ready to cross that line, or is she? Koala was busy thinking of all these conflicting thoughts, it wasn't surprising that she was caught off guard when Dragon opened up the pantry door. She almost fell backward towards the floor if Sabo hadn't gotten a good hold of her to prevent her from falling.
The leader of Revolutionary Army's eyes widened in surprise and his lips parted. It seemed he didn't know that there were others who had occupied the pantry. Dragon definitely saw Sabo and Koala in a compromising position, thinking those two snuck in there to make out. "Sabo, Koala. Do your business in your private room, not here." Dragon scolded them, for no reason his eyes looked rather knowingly as if the situation about Sabo and Koala was not new.
Suddenly, being caught stealing food seems much kinder than being caught making out in the kitchen pantry. She was about to correct him, but stayed silent under the piercing gaze of the leader's eyes. "Ahhhhhh, damn you Sabo-kun, this is soooo embarrassing." She sobbed, with her palms now covering her glowing tomato red cheeks. She then took to her heels and ran past Dragon, down the corridors and all the way back to her room without ever looking back.
"It's..." he was speechless. His face was as red as Koala's, and he could feel the atmosphere became warmer and warmer, something that was nothing to do with his devil fruit. Koala's frantic reaction only strengthened Dragon's suspicion. How those two reacted were definitely like some couple who were caught in action of intimacy. Koala left first, while Sabo remained in his spot, ready to face the consequences. "I'm sorry, Dragon-san."
"I'll let you two pass, as long as you don't tell the Chef that I was um… here." He said.
"Yes sir." He saluted. Sabo was about to leave, before Dragon grasped his shoulder.
"I don't care about what you two were doing, but if you play with her emotions and break her heart, you are going to be in serious problem with me, Sabo."
"But sir?! I don't understand! We—it's not what it—"
"Go."
"Alright Dragon-san." Sabo was confused but it was in his best favor to escape from his superior.
A/N: Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy our little story. Please don't forget to leave me a review as hearing from each and everyone of you means alot to me and also super grateful.