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Summary
Hob finds himself in quite the predicament.
Fortunately, he has an attentive boyfriend.
Series
- Part 2 of Finding You
Bookmarked by TheResearcher
13 Jun 2026
Bookmarker's Notes
"I thought you wished to have me? Do you not wish to have me for long?" Dream moves Hob's hips once then holds him in place again.
Hob gasps at the glorious brush along his walls but can do no more than clench repeatedly around Dream, seeking any friction he might get.
Dream's lips part and his eyes grow heavy-lidded, his grip on Hob tightening even more. "Oh, you hold me so deliciously, beloved. Perhaps I shall keep you here, speared open and wanting, fluttering around me as we both slowly go mad with need."
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Could it be that you and me are the lucky ones? by sweet_tangerine_dreams
Fandoms: The Sandman (TV 2022)
12 Sep 2022
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Summary
Another flash of lightning spills past the curtains, and his lights flicker into oblivion, his tv shuts itself off and his entire living room goes pitch-black. Hob sits straighter, looking around his darkened surroundings in stilted confusion when suddenly everything flares back to life again. His TV remains shut off, but his lights blink back on like they were never out at all.
And between pitch-black and bright lights and the roar of thunder and the deafening stillness between it all – Dream materializes out of the shadows.
The man sits on his sofa, suddenly, unbidden, unannounced, and uninvited.
“Hello, Hob,” he says softly.
Hob does what any other person would’ve done when an anthropomorphic personification materializes on your couch; he screams and chucks his glass of whiskey at his face.
.
.EDIT: this will be a stand-alone because I don't feel like the other chapters compliment it very well. Sorry for the confusion
Series
- Part 1 of A dreamer, he is
Bookmarked by TheResearcher
12 Jun 2026
Bookmarker's Notes
(Summer is late August evenings, the dead bruised faces of sons, and bloody messes of wives. It’s picking out coffins, it’s holding a still-born baby in his arms. It’s grief and pain and the smell of graveyards and the stink of flowers that clings to the priest’s robe)
Thunder rattles the building, causing the lights to flicker maniacally for a second. Hob just sighs, slinking further back into his couch.
It doesn’t scare Hob much anymore. The most it causes him is anxiety, a pounding heart, and sweaty palms. It used to be much worse, once upon a horrible time, where a simple popping of a bottle had him throwing himself on the floor in a panic.
He’s a lot better at dealing with it now. He supposes it's one of time’s many virtues, her gentle hand guiding the pain to some far away corner in the back of his mind, to fade the scars on his long-lived body so he won’t be reminded of it.
The phantom pains will probably stay forever, the horror of it more alive than dead in his memories and dreams. He lost a leg due to a mortar shell once. Those were a hellish few months.
After the second world war he tapped out. No more wars for him. When the Vietnam war began he turned a blind eye. He was still roaming London like a ghost. Lost, and so incredibly sad. Someone called him shell-shocked once – and maybe he had been. His memory of the mid forties to the late sixties are lost to time, a blank space that remains in his mind, a chasm in him that cuts deeply.
Now, though, the pain is buried underneath a layer of skin, and Hob only took jobs that were soft and needed more than soldiers.
He became a doctor for a while, and delivered a handful of babies before he had to guide a still-born out of a wailing mother’s womb, the whole situation too much like the one he went through himself. He cried himself to sleep that night and turned in his resignation the very next morning. After that, he worked as a store-clerk. Spent some years on the street with a guitar, translated some books from Old English to modern language, and became a chef in a three star restaurant.
...
& bubble baths
& confessions
& love
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What Is Temptation if It Is Not a Dream? by StormEnchanter
Fandoms: The Sandman (TV 2022), The Sandman (Comics)
11 Sep 2022
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Summary
“So do not mistake me for a fool, Hob Gadling, I am cognizant of your intentions and your requisition of offering me a drink at another establishment. If it did not break our already agreed upon rules, I would be forced to decline for other reasons alone.”
Dream pulls back, just enough so that he can watch the faint hints of pink spread across Hob’s cheeks, the slight bob of his Adam’s apple in the long column of his throat. Hob inhales a steadying breath to ask, “And what reasons are those?” His breath all but catches in his throat, a delicious shiver rolling down his back when Dream speaks.
“If it weren’t so dangerous for you, Hob Gadling, I would indulge you and you would never be so bold again to think of another, but as it were you will wait hundreds of years more until I make your dreams a reality.”
****
Or: Dream is aware of the type of daydreams Hob Gadling has, the sort where the immortal mortal, pushes Dream up against the nearest wall and kisses him until they're both breathless. Dream of course, being the little shit he is, doesn't reveal that he knows until 1789.Bookmarked by TheResearcher
12 Jun 2026
Bookmarker's Notes
Dream may not be mortal, but he is a god and gods do not grant desires so easily.
So when Dream’s lips quirk in that rare smile of his, that he’s only shown Hob a handful of times. His lips pull, eyes darkening into two twin pin drops of dark ink as Hob involuntarily shudders. His daydreams pulse with want and need and they pulse even louder when Dream lifts his hand, palm settling against Hob’s neck, his fingers as cool as marble, wrap around the column of his throat to brush faintly against Hob’s nape.
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Summary
Morpheus looked at him, gaze unfocused and dark eyes outlined in darker circles. Hob knew in that instant that Morpheus had been running himself into the ground since he last saw him. The ragged, desperate breaths didn’t help.
The hand Hob grabbed was shaking, barely any movement, but it was shaking. Morpheus was the lord of dreams, he did not shake. At least, he hadn’t.
Bookmarked by TheResearcher
11 Jun 2026
Bookmarker's Notes
Morpheus stared at him, eyes searching his face for— for something, Hob didn’t know what, but if he knew, he would’ve given it to him in an instant.
He seemed to find it eventually, eyes finally settling on his own, as one of his hands let go of Hob’s arm. Hob feared for a moment, but Morpheus’ hand was back quickly, grabbing hold of Hob’s own. There was something in his hand, Morpheus was pushing something into his hand, and—
“What is this?” Hob asked, staring down. It was a key, black and skeletal, covered in so much rust Hob had half a mind to worry about tetanus.
“Open any lock with this to enter the Dreaming, straight to my chambers,” Morpheus explained, and Hob froze.
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Tags
Summary
The morning after Hob and Dream meet at the New Inn. And all that it entails.
A sequel to Absent Friends and second in the trilogy.
Series
- Part 2 of Absent Friends
Bookmarked by TheResearcher
09 Jun 2026
Bookmarker's Notes
"You were distracted."
"I'm not distracted now," Hob challenged.
"Oh? And is your head clear now?"
"Not the least bit foggy."
"Perhaps I should put you to the test, make sure you're still in charge of all your faculties."
Oh, so he was going to take that tone? That smug but playful 'you want me and you know it' tone Hob had trotted out once or twice himself. Well, it was true. Hob did want him and he was more than happy to demonstrate that right now.
Hob planted a kiss on Dream's lips. The amused chuckle that rumbled through him told Hob he'd been expecting it. Then the kiss deepened and Hob held back a sigh. While they kissed, Hob slipped his hands under Dream's shirt. Hob ran his fingers over his stomach, and he could feel Dream smiling against his lips.
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Tags
Summary
In which Dream worries about being an ungrateful boyfriend and lover. Pillow talk and damage control ensues.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 1,092
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Collections:
- 1
- Comments:
- 38
- Kudos:
- 1,417
- Bookmarks:
- 129
- Hits:
- 8,640
Bookmarked by TheResearcher
07 Jun 2026
Bookmarker's Notes
Of course Dream is already lucid and sound, as if he hasn’t dug his nails into the meat of Hob’s back and panted his name upon being brought to the edge over and over again and kept there for until a good five minutes ago with Hob inside him. Inhuman refractory period and everything. As for Hob, he still needs some time to confidently tell apart left from right after each round.
...
“Alright love, time for damage control.” He reaches out to take Dream’s hands in between his, wondering for the umpteenth time about the softness of his skin. “First and foremost. Even if you were just using me for your own pleasure, I would thank you for it.”
“You cannot say such things.” Dream interrupts immediately, anxious disapproval clear on his face. “You cannot mean it.”
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Tags
Summary
He was there. Eyes like twin stars, skin as luminous as the moon’s surface, looming over Hob’s supine form.
“Hello sweet Dream,” Hob murmured, a smile split across his face.
“Hello,” Dream returned in his low reverberating tone. He grew over Hob like a shadow crawling up the wallpaper, knees and elbows caging the other man in against the mattress.
Bookmarked by TheResearcher
06 Jun 2026
Bookmarker's Notes
“When we are together, I would command your full attention,” Dream’s voice turned sharp and demanding, eyes full of threat and danger. He fit their hips together and rocked hard against Hob. The motion pulled a stuttered moan from between Hob’s lips, and he shivered under Dream’s unwavering gaze. “I suppose I shall have to make it so your mind is unable to wander.”
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lonesome nights are over by thewalrus_said for neverwrites
Fandoms: The Sandman (TV 2022)
08 Sep 2022
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Summary
Hob's restraint broke at the one-year mark, six months since the start of their odd, circumstantial friendship. "Tell me truly, Dream, have you ever paid for a drink in your life?"
Dream blinked, looking down at his half-empty glass. "What?" he asked, a rare loss of words from him.
"Every month, someone pays for your drink for you, and you've never taken them up on it," Hob said. "Were you really not interested in any of them?"
"Interested?" Dream's brow furrowed, like he was trying to understand and couldn't. "Interested in what?"
Bookmarked by TheResearcher
06 Jun 2026
Bookmarker's Notes
Hob learned two things about Dream that night, when they made it back to his flat: one, that Dream kissed like he smiled, surprisingly and thrillingly; and two, that the slope of his back when Hob had him on all fours in his bed was possibly the most beautiful mathematical equation Hob had ever seen.
...
“You’re very free with your compliments,” Dream said. The faintest hint of a blush touched his cheeks, gone almost before Hob could notice it.
“You seem like a boy who hasn’t been complimented enough,” Hob said, before he could really think it through. Dream just blinked at him, though, so Hob added, “You also seem like a boy who’s never made his own breakfast before.” Dream looked amused but didn’t deny it. “I’ll give you a lesson in the morning, and we’ll see how that goes before we talk about dates.”
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Tags
Summary
Dream is given a second chance. Terrified by loneliness and drowning in humanity, he goes to find the only fixed point he has ever known. Hob Gadling.
Dream found himself explaining everything, the words tumbling out of him in a halting confession. The Kindly Ones, the choice to end or change. His siblings’ intervention.
“They… found a compromise. This form, it is mortal-adjacent. I must eat, sleep and breathe. I feel the cold. I grow weary.” He looked down at his own hands, pale against the dark fabric of his trousers. “I am, in all ways that matter now, very much like you, Hob Gadling. My body will not age. It cannot die. Unless I choose to accept my sister’s gift. I am… suspended. Between what I was and what men are.”
Bookmarked by TheResearcher
05 Jun 2026
Bookmarker's Notes
His body no longer served as a canvas for his vastness. It was simply a container for his consciousness.
...
The street held various commuters, their minds unknowable to him now because he could no longer slide through the Dreaming to see their sleeping selves. He had only his observation, like any stranger. That realisation stung. He would have to ask people questions, speak to them, and offer to introduce himself.
How tedious.
...
“I… I did not realise,” Dream said, his voice hushed, trembling slightly with the force of his epiphany. “I did not recognise these feelings. In you… or myself.”
He met Hob’s embarrassed, hopeful gaze, and the last of his confusion fell away. “But I believe… I am beginning to understand them now.”
Dream set his glass down and prowled across the sofa on his hands and knees, the cushions dipping beneath him, the wine-softened room spinning slightly as he closed the scant distance between them.
Hob stared, completely stupefied, his mouth parted, breath hitching and his cheeks blazing apple-red. Fear and hunger warred in his wide eyes. His fingers tightened around the stem of his glass until Dream worried it might shatter.
Something primitive took hold inside of Dream. Desire surged through him like a tidal wave, overriding caution and eroding centuries of restraint.
His new body moved with fluid, reckless certainty, as if it had been waiting for this moment since its first breath. He reached out and laid his palm on Hob’s thigh. The denim was warm and coarse beneath his fingertips. He pushed upward, slowly and deliberately, following the hard line of muscle.
Hob’s reaction was a strangled squeak that curled into something dangerously close to a moan. His eyes fluttered shut, then snapped open again, pupils blown wide.
“Forgive me for riling you,” Dream murmured, his voice rough with need, fingers pressing more firmly, testing the flex of Hob’s thigh. “For making you uncomfortable.”
He leant closer, his breath fanning across Hob’s cheek. “Yet I find I cannot be sorry that you desire me. If I have anything to say about the matter, I would have you desire me still.”
His hand slid higher, skimming over the seam where thigh met hip, drawing a shiver from Hob.
...
Then Hob’s mouth touched him.
It was not a tentative brush. Hob Gadling, with nearly seven centuries of life and love etched into his bones, knew exactly what he was doing.
His lips sealed around the crown, hot and wet and perfect, and his tongue swirled a devastating pattern over Dream’s sensitive slit.
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Then I see you, you're walking 'cross the campus by academic_of_the_endless
Fandoms: The Sandman (TV 2022)
22 Feb 2023
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Summary
Hob Gadling was by default, a relatively forgetful man. Not so much in long-term memory, but when it came to short-term stuff like dates or events – he was hopeless. He’d never found himself forgetting a date with his stranger, however, not until today.
Hob accidentally double-books himself and ends up taking Dream to campus with him.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 4,021
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Collections:
- 1
- Comments:
- 29
- Kudos:
- 455
- Bookmarks:
- 41
- Hits:
- 4,977
Bookmarked by TheResearcher
02 Jun 2026
Bookmarker's Notes
A soft hand on top of his, perhaps that hand on other parts of him after the lecture. The podium as a surface to lean against as his friend thrusts into him repeatedly. Breathy moans, trying to be quiet to avoid getting caught. Pale alabaster skin and a slim defined body…
Hob snaps out of his daydream quickly. Thankfully he wasn’t in his own head for too long and his students haven’t noticed. Dream is looking back at him, but he looks away again quickly. Several students approach the podium.
“Can we pet the cat, Robert?” One girl asks, he remembers her from a literary analysis seminar a few weeks ago. At the question Dream looks up and Hob stares back. He’s about to say the cat doesn’t want to be touched right now when he sees Dream give a small incline of his head. In slight disbelief he nods at the student.
“Yeah, sure. His name’s, uhm…” Hob panics, what does someone call Dream as a cat? “His name is Snuggles.”
Hob tries not to laugh as Dream makes a sound like coughing up a furball, he’ll have to apologise to his friend, but the temptation was too much. The students head towards Dream, or Snuggles, and pet him. Hob nearly chokes on a laugh when he realises Dream is purring. As Snuggles is being lathered with attention Hob sees a student with a familiar face approach him.
“So, Professor. I was stuck on this assignment we have for next week. I know you aren’t our usual teacher for this class but I was wondering if you’d be willing to look over my work. Perhaps we could get a coffee in the canteen?” The student looks at him through round-rimmed glasses. Hob is vaguely aware of Dream watching the interaction.
“Oh, hello Michael. I appreciate you asking, but, I am incredibly busy.” Michael, Hob now remembers his name from previous approaches, looks slightly dejected but still offers a small smile. He swallows and Hob sees his Adam’s apple move with the motion.
“Anything I can help with professor?”
“No, it’s all good Michael. Speak to your usual tutor if you’re having issues.” Michael seems to get the hint that his professor will unfortunately not be trying to lose his job today and steps away, heading over to pet Dream.
All the other students have left, Hob notices, so when Michael goes to pet Snuggles and he lunges suddenly at his arm no one is left to hear his sharp cry. Perhaps he will be losing his job after all.
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Tags
Summary
Sometimes Morpheus surprises him by responding to things. Morpheus very rarely, nearly never, initiates something.
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 2,041
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Collections:
- 1
- Comments:
- 26
- Kudos:
- 639
- Bookmarks:
- 77
- Hits:
- 4,562
Bookmarked by TheResearcher
01 Jun 2026
Bookmarker's Notes
“Talk to me, Morpheus,” he prompts, because he doesn’t entirely trust Morpheus to tell him if he doesn’t like something. Morpheus is wonderful, obviously, Hob trusts him with his own life often enough that he knows that Morpheus is someone to be admired in many, many aspects. One of those aspects, however, is not self-preservation, and Morpheus is stupid enough to consider his own well-being nearly last in every situation.
Hob isn’t about to unpack all of that with two fingers in Morpheus, so, for now, he’s dealing with it by making Morpheus talk to him, god damn it.
“It’s— strange,” he finally says, and Hob slows, just in case, “not bad, only— it feels like an intrusion,”
Hob slows way down, pressing a hot kiss to the inside of Morpheus’s knee, before he says, “yell if you want me to stop.” Morpheus nods, and now he’s watching Hob finger him, and, god, it feels like a blessing, he’s in love, he’ll do anything for this mess of a creature.
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no fate(for you are my fate by Delta_Pavonis
Fandoms: The Sandman (Comics), The Sandman (TV 2022)
24 Jul 2024
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Summary
It is only when tears start to slide down his cheeks that Hob moves, first to wipe at his face and then to swallow down the rest of the pint in one long go of it. He has come to a decision. “Alright,” Hob slams the empty glass down on the table, startling Daniel enough to make him flinch. “Let’s go then.” He gets up, gathering his coat and heads toward the door.
“What are you…” Daniel starts reaching out as Hob walks past.
Hob turns back to him. “My flat is just down a ways. I need stronger liquor and a more comfortable chair for this conversation, if you wish to have it.” Then he tilts his head in invitation and continues out the door.
Series
- Part 9 of Dream Songs
Bookmarked by TheResearcher
01 Jun 2026
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Summary
When he falls asleep Hob, more often than not, appears at Dream's side in the Dreaming. This night he doesn't... well, not exactly.
That Hob had appeared outside the door suggested that Dream was inside the room. Inside the room and waiting for him. Hob couldn’t suppress his shiver. Dream was waiting with something behind that door and given the very nature of what they had created within that space… Hob shivered again.
Set sometime after Hypnopompia turtur
Series
- Part 8 of Dream Songs
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 11,777
- Chapters:
- 3/3
- Collections:
- 1
- Comments:
- 131
- Kudos:
- 594
- Bookmarks:
- 55
- Hits:
- 9,863
Bookmarked by TheResearcher
01 Jun 2026
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Seether (is Neither) by Delta_Pavonis
Fandoms: The Sandman (TV 2022), The Sandman (Comics)
17 Jan 2023
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Summary
With one knee on the bed Hob looked down upon his lover, laid out like that feast he had paid an exorbitant amount for back in 1589. Delicate flavors, savory morsels, all for him this time. Just for Hob. He would sup on Dream tonight, lick his fill of marble skin, drink in viscous moans, sink teeth into muscle, and gnaw at bones until he got to the marrow of it, until he could suck at Dream's very essence.
An interlude in the Dreaming, aka why Dream had to build a sex room.
Takes place between Hypnopompia turtur and Divination.
Series
- Part 7 of Dream Songs
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 10,854
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Collections:
- 2
- Comments:
- 30
- Kudos:
- 360
- Bookmarks:
- 39
- Hits:
- 5,517
Bookmarked by TheResearcher
30 May 2026
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Hypnopompia turtur by Delta_Pavonis for melinyel
Fandoms: The Sandman (TV 2022), The Sandman (Comics)
22 Sep 2022
Tags
Summary
Hypnopompia: the transitional awareness between sleep and wakefulness
Streptopelia turtur: the scientific name of the European Turtle DoveDream bided his time until Hob spoke, keeping both of them motionless as Hob collected his wits, gently petting his neck all the while, still stretched as it was over his shoulder. "Yes," Morpheus could feel the vibrations of Hob’s vocal cords under his palm as he finally vocalized his desires. It started soft, but increased in amplitude and confidence as he went on. "Yes. Yes, I want that.”
“Want what?” He had to be sure. “You have to tell me, lover.”
Hob moaned and shuddered again. He wasn’t sure he could voice it, but knew he had to. “Please, Dream. Please take me both here and in the Waking World. Please let me wake up filled with your cock.”
Occurs sometime after Eros in Pragma
Series
- Part 6 of Dream Songs
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 3,508
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Collections:
- 2
- Comments:
- 97
- Kudos:
- 1,064
- Bookmarks:
- 88
- Hits:
- 9,687
Bookmarked by TheResearcher
28 May 2026
Bookmarker's Notes
“Do you know what gadling means, my dear Hob? In the older Anglian tongues?” Hob shook his head and Dream let a gentle smile alight on his face. “Companion.” He pressed his forehead to Hob’s, noses brushing, and stared directly into his eyes. “I have no wedding bed for you, nor child to bear,” At that Hob let out a shaking sob, leaned his forehead harder into Dream. “But I would have you as my companion, Hob, if I am your dove.”
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To Worship on a Marble Altar by Delta_Pavonis
Fandoms: The Sandman (TV 2022), The Sandman (Comics)
06 Sep 2022
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Summary
Eons ago peoples had worshiped the Dream King, made sacrifices and chanted prayers, but Morpheus had never found it to his taste. And yet this. This.
Series
- Part 4 of Dream Songs
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 2,294
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Collections:
- 1
- Comments:
- 60
- Kudos:
- 1,202
- Bookmarks:
- 79
- Hits:
- 12,166
Bookmarked by TheResearcher
28 May 2026
Bookmarker's Notes
Dream divided his attention, a copy of himself appearing at the column behind which Matthew had fallen. He made sure this version was fully clothed, purely for the poor bird's sake. "Satisfied?"
The raven managed to look both embarrassed and angry. "Christ on a cracker, boss, you could have just told me it was your boyfriend waiting patiently to fuck you senseless. I woulda let you be." He shook his head as if to clear his mind.
"Now where is the fun in that?"
"Certainly not over here. Excuse me while I go find where you store the brain bleach…" Matthew took to the air muttering something about not being able to get drunk anymore.
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Whispers to the Night by Delta_Pavonis
Fandoms: The Sandman (TV 2022), The Sandman (Comics)
05 Sep 2022
Tags
Summary
Robert Gadling had - as someone current in the latest linguistic fashion might say - a mouth on him.
Series
- Part 2 of Dream Songs
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 389
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Collections:
- 2
- Comments:
- 55
- Kudos:
- 1,218
- Bookmarks:
- 75
- Hits:
- 12,264
Bookmarked by TheResearcher
26 May 2026
Bookmarker's Notes
“The fact that you can still form coherent sentences is fast becoming an insult to my prowess, Hob Gadling. ” A flush of red darkened the skin beneath Dream’s fingers. “Perhaps I should leave and allow you to find a more satisfying bedmate?”
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Summary
Dream and Hob's journey from getting together to full Dom/sub relationship. Picks up from their reunion at The New Inn in the TV series and goes forward. Will include selected bits from the comics as well as a heavy dose of my own timeline.
- Words:
- 53,919
- Works:
- 9
- Bookmarks:
- 207
Bookmarked by TheResearcher
26 May 2026
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Tags
Summary
Hob is learning to manipulate his form in the Dreaming. After several spectacular failures involving tentacle fingers and radioactive pink hair, he decides to get creative. Inspired by Dream's effortless shapeshifting, Hob attempts to change his sex. He succeeds. Sort of. From the waist down.
Naturally, he calls his lover over to show off.
Dream looked up then, his gaze travelling the long way up Hob's body to meet his eyes. A strange, almost proud smile touched his lips.
"You did indeed do a good job," Dream said, his voice a low, resonant murmur that vibrated in the quiet space between them. "It is a very pretty cunt."
Bookmarked by TheResearcher
24 May 2026
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Tags
Summary
Sometimes the pain of our past surprise us. Sometimes it grabs our ankle and pulls us down and down and down and downer.
Series
- Part 6 of Dream My Love
- Language:
- English
- Words:
- 1,502
- Chapters:
- 1/1
- Collections:
- 1
- Comments:
- 6
- Kudos:
- 154
- Bookmarks:
- 12
- Hits:
- 1,099
Bookmarked by TheResearcher
24 May 2026