SATURDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (The World)

[gluttoning]

[FOOTBALL NOISES

aka this for IRL football watching or any communications outside Fragment. Yay football. :)]

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SATURDAY 9/16 at Fresno State - 12pm

[gluttoning]

[It's 90F - hot and dry in the waning heated remains of summer in Fresno, CA. Both teams have second string coming in to replace starters, and #68 is out on the field immediately. The crowd is roaring. The sun shines hot. Hot.

It's an even, tense match in the first quarter. No one gets close enough to score, a stalemate that passes back and forth, back and forth, even into the start of the second quarter. #68 doesn't falter. #68 finds an opportunity for a takedown. Then another. They keep him on the field. The evidence of any issue with his leg, any limp, any pain, any problem - it's drowned in the motion of the sport. The most important thing to him. The passion he wanted to pursue for more than just himself. He knows he has people watching. He knows there are people he is friends with, cares about, loves, that have made it today. That there are people watching that he has a chance. That he deserves to strive.

Despite everything. He can try. There's still a chance. He's going to take it. Every breath of it.

The game continues.

California makes a field goal. Fresno makes a touchdown. The Bears trail 3 to 7 by the time halftime approaches.

There's roughly a minute left on the clock, and a time out is called. The crowd grows restless with the tension of the halfway point, a break for everyone to settle and reset. All players from both sides relax momentarily, slowly making their way to the sidelines, busy listening to their coaches plans buzzing into their helmets.

It could be the most important play to turn the game, says the color commentary. Anything could happen going into the half.

It's bustling.

But it's a moment of quiet.




Until it suddenly isn't.

CW: DESCRIPTIONS OF GORE AND BLOOD, CLICK TO READ

It's not noticeable at first, the way #68 halts on his way off the field. The choking sound he makes can't be heard from the stands. Nor can the subtle crack, or the way his eyes go wide, his face goes pale.

Another crack, a split second. Louder. His teammates hear it, about the same time that he starts to buckle unnaturally against his left leg, the same time he starts to scream.

Crack.

Crack.

A horrifyingly firm SNAP finally echoes as the bone of his thigh bends inward at an angle that should be physically impossible, a protrusion breaking through muscle and skin and fabric with the sudden force in which one might snap a toothpick. Blood soaks the side of his uniform immediately, even as his weight crumples to the turf, screaming, clutching his leg, unable to move it from its mangled position. Bleeding. Bleeding.

Screaming.

The stadium erupts into panic.

Those that are watching on TV will be lucky enough to have the cameras pulled off of the scene as soon as the screaming starts, only witnessing the mad rush of staff and players to surround the downed linebacker, to be a visual wall against the press. Hold on folks, say the commentators. Hold on folks, let's wait on the medical staff, with silent background mutterings showing the shock. What the hell just happened?

Those in the stadium will not be so lucky. The frantic energy doesn't quite stop. Some people have their phones out. Some people can't watch. Some people mutter, some people get up to leave, but most watch in shock. #68 cannot be seen for how many medical staff now surround him. His screams die down. It's hard to tell what's happening, a flash of red hair visible for only a second as his helmet is removed by someone else. People are trying to call to him. It's unclear what they hear.

Those close to the VIP seating will watch a young man with blonde hair practically jump over his own seat with a cellphone to his ear, frantically running as far down to the edge of the stadium as possible. He yells at security. He yells at his phone. One of the staff from the Bears sees and recognizes and lets him past, where he disappears onto the crowd in the sidelines as an ambulance siren is heard.

The game is on hold. Some players can't watch. Others deliberately surround the medical staff, barking at the cameras. Providing some sort of barrier. Both the coaches are out there. A stretcher is being brought out by paramedics.

Poor kid, they say on the TV, as his bloodied and bound leg is handled by two people and his body by four others, onto the stretcher. Unconscious, pale, unresponsive. If that was his femur, then that might be the end of his career, they say.

The ambulance is closed up, taking off with the wail of the sirens echoing into a space not meant for it. We'll be back to the game in 20 minutes, folks. Let's give our teams time to regroup.

The blood is scrubbed away with hazmat. Slowly, eventually, the game goes on, for anyone stays to watch to the end. One player down does not break a team--



--but it doesn't do much for morale.

What a shame, they say.

What a shame. What a shame.]

SATURDAY 9/16 - CRMC Hospital, Fresno

[gluttoning]

[There is only one family member of the Blake household in the hospital to start, and the only one that staff will allow without permission. People who want to know which room he is in will be fresh out of luck, no matter how hard they argue with security.

Around 5pm, Levi will arrive along with a man in his older twenties, deep black hair and glasses and an outfit pressed just so. Where Levi is anxious and hunched and keeping his eyes off everything but what he needs, the elder sibling is purposeful, commanding, on his phone more often than not and practically plowing them through security up to a waiting room.

Another brother will trickle in shortly after - a shorter, slim young man with dark hair highlighted with white underneath, dressed in clothes that look far too big for his frame and dark circles under his eyes, a fire in his voice as he screams at security. Booker Blake, can you use your ears or do I have to make it everyone's problem that you can't let me see my family??? He nearly passes out twice in his fits,, but gets even angrier when people try to intervene, like a horrifically angry cat. Eventually the blond young man from the arena comes down to fetch him and coast him up.

Eventually they may be able to sneak their way up and find an upper waiting area filled with the four brothers in various states of stress. But it doesn't look like any of them are being allowed in to see Barrett for long periods of time as doctors rush in and out. Good luck convincing any of them that anyone else is allowed to see their brother, either.... but maybe someone can get deets (or throw a fit) if they really wanted.]

cw: anxiety, mild emeto

[trashtier]

[For anyone who makes it to the waiting room, Levi can be found there curled up in one of the chairs away from everyone else. His eyes are red and puffy, and he looks absolutely sick to his stomach in worry. He even has to get up a few times to rush down to the nearest bathroom.

But as time passes, and the doctors announce to the family that Barrett is in stable condition and will be okay, Levi finally starts to calm down a bit. He might be more willing to talk at this point, but he buries his face in his phone or games for the most part. Occasionally he'll have Booker snuggled up against him to commiserate. Or just to nap. Both of them could use it at this point.]

[tablescraps]

( Mithrun has been physically restrained by different people across the span of the day since the incident mid-match, and, even now, it's Cael (a soft gentleman in a wheelchair who looks very much worried and out of his depth) who's on duty holding onto Mithrun's hand; in part out of comfort, in part to make sure he stays. There isn't even really any reason for him to need to run off right now; clearly, he understands Barrett is unconscious but stable. There's nothing to see. But still, he looks liable to jet if not held onto.

At some point or another he's fixed his gaze on Levi, and at some point it looks like he's boring holes into him. He'll speak up if Levi doesn't, but he may also just be looking at him with such intensity his gaze might qualify as psychological torture under the Geneva convention. )

[trashtier]

[Levi's in the middle of trying to distract himself with a game, but he suddenly can't shake the feeling that he's being watched. Lo and behold, he catches Mithrun's intense gaze and practically jumps in his seat.]

M-Mithrun...?

[He hasn't really stopped to talk to any of those who got brought up to the waiting room, simply sparing glances at the drama unfolding in something of a fugue state. But this person has to be Mithrun. That much he can guess.]

[tinged]

Did you tell her?

[ at any other time… any other time, hani would have messaged kara themself but. ]

[trashtier]

[Levi of course knows who Hani means, so he nods solemnly.]

...Yeah. While I was on the way here. We're, um...we're gonna talk over the phone later.

[Who knows when that'll be. Probably sometime in the middle of the night when they finally have to go to a hotel and get some sleep.]

[tinged]

[ it’s not like hani to storm anywhere, but it sure seems like they want to as swift steps take them into the waiting area, clutching justy’s hand the entire way. they’re also not someone who’s used to being told no - about anything. and all of their worry and frustration about bear has built up into a rolling ball of agitation that crashes around in the walls of their mind.

hani walks into the waiting room like they belong there, the same way they’d walked into morgan’s empty apartment. and they will not leave until they get some answers.

there’s a corner of the room that’s empty of the brothers; that is where they choose to sit. no one looks happy in this room, certainly, but hani looks… frighteningly still for all the chaos clattering around their mind, tumbling down the sharp edges of their heart, and into the pit of their stomach. ]

[tylorific]

[ Tylor allows the storm to take him, hand in hand, calm and windswept. Frighteningly still though they may be, Tylor is here to squeeze their hand and press a kiss to their hair in the quieter moments no matter how they look.

He remembers this part too. An echo of Morgan's stay. A different situation. A different hospital. But similar. Though for Tylor, even that all feels longer ago than it was. Because the present him, M&M, alive and breathing, is sitting just across the way, beside Cael.

Tylor'd helped them all here, still with some energy to spare after restraining, carrying, and consoling since Bear's injury. Even when he runs low, he can always find more for Hani or Morgan.

It feels natural, just the two of them, to switch to Japanese. ]

すべてが大丈夫になる。

[tinged]

そうかな………

[ doubt keeps hani’s tone low, words flowing through numb lips. they press close to justy, seeking more of his open, offered comfort.

here’s everything running through their thoughts, only for him to hear because they can tell him anything. some things are just easier to admit in the space between them. ]

どうしたらいいのかい？ガニ君も、モルガン君も、ビアー君も……… それでもしジャスティ君になにかあったら、僕どうするのかい？こころが壊れちゃうかも………

SUNDAY 9/17 - CRMC Hospital, Fresno

[gluttoning]

[For anyone who got Lucas's number for visitation or is communicating through Barrett's cell, they will get a single text on Sunday.

Visiting hours are below. I need your full name before I allow security to send you up. No pictures. No video.

So long as they abide by the rules given by Lucas Blake, they can return to the hospital at the given time. He's not quite cognizant of everything yet, according to the nurses. A second surgery earlier that morning has him on an immense amount of painkillers. But he would do well with a familiar face.

He's strung up on multiple IV's, oxygen, monitors, and a bandaged bracer on his entire left leg that makes it look three times its normal size; complete immobilized. Opening the door to the room won't earn a response until the nurse calls out his name. His eye movement is clouded, groggy... but recognition comes eventually, a smile that spread so slowly, dazed and not quite there.

A hand lifts from the bed, just barely. Friends...

Hello friends.]

[tinged]

[ a blessing and a curse are two sides of the same coin. maybe… that coin is hani. what if they’re the curse that’s spreading to all the people they care about? nothing bad ever happens to hani. but there’s ganymede, morgan, bear, even going as far as back as - justy. all these people so dear to their heart and all of them touched by this foul thing.

hani doesn’t want to think this way; hani doesn’t want to feel this way.

bad things happen in life, they know that. but this… this is a pattern. and they need to find out why. they will.

but first.

first hani has to walk through this door and smile for bear, some flimsy attempt, the corners heavy. at the very least, they can be here for him, right now. whatever that means, whatever they can offer. it may be nothing, but it’s there. ]

…Good morning, Bear-kun.

[gluttoning]

[He mumbles a response, hand reaching off a little further, tugging the IV mindlessly with the motion to stretch off the side of the bed.

Everything smells of sterile and blood and plaster. Not for him. The world is warm and drifting. A space between dreams. He doesn't understand where he is, but he doesn't mind.]

Tiny. Tiny, tiny. Little Hani.

[His fingers open a bit more, as though beckoning weakly.]

Y'r here.

[tinged]

[ if he could have smiled like this after winning the game with him on the field...

slowly, hani walks up to him, and puts their hand in his with some hesitation. ]

I'm here. Look... [ they try for a bigger smile because he deserves that much from them. ] Like this, I'm on top again.

[ their hand rests on top of his, holding tight. ]

[trashtier]

[All of the brothers are together when they arrive at the hospital for the day, so Barrett finds himself with a very big "welcome back to consciousness" party to contend with for a bit. Levi, perhaps unsurprisingly, hangs in the back and doesn't say much. But after some time, they filter out so their drowsy brother can get some more rest.

Later on, they begin to trickle in one at a time to speak with Barrett in private. Levi's in the mix somewhere, holding a cute lion plush that he found down in the hospital gift shop. There's a Ruri Hana handkerchief wrapped around its neck like a little bandana- a personal touch so Barrett can remember who it's from.

The sight of his little brother like this hurts him deeply, but he does his very best to put on a brave face. He taps into the immense relief of Barrett being alive and conscious right in front of him. Loopy on pain meds, sure, but still.]

Hey.

[His voice is gentle and a little shaky. As he approaches, he holds out the lion for Barrett's appraisal.]

I got you a little something.

[gluttoning]

[The nurses have already been passing comments onto the family that having people present now that he's awake seems to lighten Barrett's mood dramatically. Now is no exception. Though Barrett's head stays tipped back in deep breaths when Levi first enters, recognition and joy spreads across his face the second he opens his eyes and sees who it is. Brother.]

Leviiii. Y'r back, Levi?

[He gives a dazed but happy chuckle, hands clumsily trying to take shape around the gift presented to him - a touch of soft in a sea that's warm and fuzzy and hard to parse, floating with just himself and his brother and those other people that were just here, who were they? Weird people, in his bedroom, touching him, feeding him, clicking buttons, making his leg hurt sometimes.

Levi is better.]

T's... mmm. [His nose wrinkles in thought, not displeased - more that he's trying to find the words for what he's seeing.] Fuzzy man? Fuzzy... Fandan'l turned me 't a fuzzy like this. I was big.

[A hand to the fabric. A chuckle.]

Ruru.

[tylorific]

[ Tylor sends his own full name Justy Ueki-Tylor. For once, he is on time to something. An attempt, for Bear, for Morgan, for Hani. Dressed down since the game, in a tank top and sweats, he assists everyone else with soft hums, kind words, and the occasional stupid joke. Into the car even if he has to carry them, and off to the hospital.

Hani makes it ahead of them, but only for so long. The reason becomes clearer once Tylor and Morgan finally make it in the room. Tylor has one arm supporting Morgan, keeping him upright and pressed against his side as his other arm manages the door.

Looking as effortless as most well practiced motions do, Tylor helps Morgan to Bear's side; with his balance and a warm and solid hold about his waist, it's a good thing he is stronger than he looks and Morgan is light. At the edge of the bed, Tylor waves back with his free hand before it joins the first in keeping Morgan stable and grounded beside Bear.

From over Morgan's head, Tylor beams down at Bear warmly. ]

Good morning, sleepyhead. How're you feeling?

what hap to cael

[tinged]

[ hani won’t tell anyone that they blocked lucas immediately after giving him their legal name; there’s no point in bringing it up and that name means nothing to them anyway. so it’s okay to give him nothing because they don’t like him. at all.

once justy and morgan arrive, hani ends their call with a short murmur of thanks - another matter, unrelated to lucas; still related to bear. they drift from the corner of the room to kiss both of them good morning, again for the second time today, though the way the sun hovers in the sky suggests it may be past that.

(morgan was hardly awake the first time; it was cute, they could have stayed in bed all day just watching him with justy.)

aside from their damp lashes, hard to tell in this hospital light, there’s no other sign of their tears from earlier. ]

Good morning. He’s still out of it, I think.

[ which the other two probably expected. ]

He’s drugged up pretty good.

MONDAY THROUGH THURSDAY 9/18 - 9/21 CRMC Hospital, Fresno

[gluttoning]

[For the remainder of the hospital week. Provide a day and I'll give you a Barrett in various stages of not knowing how to handle himself.]

monday

[tylorific]

[ Tylor is back, similar to the way he had on Sunday. Whether Bear remembers or not. Only this time, Morgan is in his arms bridal style as he makes it inside the room. A nurse opens the door for him today and in he trots, letting Morgan's legs down once they are at the bed.

Much like Sunday, he's smiling over Morgan's head. ]

Hey there, Bear. Are you feeling a little better today?

[ And with that, he rests his head on Morgan's and keeps a loose but stable hold about his waist. ]

[tablescraps]

( Mithrun's quiet as Tylor sets him down, his gaze downward as he finds his footing before it quickly sweeps up to settle on Barrett. As is his wont, he doesn't seem to react too much as Tylor settles on him. He doesn't mind it.

He doesn't speak yet, since Tylor's asked the most pertinent question; he just studies Barrett, and his expression. He did say he'd rather talk to Barrett alone this time if he could, but - he isn't exactly of a desire to rush Tylor out, especially since Tylor's cheer is probably better for Barrett than Mithrun's gravity. It sure seemed to do better for Barrett yesterday, anyway. )

wednesday!

[tinged]

[ on wednesday, hani does as promised and visits while bear is awake, as assured by one of the nurses. they look like they’ve had as much rest as bear has, the edges of them fuzzy and travel-worn. which is as expected as they’ve just stepped off a long international flight and straight to bear’s hospital room.

knock knock on the door frame, before peeking in. ]

Good morning. Or is it good night?

[ what is time ]

[gluttoning]

Hani...?

[It's a worn question, poked up through his seat on his hospital bed, a small pile of books and graphic novels next to him along with a little lion plushie with an anime bandana around its neck. His left leg has had some attention, all the animals Tylor had drawn on Sunday now colored in. He stops flipping through the cooking manga he's reading, turning it over upside down in his lap.]

Mn... I think it's afternoon now. They already served lunch. [A great way 2 tell time, though given that he still has some items sitting untouched on a nearby table, his appetite isn't having a great time.]

It's good to see you. Did Tylor come back with you?

monday (later)

[tylorific]

[ Tylor is here again, late. Long after the morning hours when he'd left Morgan and Bear to their own devices. And long after he'd eventually returned to help him back to the hotel too. When Tylor returns this time, he is alone and the sun is down. Somehow, this draws him quieter.

He waves in greeting as he approaches the bed, pulling himself up to rest on the edge of it like he's getting way too used to visiting people in hospitals. From his coat, he brandishes a big pack of multicolored sharpies and holds it up between them. The cute doodles of animals call for their vibrancy. ]

Hey there, again. Mind if I color us all in?

[gluttoning]

[He's not expecting any more visitors, given that the staff tend to start asking people to leave once the night staff start to arrive. But Tylor slips in between shifts, catching Barrett flipping a little aimlessly through one of the books Cael had provided.

At the sound of the door, he turns, genuinely surprised after a moment to register that it's not a nurse.]

Tylor?

[A beat, letting Tylor settle against the bed as Barrett looks back towards the door. No Hani, no Morgan, no nurses yelling at Tylor to get out--

He nods.]

Yeah, if you want. The nurses might kick you out soon, but you can stay if you're quiet.