#nebula writes

[nebuladreamz]

Hi hi, I'm Nebula! I'm just a funky lil guy with various hyperfixations and have no idea when a different one hits me oops. I go by they/them pronouns, but she/her is fine too!

Art will be tagged as #nebula art and doodles, and writing will be tagged as #nebula writes

I love horror,, it's very neat, but I also enjoy anime and musicals!

I'm also on AO3 as NebulaDreamz, writing a Sun and Moon (Security Breach) x Y/N fic this is my life now (you can check it out here!)

Any posts I make about it (art or writing) will be tagged as both 'starlit skies' and 'fnaf starlit skies'

I've also got silly little fnaf ocs! They're under the tags 'priscilla prism' and 'monarch fnaf oc' (I'm gonna make an oc tag I prommy); feel free to ask questions about them! I have. Brainrot of them

IF YOU DO NOT HAVE A CUSTOMIZED BLOG, I WILL BLOCK YOU AS THAT'S WHAT BOTS LOOK LIKE (if you are an actual person and I block you by mistake, please let me know through anon!)

That's- about it, I'm open for asks, just don't be weird. Be gay, do crimes

[dreamsofanenbysapphic]

arospec

a poem(?), a collection of ideas, things i have been thinking about, about relationships and the platonic/romantic binary

some citations:

arospec wiki sources, amatonormativity, instructional manifesto for relationship anarchy, my favorite poem by alok vaid-menon, aromantic manifesto, amatopunk

full text below the cut:

screenshotted text from various sources over a galaxy background, spread across two images:

arospec, is an umbrella term

People on the aromantic spectrum may feel little to no romantic attraction, or feel romantic attraction differently, more rarely or

Loveless Aro describes someone who is some way disconnected from the concept of love, rejects the idea that they need to experience love

Quoiromantic (also called WTFromantic experiences may include:

Finding the concept of romance to be inaccessible, inapplicable, or nonsensical.

the questioning itself

becomes the identity

Disidentifying with the concept of romantic attraction - either as a social construct or as something potentially applicable to oneself.

a disidentification with the romantic/nonromantic binary,

They may consider themselves relationship anarchists.

Amatonormativity

to describe the widespread assumption that everyone is better off in an exclusive, romantic, long-term coupled relationship, and that everyone is seeking such a relationship.

[elizabeth brake]

Due to the ambiguous nature of romantic attraction, sometimes defined by the actions that one takes during a relationship, such as holding hands, kissing, or cuddling. However, none of these activities alone necessarily indicate romantic attraction.

The prefix nebula- comes from the Latin word nebulous, meaning "clouded" or "unclear".

Queerplatonic relationships (QPR) and queerplatonic partnerships (QPP) are committed intimate relationshisp which are not romantic

This way of thinking is also one that places certain relationships above others, such as Romantic relationships being viewed as 'above' or 'superior' to Platonic relationships. If two people are dating they are 'more than friends'. If they aren't dating then they're 'just friends'.

Amatonormativity prompts the sacrifice of other relationships to romantic love and marriage and relegates friendship and solitudinousness to cultural invisibility.

Amatopunk!

challenges amatonormativity, and how society views aspec people, polyamorous people, and others who do not fit into the "right" mold.

Relationship Anarchy (abbreviated RA) is the belief that relationships should not be bound by set rules, aside from the rules the individuals involved mutually agree upon.

sensualarians have relationships that are often "in between" typical relationships categories, whereas relationship anarchy completely breaks down all relationship categories

Relationship anarchy questions the idea that love is a limited resource

i want a world where friendship is appreciated as a form of romance. i want a world where when people ask if we are seeing anyone we can list the names of all of our best friends

[alok vaid-menon, friendship is romance]

queer liberation must abolish romance as its long term goal aromantics aspire to:

view queer intimacies as web-like counter-publics that reinforce rather than compete with and enervate each other.

transform queer intimacy into political solidarity and action.

[aromantic manifesto]

Relationship anarchy (sometimes abbreviated RA) is the application of anarchist principles to intimate relationships. Its values include autonomy, anti-hierarchical practices, anti-normativity, and community interdependence. RA is explicitly anti-amatonormative and anti-mononormative and is commonly, but not always, non-monogamous.

With one's relationships starting as a blank slate, the act of distributing physical intimacy, sexual intimacy, emotional intimacy, etc. is according to one's desires rather than preexisting "rules"

Queerness is a longing that propels us onward, beyond romances of the negative and toiling in the present. Queerness is that thing that lets us feel that this world is not enough, that indeed something is missing.

[josé estabon muñoz, cruising utopia]

[mischievous-thunder]

Flashback scenes? More like a cry your heart out session

[belovedapollo]

child of the universe, lost in space and time, only a fragment of light, made of stardust ⭐️ reblog is ok, don’t repost/use

[augustus-rok]

Nebula AU

Maybe I'll write a fic for this, maybe i won't, but here are the basics. Also if this inspires you to write something chuck me a tag cause I wanna see it.

Set during older/later high school rather than freshman year for Danny. However the portal accident still happened at the canon time.

Ghosts are more or less invisible with out tools or certain contamination levels. This also applies to general noise they make, they have to focus extra to be heard by humans. Typically yelling only equates to a whisper when right next to someone if you're a ghost.

As Danny doesn't become a hero immediately and gets to settle into himself first, his ghost form reflects more his track towards being an astronaut. Aesthetic more along the lines of solar flares and start dust. When ghost do actually come through the portal with intent to do harm he gets a helmet and thick gloves and has a sort of jacket layer over top. I imagine that his ghost form suffers from something like what's described in this post, and the helmet and glove and jacket are learned extra thing.

Story stuff. So it turns out when the ONLY ghost to wander through the portal other than little glowing blobs that only hover, is the antithesis of your theories you have to go back to the drawing board. So the Fenton's (kept out of the loop for a couple of months) and GIW are very much good guys and BETTER Scientists. And the militaristic mind set is swiftly put down when all of the subjects (the one) book it at the slightest hint of aggression.

Now Valarie, nicknamed Red Huntress during her internship, interns/volunteers with the GIW as a field watch/interviewer for Nebula. Which is the code name given to a Danny who never introduces himself and as such gets named by vote like a new firetruck by the community.

Hey BTW this is a portal Danny AU in my head.

The basement portal? That is a direct route to his lair, which is an astronomer's dream wrapped in a, you guessed it, nebula. The Wastes (or the area the Fenton Portal spawns in in canon) inhabitants spend a good few months flipping out at the arrival of what looks like a god or something. It's a decidedly "do not fuck with that" thought process.

Danny eventual.y introduces himself and makes friends without the protect the town from day one aspect. They all tussle a bit but the other ghosts go "hey it's a baby" and give him a proper lay of the land.

Cut to 21/2 years later after the Portal Accident, and Vlad decides to be a bastard and go after the adopted mascot.

Now the scientists have all learned that fighting= play/bonding. So they are all wildly caught off guard by the very sudden warpath through the city park.

Vlad doesn't put together Halfa Danny in this AU until well after there's been conflict. And after he managed to expose the active portal to ghosts outside of the immediate area of the portal that are perfectly willing to break into Danny's lair and some have figured out the horror aspect described here: FIC I RECOMMEND

So back to that fight. Ghosts are QUIET, especially Danny who even with the tech, radio/coms that make other ghost audible, has to be boosted to be heard by even other ghosts. (I imagine lots of sign language in this au) So this darling little sky watching ghost screams, a terrified child's noise, as this ghost that looks like a Vampire and a hoard of vultures(?) actively assault the poor thing? God the humans, the humans are scared. Everyone could hear that out side of the coms, and everyone saw it. They got good at televising the ghosts.

Sam and Tucker, decidedly only civilians are terrified for their friend. They know what play fighting looks like, they've been to the lair. Valarie who catches on fast thanks to being the intern bestie to Nebula and maybe future girlfriend to Daniel "Hot space nerd in row 4 of homeroom" Fenton, is forced as fights, proper devastating ones, continue happening to keep her friends away. Especially the first time. Most importantly that first fight.

REMEMBER Danny's portal, not the one in the basement. Well he stretches, upper body desperately crawling away from his lower half trapped by the vultures, keening all the way. Still scarily audible. Then from the gap made of flaring stardust and molten plasma that is the active void that consumes the area his stomach would have been was he human- Comes a raging adult ghost. More than one possibly.

I especially like the idea of Skulker and his missle launcher showing up, being the third ever recorded humanoid ghost, and absolutely steamrolling Plasimus who is not a Halfa as in halfway point like Danny is so loved by the Waste ghosts for being. But rather just half a ghost, a human with a funky little boon.

Now as Skulker has the time of his afterlife chasing Vlad and the Vultures, lets have say Lunch Lady slip out of Danny's portal, maybe one of the more teenagery ghosts too.

Anyways, instant fussing. Danny relaxes enough to stop being a portal to hell and the humans are very careful in approaching them all. What with the older ghost's yelling at the aggressors to leave the baby alone. Skulker is dramatic, and likes embarrassing the whelp.

After this point things beginning to resemble canon more, only the humans have a natural non-guessing gauge of hostility for the ghosts in town.

They figure out pretty fast that the physical portal and Nebula portal only let through friendlies. (Not entirely true but they don't know that.) And the threats, well lets just say Nebula is never caught off guard in his own territory again. He becomes ruthless.

Meanwhile, Danny Fenton has friends both dead and alive helping him fight a guerrilla war against madmen. He sits in class undisturbed even as he tracks the startbursts he knows are his friends protecting him and everyone else untill he's free. He huddles in the attic crawlspace filling out data sheets and pin boards as his girlfriend and best friends scour government documents.

Nebula sits in the portal, toxic light cascading like water around him, watching his parents and GIW agents work in the FentonWorks lab.

He always gives good greetings to those who offer, and when asked he whispers secrets of the universe he's learned from the source over the radio.

The scientists for get to ask for his sources, but when they do they are always both awed and terrified of the sources.

Things go well. And things as always progress.

Link to Doodle I did that actually drove me writing all this.

[chocor0se]

nothing like the tragic siblings trope

[sexy-sea-basss]

Ghouls & Space

I have this theory/idea that all ghouls were created in the cosmos somewhere, but they don’t know where they came from. I’ve tasked myself to match the current ghouls with a nebula. Some with explanation, some without. This ties into an idea that I have that Phantom can project images with his magic. 

So, I’ve combined a story and my headcanons into the thing below. 

and this little story goes like this

A/N: shoutout to @swissndewdrop for listening to me talk about this and to @orcaog who heard about this idea first. @callmeghoulshit thanks for beta-ing and hyping me up to post.

—

It’s a stormy day and the ghouls are stuck inside. It’s a heavy downpour so they’re not allowed to go outside as to not track mud in. They spent the whole day cleaning so all of their efforts would go to waste. Everyone was bored and the power kept flickering on and off, so video games were out of the question. Eventually the power went out from the heavy winds, and they all lounged together in the living room wondering what to do. 

“Have I ever told you guys I can project?” Phantom softly spoke. All heads turn to him. “What?!” Dewdrop shouts. 

“It’s something Aether helped me figure out, but, here, let me show you” Phantom focuses on his power and his palms start to glow blue, and wisps of power head to the ceiling. A 3D imagine on the ceiling forms from the wisps. Everyone stares in amazement. There were colors, dark spots, glittery spots, and… eyes? 

Cirrus broke the silence first, “What are you showing us, honey?” 

 “Home.” 

“Home?” someone questioned 

“Well, it’s where I was created…” 

“What do you mean?” another asked, getting comfortable on the floor to look up at the ceiling. 

Phantom sat on on the recliner and spoke, 

“We’re all born from the cosmos. No one remembers as our path from the cosmos, to the pit, to topside is too traumatic … but I remember. I know where you were born too. The Lord below gave me his favor. I was the runt in the pit: small, unprotected, casted out from all packs. He picked me up one day and said ‘Perfect, a little crybaby. I’ll take you home.’” Phantom chuckled remembering the interaction, “He spoke of the big sky above the world, the galaxies, the different worlds, and nebulas, our place of creation. Before sending me up, He spoke of my new pack. He showed me where you were created.” 

“Can..” Swiss takes a deep shaky breath, still shocked at the words spoken by Phantom, “can you show us?”

 “Of course!” Phantom summons more magic to blow up the projection so that they’re inside the projection, while also projecting in the center an image of the nebula.  “This is my home, as I previously mentioned.” 

Phantom: Cosmic Bat Nebula (LDN 43) 

LDN 43 is about 1400 light years away in the constellation Ophinuchis. LDN43 is a stellar nursery indicated by the dark clouds and gases. Phantom was born from inside this Cosmic Bat. He is one of the bright stars shining through the dark clouds. 

“haha it looks like a bat! is that why you like bats so much?” 

“yeah… it reminds me of this” He takes a sip of water and continues “Aurora this is your creation place. Orion Nebula.”

Aurora- Orion Nebula 

Orion Nebula (Messier 42) is a nebula situated in the Milky Way in the Orion constellation. It is the middle star of the sword. This nebula is one the brightest and visible to the naked eye. This is one of the most scrutinized and photographed objects in the night sky. It is one of the most studied celestial body. Much like Aurora was scrutinized and studied closely when she first joined the band, but she keeps on shinning. The Great Nebula is a host to many wonders and many young stars. 

“Explains the pink,” Rain chuckled. 

“Yes it does, Rain. Cumulus this is you, the Omega Nebula” 

“This is my creation nebula? it’s gorgeous”

“yes, just like you, Lus. Omega Nebula is one of my favorites, it has so many fun features."

Cumulus- The Omega Nebula 

Omega Nebula (Messier 17) is part of the Sagittarius constellation. It is one of the richest starfields in the Milky Way. It is also one of the brightest and most massive star-forming regions in the galaxy. It also goes by many names: Swan Nebula, Checkmark Nebula, Lobster Nebula and the Horseshoe Nebula. Cumulus is often seen as the “mom” of the pack, but she’s so much more. 

“Up next, Cirrus. Every queen deserves a crown” 

Cirrus- Cassiopeia A 

Also known as Cassiopeia’s crown. Brightest extrasolar radio source in the sky. It is remnants of a supernova. Cirrus is a queen, and this is her crown.

“Swiss, the most chaotic and intricate of them all” 

Swiss- Eskimo Nebula

 Eskimo Nebula (NGC 2592) is also known as the Clown-faced Nebula, Lion Nebula, or Caldwell 39. Swiss is a silly ghoul that brings joy into all of our lives. He’s also fierce like a lion.

“You mean to tell me that this is where I was created?” Swiss wonders 

“Yes. So special and intricate. There’s nothing else quite like it. You’re one of a kind.” 

After a few more moments, Phantom continues 

“Mountain, you were born in the Eagle Nebula. You were created in the Pillars of Creation. All earth ghouls are created here. You hold the power to create life with touch.” 

Mountain- Eagle Nebula. Pillars of Creation. 

Eagle Nebula, Pillars of Creation. These pillars of gas and dust are creators of life. New stars are born here. Pillars are designed to hold and sustain houses, monuments, etc. Mountain is the pillar of the pack. He is adored and loved by all. His work doesn’t go unnoticed.

“The lagoon nebula is our next stop, any guesses as to who was created here?” 

“Me?” 

“Yes Rain, this is you. The edges of the nebula look like sandbanks surrounding a lagoon” 

Rain- Lagoon Nebula (Messier 8) 

Lagoon Nebula (Messier 8). In long exposure, the nebula appears pink but to the human eye, it is grey as humans have poor lowlight sensitivity. Rain appears normal at a glance, but after examining him for a while you can see the patterns on his skin, the bioluminescent glow of those patterns in the dark. He is so much more than what meets the eye.

“Dew, I saved the best for last. You were once created here...”

Dewdrop (water)- Jellyfish Nebula

Jellyfish Nebula (IC 443)- It’s a supernova remnant in the constellation Gemini. Jellyfish quite literally go with the flow of the sea. Dew goes with the flow, he can’t really do anything to fight the changes that are and have occurred.

“...but during your transition, while you were unconscious for a few days, a little bit of the material in you that make you a pure water ghoul returned to the cosmos, and this nebulas material entered you...”

Dewdrop (fire)- The Heart Nebula

Heart Nebula- Also in the Cassiopeia Constellation. The heart shape was formed by stellar winds from the hot stars at its core. Dew has the biggest heart of them all. He loves intensely. The love he has for his pack and previous ghouls is immense. His love was formed from his rough life in the pit. He found a loving home after being summoned and decided to turn his hatred towards lifeinto love.

“...both of these nebulas live inside you. Neither fight for dominance, neither sway you one way or the other. You’re still water and you’re also fire. Opposites living in harmony. I know sometimes you struggle having once been water and now you’re fire, and you question who you are, but rest assured, you are both equally. Fire is a little more awake than water given your role to the pack, but she’s there if you ever need her. You see her awaken when you lay next to Rain. Fire ignites the passion. Water keeps out from burning yourself out. They’re balanced. Working in your favor.” 

Dewdrop barely gets out a “Phant….” before being cut off.

“it’s okay Dew.” Phantom extends his hand to cover Dews. “It’s a lot. Not just for you, but for all. The Lord Below asked me to show you all. I didn’t know when, or how, but He said there would be one that would help. And it was Aether. He helped me bring this to you all. Once I mastered this, I knew I had to do my one task.” 

Phantom recalled his power, pulling his hand away from Dew’s, and the projection ended. Wisps of blue and purple circled his pack’s heads in a playful manner before returning into his body. He looked around the room: Cirrus and Cumulus cuddling with teary eyes, Aurora snuggling between Dew and Rain with tails intertwined, Swiss wiping tears away from Mountain’s face. 

“Phantom… thank you” came mountains soft voice

“My pleasure” 

Later that night, once they’ve all gone to bed in pairs, or throuples, Phantom was alone in his room, staring at the ceiling, feeling the exhaustion of using his power for that long. He smelled something burning, and that’s when He appeared. “You did amazing little one, now sleep. You must be exhausted.” 

“Hold me?” 

Without hesitation, He slid into Phantom’s bed and cuddled him until he was fast asleep. “I’m with you always, little one” 

[oasisofgalaxies]

I hate not being the kind of person who can write amazing character analysis and whatnot . Instead I’m over here gripping the table like HHRGH I LOBE. MICHAEL J CABOOSE . SO MUCH

[starmunchandthefunkybunch]

okay as someone who has been in love with their best friend i feel qualified to speak on this subject.

GOTG3 SPOILERS

quill makes a VERY distinct difference when talking about rocket in GOTG3 than talking about anyone else. Nebula calls Rocket family, Drax calls him brother (pretty sure), and Mantis is Quill's sister. Everyone has a term for them that falls within family (like brother, sister, etc, in Groot's case talking to Quill and Rocket, dad, i know best friends can be family, just stay with me here), and yet, Quill, time after time, puts emphasis on best friend, when talking about Rocket....why?

Because he knows that Rocket can't be his brother, it doesn't sound right. I've been there. You feel something for them, and yet you don't really know what it is. It's more than a friend, you know it's more than a friend, and they really, really are, your best friend; they mean soo much to you, so much. So...what's after a best friend? Well family right? But they can't mean family because that doesn't feel quite right either, thats not entirely...accurate...so....best friends, yes very best friends. That's what Quill is going through. That's why he NEVER calls him brother, or family or anything like that but doesn't correct anyone else when they do, because Quill...loves him, he's in love with him.

That's why he doesn't correct Drax at all when he refers to himself as Quill's best friend because well, Rocket is more than that.

[magnificent-nerd]

Content warning for:

Ableist remarks, and violence mention toward a disabled person

Screen shots taken today:

James Gunn replies to a fan asking about Bucky's arm in the GOTG Holiday Special, and claims that Nebula (herself a disabled character with artificial limbs) "took a trip to Earth and tore it [Bucky's artificial limb] off his body because she was feeling Christmassy."

-

This is truly horrible.

Not only is it graphic violence toward a disabled character for no reason at all, it also shows that this whole bit was pure Abelism from the start.

From writer's room to your screens, Ableist jokes for the sake of laughing at disabled people.

As fans it is up to us to say No, we don't accept this. We won't accept this.

Disabled characters and disabled fans deserve better.

MCU, do better.

[bundyshoes]

the bit in the gotg3 trailer may have acted like peter/nebula is a joke but the real joke is me sitting here sobbing bc i love them and theres hardly anything for them—

💀💀😩😩😭

[nebuladreamz]

GAMERS!! WE'RE LIVE!!

I DIDN'T MEAN TO TAKE SO FUCKING LONG SORRY YALL U M-

[dreamsofanenbysapphic]

[bougiebutchbitch]

weeping and wailing because of how Gamora and Nebula hiss 'sister' at each other like it's a curse. how they fight each other almost to the death. how Nebula finally pins Gamora, then releases her at the last moment and shouts 'HA, I WIN' like it was a game. how all the hurt Gamora put her through is inscribed in steel on Nebula's skin. how Gamora is just as much an automaton, built from the regret and self-aware horror of a golden child who was forced to destroy Nebula, the scapegoat, again and again and again. how she pulled herself out of that hell and put in the effort to change herself for the better, and wants Nebula to do the same - but recognises that she is not the one who was most broken, most abused; knows that from Nebula's perspective, Gamora had as big a hand in Nebula's torment as Thanos himself

how they hug each other so slowly and awkwardly, fumbling like children who were never taught how to touch without violence. how they start rebuilding their relationship, then GAMORA FUCKING DIES AND COMES BACK DIFFERENT AND NEBULA HAS CHANGED SO MUCH AND SEES SO MUCH OF HER OLD SELF IN GAMORA BUT HER ATTEMPTS TO REACH OUT TO HER ARE REJECTED JUST AS SHE USED TO REJECT GAMORA and there's so much hurt and shared trauma and baggage and mirroring and echoing and UGH

Mr James Gunn, you owe me a new heart

[ibrithir-was-here]

Another Sandman drabble from my prompt list. This one's for the prompt "You're my person" and takes place in the "Lots O Kids AU "

“You’re my person” Hob whispered softly, stroking a finger down the side of Morpheus's cheek as they lay curled together on their bed.

"And you're mine" Morpheus whispered back, eyes fluttering shut as he leaned into the comfort of the touch and the quiet shared moment.

"And this is our safe place" Hob went on, continuing the familiar lines of the mantra  they'd put together years ago, when they had first moved in together and facing the displeasure of Morpheus's parents, on top of the normal pressures of trying to build a shared life, had made safe places feel scarce indeed. 

"No one can take it from us" Morpheus answered back, shifting even closer to lay his head down on his husband's chest, the warm safety of Hob's arms coming round him. 

"You, and me, and babies three" Hob finished, pressing a kiss to the top of Morpheus's head, smiling into the eternal birdnest of his hair.

"We'll need to alter that now I suppose," Morpheus sighed, nuzzling into Hob's neck, "Now that Daniel's here."

They'd had to change it once before, when they'd brought Hope home. It had originally been 'Me and you and babies two', when it had just been Orpheus and Robyn. Morpheus had been trying to work out how they could alter it to keep the rhyming scheme now that they were fostering Daniel but hadn't yet come to an answer he felt suited. 

"We'd likely have to change it up soon anyway" Hob said with an exaggerated sigh. 

"Orpheus informed me, very dourly, I might add, that a twelve year old is far too grown up to be lumped in with the babies. And then Robyn and Hope got started saying nine and six were also quite respectively advanced ages and well…"

"They are indeed 'growing up like weeds' as Johanna so succinctly put it" Dream chuckled softly. 

But the mirth faded quickly, and he sunk back against Hob, the prickling agitation that had necessitated this impromptu cuddling session creeping back into him. Hob of course couldn't fail to notice, and carding his hand through Morpheus's dark hair he asked softly:

"Still not feeling so great?"

Morpheus gave a grumble and tried to curl tighter into the warm circle of Hob's arms, hoping his husband wouldn't press. But he had no such luck. 

"What’s got you down exactly?" Hob asked softly, tilting his head in a very uncomfortable looking angle to try and catch Morpheus's eye. 

Morpheus sighed and reluctantly sat up, to save Hob's neck,but missed the closeness immediately. 

"Its not…" He started,  then stopped, running his hands over his face with a groan as he tried to work out exactly how to express what he was feeling.

"It's not that I'm unhappy per se, quite the opposite, actually. " He finally said, worrying a corner of the blanket Hob had pulled over them with his thumb, avoiding Hob's eye.

"I'm very happy, incredibly happy, more than I ever imagined I could be, everything has been going so well and…"

He paused again, trying but failing to keep a shuddery sort of half laugh, half sob from escaping as he said: 

"And I think perhaps that's why I'm so frightened"

Hob's arms were around him again instantly, pulling him in close once more, surrounding him in a feeling of protective love even as the tears he'd been trying to hold back the whole day finally started to fall, staining the blanket with little round patches of damp. 

"I-I keep thinking, sometimes, that  it's all too good to be true" 

He finally looked over at Hob again then, reaching out to clutch at Hob's free hand with his own, squeezing tight. 

"Sometimes I worry that this," Morpheus motioned with his other hand around their bedroom, their home, the refuge they'd built together for themselves and their children, "Is all some sort of wonderful dream."

The tears were falling faster now, and Morpheus couldn't stand to keep looking at Hob's kind, wonderful, worried face. He couldn't see him that clearly anyway as his vision blurred, and so turned to bury his face in the crook of Hob's neck, Hob's arms shifting in turn to pull him even closer.

"Sometimes I think-I think I'll wake up one day and find that none of it was real. That there is no house or children, or-or us."

Morpheus was shaking now,  exhaustion from the anxiety that he'd been fighting back for several days now, ever since they'd brought Daniel home,finally catching up to him as he finished with a choking whisper: 

"That I'm actually still…all alone"

There was a moment's silence, and then Hob turned his head to press another kiss to Morpheus's forehead..

"Oh love…"

There was a short shuffle as Hob lowered them both back down onto the bed, tugging the blankets up around them so that they were pressed close under a star-strewn cocoon of warmth, his hands returning  to running long, grounding strokes through Morpheus's hair.

"It's not a dream duck, I promise you. It's all real. If it wasn't, the bills I'm sure would be lower, and neither of us would ever have to brave the grocery stores or fight tooth and nail to get the kids to eat a darn vegetable." 

A watery laugh wisped out of Morpheus despite himself, and Hob smiled back before continuing. 

"But it is. This really is your cluttered house, your crazy kids, your creaky husband--"

"You don't creak" 

"I do" Hob said decidedly, pressing a kiss to the tip of Morpheus's nose. "I creak and the kids cry and the bills keep coming and we fall asleep too exhausted to make love half the nights"

Another watery laugh came out, a bit stronger this time. 

" And then we wake up and hear Orpheus singing while Robyn's hammering at something, and Hope bosses them both around and Daniel just laughs and laughs and laughs and it's our real messy chaotic wonderful life" 

Another kiss, to Morpheus's mouth this time, deep and grounding, chasing out the cold ache of anxiety and tears with the warmth of their shared love.

"And you're here in it"  Hob said, as he finally broke the kiss. 

"I'd never wish to be anywhere else." Morpheus said with a contented sigh, his eyes closing as he nestled into the pillows, arms wrapping around Hob.  

"Our safe place" Hob whispered, twining their fingers together. 

"No one can take it from us" 

There was a pause.

"We'll…figure a new rhyme out at some point" Hob said with a giggle, and Morpheus leaned in to kiss him again. 

----

Thanks at @windsweptinred for inspiring me to start writing these drabbles for my Sandman AUs!

[catharusustulatus]

Steddie twist on Stardust, where Eddie dares to cross into the realm of fairy to retrieve a fallen star to impress a young maiden he’s infatuated with…only to stumble upon the star in human form as the most beautiful thing he’s ever laid eyes on, a naked man named Steven covered in constellations of moles and freckles.