It was interesting raising Jihyung. Demon babies were very different from human babies. They didn’t cry a lot, and, like grown demons, they didn’t need to eat. They grew up fast, but that may have been all in Jimin’s head. He went from only being able to eat the water gels that Jimin liked so much, to eating almost as much food as Jimin and Taehyung could. Although the food wasn’t necessary, Taehyung said that it was important that baby demons start committing all of the sins when they are old enough to do so.

It wasn’t long before Jihyung was crawling around, and it seemed even sooner than that when he started walking on two feet and running around. He never learned to babble. He just went straight into talking, and he was full of so many questions. Jimin learned a lot from the questions that Jihyung asked, because Taehyung always had an answer. Jimin believed that half of them were made up, but it was still fun to hear what his husband would come up with.

“But if Namjoon is the child of a god, and you’re the child of Namjoon, and I’m your child, does that make me a god?” Jihyung asked, sitting on the edge of the fence around the castle one day. He was swinging his feet back and forth against the wall. The family was spending time outside of the castle,

“You are not a god, Jihyung,” Jimin answered in place of his husband, laughing softly at the child’s curiosity. “You are a demon.”

“And Namjoon is not the child of a god,” Taehyung corrected him. He knew better than Jimin did. “He is the child of titans. Titans gave birth to the olympians who gave birth to more olympians. No matter what our ranks are, we’re all deities. Good or bad.”

“Oh. Titans?” Jihyung asked, tilting his head to the side, “Your grandparents? What are their names?”

“Cronus and Rhea,” Taehyung stated simply. “Brother and sister as well as lovers.”

“Do you know them?” Jihyung continued with his questions.

“I do,” Taehyung said with a nod. “They’re nice people, but they’ll go down with the rest of the gods if they must.”

Jihyung’s grin was evil, much more so than any mischievous grin that Taehyung had ever pulled, and Jimin was confident that the evil just got worse on down the line. “I hope I get to see that,” The boy chimed.

“Me too!” A fourth voice, Yoongi’s voice, was added to the mix, and Jimin felt the sudden weight of the demon on his back. He steadied himself before grabbing the other under his thighs to hold him up. He sounded like he was in a very good, and it was very unlike himself.

“Don’t mind him,” Jungkook’s voice joined in, and Yoongi was pulled off of Jimin’s back. “He’s been like this for a couple of days now, and we can’t find out why.”

Jimin turned around to face the three demons who now joined them, and he was fixated on Yoongi’s face. It was brighter than usual, almost like it was glowing. There was a particular glint in his eye, and hint of a smile on his face, and Jimin smiled wide in return. “I can tell you why,” He said. He was very familiar with the feeling. “Have you thought of the possibility that he might be pregnant?”

The two alphas glanced at each other before looking at their omega, who was still standing there happily. Yoongi looked at Jungkook first, then to Hoseok, and then finally to Jimin before shaking his head. “Me?” He questioned, pointing to himself.

“Do you see any other omegas around that he could be talking about?” Smart little Jihyung asked, folding his arms over his chest.

“Th-there’s no way…” Yoongi said, his expression falling. It had been thousands of years of Yoongi wanting to get pregnant, so it made sense that he would be defiant at first. He didn’t want to get his hopes up, so it was a way of protecting himself. “I can’t be—”

“The real question is,” Jihyung jumped down from the fence he was sitting on. It was a natural reaction for Jimin to catch him and place him on the ground carefully, forgetting that he’s nearly immune to damage, even in his tiny form. “If you are, then which one of the alphas is the father?” He clicked his tongue and flicked his tail in interest. “Oh the sins that will come of this. Jealousy. Greed.”

“Envy,” Taehyung corrected his son. “The seven sins are greed, pride, lust, gluttony, sloth, wrath, and envy. Not jealousy.”

“It’s all the same isn’t it?” Jihyung asked, cocking his little head to the side and looking up at his father.

“Close enough, little prince,” Jungkook said with a fond smile. He bit his lip shyly and glanced over at Yoongi. It was a cute little glance, and Jimin read it as him being excited, and maybe hopeful that the case of Yoongi being with a child of theirs was true. “But there won’t be any envy involving a son of Yoongi’s.”

“That’s boring,” Jihyung said, kicking at a stone on the ground and pacing.

“It’s not boring,” Jimin said, in his friends’ defense. “That baby will be a lucky little demon to have three loving parents to look after him.”

“I think two is enough,” Jihyung chimed.

“Let’s...not have all of this talk about a baby when we don’t know anything for sure yet,” Yoongi said. He didn’t want to get his hopes up.

“We can find out,” Hoseok said, wrapping his arms around Yoongi’s waist from behind, and pulling him close. “It would only take one quick test.”

Yoongi sighed, and he shook his head. “I’m probably not anyway,” He said with a pout. “When Jimin was pregnant, he was sick most of the time.”

“Because he was an ice demon with a fire demon baby,” Jungkook pointed out. “Most of the time that’s not the case.”

Jihyung cleared his throat and pressed an index finger to his cheek bone, indicating the blue speckles that went across his cheeks and nose. “I am only part fire demon,” He lowered his hand and looked up at Jimin, “Jimin is my father, too.”

“My reasoning still stands,” Jungkook noted, and he looked back at Yoongi. “Let’s do the test. I really want to know now.”

Yoongi pouted, and he looked at all of his friends before giving in with a sigh. “Fine,” He said, “But I’m done trying if it turns out to be negative.”

“I’m not,” Hoseok pinched Yoongi’s in response, earning a glare from the elder demon.

*

“Are you nervous?” Jungkook asked, with Yoongi lying on the same exam table that Jimin had been on a few times when he was pregnant with Jihyung. He was cute lying there, the mix of excitement and fear evident on his face.

Yoongi shook his head, holding onto Jungkook’s hand. “I’m excited,” He chimed, now probably feeling that he’ll get the results he wants. “But...also worried.”

“What is there to be worried about?” Jihyung asked from where he was sitting in one of the chairs. “Nothing can go wrong if your test comes up positive.”

“Yes, but—” Yoongi paused and bit his lip. “It’s almost time for Taehyung’s plans to go through, and I wanted to take part in that. I can’t if I’m with child.”

Jimin wanted to say something to comfort Yoongi in that moment, but he was at a loss for words. Yoongi was right. If the test came up positive, there was no way that he could take part in the upcoming plans, especially if a war broke out over it. While demons seldom had problems in their pregnancy, the gods were powerful. They could terminate a demon’s pregnancy easily if they wanted to. It had almost happened to Jimin with Jihyung.

Not knowing what to say, Jimin looked up at his husband, hoping he would know how to handle the situation.

Before Taehyung got the chance to say anything, Hoseok came back into the room with a couple of papers in his hands. “So, this is interesting,” He said, looking down at the pages. “The test did come up positive, but—”

“But?” Yoongi didn’t even give him the chance to continue that statement.

“Look,” Hoseok said, and he handed one of the papers to Yoongi.

Yoongi looked at the sheets, his expression falling as he looked at the words written before him. “I don’t understand,” He said, looking up at Hoseok.

Taehyung and Jungkook both walked next to Yoongi so that the words were in their line of sight. They both looked at the paper, and Taehyung was the first to speak. “Double positive?” He said, and looked up at Hoseok. “What does that mean?”

“I don’t know,” Hoseok said, taking the page back from Yoongi. “I’ve never seen this kind of result before. I couldn’t even find any medical records with matching results to compare it to.”

“Let me see,” Jimin mumbled, taking the forms from Hoseok. Since Jihyung had been learning to read, Jimin had been taking the classes with him, and he was finally learning to understand the written language of the demons. It was a little weird since the wording and grammar was different than how they spoke in conversations, but Jimin was getting the hang of it.

He studied the page, noticing where it showed the results of the test, and he handed the paper back to Hoseok. “Could it be twins?” Jimin asked, looking at Yoongi.

“Twins?” Jungkook questioned, like the thought had never crossed his mind.

Jimin nodded. “Do demons not have twins?” He asked. “It happens in humans sometimes when two babies will come from one pregnancy. It’s possible that it’s twins, and Yoongi is pregnant by both of you.”

Hoseok stared at the pages, biting his lip, and he shook his head. “That’s not possible,” He whispered. “I mean, it’s rare for the same omega to even go through two pregnancies.”

“Wait. So,” Yoongi said, placing a hand on his stomach. “There’s a possibility that there’s two babies?”

“That’s the only explanation I can come up with,” Jimin stated.

A wide grin spread onto Yoongi’s lips, and he placed his other hand on his stomach as well, looking down at it. “I hope that’s the case,” He chimed and giggled almost playfully, “Then this was worth the thousands of years wait.”

Jungkook looked over at Taehyung. “But what does this mean for your plans?” He asked.

Taehyung shrugged. “Yoongi either sits out,” Taehyung said, but he stopped there.

The room was quiet for a few moments as everyone waited to hear the other option, but Taehyung said nothing.

“Or?” Yoongi was the first to inquire further.

“Or we wait,” Taehyung stated simply, and he took the seat next to Jihyung. “With two new demons added to our army—especially with one being the child of an alchemist and a doctor, and other being the child of an alchemist and intelligence agent, there’s no chance we will lose.”

“Or,” Hoseok said, and he walked across the room to grab one of the books from his bookshelf. He opened it to a particular page, and he set the book in Taehyung’s lap. “We can get a blessing for the pregnancy to pass sooner.”

Curious, Jimin stepped over to where he could read the book from Taehyung’s lap. Apparently, one of the powers that the lord of Underland, otherwise known as the devil—known even better as Taehyung—held was the power to grant an express delivery on a demon pregnancy. “Why didn’t you recommend this when I was with Jihyung?” Jimin asked, glaring at his friend.

“It could have been dangerous for you,” Taehyung pointed out. “Yoongi doesn’t have two opposing powers growing within him.”

“But, if there’s two, could it still be dangerous?” Jungkook asked. “We know this works in the case of a single baby, but would it be dangerous with twins?”

Jimin shook his head, proud of his limited knowledge of human pregnancy. The demons knew nothing about it, so, to them, Jimin still seemed like he knew a lot. “When a mother has twins, the development is the same as a single baby,” Jimin explained, “So demon twins shouldn’t be any different.”

“I...I don’t want to take that chance,” Yoongi said, his voice small. “I’ve waited for this for over a thousand years, and I want to experience it. I don’t want to rush them.”

“So you want to sit out on our battle?” Jungkook asked.

Yoongi bit his lip, and he nodded. “I think so,” He said. “I have to focus on the most important thing, and that’s this. So...yeah. I should probably sit this one out.”

“That’s up to you,” Taehyung said, and he stood from the chair. He closed the book and handed it over to Hoseok. “If you change your mind, let me know, and you shall receive my blessing.”

*

“What do you think about having another baby?” Taehyung asked as he and Jimin were lying in the bed chamber together later that evening. “Do you think Jihyung would like a younger brother?”

He had babies on his mind ever since learning that Yoongi was pregnant, and he didn’t seem to like the fact that their friends would possibly end up with more children than what he and Jimin had together. Jimin thought it was cute, and he admired this part of his husband that adored kids so much. Before Jihyung, he had never really seen Taehyung with kids, as demon children didn’t make up a very large part of the population, but Taehyung seemed to love them.

“I think Jihyung is enough for now,” Jimin stated. He didn’t think he could handle another little one. Especially if that other little one grew up to be as quick-witted and sharp-tongued as his older brother. “Besides,” He snuggled closer to Taehyung, “If you ever make me go through that again, I swear to god, I will kill you.”

“Promises made to the gods mean nothing,” Taehyung hummed, and he rolled on top of Jimin. He dipped his head down just long enough to drop a chaste kiss to Jimin’s lips. “Besides,” He said in an almost mocking tone, “You can’t kill me.”

“I will find out how to kill a demon,” Jimin insisted, “And when I do, I will kill you.”

Taehyung dropped his head into the crook of Jimin’s neck, and he chuckled, making Jimin squirm a little. “Was it really that bad?” He asked when his giggles settled and he lifted his head.

“How can you ask that question so casually when you were the one who thought that I died after giving birth?” Jimin rose an eyebrow.

“I did not,” Taehyung scoffed, “Where did you hear such a thing?”

“Hoseok,” Jimin stated, “And I thought demons weren’t supposed to lie, but here we are. He even said you cried over me.”

“Yeah, well, demons aren’t supposed to go around and spread other demon’s secrets either.” Taehyung stated quite matter-of-factly. “I’m going to have to have a talk with our friend.”

“I think it’s sweet,” Jimin said with a comfortable smile on his face. “You’re so...demonic. It’s nice when I get a glimpse of your softer side.”

Taehyung rolled off of Jimin, and he carded his fingers through his hair. “You are my softest side,” He said quietly.

“No, I’m fairly positive that Jihyung is your softest side,” Jimin pointed out.

“He’s tied,” Taehyung agreed.

*

The next time Jimin met his own father on the surface, he realized that a lot more time must have past than he thought. His father, who was once a young man, had turned into a grandfather with graying hair and weakening eyes. That bright smile of his upon seeing Jimin assured the demon that he was the same man he remembered, but it still amazed Jimin that so much time had passed since he last game to the surface.

“Wow, what happened to you?” Jimin asked as he approached, Jihyung’s little hand in his own.

“Time,” The man said with a laugh, and he knelt down in front of Jihyung. “This is your little one?”

“That’s right!” Jihyung chimed with a wide grin on his face, showcasing the sharp fangs that he clearly got from Taehyung’s side. “The name’s Kim Jihyung. I’m twenty-six years old! But I probably look like a seven-year-old to you.”

“Has it really been that long?” Jimin’s father asked, and he looked up at Jimin as he stood. “You look exactly the same.”

Jimin shrugged, a soft smile on his face. “I guess it has,” He said, unable to believe that he hadn’t seen his father in so long. “And of course I haven’t changed. Demons stop aging at a certain point.”

“So you are my human grandfather?” Jihyung asked, cocking his head to the side. His tail swished and flicked in an almost curious way. Sort of like a cat while they’re thinking about something.

“I am.” The king said with a small nod.

“And...where is my grandmother?” Jihyung asked, looking around. “I’ve never seen a woman before. I sure would like to meet her.”

“She’s...she believes she has other things to worry about than meeting the evil deities when they come for a visit,” The king answered.

“Ah, so she’s a pompous ?”

“Jihyung!” Jimin snapped and tugged his son by the arm. That was his mother that the child was talking about, and the wife of the man standing before him. Jimin looked up at his father. “I promise I didn’t teach him to speak like that.”

The king smiled and he waved his hand to dismiss the concern. “He’s not wrong,” He said. “She’s the woman who gave birth to you, but doesn’t recognize you as her son. I can’t see any mother turning out like that.” He knelt to Jihyung again and patted the kid’s head. “You seem to be doing a great job raising this little one, though.”

“Oh, he is!” Jihyung chimed again. “Jimin takes really good care of me, but, you know, he couldn’t do it without the help of Taehyung.”

“Of course,” The king looked at Jimin, “Speaking of, where is Taehyung? Didn’t he want to come with you?”

“He wanted to,” Jihyung spoke for Jimin. The kid loved to talk the moment he had learned to do so, so he always decided to answer questions when he knew the answer to them. Regardless if they were asked to him or not. “But he has a lot of responsibility as the ruler of Underland, and he had to meet with his uncle today.”

“Ah, I see,” The king said. “Well, let him know that I said hi.”

“I will,” Jimin said with a small nod.

The king turned and waved for Jimin and his son to follow, leading them into the castle. Jimin hadn’t been inside the castle since he left with Taehyung so many years ago, and it was a little daunting to enter again. He held onto Jihyung’s hand as he entered through the grand doors, and he followed his father to the meeting room. It had been years since he had seen the crystalline walls, and he realized how much he had missed the icelands. He was an ice demon, after all, and this was the place where he belonged.

He sat in the chairs that would have melted beneath any fire demon’s heat, but it was comforting to him. He didn’t have to be mindful of his temperature because everything here was built for him.

“So you must know that Taehyung sent us here to discuss the plan,” Jimin said. The mention of his husband making him feel homesick. As at home as he felt here in the icelands, no place could ever be home without the presence of Taehyung.

“Of course,” His father said with a nod, “I’ve already began talking to my people, and we’ve convinced many of them to help with what you’re doing.”

“Right, but you do know to keep a low profile about it, right?” Jimin wanted to be sure. “The wrath of the gods is no joke, and they can strike down puny humans easily.”

“Wrath,” Jihyung said with a scoff. “Isn’t that a sin, though?”

“The gods are above sin,” Jimin pointed out.

“That would mean that they don’t sin,” Jihyun stated. “Not that they can sin without being sinners. If that were the case, Namjoon would never have been damned to Hell.”

The king rose an eyebrow, and he nodded in Jihyung’s direction. “You have a smart son, there.” He said, “He should prove a lot of help with your plans.”

“I’m sure he will,” Jimin said with a smile. He was worried that his father wouldn’t like Jihyung’s sharp attitude, but he seemed to be amused by it. It made Jimin proud to have a raised a son that his father seemed to like so much.

“I hope I get to see you a few more times before my soul is returned to you,” His father said at the end of their meeting. He gave Jimin a hug and Jihyung a kiss on the cheek before leaving them both outside and returning to the castle.

“You can tell Taehyung, you know,” Jihyung said, looking up at his father as they walked back to where they were supposed to be meeting the other.

“Tell Taehyung?” Jimin questioned, looking down at the little demon next to him. “What am I supposed to tell Taehyung?”

“That you want to be here,” Jihyung said. “I saw the way you looked when we entered the castle. This was your home at one point, and you clearly belong in the icelands. You can tell Taehyung.”

Jimin shook his head. “He wouldn’t like it.” He said.

“And?” Jihyung questioned. “You don’t get the right to decide how Taehyung should feel, while you sit there and make him think you’re happy where you are. That’s called lying, and demons don’t lie.”

“I am happy,” Jimin insisted, and the kid stared up at him. “Well, I’m not unhappy in Underland. That’s where my family is, so that’s where I want to be.”

“Your family is here, too,” Jihyung pointed out. “As is mine. I have families from both sides living on the surface. Your family is more than just Taehyung and me.”

Jimin didn’t say anything. He just kept walking, holding tightly onto Jihyung’s hand.

“Jimin,” The kid tugged, stopping Jimin in his tracks. “Promise me you will talk to him. He needs to know how you feel.”

“He’ll think he’s been keeping me a prisoner,” Jimin sighed. Jihyung wouldn’t know about any of that because it was before his time, but Taehyung used to worry a lot about Jimin feeling like a prisoner.

“He won’t,” Jihyung shook his head. “You’re allowed to miss home without being a prisoner. Promise me, or I’m telling him myself, and you know he’d much rather hear it from you.”

“All right, all right,” Jimin gave in. “I’ll talk to him.”

“Good,” Jihyung chirped, and he walked forward, pulling Jimin along again. “Let’s go!”

*

Jimin didn’t talk to Taehyung right away, and it didn’t seem like Jihyung expected him too. The kid didn’t pressure him to say anything the moment they met up with Taehyung, and he didn’t even say anything when they made it back to Underland. It gave Jimin the opportunity to think of how he wanted to bring it up to Taehyung, and to talk to him about it alone.

“How did your visit with your father go?” Taehyung was actually the one to bring the subject up. Now Jimin just had to find a way to fit in what he needed to talk to Taehyung about.

“It was nice,” Jimin said with a little smile on his face. “I think he really liked Jihyung a lot.”

“Yeah?” Taehyung asked. He s an arm under Jimin, and he pulled him close. “Was it nice being in your homeland again?”

Jimin nodded slightly, and he rolled toward his husband. “It was nice,” Jimin hummed, and he pushed himself up so that he was resting on Taehyung’s broad chest. “I kind of miss it.”

Taehyung didn’t say anything right away. The only sounds in the room were the flickering from the flames in the wall, and the heavy breathing from Cerberus who was sleeping in the corner. Jimin concentrated on the rise and fall of Taehyung’s chest as the demon breathed, but didn’t say anything.

“Taehyung?” Jimin lifted his head to look at his husband.

“Are you just realising this now?” Taehyung asked finally.

Jimin was quiet, but he nodded slightly. He was scared to hurt Taehyung, but Jihyung was right. He had to be honest with his husband. “I thought I was perfectly comfortable being here, but…” Jimin sighed, and he laid his head back down on Taehyung’s chest. He tried to ignore the tears stinging his eyes. He didn’t know why he wanted to cry. “After I went into the castle, and—I was happy here because I didn’t feel like I belonged up there.”

“Jimin,” Taehyung whispered, and he wrapped his arms around his husband. “You belong in the ice lands. You have always belonged in the icelands. Why do you think I had you go meet with your father? I could have done that while you did all of the other errands.”

“I thought you wanted me to see my family,” Jimin pouted.

“Well, that’s part of it,” Taehyung said. “But ever since you’ve been down here, you have been trying to convince me that you didn’t miss your home. I know that couldn’t be true, and I knew the only way to make you realize it was to make you go back home and see how it felt to be there again.”

No matter how many years passed, Taehyung never failed to surprise Jimin with how caring and thoughtful he could be. Or at least that he tried to be, even if Jimin didn’t think every thing he ever did was sweet.

“Okay,” Jimin said, frowning more. “Now you know that I miss it. Do you feel better?”

“Yes,” Taehyung said, and he chuckled as Jimin frowned more. He poked Jimin’s cheek. “Hey, no frowning.” He chimed. “I’m happy because now I know you are being honest with me.”

“So that’s it.” Jimin said, the tears now sliding down his cheeks. “You just needed to know that I missed my home. It’s okay that I’m stuck down here.”

“You are not stuck down here,” Taehyung assured him, frowning a little. “You were never stuck down here. I gave you the choice if you wanted to marry me or not.”

“With what other option?” Jimin snapped, sitting up on the mattress. “Marry you or turn into a puddle and join the other souls that didn’t make it?”

Taehyung sat up as well, and he placed a warm hand on Jimin’s shoulder. “Hey, what’s gotten into you?” He asked gently, “You know that’s not true. I never would have hurt you. It was your choice to stay down here.” He paused, took a breath, and let it out with a heavy sigh. “Do you regret it?”

“No,” Jimin said, pouting. “I just want to go home. I haven’t seen my father in more than twenty years, and he only has so many decades left. You probably don’t understand because you don’t have to worry about that with Namjoon and Seokjin, but humans don’t live forever. And once they’re gone, they’re gone for good.”

“Not necessarily,” Taehyung laughed softly, “You rule Underland now. When your father passes, his soul is in your hands.”

“Thanks,” Jimin said, sarcastic. “That’s reassuring.”

“Look,” Taehyung said, and he placed a hand on Jimin’s shoulder again, tugging him a little to get him to turn and face him. “Let me explain better, my love.” He started, “I had you talk to your father this time because I wanted you to know how much you missed home. I know it had to be hard on you keeping your temperature adjusted for our living conditions, and I don’t think that’s fair. That’s why, I thought we could come to a compromise. We’re a fire and ice demon couple, and we have a child together. Both of our families are royalty—even your original father was meant to be royalty. So, I thought we could run both castles, and, since we live for an eternity anyway, we could take turns living in each other’s domains.”

Jimin blinked at his husband. “You mean...we can stay on the surface?”

Taehyung chuckled, and he nodded. “Our plans are to rule over the skies, the earth, and the underground.” He stated, placing a hand on the small of Jimin’s back, and Jimin’s tail twitched in response. “We could even stay on the surface, if we wanted to. Rename Namjoon the devil here, and we rule the surface, and that would be our permanent home.”

“I don’t know if my father would go for that,” Jimin mumbled, “I have brothers who are ahead of me in the line of succession.”

“Your father won’t have a choice,” Taehyung said. “A deity has all the power. If I say you shall be king, then you shall be king. If you want, of course.”

“I shall?” Jimin questioned. In all of his time down here, Taehyung had been the one in charge. Jimin was on equal footing with his husband, sure, but he knew that everyone revered him as the true king of Underland. The thought of himself being the king of the land, the one truly in charge, it was almost riveting. “I think I like the sound of that.”

“I thought you might,” Taehyung chuckled, and he pressed his lips to Jimin’s. “After all, you are a demon.”

“So I am,” Jimin said, a soft smile on his lips.

*

“Assuming there’s two babies,” Yoongi said. It was another day, and Jimin and Yoongi were spending time together again, neither of them having responsibilities to tend to for the day, aside from the parenting responsibility Jimin had been stuck with ever since the arrival of Jihyung. Yoongi was stuffing his face with molten chocolate cakes, his cravings going crazy because of the little ones inside him. “I don’t even know what to name them. Coming up with one name is hard enough.”

Jimin sat across from his friend in their favorite bakery. The table was filled with all sorts of different sweets. It all looked very sickening to Jimin after he had his fill, but Jihyung and Yoongi were munching away as if their stomachs could burn the contents within a second of eating them. “Have you talked to Hoseok and Jungkook about that?” Jimin asked, poking at the cupcake that had been sitting on his plate, untouched, for the last ten minutes. It wouldn’t be safe from the two other demons before him once the rest of the treats were gone, that was for sure.

“Of course,” Yoongi told him. “They said that it’s hard to choose a name without knowing whether they will be alphas or omegas.”

“How come?” Jihyung asked around a mouthful of cookies. “The beautiful thing about having one gender is that all names go with all people.”

“Not true,” Yoongi stated. “Softer names tend to suit omegas more, while stronger names tend to suit alphas more.”

“Softer, as in?” Jihyung questioned, raising an eyebrow at Yoongi.

“Jimin,” Yoongi replied simply. “Jimin is a pretty soft name.”

“That...is probably true,” Jimin agreed with a laugh, “It’s a common girl’s name where I’m from.”

“But I think Yoongi is a strong name,” Jihyung pointed out, shrugging a little. “And there’s nothing wrong with that. You and Jimin both are examples of strong omegas, so it’s silly to say that an omega needs a ‘soft’ name. I’m guessing ‘soft’ is a nice way of saying weak. Don’t you find it offensive when the alphas talk to you like that?”

Yoongi shook his head, biting into another cake. “Not really,” He shrugged. “They don’t treat me like I’m inferior to them, and there really is a huge difference between alphas and omegas. Alphas are naturally stronger. A lot stronger. No matter how much an omega tries, he will never match the strength an alpha, even one who doesn’t work out. There are ways, of course, to be stronger without physical strength, but that doesn’t matter. I think it’s important that alphas admire omegas and treat them with respect for all of the strengths and abilities that we possess, but we shouldn’t be put on a pedestal. I would much rather be admired for my actual qualities than to be polished and admired for being ‘so strong’ when I’m not. My alphas treat me with respect, and that’s all I need.”

Jihyung nodded, listening to Yoongi talk. “That makes sense,” He said, still nodding a little. “I hope I can be a good alpha like them and Taehyung.”

“What makes you think you’re going to be an alpha?” Jimin questioned, poking his son in the side and chuckling a little when Jihyung jumped in response. “You haven’t grown enough to know yet.”

“Well, if I’m not, then you’re screwed,” Jihyung said, pointing at Jimin with his cookie. “A royal demon’s child should always be an alpha.”

“I’m not,” Jimin said, folding his arms on the table. “Besides, considering the fact that, before you, Taehyung is the only product of a royal demon we have to go by, I’m going to take a safe bet and say that there’s not enough cases to know for sure quite yet what you should be.”

“Jimin has a point,” Yoongi agreed, “But can we get back to my question.”

“Sorry, what was your question?” Jimin didn’t even realize they had steered so far from the original topic.

“What should I name them?” He asked again. Or for the first time. Jimin remembered he mentioning having trouble picking a name, but he didn’t remember Yoongi asking for help in choosing a name for his baby. Or babies.

“I’m named after my fathers,” Jihyung stated, “From what I’ve learned, Taehyung isn’t named after anyone. So what do you want? An original name? Or for them to be named after you and their fathers?”

“Maybe original names,” Yoongi decided. “Even if there’s two babies, one from Hoseok, and one from Jungkook, I doubt we’ll know which came from whom. So, I don’t want their names to be inspired like that.”

Coming up with inspired names were pretty easy. Just combining syllables and sounds to make a name wasn’t difficult. There was an art to it, but it was an easy art to master. Coming up with original names, without a basis, however, could prove to be nearly impossible. There were an infinite amount of choices, and there seemed to be more pressure this way to get a name that fit with the child’s personality. A personality which would be impossible to tell until they were older.

“Do you want them to have Korean names? Or does it matter?” Jimin asked.

“They should, right? It would be weird if they didn’t,” Yoongi replied.

“Then we have a place to start,” Jimin chirped. He grabbed a napkin to write on, and he asked the demon behind the counter for a pen, and he got to work, jotting down names to help Yoongi pick out a few.

*

A few months had passed, and Taehyung stopped talking about his plans to take on the gods. He was quiet about it for a while, and Jimin never had the nerve to bring it up himself and ask Taehyung about it. It was strange that he acted like they were about ready to follow through with their plans one minute, and then he was quiet about it for the next few months. Jimin hated not getting filled in when there was a change of plans, but he tried not to complain about it. The last thing he wanted to become was the nagging spouse who questioned everything.

So he didn’t ask Taehyung about it, and a few more months passed before anything was said.

The next time their plans were brought up, it was some time after Yoongi’s babies were born. As Jimin had guessed, Yoongi gave birth to two demon babies, and the fathers had all agreed on the name Hyunki and Minki for them. Since Yoongi didn’t want to name them after the alpha fathers, they all agreed to keep the syllable from Yoongi’s name present in theirs.

Taehyung had summoned Jimin and their friends to the council room. He was sitting at the head of the table with Jimin by his side. Yoongi took the chair next to Jimin, and his alphas sat in the two chairs across from them. Jimin knew why they had been called in here. Taehyung hadn’t been talking about his plans for the past few months, but now that Yoongi’s children were born, it was time to move on.

“Now that Hyunki and Minki have arrived,” Taehyung began the meeting, “It is time to move on with our plans.”

As Taehyung spoke, Hoseok’s eyes were trained on Jimin. There was still something that Jimin needed to tell Taehyung, and Hoseok was the only one who knew this little secret. Now that Taehyung was becoming serious about their plans, it was important for Jimin to tell him. The thought of it made Jimin sick to his stomach. He didn’t want Taehyung to become angry because he keeps putting off his plans. Before the meeting, Hoseok informed him that Taehyung would be more angry if Jimin didn’t tell him and he found out later. He didn’t need to tell Jimin that. Jimin knew Taehyung well enough to know that.

Lost in his own thoughts, Jimin missed half of what Taehyung was saying. “After some thought, I have suspicions that the ice kingdom might be plotting against us,” Taehyung said, which is the part that caught Jimin’s attention. “So we will have to be careful moving forward. We can’t let them know that we’re onto them if they are, but we also can’t let them get the upper hand.”

“And if they are?” Jimin questioned, narrowing his eyes at his husband. He had went to the surface and met with his father himself, and he didn’t sense anything suspicious in their meeting. That didn’t mean that Taehyung was wrong. It just meant that Jimin didn’t agree.

“Then we’ll have no choice but to take them out,” Taehyung said, looking Jimin straight in the eye. “We will go and meet with your father tomorrow to determine their fate.”

“Tomorrow?” Jimin questioned. It was sudden, and Jimin didn’t know if he would be feeling up to it. Not with his condition, and all.

“Unless that time doesn’t work for you?” Taehyung decided, and he narrowed his eyes at Jimin. “Are you okay, my love?”

“Yeah,” Jimin sighed, and he shot a glare at Hoseok as the other demon cleared his throat. Jimin knew that he was prompting him to tell Taehyung, but it didn’t feel right bringing it up at that moment. “I’m just tired is all. I think the heat is getting to me.”

“Then visiting the icelands should be good for you,” Taehyung said with a small smile, but that quickly changed to a frown. “What if your father is plotting against us? How would that make you feel?”

“Well,” Jimin took a shaky breath, trying to compose himself. He was starting to get light headed. This was different than the first time he went through this, but he couldn’t be sure if it was worse. “That would mean that he’s only pretending to care about me and Jihyung, and I can’t forgive that kind of behavior. If it happens to be the case, I’ll gladly help in taking them down.”

“Are you sure?” Taehyung asked, raising an eyebrow at Jimin. “This is your family, and your kingdom we’re talking about here. I won’t be offended if you tell me to leave them alone.”

“If I told you to leave them alone, would my words matter?” Jimin tested, just to see how serious this was to Taehyung.

“Of course,” Taehyung said. “If you don’t want me to hurt them, then we’ll find a way around it.”

“Good,” Jimin said with a small smile on his face. “Then let’s go meet with my father tomorrow, but I want to be the one to determine the outcome of the meeting. If I say to leave them alone, no harm will come to them. Promise me.”

“I promise,” Taehyung promised.

“Be careful traveling to the surface tomorrow,” Hoseok piped in, and Jimin shot a glance in his direction. “The drastic change in temperatures could be bad for Jimin.”

Taehyung glanced at Hoseok before narrowing his eyes at Jimin. “Is there something you’re not telling me?” He asked.

Leave it to Hoseok to open his mouth and practically let Jimin’s secret out for himself. Like Taehyung said, one demon shouldn’t be spreading another demon’s secrets around, but Hoseok seemed to be an expert at doing just that. Jimin shook his head slightly. “No. I’m fine,” He insisted, “I don’t need you to put off your plans on my account.”

“If my plans need to be put off for you, then that is not bother,” Taehyung insisted, “Especially if you are ill.”

“I’m not ill,” Jimin assured his husband. “I’m—”

He bit his lip, keeping himself from saying it.

“You’re?” Taehyung pressured.

“Going to kill you…” Jimin said with a sigh, only hoping that Taehyung would remember their conversation before and know what that was code for.

Taehyung tilted his head slightly in confusion before the realization seemed to dawn on him. “Are you?” There was a doubting tone in his voice.

“Am I what?” Jimin questioned.

“Pregnant?” That one word carried so much weight, but it sounded so light and happy coming from Taehyung’s mouth.

A shy smile spread on Jimin’s face, and his bit his lip softly. He gave one soft nod. “I am,” He said, relieved to see that Taehyung seemed to be more relieved than upset. “I promised to kill you if you made me go through this again.”

“Yeah. You promised the gods,” Taehyung said, and he stood from his chair to walk over to Jimin’s. He knelt down in front of the ice demon, and he placed a hand on Jimin’s stomach. “I told you, promises made to the gods mean nothing.”

“Are you mad?” Jimin asked. It was just a natural question. Everything about Taehyung’s behavior told him the answer to that.

“No,” Taehyung said with a laugh. As he stood, he pulled Jimin up out of the chair to stand with him. “I’m happy, Jimin.” He chuckled and pressed a kiss to Jimin’s lips. “Are you mad?”

“At you,” Jimin said with a pout, and he lightly slapped Taehyung’s chest. “I only wanted to go through this one time.”

Taehyung chuckled, happily, and he pulled Jimin into his chest for a tight embrace.

“Are you going to put off your plans?” Jimin asked, pouting.

“I don’t think I have to,” Taehyung said, affection laced in his tones, “You’re more fierce when you’re pregnant, so maybe we can use this to our advantage.” Taehyung tightened his hold around Jimin, and Jimin was glad to hear that they were finally going to be moving forward. He didn’t want this information to set them back again. “I’ll just have to be extra careful to protect you from potential harm.”

Jimin smiled, and he nuzzled his face into Taehyung’s chest. “I don’t think I’ll need it,” He assured the other, “But I trust you to be there if I do.”