A/N: Because feels.

Rating: PG
Warning: Deaf!Cooper.
Word Count: 600
Characters: Sam Evans/Cooper Anderson.

As a kid, Cooper always loved sleeping.

There was nothing he loved more than curling up with his back to the room and letting his heavy eyelids fall shut, the exhaustion steadily rolling over him in waves until it finally pulled him into slumber.

He loved the boneless feeling he got just as he started to drift off, convinced that nothing could ever make him move from that spot, and the content haziness that came with it.

He loved waking up in the middle of the night only to realise that dawn wouldn't break for several more hours, allowing him to roll back over and close his eyes once again. He would waste entire days buried beneath his covers, dreaming of far-off places and near-future possibilities.

—

When Cooper lost his hearing, he hated sleeping.

The idea of closing his eyes and becoming weaker than he already was, completely susceptible to anything he couldn't smell or touch, terrified him. He'd spend numerous nights facing the door, eyes wide open as he waited for daylight to break.

For months, he only slept when the exhaustion finally caught up with him and knocked him out before his brain could fight it. He came to hate the things he used to appreciate, the haziness causing him to panic, the boneless sensations making him jerk awake anxiously.

When he did sleep, he would dream of people singing, of dogs barking and birds chirping, of car horns blaring and music filtering through tinny stereo speakers. He would dream of all the noises he took for granted, all the sounds he'd never get to hear again. He would wake up sobbing, his heart aching for something he could never get back.

There was nothing content or relaxing about sleeping, not when he was so afraid of being left so vulnerable, and he would wake up feeling as restless and exhausted as he was the night before.

—

But with Sam, it's different.

He doesn't have to worry about the vulnerability anymore, doesn't have to panic every time his hair tickles his ears or the covers shift around him. For the first time since he lost his hearing, Cooper finally has something solid to hold onto and rely on, and trusting Sam gives him a sense of peace that he hasn't felt in years.

With Sam, Cooper doesn't wake up in a cold sweat in the early hours of the morning, doesn't feel the need to look around frantically or stare at the door into the late hours of the night.

He can't panic when he has Sam in his arms, curled into his side with his face buried into the crook of his neck, his warm breath hitting Cooper's skin with every heavy exhale. It's impossible to panic when Sam is so at peace.

Instead he can relax, closing his eyes and nuzzling his face into Sam's hair without a care in the world. He can feel content in the knowledge that he'll actually get a good night's sleep, safe in the promise that Sam will take care of him.

He re-discovers his appreciation for all the things he used to love about sleeping when he was younger, learns to appreciate all the new things, easily cherishes every single moment he spends with his boyfriend in that bed.

Sleeping with Sam makes him fall in love with sleeping again, and nothing makes Cooper happier than settling into the mattress and pulling Sam into his arms after a long day.

With Sam, he's finally at peace.

FIN.
Feedback is appreciated.