Title: Sun
Authors: Victory Thru Tears and Star
Series: 4th in "Elements Series" of the Mighty Queertet Series. Follows "Smoke", "Snow", and "Breeze"
Rating: As always, R, because it's slash.
Dedication: To all of our wonderful reviewers who made it through Breeze with us, and helped it reach the 200 review mark. Sometimes it was hard to keep writing that fic, but your reviews definitely helped us along. Thanks!
Special Dedication: To Stepherz and Joyful, for encouraging us the whole way…and sometimes even threatening to beat us, or in Steph's case, eat us.
Feedback: Yes, of course!
Disclaimer: Disney et all owns 'em and we'll have 'em back before they even notice they're gone! Taz belongs to Star and Maya belongs to Victory, but I think everyone knows that by now! Also…Damien belongs to both of us! We hope you'll enjoy him! *evil laugh*
Distribution: http://queertet.topcities.com , our site! But if you want it, please ask! I'm sure we'd be happy to let you have it.
Summary: Freshmen year is finally over! The Queertet is ready for vacation, and are eager to get themselves out of the mess they made during Spring Break.
Notes: If you haven't read "Smoke" (under the pen name of Star) followed by "Snow" (under the pen name of Victory Thru Tears) and also "Breeze" (Star again) this won't make sense. Well, it will, but you might as well read the other two.
Chapter One: Bright Beginning? by Victory Thru Tears Fulton's POVI adjust my bandanna as I hop down the steps of the school. Thank god freshmen year is over. I just finished my last final exam, Math. I think I did well…or at least as well as one can do with Taz behind you, humming some Disney song through the whole hour and a half that we were testing.
Eden Hall has final exams for the last 3 days of school, all of which are half days and only about four hours long. Today everyone's packing and getting ready to go home. Taz and I had our Math exam last, everyone else finished this morning. Right now I'm on my way to help Portman finish packing up our room. It kind of sucks, having to basically put our lives in boxes for the summer. But I can't say that I'm not excited…well, excited and nervous. I'm going to stay with my aunt and uncle, the Bridges. Portman's chaperoning me.
Ok, that was a little mean. In truth, I invited him to come along. Not only do I want to spend the summer with him, but I also want to repay him for all the time I spent at his house in Chicago.
I catch myself whistling as I enter the dorm. What's with me? Must be the freedom. Hmmm…what's that old rhyme that we always used to sing when we were in elementary school? Oh, right, "No more pencils, no more books, no more teachers' dirty looks". I snort to myself…I remember something that Portman made up after hockey season was over…"No more Orion, no more pucks, no more getting called fags by the Ducks". It's nice that he can be funny about it, I guess…maybe it's because he's the biggest one of us all, and the one least likely to get beat up.
I enter the room to see that my boyfriend has packed all of the boxes while I was getting tested on my Algebra skills.
"Oh, hey." He wipes a spot of sweat off his forehead. "Look, I'm done!"
I gape at him. "That's nice, but what am I supposed to do now?"
He shrugs. "Maya came by for some help earlier, I was going to go down there. Maybe you could check on Charlie and Adam? I'm sure things can't be pretty in their room."
I hide my smile. Portman may not be stupid, but it looks like he could do with some brushing up on his observation skills.
Adam and Charlie aren't fighting anymore. They're far from back together, but the tense atmosphere between them has been gone for sometime. I can't pinpoint exactly when the change occurred, but I think it had to do with that night earlier this week when they accidentally locked themselves out. I asked Adam they next day if Charlie was annoying when drugged out on painkillers, but he only got a dreamy smile and said he didn't know. As far as I know they're still aren't even speaking, which is why I'm really curious as to what exactly is going on with them.
Listen to me, I sound like a gossiping girl.
But my curiosity is too far piqued to pass up this chance to sneak a look into their private lives. "Yeah, I'll go check on them."
After a quick kiss we both start down opposite ends of the hallway. I knock on Charlie and Adam's door but walk right in without waiting for an answer. Charlie's on his bed looking quite edgy, and Adam's in the bathroom putting things into a bag.
I slap on my "helpful and friendly" smile and start to stack some boxes.
"Hey Fulton." They chorus in unison. They stop to stare at each other, shocked.
It almost hurts trying to suppress my laugh.
"So do either of you have big plans this summer? I ask a few minutes later, folding Charlie's clothes and tossing them into his bag.
Adam shakes his head, but Charlie smiles a grin of his that I haven't seen in a long while. It's innocent yet somewhat cocky, but it's also happy…it doesn't show a trace of the hell that he's been through this year. I like it.
"I have my mom's wedding." He says proudly. "And so do you."
Oh yeah, Casey's getting hitched to Bombay. I almost forgot about that.
Bombay invited all of the Ducks to the big day in August. And when I say all of the Ducks, I mean all of the Ducks…this includes Jesse, Terry, Karp, Tammy, Tommy, and Peter. It's definitely going to be interesting to see all of them, it's been awhile.
The thought suddenly hits me, I wonder if Adam's been invited. By the look on his face, it's undeterminable. I figure that he has, because Averman, Goldberg, Luis, and Connie have been. There were probably some fights over the guest list at the Conway household, but Charlie must have lost.
After some more small talk about the wedding, conversation dies down. Adam starts taking boxes downstairs and Charlie keeps packing.
Adam re-enters the room from a trip to the car, and I hear Charlie mutter to himself.
"I'm not a defenseman, I'm a scorer…"
I look at him, amused. "I'm proud of you, man. After almost five years of playing competitive hockey, you finally know your position."
Charlie blushes, and my amused look changes to bewilderment. Blushing is not a common Charlie Conway response. I was expecting an indignant remark, maybe a playful smack…but not blushing.
Adam exits the room, giving us both a weird look. I watch as Charlie's eyes follow him the whole way out.
"Dude, what's up?" I ask as soon as I think Adam is out of earshot.
"Nothing." Charlie answers as he starts to pack again.
"Oh come on." I say playfully, plopping down onto Adam's bed. "You can tell me…I'm good ol' Fulton, I've known you since fifth grade. Plus, you're being painfully obvious."
"Obvious about what?" Charlie asks, not meeting my eyes.
"Your feelings for Adam, of course."
He blushes for the second time in about three minutes. I grin.
"See? Obvious. So what's going on?"
He shrugs. But before I can yell at him for being stubborn, he sits down on his bed and faces me.
"It's just really awkward. A couple days ago I said some stuff that really got things out into the open between us. And I mean for both of us. But he thought I was drugged out on painkillers, so I don't think he knows I was serious. I want to say something, but I have no idea what I'm supposed to say. After I said that stuff, I fell asleep, of all things to do. Here I am, pouring my heart out, and he's reciprocating, and I fucking fall asleep!! I don't know what to do…"
Charlie buries his face in his hands and I stare at him with shock. That was a bigger outburst than I had expected.
"Well the answer's obvious, Spazway. Go talk to him! Come on, this is your chance. If I'm not mistaken, isn't he leaving right now?" I ask him, moving to look out the window.
"Yeah…" He responds hesitantly.
"Just talk to him." I urge gently. "If you get back together now, you have the whole summer to spend together."
Charlie snorts. "You make it sound like a for sure thing."
"It is." I shrug, giving him a lopsided grin. "Three years is a long time."
He grins back, and I see some of that old glow back in him. Summer is going to be good for all of us. We won't see enough of each other to get into any fights, there'll be no schoolwork, and we get to start training for hockey again. That's a good thing, hockey always keeps us busy. In fact…most of the fights we've gotten into have occurred during the off-season. It's a twisted thing - we need the sport to keep us happy.
I raise myself from Banksie's bed and head for the open door.
"I'm going to go see if my aunt and uncle are here. How are you getting home?" I ask, pausing in the doorway.
"Mom's picking me up." He answers absentmindedly, starting to pack again.
"Ok, well, I'll see you before I leave. And talk to Adam!" I order, giving him one last smile before walking down the hallway.
As I hop down the steps of the dorm, I see Adam talking to Portman by the Banks' BMW. I hear the tail end of their conversation as I approach them.
"Yeah, Edina's pretty close to St. Paul. It shouldn't be too hard to get together." Adam says, sticking his hands in his pockets.
"We definitely have to. There's no way we're letting you stay stuck in a house with Danny all summer." Portman responds.
Adam laughs, but I see the dark look behind his smirk. It makes me feel a pang of…something. Anger? Pity? Guilt? Relief? Sadness?
Both Taz and Adam are going home this summer. Maya's going with Taz for many of the same reasons Portman is going with me – to make sure she'll be ok, and to make up for the time Taz spent at her house in Milwaukee. I think the girls will be fine. Mr. McDonald won't try anything. But if he does, Maya's armed herself with some pepper spray.
But I am kind of concerned about Adam. He's been home for the weekend a lot since Thanksgiving, but there's been a change in his mood recently. Back around December and January he had an "I'm the king of the world and nothing can stop me from feeling like this" kind of attitude about going home. He came back with bruises (courtesy of his brother, Daniel), but he was still happy. I would be too, if I had great supportive parents and a loving boyfriend. But Adam's been in a perpetual funk since his breakup with Charlie and it doubled the amount of bruises he came home with. I don't get it. Why don't the Banks' just throw Daniel out? But of course, it's none of my business…
In a way I'm glad I'm not going to my parents'…excuse me, the Reeds' house for the summer. I've tried my hardest to renounce them the way they have me, and I think I've finally succeeded. But on the other hand, there's always going to be some emotion for me concerning them. They're my parents, they raised me and cared for me. I can't get around that.
"Well!" Adam says, looking in the direction of his car. His dad is in the driver's seat, looking somewhat impatient. "I should probably go."
My eyes widen and I look around wildly for Charlie. He has to talk to Adam before he leaves.
"Uh, don't you have to say bye to the girls?" I ask, thinking quickly.
"Already did." He answers.
"How about Guy and Julie?" I press.
"Guy's somewhere with Russ, and Julie left for the airport while you and Taz were taking your final. She said to say bye." Portman supplies for Adam.
I rack my brain for another excuse to keep him here for a few more minutes, but he gets into the car anyway.
"I'll call you guys sometime next week, ok?" He asks as he closes the door on the passenger's side of the car.
"Yeah, we'll see ya Banskie." Portman grins and waves as the car starts to move.
I look around and much to my dismay see Charlie standing on the steps of the dorm, helplessly watching them drive away.
I sigh to myself and slowly walk with Portman back into the building. My boyfriend gives Charlie, who looks near tears, a weird look but says nothing. I pat his back sympathetically.
"Call him when you get home." I suggest.
He shrugs, and I wonder if he'll talk to Adam at all this summer.
Wow, what a great start to vacation. I can't wait to see what the next three months will be like.
- + - + -
Vic's Notes: And by the way, yeah, we know you're getting sick of Charlie and Adam being broken up. But this is our story, and where would the fun be if they were back together again right away? But believe me, we have plans for all of our characters. I think you'll be satisfied.