The Sandman Oneshots & Headcanons

I Promise (Morpheus x Reader)

Morpheus knew he had been on the wrong, knew he had made a terrible mistake. But his ego had always been one of his driving forces, almost as strong as his love for his wife. And occasionally, stronger.

(Y/N) had just been worrying about him, cautious from the memory of his capture by Roderick Burgess. As the goddess of love, her lover was a priority of hers. And the idea that he would be captured again terrified her. His reaction to her worry, however, had been defensive and prideful. Interpreting her gentle concern as doubted of his abilities, his reply was harsh and unthinking. Telling her that the decisions that he made and the places that he went were not her concern

His wife had left the room after that, not willing to respond to his rudeness. It was a smart choice, meaning that he couldn't say anything else he would regret. It hurt his heart to watch her walk away, but his ego would not allow him to follow and beg for forgiveness.

Instead he stewed in his irritation. Waiting for his wife to come back so things could return to normal. But she didn't, and he barely saw her the whole day.

Eventually, his yearning to be around his wife overtook his pride. Asking Lucienne for (Y/N) location, he went to find her. Went to get her back into his arms.

He found her in the palace gardens, more beautiful than any of the flowers. "My love." He called out, pulling her attention away from the roses.

"Morpheus." Her reply was short, no smile on her face. He knew she had been hurt by his words, knew he had to make things better.

"(Y/N)." He stepped closer, reaching up to run a hand through her hair. "I'm sorry." He told her. "I should not have said what I said. I know you were just worried about me."

"Then why did you?" Her tone was sad, breaking Morpheus's heart. As a love goddess, she took their arguments very seriously. She took his words more seriously than he wished she would.

Morpheus kissed her forehead. "I thought you believed I was weak."

"You're not weak."

"I thought I was." He admitted, not having shared that thought with anyone before. "I shouldn't have gotten captured."

She shook her head, not letting his doubts cloud her mind. "You didn't know. And now that you do, it won't happen again."

"It won't. And I won't speak to you like that again. It wasn't your fault, I should have realized that."

She sighed, reaching up to hold his close to her. "Promise?" Her gaze was soft, forgiving. It had been a day since he had seen that look, and he was unbearably grateful that he had this goddess as his wife. He kissed her softly, glad that he managed not to lose her.

"I promise."