Curveball [BL]

3 || Carmen

School eventually starts three weeks later. The first years comes a week prior, and they're a promising trio, but not promising enough to be put on the first string. With time, maybe, Carmen thinks. He has his eye on the pitcher in particular, watched him enough in the past week to tell he has a lot of potential to be something good- someone good.

Coach is more lenient with pitchers, and for good reason, Carmen thinks. It's easy to take third baseman and put him anywhere in outfield, but it's not so easy to take him and put him in as a pitcher. Pitchers are carefully molded, holding the weight of every game in their palms.

3 up, 3 down - it's what all pitchers strive for every inning. Don't let em get on base, strike them out and claim the momentum of the game before they can. It's not so easily done, though. In high school maybe, where just about anybody could play, but college doesn't give a pity pass to guys like that.

Carmen's only into his first week of the semester and already, he's swarmed with assignments and projects. It's his fault, really. Asking for his assignments in advance is good for the long run, but it's quickly wearing on him. He blames Coach Barrel almost entirely. The old man doesn't know how to hold back, especially since the first years settled in. It's practice, practice, practice - eat, sleep, and breathe baseball.

Carmen's eyelids are heavy, reading over the same passage for the third time. Fuck he needs sleep - but he needs to finish this by tonight, then shower time, find something in their mini fridge since he skipped dinner, and finally bed. His muscles ache, sore from the hit training they did earlier today.

He's lost in thought about how old the burrito wrap in their fridge is when a cold, wet can presses into his neck. "Hey." Juda leans over his shoulder, greeting him quietly. He places the bottled iced coffee on the library desk and pushes it over for Carmen. "Drink this, you look like shit."

If he wasn't right, Carmen would've retorted with something snotty. He grumbles a thanks, popping open the cap. "How'd you know I was here?"

Juda sits beside him with a dramatic sigh, immediately man-spreading. "I didn't. Looked everywhere I thought you'd be and ta-dah~ You were in the library, which is pretty impressive. I didn't think you knew libraries existed."

"You're an ass," Carmen snorts despite himself. "Thanks for the coffee, though." It's his favorite, he doesn't say.

Juda watches him for a bit, long enough for Carmen to raise his eyebrows. "Are those Nico's?" He finally asks, reaching over to push Carmen's glasses up. His hand is swatted away, Carmen fixing the lenses back in place.

"I didn't feel like putting my contacts in."

"God," Juda groans. "You and Nico are such nerds. How's it feeling needing to rely on some little circles to see? Hm? How's it feel?"