ON

Chapter 7: A Short Walk

V was sitting outside, looking at the clouds. He had already taken Swan on a walk, and she was safe at home. He was thinking about how kind Jungkook was being to him. Suddenly, he heard something in the distance. It sounded like footsteps and panting. When he looked to see who it was, he was shocked. It was Jungkook. V sprang up to his feet and ran over to him. When they reached each other, they practically almost crashed into each other. "Jungkook! What are you doing here?", V asked, "It's the middle of the day!" Jungkook smiled at him. "I thought about coming early today! I couldn't wait till tonight!" V smiled. "Aww! That's nice of you! C'mon! Let's go somewhere else."

V and Jungkook were walking down the shore of a large lake, talking to each other. "So, let me get this straight...you're afraid that it'll explode?", V asked, trying to restrain his laughter. Jungkook struggled to hold back his laughter. "Haha! Yeah! I would run to the other side of the house every time!" They both laughed hysterically at Jungkook's story. V noticed that Jungkook was making direct eye contact as they were talking. He still didn't like the Northern Kingdom, but Jungkook seemed like someone he could trust, and Jungkook looked like someone who trusted him. Then Jungkook stopped walking. He held his hand out in front of V to stop him. They both stopped and looked ahead of them. V saw a large, tall mountain sticking out from behind the walls of the Northern Kingdom.

"You see that mountain?", Jungkook asked, "That's Dream Mountain." "I know.", V said, "I go there sometimes." "Wait, what?! You sneak into the Northern Kingdom?!" "Yeah! I like to go there every now and then. I climb about halfway to the top and make a wish." "Wow, I didn't know. What do you wish for?" V paused. "...I wish that my sister would regain her sight."

Jungkook saw that V was very sad. "What happened to her?" V hung his head low. "...it happened a while back, long before I met you. The Northern Kingdom was attacking the Outer Kingdom. They were assaulting people and taking their belongings. My sister and I tried to escape, but they captured us. They took their blades and scarred her eyes shut. And they forced me to watch. It's a miracle that she survived, but she was permanently blinded."

V bit his lip, trying to hold back his tears. He was getting choked up. "...and even now...I still can't accept that my sister will never be able to see her big brother ever again..."Jungkook held V's hand. "Hey, it's okay. I understand. I'm very sorry about what happened to her." He slowly reached out his hand to V. V didn't move away, so he put his hand on his face and dried his tears. "Do you need a hug?", Jungkook asked. V nodded. Jungkook slowly approached him and wrapped his arms around V, resting one hand on the back of his neck. V rested his head on Jungkook's shoulder.

When V hugged him back, they both felt butterflies in their stomachs. V never thought he would accept affection from a Northerner, but there he was, standing in the middle of a field, feeling Jungkook's warm embrace. He felt relaxed when he was with him. When they stepped away from each other, V had stopped crying. "Are you feeling better now?", Jungkook asked. V smiled. "Yeah, I'm feeling better now. Thanks for that, I really needed it." "So...does this mean I can hug you more often?" "Haha! Sure! Why not?" They both laughed and continued to walk, their arms around each other's shoulders.

Several Hours Later...

It was already dark out. Jungkook and V were back at V's house. "Well, this was fun!", Jungkook said. V smiled. "Yeah, it was! When will you come here tomorrow?" "Hmm...should I come during the day again?" "Sure! Of course you can!" "Yay! Well, I'd better be off now! Bye!" "See ya!"

As V watched Jungkook run off, he thought about the events of the day. He felt like he was growing closer to V with every passing day. He felt relaxed and at ease when he was around him. He was looking forward to their chat the next day. When he laid down in his bed and fell asleep, he dreamed of Jungkook and how happy he made him.