Just a J

I still have a TON of ideas if I stick to stuff that's happened (and maybe a little bit been implied) in the show, so here goes:

The Endless siblings all apprenticed together, and all had this enormous legacy to live up to as The Endless Siblings. To have an escape, Death would do what Tartah does in the show and go play with ordinary kids. One day, she convinces Dream to come along with her. They end up playing with Hob for a bit, until he starts boasting that he could probably do magic! It's probably easy! He's just got to make up his mind to do it!

... And then Death and Dream get in a stupid little "bet he could learn magic." "No he can't." "Yes he can." "No he can't." "Can!" "Can't!" style argument off to the side until Hob asks what they're talking about, they make their bet, and show Hob how magic works in a fit of "I NEED to prove my stupid sibling wrong."

Turns out he sure can do magic. Who'd have thought.

Only now, oopsies, they have broken one of the Biggest Rules Ever to prove a point. So they decide that they need to keep an eye on Hob... forever, they guess... so all three of them can keep from being memory wiped.

(I'm imagining the Endless parents are so goddamn neglectful/distant they're able to sneak him in as another apprentice at their atelier and both Night and Time just. Assume the other one decided to take on a new apprentice. There's probably a more serious way for them to sneakily make sure he learns to be a witch but I prefer the funny option.)

Also Dream definitely pulls an Agott-style "take this test way before you're ready for it. Get out of my school." Hob somehow manages to pass the test at the 11th hour despite breaking an arm in the process or something. Dream will deny till his dying day that his crush on Hob began the moment Hob got back from the first test, coated in mud with one arm in a makeshift sling and absolutely beaming because he did it!! He's a real witch!!

Problem is, all of the above Backstory gives Dream an excuse to never ever ever act on that crush, or even acknowledge it exists. He can't have feelings for Hob! He's just hanging around him all the time because he needs to keep an eye on him! So he doesn't accidentally reveal their collective secret!

And even when they're both adults, and Dream has maybe half-acknowledged that there are some feelings there possibly, he still doesn't feel like he can act on those feelings. Hob had this whole life he was supposed to be living, family and friends he was torn away from permanently, all because Dream and Death made a spiteful childish mistake. How could he possibly have a relationship with Hob under those circumstances?

Death and Hob have had a couple of serious conversations on the subject over the years, cleared the air of the "I know it worked out well and you're happy but we tore you out of your former life without any warning, or an informed choice about what that would mean, and to be honest came way too close to Ruining Your Life Entirely" of it all, and are now just buddies. Hob, for his part, genuinely does see becoming a witch as the best thing that ever happened to him, even though there are people he misses/wishes he's been able to say goodbye to. I think there's also a level at which Hob is like "hey, you were just kids too," and Death/Dream still blame themselves because they were witches and actually knew the full consequences. (And even though I'm giving Hob Coco's backstory here, he was orphaned a few years before meeting Dream and Death, and there was no forbidden magic involved in the incident - he doesn't have Coco's specific trauma).

Dream would know all of this if he'd just talk to Hob about it. But he's stuck with the original plan, watching over Hob while trying (and failing) not to form an actual relationship with him. First informally, then as a Watchful Eye when Hob takes Robyn as his apprentice.

And they're just in this super tense orbit of each other where Dream is trying desperately to stay in his Role Of Watchful Eye, and Not Have Any Sort of Relationship With Hob, and Hob is trying to get him to open up and at least acknowledge that the relationship is already in the room with them. Also they're effectively raising a kid together, so the intimacy of that sure does complicate things.

And they stay. In this super tense orbit. For years.

OR MayBE WE SHOULD GET A CHEERLEADER! THEY’RE USED TO GOING UP HIGH