Chapter Text
After the Stranger left his house, Hob takes back on the habit of visiting The New Inn more often. He’s not there every day but he’s trying to be there at least twice a week. He either brings some papers or tests to grade or he’s chatting with a couple of regulars. Sometimes he even joins the Trivia Night.
One day after he walked past the old tavern currently sitting behind the fence and noticed the already fading colour of his sign, he bought a new can and renewed the arrow the next night.
He might be a bit too hopeful his Stranger will show up but that’s just him, isn’t it? Hob does hope that the unexpected visit doesn’t count as their once-a-century meeting. Every time this idea crossed his mind, he quickly shoos it away.
Hob is nothing if not hopeful and optimistic.
It’s on one sunny day, about a week after his Stranger left that Hob finds himself in the pub marking the tests on medieval England.
He doesn’t know if he should laugh or cry over some of the answers the students came up with.
Most of his students are actually interested and eager to learn more, having history as their major and they leave the class with actual knowledge. However, there are some who are there just for the extra credits, and he gets that. He’s trying to make his lessons both as informative and interesting as he can. He knows history is not for everyone and can get boring at points. All the dates and names…
He’s too deep into his thoughts that he misses the sound of a door opening and closing after someone new entered the pub. Only when a shadow lands on the papers in front of him does he lifts up his head and is met with his Stranger smiling at him.
Genuinely smiling!
He looks good and as gorgeous as ever. His eyes a brilliant grey-blue again and Hob likes this twenty-one-century look on him.
Hob’s lips curl up almost immediately. He is just so glad to see him. Still, he is him and cannot miss the opportunity to tease him.
“You’re late.”
This gives him a genuine chuckle out of his Stranger. Still smiling at him he says, “It seems I owe you an apology. I’ve always heard it’s impolite to keep one’s friends waiting.”
Hob doesn’t miss the emphasis on ‘friends’ and he’s doing everything within his power to not jump out of his seat and give his old friend the biggest hug in history. Instead, resisting, he leans back against the seat and smiles, again. His guess is he won’t stop until their meeting is over and long after.
“Death says hello,” his friend suddenly says as a matter of fact.
Well, this wipes Hob’s smile right off and he cannot help and starts looking around if he can spot the grim reaper.
“No need to be alarmed, Hob. She is my sister, I met her earlier today. She won’t come until you call for her.”
“Fucking hell! She might show up right now thanks to the heart attack you just gave me,” Hob says and places a hand over his racing heart.
“Are you alright?” The Stranger looks very much alarmed.
“Oh, relax. It’s just what people say. I’m perfectly fine,” Hob reassures his friend who then lets out a big sigh of relief. “You know what — it’s actually funny I know your sister’s name before I know yours, friend.”
His Stranger gives him a confused look. “But I’ve-”
“No buts! I think friends know each other’s names. I think I deserve it,” he teases but is also quite serious.
“Hob…”
“No, that’s my name. Try again.”
“Very well. But you’re going to lau-”
“I swear I’m not gonna laugh,” he interrupts him yet again. He’s enjoying seeing him this frustrated. Plus, them being ‘officially’ friends means he can and will annoy him. He takes it as a bit of revenge.
His friend takes a deep breath and Hob holds his.
This is it!
“My name is Dream of the Endless, King of the Dreaming and King of Dreams and Nightmares. I have many names; however, you can call me Dream or Morpheus.”
A piece of a puzzle makes a satisfying sound as it clicks into its place inside Hob’s head.
“Your name is Drea-” Dream says nothing as Hob’s words get stuck in his suddenly dry throat. He’s simply looking at him, smirking. “Those dreams, you...!”
“Yes.”
“They were real?”
“The dreams are as real for me as the waking world is for you.”
“You told me your bloody name and I… Fuck! Why didn’t you say something? No, wait, don’t answer that,” Hob stops Dream with a raised hand. “It’s kinda fitting, you know? You are that kind of bastard.”
“I… I apologise for the unintentional deception. There wasn’t much time after and I haven’t truly realised… I often forgot how humans view dreams, dismissing them as soon as they leave my realm and…” he looks away, “I am not good with opening up or-”
“Or with emotions, I get it,” Hob grins. “Well, Dream, it’s good to finally know your name. I was getting tired of calling you ‘Stranger’ in my head. And you know what? A tiny hint about the fact you can manipulate dreams or whatever would be enough to push me towards the right direction.”
“As I said, I’m sorry, Hob.”
Hob is ready to point at the chair opposite of him, to offer Morpheus to sit down and maybe order him something when he simply comes closer and sits down on the chair to his right. Dream sits closer to the corner of the table. Closer to Hob. Their legs are touching under the table and Hob thinks it must be intentional.
Neither Dream nor Hob says or does anything, but he can feel the gravity of this. The gravity of their closeness. Both in proximity and…
Hob swallows when a very particular memory flashes in his mind.
“If the dreams were real,” he starts slowly, “it means in the last one we…”
“Yes.”
This revelation takes all of the air from Hob’s lungs. He’s incapable of anything but looking into Dream’s eyes. He swears he can see the flickers of distant galaxies in them.
“I would say I’m sorry, but I can’t say that I really am,” Hob finally manages to say, still breathless for many reasons. “Though even when I thought it was just a dream, I was terrified you will run away. Again. I’m afraid I let my feelings get the better of me.”
“Do you regret it?”
“Do you?”
“I… cannot say I do.”
“Good, because I definitely don’t.” There is a pause before Hob gathers enough courage to ask, “Does… does kissing someone mean the same thing for you folks as it does for humans?”
“There are… rules,” Morpheus says quietly, not meeting his eyes. “We, Endless, cannot be with the mortals. It’s forbidden.”
Hob doesn’t hear ‘no’ and a small blush colours his cheeks. However, he sees the loophole in Dream’s damn rule. “I am immortal, remember?”
“Still, it is-”
“Dream, if you don’t want this,” he takes his hand into his, “just say it. Don’t hide behind some rules and other bullshit. And if it was just a one-time-in-dream thing, okay...? I’m an adult, I can take it. I will survive and maybe get over it. It’s enough you are my friend. But please…”
“Being with me, it’s not easy, Hob.” Dream’s now looking down at their connected hands. Hob’s thumb is almost absently making small circles on the top of Dream’s hand.
“Yeah, you can be an ass. And a prideful bastard. Don’t worry, I had noticed over the years.” This gets a small chuckle out of Dream, and he takes it as a small win.
“I’m both Lord of Dreams and Nightmares. My realm is as part of me as I’m of it. We are connected, I must be careful. And it’s not always… easy. Or nice.”
“What relationship is, dove. I myself am not all smiles and jokes all the time. I can be a bastard, too. And I’ve gathered quite a collection of skeletons and baggage over my life. I guess I’m not as moody as you are — don’t try to pretend you aren’t — but I am. Sometimes. I’m stubborn but so are you. I’m not expecting it to be all sunshine and roses, I would be a fool if I would. And still, I can’t but like you. To choose you over and over.”
“Hob.”
“Hob-what?” He says it as a challenge.
He dares Dream to deny his feelings for a second longer. He dares him to come up with another excuse. He can see the way he’s looking at him. He remembers how loved he felt in the dream.
Finally, Dream answers his challenge in a form of an almost desperate kiss. The kiss is as good as in the dream and Hob lets himself be lost in it. It’s not heated but it turns into something tender, sweet, and slow.
It’s like a promise.
There is a genuine smile on Dream’s face when the kiss ends, and Hob can’t help himself and peppers it with kisses. He can do that now. Somewhere during the kiss, Morpheus sat closer to Hob, almost sitting on his lap. However, he slides down and settles to sit next to him on the long bench seat. Hob rests his head on Dream’s shoulder, enjoying the closeness. Dream takes his hand and kisses the centre of his palm and keeps holding it after.
“I have responsibilities in my realm. Many repairs need to be done still. I cannot be around much. My… previous absence done enough damage already.”
“I understand, dove. Just promise I’ll see you more often than once a century.”
“Of course. This rule of mine should be changed a long time ago.”
Hob really tries to ignore the burning question, but he can’t help himself and bit the bullet. He moves his head to look up at Morpheus. “Will you tell me what happened? Why did you end up naked in my living room?”
“I...” Suddenly Dream is not looking at him but staring ahead. This’s way more serious than Hob thought. “It’s still too raw.”
“Oh, okay. Sorry. You don’t need to tell me now. I’m sorry for bringing it up.”
“I would rather talk about it another time?”
“Sure, no problem.” Hob gives him a small apologetic kiss and hugs him. Dream immediately melts under his touch. It’s slow but Hob can feel the now familiar sensation of an invisible cloak covering his whole body.
They sit there for a long moment, not wanting to let go. But gradually they do.
It doesn’t take long, and Hob starts telling Morpheus about what had happened with the old tavern, something he actually avoided telling him before and how The New Inn come into existence. Then he’s talking about what he did in the last century, about all the new inventions and human progress.
However, Dream is not just a listener this time around and tells Hob a little about his realm and who are the Endless. He is patient with Hob’s questions and does his best to answer them. Still, for some part, Hob feels lost but Dream explains that some things are too much for a human to understand. It’s their nature.
It’s hours later when the bartender rings the bell and calls the last round of orders when they both stand up and leave the pub.
Outside, Dream stops and looks up to the night sky. The Centre of London is not the best for looking at the stars with all the light smog, but he doesn’t seem to care much. But it gives Hob an idea.
“I know a perfect spot for stargazing. I can take you there one day, Dream.”
“I would very much like that, Hob. Thank you.”
They stand there for a couple of minutes before Dream offers to see him off his house. They start walking, very close to each other when suddenly Dream all tenses up, stops and makes a step away from him. Hob’s confused and wants to take his hand when a raven lands on a low brick wall next to the pathway.
It looks at Morpheus, then at Hob and back at Morpheus.
Hob is ready to start walking again or simply shoo the bird away when it starts talking.
“Hey, Boss. I hate to interrupt but the boss-lady is starting to worry about you. You’ve been gone for almost two days. She also wants to talk with you about some construction? Didn’t catch of what, though.”
“Everything is perfectly fine, Matthew.”
“The bird is talking?”
“Wow, look at him. He has the basic observational skills,” the bird croaks. It sounds like he’s laughing. “Who is he?”
“This is Hob Gadling. My… friend.”
Hob tried but an amused snort escapes him.
“You have an actual friend? No way!”
“That is quite enough, Matthew! Go back to the Dreaming and tell Lucienne I will be there shortly.” Dream orders Matthew sharply.
“You got it, boss. Just don’t take long with your friend here. See ya!” And with that, the raven flaps his wings and flies away.
As soon as Matthew is out of sight Morpheus is suddenly occupying Hob’s personal space again.
“So, you have a talking bird keeping an eye on you?”
“He is my familiar. And a source of several of my migraines…”
“And you don’t want him to know about us because?”
“I…”
“It’s okay, I guess. As long as you won’t jump two feet away from me whenever someone you know shows up. It’s still new. Though I have a feeling he figured it out on his own away,” Hob grins and puts his hand around Dream’s waist to pull him even closer.
“I won’t hear the end of this from both of them. Or my sister when she hears about it,” Dream groans and hides his face into the crook of Hob’s neck.
Hob kisses his hair. “You should go. Not that I want you to go but you might catch them before the real damage is done? And to stop — Lucienne, was it? — from worrying further.”
“You are right, I should head back to the Dreaming,” Dream raises his head and kisses Hob. “I will come to visit you when I’ll be able to. And we can always meet in your dreams.”
“It’s a date, my sweet Dream. Take care and don’t be a stranger.”
Lord of Dreams laughs and disappears in the swirl of sand.