SATURDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL (The World)

[gluttoning]

[FOOTBALL NOISES

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

Comments

[trashtier]

O-Oh...

[His shoulders shake, his grip on Barrett beginning to tremble. A tear rolls down his cheek, followed by another...and a few more still. At least he can disguise these tears as something unrelated to Barrett's condition now.

The darkest corner of his mind wants to write all of this off. Barrett's just saying this to be nice. I'm just the same old shut-in I've always been. I've long since given up. Maybe if I hadn't, I'd have been able to do something for you.

I'm useless.

But when he looks at Barrett, knowing he's speaking nothing but pure, unfiltered honesty, he finds it within himself to push those dark thoughts away. If Barrett thinks he hasn't given up, then...maybe that's actually true. And if that's true, then he certainly can't give up now, either.

His sniffles, rubbing at his eyes with his sleeve.]

Thank you, Bear... I hope you kn-know I'm just as proud of you, too.

[He'd told Barrett as much on Friday, but it may as well have not happened yet in his hazy state. So Levi intends to reiterate it, because it's still true, no matter what happens from here on.]

Seeing how far you've come makes me so...h-h-happy.

[gluttoning]

[His grip in Levi's squeezes, just barely, his brow furrowing at the shedding of tears.]

You don' need to cry, Levi... 'Ts okay. Always wanted to make ya proud, heh. When I'd watch ya swim. So hearin' that -- it makes me feel good.

Love ya a lot. Mn... whadda your animes and stuff call it...

[Oh. Wait, he doesn't think to anime. He thinks to someone else, and he chuckles to himself, a little deliriously.]

Mn.

Nii-chan.

[trashtier]

[Despite Barrett's best efforts, his sentiments only increase the waterworks.

When he'd watch me swim...

Wait.

Nii-chan?!]

H-H-How can you say I-I don't need to cry when you g-go and s-s-say that? [A quiet sob escapes, followed by a hiccup.] All of that?!

[He really, really should not be getting so emotionally charged in front of his poor recovering brother though, so he desperately tries to reel it in. He takes a deep breath and sniffles again.]

I...I love you, too. Let's go swimming again sometime, okay? I, um... I wanna see how far your cannonballs have come since last time.

[Back then, he'd constantly complain that Barrett was ruining his concentration. But he always liked watching anyway.]

[gluttoning]

Heheh...

Gonna make a splash a lot bigger than before. So much it'll get Aiden when he's sunbathin'... heh.

[Ah, but he's woozy. He doesn't want to sleep just yet. His hand grips a little firmer with a deep inhale.]

Mmn... you still talkin' to Kara 'bout stuff? Hope so... I hope so...

[trashtier]

[A light laugh escapes through the tears. Apparently the thought of interrupting Aiden's sunbathing is enough to cheer Levi up a little.]

You've grown a lot since then, so...I bet you'll get him, and maybe even Matt while you're at it.

[Wherever Matt happens to be, he deserves to be blindsided, okay?

Kara being brought up catches him off guard, though.]

W-Well, we've been talking... [He tips his head, letting his thumb gently massage against Barrett's hand.] What kinda stuff were you hoping that we're talking about, though?

[gluttoning]

She likes you a lot. 'N you like her a lot. Haven't seen ya' so happy in forever, Levi.

[His smile could be almost impish if not for the drugs.]

Don't think it's aaaany of my business whatcha' talk 'bout... but I hope ya' talk a lot. 'N talk about both bad and good.

Sh' was kinda lonely when I knew her, y'know. So I think it'd be good f' her, too.

[Ah, but he's getting tired. The spots are starting to dance in his eyes again, and that fog that settles in so deep... Maybe he really should sleep soon.]