#sleep protector

[rea-grimm]

Sleep protector Katakuri

Relationship: Katakuri x Reader

Vibe: protective, comforting, soft, slightly strict, emotional, supernatural AU, hurt/comfort

Summary: As nightmares and pressure threaten to break you, a silent protector appears in your dreams and reality, guiding, guarding, and standing by your side, even when you make mistakes, proving his devotion runs deeper than fear.

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It has always been your dream to own your own small bakery where you would bake fresh pastries, bread, doughnuts, cakes and anything else you could think of. Your family discouraged you, but you went ahead with it anyway. 

Eventually, you managed to buy a small bakery from an elderly lady. You were thrilled, but at the same time, because of your family's pressure, you began to suffer from nightmares. However, they were not only because of your family, but also because of the stress of never owning any such business. 

You dreamt about how much it was too much for you.—too much work, too many customers who were just giving you a hard time. The shop literally grew over your head, crumbling to pieces and shattering. Other times, it grew empty, with cobwebs covering everything. Similar dreams kept you awake at night. 

Other times, threatening letters made you dream of your family forcibly dragging you away, wrecking your business, or otherwise sabotaging you, just to get you back. 

You finally had everything ready to go and you could have your first premiere. You had all baked goods, and the pleasant aroma of freshly baked pastries wafted through the building. You had savoury pastries, sweet pastries, bread, and all sorts of things, and you could always add more. 

You were preparing a new batch of doughnuts when the doorbell rang and your first customer walked in. You lifted your head to greet an older lady with a long pointy nose, a scar across her face, and purple hair and matching lipstick you'd bought the shop from. 

"Hello, how are you," you smiled at the original owner. 

"Oh good. How am I supposed to be in retirement? I see you've spruced the place up nicely," she said, looking around. 

"I tried," you smiled. "Is there anything I can offer you? It's on me," you offered. The woman looked at the selection and chose a crème brûlée. You gave her an extra doughnut to go with it. Even though the owner looked like a witch, she seemed nice to you. 

"You're very sweet," she said and took the treats from you. "I'll eat it at home," she said, heading for the door before pausing. "Actually, I brought you something too," she said, returning to the counter. 

"You don't have to give me anything. You already sold me this store," you tried to rebuff her.

"Nothing of the sort. I want to give it to you," she shook her head and placed a teddy bear with burgundy and pink fur and a scarf around its snout on the counter. "Think of it as a good luck gift. A sort of talisman or protector if you will. I'm sure it will help you. Just don't ever take the scarf off, you'll upset him," she explained, and before you could protest, she left. 

You picked up the teddy bear and decided to keep it as a sort of mascot for your bakery. You placed him on the main display where he had a view of the entire shop and where doughnuts, cupcakes and assorted sweets were underneath. 

The first day went like clockwork without any problems and you closed with a sense of calm. Almost everything you had prepared was sold and there were only a few doughnuts left and nothing else. 

You cleaned up the bakery before you went upstairs to the floor where you now lived. It was quite convenient having the bakery downstairs and living on the first floor. At least it wouldn't be too far to work, you used to joke. 

You took your stuffed animal with you, and it kept you company. After a small dinner and a shower, you retired to bed with the stuffed animal in your arms. You lay down and picked it up in the air.

The stuffed animal had short-wine fur with a black and white scarf around its neck that covered its snout. He was wearing spiked pads and bracelets, making him look like the perfect pet, but also like something you didn't want to accidentally lay on. Plus, he had light pink markings on his fur. 

You wondered what he was hiding under his scarf, but then you remembered the lady's words. You were about to pull his scarf off when you paused and finally decided to stop. 

Finally, you put it on the bedside table, not wanting to accidentally gouge your eye out on the barbs, and lay down. If it was exhaustion from the first day, you fell asleep pretty quickly. 

Today, you dreamt about your first opening. In reality, everything went well at the beginning, but during the flash all the pastries went bad, got mould on them, got carried away by mice or crumbled to dust. In this dream, your family confronted you, made fun of you, humiliated you and you had to hide from them. You held your head and reminded yourself that it was just a dream. 

You already felt like you had to wake up at any moment when someone else appeared in the shop. It was a tall man whose head almost brushed against the chandelier you had there. 

The nightmares immediately focused on him, and he looked like he could predict their every move. He dodged their attacks without any trouble, and in an instant, they were defeated and vanished. 

You were still crouching when the man leaned towards you, and only now did you notice that he looked like a human version of your new teddy bear. Even now you couldn't see his mouth, which, like a teddy bear's, was covered by a scarf. 

He introduced himself as your protector and even told you your name, but it was as if your brain had completely sealed it off since you couldn't remember the name this morning. 

The protector made sure you were okay and helped you to your feet. He may have looked scary at first, but something told you there was more to him than met the eye. 

Thanks to this protector, you were now free of nightmares and could sleep peacefully and go about your business. 

In your dreams, he would take you to an island made of sweets. He guided you there and you discovered new places and tasted sweets. 

You discovered that he was a giant lover of sweets and was constantly giving you hints and tips on baking, especially doughnuts. Surprisingly, you remembered the recipe that morning, but you wrote it down just in case. At this rate, you were slowly filling up your notebook. These doughnuts soon became a big hit and always sold out. 

You noticed a strange thing about the doughnuts in your shop. Ever since you first opened your shop, you've noticed doughnuts disappearing here and there. Whether you had them in the back room, out of the public eye, where you had them ready to go, or right off the counter.

You didn't notice it at first, until a few days later when you made a batch. When you went back to get them to take to the store, there were three missing, and you were sure the tray was full when you left. 

After a while, you got more and more curious about what the teddy bear under the shawl looked like. You knew it would probably look like a classic stuffed animal. Although the teddy bear warning kept ringing in your head, your curiosity was greater. 

Lying in bed, you picked up the teddy bear and pulled the scarf down from its snout. You were quite surprised by the pointed teeth that extended up and down on each side. It was weird, but on the other hand, you thought it was cute. 

You didn't think you were gonna make your protector angry. When you fell asleep, he was furious. You violated his terms, his one wish. That's why he refused to defend you. He made that clear when he disappeared like a ghost.

Since that moment, you've slept poorly again. You had nightmares again, and your protector was nowhere to be found. You didn't admit it the first few days, but it was affecting you and your bakery more and more. You haven't seen him since, not even when you slept with your teddy bear in bed. 

After a week, you decided to try to reconcile the protector. You knew about his weakness for doughnuts and decided to bake him the biggest doughnut you could create. 

He gave you a lot of trouble, but you finally got the hang of it. You filled the doughnut and topped it with frosting. It was so big you could sit the teddy bear in the middle of it. Which you did. 

At bedtime, you left the doughnut in the bakery and put the teddy bear in the middle of it before you went up to your room and went to bed. You couldn't sleep for a long time and only after a few hours of tossing and turning in bed did you fall asleep. 

Just as you began to dream, you found yourself on Sugar Island in a place where the Protector often took you, and to your surprise, he was already there waiting for you. He gave you a stern look before his gaze softened.

With that doughnut, you'd appeased him. He would still have liked an even bigger doughnut, but he was satisfied with this one. It was as delicious as anything you'd baked. He said you could make more doughnuts like this. From that moment on, he started protecting you again. 

Even though your dreams and sleep were protected, the pressure from your family did not stop. Your little business was off to a good and steady start, but with it, the threatening letters from your family began to pile up. 

You ignored them and even reported them to the police, but they couldn't do anything about it as it was just letters and nothing else for now. 

One evening, however, it became something more. You were sleeping peacefully in your bed when the glass in the front door of your shop shattered. But with your bed upstairs and the door closed, you heard nothing.

A hand pushed through the broken glass and ejected the door, and several persons in black came in. It was your family. Firs,t they searched the interior for the alarm, but that was solved before they blew your fuses. 

What woke you up were the bangs coming from the floor below you. Sleepily, you sat up in bed and listened. Before you decided to do anything, you called the police in a whisper. 

Then you cautiously walked over to see what was going on. You tiptoed around, trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. You walked down the stairs and down and stopped at the corner and cautiously peeked in to see what was going on. 

To your surprise, you saw your family on their knees, and bending over them was the protector you'd only seen in your dreams. He was bending over your family, and they all seemed to be wrapped in strange sticky ropes. He was giving them one last chance to leave you alone or he wouldn't be so merciful. 

Your family agreed and went on the run. As soon as they were gone, you turned on the light.

"Katakuri?" You asked, feeling like it was the strangest dream you'd ever had. Katakuri walked over to you and got down on one knee to be on the same level as you. 

"You're safe. I'll make sure nothing happens to you," he said, placing a hand on your shoulder. His touch was surprisingly gentle and warm. It convinced you that this was indeed real. 

"I know..." you said and hugged him. You were glad he was protecting you. You didn't want to imagine what your family would have done if he hadn't been there. 

"Can I ask you something? Can you close your eyes?" You asked weakly, looking up at him. You saw him measure you with his gaze before he finally nodded his head in agreement and closed his eyes. 

You pulled the scarf away from his face, revealing the teeth you'd already seen on the teddy bear. They were real now, but you didn't mind at all. You put your free hand on his cheek and kissed him on the lips.

"Thank you," you whispered before pulling away and returning his scarf to its original place. 

Katakuri put his hand on the back of your neck and pulled you close to his body, burying his head in your shoulder so you wouldn't see that his face was as red as his hair.

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Sleep Protector Masterlist

[rea-grimm]

Sleep Protector Boa Hancock

Relationship: Boa Hancock x reader

Vibe: soft supernatural, protective, confident, elegant, fear-to-love, powerful, romantic

Summary: Terrified of snakes, you’re forced to face your worst fear, until Hancock appears, a proud and powerful protector who turns your nightmares to stone and slowly transforms fear into fascination… and love.

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Everyone who knew you knew about your incredible fear of snakes. You yourself were aware that it was an irrational fear since snakes were minimal and not even venomous where you lived.

You knew that as a child, you were not afraid of snakes until a certain incident. You didn't remember exactly what happened, but from that moment on, you had a panicky fear of snakes that you couldn't overcome.

And even though your best friend had an aquarium with snakes and was constantly trying to help you overcome your fear, or at least alleviate it.

However, you had no idea what had gotten into you. Whether it was a momentary weakness or pure insanity, but at your best friend's urging, you signed up with her for a part-time job at an exotic research station in the Amazon rainforest. It had a lot of perks, and one of the main ones was that your transportation there, your stay and your food would all be paid for.

She constantly cajoled you, and for every one of your rejections, she found a thousand more positives as to why you should give it a try. She was so convincing that you believed it yourself.

Your faith didn't last very long, however, and just as you got your acceptance letter, the whole situation weighed on you. You were going for two months to a country that was on your top danger list.

You had such a meltdown that you started having nightmares about it. About the Amazon rainforest, its dense jungle, and all the dangers that could befall you there. Of course, most of the nightmares centred on snakes. You were trapped by them. They were crawling all over you. Trying to crush you and bite you and stuff. 

How many times did that make you wake up screaming at night, bathed in your own sweat. You always had to turn on the light so your brain could see for itself that you were safe, and there were no snakes anywhere. 

One thing led to another, and very soon, you developed insomnia from the stress, because of your fear of nightmares about snakes. 

You were a walking disaster, but even that didn't save you from your fate in the jungle. Once you decided you should call it quits, there was nothing you could do about it. 

You slept through the entire plane flight because you inadvertently took more sleeping pills than you wanted. But when you thought about it later, you didn't mind.

You were picked up at the airport by a car belonging to the research station, where you were taken to the main building that connected all the centres around. There, you filled out the rest of the paperwork that was needed for your accommodation, and also a questionnaire that would assign you a tailor-made job. 

Your friend was thrilled when she was assigned a job looking after snakes directly. You were relieved when you were assigned the job behind the camera, where you were to make sure that the snakes were not stolen and that there was no accident where the snakes got away. 

As soon as you were assigned your jobs, your new supervisors were there to take over. You were taken to the camera room. There, sitting in your new chair, was a black teddy bear wearing an elegant dress with gold snake earrings and a long white and red snake wrapped around her paw.  

"This is for you. Such a little talisman for peace and courage," smiled your supervisor, who was an elderly lady who might as well have been your grandmother. 

You were a little sceptical about it, but it was a gift and that's what counts. Plus, the teddy bear had fur as soft as velvet and was nice to touch. You felt that with a teddy bear and these nice people, you could do the job. 

After all, they had given you a break because they didn't want to torture you on the first day, and they knew you would be tired after such a long journey. They wanted you to settle in first before they put you to work. 

You'd barely unpacked your things from the suitcase when you fell into bed, teddy bear in hand, and after a long time, you fell asleep quickly, without any problems. 

But the trouble came in your dreams. You found yourself in the middle of a dark jungle, completely surrounded by vegetation. The unfamiliar sounds of animals gave you the chills, and there were snakes everywhere. Snakes in the grass, in the trees, everywhere. Wherever you moved, a snake was hissing at you. 

You didn't know what to do next. How to get out of there in one piece without being stepped on by a snake or eaten. You closed your eyes in terror, awaiting your end. 

But that never happened. Instead, something moved beneath your feet and carried you into the air. You gasped as you saw a giant white snake with red spots on its body and a skull with horns on its head under your feet. The snake carried you into the air to safety. 

A tall girl in a beautiful purple dress that looked very much like the dress your new teddy bear was wearing jumped down to where you were standing. She even had the same gold snake earrings. She looked around with her head up before tossing her hair to the side. 

She took a stern look at all the nightmares before pointing at them and leaning back as she looked down on them too much. She then stood up and, during the blink, turned all the nightmares into a stone, which she then smashed into small pieces. 

You were safe at last. The snake that had been supporting you brought you back down to the ground, where a girl walked over to you, took you under her chin, and gave you a stern look. You had the impression that she could see right through you. 

The girl introduced herself and asked you if you were all right. You, however, were completely mesmerised by her beauty and did not hear a word she said. Your thoughts were somewhere else entirely. 

She let you go in disappointment before taking you somewhere else where no nightmares could bother you. You knew that she was your protector, who cared for you in your dreams and helped you face your fears little by little. 

The next morning, you woke up after a long time full of energy. The circles under your eyes had improved a little, and you felt like you were finally ready for your new job. After all, watching snakes through a screen didn't seem so scary after all. 

At the time you arrived in the computer room, where you had a view of all the important places from where you could keep an eye on people and snakes. This way from the screen, at one point, they didn't seem as scary as they first appeared to you. 

All of this led to a drastic improvement for you. In your dreams, your beautiful protector was helping you overcome your fear of snakes in her original ways. You travelled the world, she showed you the best places where you felt free and also her best treatments that made you feel more beautiful in the real world. 

You had the impression that your protector was cold to you at first, but you noticed how she opened up to you more and more, and you realised that her almost divine looks weren't everything. That even underneath the glossy shell, there was something much deeper. 

You even noticed that at some points she was more in her thoughts than you were. Sometimes you'd see her smile and blush. 

Everything went as smoothly as clockwork. You and you friend have totally gotten into your new jobs and you've been making huge strides. You even went to your friend's terrarium regularly to try to break your fear of snakes. In your dreams, it was no problem and you wanted to make those advances in the real world.

Your friend was incredibly proud of you when you came to her alone and said you wanted to pet a snake and even hold it.

You've talked about it, but you haven't been able to put it into practice. You've been preparing for days, but you've always backed out.

You had a night watch today. You had your feet up on the table and watched the screens when you had no idea what happened, but suddenly you saw a sort of short circuit where all the screens went off, with all the electricity going out for a moment.

Just until it managed to power up the electricity and the screens, so it was your job to figure out what happened. What gave you pause, however, was the image on the screen. You had to lean in close to believe your eyes. All the snake enclosures were open, and you could see a strange person in black opening another one.

You let the rest of the security team know, and without any attempt on your part, you went to sort it out. You had a flashlight in one hand and a tear gas canister ready in the other.

Just as you stepped through the door to the room in question, you paused. Several snakes were slithering right in front of you. But you knew from your friend that they were relatively harmless.

You took a deep breath before carefully stepping around the snakes and heading further inside, planning to reveal the figure in black. You went deeper, passing one snake after another, but the person was nowhere to be seen. 

You were about to turn back when you froze. You felt someone put something between your shoulder blades. You suspected it was a gun. 

"Don't think of anything funny," someone said coldly in your ear. You nodded your head in agreement, and snakes were the least of your worries at that moment. 

"How dare you touch my beloved?! You men are all the same," came a cold voice full of contempt that you instantly recognised. You wanted to turn to follow the voice, but the weapon against your backside prevented you from doing so. 

The gun was pressed more into your back before you heard the scream. It sounded like the man behind you. There were a few footsteps, a thud, and rocks falling to the ground. You turned around, but the man in black was nowhere to be seen, and in his place was a pile of stones, like crumbled statues. 

"Hancock?" You asked the girl who threw her hair behind her. 

"Are you all right?" She asked, and a giant white snake with red spots and a skull on its head appeared behind her. 

"I'm fine. I thought that was the end of me," you admitted. 

"Nothing will happen to you when I'm here," she said, taking you under the chin and kissing you.

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One Piece Masterlist

Sleep Protector Masterlist

[rea-grimm]

Sleep protector Corazon

Relationship: Corazon x reader

Vibe: soft supernatural, comfort, protective, healing, insomnia relief, gentle, emotional, slightly comedic

Summary: A worn teddy bear becomes your dream protector, Corazon, a clumsy but devoted guardian who chases away your nightmares and eventually steps into your waking world to keep you safe.

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You've been suffering from insomnia for some time without knowing why. Maybe it was because you were more of a night owl, even though you couldn't sleep at night but never slept past seven in the morning. 

But nothing was working for you. Pills, meditation, special music... nothing. You felt like you'd tried everything you could. 

After a while, you got used to it and stopped worrying about it. You had giant circles under your eyes and you looked half dead, but you were functioning, and that was the main thing. And that was despite the regular nightmares you had when you tried to sleep. Even though you tried to control your dreams, it was like fighting windmills.

You'd come home late at night. The sky was already clouded with a black veil and the moon was hidden under dark clouds, so the street lamps provided the only light. But the city had saved money, so every other one was lit. 

A freezing wind blew in, bringing full snowflakes that began to drift down from the sky. You pulled your scarf tighter around your neck, wanting to get home as soon as possible. 

You were passing a dark alley when a lamp lit up in it. It startled you completely. You stopped in your tracks and looked into the alley to see if anyone was standing there. There were only trash cans and an ancient chest in the alley. You walked closer when you noticed that a teddy bear had been placed on the box.

The teddy bear had a hole in its chest, and it had plush coming out of it. There was a black feather coat over his shoulders that was burned and the teddy bear was generally dirty. Something drew you to him despite all this.

"You look worse than me," you muttered before picking him up. Even though it was just a stuffed toy, you decided to take it home. There, you cleaned it up and stitched up the wound on its chest. You noticed that he had more stitches on him than just this one.  

That very night, a miracle happened for you. You fell asleep on the couch with the stuffed bear in your arms. But even now you were having nightmares. You were in the wilderness surrounded by nightmares that threatened to consume you.

The whole place was so loud that you held your ears and feared your head would burst. As loud as the noise was, you were paralyzed and all you could do was stand still and hold your ears. 

After a while, however, a light passed by, creating a sort of barrier where everything went silent. You pulled your hands away from your ears and looked around. A few feet away from you, you saw a tall man in a black feather cloak who looked stern. 

The man started in your direction, but when he was almost upon you, he tripped over his own foot and fell to the ground with a loud thud. You were startled, as you hadn't expected it. 

The tall man groaned in pain before scrambling back to his feet and lunging at the nightmares, which he easily defeated and the rest took off running. 

After this, he turned to you and wanted to walk over to you. As he approached, you noticed that he had a lit cigarette in his mouth. A few steps away from you anyway, he had tripped and fallen to the ground. What you didn't expect was that the cigarette fell out of his mouth and lit his black feather coat on fire.

You were surprised by this and ran over to him to make sure he was okay and that nothing had happened to him.

The Protector gratefully accepted your hand and you saw his face was as red as the cap he was wearing. He smiled shyly at you and nodded his head that he was fine. 

Then he began to wave his hands and gesticulate as if he were communicating by signs. Only then did you realize that he was probably mute. You were glad you had taken a short course at school earlier so you understood some of the signs. 

Your protector wasn't sure you understood him, but when you answered him and even used some of the signs yourself, he beamed all over. 

When you woke up in the morning, you had no idea it was possible to sleep so well, even while lying on the couch. But you were still holding a teddy bear.

From that day on, you also started finding black feathers in your apartment when you woke up. You also smelled cigarette smoke, even though you were a non-smoker. 

Now and then you would also find little sticky notes on your bedside table or other places in your apartment with short messages that always motivated you and made your day.

These little things reminded you of the man who appeared in your dreams every night and protected you from nightmares. You even practiced sign language with him in your dreams sometimes, when he taught you new signs. 

However, he also took you on adventures to different kingdoms, hunting for magical fruit and the like. It was during these times in your dreams that you realized how clumsy he was. You even stopped counting how many times he fell, tripped, set himself on fire, and other such things.

One day, in your apartment, one of the notes left by your protector included a picture of a little boy of kindergarten age who looked sick. He was pale with black circles under his eyes and white patches on his skin. 

You didn't understand what the photo was doing there. You looked at it a few more times, but otherwise, you left it on the table because you didn't know what else to do with it. 

In the evening, when you drifted off, you found yourself in a dream in a familiar place where you spent most of your time with your protector. In the dream, you found the same photo of the little boy in your pocket and decided to ask your protector about it. 

He took the photo from you and looked at it nostalgically with a faint smile. He confessed to you that he used to be the protector of a little boy who was sick and who was being hunted by someone very bad. He had sacrificed himself so that the boy could live and move on. He thought it was the best solution and he thought it was the end of him. Until he ran into you.

It's been a few days since you got your stuffed bear, and your sleep has improved many times over. You had no idea that sleeping better would improve your life this many times over. The circles under your eyes have improved, and so has your mood. 

You went on a little shopping trip and came home. You waited at the crosswalk until the pedestrian light turned green before you could finally cross. You were crossing and you didn't notice the car coming towards you. It didn't notice the light and kept going.

You didn't notice it until it was almost upon you. You didn't have enough time to get away. Plus, you felt like your body refused to move even though you wished you could get to safety. 

"Watch out!" you heard a voice call out to you. However, you had the impression that you couldn't control it.

You closed your eyes and expected the worst. However, the impact came from the other side as someone grabbed you around the waist and ran with you to the side. However, someone tripped over a curb and you both crashed to the ground.

"You? Are you okay?" 

You asked as you opened your eyes and finally saw the man who had blocked you. It was your protector from your dreams. "Thank you so much," you added, hugging him.

"What about you? Are you hurt?" He asked, stroking your cheek before he began to examine you to see if you were really okay. You were fine except for some minor scrapes. 

"You're talking," you said in surprise since it was the first time you'd heard his voice. You saw him get nervous and instead start mumbling that he needed to take another look to see if you were hurt.

"Um, I'm Rosinante... but you can call me Corazon. I'm your personal protector," he introduced himself after a moment.

"I'm so glad I can finally get to know you properly," you said before leaning in and kissing him on the lips. "You should be more careful too," you said honestly as you pulled away. 

Corazon was red as a crayfish at the gesture and began to stutter. He didn't understand much, but then he said more clearly if you minded. 

But you just shook your head. You were glad for him. For your clumsy protector.

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Corazon Masterlist

Sleep Protector Masterlist

[rea-grimm]

Sleep Protector Kaku

Relationship: Kaku x reader

Vibe: soft supernatural, protective, workplace angst, comforting, dual nature (gentle & deadly), emotional support

Summary: Tormented by a cruel coworker, your sleepless nights change when Kaku appears. An unexpected protector who cuts down your nightmares and stands between you and real danger with quiet devotion.

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You worked as a carpenter in a small, fairly family-run business. You made furniture, sculptures, statues, and all kinds of wood you could want.

You concentrated more on ornamental things and you had an eye for detail. However, some time ago, someone else joined your company. Your new colleague, who everyone liked, but who made your job a living hell. He was constantly hiding you from others, making fun of you, ruining your projects, or once even stealing your project.

You tried to put up with his behaviour, to accept that it wouldn't last forever. That he couldn't get away with it forever. But unfortunately, it got worse every day.

You were almost afraid to go to work every day because you'd have to meet him and talk to him. You were scared of what he would do again and what he would do to you.

You were so stressed about one person that it gave you nightmares where you couldn't sleep and where it affected your work. You even started making more mistakes at work because of it, which your colleague was just using to his advantage and your downfall.

You were almost sick of it when a colleague from another department who you were talking to and who was your best friend at work invited you for a drink at a local bar.

You sat at a small table and ordered your drinks.

"Don't feel stupid about it. He's just jealous that you're better than him. You know him. Guys," she said before taking a sip. "He'll end up cutting his own branch underneath him," she added.

"I hope you're right," you muttered before taking a drink too. You wanted to believe her words, but you were afraid of how long you could hold out.

"I brought you something," she said after a moment, pulling out a small gift bag with a plush giraffe head peeking out. To your surprise, it had a square snout.

"Giraffe?" You asked, taking the bag from her.

"It looked cool," she shrugged and took a sip of her drink. "I don't know, I thought of you when I saw him," she explained.

So you left the bar around midnight, along with the plush giraffe. It wasn't until you got home and got a good look at the stuffed animal that you noticed he was wearing a white cap and a blue-sleeved sweatshirt. However, when you took a closer look, you could turn the hoodie over and it was completely black. It gave him a completely different impression.

You didn't think much of it, though, since you were about to go get a glass of water and before you knew it, you fell asleep.

Even now, you were having nightmares of your workplace and the alcohol in your bloodstream gave them an even scarier tinge. Nothing in your nightmare made sense and threatened to consume you.

Suddenly, the figure of a sword-wielding man descended from the sky and sliced all the nightmares to pieces.

"Are you okay?" He asked you when all the nightmares were gone and sheathed his swords. You looked at him like he was an apparition. He looked like your new stuffed giraffe. He had big round eyes and what struck you most was his square long nose. Eventually you managed to nod your head in agreement that you were really fine.

"I'm glad," he smiled sweetly, and in an instant, he looked like someone completely different. A moment ago, he and his swords had seemed like ruthless killers, and now he was smiling at you like an old friend. You thought he had even introduced himself to you but in all the confusion you had forgotten his name.

You woke up in the morning full of energy and in good spirits. You felt that nothing would upset you today. Not even your obnoxious colleague. And you were right.

Since you've had your stuffed animal, your sleep has improved, as has your mood and determination during the day. You were much more positive and full of energy and determination.

Your square-nosed protector regularly took you around the city, which reminded you of Venice, but which at the same time, from a distance, resembled a non-captain's cake or a fountain. He took you on adventures and even gave you carpentry advice. Since then, you've also noticed that in his dreams he wore colourful clothes like a teddy bear.

Everything was turning around and you thought you might finally get your dream promotion. You wanted to finally create more of yourself, and this was the perfect opportunity. Despite the annoying efforts of your colleague who was slowly sinking.

You could see how annoyed he was with your good performance and how it was throwing a wrench in his plan to climb to the top. He even redoubled his efforts to make your life miserable but to no avail.

It made him even more frustrated and he resorted to increasingly desperate methods. But all his plans went awry and he decided to end it all.

One day he approached you and asked if you could give him an opinion on one of his metal designs. You felt that things had improved between you and saw no subterfuge in it, so you agreed.

You had a strange feeling the whole time but decided to ignore it. However, when you got to the roof you found it strange and wanted to go back. However, he slammed the door in your face, grabbed your hands, and put a rag dipped in some kind of cloth on your nose.

You tried to get out of his grip, but it was like trying to move a mountain. You tried to scream for help, but you couldn't be heard from the roof.

You had no idea where it had come from, but suddenly your colleague's grip loosened as he was pulled away from you. You ran away from him, closer to the edge when your eyes fell on a man in black and a skull mask as he stood protectively in front of you.

Only now did you notice that your colleague was bleeding from his nose and had a split lip and several scratches on his body. You had no idea where he'd gotten them in such a short time.

The stranger in the mask held your colleague away from you and it all seemed to end after a while when your colleague fell to the ground. You were about to step around him towards the door when your colleague made a last-ditch effort, scooped you up and before you knew it, threw you off the roof.

You screamed in fear as the ground closed in. Suddenly something, or rather someone, slammed into you and nearly knocked the wind out of you. It was the same man in the skull mask.

You accidentally landed on the roof of the building next door, where you did a few rolls, but overall you were fine.

"Are you whole?" The man asked, taking off his mask. When you saw the familiar round eyes and square long nose, you knew immediately who it was.

"Kaku?" You gasped in surprise, wondering if it was a dream or not. If you'd lost consciousness and this was a manifestation of your subconscious yearning for protection. But his touch was all too real for that.

"I won't let anything happen to you. I promised once, and I will keep my promise. You're safe with me," he smiled at you, running his eyes over your figure, searching for injuries. When he saw you were okay, he pulled you into a hug.

Kaku took your cheeks as he nuzzled your nose in an eerie kiss. You had no idea how relieved you were to be near him.

Your protector took you in his arms before he began jumping from rooftop to rooftop with you in the same style as in your dream, heading with you to safety.

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Sleep Protector Masterlist

One Piece Masterlist

[rea-grimm]

Sleep protector Crocodile

Relationship: Crocodile x reader

Vibe: dark supernatural, protective, ambitious, intense, power dynamic, comforting through strength, slightly possessive

Summary: Struggling with pain and sleepless nights, you turn to the supernatural, only to unleash Crocodile, a dangerous protector who eases your suffering and pushes you toward greatness on his own terms.

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You had a big challenge ahead of you. You loved surfing, and you loved sandboarding even more. You felt like it was a sport made for you. You didn't need good wind or waves. All you needed was a desert with dunes you could ride. 

You were so good at what you did that you were among the top of the best and even had the opportunity to participate in the Sandboard World Cup. You were so happy about it that you couldn't sleep for the first few days. 

Your enthusiasm didn't last long, however, as you had a bad accident during the competition and woke up without part of your leg. You were devastated. You felt like it was the end of you. 

You couldn't imagine life without a leg or even a prosthetic leg. What about racing? You didn't want to give it up, but you didn't have many options. 

You wanted to get back on your feet as fast as you could, but it wasn't as easy as you imagined. You could move with the prosthesis, but what you couldn't handle was the phantom pain. 

It happened at night, or when you were at rest, when you thought you could feel your leg again. That it itched and you wanted to scratch it and then you realised that wasn't possible. The spot then started to hurt, as if the limb was still there. 

This led to insomnia, where you just lay there at night staring at the ceiling. Quite often, you found that you were keeping yourself awake mostly on energy drinks, and when you got tired, you dreamt of sand. Giant dunes that were dangerous and swallowed up your opponents and you. 

Very often, your lost foot began to sink into the sand. It hurt like hell, and the sand slowly began to bury you alive. You were drowning in sand and you couldn't get out. You felt like the pressure of your dreams was pushing you down in real life. Or was it the other way around? You weren't even sure anymore. 

What you were sure of was that if you didn't do something about it soon, you'd be so tired you might as well forget the whole competition. That's why you turned to magic for help. 

You found the best psychic in the area on the internet and decided to go to her for help. Sure, you could always try pills or other meds, but you were never one for the ordinary stuff.

Plus, this sounded a lot more interesting than some pills where just reading the package insert would put you to sleep. No, you wanted something unusual and out of the ordinary. Something like your favourite sport. 

To your surprise, the psychic you'd found was in a nearby casino, which was humorously shaped like a pyramid, with a golden crocodile with a banana on its head. This was actually your overall first visit to the casino in question, as you may have been a gambler with a life, but not someone who would seek out slot machines and other games of chance. 

You had no trouble finding her corner, which looked like a tent or the entrance to a marquee. Unsurprisingly, the psychic was already expecting you. You got the impression she was telling everyone who came to her for effect. 

What you didn't expect, however, was that she had guessed the exact reason you had decided to seek her help. At that exact moment, all humour passed over you and you believed she knew how to help you. 

The psychic took you inside her tent, where she first performed a palm reading and laid out the cards that told her how best to help you with your problem. 

She stood up and left you alone for a moment. You got the impression she was looking for something. Moments later she returned with a teddy bear that looked very unusual at first glance. 

It was a sandy and black teddy bear that was wearing an orange and black plaid vest and had a long black coat over its shoulders. But what caught your attention the most was the scar that stretched from one cheek to the other, a golden hook for one paw and a long crocodile tail. 

"Teddy bear? And this one is supposed to help me how?" You didn't understand and began to question her again. She frowned at you and uttered that if you didn't want it, it was your fault. 

You looked at the teddy bear once more and for some unknown reason, you got a chill down your spine. You finally took the teddy bear. You thanked her and were about to leave when the psychic stopped you with a warning. You weren't allowed to let him out of the cage, whatever that meant. 

Since you took the bear home, your sleeping patterns have improved many times over. Your insomnia had evaporated and instead, you slept like a log all night and into the morning. 

However, you woke up with sand in your bed with no idea how it got there. Of course, ever since you got your teddy bear, you've dreamed about the desert and sand in general very often. It didn't even have to be sand, sandboarding or anything like that. 

It also happened that the sand in the dream was much finer. It caressed your lost leg and warmed you up nicely. It was a kind of pleasant massage that made the pain go away. 

You've also often seen out of the corner of your eye a very tall man with black hair and a long coat that reminded you of the one the bear wore. 

If something startled you or something strange happened to you, you even heard the kind of laughter that you used to hear in your dreams. And in the same way, you woke up in the morning and your room smelled of cigar smoke even though you were a non-smoker and didn't even own cigars. But all these things reminded you of the man you saw out of the corner of your eye and whose voice you heard in your dreams. 

The sandboarding competition was the very next day and you felt that you had done everything you needed to do. Despite all that, you felt that it wasn't all. That it could have been done better.

You went to bed with these thoughts and worried that your thoughts would keep you up all night. Fortunately, that didn't happen and you fell asleep as quickly as you always did. 

In your dream, you were in the middle of the desert, not a cloud in the sky and no water or civilization in sight. The only thing you had with you was your trusty board that you hopped on and decided to ride down the dune. 

But the sand began to move as if it were alive under your board, pulling you in an unknown direction until you reached the rocks and the cave at the same time. However, the entrance to the cave in question was blocked by bars. 

You were already thinking of taking a different route when you heard that iconic laugh again and your eyes glittered in the darkness of the cave.

"It took you quite a while. I have a feeling you wouldn't have found your way here if I hadn't helped," the voice spoke and you saw something, or rather someone, move in the darkness. Very soon whoever was in the darkness of the cell walked over to the bars and you could see who it was. 

"I don't know what you're talking about," you replied, watching the man you had seen out of the corner of your eye for the last few days, who was close to you even when he was behind bars. 

"I know why you got me. Let me out and I'm sure all your dreams, no matter how big, will come true," he spoke in a convincing tone, a slight smug smile on his lips. 

You immediately remembered the warning the psychic had given you. That's also why you immediately dismissed him and wanted to move on. But even after you left, the sand made you come back. 

The man behind bars was very convincing and before you knew it, you decided to let him go. You had no idea how, but as soon as you touched the bars, they unlocked. 

The man came out of the cave and walked over to you. He towered over you, looking you over. You had the impression that he could see into the very core of your soul. He grinned and put a hook under your chin and made you look at him. 

"This is going to get interesting," he smiled smugly, and you could see that he was pleased with you. 

When you woke up that morning, your bed was full of sand. Even more than usual. So much that you felt like you were at the beach or a sandbox. 

You sat up in bed and immediately remembered that strange dream. At that moment, you thought you heard his distant laughter. 

You got out of bed, made your bed and were wondering what to make for breakfast when you realized that your teddy bear was missing. In that moment you could have turned the bedroom upside down, but it was as if the teddy had vanished off the face of the earth. 

However, you didn't have much time to look for it, as you had to get to the venue of the competition, about which you had mixed feelings. Once you got to the registration and picked up your number, everything went by almost at the speed of light and you didn't remember much of it.

But what stuck in your mind and mattered most was the race. You stood at the top of the dune and with a deep breath as you cleared your head and heard the sound of the siren you started down the dune. 

The start was calm and everything went according to your plan. In your head, you had prepared a precise procedure of which tricks to perform when and where. What you hadn't counted on was the fact that the sand under your board started to behave strangely. Like it had a will of its own.

At that point, all planning went by the wayside and all you had to rely on was improvisation and freestyle. You never knew exactly how the sand was going to move and more than once you ended up airborne. 

However, thanks to all this, you managed to pull off many more tricks than you had originally planned and your descent absolutely amazed the jury. From then on, there was also a buzz around the course about who had it in the bag. 

You were the clear winner and you could go and collect your prize. You got the gold medal along with an invitation to the next competition. With gifts from fans and medals, you stood on the podium for the press to take your picture. 

As you stood there, you thought you saw the man of your dreams in the crowd. Your eyes met for a moment before he grinned and was blown away like sand by the wind. As if it were a mirage or a fata morgana. 

As soon as you had a free hand and could move freely you made your way to the crowd, hoping to find your sandy protector. However, he was nowhere to be found, so you returned to your tent to rest and pack your things. There, to your surprise, your protector was sitting in your chair. 

"Crocodile," you said in surprise, a smile spreading across your face. You got the impression that he was really happy that you had won. You walked over and wanted to thank him. But he took a drag from his cigar before he sat down and stopped you. 

"Too many eyes here," he uttered, looking towards the door where footsteps could be heard. You looked to the door and then back at Crocodile, but he was as gone as sand and disappeared. Less than three seconds later, reporters walked in, wanting to interview you briefly. 

That evening, you collapsed on the couch. You didn't have the energy to walk all the way to your bedroom and you fell asleep within moments. Even in your dreams, you dreamt about the journalists and it seemed that they had become your new nightmare. But before that could happen, the sand blew them away.

The wind picked up, and though you hadn't seen your protector yet, you knew he was there. The wind made you feel cold and you rubbed your arms with your hands. 

Suddenly, a man's coat landed on your back like a blanket. At the same time, it was quite heavy, and you felt as if your knees would buckle under its weight. 

"Thanks for the help... and the coat," you smiled and turned back to where he was standing. Crocodile lit a cigarette and just laughed heartily at that. He was surprised that the mean old hag had given him to you in the first place. 

He finally looked at you before putting his hook around your waist and pulling you closer to him. He put his other hand behind your head and leaned in before kissing you. 

"I'm your protector..." he said as he pulled away slightly and looked into your eyes. "...I expect great things from you, and with my help, I'm sure you'll achieve them..." 

You woke up the next morning, and the first thought you had was that it had been quite a pleasant dream. It wasn't until you opened your eyes that you realized it wasn't just any dream. 

Instead of a blanket, you were covered by a heavy but comfortable coat, and on top of that, you weren't lying on your couch, but on someone else's. Crocodile had his arms around your waist and looked like he was sleeping too. You smiled contentedly before you laid your head on his chest again and closed your eyes.

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Crocodile Masterlist

Sleep Protector Masterlist

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For @sircrocodilesandflower

[rea-grimm]

Sleep protector Jinbe

Relationship: Jinbe x reader

Vibe: soft supernatural, protective, calming, mentor energy, safe, comforting, emotional stability

Summary: Struggling with sleepless nights and fear in the dark, you find comfort in a gentle protector. Jinbe, who guides you through dreams, strengthens your confidence, and ensures you’re never alone in the depths again.

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After school, you went straight to work and managed to find a job at the local aquarium, which was one of the biggest and nicest in the country. You loved it here as a kid and you love it here now. 

But now you started working there, not as a tour guide or in the gift shop or as a caregiver and similar day jobs, no. You got a job as a night guard.

It was something completely new for you because you had to adjust your sleeping pattern to it. You never minded staying up late, but never until the very early hours of the morning, and that too regularly every day in a row. Plus, you had trouble sleeping during the day, but you had no choice. 

You didn't sleep well and even when you tried sleeping pills, you had to give them up because they didn't suit you and only made you feel worse. They left you groggy and unable to work properly and you nearly fell asleep at work.

You had regular rounds where you didn't just sit in the office behind the cameras, but you made regular rounds of all the entrances. Some sections were magical in the dark, but others were terrifying.

One was a section that contained some rather creepy fish and creatures, along with one creature that had a nickname as a local monster that no one had ever seen properly, but which appeared as a ghost and disappeared again to god knows where. 

Your sleep problem was still there, but you were somehow able to function with circles under your eyes and a very poor sleeping pattern. At work, you sometimes worry about giving yourself a heart attack from drinking one coffee after another, alternating it with an energy drink.

You were getting ready for your next night shift when you saw the kindergartner finishing their field trip at the aquarium. Among the kids, you saw your little niece, who immediately started waving at you when she noticed you. You walked over to her and she immediately ran over to you so she could hug you.

"Look what we got." She smiled at you and showed you a teddy bear that was sort of a combination of a teddy bear and a whale shark. 

"He's very cute," you complimented her. 

"You think so? It's for you! He's so cute, I'm sure he'll make you sleep better and protect you. He'll be there to help you and keep you company so you won't be scared to be alone," she said, stuffing the bear into your arms. 

You wanted to give it back to her, but her teacher had already started leading them on. So you ruffled her hair, thanked her for the teddy bear, said goodbye, and sent her to the others so they wouldn't run away.

You took the teddy bear and walked it over to the security office where you relieved the day shift. 

"Nice teddy bear," smiled an elderly colleague who vacated your chair and was about to go home.

"Thanks, he's another addition to the night watch," you laughed lightly. 

You sat down at your desk, checking the cameras before looking at the teddy bear. You picked him up and stroked his short blue fur. The teddy bear had clear signs of a whale shark, with white spots on its back. He was wearing an orange robe and had black fur on his head. In addition, large bottom fangs peeked out of his mouth and he had a red sun mark on his chest.

You had no idea what exactly the stuffed animal was supposed to represent, and you even thought it was the dreaded sea monster aquarium, but that didn't seem likely. Plus, it was quite cute and, as your niece said, the teddy bear was soft and nice to touch. In the end, you decided to keep the bear. 

You hugged it and put your head on it and you thought the teddy smelled like the sea itself, but in a nice way.

Your night shift went by pretty quickly that day, and you didn't even have to pour that much caffeine into yourself. After changing with the next patrol, you went straight home with the teddy bear in your bag. 

You changed, took a quick shower, and fell into bed. After a long time, you fell asleep almost immediately with the teddy bear in your hand.

In your dream, you were in a dark building that felt like a giant maze in which nightmares haunted you. After a while, the walls turned to glass, with dark water on the other side, in which you saw scary, almost grotesque fish that sent shivers down your spine. 

You came to a crossroads where you saw a giant shark with a mouth full of sharp teeth swimming towards you in the transparent wall. It looked like it was swimming through the glass wall and heading towards you. 

Automatically, you reached for the gun you kept on your belt while you worked, but there was nothing there. Plus, you felt like your feet were frozen to the ground and you couldn't get away. You wanted to duck so the shark would miss you when someone else appeared. 

He jumped in front of you and hit the shark with such force that it shattered like a sheet of glass into shards that shattered on the ground. The surrounding labyrinth dissolved in the same way, and now you were on the beach of an exotic island where the sun was shining, warming your soul. 

Your rescuer was much larger than you, had blue skin and looked like a combination of man and fish, or rather a whale shark. When you looked at him, you realized he looked like a teddy bear. 

Fish-man made sure you were okay and wanted to make sure you weren't hurt in any way. You were sure he introduced himself to you afterwards, but all you remembered was that he was your protector.

He took you on adventures in your dreams and you even had relaxing moments with him. You visited all sorts of islands and he even took you underwater when you were in a giant bubble and he swam around and showed you everything. 

It was strange to wake up full of energy and strength. You felt surprisingly good and still had plenty of time to yourself before it was time to go to work. 

From that day on you slept much better and you also clearly cut down on caffeine consumption and felt better. You even stopped being afraid of the sea monster at work and the shadows the exposures cast. You were calmer and more focused. Plus, you started to look forward to work more and more. And now you weren't alone. You always brought a stuffed animal with you. 

From that day on, your fish guardian began to teach you karate in your dreams, which you envied. You admired his talent and always watched him practice or show you some kind of moves.

In addition, he thought that karate would be useful in your new profession when you couldn't rely on your weapon and that you would be able to defend yourself better. 

It was almost surprising to you that even though he taught you in your dreams, you knew the moves in the real, waking world when you tried to imitate them. Sometimes you found yourself repeating the moves when you were alone at work away from the cameras. 

One night on your watch, you had your first incident. Some troublemakers got in through one of the side doors and were walking the halls with bottles of alcohol. 

They were making a terrible racket and it wasn't difficult to figure out what part of the aquarium they were in. Plus, they were leaving a trail of garbage behind them. 

You reported it and went to chase them away, they had no business being there. At first, you warned them to leave quietly, but they didn't listen to you but rather made fun of you. One of them was so drunk he had the nerve to attack you. 

At that moment, you finally used karate and easily pacified the rioters. You handcuffed them and then handed them over to the police.

For this act you earned praise and as a gift from the aquarium management you were given a seaside holiday in a five-star hotel with all the luxuries available there. 

You enjoyed your holiday to the full and for the first time in a long time, you could sleep at night, which was a strange feeling at first. But you soon got used to it. You even had your stuffed animal with you for good luck.

You decided to use one day to go snorkelling at the coral, which was right on the beach next to the hotel. You swam and looked at the life underwater, completely forgetting how far you had gotten from shore. 

Something flashed in front of you, you thought it was a cuttlefish, but when you lifted your head to watch it, you were startled as a shark swam right in front of you. You panicked and had no idea what to do. You were frozen in place.

You feared that was the end of you as someone pulled you aside with a great force and like a torpedo, you were led to the shore. The speed almost took your breath away and water rushed into your glasses. Someone pulled you out onto the sand. You ripped your glasses off your face and splashed the water you accidentally drank. 

"Are you okay?" A familiar voice echoed, and someone put a large hand on your back, their touch soothing. 

"Jinbe?" You asked, your voice hoarse with surprise from the way you were still coughing. You squinted at the fish-man as salt burned your eyes before you hugged him. You felt like it was a very vivid dream. When you closed your eyes, you could still see the shark's teeth in front of you. "I was so scared..." you said. 

"You don't have to be scared. I won't let anything happen to you. I'm your protector," he said, stroking your back.

"Thank you," you whispered, kissing his cheek before burying your face into his shoulder.

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Sleep Protector Masterlist

[rea-grimm]

Sleep protector Smoker

Relationship: Smoker x reader

Vibe: angst, grief, protective, supernatural, emotional, comforting, strong presence, healing

Summary: Haunted by fear for your brother, your nightmares are swallowed by a smoky protector. Smoker, who shields you from both dreams and harsh reality, standing by your side even through loss and danger.

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All of your sleeping problems came about when your younger brother left for the Navy and his first cruise. It was supposed to be a simple mission, or maybe a training exercise, you couldn't remember, but it wasn't supposed to be anything life-threatening.

Despite all that, you had a bad feeling, maybe even a premonition, about him leaving. It was such an intense feeling that it manifested itself in your dreams.

You suffered nightmares that usually ended with something happening on his ship. The fight, the ambush, the sinking of the ship, the fire... there was nothing you hadn't dreamed of and it all ended in the worst scenario you could ever imagine. And you didn't want that.

You texted him as much as you could. You wrote him letters all the time and he wrote you back. You felt like you were supposed to be a moral support for him, but it always ended up with him supporting and reassuring you.

You kept every one of his letters and read them during the long sleepless nights when you couldn't sleep. It made you feel like everything was okay.

One day, a little package came with your letter. You had no idea what it could be. But when you squeezed the package, the contents were soft. 

You opened the paper package, which contained a snow-white teddy bear wearing a green and white jacket with glasses around his neck and cigars sewn to his jacket on his paw. It was the strangest teddy bear you've ever seen. 

You opened a letter from your brother, who wrote to you about a little present he had sent to make you feel better and not miss him so much. To help you with your problems and to protect you. You were so touched by his letter that you shed a few tears.

You picked up the stuffed animal again and you noticed that when you touched it, smoke rolled out of it, or as if it were dusting. You decided to take him outside where you tried to dust his fur.

Clouds of white smoke kept coming out of him and it seemed like an impossible task. No matter how hard you tried, it was futile and after a few long minutes, you gave up. You felt you'd put a hole in it rather than dust it off.

You went to bed that night with a teddy bear in your arms. He was nice, and even though he smelled like cigars, you didn't mind. You fell asleep in no time and reappeared on the ship that belonged to your brother's crew.

The shadows were closing in around you again, nightmares trying to consume you as thick white smoke began to form around you. It engulfed you and you saw nothing. And even though it was smoke, it didn't sting your eyes or your nose.

Suddenly, you lost your footing and when the smoke cleared around you, you were on the deck out of the nightmares. Nevertheless, you ran over to the rail and saw the shadows drifting your brother away. He tried to fight them off but to no avail.

The white smoke that was still around you shot towards your brother and for one moment you saw nothing at all. Only the struggle between the black shadows of the nightmares and the white smoke.

The smoke soon returned to the deck, and though you had no idea how it brought your brother with it, he was perfectly fine. You hugged him in relief.

When you pulled away, everything around you had changed and you were now on shore with a sense of peace. As if you could start living and dreaming again. Beside you, you noticed smoke drifting down and taking on a human form. To your surprise, it was a man with white hair, a jacket like your new teddy bear and two cigars in his mouth.

"Are you all right?" He asked, kneeling beside you to make sure the nightmares hadn't done anything to you. You shook your head that you were fine. The smokey protector sighed in relief and introduced himself to you. You heard his name, but it faded from your mind like the smoke.

You were much relieved from that moment on. You were still worried about your brother, but you weren't so worried anymore. You could sleep peacefully at night and function normally again during the day. You didn't even realize how much your fears had controlled and limited you before.

From that day on, you also started to smell cigar smoke at home all the time, even though you didn't smoke. Plus, the stuffed animal was constantly smoking and you decided to try and wash it. But first, you checked to see if you could throw it in the washing machine.

You were going through his little jacket when you stopped at the main cigar he had in his paw. To your surprise, the cigar was a screw-top. You unscrewed the cigar and shook the contents out into your palm. To your surprise, there was a flash drive.

You examined the flash drive in your hand, completely forgetting that you wanted to wash the stuffed animal. You had no idea what was on it, but you knew your brother hadn't put it there by accident. You planned to ask him about it when you got the letter from him.

However, you never received another letter. A few days later, at night, you were awakened from your dream by a strange anxiety, even an ache in your heart. You held your heart, you breathed deeply and felt tears streaming down your cheeks. This was the first time this had ever happened to you, and you felt bad. Like something terrible had happened.

"It's okay. It's okay," you heard a familiar voice and you smelled the cigar smoke again. It felt like a lucid dream and you leaned against your protector's chest.

He hugged you and tried to calm you down. You felt his arms around you and though your heart was still racing and an unknown heaviness pressed against your chest you finally fell asleep.

The next morning you were awakened by the doorbell and a knock on the door. Sleepily, you got up, the pain in your chest now a blur of a dream you'd had.

You walked to the door and opened it. You didn't expect to see men in white Marine uniforms standing at your doorstep. The two men had very bad news for you and as soon as they told you, you burst into tears.

Your brother's boat was sunk in the night and unfortunately, he didn't survive. There were many casualties and your brother was one of them. Now the feeling in the night made sense to you, but you still didn't want to believe it. The men saw the state you were in and said they'd better go. Before they left, they left you their business card and told you that they would be in touch with you.

You closed the door after them before you cried some more and your knees nearly buckled. It was like a nightmare, a bad joke where you expected your brother to call or text or even show up on your doorstep at any moment. But none of that came.

You smelled the smoke again, but now you didn't care. It was as if the whole world didn't exist at that moment.

The Protector took you in his arms and carried you over to the couch where he sat with you and soothed you. He knew words weren't enough for this, so he held you close and stroked your back.

After a while, when you had no more tears, you sort of calmed down. You wanted to look at your protector, but he vanished like a ghost into smoke and you sat alone on the couch.

A few days later, funerals were held for the deceased Marines and your brother. You dressed in black and attended.

You were listening to the eulogy when you looked up and noticed a familiar figure standing off to the side. You thought you saw your dream protector there with a cigar in his mouth. When you blinked, however, he was gone, and all you could see was a trail of white smoke rising and dissipating.

When the funeral was over, you reached your brother's monument, where you had seen the figure before. Since it was a mass funeral you stood off to the side, but now you had a chance to walk over there.

You noticed a small cairn made of stones behind his monument. You crouched down next to it and the cairn filled you with a certain comforting feeling and you finally decided to leave it there.

It's been a few days since the funeral, and you're still trying to come to terms with your brother's death. Now it was no longer a dream, but a reality. You lived each day as you always had and tried to move on. You were sure he wouldn't want you to worry so much.

But you didn't know it wasn't over yet. It wasn't. A few days later, you were in for a surprise. It happened during the day when you came home from work.

You unlocked your door to go inside when someone grabbed you from behind and put a gun to your head. You knew it wasn't your protector, and you knew it meant trouble. You had no idea what to do and you were scared.

"Just stay calm. Now we're going to go inside and you're going to give me what I want. Is that clear?" He said, slowly pushing you inside. You had no idea what he meant, but you agreed. As long as he didn't hurt you.

The guy threw you on the couch and started searching your whole house. But he was getting more and more angry because he couldn't find it.

"Where is it? Where did you hide it? I'm sure he sent it to you," he raged, and now that you saw his face, you recognized the Marine in him, who belonged to the same unit as your brother. He was one of the few survivors.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," you retorted, but that only made him angrier. He grabbed you by the hair and put the gun to your head.

"If you don't tell me where the flash drive is, I promise you'll meet your brother very soon," he growled at you, pressing the gun more against your head.

When he mentioned the flash drive you immediately thought of finding it in the teddy bear, but what did he need it for? You never looked at what was on it, but now you had the impression it was something very important.

You gritted your teeth before lying to him that you had no idea what he was talking about. That you didn't know about any flash drives. You didn't know if he believed you or not, but it only made him angrier.

You feared it was the end of you when a familiar white, thick smoke appeared in the room, enveloping you both. You felt the gun disappear from your head and so did the grip in your hair.

The smoke formed into your protector, who now held the marine in a tight grip so that the weapon fell from his hand.

"I hate corrupt scumbags like you," the protector growled before stunning the marine and then handcuffing him. "You okay?" He then turned to you.

"Smoker..." you gasped with tears in your eyes, his name quite natural on your tongue. It was too much for you.

"It's okay now. You won't get hurt on my watch," he said more gently, pulling you into his chest and kissing your forehead. "I won't let anyone hurt you," he said as one of his hands cupped your face as he leaned in and kissed you on your lips as if sealing his promise.

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Sleep Protector Masterlist

[rea-grimm]

Sleep protector Shanks

Relationship: Shanks x reader

Vibe: soft supernatural, adventure, comfort, protective, calming, romantic, slow burn, reassuring

Summary: As fear and nightmares threaten your greatest voyage, a mysterious man named Shanks appears in your dreams, guiding you with warmth, confidence, and the promise that you won’t face the sea alone.

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You have travelled the world and with your little boat, you have broken records and written yourself in history. In the process, you managed to discover some new island or animal. 

Now you were preparing for another much more challenging voyage. You wanted to be the youngest person to cross the most dangerous and longest part of the sea in the shortest time. It was a difficult task that only the best sailors dared to undertake. Besides, you've made all your voyages alone, and this was to be no exception. 

As your voyage became more and more difficult, you became more and more concerned that everything would go smoothly. You were so scared you'd wake up screaming at night. You kept dreaming about how tragically your voyage had ended. 

Either you were attacked by a giant underwater monster, or you were attacked by cartoon pirates, or you ran out of food and drink, or the weather went crazy. You just felt like your dreams were telling you not to go to sea. 

It was late at night and you couldn't close your eyes because of the nightmares. Instead, you got dressed and made your way to a small bar just a few feet from your house. You went there whenever you were in some kind of problem and couldn't sleep. You had no idea what it was, but one drink was enough to make you feel better. 

You were used to the bar being half-empty most of the time when the regulars were there. Tonight was an exception, however, when the bar was bursting at the seams. 

It was crowded and cheerful. You could already hear loud laughter outside the door as everyone was having a good time. You walked in and ordered your regular drink. Then you looked around for a place to sit. Almost all the tables were taken. 

Finally, you noticed one small corner table for two that was empty. You sat there with all your drink and watched your surroundings. The cheerful atmosphere was contagious and slowly spread to you. 

You were enjoying the peace when a man with dark hair tied in a ponytail, scars on his arms, a cigarette in his mouth and a pint of beer sat down next to you.

At first you just sat there before you got into a little chat. You were so comfortable that you confessed your fears to him. You didn't even know why you did it, since you didn't want to burden him. 

He rubbed his chin and listened to your every word. There was silence between you for a while and you just watched your surroundings. The man took a drag from his cigarette and blew out the smoke. 

"Here, take this," he finally said, pulling a red teddy bear with a straw hat and a black coat from his coat. 

"A teddy bear?" You asked, taking the teddy bear.

"It will bring you good luck and guarantee you a safe voyage," he said and drank from the pint to the bottom. You looked from him to the teddy bear again, something about it soothed you. 

"I can't accept that," you said and were about to hand the bear back when you realized the man had disappeared. All that was left was the smell of a cigarette and an empty pint. You looked around and saw that the other patrons had disappeared as well, and suddenly the bar seemed particularly empty. 

You finished your drink and returned home with the teddy bear. You changed into your pyjamas and lay down in your bed with your teddy bear. It was nice and warm and soft. You noticed that he had three scars on his eye, like he'd been stitched up, and his left paw was missing. 

You snuggled him closer to you and closed your eyes. Before you knew it, you were asleep. But instead of troubled waters and misfortune, you were now sailing on calm waters.

You heard a noise from the cabin and went to investigate. As soon as you opened the door, you found yourself on the beach, and it was pretty lively around you. Everyone was having a good time and accepted you like nothing. 

All nightmares have since disappeared from your dreams, replaced by dreams of travel, full of adventure. Sailing the high seas, exploring new lands, and of course, the bar, where the same crew was always there, making merry. 

The loss of your nightmares finally allowed you to focus on preparing for your voyage. You were amazed at how much a good night's sleep did you good. 

You took a small nap on your boat, since you had been working on it since early in the morning and needed some energy for afterwards. But now you had at least an hour. 

Of course, you carried the red teddy bear everywhere with you, and it even had its place of honour on your boat. Now you had it in your bed as a makeshift pillow. 

Even last night, you felt like you were only dealing with the cruise. You wondered if you had everything ready and didn't care that you were walking on a beautiful beach.

You were so lost in thought in your dream that you didn't even notice when someone appeared in front of you. You were startled when you almost bumped into him. 

"You shouldn't stress yourself out like this," the man who regularly rescued you and relieved you of nightmares smiled at you. The nightmares shivered in fear in front of him. 

"I know, but..." you wanted to say that you couldn't do it any other way, that you were scared of everything working out. 

"But you should relax a little, too. Otherwise, it'll consume you. Why don't I buy you a drink?" He jumped in, one arm around your waist. Without waiting for an answer, he led you to a beachside pub. 

There, you came to completely different thoughts and with him by your side, you forgot all the stress that was building up inside you. 

He used to visit you like that in your dreams regularly, so you realized you only had eyes for him. In the real world, moreover, you were mostly devoted to your sport, and most of the people who were interested in you were fans or athletes who didn't care about you directly. 

Moreover, you were beginning to notice that you tended to look for the traits of the man you dreamed about in them. And even if someone looked a little like him, it still wasn't the same. It made you look forward to sleep all the more. 

With only a few days to go before the start of your voyage, the stress was trying to get to you again. You were walking with your protector on the white sandy beach, watching the sunset. 

During this walk, you confided your problems to him, knowing that he could always do something to help you or make you feel better. 

The man rubbed his chin as if thinking before a satisfied smile spread across his face. 

"Before you set sail, pack plenty of alcohol for the journey. I'm sure everything will be fine," he smiled at you, ruffling the hair on your head. 

You trusted him, but on the other hand, it was a dream. You weren't sure what alcohol could change. Maybe just that it would help you relax. Despite that, you decided to pack a small box full of alcohol.

D-day has come and you and your faithful ship have set sail. The sea was calm and you had a clear course. You decided to double-check your belongings when you realized you couldn't find your red teddy bear anywhere. 

You searched all over the boat, but you couldn't find him anywhere. And going back would mean starting the measurements all over again. You wanted to keep it with you, but you decided not to go back. 

You sailed a long way on the first day, heading into unknown waters. But you were going to take a few hours of sleep before you got there. 

You fell asleep without a problem, but after a while, you woke up. You were awakened by a noise coming from the deck. You didn't understand what it could be. You heard the loud noise of people, but when you looked out the windows, you didn't see a boat anywhere. 

You picked up the first heavy thing you had on hand to defend yourself. You quietly walked up the stairs to the deck, only to notice it was full of people.

You didn't understand where they came from, since you knew them mostly from your dreams. They were always around the red-haired man. 

You had no idea what to make of it. You thought it was just a very vivid dream. You turned to go back to the cabin when you bumped into someone. He caught you to keep you from falling and you looked up into his face. 

"Shanks?" You asked in surprise. Was this really a dream? A warm smile spread across Shanks' face and he kissed you on the forehead. 

"I'm sure this little box won't be enough to last us the whole trip, love," he said, nodding his head towards the liquor box. 

Now you get the picture. You knew from your dreams how his crew and himself liked to drink, and this wouldn't even be enough for one night. 

"We can stop in the next town..." you began to stutter, as you felt like you were completely out of your mind.

Shanks was well aware of this and smiled widely before he ruffled the hair on your head again. 

"I'm just teasing you," he said, and with his words, the rest of his crew disappeared from your ship and now it was just the two of you. He took you gently by the chin and kissed you on the ear. 

"If we were stopping, you'd have to start over. We can do that on our own. I promise I'll keep you safe and everything will go smoothly," he whispered before he tilted your head slightly and kissed you. 

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Shanks Masterlist

Sleep Protector Masterlist

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This chapter is for @manachiichan