Jimin always thought that humans made a big mistake trusting and believing in their one and only God. It was His fault that the devil had been sent down here to live amongst people. Sure, his primary residence was in the flaming pits of Hell, but it was much easier for him to get to the surface, unsupervised from Hell,  than it would have been had he been locked away in a dungeon in the heavens. It was His fault that the devil was close enough to make a pact with the humans, and Jimin blamed Him for his selection to be a gift to the demons.

Jimin couldn’t understand anything about the deal that his people had with the Devil. Most of what he knew about it came from legends that had been passed down by his grandparents and further back. Sometime within the past 200 years, the devil had settled on the ice kingdom for their new deal with the humans. The royal family had gotten away with sacrificing peasants to them for many years, but the demons decided that they wanted someone of royal blood this time around. Jimin’s father, the king, had tried to get away with selecting a noble, but the devil insisted that wasn’t good enough. It had to be a man of royal blood, a direct descendant of the king.

So, being the youngest in the royal family, and the last in a long line of succession, Jimin was selected to be their next sacrifice. He was the one that his parents could give up with the smallest amount of regret.

Jimin always knew that this day was going to come, but that didn’t mean that he was ready for it. He had never seen a demon before, as his father was the last person to do any dealings with the devil. The only reference Jimin had to form his imagination around was the horrible pictures of demons in story books. They were awful, fearsome looking creatures with large, muscular bodies that appeared to be an amorphous bull. They had red skin, huge horns, and ugly nose rings to tie the awful look all together.

He sighed as Soojin, the handmaiden, placed a golden crown of thorns on Jimin’s head. “I suppose this will be the last day I get to look at these crystalline walls,” He said with another sigh, wondering if he would get the chance to see what Hell would look like or if the demons were going to kill him right away. “I wish that my parents would at least show some sorrow for me.”

“They are giving you away with a heavy heart,” Soojin said as she ran a hand through Jimin’s hair and patted his shoulder.

“They are giving me away because it’s just like giving another peasant away,” Jimin countered with a soft scowl. “I’m nothing to this family, so I’m not much of a loss.”

“Then the servants and I will miss you enough for everyone in this kingdom combined,” Soojin’s kind words were probably the only thing that helped Jimin keep his head up about the whole thing. “After all, you are the kindest of the princes.”

“Is he ready?” The king’s voice boomed into the room, and Soojin quickly turned to face him, standing at the door.

“Yes, your majesty,” She said, and nudged Jimin forward.

As Jimin looked back at her before following his father out the door, he could have sworn that he saw a tear roll down her cheek. He wondered if that was just because she was going to miss him, or if she was as scared for his life as he was.

The demons didn’t meet Jimin’s expectations at all, which he couldn’t tell if he was relieved about it or not. They looked a lot less intimidating than he had expected, which was good, but it also meant that he couldn’t really gloat that he had received the chance to encounter such a beast—not that he’d have anyone to be gloating to when he was taken back to Hell with them.

The demons did have red-ish skin, but it wasn’t quite the crimson color that Jimin had in mind. It just almost looked like they had been badly sunburned. There were three demons that came, and all of them were tall—they towered over Jimin with ease, but that wasn’t saying much because Jimin was already pretty short. They also had horns, but each one was different from the other. The tallest demon, Jimin presumed them to be the king—or the devil, as the demon king was called—had the largest horns to make him look even taller. They were thick and slightly curved out to the side. The second tallest demon’s horns were slimmer and shorter than the other two demon’s. The younger, shorter demon, sported horns taller and thicker than the second tallest demon’s, but shorter than the tallest’s. Other than their red skin and bull horns they looked mostly the same as humans.

The ice kingdom was covered in snow, just as it was throughout the year, but where the demons stood, the snow had melted away. The grass and dirt showed underneath, but was charred, and that left the scent of smoke lingering in the air.

“We would like the see the prince you are offering this time,” The tallest demon said, and the shortest one stepped forward, the snow melting away with each step that he took.

The demon prince was the one who would be deciding whether or not the human sacrifice was suitable, so he stood the closest to get a good look.

Jimin was standing behind his father, and he’d be lying to say that he wasn’t trembling in fear. The worst part was that his parents didn’t even seem sorry to be offering him up. It almost felt like they were relieved to see him go—that was one less person they would have to worry about. Jimin had hoped that his mother would at least show him some compassion, but she was the one to grab him by the wrist and drag him in front of the demon prince.

“His name is Park Jimin,” The queen said, “Our youngest son, but still of royal blood. He’s small, but I assure you he’s the prettiest child I have to offer.”

The demon prince smiled, showing off his sharp, demon fangs, and Jimin tried not to back away in fear when he stepped closer. The demon was now standing barely a book’s width in front of Jimin, and he placed a long finger on Jimin’s chin to tilt his head back so he was looking up at him. The human prince tried his best to not let the fear show in his eyes, and he did his best not to cry either. He could feel his limbs trembling, but the demon didn’t seem to notice—or care, if he did notice. The heat radiating off the demon’s body was something new to the prince who had grown up in the icelands, and it made Jimin rather uncomfortable.

“Park Jimin, huh,” The demon said, repeating Jimin’s name as if to see how it would feel on his tongue, and he flashed those demon fangs again. “He’s perfect.”

Jimin couldn’t ignore the way the word left the demon’s mouth like steam and evaporated into the chilled air. Maybe it was just like that because of the cold, but it was just something that had caught the human’s interest—so much so that he hadn’t even realized that he had been approved as a gift.

The trip back to Hell wasn’t something Jimin remembered. One minute was standing in the snow, and the next he was being led down a hall in the depths of Hell. The only thing he did recall was being given a drink that he was told would make him tolerant to the heat of the underworld. It must have worked because Jimin didn’t feel like he was going to melt down into a gooey blob like had imagined happening once he stepped foot into the inferno.

Hell looked a lot different than Jimin’s home. Jimin was coming from a place where the walls were made of ice and everything was crystalline and blue and beautiful, and he was coming to a dark place where the only light was that which was provided by the fires burning in the walls, and the warm glow that was reflected off of them.

“So…what exactly are you going to do to me?” Jimin asked as he followed the demon prince down the halls of his castle. Since no one ever saw the gifts or sacrifices after they were accepted in their offerings, the humans had no idea what happened to them once they entered under the surface of the world. They didn’t know if they killed them or ate them or turned them into slaves. Nothing.

As he was given a potion to help him survive this intense heat, he could only guess that the demons weren’t going to kill him. At least not yet. “Am I just going to serve you from now on?”

The demon chuckled at that, but his breath didn’t have the same steamy effect it had on the surface where it was much colder. “I like you already,” He said. “You don’t seem to be as scared as all of the other humans I’ve been promised, and I get the feeling that you’re quite sassy. No one is going to be serving anyone. You’ve been promised to me.”

“Promised?” Jimin questioned, getting caught up on that particular word. He only knew that term in the way that the humans used it, and if the demons used it in the same way, that meant that Jimin would be marrying this demon. Bound to the place for all eternity, with no chance of saving his soul and making his way to heaven. Just another reason for him to hate his race for putting their faith in a God who couldn’t even show His face to them.

“Yes, promised,” The demon repeated as he reached a large set of double doors. He pushed them open to reveal a bedroom that looked very much what a bedroom on the surface might have looked like. It had all the same basic items. A bed for sleeping, a dresser for clothes, and a table for studying. “As in your parents have offered you up as my intended one. If all goes well, we’ll be getting married.”

He took Jimin’s hand and led him into the room. But Jimin stopped in his tracks, refusing to allow Taehyung to lead him any further when he had noticed the gigantic dog in the room. It was the one from all of the legends, but Jimin had never thought its existence to be possible. After all, how was he supposed to believe in a colossal dog with three heads? But here it was, right in front of his face, and he was starting to believe.

Confused, the demon looked back at him, and he tightened his hold on Jimin’s hand. It was meant to be reassuring, Jimin could tell, but he didn’t feel reassured. “Don’t worry about Cerby,” The demon said, tugging on Jimin’s arm. The dog was sleeping, and opened only one of his six eyes when the two had entered, and he turned his head away to continue resting. “He’s not going to hurt you.”

Jimin had heard of Cerberus before, but his story had been long forgotten and turned into mythology instead of a religion. He belonged to Hades, not the devil, so he wondered what the dog was doing in a demons castle. He didn’t ask anything of it as he was made to sit on the bed, as, by now, he was again trembling in fear. If they were supposed to get married, there was the possibility that the demon would want to him. While Jimin was strong enough to protect himself from most humans who tried to do the same, he wasn’t sure he could very well protect himself from a demon with supernatural strength. Not to mention, if he even tried, the dog would probably eat him.

“Y-you said that you have been promised other humans,” Jimin noted. Since his time arriving in Hell, he hadn’t seen another human around. He had seen several demons, but no humans. “So do you have many spouses?”

The demon chuckled again, and he shook his head. He sat down next to Jimin on the bed, leaving enough space between them so that Jimin was able to relax a little. “No, I have not married any of the humans I have been promised,” The demon explained, “They never worked out quite as well as we had hoped.”

Jimin was afraid to ask what had happened to the other humans if they didn’t marry the prince. He didn’t want to know what fate was awaiting him if things didn’t work out like the demons were hoping. “Well, since we’re supposed to be getting married, would you mind telling me your name?” Jimin asked.

He had already been with this demon for nearly an hour, but he still hadn’t learned the prince’s name. It wasn’t really fair, considering the demon had learned Jimin’s name right from the start.

“Oh, I’m sorry,” The demon said, much kinder than Jimin would have expected from a demon. He always thought that demons were evil and malicious creatures, but they had yet to do anything to hurt Jimin. “I hadn’t realized that I haven’t introduced myself yet. How hellish of me. I’m Kim Taehyung, son of Kim Namjoon and Kim Seokjin. Devil-in-waiting, at your service, my dear.”

“Really? At my service? But I thought no one is going to be serving anyone,” Jimin pointed out, bringing up Taehyung’s words from just earlier, and he forced a laugh hoping it would make him feel a little less nervous. It didn’t help.

“Well, my servants are serving me,” Taehyung said, correcting his statement from before. “And I’m not serving you, just…tending to you. You’re going to need someone to help you adjust to life down here—unless…you’d rather do it on your own? But once the effects of that potion wears off, you’re going to need to know how to get more, lest you want to be melted down like metals.”

It was a little scary how Taehyung stated that with ease, as if it wouldn’t bother him in the slightest to let Jimin burn up down here. It’s not like Jimin could expect the demon to fall in love with him the instant they meet, regardless of their intentions of marriage, but it would be nice if he would show just a little bit more compassion.

“I think I can accept a little of you tending to me,” Jimin decided, not really even slightly curious as to how suffering it would be for the potion’s effects to wear off. As a person born in the icelands, Jimin could barely stand the slightest amount of heat. It’s why he was surprised that the potion seemed to work so well for him.

“That’s what I thought,” Taehyung said, showing off his demon fangs in a coy smile. Jimin didn’t know which of Taehyung’s features were his favorite—those demon fangs, his pitch-black eyes, or just the way his smile highlighted both of those features. For the ugly image of demons Jimin had in his head, Taehyung was actually breathtakingly beautiful, and he just realized that for the first time. He was even prettier than any human Jimin had ever laid eyes on.

“Can I ask you something?” Jimin didn’t know if this was something he should be bringing up, but he had to know. “I thought demons were supposed to be evil and malicious creatures, so why aren’t you?”

Jimin didn’t know if he could exactly call Taehyung nice —the way he spoke lightly of melting Jimin assured the human that the demon was, in no way, nice —but he hadn’t really been mean to Jimin either. Jimin imagined that, if he did make it past the fiery gates of Hell, whips and chains were what would be waiting for him in the dungeons. He didn’t get any of that. So far, this place didn’t seem that much different from Jimin’s home.

“You probably also believed that we were big, scaly beasts, didn’t you?” Taehyung chucked at the thought. “You humans are too easy to fool.”

The fact that Taehyung was talking about Jimin’s people like they were idiots kind of pissed Jimin off. “What are we supposed to know when we can’t even come down here?” He demanded. “Since it’s impossible for us to know what’s down here, we like to make stuff up to feed our imaginations.”

“Well, now you know,” Taehyung assured him, and he patted Jimin on the thigh. He stood up from the bed, and he took Jimin’s hand to pull him up as well. “You are going to be staying here from now on, so I should probably show you around.”

Taehyung showed Jimin around the room first. He showed Jimin where he could put his clothes once he bought some from down here—Jimin didn’t come here with any luggage, so the only clothes that he currently had were the ones on his body. Taehyung assured him that he would be getting some new clothes soon. He showed Jimin around some other parts of the castle as well. He showed Jimin where his parents’ room was, but he informed the human that they were not allowed to enter there—not that Jimin would want to, anyway. He showed Jimin the courtyard, and he showed Jimin the various activity rooms they had. There was only one thing that Jimin wondered about. “Where do you bathe?” He asked after being shown nearly every room in the castle, but still not seeing any place that was suitable for showers or bathing.

“You might imagine that it’s much too hot down here for water to last long at all,” Taehyung told him. “We bathe in fires to burn the day’s grime off of our bodies.”

It made sense to Jimin that they wouldn’t be able to have water down here, but it brought up just another question for him. “But what about me?” He asked. “I wouldn’t be able to stand in a fire without getting burned, so what shall I do? Live in my own filth?”

Taehyung must have thought that Jimin was a ing comedian because he laughed at just about everything Jimin said. It wouldn’t have bothered Jimin so much if he wasn’t laughing in a way that made Jimin feel brainless. “Our potions are powerful enough to allow you to withstand the temperatures down here,” Taehyung assured him, “Bathing in a fire will be no problem for you.”

Already, Jimin was beginning to feel the effect of the potion wearing off. It was beginning to feel hot to him, and not hot in the sense that he could feel the heat prickling his skin. If it were that, it would be bearable. It seemed more like the heat was boiling his insides, and he couldn’t even sweat because the beads of water evaporated before they could even surface on Jimin’s skin. Taehyung seemed to take notice that Jimin was feeling a little unwell because he addressed it himself. “Are you okay, my dear?” He asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Jimin breathed. He was never aware of how much energy it actually took for him to speak, but he reminded himself in this moment to never take that ability for granted again. “I’m just…getting a little hot is all.”

“Come,” Taehyung said, taking Jimin’s hand. “You’ll need some more potion.”

*

Later that same day, Taehyung and Jimin joined Namjoon and Seokjin at the dinner table. Taehyung had explained to Jimin before coming down here that demons don’t actually need to eat, but they decided to do so anyway since gluttony was one of the seven deadly sins. Apparently the demons went out of their way to commit each of the deadly sins as if it was their religion. Jimin was grateful for this one, however, as he still needed to eat.

“How do you like this human so far?” Namjoon was the one to ask the question as he cut into a large piece of meat sitting on his plate. “How long do you think he’ll last?”

“Well, Cerby didn’t even seem bothered when Jimin entered my chambers,” Taehyung’s response had Jimin wondering how the dog had reacted when Taehyung brought other humans to his room. Based on Taehyung’s tone, Cerberus’s lack of a reaction seemed to be a good thing. “And he’s my favorite human I’ve ever been granted. He’s cuter than the rest, and he seems more comfortable. He’s a little sassy, but it’s cute on him.”

“You say that about every human before you get bored of them,” Namjoon said, his tone demanding and serious. Jimin was reminded of the frightening power of demons when flames flared out of Namjoon’s wrist as he slammed it down on the table. Everything about this place and everyone around him was a constant reminder that he was no longer in his own home. He didn’t have his own castle guards to protect him, so he would just have to make sure to stay on these demon’s good side.

Taehyung didn’t even flinch at his reaction, and Seokjin was easily able to calm him by rubbing his shoulders affectionately. “No, actually,” Seokjin said in a much calmer voice than his husband. “Taehyung has never stated that he liked a human from the start. He always just says that he’ll give them a chance before getting bored of them. I think this one might actually work out.”

Jimin felt awkward, sitting at the table as the demons talked about him like he wasn’t even there. Without anything to add to the conversation, Jimin just listened.

“You haven’t started turning him yet,” Namjoon noted after scanning Jimin carefully with his eyes, and Jimin shrunk down in his chair. Judging by the displeased tone from Namjoon ‘turning’ was something he had already expected Taehyung to do, and Jimin didn’t know what that meant.

Taehyung offered Jimin a soft smile that seemed almost sweet , and he shook his head. “I want him to get comfortable and settled in before we start working on that,” Taehyung said.

“Since when are you soft on your human gifts?” Namjoon narrowed his eyes at his son. “The sooner you turn him, the better.”

Instead of returning a glare back at Namjoon, Taehyung looked at Jimin with a wide grin on his face. “Have you really looked at him?” He questioned, staring right at Jimin as the words of adoration came out of his mouth, causing Jimin to blush. “I’ll let Jimin decide if and when he’s ready. Since when are you in such a rush for me to get married?” He countered.

“I’m not,” Namjoon stated, “I’m just tired of inviting humans into our home. If this one doesn’t work out, I’m not giving you a choice next time. You’ll have to take what’s given to you.”

“Okay, first of all,” Jimin wasn’t able to hold his tongue anymore. The demons could be downright disrespectful, and, if Jimin was going to be marrying the prince, he was not going to allow this kind of talk from the man who would probably be his father-in-law some day. “ This one has a name, and it’s Jimin. Park Jimin. Secondly, I wasn’t invited to your home. An invitation is something you can turn down. I was forced to come here, and I would be furious about that, but so far, I’ve received better treatment from Taehyung than I ever have from my own family. And lastly, he doesn’t have a choice this time. He accepted me as an offering, so he’s stuck with me whether he likes it or not!”

Jimin was nearly fuming at the end of his rant, which he was surprised to have been able to finish. He half-expected Namjoon to cut him off in the middle of it and throw him in the dungeon for acting out like that, but he just listened. When he looked over, Jimin saw Taehyung still grinning at him, softer this time. Jimin felt his heart skip a beat.

“Yeah,” Taehyung said softly, and glanced over at Namjoon. “I like this human a lot.”

“I do too,” Seokjin agreed. “I think he’ll fit right in.”

*

“So…what did Namjoon mean?” Jimin asked when he and Taehyung retreated to the fire pits later in the evening. It was time for them to wash up for the night, but Jimin couldn’t get the conversation from earlier out of his head.

“I’m not sure what you’re talking about,” Taehyung said, as if there could be so many things that Jimin would be curious about.

“About turning me?” Jimin clarified.

Taehyung sighed as he removed his shirt and then his pants. Before long, he was completely for Jimin to see. Seeing the demon completely was a reminder that that their bodies weren’t that different from humans. Taehyung’s red skin was a clean and even tone throughout his whole body, even on his , which Jimin couldn’t peel his eyes from. It was huge, and exposed to him, and somehow staring at that seemed a lot less awkward than looking directly at Taehyung’s face.

Once he was completely , he stepped into the pit, and Jimin winced as the flames curved up around his body. Of course, Taehyung had no reaction to it, but Jimin had been burned by flames before, and he still had the scars on his abdomen to prove it.

“He means turning you into a demon,” Taehyung stated quickly, as if he was hoping that answer would be the end of that conversation.

It wasn’t. It only lead to Jimin having more questions.

“And how would you do that?” Jimin asked, mostly curious because he wanted to know how much pain he would have to suffer to undergo such a transformation. “ my blood?”

“By ing you,” Taehyung said as if it were the simplest thing in the world. “I’m a demon, not a vampire. Now strip and join me.”

Jimin clutched the ends of his shirt, pressing the fabrics against his stomach. He didn’t want to strip in front of Taehyung just yet. Not when he hardly knew this demon. Not only that, but, even withstanding the temperatures in Hell with the aid of the potion, Jimin didn’t trust the flames. He didn’t want to get burned.

“Scared?” Taehyung asked, and Jimin nodded.

The demon stood up, exposing his bits to Jimin once more. Jimin did his best not to stare at them, but he couldn’t really help it. They were there, exposed right in front of his face. How could he not look? Taehyung walked up to him, and cupped Jimin’s face. He tilted his head back just enough to get a good enough angle to bend down and kiss him. His lips were hot, and they pressed a burning sensation against Jimin’s lips, but it was gone the instant he pulled back. “I know it’s probably too soon to ask you to trust me,” Taehyung said, “But the fire isn’t going to hurt you. I promise.”

It was nice for Taehyung to try to make him feel comfortable, but the words meant nothing to Jimin. The demon wouldn’t know what it was like to be burned, and Jimin didn’t want to take a chance on receiving more scars.

The demon gripped the end of Jimin’s shirt and attempted to remove the fabric from Jimin’s body, but Jimin gripped it tighter and pressed it against his skin to keep it on. Taehyung withdrew his hands easily enough, and he placed a careful finger on Jimin’s chin to tilt his head back. “Have I given you a reason not to trust me?” Taehyung asked, and Jimin shook his head. “Then trust me now. I wouldn’t tell you to do something if I thought it was going to hurt you.”

Jimin softly bit into his lip, and he nodded his head, lowering his arms to his side. It was only then that Taehyung gripped the bottom of Jimin’s shirt again, and attempted to remove it. This time, it was a success.

With Jimin’s body exposed to the demon, Taehyung could see the burn that Jimin had received when he was a child, and he frowned at the sight of it. “This is why,” Taehyung said, as if the scar was all he needed to see to understand why Jimin was afraid of the fire. He knelt down and pressed his warm lips to Jimin’s side, leaving a sharp, stinging pain that had Jimin shoving the demon’s head away with a whine. He should have known better than to trust to a demon.

When he looked down at where the scar had been, however, it was no longer there. It was as if Taehyung’s kiss had completely healed it. The demon looked up at him. “I am more powerful than these flames are,” Taehyung assured him, whispering softly. “I have control over them, and I will not allow you to get burned. So please come and bathe with me.”

Jimin was still scared, but he wanted to trust Taehyung. Like the demon said, he hadn’t done anything to give Jimin a reason not to trust him since he had come down here, so he nodded and said, “Okay.” And Taehyung worked at getting Jimin’s pants off before standing and taking the human’s hand. He led Jimin into the pit of fire, and, just like Taehyung said, it didn’t burn. It was just like a familiar and comforting warmth enveloping his body.

“So, tell me more about turning me into a demon,” Jimin said, wanting to learn as much as he could about that. Since he was stuck here for the rest of eternity, he wasn’t about to try to talk Taehyung out of not turning him into a demon. He didn’t want to be drinking that putrid potion every day for the rest of eternity. “I mean, it directly involves me, so I think I have a right to know what exactly happens.”

Taehyung nodded, and he scooted a little closer to Jimin in the tub. Not so close that they were touching, but close enough that Jimin had to turn his head a little more to look at Taehyung directly while he was talking. “It might be a difficult concept for you to understand at first,” Taehyung told him, and Jimin felt like that was another personal hit on human’s intelligence, but he decided not to comment. “But it actually does work by you getting ed by a demon. The seed is what will start to turn you over time.”

It was a little hard to understand, but also a little hard to believe. “So, is that how demons are made?” Jimin asked, feeling like a six year old kid asking his mother where babies come from. “Were you a human once?”

Taehyung laughed at Jimin’s naivety, and he shook his head. “No, my sweet human,” He said, ruffling Jimin’s hair. It made sense to Jimin if that’s how it worked because the demons were a male-only race, so it would make sense if they became demons by getting ed by other demons. “I am a full demon. Namjoon and Seokjin are both my biological parents. I wouldn’t be able to turn you into a demon if they weren’t.”

The more he learned, the more questions he had. He wondered how he could be the biological son of both Seokjin and Namjoon, and how it would be possible for male demons to give birth. He wondered if there was a large number of demons existing down here that were humans first, and, if so, were any of them Taehyung’s previous gifts? He decided to start with that. “Were you able to turn your past promised ones into demons?” Jimin asked, still wondering what happened to the other humans that were given up to them as sacrifices.

“Not completely,” Taehyung told him. “Some of them made it more than halfway through the transformation before I decided that I didn’t like them, and they were the least fortunate. Once I decide that I’m done with a human, they are no longer given access to our fire-proof potion. The further along in their transformation they are, the slower and more painfully they die. A mere human would die instantly once the potions effects were completely gone. For someone who’s made it halfway through the transformation, it could take months.”

“H-how can I be sure that doesn’t happen to me?” Jimin asked, wondering what it was that these humans did that made Taehyung decide that he didn’t want to be with them anymore.

“If you’re the human for me,” Taehyung said, reaching a hand up to play with one of the earrings in Jimin’s ear. “I won’t get bored of you.”

They didn’t get the chance to get any more clothes for Jimin, so Taehyung let the human borrow some of his pajamas for the night. Sleep was also a thing that the demons didn’t actually need, Taehyung explained to him, but they did it anyway to commit the deadly sin of ‘sloth.’ Jimin found it absolutely amusing that the demons went out of their way to make sure they were committing each of the sins.

*

The next morning—or at least what Jimin assumed to be morning, thanks to there being no sun it was impossible to even guess what time it really was—Taehyung woke Jimin in possibly the worst way that Jimin had ever been woken before. He pressed a finger to the base of Jimin’s throat, causing a burning pain that woke Jimin with a scream. The instant Taehyung’s hand was removed, the pain was gone, and Jimin felt no burns on his skin when he went to touch the area that had been hurting just moments before.

“What the was that for?” Jimin demanded. He slapped Taehyung in the chest, only thinking of the possible consequences for such an action after it was done. Taehyung didn’t seem upset though, and he just gave Jimin a soft smile.

“You have got some serious pluck to slap a demon prince in the chest like that,” Taehyung stated, and he carded his fingers through Jimin’s hair, brushing it back off of his forehead so that he could place a kiss there. “I could have you killed right now, you know?”

“If you were going to kill me for being audacious, I think you would have done it by now,” Jimin noted. He pushed himself up on the mattress and scooted back further on the bed.

“Would I?” Taehyung tested, raising an eyebrow at Jimin. “Remember, the humans who make it through most of the transformation die the slowest. If I wanted to torture you, I’d keep you around long enough to do so.”

Jimin placed his palms on the mattress and leaned closer to Taehyung, so that his face was right next to the demons, a coy smile playing on his lips. “Then why haven’t you ed me yet?” He asked in a whisper, biting his lip. “If you hated me and wanted to torture me, I would think that you would get the transformation process over with quickly, and then leave me to die.”

The prince leaned closer to Jimin, and he placed a hand at the back of Jimin’s head, gripping his hair and tilting his head back. “Then let’s get started,” He whispered.

Jimin pushed him back before he could connect their lips another kiss, and Taehyung fell back on the mattress, looking up at him with amusement. “I wasn’t giving you permission,” He informed the demon. Taehyung’s words were very demonic, but he was kind. If he wanted to force himself on Jimin and him, he had the supernatural strength to do it, but he didn’t press the issue when Jimin made any indication that he didn’t want it. “And, if you wake me like that ever again, you may never get permission. That ing hurt, you .”

“No, it didn’t,” Taehyung said, as if he would know how Jimin felt. He was a demon, who had probably never felt pain before, so he had no right to decide whether it hurt or not. “I only made you think it hurt. If I actually hurt you, you would have burn marks left.”

“It ing hurt,” Jimin insisted, glaring at the demon. “Don’t do it again.”

Taehyung frowned a little, and, if Jimin didn’t know any better, he’d have thought that he saw a glimpse of remorse in the demon’s eyes. Could demons even feel remorse? “I won’t do it again,” Taehyung promised. “You have my word.”

“I haven’t known you long enough to know how well I can trust your word,” Jimin reminded him. As much as Jimin was accepting his fate, he still didn’t know this demon that well.

His words seemed to rub Taehyung the wrong way as the demon grimaced. Jimin was making him angry, he could tell. “You humans might be shifty and shady creatures, but when a demon makes a promise, he keeps it.” Taehyung practically snapped at Jimin.

Jimin flinched at Taehyung’s response, and that look of remorse appeared on the demon’s face again. “I’m sorry,” It was somehow strange to hear a sincere apology coming from a demon’s mouth. He bit his lip and cupped Jimin’s face with his hand. “Demons aren’t liars. We can be wrathful sometimes, but Namjoon would kill any demon he caught lying.” He sighed. “I am sorry. I’ll try not to snap like that again.”

Jimin shrugged and pushed Taehyung’s hand away. “I’ll forgive you this time,” Jimin said with a frown, “After all, I sort of snapped on your father yesterday at dinner.”

“Yeah, but he deserves it most of the time,” Taehyung said with a laugh. “Anyhow, I need you to get dressed. I can call on a servant to help you with that, if you want?”

Jimin shook his head. He might have come from a royal family, and he might have had handmaids to dress him most of the time, but he knew how to dress himself. As long as the clothes weren’t anything too complicated like the formal royal attire of the ice kingdom, which required at least two handmaidens to put on, Jimin was perfectly happy to dress himself. “As long as it’s simple clothing, I can dress myself.” Jimin informed the demon. “What are we doing today, by the way?” He asked.

“We have a busy day ahead of us,” Taehyung said, and he got off the bed. He headed to the wardrobe where he keeps his clothes, and he tossed something at Jimin for him to put on. “We are going to take Cerberus for a walk, and go shopping. My friends are working now, but we’ll be meeting with them for lunch.”

Jimin glanced over at the large beast in the room, wondering how they were supposed to take that massive dog out for a walk. Still, the mention of walking the dog, buying clothes, and possibly meeting friends made Jimin believe that he was going to be able to get out of the castle now. Since this was only his second day in Hell, he hadn’t expected to be able to leave the castle so easily. “You mean, I’m going to be able to see what the rest of Hell looks like?” Jimin asked as he started to strip himself of Taehyung’s nightclothes before putting the new outfit on.

Taehyung chuckled, and he walked over to Jimin to press a kiss to his forehead. “Sweetie, Hell is the castle,” He told the clueless human. “The rest of this world is called Underland .”

“How am I supposed to know?” Jimin asked, lightly punching Taehyung in the chest.

“By being clueless and learning from me, babe,” Taehyung answered with a low chuckle and another kiss, this time to Jimin’s knuckles. For as rough as Jimin had imagined demons being, Taehyung was that gentle. The exact opposite of what Jimin had been expecting.

With a quick word to Taehyung parents, the two of them left from Hell to explore the rest of Underland. As they exited from the castle, Jimin noticed how different the demon castle, Hell, was compared to the castle that belonged to Jimin’s family. Leaving was easy enough because there weren’t guards at every corner, which made Jimin feel a little uneasy. The family living in the castle also seemed quite bare with the only ones living there, excluding the servants, being the three royal demons.

Cerberus wasn’t put on a chain or anything as they walked, but he was well-behaved for what seemed like a fearsome creature. Jimin found it amusing to be walking around with a dog that he barely reached the elbows of. It made him feel safe and secure. Not even demons would want to with a dog 80 times their size.

Jimin thought he would take advantage of this time that they had just walking together  to have some of his questions answered. “So, why do you have Cerberus?” He asked, refusing to use that cute nickname that Taehyung used for the dog. He was huge and ugly, and the nickname was much too cute for him. “I thought he belonged to Hades.”

“Hades, Satan, Namjoon,” Taehyung said, and he shrugged at the end of his list. “They’re all the same person. You humans all know of us, your beliefs just defer from one another. Some believe that Apollo is the only god, but they call him by different names, but he’s not even close to being the one in control of everything.”

Jimin hadn’t been very vigilant in his studies on the Ancient Greek religion, otherwise he probably would have understood more of what Taehyung was saying. Not really looking to get a lecture that would remind him of the painful hours he spent in the royal tutor’s office, Jimin decided to change the topic something else he was curious about. “Is there not any nobility living in the castle?” Jimin asked, “I couldn’t help but notice that you and your parents seemed to be the only ones there that weren’t servants.”

“We have nobility,” Taehyung assured the other, “If you would have studied up in your religions class, you would know who they were. There’s Eurynomos, and you’ve already met him. It’s Seokjin, but he’s of royal blood now because he married Namjoon and gave birth to me.” Taehyung explained, “Yoongi and Hoseok are both nobility as well, and they live in the apartments of the castle, so you won’t see them around all the time if you stick to the royal family wing. There’s Jungkook, too, but he doesn’t have any royal or noble blood in him.”

“He lives in the castle?” Jimin questioned.

Taehyung nodded.

“And what about guards?” Jimin asked, wondering how they kept their castle secure without loyal guards to protect them from their enemies. “How do you keep your castle from being attacked?”

To that, Taehyung laughed, and Jimin frowned. Every time he laughed at something Jimin said, it almost felt belittling and insulting. “Another thing that makes deities different from normal royalty is that we have powers our subjects don’t. Even if all of Underland tried to siege the castle, they would be no match for our power alone. We have no needs for guards.”

Okay, so it was a very different culture from what Jimin was used to. He was sure that everything would start to make sense after a while.

After buying some clothes and sending a random demon off to deliver to the castle—“You can trust them. They know I’ll hunt them down and make them pay for their crimes if they disobey me.” Taehyung assured Jimin when the human had asked if it was wise to trust a stranger to deliver merchandise to the castle like that—Taehyung brought Jimin to an outdoor restaurant. He sat down at a table with three other demons, Jimin assumed them to be Taehyung’s friends, and he pulled Jimin to sit in his lap.

“Did you really have to bring your hellhound with you?” One of the demons asked, glaring at Cerberus who snarled to show off his teeth to the demon, who didn’t even flinch. “He takes up half of the restaurant.”

“Jimin, these are my friends, Yoongi, Hoseok, and Jungkook,” Taehyung completely ignored the other demon’s comments about the dog. “Everyone, this is my new human, Jimin.”

Jungkook looked to be around two years younger than Jimin, but Jimin knew that it was more likely that he was older than the human by centuries. As far as Jimin knew, demons lived forever. He didn’t know anything about how quickly they aged, but he did know that it was possible that youngest looking demon here was older than even Jimin’s living grandparents. Jungkook had short black hair and tall horns with a nice medium-red tone to his skin.

Yoongi and Hoseok both looked to be older than Jimin. Yoongi had the smallest set of horns, barely visible above his dark hair, but his fangs looked the sharpest. He also looked the meanest, with a nearly emotionless and always tired expression. His red skin was the palest, and looked quite good in between Jungkook and Hoseok’s darker skin tones. Hoseok’s horns were just a little shorter than Taehyung’s, but his fangs were the shortest of all the demon’s.

“Wow, you’re letting him out of Hell before he starts turning?” Jungkook asked. “You must like this one a lot.”

“Can you blame him?” Yoongi was the one to ask that. “I was beginning to think humans were a race that couldn’t be beautiful. All the ones you were given before were ugly s. This one is so hot, he clearly belongs down here.”

Jimin would have laughed at the joke had Taehyung not tightened his grip on him, obviously getting possessive. “Jimin is my human, and unless you want to be punished by Satan himself, I suggest you avoid talking about him like that,” Taehyung threatened, making even Jimin fear for Yoongi’s safety in that moment.

“Don’t get your burned,” Yoongi said, not even shaken by Taehyung’s threat. “I know you love it when other people are envious of your possessions.”

Jimin was slowly learning how the demons committed each of the deadly sins on a daily basis. It would be useful information for when he had to do the same.

“You have no right to be envious when you have both Jungkook and Hoseok to you,” Taehyung said, causing the seemingly cold-personality Yoongi to flush a deeper shade of red than his already pale-red skin.

“Sh-shut up,” Yoongi mumbled, hiding his face in the palm of his hands. “You don’t even know how long this human is going to last. He doesn’t need to know our business.”

Jimin hated it more and more every single time someone brought that up—the fact that he might not be a permanent thing for Taehyung. The demon had already gone through countless amounts of humans, so it was obvious that there was no guarantee that Jimin would make it either. Taehyung could just as easily decide that he was bored of him, and he could toss Jimin away just as he had done to the humans before him.

*

Later that night, after dinner and bathing, Jimin and Taehyung were in Taehyung’s room again. Or, their room again. Jimin should probably get used to calling it that. Jimin lay on the bed, on his stomach, facing the foot of the bed. He was looking at Taehyung, who was putting Cerberus down to sleep, patting one of the dog’s giant heads. Jimin looked at the mattress under him, poking softly at the plushness.

“Are you really happy that I was given to you?” He asked, not looking up at his fiance. He bit his lip softly. “I mean, there’s not someone in Underland you’d rather marry? Or maybe a human that’s more well-behaved.”

Taehyung looked back at Jimin, turning away from the dog. “Why? Are you not happy to be down here?” He asked.

Jimin looked up at him, a frown on his face. “I’m not unhappy to be down here,” He said, “But how can I say that I’m truly happy? My parents were to me, but they were still my family. They didn’t even weep for me when I was brought down here. Your friends seem to be happy with me, but only because they think I’m beautiful. Namjoon hates me, and everyone seems to believe that I’m just going to be another wasted human. You all mock me, and—”

Taehyung’s chuckle cut Jimin off, and the human looked at his intended demon with a soft glare. “Namjoon does not hate you ,” He assured Jimin. “He hates all humans.”

Jimin glare darkened, and he pushed himself up into a sitting position, folding his arms over his chest. “Thanks,” He said, sarcastic, “That makes me feel so much better.”

“Do you want to leave?” Taehyung asked with a frown.

Jimin’s expression softened as he looked at the demon this time. “What?”

“Do you want to leave?” Taehyung repeated the question. “Do you want to return to your home?”

Was this some kind of joke? Was the demon just ing with him now? Jimin raised an eyebrow. “Would I be allowed to, even if I wanted to?”

“Not usually, no.” Taehyung stated, and he walked to sit on the corner of the bed, next to Jimin. “But I haven’t ed you yet, so you’re still completely human. There’s no reason I can’t send you back if you don’t want to be down here.”

Jimin sat back a little so he could more comfortably look at the other. “Would Namjoon allow that?” Jimin asked, seriously considering the option.

“Probably not, but it doesn’t matter,” Taehyung assured him, “I’ve never cared what Namjoon would allow, and I’m not going to start now.”

“But why?” Jimin asked, furrowing his brows in confusion. “Out of all the humans you’ve had before, why are you not forcing yourself on me? Why are you willing to just let me go? Why am I so different?”

Taehyung shrugged, looking away from Jimin. “I don’t know exactly,” He admitted, “The second I laid my eyes on you, I knew that you were the one for me. I thought you might hate me for stealing you from your home, and I just wanted to give you a chance to get to know me as Kim Taehyung, your betrothed. Not as an evil demon who brings you to his castle and you on your first night. I wanted you to get the know the demon behind the sins, but I understand if you’d rather go home. I can’t expect you to reciprocate my feelings under the given circumstances.”

There was always something new to learn, so it never got boring down here. After hearing those words, Jimin scooted closer to Taehyung, slipping his arm under Taehyung’s and taking his hand. “Do you know what would have happened to me if I stayed on the surface?” Jimin asked, wondering if demons were just as clueless about human culture as humans were of theirs.

Taehyung shook his head.

“I would have been forced to marry a stranger, just as I am now,” Jimin informed him. “Except, it would be a female stranger, and I would be forced to bring her to my land and give her my children.” He bit his lip and looked at Taehyung with a soft smile. “You might not know this about me, but I’m not interested in women.” Considering that, Jimin would almost think it was some sort of blessing that he got sent to the demons instead. “The woman that I marry would have been in my position, and I would have been forced to her on the first night to consummate our marriage.”

“Our cultures must not be that different then,” Taehyung said, “At least when it comes to royalty.”

Jimin nodded. “Our subjects can marry who they want,” He informed the other, “Because they aren’t marrying for power. But,” Jimin looked up at Taehyung, “Why aren’t you marrying another deity? That would make more sense than marrying a human with no cosmic power.”

“Because I don’t like any other deities,” Taehyung stated. “And they don’t have the kind of power we want.”

“And what kind of power is that?” Jimin asked, wondering if he somehow held the power that the demons were seeking.

“If you want to go home, I cannot tell you that,” Taehyung pointed out, “You have to become one of us to be given privilege to that information.” He squeezed Jimin’s hand and looked at him. “Do you want to go home?”

Jimin bit his lip softly. “Do I have to make a decision right now?” He asked, “I might be happier here when I’m not feeling homesick.”

“Take all the time you need,” Taehyung said, and he pressed a kiss to Jimin’s cheek. “I won’t you until you’ve made a decision.”

*

If Jimin’s first full day in Hell was long, the first full week was even longer. Most of it was spent in his and Taehyung’s bedchambers, being babysat by Cerberus to make sure he didn’t get into any trouble. Taehyung told him that he wasn’t allowed to leave the castle without permission. At least, not for now.

“But why can’t I leave the castle?” Jimin demanded before Taehyung left him once again. He had been busy with his duties as the crown prince, so Jimin was often left alone. “It’s boring to sit in this room every day, waiting for you to return. You say that I’m not a prisoner, but sometimes it feels that way.”

“Do you know what will happen to you if you’re caught walking around the streets of Underland alone?” Taehyung questioned. “Every alpha demon in the area would jump at the chance to you.”

Jimin crossed his arms and plopped onto the bed. “No one will mess with me if Cerberus is around,” He said with a pout, “Besides, wouldn’t they be afraid that you’d come after them if they hurt me?”

Taehyung sighed, and he shook his head. “If that’s what you think, then you definitely don’t understand demons well enough to be exploring on your own,” He insisted. “They know that Namjoon or I will come after them if they hurt you, but that fear wouldn’t stop them. They’re willing to take fierce punishments for their actions, and they only commit actions if they think it’s worth the punishment.” He paused and scanned Jimin with his eyes. “And trust me, they would think ing you was worth the most brutal punishment. Especially since you’re a , obvious by the fact that you haven’t started turning yet.”

“J-just because I haven’t been ed by you doesn’t mean I’m a ,” Jimin defended himself, cheeks flushed.

“I only accept s,” Taehyung pointed out.

“How would you know?” Jimin challenged.

“I’m a demon lord, Jimin. I have my ways.”

Jimin huffed, and he pouted, trying to look pitiful, hoping that he could reach that tiny little core in Taehyung that allowed him to show emotion. “Come on,” He whined, “I’m so bored of sitting around. I only got to see Hel- Underland once, and it’s going to be my kingdom someday, too.”

Taehyung’s expression softened, and he gave in with a sigh. “Fine,” He agreed, and Jimin broke out into a wide grin. “But Jungkook is going with you.”

“That’s fine!” Jimin cheered, and he hopped off of the mattress, skipping over to kiss Taehyung’s lips. “Thank you!”

*

“How do you feel about Taehyung?” Jungkook asked while he and Jimin walked around the city streets together.

Other demons would stare at them as they walked by, their eyes scanning Jimin carefully. Although he had Jungkook one side and Cerberus on the other, he actually didn’t feel as safe as he did when Taehyung was the one walking with him. He just somehow felt safer with his intended around.

“I mean, I’m sure you know by now that you two are supposed to get married once he turns you into a demon,” Jungkook said as they walked, “But do you like him?”

“I do,” Jimin answered without giving it much thought. He didn’t have to at that moment, as it was something he was always thinking about. His feeling toward Taehyung were always on his mind, and he had mostly decided how he felt about the prince by now. “He’s a lot kinder than I ever imagined a demon being.”

“Maybe to you,” Jungkook stated, but Jimin decided to ignore the comment.

“I don’t like it when he makes me feel like a prisoner by forcing me to stay in the castle,” Jimin stated, “But I understand that he just wants to keep me safe. I’m free to return home if I want, but he’s afraid someone will try to me if I’m caught wandering the streets alone.” Jimin looked at Jungkook, biting his lip softly. It was only the second time the two had seen each other, the last being when they met the first time. “But he seems to trust you.”

Jungkook didn’t seem surprised by that comment, and he even nodded in agreement, not modest at all. “I earned his trust,” Jungkook stated.

Jimin bit his lip, thinking about something that had been constantly reminded to him since he came down here. “Am I really different from Taehyung’s other humans?” Jimin asked, “What happened to them?”

Taehyung always stated the demons weren’t liars, but he felt like he wasn’t being told the whole truth about everything. There was a lot that he didn’t know about Taehyung’s history while it seemed like Taehyung knew everything about Jimin. To be fair, Jimin only had 22 years of history, compared to Taehyung’s thousands of years of history.

“I’ll tell you what I can,” Jungkook offered, and Jimin nodded. Even if it wasn’t much, it would hopefully be more than he had learned so far. “There’s...a fairly large body count of humans that came before you. There seemed to be specific human that Taehyung was looking for. He accepted gift after gift, disappointed because they were never the right human. Like he knew from the start that you were the right one, he also knew none of them were the right ones from the beginning.”

“But he still accepted them?” Jimin asked, furrowing his eyebrows. “Why?”

“Because the humans believed they were sacrifices,” Jungkook explained, “And Taehyung didn’t want those remaining on the surface to think otherwise. If the humans ever found out what was actually happening to them, do you think they would have kept offering sacrifices?”

Jimin shook his head.

“The ones that Taehyung liked never stayed around long,” Jungkook explained. “Namjoon would probably tell you something different because he doesn’t worry about Taehyung’s feelings toward the humans. But Taehyung didn’t want the good ones to suffer. The ones he couldn’t stand, on the other hand, he would transform them most of the way before letting them die slowly.”

“But he likes me, so—”

“You are safe,” Jungkook assured him, “ Because you’re the one he’s been looking for. If you weren’t, you’d be gone already.”

Jimin had been so caught up in what Jungkook was saying, that he had been ignoring how he was feeling. He was starting to get hot, and his head was starting to spin. The potion was wearing off, and it felt worse than it did the last time. He tried to form words, but his chest started to hurt and his lungs felt like they were running dry.

“Jimin?” Jungkook said, and he placed a hand on Jimin’s shoulder, only to have to catch him before he hit the ground. “Hey,” He felt Jungkook’s hand searching him, “Where is your potion?”

Jimin shook his head, not able to explain that he didn’t have any with him because he didn’t expect to be out so long. His world was starting to get hazy, and all he knew at that moment was that he was getting loaded onto Cerberus’s back. He felt his body moving in a rocking motion as the dog took off running.

When Cerberus came to a halt, Jimin felt himself being dragged off of the dog, and carried on Jungkook’s back. “Taehyung!” He heard Jungkook call, but just after that, everything went black.