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

Chapter 105: Seven Idiots and a Star

And secretly loving it, if the tiny smile twitching at the corner of his mouth is anything to go by.

Joon, sweet poor Joon, is valiantly trying to organize brunch like a ship captain steering into a hurricane.

He's got sticky notes.
Color-coded. An actual timeline.
And nobody is listening to him.

He gives up halfway through, tossing his notepad onto the counter with a muttered, "I am a man defeated," and resigns himself to sipping coffee next to Yoongi.

Meanwhile-I'm curled against the counter, clutching my stomach from laughing, trying not to cry from sheer joy.

Because this?
This right here?
This is home.

And even though there's a Jimin-shaped absence hanging in the air-

Even though my chest aches a little when I think about him sitting alone right now, somewhere across town-

I know we're not rushing him.
Love waits.
Love stays.

We'll be here when he's ready.
Always.

___________________________

Jimin's POV

My coffee's gone cold again.

I'm sitting on my tiny studio couch, knees pulled up to my chest, staring blankly out the window where the late afternoon sun is starting to dip lower.

The untouched mug warms my palms, but not enough.

I sigh, deep and heavy, letting my head tip back against the wall.

The memory of their laughter floats around the room like smoke.

The way Tae leaned against me last night, half-dreaming.

The way Hobi hyung threw a blanket over me and declared it "Official Soulmate Baptism."

Y/N noona's fingers gently fixing my hair.

Jin hyung's voice- that soft, safe voice - replaying in my mind over and over again, telling me,

"You're safe."

God.
It's too much.
It's everything.

My phone buzzes in my lap.

I blink down at it, heart already racing, already knowing who it'll be.

It's a message.
From Tae.

Tae
Kook needs us to play Mario kart tonight. We miss you already.

I clutch the phone to my chest.

Press it hard against my heart like I can physically soak their words into my bloodstream.

It hurts.
In the best way.

I close my eyes, breathing them in.

Then-Almost without thinking-I open the LoveMap app.

The blank activation screen stares back at me.

White and waiting.
Patient.

My thumb hovers over the "Activate" button.

So easy.

One tap.
One second.
And everything changes.

No turning back.
No pretending it's just coincidence.

No pretending they're just friends, just good people, just... anything less than what they are.

Family.
Home.
Heart.

Am I ready?
I close my eyes.

A long breath shudders out of me.
Not yet,
I whisper to myself.

But soon.

I slip my phone into the pocket of my hoodie.

Grab my worn leather bag.
Sling it over my shoulder.

Keys. Wallet. Courage.
One step.

Then another.

I'm not ready to leap yet.
But I'm ready to walk toward them.

_____________________

The streets blur past-golden, sun-drenched, heavy with late afternoon heat.

And somehow, impossibly -The closer I get to their house, The lighter I feel.

Like the air itself is carrying me forward.

My sneakers crunch softly up the familiar path to the front door.

I stop.

Heart hammering.
Hand raised.
About to knock.

Inside-I hear Yeontan first-the tiny, furious bark of a dog who knows something important is happening.

A heavy thud-Wacha, leaping off the couch with a melodramatic yowl.

And then-Tae and Hobi's faces smooshed against the living foyer window like overexcited children.

Eyes wide.

Grinning so hard their faces might crack.

My breath catches.

Then the door swings open-And there's Jin hyung.

Apron still tied at his waist.
Flour dusted on his cheek.

The words Master of Love (and Pancakes) splashed proudly across his chest.

He smiles.
Simple.
Certain.

Like this moment was always meant to happen.

Like he's been waiting here on the threshold of forever.

My lips part -A shaky breath, a thousand unsaid words.

But I don't need them.
Because Jin hyung just extends his hand.

Palm up.
Steady.
Sure.

"Welcome home, Jimin-ah," he says.

I smile back.

Small.
Shy.
Blooming.

And I step forward.

Into his hand.
Into the house.
Into all of them.