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"Sweetheart, it's almost midnight, you should go to bed." Sam regarded Y/N's tired face as it was reflected by the light of the computer. Her hair was pulled back in an untidy bun with strands of hair falling loosely around her face and down her slightly bent neck. There were dark shadows underneath her eyes which contained a slightly manic look, whether from stress or the amount of caffeine she had consumed he did not know. Probably both, now that he thought about it.
"I need to get this done, Sam. The essay is due in a few days and I'm not even halfway!" she wailed the last part, eyes brimming with unshed tears.
He sighed and put a hand on the back of her head, lightly massaging her scalp. "You still need to sleep."
"I've got caffeine to keep me going. Now please, I need to write." She shied away from his touch and wiggled her hand in his direction, clearly hinting for him to go.
Sam growled in irritation as she rejected his touch. "Y/N…" his tone should have warned her that she was entering dangerous territory, but her sleep deprived brain didn't register her precarious situation. She ignored him as she kept on writing, half-open eyes darting across the screen. "Y/N this is ridiculous, come to bed."
"You go to bed if it's so important to you, but just leave me alone!" her voice raised significantly at the end, making Sam's eyebrows shoot up.
"What did you say, little girl?" he asked in a low growl, his voice deepening several octaves. Y/N shivered at the sound of it, feeling goosebumps raise at the back of her neck. Her fingers slowed down from their frantic pace and she sat up a bit straighter.
"I said 'what did you say, little girl'?" His hands landed on each one of her shoulders, caging her within his strong arms. His strong persona and lack of sleep made (Y/N) steadily feel smaller and more vulnerable.
"I… I didn't…" she mumbled under her, looking down at her lap.
Sam bent over her, whispering in her ear: "Was there something you wanted to say, babygirl?"
There was a long pause where Y/N took several shallow breaths, trying to think of something clever to say. Her brain, however, did not want to cooperate. "No, Daddy" she mumbled lamely.
"I though so." Sam stood up again and turned her chair around to face him. "Now, who knows best?"
Not looking up, she obediently answered "Daddy does."
"That's right, sweet girl. So, who do you listen to?"
"Daddy"
"Why?" he pressed on.
"Because Daddy knows best," she said flatly.
Sam raised an eyebrow at her tone. She still refused to look up at him so he brought a hand underneath her chin, gently tilting her head up, towards him. "Daddies are meant to protect and care for their little girls, sometimes from themselves." he spoke so gently that Y/N peeked up at him from underneath her lashes before quickly looking down again. He could see that exhaustion was getting to her, her shoulders were sagging and she was slipping slightly in her seat. He could almost feel her slipping further and further into littlespace, making her more compliant as well as sleepy.
"You're being mean" her words were slurred as she pouted up at him, finally looking him in the eyes.
Sam chuckled slightly at this. "Yes, babygirl, Daddy's being a big ol' meanie right now, but you need sleep, sweetheart." He bent down again and picked her up, meeting no physical resistance from her.
"Noooo…." she whined meekly whilst simultaneously putting her arms around his neck and wrapping her legs around his waist. Sam smiled indulgently as she burrowed her face into his neck, drawing deep calming breaths. He carried her towards their shared bedroom, careful not to bump or jostle her too much. When they reached the bed she was already half asleep, mumbling incoherently under her breath and pressing her face further into Sam's neck. She protested as he laid her down reaching out to him again. Sam shushed her gently, quickly undressing her before laying down next to her, allowing her to wrap her arms and legs around him again like a baby koala.
"Daddy 'm srry.."
"Go to sleep, sweetheart, Daddy's here." Sam kissed her forehead and pulled her closer into him, making sure she was fast asleep before allowing himself to drift off to sleep, still holding on to his babygirl.