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

Chapter 41: Warmth of the Den ⚠️

But it's not a messy cry.

It's silent.

Controlled.

Dangerous.

His eyes meet mine, dark and furious.

But beneath that-beneath the fire-there's something else.

Agony.

His grip on my hand tightens.

A sharp inhale, another tear slipping down his face.

And finally-

A single, shattered word.

"Fuck."

He breaks.

Raging tears fall down his face, shoulders vibrating, his pain screaming from the depths of his soul.

I pull him into me.

He doesn't resist.

His forehead presses against my shoulder, his breath shaking against my skin.

I can feel it-The weight of everything he's been holding in.

The anger.

The fear.

The relief.

I squeeze my eyes shut. "Yoongs..."

His hands fist into my shirt.

"I thought-" His voice is hoarse, thick with emotion. "I thought we lost him."

My throat tightens as tears stream down my face. "I know."

He inhales sharply. "And when I saw him, when I finally saw him-"

A shudder runs through his body.

"I wanted to hold him," he breathes. "I wanted to fucking kill whoever did this to him."

I nod against him, my own tears slipping free.

"We will find them," I whisper. "I promise you, Yoongi. We will find them."

His body tenses.

Then, exhaling sharply, he pulls back just enough to look at me.

"When we saw him at the door," he says, voice thick, "I didn't know if I was dreaming."

I let out a quiet, broken laugh. "Me too."

His jaw clenches. "And then I saw his face."

I nod.

"And it felt like the ground disappeared beneath us."

His eyes flicker with something sharp. "I wanted to tear apart whoever did this."

I grip his wrist. "Me too."

He swallows hard. "But when he looked at us-"

His voice cracks. "Y/N, he flinched when you touched him."

A sob catches in my throat.

Because he's right.

Taehyung flinched.

Like he wasn't sure if he deserved our touch.

Our love.

Yoongi's hand tightens into a fist.

"We failed him," he whispers. "He needed us, and we weren't there."

I shake my head immediately. "No, Yoongi."

I cup his face, forcing him to look at me. "We did not fail him."

He swallows hard.

"We couldn't have known," I whisper. "But he came back to us. That means something."