Chapter Text
It took all five of Jisung’s friend group a little more than half an hour to grab all the things he asked for. During that time, Taeyong spent his minimal energy pacing as he searched his brain if he had forgotten anything. The first to return from errands was Renjun, the omega handing him his bags as soon as he shut the door behind him. Taeyong took them eagerly and glanced inside, grabbing the boxes out and smiling widely. Three different shades of black hair dye stared back at him, warm-toned, cool-toned, and neutral onyx.
“They’re perfect.” He smiled widely at the omega, “Thank you for doing this for me.”
“Of course, Hyung. If you want black hair for your wedding, it’s the least I can do.” He smiled reassuringly.
Renjun pulled Taeyong back to his armchair, shushing his objections.
“You need to sit down and rest, Hyung, I know your physical state is actually shit. Now, we’re going to wait for the others to return and you’re going eat the food I’m making Chenle get for you while you explain to us what’s happening and how to help you.”
Taeyong huffed but didn’t object as Renjun took the hair dye back from him and reached under his dress to pull off his ghastly high heels. Renjun sat beside him and told him about how his life was going. He had fought tooth and nail to get his position in the company, despite inheriting it from his Alpha father, as he had to prove his worth above his status to a man very stuck in the old ways. The competition didn’t take him seriously either because of his gender, but he had learned to exploit their naivety and instincts into outplaying them every time. He and Chenle were doing well but he wasn’t sure how he felt about the beta trying to pursue him seriously and mate with him. That was when the other four returned together, in a seemingly coordinated fashion, and Renjun grew silent as Chenle came over to them.
“Here you go, Hyung! I got you some vegetable kimbap, bulgogi, and kimchi!” He said eagerly, a proud smile on his face as he held out the bag of takeaway for him.
Taeyong felt his heart melt and he resisted the urge to coo over the boy.
“Thank you, Chenle.” He said softly, taking the bag and setting it on the floor beside him, holding his arms open for the beta to tumble into gratefully, tucking himself under Taeyong’s chin happily.
Jeno came forward and gave him a back full of powdered charcoal and plastic gloves. Jaemin handed him a bag with wicked, black stilettos in them and a whole different set of makeup products to the ones on his face. Jisung handed him his fabric scissors and sewing kit.
“So… mind telling us what’s happening, Hyung?” Jisung asked innocently, wandering over to sit in the chair beside Taeyong and taking his hand, playing with his thin fingers.
Taeyong hummed.
“I want it to be a surprise.” He said slowly as he made his decision, eyes flicking over the disappointed expressions, “But there is one more thing I need.”
“Anything for the bride,” Chenle answered brightly as he finally drew back, standing and walking to sit on the arm of Renjun’s chair.
“Jaemin-ah, Rejunnie, would you like to be my bridesmaids?”
They blinked.
“But we only have these clothes…” Renjun trailed off.
Taeyong shrugged.
“I don’t care, you could walk down in lingerie for all I care.” The two omegas flushed at his crude wording, “You’ll need to get rid of those two annoying women my mother asked to be my bridesmaids. All I know is that they’re some random, high-society princesses.”
They nodded and Taeyong smiled at them happily.
“Then thank you all for your help. I’ll see you in two hours, okay? Don’t wait for me. Pretend you never even saw me, okay?”
They nodded confusedly, standing, and slowly walking to the door.
“Actually, Jeno, can you please wait.”
With even more confused looks exchanged, they nodded, and Jeno stopped while the others left. Taeyong stood and walked over to the Alpha, expression solemn.
“Please keep an eye on Jisung for me, okay?”
The Alpha’s gaze sharpened as his scent turned dangerous.
“Why? Is he in danger?” he asked lowly.
Taeyong shook his head.
“No, no, I’m sure he’ll be fine. I just have a feeling.” He paused, before tacking on the last piece of information, “Just… keep an eye out for my mother.”
Jeno didn’t say anything as he searched Taeyong’s eyes, eventually nodding when he only saw sincerity and trust. The Alpha slipped away silently after that, the door closing with a quiet click as he was left alone again. He moved forward and locked the door. He prayed he didn’t just lie to Jeno.
First, he wriggled his way out of his dress, careful about the buttons and sleeves, stepping back into his robes and hanging up the wedding dress in front of the mirror. He walked to the ensuite with the hair dye and makeup wipes, rinsing the styling products out of his hair under the tap and erasing the full face of makeup. He pulled out the neutral-toned black and got to work, smearing the mixture all through his strands, ensuring every piece was saturated and none got onto his skin. He placed the provided shower cap over his head as he set a timer for thirty minutes and trailed back out into the lounging space.
He ate slowly to ensure he didn’t upset his fragile stomach. The meat in the bulgogi proved to be a little too rich for his stomach and he was forced to stick with just vegetable kimbap and kimchi. It took him longer than expected—or was even healthy—to choke down his food and by the time he was done, so was his hair.
He turned off his timer and rinsed his hair out in the sink, using the hand soap to give his scalp and neck a quick scrub, then finishing up with the conditioner from the box dye, using the hand towel there to dry his now very dark hair.
While his hair fully dried out in the air, he walked back over to his dress and picked up the scissors on his way, reaching for the bottom of the lengths of the tuille first. He cut almost ten centimetres off the hem, making it easier for him to walk in and show a little more of his shoes. He reached beneath the first three layers of tuille and started cutting away the puffy fabric inside until he reached the lining. There were now yards of fabric on the floor, and his dress was now considerably less puffy, much more flattering in his opinion. But still, he wasn’t done. He grabbed the front, estimated where on the right he wanted the cut to be and ran his scissors up from the hem to a little before the waist. He stepped back to admire the slit for a moment. The next place he cut was the neckline. He hacked off the collar of frilly lace and smoothed it into a flattering V-neck that he knew looked amazing on himself. He smoothed it up to the shoulders and left just enough shoulder that it would sit on the edge of his broad shoulders, allowing his sharp collar bones to stand out beautifully. He left the back high to add some elegance and because he knew he wouldn’t have time to try and fix the button issues. Upon some more consideration, he also reached for the waist and ran his scissors along it, separating the dress into a two-piece. Now it was much better.
He dropped the scissors down onto the masses of cut-off fabric and walked back into the bathroom. Instead of recreating the hair stylist’s cute, wavy style, he dampened his hair and smoothed the sides away from his face with a comb and gel, allowing some small stands to hang over his face in the process. After touching up pieces here and there, he looked at the sophisticated look happily, quickly grabbing the makeup and rushing back in to finish up. He was quickly running out of time with less than fifty minutes left. He watched a YouTube video and then got to work, copying what he had noticed from the makeup artists over the years as well, layering makeup on his face, before moving to the eyes and lips. He painted his eyelids golden and carefully smoked out his eyeliner before applying blood-red lipstick. Thirty minutes left.
He rushed back out and over to the charcoal and gloves, grabbing a handful of the stuff before rubbing it into the bottom of the skirt, creating an ombre effect. He moved quickly, not minding the slightly messy look that came about when he accidentally brushed his stained gloves over the bodice as he moved to rub it into the sleeves and veil with the same look as the skirt. The charcoal stained the snow white just as he had hoped, crawling up the dress like smoke.
He abandoned the charcoal and gloves as he slid on his shoes and pulled the skirt on. It rested on his hips perfectly, leaving the few inches between his waist and hips bare, pale skin exposed to the cool air. He buttoned up the bodice before he pulled it over his head, then used the fabric tape he found in the sewing kit to secure the dress to his skin how he had hoped, ensuring the sleeves or front wouldn’t slip down. When he turned to look at his reflection, his eyes grew wide, and he couldn’t help but twist in place to look at his outfit. It was beautiful.
“Hyung?!” Jaemin’s voice shocked him back into himself in an instant, “We need to leave now! The guests are seated, and you walk in ten!”
“Of course, I’m coming!” He rushed to secure his veil and he smiled when it could barely hide his sharp expression.
As he turned to walk to the door, he could see the stilettos peak out easily, their red underneath shocking and sexy. He quickly unlocked the door and opened it to see Jaemin holding his bouquet and a smaller one for himself. The omega stopped and stared at his dress, mouth falling open and eyes widening. He noticed the younger’s eyes snag on the small pieces of skin that were now free.
“Jaemin-ah? Can I have my bouquet?” He asked amusedly, snapping the omega out of his thoughts and into handing them to him.
Whites with faint tints of pink and green, the polar opposite to his current look.
“Hyung, you look…”
“Amazing.” Renjun breathed, suddenly appearing behind Jaemin, and marveling at his dress, “But we have to hurry, come on!”
“…Evil, was what I was going to say, actually.” Jaemin huffed and the two omegas pulled him forward, hurrying to get him to the church.
He giggled as they ran to the church, wind fluttering through his dress and pulling his slit open, revealing his creamy, white thighs and ruffling up the remaining tuille layers. They managed to get there just as the processional music started and Renjun huffed, smoothing out his hair, and walked around the corner, rhythmically walking down the aisle. Jaemin fussed over him while he peaked around the corner and watched his Mother’s reaction as Renjun appeared instead of the girls she had recruited. Her frown was the most stunning thing Taeyong had seen today. Jaemin straightened his skirt and pulled out his train to pull behind him perfectly, quickly covering Taeyong properly with his veil and sending him a wink as he had to join Renjun walking down the aisle.
Slowly, the music faded out, and the guests stood. Silent, expectant, heavy. He took a deep breath, steadying himself, and the song played. Feeling Good by Michael Bubble shocked the crowd as whispers filtered through them, and Taeyong stepped into view just as the music said ‘And I’m feelin’ good’.
He saw the moment everyone turned to look at him and froze, shock painting their faces as he stood there as silent as a wraith. His Mother clenched her jaw, teeth grinding as she stared at him with a furious expression, her scent so sharp the people around her stepped away. Taeyong ignored her burning glare as he took a step forward, high-heeled shoe making an appearance under the boundless lengths of fabric and exposing his creamy skin as his slit gave way. He heard some gasps and choked noises, but mostly, dead silence. The paparazzi that had been invited snapped out of their shock and started snapping pictures rapidly. Images that were sure to be on the front page tomorrow.
His eyes sparkled under his veil, and he smirked.