Yvette and Fred - backdated to Tuesday

[x-penance.livejournal.com]

Yvette comes across a much-recovered Fred, and has no idea how to react.



There was little reason for Frederick Dukes to be chopping wood in the woods of the Xavier grounds. There was even less reason for him to be doing it shirtless. However, that was exactly what was happening.

Since his return, Fred had been keeping himself busy. Busy with things he'd always done his best to put off. Preparing for next semester's classes. Actually doing some math studying in advance, and cleaning up his part of the dorm. After he'd taken care of a lot of his responsibilities, Fred had decided to meditate and discovered the large pile of wood while looking for a spot to sit. Figuring he'd save Kyle the trouble of cutting it himself, he'd taken to task, and found it surprisingly more centering than his meditation had been.

He'd begun chopping again today, and taken off his shirt to see if he was still as resistant to the elements as he'd been before his accident. While other aspects of his powers had fluctuated, his temperature regulation seemed to be as strong as ever. Fred actually enjoyed the wind as it fluttered past him, oblivious to everything around him except the stump and axe in his hands as he sung softly an old Patsy Cline song to himself...

A flash of red and blue appeared in his peripheral vision as Yvette made her way to the woodshed, intent on doing her usual kindling preparation chores. With the weather turning snowy, there was a definite demand for open fires in the mansion's fireplaces. At the sound of the axe she'd expected to find Kyle (hopefully without his shirt on, although she'd never admit that to anyone). She indeed found a shirtless boy, but not the one she expected, and for a moment she paused, mouth an O of surprise as she realised it was... "Fred?"

Fred would've recognized that voice in a hurricane. Smiling broadly, he set the axe over his shoulder and turned to Yvette, "Yvette. Uh...heh...hey..." Fred's face went almost as red as his friends, embarrassed for a few reasons. One, though his physique had...improved greatly... since his stay at Muir, being half naked around a girl was still jarring for him. Also, he realized that since he'd come back, he had really only seen Jules, not really straying from his dorm room all that much. He covered his look of surprise by burying the tip of the axe in the stump and reaching around his head to put his longer hair into a ponytail. Where the hell had he put his shirt...? "How, uh, how've you been?"

For a long moment she just blinked at him, taking in all the changes. He looked normal. "I have been good," she managed faintly at last, remembering he'd asked her a question. "You... you look..." She groped for a word. "You look well?"

Finally, Fred managed to find his plaid flannel and slip into it, buttoning it up as he slid into his jacket as fast as he could manage. He grinned sheepishly at Yvette, offering a small shrug, "The Docs, uh...my power isn't...uh, as...active?...as it usually is. They said the accident, it uh, caused a subconscious...." Fred struggled to recall the next word, "...physiological change, whatever the hell that means. Also, apparently, my body produces hair a lot quicker than others when I'm unconscious, which, uh" he laughed and scratched at the blonde stubble that had taken over his face, "Puts me in the running for most ridiculous, uh, aspect of mutation ever, huh?"

Fred's stumbling words helped reduce the awkwardness of the situation a bit, and she laughed a little at the bit about the hair. "It is good to see you awake again," she managed, a bit more normally, even while her mind was churning over the situation and a small, petulant voice inside of her was complaining bitterly about everyone else getting control over their powers... She stomped on it firmly and went on. "We were very worried when you had the accident, so it is the relief to see that you are better than ever, yes?"

Fred frowned a little, and chewed on the inside of his mouth. 'Better'? Thinner, yeah, but 'better'? He was sure Yvette just meant in better spirits, but still...

Fred looked around a bit, as if to make sure Yvette was the only one within earshot, before he continued, "Honest? I don't know about 'better', Vette. I mean, I...my powers don't work the way they're suppose'tah. Doc McCoy says my body just has to get used to the shift, but..." he offered a small smile, his eyes not reflecting the humor of it, "I don't...feel right, you know? I know that's kinda stupid. I mean, I look better, but...I just don't...I don't know...feel right, I guess...that make any sense...?"

"But... you are looking like the normal person. Is this not the good thing for you?" she asked, wide-eyed. Her time on the inhibitor had been the best weeks of her life, at least since she'd manifested. She couldn't understand anyone else not wanting the same.

Fred looked at Yvette, more than a little hurt, "I, uh..." he covered the look by lighting a cigarette and when he looked back, his face with solid and unreadable. "I looked fine before. I mean, yea, I was huge. I didn't always like it, but,uh...but...never mind." Fred chewed the inside of his mouth again as smoke billowed out his nose.

Feeling around his now enormous coat for his cigarettes, he felt a large rectangle inside one of his interior pockets, and smiled a little. Finally, he removed a large cardboard postal package from his coat, "Here. I got this for you before I, uh...yeah. Merry Christmas." He smiled weakly again and, with great effort, hefted some of the wood onto his shoulder, "I'm gonna take this stuff inside. I'll, uh, catch you later..." and with that, he was gone.

Yvette looked down at the package in her hands, and then at Fred's retreating back. "~Sometimes,~" she said to herself in her native language. "~You are a self-absorbed idiot.~"