Chapter Text
Park Seonghwa’s father, the vampire Coven’s Sire and longtime leader, had been murdered last week.
While Hongjoong was fairly sure that the assassin hadn’t been any of his fellow Hunters, he didn’t know who it had been. Perhaps the Wolves were trying to stir up trouble again. The fragile peace between the three factions was always strained, and tensions had reached an all time high due to the assassination.
But none of that mattered right now.
Hongjoong balled his hands into fists, squeezing so hard that he was afraid that his nails digging into his palms would draw blood. He quickly released them before that could happen. That couldn’t happen. Not today of all days.
It was his wedding day. He was just minutes away from being bound in eternal matrimony to Park Seonghwa, the new leader of the Eastern Coven.
Park Seonghwa was the vampire Sire’s only trueborn son and heir. Hongjoong had briefly spoken with him only a couple of times before– once a few years ago when he was nineteen, and again just last week, to finalize the wedding date.
The wedding had been scheduled for a week from the very day of the assassination in order to reaffirm the alliance between vampires and Hunters, to ensure the Treaties held strong during the transition of power to the Sire’s heir.
Hongjoong didn’t want any of this. He felt like throwing up. He felt like running to the nearest window and throwing himself out in a spray of glass shards until his body collided with the dark, welcoming ground. But it had to be him, or it would have been his little brother, Jongho, his only other true blood relative within the Commander’s bloodline. And Hongjoong would never allow that to happen. It was better to take this burden himself, keeping the peace at the expense of his own body and soul. Leaving Jongho out of it. Protecting him.
Slender, dark-eyed Wooyoung straightened Hongjoong’s collar and fussed unnecessarily over his long-tailed coat – Hongjoong’s wedding suit – brushing barely visible lint off the shoulders and back. Wooyoung’s face, usually flaunting a mischievous grin, was as solemn as Hongjoong had ever seen it.
“You don’t have to do this, Captain,” Wooyoung whispered, his soft voice sounding angry, with a tinge of desperation, as he straightened Hongjoong’s tie for the hundredth time. He smelled faintly of the whiskey he had been sneaking all day from a hidden flask when he thought Hongjoong hadn’t been looking. He still hadn’t donned his own tie, and the top of his own white collared shirt gaped open. His eyes were shiny with unshed tears. “We can find another way,” Wooyoung insisted.
Hongjoong held up a finger to shush him, and shook his head. He gave the expression that meant enough , and Wooyoung’s mouth snapped shut. Hongjoong didn’t have the words to argue with Wooyoung anymore.
Wooyoung let out a begrudging sigh and moved aside so that Hongjoong could view himself in the tall, ornate mirror. Hongjoong met his own gaze in the mirror. He looked resigned. Exhausted. He tried to correct his expression and posture to exude more strength and self assurance.
He just saw a scared little boy.
“You look so handsome today, Captain,” Mingi’s deep voice rumbled next to him. The strikingly tall younger man, bedecked in several silver chain necklaces and a fur-lined trenchcoat, reached out and gently brushed a stray golden hair out of Hongjoong’s eyes. Hongjoong reached up and patted Mingi’s cheek, and Mingi tipped his head downwards, his sable hair flopping over his charming brown eyes.
“You have to be strong,” Hongjoong said in his most commanding voice, trying not to let it crack. “For me. For Jongho. For everyone.” His gaze flickered towards Wooyoung, but couldn’t linger. Wooyoung stood with his head hung in defeat, looking every bit as devastated as Hongjoong felt. But he couldn’t let them see. He had to be brave for them.
“That monster doesn’t fucking deserve you,” Mingi declared, his full lips pressing together tightly in disgust. Hongjoong pinched his cheek affectionately, and Mingi’s expression softened.
“We could just kill them all tonight,” Jongho suggested nonchalantly as he finished strapping a small silver dagger inside his boot. “Wedding day massacre has a nice ring to it.”
Mingi’s lips twitched into a tiny smirk, and even Wooyoung’s gaze lifted slightly, his eyes glinting with a shred of hope. Hongjoong let out a chuckle at his brother’s boldness, but he shook his head in resignation, cementing what that they all knew– that he meant to go through with it. Wooyoung’s face fell again.
Jongho straightened up defiantly. He looked so handsome, so grown-up now. His perpetually stern expression exuded strength and determination. He was still young, but he had worked so hard, training every day without complaining, and leading by example. He would make an exceptional captain for the junior Hunters in Hongjoong’s place. Hongjoong couldn’t help but let a proud smile, tinged with a measure of sadness, creep onto his face.
Wooyoung began nervously flipping his silver butterfly knife open and shut. The chandelier light from overhead glinted off the deadly blade, which he had seemingly summoned out of nowhere.
“C’mon Captain, just give me one chance,” he begged. Hongjoong averted his gaze from Wooyoung’s pleading stare and sighed.
“Hush now, all of you,” an authoritative female voice interrupted from behind them. Wooyoung flourished his knife and hastily made it disappear somewhere in his sleeves.
Hongjoong spotted his mother, stately and bedecked in her best finery that represented her as the leader of the Hunters’ eastern Clan. She had been their Commander since before he had even been born, and her presence dominated the room.
He couldn’t bring himself to meet her eyes in the mirror as she approached him. He continued to stare at himself, schooling his expression to remain neutral as his chestnut brown eyes studied his own reflection.
Mingi was right. Hongjoong had to admit that he did look quite handsome today. His bleached, light-blonde hair was combed back neatly, and his sun-kissed skin was smooth and unblemished. His face was beginning to look more like a grown man’s, though he still couldn’t manage to grow much, if any facial hair at the ripe old age of twenty-four.
He sighed, wishing that he were just a little bit taller. Park Seonghwa was fairly tall, but nowhere near as tall as Mingi. Regardless, Hongjoong hated the fact that he’d have to look up at the vampire as they said their vows. It just added more salt to an already gaping wound.
Married to a vampire to keep the peace. That had become his destiny, the day his older brother had died. It had been just a few weeks before Hongjoong’s twentieth birthday– his brother had gone out on a fateful mission, then everything had changed. Hongjoong had gone from a promising young Hunter leader-in-training to the one who would take his older brother’s place as the betrothed of the vampire heir.
That’s how his name would be remembered now. Not the Hunter Captain who had led his brave companions to preserve the peace in a world overcome by darkness.
He was the Bloody Bride. The Black Sacrament. Handed to the bloodsuckers and destined to become one of them . To sacrifice his own soul. He couldn’t… It was becoming hard to breathe. He felt Wooyoung hugging him tightly. Maybe he was crying. Maybe they were both crying. Jongho placed a steadying hand on his shoulders. Mingi leaned down and enveloped them all in his huge arms.
Hongjoong shook himself out of his doom spiral and gently removed himself from their embraces. He usually wouldn’t allow anyone to hug him for long. He’d just been too distracted to protest.
No matter now. By the look in his mother’s eyes, Hongjoong knew it was time to go.
One by one, his Hunter brothers stepped back from him. All except Wooyoung, who patted Hongjoong’s cheeks gently with his handkerchief. Then he used it to dry his own eyes, before gathering his hair into a neat ponytail and nodding that he was ready.
Hongjoong took his final deep breath before the plunge and said, “Okay… let’s go to my wedding.”
The walk to the wedding ceremony was mostly a blur in Hongjoong’s memory.
One of the older vampires, an alluringly attractive man with fiery red hair and a velvety deep voice, spoke to Hongjoong and Seonghwa. The two betrothed stood facing one another in front of the crowd of Hunters and Vampires which were seated on opposing sides in the enormous formal hall with high-vaulted ceilings. Maybe this place had once been used for religious ceremonies, but there was no longer any such imagery here. Hongjoong stood where he was directed, performing his duties mechanically, feeling like he was in some sort of waking nightmare.
As Seonghwa repeated his vows, Hongjoong was reminded that the vampire’s voice was surprisingly rich and deep. Not a deep rumble like Mingi’s. Where Mingi’s was rough, Seonghwa’s was smooth as silk.
Hongjoong couldn’t bring himself to look at his betrothed. He instead concentrated his gaze on the wall just beyond the vampire officiant who was reading them their vows, and focused on repeating the words when prompted. His mouth had gone uncomfortably dry and his tongue felt heavy, as if it were turning to stone.
His mother stood somewhere nearby. He couldn’t bring himself to look in her direction or at his Hunter brothers in the crowd. She had negotiated one week for them to prepare for this wedding after the Sire’s death. He knew why she had done it, but he was still in shock at how little time she had given him to prepare. Hongjoong had thought that perhaps they could delay the wedding indefinitely, or at least until he was much older. He didn’t want to be angry with her, but he had been devastated that she hadn’t managed to buy him more time. Time for him to live and to be free.
“I do,” Seonghwa promised, his face expressionless. Hongjoong studied him from the corner of his eye, unable to look directly at the vampire as he concluded his final vow.
Seonghwa was tall, slim, and pale as a fresh corpse. His shoulder-length snow-white hair was slicked back neatly on the sides, and he wore a perfectly tailored black suit with a matching vest that had been accented with silver thread.
He was a complete mystery to Hongjoong. The vampire heir had mostly observed quietly from the shadows during parleys between the Hunters and the Vampire Coven. Meanwhile Hongjoong had been heavily involved in negotiations since he was a teen.
“...as long as you both walk this earth?” finished the red-haired vampire. He was so beautiful it almost hurt to look at him. Hongjoong stared down at his own freshly shined shoes. He took a deep breath. Then he brought his eyes up to meet Seonghwa’s. Just for a moment. He needed to see who it was he was marrying.
Eyes black as night glittered back at him. Hongjoong’s stomach flipped, and he forced himself to swallow his trepidation.
“I do,” Hongjoong said, with as much confidence as he could muster. His voice sounded so small and uncertain to his own ears. He stood as tall as he could, trying to project confidence.
Seonghwa stared back at him, his expression as fathomless as the darkest depths of the ocean. So this is what mutual hatred felt like, up close and personal. They both really did not want to be here. Hongjoong felt strangely comforted knowing they at least had this one thing in common.
He tore his eyes from his new husband’s penetrating gaze as the red-haired vampire held out a satin pillow with two diamond studded wedding bands nestled on top. Seonghwa took one, and Hongjoong made himself reach up and take the other, trying to keep his hand from trembling visibly.
Seonghwa held out his hand, extending his pale slender fingers. Hongjoong couldn’t help but imagine freshly spilled crimson blood dripping from them. He managed to slide the ring onto Seonghwa’s finger with minimal contact.
When it was Hongjoong’s turn, Seonghwa unexpectedly reached down and took Hongjoong by the wrist, lifting his hand upwards so the crowd could see better. Hongjoong could feel his face heating as Seonghwa touched him, and he resisted the urge to snatch his hand away. The vampire’s hands were cool to the touch, but not as icy cold and corpse-like as Hongjoong had expected.
Seonghwa hesitated for half a second, his eyes fixing upon Hongjoong’s flushed cheeks and throat, before pushing the ring onto Hongjoong’s finger and swiftly dropping his hand.
Hongjoong heard a softly murmured “Fucking hell…” from the crowd and immediately knew it was Wooyoung. He glimpsed Jongho resting a hand on the back of Wooyoung’s neck in warning as some of the vampires glanced over with annoyed expressions.
Hongjoong was going to throw up. But he couldn’t. He couldn’t faint either. It would be too embarrassing. Too shameful for his mother. For the Hunters. So he held it together for her. For all of them.
He thought he saw a tear slide down his mother’s cheek… but he must have imagined it. His mother didn’t cry, after all.
“I now pronounce you lawfully wedded husbands,” the red-haired vampire announced. “This alliance will be sealed with a kiss.”
Hongjoong had completely forgotten that this was a part of wedding ceremonies. Certainly they didn’t expect them to… certainly not.
“With a kiss!” the red-haired vampire reiterated, with a beckoning gesture towards both of them. He smiled encouragingly, seeming much too pleased to be here, at this farce of a wedding.
Seonghwa looked at Hongjoong expectantly. For the first time, Hongjoong saw the shadow of an emotion on Seonghwa’s face as his uncharacteristically pink lips trembled for just a second.
Fuck.
Hongjoong was going to have to do this wasn’t he?
He stepped forward, closing the distance between himself and Seonghwa. He placed his hands uneasily on either side of Seonghwa’s waist and tilted his head up towards Seonghwa’s face. The vampire went rigid as soon as Hongjoong’s hands made contact with his hips. His eyes widened a bit, and his mouth dropped open, ever so slightly.
He looked… terrified.
Hongjoong had never seen that expression on the face of a vampire before in his life. He leaned forward and brushed the lightest peck he could manage against the corner of Seonghwa’s lips, as quickly as he could.
He didn’t know what he should have expected, but it certainly wasn’t that Seonghwa’s lips would be warm and… soft ? He felt himself blushing again. Seonghwa stiffened even more in Hongjoong’s grip, if that were even possible, until Hongjoong released him.
Good enough.
The crowd cheered. Seonghwa seemed frozen in place, the corners of his mouth turned down into a sullen frown.
Hongjoong took charge, grabbing Seonghwa’s wrist where the coat sleeve would act as a barrier between their bare skin and walked them off the platform. He began to lead them down the aisle towards the enormous banquet hall. Seonghwa seemed nearly catatonic at first, but as he passed some of his fellow vampires cheering for him and congratulating them, he seemed to snap out of it and began nodding and thanking them politely.
As they departed, the red-haired vampire gave directions to the crowd, and Seonghwa and Hongjoong entered the banquet hall. The room was ornately decorated with crystal chandeliers and several round tables hosted vases overflowing with pink and black roses.
At the front of the hall was a long, wide table set for the wedding party. There were no flowers, no decorations on this table. The settings were simple and elegant, but an enormously extravagant crystal chandelier, the largest of them all, hung just behind them.
As they neared the long table, Seonghwa extricated his wrist from Hongjoong’s grip and smoothed the sleeve of his coat.
“I’ll return soon,” he said matter-of-factly, and stalked off through one of several side doors near the front of the hall.
Hongjoong took a few deep breaths to try to calm himself.
“Do whatever you want, it’s not like I care,” he muttered, to no one in particular. He located the chair at the center of the long table that clearly was meant to be his or Seonghwa’s, then plopped down and dropped his face into his hands. What the fuck had he just done? Had he really weighed all possible options? Was there still a way out of this?
No. He had to do this. For all of them. To keep the peace. For Jongho.
He felt like bursting into tears.
It was only the sight of Mingi dashing into the reception hall, with his gigantic coat flapping behind him, that managed to slightly cheer Hongjoong up. Wooyoung and Jongho followed closely behind, and Jongho had his head turned slightly as if watching their backs. Good job, little brother. Never let your guard down.
Hongjoong nodded at each of his Hunter brothers, letting them know he was alright, and they took their places to his left. Mingi took the seat at the far end of the table, settling uncomfortably onto the slightly-too-small chair. Wooyoung plopped down next to Hongjoong, and Jongho seated himself between Wooyoung and Mingi, his watchful eyes scanning the guests as they began to filter into the hall.
Hongjoong felt like he was too nervous to watch the crowd for signs of danger, but he found himself doing so anyway out of habit. He would never be able to let his guard down again, after this.
The red-haired vampire officiant approached them and introduced himself as Yeosang, and Hongjoong gave him a polite bow. Yeosang sat on the other side of Seonghwa’s empty seat, glancing around as if searching for his new young leader.
A smartly dressed man with dark, slicked-back hair, wearing rimless glasses and a long coat approached him and whispered something in his ear. Yeosang nodded, then beckoned the man to take the seat next to him.
Hongjoong wrinkled his nose. Vampires didn’t need glasses. This man was one of the many human familiars who worked for the household. He seemed quite young to be in a position of such high honor at the table, so Hongjoong made a mental note to keep an eye on him.
The familiar smiled with thinly veiled excitement towards the nearby table where servers had brought out an enormous tiered white cake covered in strawberries and pink roses. Hongjoong nearly scoffed out loud. What did vampires need with cake? He supposed their human staff and guests would enjoy it, but why should they care enough to even make one? It was probably just for appearances.
A surprisingly tall, fair-haired man who was at least Mingi’s height seated himself at the opposite end of the table. Hongjoong had seen him before at the parleys, but he still knew next to nothing about him, in spite of his efforts. This was another one to keep his eyes on. Rumor was that he was a daywalker, a feat which only the most ancient and powerful vampires could achieve.
Hongjoong noticed that most of the guests seemed to be seated now, and were glancing expectantly at the table as they awaited Seonghwa’s return. Finally, Seonghwa reemerged from the door at the front of the hall, with his suit coat removed and his sleeves rolled up. The vampires in the crowd cheered his return, and Seonghwa took his seat, crossing his leg and holding out a hand up towards the line of familiars that stood prepared to serve food and drink behind them. He seemed much more composed, even haughty now. Had his timidity at the ceremony been an act? Hongjoong wondered what kind of game the vampire was playing with him.
A familiar placed a glass in Seonghwa’s outstretched hand and filled it with what at first looked like a thick red vintage, but with a sniff Hongjoong realized it was blood. Of course it was blood, he chided himself. His nerves seemed to be getting the best of him. He did his best to keep his expression neutral as the familiar filled the glass over halfway, then Seonghwa held up a hand for him to stop. The server complied immediately and stepped back into line behind them.
Mingi had turned sideways in his chair, looking like he was facing the newlyweds but actually keeping an eye on the line of servers behind them. Good boy.
The servers began to fill everyone else’s glasses– blood for the vampires, red wine for the humans– fanning out amongst the guest tables to make sure that everyone had a drink.
Hongjoong spotted his mother in the crowd, seated at one of the closest tables with several of the older Hunters. Hongjoong bowed briefly to her in acknowledgement as their eyes met, and she nodded in approval. At least she was proud of him. He had to remind himself to keep breathing.
Seonghwa stood and held up his glass for a toast. “To my esteemed guests,” he said with a confident smile, “May this union bring us lasting peace for years to come. Geonbae!”
“Geonbae!” the crowd echoed, glasses clinked, and everyone drank.
Seonghwa did not clink his glass with anyone before he started drinking, so Hongjoong clinked his own with a grumpy Wooyoung, who promptly drained his glass before Hongjoong could even take a sip of his wine. It was a good vintage. Very old. What else should he have expected? He couldn’t bring himself to enjoy it, though. He had never really liked wine that much anyway, never even finishing a glass on the rare occasions he’d had the opportunity to drink it.
Seonghwa drained his cup and held his glass up for a refill, to which a server promptly acquiesced.
Hongjoong felt himself getting a bit queasy. How much blood would Seonghwa drink tonight? How fresh was it? Who was it from? Likely it was a donation from one of their many familiars. Just enough so that the familiar didn’t die, but would need several days to recover. Hence the large collection of familiars at this manor.
Would Seonghwa want to drink Hongjoong’s blood tonight as some sort of sick vampire wedding ritual? Hongjoong vowed that he would not allow anything of the sort.
The servers placed food on each of the human’s plates, but Hongjoong couldn’t bring himself to eat. He stabbed his chopsticks at a piece of what appeared to be real meat a couple of times, pretending to be interested, until he caught Seonghwa staring at him with thinly veiled disgust. He put his chopsticks down and tried to look unperturbed and preoccupied with taking in his surroundings.
Wooyoung stood up next to him, patting Hongjoong’s shoulder and leaning close to his ear. “I’m going to need something a bit stronger than wine, boss. Be back soon,” he murmured, before slipping off into the crowd.
The familiar with spectacles stood a moment later and approached Seonghwa, bending to whisper something Hongjoong couldn’t quite hear. Seonghwa closed his eyes for a moment, frowning with displeasure, then gave the familiar a curt, dismissive wave. The familiar bowed and left the hall through one of the side doors.
Hongjoong took a sip of his wine, hoping Wooyoung would be successful in finding them something stronger. He was going to need it to get through this.