Work Text:
It’s the end of the session, but Tango’s anger hasn’t faded.
The ranch is gone. They burned the ranch. They burned our fucking house down.
Tango’s hands ball into fists. He bites his tongue hard until the metallic taste of blood fills his mouth. How could they? How could they? It wasn’t hurting anyone. We didn’t do anything to them. He paces across the scorched grass, flicking his tail back and forth in agitation. We didn’t do anything. We’re in no position to win. Why would they do this?
His mind heats up with rage. It takes him a moment to realize his head is doing the same. His eyes burn with tears, but they’re incomparable to the fire suddenly sparking atop his head.
“Tango?” Jimmy says next to him. “Are you alright?”
“The ranch is gone,” Tango mutters. “They burned our house down.”
“It’s alright. We’ll rebuild. It’s not the end of the w– Tango, your eyes are glowing. Why are your eyes glowing?”
There’s an unstoppable energy building under Tango’s skin. Everything about him, from the tension in his body to the raging wildfire in place of his hair, feels volatile. “Jimmy, leave.”
“Tango, it’s alright. We’re gonna rebuild this place. Don’t worry. It’s going to be okay.” Jimmy puts a hand on Tango’s shoulder, then recoils. “Are you–”
Tango takes a shuddery breath and digs his sharp fingernails further into his palms. “Jimmy, run. Now.” It’s getting harder to breathe. “Get out before I kill us both.”
Jimmy freezes, poised to move in an instant. Tango closes his eyes in a final, futile attempt to stave off the incoming explosion. “The ranch is gone. It was the last safe place on this server. We had a home here. I actually thought things were going to be okay. But they aren’t.” Tears spill from his eyes. “I’m gonna make them pay. If they want to destroy what we love, we’ll tear their worlds apart next. I’m gonna kill them. I’m going to kill them. They’re going to pay for what they did–”
Tango bursts into flames.
He’s almost too bright to look at. Unbearable heat radiates from his body, warping the air and setting fire to the grass below him. Tears pour down his face as he tries to choke back a scream. To anyone else on the server, it would look like a moment of uncontrollable destruction. The sight would be enough to send them running.
Jimmy stares at the inferno that once was his soulmate, half-ready to run. Running would keep him safe. Tango looks ready to kill someone.
He looks closer, though. He sees pain. It suddenly occurs to him that Tango’s first victim might be himself.
Tango tries to look away, but he meets Jimmy’s eyes. The flames burn brighter.
Sure enough, Jimmy runs.
It’s just in an unexpected direction.
The next thing Tango knows, he’s suddenly being crushed in a hug tight enough to smother flames. “Stop,” Jimmy whispers. “It’s okay. Just breathe. It’s alright. We’re gonna rebuild. Just take a breath. Don’t hurt yourself.”
Tango tries to shove him away. “No, stop! I’m just going to hurt you!”
Jimmy rubs Tango’s back in soothing circles. “You won’t. I promise. As long as I’m connected to you, your flames don’t hurt me, remember? It’s alright. Just stop. Let the fire die down.”
Tango buries his face in Jimmy’s shoulder. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I’m sorry you’re bound to me. This whole thing was a mistake.”
“No,” Jimmy says. “I’ll never regret being soulbound to you.”
Despite himself, Tango chuckles through his sobs. “Strange combination, right? The canary and the dynamite?”
Jimmy holds him closer. “No, I think it fits.”
Tango slumps against Jimmy, exhausted. “Can we…” He takes a deep breath. “Can we just build a shelter and go to sleep? I don’t want to deal with today anymore.”
Jimmy squeezes Tango’s hand, then takes out a stack of wooden planks. “Gladly. To tell the truth, I was ready to fall asleep two hours ago.”
Tango chuckles, then sighs. “I’m sorry for exploding. And I’m sorry I can’t promise it won’t happen again.”
Jimmy finishes the first layer of a shelter wall, then turns to Tango with a small smile. “It’s alright. I’m here to cool you down, alright? Always.”
It’s not a happy night after that. It’s not a peaceful one. It’s not a safe one. It’s filled with a gray sort of emptiness, mirroring the smoke in the air. But in the darkness, as Tango falls asleep with Jimmy’s wing resting over him, he tries to focus on one tiny thought. Jimmy hasn’t abandoned him for being dangerous. It’s not a lonely night.
Maybe this game won’t turn him into a monster after all.