You internally cursed your body for damning you to an eternity of sleepless nights before groaning and grabbing your phone from the bedside table next to you. You squinted at the glowing screen, reading 4:05 AM. You had to be up at 8:30, so a four and a half hour head-start sounded about right.

Yeah, probably not.

Deciding to try and have someone talk you to sleep instead, you opened the messenger app and started typing. You knew damn well your roommate was still up in his room playing games, so you selected him as your probably-most-willing candidate to either knock you out or bore you into a coma. If he didn’t answer you’d just have to put a hole through his monitor. It would be what he deserved.

you: are u up

About thirty silent seconds passed before the three little dots appeared next to his name to indicate he was replying.

lil pudu: ya why

you: i cant sleep

lil pudu: again??

you: yes. now come knock me out

lil pudu: cant. in the middle of an overwatch stream.

you: pls

lil pudu: idk ask the sandman or smth ok luv u bye x

you: ur useless.

You made a mental note to pour water on his keyboard when you got up.

As much as you despised the sandman joke after reading it for the millionth time, you did wish that he could just snap his fingers and make you fall asleep. Entertaining the idea to soothe your nearing insanity, you whispered into the darkness of your room and shut your eyes once again,

“Mr sandman, bring me a dream.”

-

Warmth enveloped you.

You heard gentle waves lapping back and forth beside your feet, and the quiet cry of a seagull or two echoing overhead. Your hair lifted slightly in a soft, passing breeze before lowering perfectly back into place. The air was salty as you inhaled, but it was welcoming.

A mild heat rested on your closed eyelids, inviting you to open them.

You squinted as your eyes adjusted to the warm light, gingerly opening one at a time. This was not your bedroom.

Now fully open, you were able to take in the beauty of this unfamiliar place. The sky was painted in gorgeous pink and orange hues, complemented by the drifting candy-floss clouds. The symphony of colours reflected in the vast ocean was illuminated by the glowing sun in the horizon. Your gaze shifted downwards towards the sand you were standing on. It was pink too. You noticed intricate looking white shells lined in two rows up and down the beach in what appeared to be a pathway - as if someone had placed them there.

“Is this a dream?” You asked yourself, reaching down and taking a handful of the balmy sand, letting it fall through your fingers. It felt real. “No way did that Sandman bullshit actually work.”

Your gaze shifted back towards the shells. They felt as though they were beckoning you to follow them. You leaned down and picked one up, examining its delicate design in the fading sunlight. It looked too perfect to be real. Each swirl and divot looked intentionally symmetrical and much too smooth to be the workings of mother nature. Why was there so many? And why were they setting a path for you? No matter which way you looked at it, it seemed peculiar.

You’d have no problem obeying their silent call if this were a dream - you could always wake up in the case of danger. But you didn’t know. It had been so long since your last actual dream that the lines between them and reality were incredibly blurred.

You pinched the skin on your arm, hard enough to leave a reddening mark. If it didn’t hurt, you’d follow the path. If it did hurt, you’d leave the beach and try to find the nearest phone because this was definitely not your room and you did not remember driving here.

It didn’t hurt.

You stood up, dusted off your jeans - you also didn’t remember going to bed in jeans - and set off down the pathway towards the great unknown.

It was probably just more sand.

-

You didn’t know how long you had been walking, but it was long enough that the sun should have set. You looked at it, still illuminating the serene water in the exact same position as it had been when you first opened your eyes. The seagulls had stopped now, the sound of your footsteps in the sand the only accompaniment to the muted waves. Being a university student without a gym membership, this amount of walking should have tired you out. It should have made you a sweaty, panting mess. But you were in perfect condition. In fact, you felt better. Your legs didn’t burn whatsoever despite the non-stop cardio. You wished real life exercise was this easy.

Patting your armpits to find out if you really weren’t sweating, your eyes caught a figure in the distance.

It was undoubtedly human, and they were standing still with their back towards you, but you couldn’t make out much else from where you were now.

It felt like a few hours of walking with no sign of intelligent life in sight, so it was refreshing to finally interact with a human being - real or not.

You broke into a brisk jog to catch up to where the figure was stood. Assuming they wouldn’t be startled by a stranger suddenly running at them in a secluded area, you called out with your hands cupped around your mouth in a makeshift megaphone,

“Hey! What are you-“

Your gaze met the ceiling once again.

You looked around. No sand. No sun. No sea.

Just the blank dimness of your room.

Your phone was still in your hand. You raised it towards your face and stared into the big white numbers in the centre. 8:29 AM. You blinked as the screen faded and you saw nothing but your own reflection of disbelief. Had you actually slept for more than 5 minutes? Did the Sandman really grant you a dream just because you asked? Did Haechan secretly just force you into a coma? A million questions raced through your mind before the familiar blare of your alarm rang through your ears, prompting you to get up. You’d been woken exactly a minute before your alarm.

What the hell, Sandman.

-

“I’m telling you it actually worked!” You pointed your plastic fork accusingly at Mark, who was raising his hands in pretend defense, “As soon as I said the Sandman thing I fell asleep!”

“I’m not saying you didn’t,” He started, gently lowering the weapon in your grasp, “I’m just saying there’s no way the Sandman brought you a dream. He’s a mythical being.”

You narrowed your eyes at him, raising the fork again, “I’ll stab you.”

“Why are you threatening Mark again?” Haechan asked as he approached, taking a seat beside you and opening his bag to look for his probably-forgotten lunch.

“Y/N thinks the Sandman is real.” Mark rolled his eyes. You wished you could roll them into a busy road at the moment with the amount of sass he was giving you.

Haechan looked up, hand stilling in his bag, a lazy grin spreading across his face.

You rolled your eyes back at Mark in mockery, “I never said I thought he was real-“

“You actually took my shitty advice?” Haechan nudged you, winking theatrically and pursing his lips, “awh, you do love me.” He blew a kiss and shut his eyes - only to immediately reopen them when you flicked his mouth.

“I did it as a joke.” You argued, wiping your fingers on the sleeve of his jacket. “But I actually had a dream last night.”

“A wet dream?”

You elbowed him in the ribs, “No, you fucking weirdo.”

He clutched his side in a dramatic show of betrayal and wiped an invisible tear from the corner of his eye, “What happened then?”

You recounted to the pair as much as you could remember from last night - this morning? - about the shell path leading to a mysterious figure, and how you had pants on for some reason, and how you didn’t sweat despite a shocking amount of cardio, and how the sun didn’t move even though it felt like hours passed. You looked at them expectantly, finishing your semi detailed retelling in an exasperated sigh.

They looked at each other with matching expressions of confusion, then back at you. Silence remained as you awaited a response. Mark was the first to speak.

“Are you on drugs?” He feigned concern, eyebrows creased mockingly, as Haechan snickered beside you.

“Shut up,” You poked your fork into his hand, leaving tiny dotted indents, “your dreams are so much worse than that.”

“Oh yeah,” Haechan’s face lit up at his newfound victim, swiftly moving on from your ridicule, “remember when you dreamt about Jaemin making you-“

Mark lunged over the table to clasp a hand over Haechan’s mouth, his face flushing a deep red colour that rivalled the watermelon cubes on his plate. “Don’t say another word.” he threatened, cheeks still glowing.

Haechan made a muffled “blegh” sound, presumably licking Mark’s hand. He pulled it away and shook it limply, removing the excess Haechan saliva.

“What’s wrong with you.”

-

You knew you were right.

You were going to prove it, you just had to have another dream. That’d show you weren’t insane. Probably.

If it worked, Mark had agreed to let you cut his bangs - you were praying on being successful because you had a shiny new pair of zig-zag craft scissors that you were waiting for an opportunity to use.

You took one final glance at your phone, reading 11:27 PM, then let the screen turn to black. It fell to your side as you shut your eyes. You opened your mouth, repeating the faint plea from the previous night,

“Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream.”

Your sight adjusted once again to the light emanating from the sun hanging low in the pink dusted sky. You looked down. You were stood on a soft, uneven surface. Aged white shells lined a wide path on either side of you, speckled in sand. Sand.

It had worked.

You clenched your fist shut and pumped it in triumph, a smile forming on your lips. You cackled to yourself, knowing Mark would be donning a hat for the next few months.

As you gathered the rest of your somewhat familiar surroundings, your eyes landed on a figure. It was the same figure from last night; still facing away from you, still unaware of your presence.

You didn’t run this time. You walked briskly but leisurely, basking in the radiant warmth and admiring the calm waters. You were enjoying the glory of being right.

More details became visible as you followed the path further.

The figure was that of a young man, probably no older than you. He was sat cross-legged on a piece of white fabric splayed out in front of the sea. His hair, like the sand and sky, was a faded chalky pink, tickling his neck with a hint of his natural dark roots peaking out from atop his head. He almost blended in. He sported a white button-up shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows and his wrists were decorated in an assortment of beaded and leather bracelets.

He had one hand behind him, resting his weight on it. His other hand twirled a pencil back and forth between his fingers. A small black sketchbook lay in his lap, white pages partially obscured behind his body. You couldn’t see his face yet, but the sunlight reflecting against his exposed skin was enough to convince you he was utterly beautiful. The glow illuminated him, a weak halo hovering on the outline of his frame and highlighting his elegant features to anyone fortunate enough to bear witness to them. He almost reminded you of an angel.

He turned his head as you approached, wide eyes meeting your gaze. You saw yourself ever so slightly reflected in the lenses of the glasses resting loosely on his nose. You looked brighter, more vibrant to match the atmosphere, and your natural palette somehow complemented the surrounding scenery - and the boy - perfectly. It felt like where you belonged in that moment.

You continued to stare at each other in startled silence until his lips parted and he spoke, barely enough to even be audible,

“You’re here.”

He hastily rose to his feet, stumbling towards you and brushing sand grains off his legs. The sketchbook on his lap fell to the floor, revealing it’s contents. A half-drawn seashell lay face up, closely resembling the ones you had followed the past two nights. But this one was broken. The intricate detailing had been illustrated with cracks and shatters adorning the carvings. You felt like you recognised it.

You’d never met him, you were sure of it, but his art was so familiar to you. It must have been the dreamland taking inspiration from a real person. It wasn’t like he had a forgettable face by any means, distinctly soft features still gleaming in the sunlight.

He stuck out his hand, awaiting your greeting with an expectant smile. He seemed to recognise you, too. Was this your dream-buddy? Did your new dreams have lore...? Whatever he was, you still had no idea who he was.

You took his hand, relishing in the comforting tenderness, “So,” you shook it gently, opening your mouth to joke, “are you the Sandman or something?”

His lips were still curled into a mellow smile, slight falter undetected by you, but his eyes flashed a whisper of a melancholy memory as he looked into yours, the soft glaze reflecting muffled heartache. As quickly as it had appeared, the somber flicker faded back into a sheer wall of secrecy. You wanted to find out what those eyes were concealing - what stories lay behind such solemnity.

He exhaled, softer than the clouds circling above you, before opening his mouth to respond,

“You can call me that for now, I guess.”

He smiled again, eyes creasing ever so slightly at your jest. You smiled back. It was almost contagious. “Do you have a real name?”

He grimaced slightly, brows creasing,

“Renjun.”

He held a face of disgust at the mere mention of his own name, his dulcet expression replaced with muffled loathing, “You don’t have to call me that though.”

“Cool.” You didn’t have the means to question his repulse, nothing else made sense here and you frankly didn’t feel an urge to pry, instead moving on to the thought at the front of your mind, “Are you the one that does all that magic sleep stuff to me?” You asked, still shaking his hand.

He stopped for a moment, pouting his lips to indicate he was thinking.

“In a way?” He tilted his head, “it’s complicated.”

You stopped shaking, but your grasp on his hand remained, “Complicated how?”

Another moment of thought passed in peaceful silence before he gathered the words to elaborate,

“Well,” he started, gently letting go of your palm, “I can’t actually control any of it unless I put all my energy into it.”

You stared at him blankly, wordlessly commanding him to explain further,

“I can’t really wake you up at will, that’s all you and what your mind wants,” he gestured with his hands, assuming it would help to make more sense, “and I can only put you to sleep if you directly ask me to like you did tonight,”

You nodded your head in understanding, comprehending this as well as you could,

“but unless I put every last bit of my energy into waking you up when I want to, I can’t do it.” he shrugged.

“What happens if you use every last bit of your energy then?” You asked, curiosity getting the better of you.

RENJUN 🍓

falls asleep on his back with the covers up to his chin but wakes up on his side with the covers halfway down his body

always needs something to hug to sleep and it used to be a moomin plushie but he’s recently upgraded to you

makes really quiet blocked breathing noises like a cat

sometimes you open your eyes and he’s laying there squinting at the ceiling. he never realises he’s doing it

gets too hot in the middle of the night and just throws the blanket off both of you

smiles a lot in his sleep. you assume he’s dreaming about you because of how often he says your name

always thirsty he has seven cups next to his bed

he sleeps with like thirteen pillows there’s barely enough room for both of you

JENO 🍒

lays on his back and closes his eyes for three seconds then he’s out like a brick

you can’t wake him up unless you start screaming and suffocating him

makes no sounds. he’s basically a corpse in your bed

sometimes his own body wakes him up in the middle of the night and he hugs you like a body pillow out of nowhere

sleeps ON TOP of the covers. he’s a menace. you must put a stop to him

he fell asleep holding your hand once and you couldn’t get out of his grasp no matter how hard you tried

he’ll go to sleep fully dressed with multiple layers then wake up in just his pants and neither of you know how it happens

he only spoke in his sleep one time and it was because he was fighting Haechan

HAECHAN 🍎

refuses to go to sleep until you’re in bed and refuses to get up until you’re up

it’s like having a son. you try to wake him up and he says “five more minutes” every time but five minutes is an hour to him

likes to roll you both up like sushi

purposefully tangles himself in your limbs even when it’s too hot. especially when it’s too hot.

likes sleeping to music but then he complains that his battery went down in the morning

asks for a goodnight kiss every night

he moves so much. he keeps hitting you in the face because of how much he moves at night. he will literally wake up upside down

whines in his sleep like he’s being chased by something and you have to wake him up to make sure he’s not dying

JAEMIN 🍅

either out like a light like jeno or won’t sleep at all

sometimes you’ll wake up and he’s just laying there staring at nothing

when he is asleep though he won’t wake up unless his body wakes him up. this man could sleep through a bomb hit

sleeps with his mouth open and makes dad style mouth noises so you have to clamp it shut by force

not much of a sleep talker but he jumps every now and again when he’s having a nightmare

sleeps either on his back or foetal position

i feel like he listens to podcasts or audiobooks to sleep

doesn’t move much either he just kinda wiggles

CHENLE 🌶

snores like a dad in a hotel room.

sometimes he laughs in his sleep as well and it’s so frightening you almost kick him out of bed

drinks warm milk every night. you told him it doesn’t do anything but he swears by it

looks like you’ve just told him the world is ending every time you wake him up

likes to talk before you go to sleep. like just chats about your day and whatnot

sleeps on top of you in the starfish position just to be annoying

wakes up screaming in the middle of the night sometimes. you punched him once out of shock

i feel like he likes having a night light on or a star projection or something. just not pitch black

JISUNG 🍇

sleeps like a baby curled up next to you or with your head on his arm

the most normal sleeper out of all of them i think

no disruptions throughout the night except the odd toilet break

doesn’t like being woken up but if it’s you then he doesn’t mind as long as you give him a morning kiss

likes playing with your hair while he falls asleep

he always needs the fan going for both the white noise and the cooling

he gets blocked noses a lot so sometimes he makes strangled noises but you can sleep through it

RENJUN 🍓

falls asleep on his back with the covers up to his chin but wakes up on his side with the covers halfway down his body

always needs something to hug to sleep and it used to be a moomin plushie but he’s recently upgraded to you

makes really quiet blocked breathing noises like a cat

sometimes you open your eyes and he’s laying there squinting at the ceiling. he never realises he’s doing it

gets too hot in the middle of the night and just throws the blanket off both of you

smiles a lot in his sleep. you assume he’s dreaming about you because of how often he says your name

always thirsty he has seven cups next to his bed

he sleeps with like thirteen pillows there’s barely enough room for both of you

JENO 🍒

lays on his back and closes his eyes for three seconds then he’s out like a brick

you can’t wake him up unless you start screaming and suffocating him

makes no sounds. he’s basically a corpse in your bed

sometimes his own body wakes him up in the middle of the night and he hugs you like a body pillow out of nowhere

sleeps ON TOP of the covers. he’s a menace. you must put a stop to him

he fell asleep holding your hand once and you couldn’t get out of his grasp no matter how hard you tried

he’ll go to sleep fully dressed with multiple layers then wake up in just his pants and neither of you know how it happens

he only spoke in his sleep one time and it was because he was fighting Haechan

HAECHAN 🍎

refuses to go to sleep until you’re in bed and refuses to get up until you’re up

it’s like having a son. you try to wake him up and he says “five more minutes” every time but five minutes is an hour to him

likes to roll you both up like sushi

purposefully tangles himself in your limbs even when it’s too hot. especially when it’s too hot.

likes sleeping to music but then he complains that his battery went down in the morning

asks for a goodnight kiss every night

he moves so much. he keeps hitting you in the face because of how much he moves at night. he will literally wake up upside down

whines in his sleep like he’s being chased by something and you have to wake him up to make sure he’s not dying

JAEMIN 🍅

either out like a light like jeno or won’t sleep at all

sometimes you’ll wake up and he’s just laying there staring at nothing

when he is asleep though he won’t wake up unless his body wakes him up. this man could sleep through a bomb hit

sleeps with his mouth open and makes dad style mouth noises so you have to clamp it shut by force

not much of a sleep talker but he jumps every now and again when he’s having a nightmare

sleeps either on his back or foetal position

i feel like he listens to podcasts or audiobooks to sleep

doesn’t move much either he just kinda wiggles

CHENLE 🌶

snores like a dad in a hotel room.

sometimes he laughs in his sleep as well and it’s so frightening you almost kick him out of bed

drinks warm milk every night. you told him it doesn’t do anything but he swears by it

looks like you’ve just told him the world is ending every time you wake him up

likes to talk before you go to sleep. like just chats about your day and whatnot

sleeps on top of you in the starfish position just to be annoying

wakes up screaming in the middle of the night sometimes. you punched him once out of shock

i feel like he likes having a night light on or a star projection or something. just not pitch black

JISUNG 🍇

sleeps like a baby curled up next to you or with your head on his arm

the most normal sleeper out of all of them i think

no disruptions throughout the night except the odd toilet break

doesn’t like being woken up but if it’s you then he doesn’t mind as long as you give him a morning kiss

likes playing with your hair while he falls asleep

he always needs the fan going for both the white noise and the cooling

he gets blocked noses a lot so sometimes he makes strangled noises but you can sleep through it