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

Chapter 53: Between Boxes And Promises

Yoongi sighs, rubbing his temple. "I hate moving."

Tae grins. "Thanks for helping, Hyung."

Yoongi rolls his eyes, but his lips twitch. "Yeah, yeah."

Tae nudges me, eyes warm. "You too, Noona."

I smile. "Of course."

And then-Tae grabs his phone, wiggling his eyebrows. "Gonna text Joon Hyung now."

Yoongi groans. I laugh.

__________________________

"Hyung, why do you own this many black hoodies?"

Taehyung gapes at the mountain of identical black fabric we've just pulled from Yoongi's moving boxes. He holds one up like it's evidence of a crime, eyes wide with disbelief.

Yoongi, completely unbothered, doesn't even look up from where he's organizing his vinyl collection. "They're different."

Tae scoffs. "Different how? They're literally all the same."

Yoongi finally glances up, his expression flat. "One has a thicker lining."

Tae stares. "That does not count."

I snort, holding up another hoodie from the pile. "Yoongs, you have like, fifteen of these. What is the reason?"

Yoongi shrugs. "I like them."

Tae looks personally betrayed. "But where's the variety? The flair? The personality?"

Yoongi raises a brow. "Says the man with seven identical lavender candles in his moving boxes."

Tae gasps. "First of all, how dare you. Second of all, I rotate the scents."

Yoongi deadpans. "They are all lavender."

I lose it, collapsing onto the couch with laughter as Tae dramatically flings himself onto the floor, groaning about how he's surrounded by tasteless men.

Yoongi just smirks, clearly victorious.

Before Tae can retaliate, Yoongi's phone buzzes.

I glance at the screen-Jin Oppa.

Yoongi sighs, wiping his hands on his sweatpants before answering.

The second the call connects, Jin's handsome face fills the screen, smirking like he's already judging us.

"I hope you two are supervising our resident grandpa," Jin says, squinting at Yoongi. "Otherwise, he's just going to unpack his speakers and forget the rest exists."

Yoongi glares. "Hyung."

I snort, adjusting the phone so Tae and I can be seen too. "We're keeping him in check. Kind of."

Tae, still on the floor, points accusingly at the pile of hoodies. "Jin Hyung, look at this insanity. He owns more black hoodies than actual furniture."

Jin Oppa bursts out laughing. "That checks out."

Yoongi groans. "Are you calling to help or just to bully me?"

Oppa pretends to think. "Oh, I'm mostly here to judge."

Yoongi mutters something under his breath while Tae and I cackle

We make steady progress-even if Tae finds a hundred ways to get distracted.

Tae putting on Yoongi's beanies and dramatically narrating his life like he's in a tragic film noir.

Tae discovering Yoongi's old notebooks and dramatically reading his old notes out loud while Yoongi tries to physically remove him from the apartment.

Tae randomly dancing in the middle of the living room while I die laughing.

Tae gasping dramatically every time we find something expensive and scolding Yoongi for living like a rich minimalist.

"Hyung. HYUNG. Why do you own an espresso machine but has only one mug?"

Yoongi, not even looking up: "I like that mug."

Tae groans. "You are a mystery."

Through all of it, Yoongi pretends to be exasperated, but he lets Tae get away with everything.

Because this-this is them.

Even if things feel different now, even if we're in separate spaces again, it's still home when we're together.

At some point, Jin Oppa calls again.
This time, his expression is softer.

"How's it really going?" he asks, eyes flickering between us.

Yoongi pauses before answering. "Fine."

Jin Oppa raises an eyebrow. "Yeah? Because that's the most unconvincing 'fine' I've ever heard."

I sigh, setting down a stack of books. "It's weird. It's temporary. But it's weird."

Tae nods, fiddling with a stray thread on his sweater. "It's like... our apartments are nice at all. But it just doesn't feel like home"

Oppa nods slowly, like he gets it.
And maybe he does.

Because he watches us for a moment, then says, "You'll move back together in no time."

I blink.
Yoongi and Tae glance at each other.

"Trust the process. And you'll realize how quickly time moves" Oppa continues, voice quieter now. "You guys are figuring this out together. That's all that matters."

I swallow, suddenly feeling that truth settle deep.

He's right.

We don't have to have everything figured out right now.

We just have to believe that It'll work out.

"Hyung, we miss you." Tae blurts out suddenly, pouting at the screen.

Jin Oppa's face softens instantly.
"I miss you guys too, TaeTae."

Tae beams, pleased with his new nickname.

Yoongi groans. "Don't encourage him."

Jin laughs. "It's too late."

The tension melts after that.

After hours of chaos, things finally settle.

Yoongi's apartment looks more lived in now-warm, familiar, filled with pieces of him.

Tae is curled up on the couch, looking entirely too pleased.

Yoongi sits beside me, quiet, but present-his shoulder barely brushing mine.

It's a little different than before.
But it's still us.

Tae sighs dramatically, patting the couch. "Okay. Now I just have to convince you two to have sleepovers in each of our apartments every weekend."

Yoongi rolls his eyes. "You are so needy."

Tae grins. "But you love me."

Yoongi exhales, looking at me like he's questioning every life choice that led him here.

I giggle, nudging him. "We'll figure it out, bear cub."

Tae brightens, beaming. "You're the best, Noona."

I smirk. "I know."

Yoongi groans, rubbing his face. "I regret everything."

Tae snuggles closer, eyes flickering between us. "So, what's next?"

I blink.

Yoongi tilts his head. "What do you mean?"

Tae hums. "Next step in the moving process."

I shrug. "Well, your place is settled. Yoongi's place is settled."

Tae grins. "So now we start looking for our actual home."

Yoongi and I exchange a glance.
Then-slowly, a small, knowing smile spreads across Yoongi's face.

"Three months," he murmurs. "That's the plan."

I nod. "Three months."

Tae beams, stretching dramatically. "Then let's make it happen."