Chapter Thirty-Nine – Matthew Han Is Totally Gay, Okay?
With the cat boy suit location compromised, Matty had no idea how he would be able to slip in and out of Slicky's furry coat, and that was when an unexpected opportunity fell in his lap. John came into their dorm room late in the evening, and he appeared lost in thought as he stepped inside.
"Hey, man, are you all right?" Matty asked, trying to read John's face for clues. "That was some really freaky stuff, wasn't it?"
John looked at him like he was seeing him for the first time in his life or a ghost. There were some questions in there, but Matty had no universal translators of glares at hand, which only meant that the guy really needed to speak out loud to make him understand what that was all about. "Matty," he said very slowly, "how does your friend know that cat impersonator?"
"Rusty? I don't know--"
"No, not Rusty Parker." Damn, there was so much contempt in how John dropped that name from the tip of his lips as if he couldn't be bothered to open his mouth to say it.
But, of course, John didn't mean Rusty, and Matty believed that he was getting too messed up in his head for his own good. "You mean Zoey," he said in a deadpan voice. "What's this all about, really?"
John began to gather his textbooks and other things on the bed. "She isn't worthy of being an Implacable," he eventually started. "She fooled me into believing that her intentions were of the purest kind, but she was only interested in making us all look bad."
Matty didn't quite like where this was going, and there was also the matter of John looking like he was packing his bags. "Going somewhere?" he asked, determined to forget all about the cat boy suit and Zoey incident for a moment, although he was dying to know what John was thinking. Did he think that Matty was the cat boy? Had he reached that conclusion on his own? Or maybe—
"I'm moving out again. I can't focus here. There's too much… drama."
"I see," Matty agreed as his heart leapt for joy. Could it be that he would finally be alone? That would really make things a lot easier, with the cat boy, too, but first, he needed to know if his alter-ego had been compromised. "Where are you moving? Back to your relative's apartment?"
"No," John replied shortly and offered no other information. Hmm, he was suspiciously tight-lipped about it all. What could that mean?
"Care to tell me at least what that whole thing was about?" Matty decided that it was better to learn directly from John if the Implacables, and maybe the whole world, suspected him of being the cat boy. "You texted me," he reminded his ungrateful roommate. "By the way, that was one strange text if I'm thinking about it," he added. "Did you have a reason to worry about Connor getting you for something?"
"No." The answer was too quick and forced to be the truth. Matty could tell a lie from a truth, at least in John's case. "That was all about how your friend Zoey harbors a questionable character."
"And who that might be?"
"The cat girl, obviously," John replied.
Matty had to catch his right hand with the other so that he didn't face-palmed himself on the spot. "The cat girl?" he asked slowly, not quite believing his luck. Not even Xpress could think of the cat boy as a girl at this point. The Implacables were suffering from chronic brain farts or something.
"Yeah. I mean, there were some rumors about that thing," again, with contempt, John's lips pursed, "being a boy, but it's a girl, obviously."
"What's so obvious about it?" Matty asked, too flabbergasted about the whole thing not to pressure his roommate into saying more.
"Zoey kept talking about a cat boy, but I bet that she hides that girl because she's a girl, too. And they," John said in a tone that brooked no contradiction, "have a code of their own."
"They… do you mean, girls in general?" Funny thing, that code hadn't worked that well, or Zoey's roommate would have kept her mouth shut.
"Yes. That's why I don't get them," John explained. "They're like a coven of witches, I'm telling you, Matty. Good thing you don't like them, because they're the root of all troubles."
Wrapping his head around something as weird as that was too much for his logical brain, so Matty decided to abandon it for the moment, only so that he could continue this particularly weird conversation. "So, it's a cat girl, after all."
"Yes. The same one who got your other friend in her clutches. She must have enticed him with her exceptionally lean body. And you say that you're committed to him. He cannot be, if just any cat girl can take advantage of him like that."
The image of Rusty being taken advantage of by a slim girl dressed in a cat suit was too much for him. He couldn't keep in a small snicker, and John caught on right away. "You're laughing, but if you think for a moment that your special friendship is anything else but your friend's cry for help--"
"Wait, wait, wait." Matty put his hands up and pressed his lips together to keep himself from laughing. "What cry for help? Rusty's not some victim. And he didn't get any girl pregnant, let alone a cat girl."
John sighed and shook his head as if he couldn't believe that Matty could be just so gullible. "I'm sure that he turned to you because he doesn't know where his life is going. And you are too kind, and now you think that he might like you."
Matty wiped his brow although he wasn't sweating. "Where are you going, John? Do you want to transfer from Sunny Hill, too?"
"No, not at all. If anything, I'm coming out of this stronger than before," John said brightly. Then, he munched on his lower lip as if he wanted to continue.
"How so?" Matty asked.
John hesitated and then blurted out. "Connor saw the truth. I'm his right hand now."
Matty stared at his roommate, not quite believing his ears. "Connor took your phone and accused you of… whatever he accused you of. Are you sure you want to hang out with him again? He seems fickle to me. And how come you got back into his good graces so fast?"
John's lips stretched into a large, self-assured, smile. "I have my means, Matty, don't you worry. Frankly, the only thing that makes me regret that I'm leaving the dorm is that I'm leaving you here alone. People like Rusty Parker will take advantage of you because you're too nice to them."
Matty was pretty certain he was taking advantage of Rusty at length, and that didn't bother anyone, certainly not him. "Don't worry. So, you're not telling me where you're going?"
"It's a nice place," John said and smiled again. "You can always call me or text me if you need anything."
Matty somehow doubted he'd need John of all people, but it was only polite to reply in kind. "Of course. And if you ever need help in a hostage situation like today, I'll gladly help."
John puffed out his chest. "That won't happen to me." Again, his smile turned mysterious and cocksure. "Make sure to study hard, Matty. And get rid of that guy. He's bad news."
Matty was pretty sure he knew a lot more about Rusty than his roommate, but there was no point in letting him know that. Now, to be perfectly honest, he was damn happy that he was getting the room back and all to himself. And the cat boy suit could return to the bottom of his closet without any trouble.
***
Do you know what's odd, Sunny Hill? Just yesterday, we were reporting the biggest thing that happened over the weekend, and now, there's another interesting bit that we gleaned from what bystanders to the incident told us via anonymous tips.
How did we fail to notice it? Are our wits no longer sharp? Where have we been looking lately? It doesn't matter; these questions may and will remain unanswered.
Now, before you start claiming that it's a slow news day since it's Sunday, hear us out. Do you know who Matthew Han is? Well, besides the fact that he looks like a K-pop idol impersonator on his bestest of best days, he is a very accomplished student, and… Rusty Parker's personal tutor!
And, at yesterday's incident, they were both present! What should we get from all this? Why were Matthew Han and Rusty Parker at the same scene at the same time? We don't know – yet – the answer, but we do find the whole thing mighty queer. Also, there are reports saying that a durable friendship has formed since the beginning of senior year between these two protagonists.
We're serving you one last bit and then we'll let you start your own rumors until we come back with something more palpable to feed the mill. Did you know, guys and gals of Sunny Hill? Matthew Han is totally gay!
On another order of business, we'll come back tomorrow with act two from the Connor the Implacable vs. Dexter the Amazing drama, as the Dean of Students is bound to hear from them both. Who's going to win? Place your bets, ladies and gents! (Hint – Dexter Solomon has all his friends in his corner, but Connor Williams has an army behind him).
"What are they going on about now?" Rusty mumbled under his breath. After that crazy Saturday, he had let Matty off the hook and spent the night alone, but now he was heading over to his dorm to see if he wanted to hang out. He hadn't texted or called simply because he wanted to see Matty a little in case he was busy and they'd have to spend another day apart.
He eyed the latest Xpress gossip with one eye, while pondering over what they were alluding to, in their usually silly fashion. He knocked on Matty's door, hoping that his baby dude was still in and not somewhere with Zoey. In the future, he might have to negotiate the schedule a little bit with that girl so that they had Matty in equal portions.
"Rusty!" Matty welcomed him, somewhat startled.
"Yeah, I know," Rusty grinned, "I'm such a psycho. It's like I don't have a phone or something. Wait, is this like a bad time?"
"No, not at all." For some weird reason, Matty looked behind the door for a second and then opened it wide. "Come in."
Rusty peered behind the door and saw nothing except the closed doors to Matty's closet. With a shrug, he stepped inside. He had just probably spooked Matty by dropping in instead of texting first like a normal person. "Have you seen this?" he asked and pointed at his phone.
"No." Matty took the phone from his hand and skimmed through Xpress's article with the speed of light. Then, he snorted. "What do they want with this? It's not like I'm keeping it a secret or anything. That I'm gay, I mean. It must really be a slow news day for them."
Rusty patted Matty on the head. "You're so wholesome, I want to have you with rye bread."
"I'm not sure what you mean, but you can have me any way you want."
Rusty shuddered as if tickled at that very nonchalant admission and took Matty in his arms to kiss him deeply. "Wait," he said as he broke the kiss, "is your weird roommate anywhere in the vicinity? I bet he'd want to rub one off while staring at us, but I don't want him as our audience."
Matty laughed. "Well, unlike Xpress, I do have some actual news. John moved out yesterday."
"For real? That's great. I mean, the guy's a bit of a creep. So, did he quit the Implacables with a bang or what?"
Matty grimaced at that. "No. I thought he would, too, but it looks like he actually got promoted. He told me that Connor made him into his right-hand man. What do you think of all that?"
Rusty rubbed his chin in thought. "To quote Xpress, I find it mighty queer."
"What?" Matty's eyes grew wide. "Do you think that John and Connor hooked up or something?"
Rusty made a face as if he had licked a lemon to get his point across. "I'm trying not to picture that in detail because it would kill my boner."
"What boner?" Matty, always the innocent, asked.
"This one," Rusty said promptly and grabbed Matty's hand to place it on his crotch.
Matty, also always the guy ready to act, wrapped his hand around the Mighty Thor and gave a good squeeze. "Hmm, I don't know, it doesn't look like that much of a boner to me."
"That's because we kissed for like ten seconds. So, it's like only ten percent up. Give me more and it will be at full mast in no time."
Matty laughed and wrapped his arms around him. This time, he was the one to kiss Rusty, and he wasn't doing half a bad job. The Mighty Thor took less time than expected to get to one hundred percent, but he wasn't the kind to rush, not at this point, simply because it was too pleasant to give up. He smacked his lips in satisfaction once Matty decided to let him breathe. "You know, you got really good at kissing lately."
"Having a good teacher helps. Tell me, does this Xpress stuff bother you? They practically say that there must be something mighty queer," Matty's lips curled upward naughtily, "between us."
Rusty pondered for a moment. "You know what? I don't care."
"You don't?" Matty's eyebrows shot up. "I mean, it's going to be a pretty big deal if they start saying--"
"Why would it be that big a deal? I mean, everyone knows I do what I want. Also, maybe they'd get off my back with all that crazy shit about my getting chicks pregnant and all."
"That's not the point, Rusty." Matty's furrowed eyebrows could be a sign of frustration. "I mean, what are you known best for?"
"Hmm, do I have to pick only one thing? That's tough. Okay, okay, don't tell me and let me think. Ah, it must be my perfect shooting mechanics."
Matty stared at him and blinked in confusion. "Shooting…? Rusty! Don't tell me you really did score! I mean, not like that, like in having--"
Rusty made a perfectly surprised face. "What are you thinking, you perv? I'm talking about basketball."
Matty groaned and covered his eyes. "Really, sometimes with you, I don't even know." Again, his eyes darted to the closet doors, and Rusty had to use all his willpower not to follow the same direction with his. So, there was something in there, and he was already wondering what that could be. Something that Matty very much intended to keep a secret from him. Now his head was getting chock full of ideas, and his curiosity was soaring.
"I'm here to take you out," he said brightly. "Unless you have plans with that cute little monkey."
"Is that a new code-word for Zoey?"
"It is," Rusty confirmed. "The way she climbed up Dex the other day, she's totally it. By the way, what's all that business about winter?"
Matty winced. "I can't say a thing. I promised Zoey. And I don't have plans, so we could hang out. Wait, aren't you worried about Xpress? They just dropped the bomb that we're strangely close, and now we're going out in public?"
Rusty grinned. Yeah, his head was big and working. "You know what? I'm not giving a damn. Let them talk all they want. Unless you want me to be your dirty little secret, although you know there's nothing little about me, and I take regular showers."
"All that remains of all that is the secret," Matty said with a cute smirk. "Okay, if you don't mind that gossipy little rag, then I'm all in. What should we do?"
"You know, walk around, hold hands, make doe eyes at each other, stuff like that."
Matty took it in stride. "Okay, I see that you want to give Xpress something to rummage through. Wait, is it a strategy to keep their attention away from that deal with Mr. Preston? Connor seemed bent on reporting Dex for breaking the door."
"Jonathan's on it. He wants to act as Dex's representative. I don't think that douchebag stands a chance. I'm not worried about that, and I simply want to go out with you."
Something of a rebellious streak was growing inside him at Xpress's allusions regarding the nature of his relationship with Matty. But, in the end, did he really want to hide? If Matty was game, he had nothing against it, either.
***
What was happening was beyond his comprehension. Rusty was holding him by the shoulders, and no, not like a bro, but in a way that left little room to guess the nature of the things they were doing behind closed doors. And, while it was Sunday, and not many students were walking about the quad, the few that did appeared to be having trouble looking any other way but theirs. After all, it looked like Rusty had spoken the truth about pretending to be in some sort of romantic relationship. No, no, no, that was just his brain working overtime. There was no way Rusty was thinking anything beyond that he wanted to give Xpress something to chew and choke on. Nonetheless, he wasn't that comfortable with that joke, now that they were out in public. As much as Rusty enjoyed shocking the living daylights out of everyone on a regular basis, that didn't mean that he could stop thinking about all the ways in which that could go the wrong way. Or maybe he was just trying to rationalize this stuff that was happening – pretty exciting stuff if he could allow himself to let go of his worries.
"Rusty," Matty whispered, "people are staring." He was holding his arms stiffly by his sides, still confused about what his very special friend, as John had christened Rusty, had in mind with this open display of affection.
"Let them stare. I'm curious to see what Xpress is going to write tomorrow. Come on, don't go back on your word. You told me you wouldn't mind."
"I had no idea what I was signing up for," Matty protested meekly. "I mean, I thought it would be just the two of us, hanging out like bros or something."
"Bros." Rusty snickered, which didn't make him any cuter, given the circumstances. "Well, tough luck, baby dude, because I don't remember a time I thought of you as my bro."
Matty pinched the bridge of his nose. Rusty was simply incorrigible. Right now, he was probably thinking of some crazy ways to make Xpress lose it, and he didn't factor in how that would look in everyone's eyes, gossip rags involved or not. Still, he couldn't exactly focus on proper replies and whatnot, while Rusty was not only holding him by the shoulders, but he was also slowly caressing his cheek with one thumb, a gesture that anyone could interpret as being far beyond what two guys would get into unless there was another kind of interaction involved. "Okay, I'll play along since you're so bent on making Xpress lose their shit over your being seen with me, a totally gay dude, like this."
He barely had time to get those words out when someone interrupted them.
"Why the fuck am I not surprised?"
At first, Matty didn't recognize the owner of the voice, seeing how he had only seen the guy once, and not in the light of day. However, that bad boy vibe was hard to forget.
"Jamie, my good dude," Rusty exclaimed and offered his hand, pulling Matty forward in the process and almost pushing him into Jamie so that he could greet his acquaintance.
Jamie smirked and took the offered hand while his eyes bored into Matty's. "So, this fucker was after you, huh?"
"Don't fall for Rusty's act, too," Matty replied while Rusty's hold on him increased. "He's just fooling around."
"Really?" Jamie moved his eyes to Rusty. "It doesn't look like that to me at all."
"And it's not," Rusty declared. "Matty here is in denial."
"Oh, come on," Matty began. He didn't get to say more than that, because Rusty kissed him fully on the lips.
Jamie, as their audience, clapped and laughed. "Well, at least I know this cutie pie isn't wasting his college life away studying and all."
"And what exactly brings you here?" Rusty asked, completely nonchalant after having kissed him like that.
Matty was dumbstruck. His eyes had been open the whole time, and now he could only stare at Rusty. That had been the last thing he had expected, and now there were no words left in him. Not only couldn't he talk, but his mind was blank, too. Besides Jamie, others must have seen that, and he didn't dare look any other way than at Rusty, who continued to talk to the other guy as if nothing – let alone something the size and intensity of an earthquake – had happened.
He must have looked like the perfect picture of a frozen fish, because both guys stopped their conversation and stared at him, Jamie with an all-knowing smirk on his face, and Rusty as if he didn't have any right to act surprised. "Hey, Matty," he said, "are you sick or something? Does your tummy hurt?"
He even dared to put a hand on Matty's abdomen as if to check for signs of a stomachache like he was a doctor or something. He caught Rusty's hand and didn't say a thing, but the trembling in his upper body must have been visible, because that look of carefree recklessness finally left the mischievous green eyes to be replaced by worry. "Jamie, my dude, it was nice to see you, but I have somewhere to be," he said hurriedly and fist-bumped the other's fist.
Then, before Matty had any time to react, he folded himself around him like a blanket and hurried him back to the dorm as if a hailstorm had started and they needed to reach safety before something bad happened to them. He didn't have it in him to protest and let himself be pushed toward the building where his room was without another word. It looked like Rusty didn't think it a good idea to talk, and that was good because Matty had no idea what he could say that wouldn't sound like an accusation or a reproach. And he didn't want to commit to either, because this wasn't a good moment to lose his head.
***
Rusty threw enough murderous looks around to ensure that no one dared stop them on their way back to the dorm. Matty's earlier hesitation was now starting to make more and more sense, and he regretted being so callous about it all when he should have thought it through better. While Matty appeared to be on board all the time with everything he came up with, that didn't give him the right to put his friend on the spot like that, without thinking twice.
He let Matty sit on the bed, and he sat on the other, now that he knew that that douchey roommate was no longer there. He watched as Matty clasped his hands together and looked to one side, as if he was having a tough time finding his words. "You're angry," he said slowly. "But you're too nice to say it to my face. So I'm going to help you out."
"How?" Matty asked and worked his jaw a little.
"By admitting that I'm a complete idiot."
"You're not--"
"Nope, you're not going to defend me when you should be kicking my ass. I'm an asshole. I thought it would be funny to have everyone stare at us and wonder what the hell is going on. And you didn't think I'd do something stupid like that--"
"Like kissing me in front of everyone?" Matty asked quietly, while the tension showed no sign of leaving his body.
"Yeah, like that," Rusty admitted and put his hands up in surrender. "I mean, you're not like me at all. You care what people think."
"That's not--"
"Let me finish."
Matty pursed his lips, but it appeared that he was allowing Rusty to continue.
So he did. "You'll want a boyfriend at some point, and you don't want that guy to think that he has to compete with me or something. In your eyes. Like, you know?"
He had moved his eyes away as he said those words, hoping that he hadn't messed up his friendship with Matty beyond recognition. Therefore, the pillow smacking him right in the face took him completely by surprise. "Hey," he protested, but it was no use.
Matty was all over him, grabbing the pillow and smacking him repeatedly, with quite the viciousness.
"I see that today you chose violence," Rusty said in cavernous voice and grabbed the pillow out of Matty's hands.
The horrified look in the pretty eyes didn't deter him from throwing the pillow across the room and then catching Matty under him. There was still some of that anger left in the way those cute features continued to tense, but he didn't mind it. "Come on, if you don't want me to say it, how about you do it? Why are you mad at me? Put it into words that a sixth grader would understand."
Matty pursed his lips and breathed audibly through his mouth. "You got it all wrong, Rusty Parker."
"Then straighten me out. You're the only one who can do it."
Silence followed, and Rusty thought of insisting, but Matty removed his hands from the pin Rusty was holding them in and kissed him hard and deep on the lips.
***
Fuck, he was a complete coward. That would have been the perfect opportunity to tell Rusty what he truly felt, and he had chickened out, hiding himself behind a kiss. Now, he really needed to come up with a solution to that because there was no way Rusty wouldn't press him until he got something out of him. Not the truth, for obvious reasons, but something. And now, while he was melting into the kiss he was sharing with the other, he needed to think of a solution, and one that would pass the bar because there was no way a witty guy like Rusty wouldn't see through his web of lies.
Therefore, he opted for half a truth. "I don't want a boyfriend," he said as he removed his lips reluctantly from the generous mouth that made him go nuts on the regular with all the things it knew how to do.
"You don't?"
Matty closed his eyes. "Why would I want a boyfriend when I have you? You just startled me, is all."
"But you were mad at me. I mean, I did surprise you, I get it, but you were also mad," Rusty pointed out, unwilling to let it go. "And, just so you know, you can have me as long as you want. I mean, until you get a proper boyfriend and all that."
"I'm not sure 'proper' is a good word to describe my future boyfriend," Matty said and felt his chest getting lighter. Rusty had no idea he was that ideal future boyfriend and didn't have to know. That simple admission, that they would go on for as long as he didn't get a boyfriend sounded both a terrible and an amazing idea at the same time. Rusty had no idea what he was getting himself into, and Matty didn't care to enlighten him at all.
"You don't want a proper dude?" Rusty continued to babble on. "Don't tell me you want someone like Jamie."
"No, of that I'm sure."
"Have you decided then? What kind of guy you'd like?"
"He's a work in progress," Matty said brightly and moved his head to kiss Rusty again.
But Rusty moved out of the way. "You're keeping things from me, Matty."
"Tough luck. It's not like you tell me everything, right?"
That was both a challenge and an offer. But Rusty hesitated, and the moment was gone. Apparently, the right time for confessions wasn't today.
But maybe, it would come one day. And there was always that self-imposed deadline of the last day of college.
TBC