***

Damn, it felt good to be the king. Rusty stretched and placed his arms around two girls who giggled instantly as soon as he touched them. They were new and very much willing to be introduced to the lord of the realm. Still, as the true king, Rusty needed to postpone his personal pleasure until later and see that everyone was having fun. Therefore, he let himself be kissed on the cheeks by the two new cheerleaders for one-man-team Rusty and moved on. He checked the drinks, the music, the guy pretending to be the DJ… eh, they could do better in that department, and maybe later, he’d take over. Some people didn’t know good music if it hit them in the face.

“Man, you gotta try this.” A dude from Kane’s team pushed a plastic cup into his hand. “Top notch. You won’t know what hit you.”

Rusty looked into the cup with doubt. He was all for experimenting, and he had tried some crazy shit in his life, so he knew exactly what he didn’t want to try again. Like the guy could read his mind, he added, “It’s just booze, dude. My captain would kill me if I slipped you something, what the heck?”

Yeah, Kane would totally have the dude’s ass if anything weird happened. So, Rusty shrugged and drank all the content in one gulp. It was kind of bitter and gross. Rusty turned toward the dude. “Did you piss in it? Just give it to me straight.”

The guy made a face like he’d never heard a joke in his life. “No, dude, what the fuck?”

Rusty patted him on the shoulder. “Then we’re good.”

Ugh, but that thing had been strong. It went right to his head. It was most probably something completely unimaginative, like a combination of the strongest liquors college kids could get their hands on. He sat on the nearest sofa, deciding to take a break and admire his kingdom. Then he noticed a curly mass of hair sitting on top of a head. And the head was attached to no other than the keeper of Matthew Han’s dirty secrets, Zoey. Since he had learned about her, he had been curious. Yeah, so she and Matthew were the kind of people who flew under his radar, usually, but.

He didn’t finish his thought and propelled himself to his feet. There was a chance a certain stuck-up tutor was around, with Zoey in the house. Without wasting a moment, he made a beeline for her. She was bracing the wall and examining the room with avid eyes. Rusty observed her line of sight closely.

When her mouth went slack into a heartfelt sigh like a heroine in a historical romance book, he was by her side. “Hi.”

He was so abrupt and loud to cover the music, that Zoey had to catch her glasses, threatening to slide off her nose. She gave him a rabbit-like look, but then cleared her throat and regained her composure. “Your Majesty,” she said.

Oh, look, a smartass. No wonder Matthew kept her company. Birds of a feather, he would bet.

To raise the stakes, he planted one hand on the wall over her head and leaned in. “I didn’t catch your name.”

Zoey grinned at him, looked at his arm above her, then back at him. “Bark up another tree, dude. I’m not into royalty.”

Ouch. Was that a slap in the face? A cold shower? A kick right in the eggos? “Everyone’s into royalty,” Rusty said with emphasis.

“Come on, cut to the chase. You don’t even know who I am. So you either placed a weird bet with someone, or you’re drunker than you think.”

Her frankness left him speechless. For like a second. “But I do know who you are,” he drawled and paused for effect, “Zoey.”

Her eyes grew wide, just like Matthew’s, so big and shiny behind the glasses. “Did Matty tell you something weird about me?”

“Matty?” Rusty asked, forgetting to keep the charm turned on.

Zoey rolled her eyes. “Your tutor. Wait, did he introduce himself to you under a different name?”

Rusty blinked. This chick was nuts. And he was nuts for talking to her. Not quite. “You mean, Matthew,” he said. “Does he like Matty better?”

“Why don’t you ask him yourself?” Zoey said and grinned.

Good. Straight to the matter at hand. “Where is he?”

Zoey’s smirk turned mischievous. “Why do you want to know?”

“He’s my tutor, and I have questions,” Rusty delivered in a deadpan voice.

“On Saturday night? At a party?” Zoey gestured around.

“My thirst for knowledge never sleeps. Take me to him. Minion.” He wanted to get on her nerves a little. Chicks were usually more tactful, not like this mini-beast.

Zoey made a face. “But I just got here. I’m not taking you halfway across the campus only so you can wake up Matty.”

“What? He’s sleeping?” Rusty didn’t know whether this Zoey chick was pulling his leg or not.

“I kid you not. How do you think he keeps his skin like that? With sacrifices, obviously.”

“I can’t let this happen. That old man will turn eighty and be full of regrets before he knows it. Where is his room?”

“You’re actually a bit older than him, and your signs--” Zoey stopped and closed her mouth tightly. “I’ll tell you where his room is, but don’t tell him you heard it from me,” she added quickly. “Be warned. The little prince turns into a demon at night.”

“You mean he’s not one all the time?” Rusty asked and smiled broadly.

Zoey matched his grin with hers. “Don’t let appearances fool you. If you like cookies, he’s it.”

Rusty licked his lips. He was much in the mood for some cookies, actually.

***

Matty took a deep breath. Some college kids were at parties at that hour. Others were asleep. Some others surely played video games.

And he was the only one doing the most abnormal thing in the history of college kids everywhere. However, according to extensive research on the matter, in order to get into character, so to speak, he needed to push his boundaries, test his limits, and walk outside… dressed as a cat boy.

He kept to the shadows, avoiding the groups of rowdy young men and women hopping from party to party. It was beyond strange to be out in the open, wearing that tight latex suit that glued itself to his body like a second skin, fully equipped with a mask and cat ears. At least people who saw him by accident would think there was a costume party somewhere, or that they were a bit too drunk.

Also, it was a college campus. Maybe dudes dressed as cat boys weren’t the norm, but they wouldn’t be as frowned upon, either.

He shook his shoulders trying to relax. Did people wear this kind of thing in a non-ironic way? And if yes, how did they do it? Matty felt extremely foolish. Good thing no one paid him any mind since he was careful to move behind the leafy hedge, being sure not to make any noises.

How long did it count as significant exposure for a first try? Not even Zoey knew about his crazy plans. After arguing with him for an entire hour to convince him to attend the same party Rusty was going to, she had decided that he was hopeless. She would have such a laugh right now if she saw him. He just didn’t have the guts to face Rusty, not after that bold kiss… that he was still thinking of every waking moment. Before Jonathan had come knocking, he could swear Rusty was starting to react… but that was probably his wishful thinking and nothing else. What he needed was to put some distance between that moment and the next time he faced Rusty Parker. And experiment with the cat boy suit, obviously.

Hmm, he was starting to feel a little better. Actually, the costume was pretty well made, and it granted him excellent freedom of movement. Maybe he couldn’t do an entire parkour run dressed like this, but it didn’t mean that he was hindered in any way while performing quite taxing physical tasks.

Matty pondered the wall in front of him. Well, since he was supposed to get inside the mind of a feline, maybe he could try that. It was no feat for him to catch the edge with his hands and then pull himself up. Once on the ledge, he crouched for balance and looked around. What did you know? It felt quite liberating and fun.

The back wall went around a part of the campus, so, if he wanted, he could walk slowly and remain out of sight. Emboldened by that decision, he stood straight and put his hands on his hips.

It was kind of fun to pretend to be a cat boy.

***