Taurus was still in a dazed state when he was woken up the next morning by the sound of boys moving around the cabin. He’d sat up, wondering why he was on the top bunk and cloaked in nothing but a towel…and then memories of the night flooded back to him.

Surprisingly, he wasn’t angry that Virgo had left him like that. He instead felt a weird pulsing in his heart, like he’d just seen Virgo’s sobbing, despair-filled face.

It was strange.

But what was even stranger was the fact that Virgo wasn’t at the mess hall…nor anywhere else on the lake. And upon questioning the professor and fellow (terrified) peers, he learned that Virgo had completely flown the coop and returned back to the city.

Now the rage began bubbling up within Taurus.

Virgo had a right to feel embarrassed to the point of leaving, but Taurus didn’t see it like that. He saw it as Virgo abandoning him after they’d shared such an intimate moment together. The raven-haired male hadn’t even tried to get revenge on Taurus. It was like he was completely defeated, and Taurus didn’t like it.

He thought it was what he wanted—to leave Virgo feeling utterly broken down and hopeless—but suddenly, his motivation changed. Not only did he want to see Virgo’s pleading, sobbing face, but he wanted to make him scream out in pleasure again. He wanted Virgo to keep playing the game he’d initiated. He wanted to push him to his limits. He didn’t want the war to end.

Well, I’ll talk to him when I see him at Admirant on Monday, Taurus thought, taking a breath to calm himself down. Yeah, that’s it. When he saw Virgo at school, he’d tease him, sparking Virgo’s anger and setting the gears turning again. He felt a hardening in his member as he pictured Virgo losing his composure and flying off the rails again.

Fuck…Taurus thought. He could hardly wait.

*

Virgo could hardly look at himself in the mirror. He’d been like that all weekend.

Not only had he jacked off to Taurus the previous night but he had degraded himself by imagining the most embarrassing scenarios. Taurus stroking his dick. Taurus putting his mouth on his dick. Him cumming in Taurus’s mouth.

He had imagined Taurus’s voice, the feeling of his hands, the evil aura that radiated from every part of him. How could he?! Taurus was his rival, his nemesis. He’d done such terrible things to his friends and to him.

So why…why was Virgo still attracted to him? Why did his body yearn for that piece of shit’s embrace?

Virgo figured that when he returned home, everything would be cleared up. He thought that all his anxiety, his state of overwhelm would fade. But it was the opposite. Maybe it would’ve faded, if Virgo hadn’t jerked himself into oblivion to the memories of the moment in the bathroom. Now his state of mind was a thousand times worse. He couldn’t focus on anything other than his unyielding feelings for Taurus.

I hate myself, Virgo thought, burying his face in his hands. He was sitting on the edge of his bed. It was Monday morning, and he was supposed to leave for Admirant in a few minutes. But he wasn’t going to go.

He couldn’t face Taurus after everything that had happened at Lausk. He simply couldn’t. It wasn’t as though he was admitting defeat to their little war…but it wasn’t as though he wanted to keep playing, either.

He thought about texting Capricorn or Cancer about the whole mess but immediately felt guilty for wanting to bother them while they were healing. They probably wouldn’t even understand him and his feelings. In their eyes, Taurus was nothing but a menace. They wouldn’t be able to comprehend how anyone could have feelings for such a bastard.

Maybe I should drop out, Virgo thought sadly. He didn’t want to leave Admirant. It was his haven of normality—or the closest thing he could achieve to the norm. The thought of transferring to Pisces’ university flashed across his mind. It was reputable, and he would have a friend. He didn’t want to abandon Cancer, Capricorn, or Scorpio…but did he have much of a choice?

Taurus would, without a doubt, pick up his tyrant routine as soon as Virgo stepped foot back on campus. Virgo didn’t want to get anyone wrapped up in the bout, even if Leo was out of commission.

What to do?

The door creaked open behind him and Mrs. Clemson entered, her eyes scanning the room anxiously. They fell on the pile of soiled sheets that lay next to the door. Virgo hadn’t gotten around to washing them yet.

“Virgo, sweetie?” Mrs. Clemson asked. “You okay? You’ve been in your room all weekend.”

Virgo shook his head and looked at his mother with a blank stare.

“I don’t feel very well.”

Mrs. Clemson immediately rushed to his side and placed a hand on his forehead. “Do you have a fever?”

Virgo shook his head again and looked at the floor.

“I think…I just need to stay home. For a few days.”

*

On Monday, Taurus woke up feeling strangely motivated. He left his dorm 30 minutes earlier than usual and didn’t even stop for a smoke under the bleachers. Instead, he headed straight to Virgo’s first period—chemistry—and sat near the front, his eyes never leaving the door. He waited patiently as the lecture began and concluded, and when Virgo never showed up, he simply went to his next class, thinking Virgo was just late.

But Virgo never showed up.

Okay, Taurus thought as the school day concluded. He shoved his hands in his pockets and started for his dorm as the sun dropped below the horizon. So maybe Virgo just needed a day to process everything. He’ll be back tomorrow.

But Virgo wasn’t there the next day. Or the next. Taurus felt his sanity slipping and his anger rising with each passing hour…and by Thursday afternoon, he was livid.

Normally, he’d rant to Leo about how upset he was, but Leo wasn’t by his side anymore. He’d no doubt received the message that Taurus had passed along to his mom. So Taurus ended up smoking much more than usual to cope. He didn’t even go to the bleachers, instead whipping out his pack of cigarettes in the hallway and lighting it up, causing students nearby to cough and scuttle away nervously.

Taurus didn’t care. It wasn’t like anyone was going to tell him to stop. His mind was completely on Virgo and how he was avoiding him. It had to be avoidance. It wasn’t as if Virgo had suddenly gotten sick. He would’ve gotten an email to the school’s hacked account if that was the case.

I want to see him, Taurus thought absentmindedly.

Ever since the moment they’d shared in the cabin, Taurus had been fantasizing about doing more things to Virgo. Sucking Virgo off some more, and hearing that sweet, voice-cracked cry as Virgo ejaculated. Having Virgo suck him off, and cumming into his mouth. He’d thought about the scenes in detail. Virgo would no doubt be an amateur at everything, which turned Taurus on even more. He’d teach Virgo things. He’d teach him about pleasure.

And then they’d have sex, and Taurus would claim Virgo’s body, totally and completely. He’d have Virgo at his beck and call. He’d make Virgo realize that the only person who could make him cum in such a way was him. He’d make Virgo a slave to his own orgasms and have Virgo knocking on his door in the middle of the night because he’d be unable to stop thinking about Taurus and the pleasure he gave him.

Taurus didn’t know how to classify these feelings. He wanted to see the different sides of Virgo. He loved when Virgo was angry, but also when Virgo was high on pleasure. He wanted to make Virgo shout, cry, and scream. He wanted to fuck him into oblivion. He wanted Virgo to be filled with despair but instead of giving in, he wanted to see the fire in Virgo’s eyes as he came back even stronger. And weirdly, he wanted to hug Virgo, to embrace him, to sleep with him. He wanted to inhale Virgo’s scent and feel Virgo’s muscles and ass under him.

He wanted to be at Virgo’s side. He wanted to be Virgo’s sole reason for living.

Was this…love? If so, it was pretty fucked up. But Taurus didn’t dwell on the label. He just wanted to see Virgo and claim his body and mind. He wanted Virgo to be addicted to him.

He better be here tomorrow, Taurus thought bitterly, pulling out a fresh cig from his pocket. Or else…

*

On Friday morning, Mrs. Clemson opened the door to her son’s room and saw him lying on his bed, wistfully staring out the window. She couldn’t tell what he was thinking but decided he’d skipped enough classes.

“Virgo, get up,” she ordered. “You’re going to Admirant today.”

Virgo started to protest but Mrs. Clemson wasn’t hearing any of it. “You must have missed several assignments because of your moping,” she said. “And you aren’t even sick! I’m worried for you, Virgo, but…I think when you’re with your friends at Admirant, you’re happier.” Her voice softened. “I want to see you happy. Do you need a therapist?”

Virgo felt a pang in his heart from his mother’s words and sat up. “No…I’m sorry, Mom, for worrying you. I’ll go.”

He hadn’t told Mrs. Clemson that his friends were taking sick leave to heal and that the real reason he was avoiding school was to avoid facing his feelings for Taurus.

I suppose I can’t just rot in here forever, Virgo thought and imagined his friends. They had been texting over the past week, and Virgo had learned that Capricorn and Scorpio had left the hospital. They were still healing and wouldn’t be back at Admirant for a bit, but Cancer was coming back soon. She had been spamming him with texts to keep him updated.

After showering, getting dressed, and eating breakfast, Virgo grabbed his backpack and started for Admirant. His heart rate increased as he got closer to campus.

I hope I don’t run into Taurus, he kept thinking. His head was on a swivel, keeping an eye out for him or his goons. Taurus had eyes everywhere, after all.

Fortunately, he managed to get to his first period without any disturbance. But as he rounded the corner to enter his chemistry class, he spotted a familiar face and froze.

What the hell is he doing here?!