Ocean Kisses

Learning New Things

Zedaph’s POV:

I sat at the table, looking around at the odd, yet cozy setup. There was so much I was still trying to get used to. The world above water was... different in so many ways, and I was learning new things all the time. But this morning, something kept distracting me—Tango, Skizz, and Impulse.

I couldn’t help but watch them interact. They were all so comfortable with each other, like they’d known each other forever, and that was fine. But what threw me off was the way they were showing affection. Tango had been the first to get a kiss on the temple, from impulse which I understood—it seemed like a friendly gesture, something I had seen in my past interactions with friends.

But then, Skizz came in and did the same thing to him. A kiss on the temple, just like impulse had done earlier. I blinked, not sure if I was understanding this correctly. Skizz’s kiss had been playful, teasing even. But it seemed like it wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for them.

And I... I just didn’t get it. I thought those kinds of things were for relationships, like with girlfriends or boyfriends. Was this just a thing they did? Was it something normal between them? I looked around at their interactions—Tango’s gentle teasing with Skizz, and Skizz’s obvious affection for Tango, the way Impulse seemed to casually comfort him.

I furrowed my brow, feeling like I was missing something obvious. They seemed so comfortable, like there was no awkwardness, no boundaries. And I kept wondering... was it something like a group dynamic? Like… just close friends?

I glanced at Tango, wondering if I should ask him about it, but I wasn’t sure how to bring it up without sounding completely out of touch. Would they think I was weird for asking? Maybe I was overthinking it. After all, I was still getting used to so many things in this strange world. The way they treated each other was probably just normal for them, and I had a lot of catching up to do.

So, instead of asking, I just quietly focused on the food in front of me. Maybe, over time, I’d figure it out.

I couldn’t help it. My confusion must have been written all over my face, because Impulse noticed right away. He raised an eyebrow, looking at me with a concerned smile.

“So, what’s on your mind, Zed?” he asked, and I couldn’t hold it in anymore. I had to know.

I took a deep breath before blurting out the question that had been nagging at me. "Are you all dating?"

The reactions were... well, to say the least, they were not what I expected.

Tango nearly choked on his drink, the liquid spilling over the side of his mug as he sputtered and coughed. He looked absolutely panicked, his hand frantically trying to wipe off his chin. Skizz dropped his... whatever it was he’d been eating. It landed with a soft thud on the table, but his expression was even more exaggerated than Tango’s. His eyes went wide, and his mouth fell open in complete shock. He looked like he had just been asked to explain quantum physics to a five-year-old.

And then there was Impulse, who immediately turned a deep shade of red. I hadn’t thought it was possible for his face to match his hair, but apparently, I was wrong. He was awkwardly shifting on his feet, his hand rubbing the back of his neck like he was trying to make himself disappear into the floorboards.

“Zed, buddy... uh…” Impulse started, clearly not sure how to handle the situation. His voice cracked a little. “No, it’s... it’s not like that.”

Tango cleared his throat, still trying to regain some composure. He wiped his face with the back of his hand, still looking a little embarrassed. "Well, this is... awkward," he muttered under his breath, his eyes darting between the three of us.

Skizz, on the other hand, finally managed to get his bearings, though he was still clearly trying to figure out how to respond. “You know, I thought I was being obvious,” he said with a grin, though there was a slight nervous edge to his voice. “Impulse is, like, the most obvious one about it, but… yeah, no, we’re not, like, dating or anything.”

I blinked, processing the information. That was not the answer I expected, but... okay.

“So, you're all... not together?” I asked, just to be absolutely sure, glancing at the three of them.

Impulse rubbed his face with both hands, still red as a tomato. “We’re just really close friends, Zed. It’s... a bit complicated, but not in the way you're thinking.”

Skizz gave me a wink, though it seemed more like an attempt to defuse the situation than anything else. “Yeah, yeah! We’ve just got a lot of love for each other. Not like that, though,” he clarified with a chuckle, but it only made Tango’s face turn an even deeper shade of crimson.

I couldn’t help but laugh at their reactions, the awkwardness lingering in the air for a moment longer before I realized I’d probably made things more uncomfortable for them.

“Sorry,” I said, sheepishly. “I didn’t mean to make it weird. I just... wasn’t sure how all of you interacted.”

Impulse let out a relieved sigh. “It’s okay, Zed. It’s a lot to figure out, huh? But no, we’re just really close friends. Sometimes we’re a little touchy, but that’s just how we are.”

“Yeah!” Skizz added enthusiastically, his smile still a little too wide, “We just really like hugging. And kissing on the cheeks—totally normal!”

Tango finally composed himself, wiping the last of the water from his chin and giving me a nod. “Yeah, nothing more than that. Just a bunch of weirdos being close. We can be affectionate without it being romantic, alright?”

I nodded slowly, starting to understand. “Got it. Sorry, again. Just... wanted to make sure I wasn’t missing something.”

Impulse clapped me on the back, smiling. “Don’t worry, Zed. We got you. It’s just not something that’s easy to explain. But now you know!”

“Now I know,” I repeated, my brain still processing everything but glad to have the mystery cleared up. “Thanks for being patient with me. I guess I’ve got a lot to catch up on, huh?”

Skizz chuckled. “That’s an understatement.”

We all shared a brief laugh, and just like that, the awkward tension seemed to melt away. It wasn’t exactly how I’d expected to find out about their dynamics, but I was glad we had it cleared up. Now, I could focus on the next thing I needed to figure out—how to navigate this strange new world without making everything more awkward.