The sun was shining shyly through the curtain, and the birds chirped happily, welcoming the brand new day. The smell of freshly made spicy pork wafted through the half opened door, enticing the half asleep occupant of the bedroom, who's now stirred to life.
He slowly opened his eyes, yawned, and stretched languidly. In his state of nakedness, he looked like a Michaelangelo bronze statue, with all the muscles, the unblemished skin and the overall perfection.
He walked to his ensuite, brushed his teeth and washed his face before he put on his uniform that looked like it was bespoke for him. He went out of his room to the open plan kitchen, where his mom was cooking breakfast and his father was reading a newspaper while drinking coffee. His sister was also sitting there, sulking, as usual.
"Hey dad, mom." He sat beside his sister, stealing her tea.
"Ge! Get your own drink! Since when did you drink tea? I thought you only drink coffee." She stood up and got him a cup of coffee. "Here, don't say that I don't love you." She kissed the top of his head fondly.
"I love you too, A-Ling."
"Here's your breakfast, hurry and eat it before you go to school." His mom put two eggs and a slice of spicy pork in a bun in front of him. 
He bit into the sandwich unhurriedly while watching his parents and sister chatting about a particular boy in her class.
"Do you have a crush on him?" 
"Well, he's very handsome, but he's also very very cold. He didn't give his attention to anyone and brood all the time. Unlike you, ge, you with your hordes of fangirls, showering you with gifts and food…" she sighed exaggeratedly, "You know, ge, half of the girls in my class are in love with you."
"Only half? What about the other half?" He said jokingly. He always knew that there were a lot of girls liking him, but he didn't have time for that. 
Besides, he just didn't feel… right.
"Well, the other half betrayed you and went to the other side."
"You mean the new kid's side?" He chuckled. 
He had seen this new kid a few times from afar, and he really did attract attention with his blonde hair and beautiful face. Mostly for his cold demeanor toward people in general.
"Yeah. Anyway, we're gonna be late, let's go now." She put down her tea and took her bag before kissing their mother.
"Let me drive you to school." Their father was finally able to put a word between the siblings' interaction. He put down his newspaper and stood up to kiss his wife and went outside to start the car.
"Yayy, bye then mom!!" 
"Bye! Have a nice day kids!" She smiled and continued doing her chores, happily humming some random songs.

They got into school early, and while A-Ling ran to meet her friends, who stood there gawking at her big brother, he chuckled and said goodbye to his father before walking to his own class. He could not move for more than a few steps before someone talked to him about something, and it happened every few steps. He was his class president, so it made sense. Plus he was a very nice person in general, unable to say no to those who seemed to need him.
He finally caught his breath when he entered the toilet. It was very clean, unlike any other school's toilet, which was often defiled by dirty words, cigarette butts, smoke… 
Wait, why is there smoke here?
He frowned and started to check the cubicles, to find the last one was locked and there was an obvious smell of smoke wafting from the inside. 
He pushed the door, but it was locked.
"I know you're in there smoking. Just… put it out and go back to your class." He did not want to make trouble this early in the morning. Besides, he himself had smoked a few times although not in this particular washroom.
He heard a scoff, then flushing of the toilet. Then the door opened… to the most beautiful face he has ever seen… but it was covered head to toe in blood.
He froze for a second. 
After the initial shock dissipated, he shook his head to find that there's no blood at all. Only an ethereal gloomy face with blonde hair and permanent scowl on his face.
"Bet you're the high and mighty class president." He pushed his way out and went straight to the sink to wash his hands.
"Bet you're the new kid they were talking about." He took out a box of mints and offered it to the younger boy.
He gave him a side glance but took the mints anyway.
"Better to smoke on the rooftop rather than the toilet." He mentioned in passing while he washed his hands too.
"Does that mean that you like to smoke on the rooftop, Mr. Goody-two-shoes?" The younger boy tilted his head in amusement, and there's a new fascinated light in his eyes rather than the bored one he previously showed.
He just smiled, and left the younger one to go to his class.

Don't you wish you could live like this forever?
He opened his eyes and looked around to find who's talking to him but there was no one.
He found himself on the rooftop, smoking. He knew there would be no one there at this hour, after all, he had an image to maintain.
He swirled the smoke upward, making rings, when he heard the chuckle from his behind.
"So, the goody-two-shoes class president is not too perfect. Glad to know that, otherwise they would start to think that you're an android." 
He knew who it was even before he sat beside him.
"I'm just human, with many vices." He puffed another ring, before offering the cigarette to the other. "I'm Xiao Zhan."
"I know." He took the cigarette and sat beside him. "Wang Yibo."
"I know."
"Right. Your sister is in my class."
"Yeah, and you took half of my fans away."
"You can have them back, I don't like girls." Yibo inhaled the smoke and exhaled.
"Kidding. I don't like girls either." Xiao Zhan closed his eyes, wondering why he confessed to this stranger, when he felt pressure on his lap.
"Good, because I want to do this for a long time now." 
Yibo moved like a lightning, pinning him under his big hands, and kissed him.
Xiao Zhan made some incoherent noises, but finally relented to the kiss and moved their position so Yibo was straight on his lap.
They took their time kissing, exploring each other slowly.
Just like the first time…
 
Wait.
 
This was their first time kissing. So where did that thought come from?
 
"...ge… Zhan-ge… wake up…"
 
Xiao Zhan opened his eyes to find Yibo looking at him curiously.
"What was in your mind just now?" He tilted his head as if in question.
"You."
"Good."

---

He opened his eyes to find a naked warm body on top of him, spreading like an octopus. He looked around to the unfamiliar room then vaguely remembered that he and Yibo had moved together to this place about a month ago after Yibo proposed to him.
He moved the warm body aside, and woke up to prepare some breakfast, when he heard that voice again.
 
"... ge… Zhan-ge! Please!"
 
He turned around to look at Yibo, to find him still asleep.
 
 
Strange, where did that voice come from?
 
He opened the bedroom door to find a bloodied scene and bodies everywhere, making him gasp and took a backward step… and bumped into Yibo.
"Morning, Ge…" he kissed Xiao Zhan softly and hugged him. "Are you ready for our big day?" He nuzzled the older's neck, but Xiao Zhan pushed him. 
"Yibo, did you see it? The kitchen…" his voice faltered when he tried to show Yibo about the carnage. 
But it was back to their kitchen, spotless, modern, and spacious. His first requirement of choosing an apartment.
"What did you see, Ge?" Yibo nipped at his ear, teasing him. "Come, let's have a shower before the family arrived." He dragged Xiao Zhan to their huge bathroom and proceeds to fuck Xiao Zhan until he forgot what's been nagging on his mind.

"Don't you wish you could live like this forever?"
 
Xiao Zhan shook his head.
 
Yes! Of course I want to live like this forever!
 
"Then, say yes to him."
 
"... Zhan...Xiao Zhan… are you okay?" 
 
He blinked a few times to focus his sight, and then he saw his father and mother, standing in front of him, tears falling down on their faces.
"Oh, my baby is getting married today… I'm so proud of you!" His mother hugged him fiercely, and his father patted his back, proud showing on his face. 
"You are so lucky, Yibo is a fine young man, and I'm sure he will make you happy!" 
He blinked again.
 
Married? I'm getting married today?
 
But before he could process the whole thing, he felt a sudden jab hit him straight between the eyes, and he fell down on the floor, still on his parents' embrace.
"Xiao Zhan! Xiao Zhan! What's wrong? Are you okay?" 
He could hear the panic in his mother's voice, but he couldn't open his eyes, until that familiar voice came and said something to him.
"Zhan-ge, it's alright, I'm here. I will always be here for you, I'm not going anywhere. We're going to have our happily ever after, after all." 
He heard that soothing voice, murmuring love words into his ears, and his fingers were making circles behind his back, calming him.
Xiao Zhan counted to ten, then opened his eyes… to see a bloody Yibo once again, just like the one he saw in the toilet back when he first caught Yibo smoking. Aeons ago.
He blinked for a few times, then his Yibo, the normal one, now wearing a tuxedo, swam back into focus.
"There you are, baobei. Kinda got me worried for a second there… thought you had a second thought of marrying me." Yibo kissed Xiao Zhan's forehead. "Let's go, they've been waiting for the grooms."
"Wait, Yibo, I-I want to go to the bathroom first…"
Need to calm my apparently fraying mind…
"Sure, ge, I'll be waiting outside for my beautiful groom…" he kissed Xiao Zhan's hand and left him alone. His parents had also left a moment ago.
He walked to the bathroom, and splashed cold water on his face. 
 
I must be hallucinating. Need to cut the caffeine.  
 
He tried to rationalize the vision.  
 
What a fucked up vision it was.
 
He shook his head then patted his face dry on the small hand towel and walked outside to the front door, when he heard a small squeak underneath his shoes.
He stopped.
He saw a yellow duck squeaky bath toy for kids under his shoes. He bent down to pick it up and smile unconsciously.
 
Xinyue must've left this around…
 
Wait.
 
Who's Xinyue?

He dropped himself on the nearest chair. Shooked. 
 
He vaguely remembered a boy with silver eyes, and two girls, one older, all with the same clear silver eyes. Calling him papazhan.
 
Am I going crazy right now? 

"You can have them again, after you say yes."
 
Again?

Next thing he knew, he was walking down the aisle, to a beaming Yibo, the love of his life, to be his husband… forever.
"Do you take this man to be your lawfully wedded husband, from now until forever?"
"Yes." Yibo was beaming, and he looked at Xiao Zhan expectantly.
"I…"
Suddenly, the force of the flashback he had now was nauseating, he dropped on his knees.
 
"... Baobei, come back to us…"
 
"...Papazhaaaaaannn, wake up pleaseeee…!"
 
"...Xiao Zhan, if you could hear us, please, come back…"

"All you have to do is say yes!"

"No...no.. this is not real… you guys are not real…" he clutched his head in his hands, when he realized that Yibo, his Yibo, kneel down in front of him.
"Zhan-ge… what's wrong?" He touched his hand lightly. "All you have to do is say yes to me, and all of these… your parents , your sister , who was never born in your world, me, all will be yours… forever." He tucked Xiao Zhan's chin and pushed it upward. "All you have to do is say yes."
"You… you're not Yibo… who are you? Where am I?" Xiao Zhan was starting to see the edge of this world… frayed. 
"But I am Yibo, Zhan-ge… I'm the Yibo from this world… the world where everything is where it should be… the world without superpowers and conflicts, and we can live happily ever after, Ge…"
Xiao Zhan started to see that this Yibo was starting to lose his patience, and he could see the crack on his mask.
 
"No."
 
"No?" He looked surprised.
 
"This world is not where I am supposed to be. You are not my Yibo, the father of my children, the love of my life. My Yibo will not force me to stay." 
Xiao Zhan felt his strength was trickling back, slowly, but sure.
"I want you to release me from this… whatever it is that you created. Or else…"
This Yibo 's face was contorted, resembling something that's inhuman.
"Let me go now, or I will kill you, and whatever this illusion is, will surely die with you."
"But, Zhan-ge… I'm your Yibo, the one who loves you very much, and only wants the best for you…" his voice now was distorted into something resembled inhuman shrieking, and Xiao Zhan grabbed its neck.
"You're a fucking Dream Demon, and I demand you to release me this once, or I will obliterate you and your whole clan. Including all the youngs." 
Xiao Zhan's eyes glow silver, and the strand of his long hair moved by its own, dancing in the air, sparkling silver veins made him look like the God of Death.
"Ackh… let… me… go!" The Dream Demon clawed at Xiao Zhan's grip, but he was unmoved. 
"I'm gonna count to three… two… "
"Fine! Fine! Ackh, shit! They didn't tell me that you'd be this… crazy!" He waved his hand, and all of the dreamscapes were gone.

He woke up with a jolt, and he saw Yibo's face right in front of him.
"Zhan-ge, thank fuck you're awake!" He wrapped Xiao Zhan into his embrace, with the leftover blood still on his hands.
"Yibo…?" He hugged the younger man back. "Where's the kids?" He darted his eyes around, to find that they were still in front of The Mill, surrounded by the bloody carnage.
"They're fine, they're with Xingchen, I told him to bring them back home first." Yibo's eyes were glassy as he lightly touched Xiao Zhan's cheek. "Where were you, Ge? I was so worried when you suddenly dropped down like that."
"Dream demon." He massaged his sore neck. "Took me to my most wanted place in the world."
"...then how did you get out? If it was your most wanted place?"
"Because there's nowhere I'd rather be than beside you, baobei." He kissed the younger man softly. "Besides, fake Yibo seemed too perfect over there." He chuckled lightly.
Yibo looked at him suspiciously.
"I want you to tell me in detail what really happened there… and then maybe we could practice." Yibo kissed the tip of Xiao Zhan's nose lightly. "Afterall, practice makes perfect."
"Dudes… would you please stop? We're literally in the middle of war here, and you… urgh, I really can't with you both." Xue Yang raised his hands in defeat then kicked the man he brought with him, before the sudden attack of Dream Demon. "What should we do with this bastard? Can I kill him?"
They turned their focus to the man Xue Yang brought out. It was a man in black, the fake Tracker.
Xiao Zhan grabbed the hair of the man and pulled it up to see the face, and smiled.
"Well, well, well, if it isn't Young Master Jin."
 
Yibo scooted down and looked at the man who killed him with fury in his eyes. The man flinched but couldn't move because Xue Yang injured his leg. Badly. 
There was literally flesh hanging out on the leg bones. Or whatever left of the so-called bone.
"I took my time filleting him. Sorry not sorry." There's some kind of maniacal glint in his eyes, which Xiao Zhan knew best. Xue Yang was pissed.
"He looks familiar." Yibo held himself from further filleting this human mess, so he stepped away to control his rage.
"Well, he's the distant cousin of my sister's husband, Jin Zixuan. Meet Jin Zixun, the prodigal son." Xiao Zhan looked at Xue Yang. "Although with this kind of operation, I highly doubted that he was still the dark horse of the family."
"Just fucking kill me, Xiao Zhan! No need to be merciful! I killed your boy toy and I demand you to kill me!" He screamed when Xue Yang stepped on his butt.
"Zixun, just to kill you is too easy. I'm gonna give you to Xue Yang as his plaything." He brushed off the invisible lint on his sleeve. "Unless you start to talk, that is… then maybe I will let him kill you fast."
"Please, don't talk… I have hundred ways to torture you without letting you die. You're just going to beg me to let you die." The smile on Xue Yang's face was terrifying.
Jin Zixun, having the first hand knowledge of Xue Yang's sadistic traits, shuddered and he soiled his pants while crying so pathetically.
With snot all over his face, he begged Xiao Zhan.
"I'll tell you everything! Please! Don't let him near me! Please!!! Reign your dog!"
Xiao Zhan signaled Xue Yang to move further away from the hysterical man then he scooted down in front of him.
"First of all, Xue Yang is not my dog. He's my friend and ally, and I trust him with my life. Keep offending him and I won't guarantee he won't torture you without my consent. Capisce ?"
Jin Zixun nodded, tears still welling in his eyes.
"Now, speak."