Stacking pebbles wasn't hard. (Invisibility)
Neither was rapping his knuckles on wood. (Intangibility)
Napping for an extra hour was a bit of a hassle, but he could work around it. (Flight)
Drinking a few cups of water water was easy, and probably actually good for him. (Ice)
Grabbing a live wire wasn't something he'd like to repeat, but if push came to shove… ('Ghost' Stinger)
Duplication, though… He would never try that again.
It succeeded, but the remuneration didn't seem to kick in until later that night.
It wasn't fun to wake up in pain. He found himself tied to the bed, feeling hands wrap around his ribs and pull them apart. The crackling of bone, tearing of marrow.
His own face stared back at him, covered in blood as handfuls of flesh and organs were methodologically pulled up and devoured.
He felt a hand close around his core, this shuddering little orb just below his heart. It squeezed and he choked on the gasp that hissed through tearful sobs, eyes snapping open suddenly from a different perspective.
He stared at the body in his bed, the mess of visceral fluids and still-trembling nerves. He slumped to his knees and let the gore drip from his arms, between his fingers. The floor was slippery with it, mouth full of sweet metallic flavor.
No.
That was too steep a price to pay.
Duplication wasn't for him.
AUTHOR'S NOTE: If anyone hasn't watched/read 'Darker than Black', it's essentially a story about people who have special powers - but each time they use their power, they have to 'Pay a price' for it. Think FMA 'Equivalent Exchange' but it tends to be like 'Oh you can defy gravity for a while, but in return you have to break one of your own fingers' or 'Sure you can unlock any door, but you have to eat some flowers immediately after you unlock something'.
That price that Danny paid for duplication? Ahaha not even close to the nasty crap some of these ppl have to pay for their power.