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

Chapter 124: Love in the Tension Lines

But before I move, I catch noona's eyes again. She gives me a quick squeeze and a wink.

And just like that-my ribs loosen a little.

It's not a fix. It doesn't make Gabriel less irritating or his presence easier to stomach.

But it's something.
A reminder.

I'm here. I matter.
She sees me.

I breathe in, clutching my plate with steadier hands.

Got it, noona.
I'm not just part of the furniture.

I gather my plate, glancing at Yeontan nosing around my feet, Bam waiting for the crumbs from Taehyung hyung's plate, and Wacha hopping onto a clean spot on the table-yep, table-like she owns the place.

The group hums in motion.

Taehyung hyung carefully clears a dish, Jimin hyung teases Hobi for hoarding the sunny-side up egg.

Jin hyung guides us in forming a cleanup chain, Yoongi hyung silently rinses dishes with surprising precision. Ofcourse, Joon hyung is still off limits in the kitchen.

Gab slides in, catching glimpses of each soulmate folding him gently into our world-except me, who's still mentally cursing him into another dimension

But I digress and tried not to think about it too much. Because maybe this morning isn't about declaring territory.

Maybe it's just about surviving it-with people who've got your back.

Just before we head to the kitchen, Taehyung hyung tosses me a quiet look across the room, nodding once-silent support.

Jimin hyung, already up and stretching, catches my eye and gives a mock salute with his cocoa mug.

"Hang on, Koo," Jimin says. "We're watching."

And somehow, even with the tension, even with the chaos...It's still home.

Even if Gabriel is here, existing to piss us off.

_______________________________

Y/N's POV

Sunday afternoon sun drifts lazily through the still-open windows, writing mellow shadows across the hardwood floor.

The house, now mostly empty, hums with the absence of voices-the aftermath of breakfast's charged warmth.

Jin oppa is holed up in his home office, arguing a case file with the stern efficiency of a suited general.

Jimin's headed out to a weekend rehearsal, all loose limbs and practiced grace.

Hobi's social media buzz pulled him into a spontaneous shoot.

Kookie's back in his gaming cave, headsets blaring.

Taehyung is off in his VR studio plotting his next virtual theater piece.

That leaves just the four of us-me, Yoongi, Joonie, and Gab-gathered in what's soon to be my new home office.