***

Hudson had no idea what to make of his cute neighbor’s reaction to being called just what he was. The slightly parted lips were maddening if he only looked at them. They reminded him of the kiss they had shared not too long ago. You… taste good. Such a simple admission from a beautiful young man who was staring at him as if he had just seen something astonishing, never having been seen before.

He had no intention of being a flirt. In retrospect, the kiss had been a mistake, but he wouldn’t say it out loud. Otis was likely to misunderstand, as it seemed to be his usual reaction to almost everything. He was fragile, Hudson realized. He needed to be treated gently and with care. Was there such a person as a good man for Otis out there? The young man deserved him if he existed.

To gather his thoughts and explain to Otis how to search for such a man and not waste his time and effort on douchebags, he let his eyes to travel to the wall of BDSM paraphernalia. Was he really the guy to give proper advice? Otis didn’t know his true purpose here, but a wall full of whips, paddles, leashes and whatnot didn’t serve well to recommend him.

He sensed Otis getting up from his seat and walking toward him. He turned his head just a moment too late. The next, Otis was all over him, wrapping his arms clumsily around his shoulders and going for a kiss. The surprise was so great, and Otis so enthusiastic in his attack that Hudson lost his balance and, together with his neighbor, he ended up slipping out of the chair and right onto the floor.

Otis appeared little fazed by their fall and continued to search Hudson’s mouth with his tongue. Their lips met without much trouble, and the eagerness that exuded from the other’s entire being knocked him off his feet. Which was very apropos, seeing how they were already sprawled on the floor.

All thoughts about mistakes and doing the right thing flew out the window that very moment. Otis’s mouth was so hot on his, and even if it appeared that its owner had close to no clue in regards to what he was doing, it felt better than anything else he had experienced in his life so far. That was quite high praise for the pretty klutz in his arms. At some point, without even realizing it, he had also wrapped his arms around the other and was now holding him close.

As the guy in charge, as he should have been, he had to guide them both along that treacherous path. So, he snuck one hand up to bury into the lush hair at the back of Otis’s head, to steady him in his attack and retreat flailing stratagem. He imposed the rhythm by taking the other’s plump lips between his and then coaxing them into opening so that he could sneak his tongue inside and begin to taste Otis properly.

His cute neighbor had one sweet mouth on him. He was also emitting the cutest moans Hudson had ever heard in his life. The men he had hooked up with were usually experienced, business-like, just like him. It wasn’t like him even to approach someone like Otis. Not that he didn’t like this kind of buttoned-up, tidied-up, endearing young men. Quite the contrary. But he was firm in his beliefs that he wasn’t the right type for them, and that it was obvious from the get-go that there was no point in trying.

It looked like such beliefs no longer held their usual place at the moment, because he was enjoying kissing Otis a lot. Even more, he was being kissed back, a slippery tongue, as sweet as honey, moving in and out of his mouth, in simulation of something else. He could tell that his cock very much agreed with that provocation, and he used one arm to press Otis against him hard, to make him understand exactly what his erratic attacks were doing to him.

He moved his other hand from the back of Otis’s head to his ear, slowly massaging its edge between his thumb and forefinger, then stroking it slowly against the temple next to the never seen eye. His fingers met a raised ridge of flesh and, just as he was trying to figure out what it was, Otis stopped abruptly and pulled himself away from the touch.

Hudson had to admit that he couldn’t really remember the last time a kiss had left him as breathless as he was now. Otis touched his temple, self-consciously.

“How did you get that?” Hudson asked, not one to beat around the bush.

“It doesn’t matter,” Otis replied and pulled his bangs down to cover the area properly.

Not a lie, not it’s an old scar, not something along the lines of you wouldn’t believe the kind of crazy things I used to do as a kid. What wasn’t being said hung heavily between them. Hudson caressed Otis’s face. “Is your shyness curable, after all?” he asked playfully, not wanting to press something that shouldn’t concern him. After all, they were nothing but neighbors. The kind of neighbors that kissed each other breathless.

***

Otis couldn’t believe a lot of things. It was as if, ever since that morning, he had turned into someone else, brave enough to lunge at his handsome neighbor and start kissing him. Another astonishing thing had been that he hadn’t been pushed away, but instead, kissed back. Of course, there was the matter of the Wound, with a capital W, something that people usually didn’t comment on, but Hudson had, nonetheless. Missy at work hadn’t said a word about it, nor had his manager, but maybe they just didn’t care. The customers hadn’t been put off by the sight of it, since Mr. Smith had him keep both his eyes bare, and that had been a relief, too. About Jackie, Otis wasn’t so sure. While talking to him, Otis had tried to face him by offering only his good side, so maybe the reason why Jackie still seemed so keen on turning him into arm candy was that he hadn’t noticed.

“My shyness is the problem,” he said energetically, as he finally remembered that he still had a tongue, as much as he had been keen on lending it to Hudson indefinitely for the last several minutes. Was that how long the kiss had lasted? It had felt short and long at the same time. And, lo and behold, he hadn’t combusted from it. Go figure; he just needed some proper exposure, after all.

Hudson smiled at him and caressed his face slowly. “Well, it looks like something good did come out of this little session of ours. You kissed me.”

Otis munched on his bottom lip nervously. “Yes,” he squeaked. Why was he back to feeling awkward, after having kissed Hudson? That had been insanely brave, now that he looked back. But it had turned out well, because Hudson hadn’t appeared to mind it at all. On the contrary, there had been signs of a certain type of desire being awakened in the other.

And now that he thought about the hardness poking him in the crotch, the one behind the fly of Hudson’s jeans, he was starting to feel breathless again.

“So, do you believe me now?” Hudson asked, unexpectedly.

“About what?” Otis shot back, while trying to adjust his position without drawing too much attention to himself.

“That you’re beautiful. I wouldn’t kiss just anyone,” Hudson said, and he had that playful smile on, the one that showed his dimple the most.

“I kissed you,” Otis pointed out.

“Ah, you’re such a stickler for details. How about we return to a vertical position?” Hudson proposed.

“Certainly,” Otis said right away. He tried to push himself up, but Hudson caught him again and kissed him tenderly on the lips without sneaking in his tongue this time around.

It was only after that Hudson allowed him to get to his feet. Otis offered his hand and Hudson took it. Once they were both up, Otis couldn’t help but notice the difference in height between them once again. This time, however, he did tip his head back to look at his neighbor. “Can you teach me?” he said in a heartbeat, before he lost all courage.

“Teach you about dating?” Hudson asked and brought one hand up to push Otis’s hair behind his ear, the one opposite to the side with the Wound.

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

“How much do you charge?” Otis asked dutifully.

Hudson’s dark eyes bore into his. It was easy to get dizzy just by looking. “Are we still on about that? For you, it’s free.”

“So, it isn’t free for the other men,” Otis concluded out loud.

“What men? Ah, you mean, my usual visitors,” Hudson said and laughed for no apparent reason. “You are nothing like them.”

Otis finally got the guts to look at the wall with leashes. “Do they like to pretend to be dogs?”

“Dogs?” Hudson seemed a bit surprised by the question. “Yes, some of them.”

“Can I do that?”

“No.” The answer had been a bit too forceful, and it took Otis by surprise. Could it be that it was actually Hudson who...? No, that couldn’t be right. He seemed more like a dog owner to him. “Here is what I suggest, Otis. If you’re in a hurry to date, just don’t. Not until I teach you everything you need to know to land the right boyfriend.”

That seemed reasonable. Otis had thought himself in a bit of a hurry, being twenty-two and all, but now he had a teacher, so he could postpone it a bit. “I would very much like that,” he said directly. “And I’m no longer in a hurry, now that I have found you.”

“Good.” Hudson patted him on the head and then kissed him on the forehead. “Then, off you go now. Whenever you feel in the need for advice, knock on my door.”

Otis was in a daze as he was guided toward that same door. Only after he reached his apartment did he realize that it would’ve been easier to ask Hudson for his phone number and establish their business meetings by that method of communication.

***