Cold.

All he felt was cold.

Everything was freezing, the tips of his fingers beginning to go numb. His breathing was heavy, chest rising and falling methodically as he lay still on the tiled bathroom floor. He could see his breath from the cold, the ends of his vision starting to blur together. There was pounding at the door, someone yelling from the other side, yet his brain couldn't process the words.

He pulled himself up, using the counter of the sink as support for his shaking legs. Pulling off his shirt, a breathy swear fell from his lips. He dragged a hand over the frost-like substance growing on his body, freezing over his skin. It was in the center of his chest, and growing rapidly at that. He grabbed the knob of the sink, twisting the hot water on in a hurry.

Looking in the mirror, he ran a hand through his hair, noticing the white roots beginning to grow out. He let out another deep breath, frosty air escaping his mouth in a puff. The tips of his fingers were covered in a thin layer of frost, which was quickly spreading as they began to shift into an icy shade of blue. He slipped his hands underneath the boiling water to try and stop his hands from freezing over, yet the faucet froze as soon as he touched the water pouring out of it.

Pounding against the door rang through his ears, his head spinning. He fell against the wall for support, though the frost on his fingertips began to spread upon contact. The room filled with ice, spreading faster than a forest fire, coating every surface in a layer of icy frost. He let out a shuddering breath at what he had just done, pulling away from the wall with unsteady legs.

His insides felt like they were squirming, like he was about to be sick. He had to get out of here, he had to go before they saw him. Before they saw his curse. The pounding on the door was only getting louder, while the frost on his arms was only getting colder. He stared at his shaking hands for a moment before pressing his palm against the door, freezing it over in just a touch. That would hold them back, even if it was just for a couple minutes.

The window was big enough to crawl through, giving him a chance to escape. He grabbed his shirt from the ground, quickly shoving it back on before running over to the window. He opened the hatch, crawling out onto the brick ledge of the window. His apartment was a couple stories high, though too far to jump down without harming himself. The pounding on the bathroom door was getting louder, they were clearly trying to get in, trying to see if he was okay. But they couldn't see him like this. He had to leave.

Snow left the tips of his fingers, forming a pile in the alleyway of the apartment building. It would be just enough to cushion his fall. He could hear the sheet of ice he made break down as the door was rammed open forcibly, causing him to step off of the ledge and jump down to the alleyway below.

Landing in the snow pile was easy enough, despite being somewhat rough upon impact, though that was the easy part. He got up and ran as soon as he hit the ground. Running out of the alleyway and down the street, into the darkness of the city night. People like him were cursed, sought after, tortured. He had heard it all before. He couldn't put his friends in danger. He couldn't stay with them with this uncontrolled power of his.

So he ran. And he kept running. And he ran for what felt like forever. He ran until the sun came up and the night began to fade.

He stumbled into an alleyway across the city, gasping for breath as he shivered from the cold. The frost on his hands was spreading to his wrists, while his palms had gone completely numb from the cold. He let out a shaky breath, a cold puff of air escaping his lips. He walked further down the alleyway while rubbing his hands together, trying to warm up his freezing limbs.

There wasn't much in the alley, though it would be a good place to rest for the day. He opened up a dumpster, peeking inside. Despite the smell, it was empty, making it an ideal hiding spot. He crawled inside, shutting the hatch behind him to keep himself hidden from the world.

He knew that these powers were out of hand, that he barely had a sense of control over them. If he touched another person, then who knows what he could do. He could freeze someone in an instant if he wasn't careful. He didn't want to put his friends at risk. Not when this curse was getting worse by the day.

A sharp pain shot through his chest, causing him to clutch the fabric of his shirt with a groan. He could feel the frost on his chest slowly spreading, freezing over his skin. It hurt, as if the ice was slowly welding to his chest.

Shutting his eyes, he leaned his head back while shivering from the cold. He needed to rest for the day, as he would continue to run once night fell. He had to leave the city before the powers he had grew worse. His friends probably reported him missing by now, and likely reported the icy mess in the bathroom as well. The government could be after him by now. After whatever power he had.

Eventually he relaxed slightly, despite the worries that plagued his mind. He slipped off into sleep, as the frost slowly continued to spread through his body.

~•~

Grian was a bit hesitant when Mumbo invited him over for tea, they had only just met after all, though despite his worries he agreed anyways. They stopped at the front desk of the apartment complex to pick up the architect's new house key, which just so happened to be on Mumbo's floor. Quite a wild coincidence, really. So much so that Grian wished he knew the chances of bumping into Mumbo in a city so vast.

"Make yourself at home." He said, taking off his soaking suit jacket and hanging it on the coat rack at the front of the apartment. "I'll make you some tea really quickly to warm you up. I know you must be eager to get to your apartment, so I won't keep you too long."

"Oh, t-thanks." Grian chuckled, wandering around the living room.

The apartment was rather large in size, especially for a one bedroom. There was a large couch and armchair that faced a TV and several bookshelves, along with a coffee table and rug. There were photos on the walls of unfamiliar faces, most likely Mumbo's friends, along with paintings and other items for decor. He took a seat on the edge of the couch, practically sinking into the plush cushions.

"Some of the furniture comes with the apartment." Mumbo said as he carried out two cups of steaming tea, the bags still steeping inside of the water. "So yours will look rather similar to mine."

"It's really nice." The architect mentioned, examining the room once more. "I should probably head over and unpack."

"Of course, sorry. Here, you can return this to me later." Mumbo chuckled as he handed over the warm cup of tea, Grian mumbling a shy 'thank you' as he stared into his reflection of the liquid.

"Why don't you come over sometime and I can introduce you to a couple of friends in the building? I bet they'd love to meet you." Offered the mustached Brit.

"Oh, you'd do that?" Grian asked hopefully, looking up from his tea.

Mumbo laughed. "Of course! I know we don't exactly know one another, but I'm happy to help you adjust to life in a large city. It's a bit overwhelming without a friend to guide you."

"Okay, yeah!" He nodded excitedly, rising from his seat. "I'd love that! I'm so happy I ran into you, I don't know what I'd do without you, Mumbo!"

"Probably get lost on the subway." Mumbo joked, "That's what happened my first few days. I luckily moved here already knowing a couple people, so I was able to adjust pretty quickly. So I'm happy to pass the favor onto you."

"You're awesome!" Grian said, hugging the taller male. "I'll see you tomorrow then!"

"See you tomorrow." He said with a nod and a smile, waving as Grian shut the door. The architect smiled to himself, eyes sparkling with excitement. Not even a day in the city and he's already friends with someone! Maybe things wouldn't be too bad here, even without all his friends in Evo.

He walked down the long hallway of apartments, cup of tea in one hand while the other fiddled through his pockets to pull out his new house key. He was just a couple doors down from Mumbo, room 713. Pushing the key into the lock, Grian opened the door to the dim room filled with boxes. He flipped on the lights, revealing a rather similar layout to Mumbo's room, though lacking most decor.

First things first, he needed to take a shower. His clothes were still soaking wet from the rainstorm. Grian took a sip of the tea he was given, setting it down on the coffee table of his new apartment. He opened a couple boxes, looking for a spare change of clothes. Truthfully, he was far too tired to unpack everything. He would just procrastinate a little bit, he'd do it eventually.

After finishing the tea and taking a quick shower, he felt much better. Grian had changed into more relaxed sleepwear, a loose red t-shirt and grey sweatpants, before flopping onto his bed with a heavy sigh. He pulled out his phone, the glow of the screen illuminating his face in the dark room. He had a couple texts from everyone back at Evo, mostly Tim, Pearl, and Taurtis. He smiled weakly at the photos that were sent into the group chat, everyone laughing and smiling together.

Taurtis> hey m8, how's the big city?

Grian chuckled as his thumbs typed against the small keyboard on his screen.

Grian> Pretty crappy at first, it's crazy here. But I met someone who helped me out, and he seems nice.

Bubbles popped onto the screen to show Taurtis was responding.

Taurtis> Don't forget stranger danger

Grian> Okay mom

Taurtis> Don't use that tone with me young man

The architect laughed and rolled his eyes, setting the phone onto his nightstand. He stared up at the ceiling for a few minutes, a smile across his face as drowsiness began to take over. Maybe things wouldn't be so bad here. The city was big and overwhelming, but Mumbo was going to help. And he was going to meet new people too. Plus this job was a good thing, it was his dream career after all!

Still, that didn't make him miss Evo any less.