Xiao x Aether Oneshots

I'm Proud of You

"Baby, are you hungry?" Aether asks upon hearing my stomach growling.

"Yeah." I reply, gaining a kiss in response.

"Alright. Give me thirty minutes and I'll have food on the table." He gently pushes me forward, climbing out from behind me, leaving me to lean against the armrest instead.

Not 5 minutes later, I can hear him moving around in the kitchen.

I get up and quietly walk over to the doorway and watch him move from cabinet to cabinet collecting things for dinner, humming softly.

I leave and head to the bathroom, suddenly feeling strange. Not the sick kind of strange, just strange. Like something big was happening with my body, and I didn't know what it was.

In all honesty, I don't know what it is.

Once in the bathroom, I close and lock the door, something I don't do very often. I turn to the mirror and look at my reflection, taking in my light skin, dark hair, gold eyes, and peach colored lips.

With one hand, I use my fingertips to touch my cheeks lightly, as though I were scared of this little movement. My hand slowly trails from my face to the small amount of my exposed neck, most of it, and my body, concealed by the black turtle neck I was wearing. I reach the hem of the fabric and pause, thinking deeply about my actions.

Did I really want to do this? Do I want to see the results of my actions?

"Yes," my heart was saying, the underlying message of, "You're going to be okay," echoing in the background.

"No," my head argues, screaming at me to keep my body covered to avoid any unpleasant memories that may resurface from the small action.

Then, as though my head and heart have a secret conversation, I hear the word of uncertainty echo through my head, drawing out any other thought I previously had.

"Maybe."

While I had this internal battle, my arms had moved on their own, making the decision I couldn't, pulling my shirt over my head before I could object and leave the room.

Now I am staring at my naked torso, taking in the faint outline of my ribs and collar bone, my eyes slowly making their way down to my hips where the bones were still the most noticeable. Although it's nowhere as bad as it was three years ago, I still hated them. The way they protruded from my body in an odd way, seeming unhuman.

Not wanting to look at that part of my body anymore, I pull my sweats up over them, successfully covering their existence.

Why did they have to make me hate myself?

I tried to make them happy. I tried to earn their approval. I tried everything I could think of, and none of it was enough. I became a vegetarian to try losing some of my weight. I tried working out. I tried not eating. None of it seemed to work.

That is when the purging would start.

When nothing else worked, I would force myself to throw up, not allowing myself to digest anything. I drank a lot of water to substitute for solid foods. I took diet pills for a while, but they didn't work at all.

It was too late when I realized that nothing I did would ever please them.

When I ate, they would say I was a pig and needed to stop eating. When I didn't eat, they would fake concern and tell me that I was hurting myself and to eat more. When I ate salads, they claimed that I was trying too hard.

Nothing pleased them. In the end, I only ended up hurting myself.

I ended up in the hospital on multiple occasions because I was underweight and malnutritioned.

That didn't stop me.

I became addicted to the binge and purge cycle that it continued for years. It was a never-ending cycle that haunted my dreams and kept me up at night because of my fear of dying. But even that couldn't get me to stop.

Soon, just the thought or sight of food made me sick.

That was until I met him.

Aether, the person that saved me. Someone who saw me at my lowest within weeks of knowing each other. Someone who is patient and loves me in a way I had never felt before. He is kind and tells me everything he loves about me when I get the urge to hurt myself again. He stayed by my side.

He is still by my side.

A soft knock on the door knocks me out of my stupor, and I quickly pull my shirt back on, soothing out any hint of dishevelment.

"Hey, baby, supper is ready." Aether's voice sounds softly through the door.

"O-okay." I hollered back, trying to steady my racing heart from the sudden noise. "I'll be out in a minute."

I hear his footsteps leaving the door, and I look at my appearance once more before leaving.

I find him waiting for me at the table, his food and utensils completely untouched. A part of me wishes he would just eat even when I'm in the other room, but he refuses to.

I smile softly at his soft expression, his eyes softening a little more when I sit down and pick up my fork.

Only after I took a bite did he touch his fork.

We eat in silence, his subtle smile every time I down another bite giving me more courage and confidence.

I finish my plate rather quickly, something that happens rarely. I set my utensils down and took my plate, not to the sink, but to the counter and started filling it up again. When I sat back down and started eating again, I could feel Aether's gaze, imagining the shock in his eyes.

When I finish eating, I set my utensils down for a second time, slowly looking up at Aether, his smile barely contained.

I smile too, knowing how big this step is for the both of us. I never eat second helpings. Normally, I barely finish my first plate.

"Xiao!" He exclaims, pulling me out of my chair and into his arms, squeezing me tightly, laughing. "I love you, so, so much!" He pulls back and looks me in the eyes with so much love and excitement, I can't help but laugh as a tear stays down my cheek. He wipes it away with the pad of his thumb before kissing me.

When we part, he tickles my hair behind my ear.

"I'm so proud of you." He murmurs, lowering his voice.

"You're proud of me." I copied his words before throwing my arms around his neck. "You love me." I squeeze him and bury my nose in the crook of his neck. "I love you too."

We stay like this for a while, hugging and living in the moment.

Eventually, he pulls away. "Don't think I expect you to eat two serving every time. This is just one step, a big one, and I am proud of you."

I nod, for once, really happy with myself.

"I did it." I whisper.

"You did it." He nods before pulling me back into him.

"Yeah." I smile, relaxing into him. "I did."