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

Chapter 78: Breathless Confessions

"Yoongs..." His voice is barely above a whisper.

And then he smiles-small, soft, breathtaking.

"I feel the same way."

My breath stutters.

Jin hyung swallows, his fingers tightening around mine.

"I fell for you too. For who you are, for the way you love, for the way you fight for the people you care about. I saw it from the very beginning."

I blink at him, heart thudding. "From the beginning?"

"The first time I met you," he admits, a quiet laugh escaping him.

"At my office. You and Y/N and Tae, fighting tooth and nail for Tae's case."

He shakes his head. "I saw it then-the way you love so fiercely. And in my life, that's all I've ever wanted. Someone who loves like that."

He exhales. "And I'll be damned if I let anyone of you go."

A shaky breath escapes me.

Hyung's hand moves to my cheek, his touch warm and steady.

I lean into it, closing my eyes for a second, letting myself feel.

And when I open them again, he's there-closer, his gaze flickering down to my lips.

Slowly, we move toward each other, the space between us shrinking, the warmth of his breath ghosting against my skin.

And then-
*Ding*

We both freeze.
Another ping.

Our phones light up at the same time.

Frowning, Jin hyung reaches for his, and I do the same, my eyes scanning the notification.

Then, in unison, we read it.

Y/N has reached the Romantic Connection phase with Namjoon.

Namjoon has reached the Romantic Connection phase with Y/N.

Silence.

Jin hyung bursts out laughing, his head falling back against the couch, the sound bright and unrestrained.

It shakes through his entire body, lighting up the space around us, making it impossible not to smile along with him.

"Damn, they just couldn't help themselves, could they?" He gasps between fits of laughter, clutching his stomach.

"What did they even do with Taehyung? Chuck him in a bin so they could make out in peace?"

I shake my head, a stunned chuckle escaping me, watching him-the way his entire face crinkles with amusement, the way his broad shoulders shake, the way his joy is so unapologetic, so him.

"Maybe they made him watch," I muse, lips twitching into a smirk. "Just like when you and Joonie made him watch the other nig-"

"YOONGI, DON'T YOU DARE."

Jin hyung cuts me off, pointing a warning finger at me, but his own laughter betrays him, breaking free in waves.

His face is red now, his eyes squeezed shut as he cackles, helpless against the memory.

I chuckle, watching him-just watching him.

And then his body shifts and turns to me with a smiles.

The way the golden hues of sunset cast a soft glow over his sharp jawline, the way the Christmas lights flicker in his clear, bright eyes.