Greta Van Fleet // Oneshots

Slumber Bear // Danny Wagner

Pairing: Danny Wagner x Reader

Word Count: ~1300

Warnings: none. All fluff :)

I think we can all agree on the fact that Danny is, canonically, a total cuddle monster. A tumblr friend of mine mentioned how helpful he would be for a restless sleeper and...here we go <3 Also, isn't the song Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear by Elvis Presely so perfect for him?

Thank you to @edgeofgreta on tumblr for the gif!

---

Your thoughts had been racing for hours. It was as though once the sun was down, once that last sliver of tangerine orange was way past the damp earth, your mind twisted and curled and beat against the inside of your skull mercilessly. For what reason, you couldn't even discern--the thoughts were jumbled, moving too fast, bouncing around and making your heart race. So, fantastic, right? An anxiety attack from out of nowhere.

So you put on your headphones and turned on the music loud enough to drown out some of the thoughts, got your hands busy, got productive. That did help a bit. At least your mind was outright forced to quiet down, anyway. It also helped when, against your temporarily deaf ears, you looked up and suddenly Danny was there, already reaching out to tap your shoulder.

You pulled the headphones off and collapsed back against the couch, body already relaxing a little with the presence of someone who never failed to ground you. "So glad you're home."

Danny smiled; your heart felt softer, slower. He sat down next to you, washing you over with his deep, warm and woodsy scent, and put his arm carefully around your shoulders. "Glad you're here." Although you were aware you appeared to be pretty ordinary with no outward, visual sort of crisis, Danny was perceptive as hell, so it didn't shock you when he asked, "Are you okay?"

You sighed and tossed the headphones aside, relaxing even more against Danny's solid, warm torso. It helped to feel the fabric of his shirt--a little silky, a little rough at the edge of his sleeve--against your skin. You told him about the sudden, unprovoked rush of anxiety and how much it had thrown you off, how debilitating it had been. How your heart had been racing and your mind doing just the same, how you just tried to keep busy and shut everything out as best you could. How it was still lingering, insidiously clinging to the edges of your skull, waiting to attack, to ambush you. Danny just kept his arm around you and kept his gentle yet bright, attentive golden eyes on you, always willing to be a listening ear.

"I'm sorry, Y/N," Danny said, and you could tell he meant it. "It sounds like an awful night. You could have called me, or texted me, you know. If it helps."

You rested your head on his shoulder and laid your hand on his thigh, his whole being solid as a rock, not just physically but emotionally, too. "I knew you'd be here soon. It helps to have you around, definitely." Wanting to be a rock yourself, knowing you are a rock even on the most difficult days, you added, "But you know I can handle it myself, too."

Danny laid his hand over yours, lacing your fingers together over the denim of his jeans. "I know you can," he said, and you knew he meant that, too.

-

When the thick, opaque black layer of night descended, the frantic, nonsensical energy began to escalate once more. Physically, you felt exhausted, so glad to be in soft pajamas and tucked into soft sheets; mentally, your brain was still going haywire. A little less severe, you had to admit, but still nowhere near allowing you to fall asleep anytime soon. It didn't help that Danny hardly ever struggled to drift into dreamland--usually, as soon as he was settled in next to you, he was out. And would stay out until your own alarm blared hideously in the dark dawn and you had to shake him by the shoulder to wake him up.

His solid frame just barely touching your own felt nice, felt almost grounding, as if you needed another living thing in your bed to keep you tethered there. You tried to focus on that, how warm he felt, and flopped over onto your stomach. You closed your eyes but the color behind them was the same as the color of your room without light and it made you feel like you couldn't escape consciousness. You rolled over onto your back, eyes open to blink at the ceiling. You closed them again, taking deep, slow and intentional breaths--nothing. So you rolled over onto your side, facing away from Danny, and impatiently and desperately kicked one leg out beneath you.

"Y/N," Danny said quietly, the heavy grit of sleep already deep in his voice. "Can't sleep?"

"No," you huffed, turning yourself over to face him, not that you could see much of him in the dark.

Danny sighed, the sound seemingly more from his own tiredness than any sort of irritation about your insomnia. He inched closer but didn't touch you intentionally. "You want me to try the thing?"

You sighed, too. Not that you didn't like his help, want his help, but sometimes--like now--you felt a little guilty that you relied on it, especially when this particular help impeded his own rest. Honestly, you were surprised Danny continued to sleep in the same bed as you. He probably would get better sleep if he--or if you--slept in the guest bedroom. He could sprawl out, not be interrupted by your incessant movement, and you would have to learn to completely deal with it on your own. Which, to your already unkind brain, seemed very important in the moment.

"I'm taking the lack of response as you overthinking," Danny said, almost laughing in punctuation. It came out as a sleepy, low chuckle. He moved in even closer; you gave in, rolled over once more so you could align your backside with his front, and shut your eyes as his arm wrapped around your waist. "So what sounds good tonight? Sloth? Koala? Bear?"

You would do anything to just drop into a dead sleep that instant and not wake up until the sun was piercing the morning sky and the world seemed a little friendlier. But that wasn't going to happen and there was no use in being stubborn--not when Danny was already swaddling you.

"Bear," you told him and right away he clasped you tight to his chest and hooked his leg over yours, enrapturing you in the closest possible, warmest-ever bear hug from behind. You could feel the hardness of his sternum and his ribs pressed against your back, how they rose and fell with each of his own deep breaths; you could feel his soft curls on your neck and shoulders, his breath making them float and tickle your skin; you could also feel his crotch pressed against you, the heat radiating from there sending residual warmth up your lower back, and the muscles of his thigh wrapped so snugly around your own. He was as close as close could be. In any other context, it would have been uncomfortable but, in the oppressive dark and with the taunting of your silly, anxious brain, it felt like incredible relief. You could feel your muscles relax and your heart slow down steadily, everything calming down enough for sleep to feel possible.

"You will fall asleep," Danny mumbled against the back of your neck, sounding nearly asleep himself. "You will have good dreams. The slumber bear commands it."

You were actually, finally, starting to get sleepy. You laughed quietly, eyes still shut. "Slumber bear?"

"Mhm. There's the sleepy sloth, cozy koala and slumber bear."

Your mind had slowed enough to not even question his lack of alliteration for the bear. "I like them all." You snuggled backward against Danny some more, keeping his arm tight across you, drifting it up to your chest. "Bears hibernate. That would be nice."

"Take a nap tomorrow," Danny suggested, sounding so deliriously sleepy that you laughed quietly again.

"Maybe." You barely got the word out. It was happening--sleep. Finally. Finally real, deep sleep that even a bear would be proud of. Danny hummed behind you and nuzzled into your hair, his arm going a little slack even as you held it against yourself. It, that closeness, that comfort, really was soothing. Just what you needed. Enough to quiet your mind for another night.