Zodiac

Chapter Nine

"Dream?"

Dream hadn't been expecting to see anyone, banging his knee into the door in surprise. He swore under his breath and pushed the door open before looking back at the person on his doorstep.

"Ava," he said, sounding relieved. "Hi, sorry I wasn't expecting you."

Ava shrugged, fiddling with the strap of her purse. "I wasn't expecting to come," she admitted. "I just wanted to check in and see how you were doing."

Dream smiled at her, stepping inside his home. "Do you want to come in?" he offered, but Ava shook her head.

"I have something to do, so I can't stay," she said. "But...you're doing alright? Better?"

He nodded. "A lot better. I went and made up with George a while ago."

Ava seemed pleased with this knowledge. "I'm glad, Dream," she winked.

"Maybe next time you can make up and make out?"

In the Scorpio District, George was packing his bags.

Or, trying to.

"One little argument and you're leaving?" Calix said, looking upset. George couldn't really blame him - he was known to be dramatic sometimes. His fight with Dream last week only proved this fact.

"I'm just going to stay with Niki for a day or too," he said quietly, throwing a couple shirts into the suitcase he had spread out on the bed. "You were really rude earlier, Calix."

"Can you blame me, George?" his boyfriend pleaded. "Some guy shows up out of nowhere and suddenly my boyfriend is too busy hanging out with him to come home at night. Why can't you understand why I would be suspicious of that?"

George's brows furrowed in confusion. "I told you Dream was just a friend," he said. "Why can't you understand that?"

"I do understand that," Calix said, leaning against the doorframe and watching as George tried to stuff a pair of shoes into the suitcase. "But you don't see the way he looks at you George. Like he wants to be...more than friends."

George shook his head, exhaling through his nose in a quiet laugh. "Please," he said teasingly. "Dream was engaged a little over a month ago. To a woman, no less. The chances that he's interested in me are exceptionally low. Besides," George hesitated here, biting his lip as he folded a pair of jeans. "I don't like him like that. Anything between Dream and I is purely platonic."

The words tasted sour on his tongue, and he almost wanted to gag from how false they were. But he couldn't say that out loud - it would certainly set Calix off, and he wasn't in the mood to deal with an angry Libra. Calix tended to get angry rather quickly, and it took forever to calm him down.

That didn't change the fact that George was still in love with both Calix and Dream at the same time. The two of them were such complete opposites, both with traits that George found attractive. It was hard for him to decide who he would want to be with. For now, staying with Calix was the better choice.

Even though there was the potential that George was only leading the Libra on. George heaved a sigh, already sick of this train of thought. He shook his head and continued packing, focusing on the words Calix was saying from the doorway.

"Are you sure about that?" Calix walked into the room, and George tensed his shoulders up a bit as he wrapped his arms around his waist, pressing his chest against George's back. Huffing, George relaxed into the hug, picking up another shirt and inspecting it before tossing it onto the floor. Niki would burn that shirt if she saw it in her house.