it's morning now (it's brighter now)

chapter 1

One might think that finding a Dark Dimension in outerwear might've outweirded any powers that came after. That turned out not to be the case. Around six months after leaving New Orleans, Tyrone and Tandy notice their abilities shift.

Tyrone would describe it as a brain freeze running through his whole body but not from eating ice cream. But the snow in Antarctica. It is a storm that never lets up. He usually never notices until he starts thinking about it. When he does, it is as if that feeling consumes more than his soul. He would feel like smoke, uncaring and ready to dissipate. Having his hoodie or his cloak helps to ground it down. It becomes manageable. At least most of the time.

Tandy would describe her powers as taking multiple shots of espresso but amplified. Sometimes erratic, sometimes the much-needed cure for drowsiness, or energy that demands her to keep moving. It wants to attack as much as it wants to heal. At best, it feels like a sunrise, magnificent and a cry of relief. At worst, it feels like blue fire, scorching. But she feels like her blades. She is focused so that it never hurts anyone that deserves her fury.

But now it feels like Tandy is a pot of boiling water. Ready to shatter into a million pieces regardless of who gets caught in the crossfire. Growing up in New Orleans, you learn to get used to the heat, especially after living in buildings without AC. But this scorch is not the overbearing humidity she knows. Or the arid weather that surrounded them when they were in Arizona. She is lightning ready to strike. Absolute power.

Ty feels as infinite as pure darkness that swallows light. Time becomes irrelevant as it loses hold of him. He stops noticing where he is—worrying Tandy when she needs to call his attention. Even when he is in front of her, he can't focus. He becomes untethered from the tangible world. It is as if he is everywhere and nowhere. He can become one with the shadows for the rest of his life and not even know it.

Their only relief is when they sleep. Neither have a sense of personal boundary leading both to pile on each other. It's convenient in drafty buildings and to make quick escapes via Ty. Most nights, Tandy felt too hot for physical contact, but then she'd see his shivering figure underneath his cloak and all the blankets they scrounged up. Instead of feeling stifled, she'd cooled down.

Because they are much better at seeing the other's shit, nothing comes to fruition until they push the other to open up.

"Are you going to tell me what is happening to you?" Ty starts.

They retreated to their base of operations, which just was an abandoned building. The whole day Ty kept noticing how agitated Tandy looked. She kept fidgeting, kept twitching, which was unusual for the collected girl he knew. While in dire situations, Ty could count on her being poised, with a sense of self-possession he envied.

"What do you mean?" Tandy attempts to evade.

"You're acting weird. You have been for a while."

"Like you're one to talk."

Tandy's head begins to throb. She is losing control of herself. All she wants is for the conversation to end. But she knows Ty, how he worries and never looks out for himself.

"Hey! Don't make this about me!"

"You keep losing focus. You think I don't notice. It's like you disappear for a moment."

"I get lost in my thoughts."

"Bullshit! I thought we were honest with each other, Ty."

"I'm not lying! You're the one who looks ready to pass out at any moment. I wanted to give you time to come to me with it. But now I'm getting worried!"

"I'M FINE!"

In a moment of frustration and slight insanity, Tandy expels a force of light at Ty. She feels in equal measure relief and horror. Relief at feeling lighter in burden. Horror: for attacking Ty. True: the blasts were technically non-fatal, but they pack quite a punch.