Archive of Our Own ^beta

Jungkook had been informed times beyond count that he possessed a "black cat aura." It wasn't so much because he dressed in black hoodies throughout the year or because his resting expression intimidated half the freshmen at university. 

It was in the manner in which he moved silent, sharp eyed, as though constantly determining if people were worthy of his time. He was not exactly unfriendly. Just. reserved. Choosy.

Which only made it more ironic that his boyfriend, Kim Taehyung, was the opposite.

If Jungkook was the sleek black cat that sat on the sofa's arm, back arched and tail quivering, daring to stay away even when called, then Taehyung was the golden retriever thundering in through the entrance with a wagging tail, trampling over everything but adored by all regardless. 

And somehow, they worked.

It was late autumn when Jungkook found himself standing outside Taehyung’s dorm, hood pulled low, thumbs tapping on his phone.

jk: i’m here. hurry up. it’s cold.

Seconds later, the door swung open, and Taehyung came bouncing out, scarf half falling off his shoulders, his hair messy like he’d just rolled out of bed. His grin was blinding.

"Jungkookie!" Taehyung ran right into him, arms ensnaring tightly. "You're so warm, I swear you're my own personal heater."

Jungkook grunted, not that he didn't like it but because he had no idea what else to do with Taehyung grabbing onto him the way he did. "You could have put on a thicker jacket, hyung."

Taehyung tilted his head, pouted. "But then I wouldn't have a reason to snuggle you."

Jungkook's ears turned red. He wrapped Taehyung's scarf over his own neck to cover it. "Idiot."

Taehyung merely laughed, interlacing his fingers with Jungkook's. "Let's go on, the café is about to close.

They strolled through the sharp evening air, the world around them vibrating with students going to and from late classes. Jungkook liked the silence, his hand was in his pocket while Taehyung swung their clasped hands like they were in some cheesy drama.

At the café, Taehyung got a caramel latte with extra whipped cream, naturally, and Jungkook his americano. They sat by the window, the golden sunlight spilling over Taehyung's face.

Jungkook found himself gazing. He always did.

Taehyung had been too brilliant. Too full. He laughed too hard, flirted with strangers too freely, existed as if the world had never presented him a reason to do otherwise. Jungkook sometimes questioned what Taehyung saw in him the reserved child with rough corners, who never said more than was necessary.

Taehyung licked whipped cream from his lip, grinning. "What? Do I have something on my face?"

Jungkook looked away, sipping his drink. “Yeah. You’re messy.”

“Then clean it for me,” Taehyung teased, leaning across the table.

Jungkook nearly choked. “Hyung.....”

Taehyung burst out laughing, throwing his head back. People turned to look, but Jungkook couldn’t bring himself to be embarrassed. That was just Taehyung unapologetic, radiant.

Afterwards, when they walked home from campus, Taehyung continued to skip ahead, his smile turning around to flash at Jungkook. His scarf trailed behind him, his laughter misted the cold air.

"You're going to trip if you keep skipping like that," Jungkook yelled.

Taehyung stuck his tongue. "You'll catch me if I fall."

Jungkook rolled his eyes, but he knew that it was true.

Their dorm rooms were on other floors, but most of the time Jungkook was in Taehyung's room. It was a mess sketchbooks on the desk, missing socks scattered on the floor, Polaroids stuck to the walls. The exact opposite of Jungkook's tidy, minimalist room.

Tonight was no exception. Taehyung pulled Jungkook in, pulling him directly to the bed.

"Movie night!" Taehyung exclaimed, flopping down onto the mattress. "You choose. Something scary."

Jungkook raised a brow. "You'll just hold on to me the entire time."

"Right," Taehyung said unashamed, already tugging the blanket over them both.

The film began, but after twenty minutes, Taehyung was half buried in Jungkook's chest, fingers wrapped around his hoodie.

"Why do you put yourself through this?" Jungkook asked, amused in spite of himself.

"Because it means you'll keep me close," Taehyung mumbled, voice sounded against his shirt.

Jungkook's heart skipped a beat. He acted as though he was still concentrating on the screen, but his hand instinctively wrapped around Taehyung's waist, pulling him in.

Everyone wanted to know how they managed. How someone like Jungkook, who gave off the vibes "don't talk to me", ended up with someone such as Taehyung, who could be friends with a tree.

The reality was straightforward: Taehyung never let Jungkook's walls scare him off.

From the moment they met, sitting in a packed classroom together, Taehyung had looked at him as if he weren't cold or intimidating, but simply… someone worth learning about. He spoke with him, smiled at him, flirted with him, until Jungkook couldn't picture his life without him.

Taehyung once told him, "You're like a cat, Jungkookie. Hard to approach, but once you love someone, you love them forever."

(may this kind of love find me)

And perhaps he was right.

They sat on the lawn one night, the orange sky at sunset. Taehyung was lying on the grass, arms outstretched like he intended to hug the world. Jungkook was lying next to him, hands locked behind his head.

"Do you ever think about the future?" Taehyung asked abruptly.

Jungkook blinked. "What do you mean?"

"Like… where we will be. Five years from now. Ten."

Jungkook hesitated. He didn't care to think too much ahead it made his chest tight. But Taehyung's eyes were fixed, curious.

"I don't know," Jungkook confessed. "But I know I want you there."

Taehyung's breath caught, and then he smiled, gentler than Jungkook had ever seen before. "Good. Because I'm not going anywhere."

It was the little things, truly.

How Jungkook pretended to complain when Taehyung pulled him to picnics or parties but secretly loved seeing him shine among people. How Taehyung nagged him to take breakfast when Jungkook lost track.

How Jungkook carried Taehyung's backpack when he was exhausted, without being asked to do so. How Taehyung sketched small cats in the margins of Jungkook's study notes.

They complemented each other the introvert and the extrovert, the serious and the wild.

Black cat and golden retriever.

The first time they had a fight, an actual fight, it was over something silly. Jungkook had missed a party Taehyung had invited him to.

"You didn't even send me a message saying you weren't going," Taehyung complained. "Do you have any idea what it's like to wait for you and then find out you're not coming?"

Jungkook folded his arms. "I don't go to those things, hyung. You know that."

"I know," Taehyung shot back, "but sometimes I wish you were there anyway. Because it's not about the party it's about you."

The words stuck in Jungkook's chest. He didn't like confrontation, but he didn't like making Taehyung sad more.

That evening, after an eternity of silence, Jungkook messaged him:

jk: i'm sorry. i'll try harder.

A few minutes later, Taehyung responded:

th: i don't need you to change. i just need you to let me in.

And Jungkook understood he'd let Taehyung in from the beginning. He just needed to show it better.

Winter arrived, snow covering the campus in white. Taehyung pulled Jungkook out into the night at midnight to make snow angels, giggling as he flopped around in the cold. Jungkook complained the entire time but stretched out nonetheless, allowing their hands to touch in the snow.

"See?" Taehyung said, breathless "isn't this fun?"

Jungkook gazed at him the snow in his hair, the stars in his eyes and pondered, Yeah. It is.

They weren't flawless. They fought about stupid things, Taehyung's messiness, Jungkook's stubborness. But after every fight, they always managed to find their way back to each other.

Because at the very end of it, Jungkook required Taehyung's light, and Taehyung loved Jungkook's quiet strength.

Opposites, perhaps. But complementary.

One evening, snuggled up together in Taehyung's bed, Jungkook whispered, "Why me?"

Taehyung blinked "What are you talking about?"

"You can have anyone. You're… you. Why did you pick me?"

Taehyung canted his head, grinning as if it was the simplest solution in the world. "Because you're my black cat. Mysterious, moody, impossible to resist once I get you to open up. And because even when you pretend you don't, I know you do."

Jungkook's chest tightened. He hid his face in the crook of Taehyung's neck. "…You're too much." he mumbled.

Taehyung chuckled quietly, pulling him into an embrace. "And you love me for it."

Jungkook never said it aloud. He didn't have to. Taehyung knew.

Decades later, when others would still ask how they made it work, Jungkook would smile and reply, "He's the sun, and I'm the shadow. Of course we work."

And Taehyung, being the golden retriever that he is, would smile and chime in, "And besides, cats and dogs are the best team."

And perhaps they were correct.

Because some things just worked, even when they shouldn't.

Black cat and golden retriever.

Jungkook and Taehyung.

Always, side by side.