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He had noticed something was wrong with (y/n). She had been distant, quiet and pulling away from him. He knew she had suffered from depression before, but that had been a long time ago, before they got together. She had seemed happy when she was with him, all smiles and sassy retorts. He loved her smart mouth, even though he often pretended he didn't so that he could pull her over his knee and give his little girl a spanking.
Now, though, she was so sad all the time… Sam thought that she just needed some time to process everything and gather her thoughts, and that she would come to him and tell him what's wrong. He had given her three days and things had not improved. If anything, she seemed even sadder. Last night, he had woken up and found her on the complete opposite side of the bed, as far away from him as possible, curled up like a small, scared kitten. Judging by the slightly glazed and confused look she wore, she hadn't slept at all that night. Throughout the day, there had been several instances where she seemed to be on the verge of saying something before biting her lower lip, mumbling something incoherent and walking away.
It was then that Sam decided that enough was enough. She might not want to talk to him, but he would ensure that (Y/N) was taken care of. He had noticed that during the past few days that, on top of it all, (Y/N) had seemed very confused about her own mindset. He caught her raising her thumb to her lips before she seemed to realize what she was doing and lowering her thumb again, looking angry at herself.
In the beginning, when they had just started dating, (Y/N) had told him about being a little, explaining to him that this was something she did in order cope; by regressing she was able to escape all the overwhelming thoughts and feelings she had as an adult. At first, Sam hadn't fully understood it all, but before he could ask her any more questions, (Y/N) had squeaked out that she absolutely didn't need to do it anymore and that she wouldn't bother him with it, before nearly running into a wall in her haste to get away. She was very shy about demanding things from him. Sam, however, being the giant nerd that he was, did a lot of research on the topic, exploring the community and browsing the web for "little things". He had to admit, it did appeal to him. He had always taken on the more dominant role in his relationships and in (Y/N) he'd found an amazing submissive. But this… this was different. This was all about trust and love and compassion, and the thought of (Y/N) trusting him enough to be her caregiver had warmed his heart as nothing else ever had.
When he initially approached her about it, (Y/N) had frozen like a deer in headlights and looked about ready to run out the door again. Before she had the chance to, however, Sam had sat her down in his lap and held her close to him. The ensuing discussion had taken a long time, (Y/N)'s face getting steadily redder. It had taken a long time, a lot of trying and learning, but, finally, (Y/N) trusted Sam enough to call him "Daddy". Sam would forever deny it, at least to Dean, but (Y/N) swore she saw him cry the first time she called him that.
When Sam walked into the room, (Y/N) was curled up on the sofa, eyes glued to her computer. In the light of the screen, she looked even more haggard. Sam moved slowly and deliberately towards her, careful not to spook her or take her by surprise. He knew she would get extra jumpy when she hadn't been sleeping.
"What're you doing, sweetheart?" he asked as he sat down next to her. He noticed her curling up even more, making herself appear smaller.
"Nothing" she mumbled.
"What do you say we do something together, princess?" Sam asked, keeping his voice upbeat and happy, "Have a movie night, just us two? We can watch Inside Out, eat some popcorn and ice cream?" He noticed her biting her lips and her fingers were scratching absentmindedly at her wrists. "Daddy'll even let you have some soda…" he sang, trying to tempt her into reacting.
(Y/N) peeked at him sideways, giving a sort of jerk of the head, which Sam took as a "yes".
"You just sit your cute little bum on the sofa and Daddy'll fix everything." He moved quickly; jumping up and walking to the kitchen, he threw a bag of popcorn into the microwave, dug in the freezer for some emergency ice cream, took a can of soda Dean'd bought from the fridge and pouring it into (Y/N)'s favourite sippy cup. He paused for a second and looked at the sippy cup. He thought he might be pushing it with the cup, but he was desperate for his little girl. Whilst the popcorn was still in the microwave, he went to his and (Y/N)'s room and got the fluffiest blanket they owned, as well as a pair of matching fluffy, pink socks. When he re-entered with his arms laden with blankets and goodies, (Y/N) was still on the sofa, apparently she hadn't moved a muscle since he left. Sam placed all the food on the table (having foregone any types of dishes) and turned to her.
"Alright, sweet girl, let's get you all nice and comfy"
(Y/N) squirmed a bit at Sam's use of his "Daddy voice" but sat otherwise quite immobile. Sam began by putting on the fluffy socks, one on each foot, then he moved on to the blanket. He deliberated for a moment on how best to approach this and decided for the more direct one. Gently, but deliberately, he manoeuvred (Y/N) so that she was wrapped up like a cocoon in the blanket before lifting her in his arms and placing her between his long legs, her head resting on his chest. For a moment, (Y/N) was entirely rigid, her breath coming slightly more rapid that usual, before slowly relaxing. Sam began swaying them slowly from side to side, holding her close to him.
"I love you, princess, forever and always. You know that, right?" Sam whispered in her ear. He kissed her head and rested his own on top of hers. When she didn't respond, he continued, "I know something's wrong". He could feel her stiffening again, alert. "And I know you might not want to talk about it right now, and that's okay. You take as long as you need, okay?" He took a deep breath before going on, "But you have to let me help you, do you understand me, princess? I love you, so so much, and I want to take care of you. Will you let me do that? Will you let Daddy take care of you? Will you let me love you?"
(Y/N) breath was coming out heavy again, her entire body trembling.
Sam's own voice trembled as he said "Daddy just misses his little girl".
(Y/N) collapsed in his hold. Sobs wrecked her entire body and tears were streaming down her face. Sam held her close as they continued to sway side to side. He just let her cry. Her face buried in his chest as he whispered sweet nothings to her, calling her "his little girl" and talking about how much he loved her. Eventually, her sobs died down to gentle hiccups. Sam looked down at her.
"You're so strong. You're my brave, brave, little girl." He whispered. (Y/N) looked up at him with big, bloodshot eyes. Sam stroked her tearstained cheek with a big, calloused hand. "Do you wanna talk?" he asked softly. Slowly, she shook her head, eyes filling with tear again.
Sam hurriedly kissed her, "That's perfectly fine, just take your time." (Y/N) smiled weakly up at him.
"Thank you" she whispered.
Sam kissed her again on the nose, "Nothing to thank me for, princess, as long as you're my little girl forever and ever." Still smiling gently, she nodded her head. "Now, how about we get this movie night started, what do you think, little girl?" Sam tickled her stomach and his heart swelled at the sound of those tiny giggles he so loved.
"Yes please, Daddy!"
Still holding her tightly to his chest, they watched the movie. Sam insisted on feeding her popcorn and ice cream, even though (Y/N) said she was a big girl and could do it herself, Sam wouldn't hear of it. Secretly, she loved it. (Y/N) entire attention was on the characters on the screen, but Sam kept looking down at his little girl, smiling whenever she laughed at something silly Worry said or when Angry's head ignited. He was so happy to have his little girl back in his arms. And even though he knew they still had a lot to talk about, just seeing her smiling and mouthing the lines, was enough. He loved his little princess, whatever way she came.