In My Dreams

by Geekygirl24

Summary:

“You know our feelings on the matter of this war.” Time stated, “We of the Endless, want no part of it.”

 

Lucifer’s face tightened, “So be it.” They stated, “I hoped that I could reason with you.” Their eyes lingered on Dream again, “I hoped for a lot, but if this is the path you wish to walk down, then so be it.” They turned to leave, “Mark my words, oh those of the Endless, this perfect life that you have will come crashing down around you… it was time for you to choose a side, and you chose wrongly.”

Chapter 1

There was a time, not so very long ago, when the Endless were a family.

 

 

Under the guidance of Father Time and Mother Night, they grew and flourished as the world changed all around them.

 

 

Destiny, Death, Dream, Destruction, Desire, Despair and Delight.

 

 

This tale focuses on the second oldest son, Dream.

 

 

……………………………………

 

 

“Sister.”

 

 

Death smiled fondly as her brother slowly moved closer to her, not looking overly comfortable with the gathering going on all around them.

 

 

“Brother.” She teased, “I’m surprised to see you here.”

 

 

“Father and Older Brother insisted.” Dream sighed, “Apparently, this gathering will be a turning point for our family and indeed the world itself.”

 

 

Ominous.

 

 

But then again, ominous was how Time and Destiny operated.

 

 

“And you said that you had a… gift for me?”

 

 

He was so cute when he was unsure.

 

 

“I do.” She confirmed, “We have our debates about humanity, and I have someone that will change your mind.”

 

 

“Someone?” Dream raised an eyebrow, sounding a little intrigued as the music played in the background.

 

 

“Hmmm, Hob Gadling. I think you’ll like him.”

 

 

Delight’s giggles echoed throughout the room….Which meant that, when they cut off abruptly, all eyes turned on the reason why.

 

 

Lucifer Morningstar had arrived, several demons crowding around them. They were in their fair-haired form, the one that towered above everyone else.

 

 

It was not a good sign.

 

 

“Lucifer Morningstar.” Time greeted the Devil, a slight tone of warning in his voice, “What an unexpected surprise.”

 

 

“Don’t worry.” Lucifer’s voice was as smooth as butter, “This is merely a friendly visit.” Their eyes scanned the room, lingering on Dream for a moment, making the being tense and Death move closer to her brother.

 

 

“A friendly visit with several of your more…dedicated lieutenants of Hell with you.” Night stated, “You have a request. State it.”

 

 

“I wish… for the Realms of the Endless to ally themselves to Hell, in our fight against the Heavens.”

 

 

There was silence, almost a shocked one as all eyes turned to Time.

 

 

“You know our feelings on the matter of this war.” Time stated, “We of the Endless, want no part of it.”

 

 

Lucifer’s face tightened, “So be it.” They stated, “I hoped that I could reason with you.” Their eyes lingered on Dream again, “I hoped for a lot, but if this is the path you wish to walk down, then so be it.” They turned to leave, “Mark my words, oh those of the Endless, this perfect life that you have will come crashing down around you… it was time for you to choose a side, and you chose wrongly.”

 

 

Dream felt an uneasy shudder run up his spine, as little as he allowed his face to portray that.

 

 

There was a flash of red light, followed by the smell of sulphur which lingered around the room.

 

 

……………………………………………………………….

 

 

If there was one thing that Lucifer Morningstar could do, it was hold a grudge.

 

 

And they had a plan in mind.

 

 

A plan that would devastate the Endless and the human world.

 

 

…………………………………………………..

 

 

Dream couldn’t let the Corinthian wander around freely as he had been.

 

 

He knew his sister had insisted on him meeting Hob Gadling soon, but this was a threat that couldn’t wait.

 

 

He found his Nightmare easily enough, but when he felt the tugging and pulling of a summoning, there was nothing that could be done.

 

 

And so, he found himself in a glass, air-tight bowl; his powers bound by a powerful seal, stripped naked and his tools hidden away from him.

 

 

Trapped by mortals and unable to maintain his realm.

 

 

Unable to get the air to speak and beg for his sibling’s help, knowing that with the seal underneath his prison would keep his siblings away. He couldn’t ask for help, and nor could he leave.

 

 

He was trapped.

 

 

Trapped and alone.

 

 

Burying his face in his arms, he tried not to think about that, resigning himself to his fate.

 

 

For the moment.

 

 

………………………………………………………..

 

 

The Sleeping Sickness swept through the mortal world, as the rest of the Endless searched for their son and brother.

 

 

Nothing.

 

 

Whoever had him, knew how to hide someone from the Endless, which hinted at outside forces.

 

 

Lucifer.

 

 

With no proof however, there was nothing that they could do.

 

 

Over a century passed.

 

 

………………………………………………………..

 

 

Robert Glading, as he was now known as, moved through the crowd with ease.

 

 

There were rumours in the cult circles.

 

 

Rumours that Alex Burgess, the son of the famous Roderick Burgess was dying, with no heir to leave his fortune to. Of course, nothing but rumours seemed to follow that family around, this one seeming more likely than the last dozen he had heard.

 

 

The members of Roderick’s cult were all hoping the son would open his doors to them once again.

 

 

Or, would he leave it to his lover for him to make the final decision?

 

 

Whatever was happening, he confessed to no small amount of curiosity.

 

 

After all, they did say that Burgess kept the devil in his basement.

 

 

………………………………….

 

 

Dream watched as the guard left for the day, nervously checking to make sure everything was how it was meant to be, before racing back out of the cellar and locking the door behind him.

 

 

It had been that way for nearly ten years, ever since Alex Burgess’s health had started to seriously fail him.

 

 

He imagined that when his sister came for Burgess, the visits would dry up entirely.

 

 

And he would be truly alone.

 

 

………………………………………………………………

 

 

“You probably won’t have the job for long mind you.” The man grunted, as he showed Hob around, “Not with old Burgess days away from croaking.”

 

 

“Yeah?” Hob acted casual, like the talk of some old man dying was just… one of those things, “Reckon I’ll still get the severance pay?”

 

 

The guard chuckled, giving him a smirk of comradery, as they entered the home.

 

 

“It’s a pretty easy job.” The guard continued, “The pills they used to give you, used to give you headaches for days afterwards, but now all you have to do is double check everything’s secure, before leaving.”

 

 

“Right, sounds easy enough.”

 

 

The guard then gave him a serious look, “It’s not human, okay? Remember that.”

 

 

Hob really didn’t like this.

 

 

…………………………………………………………………….

 

 

Dream didn’t bother looking up when he heard the cell doors opening, low voices talking in the background.

 

 

“I ain’t hanging around here long.” A familiar voice muttered, “It’s… eerie.”

 

 

……………………………..

 

 

“It’s eerie.”

 

 

Hob barely heard him, eyes on the glass bowl beyond the barred doors. Inside, was a naked man, with dark hair that stuck out in all directions, either asleep or refusing to look at them.

 

 

…………………………………………………

 

 

“You check the painting underneath, the circle? To make sure it’s not scuffed at all. Then you check the glass bowl to make sure there are no cracks. Leave and lock everything behind you.”

 

 

“Right… Got it.”

 

 

The man must have sensed the unease in his tone, looking over at the figure in the glass bowl, “Remember, he’s not human.” He muttered, before making a run for it.

 

 

“… Right.”

 

 

It was freezing down here.

 

 

Was the stranger okay, being all… naked as he was.

 

 

“Umm, hello?”

 

 

…………………………………….

 

 

Dream heard him.

 

 

He wasn’t going to respond.

 

 

…………………………………………

 

 

“Yeah, I wouldn’t talk to me either.” Hob sighed, looking at the circle and then at the bowl, “He seemed very insistent that I check the markings and the bowl… what would happen if I just- you know? Broke them?”

 

 

…………………………………………….

 

 

Did he… just suggest what Dream thought he suggested?

 

 

Slowly, he opened his eyes a peek, catching a glimpse of the man as he moved around the bowl.

 

 

“I hope you have a name.” The stranger sighed, “I don’t want to keep calling you The Stranger in my mind.” He stopped, running a hand through dark hair, “I’m not going to insult you by asking if you’re okay, because I don’t think anyone who is trapped this way can ever be okay.”

 

 

“… You need to break the seal.”

 

 

The man squeaked at the roughness of Dream’s voice, spinning around, only to freeze. “Oh.”

 

 

Dream wondered what he was thinking in that moment, when faced with the emptiness of an Endless stare.

 

 

“You look like- “The man’s eyes widened, “- Break the seal. Need to break the seal.” He looked down at the seal itself, rubbing his foot over the marks as hard as he could, until the paint was scuffed on the stones. “Alright, broken. Break the glass next, right?”

 

 

Dream nodded, watching as the man glanced towards the door, before going to grab some loose bars that were kept down here in case others in the door rusted over.

 

 

“Alright…head down, okay?”

 

 

Dream nodded, doing as he was told as the stranger pulled out a gun, taking several steps back, before taking aim at the glass bowl.

 

 

BANG

 

 

BANG

 

 

BANG

 

 

The glass cracked, before breaking at the third shot. The cries of anyone who heard the shots were soon drowned out by the sound of the wind rustling all around them.

 

 

What happened to the stranger, Dream wasn’t sure, too consumed with the thoughts of one thing.

 

 

Revenge.

 

 

........................................

 

 

Dream found that he was far too weak to travel to his realm.

 

 

He had no way to contact Lucienne, or anyone else.

 

 

He had no mask, no sand and no ruby…. No way of getting home.

 

 

Weakly, he stumbled out of the home, not needing to hide, not with everyone trapped in their nightmares, only to freeze when he saw the stranger there.

 

 

“I figured I should get out.” The man nervously rubbed the back of his head, “You looked pretty… well, angry and I did  not want to get caught up in the middle of all that.

 

 

Dream stared at the stranger for a long moment, as the man shuffled from side to side.

 

 

“Look… I-I get the feeling that you could use some help, right?” The man shrugged, “What if I’m willing to offer that help?”

 

 

“…For what price?”

 

 

“No price.”

 

 

Dream frowned, “There is always a price for help.”

 

 

“Not this time.”

 

 

He considered it.

 

 

Without his artifacts, there was no way he could gather up the strength to get back to his realm and fix all the problems that had been caused by his absence. And he had no idea where these artifacts were at the moment… without going into dreams to get the payments for the fates, he would be unlikely to know as well.

 

 

“Ummm, are you okay?”

 

 

“…I accept your help on one condition.”

 

 

The man nodded, “Name it.”

 

 

“When I say leave me… you leave. Understood?”

 

 

“…Yeah, I understand.”

 

 

….

 

 

In a room far away, lay a corpse.

 

 

Sitting at the desk by the window, in the same room as this corpse, sat a man who looked up suddenly.

 

 

“He’s free.”

Chapter 2

The train trundled along the track, as Hob wrote out the battleplan, giving Morpheus a worried look as the other-worldly being remained hunched over in the corner.

 

 

“So.” He cleared his throat, “We need… the pouch of sand, your mask and your ruby. That’s everything, right?”

 

 

“Yes.”

 

 

“Right… good.” Hob looked out of the window, “You know, I know someone very similar to you. Similar sort of- “

 

 

“- How long until we are with this…Constantine?”

 

 

“Another hour or so?” Hob shrugged, “I sent a message on to her. If you want to know about supernatural or…unusual items, she’s the one to speak to.”

 

 

In fact, he was kind of hoping that she had at least one of the items.

 

 

An awkward silence fell over them again, as Hob tapped his pencil against the paper in his notebook. Unable to deal with the silence anymore, he muttered something about needing the loo and left to do that.

 

 

When he saw the man with the sunglasses eyeing him, he had a bad feeling run up and down his spine, making him shiver.

 

 

He turned and headed back to Dream.

 

 

“Okay, we need to get off now.” He whispered, “I’ve been around long enough to know when there’s a problem.”

 

 

“A problem?”

 

 

He pulled the other man to his feet, leading him down the aisle as he mouthed excuses about travel sickness to anybody who gave them suspicious looks.

 

 

“What is going on?”

 

 

“Just come on!”

 

 

They made it to the back end of the train, the doors shutting behind them.

 

 

“Great.” Hob sighed, “This is just…wonderful.”

 

 

“You believe that we are being followed.” Dream stated, “By what?”

 

 

“A nightmare if I had to guess. Maybe a Burgess-Hired mercenary or maybe just a demon, who knows?! Not me and I don’t like not knowing.” He sighed, “Not knowing has led to more than one bad situation for me before.”

 

 

He looked away from Dream, not wanting to meet those eyes.

 

 

Not because they scared him, but because he didn’t want the being to see him scared. Before he could say anything else though, the train suddenly lurched forwards, sending them crashing against the wall of the narrow corridor

 

 

“What the bloody hell was that?!” Hob scrambled over to the doors, “Shit!”

 

 

“What is going on?!” Dream snapped.

 

 

“...We’ve left the rest of the train behind.”

 

 

As Dream struggled to get to his feet, still weak from his time with the Burgess family, Hob realised that their compartment was speeding up.

 

 

Which shouldn’t have been possible in the slightest.

 

 

“We need to get off this train!” He yelled, grabbing the little hammer and smashing the windows of the door, reaching through, ignoring the broken glass and trying to open the door, “Nobody is driving, for some reason it’s getting faster, so we have to jump!”

 

 

“Jump?”

 

 

Hob managed to open the door, only to see that they were going over a bridge and that the closest ground was far, far below them. He looked over at Dream, who just stared back.

 

 

“After you.” The man deadpanned.

 

 

“…Alright, jumping is out. So we’re going to have to figure something else out… or go out the carriage door. We’ll be landing on tracks but it’s better than that door.”

 

 

“Are there no emergency brakes?”

 

 

“Not here!”

 

 

The train then jerked sharply again, as they fell to the floor.

 

 

Hob scrambled to his feet and went to look out of the broken window again, groaning when he saw that the bridge in the distance was now completely destroyed. “Shit! Back door! Now! Our stop is definitely coming up!”

 

 

He broke the windows of the carriage doors, using the same technique to open that door up as well, reaching behind him to grab Dream’s hand. “JUMP!”

 

 

With a yell, they both leapt out, landing on the hard tracks, rolling over onto the slightly softer ground just as their compartment came to the end of the track, falling to the ground far below with a loud BOOM!

 

 

“I hate trains.” Hob muttered. “Remind me never to take a train again.”

 

 

…………………

 

 

“What do you mean it failed?!”

 

 

“M-My Lord, I-I-It- “

 

 

“- Do not fail me again.”

 

……

 

 

“Are we walking to this Constantine’s?”

 

 

Hob rolled his eyes, “Obviously not. We’re going to see if we can catch a night coach or something for the rest of the journey.”

 

 

Dream did not look impressed.

 

 

“You know…” Hob’s voice was a little sly now, “… You’re not as talkative as your sister.”

 

 

Dream froze, “What do you know of my sister?”

 

 

“Death? She’s… well, she’s a friend of mine.”

 

 

“What?” Dream frowned, “My sister does not befriend mortals. I know that she is kind to them in their final moments, but- “

 

 

“- Who says I’m mortal?”

 

 

Dream paused as Hob chuckled.

 

 

“The year was 1389…I was in a bar. Almost everyone in my family had been killed either through war or plague.” Hob sighed, “I was getting drunker and drunker with my friends, and I started mouthing off. I started saying that Death was stupid- “

 

 

“- She is much wiser than you would believe.”

 

 

“Yeah, I know that now.” Hob chuckled, “And then I decided that I wasn’t going to die. Everyone else just died because they went along with it, and I decided that I wasn’t going to follow the same path….and then she came up to my table, said something about meeting me in one hundred years’ time and that was that.” He shrugged, “I thought it was just… a religious fanatic, you know?”

 

 

“And then- “

 

 

“- And then I just didn’t die.” Hob shrugged, “We meet up every so often so talk and exchange recipes. I like to think we’re friends, you know?”

 

 

Dream clearly didn’t know.

 

 

But he said nothing.

 

 

…….

 

 

As they continued on their way to London, Hob was sure that his companion was opening up a little bit to him.

 

 

“You have met the better of all my siblings.” He stated, “Death is kind.”

 

 

“Yeah, she said that your other siblings… well, things are a bit complicated?”

 

 

“Destiny is very involved in his work. Desire and Despair enjoy… meddling, that would be the politest way of putting it.” Dream then smiled, “Delight though… Delight is unusual to say the least.”

 

 

“We’ve met.” Hob chuckled, “She goes by Delirium now though after everything that happened in the seventies.”

 

 

“Ah.”

 

 

“Drug use.” Hob waved a hand, “Don’t worry about it.”

 

 

Dream hummed, deciding that that was probably the best course of action.

 

 

….

 

 

They reached London a little less than twenty minutes later and headed straight for Constantine’s flat.

 

 

“Don’t be too offended by her blunt attitude.” Hob stated, “Trust me when I say that her ancestor was a lot worse.”

 

 

“I understand.”

 

 

They walked up the steps, only for the door to the apartment to fly open and Constantine to storm out.

 

 

“I know where everything is.” She stated, “First off, we need to make an uncomfortable stop to my ex-girlfriend’s.”

 

 

….

 

 

“Well, that was- “

 

 

Constantine shot Hob a vicious glare, watching as Dream let the sand trail through his fingers. “He’s dangerous Hob.” She muttered, “You know this right?”

 

 

“No more dangerous than anyone else I know.” He gave her a significant look, “I don’t suppose we have any news about the other items?”

 

 

“The ruby is in a League Protected Warehouse.”

 

 

“…As in the Justice League?”

 

 

“Hmmm, owned by a villain known as Doctor Destiny.”

 

 

“Great…and the mask?”

 

 

“In Hell.”

 

 

“…Literally?”

 

 

“Literally.”

 

 

Hob sighed, looking up at the dark sky. “Do you know which demon has it?”

 

 

“No.”

 

 

“…Fuck it. I guess we’re going to hell then.”

Chapter 3

“It is unheard of to transport mortals to the realm of Hell.” Dream did not look impressed, looking at them with one eyebrow raised, as Constantine simply raised one back.

 

 

“But not impossible?”

 

 

“…No, not impossible.”

 

 

“Wait, wait, wait.” Hob frowned, “Are you even well enough to travel to Hell? I mean, I know that you have your sand now, but that doesn’t mean that everything’s magically fixed.”

 

 

“I will be fine.” Dream frowned, “I cannot guarantee your own safety though, I want you to understand that.”

 

 

“We’ll survive.”

 

 

He looked between them for a moment before nodding sharply and stepping a little closer to them.

 

 

“Prepare yourselves.”

 

 

Hob wasn’t sure there was even a way to prepare yourself for going into Hell.

 

 

14^th century him was screaming at the moment.

 

 

….

 

 

Hell was everything Hob expected it to be, and yet, so much worse as well.

 

 

He wasn’t ashamed to admit that he was practically pressed up against Constantine, who looked at him with amusement, even as the smile fell from her face when she heard a young girl crying out her name.

 

 

He felt the same when he saw Robyn reaching out for him, before trying to dismiss it.

 

 

Why would his son be in Hell after all?

 

 

All around them, bodies groaned and wailed to the blood red sky, the sound sending shivers up and down Hob’s spine.

 

 

“Pleasant place.” Hob muttered, “I feel like I should apologise to the priests who told me that I would end up in hell one day. Admittedly, this is not the way they probably had in mind, but- “

 

 

“Silence.”

 

 

Hob made a show of zipping his lips as they came upon some gates.

 

 

“SOMEONE...IS AT THE GATES.”

 

 

Hob really wanted to go home now.

 

 

…......

 

 

Passing by the cell that contained one of Dream’s loves, Hob was starting to wonder why Death ever wanted them to meet.

 

 

“You’d be surprised at the temperament of beings like him.” Constatine had clearly seen the look on his face, both of them hanging back a bit as they were led to Lucifer themselves, “That’s not even the worst thing that he could have done.”

 

 

“That doesn’t make me feel any better you know.”

 

 

“I know.” Constantine glanced over at him, “Just a fair warning…don’t speak unless you have to and keep your head down.”

 

 

“Huh?”

 

 

“I’ve sent a lot of these demons back here, sometimes, killed them permanently.” Constantine straightened up, “I don’t want you getting caught up in all this.”

 

 

“Keep quiet and keep my head down.” Hob mimed zipping his lips shut.

 

 

……

 

 

He couldn’t keep his mouth shut.

 

 

“You’re crazy.”

 

 

Lucifer, who was still pointing at him, narrowed their eyes at him, even as he heard Constantine groaning.

 

 

“They are!” Hob tried to defend himself, “I’m not an Endless or a demon hunter, so why pick me?!”

 

 

“Because it’ll be entertaining.” Lucifer smirked, “Death thinks she can simply make someone immortal, deny them her gift and deny me a guest in my realm? The Endless have to learn respect.”

 

 

“…They are more powerful than you, right?” Hob frowned, “Sounds to me, like you’re the one who needs to respect them.”

 

 

Silence.

 

 

One day, his mouth was going to get him into trouble, and it seemed like today was the day.

 

 

“Your immortality has made you cocky.” Lucifer sneered, “I was going to give you the chance against a lesser demon…”

 

 

Lie.

 

 

“… But now, I think you and I shall have some fun. Should you win, Dream will get his helm back.”

 

 

“-And we get safe passage out of Hell!”

 

 

“So be it.”

 

 

“And…” Hob straightened up, “… you tell us the truth behind Dream’s captivity!”

 

 

Further silence.

 

 

“Are you accusing me of something?”

 

 

“…I’ve spoken to Death in the past one hundred years.” Hob stated, “And she’s told me about the big gathering that you weren’t meant to be at and how angry you were. So yeah, I do think you were involved in some way!”

 

 

“Shit.” Constantine muttered behind him, but Hob didn’t dare take his eyes away from the devil.

 

 

Lucifer stared at him for a moment, before smirking slyly. “So be it… however, if I win, then you have to give up your immortality.”

 

 

“Hob” Constantine hissed, “Don’t be a- “

 

 

“-I’ll do it.”

 

 

“Hob Gadling.” Dream’s voice came from behind him, prompting him to turn around, “This is my fight. You don’t have to get involved with this.”

 

 

“I know.”

 

 

He then turned back to Lucifer. Yes, maybe he was making the biggest mistake of his life…was this arrogant, condescending being really worth all this?

 

 

“Hob Gadling.”

 

 

Yes. Yes he was.

 

 

“As the challenged…” Lucifer began, “…I set the meter and take the first move.”

 

 

“Um…sure?”

 

 

“I am…a dire wolf. Prey-Stalking, lethal Prowler.”

 

 

“I am… the over-hunting of the deer population. Ecosystem destabilising, predator killing.”

 

 

Silence.

 

 

Lucifer straightened up a little, “I am hunting restrictions. Nature preserving, ecosystem balancing.”

 

 

“I am the expansion of civilisation! Forest destroying, hunting law nullifying.”

 

 

Alright. Hob felt more confident about this now.

 

 

Behind him, he never noticed the slightly starry-eyed look in Dream’s eyes, and the way Constantine was trying not to smirk, with the game continuing.

 

 

After Hob declared himself to be the head of the Homeowner’s Association, Lucifer turned back to be being nasty.

 

 

“I am a bear. Scrap hunting, person killing.”

 

 

Hob tried not to wince at the feeling of claws scraping across his belly, straightening up. “I am family. Revenge-seeking, bear euthanizing!”

 

 

“I am Pride! Argument starter, family destroying.”

 

 

“I am friendship. Blood covenant, thicker than womb water!”

 

 

“I am jealousy. Friendship ending, relationship ruining.”

 

 

“I am…personal growth. Jealousy ending, apology giving.” It was just like being a counsellor to teenagers this, batting off every negative thought they had about the world, with something positive.

 

 

“I am relapse. Progress destroying, confidence killing!”

 

 

Yep. Just like dealing with teenagers.

 

 

“I am perseverance. Step taking, progress rebuilding.”

 

 

And so it went on, until Lucifer finally snapped, deciding that they were the end, the death of all.

 

 

Now… there was a temptation to chose himself because he was reasonably sure that he live, even if the universe was destroyed, and there were a few ways Lucifer would get around them.

 

 

No, he could choose something more…personal.

 

 

“I am God!”

 

 

Was this blasphemy? He couldn’t tell.

 

 

“Universe creator, life giver!”

 

 

The demons watching all started to boo and Lucifer looked about ready to rip his fucking throat out with their teeth. Hob was oddly proud with himself, knowing that there were two choices that they could take, unless they really pulled something unexpected out of their ass.

 

 

Option one… ‘what’s a god to an atheist,’ in which Hob would say a miracle. Faith affirming, god-proving. Not much can destroy that.

 

 

But option two…

 

 

“I am Lucifer Morningstar, God defying, His Kingdom ripped sunder!" Lucifer smirked, believing clearly that they had just delivered the winning blow.

 

 

 

Hob couldn’t contain his complete and total glee. “I am... Hob Gadling! Clever, death defying and triumphant over Lucifer Morningstar!”

 

 

 

There was a flash of bright light and then...nothing.

Notes:

Credit for the Hob vs Lucifer fight goes to fictionplumis!

Link here: https://fictionplumis.tumblr.com/post/695974617585778688/listen-i-know-dream-winning-his-duel-with-lucifer

Chapter 4

He woke up back on Planet Earth…as far as he was aware anyway, Johanna and Dream staring down at him.

 

It made him feel very small really.

 

“What happened?” He asked weakly, “Why do I feel like someone stomped on my head.”

 

“Close.” Johanna sounded far too cheerful about all this, “Lucifer basically threw the helmet at you, it hit you in the head and would have probably killed you if you hadn’t been you.”

 

“…Petty.” Slowly he pushed him into a seated position, before his eyes shot open, “Wait, weren’t they meant to tell us what really happened to have Dream captured and all that?” He looked between the two of them, before Dream was slowly handing over a little note.

 

“This was in the helmet.”

 

Hob took the note, examining the delicate, cursive writing on it.

 

‘I Desired an Endless. When I could not have one, my Desire changed.’

 

“…They capitalised the D.” Hob muttered, “Do you think…Desire was involved in all this?”

 

“Who else.” Dream’s voice was dark, “Once again, my sibling has seen fit to interfere with my affairs.” He got to his feet, “I need my ruby, and then, I will have everything I need to remind them just who is more powerful.”

 

In the face of that anger, Hob suddenly felt very, very small.

 

….

 

John Dee hummed as he took a seat in the little diner, leaning back in the booth, one hand on his ruby.

 

Time for some fun.

 

….

 

Dream was able to track the ruby as it was being used, the three of them emerging in front of a diner that was in the middle of nowhere. As they approached the door, Johanna froze in place, grabbing Hob before he could go any further.

 

“I think...we’d best stay out of this one.” She muttered, “I’m getting a very bad feeling about all this.”

 

“...Like demon bad?”

 

“Like, I don’t think we should go into that diner.”

 

“So what do you suggest we do?”

 

“...Leave. Now.”

 

They missed the stranger sneaking up on them, a feral look in the man’s eyes.

 

….

 

Hob felt like he was walking on air.

 

The blond man led him up a rocky embankment, the calm sea gently brushing up against the side of it.

 

“They say that if you die in dreams...” The blond man hummed, “... you die in real life. Is that true for even an immortal I wonder?”

 

Then he was falling backwards over the side, diving into the water.

 

….

 

Johanna woke with a groan, her instincts telling her that there was something wrong. Blearily, she looked around, frowning when she saw no sign of Hob anywhere.

 

“Hob?” She frowned, “Hob?”

 

She scrambled to her feet, looking all around, seeing that there was a lot more blood in that diner than there had been…in fact, there was just blood everywhere.

 

What the hell was going on?

 

….

 

Hob leant over the side of the rock encampment, seeing the blond man looking back up at him.

 

“Come on in.” The man purred, “The water is simply divine.”

 

….

 

Johanna wasn’t sure what prompted her to look up but seeing Hob leaning over the side of the building, eyes closed, moving like a puppet on strong, her heart sank to her stomach.

 

“HOB! HOB! STOP!”

 

She wasn’t going to make it onto the roof in time to stop him, and there was no chance of catching him.

 

He was asleep and dreaming.

 

If he died in the Dreaming, would that end his immortality?

 

Probably not.

 

Still..

 

“HOB!”

 

…

 

Hob frowned as the blind man’s eyes turned golden.

 

This wasn’t right.

 

What was he thinking?

 

“Fucking Desire.” He spat out, leaning back and slapping himself hard across the face, eyes shooting open, panicking when he saw just how close he was to the edge of the roof.

 

“Hob Gadling.”

 

Pale arms pulled him away from said edge, a whirl of sand bringing them back down to safe ground. Hob turned, see Dream there, a concerned look on the being’s face.

 

“Desire.” He whispered, “Desire is definitely involved in all this.”

 

Dream examined him for a moment, before a dark look flashed across his face, the expression sending shivers up and down Hob’s spine.

 

“He dares to take advantage of John Dee’s attack on the Dreaming to do this?” He snapped, “He is crossing the line.”

 

….

 

“He will not be pleased…none of our siblings will be pleased.”

 

“Hmm.”

 

“Sibling- “

 

“- My dear sister, please don’t think…that this is the end.”

Chapter 5

“Is-is my brother there?”

 

 

“Of course he is.” Death kept her voice low and soothing, taking the old lady’s hand and transporting her with a flap of her wings.

 

 

The two siblings would be reunited.

 

 

Something she wished for herself someday.

 

 

Shaking her head, she continued onto the next job. She needed to speak to Hob Gadling at some point soon, hoping that his contacts had been able to find something that could help her brother.

 

 

Anything at all.

 

 

……

 

 

“Three days it took us to fix this mess.” Dream did not sound impressed, “I need to return to my realm and get to the bottom of my captivity.”

 

 

“And maybe see your sister?” Hob ventured, “You know…the person who’s probably missed you the most?”

 

 

“Funny sister not to save him.” Joanna muttered under her breath, straightening up when Dream turned to her.

 

 

“My sister and my other siblings are forbidden in helping in each other’s affairs, unless we have asked for help.”

 

 

Pride was a terrible thing.

 

 

Hob knew that the Endless had some weird rules regarding interfering in each other’s affairs, some of which made sense, some didn’t. He also knew, after his weekly dinners with Death, that arguing about these rules was pointless. These were beings as old as the universe itself, what made him think that HE could do anything to change how they lived their lives?

 

 

He caught Joanna’s gaze and shook his head.

 

 

No point in it.

 

 

“Death once left without saying goodbye to me when I pushed this.” He whispered to her, as she opened her mouth to protest, “Trust me…that’s a big deal.”

 

 

She rolled her eyes, only for the pair of them to nearly bump into the back of Dream, who turned to them.

 

 

“You speak about my sister as though she were a friend of yours.”

 

 

“She… kind of is?” Hob ventured, a little confused about the turn in the conversation, “I said something stupid, she took the bet and we meet up every week for coffee and gossip? I think that counts as friendship?”

 

 

Dream just stared at him.

 

 

“Look, it was the 12^th century, I’d lost my whole family to war or plague, and I was a little drunk. I said that death was stupid, and everyone just died because they went along with what everyone else was doing…so I wasn’t going to die and that was that.”

 

 

“…So my sister rescinded her gift to you.”

 

 

“I think she thought I would cave.” Hob chuckled, “We met up one hundred years later and I… couldn’t imagine dying. Not with how the human race changed so much over the course of one hundred years. I wanted to see what else it could do, dying was a mug’s game, I was in it to win it!” He winced, “I…made some stupid mistakes over the years, but she was always there with a guiding word. I honestly don’t know what I would have done without her.”

 

 

Dream continued to stare at him, before weakly speaking up again, “You were who she wanted me to meet all those years ago.”

 

 

“I- Yeah. Probably.”

 

 

Hob wondered when they were going to get here. When Death had asked him to meet his brother over a century ago, he had leapt at the chance…and then everything went wrong.

 

 

“I promised her that I was going to find you.” Hob stated, “And I get that you have…things you need to do, but please, just a quick little visit to her?”

 

 

“…As you wish.”

 

 

……

 

 

Joanna was a little nervous about meeting Death.

 

 

She didn’t want to admit that, but meeting the personification of Death was unnerving.

 

 

“She’s really nice, I don’t know why you’re so worried.” Hob nudged her playfully in the side, “It’s the others you’ve got to worry about if the stories are anything to go off…well, Delerium is meant to be nice, and Destruction, despite the name, but no-one’s seen him in years.”

 

 

“You’re not helping.”

 

 

“Sorry.” Hob leant back a little, “Just… trust me okay?”

 

 

“…Is it true that one of my ancestors tried to capture you both?”

 

 

Hob chuckled, “Oh yeah. I think Death found it funny though, you know. Just the idea that some mortal could come in and demand something from her.” He tried not to think about how different the situation might have need if Lady Constantine had been anything like the ones who took Dream and held him for over 100 years.

 

 

There must have been something odd on his face, because Joanna made a soft noise of understanding.

 

 

“You like him, don’t you?”

 

 

“Don’t you?”

 

 

“Not in the way that you do.”

 

 

Hob paused, looking over at her for a moment, before wincing with a soft sigh, “Look…he’s got a kingdom to run, apparently a brother to scold and numerous other problems. An immortal human is probably at the back of his mind, or at least, I will be.”

 

 

“You- “

 

 

“- The Endless don’t get involved with humans. It’s been known to end in disaster before, we know this. Even when he was with a literal muse, apparently, it ended in disaster.”

 

 

“…Does Death usually gossip about her brother?”

 

 

“All the time.”

 

 

“…So, you’re just going to- “

 

 

“- Take what I can get.” Hob shrugged, “If that’s nothing, then so be it.”

 

 

“You’ve got to tell him.”

 

 

“Tell me what?”

 

 

Hob turned, seeing Dream heading towards them, looking even brighter and healthier than he did half an hour ago, when he last saw him

 

 

It was amazing what being out of captivity and in control of your realm could do for you.

 

 

“How…handsome you look.” Hob blurted out, only to quickly look away, seeing Joanna smirking at him.

 

 

‘Smooth.’ She mouthed.

 

 

Dream was silent.

 

 

“Do you know how to find my sister.”

 

 

“I-I’m sure I can figure it out.”

 

 

….

 

 

They decided to go to a nearby park, Hob buying them all some sandwiches as they watched the crowds.

 

 

“It’s not like I have access to her work schedule.” He muttered, “But I figure some place like this, there’s bound to be someone nearby who’s about to pop their clogs.”

 

 

There was a moment of awkward silence between them, before Joanna got to her feet, mumbling something about needing some air (they were outside, what was she talking about?), before walking off to the right of them.

 

 

“Hob.”

 

 

“Hmm?”

 

 

“We…have been through a lot together.” If Hob didn’t know any better, he’d say that the being was nervous, “You would agree with that, correct?”

 

 

“…Yes?”

 

 

“I just wanted to- “

 

 

They were a little closer now, as though drawn together.

 

 

“- You wanted to?”

 

 

Something uncertain flashed across Dream’s face, before he looked away. “Thank you.” He whispered, “Thank you for everything.”

 

 

Hob couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed, but nodded in understanding anyway, turning to the crowd, before turning back to Dream.

 

 

“Dream, I- “

 

 

“- Yes?”

 

 

“I- I’m…”

 

 

“Yes?”

 

 

“I…wanted to wish you good luck, with the kingdom and…all that.” Hob turned away, “Do you want an ice cream? I think I’m going to get an ice cream.”

 

 

….

 

 

Dream watched Hob leaving, hating how the void in his chest fluttered a little at the sight.

 

 

He’d fallen in love with a mortal before.

 

 

It hadn’t ended well.

 

 

And he wasn’t about to ruin Hob’s immortal life like that.

 

 

…..

 

 

Death smiled when she saw Hob across the way, practically skipping over and wrapping an arm around his shoulder.

 

 

“I was just thinking about you today.” She stated, chuckling when Hob jumped a little, spinning around to glare at her.

 

 

“Do you have to do that to me? Doesn’t it ever get old?!”

 

 

“Never.”

 

 

Hob rolled his eyes, before a thought suddenly seemed to occur to him, “Oh! I found him! We were waiting for you, I knew you’d be here eventually…we found him!”

 

 

“My brother? You got saved him from captivity?”

 

 

“…Did you know where he was the entire time?”

 

 

“I had a suspicion, but without him asking for help- “

 

 

“- I really hate the Endless rules, I hope you know that.”

 

 

She nodded, as he buried his face into his hands.

 

 

“Come on.” Hob sighed, “He’s…well, follow me.”

 

 

He walked away, knowing that she was following on behind.

 

 

“I am sorry.” She sighed, “I know that the way we work is strange to you, but it is to prevent chaos from falling upon your world.”

 

 

“…You do know that it was probably Desire who was behind all this?”

 

 

“Nothing came of it.”

 

 

“That we know.”

 

 

She fell silent after that.

 

Chapter 6

Hob watched from the sidelines as Death stood in front of her brother, Dream looking… not overly bothered by seeing his sibling again.

 

 

“Wow…”

 

 

He flinched, turning to see Joanna standing to the right of him, giving him a pitying look.

 

 

“…You’re a little pathetic.”

 

 

“I’m making sure that everything’s going okay.” Hob protested, “Is that so wrong?”

 

 

“With that love-sick look on your face…it’s even worse.”

 

 

Hob rolled his eyes, before looking back over at the Endless siblings. “I just… thought he might be happier to see her, that’s all. But then I remember that stupid rule and the fact that it was probably one of his other siblings who started the ball rolling, and I think… maybe he doesn’t trust any of them anymore.”

 

 

It was a hard thought to have, but he had it all the same.

 

 

“It sounds like a lonely life.” Joanna whispered, “Being an Endless I mean.” She then paused, looking over at him, “I imagine it’s pretty lonely being you as well, huh?”

 

 

Hob tried not to think about that too much.

 

 

He tried not to think about the family he’d seen die…all the friends.

 

 

“…I think you’re growing to love him.” Joanna stated, not flinching when Hob nearly choked on his next breath.

 

 

“I-I mean…yes, but it doesn’t mean anything, and it can’t lead to anything, so maybe we just stop talking about it!”

 

 

“Stubborn…it’s not like he’s going to die on you or anything.”

 

 

“And he’s more powerful than most demons and devils…no offence to Dream, but I’ve heard the stories about mortals falling in love with Endless. It never ends well.”

 

 

Joanna had nothing to say about that.

 

 

….

 

 

Dream didn’t understand what his sister’s point was at first, as they walked around, watching as she offered several mortals her gift, taking them away with a mere beat of her wings.

 

 

‘If you see everything as a failure before even trying it, then it is doomed to fail. Give it a chance.’

 

 

Her words flew around his mind, musing over them as he followed on behind her.

 

 

His sister had always been a little too involved in his life, as she had been with all of their siblings. She seemed determined to see him happy most of all though.

 

 

Would Hob make him happy?

 

 

Was it even possible for him?

 

 

He had seen the worst that humanity had to offer, he had seen that middle ground through his sister…and then he’d seen all the hope that humanity had, all the wonder they had…in Hob.

 

 

It was certainly food for thought, or so the saying went.

 

 

…

 

 

Hob wasn’t sure how long he stayed in the park for, idly throwing bread to the birds, before going off and trying to distract himself.

 

 

….

 

 

“I need to look my best sister dearest.”

 

 

Despair watched as her sibling paced the small space, stretching himself into the most alluring positions that he could think of.

 

 

“His desire is…just too delicious to ignore.”

 

 

“So is his despair.”

 

 

Desire turned to her, a perfect pout on those ruby red lips, “You won’t deprive me of the fun that I need, right?”

 

 

“Never.

 

 

…..

 

 

“Why would you suggest meeting Hob to me?” He asked his sister, “You know how my relationships have gone before.”

 

 

“He is immortal and there is no chance of a child getting involved in this.” As it usually did whenever she thought of her nephew, Death’s gentle smile dimmed just a little, “I believed that he would be better for you, and I stand by that decision. Together, you can only make each other better. From what I’ve seen about life and the ending of it, it is always better with someone there beside you.”

 

 

“We do not die.”

 

 

“We do… remember?”

 

 

Ah yes…how could he have been so foolish to forget the one rule the Endless must follow.

 

 

“I think you and Hob will be good for each other. I thought that over a century ago, and I know it for certain today.” She playfully nudged him in the side, “Who else would be willing to travel around with you like this, making sure that you got all your powers back. Only someone who was good for you.”

 

 

Dream didn’t have an answer for that.

 

 

….

 

 

“Hob Gadling.”

 

 

Hob jumped a little, looking over his shoulder and beaming when he saw Death standing there, “Everything okay?”

 

 

“…you have no idea just how truly grateful I am that we met all those years ago.”

 

 

“When I made a drunken boast and you came up to my table and gave me a cryptic statement?” Hob chuckled, “One of the strangest ways I’ve ever met a friend, has to be said.”

 

 

“Not a bad way though.”

 

 

“No…not a bad way.”

 

 

“…I want to give you something for helping my brother.”

 

 

Hob held up his hands, shaking his head, “You’ve already given me so much. This was the right thing to do…besides, what I want, I don’t think it’s in your amazing power to give.”

 

 

“You want no reward?”

 

 

“No.”

 

 

“Nothing that I can give.” She had a knowing look on her face, as Hob smirked back at her.

 

 

“Nothing that you can give.”

 

 

…..

 

 

Dream watched Hob walked closer, seeing the human pause at the sight of him, a gentle smile appearing on those lips.

 

 

“You spoke with my sister.”

 

 

“I did.”

 

 

“…What else could she give you as a reward?” Dream frowned, “Unless, you wished to- “

 

 

“- I don’t think I would ever ask that.” Hob chuckled, “Not when life still has so much to give, not with how humanity can evolve and change over the course of an entire century. You should have seen the difference between- “ He cut himself off as he realised that the statement was a little insensitive.

 

 

“You have shown me that perhaps my views on humanity are…unfair.”

 

 

“I’m glad I was able to teach an endless something.”

 

 

For a moment, they both stared at each other, before Hob cleared his throat.

 

 

“I hope you…I hope you’re happy.”

 

 

“…And you.”

 

 

And that was that.

 

 

…

 

 

“You don’t have to do this.”

 

 

“I think this is for the best…he needs to experience freedom again, before I start worming my way in there.” He held up his hand, stopping Death in her tracks, “It’s not forever, it’s just for now.”

 

 

….

 

 

“You’re mental for leaving now.”

 

 

“Lovely to get your opinion Joanna.”

 

 

….

 

 

The nightmare admired himself in the mirror.

 

 

Perfect.

 

 

 

Chapter 7

Dream looked around.

 

 

He knew that Hob was gone, and yet, a part of him wanted to double check and make sure.

 

 

“He’s not here.”

 

Fighting not to sigh at his sisters’ voice, Dream nodded. “I know.”

 

“You admit that you were looking for him.”

 

“It is pointless to hide anything from you sister.” He gave her a glancing smile, “I learnt that long ago.”

 

“Remarkable…isn’t he? Always finding the good in humanity, even when he lived through the worst of it.”

 

“He has…taught me a lot over the past few days.”

 

Death remained silent, looking out at the crowd of humans, before continuing. “I never imagined any other role for myself, other than to rule the Dreaming. To keep control of it.”

 

“Being in the Dreaming gave you a connection to humans that you never wanted to admit to. I can’t help but wonder if you’re even that same Dream who shunned humanity and merely saw them as pawns on a chessboard.”

 

“You believe that I have changed.”

 

“For the better, but yes. You have found peace…peace that you deserve.”

 

“Sister- “

 

She cut him off, pulling him into a hug that took him a while to respond, “You deserve peace and a happy life. And Hob is the man, the human who I think can give it to you.”

 

“I- “

 

“- Take this chance whilst you still have it.” Gently, she patted him on the cheek, “Now…I have work to do.”

 

And then she was gone, heading into the crowd, leaving Dream standing there alone. He straightened up, trying to remember if Hob said anything about where he might go, only for something to flicker out of the corner of his eye.

 

A girl.

 

A girl who was staring at him, mouth agape, like she knew who he was.

 

What he was.

 

That wasn’t possible, unless she was- unless she was like Orpheus.

 

Of his blood.

 

Or another Endless.

 

Attention grabbed, he moved closer to her, watching as she moved away just as swiftly. So distracted, he didn’t even notice another figure following on behind them.

 

…

 

Hob watched as the ticket line moved forwards just a little bit. He was so excited when automated ticket machines were inputted in every single station, but when all of them were out of service like today, he couldn’t help but hate technology just a little.

 

‘Sleeping Sickness At An End?!” A caption on the news read, making him smile just a little.

 

He was happy that Dream was doing so well.

 

That was how it was meant to be.

 

“Next!”

 

Hob glanced at the ticket booth operator, tormented with indecision.

 

Was it so wrong to want to be there with the Endless…that was what Death had intended all those years ago after all.

 

Would he even have a place with him?

 

…He wouldn’t find out just standing here.

 

…..

 

Dream moved through the streets, noticing how they seemed to turn into a maze. If he had a heart in his chest, it would be beating overtime, eyes on the girl in front of him.

 

He needed to know the truth.

 

He needed to know what had happened whilst he was locked away in Burgess’s basement.

 

He needed to know exactly what his sibling had done.

 

When he heard a noise behind him, he spun around, seeing a bush that definitely wasn’t there before.

 

“Cute.” He muttered, continuing to spin, trying to search for a way out, only to find more bushes blocking his path.

 

Spin…Blocked.

 

 

Spin…Blocked

 

 

The next time he spun, the bushes were rearranged, casting long shadows across his face like groping fingers. He was trapped, boxed in.

 

 

“I am the King of Nightmares.” Dream hissed, “These things do not bother me.”

 

 

They whispered to him, but he paid it no heed. Seeing an opening, he darted through it, pushing through branches, only to frown when he ended up on a bridge.

 

 

“Why are you following me?!”

 

 

He turned, seeing the girl glaring at him, her fists clenched tightly.

 

 

“You are the one doing this.” He stated matter-of-factly, “How?”

 

 

“I-I- He said that you might come looking for me.” The girl looked terrified, “That you wanted to kill me!”

 

 

“Who?”

 

 

“…The man with the golden eyes.”

 

 

Desire.

 

 

It all came back to him.

 

 

“He is lying to you.” Dream stated, “I will not- “

 

 

“- He says I’m some sort of void.”

 

 

That…made things complicated.

 

 

There was more to it though, there just had to be.

 

 

Why would Desire make a point of sending him in this direction?

 

 

Why would he specifically want him to know that she was a void…he knew what Dream would have to do to keep his world and this world safe from her.

 

 

“Tell me about yourself.”

 

 

He was different now.

 

 

He wasn’t the same as he had been before.

 

 

…

 

 

A man with golden eyes who visited her grandma when she was in the middle of the sleeping sickness.

 

 

A baby born, who then gave birth to a child of her own.

 

 

A child who took her grandmother’s place in being a void.

 

 

“This makes matters complicated.” He sighed, “Your powers will get stronger and stronger, and there is a chance that you could do irreversible damage with them.”

 

 

“T-then you do have to kill me?!”

 

 

She was starting to panic.

 

 

“I cannot.”

 

 

“W-why?”

 

 

“Because you are family, and one of the rules that I must follow, is that family cannot kill family…the Kindly Ones do not like that in the slightest.” He held out a hand, “You must trust me.”

 

 

“Or…you can not.”

 

 

At the voice, Dream turned around, glaring at the sight of Desire standing there.

 

 

“Sibling.”

 

 

“Brother.”

 

 

There was silence for a moment, before Dream stepped closer, “You dare try to trick me into spilling family blood?”

 

 

“How was I meant to know that you’d suddenly grown a heart in the past few decades?” Desire sneered, “Once upon a time, you would have killed her just like….” They snapped their fingers, “…that.”

 

 

“I have changed.”

 

 

“Hmm, thanks to that cute little immortal of yours.”

 

 

Dream tried not to tense, not wanting Desire to know that he had hit a nerve. However it was too late.

 

 

Desire smirked.

 

 

“Mortals are so easily led brother…I proved this. All I have to do, is show him what his heart most desires and then he’s…maybe walking in front of a train? A messy end, one that’s very difficult to come back from, even for an immortal. Maybe, there can be another Narcissus in these modern times, bewitched by whatever he sees in the mirror. Or- “

 

 

“- Hey!”

 

 

Desire turned, seeing a car heading straight for him, hitting him head on and sending him flying into the wall of the bridge.

 

 

Hob emerged from the car, looking a little stunned at what he’d just done.

 

 

“Alright, I doubt that’s going to do much…” He rushed over to Morpheus, “…And I don’t think that bloke’s getting his pristine car back, but- “

 

 

Morpheus took a hold of his head, stopping him in his tracks.

 

 

“Remind me to thank you later.” Morpheus gave him, what was probably, a weak smile.

 

 

Seeing Desire rising to his feet out of the corner of his eye, Hob winced, “I should have hit him harder.”

 

 

“You fool.” Desire snarled, “He will never love you! He’s not capable of it!”

 

 

He waved his hand, sending Hob flying off into a nearby statue, as Morpheus flicked his own hand in that direction to cushion the blow. Yes, Hob could heal, but that didn’t mean that he had to go through unnecessary pain.

 

 

“Hob!”

 

 

Hob’s eyes widened.

 

 

“Morpheus! Look out!”

Chapter 8

“Morpheus! Look out!”

 

BANG!

 

Morpheus was a little alarmed when a human bullet narrowly missed him, despite knowing that there wasn’t a lot that it could do to him. He turned in the direction that it was fired from, straightening up when he saw who was on the other end of that gun.

 

“Corinthias.”

 

“Surprised to see me Boss?” The nightmare smiled at him with all mouths.

 

Morpheus stayed quiet.

 

His realm had fallen to pieces, there was no surprise that a few of the nightmares had decided to take advantage of that. Corinthian was on the verge of being punished when Morpheus was taken captive.

 

He probably thought that he had struck gold with what happened.

 

“Great.” Hob muttered, joining Morpheus by his side, “This is just what we need. I don’t suppose he can be killed with just a normal bullet?”

 

Morpheus remained quiet, taking steps towards the nightmare, who started to look a little uncertain.

 

BANG!

 

The bullet vanished into the shadows.

 

BANG BANG

 

Nothing.

 

“I have done you wrong.” Morpheus stated, not flinching as the nightmare threw the gun at him in its desperation, “You have been neglected and have therefore spiralled out of control.”

 

“Please-please don’t- “

 

It was over quicker than Hob could fathom, and soon, Morpheus was holding a small skull in his hands, softly running a finger over the top of it. He then turned to Hob.

 

“I thought you were going- “

 

“- I was.”

 

Morpheus, “Why did you change your mind?”

 

“Well, I...” Hob’s voice trailed off as he moved a little closer to Morpheus, pausing when they were only a short distance away, “...yes or no?”

 

He didn’t need to fully ask the question.

 

He knew that Morpheus would know what he meant.

 

“Yes.”

 

Before Hob could do anything, Morpheus was pressing their lips together almost desperately.

 

...

 

“You knew that this was going to happen.”

 

“I did.”

 

“All according to plan then?”

 

“Indeed.”

 

Death chuckled, looking away from Fate as she watched her brother and Hob. “We may have to intervene with Desire.”

 

“Only when the time is right.”

 

....

 

Hob hummed as he watched the fire crackling in the fireplace, feeling like time had completely stopped for them.

 

Of course, in the dreamworld, that was the case.

 

He nestled in close to Dream, laying his head on the Endless’s shoulder. Instantly, Dream’s arm went around him, draped across his back, Dream’s hand resting lightly on his side.

 

Hob couldn’t stop the little sigh of contentment, finding that he was quite liking the domesticity of the entire thing.

 

“Thank you.” Dream eventually said, making Hob frown and look over at him.

 

“For what?”

 

“…For giving me what I never thought I wanted or needed.”

 

Hob hummed, reaching out to pull Dream into a hug of his own. “I think I should be the one saying that to you.” He chuckled, “Perhaps we should just say that we helped each other.”

 

“That would be…accurate.”

 

The comfortable silence fell over them once again, and for a moment, all was right with the cosmos.