The Pouch Opened ( Dream of the Endless x Reader )
Warning(s): Regular John and Johanna warnings. Song: Mr.Sandman by (Cover) Blind Guardian
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Title: The Pouch Opened Description: An exorcism, a sister, a Dream, oh my! Pairing: Dream of the Endless [ Morpheus ] x Reader Fandom: The Sandman ( Comics and Netflix Series ) Word Count: 5,005 Previous Chapter: A Favor Called Next Chapter: Two Demons and a Dream Story Index
London, 2022
Another Lovely Rainy London Day. You were used to it at this point. You just had to remember that with the rain came rainbows! Plus, the rain gave you puddles to jump in. Sure, it might be a little childish but it made life a bit more livable. It felt natural for you to react that way. Sometimes you couldn't explain why you acted the way you did. It was simply engrained in you. At least John accepted you for who you are. That was a plus. Outsiders liked to give you weird looks when you were just enjoying your life. You didn't care most of the time.
"Do you think there will be fire?"
"Probably."
"How about cursing?"
"Most of 'em do."
"What about puke?"
"I hope not. Jesus, love, did you just watch the Exorcist?"
"... Maybe."
"Well, there better not be any split pea soup involved tonight." John shook his head, a warmth spreading across his chest as he heard you giggle. It was a nice sound.
It was strange for John Constantine. Most of his relationships with the ladies involved a night or two spent together doing some stuff not to be repeated. But, you were an exception. He never thought about you in that way. Sure, he could admit you were attractive but if you were to share a bed, he wouldn't even think about making a move! You were special. You were like Chas, a ride or die. Even if he couldn't remember how you met or how long you had been traveling together, it didn't matter. You were one of his closest mates.
John knew only a few facts about the time the two of you had spent together. He knew that you had traveled with him for two years now overall. He couldn't say why you started to travel with him exactly. He knew you were in danger, a target to the supernatural for some reason. He could sense some power in you; it was dim but there. It turned out to be enough of a spark to allow you to do magic, though you weren't nearly as good as he was. At this point, you just followed where he went and that was the end of it. You wouldn't stay back anymore, instead insisting on helping. That just added to his stress during jobs.
"Hello, Jo!" You waved, a big grin on your face as you shook John from his thoughts. The woman in the distance turned, hands in her deep blue trench coat's pockets. It was amusing how all of you were wearing your own version of a trench coat. Johanna had her navy blue which was snug against her body, you had your gold that was tighter at the top with a loose bottom, and John had his tan which made him look like a walking rectangle. To be fair, it was the best jacket for this type of weather. Plus, it has a bunch of pockets! Always has room for things you might find while you were out.
The woman the two of you approached was Johanna Constantine, the older twin sister of John. You knew she must dye her hair as blonde seemed to run in the family as the dominant trait, figuring that out after she showed you a picture of the woman whom she was named after. Instead of blonde, she had deep brunette hair. She was shorter than her brother by an inch or two but held the same reserve in her eyes. The biggest difference was their smile. John liked to keep his face in a neutral frown (when he wasn't while Johanna often times was smirking as if she knew something you didn't. She likely did.
"Yeah, hello, Jo." John copied, earning a harsh glare from his sister. That nickname was reserved for few and her brother wasn't on that list. But she let it roll off of her like water off a duck's back, her attention shifting back to you.
"I wasn't sure if you would be joining us tonight. Thought 'ol Johnny boy here might have left you at home." There was the revenge for the nickname. John couldn't help but wince at the words 'Johnny Boy' falling from his sister's lips. He had to keep reminding himself that he was here for a reason, he couldn't just leave because he was annoyed with his family. This wasn't just a friendly visit.
Deep down, he did love his sister but the two of them were too alike to get along easily. They both were hard-headed and had confidence to spare. One would find some flaw in the other's plan and lead to some type of argument between them. You had served as a mediator. It had been worse when you weren't traveling with John. It always would end with the two vowing to never see each other again. In reality, it was only a few weeks before they were back on speaking terms.
"He tried but I said that I would follow him if he did, so he just took me anyway."
"I've never seen someone more excited to go to an exorcism."
"What's not to like? You get to be in pretty churches sometimes, you are fighting off evil, and you are helping someone at the end of the day. It just feels natural to me."
"Don't forget the trying not to die part." John's eyes scanned the cathedral where they would be performing the exorcism. He hadn't been in this one, strange with how big it was. Johanna must have it covered most of the time. It truly was strange that she needed help. He would have been more comfortable if you had stayed at the flat.
"Eh, all good things come with a little bit of danger." You chuckled, bumping into John playfully, "Now who's ready to go kick some demon butt?"
"You're gonna be the death of me..." John tossed the cigarette he was smoking to the ground and snubbed it out with the toe of his boot. He had a feeling that this was going to be a long night.
"Come on little brother, at least it won't be boring."
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Exorcisms rarely go the way they are supposed to. John knew that intimately. You could only plan so much when dealing with these forces. It also took some good improvisation. Right off the cuff thinking, quick-witted and smart. He liked to think he was pretty skilled in all of those factors. His sister might like to argue against that. Eh, who cares.
He hadn't expected this exorcism to be any different, not really. It was just hard to plan for the unplannable. His sole focus was keeping the couple safe, that's what he told himself though deep down he knew that wasn't the whole truth. The number one rule in these situations was to keep you safe. It was nice when you stayed back at the flat or hotel, wherever the pair of you were staying. It was rare but nice; he didn't have to worry about you while also dealing with the demon. Today had not been one of those days. You really could be stubborn at times.
The demon was thrust out of the woman, causing the couple to run away in fright as soon as the opportunity presented itself. They had been lucky this time. The demon didn't burst out of the woman, instead coming out as black slime from her mouth, nose, and eyes. She may have felt like she couldn't breathe and was having the worst case of food poisoning, but she hadn't split in half. That was the good part, always look on the bright side of a situation, especially when demons were involved.
The evil creature was huge with the face of a bull and the body of a muscular man. Black blood trickled down from its empty eye sockets. Its tongue lulled out from a hole in its cheek. How disgusting. Anytime you saw a demon, you got the chills. Would you ever get used to their cold aura? There was just something about them that seemed to affect you more than John. Perhaps it was the experience he had that helped him.
"Damn mate, you have a rough day, huh?" John grumbled, hands glowing a bright yellow. His classic sigil hoovered just above his fingertips, blocking an organ piano as it was thrown his way. The demon howled at the failed attack, watching as the instrument exploded on impact, keys showering down around the mage. A cacophony of sound rang out on impact like someone just slammed their hands down on the piano.
"Don't set the bloody church on fire, Johnny-Boy."
"Johanna, I know! I'm not even using any fire yet!"
"Key word, yet. Just saying, you can get a little pyromaniac at times."
"Wot?!"
As he turned to face his twin, a large hooved hand walloped him right in the side, sending him smashing into the wall. The beautiful stained-glass window open shattered and the colored shards rained down on the crumpled-up form of the man. He would surely have some bruised ribs, if not some broken from that. He would be sore tomorrow. Great. John liked to whine whenever he got hurt in any way. That was if you survived this encounter, to begin with.
Switching its attention, the demon gave a huge stomp, causing the floor to break up in Johanna's direction and causing the woman to lose her footing. Pieces of the floor began to fall into the basement level of the church, creating piles of what used to be the wooden floor. Grunting, she pushed herself up on her elbows and rolled out of the way just in time to keep from following the debris down.
You couldn't remember what the plan had initially been, something about exorcising the demon while it stayed within the woman's body? That sounded right. It would help limit the damage it could do both to the people and its surroundings. But when it became clear it was causing harm to the woman, then there was no other option than to get it out first. Yet, this demon wasn't one to be messed with. That's for sure. The twins told you to stay in the back but they looked like they needed help! You were supposed to keep anyone from entering the church. That had been your job. Really, it was just because John wanted you at a distance. Still, your friends were in danger. Screw it! Hopefully, the noise would keep any curious onlookers outside.
"Excuse me!" You ran through the pews, shouting at the non-existent pew-seated onlookers. As you ran, you watched the demon turn to face you. Though he had no eyes, you knew he could see you. A terrifying grin formed on its face, skin ripping where the hole was. Bigger and bigger! It made your stomach turn but you couldn't stop now. No time for throwing up. Your friends needed you! This wasn't the first demon you dealt with. You could do this. You just had to keep reminding yourself that. You could do this. You could- Woah!
"What, a new little pest?" The voice was deep and rumbled across the ground. Goodness, gracious! It leaned down, allowing its face to be level with your entire body as you were running up. You were tiny compared to this thing! You swore you heard John mumble something out but it was indecipherable in the chaos of sounds that was occurring around you. Everything seemed so loud. You just needed to focus on what was in front of you.
A hooved hand hit the ground a few feet ahead of you, sending you flying up in the air as if you were jumping on a trampoline. The demon then caught you as you fell, landing on the hard hoof, it rising back up to its full height. Oh my! You weren't afraid of heights, per-say but you still knew being up this high wasn't your best option. You weren't scared but you also weren't dumb. It would be nice if he put you down. Gently. Slowly.
"You would make a good vessel." The snout came closer and as it exhaled, hot air covered you. Ew! If it sneezed, you were over and done with. Death by a sneeze! You wanted to squirm away but you had to be careful- squirm too much and you would fall right off! A fall from this height would leave you as nothing but a puddle of mush on the ground.
"You need some mouthwash, mate, or maybe a mint? If you give me just a tic, I can check my bag and see if I have anything for you."
"Shut up, wisecrack!"
"Really? John always liked to say I'm really chatty. Plus, I'm always ready for a good argument. How about it? You and me, one-on-one with just our words."
"A duel?"
"Yeah!"
"I shall crush you under my hoof!"
"Word duel! Word Duel!"
"How about I just smash you now?"
"No, thank you!" You gave a sheepish, nervous grin as you fumbled at your side for the one thing that might save you now. Where was it? You knew you put it on before leaving. You never left the flat without it. It had become something of a security blanket.
"What...? What is this?! You- you are protected by...That can't be!" For the first time in this entire encounter, a look of fear crossed the demon's face. That was more like it! Its voice waivered and its hoof shook. That didn't make it any easier to stay on. It was like an extreme version of riding a bull at a bar! You weren't even drunk and still were having quite a bit of trouble! You deserved an award after this.
"You need to calm down, sir!" Hand reaching down and finally finding what you had been searching for, you grabbed a small handful of sand before tossing it right into the empty eye sockets of the demon. "Pocket sand!"
"It's from a pouch...Not your pocket" Johanna sighed to herself as she pushed herself up from the cracked ground.
"ARGH!"
And then you were falling. Sure, sending a demon into an unconscious state when it was holding you meters above the ground might not have been the best idea, you realized that now. You had been thinking in the moment! As it collapsed into a heap of red and brown flesh, you were dropped from its sharp, black hoof. Man, you needed to think these things through a bit more before you acted on your ideas. Soon you would be a human-flavored flapjack on the ground! Aw...If you died, you'd never be able to eat flapjacks again. That was sad.
"Of!" You grunted as you slammed into something hard but still surprisingly did not feel the breaking of bones or the sound of you splattering out on the wood floor. Peeking one eye open, you were greeted by yellow light and came to realize you were on a disk, a floating disk to be exact! Huh! Had you done that? You really were getting better at this magic stuff-
"Warn me next time you are about to go free falling to your death, alright love? I don't have Feather Fall for ya all the time."
Oh. Nope, you hadn't done it, John had. That shouldn't be too surprising. He was standing with one of his arms outstretched, the other wrapped around his lower torso. He was hurt and would surely bruise. Yet the important thing was that he would survive. Slowly he moved his hand down and with it, the disk followed. It would have almost been fun like an amusement park ride in a different situation.
"Hey, I saved you two! Don't get that upset." You hopped off the disk once you were just a few feet from the ground, landing gracefully with a bow. If only you had someone to applaud you. Oh well. You could just pretend.
"By almost dying yourself?"
"You do that all the time!"
"Kids, kids," Johanna spoke up from where she stood next to the sleeping demon, "We can talk about this later. For now, let us banish this thing back to where it belongs before it wakes up. We don't need another fight on our hands, I think we've already done enough damage for the night., yeah?"
"Okay, mum!" You stuck your tongue out playfully.
"Do not call me that."
"Wait, we aren't going to have to pay for the damages, right?"
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"Wasn't that sweet?" You hummed, skipping to be a step or two in front of the twins. The night lights of London reflected off of the puddles, wavering only when you jumped in them. When you lived a life filled with such dark forces like demons, you knew the importance of enjoying the little things in life. Nothing embarrassed you anymore. There wasn't enough time in your life to let yourself feel that way.
"Sweet? That demon was gonna eat that couple after it forced them to wed. I don't think that would be sweet."
"Ah, that part wasn't so good, I'll admit. But the bride's dress was so pretty and the church was lit up with so many candles. Plus, they love each other without the demon. So, now that the demon is gone, they can have a proper wedding! With proper candles! And a cake!"
"I'm surprised the church didn't catch fire with all of those candles," Johanna muttered to herself.
"You are impossible." John reached into his pocket to grab a cigarette before realizing he was out. He clicked his tongue in annoyance, shaking his head. He could conjure up some but they never were as good. He didn't know why he sucked at making them, he smoked them enough to have the taste memorized. He just could never get them right. Perhaps it was his magic's way of saying that he needed to quit.
"That is going to be quite a repair job." Johanna was more of a drinker herself but her own flask was empty. Each twin had their sins and they only intensified the longer the two were around each other. They would say how it was only natural with the stress they were under on a daily basis.
"I know I said this earlier, but no one answered me. Do we have to pay to fix the church?"
"Nah, we saved them from a nasty bugger of a demon. I just say let the ladies in black deal with it." John shrugged, a lazy grin on his face.
"They're called nuns, John. I know you are smart enough to remember that. I'm sure you've tried to temp some of them."
"Yes, thank you, my sister. Very colorful, it's like I can imagine being right there."
"You know, that woman was a princess. I'm sure she can pay for the damages. She was the one who got possessed after all."
"Johanna, are we victim-blaming right now?" John playfully narrowed his eyes at his sister who just scoffed.
"John Constantine. I come in search of..."
The three of you were walking out of the church and down the pavement when an unnaturally deep voice rang out. John moved to put himself between you and whatever this thing was while Johanna kept her cool demeanor. It was obvious that John cared for you. He didn't need to panic like that though, you could handle yourself. Had you ever even seen Johanna panic before? With your curiosity at a high, you moved to peek over John's shoulder with wide eyes. Big and filled with wonder, it worried John. With a flip of her hair, Johanna turned with a tiny huff.
"Dream of the Endless. I've heard about you."
"An Endless?!" John looked at his twin, to Dream, and then back to his twin once again, "How do you know about him?"
An Endless? What in the world was an Endless? You knew the world, sure, but you had a feeling this was something else. It felt like the definition was on the tip of your tongue, like an itch in the back of your brain. Yet, you had never studied about whatever it meant to be Endless. Why did it feel like you already knew about them?
"He was in Johanna Constantine's journal. You know, our grandmother of some years back? Great, great...Ah, I can't remember. Anyway, she worked with him. She even did a small sketch. I'd have to say she did a really good job. Looks nearly identical. Didn't think Grandmama had any artistic skill."
"Johanna Constantine..." Dream spoke slowly but his deep eyes never left your form, "Yes, I have worked with a few of the Constantine family members. I heard that the two members that led the family tree now were twins. The two last members, still alive and alone."
"Yeah, our family isn't the best when it comes to living a good long life." Johanna's eyes looked cold, though her demeanor fit that of a woman meeting an old friend. How was she so good at hiding her emotions?
"Frightful ends meet all of those with Constantine blood."
"Alas, does your appearance mean that you require us for work then, Sir Dream? That was the only reason you would ever visit our family in the past."
"I suppose, though it may be easier than I imagined." His eyes looked down at your form, causing John to hide you even further behind him. It was funny that the mortal thought he could hide you from him, if he so choose to take you. Yet, he was not looking at your figure (mainly) but instead at the pouch you had strapped to your belt. His pouch. Open. Nearly as strange a sight as you were. Was he still trapped in that damned glass orb and had finally taken to hallucinating?
Nothing was making sense since he escaped his imprisonment. His kingdom had fallen, (nearly) all his servants had left, you were here on Earth (wingless), all his tools were gone, and he felt as if he had lost a piece of himself. He didn't like all of this unknowing and uncertainty. Nothing was as it should be. He needed to help restore some semblance of order before this entropy became too much.
"Can we get past all of this creepy and cryptic back and forth?" John moved his hand to grab your upper arm, keeping you in place as you went to take a step forward. Curiosity killed the cat after all. He really needed a child's leash for you, the kind with a monkey backpack. He had a feeling you wouldn't mind.
"I require my pouch, one of my three tools. I was made aware by the Ladies Who Are Three As One that a certain John Constantine had it in his possession. It was purchased when it was not to be for sale. Not now, not ever."
"Jonathan...!" Johanna turned, eyes sharp and narrowed in her brother's direction. She knew about your pouch but had no clue it belonged to an Endless.
"What?! Was I not supposed to buy a pouch that radiated magical energy at a garage sale? It was only five quid!" Letting go of your arm, John tossed his hands up in exasperation. You remember that day. You bought a bunny kettle. It had actually been rather creepy, one made for the novel Watership Down, but you thought it had a certain charm. You used it to this day. John didn't like it.
"Perhaps you could have done some more research on it! Figure out its previous owners!"
"How was I supposed to do that?! I couldn't open the bloody thing up and whenever I try to reach in, it went to snap close on me. Like, it tried to bite me! I swear!"
"But she can open it? How long have you been studying? I thought she wasn't skilled in magic."
"Johanna, I swear-"
"Do you mean this pouch?" As the twins fought, you walked around them quietly to stand in front of the dark stranger. Unlatching the pouch from your belt, you offered it up to him with no hesitation. If the pouch was lost and belonged to this man, then you would rightfully return it. Yes, curiosity killed the cat but then satisfaction brought him back. You liked that version of the phrase better.
Long fingers brushed against your own as he took the black velvet bag from your hands. There was a spark, dim but there. It was you, Dream knew it. He didn't know what to say. You clearly didn't recognize him. You didn't remember the pouch you had seen for eons. He ached to reach out and cradle your face in his hands, just to look over you and take in the details of your features. It had been so long since he had seen you. Were you safe? What happened? He didn't like this version of you. The version that didn't remember him.
"Yes...Thank you."
"I apologize, but I did use some of it. I swear only in emergency situations where a demon was a problem! Never just to go to sleep or anything like that!"
"That's alright..." With every contemplative sentence, he trailed off into silence. He kept staring with those eyes that seemed to hold stars in them. Extraordinary. You wanted a closer look. "The sand does not run out. But how did you use it?"
The twins had stopped arguing now, shifting their attention to the two of you. John wanted to step in but his sister was keeping him back. She knew more about the Endless standing in front of them than her brother. She knew they needed to tread lightly. John could care less. If the goth creep tried anything-!
"I just opened it. I don't know why John had such a hard time. He couldn't open it, you know? I accidentally sent him to sleep the first time. I sneezed when I had some sand in my hand. He woke up three hours later. I was panicking the entire time. He was alright in the end, though."
"I had a real nice dream about a redhead-" John started but Johanna slapped him upside the head to get him to shut up.
"Ow!"
"You gave him a good dream...?"
Nodding, your own eyes shifted over the man's form. He was wearing a dark cloak that fluttered in the wind. The fabric inside was shiny and sparkled when the light hit it just right as if it held the universe within its folds. You were tempted to reach out to touch the cloak to see if it was cool like you thought. Eyes moving back up to his body, you saw his thin, pale face framed by a wild mane of black hair. Had you seen this man before? The twins called him Dream, perhaps you had seen him in your dreams? He felt familiar.
"It is a part of my being. It could sense you and knew you could be trusted."
"So, are we done here?" John straightened up, hand fiddling with his silver lighter. "You got your pouch back. We just finished a job. How about we go our separate ways? Yeah?"
Dream had been told you were dead, at least that's what Lucienne believed to have occurred. She explained how you went to go find him, to free him from wherever he was trapped but the librarian hadn't seen you since. She told the King how something bad may have happened to you during that time. He wanted to go searching but knew he would be of no help without his instruments. First, he would get those back. Then, he would make his next plan. Destiny had other ideas.
"What are you doing down here?" Dream asked, attention solely on you. He was ignoring John as well as Johanna. It was intense to have his gaze on you like this, but not unwelcomed. You weren't one to turn down any attention.
"Huh? What am I doing down here? What do you mean? Like, right here? Well, I just finished exorcising a demon. I think we were about to go get something to eat. We didn't have anything before coming here."
But here you were, standing before him in a trenchcoat that seemed too large for your frame and some human clothes. Nothing like what you used to wear. Your skin didn't radiate the small golden hue as it had in the past and your feet were touching the ground like a...a regular human. This couldn't be right. Perhaps you were just trying to blend in while searching for him? That had to be it. You were Hope after all. The alternatives were too dark to face. No...He knew you well enough to know that this wasn't you acting. You never were good at lying.
"They've been searching for you, Lucienne, and a few other residents. Cain and Abel miss you. Gregory...It's been over a century since you've been gone. I apologize if it is due to my own actions that you have left but I have returned. You can come back now."
Looking back and forth between the twins, it was clear the man's attention was on you. He spoke like the two of you were comrades. Sheepishly, you spoke:
"Uh, not to be rude, but have we met before?"
