altimit | [Closed] misteaks' mistakes (catchall)

Mn. I insist.

[A squeeze of his hands just to punctuate that. Let him be a gentleman.]

Well, whatever you decide with them is okay with me. So long as you're safe.

How are you getting out here, anyway? Are you in California right now?

( Barrett may have won this battle, but he hasn't won the war (maybe)... Mithrun's expression suggests he'll concede on this. Be as much of a gentleman your heart desires, Barrett. )

Yes. I live in Malibu. I'm taking a plane up. Tickets aren't really expensive right now, so it wasn't hard to get one.

Malibu... you must get a lot of luxury living down there.

[Something something barbie dreamhouseland, but

He pauses as a thought catches him.]

...Wait, you really bought a whole plane ticket to just come and watch me play football?

[He knew Morgan said he'd be there, but the realization of how much money he's spending to do so when he's not even a fan of team is kind of hitting him a little.]

( ? )

Yes. Since you said it was fine. It's better to be in the stands, right?

Oh.

Yeah.

...

[He flusters a tiny bit, losing his words. Morgan was rich, wasn't he? Maybe money wasn't an object...]

I didn't think you'd spend that much money just to come see my game. It's a surprise.

Edited 2023-08-28 18:34 (UTC)

( That's true. Even if it's not costly for him, he didn't really have to come in person, he guesses. He just... )

... It's the first time a friend's invited me to watch them play.

( He thinks that's it? Like, a real friend. It just seemed to make sense to see it in person if he knew where he was playing... He's thinking about it as if Barrett were half an hour off and not across the entire state. )

But that's still so much...!

[He can't help but quietly laugh, though, very clearly touched. He's not sure Morgan gets it, given that response and what they've talked about before... but at least he can let Morgan know how happy it makes him feel.]

I'll have to play at my best, then. I've... never had a friend do that much just to come watch me play. Heh.

[The hands in his own are squeezed again, lifted slightly, an earnest joy to the motion despite how heavy the air has been.]

I don't want you to regret it.

Edited (Me coming back to edit 5 hours later like ehhhhhhhhh) 2023-08-29 00:34 (UTC)

( Oh,

Did he do that?

Is that arrogant to think? Is it selfish to like it? The laugh feels like it works its way through his features and ticks up his temperature just a little warmer in Mithrun's hands. The way Barrett squeezes them, he wouldn't have minded if the pressure stayed a little longer.

His expression softens, though he doesn't know it. )

... I won't. I'll be there to see you.

( Whether or not Barrett gets to play, whether or not Barrett gets to be at the top of his game - he's there to see Barrett, and he will, so he's... strangely content with that. Anything else - any stellar performance on Barrett's part - that'd just be a bonus. Though, he guesses he wouldn't mind seeing his face plastered broad across the stadium screens, smile even brighter because he managed some goal or incredible feat. That wouldn't be bad, either. )

Then I'll do my best to make sure you can.

[Excitement has his chest feeling full, his head light. He has Morgan's hands in his own, sees the softness that falls over his expression.

What would you have said, if you weren't drunk?

...

It crosses his mind for a second, along with buzz of excitement and the thump of his heart, the warmth of Morgan's palms in his fingers, and his gaze lingers with the subtlest sort of fondness.

But the time passes, as the eye contact breaks with a clearing of his throat.]

Um. Hey, I can give you my cell, if you want to let me know when you'll be in town. I can't always check Fragment when things get busy, but...

( ! )

... All right. I can send you mine, as well.

( Soon enough, Barrett will get Mithrun's number in his inbox. )

You can use it whenever. I don't mind.

( Not just to figure out the specifics of their meetup thing. )

[There's a beat as he digs for his phone and lifts up part of his headset, jostling the mic as he does so. There's a muttering of "Mn, got it" a little too far from the pickup.

Mithrun will get a text a few moments later from a 510 area code: Barrett Blake. 👍]

Same here. So long as I'm not in classes or practice, you can reach me.

[It feels a little surreal. But swapping numbers with classmates or teammates at school wasn't too unusual. Still... he's never done it with someone online before.]

...Hey, uh.

I appreciate this a lot, Morgan. That you were okay talking with me, and letting me get to know a little more about you.

I wouldn't mind doing this more.

( Oh; he perceives his phone buzzing after a short delay. He wonders if there's any harm in offering his full name in turn... Probably not? Anything Blake shouldn't know - anything that would cause issue for Morgan's goal - isn't a simple google search away.

Barrett fetches his attention back from his pondering, and surprise colors his face faintly. Was it really that interesting, learning about him? Maybe it was easier for Barrett than talking about himself - that, Mithrun doesn't mind. He guesses he doesn't mind too much at all if it means they keep talking. )

... Okay.

( It wasn't so bad talking to you either.

He feels conscious of Barrett's hands again, and how it feels to hold another person with him here. If he focuses on the feeling, he thinks he can feel the echoes of Barrett's heartbeat carried from his wrist.

He wonders if Barrett can feel his, too.

After a moment, Barrett gets a text back: Morgan Chatainne. Hello. His area code is indeed 310 - a fresh Malibu number, disconnected from numbers and phones he used before his accident. )

... I don't have anywhere else to go right now. So... I can stay.

( And he doesn't mean anything in particular by this - for someone who's usually productive with his time, he'd be fine if Barrett just wanted to hang around his room (he doesn't mind it being mostly empty), or wherever else in Fragment, and chat. A little like their food tour of the carnival. )

[He take a second to check the response, laughing in slight embarrassment as he does so and promptly butchers a couple muffled attempts at pronunciation of that family name.]

You'll have to teach me how to say that. I'm no good with words.

[With reluctance, he takes one hand away just to readjust his weight against the bed, quickly pulling up several notifications on his HUD and immediately dismissing them.]

Well... what do you think you'd want to do, if we could do anything right now? You've been exploring a lot more than I have, so I wonder how much you've seen around here that I have been stuck at practice for, heh.

Edited 2023-08-29 21:28 (UTC)

( Though Mithrun's smiles are only brief, it lingers in how he repeats the pronunciation slowly for Barrett. )

... It's fine if you just use "Morgan." I don't worry about my family name.

( If Mithrun minds the missing hand, it's hard to tell on his face. For the briefest moment he seems to test a slightly tighter grip, before settling into a comfortable hold. )

I run Areas most of the time, and I explore the root towns. I've figured out how most of the keywords work, though there's a lot left to explore...

( He considers... )

... Have you been to the Lumina Disc? It's the Lumina Cloth amusement park. There's a lot of games to play there.

[He tries to follow the sounds with his mouth, feeling clumsy about it. But there's a look of mild relief when Morgan says it doesn't matter that much.]

Still... I'll try to practice. I don't want to look too stupid in front of your aide or anything.

[As for the amusement park? He shakes his head, though his eyes do light up a bit. That's right, he keeps walking past that place...]

Not yet. Levi's not really a fan of most of those kinds of rides, and I don't think it's all that fun by myself.

I'm guessing you've tried it already, huh. How is it?

( "Too" stupid? )

You're not stupid.

( He says this very factually. )

... There's a lot of games. A lot of rides. I went with a friend before.

( It's easy to call Anaido a friend because they both, in an equally socially unusual way, indicated they had an openness to categorizing each other as friends, and both consented. Therefore, they are friends. )

It wasn't bad. There's a broad variety of rides, and lot of small prizes you can win by playing games.

( Without explanation, he equips a party hat skin. It's got a little shiny pompom up top. )

Like this.

( He leaves it on. )

We can go, since you'd prefer to visit it with company.

Edited 2023-08-30 04:27 (UTC)

[There's a mild hum of confusion at the correction.]

...Oh.

Thanks. But you don't have to say that. It's okay.

[It's fine, he knows he isn't bright. Not like Lucas, or Damian, or Levi, or the ace quarterbacks and tight ends, or even someone like Morgan.

Smarts weren't for him. It was better to admit as much before he got slapped in the face with it.

He does let our a very muted chuckle at the party hat, a colorful accessory sitting on top of a very colorful person who just happened to have the driest expression on the planet. It tickles him a little.]

Huh. Like... a super carnival. [You can never escape Carnival, apparently.] Sure, we can go.

( :/ )

... You're like Tylor.

( He most certainly isn't happy about Barrett putting himself down. Neither is his party hat happy about this, despite its cheerful colors. It's what they were verbally elbowing Tylor before for, too, together, so it's extra :/

He rolls back a little and then forward, getting onto his feet with a bit of oomph. He tugs Barrett, by way of telling him to come after him. We are going to the super carnival homie, as so agreed.

The difficult thing when it comes to people's self-esteem and internal feelings is that - Mithrun doesn't have a good way of talking through that. Like with Tylor, he doesn't have the words. With Barrett, he recalls the whole bit with his father - he suspects maybe there's some of that going into this, and maybe some other reinforcement. Maybe he's short by whatever metric - academic or otherwise.

But he just doesn't like the way Barrett says "it's okay" about it. Mithrun can't articulate why, but it makes him want to smack him. )

I don't think you're stupid. ( He can't kill Barrett's demons for him, but he can at least say what's true for him. ) You see into my blind spots. That's enough for me.

Morgan...

["You're like Tylor" hits him a bit hard. He's not sure in what capacity, but he remembers how irritated he'd been at Tylor for his humility at the picnic, how angry it had made Morgan. The fluttering echo he sees here...

Is he just doing the same thing?

Morgan tugs, and Barrett follows, but not immediately. Not without a careful tug back as he gets to his feet.]

Hey, h-hey... [A verbal request for a pause, still not leaving the bedside.] No, you're right. I'm not used to people telling me stuff like that. Or I... you know, I think they might change their minds after a while. But...

[He just talked to Hani about invalidation, too, didn't he.... Ugh. He might laugh if he were a different kind of person. As it is, he just lets his touch linger, trying to catch Morgan's gaze again if present and lingering against his back if not.]

...I'm sorry, Morgan. I'm stepping all over what you just said by saying that about myself.

I want to trust you. [The handhold squeezes, if only briefly.] I shouldn't treat things you say about me like they're, um... uh... [What do you call it... he means "pleasantries" but the word can't come to him and it's frustrating. But he just tries to find a way around it.]

...Like they're just filling space.

Edited 2023-08-30 12:00 (UTC)

( Ah. He hadn't expect a moment of reflection on Barrett's part, largely because Tylor tends to breeze past the callouts - making Mithrun wonder if he was just imagining things. He stops his stride when Barrett tugs back, looking up at him to listen. He'll meet his gaze. He gives Barrett that much.

He's reminded a little of what Oria told him, too. Don't tell the people you want to kiss you that there are better options. You'd just be telling them how they feel is wrong. At the time, he really hadn't gotten the problem - but, the way Barrett lays it out and having it turned around like this, albeit in different context, he thinks maybe he does get it a little better. )

... I mean the things I say.

( He doesn't feel like smacking him anymore. Huh. He brushes his thumb along the back of Barrett's hand - not consciously, maybe, but it does seem to suggest forgiveness. He's not angry anymore.

Barrett can either trust him or he can't. That's on him. But... )

... But I'll give you time to learn to trust me.

( Mithrun may know he's not like people who've "changed their minds" on Barrett later, but Barrett can't be sure yet. So, if he needs time and evidence, then he can have it. They have all the time in the world. )

[There's a slight wince from the redhead as he nods, feeling the brush of Morgan's thumb and letting himself relax his grip slightly in response. He wants to trust him. He wants to say he can trust him. But he knows he's just shown that, at least for this... he has some work to do.]

I do trust you. I want to keep trusting you. Some things... they just stick with me, I guess. But I need to work on seeing it for myself.

...

Thank you. For telling me what you thought.

[Both about him, and about his behavior.]

( He shakes his head, like it's not much to thank him for. )

... "The past is never dead. It's not even past." That's what Faulkner wrote, once.

( Mithrun doesn't have the words himself, but he can use the words of another. He gets the past still affects him. Maybe they're all retreading the same footsteps as they did before, every reiteration pounding the dirt flatter and deeper beneath their soles, until maybe once day they find a means to get off their well-trod path, so deeply dug below the earth's surface. )

I'll stay honest with you.

( And that's his promise. )

... Do you still want to go to the amusement park?

Edited 2023-08-31 00:17 (UTC)

[I'll stay honest with you.

There's a flicker, brief, of what could almost be guilt. But it's swallowed quickly, under the press of Morgan's hand in his and the reminder of something better.]

I'll take your word for it. I barely managed Faulkner in highschool. It sounds like I might have missed out on something nice, though.

[The past really did have a tendency to stick around. Sometimes it wasn't too bad. Sometimes he wish it would just go to rest.

...

At the request, he nods, stepping alongside Morgan to open his room door for him.]

Yeah, I would.

Show me what games you learned with your friend. Or maybe we could try some new ones.

Edited 2023-08-31 00:54 (UTC)

... All right. Old and new.

( Retracing old steps, and making new paths. Even if it's just for something small, like amusement park games.

And, with that, he pulls Barrett through the door. )

[Closed] misteaks' mistakes (catchall)

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