Chasing Rusty Parker - 40. Oh So Dreadful Catch-22

Chapter Forty – Oh So Dreadful Catch-22

“Do you know what Jamie told me while you were busy being mad at me?”

They were lying on Matty’s bed, and Rusty was holding him by the shoulders, his hand hanging over and playing from time to time with strands of his hair. While Matty had expected to go straight to sex, it looked like Rusty was more in the mood to talk. Since he had been about to spill the beans, and the perfect timing appeared to have been blown out of the water, he needed to be extra careful what would come out of his mouth from now on.

“Was it important? What he said?” Matty asked.

“Yeah. He told me this. Once you go cute and gay, you never go away.”

“Shut up, you’re making me blush,” Matty joked.

“He does have a point, you know?” Rusty continued.

Matty was pretty damn certain his ears had started to grow to the size of burdock leaves, he wanted to hear what followed that much. “What do you mean?” he asked, his voice little.

“I’ve never had a friend like you. And I mean, I thought I made my fair share of friends for life. So, can we be friends forever?”

The words were said playfully, but Matty felt tempted to take them at face value. Sure, his future plans – the most outrageous and unbelievable plans – had changed, and he wanted to add ‘boy’ in front of the word ‘friend’ when it came to Rusty. He could be plenty sneaky, he liked to think, and turning Rusty that badly would take guts and careful planning; however, when it came to his crush, he felt sort of like Napoleon taking over Europe. Hopefully, this current decision wouldn’t lead to his own Battle of Borodino. He shook his head. Now wasn’t the time to get lost in the historical details of famous battles.

“Do you want us to do the pinky swear and all that?” he joked to hide the little – quite pleasant – frisson dancing over him at Rusty’s words.

Rusty scoffed. “I mean it. I don’t usually think about whatever’s going to happen after college, but when I do,” he stopped briefly to kiss Matty’s head, “I totally want to believe that we’ll continue to see each other.”

Matty turned to look Rusty in the eyes. Was he really serious? Pushing him was a way to go. So, he put one hand on Rusty’s forehead. “Funny, you don’t have a fever.”

“Come on, you prick,” Rusty complained. “I’m laying it all in front of you right now. And I’ve never been more lucid.”

“Okay.” Matty rolled over Rusty, until he was on top, their bodies aligned. “Let’s be friends forever. Like only kids in cartoons would say.”

Rusty laughed, finally pleased with Matty’s reply. He brushed his hands over Matty’s shoulders and went lower. At the same time, he spread his legs enough to allow him to find the perfect spot between them. “You know what I’m thinking?”

“I believe your other head started to think because he’s already poking me. Do you want me to say ‘hi’ to the Mighty Thor? He’s obviously all for coming out and playing.”

Rusty leaned back a little and put his hands behind his head. “You know what? I think that to celebrate the fact that you’re again alone in your room you deserve a gift. Do me, Matty.”

“Do you?” Matty grinned. “So, you want me to do the work?”

“Why not? I’m tired anyway.”

“Why exactly is that?”

“I didn’t sleep well last night.”

“How so? Don’t tell me your friends partied like crazy. They all seem to be taking their studying seriously. Or was it the silence that bothered you?”

Rusty laughed and dropped his eyelashes. At that moment, Matty realized that no matter what happened in the future, he would never be able to hold it against Rusty. He was in love with him, and he would pursue him to the end of the world if need be, but if it weren’t meant to be, he’d understand. And keep that promise of a lifetime friendship if they ended up being just that.

“I slept badly because I was forced to sleep alone. And do you know who’s responsible for that? You are.” Rusty quirked an eyebrow, pretending to give him the evil eye.

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Matty replied.

“As you should. Now, are you going to start undressing me, or are you just going to bask in my beauty?”

“Don’t tempt me. I could keep you on the edge for hours,” Matty boasted, although he had absolutely no intention to make either of them suffer.

“You talk big. Come on, let me see you in action,” Rusty challenged him.

Matty smiled and decided that, now that they had the room all to themselves, they could very well indulge in prolonged lovemaking without a worry in the world. Therefore, he started by sneaking his hands under Rusty’s t-shirt, enjoying every inch of skin under his fingertips.

“That tickles,” Rusty complained.

“No, it doesn’t. You just want to get to it, admit it.” Matty suddenly had a mind to tease his bed partner until he begged. There had to be some payback for what had happened earlier in the quad. Xpress had to have caught whiff of everything by now, and tomorrow, they would have to face the entire campus. But, for now, they had all the time in the world.

Therefore, teasing was in the cards. Matty moved his hands slowly, deliberately, until he cupped Rusty’s pecs. Using his thumbs, he began teasing the hardening nipples, while watching the handsome face in front of him for the usual signs of arousal. They were all there. Rusty parted his lips and bit on the bottom one while his eyelashes fluttered. Matty thought of kissing him, because he looked so good like that, aroused and at his mercy, but, at the same time, he was discovering new delights in taking things slowly.

He hiked up the t-shirt, taking his handsome partner out of it, but when Rusty reached over for a kiss, he pushed him back and straddled him properly so that he could remain in control. “I want to look at you,” he announced as he marveled in the sight of that perfectly shaped torso. His fingers lingered on the hard abs, as Rusty flexed for show.

“Don’t you want to take a picture?”

“Later. Stop interrupting, you’re ruining the vibe,” Matty joked.

“Forgive me, forgive me,” Rusty said and put his hands up in surrender.

That gave him the best opportunity to catch Rusty’s wrists and pin them over his head. From there, it was easy to be the guy on the attack. With his moves limited, Rusty could only try to push his head forward, to be denied a kiss here and there. The short huff of frustration was music to Matty’s ears. “Give me more of you,” he whispered and brushed his lips against the opening mouth, ready for him to go in. He tongued its shape slowly, making the gorgeous guy in his bed pant with want.

“Matty, are you cheating on me?” Rusty asked.

“What?” Matty stared, startled by that accusation.

“I don’t remember teaching you to be such a cockteaser,” Rusty explained. “Also, in case I wasn’t clear, no cheating allowed. You want a third wheel to this bicycle, you need to come clean and ask for a threesome.”

Matty guffawed. “Isn’t that rich coming from you? I mean, you kept pestering me with that cat boy all the time.”

“Hmm, I guess you’re right. Therefore, now you have to tell me who you’d pick for a threesome. So that we’re even, you know?”

Was that a trap? He sighed. “I’m fine with the cat boy. Since you’re so keen on him.”

“No, no, no, that is my choice, not yours. Tell me who you’d want in the same bed along with me.”

Matty pondered for a bit longer. Could he risk it? Could he say it and see if there was a spark of recognition and mischief in the green eyes he loved so much? “I don’t know,” he said with a shrug and trying to play it cool. “It’s like we know everyone around here, and it wouldn’t be fair to pull them into our fantasy.”

“You mean, we know all the hottest guys on campus, right?” Rusty said with a lopsided grin. “Then, how about someone we don’t know well?”

All right, okay, two could really play that game. “But who?” Matty played the innocent. “And yes, you happen to be friends with the hottest dudes at Sunny Hill. I mean there’s Maddox, and Jonathan, and I wouldn’t overlook your other besties, Dex and Kane--”

Rusty placed one hand over his mouth, shutting him up. “Those dudes are out of the question.”

That negation was both playful and not. Matty decided to take the game to the next level. He pushed Rusty’s hand away. “Then, how about the mysterious singer?”

Rusty narrowed his eyes. “I thought you didn’t like the guy.”

Matty shrugged with the utmost nonchalance. Damn, he deserved the Oscar for best actor. “He’s good looking. And sexy. I’d say he’s all right for a little romp in the hay.”

He yelped as Rusty grabbed him and kissed him with all the tongue he had. That was so cute. And if there were any doubts in his mind who Rybalt was, they were fading into mist-like dreams.

***

Ha! That was the only confirmation he needed. He was so happy that Matty happened to be just like him. The same need appeared to be embedded deep within their core. Jamie was right about one thing; Rusty had absolutely no intention of going back. And there was also the matter of being unable to. Matty would have to choose that boyfriend of his with the utmost care, because Rusty had absolutely no intention of letting him go with just any guy from the street. No, no, no, that guy would have to be perfect down to his little toe, or else no dice. Was that how fathers felt about their daughters and didn’t let them marry just any guy to the point of risking to turn them into spinsters? He had absolutely no paternal feelings toward Matty, but he did start to think that maybe the guy was at a major risk of ending up without a boyfriend if it were up to Rusty.

That was a problem to turn over in his head at a later date. That was the thing with the heavy stuff; you could just postpone it again and again, until you simply forgot or it wasn’t a problem anymore. It had worked for most things so far; not that Rusty wanted to add Matty to that pile, but he just couldn’t deal with it right now.

The number one reason for that was simple. Currently, Matty was determined to turn the tables back on him and was attacking his ear with darts of the tongue that couldn’t be ignored. Somewhat reluctantly – but a promise was a promise – he gave up and allowed his lover boy to push him on his back and get on top.

One thing he couldn’t overlook, though, and that was that they were way too overdressed. He took it upon himself to push down Matty’s jeans so that he could fill his hands with that delicious rump. That was more like it. Matty could go and protest if he felt slighted regarding his role as the guy on top, but that wasn’t Rusty’s business. When in bed with such a sexy dude, one could only act on instinct.

Matty proved right away that he couldn’t care less about roles or whatever Rusty thought that he was doing by taking matters into his own hands, so to speak. He did the same to him, and soon their freed cocks were rubbing against each other. Matty kissed him at length and then asked, in his usually cute manner, “Is it really all right if I top you this time?”

“Don’t ask, just take,” Rusty advised directly. If he weren’t taken and soon, he would start having a little bit of a hissy fit.

“Yeah, let me do just that.” Matty pressed Rusty into the bed and helped him out of all his clothes. He did the same with his jeans, and finally, they were able to rub against each other with no layer of fabric between them.

Why was this so good? Rusty didn’t have a proper answer. He liked everything that felt good, so there was that. But, unlike before, he wasn’t compartmentalizing, and he didn’t put the person giving him the good sensations apart from those feelings. His baby dude was just that good.

Matty knew how to find his way around and between his legs, and like this, facing each other, was the absolute best. Rusty liked watching Matty’s face going through all those expressions, from a bit of wonder to surety to then pleasure, and ultimately, to the exquisite picture of his climax. He was telling Matty to take pictures to last him longer, but he was the one willing to immortalize all of those faces so that he could have them with him forever.

Matty moved slowly inside him at first. “Fuck, Rusty,” he moaned. “You’re so tight.”

“I can’t help it,” he teased. “You haven’t given me much action lately. If there’s anyone who should complain, it’s me.”

“Why? Does it hurt?”

“No. The lack of your cock in me, though--”

“Rusty, stop joking, or I might go in too fast,” Matty pleaded with him. It looked like it took him quite the effort not to go at it as quickly as he wanted.

Rusty believed that he could take it. Therefore, he decided that it would be a good idea to provoke his sexy attacker. “Seriously, it’s only a little prick I’m feeling or someth—of fuck, Matty!”

“Your right to complain has just been suspended,” Matty informed him. “And now, you will feel the little prick, I hope.”

“I take it back.” Rusty grinned despite the sensation of having been filled to the brim and began kissing Matty. “You’re sexy when you’re tough like this.”

“Then let me show you I know how to be in charge.” Matty wrapped one arm behind the back of Rusty’s head and pushed even further in. “Let me hear you say my name.”

So Rusty did that. He would call Matty over and over while getting impaled like that. Damn, his baby dude was really growing. And he was an awesome top.

***

Okay, maybe making decisions while having your dick all wrapped up in the velvety heat of your crush’s body wasn’t ideal, but any time was good. He would do everything he could to turn Rusty into his boyfriend because he feared that he would never feel as good with anyone else in the whole world.

They moved in synch, and while Rusty praised him for being so good as a top, he was also kissing him back and dominating him with his deft tongue. Matty liked to think that he was the kind of student to apply himself outside of the classes he took, and that included those taken with Rusty on matters of lust and pleasure. Of course, having the right motivation was essential, and, in this case, rocking this awesome guy’s world was it. Yeah, it was a challenge, but he was up to it.

“How do you like it like this?” he asked and changed his angle, while moving his hips in a rhythm.

“You really want me to think that you got yourself a tutor on the side,” Rusty joked. “You’re going to make me shoot like this.”

“I’m counting on it. As for your suspicions, put them to rest.” Matty took another deep breath and pushed more. He groaned at the exquisite sensations caused by Rusty milking him and knowing exactly what he was doing. “I’m just good at studying and I’m always for perusing extra material on the side.”

“Like porn?”

“No. Like paying attention to what makes you moan like this.” To make a point, Matty put his all behind his next move. Rusty rewarded him by throwing his head back and exposing his throat. That was what he had in mind. He made a meal out of eating the side of Rusty’s neck and listening to him gasp, grunt, and pant.

They were both doing that if he were completely honest. That meant that postponing it was not in the cards. Matty smothered his words of praise and affection by biting on Rusty’s neck and sucking at the taut flesh while he came inside that tight heat holding his cock prisoner.

What a top he was, he thought wryly as he moved away. He’d have to blow Rusty once he got his breathing to some kind of normalcy. “I’m sorry,” he said as he threw one arm over his eyes. “I thought I could go like that for longer.”

“Nothing to be sorry about. You’re a master at triggering my no-hands approach.”

Matty pushed himself up on his elbows and looked at Rusty’s belly that was properly messed with droplets of cum.

“Yeah, it was quite the ride,” Rusty commented and dipped his fingers into his own cum to taste it. “Want some?”

“All of it,” Matty confirmed and slammed his head on Rusty’s abdomen so that he could enjoy all that for as long as he wanted.

***

It was so damn dangerous, and he risked a lot by tiptoeing around the room while Matty was deep in sleep. Still, he couldn’t help himself. If there were anything else but what he was looking for in that closet, he’d make a one-eighty and forget all about it. If it were something like a human skeleton in there, he’d still say not one word.

He opened the doors carefully while keeping his eyes on Matty. Then, he had to turn his head so that he could look. At first, there appeared to be nothing of interest, just hoodies and sundry, so he crouched and began pushing away shoe boxes, until he caught a glimpse. Looking again at Matty, he put his whole right arm inside and began to feel for anything that could be hidden behind those boxes. His hand touched something furry. He smiled. He had felt the same sensation before. However, he wanted to be sure, so he pulled at the furry thing until he uncovered a full tail.

Matty turned in his sleep and Rusty froze. If he got caught, what would he do? Maybe he’d offer his body as payment for his transgression, but he had done that already, which left him with nothing to give. Damn, that was complicated stuff. Better not to be caught, then.

He searched blindly for more, his finger touching latex next. That had to be the cat boy suit, and what Matty had been hiding when he had come in earlier. Good. That was very good. There was a secret in Matty’s closet and it wasn’t being a gay dude. Xpress had no idea. Those shitheads either. And they would remain in the dark forever if he could help it. This felt good, too, to have secrets with Matty that no one else knew or shared.

Satisfied with his research, although a visual check would have sealed the deal, he closed the closet doors and returned to the bed. Everything was going according to plan. He was in no rush to unmask the cat boy now that he knew exactly who that was. It looked like Matty loved to play the same game, so all was cool.

Plus, he had practically admitted to liking Rybalt, too. Things were going really smoothly.

***

They were having snacks in bed, while checking their phones for the latest gossip, but it looked like Xpress was slow on the uptake today. Matty noticed right away how Rusty’s face changed when his phone began ringing. “Who’s that?”

“My dad,” Rusty said, working his jaw. “And I have a feeling he’s going to give me a hard time about something.”

“Does he check on you? All the time?”

“It’s his special perk. He can’t breathe if he’s not disappointed in me around the clock. I have to talk to him. I’ll go outside for a few minutes.”

“You can take it here. I’ll just put on headphones.”

“No, that’s fine. I’ll be right back.”

He couldn’t insist. Rusty’s relationship with his dad was clearly not the greatest, despite the efforts Rusty put into it by what Matty could tell after Gabriel’s birthday party. He was about to say that he could go for a little walk to allow Rusty to talk to his dad inside the room, since he was the guest, when his phone pinged with a message from Zoey.

How’s it hanging, stranger?

“Talk to your friend,” Rusty recommended. “And I’m telling you. This won’t take long.”

***

It wasn’t like he hadn’t been expecting that phone call. The coach must have called Roy, or Roy must have called the coach, and a very specific exchange of notes must have taken place between those two. In all truth, Rusty hadn’t found as much passion in himself as usual to keep up with basketball practice, now that he had Rybalt and his vocal coaching to occupy him. Time wasn’t exactly a problem, but he no longer found it in his heart to lie to himself. And what did it matter, anyway?

He had a feeling that his dad was going to give him a very exact answer to that question. So, he swiped to the right and put the phone by his ear. “Hi, dad,” he started, trying to sound cheerful. Apparently, it wasn’t so hard because Matty had put him in such a good mood that his sky didn’t get cloudy easily.

“Rusty.” His name was said with the same reproachful quality as ever. “Your coach tells me--”

“—that I haven’t been to practice for a couple of weeks,” he added promptly. Why bother to postpone the conflict? He had better things to do.

“Why?” Roy asked after a second that must have meant that Rusty had managed to take his dad by surprise by his sudden admission.

“Because I’m not going anywhere with this basketball thing. You said it yourself. It’s too late. And I’m not serious enough.”

“I don’t understand how you can be so flippant about it. It’s not only about basketball. It’s about being serious about something. About commitment.”

Rusty bit the inside of his mouth for a moment. He had a couple of things to tell his dad about commitment, such as leaving him alone with his fragile mom, when it wasn’t his job to take care of a parent at such a young age.

Roy mistook his silence for some kind of regret. “It’s not too late to get back in the saddle. The coach praises you. He says you’re really talented. Go back to practice.”

“I have better things to do,” Rusty said suddenly. He felt so tempted to say it to his dad’s face, that he was getting coached in a different way, and that was his true passion, but, at the same time, he knew that would be in vain. No, his dad would learn about it when he was going to sing on a stage for people who saw him for what he truly was, for his true passion.

“Such as what? Don’t tell me you study,” Roy said with unhidden contempt.

“Why tell you if you don’t believe me anyway?” he said, feeling his good mood turning sour, and his irritation growing.

“Why should I believe you if you’re lying?” his dad countered.

Rusty munched on his lower lip to stop himself from saying things he’d regret later. “I’m pursuing a different interest at the moment. You’ll know about it when the time is right.”

“Is that a new way for you to deflect? To shirk your responsibilities?”

“No,” Rusty replied in as cool a voice as he could muster. “But if you only showed me a bit of trust, if you were only satisfied with me for a moment--”

“If that’s what you want to do, do it,” his dad interrupted him. “Prove yourself.”

“Right. And then would you tell me if I did good or bad?”

“There’s no point in playing the victim here, son. You’re a grownup. You’re responsible for your choices.”

“And your responsibility to me extends to the end of this academic year, right?”

Roy remained silent for two beats. “Pursue whatever it is you want to pursue. Let me know when you’re done and ready to chase some other dream. You won’t get far like this in life. And I’m telling it to you because I care about you, and I don’t want to watch you crash and burn.”

“Like mom?” The temptation was too strong not to give in.

His dad let out a sigh. “Don’t say things like that. I’ve never said you were like her.”

But that didn’t stop him from thinking it, right? Rusty decided to let it go. There was no point to that kind of exchange. “I’ll prove myself, as you say. You’ll see.”

“I look forward to it. And before you get mad at me again for caring about you, I must tell you that I don’t mean it in an ironic way. Do your best, son.”

The end of that conversation left him in an unusual state. Was that some kind of blessing in disguise from his dad? Was he really free to chase his dreams? He leaned against the wall by Matty’s door, trying to process what had just happened.

***

As soon as Rusty was out the door, Matty used the opportunity to call Zoey. He really needed someone to confide in right now, after making the decision to pursue Rusty for as long as needed.

“Hey, cute little monkey,” he joked as soon as Zoey picked up.

“Are you trying to be funny? I can grow nails if needed.”

“It’s the nickname Rusty chose for you,” Matty explained.

“Then I’ll take it,” Zoey said solemnly, as if she’d just been given some medal by the president. “How are things on your front? Don’t ask about mine, and I mean it,” she warned.

“Well, Rusty’s here, I mean, he’s taking a phone call outside my room. He kissed me in front of people in the quad today,” he whispered.

“Wow. I mean, Matty, just wow. Did he propose already? When’s the wedding? Can I be your bridesmaid? Wait, there won’t be any bridesmaid? What’s the equivalent called? Groom-groom?”

“I think it’s bridesman, but there are no brides, either… Forget it, let me talk quickly, since Rusty might come back in a jiffy.”

“Then shoot. Gosh, I so love your love life. It’s like in the movies.”

“I’ll let that slide. I made a decision, Zoey. Rusty says he won’t let me go until I find a boyfriend. But I want him as my boyfriend. Do you see where I’m going with this?”

“Not very clearly. Are you saying that you’re going to just stay with Rusty without getting a boyfriend, while hoping he’ll become that boyfriend?”

“Something like that. I’m still planning.”

“How long are you going to keep this up, Matty?” Zoey asked. “I mean, it’s cool and all, but it might take a while.”

“Until we’re both old and grey. And then, I’ll say. Huh, Rusty, the joke’s on you. You’ve been my boyfriend the whole time,” Matty said cheerfully. Of course, Zoey was right, and he needed to work out a lot of kinks for the plan to become all smooth and proper for the ride.

“Geez. You’re not going to make an honest man out of him, then?” Zoey asked and tsked in playful disapproval.

“Don’t you think it would be tricky to get him in front of a minister without telling him what’s going on? I mean, if you want to pitch in with ideas, go ahead,” Matty said.

“The only idea that comes to my mind is to smack him hard over the head with something and drag him to the wedding completely unconscious. So, for now, I agree. But how are you going to explain the kids? Don’t even get me started with cats, dogs, shared mortgage—“

“Damn, Zoey, you’re putting me in a spot, aren’t you?” Matty groaned and moved the phone from one ear to the other.

“It’s your catch-22, not mine. So, think, Matty, think,” Zoey said.

“I’m trying,” Matty replied. He was, only he needed more time and some fresh ideas to get it all figured out.

“Use your other head,” Zoey recommended.

“Really, Zoey?”

“Yeah, really. The one on your shoulders isn’t brave enough.”

He had to laugh at that. “Thanks for the advice, partner. I knew I could count on you.”

“Always,” Zoey assured him cheerfully. “So, you’re spending your whole Sunday indoors like newlyweds who can’t get their hands off of each other?”

“Something like that.”

“Hey, how come Xpress hasn’t reported on your very public kiss?”

“Beats me,” Matty replied. “I thought they’d be all over it, but it looks like they either don’t know or don’t care.” Rusty walked into the room that very moment with a pensive expression on his face. “I gotta go, Zoey, talk to you later. Bye. Yeah, kisses.” He put the phone down and looked at Rusty, feeling a bit uneasy. “Is everything fine? With your family?”

Rusty shrugged. “Dad never talks about them unless it’s important. He just wanted to chew my ear for skipping basketball practice. I told him off. He took it better than expected. Which is major weird.”

Matty had known Rusty long enough to know that he wasn’t telling the whole truth and was even trying to downplay the importance of that call. “Maybe he just thinks that basketball is not that important.”

“It will be a cold day in hell when he thinks that. But, anyway, it looks like he’s done getting on my case for a while, which is good. Now, where were we?”

In the process of becoming real boyfriends. But Matty decided to keep that tidbit for himself.

TBC