Mr. No || NCT || Completed

13 - Where no one sleeps well

"Will you draw with me?"

Renjun looked at the little boy who was sitting on the floor. The crayons and finished drawings were scattered across the room, and there was some crayon on the boy's cheek.

The little boy looked up from his paper. "Do you want to draw with me today, gege?"

Renjun couldn't stand the hopeful look in his eyes. "Why are you in my dream again?"

His younger self, maybe 9-year-old Renjun, sighed and turned back to his drawing.

Older Renjun sat on the floor, knowing that despite being aware of the fact that he was sleeping, he couldn't change this dream or force himself to wake up. "I asked you a question", he reminded his younger self who had concentrated on his art again. "It's impolite to not answer when someone asks you a question."

Little Renjun laughed but didn't sound very happy. "You're funny."

"If you have nothing to say to me, go away." Renjun was starting to grow frustrated. This wasn't the first time he was stuck in a dream with his younger self and he knew that he would be exhausted when it was time to wake up. "I don't have time for your silly games, kid."

"Kid?" little Renjun echoed. "You are me."

"No, I'm not. You're a fragment of my imagination. You aren't real", Renjun repeated what Doctor An had said when he had spoken about these dreams. "This isn't real."

Little Renjun's posture slumped. "If you say so."

Then he continued drawing, as if he was alone in the room.

Occasionally, the adult Renjun could hear the sound of paws pattering against the floor but he didn't bother to look for the source of the sound. It was the wolf walking around the room but he never managed to see him.

Little Renjun lifted his head. The hopeful look was back on his face. "Will you draw with me?"

The loop started again.

Renjun jerked awake to the sound of Haechan cursing on the other side of the room.

"Too loud", Renjun complained while opening his eyes slightly. Glaring white light from his roommate's computer burned his eyes in the otherwise pitch-black room. "And too bright."

Haechan threw an empty energy drink can at him without taking his eyes from the wide screen. "Sorry, baby. I was ambushed."

When he peeked out through the blinds, Renjun realized that it was still night or very early in the morning. He had gotten home well past 2am after driving Chaewon home and taking a taxi to get back to the apartment, so he probably hadn't slept for long before the sudden wake-up call.

Usually, Renjun would've been angry for the disruption but this time that loudness had pulled him from the annoying dream, so it wasn't all bad. As a sign of thank you, Renjun dragged his feet to Haechan and gave him a brief hug over the backrest of his gaming chair, pressing his right cheek sleepily against his roommate's left one.

Renjun wasn't always the biggest fan of cuddling but it was the easiest way to show gratitude towards the touchy pack members.
The hug, as expected, worked like a charm. Haechan let out a high-pitched, delighted squeal and when Renjun pulled away, he tried to give him a kiss on the cheek.

"Cut it out before I cut you", Renjun warned him, pushing his face away.

Haechan pouted at him in his over-dramatic manner (while his character on the screen was brutally slaughtered because of the sudden distraction) but behind the pout, there was evident curiosity on his face. "Why did you hug me? I woke you up."