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Sanji quickly finished to put away the dishes and clean the kitchen. He had the night watch tonight so he had already taken care of the few preparations for breakfast this evening and went outside to smoke while the sun was setting.
He said goodnight to his nakama before going up to the crow nest, starting his watch by tidying the place a little. He didn’t touch Zoro’s weights, only putting the towels in a corner, mentally adding them to the pile of laundry in the boys’ room he would need to do in the next days. The night was fresh but the air dry, and the sea stayed calm so it was a bit boring, but sometimes, Sanji liked boring.
At least, he wasn’t freezing. He remembered a few nights on the Merry when he would shiver under his blanket, his coffee the only way to keep him warm. But here, in the crow nest, he was protected from the wind and the rain. The only downside was that it always smelled Zoro’s old sweat, even if the swordsman often opened the window to clean the air. It wasn’t bad per see, but it was clearly Zoro’s room at this point, and that was why Sanji didn’t relax as much as he wanted. He didn’t want to get into a fight with the mosshead because he touched something he shouldn’t so he kept his hands to himself, only bothering himself with the towels when it was time to do laundry.
When the sun started to rise, Brook appeared on the deck and Sanji came down to greet him. Sanji smoked while Brook was bathing in the sun, and it was always a sight that made him smile. Their musician loved the warmth of the sun on his bones, enjoying every second, and it wasn’t surprising after all he went through.
Sanji left him to refresh himself in the bathroom and change clothes before starting breakfast. Brook was in the crow nest in his stead, something they decided early on when it was obvious that he was the only one up while Sanji was busy in the kitchen, so he could cook without a worry. Sanji hummed, a smile on his lips, happy to prepare the food for his nakama.
A few hours later, they filled in the kitchen one by one, more or less all awake, and Sanji was ready to serve them the best breakfast of their life. He loved going all out for his nakama so he didn’t consider cooking for them as a chore but more like a privilege.
They all left his kitchen with full bellies and smiles on their faces and he cleaned the kitchen with a happy mood. He was starting to feel tired but he still had to make Nami and Robin’s morning drinks, pressed tangerine juice for his sweet Nami and coffee for his precious Robin. He took the time to start working on lunch too, deciding that he would take a nap this afternoon.
It was a slow day, so when Sanji went to the boys’ room, he quickly fell asleep. Unfortunately for him, his peaceful sleep was interrupted by the attack of bounty hunters and he had to run out of his bed to join the rest of the crew to protect Nami and Robin. And the others too, when he had time.
The enemies weren’t strong but they kept coming and it was a bit annoying. Sanji and the others finally dispatched them and they fled, their ship barely afloat. Far from feeling tired, Luffy had too much energy to burn so he played with Chopper and Usopp instead of fishing, like he was supposed to, so Sanji took the fishing rode, a cigarette between his lips, and waited for a catch. After he caught a few small fishes, a sea monster appeared and a little chaos ensued, but in the end, Sanji had now a lot of meat for a few days.
It took a bit more time than he wanted to cut everything in pieces and put it in the fridge, already late to prepare dinner, but with his skills, he managed to finish just in time.
Still, after dinner, he was eager to go to bed, his yawns getting harder to hide once his belly was full of good food. Usopp was on wash duty so they made quick work and Sanji began breakfast’s preparations soon after. The mosshead came to steal a bottle of sake, so Sanji took upon himself to protect the good alcohol from his dirty hands, and in the end, the swordsman left satisfied, one bottle in his hand. Sanji felt tired suddenly, and he tidied up the kitchen quickly and went directly to bed after washing his teeth and putting his pajama.
He woke up suddenly when he heard Nami calling after the crew and he immediately went out to see what was going on. He was splashed in the face by salty water, the Sunny rocking so hard that it was a wonder that Sanji didn’t wake up earlier. The storm was so fierce that when he managed to finally see through the rain, he noticed the height of the waves being so high that it was frightening.
At least, there wasn’t a typhoon nearby. Still, this wasn’t a small storm and Sanji went back in the boys’ room to put his shoes and a coat, giving up changing clothes because of the urgency to help the crew maneuver the ship. Everyone was on deck except Chopper, Brook and Robin to prevent them to feel weak because of the sea water who came from everywhere at once, but Luffy was up there to knot the ropes on the mast. They all stayed careful, listening to Nami’s instruction, letting Jinbei cutting the waters at the helm, and when finally, the sea became safe again, they all breathed with relief.
At this point, everyone was drenched, even the three who stayed inside because they never really let their nakama do all the work without helping one way or another, so there was a line to go bath, those waiting sitting at the kitchen table or the couch in front of the aquarium, and Sanji made his duty to provide warm drinks for everyone.
He wasn’t the only one in his pajama, and really, it was simply an old t-shirt and loose pants put together, and it wasn’t the first time they had to fend off a storm in the middle of the night, so Sanji didn’t feel pressure to get change. He still very appreciated the hot bath when it was his turn, even if he was surrounded by only men. He had to supervise Chopper while Zoro supervised Luffy, Usopp, Jinbei, Brook and Franky having already taking their bath before them, the girls being the first to clean themselves and probably back in their bed since then.
It felt good, and Sanji had to stop himself from falling asleep right there and then. Despite the hour, he wasn’t going to go back to sleep just yet, the time to prepare breakfast almost there. Luffy and a few of his nakama weren’t going to miss it out and it was his duty and pleasure to cook them a good meal this morning after all this ordeal.
After the bath, he went to the kitchen, and he felt less tired than he thought, so he got a bit overboard. As expected, Nami, Usopp, Chopper and the mosshead didn’t show up until late morning to eat something, but it was alright because he had prepared, and hidden, enough for everyone on board.
It wasn’t unusual that Sanji had to skip a few nights of sleep when they were sailing at sea, catching up his rest with short but efficient naps, and it was what he intended to do this morning. Except that, for once, he couldn’t sleep. He really tried his best, but his mind was too active at the moment and he gave up. It happened sometimes, when he had skipped too many hours of sleep, but it would go with a painful headache and this time, he wasn’t hurt anywhere. His body wasn’t even slow, so he figured that it wasn’t the best time to rest just yet.
The day went as usual, with the occasional games of Luffy and Usopp, with Chopper following them with sparks in his eyes, Nami bathing in the sun, Zoro napping on the deck, Brook playing music, and so on. Sanji served them their meal and snacks with a smile, light on his feet. There wasn’t even a cloud in the sky anymore and it made it hard to believe that a fearful storm was raging last night.
When the sun set and that Sanji finished everything he needed in the kitchen, he went to the boys’ room, but when he lied down and closed his eyes, he couldn’t sleep, exactly like this morning.
Worse even, because now he had Bink’s sake playing in his head, very loud, and he couldn’t stop it. He tried to ignore it, but every time he closed his eyes, the song would play louder and it was impossible to fall asleep. He felt his brain working, and he surprised himself thinking about an old recipe that Zeff had taught him, years ago.
He sighed loudly in the dark, opening his eyes and watching with envy his sleeping nakama. It was hopeless, he wasn’t going to sleep, not right now anyway, so he went up. He had to check the pantry anyway since he missed to fill in his inventory book the last two days, and a nice cup of warm chamomile tea would probably help calm his nerves.
He hummed Bink’s sake softly, trying to get rid of the song, and while working, he gratefully noticed that it was gone, at last. He washed his mug and prepared a little snack for Jinbei who was on watch tonight.
In the crow nest, they talked a little, Sanji checking that everything was fine, on the sea and for his nakama, and once on the deck, he smoked one last cigarette with the moon on his back, the waves bright under its light, and the view soothed his tired mind.
Now he was starting to feel it, his body moving a bit sluggishly than before, his muscles aching a little, and he sighed with a relief when he lied down in his bed. He closed his eyes, sure that this time, he would somber immediately and wake up the next morning.
Yohohoho! Yo hoho ho! Yohohoho! Yo hoho ho!
Sanji frowned and ignored the song, playing loudly in his head. But it wasn’t working, so he sang it in his mind, more and more annoyed, bit by bit, almost screaming internally the lyrics as if it would chase the song away from his head. It didn’t work, and Sanji sat with his eyes opened, wanting to shout out loud his frustration, but he didn’t want to wake up the others so he refrained to do so.
He ran a hand though his hair, calming his burning mind, wondering why he couldn’t sleep. He didn’t even have a headache, he was fine, but this song couldn’t stop playing and it irritated him a lot.
“Maybe I need to think about something else and it’ll go away?” Sanji asked himself in thought.
He lied back down and stayed with his eyes opened in the dark, ignoring the loud song in his head. Maybe he just needed to think about another song and it would chase away Bink’s sake and his mind would quiet down on his own? He liked Bink’s sake a lot but right now, he ha enough of it.
He successfully got rid of Bink’s sake from his mind, but instead he had another song playing as loud as the last one and it wasn’t better. He felt tired but couldn’t sleep with this constant noise, so he tried another approach. He thought about girls, cute, sweet, pretty girls, with the curves he loved and… well, it didn’t work at all! And now he was frustrated for another reason! Great work Sanji!
He went to the bathroom to wash his face, and nothing else, not really in the mood for anything but sleep, except that his mind couldn’t stop thinking.
Yohohoho! Yo hoho ho! Yohohoho! Yo hoho ho!
“Raaaah!” He growled in front of the sink, unable to believe his bad luck.
Well, now it was obvious, he wasn’t going to sleep at all tonight.
He went in the kitchen, smoking and putting his book of recipes in front of him, reading some, adding a few comments to others, finding inspiration for a dozen of new recipes and he was starting to get excited about it.
He thought about sleeping because, really, it wasn’t reasonable to stay awake like this, but even though Bink’s sake was gone, he didn’t want to stop his stroke of inspiration just yet. He even thought about trying something this morning since he had the ingredients.
And so he started his day a bit ahead of time, but it wasn’t that bad because he was happy to create a new meal for his nakama. He relished on the rush of energy that his passion always gave him and it was like his fatigue vanished. But only for a short while, and after breakfast, he felt his bones and muscles starting to ache, his neck tense and his mind a bit slower than usual. Even smoking was becoming a chore more than a relief and he knew he couldn’t continue like that.
But well, life was full of surprises and Luffy was an eccentric captain, and so when not one, not two, but hundreds of flying giant fishes started to jump out of the water, he grabbed one and it became immediately a chaotic rescue. Sanji was drenched, but he had kicked a few fishes, something to replenish the fridge, again, the sea monster already completely eaten thanks to his bottomless pit of a captain.
He felt tired, really this time, and he didn’t want to complain but he had thought he could take a nap this evening, not sky walk and swim to rescue his careless captain and then prepare enormous portion of flying fishes instead of the usual quick snacks. Yes, he felt tired, but it was still manageable, so he didn’t get angrier than usual, or at least he thought. It also meant that, whatever happened tonight, he would finally fall asleep, song or no song, because his body just craved for a little respite.
And yet, when he went to bed, Bink’s sake playing in his head, his mind still working at full speed, he couldn’t sleep. It was becoming ridiculous. He even tried counting sheep but when he reached three hundred, he knew it wasn’t going to work either. He couldn’t spend another night without sleep or it would become problematic. But he really didn’t want to ask Chopper for a sleeping pill. He never liked using medicine for small things like that, and he had still hoped he could fall asleep on his own.
He listened to the snores of his nakama, finding them soothing but it wasn’t enough. He looked at the ceiling before sighing, turn back and forth, his body aching, but as soon as he found the right position, Bink’s sake sang loud and clear as if the whole orchestra was in his head. He didn’t move though. Maybe, if he stayed still in the dark instead of working in the kitchen, he would fall asleep without noticing it.
He thought it worked until Luffy screamed in his sleep, waking everyone in the room, except himself and Sanji, obviously painfully still awake. The little slumber he had left himself progressively fall into was completely over and tensed as he was, Sanji started to turn again in his bed, unable to sleep.
At least Bink’s sake wasn’t playing anymore.
Wait… never mind.
He saw the light coming from under the door and he knew it was morning already. He didn’t know what was worse, knowing that he was going to be slow with his body and mind all day, or that he was hoping for a restless sleep full of nightmares instead of another night of insomnia.
Still, he started his day as usual, made breakfast, forgot to plan for lunch, rushed the snacks for the men, not Nami or Robin because they were too important to not mess up theirs, and took almost three times longer to light his cigarette right. He was irritated even more quickly than usual and he had already fought Zoro four times, each time more violently than the last.
His nakama were starting to pick up on his mood and even Luffy tried to be nice with him, but he was an idiot, and the last thing Sanji wanted was to wash dishes a second time after his captain washed them with the wrong sponge. But when he lied down on the couch with the aquarium above his head, he couldn’t sleep. He felt restless, his mind reeling, and his muscles were starting to spasm from time to time.
At dinner, he almost tripped on the long legs of Brook and let go of the plates a bit too soon, making them clatter loudly against the table, and he apologized immediately. He tried to focus on his own plate, for once being a bit too late to protect his ladies’ meal, but Nami wasn’t a poor damsel in distress and quickly put their captain back to his place, although rather violently.
“Sanji, are you alright?” Chopper asked with a soft voice.
Sanji shook his head and put a small smile on his face to be reassuring, but it made the room spin around him and he grabbed the corner of the table to stay upright. He looked at his nakama but they were too many to count, their body slipping and merging and Sanji started to not feel so good. When he tried to put his head in his hand and steady himself, his hand was shaking. In fact, his whole body was.
The worse part? He was still very aware of his nakama’s very worried voices.
“Sanji-kun? What’s going on, you look very pale…”
“Sanji, are you hurt anywhere?”
“He doesn’t look good.”
“Wait, let’s put the plates out of the way first.”
He felt something on his shoulder and he jumped out of his chair, surprised. Except that it was a very bad move because he didn’t have any strength in his legs and he fell, the ceiling getting farther away with each passing second.
Something pushed his back and he wasn’t falling anymore, but he had to kneel on the floor because he couldn’t stand up at all. He shook his head to clear his head, in vain. He frowned because, seriously, what was going on with him? He checked if it hurt anywhere, but no headache, just a few aches in his body, nothing really serious, except being extremely tired to the bones.
“Sanji? Can you hear me?” Chopper asked him in front of him.
“Yeah…”
“Are you hurt?”
“No, just… tired.”
Sanji heard a few sighs of relief but it wasn’t helping his case.
“Have you been sleeping well lately?”
“Not really.”
“Okay, let’s get you to bed for now.”
He nodded, too out of it to even protest Chopper’s suggestion. There was so much to do in the kitchen but maybe, it could wait a little. When he was sure that his shaking legs could support him, he walked to his bed with Chopper in tow, a few of their nakama behind them. He had clearly frightened them and he knew he would need to make up for that, but it was definitely for later.
His exhaustion was so intense that Sanji thought that closing his eyes would be enough to instantly fall asleep, but Bink’s sake started playing again and he rubbed his eyes in frustration.
“Do you need something?”
“I…” He turned his head and noticed how worried Chopper was, so close to him that he could touch him if he wanted to.
“I can’t sleep.” He admitted to his nakama. “I’ve got this song in my head and I can’t stop thinking. I tried everything I know but it didn’t work. Even now, I can feel my body aching and I really want to sleep, but I can’t.”
“How long have you been unable to sleep?”
“Since… the storm, I guess? I didn’t sleep for long, and before that I had the night watch but I didn’t take a nap after.”
Chopper’s eyes opened wide and if it was anyone else, Sanji would feel a bit self-conscious, but he trusted the doctor with his life, and Chopper wasn’t one to minimize their problems.
“That was like, four days ago! That’s normal to feel tired! Wait, I’ll give you a light medicine to help you sleep, nothing too strong don’t worry. But you need to sleep. We’ll talk later about why you’re not able to sleep when you’ll feel better.”
“I’ll do anything right now…” Sanji whispered, the dark calming his burning eyes, and when Chopper gave him a glass full of medicinal tea, he gulped it in one go.
When he lied down again, the song was starting to fade away but he grabbed Chopper’s furry arm and squeezed him once.
“Thanks Chopper.”
“Don’t thank me, bastard!” His nakama automatically replied with a big smile on his face and a little blush on his cheeks.
Sanji chuckled. His eyelids were becoming heavy but he didn’t want to let Chopper go just yet.
“Stay…?” He asked softly.
He felt more than saw his nakama relax who sat on his bed next to him. Sanji closed his eyes and, finally, fell asleep.