Evening Star *Dream SMP*

ten.

"Show me what?" he asks with a small chuckle. "It's a surprise," I say looking back at him.

After a few minutes we've left the pathway and are walking through the large area of grass just outside of where all the buildings are. I continue to drag Wilbur along with me, winding around boulders and hopping over large holes that I know are there from the millions of times Dream, Sapnap, George, and I have played soccer, football, frisby, and loads of other games here.

"How can you see where you're going when it's so dark outside?" Wilbur asks me and I can hear that he's a little out of breath. I laugh, "I've lived here for five years, I've been out in this field so many times that it's just muscle memory at this point."

I look back and see him shaking his head, but with a smile on his face.

"Need a break?" I ask him. "No, no I'm good, I can go for ages," he replies. "Alright if you say so," I say, picking up my pace.

After a few more minutes of walking we've reached the base of a very large mountain that's covered in trees. I stop for a minute to let Wilbur catch his breath. I let go of his hand and he bends over, resting his hands just above his knees.

"You okay there Wil?" I ask playfully. "Yeah...I'm good...never been better," he says between breaths. "You ready to climb?" I ask. He looks up at me, "You're joking with me right?" "Nope, let's go!" I say as I grab his hand and start to pull him along.

I lead him to a dirt path that heads up the mountain, winding between trees and ravines. I pull him up the steep path, still going rather quickly. After about ten minutes we've made it up a decent part of the mountain.

"Venus I have a feeling that you are going to be the death of me," Wilbur says, very out of breath. "It's not my fault you're out of shape, I'm not even breaking a sweat," I say, laughing as I look back at him. He rolls his eyes at me.

"We're nearly halfway there, don't worry," I call back to him. "Only halfway?" he cries out desperately. I laugh as I stop walking, "I'm only joking Wilbur, don't start crying or anything." He glares at me, "Well are we almost there or not?"

I nod excitedly, "Close your eyes," I say to him, my voice full of excitement. "Why...?" he asks cautiously, cocking one eyebrow at me. "Just do it. Pleeeeaasseee," I beg him, giving him my best puppy dog face.

He lets out a sigh, "Fine," he says, closing his eyes, "you're not going to kill me are you?" he jokes. "Oh no, you've figured out my evil plan," I joke back. He opens one eye and looks at me before quickly shutting it again.

"Alright, I'm going to guide you over to the spot, walk slow so you don't trip on anything okay?" I say to him as I walk behind him so I can guide him. "Please don't run me into a tree or anything," he replies.

I gasp, "Where's the trust?" I laugh. He shakes his head, "We're on a huge mountain, and I'm letting you guide me with my eyes closed, I'd say there's plenty of trust."

I place my hands on both of his shoulders and start to push him forward gently. I guide him off the path that we'd been following and into a clearing on the edge of the mountain. "Okay you can stop walking now," I say before moving my hands off his shoulders.

"Can I open my eyes now?" he asks. I walk up to stand directly beside him, "yes, you can," I answer.

He opens his eyes and I see the look on his face turn to amazement. "Venus this is....the view is...it's beautiful," he says, looking around to take everything in. I smile, feeling a little bit proud of myself.

It is a magnificent view. You can see everything from here, all the buildings in the kingdom, the small rivers that wind around the surrounding land, the trees, the animals, but best of all, there's a clear view of the sky.

"This is where I come when I want to be alone. No one else knows about it, well, except you now," I say, looking up at him. He turns to look at me and smiles, "Thank you for sharing this place with me Venus, I love it." I blush and look away, back out at the view.

"This spot has the best view of the stars, so I knew you'd appreciate it," I answer him. He looks up at the sky and I see his smile grow, "Yeah, this is by far the best view of the night sky I think I've ever had."

He plops down and lays on the soft grass that's grown in the clearing. "What are you doing?" I ask. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm watching the stars," he says, not taking his gaze off the sky.

I smile, Wilbur really isn't afraid to be vulnerable, to show what he cares about. I lay down next to him and stare up at the sky. We lay there in silence for a few minutes before I start to speak again.

"I wonder which one's Venus," I say, thinking out loud. "That one, the evening star," Wilbur says, pointing to the brightest star in the sky. I turn my head to look at him, "How do you know that?" I ask.

He turns to make eye contact with me, "Venus is the brightest thing in the sky, well, besides the sun and the moon, but you can only see it for a little while after sunset, and a little while before sunrise," I look at him for a second longer before looking back up at the star he'd pointed out.

"Thank you," I say. "For what?" he asks. "Telling me that. I've always wondered." I say quietly. "My mother taught me that. She used to study astrology. She knew everything about all the stars," he says to me.

"She sounds amazing," I say looking back over at him, and I see that he's still looking at me. He smiles, "She was," he says before looking back up to the sky.

We lay there, staring at the sky in silence again for a few more minutes.

"Venus is a very fitting name for you," Wilbur says breaking the silence. I turn my head to look at him again, "And why is that Wilbur Soot?" He looks over to meet my gaze, "She's the Roman goddess of beauty," he answers, almost in a whisper.

I feel my face start to heat up and I look back up at the stars. I can tell that he's still looking at me. I don't know what to say though.

"You are beautiful Venus," he says, still speaking softly. I turn my head back to his, "No one...no one's ever said that to me before," I say, my voice barely a whisper.

"Then they're idiots," he whispers back before leaning in and placing his lips on mine.

His lips are warm as he kisses me gently. I start to kiss him back softly for a few more seconds before I pull away. I open my eyes and Wilbur smiles at me.

"I'm really glad Dream let us stay here," he says. When he says Dream's name I feel my stomach drop and I start to feel a little guilty. Then I remember I have no reason to feel guilty. Dream is my friend. That's it. Plus, he's never told me I'm beautiful, or watched the stars with me, or ever even tried to kiss me.

I clear the thought of Dream from my mind and smile back at Wilbur. "I'm really glad too. It's nice to finally make new friends, and have someone else to talk to," I tell him.

"Hey Wilbur?" I ask as I look back up to the night sky. "Yes Venus?" he answers, doing the same. "You know how I said no one else knows about this place?" "Yes." "Do you think maybe we can keep it that way. It's nothing against anyone else, I just really like having a place where I can go to clear my head," I ask him softly.

"Of course. It'll be our secret. Our place, just for us," he says assuringly as he reaches over and takes my hand in his. "Thank you," I say, squeezing his hand and letting out a yawn.

"Tired?" he asks and I nod my head gently. "Do you wanna head back down?" he asks. I shake my head, "No lets just stay here for a little while. If that's okay with you." "That's perfectly fine with me, it's a very nice night tonight," he replies.

I scoot in closer to him and lift my head, resting it back down on his chest. He wraps his arm around me to hold me against him and rests his chin on top of head. I feel so comfortable with him, even after only two weeks.

After laying there for a few minutes I close my eyes and let myself drift to sleep.