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The sound of a door creaking open caught the attention of Zeff as he lay in bed. With only one other crew member of Baratie, he knew in an instant that Sanji - that stubborn brat that reminded Zeff all too much of himself at that age - had gotten out of bed again.
As a strict man, Zeff had disciplined himself into getting to bed by nine in order to get up early in the morning. That way, he could make use of as much time in the day to prepare food and keep the kitchen in working order.
Since Sanji was only ten years old and still a growing boy, he needed more sleep than him. So Zeff made sure that the kid was in bed by at least eight-thirty, even if he had to drag him every step of the way.
Most nights, he literally did that. Sanji was so eager to prove his worth that the brat neglected to take care of himself. For the past three days, he’s snuck out past bedtime and Zeff has found him passed out in the kitchen hours later. Sanji thought he could be more efficient if he prepared ingredients and cleaned the kitchen instead of sleeping.
“That brat sure is dedicated, I’ll give him that,” Zeff groused, wincing at the twinge of pain in his leg. The pain originated in the stump of his leg, what was left after he sacrificed it to save Sanji. Though he grit his teeth and dealt with it, the discomfort still kept him from falling asleep. “He better not make a habit of this. I don’t want to have to retrieve him every night just because he won’t listen.”
By now, it was half past nine in the evening. The floorboards in the hallway squeaked as tiny feet crept towards the stairs at the end of the hall. Through the walls of his bedroom, Zeff heard the patter of feet descending down the stairs.
“I’ll give him a few hours tonight, then go fetch him,” Zeff decided, having learned that trying to keep Sanji from sneaking out wasn’t going to work.
After the first night Zeff had found him slumped over in the kitchen, he had berated Sanji on how irresponsible his actions were. Instead of taking his reprimand to heart, Sanji continued to disobey Zeff and sneak into the kitchen.
“Might as well catch a few hours of sleep while I wait,” Zeff said, glancing at the clock. It was about fifteen minutes until ten. If he waited until midnight, Sanji would surely be asleep by then.
Sitting up, he rummaged through the drawer in his nightstand until he found some herbal pain relievers. After he and Sanji were rescued, the doctor that had fixed up his leg had given him a supply of herbal remedies to ease the pain in his stump. Without these, he would’ve endured many long nights, gritting his teeth against phantom pain.
When he had downed some medication, he laid back in bed and closed his eyes. The pain started to fade, and drowsiness tugged at his senses. Before he knew it, he was lost to slumber.
Two hours later, he was cracking his eyes open and looking at the clock. Sure enough, it was almost midnight. Time to fetch the brat and put him back to bed.
With a groan, Zeff sat up. The vertebrae of his back popped, protesting the sudden movement. He pulled on his prosthetic and stood. He swayed a little, still not quite used to leaning his weight on a peg leg.
Baratie was silent at this time of night, save for the swish of ocean waves and the creaking of the ship as the water rocked her like a sleepy child. Zeff’s unusual gait echoed in the hall, the tap, step, tap filling the quiet air.
Going up and down stairs with a peg leg was a skill Zeff had yet to master. It frustrated him to be slowed down by it, but he always managed with some patience and curses muttered under his breath. By the time he reached the kitchen doors, it was a little past midnight.
The kitchen doors squeaked softly as he pushed them open. But the noise didn’t disturb the sleeping Sanji, currently curled up by a giant bowl of badly-peeled apples. A half-peeled apple was clutched in his hand, the knife he was using laying off to the side on the floor.
Sanji didn’t stir as Zeff came closer, the older man careful not to make too much noise. The brat looked so cute like this, sound asleep and breathing evenly. Sanji almost always had a serious expression on his face, one too hard for a kid so young. But right now, he looked relaxed, like any normal child.
It broke Zeff’s heart a little to know that Sanji wasn’t any normal child. He knew that the kid went through something in his past that hurt him deeply. He knew Sanji was on his own when he first found him on that cruise ship, the Orbit. He knew that Sanji misses his mother very much because Zeff can see it when the boy lingers at the sight of a female customer and her child.
Zeff would never admit it out loud, but he’d begun to care for the boy like he was his own. They looked enough alike that they could be mistaken for blood-related father and son. They were both blond and fair-skinned. Even though Sanji hadn’t known Zeff long, he had already picked up a few of the older man’s mannerisms.
The thought that an outsider would believe them to be father and son brought Zeff more joy than he would care to admit.
Not wanting to disturb Sanji’s sleep, Zeff cleaned up the kid’s mess as quiet as he could. The apples went into the refrigerator, where the cold would preserve them until later. The peels went into a compost bin, and the bowl and knife were placed in the sink.
Kneeling on the floor beside Sanji, Zeff gingerly gathered his slumbering form into his arms. As he adjusted Sanji’s head to rest against his shoulder, the action disturbed the boy’s sleep. Sanji’s brows furrowed as he started to wake. Zeff was rooted to the spot as Sanji’s eyelids fluttered halfway open.
“Dad?” Sanji mumbled, voice soft and groggy. His eyes were glazed over, not alert enough to take in his surroundings.
Zeff’s heart stopped yet soared at the same time. With only the moonbeams streaming in from the night outside, the low light of the kitchen masked the smile that spread across his lips.
Zeff held him just a bit closer before murmuring, “I’m here. Go back to sleep, little one.”
With a tiny nod, Sanji let his eyelids fall shut. A yawn overcame him and he rubbed away sleepy tears with the heel of his hand. Finally back asleep, his pressed his cheek to Zeff’s shoulder. One of his hands found the fabric of the older man’s nightshirt, curling around it like a lifeline.
When Sanji had fallen into the ocean after Zeff’s ship had been wrecked, Zeff had dove in after him without thinking. An instinctual, protective feeling had taken hold of him when he realized the two of them were alike. Two kindred dreams of seeing the All Blue. After that, nothing was too much to sacrifice for that boy’s well-being.
As Zeff held him now - Sanji slumbering peacefully - that same protective feeling gripped him. Zeff never imagined himself as a father until he took Sanji under his wing. And now, he wouldn’t give up this feeling for anything in the world.
Sanji looked content to sleep the rest of the night away right here, but he needed a real bed. So Zeff stood and carried him out of the kitchen. The hardest part was going up the stairs. While holding Sanji securely with one arm, Zeff’s free hand hung onto the safety rail.
At last, he had made it to Sanji’s bedroom. It wasn’t easy prying the kid off him as he laid him down, but he managed to loosen Sanji’s fingers from around his shirt. It wasn’t a cold night, but Zeff still pulled the covers up to Sanji’s chin, just in case.
“Goodnight, little eggplant,” Zeff whispered, the nickname bringing another soft smile to his face. Sanji was sound asleep, so he figured it was safe to bend down and leave a kiss on the boy’s head. When he straightened, he saw the barest hint of a smile curling on Sanji’s lips.
When he left, Zeff made sure to close the door as quiet as he could, and headed back to bed. He couldn’t suppress the smile that crossed his face before he slipped back into slumber.
“Hey, shitty geezer! What’s the big idea of letting me sleep in?!”
Zeff didn’t even stop chopping vegetables to glance Sanji’s way. The kitchen doors swinging open hadn’t surprised him in the least; he had heard Sanji’s hurried footsteps coming down the stairs.
“You disobeyed me again last night and snuck into the kitchen!” Zeff replied, stopping to scrape the cut vegetables into a salad bowl. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the pinched, pouting expression on the brat’s face. Finally glancing at Sanji, he barked, “Don’t give me that look, shitty eggplant!”
“You never let me sleep in before!” Sanji objected, pointing an accusing finger at the older man. “Are you givin’ me special treatment because I’m a kid?! I ain’t no kid, old geezer!”
“Kid or not, you still work for me!” Zeff shot back, turning to face Sanji and putting his hands on his hips. “And I won’t have any of my crew falling asleep on the job, got that?!”
“Fine! Whatever, shitty geezer!” Sanji huffed, marching past Zeff to the nearest sink.
Sanji scowled as he swiped the step stool from beneath the sink. Being too short to reach the counter without help did nothing for his dignity in this situation. So he stepped onto it with more force than necessary and washed his hands.
By the time he was finished, he had cooled off enough to mutter, “I’ll stop staying up late, okay?” He mimicked Zeff and put his hands on his hips. “But only because I don’t wanna keep listening to your nagging, old man!”
“Don’t disrespect me, brat!” Zeff replied, ruffling Sanji’s hair because he knew it annoyed the kid. Like always, Sanji made an irritated noise, ducking his head and attempting to swat Zeff’s hand away. With Sanji preoccupied, Zeff was free to let himself smile. He couldn’t deny part of him was proud Sanji was going to start taking better care of himself. “I wouldn’t have had to nag you so much if you would’ve done what you were told the first time!”
“Argh! Whatever!” Sanji exclaimed, successfully fending off Zeff’s hand and trying to straighten his hair back in place. Now that his fingers had touched his hair, his hands weren’t clean enough to handle food. “I have to wash my hands all over again! Thanks, geezer!”
Zeff could only laugh as Sanji turned the water back on, a grumpy expression on his face. Sanji tried, but he couldn’t cover up the fact that he cared. Zeff wondered if he was as obvious about his feelings, too.
No matter how the two of them expressed their care, Zeff knew what was in their hearts. With time and patience, he knew Sanji would grow up to be one of the best cooks the world had ever seen. He knew he would find the All Blue, for both of them.
And right now - even though Sanji was still an amateur that couldn’t even peel an apple right - Zeff knew he was never more proud to call anyone his son.