Work Text:
Team Year 2 -
Insomnia was keeping me up again. I wasn’t a stranger to it, in fact, since I moved into the cave, I have had more sleepless nights than restful ones. At this point, I had learned to survive on barely any sleep. It wasn’t like I wasn't tired, I really was. I just couldn’t sleep at all. I would be in bed, tossing and turning for hours. Then there were the days where I would finally fall asleep at a decent time and I would have vivid nightmares. I would wake up less than two hours later in cold sweat. Those were the worst. The nightmares kept coming and they felt so real.
I know I should schedule some time with Black Canary, and I’m sure she’s going to say it’s something to do with PTSD or something like that. In this line of work, it made sense. We all have experienced great losses, and the bad guys don’t stop. The amount of times I have been a little too close to death’s door. Worst of all, remembering how close my friends, my teammates, have been and being there to see it. The thought of losing someone like Artemis or Dick… I couldn’t bear to think about it.
I left my room quietly, heading towards the kitchen for a midnight snack. There’s no need to wake anyone up. I found some chocolate chip cookies and headed outside. Maybe a short walk would help tire me out enough to sleep. I didn’t make it very far.
“Hey , what's going on?” a familiar voice asked behind me. I turn to find Dick about half a yard away from me.
“Can’t sleep” I say, he can see my frustration. I see him frown as he closes the distance between us.
“I’m sorry. Is there anything I could do?” He asks. He’s always so caring and thoughtful.
“Well no…” I pause, and think to myself. Is there anything he could do? “Maybe” i mumble
“Anything for you, Zee” he takes my hand and kisses it gently.
“Would you stay with me tonight?” I ask quietly
“Of course.”
We make our way back inside the cave and to my room. He was still holding my hand.
We cuddled in bed. The way he held me was comforting. I felt safe.
I could hear his heartbeat, I didn’t realize how fast my heart was beating until I compared it to his. Pretty soon our breathing was in sync. The sweet rhythm put me to sleep like the best lullaby to exist.
This wasn’t the first time I fell asleep in his arms, but I didn’t want to make it a habit. Outwardly, I’ve always been independent. I can hold my ground pretty well on my own, since losing my dad there is extra support. I have some of the best friends but I can take care of myself. I didn’t want to weigh anyone down. Deep down, I really needed my friends and their support. Dick didn’t seem to mind if I called him at 2 a.m. after the bad nightmares, but I knew how important sleep was for him too. It was one of the things I liked the most about him. He really is the best. Caring, compassionate, supportive, intelligent, respectful and so much more.
“How did you know where I was?” I ask him, half asleep
“I fell asleep on the couch and heard you in the kitchen.” He says, like it’s not a big deal.
“I’m sorry, I woke you up.”
“Don’t be, I’m a light sleeper.”
With that, I fell asleep in his arms.
I will forever cherish these little moments.
Simple.
Gentle.
Innocent.