Fred and Lil

[x-diamondlil.livejournal.com]

Fred takes a wrong turn while heading to the smoker's porch and ends up finding Lil in the gym instead.


Still buzzing from a night full of kicking drunken bikers' asses with Cammie, Lil took her leftover energy to the gym and channeled it into a more intense workout routine than she'd been following lately. Throwing the goons around had only helped hammer home the fact that she was still no where near the point her was three years ago even if the cuts of muscle in her arms, stomach and legs were becoming more defined. "Still lots to do, girl" the blonde giantess mumbled to herself, beginning another rep of chin-ups even as she wished Logan was around to spar. Ponytail swinging, the Amazon breathed through the exercise, pausing only when she heard the doors to the gym open.

Fred stumbled into the gym, and knew from the start he was in the wrong place. The smell of these places had always bothered him. He must have taken a wrong turn on his way out to smoke a cigarette. Because of the sheer size of this place, it happened to him frequently. Fred caught sight of the unknown blond amazon, and definitely knew he was in the wrong place. This must've been that Lil woman he he'd talked to on the journal he'd opened. As an unlit cigarette still dangled from his lips, Fred decided he'd have infringed on the woman if he stayed, and backed back towards the door...

Green eyes narrowed slightly at him before Lil released her hold on the bar and dropped back to the floor. "You looking for someone?" she asked, her fists planted firmly on her hips now. She hadn't seen him around but wasn't blonde enough that she couldn't put two and two together. New kid. Frank or Fred or something. "Classes let out a little while ago so you're either really late for today or really early for tomorrow."

"Uh, actually I didn't make it to class. I found a store in town that sold old books and got really distracted and..." Fred decided maybe it wasn't the best idea to have discussed his truancy with someone who may or may not be a disciplinarian, so he shut up. When she'd planted her hands on her hip, he'd looked over Lil, but not lecherously so. He'd worked in strip clubs and the like, and long ago lost gotten over the more perverse feelings that came with his age and hormones. Fred shrugged, and forced a smile onto his face "It's not like gym has ever been my strongest subject anyway..."

Her brow arched as she returned the once over. No shit was the first thought that came to mind but Lil managed to bite it back. No use being unnecessarily mean to a kid. "Don't gotta explain that to me. I don't teach or anything, just live and train here. I couldn't care less if you didn't show up for any of your classes but for books? Really?" Reading wasn't her strongest suit and the way her nose wrinkled showed her disgust.

Clicking her tongue, Lil nodded to the cigarette. "Porch off the kitchen is where you gotta head to if you're looking to light that thing." Her own pack tucked away in her bag was calling to her but seeing as she was almost out, the Canadian was trying to ration it until she could get to work.

Fred nodded, "I was actually on the way there. Got, uh, turned around," Fred turned a light shade of red and scratched the back of his head, "I was look for a copy of Don Quixote. Can't help I that gym don't hold my attention. I, uh, am always this size, no matter what I do..."

"Curse of the powers," she said knowingly even though her own curse was a bit different than his. "For the book you should check with Jean-Paul - he's the Lit prof - or with Callie. Pretty sure she's a bookworm." Or at least the pink girl seemed to be. At the very least, she could suggest where to find a copy. "Or you know, the library. Haven't actually gone in there myself but I hear it's fulla books," Lil said with a hint of a smile as she pulled out her own smokes and a lighter from the mini duffel. Damn temptation. "I'll walk out to the porch if you want."

Fred nodded and opened the door for Lil. He turned and held open one of large meaty hand, "Sure. I'm Fred, by the way," he said.

"Lillian Crawley-Jeffries," she returned giving his hand a shake after tucking her lighter into the strap of her sportsbra. "Go by Lil. So what else your powers do?"

Fred laughed a small, humorless drawl. It felt like he'd had this conversation a hundred times, and each time, it felt like he'd sounded more retarded each time he said it, "It's really hard to hurt me, ma'am. I mean I still feel it when people hit me, but.." and sighed, "You know what? I'll show you: hit me" he said, as he stopped in his tracks and turned to face Lillian.

"First off, call me 'ma'am' again and I'm gonna make you eat your tongue," Lil warned him, planting her hands on her hips again as she stared down at him. "Secondly, I ain't allowed to punch students. Not without the Professor and the self-defense teachers' permission. Thirdly, I don't need to hit you to know what you're talking about 'cause I got the same thing, sweetie. Invulnerability. Drop me off a building, shoot a bullet at my head, try to fry me with a laser, it's all gonna end up the same way - a big let down for whoever's trying to put me six feet under."

After that tongue lashing, Fred was actually kinda happy Lil hadn't hit him; she might've actually been able to hurt him. "Yeah. That. Invulnerability. Sorry about that ma-erm-Lil" he said, and got an embarrassed smile on his face. As he moved towards the door, he dug the zippo out of his large brown raincoat, and looked about. Why was it that, even though this placed housed dozens of mutants, it _still_ felt like a ghost town?

"Don't worry about it. Don't do it again, but don't worry about it. Just stick to Lil." The blonde blew a lock of hair out of her face and gave a one-shouldered shrug. "There's a couple of us with that power. You might wanna talk to Inez, she's one of the students and a fellow Brick," came the suggestion. "Invulnerability. Super strength and all that package too, I'm guessing?"

"Package? I guess. I also most about as quick as normal sized people can, which I guess is a power...and like I said, I don't move if I don't want to. Also, I can't get poisoned, which I figured out after I accidentally drank bleach..." Fred got the feeling he was rambling, and shut up. He opened the porch door for Lillian, "Inez? Haven't met her yet. To be honest I, uh, I keep to myself mostly..."

"You'll meet her soon enough, I'm sure," Lil quipped as she stepped outside, already drawing a cigarette from her back and lighting it. "I'm not a speedster either. Can be poisoned though. All my powers stem from this bio-aura thing my cells produce. Skin can't be broken by hardly anything and works as a decent enough cushion if I go head first outta a window. Also doubles the strength of my attacks 'cause it keeps any energy from bouncing back at me. But I ingest or inhale something bad? I'm out." She made a strangled noise and leaned up against the wall, one knee bent so she could plant a foot against it.

Fred laughed at the noises Lil had made, and lit his smoke. He dragged deep of the coffin nail, and exhaled out of his nose, "I wonder why it is that so many powers work so, y'know, similarly?" Fred had never been the best orator, and didn't know if what he said had been comprehensible...

"Dunno. Ain't much for deep thoughts. Or thoughts of any kind, really," she admitted, flicking the ash of her cigarette in the direction of one of the cans. "Do know I can't feel hot or cold or soft or hard and haven't since I've been eight years old, though."

"I don't feel temperature shifts either, really," Fred said. Something had been bugging him, and he had finally mustered the courage to ask, "Uh, Lil. You said you weren't an instructor or a student so...if you don't mind talking about it that is, why are you here?" he asked softly. He made sure his tone was neutral, because the last thing he'd wanted was to piss off the one person who had the best chance of kicking his ass.

Lil actually chuckled at that. "Kinda part of an exchange program. I'm from Canada and looking to get into a program up there but they're in the middle of restructuring so I'm here for training." Another pull of smoke and she exhaled it slowly. "Powers and techniques and shit." Along with anger management... and the fact she was running away from her troubled marriage - neither which he needed to know.

Fred nodded, as if he knew what Lil meant, "Honestly, I don't think I quite get all of everything that goes on here, but I guess I'm not really supposed to. Just a student here after all..."

"I've been here since December and am I'm pretty sure I don't quite get all of everything that goes on here." She flashed him a smile. "You'll figure it out what you're doing and and how you'll fit in. Just do me a favor and don't enter any stupid video game contests? I don't feel like fighting any more giant squids."

"Not a prob-whuwh-what?" Fred did a double take, sure he didn't hear Lil correctly.

"Kraken. Giant squid," she repeated, finishing off the last of her cigarette then debating if she should light another. "Bunch of us got kidnapped on a field trip to a laser tag arena and were made to compete in reality TV set ups. Survivor had a giant squid. Tough piece of shit but we celebrated surviving by going out for sushi afterward."

Fred was quiet for a moment, eyes wide, "You're serious," he chuckled "You know...maybe I should've just stayed in Atlanta..." He pulled two Red Bulls from his pocket and offered one to Lil. It had become a fairly standard greeting for Fred since coming to this school, and it had served him well so far...

The blonde eyed the drink then took it with a shrug, popping it open. "Like I said, you'll figure out your place here. Weird shit happens. You just gotta roll with it." She took a swig then made a face. "Shit ain't good without the alcohol," she chuckled and her nose wrinkled when Lil attempted to peer into the can. "I don't think I've ever drank one of these things straight."

"I wouldn't know. I can't get drunk...near as I can tell," Fred cracked open the Red Bull and poured some down his throat. "I haven't tried grain alcohol. I've bee told it might do the trick," and drank some more. The caffeine, like the nicotine, helped keep Fred on an even keel. Helped him ignore how bad he usually felt. They might have some negative side effects, but the helped in the here and now.

"Been working bars and clubs for a couple years now - I think I've drunk just about everything they offer." And then some. "Waitress. Tender. Bouncer. Takes me a lot over a short time but I can get drunk. Usually don't get past tipsy, though. My metabolism burns shit pretty fast to keep up with my bio-aura."

Fred smiled. Apparently he and the amazon woman had something in common past powers, "You bounced? Me too. I've saved a lot of money up over the past few years. No one ever asked me how old I was cause of my size..."

"Yup," she said, popping the p. Another sip of the drink and Lil couldn't help but make the same face once again. Definitely not a drink she enjoyed. Made her wonder would it would or could do to her powers. "Mostly in clubs and mostly drunks who thought it would be fun to try and grab my tits 'til I took them by the balls and threw them out the door."

Normally Fred would wince in fraternal commiseration, but he knew the type Lil spoke of, and felt no pity for the people who let alcohol turn them into animals. He guzzled down the rest of the energy drink, and replaced the can in his jacket. "I worked clubs more than bars. Guys getting a little to...excited for their own good. One of 'em pulled a gun on me a few months back..."

Brow cocked again, the giantess looked down at him. "Oh yeah? What did you do?"

"I tried to talk him down, we were in an alley, it was dark, raining...heh, like an old movie kinda..." Fred scratched the back of his head, he busied himself with a drag off his cigarette, "He, uh, got a hold of one of the girls, the dancers, getting off shift..." Fred seemed far away for the time...

Lil's hand landed on his shoulder, hard enough to jar him slightly. "Hey. You still in there?"

Fred jerked a little and sat up straight "I, uh, I...erm...I got her away. But I got shot for my trouble," his accent was thick as he recalled the vivid memory. He turned to Lil and smiled broadly. "That's the night I figured out I was a mutant,"

"Hellofa way to learn," the blonde said, clicking her tongue. Lil remembered the first time she'd been shot. Sure, she'd known she was a mutant by then, was years into that knowledge but worrying that her powers wouldn't extend that far while staring down the barrel of a gun wasn't fun. "I had it easy. Well, all things considered. I was eight and trying to donate my hair for cancer wigs. Scissors wouldn't cut it."

Fred barked out a small laugh, before he covered his mouth, "Sorry, that's not funny" he said, "But, if you'd gotten it off your head, you coulda given some kid an indestructible wig!"

"Yeah," she chuckled dryly as she rolled the can between her hands. "'Cept the wig wasn't for another kid. It was for my mom. She died a month later. I thought I'd sapped her strength for a little while after. That somehow she got weaker 'cause I got stronger."

All joy left Fred's face in a hurry. Without a word he took another cigarette from his pack, lit it with the spent one, and tossed the old one away. He sat for a moment, and did not utter a word. Finally, in a voice too small to be his, he said, "Lost my mom when I was a kid, too. Blamed myself too, actually..."

Lil let out a small sigh and put the unfinished drink on the ground. "You'll find a lotta people here have similar stories, Fred. Completely sucks but it's true." Blowing another lock of hair out of her eyes, the Amazon patted his shoulder. "You should talk to the other people around. And go to class."

Fred sighed, and nodded, but all the strength seemed to have left him. He dragged deeply and held the smoke in his chest for the moment, then exhaled.

"Believe me, I'm the last one who'll be preaching about the benefits of classes but it'll do you good. At least on the social side of it. Get to know the other kids. You'll stop feeling so alone." Another pat and the tall woman nodded toward the door. "I gotta head back to the gym. You gonna be okay out here?"

Fred grinned a little, whatever was on his mind pushed back down into him, "Yea. I'm good. Thanks for the chat. Let's do it again sometime," and flicked his cigarette onto the porch. With a farewell wave, Fred made his way away from the porch, towards the rural areas of the estate.