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English
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Part 3 of Star Trek Reader Inserts
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Published:
2024-10-01
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2024-10-01
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4/4
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Safe and Sound

Summary:

You wake up in the middle of the night with sleep paralysis and get a little spooked. Decide who to seek comfort from: Jim, Bones, or Spock!

This is a choose-your-own-adventure/ending style story. Pick your favourite or read all three, it's up to you!

Gender-neutral reader, no use of Y/N

Chapter 1: Sleep Paralysis

Chapter Text

You woke suddenly, eyes opening to the sight of your darkened quarters. Immediately, you knew something was wrong.

You couldn't move.

Fear began to bubble up inside you, and your eyes darted around the room, looking for what you knew would be there.

Something stood in the shadows, staring.

Staring right at you.

You couldn't move. You couldn't scream. You were stuck, trapped inside your mind, unable to get away.

Your eyes were locked on the creature, wanting desperately to scream, yell, cry, anything. You were starting to panic.

It's just sleep paralysis , you thought. It's not real. Calm down. Breathe.

Luckily, you were no stranger to this, and you began attempting to wiggle your fingers, just a little. Bit by bit, you brought yourself fully to consciousness.

You sat up, breathing hard. The thing in the corner was gone. You knew deep down it was never really there, but it had spooked you all the same.

Your heart hammered in your chest. You didn't want to be in this room anymore. You had to get out, had to be somewhere else, preferably with someone else. But who?

You made up your mind and got out of bed, quickly throwing on a sweater to keep you warm as you wandered the ship's corridors.

You left your room, trembling a little from the adrenaline still coursing through your veins. You felt bad about waking someone up at this ungodly hour, but you really needed the comfort.

Finally, you reached your destination. You reached up a hand, hesitating for just a moment, then pressed the buzzer.

---

Who answers the door?

For Jim, go to chapter 2

For Spock, go to chapter 3

For Bones, go to chapter 4

Chapter 2: Jim

Chapter Text

You anxiously chewed on a fingernail as you waited for a response. What if he didn't answer? Should you buzz again? Or just give up and go back to your quarters?

Luckily, you didn't need an answer to that question, because only a minute later the doors slid open.

Jim looked tired and a little dishevelled, but not angry. His expression was one of concern, especially when he laid eyes on you.

"Hey, are you alright?" he asked, putting a gentle hand on your arm.

"Not really." You took a shuddering breath, swallowing hard to try and prevent the tears you knew were inevitable. "May I come in?"

The answer was immediate. "Of course."

Jim practically pulled you through the door into his quarters, ushering you towards the bed. The two of you sat down, Jim pressing close to your side and wrapping an arm around you.

"What happened?" he asked, his voice soft and laced with worry.

You paused for a moment, collecting your thoughts. "Have you ever heard of sleep paralysis?"

A knowing look settled on Jim's face, and without another word, he wrapped his other arm around you, pulling you in protectively against his chest.

"I've got you," he said, "you're safe now. You're safe."

You screwed your eyes shut as you began to cry, both from the fear and from relief. Jim tightened his grip, pressing his cheek to the top of your head.

"It's alright. God, you must have been so frightened," he whispered, stroking your hair soothingly. "It's alright, I'm here now."

Your tears slowed, comforted by Jim's presence and soothing voice. You pressed your face further into his shoulder.

"I'm glad you came to me," he continued. "I can't bear the thought of you in that room all by yourself, scared to death. You did the right thing."

You sniffled. "Really? You're not mad that I woke you up?"

"Of course not! You can always come to me, always." He pressed his lips to the side of your head, murmuring against your skin, "I don't want you to ever doubt that, even for a moment."

"Okay." You took a deep breath, allowing yourself to relax as the crying stopped.

Jim didn't seem inclined to let go any time soon, not that you were complaining.

He held you like that for some time, sitting in comfortable silence. His fingers trailed up and down your back. Up and down. Up and down.

You found yourself growing sleepy again. Your eyes began to droop.

Jim felt you leaning more and more of your weight against him.

Carefully, he began to manoeuvre the two of you into a horizontal position, laying down with you on top of him.

You made a noise of protest.

"Should go back to my-" you mumbled, but Jim cut you off before you could finish.

"If you think I'm going to let you go back there, you've got another thing coming." He tightened his grip once more, one of his hands holding your head firmly against his chest. "You're staying right here with me, where you're safe, and I can keep an eye on you. Now, shh."

Arguing was clearly pointless. You couldn't move even if you wanted to; Jim was stronger than you, and he knew it. You decided to accept your fate, although it wasn't exactly torturous.

Jim felt your muscles relax once more and smiled triumphantly.

"That's it," he cooed. "You can relax. I've got you. I'm right here."

"Thanks, Jim." You said it so quietly you weren't sure at first whether he had heard you.

His response was just as soft, "You're welcome, sweetheart. Go to sleep, now."

You let your eyes close once more, breathing a deep sigh of calm. Jim rubbed little circles against the skin at the base of your neck, watching the soft smile that quirked at your lips as he did so. You soon drifted off, feeling safer than you had done in a very long time.

Chapter 3: Spock

Chapter Text

Immediately, you found yourself regretting your decision. Wasn't it illogical to be afraid of something you know isn't real? Spock wouldn't appreciate being woken up in the middle of the night for no reason.

You were about to turn and run away, hoping he hadn't heard the buzzer, when the door in front of you opened.

You had never seen Spock at night before. He was definitely not wearing Starfleet-issue sleep clothes but rather Vulcan robes of some kind.

You realised you had just been staring at him and neither of you had spoken yet.

"Um. Sorry to disturb you, I know it's late. I just..." You trailed off, unsure of how to explain yourself.

"Is something the matter? An emergency, perhaps?"

"Not exactly. You know what, never mind. This was a stupid idea, and I shouldn't have bothered you. I'm sorry."

You turned to walk away, suddenly feeling very embarrassed and very vulnerable. You would have to brave your quarters alone. Or so you thought.

Spock called out to you. "Wait."

You turned back to face him. He looked uncharacteristically concerned.

"You are not in the habit of coming to my quarters at such late hours. It would be illogical for you to be here without a reason. Clearly, something is the matter. Please, come inside."

You sighed.

"Okay."

You avoided his gaze, hesitating in the corridor for a moment.

"You have to promise not to hate me when I tell you, though."

You expected an eyebrow raise or a biting comment, but Spock's voice carried a surprising amount of sincerity as he said, "I could never hate you."

You looked at him in shock.

He straightened and forced his voice back to its usual monotone. "That is to say, I could never hate anyone. Hate requires strong negative emotions."

"Right..."

Spock awkwardly stepped aside to allow you to enter his quarters, and you did so. He gestured for you to sit on a chair near his desk, and again, you did so. Spock sat down opposite you.

You sat in silence for a moment, gathering your courage.

"Do you know what sleep paralysis is?"

"I do not believe so."

"It's when your mind wakes up, but your body doesn't. You're conscious; you can see and hear, but you can't move. You're trapped inside your own body."

"Hm." Spock clasped his hands in his lap. "That sounds disturbing."

"It is. Especially because, in this state, you become prone to hallucinations. Seeing things that aren't real, such as people or even monsters. They feel real, though. As real as you do right now."

Spock thought for a moment. "I take it that this happened to you tonight?"

"Yes," you whispered, staring at your feet.

"And it frightened you?"

"Yes," you said, somehow even quieter.

"And... You came to me for comfort?" Spock sounded confused, as if he couldn't believe you would do such a thing. "Why?"

You finally looked up at him, giving him a shy smile. "It seemed like the logical thing to do at the time."

He cocked his head, brows furrowing. "I do not understand. Surely, the captain or Doctor McCoy could provide a more comforting presence."

"Maybe. But I feel safe here . With you." The thought had slipped out before you had a chance to stop yourself. You continued, falteringly, "Do you mind if I stay for a while? You can go back to bed or do whatever you need to do, you don't have to sit with me. I just don't want to be alone, and especially not in my quarters."

"That is perfectly understandable. You are welcome to remain here for as long as you wish."

You blinked in surprise. "Really? You're not going to tell me I'm being illogical?"

His face softened almost imperceptibly. "No. You are afraid, and you have sought sanctuary. I am honoured to be the one you chose to provide it. You are safe here, and you always will be."

He stood, walking as if to pass by your chair on his way to something on the other side of the room. As he reached you, however, he paused, hesitantly placing a hand on your shoulder.

"Would you... Like some tea?" he asked.

You smiled. "That would be nice, thank you."

He nodded, satisfied, and continued on his way.

Chapter 4: Bones

Chapter Text

You heard grumbling and groaning from the other side of the door, and your heart sank as you realised how angry Bones was probably going to be that you woke him. You took a deep breath, folding your arms protectively across your chest as you prepared to receive the full force of his fury.

The doors slid open.

"-this late at night, who the devil - Oh." He stopped as soon as he saw you, his face morphing from anger to concern in an instant. "Are you alright? What's going on?"

"I'm really sorry to wake you, I know I shouldn't have. This was so selfish of me." You shook your head, tightening your arms around your torso.

"Come inside. Come on." He placed a hand on your elbow, steering you into his quarters and sitting you on the edge of his bed.

"Talk to me, sweetheart. What happened?"

You sighed, burying your face in your hands. "It's so stupid, you're going to be mad at me."

"I promise, I won't be." He put a reassuring hand on your knee. "Tell me."

"Do you know what sleep paralysis is?"

"I'm familiar," he said, gravely. "Had it a few times myself; it's not pleasant. Is that what this is about? You had sleep paralysis, got scared?"

You nodded meekly. "Told you it was stupid. I let myself get all worked up. Didn't want to be alone in that room."

"That's not stupid. That's not stupid at all." He put an arm around you. "In fact, I'd say you reacted pretty typically for that kind of thing. No one likes to be alone when they're scared, 'specially at night."

You let your head drop onto his shoulder, closing your eyes in relief at the comfort of being close to him.

"So you're not mad that I woke you?"

"Not at all," he said, gently. "In fact, I'm glad you did. No one should have to suffer through alone, least of all you."

"Least of all me?" you teased.

"You heard me," he said with complete sincerity.

You smiled, pressing closer to him. He tightened his grip in response.

"Yeah, I did. That was very sweet of you to say."

"Well it's true." He squeezed your shoulder affectionately. "Maybe I oughta say it more often. I know I can be... Well, you know how I can be."

"Yeah, I know. And I wouldn't have you any other way."

"Aww, shucks. You sure know how to warm a man's heart."

The two of you pulled apart, both grinning from ear to ear.

"You feeling better now?" Bones asked.

"Yeah, a bit. Thank you."

"Well that's good. I'm glad to hear that, but let's see if we can turn that into a lot, shall we?"

You cocked your head inquisitively at him. "How do you propose we do that?"

"Well, I don't know about you, but I'm still pretty tired. What do you say we relax and watch a movie or something, help take your mind off things?"

"That sounds good."

Bones leaned back against the pillows, opening his arms for you to join him. You eagerly pressed yourself up against his side, resting your head on his shoulder once more.

He chose a movie he knew you liked, one you found comforting. It helped a lot, and you soon felt a lot calmer. 

However, not long into the movie, Bones' head began to droop. You shifted a little, careful not to jostle too much and risk waking him, but just enough to give him a place to comfortably rest his head: on top of yours.

The rhythmic rise and fall of his sleeping form next to yours was surprisingly relaxing. You felt calm, and most of all you felt safe. Soon enough, you drifted off, too.

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