[Levi's poor, cheap couch... He doesn't even react to being residually bounced, though. This is hardly the first time Barrett's plopped down beside him.]
Not the whole time. Just once I figured you were getting close.
[His gaze drifts to the compression wrap, but he doesn't say anything in favor of pointing out Barrett's choice of game.]
Goldeneye, huh? Wanna put in the cheat codes and do dumb stuff in versus mode?
[Levi snorts at how quickly Barrett wants to be short, but he doesn't object.
He slots the game in and flips the console on, then shifts to get comfortable in his seat again.]
Hmmm, that's a tall order. [Opening the multiplayer menu, he begins inputting the button combos to the cheat codes. He has them memorized even now. Unlimited ammo, all guns, all characters, all stages...] He's almost beaten me a few times. You're gonna have to really concentrate and put in the hours if you wanna get on that level.
[He lets the game proceed, allowing them to settle into a couple chaotic rounds as normal. Barrett never wins. But he still tries, he doesn't complain. It's a nice challenge, to try and find their mutual ways of cheating thru and challenging each other.
He misses it. He'd always wishes they could do this in the pool. Back and forth, a constant attempt to follow in his big brother's learned footsteps. Like when they were kids.
Levi, Levi, watch me do a cannonball!
...
It's when they're through their third round that Barrett gets a little quieter, glancing at his phone before turning it to face the screen down.]
[Levi doesn't hold back in the first round, encouraging Barrett to try his hardest to beat him and giving him pointers. You know, in case he's truly serious about honing his FPS skills.
But by the time they end the third round, he's settled into just doing dumb stuff with the game environment and playing "mini games" with Barrett that he invents on the spot, such as who can destroy the most property or who can find the golden gun first. Just so Barrett isn't sitting there losing the entire time.
With the round over, he sits back and reaches for a handful of chips.]
Mmph?
[He peers over with puffy cheeks and raised eyebrows.
Right. Barrett said he wanted to talk, too.]
Goh flo' ith.
["Go for it." Will someone ever tell these boys not to talk with their mouths full. (Lucas has tried, so many times.)]
[He immediately swallows, inhaling a bunch of air in the process. A sharp pain follows as it goes down, making him wince and grip at his chest for a second.]
I...guess it depends. But no matter what, it's gonna start with him being pissed. I don't think there's any getting around that.
[He doesn't want to talk about this he doesn't want to talk about this he doesn't--
...
He swallows.]
I'm. Um. I'm failing a couple of my classes.
...Coach told me at the start of the season that if I don't get my grades better, I won't be able to play past midterms. So I've been seeing a tutor for one of them. But I'm... not getting any better.
...
I don't really know how to tell Lucas. Or... if I should yet.
He remembers when Barrett alluded to this last month. He was really, really hoping that things had changed, but apparently they haven't. All the drama with Fragment surely hasn't helped either. Even Levi's found it hard to concentrate on school, and he's been trying to get better about it too.
...
He sets down the controller so he can give Barrett his full attention.]
Which classes? And when are midterms again? [Yes he knows he should know this...] Maybe you don't need to tell him. Maybe I can help. Me and Kara have been doing study sessions, so...
[He might not be in Barrett's position, but he understands the fear of something hindering his athletic career. He knows how important football is to Barrett. He knows the fear of letting others down.
It's not something he wants Barrett to suffer through.]
Um. Algebra. Biology. I have to get a good grade on my Western Civ midterm, too...
I have a math tutor already who's been trying their best, and it's helping a little. But... I don't know if it'll be enough for my coach. Or for Lucas.
[He wants to have hope, that he can make it work. But a warning hanging over his head every week just makes it seem that much more intimidating, especially when he can't seem to get his footing.]
I have my first one... two weeks from Wednesday, I think. Fall break is right after that, second week of October.
[Levi nods along, crossing his arms thoughtfully. He's not a straight-A student like Lucas and Damian, but he's decent enough. He should be able to help with those subjects.]
Hmmm... Then it's not too late to try to turn this around. That's good, at least. I'm glad you said something.
[He means it. He really wants to make this work.]
What grade are they even looking for? Something that keeps you at a certain GPA?
[It's not the response he was expecting from Levi of all people... but it still makes the cold grip of shame lessen a bit, to have one of his brothers believe in him without doubt.]
2.0 minimum. I lose my whole scholarship if I don't have at least that by finals, but they'll pull me from the bench if it's not better for midterms.
I have, uh... 1.7 right now? I think. If I could get everything to a C, I'd be okay. Civ and Algebra I need a B.
I mean... If you're okay with me helping, it should be doable.
[He keeps his eyes on Barrett, his expression serious but caring. His candidness surprises even himself. He used to be so envious of Barrett's success. But as time has passed, he's finally begun to see what's actually important.]
I know how much football means to you, so I don't want you to lose out on it because of bad grades. Plus, um...I really wanna keep watching you play.
[Levi can't help but smile about Barrett being on board with the idea. Hopefully this takes some of the weight off of his shoulders.
As for his own worries...he lets out a little laugh.]
Sorry, no can do. My big brother instincts decided to kick in for once, so I'm gonna listen to them.
[They've been doing that a lot more lately, he's noticed. He cares about his brothers a lot and loves them dearly, that's never been a question. But he's also felt something of a disconnect from them for a long time. A...self-imposed disconnect, if he were to examine it closely and admit to it.
Spending all of this time with Barrett in Fragment and enduring hardship after hardship together brought on by the game's frightening instability has resulted in him thinking about that disconnect, and whether or not he wants to spend the rest of his life simply letting it remain there.
He knows the answer to that now.]
Watching you succeed is something that makes me happy, you know. I'm...really proud of how far you've come.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
Not the whole time. Just once I figured you were getting close.
[His gaze drifts to the compression wrap, but he doesn't say anything in favor of pointing out Barrett's choice of game.]
Goldeneye, huh? Wanna put in the cheat codes and do dumb stuff in versus mode?
no subject
[He gets to be tiny and Levi gets to clobber him anyway because he is the worst Oddjob player ever, but he does find a great humor in being short.
He fishes for the extra controller, pulling his phone out of his pocket and tossing it onto the coffee table.]
You think if I got better at this with you, I might be able to beat Damian at it?
no subject
He slots the game in and flips the console on, then shifts to get comfortable in his seat again.]
Hmmm, that's a tall order. [Opening the multiplayer menu, he begins inputting the button combos to the cheat codes. He has them memorized even now. Unlimited ammo, all guns, all characters, all stages...] He's almost beaten me a few times. You're gonna have to really concentrate and put in the hours if you wanna get on that level.
no subject
Ah, no good. Maybe I can get him over Christmas.
[He lets the game proceed, allowing them to settle into a couple chaotic rounds as normal. Barrett never wins. But he still tries, he doesn't complain. It's a nice challenge, to try and find their mutual ways of cheating thru and challenging each other.
He misses it. He'd always wishes they could do this in the pool. Back and forth, a constant attempt to follow in his big brother's learned footsteps. Like when they were kids.
Levi, Levi, watch me do a cannonball!
...
It's when they're through their third round that Barrett gets a little quieter, glancing at his phone before turning it to face the screen down.]
Hey. Uh.
Can I ask you something weird?
no subject
But by the time they end the third round, he's settled into just doing dumb stuff with the game environment and playing "mini games" with Barrett that he invents on the spot, such as who can destroy the most property or who can find the golden gun first. Just so Barrett isn't sitting there losing the entire time.
With the round over, he sits back and reaches for a handful of chips.]
Mmph?
[He peers over with puffy cheeks and raised eyebrows.
Right. Barrett said he wanted to talk, too.]
Goh flo' ith.
["Go for it." Will someone ever tell these boys not to talk with their mouths full. (Lucas has tried, so many times.)]
no subject
...Do you think Lucas will listen if we screw something up?
no subject
I...guess it depends. But no matter what, it's gonna start with him being pissed. I don't think there's any getting around that.
[The follow-up is probably obvious.]
...Why?
no subject
...
He swallows.]
I'm. Um. I'm failing a couple of my classes.
...Coach told me at the start of the season that if I don't get my grades better, I won't be able to play past midterms. So I've been seeing a tutor for one of them. But I'm... not getting any better.
...
I don't really know how to tell Lucas. Or... if I should yet.
no subject
[He murmurs, eyes wide.
He remembers when Barrett alluded to this last month. He was really, really hoping that things had changed, but apparently they haven't. All the drama with Fragment surely hasn't helped either. Even Levi's found it hard to concentrate on school, and he's been trying to get better about it too.
...
He sets down the controller so he can give Barrett his full attention.]
Which classes? And when are midterms again? [Yes he knows he should know this...] Maybe you don't need to tell him. Maybe I can help. Me and Kara have been doing study sessions, so...
[He might not be in Barrett's position, but he understands the fear of something hindering his athletic career. He knows how important football is to Barrett. He knows the fear of letting others down.
It's not something he wants Barrett to suffer through.]
no subject
I have a math tutor already who's been trying their best, and it's helping a little. But... I don't know if it'll be enough for my coach. Or for Lucas.
[He wants to have hope, that he can make it work. But a warning hanging over his head every week just makes it seem that much more intimidating, especially when he can't seem to get his footing.]
I have my first one... two weeks from Wednesday, I think. Fall break is right after that, second week of October.
no subject
Hmmm... Then it's not too late to try to turn this around. That's good, at least. I'm glad you said something.
[He means it. He really wants to make this work.]
What grade are they even looking for? Something that keeps you at a certain GPA?
no subject
[It's not the response he was expecting from Levi of all people... but it still makes the cold grip of shame lessen a bit, to have one of his brothers believe in him without doubt.]
2.0 minimum. I lose my whole scholarship if I don't have at least that by finals, but they'll pull me from the bench if it's not better for midterms.
I have, uh... 1.7 right now? I think. If I could get everything to a C, I'd be okay. Civ and Algebra I need a B.
no subject
[He keeps his eyes on Barrett, his expression serious but caring. His candidness surprises even himself. He used to be so envious of Barrett's success. But as time has passed, he's finally begun to see what's actually important.]
I know how much football means to you, so I don't want you to lose out on it because of bad grades. Plus, um...I really wanna keep watching you play.
no subject
Yeah. If you think I can, then... maybe I really can.
[Maybe. Maybe he can right this. Maybe he doesn't have to worry about letting them all down. Maybe it can be a team effort, just like football...]
I'll have to work hard. I want to keep playing for you guys.
Don't worry about me too much. I like seeing you happy. And I want to see you do things you like, too.
no subject
[Levi can't help but smile about Barrett being on board with the idea. Hopefully this takes some of the weight off of his shoulders.
As for his own worries...he lets out a little laugh.]
Sorry, no can do. My big brother instincts decided to kick in for once, so I'm gonna listen to them.
[They've been doing that a lot more lately, he's noticed. He cares about his brothers a lot and loves them dearly, that's never been a question. But he's also felt something of a disconnect from them for a long time. A...self-imposed disconnect, if he were to examine it closely and admit to it.
Spending all of this time with Barrett in Fragment and enduring hardship after hardship together brought on by the game's frightening instability has resulted in him thinking about that disconnect, and whether or not he wants to spend the rest of his life simply letting it remain there.
He knows the answer to that now.]
Watching you succeed is something that makes me happy, you know. I'm...really proud of how far you've come.