Archive of Our Own ^beta

Skin was not something Xiao spent a lot of time pondering about. It came in different shades and textures, but skin was skin and nothing more. For a very long time, he couldn’t understand why people on the internet went so crazy over a little bit of their favorite idol's midriff being exposed, showing off their tanned skin. And that was only one example.

Xiao was confused until he met Aether. Though, the realization didn’t hit him as soon as he laid eyes on him. In fact, he hadn’t spared Aether a second glance when he first stepped into his economics class. He’d first gotten to know the boy, and even then, he still didn’t get it.

That was until his and Aether’s relationship progressed from friends to partners. Romantic partners. The first time they were remotely intimate with each other, it hit him like a pile of bricks. The way Aether’s skin flushed under the attention of Xiao’s hands, the way the pale skin of his face burned a permanent red. Xiao realized then why skin was so great.

It was sort of like painting in a way. Creating a masterpiece on one's skin only using the natural hues that the body created. Xiao enjoyed painting Aether’s skin.

Xiao enjoyed skin. He enjoyed Aether’s skin. And he enjoyed marking it. And there had to be something wrong with him.

[…]

Despite making the realization for himself, Xiao still made the very stupid, very rash decision to bring it up to Venti.

“You talk like such a virgin, Xiao.” Was the first thing to come out of his filthy mouth.

Xiao balked, his cheeks suddenly burning. “I’m not… Aether and I have done stuff.”

Venti snorted. “Yes, but you’re acting like those guys from ancient times who got hard whenever they saw a girl's knees. Is that what this is? Is Aether’s skin the equivalent to a girl's knees for you?”

Xiao could strangle him. Venti usually didn’t make sense to him, but it didn’t even sound like he was speaking an actual language at that point.

“Is it weird to find Aether’s skin attractive? I thought it was a normal thing. People online go crazy over it.”

“Oh, it absolutely is normal!” Venti nodded, patting his shoulder encouragingly. “I’m dating Diluc, I’m kind of like the skin connoisseur. I mean have you seen that guy's complexion?”

Xiao has. It paled in comparison to Aether’s, but he didn’t say that out loud.

“Point is, don’t be ashamed of it. Everyone’s got some weird kink they like. Maybe try figuring out why you like his skin so much.”

Xiao nodded and tried to decipher what that could mean in his head. Why he liked Aether’s skin? There were plenty of reasons. Probably. He had never given it much thought before. He supposed he’d have to start if he was going to get to the bottom of this.

[…]

After his slightly eye opening conversation with Venti, Xiao had given the idea of his attraction to Aether’s skin much thought, and came down to about five reasons why he might find it so appealing.

The first one was simple. The sight of Aether’s skin was so beautiful, it naturally allured him, therefore making him think he was attracted to it when in reality it was all in his head.

It was absolutely ridiculous. But Xiao figured he’d have to go down the entire list to really have an understanding of his emotions.

And so on one randomly selected evening, Xiao politely asked if Aether could strip for him. Giving him a detailed request of exactly what and how he wanted him.

“Y-You—?! What ?! Xiao— that’s— that’s a little embarrassing.”

It had not gone over well at first. Aether had grown flustered and in turn, Xiao followed suit, realizing exactly what he was asking of his boyfriend. It really hadn’t occurred to him how bad it might’ve sounded— asking Aether to strip until he was only in his underwear. Now he was embarrassed. Now they were both embarrassed. But Xiao plowed on.

“I— I didn’t mean it like that. It’s for… a, um, class. My anatomy class.” He wasn’t sure if their college even offered a class studying the human body, but it was his best shot. He’d rather die than tell Aether the truth. “We’re studying the human body— you don’t have to participate. This was a bad idea, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“Wait, wait! No, it’s fine!” Aether interjected, suddenly sitting up on his knees and grabbing Xiao’s hands in his. “You just surprised me, that’s all. And even if it wasn’t for a class— I… I still would’ve done it.”

They both flushed a bright red at the true meaning of that.

“Okay, um, so, you can start taking off your clothes now.” Xiao said, not wanting to waste any more time.

“O-Oh, right! Um, are you going to be drawing me?” Aether sprang into action, shucking off his sweatshirt and revealing long expanses of beautiful pale skin. 

“No, I… for this assignment we were told to just look over a person's body and make observations in our head. We’re going to share our thoughts tomorrow during the lecture.” Xiao was impressed with himself for coming up with such a good lie on the spot.

Aether let out a soft giggle while simultaneously slipping out of his sweatpants. “Well, I hope you have good things to say about me.”

“Of course I do. You have a beautiful body.”

They both freeze. Xiao’s face flared, and the sight of Aether squirming right in front of him wasn't helping.

“O-Okay, um, just… sorry.”

“It-It’s okay!”

Right. Okay.

Xiao nodded, and sat back on his haunches, his eyes carefully tracing the lines up Aether’s arms, his slim neck and his flushed face.

“A-Are you just— going to be staring at me like that?” He asked, fidgeting.

Xiao chewed the inside of his cheek for a moment. “Yeah… uh, sorry, if it’s awkward. You can tell me to stop whenever you want.”

Aether nodded for him to continue. And Xiao did, curiously.

He decided beforehand that he wouldn’t touch Aether’s skin, saving that test for a different time. He figured that decision made things more awkward for the both of them, since all he was really doing was staring intensely at Aether’s body. He felt like some sort of pervert, especially since there was no anatomy class he had to do this for in the first place. He just hoped Aether would forgive him once he told him the truth. In the far future.

Xiao’s eyes traced his boyfriends legs, starting at his ankles, up to his knees, and finally his thighs. Soft and supple, they looked. Xiao so badly wished to reach out and feel them for himself.

Next time, he promised himself.

His eyes inched upward, taking in the sight of Aether’s toned stomach, and his— Xiao’s face flared. He decided he’d skip over his chest for his own sanity.

For a few more minutes, Xiao studied the lines of Aether’s body, absorbing everything and saving it to the back of his head. He was a work of art.

“Okay.” Xiao nodded, finally looking into Aether’s eyes.

“O-Okay? Okay what?” He stammered, reaching for his sweatshirt and hugging it to his chest.

“You can put your clothes back on. Thank you, um, for doing this. It was really helpful.” Xiao was being truthful. Even if it hadn’t answered all of his questions, he was beginning to really understand what he liked so much about Aether’s skin. He could confirm that it was plenty nice to look at; admire. But it had to be more than that.

“Of course.” Aether smiled, slipping on his sweatshirt and only his sweatshirt. He collapsed onto Xiao’s chest, wrapping his arms around his neck and placing a chaste kiss onto his lips. Xiao squirmed, his cheeks gradually flaring red. “I’d do anything for you, if you asked.”

[…]

The following test was much more reasonable, he felt. Touching Aether in itself wasn’t unusual. Xiao often found he did that without being prompted. Wrapping an arm around his boyfriend's waist, holding his hand, petting his hair. It all came naturally to him.

Though, now that he was supposed to intentionally touch Aether’s skin, he couldn’t help but feel awkward.

They were sitting in Xiao’s dorm room, studying for an upcoming math exam, when the idea had suddenly struck him to test out his second theory. 

For a while now, Xiao had been sneaking glances over at Aether, wondering if he should ask or if he should just go for it like he usually did. He didn’t want to make him uncomfortable— then again, he never did. At least, not to his knowledge he didn’t.

Xiao gently thumped his fist to his forehead, and heaved a quiet sigh. This shouldn’t be so stressful, but it absolutely was. Anything that had to do with Aether stressed him out. Not— not in a bad way. Afterall, they’d only been dating for about four months. Their relationship was still fairly new. He didn’t want to do anything that could make Aether uncomfortable. That was the last thing he ever wanted.

Then again, Aether did seem to like whenever he touched him without giving him explicit permission to do so.

Xiao shoved his face into his hands.

Relationships were confusing.

“Xiao? What’s wrong? Do you feel sick?”

The aforementioned peeked through the gaps of his fingers, watching Aether’s face for a moment. The crease between his eyebrows, the downward slope of his lips. He was worried.

Xiao reached out, taking Aether’s face in his hands, and leaned up to kiss the faint worry lines on his forehead away.

Never one for such abrupt displays of affection, Aether was obviously surprised. Xiao did not blame him.

“O-Oh! Um, thanks.” Aether smiled sheepishly, placing a kiss of his own on Xiao’s cheek. “Any specific reason for that?”

Xiao shook his head, his thumbs caressing Aether’s cheeks rhythmically. “I have another request.”

“You mean like last time?” He asked, his face sporting a new shade of light pink.

Xiao’s mouth twisted. “Ah— no, no. You don’t have to take your clothes off. Unless you want to. Then I won’t stop you.”

Aether shoved his shoulder playfully. Xiao bit back a laugh.

“I just want to feel you. Can I do that?”

Aether blinked. “Feel me how?”

“Just like this.” Xiao replied, dropping his voice to a whisper. His hands moved forward on Aether’s face until they met behind his neck, his fingers interlocking with one another. Aether let out a soft noise of surprise, his pupils dilating enough for him to notice.

“O-Okay.” Aether said, joining Xiao in his whispers.

Xiao allowed a smile to stretch lazily across his face before sitting up on his knees and running the tips of his fingers up the sides of Aether’s neck. He relished in the shuddered gasp he let out in retaliation to the stimulation. His hands cupped Aether’s jaw, stroking his cheekbones, before he leaned down and pressed a kiss right onto the lips. He really loved Aether’s lips. He loved every part of him. Every little detail drove him a little crazier than the last.

Xiao dropped his hands from his jaw to his shoulders, gripping them for a moment before letting them slide down the length of Aether’s arms, only stopping when he reached his hands. His hands were cute, and dainty. Xiao kissed both of his knuckles, squeezing his fingers for a single moment before setting them down on his laps and wrapping his arms around Aether’s little waist. He loved this too. Hugging him felt so good. He fit perfectly in his arms.

Once Xiao’s head rested against Aether’s shoulder, the urge to continue his exploration had dwindled into nothingness. He wanted nothing more than to stay in that exact position forever.

Aether’s arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer. Xiao shut his eyes, and relished in the warmth.

[…]

Aether’s skin was sweet. It smelled sweet. Not because of the body wash he used. Or the perfume he spritzed on himself before class.

His scent was naturally sweet. Even flushed with sweat from sitting outside during his lunch hour, Aether still smelled exceptionally good. It wasn’t the clothes he wore either. Soft from the detergent he used. The smell of coconut and lavender. Somehow, Aether’s natural scent seemed to overpower all of it.

He could never quite pinpoint exactly what he smelled of. But it was heady. 

Xiao never thought it’d be possible to be obsessed with a scent. But he wasn’t ashamed to admit that he was with Aether’s. He wasn’t ashamed to make it blazingly obvious to the boy either.

“Xiao!” He laughed as they tipped over on his mattress. Xiao’s face was smothered into the center of his chest, taking in huge whiffs of his boyfriend's distracting scent.

“I like the way you smell.” Xiao muffled into his sweatshirt, wanting nothing more than to shove his head underneath the fabric to get a better whiff.

Aether stilled, his hands freezing in Xiao’s hair. “I think it might be my detergent. You’re smelling my shirt.”

Xiao frowned. “I’m not talking about your detergent. I like the way your skin smells.”

“My perfume—?”

“ No .” Xiao growled playfully, nudging his nose underneath Aether’s chin, his melodic laughter ringing directly in his ear. He smothered himself in the crook of his neck, pressing his nose directly into the skin and inhaling a deep breath. “I like the way you smell.”

“O-Oh.” Aether shuddered, his hands resting on Xiao’s shoulders. “I didn’t know that.”

Xiao pressed a kiss to the juncture of his neck, then to the hinge of his jaw, then to the corner of his mouth.

“You smell really sweet. Like flowers.” He murmured, tucking a strand of golden hair behind Aether’s ear.

“Flowers.” He echoed, his eyes skirting away for a moment. “I thought I smelled like green apples. That’s what my body wash smells like.”

Xiao hummed, bringing his nose back to his neck, and inhaling another large breath.

Windwheel aster’s. That’s what he smelled like. Like home.

[…]

It seemed every time they were in each other’s dorms, Xiao always found a way to secretly rope Aether into one of his experiments. He still hadn’t let go of the question; why did he find Aether’s skin so attractive? He’d already tried out three different approaches. And the results were always things he already knew. Aether’s skin was beautiful, it was soft, and it smelled sweet. He knew all these things already, and yet he seemed farther from the truth than from when he first started seeking out answers.

When in doubt, shove it in your mouth!

Venti’s horrible, horrible advice echoed in his head. Put Aether’s skin in his mouth. Not that Xiao wasn’t prone to leaving kisses on his skin, but to actually lave it with his tongue was an entirely different story. They’ve had heated makeouts before, and Aether had once ran his tongue across Xiao’s abdomen which resulted in something too harrowing for him to even recount. But Xiao had never tried it. He never gave much thought as to what Aether’s skin might taste like.

Now that the idea was implanted in his head, he wouldn’t be able to let it go until he had the answer.

They were currently watching a movie. Xiao wasn’t exactly sure which one— he’d let Aether pick. Ten minutes in he had stopped paying attention, too focused on the weight of half of Aether’s body resting on his chest. It was a reassuring feeling. Knowing he was there; being able to feel it.

Xiao’s hands crept underneath Aether’s sweatshirt. He wore those a lot. They always swallowed his tiny frame, hiding him away. He wore nothing underneath. His skin was distractingly warm.

Aether squirmed, backing up against Xiao’s stomach, his own hands reaching down to grab onto Xiao’s forearms, holding them still.

“You’re cold!” He whimpered, glancing at him over his shoulder.

Xiao swallowed a smile. “Sorry. Your skin is just so soft.” His nose nuzzled into Aether’s nape, muffling his next words. “And you always smell so nice.” His tongue hesitantly flicked out, tentatively licking a stripe up the side of Aether’s neck, his body going rigid because of it. He slapped a palm to the wet spot on his skin, his ears blossoming with color. He tasted sweet. Xiao felt himself going insane.

“X-Xiao—!”

“You're beautiful, Aether.” He whispered, sitting up on the bed, and trapping him between his hands, propping both on either side of his head. His golden hair haloed around him. He looked like an angel. “The way you look, the way you feel, the way you smell, the way you taste. All of it drives me crazy.”

Aether’s chest was heaving, his eyes wide, and his mouth parted.

Xiao swallowed thickly, and brought his ear right above Aether’s heart. He could hear how fast it was beating. Like the sound of a loud drum. He could feel it pulsing against his skin. It was his new favorite sound.

“Xiao—?”

“I really… I adore you.” He said. The movie was still playing in the background, long forgotten. “I adore everything about you.”

Aether tackled him into a hug, almost knocking them both off the bed in the process. Xiao could feel how he was trembling, he could sense he was slightly overwhelmed. And so he held him. Tight and secure in his arms. Where he rightfully belonged.

[…]

Xiao deduced from all of his experiments that he was an idiot, and that he should never ask Venti for advice ever again.

It wasn’t just Aether’s skin he found attractive. It was every part of him. Every little thing, every microscopic detail made his heart want to burst right out of his chest.

In the end, his answer was simple. It was Aether.

It had always been Aether.