𓈊 Icy Eyes

1; He once was blind, but now he sees... sort of

Nobody knows where Tango came from, what he is, or really anything about him at all other than he's just a blue guy that acted goofy like the rest of the Hermits. Maybe that's the reason they kept him around, because he acted like they did. Or maybe they just wanted to study him and figure out what exactly he was.

And that was something he couldn't answer if he wanted to.

There was one thing in particular that stuck out about Tango, though; the fact that he was blind. His bright blue eyes had no irises or pupils to see out of, so all he could really do was detect where light was. He could see a few colours if they were bright enough and close enough to his face, but those were few and far between. He had a way of getting around it, though. His senses of hearing and smelling were impeccable compared to other Hermits' senses. Even Ren was impressed by how well Tango could hear and smell, and Ren had been convinced nobody was better at it than he, himself, was. If Tango was honest, he really didn't need to see at all. But that didn't mean he didn't want to.

Zedaph wanted Tango to experience more than just light and dark and three colours. He wanted Tango to experience the entire world. He deserved it.

Zed tried everything he could think of, exhausting himself in the process.

"Don't you think you're going a little too far?" Impulse asked worriedly as Zedaph carefully mixed together two brightly coloured chemicals. "I mean, he's said that he doesn't need to see and he's fine without-"

"He does need to see," Zedaph interrupted, turned away from Impulse. He paused his work and set down his equipment to sigh and remove his safety goggles. "He told me wants to see us, Impulse." He finally turned around to face the other man, tears in his eyes. "He said exactly this:

"I want to see the people I love."

Impulse's eyes widened and tears sprung to his eyes quicker than he could blink them away. "He really said that?"

Zedaph nodded. "He loves us," he said softly. "He wants to see what we look like. He deserves to see more than just light and darkness. He's cried about wanting to see like everybody else does, he deserves something."

Later that day, Zedaph spoke to Xisuma about creating some sort of device like glasses that could allow Tango to at least see colours.

"That would take a lot of work, Zed," Xisuma warned him, "and a lot of patience."

Zedaph nodded. "I know," he said. "I've already asked Doc and Mumbo to help out since they're good with mechanics. I just... He really wants to see like the rest of us, and he feels out of place because he's different. If we can help him see, maybe he'll feel like he fits in."

Xisuma nodded. "You have my permission," he said. "If you ever need my help, don't hesitate to ask. Tango is a fellow Hermit and he deserves the care he wants and needs."

"Thank you so much."

As Zedaph was leaving to go home, he got a message from Impulse saying Tango wanted his hair brushed. Zed laughed and typed back, Can't you do it yourself?

He likes it better when you do it, Impulse replied.

Smiling, Zedaph caved. He loved doing it anyway. I'm on my way.

• • •

Tango let out a purr as Zedaph ran the hairbrush through his hair, drawing a giggle from Zed. Zedaph loved when Tango purred. It was a very loud, low, happy sound that was just the purest, gentlest thing. It was different than any other purr he'd ever heard, but it was absolutely adorable and he loved it.