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unabashednightmarepizza · 3 years ago

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𝐻𝑜𝑚𝑒 𝑡𝑜 𝑌𝑜𝑢 | Morpheus( Dream) x Goddess!Reader

A/N: Please listen to In My Room by Chance Peña, Family Line by Conan Gray and Snowfall by Øneheart x reidenshi... This whole chapter was written while this sad teen listened to this... And this episode includes slight Hob x Reader, and also for future chapters as well...

Series masterlist

It is cold.

That was the first thing that came to your mind, your consciousness floating at the plane of existence where all souls were brought to their bodies. It was a place you often found yourself in, being the Goddess who watched them and listened to them when they became one with their bodies. It wasn't necessarily a cold place as much as you remembered but...

In your absence, everything became duller. The universe lost its warmth and light, the Well of Life dried fully and the creation stopped until you returned...

Another drawback is, you were in a deep sleep. A sleep your father had been, right after Loki learning the truth about his heritage.

The Sleep was something that helped the ruler of 9 realms with their powers. Being the ruler of it all, and the main source of balance and order, the one who was on the throne shared a great deal of their power with all the realms and in return, a peace would fall on those who lived in them.

In exchange of draining your soul.

You were already in a weak state when Desire and Corinthian, who you saw as a child rather than Morpheus' creation, thought that you should be captured so that Corinthian and other dreams and nightmares would finally be free as if you didn't already give them that when Morpheus would treat them harshly, as if you didn't welcome them in your home. Your heart shattered at the betrayal of someone who you considered to be your son, when all you did was to care for him.

Corinthian was one of the first to be created by your husband's hand, the one who has been with you for the longest time. At first he saw you as his Queen, someone who needed to be feared. Only to later realize that you were just as lonely as he was. Being a nightmare when there were so many dreams took a toll on him, who wanted to inspire rather than scare, he was saddened to see the humans be so... scared.

But you once came to him and asked him to accompany you with your visit to the human world and that was when he realized that you were drowning in the same pit of self-doubt as he did.

He watched how humanity treated you, turned their backs on you when you did nothing to deserve this. Even when your youngest brother was the one who did the most harm, you were the one who took all the punches...

"My Queen... May I ask a question?" He remembers asking hesitantly when you two took your usual visit and you forced him to drink a coffee with yourself while watching people passingby. When you heard his question, you lifted your brows in surprise while bringing the cup to your lips, not expecting him to talk since he never did-except scowling- you nodded your head. To see that Corinthian was curious about something... was something you didn't see every day.

"Of course you can, you don't need to ask permission..."

"But... You are the Queen..."

"And as the Queen, I want you to treat me as a normal person. So, go on," you said, thanking the waitress who came to ask if you wanted anything else.

"Well, you care about humanity a lot... Even when they treat you bad. How are you able to do that?"

Pondering on an answer while Corinthian waited, you realized that you didn't have an exact answer to that. All your life, loving and protecting humanity has been your top priority, it was all your father said whenever the topic was your job as the Goddess of Creation and Life.

Protect the lives you watched being created, and guide them until their last breath.

"Well, I don't know? Maybe it's because it's what I'm supposed to do, or that it has been engraved in my mind ever since I was a kid... But to be honest, I've seen their soul being forged and entering their bodies, watched them open their eyes into this dark world, hoping to find even one simple happy thing to be hopeful of the future... Seeing them slowly find them, or try to is the best part of my day," you said breathlessly, not realizing that the fondness you felt made you talk in one breath.

They way your lips had a soft curve, a smile that was reserved only for those you cared, Corinthian hummed questioningly which made you chuckle. "What? Don't believe me?"

"No, my lady but... I believe that it's something to do with your father and how he treated you. You are talking as if it's a mission you have to do, rather than choosing it. As if you hate protecting them..."

Your eyes that held the Nine Realms inside them shook slightly at the recognition of the meaning behind his words, his words setting the fire of memories aflame... And all the words you father and every other god uttered.

How you were only useful as a woman who needed to give birth, and had no right on the throne.

Seeing how your hands shook in anxiety and how you gulped the drink hard, Corinthian widened his eyes behind his glasses. "My Queen, I'm sorry if I brought pain on you-"

"You're right, Corinthian... My family, except my mother, hasn't been kind to me. To them, I was just a cow to be bred but I decided to change it, I went against everything they stood for and at first, I hated humanity but... In time, I found happiness in them therefore yes, I wanted nothing more than destroy them but in the end, I shall protect them until the end of time..."

"Ahh, what a bitch... Does everyone really need to betray me? And this sleeping state is not helping me either..."

You weren't sure if your siblings were able to bring your body back to Asgard, but knowing that you were in this state, it was surely the case. Having to restore your powers was taking a lot longer than you wanted, and the fact that the universe was about to end because Desire thought that messing up with the human you were supposed to protect in order for the new Vortex to be born, who would have Endless blood in them so that Morpheus' end would come sooner was the greatest idea ever while you were bound to watch it all unfold...

You would make sure that no harm would come to her or Unity's great-granddaughter from now on, even though it would mean standing against your husband...

The husband who did nothing to help you, except rounding the corners of the universe when your soul was screaming for help, when you were weak, when your children were weak due to their mother loosing her will to live and their father not being around...

What nobody realized was also the fact that you gave birth but never were able to see your children for a second time, and that it only weakened your already fragile soul which you shared with your three beautiful yet weak babies.

A mother not having the chance of holding her babies was such a cruelty of the universe, even when you were the reason the balance was in order.

But you still loved him, even when he has been nothing but cruel, whether he did it knowingly or not. People say love is pure, painful, sweet, and dreadful — all at once. The truth is, love is a basic necessity in everyone’s life. Everyone needs to be loved to live a proper and healthy life. Love has various definitions. Ask someone and they will give you their own definition of love...

For you, loving Morpheus was both giving yourself a chance and to stop expecting the same kind of love and care.

You already made peace with the fact that Morpheus was just cold and mostly cared about his realm, therefore you also busied yourself with your kingdom...

Even when your mother died.

Even when your father died and your older sister tried to kill you and your two youngest brothers.

You stopped getting sad over any of it, or how Morpheus didn't do much to ease your pain. You were fine, or at least would try to act as one, with how he treated you...

Because you would part your ways with him when you woke up, and carve a new path for yourself.

But for now, you still had a task to complete.

As one of the Judges of The Dead, you had someone to talk to before your fellow friends; King Minos, Aeacus, Radamanthus alongside with Anubis would come. You might be sleeping, and your body wasn't able to function normally but your consciousness?

It was wide awake.

"What did you think you were doing, John? By destroying the Order and Balance we worked hard to maintain? Have you thought, maybe, that you were one of us? Or that you were more deserving of this power than us?"

When your voice boomed in the plane of existence where you were looking at the waves crushing and many stars above, with the souls who were waiting to get into their bodies, John looked around anxiously and scared after witnessing the power Morpheus held. He now knew that no matter how hard humanity would try, they would never beat any of you.

And by serene yet cold tone of your voice, he knew that you were aware of what happened.

He also knew who you were.

"Queen Y/N, youngest daughter of King Odin and Queen Frigga... The One who rules the 9 realms... Wife of-"

"Cut the titles, please. They aren't our worry now... Here, have a seat."

He widened his eyes when you slowly turned around and looked over at him from your shoulders and gestured to the table that appeared out of nowhere by your will. He didn't know what was waiting him at the end of this, but his whole being was filled with a different kind of warmth and... ease. As if he had found his way back home.

"Now, tell me... Why did you use my husband's ruby for such childish reasons?"

" To save the world from... lies."

"Lies? And what had you gained after doing it? Fame? Wealth? How did it end for you?"

"Misery..." he said defeated, with shoulders dropping in sadness and a cry of a little boy. "It ended with misery, blood and chaos..."

You smiled sadly at him, remembering how you used to be when you were young. Naive enough to believe that you could change everything, mature enough to know that it was impossible now.

"You didn't realize the way it was destroying both your world and all the others... Dreams are not lies, John. Everyone has a dream, that much my husband told you. Without dreams and hopes, humanity wouldn't survive a day. Those two are the main reasons life has meaning, humanity works to achieve their dreams every day. You don't know it but... I do... Even when I was captured, a piece of me was always with humanity, watching over them..."

You waved your hand around and the water beneath the cliff parted and a swirl of gold engulfed it, showing various humans and creatures laughing and enjoying themselves. John watched you smile at them softly, like a mother watching her children take their first steps. Their souls were bright with the light you would always put inside of them, the will to keep fighting, and you would always laugh in joy whenever they pushed past their limits and achieved what they have been fighting for...

How could this be anything bad? When dreams and hopes were the only things that helped humans and every living thing...

"Humanity, John, is what makes people people. The lies you said? It's only a part of their humanity, take them away and... Despair shall show up, and unfortunately, you exactly did that... My capture wasn't your fault, but you are the reason Life and Creation stopped. You could have easily let go of the necklace my son gave to you..."

You smiled sadly at him, looking into his eyes and getting up from your seat after gulping down the last bits of your tea. John felt like he was glued down to his own seat, finally taking a look at you and the beauty you held.

You were glowing, like the Sun, but never burning or hurting. Except hugging his fragile frame with a warmth he only saw in his mother. Opening your arms out for him to take, you patted his back softly while sighing in defeat. You wouldn't blame him for everything, unlike a certain person. You were aware that he was just a lost soul who had no one to stick up for him.

It was your son, Corinthian who used it for his own benefit.

"Corinthian, the man who helped you by giving you his jacket was the one who let this be your end... By the hands of my husband who would finally have all the power he needed..."

"How... How did he know about the day I'd die?! The ruby... The ruby was safe and he... he-!"

"I believe it has something to do with my... ex-wife warning him..." you said, smiling to yourself with butterflies erupting at how hard she worked to set you free.

With her usual sarcasm and biting.

Medusa watched Morpheus with gritted teeth, and if she really didn't care about you or knew that he was the best shot she had in saving you, Medusa would have strangled him to death. But now that he was already here, where his ruby was and where she thought of taking it before he reached it for it would drain him off of his powers, Medusa let out a growl at him and the stupid raven next to him.

She would have cursed more but when she saw his hands reaching for it, she widened her eyes and launched at him to stop him. "STOP! DON'T TOUCH IT!!"

"Who the... Holy shit, she's Medusa!" exclaimed Matthew who let out a huge caw and stumbled bavk on one of the shelf. Medusa got off of Morpheus who was growling at her with dark eyes, feeling anger course through his whole being at being touched by a woman other than his wife... Yet alone someone who prevented him from completing his task.

"Yeah, good to know that I have a raven as a fan... Anyways, I'm not here to chit-chat. Morpheus, I'll be honest. I couldn't care less about you life but you need to stay alive for Y/N's sake..."

"And who are you to my wife? Friend? Maiden?" At how he voiced his words, Medusa widened her eyes and let out a shivering growl at him. She couldn't believe what he was implying, or wasn't. Either way, she spammed him to one of the shelves behind him and got close to him while her snakes were hissing at him with shining eyes.

"Her fucking ex-wife, you dipshit. Don't tell me she never mentioned me- Anyways, here is what we're gonna do to stop John. And for once in your life, just listen to me so that I wouldn't have to save your ass twice."

"I like her, really. Seems like someone Her Majesty would have married..."

"Carefull with the words, raven. A jealous man is the last thing I need." She said teasingly after seeing the dead stare Morpheus gave to Matthew. Had she been anybody else, or the old Medusa, she would have shivered and ran for her life. But she stayed still and actually made an effort to save him, even though she always said she loathed his very being.

But she knew that you cared about him, at least enough to save him from his demise even when he clearly abandoned you. So, for that, she would make an exception and save him for your sake...

And she never realized it, not at that time at least, but she would save his life for a second time by manipulating John to break the ruby to let his powers out at their highest limit.

You were gratefull for her hardwork, also sad that she wouldn't know you were free now but you trusted your siblings to reach to her and at least tell them that you were as fine as you could be in that state.

But your thoughts were cut short when John fell on his hands and knees abruptly, making you flinch and hold his arms anxiously.

John was finally aware of everything. How that voice, Medusa, played with him and helped the Dream King defeat him easily. He now knew that, Fate, never really changed no matter what he did. There was only one way to start and one way to finish this journey called life, and everything else in the middle of it were choices that brought everyone to their certain death.

But he was confused about the part where you said you were captured and how life stopped because of it.

"But... How? You are the strongest and most powerful being... How were you able to be held against your will, and how did you do nothing to stop it?"

"It was because I trusted my... my son, and he betrayed me by cooperating with my husband's youngest sibling who loves messing with him. The reason why I did nothing is... because I knew, no matter what I did, that Corinthian, my son, would betray me..."

"So, that really is, huh? Even you, a Goddess don't have free will..." You smiled in understanding at him, being used to hearing the same sentence throughout every human.

"Not really. It was out of my choice, I simply had to be held captive, though I wished it wasn't that hard but... Every single significant thing is written down on the books... Even your death has been written down on the Book of Life and the Book of Destiny, John. Neither you nor I would have been able to change it..."

Turning your head to the portal opening before you, you watched John's face to get a feeling of what he was feeling, the scene before him scaring him beyondless since it was... just black.

No fires.

No screams.

No huge demons to torment him...

Just darkness.

Feeling his hesitance, you bent down and helped him got up to his feet and dusted him with thight lips. "Your soul is not as dark as it is like other souls in Hell but... I cannot find it in myself to torment you more. But for all the things you did, you need to be punished. You will spend some years in the Darkness and then, me and other Watchers shall discuss your situation once more... For now, John... Know that I wish everything was different, that you father never went mad about bringing his dead som back, he never slept with your mother and that I wasn't captured..."

Nodding with acceptance and gratitude for your kindess,he took a step to the portal to meet with his eternal end. Before he could have reached it, he turned to look at you once more.

You were smiling at him with kindness and conpassion, something he lacked in his life while he was still alive. Humanity had let him down many times, but to see that you still had sympathy for him even after all the things he had done, he delt hopefull that maybe everything would end up better.

After he stepped into it and the portal closed after him, you let out a sigh of relief, somehow feeling content that you at least eased the forment John would face. Even if you had so much to do, first waking up and then fucking killing Desire or at least talimg your revenge, you were happy enough that you were still helpfull to humanity.

"You really care a lot about humanity, my Queen..."

"Anubis... How nice to see you." you said after seeing the god before you, who sat down before you with a smirk that had most women melting.

You rolled your eyes at his usual behaviour and leaned over the table, faces so close to each other that you both felt your breaths. His eyes were filled with something you didn't see in a long time while yours were plagued with covered revenge and a blood thirst and anger enough to kill whoever came across you.

"I believe the dinner I've been trying to get out of the Queen of 9 Realms has finally come?"

Chuckling at his stubborness which resulted in him waiting for four thousands years, you smiled and sat down with crossed legs, enjoying some meal and a good talk.

Something you didn't have for thousands of years.

And you waited patiently while drinking some wine to help with your running thoughts, for Rose to come and save you from this damned realm and make you fight with the enemy.

Morpheus was set on the park thinking about everything that happened. The rebuilding had started already and he was the strongest he has ever been but still, everything was in chaos. His heart and soul was in a war with each other, a helplessness that almost made him weep like a baby.

For the burning feeling of missing you, and the truth about you that you were married before him but never told him.

Even the mention made him almost choke down in both anger and anguish. Since this made it even nore clear to him that he has been nothing kind of the good husband you deserved.

He failed to even listen to you even though you came to explain everything to him, to come clean at him before you started courting him.

Medusa tried to attack him many times, screaming at him how he could be so cruel to you that he didn't even listen to a word you were saying, even when it concerned your life...

Maybe Matthew was right, Medusa was a better choice for you. She was the one who has been trying to save you all by herself when he did nothing, in his eyes, but the thing that hurted him the most wasn't this.

It was the glint in her slit eyes that she still loved you, and he just knew that he didn't stand a chance.

For once in his life, Morpheus felt inferior. He always prided himself with being more powerful and stronger than any beings in the universe. He had all the collective cosmic awareness, there wasn't even a story or an idea going unnoticed by him yet, he failed to realize that the bond you two had was like a flower.

If not watered and cared for, it would wilt.

He grunted in anger at himself and his foolishness, at how he was blinded easily by the hatred he had for humans, his mind going back to the time where he had John Dee right between his fingers.

"Are you going to kill me?"

" I could. Perhaps I will... But the dream stone was not made for mortals. And it is no fault of yours for having it..." he couldn't, neither could he find it in himself to destroy what you cherished the most. Even when they had been nothing but cruel, Morpheus always looked into humans and always found a piece of you within them. If he was the old-fashioned Morpheus, cold and uncaring, he would have killed him right there but now, he was only a weak man who only wanted to find his wife and reunite with her and their three beautiful babies...

And with that he put John into eternal sleep and went outside, seeing all the damage caused by John. Matthew looked around anxiously, all the fire and blood making jim almost vomit in disgust. "Can you undo it all the damage ruby did?"

"The ruby didn't do this. John only used it to reveal wounds that were hidden away from the eye... The Rebuilding will begin tomorrow, though my wife..." he grunted in pain and held his heart thightly when her name lolled out of his mouth. A shooting pain that digged through every single corner of his existence, a pain enough to bring him to his knees.

"Boss-!"

"Easy there, birdie... He will be fine now. Can't have him gone again when humanity has the chance to sleep peacefully once again."

Medusa helped Morpheus who was sweating painfully and a throbbing feeling filled his very being... What terrified him was that he felt the bond, weak and fragile but still there, go almost tight enough to break it.

And when he turned to look at the woman that used to be married to his wife, she saw the solemn look on her face and only feared for the worst.

"We need to go to the Asgard... Y/N... Her siblings found her but her condition is not good. And I see that neither is yours, so rest a bit, regain some of your powers and use her tools to come to the Asgard."

And with that, she was gone again and Morpheus, even though he never wanted it and only seeked his love to redeem himself, obliged to what she said and retreated slowly... While a pair of yellow eyes were watching him slyly.

"That is no good... It is only time she would wake up and come after us. I'm watching you both, big brother..."

"What are you doing?"

Hearing his sister's voice so close to him, yet never finding it in himself to turn and look at her, Morpheus continued with what he was doing. "I'm feeding the pigeons..."

Smiling at him and how much of a sad cat he resembled at that time, Death only laughed more when a kid came crushing amongst the pigeons he was feeding, and how he looked at the little girl with pure rage.

"You know you have kids that are in her age..."

"You mean the ones you almost took with yourself..."

"Don't blame me, brother. They were so... weak and fragile. I didn't want to take them and Y/N didn't want to let go so she did what she did..."

At that, he didn't have anything else to say. He knew there were a lot of things to do, first of all, a promise to keep. A promise he did to his children. He already let them down, and doing it again was the last thing thing he wanted but... He felt empty.

He was supposed to be happy. After getting his tools back and bringing the peace again, he thought he would feel better. He took his revenge on those who wronged him, who wronged you, he kept a part of his promise after all. But it wasn't enough.

You still weren't there with him, tucked beneath his face, your lips lingering where his pulse would be with the ghost of a smile, confessing your love to him in your language while he would melt at you, finally accepting that showing his love wasn't a weakness.

All that he used to have but didn't now, came crashing on him and Death was only able to watch her brother's shoulders drop in sadness and defeat, with her heart breaking for him.

" I had everything before, a kingdom and a beautiful Queen... But I was so selfish, and never realized that all of it could have been taken from me... Which eventually happened and everything I held dear crumbled before my eyes. My tools were stolen long since, scattered... I went on a journey to find them, to use them to get my wife back but... now, I'm not even properly allowed back in her kingdom... I was late to realize that all of it, the kingdom, my tools... All of them had a meaning with my love next to me, her face being the first thing I saw and her bright words lightening my dark path... Now, I only feel... disappointed. Let down... Empty..."

At that, Death who has been listening to her brother carefully, widened her eyes at what Morpheus said and how... honest he seemed with his emotions. She knew that her brother wasn't the warmest person, or that he never showed his care and love as openly as you did and she warned him many times how that trait would sooner or later make you two drift apart but he didn't give much of a thought on her, knowing and believing that your love for each other would stand strong.

Unfortunately, his sister was right.

Sighing irritatedly at him even more after hearing him say that he didn't want to worry her, she scrambled on her feet and looked down at the man before her. All of his past actions came crushing on her and she seethed with irritation at what kind of a man he was being to you and how stupid he was.

"Let me tell you something, and I'm gonna say it only once so, you better pay attention... You, are utterly the stupidiest, most selfish, patheatic excuse of a anthropomorphic personification on this or any other plane! Feeling sorry because your little game ended and not having any balls to go and find a new one... And so what if Y/N's siblings don't let you see her? Had that stopped you before? She is your wife, mother of your children, the one you owe your existence to... Your soulmate who is the Life and you are jisy sitting here as if there wasn't anything you could do! Go to that place and be with her, help her back up again and fix your problems- and don't even say I don't deserve her, if she also thought that she would have broken the bond a long time ago and you know it."

Looking around, Death knew that her brother needed to finally see that humanity was a part of you therefore needed to experience it at the first hand to feel closer to you. She knew that you always watched him do his job amazed like a little kid but also knew that you wished him to share the same kind of excitement over yours.

What Dream never understood was, being married wasn't about bedding someone or showing each other as a couple. It was the little experiences a pair shared that would make them understand the other better.

And Death would make sure that he would.

"Look, I can't stay here long, I have work to do and... Ever since Life hasn't been here, everything is duller and empty but now that she is kinda back... I can already see the change and I want you to see it. When she was still here, you never looked into her creations... Now, it's time for you to realize just how important she is. Not only to you, but to the universe and why she loves them so much..."

In the end, for better of his judgement, he decided on doing exactly that, to understand you better before he had the courage to stand before you again. Not as the King he was but a man who seeked his lover in everything he did.

Meanwhile, he had the chance to talk to his sister about what happened when he was gone, learning that they had a family dinner and Desire being way happier than they normally were and how weird it seemed to Death.

Morpheus wasn't surprised, after all Desire loved to bicker with him and they always interfered with his plans. But Desire wasn't on his mind, you were.

Of how you have been or whether you woke up or not. Or if you would forgive him and gave a second chance at redeeming himself. Now that he started to look back in the memories you two had, he squeezed his eyes painfully at how much of an dismissive asshole he was to you.

He didn't even care at one time when you came to him, asking for help and comfort but he dismissed it as another shenanigan of yours...

Turns out, it was when your mother died and how everything started to go down. You only wanted to have someone beside you, understanding you and giving you to strength you needed.... Abd it was also the beginning of your failing marriage.

But now, he started to understand, see his mistakes and think of new ways to fix himself.

He understood why you would spend a lot of time beside your lake. You once said that souls wouldn't remember who you were when they were born and when you would be there to give them a simple peck on the forehead. He thought it was cruel, that they didn't remember who took care of them all that time but you would always laugh and twirl your ring playfully.

" Well, maybe it is but seeing them again after all that time... Seeing the recognation even if their souls left their bodies... It's both saddening and happy time for both me and them and Dream, my husband, it almost feels like meeting with an old friend..."

And he saw it with his eyes when the humans his sister helped to the afterlife asked about you as soon as the realization hit them. How is the Lady Life, they would ask and Death would solemnly answer that you were yet to be awake but functional enough to still perform your duties...

And now, they were heading to a place unknown, talking about humans.

"Does it not bother you when they fear you so much?"

"I used to think that I had the hardest job in the whole family, always scaring people and having them yell at me... I even resented Y/n since they loved her and life more than me, got agressive and meaner, always wondering what was different. Then later, I found her in a home where a woman was taking care of a baby all alone. I saw her sitting down on the ground right next to her, clapping her hands in rythm with her to urge the baby to walk and... She seemed trully like the goddess she was and I understood why people loved her. She was the reason why they fought hard for life, why they were upset when they die... Because through her, they had the best life they could get and they didn't want to leave that behind... Right then, I understood that all they needed was a friendly face and kind words but... Ever since she was gone, all the balance and fight for life ended..."

Watching her move to the crib in the room in front of them, Morpheus had flashbacks at what happened with Orpheus and how devastated you and Calliope looked. He never thought how you would feel like at sensing, feeling his life being taken away while trying to console a weeping mother and a father who was in rage.

He didn't think how much it must have hurted you, maybe even more than it hurted them both, with their cruel words cutting through you so mercilessly that they didn't realize what they had done.

"How would you know the pain of loosing a child? How would you let Death take him?! How can you call yourself Life, when you couldn't protect the one life you were supposed to protect!?"

But, even if it was late, it made him realize that humanity was trully a part of you, that wherever he went, he would see you there. It was the way they would fight with each other but drop everything when one needed help. It was how they would be one to defeat an enemy, whether another human or an obstacle...

It was how they would fight for the next day, to achieve their life goals and eventually meet with you.

He finally understood that you had nothing to do except helping Orpheus to his next, eternal life.

Before this, he never understood why humanity was scared of Death when Life and Death was natural things to happen, when the other couldn't exist without the other... He never thought that Life was an option given to the humans and it had a meaning if Death was there... Their life was short and the way to the afterlife was long and they would never be ready to walk that path alone, scared.

...If the meanings of their souls were to not help them in the way, a friend to company them, a family to help them...

"As you can see, without her, they are empty. Empty of what makes them human. But the thing is Life, Y/N, is such a brave one that her courage seeped into them. Did you know that she didn't cry or budge when I came for her mother? She basically died before her, protecting a human and I really thought it would be the time she would finally snap but she didn't. She knew that even she couldn't stop death... This is another thing you will have to talk about, brother! I believe that now, you understood that our purpose, humanity, is our function and that you shouldn't underestimate a woman!"

Chuckling at her enthusiasm and how giddy she seemed at the mention of you, he finally felt like he had found his path again, a new era to begin with you.

" You reminded me of what really is important to me, and for that, I thank you my sister but... Do you think she would wish to see me? After all the things I said, we said... After all I did and failed to-"

"Dream, you have always been the inspiration of her creations. If she didn't love you, she wouldn't have had your children and keep the bond... Now go before I kick your ass, get your woman back, talk to your friend and let me have some peace with my sister-in-law by bringing her to me so that we can have some girls-day!"

Smiling at her behind his shoulders, he nodded his head and looked down at the spear he had after she went to her way. Until this point, he never had to use it but now, even if they would try to banish him, he wouldn't back down without a fight.

He wouldn't let go of you ever again.

"Bifrost, allow your king to finally reunite with his queen!"

And Bifrost would only listen to those who was worthy of using it, and it was a good thing that Morpheus was one of them.

Here, in the Well of Life, you had plenty of time to reminisce about the past. Perhaps, the one you missed dearly was the friend you got through Morpheus.

Hob Gadling.

You didn't meet him when Morpheus first encountered him in 1389, busy with another realm and its complications. But he talked how interesting this human was, never fearing death and loving life beyond compare. It surely intruged you, how someone would cherish the life you had given them when most only wished to die sooner.

So, you decided on visiting him. After all, he made that deal of meeting in every 100 years with Morpheus, not you.

"Hi, Hob Gadling! May I sit here?"

Flinching at the cheery woman voice, Hob lifted his head and his mouth hang open at how beautiful and radiant you looked even in the inn lighting.

He almost felt like you were an angel by how you shone bright and how a warmth had found his very being, feeling quite content by how things have been.

Nodding his head at you after realizing that he didn't answer you, even when you were smiling down at him with the softest eyes he had ever seen, he finally had a chance to look at your face.

He didn't understand, but he could swear that he had seen you somewhere.

"Sorry but... what's your name? I feel like I know you... Have we met before?"

"Opps, sorry! I should have done that before I sat down... Sorry, I just got excited to see a human that exceptional! I'm Y/N Odinsdottir, princess of Asgard, Goddess of Life and Creation and also the wife of the man you encountered 100 years ago!"

Shocked at how you were really someone divine, the wife of the man who gave him immortality nonetheless, he straightened up and leaned over the table to to your face which made you lean back awkwardly.

"Oh gods, did I make a deal with the Devil? Or, or a wizard? Maybe another God?"

"Nope, certainly not... Lucifer doesn't like that kind of stuff!" you said, remembering what had happened when they tried to do that last time. But you failed to realize that the mention of Lucifer was something that brought fear to humankind.

"R-really?" he stuttered nervously, somehow feeling curious of the famous Devil, and how he wouldn't do something like this. But your next words were even more of a shocker to him.

"Yes, they would much prefer to crush the humanity themselves, and I'm not talking metaphorically hehe..." Hob would have said something ridiculous at you at how unfazed you seemed if it wasn't for the nervous glint and twitch of your eye that gave your true feelings away.

You were just as nervous to talk to him, a mere human who didn't understand a thing about the supernatural world outside.

"Wait, wait! Just who are you? What kind of a game are you playing with me? Who was the man I met?" feeling angry all of a sudden at what he was talking about when he was still alive after almost 100 years without any signs of aging, he demanded answers as any normal human being would.

With a raised brow at his sudden outburst, you leaned back on the chair and drank on the wine that was served to you.

"No games, Hob. I already told you who I am and unfortunately I can't say his name since he doesn't wish you to know it. But all I can say is that he is interested in your experiences as well as I am."

"In me?" Hob was shocked to say the least. It wasn't every day that he would get a compliment from someone divine after all. Chuckling at his wide, puppy eyes you nodded your head.

"Do I look like someone interested in that old geezer over the corner?" He chuckled at that, and not the nervous one he would, and leaned back on the chair as well. He liked the fact that you were a funny one, bot like the goth looking man he talked one hundred years ago. Looking around himself and seeing all of the men there, he shrugged his shoulders again, feeling like this was another great mystery of the world.

"Fair point... So you wonder?"

"Wondering what? Being a mortal? Darling, I'm not immortal. I was born, I live and I'll die... It just takes 50 thousand years if I'm lucky, that's it!" you exclaimed excitedly, not thinking it would terrify him even more. After all, he used to have a 40-50 years of life to live, suddenly got endless years and learnt about other supernatural things.

But this human only continued to intruge you more.

"Fucking brilliant... Just imagining the things you must have experienced excite me so much that I can climb over a mountain!"

"Why the heck couldn't I fall for you instead, Hob?"

Looking at the memory playing before you, you smiled sadly and lifted your hand up, hovering just above the smiling and excited faces of the two of you. You almost seemed like a child, even though you had just met him, he achieved bringing that side of you out, something you thought you buried deep inside. After years of holding a mask up your face, to hide the painful truth of what was your life, you were happy like any other woman who had someone to cherish what they offered.

And just like that, you made a friendship with the unique soul of Hod Gadling.

He was compassionate, and cute with that funny side of him. He was one of the few humans that proved to you that every single one of them had a unique trait.

You held your hand in the air, still hovering over the image and lowered it to settle over your lap. Examining it for a few seconds, you felt like you were some dirty woman by how your heart picked its rate at the mention of Hob. It was something you always denied or refused whenever someone pointed out the obvious fondness you had for the man.

That your heart craved his.

For centuries, you would try to bury all those feelings inside, feeling disgusted at yourself for thinking and feeling like that when you had a husband...

When you were better than your father.

"Seriously, Destiny has a weird way to connect two beings... I guess God wanted me to suffer for all the blood my sister and father shed, for all of the innocent lives they took..." with a deep sigh, you shook uour head and waved your hand through the golden sand.

Getting to another memory you two had, you saw that it was about the one where you shared some parts of your childhood with him when he saw you were sullen and sad while looking at the family before you when you were suuposed to be happy.

"Hey, smiley face... What's wrong? I thought today was your happy day, but here you are," he gestured around himself, in the middle of a meadow with drinks in your hands. "Sad, emotional and... empty..."

" I guess I'm in my sad moods today... Sorry for troubling you, Hob..." you tried to talk without your voice wobbling but the soft sniffle you let out made Hob realize how bad the situation was.

"Hey, hey... Just because you are a Goddess doesn't mean you can't be sad. Wanna talk about it? Is it someone that insulted you? Sure you can kick their asses better than I, but I can fight you know?" He gestured for you to talk softly, not wanting to sadden you more while easing your sadness by making a joke. He didn't understand why his heart made painful twists inside his ribcage, why he suddenly felt like he was being suffocated...

But he just knew that he had to stop you from crying.

Laughing softly to yourself at what he said, you wiped your tears and slid away on the trunk you were sitting, gesturing him to sit down. "It's a long story, my friend... One that I'm not sure if you would listen to..."

"You always listen to me, Y/N... Friendship is not something one-sided. When I need you, you are there and since you are the one in need of a shoulder... I shall give it to you."

Looking at his shoulders and back up at his face that was softly urging you to lay your head over it, you sighed and did so. He put his hand over your shoulder and brought you close to his side, not being able to help himself when you let out a relieved sigh at his body warmth.

For all you knew, you weren't sure where to begin with. Your father has been more strict than ever when today was the death anniversary of your still-born daughter Adelaine and you were already in a fragile state of mind, Medusa's screams still echoing inside while the feeling of your daughter's soul passing before it was able to reach her body.

And you needed someone to confide in.

"Do you remember of your childhood? Of what happened and how your parents were?"

When he heard your question, Hob couldn't help but thighten his hold over your shoulders and let out a shuddering breath. He inhaled deeply as if there was a weight over his chest that made him unable to breathe softly, and when you heard this, you immediately backed down, afraid that he would treat you badly for it.

But what he did next surprised you.

He started to rub your shoulder softly with the hand holding you to himself while the other took your hand in his rough and wide one, rubbing circles over the surface.

"I don't remember anything much about my childhood actually... All I remember that the Black Death destroyed half of my village and I had to be a soldier very young. But I take it that the cause of your sadness is about family issues?"

"Yes... Unfortunately, today is a very rough day for me. A reminder of my failure at protecting the ones I love..."

At his lost look, you lifted your head and looked into his soft and understanding eyes.

If only a certain man would look to toublike this...

With shaky eyes and wobbly lips, you muttered weakly. "Today was the day my daughter died before even being born..."

Widening his eyes at what you said, he let out a sad oh and watched you lower your eyes and shut them thightly as if you were in physical pain.

Which you were... The grief of a mother who lost her kid was a heavy burden over your heart.

He didn't know how to comfort someone who had such a pain in their heart, ease the pain of a grieving mother but he did what came to his mind.

He hugged you thightly to his chest, making you clutch at his chest with fists thight enough to break fhe fabric and cry for what seemed like hours. Meanwhile he only caressed your hair and hummed a song he heard a few years ago, hoping that the deep rumbles of his voice would bring comfort.

Which it did. You felt guilty how you were picturing Morpheus as the man that was comforting you as if he had known you for a long time, when your own husband failed to do so. Yet, your heart was still defending him, saying that you never told him about this.

I'm a married woman, dammit! I'm not even supposed to be this close to him yet... yet my heart is so at peace that I can't help but drown in him...

And Hob, for the better of his judgement, felt the sudden primal urge to protect you from any harm. Seeing you, a Goddess who was more powerful than anyone, so helpless and lost made him feel like he needed to wrap you in cotton and never leave you but... He also knew that the man he met was the one who was already doing it.

Trying not to sound so bitter about it, he asked if your husband had comforted you or whether you went to him or not. But the answer was a shock to him, which angered him quickly.

"He doesn't know... Or maybe he does but doesn't care, I don't know. I never told him anyways, thinking that he wouldn't care. I mean, what's he gonna do? Feel sympathy for me? Bring me something I like-"

"Yes, he is exactly supposed to do that! You need comfort and care from someone that cares for you, and in your case, who else is it gonna be except your husband!? Gosh, that immortal idiot trully doesn't know anything about pain, right?" giggling at his exasperated ramble and how his eyes widened with anger at Morpheus, even though he didn't completely know your story, it felt good to know that you had someone to turn to when things got bad.

"You know, I had a rough childhood apart from the fact that I lost my daughter... My father was and still is never kind or soft, and I had to be a sister, a friend and a dad to my siblings even though I'm the middle child... I always felt like I was the eldest one. And don't blame him, please... He also had his fair share of pain, comparing our grieves would be not of help..."

"I'm so sorry, for both the behaviour of your family, the loss of your child and how much of an idiot that husband of yours is..."

"Don't be... I made my peace with it. I was aware of the rules of being an older sister. You cannot cry because you would always smile, you cannot cry because you were and emotionless girl... You cannot cry because you are an older sister.... That's what my family would tell me, except my dear mother..."

Watching a deer stop and look at you two, you smiled at its way and sent a golden swirl of magic to it, making some food appear before it who took them happily and ran away.

Watching you perform your magic and still show kindness even amidst of your pain made Hob's heart swoon in happiness, excitement and... love, for you.

Someone he had known for 100 years, who was married to the man he would be meeting shortly after their meeting with each other....

Someone that has been there for him when nobody else was...

Gulping down at the realization and how his heart started to beat faster, he suddenly jerked away and took your hand between his, lowering his head to lay a kiss upon it. Even though he was rooting himself for not loosing his cool in front of you, he stood frozen with his lips over your knuckles, hoping that he didn't make you uncomfortable and possibly ruin your friendship.

But you were just a blushy mess as he was, not expecting him to be so romantic and carefull with you, almost feeling your pain as if it was his.

When he touched your hand like that, so softly and delicately as if you would break at the single hard touch, your heart couldn't help but beat faster and your stomach started to make weird rolls that made you feel like your heart started to beat inside your belly. You didn't understand how it was possible to love him, when your soul was bound to Morpheus'.

But loving Hob was easy, his love and care showing itself softly to those around him. He didn't question whenever you would disappear and reappear to your frequent meetings, only asking of your well being before he started to tell you about everything that happened to him in your absence.

And now, he was looking at you with the eyes of a man that was seeing the sun for the first time, star-stucked and hopelessly in love.

But that only scared you more.

Both of your feelings for each other was a dangerous one, with you being the daughter of Odin and wife of the Dream of the Endless, came a great responsibility. And besides, even though he was a pain in your ass... Morpheus didn't deserve this.

With an awkward cough and a smile at him, you patted his hand that still held yours and chuckled at his red cheeks. "Thank you for the comfort and joy you brought to me Hob, I already feel better thanks to you..."

"No need to thank me, my lady. I did what any man was supposed to do..." getting the hint behind his words, and seeing the anger flash through his irises, you took his hand between yours and brought it close to your chest. You had to make sure that he wouldn't tell anything to Morpheus, knowing that he was gonna meet him and how humans made sudden choices they later regretted.

"Hob, I want you to promise me something... Please don't say anything to him."

"But, Y/N... He deserves to know..." he uttered breathlessly, confused at how scared you looked. Nodding your head at him, you smiled softly and put a stray strand of his hair behind his ear which elicited another blush from the man.

"I know, my dear but... This is something sensitive for me and him who has a similar experience... I promise I'll tell him when I'm ready..."

"Fine, fine... So, are you gonna come with him at one point?"

"Hmm, maybe? He doesn't like to show me off that much since humans tried to capture me once but why not?"

And true to your words you came with Morpheus in 1589 to the inn they were meeting. At first he didn't want you to come, too worried that someone would harm you and seeing that soft side of him made you feel even more guilty for the closeness you and Hob got each other into.

But he knew he couldn't stop you entirely from following him, you being too stubborn to submit and him being too weak to resist you.

When he learnt that you also started to meet with him, he was angry at first. Since you didn't tell him when he was only trying to protect you from any harm, almost fuming with anger at himself for not realizing it sooner. You gave a soft smile at him and caressed his sharp yet soft features and looked deep into his starry eyes.

"It's okay, my Dream... Hob hasn't done anything except being my only friend from outside and besides, I wonder what he did with his life that he wanted to live to the fullest!"

"My friends! Come, please! Got some couple of good wine for us..."

"Hello, Hob. I see that life has been fair to you..."

"Oh, dear... It's been a long time since I heard that name..."

Looking up at Morpheus who had a tiny smile over his lips that was reserved for when he was in an especially good mood, you thanked him for helping you sit down. "Thank you, dear..."

"Nothing to worry about, my love... I'm merely doing my job," he said, after kissing the top of your head and settling beside you with a hand over your lap. You looked into his deep, ocean eyes with your own pair that held the 9 realms in it and you saw the pure adoration and love in them, the same look he gave you when you two first met.

The one that made you fall for him.

All of this were confusing to you, your heart yearning for both men sitting next to each other unknowingly of the utter chaos that was your feelings.

"A heart in chaos, is no good for a woman, my dear... Especially someone as special as you," your mother said, when you went to her for help. To learn if you were a disgrace or not, at which she shook her head sharply.

"You did nothing wrong my dear, but you are right... You feeling this way when you have a soulmate is weird... I'll look into it for you, meanwhile you can go and spend some time with Morpheus as husband and wife and try to see if your feelings changed..."

Your thoughts were cut short when Morpheus' hand over yours thightened and you looked at them, and then his face, only to see concern and worry for your wellbeing. He was aware that you dozed off more often and went deep into your mind, especially after talking with your mother, but you always eased him with soft and gentle touches...

And he believed them, until now.

"My love? If you don't feel well, we can leave any time... Just say the word."

"Y/N? Are you alright? Maybe this place is far more crowded than you are used to?"

Seeing both men turn to you with utmost care and concern over your wellbeing, you blushed slightly and shook your head no while taking a hold of the goblet. "No need to my friend, my husband... I'm simply thinking about the meeting I'll be having in Asgard with my father..."

At the mention of your father, both men had a scowl over their faces that could rival the other which elicited a simple laugh from you. Seeing them both despise him, even though Hob never saw him before made you feel happy but you couldn't dwell on what would happen next and rather chose to eat with Hob since Morpheus didn't meed to eat like you did.

You giggled when Hob took a bite of one of the foods and made a funny face which Morpheus responded with a straight one but changed immediately after hearing your cute voice and how everything around them started to glow and people feeling even more content.

Seeing the affect you had over everyone in the room, you shied away and shook your head in amusement. "Oh dear, I forgot that I sometimes have that affect on people..."

"You tell me, dear... I, for once, am grateful for the chance you gave me. There is enough food, and the wine is good... I have a family and life is so... rich... I wonder if you were in a good mood when you created my soul..." he chuckled at his joke and when he saw the slight pull of your lips, he knew that you would be in a very happy mood for a long time.

"No, my friend... I am the one who watches over them and protect them, the one who creates your souls is God. I'm just making sure that their handwork doesn't go in... waste..."

Knitting his brows at you and how your voice lowered, he looked to where you were looking and saw that Morpheus was looking at a man, Shakespeare, who was giving a speech in the middle of a burst of a passion. You would normally smile at this, but the look in Morpheus' eyes told you that he was intrigued by this new... toy.

The fact that his focus on you could change so quickly, and that he saw what you protect as mere toys to play with angered you and in return, you watched him walk to the man while you turned your chair in the opposite direction to not to see him literally seducing a human. Huffing out in anger and bouncing your leg up and down nonstop, you didn't stop neither that or chewing on your nails angrily.

Not until Hob put a comforting hand over you thigh.

"You are about to open a hole on the ground..."

"Good, maybe he can find the morals and his idiotic brain in that hole..."

"Is someone jealous?"

"Jealous!?" You whisper yelled at him who was taken aback from your outburst and tried to console you, but the fire inside your eyes made it clear that it was something you needed to do.

While he was trying to get you out of the room and calm you, after seeing that wou would burn the olace to the ground, he let you pour everything hidden inside your heart and mind.

"Just... Just who does he think he is? Fucking around with people? Seeing them as toys, when I spent my entire existence over them? Work hard for them to gain some kind of self control and a talent, and he has to go and ruin my day! I was so happy, happier than I ever was in a long time! I finally had him, a soft and attending husband, I had my friend who I haven't seen for a long time after his wedding and was actually having a good time even though I'll be facing that father of mine but... but HE HAD THE BALLS TO RUIN IT BY BEING AN ASSHOLE!?"

"Oh shit... How long have you been keeping all of these to yourself?"

"A long time! And you were wondering why I didn't come clean to him about my past! Look at him and tell me that he cares about me more than a few minutes!"

"Darling, not to intrude in your relationship but... If this marriage is no good for you, why don't you... end it?"

Really, why didn't you end everything already?

The answer was simple. The bond.

The bond would destroy whoever you got together with, it did once and it would do it again.

"I... It's not that simple Hob..."

"Yes, it is! Just go to him, say you wanna divorce and-"

"And what? So that he can send me to Hell for ruining his ego? Or put whoever I'll get together with in danger because of the soulmate bond that destroys whoever we get together with because we aren't together?"

After that, it was a long conversation of explaining the bond and how it was doomed for the people you two would get together with...

Also the reason behind your failed first marriage and the loss of your daughter.

In the end, Hob was too shocked to utter even a word. He held even more respect at you who had gone through all of this by yourself with no help.

But he couldn't help but ask one question he wanted to learn the answer of.

"Is there really not a way to break it? Y/N... it's destroying you, your mental health amd happiness..." he said helplessly, and for the first time over a century, you shed tears.

"I don't know... I know my worth and it's not this. I don't deserve to be treated like this, insulted because I didn't have a choice in protecting a life, because he didn't love me anymore or whatever the reason behind his behaviour... So, this is goodbye, my friend.'

"W-wait... What? Why..?" He said, suddenly scared of the possibilities, fearing that this was the last time you two would see each other.

"I'll be talking to my father about issues clouding Asgard and 9 realms and later try to find an answer to my problems... You will probably not hear from me for a long time but if you ever need something, call out to me and I shall come..."

Hugging you to himself thightly for what seemed like a final time, you let out a shuddering breath as if that was all you needed, and hugged him back just as thightly. In that moment, nothing seemed to be important.

Not Morpheus or his schemes.

Not your family.

Not who Hob was...

It was only him and you, the hugging form of you both, secretly inhaling each others' smell and imprinting what the other's touch felt like.

He didn't want to let go of you, but knew that you had to find your way in life again.

Parting your ways while holding onto his biceps, you looked deep into his eyes and your heart stopped for a second at how he held every single stars in them. "If I offended you in someway throughout our friendship..."

Knitting your brows together, you lightly smacked his chest in which he let out a obviously fake ouch and you smiled at him coyly. "I’m not offended, Hob, in fact I understand perfectly well. All I ask is for you to be... careful in the future."

"I will... And you promise you will take care of yourself and return?"

"I will, I swear it."

Obviously, you weren't able to keep your promise since only a few years later Morpheus was prisoned and you were left pregnant and later captured as well. Everything was calm after that day, you never mentioned what happened after when Morpheus left you with Hob and about the argument you two had but after that, Morpheus started to change.

He finally understood his wrongs and started to make amends with you, which started make everything better for you two but you know what people say...

Happy days were short-lived.

And so were they for Hob Gadling, the man you had fallen in love and shared yourself with.

After that night, he waited for you two to return back and you did, you saw each other three or more times. All of them were spent kissing each other and spending time which he never said something about, clearly being happy after a long time.

And you were no different, finally feeling free to be with someone that made you feel like a child, like a happy woman in love...

But then, all of it just... stopped.

It was around 1920, he supposed, when you stopped coming to him. He thought that it was something to do with your duties so he waited, thinking that you and 'his Stranger' would come to your meeting. Waiting with drinks for both of you while people talked with each other happily...

But you never showed up.

He wasn't stupid to think that you played with his trust and love like that, and then left for good. He knew that you weren't like other petty gods but a part of him feared that something was wrong, not that he could go and search for you.

And he also wasn't stupid to not to see the sympathetic eyes of the bartender.

"You waiting for someone?"

"I guess I am stood up..." giving a sad, small smile at the man, he drank from his glass and sat it down with a frown. Seeing the look on his face, the bartender kept his silence and let him speak.

"I wish I could say I was drunk but I was just stupid. We had a fight, three friends, and then he left and... God, I don't know why I'm telling this but I slept with my female best friend and actually got together after that, learning that she also loved me for a long time but... yeah, it all just came to an end I guess?"

"I have seen a lot people fight, and even more of them who laughed at the idiocy of the situation. I'm sure that they would be back, boy."

"In a hundred years time, maybe..." Hob chuckled humorlessly and the man before him sighed in sadness.

"Then you will have to find a new one because they will be destroying this one, for new apartments..."

And if Hob didn't feel like his world crashed, he certainly did then.

He didn't remember much after that, only that he opened a new bar for both of you to find him when you came back and... just that.

His life started to loose the meaning of it, and he couldn't find why...

Not knowing that it was because of your absence.

And when he felt like he had it again, after seeing you more than 100 years later, he was crushed even more when he was kidnapped by someone who looked like you, alongside with a girl he never saw before but would certainly meet again...

Apparently, the odds didn't think about leaving him alone to grieve and sigh in relief at escaping since one day, two men, one dressed in golden and green the other golden and red stood before him.

"We're coming from Asgard... Our Queen Y/N has been found and you, Hob Gadling, are needed in our kingdom immediately.

After all, you have always been Hob's weak point. How could he keep going with his life knowing that something was quite wrong with you?

"What the fuck..."

But he never expected to see the girl he was kidnapped with and his Stranger at the same place, looking down at a coffin life bed where ... you were laying almost lifelessly.

"Oh, Y/N... What happened to you?"

And to people's shock standing right next to you, a tear slipped through your left eye and touched the underside of your cheek.

"Who are these people, uncle Thor? And what are they doing in my mother's room?"

And when they turned to look at where an authoritative, strong female voice came from, both the girl and him couldn't help but curse at what was happening before them.

For the woman before them was a carbon copy of the man in black standing next to them, but had the stare of her mother, you.

"What the fuck is actually going on..?"

Bonus!

"I'm just a coping mechanism her mind created for us, so that we can withstand the torture Desire and Corinthian brought upon us... You see, here," you pointed to your head with your forefinger with a fake-innocent look. "Here, is hard to break. But when it does... It's unfixable. So, you really owe me dear. Because she would have been long dead after all the trauma you, Morpheus, Desire and Corinthian brought to her... Calliope..."

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mxcat777 · 2 years ago

Text

Oooooooohhhh...

The implications...

Allow me to ramble as my thoughts go along, hopefully I'll be able to type quickly enough...

So Dream meets Hob again. And not a few weeks later unmakes the Corinthian. There would be a possibility for changes in series canon timeline, but one thing at a time, I'll get to it.

So, Corinthian unmade, I'm choosing to believe that Dream can pretty much completely reconstruct him, be it with an added in failsafe or some such.

After he has done so, the Corinthian might still be Annoyed(tm), and honestly, who wouldn't be after being unmade by the guy who broke your dad's heart and with that his promise to you. After Matthew learns of the full situation this may be forcefully pointed out to Dream if the bloke does not realize himself. Which is, in all honesty, quite likely.

So. Dream realizes, one way or another, that he may have fucked up (no 'may have' about it, champ, but whatever you need to not throw a tantrum so long as you do, in fact, apologize), and goes to the Corinthian like, hey, uhm, I've been told I have acted inconsiderately, may I attempt to make this right?

So Dream goes to Hob. A Hob who is quite surprised to see his Friend after a mere month instead of a whole century. Naturally, his first question is if the end of the world is nigh. It isn't. Well, at least as far as his Friend is concerned. No, his Friend seems to have grown a singular social skill (still not nearly enough to warrant the plural 'skills') and says something along the lines of 'I've been reliably informed that friends see each other more often than once a century'. Hob enthusiastically agrees. He also then gets a name! Multiple even! Wow! Can this day get any better?

So they chat some, and they chat some more, and Hob can't help but notice his friend - Morpheus, or Dream - is... Nervous? About something? So Hob carefully, very carefully, asks, 'is something bothering you, my friend? You seem a bit twitchy, is all'.

Dream, still not used to the idea that Hob can read him so easily, reverts to his primal instincts, and Deflects. Hob evidently does not buy it, but doesn't push, and continues to ramble on about something or other. Dream, also not used to having his boundaries respected by anyone outside his subjects, is thrown for another loop, before shaking himself and, quite rudely, upon reflection, interrupts Hob with 'there is something I wish to tell you'.

Hob knows this. He falls silent, replies 'ok, go ahead', and waits, patiently, while Dream scrapes together all the tact he possesses.

'This is something I should have told you long ago. I have been trying to do better, recently. This is part of that, and I hope you may forgive me in time for keeping this from you for so long.'

Hob's starting to get a little worried now. The guy kept quiet about his name for over 600 years, for pity's sake, he hasn't apologized for that, let along begged for forgiveness in advance!

'Dream is not only my name, but my function and the definition of my being as well. I am the lord and creator of all dreams. I have created many, and all of them unique. All except one are completely of the dreaming, of my realm. That one, however, I created around a soul who never took my sister's hand, who was roaming the earth restlessly.'

'Your sister?'

'Death. She was with me in 1389, she found you amusing, and encouraged me to approach you. The reason you do not die is because she refuses you her gift. If ever you change your mind, you must simply call for her, and she will come to you.'

'Right. Good to know. That wasn't what you wanted to tell me, right?'

'No. I-'

He stops. This is hard. Words have never been this hard. Gathering the courage to speak of certain things may be, but the specific words and phrasing have always come easily to the Prince of Stories.

'It's about that dream, right?'

'Nightmare. Yes. He is my best work. Recently, a lot occurred surrounding him. He rebelled against me. I had to unmake and later remake him. I now understand why it all happened. That is what I am trying to set to rights, but. It is hard. The words resist coming to me. But must tell you. It is only right.'

'Would it be easier to show me, or is it not something that can be shown?'

'It is. And it might be. Can I find you in your home this evening?'

'Uhh, yeah, yes, of course! This all seems very serious, should I prepare for bad news?'

'I hope you will not take it as such, though there is a chance. I will leave should you ask me to.'

'Oh shit. That bad, huh?'

'Possibly.'

[A.N. holy shit that got away from me, I'll revert back to outlining now, I don't actually have the time to write a whole ass one-shot on the fly]

Evening comes.

Dream arrives. With the Corinthian in tow.

The Corinthian is Nervous as fuck. You thought Dream was nervous about Hob's reaction, triple that and you're getting somewhere near the Corinthian.

He's about to meet his dad. With teeth for eyes. He's a little insecure alright!

Hob opens the door.

For a second, he doesn't recognize him, with the modern clothes and the sunglasses and the way he's turned away slightly because of the nerves.

But then. [Good lord, here we go again, dialogues must be written, I'm SORRY!]

'Robin?'

A sharp inhale and a twitch, nothing more.

'Robin, my boy, is it you? Is it truly you? Tell me, please speak to me, if it is indeed you, my s-'

Hob's voice breaks. The Corinthian is trembling. He hasn't had anyone call him that since he died. Since he tore himself out of Death's embrace to haunt that fucker who killed him.

He feels a hand on his cheek, under his chin. Lifting his face up and making him look directly into Hob's eyes. His father's eyes. Those exact same, brown, kind, warm eyes. Except that they are older, so much older than he knew them. And they're crying. He's crying too, he now notices. Hob wipes away the tears rolling down his cheek, his hand coming away bloodstained. He doesn't even look at it.

'My little bird. It really is you, is it not?'

A sob wracks its way through the Corinthian. He is so close to breaking. Or has he broken already? He doesn't know, doesn't care, because it doesn't matter. His dad is here, his papa, and it'll be okay, if he breaks, Dad will help him put all the pieces back together.

Another sob escapes him, and even more tears start flowing. Hob steps closer and, with trembling fingers, lifts the glasses away.

Immediately, the Corinthian turns hus face down, away, hide it, hide his hideousness, the part of him that used to be his mother's eyes, untill that son of a bitch slashed a knife through them. And now they're not even blind, ruined eyes. They're nothing like eyes. They're what makes him a monster, a nightmare.

But then, again, the gentle hands of his father, slowly turn his face back up. He expects to see, not disgust, exactly, he knows his father, he wouldn't be disgusted, that would maybe even be bearable, that's no different than what he himself feels. But he does expect to see anger, shock, fear, devastation, or something similar. Maybe pity.

There is some shock in Hob's eyes, though not nearly as much as he expected. More like surprise than shock. But other than that. The Corinthian doesn't see anything other than-

Stop. No. Wait.

He can't-

Why would he-

He's not supposed to- no- Dream made him like this, it makes sense that he is pleased with him this way. But not his- not him!

He isn't human anymore! He's a nightmare, a monster, a thing! A horrendous thing! Without his mother's eyes.

So why.

Why is there still so much of it.

It shouldn't be there.

But he is so. So thankful it is.

He isn't broken yet. He knows now. Because he can now feel his final piece of control tremble.

Another sob. More blood. Hob's hands are streaked with red now. He hardly notices.

'Robin...'

He smiles. His next words come out in nothing more than a whisper.

'My son.'

He breaks. He is not sobbing anymore, he's weeping. His knees buckle and strongwarmsafehomedad arms catch him and pull him close.

They're still standing in the hallway.

Five minutes later, Hob realizes this, and slowly pulls his son inside. Dream doesn't follow. Hob looks at him. He's standing awkwardly, and resignedly outside, looking ready to leave. Hob will not have it.

'Get inside.'

His voice is hoarse. Oh, yes, he's crying too.

Dream looks very uncertain, but he obeys. He closes the door with a soft *snick* that is still way too loud and flinches. He stands inside the door.

Hob guides his son to the couch, his child, who might not in the most accurate sense be alive, but he's here. With him. And fuck all the rest, what does it matter.

Dream follows through the hall and stands just inside the living room.

'Explain.'

Dream flinches again. Hob frowns.

'What are you- I'm not mad! Why the fuck would I be mad! Just. Please, explain this miracle to me!'

An agonized sound escapes from the bundle of limbs in Hob's arms.

'Robin?'

Another sound, and then,

'...how is this a miracle.'

Dream looks to be made of stone, agonizing, rather be anyone, anywhere, anywhen else, stone.

'How-? My Little Bird, you are here, in my arms! How can it not be!'

'I'm-'

'Don't you dare call yourself anything bad! Dream said you are his masterpiece and I'd say he should know! More importantly, you're my Robin! You're mine! And I love you!'

Hob feels the body in his arms shudder and shock against him as his shirt slowly gets soaked red.

He looks back up at Dream.

'Please.'

Dream explains. It's slow going, with more broken off sentences and hesitation than the Corinthian has ever experienced from him. But he tell the story on of the Corinthian.

Hob is silent for a long moment after. Dream almost makes to leave, when Hob speaks.

'Sit down.'

'Pardon?'

'You were about to leave because you thought I wanted you to. Sit down.'

Dream sits down.

Hob is quiet for a while longer.

'Thank you.'

Dream stares at him.

'Why...'

'You cared enough to take him in. You had no obligation to. Amd you reunited us.'

Dream stares again.

'After I kept him from you for over four centuries!'

'Yes.'

Dream doesn't understand. It must show on his face.

'It will take some time before I can forgive that, you're right. But that doesn't stop me from being eternally grateful that I got to see him again at all. And I don't see much point in kicking you out after you decided to make things right.'

Dream is silent after that. He takes a moment to fully realize and appreciate what he has in Hob.

Meanwhile, the Corinthian has regained his breath. He tries to say something. It takes him a few tries. His voice isn't working. Eventually, he manages a hoarse whisper.

'Dad.'

Hob, for the first time in over four hundred years, hears his son call for him.

'My Little Bird. I'm here.'

Robin, for the first time in over four hundred years, sinks into his dad's embrace and smiles.

What if AU... What if the Corinthian was Robin Gadling?

Dream, inspired and empathetic of Hob Gadlings plight following 1689, desires to watch over the young soul of Robin Gadling. Thus he seeks out his Sister, to request he be given into Dream's care as a raven. But Robin never took his sisters hand. He lingers on in the Waking world, an angry spectre. Vengeful, blind from where Thomas Shelply slashed his eyes. Desperately calling for his Father's aid and comfort.

So Dream salvages what he can. Uses that dark energy to fashion a nightmare. A dark mirror of the human that once was. Full of the Gadling lust for life, but violent, hedonistic... Constantly wanting.

The Corinthian serves Dream faithfully beacuse it is what his father would wish. Becomes the pinnacle of Dream's Nightmares because it is the Dream Lord and his Sister who prolong his father's life. Existing on the promise that one day he will be allowed to reunite with his father in the Waking. Until 1889.... When Dream cruelly severs himself from the one thing that keeps the Corinthian truly loyal to him...Hob Gadling.

From that moment on, his thoughts turn to vengeance for his father's heartbreak. Insuring his freedom to return to permanently to the Waking world, to watch over his Father

#holy fuck that got away from me #like #shit #dreamling #the corinthian #robert gadling #dream of the endless #what if #writing #the sandman #the sandman fanfic

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