#dream x hob x destruction

[mallory-x]

Square: D3 - Holding Hands Rating: E Wordcount: 6069 Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings Pairings: Dream/Hob, Dream/Hob/Destruction Additional Tags: BDSM, Dom/sub, S&M, Dom Dream, Dom Destruction, sub Hob, Dead Dove: Do Not Eat, Consensual Non-Consent, Bondage, Restraints, Spanking, Flogging, Impact Play, Heavy BDSM, heavy impact play, Bruises, Anal Fingering, Finger Sucking, Oral Sex, Rough Oral Sex, Face-Fucking, Cock Sucking, Anal Sex, Size Kink, Size Difference, Destruction of the Endless has a massive cock, Spit Roasting, Belly Bulge, Begging, breath play, erotic asphyxiation, (only mild but it's there), mild objectification, Praise Kink, Humiliation kink, Dirty Talk, Alternate Universe - Human, No incest - Dream and Destruction aren't related

Summary:

Dream sits in a high backed chair like it’s a throne, his back ramrod straight in a corseted waistcoat and his features schooled into regal impassiveness. He’s gazing down at his pet, Hob, who kneels before him and looks up through half-lidded eyes. Hob is naked and bruises litter his buttocks, evidence of an intense play session earlier in the evening. Dream tugs on the leash attached to his collar and Hob sways forward, face tilted up for the kiss which Dream bestows on his forehead like a benediction. As he sits back, Dream looks up and meets the newcomer’s eyes. The ghost of a smile drifts over his lips as he stands, and the newcomer crosses the room to crush him in an embrace. There’s another mutter of comments from the room, as Dream’s reputation is very much one of look-but-don’t-touch, but he seems at ease with this other Dom in a way that no one has seen apart from when he’s with his pet.

Human!AU. Dream invites his 'Brother' Destruction to play with Hob.

Please mind the tags!

Thanks to @tryan-a-bex, @acanthoscurria, and my non-fandom friend Velvet for the beta! For @dreamlingbingo

Link: Seduce you into ruin

[phantomstatistician]

Fandom: The Sandman (comics vs TV show)

Sample Size: 1,301 (comics); 4,048 (TV show)

Source: AO3

NOTE: Do not compare colors between charts

[writing-for-life]

“Into the end of the story”—Jill Thompson

Daniel!Dream is in this concept art for the movie (Neil and Jill created these for a pitch).

If you want to read why that’s important, about Sunday Mourning in general and a few other things, you can do that here.

Or here (Why the order of the last three issues matters).

[tiabritana]

For @softest-punk who’s hobhusband verse I read for the thousandth time today and got inspired. Here’s Hob meeting one of his in-laws

————————————————————————

It was one of the rare times that Death was able to get away from her busy schedule for more than a few moments, and Hob was not about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

They were currently the only two in the flat and were spending time together at the kitchen table drinking some local ale that Moira gifted him over the holidays when a thought popped into Hobs mind. He never really gave it much thought before-assuming that as with most things in the beginning- his gift was from Dream, and that was that. With the arrangement now, and knowing that prior assessment to be false, Hob turned to Death and pondered how to ask his question.

“Yes?” Death asked, seeing his stare.

“I was just wondering how I stayed the same age after all these years.” He started setting his mug down and playing with his fingers. “I just never really thought about it before, but your gift prevents me from dying, so how do I still look young.”

Death was silent for a bit, playing with her own mug, swirling the liquid around as she pondered his question.

“I never really thought of it much,” she finally admitted. “When I first made the wager with Dream, I just wanted him to see the beauty of humans. You all are-especially you-,” she paused and gave him a warm look, reaching between them to gently grab his hand from where he was still fiddling with them, “so full of life. I just wanted him to understand.” She stopped and shrugged, and Hob understood what she didn’t say. By now they all knew that Dream was in a bad place for a long time and was just starting to see that there was more to life than just his function.

“Anyway, if I had to guess I assume that Father had something to do with your preserved form.” She took back her hand to instead cup her mug and bring it to her mouth to take a long gulp.

Hob stared at the column of her neck admiring as he thought about what she said. He never gave much thought to the Endless parents as none of his spouses liked to talk about them. The closest being Delirium’s nonsensical musings about there being a black hole inside her sometimes, and the twins sharing a look.

“Why would he grant my body stasis- for lack of a better word?” He asked. His musings were starting to give him a headache the more he tried to wrap his head around the subject.

Death shrugged again, putting her now empty mug down. Hob pushed his half drunk glass towards her. He didn’t think drinking anymore would help with his burgeoning headache.

Just as she was finishing his mug, Death turnt her head and gazed off into distance with her ear cocked, listening to something Hob couldn’t hear.

“I got to go,” she said as she stood up. Hob got up and leaned towards her to press a chaste kiss to her cheek.

“I’ll see you later love.” And watched as her great wings took her off to her next appointment.

“She’s right you know.” Hob quickly whipped around at the sound of an unfamiliar voice in his now not so empty flat. Standing behind him was a young man with bright red hair-looking just like Destruction. Hob wet his lips, suddenly wishing he didn’t give Death his drink as the man changed forms into a wizen old man. He instinctively knew who was standing before him even though this was his first time meeting the being; and wondered if this had anything to do with the flat being on the border of the the Endless siblings realms.

The being-Time-circled around Hob, making him feel like a sculpture on display. He swallowed down his sudden feeling of inadequacy and smiled what he hoped was a welcoming grin. “Hel-,” he was cut off before he could finish the greeting.

“I suppose congratulations are in order.” His tone not giving anything away as he continued his perusal. Hob fought the urge to wipe his sudden sweat coated palms on his trousers, and instead met his father-in-laws eyes as he finally circled back to the front.

“I don’t like company, even from my own children, but I do keep an eye on them from time to time.” At the last part his lips twitch up, reminding Hob of Destiny when he managed to make him smile. His form shifted again, turning him into a small red headed child, though the intense look in his eyes didn’t change.

“I watched that day Death and Dream made that wager, and knew how important you’d be.” He stopped and stepped closer to Hob, his form shifting again to a baby, small tufts of red hair and a cherub face. Hob looked down and wondered how this didn’t even make it into his top ten list of weird things to happen to him in the last decade alone. “Imagine my surprise when the least likely timeline overwrote what the Fates had in store for Dream and changed Destiny’s Book.”

Hob swallowed, “uh-,” and once again was cut off from whatever he was about to say.

“Thank you.” The words were softly spoken as Time shifted again, his form now a middle again man with white streaking into his red hair and beard. He finally tore his eyes from Hob, who let out an inaudible sigh as the pressure he didn’t know was slowly suffocating the room disappeared.

When he looked back up, a shadow flashed over the man’s face making him look every eon he was. Hob blinked and the being was gone. As silence slowly descended he heard the knob on the door turning and Destruction emerged from the rain, red hair dripping and boots creating puddles in the entry way. He had shop bags in his great arms as he slowly looked a Hob’s gobsmacked face after shutting the door.

“You okay love?” He asked. He walked around Hob to deposit the bags onto the counter, but stopped and turned to face him again when he received no response. Setting the last bag down Destruction walked over to Hob and took his hands into his own larger ones.

That finally seemed to shock Hob out of his catatonic state. “I think your father approves of me.”

Destruction just stared at him as Hob let go of his hands and wandered the few paces to the kitchen counter to peak into the bags the redhead had left there. “What’s for dinner?” He asked unaware of the stunned expression his blasé response brought.

Needless to say, dinner was late after Destruction called his siblings and they all ended up talking over one another, save Destiny who sat on the couch with a small smile on his face as he read from his Book-Hob sitting beside him as he let his soothing presence help his now migraine- and handed him an aspirin and a glass of water.

[doctorhouse5343]

Just as Dream's household was getting used to the new catboy, his sister Death began to show him pictures of cat hybrid twins, telling him that it would be a good idea, that those two need a loving family. The hiccup was that while he thought that Despair seemed sweet and wouldn't be a problem, Desire was a whole different story : they exuded an air of mischief and had a smug expression on their face in every photo (the poses didn't help either, he imagined them closing his laptop to lie on it dramatically, begging for a crumb of attention). But since it was Death he agreed, knowing that arguing would be pointless and that he couldn't use Hobo Heart being shy as an excuse : the catboy had asked for a coffin shaped cat bed; lid included; big enough for more than one cat, though the ravenette still had some doubts.

Eventually the cat twins arrived and soon settled in nicely : Despair had her own little space where she could be away for a bit when she felt the need to and Desire was exploring the area with an haughty expression on their face, calling the home decor 'Dracula's castle on Wish.com' as they then lied down on the couch. The newcomers got along with Destruction just fine, they really liked the dogboy and liked Hob as well, though there was no sign of the elusive skull-face cat boy anywhere. Bored out of their minds and deciding to explore some more, Desire came across a weird coffin bed with the lid partially moved and just as they were about to check further, dark bony fingers with bone markings on them lifted the lid further. Two glowing blue eyes came out of the darkness, the beast was about to come out until the cat diva shrieked and slammed it's head with a pillow before closing the lid, looking shocked when they heard a small 'Ouch, that was rude..' and saw a white-haired cat boy with a strange skeletal pattern on his body, his hair was sticking up in all directions. When Destruction recalled the story with a laugh, Desire would pout and glare, embarrassed by the fact that they got spooked by a weird cat

I just had to add the twins, they are so fun

[tobrokenstone]

like this slumber that creeps to me (masterpost)

our hungers appeased (m, mind the tags)

hob gadling, excited to see and discover a new part of the world, joins the crew of a ship setting out to explore the arctic.

this was a mistake.

we'd feed well the land (t)

he's had enough practice by now that closing out his life in one place to move to the next is the work of days, and it's almost exactly a week after finally setting foot back in london that hob walks into a train station, earthly possessions packed neatly into a trunk and a healthy sum in a bank account ready to be wired elsewhere, and he buys a ticket for the next train heading far, far out from the city.

i'd be home with you (t)

dream hasn't gone this long without visiting him since whatever this thing was between them began. visits in the waking, sure; not quite thirty years into this new arrangement of theirs and hob's already gone years without seeing his friend in waking hours. there's never any real pattern to his visits – hob will spend a month seeing dream every other day and then not again for eight months. he's grown accustomed to that.

it's been two years of silence, now. and hob knows something's wrong.

a thousand teeth (and yours among them) (e, mind the tags)

i do not require food, hob gadling. i would not ask this of you, dream says, and this time he takes a sip of that not-wine and hob feels every one of his veins, feels the rushing of blood through his body, feels himself pulled like the tides to this man – this unknowable thing shaped like a man – sitting next to him.

i would still offer it. this and more.

[landwriter]

🌹

“Let me be a vessel for you. Once a century. Starting tonight.”

“You know not what you offer.”

“Maybe not. Maybe not the extent of it. But I’m offering it all the same.”

“You know not what you offer, Hob.”

“I give it freely.”

“Robert Gadling, a final time, I bid you deny me.”

“I give it with love.”

---

unearthed in the section of another wip altogether! more barebones dialogue of hob being unhinged!! i love my one single fuckin document for everything sandman. it's currently at 103K. hob's very upset to learn about dream's role as a vessel for the collective unconsciousness - to him it is genuinely horrifying, knowing the sort of dreams he has, the sort of dreams men have, and so he offers himself up totally as some kind of respite, knowing not really what else to do, not thinking.

[gabessquishytum]

hi i just think that dream and destruction should take turns fucking hob and coming in him and then plugging him back up. they start off easily enough -- neither of them ever opts for a cock hob would call average, but he likes it that way, and neither of them have gone for anything inhumanly large. and when they come in him the volume's enough that hob might normally joke about his partner having been pent up but, again, nothing he would have questioned from anyone else.

but the day goes on, with hob being bent over his desk in his office or dragged into empty rooms between classes, and as he's fucked over and over, well. eventually the plug needs to be reshaped a bit, doesn't it. a little bigger, to adjust for how much his hole's loosened up. and then dream and destruction have to make their cocks a little bigger so he's still nice and tight around them. and then it starts to turn into a friendly competition.

they're each a little bigger, every time he's fucked again. the plug keeps getting bigger by increments. and they start coming more and more each time, until hob goes from feeling wet to feeling full. he can feel himself swell a little more with each load.

he has office hours after classes -- with only brief visits from students, thankfully, because his partners are taking full advantage of the fact that he's alone in a room with a locking door -- and then he winds up staying to get a bit of marking done. and when he's done, he stays at his desk until dream comes by for his next turn. because after destruction's last round... hob had made the mistake of wearing one of his more fitted button-downs that day, and the buttons are barely holding on over the swell of his belly. another load and he thinks they're going to give and he can't face public transportation like this, and he's so sweet begging dream to magic him home that dream doesn't even bother teasing him about it. just whisks him off back to his flat, where destruction's already lounging in hob's bed. and hob gets to lay back, cradled against destruction's chest, as dream fucks him again and comes, and comes, and comes. until the buttons of hob's shirt finally give way.

-🐈‍⬛

I'm literally squirming with happiness as I read this because ohhh it hits so many of my kinks, doesn't it <3

I love the thought of poor Hob squirming in his chair as he feels fuller and heavier as the day goes on. He's trying so hard to be a good boy and also to like. Do a decent day's work, lol. Nobody is quite brave enough to comment on his increasingly debauched state, or the fact that his shirt is clearly struggling - the poor guy is obviously going through some serious bloating issues, it would just be mean to bring it up.

But Hob knows that people can see how sweaty he is, how his cheeks a permanently red. There's definitely a suspicious white stain on the back of his trousers that he doesn't know how he could ever explain. Overall, he's just fucked out and shakey and so so horny. He can't stop putting his hands on his belly and pressing down, to feel the pressure against the plug in his hole and the way all that thick liquid inside him sloshes around.

He’s totally blaming Destruction for the whole thing. He’s the nicest guy Hob has ever met but his competitive streak is MASSIVE. If Dream goes big, Destruction has to go bigger. If Dream cums a lot, Destruction has to cum more. And Dream is also not going to let his little brother outdo him, so… poor Hob is in for a rough time. And yes, he loves it unashamedly. He’s mentally measuring the girth of their cocks and delighting in the way each time he’s fucked they feel bigger and thicker. He’s definitely encouraging them by moaning and spreading his cheeks, claiming that he can take more and more. He’s not going to deny that he loves being their good little cumdump, he just genuinely isn’t sure if he can move by the end of the day.

Even Destruction’s massive hand isn’t quite enough to cradle the entire bulge of his belly. Hob is trembling between his two lovers as he’s filled with even more cum. He’s whining and begging and he genuinely isn’t sure if he’s begging for more or for them to stop. Destruction just hushes him and rubs over his tummy, saying that he’s such a good little cream puff, can’t he take a little more? Dream rolls his eyes over the nickname but apparently Hob is into it because he clamps his walls down hard on Dream’s cock and coaxes out another load of cum.

Poor Hob really doesn’t know the meaning of the words “too much”. It’s fortunate that he has two lovers to coo over him and rub his belly until he manages to drift off to sleep. If he dreams of being kept so round and well fucked forever….. well, he can’t help it! It just feels so good!

[knowledgechild]

i was thinking

Destruction left his realm and went to live with humans right?

what if he met Hob and became friends with him?

then something happens to that Destruction figures out that Hob is immortal and also tells him [Hob] that he is an endless

cue to Dream finding his brother being the best of friends with his (boy)friend

i think their dinamic would be interesting to explore

[murphyoftheendless]

Sandman art dump!

[naive-daydreamer]

What if we rewrite the stars... (Say you were meant to be mine).

Type: Fanfic.

Rated: M.

Chapters: 13/?.

Tags: too many to count / as much as ao3 let me.

Part 1 of the series: “To dream is to defy, and to defy is to dream”.

Written by: defianceoftheendless

read here on ao3

What was the saying? Ah, yes, dreaming doesn't cost anything.

Well, what if it turned out that the concept of dreaming was much more than a concept? What if it was, in turn, a man behind glass, and there was once a girl who tried to set him free?

That girl's name was Esther Carrasco, and it turned out that dreaming cost her everything.

•

Where a new entity, known as the Defiant of Destinies, emerges from the spilled blood of a dreamer.

[tiabritana]

Another Hobsbandverse inspired story. Please check out @softest-punk works.

————————————————————————

Hob turned the knob to his flat and stepped inside. He threw his keys into the bowl by the door- a pottery attempt by Destruction that Hob thinks was supposed to resemble a seashell- threw his coat onto the chair next to the rack- he’d have to hang it up properly later- took his bag and set it on top of his coat and finally took the bouquet of flowers from between his teeth and set them on top of his bag.

He slipped off his shoes, grabbed the bouquet and set off for the kitchen to grab a vase.

“Those are absolutely stunning darling, whoever did you get them from.” A voice purred from the direction of the sitting room. Hob paused in his search to see a pair of golden eyes watching him from the couch.

“My lovely spouse surprised me with them at work today.” He beamed deciding to play along.

“And who might this spouse of yours be, hmm?” Desire slowly rose from their perch on the couch to slink their way to Hob- who had finally located a vase and was filling it with water.

“They have stunning golden eyes, a tantalizing red smile, and can stalk their prey while wearing 6 inch heels.” He turned his head and glanced down at said heels Desire was wearing as they continued to come closer to him, then turned back around to continue filling the vase.

When they were finally chest to back, Desire wrapped their arms around Hobs neck, turning his head again and pulling him closer so that they could claim his lips in a welcome kiss. Hob moaned as Desire’s tongue swiped the seam of his lips but pulled back before the kiss could be deepened.

“The water’s about to overflow.” They whispered in his ear causing a shiver to run down Hob’s spine; before their words registered and he turned back around with a yelp to quickly shut the faucet off.

“Fucking hell” He muttered under his breath as he took the now full vase and set it on the kitchen table. Desire watched, softly chuckling at their husband as he fiddled with the flower arrangement.

“I’m happy my surprise was so well received.” They said as they headed back toward the couch. Hob finished his arranging and followed Desire stepping over one of the ghost cats who was laying in the middle of the room.

“Thank you lovely,” he pecked Desire on the forehead as they sat back down to watch the reality show they had paused, and headed towards the bathroom.

As he approached the door, Hob noticed the paint was a different color than it had been that morning, but shrugged it off as one of the siblings expressing their artistic abilities. When he opened the door however, he had to pause and blink to make sure he was really seeing what was in front of him.

“Uh- Desire? Was Delirium the last one here?” He asked, turning to look back at the blonde. Desire didn’t turn their gaze from the tv before letting out a noncommittal hum.

“I believe she and Despair were the last ones here, but were gone by the time I arrived.” And went back to their show. Hob returned to the scene that was still awaiting him in the bathroom.

Submerged in a purplish-pink viscous like substance the filled the whole room, a zebra-patterned octopus waved a tentacle in greeting. Hob returned the gesture and slowly closed the door, deciding that he could wait to take a shower, and instead walked back over to the couch and cuddled close to Desire. They wrapped an arm around him and let him cuddle into their side, their gaze never leaving the television.

“His name is Simon.” A sudden voice said from his other side. Hob craned his neck from where it was currently under Desire’s armpit to see Delirium now sitting upside down on the couch. Her hair was neon orange curls today that flowed to the floor with feathers sticking out from all sides like some sort of puffed up owl. Some of the slime from the bathroom still lingered on the jacket she was wearing. Hob hoped it would come out of the fabric.

“Don’t you think Simon would be happier not swimming in pink slime love?” Delirium pouted, but from the angle she was dangling it looked like a grin.

“I suppose he can, what’s the word when gravity doesn’t like you and you fly fly fly up to the sky-“ here she spread her arm out wide, “and drift with the clouds?”

“Float?” Hob answered, and she nodded her head and flipped off the couch and smiled in his direction before taking off towards the bathroom.

“Dreamy will probably let Simon float in the streams of the sea of dreams and shore of nightmares.” She danced, wiggling her hips and spinning as she reached the bathroom door. Hob smiled turning back around to rest his head on Desire’s chest, and closed his eyes and just breathed in the chaos that was their flat- and loving every second of it.

[darjeelinh]

Chapters: 4/4 Fandom: The Sandman (TV 2022), The Sandman (Comics) Rating: General Audiences Warnings: Major Character Death Relationships: Dream of the Endless & Hob Gadling, Death of the Endless & Dream of the Endless, Dream of the Endless | Morpheus & Lucien | Lucienne, Desire of the Endless & Dream of the Endless, Destruction of the Endless & Dream of the Endless, Despair of the Endless & Dream of the Endless | Morpheus, Destiny of the Endless & Dream of the Endless, Dream of the Endless | Morpheus & Matthew the Raven, Dream of the Endless & Matthew the Raven, Calliope/Dream of the Endless, Dream of the Endless/Nada, Calliope/Dream of the Endless | Morpheus, Dream of the Endless | Morpheus & Orpheus (The Sandman), Dream of the Endless/Hob Gadling, Delirium of the Endless & Dream of the Endless, Dream of the Endless/Alianora Characters: Dream of the Endless | Morpheus, Dream of the Endless, Dream of the Endless | Daniel, Destiny of the Endless, Death of the Endless, Desire of the Endless, Despair of the Endless, Destruction of the Endless, Delirium of the Endless, Nada (The Sandman), Alianora (The Sandman), Calliope (The Sandman), Lucien | Lucienne (The Sandman), Matthew the Raven, Hob Gadling Additional Tags: The Sandman (Comics) Spoilers, Post-Canon, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, there is a happy ending i promise, Purgatory, Character Study, Prose Poem, Post-The Wake (Sandman) Summary:

In Death’s waiting room sat her brother.

or, after the Wake, Dream is stuck in purgatory. He had to confront his regrets before he could move on.

[doctorhouse5343]

Eternally Yours (Chapter 1)

"You need to get yourself another cat." The words uttered by his friend Johanna left Morpheus puzzled, putting down his mug of coffee as he stared at her in bewilderment "Pardon?" He asked, watching her take a swig of her beer as she looked at him as if he had just lost his mind "Are you daft or something? You wanted my help and this is my advice : get yourself another cat".

She then put her pint down, letting out a sigh before continuing "You mentioned that Hob is driving Ollie to exhaustion with how energetic he is, right? So the obvious solution to that problem is to add a new member to your household to make sure that your cat gets to play as much as he want while your dog finally gets some good rest". Her words made Morpheus frown a bit, not quite convinced yet "And you expect me to find this new cat where?" The skepticism in his voice made her roll her eyes in annoyance (her plan was fantastic, thank you very much.) "The shelter, of course, you ninnie! There's a ton of cats there, yearning to get taken into a safe home and yours will be more than perfect. On top of that, you won't have to be filled with worry at work because they won't be so alone anymore".  Since Johanna was clearly not going to give up on trying to convince him, the ravenette's mind wandered off to what happened in the morning, all to further ponder on his dilemma without having to listen to his friend's rambling.

When he woke up that morning, Morpheus was greeted by the sight of his adorable brown haired cat named Hob, who immediately jumped into his arms to kiss him all over the minute that he stepped in the living room "Hello Hob, have you slept well?" His question, followed by scritches that made the brown tabby cat-boy purr in delight, was answered with a sunny smile that made his heart melt "I have slept well but I was too excited to see you again so I woke up a lot earlier than usual". The cat boy then proceeded to lavish his owner with more kisses until he was lowered back down, smiling as he felt the ravenette press a loving kiss onto his forehead before making his way into the kitchen with Hob in tow, both eager to see their beloved dog Destruction.

The red haired dog-boy was sitting at the table, yawns leaving his lips as he tried his hardest to stay awake "Good-morning you two, there's food on the table if you want any, though I think half of it might be charred" He chuckled tiredly as he looked at the both of them with fondness. "Are you alright, Ollie? You look tired" Hob's expression of worry as he took a seat beside him made the tall-red head feel the need to reassure him "I'll be fine bud, I just need a bit of a rest and I'll be back to playing with you as always in no time" His deep voice seemed to calm down the cat though it was clear that the brunette wasn't convinced yet, he knew that his energy was hard to keep up with and he felt bad for it. 

"Do make sure to take the time to rest as much as you need to, Destruction. It would pain me to see you in further discomfort" Morpheus urged softly, kissing the fluffy dog hybrid's lips before joining them at the table to eat their breakfast, the three of them smiling at one another lovingly. Their moment of peace was sadly shattered when the raven haired male received a text message from his best friend Johanna Constantine, reminding him of the fact that he had agreed to get drinks with her, however there was a slight issue : he had a very important meeting to attend soon so that would mean that he wouldn't be able to go home until much later. A groan left his lips as he moved his pale hand through his unruly dark hair, muttering a few apologies to his two beloveds, which was brushed aside as the cat and dog both hugged him "We'll be alright, you go ahead and attend the meeting. Say hi to Johanna from us when you see her" Hob said with a smile before adding with a determined voice "Don't worry, I'll make sure that Ollie gets a plenty of rest in your absence".

A sigh of relief left Morpheus' lips as he sank in the loving embrace of his lovers, promising the pair that he would be come home safe and, after exchanging a long kiss, walked out of the front door to make his way to the car that he owned to get to his location. The memory of the meeting was a blur, he was more or less bored during it and found himself glancing at the wall-clock a few times before it was finally over. After making sure that it was actually wrapped up, he didn't want to leave without making sure that everything was said, the goth immediately ran out of the building to then sprint to the pub that he and his friend usually frequented (when he wasn't too busy, which was rare).

Upon entering the pub, Johanna welcomed him with a scowl, she wasn't too happy that it took him long to get there but calmed down after he explained the meeting that he had to attend "Well the important thing is that you are here and didn't get yourself in the hospital, now if you don't mind I'm going to get our usual and while we drink you are going to tell me all about your day", which he did after he got his cup of black coffee : he told her about Hob's sudden burst of energy, how they made it hard for Destruction to keep up and brought up the lack of sleep that the dog was having as a result of the tabby's playing.

And now here they were, Johanna throwing good points in her argument while Morpheus tried to simply enjoy his coffee "If I agree to go and visit the local shelter, will you cease? I am beginning to feel the start of a migraine" He relented, feeling exhausted after this incessant back-and-forth. His friend was quite proud herself as she finished her pint but made sure to add a requirement to make sure that he truly would go "The minute that you get back home with the cat, you better send me a picture to prove it. It has to be a picture of the cat, not of Hob or another random one. If you don't do it, I'll make sure that our next outing is at a karaoke bar and that you will sing". The threat made the man pale, he knew that she meant every word so he vowed that he would do what she asks. Quite pleased with herself, Johanna ordered another pint and did a toast in honor of the promise that that the elegant male would keep while planning the playlist that he'd sing if he failed to do what she had asked him to, giggling to herself as she schemed while he enjoyed his coffee.

The quiet atmosphere in the animal shelter should have be reassuring but for the handlers working there, it was only a source of worry due to it being the time were their little terror  would start his reign of terror. Out of all the animals that the shelter had seen come and go, none of them were as terrifying as Hobo Heart, the cat with the odd skeleton-on-blackish-gray coat and fluffy white hair, whose goal in life was to stare at everyone in judgement while eating random hearts (no one knew how he managed to find any, he always covered his tracks) and scare his caretakers by running around the place with his blue eyes wide and glowing. The shelter tried many times to get the feline into a good home but his habits made him unlikable to them, which the handlers tried to correct with treats but to no avail, the behavior simply continued on until not many visitors came to meet him : they were afraid of the possibility of him clawing their face off.

The handlers present looked at the clock nervously, all dreading the moment where one of them had to go see Hobo Heart for his meal time and it was just as they were about to use a game rock-paper-scissor to see who would do it that the bell at the front door rang, announcing the arrival of a visitor. One of the workers went to the front desk where a tall elegant man was waiting, his rosy lips lifted in a slight smile as he watched the shelter staff greet him and after they asked 'how could I be off assistance?', he began to explain the reason for his visit : he was looking for a calm cat that loved to play, had a lot of energy and had a friendly temperament "You are in luck my good sir, we have a cat that I am quite sure matches what you are looking for. Follow me please, he resides down the hall". 

When the pair headed down the hallway to reach the area were the local terror was most likely asleep at, Morpheus couldn't help but notice the frightened look that the handlers were throwing at their colleague, who ignored them with a smile as he talked about Hobo Heart in a kinder light "He's a bit shy at first but he is so sweet , his coat is really interesting an-" The words died in the poor worker's throat as the crystal blue eyes of the cat-boy menace were starring at him from across the room. The cat hybrid was still staring when his handler introduced him to the pretty goth, who didn't seem bothered by his gaze at all so the white haired fiend turned it up a notch by zooming around them with his glowing before resuming his staring. A grin soon appeared on his lips as he faced them, expecting the man to be gone but to his surprise Morpheus merely looked pleased at what he saw "I would like to take Hobo Heart home with me, if that would be of no trouble for you" The ravenette's words were met with a small nod in reply as the frightened young man handed him the papers to sign. In no time at all the dark haired male was driving back home with a skull-faced hybrid whose eyes were the size of saucers at the moment, trying to understand what was going on as he stared out of the car window while the two were silent during the entire duration of the ride. 

The car eventually arrived at his new owner's home and the two of them soon went inside where they were soon greeted by a very happy brown haired tabby-cat hybrid "Morpheus, you came back!" He exclaimed as he hugged his owner before turning his attention to the new cat, his brown eyes full of curiosity "What is your name, cute stranger?". Before the white haired cat could say anything, a tall red headed dog hybrid with a nice beard walked in and stood right next to Hob "Let's give the poor lad some room to breathe, he just arrived after all. He must be exhausted and nervous" The male's voice was deep in a way that soothed him and he couldn't help but stare as the pretty owner pressed a kiss onto the lips of the gentle giant. "You are right, Destruction, we must be patient with dear Hobo Heart. I believe all that running tired him in the end" Morpheus chuckled as went on to explain what he had witnessed the cat-boy do, Hob was impressed at the speed described while Ollie was amused by the mischief that he was capable of doing.

He was just about to say something until a soft voice spoke up, making the three of them turn around "You are a dog, aren't you?" The question was innocent enough but it reminded the dark-haired goth that he never asked the people who worked at the local shelter if Hobo Heart was comfortable with dogs, in fact it never crossed his mind to ask him about it but his beloved dog smiled as he replied, gently as to not scare the cat "Yes, I am but don't worry, I won't go around bothering you when you feel like being alone, I promi-" Destruction's eyes went wide as he was abruptly interrupted by what felt like something trying to climb him with their claws. When he looked down he was expecting to see the brown tabby but instead found himself staring into the fluffy white-haired nightmare's icy blues, who stared back with determination as he continued his ascension until he was resting his head on the male's wide chest. 

Without missing a beat, the new cat hybrid face-planted right in the middle of the comfortably hairy chest before him and, while letting out the loudest purr that rivaled with Hob's, smiled widely as he said "I love dogs". It was at that moment that if there was any doubts about making this bushy-tailed feline an official member of their family, they went all out of the window the minute that the cutie purred deep in the gentle giant's arms "Destruction, could you keep him in your arms for as long as you possibly can? I must take a picture of this moment for the family album, and for my sister and Johanna" When the red head nodded with a smile ; honestly there was no way that he was going to let go of the sweet boy anytime soon; the raven-haired beauty pulled out his camera to immortalize this moment to print it later before taking one last picture with his phone to send it to Death and his friend. After he was done Morpheus wasted no time and sent the picture of Hobo Heart latched onto Ollie's chest to Johanna with a message that said : 'My new cat 🥰', before sending the picture to his dearest sister Death. Letting out a sigh of relief, knowing that he wouldn't be singing anytime soon, he turned his attention to the happy cat in the red-headed dog's arms and it was at that moment that he knew that this was the best decision of his life so he sent a simple text to his best friend : 'You were right'.

oh to be a cute cat 🥲

[tobrokenstone]

Chapters: 1/1 Fandom: The Sandman (Comics), The Sandman (TV 2022) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Dream of the Endless/Hob Gadling, Dream of the Endless | Morpheus/Hob Gadling, Destruction of the Endless/Hob Gadling Characters: Dream of the Endless | Morpheus, Hob Gadling, Destruction of the Endless, Barnabas (The Sandman), Bast (The Sandman), Jessamy the Raven Additional Tags: Hob Gadling Saves Dream of the Endless | Morpheus from Roderick Burgess, Hob and Destruction Save Dream, Non-Graphic Violence, (and only briefly), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Getting Together, Food as a Metaphor for Love, not in the cannibalism way for a change. this is the cannibalism-free installment., Pining, Alive Jessamy the Raven (The Sandman) Series: Part 3 of like this slumber that creeps to me Summary:

dream hasn't gone this long without visiting him since whatever this thing was between them began. visits in the waking, sure; not quite thirty years into this new arrangement of theirs and hob's already gone years without seeing his friend in waking hours. there's never any real pattern to his visits – hob will spend a month seeing dream every other day and then not again for eight months. he's grown accustomed to that.

it's been two years of silence, now. and hob knows something's wrong.

[tryan-a-bex]

Halloween; or, Violence, seen from far away, is entertaining

Inspired by a comment by Moreta (ao3), @entropy-mephit, who also did the art! My version and hers are included below. Hers is the fancy one! (Read on ao3.)

Hob watched over Dream’s shoulder as he scrolled through Pinterest posts of Halloween costumes.

“Hob, I do not want to do this. Why may I not just go as myself?” he grumbled.

“No! Love! The point of a Halloween party is to get dressed up and admire each other’s costumes! Don’t worry, the faculty has a huge range of investment is costuming. Some will go all out, especially the arts profs, but plenty of us are going to keep it simpler. What do you think of that pirate costume?”

“What if I go like this?” Dream suggested, suddenly two feet taller and dripping shadows everywhere. Hob cupped his pale, amorphous cheek tenderly in his hand.

“You know I love your Nightmare form, but I think it would be a little over the top for the party.” Hob blinked and Dream was back in his accustomed form, pointing at another picture.

“This one has cat ears, and a tail.” Hob’s lap was abruptly full of a large, black Maine Coon cat.

“Silly duck! Even the non-physicists would have questions about your change in mass!”

“I want to support you in your work social functions, but this is ridiculous!” Hob sighed.

“Anya is coming over soon for babysitting, so why don’t we put it away for now? We can revisit it later, and maybe we’ll think of something in the meantime.”

“Yes, I will go and return when my duties are complete. Maybe I will find something in a dream that will work.” Dream sounded doubtful, but he still gave Hob a tender goodbye kiss before disappearing to his realm.

Hob sighed and went downstairs to greet Yor and Anya. The New Inn has been rented out for a birthday party, so he was going to babysit Anya upstairs at his place for the first time.

“Yor! Anya! Come on upstairs!” he greeted them when they arrived.

“Anya gets to see Hob’s flat!” Anya exclaimed with wonder in her voice.

“I’m sure it won’t be that exciting!” he chuckled, opening the door. Yor entered first, and he saw how thoroughly she inspected the room, while looking as though she was just glancing around. It must have passed muster, because she turned to Anya and gave her a hug.

“Have fun with Hob, Anya!” she said, leaving her with a smile and a little nod at Hob. Hob nodded back, smiling as he squatted to Anya’s level.

“Would you like to play Spy again today?” he asked. Spy was Anya’s favourite make-believe game.

“Today, Anya is an explorer! Anya wants to explore Hob’s flat!”

“Uhhh…” Hob had tidied up, of course, and child-proofed the most dangerous things (the cleaning fluids were on a high shelf in the closet instead of on the floor beside the toilet, for example), but he was sure a determined child like Anya could find something to get into. He’d have to watch her like a hawk!

“TV. Anya has a tv,” Anya began, walking around the living room. She passed the couch to stare at the bookshelves against the wall.

“Hob has a lot of books,” she declared.

“Um, yeah,” he agreed. “Some of them are quite old. Would you like to look at a book?” he hoped she would be amenable to letting him guide the choice of book. Some of his first editions weren’t really in condition for casual handling.

“What is that?” Anya pointed at the top shelf, way in the corner. Ah. Hob had gotten out his old plague doctor mask from storage, back in 2020. He hadn’t been able to help as much this time as in the past, due to licensing requirements for health care providers, but he had covered a few in-person lectures for his immunocompromised colleagues before admin got on board with the quarantine, and he’d handed out masks in the Tube before they they were required.

“Take this, it’ll save your life, mate.” It was a surreal time.

Hob handed the mask down to Anya, remembering the first time he had put it on. He’d survived the plague the first time, when most of his family died. He’d survived it again in the early 1500’s, while he was building his fortune. It had been easier that time, because the plague was always kinder to the rich than the poor. It was in 1665, while he was recovering from grief and from being drowned, that he donned the mask. If he wasn’t going to die, Hob had realized, there were so many lives he could save. Basic battlefield first aid got him started—give thirsty people water to drink. Put a blanket on them if they were chilled. Give them a damp rag if they were feverish. Clean their bodies as much as possible. So many people still died, but maybe not quite as many. Hob was grateful for each one who had recovered.

“Hob did not die for a long time,” Anya came out with, looking quizzically at him with the mask in her hands. Oh, shit. He hadn’t meant to give away that secret; he’d forgotten she was a telepath in the rush of memories. He looked her steadily in the eyes.

“Your papa has a secret, and your mama has a secret.” Anya had told him so the first time she met Dream. She hadn’t told him what the secret was, but Hob could guess, based on how extremely competent and dangerous her parents were.

“You have a secret,” she nodded in agreement, a serious look on her little face, “and I have a secret too,” Hob finished.

“Dream has a secret too,” Anya pointed out. “Franky and Uncle Yuri also.” Hob just nodded. He so did not want to open that can of worms!

“Time to explore again!” Anya suddenly announced, putting the plague mask down on the coffee table. She headed down the hall, Hob darting after her with, he had to admit, some trepidation in his heart. He hadn’t really planned on her seeing the bedroom. He’d better check it first, before she poked her nose in.

Hob stuck his nose in the bedroom, seeing with relief that it was fairly tidy and didn’t have any child-unfriendly things lying around. He turned to try to head her off anyway, only to see that it was already too late. Instead of aiming for the bedroom, she had opened the hall closet where he’d stuffed his dangerous items, and there she was, holding the hilt of his great sword, which was taller than she was. Hob winced and gently took it from her.

“How about we go explore in the park?” He suggested, determinedly turning his thoughts away from all the people he’d killed with that sword, and the times he’d nearly been killed himself, as he stowed it away again.

“Yes! Anya wants to explore the park!” She grabbed his hand enthusiastically, barely slowing down to put her shoes on as they headed outside.

Hob made sure she stopped to check for traffic before crossing the road, then sauntered after her as she dashed through the park, weaving around the few people who were also out enjoying it. She came to a halt as she spotted a raven in the grass, and crouched low to approach it, a crafty expression on her face. Ah, playing Spy again, Hob thought. The raven hopped toward the tree, then suddenly took off to caw at her from its branches.

“Anya is an explorer!” Anya proclaimed to the red-haired man sitting against the base of the tree.

“I’m a bit of an explorer too,” he confessed, patting his little bundle, which was tied to a stick like an old time hobo. Hob felt strangely at ease with him, even though he couldn’t have said why he felt familiar. Perhaps they’d met before.

“You have a secret too,” Anya disclosed. The man raised his eyebrows, glancing at Hob.

“Ah, Anya, most people do have secrets, you know. It’s generally not polite to ask about them, unless you really need to know, or if someone is not safe. In that case you should really tell a grown up…” Hob trailed off as he realized the other two were ignoring him. The stranger was being submitted to Anya’s piercing gaze, the one where it seemed she could read your soul. She didn’t break the gaze first, he did.

“You should probably ask my brother if you want to know my secrets, Hob. We have met, you know. It was very long ago. In fact, it was your memories today which drew me here.”

“You’re not the one he calls the Prodigal, are you?” Hob wondered, making connections in his head. Dream had a lot of siblings, and they were all remarkable. The man smiled brilliantly.

“I am! You can call me Joe.”

“It’s nice to meet….” Hob started, but Anya was interrupting, grabbing Joe’s hand.

“Anya wants a story! Tell me about exploring!” she demanded. Joe nodded.

“Well, there was this one day I was wandering with my dog, Barnabas,” he began.

“Anya knows Barnabas! He came here before!” Anya interrupted.

“Did he? That’s nice! So, Barnabas and I…” Hob settled in for a good story, hoping it would last until Yor returned.

Later that day, having said goodbye to Joe, Anya and Yor, Hob trudged up to his flat and flopped on the couch. His eyes fell on the plague mask, still sitting on the coffee table, and he was stuck by inspiration. Just then, Dream appeared.

“Hello, Hob,” he smiled as Hob moved to give him room on the couch.

“I met your brother today!” Hob revealed, “and I think I know what to do for your Halloween costume!”

Two weeks later, Hob and Dream were standing outside the faculty Halloween party. Hob had recreated his plague doctor outfit, and Dream was wearing his helm and robe, toned-down a bit on Hob’s advice. Dream was having second thoughts.

“Don’t worry, Duck, it will be fine,” Hob reassured him, taking him by the hand and drawing him gently into the party room. Five minutes later, they were at the refreshments table when an elaborate Big Ben Hob didn’t know came up to them.

“Excellent plague doctor mask!” she enthused. “It looks so authentic!”

“Thank you!” Hob answered, loving how willing people were to see what they expected to see.

“And you!” she turned excitedly to Dream, “I love your mask! Where did you get it?”

“I created it from the skull and spine of my enemy, who I crushed with my own hands,” Dream intoned in his most ominous voice.

“Brilliant! Great backstory! I love how you commit to the bit!” she gushed.

“Hob?” Dream whined.

“Don’t worry, love, you’re doing excellently,” Hob consoled him as they walked further into the party, once again holding hands.

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Why I call Destruction Joe (or Not Joe).