Hii can you do Dean x bambi!fem!reader who has a hard time sleeping and only seems to relax, go to sleep when she crawls into deans arms into his bed?
SOMEWHERE ONLY WE KNOW
wordcount: 1217
summary: Dean notices things, and lately he's noticed one thing in particular: you only seem to be able to sleep when you're close to him. When another sleepless night sends you knocking on his door– he is more than happy to become your safe place.
warnings: fluff, (pretty sure it’s fem!reader), could be platonic or romantic dean x reader, deer/bambi coded!reader, reader has trouble sleeping (nightmares/anxiety), cuddling, dean is actually a sweetheart n people don’t give him credit for it– think that’s all for now !!!
Dean notices things. Sure, most people often assume he doesn’t. They saw him as the loudmouth, cocky, smug, pie-loving, flirtatious hunter who looked like he bulldozed his way through life without paying attention to anything– but Dean noticed. He noticed when Sam switched coffee brands, he noticed when Cas was trying extra hard to understand a joke, most importantly: he’d noticed you stopped sleeping.
At first, he thought it was a couple bad nights. That happened, it’s not like hunters were exactly known for healthy sleep schedules. Hell, him and Sam had been surviving on four hours of sleep tops for as long as he could remember. But after a while, he started noticing patterns– the dark circles under your eyes, the way you yawned into your sleeve during breakfast, how you always lingered in the library a little longer even after everyone else had gone to bed. If anyone asked, you'd insist you were fine every single time. "M’okay" Dean knew that sentence was utter bullshit– he’d used it himself to brush off other people’s worries about his wellbeing.
He also noticed something else. One night after a rough hunt, you'd fallen asleep beside him during a movie down in his Dean-cave. One minute? You were awake, quietly curled against his shoulder while he mindlessly flipped through channels. The next? Your breathing had evened out– dead asleep. Huh, that was weird. Anyways, Dean had smiled to himself before carefully draping a blanket over you. No matter what the reason was, he was just happy to see you get some rest.
But then it happened again and again… It kept happening. Soon enough, after a few times of the same thing, he realized something– you only slept when you were close to him. Honestly, he didn't say anything, mainly not to embarrass you. Because he knew you– you were soft around the edges, gentle, a little skittish, always worrying about being a burden, kind where other hunters were harsh. So instead, he let it happen naturally.
Then one night, around two in the morning– he heard a tiny knock at his door. Dean was barely awake and luckily enough he didn’t have his headphones on blasting Metallica, otherwise he wouldn’t have heard the faint knocking. "Yeah?" He calls out, voice gravelly from sleep.
The door opened a crack and you peeked your head inside. His heart melted instantly at the sight– big sweatshirt swallowing your frame, hands tucked into the sleeves, eyes tired and hesitant. "Sorry" You murmured softly, apologizing before even having a full-on interaction.
Dean pushed himself up onto one elbow to look at you. "What's wrong?"
You glanced at the floor. "Couldn't sleep"
He tried not to smile at your quiet admission. "C'mere" He pats the mattress beside him, already lifting up the covers for you to hop in.
You hesitated briefly, hovering by the doorway. "Only if it’s okay"
Dean rolled his eyes dramatically. "Sweetheart, if it wasn't okay, I wouldn’t have offered it" Your shoulders relaxed immediately. And there it was– that tiny thing you did, the way your entire body softened whenever he reassured you. You padded across the room quietly before climbing into bed. Quietly, like you were trying your very best not to disturb him. (As if your presence could ever do such thing) The mattress dipped beneath your weight as you settled beside him carefully, too carefully for his liking. Dean snorted softly. "You can get comfortable, y’know?"
"Sorry"
"There it is again" He huffs fondly, shaking his head in amused disbelief.
You blinked up at him. "What?"
"The whole ‘sorry’ thing" The hunter gently reached over, tugging you closer until your back rested against his chest. "Quit apologizing" Your body tightened for a second, caught off guard. But then he wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you even more into his warmth– immediately, he felt the difference. The tension he'd grown so used to seeing in your body slowly began to disappear. It was like watching a frightened animal finally realizing it wasn't in danger anymore. Dean's hand gently rests on your side, thumb tracing slow circles over your waist. "There we go" You let out the tiniest sigh, the kind you didn't even realize escaped but made it out anyways. He smiled against your hair, satisfied to see you relax. "Bad dreams?"
You nodded. "Couldn't make my brain stop"
"Yeah" He sighs in agreement, fully understanding what that felt like. Hell, he’d spent countless sleepless nights tossing around with too many thoughts tormenting him.
You were quiet for a moment before carefully speaking up: "Is this annoying?"
Dean scoffed. "Seriously?"
You shrank a little into yourself, not sure how to react. "I mean...I don’t know"
His hand stopped moving for a second– not because he was upset, but because he needed you to hear him. Really hear him. "Sweetheart, look at me" You turned around slightly, peeking at him over your shoulder. Even in the dark, your eyes looked uncertain. Dean softened immediately at the sight. "Listen to me" He tucked a piece of hair behind your ear with a softness that was surprising in a roughened hunter like himself. "You are never annoying" Your expression faltered, like hearing those words genuinely surprised you– that alone made his chest tighten. "If you're having a bad night, you come get me"
"Dean—"
"Nope" He cuts off your quiet protest, squeezing your side. "M’serious"
You stared up at him, curious and gentle all at once. "What if I wake you up?"
He snorted. "Sweetheart, I've fought vampires on three hours of sleep" That earned a tiny laugh. "There she is" You half-heartedly ducked away from his gaze at being called out to which Dean grinned. "Besides..." He shifted even closer. (As if that were possible) "Could get used to this"
You turned around to look up at him again, your eyes widening with something close to thankful warmth. "Really?"
"Yeah" He shrugged simply. "Room's would be too empty without you"
Your cheeks warmed in embarrassment. "Dean"
"What?" The hunter smirked. "It's true" You hid your face into the pillow, turning your back to him once more. Still, he felt your smile before he even got to see it. God you were cute, ridiculously, unfairly cute. He pulled the blanket higher around both of you– making sure your shoulders were covered, making sure your feet weren't cold, making sure every inch of you was tucked safely against him… Eventually, his arms found their place around your stomach, thumbs slowly rubbing back and forth over the fabric of your sweatshirt. Your breathing gradually changed into longer, softer– sleepier inhales and exhales. Dean smiled to himself, murmuring a soft: "Attagirl" against your hair. Your fingers gently curled around his forearms. Like you needed to make sure he was really there. Like if you held on, the nightmares couldn't follow you.
And maybe they couldn't– because here in his arms, there were no monsters that could get to you. No overthinking, no scary thoughts waiting around every corner. There was just Dean.
Warm. Solid. Safe.
By the time your breathing evened out completely, he was already halfway asleep himself. But he didn’t fully drift off until his lips brushed the top of your head in a sleepy kiss. "Got you, sweetheart"
