It was dark; he hadn't seen the car. He'd been on the phone, talking, laughing, smiling. It was nothing important, nothing even worth remembering, but because of who he spoke with, it was everything. He tapped his foot and laughed at the words uttered by the voice in his ear. The light flickered green. He waited a moment, then he walked.
He didn't see the car. For him, there was only a flash of lights, then darkness fluttering as wings over his eyes. After, nothing.
Hob didn't see the car. He didn't feel the crash. He didn't stand a chance.
- - -
"Boss! Slow down, I need to-" the raven squealed something sounding suspiciously like fuck as he was grabbed by the hospital staff. Unhearing to the raven's plight, Dream continued on.
He'd been in hospitals before, as he was always with everyone. He'd spent countless nights comforting worried patients. He'd watched families cry and pray. He'd even sat beside doctors and nurses as they burned the midnight oil for their patients. Dream knew hospitals in the painful, hopeful way that only dreams can.
But never had Dream been in a hospital like this. Completely and utterly lost. He wandered through the halls as if blind, desperately hoping at the turn of every corner.
Who knows how long he had wandered until someone friendly finally stopped him. "Hey." The nurse grabbed his shoulders to steady him. "Are you okay? Where are you supposed to be?"
Dream forced himself to blink, to be the human he appeared to be. His tongue felt alien in his mouth. "Where... Where is he?"
"Who? Oh..."
Those hands on his shoulder were replaced with others. Ones warm and gentle. He looked. "You."
"Yes, Dream."
"You promised," he growled. It was weak, powerless.
"I did." Death smiled. It was soft, knowing. She let go of his shoulders and took his hands instead.
"You..." Weak. Powerless. Lost.
"Come," she said, studying his face.
He let her lead him. He couldn't have stopped her even if he had wanted to.
She stopped at a door, gestured for Dream to go in, and pushed him when he didn't.
Dream stumbled in, stumbled down, and for a moment he simply stayed that way, eyes staring at the ground, at the cold hard floor. He traced the tiles a few times and watched a few tears splash onto them. Finally, he forced himself to look up. There was a bed. A hospital bed, for he was in a hospital. And on the bed was Hob Gadling.
"Dream, honey, is something wrong?" Hob asked from where he sat, legs idly swinging off the side. "Are you okay?"
Hob didn't even have time to blink before Dream had trapped him in a hug.
"Dream..." Hob had lived long enough to know to hug back, tight as he could with no questions asked. "It's okay. It's gonna be okay."
"I thought I'd lost you," Dream choked on a sob.
"I'm right as rain, love. You can thank your sister for that." Hob waved at Death, who waved back before disappearing. "Not a scratch. Doctors still insisted on keeping me for some tests. But Dream, I'm fine. Promise."
Dream looked up. His tears had soaked Hob's shirt, but he didn't have the energy to be embarrassed. "Truly?"
"Yes." Hob laughed. "It was dark; I didn't see the car, but a car can't kill me. I can't die, remember?"
There was a dangerous glint in his eyes. At last, Dream forced a smile. "Yes."
He let go. Hob offered up a seat on the bed beside him. As he sat down, Hob looked him over. "Were you really that worried?"
Dream nodded.
"Aw. That's cute."
He blushed.
"Dream of the endless, worried about little old me. His 'not friend'."
To silence Dream's protests, Hob trapped him in another hug.
"It's alright." He chuckled. "I'll keep your secret."
He let go. Dream sat, stunned, drowned in affection.
"Oh, Dream?"
He struggled to reply, too distracted by the warm fuzzy feeling in his chest. "Hmm?"
"I'm not dying anytime soon. You're stuck with me!"
His smile, bright as the sun, made Dream's heart break out in fireworks. "I wouldn't want it any other way, Hob Gadling."
