Work Text:
When everyone turns 21, they receive a mark somewhere on their body, a mark that matches the one only one other person has, your soulmate. When George turned 21, his own mark appeared on the inside of his right wrist. The shadowed outline of a bird with its wings spread was something he looked at often. He would brush his thumb along it and imagine what his soulmate was doing at that exact moment, wondering if they were thinking of him as well.
It wasn’t until much later, when he happened upon a photo of someone on Twitter, that he found out who his soulmate was. The photo was of a new tattoo said person had gotten, a beautiful roaring lion, but on the person’s other shoulder, George spotted his mark, the softly outlined eagle, and gasped. Looking up at the user’s name, his stomach dropped when he spied the @LewisHamilton on top of the caption. They were just preparing to start a new season, with George having joined Mercedes, how on earth was he supposed to hide that he was Lewis’ soulmate from him now? George knew how Lewis viewed the concept of soulmates, knew that the man believed his would come along eventually, but George was 13 years younger than him. Maybe Lewis had changed his mind during all the years he’d been waiting, and decided he didn’t want a soulmate after all. He had no idea what to do. All he knew was that Lewis could not find out, and if that meant spending thousands on the best soulmark covering makeup in the world, then so be it.
George went out the week before he was supposed to “meet” his new teammate and purchased five tubs of the most highly rated product the store had. He spent way more than he wanted to, but knew that if he ran out while they were travelling and he couldn’t get more, he’d be screwed. So he took his purchases and added them to the small pile on his dresser. He’d started to gather a few things he wanted to take with him to pre-season testing, and knew that if he didn’t put the pots of cover up on the pile, he might well forget them.
A week later, he opened the first of five tubs and spread a layer over his mark, following the instructions and allowing it to dry before he applied the second and third layer. When he was done, he held his wrist up to the light and marvelled at just how good of a job the product was doing to hide his mark. Maybe he’d get his money’s worth afterall. He put a watch on his left wrist, and the same thought that always went through his head returned. If only his mark was on his left wrist, then he could simply hide it with a watch. But he wasn’t that lucky, so he had to make due.
Entering the factory always took his breath away. He’d been there multiple times before, a few times as a kid, and then when he joined the Mercedes Junior Driver program, and again when he’d signed with the team for a full-time drive, but the vast entrance and the windows letting in the rare England sunlight would always be a sight to behold. He greeted the receptionist as he passed and made his way to the elevator. From there, he rode it to the office floor where all the business suites were and headed to Toto’s office, where he was to meet Lewis and Riccardo, the man he’d hear on his team radio from now on.
Knocking on the door of Toto’s office, the nerves he’d hoped wouldn’t plague him decided to make themselves known. He’d met Lewis before, a few times actually, and had known that they were soulmates for most of those, but this time was different. The other times George could reassure himself that he’d never have to spend a large amount of time with the man afterwards, but this time, George would see Lewis more than he saw his own bedroom. He had no idea how he was going to keep up the act for the foreseeable future.
He tuned back into the world around him when the door in front of him opened, revealing the large Austrian that was his new team principal. George smiled at him and shook the proffered hand. Toto led him into the room and the two of them took a seat on a couple chairs across from a couch where Lewis and Riccardo were discussing something. The Austrian cleared his throat and the two looked up at the now occupied chairs across from them.
“Ahh! George! Hey man! How are you?” Lewis smiled kindly at the younger and George grinned back.
“I’m good, thank you, how are you?” George asked in return, finding his eyes drawn to the shirt covered shoulder he knew his mark laid.
“Good as well, thanks mate.” Lewis nodded his head in appreciation and turned to Toto, who began to speak about what would be expected of him while he was a Mercedes driver.
“Why don’t we show George around?” Lewis suggested when Toto had started to taper off, and George sat up straighter at that, excited at the prospect of getting to see more of this beautiful building. Lewis must have noticed, as his trademark giggle erupted from his mouth. George couldn’t help smiling at the man.
“I think that would be a lovely idea, and it seems George agrees.” Toto spoke, Austrian accent thick. They all stood up and Lewis led them out of the room, stopping in the hallway and waiting for George to stand alongside him.
“You’re going to love this place.” Lewis leaned closer and told the younger, George allowing himself to bask in his soulmate’s presence for a split second before he slightly angled his body away from the older and responded.
“I already do love it. It’s beautiful.” He smiled softly at his teammate, loving the smile he got from him in return. He’s going to absolutely bask in every little spec of attention the man gives him, as that’s all he’ll ever get.
When they get moving again, George finds himself rubbing his thumb along his covered soulmark; something he finds himself doing a lot these days, and when he stops and takes his thumb away, he finds that the coverup he’d applied that morning before he left, has rubbed off with his thumb. When he lifts his thumb up to his face, he notices his hand is slightly damp from nerves. The moisture on his thumb must have reacted with the product, as he didn’t buy the waterproof version, but the matte version. He curses himself for not thinking about that and quickly lowers his hand, flashing his gaze back to his wrist and clenches his teeth when he sees that the rubbing has revealed his mark enough that if Lewis saw it, he would recognise it immediately.
“George?” His name being said brought him back into the now, and he looked up at the other three people in the hallway, all of which had stopped and turned to look at him. George notices that in his panic, he’s stopped in the middle of the walkway and feels a blush rise to his cheeks.
“Sorry.” He says quickly and moves to catch up. Lewis shoots him a questioning look and George simply smiles in return, not wanting to give the man any reason to approach him in private.
The tour continues for a little while before they all board the elevator and head to the main floor. George is shown where his own driver’s room is, where the staff bathrooms are, where the kitchen is, but also where the cafeteria is if he doesn’t feel like cooking or bringing from home, and last but not least, he’s shown the garage, where the engineers are hard at work trying to get the W13 ready for launch. Lewis grabs George’s wrist, and he has to hold back a yelp when he feels the Brits hand curl around his uncovered mark. His teammate leads him around the room and introduces him to every team member currently working in the area, and then promises to bring him back when everyone was guaranteed to be there.
They ended the tour back in the cafeteria where they ordered lunch; vegan for Lewis of course, and took a seat at a table in the far corner of the room. George was going to have to be careful how he ate so as not to let Lewis see his mark. As they ate their food, they discussed their lives outside of racing, Lewis talking about his charity, Mission 44, and George bringing up the move from Grove to Brackley. He mentioned how weird it was going to be racing in Silverstone and not being able to simply walk around the corner to his flat. Riccardo asked George why he chose to relocate, as with Williams’ headquarters also being in the UK, relocation wasn’t necessary. George explained that he always preferred to be as close to the work as he could be, both for himself and for the staff working hard to give him a great car, as it was only proper. Toto commended him on that.
Riccardo and Toto left to get back to work, leaving George and Lewis to make small talk while they finished their meals. George learned that Lewis was so much different than he thought he would be. The 7 time world champion was way more down to earth than the younger assumed he’d be, which was refreshing to George, but he was also a little disappointed. It was going to make keeping his distance quite hard. The two continued to talk as Lewis led him to the staff break rooms, one for the engineers and mechanics and one for the drivers and their staff. Lewis opened the fridge and pulled out a carton of coconut water, asking if George wanted one as well. George reached out to grab it with his right hand, and had to quickly switch to his left when he remembered that his mark was out in the open and Lewis would see it if he continued. The older gave him a weird look when he noticed the switch, but didn’t ask about it, only passed George the carton and returned to the fridge to grab his own.
“So how are you really finding living here?” Lewis took a seat on one of the couches, and George pulled a chair out from under a table. “And be honest, I can take it.” The older spoke through a grin, and George couldn’t help but smile back.
“It’s different from Grove, that’s for sure. More people, a little further to London but overall I like it so far. Got a nice little flat that will do for while I’m here, otherwise my flat in London is probably where I’ll stay most of the time.” George told his teammate, cracking open the carton of coconut water and taking a sip. “What about you? You have a flat around here or just London?” He asked.
“I have a small place here, yeah. Mostly for just when work is being done and I’m needed close by. Otherwise, same as you, I have a flat in London that is my main residence, and then I also have a flat in New York. I like to split time between London and New York as evenly as I can, as I love both places, but during the season, London sees me more than New York.” The older explained and George nodded his head.
“Yeah, that makes complete sense. I want to eventually get a place in the states somewhere. Maybe Aspen or somewhere in Montana, I’ve always loved it near the mountains.” George tells him, looking down and glancing at his watch while discreetly looking at his mark to make sure it was still out of view.
“I actually have a place in Colorado. Right near the Rocky’s. It’s absolutely beautiful, you’d love it.” Lewis pulls his phone out, to bring up photos George assumes, before passing it over to the younger. George sees that it’s an entire album of photos from the house labelled “Home in Colorado” so he didn’t have to worry about sliding to a photo he wasn’t supposed to see. He scrolled through countless photos of the mountain top view visible from the porch and balconies, and the gorgeous architecture of the house itself.
“It’s gorgeous.” George whispered, continuing to peruse the photos. “The view is incredible. I’d love one like that eventually.” He handed the phone back and Lewis tucked it back into his pocket, taking a sip from the carton.
“You never know, maybe we’ll be neighbours sometime in the future.” Lewis joked, and George chuckled. “Anyway, just keep working hard and driving well, and you’ll get there in no time.” Lewis advised and George grinned at him.
“Thanks. I appreciate it.” George spoke through his grin and the two continued conversing until the sun was quite low in the sky and the factory was nearly empty. George took a moment of quiet to glance down at his watch again, and upon noticing that it was 8:30, let out a little shocked noise.
“I didn’t realise that it’d gotten so late. Wow.” George marvelled at just how long the two had been talking and got up to recycle his empty water carton. Lewis glanced down at his own watch and let out a surprised laugh.
“I have never actually stayed here this late simply talking. The only time I’m in the factory so late is if I’m working. Wow indeed.” Lewis told him, and George couldn’t help but feel giddy at the prospect that it was him Lewis had stayed so late to talk to. “You know, I’m actually not quite ready for this conversation to end yet. Would you want to grab a bite to eat and then come over to mine? Could play Cod or whatever it is you kids are doing nowadays.” Lewis invited him through a chuckle, and George felt his stomach drop. He had two options. Spend more time with his soulmate, get to know him better, take advantage of the time he’s willing to spend with him now and risk accidentally revealing his still uncovered soul mark, or go home and eat the leftovers in his fridge alone. The decision was a pretty easy one in his eyes. He’d managed to keep his mark hidden this long, surely a couple more hours wouldn’t hurt.
“Yeah, that sounds fun. I’m quite hungry, so food sounds great.” George stood up and followed Lewis to their driver’s rooms, where they'd dropped off their coats that morning. George noticed that there was plenty of drawers in here, so he’d have to remember to bring a tub of coverup and keep one here for instances like today. Following Lewis out to the front, they waved goodbye to anyone who still happened to be around and exited the building.
“I did drive today, and assuming you did as well, would you like to take your own car and follow, or should we take mine and I can drive you back here later?” Lewis questioned, pausing on the edge of the sidewalk and George took a minute to think. He definitely wouldn’t mind leaving the decision of how late he stays to Lewis, but he also didn’t want to put him out at all asking him to drive him back here later.
“I think that’s something you should answer. It depends on whether you’re going to want to drive me back here later or not, I don’t want to put you out at all.” George shrugged and moved his gaze to the older man standing beside him.
“I don’t mind. Saves you having to follow me, saves gas as well.” Lewis simply stated, shrugging as well and gesturing for George to follow him to his car.
Getting into a Mercedes from the passenger side felt weird, especially getting into Lewis Hamilton’s Mercedes. George was used to driving himself, not liking giving the control that came with driving to someone else. But he found that he didn’t mind it this time, and found that he felt completely okay with allowing Lewis to have that control. He figured it was a soulmate thing though, and refused to indulge in those thoughts any longer.
The drive wasn’t a long one, and George found that Lewis lived quite close to his own flat. Of course, Lewis’ was much nicer, the lobby walls being floor to ceiling windows, with a beautiful interior, but he’d expected that of a 7 time world champion. Lewis greeted the doorman as they entered, and waved to the front desk security, who walked them to the elevator and swiped a card allowing them access.
Riding up to the penthouse suite, because of course Lewis Hamilton lives in the penthouse, didn’t take long. Lewis seemed to live in the building with the fastest elevator in Europe, George joked to himself. The lift dinged and the doors opened to reveal a beautifully decorated entryway. The older’s suite being the only one on the floor means that the entryway was just for Lewis. The aforementioned man dug into his pockets and pulled out a key ring, unlocking the door and inviting George inside.
Slipping their shoes off and setting them on the shoe rack Lewis has behind the door, George is led through a hallway into a beautiful open concept living area. He can already tell the kitchen would be heavenly to cook in with top of the line appliances and butcher block countertops. The living area was dropped a couple steps down from the rest of the room, and was filled with what looked like the most comfortable couches and chairs in the world. There was a barrel chair in the corner of the room, nestled between two what George guessed were 7 or 8 feet tall bookshelves. There was a five arm floor lamp behind the chair, and George could imagine himself lounging there with a book for hours.
“Your place is gorgeous Lewis.” George spoke, slightly awestruck. “I will admit, it’s not what I would have pictured.” He chuckled and turned to look at Lewis, noting that the man had a soft look on his face, and was simply leaning against the counter watching George look around.
“Thanks. It may not be “home,” but it’s home, if that makes sense.” Lewis shrugged and walked around the kitchen island, opening a cupboard. “Something to drink?” He turned back to George holding an empty glass in his hand.
“Yeah sure. Whatever you’re having is fine.” George smiled at him and moved closer, taking Lewis’ previous position leaning against the island. George watched as he pulled out another glass and opened the fridge, grabbing a jug of filtered water. Lewis poured them both a glass and then turned and held out George’s for him to grab. He then led them both into the living area and took a seat on the largest couch. George was unsure where to sit, there were too many options, but Lewis solved that for him when he patted the spot next to himself. George reminded himself about the state of his mark before he took a seat and brought the glass of water up to his lips to take a sip.
“Have you had this place the entire time you’ve been with Mercedes?” George held his glass with both hands and angled himself so he was facing his host.
“Only for about three years now. I got a little house on the other side of town when I first signed on, but over the years I found the distance to be annoying, so when this went on the market, I moved in here and sold the house.” Lewis explained, and George hummed.
“I can understand that. Luckily my place is only like 10 minutes away from the factory.” George took a nervous sip of his water. “You decorate it yourself or did someone else do this?” He gestured around the room with his head, both hands still anxiously holding his glass.
“Myself actually. Had some time at the end of 2021 so I redid everything.” Lewis said and George nodded.
“So that’s where you disappeared to.” George spoke through a grin and Lewis chuckled.
“Yeah. I wasn’t in the headspace to be around other people so I sorta just threw myself into this.” The older took a drink and then set his glass on the table in front of the couch.
“I completely get that. No one blamed you for disappearing. I think we all knew that it was what you needed. Still didn’t stop everyone from absolutely hounding me about it though.” He chuckled through the last sentence and took another sip of water before setting his glass down next to Lewis’.
“Wait. What?” Lewis questioned before holding up his hands to stop George from saying it again. “Why did they hound you?” He finished and George shrugged.
“Something about me having driven for you in 2020. I honestly don’t know how they thought that meant I knew anything, but then again, it was mostly Charles bugging me and we know he can have half a brain cell at times.” He giggled thinking about that and Lewis joined in.
“You’re definitely right about Charles. And I think if you’d have contacted me I probably would have answered to tell you the truth.” Lewis said the last bit nonchalantly and George had to actively think about keeping his jaw shut.
“Why though?” George asked. “We’d talked maybe twice before then.” George stated and watched as the older Brit flushed a little.
“I- umm” Lewis stuttered. “I’m not sure actually. Maybe because I just figure you wouldn’t have brought up the race, you’d just make sure I was okay and I would have appreciated that I guess.” Lewis answered shyly and George smiled at him.
“Well I’m glad you think that. I definitely wouldn’t have brought up the race, if I worked up the courage to contact you like I tried to, yeah, I only would have wanted to make sure you were okay.” George confirmed the older’s thoughts and smiled softly at him.
“Thank you for that. It’s nice to know that there’s someone I can go to.” Lewis breathed and then shook his head. “Anyway, enough about me, I’d like to know more about my new teammate.” Lewis shifted so he was completely facing George.
“What would you like to know?” George asked and then spread his arms out. “I’m sort of an open book.” George seemed to have noticed that his mark was completely showing a second before Lewis, as when the older’s eyesight shifted in the direction of his wrist, he yanked it down, almost punching himself in the groin in the process.
“What board game are you the best at?” Lewis asked through a giddy smile and George returned it wholeheartedly.
“Monopoly, for sure. I’m the best at Monopoly.” George shot Lewis a cocky grin. “We’ll have to play sometime, I’ll kick your ass.”
“Well it just so happens that Monopoly is my favourite game, so may the best man win Georgie.” Lewis giggled and George swooned internally. Georgie. Lewis had given him a nickname. He had to hold back the audible awe he wanted to release.
“I guess we’ll see Lewis.” George slouched a little more on the couch, trying to get a little more comfortable, before Lewis gasped.
“The food!” He exclaimed. “We were meant to pick up takeout.” The older facepalmed and George laughed.
“We can just order in.” George said through giggles and pulled his phone out. “What are you in the mood for?” He asked, only for the older to cover his phone with his beautifully tattooed hand and push it away.
“I invited you, I will be paying.” He spoke sternly, and George had to hold in a chuckle, simply nodding at him.
“Be my guest.” The younger said and Lewis giggled.
“Technically, you’re mine.” He muttered and George felt his stomach fill with butterflies upon hearing Lewis call him his, even if he knew that that wasn’t what the older really meant by it. “What do you feel like eating.” Lewis looked back up at George with wide eyes, awaiting an answer.
“I honestly don’t care. Just order what you like and I’ll be okay with that.” George told the man, who turned his gaze back to his phone to type something. George took this moment to admire his soulmate. He watched as Lewis bit his lip, and George couldn’t help but to imagine what those lips pressed up against his own would feel like. He looked down at his hands then, and pictured them wrapped around his neck, pictured the older holding him there for leverage while he plowed into the younger. George had to hold back a whimper and quickly averted his eyes.
“There.” Lewis spoke, and George jumped slightly, raising his gaze back to Lewis’ face. “Food’s ordered.” Lewis set his phone down on the coffee table and looked back at George. “Favourite TV series?” Lewis asked.
“Modern Family, definitely.” George answered quickly and Lewis smiled, nodding his head.
“Cat or dog person?” Lewis asked next.
“Dog for sure. I like cats, but dogs seem like they’d be easier to travel the world with.” George shrugged.
“They are.” Lewis confirmed with a chuckle.
“Oh yeah, Roscoe.” George laughed. “How’s he doing by the way?” Lewis reached over to grab his phone from the table.
“He’s great. He mostly stays in New York, but I try to have him with me as often as I can, he isn’t getting any younger.” Lewis held out the phone to George, and he scrolled through a couple photos of the adorable bulldog.
“He is so cute. Plan to have him out with you at all this year?” He asked, handing Lewis his phone back and grabbing his water, downing half of it.
“I do, yeah. I don’t know when exactly, but I definitely plan to.” The older answered.
The conversation and the questions went back and forth until the food arrived, and when it did, the two ate in companionable silence. George washed the plates afterwards, while Lewis dried and put everything away. The younger glanced down at his watch and actually gasped when he saw what time it was.
“What?” Lewis turned from where he was stacking their plates in a cupboard.
“It’s 1am.” George told the older with wide eyes, and watched as Lewis’ widened as well. The both broke into chuckles and Lewis sighed heavily.
“Guess I should take you back to your car now then, huh?” Lewis questioned and closed the cupboard.
“Yeah, probably.” George agreed, but neither man moved.
“Unless,” Lewis started before shaking his head. “Nevermind.”
“No, what were you going to say?” George moved closer, leaning his elbows against the top of the kitchen island.
“I was going to say, unless you wanted to stay the night and I could just take you by your place on the way to the factory tomorrow.” The older finished with an uncertain shrug, averting his eyes from the younger.
“Sure.” George answered immediately, to which Lewis’ head whipped up. “I don’t mind. Sleep is sleep, no matter where it happens.” He tilted his head to the side and watched as different emotions flashed across Lewis’ face.
“Alright then.” Lewis agreed. “Well, there’s the couch, but I can’t exactly say just how well you’ll sleep on it, and the spare room isn’t exactly set up for guests. I do have a California king though, which would fit both of us and then some, but it’s up to you.” Lewis said, and George already knew which option he would take. He was absolutely going to take advantage of the offer to sleep next to his soulmate, especially since the offer might not ever come again.
“The California king sounds great. Don’t exactly want to put my back out during my first week with the team.” George chuckled, his uncovered mark forgotten for a second, and George could swear the older breathed a sigh of relief.
“Okay.” Lewis nodded his head. “Sounds good. I’ll show you the bedroom and then I’ll grab you something to wear overnight.” He told George, who nodded in response and followed Lewis down the hallway leading toward the front door. Instead of going straight this time though, Lewis entered the only door on the left side of the hallway.
“This is it.” Lewis spread his arms out and took a step back, allowing George to enter the room and look around. It was a spacious room, very spacious in fact that there was a seating area around a fireplace in front of wall to ceiling tinted windows. George felt his jaw drop as he moved his gaze around the room. His eyes were drawn to another set of tall bookcases, these ones filled with race memorabilia and photos instead of books, and he let his eyes drift over the shelves before he looked at the rest of the room. The bed was truly large, definitely large enough for the two of them to share and then some. There were a couple other doorways in the room, a closet and a bathroom George assumed. The rest of the bedroom was filled with large photos hanging on the walls and tasteful decor.
“Wow. It’s beautiful.” George turned and smiled at the older man leaning against the doorframe and made another circle of the room. “Definitely big enough for at least three people.” George joked, gesturing to the bed, and Lewis chuckled.
“Agreed. I’ll grab you something to wear and then you can shower as well if you’d like.” Lewis offered and George quickly nodded his head.
“Yeah, I’d definitely like that.” George chuckled and took a seat in one of the lounge chairs while Lewis opened one of the two doors, walking into what looked like a grand walk-in closet.
A few minutes later, Lewis walks out with his arms so full of clothing that George can’t help but laugh.
“What the heck?” George giggled. “Are you hosting 5 people or 1? What’s with the arm full mate?” Lewis looked down at his arms and smiled sheepishly before shrugging.
“I wanted to make sure you had something that fit. Shirt wasn’t too hard to find, but you’re a lot taller than me, and I knew I had some samples from merch and stuff that were made for taller people, but I didn’t know which one you’d prefer and-” Lewis rambled and George stood up, moving to stand in front of his host. He knew that he’d keep going on and on if he was allowed.
“Lewis.” George interrupted him, the older raising his gaze from the clothes in his arms to the younger man, and seemed to only just now notice that George had moved in front of him. George placed his hands on Lewis shoulders and squeezed a little. “Whatever you have will be just fine. No need to stress.” George assured him, and Lewis nodded his head and held out the pile of clothing.
“Just use whatever you like and bring the rest out.” Lewis instructed. George dropped his hands from the other’s shoulders and grabbed the clothing. “There are towels under the sink.” Lewis said, and George nodded, before moving to head to the other door.
“This is the bathroom I assume?” He gestured with his full arms at the closed door, and got a nod in answer from Lewis.
Entering the bathroom, George notices that Lewis carried on the tasteful decor in the bathroom as well. Beautiful slightly speckled marble countertops with sinks built right into the hard stone. Faucets and fixtures were all a nice matte black, which must be a nightmare to keep clean, George thought. The rest of the bathroom was broken up into two parts. Another door, behind which the toilet hid, and a ginormous tub shower combo with almost alien-like tech on top of the regular faucets. George turned the shower to hot and pulled a towel out from under the sink, before undressing and stepping under the spray of water, adjusting the temperature until it was perfect. He raised his wrist up to the water and rubbed off the remaining coverup before running his thumb over his bird. It was ironic. George’s bird was small, while Lewis’ was larger, opposite to them in real life. He didn’t begin to understand just how much of a mistake his spending the night was going to be. He was going to have to hope he manages to keep his wrist hidden in his sleep, and that Lewis doesn’t look too closely at him; although George doubts he will.
After washing and using Lewis’ shampoo, George steps out and dries off before beginning to root through the pile of clothing. The shirt is one from an older Mercedes team kit as there’s a Blackberry sponsor logo that no was no longer on the newer kits, and there were three different pant options. One from Lewis’ own merchline, one from Mission 44, his charity, and the last from another old Mercedes kit. The latter seemed to be the longest of the three, so he chose those. Sliding into the clothing, he was surprised at how comfortable they were.
He threw his towel in the basket designated for used towels and after running his hands through his hair a few times to tame it, he opened the door and watched as steam billowed out into the bedroom. His eyesight was drawn to Lewis immediately, who was sitting where he had been before, in the comfortable chair, with a book open and a pair of glasses sitting on the bridge of his nose. George felt himself fill with pure affection for the other man and smiled. He must have made a noise as Lewis looked up not long after and returned the smile.
“Found some that fit?” The older man gestured to George’s pants in question.
“Yeah. These are perfect actually.” George lightly pulled at the material covering the outside of his thighs. He watched Lewis’ eyes drift down his body and fought the shiver that threatened to overtake his body at the prospect of his teammate checking him out.
“The old Merc kit looks good on you.” Lewis complimented him with a smirk, and this time George couldn’t hide the full body shiver that went through him.
“Thanks.” He muttered, feeling a blush rise to his cheeks. Lewis chuckled and must have decided to spare the younger man as he climbed into bed and patted the other side.
George climbed in beside his teammate and none of the nerves he thought he’d feel right now were present. He felt completely at peace, like he belonged there, like he was meant to lie next to the other man. And being his soulmate, technically George did belong there, but he didn’t ever think he’d get to do this again, so he was going to take advantage of just how right this felt, and enjoy it for as long as he could. He settled under the blanket and plopped his head back onto the pillow. It felt so very soft, but upon feeling the degree of softness, knew he’d have to ask Lewis a question.
“Is this a feather pillow?” He asked, turning to face the man lying next to him.
“Yup. Only the best for my guest.” Lewis grinned at him and George immediately felt bad that he would have to wipe that beautiful smile off the other man’s face.
“I’m allergic.” He mumbled, and covered his face with his hands, not wanting to witness the smile disappearing.
“What?” Lewis sat up. “You’re allergic?” He asked for clarification and George nodded his head.
“Deathly.” He tried to smile but it probably looked more like a wince.
“Shit!” Lewis jumped out of bed and ran to the closet. A couple minutes later he reappeared with two different pillows and climbed back into bed, scooching closer to George and snatching the pillow that was currently under his head. George’s head landed on the bed with a soft thump, and he giggled before lifting it again and allowing Lewis to slide the second pillow under. He smiled softly at the other man who threw the feather pillow to the floor at the foot of the bed and proceeded to do the same with his own.
“You didn’t have to change your own pillow Lew.” George mumbled sleepily, not even realising he’d shortened his teammates name. Lewis smiled down at him with eyes full of affection and George told himself that he was so tired, he was seeing things.
“There is no way I take the chance of it bursting or something and you dying in my bed. What a news story that would be.” Lewis chuckled. “George Russel, Mercedes-Benz-” He stopped abruptly. “What is it called again?” He asked and George burst out into laughter.
“Mercedes-AMG Petronas F1 Team.” George answered fluidly and Lewis nodded his head once.
“George Russel, driver for Mercedes-AMG Petronas Formula 1 team, dies in teammates bed.” Lewis shook his head with a chuckle. “Imagine the headlines then.” He winced humorously and George giggled.
“Yeah okay Lewis.” George smiled softly at his teammate. “Thank you.” He breathed. Lewis’ eyes filled with something George couldn’t identify and he returned George’s soft smile.
“You’re very welcome, Georgie.” Lewis spoke softly and layed back down. “Goodnight.” Lewis whispered.
“Goodnight.” George replied, his mind filled with questions on why his teammate was acting like he’d known George for so much longer than he really had.
-
Waking up in Lewis’ bed was like a dream. The sun barely shone through the tinted windows, but there was still a brightness that only happened in the very first hours of a new day. George rolled over and was pleased to find the bed still occupied on the other side. The other man was still sound asleep, soft breaths leaving his slightly parted lips. George took that moment to look at his soulmate again. He was truly beautiful, and George felt lucky for a split second before the realisation that this was most likely a one time thing came rushing back. He settled back against the pillow with a sigh and entertained the wish for a different soulmate, one he could openly be with, before he shut those thoughts down almost as soon as they appeared.
“Goodmorning.” A rumble came from the man next to him, and George turned his head and met Lewis’ sleep filled eyes with a soft smile.
“Goodmorning.” George whispered in response and watched as Lewis turned on his side to face him.
“How did you sleep?” His teammate asked softly, and George took a second to admire Lewis’ morning voice before he answered.
“Really good, actually. Your bed is very comfortable.” George followed Lewis’ lead and turned to face him as well.
“I’m glad. You’re always welcome here.” Lewis smiled sweetly at him and George swooned internally.
“Here your house here, or here your bed here.” George joked though a chuckle and Lewis giggled.
“Both.” He answered softly and George met his eyes and smiled before sighing softly and humming in response. “What time is it?” Lewis asked softly and George turned his head to look at the bedside clock.
“7:17.” George replied, and Lewis groaned.
“Gotta be at the factory by 10. I didn’t expect to wake up so early.” Lewis said and George winced.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you.” George apologised and Lewis was quick to shake his head.
“No no no. You didn’t wake me. Promise.” Lewis told him. “I honestly haven’t slept as well as I did last night for a very long time, so I’m used to waking up a little later to make up for the sleep I lose during the night.” He explained and George felt his heart jump at hearing that Lewis slept well with George by his side.
“Well I’m glad you slept better.” George told him softly, and tilted his head so he was buried deeper into the pillow.
“Me too.” Lewis breathed with a soft look on his face. “Do you want breakfast?” He asked.
“You offering to cook for me?” George snarked, smirk on his face and Lewis giggled.
“I am.” Lewis grinned. “You up for that?”
“I definitely am.” George answered.
The two got up and made their way to the kitchen. George eyed his wrist and realised that Lewis must not have seen it through the night or that conversation would have been vastly different. He thanked whoever was watching over him and took a seat at one of the island bar stools, planting his elbows on the countertop and resting his head in his hands. He watched as the older man moved around the kitchen, gathering the ingredients for what George assumed would be vegan pancakes, which sounded amazing right about now.
“Pancakes okay?” Lewis turned to him, pan in hand.
“Yeah. I was just thinking that pancakes would be really good.” George said and Lewis shot him a smile and a nod and got to work.
About 20 minutes later they were both devouring delicious pancakes and enjoying the comfortable conversation that was flowing. It was a little awkward to keep his wrist hidden, but Lewis either never noticed the mark, or never said anything if he did; which George doubted would happen. They cleaned up together and then by the time they were finished and Lewis was ready for the day, George doing so as much as he could without clean clothes, it was 9am. Agreeing that if they left now and stopped by George’s place to get him a clean set of clothes, they’d have time to stop for tea on the way to the factory.
They climbed into Lewis’ car and George gave him the address for his flat. It didn’t even take them 5 minutes to get there, George lived closer to Lewis than he thought. Inviting Lewis in, they took the elevator to the 6th floor, George could not afford the penthouse suite, and George unlocked his door, letting them both in.
“Feel free to look around. It isn’t anywhere near as fancy as your place, but it’s home.” George shrugged and jogged to his bedroom.
Grabbing a change of clothes, he made his way to the master bathroom and got changed quickly. He’d chosen a short sleeve shirt, so he opened the drawer he kept the opened tub of cover-up in and pulled it out. He’d have to make a reminder to go and pick up a couple waterproof ones, especially before the season started. Raising his wrist to his face, he traced the outline of his mark with his eyes, picturing the one on Lewis’ shoulder as he did so, before he slathered three layers of coverup over top of it. He was going to have to remember not to get it wet or accidentally rub it off. He did plan to grab a spare tub for in his driver’s room from the bookshelf where he stacked his extras, so if he happened to forget and ended up disturbing the layers covering the mark, he could reapply.
Sticking the tub back in the drawer, George ran his fingers through his hair, tidying up the mess getting dressed had caused. He looked at himself in the mirror, and usually he couldn’t care less what he looked like, but he found being teammates with Lewis had made him a little more self conscious. His teammate was gorgeous, even a straight man couldn’t deny that, and George found that he felt like a slump next to the older man when he didn’t try to look at least half ways decent. Looking himself over once more, he shrugged, this was as good as it was getting.
He met Lewis in the living room, and watched the older man’s gaze trailing over his belongings. George tensed when Lewis’ eyes drifted over and paused on the extra tubs of coverup on the bookshelf, and he relaxed when Lewis’ perusal carried on past them. George clears his throat and giggles when Lewis jumps slightly.
“Sorry.” He says through his laughter, and sees Lewis look him up and down, before giving him a firm approving nod. “Oh I have your approval do I?” George jokes, and watches as a smile breaks out onto the other man’s face.
“That you do.” Lewis smirks at him and George feels his eyes widen slightly and his heart give a little leap. Lewis’ smile softens at George’s reaction before George snaps out of it and claps his hands.
“Well, we better get going if we still want to stop for tea.” George dramatically changes the subject, and Lewis chuckles at George’s reaction.
“Okay Georgie. I’ll spare you this time.” Lewis walks past him toward the door and pats his shoulder as he goes. The younger takes a deep breath and follows the other out, locking his door behind him. “Your place is great by the way. Very you.” Lewis tells him as they step into the elevator.
“What is that supposed to mean?” George feigns offence, placing his hand on his chest in mock surprise.
“Just that it fits you as a person.” Lewis shrugs and shoots George a grin.
“Thanks?” It comes out in the form of a question more so than a statement, and Lewis barks out a laugh.
“Yes, thanks. It was a compliment.” Lewis clarifies and George chuckles.
“Okay. Thank you then. Like I said, it’s not much, but it’s home here.” George smiles softly at him and when the elevator dings and opens, George is the first one out, Lewis’ pausing to watch the younger man walk out going unnoticed.
-
Walking into the factory side by side, both holding a tea from the same cafe, they were almost asking for the questioning looks the factory staff and team members were aiming at them. The two had had maybe three actual conversations before the previous day, and they were already walking in together with a drink from the same place. If they didn’t want it to look like they’d spent the night together, they should have tried a little harder. But George couldn’t care less what people thought, he’d decided he would spend all the time he could with his soulmate before Lewis either found out and rejected him, or got tired of his company.
Toto met the two of them on their way into the garages and eyed them both up and down before settling on their drinks.
“Where’s mine?” The large Austrian jokes, his drivers chuckling at him.
“Sorry man, didn’t know what kind of tea you drink.” Lewis smirked at his boss when Toto made a disgusted face at the aforementioned drink.
“You Brits and your tea.” Their boss remarks under his breath, and George and Lewis both giggle, Lewis shoving gently against George in the process before looking up at him with a small smile. George, feeling very content, smiles back and returns the soft nudge. “What is on the books for you two today?” Their boss asks, drawing the driver’s attention back to him.
“I’ve got sim time booked pretty soon here, and then I’ve got team building followed by aero meetings.” George answered after pulling up his schedule. He moved his gaze to his teammate, watching Lewis as he answered as well.
“Aero meetings, training with Ang, and then sim time.” The older said, straight from memory, and George couldn’t wait until he’d been with a team long enough to memorise the daily schedules.
“Sounds good boys, you’re both done at the same time, so drop by my office before you leave please.” Toto asks them and then takes his leave. George scrunches his eyebrows and looks at Lewis, who shrugs and pats his shoulder.
“Shoot me a text when you take your lunch, if I’m free I’ll join. Otherwise, see you later Georgie.” Lewis says before walking towards the meeting rooms, leaving George to watch him walk away.
George makes his way to the sim room, and spends his allotted time driving the digital versions of past Mercedes F1 cars, and jogging his memory of tracks that weren’t used as often. Sim time wouldn’t be super important until they’d finished the development of their 2022 car and he could drive it instead of older models. For now, he’d been taking note of the things he liked about the past cars and the things he didn’t, so the engineers could work the data into this year’s design.
Time flew by, and he found himself sitting in the cafeteria with a tray of food before him, his phone in front of him and Lewis’ and his text thread pulled up.
63
Hey, I’m on lunch now if you’re free.
44
Headed to the cafeteria now, assuming you’re there.
63
Yup, can’t miss me.
George set his phone onto the table and watched the door, waiting for his teammate to show up. Lewis appeared not long later and made a gesture to the food, letting George know that he was grabbing some first. After getting his own tray of food, vegan of course, Lewis pulled out the chair directly next to George, and the younger wondered why he didn’t sit across from him, there would have been more room had he done so, but George couldn’t care less.
“How did your morning go?” George asked after he swallowed his first bite of food. Lewis finished what he’d been eating and took a drink of coconut water.
“Good. Got some decent data, but until we can get in the actual car, either in person or in the sim, we won’t know what really needs to be done.” Lewis took another sip of water. “Speaking of the sim, how’d your session go?”
George shrugged. “Okay I guess, but you’re right, until we can use this year’s model, all I can really tell them are things I liked and disliked about previous ones.” He answered, and Lewis nodded his head in agreement.
“Otherwise though, morning was good?” Lewis asked before taking a bite of the vegan sub he’s grabbed.
“Yeah, it was decent. Just can’t wait for the season to start so we can get to racing.” George answered with a giddy smile and saw a matching one appear on the older man’s face as well.
“I know how you feel. I love the off-season, but by the time it’s over, I’m itching to get back behind the wheel.” Lewis sighed dramatically, and George giggled at the man’s antics.
“Agreed. Relaxing is nice, but there is nothing quite like being behind the wheel.” George sipped his own coconut water and raised his eyebrows when he noticed Lewis’ gaze trail down to his throat when he swallowed, but quickly decided he wouldn’t think too hard about that.
“Anyway, what are you most looking forward to this season, other than getting back in the cockpit?” Lewis asked as he gathered his dishes in preparation for returning them to the kitchen.
“There’s definitely a few things. Fighting for podiums instead of points is probably the major one though.” George told him and Lewis nodded.
“Yeah, I can imagine it would be. What are the other things?” He asked, and George felt himself blush.
“Well teaming with a 7 time world champion is up there for sure.” George replied sheepishly, earning an affectionate chuckle from Lewis. “Also the fact that I’m finally here, you know? Finally at Mercedes. I made that powerpoint when I was 15, and it feels like forever ago that I annoyed Toto into meeting with me. I just can’t imagine how a 15 year old me would react if someone told him he’d be racing with Mercedes one day.” George gushed, and then blushed and averted his gaze. He was talking to Lewis Hamilton, the only black Formula One driver, of course the older man knew how he felt. When George looked up again, he noticed that Lewis was looking at him with a soft expression on his face, and his shyness disappeared.
“Yeah, I know exactly what you mean Georgie. Lord knows a younger me absolutely would not believe it if someone told him he’d be where I am today.” Lewis said, and George dropped his chin into his hand, taking a moment to admire how much the older Brit had gone through to get where he was today. He watched Lewis look down at his watch and his eyes widened slightly. “Shit, I’m late to meet Ang, she’s gonna kick my ass. I’ll text you later, okay Georgie?” Lewis said, and before George could answer, Lewis had grabbed his tray, set it with the others, and left the room.
George looked at his watch as well, and swore when he realised that Lewis was right. He was going to miss the start of his team building if he didn’t hurry up. He quickly devoured the rest of the sandwich he’d forgotten about during his conversation with Lewis and put his tray where Lewis had before leaving the cafeteria. He hoped he didn’t get lost, as he hadn’t been on the second floor much, only for meetings with Toto as aero meetings mostly took place in garage meeting rooms. He circled around a couple times before finally finding the room and apologising for being late, telling everyone he’d gotten lost. No one scolded him, they all understood. He got a few chuckles from others in the room and took a seat at the table.
The afternoon seemed to go by quicker than the morning did, as before he knew it, team members were leaving the room where his last meeting of the day took place. George stayed behind, however, wanting to go over his notes and the other team members' data again before leaving. He was slouched over piles of paperwork, reading over the aerodynamic data from the front wing when a throat being cleared behind him startled him. He jumped, and his pencil flew across the room. He barely managed to grab his can of monster before it spilled all over the papers in front of him.
“I’m so sorry!” George heard through peals of laughter, and turned to find Lewis leaning against the door frame, bent over at his waist. Pure childlike laughter came from the older man, the kind of laughter you can’t breath after, and George forgave him for scaring him immediately, content to listen to the delighted giggles being released from Lewis’ throat.
“You scared the living daylights out of me Lew!” George laughed along with Lewis until the latter calmed down and was able to stand up straight again.
“God Georgie, you should have seen yourself. You jumped about a foot in the air.” Lewis giggled again. “You are so lucky you didn’t dump that monster all over the data sheets.” He teased George, who scoffed humorously.
“That would have been completely your fault.” George tells him through a smile, before turning and beginning to gather up the paperwork, wanting to both prevent them being wrecked if a spill does occur, and because he wanted to get home at a decent time instead of being sucked back into them when Lewis left.
“Maybe, maybe not.” Lewis shrugged before leaning back against the doorframe. “What are you still doing here anyway? Thought I was the only one who stayed this late.” He finished, and George scrunched his eyebrows up.
“Wait, how late is it?” George asked. Lewis looks down at his watch and replies.
“11:27.” He says and George sucks in a breath and drops his head down onto the table with a thunk.
“I didn’t want to stay that late, wanted to get home earlier today, shit.” George mumbles and Lewis laughs.
“Well why didn’t you leave earlier then?” The older Brit asked and George sighs.
“I thought it was still early. I didn’t realise how much time had passed.” He answers grumpily, lips formed into a pout and Lewis tilts his head and awes at him.
“Well I was going to ask if you wanted to come back to mine again for a drink, but seeing as you almost dumped yours all over important aerodynamic data, maybe that isn’t the best idea.” Lewis teased him again and George actually gets up this time and stomps over to the older before whacking him on the shoulder and moving back to the table. A surprised laugh leaves Lewis’ lips, and George hides a smile when he picks up the stack of papers.
“It’s already much later than I wanted to be leaving, so eh, why not make it later.” George shrugged and turned back around, grabbing a folder from the pile next to where Lewis was standing and sliding the documents inside before writing his name on the top and setting it with the pile of other folders.
“Yeah?” Lewis asks, and George nods.
“Why not.” He replies. His mark was still covered, and he’d apply another layer before they left, but George was pretty confident he could relax with his soulmate tonight without worrying about the older man catching a glimpse of his mark.
“Oh!” Lewis seemed surprised. “Great! Awesome!” He finished excitedly, and George wondered why him saying yes to a drink made the other man so excited, but he certainly wasn’t going to question it.
“Just have to stop by my driver's room to grab my bag and we can go. Are we taking your car again or should we take mine?” He asked as he exited the room, turning to see that his teammate was following.
“Let’s take yours this time. Maybe not the best idea to leave it in the same spot as it was yesterday for another night, people might start to talk.” Lewis told him and George agreed with a nod.
After stopping by his driver’s room, applying another layer of cover up to his mark, and grabbing his bag, George led Lewis to where his car was parked. He pressed the unlock button on his remote before climbing in, with Lewis following close behind, and started the car before adjusting the radio; he liked to listen to it quite loudly when he was on his own. He pulled out of the parking lot and drove the 10 minutes to Lewis’ place, and under Lewis’ instruction, pulled into Lewis’ parking spot. The two climbed out and walked into the building, taking the elevator up to Lewis’ flat for the second night in a row.
“Go get comfortable, I’ll grab us a drink.” Lewis instructed, and George nodded before moving into the living room and, after looking around to make sure Lewis wasn’t watching him, skipped happily over to the barrel chair in the corner. Grabbing the blanket from the back of the chair, he plopped down and curled into a ball, getting comfortable before he spread the blanket over himself, basically cocooning himself in it. He heard Lewis moving around in the kitchen and then footsteps, Lewis reappearing a moment later, walking forward and setting the glasses on the table. He rose again and that’s when he noticed George curled up in the chair. A smile broke out onto his face and he placed his hands on his hips, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. George grinned happily in return.
“You like that chair don’t you?” Lewis spoke through chuckles, and George simply nodded enthusiastically. “Adorable.” Lewis whispered under his breath, likely trying to make sure George didn’t hear, but he did, and the butterflies that filled George’s stomach were having an absolute rave because of it. He looked down at the drinks on the table and then back up at Lewis, who had moved to the couch and taken a seat.
“One of those mine?” He asked and Lewis smirked, leaning forward and grabbing a glass before falling back against the cushions and bringing one leg up and over his knee, stretching his free arm over the top of the couch.
Lewis looked down at the spot beside him, in front of where his arm was stretched out before looking back at George. “Come here and you can have it.” He snarked through his smirk. George’s heart beat faster, and he looked at where he was sitting.
“I’m comfortable though.” He pouted, sticking his bottom lip out for effect and watched as Lewis’ gaze shifted to his mouth at the movement.
“Either I join you on that chair, which was only made for one person, mind you, or you get over here.” Lewis threatened, and George had to hold back from saying something snarky about the fact that he would actually enjoy sitting in the chair with Lewis. Instead, he simply threw the blanket off, and with a groan and grumbled complaints, stood up and moved to join Lewis on the couch. “Good choice.” Lewis laughed.
“So was the other option.” George muttered under his breath, averting his gaze and hoping Lewis didn’t hear it, but by doing so, he missed the beaming smile that had overtaken Lewis’ face.
“Here.” Lewis reached out and grabbed the drink he’d set on the coffee table. “It’s an orange margarita. There’s orange juice, tequila, lime juice, and triple sec.” Lewis lists the ingredients and while he does so, George takes a sip of the drink and hums happily.
“It’s really good! I didn’t know you could make drinks.” He spoke over the rim of the glass before taking another sip.
“You don’t spend as much time as a Formula 1 driver as I have, surrounded by parties and alcohol, without picking up a few things on how to make a good drink.” Lewis shrugs and takes a sip of his own drink.
“I just keep learning new things about you.” George said through a giddy smile. “You might just need to make me another one of these in a bit. It’s really really good.” George gushed before bringing the drink back up to his lips and making eye contact with Lewis over the top of the glass. Lewis smirked at him and shifted slightly, his thigh coming in contact with George’s where the younger had taken a seat in front of Lewis’ arm.
“I will make you as many as you’d like as long as supplies last.” Lewis joked, or at least George thought he was joking. The older one was dead serious though.
“Good.” George drained the rest of his drink. “I’ll take another one then.” He held out his glass and smiled innocently at his teammate. Lewis laughed and finished his own, before grabbing George’s glass and going into the kitchen to make two more. George took his time alone to go back to the barrel chair and fetch the blanket he’d abandoned. He curled up into the spot he’d vacated and wrapped the blanket around himself. Lewis came back into the room at that moment and audibly awed, walking back to George and setting the refilled glasses back onto the coffee table. He sat down beside George, closer than before he noted, and stretched his arm onto the couch behind the younger man, allowing his hand to lightly brush along George’s back. George could swear that his teammate was getting touchier and touchier with him, but he did not care whatsoever.
“Want to watch a movie?” Lewis asked while leaning forward to grab and pass George his drink before grabbing his own.
“Sure.” George answered, bringing the glass to his lips yet again. Lewis grabbed the remote from the side table and turned the tv on, clicking through to Netflix.
“What do you feel like watching.” Lewis scrolled through the different options and looked at George.
“Whatever you want to watch.” George replied, settling back against Lewis’ arm cautiously until he felt the older lift his arm and settle it lightly across George’s back, hand resting on his shoulder. George hid his smile with his glass and watched as Lewis scrolled through movie after movie before putting on a random action movie. The younger felt Lewis shifting slightly next to him, and the pressure of the older man’s arm on his back increased. Lewis moved his hand slightly and cupped George’s shoulder, rubbing back and forth with his thumb. George shivered and heard Lewis’ barely audible chuckle beside him.
By the time the movie was done, George had finished his third drink and was halfway through a fourth. “I think I might just make us a small pitcher, would save me getting up and down over and over.” Lewis chuckled, switching the tv back to the movie option and standing up.
They were lucky neither of them were needed at the factory the next day until the afternoon, as George was looking forward to more of the yummy drink his soulmate was plying him with. George downed the rest of his drink and set his empty glass down on the table, before throwing the blanket off his lap, feeling way too warm and not wanting to sweat off the makeup on his wrist. Lewis padded back into the living room carrying a clear pitcher of the orange beverage, filled with orange slices and ice cubes this time. George smiled.
“That looks incredible, oh my god.” George said giddily, bouncing slightly on the couch. Lewis laughed and set the pitcher down beside their empty glasses.
“Maybe you shouldn’t be having anymore there Georgie.” He teased and George shook his head adamantly. Lewis chuckled and poured them both another glass before settling back in the spot beside George. “How did your day go?” He asked softly as he picked up his own glass and took a sip.
“It was good. I’m settling in decently I think, getting along with the team quite nicely.” He told his teammate and grabbed his glass off the table.
“I’m really glad. You’ve impressed me.” Lewis said and settled back into the couch, returning his arm around George’s back, not even worrying about placing it on the couch first. George scooted down slightly and leaned against his teammate slightly, getting more comfortable.
“How have I impressed you?” George inquired, tilting his head.
“You just have.” Lewis shrugged and continued. “Staying as late as you did today, all the work you’re putting into melding with the team, you remind me of me when I joined Mercedes. It’s like looking into a mirror.” Lewis finished, taking a big gulp of his drink. “It scares me a little.” Lewis chuckles and George hums.
“Why on earth does it scare you?” George asked softly, angling his head so he could meet Lewis’ eyes.
“Well you’re so much younger than I was when I joined Mercedes, and you’re already so talented. I can’t imagine just what you could achieve with us, and you know, I’m getting up there in age, eventually people are going to want the newer younger edition.” Lewis spoke self consciously and George sat up and faced his teammate.
“Lewis, there is no way I will EVER surpass what you have managed to achieve. Never talk like that. It doesn’t matter how young I am, you are a legend of this sport, up there with Michael and Aryton.” George finished his drink and set the glass down before reaching out and placing his hand on top of Lewis’ arm. “And on the topic of your age? Lewis I would choose you, a proven talent with 7 world titles, over a nobody with 0 wins anyday. You do not need to worry about the team replacing you, you’re invaluable to them, to everyone.” George finished softly, squeezing Lewis’ arm. Lewis looked up and met his eyes, his gaze softening exponentially.
“You’re incredible.” Lewis complimented and George felt himself blush before averting his gaze. “No, really George. You are. The changes you’ve faced, leaving Williams, joining a new team, meeting all these new people. It would be difficult for anyone, is difficult for anyone, I know exactly what it’s like, but you’ve smiled through everything. And now you’re having to reassure me on top of everything else.” Lewis turned away and grabbed the pitcher, filling George’s glass again; to give himself something to do George thinks. Lewis passes George the refilled glass, and George decides he needs a little extra liquid courage for what he’s about to do next, and completely drains it, meeting Lewis’ wide eyes. George lets go of where his hand was gripping Lewis’ arm, and instead slides his hand under Lewis’, interlocking their fingers.
“It’s you whose incredible Lew. I can promise you that.” George whispers, and Lewis’ eyes soften and his lips tip up in a grin before he squeezes George’s hand.
“Thanks Georgie, really.” He says softly and settles back against the cushions, pulling George until the younger’s head rests on Lewis’ chest. George takes a deep breath before speaking again.
“You’re very touchy with me.” He mumbles softly, tilting his head up so he can peer up at Lewis, who’s smiling softly down at him.
“I am, yes.” Lewis agrees with a nod of his head.
“Why?” George whispers, heart beating at what felt like a thousand miles a minute.
“Because of that mark on your wrist, George, why else?” Lewis speaks through a soft smile, and George’s stomach drops. He jerks up and looks down at his wrist, at the still covered mark, and is instantly confused. How on earth did Lewis know? George looks back up at Lewis with wide panicked eyes and feels his breathing start to quicken. Lewis shushes him and reaches out, grabbing George’s shoulder. “Don’t panic, it’s okay.” He reaches up and cups George’s face. “Why did you hide it from me?” He asks, eyes showcasing slight worry, and George sighs.
“Because you’re Lewis Hamilton, 7 time world champion, and I’m a 24 year old with zero race wins.” George mumbles, liquid courage no longer any help. Lewis coos softly and tips George’s head back up to look at him. George meets his eyes shyly.
“I don’t care about your achievements, or your age, George. I have been waiting for my soulmate for years, I’m just ecstatic that you’re finally here.” Lewis looked at him with pure adoration in his eyes and George felt himself physically melt against Lewis, tilting his head and leaning into his teammate’s hand.
“How did you even know?” George asked quietly, and Lewis smiled and hummed.
“You weren’t always this cautious about hiding it you know?” Lewis gestured down at his wrist, and George blushed. “I saw it when you were still with Williams. I’d known that you would eventually be joining me here, and I didn’t want you to think that our mark was the reason you got your seat instead of your racing abilities, so I told myself I wouldn’t say anything until you joined the team, and I waited.” Lewis ended on a shy shrug, averting his eyes. “I figured I’d already waited so long for you, a little longer wouldn’t hurt.” George audibly awed and watched as a deep blush rose up Lewis’ neck and covered his cheeks.
“I really appreciate that,” He started, bringing his own hands up to cup Lewis’ face and bring his gaze back to George. “You have no idea what that means to me. Thank you.” George tells him sincerely. “What was I doing when you noticed it?” George asked, curious about just how long ago his soulmate found out it was him.
“You and Nicholas were filming a video or something, I’m not sure where exactly we were. I was looking for somewhere to just chill out for a little while, just be by myself, and I came across you guys.”
Somewhere far away from the paddock, that’s all he wants. Just to take a breather from all the cameras and the reporters asking questions about when he’s going to retire and settle down. He turned the corner in one of the less populated buildings in the paddock and was greeted by voices echoing down the hall.
“Where is your shirt?!” The mild accented voice spoke first.
“It’s too warm for a shirt.” The thick British accent replied, gaining laughs from whoever else was in the room with them. Lewis wanted to be alone, but he was also curious as to who thought it was okay to simply wander around without a shirt on.
Lewis kept on walking until the room opened up, and he saw who occupied the space. Williams team members were sitting around a camera with Nicholas and George standing behind a table, George sans shirt. Lewis felt himself blushing as he gazed at the wide expanse of skin before him. He was far enough away that he wouldn’t be noticed, but not so far that he couldn’t make out all the details on the younger man’s chest. His gaze moved down and it was then that he caught a glimpse of a black shadow on George’s wrist.
He squinted his eyes and peered at the wrist in question, waiting until George moved and he could get a better look. When George angled himself slightly different, Lewis was able to see the black shadow in its entirety. He had to hold back a gasp when he recognized the mark immediately. It matched his own soul mark. George was his soulmate, he’d finally found his soulmate. His heart fluttered in his chest and he had to stop himself from rushing out, grabbing him, and kissing him.
He had to think first. George was much younger than him, which mind you, he did not care about, but the Williams driver had such a long career ahead of him, and Lewis knew that Mercedes would eventually be an option. He didn’t want to get into anything with him now and have the young man think it was Lewis’ doing when Mercedes signed him. As excited as he was about finding his soulmate, he knew he would have to be patient and wait until George was settled at Mercedes before he made any type of move.
He backed out of the room quietly with a beaming smile on his face, and couldn’t wait until he was able to tell George everything.
“It was hard sometimes, the waiting. Especially when you got together with Carmen, but I knew that I was your soulmate so despite it hurting to see you with her, I knew I’d have you eventually.” Lewis finished explaining to George, and George sighed.
“I’m so sorry you had to see that. I never wanted to hurt you. I knew she wasn’t my soulmate, but it was nice to have someone to talk to, someone who wasn’t another driver.” George said softly, feeling bad that he’d hurt his soulmate because of a stupid decision.
“Hey,” Lewis grabbed George’s hand and entwined their fingers together. “It’s okay. I completely understand George. You’re here now, that’s all that matters.” Lewis smiled up at him and George brought their hands up to his mouth and pressed a light kiss to the back of Lewis’.
“I am.” George whispered and raised his free hand, brushing his thumb along Lewis’ cheekbone. “I’m so happy you knew. I had no idea how I was going to eventually tell you.” Lewis smiled softly. George decided that enough was enough. He’s wanted to kiss Lewis for what feels like forever now, and he’s had enough alcohol tonight to finally feel like he could.
George met Lewis’ eyes questioningly, dropping his gaze down to Lewis’ lips and watching them tip up into a knowing smile. George returned the smile and leaned forward, pressing his lips against Lewis’. Lewis let go of his hand and wrapped his arms around George’s waist, pulling him tight against his body and allowing George to wrap his arms around Lewis’ neck and bury his hand into the hair at the nape of his soulmate’s neck.
Lewis’ lips were softer than George imagined they’d be, he knew the man used lip chap, his self care was incredible, but the softness of the glide against his own was almost heavenly. George opened his mouth on a slight sigh and Lewis took advantage of that, slipping his tongue into George’s mouth. The younger relished in the brush of their tongues against each other’s, having never imagined he’d get this far quite as fast as he did. Lewis started to lean forward and George took the hint and laid back onto the couch, allowing Lewis to box him in from above.
Lewis pulled back and gazed down at George, the younger watching his eyes fill with appreciation as his teammate slid his gaze down George’s body.
“You are so beautiful.” Lewis whispered and George grinned up at him.
“I am? Look at you, Lew.” George replied softly and leaned up, brushing their noses together.
“We’ll make a beautiful couple then Georgie.” Lewis beamed, leaning his forehead against George’s and closing his eyes. George looked to the left at Lewis’ wrist next to his head and looked at the watch adorning it.
2:13 am. George gasped and then laughed, and Lewis pulled back, giving him a questioning look. George gestured to the watch on Lewis’ wrist and the older man scrunched his eyebrows before looking at it himself. When he noticed what time it was he broke into a fit of giggles and sat up, pulling George up with him and pressing a last lingering kiss to his lips, giving George butterflies.
“We better get to bed. We may not be needed until the afternoon, but we still have to be somewhat awake when we head to the factory.” Lewis stood up and grabbed George’s hand, pulling him to a standing position as well.
“Well because you plied me with all this alcohol I sorta have no other choice than to stay here another night, do I?” George teased through a giggle, shoving Lewis slightly and getting an affectionately exasperated look in return.
“Well I had to make you comfortable or else you would have freaked out when I told you, how else were you going to be confident enough to stick around.” Lewis shrugged innocently and George chuckled.
“Okay wise guy.” George said. “Take me to bed.” He finished on a lower more suggestive tone, and Lewis’ eyes widened before he grabbed George’s hand and quickly pulled him in the direction of Lewis’ bedroom, giggles echoing behind them as they went.
-
Waking up for a second night in his soulmate’s bed was wonderful, however this time was just a little better than the first. He was wrapped around the older man, head resting on the mark that matched the one on his wrist. Both of them were naked, clothes flung all over the room. George sighed happily, and shifted, grunting when slight pain in his lower half made itself known. He smiled despite the pain and lifted his head, pressing a kiss to the beautiful bird on his lover’s shoulder.
“Good morning, love.” Lewis mumbled sleepily and George looked upward from where he’d lain his head back onto the older man’s shoulder.
“Morning.” He spoke through a giddy smile. “Sleep well?” He asked, Lewis’ returning his smile with a content one of his own.
“I slept wonderfully. Not sure how I’ll sleep alone after that.” Lewis leaned down and pressed a kiss to George’s forehead, and George sighed happily at the little show of affection.
“Well, who said you have to. I mean why? We’re soulmates, we’re meant to spend the rest of our lives together, why not start now.” George suggested shyly and watched as a beautiful smile stretched itself across the older Brit’s face.
“I completely agree.” Lewis spoke, pure happiness radiating out of every pore.
“Plus, that just means I can nap on that chair, and that is a MAJOR plus.” George teased and Lewis lifted his shoulder to disrupt where George’s head was resting, earning a harmless glare from the younger man before he settled his head back against the older man. “I’m joking.” George whispered. “You’d be the plus every time.” He tells Lewis affectionately, earning a kiss from his soulmate in return.