Disclaimer - I do not own the Ducks. Don't you wish you could though? Your own little Quack Attack right there in your closet? Sorry…back to the point. I don't own them…just borrowing!
Italics indicate character thought.
It had been an awkward hour. Charlie was trying to lounge in what might look like a relaxed manner on the couch in Adam's suite, a beer perched on his thigh, his gaze semi-focused on the increasingly boring golf game Adam had turned on the television, wondering what to do now that he was here.
He had the flying across the country, buying beer, standing in the hallway making snarky comments down to an art. Now actually being a useful friend, well that remained to be seen.
"So, uh…"
Adam looked over at him with eyes as cold as steel and the look was enough to cut Charlie off.
"I said I didn't need an intervention, Charlie."
Dropping his head back onto the arm of the sofa and running a hand over his unruly hair, Charlie sucked in a breath counting to ten before slowly letting it out and then tilting his head to glare right back.
"Okay then. What about a friend? Could you use one of those? Because I'm trying my fucking hardest to be that for you, but you seem awful damn set on pushing me the fuck out."
After a long pause Adam turned back to watch Tiger sink a putt, his voice bland. "You kiss Beau with that mouth?"
Charlie sat up now, his face red with anger. He was pissed with Adam for being so impossible to get through to. He was pissed with Beau for sending him to California to be treated like crap. But the paramount problem was that he was supremely pissed with himself. Who better to take that out on than Adam?
"You're being a real prick, you know that, Banks?" When Adam didn't even look at him he got up and stormed across the room to stand in front of the television set. Adam glanced up into his eyes, the lack of concern on his face only fueling Charlie's building rage. He threw his nearly empty bottle at Adam's chest, feeling a small measure of accomplishment when the last few drops splashed out onto the preppy blue polo shirt and his stubble covered chin. "I know you're angry and you're sad and you're fucked up and you're doing a great job of playing the part but Christ almighty, man." He held up his hands, watching as Adam began to seeth in the seat. He didn't care at this point. It was all going on the table. "What? You're going to push your friends away." He was really on a roll now.
If you asked Charlie's friends to describe him, mellow was most always one of the first words to come to mind. It would be right before or after spastic. His fuse was longer than most, but when you hit the end of it, it was a hell of a job to put out the fire. Angrier than he realized he was, he took a step forward and bent over to shove a finger in Adam's face.
"You dumped Kimball, and she was the best thing that's ever happened to you. You quit hockey, which has always been the only thing you've ever been passionate about. Now you're acting like this? You want to end up alone, Banks?" He shot his finger forward, digging it deep into Adam's chest. "Well keep it up, asshole."
A long moment passed where Adam sat perfectly still, staring up into Charlie's glinting green eyes. Charlie's cheeks were splotchy red, the anger radiating out of him in waves. When Adam finally spoke, his voice was deadly soft.
"Back off, Conway."
Charlie lowered his voice to a growl. "Make me."
Adam stood up quickly, their feet so close together that their toes were touching. When he shot to his full height, matching that of Charlie, their chests bumped together, throwing Charlie off balance. He took a step back to regain his footing, but Banks was right with him, his face so close it was a blur.
"You want to fight, Charlie?" His voice rising to a shout he planted his palms on his friend's chest and shoved hard. "Well c'mon then! Maybe a good fight's exactly what I need."
Charlie stumbled back again. He felt the heat rising in his face. He and Adam had been friends for years. They had squabbled and they had stopped speaking for a few days here and there, but there had never been anything between them that had caused a physical fight. He was pissed, but he didn't want to hit his friend. With Adam's current state of mind, he had a sinking feeling that if they went there, there would never be any going back.
His back up against the wall, Charlie stared at the man he had known for most of his life and realized that he barely saw a glimmer of Adam Banks in the cold eyes across from him. Well if a fight was what Banks needed, well then by God he was going to get it.
"You're attitude is fucking over the line. Don't shove me again, Banks." He took a step forward, his eyes narrowed to slits. "You don't want to go there."
Fire flashed into Adam's eyes and quick as a rattlesnake he shot out his hands, hitting Charlie in the shoulders and shoving him so hard that he bounced against the wall, bruising his shoulder blades and then bounced back off again. Letting the momentum carry him forward, he dropped his head and aimed for Adam's mid-section.
His head against Adam's stomach, he wrapped his arms around his slim waist and pushed them both back towards the center of the room where he wouldn't have his back to a wall and where he could give himself a fighting chance.
As the coffee table tumbled over under their feet, empty beer bottles rolling across the plush carpeting, the first punch was thrown.
Adam bent his knees, making a fist and driving it upwards into Charlie's guts. Charlie had felt it coming, though, and sucked in his toned stomach muscles so that the punch hurt but didn't knock the breath out of him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, behind the heat of the moment, he was dimly aware of thinking I can't believe this is happening.
Pushing the thought aside and reacting purely on instinct, he came up swinging, sickly pleased when his knuckled connected with Adam's chin. He heard the crack and felt the blood from the split lip hit his skin.
Adam let out a howl of pain and anger. Totally lost in the moment he let his own punch fly and grunted when he felt Charlie's face under his curled fingers.
Pain radiated through Charlie's right eye and he saw stars for a brief moment. "God dammit, Banks!" He made a move to hit back, but with his vision still blurry and his head already pounding his blow glanced off of Adam's cheek as the blond boy turned into the movement. The next thing Charlie knew he was in a headlock and they were both screaming obscenities at each other.
It was at that emotion packed moment that the door to the suite flew open, surprising them both into a stunned pause. They stood locked in an awkward embrace, Adam's arm sqeezing tightly around Charlie's neck, forcing the latter to stand bent at the knees, one arm wrapped around Adam's waist to keep himself upright and to keep Banks from choking him. His other hand was fisted in Bank's shirt. Blood dripped from Adam's nose freely and his lip was split wide open. Charlie was already getting a black eye and a welt on his cheekbone.
They stood frozen in the moment, both panting and staring at the four men crowded in the doorway staring back at them.
Fulton was the first to speak. "When you two are done seeing who has the biggest dick, do you think maybe we can get this Dude's Weekend underway?"
Adam stared for what seemed like an eternity, hyper-aware of the fact that all of the fight had drained out of him. The reality of what had just happened started to sink in and with a sighed oath he let go abruptly of Charlie's neck. Backing up a step he wiped his forearm under his nose and held up his hands, palms out. "Christ."
He looked over at Charlie, who was still standing hunched over, his hands on his knees. At Adam's curse he glanced up. "No kidding." He stood up, stretching his stomach muscles which were still quivering, and reached up to gingerly prod the area around his swelling eye. "You pack a hell of a punch, buddy."
Adam couldn't help but smile. "Buddy?" He gestured at the upturned table and the mess they had created. "After all of that you're still going to call me buddy?"
Charlie shrugged, the placid look on his face pure Conway. "If you can't pound on your best friend to take out some frustration, well then, what has this world come to?"
"Well said, Spazway." Averman took a tentative step into the room, toeing a broken bottle out of his way. "It was nice of you to let Adam kick your ass."
Adam moved closer to Charlie and held out his hand. His eyes on his best friend's he tried out a rueful smile for the first time in weeks. "I didn't kick his ass. I'd say it was a pretty fair fight." He held out a hand. "I'm sorry, Conway."
Charlie grabbed Adam's hand and pulled him into a tight embrace. "As long as you stop sulking now you can consider it my pleasure."
"Jesus, are two going to make out?" Fulton Reed grinned as his dropped his bag on the floor with a loud thud. He shook his head as he surveyed the mess littering the floor. "You guys have either drunk or broken ever beer in the room."
Guy shook his head sadly. "Well now, that just won't do." He reached out and clapped a hand on Les Averman's shoulder. "Ave, why don't you run out and get us some more?"
As Averman sputtered a protest, Adam looked around at them all - Fulton leaned against the door jam, his arms crossed, Goldberg snagging a chip from an opened bag on the counter, and Les and Guy bickering just inside the door. He cleared his throat. "Uh, not that I'm not thrilled to see you all, but…" he looked to Charlie, "what are you all doing here?"
Fulton signed, rolling his dark eyes. "Didn't you hear me earlier? It's Dudes Weekend and we're the dudes. We thought you might be able to use a little fun with the original Ducks."
Adam felt a smile slide across his lips and was surprised to realize that it felt genuine. He was truly glad to see them all. He looked over at Charlie. "You did this?"
A huge grin on his bruised face, his friend shoved his hands in his pockets, a look of self-satisfaction annoyingly etched across his visage. "Who else?"
Johnny: You stay out of my story and leave Banks alone! I have a fondness for him after this story that I didn't have before!
Hockey-girl90: Good suggestion. Consider it used and you credited!
harumscarum: I have such a hard time with Jesse. Maybe I'll give him another try sometime soon. Think about it and if you get a story idea for him, let me know!
