Page 15 of Lovesick Titan (Lovesick #2)

Danny once again smoothed down his sweater. If it was a real work day, he would have worn a button down underneath it, but today there was just a tank top to protect him from the occasional itch of the fabric. The V showed off a bit of skin that he felt oddly self-conscious about right now.

He stuffed his hands into the pockets of his bomber jacket to calm his nerves. On the way over, he’d messaged Mal. You home?

At the moment.

Can we talk?

I’ll be here.

It was almost too easy. Danny knew it was Mal’s true nature shining through, his goodness and desire to be cared for that Danny had thrown back in his face, but this was his chance.

He’d practiced with Andre how to explain himself in a dozen different ways that would hopefully soften the blow and make it clear that Danny did care about Mal.

He just hoped the words he chose would be enough.

The walk to Mal’s apartment was over much faster than yesterday, even though Danny had lightning jumped to the same spot and walked the same few blocks. He didn’t run into anyone on the streets this time, and no one was in the hallways of the apartment building when he entered.

Upon reaching Mal’s door, he knocked gently. It took only seconds for it to open.

The faint scent of Mal’s cologne greeted Danny, and he looked—wow.

Besides the bruise around his eye, the rest of his visible wounds were nearly healed, and he still managed to look smug and self-assured.

Beautiful. He wore black jeans and a lighter grey sweater that complimented him well compared to his usual darker style.

But his expression…Danny caught the edge to it, the way the smirk was nothing more than a mask, his body language stiff and defensive.

Then Danny noticed that Mal’s right hand, holding the door open, was wrapped in gauze. His hand hadn’t been hurt last night.

“Are you okay? Did something else happen?” Danny took an abortive step forward, but Mal flinched and didn’t move aside to grant him entry.

“Not sure that’s any of your business,” he said, his smile a bitter twist.

Sinking in on himself, Danny stared at his feet. “I know you probably hate me right now, and you have every right to, but will you at least let me explain?” He risked a glance up after the silence stretched too long.

Mal’s smirk had fallen away, but that only made him more difficult to read. Just when Danny was certain the man was about to shut the door in his face, he opened it wider. “Come in.”

Relief surged through his veins like a shock of lightning. He’d succeeded at step one: entry. Now he just had to get Mal to hear him out.

Danny pushed aside the flip of his stomach as he crossed the threshold. Mal didn’t ask him to take off his shoes, but Danny did so anyway. As he moved further into the room, he remained facing away from Mal and immediately started talking. He had to get this out of him before he lost his nerve.

“First, let me say how sorry I am. Which I know is hugely inadequate to make up for what I did. There is nothing lower than running out on you after you’d…

and after we’d …” He clenched his eyes shut at the memory of just how awful a thing he’d done to Mal, and the man didn’t even know the half of it.

“That was terrible of me, but there’s a good—an awful, really awful—reason why I left.

And…” Why was it so cold all of a sudden, Danny thought as a shiver ran through him?

He opened his eyes, and when he took a breath, the puff of air escaped him like a clear stream of smoke. Slowly, Danny lifted his hands that were already shivering, and over the skin and his clothing formed a thin coating of frost.

“ Mal ?”

He tried to whip around, but his movements were already sluggish. Turning at a snail’s pace, he found Mal behind him with his back pressed to the door to stay as far away as possible, his left hand held outward sporting the amplifier that hadn’t been visible until now.

“By all means,” Mal said icily, with a fresh hardness to his expression, “continue. Your lies certainly have been impressive so far.”

Danny recoiled when Mal’s hand started to ice over as if he might blast him. “What are you doing?”

“Keeping you at a distance. Where you belong. Back up,” he gestured at Danny dismissively, “or you won’t just be feeling the cold field.”

Danny’s heart felt like lead in his chest, sore and heavy as he complied if only to keep Mal talking to him. “I know you’re upset, but I came here to explain —”

“Oh, I heard your explanation,” Mal sneered. “To Vaughn. At the precinct this morning.”

“You…” The floor dropped out from under Danny as he realized what Mal meant. “The noise in the hallway, the officer I saw…that was you? But you left .” Danny held up his hands to show he meant no harm, not anymore, he just wanted to move closer. “You didn’t hear everything—”

“I heard enough. About your plan. About what an easy mark I was.”

“Let me exlpla—ah!” Danny cried when he risked moving forward and a blast of ice coated his hands. He had to duck and push his hands outward to keep the blast from hitting his face. “Mal!” Shit , that stung…

“I warned you, Zeus. Hurts a lot worse without the suit on, doesn’t it?” Mal circled him as Danny stumbled against the sofa, sparking electricity through his hands to melt the ice. But with the cold field up, his powers were slowed and it was difficult to concentrate.

He got most of the ice off after a few frantic moments, but unfortunately for Danny, the frost remained and so did the numbing stiffness and pain.

“Wouldn’t try that again,” Mal said with a cruel grin, “or I might aim lower . ”

“I w-won’t move, but... please , Mal.” Danny leaned against the couch as he rubbed his raw hands. He was shivering uncontrollably now. “T-Turn the field off so we can...t-talk about this.”

“Prefer to talk like this.” Finally, Mal lowered his hand, but the feeling of the cold field didn’t dissipate.

“You’re something else, ya know that? Put on quite the show all these weeks.

Never would have thought you had it in you.

Except when you attacked me at the museum.

That I know was real. What happened, huh?

Got all mad thinking I’d teamed up with Ludgate and beat you to the punch?

Sorry to disappoint, Danny, but the betrayal’s all on you this time.

Though I did let you into the apartment, didn’t I? Guess I haven’t learned my lesson yet.”

The word spat from Mal’s mouth with venom behind it, the same word Danny had used when explaining things to Andre. But he hadn’t meant it like that . “P-Please…you have to listen —”

“I have to?” Mal raised his arm again with a snarl and rose up taller in his anger. “Do I have to, Danny?”

Reaching out with a frostbitten hand, Danny barely inched his foot the slightest bit forward before another blast of ice froze it to the floor. “Stop!” he choked out. It was only marginally less painful than his hands with his pant leg and sock to protect him.

“Stay. Put,” Mal ground out through gritted teeth.

“ Please …” Danny wanted to touch his foot but also not, because the ice was so cold . Willing his powers to life was harder in the cold field. He felt the sparks begin, but the process was slower, making his eyes tear up at how much it hurt without the suit.

“No,” Mal said with a coldness to his tone that made Danny shiver harder than anything the ice was causing.

“What happens if I drop the field, Danny? You gonna force me?” He squared his stance but didn’t move any closer, keeping himself safely in the eye of the field while Danny remained at the edge.

“You could. Too fast for me to stop normally, especially in close quarters. Would you make me do what you want, since it’s so easy for you to twist me around? ”

“No…Mal, I…I s-swear…” Danny dropped to his knees when he’d finally shaken off most of the ice from his foot. The effort had him so drained, he hurt everywhere now. Wrapping his arms around his middle, he could feel the frost over his face and coating his hair .

“Just like that night, right?” Mal spat, cold fire and fury in his eyes. “Pushed all my buttons and still got me to let you touch me. Now that …is talent.”

Danny fell forward, dropping his arms just in time to catch himself and keep from collapsing fully.

He didn’t want to fight. He’d been fighting for so long, and he didn’t have a right to fight this.

He wanted to feel the pain. He deserved to feel it.

He’d driven Mal into a panic attack that night, and now he thought he’d done it on purpose .

“I guess that was all just part of the plan too.”

“No…”

“To break me down. To make me pay .”

“ No .”

All at once, warmth enveloped Danny and he sagged in relief.

It was like coming in from outside after being caught in a blizzard.

Mal had turned off the cold field. Trembling as his body fought to warm itself up, Danny sat back on his ankles with great effort and looked at Mal, whose hand was still frosted over but dropped limply at his side.

“Then tell me, Danny. What are you going to do?”

He was testing him, waiting to see if Danny would prove he was the villain Mal believed him to be. Danny knew he could never make up for what he’d done, especially not after Mal had heard the truth in the worst way possible, but he had to explain, he had to make Mal understand.

Taking in deeper breaths now that it no longer burned his throat, Danny summoned a surge of lightning. He blurred with sparks all throughout his body to melt the remaining traces of ice.

All the while, Mal kept in a ready stance, not giving Danny even an inch, despite having dropped the field. He didn’t trust him. Of course he didn’t. Danny had taken Mal’s trust, a rare trust for anyone to be granted, and shattered it.