Scorpio

"AND..... AVI SCORES THE WINNING GOAL!" Avyaan leaped into the air as the ball soared into the goal. I sighed, grabbing the ball from the back of the net when Avi jumped onto my back, his loud, high-pitched voice echoing throughout the grounds of the Cole mansion. Libra walked over, laughing. "Oh dear, Scorpy. Not much of a goalkeeper, are you?" I glared at Libra venomously, only prompting more laughter. "Call me Scorpy one more time and-"

"What, you'll break my bones?" She lifted her wrist matter-of-factly. "Been there, done that. Can't say it's pleasant." Avi jumped off my back, admiring his sister's cast. One day, I thought, I would tell Avyaan how his sister had gotten that cast. I would teach him to respect the women in his life. To value them and regard them as equals. To never use violence in any situation. I would make Avi the man I never could be. I owed this kid, this family, this place that much. I had been happier in the past month that I had been staying at the Cole mansion than I had been in the past two years put together.

The only moments of happiness I had found before the Cole family took me in were those fleeting moments of peace with Libra, the golden minutes of silence and comfort, soon to be gone, arguments and problems replacing those moments. "Scorpio, come on! I came out here to get you so we can look at tuxedos."

My eyes widened. "Why are we looking at tuxedos?" I asked, an image of Libra standing at an altar flashing through my mind. "For the Cole Entertainment Original show US premiere tonight. It's for that new series, Regals. Remember? It's the one we watched last week when Dad was asking for our opinions." I nodded, shrugging Avyaan off my back.

"I also need an opinion on my dress. Hurry!" Libra took Avi by the hand, ushering her little brother inside. I followed the two, lingering behind as Libra told Avi to go sit with Venus, who was flipping through a magazine in the house's spacious downstairs lounge room. The room was closed off to the adjacent kitchen, a kind of tranquil part of the house only accessible through the gardens. When I asked Venus why they hadn't fixed the design flaw, she'd laughed, saying the house, having been designed by herself and her husband, boasted 'unnecessary rich extravagances'.

(Separated room-design by me!)

"Come on, Scorpio!" Libra exclaimed, dragging me upstairs into her bedroom. The room was, as always, an extravagant mess, much like Libra herself. Clothes littered the floor, the bed, the tables. When it was in a pristine state, Leebs' bedroom was a gorgeous, spacious area, with a massive walk-in closet adjacent to it.

(Libra's bedroom)

"God, Leebs, don't you ever clean this place?" I asked.

"Why would I? I know exactly where everything is, even when my room looks like this."

I rolled my eyes, shifting some clothes from the bed to make room for myself to sit. "So, how are things?" I asked, watching as Libra threw some unworn dresses into the laundry hamper. Libra frowned at me.

"What do you mean? Your room is literally on the floor above mine. We live together and spend so much time together. You know how things have been going."

"No, as in, how are things going with you? As in, with your emotions?"

"I'm fine, really."

"You know, just because that Leo jerk talked all that crap about you being too vocal-"

"No, seriously, Scorpio. For once, I feel at one with myself. Like I'm not putting on a show. I'm not some overenthusiastic party freak version of myself right now. I'm just... me. Just Libra. And for now, that's enough for me to be happy."

"I'm glad you're happy," I told her, looking down at the basic black-and-white tuxedo she'd handed me.

"Brilliant! Clothes are sorted." She handed me a (colour) corsage. "Matches with my dress for tonight."

"Wait, are you asking me to be your date?"

"Is that a yes or a no?"

I chuckled. She really was a sneaky one, Libra.

"Yes, Libra."

She laughed. "Great. Now, get outta my room."

"You got it, Captain."

Avi had, quite recently, decided he was going to strip Libra of her Black Widow role in his little Avengers game, making her Captain America, because her blue cast 'looked like a Captain America glove', much to Libra's anger. She had not, however, protested, wearing the two-sizes-too-big Captain America costume and standing on the side while I slayed as the new Black Widow (a role which I enjoyed playing, even though the costume was too small for me.) So now, to annoy Leebs, I had started calling her Captain.

She playfully punched me in the arm with her good hand, closing the door on my face.

I left, tuxedo and corsage in hand, leaving to get ready for the party.

.....

"Oh, great, you're here! Libra's waiting by the other car for you." Venus all but shoved me toward her daughter. I turned to look at Libra, who looked stunning in a ruched, high-low metallic black dress, wearing a genuine smile for once. She turned toward me, with eyes only for me. In that moment, the press and noises and the background disappeared. It was just me and her, finally at a place in our lives where we could find stability.

"Shall we?" Libra held out her hand. I took it, grinning, as we made our way down the red carpet.

"Miss Kaffrey! When can we expect you to return to our screens?"

The star of the series, American sweetheart Konjit Kaffrey, smiled, tossing her sandy brownish-blonde hair. "Well, let's just say I'm working on securing my spot in quite the explosive movie."

"Is it true that you and your date tonight, Charles Viktor, are engaged?"

"I've got the ring to prove it."

"Where will you hold the wedding-in Kenya or Switzerland?"

Rani looked overwhelmed, simply picking up the pace and allowing Libra and myself to step into the spotlight. "Miss Cole! We've heard rumours... will you really be majoring in business so that you can take control of the family business?"

"Do you hope to run the business alongside your father?"

"What happened to your journalism dreams?"

"Tell us-who's your date tonight?"

Libra simply smiled for the cameras, keeping her mouth shut. I knew for a fact that Libra didn't like to talk about the family business-she'd never had much interest in the more financial aspects of the family business, more interested in writing, directing and producing original shows for Cole Entertainment.

Libra walked up to Konjit, the two of them chatting it up. It was shocking, really, how Libra had so many A-lister friends and yet managed to stay as far away as possible from the spotlight. Konjit wasn't much older than us-she did keep her exact age a secret to ensure that no crazy fans could track her down through it, but I was fairly sure she was around 21 years old. It was crazy, getting engaged so young. Charles fell in step with me. He really was one attractive guy-golden hair with chocolate brown eyes, a dimpled smile and a chiseled jawline. He had such dark eyelashes it looked like he was using mascara.

"So you're the Scorpio Konjit's been hearing so much about," he commented, smirking.

"Libra talks with Konjit about me?"

"Are you really surprised?"

"I thought she didn't want me as more than a friend..."

Charles raised his eyebrows.

"She's not your girlfriend?"

"No..."

"Well, the way she talks about you, calling you the perfect guy and her one and only, you'd think you'd been a couple for a while."

"We were..."

"She wants back in, man. You better act fast-girls like her don't wait around for long."

"You really think?"

"God, you're a dense one. Listen. When we go in there and you see her again, I want you to watch what happens to her face when she makes eye contact. I think that'll be explanation enough for you, my man."

And with that, Charles turned away, leaving to go look for Konjit.

I turned to look for Libra, who had already seated herself at the very back of the room, like she always did at the cinema.

"I like the back, to be honest. It gives others a chance to see the movie better, and that makes me happy."

I approached Libra, who turned to look at me. Her face brightened and she smiled, her slightly fanged canines showing. I could see her eyes twinkle even in a room with such little light, her dimples popping. Was this what Charles had meant?

"I want you to watch what happens to her face when you make eye contact."

I took a seat next to Libra as the trailer began, projected onto the screen. Libra didn't look at the screen. Instead, she turned to look at me.

"Hey."

"Hey."

"So, about everything Charles told you..."

"How do you know what he said?"

"I have ears, you know? I was walking directly in front of you-of course I heard."

"And..?"

"It's true, Scorpio. I never stopped loving you. You-you just have to know that."

My eyes widened. "If you never stopped loving me, why did you leave me after the coma?"

"Because, Scorpio, loving you was just too damn risky after everything."

"What does that even mean?"

"I mean, I was scared. Scared I'd do something, say something, which would push you back toward your old lifestyle. I just wanted to keep you safe."

"Leebs..."

"I know. It's stupid. I've always been the one who needed saving, right? And yet here I am, staying as far away from you as I can romantically because I don't trust myself around you. I just want someone to treat you right."

"No, Leebs. You don't get to make that decision for me. As far as I'm concerned, I like you and you like me. I've been your best friend. Your worst enemy. Your sweetest dream. Your most hellish nightmare. Your binge-watching buddy. Your personal pillow. Your biggest problem. Your only solution."

"And I've been all those things to you as well."

"You have. Look, before the gang got involved and things got all messed up, we were the perfect couple. You said it yourself after we broke up: being with me felt like-"

"Flying. It felt like flying."

"Well, Captain, why don't you get ready to fly again?"

And with that, I kissed her, not giving her a chance to protest.

And, to my surprise, she let me kiss her, hands around my neck, when the applause began. Libra abruptly pushed me away, beet red, thinking someone had seen us. It was then that she realised the trailer had finished playing and she sighed, relieved. "Why did you call me Captain?" she whispered as the first episode of 'Regals' began playing.

"It's endearing," I replied, smirking.

She rolled her eyes, pulling me into a kiss. "You jerk."

I pulled her closer to me, grinning. "Well, at least I'm the jerk you want to get back together with."

She grinned, resting her head on my shoulder and closing her eyes. I kissed her forehead, much like I did all those nights back at the Cole mansion when she fell asleep on my shoulder watching Brooklyn 99.

Only this time, I wasn't thinking about how much I wanted to be with her, because we were finally back.

And this time around, it was for real.