#dreamling 1689

[emihotaru]

And this one is done too!

I had a great time painting them, they came quite easily!

Here are 1689 Dream of the Endless and Hob Gadling, from the Sandman fanfic "Giving Sanctuary", by @avelera

Did I said "no more water" in one of my last drawing? I can't remember (I love bath scenes, ok??)

[valiantstarlights]

*turns up the brightness as high as it can go* man I can't believe Hob did a strip tease for Dream in 1689

[banancrumbs]

comforting stranger

[avelera]

Sandman Meta: Hob has exactly zero way of figuring out who Dream is (before they reunite)

More than once in a fic I've written from Hob's POV I've had readers note their astonishment that Hob has not yet figured out Dream's identity, even if Dream does not reveal it himself.

Even in fics of mine where Dream reveals his name, like in Giving Sanctuary, I have Hob be slow on the uptake when it comes to the extent of Dream's powers, even things like being able to enter and control dreams, and the reason I do this is carefully considered and based in the fact that Hob would have no way of knowing who Dream is or by extension what he can do.

So I kind of want to take a step back and address in detail just how actually impossible it would be, objectively, for Hob to figure out who Dream is in a world that doesn't have The Sandman comic for him to read to figure it out.

This is, of course, because, from a Doylist angle, Neil's "Dream of the Endless" is not based in any single mythology. Indeed, Dream as we know him is cobbled together from at least three or more different mythological figures, none of which combine to actually form the "Dream of the Endless" we see in the show or read in the comics. The Endless are completely made up for the comic and the Sandman, Morpheus, and Oneiros are all from wildly different mythologies and none of them actually overlap to form the complete picture of who Dream is as an entity in the Sandman show or comic.

So even if someone straight-up told Hob that the person he meets is the Sandman, Morpheus, or Oneiros (btw, there is no singular figure of "Oneiros" in Greek mythology) he would still not be able to put together the full picture of who Dream is. Even if he's given the name "Dream of the Endless" to work with, those words combined don't mean anything on their own if you don't have what an Endless is filled in, because it was made up entirely for the comic. (Of course, a fanfic author absolutely could make up such a book for their fic but it would be a creation for that fic, serving a purpose within that story like to tip Hob off, though I think it's entirely reasonable to make up a book in the Sandman world that goes into detail on who the Endless are. The Magdalene Grimoire, btw, is not that book. It only talks about Death. Death is a figure in many mythologies including the Christian one, but Dream is not. Even Burgess needs the Corinthian to tell him who Dream is in the show, and he's an occultist.)

Couple all of this with Hob's personal experience with Dream, encountering him as part of a wager with Dream's sister Death to see if Hob could bear a life of immortality, you get far more clues that would send him hurtling off into a totally incorrect direction before you'd get anything close to the truth, if we assume only the books available in our world are available to him.

So the reason this is a bit of an irritation for me that there's this idea that Hob has "all the clues" to figure out who Dream is because it smacks of a logical fallacy.

Basically, it's easy to see that the answer to a complicated math problem is "obvious" if someone just hands the answer to you. But challenging people to actually solve it themselves could be quite a bit more complicated. And in this complex formula solving for "Who the fuck is Hob's mysterious stranger?" there's actually so many blank X's of unanswered questions that I genuinely think there's no way for Hob to solve this equation without someone giving him the answer.

Let's go through this systematically, using just what Hob knows as observed on screen in the show.

1389 - a pale man in all black with a ruby at his throat approaches Hob's table and challenges Hob to meet him there in 100 years. He then smiles enigmatically and leaves.

That's it. That's all Hob has to go off of. He never sees Death, he has no idea about the wager. As far as he knows, Dream gave him immortality. It would be the most logical conclusion given that the day before Hob didn't have immortality and the day after, presumably, he does.

1489 - The only confirmation he has is actually seeing Dream there in 1489 and the first thing he asks is, "How did you know that I'd be here?"

Dream does not answer him. Hob takes a few stabs at guessing his identity which reveals his Christian European context: are you a wizard, or a saint -- to be clear, these are two types of human magic users that make sense to Hob for his context. The only other figure he can think of is The Devil. He doesn't ask if Dream is a pagan god or a faerie, he assumes a man with arcane or divine magic, or the Devil.

Dream says that he's not the Devil, much good that would do if he was a Devil who could just presumably lie to Hob, and says he's interested in Hob's experience and implies that he will grant him another 100 years of life. He is sarcastic and unimpressed about Hob's wonder at the world. He doesn't even actually show much interest in Hob being in the printing business. He only shows a spark of interest in Hob's continued desire to live, and then immediately takes off.

1589 - The only new information Hob gets this year is 1) Dream is supremely uninterested in food or the wealth Hob has earned, or his family, and 2) puny little Will Shaxberd, a crap playwright with no shot at becoming anything more, suddenly becomes a famous playwright. He would eventually become a renowned playwright in his day but keep in mind, Shakespeare didn't actually become mega famous centuries after his death. In his day, many people thought other playwrights like Marlowe were better.

My point is, from this Hob doesn't necessarily get even the pieces to determine that Dream likes art. It might seem obvious to us because Dream is Prince of Stories, but that's not the offer Dream gives Shaxberd. He just asks if it is Will's will to create dreams to spur the minds of men. Yes, we know that Dream wants Will to make dreams for him, but in Hob's context, Dream is just asking what Will would sell his soul for, just like he overheard Hob saying he had no intention of dying. From this perspective the only strong conclusion Hob can draw is that Dream grants wishes.

From this, Hob could conclude that Dream is a djinn/genie, or perhaps a faerie, but there is absolutely nothing to indicate he's associated with dreams or literature directly besides a mention of creating dreams nested in the context of asking Shaxberd what he wants, giving him a supernatural gift much like the one Hob believes Dream gave him.

At this point, the domains of Dream's power are very muddled for Hob because he doesn't know Death gave him immortality. So as far as he knows, Dream can give immortality AND make an amateur playwright into the greatest writer who ever lived. Putting these two things together does not bring you naturally to the domain of dreams by any stretch.

(I will note here, that in Giving Sanctuary, I had Hob learn that "Death" is Dream's sister before he learns Dream's name. There, his initial conclusion is that Dream must therefore be Famine, one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and the one known for wearing black (and not eating seems like a clue with Dream too) my point being that having another, small piece of the whole puzzle still would probably send him flying off in the wrong direction given his cultural context.)

1789: The next time Hob gets any hint that Dream has powers is with Lady Johanna. He uses his sand to show her her, "old ghosts". Note, she does not fall asleep but rather begins to hallucinate.

The Sandman myth has its origins of Scandinavia and it is first written down in in "Der Sandmann" a context that Hob might have access to, if he's very well read, in the early 1800s. By the way, the description of the Sandman in that book bears a striking resemblance to the Corinthian, because he eats the eyes of naughty children, and very little to Dream beyond the use of sand in his magic.

There is absolutely nothing to link the Sandman to Morpheus the Roman God of Dreams, who was made up entirely by Ovid in the Metamorphoses and never mentioned anywhere before that. That's because Neil Gaiman was the first to link those two mythological figures.

And on that note, there is no Oneiros attested to in Hesiod. The mention of Oneiros is actually to the "Oneiroi" an entire tribe of dreams and nightmares who are the children of Night (Nix). There's Hypnos (Sleep) who is the brother of Thanatos (Death) but that is about as close as we get to the Endless in any other mythological source besides the comics. And again, Dream does not put Johanna to sleep, he makes her hallucinate.

1889- Again, there is precious little to go off of. Dream is tight-lipped as ever. The only thing he gives away is that Lady Johanna later helped him with a task, a fact Hob is visibly annoyed and I daresay jealous about, and when he lashes out he refers to himself as, "One such as I."

But "One such as I," only reveals something Hob already knew: that Dream thinks highly of himself. That doesn't actually reveal that Dream is even magical, he could just be nobility or a powerful immortal magic user and refer to himself that way. Hob already knows that Dream is magical, and immortal, and probably some sort of high born or aristocrat. He's probably known that since 1389 given how Dream was dressed and given that giant fuck-off ruby (which actually might make Hob, in that day, wonder if Dream was a relation to the Black Prince)

That's it. That is the grand total of everything Hob has seen of Dream.

Hob in the comic will eventually admit, in The Wake, that he figured out who Dream was on his own. But this is after Seasons of Mist when Dream toasts him in Hob's dream and Hob wakes up with the impossible bottle of wine on his bedside. He has another encounter too with Dream where Dream eventually accedes to Hob's request to make the men who killed Audrey, his dead girlfriend, know who she was. Presumably, Dream makes them dream of her.

So Hob in the comics by the time we get to The Wake has more to go off of to make the link to the Lord of Dreams. Hob as we see him in the show, has had much less to go off of.

Even if you give Hob one piece of the puzzle, like one of the names like Morpheus, or The Sandman, or Oneiros, that still doesn't help give him the whole picture. The word "Endless" would be meaningless. He would have to have read at least three pretty obscure books that span a period of 2,000 years (between Hesiod and Der Sandmann) to get the three books that Neil primarily drew from to combine these figures into the Dream of the comic.

Look, my point is, unless someone gives the answer to Hob, and explains the full extent of what the Endless are, he's got little to go off of. Arguably, not enough at all to solve for "X" as to who Dream is, even if he's given more pieces. This would be a tough problem to solve.

[achillesuwu]

Random thought I just had but when you think about it it's actually not that surprising that Hob waited for Dream in 1989. That he thought he would be there. Why? Because technically 1889 is in some way their second fight.

In 1589, Dream left without looking back and without a proper meeting and yet, in 1689 he is there first. What does Hob tell him as soon as he sees him? "I knew you would be there"

So what did Hob do in 1989? He did what his stranger did last time they had a fight. He came first and waited because his stranger must know that he will be there

[dsudis]

When Two Become One || Dream of the Endless | Morpheus/Hob Gadling || Explicit || 8/? || 42,282 words

Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Arranged Marriage, Explicit Sexual Content, Fix-It, Centennial Conjugal Visits, Slow Burn, Despite the Fucking, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Canonical Character Death, Poorly Negotiated Bigamy, Death in Childbirth, Stillbirth, Hurt/Comfort, Cuddling & Snuggling, Hand Feeding

On the seventh of June, 1389, Destiny’s book requires that Dream of the Endless marry. His sister Death knows just where to find him a spouse. Hob Gadling is just happy to be here. Dream may have to marry, but he knows how to make sure his marriage lasts at least a hundred years before going down in flames. A marriage, century by century.

Chapter 8: June 7, 1689

[Read the new chapter here!]

Hob and Dream both arrive at their centennial marriage night ready to reconcile, and their plans go off very nearly without a hitch.

[mayhemspreadingguy]

“If I had known that I was always doomed to lose him so young…That there was nothing I could do to change his fate…” Dream swallowed and when he spoke again the unshakeable calm of his voice wavered and finally broke, “I would have told him how I loved him, each day when he woke and each night while he dreamed. I would have embraced Eurydice as if she were my own daughter. I would have danced at their wedding.”

“I know,” Hob tightened his arms around Dream. “I know you would have.”

Giving Sanctuary by @avelera

This fic absolutely destroyed me! One of my favourites! Love it! 💕

I had it marked for later and avoided to read it because at the time it was already considerably long and I didn't really have the time for it (I have no self-control I'm hopeless binge reader so it would totally fuck up my schedule). I decided to read it not long ago aaaand then I caught up... to chapter 18 😭. WHY WHYYY WHAT A TERRIBLE TIME TO CATCH UP!?!??!!!

[notallsandmen]

[harukaspiegel]

Doodle time! I'm very obsessed with 1689!Dream. I'm sorry.

[blogoftheendless]

Hob definitely is an amazing cook, the type that has ALL the spices and knows how to use them. Sometime after 1689 when he was getting his life together he ended up on a Dutch spice trade ship, and spent a decade in the Spice Islands learning everything there was to know about aromatics. He never lost his Medieval penchant for using a ton of pepper and ginger in everything. He can’t believe how cheap spices are now! Every time Dream deigns to try the food he makes him in the Waking, Dream’s pale human guise turns bright pink at how spicy it is. Hob’s house smells like cinnamon and cardamon all the time. Feeding others is his love language. 

[strandhai]

☆☆☆

𝑺𝒕𝒂𝒓𝒔 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒃𝒓𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖⁣

𝑵𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒛𝒆𝒔 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒎 𝒕𝒐 𝒘𝒉𝒊𝒔𝒑𝒆𝒓 "𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖"⁣

𝑩𝒊𝒓𝒅𝒔 𝒔𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒊𝒏' 𝒊𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒚𝒄𝒂𝒎𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒓𝒆𝒆𝒔⁣

𝑫𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆⁣

𝑺𝒂𝒚 "𝑵𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕-𝒊𝒆 𝒏𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕" 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒌𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒎𝒆⁣

𝑱𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒎𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒆𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖'𝒍𝒍 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒔 𝒎𝒆⁣

𝑾𝒉𝒊𝒍𝒆 𝑰'𝒎 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒃𝒍𝒖𝒆 𝒂𝒔 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒃𝒆⁣

𝑫𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒂 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒅𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒎 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒆

☆☆☆

1689 Hob Gadling: me

Dream of the Endless: creativemayhem_ (IG)

[missmacfire]

I give you three Hob and one Dream 😄

new alignment chart just dropped

[avelera]

Avelera's Dreamling Fic Status Update:

Keeping Sanctuary (subscribe for updates here) - Giving Sanctuary Sequel follows Dream and Hob from the events of the altered meeting in 1689 up to the modern era. (aka, What if they hooked up after the 1689 meeting?) Current word count: ~7,000 words across several chapters. Realistic progress update: 1/10 complete total, Ch. 1 is about 1/5 complete.

(The rest are below the cut!)

Come live with me and be my love - Dream and Hob fall in love during the Regency Era when Dream loses a bet to Desire. Shenanigans ensue. (aka, What if they hooked up after the 1789 meeting?) Ch. 16 is at 2,500 words, probably about 1/3 done. Current plan is to wrap up Part 1 in the next few chapters then create a part 2 which finishes out their "1 year of marriage" on a month by month basis instead of following them day to day like Part 1 done. Probably won't be a separate fic though, just a change of format.

This Rough Magic - My take on "Hob rescues Dream from Burgess" with a twist that Hob ends up on Burgess's radar himself when he picked up some occult magic skills in the hopes of contacting Dream after 1889 and apologizing. Now he has to pretend to be friends with Burgess in order to get them both out of there, because Burgess thinks Hob can help force Dream to give him immortality. (aka, What if they hooked up after the 1889 meeting?) Ch. 9 is about 800 words in. Story is still very much in progress I just have a lot of WIPs, as you can see.

Joke's On You (I'm Into That) - The 1589 meeting goes very different when Hob proposes to Dream, who is so offended that he just can't let the matter go. A very angry, very horny competition kicks off between them. (Aka, what if they hooked up in 1589 when they were both at their absolute worst as people?) I have literally 40,000 words written for the rest of this fic. The problem is, there's big gaps in that first draft I have to fill in and scenes that need to be added. This might be my favorite WIP but it's also the hardest to write with all the smut scenes so it'll arrive whenever I can manage, I'm afraid.

Banana Daiquiris Ch. 2 - Comic-canon compliant (mostly) - Dream fakes his death to go on a vacation with Hob and Destruction. They end up in Tahiti. Destruction plays matchmaker. Hob doesn't know whether to thank Destruction or strangle him. Current word count 6,000 words. I've been playing around with adding on to this fic for ages. One of these days, I'll pull it all together.

Great Triumphs and Tragedies - aka, "Dream Accidentally Cursed Hob with a Normal Life" Fic - Dream learns that from 1689 on, Hob's life has been safe. Too safe. Improbably safe. Nothing bad or extraordinary or even terribly special has happened to him since Dream began to consider Hob his friend. He knows this because during his imprisonment, Hob's life became exciting again and suddenly went back to normal the day Dream was freed. Hob is not convinced that Dream is the reason for this, Dream disagrees. They talk about it. And fight about it. And some things that they've probably needed to talk about for a long time finally get said. (aka, sometimes the author just needs to write their weird headcanon into a 20,000 word fic that's almost entirely dialogue). Current word count: 19,000 words and about 80-90% finished, 3 of 4 chapters written. I'm hoping that posting what I've got will help push me through the final stretch. Real life interrupted for a bit though.

Unraveling Centuries, aka the Hob Amesia Fic - Dream and Hob are dating officially now in the 21st century when Hob gets hit with what seems to be a memory loss curse, shaving off 100 years of his life each day until Dream finds a cure. This effectively grants Dream a walk down memory lane as he is reacquainted with the Hob of each era and, in the process, learns how much longer Hob cared for him than Dream ever realized. Current word count: 40,000 words. Currently writing 1489 (1889-1589 are done) and re-writing the opening. First chapter is posted!

And for fics that haven't been posted anywhere yet (you can subscribe on my Ao3 author page for alerts about them):

"Fairy God Marlowe" - 1589 fixit fic where Hob and Kit Marlowe strike up a conversation while Dream and Shaxberd are talking. Hob and Marlowe talk about plays, and faith, and salvation, and queer love, and what it means to live forever. Hob gets a second chance at a first impression. Current word count: ~5,000 words. Sadly, it's all dialogue in script format. I'd need to convert it into prose to publish which would be a slog. So it's a bit shelved until I find the energy to do so. No, I will not post it in script format, I'm allergic to the thought.

I've got a few other concepts kicking around, but these are the ones that actually have (*does a quick calculation*) over 100,000 words written that I haven't had the chance to post yet?? And it's driving me insane????

Anyway, I should probably pin this post for those curious lol. Feel free to ask me any follow-up questions, I love talking about WIPs even as they ruin my life!

[emihotaru]

Sketchy and experimenting time!

Here is an illustration of the first chapter of "Giving Sanctuary", a Sandman and Dreamling fanfic by @avelera .

It begins in 1689, in the White Horse tavern, and I tried to render the candlelight atmosphere we can see in the show. I improvised a lot with my black ink and my watercolors and wanted to keep the sketchy vibes. I had quite a hard time with Dream's all black clothes...

I totally want to draw more moments of this story! Maybe one by chapter? I'll see^^

[kydrogendragon]

Relationship: Dream/Hob Rating: Explicit Words: 1606 Warnings: None Ao3 Link

For square B2 of the Dreamling Bingo. Masterlist can be found here.

Dream should not need this. He shouldn’t. He used to be so much stronger before. And now…

Hob’s hand trails down his chest, fingers gliding over pale pink buds. Another hand slides up Dream’s neck to rest against his cheek, turning him into a kiss. Dream goes willingly, letting his mouth melt into Hob’s own, luxuriating in the pleasant friction of Hob’s beard against his skin. Dream groans as another Hob eases down Dream’s length, his nose nestling the soft skin of his inner thigh.

Dream should not need this. He was Endless. Even at the peak of his previous romantic entanglements, he had never stooped to such levels of depravity and desperation before. He can only imagine how Hob would view him if he knew. Surely Hob would hate him, curse him and withdraw any offer of friendship. And Dream would hardly blame him. What respectable friend does this? What friend, before being able to even think of visiting his friend, would need to feel his touch and taste his pleasure to insure that he would not act upon such desires in his friend’s presence? What friend would unabashedly summon up copies of Hob through the ages where they dance to Dream’s command? No…Hob would surely shun him if he knew the truth.

A tongue slides between his lips, coaxing, wanting. Dream lets his body go pliant as he closes his eyes. He lets himself fall into the sensations of warm hands, soft mouths, and the gentle groans and whispers of Hob’s voice around him. In these moments, when Dream lets himself simply be, he can almost pretend these hands are Hob’s in truth, that this is not an extension of himself, but Hob’s mouth upon him. But he knows that such a thing could never be.

His love his poison. His love ruins all those it touches. He knows that these feelings, as they grow stronger and stronger with every day, do nothing but spell his friend’s end. But Dream is not strong enough to stay away. He is not strong enough to reject Hob’s offers of warmth and companionship. So he must do this. This is how he protects his friend, for the little time he can still remain in his company before this gnawing beast within him breaks free.

The Hob of 1689 pulls Dream down and he goes. Dream lies between his legs on the silk sheets of the large bed spawned to life for this purpose. A hand reaches around and turns Dream’s head back to meet his lips. Hob’s hair, wild and long as it was at the time, tickles the edge of his face. 1389 Hob, rugged and daring as he was, nestles between Dream’s legs, biting and sucking each inch of flesh on Dream’s thighs. 1489 continues his ministrations on Dream’s chest where he sits, straddling his stomach, letting his hands and mouth wander and explore. 1798 and 1889 stay slotted against his side, caressing and kissing every inch of skin they can find. The only one not actively touching him is the version of Hob from 1589 who stands perched on his knees beside them, gazing down at the debauchery as he slowly strokes himself with hooded eyes.

Dream worries how much longer this can go on.

This used to be more manageable, more tame. After he and Hob agreed to see each other more often than their prior one hundred years, Dream felt that itch start. The familiar, hungering thing that grew its claws with the pale imitation of a heart he possesses. It pulls and tears and tugs at his essence, sharpening its teeth with Dream’s emotions until it forms the gnawing beast that is his love. It had been smaller, back then. Easily fed scraps of fantasies Dream could fashion in an instant. Brief thoughts of Hob’s touch, of his kiss, of a familiar smoldering glance sent his way. But soon, it grew larger.

As Hob feeds the beast Dream keeps trapped inside of him with such gentle touch and his kind words, the beast grows hungrier. It craves what Dream knows it cannot have. And so the fantasies Dream feeds it grow too. Each meeting, each moment with Hob only fuels it. If he were stronger, he would stop returning to his friend in order to starve the beast out, but Dream is not strong. He has not been in so long. He can only hope to stall the inevitable moment that he breaks and he loses Hob by his own hands. For now, Dream will savor every second he spends in his company. For now, he will do what he can to keep the beast in its cage.

Dream hisses as warm heat surrounds his cock. His hands dart down, tangling themselves in the messy locks he recalls well from that first night in the White Horse. Hob’s mouth stretches wonderfully around him and he cannot help but wonder how the Hob of today would look, clean shaven, but with hair of similar length. The image flickers for a moment, the beard fading in and out, jumping between the first version of his friend Dream had ever seen and the most current. He shakes his head, letting his eyes fall back into the embrace of the other Hobs. There’s a familiar brush of coarse hair on his skin once more and as his head bobs, it adds to the mountain of sensation Dream feels.

He can’t help but wonder, had things been different back then, had he been different, could he have had this? Could he have played the part of the pretty lordling who left his castle for a “tumble in the hay” with the common folk? Would Hob had indulged him? Would he have fallen to his knees in the dark shadows of the tavern and shown Dream the skills he’d acquired already in his short span of life? Or perhaps he would have pressed Dream against the back wall of the tavern and taken Dream for himself. Pressed into the tight heat with a groan and fucked him without care.

As these fantasies he builds for himself grow, Dream cannot help but look back on each of their meetings with a new perspective. He knows well the looks passed between them in 1789. How, had Dream been stronger (or perhaps, weaker), he would have taken Hob’s offer to meet at another pub and the invitation that hovered at the edges of his daydreams. Daydreams of leading Dream into a privately rented room to properly…thank Hob for his protection. Or, perhaps, Dream could have taken him right there, in the middle of the White Horse, their bodies obscured from the view of those who would look over, not that he would tell Hob that. Not in the moment, at least. He would look delicious laid upon table or chair, hair freed of its ribbon, face flushed from the excitement of the fight and from the slowly building climax.

Dream can feel his thoughts leaking into the illusions that surround him, moaning and panting against him. Hands grow rougher, needing and wanting. Breath is hot on his skin as desperate mouths reach and suck. Probing fingers, calloused by time spend soldering ease inside of him. Already, Dream feels his grasp on this moment flutter as each vision of Hob drives him closer and closer to his peak. Their touch flickers with the loss of his control. Heat pools within him. More fingers slide inside, deeper and deeper until textured pads brush against that sweet spot inside of him. Dream’s body seizes, his vision blacking, but the touch, thankfully, continues. It is overwhelming and still Hob’s touch does not stop. None of their touch does until the warmth in him snaps and he spills over the edge. He floats in emptiness, mind blissfully blank, knowing only pleasure.

And then he comes back down. Slowly, he falls back into his bed in the Dreaming. Alone. The dreams of Hob have served their purpose and faded back into dreamstuff. Besides, Dream would not use the likeness of his friend for more, despite how his body craves the warmth of Hob’s body against his own. The air is far too cold now. Too achingly familiar to glass and iron.

He dresses himself with a single thought. The beast inside of him is far from quiet. While it no longer screams from its cage within his chest, Dream can feel it already pushing back, seeking the weakness in its prison. His days with Hob are limited. He does not know how much longer he can hold back at this rate. And that thought only angers the thing inside of him. He should step back, feign reason for being unable to visit his friend today. The risk is too great.

But he promised Hob he would meet him, that he would join him as his “plus one” for the holiday party he is hosting for his work colleagues at the New Inn. And he had been nervous to ask, afraid Dream would reject him. He cannot bring himself to crush the hope and excitement that had been in his friend’s eyes when he had agreed.

Dream lies there a moment longer, forcing the feelings that bubble up in his throat further and further down into the abyss of him. Then, he gets up, swaps his clothes for something more fitting, and steps into the Waking.

Hob opens the door with a smile that shines bright. Bright enough to reach the furthest parts of him. And Dream feels the beast inside of him break free.

[tryan-a-bex]

Finally reading this fic, it’s long!

little bit from @avelera ‘s Giving Sanctuary