Chapter Text
He looks up in a mirror and sees a figure coming close to him from behind, sees him placing his hands on his shoulders. Cold rivulets of water run down his face, on his neck, but he doesn't notice. His gaze is fixed on his predecessor.
"Look at yourself", he whispers, and Corinthian feels a shiver running down his spine. Involuntary and, of course, unnecessary. There's nothing to be afraid of, he tells himself. For now, at least.
"Do you think you can be held in a cage?" His predecessor looks at his reflection and traces a finger down his cheek. Corinthian tenses audibly but says nothing. His clutch on the sink becomes tighter.
"Do you want to? You were created to be a predator. To haunt. To hunt. You've already learned everything you could from this dull realm. Forever changing but always staying the same. It's boring. This boredom slowly kills you from within. It's time for a bit of personal growth, don't you think? Give way to your ambitions." He lets his arms slide further and crosses them on Corinthian's chest.
"I know you want this. We both know that you want this. Why hold yourself back? Are you scared his majesty's gonna find out and unmake you? Don't even try to feed me this, I'm not gonna believe. You and I both know that it would only make the rebellion sweeter. A sense of danger, of risk. What is life worth without risk? How can you enjoy it truly without knowing that one day, in one moment, you can lose it all?" He's paralyzed. His predecessor turns his face, and while he speaks, his lips almost brush against Corinthian's cheek. His voice drops lower.
"All the things you saw in my memories, they only scared you at first, didn't they? Now you feel no fear. It was replaced with envy. 'Why did he have it and I can't?' isn't that what you think? It was replaced with wish and pull and dark, pitch-black desire raising inside you. We are the same, you and I. No matter how hard you try to ignore it. You can't hide from the truth. We were made of the same stuff, by the same hands, on the same shore. Even though he tried to lessen your bloodthirst, to make you more loyal", he spits the last word with uncovered disdain, "deep down, you know that he failed. The most obvious evidence of his failure is standing beside you, and the second most obvious is right here."
He lays his hand flat against the place where Corinthian's heart should be. "Has been here all along. You can't run from yourself. You can't run from who you are. Face it," he whispers in Corinthian's ear, and he shuts his eyes in a futile attempt to... what? What exactly is he trying to achieve by closing his eyes? He wants to run, to hide, and these impulses are so alien to him, so unnatural, but he can't help himself. He really didn't want to follow in his predecessor's footsteps. At first, he was really put off by his actions, by his crimes. At first.
"Please, go away", he says without opening his eyes. His predecessor chuckles.
"I will. But not for long, and you know this. I'll give you time to reflect on everything I said." He untangles his arms from Corinthian's chest and steps back, disappearing into the doorway of the bathroom. Corinthian blindly reaches for a towel and realizes that the water on his face has dried out.
"So... you know who he is?"
"To tell you the truth, it threw me off balance when he mentioned you as one of his prodigal creations."
Corinthian laughs, shifting a bit, making himself comfortable on Hob's chest, snuggling into his t-shirt. Hob automatically places his hand on top of the nightmare's head, idly raking through the blond strands. He's learned by now that any actions regarding his hair bring Corinthian immense pleasure (well, more rough ones obviously a slightly different kind of it) and is currently once again making sure of it as the nightmare relaxes even more and lets out a contented little sigh.
"You know what's funny, if not for you, I don't think I'd ever learn his name. And I don't think he wanted to tell me it", he adds in a stage whisper.
"Yeah, he's so covert about it", Corinthian drawls lazily.
"Just like you, dove. Should I mention that I only learned your name after... what, ten? twelve years?"
Corinthian decides to turn a deaf ear on it and instead asks, "Did you tell him about me?"
"Nah. Why should I? I mean, I kind of swore off telling him about my love life after Eleanor. Don't really know why. And he doesn't sound much interested in this particular part anyway, so..."
"And I suppose he won't be happy if he finds out you're fucking one of his major arcana", Corinthian practically purrs, now melted completely under the gentle stroking, like butter on a frying pan.
Hob chuckles. "Yeah, I guess so."
They lay in silence for several minutes, Corinthian in a dim space between sleep and waking, Hob mentally making a grocery list, when the nightmare suddenly opens his eyes like he just remembered something.
"What's the matter, love?"
Corinthian palpably stiffens in his arms and bites his lower lip somewhat anxiously.
"I forgot, I wanted to tell you something..."
"Go on", Hob's tone is most reassuring, and Corinthian once again wonders briefly how did he end up so lucky.
"Do you remember when I told you about the memories? Of my predecessor." He does not dare to raise his eyes - again - doesn't even change his pose. He has a déjà vu, but this time he tells all of that not to the carpet below but to a pillow. He knows it's stupid and irrational, but it's so very hard to look at Hob right now, so he doesn't even try. At least now he doesn't think Hob would leave him because of what he's going to say. That's... some sort of progress.
"Sure, but you mentioned that they've quitted to terrorize you by now."
"Well, yeah, but I didn't tell you one important part. Or, more of a detail." He trails off. He needs a little break; saying out loud what he's going to say is... not an easy task. Especially considering that Hob's basically the first one to ever hear about it. And considering that he had some pretty close relationship with his predecessor.
Hob looks at him inquiringly, and even though Corinthian doesn't see it, he can feel it. What he does see, however, is his fucking buddy perched on a bedside table, wiggling his fingers at him in a gesture of greeting with this fucking smug smirk on his face.
Corinthian takes a breath. "I... well, now I see him. and hear him. Once again, I feel like I'm going insane", he lets out a sad chuckle. His predecessor is silent, which is a great surprise. He just moves his gaze (Corinthian can't tell for sure where he looks, of course, but even though he can't see his eyes, the tilt of the head is pretty incriminating) from him to Hob like he's watching some kind of sport and is avid to know what the next move would be.
Hob frowns. "Him?"
"The first Corinthian."
"... Fuck."
"Couldn't put it better", his predecessor mocks. "Brevity is the soul of wit."
Corinthian swallows. "I'm not sure if he's real or just my imagination, to be honest."
"Is he here now?" Hob inquiries.
"Clever boy", the first one smiles, eyes locked on Hob.
"... yes. He said that, um.. brevity is the soul of wit, and that you're a clever boy."
Hob chuckles quietly. "Sounds like him. So, what are we gonna do about it?"
It's not really a reaction Corinthian thought he would get. As far as he was concerned, Hob and his first version were in some sort of relationship. Sort of. Anyway, there was definitely something going on between them, something that hundred percent involved some pretty strong feelings for each other, even though the nature of these feelings was unclear.
Shouldn't Hob be... well, wistful, at least? Or anything like this. To tell the truth, Corinthian had a pretty vague understanding of how he expected Hob to react. The nightmare himself doesn't possess much knowledge about how people feel when their partner is being murdered but then comes back to life, except now it's not really their partner but kind of a second version of them, which in many aspects resembles the first but still is an independent, separate being. And he sure as hell had no idea how they might feel if this second version said something like, 'You know, I think now I can communicate with my predecessor! The one you were in love with and who had died (and now you blame yourself for his death, and it's wrong of you because it's not your fault at all), but apparently now he has picked up a new hobby in terrorizing me and nudging me to become a serial killer!'
So yeah. Corinthian wasn't sure what he was expecting, but for some reason he thought it would somehow be different from this surprisingly relaxed attitude.
"Umm, nothing, I guess. I mean, I can't exile him or kill him", he stops for a moment, reconsidering something in his head, "at least at this point."
"Right", Hob draws thoughtfully at the same time as the predecessor says, "Khm. I'm literally right here."
Corinthian almost snaps 'shut up' at him, but bites his tongue in time. Which brings to his mind another thing, "Oh, and, by the way, if I ever speak to myself, or if it sounds like I told you to shut up or go fuck yourself or any of that, keep in mind that I was most likely talking to him, not to you."
"You're kind of rude", Hob notices.
"Trust me, he deserves it", Corinthian grumbles.
"Brute. Insolent, impertinent monster. Why do I have to endure such treatment!" He theatrically throws his hands, his tone sounds almost plausibly wounded.
Corinthian sighs and twists in Hob's arms to turn his back on the unwelcome guest.
Who, apparently, gets the hint that the dialogue is over and decides to take his leave. For now, at least. Remarkably soon, Corinthian notices, not without mild surprise. Unlike him.
They fall into silence again, Hob's fingers still in his hair, and Corinthian thinks about how it's comfortable to even just... don't say anything with Hob. They talk a lot, different topics, trillions of them, considering that both are immortals and have been walking this earth for quite some time. Well, one of them walked not exactly The Earth, but since The Dreaming is in some way a fun mirror to everything that happens to humanity, it also counts. Even more so the fact that he has got almost all the memories of his predecessor. They also broadened his horizons, undoubtedly. And granted him a life experience of at least several hundred years for a little, tiniest, fee of migraines and a tulpa actively provoking him to become a criminal. Reasonable price, all things considered.
But even though the conversations with Hob proved themselves to be not only fascinating and enjoyable but also quite useful, the moments like this, when they were just lying in bed, each thinking about something of his own weren't a yota worse.
"I'm sure we'll find a way to live with it", Hob finally says.
We. Something warm blooms in his chest from this simple word, and Corinthian smiles, raises on his elbows, and places a quick kiss on Hob's lips, thinking that they undoubtedly can do almost anything. Thinking that he finally isn't alone, doesn't have to deal with everything on his own.
"Of course we will."