The first thing a person thinks about in the morning says a lot about them. There's the whole world around them to consider. But then there's the dreams they just left behind. The Sandman knows a lot about that. About dreams left behind. He tries to give some people a kick in the right direction when all they can think of is love, but when they wake up they forget all about the meaning he'd tried to imprint on them. Some remember that they dreamed about a certain person, and most write it off. Very few write it down.
Annabelle Virces is the kind of person to remember their dream, to think about it as soon as she wakes up, and to write down as much of it as she can remember. At 17, she's just beginning to realize the impact falling in love can have on her life. Her hopeful highschool sweetheart doesn't know how she feels, but he loves her, too. If only, Sandy thinks, they knew. If only they had some idea that they loved each other. He does as much as he can. He changes their dreams, making them about each other, as often as he can. When he's in the area, he gives them both a little push. As far as he can tell, neither have taken them as anything more than dreams.
Jordan Hout doesn't write his dreams down. Sandy can tell he thinks about the dreams a lot. When the Sandman has time to watch them as they interact at school, he sees it. The little things Annabelle does, the things that mirror what Jordan sees in his dreams, catches the boys eye. Makes him take a moment to just smile and consider it.
They're soulmates, even Sandy can tell. He just wants them to realize it. He considers it going above and beyond the call of duty. They can deny it all they want, but in the end he knows they'll be together one day. He knows they'll be happy with a big house and a family... He just knows. In all his long years he's learnt to notice the signs. The looks, the gestures, the simple touches tell him everything. His dreams only give the two copies of each other. Their minds, their imaginations, fill the gaps of everything else. Which usually involves playing soccer in an indoor field, he thinks because of some memory they share.
His one mistake was telling his fellow Guardian, Jack Frost. The mischievous spirit started 'helping'. Early Winter, light snowfalls when the two are together, snowflakes that look like hearts. He went all out, surely instigated by boredom. As a team, they made both awkward and sweet moments for the two teens. It was fun. They decided Winter break was the best time to convince the teens to finally tell each other how they feel.
The Sandman did his thing, causing dreams for the two. He spun his golden sand and created a winter wonderland for them to share, keeping focused so he could connect their consciousness in a way. It's something he doesn't do often, as it takes more focus then he would like to spend. With Jack watching his back, he didn't have to worry about being caught with his metaphorical pants down.
The dream started out as it usually did, a one-on-one game of soccer in an indoor field. They played for a while, then Jordan let Annabelle win like he usually does. He congratulates her, and they hug it out. Both being the dreamer, their dreamscapes try to battle each other, try to figure out which is in control. Sandy has to take the reins when that happens otherwise one might actually overtake the other, causing bad dreams for them both.
When the dreamscapes balance out, Sandy lets them continue their interactions. They start passing the ball back and forth, talking softly about anything and everything. Anyone else trying to listen in would wonder how they could hear each other. That's just how dreams work. Strands of senses and emotions and communication flying through the fabric of the unconscious. Unseen by the dreamers, worked delicately by Sandy.
Finally, he hears it. That little tone drop in Jordan's voice. He's thinking about it. He wants to say it. He plans to say it because though he may not be completely aware of it, he knows it's a dream. There's no danger in a dream. And then the shift in Annabelle. She gets shy, playing with the ball absently before passing it back. They both want to say it. Say something.
"I think..." Jordan starts, "that I've fallen in love with you."
Annabelle nods, "Me too."
Sandy leaves them there, separating their dreamscapes. He got them that far, their dreams can take their natural course from then on. Jack meets him at Jordan's window because the boy always wakes up first. When he does, he smiles at the ceiling for a long time before reaching for his phone. The two Guardians watch as he texts Annabelle. But they can see that it's not what they were hoping. That it's just another good morning text. It won't wake her up, but she'll be happy to get it.
Sandy breaks away to go to her house. When she wakes up, she smiles at the text and sends her own, making sure that they're still on for later. Then she hits her palm against her forehead, thinks for a few minutes, and grabs her dream journal. She spends a while writing in it, smiling down at the words and frowning when she can't quite remember a part. Sandy assumes, by the page being filled up, that she at least remembered the important parts.
The four meet up in a park, the teens bundled up in coats, gloves, scarves, the whole nine yards. They have matching blue hats, Annabelles having longer tassels on the bottom. They walk for a long time, talking about this and that. Laughing, smiling, rubbing their hands together to keep warm. Jack gets impatient and starts playing with frost on the trees while the two get hot chocolate. Sandy stays by them, urging them to just get to it already. They keep walking, and eventually Jack rejoins and instigates a slow snowfall.
When it happens, the Guardians break out in wide grins. Jordan's tone changes, Annabelle starts acting shy. Their fingers lace with each others, and Sandy is sure they're blushing not just because of the cold weather. A few minutes later, they stop and try to catch snowflakes on their tongues, drinking from their hot chocolate when it gets too cold. Jordans eyes follow Annabelle as she giggles up at the sky. When she looks back at him, she's surprised.
"Anne..." Jordan starts, squeezing her hand, "I think-"
"Yeah," she says, "me too."
Not long after, Sandy drags an over-excited Jack Frost away the scene. They'd managed their mission. The two teens finally announced their feelings. There was nothing more the Guardians needed to do. Not that they had to do anything to begin with. But giving soulmates a kick in the right direction must be in their responsibilities somewhere, right? Though Cupid might say otherwise, they're glad to have helped.
"Do you do that a lot?" Jack asks the golden man eventually. "Bring people together like that?"
Sandy shrugs, forming an image out of sand. A heart with an arrow through it. It's not that he does it often, but he has been known to inspire great love stories.