The night is still. The moon shines beautifully in the dark sky, along with the stars, decorating the dark blue horizon with its brilliance. The quiet town is quieter than usual and the streets are empty. The reason is that it’s already bedtime for the young ones, and the adults don’t usually go out once they have eaten supper. One by one, the children are kissed in the forehead by their mother or father. One by one, candles are blown off before the whole town gets invited into peaceful slumber.

No creature dares disrupt the silence of the night. Even the mice in their mouse holes are quiet, choosing to curl up in their homes instead of raiding the cupboards. The horses in the stable are quiet for once, as well as the cattle, resting and getting their good night’s sleep before working again at dawn. The birds have retreated to their homes within the trees outside of town, waiting for the sun to rise so they can sing their sweet melodies and greet the townsfolk ‘good morning’. The humble town is quiet as the wind blows calmly past the stone pavements and wooden houses.

When the town gets quiet enough, youthful, kid-like creatures start to fly over the peacefulness. They are glowing yellow and they also leave a trail of yellow stardust. They are called ‘nightwatchers’. No one can ever see them with the eye, but they exist, and are very much alive. One can only be lucky to find one if the creature flies right by their ear, or if the creature is colored or dirtied by something.

Born from the happy wishes made to the stars, the nightwatchers descend from above to help people get to sleep and help them sleep in peace. Sometimes, naughty ones create dreams, meddling with the person’s thoughts and making it funny or comedic. Nightwatchers are very happy creatures, but they live a sad reality. A nightwatcher lives only on that one night it descends from above, only to be taken away by the sunlight of tomorrow. They disappear completely once they see the light of day, but new ones always come from the sky the next night.

There will always be nightwatchers roaming in the night.

 

 

A little nightwatcher flies around the town and passes by a window that has caught his eye. He peeps from the corner of the windowsill, and his thick brows rise in interest. His eyes are round as they stare at the young boy asleep on a bed. A pink tint colors the nightwatcher’s cheeks before the creature flies into the bedroom to get a closer look at the boy. The boy is tan-skinned, and his lips are puckered cutely as he sleeps. The blanket is just right below his chin, which has a really cute and prominent cleft on it.

A dreamy sigh exits the creature’s lips before he gnaws on them. He wiggles his fingers and dust starts to come from it, making their way towards the sleeping boy. He rests his weightless self over the boy’s body and examines the other’s face while he rests his cheeks on his palms. The creature smiles and blushes even more, whole face getting beet red.

 

 

A tan-skinned boy is sitting under a tree one sunny day, and reading a book he’s been into the past days. The day is not too hot, and the breeze is cool; the grass under him is in good condition and the ground is neither dusty nor muddy. His face is all glued to the book, as if nothing would ever take his eyes off of it. He blinks slowly as he flips the page and continues reading.

“Hi!” A young boy suddenly chirps in with a huge smile on his face.

The boy puts his book down and looks up at the other. He blinks when he realizes that the other boy is holding out a daisy for him. He closes his book and puts it aside before slowly reaching for the flower. He stares at it for a while then looks back up at the other, lips forming a heart when he smiles.

“That is for you,” he says merrily while his thick eyebrows are raised in excitement.

Slowly, the corner of the boy’s lips curve up to a small, soft smile. The boy keeps quiet, as he still is a bit speechless.

“My name is D.O., what’s yours?” The boy says, while he sways in his spot.

“What a peculiar name”, he thinks.

“Nini,” he replies shyly, cheeks getting pink as his gaze turns back to the flower in his hand.

 

 

The nightwatcher giggles in his place, turning, so he can lay down on his back and tilt his head up to keep his eyes on the sleeping boy. He blushes again and covers his face shyly as he curls up into a ball and waddles his feet in the air. He may not know it, but the butterflies in his stomach are acting up for the first time, making him in this disposition.

 

And it may be his last.

 

 

D.O. and Nini laugh as they roll on the grass. The smile on Nini’s face is so bright. His eyes disappear and his mouth stretches wide that all his milk teeth are bared for the whole world to see. There is also a very cute dimple on his left cheek, which the other boy finds so endearing. D.O. pants for air then stares up to the sky, trying to catch his breath.

“Caught you,” the boy says with a foolish grin on his face, causing Nini to pout in his place.

“You didn’t!” Nini replies lazily, and with a whine.

“Yes I did,” D.O. faces Nini this time.

“Fine… Nini's turn,” Nini mumbles under his breath.

“Let’s rest first, we’ve been runni—”

D.O. gets cut short when he slowly feels a hand on top of his.

“Caught you…” Nini says quietly, holding D.O.’s hand tight, but not too tight, as if he doesn’t want D.O. to go anywhere.

D.O.’s face turns red when he blushes, ears turning red as well. Little does he know that Nini is looking the same way at that same moment. He is the one speechless this time when he feels a warm palm against the back of his hand. His heart is beating loud and fast as he feels this flustering feeling for the first time, and he wishes he could feel this feeling longer, longer than he can imagine—longer than any nightwatcher can.

 

 

The nightwatcher is lying down beside the boy this time. His hand is on top of the boy’s chest and his head is pulled away just a bit so he can gaze at the other’s face, admiring it as if it the most precious thing he’s ever seen (which is probably true).

 

 

Nini is lying down beneath the tree while D.O. is resting his chin on the boy’s tummy. D.O.’s arms are folded with in the space between him and Nini so it’s more comfortable for him. He tilts his head to the side so his cheek rests on the boy’s squishy tummy as he looks at the other.

“Why do you like looking at me?” Nini says, staring down at him.

“Because,” D.O. smiles. “You’re worth looking at.”

Nini blushes and covers his face because he is aware of it. “S-Stop it…”

“I like you…” D.O. confesses. “D.O. really likes you.”

Nini puts his hands down just a bit so his eyes can peek at the other boy. He completely removes his hands from his face and smiles softly, redness evident across his cheeks. “Nini… likes you too…”

D.O.’s heart thumps again within his chest and his cheeks get red once again. He wants this to last forever. He wants to stay with Nini. He wants to do this everyday. He wants to feel the sun in his face and hold Nini’s hand. He wants to do all these things with the other, and be forever happy together.

“Can I keep you..?” D.O. whispers.

 

 

The nightwatcher is sitting above the sleeping boy. His expression has changed this time. The corners of his eyebrows are curved down, and his eyes are remorseful. He just stares at the sleeping boy, and feels worse at each second that passes by. This is not good. The little nightwatcher tries to wish, but only certain things can be done in this world. The impossible, unfortunately, cannot.

 

 

D.O. is sitting away from the tree; his expression, blank. He just stares at the ground and tries to control the emotions building up within him. The sky has become cloudy, and the sun’s disappeared behind them. Nini slowly walks over and places a hand on the other’s shoulder.

“D.O…?” He whispers, concern lacing his words, as he tilts his head to peek at the other.

The boy keeps silent then slowly turns to him.

 

“I wish…” the nightwatcher whispers, D.O. echoing his words. “That I could be with you… forever…”

The nightwatcher is on top of the boy once again as he says this. He runs his hand at the side of the boy’s face, caressing it. His eyes are damp, and tears are collecting under it.

 

Nini and D.O. are kneeling in front of each other in front of the tree. D.O. is already sobbing quietly, with tears running down his face. Nini looks at the other boy worriedly. Slowly, he reaches out for D.O.’s hand, and the latter, as if instinct, reaches his hand forward so Nini can easily reach for it. Nini then laces their fingers together, causing D.O. to feel a pang in his chest, heart twisting along with his other innards. It feels so painful, but it feels so amazing at the same time.

“W-What—” D.O. mumbles out in question, but he doesn’t continue since his mind is just shattered right now.

“D.O.,” Nini says softly. “It’s okay… You’ll feel better…”

At that point, D.O. felt really warm around him. He felt safe, he felt comforted, and he felt that everything was right. It’s an amazing feeling, he thinks. D.O. never thought that he would ever feel this way, but here they are now.

The clouds have started to clear up, but the sky’s become orange already, in time for the sunset. It’s amazing because they can also see the moon in the horizon. Both day and night meet—both the sun and moon greet each other like old friends in the orange sky. D.O. and Nini are sitting side by side under the tree while watching the sunset together.

“Nini, let’s find each other soon, okay..?” D.O. smiles softly at Nini. “Right now, we have to go back to the real world…”

“B-But… Will I wait for a long long time..?” Nini pouts while talking, sulking in his place.

“It will take a week to find me, Nini.”

“Can Nini go too..?” He then looks back at D.O. with pleading eyes. D.O. stops to look at Nini’s expression and gulps to keep himself from emoting again.

“No, I—” D.O. sighs softly. “T-This is… something I have to do…”

“But Nini… N-Nini wants… to…” Nini looks down with a pout, and is about to cry, tears welling up and threatening to roll down his cheeks.

D.O. pulls away and presents another daisy to Nini. Instead of offering the flower, D.O. reaches forward and places the flower behind Nini’s ear. He smiles and cups Nini’s chin so he can take a good look at it.

“You look beautiful,” The boy compliments.

Slowly, he reaches his face forward, closing the gap between him and Nini. His lips then find the other’s and he presses them together lightly, letting the feeling linger. It feels like everything has stopped, and the air around him has started to get thick. That moment is theirs. That moment seemed like it was just the two of them, and time must’ve even stopped for them.

 

 

The nightwatcher’s tears roll down his face as his lips press softly against the sleeping boy’s. They share that night together, although short-lived, but it would be the best life he would have—if only it would last much longer. He isn’t ready, but he has to let go. He will always be Nini’s, and Nini’s will always be his.

 

I love you.

 

 

Nini’s eyes open slowly. He blinks when he feels as if his sleep had been interrupted. He sits up on his bed and scratches his head. He sighs and rubs his eyes.

“Oh… that dream…” He whispers softly to himself.

Flashes of different images show in Nini’s mind. They aren’t vivid, but they were enough for him to remember what has happened. Blurry images of D.O. appear in his mind, and some scenes of what has happened in his dream between the two of them. He brings up his hand and touches his ear, where he remembers a flower to be placed on. Nini sighs as he brings his hand back down.

“It was like… paradise…” He mumbles to himself again then yawns.

Nini looks out the window and blinks as he sees the tint of light from outside. Birds are also heard chirping in the distance, as if telling him that it’s just been sunrise. He blinks slowly then lies back down on his bed, curling up, in an attempt to go back to sleep and wake up when the sunlight already hits his face later in the morning.

 

There will always be nightwatchers in the night. Some nightwatchers meddle in ones dreams. Who knows? A nightwatcher will be visiting you tonight.

 

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A/N: Hellooooo! Finally, I posted something. I hope you guys like this. Sorry, I didn't proofread this again so... yeah. Lol. Once again, this fic is inspired by a short comic entitled 샌드됴 by 형, which is originally posted at monthly8812. The link to the comic is in the foreword. Thank you so much for reading, and again, comments, subs, and upvotes are very much welcome! :D

You may reach me at my TWITTER! Yes! I finally have a Twitter account @sashioh. You may tweet me, message me, ask me stuff, and just simply be playful with me because I'm a really bubbly person hehe...

As aforementioned, I have a big fic project this year. I just want to say that I now have TWO big fic projects this year. I am preparing so much for them so I hope you guys tune in to those and support me. I will try my best to make it seem very interesting for you all to read. :) Peace out!