Chapter Text
He's going to do it, he's going do it, he's going to do it !
It's the mantra Lando has been repeating in his head for the last 5 minutes : He's going to take all his courage in his own hands and once he and Charles are alone in the middle of the nature, he'll start some epic love confession. He hasn't yet any ideas of what he is going to say, but Charles is going to cry halfway through it and run up in his arms to kiss him madly. A heart-wrenching violin music will then soar in the background and-....Well, okay he's getting a bit carried away, but being optimistic about the possible outcome of his decision is the only way to stop chickening out of it.
Lando is extirpated from his reveries once he notices his watch already indicates that it's 9:55, he then hurtles down the stairs of his hotel before going back to his room just as fast when he realizes he forgot the backpack he had so carefully prepared. When he finally retrieves his bag, he looks one last time at his reflection in the mirror of the hotel room. After Max left him, he had decided to change himself out of his initial clothes for the day to wear a pair of turquoise short with a pattern of watermelons printed on it along with his black t-shirt. It makes him look relaxed, almost carefree like he's just about to go hang out with some friends. Basically, it makes him look like he isn't on the verge of freaking out at the idea of sharing his feelings to Charles.
His heart beats loudly in his chest as he walks downstairs and starts looking for Charles among the tourists surrounding him once he reaches the lobby.
A small ping from his phone alerts him of a new message.
From Charles 🍌
We're waiting for you in front of the gift shop outside the lobby !
«What “we” ?» he mumbles to himself confusedly outloud while he reaches the tall glass doors of the hotel's exit.
«Lando !» he hears Charles voice resonates.
He wipes his head to the source of the sound and his eyes falls on the Ferrari driver. Almost instantly, he feels the corner of his lips spreads into an enthusiastic smile that Charles reciprocates.
«Ah great Lando !» Charles exclaims as he engulfs him into a quick but firm hug before turning his attention to someone standing near him «This is Arthur, my little brother ! I'll be back in a few minutes, I'm going to take the car !»
Oh, this is the “we” Charles was referring to, Lando thinks as his shoulders sags in discomfiture.
He thoughts what they had planned was a bit of a date...
Did he misread Charles invitation ? Has Charles ever mentioned in his texts they would be hiking with somebody else ? He questions himself mentally as a frown appears involuntarily on his face. When he wants to express his confusion, Charles is already hurrying in direction of the garage.
Slightly unnerved by this unexpected change of plan, Lando is left staring at Arthur dumbly for a few seconds before he gets hold of himself and starts racking his brain for any ideas on how to socialize with the teenager next to him.
«So you do F3, right ?» he unimaginatively rushes out in a flat tone. Great, brilliant way to not make his attempt at small talk obvious. It's not that he's against meeting Arthur, he heard Charles rambles fondly about his little brother too much for that but...It stings a little to realize his plan to confide in Charles have died so quickly.
«Yes !» Arthur's face brightens up at the subject in a way that is very reminiscent of Charles, seemingly obvious to Lando's inner turmoil « Next race is at Mugello, I can't wait !»
«Ew Mugello.» he grimaces at the reminiscences this circuit brings him.
Arthur's face visibly shifts into a tense expression at Lando's curt words «It's not good ?»
«Well...Let's say I'm glad it's not in the F1 calendar...» he sighs.
It's a strange mix of sensations he's experiencing, this apprehension at meeting a member of your crush family while feeling stupid for letting himself be swept by vain fantasies. He hopes he's not coming off as too uninterested to Arthur while he starts playing anxiously with the hem of his t-shirt as Arthur questions him about this circuit.
Three minutes later, Arthur is obviously growing impatient and their conversation has already died down into an awkward silence.
«Merde, what is he doing....At this rate, I'm going to miss my flight...»
«Your flight ?»
«Yeah...? Didn't Charles tells you ? That's why I am here ! He agreed to drop me off the airport on your way to the track of Saint-Jacques ?»
«No, he didn't ! I thought you were coming with us ?» Lando replies instantly, unable to hide the blooming sense of relief he feels.
«Typical Charles...He forgets about everything !» Arthur declares before starting to rant about his brother forgetful habits with small anecdotes about the childhood they spent together.
A honk interrupts them as a car rapidly pulls up next to them and Charles exits it while he complains about traffic jams in the parking exit.
Lando settles himself on the passenger seat as Charles helps Arthur loads their bag in the car boot. Temporarily alone, he allows himself to giggle nervously in expectation of the rest of the day he'll get to spend alone alongside Charles.
«Lando !» Charles says hurriedly as he opens the driver's door and startles him «Arthur told me I didn't tell you we would make a detour to the airport ?» he asks in a panicked look.
«Well, uhm no ?»
«Oh I'm so sorry, I was so sure I did ! That doesn't bother you, I hope ?» he blurts out while Arthur closes the car boot.
«Poor guy was looking all sulky, he thought I would tag along to your little romantic escapade !» Arthur pipes in before Lando can answer as he settles himself in the backseat.
«I-No I wasn't...» he tries to protest weakly.
«A-anyway, what were you talking about before I arrived ?» Charles clears his throat, obviously wanting to change the subject quickly.
And just like that, they switch back to the topic of Arthur's upcoming race on the F3 calendar. The entire ride to the airport is spent debating over the best strategy to have for it while the younger driver looks back and forth between Charles and Lando and drinks in every advice they give him.
When they pull out at the airport, Charles pesters Arthur in checking one last time if he brought his identity card and passport. Lando observes the sibling's interaction fondly, seeing Charles in the big brother's role is another facet of him he's glad to have uncovered.
«By the way Lando, you should come visit the family back in Monaco soon, everybody's dying to meet you !» Arthur says as he takes his bag out of the car.
«Really ?»
«Yeah Charles hasn't been able to shut up about you for months...Lando did this, Lando said that...» he complains loudly.
«Alright, alright, Arthur you've got a plane to take so hurry up !» Charles says, red faced «Sorry, my brother like to rile me up by saying stuffs like that..» he then explains once they are alone in the car.
«No it's alright, I spoke about you to my mom too !» Lando reassures in a soft voice.
Soon after Charles starts the car, a relaxed discussion flows between the two of them. After a few dozen of minutes through the highway, they reach a small road that Charles assures is going to lead them to the trail. The scenery that goes by rapidly starts being a mix of rocky and green landscape, one that Lando observes curiously as he never really explored Catalonia further than its main city.
Both Charles and he are busy arguing about which radio station they should settle for when Charles points out enthusiastically at a small billboard with the words “Camí de Sant Jaume” written in big bold letters. They park the car into a small parking lot behind the billboard, take their bags and follow the big arrow on the sign pointing to a small uphill path that seems to lead deep into the forest.
At first, Lando's muscles protest at the exertion their uphill trajectory causes and he makes sure to complain loudly to Charles about it in an overdramatic way. Charles only response is to stick out his tongue before challenging him to a race to a tree by the path 50 meters further. Neither of them ends up winning it, as they both trips into each other midway through it and ends up on the ground in a heaps of frantic laughter.
Once they get back on their feet and their laughter dies down, they resume their hike slowly. Lando listens with interest as Charles recounts the numerous time his father and he used to go on hike together when he was a child. Lando only has few memories of his own parents taking him hiking, but he retells humorously multiple accounts of him horse riding with his little sister and the countless near-death experiences he had with her (at least it's how he recounts them to Charles, but he might exaggerate the details a little bit).
Enthralled in their discussion, Lando almost doesn't notice the changes in their surroundings the more they walk. Without his watch or his phone to know the hour of the day, it seems to him like the very concept of time has stopped to be relevant. It could be 30 minutes they started to walk just like it could be 4 hours and he wouldn't know the difference. That is, until his stomach grows loudly, interrupting Charles in the middle of a question he was about to ask.
«Ah, guess I'm hungry.»
«Me too ! We should go on top of the hill, I'm sure we'll find some plane surface to eat our picnic !»
Their ascension to the hill is a slow one as the path become steep once they near the top of it. Lando reaches it's peak first with a proud smile, only to face the mesmerizing sight of a large meadow of high grass. And god knows Lando isn't at all a nature enthusiast with the amount of hours he can spend locked up in his gaming room but...There's something in the sight in front of him that looks like it has just jumped out of a painting. The high grass moves with the wind like waves would on the sea and each sprig of grass shines vibrantly with the highlight of the sunlights. He almost wants to quote the «I hate to sound like a cheesy, old white lady, but that shit is breathtaking bro» meme to Charles, but he's 80% that this reference will be lost to him. Besides, the entire point of today is to make sure he's not just a «bro» to Charles, so that would be quite counterproductive.
«Niiice !» Charles whistles as he passes ahead of him « We can settle down under on of those bushy trees !»
When they finally reach the shadowed spot Charles pointed out to, they both heavily let themselves fall on the ground. As Lando lets his muscle relax themselves after exerting them, he eagerly take the sandwich Charles hands him out.
«I took whatever was in the store, you like Mozarella and tomatoes, right ?»
«Yeah !» he tears so plastic around it and hungrily bites in it «My favourite ! You bought something to drink ? I almost finished my own bottle of water...»
«Oh ! Yeah, well uhm- I bought wine ?» Charles answers as he blushes and take a small bottle of the red liquid out of his bag.
«Wine ?»
«Well- Uhm Arthur insisted I bought a bottle when we were waiting for you this morning...Forget it, it was stupid !» Charles rushes out before putting the bottle back in his bag, scarlet feeling his cheeks.
«No, no ! It's nice ! I mean, I don't drink much alcohol but we shouldn't let it go to waste if you carried it all the way up there !»
«Really ?» Charles says, delight evident in his face and expression
The Monegasque then impatiently pops the wine bottle open and takes out two little plastic goblets to pour the liquid in it.
«How do you say it in french, santé ?»
«Yes ! Cheers !» they let their plastic cup clinks into each other before drinking their content.
A distinct feeling of fondness arises into Lando as he then watches Charles struggling to eat his sandwich without making a mess around himself. It feels strangely intimate to be here, alone with him and reveling into nothing more than the scenery and each other close company. Maybe even more intimate than all the evenings they spend together before, he muses.
Soon after finishing their meal, Lando lays his back on the grass while letting a big sigh of contentment out as he allows himself to enjoy the gentle wind to caress his face mixed with the relative freshness the small bush tree provides them. Charles joins him and settle himself closely against Lando, their shoulders touching.
They remain in silence for a long time, both starting to get dozy as they digest their food. Their small shelter against the scorching heat of the sun seems almost idyllic and once again Lando marvels at how the notion of time seems to dissolve once the idea of taking a nap grows ever more irresistible to him.
He's been already dozing off for a moment when he notices Charles moving against him to settle himself in a more comfortable position against his side and to pass his arms around Lando's abdomen.
«This feels better than my podium of yesterday...» Charles sighs almost dreamily.
«Oh really ?» Lando asks dubiously.
«Yeah, I'm serious !» Charles answers while tightening his hold around his middle. «Felt nervous about today, Arthur kept nagging at me about our, like he said, romantic escapade...»
«It kind of seems like one.»
«Yes, it does...»
The sound of crickets and wind gushing around them remains for a moment the only sound surrounding them, neither Charles or him being particularly confident in the direction their discussion is taking to speak up.
«Then...What are we, if we go on romantic escapade ?» Lando decides to ask while mimicking air-quote on the last words of his question. He quickly averts his eyes to the sky once their gaze cross each others.
«Well...We don't need to put a label on it, if you don't want to.» God, his heart beats almost too loudly against his ribcage, Lando thinks with a wince.
«But what if I want to have a label ?» This is it, he thinks, the moment of truth «Could we be...Uhm...Boyfriends ?»
Charles remains dreadfully silent by his side for seconds that seems to last an eternity.
«Petits-amis....I like that, it sounds good.» Charles finally whispers before slowly reaching Lando's hand and enclosing his fingers into his.
The move induces a small surprised giggle from Lando, a spark of adrenaline spreading at the same time from his hand to the rest of his body in seconds at the soft and comforting touch. Charles hands are clammy against his own and Lando's aren't probably in a better state, yet...Now that he knows how uplifting it feels to have his hand held by the man he fell in love for months already, he doesn't ever want to let go.
He guesses the paddock's photographers would have a field day in two weeks if they just strolled around hands in hands during the next Grand-Prix. That wouldn't be so bad to shake them up a little bit for once, he ponders.
Around them, the wind soughs through the high grass and the trees, bending them however it please. After a moment, Charles shifts a little bit next to him and lays his head on his shoulder before closing his eyes.
Lando's legs feels jittery with happiness and it takes every bits of his willpower to stay unmoving to not disturb the peaceful expression that paints his very recent, very cute and content-looking boyfriend. And as Charles drifts further in his slumber, Lando feels too giddy with happiness to join him. Instead, he looks on to the leafy branches of the tree over them and he marvels at the small glimpses of the bright blue sky he catches through them.
Max was right, Lando realizes gleefully. He doesn't do fun relationships but as it turns out, Charles doesn't either.