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“Who buys a projector these days? Old men, and teenagers looking to get laid. You must be an old man now.” Lando teased, his heart happy and light, floating along as he laid on the livingroom floor with his love, with Carlos.
“Will you be quiet and enjoy your evening?” Carlos muttered as he fluffed the pillows behind Lando’s head, his comfort always of the utmost importance.
“I’m just saying, there is a perfectly good television right behind the screen that you put up there. But sure, set up a projector screen.” As much shit as Lando liked to talk, it always made him feel special, adored, with the little displays Carlos would put on. The effort he would give to make Lando crack a smile, it was everything.
“Is romantic, no? They do not call me a smooth operator for nothing, I must do these things.”
“Okay but why are we watching a Carlando video? Seems weird is all, for a romantic movie night.” Lando poked Carlos' side, squeaking when a warm hand reacted to catch his own. Carlos brought Lando’s hand to his lips, kissing it twice before pulling Lando close until he was laying on his chest, his hand coming to rest right above Carlos’ heart. His actions were mellow, though the look on Carlos’ face was enough for Lando to bite his tongue and remain silent.
It was nice to take a walk down memory lane, as much as Lando wished for privacy at times, he was grateful for just how many of these moments with Carlos were well documented. A day would come eventually where the memories were all they had left, Lando would always cherish every single one of them. Even the ones where Carlos was poking fun at him, and vice versa.
“Ahh, this was when I knew I was gay.” Carlos whispered, pointing to the projector screen playing back the infamous snack wars video from their early days.
‘You don’t know what Spanish ham is?’ Played on the screen, pulling a laugh from the both of them.
“But we were already fucking at that point.”
“Yes but when you groaned after eating? I almost came in my pants. Definitely gay. ” It was true, Carlos remembered being nervous to step out and around the counter after they had finished filming, not sure just how obvious his arousal had become. He hadn’t wanted to tip Lando off to it, not wanting to scare him away when their relationship was still so fresh.
“This is when I knew I really liked you.” Carlos said, pointing to the screen as it changed to clips taken from the McLaren Unboxed video of the Brazil GP in 2019. “It was just as much your podium as it was my own, you know.”
“I didn’t want it, any of it if you couldn’t have been there. I’m glad that you were.” If Carlos noticed as Lando sniffled and wiped at his face, suspiciously close to his eyes, thankfully he didn’t say anything.
“This is when I knew I loved you.” Carlos' sweet words were cut off by Lando groaning, pulling his hands away from Carlos to cover his face.
“Why do they always have to put this clip in? Every single compilation video of us. Soy Lago? Really?” Lando narrowed his eyes, almost glaring at Carlos, trying to read between the lines in his face for ulterior motives. “What do you mean that was when you knew? Are you attracted to lakes?”
“Sí, I think they’re very sexy.” Carlos declared, managing to keep a straight face for half a second before they both started laughing, and Lando fell back into Carlos’ arms.
“This is when I started to see a future with you.” Carlos said, his voice just louder than a whisper in Lando’s ear.
Even as they got closer to two years after their shared Monaco podium, the joy of the moment was still palpable in every single photo and video that had been captured. Especially in the way they both ignored Max in favor of spraying each other down with champagne, eager to get a head start on celebrating the day's high.
Carlos wanted it all, the highs and the lows, and everything in between. Their podium together really was when he started to see a future for them, experiencing life's greatest triumphs together.
“This is the one when I knew I wanted to marry you.” Clips from Caco’s wedding flashed across the screen; everyone dancing, having the time of their lives, Lando fitting in perfectly with his family, those he cared for the most.
Lando had been floating softly along, it wasn’t until he noticed a certain clip from the wedding that the words Carlos had just spoken finally clicked for him.
“That’s us dancing, where the fuck did a fan get that?” Lando’s breathing quickened, tears prickling in the corners of his eyes at the panic of being outed. Not that he’d mind to be out and to shout his love for Carlos from the rooftops, but it would be nice to do it under their own terms.
Carlos struggled to swallow past the lump in his throat as he raised the remote to the projector, pressing pause on the video. He shifted, pushing himself up from the floor, knocking the blankets from their laps and pulling a ring box from his pocket, kneeling before Lando.
“This is the one where I hope you say yes.”
With glistening eyes and a hand over his mouth in disbelief, Lando nodded several times while pulling Carlos back to him, kissing him slowly, softly. They had all the time in the world for this, an entire lifetime ahead of them for moments like this.
“I can’t wait to marry you. Even if you are such an old man that you used a projector video to propose to me.” Lando sighed once he pulled away, wiping away his tears that had fallen onto Carlos’ face.
“Is it too late to take back the proposal? 30 seconds as my fiance and you’re already being mean.”
~
Few people knew of their engagement, even fewer people actually getting a wedding invitation. On evening one of their engagement after they had come down from the highs of their post-engagement fuck, it was one of the first things they talked about.
“I don’t want it to be a big wedding. Just you, me, our parents, siblings.” Lando had spoken half into the pillow, too lazy to turn his head, rather content to do nothing as Carlos traced circles into his skin, his fingers ghosting over the small of Lando’s back.
Neither of them wanted to make any great fuss of it, there would be time for a big party another day. Their only goal was to be together, which one could argue they already were, but there was something so incredibly sexy to Lando about the idea of calling Carlos his husband. They do it between race weekends, not wanting to waste a single second if it could be avoided.
~
True to its nature, the Brazilian Grand Prix brought many surprises along with it for both the fans at the track and at home, and any of the unsuspecting team personnel. Though with a love like the one shared by Carlos and Lando, everyone knew there was always something special between the two of them.
Carlos and Lando were the last to arrive and among the last to board the truck for the drivers parade, not that they cared about holding up everyone else, only having eyes for each other. Daniel was the final driver to come aboard, after stopping to tie a clearly handmade sign to the back of the truck.
Just Married
As if he could already hear the whispers and rumors starting throughout the paddock, Daniel was quick to wave at a cameraman until it turned in his direction, as he pointed at the sign and screamed, “Not me! Not married!” just as the truck began to pull away.
As the parade around the track in São Paulo began, all eyes were on the drivers, particularly their hands as everyone attempted to figure out the truth. Carlos and Lando stepped forward towards the ledge, waving to the crowd in unison. As their left hands both raised towards the sky in a wave, two rings could be seen, shining in the day's sunlight.
Next to them stood Daniel with another handmade Just Married sign, this one with an arrow pointing to the duo next to him.
The world goes mad, and they go racing.
~
[Image: Carlos sliding a wedding band onto Lando’s ring finger after exchanging vows]
[Image: Lando smearing cake and buttercream into Carlos’ face]
[Image: A selfie of Carlos and Lando, grinning like lovesick idiots]
lando.jpg Day 1 - Insert some dumb caption about how this day was the first day of the rest of my life with you. To new beginnings and many more day ones, my HUSBAND <3
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carlossainz55 this is the one when we knew it was forever