Ocean Kisses

Eyes

Tango pov

As I finally pulled myself out of the daze their eyes had cast over me, I took a closer look at the figure standing before me. The details were striking, almost otherworldly. Their horns—either ram or goat, it was hard to tell—curled elegantly around the sides of their head, framing their face. Beneath them, their ears were long and sheep-like, twitching faintly with unease. The combination was strange, surreal, and oddly fitting.

They shifted awkwardly, their hands wringing together as they avoided my gaze. “S-sorry,” they stammered, their voice soft and trembling. “I-I thought you were… s-spontaneously com… combusting?” Their stutter was as endearing as it was surprising, a sharp contrast to the boldness they had shown moments ago.

I blinked at them, momentarily at a loss for words. Spontaneously combusting? It took me a second to piece together what they meant, and when I did, I couldn’t help the small laugh that escaped me. “You thought I was on fire?” I asked, raising an eyebrow, though my tone wasn’t accusatory.

They nodded quickly, their movements jittery and uncertain, like they were ready to bolt at the slightest provocation. “Y-yeah… I didn’t—I mean, I saw the flames, and…” They trailed off, taking a hesitant step back, their eyes darting toward the ocean like it was their escape route.

The fear in their expression caught me off guard. Despite being the one to save me—twice now, technically—they looked absolutely terrified to be this close to me. I softened my voice, trying to ease the tension. “Hey, it’s okay,” I said gently, setting the guitar down to show I wasn’t a threat. “I’m not mad. You were just trying to help, right?”

They paused, their golden-red fins twitching as they processed my words. Slowly, they nodded, though they still looked like a cornered animal. “I-I didn’t mean to scare you,” they added, their voice barely above a whisper.

“You didn’t,” I replied, offering a small smile. “If anything, I should be thanking you. Twice now, it seems.”

Their cheeks flushed a faint crimson, and they looked down at their hands, mumbling something I couldn’t quite catch. The tension between us lingered, but there was a fragility to it, like a thread that could snap—or tie us together—depending on what came next.

"Hey, I'm Tango," I said, breaking the silence with a reassuring smile. "I'm a Blazeborn. Fire doesn’t really affect me, and I can ignite my hair and tail on purpose.” To emphasize, I gave my tail a subtle flick, letting it flare with a brief, controlled burst of flame.

His wide eyes followed the motion, the flickering light reflected in those deep purple irises. His curiosity was palpable, even if he seemed too nervous to say much. He opened his mouth as if to respond, but hesitated, his lips pressing into a thin line as he glanced away.

“You seem intrigued,” I added, my tone light, hoping to ease some of his tension. “But I’m guessing you’re not sure what to say, huh?”

He nodded slowly, his horns tilting with the motion. “I… I don’t know,” he admitted, his voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t even… I don’t know what I am.”

His words hung in the air, heavy with confusion and something deeper—an uncertainty that ran to his core. My smile softened, and I leaned back slightly, giving him some space while keeping my tone as casual as possible. “That’s okay,” I said. “Not everyone has it all figured out. Honestly, I only learned about my own abilities by accident.”

He looked at me then, a flicker of relief crossing his face. “Really?”

“Yeah,” I said with a small laugh. “I mean, who wakes up one day thinking, ‘Hey, I can set myself on fire and be totally fine’? It takes time to figure yourself out.”

He seemed to relax just a little, his shoulders losing some of their stiffness. “But… what if I never figure it out?”

“Then you keep trying,” I said simply, meeting his gaze. “You’ve already survived so much—plane crashes, oceans, mysterious islands. You’re stronger than you think, even if you don’t have all the answers right now.”

He blinked at me, his expression shifting between cautious hope and disbelief. Slowly, he nodded, his lips twitching into the faintest hint of a smile. “Thanks,” he said softly, though I could tell he wasn’t entirely convinced.

“Anytime,” I replied, flicking my tail again to reignite the flames briefly. “And if you ever need help figuring it out, well, I’m here.”

“Yeah, actually, that would be nice if you’d be willing to help,” he said, his voice hesitant but sincere. He had been staring at the guitar for a while, as though the music itself was comforting or perhaps just a distraction from his own thoughts.

I picked up the guitar again, resting it on my lap as my fingers found the strings and began to strum softly. The melody was calm, almost like a lullaby, a rhythm that seemed to fill the quiet between us. “Well,” I started, keeping my tone light, “what about your parents? Do you know anything about them?”

He shook his head, his horns tilting slightly with the motion. “They took off as soon as they could,” he admitted, his voice carrying a faint bitterness. “I barely remember them. Just… flashes, I guess. Pieces that don’t really fit together.”

The sadness in his words hit me unexpectedly, and I paused mid-strum, looking up at him. “I’m sorry,” I said gently, and I meant it. Whatever had happened, it was clear the wound was still fresh, even if he tried to act like it wasn’t.

He shrugged, though the motion seemed more to shake off the weight of his own words than to dismiss them. “It’s fine,” he muttered, though his eyes betrayed a longing that said otherwise. “I mean, they didn’t stick around, so why should it matter?”

I resumed strumming, letting the music speak for me for a moment before replying. “Sometimes it’s not about them,” I said after a pause. “It’s about you. Figuring out where you came from, even if it’s just for yourself.”

He didn’t say anything for a while, his gaze dropping to the sand as though he were searching for answers there. Finally, he spoke, his voice quiet. “I guess I never thought about it like that.”

“Well, maybe it’s something we can figure out together,” I offered, flashing him a small smile. “One step at a time. No pressure.”

His eyes flicked up to meet mine, and for the first time, there was a glimmer of hope in them. “You really mean that?”

“Of course,” I said, giving the guitar another gentle strum. “We’ve already survived a plane crash and ended up on a mystery island. What’s a little self-discovery after that?”

That earned a faint laugh from him, and for the first time, I felt like we were making progress. Maybe, just maybe, we’d figure this out together.