.
Breathe in. Breathe out.
It condensed in front of his face and dropped, sinking to join the lingering fog he'd already produced. Ice spread out from his bare feet in feathery patterns. His sweat froze as soon as it was produced, leaving little beads of ice on his skin.
It was the middle of summer. The tail end of a heatwave, ignoring the mess he and Vortex had made of local weather patterns. It was hot outside. It had been hot here minutes ago.
This was too much. He shuddered.
He'd been doing okay with these ice powers. He'd been regularly discharging the cold that built up inside him. But now, it felt like he was back to square one. Only worse.
He groaned as ice pulsed in his chest. It wanted to get out, but he couldn't let it go fast enough.
He didn't have Vortex's powers anymore. At least, he thought he didn't. But he wasn't sure what else could be causing this. Maybe the remnants of those powers had been rechanneled into his ice powers?
Would it be permanent?
He hoped not.
The tree he was sitting next to creaked, branches drooping as they were coated with ice. Just looking… Just looking at this frozen landscape, you'd think it was the dead of winter.
He wrapped his arms around himself, shuddering, trying to release enough power to be able to walk home and exist in his own skin until he could next get away to the Far Frozen.
Something snapped above Danny, and he flinched. A branch came tumbling down from overhead, barely missing him.
It occurred to him that he might bleed off cold faster if he spread himself out. Maybe. The thermodynamics of the situation were as shady as anything.
He closed his eyes and shifted slightly. His muscles were frozen, too.
Just a little longer.
In. Out. Ice crystals condensed in the air.
Breathe in. Breathe out.