The end of year prom was approaching for the seniors, and soon enough the end-of-year basketball tournaments were set in place. Since Hoseok was playing for every game, he had wheedled Soa into coming and cheering for him even though he knew damn well that he was a good enough player to win with his eyes closed. Nevertheless, the girl reluctantly agreed and had made plans with Hani and Chohee to meet up at Chohee’s place before going to the game. Hoseok was busy with training, and Soa understood that. There was no agitation between the couple about the fact that he spent most of his time playing around in the gym and training himself to be better. But Soa couldn't deny that she somehow missed him. Her pride was just too full to say it, but she yearned for his touch sometimes, or just for him to come over and hug her to sleep. She wished for his aura to surround her and make her feel reassured about the world. Unfortunately he couldn't. 

She hadn’t spoken to Hani since the laundry incident, and was scared to even aboard on the subject. But it wasn’t helping that the latter always tried avoiding her gaze or made a simple excuse to get out of the same room as her every time they were the only ones present. The tension was awkward and heavy, one that settled over their shoulders like a blanket and threatened to stuff their lungs with unsaid words of hypocrisy. 

Chohee, on the other hand, had warmed up to her considerably. Since she was the one to have overheard Hoseok and Hani’s conversation and had actually done something about it, Soa was grateful for her honesty. Although they were still as awkward as ever when it came on talking terms, Soa had started slowly melting her wall for her, and maybe just maybe should give her a second chance. Second chances were meant to be given, after all, right? Not that she forgot about the bullying incidents where the latter didn’t do anything to help her, but she was sure that there was a lingering reason behind her story, because Chohee didn’t seem like someone that would torture an individual just for her sadistic happiness. 

The d-day came, and with Chohee's constant whining and protesting, the girl decided to wear a cute dress for a change, just to motivate her boyfriend although she was sure wasn't even going to pay attention to her. 

"You look so cute" her friend complimented with a small giggle. 

"Shut up" Soa shot back, more aghast and embarrassed than annoyed really. 

"Hoseok won't be able to concentrate in his game today"

"Screw off!" Soa was the color of a fire engine by now.

Chohee just laughed and patted her back as they exited her house. The other girl had on a cute pastel shirt and coral shorts to match, sandals dangling at her feet. If Soa hadn't known better, she was suspecting that the latter was going just to see Jungkook. She had seen some change in Chohee's demeanor ever since she had gotten with Hoseok, and Soa couldn't help but wish that the maknae and her newly found friend would just date already. It was all too clear in her eyes just how much Chohee adored Jungkook. Her small little glances she spared him were enough to give her the benefit of the doubt. 

Hani had stayed silent throughout all they’re bickering, something that she never did on normal terms. Soa was starting to worry for the other girl, but then a painful reminder of her past actions hit her in the gut, and she felt torn between having to feel guilty over the fact that Hani was alone or feeling irritated by her presence. 

Upon arriving at the location where their school was supposed to play, Soa gingerly sat herself down with the rest of Bangtan and tried to be as subtle as possible when searching for the boy she had yearned to hold since forever. She hoped she looked discreet, but BTS’s chuckles were enough to send blood flowing through her cheeks. 

“You looking for lover boy?” Jimin teased mercilessly with a teasing glint in his eyes. 

“He’s probably inside changing his clothes. You’re welcome to see him” V added with enthusiasm while clapping like a retarded seal as he laughed. Soa slapped his arm jokingly before rolling her eyes. She must’ve known they’d to death until she was sick of it. Trying to calm the redness that spread over her face by fanning with her fingers, she walked up to the front of the locker room while nervously playing with her fingers. Would Hoseok be happy to see her? Or would he be too panicky and stressed to even acknowledge her presence? Knowing him, he’d probably just pass right by her without even noticing her. That’s just the sort of person Hoseok was, and sometimes she wanted to pull out her hair in frustration as the boy was so confusing, he turned her world upside down. 

Upon seeing the players starting to exit the locker room, she waited with baited breath until the said boy appeared. When he caught sight of her, he didn’t hesitate to stride over quickly and before she could do anything else, the boy had grasped her chin with his fingers and crushed his mouth to hers. 

“What was that for?” Soa breathlessly asked when they parted. She would never get over his unexpected behavior, she decided. Hoseok was one of a kind and that would never change. 

“What? I can’t kiss my girlfriend?” His raised eyebrow sprung another round of blush over her cheeks. 

“I-I-uh-I mean-but- ARGH you’re annoying!” She blurted out just to keep her pride at bay. The boy chuckled deeply inside his chest as he wound an arm around her waist to crush her to his chest, his lips landing right next to her ear “Cute” 

“I am not” Soa huffed in dismay. Cute, she shuddered to herself, she hated that word. 

But then, she looked up at his face again to trace the slight lines of worry around his features with her eyes. Blinking, she asked him “are you nervous?” 

He replied her with a chuckle “Me? Nervous?” 

“Stop being a pompous jackass” she wrinkled her nose in distaste as Hoseok brought her closer, softly nuzzling her cheek in affection when no one was looking. At least on that wavelength they understood each other; that they hated PDA and having spectators watch their intimate interactions. 

“Gwenchanayo” He murmured to soothe her, loving how easily she got so frustrated with him. 

“No really Hoseok,” Soa forced herself to pull out of his embrace to gaze into his eyes, and there it was, the concern and stress swimming at the very border of his brown orbs although he tried in vain to reassure her that everything was fine. That was one thing she disliked with her boyfriend; was that he never told her what he felt sincerely enough, and she was always left in the dark until the very last minute. 

“You’re not going to sound like a weakling if you do agree that you’re stressed” she reasoned out while one of her hands grabbed onto his arm in comfort. 

The said boy cleared his throat in haste “the game’s about to start. I better go” 

She was about to grab onto his arm once again when he shrugged out of her grip, pain suddenly causing her to wince as she exclaimed “But Hoseok-“ 

He shut her up with a soft kiss on the lips before he walked away, leaving the girl dazed in his wake.
Soa shook her head, that boy will never change, she thought to herself in annoyance. 

-----------

To her relief, the game was quite tame, although this was just the beginning of the tournament. If they climbed to the top, the players would surely become more and more violent and Soa wasn’t sure if she was ready to see her boyfriend getting crushed and punched around in the guts by others. The victory was a smooth one, and the opposing team bowed in acceptance without any sound of protest as they shook hands. She spotted Hoseok’s smile from miles away; that grin that caused butterflies to erupt inside her stomach, and she herself had to bite her inner cheek so as not to explode into a smile. Get a grip onto yourself, Soa! She hit herself mentally inside her head, he was your enemy just a few weeks ago, why are you becoming so mushy!? God! 

A nudge from Chohee’s elbow brought her back to reality, and with a soft hiss, Soa retreated her arm, “What?” 

“Ey don’t hide your smile, look at you trying to keep it in!” She teased mercilessly. Jungkook chortled beside her and flicked her forehead. “You talk too much, Cho” 

“Yah!” She threw him a glare and clenched her fist “Do I need to remind you that I’m a blackbelt?” 

The younger boy merely rolled his eyes “You think that’ll scare me off?” 

“You weren’t so sassy last time I kicked your ” Chohee smirked. 

“You guys sound like a cuter version of Soa and J-Hope before they started going out” Namjoon suddenly butted in the conversation and took a seat beside Soa herself, a wide grin stretching onto his face when the two victims blushed to another degree and started mumbling gibberish. 

“Talking about J-Hope, he played quite well today” the older boy smiled again with a flash of dimples this time, and even though Soa wasn’t usually affected by charms, she would’ve lied if she said that his dimples didn’t have any effect on her. She wondered how Namjoon’s classmates did not to faint every day, because damn those dimples were the art of god. 

And he knew it. 

“Man, that means he’ll be in a good mood” Jin plopped down onto her other side with a huff “reckon he’ll be all lovey dovey now?” 

“Hyung lovey dovey? Don’t make me laugh” Jungkook snorted, “Please, he’s like a crocodile”

“I agree with that” Jin answered. 

“C’mon guys, he’s not all that bad. And Soa – thank god- isn’t the mushy type either” Namjoon laughed. “Imagine if they both were” 

“You mean…like them?” jabbing a finger into Jungkook’s and Chohee’s direction, they all burst out into laughter while the said couple only looked at each other with outraged looks on their faces. 

“You must be joking” Jungkook practically choked on his own spit while Chohee took two huge steps away from the said boy “Please don’t make me barf, I’d like to keep my sanity” 

Soa found it cute how Jungkook’s blush seemed to defy all the words he was spitting out of his mouth. If she were Chohee, she would’ve been blind if she didn’t see the small tiny little crush the boy had on her. But oh well, love made you blind, she thought with amusement. Her eyes tore away from the crowd to suddenly land on Hani’s small and soft form. 

She looked tired and gaunt sitting there all alone like a dried up cactus. She shouldn’t have, but Soa felt bad for the girl no matter how much the latter tried ruining her life and her relationship with Hoseok. Everyone was human and humans made mistakes. Hani was no different, and nor was she. Maybe they couldn’t go back to the times where they were friends, but Soa was willing to try and change the other girl. However, the pain she caused her was still present in the dimness of her mind, at the back of her brain. That fresh wound was still present and with a wince Soa turned away in haste. If she didn’t look at Hani, maybe the pity bubbling in the pit of her stomach would cease, and she would stop feeling guilty for the girl. 

Soa almost jumped out of her skin when a hand dropped suddenly onto her shoulder, a small squeal of surprise escaping her before she turned. The angry words died in however, upon seeing her boyfriend’s face glowing with pride and utmost happiness, and she almost kicked herself for wanting to scold him for nothing. Instead, she smiled softly back and said “Congrats, Hoseok” 

“I told you we’d win” 

Rolling her eyes at his male pride, she sighed “Yeah right. You should’ve seen your face just an hour ago” 

“Hey loverbirds!” Jimin’s shout caused both of their heads to turn towards his attention, and the younger boy had on a cute eyesmile onto his face as he waved at them like a child seeing his parents after a long trip “We’re going to celebrate! C’mon!” 

The girl was about to follow them when Hoseok grabbed onto her arm and pulled her away from the group forcefully so that she stumbled after him. Soa’s jaw fell open as she twisted her head back to see the group going their separate ways and laughing about loudly without any hint or indication that they knew about the couple’s small escapade, and she could only sigh in exasperation. Where the hell was he bringing her now? 

“Where are you taking me?” She grumbled mostly to herself when the boy flashed her a small smirk, bringing her over to his side and not hesitating to wrap his fingers around hers into a firm grip while he pulled her along the street. 

She couldn't help but admire the way his rough, calloused palm smoothed over her own and how his palm was slightly bigger and emitted a sense of protection and warmth to her. Could she be feeling this way only because it was her very first time holding hands so intimately? Or was it just because it was Hoseok? Her insides were twisting and coiling with animated butterflies and yet, a grin was threatening to break her face in two. Hoseok didn't fail to notice the slight dazed expression that had layered over Soa's expression, and with a soft chuckle, bumped shoulders with her slightly. 

A glare was thrown as a response, and she bumped back while sticking out her tongue. 

"Where are we going?" She asked suddenly.

He jabbed his chin over to a particular shop selling ice-cream, and they entered it to be filled with the smell of freshness wafting over their nostrils. Soa admired the different colored flavors in display, and if it were up to her she would've taken a bite from each. She had always kept this secret to herself but the girl did have a soft for ice-cream, unlike her cold and bitter personality that she exposed to everyone. 

"What'd you like?" Hoseok's question brought her out of her momentary reverie.

"Uh, um... Coffee?" 

He ordered both their flavors -coffee for her and strawberry for him- with such a suave way of talking that she noticed the way the waitress kept making googly eyes at him. Soa wasn't pleased one little bit, but then again part of it was Hoseok's fault, who told him to prance around with that white v-neck shirt that showed more than what the eye could meet? 

They exited the shop with their cups of ice-cream in hand, and it was then that the boy leaned over to her to gaze at her face with a frown. 

"What's wrong?" He asked none too subtly. 

Shrugging, she tried acting as if she couldn't care less "it's nothing"

"Something's wrong" he grabbed onto her arm. Knowing him, he wouldn't let her get away with it, that was just in his nature. 

"Nothing"

"Tell me"

"Hoseok-"

"I'll kiss you if you don't tell me" he threatened once again and the girl huffed with a scowl. "Stop threatening people with kisses, god"

The boy however was as serious as if he was going to compose an exam, and with a resigned sigh the girl said reluctantly, "can you not wear v-necks next time?"

He frowned "wae?"

"It's distracting!" She blurted out a bit too quickly. It was too rushed, not to forget that the blush present across her cheeks wasn't helping her case. 

He watched her face flush, amusement dancing in his eyes as he felt his pride swelling. So he did have an effect on her after all. 

"Stop-stop staring at me like that!" She protested weakly while Hoseok's smirk only widened. His hand proceeded to snake around her waist to bring her closer, body flush against his. 

"Does it bother you?" His breath caressed her face, tingles of desire dancing up and down her spine "that I'm staring?"

"S-stop it. We're in public" 

Like she had burned him, he retreated like lightning and busied himself with his own dessert. It was funny how one small phrase could make him jump out of his skin like a small little boy scared of his primary school teacher. They walked in silence for some time, the air around them not awkward but filled with a calmness that filled Soa with a serene peaceful aura. That's what she liked about spending time with the particular boy; he never pressured her into talking when she didn't feel like it. 

It wasn’t until the boy stopped and that she bumped slightly into him that Soa realized he had been gaping all this time at someone in particular. Turning her head, she blinked at the well-dressed lady in front of them and turned her attention back to Hoseok. 

“What is it?” 

He only stuttered out one word “N-Noona”

I'm so sorry for the late update. I just want to explain myself. 

Uh, I've had a few problems in my social circle, let's just say. I mean, it made me realise a few things that i had to take in and trust me, it was hard. 

As always, thanks to all of you who subscribe and wait patiently for my updates even though they're not that great, and i apologise once more for not replying the comments, I will do so asap I promise :) 

ON ANOTHER NOTE.... HOBISOAAAA SHIP OMGGGG LOOK IT'S SAILING IT'S GOING THROUGH A SMOOTH SEA RIGHT NOW OMG IM CRYINGGGGGG ;_; MY TWO BABIES FINALLY TOGETHER AND HOSEOK BEING JUST TOO CUTE KYAHHHHH ><

What do you guys think of ChoKookie now? ;) 

I love you all!~ See you in the next update !:) <3