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

Chapter 50: To Stay, To Leave, To Want Anyway

I inhale sharply.

Yoongi, beside me, is unnaturally quiet.
And suddenly-I know.

I know.

Because the way Namjoon looks at us has always beeen the same

Like he's trying to hold himself back.
Like he knows, deep down, what we are to him.

But he's scared.

Yoongi's fingers tighten around his glass, his knuckles whitening just slightly. I can feel the tension rolling off him, even as he keeps his expression schooled into neutrality.

But I know him. I know the way his jaw tightens when he's holding back, the way his body stills when something is weighing on him.

And right now, something is weighing on him.

"Yoongs, baby..." I whisper, touching his arm lightly. He exhales through his nose, slow and steady, before glancing down at me.

His gaze softens just a fraction, but the storm in his eyes remains.

"He's still avoiding it," he finally says, voice barely above a whisper.

I don't have to ask who he means.
Namjoon.

The man across the room, sat down, perfectly composed in a black turtle neck, like it was made for him, his every movement deliberate and controlled.

He's nodding at whatever Mr. Lee is saying, but his shoulders look just a little too tense, his grip on his glass just a little too tight.

And every few seconds, his eyes flicker-toward us.

But only for a moment. Only long enough to confirm we're still here before he forces himself to look away again.

I swallow.

"He knows," I whisper. "He knows, doesn't he?"

Yoongi doesn't answer right away.

Instead, his eyes drift back to Dara, her ever-perfect smile in place even as her father continues to lay into her.

She's nodding, composed, listening to whatever passive-aggressive remark Mr. Lee is making, but even from here, I can see the slight strain in her posture.

Yoongi exhales sharply, shaking his head.

"Dara's handling it," he says, almost to himself. But there's an edge to his voice.

I watch as Namjoon subtly shifts, his body angling ever so slightly toward Dara-just enough that if Mr. Lee pushed too far, Namjoon could intervene.

It's protective in a way that's barely noticeable to anyone who isn't paying attention. But we are.

Yoongi is.

"She's our friend," I say quietly. "And he cares about her."

Yoongi lets out a humorless chuckle. "Yeah. Seems like he cares about a lot of things he won't let himself have."

The words settle heavily between us.
I look back at Namjoon again.

At the way he forces himself to focus on Mr. Lee, even as some part of him keeps track of Dara. Even as some part of him keeps track of us.

It's strange, seeing him from this distance.

Not just physically-but emotionally. Like he's constructed walls so high, even the pull of the soulmate bond isn't enough to bring them down.

Not yet, anyway.

Yoongi turns to me, his gaze searching. "You feel it too, don't you?"

I nod.