Having a friend was by far the strangest event in Jean's week. Maybe the month. Or year. Hell, maybe his whole life. Though that may have been a bit dramatic.

It was just so odd. Being around someone that genuinely wanted to be around you and wasn't from a forced on project or family. It made Jean feel out if his depth, and admittedly, nervous and scared about messing it up.

If it were a regular person, he wouldn't even have been able to talk or look at them without imagining then as zombies or ghouls, but since Fred wasn't regular, that part had been easy. The hard part though, was getting used to the werewolf's whole…presence.

He was apparently well known so every time Jean was with him, there was someone or everyone just coming over to say hello and it put Jean on edge, not liking being seen. By Wednesday, Jean was hoping Fred would stop with trying to be his friend because he couldn't handle the nerves.

Maybe Jean did slightly enjoy Fred's company. Maybe he did like having someone to talk to about the supernatural world he loved so much since he had lost his grandma. Just maybe he did feel slightly proud of himself when he was able to make Fred laugh, ignoring the moments the werewolf laughed when he wasn't trying to be funny. Maybe there were a bunch of good, warm feelings going on there but it wasn't changing the fact that it was fucking strange and Jean didn't want to feel anything when he fucked it up and was back to the safety of seclusion.

Jean liked his space, yes. It was his safe place and he hadn't had anyone in it since his mum visited him in September. So having Fred pop in from time to time, random moments in the week was going to make him age in a split second or die from a heart attack.

“Ah what's the craic, ba?”

Jean jumped pencil flying out of his hands and he winced when he heard someone behind him exclaim in pain but he didn't dare turn around to check.

“Please stop doing that,” Jean begged, whining as he brought out another pencil from his bag and began to continue his essay on the classic movie, Casablanca.

“You'd think you'd be used to it by now,” Fred said with a chuckle as he sat in front of Jean, placing his food on the wooden bench beside the small field on the side of the Humanities building.

“Well I'm not,” Jean mumbled, sighing before slamming his forehead on his notebook and groaning.

He was starting to feel the effects of no sleep for days and after what happened with Malcolm back on Monday, his body honestly just felt completely and totally drained. His arms ached, his legs felt wobbly and keeping his eyelids from shutting close made him think about that one time he had dared to try and lift weights.

Also, he couldn't remember the last time he ate something.

“Save those noises for when we get to bed, sweetheart.”

Jean overlooked that, thinking the flirting was just part of Fred's playful personality, and also thinking about going home and just having some pie or ordering pizza then hitting the hay.

He didn't even know when he had slept off, surprised when Fred woke him up by shaking his shoulder.

Jean squeezed his eyes before blinking them open again to look at Fred properly without sewing two Freds.

The werewolf looked worried for some reason. Thick eyebrows furrowed and full pink lips pressed together to make a thin line. Jean wasn't sure if it was the lack of sleep talking but Fred's light brown skin looked like it was glowing. Then he remembered it was daylight, reminding him again that he really needed to sleep.

“Whoa, mate,” Fred said, his voice way too soft and making Jean nod off again. “You looking horrible.”

“Gee thanks,” Jean slurred, standing up suddenly and beginning to put his things in his bag. He had math next after lunch and he was already really behind it. Missing a class wasn't an option.

A hand on his wrist stopped him from moving.

“There is no way you can go to class like that. You look like… a tanner, less skinny and prettier Malcolm.”

“Please don't compare me with him,” Jean said, swaying slightly.

“Taking you home, buddy.”

“You're not my mother,” Jean argued and then Fred laughed. Another moment when he wasn't trying to be funny.

Is he laughing at me or something?

“Thank fuck I'm not, or my attraction to you would be fucking creepy. Come on. I'm bored with school anyway. If you don't fall, we can get ice-cream on the way!”

Ice-cream? In this weather? I'm wearing two sweaters and he wants me to go for ice-cream? Why ice-cream anyway?

Jean frowned, seeing that as Fred treating him like a child but then the werewolf, his…friend, rolled his eyes and said—

“Not for you. For me. You seeing this face? This body? This charming smile? I'm so hot, I need to cool down.”

#

“Hey.”

Jean blinked up from his bowl of vanilla and chocolate ice-cream to look at Fred who was poking his cookie dough mess with his spoon, eyebrows furrowed and eyes on the ice-cream.

“Why do you always keep your head down when we're outside? It's almost like you're trying to hide or be invisible,” Fred asked, putting a spoon of creamy goodness in his mouth as he looked at Jean curiously.

Jean looked down at his ice-cream immediately after that question, heart clenching and lips pressed together. He had hoped Fred didn't notice, just like nobody else noticed until he was thirteen and hiding in the woods instead of going to class.

“I-I don't. I don't,” he said, voice shaking with nerves and getting quiet.

He put a spoonful of ice-cream in his mouth, focusing on the euphoric taste of creamy chocolate and trying not to think about his nervousness. He needed to keep calm, stay in control and not run like his life depended on it, even if it felt like it did.

“...Alright,” Fred said calmly.

Jean let out a sigh of relief, glad that the subject was dropped and they never had to talk about it.

“As a kid, I was terrified of humans.” The sudden revelation made Jean look up to see Fred smiling softly, cheek on the palm of his hand and plastic bowl empty.

“What?”

Fred nodded. “Terrified. Looking at one made me piss myself twice.”

Jean was confused and surprised, confused at the sudden change of topic and surprised because he didn't expect someone like Fred to actually be scared of such a weak race. The way he interacted with people, it was almost like he just kept them at arm's length and it made Jean notice that Fred didn't really have actual friends either.

“People are scary. It's the truth. You can tell yourself their opinions don't matter and shit like that but that's bullshit because it's opinions of the masses that start everything. So yeah. People are fucking scary,” Fred said, turning to the left to look out the large glass window of Glen’s Ice World.

Jean understood what Fred was trying to say after that, considering the werewolf's previous question, and he smiled a small, tired smile and agreed.

People were fucking scary, even for a big bad wolf-man.

“You seem to be enjoying those sociology classes then?”

“Ah fuck you,” Fred said teasingly, stealing a spoon of Jean's ice-cream and looking at Jean with a triumphant smile on his admittedly handsome face.

Jean sighed and thought, Maybe this friend thing…could work out...Unless he gets bored and leaves. That's what's gonna happen, isn't it?

This isn't going to work at all. It's not. I'm being ridiculous…and when exactly is he going to let me go home and sleep?