ˢᵃᵘᵈᵃᵈᵉ

mike schmidt 𝔁 fem! reader
𝕗𝕚𝕧𝕖 𝕟𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕤 𝕒𝕥 𝕗𝕣𝕖𝕕𝕕𝕪'𝕤

❝ i don't want to sleep...
i want to be with you. ❞

𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐰𝐨𝐤𝐞𝐧 𝐛𝐲 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐠𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐬𝐡𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐧𝐭 𝐝𝐨𝐨𝐫. Squeezing your eyes briefly as if to push the sleep out of them, you peeled them open to find the source of the noise.

Mike had entered the house, sighing deeply with hunched shoulders as he gently placed the keys in the tray bowl by the front door before shrugging off his coat and placing it on the chair of the kitchen table.

You rose from the couch, stretching your arm upwards as you yawned, the action catching Mike's attention. He smiled gently, walking over as you greeted him softly, "Hey."

"Hi," he murmured, leaning down to press a kiss to your forehead. Your lips lifted at the affectionate gesture, watching as he leaned back to sit on the wooden coffee table. "How's Abby?"

"She's okay," you answered. "Got up in the middle of the night asking for you, so I had to tuck her in again. But she's been fine since then."

Mike hummed at your answer, quickly standing and making his way over to Abby's bedroom. Gently, he opened the door and peaked in, finding her sleeping soundly, face stuffed into the neck of her favorite stuffed animal.

He nodded to himself, before walking back out into the living room. Eyes focusing on your form, Mike watched you for a moment; the way you sat up in the couch with your palms rubbing the sleep from your eyes, hands gracing over your phone to check for any messages. You were dressed in one of his shirts, a graphic design of an old video game he used to like plastered on the center. 

"Good shift?" you called out, standing up from the worn couch. 

"Tiring," he answered. 

"You took your tablets again, didn't you?"

You were watching him with squinted eyes, and he glanced away, heading into the kitchen as if that could help evade your question. 

"Maybe."

"Mike."

"I had to, okay?" Mike turned around, arms crossing over his chest as he leaned against the countertop. You leant your hip against the entryway, hands resting at your other side with a speculative eyebrow raise. 

"You're a security guard, Mike," you sighed. "It's kind of your job to watch over the place. You can't just sleep it off. What if someone broke in?"

"I doubt someone would break into an abandoned pizza diner, baby," he shrugged off. 

"People can be weird," you retorted in return. 

Mike watched you for a moment; unrelenting. He sighed, palming his eyes for a moment as he breathed out deeply.

"I can't sleep if you're not there." Your eyes widened, and you shifted forward. "Lately, I haven't been sleeping with the tablets or the nature sounds... You've been enough."

"Mike..."

He simply shrugged, pursing his lips and looking away. You sighed, rolling your eyes and walking towards him. Immediately, you embraced him, arms snaking around his waist and tightening at your hands. He returned it in kind, head resting atop your own which rested gently against his chest. 

"Maybe I should just go with you," you offered.

"I couldn't do that to you," Mike immediately denied. "You already work the whole week anyway. You need to rest."

"And so do you," you countered, leaning back. "You're taking care of a ten-year-old girl; you're working just as hard as I am."

He didn't respond, instead sunk further into your embrace. Mike was nearly limp in your arms, and you chuckled softly, savoring the feeling of his arms encasing you. 

"You need to sleep," you decided. 

"Not yet," he murmured. 

"Yes," you rebuked, loosening your hold on Mike for just a moment to seize his warm hands in your own. 

"What about Abby?"

"Don't worry about her," you soothed. "I'll take her to school, and I'll pick her up. All I want you to do is sleep. Please, baby."

Although you appeared pleading, the look in your eyes told Mike that you wouldn't relent. When you wanted something, you always got it.

So, he conceded, nodding with a light smirk as you started leading him, walking backwards as he dazedly followed you like a lost puppy towards his bedroom.

The room was a welcome sight. You lifted the duvet from the double-sized bed, and Mike waited for you to instruct him; he was forever at your command, it seemed. You led him to lie down, and he groaned at the feeling of the soft mattress against his aching back. The sound made you smirk, and you leant down on your knees to meet his eyes.

Mike shifted to lie on his side, arm moving out to hold his hand against your cheek. You smiled at the gentle touch, head practically nuzzling into the warmth of his palm.

"I don't want to sleep." Mike's voice was soft, and his touch was even softer. Your cheek was soft in his hold; it was such an interesting feeling and yet it was profoundly you. "I want to be with you."

"You will," you promised, sealing it with a kiss to his lips. He hummed at the contact, hand lifting to cradle your neck as if his loose, sleep-induced grip could keep you there a moment longer. "But first, you'll rest."

You pulled the car into the school parking lot, opening and closing the door of your splotchy sun-damaged car as you blinked in the afternoon rays. The school was a familiar sight for you had picked Abby up multiple times when Mike was working on and off jobs. 

Walking through the gates, you waited near a primly trimmed hedge, arms crossing over your chest as you listened to the end-of-day bell toll loudly across the facility. Not a moment later, the front doors burst open, and a flurry of children rushed out, greeting parents and saying teary goodbyes to their friends as if they wouldn't see them tomorrow.

You lifted your head, hoping to catch a glimpse of the curly haired girl you were looking after, E/C eyes catching onto her form a moment later. Abby was also glancing around, obviously wondering where her zombie-like brother was, however, her face brightened upon the sight of you.

You walked forward, waving and smiling as she raced towards you. You had barely enough time to lean down and catch her embrace, laughing as she squeezed her arms around you.

"Y/N!"

"Hey, Abbs," you greeted, pulling back to meet her eyes. They were sunken, just like Mike's, but still had the brightness of energy in them that he commonly lacked. "Good day?"

"It was okay," she answered, and you noticed her tone dulled only a little as she held your hand. You furrowed your brows, shaking your head a little as you led her to the car.

She gingerly hopped into the backseat, and within a few minutes, you were already halfway towards her house, peeling into the neighborhood. 

"Anything happen today?" you asked, glancing at the little girl in the rearview mirror. She was gazing out the window, hands gripping the arms of her stuffed animal.

"Just drew," Abby murmured, moving her head forward to meet your eyes. "How was your day?"

"Boring," you said, before winking. "But it's fun now."

Her smile was achingly adorable as she giggled, and you joined in with your own laughter as you slowed the car to a stop in the familiar driveway. Abby hopped out of the car, and you followed after her, keys jingling as you searched for the housekeys. 

You opened the door, Abby running around your legs as she raced inside, shrugging off her backpack and dashing into the living room to turn the TV on. You placed your belongings on the kitchen table that was situated by the front door.

"Did you have a good day?" The question had you turning around, eyes landing on Mike. He leant down slightly to look at Abby, who merely hummed as her answer. "Nice talk," he muttered, rolling his eyes and turning around.

The annoyed look turned loving when he saw you. "Hey," you nodded. 

Mike merely surged forward, and you nearly made a noise of surprise by the way he seized you in a tender hug, chin resting in the curve between your neck and shoulder.

"Hi," he returned the greeting.

"You seem happy," you snickered.

"You're here; in my arms."

"Corny."

He chuckled, and the sound sent goosebumps along the spot it huffed against. You sighed, all the exertion seeping from your body. This felt nice. 

You felt Mike shift, and you leaned back to look at him, an inquisitive glint in your eyes when you saw the look on his face. "Thank you..." He gazed at you with that meaningful look that had your brows furrowing. "For taking care of me."

"Who else is gonna do it?" you joked, patting his cheek.

"I hope it's you. Always you."

You paused, taking in the words he so easily mumbled. Mike looked hesitant, purely because of your frozen state before you relaxed. 

"It will be," you whispered. "Promise." Mike grinned, and before the moment could sink into further emotional confessions, you continued, "And, hey, look. You've got me now."

"That I do."