Title: Remember to Breathe
Author: Baba-sama
Category: Hmm…drama, angst, general stuff, humor, romance…anything goes, basically. I'd like to say it's because I'm a well-rounded writer, but no. Fickle to the bone, I am!
Spoilers: Hm. Probably littered everywhere. Only for D3, though, since I haven't watched D1 and D2 in, like, years. Wait. That's a lie. I watched D1 a few months ago, I think.
Rating: Probably nothing above PG-13. There's going to be boy!love, but it's a long ways away and won't be anything of the scandalous soft porn variety, so relax. I haven't tried writing sex scenes, and I have my reasons (…brain implosion…must suppress nosebleed…and change underwear…)
Summary: Charlie/Adam No one said sophomore year would be easy…but they didn't say it would be so hard, either.
Disclaimer: I do not claim to own the Mighty Ducks franchise. This fic is my humble offering to the fandom in the hopes that it'll be liked, that others will be inspired to write, and that the plot bunnies will stop gnawing at my brain. Or at least find a nonviolent way to tell me something.
Author's Note: I'm apologizing in advance to those who like dialogue – this first chapter is very wordy, but very few of those many words are actual dialogue. I'm not very good with dialogue…but I'll try my hardest to include more of it in the following chapters. This chapter's purpose is to just bring you up to speed about everything that's happened from the JV/Varsity game up until two weeks into sophomore year. Then all bets are off; I'm sort of writing this as I go. I also want to mention that the next part will probably not be written for a very, very long time. As I said, I'm fickle, and my obsessions for things fade in and out at random intervals. Frustrating for you readers, I know, but also frustrating for me. I'd like to finish a damn story for once in my life…
Feedback: This is my first foray into the Ducks fandom, and like any fledgling author, I'd like some feedback. You know, constructive criticism and all that jazz. Oblige, will you? One more thing – I don't have a beta, so even though I checked this thing so many times that I'm almost sick of it, I might have missed some errors. So please, tell me if you see anything that looks odd or is a continuity error or something. Thank you!
Etc: Stole – I mean, borrowed, this beginning…thing from the indelible Sandra E., whom some of you may recognize if you've ever dived into the Inuyasha section of FFnet. So cheers to her; hope she doesn't mind. Also: so begins the horror that is my chapter-naming. You have been warned! One more thing: I'll be including random (well, not totally random) lyrics from songs after the title and before the actual story, just because I can. I'm good like that.
Setting: Eden Hall, 2 weeks or so into the Duck's sophomore year.
Remember to Breathe
Chapter 1: Starting off on the Wrong Skate
take me away, I know
I could use the rest
Charlie was having a Very Bad Day. To tell the truth, so far he'd had a Very Bad Two Weeks and there were bound to be more. Charlie rolled over and groaned into his pillow so as to not disturb Ken, who had passed out hours ago on the top half of their bunk bed.
It was the end of the first day of the Ducks' third week back at Eden Hall, and things weren't going as well as Charlie would've liked.
Reason number one? Varsity. Charlie had been hoping that after the now practically legendary JV/Varsity game that the Ducks would've finally earned some well-deserved respect as well as the right to stay at Eden Hall. Legally, they had the right (all thanks to Bombay), but it was Charlie's hope that Varsity would finally accept them as a part of the school. Maybe even let up on them a bit.
Charlie was wrong.
If anything, Varsity was more belligerent than ever. The Ducks learned (and were still learning) the hard way that the one point they'd scored on Varsity was worse than if they had tied. It had been a hard blow to Varsity's pride, especially to their coach, that the Ducks had scored with only three guys out on the ice.
Determined to never let that happen ever again, Coach Wilson trained Varsity harder than was humanly possible (which technically made it humanly possible, but Charlie wasn't going to argue semantics) after the game and over into the summer. As a result, the guys in Varsity found new inspiration for their hatred. Instead of hating their coach, who actually might have deserved it, they instead picked an easier target – the Ducks.
The result? During the first two weeks of the new school year the Ducks were subjected to swirlies, wedgies, being shoved into lockers, and other such cliché school bully tactics. Portman and Fulton were doing their best to defend the Ducks, but they were only two Bash Brothers – they could only do so much, and that didn't include being in two places at once. There was always at least one Duck with hair that smelled like toilet water or who was late for class because he or she had been stuck in their locker.
The pranks were getting meaner, too – Ken had almost broken down when he found the presentation he had worked on all night for science class torn to shreds in his locker (luckily, the teacher had taken pity on him and given him another day to work on preparing another one). Sooner or later things were going to really start getting physical.
There were signs that this was already starting, too. Averman had walked in this morning sporting a black eye, crowing over it as if it were a trophy ("If this looks bad, you should see the other guy!"). Fulton, who was in Averman's homeroom, was extremely pissed and vowed to find the guy who did it and pound him to a pulp. After that, the team agreed that no one was to walk anywhere alone, even if it was to go the bathroom. Luckily, each Duck had at least one other Duck in each of their classes.
Charlie couldn't help but feel a bit frustrated. It seemed that nothing would appease Varsity save the Ducks being expelled, and that was not an option. Bombay had made sure of that. Plus, after freshman year the Ducks not only didn't want to leave, they actually sort of wanted to stay. Despite the fact that the school was overrun with snotty preppies, Eden Hall really was a great place to get a good education. All of the teachers were great at, well, teaching, and some of them were even kind of cool.
It was at times like this that he really felt the blow that Hans' death dealt him. He missed being able to "open a door so sadly", missed Hans' corny but weirdly endearing attempts to cheer him up, missed the extremely insightful advice that made him see things from different sides. He could look to the team for comfort, but he didn't have anyone to go to for advice. There was Bombay, but after the game the Ducks' former coach and legal representative disappeared again. He'd told Charlie to call him if he wanted to talk, but Charlie didn't want to bother him with every little problem he had.
Just when Charlie thought he was going to go crazy with all the thoughts swirling around in his head…along came Linda.
Reason number two for Charlie's two weeks of discontent was Linda. It wasn't actually Linda that was the problem, though. In fact, she'd been a breath of fresh air – finally someone he could tell about his fears and his anger and anything else that was bothering him. It wasn't as good as having Hans back, but talking to her definitely helped.
Charlie actually had high hopes for them as a couple when they shared that kiss after the JV/Varsity game, but those hopes were quickly dissolving. And the funny thing was that it was happening because he was doing something he loved.
Things went well, at first. He and Linda had gone out on dates for the rest of freshman year, and then continued going out right on into the summer. Besides the Ducks, she was the only person he felt truly comfortable with at Eden Hall.
Soon enough he took her on a sort of initiation – the Ducks were important to him, and he'd wanted to know what they thought of her. Although Linda and the Ducks hadn't gotten along so well at first (because of her particular distaste for jocks – but then again, Varsity had been the only jocks she'd known), she later came to like them and vice-versa. It was very hard to dislike the Ducks. It was like what Averman used to say - "Everyone loves us when they get to know us. It's impossible to not like us." The one exception, of course, was Varsity.
Anyway, summer came and went and the Ducks came into their sophomore year at Eden Hall refreshed. And while they were not particularly excited about coming back to school, they were definitely ready for another hockey season. Good thing, too.
Orion had caught wind of the extra practices Varsity had been putting in and decided that it was a good idea for the Ducks to do the same, or the in the next JV/Varsity game things wouldn't go as "well" as they had in the last game. Somehow, Orion had managed to schedule practices into any time the Ducks weren't going to classes or doing homework or anything related to academics.
This meant that Charlie got to spend less time with Linda than he would've liked. In fact, the time he'd spent with her outside of school was so far practically nonexistent. Any free time he'd had after classes were over was either spent doing homework, studying for tests, or sleeping. And as for spending time together inside of school, he didn't have even one class with her other than lunch. And even then, he was usually too tired to do anything other than take five minutes to eat and then catch up on some precious, much-needed sleep.
On one hand, he wasn't complaining, because he loved hockey. He would've quit by now if he didn't. It was his life, and the Ducks were like family. He loved them all. On the other hand, all these extra practices were seriously cramping his love life. He was beginning to think that the only way that he'd get to spend more time with Linda was if she started playing hockey, and that was really sad.
If that wasn't enough to stew over, this morning as they passed each other in the hall heading to their separate homerooms she'd waved at him and then given him a meaningful look. He'd been going out with her long enough to understand that look meant she wanted to talk, and he could already predict what the topic was going to be. But he figured it'd be useless worrying over that. He'd worry instead about how he was going to find the energy, much less time, to talk to her.
He could probably talk to her during lunch tomorrow, but that meant he'd actually have to make an effort to stay awake during lunch when for the last two weeks he'd without fail fallen asleep right after wolfing down his lunch. Maybe he could ask Adam to prod him with a fork before he fell asleep, or maybe save him some of the delicious-smelling but horrible-tasting black coffee he always brought in the morning. If they weren't still fighting tomorrow, that is.
Obviously, reason number three was Banksie. Charlie had apologized to him after the game of street hockey that came before the JV/Varsity game, and Adam had said that everything was cool between them, so they went back to their old best friend/rival ways.
But every once in a while, Adam would get into one of these weird moods where he'd unintentionally provoke Charlie or Charlie would unintentionally provoke him, and then somehow anything they said to each other pissed the other off. They'd end up storming off in opposite directions, each refusing to speak to the other. Then, either he or Adam would "come to their freaking senses" (as the team put it) and apologize to each other and the next day play street hockey or hang out at the arcade. It was odd, but they always ended up being friends again, so Charlie thought nothing of it.
When school started up, the fights got worse. Not because they happened more often, but because they were more intense. Hockey practice always ran long and hard, and Orion often scheduled both morning and afternoon practices in the same day. These extra practices often meant that the Ducks would have to stay up later than the rest of the school's population in order to finish homework, and this meant that they were bound to be tired in the morning.
Adam and Charlie were definitely not morning people. Tired and cranky, it was easier for fights between them to start. The fight from this morning was one of them.
"Morning, Spazzie." Adam flopped down into the seat next to Charlie, looking rumpled and tired as was now usual. Charlie figured that Adam was too tired to make himself look immaculate, and he couldn't blame him – this morning, Charlie had almost fallen asleep trying to tug on his jeans, instead receiving a very painful wake-up call when he fell. He groaned at the memory and also at Adam's recent nickname for him.
"Come on, Adam, you know I hate that nickname. It sounds so gay." Adam snorted.
"As opposed to 'Banksie'? And when exactly did you become homophobic?" Charlie sighed, lifting his head from its resting place on his arms to look sideways at his best friend.
"You know I don't mean it that way. And you never minded being called 'Banksie' before! Why are you so touchy all of a sudden?" Adam sat up, glaring at him.
"I'm touchy? You're the one who's getting touchy about a nickname!" Charlie sat up slowly, eyes narrowed. He invaded Adam's personal space until their noses were only an inch or two apart.
Guy and Luis, who were also in their homeroom, gave each other worried looks. Their homeroom teacher wasn't there yet, and there were very few people that could keep their headstrong captain and his equally headstrong best friend from fighting. Well, in this situation, from physically fighting.
Luckily, Goldberg was one of them. He walked in and took one look at the practically snarling pair, shoved them apart as smoothly as he could, and proceeded to sit between them.
"Hey guys? You have any food? Had to skip breakfast or I'd be late." Charlie dug into his backpack and shoved a bagel in front of him before leaning down to rest his head on his arms again, this time pointedly turning away from Adam, who had a sour look on his face as he glumly slumped back down into his seat.
"Go ahead," Charlie said, closing his eyes. "I'm not hungry anymore."
Goldberg looked at Charlie, then Adam, then grabbed the bagel and sighed.
This had happened a few times already, and each time it had ended up with them being friends again. Their friendship-mending process had even turned into a demented sort of ritual.
It always started out with either one or both (usually both) of them mad. They'd come to practice and take that anger out on each other on the ice, checking each other brutally even if they were on the same team in scrimmages. Body checks got so rough between them that Fulton and Portman had on more than one occasion given them impressed (but not approving) looks.
The team wasn't fooled. They knew that Charlie and Adam were pissed at each other, even though the two protested that there was nothing wrong. But just like they knew the two were fighting, they also knew that no one else could resolve it except Charlie and Adam themselves.
Orion wasn't fooled either. He saw through everything, especially the hits claimed to be accidents and occasionally "random losses of focus". He often took each of them aside and gave them a brutal talking to, but that pretty much never worked.
Orion usually ended up making Charlie and Adam do continuous laps, telling them not to stop either until he told them to or until they collapsed. They'd turn doing laps into a contest of speed, and when their leg muscles were screaming in agony, they'd turn it into a contest of endurance. Neither wanted to stop before the other. Then, more or less at the same time, they'd both collapse and Orion would send them off to the penalty box, where they'd apologize to each other, too tired physically and mentally to argue anymore.
Charlie could tell Orion was getting mad at the both of them, but he also knew that Orion, like the team, could tell that this was something that Charlie and Adam needed to resolve between themselves.
Once, long ago, when they had started periodically fighting, Charlie had wondered if this friendship was worth all of the conflict and the mental beatings. He'd thought briefly about just giving in to the part of him that was tired of constantly being the jerk or of dealing with one. He'd thought about his life without factoring in his friendship with Adam.
And as unhappy as he was with things as they were, he'd realized that if you subtracted Adam Banks from the equation that was his life, you were left with a really unhappy Charlie. He didn't like picturing his life without his best friend. Maybe that was part of the reason why things went to hell when Adam was placed on the Varsity team.
Despite all the fights, Adam had taught Charlie a lot of things. He was the one who'd tirelessly tutored Charlie in the bane of nearly every high school student's existence, math, and helped him in whatever subject he needed help in. He was the yin to Charlie's yang; one of the only people Charlie would listen to when his occasionally volatile temper flared up.
Charlie didn't know how long they'd keep this cycle up, but he did know that there was obviously something bothering Adam. Charlie just had to figure it out. And the sooner he did, the better. The problem lay in how to approach Adam about this, especially since Adam's moods were becoming more and more reliably unreliable these days.
Charlie sighed into his pillow. First, he'd apologize to Adam, and ask him to keep him awake during lunch so that he could talk to Linda. Then…well, he'd figure out how to deal with Varsity later. Charlie flipped over onto his back and switched off the light, and then stared at the ceiling. Darkness clouded his vision, the only light coming from the slightly open door that separated his room from the hall.
He closed his eyes, and that light was gone. He needed sleep, and lots of it.