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

Chapter 43: The Truth That Breaks Us ⚠️

Taehyung lets out a hollow laugh.
"I went to the hospital so many times."

I cover my mouth with my hand, shaking.

"I never told anyone. I was too scared."
Yoongi shudders beside me.

Taehyung's fists clench in his lap.
"I didn't want to lose my family."

And that-
That is what shatters Yoongi.
"That was not your fucking family."

Taehyung flinches.

He shrinks just slightly, shoulders curling inward, barely perceptible-but I see it.

Yoongi immediately softens. His breathing ragged, his hands shaking.

But his voice-His voice is thick with barely restrained fury.
"They were monsters, Taehyung. Not your family."

Taehyung exhales shakily.

"I thought... I thought it was my only chance."
His voice is so small.
Like he still believes it.

Like some part of him still wonders if they were right.

I reach up, wiping my tears away, and gently cup his cheek.

He leans into it instantly.
Like he needs it.

"Tae," I whisper, voice cracking, "you never deserved any of that."

His eyes are glossy. Distant.
Filled with something shattered.
"I thought I did."

Yoongi shakes his head, gripping Taehyung's knee tightly.
"You didn't."

A single tear slips down Taehyung's cheek.
"I was just a kid."

And fuck.
My heart completely breaks.

I don't even think-I just move.
I pull him into me, wrapping my arms tightly around him, like I can somehow hold his pain for him.

Like I can carry it so he doesn't have to anymore.

Yoongi leans in too, pressing his forehead against Taehyung's shoulder, his breaths shaking against his skin.

Taehyung's fingers dig into my back.
And then-
He breaks.

Sobs wrack his body, raw and gut-wrenching, spilling out of him like he's been holding them in for years.

We hold him through it.

Through every tremble.
Through every gasping breath.
Through every broken sob.

Yoongi presses his lips against Taehyung's temple, voice thick with something achingly tender.

"You're safe now, baby bear."

Taehyung shakes against us, his grip desperate.

"I've got you," I whisper, kissing his hair, "We've got you."

He clings to us like we're the only thing keeping him here.

And maybe-
Maybe, in this moment-
We are.

_________________

Taehyung is shaking.

Not just trembling-but full-body, bone-deep shaking, like his body is struggling to hold itself together.

Like if he lets go, even for a second, he might shatter into something we won't be able to put back together.

His fingers clutch at his teddy bear, digging into the fabric, knuckles white, arms wrapped around it so tightly that it looks like he's trying to disappear inside it.