The Madness of Two (an America's Suitehearts Fanfiction)

The greatest irony of Sandman's existence is that he doesn't sleep. Sleep is a luxury he cannot afford and a privilege he will never be granted. Instead he lies awake in bed, talks to shadows, curses the darkness that follows him, and envies the others for having what he himself can never attain.

The one silver lining, if you can call it that, to being cursed with permanent insomnia is that it gives him plenty of time to think. And so when he's not bringing sleep to the sleep-deprived and nightmares to the dreamers, he wanders the streets of the twisted universe he calls home and thinks. He thinks about his existence, and he thinks about his identity, and he thinks about the people around them and how many of them are the same, soulless phantoms trying to reclaim a humanity they threw away ages ago. He thinks about his role in all of that and wonders if he should feel guilty.

Mostly, though, he thinks about Benzedrine.

Without Benzedrine, there would be no powerful potions, no elixirs, no one to satisfy cravings and fuel addictions and soothe urges.

Without Benzedrine, there would be no Sandman.

(An America's Suitehearts AU)