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

Chapter 41: Warmth of the Den ⚠️

I inhale sharply.

Yoongi goes completely still beside me.

Taehyung's grip tightens around the cup. "I-I should have called. I should have told you. I-I didn't mean to-"

His breath stutters. "I didn't know how to-"

He stops.

His fingers tremble.

And when he finally looks up, his eyes are glassy, filled with something so raw, so achingly vulnerable, that it destroys me.

I see it-

The hesitation.

The fear.

Not of us.

But of what comes next.

Of what he'll have to explain.

Yoongi clenches his fists.

I can feel the storm brewing in him, the barely controlled fury beneath his skin.
But then-

"Not now," he says, voice softer than I expect.

Taehyung blinks, startled. "But-"

"We'll get there," Yoongi murmurs, voice steady, firm. "But not now."

Taehyung's breath catches.

"All you have to do right now," Yoongi continues, his tone unshakable, "is accept that we're here."

Silence.

Then-

Taehyung breaks.

His grip loosens on the bear-
And suddenly, his arms are around Yoongi.

A sob rips from his throat as he clings to him, fingers curling into Yoongi's shirt like he's afraid he might disappear.

Yoongi stiffens, caught off guard.

And then-
He melts.

His hands come up immediately, cradling the back of Taehyung's head, pulling him in tight.

His entire body shifts, wrapping Taehyung in an embrace so secure, so undeniably grounding, that I feel my own eyes burn with tears.

"I've got you," Yoongi murmurs, voice rough with emotion. "I've got you."

Taehyung sobs harder, his entire body trembling.

And Yoongi just holds him.

His fingers press into Taehyung's back, his grip firm but gentle.

Like he's holding onto something fragile.

Like he's holding onto something he never wants to let go of.

I reach out, placing a hand on Taehyung's back. "We love you, Tae." My voice is shaking. "We love you so much."

Taehyung doesn't respond.

He just cries.

And we let him.

Because he needs this.

Because we need this.

Because after fifty days of silence-
This is the only thing that matters.

At some point in the silence of the night, Wacha jumps onto the couch.

She doesn't hesitate.

She just curls up right beside Taehyung, her little body pressed against his lap.

She never does this.

Not with anyone but Yoongi and me.

Taehyung sniffles, blinking down at her, startled.