With BloodReign's reluctance, they also placed the couple's heart shaped bed in the middle of his bedroom.

To avoid things getting crowded, they tried dual boosting the bed, and miraculously, it worked, although its effects were unknown since it wasn't a weapon they had upgraded.

It was nearing 10 o'clock, but before saying goodbye, Lucien remembered to ask one important question.

<{ [ BloodReign_666 ] } : "When's the wedding?"

<[ KillSwitch ] : "It was written in the letter that we could choose a date between the 6th and the 15th, when are you free?"

<{ [ BloodReign_666 ] } : "Um...."

Anytime. Lucien thought, but saying that outright would make him sound like a bum.

He wasn't proud of the fact that he stopped going to college, or that he's living off answering online surveys for companies to make a couple bucks.

He was ashamed to be this way, even lying to his parents that he stopped because he wanted to become a professional gamer.

The reason he dropped out of college was because the others excluded him and treated him like an outcast, making his grades drop, even if he studied really hard, it wouldn't make up for his missing group projects. 

Nobody wanted to pair or group up with him, his style was really too different.

On top of that, his aloof attitude and edge lord syndrome made everyone assume he had a mental illness.

Some bullied him for his "gothic" fashion style and made all sorts of degrading remarks, causing his self-worth to drop at the time.

He didn't want those terrible memories to resurface again. 

He glanced at the mini calendar on his desk, covering his eyes with his palm, he pointed at random dates using his other hand and stopped at a certain date.

His finger stopped at the 12th, that day was a sunday.

<{ [ BloodReign_666 ] } : "I'm free on the 12th, what about you?"

Grey checked his schedule before responding, 

<[ KillSwitch ] : "Great, that works for me too."

He took a quick glance at the clock on his laptop,

<[ KillSwitch ] : "Let's end it today, I know that you always tend to sleep later in the night, but overdoing it can kill you, and i don't want that happening to my wife, so take it easy today okay?"

Lucien felt irritated at KillSwitch's response, he didn't like to be nagged by anyone.

<{ [ BloodReign_666 ] } : "Ugh — are you my mom or something? And enough with that wife talk! If anything, I'm the husband."

<[ KillSwitch ] : "Well if it makes you happy. Dear husband, please go to bed now."

<{ [ BloodReign_666 ] } : "I....that actually made me a little happy. Fine, I'll go to sleep early just this once..."

Grey let out a hearty laugh, he had to be in a meeting within 15 minutes, so he toggled the "pat" action in the menu bar and stopped teasing him.

<[ KillSwitch ] : "Alright, sweet dreams, my wife."

<{ [ BloodReign_666 ] } : "Hey!"

He shut down his computer and the adreline came crashing down, he didn't know why, but after spending such a good time with Grey, without him around, his mood dampened more than usual.

He stared blankly at the dark screen, his thoughts slowly turning into a dark direction.

After a few minutes, He lay on his bed and turned to his side, he sighed, fluttering his eyelashes, trying to contain the hidden sadness deep inside his heart.

....

As he thought this, a single tear slid past his cheek.

He closed his eyelids tight, trying his best to shut down these uncomfortable thoughts.

That night, he had a strange but happy dream.

In this universe, his parents weren't working abroad, and they lived together.

His mother pursued her dream of becoming an artist, and her career became successful shortly after a few attempts in painting.

His father didn't get that deal in a foreign country, but right here, in their city, so he didn't have to leave for somewhere far away.

In this timeline he also had a pet cat for some reason, her name was "Shadow." Whenever her fur hit the light, it would shine glossy, like a person's natural black hair.

Lucien felt at peace in this dream, he ran his fingers through Shadow's fur, while leisurely sitting on the sofa.

His mom called out to him for breakfast, the smell wafting all the way through the living room.

Lucien got up and followed the trace of the scent, as he stepped foot in the kitchen, he saw his mother plating the food with an apron on, and his father reading the daily newspaper in a chair.

His eyes finally shifted to the end of the dining table, where an unfamiliar man sat in the cozy chair.

He scanned the man, he looked very plain, but nothing about him was amiss, only his aura made Lucien feel a sort of comforting presence, like he knew him from somewhere.

Just then, Seraphine turned to look at her son, and the strange man disappeared, like what Lucien saw was just a figment of his imagination.

"There you are." Seraphine said sweetly, her eyes carrying a gentle warmth as she finished setting up the table.

Caius put down his newspaper and glanced at his son, giving him a reassuring smile before gesturing for him to sit down.

Shadow meowed softly in Lucien's arms, and Lucien stared at his parent's faces, he truly felt that this dream was really too good, almost sickeningly sweet.

He sat down at the dining table and the family chatted for a bit before digging in, Shadow ate happily near Lucien in her kitty bowl, purring from time to time.

When breakfast time ended, the family decided as a treat to go to the theme park, Lucien felt slightly embarrassed to go to such a childish place, but still agreed as to not make his parents unhappy.

Lucien headed for his bedroom, a space that looked like his dream treasure trove, the walls were painted deep purple, with black stripes, adorned with posters of EVE and hauntingly beautiful dark paintings. Some portray dark, stormy skies, with a few barren trees and crows perching upon their branches. One was decayed flowers resting on a table, the sun shining upon them from a nearby windowsill.

The lighting in his room came from medieval-style double-headed candle sconces, their flames flickering over melting black wax. 

Overall, Lucien felt he was very lucky to have such a room.

He opened his dresser, and was about to put on his usual favourite dark attire when a pang of shame hit him.

He can't go out in this, his past trauma of being bullied resurfaced in his thoughts.

He was about to put away the clothes when, out of nowhere, the strange man appeared, sitting on Lucien's bed and staring at his back.

Lucien saw the man's reflection in the mirror and yelled in shock, adrenaline surging through him.

The strange man raised his index finger to his lips, signalling Lucien to be quiet, before giving a small smile.

"You.... Who are you?" Lucien asked warily.

The man didn’t answer right away. Instead, he stood up and walked slowly toward Lucien, his steps soundless, as if he were a ghost.

"There’s nothing wrong with being who you are." The man's voice was deep, almost hypnotic.

Lucien looked away, his heart pounding in his chest. He didn't know if he could trust the man.

"I said... Who are you?"

The man stopped, he paused before uttering a few words.

"Don't be afraid, I can't harm you, I believe I'm a ghost in this form."

The man looked sincerely in his eyes,

"I can't tell you who I am; all I know is I woke up in this body."

Lucien turned to him, his eyes probing his intentions.

But his mother's call to ask if he's ready pulled him back to the present.

"I can't..i..They used to laugh at me... say I was weird. What do I do?"

Lucien's eyes started to become misty.

The unfamiliar man patted Lucien's soft, black hair.

“They were afraid of what they didn’t understand,” he replied, his voice calm and steady. But fear shouldn’t decide how you live. Expression isn’t weakness, Lucien. It’s strength.”

He reached out, carefully taking the dark clothing from Lucien’s hands and holding it up.

“This... is a part of you."

"If it makes you feel like yourself, then wear it with pride.”

Lucien shifted his eyes to look at the other man's eyes, his gaze looked pitiful,

“What if I get hurt again?”

The man smiled softly, his eyes full of understanding. Slowly, he crouched down to Lucien's level, his presence calm and reassuring.

"You may get hurt again," his voice low and soothing. 

"But pain is only a part of your story, not the whole of it. You can heal, every time Lucien, you’ll heal."

He reached out, his hand resting lightly on Lucien’s shoulder. "And no matter what happens, remember, you don’t have to face it alone. 

"You’ve got the strength to stand, even when it feels impossible."

Lucien felt the warmth of the big hand.

Although it was physically cold, he could feel the sincere support it was trying to convey.

"Take your time, be who you are. That’s all that matters."

The man disappeared as he said this, as Lucien's dad knocked on his door.

"You doing okay there son? I heard a yell coming from your room earlier."

Lucien wanted to cry, he had never once felt more understood than now. 

He showed the most vulnerable part of himself and knew he was going to be broken down, he knew that he would feel regret for exposing his true self.

But what he didn't expect, was for someone who he didn't even know to comfort him in the most compassionate way possible.

The man acknowledged his hurt while also validating his feelings, and even told him that it was okay to be himself.

It was in this instance, that he realized that he wouldn't care about anyone's thoughts anymore.

It doesn't matter whether someone he will never meet again think he's weird, all he really needs to focus on is whether it makes him happy or not.

Lucien pulled himself together, no more backing down now. 

He swiftly put on his favourite acid washed t-shirt and ripped skinny jeans, even putting on a bit of his favourite cologne.

Before opening the door, he had to thank his saviour, so he said in a very tiny voice, "Thank you." And grinned softly.

A smile that would melt the hearts of millions, it was a picture worth treasuring.