Work Text:
As a rising star in the Formula One world, Jack knows how important training is, especially off the racetrack. Six days a week, he rises before the sun does to go to the gym, lifting weights, running, even doing yoga to work on keeping his mind calm. It's not always fun, but it's part of his job. Though, it's not like he could name sitting around with nothing to do as one of his favorite hobbies, either.
Of course, he knows that all his training would end up hurting his body if he never took a break. Sundays are the days when he remembers to slow down, shutting off his alarm and sleeping in until the sun illuminates his bedroom, fighting it off as it urges his eyelids to open. This winter morning, he stretches his arms above his head, groaning low in his throat as his knuckles graze the headboard. Rolling over, he throws his arm across his partner to pull her close—only to have it land heavily atop empty sheets. He lifts his head with a frown and sees her sitting up in bed, the keys of her laptop clacking rapidly as she types.
"Carly," sighs Jack, his voice hoarse with sleep, "We talked about working in bed." Rubbing his eyes, he pulls himself up, resting his chin atop her shoulder.
"One sec," she says, distracted as she finishes a sentence. She purses her lips, rereading the small paragraph in silence, and then concedes defeat, whining softly as she highlights the lines and deletes them.
"I'm sorry, Jack," pouts Carly, hanging her head, "I know we've talked about it, but this current assignment is just so hard for me to write..." Jack's brow wrinkles with concern, and he leans in, pressing a kiss against her temple.
"You usually only do interviews and press conferences, don't you? What're they making you work on now?"
"Well, you know how my boss keeps threatening to fire me when it seems like I won't make my deadlines?" Jack narrows his eyes.
"I try not to think about it." His nostrils flare for a second, hand moving her waist.
"Yeah." Carly exhales softly. "I've been there for almost three years now, and I'm finally starting to get sick of it myself. So, I sent out my resume to a few people a little while ago."
"Oh?" Jack raises his eyebrows. "You hear back from anyone?"
"Mmhm! More than one, actually, but there's one magazine that I'd really love to work at, and their offices are close enough that I wouldn't have to work from home all the time, and—"
"That's great, Carly!" Jack interrupts her with a grin, and she laughs as he pulls her close, kissing her cheek. "What kind of position did they offer you?"
"That's the catch," she sighs, though still smiles half-heartedly as she adjusts her glasses. "They've made it pretty clear they want me covering sports...but it's not set in stone just yet. They want to test me first, make sure I'm a 'well-rounded' writer, or something like that." She gives a small roll of her eyes, making finger-quotes in the air. Jack raises an eyebrow as he breathes out a laugh.
"And you tell me my ego's too big. I think it seems like a good business practice—maybe it's just hard since you're dealing with the pressure of snagging the job?"
"Probably," Carly admits, "But that's not all of it. I mean, they want me to write a lifestyle piece, Jack! They want me to give women advice on what they should do with their boyfriends, on Valentine's Day, no less! I haven't been on a date in years!" She throws up her hands, and Jack makes a face, mocking offense.
"Excuse me? We may be engaged, but I still take you out on dates, Carly."
"That's the problem! You take me out to nice dinners and fashion shows and charity galas! I don't think of things like that!" Jack cocks his head to the side, doubting the authenticity of her exclamation.
"I don’t know about that—I remember you being pretty extravagant and aggressive when we first started dating. I mean, I didn't realize our first date was even a date until I got home that night…"
"Haha, well..." Carly bats her eyelashes, twirling a lock of hair around her finger. "You were transitioning from motocross to international racing, among all things. I had to snag my opportunity before someone else caught your attention."
"Impossible," murmurs Jack, easing her laptop off her lap before pulling her into his own. He combs her hair to one side of her neck, then slides her arms around her waist, kissing at her skin. "I don't think I even wanted to look at people who weren't you." Carly bites her lip with a grin, cheeks going pink as she squirms in his lap, turning so she can look at him.
"Either way, my favorite dates with you now involve me ordering takeout and us watching bad movies on the couch together. That's not exactly creative."
"I don't mind the simplicity. In fact, I love those nights. Don't have to worry about what to wear, or getting recognized and being asked for a picture when we're just trying to get some alone time. It's nice." He pauses, sighing contentedly. "Maybe you can write an article like that? Remind people that they don't have to go all-out, or even leave the house, to have a good time."
"I might need a little more diversity beyond that...but it's definitely a good place to start." Carly pecks him on the lips. "Thank you, Jack."
"Hey, you called me your muse once—I'm just providing inspiration as needed. Though," Jack grins as he grabs Carly, flopping back to the pillows, "It isn't always free." She squeals out a laugh as he rolls over on top of her, then pulls back, giving her just enough room to roll onto her back and face him.
"Oh?" Her cheeks are flushed, but her grin matches his, almost in challenge. "I don't remember owing you anything." Jack shakes his head.
"That's where you're wrong. I mean, you're a workaholic, and I love you, but that doesn't mean I'm just going to let you get out of bed without getting cuddled by me first." Carly purses her lips, weighing his reasoning in her mind.
"I guess that's fair..." She finally sighs, giving in with a shrug of her shoulders. But then she loops her arms around Jack's neck, smiling when he leans in. His morning breath is a little sour, but with his kisses being so tender, she forgives it easily, and her kisses are warm in return. He toys with the hem of her shirt, an old tank top of his she reclaimed as her own, his fingertips brushing over the bare skin of her thighs.
"Speaking of Valentine's Day, I wonder what you're going to get me..." Jack smirks a little as he muses aloud, but Carly's eyes widen, and she curses under her breath. He cracks at her expression then, laughing low in his throat as he kisses her again.
"Hey, who knows, maybe you'll get some inspiration from that article you're writing? You still have two weeks, so you should be fine." Carly whimpers, gently swatting at his chest.
"Maybe? Should be fine? That's not exactly encouraging, Jack! You're awful..." He grins, kissing sweetly at her pout before sitting up with a stretch.
"Well, if that's the case...I can always make you some coffee?" She smiles, giving a small shake of her head.
"If anything, decaf will be fine. I can work on it later—it is supposed to be my day off, too, after all." Jack smiles, giving her hand a squeeze before climbing out of bed.
"I like the sound of that."