Curveball [BL] COMPLETED

8

Day after day, week after week - it all goes by quickly. Everything blurs into one for Juda. Baseball, school, more baseball, sleep, eat if he remembers. And if he has the time, Carmen and Nico.

He always has the time.

The only thing he notices changing is the weather. It's still hot, unbearably so, but he doesn't feel like passing out in the batting cages anymore. If he's lucky, there's even a gentle breeze. He's still in desperate need for sun block, but he feels the weather growing cooler each day.

"How's that looking?" The pain in his arm and buzzing noise stops all at once. Juda didn't realize how used to the buzz he got until the room grows silent. He can hear his own breath, quiet and gentle, unfazed from the constant pricking in his arm.

A towel drags down his forearm, pulling all the excess ink with it before revealing the detailed sun underneath. His skin's red and already looking inflamed, but there's a new addition now. The sun joining all his other tattoos bleeding up his arm.

He thinks a sun's fitting. For how much he f*****g stands under the smoldering heat, it fits right in. He's starting to fear it a little, his mom's constant worries of him developing skin cancer rubbing off on him.

"It looks great," he tells her. But it's not what he came here for. Not what he waited months to get an appointment for. Sitting beside the sun, larger and taking up more of arm, sits his late dog. His gaze lingers on her eyes, seeing them glitter with happiness.

It's exactly the same as the picture he showed her. So exact, he almost frowns. "Looks great," he repeats, because he doesn't know what else to say. She passed only the beginning of this year, after nineteen long ones. They grew up together. Except now she's dead and buried in his parents' backyard.

Ginger rolls back in her stool and nods her chin at Nico and Carmen. "You guys can check it out now." She's already cleaning up, giving the three of them space.

"s**t- it looks just like her," Nico marvels. "I bet your mom's gonna love it."

Carmen hangs back warily, still cautious around the fresh tattoo. The entire two hours they waited, his eyes were glued to his phone, desperate not to see the needles puncturing Juda's skin over and over. If Juda knew he was so bad with needles, he maybe would've told Carmen to stay back at the dorms.

But he's also a greedy son of a b***h, so maybe not.

Carmen looks like he's not sure if he should frown or smile. He settles for a dimmed smile, "Looks good."

Juda flexes his arm, stares at the tattoo, and misses her a little more than usual. Maybe he'll text his mom to throw some chicken on her grave. It was always her favorite. "Thank you," his eyes shift towards them, "for the gift. It means a lot."

Carmen nudges his shoulder. "Don't get all sappy. It was for your birthday."

Ginger rolls back over and carefully picks Juda's arm up to wrap it. "You guys sure you don't want one too? I'm closed for the night and don't have anywhere to be." She pats his shoulder when she's done and sets it back on the armrest.

Nico immediately perks. "Really?"

"You'll need to pay me, of course. But I'm booked for another few weeks after this, so take it or leave it." She shrugs a shoulder. "As long as you're fine using the same needle."

Nico immediately pauses, eyes subtly darting toward Juda's fresh tattoo. His face says it all, and he looks ready to high tail Juda right out of the chair and out of the shop. Probably right into a hospital room. "I'm kidding," she laughs. "Do you know how fast I'd get sued?"

His expression shows relief. "I'm sure a lot of people wouldn't care," he admits. "But yeah, maybe not the best. I'll still take the tattoo, though, if the offer stills stands."

"'Course." She nods. "As long as you three sign my wall and leave a picture. Exposure and all that." Her hand waves around, setting up a new station for Nico. "Wasn't expecting a bunch of famous player's tonight, but I guess you guys are just regular people too, huh."

"Nobody knows who we are," Nico laughs, finding the the mere thought funny. "Maybe Juda. He's pretty popular in the baseball world, but college baseball is pretty tame. Nothing compared to the Majors."

She glances over, eyebrow raising. "My partner fuckin' loves you guys. They watch every game and even the practices sometimes. Maybe you're not tv famous, but you're definitely known 'round here." She gestures towards the tv hanging in the corner. "Guys love when it's season time and you're playing."

Juda watches Nico preen with the sudden compliments. He attempts playing coy, rubbing his neck and waving her off, but Juda knows Nico, and he knows he's absolutely eating her words up. "Tell you what," Ginger says. "Sign something for my partner, and I'll give you a discount."

Nico immediately agrees, but Juda's not quite sure it's for her sake. Nico will surely be bragging about this to the other guys.

"What about you blondie?"

Carmen shifts uneasily. "I'm okay-"

Nico stops him, politely asking for one minute while he turns and brings the three of them huddled together. "Carmen, Carmen, Carmen. Before you decline, think about it. I know you don't do needles, but we could get a really small one."

"We?"

"You, me, and Juda," Nico says like it's obvious. "All matching. Don't you Christian's believe in 'everything happens for a reason' or some bullshit like that? Apply that to this. We all came here for a reason."

Carmen's eyes are doubtful. "And that reason was to get a tattoo? f**k no. And Christians aren't supposed to have tattoos."

"Well, you're not a Christian anymore and nobody follows that bullshit anyways."

"Someone does." Carmen shrugs, but Nico's mostly right. "I'm not getting a tattoo." He turns to Juda. "Please tell him I'm not getting a tattoo."

Juda shrugs his shoulder, easy smile pulling at his lips. "C'mon," he coaxes. "Just something small."

"God- not you too," Carmen groans. He sees their faces, notices those looks, and realizes they're not letting him leave without a fight. "f**k- fine. But something small. Really small. I barely wanna see it."

Nico and Juda high five, celebrating the small win.

"I take that as a yes?" Ginger smiles and grabs another set of supplies. "Do you guys need the book to look at? Maybe some time to think?"

"No." Carmen shakes his head, surprising Nico and Carmen. "I'm picking," he tells them. "You guys don't care about your bodies, I do."

It's a fair point, so they easily agree.

Carmen and Ginger work fairly quick to draw out the deign he has in mind. Juda faintly hears Carmen's smaller- smaller- smaller as Ginger makes the stencil, and then her following laugh. She calls him a baby and assures him it'll look great, and he has no choice but to agree.

When Juda catches sight of the design, his breath catches. He releases it the next second, and actually smiles. "And you called me a sap."

"Well," Carmen's cheeks puff, but he has nothing to say.

It's small. The stencil so small that Juda's positive it's going on one of their fingers. 111 sits slanted on the sheet, neat and pristine.

It has no meaning, at least not to Ginger, but for them it's been the last two years of their lives, and going on three. Juda thinks of their small dorm, not nearly big enough for three men, but then he thinks he wouldn't have it any other way.

It's their room. 111. Where it all began.

Or maybe it started back in high school, when they only knew each other from brief encounters on the field. And maybe even before that, when none of them knew each other or their destined fates to meet.

"Alright, big boy." Ginger rolls over on her stool, stencil in hand. "You're first." Juda doubts she needs a stencil for this, but Carmen's pointed eyes probably sway her to, only to settle his mind. "Where am I putting it?"

Juda looks to Carmen, eyebrows silently raising.

"I'm getting mine on my finger." He shows the side of his middle finger, knowing he could hide it if he wanted to. "But get it wherever, doesn't matter."

"It matters," Nico cuts in.

Juda nods at her, holding out his middle finger. Whatever his boys wants, he's not too picky about his body or tattoo placement.

Juda and Nico get through it in a breeze. Ginger takes a look at Nico's other tattoo's, compliments him, and moves him along so Carmen can have the chair.

Carmen's wary the entire time, even as she numbs his finger and assures it's only a prick. The tattoo gun buzzing to life does nothing to calm his nerves. She pulls back right before it can prick his skin. "Want one of them to hold your hand?" She suggests, looking amused despite the situation. "Needles are scary, I get it. A little moral support won't hurt."

Carmen eyes her sleeves of tattoos and doesn't think they share the same understanding of fear. But he's nervous either way and grabs whoever's closest. It just so happens to be Juda. "There you go." She nods in praise, the gun buzzing back to life. "Just squeeze him real hard if you need to. I'm sure he can take it."

Juda stares at their intertwined hands almost curiously. This is a first, he thinks. It must be, because he can't remember feeling like this in the past. He's sure he would've remembered whatever this is.

"Jesus f*****g Christ-" Carmen curses, looking anywhere but his hand. "Sorry," he apologizes but goes right back to his string of curses.

"You're doing good." Nico snickers while taking a video.

Carmen squeezes the hell out of Juda's hand. Juda's sure he's hurting them both with how tight he's squeezing, but he bears with the pain and squeezes back, hoping to comfort him even if it's only a little. Truthfully, he thinks it's funny, but Nico's laughing enough for the both of them.

"Perfect." The buzz abruptly cuts and Ginger wipes his finger clean. "See? Not too bad."

"Yeah," Carmen rasps, "not too bad." He's still holding Juda's hand for dear life as Ginger wraps his finger.

Rolling back in her chair, Ginger takes the gloves off and runs her hands under the sink water. "You guys know the drill, right?" Tossing a glance over her shoulder, she eyes Juda and Carmen. "Keep it covered for at least a few hours, ointment, no sunblock until it's fully healed. I don't care that you're out in the sun, you'll f**k it up. No tight clothing, Mr. Catcher. And alcohol free lotion. I'll give you the care sheet on the way out but those are the basics."

Nico promises they'll keep them well taken care of, even if she's mostly talking to Juda.

Carmen wets his lips and finally releases Juda's hand, not even realizing he was still gripping it. "Thanks," he breathes out. He stares at the 111 that forever sits on his finger, unmoving and black. He thinks he likes it - possibly loves it. "Wasn't too bad, I guess."

"You were shitting yourself," Nico says.

Carmen ignores him.

Ginger finishes cleaning up and wipes down the chair for the final time. "So what's the deal with the tattoos? Taking manifestation to a new level?"

"Huh?"

She eyes them, eyebrows raising. "111," she repeats. "They're angel numbers - signifies manifestation and prosperity. My partner's really into that kind of stuff. So, what're you manifesting?"

The three of them share some looks, clueless. "It's our dorm room number," Juda explains. "We all room together."

"Oh?" She smiles with a nod, but something playful tickles her tone as she says, "Room number or not, careful what you think about now. With that number on you, you might just manifest whatever you're thinking about." She wiggles her fingers at them. "No negative thoughts. Especially with the season starting."

Nico thinks it's a whole lot of dog s**t but he nods earnestly.

Carmen holds off a groan, knowing he was going to force himself to think positively for the rest of his life. It's hard to slip out of his old ways. While he's not a Christian anymore, he stills believes in some greater power and the universe.

Juda doesn't know what to think.

"How much do you think this'll cost to get removed?" Carmen asks jokingly. Or maybe he's not joking.

Ginger shrugs, grinning. "Think about it hard enough and maybe your finger gets cut off in some freak accident." His face falls. "I'm kidding," she laughs. "It doesn't work like that, I promise. The world won't be out to get you because of some small tattoo. Just don't be surprised if random good things start happening to you~"

Juda can't help but ask, "Random good things?"

"Oh yeah." She nods, bringing them to the front to settle p*****t and their signatures. "Like I said, manifestation. It's hard to believe it and you can twist it your own way, but if you think positively about your dreams and it's desires, don't be surprised if it comes true."

His dreams and desires.

He thinks of baseball.

And then his eyes flick towards Nico and Carmen.

"I feel like maybe I told you something I shouldn't have." She apologizes sheepishly. Leaning over the front desk, she whispers, "I'm not much of a believer myself, but my partner's crazy about that stuff, y'know. I'm just repeating what I've heard." Her hands raise in defense. "Don't take it too serious."

Juda tries listening and letting it to, but it lingers in his head, even as he signs his signature and poses with Nico and Carmen for a picture.

His dreams and desires.

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