Chapter 23

° Reginald Val Johnson

° The Next Day

Lunchbreak came and both brothers walked aide by aide towards their lockers, discussing what Cecil had told them last night.

"Are we seriously going to do this?" Matthew asked.

"I am. What about you?" Mark asked "Are you scared?"

"Mark" Matthew stared straight into his eyes "Cecil wants us to ride along a spacecraft headed for Mars. We'll be what? At least a few hundred thousand miles away from Earth and you're telling me that you're not the least bit nervous about it?"

Mark thought about it and shook his head, "I am. But thinking about it like that doesn't help. And I want to go to Mars, don't you?"

"That's not the poin--"

"And we'll be seeing Martians!" Mark whispered "How can you say no to that?"

Matthew closed his mouth and laughed.

Mark put his arm around his brother, "Think about it. We'll be ones first real contact with Martians! Outside of Martian Man. Imagine the things we'll see there"

His wonderment softened Matthew's hesitation and was fully wiped out after he added.

"And...no one can stop us from taking souvenirs" Mark smiled.

Matthew smiled back, "Alright. I'm sold"

Mark celebrated by throwing a victorious first to the air.

"But, I get first bids on the souvenirs"

"Also we need to prepare more than just sandwiches if we don't want to starve to death on a barren planet in the next two weeks" Matthew said "Unless you also want to try Martian cuisine? If there are any?"

Mark winced, "Oh, right. Yeah, let's do that"

They both arrived at their lockers, but Matthew paused a moment when he saw Eve rummaging through her own locker. Her curvy back and figure turned away from them.

"Hey, Eve" Mark called.

Eve turned and stiffened when he saw Matthew beside Mark, her eyes widening a little and her breathing took an involuntary pause before she managed to quickly calm herself down as if nothing had happened.

But Matthew saw it and cringed, not liking how uncomfortable she was feeling around him.

"Can we talk with you for a sec? I need some help about...Amber" Mark said, shifting her attention away.

Much to Matthew's relief.

"Sure" Eve said, "What's this about?"

She listened as Mark gave her a brief rundown on what happened last night with Cecil. Her eyes momentarily glanced at Matthew before going back to Mark.

"I assume the help you wanted from me was advice on whether or not you should tell her?" Eve asked pointedly.

"Yeah. Exactly" Mark scratched the back of his head "I don't want to lie to Amber, but I can't tell her the truth either"

"This is why dating regular people is a pain in the ass" Eve stated with a hint of irritation.

"Sure, but it's not like dating Rex worked out..."

Matthew facepalmed and whispered "Dude..."

That and Eve's cold glare made Mark realize what he did wrong.

"Changing the subject now" Mark quickly tried to remedy his mistake.

Eve sighed "As much as I'd love to help with your very special crisis, I've got my own crap to deal with now"

She furtively glanced at Matthew as she finished.

Matthew had enough of that and decided "I'm just gonna leave, this sounds like a personal issue anyway. So I'll let you two sort it out, okay?"

Matthew turned and quickly walked away, hating himself for not doing so sooner to avoid Eve's gaze.

A couple of steps before he took a turn, Eve called out for him.

"Matt! Wait!" she said, sounding hoarse and hurried over.

Matthew stopped and prepared for another round of angry looks and awkwardness. What he got instead was sympathy.

"We need to talk. Before you go to Mars" Eve said, standing in front of him.

Matthew was mildly surprised and dragged the both of them to a private spot where their conversation wouldn't be heard by anyone else.

Once there, Matthew began.

"Look, I'm just gonna say this upfront before anything else" Matthew said then explained "I am sorry, for taking advantage of you"

Eve shook her head after a bit of thought "Matt, that's not what happened. You know that. We both--"

"Let me finish, please" Matthew asked "I need to say it before I loose the nerve to"

Eve closed her mouth and nodded, looking at him patiently.

"I knew you were hurting from the break up, I saw it on your face. I made an effort to make you feel better cause I wanted to help. Then you mentioned that stuff about me being gay and all, I just..." Matthew paused "I didn't want to keep lying to you. Even if it meant you hating me afterwards, I was determined to be honest. So, I confessed"

Eve nodded slowly "I...think I understand. And thank you for taking that risk. I'll admit that it made me angry, or angrier at the time. Things just kept piling on that day that I'm surprised I didn't just snap. But instead, I just went and hooked up with a good friend"

"Okay" Matthew said, feeling both happy and hurt by the word 'good friend'.

Eve let out a heavy breath as she began "I am sorry too, Matt. I took advantage because I wanted--no, I needed to feel better about myself after the shit I went through that day. And you were there, being so kind and comforting. So when you confessed, I was honestly so overwhelmed at everything that I just wanted to feel good. And to forget, for just a moment"

Matthew watched her as she silently went through her emotions, letting her frustration and anger subside before he spoke up in reply. Choosing his words carefully as to not set her off or turn her on him by accident.

"I..." Matthew hesitated for moment then continued "I hope I helped with that at least"

"Yes. You were very...intense" Eve looked away, hiding the faint flush on her cheeks as she remembered the torrid night they shared.

"That's not--" Matthew looked to clarify but stopped "Wait, Did I hurt you? Is that you left early...?"

"No, you didn't. It wasn't like that, you were very sweet and amazing. I just...felt embarrassed, I don't really do this kind of thing. I only ever had sex with Rex ever since we got together" Eve clarified.

Matthew nodded, hiding the hint of a smile at being called amazing in bed.

They both fell silent afterward, their words rattling in each other's minds as they processed it slowly. Eventually, Matthew spoke.

"So what now?" Matthew asked solemnly.

"...I don't know. What do you want to do?" Eve asked solemnly.

"Well, for one thing I don't want things to be awkward for us, for Mark, Madison, and our friends. I'd hate to do that to them" Matthew admitted.

"...I'd hate that too. But I don't think I want to be in a relationship either, at least not right now or anytime soon. I have some personal stuff I need to deal with first before I even think about it" Eve agreed, meeting his eyes "And that's not even counting the shit with Rex"

"I...I'm totally okay with that, just being friends for now. Let's just treat this as a momentary lapse in judgement. A secret between us that will hopefully never be mentioned again" Matthew suggested.

"Okay. Sounds good" Eve finally smiled, relief filling her at his promise.

"And honestly, I'm already...kind of...seeing someone else" Matthew admitted shyly.

"Oh wow. That was fast" Eve smiled, sounding amused and a little disappointed. Not that she'd tell him.

"I met her during the Guardians tryouts, she was the reason why I was so horny at that day. She teased a lot and her friend--Anyway, her name is Throwbolt" Matthew explained.

Eve thought about it for a moment, "The rocker blonde with the electric powers right? The one who went up against Black Samson?"

"Yep" Matthew nodded.

"Wow. That's shocking" Eve said with a satisfied smirk.

Matthew cringed "Really? Did you have to?"

Eve shrugged, "Helps with the awkwardness a little"

"Sure" Matthew shook his head a tiny smile on his lips

"And also" he added, grasping the opportunity for a comeback "I really don't want to wake up one day just to find my penis turned into a literal rock. My superhero career is ending because I can't call myself Superboy anymore"

Eve burst out laughing "Oh my god, that was just a joke! I wouldn't do that!"

"Just saying, you're pretty powerful. Don't wanna be on your bad side" Matthew held up both hands in surrender.

"You're unbelievable" Eve shook her head before going back to her calm expression.

"So we just pretend nothing happened?" Eve suggested.

"Yes. We keep it a secret and just not talk about it with anyone. It's not that difficult right?" Matthew countered.

"Okay. I can live with that" Eve answered "We don't need to talk about it unless it comes up"

"Good" Matthew gave a light bow "It was my first time and I don't think that I'd like the peanut gallery to comment on my perf--"

"Wait a minute" Eve held up a hand, looking suddenly shocked as if what she just heard was unbelievable "That was your FIRST TIME?"

Her emphasis on the words 'first time' was odd to Matthew, but he answered nonetheless.

"Yes. It was" he said and his lower reaction to remembering it wasn't helping him keep his calm.

"But...where did you learn that thing with your fingers and mouth?" Eve asked sheepishly but very curious.

Matthew cleared his throat, repressing his own embarrassment on remembering what she was referring to "Let's just say that... I'm a fast learner and I saw a few useful tips from a bald doctor/astronaut/teacher/engineer online"

Eve looked very impressed with that answer, though she had her doubts about it that she kept to herself. Reliving the memory made her blush once again.

"Anyway" Matthew held out a hand towards her, hoping to push the embarrassing topic out of the way "We good?"

Eve took it after she calmed herself and shook firmly "We're good"

"Alright" Matthew rose "Now, if you'll excuse me I have something to tell my best friend before I go galavanting into space"

"Are you talking about--"

"Yep, I got the idea from you and Mark. It's about time I reveal it to her" Matthew said as he walked away with a confident smile.

Eve watched him walk away and had to admit that their little fling might not have been as bad as she thought it to be given how Matthew handled it with her.

****

School ended early, much to Matthew's luck as he dragged Madison away from her usual routine to walk around the school a bit before they went home.

Madison wore her school jersey and a fit tee with a dice logo emblazoned in green fire in the center of it, with fit dark wash jeans and a set of pure white shoes. Her simple ensemble drew easily from those around her as she passed.

But to Matthew, it was merely her being expressive today.

"So" Madison spoke "What's this all about, Matty? Anything special happened today?"

"Hmm? Why'd you ask that?" Matthew asked.

"Well, you're walking a little differently today and your eyes are less dumb to look at now" Madison answered.

"Wow" Matthew chuckled "That was totally unnecessary"

"I call it like I see it. And you look excited about something right now" Madison replied with a curious squint at Matthew.

Matthew shook his head, amazed at his best friend's intuition.

"You're right. I am excited, about several things" Matthew admitted "First of those would be that I'm seeing someone, and she's hot"

Madison's eyes widened as glee spread across her face and she gripped Matthew's arm, "Oh my god! Finally! Who is she??"

Her excitement made Matthew wanna hug her but he stopped himself "Her name is Alicia, and she's a college student at UU"

"Ohhh" Madison cooed and slapped his ass"You're dating a college girl, that takes some balls. Good on you!"

Matthew, despite the invulnerability, still felt the slap and flinched.

"So when can I meet her? And how hot is she?" Madison added, her excitement and joy skyrocketing with anticipation.

"She's busy with her classes at the moment. As for her hotness, I can show this" Matthew said as he brought out his phone and showed her a picture of Alicia and him on one of their dates.

"Oh, she's a blondie! And look at that style, and that body. Meow" Madison gushed "She looks absolutely killer"

Matthew looked at her strangely after the catty meow but otherwise enjoyed her approval.

"Alright, get your paws off my girl you pussy cat" Matthew put away his phone, much to Madison's complaints.

"Oh, I see" Madison nodded dismissively "Already getting territorial, are we?"

Matthew laughed, "Nah, I just don't want this conversation to go off on a horny tangent. I have something more important to say"

"But--"

"Once I'm done with my mission, you can ask me all you want about Alicia" Matthew promised.

"Your mission?" Madison quirked an eyebrow in confusion "What mission?"

"I'll be talking about that later. For now, let's talk about you" Matthew said, guiding her back on topic.

"Okay...what about me?" Madison asked.

"What do you like about DnD so much?" Matthew asked.

Madison's grin grew wide, "What do I like about it? Everything! From the story-telling, to the fights, to the monsters or NPC we encounter, and even to the people we share those moments with. But for me, the most special thing is the dice"

"The dice?" Matthew asked, taken a slightly aback by the unexpected reply.

"Yes. You can't influence it in any way at all, other than your modifiers of course. Sometimes you fail and sometimes you succeed, but all in all it is completely random" Madison explained, "But every once in a while, when the fate of the game rests on that one roll and everything just aligns perfectly with the story your making"

They both stopped as Madison took in a moment to appreciate a memory she had while Matthew stood there, mentally watching with her and immersing in her wonder of that moment.

"That was beautiful" Matthew said.

"It is...wanna try it with me?" Madison beamed.

"Maybe later. Once I have free time" Matthew said.

"Promise?" Madison held out her pinkie.

Matthew entwined his own on hers and said, "Promise"

Matthew stared at her for a moment and made his decision, "Did you ever imagine flying in one of those games, Mady?"

"Of course! Dozens of times. I play wizard a lot and there's an actual spell called Fly in it too" she answered.

"Well then" Matthew smiled mischievously and pulled her close "How'd you like to experience it for real?"

"What are you--Ah!!!" she screamed.

Matthew gently scooped her off feet and into his arms, then flew off at a brisk speed up to the sky.

****

Matthew hadn't put Madison down because of one very loud problem. She was still screaming his ears off even after 5 minutes of being princess carried across the skies.

The reason was obvious. She was pissed at her best friend.

"You fucking asshole!" she screamed "Who the hell doesn't warn someone first before flying off!? And how the hell are we flying right now?"

Matthew conceded that his approach might've required a little bit more planning and consideration, but it was too late to regret it now.

He slowed his flight speed down to a manageable level before he spoke with a wry smile "Sorry, Mady. I fucked that reveal up pretty thoroughly didn't I?"

"No shit, Matt!" Madison fumed, her fingers coiling around his earlobes and tugging them in annoyance "You could've done in several less stupid ways and then you went with just dragging your best friend into the sky screaming her soul out? Really??"

Matthew bit his lips to hold in his laughter as she pulled in vain, which only added to Madison's annoyance as she resorted to pinching his nose.

"Mady" Matthew said in a nasally voice "I am really sorry, but I was so excited to tell you that I couldn't think of anything else"

Madison went to further pour her annoyance at him for a few more minutes she stopped and calmed down, though the anger in her voice still remained.

"Fuck you" she said.

"Yeah. I deserve that" Matthew grinned at her smugly "Love you too"

Madison pushed his face away "Wipe that stupid look on your face. You owe me for this"

"Wha--" Matthew wanted to protest but was silenced by the look Madison was giving him.

"You OWE me" Madison repeated for emphasis.

Matthew sighed and nodded in defeat.

"Good. Now take me somewhere that has food. I want you to properly explain to me how all of this happened and what the hell this mission of yours is while I eat" Madison gestured to all of Matthew.

"Yes, ma'am. I know just the place. Hold on tight" Matthew warned as he ascended and sped up.

The two of them sat above a Burger Mart branch that was close by, sitting on the rooftop as Matthew began to tell his superpower origin story to Madison with a double burger in both their hands and a 1.5 liter cola sitting between them. Madison was listening to his story intently until he got to the part where Matthew picked a hero name for himself, at which point Madison laughed.

"SuperBOY?" Madison said, emphasizing the BOY with a mocking giggle "Oh my god, that is so you!"

Matthew frowned as she continued.

"You literally had so many names to choose from that with S. I can think of 8 at the top of my head" Madison said and held a finger with each name "Solarian, Stellar, Scion, Sentinel, Senturion, Sky Knight, Star Superion, and Supreme. And even Superman would've been better than Superboy"

Matthew's eye twitched in annoyance "I had my reasons for--"

"Oh, don't tell me. Let me guess" Madison looked at him "It's because you're still 17 and not 18, right? Hence the 'BOY' thing"

Matthew looked away and rolled his eyes, not answering.

Madison laughed "Matty, matty. You are so obvious"

"Can we move on from that now?" Matthew asked, almost begging.

"Okay. Okay" Madison said "So, to sum up, you're a half alien hybrid who has superpowers and your dad is some kind universal aid worker on a mission. Cool, but you still haven't told me whatever this mission is. Does it have anything to do with the super heroes of earth?"

"Yes and no" Matthew answered "It's from the government. They wanted to get in contact with the Martians and Dad was slotted to go with the space shuttle lifting off soon, but Mom didn't want to. So we--"

"Wait a minute" Madison raised a hand towards him and stared at him intently "You mean you're going to space and meeting Martians? Actual Martians?"

Matthew narrowed his eyes "Yes..."

Madison suddenly stood and placed both her hands on Matthew's face, focusing on her pale baby blue eyes.

"I'm gonna cash in my IOU. RIGHT NOW"