Sticks and Stones • Park Jimin

xiv.

"I didn't say that I took back what I said before about you not being pretty," Jin said defensively. "I just decided that I wanted to eat lunch outside because the natural air is a better exfoliant for my skin than air conditioned air is."

"Mmhm," Taehyung said, raising his eyebrows and crossing his arms.

"Who said we would let you eat up here?" Jungkook asked, glaring at Jin, who poured in response.

"Jimin said I could!"

Taehyung and Jungkook looked to Jimin, who smiled weakly. "Can't you all just get along for twenty minutes every day?"

Before Taehyung and Jungkook could reject Jimin's statement, the door opened yet again and revealed a new addition to the rooftop lunch squad.

"It's me! I'm your hope, I'm your angel, I'm-"

"Oh, look, it's Them Hips Though," Taehyung Dead panned in a monotone.

"Hot Stuff," Jungkook added, switching back and forth with Tae.

"Sunshine."

"No you didn't."

"Yes I did," Tae finished, crossing his arms and staring at J-Hope, who instead gaped at Jimin.

"They borrowed my phone to look up something and checked my texts instead," Jimin said, eye smiling and holding his hands up.

"Don't look embarrassed. You're the one who posted that," Jungkook snapped.

"Well I-"

"Enough about him," Jin interrupted. "Jimin, did you notice anything different about me today?"

Jimin hesitated. "Um...is that...lip gloss?"

Jin beamed. "Why, yes! I'm so glad you noticed!"

"After you pointed it out," Tae said, glaring at the pretty boy.

"Shut up you troll," Jin said back.

"Who are you calling a troll?!"

"Guys, calm down," Jimin tried, but everyone was arguing. Then the door opened again.

"Oh, sorry, are you guys busy out here?" the boy said, sticking his head outside. "I'll just-"

"No, come join us!" Jimin invited, desperate to change the group dynamic so he didn't have to listen to all the fighting and bickering.

"Oh. Uh, ...okay," he said, coming over and staring at everyone for a second before sitting down next to Jimin. "I'm Namjoon."

"And you let him introduce himself," J-Hope muttered.

"Why are you on our roof?" Jungkook asked.

"Aw," Taehyung cooed. "He said our, not my."

"Shut up, Tae." Jungkook looked at Namjoon. "Well?"

Namjoon shrugged. "I actually used to eat up here for lunch anyway but they switched my lunch hour because I broke the vase in art class and they made me drop out of the class."

"For breaking one vase?" Jimin asked, wincing. "That doesn't sound fair."

Namjoon cringed. "Let's just say it wasn't the first. More like the last of many."

"Oh."

"Yeah." Namjoon swallowed and pulled out his lunch. "So, is it cool if I eat with you all?"

Jimin nodded. "I'm Jimin, by the way."

"What's your name?" Jungkook asked, looking at the newcomer.

"Namjoon."

"Great. Namjoon, get off the roof."

"What, you want me to jump?"

"Be my guest."

Jimin just sighed. It seemed as though the fighting wouldn't be ending any time soon.