Pisces looked at his jade bracelet. He lowered his brows. "I'm so pathetic," he whispered. He looked out the floor-to-ceiling window wall of his bedroom. It had a view of the entire city of Gransfled. There were Saint Estrixia decorations all over the city. The street lights were red and green instead of the yellow fluorescent lights. Pisces leaned his head back in agony. He covered his body with his large weighted and heated blanket. He let out a sad sigh as he looked back down at the jade bracelet.
He didn't know why he didn't stop Canis and Chameleon's bullying. Those two were idiots and had the worst grades in the entire school. Pisces froze when he saw Leo's broken nose. He realized he was a coward with no actual power. He was in the Big Six yet he had no actual power. He could feel himself crying. He shook his head and got out of his bed. He needed a drink.
He walked out of his spacious bedroom. He heard his parents watching movies in the living room, but he didn't care. He walked to the fridge and opened it. He grabbed an unopened whiskey bottle and tore the wrapping off "I'm a fucking loser. I don't deserve Leo," he grumbled as he poured the golden-brown liquid into a wine glass. "I couldn't even protect the guy I liked." Pisces froze. He looked down at the overfilled wine glass. The whiskey was dribbling down the side of the glass and onto his hand. His other hand, that was holding the bottle, was frozen in the air. Pisces slowly set the bottle down on the counter.
He let go of the bottle and cup. He covered his face as he let out a loud sob. He kneeled onto the tiled kitchen floor and curled into a ball. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," he cried quietly. He wanted to see Leo. He wanted to apologize for the hell he forced Leo to go through. He wished he had gotten to know Leo better.
Lacerta rushed into the kitchen, and she cooed. "Pisces, darling, what's wrong?" She asked as she kneeled down beside Pisces. Pisces let out a choked sob as he hugged Lacerta tightly. He tried to explain himself, but all that came out was a mumbling and gibbering mess. Lacerta ran her hand through his brown hair gently. Cygnus walked into the kitchen. He was holding a large bucket of popcorn as he walked over to his wife and son.
Pisces took a deep breath as he wiped away his tears. "I like this guy, but I'm mean to him," he whispered. "I saw get bullied, and I didn't do anything to help him. I feel horrible." Lacerta slowly nodded.
"You're not at fault for this," she reassured.
"But I am! The Big Six allowed the bullying to happen, and everyone knows I'm a part of the Big Six! I allowed it to happen because I'm a coward!" Pisces screamed and let out an agonizing cry. He had a horrible feeling in his stomach since the initiation of the rule. He grabbed his brown hair in anguish and scornfulness. Lacerta and Cygnus looked at each other with concern. "I'm an evil person! I don't deserve to live!"
"Pisces!" Cygnus exclaimed. "Don't say that! You had no power over it, and it isn't your fault." He kneeled down beside Pisces and fixed his strand hair. Pisces looked up at Cygnus as tears ran rapidly down his cheek. His eyes were wide with guilt and hatred; hatred towards himself. Cygnus rubbed Pisces's back gently. "The only person at fault is the head of the Big Six. He made the decision without consulting you or the others." Pisces shook his head slowly.
"I... I wish I could be better," he said in a hushed voice. "I want to make things right between me and Leo." Lacerta nodded.
"Then you could try to shut down that rule... and apologize to Leo."
"Okay, mother... I will. I will."
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Capricorn walked into the kitchen. His dad, Equuleus, was marinating the beef ribs for the Crawford-Williams Barbecue party. His pop, Draco, was wrapped his arms around Equuleus's waist. Equuleus and Draco were capable of having biological children of their own, but Equuleus feared pregnancy. He hummed a small tune and looked back at Draco. Draco smiled and kissed Equuleus on the lips.
Capricorn smiled. He leaned against the wall. He wanted to be in a loving relationship like his parents. His smile dropped when he thought about Cancer. Cancer seemed like such a sweet person, and he was cute. Capricorn sighed and crossed his arms. Equuleus looked over and pushed Draco away. "Cap! How long have you been standing there?!" He exclaimed.
"Enough to see Pop think about wanting another kid," Capricorn said. Draco rolled his eyes and smiled playfully. He looked down at Equuleus and laughed loudly when he saw Equuleus's red face. Equuleus huffed and rubbed his stomach. He flinched when Draco kissed his cheek. Capricorn chuckled and walked to the kitchen island. He sat down on the cushioned stool and looked at the array of dishes: mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, corn and the cob, and more.
"Is there something you need?" Equuleus asked as he covered the large mixing bowl with saran wrap. He picked up the large bowl and carried it to their double door fridge. Capricorn rubbed the back of his neck. The harassment and bullying had gotten too extreme, and he needed to tell his parents. He couldn't. If he told Equuleus and Draco, they would have written an email to Headmaster Eridanus. Capricorn looked down at the large pan of macaroni and cheese. The macaroni and cheese was made with five different types of cheese: Swiss, Cheddar, Mozzarella, Pepper Jack, and White Cheddar. Capricorn looked at Equuleus, and he smiled weakly.
"I think... I think I'm gay," he said. Equuleus slowly nodded.
"Well... I kind of knew, Cap," Equuleus replied. He laughed as Draco kissed his cheek. Draco wrapped an arm around Equuleus and looked over at Capricorn. The two knew that Capricorn was queer. Capricorn never had any interest in girls, and he talked about men in a loving manner. He was also interested in maintaining a good skincare routine since he had horrible acne and oily skin.
Capricorn raised his brows in shock. "Really?" He asked. "Was it that obvious?"
"Well yeah," Draco chuckled. "Not a lot of straight guys have a proper skincare routine and a good sense of fashion." Capricorn looked down at the outfit he was wearing. He was wearing a light green polo shirt tucked into black dress pants and brown loafers. He hummed and shrugged. The signs were there, but Capricorn was oblivious. He stood up and grabbed the edge of the kitchen island.
"How's school?" Equuleus asked. "I hope you and Leo are enjoying such a nice school."
"Well... not really," Capricorn laughed weakly. "Some of the kids there are pretty nasty." Equuleus gasped and covered his mouth. Capricorn waved his hands frantically and rushed over to Equuleus. "We're not being bullied! They're just not used to seeing people like us!" He was referring to their financial status, but he didn't want his parents to know that it was the reason why they were being bullied.
Equuleus grabbed Capricorn's arm. "Are you sure?" He asked and tightened his grip. Capricorn nodded. Equuleus was still skeptical. "Cap, don't you lie to me." Capricorn couldn't win against Equuleus. His dad had an amazing intuition. He had keen observation skills and knew Capricorn's habits when lying. Capricorn was picking at the skin around his nails, and he was chewing the inside of his cheek. He sighed. He needed better ways to hide a lie so Equuleus can't tell.
"Okay! So there is bullying, but please don't do anything about it," Capricorn pleaded, pressing his hands together. "The school's reputation is tarnished from that heist and the reinstatement of the honor program. I'm sure that Headmaster Winslow doesn't want a bullying scandal in his case." Equuleus sighed and released his grip on Capricorn. He ran his hand through his hair and looked at his husband. He was troubled. He never condoned bullying since he was a victim of bullying. He was disheartened that his own son was getting bullied. He wondered what to do. He didn't want Capricorn to get hurt anymore, but Capricorn was eager. Equuleus let out a heavy sigh and leaned back against the counter.
"I won't, but I'm warning you... it will reach the news sooner or later," he told Capricorn. Capricorn nodded. He knew. He had a gut feeling that the bullying issue would soon become a world-wide scandal because of St. Julian Academy's reputation as a prestigious school. He knew who would become the cataclysm of the school's reputation. He shook off the feeling and smiled weakly at Equuleus.
"Well, I'm sure the school will take careful steps to make sure that it doesn't get on the news," Capricorn said. Equuleus nodded and smiled faintly. He patted Capricorn's shoulder gently. "Well... I guess I could help out with preparations."
—-------
"I see," Lepus said softly. "Your father and mother... they don't consider you as a son?" Virgo slowly nodded. Ceres, his father, was on the legal team for Lepus's tech company. He never spoke about his family and kept his personal life private. Lepus knew that Ceres's marriage was loveless, but he never knew they had a son. He was saddened by Virgo's story. "I'm so sorry."
"I was told that my dad raped my mom," Virgo said in a hushed voice. The entire room went silent. Lynx's eyes darkened as she held her wine glass up to her lips. She knew that Lepus would need to fire Ceres from the legal team. There was no way she wanted LUMINESCE to be associated with a rapist. Libra tightened his grip around Virgo's hand. He was pissed. Virgo hissed in pain. Libra gasped and let go of Virgo.
"And how did you find out?" Lynx asked as she poured more red wine into her glass. "If you don't mind me asking."
"My grandma told me," Virgo answered. "She... she heard it. She said that I was the reason why my mom hates my dad. I was the reason why my mom and dad hate me." Virgo felt his eyes prickle, and he covered his face. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't be crying. I feel like such a horrible guest." Libra embraced Virgo in a loving hug and kissed his head. He caressed Virgo's shoulder tightly. Lepus frowned. He stood up and walked out of the living room. Virgo looked at Lepus. His stomach started churning and knotting. He groaned in pain and grabbed Libra's hand.
"I'm so sorry," he cried. Libra shook his head.
"You're not at fault," Libra whispered.
Lynx sighed and looked at Virgo. "Virgo... you are an adult, and you have the power to cut off communication with your parents. You belong to a new family now... well if you will be taking on the Roel surname," she said with a gentle smile. Virgo looked at Lynx with confusion. Lynx chuckled and rubbed Virgo's back. "You are in control of your own life. I can see how desperate you are to be free from your parents. I have a deal for you."
"Mother," Libra said sternly. He didn't want Virgo to be taking on any suspicious deals his mother set out. "Virgo and I can handle this."
"You should at least hear me out," Lynx snapped. Libra huffed and nodded. Lynxs clasped her hands together. "When Libra graduates in the spring, I want you two to have your wedding the week after his graduation. If you two do get married, then I will help you cut off all ties with your parents, and I will make sure they will never cause you harm ever again. You will take on the Roel surname and provide Lepus and I with lots of grandbabies."
"Mother... that is such a st-"
"I accept," Virgo interrupted. Libra went silent, and he looked at Virgo with wide eyes. He saw the desperation in Virgo's eyes. It was painful. Libra lowered his brows. He held Virgo closely. He was never going to let go of Virgo. He couldn't. If he did, who knew how Virgo would deal with the heart break. Libra smiled softly. His plan was to marry Virgo after Virgo graduated, but it seemed he would enact his plan much sooner. Virgo looked up at Libra. "You're okay with that, right?"
"Of course," Libra chuckled. Virgo squealed with joy and kissed Libra. He found his chance to leave his family forever. He was going to be accepted into a new family, and he was excited. He felt like it was fate that he met Libra that day. He was grateful to be chosen as Libra's fiancé. He pulled away and pressed a big, long kiss on Libra's cheek. Libra laughed quietly. "Virgo... don't get me acting up." Seeing Virgo all cute and happy was a major turn on for Libra. Virgo gasped and pushed Libra away. His entire face was burning with embarrassment.
Lynx let out a quiet laugh. She stood up and said, "As long as you two aren't too loud. Your father and I will be heading to HQ." She walked out of the living room with a playful smile. Libra smirked and glanced at Virgo.
"Well, then, shall we?" He asked.
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Definitely not my strongest chapter, but I still love how it turned out. Well, I will be taking a small break from writing and I will be working on the character appearances :)