Zodiac University

“Dad?!”

Virgo dropped the weapon in surprise, taking in the man who was standing in front of him. With a tall figure and broad shoulders and chest, he was the spitting image of Virgo--just older, and with stubble on his chin and trimmed hair that was graying at the edges. Virgo blinked in shock, and then saw his mother coming out from behind his father, looking worried.

“Are you okay, Virgo?” she asked.

Virgo blinked again. In all the commotion with Taurus and Gemini, he’d completely forgotten that his father would be visiting! He slapped his head irritably, angry that he’d gotten too caught up in his feelings to remember.

“Yeah, I’m good, Mom,” Virgo said. He looked back at Mr. Clemson, who was holding his cheek gingerly and grimacing. Virgo cringed. What a way to start his father’s visit.

“I-I’m so sorry, Dad,” Virgo said. “I thought you were a burglar, or--”

Mr. Clemson started laughing, a deep, hearty laugh. Virgo stared at him in shock as he waltzed over and hit Virgo on the back.

“I see those self-defense classes left their mark!” Mr. Clemson hooted. “It’s all good, Virgo. I’m glad you were thinking of you and your mother’s safety.”

Virgo sighed and nodded. Mrs. Clemson moved closer to them, shaking her head.

“Honestly, Virgo. We were trying to surprise you! We turned off the lights and everything.”

Virgo cringed again. “Yeah…I figured that was it. I’m really sorry.”

Mr. Clemson put his hands on his hips and frowned. “I understand that you thought the situation required it, but why did you first reach for the knife?” he asked. “Instead of rationally thinking it over and then leaving the premises? It’s unlike you, son.”

“I-” Virgo started, but didn’t really have an answer. It was true that a majority of his fight or flight responses ended in flight, so why had he chosen to fight this time? He had been thinking of his mother, but recklessly stabbing wasn’t what he should’ve done in such a situation. He knew better.

Taurus probably rubbed off on me, Virgo couldn’t help but think. That bastard has been causing so many problems lately.

Mr. Clemson studied Virgo’s face. “Well, it doesn't matter. I can see you’re tired, Virgo, so I’ll whip up my famous three-bean stew and you can get some rest. You’re a college student, now, and I bet your studies at a school as prestigious as Admirant are demanding.”

Virgo smiled, his first genuine smile of the evening. “They’re nothing I can’t handle. But forget that, I want some stew!”

“Atta boy,” Mr. Clemson said with another laugh.

*

After a couple helpings of the stew, Virgo went to his bathroom, undressed, and turned the faucet. He stepped into the shower, reaching for the shampoo and running lathers through his curly long hair. He cranked the hot water up, trying to wash away everything that had happened. But his mind wasn’t letting him forget.

Gemini…Virgo thought. She and him didn’t share any classes (to Virgo’s relief), which made things a bit easier for him. They did, however, have the same free periods, and Gemini had been blowing up Virgo’s phone the second he was out of her sight. She seemed to take notice of his worried, distracted state but didn’t comment on it--instead, asking him questions like ‘whatcha up to?’ and ‘are you mad at me?’, to which Virgo had answered ‘studying’, and ‘no’.

Virgo sighed and began washing his face. He knew he should’ve probably responded to Gemini’s messages more sincerely, but he would be lying if he said he wasn’t a little bit frustrated with her. Even after the blonde’s apology, he found himself thinking that the whole incident with Taurus had resulted from her pushiness.

But I agreed to be her fake-boyfriend, Virgo said. He knew he shared a lot of the fault, all because of his childish desire to get under Taurus’s skin. Why, oh why, hadn’t he just left everything alone? If he’d only waited a bit, maybe Taurus would’ve made a move and they’d be…

They’d be what exactly?

Dating. The thought was only brief in Virgo’s head but he instantly blushed at its presence. Did he seriously want to date Taurus? He was in love with him, sure, but what about everything Taurus had done? Did wanting to be with such a bully make him a bad person?

But the fact was, Virgo wanted to keep interacting with Taurus. How else could the tightness and numbness in his heart be explained? It wasn’t as if he wanted to cut him off, but Gemini’s introduction and proposition had made everything so confusing. Virgo found himself thinking of what would have happened if she hadn’t come to Admirant. Would he and Taurus be together?

Would he and Taurus kiss? Have sex? Hold each other and spend time with each other?

I’m sick of thinking about this, Virgo thought, his whole body heating up. He glanced at his member and saw that it had sprung to attention at the thought of Taurus.

Damn it.

Virgo hesitantly grabbed it, stroking the shaft from the base. He closed his eyes and rested his body against the tiled wall of the shower, letting out a low moan as he pictured Taurus’s body. His chest, those abs and rippling muscles…his curly hair, so silky and luscious…

…his dick…his long, thick dick…

…longer than Virgo’s…

Virgo bit his lip and stroked faster, the moans slipping out of him with less and less time between them. Oh, Taurus. Why did he have to be so sexy? Why did he have to be exactly Virgo’s type?

Virgo didn’t realize he was trembling until he felt the pattern of the steamy water splashing against his skin change. Oh, fuck.

Virgo had an idea. He slowed his pace a little, and moved his thumb up to his tip, circling it and fingering it lightly. The combination of precum and water made a slippery sensation, and the most sensitive part of Virgo’s member was wrapped in it completely. Virgo tilted his head back as his eyes flickered open and continued letting out pleased moans. He tried to bite back the noises, knowing his parents would hear, but it was no use. It just felt too damn good.

Though not as good as sex had been. Sex with Taurus, to be exact.

Virgo quickly thought back to the afternoon of their intimacy, memories that he’d been obsessing over entering his brain. They had wrestled and fought, first—but that hatred quickly turned to passion and when they’d kissed and Virgo had surrendered to Taurus, it had been a sign of trust and acknowledgment. They still hated each other…but were crazy about each other at the same time.

Virgo whimpered, recalling Taurus’s pissed tone as he pinned Virgo down, their members pressing against each other through their pants. It turned him on beyond recognition. Was that why he’d been trying to rile Taurus up with Gemini? Because he loved how Taurus stared at him, angry and just begging for Virgo to tease him?

No, it wasn’t just that. Taurus’s anger, but all of his emotions, were a fiery concoction of sincerity. Taurus always seemed so aloof when it came to others, but with Virgo…

Yes. He truly cared about Virgo, no matter how hard he tried to hide it. He cared so much that ‘acting cool’ was almost impossible.

And that fact was so incredibly hot.

“Oh…fuck…” Virgo grunted, quickening his pace as his dick gave a warning twitch—and then, the tidal wave of bliss overcame him. Tears welled up in his eyes as he shot his load all over the tiled floor, panting and breathing like he’d just run a marathon. He tried to cum as quietly as he could, but accidentally ended up picturing Taurus’s face, causing him to moan and thrust his hips automatically.

“T-Taurus—!”

The orgasm was powerful and long. Hadn’t his orgasms been longer ever since he’d met Taurus?

When Virgo finally came down from the aftermath of the arousal, his legs were coated and he was standing in his own semen. He watched it flow towards the drain, disappearing from sight, and sighed.

I really am a mess.

He quickly rewashed his body, rinsed his hair, cleaned his feet, and stepped out of the shower. Being fresh and having just ejaculated, Virgo found himself growing sleepy and hastily dried off before exiting the bathroom with a towel around his waist and entering his bedroom…

…where he saw his father, sitting on the edge of his bed and fiddling with his smartwatch. Virgo froze, immediately thinking his dad had heard his little pleasure session. But Mr. Clemson had a worried expression on his face.

He’s probably still concerned from earlier, Virgo figured, and made his way to his bed. “What’s up, Dad?”

“Virgo.” Mr. Clemson wasn’t looking at him, instead folding his arms and examining random spots on the walls. “Is everything okay?”

Virgo blinked. “What?”

“I was just wondering if…college is going okay? If you’re making friends?”

“Huh?”

Finally, Mr. Clemson turned around, glaring playfully. “Come on, Virgo! You know I’m not good at these fatherly conversations! Give me something to work with, here!”

“Oh,” Virgo said, sitting down next to his old man. “Yeah, actually. I can’t believe I forgot to tell you. I made a few friends, and they all have names like mine. There’s Capricorn—she’s a good student, and really friendly but she can be a bit closed off. Then there’s Scorpio, who has a strong personality, and Cancer, who’s always kind but needs more confidence in herself. And Cancer’s boyfriend, Pisces is sort of the same--he’s really protective over Cancer, though, and tends to isolate everyone else. He doesn’t go to Admirant and only visited recently, but I hope to get to know more about him…”

Mr. Clemson listened and nodded, waiting until Virgo was completely finished. And then he opened his mouth and asked,

“Has anyone been giving you a hard time?”

Virgo fell quiet as he processed the question and looked at his feet. Mr. Clemson took notice of this and twiddled his thumbs.

“Before you answer that, let me ask another question,” he said. “Have you gotten a girlfriend?”

Virgo flinched. Mr. Clemson took notice of this as well.

“A boyfriend?” he said with a knowing smirk. At this, Virgo’s head snapped up and he turned to his father.

“What?! N-no!” he cried, waving his hands defensively. Mr. Clemson just laughed.

“Okay. So, going back to my earlier question…has anyone or anything been bothering you?”

Virgo went silent again and wouldn’t meet his dad’s eyes. Mr. Clemson waited patiently for his son to be ready, and sure enough, after about a minute had passed, Virgo raised his head and started to speak.

“Um…yeah, actually.”

“Is it something with your friends?”

“...kinda.” Virgo scratched his head, trying to find the words to describe his problem, but vaguely. He didn’t want his parents to know about Taurus and Gemini, and he certainly didn’t want them to find out about

“Take your time,” Mr. Clemson said calmly. “And if you don’t want to tell me, that’s okay. I just worry about you, son. I want to know what’s going on in your life.”

Virgo nodded. “I know, Dad. Things have been okay for the most part, but…but…” He pursed his lips. “There’s…um…this individual who keeps showing up and doing all sorts of weird things. And I might…uh, I might like this individual. But this person is someone who is tied up in some tricky stuff, and if I want to like them, it means rearranging my entire life. And it means potentially hurting some people emotionally…or, well, it means getting into some mental stuff I don’t want to get into. But I can’t…I can’t reject my feelings for this individual because if I do, I won’t be able to move on in life. That’s how much I like this individual, but I just don’t know what to do.”

Virgo clenched his fists and looked away, knowing he was probably just rambling and not making any sense. Mr. Clemson wasn’t saying anything, and the two sat in silence for another minute.

And then…

“Son, you’re overthinking this,” Virgo’s father said calmly. “If you like someone, you like them. If you want to be with someone, that’s just how it is.”

“Yeah, but what if this individual is someone your friends don’t like and won’t accept?” Virgo asked, feeling slightly desperate. “What if this individual is a bad person? Doesn’t that make you a bad person?”

“First of all, it’s about finding balance,” Mr. Clemson said. He raised a finger. “You can have friends AND be in love—but it’s about finding common ground between the two. It’s okay if your friends don’t accept your lover. It’s about what you want. If your friends are your friends, they’ll accept that—and if you think your lover is a bad person, just think this: if a person is a litterer and you date them, does that make you a litterer?”

Virgo paused. “…no, but it makes you a bad person because you’re associating yourself with someone who litters.”

Mr. Clemson laughed. “You’re overthinking things again. The answer is no—you’re not a bad person. That’s like saying you’re a bad person because your friend litters but you don’t know about it. If it’s something the friend does in secret, how are you supposed to be blamed?”

“But if you do know about it, you’re a bad person for continuing to be friends with them,” Virgo argued. “And if you try to change their littering habits, some might say that’s a good thing—but then you’re changing the person you’re friends with, which others have classified as bad. It’s like getting wrapped up in someone else’s problems for no reason other than to be with them and meet society’s standards.”

“You've got a point there,” Mr. Clemson said. “However, I personally think life’s too short to be dwelling on what others think.”

Virgo opened his mouth and then closed it.

“If it makes you happy to be with this individual, then why keep that happiness from yourself?” Mr. Clemson continued. “Embrace it. You’ll never know if something is meant to happen if you don’t take action.”

He pushed himself off the bed and looked back to smile at Virgo.

“Don’t deny yourself the happiness you deserve,” he said. “And don’t get involved in things that would reject that happiness for a fake-happiness or satisfaction. Misery wears a mask.”

With that, he left the room, leaving Virgo staring after him. After a few seconds, Virgo smiled and shook his head.

He’s rarely home but he always drops so much wisdom on me before he leaves, he thought. What a nuisance. Now I actually have to admit I want to date Taurus.