Although Jennie and Taehyung are famous idols, what happens after the spotlight ends belong solely to the two of them.

Sometimes, Jennie thinks she was a cat in her past life.

She craves cuddles and body warmth but not just anybody's. Like a cat that recognizes and loves its owner, she only wants Taehyung's solid warmth and weight atop her body. And like a cat that never leaves its human companion's side, she never, ever wants to leave his side. If she could, she would cling to him for the rest of her life.

Jennie blames her cat-like tendencies on the fact that Taehyung is late coming back from a dance practice scheduled to end at 8pm. An hour late with no contact usually doesn't send her into a fit of panic, but their private lives have been so stressful after their relationship was revealed two weeks ago, she can't help but worry. Bitter tabloids, stalkers, unpleasant fans, and nagging agencies: in the cutthroat entertainment industry, if any of those tragedies occur, the internet always finds out first.

And that thought scares her.

The sound of his voice pulls Jennie back to the present.

Her TV is playing an old episode of the two of them on a variety show called the Return of Superman. For years leading up to this episode, they have been close friends. It wasn't until after they went out for barbeque after a long day of filming that everything changed.

"I bet I can eat more meat than you," Jennie teased, a devious smile lighting up her face. They were both competitive, a trait that carried them through their trainee days, and thus liked to participate in fun and harmless games.

Most of Taehyung's face was covered by a cap, but she didn't need to see his face to know he was the exact mirror of her. "There's no way you can eat more than me." He stuffed meat into his mouth and groaned. "I'm starved. Today's shoot was too long."

She copied him and closed her eyes in bliss. "I definitely can beat you. I had a three hour dance practice before the show."

Fueled by sheer determination and will, they stuffed meat into their mouths like the world was going to end by the end of the hour. Besides the sizzle of meat shearing in oil and the clanking of dishes in the back, the restaurant was quiet and had no other customers. It was their favorite time of the day, and both of them cherished these few moments of calm and peace like they had been presented with pots of gold.

When they finished, they stumbled out of the restaurant, leaning on each other and skipping down the dimly lit alley. In Yerim's mind, they were the montage in a film, drunk on the meat in their bellies and the serotonin pumping through their blood. Thankfully, the restaurant was in the outskirts of Busan, so nobody was around to hear their raucous laughter and sarcastic remarks. It was only them and the moon shining high and bright in the night sky.

"I won." Taehyung looped an arm around her shoulder and tugged her close. "I definitely won."

Jennie laughed, adjusting his cap so she could better see his face. "You won by one piece of meat only!"

His eyes widened. "Hey, it was at least six pieces of meat."

"Nooooo," she grinned, "By three."

Taehyung moved startlingly fast. One second, they were still leaning on each other, half-walking, half-skipping past shuttered fruit and bread markets. The next second, he was diving down so they were face level and gripping her waist. Then, he started tickling her.

"Wait- Oh my-" she squealed, trying to dart away. "Jungk-" She burst into a fit of giggles when she felt his bare finger brush against her stomach. There was no time to process the contact, though, because the attack continued. 

They slowly shuffled backwards, him teasing her about counting the exact number of meat they each ate and her gasping and breathlessly laughing and trying to get him to stop. Before she knew it, her back hit a brick wall, the tickling stopped, and she looked up, placing their faces only a centimeter apart.

It was one of those moments where they both knew. Like the time she decided to become a trainee, watching her hometown grow smaller and smaller as her resolve expanded bigger and bigger. Or like the time she and Taehyung were MC's on Inkiyago together, laughing and joking naturally on the stage like they had been best friends since birth.

The tension between them thickened, swirled, and grew as his eyes darkened and her mouth parted. It was so dense that if she lifted a finger and lightly pressed, it would shatter into a thousand brilliant pieces.

But then he leaned in and she remembered what they had just been doing.

"We can't," she blurted out, "Our first kiss can not be after barbeque. We'll taste like meat."

Taehyung looked like he could care less, like she was the meat and he was a starving artist deprived of protein and nutrients. He looked so close to simply gobbling her up in this darkened alley. But he cleared his throat and stepped away. "Okay." He exhaled. "Okay, but we should go now, or else I'm going to be embarrassed."

She looked down and laughed.

Now, with the show still playing in the background, Jennie pulls out her phone and glances at the time again. The moment the time hits 9:30, she plans on contacting his members. For now, she can do nothing but worry.

...

"Hey, baby," a voice murmurs, cutting through the fog of her nightmare. Sasaengs are chasing after Taehyung's van, and no matter how hard she tries to warn him and his manager, they are oblivious to the impending danger. "You're sweating." She feels a cool towel on her face. "What are you dreaming about?"

Slowly, the image of his van flipping over the highway and her panic resides as warm hands gently massage down her arms. It takes a while for her to fully emerge back into reality but when she does, she blinks against the hazy orange glow to see Taehyung's concerned face.

For a moment, the dream floods back and images of an unresponsive Taehyung paralyzes her. She is reminded of a time in her career when she and her group members had huddled behind dumpsters, trying to throw off a group of fans who had stalked their activities for the day. Later that day, when questioned at the police station, the fans had said they merely wanted some photos and signatures. The damage had been done, though. That night, she had laid in the dark, shaking and muffling her sobs, knowing that her dreams required sacrifices but wondering how much she could take before giving up. 

"Hey," Taehyung whispers, propping her up and gathering her into his arms. He tucks her head into the crook of his neck and smooths out her hair. Then, he presses a lingering kiss on her forehead. "I'm here, baby. I've got you."

He is her safe spot, so as her body slowly melts into his embrace, she loses track of time. As she becomes more aware of her surroundings, she begins to smell the day's hard work and sweat on him. He never complains, though, even when his leg muscles start trembling. 

Feeling his exhaustion, Jennie sits up and turns around.

"Are you okay?" she asks, scanning him. His hair is a mess, and bags seem to drag his eyes and cheeks down to the ground. "You look tired."

Taehyung nods. "I'm fine. Just exhausted. What about you? What happened?"

Jennie blinks and then she hits him on the chest.

His eyes widen, but he simply rubs the area she hit and waits for her to explain.

"You heartless jerk!" She hit him again. "You're more than an hour late, and you didn't think to call me or leave me a message. Do you know-" Her voice cracks. "-how worried I was? I thought something happened. I thought... I thought I was going to lose you."

"Baby, no." Taehyung sounds horrified. He regathers her into his embrace, his arms bands of steel around her body. She's grateful for his comfort because she's suddenly struggling to hold back tears. "I'm so sorry. The company took our phones away during practice and then held us back because we weren't performing to their satisfaction."

She grips his shirt and tugs him closer.

"You thought-" He shudders. "Jennie, I will never leave you first. If I have to crawl through fire, then I'll gladly burn before I let you watch me suffer. I love you, Jennie, and that's forever."

His words are a melody to her ears, the perfect remedy to the previous anxiety that had gripped her like vices. Storing those words into her heart, she inhales and leans back. "I love you, too, Taehyung, but I swear to god, please stop saying that. Nobody is leaving anybody."

He grins, leaning in to kiss her nose.

"Was practice brutal? Did you all figure out your special stage?"

He nods, arms once again traveling to loop around her lower back. "The fans will love it. I'm excited to show them. What about you? How have you been?" He dips down to bite her ear, causing her to gasp. "I've missed you."

Forgetting all about the previous hour, Jennie giggles and squirms against him as he presses kisses down the slope of her neck. "I've been less busy than you, but-" She gasps at the feel of his teeth on her shoulder. "Taehyung!"

"What?" He tilts his head and blinks innocently. "I told you, I've missed you."

"Aren't you tired?"

With his lips, he bites the spaghetti strap of her tank top and pushes it down her arm. She shivers at the feel of his teeth scraping her soft skin, and almost involuntarily, she climbs atop of his lap, craving for better access. Then, he releases the strap and says, "Never tired enough for you."

They kiss like they're teenagers, like they're star-crossed lovers fighting time and fate for a moment together, like they're both desperate for each other's oxygen. The growls and deep moans he emits as their tongues fight for dominance ignites her whole body on fire. Before long, their competitive sides kick in, and suddenly, it's a game to see who could kiss the most, give the best reaction, and make the other happier. It's her favorite game.

Her body arches into his touch as his hand travels up her bare skin to cup her breast. The sensation is too much, especially when he flicks a finger across her nipple, and she's afraid she can't last for much longer.

"Taehyung," she pants, grabbing a fistful of his hair and pulling his head back. "Don't you want to hear about my day?"

His lips are swollen, and his eyes are hooded as he slowly nods.

Jennie grins. "I was just joking. You agreed so easily."

He shows his relief with the urgency of his hands and lips. She swirls back into the overwhelming sensation as their clothes fly off and their bare skins touch and press. Her nails are scraping his back, digging into his muscles as they flex and ripple, and his hands are caressing every dip and curve of her body, going lower and lower.

Later that night, as Jennie stretches out beside Taehyung and traces a circle on his chest, she thinks of their relationship. Even though a lot of fans had expressed their dislike, a greater number of them also gave the two of them their full support.

"Have you seen how he looks at her?" one website says.

"He's the sun, and she's his sunflower," a Twitter comment states.

"They have such natural chemistry: their banter and teasing comes so easily and lovingly," their agencies say at their press conferences.

As fans, they think they see everything between them. And although they do see a great deal, that's the aspect of their relationship they carefully curate and show to the world.

It's after the spotlight ends, when the audience's roar dies down, when the roofs over their heads enclose them in a gentle reminder that nothing exists besides the two of them, and when the only sound is his slight snores, that Jennie and Taehyung shine the brightest.

a/n: wow, never thought I would be back but this short taennie story was fully inspired by the two pictures in the beginning of this chapter!!! the pictures were sososooooo cute so I thought I would dabble in fluff and then this came out in literally 40 minutes

(first time writing fluff too haha so different from what I usually write! also, lowkey smutish which I'm lowkey embarrassed about bc it's soooo diff from what I usually write haha)

anyways, goal is to write more this yr so look forward to more of my works!<3 thanks for reading:)