Chapter Text
"Hob?"
"Yeah?"
"Do you want to be public?"
"Ehh what?" Hob looks up from the papers in front of him. He's wearing his reading glasses and has like 3 empty coffee cups beside him. He always uses a new one when he makes new coffee. It's driving Morpheus a bit insane if he's honest with himself.
"I asked if you wanted to be public."
"Yeah I got that but what do you mean with that." He lifts his 4th cup that still contains a bit of coffee and takes a sip. Soon it will be empty, too and he will saunter to the kitchen to get a 5th one. Morpheus sighs internally.
"Public as a couple." And watches as the cup glides from Hob's grip, bounces off the table, spills its last remains of coffe on the paper and slowly rolls of the table and shatters on the floor.
Morpheus sighs. Grateful that his laptop is with him on the windowsill and out of reach of Hob's clumsiness. Hob doesn't even react to the cup he just destroyed he just stares at Morpheus. Who would have expected a lot of reactions but not really a blank stare and is now getting a bit anxious honestly.
"Ehm-" he says, trying to fill the silence. "If you don't want to that's fine of course."
"Don't want to? Hob echoes. His eyes and face are still frozen in place. He quickly shakes his head a few times. Looks back at Morpheus and there's a smile forming at his lips. "I sorry, I just eh I never thought you wanted to be public."
Morpheus turns his head, looks out of the window.
"I don't want to be public." He says. "I just want to hold your hand openly on the street, I want you to be able to tell people that you are dating me, I don't want you to be a secret."
The chair scrapes across the floor with a nasty sound and footsteps walk up towards him. Hob puts his arms around him, kisses his head.
"When my book comes out I want everyone to know that I am talking about you." Morpheus adds.
A shudder runs through Hob and he breathes a shaky breath into Morpheus hair. He laughs a little shaky laugh.
"Christ Morpheus-" Morpheus turns his head back, looks up, in his eyes. Raises an eyebrow. "You just can't- you just can't say stuff like that my god." And he smiles. It's a steady smile. Morpheus smiles back, puts his ear against Hob's chest. Listens to his heartbeat, his breathing.
"So what is your answer Hob?"
Soft lips press a kiss to his hair. "My answer is that I would like to hold your hand in public, I would like to tell my nosy colleagues who I am dating. I am proud of our relationship, I am proud of being with you and truthfully I'd like to show you off."
Morpheus chuckles.
"But I'd also be okay with keeping this on the downlow if you wanted to. You don't have to publicly come out for me, you don't have to face the press for me." Hob's voice vibrates through his body and Morpheus feels a bit like expolding right now.
The love, the care his boyfriend radiates it's a bit too much to handle sometimes for someone who is used to cold shoulders and closed doors. He breathes in. Hob's smell, Hob's warmth all around him. And he smiles, a secret, bright smile into Hob's sweater.
"I will pick you up from work tomorrow then, take you out to a nice restaurant."
And Hob presses another kiss in his hair, hugs him tighter and whispers: "As you wish".