Needless to say, Jimin was very nervous about meeting the gods. It was a familiar feeling, one that was similar to how he felt on the day he met Taehyung. Except nothing like it. This was much worse. It was more than being nervous. He was scared.

On the day that Jimin met Taehyung, he had no expectations. He didn’t know what he was getting himself into. If the demons planned to kill him, then he wouldn’t suffer for long. Instead, he learned that, in a way, the demons saved him. During his time in Underland, Jimin had learned that every human goes to Hell when they die. The idea of being good to get into Heaven was only a way for the gods to trick humans into behaving.

Today, Jimin has an idea of will happen. The gods want to take him back. On the day that Jimin came to Underland, he was leaving a place that he hated. He knows that he hates the surface, and he didn’t want to go back to his castle. Hell was his home now, and he felt like he belonged here.

“Are you sure this is…” Jimin said, looking into the mirror and turning slightly to get a look at his backside. He had seen himself in this dress before. It was his wedding dress, but it was a little tighter now. The baby was, apparently, making him gain weight. “Good enough? Shouldn’t I wear something a little more...revealing?”

The most uncomfortable thing was that his tail was hidden underneath, which wouldn’t happen in an outfit that showed more skin.

Taehyung chuckled, and he shook his head. “No, my love,” He said, “As much as I dislike the gods, we have to give them a certain level of respect. Especially if we plan to keep you here.”

“Will they force me to stay there?” Jimin would hate for that to happen.

Taehyung’s sigh was a sign of uncertainty, and a reason for Jimin to worry. “Not if I can help it,” He said, and he pulled Jimin close to him. “Not unless you want to stay there. If you do, now would be the time to say it.”

Jimin shook his head as he hooked his arms around Taehyung’s neck. “I wouldn’t mind staying on the surface if you were there,” He spoke softly, “But I want to be where you are.”

“Then I’ll make sure it happens,” Taehyung whispered, and he kissed Jimin softly.

*

Travelling to the surface wasn’t as spectacular as Jimin had imagined it would be. They were simply surrounded in a cloud of thick, black smoke. Everything went dark until the smoke cleared, and Jimin could see the sun again. There was a point in the beginning of his time in Underland that he missed the sun, but now he realized that he hated it. It was too bright, and it made it painful to open his eyes. That is, until he got used to it again.

The temperature, though, felt all new to Jimin, and he didn’t know how to handle it. With the intense heat of Underland, Jimin’s body was used to keeping his temperatures very low, but it was freezing on the surface, and he didn’t know how to adjust to that. The ground was freezing, and the grass was breaking beneath his feet and crumbling into a white mist.

“Jimin,” Taehyung’s hand was hot to the touch, an odd thing since Jimin had learned to control his temperature so well in the heat of Underland. It was a different feeling now. “You can warm up, you know.”

“I—I don’t think I know how,” Jimin muttered. He didn’t want to be crumbling everything beneath him in a sheet of frost, but he didn’t know how to stop it.

“Here,” Taehyung said, and he pulled Jimin into a kiss. He kissed Jimin deeply, stealing his breath. It was only a matter of seconds before Jimin felt Taehyung’s soul crowding in with his own, and Jimin let him take over.

What are you doing? Jimin asked in his own mind as Taehyung took control of his body.

I’m bringing your temperature up. You can’t seem to do it yourself after being stuck in Underland for so long. Taehyung told him, and Jimin could slowly feel himself getting warmer. He paid close attention to the actions of Taehyung’s soul, so that he would know how to do it the next time if there ever was a next time that he would need to do this.

When Taehyung’s soul left Jimin’s body, Jimin was able to keep the temperature the same. He felt a little empty once again now that his soul wasn’t cramped up in a little space.

“So, where do we meet the gods?” Jimin asked, noticing that there was no one around.

“Here,” Taehyung said, taking Jimin’s hand into his own. “They think they’re high and mighty enough to make people wait on them, so they’re always late.”

“What do you think they will do?” Jimin asked, biting his lip softly.

Taehyung shrugged. “There’s nothing they can do,” He said. “They can’t take you back. No one is going to feel comfortable with a demon living among their community. They could try to change you back, but—” Taehyung stepped behind Jimin and placed a hand on his stomach. “This little guy will make that impossible. You once had a human form, so it’s possible for you to change back. But Jihyung—he has no human form. With him inside of you, there’s nothing they can do.”

Jimin smiled softly, and he placed his hand over Taehyung’s. “So, in a way, it’s his turn to protect me,” He said, lacing their fingers together.

“In a way,” Taehyung agreed, and his hold on Jimin became firmer as a bright light appeared.

Once it cleared, there was a group of four people, two of whom Jimin recognized. They were his parents, and there were two other people with them. The other two people looked human, but there was something ethereal about them, and Jimin assumed them to be the gods.

“Mother?” Jimin said, almost relieved to see his parents after so long of not being able to communicate with them in any way. He didn’t miss them, so he didn’t know why it was so nice to see them right now.

“Jimin,” His father was the first to speak. “What have they done to you?” He sounded concerned and confused, and a little part of Jimin hoped that they missed him. What his mother said next, however, assured him that they, or at least she, did not.

“That is not our son,” She placed a hand on her husband’s shoulder to prevent him from moving toward their child. “That is not our Jimin. That is a monster.”

Jimin frowned at her words. It didn’t matter what he looked like, he was still the same Jimin. He was still their Jimin. Taehyung gave a comforting squeeze to Jimin’s hand, so he must have known that her words had hurt him.

“We have come to take him back,” One of the gods, or at least one whom Jimin assumed to be a god, said.

“No,” His mother said firmly. “We do not want that monster back in our kingdom.”

“Silence!” The other god’s voice boomed like thunder, and Jimin could only wonder if this was the god known by the name of Zeus. His mother stepped back a little at his sudden outburst, and the god looked directly at Taehyung. “The demons and the angels have a very thoroughly detailed treaty, and you have broken that by taking Jimin to Underland.”

Taehyung gave a confident smirk, and he rolled his eyes. “And you’re just realizing this now?” He questioned. “What about the hundreds of others we took to Underland with us? Or are you playing favorites, and you only care now because Jimin is a prince?”

“Hundreds of others?” The same god asked.

“Oh, sure,” Taehyung let go of Jimin’s hand. “We’ve been at this game for a while. Trying to find the perfect bride for me,” He crossed his arms over his chest, “All of the other humans were too innocent and pure. They begged for the forgiveness of the gods and cried as I left them to die. Jimin on the other hand,” He said, and looked over to Jimin’s parents with a proud grin on his face, “Was the perfect sinner. He fit right in. So tell me, Apollo,” He looked at one of the gods, the one who seemed to have more of a glow about him, “Why did it take you thousands of years to assign Jimin’s soul to a human? I would love to hear that story.” He smirked. “I’d love to share it with our son one day.”

“Y-your son?” The one addressed as Apollo stammered.

Taehyung pulled Jimin close, and he placed a hand on his stomach while resting his chin on Jimin’s shoulder. “Yes,” He said, and Jimin could feel his lips curve up into a soft smile against his skin. “Our son.”

“We’re too late, Zeus,” Apollo sounded defeated.

“You and my brother are just alike,” Zeus said with a click of his tongue which rolled like thunder. “I should have expected Hades to raise such a hellish child.”

“For your information, uncle,” Taehyung hummed, wrapping both arms around Jimin and pulling him close, “Namjoon did a fine job of raising me. I’m what you would call...a wingless angel. Now,” He said and looked back to Apollo. “I believe I asked to hear the story about Jimin’s soul. Why he wasn’t assigned to a demon like he should have been. And why he was assigned thousands of years after his creation—thousands of years after I was. That’s a dirty trick to pull over on your cousin, you know. I thought we were family.”

Both Jimin and his parents stood there in silence. They were all probably confused on what was even going on, so they didn’t have anything to add to the conversation. Instead, they all just listened.

“I have never considered you family,” Apollo muttered.

Zeus looked back at the other god. Jimin couldn’t remember everything from his studies, but he knew that Apollo was either Zeus’s child or his nephew—he fell somewhere below Zeus in the family tree of the olympic gods. “What is he talking about?” He demanded.

Apollo bit his lip and looked at Zeus and then to Taehyung before finally looking at Jimin. Because of his nervous actions, Jimin could tell that he did something he wasn’t supposed to have done, and he was afraid of getting in trouble for it.

“Go on,” Taehyung said, “Explain to our uncle why you didn’t assign the souls like you were supposed to.”

“As you know,” Apollo said, looking at the Thunder God, avoiding eye contact with the rest of them. “Chaos created the souls that I was supposed to assign to each being that year. Taehyung and Jimin’s souls came together—one blazing with fire, and the other colder than ice. There was so much energy radiating between the two that it was almost unbearable to have them in the same room together, so I separated them into two separate containers until it was time to place them. Boreas was supposed to have had a child that year, but I knew that if the two were born together and found each other somehow—they would be indestructible. I hid Jimin’s soul so that no one could find it—”

“Which explains the stillbirth of Boreas’s child,” Zeus noted.

“Then when Seokjin had Taehyung later,” Apollo continued without missing a beat, “I had his soul ready. The king and queen were supposed to have a stillbirth with their last baby, but I was afraid that I would eventually get caught with Jimin’s soul, so I gave them their final child. I never thought that Taehyung would have found a way to get to Jimin still. Not after thousands of years.”

“Even so,” Zeus said, looking over at Taehyung and Jimin. “The fact that Jimin’s soul was assigned to a human makes him one of our people, and you have to face the punishment for violating the terms of our treaty. Jimin will be coming back with us, but first—”

He lifted his hand and Jimin let out a sharp yelp when he felt electricity surging through his body. Within seconds, Taehyung had him whirled around so that their backs were facing the gods and Taehyung was the one standing closer to them. Taehyung’s body was heating up to an almost unbearable level, and Jimin could tell that he was furious. The ground beneath his feet had caught on fire, and there were flames blazing from his wrist when he let go of Jimin. “Need I remind you,” Taehyung said, his voice dark and unrecognizable. “That a royal demon’s soul is worth fifty thousand human souls, and Jimin’s soul is, by right, that of a royal demon.”

Jimin turned around to look at Taehyung’s back, and he took a step back when he could feel the heat radiating off the demon’s body.

“Your point?” Zeus asked, now calmer. He was no longer hurting Jimin, and that was a relief.

“Harm Jimin,” Taehyung said, “And I shall take fifty thousand human souls from you. Harm my child, it shall be one hundred thousand. Both? Half a million souls shall be mine. Jimin belongs with me. I violated no treaty by taking him from you.”

“You violated the terms of our treaty for thousands of years,” Apollo pointed out, “According to you.”

“I’ll admit to that,” Taehyung agreed, “I’ve never been one to lie.”

“No, none of you demons ever have,” Zeus nodded. “But that toll still needs to be paid.”

Jimin could practically hear Taehyung smirk, confident as ever. “I won’t let Chaos know about Apollo’s little slip up, so long as you let Jimin come back with me,” He said. “I’m sure letting a soul incubate for thousands of years is far worse than what I’ve been doing.”

Zeus grimaced, and he looked back to his other nephew and then back to Taehyung. “Agreed,” He said. “We’ll let it go thanks to my nephew’s stupidity.”

“So, if that’s all then,” Taehyung said, and he started to turn around.

“Jimin!” Jimin’s father shouted, and he ran around the devil to make it to his son. He placed his hands on Jimin’s shoulder, and he looked him in the eye. “I just want you to know that…” He sighed, “I’m glad you found where you belong. From the day you were born, it was clear that our home just wasn’t the right place for you, and…well, I’m just happy that you’re being taken care of.”

Jimin smiled softly. It wasn’t much for a goodbye, and it wasn’t even the sweetest thing that could be said. Jimin just thought it was better than not saying anything at all, and he understood what his father meant, even if the man had a hard time using the right words to explain his heart. Jimin felt the same way. “Thanks,” He said, nodding slightly. “Mother?” He asked, wanting at least one last kiss from her.

The woman just huffed and turned her head away.

“Well,” Jimin sighed, and he gave his father one last hug. “Thanks again. I really am being taken care of.”

“Jimin can come by any time and visit,” Taehyung said, offering a soft smile. “If he’s still welcome.”

“I think not,” His mother said, waving for her husband to join her.

“Yes, Jimin is welcome any time,” His father said with a proud smile on his face. “As are you and the baby, when he comes.”

Jimin was, to say the absolute least, impressed by how welcoming his father was being. Jimin would have thought that he’d have found it weird that Jimin was pregnant, but he didn’t seem bothered by the fact at all. In fact, it seemed like he was proud of the fact that Jimin was going to have a baby.

“I can summon you when he comes,” Taehyung said, and Jimin chuckled at his use of language.

“He means that you can be there when he comes,” Jimin clarified for his husband.

Jimin’s father laughed, and he shook his head. “I better not,” He said, “The wife is already mad that I’m inviting a family of demons to the castle. We’ll see if she comes around.”

Taehyung nodded, and he took Jimin’s hand. “We should get back to Underland before the gods change their mind,” He said, and they both said their goodbyes.

*

“What does it mean that my ‘soul had incubated’ for thousands of years?” Jimin asked as he and Taehyung arrived back into the darkness. It was much more welcoming than the intense sunlight had been earlier. “Does that mean I’m weaker than I should be?”

“Goodness no,” Taehyung said, holding onto Jimin’s hand. “Any Ice demon wouldn’t be able to withstand the heat of Underland. If anything, we should be thankful for my cousin’s stupidity because now we can be together. Had you been born as Boreas’s child, you wouldn’t be as powerful as you are now, and you wouldn’t be able to handle being around me. Really, what he was trying to prevent, he only allowed to happen.”

Jimin chuckled softly, enjoying the sound of that. It was nice when one person’s stupid mistake was another person’s benefit. Especially when he was the other person getting that benefit.

“So...I really was meant to be a demon then?” Jimin asked, looking up at Taehyung as they walked.

“I told you, didn’t I?” Taehyung said, and he stopped so he could stand behind Jimin and pull him close. They were standing at the gates of Hell by now. The more Jimin realized that he was always meant to be here, the more the place felt like home to him. “Chaos has a soft spot for Namjoon and Boreas both, so Apollo may have only helped his plans along by not assigning you to a body right away.”

“Is there...any chance I could meet Boreas?” Jimin asked, biting his lip softly. “He was supposed to be my father, after all. I’d just like to say hi to him once.”

Jimin squirmed as Taehyung breathed out against the sensitive skin of his neck, and the taller placed a kiss there. “Sure,” Taehyung hummed. “Once I find the time to do so, I’ll take you to meet him.”

*

The dinner table was packed full this time. Apparently this successful mission to the surface was a call for a feast, and all sorts of food lined the wide span of the table. There was ham and roast beef, chicken legs and whole turkeys, beans and rice, various types of stews and soups, and plenty of fruits and vegetables to choose from. It was always a wonder where this food came from, but Jimin always learned so much in one day that he didn’t care to ask about that. He needed to give his brain a rest once in a while.

Their friends; Hoseok, Jungkook, and Yoongi were all invited to the dinner. Since Jimin had been in Underland, this was the only time, other than the wedding, that their friends had been allowed for dinner. Normally it was just the three royal demons. Not that Jimin had any problem with that. The three of them managed to have very nice conversations together.

“You don’t remember anything during your time as just a soul?” Namjoon asked as he shoveled a spoonful of soup into his mouth. “Nothing the gods ever said?”

Jimin slowly shook his head, wondering how he could remember a time before he was born. “Not really. Why?” He asked.

“I was just thinking,” Namjoon said, “If you could remember anything during your time in Heaven, it’s possible that you may have access to more information than any of us.”

“Don’t be silly,” Seokjin said with a soft laugh, “Even if Jimin could remember anything, I don’t really think that Apollo would have been stupid enough to leave a soul somewhere it could hear all of their secrets.”

“Then I don’t think you know my nephew that well,” Namjoon said, shovelling more food into his mouth. “He’s an arrogant and a giant up.”

“He’s not a giant up,” Jimin stated, smiling almost playfully. “He was the same height as me.”

“Taehyung, I think you may have married Seokjin,” Yoongi said with a laugh, and everyone at the table followed suit.

“I don’t think so,” Taehyung said, smiling across the table at Jimin. “Jimin is much cuter.”

“I can live with that,” Seokjin agreed, “I’d much rather be handsome.”

“That you are,” Namjoon said with a soft smile on his face.

*

Months had passed without anything interesting happening. Taehyung was occupied on his work a lot, and so were their friends. Jimin didn’t want to risk being watched by another guard, so he spent most of his time with Taehyung or one of their friends. He had to be with at least one of them at all times, preferably not Yoongi since he was an omega and couldn’t offer much protection in that way. An omega was better than no demon, however, Taehyung would always say. So Yoongi was always a last resort.

The closer Jimin got to having this baby, the weaker and worse he felt. He could no longer run errands with Taehyung as Taehyung’s jobs required too much running around. At that time, he would spend most of his days with Hoseok, sitting in the examination rooms or the office while Hoseok worked. It was helpful being around the doctor so he could ask any questions he had about the pregnancy. Hoseok didn’t know a lot, with Jimin being an ice demon and the baby being a fire demon, but he tried his best to give useful information to the expecting demon.

Jimin was able to learn a lot, too. As he saw Hoseok with many of his patients, he learned more and more about demon anatomy, health, and biology every day. It was information that he was sure would come in handy when little Jihyung made it into the world. Other than medical stuff, Jimin learned a lot while he sat in Hoseok’s office, reading the translated texts of one of the many books in the demon’s library. Jimin still needed Taehyung to teach him to read the demon language, but the translated texts were good enough for now.

“What are the chances he comes early?” Jimin asked, flipping through a book that was just filled with pictures. He wanted to look like he was doing something, but he was tired of reading. Not to mention, he had finished all of the books that had been translated for him.

He and Hoseok were in the examination room, and Hoseok was organising the supplies in his cabinets. “None,” He said, not even glancing back at Jimin. “There are zero cases of demon babies being born before their expected due date, so as far as I can tell you, there is no chance Jihyung will come early.”

“Wow, so even the babies are punctual, huh?” Jimin asked. He had one hand on his stomach, which was much bigger now. He didn’t feel so stupid anymore. To demons, it was natural for males to get pregnant, being a male only race, so Jimin never got any strange looks for his appearance.

Hoseok laughed, and he nodded as he turned around to face Jimin. “I can’t confirm this with any real knowledge, but there’s a saying that demon babies always arrive exactly on time,” He said, “While the babies of gods are always a week late.”

Jimin laughed at that, recalling his earlier trip to the surface when he had met the gods for the first time. He hadn’t had a trip to the surface since then, but he was still looking forward to hopefully meeting Boreas one day.

“So I have to suffer for a whole ten weeks,” Jimin assumed. It was close, but not close enough yet.

“Don’t worry,” Hoseok said with a smile, “It’ll pass by before you even know it.”

*

“I want to be with Taehyung,” Jimin pouted, leaning over the counter at the bakery. He was out with Yoongi, who happened to have the day off while Hoseok and Jungkook both had a lot of work to get caught up on. Jimin only would have been a distraction or a nuisance to them.

Yoongi took the two cupcakes he just ordered, one for each of them, and he nudged Jimin’s side. A silent command for Jimin to follow him. “You say that now, but you’re having a hard time even holding your head up,” Yoongi noted, “You wouldn’t want to be with Taehyung when you’re feeling this bad.”

Jimin followed Yoongi to one of the few outdoor tables, and he plopped down in the chair next to the elder, resting his chin in his hand. “I wish I could have a normal pregnancy,” He mumbled, mostly to himself but loud enough for Yoongi to hear. “I don’t think I’ve ever felt this bad in my life.”

“You’re lucky,” Yoongi said with a frown. He passed Jimin’s cupcake over to him. “I would go through all the pain if it only meant that I could have a child.”

Jimin unwrapped his cupcake, and he took a big bite out of it before looking back at Yoongi. “You really want a baby, don’t you?” He asked.

“More than anything in the world,” Yoongi sighed. “I know Hoseok and Jungkook do, too, but they won’t say anything. They know how badly I want one, and them expressing their desire just upsets me because I can’t give them what they want.”

Jimin took another bite of his cupcake. “You’ll have a baby one day,” He said around a mouthful of his treat. “It’s not the end of eternity, yet.”

“I hope you’re right,” Yoongi said, finally taking a bite as well.

*

Taehyung returned to the bed chamber after he was finished with his work for the day, and Jimin was already relaxing in bed. Taehyung climbed onto the bed and placed his arms on either side of Jimin to hold himself up above the other, careful not to put pressure on his stomach. Jimin had mentioned before how that made him feel uncomfortable. Taehyung dipped down to press his lips against Jimin’s. “Hi there,” He said when he pulled back, smiling down at the other.

“Hi,” Jimin said, smiling wide, and he bit his lip. “I missed you.”

“I missed both of you,” Taehyung said, and he slid down to press a kiss to Jimin’s stomach. “How are you feeling today?” He glanced up at Jimin.

“Better now that you’re here,” Jimin hummed, and he hooked his arms around Taehyung’s neck, pulling him down for another kiss.

“I’m sure,” Taehyung smiled against Jimin’s lips, “But I mean other than that. How are you doing?”

“Mm,” Jimin hummed and pulled Taehyung down closer to him so that he could comfortably nuzzle into the crook of Taehyung’s neck. “I think you might need to start sending your friends here to stay with me.”

“Yeah?” Taehyung said, and he pressed a kiss to Jimin’s shoulder. “Is it too hard for you to get around now?”

Jimin pouted against Taehyung’s skin. “You don’t have to make it sound like it’s my fault,” He said.

“I’m not,” Taehyung promised, and he pushed himself up again so he could press another kiss to Jimin’s lips before lying down next to him and pulling him close. “If you need them to come here instead, then it’ll happen. I know these next few weeks are going to be rough for you. I’d like to demand you to stay in bed, but you won’t have that.”

“I might have to,” Jimin said with a frown. He hated admitting that because he thought it made him look weak—Jimin was anything but weak, but it was just getting too hard for him. The fatigue was terrible.

“Okay,” Taehyung nodded, and he pet Jimin’s hair. “I’ll summon one of them over here tomorrow, and you just relax. Make sure you send them after me if you need anything, okay?”

Jimin smiled and he nodded a little, nuzzling closer to Taehyung. “I will.”

*

The next day, Jungkook was lying in bed with Jimin to keep him warm while Taehyung was at work. The baby, although a fire demon, was messing with Jimin’s temperatures. One moment he would be so hot he could hardly stand it, and the next he thought he would freeze to death. Jungkook was comfortable to cuddle with, and Jimin liked having this closeness when Taehyung wasn’t around. It was always best to cuddle with Taehyung, but any of their friends were good enough when Taehyung couldn’t be there.

“I can’t believe you’re this big already,” Jungkook said, and he placed a hand on Jimin’s stomach, smiling wide. “How long until he’s due.”

“Two more weeks,” Jimin mumbled sleepily, nuzzling into the crook of Jungkook’s neck. “Not soon enough.”

“I can’t wait to hold him,” Jungkook giggled, “I’ve never seen a baby before.”

“I’ve never seen a demon baby before,” Jimin said with a small smile, placing his hand next to Jungkook’s.

“They can’t be much different from human babies,” Jungkook said. “But I’m sure our babies are cuter.”

“I’m sure he’ll be the cutest,” Jimin hummed, slowly closing his eyes to try and get some rest.

*

Hoseok was right. The weeks did pass by before Jimin even knew it, and it was exactly on his due date that he went into labor, ready to have this baby. He was already in the doctor’s office with Hoseok when it happened, so it was easy enough to get Jimin out of his clothes and into a gown before getting him up onto the bed that he would be delivering his baby on.

“Taehyung,” Jimin panted as Hoseok helped him lean back on the bed. “I need Taehyung here.”

“Don’t worry,” Hoseok said, adjusting the pillows so that it would be more comfortable for Jimin. “I already notified Jungkook, and he’s on his way to tell Taehyung. They should be here any minute now.”

Jimin nodded, and he tried to relax until Taehyung arrived. It was a task that proved to be impossible due to how much he was freaking out at the moment. He held onto Hoseok’s hand, squeezing it tight until Taehyung arrived.

“How are you doing?” Taehyung asked, taking Jimin’s other hand the moment he arrived.

“Not great,” Jimin gritted his teeth and tossed his head back. He pulled Taehyung’s wrist up to his mouth, and he bit down, trying to ease some of the pain. He knew it wouldn’t hurt Taehyung, and it didn’t.

The demon just pet Jimin’s hair gently as he gave a soft smile. “It’s okay,” He hummed, and squeezed Jimin’s hand. He then looked at Hoseok. “It is okay, right?”

Hoseok chuckled, and he nodded. “Demons can usually give birth painlessly, but this is a special case. I’m checking Jimin’s vitals, and they’re all great.” Hoseok explained.

It was a lot of pain, screaming, and pushing later, but the baby was finally out, and Jimin could finally relax. He was exhausted by the end of it, and he could slowly start to feel himself slipping into a state of unconsciousness. He wanted to ask to see the baby, but he was slipping away too quickly, and he was out before he could mutter any words.

The baby was handed to Taehyung, and he was so occupied on the little one that he almost didn’t notice Jimin slipping away. When he did notice the soft little mutters and small groans that were coming from Jimin, he quickly placed the baby in someone else’s hands. He didn’t pay any mind to who, but it had to be either Hoseok or Jungkook. He rushed to Jimin’s bedside and tried shaking him to bring him back. “Jimin,” He said firmly, shaking Jimin harder. “Jimin.” He said again, but there was no response from the ice demon.

Taehyung turned to Hoseok, and he grabbed him by the lapels of his lab coat. “You said that he would be fine!” He demanded, tears filling his eyes. It was supposed to be a joyous day with the arrival of the new prince, but Taehyung couldn’t be happy with Jimin gone. “You promised!”

“No, I didn’t,” Hoseok said, calmly grabbing Taehyung’s wrists and removing them from his collar. “I said I can’t make any promises since there were no documented cases of ice demons giving birth to fire demons.”

Taehyung watched as Hoseok calmly walked around, attaching a few wires to Jimin as he went. Taehyung sat near the bed, holding Jimin’s cold hand in his own. His hands were always cold, but it was somehow colder now. He bit his lip softly, hating how peaceful Jimin looked. Almost like he was—

Hoseok laughed as he removed his stethoscope from his ears. “The good news is,” He said, “Jimin is perfectly fine. He’s just sleeping.”

“Sleeping?” Taehyung asked, looking up at the doctor. “Demons don’t sleep.”

“Yoongi does,” Jungkook noted. He was holding the baby in his arms, and he came to sit on the arm of the chair that Taehyung was sitting on. “And maybe after giving birth to a half-fire demon, Jimin does, too.”

*

When Jimin opened his eyes later, he was greeted with the familiar darkness of Taehyung’s bedroom and the plushness of the blankets that Taehyung had reserved for when Jimin would get too cold. He rolled slightly toward the side of the bed that he knew his husband would be resting, and he was greeted by Taehyung’s comfortable warmth.

“You finally awake, sleepy head?” Taehyung laughed, and his voice was just as comforting as everything else around him.

“How long was I out?” Jimin asked, resting his head on his husband’s shoulder.

“Two days,” Taehyung told him, and he wrapped his arms around Jimin. “Do you want to see him?”

Jimin only nodded in response, and Taehyung got up and walked to another side of the room where a bassinet was placed. He pulled the little baby out, and he brought him over to Jimin. Jimin looked down at the little guy, and he smiled. His skin was red, but his cheeks were dusted with tiny little blue freckles. It was the cutest thing Jimin had ever seen. “He has your eyes,” Jimin whispered when the baby opened them so he could see.

“And your nose,” Taehyung said before tapping Jimin’s nose lightly. Jimin scrunched up his nose as he smiled softly. “He’s perfect.”