Jungkook hadn't packed a swimsuit, but he suspected that wasn't going to be a big problem. He was in a royal residence after all, so naturally, there should be a spare of everything for emergencies. Or at least he hoped so. He was going to swim in his underwear if he had to, but he'd really rather not. 

The room with the swimming pool had two more doors beside the one they'd come through, one leading to the bathroom and the other to the spacious changing room. Jungkook slipped inside the latter, closing the door behind him. He opened the locker first and - when it turned out empty - the drawers to its right, which thankfully contained what he was looking for, and he picked out the swimsuit that seemed the closest to his size. It still had a price tag on, and he turned it around in mild curiosity, glanced at it, then promptly turned it back to the other side, trying to erase the numbers from his mind. Was this swimsuit made out of gold, seriously? 

Swimming a whole lap in under 2 minutes was - as it turned out - harder than he thought. "Try again." said the demon after his first attempt. He was using Jungkook's phone to keep time, still leaning against the wall by the door, his posture relaxed. Jungkook couldn't help wondering if he was purposely keeping as far away from the pool as possible. Maybe he didn't like water? It seemed somewhat plausible given his clear preference for fire magic, but that on its own wasn't enough to be sure. He contemplated asking for a second or two before dismissing the thought entirely. It was none of his business, and Taehyung probably wouldn’t give him a clear answer anyway. 

Jungkook held on to the edge of the pool. He was completely winded, his muscles screaming in protest after swimming a single lap. It was a good indicator he should have exercised more often, and he wished his sudden resolve to start doing so would last, but he already knew it wouldn’t. He would leave the swimming pool and not think about it until the next time a strenuous activity completely defeated him. 

The demon had been right though; exercise did help. The tightness in his chest slightly loosened, and he could think a bit more clearly. He was still very much in panic mode, but it was easier to ignore it now. A few more minutes of this, and he would be hopefully exhausted enough that he would fall asleep once he went to bed and not toss and turn for the whole night.

Glancing at Taehyung, he wondered, still a bit breathless; "How many times will you let me try?" It was a question asked purely to break the oppressive silence in the room which was broken only by an occasional splash of water and Jungkook’s laboured breathing. Considering the demon was trying to exhaust him and that he clearly wanted him to succeed, the answer should be as many times as he needed. 

Taehyung smirked. "As many as you can." he said, something in his voice implying he didn't think Jungkook could do many more, and - unfortunately - Jungkook had no choice but to agree with that assessment. He still leveled a glare at the demon though - entirely out of principle - and Taehyung’s smile widened. “I can’t take you seriously when you look like a drowned kitten.” he said. 

Jungkook gawked at him, definitely not expecting him to say something like that, before he hastily averted his gaze, blood rushing to his cheeks. “I don’t” he muttered. 

“Keep telling that to yourself.” said the demon, amusement clear in his voice. Jungkook wanted to send another glare in his direction, but he didn’t dare look at him again. 

It took a few more tries before he managed to swim a lap in under two minutes, and by the time he did, he was completely and utterly exhausted. The panic’s grip on him weakened though, and he felt a bit steadier and better prepared to deal with his multiple problems. Not a lot better, and definitely nowhere near fine, but it was something considering how incredibly anxious he had been only an hour ago. He might actually be able to get some much needed sleep and face his father with a clear mind tomorrow. His heart raced at the thought of what was waiting for him in the morning, and a feeling of dread in the pit of his stomach strengthened, but he did his best to push it all away. He would be fine. 

He changed back into his clothes, leaving the swimsuit to dry in the changing room. Taehyung lazily pushed himself away from the wall when he emerged, his lips curling slightly up. Jungkook paused, nervously biting his lips. He should ask now, get the conversation out of the way so he had one less thing to worry about. If that was even a realistic expectation - this unfortunately had a potential to eliminate one problem, only for two or three more to appear. His heartbeat sped up as he opened his mouth, telling himself to just say it. It should be easy, but he still closed it after a moment, letting out a shaky sigh. Maybe now wasn’t the best time. It might be better to do it after he dealt with his father. Yes. A voice at the back of his head politely informed him he was making excuses, but he pointedly ignored it. 

Tomorrow. Right after he finished the meeting with his father. He would definitely do it then. He would.

They were almost back to his room, when Taehyung suddenly grabbed him by the shoulders and - before Jungkook even registered what was happening - pushed him inside the nearest room, backing him into a wall and pressing his index finger against his lips. His hands stayed on Jungkook's shoulders and he was standing very very close, so close in fact that only minimal movement would be required for their foreheads to knock together. Jungkook closed his eyes for a moment, willing his heart to slow down. This was fine. He was fine. 

He couldn’t panic about his current predicament for long, a sudden sound of multiple footsteps coming down the hallway forcing him to focus on the more pressing problem. Great. So much for avoiding Namjoon. He glanced at the demon, giving him what he hoped was a pointed look, the other replying with an innocent smile. 

Taehyung didn’t fully close the door behind them, so all the sounds coming from the hallway were easily decipherable. He could hear a door opening and something dragging across the floor before the footsteps quieted down. He was just about to let out a sigh of relief when he heard a voice. It was a little muffled, but still understandable.

“Why didn’t you tell me that before I came?” 

Jungkook couldn’t help wincing. That was definitely Namjoon all right, sounding tired and more than just a little irritated. Jungkook had no trouble recognizing his tone, since it was the same one he tended to use on people who didn’t regularly attend the council meetings, the one that implied they were all beyond saving and should probably immediately drop out. 

“You know I couldn’t.” said Mrs. Kim. “It would be a security breach.”

“You could have told me not to come.”

“Without explaining? We both know you would have taken that the wrong way.”

“Yes, but…”

“Look.” said Mrs. Kim in a placating manner. “It’s not a big deal. You don’t have to help around at all. Just relax, enjoy your vacation. You deserve it.”

“Mom…” said Namjoon with a sigh. “I’ll help.” A second or two of silence, and then; “How bad is it?”

“It’s not.”

“You don’t have to…”

“Really, it’s not.” said Mrs. Kim firmly. “They’re polite, they’re not making any mess, and they’re staying in their rooms most of the time.” 

A slight pause, and then; “I find that hard to believe.”

“It’s the truth. There’s nothing to worry about.” 

Namjoon didn’t reply, but Jungkook could hear him sigh. 

It seemed that Namjoon really didn’t have the best opinion of them despite never having met them (or more accurately; not knowing that he had met them), which… fair enough. Jungkook couldn't really blame him for that. It was pretty reasonable considering the Kims’ history - working for Kangmin must have been hell. 

It took a few more minutes - and a bit more listening in to private conversations which left a bad taste in his mouth - before Taehyung finally deemed it safe enough to leave the room they were hiding in. While Jungkook followed the demon, he couldn’t help wondering if Taehyung had predicted where the Kims’ conversation had been going and had made sure Jungkook overheard it on purpose. He wasn’t sure why he would do that, but since the demon really wasn’t the type to make this kind of amateur mistake, Jungkook leaned towards this having been his plan.

When he woke up the next morning, the sunrise was still a while away. He groggily blinked, slightly disoriented and pleasantly warm in his cocoon of blankets before closing his eyes again, having every intention to go back to sleep. He couldn’t though, not when it suddenly hit him just what was waiting on him in a few hours, and… yeah, if something had the ability to properly wake him up, it was that. Rubbing his burning eyes, he slowly pushed himself into a sitting position, looking to the other side of the bed. Taehyung was there, but it was too dark to tell whether he was awake. He probably was though - he almost never slept. 

That turned out to be an accurate assessment, the demon sitting up only a few seconds after Jungkook. “How did you sleep?” he asked, sounding like he had been up for hours.  

“Horrible.” muttered Jungkook. He’d had no trouble falling asleep, weirdly enough, but he’d woken up around an hour later and had been tossing and turning for most of the night after that. 

The demon hummed, clearly deciding not to pry further. “Breakfast?” he asked. Jungkook nodded. 

He was a little more calm after he ate something, though he still felt nowhere near ready to face his father. He just knew that meeting was going to be a massive disaster. Saying no to the King was much harder than saying no to Jimin, and even that usually wasn’t a walk to the park. 

His father was a manipulative bastard, there was no other way to describe it. He knew what to say and when to say it to get exactly what he wanted. Iseul had been the same, but at least she'd never used it on family. Kangmin was a bit less proficient, but still way too good at it for comfort. One had to be extremely careful of what he said when talking to either of them, and he couldn’t relax or lose focus for even a second, at least not if he didn’t want to get caught in a trap. 

“What exactly are you worried about?” asked the demon. He'd moved to the armchair after ordering breakfast, and was now staring at Jungkook with an indecipherable look in his eyes.

Jungkook glanced at him, before fixing his eyes back on the cup of coffee in his hands. He took a small sip, trying to ignore the burn on his tongue. “I don’t want to have anything to do with him.” he muttered although he wasn't sure that was what the demon was asking. Taehyung already knew the story (or at least most of it) and was more than aware of what his problem with the King was, so it probably wasn't.

“I know.” said the demon, still looking at him with that indecipherable look in his eyes. “And I know why.” Something dark flashed in his eyes at the last word, disappearing so quickly Jungkook would have missed it if he blinked. The demon didn’t say anything else, just continued to stare at him, clearly leaving Jungkook to figure out what he wanted to hear on his own.

Jungkook let out a sigh, taking another sip of his coffee. After a moment of pondering, he realized Taehyung was probably asking for the specifics, for what it was exactly that made him so afraid of the impending conversation with his father. “He’s just…” he started, not entirely sure how to continue. He opened his mouth, closed it, and opened it again, before he settled on; “He could talk you into donating all of your organs, and convince you it was your idea.” 

The demon slightly tilted his head, a hint of amusement appearing in his eyes. Jungkook was just about to point out there was nothing amusing at all about the situation, when Taehyung said, “So basically… he’s a lot like me?” 

Jungkook was going to deny it at first, because while Taehyung and his father both had the propensity to trick people, their ways of doing it were entirely different, but after he gave it a thought he had to admit there might be something to it after all. When Taehyung had tried to sabotage him only a part of it had been done with words, but his father’s attempts had always been almost entirely words. The situations weren’t exactly the same, but there were similarities - namely that trying to avoid being caught in a trap required an insane amount of effort in both cases. “I guess.” murmured Jungkook, and the demon’s lips curled up.

“Then why are you so worried?” 

“Because…” started Jungkook, but the demon raised his hand up, shutting him up.

“You do realize that I murdered many of my previous masters, right?” he asked conversationally, making Jungkook flinch. He did know that, yes, but the demon had never admitted to it quite as directly before. It was… unsettling to say the least. “And I tried to murder you. Or get you caught at least.” continued Taehyung, and Jungkook flinched again. He was aware of that as well, and it wasn’t something he wanted to remember. “You successfully avoided my attempts. Am I supposed to believe you can’t do the same with your father’s?”

“It’s different.” murmured Jungkook.

“There’s emotional involvement, sure.” said the demon, his eyes glinting with amusement. “But you’re amazing at ignoring your emotions, so you should be perfectly fine.”  

Jungkook was convinced Taehyung purposefully said that at the exact moment he took a sip of coffee. Which he - needless to say - promptly choked on and then proceeded to cough his lungs out. The demon let out a soft sigh which Jungkook barely heard over the sound of his choking, before he jumped off the armchair and joined him on the bed, gently patting his back. It didn’t make the experience any better, just heightened the level of his mortification.

“I have centuries of experience when it comes to manipulating my masters to act against their own interests.” said Taehyung calmly once Jungkook managed to catch his breath. “If you dealt with me, I’m sure you can deal with someone who only has a few decades.” 

Jungkook glanced at him before averting his gaze again. It was hard to keep eye contact with Taehyung when they were this close, their foreheads almost touching and the demon’s hand still on his back. He was painfully aware of the rapid beating of his heart, and he awkwardly cleared his throat before pointing out; “You burned down Mrs. Jung’s office.” 

The demon chuckled. “But are you dead?” he asked. Which… yeah, he couldn’t really argue with that. 

The demon’s reassurance somewhat lessened his anxiety about the upcoming meeting. He still didn’t believe the two situations were entirely the same, but Taehyung did have a point. Jungkook had managed to keep a centuries old demon from killing him, so supposedly, he can keep his father from convincing him to come home or forgive him or whatever it was he actually wanted from him - Jungkook wasn’t really sure about that yet. He took a deep breath, slowly exhaling. He could do this. Probably.

An hour later, he was in the conference room, nervously leaning against the wall. The location had been decided after half an hour of debating with the demons (Taehyung and Yoongi - Hoseok was there as well, but he didn’t dare open his mouth, probably due to Taehyung glaring at him almost the entire time). Jungkook was sure his father wanted this to be a family meeting, preferably in a living room with tea and cookies or something, so it was only natural to go opposite to what his wishes probably were and choose the most official looking room in the house.

He was wearing black jeans and a loose pullover, since that was what he usually wore and - according to Taehyung - it ‘successfully gave the impression that he didn’t care about this meeting all that much’. Taehyung was in his pocket, once again turned into a butterfly, while Yoongi was standing next to him, looking singnificantly more tense than usual. Hoseok was upstairs, guarding the jar with Violet. The King knew about his existence so he could be here as well, but Taehyung had deemed that would be a bit of an overkill, one that could be understood as a sign of fear on Jungkook’s part at that.

The agreed time of the meeting was 9am, but the King was late. And Jungkook was sure he was doing it on purpose. He was already in the mansion - Taehyung had informed him that he'd arrived around half an hour ago - so he could have appeared on time if he wanted to. He clearly didn’t want to. What he most likely wanted was to keep Jungkook on edge, make him nervous, and Jungkook had to begrudgingly admit he was succeeding. 

The butterfly in his pocket moved slightly, which was a sign that his father deemed him sufficiently tortured and was finally coming. Jungkook didn’t hear the footsteps - the room was soundproofed (to humans, not to demons) - but since Taehyung warned him, he didn't flinch or react in any way when the door on the other side of the conference room opened and his father entered. 

Jungkook might be biased, but he’d always thought that not only was his father the King but he also looked like one. It wasn’t necessarily the physical appearance - it was more the way he was carrying himself. Something about him oozed power, and when his eyes found Jungkook’s, Jungkook instantly felt like the man was taking him apart in his mind, cataloging all the ways he could break him. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling. It wasn’t a pleasant feeling at all, and Jungkook had to force himself not to grit his teeth or look away.

For a moment or two, they were both quietly staring at each other, and then the king smiled. It was a soft smile, one that made it seem like he was actually happy to see him. Jungkook wasn’t fooled. He wasn’t - but he wanted to be. He always wanted to be. “Eunjae.” his father said, slowly walking towards him. His real name would have a bigger effect, but the King couldn’t safely say it with all the demons present in the room. 

“Father.” Jungkook responded, keeping his voice as polite and distant as he could. He didn’t push away from the wall he was leaning against, too scared his father would try to embrace him. He imagined rolling down a mountain in a barrel would be a more pleasant experience. 

The King sighed. “Call me dad.” he said. 

“Your Majesty.” 

His father quirked a brow, his lips twitching up. “I see how it is.” he said. “Very well.” He pointed at the table. “Sit.” 

Jungkook recognized an order when he heard one, and he obeyed without a word, plopping down, trying to keep his muscles relaxed. Yoongi stayed where he was, completely stoic and expressionless. There seemed to be no one else in the room with them, but Jungkook wasn’t an idiot - the King had to have at least one higher demon with him, probably hiding somewhere. 

His father sat down opposite to him, clasping his hands together, his eyes boring into Jungkook’s. Jungkook did his best not to show just how uncomfortable he was. It was imperative he stayed calm and unbothered - or this wouldn’t end well for him. The king was good at finding weaknesses, and he was even better at exploiting them, so Jungkook had to make sure his stayed hidden.