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gabessquishytum · 4 days

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Young catboy Dream gets kicked from home by his breeder because he is infertile. The breeder didn't sell him when he was a kitten specifically because of his appearance - with the right match, he could have given a few fantastically beautiful (and expensive!) litters - but now that it turns out he can't be bred, there's no reason to keep him. Dream is both hurt and relieved. The truth is, he's never wanted to be a brood mare cat. Participating in the shows, mating with someone only because they've good breed characteristics and then parting to never see each other again... It always sounded terrible to Dream. So, the good thing is he's free to go and do whatever he wants now. The bad thing is he's constantly cold and hungry. Surviving on the streets is no joke: it often rains, finding a proper shelter and not being kicked out there by a stronger stray or a human is a real challenge, and food…food is another issue in itself. There's rarely something edible in trash cans to begin with, and even getting past other catpeople is difficult. Dream tries to fight, but he's not exactly the strongest cat out there and frequently gets beaten. Several well-established strays offer him food and protection if he becomes their plaything, but Dream refuses despite his empty belly. If he still has something left, that's his pride, and he won't present to someone for a can of tuna, thank you very much. One night, he wanders into the borough where he hasn't been for a while and sees a new pub. It looks like an establishment that most likely has hot dishes on the menu, and if it's really that new, maybe no catperson has claimed its trash cans yet! Full of hope (and daring to dream of fish-and-chips leftovers), Dream rushes to the back door only to run into a human. Hob Gadling - the pub owner who also happens to live in the apartment above - simply went for a smoke after closing the shift. He likes the sounds of the city at night, and having a breather once everyone is gone has already become his little tradition. Which gets interrupted by a mass of wet fur and sharp bones that collides with him and falls to the ground with a piteous mewling. Dream knows that humans are no good, and he should get back on his feet and run away, but he's so, so exhausted and hungry he can't hold back tears anymore. Hob panics. First, what if the poor thing has broken something? Second, this catboy has the most beautiful eyes Hob's ever seen. Okay, he is just the most beautiful thing Hob's ever laid his eyes on. You know what? There are many reasons to panic when you fall in love at first sight and your love is crying in a puddle. Hob helps the catboy to stand and offers him to come in. Being outdoors after unplanned puddle bathing won't do him any good, cat or not. Hob can run him a hot bath. And make something to eat. He knows he's babbling, but he just can't shut up and gather his faculties with how beautiful this catboy is and how his heart breaks for his condition. Meanwhile, Dream just decides to go with it. He's too tired. If this human wants to take him somewhere warm and...do things to him, Dream won't fight. If he behaves, maybe this human - Hob, he says his name is Hob - will even allow Dream to stay the night and have something to eat. Dream agrees to come with him.

Oh I am deeply invested in stray catperson Dream!!!!!!

Hob takes him upstairs in the warm, cozy pub, and as soon as they get into the flat he gets busy fussing over Dream. Wrapping him in a big towel, sitting him down on the sofa, still babbling about how he's so sorry and that Dream will be safe, here. Dream has a rather vacant expression on his face until Hob presents him with a cup of hot milk, which he guzzles down so quickly he doesn't even have time to burn his tongue.

Dream does have clothes (his previous owner was kind enough not to strip him naked before dumping him) but they're torn up and now soaking and muddy too. Hob comes from his bedroom with an armful of hoodies, sweatshirts, pyjamas and jogging bottoms for Dream to choose from. He can't have his poor little love shivering in those rags for a moment longer.

Dream takes the fact that the man is dressing him, rather than undressing him, as basically a good sign.

There are many other wonderful things that evening. More warm milk. A bath. Beans on toast. A big cozy blanket tucked around Dream’s shoulders, and firm gentle hands brushing out his damp fur. Inevitably he falls asleep on the sofa, having just shyly rolled over and allowed Hob to rub his belly.

Hob falls even more deeply in love. His heart aches as he gently carries Dream off to bed and tucks him in. He is so in love with this beautiful, scared catboy already. But what if Dream decides to leave? Surely he wouldn't be crazy enough to stay with a complete stranger for longer than a night...?

In fact, Dream has made a decision: he's going nowhere, not until Hob picks him up by the scruff and throws him out. Even then he'll stay skulking around the bins behind the inn. There's no way he's leaving this place that has the warmsafehome smell. No way he's leaving Hob, who bathed him so carefully without once touching him inappropriately. Who cuddled him in the night when he had a bad dream and needed comfort.

These days you'll catch Dream tucking in to fish and chips at his favourite table in the inn. Tail swishing happily, he'll smile across at Hob as he works behind the bar. Very much the cat who got the cream. Maybe Hob will pass by and kiss his forehead while stealing a chip. It's the domestic fantasy Dream never imagined he could have.

And stray catpeople are always welcome at the New Inn. As long as they don't flirt with the owner. He's very much Dream’s territory.

#the sandman #dreamling #nsft #cw hybrids #cw homelessness #cw breeding #catboys

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lostinbooks14 · 6 months

Text

Times in the Wilderness

Sleep? Bad Idea

A scream pierced through the still night air, and he wasn't sure if it was him or someone else, but he stumbled off his bed and slammed the door open and ran down the corridor, waving a chicken nugget in the air.

"Josh, hey Josh, where are you? They've got chicken nuggets today! C'mon bro! I brought you one in case they run out by the time we get back."

It was his strangely high pitched voice that made him realise he was in a dream.

No way was he going to go in that room, with its laughter and inside jokes that had turned into glassy eyes and vomit because he wasn't good enough to realise Josh was hurting.

So he burst through another door, really, he should've known better.

There was more screaming and crying, the walls turning into metal bars and the ground turning to cold stone as he fell on his knees and clutched another body.

Another life. The fifth person who's blood was on his hands.

He dropped her body in a way he never would've in real life, but his mind was screaming get out, get out, get out, over and over again as he dodged cars and motorbikes going way over the speed limit as he tried to reach the other side.

The road wouldn't stop. He could see the opposite sidewalk and a familiar super marker a few meters ahead, but he'd been weaving and dodging for what was surely hours, so why wasn't he on the other side?

Oh. Right. Dream. He almost forgot.

The thought seemed to stop everything. He finally reached the sidewalk and turned around, panting.

The cars were gone. Replaced by a zebra crossing. The traffic lights on either side of the road showed a glowing green cartoon man. He saw the two kids on the other side. A nine year old blonde girl and her six year old blonde brother. He shouldn't have left them alone.

The girl ran forward, boy close at her heels, but just as the girl climbed onto the sidewalk, his shoelaces came untied, the light turned red, and he tripped.

He knew what would happen before it did, so he dodged the girl's hug and ran forward, knowing it was a dream, but still hoping everything could change.

He collided with the car, heard screaming that sounded just like his own, and then he fell off the table.

The gears and wires of his beautiful machine was spread around him, broken.

He looked up.

At the machine shop.

Somehow, this was still his worst memory, simply because, if it wasn't for that night, none of the other horrible things would've happened.

"Mama?"

Tap tap tap tap tap

The flames licked up the sides of the building, the heat unbearably hot and the smoke unbearably suffocating. He was fire proof, so neither of those could happen.

"Leo! Leo!" Thump. Thump. Thump. "You have to calm down, mijo. Can you hear me?" Something hit the door. Bang. "Everything will be okay! My phone's in my jacket, mijo." Bang. Cough. Bang. "Call 911, ok? 911." Cough. Cough.

His hands fumbled in the pockets of his mom's too-big army jacket. Sobs and whimpers escaping his lips as hot tears poured down his face.

He pulled out the phone.

"Mama...it won't open...it's de- black..." He was speaking with a strange numbness, as if he already knew that she wasn't going to make it out of this. As if he already knew that this time, his little accident, as Mama calls it- used to call it- was fatal.

Everything was quiet for a second, then the coughing started again.

"It's okay," she croaked. "Mijo, mij-" She started coughing violently. And then he heard the tapping.

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

I love you.

"Think of this night when they ask you to defy me, diablo." The blow torch got closer, the closed eyes opening and earthy smell being replaced by the smell of tacos and smoke. And he was screaming, screaming, screaming.

And then he woke up.

#heroes of olympus #leo valdez #times in the wilderness #leo hoo #peeking into leos past #yes i was too bored to search up the actual morse code for ily #sorry it took so long #i had to write an essay about this dream for eng and i lost loads of marks for it so was pissed about dreams #leo valdez angst #leo angst

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