Baekhyun's P.O.V

“Look at you, you look wonderful! You're so handsome, yet cute. I ca1n't believe that you're actually standing here and are ready to get married! Look, I'm already tearing up!”
“Lay, you always exaggerate. But I do agree, you look strangely handsome today.”
“You two, didn't I tell you to wait with the other guests? The bride is supposed to be revealed to the guests in 15 minutes. You two are just impossible...”

Chen sighs while Lay and Yuri are busy with taking a proper look at Baekhyun who is awkwardly standing in front of them. Honestly, he's surprised that he's able to wear a suit and not a dress which he thought Chanyeol would force upon him, but Chen made sure to give him proper clothes. Here he stands with his hair perfectly styled and his clothes are already on: he's literally ready to get married. Though, his nerves are making him feel sick. His hands are trembling slightly and sometimes he finds it hard to breathe as nervous and anxious he gets.

The whole day flew by and it didn't take long before Baekhyun was brought to this room to get ready for the wedding. The spa was relaxing and he got to eat some delicious food that reminds him slightly of his hometown. But now when he's standing here, his stomach is acting strange and he's nearly shaking. He never thought he would be this nervous, he wasn't even this nervous when he headed to the stupid ball that he went to with Chanyeol. This is a whole new level of nervousness and anxiousness!

“I must say that you look rather pale today sir Baekhyun. Is it the make up?”
“Omo, you're right. You look awfully pale... You're not fainting, are you?!”
“Baekhyun, come here and sit down. Don't move too fast, just slowly sit down and try to breathe deeply. Here, I got some water for you as well.”

Chen quickly helps him to sit down and handles him a bottle of water. Both Lay and Yuri stare slightly concerned at him before he drinks some water and give them a calming smile. He will be alright, he just needs to keep breathing and drink some water. He just needs to calm down a little and try to breathe which is very important. He just needs to breathe.

“I'm alright, I just had to sit down for a second. I'm sorry if I worried you, I just... Totally...”
“It's understandable, so don't worry. I would be surprised if you weren't nervous.”
“We will get going now before Kyungsoo gets lost out there. Good luck Baekhyun, we will be supporting you from the front row from now and on!”
“Of course you will and so will Xiumin and I do as well.”

Chen smiles assuring at Baekhyun who smiles back at them. He's not feeling any calmer at the moment, but at least he can act like he has calmed down. Yuri and Lay leaves the room and it's only Baekhyun left with Chen. He tries to breathe slowly and he drinks his water from time to time in hope to calm down. He focuses his mind on the positive things and he tries to ignore the fact that he will have to walk down an aisle in front of at least 40 people which are mostly Chanyeol's family or business partners. Why is he doing this now again?

“I don't want to freak you out, but we have to get going soon since the wedding is starting in only some few minutes. Please try to calm down and focus on the good things. Think about your family, they're out there and are waiting for you. They are probably overjoyed to be here and to be able to see you on your big day. Don't you agree?”
“Y-Yeah, but... What if something happens? I don't want to mess up and-”
“Baekhyun, I want you to listen to me. When I got married to Xiumin, I was nervous as well. But then someone told me this: Don't act like someone else, just be yourself. After all, the person who is marrying you isn't here to marry a stranger. He or she is here to marry you and only you. The same thing goes for you and Chanyeol. Don't act like you're a noble gentleman who grew up in a mansion, because you're not that person. Just be yourself, be Byun Baekhyun who is from a smaller city and whom loves his family and friends.”

It's strange how hard Chen's words hits him. He never thought about being himself until Chen told him to do that. All this time he was thinking about how he should put up an act and be someone who he knows very well isn't himself, but no one told him it's alright if he's just himself. He will still have to act polite and formal, but he can still be himself. It's strangely calming to hear Chen talk to him and it feels good to hear that he doesn't have to put up an act. This is exactly what he needed to hear.

“I'm sorry if I worried you, I'm alright now. Thank you Chen, I'm glad you're the one who's being here with me before the wedding. You're officially my best friend, but don't tell Lay. He will be pouting at me for a whole month before he stops acting like a child.”
“Haha, I'm honored to be your best friend. Now, shall we get going and not keep your groom waiting? I bet he's actually excited to see you and he would love some company.”

Baekhyun feels how he chuckles before he gets up of the chair. Chen lets him take another deep breath before he walks over to the door and opens it. Baekhyun walks after Chen who leads the way down a corridor and stops outside two doors. He then turns to Baekhyun who can feel his heart beats crazily and how he clings onto his own hands. Chen puts a hand on his shoulder and smiles an amazingly big smile at him.

“You will do fine and you two will be happy together. I'm proud of you, like everyone else. Here, this is the only thing you need to carry with you. I will be walking right behind you, so don't worry about anything else. If you get nervous, just keep your eyes focused on Chanyeol and walk straight forward. Don't forget to smile.”

Chen holds out a single rose that is strangely dyed in both red and white. At first it looked strange, but when Baekhyun grabs it, it begins to dazzle like the moon does in the night. A smile spreads upon his lips when he realizes what he's holding.

“Chen, where did you find this? This rose can only be grown by a werewolf and they're extremely rare and hard to find in the wild nature. I'm... speechless... How did you know...?”
“It's not from me, it's from your family. They told me it's a tradition in your family to have one single rose in your hand when you get married, so they told me to give it to you.”
“Thank you... Chen... This makes me extremely happy... Thank you.”

Baekhyun feels like crying as happy he suddenly feels. He hasn't seen his family in months, but they never stopped thinking about him. They went through the trouble to give him a moon rose, a rare rose that can only grow in the presence of the moon goddess and only blossoms during the full moon during the spring months. Chen smiles at him before he clears his throat and steps to the side.

“Please, take the lead. Like I said, I will be right behind you.”

Chen waits for Baekhyun to walk up to the door before he will open it. Baekhyun takes one last deep breath and closes his eyes for a second or two. He's finally here and he's ready to do this. He can't get any more prepared than this.

Chanyeol's P.O.V

The room is filled with the wedding guests. Chanyeol secretly takes a proper look among the people and smiles slightly when he doesn't find his grandfather among them. It's a relief knowing that he's not here, he might have ruined everything. Though, he didn't expect his family to be here either. To his surprise both his mother, his father and even his sister Yura is among the guests. He can also spot Luhan and Sehun who are giving him a cheerful smile when he accidentally locks his eyes on them.

The room is full of weak chatters and people are probably getting impatient to see the so called bride. Which reminds him: where is Baekhyun's parents and his sisters? His family should be here somewhere too. He doesn't know how they look like, but he should be able to make them out among the guests since mostly of the guests are either his friends, his family or his business partners. His eyes suddenly spots two young girls sitting next to each other: they look nearly identical to Baekhyun except they have a slightly more feminine face. On each side of the girls sits a woman and a man: they are both busy with watching Chanyeol or the people beside them.

Those four people must be Baekhyun's family, the ones Baekhyun has done so much for. Are they really worth all this pain and suffering? He knows that he put Baekhyun through a lot of pain and he knows that Baekhyun more or less hated him, but now Chen and Xiumin are claiming that he loves him. He couldn't care even less about Baekhyun's feelings: or so he thought. He knows that today must be a good day for him, but he can't feel the same. Today feels like a day when he will be annoyed and can't lock himself up inside of his office.

All of the sudden, the doors to the room finally gets open and everyone falls silent. A soft melody gets played while everyone is turning their heads towards the opening. Chanyeol feels how he stands straighter than before and his eyes are staring at the opening. It doesn't take long before he sees a young man walk down the aisle in front of him with a wonderful white smile on his lips. He's well dressed, his hair is carefully styled and his face looks rather natural. His eyes are only focused on one thing: they're focusing on Chanyeol.

A smile spreads across his lips while he stares speechless at Baekhyun who is walking down the aisle with gentle steps. In his soft looking hands is one single rose that is dazzling weakly, like a star in the middle of the night. Everyone is staring at him, but all he seems to see is Chanyeol. It's rather amazing that he manages to only focus on Chanyeol when there are so many more people to look at. All Chanyeol can do is to smile and let Baekhyun walk up to him.

The slightly shorter man stops in front of him with his eyes still locked with Chanyeol's. They both smile at each other, mostly to pretend that they're fully in love and fool their audience that they're not nervous. After a couple of seconds and when the music quiets down, they both turn towards a special altar where two men are standing: one is a vampire and the other is a werewolf – they both are nobles. Usually you would have some kind of priest, but their races have never had one and never will have.

“People, today we have gathered here to witness two young men to tie their lives together.”
“We have long waited for this day since today is not an ordinary day where two young persons only get married, but they also save thousands of lives.”
“Many years may come and go, but your bound shall never waver. Your love shall blossom stronger each year you spend with each other and your future shall stay bright.”
“The goddess will not only watch over our young werewolf, but also his family and his new husband who will not only strengthen him, but also support him. In the name of the moon goddess and in the name of the moon itself, may you live a long and healthy life.”
“Hereby we bind your fate, your future and your love by a blood seal. With the power of the moon and the power of the blood, you both will stand strong by each other's side.”

The two middle aged man finally finishes their speech and begins the ritual. Chanyeol carefully glances down at Baekhyun who is slightly paler by now: he must be nervous. Well, it isn't weird. He (probably) knows what is going to happen: they will have to do a blood ritual. He may or may not like it, but this is how is must be done. They're in a temple where Chanyeol's family has gotten married for generations: they can't break the tradition and skip the blood ritual. Though, he never thought they would dare to mention the moon goddess name in a vampire temple. But it doesn't bother him.

The vampire man carefully grabs a small silver knife from a table standing besides him while the werewolf man grabs a wine glass. By now Baekhyun should be freaking out, but Chanyeol did tell him there is a blood ritual that is going to be done. He said he would refuse to do it, but he wouldn't dare to say anything in front of everyone in the room. The vampire man carefully holds out the knife to Chanyeol who gracefully grabs it and Baekhyun receives the glass. He secretly gives Chanyeol a nervous gaze since he probably have no idea what he's supposed to do with the glass.

“As a tradition, the couple will cut a small wound and offer their blood that will later be used for their bounding ritual: the final ritual for their marriage.”

Chanyeol waits for the vampire man to signal him to cut a small wound in his finger before he lets five drops of blood fall down into the glass that Baekhyun is holding. Then he gently holds out the knife to Baekhyun who carefully grabs it and lets Chanyeol receive the glass. Just like Chanyeol did, Baekhyun carefully cuts a small cut on one of his fingers before he lets five drops of blood fall into the glass before they're finally done with this part. The noble men takes the glass and knife before Xiumin carefully walks up to them from his seat and stands behind them.

“The bound of the couple will be strong with the blood seal and protected by the moon.”
“As a sign of their love and their ties to each other, they will now exchange their rings.”

Xiumin gracefully holds out a small box with two rings and lets Chanyeol grab Baekhyun's ring first. He then smiles at the shorter man who is smiling back, but he could see a small glimpse of nervousness in his eyes. He's good at hiding his feelings, but Chanyeol has begun to learn to see them. He carefully holds out his hand towards Baekhyun who smiles and slowly lifts his hand up to his. They exchange a rather long gaze before he gently puts the ring onto Baekhyun's soft finger. As fast that is done, it's Baekhyun's turn to put on Chanyeol's ring onto his finger.

Chanyeol thought Baekhyun would drop the ring as nervous he must be, but he didn't. Instead he steadily grabs the ring, holds out his hand to Chanyeol and then gracefully slides the ring onto the finger. Has he been practicing? Chanyeol isn't sure, but he must admit that he's impressed. Baekhyun has kept a good pokerface all this time and his hands are steadier than what he thought they would be despite the fact that he must be nervous.

“May we both now pronounce you as husband and husband.”

The ceremony is finally over. The vampire man and the werewolf man bow to them and the people applauds gently. Though, many must wonder why there is no kiss in the end. Well, Chanyeol refused to have one in front of all those people. First of all, he gets a feeling it would make Baekhyun more than uncomfortable. Second of all, he's pretty sure that many of the guests wouldn't enjoy seeing two guys kiss in a sacred temple that has been the place where Chanyeol's family has gotten married for generations. With other words: it would be extremely rude and he doesn't want to upset anyone in his family more than necessary.

Baekhyun looks slightly confused by now and it's understandable. Maybe he had braced himself for the incoming kiss? Either way, Chanyeol won't embarrass himself, Baekhyun or this temple by kissing him here. Instead he holds out his left arm to Baekhyun who gently hooks his arm with it before he starts walking down the aisle. They both smile and nod to the people who are cheering for them, but he does spot a couple of guests who are giving Baekhyun a rather unpleasant glare. He doesn't like it, but he can't do anything about it. Not now at least. All he can do