V+O; in the Alternate Universe **Completed**

Chapter 17

JungKook put his hands on his knees panting, and shook his head. The colour in his face had slightly disappeared, making his complexion greenish. A slight tremor ran through his hands, and he clenched them to keep it away.

"I think I need to sit." O spoke the words as she realized what was happening. She grabbed the basket of food, and sat in the grass a few feet away. JK followed, snatching up an orange, his hands shook as he tried to peel it. Instead he pulled his knife out and sliced through it, eating the flesh. Only seconds passed before his colour began to return to normal.

"That was weird." He spoke more to himself.

Lying through her teeth she said, "You're probably just tired or something." Refusing to even look in his direction; O admired the slivers of green beneath her hand intently. An ache in her forearm shocked her out of the dreamy examination, clutching it she pulled the arm guard back looking under the tiniest hint of yellow gold blotched onto the skin there.

Only when she looked up did she see JungKook side eyeing her, suspicion was written all over his face.

"If you're hurt you should let me see."

"I'm fine, I swear."

He arched his brow so high she thought it would get swallowed up by his hair. Which was no longer perfectly tied together, but the slight mess made him look more real. It hung around his face, sort of half up half down.

O cleared her throat, standing, "look it's fine." JungKook's hand reached out and touched hers; the words were hardly out of her mouth before she was wincing again. JK's face had paled. Her hands were shaking so hard, she couldn't stop, she could feel his magic, his life force, flowing into her finger tips. Retching herself away she stumbled back, needing to break the direct link to him. Her body shook so hard with power that did not belong to it. There was no control, she had no control. O could still feel herself siphoning his magic, doing the only thing she could think of... she ran well half stumbled, the beat of her own heart drowning out all sound and conscious thought.

When she finally turned back just before being engulfed by the trees JungKook was laying flat out on the ground, he had passed out. All she could tell was that he was still breathing, and her body no longer pulsed with magic that didn't belong to it. Knowing she couldn't leave him there alone, but also that she wouldn't risk moving closer. His face was covered by his own hair, she watched him lay there comatose to the world. Part of her wanted to cry as she watched his still body, but knew it would do no good.

"Rest and time is all he needs, he will heal himself." Coa's voice spoke in her head and she was forever grateful to have him intrude into her brain. O hadn't noticed him coming towards her until he flopped down, his sheer size making a breeze. Together they watched, and waited.

When finally JungKook sat up it was late afternoon almost evening, and a shimmer of oranges and pinks were beginning to spread across the skyline.

He scratched his head in confusion, looking around letting his eyes rest upon Coa and O. Not an ounce of anger hid in his eyes. He shook his head, a slight smile on his lips, and looked up at the sky. "Of course it's you." JungKook didn't shout it, whether she could hear him through her own ears or Coa's was unclear but it didn't matter. Now he strode over to her, practically running. He grabbed up her hands, and she let him, only slightly on edge ready to pull them away at any split second. O could feel Coa tense next to her, preparing himself as well.

"You're an Osmos." As he said the words he was practically laughing. The smile vanished from his face, "Why didn't you tell me... doesn't matter." Pausing. "You can help my brother."

"I don't know how. I can't..." She let the words fade looking away.

"Can't... control it?" He finished for her.

She nodded.

"I know someone who can maybe help."

"You can't tell anyone, JungKook."

"She can't tell anyone I swear.... She helped TaeHyung with his magic, I don't know why he didn't take you to her himself... Tae knows, doesn't he?"

O nodded.

"Yeah I figured, he was being all weird. Trying to say stuff without saying stuff." JungKook sighed, "You guys could have told me, you can trust me with this. I swear. You could tell the whole 7, I know they would respect yours and TaeHyungie's wishes."

Maybe she was naive, but O believed his words to be the truth. Then she thought V probably knew all of this as well... Was he just being protective of her? Even when it came to his friends, his team.

"Can I see your marks?" JungKook interjected her thoughts, sitting in front of her.

She unlaced the bracer on her left arm and let it drop to the ground. JK looked mesmerized at the black, blue, and now gold clouds of colour that crept from her palm to mid forearm. His eyes locked onto her, as his fingers traced along the swirling patterns. "Beautiful," he smiled as his eyes capturing her within them.

"Yeah, I guess," she said, dazed.

"We should probably head back, the suns getting low."

"Yeah." They were still staring at each other.

Coa made a loud snorting coughing noise and they were both jerked back into reality. Hurriedly looking away, smiling slightly embarrassed.

Coa began to make his way through the trees as they followed side by side. It was a weird chemistry between them, but not what O and V had, not anything even remotely similar. If things with V been more stable she doubted she would have ever even see another man as being handsome. But to be honest he was really making her feel insecure with the whole Alara thing. Not that that was an excuse to flirt with his best friend because it wasn't. She also wasn't particularly flirting; it felt more like one of those best-friends where it could go somewhere if the situation were right but that they were probably still better as friends.

When they finally broke free of the trees they once again stood on a street lined with tree-houses; JungKook spoke. "So uh do you have any dinner plans?"

"Umm," side glancing at Coa who shrugged in the do whatever you want kind of way. "No?" O said questioningly

"Do you want to have dinner with me?" He smiled, a hint of gold glinting in his eyes.

If she said yes, was she hurting V? He seemed to have other girls anyway, and JK and her were just weird friends. V couldn't expect her to be alone all the time when he was gone anyway. O wondered if JungKook could see the deliberation going on in her head, he looked like he was about to say something when she blurted out. "Yes, I'd love that."

"Pick you up at like seven?"

"How do you even know what time it is?" O said, amazed that she had even said yes.

He pointed, "Sundial."

"Oh." She laughed, "So show me seven on this thing."

As he did, he mentioned, "There's supposed to be one on your balcony, if there's not they'll be one below. Also after 9 when the suns set it obviously won't work anymore."

"Good to know."

"Okay, see you at seven."

"Yeah," She said and he kissed her on the cheek. Her cheeks immediately glowed a soft pink.

He turned to go the opposite direction of them. O couldn't help but turn around to see him do the same, and she felt an embarrassed smile spread across her face.