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

Chapter 63: Falling for a Menace

And I don't mind.

"You know," he murmurs after a while, "I was thinking..."

I raise an eyebrow. "That's dangerous."

He nudges me playfully. "I'm serious."

I hum. "Alright. What were you thinking?"

He hesitates, then turns to me fully, his face unreadable for once. "Do you ever wonder... what we are?"

The question catches me off guard. Not because I haven't thought about it, but because I didn't expect him to ask.

I glance at him, my throat suddenly dry.

"What do you mean?"

Taehyung tilts his head, studying me like he's trying to decide something.

Then, slowly, he reaches out, his fingers grazing my cheek before settling there, his palm warm against my skin.

I stop breathing.

"Tae," I murmur.

His thumb strokes lightly against my cheekbone, his eyes dark and unreadable.

"I know we're soulmates but..it's clear that we're more than just friends, aren't we?"

I don't answer right away.

I don't know if I can.

But when I lean into his touch-when I don't pull away-I think that's answer enough.

Taehyung's lips curl into something knowing, something teasing, but there's real emotion behind it. Real weight.

And when he finally pulls his hand away, I almost chase after it.

Almost.

Instead, I exhale slowly, shaking my head. "You're impossible."

Taehyung grins, leaning in just slightly. "And yet?"

I swallow. "And yet."

The warmth between us lingers, stretching long into the evening as the sun dips lower, painting the sky in shades of pink and gold.

And whatever this is-whatever we are-

I don't think I want to stop it.

The air has changed.

I don't know when exactly, but somewhere between the warmth of Taehyung's fingers, the weight of his lingering touches, and the way his eyes have been looking at me all afternoon-something shifted.

Something that makes my pulse feel heavier, that makes every second stretch longer, that makes me hyper-aware of the way he moves, the way he breathes.

The way he exists so easily beside me, yet makes my entire body feel like it's unraveling.

The sky is starting to darken, the soft glow of the sun dipping into the Han River, streaking the water with gold and amber.