And for part three and the 7th of June here are some fics with Dream returning to the New Inn and Hob, happy dremling day and enjoy,
part one and two
Feb 13: First by aquilathefighter (499):
On the day Dream returns to Hob at the New Inn. They talk until the pub closes and go up to Hob's flat, where confessions occur.
Cobwebs by Torte (1.7k):
Hob waits.
It is all he can do. He sits at the table in the tavern, sometimes drinking, sometimes talking to other visitors.
Mostly he just stares at the door and waits.
A Friend In Deed by SerenAur (2.2k):
A take on how that first meeting in The New Inn went. Dream is in dire need of some kindness. Hob provides.
here for a reason by cuubism (2.6k):
Hob's out for a walk when he stumbles on his old stranger, feeding birds and looking very sad.
pie of birds and grief and ocean water by Chrome (4k):
“Yes,” he says. “But—humans, do you have it where you are hungry, and you only remain hungry so long, and then you stop being hungry?” His blue eyes meet Hob’s brown ones, and it feels as though they hold a memory between them of Hob at the old inn, wolfing down food. Do you know how hungry you can get when you can’t die?
“And then it comes back,” Hob says. An unpleasant feeling gnaws at his gut, not unlike the sensation of hunger itself. “But yes, it comes and goes.”
His friend nods. “I have found that after…some time, it is no longer a unique sensation.”
“What does that mean?”
“Do you feel your skin, Hob Gadling? Your bones?”
“No,” he says.
“Hunger, too, can be a part of you,” he says.
Hope, and a Bottle of Merlot by MDJensen (4.3k):
In which two friends just want to visit their old tavern, one last time.
Soundless reunion by Ryunya (6k):
After a century in silence, Morpheus escapes his captivity and finds himself unable to speak.
It makes his reunion with Hob Gabling hard to navigate, but they manage.
simple dreams of comfort by softestpunk (6.7k):
In his captivity, Dream thinks of Hob. His smile, his company, his touch, his love, his body, the life they might lead together.
After his escape, he goes to visit the real thing, and gets more than he allowed himself to dream of.
The Weight Of Our Memories by RambleOnWaywardSon (6.9k):
“Why don’t you have more faith in human nature?” Hob asked.
Dream looked at him, eyes a little dark, squinting. “Why do you have so much?” he countered, slowly.
Dream shows Hob where he's been, and Hob shows Dream something about how to heal.
You're Late by vampiringg (7.5k):
The Sound of Her Wings but Dream shows up while Hob is in a lecture.
I Wanna Hold Your Hand by Moorishflower (7.5k):
Hands are such a human thing, Hob thinks. To make, and shape, and create. The elegance of thumbs. Fashioned by thousands of years of slow and careful evolution for the sole purpose of holding.
He wants to hold Dream. To rub their fingers together, that singularly human grasp, to push their palms flat, and their chests close, and he's not sure if he wants to hug his friend or cry on his shoulder, because he should have been there. He should have known.
Hob has a hard time believing that Dream forgives him. He has an even harder time believing that Dream might want him back.
Maybe This Is All Just a Dream by my_written_minds (9.1k):
When a man clad in all black walks through the door and admits Hob is his friend, Hob doesn't know whether to hug him or play it cool.
When it is obvious something happened, something terrible, Hob doesn't know whether to hug him or play it cool. Again.
In other words, Dream starts talking and doesn't stop. And suddenly these once a century dates are no longer once a century. More like once a week.
New Moon by Delta_Pavonis (11.5k):
They continued to stare at each other and Hob felt the familiar coil of heat low in his belly. Well, that answered that question: still desperately attracted to him even after all these years.
Picks up right where "The Sound of Her Wings" left off. How Hob and Dream's reunion (and the days, weeks, months after) go.
the first steps by chubsoneuropa (chubsonthemoon) (12.6k):
Perhaps even dreams can change.
Or: Dream and Hob, through the seasons.
My Emotional Support Raven by Sylcian_SPH_Legacy (13.3k):
Hob Gadling left a long red arrow on the barrier to guide Dream to the New Inn. But what if he didn't?
Cue a very lost (inside his own head) Dream and Matthew doing his best to help him (makes five hundred meters and understands emotions).
You found me by Avelera (15.2k):
Hob Gadling is recently divorced and not in a good mental place when Dream walks into the New Inn over thirty years late for their appointment.
So, instead of warmly welcoming Dream, Hob decides to finally give him a piece of his mind. As far as he's concerned, it's Dream's turn to be the good friend if he wants Hob back in his life.
He was not expecting Dream to take him up on that challenge.
the melting press of the sun by cuubism (15.5k, unfinished):
Returning to Hob felt like a formality, right until Dream stopped outside the crumpled skeleton of the White Horse Inn.
What We Build and What We Burn by queerofthedagger (23.5k):
After Dream finally finds him in the New Inn, Hob struggles to rebuild his trust that this—Dream returning—will always be the case. At the same time, the concern that something has gone horribly wrong grows through meetings, dreams, and details that Hob shouldn't notice but does; not that Dream is much more forthcoming than in centuries prior.
That's okay, though; if Hob has learnt one thing, it is how to be patient. Mostly.
the majesty of fantasy (protects me from tragedy) by im_not_corrupted (26.3k):
This time, Dream’s imprisonment takes more from him. Upon escaping, he finds himself unable to move on. He is tired, even after regaining his tools and power, and cannot understand why he’s unable to shake off the effects of his time imprisoned.
After Death suggests finding Hob Gadling, he finds The New Inn but does not walk inside. The idea of seeing the cruelty he has suffered first hand reflected in Hob is too terrible for him to bear, and so he returns to The Dreaming.
After some prompting, though, he begins to visit Hob’s dreams. Somehow, he finds a safe space there in the company of his friend.
take it slow by im_not_corrupted (34k):
After his duel with Lucifer and retrieving his stolen tools, Dream is injured and in pain. When he sees Hob, the man insists on helping him care for his wounds.
Another Word for Ache by Pellaaearien (111.8k):
When Dream escapes his cage, he is starving in more ways than one.
Weak and wanting, he goes in search of what will satisfy him.
