Chapter Text
Hob was so happy he could be walking on a beam of sunshine. It had been a week since his friend had shown up at the New Inn, and the good feelings had yet to cease.
The way that he had smiled at him, leaned back in the chair and acknowledged their friendship, well, Hob would carry that forever. The name that he was finally given had been running through his head like a mantra.
Dream.
Dream of the Endless, his friend. His best friend.
They had spoken for hours. Well, Hob had spoken for hours. Dream had simply looked at him with those starry eyes and small smiles, asked him follow up questions about the many things he had seen over the years, and very sneakily avoided answering many more personal questions about himself.
What have you been up to, Dream? Attending to issues within my realm.
You want anything to eat or drink? No.
You ever play any of those fun phone games, mate? I have no desire to.
Why didn’t you show up last time? Unavoidably detained.
The last one was still bothering Hob. “Unavoidably detained.” That could mean a wide variety of things, but the way that Dream had looked away from him and tensed up made him think it was nothing good. He had changed the subject.
No one wanted a repeat of 1889.
But the best part! The best part! Dream had agreed to meet up before the next century!
Bloody brilliant that was!
Now of course, Hob didn’t have a real clear timeline on when that before the next century meeting would be. But still! It would happen.
He was very distracted by these thoughts on the way back to his flat. Office hours had wrapped up not too long ago, and it was so nice out that he decided to walk back.
As he wandered down the street towards the door, a ping came from his phone and he fished it out of his pocket to see an email from one of his students. They were asking for an extension on their paper.
Sighing, he began typing a response, and that was when he almost tripped on a bird.
He swerved to the right and looked down in shock at the raven which had puffed up at him. “Oh no I’m so sorry!” He said to the bird, like an idiot.
“Watch where you’re going next time dipshit.” The bird replied.
Wait. What.
“Did you just speak?” Hob said, staring at the bird.
The bird stared right back at him.
He continued staring at the bird.
“Fuck.” The bird said.
“Bit vulgar for a bird, mate.”
The bird hopped closer to him and cocked its head. “How are you understanding me? You seem like a normal human.”
Hob put his hands on his hips. “Rude. I’ll have you know that I am a very proud atypical human.”
“Yeah but you shouldn’t be able to understand me.”
“Well I sure can!” He looked around and waved at the person approaching on the sidewalk. “Hello! Can you hear this bird talk?”
The guy took an earbud out and gave him an incredulous look. “What?”
“Can you hear this bird talk?”
He gestured at the bird, who hopped up and down and said “this isn’t going to work.”
The random civilian who he had just accosted shook his head. “It’s just cawing, sorry man,” and then he walked away at a slightly faster pace than before.
“That was embarrassing for you.” The bird said.
Hob released the longest sigh ever. “It’s not even close to the most embarrassing thing I’ve done. You want to come to my place so I don’t get any more weird looks?”
“That is a violation of stranger danger.”
Why must he suffer like this?
“What is your name then?” Hob said.
The bird hesitated for a second before answering. “Matthew.”
“Well. It’s nice to meet you Matthew. You can call me Hob, Hob Gadling.”
“Hob?” Matthew cawed in what sounded like a laugh.
“It’s short for Robert.”
The laugh cut short as the bird stared at him. “Wait, I've heard that name somewhere.”
Well now Hob needed to be paranoid about talking birds knowing his identity on top of hiding the fact that he was 600 years old.
“Okay we’re definitely going to my place.” Hob said, and gestured up the road to the blue door leading to the flat he called home for now. He turned and quickly walked down the street, checking behind him to make sure that Matthew was following. After a moment of struggle with his keys, he got the door open and held it like that long enough for the dark form to dart through the entrance.
“Oh wow this place is warded like crazy.” Matthew said, looking around the flat. “But it’s got a super familiar signat-”
Hob raised an eyebrow as the bird turned in a circle for a second before staring incredulously at him. “ You’re the boss's hot date?”
Okay this day was getting crazier and crazier. “What?”
“That explains why you can understand me! Oh he’s got so many do not interact this dude is mine markings on you!”
“What?”
“Oh shit I’m going to be in so much trouble for talking to you.”
“What?”
Matthew flapped his wings at him. “Please don’t tell him I called you a disphit!”
“Don’t tell who?!” Hob shouted. “I’ve got no clue what you’re talking about!”
“Lord Morpheus! Oh I need to get back to the Dreaming so fast to get away from this mess and hide.”
“Wait… you’re talking about Dream?”
“Yeah! Who else would I be talking about???”
Hob stared at the bird. The bird stared back at him.
He put his bag down on the floor and ran a hand through his hair. “Okay. Sorry. What markings? And also uh,” his face heated up. “Hot date?”
Matthew let out a caw. “Yeah I mean I assumed it was! The Dreaming got all sunshiney and flowers were falling from the sky, and I heard the boss tell Lucienne that he had just visited his very dear friend Robert Gadling, so those were the pieces I put together. Are you telling me it wasn’t?”
“Um well uh. No? I mean we’ve been getting together for drinks every century but then he missed the last one and showed up last week and it was great! Just bloody brilliant mate! I missed him so much and it was so good to see him! And he said that we could meet up before the next century but I don’t really know when that’s going to be so-” Hob cut himself off and cleared his throat. “No it was not a date.”
“Shit man.” Matthew said. “I can’t believe I’m about to offer this but do you want me to give him a message or something?”
Oh that was the best offer Hob had heard in a very long time. “Yes! Uh. I’m not quite sure how he does messaging or stuff like that. Should I give you my phone number or something?”
“If you give the boss your phone number, you will be my favorite human ever. That’s such a good image in my head, that would be so funny.”
A smile stretched across Hob’s face at the image of Dream trying to use a phone. He walked over to his desk and wrote down his number on a bright pink post-it note. Matthew hopped over and picked up the note in a claw.
“You got it?” Hob asked.
“Oh yeah I got it.” Matthew cawed at him. “You’ll be seeing me!”
And then Matthew flew out the open window.
Hob stared after him as he flew up into the clouds and seemed to disappear.
“Well. This could be fun.” He said, a smile on his face.
Dream of the Endless stared at the bright pink note which he held between two fingers. There were multiple numbers on it with a large smiley face underneath.
“Matthew.” He asked. “What is this?”
His raven shuffled back and forth on his shoulder.
“It’s uh… it’s Hob’s phone number.”
“His…? Oh.” He stared at the numbers some more.
Matthew crouched down and tilted his head towards Dream’s. “Do you know how to use a phone?”
“I am the personification of the dreams of all beings in this universe. You dare to accuse me of not knowing how to operate a measly piece of technology?”
They stared at each other in silence.
“Yes?” Matthew said.
Dream sighed.
“Do you want me to get you a phone?” Matthew said.
Dream sighed again. “Yes.”