Work Text:
It wasn’t until after the first month of being in Los Angeles that it hit Carlos fully.
He missed his family so damn much. Sure, he could call them whenever he wanted, and his dad did visit that one time, but he missed home with his family.
The smell of his mom cooking breakfast in the morning. The sound of his dad dramatically singing along with the radio. The sound of his older sister and her girlfriend giggling at said singing, while his other sister just rolled her eyes with the slightest smile on her face. He missed it all so badly.
There must have been a negative energy coming from the side of the bedroom, or maybe it was because he had three blankets over him and a pout, because James threw a pillow from his bed at Carlos and raised an eyebrow.
“Why do you look sad?” James asked as he reached for another pillow. Carlos only shrugged, and James dropped the pillow, a frown forming on his lips. “Carlos?”
“I just miss my parents. I miss my sisters,” Carlos muttered. “I called them earlier, but it’s not the same. It kind of made me feel worse, I think.”
James hummed and walked across to Carlos. “You're hugging your pillow, and it's sad.” He grabbed the pillow from Carlos's grasp, despite his mumbled protest. “Lemme squeeze in.”
Carlos's pout slowly brightened as he made room for James to lie with him. Immediately, Carlos wrapped his arms around James’ waist and pulled him closer.
James brought his hand to Carlos’s head and gently took his helmet off. “I don't get how you sleep with that stupid thing on.”
“It’s not stupid.”
“Kinda is,” he insisted as he ran his fingers down Carlos’s scalp. “It can't possibly be comfortable. Helmets are annoyingly tight.” He continued to soothe the crown on his head with a bit of pressure. “And you eat cereal out of it, which is even stupider.”
Carlos buried his face into James' chest and sighed. “Thanks.”
“For what?”
“Dunno. Just ‘cause you're here, I guess,” Carlos said.
James chuckled. “I can't compare to your mom’s hugs, but hopefully I can be a good substitute for now.”
“It’s perfect. Better than the pillow. Not as soft, though.”
“My washboard abs and I take that as a compliment.” James placed a kiss to Carlos’s forehead because he knew he needed it. “Love you, buddy.”
Carlos’s grip around James tightened as he smiled. “I love you, too.”