#dud

"you can make big money with investments. huge money even, up until the point where you barely know what do to with all of it anymore." the words seem legit, they do make sense, but dud is still a little confused.

"and how do you invest? because i could definitely use some money right now, i still have to figure out some debt from my dad's business shutting down and me inheriting-"

"there you are honey, i was wondering where you were." his question is interrupted by a soft but firm voice, and he whips around as fast as his still healing leg allows, only to lock eyes with probably the prettiest stranger he has ever seen. sweet smile, kind gaze, the type of person that he would spill all of his secrets to and trust them to keep everything to themselves. you grab his hand into yours, intertwine your fingers, and he sighs in relief when the warmth of your touch lets him know he isn't dreaming all of this.

"we're almost late for our dinner reservation, c'mon handsome, let's get going," you muse, leaning around dud's tall frame to fix the guy with a reluctant glare. "sorry to pull him away, and good luck on your... selling." you try to sound as polite as possible, you really do. it doesn't really work.

with a quick tug, dud follows your steps as you lead him towards the side of the mall until you're hidden by the trees lining the building.

you know the guy, sadly, know that he tries to fuck everyone over that has the unfortunate experience of walking into his field of view. like a pokémon trainer, really, if you think about it- with a small chuckle, you turn around to the blond stranger, who's still holding your hand tightly and seems absolutely smitten. a tilt of your head, nod towards your hands, and he lets go with widened eyes and raised brows.

"shit, i'm sorry- you're just warm, and pretty, and you have such a nice voice? and i thought that the guy was kinda talking weird stuff that i didn't really understand well, but i was too awkward to say anything so thank you so so much for helping me. you really didn't have to, but you still did-" you shush him with a small giggle. he's cute.

"no worries, really. i'm glad i could help you out, i know how difficult it can be to get away from shady business ventures," you muse, and dud's shoulders relax at your gentle tone. oh god, you're pretty. real pretty.

with a sheepish scratch of his neck, dud sighs.

"can i... repay you somehow? maybe clean your pool? i used to have a business for that until my dad died and-" this time, he stops himself from elaborating even further, but you chuckle. oh he's really cute, you think. perfectly silly and rambly, too. his heart skips a beat at hearing your little laugh.

"i don't have a pool," you tease and can see him visibly deflate - there goes his chance of seeing you again under that pretense. "but i'm free this evening, if you want to, i don't know, grab something to eat? even if you really don't have to repay me anything."

the way his sky blue eyes light up with a sparkle, a shimmer, has your breath catch. his shy grin even more so.

"please, yes, i want to - you got me out of another bad financial decision, the least i can do is pay for your food. how does 7 sound? there's a small diner down the street from where i live that's admittedly a bit greasy but the food is really good otherwise!" dud is all but bouncing on the soles of his feet, eagerly awaiting your response, and how could you possibly say no to him? with a sweet smile, you nod.

"sounds perfect. can you give me your number? that way you can send me the address and tell me if you run late or anything gets in the way," you tilt your head at him and he swears he's never seen anything more adorable, thanks every sun and star and moon in your universe that you found him. grinning brightly, he holds out his hand.

"sure! give me your phone? i'll put it in."

dud hasn't thought this hard about what to wear in... well, admittedly, never. he always just threw on whatever he had laying around, whatever was clean enough to not smell weird or have any big stains visible. for emergencies, he has a scent freshener he borrowed from his sister once and never gave it back.

one look at his phone, and he curses. if he doesn't leave in about 5 minutes, he's going to be late, and he really doesn't want to fuck things up with you right from the start.

naturally then, he does what he always does - grabs a simple blue hawaii shirt, throws it over his shoulders and leaves it unbuttoned since he was already wearing a white top underneath. small check of the collar, and it smells clean, he must've washed it recently and just forgot to fold it. the cargo shorts he fishes out of his laundry basket are also still alright, and he almost stumbles over his own feet as he hurries to put the pants on. the bandage around his knee peeks out a little bit, but he doesn't care. at least he doesn't need his crutches anymore.

he arrives at the diner just a minute late, and you're already waiting outside the door with a soft smile when dud comes into view. you were already wearing a cozy looking outfit when he first saw you, and not much changed now - the combination of clothes is effortlessly you, just like the chaos of his clothes is perfectly him.

you don't know if you're supposed to hug, he doesn't either, but you don't really care when the awkward wrapping of limbs still brings you a soothing warmth.

dinner is still a bit awkward, but endearing at the same time. he rambles, you listen, and the food is as greasy but delicious as he promised once your order arrives at the table. now, with the food gone, plates emptied, you rest your chin on your palm and stare on as you try to comprehend his musings to the best of your ability. at realising your unwavering eye contact, dud trails off slowly.

"you're... actually listening? because i know that i talk a lot, about many things, and i don't wanna bore you," he timidly asks, and you shake your head with a bright laugh that eases his mind.

"no! no, i actually prefer listening over anything. hearing you talk is lovely, you have a nice voice as well, and i'm just taking in what you're saying."

dud could swear the universe placed the perfect person right in front of him that afternoon, and he sends out a quick, thankful prayer to whatever deity or higher power might listen.

"you said you live close by, right? if you want we could continue at your place?" you offer, and he remembers the small mess he left behind in his bedroom. actually, most of his apartment - but you honestly don't seem like you would care or comment.

"sure!"

he was right in his assumption when he holds the door open for you, far too entranced by what he's muttering about to notice the chaos. and hey, at least he had a sofa and a tv now and not only bed, wardrobe and kitchen. after kicking off your shoes at the entry, you follow him as he grabs a beer each for you two and sink into the surprisingly comfortable couch cushions right beside him.

"alchemy is super interesting, super fun to learn about, too. there's this thing, called a magnum opus if i recall correctly, that's basically the key process to creating the philosopher's stone." dud takes a swig of his beer, you mirror him, and settle a little closer until your knee brushes his.

in the small pause in his rambles, you lean in, press a small kiss to the corner of his lips. he freezes, and you grin.

"thank you for the dinner, dud, i forgot to mention it earlier when you paid." dud all but giggles after getting over a brief moment of surprise, completely forgetting what he wanted to say. but when you remind him that he was explaining the main gist behind magnum opus, he perks up again, falling back into the flow even as you press another kiss to his cheek. a kiss to his nose has him scrunch it cutely and peck your nose right back between sentences, before finally, you plant one on his lips mid-word. it's short, sweet, uncaring that his mouth is a little open, and he chases your touch when you pull back after just a few seconds. his eyes are a little more unfocused than before, but at your encouraging nod, he slowly starts talking again.

"there's four stages, really, it took me a while to grasp their concept but i finally managed." you kiss his bottom lip, let your teeth graze it, and he shudders but doesn't stop.

"we got the nigredo, at least i think it's pronounced like that, and it basically just means that things have to fall apart, decompose if you want to create the stone-" another kiss to his jaw, one that stays a bit longer and makes him stumble over his words, has his breath tremble on the next exhale. your hand carefully lands on his thigh as you lean in even closer.

"then there's albedo, oh-" you kiss his throat, lips lingering a little more.

"keep talking, handsome," you muse, voice low and sultry, and he has to physically shake himself out of his stupor.

"the-" he coughs, "the albedo is the purification, bringing light into the darkness of the nigredo and the citri- citrus- the yellowness, fuck, there we go-" dud groans weakly when your lips lock around the skin above his pulse, sucking it cautiously between your teeth, only letting it snap back when you're satisfied with the faint mark it left. but he doesn't want to disappoint you, so he continues his broken ramble even as you keep caressing the side of his sensitive neck with your lips and tongue, brush his hair away with warm fingers.

"it's where the sun in oneself is bright enough to not need the moonlight anymore-" his words break off into a moan when you use your leverage on his uninjured leg - he had explained what happened in detail - to slide off his couch, sink down onto your knees in front of him.

his mind short-circuits, mouth open but no words coming out as his eyes zero in on your coy smile, on the way your fingers nimbly open the button and fly of his shorts.

"this alright?" you mumble quietly, almost shy at his response, and the nod he gives you is nothing short of enthusiastic.

"please," he breathes, and you smile up at him as you hook your fingers into his waistband and start pulling. with a lift of his hips to make it easier for you, his pants and briefs quickly pool at his ankles, keeping his knees spread wide around your frame.

"as long as you keep talking, what you're explaining sounds interesting." dud nods a little dumbly. your kisses, and the view of you between his legs, already have him half hard when he comes into view, long and not too thick resting against his thigh. any thought about alchemy flees from dud's brain when your hand loosely wraps around his dick, gives it a few, careful strokes that have his stomach tense where his undershirt had ridden up slightly. the trail of ginger hairs down to his base has your mouth water.

you press a tiny kiss to his tip, pull away just barely so he can still feel your breath hit his sensitive length, and lock eyes with him.

"you said it was four stages?"

"y-yeah, uhm, the last one is rubed- oh fuck-" his head falls back against the cushions when your lips wrap around the tip, even if he wants to keep his gaze on you, keep engraining the view into his mind. your tongue swirls around the head of his dick, humming in enjoyment at the salty taste of the already beading precum, and you can feel him harden fully in your hand when you suck.

dud tries to talk, he really does, but anytime he gathers the words on his tongue you give a flick of yours and they dissolve into groans. a moan from you, and his hips buck up, forcing himself deeper into your mouth and making you let out a small gag.

"fuck, baby, i'm sorry-" the apology goes unnoticed when you separate for a deep intake of air before going down again with fervour and hunger.

the raspy moans when you start bobbing your head at a steady pace are the most beautiful sounds you've ever heard, you've ever had grace your ears, and you're eager to pull many more from his long parted lips. what doesn't fit into your mouth, you stroke with one hand, the other moving down to cup his tight, heavy balls, massage them gently when the contact drags a breathy whine from his chest.

one look up, and you're awarded with the prettiest sight - his hands, hovering above you, are twitching as if not knowing whether he's allowed to touch you or not, his collarbones are already covered in a sheen layer of sweat, and his marked throat is bared as he bites his lips in an effort to stay quiet. it's a futile attempt when you inhale through your nose and swallow him down a little more, until his tip hits the back of your throat and it pulls a muffled gag from you.

your jaw starts to ache, but the rough whimper that breaks free from the man above you is worth it.

finally, his fingers thread through your hair, tugging you closer in his haze of pleasure, and the delicioius pull on your scalp makes you moan around him. in return, his hips jerk helplessly once more, and your nose brushes against the coarse hair at the base of his dick.

"shit- i'm sorry, i'm sorry-" he pleads, eyes screwed shut, but his other hand still joins the one already in your hair, keeps your head where it is as he starts thrusting up shallowly, almost subconsciously. you brace your hands on his thighs and do your best to keep your head still, keep your breathing even as dud loses himself in the heat of your mouth as it engulfs his dick so perfectly.

the sight of him is downright dangerous - his chest is heaving, hair disheveled and messy, and when you press your tongue against the vein on the underside of his dick his dark, wide eyes snap down to meet yours. he has to fight for them to not flutter shut when you look like the physical apparition of the word sin.

"i'm so close, ah-" his voice breaks, turns into a moan, then a drawn out whine of your name when you let your teeth graze his sensitive cock just right. dud speeds up ever so slightly, the pace has drool slip down your chin which makes the sounds falling from your mouth even wetter, even louder, and with a last, muted gag from you, dud gets dragged over the edge.

your fingers dig into the flesh of his thighs, nails surely leaving red, crescent marks in the skin, when his hands push you further down, keep the tip of your nose pressed flush against the skin of his abdomen as he comes undone. pleasure crashes over him, pulls him under like a wave, has him tremble and whimper and moan as his salty cum shoots down your throat. when you swallow around his tip still lodged deep, taking all he gives you of his spend, the motion pulls a low, whiny curse from somewhere in his flushed chest as he stills.

you tap his thigh once, twice, before he comes back to reality and realises that he's still holding your head tight. shaking arms fall to his sides, weak and boneless when you start to lean back. with an obscene pop, you pull away, press a kiss to his flushed tip that has the muscles in his stomach jump, and take a few deep breaths in.

the room is silent besides dud's panting for air, and you smile up at him after easing your jaw shut, hearing it give a small crack as it settles back into place properly. you flick your tongue out to lick up the small dribble of cum that made it past your lips, and he's looking down at you like you hung the entire universe, with all its stars, suns, planets and moons, just for him. and if he was smitten when you saved him from that investment guy at the mall earlier that day, then he's fully and entirely enamoured right this moment - with you, blinking up at him all sweetly as if you didn't just suck the life out of him.

and now that he can breathe properly again, can finally get air back into his lungs, he gives you a lopsided, toothy grin.

"as i was saying-"

he's lucky you've always had a thing for passionate geeks.

author's note: i love a rambly man. like please, talk about anything you're interested in, i'm listening, let me braid your hair while you're at it please-

stay safe and healthy <3

alternate version + lineart!