Stigma Love's Algorithm [ A BTS x Reader Poly ]

Chapter 39: Drowning in Absence ⚠️

I won't let us drown in this.

So I force my voice to stay steady.

"Because we belong to each other, Yoongi." I cup his face, forcing him to look at me. "Me. You. Tae. We belong to each other."

His breath catches.

I swallow against the lump in my throat. "We're not going anywhere."

He exhales sharply.

And then, suddenly-
His lips crash into mine.

It's not like last time.

Not rough and frantic, not desperate to forget.

It's slow. Heavy. Heart-wrenching.

Like he's trying to pour everything he can't say into this one moment.

Like he's afraid this will be the last time he gets to hold me.

I kiss him back just as hard.

Letting him feel it.

Letting him know.

That I'm here.

That I'll always be here.

That I'll hold him through all of this.

For as long as it takes.

We don't let go of each other that night.
Even when exhaustion pulls us down, even when our bodies give in to sleep-

Our fingers stay entwined.

Our breaths stay close.

And somewhere in the spaces between his whispered confessions and my quiet reassurances-

We hold onto the only thing we have left.

Each other.

_____________

Day 22

It's morning

The sun peeks through the curtains, casting soft light across the room, but there's no warmth in it. Not really.

Not when the weight of him not being here still lingers.

I hear Yoongi sigh beside me, shifting slightly under the covers. When I turn, I see him already awake, staring at his phone.

Waiting.

Hoping.

It's been three days since Taehyung's last message.

And still-nothing.

I scoot closer, resting my head on his chest, feeling the steady rise and fall of his breathing. "Any messages?"

A beat of silence.

Then-

"No."

I swallow against the ache in my throat. "Maybe today."

Yoongi exhales slowly, fingers running through my hair. "Yeah. Maybe."

Neither of us say it, but we both know-
The silence from Taehyung is louder now.

But after the night Yoongi broke down in my arms, something between us shifted.

We're not letting this break us.

Not letting the fear consume us.

So instead of spiraling, Yoongi presses a kiss to my forehead and murmurs, "Come on, baby. We need to get to work."