Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Hob nervously polished the glass for the umpteenth time. Outside the sun was shining, the birds were singing and in here he was, just feeling so bloody nervous.
Today was the day.
100 years.
Any moment the door would open, he would walk in and Hob... Hob didn't know, what he would say. Better to wait and see, he guessed.

As he reached for the glass on the counter again, ready to polish it until the walls grew thin, the bells over the entrance jingled and Hob instinctively took a deep breath.
Here went nothing.
He raised his head, ready to see a figure dressed in elegant white robes, tall and foreboding, yet with an innocent look on his face no adult ever had.

It wasn't him.
Instead of a floor-length white coat, the man in the doorway wore a simple black coat over his shirt and jeans of the same colour. Unruly strands of hair hung over his eyes, which seemed of a dark blue in the first moment and at the second endless like the night sky.

Hob gasped. His hand gripped the edge of the counter, the soft wood giving him more than simply something to hold onto.

It was him.
It was him.

It didn't take more than a second for the other to notice Hob and to walk over to him with a smile on his lips so thin, that you could only notice it, if you knew the man.
And, by god, Hob knew him.

“Hello, Hob Gadling”, the one he had once called his stranger, later called his friend greeted him.

His voice was soft as ever, with a rumble so deep like shifting mountains. It almost took Hob's breath away, but his curiosity won in that very moment.

“H-How... How are you... here?”

The man's smile grew a tiny bit mischievous.

“Is it not customary anymore to greet someone, when you haven't seen each other... in quite some time?”, he asked.

Hob shook his head in disbelieve.

“It... still is. Hello... Dream. Uhm... don't take this the wrong way, but... how are you...” He helplessly gestured towards the Lord of Dreams. “How are you... uhm... alive? Is that the right word? I mean... I...” He gripped the counter a bit harder. “I've been... to... to your funeral. I've met this... this other Dream, who was you... except... he wasn't.”

For a moment Hob needed to avert his eyes and blink back the uprising emotions.
Good gods... the funeral. Hob hadn't thought about it in... ages? Didn't want to. Would have been happy to never think about it ever again till the sun exploded.

“...I thought, I'd never see you again”, he whispered.

All noises in the pub seemed to die away, his paper-thin words echoed in the still air like a scream, loud enough for everybody to hear.

And nevertheless Dream smiled at him.

“Hadn't you said yourself, that this is, what I 'always do'? I've said my farewells... and I've returned.”

“Yes... but how? Your siblings... they told me – told everyone – that you were gone for good and...”

The words stopped right in his throat as Dream took a step towards him, now close enough, that Hob could've just reached out and touched him.
And yet... he didn't dare.

“There are many things in this world, which are not as permanent as you'd think them to be. My... death is one of them”, Dream answered, the smile unwavering and small on his face. If anything, it only seemed to grow a bit more.

Something stirred in Hob's chest, something so brittle and very breakable like the glass next to his hand.
Hope.

Was this real?
Was he really back?
He was Dream of the Endless. If anyone could come back from being dead, it was him, right?
...right?

The hope in Hob's heart shook and rattled like a thousand fragments.

He forced a smile on his face and gestured towards an empty table at the side.

“Please, my friend, sit with me. Have a drink and... tell me everything about your adventure. For once, I'm the one, who wants to know, what you've been doing these past 100 years.”

They sat down opposite of each other and Hob stole a second to wave at a waiter, ordering them wine.

“To celebrate your... re-birthday, I guess”, Hob laughed shortly, toasting towards Dream. “It's good to have you back.”

Sitting here, drinking wine, Hob felt himself relax a bit again.
Dream would tell him, what had happened and then they could laugh about it. Hell, he might even joke about the tears he had shed for the Prince of Stories, when he thought that their story had ended.

Silence fell around them, stretching its invisible wings, suffocating the whole room with anticipation.

He could hear Dream take a deep breath, probably to organize his thoughts before he spoke them out loud. That's what he would do. Tell Hob his story.

The smile on Dream's face shifted a bit and... Hob barely trusted his eyes, but it looked a bit... warmer.
Not that Dream had ever looked cold or unkind. Well, at least not since 1889 and yet... this smile made Hob's heart beat faster. Louder. So very loud.

“I've missed you, Hob”, Dream finally began talking. “When I came back, meeting you was the first thing on my mind.”

“You just came back? Like... today?”

Hob took a big gulp of his wine. On the other side of the table Dream had more restraint.
Well, but he wasn't being visited by an immortal and powerful being, who had been dea- gone for a hundred years, was he?

“Yes, today”, Dream said with a nod. “And now I'm here.”

Dream sat his glass down and Hob feared his heart would jump out of his chest, as Dream touched his hand. Hob could barely feel it. Just the tip of Dream's index finger on the side of his hand, and still it send shivers hot and cold down his spine.

“But what about... what about your kingdom?”, Hob asked, his throat suddenly dry as if he had never drunk anything in his life.

“It is taken care of by the other Dream.”

“Ah... so... he still exists.”

“Yes.”

“And... what about the ones, who... who wanted to destroy you? The... What did your sister call them? The Kindly Ones? Ladies?”

“They won't pursue me any further. The debt is paid. I'm free from their wrath.”

“Oh... that's... that's good.”

Hob drank more wine, hoping erase the scratch from his voice as well as the tremble. But how could he, when Dream's hand was now fully lying on top of his?

It was so warm.
Hob had always imagined Dream's hands to be warm, even though the Dream King looked so pale as if he had spend a whole winter's night outside.

He cleared his throat and gathered up the courage to look Dream in the face.

“So, how did you get back then? Must've been something big and... I don't know... shaking the existence at its very core, am I right?”, he chuckled.

To his surprise, the laugh was answered.

“It was. But it is nothing you need to be concerned about, my dear Hob. I am back. Isn't this all that matters?”

“Sure, but now you're here and we have wine. So tell me. If you don't mind.”

Dream cocked his head slightly to the side, almost grinning like a cat, who had caught a particularly big mouse.

“And what if I do mind?”

“Uhm... what?”

Hob's brain flatlined as Dream entwined their fingers and leaned a bit closer.

“I said, I do mind misusing our time sitting here and talking. I am back, Hob Gadling. Do you want to waste any more meetings of ours just talking, when we could do something way more entertaining instead?”

His face was close. So close, Hob could count Dream's incredibly long lashes. Or the stars in his eyes. Oh, he could've drowned in them...
Hot breath met his lips and Hob closed his eyes and... pulled back.

“Is something wrong, Hob?”, Dream asked, a slither of nervousness dancing though his words.

Hob shook his head and still answered: “Yes.”

Something wasn't right.
He just felt it.

In 600, no, 700 years Dream had never been so... so... open with him.
They sat here in Hob's pub, drinking wine and Dream's hand was so warm in his and...

The silence now suffocated him for good this time.

It was all wrong.

Dream never drank, when they met. He didn't eat and he didn't drink and for sure he never touched Hob. Not once in all these years.
He smiled – occasionally – but not like this. Never like this.

Hob opened his eyes and pulled his hand back like it was the hardest thing in the world to do, because in this very moment, it was.
The heat lingered on his skin for a second longer.

“You know... your hand is really warm”, he said with a steadiness in his voice, which surprised himself.

Dream gave him a confused look.

“I am aware of that.”

“It's like I always dreamed your hands to be.”

“And... is this a bad thing?”

Hob chuckled.

“No... no, it's not. It's just... a dream.”

The smile returned on Dream's face.

“This is what I am. I am Dream and I am all dreams.”

Hob shook his head, the chuckle turned into a sad smile as he let his gaze wander over this beautiful face in front of him.

“It's all I ever wanted. You. Here. Alive and... clearly returning my oh-so persistent crush, which I've been harbouring for...” He sighed. “...way too long.”

Indulging in a whim Hob reached out and let his fingers trail over Dream's cheek.
He didn't really feel the skin beneath his fingertips just as he hadn't tasted the wine.

“This is a dream”, he repeated as Dream leaned into his touch.

“Hob...”

“I'd like to wake up now.”

The sun was still hidden behind the tall building of London, only casting the first golden rays into the dwindling night sky as Hob Gadling opened his eyes.
A quick look at his phone brought him finally back to reality.
Outside it was the dawn of the 9^th of November 2025 and he was alone in his flat above The New Inn.

And Dream of the Endless was dead.

Chapter Text

“Hob...”

A warm hand touched his face.

“No.”

“Hob...”

Soft lips so close to his. Too close.

“No...”

“Hob...”

Surprisingly strong arms wrapped around his shoulders.

“No...”

He struggled to get out.

“...you're dead.”

With eyes closed he at least could escape the look of utter heartbreak on this Dream's face. It was pretty convincing, to be honest.
A heavy sigh escaped Hob's lips.

How often had he had this dream since the funeral? Had it really been every night?

Sometimes Dream just strolled into his pub as if nothing had happened.
Sometimes Hob was part of an elaborate scheme to bring him back.
Every time Dream was smiling at him and Hob felt his poor heart break a bit more. By now it could be nothing more than a pile of sand.
How fitting.

He took a step back, away from this alluring Dream, who was everything Hob had ever wanted, nothing he had ever gotten and not one bit true.

“Hey!”, he called into the vastness of the field he was currently standing on. Somewhere in Greece or so. He hadn't paid enough attention.

“Hey, Dream of the Endless. Can you hear me? I'd like to wake up now, please.”

Always the same.
As soon as Hob realized, that it was nothing more than a dream, he asked to wake up.
Sometimes the ceiling of his bedroom greeted him still illuminated by the yellow street lights outside, but it was still better than remaining here even for a second longer.

A tingle rushed down his spine. The only short warning he got before he awoke.
On a whim, he decided to yell something else.

“And if you could be so kind, please... I... I don't want to dream about him anymore, okay? Nothing good can come from this. So... yeah. Please stop. Thank you.”

And so he awoke and disappeared from the Dreaming.

From behind an olive tree the Lord of Dreams stepped out onto the field, looking at the spot where Hob Gadling had stood just a moment before.
The dream in the form of the old lord bowed before him and Dream dismissed him with a smile, letting him retake his original form and leave.

A crow sailed down from the clouded sky and landed on his shoulder.

“Still no luck, sire?, he asked as his dug his claws into the silky fabric of Dream's robe.

“No, Matthew... Still no luck.”

“How often did you try by now? 80 times? 90?”

“This was the 100th time.”

“Oh, shit.” Matthew cawed. “You know... I can't tell you what to do and what not to do, but... are you sure this is the right thing? I mean... he's always leaving as soon as he figures out that it's not real. And he looks so... so pained.”

Dream turned his head and let his gaze wander over the fictional landscape.
It was supposed to be a Mediterranean Island, but you would never find it in the Waking World, because this one had a path straight down to the Underworld.
Tonight Hob Gadling had saved his Dream from Hades' grasp like Orpheus had once tried to save his Eurydice. The difference was though, that Hob had succeeded.
Well, at least in this dream.

“He wishes to see him. More than anything. I'm only granting him, what his heart desires so loudly.”

“And that's very kind of you, but... humans shouldn't always get, what they want. Trust me, I've been one for a couple of years.”

Dream looked at his faithful crow with and amused twinkle in his eyes.

“I know, Matthew.”

“And I know, that you're only trying to be nice to him, but your gift is hurting him. Yes, he wants to see the boss again. I understand that. I really do. But this way, he's stuck. He can't move forward, leave his sorrow behind. And he's human. Can't die, but still human. He has to move on.”

Dream sighed deeply.

“You're right, Matthew. Ever since the funeral Hob Gadling is the one, who can't let go... By day my sister has caught him in her embrace and by night my... misguided kindness hurts him even more. I thought, that this way he could get a chance to say goodbye, but his unfulfilled wishes reshape the dreams every time...”

“And you let him”, Matthew dared to guess out loud.

Dream only inclined his head, leaving the accusation unanswered.

“Maybe it would be best to meet him on neutral ground. Talk to him instead of acting only on his heart's desire.”

“That could help.”

“Good. Tell Lucienne, that I'll be back soon.”

Matthew fluttered up as Dream began walking.

“You're going now, sire?”

“You know, what human say, don't you, Matthew? 'There's no time like the present.'”

Every day was the same.
Hob woke up at some godforsaken hour, cried for a bit, stood up and dragged himself through the day. Shower, coffee, opening the pub for brunch, closing at noon, reopening in the evening, closing at midnight, cleaning, shower, bed, repeat. In between he tried to feel nothing.

'Nothing' was good. It didn't hurt so much, when he woke up again from whatever insane dream the new Lord of the Dreaming had thrown him in.
Gods... if Hob only knew how he deserved this torture. Last time he met the guy, he could have sworn, that he actually liked him. Guess he had been wrong.

Hob turned off the shower and stepped out of the steaming cabin, wrapped in his fluffiest comfort towel. He wiped the water from the mirror and grabbed his razor.
Maybe he should shave completely again? A nice chance would-

“Hello, Hob Gadling.”

“Bloody hell!”

Hob spun around, the razor in his hand, ready to defend himself against... against...

“Oh. It's you.” He let his puny weapon drop into the sink behind him and rubbed his eyes. “I'm not asleep this time, am I?”

“No, you are not. I wanted to talk to you”, Dream said way too calm for someone, who had been threatened with a safety razor just a moment ago.

“Okay... sure. But could we do this not here? My bathroom is not the ideal place for a conversation. And... I need coffee.”

“Lead the way.”

Hob shook his head to clear his thoughts as he opened the small bathroom window to let the steam out, before guiding Dream outside.
It was worth mentioning, that the unannounced appearance of an Endless in his shower wasn't the strangest thing to ever happen to him. Still this called for coffee. Strong coffee.

“The kitchen is that way. Grab a chair, if you want to. I'll be with you in a moment”, Hob said as he walked towards his bedroom.

No need to have whatever conversation awaited him in a bath towel.

When he found himself presentable enough he joined Dream in the kitchen, where he found the young Lord fiddling with the basil on the table. As he saw Hob walk in, he greeted him with a tiny sheepish smile.

“Your basil is dying.”

“Basil always dies a week after you buy it. Don't know why don't give up and buy it dried and chopped like a normal person... Do you want coffee?”

He didn't really expect an answer, yet Dream cocked his head to the side, his brows drawn in cautious curiosity.

“I've never had coffee before.”

“Is that... a yes?”

“Yes.”

“...okay.”

Hob placed the bright red mug in front of Dream and shoved the bowl of sugar and milk can towards him as well.

“You can try out how you like it... if you like it”, he offered, nipping on his own inky black drink.

Dream – to Hob's utter astonishment – took a sip and immediately pulled a face. Then he grabbed sugar and milk and started dumping enormous amounts of it into the cup till it was filled to the brim. His next test seemed to leave him a bit more satisfied, even if he still didn't look happy.

“I am not sure if I like this”, Dream confessed.

Hob chuckled.

“You get used to the taste after a while.”

Dream put his cup down and looked at Hob with familiar dark eyes. Stars danced in their depth, calling for Hob, but their song wasn't as strong as it had been... before.

“You used to drink tea.”

Hob tried not to get annoyed by the use of his Dream's knowledge against him.

“Times change. Coffee is quicker and you can get it everywhere. Who has the time to make decent tea these days?”

“You have.”

“...I guess, I do.”

They let the conversation drift away from them as Hob finished his coffee in silence and Dream chose to ignore the rest of his.

“That's enough for pleasantries”, Hob said as he put the mugs into the sink. “What are you here for? It isn't time for our meeting and – as far as I know – there's currently no danger around... or is it?”

“The Dreaming is safe and so am I.”

“Good to hear. Then how do I deserve the pleasure of your visit?”

He sat back down and leaned his arms on the table. The coffee and this early morning shock had shunned away his fatigue for a moment, but he could still feel it lingering behind his back.

“I wanted to talk to you... about your dreams, Hob.”

Immediately Hob crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“What about them?”

The defensive tone in his voice seemed to make Dream... nervous.
It was a curious thing to watch.
Never in over 600 years had Hob seen his Dream ever get nervous. Angry, sure. Surprised even. But never nervous.
Guess this was another change to be added to the list, right under 'fucking finally drinks what he's been offered'.

“I am the King of Dreams and as such it is in my power to grant dreams or nightmares to whoever I decide”, Dream began explaining, obviously stalling for time. “And as such I can also give a dreamer what... his heart desires.”

“Ah.”

“For you, I thought-”

“I can stop you right there”, Hob interrupted him, the smile on his face a bit strained. “First: thank you for trying to fulfil my... desires or whatever, but please stop.”

Dream frowned a bit.

“You already said this to me in the Dreaming.”

“And I will do so until you stop and... leave me in peace. I don't want to sound ungrateful, but... it's not real, you see? You can't bring him back and seeing him every night, acting like you think I wanted him to, it's... it hurts. I don't want diminish your work, but in the end it's not real. He's... he's...”
Hob had to swallow a hot lump back down his throat, which dangerously tasted like coffee.
“He's dead. And nothing anyone could do can ever change that. So... please leave me alone. Let me grieve... for however long it may take. Don't try to sooth my pain by showing me a pale copy every night, because... it's not him. His story has ended. He's now somewhere, where I can't follow and... I'll have to learn to live with that. On my own.”

For a moment only silence filled the room, repeatedly interrupted by Hob's somewhat wet breathing.
The frown still remained on Dream's face as he let Hob's words sink in, hopefully grasping their meaning.

“I see...”, Dream said eventually. “It is like Fiddler's Green said: his death means nothing, if I bring him back. Even if it is just in your dream.”

Hob sighed.

“Yeah... that's certainly a way to put it.”

Dream nodded along, still deep in his own thoughts.

“When I brought back Abel and Merwin it was to undo the damage, which had been done. To sooth the ache in everybody's hearts. But I now see, that I'm making the same mistake again. If Fiddler's Green hadn't stopped me, I might have continued and brought Lord Morpheus back as well, denying him the meaning of his death. Instead I made you see him every night, never letting you truly rest. For that, I'm sorry, my friend.”

Something rattled in Hob's chest, but he paid it no mind. It was probably just his poor heart falling to pieces once again.

“Thank you...”, he said with a raspy voice.

And for a moment this was all, what was said.

For a moment...

“What do you mean 'you could've brought him back'?”

Chapter Text

“Did you just say... that you could bring him back?”

“I... That is not, what I-”

“That's what you said, right?”

The nervousness was back on Dream's face and twice as intense this time. The sudden change in Hob's demeanour made him lean back in his chair a bit and observe the other as if he was unsure what Hob would do next.

Well, what would he do?

Hob was pretty sure, that he hadn't misheard, nor misinterpreted the words of the Dream King and if this was true... oh boy, that changed a lot!

“I don't know for sure if I could bring him back, if I tried”, Dream began slowly, clasping his hands on the table. “But that is beside the point, Hob. Fiddler's Green had been right. I shouldn't even attempt to bring him back. He has died, yet he died for love. For his son. For his kingdom.”

Hob furrowed his brows as he leaned forward.

“Those words sound suspiciously not like your own. A bit too stiff, too morally high for someone, who's still trying to find out what moral even is”, he said, choosing ever word carefully.

He got, what he aimed for.
Dream looked deeply offended.

“How dare you-”

“You have his memory, don't you? I dare to say what's on my mind. Always did and I don't intend to stop.”

Curiously enough the words stopped Dream's anger before it even started.
Another sign, that half of his act was just for show. This was a new Dream, pretending to be the old one. And he clearly wasn't.

If this had been Hob's Dream, he would have been out of the door by now and nothing Hob could've said would have stopped him.
Hob knew that he was playing a dangerous game here, but as soon as he had heard the other say those words, he had known, that he would do everything in his power to change Dream's mind.

“Listen... you got this job for only a few months. And before that you were a literal baby. I don't blame you for still figuring out what to do and what to say to whom and when. That's fine by me, even if you sometimes make mistakes or repeat words others have said to you. It's okay. You're growing into it.”

Hob took a deep breath.
On the other side of the table Dream looked rather like a scolded child than like an almighty entity.
It was risky.
Way too risky.
If he said only one wrong thing the whole thing might tip over and break. He needed the young Dream to be on his side and maybe he would... he could...

“I've talked to Lucienne... back at the funeral. About how you brought back Abel, because his brother asked you to. They were so happy to be reunited, weren't they? And Merwin had also been so grateful. Right?”

Dream inclined his head a tiny bit, a fracture of a nod, a small sign of agreement.

“Yes, Fiddler's Green rather stayed dead and that's his decision, but... you haven't asked him, did you? Didn't as him, if he wanted to stay dead or come back.”

At these word Dream's eyes locked with his.

“I don't need to ask him. I am him”, he said calmly.

“Except that's not entirely true, is it?”, Hob challenged him. “You have his power. From what I've heard, you're even more powerful than he ever was. You have his memories. You're the King of the Dreaming. Dream of the Endless.”

Hob let himself fall back in his chair without breaking the eye contact.

“But you're not the one, who talked to me back than in that stinking old pub. You're not the one, who I've been meeting once every hundred years. You're not the one, who rather stormed off, than admit that we were friends. You're not the one, with whom... I talked about life and love... and loss. Are you?”

At this Dream's eyelids fluttered, before he looked away.

“I have all of his memories... and more. I know, what he thought at every second of his existence. What he felt. But it... is like a story somebody read to me. It is all mine, yet those are not my experiences”, Dream confessed.

“And that matters. Because this way you won't repeat his mistakes.”

“I make new ones.”

An unexpected chuckle escaped Hob's lips.

“That's also true... but as I've said: you're still learning.”

His laugh was answered and he could feel the mood shift to something calmer.
Dream started fiddling with the basil again. Maybe just, so he didn't have to look at Hob.

“What do you want, Hob Gadling?”, he asked suddenly, his voice steady yet serene.

There was only one answer to that question.

“I want him back.”

“Hob...”

“I know, that I've said, that I would learn to live without him, but that... was just a lie. Because I know, that I can't. I chose not to die, when your sister asked me back then, but to be honest, a part of me already died, when I learned, that he...”

Hob's voice broke and it took a second for him to clear his throat, rub his eyes and pull himself back together.

“It's... a selfish request, I know. But that's who I am. Greedy to a fault. I want him to live, to see him again... even if it's only once every hundred years. Please, I... I don't need to tell you, how I feel about him, do I? You already know. Otherwise...” Despite the tears in the corners of his eyes Hob managed to smirk. “... you wouldn't have send me that dream, who looked like him.”

Dream obviously tried his best not to look ashamed.

“But what about his story. He chose to die to pay for the sin of killing his son. He knew what it would bring. It is a fitting end for the Prince of Stories.”

“Is it? Really? Death is and always has been a mug's game. There is nothing noble about dying. Only in living, because that's when you can actually do things.”

As Dream crossed his arms in front of his chest, Hob knew, that things weren't looking good for him. Yet he refused to give up.

“So you want me to bring back a member of the Endless just to sooth your broken mortal heart?”

“Practically immortal”, Hob insisted. “And... yes... and no. Yes, I want you to bring him back. Please. At least try, but... not for me... not only for me. But for him. When we met for the last time, we talked. He obviously didn't really tell me what was going on. Never did. Always the mysterious bastard... but it was clear, that he'd been stuck in a mess, from which he couldn't escape. Not by himself and – as it proved in the end – not even with all the help of those close to him.”

Hob watched calmly as Dream turned a part of his attention back to the half-dead basil.

“I don't have his memories, but I'd bet all my remaining years on this planet, that he didn't want to die. You know it, so you can answer this yourself. He wouldn't have fought till the very last moment, when he just could've as well given up. He wanted to live, didn't he? Tell me. I'm right, aren't I? So screw this whole 'he died for his kingdom' and shit, because he didn't want to die. And... isn't that enough to give him another chance? If it is in your power to bring him back, shouldn't you at least try?... Please?”

He knew, that he was grasping for straws here, trying to manipulate a being far more powerful than him into fulfilling him his wish against all better judgement.
Who knew, what would happen, if Dream brought back his former self? Could the world even handle two personifications of Dreams at once? What if Hob was just full of himself and his Dream denied coming back like Fiddler's Green had?
Hob didn't know.
All he knew was, that he had to find out, if only for the slim chance of seeing him again.

“You're a dangerous man, Hob Gadling”, Dream said eventually. “Others of my siblings would have struck you down half an hour ago for our impertinence.”

“I think, he would have, too”, Hob said with a tired smile.

“I... can't say for sure, what was going on in his head and his heart, when he took our sister's hand in the end. All I know is, that his last days had been dark and troubled. So much chaos... so much pain... it seems cruel to reawake him from his eternal slumber...”

“Then put the blame on me!” Hob rose from his chair and leaned heavily on the table. “Let him blame me. Let your sister blame me, if she asks, who's responsible for all this. But please... please... try... please... at least try... to bring him back. I... I'd give everything just to see him one more time...”

Tears ran down his cheeks and Hob did nothing to stop them.
He was so tired.

“You were right”, Dream answered slowly. “It is a selfish and greedy thing to ask of me.”

Hob felt his knees wobble.

“But I will try to grant your wish.”

His head shot back up so quickly that the whole room spun around him.

“I will be honest with you, Hob. I, too, wish to bring him back, but I haven't dared, because of what it might cause. I thought about it almost every second of my existence and I still don't know if it can be done... but I want to try.”

Dream stood up as well and walked over to Hob, who was by now swaying from pure exhaustion.

“Meet me in my realm tonight. At the far corner of the desert, where all dreams and nightmares are born. And... bring something, which belonged to him. We might need it.”

“O-Okay...”

Dream put a hand on Hob's shoulder.

“Thank you, my friend.”

“For what?”

“For talking me into this.”

Hob laughed weakly.

“'s alright. I don't know, when to qui-”

The world tilted to the side and all lights out.
Surprisingly strong arms stopped him from bashing his head on the kitchen tiles and Hob simply thought to himself:
'Oh well. Guess I'll be back at the Dreaming earlier than expected.'

Chapter Text

Hob opened his eyes and found himself in the strangest desert he'd ever seen. Which was to say something, because in the course of the last hundreds of years Hob had travelled every country, over every ocean, through every cave and, well... through every desert.
But the dark grey plane of sand and some occasional rocks wasn't something to be found on earth.
A sure sign, that he'd reached his destination.

He turned in every direction, looking for the young king in white.
Obviously his robes turned out to be a perfect camouflage, because Hob didn't see him approach, until he was standing right next to him.
That, or he had just appeared on the spot like he always did.
Like he had done as well.

“Hey, you”, Hob greeted him. “Slight change of plans, I guess.”

“It is alright... Maybe it's even better, if we do this now and wait no longer.”

“Because you might get cold feet?”

Dream didn't take the bait.

“Because we might get interrupted otherwise... or stopped, before I can even begin”, Dream said in a serious tone. More serious than normal.

“Oh...”

Hob didn't want to think about, who or what could try to stop the Lord of Dreams in his own realm. Maybe his siblings. Maybe the furies. Maybe something much worse.
Yeah, he definitely didn't want to think about it.

“I... uhm... I'm sorry.” Hob rubbed the back of his head. “You told me to bring something of his and now we're here so suddenly... believe me, I didn't plan on going out like a light. I just...”

“Don't worry about it. I could feel your exhaustion even when we were talking in the Waking World. You didn't get enough rest lately and for this I'm sorry.”

Hob made a dismissive gesture.

“Don't bother. A couple of bad nights won't kill me.”

He grinned mischievously at Dream, yet he kept his thoughts to himself.

Even if Hob would have been granted a hundred sweet dreams and long nights of sleep, he knew that would still feel thin like glass and brittle like dust ready so be blown apart by the slightest thing.
He had felt like this for months.
Tired. Listless. Joy was a rare guest in his heart.

Jesse called it a depressive episode, caused by a traumatic event.
Hob called it the death of his Dream.

To some extend it was almost bizarre.
Hob had buried dozen wives, children and partners, yet it still never wrecked him like this. Not even those horrible 80 years, which had followed the death of his Eleanor and Robyn had smothered his heart and mind like this.
Maybe it was, because he never thought, that someone like the King of Dreams could simply... die. It was as if someone had told him, that the moon had fallen from the sky.
Just like this.
Impossible.

And yet here they were.
Him next to the new Dream.
Ready to resurrect the old one.

Hob cleared his throat as he noticed, that he had fallen silent.
Managed another weary smile.

“Okay, how are going to do this? Are you going to let me wake up, so I can grab something, or...?”

“There's no need for this. If it once belonged to Lord Morpheus then you can simply summon it to this realm by picturing it in your mind.”

“That should be easy. Give me a second.”

He closed his eyes and went through the few keepsakes he had from his Dream.
There was the bottle of the Château Lafite. Had emptied the remaining wine in one go the day Audrey had died.
Then the coat, top hat and gloves, Dream had left in 1889, when he had stormed off.
And that's about it.
He had also kept the crude drawing Lady Constantine had used to track them down, but he highly doubted, that it would be useful.

In the end he chose the coat.
The moment he imagined the heavy wool he already held it in his arms. It still smelled like rain. Somehow that never had faded.

“Is this good enough?”

Hob hesitantly offered the coat to Dream, who took it with a smile. Parting from the clothing felt strange, like losing his Dream once more.
Thankfully it didn't hurt so much.

“I remember this coat”, Dream said, still smiling softly.

“I remember that night”, Hob added.

The smile faded a bit and Hob kicked himself mentally for being an asshole. He knew, who the young man in front of him was, and he knew pretty well, that he hadn't been the one to break Hob's heart all these years ago.

“Sorry...”, he mumbled, eyes turned down.

“I understand. And... I know, that he very much regretted his actions of that time.”

Hob only nodded and watched as Dream gently spread out the coat on the soft grey ground.
Then he stepped back and took a deep breath.

“Before I begin, I must confess, that I don't intend to bring back Lord Morpheus as he had been.”

“What?”

Ice rushed down Hob's veins and his eyes grew big as he heard these words, but before he could say more, Dream held up his hand.

“I won't change anything about his being or his memories, but I have to keep his power as Ruler of the Dreaming and as an Endless. I don't know what would happen if there were suddenly two... Dreams and I highly doubt that it wouldn't cause severe problems. So I'm keeping his power to shape dreams and nightmares, his status as an Endless, his title as King of Dreams and Prince of Stories. He won't be able to walk the Dreaming unless he's asleep in your world.”

“What about... his immortality?”

Dream leaned his head to the side, thinking deeply.

“I will try to let him keep it, but I can't guarantee for it.”

“O...okay...”

“Then let us begin.”

It was nice, that Dream had said 'us' as if Hob wasn't standing next to him, feeling useless like candle next to the sun.

Sand started flowing as the Dream of the Endless raised his hand. A small whirlwind carried up the coat, wrapped it around the dust-coloured cloud.
Hob gasped silently as he saw the sand take a familiar shape. Long limbs, dark hair and fair skin. The figure was dressed in a simple black shirt and pants, well-used boots. His eyes were closed as his body hovered a couple of inches above the ground, then it descended softly and the old coachman's coat draped itself around his shoulders.

For a moment Hob didn't even dare to breath as he just stared in this face. A face he had thought to never see again in his life.

Next to him Dream sighed deeply and let his hand sink back down.

“It is done.”

Hob wanted to ask, what would happen now. If his Dream was already awake or if there was something else they needed to-

His Dream opened his eyes and glared at them.

“How dare you.”

The words were harsh, yet Hob felt tears crawl up his throat as he heard this familiar voice.
Maybe it had... lost a bit of its depth and unearthly sound, but it was still his voice.

His Dream took a step towards them, eyes dark – but without stars in them – and eyebrows drawn in anger. It took everything for Hob not to shy away in the face of such fury.

“I shouldn't be back”, Hob's Dream growled. “I have paid the price for what I have done. I gave my life to sooth the Kindly Ones and save my... this kingdom. Why have you brought me back? This is dangerous.”

“I know, what I'm doing”, Dream of the Endless countered, straightening up to compensate for the slight height difference between them.

“You clearly don't. Otherwise you wouldn't jeopardize the Dreaming and everyone within it so carelessly.”

“Watch your tone. You are no longer king of this realm... Morpheus.”

It was strange to see the young Dream being so serious. Hob could still detect a bit of nervousness in the way he clasped his hands behind his back, but for the moment he behaved as well as he could.
He was the Dream of the Endless... and Hob's Dream was not.

This was not lost to the other, who now took a moment to look at himself, hold up his hands to his face as if he was seeing them for the first time.

“...you're right...”, he eventually said so quietly Hob could barely hear him. “I'm not, who I was before...”

“You still are in every aspect that counts.”

“Am I though? I feel so... powerless... separated from the Dreaming like... when I was captured...”

Hob didn't need to ask, what his Dream meant. Never in a thousand years would he forget how his Dream told him about his imprisonment.
Did this really feel the same for him now?
By the gods... what had Hob done?

It was this moment his Dream finally seemed to notice him.

“Hob...” Oh, how he had missed to hear him say his name. “What is the meaning of this? Are you part of this folly?”

“It was Hob's wish to bring you back.”

Oh, now he was pushing the blame onto him! Wonderful.

“Hey... my friend”, Hob greeted him and really wished that his voice would sound a bit steadier. “It's right... I... I asked him...”

A confused look appeared on his Dreams face.

“But why? Surely you understand why I did, what I did. It was necessary”, he said, speaking slowly as if he was talking to a stubborn toddler.

“I know!”, Hob interrupted him, before he could lose his last bit of courage. “Of course I understand... but... that doesn't mean, that I can accept it.”

“Hob...”

“No. Let me speak. Please.” Hob took a shaky breath. “They explained it to me. Your siblings. Your sister told me the whole story and... you know how I think about death. It happens to the best of us, but yours...” His voice broke, but he still went on. “It wasn't fair.”

His Dream had the decency to look surprised.

“You just did the right thing. You granted your son his final wish. That alone make you better than half of humanity and to... to punish you for this... this act of kindness... of love... it's not fair. You sacrificed yourself to save your friends and the whole of the Dreaming. You even prepared an heir to take over when you're gone. You did all the things, which are good and right and noble, so... why shouldn't we bring you back? Nobody deserves a second chance more than you. Didn't you bring back that nightmare of yours, too? So why should this be any different? Hm?”

Hob hadn't noticed how his voice had gotten louder as he spoke, bordering on shouting as he threw these questions at his Dream.

This wasn't how he thought this would go.
Well, to be honest, he hadn't thought about it at all. Too afraid to imagine this plan failing.
But he really hadn't expected his Dream to be... angry.

At least his words seemed to have calmed the other down a bit for the moment as he stepped slowly closer, the anger on his face turned into... sadness? Pity?

“My friend...”

For a moment Hob hoped, that he would hug him or at least put a hand on his shoulder, but his Dream stopped right in front on him, within arm's reach, still not touching him.

“My story is over, Hob. It doesn't matter if it was fair.” He turned towards his successor. “Let me go. You are now Dream. There is no need for me to exist anymore.”

“No!”

Hob did something he'd only ever dreamed about. He took his Dream's hand to make him look at him again.

“Please. Please don't go.”

“Hob...”

“How can I change your mind?”

“You can't.”

“Just let me try...”

His Dream opened his mouth, probably to object once more, as another voice interrupted them.

“Hob Gadling. ...Morpheus. This dispute is pointless. Your argument is very convincing, Hob, but I am not the one, who needs to believe you. He is.”

“Don't I get the final say about my fate?”, the one now simply called Morpheus asked.

Dream seemed to consider this for a moment and Hob felt his heart beat so loudly in his chest, he was sure the others could hear it, too.

“No.”

The answer was short and left Morpheus gasping in surprise.

“You have no right-”

“I have all the rights I need”, Dream interrupted him, his whole demeanour suddenly so similar to Morpheus old self it made Hob shudder. “I recreated you. You're a being of the Dreaming and so you're my responsibility. It's for me to decide your fate. Do you understand, Morpheus?”

For a moment Hob was afraid that Morpheus might oppose him again, but then the other lowered his head, lips drawn into a silent frown.
Hob still stared at him in awe and a certain amount of fear. His old friend had never let himself be seen as the powerful being he was, but now he saw a glimpse of that power in the new Dream.
Just for a moment, then his usual uncertainty flickered through and Hob could breath again.

Dream pulled himself together a second later, with Morpheus not having seen this slip.

“Morpheus, you are more than a simple dream. More than a human. Yet I confess, that I created you weaker than before to safe the Dreaming and its inhabitants from possible harm. There are no two Dream of the Endless, but Dream and Morpheus. And as such we shall exist. ...but...”

The steadiness of his voice faltered for a moment and Morpheus looked up to him.
Dream was now back to his usual self, soft and kind with curious eyes and – in this moment – sympathy on his face.
For a second he cast Hob an apologetic glance, which he couldn't quite understand, as...

“I won't force you to live a life you don't want”, Dream continued, holding up his hand so no one would interrupt him. “At least not... for long. I give you seven days. Seven days in the Waking World to see life like you've never known it. Like we both never have known it. Hob will be your guide and guardian. In seven days we will meet again and you will tell me, if you still wish to cease existing. This is... what I offer you.”

For a moment Morpheus was silent, the look on his face still a dark one.

“And what if I decline your offer?”, he finally asked.

Hob feared for the worst, but Dream just smiled at the rude question.

“Then I shall order you to.”, he said. “Live, Morpheus. You deserve it.”

He turned to Hob, his smile a bit less steady, as he put a hand on Hob's shoulder.

“Take care, my friend. Of him and of yourself. We'll see each other in your dreams.”

Chapter Text

When he opened his eyes this time, Hob found himself back in his kitchen. On the floor, to be precisely.
It wasn't the most comfortable place, but at least his old bones didn't feel as if he'd fallen down. Dream must have laid him on the floor, when he'd blacked out. Nice of him. Hob really would have hated to wake up with a bump on his head or worse.

Said floor was still not that comfortable. The tiles were kind of cold and Hob was sure, that his old war scars would start acting badly if he didn't get back up soon.
He raised his head and and wanted to lean on his right hand for support, but... it was already occupied.

All the air escaped Hob's lungs as he noticed the body lying next to him, black hair peeking out under a huge black coachman's coat.

It hadn't been a dream.
Well, it had been, but now it was real.
His Dream... Morpheus was back.

As quietly as he could Hob leaned over to the over to get a glance at his face, still not letting go of his hand... which wasn't warm, but a bit cool.
Morpheus' eyes were still closed, yet his brows were drawn in a deep frown. Was he still in the Dreaming? Arguing with his successor?
For a moment Hob was tempted to wake him, but he held himself back. Dream would let him go, when he felt the time was right, Hob was sure about this.
Till then he could watch Morpheus sleep a bit.

It may have not been the nicest thing to stare at him, while he wasn't conscious, but Hob couldn't help himself. He had missed this face, despite having seen it on several dreams each night.
But they hadn't been him, had they?
They didn't carry this scowl, the corners of their mouths weren't turned down in constant disapproval, they didn't look as if they carried the weight of the world in each step.
No, they had been... happy.
Hob would've loved nothing more than to see his Dream happy for once. Truly and unburdenedly happy.
Maybe...

The other stirred and a low – very unhappy – moan escaped his lips just before he opened his eyes and blinked at the ceiling.
Should Hob... greet him? What should he say? Maybe something funny like 'Good morning, sunshine'? No, too cheesy. 'Welcome to the rest of your life'? Ugh, that was worse.
Before he could decide, Morpheus turned his head in his direction and glared at him.

“You.”

No greeting. Not even Hob's name. Just one word, three letters and more disgust than 1889.
What a lovely start.

“Hey”, was the only thing he could answer in return as Morpheus pulled his hand away and staggered to his feet.

Hob did the same, brushed off the dust from his clothes and tried desperately to smile at the other.
Morpheus didn't waste a second to spin around to Hob in fury.

“You've captured me!”, he accused him.

“I did not! I... we brought you back! From being dead, Morpheus!”

The name felt a bit strange on his tongue, but that wasn't the biggest of his problems right now.

“You had no right!”

“Well... yeah... I didn't. But-”

“And now I am what? Your prisoner?”

Hob's mouth fell open and he needed a moment to recover from this insult.

“You're... I'm not... Are you kidding me?” He felt anger rise in himself as well. “I've used everything I have to persuade that guy to bring you back and you have the gall to accuse me of keeping you prisoner? Are you out of your mind?”

“Am I not bound to you? Were you not called to be my 'guardian'?”

“To protect you, you bloody oaf!”

“I don't need protection.”

“Yeah, sure. You can look after yourself just fine. Worked out brilliantly the last time, didn't it?”

Now it was up to Morpheus to fall silent. He stared daggers at Hob instead, but at least he didn't yell anymore.
Hob sighed deeply and rubbed his face. He was so tired...

“Listen...”, he tried again in a mostly calm voice. “Yes, I didn't have 'the right' to bring you back. I... just missed you. I missed you every day for three months now. Every minute. Every bloody second. So, when this new Dream let it slip, but he might be able to bring you back, I... just couldn't help myself. I had to try. A part of me isn't that proud of manipulating him, you know? He's still young in a way. Bit green behind his ears. But... I had to.”

He looked back up at Morpheus, who had seemed to have lost at least some of his anger.

“It all went so quickly. One moment I was sitting at this table trying to lie to him and myself, that I could deal with you being... being gone. And the next moment we were already in the Dreaming and he was doing this... summoning, or whatever it was.” He shook his head in disbelieve. “You can't tell me that the boy hadn't it all already planned out. He was as eager to get you back as I was. Well... maybe not quite as much, but you get it.”

Morpheus didn't say anything and Hob wasn't quite sure, if he should feel relieved or insulted. He had poured his heart out and and this guy was just standing there in silence.
Hob sighed again.

“Okay. Right. You're not yelling at me anymore, so I take this as a good sign. Now, what do you want to-”

A loud growl interrupted him. The noise came from... Morpheus' stomach.
The former Dream King looked appalled as he pressed a hand over his belly in the fruitless attempt to smother the growl.
Hob just stared at him, eyes wide open.

“Oh... well...”, he eventually said with an amused smile. “Guess we'll have to delay you yelling at me till after breakfast.”

“I don't need food.”

Hob raised an eyebrow, as he was already turning towards the fridge.

“Didn't sound like it”, he said, opening the fridge door. “You know, Dream had said, that you're more than a dream and more than a human. We'll have to figure out what the hell that's supposed to mean, but I think breakfast is a good start for it. Hm... how about a good traditional English breakfast as your first meal in this world?”

A glance over his shoulder told him, that Morpheus was still standing next to the table, pouting.
Hob smiled to himself.
What a bizarre morning.

At least at some point Morpheus sat down, while Hob fried some eggs, bacon and sausages.
He hadn't made something like that in ages. Most of his friends these days thought it to be too touristy and way too much for a normal person to eat, but Hob still liked it. It wasn't such an old dish – at least not from his perspective – but Hob would have loved to eat this every morning, when he was still a poor bloke back a few hundreds of years.

The small kitchen quickly filled with the heavy smell of food and Hob couldn't help but smirk as he caught Morpheus glancing curiously at the pans and pots.
Thankfully it didn't take long and he could serve Morpheus a plate with a small mountain of what Hob liked best in an English breakfast: beans, toast, bacon, fried eggs and sausages. He didn't even forget the small cut in half tomato at the side.
If Morpheus managed to eat it all, Hob would be more than surprised.

“Enjoy your meal”, he said with a smile as he sat down opposite of Morpheus and served them both a glass of orange juice.

Hob still felt tired, but brewing coffee after this intense cooking in the morning seemed too much effort right now. Maybe he would grab one to go later.
As for Morpheus... Dream hadn't liked coffee and Hob didn't feel like testing his luck and having Morpheus try it so soon. So orange juice it was.

For a moment Hob had been concerned, that Morpheus might not know how to eat, but either enough dreamers had dreamed about food in his realm or there was a time when even this stick of a man actually ate.
Right now he was sniffing at a spoonful of beans before actually and finally showing it in his mouth.
Hob could've sighed with relieve, but he was busy digging in as well.

For all that mattered, he really liked a heavy breakfast. It was just, that he rarely found the time for it. But today he would take this time. This was Morpheus' first day in this realm and Hob was set on making it the best day ever.
...whatever that might even mean.

It didn't take long enough till Morpheus wasn't quietly eating, but quietly pushing the food around on the plate. He hadn't eaten as much as Hob would've liked, but at least more than he'd anticipated.
As for himself... Hob had barely eaten something those last few weeks. He either had worked or slept and hoped not to dream. In between he had simply... existed.

Jesse had been concerned with him losing too much weight, but Hob had brushed it off again and again. Now here he was with his stomach shrunken through the lack of food and barely got one more bite down, before he felt sick.

“Yeah... that was a bit too much”, he tried to cover it with humour. “Breakfast's delicious, but a bit mighty. You're full as well? We could pack up the rest and eat it on the way. I'll be honest, I have nothing planned for today, but perhaps you have anywhere you want to go? Maybe the classics? Buckingham Palace? The Tower?”

“I already know these places. There is nothing in this city, nor this world I haven't seen. This is pointless.”

The first words Morpheus said to him in over half an hour and it already put him down again. Hob tried desperately to keep the smile on his face.

“Alright, then what is it you want to do? What would you normally do in your free time?”

Morpheus frowned at him.

“I don't have time to spare. My duties used to keep me busy all the time.”

“You had time for a drink with me every hundred years”, Hob kindly reminded him.

“That was part of a wager.”

Ouch.
Now Hob was sure, that Morpheus intently tried to hurt him. It was no surprise. If he really saw this as his prison and Hob as his warden, then there was no need for him to play nice.
It still stung.

The smile on Hob's lips wavered, so he stood up instead to put away the dishes.

“Last time we talked, you implied, that it only started as a wager, but at some point we became friends... no matter how long it took you to realize”, Hob said with a bit forced cheerfulness.

“Last time we spoke I had been under the impression, that this was true.”

Hob swallowed thickly as Morpheus stared at him, his face unreadable.

“And now?”, he asked despite better judgement.

Morpheus turned his head towards the window, releasing Hob from the hold of his stare.

“Now... I'm not so sure anymore.”

It was a whisper, not a yell, still Hob felt himself flinch back at those words.
How was he supposed to deal with this? How was he supposed to survive seven days of constant malicious coldness, if that was how Morpheus decided to behave?

He excused himself with a mumble and a stutter and fled to the bathroom. Inside he leaned heavily on the paint-chipping wood, hands pressed over his face.

This was a mistake.
He hadn't thought this through.

Hob had believed... had hoped that he could show Morpheus how wonderful life could be and how much there was to live for, but right now... hiding in his own bathroom, shivering and trying to suppress the sobs, which fought to be released...
How could he show his friend the good sides of life, when his own hadn't felt worth living for months?

Chapter Text

It took Hob half an hour to calm himself enough, that he was ready to face Morpheus once more.
Or at least he hoped so.

Hell, those words had cut deep, but that wasn't even the worst part.
The most horrible thing was, that Hob... agreed with him.
This had been an insane plan from the beginning and a selfish one on top of it. He had ran head over heels at the only chance to get Morpheus back, consequences be damned. Not once that night he had stopped to think about what he'd do, when he actually got him back. Or what he would do, if Morpheus opposed him.
He hadn't thought. Fullstop.

Now he had an angry former god sitting in his kitchen, who didn't want the things Hob could offer him... or even Hob himself.

'Be careful what you wish for. It might come true.'
This old saying should have been his warning, but Hob had ignored it deliberately.

Quietly he opened the bathroom door and sneaked back down the hallway towards the kitchen, just to find it... empty.
For a second he felt adrenaline rush through his veins.
Was Morpheus gone? Had he left the house or was he gone for real? Again?
But then he heard the rustling of cloth from the living room and followed the noise without a second thought.

Morpheus stood in front of the fireplace, his hand raised towards the big mirror, which hung above it. The fire wasn't on, but Hob couldn't help but wonder if it wasn't too warm for Morpheus, who still wore his old coat.

He didn't know how to approach the other. Should he simply talk to him or come closer?

At this very moment it was Morpheus, who spoke first.

“Since when is my sister here?”

“What?”

A bit panicked Hob looked around the room, expecting to see Death, but the living room was empty as ever.

“What are you talking about?”, he asked again as he turned back to Morpheus, who caressed the sleek surface of the mirror.

“Despair”, Morpheus said almost gently. “I can feel her looking through this mirror. Watching you. I can't see, nor talk to her, but I know, that she's been here for some time.”

Hob opened and closed his mouth several times, completely lost for words.
Oh, he had very much an inkling since when the Endless had been here. No, that wasn't the whole truth. It was more likely, that she had been in his house several times over the last centuries, but he was pretty sure, that he could roughly pinpoint the beginning of her newest visit.

The hand still on the mirror Morpheus now turned his face towards Hob. His eyes may not have been filled with stars anymore, but they still bore into Hob as if he was made of glass with all his secrets clearly for Morpheus to see.
Hob took half a step back in a feeble attempt to hide. With horror he saw his own face in the mirror and realized, that he didn't smile.

Since Morpheus had been brought back Hob had given his best to try and stay cheerful. He had wanted to show the other the good sides of life to make him stay, but hardly a couple of hours and he had already run out of energy.

“Hob...”

He had ever been weak to the way Morpheus called his name, but right now he felt like his knees would give up any moment.
Oh, he was so tired...

“Sorry...”, he simply said, cringing a bit as he heard the roughness of his voice. “I may not be the best guy in town right now to show you how beautiful life is. I... won't say, I regret bringing you back, even if it was all rushed and selfish and... I don't regret it. Never will. It's just... you have every right to hate me for doing this to you, but... I can't bear it. Sorry. It's... sorry...”

Hob turned on the spot and left the room. Hesitating for a moment in the hallway, he instinctively decided to head down the stairs and out of the house.
This was too much. Again.

Of course he had told Morpheus, that he had missed him and the the time without him had been hard, but he hadn't expected the embodiment of despair itself to pry on him, just because he was having a rough few weeks... or months... which were maybe rougher than before.

He left the house and walked straight down the street.
The cold and damp air of early November bit in his skin. Only now Hob's mind cleared enough to make him realize, that he had left his house without jacket and without shoes. Thankfully this was still London, so a man shoeless man wasn't anything people batted an eye about.
So he kept walking.
Until...

“Hob. Hob!”

For a split second Hob was tempted to walk even faster, but he was freezing and his feet felt as if they were made of ice. So instead he stopped and breathed deeply.

“What do you want, Morpheus? That I apologize to you? Won't do that. If this feels like a prison to you, you can fuck off for the week and try to find the meaning of life yourself. Guess I'll meet you back in the Dreaming or something...”

“Hob...”

“What?”

He almost flinched as he felt a heavy coat, which strangely smelt like rain, land on his shoulders.
As he lifted his head he saw Morpheus standing next to him, his ever serious look on his face.

“I may have been too harsh to you”, Morpheus said, making Hob snort in amusement.

“You think?”

This left the other weirdly... insecure? It looked close to the inexperienced nervousness the new Dream sometimes wore, but not quite.

“I'm not good at apologizing...”, he continued and Hob suppressed the urge to interrupt him again. “But I think some sincere words might be needed right now. Let's go back. You may not die from the cold, but you still can get sick... and maybe so can I now.”

The look on his face told Hob, that Morpheus was really not eager to test how human he was now.
They both went rather quickly back to the house and soon enough they found themselves on Hob's old couch, wrapped in all the blankets they had found.

“It wasn't right for me to let out my anger on you”, Morpheus said eventually. “You have acted with good intentions and very... human.”

Hob chuckled at the way the other said the word as if it was an alien slug or something.

“I accept your reasoning and that you didn't want to cause me or the Dreaming any harm, but... I still can't condone what Dream and you have done. It was dangerous. The Kindly Ones might choose to seek vengeance against me or the Dreaming once more. I may not be, what I was before, but I'm uncertain if this will stop them.”

Wrapped cosily in his blankets Hob felt his body grow heavy, but he fought the feeling as well as he could.

“We'll handle that problem, if it comes to it”, Hob said calmly. “There are too many 'what ifs' and 'maybes' in your worries. This time you have me around. I won't let them hurt you again.”

“But what if I'm right? Or what if my siblings decide to pay you a visit? Despair already has her eyes on you. A mortal shouldn't draw the attention of the Endless.”

“Well, first: it's way too late for that, because I already know your family. And second: it's still 'almost immortal', okay?”

“Hob...”

“I mean it. I'm not afraid. Not of your siblings and not of some weird fate ladies. I might not have been prepared for all this, but I won't back down, when things get rough. If... if you want me there, I'll be by your side.”

Maybe he was really getting sleepy, but Hob could have sworn, that he's seen a small smile on Morpheus' lips.

“Thank you... my friend.”

“Oh, so now I'm your friend again?”, Hob dared to tease him.

“I misspoke out of anger. For that, I apologize.”

Hob closed his eyes for a moment, cherishing those words.

“Maybe I really can convince you, that life isn't that bad, if I already got you to apologize on day 1.”

“Didn't you say, that you weren't the best guide for this mission?”

“Hey. Don't use a man's rough state against him. I may be not my usual cheery self, but I still haven't given up, have I? And I still think life's worth living. I can show you.”

A big yawn ripped itself from his throat and Hob nestled a bit deeper into his mountain of blankets.

“Just give me a moment”, he continued, his voice slurring a bit. “It's been a long night and an even longer morning...”

“Sleep, Hob Gadling. I promise, I'll be here, when you wake.”

“That's nice, but I wanted to show you...”

The sentence was left unfinished as Hob slipped away into well-needed and thankfully dreamless sleep.

Chapter Text

For a moment Morpheus sat in silence next to Hob's sleeping form.
It was strange to see a human actually sleep. Normally Morpheus met them either, when they were awake or when they were in his realm. But to see Hob lying almost peacefully on the couch, his head resting against soft cushions, it was... new.

In his sleep Hob almost looked at ease.
Almost.
It had been quite a surprise for Morpheus to find out, that his younger sister was watching him, but the way Hob had reacted to these news told Morpheus, that his friend at least was aware of his mental and emotional state. He had even briefly suggested, that Morpheus may find someone else to show him the 'meaning of life' as he put it.

In the solitude of his own mind Morpheus could confess to himself, that he didn't want anyone else to guide him through this week, no matter how useless this whole task felt to him. He would go back to being nothing, that was for sure. Even... even if he'd hurt his friend by doing so.

Humans weren't that familiar to Morpheus despite having watched over their dreams for millennia. People acted different in the Dreaming, weirder sometimes and Hob... he hadn't watched Hob's dreams in a long time. It had felt wrong, like a breach of privacy... yet maybe it would have helped him to detect the sorrow in Hob's heart before it had come to this...

Morpheus freed himself out of his own blanket fortress, careful not to disturb Hob, and went to the bathroom.
Human bodies were quite annoying in their maintenance, but right now this wasn't the problem.
The bathroom held another mirror.

Leaning on the sink, Morpheus put a hand on the glass.

“Sister of mine. I'm not standing in my gallery, nor am I holding your sigil, but I still believe you can hear me. I call for you, sister. Please tell me why you've turned your attention to Hob Gadling.”

For a moment nothing happened and a deep sigh escaped Morpheus' lungs as he feared his call to be unheard, but then the glass beneath his fingertips turned dark and revealed Despair on the other side.

“Older brother”, she greeted him. “I must confess, it surprises me to see you.”

“This is only temporary. In a few days I will be gone again and everything will be as it should.”

“The others would be delighted to see you once more.”

Morpheus frowned. He highly doubted, that Desire would ever be thankful to see him, but he kept this thought to himself.

“As I've said. It is only temporary. There is no need to disturb them.”

“Yet you called for me...”

“Yes.” He sighed quietly. “I've felt your presence in this house. Tell me, sister, why are you watching Hob Gadling?”

To ask again annoyed Morpheus a bit, but he was also aware about the highly complicated etiquette between the Endless. Of course, not everyone bothered to use it, but from time to time it helped dealing with his siblings.

“I watch him for the same reason I've watched you, brother. He fell into my realm. Darkness has clouded his heart and mind so deeply, that he doesn't know anymore how to help himself.”

“But... why. What has happened to him?”

“You.”

The simple answer took him aback. Before he could embarrass himself by asking stupid questions Despair continued.

“It was the loss of you. Ever since the funeral his heart has been in my realm. Not even his therapist and his little pills were enough this time to help him leave.”

Morpheus felt his inside freeze.
This was bad. Way worse than he had anticipated.
Of course he had noticed, that there was something wrong about the way Hob had smiled all the time. The man was of good-hearted nature, but something had felt off.
Now he knew...

“People die”, Morpheus said, half-quoting what his friend had said to him at the graveyard.

'...Well. Most people', Hob had added and at the time he surely had meant Morpheus and himself, only to learn a couple of days later, that even an Endless could perish.

“You're not simply 'people' to him. You know that, right? Desire said-”

“I don't care, what they said. They should keep out of this and they know it”, Morpheus interrupted her harshly. “As should you, sister of mine.”

The soft and empathetic look on Despair's face vanished, replaced by something colder.

“It is not for you to decide, who who I'll take to my realm and who not. Hob Gadling needed a place to grieve and I gave it to him. As I gave you access to my realm, when you despaired. Over your imprisonment. Over the loss of your son.”

“He's been with you for too long.”

“He can leave if he wants to.”

Could he?
From what Despair had described, it seemed that Hob had been with Morpheus' sister for months. It didn't fare well for mortals – or almost immortals – to stay too long with her. And if she wasn't willing to let go off him, then it was up to Morpheus to pull his friend from her grasp.

“I can see your thoughts on your face”, Despair disrupted him. “You think, you can save him, but I can already feel you falling into my realm again. There's still darkness in your heart, Morpheus. Grief, hopelessness, despair. These are parts of my power and you have them within you, brother of mine. So before you try to save this one, you would do well to pull yourself out first... or I shall have you both.”

“Sister...”

A little smile appeared on Despair's face, as she could see herself having the upper hand in their discussion.

“It is an advice, brother, not a threat. Look after yourself, even if you may only be here for a short time as you've said. I... will not tell the others about you. I think they will find you on their own anyway.”

With that the mirror's image turned again and as Despair left Morpheus was left to stare at his own pale face.

Had she been right... about himself? Was darkness pulling him again towards her?
The answer was simple, yet he had denied it to himself.
He had more than one reason for not wanting a second chance. Of course he cared for the Dreaming and all its inhabitants. It would be disastrous, if the Kindly Ones attacked them again and Morpheus would always do, what was in his power to avert this.

But... his sense of duty wasn't everything.
It simply didn't feel right, because...
Morpheus gasped for air and shook his head.
No.
He would only be here for a few days more. No need to rip open these wounds again. No matter what Despair had told him, this wasn't necessary. He would care for Hob though.

The man was set on showing Morpheus how good life could be and maybe... maybe he could humour him in his quest. Hob would show him the beauty of this world and hopefully he could find it for himself again this way. While he was doing this, Morpheus could gently prepare his departure. This way it wouldn't be so hard for Hob this time.
He didn't know how he could do this, but... he'd surely think of something.

For now he was standing in the bathroom of Hob's flat above his pub and didn't quite know what to do with himself while Hob slept.
Of course he wouldn't wake the man. He had seen how tired his friend had been, so he more than deserved to rest.

The noises from below grew a bit louder. The staff was preparing the pub for opening.
From what Hob had told him in the past, it was his job to make sure everything worked well behind the scenes, while his employees managed serving the customers.
With Hob now deep asleep...
Morpheus decided to head down and at least tell them, that they would have to deal with Hob's absence this morning. It should be fine.

Nothing was fine.
After a healthy dose of confusion and questions about who he was and what he was doing here, Hob's employees had decided to drag Morpheus into their mess.
Of course he couldn't replace Hob, but they didn't really care about that.

Gerald, the old barman had taken Morpheus under his wing and made him do simple tasks like polishing glasses or serving lemonade.
It was disgraceful to Morpheus to be degraded to a stand-in for Hob, but with his ever stoic frown on his face he did as he was told.
To help Hob. May this be the first step.

“And if someone asks, you're my nephew, helping out his dear uncle today. Can't have somebody talking about you working illegally here, can we?”

Morpheus just nodded and filled another glass with cider and handed it to a guest.
Whatever Gerald mumbled about some documents and other things, he couldn't care less. All he knew, was, that if he helped those people, they would let Hob sleep.
Sounded like a fair deal.

After lunch the pub closed and there was still no sign of Hob Gadling.

“My, my... boss is sleeping the sleep of the righteous, ain't he?”, the cook – Samuel was his name – said as he was dragging a delivery of fish to his kitchen. “I'll start calling him Sleeping Beauty if he's not here when the evening shift starts.”

“Let him be, Sam”, Priya – one of the servers – called back as he wiped the tables. “He deserves some rest and you know it. Life's been tough on him lately.”

Gerald glanced at Morpheus, who helped him stock the bar.

“You... know about Robert, don't you?”

It was strange hearing someone use Hob's given name, but Morpheus managed to nod.

“He lost his girlfriend some months ago.”

“Ay. And a friend of his shortly after. Didn't take it well, but who would? Two losses so quick after each other. That brings a man down to his knees. You're his friend, ain't ya?”

“I am”, Morpheus said without hesitation.

“Good. Then be a good lad and take a bit care of him, will ya?”

“I will try...”

“Good enough.”

Priya came over to them and handed Gerald her rag to he rinsed.

“Robert is a sweetheart. I hate seeing him like this, but... he's also the boss, not a friend. He always draws that line very clearly. So he doesn't allow any of us to help him, no matter how bad it is. You on the other hand...” She leaned on the bar and smiled at him sweetly. “You can fill in here for him and be there for him, when he wakes up, right?”

Morpheus mimic didn't change one bit.

“I already promised this to Gerald.”

“Good. Good. Just making sure.”

“Alright, guys. Food's ready”, Samuel yelled from the kitchen. “Today's finest is steak 'n kidney pie. Grab some, while it's still hot.”

Priya sighed dramatically.

“Would it actually kill you to cook some veggies for once?”

Samuel starred back at her.

“It's got onion in it.”

Next to Morpheus Gerald chuckled.

“Our Sam takes traditional cooking very seriously, ya know? But man, the guy can cook. Come on. You worked. You eat.”

Morpheus wanted to protest, but his feeble human-like body made itself known again with a growl.
With an internal sigh he swallowed the words and followed Gerald to a big table in the corner, where the staff had made some space for themselves.

These people were surprisingly nice, even though they were very talkative. In those few hours of helping out Morpheus had learned more about Hob's recent life than in several of their meetings combined.

It was understandable, that his friend always wanted to boast about the great and big things in his life, but now that Morpheus learned about the smaller aspects of Hob Gadling, it made him realize who his friend was in between their meetings.
It certainly didn't make him regret calling him his friend.

Chapter Text

Yawning and stretching Hob was very tempted to bury himself in the blankets once more. Sleep had been simply divine. No weird dreams or nightmares – at least not the kind, who made him desperately want to wake up – and oh, boy... he had needed that.
Groggily he opened his eyes to a surprisingly dark room.
A very empty dark room.

In a blink of an eye Hob was awake and stumbling off the couch.
How long had he slept?
A quick glance at his phone answered the question. It was now late in the evening. He had slept through the whole day! And worst of it, Morpheus was gone!

“Morpheus? Oy!”, he yelled through his flat, but there was no answer, there was no light. “Shit...”

Quickly he grabbed his jacket, shoes and keys and headed down the stairs.

Were would a former immortal king go? Maybe some occult place? A temple or something? Maybe he was looking for his siblings or Johanna. Maybe he...
His mind turned to dark places he rather didn't want to visit, so instead he shook his head and moved faster, pulling open the door, which lead to the pub.

He had wanted to leave quickly, before any of his employees noticed him, but as soon as he sat foot in the room one of the evening shift servers spotted him and blocked his way.

“Hey, boss. Good to see you. Heard you were a bit under the weather. Nice to see you up and running again.”

“Yeah, I'm fine. Thanks, Tommy. I'll come back later to check on my work later, but-”

“It isn't that much. Some paperwork for the delivery, but we stole away that friend of yours to help us out. To be honest, he's pretty rubbish, but I think Gerald has taken a liking on him.”

That made Hob stop dead in his tracks.

“...what friend?”

Tommy grinned at him.

“The lanky guy in black. Uhm... Mo?”

Hob was both relieved and horrified to hear, that his staff had made Morpheus, former King of the Dreaming work at his shabby pub all day. For sure his friend was pissed as hell, but at least Hob now knew were he was.

A bit absent-mindedly he clapped Tommy on the shoulder and moved towards the bar without another work.

And there he was.
Caged behind the counter, next to Gerald stood no one else than Morpheus and gave out drinks. A tea towel lay on his shoulder, the old grey still a stark contrast to his black clothes, but that wasn't the strangest thing about him.
Morpheus smiled.

It wasn't much and invisible to most, but Hob felt his heart flutter in his chest as he saw this rare display of – if not happiness – contentment.
Hob slowed down his approach and quietly leaned on the corner of the bar, watching them work for a moment.

Morpheus was silent as ever, only speaking, when spoken to and only the most necessary words, still Gerald laughed every now and then. It was way to loud in the pub at this hour. The room was full of people, music was blaring from the speakers, the telly in the corner was set to a football game. This all made it impossible for Hob to hear, what they said to each other, but it also gave him some precious moments to sit there, completely unnoticed.

Of course it didn't last for long and it was Morpheus, who spotted him first, squeezing himself past Gerald to Hob's side of the bar.

“You're awake”, he said as a matter of fact.

“I am”, Hob answered with a nod. “You know... you could've woken me up, right? I missed the whole day...”

His heart grew heavy as he realized, that he had lost almost an entire day with Morpheus.
Only six days left...

On the other side of the counter Morpheus shook his head.

“You needed sleep. And I... helped out a bit.”

Hob couldn't help but smile, as he heard the embarrassed pride in his friend's voice. Morpheus may have been a rubbish help – according to Tommy – but he had done it for him...

Opening his mouth to say, who knew what, Hob was immediately interrupted by Gerald, who had now noticed him as well.

“Evening, Robert. Had a good sleep?”

Hob's smile turned a bit apologetic as he nodded.

“I'm sorry, I left you hanging...”

“No need to worry. Mo here had been a fine replacement. Didn't drop one glass the whole day.”

A quick glance at his friend told Hob, that Morpheus really wasn't a fan of people shortening his name, but to his utter surprise, he kept quiet.

“Uhm... yeah. Thanks for that, but I can step in now. Later I'll-”

Gerald stopped him with a raised hand.

“It's fine, boss. I can handle the bar just fine. I've managed for years, before brought in the runts”, he said pointing to the servers. “Just check the bills and we'll be fine.”

“I will. Thank you...”

“Oh, and Mo here told me, that he'll be in town for just a week, so the others and I thought, that it would be nice to give you some time off. What'cha think? Your last holiday must've been ages ago.”

“But... I can't just...”, Hob tried to protest, but Gerald only shook his head.

“No need to worry. We've already called Jenn in for the weekend. Next delivery will be on Monday, so till then we'll be fine. Go and enjoy life a bit, Robert. Take your friend to a concert or whatever you young people do these days.”

This made Hob laugh. Not only because even with Gerald being close to 60 he was still way older, but also the slightly raised eyebrow on Morpheus' face as he found himself being called 'young'.

“Alright...”, Hob gave up with a sigh. “Thanks, Gerald. Tell the others I really appreciate you all stepping up for me.”

Gerald waved his words off with a kind smile and grabbed the tea towel from Morpheus' shoulder.

“Off ya go. Enjoy the night. It's not raining today.”

Morpheus nodded at him with his almost-smile.

“Good night, Gerald”, he said, earning a slap on the shoulder as the bar man finally shooed them out of the pub.

Because they hadn't really planned something and because even though it didn't rain, it was horribly cold outside, they ended up in Hob's flat again, on the couch, with the oldest bottle of wine Hob could find at this hour.

“It's almost like back then”, Hob said, nipping on his wine. “When we had our meetings once a century. But this time... I finally got you to drink with me instead of just staring at your glass.”

Next to him Morpheus took a very measured sip.

“Things have changed since then”, he simply replied.

“They have...”

Hob felt a strange kind of melancholy bloom in his heart.
This was almost like it always had been and now that things really had changed, he wished for nothing more than to sit here with Morpheus and drink till their heads grew heavy.
For a long time he had wanted more, even though he had always known, that his wish was stupid and so far out of reach, that a thousand lifetimes wouldn't make it come true. Now he didn't ask for much... or maybe he still did. If Hob could have one wish fulfilled for the rest of his existence, then he would wish for Morpheus to accept this second chance, which had been given to him.
Even if he'd go away and never meet Hob again, it would still be enough to know that Morpheus was somewhere in the world... and hopefully happy.

His heart was so full of these words and emotions, that it felt like bursting, yet he didn't say anything out loud.
The new Dream had very well known, what Hob Gadling was feeling for the former Dream King, but his Morpheus... he had either chosen to ignore Hob's feelings or still wasn't aware of them. Either way, Hob had decided not to test his luck any further.
This week he would show Morpheus the good sides of life. As a friend. Nothing more.

“We'll need to get you some clothes tomorrow”, he said eventually. “I can borrow you some, but they might be a bit too wide for you... and not your style”, he added with a grin.

Morpheus frowned once again.

“What is wrong with the clothes I'm wearing?”

“People are still sweaty in this modern age, my friend and you're human enough to stink, too. No wonder, after you've worked all day. You can hit the shower, if you want to and I'll give you a shirt for the night and... oh, yeah. I don't really have a guest bed... fuck.”

“I can sleep on the couch”, Morpheus suggested.

They both silently took in the cozy two-seater. There was no way Morpheus would fit on that.

“Uhm... maybe we can get you a hotel room... no. You'd need papers for that and... bloody hell, you'll need papers. An ID, a health card would be good, a bloody oyster card...”

Again Morpheus looked at him with confusion on his face.

“Why would I require all these things...?”

'Just for one week'
That part was left unsaid, but Hob heard it anyway.

“This is London of the 21 ^st century. We can't get you anywhere without them. Couldn't even take you to a museum without it.”

He shuffled to his feet – a bit unsteady – and walked over to a small desk, where his laptop was placed. He put down his glass next to it and powered up the device. Normally he only used it for accounting, but somewhere deep in some hidden folders there were still contacts, which Hob had used... some couple of years ago.

“Take a shower, if you want to”, he said over his shoulder. “This might take a while.”

Morpheus rose to his feet, but instead of heading for the bathroom, he walked up next to Hob.

“What are you doing?”, he asked curiously.

Hob grinned.

“I'm getting you papers. How do you think I exist in these times? Every 30 or 40 years – if I'm lucky – I have to change my name, but going north and coming back as my own son doesn't work anymore. Not, if I want to stay in London. But thankfully there are some talented people, who'll do some excellent work, if the price is right. Might even have it all by tomorrow, if I throw a little overnight surcharge their way.”

“You... don't need to spend so much money on me...”, Morpheus said, sounding more than a bit embarrassed, but Hob only smiled at him.

“Don't worry. I'm way better in dealing with money than I was back then. I may not be rich like a king, but there are nice little accounts on different names all over the world. Just in case, you know. This is nothing compared to building up a new life from the scratch. Here, hold still for a moment, will you?”

He pulled his phone out of his pocket and took a photo of a very bewildered Morpheus. Checking it, he found himself smiling.
The lighting wasn't the best and to be honest it looked hardly any better than those booth photos.. it looked horrible enough to be an official id photo. Still this was a photo of Morpheus. The first image he had of his friend since the caricature Lady Constantine had thrown at their faces.

“Brilliant”, Hob said still smiling and turned back to his laptop.

He typed and clicked, throwing his full concentration at the screen in front of him, till he found, what he was looking for.

“Take a bath, love. I'll do this quickly and then we can have the rest of the wine, alright?”

There was no answer, but the shuffling of feet, which told him, that Morpheus had finally given up.
For some more minutes Hob brooded over the details of Morpheus documents, carefully picking the needed data and send it all on its way, attached to a nice sum of money.

Now it that was left to do, was to pick out some fresh clothes for Morpheus, who...
The colour suddenly drained from Hob's face, just to be immediately replaced by a burning red.

He had called Morpheus 'love'.
It had been instinctively, just a little phrase, nothing more... or at least Hob hoped, that he could convince Morpheus to believe that.
He put his face in his hands and felt the warmth of the skin.
With all these feelings in his heart constantly trying to break free... this would be one hell of a week.

Chapter Text

When Morpheus emerged from the shower Hob's little mistake seemed thankfully forgotten, even though Hob felt the warmth of his face for the rest of the evening. That may or may not have been due to a certain guy, who had put his way too long legs up on armchair next to him and who's still wet hair let a drop slide down his neck from time to time, only for the droplet to disappear beneath the worn-out neckline of the faded, formerly black shirt, which Hob had borrowed him.
Despite the shirt Morpheus only wore a pair of also black briefs.

Hob was sure, that he wouldn't survive that night.

Morpheus was close to him.
Very close.
There shoulders were almost touching and Hob knew, that he only needed to lean to the side a bit for... putting his empty glass on the table or something.
But he didn't dare.
Instead he held onto his glass for his dear life and tried to keep their conversation going.

It was only trivial things. Where would Hob take Morpheus tomorrow. Was it really alright to leave the inn to his employees. Why did humans need such complicated things like id cards and what was an Oyster Card?
Trivial. For Morpheus's standards.

He almost sighed in relieve as Morpheus eventually yawned and then looked confused as fuck.
The former Shaper of Dreams was ready to sleep for maybe the first time in his existence.

And then the problem about the bed reappeared.
Having no nerve left for the day, Hob cut the discussion short and simply pushed Morpheus into his bedroom, grabbed a pillow and a blanket, wished his friend a good night and went to sleep on the too short couch.
Again.

Taking a nap on the couch was absolutely fine, especially if you were deadly tired, but Hob had already felt a twinge in his back from his earlier rest. He was pretty sure, that it would hurt like hell in the morning.
Still he chose this option. Morpheus' first night of sleep should be a comfortable one.
As for the next night... they would figure something out.

“ Hello, Hob Gadling. ”

“You should really stop using my full name, mate. Makes me feel like I've done something wrong, when you say it like this.”

Dream frowned. It looked painfully similar to Morpheus.

“ But it is your name. What should I call you instead? ”

“Just Hob. That's fine”, he said with a smile.

The other nodded and took a step closer.
This night they were at the old White Horse Tavern. It all looked like 1789, yet Hob found himself wearing his modern clothes. He was sitting at the table, where Morpheus and him had met back then, but the other side of the table was empty... still Dream sat down. Hob would have been lying, if he'd said that this didn't bother him. This seat was already taken by someone else... even if he wasn't here.

“How was his first day?”, Dream asked directly, without losing time on useless small talk.

“It was... difficult, but I think we got ourselves together.”

Hob certainly knew, that he wouldn't tell Dream about how obviously Despair was watching him all the time and how Morpheus had wrecked his heart multiple times that day. Hopefully he'd never dream about it...

“That sounds good”, Dream said with a nod. “Do you... have a plan on how to convince him?”

He seemed slightly nervous. Hob really understood why.

“I... don't”, he confessed. “There's no use in playing the tourist guide for a man, who's seen it all. I hope, that I can get him to like just the everyday life. Because that's what it is in the end, isn't it? You live, see the world go by and find your place in it. At least, that's what I'm doing. The exiting things happen anyway. And always unplanned. Like having the former embodiment of Dreams in your house and... taking him shopping tomorrow. You see, I don't have that many black clothes and he...”

He drifted off, his mind recalling the image of Morpheus lounging on his couch after the shower.
Was it possible for his heart to beat faster, even though he was asleep?

“Be careful, Hob”, Dream suddenly warned him in a serious tone.

“What?”

“You may draw my siblings attention, if you don't control yourself.”

For a cold second Hob feared, that Dream already knew about Despair, but then he saw a smile tugging on the corner of Dream's mouth as he nodded behind Hob.
He turned immediately and saw his couch in the middle of the tavern and on it Morpheus like he had just imagined him, sipping on the rest of his wine.

“I thought, I've asked you to stop meddling with me”, Hob said and tore his gaze away from the dream.

“I told you before: it's your desire, which changes the dream. I merely... observe.”

Oh, Dream was definitely grinning by now.
Hob bit back a sigh.

“Okay, okay... I got the point. You know, sometimes a man can't help, what he thinks about... or dreams... But I'll try to keep myself in check. No need for another Endless in my house.”

Satisfied with this answer, Dream nodded and stood up.

“Then I'll leave you to your night's rest. I will meet you again tomorrow though.”

“Sure. Uhm... are you visiting Morpheus now? Does he... does he dream?”

Dream leaned his head to the side as if he was listening to something.

“Yes... and no. He wanders the Dreaming with no dream for his own. He's currently at the furthest corner of my realm. Do you want to meet him?”

“No, no... it's alright. I guess, he needs time on his own as well.”

Dream nodded again.

“Then I shall take my leave.”

“Alright. See you tomorrow. And... oh! Please take him with you, okay?” He pointed at the Morpheus-shaped dream. “I'd just like to sit here in silence and drink some wine, if you don't mind.”

His face already felt warm, but it got even hotter as Dream looked at him with a knowing smile. With a wave of his hand the dream disappeared, leaving the couch behind.

“I can send them away, but they may come back. Your dreams are a bit too interesting for them”, Dream said smirking.

This time Hob couldn't suppress a groan.

“Bloody hell...”

“Have a good night... Hob.”

When he awoke the next morning his dreams had been blessedly empty of more curious dreams posing as their former lord. Hob felt mostly rested and it would have been a lovely morning, if it wasn't for the painful stiffness in his back. Still he managed to make a decent breakfast for Morpheus and himself, which he suffered through, because still in his night clothes and with his hair ruffled by sleep Morpheus looked even more... human.

Hob took his time this morning to brew some tea for them and nervously watched as Morpheus tasted it.
In contrast to the new Dream, his Morpheus liked the bitter taste, adding plainly nothing to the tea.
The whole time Hob debated with himself, of he should tell Morpheus about his meeting with Dream or if he should ask him about his night.
In the end he decided against it all and kept the conversation light till the doorbell rang.

Quickly he hurried to the door, where a simple looking guy gave him an unmarked package with a nod, before he turned around and left, having said not one word.
Hob took the package back to the kitchen.

“I swear, the last time I've dealt with them the delivery was a bit nicer”, he told Morpheus as he opened the box and pulled out some cards and papers.

“What is this?”, Morpheus asked with mild curiosity.

“This, my friend, is your new life. Welcome to London.”

With a grin he handed Morpheus the id card and let him study it.

“Morpheus Endeles?”, he asked with a raised eyebrow.¹

Hob felt the familiar heat creep up his neck.

“Yeah, I... should've asked you. I'm not a creative man, you know... but you need a surname these days. Be thankful, that I didn't give you a middle name! That would've been way worse !”

Morpheus ignored him, studying the small card some more. The nervous silence spurned Hob to keep on talking.

“I gave you this address. I thought, it may be easier this way. And... for the birth date...”

“It's the day we first met.”

Hob grinned.

“It is.”

“The year though...”

“Yeah... 1989... the year we were supposed to meet. You see... you look like you're in your 30s and... I needed a date, so... I took this... I hope, you don't mind it.”

Hob held his breath as he watched Morpheus touch – almost caress – the letters and numbers on the card.

“I don't mind”, Morpheus simply said, his voice calm as ever, but he looked almost... happy.

Hob felt the warmth travel to his heart.
Maybe this week wouldn't be so bad.

A couple of hours later Hob was still determined to keep his optimism as it was him, who dragged a very unwilling Morpheus from shop to shop.

Back at home Hob had given him the darkest clothes he owned and which were still suitable for the clammy cold of autumn. Morpheus had ended up wearing dark blue jeans, a black shirt, grey jumper and a black jacket – after an unnerving discussion, that the coachman's coat would draw unnecessary attention to them.

Now, a good time later, Morpheus had already swapped the windbreaker for knee-long wool coat and the jumper for a turtleneck. It was only, because Hob insisted on washing the rest first, that he wasn't already dressed completely in new shiny black.

As they walked down the street Hob realised, that he as well have let Morpheus wear that damn old coat, because wherever they walked, heads turned towards them.
Well, not them . But to Morpheus, who was once again looking like some weird goth model, long legs, thin frame and all. It was impossible to blend in with the crowd unless he put a paper back over Morpheus' head.

As once again a young cashier blushed and stuttered as they wanted to pay, Hob really reconsidered if the paper back wouldn't be a good solution.
Morpheus on the other hand, scanning his surrounding with eyes half-lidded and almost a pout on his lips, was blissfully unaware about it all.

As the afternoon approached the finally sat down to eat.
It was a nice, cozy restaurant with thankfully enough space at their table for the mountain of shopping bags.

“And this... is, what humans do?”, Morpheus asked with a glance at the bags.

“Hm... not all the time and not to that extend, but... yeah. It's part of modern life. Back in the old times you had one set of clothes and if you were unlucky it was a hand-down from an older sibling. Owning new clothes sometimes still feels like a luxury.” He chuckled. “But it's damn exhausting.”

Somewhere in the restaurant there was a loud coughing. Probably someone with this year's flu, who thought that it was still a good idea to eat out.
The coughing continued and Hob nervously thought about, that Morpheus didn't have any vaccination... or maybe Dream had been clever enough to make him a bit more resistant? Couldn't have the poor guy get ill this week. Maybe they should...

The coughing still continued and now there were other voices in between, shouting nervously. From their spot at the window, they couldn't really understand anything as suddenly the coughing stopped, but the yelling got louder.

And then it dawned on Hob, what was really happening.

“Oh, shit. We need to go. Now.”

He fumbled for his wallet to leave some money for their drinks.

It seemed, that Morpheus understood the situation the same moment Hob had, because he already grabbed the bags and they turned to-

“Hello, little brother. Hello, Hob. It's nice to see you again.”

Chapter Text

Hob froze in panic as he looked straight in to that smiling familiar face of no one else, but Death herself.
Dressed in her usual black attire plus a thick black duffle coat she casually walked over to them as if she hadn't taken some unfortunate bloke to the sunless lands. Fight and flight struggled for the upper hand in Hob's mind, leaving him unable to do anything instead.

Next to him he heard Morpheus sigh quietly and step forward.

“Hello, my sister... How have you been keeping?”, he asked way to calm for the whole situation.

To Hob's utter surprise... Death laughed.

“Oh, well. I'm fine, thanks for asking.” She looked up and down his frame, probably taking in the little changes in appearance. “Were you two leaving? I can come along, if you'd like. My next meeting is around here anyway. We can chat a little on the way.”

Hob shot Morpheus a curious look.
So, from the first expression Death didn't seem angry about Morpheus being back in the land of the living, but maybe she'd already know... She was Death, after all.

“I'd like to, sister”, Morpheus said with an honest to god smile.

Never before had Hob seen Morpheus interact with any of his siblings, Death especially. It was like he was a whole different person. He spoke softly, smiled from time to time and leaned over to her, when he spoke as if they were sharing a secret just between the two of them.
Hob was almost a bit jealous.
Of course, he had seen Morpheus smile as well, it usually was just a bit more subtle.
But with Death... Hob could clearly tell, that Morpheus loves his sister.

When they were walking down the street, with Death deciding on the direction, Hob let the two of them walk ahead, only listening a bit anxiously to their conversation as far as he dared.

“You didn't seem surprised to see me”, Morpheus said with a slightly raised eyebrow. “Had someone told you about me?”

Death chuckled.

“That wouldn't be necessary... even if Dream seemed really nervous, when he last saw me. It was clear as day, that he'd done something. But even without that, I knew you were back. You're only half human, but you're alive and I know every living being in the whole of existence.”

Morpheus nodded to her words.

“Are you angry?”

She laughed again.

“Why should I?”

“Because somebody meddled with your work... I'd be angry, if someone crossed me this way...”

“But the Dreaming isn't your work anymore, isn't it?” She gave him a wistful smile. “To answer your question: No, I'm not angry. I'm happy beyond words to see you again, even when I can tell, that you're different now. You're not an Endless anymore. You're not the King of Dreams and Nightmares anymore. You're not 'Dream' anymore... But you're still my brother. I still love you.”

They stopped in the middle of the street and Morpheus turned to his sister, his face full of emotions, but no word left his mouth.
Death, seeing his struggle, hugged him tight.

“It's alright, little brother”, she whispered and Hob turned away to give them both some privacy.

This way he didn't hear, what Death said to Morpheus and also not, what he answered her, but when she let go off him, she wiped a stray tear from her eyes and fixed her smile.

“I guess, I'll leave you to your shopping tour now. My next job is that way, but you don't need to come any further. Enjoy the day.” She took a deep breath. “Maybe it'll snow soon. The air smells nice...”

“Uhm... don't take this as a complain, but... are you simply letting us go?”, Hob asked, curiosity winning over survival instinct.

“Of course, I do, Hob. Unless you've suddenly changed your mind, then none of you is part of my work.”

“...oh.”

He didn't really feel relieved at her words. It was just... a bit too much.
When he had realized, that they would meet her, he'd been deadly afraid – ha! – that she would take Morpheus with her and now, that she was just about to leave them standing in the middle of Regent Street... it felt as if he'd been almost hit by a bus just to see a rainbow right after that.

“Will I see you again, sister?”, Morpheus asked, before she could turn to leave.

Her smile got even brighter.

“Who knows”, she answered. “Maybe. Maybe not. Maybe far, far in the future. But know, that I will always keep you in my heart, little brother.”

This time, it was Morpheus, who initiated the contact as he took her hand.

“Thank you...”, he said, his voice a bit rough. “For everything. Farewell, dear sister.”

She hugged him once more, before she waved at Hob and off she went down the street and out of view in the blink of an eye.
As soon as she was gone, Hob let out a shuddering breath, bend over and put a hand on his knee to keep himself from falling over. He hadn't known how tense he had been until it was gone.

“Are you alright, Hob?”, Morpheus asked, concern colouring his voice.

“I'm fine. I'm fine... just a bit woozy. Give me a moment...”

He straightened back up with a supportive hand on his elbow. Even though he still felt a bit light-headed, he managed to smile at Morpheus.

“Sorry about that. Your sister, she just... When I last saw her, she asked me, if I was done... Living, you know? And now with you back here, I thought... I...”

Morpheus nodded in understanding.

“Be assured, Hob, that my sister would never take you with her, if it wasn't your wish. She may have already... won our bet, but she still honours your decision.”

“Good to know. But you-”

Morpheus shook his head curtly.

“It is like she said. I'm not, who I was before. I am a new being, created by Dream. There's no reason for her to take me.”

“You're still the same to me, you know.” The words escaped Hob, before could stop them. He blamed being this close to Morpheus for his lack of self control. “Maybe your sister and Dream told you, that you're new, but not to me. Not in any point, that matters. You're still you. To me.”

Finally he stopped himself from rambling.
At first Morpheus just looked at him with his typical, stoic expression, but then his mimic turned into something softer, almost a smile.

“Thank you, Hob. I appreciate your words.”

And here they stood, surrounded by people passing by, not one even glancing their way and Hob was really fine about that, because in this moment it just felt as if it was only the two of them.

A drop landed on Hob's cheek.
Then another on top of his head.
And another.
And another...

With a scrunched up face he looked towards the grey sky.

“Snow, my ass”, he mumbled. “We... should get somewhere nice and dry. And finally grab something to eat. Hopefully there won't be another... accident.”

Morpheus just gave him an almost amused look as they headed to the next best restaurant. Quickly so they wouldn't get too wet and so close to each other, that once or twice their hands touched.
Hob noticed every single time.
He wondered, if Morpheus did, too.

Chapter Text

“You're unusually late”, Dream greeted Hob as soon as he stepped a foot into the Dreaming.

It was weird, but somehow even asleep he felt tired as hell and ready to lie down.
With an exasperated sigh Hob rubbed his face.

“It's about... I don't know... 3... 4 in the morning at my place. I've fucking finally fallen asleep and he wants to have breakfast at 8, so that we'll have most of the day. I'm gonna break, I'll tell you...”

There was no question, who 'he' was as Dream put a sympathetic hand on Hob's shoulder.

“I see. He is very... enthusiastic. I'm sorry for you, Hob, but I'm also glad to hear, that he regained his good spirits.”

“Wouldn't really call it 'good spirits'. He's moody as ever, looking at everyone with that... dark look of his as if they offended him by breathing wrong.”

Dream chuckled.

“And yet his mood is well enough to spend time with you till late at night.”

“Oh, no. He's been asleep for hours. Didn't you see him wandering around?”

Dream tilted his head to the side as they were walking down the most beautiful beach. A memory of his trip to Sri Lanka a couple of decades ago. The sun hadn't set on this side of the island, but in Hob's dream it did.
They walked barefooted along the shore, Dream in his usual white robe and Hob in his vacation outfit. It would have been lovely to see this dream a few hours earlier...

“You are right. He had been here for over three hours, again wandering on the outskirts, far away from the castle... Why had he arrived so much earlier than you, my friend?”

Hob groaned and hid his face in his hand.

“Because”, he said with a sigh. “Right now – in London – he's sleeping next to me.”

It took Dream a moment to understand, what Hob was telling him and when he did, he tried to cover up a laugh and a cough.

“I... see...”

Hob glared at him.

“That guy is stubborn as ever. Last night, I let him have the bed and slept on the couch. Not the best sleep I've ever had, but also far from the worst. This night, I asked him, if I should rent him a room at hotel, since the rooms in my inn are currently being renovated and... he refused.”

He threw up his hands in defeat.

“Told him, that I could sleep on the couch again and he refused again! Told him, that he couldn't expect me to have him sleep on the couch and you know, what he said?”

Dream desperately tried to stifle a chuckle.

“He suggested for you to share a bed?”

“He did! That bloody arsehole!” Hob continued talking over Dream's laughter. “How am I supposed to sleep, when he's right there? It's fucking infuriating! By now I really hope for him, that he either has a too thick skull to notice my twice-damned feelings for him or that he's forgotten about it, because, if he knows and he-”

“He doesn't know, Hob.”

This stopped Hob in his tirade.
Mouth still open he turned to Dream.

“He doesn't know how you feel about him”, Dream repeated. “He has never seen your dreams like I do. He wanted to give you privacy, even though he should know about everything in this realm. And in the Waking World... he never believed, that anyone could feel attracted to him. Not after all this time...”

Hob turned his head and gazed out over the soft orange light dancing over the waves.

“It's more than attraction...”, he mumbled. “At least not anymore...”

At their last centenary meeting, they had not only talked about Hob's life, but – for the first time – about Morpheus as well. Not much, of course, because back then the Endless liked to keep himself veiled in the mystery of being unknown, but Hob had learned a few bits.
For example, that Morpheus had indeed had lovers through the ages. Etherial, otherworldly beings like fairies, muses or witches and one human woman. The way Morpheus had suddenly stopped talking, had told Hob, that it probably hadn't gone too well.

So now Hob knew, that the former Lord of Dreams could love.
He just didn't love him.
It somehow felt both better and worse.

“It's so strange talking to you about... how I feel about him, because you are the new Dream. You know everything he's known and more. You've seen those... dreams... And you know our story...”

“I am Dream, but I'm not him. Not to you.”

“Yeah... that's kinda it...”, Hob sighed.

They walked a bit in silence in the never-ending sunset and the only noise were the soft waves dying on the shoreline.

“You could talk to him now”, Dream eventually suggested. “He is not of the Endless anymore. Being with a mortal... or even an almost-immortal won't call forth disaster anymore.”

Hob raised his eyebrows in wonder.

“It did that? When an Endless is with a human?”

Dream nodded, his shoulders suddenly heavy in sorrow.

“Morpheus once loved a human woman and in doing so doomed her and all of her kingdom. I think, he wouldn't want to talk about it, but you...”

Hob shook his head.

“That still doesn't mean anything. Just because he doesn't have to fear doom and chaos, doesn't mean-”

A shrill beeping echoed over the sea. It began as the cry of a seagull, but turned louder with every second.
Confused Hob starred at the ocean, whatever he had wanted to say was lost.
Next to him Dream sighed.

“I guess, we'll have to continue our conversation another night. Have a nice day, Hob.”

And so he woke up again to the alarm of his phone.
Without opening his eyes he grabbed it and turned it off with a loud groan.
He felt like shit.

“Good morning, Hob.”

Next to him Morpheus stretched his arms and yawned.
It was still dark in the room, with the curtains drawn closed, but Hob could still see his silhouette against the white bed linen. It was almost unreal, breathtaking and way so much more than Hob could take so early in the morning.

“Mornin'...”, he grumbled and dragged himself out of the bed, before his foolish heart could win the upper hand an let him do something he'd definitely regret.

The whole reason for being up so early was, that Hob had suggested that they'd visit the British Museum together. Not in particular to learn anything new, but to... badmouth some certain fake artefacts and wrong interpretations.

It was something Hob sometimes liked to do on his own, but with usually no one to talk about how that one could never be an authentic book from the 17 ^th century, because the 't' was definitely wrong, it normally ended up getting boring very quickly.

But today they were here.
Among the very first visitors for the day.

With another yawn and an internal wish for more coffee, Hob tugged at Morpheus' sleeve to have them gain a bit of space to the group of very loud school kids in front of them.

At first the wandered through the ancient Egyptian section and to Hob's delight Morpheus started talking about people he'd known back then. Of course he remembered all the great personas of history, but also the common people. The jeweller, who had created that bead necklace; the scholar, who had written the papyri for the Book of the Dead, the potterer, who had made the cup, which was now only shards.

Hob listened to it all, so lost in Morpheus' tales, that he didn't notice how much time had passed until his stomach growled. Loudly.

After lunch – and more coffee for Hob, the went over to the rooms, which held artefacts from the middle ages.
Now Hob could finally ad something to the conversation and he was happy to do so.

“You see, when I moved north again, I couldn't take everything with me. So I shipped some things overseas, to keep it save; sold some others and gave the rest to a young scholar. Told him, it was just knick-knacks, I had inherited from a weird uncle and that he could take it our otherwise I'd throw it away. You should have seen his face as he's realised that what he held in his hands was a genuine goblet from the fifteen hundreds. Nothing posh. Just a trinket I've managed to keep for quite a while... For a moment, I feared he might faint.”

Morpheus chuckled.

“I remember him. For weeks he dreamed about nothing else but this goblet.”

Hob shook his head in wonder.

“Do you remember everyone, who's ever lived?”, he asked.

“No. I used to, but now... some things are fading from my mind. It may be because of my new form. It can't hold the entirety of everything that ever dreamed.”

“I'm sorry...”

“Don't be. To forget some things, makes the ones I still remember just more precious.”

He said it so calmly, that Hob couldn't help, but stare for a second in awe.
Just as Morpheus turned back to him, he got himself back together and plastered a smile on his face.

“Then how about some new memories? The next room holds some very interesting things.”

He dared to take Morpheus by the arm and guide him towards their destination.

“Is it, because they once belonged to you as well?”, Morpheus asked with a small smile.

“Not quite”, Hob answered with a mischievous grin. “More like: They belonged to me, because I made them and they're definitely not as old as the museum thinks they are.”

The smile on Morpheus' face got a bit wider.

“Hob Gadling... have you given the museum a forgery?”

“Oh, absolutely not! ...They bought it themselves. And up till now they haven't noticed.”

Chapter Text

“Oh gods... I'll never walk one more step in my entire life”, Hob groaned as he let himself fall onto the couch.

Outside it the sun had set over an hour ago.
They hadn't left the museum, because they had seen it all, but because it was closing for the day and the staff had gently, but firmly kicked them out.
On their way back home Hob had promised Morpheus to take him there again soon, but now with his feet feeling like two painfully swollen lumps of flesh... he'd rather wait a bit for that next trip.
Maybe in two weeks, give or take. Or better even wait a month. That sounded about right...

Hob blinked at the ceiling.
Two weeks... A month...
Here he was, already making plans for the future, when Morpheus' test week wasn't even over.
Four more days.
It seemed like so much time to fill with incredibly good ideas – that he still had to come up with – to make Morpheus love life, but also way too short to spend time with him...

Fear gripped Hob's heart. Again.
What, if all his attempts were futile? What if, in the end, Morpheus just left, no matter how hard Hob tried to convince him to stay? What if he really had made his decision and stood by it, unwavering?
Hob knew, that he couldn't lose him again. Last time it broke his heart, but this time... it would break all of him. Of that he was sure.

With a sigh he rubbed his face and glanced over to the armchair Morpheus lounged on. He had thrown himself onto it, same level of tiredness Hob felt in his bones, but in comparison to Hob he looked like a Renaissance piece of art and not like a middle-aged man, who needed at leat one week on uninterrupted sleep.

“Oi, you hungry?”, Hob called over to him.

The only answer he got, was a low grumble, which he interpreted as 'yes'.
Hob tried to sit up straight, but fell back into the cushions immediately.

“My feet hurt. My legs hurt. My back... let's not talk about that. There's no way I'm gonna cook dinner for us.” He reached for his phone. “Indian delivery food it is.”

“You own an entire Inn. Staffed with a cook”, Morpheus reminded him with a chuckle.

“Sure, but Sam's busy enough downstairs and you, my friend, can broaden your horizon and eat something else than British Food. It'll be nice, believe me. Do you have something you want to try or should I order for both of us?”

On that question Morpheus only shrugged and Hob ordered for at his favourite restaurant down the street. Something nice and spicy for himself and spinach with cheese for Morpheus. No need to burn off his taste buds... yet.

With enough time to spare they hit the shower – one after another!
When Hob came back from the bathroom, nice, cosy and clean, he found Morpheus sprawled on the bed, half asleep.

“Hey, big guy”, he nudged Morpheus a bit. “Food will be here in a couple of minutes. Don't starve yet, alright?”

Morpheus grumbled.

“Did you know, that in ancient times people used to eat while lying down?”, Morpheus asked Hob with hardly one eye open.

“Is that you way of asking me, if we can eat in bed?” Another shrug and Hob chuckled. “Well, these ain't ancient times anymore... If we eat here, we'll put on a film, okay? Scoot over and take your long limbs with you.”

So they ended up eating delivery food in bed while watching Mary Poppins on Hob's phone.
Morpheus had chosen it and Hob – more than mildly bewildered by this choice – had more or less agreed.

It was a lovely evening.
Outside it was raining again, but the old house was kept warm through its thick walls and the eat from the pub downstairs.
At one point Morpheus had asked to try some of Hob's food and immediately regretted it. Hob made a mental note: bitter drinks were fine, but spicy food wasn't.

At the end of the film, when Mr. Banks told a joke to his superiors, both Morpheus and Hob were sunken into the pillows, the food packages next to the bed and none of them willing to take them to the kitchen.

Morpheus' head leaned against Hob's shoulder, his breathing grazed Hob's arm, keeping him awake despite how tired he was.
This was perfect.
It would have been fine for him just to stay like this till the end of...

Hob could have sworn, that he only had closed his eyes for a moment, but when he opened them again, he found himself in a sleek red room, which looked somewhat futuristic.
Swearing under his breath he looked around. It was obvious, that he had fallen asleep, so Dream must've been around there somehow.

But no Dream was to be found.

Instead Hob eventually came to a big room with a single red couch in it.
And on said couch was a being of sheer beauty, stretching their long legs in an alluring way.

Had Hob not known, who that sinful creature was, he might have fallen for their playful gaze, but he very well remembered meeting them not so long ago...

“Hello, Hob Gadling”, Desire purred.

“What is it with you lot and always using my full name?”, Hob sighed.

Desire rolled onto their stomach and grinned at him.

“Why not? Don't you like it or do you wish me to use something more... intimate with you? How about... Robbie? Rob?”, they teased. “Or simply Robert?”

The way Desire had called him ba all variations of his name with quite a moan, made his knees buckle, but he shook his head and fought against their influence.

“I'm not in the mood for games, sorry. Can you please tell me, why I'm here and let me go back to sleep? I'm really tired, you know?”

“Oh, I know. I know, who occupies your mind, when you're awake and torments your dreams, when you sleep. It's obvious, that you need some... rest.”

Desire chuckled and it felt like a warm shudder dripping down Hob's back.

“Of course, you know...”, Hob sighed. “Please don't send any more of his siblings into my house. It's getting quite crowded.”

“Hm, I see. Especially in your bed, am I right?”

The shudder turned into full-fledged embarrassment, but still Hob held Desire's golden gaze.

“This is none of your business”, he said courtly, but it only made them laugh out loud.

“Oh, poor human. This is all of my business. I don't care, that he is back. He doesn't have his power anymore and that is fine by me. But... you on the other hand... hmmm... your longing is just... delicious. You know... one snap of my fingers and I could make you lose all self-control, let desire take over you and-”

“Don't.”

Such a short thing to say, yet Hob found himself shivering as if he'd lifted a boulder. Going against Desire's wishes in their own realm, was an absurd thing to try, but still Hob didn't give up.
He couldn't.

The smile on Desire's face got more cat-like, their eyes glowing with interest.

“Are you sure, my sweet little thing? I am Desire and I feel, what your heart wants. It pains you to be so close to him, touch him, but not in the way you want to... So why are you so cruel to yourself? Has my dear sister too much hold over you, that you don't think yourself to be deserving of... him?”

The 'him' was spoken with barely veiled disgust, but otherwise Desire's concern seemed genuine.

Hob took a moment to collect his thoughts, before he dared to answer.

“You're right. I... want him. I want to be close to him, hold him and... I don't need to tell you. You obviously know”, he said with an annoyed sigh, which only made Desire's grin grow wider. “But this is not about me. It's about him. I only got one week to show him, that life is worth living and so far, I'm not sure if I made any progress on that mission...”

A sudden cold wind blew away the warmth on Hob's skin and he saw for a moment Desire's grin turn into a pout. They held up a hand and the warmth was back.

“There are certain ways you could give him something to live for”, Desire purred again.

“Not like this!”, Hob stopped them, before they could go into detail. “I... I'm not even sure, if he knows, what I feel for him... Dream said, that he doesn't, but... it'd been ages and... he can't be that thick, can he? I mean, I literally manipulated an immortal being into bringing him back. I took him home. Into my house. For centuries I've been pouring my heart out at every meeting and... and... I've build a whole bloody Inn just for him to find and meet me again. That's a bit more than what simple friends would do, right? Am I missing something here?”

Hob breathed heavily.
He hadn't intended to talk himself into almost a meltdown and yet here he was, all sweaty and so done.

Desire rolled from their couch and prowled over to him. He did his best not to flinch as they put their hands on his shoulders, his chest, his cheek.

“Poor Hob Gadling... in love with the most dense of all Endless... well, maybe Destiny wouldn't get it either, but at least he has his book to tell him, what's going on. My brother... Morpheus on the other hand... he loves and has loved, but it's always a mess. And in the end he blames me for bewitching his senses, when he'd done it all by himself.” They laughed. “As if I could manipulate him... And before you ask: I didn't make you fall in love with him. This is not my power. I may have... heightened your senses a bit. Oups. Sorry.”

They let go of him and walked over to a small table in a corner, Hob hadn't noticed until now.
Upon the table lay an iron bird skull, which Desire gently picked up.

“This time is different. He's not the the one to fall first. The relationship between you is not something he chose, nor did he force it.”

Hob, still standing at the same spot and not having moved one bit, wished nothing more than to disappear at that very moment.
To hear Desire to speak so nonchalantly over his feeling, which he kept safe like a little bird, but also hidden from the world to see... it hurt.

“So, yeah. He doesn't feel the same. Got it. Thanks. I guess, I can go now, yes?”, Hob spoke in a strained voice, his arms crossed defensively over his chest as if to protect his battered heart from more cruel words.

But Desire... Desire seemed surprised at his words.
Then they laughed.

“You're a funny one. I begin to see, why my brother couldn't let go of you.” They put the skull back down. “But you're dense as my brother. You didn't listen to what I've said, only what I've said.”

“...what?”

They laughed again.

“Whatever will become of you, isn't destined to fail like his other relationship, because he didn't force it. He didn't manipulate you to love him and still you do. That's what normally lets him fail. He's like a toddler. One moment he wants nothing more than that pretty little nymph and then he loses interest and is gone before she understands what happened. Same with the elf queen, the witch... well, the queen was a bit different. Horrible end though, too... But you...”

Desire strolled back to him and put their arms around his shoulders, smiling widely.

“You've been around for longer than anyone else and he still hasn't lost interest in you.”

“We've... we've only met once every hundred years. Hard to get bored, when you see each other so rarely”, Hob tried to argue, but he heard his voice failing.

“Don't put yourself down. Morpheus has hardly any interest in anything, that isn't his duty, but still he cared enough for you to look for you, when he broke out of his little prison. I've heard he even visited you some more after that and now he lives under your roof, shares your food... shares your bed. This isn't as hopeless as you think it is.”

It was hard to keep his thoughts straight, when with every breath Desire took, his libido threatened to overwhelm his mind, yet Hob had made it till this moment and he's be damned if he gave up now.
So he asked a very important question:

“Why are you doing this? Are you trying to help me? Or him? I thought you didn't like him.”

Finally Desire let go off him and Hob could breath a bit more freely again.

“I did”, they said, their back turned to Hob. “But sometimes you have to lose something to understand that you actually loved it... I don't want to harm my brother anymore. He has changed and so have I. If now I can help him become lucky for the first time in aeons... I'll try my best. And isn't it for your good as well?”

The wink Desire gave him, made him sweat, but he finally understood.

Morpheus had been concerned, that his siblings might be angry for him coming back, but actually they were all quite happy to see him.
At least all siblings they had met so far.

“I see...” Hob nodded. “Then... thanks for trying to help, but... please let me handle this my way, okay? It might not look like it, but most of the time, I know, what I'm doing.”

It was the second time Desire was surprised, but they quickly recovered.

“Alright then. I will leave you to your 'plan', but I'll stay nearby... just in case.”

With that Desire gave Hob a quick kiss on the cheek and... He woke up.

He was hot, sweating, his clothes clung to his skin and it was quite a task to steal himself from out under the covers and out of Morpheus' sleeping death grip.

It was 3 in the morning and he needed a shower.
Now.
Because no one escaped Desire unscathed.

Chapter Text

While Hob tried using up the whole cold water reservoir of the area, Morpheus still wandered through the Dreaming.
As usual he kept to the furthest corners of the kingdom, where no one dared to find him. For three nights now this had worked fine. Morpheus wandered around, observed the little changes his successor had made and eventually he awoke.
This was fine.
A bit boring, but fine.

Of course his luck had to run our eventually.

The sound of gigantic leathery wings cut through the air of the forest Morpheus was visiting.
Instinctively he stopped and moved close to a big tree. Maybe this unexpected visitor would fly away and he could continue his walk...

But the huge silvery dragon did not fly away.
Quite the opposite.
It landed on a clearing not far from Morpheus hiding spot and if that wouldn't have been bad enough, five tall and two small creatures, who had been travelling on or at least with the dragon, walked around the clearing.

Oh, Morpheus recognised them at first glance.
It was no one other than his former frie- underlings.
Lucienne, Mervin, Matthew, Nuala, Abel, Cain and even Goldie.

“He must be around here somewhere”, he heard Nuala say with impatience in her voice.

“Maybe he's chosen another region this night”, Mervyn suggested, but his companions shook their heads.

“Lord Dream would have told us, if he had spotted them somewhere else. I mean... He even gave us the time off, so we could look for him...”

Abel was nervous as ever, holding Goldie close as he looked around as well.

Behind his tree Morpheus felt a strange kind of longing to step out of the shadow and greet them. But no... He shouldn't. His time here was limited and there was no need to tear open these wounds again. It was already bad enough, that Hob had forced this time on him and that his siblings-

“Found him!”

A familiar caw sounded from above making Morpheus' head snap up towards the black bird, who sat on a branch of the tree.
May he be damned for being so inattentive.

Before he could even consider running away, his former staff was around him, blocking effectively every route of escape with their bodies and their chattering.

“Lord Morpheus! It's you, it's really you!”

“How can you be back? We've been to your burial. Well, most of us...”

“Are you coming back to the Dreaming?”

“Why didn't you come back to the castle?”

“Are you gonna fight the new Dream for his power? He's actually nice, you know?”

“SILENCE!”

It was rare. Very, very rare for Morpheus to raise his voice, but the onslaught of questions made his ears ring and skull burst.
Thankfully the others followed his orders and fell silent the second this word had left his lips.

With a heavy sigh Morpheus wiped his face – a gesture he had unintentionally copied from Hob – and took some time to look at each of his former companions.
They looked well. It didn't escape his attention, that Mervyn and Abel were among them, when Morpheus clearly remembered them falling under the attack of the Kindly Ones.

“So it is true. Dream of the Endless has brought back those lost in battle”, he said instead of answering their questions.

Having calmed down from their initial shock, they nodded and – as so often – Lucienne took the lead to speak for them all.

“It is right, Lord Morpheus. Lord Dream brought back Abel due to Cain's request-” Cain made a small dismissive noise, which Lucienne ignored. “And even Mervyn is back as you can see. Only Fidler's Green chose to... stay lost.”

He nodded solemnly.
Of course he understood Gilbert's choice. If it had really been up to him, he would not have been here as well.

“My lord”, Nuala spoke up. “Please, my lord... what does this mean? Are you... are you back? Will you stay?”

He could hear the hope in her voice and it pained him to smother it before it could bloom, but there was no use in false promises.

“No”, he simply said, watching them all visibly deflate. “I'll only be here for a short while, before I'm gone again. You shouldn't have searched for me. There is nothing but pain to be found in meeting me.”

Silence followed his words, heavy like a mourning veil.

Morpheus sighed again.
This wasn't right. He shouldn't let them have false hope, but it also wasn't his intent to hurt them. So what could he do, what could he say...?

“Uhm, boss, sorry to ask, but... why are you only here for a quick trip? Why not longer?”

Matthew blinked at him with black eyes, which held a part of the night.
All of their eyes did.
All except Morpheus'.

“Dream brought me back on a request, but since I've refused, he made me stay with the humans for seven days. After that he will release me.”

“Excuse me, sire, but what request was important enough to make one of the Endless fulfil it?”, Lucienne asked. “And what is the use of bringing you back for only one week?”

They had given Morpheus a bit of space after his outburst. Enough for him to lean against the tree.

Of course Lucienne was too clever for his feeble attempt at deception. But how little could he manage to reveal and still answer their questions?

“It was Hob Gandling's request”, he answered and saw recognition for this name on their faces. “He asked Dream to bring me back. So Dream was caught between wanting to grand the wish of his friend and fulfilling his duty in protecting his realm.”

“Protect his... Are we in danger?”, Cain chimed in.

“No, you are not, for a am... not anymore Dream of the Endless. Lord Morpheus died for his sins and to protect the Dreaming. I am merely a shadow. A dream, close to being a human, but without any power. This should be enough for the Kindly Ones not to attack once more.”

“Then it's alright, yeah?”, Abel asked, holding Goldie close. “If the danger is gone, you can come back... for real. I mean... There's no reason for you to leave...o-or is there?”

All eyes lay on him after this question, their gaze heavy on Morpheus' shoulders.
Couldn't he stay?
Wouldn't he stay?
The answer was simple, but painful.

“I... I won't. I may not have my power anymore, nor my title, but the rest of me is still Morpheus of the Dreaming. Morpheus, who was sentenced to death and who should stay dead. I should stay dead. This is not how it's supposed to be.”

Again silence smothered everything around, but Morpheus knew, that it was better this way. They had to understand his choice. It was simply-

“No.”

From everyone he would have expected words of resistance, but not from Lucienne, his most faithful companion, the one, who had been with him for the longest time.

“No”, she repeated. “You already died for, what you think of as a crime, but what was actually an act of love. You fulfilled your promise to your son, even though you knew, that it would hurt you in the end. You've paid the ultimate price. The debt has been paid. And yes, you deserve rest, but not the cold embrace of the earth, but rest from all your duties, which you attended to for millennia.”

She took a step forward and even though she had to look up at Morpheus, her presence was strong and her eyes full of determination.

“I've met Hob Gadling at your funeral. I saw a man, whose heart was shattered beyond repair. So I won't ask why he wanted to bring you back. As I won't ask why someone as kind as Dream honoured his request. But what I ask is this: Why are you so keen on denying yourself this second chance, which was already given to you freely? And don't tell me, that this is how it's supposed to be. Mervyn is back and so is Abel. Are you telling them, that they are wrong as well for embracing their existence once more?”

Morpheus furrowed his brows. Never once in all that time had Lucienne ever talked to him like this.
Well, he wasn't Dream anymore and she didn't owe him loyalty, but... it was still weird.

“This is different,” Morpheus tried, but was immediately interrupted by Nuala.

“How is this any different to them?”, she asked.

“My misdeeds-”

“You didn't do anything wrong!”, Lucienne almost yelled.

“This is not for you to decide”, he growled back.

“Then this is it, boss?” The calm cawing of Matthew was like a rock in the sea of emotions. “You want to leave again? Despite your second chance? Even though we want you back? And Hob?”

Too upset for words Morpheus simply nodded.
It was a simple gesture and cowardly of him not to grace his friends with a real answer, but he knew, that he couldn't trust himself, couldn't trust his voice enough for doing so.

Once more he saw them shrink under the burden of his decision and it pained him.

“Then at least...” Lucienne spoke once more, but all the fight was gone from her voice. “Tell us the real reason. Not because it's your duty. Not because you've done something the Kindly Ones said was a crime. Tell us: why do you want to leave?”

All eyes on him and it felt like their gazes were strangling him.
This time he had to tell them. They asked him again and again and... they deserved and answer.
Morpheus just needed to find the strength to say it out loud.

He took a deep breath and opened his mouth.

“I want-”

And then the ringing of Hob's phone ripped him from the Dreaming.

Disoriented Morpheus found himself lying diagonally on the bed, the blanked wrapped around him like an impenetrable cocoon.
On the bedside table next to his head Hob's phone was still ringing.

The very next moment Hob came running into the room and snatched up his phone.

“Sorry! Sorry, sorry, sorry. I didn't want to wake you. Go back to sleep. I'll just answer this in the living room.”

And with that he was gone again, taking the noise with him.
Unfortunately he had forgotten to close the door behind him and Morpheus could hear him speak.

“Hello?... Jesse? Why are you calling me?... Oh. Oh, my... I'm so sorry. I... I've completely forgotten about the appointment... What? At noon. Today? You don't need to. Really.......Uhm... okay... yeah, thanks. Bye. ….......shit.”

Chapter Text

When Morpheus finally escaped the warm and cosy trap of the blankets he found Hob pacing in the living room, phone still in his hands and a look of concern on his face. As soon as he spotted Morpheus in the doorway he stopped with a smile.

“Hey! Good morning. Sorry for the rude wake-up call. Literally. I forgot my phone and... yeah, then that happened... sorry.”

A frown formed on Morpheus's face as he watched his friend fumble around with his words. It was a bit unusual to see Hob this... nervous.

“Are you alright? That was your therapist on the phone, wasn't he? Is everything alright?”

“Hm? Oh... yeah. It's fine. Fine... I just... kinda forgot, that I had an appointment today. But I can reschedule.”

Morpheus took a step closer and took Hob's phone out of his twitching hands – he offered up no resistance – and put the device on the table. Concentrating completely on his friend he caught his gaze.

“I didn't mean to eavesdrop, but hasn't he offered you another appointment at noon? ...you left the door open, when you answered your phone.”

With nothing else to put his nervous energy in, it was clear, that Hob was only seconds away from starting to pace.
Why had this call upset him so much?

“I can reschedule that, too. Today is a nice day. We could... I don't know... have a picnic in the park or... leave the city and make a trip to the sea or...”

“Or, you could go to your appointment with your therapist”, Morpheus said calmly.

It seemed to have been the wrong thing to say, because Hob kind of deflated at his words, his gaze now cast to the floor and all energy gone.

“Don't you... want to go?”, Morpheus asked curiously. “When we talked back then, you seemed proud to have taken this step. I was also under the impression, that this Jesse was someone you liked, hopefully trusted, even.”

A deep sigh escaped Hob's lips.

“You're right... I like the guy. He's just the right amount of stoic and empathetic to listen to my ramblings. He even knows, that I'm practically immortal. Took him a while, but now he's fine with it.”

“Then why don't you want to go?”

Now Hob started pacing the room for real, making his way towards the bookshelf in the corner and then to the window, where grey morning light shone in. It was a rainy day. Again.

“It's not, that I mind going. I normally even like meeting him. It's just... right now is a bit... inconvenient...”

It took Morpheus a moment, but then it all clicked.
Hob liked going, maybe he was even looking forward to his appointment, but he couldn't go, because... of him.

“Don't cancel this because of me”, Morpheus said bluntly, making Hob jump and look definitely caught in his excuses.

“I... I don't...”

“I can wait for you down in the pub.”

“Sure, but...”

It was clear, that Hob wanted to say something, but either he couldn't find the right words or something else stopped him.
How could Morpheus get him to talk? His sister Death always had an easy time talking to humans. It was a skill Morpheus never acquired and until recently he hadn't been interested in it, but now...

Trying to remember how his sister had handled similar situations, Morpheus sat down on the armrest of the couch right next to where Hob was standing.
Getting to a lower standpoint. Check. What was next? Ah, yes.
He reached out and took Hob's hand.
The other one flinched. Wasn't this the right thing to do? But Hob also didn't pull back, so it seemed to be alright.

“Hob...”, Morpheus began speaking softly not to scare his friend any further, who was looking at him with wide, panicked eyes. “It is alright. You can tell me, what's on your mind. I won't get angry... or laugh... or whatever you're afraid of I might do. I told you, that I can wait for you to come back, so why do you still not want to go?”

Hob's gaze was glued to their hands and Morpheus started to ask himself, if he had made a mistake here, but then... after almost a whole minute... Hob spoke.

“I... don't want you to get bored. I have only so little time to show you... how wonderful life is. I don't want to waste any more of it. Three days are already over and I can't tell, if I'm making any progress here or...”

He swallowed the rest of what he might have wanted to say and pulled his hand back, turning towards the window and away from Morpheus.

Well, this was a problem.

Morpheus still felt a bit on edge after having been cornered bis his former companions in the Dreaming last night. They, too, had been concerned about Morpheus' decision and so – as it seemed – was Hob.

Of course he stood unwavering in his choice to leave this all behind in a couple of days, but right now... it didn't seem the most tactful thing to tell Hob. Especially right now, when his friend was so clearly distressed.

So what could be done about it?

Of course Morpheus wanted Hob to look after himself and his mental well-being, but he also wanted to spend time with him. So...

“Would it be alright, if I accompany you?”, he asked, scaring Hob once more with his sudden question.

“What? Where?”

“To you appointment. I could come with you. This way we could spend time, but you'd also meet Jesse.”

Hob opened and closed his mouth several times, clearly lost for words. Or at least almost.

“That's... But... I don't know... This isn't how it's usually done...”, he stammered.

“Is it not? I know about some things like 'couple therapy' or 'family therapy'. Some people dreamed about it, you see?”

Now Hob seemed to get even more flustered and Morpheus frowned. This interaction didn't turn out the way he had expected it to.
Normally talking to Hob was so easy...

“This isn't... that”, Hob said, gesturing uselessly. “Normally it's just Jesse and me and whatever has been on my mind for the last few hundreds of years...”

“So, I can't come?”

Hob stared.
Morpheus stared back.

“Hello, Hob. I'm glad you could make it, but I must say, I normally don't allow visitors during my sessions.” Jesse had opened the door and gestured them inside, before turning to Morpheus. “So who are you, that Hob insisted on bringing you to his very private therapy session?”

Morpheus stood in foyer of a small house in Richmond and starred silently at the man, who could be no one other than Jesse.

It had taken them ages to get there, with Hob frantically calling his therapist over breakfast.
Morpheus had only heard one side of the conversation, but it had seemed, that Jesse wasn't to keen on having an outsider interrupt the sanctity of their sessions, but when Hob had insisted on bringing Morpheus, he had eventually given in.
Or so it had seemed.

“This is Morpheus”, Hob said as if he hadn't told Jesse his name twice already on the phone.

“Nice to meet you, Mr. Morpheus. Just Morpheus? No last name? Or is this your family's name?”

Jesse extended his hand to shake Morpheus', who deliberately ignored it.

“Just Morpheus”, he said courtly, before following Hob into an adjacent room, who seemed to be Jesse's office.

It was a comfy room, more like a living room with a nice big couch, cosy armchairs, some plants and bookshelves. Little baubles inhabited every available surface and even the walls were filled with framed old maps, photos, medals and other trinkets. The room was cluttered, but it also breathed the air of comfort and safety.

Hob had already picked a spot on the couch and Morpheus naturally sat down next to him.
Eventually even Jesse followed them into the office, a look of slight annoyance on his face.

“You see, Mr. Morpheus”, he began as he sat down in an armchair. “I don't want to sound hostile, but you might have misinterpreted me allowing Hob to bring you along as a free pass to act like you please, but be assured, that this session-”

“Is for Hob's sake”, Morpheus interrupted him. “I know.”

Next to him Hob's nervousness reached new heights.

“Uhm... listen. He's not undermining your work, Jesse. This is just the way he talks.”

Morpheus turned to his friend.

“What is wrong about the way I speak?”

“You know, that you speak more outdated than I ever did, right? All formal and with your stoic face-”

“And what, pray tell, is wrong about my face, Hob?”

“See! That's what I mean!”

There was the sound of someone clearing his throat. Loudly. It made Morpheus and Hob stop their bickering and finally look towards Jesse.

“Alright”, he said, taking a deep breath. “I guess, we started on the wrong foot here. Let's start again and introduce ourselves. I'm Dr. Jesse Miller. I've been Hob's therapist for 6 months now. Hob has... much to tell and we're just getting started. That's why I was a bit anxious about bringing an outsider in on his sessions so early. But Hob insisted and I'm not someone, who'll deny a patient's wish, especially if it is asked with such ferocity.”

Morpheus took a moment to take in Dr. Miller's appearance once more with a calmer mind.
He looked like an average middle-aged guy, hardly any older than both Morpheus and Hob appeared to be. His clothes were comfy, yet clean. Everything about him was almost intentionally unexciting, but then there was the almost serene look on his face and like his surrounding it promised safety...

“I am called Morpheus. Once I had more names, but this is the one left to me. I've been Hob's friend for... over 600 years now.”

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw Hob smile a little bit, but most of his attention was on Jesse, who now sat there with eyes wide open.

“You're... the Morpheus? You're... What did Hob call you? Dream? One of the... of the Endless?”

He frantically began skipping through his notes.

“This is, what I used to be. But not anymore.”

“What? Uhm... This is...”

Jesse stopped for a moment, looked down at his notes, before putting them away with a sigh.

“This is surely something new. Why don't you two tell me how not only an immortal, but now also the god of dreams have ended up in my office?”

Chapter Text

“...and this is how he ended up in our world.”, Hob ended his story about Morpheus' resurrection.

“For seven days”, Morpheus added, earning an uncomfortable look from his friend.

On the other side of the coffee table, Jesse had been taking furiously notes. Only now he stopped, scanned the pages and sighed.

“This is quite a mess you got yourself into. Defying otherworldly laws, risking the anger of immortal beings... And until now it... works out well?”

Hob rubbed the back of his neck.

“Mostly...”, he said quietly, causing Jesse to raise an eyebrow.

“What do you mean?”

“Uhm...”

“He wants to say, that a sister of mine is watching him and that he wasn't aware of her until I told him. Even though, I must say, that he didn't seem too surprised at those news.”

Morpheus still sat quietly in his spot, the same way since Hob had begun telling their whole little “adventure”, but now he had crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“Which sister?”, Jesse asked, scanning his notes even faster. “Uhm... Delirium, Death or Despair?”

For a moment nobody said anything, then Hob answered with a sigh:

“Despair...”

Jesse took the news gracefully. He nodded solemnly and took a further note.

“I guess, that means, that the meds, I've prescribed you are not enough. How do you feel about raising the dosage a bit? Just until she leaves.”

“...I didn't take the pills...”

“What was that?”

At Jesse's rather harsh words, Hob sank into himself even further.

“I... didn't take them. They made me awfully tired. Slept half a day, when I first tried. And I'm already tired, so...”

Morpheus watched with mild curiosity how the conversation between Hob and his therapist took a more serious turn, while trying to understand, what was going on.
So Hob had some medication, which should have helped him get out of Despair's grip. That sounded good, didn't it? Those pills also made Hob want to sleep more. One might think that this was an annoying side-effect, but at least Hob would have been safe in the Dreaming. He knew that. Then why didn't he want to stay a bit longer in Morpheus' former kingdom?
...oh.

“You didn't want to sleep”, Morpheus blurted out, surprising not only Hob, but also Jesse with that. “You implied to me, that you hadn't gotten any good rest in a while and since I'm with you, you always look more tired than you've been in centuries.”

“I... uhm... I mean, sure. I slept on the first day, you know? On the couch. But there's so much going on and-”

Morpheus didn't let him finish his flimsy explanation.

“The Dreaming is a safe haven for your mind to travel to while your body rests. Why do you want to stay away from it? I was under the impression, that my successor and you were on good terms?”

Hob shot a slightly panicked look to Jesse and lifted his hands defensively.

“Listen... Of course, I like the guy. He's nice. Just a bit... overzealous. But we talked about that and now it's fine, so don't worry. Both of you.”

“If now, everything is 'fine', then there's no reason for you not to take your medication, or is there?”, Jesse asked in a voice, which usually didn't allow any objection.

Hob tried anyway.

“I... I can't. Not right now. How about I start in a week? I'll promise. But not now.”

“Hob, your health is nothing to gamble with”, Jesse stood his ground.

“I know, but... just... please give me a week. Four days! Four days is enough. Right now, I got so much to do... please...”

It was obvious on Jesse's face, when the penny dropped. He turned all of his attention suddenly towards Morpheus, holding his gaze critically, as if he was evaluating what to say next.

“So this is all about your “life test” or whatever you're calling it, isn't it? Let me tell you, that I deeply oppose risking my patient's health for a deadline, no matter how important-”

“Jesse! No! It was my decision. Morpheus doesn't know about any of this.”

Something in the way Hob said these words, caught Morpheus' attention, but he couldn't quite pin it down.

But at least Jesse seemed to get a grip of his emotions. He cleared his throat, shuffled his notes back together and adjusted his glasses.

“My apologies. It's unprofessional of me to lose my temper like this. So Hob, you want to pause your medication for four more days, despite my advice... Well, it seems I got no other choice.” His eyes landed back on Morpheus, severe as before, but a bit calmer. “Please tell me, Morpheus, how is exploring human life going for you?”

This took both of them a bit by surprise.
Hob looked a nervously to Morpheus, who very carefully created an answer to that question in his mind.

“Since I was born, I've watched over the dreams of living beings. First simpler life forms, but eventually humans. One would... think, that I already know everything there is to know about life, but it was... quite the opposite. I never indulged in human life. Not like my sister, Death. She even takes a day off once every one-hundred years to live a day as a human. I've never done that, so... this is all quite new to me.”

“Sure, but what do you think about it? You have this one week to figure out, if this is, what you want or if you... what was it? Want to die once more?”

Morpheus nodded stoically, even when he saw Hob flinch a bit at Jesse mentioning his imminent demise.
For Morpheus it was a plan set in stone. He only felt a twinge of annoyance, that Jesse forced this topic now, when he originally had planned to... gently break those news to Hob.

“I enjoy my time here. It is like nothing I've ever experienced before.”

“But?”

He felt Hob hold his breath on the couch next to him.
This was not the time to be annoyed. If he came clean now, Hob would maybe be willing to start taking his medicine. He could break free from Despair...

Morpheus turned to Hob, who recoiled further and gently shook his head in fear of what Morpheus might say next.

“Thank you for these last few days. You made me experience what it means to be human. I really... enjoyed our time together... but when the week is over, I shall disappear once again.”

“No... please...”

“My story is already over. Don't you see? There is a new Dream and-”

“But he's not my Dream!”

For a moment Hob seemed shocked by his own words, but then he suddenly grabbed Morpheus' hands tight, looking him straight into the eyes.

“Please... what... what can I do to change your mind? I'll do anything... anything...”

Morpheus sighed.

“Don't put this on you, my friend. It's not because of something you did or didn't do. It just has to be this way. There is an order-”

“Fuck that! I've lived for over 600 years, I've seen senseless wars, which burned the earth and chaos in all varieties. Don't tell me about order or that it has to be like this. I've tried... I've tried to show you how good life is, but...” There were tears in Hob's eyes, threatening to fall, but he still pushed further. “...maybe it's, because right now I'm not sure why I keep on living for myself?”

There was an ache in Morpheus' chest as he listened to the other one speak.
Oh, why had Despair chosen his only friend as her new favourite subject? Why him?

Hob blinked and the tears fell, but still he held onto Morpheus' hands, a fragmented determination in his gaze.

“I've missed you... so much... When you were gone, it was... as if someone had blown out the sun and moon in one go. I-I dreamed about you. Every night. Dream sent me copies of you, hoping that it would... I don't know... give me a chance to say goodbye to you? But I don't want goodbyes. I want you. Here. Alive. I've already told you and... and I know, I'm selfish, but I'm only human and that's what humans do. We hang ourself, our whole being onto one person and don't let go... or we go down with them.”

Morpheus' eyes grew wide. Surely he had misunderstood the meaning of those words. Hob couldn't actually...

“Hob...”, he began slowly, gently. “I'm sorry I had to leave you without really explaining, what was happening. And I'm sorry, you suffered because of it, but don't bind your fate to mine...”

Hob shook his head.

“You're a couple of centuries too late for that. I've already decided, that I would stay around at least to meet you once every hundred years. But... but if you're not... here... I can't...”

His voice broke as a sob wrangled itself free from his mouth and made him finally break eye contact. Yet Morpheus looked at him, at the shaking shoulders of a man, who he had known for what felt like forever and still he hadn't known how much he meant to Hob Gadling.

“Hob...”

“I just don't understand”, the other sobbed. “Why do you want to die so desperately, when you got a second chance? Those ladies aren't after you and everything is fine. Even your siblings seem to be okay with you being back. They're even happy to see you alive again, but you... why? Why don't you want to stay... here?”

It seemed as if Hob had wanted to say something else, something more, but in the end he held back.
Morpheus stayed still for a moment, waiting for Hob to continue speaking, but it seemed that his friend had run out of words.

So what should he say? What could he say to calm him down?
He didn't want to lie to him, nor did he want to give him false hope, when he saw what happened, when it shattered right in front of him.

Back in the Dreaming Lucienne had almost forced him to speak out loud his deepest thoughts about the whole matter. Should he tell Hob about it? Was this the right thing to do? Maybe...

“Hob”, he began once more. “Please believe me, when I tell you, that my decision has nothing to do with you. When I tell you, that this is, what needs to happen, I am right, but so are you. I... have my reasons. I don't deserve to be alive after I've murdered my son. I put this sin willingly on my shoulders and nothing anyone can say or do will ever take it away. But it is not all...”

Now Morpheus averted his gaze as well, let it sink down to Hob's hands holding his.
It felt nice, yet it couldn't fill the darkness in his heart.
So he opened his mouth once more to confess.

“The truth is, that it all had grown so heavy over the years. More pain, more misery came onto me with every year I've existed. I dragged myself through, holding up my duty, but secretly this was, what I craved. I... I wanted to die.”

Chapter Text

What could one say to words like these?
Was there even something to be said?
To be done?

Hob still sat next to Morpheus, holding his hands, but it didn't feel enough. Not enough to bring him back from the ledge he was obviously standing on. Not enough to hold together Hob's breaking heart. Yet he didn't dare to move. Maybe Morpheus would pull back completely and then what?

So Hob sat there, his head hung low and bit his lip to keep his crying silent. No need to burden Morpheus any more than he already was.
And the load on his shoulders was clearly too much and had been too much for quite a while.

In his mind he tried to scold himself for not noticing sooner. Maybe, when they had talked for the last time? On the cemetery? Would there have been anything Hob could have said or done to save him in the first place?
He had asked himself this question already a hundred times and still found no answer.

After, what felt like ages, he tried opening his mouth again to speak, failing at the first try, but he didn't give up that easily. Not now, not here. No matter how much despair filled his heart.

“Do you... remember our meeting 1689? That time, I told you, that I'd lost it all. My possessions, my wife... my son... and... when you asked me that year, if I still wanted to live, I said yes so eagerly as if... as if I'd not thought about ending it all for a dozen times. But I was there that time, because... I couldn't die.”

Tears were still streaming down his face and it felt so unreal, because he was a mess, but Morpheus looked like always, as if nothing could touch him.

“Believe me... I've tried. Drowning, stabbing, all the things a man could try without ending horribly scarred, because he just couldn't die. And... for around 80 years I wanted nothing more than to end it and then... our meeting drew close and I... had something to look forward for. It may have been just one night, but seeing you there... the one constant in my life, the one, who never seemed to change despite changing before my very eyes each time we've met... it gave me hope.”

Hob squeezed Morpheus' hands a bit more, pulled them towards him until he could hold them to his chest. So close, that his friend hopefully could feel his still beating heart.

“Please... I've tried to be that point of hope for you and... it looks like I've failed...” He gave a tearful laugh. “But I won't give up on you. Never.”

Finally the empty look on Morpheus' face changed, even if it was only a tiny bit.
What was it? Curiosity? Exasperation? No... it looked dangerously close to admiration.
Well, Hob took what he could get.

“Hob...”, Morpheus began slowly, his voice heavy with sadness. “You need to let go of me.”

“No.”

“Hob...”

“I can't. I-I won't!”

“I can't live like this...”

“Why? What drags you down so much? And don't tell me it's your duty, because I'll bloody lose-”

“I killed my son.”

Now there were emotions on Morpheus pretty pale face and none of them was good.
His eyes shone with unshed tears and Hob felt his hands begin to tremble as the weight of his own words hit him.

“I killed my son, Hob... What father would ever do that?”

A stray tear ran down Morpheus' face and Hob just couldn't help himself. He pulled his friend into an embrace, let him hide his face on Hob's shoulder so the world couldn't see him as he fell apart.
Holding him close, Hob let his free hand wander through Morpheus' hair, gently stroking it while he felt tears drench his shirt.

He glanced over to Jesse, who sat quietly in his chair like he always did, when there was no need for him to do anything else, but listen.

“You know the story of Orpheus and Eurydice, Jesse?”

“Of course, I do.”

Hob hummed in appreciation.

“Orpheus was his son.” He nodded down towards Morpheus. “His family told me about him, when... you know... when I met them. How he didn't want his son to go down to the underworld, because he was afraid he might lose him...”

“...I left him...”, Morpheus' muffled voice came from below. “I killed him, when I didn't stop him from going and... then I killed him with my own hands when...”

The rest of the sentence was lost in a sob and Hob leaned down his head against Morpheus' until his lips were close to his ear.

“I won't tell you, that you didn't make mistakes. Maybe you should have tried to stop him. Maybe you should have tried to go instead of him. Nobody knows what might've happened instead. Your life was so much bigger and maybe that's why every mistake had so much bigger consequences, but I'll tell you what... from one father to another... you didn't kill your son. You released him. You fulfilled his wish and I have... so much respect for you for doing this.”

“I don't deserve your respect...”

“You do, my friend. You do. Because I can't even begin to imagine how hard this must've been. You know, I've been a soldier for a good part of my life, but I never had so much strength and courage as you do. You knew, what it meant to fulfil his wish. You knew, that it might cost your own. You hurt yourself by doing it and I can see you're still hurting, but... you did it anyway. Out of love. The love of a father for his son. And that I respect and admire.”

He had spoken quietly, almost whispering as his words felt too private for other ears. This was a conversation of two fathers, who had lost their sons and Hob knew, that even if he managed to pull Morpheus back from the ledge he was standing on, this grieve would always be a part of him.
Parents weren't supposed to outlive their children.

For a while he let Morpheus just stay there and let himself be held.
Had he ever had the chance to really mourn the death of his son? Or had he tried to shove it all away, because he thought the didn't deserve to mourn, what he killed? Probably his words. Not Hob's.
The tears on his shirt told Hob that there was a lot to grieve left.

Eventually Morpheus pulled back a little and tried to sit up straight enough to look Hob in the eyes.

“My son is dead”, he said with his voice rough from crying.

Hob nodded in acknowledgement.

“I'm sorry for your loss.”

It was a simple exchange, but Hob didn't fail to notice, how Morpheus had let go of the blame, at least for now.
Then Morpheus energy was at its end and he leaned forwards until his forehead rested against Hob's. They were so close, the tips of their noses touching, but all Hob felt in this moment was compassion. Desire was thankfully quiet right now.

“Hey...”, he whispered, as he heard Morpheus' breathing even out. “Don't fall asleep on me. This is an expensive place to sleep.”

“I'm awake...”

The answer sounded a bit slurred, so Hob had his doubts. Still he didn't move. For now.

“Jesse?”, he asked with his eyes closed. “How do you feel about having another weird patient?”

He heard Jesse chuckle quietly.

“I'd say, that you'll always be my favourite weirdo and... that it's not for me to decide this. I'd be glad to help, but Morpheus has to make this decision.”

Hob lifted a hand and gently stroked Morpheus' cheek, wiping away the last few tears.

“What do you think, my friend? Ready for the human experience of therapy?”

He really had hoped for this answer, but it still surprised him as he felt Morpheus nod, their noses bumping against each other.

“Yes... I think, I might try... If not for my sake, then at least for yours...”

“Oh, no. No, no, no. This is for you. Yes, I want you to get better, but this is your thing, alright?”

Morpheus simply hummed in affirmation.

“Okay”, Jesse said from his side of the room. “I've got the afternoon off and this looks like an emergency to me. So, why don't I make us some nice cups of tea and then we'll talk, yes?”

He could hear Jesse get up from his spot, but not leave, so he finally entangled himself from Morpheus, who blinked at the world with red-rimmed eyes like the world's saddest owl.
Hob rose as well and held his hand out to Morpheus to help him up.
To his not-that-small surprise his friend accepted the help.

As the left the room, Jesse put a hand on his shoulder.

“How are you feeling? Just checking in with you.”

Hob sighed heavily.

“Tired. Bone-tired and ready to sleep through the next century... but alright.”

Jesse nodded.

“Good. Because I'd like you to let me talk to Morpheus in private. At least for now. There's a guest room down the hall, if you want to lay down.”

“What a service. Therapy and hotel?” Hob grinned, a bit surprised with himself how willing he was to leave Morpheus' side.

“It's not something I'd do for every patient, but I don't need to tell you, that you're special. And it's... also for a professional reason. I can tell, that the two of you are close. You don't want to hurt each other by saying something wrong, but maybe it might happen anyway. I can see, that this drained you. I'd like to meet you again in three days. Both of you. After that we can reassume your normal weekly schedule. Is that okay for you?”

The last question was directed at both of them, but Morpheus simply looked too lost for an answer.

“Yes, sounds good to me”, Hob answered for him as well.

“Alright”, Jesse said as they reached the kitchen. “Then I'll brew some nice tea for us now. Ah. Not for you, Hob. Grab a glass of water. No caffeine. I want to take a sweet little nap.”

Hob sighed a bit disappointed, but nodded and turned to leave for the guest room.

“And, Hob?”, Jesse called after him, making him stop once more. “Take your meds, will you?”

Another sigh, but this one, he realized, was just for show. He had already made his decision.

“I'll try.”

And with that he was gone and left Morpheus, former King of the Dreaming, to his very first own session.
Maybe now things would be... better.

Chapter Text

“Hob... Hob... wake up. It's time to go.”

Hob tried to crawl deeper under the covers.

“Just five more minutes...”

He heard a chuckle from a bit further back.

“I'll put it on the invoice, if you want to stay longer.”

This made Hob crack open one eye and glare at Jesse, who stood by the door.

“I'm already paying you a fortune, so you can let me sleep just a couple of minutes, won't you?”

Jesse laughed in response.

“And here I thought, that the two of you may want to have something left of the day for yourself.”

These words finally made Hob crawl out of his cosy cocoon.

“Why? How late is it?” He looked at his phone. “What the actual fuck? When did it become so late?”

He sat up, put his feet on the floor and started putting his shoes back on, while glancing almost discreetly at Morpheus.
His friend looked as tired as he felt, but... other than that he looked fine. Calm. The redness had vanished from his eyes and there was a slight curl in the corner of his mouth, which might as well be a smile.

“How are you feeling?”, he asked Morpheus, when eventually stood next to him, fully re-dressed and ready to go.

Morpheus shrugged, but he didn't look away.
A good sign, wasn't it?

“I... don't know... I feel tired and... exhausted... as if... my very insides were scraped out...”

“That's called 'healing'”, Jesse called over to them. “And you're welcome.”

Morpheus frowned.

“Is it always like this?”

This made both Hob and Jesse laugh.

“Not always. Sometimes, but not always”, Hob said. “And believe me, it's absolutely worth it. But now let's go. Want to grab some food on the way home? I'm starving.”

Now there was a real smile on Morpheus' face.

“I'd like to... eat at the Inn with you... if that's alright for you.”

Hob couldn't help but smile back, tired but beaming like the sun.

“Sam's cooking got you, didn't it? Okay, let's eat there. I have a little booth in a corner, which is always left open, just in case. I think that should be fine.”

He put a hand on Morpheus' shoulder and navigated him out of the room.
Oh, he was clearly testing boundaries today, but up till now Morpheus hadn't complained, so he guessed this was a win for his side.

“Thank you so much, Jesse. For taking so much time for us”, he said, when they left the house.

“Don't worry about it. This isn't just my job. It might sound silly, but I think about it as my calling. Helping people, you know... But don't think that I won't send you an invoice! I still have to eat.”

Hob laughed and shook his hand.

“That's fine by me.”

To his mild surprise even Morpheus shook Jesse's hand.

“Thank you... for everything...”

“It's alright. We have a long journey ahead of us, but you took the first step. See you in three days. Bye, guys. Oh! And don't forget to take your meds! I'll be really cross, if you don't!”

They waved at him as they walked away, side by side.
Thankfully it didn't rain today, but it was still cold, especially for Hob, who had left a warm bed only a couple of minutes ago. He burrowed himself deeper in his coat, stuffing his hands into the pockets.

“So... you got a prescription now?”, Hob asked, when they were almost at the station.

Morpheus nodded and pulled a little piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Hob.

“Ah, yes. Same as mine. There's a pharmacy around the corner. They should have, what you need. Better you take the first dose today, because I'm afraid it'll knock you out of your socks.”

Morpheus had this quite adorable look on his face, when Hob was behaving too human for him to understand. As always, it didn't fail to make Hob laugh.

“Just a phrase, don't worry...”

A good time later they found themselves in Hob's booth at The New Inn.
The pub was crowded as always around this time and both of them were more than happy for the little bit of privacy the wooden walls around their table provided them,
After a day like this neither could deal with loud people anymore, even though Hob suspected, that Morpheus couldn't even deal with them on a good day.

The dinner was quiet, but not in an uncomfortable way. They both ate their meals, drank their juice. Hob had insisted on something non-alcoholic, since their 'desert' consisted for both of them of antidepressants. Mixing that with wine – especially for Morpheus – would have been disastrous.

It might have been the meds, or simply because this day had drained them dry, but after that they didn't stay much longer, sneaking upstairs, before one of the servers could pin them down for a chat.

Hob made a joke, how they were such old man, when they went straight to bed, but – as always with Morpheus – the joke only earned him a confused frown.
At least it made himself laugh.

“Morpheus?”, Hob asked, when they were tugged in nicely under the covers.

“Yes, Hob?”

“May I... meet you in the Dreaming tonight? You're part-dream, so you can travel, don't you? And... normally Dream finds me and asks me a million questions about... how you're doing and so on, but I'm not in the mood for that tonight. So maybe, I thought, we could do something nice like... a picnic at Loch Ness or play a bit of chess in Buckingham Palace?”

Morpheus raised an eyebrow.

“Dream is visiting you at night?”

Hob felt as if something was crawling up the back of his neck. Oh, no. Was this the wrong time to mention his nightly meetings with the new king?

“Uhm... yeah. At least... most of the time. He's just a bit curious how you're doing... Does it bother you?”

Morpheus stayed silent for a moment, but then Hob saw him shake his head in the dim light of the bedroom.

“No. I guess, it is his right to know about the dwelling of his substitutes like I am now... but it also doesn't bother me.”

He seemed a bit surprised by his own words as he turned completely towards Hob, now facing his way.

“As for your request... The last few nights, I only dared to roam the furthest corners of the Dreaming, afraid to meet... my old friends again. But last night they found me anyway. I must confess, I wasn't prepared to meet them and it went rather poorly, so... if you're not opposed to the idea, I'd like to meet them on my turns tonight. But you may as well come along, if you want to. I'm sure, they'd be glad to meet you once more.”

Though Morpheus couldn't quite see it, Hob smiled at him.

“I'd like that...” He fought a yawn and lost the battle. “Find me in my dreams, Morpheus. And then we can go meet your friends...”

He closed his eyes and immediately felt his breathing even out.

“Good night, Hob... Sweet dreams”, was the last thing he heard before his mind slipped away towards the vast realm of the Dreaming.

Chapter Text

Hob was running through shiny red corridors, slipping on the smooth ground, dragging himself back up again to continue running as fast as he could.
How did he end up in this mess again?
Why couldn't he have one moment of peace?

“Oh, Hoooob. Be a dear and come back. We're not done here.”

The voice unfortunately didn't sound as far away as Hob would have liked. So he pushed himself to run even faster, he turned a corner and collided full-force with a tall figure dressed in black.

“Sorry, didn't see you there”, he huffed out of breath, but despite his panic extended a hand to help the other up.

“Hob... why are you here?”, the other asked, completely unbothered.

That made Hob stop and blink in confusion.
One second passed. Two, three, four...

“Morpheus!”

With speaking his name out loud came the realization, that he was only dreaming. Hob let out a deep sigh of relief.

“Thank gods... none of this is real...”

Morpheus accepted the help to stand up and brushed the non-existent dirt from his clothes.

“Were you tortured by a nightmare? I think, it might be in my power to change this, if you want”, Morpheus offered.

“Oh... thanks. I... I'll think about it. But for now, just let's go.” He pushed Morpheus towards the direction he'd been running to. “Just get us out of here, please. That would be enough.”

“Of course. Give me a moment...”

Morpheus seemed a bit confused, but nonetheless he started creating a portal, while Hob looked around in mild panic and major impatience. When finally the door was open, he simply pushed Morpheus through.

“Hob Gadling, don't you dare to leave. This session isn't over yet!”

“Oh, but it is!”, Hob called back as his pursuer came into view and jumped through the portal as well.

They landed on the sound plane of grass, which surrounded the castle. Flat on their backs.
For a moment Hob just stayed like this, his eyes closed and took a deep breath.

“This is... perfect”, he sighed, enjoying the peace and quiet.

Next to him Morpheus sat up and looked at him curiously.

“Why was a dream looking like my sibling chasing you through their domain, Hob? And why... were they wearing Jesse's clothes?”

Hob groaned and hid his face in his hands.

“Please don't ask me why my fucking subconscious has decided to come up with that crap tonight of all nights. I really wish you hadn't seen that... but on the other hand...” He peeked out from behind his hand. “I'm really happy, you got me out of there. Thank you.”

Morpheus looked still more than a bit confused, but he gracefully dropped the subject and arose from the ground.

“Let us go meet the others... or else I might lose my will to meet them at all”, he proclaimed.

Hob scrambled to his feet as well, brushing very visible dirt from his trousers.

“Alright, let's go. I'm really looking forward to seeing Lucienne again, you know? She's very nice.”

Leisurely they started walking towards the imposing castle.

“You're right”, Morpheus said after they had walked a bit.

“Hm?”

“You are right. Lucienne is, indeed, very... nice. And intelligent. And professional... I wish, I'd told her this more, when I was still Dream of the Endless.”

Hob nudged him slightly with his shoulder and grinned.

“You can tell her now.”

“... I could...”

The walk towards the castle was shorter than it looked, but Hob wasn't bothered by that. He knew only too well, that distanced in dreams weren't always the same. He was just happy, that it hadn't taken them all night... and that Morpheus – during their walk – thankfully didn't ask again about Hob's nightmare.

Eventually they arrived at the big entrance, which was guarded by the griffin, the wyvern and the hippogriff .

“Who goes there?”, the wyvern asked with a rumbling voice.

“It is I, old friends. Though I'm not, who I used to be, I hope, you'll grant us entry nonetheless.”

The griffin screeched and Hob really hoped, that it was a good sound.

“Hmmm...”, the voice of the wyvern rumbled. “I see you've changed... but you still belong to the Dreaming and as an inhabitant I'll let you through. The dreamer on the other hand...”

“He's with me.” Hob felt his heart beat in his throat as Morpheus suddenly grabbed his wrist, gaze still fixed at the guards. “I'll vouch for him.”

“Your word is enough for me. You may enter. But be aware, that the Lord of Dreams isn't here tonight.”

Sweating hot and cold Hob thought about how Dream might right now be in Hob's dream, talking to Desire's doppelganger about where Hob had disappeared to.
Oh, well. If he wanted to meet him, Hob was pretty sure, he'd be able to find him anyway.

The doors in front of them opened and Morpheus walked in without another word, gently dragging Hob along, who didn't even try to free his hand.

The inside was as fantastical as the last time he'd been here, but somehow the moving ceiling with all its figures and stars seemed... lighter.

When Hob had been here the last time, there hadn't been any special decoration for the funeral, yet the whole place had felt like a mourning hall and now... now it was a castle again.
Just like that.

“Come. I think, we'll look for Lucienne first. She might be in the library.”

With steadiness in his step, which Hob almost envied, Moprheus walked down the impossible long corridors and Hob with him.

“Uhm... she could also be in the thrown room”, Hob suggested, earning a frown from Morpheus.

“Why would she?”

“Because, as far as I remember, Dream made her chancellor of the Dreaming... or something like that. To help him rule it.”

Morpheus faltered only for a second, then he smiled.

“A wise decision. Lucienne had always given me the best advices.”

“And how many ignored you?”, Hob dared to tease him.

“Too many...”, Morpheus sighed in response. “Let us hope my successor won't make this mistake.”

“He's a clever boy. He'll be fine.”

Chapter Text

Indeed they found Lucienne not in the empty thrown room – which Morpheus rather quickly left again – but in her library, sitting in a comfy armchair with Matthew perched on the back of the chair.

As soon as she noticed them, she quickly put the book, she had been reading, down and rose to her feet to greet them.

“My lord! You've returned. I must say, I'm relieved. I thought I might have angered you last time...”

Morpheus put up a hand to stop her rambling. Next to him Hob raised an eyebrow as he spotted a light smile on the face of his friend.

“No need to worry further, Lucienne”, Morpheus said calmly. “I may have been... distraught when we talked, but let me assure you, that it wasn't your fault. The circumstances had been a bit difficult for me, but... I'm rethinking, what I've said. I'm sorry for having acted to abrasive.”

As always Morpheus' mysterious way of speaking didn't fail to catch Hob's attention. He leaned a bit closer, his gaze shifting between Morpheus and Lucienne, but neither seemed willing to explain the situation to him.

A bit miffed, but not wanting to outright ask, Hob crossed his arms in front of his chest.
If Morpheus wanted to keep his secrets, then he could do that.

“Lucienne, I want to talk to the others as well. Can you tell me, where the are?”, Morpheus asked, as he noticed that the librarian was too stunned to speak.

“Oh. Uhm. Yes. Yes...”

“I am here, boss”, Matthew cawed.

“This I noticed. My apologies to you as well, Matthew. It wasn't fair of me to shout at you.”

“Apology accepted”, came the croaked answer of the raven.

“Okay, now I need to ask”, Hob interrupted. “You... shouted at your friends? I don't remember you ever raising your voice in 600 years! I mean... I yelled after you in the rain omce, but you... even angry you always seemed so... put together.”

“It was a... special situation”, Lucienne answered instead, straightening her glasses. “We may have pushed a bit too hard for an answer and Lord Morpheus verbally defended his... privacy.”

The looks the three of them exchanged told Hob, that there was more to this story, but Morpheus didn't want to tell him and the others respected his wish without having to ask.
So Hob sighed again and left it at this. After all, he wasn't too keen about telling Morpheus about his little meeting with Desire either and why they were haunting his dreams...

Everyone deserved their little secrets.

“I will now bring you to the others. If you would please follow me?”, Lucienne elegantly changed the topic and guided them out of the library.

Matthew came along, of course. On their way out to the garden, he landed on Hob's shoulder and cawed happily.

“The boss looks relaxed”, he croaked almost quietly as they followed Lucienne and Morpheus through the long hallways.

“He does, doesn't he? We had a... bit of a rough day. Both of us. But I want to believe, that things are looking brighter now.”

Matthew focused him with one night-black eye, leaning his head a bit to the side.

“You're good for him”, he simply stated, making Hob almost stumble.

“What? I... I don't do anything...” He laughed a bit nervously. “Well, that's not quite true, but... I've forced him into this mess and-”

“And it's good for him. Haven't seen him this relaxed since... ever. He was always stressed, always down, because of something his siblings did or some human or work and so on. Even the last time, he still seemed gloomy as ever, but now... he's not that gloomy anymore. Thanks to that.”

Hob shook his head.

“He did that himself. I think one day he might be able to let go of what drags him down. Not that soon, but at least someday... And I don't have a hand in that. So there's nothing to thank me for.”

Matthew leaned his head to the other side and blinked again.

“Well, we'll see about that.”

And then he took flight as they stepped out of the castle into the vast garden behind it.
The view alone made Hob stop in his tracks and stare in wonder. Last time he had been here, it had been dark and all the flowers had closed their petals, but now they were in full bloom... and so amazing. The smell alone made him dizzy, but still he hurried after his companions as they walked down the main road into the garden.

It wasn't an exaggeration.
The sweet smell all around him confused Hob's mind, made him stumble and almost sway from the path, but Morpheus grabbed his hand and pulled him to his side.

“The garden is a dangerous place”, he murmured. “I'm sorry. I shouldn't have brought you here. It is quite too much for human senses.”

“Don't worry. I've survived worse. I've been to opium halls and 60s parties. A bunch of flowers won't put me down.”

He tried to grin, but it didn't need the frown on Morpheus' face to know that his smile was wobbly at best.

Thankfully they arrived at a little clearing, before Hob could test, if he could throw up in a dream.
And there, sitting at a little table were Nuala, Abel, Cain and Goldie, drinking tea and eating biscuits – or in Nuala's case: flowers. Close by Melvyn dug through a path of earth, cursing while plugging flower bulbs deep into the soil.

“Thrice damned Fiddler's Green! Chooses the Sunless Lands over his work. And who has to make the area look good now? Me! Always me!”

At the table Nuala made a disapproving noise.

“It wasn't like this and you know it”, she said with a sharp tone.

“And if it's too much work for you, you can always ask Lord Dream, if he wants to create... a new sentient area... or maybe another caretaker for the grounds?”, Abel suggested, but his words were only met with an angry grumble.

“Another caretaker? That's too much! Do you want to tell me, that I don't make my job well enough?”

“N-No! I-I didn't dare to-”

“Hey! If someone yells at my brother, it's me!”, Cain interrupted.

Before the conversation could escalate, Lucienne stepped forward and cleared her throat loudly.

“My friends”, she said. “Please behave. We have guests.”

Then she took a step aside and gave way for Morpheus and a quite pale Hob Gadling.

“My lord! You've returned!... again!”

The cheers were as loud as the last time, but now Morpheus didn't try to run away. He even took a step closer with an almost smile on his lips.

“Greeting, my friends. I've indeed returned, because... I need to ask you all for your forgiveness.”

Hob wondered, if these words were difficult for Morpheus to say out loud.
To apologize... as far as Hob could remember his friend hardly ever said words of regret. But on the other hand remembering was now a bit difficult with this sweet smell filling his head and wrapping his brain in cotton candy. Thinking was slow and sticky. Movements was slow and sticky. And standing upright was...

From one moment to the next Hob felt his eyes close and then he would have hit the ground if it hadn't been for Morpheus catching him and slowly putting him down.

“Is he... asleep?”, Abel asked, as he and the others had come close.

“Idiot! He's already asleep in the Waking World. You can't sleep in the Dreaming”, Cain scolded his brother.

“He's not completely wrong”, Morpheus said as he laid Hob down on the soft grass and wiped a stray hair from his eyes. “The flowers have deepened his sleep. Dreams can't reach him now. But he will be alright once he awakes. I forgot about the effect the flowers can have on humans. It's my fault for bringing him here...”

“I'm glad that he'll be fine”, Nuala said, kneeling down next to him. “Even though I'd have loved to talk to him. Maybe next time.”

She looked expectantly at Morpheus and smiled as she saw him nod.

“The night is still young. Why not have a snack and tea together... if you want to, my lord”, Mervyn suggested.

“That would be...” Morpheus looked in the expectant faces of those around him. “...completely acceptable.”

When Hob Gadling opened one eye and yawned he felt deeply rested for the first time in literally ages... he also didn't quite know what time it was. Or day. Or year.
Had it all been a weird dream? And when had the dream started?

He rolled around in his bed and found himself face to face with a pale sleeping face and wild black hair.
So definitely not a dream.
Good.

Once again Hob used this little moment to just watch Morpheus sleep.
It was still too strange to completely wrap his brain around the fact that the former King of Dreams himself was asleep next to him, his mind probably travelling the Dreaming... oh.
They had been together, when Hob had... lost consciousness? Well, he really needed to ask Morpheus about that, when he woke up, but what was more important, was that Morpheus very likely had noticed Hob disappearing from his side.

As soon as he thought this, Morpheus began to stir.
Gracefully like an oversized cat, he stretched his arms and scrunched his face in a yawn.
Hob had to bite his lips not to giggle like a school kid. It was simply too adorable.

But then Morpheus opened his eyes and Hob brought his loudly beating heart back under control. Nothing to see here. Just a man secretly and idiotically being in love for way too long, thank you very much.

“Good morning, Sleeping Beauty. Had a nice rest?”, he asked and immediately fought down the urge to slap himself.

At least the frown on Morpheus' face told him, that his greeting had been perceived as a bad joke and not... something... worse?

“Good morning, Hob”, Morpheus greeted back. “I talked with the others all night. It was... pleasant. I am sorry, though, that you've missed it. The flowers in the garden tend to deepen the sleep of every dreamer, who inhales their scent.”

“Ah. That makes sense. But don't worry. I slept incredibly well. Feeling rested and full of energy. Now... are you ready for the surprise of how late it is?” He angled for his phone. “Yep, thought so. It's already early afternoon.”

He sighed heavily, mourning the lost hours for a moment.

“I'm sorry, Hob. I didn't want you to lose so much time.”

Hob grinned at him.

“Two apologies right after waking up? Do you have fever?”

This immediately made Morpheus frown again and wiggle himself out of the covers.

“Hey! Don't be mad. It was just a joke. I-”

But, as always, Morpheus had simply left the room, leaving Hob to contemplate his regret of once again having spoken before he thought about it first.

That's why he stayed in bed a moment longer, before he stood up as well and shuffled over to the closed bathroom door to lean his head against it.

“...Morpheus?” No answer. “Listen... I'm sorry. It was a stupid joke. I... I didn't want you to feel bad about the time we've lost and... maybe I didn't want to feel bad, too. Because... I really regret every wasted minute I don't spend showing you the world and life and... I hope, you're still up to going out today? With me?”

The door suddenly opened and Hob did his best to regain his balance.
Standing before him, looking perfect as always, was Morpheus and his ever-present frown.

“You could have simply said so”, Morpheus said in his usual deep rumble, but Hob was happy to hear no anger in his voice.

“I know”, he sighed. “I'm an idiot. Thought you'd know that about me.”

Morpheus shook his head.

“You may be many things, Hob, but an idiot is none of it.”

“Yeah?” Hob managed half a grin. “What are the other things?”

But Morpheus stepped out of the bathroom and pushed Hob inside.

“Make yourself presentable and we can discuss your plans for today over lunch... and may I shall tell you what I think about you.”

“That's a promise!”

With that Morpheus closed the door and left Hob standing on the cool bathroom tiles.
He should take a shower, brush his hair, brush his teeth, but right now he had a more pressing matter to think about.
That smile of Morpheus', when he'd said these last words... these last words!

...Was Morpheus flirting with him?

Chapter Text

Hob didn't quite know whether he should laugh or cry about the fact, that Morpheus did indeed not tell him, what he thought about him, when they were out for a quick coffee.
Instead he told him about meeting his friends in the Dreaming and how he had told them about Jesse, his newly started therapy and how he would now try to battle the dark thoughts inside his brain.
That last part, at least, gave Hob a bit of hope for their upcoming meeting with Dream.

Only three days remained.
Hob felt slight panic rise in his chest, put he pushed it down and tried to concentrate on Morpheus' story. His friend seemed completely unbothered the passing of time.
Maybe he had come to the decision to stay? Maybe speaking to Jesse had really helped him with that?
Whatever it was, Hob didn't dare to ask. Not now.

If Morpheus had already decided, that he would stay, then Hob feared, that he still might blow it in those last few days.
But if Morpheus was still determined to vanish... Hob didn't know how to handle that.
So instead he simply tried to assume, that his friend hadn't made up his mind yet and still needed convincing.
That's where the plan for today came in.

Instead of going to a restaurant Hob had made them grab coffee at a small corner shop near the Inn. If Morpheus had wondered about that decision, he didn't ask nor complain.

After that they made their way along the Thames towards Southwark. The weather was kind to them, a bit windy, but not too bad.
Nonetheless Hob might have underestimated the distance a bit, because when the finally arrives at the stone entrance his stomach started growling... and so did Morpheus'.

Like always the former King didn't seem pleased for the human behaviour of his mostly human body, but Hob could easily distract him by pulling him across the street and into the maze of little paths and corners, illuminated by hundreds, if not thousands of little lightbulbs.

It was wonderful to look at, but what made it really irresistible was the smell, which hung thickly in the air. Sweet and savoury, spicy and oh-so delicious, Burrough Market awaited them with a myriad of possibilities.

At first it almost seemed too much for Morpheus, as he stopped in the middle of the road and starred wide-eyed at the sea of booths and stalls. Hob was as good as ready to abandon his plan, as he heard his friend whisper.

“Humans dreamed about this place. I thought they were exaggerating... but it really is like this.”

Hob didn't ask, what 'like this' meant, but he understood nonetheless.
So instead he grabbed Morpheus' arm and guided him through the maze.

At first Morpheus was too busy looking around, his hunger almost forgotten – much to Hob's own torment – but after a while he seemed more than a little bit interested in this and that.
Hob took this opportunity and handed Morpheus a bit of money to buy whatever he wanted.

Of course, Morpheus understood, that humans used money in their daily lives and he also – theoretically – knew what to do with it, but when he first bought a piece of almond nougat it was like watching a little child.

Hob had to bite his lips not to laugh at the serious look on his friend's face as he counted the change the merchant had given him.

“He's not from around here”, Hob called over to the man behind the counter, who looked deeply insulted by Morpheus' behaviour.

What felt like ages later, they found themselves on a bench under some tall trees, with feet hurting and each of them with a bag full of hand-picked tasty goods.

“Did you like the market?”, Hob asked as he put a chunk of cheese on a fresh bun.

Morpheus took a while to answer. Mostly, because he was chewing some honeyed sweet, but he also looked as if he was writing a full-on review in his head.

“It was... crowded...”

Hob nodded.

“It's always like that”, he agreed.

“But it was also... interesting. So many people, all of them talking, eating, laughing... I think, my sister would like this place.”

“Death?”

Morpheus nodded.

“Delirium might like it, too, but she would also get lost.”

Hob laughed.

“That's for sure.”

The wind got a bit stronger as they ate their scavenged meal, so they huddled a bit closer together, which provided them with a bit of warmth and Hob with a loudly beating heart.

“Say... you wanted to tell me, what you thought about me”, he dared to speak up, but looking out at the river. “This morning...well, afternoon. When we were still at home. You said, that you'd tell me, what you think about me over lunch. Does this count as lunch?”

He barely dared to glance at Morpheus and his heart made quite a jump as he saw his friend smiling softly at him.

“My dear Hob... Do you still need to ask after we've known each other for such a long time?”

Feeling his heartbeat in his throat, Hob could only nod.
Morpheus hummed in response and let his gaze travel over the grey waves as well.

“You are my friend, Hob Gadling. I don't have many friends, especially not outside of the Dreaming and even among them you are... special to me. Our companionship may have started as a wager between my sister and me, but I now must confess, that I was always looking forward to our meeting each century. When I realized, that I'd missed the last one, I had been devastated. More so, when I found the White Horse barred up and empty. But you... you created a new place for us to meet. You were still waiting for me... I can't put into words how much this meant to me. Back then and now.”

'Be still, my heart'
It was a futile wish of Hob, because he was so sure, that the beating in his chest must be louder than the wind. He opened his mouth, but the words he so desperately wanted to say, didn't come out.

Morpheus had called him 'his friend'.
Friend.
Not lover. Not love. Not dear. No deeper endearment than 'friend'-
So he swallowed the words back down and forced a smile on his face.

“I would have waited for you hundreds of years. Thousands”, he said instead and it was the closest to a confession he had ever said out loud.

Morpheus turned his head and smiled at him.
Really smiled.

It was breathtaking.

“Thank you, Hob. When you're waiting for me, I'll always come to meet you. ...even though sometimes it might take a while.”

“Then let's make sure, that you don't get lost again.”

Hob stood up and offered Morpheus a hand, blaming the redness on his face on the biting wind as Morpheus indeed took his hand as they slowly walked away from the bench.

“This was... only one part of my plan for today”, Hob confessed as the street-lights around them slowly came to life.

“What else have you planned for today?”, Morpheus asked, clearly curious.

“Hmmm... it's a little surprise, but I think you'll figure it out soon enough.”

The look on Morpheus' face told Hob, that he didn't like this answer, but otherwise he kept quiet as they continued their walk.

Very soon their destination came into view and Morpheus raised an eyebrow.

“Are you making fun of me, Hob Gadling?”

“I'll ignore you using my full name trying to intimidate me, okay? And no, I'm not making fun of you. But I thought you might like an evening at the theatre.”

In front of them was one of the world's most famous theatres: The Globe.
Both of them knew, that the original had looked a bit different and had been at a different spot, but right now that was none of their problems.

“Want to peek inside?”, Hob asked, nudging Morpheus' shoulder.

“Is it still open?”

“At this time of the year... they only do tours throughout the day. The plays are at the playhouse over there, but... I may have some connections and if you want to, we can take a look, before the play starts.”

This got him Morpheus' full attention.

“What are they playing tonight?”, he asked with barely veiled curiosity.

Hob grinned widely.

“Something you may know only too well... because it was you, who made him write it. It's A Midsummer Night's Dream.”

Their time to sneak around in the empty theatre was a bit short, since they had arrived rather late and didn't want to miss the start of the play, but for a moment both of them felt as if they'd travelled back in time as they stood in the centre of the Globe with only some dim lights in the corners and the bare dark sky above them.

“Standing here, I almost feel some 400 years younger”, Hob joked, shoving his cold hands deep into his pockets.

“You don't age, Hob”, Morpheus answered him with almost a smirk.

“I know. But I get older. Wiser, too... at least I hope.”

Morpheus' chuckle was clear in the air and once again it didn't fail to make Hob's chest feelt a bit warmer.

“Hadn't thought it would come to this, have you?”, Hob asked to distract himself. “When you talked to young Will Shaxberd back then in the White Horse...”

The raised eyebrow told Hob, that his distraction may have backfired.

“Are you still holding this against me...?”, Morpheus asked, an amused tone in his voice.

Hob decided to go down with waving flags.

“What? Me? Just because you left me sitting there with a banquet big enough for a dozen men to talk to some scrawny playwright? Noooo. It was absolutely understandable, that you cut short our once-in-a-century meeting for that.”

Despite his best efforts there was still a tinge of hurt in his words and of course Morpheus had to find it.
He turned on the spot and walked up to Hob, only to stop dangerously close to him.

“Is it once again my time to apologize to you, Hob?”, he asked, trying to catch his gaze. “Then let me say it clearly: I'm sorry I left our meeting early that year. It was neither fair nor nice to do this to you.”

Hob stared at the ground, feeling his ears burn.
These were the words he had longed to hear for a very long time.

It had taken him years – and definitely after Shakespeare had died – till he had finally made himself watch one of the plays. And much to his chagrin he had to admit, that they were quite good.

“Then I'm sorry for having been such moron that year and for trying to bore you to tears with my story about the queen.” He shook his head. “I've been young and stupid back then.”

Morpheus chuckled.

“You were over 200 years old.”

“Yeah. Literally a baby.”

“I've never seen an infant this acquisitive and jealous.”

Hob dramatically hid his face in his hands.

“Don't call out my weaknesses from the past. I've changed, I swear!”

“I know.”

Two words, spoken softly.
It made Hob peek out from behind his fingers and see the gentle smile on Morpheus' face.
Oh, how weak he was for this smile...

Without thinking he dropped his hands and just looked at Morpheus in the far-away light of the city.

Outside it was the 21^st century, but right here it was still the past. They hadn't fought yet, they hadn't been apart yet for longer than any of them wanted, he hadn't lost him yet...

His feet took a step without him realizing and suddenly he was right in front of Morpheus, so close that he could see the light reflected in his eyes and for a moment he could pretend, that it was starlight.

Timidly he raised a hand to grab the hem of Morpheus' sleeve.
Not his hand. He wasn't brave enough for this.

He was close. So close. Hob only needed to lean in a bit more to feel his breath on his skin. A bit more than that and he... He felt like a boy, who had caught a butterfly. Unable to understand how he'd managed it and completely clueless what to do with it.

Trembling a bit, he opened his mouth.

What could he say? What should he say?

“Morpheus...”, began slowly, his heart beating like a sledgehammer in his chest. “We... we... we need to go now, or we'll miss the start of the play.”

He was a god-damned coward.

Chapter Text

There was one undeniable advantage in living in one city for a very long time and having gathered a nice sum of money through the ages: at one point you knew almost everyone, who mattered and you knew how to bribe them.
That's how Hob and Morpheus ended up with seats in the gallery despite having arrived barely minutes before the play started. They were not the best seats in the house, but well enough, that they had a decent view of the stage.

As soon as the lights were dimmed and the first actor stepped onto the stage Morpheus gaze was glued to them... and Hob... poor foolish Hob couldn't help himself but watch his companion's excitement in the safe darkness of the room.
There were moments, when he could see Morpheus lips moving along with the lines of King Oberon, Queen Titania or even Puck. It was obvious, that Morpheus knew the play by heart and even though Hob knew that he'd never quite forgive Shakespeare for being so bright and full of enthusiasm that night, that he unknowingly stole Morpheus away from their meeting that night, he still was thankful for this particular play.

When the idea of an evening at the theatre had first popped into his mind, he had wondered, if he should maybe look out for another play. Maybe King Lear would have been better, since it now had its original ending back. Or maybe he could have indulged himself a bit with Romeo & Juliet.
But in the end, as he looked it up, it was apparent, that this was the play they had to see.
Nothing else.

On stage Puck danced around, looking like he was having the best time of his life.

“You know...”, Morpheus whispered suddenly very close to Hob. “...when the play premiered and the elves watched it in the human realm, the real Puck changed places with his actor and played himself throughout the whole play.”

Hob managed a quite, if not a bit strangled, chuckle.

“At least he stayed close to the lines. Until today, I'm not quite sure if the other actors noticed the switch.”

“Well, who would be better to play Puck if not Puck himself”, Hob whispered back with a smile.

His answer seemed to please Morpheus, who nodded and turned back towards the stage.

It was a wonderful production, from the costumes over the talented actors to the way they used the full range of the stage.
If Hob was honest, he'd have to admit, that he quite liked the play. After Morpheus had once told him, that he had commissioned it, Hob had been curios and had watched it... and again... and again... and again. Each time had been a little bit different, but still absolutely worth his time... even if he had plenty of that.

The light turned back on and the audience rose to their feet in rousing applause. Hob and Morpheus did the same. And then it was over – like a dream – and everyone wandered to the exit. Some were still talking in amazement about what they had seen, others were already up and about their next plan and in between Morpheus was quiet.
If he hadn't known him for quite a while, Hob might have been concerned, that his friend hadn't liked the play, but he knew better as he watched Morpheus stand in the crowd with his eyes almost closed.

He was probably lost in his thoughts, in his memories of times long past.
Hob let him be.

So their walk back home was a quiet one, but that was alright.
The night's air was biting cold and they walked close to each other, their shoulders brushing against another with each step. It was certainly enough to make a certain warmth bloom in Hob's chest.

Oh, he was sure, that Desire would torment him soon again. But better them than their twin Despair. To be honest, he had been with her enough to last for the rest of the century. Or more.
So, if instead Desire wanted to torment him, it would be a nice change of pace. And he was sure, that he'd handle it well. By the gods, he had been in love with this man for ages! Surely he could deal with his very secret feelings just a few days longer.

And then?

Hob barely dared to think about the great 'after that'. To fragile was this possibility, but tonight he dared to hope.

So, what would happen after their meeting with Dream, when... if Morpheus decided to stay?
Hob had already gotten him official papers, so that was a start. He had some lose connections in the city to get Morpheus his own place, maybe a job, which didn't ask too many questions. Morpheus could start his own life and Hob... Hob would remain his friend.
That was the plan.

Morpheus suddenly stopped and starred out on the dark water of the river.
They had walked alongside of it for as far as they could, but soon they would have to turn away and head deeper into the streets.

“Thank you.”

The words caught Hob by surprise and for a moment he just opened and closed his mouth like a fish out of the water.

“What for?”, he finally managed to ask.

“For this day. It was very thoughtful of you. The market. The play. Isn't that, what humans do? Saying 'thank you', when they are gifted something?”

Morpheus turned away from the river and completely to Hob.
Once again there was starlight in his eyes, even though it might actually be the lights of the city.

“It's alright. No need to thank me.”

Hob internally cursed his voice for sounding so rough, so too full of emotions.

Morpheus shook his head.

“I've realized, that I had been ungrateful these last few days. When my mind was set on returning to eternal slumber once these days were over, I... didn't notice, what you did for me... or I rather didn't want to see it.”

There it was again.
A heartbeat so loud and violent, that Hob felt it in his throat.
Was this it? Was this the moment Morpheus decided his fate? It was so soon. They had two more days and now... What was he supposed to do?

“So now... your decision isn't set in stone anymore?”, Hob asked, desperately wanting it to sound like a joke, but failing miserably.

Morpheus turned away again. He actually even walked away a couple of steps towards the river, leaving Hob alone, very frightened and shivering.
For what felt like an eternity there was only silence... as silent as it could become in the heart of London.

“When you talked to me at Jesse's house I... could feel myself finally letting go of a guilt, which I've carried for far too long. I thought... no, I believed, that I didn't deserve this chance, but Jesse and you have shown me that... I was wrong. I still feel... emptiness, where once the love for my son lived and sometimes all the dark memories of my life try to drown me, but... I'm willing to... fight, as Jesse called it.”

Morpheus leaned on the handrail, taking a deep breath, but then he looked back over his shoulder at Hob and smiled.

“My decision isn't – as you've said – 'set in stone' anymore. At least not the decision to fade away. Instead... I think, I might accept this chance. I've also talked with the others in the Dreaming and-”

Whatever Morpheus had wanted to say, it was cut short by a bear hug from Hob, who had rushed forward and embraced the other as tightly as he could.

“...I'm glad... I'm so... thanks... I...”

Words failed him as he hid his face in the crook of Morpheus' neck, feeling his warmth.
Alive.
Alive!

Long fingers caressed his head, combing through his hair and Hob let out a tearful sigh.

“This feels like a dream...”, he whispered, ignoring the tears, which streamed down his face.

“If my words have you offended, think but this and all is mended-”

Hob's chuckle interrupted him.

“Don't try to get out of this by misquoting good ol' Shaxberd.”

“Why not? I commissioned the play. Don't I get some... what is it called? Creative freedom?”

Hob dared to let his arms wander down to wrap around Morpheus' waist.

“I'm still not sure though, if a quote from Puck is the right thing to say”, he mumbled into Morpheus' shoulder.

“Why not?”

Hob could hear him smile.

Daring to raise his head to answer, Hob was immediately met by Morpheus' gaze.
It took his breath away and his words how beautiful he looked in the lights of the night. Still eternally, untouchable, unearthly wonder, which burned Hob's heart and mind to ashes.
And he would let him to it all again over and over.

He felt a pull in his whole being, to get closer. Just closer.
And he closed his eyes and finally gave in.
He gave up his fight against his longing.

As their lips met under the light of a lone streetlamp, Hob felt as if time had stopped.
Just for the two of them.
Morpheus' lips were a bit cold, but so were his. It was still the most wonderful kiss he'd ever had. Light as the touch of a butterfly's wing and just as brief, but Hob lingered in the moment a bit more, before he realized, that Morpheus had pulled away.

With a gasp he opened his eyes and mouth ready to spill out every apology known to mankind, but there was something on Morpheus' face, which stopped him dead in his track.
Sadness.
A sorrow too deep for words alone.

It stole all of Hob's will and barely left him standing, as Morpheus took a step away from him, slowly shaking his head.

“I...”, Hob began, not knowing, what he wanted to say, but Morpheus only held up a hand to stop him.

“Don't... I will only ruin you... I always do...”

Morpheus turned around and hastily walked away, almost running, leaving Hob frozen to the spot.

This was it.
He had ruined it all.

Chapter Text

“And then he walked away... just left me there standing like an idiot...”

Hob's pronunciation wasn't the clearest anymore as he sat hunched over at the bar of his own pub and tried to drown his misery in whisky.

“From what you've told me, it really sound as if you are an idiot. No offence, boss.”

Gerald poured him another drink and pushed it next to Hob's head on the counter.

“I know...”, Hob whined. “I'm a stupid idiot... The whole fucking week I held it in. Didn't say a word. Didn't do anything and then... I go and ruin it all by kissing him!”

He raised his head barely enough to drown his drink. Some time ago he had lost count, but right now it didn't feel as if it mattered anymore.
With a dull thud his had fell back on the worn wood of the counter.

“...he looked so beautiful... it wasn't starlight... there're no stars in London... but he still looked so... wonderful... I mean, he always does. You've seen him, right, Gerald?”

“Yeah, boss. I've seen him. He's quite a handsome fellow.”

Hob sighed.

“He is... and he's funny, you know. It's a bit subd-... sup... it's hard to see, unless you know him. And I know him! He... he's my oldest friend, Gerald...” Another heavy sigh. This one sounded a bit close to tears. “What do I do, Gerald? I don' want t' lose him...”

Hob wrapped his arms around his head, halfway to hide, halfway to comfort himself and failing at both fantastically.

“If he's really such a good friend, I believe, he'll come along. Just give him time.”

“But we don' have time!” Hob sat up straight to emphasize his point, but he immediately regretted it as the room began to sway. “We... uhhhh... we only have three... no! Two more days! Two, Gerald!”

The next drink, that was pushed in his direction, was a glass of water.

“Why only two days? Does he need to go back home then?”, Gerald asked with the patience and understanding only barmen and mothers had.

“No... yes... it's... complicated. But yeah, he'll be gone... and it's my fault... I pushed him...” He made a vague, but wild gesture, almost hitting his hand in the process. “Pushed him away with... because I was... imb... impulsive! Gave in to this stupid feelings!”

Gerald hummed and nudged the glass of water once more, urging Hob to drink it.

“Love is never stupid”, he said gently.

“But hurtin' your friends is!”

“You think, you hurt him?”

Once more Hob sank into himself, just flopped over as if all energy had left his body.

“Yeah... I... I know his last... last loves didn' end good. And I was sure, he knew how I felt about him. Just ignored it... for our frien'ship. And that was okay. Just be friends. It's fine, right? But I couldn' let it be like that. No! I had to... crash it all. Throw my feelings into his face. ...gods... I didn' even ask, if I could kiss him. Just did... I'm such an idiot...”

One hand clumsily grabbed the glass in front of him and twirled it a bit between his finger as he watched the light dance in the clear liquid. He made no effort to actually drink it, though.

“...I can't lose him, Gerald...”, he whispered, feeling tears crawl up his throat. “I don' know what I'd do without him...”

His barman sighed and switched the glass of water with another whisky.

“That one got you, hasn't he, Robert?”, he asked gently. “I've seen you with some girls and guys over the last few years. Even Audrey – may she rest in peace – didn't get you like this.”

“Yeah...” Hob drank his whisky in one go again. “Audrey... sweet Audrey... I'm such an asshole. She's only gone for a few months and here I am...”

“Well, to me it sounded like you've been in love with Mo for longer than you've known her, right?”, Gerald tried to save the situation.

“Yeah, but...”

“She was a nice girl, your Audrey. I don't think, she'd be angry to know, that you found love once more. And it wasn't that you cheated on her, right?”

“No! Never!”

“See? So don't worry about that.”

Hob nodded. A terrible decision, because the room turned faster now.

“You're right... but still... I ruined our frien'ship. We've known each oth'r for ages! Millennia! And now... poof! All gone...”

Gerald put the glass, he had been polishing to the side and leaned on the counter, close to Hob.

“I'll tell you something, Robert. Listen, alright? I know now, that you don't have much time, but give him at least till tomorrow. Or maybe even till the day after, if you can bear it. But give him a bit of time. From his perspective the change was so sudden. He probably need some time to think about it. And... I don't think, you've ruined your friendship. From what I've seen of the two of you this week, I'd say your friendship is stronger than that and...” He hesitated for a moment, before he shook his head briefly. “And you should go to bed and get a good night's rest. You're always so tired. Sleep for once, will you?”

“...and that'll help?”, Hob asked in a rather pathetic tone.

“Surely. At least sleep will cure one of your problems.”

To Gerald's personal amazement Hob did indeed follow his advice and almost fell off his chair as he tried to stand up and leave.

“Thanks, Gerald. I'll try... but what should I tell Dream?”

The barman furrowed his brow as he couldn't make sense of Hob's words.

“Tell your dreams whatever you want. But sleep. ...are you... gonna be alright upstairs? Should I send one of the boys with you?”

Hob waved it off.

“I'm fine. Don' worry”, He said, trying to smile, but failing. “Good night, Gerald... and thanks.”

“It's alright, boss. Have a good night.”

Gerald watched Hob slowly and very unsteadily vanish through the small door, which lead upstairs to his flat. Worry drew his brows close together and he couldn't help, but sigh.

“So... our boss is in love?”

Priya had appeared out of the thin air next to Gerald, leaning on the counter and looking at the door Hob had just walked through.

“Good lord, Priya! Don't give an old man a heart attack!”, Gerald complained, dramatically putting a hand on his chest.

The server ignored him and kept on staring.

“I root for them. They'd be a cute couple, the boss and Mo.”

“Yeah... but first they'd need to talk. And for that Mo needs to come back here.”

Priya's gaze finally let go of the door and wandered to Gerald instead.

“He's gone? Do you know, where he is?”

“Do I look like a crystal ball to ya?”

“Well...”

Gerald put his hands into his sides.

“I don't know where he is and I don't know, when he'll come back.”

Priya pulled a face and looked back to the door.

“I hope, he comes back soon. I don't like seeing the boss so down.”

Gerald sighed and leaned back on the counter next to her.

“Neither do I, love. Neither do I...”

London wasn't a very nice place in the middle of November, at night, when you had no place to go and barely enough money for a sandwich in your pocket.
This was the lesson Morpheus learned the hard way as he wandered the streets alone.

He had been walking aimlessly for what felt like hours.
Where was he by now? Where was he going to? He couldn't go back, that was for sure.
But... why?
Why couldn't he go back to Hob and... ah, yes. There was the problem.
If he went back to Hob he'd have to... deal with Hob's feelings for him.

He couldn't do this.
So he walked.

Some young people came his way, laughing and cheering and their good mood felt like an assault to Morpheus, who... didn't know, what he felt right now.
Was he angry? Sad? Oh, definitely sad, but that was nothing new. New was that strange feeling in his chest, a bit fuzzy, a bit nervous. It almost felt like lo- No! He couldn't!

So he walked.

He walked until a slender figure dressed all in red blocked his way, their face a grimace of disgust as they stared at him.

“Did you really make me come out all the way to... where are we?”

“...I don't know”, Morpheus answered monotonously. “I haven't called for you, sibling of mine. So why are you here?”

Desire made an exasperated sound and crossed their arms in front of their chest.

“You didn't? And what about the thoughts in your head going 'Hob this' 'Hob that'?”

Morpheus glared at them.

“What's inside my head is none of your business...”

“It is, dear brother”, Desire countered. “You desire. And that is my domain.”

“I don't-”

“You should know better than to lie to me about this!”

That made Morpheus shut up and so it left him standing in the cold, unable to continue his walk, because Desire was still very effectively blocking his way.

After a moment Desire sighed dramatically and turned to look around.

“Let's not discuss this here”, they said. “There is a bar over there. An elegant little thing, not like this old pub your Hob owns.”

“He isn't-”

“You can buy me a drink”, Desire interrupted him as they grabbed his arm rather forcefully and dragged him across the street towards an expensive looking bar.

“I... don't think, I have enough money...”, Morpheus confessed, feeling shame colouring his cheeks.

His words made Desire sigh again.

“Alright... then I'll get us something to drink. Because believe me, brother, you are already testing my patience and I am not willing to listen to you sober.”

The bar was inside as nice and expensive as the outside had promised, but Desire's charm had not only gotten them inside, but also had secured them a table in the corner and two glasses of unknown content.

While Desire lounged in their chair, sipping at their drink, Morpheus sat stiff as a board, his glass untouched.

“I see, you are still boring as ever”, Desire taunted him, but gave up quickly, when they got no response from him. “So... what happened? Between you and this immortal human?”

Morpheus glared at them.

“Don't you already know?”

Desire laughed loud and rough.

“Don't flatter yourself. I don't have my eyes on the both of you all day. The last thing I know, is... that he was thinking about you. Again. All this longing and pining and-”

“Desire!”

The Endless was barely impressed by Morpheus' sharp tone and grinned instead.

“Yes”, they purred. “... where was I? Ah, yes. Hob Gadling. He kissed you, hasn't he? He had wanted to for soooo long. It was quite annoying. So, I... pushed him a bit.”

Morpheus spun around in barely hidden fury.

“You made him do this!”

“Oh, please...”, Desire laughed. “I only helped a little bit. He did the rest all by himself. Yes, brother, you heard correctly. He wanted to kiss you. Do you want to know for how long he thought about you? I can tell-”

“No!”

Being interrupted once again soured Desire's mood visibly. They pulled a face and crossed their arms as they glared at Morpheus.

“You're no fun”, they complained, but quickly regained their composure. “If you do not want to talk about him, then let me at least talk about you.”

“What do you mean?”

Another laughter filled the air.

“What I mean? Oh, dear brother. You're no Endless anymore. You are now part human and as such your secret wishes and desires and visible to me. I can see you thinking about that kiss. It had felt nice, hadn't it?”

Morpheus turned away, his face uncomfortably warm.

“Don't try do deny it. It's obvious to everyone with eyes and a brain, that you long for him. Don't take it personally, but... I'm going to enjoy knowing that you'll fall into my domain.”

“I won't.”

Desire raised an eyebrow.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“I... won't give in. No matter how much you try to manipulate my feelings, I won't succumb to them.”

The determined look on Morpheus' face made Desire shut up for a moment. There was no laughter in their voice as the leaned closer to him.

“Brother... as much as I'd love to claim to be creator of this chaos... I am not. I haven't manipulated Hob's feelings... nor yours.”

“It doesn't matter. I shall still not act on them.”

“But... why? Do you detest my realm this much? In the past you have-”

“That is the problem.” Morpheus rubbed his face. “Whenever... I've fallen in love, disaster was always close to follow. I always bring misfortune upon those dear to me and... only once, when my feelings were to answered misery could be averted...”

Morpheus felt tired. Again. He knew now, that it was a symptom of his depressed state and... oh. He hadn't taken his medicine this evening, because it was still at Hob's flat.
Well, it seemed the night could still get worse.

“Brother...”, Desire said rather gently. “Your lovers' misfortune wasn't of your doing. Yes, you abandoned Nada, but the others-”

“I neglected them-”

“So maybe your love wasn't strong enough!”

“And now it is?”

“Yes!”

The siblings stared at each other, taking a moment to calm back down a bit.
Desire was the first to clear their throat, take a sip of their drink and continue to speak.

“Hob Gadling has been in your life for longer than anyone else. You haven't grown tired of him, nor have you brought misery upon him. It is quite the opposite. He adores you. Still does after all these years... Haven't you known?”

“I... have not...”

“Then you must be blind... or a fool. Probably both.”

Morpheus put his head in his hands and sighed.

“I'm not even sure how I feel about him...”

“Oh, I do. Shall I tell you?”

“No... I... He... He's too important to me. I can't lose him...”

Desire leaned back in their chair and grinned.

“Then don't”, they said nonchalantly.

“But what if... I make the same mistakes again? I can't-”

“This is what I hate about you.” Desire's grin had morphed into a scowl. “You're always so overly dramatic. Everything is black or white to you... well, mostly black. You expect everything good to end before it even begins. Do I know, that Hob and you want each other? Yes, I do. Do I know, if it will stay like this till eternity? Of course not! Nobody knows. Not even Destiny. But you want him now and that's all that matters.”

“But what if I still ruin his life...?”

“No more 'buts' from you! You're not an Endless anymore. Loving a human – immortal or not – will not call for the Kindly Ones or other disasters. Your fate is now in your own hands as it is for every human on this planet. So use it! See what lies in your heart and act upon it!”

“I don't...”

Desire made a dismissive gesture.

“Be quiet and listen for once to your younger sibling. Do as I say. Become happy. Get lucky. And go to him. Now!” They raised their drink with a grin. “You have about 30 seconds before I turn this whole bar into an orgy.”

Mortified by this promise Morpheus almost fell out of his seat and hurried towards the door, glancing only once back over his shoulder.
Desire stayed and smiled as they watched him leave.

“Still so stupid”, they said with warmth in their voice. “I hope, he doesn't mess it up again...”

And then they breathed in and out deeply and the whole room lost it.

Chapter Text

When Hob woke up sometime at the next morning, he thankfully couldn't recall dreaming anything particular, especially not talking to a certain Endless.
And that's where his blessings ended, because his head felt as if his brain had turned into jelly and the inside of his skull was suddenly picked with very sharp nails.

With a groan he opened his eyes and immediately shut them again as the light send a ray of pain through his whole being. Ah, yes, alcohol couldn't kill him, but he still got a hell of a hangover.
With something, that sounded very much like a whine, he rolled towards the bedside table and opened one eye just enough to squint at his phone.

He gained the following knowledge:
Drunk as he had been last night, he had completely forgotten to charge his phone and it was on the brink of dying.
It was bloody late again.
There were no missed calls.

So that meant, that Morpheus hadn't tried to call him. Hob had made sure to at least write him down his number, when Morpheus had straight up refused to get his own phone.
Now it made all sense.
Morpheus hadn't planned on staying, so he had felt it unnecessary for Hob to buy him a phone. Maybe before yesterday's evening he might have changed his mind, but now...

Hob rolled back around as gently as he could to not hurt his brain further and let his hand fall on Morpheus' side of the bed. It was – as expected – empty.

It was funny how quickly Hob had gotten used to having Morpheus around.
There was space in the wardrobe for his clothes. A second toothbrush stood in a cup in the bathroom. The left side of the bed was mentally labelled 'Morpheus' side'.
And now it was empty.

With a deep sigh Hob put his arm over his eyes and fought silently against the tears, which burned in the corners of his eyes.
Only vaguely he remembered his talk with Gerald from last night. The good man had tried to cheer him up, but in the light of day none of that had survived.

What should he do now?
Should he look for Morpheus?
How could he do that?

London had millions of inhabitants and the one he was looking for had no fucking phone.

Maybe he could try and contact one of his siblings.
Since he felt like shit, he guessed, that Despair might still be around or Desire for a whole different reason... He could also try to fall asleep again and talk to Dream... No. Right now he didn't feel like sleeping anymore. His tongue was stuck at the roof of his mouth and everything tasted rancid.
What he needed right now, was coffee. Then he could make a plan, even if that plan was him talking to the mirrors in his flat.

Cautiously he opened his eyes again and blinked at the ceiling.
So far, so good.
Then he slooooowly sat up.
And screamed.

“What are you doing here?”

“Am I not welcome anymore?”, Morpheus asked from the chair in the corner, which usually was the place for Hob's worn-but-not-quite-dirty clothes.

Hob rubbed his face.

“No... Yes! You... How long have you've been sitting there?”

Morpheus shrugged.

“Didn't you sleep last night? Where have you been? And... how the hell did you get in here?”

There were so many more questions Hob wanted to ask, but these seemed like the most pressing ones at the moment.

“I didn't. I wandered through the city for a while until I found my way back. By then it was already morning and your staff let me in with a spare key.”

Morpheus' answers were devoid of emotions. Nothing for Hob to work with.
Was he angry? Disgusted? Why had he come back?

Hob let his head fall into his hands and sighed.

“Alright...”, he said eventually. “I... I'm glad, you're back. And safe. I... Are you tired? Do you want to sleep? I'm gonna make me coffee, so you can have the bedroom, if you want to...”

“No... thank you. I'd rather have a cup of coffee as well. Or tea.”

Glancing between his fingers at Morpheus Hob tried once more to assess the situation.
If Morpheus was back, then this was a good sign, wasn't it? He wouldn't have come back, if he hated Hob... right? And it absolutely wasn't, because Morpheus barely knew anyone else in the city. At least not really.

Slowly Hob pushed himself out of the bed and onto his feet.
A quick glance downwards told him, that he had managed to take of his shoes, jacket and jeans last night, but that had obviously been the best he had managed. A bit embarrassed he looked around for some trousers to look at least halfway decent.

“So... uhm... have you just sat there and watched me sleep?”

“Yes.”

It was meant to be a joke, but Morpheus answer made Hob stop in his tracks and stare at his frie-... at him.

“I... needed to think”, Morpheus graced him with half an explanation.

“Oh. Okay...”

The left for the kitchen, the big pink elephant in the room came along.
Never in his life Hob had felt nervous like this. Should he... ask Morpheus how he felt... about him? About the whole situation? What did he plan right now?
All these questions seemed so heavy, yet inevitable.

“Have you taken your meds?”, he asked instead, as he put the kettle on.

Morpheus had taken a seat at the table.
His usual spot.

“Yes. I took them, when I arrived here. Have you taken yours?”

Hob hummed. It was meant to be a 'yes'.

“But you drank yesterday, didn't you? Jesse said, that these pills are not to be taken with alcohol.”

A not-that-small part of Hob was happy to see Morpheus frown in disapproval, because he had done something stupid. A bigger part was simply ashamed.

“Don't worry. It can't kill me”, he said with almost a smile, while he took their cups from the shelf.

“It could still harm you.”

Knowing, that Morpheus was more than right, Hob simply smiled at him, lost for any real explanation.
How could he tell him, that this wasn't the first time he'd done that? That he knew full-well, that it was a stupid idea and that he had done it anyway... maybe even with the intention to hurt himself. For his failures. For being so stupid. Again.

The water boiled and Hob busied himself with the tea.
After Morpheus' suggestion he had decided, that he wanted tea as well. No particular reason... But if he would have been honest with himself, then it was, because it gave him more time with Morpheus. It was a piece of normalcy and for as long as he was busy brewing the tea and nobody said a word, he could pretend, that things were still alright...

But eventually even this task came to an end and he put down Morpheus' cup in front of him and sat down with his own at the other side of the table.

Tea. Nothing else.
Mostly, because even the thought of food made Hob's stomach turn, but also because he couldn't shake the feeling... the fear, that Morpheus might leave soon.
So, no need for breakfast... or rather lunch.

At first they sipped their tea in silence, but it was still hot and the tension had grown beyond imagination, so staying quiet was eventually no option anymore.
Of course, Hob was the first to give in.

“I'm sorry”, he blurted out, putting his cup down a bit more forcefully than intended.

“What for?”, Morpheus had the gall to ask and even look at him.

“'What for?' Really? For... for yesterday!”

“The day was nice.”

“For kissing you, you bloody oaf!”

Hob could hear the old clock in his living room tick so heavy was the silence, which followed his words. As Morpheus put down his cup as well, Hob took a deep breath and tried to prepare for the worst.

“I... am still undecided on how to proceed”, Morpheus said quietly. “I meant, what I said. I always bring ruin upon those dear to me. It always-”

“Am I that?”, Hob interrupted him.

“What?”

“Dear to you... am I that?”

He couldn't keep a slither of hope out of his voice. Damn the consequences. Had he heard that right? Had Morpheus implied, that he might not hate him?

The look on the other one's face got a bit gentler, warmer and Hob felt his heart beat again.

“You are”, Morpheus simply said. “You always have been, but... I think, what you want to ask me is not, whether you're my dear friend, but... something even closer to my heart.”

A shiver ran down Hob's back as he barely dared to breath and could only nod for an answer. He sighed almost in relief as Morpheus' gaze wandered to the kitchen window, releasing him from his intense stare.

“I want to be honest with you”, Morpheus began anew. “For a long time I didn't dare to call you my friend and... now, under this strange circumstances, I was too afraid to see what was right in front of me. These last few days, before you made me talk to Jesse, I was set on returning to nothing, when my time was over. I tried to ignore your kindness. What you did for me. You gave me shelter. You clothed and fed me. You shared your bed with me.”

At this point Hob took a sip of his still burning hot tea just to cover for the way his face turned slightly red. Ah, yes, the bed. His best and worst idea ever.

“I saw the way you looked at me”, Morpheus continued and Hob did his best to follow his words. “But I tried to pretend, that it meant nothing... even though it made me... happy.”

“Then you're... not angry with me?”, Hob dared to ask. “You know. For the kiss.”

This made Morpheus smile slightly. It was still the most beautiful thing Hob had ever seen.

“No, Hob. I'm not angry with you. Indeed it should be my task to ask you this question since I ran away yesterday, even though the day really had been... lovely.”

There was an almost invisible shimmer of red on Morpheus' cheeks, which made Hob gasp like a fish out of the water.

“So you do have feelings for me?”, he interrupted once again as the hope in his heart had grown unbearably big.

“I never said, I didn't...”

“But-”

“I said I'd ruin you.”

“I don't care!”

Without noticing it at first Hob had stood up and was now leaning on the table.

“Hob...”

“No! I don't care if this will ruin me. I don't care if monsters or hags are coming to drag me away, because if they try, I'll fight them! I know, that you weren't lucky in the past, but please give me a chance. Despite everything. Or maybe even because of it. Those Endless-rules don't count anymore, so you don't have to be afraid of them.”

Morpheus looked up at him sunlight in his eyes, but fear at the corner of his mouth.

“There could still be something else. In the past I've grown tired of lovers and abandoned them...”

“Won't happen to me. We've managed to stay friends for over 600 years, no matter if you call it that or not.”

“There are still other misfortunes, which could befall us”, Morpheus said, the desperation now clear in his voice, but Hob still didn't give up.

“Maybe. Maybe not. I can't tell the future, but I can try my best. Isn't that worth something to you?”

Morpheus didn't seem convinced, so Hob continued.

“Listen, I... I love you. I've loved you for ages and never dared to do something about it, because you were an Endless and I am just a human, but believe me! Even if things had never changed, I'd still love you. Have for so many years... and I don't intend to stop. So... please... please, give me a chance to prove to you, that I mean, what I say.”

“But what about me?” Morpheus let his gaze drop down. “What if... I make mistakes? What if I hurt you?”

Hob took a deep breath and dared to take Morpheus' hand.

“Then we'll get over it. You're almost human now. Humans make mistakes and that's okay. I'll be fine, so don't worry. I'll always be fine as long as I can be close to you. You were the one, who helped me get through dark times before, even if you don't know it. With you here... I fell like I can do everything.”

Morpheus closed his eyes for a moment and took a deep breath.

“You're a very stubborn one, Hob Gadling...”

Hob chuckled.

“I've told you, I'm not intimidated, when you use my name like this”, he said.

“Alright though... This might be the worst mistake I've ever made, but... I'm willing to give us this chance.”

The sun could have exploded this very second and Hob wouldn't have cared as he looked in Morpheus' eyes and saw all the warmth he felt in his heart reflected in his gaze.
This was it. This must be what heaven was actually like.

“You won't regret it. This isn't gonna be a mistake. I promise.”

Chapter Text

“So... where do you want to go today?”, Hob asked still a bit giddy as he fried some eggs for the two of them.

Morpheus still sat at the table, his head resting on his hand, while he watched Hob cook.
For all the excitement, which had happened, eventually their bodies had caught up with them and loud growling had announced their need to eat something. Very soon. So Hob had decided to make them both a quick – a bit late – breakfast.

“I thought, you had this whole week planned out”, Morpheus said with a slight smile.

Hob didn't miss it as he felt his face grow warm a bit and tug at the corner of his mouth.

“Thanks for thinking so highly of me, but up till now it was mostly panic and flashes of genius. But I'm afraid I'm really running out of ideas and... for our first official date, I hoped to do something... special.”

“Is it?”

“Hm?”

Morpheus' smile grew a bit wider and warmer.

“You've taken me on many dates these last few days. The museum, the market, the theatre...”

“Yes, yes... shopping, to therapy. Lovely selection, but no. Most of this was to make you chose life.”

“It seems, I made another choice.”

Hob spun around in panic, only to see Morpheus smirk at him.
That bastard.

“Don't toy with me”, Hob grumbled and turned back before the eggs could burn. “You gave me a chance... I don't want to fuck this up...”

He heard Morpheus rise from his chair and walk over to him, but as he didn't look at him... his breath stopped for a second as he felt Morpheus lean his head against his shoulder.

“These last days were already more than I've ever expected to see of life. Don't pressure yourself to impress me. Whatever you chose, I'm certain, I'll enjoy it.”

Even though these words warmed Hob's heart, he couldn't help but still rake his brain for good ideas.
Where had he taken his past dates to?
Sometimes they simply shagged and were done with it... That was definitely not the plan here.
Other times they went to a restaurant. Been there, done that.
The museum. Check.
Shopping. Check.
The theatre. Check.
A movie. If watching Mary Poppins on his phone counted... check.

He suppressed a sigh and bit his lip as nothing good was coming to his mind. Centuries of dating and he couldn't come up with a good idea for someone, who had literally seen it all – in other people's dreams.

On top of that November was a shitty month for dates.
The fun Halloween parties were over and it was still to early for the Christmas markets to open. The weather was mostly rain and cold, so everything outside was a game of chance.

The sigh won its battle against Hob and freed itself. He let his head fall back, so it almost rested against Morpheus.

“I'm out of ideas”, he whined. “This is horrible...”

To add insult to injury, he could feel Morpheus chuckle behind him. Yet even the start of any annoyance was smothered as he felt two pale arms wrap around his waist.
By the gods... he must have finally died and gone to heaven, that was for sure.

“May I suggest something?”, Morpheus asked gently as he propped up his chin on Hob's shoulder.

“Uhm... sure?”

“What if we spend the day in the Dreaming? At least for a couple of hours.”

Hob rescued the eggs from the pan and put them on the plates next to the toast.

“Ah... I mean... I'm always tired these days, but I slept for half a day and I'm not sure, if I can fall asleep this soon again”, Hob said a bit uncertain.

A date in the Dreaming sounded weird, but good. Fitting for the both of them.
Everything was possible, if Hob could manage to manipulate his dream... or it would be a horrible disaster, if he couldn't...

“I could make you fall asleep”, Morpheus suggested, releasing Hob from his embrace to grab a plate.

“You can still do that?”

Sitting at the table with a forkful of fried egg in his mouth, Morpheus leaned his head to the side and closed his eyes.

“Yes”, he said, as he could speak clearly again. “I think, I still have this power. It's different than it was before. Not through the sand, but... because I am a dream.”

Now it was up to Hob to grin at him.

“Yes, you are”, he said confidently. “You're my dream.”

For a moment Morpheus only stared at him a definitely visible blush on his face, then he gained his control back and averted his eyes to poke at his food.

“You don't need charm me, Hob. I already promised to give this a chance”, he said, still clearly embarrassed.

But Hob didn't stop, as he knew he had the upper hand for once.

“Oh, I will not stop!”, he declared, lifting his fork as if he was ready to swear an oath. “There are so many things I've wanted to say for ages and now is the time to do so. So, yes, Morpheus, you are my dream and you will always be Dream to me. Not because of your powers, but because I couldn't ever imagine dreaming at night without you.”

He reached out to gently take Morpheus' hand and hold it tight. His grin grew a bit as he felt the other squeeze back a bit.

“So it will be like this all the time?”, Morpheus asked, the look on his face a mixture of embarrassment and happiness.

“If you let me.”

“I'll... consider.”

It was weird to lie in bed when the sun was still high in the sky – hidden behind some clouds now, but it still was there.
Even more strange was the fact, that Morpheus lay beside him and that both of them were fully clothed.

“So... how does this work?”, Hob asked to break the tension.

“Close your eyes and think of nothing. I'll handle the rest”, Morpheus said calmly and very unaware of Hob's nervousness.

“Alright...”

Hob did as he was told and shut his eyes. Just to 'think of nothing' was a bit more difficult. Beside him he could feel Morpheus move, till he leaned over him.
Morpheus was close, so very close, that Hob could feel his breath on his skin. Then he took a deep breath and gently blew some air over Hob's face. It tickled. He wanted to say something, but his thoughts grew heavy and before he noticed it, he had fallen asleep.

Hob found himself on a beautiful meadow.
Not horrible red halls. That was a first win.


Next to him Morpheus lay in the grass, the same way they had lain in bed a moment before.

“Are we... in the Dreaming?”, Hob asked nervously.

“We are. I've taken you to the Morning Meadows. It is a small part of the Dreaming, but maybe one day it can grow enough to fill the emptiness Fiddlers Green's departure has left behind.”

Hob looked around.
The vast green looked somehow familiar as if he had seen it somewhere, but he was also certain, that a place like this didn't exist in the world.

“It's beautiful...”, he said with a sigh and stretched his legs. “So... what do you want to do? I mean... everything is possible, I guess?”

“It is.”

Only now Hob noticed Morpheus' hand resting on his chest and in the furthest corner of his brain an alarm bell went off.

“Uhm... say... you're a dream, right? Mostly at least”, he began and tried to move away a bit as subtle as he could. “And... dreams can change their shape, right?”

Morpheus furrowed his brows in confusion.

“Yes, they can. Why are you asking?”

“Uhm... so... how do I know... that you're you... and not just some figment of my imagination?”

That made Morpheus freeze for a moment, before he sat up, putting a little distance between Hob and himself.

“I understand. Dream has send you copies of me before and now you're uncertain if I'm really me...”

“...sorry...”

Hob put an arm over his face to hide his embarrassment. A part of him almost wished, that the person beside him was just some random dream, so he could simply walk away.
But it was probably his foul luck, that Morpheus was indeed who he said he was, because he now stood up with an serious expression on his face, one hand pressed to his chest as if to hold something, that wasn't there.

“Dream of the Endless, I call for you. I stand in the Morning Meadows of your Realm and though I don't hold your sigil, I still need your assistance.”

“W-Wait! You don't need to-”

“Morpheus, you called for me. What do you desire?”

Hob wanted to sink into the ground as the King of Dreams indeed appeared right in front of Morpheus to help him clear away Hob's stupid fears.

“I am sorry to rip you away from your duty, but I need you to confirm, that I am me. A dream with the name Morpheus, former Dream of the Endless and no one else.”

Dream seemed visibly confused by this request until he saw Hob on the ground, trying to hide his bright red face behind his hands.

“I see. I'm sorry for having sown doubt in your heart, Hob”, he said gently. “But be assured, that this one right in front of me is Morpheus and no one else.”

Morpheus nodded and sat back down next to Hob.

“Is this enough to prove who I am to you? Be assured, that no dream would simply dare to mimic-”

“Yes! Yes! It's alright. Thanks!”, Hob almost yelled behind his hands.

“Then I shall take my leave. And we shall see each other again tomorrow night.”

“We will. Thank you.”

There was no sound when Dream disappeared again, but Hob felt his absence like a sudden cloud in front of the sun. It wasn't too bad, but still... different.

For a moment he wondered how Dream had managed to keep in his curiosity about Morpheus' life in the Waking World, when he had been poking Hob with dozen of questions almost every night. Maybe it was, because their agreement was about to run out soon. One day more and he'd know Morpheus' decision for sure.

A cool hand grabbed his wrist almost tenderly and lifted it away from his face.

“I've brought an uncomfortable situation upon you”, Morpheus said with a trace of sorrow in his voice. “For that I am sorry... but I know of no other way to prove my identity to you. Any dream could-”

“It's okay. Really. I...” He sighed and managed a weak smile. “I've survived. Thank you for making the effort to do this for me.”

“Of course.”

Hob stood up and brushed a bit of grass of his clothes.

“So now we're here and everything's settled... What do you want to do? My imagination isn't the most colourful, so I better leave this up to you.”

Morpheus rose to his feet as well, but he was silent for a moment as he seemed to contemplate his options.

“What do you think about... flying with dragons?”

“Sounds perfect.”

Chapter Text

Where Hob's imagination lacked creativity, Morpheus' knew no boundaries.
Flying with dragons – yes, with dragons, not on dragons – was just the beginning.
They walked through a grove of wisteria, where each blossom was made of glass and jingled lovely in the soft wind.
They stood in a shower of falling stars, each of a different colour.
The dived through the most beautiful coral reefs without the need to breath.

Despite it all being just a dream, Hob felt tired in the end as they sat on a perfect beach and watched an eternal sunset. The last golden rays danced over the whispering waves, which almost reached their feet as they sat close to the water in the still warm sand. Hob knew, that if he reached into the sand a bit he would find a perfect shell, which sand the song of the sea for him.
It was just perfect.

“How am I supposed to ever take you on a halfway decent date after this?”, Hob asked with a smirk.

His hand lay next to Morpheus'. Close, but still not touching.

“I would say, I have an unfair advantage and you shouldn't compare things of the Waking World with those of the Dreaming.”

The explanation was rational as expected, but the little smile on Morpheus' lips told Hob just well enough how the other knew full well, what he was doing. And that he enjoyed showing off.

Hob shook his head and chuckled.

“One day I'll take you on a date, that will top all this. I don't know when this will be or what, but I swear it will happen and then I can grin at you like that.”

“Is that a promise?”

There was still this little smile on Morpheus' face, but also sincerity in his voice. It brought Hob back down to earth without killing his good mood.

“It is”, he said like it was an oath, his eyes locked with Morpheus'.

Their hands were so close and Hob held his breath as he reached out with just one finger to touch Morpheus' hand. The other didn't pull back, but... moved a bit closer until their hands lay on top of each other.

Hob Gadling had seen it all and done everything. So there was hardly anything left in the world to embarrass him, yet this soft and chaste gesture made him shiver. Not because he had never held hands with someone, but because it was him.

Over 600 years and he held his hand.
Not just a fleeting touch.
It had meaning and Hob knew what it was.

Slowly, so very slowly he leaned closer, his eyes never leaving Morpheus.
The other didn't move at first and Hob's confidence wavered a bit, but then he saw heavy lids fall shut and Morpheus met him at the end.

It was different then their first kiss. Not rushed by a storm of emotion, but gentle like the waves at their feet. Their lips met again and again, touching softly, tasting shyly. It was so much and barely there at the same time.

Hob felt warmth spread through his whole body and he couldn't help himself, but lift a hand to bury his fingers in Morpheus' unruly hair.
The gesture coaxed a small noise out of Morpheus and the warmth in Hob's body turned into a blazing fire.

It took everything out of him to drag his lips away from Morpheus, who chased him for one, two more sweet kisses. Breathing heavily he leaned his forehead against Morpheus'.

“You... You're really testing my self-control here”, he chuckled, but his voice sounded hoarse with desire.

“Then why not give in?”

The question almost shattered Hob's resolve, but he managed to take a deep, trembling breath and shake his head.

“I don't want to rush this”, he whispered, his hand wandering down from Morpheus' hair to caress his cheek instead.

He heard the other chuckle softly.

“Hob Gadling... others would barely call over half a millennia of courtship 'rushed'.”

Their noses bumped against each other as Morpheus tried to steal another kiss, but Hob held on to his decision.

“So you did know how I felt about you?”, he asked simply out of curiosity.

“No... I only assumed. I had never thought it possible, that you...”

“Well, you were correct”, Hob said with a smirk and let Morpheus win one more chance of a kiss. “I fell in love with you ages ago. Can't even tell you when exactly... But how could I not? My mysterious stranger... the tall, dark and handsome guy with a voice like velvet... I think everyone in that pub had a little crush on you the moment you walked in... but I got lucky, that you picked me for your wager.”

“Hob...”

“Oh, no. No... I'm not mad about it. This day is still one of the best days of my life. Because it changed it completely... and because I got to meet you. Got to know you. Got to become your friend. And now...”

Morpheus pulled back a bit, so Hob could see the warmth in his eyes, the longing...

“And now?, he asked quietly.

“Now... you've given me another chance. And I won't waste this one either.”

He stood up and pulled Morpheus to his feet as well.

“I've had hundreds of years to come to terms with how I feel about you, but this all is new to you and I won't push you.”

At first Hob feared a bit, that Morpheus might not accept his decision, but to his deep relief Morpheus at last nodded and smiled at him.

“As you wish”, he simply said and let himself be dragged into an embrace.

They stood like this for a while, the fire in Hob diminished to a warm glow once more.

“Not that I don't enjoy our time in the Dreaming...”, Hob began cautiously. “... but when exactly do we need to wake up again? And... how much time has passed?”

As soon as he spoke these words out loud, he feared for the worst.
What if a whole day had passed and as soon as he opened his eyes Dream would be there to ask Morpheus for his decision and then what if-

“There is no need to worry, Hob”, Morpheus smothered Hob's fears before they could swallow him whole. “Time in the Dreaming works differently than in the Waking World. Right now it is only evening in London.”

“Oh. Oh, this is good.” Hob tried to chase away the last traces of his nervousness. “So... do you want to go back and have dinner? Because as sweet as those fruits were, you brought me, it won't help much filling my actual stomach, will it?”

Morpheus nodded in agreement.

“We can go back, if this is, what you wish for. It is... probably for the best. Even I can feel my body weakening.”

“There's an interesting question. You're a dream. Does food in the Dreaming something for you, or will you be as hungry as me, when you wake up?”

Morpheus leaned in closely with a smile.

“Let us find out”, he murmured. “Wake up, Hob...”

It hadn't sounded like a command, but as soon as Morpheus said these words, Hob found himself very awake in his bed.
Outside it was dark again and next to him Morpheus lay curled up, an arm wrapped around Hob's midriff.

The moment Hob opened his eyes, Morpheus began to stir as well.
With a long yawn and a stretch he glanced at Hob with a small smile.

“Though food in the Dreaming has me sated, it won't transfer into the Waking World”, he simply continued their conversation.

Hob couldn't help, but smirk a bit.

“So... it's time for dinner?”, he asked.

Morpheus' stomach answered for him.
Loudly.

Where could one go after a fantastic day like this?
The answer was simple: No real restaurant could compare itself to the wonders of the Dreaming.
So Hob didn't even try.

Instead he offered to cook pasta for Morpheus, who readily accepted it.

It wasn't much. Pasta Carbonara, but at least Hob had actually learned the receipt while he had been staying in Italy for a couple of years.
By the way the first portion on Morpheus' plate vanished within minutes just to be replaced by a second serving, told him at least, that it was well enough.

After that – and after a quick shower, because hell! They were sweaty! – they got cosy on the bed again. Now a freshly bought bottle of non-alcoholic wine stood on the bedside table and Hob explained the vast world of streaming services to Morpheus in the hope, that he'd decide at film for them to watch.

They ended up with 'Ladyhawke' and despite the film not being a crown jewel of cinematic history, they both quite enjoyed, that it didn't get as many things wrong about medieval times as other films. But what Hob liked the most in these two hours was, that Morpheus was leaning on his shoulder, sliding down bit by bit as the film progressed till he was lying on Hob's chest, an arm wrapped around him like he had when they had been sleeping.

The warmth was back inside of Hob and he felt as if he could hear Desire laughing in the distance, but at least for now he had everything under control as he let his fingers wander through Morpheus' slightly damp hair.

They had fallen silent as the grand finale played out on screen and the lovers embraced in the church, finally reunited and Hob felt Morpheus' arms tighten ever so slightly.
The gesture made Hob chuckle a bit.

“You liked the ending?”, he asked with a smile.

“It was... enjoyable.”

Sadly this was the moment Morpheus let go off him, but it was just to move himself up a bit till he could put his head on Hob's shoulder once more.

“They loved each other, even though they were apart for most of the time, only seeing glimpses of each other at dawn and dusk...”, Morpheus mused.

“If you try and say that they're like us, I'm gonna kick you out of the bed. No hyperanalyzing old fantasy films in this house, thank you very much.”

To underline his words he gave Morpheus a playful shove, but the other clung to him instead, pressing his whole body against him.

Oh... this wasn't helping Hob's quest for self-control.
And it really seemed like Morpheus had noticed the panicked look on his face as well as he raised his head – their faces were so close... - to smile sinisterly at him.

“Don't...”, Hob whined. “Don't look at me like this. I said, what I said. You need time, believe me.”

“Didn't you want to show me how... enjoyable life is?”, Morpheus asked with a raised eyebrow.

“I didn't think about that!”

“Are you sure?”

Lost for words, Hob chose to attack as last mean of defence and pinned Morpheus down on the bed.

Ah, yes. Wonderful decision.
Because instead of being able to hold a high and mighty speech about the importance to wait, Hob felt as if fire was running through his veins as he looked down at Morpheus, who seemed way too comfortable in this position.

“I...”, he started and failed immediately.

Morpheus looked up to him with half-lidded eyes and slightly opened lips and Hob felt his resolve melt away like ice in summer.

“Please...”

It was just one word, so unfamiliar from Morpheus' lips and went through him like lightning, igniting every nerve in his body.

“Please... Hob...”

He gave up.
He gave in.

“You're impossible....”, he complained half-heartedly as he bend down to capture Morpheus in a kiss. Not short and impulsive, nor sweet and gentle, but burning like the fire within his very core.

The kiss was answered in equal enthusiasm, stoking the flames even higher as Hob dared to let his mouth travel down Morpheus chin and along his pale neck. He heard a sigh close to his ear, a sound so soft Hob knew he'd never grow tired hearing it.

He placed a kiss on Morpheus' throat, eyes closed, lost in the moment.
Another kiss on his collarbone, shoving the shirt to the side.

“I love you”, he whispered against the skin. “I love you.”

Quiet like a secret he whispered declarations of love with each kiss, set on mapping Morpheus' body like this and leaving no spot unkissed.

Chapter Text

Morpheus wandered the Dreaming with a little smile on his lips.
Back in the Waking World Hob lay snoring in bed, sweat cooling on his bare skin. It had been a lovely display, one, which Morpheus would have liked to take in a bit more, but his new body had limitations and these dragged him into the Dreaming soon after.

At first he had contemplated visiting Hob in his dream, but then he had decided against the idea.
If he was meddling with Hob's dreams too much, he risked disturbing the man's nightly rest. Dreams were more than mirrors of fears and desires. They were a place for the mind to relax and create silly little stories out of everyday events.
As trivial as some dreams seemed, Morpheus knew about their necessity. That was why he had taken his duty so seriously. Only a well-rested mind could guide itself successfully through the Waking World.

So if he wanted to have his frie-... lov-... if he wanted Hob to be his best tomorrow, it was important, that he got an undisturbed night of sleep, with just the usual dreams. Oh, he knew very well, that Hob needed it. Probably more than just one night, but at least this was a start.

Morpheus continued on his path through the dessert.
One might have thought that something so hostile wasn't a good place for a walk, but it was quite the opposite. At least in the Dreaming.

An oasis floated above Morpheus' head, the water from its lake cascaded down next to him, letting colourful flowers grow around it. In the distance a herd of golden camels trotted through the sun and he could here the far away whistling of playing fennecs.
Morpheus couldn't quite remember how this part of the Dreaming had come into being, but now, that he had finally time to visit it, he couldn't help but marvel at its beauty.

He chose a spot beneath the oasis, safe from the sun's heat and near the water for a short rest.
Even in the Dreaming he could still feel a slight soreness in his muscles, even though he didn't mind it. If he was honest with himself, it was quite the opposite.
Closing his eyes he could still trace every touch of Hob on his skin.

Lying with Hob had been... gentle. Warm. He had felt safe and... loved.
He had almost forgotten what it was like.

A part of him still felt a bit guilty for having Hob pushed this far, when the man had wanted to give them time.
But wasn't that the problem?
Time.

They only had one day left till Dream would request his decision.

Morpheus knew, that he hadn't lied, when he'd told Hob, that he didn't plan on vanishing into the great beyond, but... he couldn't help but still feel the pull of it.
Of course he couldn't remember what it was like... being dead, but wasn't that the point? Not to feel, not to remember?
On the other hand Morpheus liked these new feelings quite well.
Maybe this was, why he had lured Hob into this.

He didn't need time.
He needed to feel something other than loneliness and despair.
He needed something to hold onto.
And this was Hob.

Even though his eyes were closed, Morpheus hear someone approach and looked up to see, who it was.
In front of him, wearing his usual light attire and dark sunglasses was no one other than the Corinthian.

“Hello, Dream. Didn't think, I'd find you here of all places.”

The Corinthian gave him a wide smile and sat down next to him uninvited, yet full of self-confidence.

“This isn't my name anymore”, Morpheus told him instead of a greeting.

“Ah, yes. Sorry, old habits, I guess. I met Lucienne the other day and she told me, that you are now called... Morpheus, right?”

“This is correct.”

“It suits you.”

“It is a name of mine and has been so for millennia.”

Morpheus dry as ever attitude made the Corinthian laugh as he leaned back a bit to enjoy the shade of the oasis.
For a moment they fell silent, but Morpheus could almost feel that the other wanted to talk, so he sighed and gave in.

“I made a mistake again, when I recreated you”, he told him. “You are now a horrible liar.”

The Corinthian just grinned at him.

“Oh, I know. Johanna has told me so as well.”

“You haven't come here by accident. You've sought me out on purpose. So what is it, you want to talk about?”

The laughter, which followed this question, was loud and good-hearted. Morpheus couldn't remember, if the old Corinthian had ever laughed. If so, it probably hadn't been a nice laugh...

“Can't lie to you, can I?”, the Corinthian asked with a grin. “But alright. You caught me here. I was really looking for you.”

“Why?”

“Why? Why not? You're back. You got recreated like Mervyn, Abel... and me. We got something in common now.”

It was an answer, but Morpheus could still feel, that there was something else. Something the Corinthian didn't say out loud.
So Morpheus stared at him as if this might somehow make him reveal his secrets.

Amusingly so, it did.

“Yeah... of course, that's not all”, the Corinthian said a bit sheepishly and rubbed his neck. “I didn't only hear about you, but about a certain immortal human as well. Hob Gadling is his name, right? You brought him to meet the others, but sadly the garden got him.”

Morpheus nodded.

“This is correct. I am currently living at his house.”

“Ah, yes. The perks of the Waking World. If you want to stay longer, you need to have so many human things... At first I didn't want to deal with that. Didn't need my own place as long as I could stay with Johanna from time to time. Didn't need a car or... a license... id... But in the end Johanna made me get all that. Did Hob do the same for you?”

It was impossible to miss the warmth with which the Corinthian spoke about Johanna Constantine and Morpheus wondered, how he could've missed this all. Or maybe it had happened after he was... gone.

“He did”, Morpheus answered the Corinthian's question, who nodded in response.

“I envy you...”, the Corinthian sighed, his smile turning a bit melancholic. “Your human is immortal... at least till he choses to die. Johanna... she will live for... what? Another 40 years? 50, is she is lucky? And I... will stay with her. Unchanged. I will love her till the end, even if she doesn't.”

Morpheus didn't know how to respond to that, so he let his gaze travel over the soft hills of sand in silence.
Was he... lucky?
Hob never got tired reminding him, that he was as good as immortal, but he had also confessed to him, that he had been close to giving up, when he had lost Morpheus. The thought of a world without Hob Gadling frightened Morpheus more than he was willing to admit.

“Will you stay with him?”, the Corinthian suddenly asked, obviously having given up on expecting a response to his last comment.

“I... don't know...”

The Corinthian nodded, his smile now again perfect and carefree.

“You see, when you were dead and all the Dreaming believed, that you were gone for good... we tried to move on. Some, who didn't know you that well, got over it a bit easier, while others like Lucienne and Matthew and the others still grieved. And then we knew, that each night there was one human, who couldn't forget you. Well, mostly because our new Dream made some... very interesting choices for his dreams, but... I think even without that, he wouldn't have forgotten about you. He's not someone, who could let go. Not of you.”

“Why are you telling me this?”, Morpheus asked, his voice low and his head hung even lower.

He already knew, that Hob had fallen into Despair's grasp. He knew how hard the loss had hit him...

“I'm telling you, because the whole Dreaming is worried about tomorrow. And I think your Hob feels the same.”

“I told him, that I no longer want to die...”

“Yeah, but do you mean it? Will you chose life and a second chance, when Dream asks you?”

No matter how hard Morpheus tried, he just couldn't answer this.

“Thought so”, the Corinthian said with a nod. “That's why I was looking for you. Because for once I want to give you an advice: Don't give up. Don't let go of what you now have, because... you don't know how long it will last. So... enjoy every moment. Don't cut your time together short. No matter if you feel like you deserve it or not.”

These words, honest and rough, made Morpheus look at the Corinthian. Made him really see for what he was: a recreated dream; a dream, he once destroyed and rebuild; a being, who had found something beautiful beyond his existence and was now holding onto it with all his strength.

Morpheus couldn't help, but feel ashamed by the light of the Corinthian's sheer optimism and determination. He said it himself: he wouldn't stop loving Johanna till the very end.
And Morpheus?

Here he sat and still contemplated choosing his own demise, when Hob had given it all to convince him otherwise. For six whole days Hob had been there for him, had tried his best and even given in, when Morpheus wanted him to break his own principle...

'I love you'

These three words still echoed in Morpheus' head, his heart.
He hadn't said it back, just in case... just in case he decided to go.

As if he could read Morpheus' inner turmoil, the Corinthian put a hand on his shoulder and patted it lightly.

“I... want him to be happy...”, Morpheus confessed quietly, hugging his knees for his own comfort. “All this time, my own pain was the most important thing to me. Even though I knew how he was feeling... I didn't care... enough to consider his happiness for my decision...”

“And now?”

“I...”

Morpheus took a moment to think about, what he wanted to say. Maybe this was the right time to make his decision. Not tomorrow, when he stood in front of Dream, but now. It was cowardly to wait even longer. To make Hob wait.

“I want us to be happy”, he said, if not loud then at least clearly. “I don't think, that I deserve this chance, but I will take it. For him... and for me.”

The Corinthian smiled at him, but now it was soft and full of compassion.

“That's the way. You've found happiness, my lord. Don't lose it again.”

The sun was slowly rising behind the roofs of London, its golden rays warming the wet streets a bit and letting the fallen leaves shine one more time in those early hours.

Morpheus found himself awake in bed, Hob next to him still asleep.

He didn't wake him, but he also didn't move.
Last night they had fallen asleep entangled in each other, their arms wrapped around each other.
To hold.
To keep.
To feel each other.

Even though Morpheus could feel one of his arms prickle with numbed nerves, he didn't move. Instead he just lay there and listened to Hob's beating heart, his deep breaths.

Being here felt so peaceful, as if nothing bad could ever happen again... and Morpheus let himself enjoy this moment. He closed his eyes and even though he didn't fall asleep once more, he didn't feel like this time was wasted.

The sun had crawled significantly higher in the sky, when Hob eventually stirred. As usual he yawned and stretched, winced a bit as his body reminded him, that he was not as young as he thought himself to be. And then... he opened his eyes.

Immediately a smile appeared on Hob's lips as he found Morpheus awake in front of him.

“Good morning, love”, he greeted him, his voice still rough. “Did you have a good night?”

“Good morning”, Morpheus greeted back. “I... did. I met with a dream I once created. We talked.”

“Oh, good. What did you talk about?”

Hob yawned once more and pulled Morpheus a bit closer till he could press his face into the crook of Morpheus' neck.

“He helped me come to terms with a few things.”

“That's nice...”

Morpheus could feel Hob starting to doze off again, but this time his selfishness won him over and he leaned away a bit till he could look Hob.
There must have been a certain expression on his face, because Hob blinked a couple of times and tried his best to wake up and pay attention to Morpheus.

“I now know, what I want to tell Dream, when he asks me whether I want to stay or to fade once more.”

This got Hob more than awake. Brows drawn in concern, his eyes were locked with Morpheus', awaiting his next words with a glimmer of hope and fear in his eyes.

“When Dream asks me...”, Morpheus began. “I'll tell him, that I want to stay. With you.”

Before he could say even one more word, he was pulled into a tight embrace.

“Is this for real?”, Hob whispered into his hair. “Not just a maybe? Not only a consideration?”

“No”, Morpheus answered. “I've made my decision and it is final.”

“Oh, thank the gods and whatnot!” Hob pulled back and grabbed Morpheus' face with both hands. “Can I... can I kiss you?”

A smile stole itself on Morpheus' face as this sweet man in front of him still asked for permission for kissing him.

“No”, he said, earning a confused and slightly sad look. “Not until I've told you something, I should have said quite a while ago.”

With that he took Hob's hands away from his face to hold them between his own, pressed to his chest.

“Hob Gadling, please forgive me for not telling you earlier and leaving you to uncertainty, but... I must confess, that... I've fallen in love with you. My affection for you has steadily grown over many years without me noticing, without me being able to admit it to myself, but now I not only know, but I want to tell you as well: I love you.”

As everything Morpheus did and had ever done, even this declaration too much, too heavy for anyone to understand. Or so Morpheus feared as Hob only stared at him with eyes wide open, but then his... his love grabbed him once more to embrace him and roll them around till Morpheus was on top of him, while an almost inhuman... squeel escaped his lips.

“I love you!”, Hob almost shouted in response. “I love you! I... Can I kiss you now?”

The smile on Morpheus' lips was warm and genuine and full of happiness as he bowed down to Hob.

“You may kiss me, my love. Now and forever.”

Chapter Text

Hours later they found themselves still in bed. Hob was half lying on Morpheus' chest and he had silently decided, that this was the best place in the whole world.
He had lost count how often he had declared his love this morning, but he had no intention of stopping soon, because every he he did say these words out loud... he got an answer.

His heart thumped a bit louder in his chest as he recalled Morpheus' confession once again. It was everything he ever wanted. To know Morpheus not only accepted his feelings, but shared them... it was more than just a wish come true.

“I love you...”, he whispered, snuggling even closer to the other.

This way he could feel the soft rumble of Morpheus' laughter in his chest. It was a wonderful sound.

“I love you, too... Will you spend your days declaring your love to me just to hear me say it back?”

“That was the plan”, Hob said as he propped up his chin on Morpheus' chest to better look at him. “I'd say it's time well spend.”

“What a strange creature you are”, Morpheus chuckled as he let his hands wander through Hob's hair.

There was affection in his voice and gentleness in his touch, so much that Hob needed to close his eyes for a moment to calm himself.

“Of course, I'm strange. Normal humans really don't want to live for eternity. Not really. And normal humans don't hold onto a crush for several hundred years without the hope of ever having their feelings returned...”

“What good thing then, that you are not a normal human, my love.”

Morpheus sat up enough, so he could reach Hob to plant a little kiss on his brow, making the other sigh with contentment.

“I could really spend an eternity in bed with you...”, Hob said with a smile.

“Aren't you afraid of succumbing to boredom?”

Hob opened his eyes and grinned at him.

“I could show you some things to keep us occupied for a while... Some things are a bit experimental, but if you-”

Whatever he had wanted to say next, just to see Morpheus blush, was lost in the ringing of his phone. Cursing slightly he reached over and glanced at the display, panicking a bit as he saw the name it showed.

“Uhm... hello, Jesse?”

[“Hello, Hob. Are you at home?”]

“...yes?”

There was a heavy sigh at the other end of the line.

[“So, you've forgotten our appointment. Again. Both of you. Is Morpheus with you?”]

“Yeah... yes, he is.”

Hob shot Morpheus a nervous glance. The other immediately understood the problem at hand and slid out of the bed to look for his clothes, while Hob's brain had the horrible task of deciding whether he should concentrate on Jesse talking or on the way Morpheus' bare skin glowed in the light of day.
It was a hard decision.

[“...so I can squeeze you in between that.”]

Oh, his brain was obviously not that good at decisions, because he definitely had missed most of what Jesse had said to him.

“Uhm... sorry. The... the connection is bad. What have you said?”

“I said, I can squeeze you both in before my last appointment this afternoon. But don't make me do this again! I like my schedule the way it is: perfectly planned, with enough time to tea.”

“Thank you, Jesse. I owe you one.”

“No need for that. Just be on time.”

“And that would be...?”

The sigh this time was clearly one of annoyance.

“Three o'clock in the afternoon. You can manage that, yes?”

“Yes. Absolutely. We'll be there.”

They said their short goodbyes and Hob hung up, his ears prickling with shame.
As he looked around Morpheus was nowhere to be found, so Hob left the bed as well. Mostly, because he really needed to, if they didn't want to be late, but also – and mainly – to look for Morpheus.

He found him in the kitchen, staring at the kettle with furrowed brows, a pack of tea in his hands.

“I should know how this works”, he grumbled as Hob entered the room. “People dreamed about brewing tea and I've seen you do it these last few days...”

Hob laughed and gently took the package from him.

“Yes, but first: dreams don't always make sense and are therefore not that good for teaching you stuff and second: I've seen you and you definitely didn't pay attention.”

Now a pout mixed in with the scowl, but Hob just laughed as he took their cups from the shelf.

“Here, let me show you.”

Never, in all his life, he had dared to dream about a day, when he was in his kitchen, in his knickers, to teach the former King of Dreams how to brew tea.
And now... he wouldn't want to have it any other way.

In the end they were running.

Morpheus had insisted on a late breakfast and even though Hob had agreed with him, because he was feeling famished, it also took some time, which they didn't really have.

“I miss being able to manifest wherever I want”, Morpheus huffed, clearly out of breath, as they had barely caught their last train of the journey.

“Yeah... I wish, I could do that, too. London has grown so big... Back in the days it only took you a couple of hours to cross it by foot and now... it will take your whole day, if you're unlucky.”

Thankfully the rest of the ride was rather unspectacular, even if the train was crowded as always, with them having to huddle in a corner, but soon enough they arrived at their stop and could enjoy the rare sun on their walk to Jesse's house.

The therapist did his best not to looked too miffed as he opened the door for them, but his attention was caught immediately by their intertwined fingers.

“Good afternoon”, he greeted them kindly as he let them in. “Today, I'd like to talk to both of you at the same time. I'm sorry, that I don't have more time...”

“It's alright”, Hob said with a nervous smile. “It's our own fault for forgetting the appointment.”

Jesse only nodded and lead them towards his office.

Like last time Hob took his usual spot on the couch and Morpheus sat down next to him.
And this was where the comparison to the last time ended.

As Jesse gathered his notes, Hob leaned back in his seat and pushed up the sleeves of his jumper. It was horribly warm and he felt sweaty.
Back at home they had been so late with everything, that there had been no time to shower or shave and Hob felt like a caveman... or like he had in the 14^th century.
On top of that he was wearing a turtleneck. Morpheus had told him, that the blemish on his neck was barely visible, but Hob knew just too well, that he wouldn't survive if Jesse asked about the little dark spot on his skin.

Next to Hob Morpheus looked way too relaxed for someone, who spotted a 5 o'clock shadow and whose hair was even messier than usual.

Morpheus and a beard.
Hob had never thought about it, having him seen only clean shaven in all this time, but... he could change. Maybe not willingly, but his body changed as time passed. It would be interesting to see how he might change in a month. A year. A century.

“So, how has your week been?”, Jesse dragged him away from his own thoughts. “How are you dealing with your medications?”

“Ah... good. Good. We both take the pills regularly. No severe side-effects so far”, Hob answered for them.

“Alright. Good to hear. But let me know, if there are any complications.”

“Sure.”

“As for my other question...”

“It was an interesting week. We've been at the theatre, Burrow Market...”

“We went to the Dreaming”, Morpheus added.

“The Dreaming... the place, where we go, when we sleep?”

Morpheus nodded.

“And you went there for... an outing?”

“Kind of.” Hob rubbed the side of his neck and was once more reminded of what lay beneath the fabric. “Since Morpheus is a dream, he has some control in the Dreaming. So we went flying with dragons, we went swimming in an impossible ocean...”

“Like lucid dreaming?”

“Better.”

Hob couldn't help, but grin at Morpheus, who smiled at him in return, more than a bit proud of himself.

“I really envy you here”, Jesse confessed sheepishly. “It sounds amazing. I take it, that had a good time, but did you have time to talk? If I'm not mistaken, today is the final day of your test week, am I right, Morpheus?”

“You are. And I've decided, what I'll tell Dream, when he asks me.”

“Oh, interesting. May I ask you how you've decided?”

The question sounded nonchalant, but Hob could see the sharpness in Jesse's eyes. It was the look he always wore, when he asked the really important questions.

“I will stay”, Morpheus said, calm and unwavering and Hob felt his heart almost jump out of his chest for how happy this made him.

“Congratulations then. Do you know what you'll do next? I mean, you're as good as a normal human now.”

With Hob staring at him in anticipation it was no surprise, that Morpheus eventually glanced at him, a soft smile on his face.

“I will stay with Hob... for as long as he'll have me.”

“Then be prepared to stay with me till the end of time”, Hob said.

He had wanted to say it like a joke, but the sincerity of his words shone through clearly, making Jesse raise an eyebrow.

“Nice to hear”, he said a bit absent-mindedly. “But... I can't help, but feel that something has changed between the two of you. Do you want to tell me about it?”

“I confessed my love to Hob, after he kissed me.”

The dry way Morpheus spoke, made Hob want to sink into the floor. Feeling the tip of his ears catch fire, he glanced at Jesse, who smiled contently.

“It was a bit more difficult than this”, Hob tried to explain.

“Oh, I'm happy for the two of you. From my professional point of view there's nothing I could say against this. On the contrary. I think, you'll be good for each other.”

Hob mumbled a little 'thank you' as he stared down at his knees. But not for long, because – obviously now way too comfortable with the whole situation – Morpheus grabbed his hand and placed a kiss on it, just to get Hob's attention.

On the other side of the room he could hear Jesse chuckle.

“Why don't you tell me how that confession came to be? And not just the short version.”

Hob looked at their therapist. He wasn't really surprised how well Jesse had taken in these news. In comparison to everything else Hob had ever told him, this must have seemed harmless and still... Jesse was now the first person they had told about their relationship.
It kind of made it more real.
Hob liked it.

A smile stole itself on his face and he squeezed Morpheus' hand as he sat up a bit straighter.
With an inner calmness, he hadn't felt in a while, Hob opened his mouth and told Jesse about it all.
Well... maybe not about all.
But about most.