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It may have seemed a tad hard to believe, but Tango was actually aroace. His flirty, extroverted demeanor appeared to contradict that fact, as well as how affectionate he was with close friends. However, he really didn’t feel that attraction that made couples seem to click, and that was just fine with him.
There was one part that was frustrating: he was rather touch-starved. Tango had a subtle space bubble at most times that was never really breached, as others tended to fear coming across as flirting with him. Often, though, Tango just wanted someone to cuddle with without having to obsess over what it might potentially mean to anyone else.
Plus, he had spent ages studying the different types of attraction while trying to figure out his orientation. Even though Tango didn’t feel a pull for romance or sex, sensual stuff was still really hot. Sometimes to keep himself entertained, he would mentally play through pleasant fantasies of being kissed out of his mind and held tightly in someone else’s arms.
They were always just fantasies, though. There wasn’t anyone that would actually go through any of that with him knowing that it wouldn’t end breathless in the bedroom, or so he thought.
One morning, Tango had woken up a bit too early for his liking and really wasn’t feeling like doing much of anything. He suspected a tad bit of burnout after several consecutive days of focused, intense work. Thus, he didn’t do the stupid thing and go back to work.
Normally on those days, he would message Impulse and see if his friend could come over and hang out for a while. However, Impulse seemed to be busy completing some sort of project involving Grian, and Zedaph was on a short vacation out of the world.
Briefly contemplating who else might be available, Tango suddenly remembered that Etho was in the world that day, taking several days of rest after the completion of a stressful project on another world he managed. Since both were in the same boat, he figured that the ninja would be alright with hanging out together. His reply quickly came back in the affirmative, and the two agreed to meet up at Etho’s base.
Right away, they headed to the garden, which was both gorgeous and very calming. They laid out some blankets on the ground and alternated between casually chatting and just listening to the babbling stream beneath them.
Over the course of their long conversation, the two subconsciously moved closer and closer to each other, which wasn’t odd among the hermits. Physical contact between anyone in the group was considered perfectly normal, and stuff that outsiders may have coded as romantic such as hand holding or playing with someone else’s hair was perfectly fine with everyone. However, Tango also might have blamed his need for someone to not be terrified of touching him. He wasn’t a china doll, easily broken at the slightest touch.
Eventually, Tango found himself resting his head on Etho’s right side, and his heartbeat spiked thinking about the potential reaction. His fears about the ninja recoiling were quickly dispelled, though, as he didn’t seem to mind much at all. In fact, the blonde was soon more than a bit shocked to find Etho’s fingers casually running through his hair. It was… well, really nice, and he leaned even further in, letting out a small sigh of contentment.
“Do you ever just really want a hug from someone?” Etho finally said after several minutes of silence. “Like, not because you’re having a breakdown or anything. Just because you need the touch, but it’s really awkward to ask.”
“All the time,” Tango blurted before he could stop himself.
“Seriously?”
“Yeah,” he sighed. He’d already spilled out enough mostly private stuff to the ninja; what did it matter if he explained his frustrations with the aroace stereotype, too?
“Like, just because I’m aroace doesn’t mean I hate touch. In fact, I really want it, but everyone seems to be scared of touching me.”
“Hmm. I’d never thought about it that way before,” Etho mused. “Well, if you say you’re okay with it, I’ll cuddle with ya.”
“Yeah, yeah, you totally can,” Tango giggled, a bit high off of Etho’s surprisingly positive response.
A warm arm snaked around Tango’s right shoulder, pulling him parallel to the ninja so that they were completely touching. The blonde draped his own arms around Etho’s neck, still relishing the fingers gently carding through his hair.
Closing his eyes, Tango took a few minutes just to breathe in Etho’s homey scent of tree bark and cocoa and immerse himself in gratitude for having this moment that he had dreamed of for so long. Etho hummed a little tune that Tango didn’t recognize but still worked as a lullaby that nearly sent him off to Neverland. What finally broke him out of his reverie was the ninja’s low, gentle voice speaking once again.
“All that’s missing now is the kissing,” Etho joked, his warm smile fully visible as he had apparently taken off his face mask while Tango had his eyes closed.
“Uh…” Tango really wasn’t sure exactly what to say next, but he didn’t feel like he could leave it hanging either.
“Oh, I’m so sorry. Did I make you uncomfortable?” the ninja instantly apologized.
“Not really?” He took a deep breath, finally resolving to just spit it out. “Like, if you don’t mind, it’d actually be kind of fun?”
“Ah, I see,” Etho grinned, significantly relaxing. “I get the feeling that you’ve been waiting for something like this for a while.”
“Read my mind,” Tango chuckled. “Wasn’t sure how people would feel knowing that there’s no romance behind it and no desire for a one-time stand.”
“I mean, it isn’t something I’ve ever thought about before, but I’m not opposed to it. Actually... you’re right. It does sound kind of fun.”
The ninja’s eyes were twinkling as the two looked right at each other, barely six inches apart.
“Well, if you want this, I’m game,” Etho shrugged.
“S-seriously?” Tango stuttered, not actually have expected Etho to say yes.
“Absolutely. Let’s just try this together,” he grinned. “What boundaries should I be aware of?”
“Um…” Tango thought about that for a few moments, still scrambling to get his thoughts in any kind of a coherent order. “I’d rather not have touching around the waistal areas, I also don’t want any marks or bruises, and your base is weirdly cold, so I’d rather keep most of my clothes on. Pet names are fine, but nothing really weird. That’s all I can think of for now. Anything for you?”
“Same as you, actually. I don’t have any of that other attraction to you, but please let me know if I get too carried away.”
“I promise,” Tango nodded.
“Now, where do we start?” Etho’s cheeky grin brought out an equally shameless response.
“Surprise me, gorgeous.”
He shouldn’t have even tried to act collected again, as any shred of that was instantly washed away by the simultaneously burning hot and icy cold feeling coursing through him. The ninja was quite strong and had managed to pin Tango on his back all of the sudden. Now, he was right on top of him, soft lips pressed hard against his own.
Holy shit. This is so much fun.
Etho only let go when Tango started to run out of air, wrenching apart and gasping for his breath, but smiling all the while.
“That what you wanted?”
“Oh my void, that was hot,” he breathed. “Keep me on my toes, please?”
“Please tell me if I cross a line,” Etho warned once again. “Otherwise, I’ll do my best.”
With that, the ninja offered him a hand up, which Tango grasped tightly, finding the callused texture of his palms oddly soothing. Once more with a devious grin, Etho didn’t let go, slowly pulling him along towards the exit of the garden. Tango carefully waited for the moment of surprise, knowing that it had to be coming soon. Still, he didn’t let his mind think too far ahead, craving the mystery and unpredictability that radiated off of Etho.
Sure enough, almost as soon as they were out in the hallway, Etho spun him around, pinning the blonde to the wall like a preserved butterfly in one swift motion. This time, he took a small pause to breathe in deeply before leaping into the kiss, which Tango simply melted into. If not for the ninja’s strong hands holding him in place, he might have almost completely collapsed to the ground.
The key word was “almost”, as he managed to stay upright when Etho removed his hands from his shoulders to bring them up to his chin. Those slender fingers cradling his face were so perfect, keeping the two connected as the ninja slowly pulled his lips away all too soon, repositioning them along Tango’s jawline and lightly brushing up and down the tender skin. The slow, delicate movement eked out a little giggle, which was both completely out of place and the only logical response to the sheer delight cascading through every bone in his body.
It was so much like he had envisioned for all those long and lonely years that the blonde nearly wanted to cry.
Still maintaining some kind of physical contact at all times, Etho gently leaned forward so that their foreheads were touching, his mellowing in demeanor registering just right with Tango. Void, he could read the man so well, knowing exactly what would produce yet another dopamine spike in his partner. Etho’s heterochromatic eyes were twinkling as he released his soft grip on Tango’s face and trailed his hands a bit down towards his chest. A light tugging on his ever present vest was a silent question, one to which Tango easily and just as quietly answered yes.
The not-so-accidental brushing of fingertips against mildly ticklish skin sent a pleasant shiver down Tango’s spine, giving him a spark of courage to place his hands on top of Etho’s own, which were struggling with the last step of removing the vest. No longer pinned to the wall, he dared to take a step forward, pressing right up against the other man’s chest. Then, he quickly yet elegantly removed his arms from each of the sleeves, dropping the bulky vest on the ground to be found at a later time by a later Tango.
Now, though, Etho’s hands were resting delicately on Tango’s shoulders, his grin giving Tango the go-ahead to do the same. Once both had removed the unnecessary and cumbersome article of clothing, (which was as far as they were both willing to go in that area), it was much easier to press together, their height difference making the two a perfect fit.
Anybody walking by at the time would have assumed that the way the two’s bodies seemed to perfectly align combined with the long, full kiss they were capturing the other in was certain to lead to a heated session of total exploration. It would have been even easier to believe that the two had been secretly dating and hadn’t revealed their new relationship status. Yet, neither one had those intentions in the slightest, and Tango felt nothing but safe in Etho’s arms.
That feeling still carried over when the ninja carefully lifted Tango up and settled him into a comfortable bridal carry. The blonde fully trusted him not to crash to the floor as Etho strolled through the hallways of his peculiar base. With a little sigh of contentment, Tango wrapped his arms around the ninja’s neck and leaned his head against the other’s.
The two wandered around all of the different areas of Etho’s base, the flawless transition between block palettes simply blowing Tango’s mind every time. The ninja always seemed to have another trick up his sleeve, something he was finding out in the sensual department as well.
Their overall destination appeared to be back to the garden, which was certainly the most calming spot in the whole place. Though Etho had been peppering him with little kisses throughout their walk, he treated Tango to a full kiss as he gently knelt down to return the man to the ground.
Though it probably hadn’t been much longer than ten minutes since they had started, Tango was already tired in a good way. Etho noticed that too, likely in the way that the blonde’s kisses were growing sloppier and weaker. Thus, the ninja offered his hand again, this time to lay back down on the bridge.
Tango felt no shame in completely curling around Etho now, even amidst his sleepiness gathering enough courage to carefully stroke the ninja’s silver locks. His eyes closed once again, a yawn indicating that he would likely fall asleep for real this time. From right beside him, Etho’s silky voice came back, singing the melody from before.
“Floating, falling, sweet intoxication; touch me, trust me, savor each sensation.” Each word quietly tumbled through his whole body, Tango finally remembering the whole song. Still, he loved to hear the ninja’s own take on it, which was as delightful as he had guessed it would be.
“Let the dream begin, Tango,” Etho murmured. That was the last thing Tango remembered before drifting off to a blissful sleep.
When Tango woke up, it was afternoon, and he was still wrapped around Etho. The just-awakened ninja didn’t mind at all, though, and they talked about that morning for a while. Each set some clear boundaries, came up with some things they wanted to try, and finally parted smiling and satisfied.
From that day on, it wasn’t unusual for Tango to be in a lull of a project when his hands weren’t occupied with a delicate task and something to come flying at him, helplessly pinning him to the nearest surface. Of course, that thing would be a mischievously grinning Etho, ready to kiss him out of his ever-loving senses for a bit before disappearing as mysteriously as he had come. Tango would then go back to his work, albeit daydreaming a little more and with his cheeks flushed a slight red.
There would also be random messages from either of them asking for some cuddles, to which the other usually happily obliged. Etho never made it awkward around anyone else, even though Tango had reassured him multiple times that he didn’t care what anyone else thought of their relationship, whatever it was.
Taking a chance on Etho had also helped Tango finally break out of the bubble he had unwittingly created with the aroace label. The others eventually got used to the fact that Tango would now freely give out hugs as casual affection and stopped hesitating before returning the gesture. He also convinced the hermits at a party that yes, he really was okay with playing spin the bottle, and they were a bit shocked at how good of a kisser he was. Etho, of course, winked from across the circle, appearing rather tickled to see Tango so bold and alive.
And alive was truly the word. This was Tango, the redstone genius, minigame madman, and proud aroace who also loved passionate kissing and warm cuddles. This was who he was, and for the first time, he felt like he was really living.