Sticks and Stones • Park Jimin

vii.

"He's a really good singer! You'll like this guy, I promise," Taehyung said.

"Right," Jimin agreed automatically, less because he trusted Taehyung's opinion on who Jimin might like and more because Taehyung was the only escape he had from the treatment of his classmates. If, in a hypothetical world where Jimin was lactose intolerant, Taehyung told Jimin that he would like milk, Jimin would probably drink it, no questions asked.

Which made Taehyung a somewhat dangerous person.

"Jimin, meet Jungkook," Taehyung introduced as they stepped out onto the roof, which was empty save one kid.

The boy Jimin presumed to be Jungkook threw down his cigarette and stamped out the butt with the heel of his shoe, twisted his foot before tucking his hand into his pocket.

"You're not supposed to smoke at school," Jimin said slowly, staring at Jungkook with a mix of fear, admiration, and curiosity.

Jungkook just looked at Jimin with disgust. "What are you, the student handbook? Screw off."

"It's okay, Jimin," Taehyung said, turning to Jimin and raising his hands. "Jungkook just smokes one cigarette a day at lunch."

"But he's underage," Jimin persisted, his eyes wide as he kept glancing at Jungkook. "Smoking is harmful for your lungs and for-"

"Can you close Mr. Textbook?" Jungkook snapped, glaring at Taehyung. "When I want a health lesson, I'll show up to class."

Taehyung just laughed. "See? Isn't he fun? I told you you'd like him!"

Jimin did not know what to say. Except maybe You were completely wrong.

"Truth is," Taehyung said, leaning in conspiratorially, "he only smokes in order to look cool because he's younger than us."

"Hey!" Jungkook shouted, glaring at Taehyung, but his face was dusted with a faint pink. "Shut up! Stop telling him lies!"

Jimin laughed quietly. "So he's my dongsaeng."

"I'm nobody's dongsaeng, least of all yours!" Jungkook protested, pushing off from the wall and marching angrily over to Jimin, towering over him in height. "You got that?"

Jimin smiled up at Jungkook. For a moment, he was grateful that he'd been bullied, because Jungkook's words didn't hurt him or scare him or deter him at all. "Okay, Kookie," he said sweetly. "I understand."

Jungkook looked momentarily confused before he decided on a glare.

"I just wish you wouldn't smoke because it's really bad for your lungs, and if you want to sing, your lungs are really important," Jimin pointed out.

Jungkook glared at him. "What guy would want to be a singer? That's gross!" he immediately denied, but as he exited the rooftop with Jimin and Taehyung, he covertly dropped the half-full box of cigarettes in the garbage can.

Jimin just smiled. As he went back to class, though, he remembered to erase that emotion from his lips.