#ruby matthews x you

[bumblesimagines]

“i dunno. sometimes i just... feel things when you’re around.”

“sometimes you’re not annoying.”

“maybe i don’t wanna be just friends with you.”

Ruby Matthews

“i dunno. sometimes i just... feel things when you’re around.”

“sometimes you’re not annoying.”

“maybe i don’t wanna be just friends with you.”

There were many things Ruby would never admit. Like how she'd been bullied as a child or how she sometimes struggled with helping her dad while her mom worked or the fact she never invited anyone over to her house cause she feared being ridiculed. Or, worst of all, how much she enjoyed spending time with Maeve Wiley's twin brother, (Y/N) Wiley.

They should've hated each other, hell, at one point they despised each other. But then they were forced to partner for a school project and it was history from then on. (Y/N) Wiley was everything Ruby should've hated. He was reckless, careless, irritating, poor. Trailer trash at its core and it disgusted Ruby. Until she got to see the compassionate, caring, and nurturing side of him that destroyed the image she'd conjured of him through the years.

It was why, despite the rules she made for herself over the years as Queen Bee of Moordale, she allowed (Y/N) to follow her home. To her small, one-story house on Carlton Close. Her house was underwhelming, she knew it well. Her friend's all had nice big two-story houses that she often frequented and envied. But when she looked at (Y/N), she only saw his typical expression. Not a hint of disgust, smugness, or even malice in his eyes.

"I live in a trailer, Rubes." He reminded her when he noticed her softened expression. She nodded, silently, and unlocked the front door. All she had to do was pray her dad wouldn't-

"Rubes, is that you?" Roland called out from deeper in the house and Ruby winced when she stepped into the hallway in his robe, a plain shirt with a stain on it, and his equally stained sweatpants. He blinked at the sight of (Y/N) and then a teasing smile slowly spread across his face.

"Hey." (Y/N) greeted, lazy grin ever present.

"Let me guess... you must be (Y/N). Boy, I've heard so much about-"

"Okay!" Ruby nearly shouted and sent her snickering father a scathing glare before ushering (Y/N) into her pink-colored bedroom to avoid her father embarrassing her further. She closed the door behind her and groaned quietly, feeling the tips of her ears heat up.

"Is this Baby?" (Y/N) asked and when she turned, she spotted him crouched down by the bed. Baby's tail wagged furiously, her fluffy tiny body wiggling along with it. The chihuahua lapped at his fingers and with confirmation he wouldn't be getting bit, (Y/N) scooped her up into his arms and plopped down on the bed.

"You didn't come here to cuddle with my dog, (Y/N). You said you'd help me with homework." Ruby huffed softly, trying to ignore how her heartstrings tugged at the sight of her beloved pet accepting (Y/N) so easily.

"And cuddle with your dog." He grinned at her and Ruby rolled her eyes, setting her purse aside on her vanity and shedding her coat. She took a seat on the bed and kicked off her shoes before tucking her legs underneath her. Her eyes remained locked on the gentle way (Y/N) handled Baby and a small smile appeared on her glossy pink lips.

"(Y/N)..." She began quietly, manicured nails picking at one of her fluffy pillows. When she'd gone to Otis for advice, he told her- after getting over his stunned silence- to be honest. "Can I... tell you something?"

"Sure." (Y/N) eyed her curiously and shifted to face her, delicately setting Baby down on his lap and letting her curl up on his thighs. Ruby inhaled deeply and his brows knitted, a mixture of concern and suspicion seeping onto his face.

“Sometimes you’re not annoying.” She stated and his brows raised, a soft snort leaving him. His fingers raked through Baby's fur, head tilting ever so slightly as his lips curled into an amused smile.

"Thanks?"

“I-I don't know. Sometimes I just... feel things when you’re around.” Ruby pushed out, uncertainty laced in her voice. She wasn't an emotional person. She never allowed herself to be vulenrable, even around Olivia and Anwar. She'd experienced betrayal and humiliation at the hands of the first and last person she let herself be vulenrable with. But with (Y/N), it felt different. Safer.

"You mean... the Ruby Matthews... is feeling human emotions? I'm shocked, truly. I really am-" (Y/N) ducked his head, laughter falling from his lips as Ruby swatted at his arm and clicked her tongue.

"I'm being serious, (Y/N)!" She huffed again and (Y/N) giggled, cradling the sleepy chihuahua close to his chest. He gently set Baby aside on a pile of blankets, watching her melt into the fabric and doze off.

"Okay, well, obviously you're feeling things, Rubes. Don't you feel things with Olivia and Anwar? It's called enjoying someone's company."

"That's not- It's not the same feelings. You're like... the complete opposite of them. I-I like talking to you. I feel like I can talk to you. You're honest. You're not afraid of me." Ruby explained, internally wishing Otis had just told her exactly what to say instead of being so vague. Being honest? When had that ever done her any favors?

"As much as it pains me to say this, Rubes... it's because we're friends. You might even be my closest friend." (Y/N) reached out and let his fingers brush along her tan arm. Ruby's heart fluttered and she pressed her lips together, summoning the confidence she knew she had.

“Maybe I don’t wanna be just friends with you.” She revealed quietly and his fingers stilled, eyes snapping up to meet hers. "Maybe... maybe I want to go on dates with you and- and hold your hand when we walk into school. Maybe I don't want to keep this a secret from Maeve and my friends. Maybe I want to kiss you and hug you and sleep with you. Maybe I want to be... your girlfriend."

[dragon-kazansky]

Heart of the Dreaming

Morpheus x Female Reader

Soulmate AU

You are the daughter of Rodrick Burgess. You find out about the "demon" in the basement and decide you want to see it. Things take an unexpected turn when your soulmate connection is made with the man you find down there. You are the one he has been waiting for, and you're being taken away from. Not for long. Dream will protect his soulmate.

{Masterlist}

{Previous Chapter} - {Next Chapter}

Chapter Five - What we are

☆☆☆

You hated it. It felt so wrong. Hell was not quite what you expected it to be, but that seemed worse to you. What you hated most is that your apparent soulmate has brought you here. If so much as cared even a little bit, why would he bring you to Hell?

Perhaps you're seeing the man he is.

"So, this is Hell." Matthew caws.

"It had many names. Avernus, Tartarus, Hades, the infernal region you call Hell." Dream lists off.

"Can we get this over with, please? I don't want to be here any longer than we need to be." You glare softly at him. You want Dream to know you hate this.

He doesn't even look at you. He walls off without a word, and you scoff lightly. He doesn't even have the decency to speak to you. Matthew hurries after him with his little legs. You follow behind, slowly.

The path eventually leads you to a gate. All around the gate are people groaning. They're a part of the wall, unable to go anywhere. You really don't like it.

"We're not going in with them?" Matthew asks, looking st the damned who just passed through the gate.

"A king may not enter another monarch's realm uninvited," Dream says. "There are rules, protocols, that must be followed."

"You're... a king?" You ask, eyeing him. You know very little about this man.

"Yes."

Off to the side of the gate is a gong. You watch Dream approach, and one of the figures in the wall reaches out to hand him the mallet. Dream takes it and hits the gong. The souls all groan due to the noise.

You turn to the gate when you hear someone approaching.

"There's one at the door. At the gate of damnation." A heavy voice speaks from the other side.

A demon appears, and you find yourself taking a step back. Dream glances back at you. You pretend for a moment that's he's doing it out of concern.

"Is it thief, thug, or whore? There's one at the door. And there's room for one more. Till the end of creation."

"Greetings, Squatterbloat." Morpheus speaks. "I seek an audience with your sovereign."

"And who might you be?" The demon asks.

"I am the King of Dreams. Ruler of the Nightmare Realms."

"Mm. Yes, my clown. So, where's your crown?"

Morpheus scoffs softly. "Guard your tongue demon. The ruler of Hell will not be kind to one who insults an honoured guest. And I am a guest in this realm as I am monarch of my own."

"So, where's your ruby?"

"Shall I use it to haunt your dreams? And your waking hours, too?" Morpheus asks. "Or will you open the gates of Hell and let us through?"

The demon opens the gates.

"Now, take us to the palace."

You swallow nervously. Dream turns back around to you and stares at you. You're starting to hate that stare. He turns back around and walks forward. Matthew glances up at you, but you ignore him slowly follow Dream.

Squatterbloat starts leading the way. Morpheus follows the demon. You follow behind them both quietly. Matthew hops along by your feet. You can feel him looking up at you every so often, but you ignore him. You know he has questions.

"Where are we?" You ask after a while. You find yourselves in the middle of a foggy woodland. You can't see very far in front of you.

"The landscape is subject to the whims of the Morningstar."

"Morningstar...? As in...?"

"Yes." Morpheus glances at you.

Lucifer. Of course you knew. You never really believed in such things, but you supposed as you got older, the idea of Lucifer and Hell did seem likely. Especially after your father died. Was he down here somewhere? Probably.

"Are you afraid?" Morpheus asks.

"No."

He doesn't believe you. You can tell just by the way he looks at you. However, he offers no sort of comfort and reassurance. He simply turns around and avoids looking at you anymore. He doesn't speak again for a little while. Not until Squatterbloat is leading you up a strange twisted tower.

"Does this seem like the way to you?" You ask, looking up at him.

"A demon has a hundred motives for anything he does. All of them malevolent. Demon," he adresses Sqautterbloat, "this is not the way."

The demon chuckles.

Morpheus moves to follow him but is stopped by a voice. "Kai'ckul."

You both turn to the prison cell beside you. You stare in awe at the woman inside. You don't know who she is, but she certainly knows the man you're with.

"Dream Lord? It is you." She looks so happy to see him.

"I greet you, Nada." He speaks to her, appearing as he did to her all those years ago.

"How I have prayed for this day. I knew you would come." She tears up.

You glimpse at the demon. He did this on purpose. You frown slightly. What ws this? Who was this? Why did Dream look so... pained?

"It pains me to see you like this."

"Then, free me, Lord." Nada says. "Only your forgiveness can free me. Do you not still love me?" She cries.

"It had been 10,000 years, Nada. Yes. I still love you. But I have not forgiven you." Dream tells her.

Morpheus continues walking. You slowly follow him, looking at the woman as you pass by.

"Kai'ckul, I will not give up hope." Nada calls out. "I will never give up."

"Who was that?" You ask.

"Someone."

You sigh softly. He was so vague, and it was annoying. You hated not having answers. He brought you down to Hell and couldn't even be bothered, bringing you up to speed. If this is how he was going to be, you would rather not bother hanging about with him. Soulmate or not.

The silence grows heavy as you both walk. You feel like he won't talk to you anymore, but his voice surprises you when you hear it next.

"Her name is Nada. We were lovers."

You stare at the back of his head as he walks in front of you. You were curious about this new information. He's had lovers before? Of course he has.

"Why is she here?"

"I put her here."

You stop walking and stare at him in shock. He realises you've stopped following him and turns to you slowly. His eyes pierce you.

"You put her here?"

He remains silent.

"How can you do that? What did she do?" You ask.

Morpheus knows you're not going to drop this subject. Of course you won't. He came to your rescue and immediately brought you along to come fetch his tools. You're full of questions.

"She said no to me."

You scoff. "She said no, and you had imprisoned in Hell for eternity?"

He once again remains silent.

"Is that what you do? You fall in love with people, and if they say no, you cast them aside? How can you do that? Don't you care about people, Dream Lord? Is this what I have to look forward to?"

His expression seems to change, but only slightly. He wasn't expecting you to ask that of all things.

"No."

"No? So I can go after all this?"

He goes silent. He knows you mean to refuse him and leave his side, but how can he possibly let you go now that he's found you? He can't.

"We must go." He turns back around and walks away. You can only follow him. He's your only way out of this horrible place.

Yet, you find it hard to hide how you're feeling. He can tell you're upset.

Squatterbloat leads you up a hill and then stops. He turns and walks away, leaving you and Morpheus alone. Just beyond is the castle of Lucifer Morningstar.

The road to the castle is long and narrow.

The castle is huge. The gates open. Blood pools out from the opening. You step back as it comes close to your feet. Dream seems unfazed by this morbid display. He walks onward, taking the lead. Morpheus leads you through the dark cavernous halls.

"So... we're going to see Lucifer?" You all softly.

"Only Lucifer can find me the demon who has my helm."

"You do realise how terrifying all of this I'd for me, right? None of this normal. I'm so... lost and afraid."

Dream says nothing, and you fear he never will. He's not exactly a warm and loving person. Why did the universe see it fit to stick you with him? What made you so special that you were bonded to the man kf dreams?

You follow him into an open room. A fire is lit on the centre, and Lucifer themself stands overlooking their kingdom. You feel nerves setting in. Morpheus comes to a stop and clasps his hands together. You stay behind Dream a little, almost hiding.

Lucifer turns around.

"Hello." Lucifer walks closer, never once looking away from Dream. Once in front of Morpheus, Lucifer stops. "Hello, Dream."

"Greetings to you, Lucifer Morningstar."

"You look well, Dream. Are you well?" Lucifer asks. "And your family, Destiny, Death, Despair, and the others?"

Morpheus scoffs in amusement. "I presume the Ruler of Hell knows this is no social call."

"Have you come to join forces then? To ally your realm to ours? To acknowledge the sovereignty of Hell?"

"You know my feelings on that, Lightbringer."

You look up at Morpheus.

"Feelings change. Especially when one has been caught and imprisoned by mortals." Lucifer says.

You swallow nervously. That was all because of your family. Your father. Despite everything, you wished none of it had happened. Dream never should have been captured.

"We expected better of you, sweet Morpheus."

"I have come because my Helm of State was stolen from me." He states. "I believe one of your demons has it. I should like it back. Now."

"Dream, if only it were that easy. But there are rules, you see." Protocols which must be followed."

You feel uneasy, and you think Morpheus can sense it.

"Which demon has your helm?" Lucifer asks. "Name it, and we will bring it here."

"I confess I do not know the name." Morpheus tells Lucifer.

Lucifer stands on the balcony overlooking their kingdom. "Then we will have to summon all of them."

Lucifer takes Morpheus to the balcony and summons all the demons of Hell. You inhale sharply through your nose, trying not to be too obvious about how afraid you were. The most shocking part of it all was Dream placing his hand on yours. You look up at him, but he does not look at you.

"There, now, Dream, you may inquire. Which Demon has your helmet? Shall we interview them one at a time, or..."

"That won't be necessary," he tells Lucifer. Morpheus steps away from the balcony and lets go of your hand. You had been somewhat comforting his touch, but now the fear settles in your bones once more now that he has let go.

"It surprises us how easily you would give up, Dream. We know how you relied on your tools. But tools are the subtlest of traps."

Morpheus stops.

"We become reliant upon them, and in their absence, we are vulnerable, weak defenseless."

"Not entirely." Morpheus reaches into his pocket and pulls out his pouch of sand. "I have recovered my sand. It brought me to Hell, and now it brings that which is mine in Hell to me."

You watch him curiously. He kneels down and begins to pour the sand onto the polished ground. It swirls around until a figure appears. A demon holding his helmet.

Morpheus stands and faces the demon. "Tell me your name, demon."

"Do I have to tell him?" The demon asks.

"That is Choronzon. A Duke of Hell." Lucifer speaks for him.

"Choronzon... The Helm is mine. You must return it to me."

"No. It's mine now. I traded it from a mortal for a paltry thing. It was a fair trade. I've broken no laws. And if the Dream King wants his helm back, he will have to fight me for it... or trade it." Choronzon looks at you.

You feel a chill run down your spine.

Lucifer smiles. "Ah, the woman."

"No." Morpheus says. "She is not up for trade."

You look up at him. He was protecting you. At least he wasn't offering you up. That would have for worse.

"Then a fight it is." Choronzon states, looking at the Dream Lord.

"Very well. I challenge you, Choronzon."

The demon chuckles. "You know the rules, Dream Lord."

"If I win, you will return my helmet."

"And if you lose," Choronzon looks at you again, "I get both the helmet and the girl."

Morpheus' eyes narrow. "That's not part of the deal."

"It is now," Lucifer confirms.

You look at Morpheus with fear. Lucifer is suddenly behind you and grabs your wrist. You gasp softly at the cold touch of their hand. Lucifer is looking at your scar.

"Interesting. A soulmate bond."

Dream keeps his head held high as he watches Lucfier. He doesn't like the way Lucifer is just touching you in front of him.

"Your soulmate, I presume." Lucifer smiles. "I wasn't aware the Endless had such things."

"She is not part of this deal." Morpheus states.

"It's all or nothing, Dream Lord," Choronzon remarks.

Morpheus stares at the demon with a steel gaze. He can not afford to lose. Not this game. "I accept the terms."

You feel fear in your veins. Morpheus has just added you to the deal. Were you really so easy to trade? He was heartless. You were certain of it.

"And whom will you choose to represent you in battle?" Lucifer asks him.

"I shall represent myself."

"Choronzon, whom will you choose to represent you?"

"Hmm... I choose you, sire."

Morpheus realises what he is up against and knows he can not afford to lose. He does not dare meet your eyes as Lucifer comes up behind him, dressed in attire fitting for this battle.

"Apologies, Dream, but the laws of Hell demand that I become his champion."

"I have accepted the terms."

Morpheus changed his clothes for battle. He looked good. Very good. However, that was the least of your worries right now. Your whole existence was in his hands.

"Let the challenge begin."

You feel your heart racing in your chest and hope that with all you have, Morpheus can beat Lucifer. You have to believe that this bond meant something more to him. After all, why would he bother rescuing you from your family home if he did not care a little?

There had to be more to your purpose to him. Though, you can't help thinking about Nada. We're you destined to join her here in Hell?

What kind of man was Dream. You're not sure you could figure him out.

☆☆☆

@deniixlovezelda - @missdreamofendless - @kpopgirlbtssvt - @meganlpie - @thoughtsfromlayla - @ladyjbrekker

@mwaaaaaugh - @bluespecs14 - @intothesoul - @lady-violet - @navs-bhat - @krahk - @oldsoulmagic

@rubyrose2014 - @lorkai - @roxytheimmortal - @star-maker-rain-dancer - @intothesoul - @gemini-mama - @whotperlinda

@dreamingblueberries - @the-shadow-of-aurora - @novavida - @blackgirlmagicforever

@permanentlyexhaustedpigeon88 - @hopshusushi -

[frost-queen]

Black rose in a sea of red (Reader x Jerry Baynard)

Requested by: @alicethewriterandfangirl , Forever tag:@missmelodramatic, @merlin-dahlia, @alex--awesome--22, @elllie-does-the-posts, @floatlosers, @merlieve, @queen-of-books, @glimmering-darling-dolly@denkisclown, @wildieflower, @meyocoko, @bubblybrianna, @justanothercoco@subjecta13-thefangirl, @m-rae23, @harleyquinnswifeyfrfr, @swampthing07, @melsunshine, @panhoeofmanyfandoms, @venomsvl, @the-uncoordinated-house-cat, @rosecentury,  @imagines-by-her,  @evilcr0ne, @vviolynn

Summary: TW! Selfharm! You are upset of how your friends have such amazing lives while yours is terrible. Coming from a bad home, your coping behavior is self harm. Struggling with the idea of wanting to end it all, is Jerry there to save you from doing so.

The chattering died away when Miss Stacy settled everyone down. Specifically Anne who was proclaiming her opinion as loud as she could. Almost standing on the table to declare her words. Diana was tugging at her dress to pull her to sit. – “Miss Cuthbert if you please.” – Miss Stacy said giving her a stern glare. Anne chuckled settling down. Ruby was still whispering to Tillie. With one look of Miss Stacy pressed Ruby her lips together with force. Billy snorting across the classroom at how silly she looked.

Miss Stacy cleared her throat letting his chuckle die. When finally the peace had settled clasped Miss Stacy her hands together. – “I hope you all brought your assignments that I handed out last week.” – she started. Anne who was always eager already set her basket on the table, ready to show it to Miss Stacy. Miss Stacy smiled politely ushering her to wait. – “You may all set it on the table if you please.” – she continued giving the signal.

Everyone ducked down to reach in their baskets to set their work of art on the table. You felt uneasy taking out your artwork. Glancing to the side you saw Charlie’s piece of art. Billy and Paul laughing loud. – “Is that an aardvark?” – Billy joked laughing his ass off. Charlie groaned. – “No! It’s a dog.” – he mumbled setting his hand under his chin, pushing his artwork closer to his chest. Gilbert turned around in his seat looking at Billy’s work.

“Is that a self-portrait?” – he said snarky. Billy mimicked a childish laugh, annoyed by his words. – “Well yeah yours…” – Billy got a bit up to look at Gilbert’s work. Gilbert moved aside on purpose for him to see. – “Well yours… yours…” – Billy said trying to find an insult. Gilbert was smiling beyond himself when Billy couldn’t find something bad to say about it. – “I thought so.” – he said turning back around silencing Billy.

Paul laughed loud at how Gilbert had left Billy speechless. Across back by the girls was Anne proudly showing her masterpiece to everyone. – “Did you do this stitching?” – Diana asked pointing at it. Anne shook her head. – “No, Marilla helped me.” – she then pointed at some paint work. – “This is Matthew’s work, and this weird thing was added by Jerry.” – she finished pointing at a wobbly thing at the top. Diana held her art up. – “My mother helped as well. She painted the flowers.” – she commented.

Ruby got up waving her hand in between them for attention. – “My mother helped too! She did this, this, and this.” – she said pointing at several things in different angles. – “What did you do?” – Tillie replied as it appeared Ruby’s mother did everything herself. – “I did this.” – Ruby answered annoyed pointing at her name written in the corner. Diana rolled her eyes at how silly she was.

Seeing their work you rather wanted to crush it or throw it out of the window. Compared to their, yours seemed like it was made by a child. Also hearing them speak so lovingly about how their parents helped out felt like a punch in your gut. It was something you could only dream off, having a loving mother. Your mother didn’t help in your project. You dared ask her one time. That didn’t end well.

You got yelled at for ruining her moment and annoying her with silliness. Looking at your art again of paper mâché you noticed the dent of where your father had stepped on it. On purpose or accident. It didn’t really much as it had ruined it much. Seeing your friends talk so godly about their parents made you want to cry, pull your hair out and scream your lungs out. Ruby and Tillie turned around to you.

“Let me see yours Y/n.” – Ruby spoke as Diana and Anne looked over them. You pulled it closer to your chest, shaking your head. – “It’s…it’s terrible.” – insisting on it. – “Come show us Y/n.” – Tillie said pulling at your hand. You really didn’t want to show her, finding it unworthy. Ruby helped her to pull your hand away. Tillie then snatched it from you. – “Hey!” – you called out catching the attention of some boys across and Miss Stacy who waited to see where this was going.

Tillie held it up before her looking at it with a questioning brow. – “Did your mother help out?” – Ruby asked probably not meaning anything with it. She was always this innocent and naïve, yet it struck a nerve with you. – “No!” – you called out snatching the art from Tillie back. You then it on the ground setting your foot hard on it. Everyone gasped loud at your little act. – “Y/n!” – Miss Stacy called out concerned. You let your fingers brush automatically over your inner arm, knowing of the scars lingering there.

“Brute.” – one of Billy’s friends called out. Miss Stacy shushing him immediately. Miss Stacy approached you, kneeling gently down to pick up your crushed work of art. – “We can still mend this.” – she said with a warm smile. You shook your head. – “It is broken!” – you answered. Just like yourself. Turning your face away from her, you felt ashamed.

Ashamed and unworthy. Truly wondering what the exact point of you was. Not one of them here knowing a darn thing about your family. They had no idea with their wonderous lives, living like princesses. While you crawled through the gutter with no way out. Consistently surrounded by darkness. The only way out of the sinking was the carving. The marks on your inner arms that helped you coped with it.

Miss Stacy reached up to take your hand. The second she had your hand, you pulled it away. Needing to escape you took a run for it. – “Y/n.” – Miss Stacy called out as some jumped up. Gilbert being one of them. He wanted to run after you as Miss Stacy held him back by his shoulder. – “Let us give her a moment in solitude.” – Miss Stacy said sensing you didn’t want any company at this moment. – “But…” – Gilbert started seeing Miss Stacy shake her head.

He sighed deep, slouching his shoulders. He returned to his seat. Miss Stacy set your artwork on her desk, seeing how sloppy it was once your foot had tackled it. You ran frantically into the woods away from the school. Unable to cope with it. The sugary of your friends biting like sour in your flesh. Their life was something you could never achieve. Not with the home situation you have now.

A mother and father who barely looked at you. A brother who tackled you whenever he pleased. All the workload put on you. Treated like dirt by your own family. Never once said an ‘I love you’ or ‘thank you.’ Maybe this was just how things were meant to be. Unloved. Panting loud you kept running coming into different parts of the woods.

Jerry was whistling loud, carrying a sack over his shoulder. He had come back from the market, making his way back to Green Gables. Something caught his sudden attention as he noticed it was you. – “Y/n!” – Jerry shouted happily waving your way. He frowned when you didn’t seem to see him. Simply running past. Jerry lowered his sack questionable. Why weren’t you at school? Why were you running away? Was everything alright?

Feeling a bit worried he picked up his sack again, going after you. Near a shack crashed you down; out of breath. Leaning against the wood you let your head fall back. Still panting till your breathing steadied. Then the thoughts came. Those dark thoughts that always pushed you to the edge. You already know what to do. Reaching in your pocket, you pulled out a sharp object. Then slowly pulling your sleeves up. Scars of old on your flesh.

Those dark thoughts became louder as it made you bring the tip of the sharpness to your wrist. Tears rolled down your cheek as your hand trembled. It would take one impulsive thought for you to bleed. Bleed till your life would slip away. Why shouldn’t you do it? What good was there in this life? There was no one to pull you out so it was easier to just accept it and be rid of this hell.

Gently setting the tip deeper onto your skin, your sight got blurrier from your tears. – “No!” – you suddenly heard startling you so hard, the tip had pressed deeper into your skin. A single drop of blood forming. Jerry rushed over to you, grabbing the sharp thing from your grip, and throwing it as far away from him. – “Don’t you dare!” – he breathed out.

“Don’t you even think about it!” – he said a bit firmer kneeling down in front of you. Grabbing your shoulders, he pulled you close to his chest for a hug. – “Find hope in the hopeless.” – he told you. – “I don’t know what made you do it, but please don’t. I don’t want to lose you… I don’t.” – he embraced you tighter fighting the urge to cry himself. – “Please Y/n…” – he whispered out as you started crying louder.

In the brink of almost doing it was Jerry there to pull you out. – “We’ll figure it out together. I am fighting for you, and I don’t want you to give up.” – wrapping your arms around him, you hugged back. – “Jerry…” – you cried out. Jerry simply held you, no needing an explanation. Just holding you. In that moment where he knew you needed to be seen, heard and loved.

-----------------------------------------

Read more of my fics on my Masterlists!  

[skyesdaisys]

character's i write for

welcome to my list of characters where i have many of them from many fandoms that i write for

requests: temporarily closed

bolded names are ones i really wanna write for

yellowjackets (shauna shipman, jackie taylor, lottie matthews, taissa turner, van palmer, nat scatorccio, laura lee, callie sadecki)

dc titans (dick grayson, jason todd, kory anders, gar logan, donna troy, dawn granger, hank hall)

fear street (deena johnson, sam fraser, ziggy berman, cindy berman, kate schmidt, alice hart, simon kalivoda, tommy slater, young!nick goode)

teen wolf (scott mccall, stiles stilinski, isaac lahey, malia tate, kira yukimura, lydia martin, liam dunbar)

american horror story (violet harmon, kit walker, lana winters, zoe benson, madison montgomery, kyle spencer, misty day, cordelia goode, jimmy darling, tristan duffy, ally mayfair-richards, kai anderson, winter anderson, mallory, brooke thompson, montana duke)

the summer I turned pretty (jeremiah fisher, belly conklin, taylor jewel, shayla wang, conrad fisher)

miscellaneous: maeve rojas (one of us is lying), leighton murray (the sex lives of college girls), miguel diaz (cobra kai), brooke davis (one tree hill), maeve wiley & ruby matthews (sex education), kate bishop (hawkeye), roronoa zoro (one piece live action), daisy johnson (agents of shield), zach dempsey (13 reasons why), nate archibald (gossip girl)

another thing i'd like to add, i wouldn't mind writing poly ships x reader like dickkory, jackieshauna, stalia, sameena, lottienat, jaygar, etc. (or a poly ship with crossover characters like dick grayson & kate bishop for example)

i will write for fluff, angst, and maybe smut (there's only so much i am comfortable with though) if you ask nicely. and i only write for fem & gn readers

and as a reminder, you guys can request for the following fandoms for oneshots, headcanons, or just sending your fluffy or horny thoughts in my inbox (i don't judge)

[mothertaeraesa]

zb1 as summer activities

pairing: ot9 x gender neutral reader

genre: blurb format, nonidol verse, summer au, fluff

warnings: slightly suggestive in matthew's, yujin's can be read as platonic or romantic

word count: 1.5k

kim jiwoong | camping

The smell of smoke and wood wafts to your nose, as you peek your head up from the top of the hammock that’s attached to two red maples. You watch Jiwoong silently while he chops a few more pieces of wood before tossing them on top of the roaring flames from the fire pit. Discarded pans and dishes are off to the side from the filling dinner of meat and ramen that your boyfriend had so generously prepared all by himself. You had insisted on helping him cook and clean, but Jiwoong, ever the gentleman, made sure you didn't lift a finger at all this trip and had done everything himself. "Woongie," you call faintly. "Yes, my love?" Jiwoong pauses his movements and gives you his full attention with a smile. "Come cuddle with me and then let's make s'mores?" The man drops everything and hurries over to you, nearly toppling on top of you before planting a kiss to the crown of your head. "Anything for you."

zhang hao | pool party

"Marco!" Sounds of "polo" are shouted back in various pitches and noise levels, as you and your friends splash around in the water. Blue skies bleed into hues of oranges and pinks while you all have spent the whole day getting wrinkly in Ricky's pool. Feeling thirsty from all the games, you slip out and grab your towel, drying off before sitting on the edge while sipping your cold drink from the cooler. You watch Taerae get attacked by a closed-eyed Matthew as a finger taps your thigh. Hao stands waist-deep in front of you with his mouth open, making indistinguishable noises, but you catch onto what he wants. Pouring the rest of the drink in his mouth, you discard the can to the side before leaning down to plant a peck on the man's lips. The drink lingers with the faintest taste of chlorine, but it's only a momentary thought, as Hao's laugh fills the air while he suddenly tugs you by the hand back into the water.

sung hanbin | blueberry picking

It’s sunny and swelteringly hot outside. Sweat drips down your forehead, and you can’t help but wipe it with the back of your hand in slight disgust. You wonder how you ended up here, a somewhat crowded blueberry patch during such a humid summer day. But then you glance over across the bush at Hanbin who has a wide and excited grin on his face. “Look at this one!” He exclaims excitedly, holding up a big, ripe blue one for you to see. You nod at him, an enamored look in your eyes. You guess that you could deal with the bugs and uncomfortable stickiness on your skin if it means seeing Hanbin happy like a kid in a candy store. You both fill up two large buckets with the sweet berry and take them home, making blueberry pie, muffins, tarts, and jam.

seok matthew | carnivals

The bright lights from the tents down below look like twinkling stars from up above, as you, Matthew, and the giant stuffed bear that he had won squish into the ferris wheel cart. You eagerly point out all the places you both had been that night when you get a better view, and Matthew watches you adoringly with a smile. When you're finally at the top, he snakes an arm around your waist before leaning in for a long kiss. "You know about the rumors?" He murmurs quietly against your lips, eyes locked onto yours. Heat rises to your cheeks at the close proximity as you shake your head silently. "They say that if you kiss on top of the ferris wheel, your relationship will last forever." The man goes in for another, taking his sweet time before peppering delicate kisses across your jaw until his lips linger by the shell of your ear. "I guess that means you're mine for eternity."

kim taerae | farmer's market

You and Taerae walk hand in hand through the rows upon rows of stalls selling everything from freshly baked goods to blooming flowers. A loaf of sourdough, ruby red apples, prosciutto, some cheese, and a blanket sit in your tote bag on Taerae's shoulder for the picnic that was planned for later. The two of you had made it a habit to wake up early on Sundays to take a walk, go to your favorite cafe for brunch, and then head over to the weekly farmer's market. There was something domestic about the little routine you both had fallen into, and you definitely didn't mind the quiet coos that grannys would offer on the street about how much of an adorable couple you two were. Taerae suddenly stops in front of a booth selling mason jars of wildflowers and instantly hands the owner some cash, insisting you pick out your favorite with a kiss to your temple.

shen ricky | beach day

The sound of waves crashing against the sand are like white noise in your ears, as you lay out under the beating sun. Your skin feels warm from spending the afternoon outside, but you sense a presence and jump a little at the cold drops that fall onto you. “You gonna come in the water?” Ricky asks while a hand runs through his hair, more droplets hitting you as he shakes his head like a wet dog. “Maybe in a little bit,” you reply, taking in the sight of the blonde boy before you. a thin silver chain falls down the slope of his neck and rests just above his bare chest. His swim trunks fit him well and are in a light rose shade that he had boughten after you had offhandedly mentioned that you thought he looked good in the color. “Like what you see?” There’s a slightly smug tone in his voice as he catches you staring. “You look nice.” In one swift motion, Ricky picks you up and throws you over his shoulder with ease, moving towards the water and threatening to drop you in unless you give him a better compliment than just “nice.”

kim gyuvin | dog walking

"Buttercup, please don't bite eumpappa's ear!" You hear your boyfriend's voice before you see him, but the sight before you causes Gyuvin to whine as you nearly double over in tears. "Babe, how did this happen?" The brunette gives a sheepish smile, tips of his ears red, while you help untangle him from the many dog leashes wrapped around him. Gyuvin had decided to take up dog walking as a summer side job to make some extra money to take you out on dates. He had thought it was a brilliant idea considering that he already walked eumpappa, so what were a few more pups? Well, a few more soon turned into five which then turned into eight, and although Gyuvin was too prideful at first to ask for your help, you eventually got the call to meet him outside of his apartment complex with the promise of ice cream in return. You supposed it all worked out in the end, as you got to spend time with cute puppies and your even cuter boyfriend.

park gunwook | camp counselors

Gunwook throws a glance over at you once and a while, finding it cute how your face scrunches up in concentration as you make your bead bracelet. Originally, the boy had come over to sit next to you, but you had banished him to the other side of the arts and crafts hall, declaring that he wasn’t allowed to peek at what you were going to work on. So here Gunwook was, pouty and a bit sulky, as he waited patiently for you to finish whatever you were doing so he could spend some time with you. The second he sees you snipping the thin string with scissors, he rushes over like an eager puppy. “Here, I made this for you.” Taking his large hand in yours, you slip the bracelet that adorns your name onto his wrist. Before you can say anything else, Gunwook repeats the action, wordlessly giving you the one he had made too. You peak at the letters with a smile. Gunwook.

han yujin | lemonade stands

"Yujin, aren't you a little too old to run a lemonade stand?" Slowly pulling your sunglasses down and peering over them, you stare a bit incredulously at the boy sitting in the children's chair that's clearly too small for him. "I-I'm just helping out my cousin..." He manages to stutter in a bit of embarrassment, rubbing the nape of his neck and avoiding eye contact. You readjust your sunglasses and notice the little girl coming back out of the house with a plastic pitcher filled to the brim with the citrusy drink. "I'll take three." You say suddenly, pulling out the proper amount and handing it to Yujin, as he snaps out of his daze. The little girl perks up at the influx of business, eagerly pouring three cups. You leave a generous tip in the plastic jar and hand her one of the cups before taking a seat in the grass of the lawn beside Yujin. Sipping on the cool liquid, you extend the extra cup to him with a smile.

[just-some-random-blogger]

can i have a fluff where the reader realizes that morpheus has turned into a cat (because he likes to adopt that form from time to time in his room) and instead of freaking out like he expected, she immediately cuddles up to him because she's a cat lover and she starts hugging and kissing him, plus if she also gives him the nickname of meowpheus

Please?

Hello There!

Dream of the Endless x Reader

Summary: "I LOVE CATS" -you (also me)

Word Count: >700

Warnings: kitty meow meow dream (real), touch deprived!dream, gender neutral!reader, fluff, typos, etc.

A/N: MEOWPHEUS T_T omg that's so cute <3 thank you for this req. i did change a detail tho, i hope you like it still <3 also i totally agree that if dream where a cat, he'd be a big mainecoon 10000% Tagging: @pinksirensong @deniixlovezelda @shadow-pancake9

"You do know instead of spying on like a creep-"

"I'm not spying, I am observing."

"... like a creep! You could just go and-"

Matthew croaks from the top of the signage when the door flies open.

I huff as I throw my trash into the dumpster. I then look out into the damp street, glistening under the shine of the streetlights. I call out to the kitties I usually feed at this time, though I knew they probably wouldn't come, cause it had just rained a few moments ago.

But then, I spot the large cat, walking over to me with purpose.

"Great Scott, you are a big one!" I gasp.

The black cat is unfazed, continuing to walk over.

"You hungry, kitty cat?" I bend down slightly, trying to see if the kitty had a collar, but to no avail. I half expect the cat to meow at me. No, there was only silence.

There was something oddly familiar about this cat, perhaps the cutie belongs to my neighbor? Nah... that's not it. I just couldn't put my finger on it.

Matthew watches from the signage on the other side of the street, wondering why Dream hasn't spoken yet, but then again, this is the first time he's come in his cat form. Maybe he's got sense not to freak the living ghost out of-

I squeal, making the black cat reel back. I crouch to my knees, "shit, sorry, you're just so fluffy and cute. GAH!" I sigh, slowly coming over to the creature, "you must be super hungry."

I reach out to the feline, to my surprise, I am met with a cheek rubbing against my hand. My heart explodes at the cuteness, "okay, okay, gimme a sec."

Dream watches his lover run into the back door.

"Here!" I say once I come back out with a can of opened cat food. I put the object down, crouching a few feet away from the feline. The kitty walks over to me in caution, sniffing at the food before reeling back and looking at me in disgust.

I scoff, "tough crowd. You must be a prissy house cat," I get to my feet, "no matter, the strays will come and eat this if you don't want to."

A shiver runs down my spine when I think I hear a voice whisper out 'you are a kind soul'.

I shake my body, "weird."

The black cat sits and observes me as I call out for the stray cats.

The next moment, they are upon me, meowing for food, rubbing against my leg for cuddles.

"Hello there, cuties!" I say, as three cats swarm over, eagerly heading for the food.

I bring out two more cans of cat food and pour out some kibble on the street for them as well. At one point, there are a total of six cats in front of me. The black furred cat only watches the 5 when they eat. I make a face at the creature, "how very cat of you."

For a moment, there is only the sound of cats eating.

Much like her ritual, a kitty, I called Ruby, comes up to me after eating and rubs against my leg. I coo and pick her up, offering some cuddles to her, uncaring that she was a stray, "hey there, pretty girl. I'm glad you came to pay your dues."

I look out to the cats, "y'all, take notes!"

The next moment, I hear a deep meow, laced with purrs, and I turn down and see the black cat staring up at me with wide, blue eyes.

I snort, putting Ruby down, narrowing my eyes at the seemingly jealous kitty, scratching lightly at my pants. I crouch next to it, "you just wanted cuddles, now, did you?"

The cat stands, pressing paws on my shoulder, rubbing their head against my face, taking me off-guard. I nearly fall on my butt when I reel back. A string of giggles leave my lips, "okay, okay, I get it!"

I gather the kitty into my arms with a grunt. He is so large that it actually takes some strength to carry him. I huff, "what a big, healthy boy!"

I squeeze him tighter into my arms, both because he was so fluffy and soft, and because I was afraid I might drop him.

His purrs are so deep and loud, I can feel them echoing in my body.

"You know... you kind of remind me of my boyfriend," I casually say.

A genius thought comes into my mind.

"I'll call your Morpheus!" I smile, "MEOWPHEUS!" I cheer, rocking him in my arms, "HOMAYGOSH, I cannot wait to show you to him!"

[honeybeezgobzzzzz]

𓅨 The Cold is Never Violent: Chapter Six

The Cold is Never Violent: You were determined to help Morpheus get his tools back, so you willingly followed him to hell. Hell was not supposed to be this cold. Lucifer has something up their sleeve, making you stay the night in hell before the Oldest Game, and it does not bode well for you.

Warnings: I did Edit but it’s like 2 in the morning so…

To Note: Morpheus/Dream x AFAB!Reader, Pour Vous @melancholypancakes 😘

Word Count: ~3.6k

Previous | Masterlist

Morpheus and Matthew had left to retrieve the ruby, leaving Lucienne to putter around the library and question the motive and actions of her lord. Surely he was smarter than this! Morpheus, in his great endeavor to protect you, his love, had managed to hurt you deeply and most likely hadn’t even realized it! Even after a few days of Morpheus being gone, Lucienne hadn’t seen you return from leaving for the brother’s houses.

You had said that you needed time away from the palace, and while Lucienne was reluctant to let out wander away from the safety of the palace she couldn’t fault you from wanting away from the place Morpheus had kept you in for nearly four days straight. But you hadn’t come back, and no word had come from the brothers regarding you staying over. To be frank the librarian was concerned for you. Putting away a few new books, Lucienne was alerted to the arrival of her lord and turned in place. Morpheus did not hold the ruby necklace within his hand, but the air around him shimmered with immense power.

“My lord,” Lucienne greeted as Matthew fluttered over and landed on the nearby table. “I see that you were successful in retrieving your ruby.”

“To a point,” Morpheus replied, stopping by the table and focusing on his power to fully return the library to its former glory. “John Dee defiled the gem and it’s ultimate destruction returned my power to me.” Lucienne frowned at the thought of a mortal defiling such a reverent and important piece of the Dreaming… but the shift and shivers of the library took her attention.

In a matter of seconds the library was back to its regal state, pristine wood and polished floors. The librarian sighed in happiness at her domain finally returning to its formal glory. Just as the library shifted back to its normal state, the rest of the palace quickly shifted and groaned as it rebuilt itself.

“Regarding the affairs of the realm, it should return to normal within the next day as Fiddler’s Green has returned. What is the status of the census?” Morpheus questioned, half his conscious focused on rebuilding his realm. There was so much to do.

“It is nearly complete, just a few remaining denizens unaccounted for but that is to be expected.” Lucienne informed the Dream Lord, retrieving the long list of names and placing it down on the table.

“And Y/N? Have they caused any trouble while I was gone.” Morpheus glanced around, expecting you to pop out from behind a book shelf and argue about why he had left you behind. You were no where to be seen.

“Y/N left the palace several days ago to visit the brothers,” Lucienne explained, adjusting her spectacles. “They have not, however, returned.”

Morpheus was too distracted by tasks that need doing to contemplate your unusual and slightly concerning action of leaving. You were out of the way and safe within his realm. He’d deal with you later.

The entire Dreaming was glowing with Endless power once more, its residents returned home and town bustling with activity as old. Morpheus felt at home once more, surrounded by his denizens and creations. But as Morpheus sat upon his throne he felt something within his being alert him that something was wrong. What? He did not know but the feeling persisted just below the skin of his physical form.

Drumming his fingers on the arm rests of his throne, the itch to find out what was wrong persisted to the point where he could no longer sit there and wonder. Pushing himself to his feet, Morpheus strode down the stairs and strode towards the gardens. There was a missing piece to his realm, perhaps that was what bothered him.

You.

You were still absent, days after Morpheus had returned and there had been no mischief or questions from you. It was… unsettling. So he strode for the gardens determined to hunt you down and remove this uncomfortable feeling. Surely being in your presence alone would make the Endless feel better. He needed your comforting warmth and embrace.

Exiting the palace, Morpheus caught sight of Mervyn lumbering through the gardens carrying a bucket and trowel. The pumpkin headed janitor caught sight of his lord walking straight for him and already knew what he was going to inquire. So he paused in step and thought about how to tell Morpheus that you’d left the palace and hadn’t come back, and no one really knew where you were.

“Evening sir,” Mervyn grunted out.

“Tell me, Mervyn, do you know the whereabouts of Y/N? They are partial to your company and I have yet to see them prancing through our halls since my return.” Morpheus questioned, observing his janitor. Mervyn shrugged his wooden shoulders. “Surely they have returned to their mischief and merrymaking…’

“Haven’t seen ‘em, sir,” He spoke before rubbing the back of his pumpkin head. “Actually they’ve been kind of awol since you left to retrieve your ruby. Been really weird not having them around… Don’t know where they went, been awfully quiet ‘round here.”

Morpheus wasn’t pleased to hear that and walked swiftly away to find someone else to ask for your whereabouts. But the kitchen staff hadn’t prepared you any meals since he’d been gone, the servants who took care of your wing reported that you hadn’t slept in your bed in three nights, and the dragon that guarded the entrance to the palace reported that you indeed hadn’t come back since you departed.

“Sir, I’m really worried about where Y/N went,” Matthew spoke after Morpheus had spoken with yet another palace staff member who hadn’t seen you around. “This isn’t like them! They love the palace and being near the library, they wouldn’t just up and disappear like this!”

Morpheus concurred with a troubled frown. Matthew fluttered to the floor in front of the Dream Lord and looked up.

“I don’t think they’re recovered from whatever happened in hell, sir,” Matthew bravely said. “You— you need to find them and make sure they’re okay.”

After speaking with Lucienne, Morpheus made his way to the brother’s houses. Lucienne had told him that you had planned to head there and hopefully you were still there. Had softly spoken about a poor mood or such. As he traveled to the brothers houses, Morpheus contemplated what was wrong with you. He had done his very best to ensure that you were safe and out of harms way since returning from hell. You had been in a vulnerable state, had nearly died, Morpheus wouldn’t even entertain the idea that you would put yourself at risk again. He had been so weak at the start of your relationship, you had been the one doing the protecting. Morpheus vowed to never let anything happen to you ever again now that he was himself once more.

Approaching the joined houses, Morpheus saw that Cain was digging a hole and Abel was playing with Goldie.

“Ah,” Abel spoke, catching sight of the approaching Dream Lord. A wide smile appeared on his face. “What brings you by, sir?”

“Y/N,” Morpheus stated, scanning the grounds for your presence in hopes that you’d pop out of nowhere and put his worries to rest. “I am in search of them.”

“Oh, they were here several days ago, spent the night,” Abel said helpfully before frowning. “They left for Fiddler’s Green on the morn’ and never came back. I thought they went back to the palace…”

Morpheus’ mood darkened and his worry grew more severe. Something was wrong.

“Sir? Is everything alright?” Abel broached, noticing the change in mood in Morpheus. Morpheus blinked and drew himself from his thoughts to address Abel.

“Y/N is missing and I am attempting to track them down.” The Endless explained. “You said they left for Fiddler’s Green? Perhaps he knows where they went.” Abel nodded and pet Goldie on the back.

“If they show up I’ll send word to the palace. It’s not like Y/N to just go missing.” Morpheus nodded, further hiding his growing upset and turned around. Fiddler’s Green wasn’t too far to walk and striding through the lush green forest. Morpheus didn’t need to broach conversation before the Arcana’s disembodied voice floated through the air.

“They aren’t here,” Morpheus paused in step. If you weren’t in Fiddler’s Green, where could you have gone? You weren’t at the palace, not at the brothers, certainly not in town… yet Morpheus could just barely feel the flicker of your mortal being within his realm. He’d never felt your life force so faint before. Something was terribly wrong.

“Do you know where they are? I can barely sense them and fear that something must have happened.” Morpheus questioned, looking up to the blue sky.

“The northern mountains,” Fiddler’s Green explained. “They came to me asking about the coldest place in all of the Dreaming. I do not understand why they would wish to go there, it is not suitable for them. They will surely be far too cold.” The feeling of apprehension within Morpheus turned into panic and dread.

You wished he had just let you die of hypothermia. Hugging your knees to your chest, you sniffed and pressed your damp eyes against your knees. Morpheus didn’t want your help? After all this time? You thought— you thought that had been what brought you together! But now it seemed that you were nothing but a pest to the Endless! It had been foolish of you to start thinking about what it would be like to be in a romantic relationship with Morpheus. Then you had to go and fall in love with him.

“Don’t be even stupider than you already have been, Y/N,” You whispered to yourself. Morpheus had saved you because he couldn’t afford to let Lucifer think that his people were easy pickings. You might not be one of his people but you had been with him at the time. Obligation, not because he cared for you. Not because he— You ground your palms into your eyes and choked back a sob. You couldn’t even say the word! “I’m so stupid.”

Nothing made sense anymore and you were miserable and alone. What you would give to feel that blissful cold again. You opened your eyes. The Dreaming had all sorts of climates, surely there would be somewhere cold that you could go. If you went there you could numb yourself to your hurt. Numb yourself to Morpheus and his obvious annoyance of you. Unfolding your stiff body, you furiously wiped your eyes before exiting your borrowed room at Abel’s house. He and Cain were in the kitchen, having a spot of tea while Goldie munched on a biscuit.

“Oh! Y/N, you’re just in time for tea!” Abel chirped happily while Cain looked over his newspaper. You looked tired and your eyes were stained red.

“Abel made your favorite cookies,” The older brother added, hoping to cheer you up from the slump you seemed to be in. You shook your head and shuffled for the door.

“‘M headed out to Fiddler’s Green,” You announced to them. “Thanks for letting me stay here, I needed a break from the palace.” Abel’s face fell at your departure, for he knew that something was bothering you. But you were within your right to keep your secrets. At least you were heading out to Fiddler’s Green. The fresh air and beautiful nature would surely help you!

“You drop by again, anytime,” Cain called as you exited the cottage. You didn’t reply but gave him a short nod before closing the door behind you. Trudging along, you peered over the stone bridge at the little creek that crossed in front of the brother’s houses and admired the clarity of the water. Everything in the Dreaming had its place, was incredibly beautiful, functioned as it should. Everything but you.

You were out of place, a mortal, and it’s ruler was currently treating you like you had contracted the plague. As desperately as you wanted to, you simply did not belong in the dreaming. Hugging your arms around your body, you entered Fiddler’s Green and walked a little ways just to enjoy the sounds of birds and the explosive green around you.

“Fiddler’s Green?” You finally asked, hoping the Arcana would be inclined to help you. There was a rustle of trees and the entity answered.

“Hello, Y/N,” You sighed in relief, not everyone was ignoring you.

“You know the Dreaming the best,” You started, your eyebrows furrowing in thought. “Where’s the coldest place? The mountains?” The Arcana wondered why you would want to know such information but helpfully answered your question, explaining that the coldest place in the entire Dreaming was a midpoint in the mountains where Dreams and Nightmares that loved the freezing cold resided. There weren’t many, but just enough that a habitat existed for them.

After directing you to a coldest steppe, Fiddle’s Green watched as you swiftly walked yourself from his being towards the mountain, not once thinking that you had anything else but sightseeing on your mind.

Ice crystals had gathered on your lashes from where you lay partially on your side with your back flat against cold rock and snow. When you had reached the base of the mountain, you had started to pull pieces of clothing off your body. First your jacket went, you’d relished the bitter nip the slight breeze caused. But it hadn’t been enough. So you removed your sweater. Still too warm. One by one you left your shoes and socks behind, wandering up the mountain with increasingly chilled skin.

Unlike in hell, this cold soothed the ache in your heart and stole the thoughts of pain from your mind, numbing you to everything around you. By the time you had reached the steppe Fiddle’s Green had told you about, you couldn’t feel your toes and your skin was ice. You were tired, wanted to lay down and nap. So that’s what you had done.

Curled up on the ground, back flat so you could watch little clumps of snow drift down from the sky, you basked in numbness once more. Even as the bitter cold settled into your body, stealing what little body heat you had left, the Dreaming itself was struggling to stop the warmth from leaving your body. Its task was to keep this location at a certain temperature, it could not change that, but you were going to die if you did not find warmth again. So the realm did what is could to simply slow the inevitable unless someone came for you. Without words it was, but the realm was not without communication to its creator.

Feeling a ripple within his realm, Morpheus was altered to the call of his realm, beckoning him to a section of the mountains where the frost fiends and creations resided. The coldest place in all the realm. Surely you would’t be this foolish! In a swirl of sand Morpheus teleported himself and Matthew to the edge of the steppe. He could feel your life force a little stronger now, but it was still so faint. Matthew let out a caw and dove forwards, dropping down to frosted ground to peck at your jacket.

“This is theirs!” The raven cried out, tiny black eyes looking further up the trail. He could see more of your clothes. “You don’t think they did this on purpose… do you?”

Morpheus didn’t reply, he simply stood forward at the increased pace. The further he and Matthew went, the more clothing items strewn on the ground they crossed the more concerned both beings became. Especially when Morpheus spotted your pants and shirt strew on an embankment of snow. You were almost naked and in this weather!? What were you doing with your being?? Rather than continuing to hurriedly walk, Morpheus disintegrated to sand and flew towards your rapidly fading presence. What he found shouldn’t have surprised him, but it sure sent him into a spiraling panic.

You were laying on your back, legs curled at the side and staring vacantly at the falling clumps of pristine dream snow. Your skin was practically blue, and Morpheus couldn’t even comprehend how your flesh had managed to turn that color given your natural complexion. But what caused the most dread and brewed the worst fears in the Endless was how you appeared to hardly even breathe. From behind, Matthew let out an alarmed squawk. Morpheus was acting before the raven could even exclaim a verbal surprise.

Materializing, the dream lord was instantly kneeling down and gathering your shivering body to wrap you firmly within his star laden coat. With you promptly bundled up, he took a half step in place, transporting himself and you to the safety of his palace and the warmth of your wing. He placed you on your bed before quickly removing his clothing. He was not going to los you to stubbornness in his own realm! So Morpheus joined you, whisking away the remaining cloth that barely covered your skin and cradled you tightly within his arms, willing all the warmth he and his realm had back into you.

For nearly a minute the Endless feared that you would succumb to the cold and he would lose you forever… but then you shifted within his arms and let out a small moan. The peaceful cold you had been basking in, had been indulging and succumbing to, was gone!

“No,” You faintly moaned to yourself, willing your mind to retreat back into that solace in which your heart and being didn’t have to feel so hurt. “No,”

“Yes,” Morpheus objected, pressing his face into the crown of your hair handholding you tighter in fear that you would squirm away and slip back into that deathly catatonia. “You will warm up and explain this to me, Y/N. You were but mere minutes from hearing the wings of my sister. You nearly succumbed to the violent cold in hell, why would you purposefully subject yourself to it within my realm!?”

“The cold is never violent,” Your pale lips whispered out, slurring the syllables slightly. “It is peaceful, and doesn’t hurt, and takes away the hurt. I was hurting so much, but not anymore…”

“This is killing you,” Morpheus ground out, hugging you tighter and drawing a hand across your frigid back. How could you possibly be this cold? 

“I just want to sleep,” You sighed out, eyelashes fluttered as the drawl of soothing bliss and a pain free future tempted you once more. “Sleep, numb, so nice...” This time Morpheus raised his hand to grip your chin and pull your head back, making you grunt and blink.

“You are not allowed to fall asleep, Y/N. I forbid it,” He sternly decreed.

“Why do you care?” The words slipped from your lips as you looked into the fuzzy face of the one being that had managed to wound your heart like no other. You hated how the blissful numbness that had taken shelter within your heart was slowly disappearing. It was staring to hurt again. “You don’t want me, you don’t need me, you don’t lo—”

“Stop,” Morpheus hoarsely spoke, almost not believing the words tumbling from your mouth. What were you speaking of!? You were the very being that Morpheus felt like he could no live without! He wanted you, he needed you, he loved you with every grain of sand his anthropomorphic being had! “Why? Why would you do this to me? To the realm!? It was trying so hard to keep you from—” His words fizzled out to nothingness, lost to the sounds of your shivers and chattering teeth.

“You said you didn’t need my help,” You stated. “You avoided me until I forced your hand, and— and— it hurts so much to think that you don’t even consider me as a subject let alone a friend. I just wanted to stop hurting, stop feeling…. the cold, the numbness, it felt so nice. It took away my pain. I wanted that back.”

Morpheus felt as if his universe was crashing down around him. You believed that he did not wish for your presence within his realm? You believe that he thought so little of you that you were not worthy of commanding hand of his palace? You believe that he did not love you?? For a few moments the Endless nearly turned into a swirling storm of depressive and morosful sand, the sting of heartbreak almost running rampant. But then the being remembered that this wasn’t you rejecting him and his undying love, you simply believed he did not love and revere you.

“Do you know why I did not wrap you up in my coat?” He asked, resting his forehead against your own so you had to look into his eyes. You drowsily blinked at him but made no attempt to close your eyes or ignore his question. “I’d forgotten how much I enjoy the intimacy of embracing the one I care for most deeply. I crave your touch, Y/N. You are my fragile beloved treasure and I would be inconsolable should anything ever happen to you. I have not pursued a mortal in 10,000 years and I fear that I shall repeat my past mistakes.”

His softly spoken words, filled with sincerity, filled your mind until you forgot about your shivers, forgot about your heartache, forgot about the peaceful cold you had so stubbornly sought. Eyelashes fluttering as you started fighting against the drowsiness that filled your body, you let out a moan and slumped in place. You nearly killed yourself over a misunderstanding and an Endless with poor emotional intelligence.

“I beginning to think that we might have communication issues.”

Date Published: 12/28/23

Last Edit: 12/28/23

Previous | Masterlist

[bumblesimagines]

“ friends with benefits? isn't that like, for friends? “

“ don't think friendship is a requirement. “

ruby matthews

“ friends with benefits? isn't that like, for friends? “

“ don't think friendship is a requirement. “

pronouns: he/him/his

"Wiley, come with me, now." The moment of silence that followed made Otis swallow. Ruby's eyes narrowed at the Wiley twin when his back remained turned to her. "Come now before I change my mind."

"What is it, Rubes?" He asked, continuing to write on the homework sheet without looking up at the brunette.

"It's private." She clicked her tongue, eyes flickering over to the scrawny teen.

"Oh- Oh, I-I can go." Otis scrambled up from the bench, nearly tripping over his loose shoelaces in the process. He snatched his backpack from the bench and hurried away, leaving the spot across from (Y/N) empty. Ruby sighed dramatically and plopped her purse down on the table, smoothing out the back of her skirt as she took a seat.

"I have a proposition for you, Wiley," Ruby revealed, tapping her nails against the table. "I've been thinking about what happened at Aimee's party, and I've decided to give you an offer few can afford."

"Which is?"

"We become friends with benefits. Secretly, of course. There'd be nothing worse than rumors about us if it were to get out." Ruby flicked some hair over her shoulder and glanced around in case her beloved friends were nearby. 

"Right, of course. Miss Queen Bee can't be seen with the guy who has a junkie for a mom and a cock-biting sister, is that it?"

"Exactly."

"Your empathy always surprises me." He rolled his eyes and finally looked up from his homework. "And anyways, friends with benefits? isn't that like, for friends?“

“Don't think friendship is a requirement. It's just hooking up." 

"If it's just hooking up, why don't you try it with Adam?" He smirked, watching her lips curl in disgust.

"He's as dumb as rocks. You, at the very least, have half a brain." 

"I'm flattered." 

"You should be on your knees thanking me for even offering this to you." Ruby scoffed softly. "Well? What do you say?"

[kalinara]

Hello! New to the X-men fandom, drawn here by Scott Summers (I love your blog so much!) Two questions, if you don't mind:

1. What would you consider essential reads for Scott specifically? There are so many starting points it seems.

2. I did finish Whedon's run of Astonishing X-Men (at the recommendation of reddit) and was wondering if Scott (now?) doesn't need his ruby quartz glasses/visor? Sorry if that's a run-specific question!

Hello!

The first question is surprisingly difficult, only because Scott's such a staple throughout the entirety of the X-Men. So let me kind of give you a run down of your options.

--

The 60s comics are really fun, if you want to see where things began. It is very 60s though, and the style may not be to your taste. There's also some period sexism that's not great (though surprisingly less than I expected. Possibly because Jean's meant to be a fairly liberated teen, as opposed to older ladies like Sue Storm or Janet Van Dyne.)

The Claremont Era (Starting with Giant-Sized X-Men, which introduces staples like Storm and Wolverine) is probably what will be the most familiar to folks who became used to the X-Men from other sources, like the cartoons. The Animated Series and X-Men '97 adapt a lot of Claremont era stuff, so it'll be pretty familiar.

It's also soapy and dramatic, and Scott (and Jean) feature very heavily. You'll also meet Rachel. Rachel is fun.

X-Factor's first run is something I'd recommend only after you've gotten into the character more. It's actually really good, IMO, and an amazing deconstruction of how much of a trainwreck the poor guy actually is. It's not always a flattering portrayal though, which is part of what makes it interesting. (It is good though to read the Madelyne stuff for yourself eventually, summaries tend to ignore the aspects that make Scott's side of things a bit more understandable, if not sympathetic.) Baby Cable is here too.

The 90s X-Comics are pretty fun too, like the earlier Claremont era, this is likely what folk are familiar with if they remember the cartoons. Costumes, characters, and so on. Scott is one of a very large cast, but he tends to have some really good arcs here and there. The art takes getting used to it. This is where you'll start seeing adult Cable as a major character. And another AU Summers child, Nate Grey. He's complicated.

the 2000s-2011 era of Comics have a lot of upheaval and events. Scott is still an idealist, but he's been jaded by a lot of events (and will be jaded by more). You'll see him get darker here, but not evil. It's pretty sad though. SO MANY big events though, Scott pulls off a lot of wild shit.

In 2011-2016, we have two Scotts basically. Avengers vs. X-Men is a massively huge event that changes Scott's role for a long time. For our main Scott, the next few years are going to read a lot like whump fic. He's going to suffer, people are going to blame him (unfairly, imo!) for a lot of things, and he'll be treated like a monster at times. That said, there are people who do see the truth and end up even joining him.

But also around this time, through shenanigans (read: Hank McCoy), the timeline is disrupted and the 1960s era Original Five (specifically circa issue #8) are brought to the future. They have their own adventures in lines like All-New X-Men (v1. and v2.), X-Men Blue, and Scott specifically has a solo series early on and then joins up with Kamala Khan's Champions and it's darling.

Eventually older Scott "dies" (it happens in comics). Young Scott continues though. When Young Scott goes to the past again, older Scott comes back (unrelated reasons).

For 2019-2020, there's a short run by Matthew Rosenberg, starting at issue 11 or so. The original team of X-Men is presumed dead (really they're dealing with some multiversal nonsense. Possibly Nate Grey's fault), and a returned Scott starts gathering new X-Men. It's intense, angsty and kind of bleak. This isn't about saving the world anymore, just maybe going out doing what they should.

From 2020-2023, we get a massive, amazing change in direction called the Krakoa arc. Scott's not featured as prominently here (It's Xavier's show), but he's solid in any series that he appears (Adjectiveless X-Men will always have him somewhere. He's very prominent in Teen Cable's book too.) Krakoa is something very different than anything the X-Men series(es) have done before and it's definitely worth reading. Though for my own taste, I like the return to form that comes with...

Our current era is "From the Ashes" and it's not actually a bad place to jump on. Everyone's a little scattered and out of sorts since the fall of Krakoa, but Scott, being who he is, has already pulled his own book together for the kind of mutant-rescuing heroics that he is wont to do.

As to where to start? Honestly, I'd go with whatever seems the most fun to you. Eventually, I think, you'll find yourself branching out and it won't be nearly so confusing. (There are also wikis, podcasts, and annoying pedants like me who like explaining everything.). Fans will often have their favorite special books (Children of the Atom, for example, is probably my favorite version of the O5 origin. It came out in 2001 and has a truly horrifying Jack Winters), and we'll always leap on the opportunity to share those things.

-------------------------------------------

as for 2. I don't know if you read the Giant-Sized finale of Astonishing X-Men, but they do have a scene where Scott's eyes start glowing again and Emma places the visor on him. It's a nice, quietly somber scene.

In current X-continuity, Scott does still need the visor. The inability to control his blasts may have a psychological component but there's also physical brain damage. (In the Krakoa arc, there are mechanisms where he might have repaired said damage, but it actually does come up at some point, and he specifically chooses not to. I hope I can find that page again, because I feel like there's a lot of interesting potential meta in that choice.)

I don't think they ever really revisit why Emma (or Cassandra, possibly) had been able to neutralize Scott's blasts/restore temporary control over them, but I tend to go with the interpretation that a powerful enough telepath could force a bypass with his powers, but it's an incredibly traumatic, potentially damaging, and ultimately temporary solution. Hence, what we see.

For her part, Jean Grey (at least in the modern era) is able to psychically block his powers. And that's always fun. (And sometimes a little kinky!)

[thethreeeyed-raven]

hi could you do a ruby matthews from sex education x g!p g!p fútbol reader enemies to lovers trope?

Angst to fluff

If so here’s my request: y/n is a new transfer student and has a class with ruby and it was y/n who started their rival/hate for each other on accident. Then as time went on they began to get closer slowly, then at a party y/n drunkly confesses to ruby how much she likes her then ruby says she feels the same but then ruby is too afraid to go public, so y/n agrees to be a secret (you could add smut after if you want up to you!) As time goes on y/n starts to get annoyed because ruby in public starts to treat her crap and acts as if they’re still enemies. So y/n got fed up and confronted Ruby about it in front of the untouchables which Ruby tries to deny everything which leads to y/n saying they’re over and leaves. To which leads to y/n not going to school for a while which worries ruby, so then ruby goes to her house and finds out that y/n moved (for whatever family or financial reason) which causes her to breakdown and stuff. Then after weeks of trying to find y/n she does and then ruby explains why she did what she did then the fluff happens then the end

Im so sorry this request was long😭😭 I’ve just been thinking about it for a while now I just needed to get it off my chest LMAOO

over.

navigation | warnings : mentions of sex, slight homophobia?, ruby being a bitch, angst | a/n : hopefully you enjoy! (i did. change a few things) | tags : @lost-in-fiction-like-ur-mom , @fangsp1der-2099 , @knight-of-flowerss

You weren't sure when you made an enemy of Ruby Matthew's, or when you began to catch feelings for her.

Ruby Matthew's wasn't sure when she made an enemy of you, or when she began to catch feelings for you.

Ruby and You started a secret relationship a few months ago, emphasis on the secret.

It all started when you drunkenly confessed to her at a party, not expecting her to take you into a closet and give u the best fuck you've ever had.

Being in a relationship with Ruby came as a shock to you. At school in front of others, she was mean and spiteful, but when it was just you two...it was different.

Cuddling and kissing was quite frequent, whereas in front of her friends, you were both pretending to hate each other.

But you were getting tired of pretending.

You approached Ruby with confidence, deciding that today you would confront her.

"Ruby."

All three of them turned to look at you, Ruby looking slightly surprised and Olivia and Anwar clearly not trying to hide their disgust.

"What do you want?" Ruby replied brazenly.

"I want to talk." You said as you adjusted the strap of your backpack.

Olivia and Anwar looked at Ruby expectantly.

"About what?"

You rolled your eyes, why was she being so difficult? "You know what. And I'd personally like to do this in private."

"Whatever you have to say, you can say it here." She motioned to her two friends, then crossed her arms.

To say you were angry was an understatement.

"Fine." You stepped closer. "Me and Ruby have been in a relationship for exactly four months, since Otis Milburn's surprisingly alright party, when she took me into a closet and fucked me like she meant it. And I don't want it to be a secret anymore."

You reveled in the sight of Anwar and Olivia's appalled expressions, until your gaze fell on Ruby, who looked crushed. You felt slightly guilty but then you realised she deserved it.

"And now it's over between us."

[dragon-kazansky]

Heart of the Dreaming

Morpheus x Female Reader

Soulmate AU

You are the daughter of Rodrick Burgess. You find out about the "demon" in the basement and decide you want to see it. Things take an unexpected turn when your soulmate connection is made with the man you find down there. You are the one he has been waiting for, and you're being taken away from. Not for long. Dream will protect his soulmate.

{Masterlist}

{Previous Chapter} - {Next Chapter}

Chapter Seven - Burgess curse

☆☆☆

"You have to wake up."

You're not sure exactly what happened or who that man was, but you were afraid. Dream wasn't opening his eyes, and you didn't know what to do.

Matthew stood next to you, looking at you both. You couldn't tear your eyes away from the unconscious Dream.

"So, uh, I have to ask..." Matthew started. You glance at him, but only for the briefest of moments. "Are you two... close?"

"No."

"You seem kind of close."

"We're not." You curl up into a ball and take some deep breaths. You're not sure what's going to happen if he doesn't wake up.

"But he was worried about you."

"Look, Matthew... it's complicated. I'm his soulmate or whatever. It doesn't mean anything. The only reason he is tagging me alone is because of that. Once we're done here, I plan to leave. I don't know where I'll go, but I'll figure it out."

"You're not going to stay with him?" Matthew caws.

"No."

"Maybe you should."

You look down at the raven again. You're sat there talking to a bird waiting for the Sandman to wake up. Nothing is making sense, and everything is overwhelming. You just wanted to rest.

"Why don't you get some sleep. I'll keep watch," Matthew offers.

You feel like you would rather stay awake, but you csnt dent how tired you were starting to feel. Matthew seemed trustworthy, and after everything that's happened, you needed to trust in something. Maybe this was your new normal, after all.

After a few hours, Dream wakes. He opens his eyes slowly and takes a moment to gather his thoughts together. He remembers being in Hell and then coming to get his ruby. When he touched the ruby, he could tell something was wrong.

Morpheus pushes himself up with a soft groan. Matthew hops into view and looks up at him.

"Matthew."

"Uh, my lord." Matthew bobs his head down into a bow. "We were worried about you."

"We?"

Matthew turns his head and looks over at where you're sleeping. You're curled up against the wall. Dream gazes over at you. This is the quiest you've been since he rescued you.

Morpheus moved over to you quietly and took a moment to admire you. You're very pretty.

He thinks back to what you said to him. You dreamt of him when he was trapped. As you lay there in front of him now, he wondered what you dreamt about now.

He raised his hand toward you, feeling tempted to touch you gently, but you began to stir, and he took his hand back quickly.

You wake up and turn your eyes toward him. "You're awake!"

"Yes." He watches you push yourself up into a sitting position. He wanted to ask how you were doing but resisted. "The ruby?"

"Gone. There was a man. He came and took it. I don't think he saw us, but he's gone. I'm not sure where."

Morpheus looks at you. You had stayed by his side. You could have left at any point, but you didn't. That meant quite a lot to him, but he wasn't about to tell you that.

"I can find the ruby. It has been altered, but I'll be able to find it. Come." Morpheus leads the way out of the storage unit.

You get up by yourself and take a moment to look down at Matthew before following Morpheus out of the storage unit. You have no idea just how much time had passed while inside there. It took a while for Morpheus to wake again. You can tell he knows more of his power is gone. He is weaker than he was before. The ruby has robbed some more of his power at seemed.

You find yourself outside a diner. The place was in disarray. Something had clearly happened here. Morpheus glances at you and then steps inside. You follow him quietly.

People lay dead in the middle of the room.

You stand by the door as Morpheus approaches the man sitting at the counter alone.

"Hello." The man sighs. "I'm John. I'm glad you're here. The power has gone out. So there's no TV, and no one left to talk to."

"What is it you think you're doing?" Morpheus asks.

"Saving the world from its lies."

"The ruby wasn't made for that."

John gasps softly. "Oh, you're the Sandman. My mother was right. She said you'd be coming for it."

"You must return it to me so that I can repair the damage you have done." Morpheus tells him.

"I'm not giving it back to you, it's mine."

"It is harming you, John, and your world."

"It's revealing the truth," John says softly. "This is the truth of mankind."

"No. You're wrong. This is the truth of mankind."

Morpheus shows John how these people he killed lived their lives. What they did. What they dreamed about. How they lived. He took all of that away from them.

Kate dreams of running away where no one could find her. Garry dreams of proving his father wrong. Bette dreams of creating something that would matter to people. You feel sorry for all these people. Their hope had been taken from them.

"The ruby is hurting you, John." Morpheus says to him. "It has too much of my power within it. It stole more when I tried to use it."

"Then perhaps if I use it to steal the rest of your powers, I will be the King of Dreams." John says.

You frown.

"Your mother... what was her name?" You ask.

John's eyes turn to you. He looks like he only noticed you now. You don't think much of it as you watch him closely.

"Ethel." Dream answers for him.

"Your father..." You look at John. "My word..."

"Do I know you?" John asks.

"No. No, but I... I think I know you. Sort of." You tell him your name. "Rodrick was my father too. Though you didn't know him. I did. I lived in his house for many years."

"You don't look old enough," he comments, suspicious of your words.

"No. I suppose I don't." You glance down at yourself. You had almost forgotten you had long since stopped aging.

"Did he love you?"

You look up at him in slight shock. You didn't think he'd ask that. "No."

"I see." John takes a moment to look at you. Really look at you. "We are alike then."

"Are we?"

Dream is cautious of the other man. He doesn't quite like this conversation topic. This man could use you against him if he was clever about it. Dream didn't want to take any chances.

"I think so, yes." John nods.

"I don't want power," you tell him softly.

"I'm want to expose the lies."

"Lies?"

"People turn a blind eye to the truth. They pretend not to see it and live in a fantasy just to make them feel better. Wouldn't the world be a better place of everyone was honest?"

"Honesty is important, but so are dreams. It is not for you to decide what people do and don't do." You look at him firmly and raise your hand up. "Give me the ruby."

"No." He shakes his head. "I know what you're trying to do. I won't let you."

You want to take a step closer to him, but Morpheus reaches out and grabs your wrist gently. He pulls you behind him gently.

"If you would rob a Dream lord of his power, you shall do so in his realm. In dreams."

Just like that, John is in the Dreaming. You have no idea where you are. You assume this is his realm. This is your first time here. Everything felt strange.

While John chases his past through dreams. Morpheus prepares to deal with him.

John comes to the throne room. "Is this your palace... Dream Lord? Is this your throne... King of Lies? Well, it's mine now!"

John raises the ruby in his hand. The palace begins to crumble. "Are you watching? Can you see me?" The palace continues to burn away. "Using your own powers to burn away your lies."

"You must stop." Morpheus appears with his helmet on. "It is not too late to save yourself."

"Oh, you think it's me that needs saving?" John says.

"Your father stole the ruby from me and cursed you with it."

"You mean he blessed me with it." John raises the ruby up again. "Your reign ended when my father captured you. Your kingdom is my birthright."

"No!" You shout, but he doesn't listen. John is killing Morpheus with the ruby.

"Your power resides within me."

Morpheus falls to the ground, curled up, unable to fight back. "How does it feel to know I hold your life in my hands?" John asks.

"You're hurting the dreamers," Morpheus says, grunting in pain.

You can not go to him. Morpheus has made it so. He didn't want you hurt at the hands of John Burgess.

"Well, it's time they woke up! Your life and your lies end now."

John crushes the ruby. Everything around him is gone. He did it. He killed the Sandman, or so he believes.

"Thank you, John."

John looks up to find himself looking up at the Dream Lord. He is standing on his palm, feeling so small compared to this Dream Lord.

"But I killed you."

Morpheus speaks. "You destroyed the ruby and released the power inside it. I would never have thought of that. I'd forgotten just how much of myself I had placed in the jewel."

"Are you going to kill me?" John asks.

"I could. Perhaps I will. But the dream stone was not made for mortals. And it came to you through no fault of your own. So, no, John. I will not kill you."

☆☆☆

You stand in the throne room and gaze up at the large coloured windows. A lone throne sits at the top of a set of stairs. Dream stated he had to deal with John and that he would be back soon.

You turn with the sound of footsteps behind you and find Lucienne coming over to you, Matthew flying over her head and landing beside you.

"Welcome," she greets you.

"Hello."

She looks at you for a few moments, taking you in. This was her first time seeing you. She was curious about the woman fated to her king.

"Will he be long?" You ask softly.

Lucienne lifts her head up a little bit and town answers. "I don't think so."

"I see."

Silence fills the space between you both again. You're not sure what else to say to her. You just wanted to talk to Dream about what happens now. He has his tools.

"A room has been made for you," Lucienne tells you.

"A room?"

"Yes. Where you shall stay. If it is not to your liking, you can tell Lord Morpheus, I am certain he can change it to how you like."

You don't have the heart to tell her you don't intend to stay, but never the less you nod. Lucienne takes you to your room.

You enter the neatly decorated place. There's a bed, a dresser, a vanity table, and a chair next to a stained glass window.

"You can wait in here until his return," Lucienne suggests.

You say nothing and walk over to the bed, taking a seat on the night sky bedding. Lucienne looks at you once more before leaving you alone.

You sigh and lay back on the bed.

You had a feeling nothing in your life would ever be the same again.

☆☆☆

@deniixlovezelda - @missdreamofendless - @kpopgirlbtssvt - @meganlpie - @thoughtsfromlayla - @ladyjbrekker

@mwaaaaaugh - @bluespecs14 - @intothesoul - @lady-violet - @navs-bhat - @krahk - @oldsoulmagic

@rubyrose2014 - @lorkai - @roxytheimmortal - @star-maker-rain-dancer - @intothesoul - @gemini-mama - @whotperlinda

@dreamingblueberries - @the-shadow-of-aurora - @novavida - @blackgirlmagicforever

@permanentlyexhaustedpigeon88 - @hopshusushi - @sloppyzengarden - @thecraziestcrayon -

[jiliansky-blog]

The Nightmare and the Dreamer. Epilogue

Pairing: Morpheus x FemaleReader

Rating: PG

Words: 588

You figure out that it was your sister who let Cori in. But she did that without any vicious thoughts. Morpheus gave you an engagement ring and said you can return home and also your family can be present in the wedding in their dreams. And you also figure out that he gave a little bit of his power with ruby. Maybe, he did this unconsciously, because he was hurt. Anyway, you gave back his ruby when everything fell in place.

Father was worried until you return and tell him that you are alright. And also he was surprised that you are going to marry Morpheus.

“Are you sure?” he asked. “You know him for a week”.

“You just don’t know him well”, you replied. “He is so gentle. He will never hurt me. And I’m really in love with him”.

“Alright”, he sighed. “If you are happy, then I’m happy too”.

You couldn’t believe that this was really happening. You have met the man of your dreams and saved him from the curse. But now you were standing in your room in the Dreaming and looking at your reflection in the white, beautiful dress.

“May I come in?” you heard Morpheus’s voice.

“You can’t wait to see me in the wedding dress, admit it”, you smirked.

“I can’t wait to see you. Point”, he smiled.

You can’t take your eyes off him. At that moment, he was dressed in a black suit, and his hair wasn’t a mess. He was looking like a dream. So handsome, it was unfair.

“I was just thinking about what my life was going to be," you said.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Shall I stay here or in my world?” you asked.

“As you wish”, he said. “You can have your own life in the Waking world and we will share time in your sleep”.

“And if I want to stay here?” you asked.

“Then you’re welcome”, he replied. “Usually human can’t live there. Only after death. But I think my sister and I will find the solution”.

“After death?” you asked.

“Matthew and my other ravens were humans once”, he nodded. “After their death they stay there. They died in their sleep”.

“Oh, should I die then?” you said.

“No, I will talk to my sister”, he said and kissed the top of my head. “I don’t want you to be dead to stay here”.

“Good”, you smiled and hugged him. “But I don’t know how I can stay a whole day without you in the Waking world”.

“Someone became clingy”, he smiled.

“Maybe a little”, you replied. “Don’t make fun of me”.

“It doesn’t mean that I won’t come to you in the Waking world”, he reassured me. “Or that you can’t visit me during the day”.

“That’s good”, you said.

“I can’t wait till you become mine”, Morpheus whispered, hugging me tighter.

“I’m already yours”, you purred.

“Is this an invitation to skip to our wedding night?” he asked.

“Perhaps”, you giggled.

“You’re playing with fire”, he whispered.

“Oh really?” you smirked.

And he kissed you so passionately, you forget about everything else. You can’t believe this god of dreams and most handsome man is in love with you.

“I love you”, you whispered.

“I love you too”, Morpheus replied.

And then he made you forget everything that surrounds you again. You can’t believe your happiness. You already have the adventure and the love of your life. And you believe that everything will be good after that.

@shadowqueen1318 @mypsychoticlove @justathirstyhoe​ @ladymoztaza @sapphireonline @deniixlovezelda

[siblingshowdown]

Sibling Showdown!!!

This showdown consists of 64 sibling sets facing off against each other, as well as a few one-off polls of sets who didn’t make the actual bracket but who I wanted to include in some capacity.  Polls will last a week.  Round One of section A will go live on April 16, with section B going live the day after, section C the day after that, and section D the day after that.

Propaganda is allowed!  I just ask that it be kept positive.  Argue for your faves instead of against someone else’s.  Every sibling set who made it in the showdown is there because someone wanted them to be, so keep it kind.

Will the winners be the siblings that love each other the most?  That are most capable of killing other sibling groups with their bare hands?  That have the most sibling swag?  It’s up to you to decide!  You get to choose the manner and parameters you judge each sibling set for.

Section A:

Edward and Alphonse Elric (Fullmetal Alchemist) vs. Seiko and Ryuunosuke Tanaka (Haikyuu!!)

Wirt and Greg (Over the Garden Wall) vs.  Han Yoojin and Han Yoohyun (The S-Classes That I Raised)

Shigeo and Ritsu Kageyama (Mob Psycho 100) vs.  Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long (RWBY)

Sans and Papyrus (Undertale) vs. Tanjiro and Nezuko Kamado (Demon Slayer)

Jiang Yanli, Wei Wuxian, and Jiang Cheng (Mo Dao Zu Shi/The Untamed) vs. Hikaru and Kaoru (Ouran High School Host Club)

Vi and Jinx (Arcane) vs. Temari, Kankuro, and Gaara (Naruto)

Sokka and Katara (Avatar: the Last Airbender) vs. Maya and Mia Fey (Ace Attorney)

Vash the Stampede and Millions Knives (Trigun) vs.  Lucas and Claus (Mother 3)

Section B:

Leonardo, Donatello, Raphael, and Michelangelo Hamato (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles) vs. Violet, Dash, and Jack-Jack Parr (The Incredibles)

Yakko, Wakko, and Dot Warner (The Animaniacs) vs. Jazz and Danny Fenton (Danny Phantom)

Huey, Dewey, and Louie (Ducktales) vs. Sitka, Denahi, and Kenai (Brother Bear)

Dion, Frazie, Razputin, Mirtala, and Queepie Aquato (Psychonauts) vs. Skipper, Rico, Kowalski, and Private (Madagascar)

Eda and Lilith Clawthorne (The Owl House) vs. Snap, Crackle, and Pop (Rice Krispies)

Bonnie and Clemont (Pokemon X and Y) vs. Annika and Brietta (Barbie: Magic of Pegasus)

Candace, Phineas, and Ferb (Phineas and Ferb) vs. Blossom, Bubbles, and Buttercup (Powerpuff Girls)

Nani and Lilo Pelekai (Lilo and Stitch) vs. Kai and Nya (Lego Ninjago)

Section C:

Maddie and Buck Buckley (911) vs. Steven, Shirley, Theo, Luke, and Nell Crain (The Haunting of HIll House)

David and Alexis Rose (Schitt’s Creek) vs. Dennis and Dee Reynolds (It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia)

Jonathan Byers, Will Byers, and El Hopper (Stranger Things) vs.  Prue, Piper, and Phoebe (Charmed)

Luther, Diego, Allison, Klaus, Five, Ben, Viktor Hargreeves (The Umbrella Academy tv) vs. Mary, Billy, Freddy, Pedro, Eugene, and Darla (Shazam! movies)

Dick Grayson, Jason Todd, Tim Drake, Damian Wayne, Cassandra Cain-Wayne, and Duke Thomas (DC comics) vs. Simon and River Tam (Firefly)

Elliot and Darlene Alderson (Mr. Robot) vs. Kara and Alex Danvers (Supergirl TV)

Connor, Kendall, Siobhan, and Roman Roy (Succession) vs. Sharpay and Ryan Evans (High School Musical)

Thor and Loki (Marvel Cinematic Universe) vs. Sarah and Felix (Orphan Black)

Section D:

Maedhros, Maglor, Celegorm, Caranthir, Curufin, Amrod, and Amras (The Silmarillion) vs. Antigone, Polynices, Eteocles, and Ismene (Greek Mythology/Sophocles’s Theban plays)

Coronabeth and Ianthe Tridentarius (The Locked Tomb) vs. Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy Pevensie (The Chronicles of Narnia)

Nico and Bianca Di Angelo (Percy Jackson and the Olympians) vs. Declan, Ronan, and Matthew Lynch (The Raven Cycle/The Dreamer Trilogy)

Alec, Isabelle, Max Lightwood, and Jace Herondale-Lightwood (Shadowhunters) vs. Lark and Sparrow Oak (Dungeons and Daddies)

Violet, Klaus, and Sunny Baudelaire (A Series of Unfortunate Events) vs. Linus and Lucy Van Pelt (Peanuts)

Boromir and Faramir (The Lord of the Rings) vs. Bellamy and Octavia Blake (The 100)

Katniss and Primrose Everdeen (The Hunger Games) vs. Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy March (Little Women)

Kiryu Kazuma and Nishikiyama Akira (Yakuza) vs. Cain and Abel (the Torah/the Bible)

[moonsb1996]

World of Ashes Lore (my Oc world history) p15

Hello everyone, reading @the-invisible-introvert-2004 and @lucia1234lizeth After the end of this, I will enter the most excited period because the information will be a lot, it may cause the next episode to be delayed but hope to have fun. oh ! I don't forget the important thing. If anyone still remembers that I was bitten by my crazy cat Now I'm recovering (Leave only a small scar) And the opening cartoon of the novel book 2 I was almost finished. Right now, I have to be a lot of chaos. The fact that everyone likes the story that I wrote makes me really happy. Thank you.

Recovery photos by Special Investigation Unit CHUN. In cases related to Ark Space Research Center

The recording of the recovery can be recovered. The discussion between the security unit and Dr. Vin Ragnar at the Ruby Drilling Center at Uranus-15

V = Vin Ragnar

S = Security

V : *Yawn* Called me here so late at night. Is something going on?

S : Good morning, Doctor.

Strange sound of waves

*Keyboard press sound*

S : A few nights ago there was a report from a night drilling employee.

V : Is that a strange sound like the other rigs? Now it's become normal, isn't it?

Strange sound of waves

S: Ah, at first I thought so. But in the report it was written that at around 2:00 a.m. every night, strange sounds could be heard near the entrance to drilling head no. 4.

V: Drilling head no. 4... *sound of drinking coffee* Oh! The one that was close to that ancient artifact? What happened?

Strange sound of waves

S : This.

V : ...I guess I probably drank too much coffee...I'm definitely blind from lack of sleep.

S: It's strange that I'm blind as well with you but I drink tea.

Strange sound of waves

V :...Okay *sigh* Okay...well, try looking for pictures like this in other places and check past reports like this. But don't report it to headquarters yet. I want to make sure first.

S : Understood, Doctor.

Strange sound of waves

The results of strange voice translations converted by Ada, the special assistant of Professor Matthew. Some information has disappeared from the explosion.

Hexxo, x hxxe a xxobxxm.

xx! I mxan, are yox txxking about xe? x'm soxxy, xxx yes, I reaxxx xxve a pxxxlem.

Ox! I xean, x think x'x lost. So x'd like to axk for dirxctixns.

Oh...it'x lxxe no one hxrx cxn hexr me...that's sxxxnge. Nxxmally exexyone can see or hear xx

Sigh...it lxxks like we wxn't be xxle to txlk xxx a long txxe

CCTV images In front of the entrance to the drilling zone near "ancient artifac"

Private email responded between Dr. Vin Ragnar. And Smith (Victoria Ragnar's boyfriend)

[honeybeezgobzzzzz]

𓅨 Shifting Wings: Chapter Four

Shifting Wings: Before the Raven Matthew, there was Jessamy, and Jessamy came with a little sister by the name of Adrienne. Dream adores his two little Ravens, but after over a hundred years of imprisonment and the death of Jessamy, Dream will find that he has not just lost his companion, but his beloved little Raven Adrienne no longer brightens the halls of his Palace. None of his staff wish to speak of where the Raven has gone, but the silent new resident of the palace is cause for question. After all, she was the one who aided in his release. If none of his subjects would help him find Adrienne, perhaps she could lead him to the whereabouts of the missing Raven. If only the woman wasn’t so flighty and hard to track down.

Warnings: Angst.

To Note: Morpheus/Dream x FemaleRaven!Reader, NAMED Reader (I like the name).

Word Count: ~2.1k

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1916, The Dreaming

Morpheus was reading to you, a past time you had wormed out of him much to his confusion for why you wanted him to read to you. You knew perfectly well how to read these days, could flip your own pages, had read an innumerous amount of books since becoming a raven. But he found that it was, at times, hard to say no to you. He would never admit that he enjoyed your active seeking of his company. So here he was with you perched on the arm rest of his throne while he read you one of the newest books to appear in the library.

It was a book of poems, The Road Not Taken, by a mortal named Robert Frost, you found that you rather liked listening to the poems. Or maybe it was Morpheus’s voice. You liked the sound of it just as much. Morpheus finished up the last poem in the book and slowly closed the heavy leather bound book.

“Are you still awake, my raven?” Morpheus softly asked, knowing that on occasion, you fell asleep. A sight he rather enjoyed. But no, you had not fallen asleep this time and waddled your way to the end of the arm rest.

“Quite so,” You replied, tilting your head. “And I don’t always fall asleep.” Morpheus raised an eyebrow in counter and you stamped your foot. “I mean it! I’m listening!”

“So you say,” Morpheus echoed, enjoying the way you worked yourself up. It was when your true personality shone the brightest and your melancholy of being a raven was momentarily forgotten. Morpheus’s eyes dropped to the little anklet wrapped around your left leg. It had a little ruby hanging off of it that matched the one he wore around his neck. It was a gift that he had gotten you  years past after Jessamy mentioned your birthday.

While mortal celebrations such as birthdays were not celebrated within The Dreaming, Jessamy had planned out a small party for your 150th birthday. Many of the palace staff had given you unique trinkets from around the realm, even some found in other realms. Morpheus had mulled over what gift to give you, knowing that you already had all material possessions you could want. Certainly when it pertained to your passion of art. Jessamy had saved the day once again, suggesting that you would love something he created.

Morpheus had thought a ruby would be appropriate, as the red color fit nicely against your midnight and pearl colored feathers. It was also nice to have every visitor in the realm see that you were his beloved raven. You had glowed when he presented to you and you glowed every time it was mentioned, and then showed it off to anyone who would look.

“You’re staring, am I molting again without realizing it? Do I have pin feathers sticking out?” You asked, titling your head to the side before turning in a circle and inspecting your plumage. You couldn’t see any wayward feathers… but that didn’t mean they weren’t there.

“Be at peace, Adrienne, for there is naught a single feather out of place,” Morpheus assured you, fingers catching the side of your face and drawing your gaze back to his. “I was merely appreciating the divine Corvus perched upon my throne.”

“You’re flattering me… what are you about to do?” You accused him, narrowing your eyes at Morpheus and once again, hitting the nail on the head. Morpheus sighed at your ability to see through him.

“Adrienne…”

“No,” You tutted, hopping a few paces so you were out of reach of his bewitching touch. “I know when you and Jessamy are about to leave The Dreaming, you are consistently trying to get in my good graces. Where are you off to this time?”

“A Nightmare has gone rogue, Jessamy and I will be setting out to retrieve him.” Morpheus explained, running the back of his fingers down your neck. You stared hard into his eyes for a few moments before deciding that he was telling the truth. Not that he had ever told you an untruth.

“A rogue Nightmare,” You mused to yourself, mind thinking over who the fool was to go against Morpheus. “Which one? And why are you going to retrieve them? Can’t you just tell one of the others to go get him?”

Morpheus shook his head.

“I fear that it is one of the great arcana’s, that has strayed from his task.” He explained to you. “I shall go and retrieve him myself.” When it became apparent that Morpheus wasn’t going to tell you who had strayed from their task, you pressed further.

“You didn’t answer which one rebelled.” You pointed out. Morpheus, try as he might, couldn’t hide everything from you. You were the sibling of Jessamy and neither of you missed anything. You took a threatening step (it was hardly threatening to the Endless) towards Morpheus. “Who was it!?”

“Adrienne,” Morpheus started to speak, you cut him off.

“This isn’t something you need to protect me from!” You pointed out. “If it’s a threat to The Dreaming then I should know! You know ignorance is the biggest threat of them all.” Morpheus disagreed, sometimes knowing was far more dangerous, but he wouldn’t argue with you. He didn’t want to argue with you.

“I fear that it is The Corinthian who has gone astray,” Morpheus admitted to you, drawing a finger to the underside of your beak. “But you are not to interfere, Adrienne.” He warned you, his eyes sparkling with his astral power for a moment. “Am I clear?”

You weren’t so rebellious to not recognize a serious warning that you’d do well to heed.

“How bad is it?” You asked quietly, slumping where you stood, worry now filling your tiny body. Morpheus gaze turned gentle once more.

“Have no fear for Jessamy and I, my precious Adrienne, we are only going out to retrieve the Corinthian.” Morpheus soothed and reassured you. “We shall be back before you finish your sketch.”

“I told you that I only have an hours work left.“ You said skeptically.

“Precisely,” Morpheus spoke before rising from the throne and setting the book aside. He summoned his helm and donned it, then turned back to you. “Wait for me, Adrienne, and we shall start the next book in our stack. There is nothing to worry about,” He promised, then drawing out his pouch of sand, you watched as Morpheus transported himself from the realm.

“Then why do I have a bad feeling?” You whispered to an empty throne room.

You were mindlessly dragging your pencil across parchment, in a trance and dissociating from your surroundings. The only sound in your studio was the scratching of your pencil and your little feet twisting around on your work table. Lowering the pencil from the parchment, you examined the sketch of Morpheus with Jessamy perched on his shoulder. You didn’t know why you felt so composed to sketch it. Maybe it was the fact that despite Morpheus giving you his word that he would be back within an hour, both of them had yet to return after three hours.

Then again, time was weird within The Dreaming, so perhaps you had once again let it pull you into its grasp. Your head turned to the silent clock hanging on the wall. No. It had been three hours since Jessamy and Morpheus left. Late. Dream of the Endless was never late. Dream of the Endless never broke his promises. The pencil slipped from your grasp and you let it roll along the table and fall to the floor.

“I’d hate to harass Lucienne, but this is not normal.” You spoke to yourself, not able to hold back the growing worry within your small body. Abandoning the sketch, you took flight and opened a hole in the realm to fly directly to the library. Flying from your art studio to the library, you soared through the shelves and spotted Lucienne shelving a stack of books. You flared your wings and coasted down, landing on the top of the shelf. Lucienne looked up at you.

“Hello Adrienne, what brings you by the library.” You shifted your wings nervously, not wanting to bother her, but knowing that something was indeed wrong.

“Morpheus and Jessamy aren’t back yet,” You explained softly. “It’s been three hours.” Lucienne’s eyebrow went up and she adjusted her spectacles.

“Perhaps they found other business to attend to,” Lucienne offered.

“He promised he wouldn’t even be an hour, Luce, he said to wait for him,” Your voice dropped to a whisper. “He— he promised.”

That had Lucienne’s back going ramrod straight, for she knew that when Morpheus made promises, especially to you, he always kept his word. There was no one in the universe that Morpheus cherished more than you, and if he hadn’t kept a promise to you? Something was gravely wrong.

“Can you still feel Jessamy?” Lucienne asked, knowing that you and Jessamy were connected through your shared blood. You bobbed your head and shuffled in place, your ruby anklet jangling.

“Yes, that was the first thing I checked when the hour was up. You know Jess, she doesn’t play around, she’d make sure they found Cori and brought him back. She wouldn’t let anything get in their way. If they were going to change plans they’d tell me,” You said, your true anxiety leeching into your voice. “Luce, I haven’t heard anything from them.”

Everyone in the palace waited for Morpheus to return. Some with bated breath, others sure that the Endless simply had gotten caught up in business. But then days turned into weeks, and weeks to months. Soon years were trickling by, Endless and raven still missing. You always kept hope in your heart, certain that they would come back. They wouldn’t leave you all alone. But they never came and you sat perched on the armrest of Morpheus’s throne, waiting.

You didn’t know if it was your faith in Morpheus and Jessamy that kept you waiting, or your love for them. Jessamy was your rock, grounding you to The Dreaming and keeping you stable in your immortal life. Morpheus was the one who held you heart. To lose either of them would hurt you irreparably.

Night and day you sat there, waiting. It felt like agony to you, and it was by Lucienne and Mervyn’s despair that you barely took care of yourself. You often found yourself curled up on Morpheus’s throne, hoping that when you woke up they would be there. That Morpheus would be staring down at you in amusement as he chastised you for sleeping in his seat. You would give anything to be chastised by him again. But they never came back. Jessamy never came swooping back into the throne room. Morpheus never returned in a swirl of starry eyes and dark hair.

Then one day, nearly ten years after their disappearance, you were numbly helping Lucienne shelve books in the library. She had convinced you to leave the throne room, a very rare occurrence. Clicking across the table full of books, you were about to tug the next book of a pile when a blinding pain hit your chest and you let out a scream. Lucienne spun around to look at you just as your body flopped onto the table top and you convulsed.

Pain was blistering all over your body, like hot rocks were digging into your flesh. You flailed, your wings flapping like crazy while you struggled to breathe. Just as quickly as that blinding pain had come, it disappeared and you were left feeling a deep emptiness. While you gasped for air and tried to understand what had just happened, Lucienne’s hands gently righted your twisted body.

“Adrienne!?” Lucienne called, alarmed by your scream and worried that something terrible had happened. “Adrienne what happened?” You whimpered, knowing exactly what the hollowed emptiness you felt was. Not able to hold back your choked sob, you let out another terrible scream as tears dripped from your eyes.

“She’s gone!” You choked out, your wings flapping against the wood as you tried to grasp onto something to stop you from truly breaking down. Lucienne didn’t understand what you meant by ‘she’s gone’ at first, but the more your writhed around and the more you cried, the further her heart sank in her chest.

Only one event would cause you this much pain.

Lucienne collected you within her arms and held you against her chest to stop your thrashes, fearing that you would only hurt yourself. But in the end, nothing she could say or do would ever soothe the hurt you felt.

Date Published: 5/24/23

Last Edit: 5/24/23

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[rainbowmoonstonestories]

Let Your Dreams Be Your Wings | Chapter 2

Chapters: 2/? Fandom: The Sandman (Netflix 2022, minor content from the Comics) Rating: Explicit Relationships: Dream of the Endless/Morpheus x F!Reader Characters: Dream of the Endless/Morpheus, Lucienne, Matthew the Raven, Mervyn Pumpkinhead, Hob Gadling, Death, Rose Walker, The Corinthian, other minor Sandman characters, Original Characters. Warnings: 18+ content (upcoming, minors DNI), explicit sexual content, POV switching, very long chapters to read (you can skip parts if you think it is too much). Summary: You always dreamed of becoming a successful Fashion Designer, sharing your creations with the world and making your father proud. But with him being very ill and so many costs solely weighting on your shoulders, things didn’t go as planned and you had to take a different path instead. An interesting offer led you to the elder Alex Burgess and you were hired as a new housemaid for a very good pay. However, your kindness and outstanding empathy convinced the man to give you an additional task for a doubled compensation; gaining the trust of Dream Of the Endless, held captive into the basement for over a century. Despite the shock of finding such an ethereal entity stripped of all his clothes and contained into a confined space, you had to accept for the sake of your father. But the more you got to speak to the mysterious anthropomorphic personification who didn't utter a single word, the more you were lost into his eyes that, conversely, seemed to contain the entire universe. A deep connection formed between the two of you, separated only by a thick layer of glass.

Little did you know, what started like a simple housemaid job was about to change your life forever.

Credits: The moon dividers were made by firefly-graphics.

Chapter 2

The end justifies the means. Or does it?

In the past 106 years, Morpheus had seen nothing but demands and the worst side of humanity. The dastardly Roderick Burgess’ whims had pestered him for a very long time, asking for gifts that were not in his power to give, nor they were for mankind to receive. When Roderick departed from this world, his son Alex inherited everything that was in the Magus’s possession, included Dream himself.

He desperately tried to offer freedom in exchange for his and Paul’s safety. Dream could have accepted at the time, to be finally set free and resume his duties as the King of Dreams and Nightmares into The Dreaming.

Sadly, there was no forgiveness in his heart.

Alex Burgess had killed his raven, Jessamy, right in front of Morpheus’s eyes. He could still see her blood and innards splattered over the glass, her unrecognizable body twitching on the floor before it stopped completely. They took her away from him like they stole his helm, his ruby and his pouch of sand. They ripped his essence into pieces, stripped him of everything he was and expected to see their wishes granted in a snap.

Alex wanted an answer, Morpheus had nothing but silence to give.

And so, more years passed with him trapped into the sphere and sealed away from his powers and his realm. He refused to accept any offer coming from a weakling who first did wrong under the influence of a monster, then persisted in keeping things unchanged and following the man’s legacy.

Since getting old and ill, his captor’s visits in the basement had decreased considerably, but from time to time, Alex still showed up to try again and again, requesting an answer he knew would never come. Two guards were sitting in the cellar most times, especially at night, to watch his sitting form from afar. They occasionally stood in front of the main door at the upper floor as well, leaving him alone in the darkness of his prison.

But one night, something unexpected happened; a beautiful human girl appeared before him out of nowhere, visibly suffering from the coldness of the basement and shivering with exposed arms and bare legs due to a uniform that did not do her justice, in a place she didn’t really belong to. For the very first time after so long, he received compassion and kindness from a mortal who recognized him for who he truly was and understood the importance of his presence in the Universe for humanity’s sake. There was something in her eyes, in the way she looked back at him with so much pain and worry flowing into her heart. Something he got really curious about and wanted to further inspect.

He knew he would see her again sooner rather than later, anyway. Alex had offered her a conspicuous amount of money, mentioning her father’s illness and how much she would need it to sustain his medical care. Humans were easily corruptible, Alex Burgess knew exactly were to strike to properly use the woman for his own gain.

But Dream wouldn’t give him that satisfaction. If he had to stay trapped in that cage for many years to come, then he would make sure that Alex suffered until the end of his days. For Jessamy. For not standing his ground when Roderick put that rifle into his hands. For never apologizing for what he’d done and expecting Morpheus to simply forgive and forget.

Nevertheless, he found that woman utterly intriguing, curious and fascinating. Very much so.

You were used to tossing and turning in your bed every night before finally falling asleep, but this time it wasn’t just your insomnia keeping you wide awake.

How many people knew about Dream? Were you the only staff member allowed to set foot into the cellar? Anyone in your shoes would pack their things and run out of the front door at once, and to be quite frank, for a moment you considered that option yourself before shaking the thought away completely.

Your instinct had kicked in since the day you took the job. The rumors were one thing, you had your doubts about their truthfulness at least until they ventilated the possibility of having some kind of strange creature locked into the basement. But you also remembered how you felt upon entering the house for the first time, the air was somehow a little eerie despite the cozy atmosphere and the delicious smell of old wood. And then there was that inexplicable pull you had towards the cellar, the strong desire to get involved into something you had no connection with and you may have regretted with all your might (in part you did).

And then you saw him, Dream. He was perfection personified, you saw his eyes glowing unnaturally, his pale skin almost reflecting the light. The energy you felt when your eyes met, when you touched the glass, when he shifted in the cage to move closer to where you were standing.

You grabbed your phone from the nightstand, tapped the screen to unlock it and performed a rapid search as your fingers trembled. You selected the first highlighted link, which led you to an old newspaper page from the Daily Mail printed in 1926:

𝐓𝐑𝐀𝐆𝐄𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐅 𝐒𝐋𝐄𝐄𝐏𝐘 𝐒𝐈𝐂𝐊𝐍𝐄𝐒𝐒: 𝐖𝐀𝐑𝐏𝐄𝐃 𝐌𝐈𝐍𝐃𝐒, 𝐁𝐑𝐎𝐊𝐄𝐍 𝐁𝐎𝐃𝐈𝐄𝐒

Since the illness hit the first victims in 1916, some people begged for sleep that wouldn’t come, whilst others lived as perpetual sleep walkers for a long time. Later renamed as Encephalitis Lethargica, it was described like an unknown pandemic that took place during the course of World War I and also coincided with the widespread sickness and death caused by the Spanish flu. However, while it seemed to have been viral, its original cause was still unclear in 2022. You suffered from insomnia since you were a child, seeming to also have trouble remembering your dreams when/if they even occured. Considering The Sandman was still trapped into Fawney Rig, you could finally come up with a proper explanation for your affliction, as not even the prescribed medications worked for you.

You browsed through different threads and discussions posted online. Some people were convinced that EL was a bad consequence of the Spanish flu, others believed there were demonic forces involved and nothing about the illness was natural. No evidence could confirm, nor deny those theories, but you knew the second one was at least based onto real facts.

You were horribly conflicted now; what were you supposed to do with Dream from that moment onward? Refusing the offer wouldn’t bring you to a full dismissal, you figured, since that was not the original scope of your contract and firing you wouldn’t be in their best interest. The salary was already more than you could ever ask for, receiving such a high compensation for dealing with an imprisoned being would go against your principles and sense of just. Dream’s face was imprinted into your memory and you couldn’t bear the thought of knowing, yet pretending it wasn’t really happening.

Your frustration was devouring you from the inside, all your tiredness long forgetten. You put your phone back and moved the sheets out of the way, standing from your bed and reaching for the bag placed on the small desk in front of the window. You took out the notebook and pencil from the contents you had in it, moving the chair out to sit down and switching the table lamp on.

Sketching was the only thing that could always calm your nerves and you barely had enough time to make a phone call or even eat. Thankfully, the next day you would be off from work and visit your father after two weeks of distance and lack of communication.

Your hand travelled along the white page with racked up inspiration, as the pencil traced line after line and your vision started to take form. The clock on the wall was ticking, its sound creating a stable, relaxing rythm that went along well with the light scratch of graphite on paper.

But then, you found yourself lost in thought and your hand stopped moving. The page was turned, the unfinished draft of a dress you had fantasized about for months now set aside. The pencil resumed its work, sliding around without control. You let the image flow from your mind, using your fingers to smudge and blend shapes together. 50 minutes later, your drawing was complete.

In the middle of the night, you stared at your finished creation with a sense of warmness filling your entire body. If you squinted just enough, you could almost see the patterns dancing on the page like the original source. You let the pencil fall from your grasp, your blackened fingertips lightly brushing over the drawing and tracing the lines with newly acquired fondness.

You got sucked into your faithful representation of one of Dream’s eyes, your heart pounding and filled with an emotion that you didn’t know how to describe.

Despite your lack of sleep, the next day you woke up astonishingly early. The sky was still partially dark, deep blue merging with the orange and golden tones of dawn. The moment the rest of the crew got ready for the day, running back and forth and resuming their usual activities, you were already out of the house and on your way to your father’s. The trip back to town, between the taxi ride and the route on foot, didn't take you more than an hour from Fawney Rig.

Your father was lying in his bed, face lighting up upon seeing you as he extended his arms out to give you one of his outstanding and well missed bear hugs. For a sick man he still had a lot of strength in his limbs, much to your delight.

The nurse was taking good care of him in your absense; the man was properly fed and kept busy with chess matches, a lot of reading and different cheesy movies all week, which happened to be his favorites. You had the impression that he lost more weight since the last time you saw him, but his general conditions seemed as stable as they’d been in the previous weeks.

The family doctor, Mr. Mills, joined you around lunch time. He gave your father his daily dose of medicine and allowed the two of you to catch up in his room as he took a sit on the couch, documents at hand and laptop ready to be set.

“You look tired sweetheart,” your father noticed, sitting more comfortably against the pillows. “Is your job keeping you that busy?”

“Sort of, I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“Insomnia as always?”

“Yes,” you lied. “Just my insomnia.”

Keeping secrets was not exactly your forte and thus your emotions transpired with your gritted teeth and knitted eyebrows.

“Something’s troubling you, though. What is wrong, Y/N?”

You forced a smile. “It’s nothing dad. I just have a lot on my mind these days.”

He gently took your hand in his, thumb making circles over your skin. “I know you don’t want me to worry. But please, if there’s anything serious going on, whatever it is, don’t keep me out of it.”

As persuasive as he could be, you had to keep your resolve intact for his sake. Worrying him and worsening his physical conditions was the last thing you needed on your list.

“Dad, I promise, everything’s okay. I’m just concerned about you and I have a lot to take care of at work.”

Well, that wasn’t really a lie, after all.

“Sweetie, I don’t want you to think that I do not appreciate your efforts, because I do. But I am the one who should take care of my daughter, not the other way around. You are wasting so many chances, when will you start living your life the way you deserve?”

Your eyes stinged with tears. “You took care of me since the day mom left us behind. You will always be my priority, I owe you as much.”

He sighed. “This job you are doing? A housemaid for a rich bastard with questionable reputation? Jesus Christ, I strongly disapprove.”

You laughed. “Said reputation is more about his father actually… and he pays me really well. This benefits you too, in case you haven’t noticed.”

“Do you know what else I’ve noticed? That you are so dishearteningly unhappy, my dear. You have dreams and an enviable creative talent that is literally going wasted.”

Dreams…

Your mind immediatly went to Dream Of the Endless, curled up naked into that sphere, all alone and mistreated for over 100 years.

You pushed that image out of your head. “My hopes and dreams are long gone, dad. For the time being, you come first whether you like it or not.”

“Y/N, do you have a moment?”

Doctor Mills called you as you stepped into the lobby, coat already buttoned up and bag set on your shoulder.

“Of course. Is everything okay?”

He looked particularly distressed, his hair was disheveled and the tie around his neck got partially undone.“There’s something I need to show you.”

Silently, you followed Doctor Mills into the living room, countless documents and medical records were scattered over the coffee table. You sit on the couch with wobbly legs and aching chest, loosening the first two buttons of your coat for the temperature suddenly increasing and you knew the heating was currently turned off.

Doctor Mills took place next to you. “I’ll go straight to the point. Your father’s been taking the same medicines for quite some time now and while they have kept his general conditions stable until recently, they are no longer working as they should anymore.”

Please, no.

“What does it mean?” You asked.

“It means that we need to try a different approach. Again. He lost a few pounds although he still eats regularly, this means that his stomach is not properly assimilating and his latest blood test confirmed it. He doesn’t know it yet.”

You wanted to cry, but you couldn’t allow yourself to break down in front of him. Or anyone. “What kind of approach should we try this time?”

“This is what I really wanted to discuss with you,” he took his laptop and typed something on it, then he clicked on a PDF document and showed you its content displayed on the screen. “It is highly experimental and not yet distributed on the market. I cannot make any sort of prediction, but the performed tests with this medicament have shown amazing results. There might be some unwanted side effects, not gonna lie, but there also are huge possibilities for him to recover.

You bent down to take a closer look at the file. All you could see was a list of codes and scientific terms that you barely comprehended. “So, what you’re saying is, with this specific treatment he may get back to a normal life?”

He looked through the various sheets on the table, some even fell on the carpet for his restlessness, but he didn’t bother to pick them up. “Yes, this is what I’m saying. It may take some time to see an actual effect, but it could work. Unfortunately, there is one problem.”

Oh no.

“Here,” he pointed at a raw of text on the paper he collected from the mess. “As you can see, it is extremely expensive. The money you sent me not long ago was enough to pay off the current medicines, treatments and 24/7 care. But, as you can see, it wouldn’t suffice to cover all of it in the future, not with the new treatment added to the package.”

You could feel your insides twisting, your ears painfully ringing and your head throbbing violently. The indicated figure you saw written on the paper was literally double your current salary at Fawney Rig.

“I’m not asking you to do this for free. I will pay you for your service, twice the monthly amount I’m already giving you, in fact.”

“I already pinged you with countless emails in the past few months and I know you are doing all you can. It is admirable, really. I wouldn’t suggest this to you if it weren’t the only chance we have left.”

The only chance left. In other words, if you didn’t agree to this new treatment, you’d directly sign your father’s death sentence and he would be done for.

You weren't ready to see him go yet.

Your bottom lip quivered and you had to appeal to all your willpower not to burst into tears right on the spot. Everyone says that life is made of difficult choices, you never had to pull your hair as much as you were now.

You hated this. You hated what you were about to say.

“I just got a new tast at work. I will pay for this the upcoming month, if that’s okay.”

Doctor Mills was dumbstruck, clearly he wasn’t expecting such a positive answer from you and rightfully so. Before leaving your old waitress job, he had to constantly chase you to remind you of the payments that were still due. “Oh… oh wow! That is wonderful news indeed!” His enthusiasm was heartwarming, but your emotions at the moment were all over the place. You didn’t know whether to be happy for that new glim of hope, or dreadfully worn-out for what you needed to do in order to let the miracle happen.

“Then I can proceed and begin with the administration next week?”

Your hands closed into fists, nails scraping the skin underneath.

You turned to him again with a feeble smile. “Please.”

The voice in your head was screaming and your heart was completely torn apart. You believed that everything happened for a reason, but how could you give your father his healthy life back, if in return you had to cause even more misery to someone who already dealt with so much suffering for way longer than you existed?

You refused to believe that Dream’s presence had no other meaning, that you had to take advantage of his captivity to save the only family you had left. Anyone would remind you that the end always justified the means, but you never believed in that saying as it sounded more like a loophole. To you, there was no such thing as ‘justified means’ when your actions could potentially damage another person. Endless being or not, Dream was still a living creature, just like you. Just like your father. Just like Alex and Paul.

Thinking about it, somehow, you didn’t have the slightest sympathy for Mr. Burgess on that regard. While you recognized the complexity of it all and fully understood the fear of being annihilated by Dream’s vengeance, it was clear from the Endless’ expression they chose not to reveal the rest of the story. Furthermore, leaving him into that cage for centuries wouldn’t be a proper solution, even more so if your theory about the Sleepy Sickness was correct. His imprisonment was seemingly affecting mankind as much as it was hurting Dream himself, even after a century.

You pinched the bridge of your nose and sighed in frustration. Maybe you were the first person showing him the good side of humanity after so long. You knew how stupid it was to fool around with magic spells and summonings you wouldn’t even be able to suitably control, but Roderick Burgess wanted to cheat Death and dictate his own conditions, when he was nothing but a mere mortal with delusions of grandeur. Dream only needed to be given hope for once, a real one… yet he was destined to only receive futile requests and more extortions, stuck into a cycle that didn’t seem to get a proper conclusion.

Even from you, apparently. The end justifies the means, you repeated in your head, but the more you tried to convince yourself that you had no other choice, the more you wanted to throw up.

You looked out the window from the backseat of your cab. The sun was starting to come down with dinner time impending, the traffic in the rush hour had the car stationary for quite some time, but you certainly were not in a hurry to go back. Your fingers curled around the fabric of your bag, you could feel the sketchbook contained inside, filled with ideas that never really came to life. You thought about your father, so strong and brave, yet so fragile and with death looming over his shoulder. You thought about Dream, more beautiful and heavenly than a God, sorrowing over a fate that had been forced onto him by a man with no heart and prolonged over time.

A tear fell from your eyes, but you immediatly brushed it off. Just what were you even doing with your life?

You sit on one of the leather couches, holding a small glass of liquor and eying the real stuffed lion that had its gaze on you. The silent and still roar was positively unsettling, as any other animal in the manor embalmed with its natural pose, or simply standing with a blank expression. Always watching you whenever you passed by.

The ones who liked killing animals for sport, exhibition and money, deserved to burn in the fires of hell.

May Lucifer have no mercy on their filthy and corrupted souls.

As you took a sip from your glass, you heard the sound of footsteps approaching from the corridor and Paul’s familiar voice politely dismissing his guests taking their leave for the night. He stopped midway when he entered the lounge, eyes meeting yours and checking your sitting form as if you were some kind of unexpected visitor.

Breaking the awkward silence threatening to fall between the two of you, you greeted him with a smile. “Good evening Mr. McGuire.”

The man’s eyes softened. “Good evening Miss Y/LN. It is good to see you.”

Did he believe you had run away for good to never return? That you had abandoned your job and your responsibilities in the house without a word?

“You are quite an early riser. You were already gone when I woke up this morning.”

Evidently, he did.

Your main intent was in fact to avoid them for the entirety of the day, but they didn’t need to know that. “I had planned to visit my father and I find morning traffic sincerely aggravating. I thought that leaving at an early hour would be more beneficial.”

Paul nodded, and with discernible uncertainty, took a sit on the other couch in front of you. He was distressed, that much was obvious, assailed by guilt for what you had to witness and the unconventional role his husband had offered (or rather imposed) you.

When you remained silent, Mr. McGuire let out his hoarded tension exhaling deeply. “I was wondering if you were doing okay after last night? Alex didn’t listen, I told him you had nothing to do with our family affairs. I owe you an apology for what he put you through.”

You emptied your glass with a gulp, savoring the bitter taste of the little Whiskey you could handle. “I was the one getting myself involved, actually.”

“But you didn’t know, of course. How could you have known?”

Right. You had no way to know they were keeping a living being, who was practically a God, imprisoned into a pathetic fish bowl look-alike cage since 1916.

“Even so, you shouldn’t feel responsible for this, Mr. McGuire. I snooped into a matter that had nothing to do with me. If anything, the fault is mine.”

A part of you wished you had never discovered the truth about Dream, that you could spare yourself the excruciating remorse you were so desperately trying to extinguish from your heavy heart. But there also was another part that couldn’t stop thinking about his eyes and unworldly essense engraved into your spirit.

“Alex shouldn’t have done that anyway. You see, he’s been obsessing over Dream since he failed to convince him that we meant no harm, that we could free him, only if he wanted to.”

‘Only if he wanted to’?

Your fingers twitched against the glass, which you were absently twirling between your hands. “I doubt he wished to remain imprisoned for another century,” you said.

“Naturally.”

“So, what is it that Mr. Burgess is planning?”

He couldn’t really expect that, after 106 years, Dream of the Endless would suddenly accept his terms, or plead for mercy to be released.

“What he said last night is true; he wants nothing more than setting him free. But Alex is afraid, Miss Y/LN, he is not to blame for that.”

“I get it, I really do. But the question is, why me? How am I supposed to convince him, when not even you have succeeded in years?”

Did they want you to lie, to make false promises that you knew you wouldn’t be able to keep?

“One thing we noticed about you, Miss Y/LN, is your compassion. You are kind, you listen, you always know the right thing to say.”

Even if you could regret it a moment later, apparently.

“I am still against the idea of sending you down there, but you’re giving Alex hope. If you could… I don’t know, consider it… that would really mean a lot to him.”

You put the glass on the coffee table and brushed a strand of hair behind your ear. “You know this is awfully wrong, right? That you cannot keep him stuck in there forever?”

He looked down at his own hands. “Yes.”

“And you also know there is no guarantee he will trust me, that he will even talk to me. That everything might remain as it is and you will gain nothing again, except for wasted time and money.”

His mouth tightened into a thin line. “I do. But something changed last night, I'm sure. The way he was looking at you... I don't know, it was just different.”

In that moment, you understood what it was that you saw in Paul’s expression and you couldn’t immediatly interpret; exasperation. Just like you, he used to be a regular worker for the manor, doing his duty in the garden as love bloomed between him and the Magus’s son. He also didn’t know what marrying Alex Burgess would entail and yet he stayed, close to his lover’s side, accepting the man’s burdens as his own.

He was tired, worried, drained out. With Alex sick and spending most of the day in bed, Paul had to take care of everything on his spouse’s behalf. And on top of that, the man he loved was getting weaker every day.

“You are a good man, Mr. McGuire,” you told him with complete sincerity. “You love your husband and I’m sure seeing him in pain is tearing you apart. I understand what you’re going through, that’s why…” You hesitated, heart going rampage as you had to come to terms with your decision. “…That is why, I’m going to give this a shot.”

There was no turning back now.

Paul’s attention snapped back at you, mouth agape. He looked at your face in silence for a few seconds, your chest was burning in part for the liquor, in part because of how awful you felt about yourself.

“You are…? Really?”

You squeezed your eyes shut. “I'll be frank with you: my father’s conditions are worsening. There is hope, an experimental medication that may finally help him recover, for real this time. But, it has a grave downside: it costs a lot of money, more than I could afford at this time.”

You saw tenderness in his smile. “So you will do it for your father.”

You felt so bad, so dirty, so evil. “I don’t really have a choice.”

“Just know that you can get out of this anytime,” he clarified. “If you don’t want to do it anymore, we would never hold it against you, I promise. Alex will understand.”

Will he, though?

You didn’t feel any better despite Paul’s reassurance and gentle words . You knew you were condemning yourself, as the knot you felt in your stomach was bound to expand and deepen your anguish to the point of no return.

You put all your energy and anxiousness into work, cleaning every nook and cranny, cutting grass into the garden, polishing ornaments and just doing more than you were supposed to accomplish in one shift. Nobody complained, if anything, the staff was using your resourcefulness as an excuse to take breaks from their own tasks, lighting a cigarette in a quiet corner and taking a walk in the open air.

You didn’t care. You needed to bury yourself into anything that could keep your mind occupied, preventing it from wandering in places you didn’t want it to go. You wanted to forget, at least for a few hours, that you had to humiliate an Endless, using him for your own lucre without practicing what you had preached.

And then, in the blink of an eye, another day had passed and you found yourself in front of the basement door, which looked like it was part of the wall design, a hidden portal to another dimension. In a way it felt just like so, were it not for the fact that the underground reality was anything but a fairy tale.

Paul brought you a small jar of pills without any label on it, dropping it into your palm. “They’re stimulants,” he explained. “Our guards have all taken them for over a century, it is recommended to never fall asleep, nor appear tired in Dream’s presence. He may be able to break through and manipulate your mind.”

“I thought he was binded to the circle, “ you said. “That he no longer retained any of his powers.”

“Someone said you can’t really take away all his power, not even with all this. He’s constantly under watch for a reason.”

Someone who? Not even the binding spell and the glass sphere were enough to fully contain Dream’s energy? Good to know, you thought.

“Do you want me to come with you?” Paul was still feeling uneasy for what they had convinced you to do. “The guards will be there should you find yourself in need. They’re already informed.”

The guards you had seen around didn’t exactly inspire you safety, but you did not perceive any sort of danger that would require their intervention.

You smiled. “I’ll take it from here. Thank you Mr. McGuire.”

He was reluctant to leave you unaccompanied, but eventually, he decided to trust you enough to let you descend on your own. “Good luck Miss Y/LN, have a good night. And please, take one of those tablets as a safety measure.”

You stared at his back as he walked away, passing in front of the antique showcases containing urns, statues and ancient armors. You waited for him to disappear around the corner before shoving the jar of pills into your pocket without even touching the lid. You had enough trouble sleeping without the stimulants and with no Dream of the Endless nearby, worsening your predicament for something that wasn’t a concern to you was unnacessary.

You carefully opened the slim door, it creaked when it moved and you could already feel the coldness from below touching your skin. You decided to wear a long jacket that covered your arms and part of your legs, but you didn’t have the time to fully change into something more comfortable.

This time, you went down the stairs instead of taking the elevator, careful not to trip with your heels on the high steps. When you reached the bottom, passing through the open gates and entering the cellar, you once again forgot how breathing worked. Dream was right there, in the same position you left him the night you found him; head down, arms crossed over his bent knees, a body language that showed defeat and affliction, but also kingliness and determination.

The knot in your stomach tightened even more and a huge lump formed in your throat. His head raised when he sensed your presence, meeting your watery eyes without even blinking.

You wanted to get closer, but your feet didn’t budge. You felt as if someone had casted a spell on you for how dumbfounded you were by his perfection.

“Did you come speak to that Old Dracula?”

A female voice got your attention from the table on your left. A woman and a man in uniform were respectively holding a magazine and newspaper in front of their faces. She had her hair tied in a low bun, a pink lipstick and quite a sturdy body structure. The man had puffy cheeks, short wavy hair and an equally large build he could barely fit under the table. They were the same guards who eyed you strangely when Mr. Burgess brought you there for the first time.

You looked puzzled. “Dracula…?”

She shrugged, getting back to the magazine as she crossed her feet. They both looked tremendously bored, stolid and impatient to leave.

The Endless was unmoved and still settled on studying you. It was hard enough to face a caged entity when you wanted nothing more than taking him out of that bowl, you couldn’t deal with those two evesdropping on you from their location and gossiping about it the day after.

No, that wouldn’t do. If you wanted to speak to Dream the right way, you had to make them leave. Somehow.

You didn't have the authority to kick them out, but you could at least try to persuade them. “Can you leave us, please?”

As expected, the guards stared at you as if you were out of your mind. “Not a chance, Missy,” the man responded. “We are on watch duty, can’t leave our post.”

You cursed under your breath. “Look, I can’t do this with you here. Please, just give me a few minutes with him, unless you want me to tell Mr. Burgess that I couldn’t do what he asked because you interfered?”

There, you had done it.

They remained silent and exchanged a look, the woman threw the magazine on the table and her colleague folded the newspaper under his arm, pushing the chair out. The female guard didn’t seem particularly trustful as she stood in front of you and narrowed her eyes, but you held her scrutinizing gaze without faltering and waited for her to lose the staring contest.

Finally, she complied. ““Alright, just don’t do anything stupid.”

You noticed her hand brushing along the gun secured into the holster, a subtle admonishment to let you know they were not playing games and wouldn't even hesitate to use it.

“As stupid as calling him Dracula?”

You didn’t mean to say it out loud, it simply escaped your lips without realizing what you were doing. The woman looked offended, snorting and making a face while stepping backward. “We’ll be upstairs if you need us.”

You could barely contain the satisfaction when her face turned red. “Yes, Ma'am.”

You heard them stomping out with heavy footsteps and the squeak of the door at the upper floor. It didn’t shut, signaling they were just keeping it ajar, prick-eared and ready to return at any moment.

No matter, you got what you were hoping for and now it was time for business. So to speak. Easier said than done, really.

When you turned around, your mouth felt dry. Dream’s position had slightly changed and you could swear you saw a fleeble grin lifting the left corner of his mouth. But when you crossed the suspended bridge and set foot on the painted ground with the binding circle, his expression was back to normal, serious and mistrustful.

You thought you had the situation under control, but now that you were in the basement with him, completely alone, keeping your cool turned out to be the hardest trial you had ever encountered. You kept your eyes over his face, holding yourself back from dropping them to the rest of his body. Although he was strategically covering his modesty, the fully naked, gorgeous man in front of you, wasn’t exactly leaving you unaffected.

And at the same time, you hated it. They left him there without any clothes on like some sideshow, stripped of everything he had and put in full view for anyone to look at.

Your throat felt close, shortening your breath. “Hi,” you whispered. “I’m Y/N Y/LN. I would say it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance, Dream of the Endless, but the circumstances are not particularly favorable.”

He remained silent, of course, so you went on. “You know why I’m here.” It wasn’t a question, he undoubtfully was aware since Mr. Burgess made it all clear in his presence. “And I owe you an apology. I am yet another mortal coming here to make you talk, to negotiate with you, convince you they mean no harm.”

And yet, here he was, physically unscathed, but ravaged by a century of seclusion.

“How many times did they promise you they’d let you go?”

Dream looked down, his Adam’s apple bobbed as he swallowed. Words were unneeded, you already knew the answer from the alteration in his expression alone.

And it broke your heart. “I wish I could tell you that I am different, that they constrained me to do it. They’re paying me for you, Dream… and I didn’t turn them down.”

Your insides burned as you openly admitted it. The Endless didn’t react, his eyes were still lowered, set on his own feet as he sat there and listened.

You wanted him to understand, to know your motives, to trust the nature of your actions albeit regrettable. You wished for him to be set free, but your hands were painfully tight and the figurative rope was cutting through your pride. “My father is ill. The only thing that may truly offer him the chance of living, is financially out of my reach. He wouldn’t survive without it.”

Alex Burgess got you exactly where he wanted you. The question now was, where did you really want to stand?

Dream’s blue orbs returned on you, their coldness pierced through your form and had you completely immobilized. Your heart was racing, your fingertips felt numb and the voice in your head was shouting again, begging you to stop. You would essentially become an accomplice, exploiting him for your needs and throwing even more mud at his nature.

The end justifies the means, my ass. You couldn't do this, it would just convert you into an inhuman beast.

Getting back to your senses, you were embraced by a rush of bravery. Your fingers closed into fists, so strongly that the nerves and tendons in your wrists were painfully tensed.

You sighed, making up your mind. “Don’t talk. No matter what happens, just don't say a word.”

You noticed his sternness melting away, being replaced by astonishment and confusion for your unexptected recommendation. You offered him a honest, warm smile... the kindest you had ever gifted. “I’ll buy some time for you. I’ll tell them that you’re listening, that you’re trusting me. If I manage to keep their fear at bay, maybe I can convince them to let you go. Don’t you ever talk, Dream. Not even to me.”

Alex Burgess needed your help with the Endless just as much as you needed his money. You could turn the tables and reverse the cards for your own benefit, allowing Dream to retrieve his dignity back and finally break free from the magical constraint.

Or at least, you had to make it work at all costs.

“I am truly sorry. I'm but a mere human myself, and if I were you, I probably wouldn't trust me either. For what is worth I can tell you this; I’ll do all I can to help you.”

His features softened and his rigid posture seemed to subtly relax.

“You've been left in this prison for so long, I could offer you some company in the meantime. No requests, no demands, just... me. As I am. I want to be a friend for you, if you will allow it.”

Maybe you were asking too much, as he was a higher being and you couldn't even compare to his greatness. After all the false promises he received, trusting a mortal was clearly the last of his options now, least of all befriending one.

As you did the last time you discended into the cellar, you placed the palm of your hand against the glass, pouring all your feelings into that simple gesture without breaking your smile, nor the eye contact. Dream watched you in silence, but what transpired from his gaze now, was hope.

End notes: In this chapter, I wanted to highlight Reader's inner conflict. I also have a huge respect for Paul, as he totally seems like a sweetheart in the show and I can see him taking us under his wing. Alex, however, is quite a different story. In the Netflix adaptation, he is a lot better than his father and it is clear he truly felt bad for Morpheus and wanted to set him free. However, you can't just promise someone that they can trust you and you will let them go, only to kill their freaking raven a moment later. Like yo, your father gave you the rifle, he told you to get rid of the bird, but you were the one pulling the trigger, it was your choice. Come on man.

#sorrynotsorrystillsaltyforjessamy

It may take me two more chapters before reaching the part of the escape. Since I have to cover a couple months more of staying in the house, you'll see a lot of breaks between parts and time jumps, because I have to leave out a bunch of unimportant and irrelevant descriptions/dialogues (don't want to get boring, I need to get to the juicy part y'all).

And I'm sorry, you may need to get used to long chapters from me... 😅

Chapter 1 Chapter 2 (currently reading) Go to Chapter 3 ->

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