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

Chapter 124: Love in the Tension Lines

If I'm seeing that guy in front of my excited noona, I'm gonna make sure I look much better than him.

My body was slow, like every limb is weighted with a dream I didn't ask for.

As I went out of my closet and open my door to finally go out, I hear Tannie hop down from my bed with a soft thud, his tiny paws padding loyally beside me, sensing the shift in the air.

My steps are quiet, reluctant, and the hallway feels colder than usual-like the walls themselves know what's coming.

The light spills down the corridor, golden but stretched thin. Everything looks too still.

Y/N noona's door is closed. She's probably at the station right now with Joon hyung to pick up Gabriel as planned.

I pass it gently, like a whisper.
My fingers twitch at my side.

My mind plays tricks-her laughter from the other day, her smile when she read Gab's last message, the way her hand brushed her phone a little too fondly.

Not her fault. She loves him.
But not like that-not the way we fear.
But still, it twists something inside me.

I walk faster.

I hear the faint creak of Hobi hyung's floorboards-probably mid-stretch, humming something soft and soulful as he does his morning flow.

There's comfort in that familiarity, a heartbeat in the house that steadies the nerves-if only slightly.

Tannie lets out a little yip, just once, and I glance down at him.

"I know, buddy," I whisper. "Let's go make sure our maknae's okay."

Because if there's one thing I'm sure of-more than any insecurity, more than any looming visitor-it's that when this house feels tilted, when one of us shakes, we all hold on.

And right now, Jungkook needs holding.

So I walk toward his door, past the morning shadows and the quiet tension.

And I brace myself-not just for the weight of my own heart, but for his too.

_______________________

Jungkook's bed is a fortress.

A kingdom of mismatched pillows, fleece blankets, and one suspiciously chewed plushie that Bam probably tried to claim as tax.

The curtains are drawn, casting everything in this soft blue hush-the kind of quiet that feels sacred and heavy all at once.

He's curled up on his side, hoodie swallowed around his chin, knees tucked close.

Not crying. Not moving.
Just... bracing.

My heart pinches.

I tore off my slippers and crawl in slowly, not saying a word at first.

Tannie hops up after me, immediately burrowing near Jungkook's feet like a tiny knight guarding his king.