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"Charles? Wake up."
Carlos' soft voice awoke the Ferrari driver from a deep, champagne fueled sleep. They should've landed in Nice by now.
"What time is it?" Charles yawned, squinting his eyes. Carlos was resting his hand on Charles' arm. Although it was nothing special really – they’d always been touchy with each other – the gentle touch sent shivers across Charles' body.
"Late. We can't land in Nice. There’s a storm." Carlos explained in a low mutter. "We're going to Torino instead."
Charles exhaled deeply and leaned back on the headrest. Still, he wouldn't pull his arm away, not as long as Carlos’ hand was on him. "Of course. It's just typical."
"So, I was thinking we rent a car and drive to Monaco as soon as we land. I know you want to get home."
"Are you sure? We can stay at a hotel, you must be tired, Carlos! And I don't know if I should drive..." Charles glanced at the empty champagne bottle on the seat across the narrow aisle. He had finished the bottle after they were told to sit back down instead of fooling around in the jet bathroom.
Fooling around as friends, of course. Just being silly as usual. Nothing more, although the line between friendship and something more was wearing very thin.
Not long after getting back to their seats, Charles had fallen asleep to the hum of the jet engine and the weight of another difficult race week on his shoulders. He’d been expecting to wake up as they landed in Nice, but of course things just wouldn’t go his way. They never did.
"I can drive. Don't worry about it." Carlos confirmed with a tired smile, then leaned back on his seat, too, breaking the touch between them. He hadn't slept a blink during the flight. Instead, he'd admired his sleeping ex-teammate and reminisced on his time at Ferrari with the Monegasque by his side. Also, replaying the race and the podium celebrations in his head.
"Only if you're sure. I don't have a problem staying for a night." Charles wasn't fully convinced either of them should drive, not after the weekend they'd had. But he knew arguing with Carlos once he’d made up his mind was useless.
"I'm sure. I want to get home, too. It's only a two hour drive. Actually, make it one and a half. I was almost on pole after all." Carlos teased with a twinkle in his dark eyes.
"You're so stupid." Charles grinned. Secretly, he was delighted to spend a bit more alone time with his friend. In fact, he was in no rush to get back to Monaco after all.
Fifteen minutes later, the jet had landed in Cuneo International Airport outside of Torino, Italy. The two made it through baggage claim and towards the airport exit without being recognised, which was incredibly rare, but so welcomed after the day they’d had. The car rentals were just by the exit and as they made it to the long queue, Charles heard a familiar voice calling his name.
“Charles! I was just about to call you!”
It was Charles’ close friend and assistant Joris along with his photographer Antoine. Of course they would be in the same predicament, trying to get back to Monaco.
“Hey guys,” Charles smiled and gave both his friends a quick hug. “The weekend just keeps getting better, no?”
“Well, this guy probably doesn’t mind,” Joris chuckled and nudged Carlos on the shoulder. “Congrats again, mate. Mega job.”
“Thank you, thank you.” Carlos nodded politely at the two. His optimism towards the little road trip with Charles dampened at an instant. Of course he didn’t have anything against Charles’ friends, but he’d really been looking forward to spending some more alone time with his old teammate. It was rarely just the two of them, not since him moving to Williams anyway. And now they’d probably be catching a ride back with these two.
“Shouldn’t we rent just the one car then?” Antoine suggested and Joris immediately agreed. Of course they would. Carlos forced a smile and looked at Charles.
“I don’t see why not. Right, Carlos?” Charles nodded and looked at Carlos with a strange expression. Carlos didn’t know whether it was a look of reluctant agreement, disappointment or if he was still tired and kind of tipsy from the champagne. His eyes were glassy and a slight flush was visible on his cheeks.
“Yeah. I’ll get the car, and maybe you can grab some snacks for the ride?” Carlos said, hoping Charles would go with Joris and Antoine. Because he had no intention of renting a car for four people and their luggage.
“I can stay and wait-” Charles tried, not wanting to leave Carlos alone.
“No, no. You have some catching up to do, no?” Carlos interrupted, giving his friend a subtle look of just do as I say you idiot.
“Yes, of course.” Charles replied with a confused frown. He was too tired to read too much into it. Maybe Carlos just wanted a moment to himself. And he could handle himself, obviously.
The three of them left Carlos in the queue and went to find some late-night snacks for the spontaneous road trip. He sighed in relief as the line started moving faster. A couple of minutes later, he was at the counter.
“Ciao. I would like to rent a car for a couple of days,” Carlos spoke to the Autovia worker in Italian. “A Mini Cooper if you have one.”
Charles sat in wait on the benches by the main exit with Joris and Antoine. The two were already making plans for the next weekend off before the Singapore Grand Prix. Charles wasn’t paying attention. He mindlessly fidgeted with his bracelets, but immediately focused his tired gaze as he saw Carlos emerge from the crowd.
Carlos waved with his hand that held the car keys as he approached the men. “Sorry guys. They only had Mini Coopers left. I don’t think we can all fit in this car with the luggage.”
Carlos looked at Charles with his innocent brown eyes and shrugged slightly. Charles could barely hide the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth. This guy thought he was so slick.
“Oh.” Antoine seemed puzzled. “Strange.”
“I guess we’ll have to rent a second car after all.” Joris shrugged, eyeing Charles with suspicion.
“Oh well. That’s too bad. I guess I’ll see you in Monaco.” Charles faked an apologetic tone and practically jumped off the chair to follow Carlos out of the airport. It was now nearing midnight. Without the city lights the stars would’ve been visible.
Carlos led Charles outside and to the rows of rental cars in the far parking lot. The sight of various rental vans made the Ferrari driver giggle uncontrollably.
“I can’t believe you Carlos!”
“What? Autovia only had Minis. I was not waiting in a different line for another ten minutes.” Carlos shrugged, failing to suppress his smug smirk.
“Okay, well, it’s strange because those vans definitely don’t have Autovia stickers on!” Charles chuckled as he pointed to the cars to their left that obviously had Autovia logos plastered on them. “That is a Mini Countryman, Carlos!”
“I don’t see anything. Here we go.” Carlos halted and unlocked a white three-door Mini Cooper. He opened the trunk, swiftly put his own bags in then grabbed Charles’ suitcase off his hands. “Go on, have a seat.”
“I can drive, Carlos-” Charles argued. He was relieved that it was too dark outside for Carlos to notice the blush on his cheeks.
“I’m driving. End of story. Get in the car.” Carlos commanded with laughter in his voice. Their eyes met momentarily and a warm twinkle was mirrored in them both. “You bought snacks, no?”
“Yesss I did.” Charles beamed and obeyed his friends’ request.
Carlos smiled to himself and took off his jacket, throwing it in the trunk before shutting it. As soon as he got into the driver's seat, he could feel Charles’ eyes on him.
“That is a nice colour on you.” Charles mentioned as Carlos buckled in and adjusted the mirrors.
Carlos glanced at the sage gray polo shirt he was wearing. Nothing special about it, really. Still, he did love a compliment, especially from Charles.
“Well, thank you, Lord Perceval.” Carlos nodded with a grin. He started the car. “Why don’t you put on some music, my Lord?”
“Yes, of course. I have just the song for you.” Charles chuckled.
Carlos knew exactly what song the man next to him was about to play. He pulled out of the parking lot and drove into the exit lane of the airport park with a smile on his face. Not a minute later, the very familiar sound of the percussion drums and a tenor saxophone of Sade’s Smooth Operator started playing on the car speakers. Predictable, yes, but Carlos couldn’t keep from smiling.
“That was a smoooooth operatiooon!” Charles chanted as Carlos shot him a fond, humorous look. Oh, how he missed the Ferrari days.
The first quarter of the drive was spent singing – well, mostly screaming – to Smooth Operator and the usual suspects. They had a shared playlist which was very popular on their shared flights to races. This drive was no different.
As they had gotten further out of the city, through the tunnels and into the mountains, the laughs and jokes had lessened. Also the music had slowed down – Charles had an immaculate playlist for late night drives like this. The clear night sky with its billions of stars was ever so visible on the French Alps.
A comfortable silence had fallen upon the pair as Jupiter Crash by The Cure played on the car stereo. Carlos’ eyes were focused on the winding road and the sparse traffic. Charles’ eyes on the other hand caught not-so-subtle glimpses of this chauffeur every few seconds.
“Stop the car!” Charles suddenly yelped.
Carlos was caught so off guard, his heart nearly jumping out of his throat. “Joder, don’t scare me like that!”
“But I saw a shooting star! I want to go out and look!” Charles argued, pointing at the sky.
“How do you see any stars when you’re looking at me the whole time?” Carlos pointed out as he eyed for a safe space to park beside the road.
Charles felt his face heat up again, “I was not! C’mon Carlos, I need to stretch my legs.” He whined. “And look at the stars while I do it!”
Carlos shook his head in amusement as he finally spotted a narrow gravel road off the main road. He slowed down, pulling up to a picnic spot that would have a perfect view of the night sky between the mountain tops.
“Happy?” Carlos said as he turned off the engine. Charles was grinning at him, clearly pleased.
“Yes.”
Without further ado, Charles climbed out of the passenger seat into the cooling mountain breeze and exhaled deeply. Stretching his limbs, he stepped further from the car and looked around. There was a wooden picnic table next to a large info board with a map on it. They were somewhere in Tende, with national parks stretching out on each side of the road.
Charles looked to the night sky, to the billions of tiny stars and constellations. It was a beautiful sight. After a moment, Carlos joined him, still with only his short-sleeve on.
“You’re cold.” Charles stated more than asked. His own hoodie was perfectly cozy and warm, but his friend didn’t look as cuddly as he felt himself.
“I’m okay. It’s nice.” Carlos shrugged and leaned up against the picnic table next to Charles. “You know, we’re not too far from Viévola. We could stay in a hotel.”
Charles suppressed a smitten smile and focused back on the stars, “I thought you wanted to get home, too.”
“I’m not in a hurry.”
“You pick.” Charles hummed. He inched a bit closer to Carlos. “Podium privileges.”
Charles’ heart skipped a beat as the Spaniard snuggled up to him. He could feel the heat of his body radiating through the fabric of his hoodie.
“Well… we’re only about an hour away from Monaco…” Carlos mumbled, eyeing the stars.
A pinch of disappointment in Charles’ stomach almost made him argue that it was too late to drive and you must be tired and they must have great hotels in Tende. But if Carlos wanted to get home, he would accept it. The last thing he wanted to do was to guilt Carlos into staying a night and to risk ruining his pleasant mood.
“I’m fine either wa- look! Did you see that?” Charles was distracted by a bright star shooting across the sky. He looked back at Carlos and was met by those brown doe eyes staring at him instead of the sky.
“No, uh, I missed it.” Carlos cleared his throat. He averted his gaze for a second, only to look back at the slightly taller man. The sight was undeniably more breathtaking than any night sky could ever be.
Seconds ticked by painfully slowly. Their eye contact persisted and another shooting star went unnoticed by the pair. A violent shiver ran across Carlos’ body, but not from the air temperature.
“Charles-”
Whatever Carlos was about to say was now forever forgotten. Charles’ lips clashing against his own wiped his mind blank and lit fireworks inside his chest.
Charles’ hand found Carlos’ jaw and the desperate kiss deepened, both of them leaning into it fully. Their lips moved together so naturally, like they were made for each other. It just felt right.
And to be fair, it had been a long time coming.
Carlos pulled back just to catch his breath. He felt like his heart could burst through his ribs. Charles’ hand still rested partly on his cheek, partly on his jaw, and Carlos could feel the slight tremble of his hand against his skin.
With his breathing ragged and his head spinning, Carlos straightened up and stepped in front of Charles, leaning into him like he’d been waiting for this moment forever. He kissed the Monegasque back more gently now, savoring each movement of their lips together.
Charles’ hands traveled up the small of Carlos’ back, feeling the muscles under the fabric. He caught a breath between the merging of their lips. His brain could barely understand what was happening, but he never wanted it to stop.
Carlos pulled his friend even closer by the waist and slipped his hands under Charles’ hoodie. His skin was nearly burning against his fingertips. He felt Charles smile against his lips, then wrap his arms around his neck. Carlos carefully moved his hands further under the fabric, further up Charles' back.
The headlights of a car passing by illuminated the scene for a moment. The driver honked a couple of times before disappearing behind the curve. The kiss was interrupted and the two caught their breaths, hot and irregular.
“Charles…” Carlos breathed and wrapped his hands around the man’s waist, under his hoodie.
Charles swallowed with a gulp. He felt like he was floating. He tried to meet Carlos’ eyes, but he looked down, his gorgeous lashes casting shadows down his face in the dim starlight.
Finally, Carlos lifted his gaze, meeting Charles’ green irises. He felt like choking on his words, afraid to break the magic of this moment.
“What I wanted to say on the jet… what I’ve been wanting to say for a long time…” He began. A trace of horror flashed by Charles’ eyes.
“Carlos, please-”
“Let me finish. I… I have been waiting for this for years.” Carlos admitted with his heart in his throat.
A wide smile spread on Charles’ face, his dimples deep and his eyes sparkling with what looked like tears. He brushed his thumb on Carlos’ neck.
“Me too.”
Carlos exhaled in relief and smiled back at his former teammate. He then leaned into another soft kiss, exploring Charles’ lips like he’d been dreaming of for the longest time.
Charles’ heart was so full as he kissed his friend, savoring every second. Carlos’ lips felt even better than he could’ve imagined. His right hand traveled up to Carlos’ luscious hair, his left staying on his neck. Of course he’d known the man’s hair to be incredibly soft and wonderful, but everything about him was exceeding his expectations. He felt Carlos’ shiver under his touch.
“You’re freezing.” He said as he pulled back slightly, looking at Carlos with fondness.
“Not so much anymore.” Carlos smirked back.
Charles chuckled softly, “It will be late before we’re in Monaco.”
“Let’s stay in Viévola.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes. C’mon.” Carlos asserted with excitement and led Charles back to the car by the hand.
Charles’ cheeks hurt from smiling as the car took off towards Viévola. His stomach filled with butterflies as Carlos’ hand traveled to his thigh. He glanced at Carlos who kept his eyes firmly on the road. The smile on his face was just as deep as his own. Charles took Carlos’ hand and squeezed lightly. He felt like he was dreaming.
It proved harder than expected to find a hotel in the middle of the night in Tende. They had to continue past Viévola and it was getting very late now, but neither of them minded. Charles was positively radiating as he watched the Spaniard focus on the street signs, scanning to find any sign of a hotel, all the while holding his hand.
Finally, they found a small hotel up the road that was still open at 1.30am. Carlos let Charles out to find them a room while he parked and brought their luggage inside.
“Okay, got it. Third floor.” Charles breathed as he met Carlos in the quiet lobby. He dangled a couple of old fashioned hotel keys in his hand. None of the fancy cards they were used to. “There’s no lift, though.”
Carlos stopped himself from swearing aloud as he set their suitcases down. “Vale. Up the stairs then. Show me the way.”
“I can take my suitcase.” Charles frowned.
“No, let me. Just go ahead. I got it.”
Charles blushed again as he watched Carlos grab their luggage, seemingly with ease. Again, there was no use in arguing. He led the way up the narrow stairs to the third floor and down the corridor to the far left room. The least he could do was to hold the door open for Carlos and their bags.
“Rustic.” Carlos noted with a smile as he eyed over the small room. He set the suitcases down and walked further inside.
The room looked like it hadn’t been renovated in decades, but in an endearing way. There were heavy curtains on the windows and a door to a small balcony that overlooked the town. The interior matched the outside quite well. The stone tiled floors and white painted walls were the same as in the lobby, and the wooden nightstands and the narrow side table enhanced the vintage feel of the room. Surprisingly, the bed was much bigger than expected. Carlos looked back at Charles, biting his lip.
Charles locked the door behind him, suddenly feeling nervous. He had shared a hotel room with Carlos more times than he could count. But he’d never done it after kissing him underneath the stars, somewhere in France.
“Are you okay?” Carlos asked, sitting down on the bed. He hadn’t been feeling all that tired before, but now the weight of the weekend was making itself known.
“Yes, just, uh…” Charles felt an uncomfortable tightness in his chest. He exhaled slowly. “I, um… I don’t know.”
Well, he knew exactly what this feeling was. But if he voiced it now, it would get worse. The last thing he wanted was to ruin this special evening with feeling like this.
Carlos nodded and reached out his hand, “Come here.”
Exhaling shakily again, Charles stepped forth and took Carlos’ warm hand. He let himself be led to sit down on the edge of the bed, next to his friend. Carlos brushed his thumb over the back of Charles’ hand.
“If you’re worried that… this will change things… I get it.” Carlos spoke in a low, gentle voice. “I am too. And I don’t want to mess things up with you. You’re too important to me.”
Charles nodded, fighting the lump in his throat. He didn’t know what to say. He hated feeling like this, especially now.
“I think we should sleep, no? It’s been… a lot.”
“Yeah. Sorry.” Charles mumbled.
“You have nothing to be sorry about. I’m… I’m sorry, I know you wanted to go home-”
“No! No, I… I want to be here. With you.” Charles finally looked Carlos in the eye. Those brown eyes, always so full of emotion, immediately made him feel a bit calmer. Carlos was so beautiful like this – tired, emotional. Cuddly.
“Can I kiss you again?” Charles asked carefully. He just couldn’t stop blushing, could he?
“Now you’re asking?” Carlos joked, again sparking the panic in Charles’ eyes. “Yes, please, Charles.”
Both of them leaned into a careful, tender kiss. Carlos cupped Charles’ hands into his. Their lips moved together in harmony for a moment before Charles pulled back.
“I’m glad we couldn’t land in Nice.” He admitted. “I’ve had so much fun with you, Carlos… I always do. Even more now.” He added sheepishly.
The fondness he felt was mirrored in Carlos’ eyes. Carlos’ looked down at their intertwined hands and nodded slightly. A strand of dark hair fell over his eyes,
“I feel the same.” He responded quietly.
Charles felt like tearing up. He gently untwined his right hand and brushed the strand of hair off Carlos’ face. The gesture prompted a delicate smile from Carlos. He then softly caressed Carlos’ lower lip with his thumb.
Carlos leaned into another tender kiss, biting Charles’ lower lip carefully. The whole-body tingle Charles felt was intoxicating. The pressure he felt building in his abdomen made him want to go much further than this. But a part of him was terrified of the idea.
“I need to take this slow.” Charles interrupted the kiss as he felt Carlos’ hand on his thigh again.
Carlos exhaled shakily, looking up into Charles’ eyes again. “I know. So do I.”
They just looked at each other silently for a moment, both wondering where this would lead. It was simultaneously so exhilarating and addicting, yet so frightening. The respect and adoration they had for each other was still greater than the thrill of the moment.
“We should sleep.” Charles finally said. Carlos nodded in agreement.
The brushing of their teeth and undressing for bed was overshadowed by secret and not-so-secret glances towards each other. Neither of them could keep their eyes off each other. Some ten minutes later, Charles climbed into bed, awaiting Carlos. It was now nearing 3am.
Carlos appeared from the bathroom yawning, wearing nothing but his boxers. And again, Charles felt his entire body react to the sight, although it was nothing new to him.
“Move over.” Carlos said as he climbed into bed, under the duvet. Charles always had to lay in the middle like he owned the place. Carlos grinned to himself as Charles shuffled aside just the tiniest bit, rolling his eyes, too.
Carlos’ arm brushed against Charles’ bare abdomen as he made himself comfortable. His eyes immediately shot up to Charles, who had a tired smirk on his features. Sometimes, no words were needed between the two.
Lifting his arm slightly, Charles invited Carlos to snuggle up to him. Carlos wasted no time. He shuffled closer to Charles, feeling his body heat before their skins even touched. Charles wrapped his arms around his friend and pulled him up against himself, exhaling deeply.
He was happy. Content. This was a feeling he never wanted to let go of.
Carlos looked up to Charles, meeting his green eyes that looked much darker now in the dim light. He brushed his fingertips softly up and down Charles’ smooth chest. Charles just smiled. The Monegasque was so breathtakingly gorgeous, his body so toned yet soft and his facial features just… angelic. Carlos leaned up on his elbow and placed a couple of kisses on his friend's chest. He could feel Charles’ heart beat against himself. In spite of himself, he let his hand trace down to Charles’ abdomen.
“Carlos…”
Charles’ heart skipped a beat when Carlos’ doe eyes met his again. The man’s lips were red and slightly parted. So inviting. That look could’ve made Charles melt right then and there. He could feel Carlos getting aroused against him. And he couldn’t deny the strain in his own boxers, either.
“Please… we can’t do this.” Charles made himself whisper.
“I know…” Carlos sighed and leaned back on the pillow. “I’m sorry.”
The two fell silent for a moment, both of them staring at the ceiling, listening to each other’s breaths. Charles mindlessly played with a strand of Carlos’ hair. For a second he thought the Spaniard had fallen asleep.
“I just want you so bad.” Carlos whispered. He heard Charles swallow with a gulp.
“I know. We can cuddle, if you want.” Charles offered. All he wanted was to be close to Carlos, to feel his touch and his body against him between the sheets.
Not having to be persuaded any more, Carlos snuggled back up to Charles, burying his face in his chest. For some reason, he felt like crying. Everything he was feeling at that moment, on top of feeling so, so tired, was just overwhelming.
Charles drew circles on Carlos’ back with the pads of his fingers. There was so much he wanted to say, but he didn’t know how. His heart swelled with fondness and joy, yet there was a somber hue to the warmth he felt.
“I love you, Charles.” Carlos said quietly against his skin.
A tear-filled smile spread on Charles’ lips again. His heart could’ve bursted right then and there. He carefully pulled Carlos even closer to him, if that was even possible, caressing his arm that rested on his core.
“I love you, too. Always have.”