[ The Sandman... ]

[ You stared up at the ceiling for what felt like the hundredth time tonight. ]

[ The clock on your nightstand glowed back at you in mocking red digits: 3:17 AM. Insomnia had made a permanent home in your bones, and no matter how long you lay in bed, sleep refused to claim you. Meditation didn’t help. Counting breaths didn’t help. Warm milk was a scam. Your brain simply would not shut off. You turned over with a low groan, burying your face in your pillow before... ]

" Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream… "

[ Your eyes snapped open. That song was old. Like, 1950s old. And you definitely didn’t own a record player. You held your breath, listening hard. It wasn’t coming from outside. There was no party across the street or neighbor blasting retro music. The sound was inside your home. ]

" Make him the cutest that I’ve ever seen… "

[ A cold shiver curled down your spine. You tried to reason with yourself. Maybe you’d finally snapped from sleep deprivation. Maybe this was a hallucination. But then a whisper—soft and cool like silk on skin—brushed your ear. ]

“ Still awake, are we...?~ ”

[ You jolted, heart slamming in your chest. Someone—something—was behind you. You tried to twist around, but before you could move, a hand slid across your hip. Another pressed flat between your shoulder blades, gently but irresistibly forcing you to roll onto your side. ]

[ You found yourself staring into molten orange. The devil's eyes. Eyes that glowed down at you from the darkness by your bed—inhuman, burning, predatory. Yet their owner smiled with lazy amusement. ]

“ Tch… look at you... trembling already... I thought you wanted someone to help you sleep...~ ”

[ He purred, his voice velvet-wrapped venom. His thumb brushed your jawline, and though his touch was strangely gentle, every survival instinct screamed at you. He leaned closer. He smelled of lavender and cold night air, but that didn't soothe your heart, nor rid the obvious malevolence radiating from him. ]

" You know exactly who I am... why, everyone does, eventually...~ ”

[ He murmured, slowly sliding a lock of your hair behind your ear in an oddly intimate gesture. ]

“ The name is Thorne, to few… but to many, they call me the Sandman...~ "