Chapter Text
Rayleigh never thought he’d find himself tending to a child in the early peeks of dawn. To be fair, his whole life has been finding himself in odd situations that he’s long past the point of preparing for it. Easier to sail with a current as it comes.
He strokes Ace’s wisps of hair as the baby finishes his second bottle of milk. They’ll have to restock earlier than they expected with the way the kid inherited his parents’ appetites.
It’s only been two weeks since they arrived at Sabaody. They’re still settling into a routine of caring for a child while Shakky runs both of her businesses. For once his wanderlust is calm. Thoughts of travelling dissipate at Ace’s gurgle and mornings spent watching Sabaody’s bubbles diffuse sunlight into rainbows bring a quiet contentment.
For all that he laughed at Roger’s presumptuous attempts at recruiting, in the end, the man had him. No hook or line, just a hand outstretched in invitation.
Let’s turn the world upside down!
Rayleigh had thought he was content then, lazing around in a stolen fishing boat, directionless in a manner only a self sufficient eighteen year old could manage. But Roger could wear a strawhat like a crown and identify a hunger for more just as easily. Probably because he recognized it from his own reflection, Rayleigh muses.
Ace’s chubby hand wraps around his index finger in reflex more than thought and Rayleigh’s heart clenches. There’s a warm feeling in his chest that unbiddenly tugs the corners of his mouth up. Eighteen year old him was a fool to think the stagnancy he felt could compare to true contentment.
He knows caring for Ace was inevitable, in respect to his parents if for nothing else, but sometime on their sail to Sabaody the child wormed his way into his heart. Which is ridiculous, the kid’s a month old. All he does is sleep, cry, eat, and shit.
And yet,
Ace lifted his head by himself for the first time last night. The swelling in Rayleigh’s chest reeked of pride. He could’ve sworn Roger possessed him with the way he raced to tell Shakky and got laughed at for his grin. Which he understands, he would’ve laughed too at his obvious excitement for such a small feat, but calling it a small feat sits wrong with him.
It’s a marker that each day this baby is growing . One day he’ll start walking and talking and having an adventure for himself outside of this island even though four weeks ago he was a squirming baby in his mother’s arms.
Ace is going to be his own person one day and Rayleigh looks forward to that in the same measure he does the Dawn that Joyboy prophesied.
So yeah, Rayleigh might care for this brat. He huffs a laugh at himself and the movement causes Ace to blink his baby wide eyes up at him, his hand still clutching Rayleigh’s finger. Rayleigh’s lips quirk into a soft smile and he gets a gummy smile in return. He continues his lulling circuit around the room in the morning light like his heart didn’t just melt all over the floor.
The fearsome Right Hand of the Pirate King, Dark King Rayleigh, has it bad for a toothless baby.
It’s more likely than you think.