The X-Project

Yvette runs into Kyle by the pool and they chat about the summer and Yvette's de-powering and how nobody anywhere understands Cammie and there is a very awkward hug. Kyle is pretty sure he's going to the hot place for realizing that Yvette is cute.



The last few weeks before school started up again were busy for Kyle. Between making sure the classrooms were setup again and everything was working correctly, and getting ready for his own classes, plus all the regular normal summer maintainance tasks, he was actually busy throughout the entire day. Not having his favorite helper around to cut back the ridiculous amount of growth along the jogging paths and around the grounds wasn't helping matters.

But it didn't mean he wasn't taking time to enjoy his summer vacation either. As long as everything got done, it didn't much matter if he took an hour or two in the hottest part of the day to do essentially nothing. Nap. Swim. Sprawl under an umbrella by the pool with a book and a bag of cherries.

There was a patter of bare feet on concrete off to his left and then a pair of slim legs appeared in his vision. Looking up would have revealed a small, slim girl dressed in a pink one-piece swimsuit, long brown hair braided down her back. Yvette poked Kyle in the side with her toe and put on her best "Voice of Authority": "Are you not supposed to be doing the rehab, Mr. Gibney?"

It wasn't that Kyle didn't know what Yvette looked like these days. It was just that everything was so different. Her appearance was different - and so was her smell, and the noises she made when moving, and all of it together meant that it took him half a second to stop staring. It didn't help that she was cute - young looking, and still tiny, but cute. "Nope. I am totally cleared to go back to my normal workouts. No more old person water yoga or having pool noodles thrown at my head."

She pouted, but it was spoiled by the grin that kept creeping through. "But throwing the pool noodles at your head was the best part!" she protested. With all the changes, her voice remained the same, albeit with more confidence than she'd shown before she'd gone to Seattle. "Now how am I to be amusing myself?"

"You're just gonna have to wait until I blow myself up again." Not that Kyle really planned on that exactly, it was just that he didn't -not- plan on it either. "Or just start taking pool noodles up to the tree house and bonking me with them all sneaky-like."

"And sneaky is what I do. Or used to do." Yvette frowned a little - she had been wondering about whether she should stay on the team given her lack of powers now, and hadn't come to a decision, especially since there was a part of her that wondered if maybe her powers would come back some day. The moment passed and she flopped herself down next to Kyle, without her usual careful movements and closer than she might ever have done before. "Are you having the good vacation?"

"Eh." Kyle waved his hand slightly. "You know, one one hand, summer vacation and lying on my butt doing nothing. On the other hand, Nick's still missing and you guys' powers are all messed up." He shrugged, and sat up completely, setting his book down on the table next to his lounge chair. "Not trying to, you know, harsh your summer or anything. It's just making me grouchy."

The frown appeared again, deeper this time. "It is terrible that we do not know what has happened to Nick," she agreed. "And I hope we can find him soon. But I do not understand why some of us not having our powers any more should be making you grouchy." A thought occurred to her. "Unless you are mad at me also, for not thinking to ask the others if they wanted this? I really did not think it would work and it seemed rude to not include them if it did" She bit her lip, hoping Kyle wasn't going to yell at her. That would be awful.

Kyle shook his head, and then swiped a hand through the hair that fell in his face. Time for another haircut. "Not grouchy with you, just sort of grouchy that this summer seems to kind of suck for everyone in some way." He frowned, and then added. "But yeah, you should've asked. But. I am totally not going to get on your case for being dumb, since everybody does it at least once." And he was sort of of the opinion that at least Kevin might actually honestly be better off without his powers. Not that Kyle would breathe a single word of that to anyone.

She ducked her head at the 'you should've asked', ears and cheeks reddening. "What is the saying, the road to hell is being paved with good intentions?" she said quietly, looking up at Kyle again. "I did not mean any harm. And to be honest, I do not understand why Cammie is so angry. She does not make people sick any more - this is a good thing, yes? And Kevin, he can touch his b... he can touch without killing someone. I do not understand how these are bad things."

Kyle was inclined to agree, at least, he would be if it had been him with a power that meant he couldn't touch anyone. "It's probably more because you didn't ask, and less about them not having their powers. It's like, it was their decision to make, right?" It was easy enough to understand in his head. It was a lot harder for Kyle to explain, at least he thought so. "Also totally don't tell Cammie this because she'll like, throw stuff at me or something but she'd be angry about something even if it wasn't you. She likes having stuff to be angry about."

Yvette wrinkled her nose - her face was far more expressive than she was used to and her emotions flickered across like pages of an open book. "I do not understand Cammie," she said at last, going for the more polite version. "But I think I understand what you are saying. Of course, now it is too late to do anything but apologise, which I have done already. And to not, how you say? Rub the noses in things?" She dimpled at him. "Even if I am very happy to not have my powers now."

"The important thing here is that nobody understands Cammie." Kyle said. Granted, he didn't understand anyone female, but especially not Cammie. He also didn't quite understand Yvette either sometimes. "The other important thing is that first, I should buy you lunch for dealing with my buttheaded butthead self, and second that I have gotten zero hugs, which sucks."

"Well, I did not think you were wanting me to be jumping on you while you were lying down!" Yvette protested, giggling. "It would be getting you in trouble with your girlfriend, yes?"

Kyle waved his hand dismissively. "Maybe. But probably not, she knows I'm not gonna go... you know, being a -total- jerk." At least, he was pretty sure Jan knew that. Not because Kyle didn't want to sleep with most of the women he knew, but because he didn't want to be that kind of asshole. He'd been plenty of other kinds of asshole lately. "So, lunch? Because dude, I was so goddamn whiny, you deserve food."

Yvette's ears turned pink and she mentally kicked herself - of course Kyle would respond that way. She smiled and nodded, however. "Food would be good, yes," she said. "And yes, you do owe me lunch from our physical therapy sessions. Or I could get the pool toy to hit you over the head again?"

"See, there you go with the pool noodles again." Kyle swung his legs off the pool lounger and stood up. "Hey, I just totally thought of something awesome. You know what you can do now? Actually get a ride on my motorcycle. Last time you were pink and squishy, you were also all kidney-busted."

"Yes. And this time, I will not get sick from an inhibitor!" Yvette beamed up at Kyle - she was still short, even if losing her powers meant she could stand upright better. "I would love to have the ride on the motorcycle with you, as long as you promise not to go so fast? I break much easier now."

Kyle nodded. "I promise, no crazy speeding, no popping wheelies." Not that he did that anyway, but it was fun to tease. "No jumping over cars on ramps, no bootleg turns, no riding around the edge of live volcanos... We should go find you a helmet. Safety and all, and also, dude it's like a ninety dollar ticket or something, which sucks so much."

"I am sure there will be the spare one, in the garage," Yvette replied. "Now, before I forget..." She turned and wrapped her arms around his waist, hugging him tightly and laying her cheek against his chest. "There, one hug, as owed!"

Kyle'd gotten rare hugs from Yvette before, when she was still red and spiky, and they were always awkward and cautious, the problem of her hair always a factor. This hug was just as awkward for him, for totally different reasons. Before, it was all too easy to not think of Yvette as a woman. And Kyle was now all too aware that not only was she female - but that Yvette was nearly eighteen. He returned the hug with one arm, the older still holding his book and leftover snack, and that was, in his mind, a perfectly good excuse for not hugging back like he might have with anyone else. "I think there's even a pink one..." He said, not daring to look down. At least she was still short - if he'd had to actually look Yvette in the eyes, Kyle was pretty sure he'd have just learned how to set himself on fire with his mind right there.

Completely oblivious to Kyle's dilemma, Yvette squeezed once more and then released him. "Come on, then!" she exclaimed, grabbing his hand and tugging him in the direction of the garage. "Let us go find one and let's go!"