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Large beady eyes stared down at Dream as the Endless moped beneath the tree. Truth be told, he looked as if he was about to crack.
Matthew ruffled his feathers, preening for a moment to make them soft after a day of flying. He glided down from the branch, landing with a polite thump on Morpheus's shoulder.
He had never seen the Endless stumble before.
"You alright there, Boss?"
Nothing.
Morpheus sank down and shoved himself back up against the trunk, eyes lost and deeper than the usual galaxy Matthew was used to.
Well, that just wouldn't do.
The raven hopped down, waddling right into the shaking lap. Sometimes he forgot just how old Dream was; how much he'd seen. How much he'd done. He knew the guilt of the eons was weighing heavily on him tonight.
Matthew remembered being human. Truth be told, he'd been shit at it. He had never been good with comforting emotional distress.
Somehow, with Dream... and not being human, it was all too easy.
Slender, trembling hands sank into the glossy feathers and Matthew accepted the tight hug, beaming to himself that for once he's done something right. He rested his head against the soft robes, looking up adoringly into the off-kilter stare. He knew that Dream wasn't registering the dark shape of the raven, but the weight was enough.
The vibrating gradually slowed along with the petting. Matthew nearly croaked in protest but knew he could ask for affection later. It wasn't about him right now. He could indulge his leftover human selfishness when Morpheus was not in crisis.
Matthew accepted a final long stroke down his back and blinked up with a clack of his beak. Dream was almost smiling.
"Dear Matthew, how did you know?"
The raven did his best imitation of a human shrug. "Eh, you just seemed like you needed a friend."