Work Text:
When Liam managed to silently sneak in, Isack was sitting at his desk, reviewing interview footage and flinching when he heard his own accent. He buried his face in his arms and tried to gain the engery to do something about it. To try and fix himself before he gets torn apart by social media criticising him all because he speaks differently and apparently it's too difficult for them to understand, therefore he must be stupid. Some part of him was just angry and frustrated, wanting to lash out against them and defend himself, but he knew it would only make everything much, much worse.
So, instead, he took a deep breath and pulled up interviews from naturally English speaking drivers, with perfect accents and flawless pronunciation. He held absolutely nothing against them, but he couldn't help but envy how natural they sounded. Even with non-native drivers, they still seem more clean and practiced than he did, he just sounded behind and he was honestly scared the critics would eat him alive for it, call him ungrateful or arrogant instead of trying to see that he was actually trying, and actually struggling.
He didn't even notice Liam standing there until he felt a hand on his shoulder. "Hey, whatcha doin'?" Liam asked, trying to mask that he definitely did know what he was doing, and that he could tell Isack was upset about it. Isack initially stuttered for a second, trying to come up with an excuse of some sort to avoid having to explain how he feels about the whole situation. He couldn't come up with one quick enough though, as by the time he'd had the though to shut his laptop, Liam had already seen enough.
"Oh, Isack..." He trailed off, not knowing how to finish that thought. He didn't want to show Isack too much pity, knowing it would just fustrate him further, exactly the opposite of what he intended to do. "I-It's fine-! I'm just going to finally try and finish this and I'll all be better...!" The desperate hopelessness in his voice made Liam take a deep breath and try to remain as calm and gentle as possible, all while trying to come up with points he'd actually accept and obey. But to him, letting him try to do this was just cruel, he has enough pressure already from every other, massively more important, aspects of formula 1, and he was clearly fatigued from the weight of it all, Liam just couldn't let him destroy himself.
"C'mon Isack, you are completely fucking exhausted, you're not going to be able to practice anything even if you try." He attempted to reason, but Isack still looked reluctant. He looked down at his papers, a sinking hopelessness growing in his stomach. Maybe he's never going to be good enough. Maybe they'll always struggle to understand him. He knew he should just suck it up and perfect every syllable, like how everyone does, Pierre, Charles, Esteban, all of them. Well, the drivers who weren't born English. He was cut out of his thoughts by the feeling of Liam's arms wrap around him, hugging him from behind.
His resolve weakens slightly at that, his dread weakening as he leaned into the gentle touch. "Hey, let's just relax. You've more than earned it." Liam's voice was soft and sweet, with a hint of playful persuasiveness hidden behind his care. It was the softest he'd heard his voice in a while, and he was already basically ready to give in, let him win. He couldn't even feign stubborness, leaning into his embrace, turning around so he could bury his face in his chest.
Not fully letting go, Liam led him to the couch, arranging the pillows so it would more comfortable for him to snuggle into the corners, as he knows Isack always does. "Get comfy, I'll make us some popcorn." He placed a kiss on his forehead and disappeared in the kitchen, in the meantime Isack hesitantly flicked through movies, unsure what to choose, until his eyes skimmed over Cars, which he was fully aware was Liam's favorite movie. He talked about it constantly, how much of an impact it was on him as a child and how it kickstarted his racing career. Looking back over his shoulder to make sure Liam was still distracted, he put it on.
He tried to hide his smirk as Liam returned with a bowl of popcorn and cans of soda. "I might even have some chocolate somewhere - but I've probably finished it all." He rambled mindlessly, but Isack didn't mind, simply enjoying listening to him speak, with pure love and admiration in his eyes. "Whatcha put on?" He asked, oblivious. "You'll see!" Isack called back, trying not to sound too smug. He wasn't completely sure how Liam would react, but knew it was at least going to make him smile.
When Lightning McQueen finally appeared on screen, they both burst into laughter, Liam spitting out playful insults between breaths. "Really, man?" "I mean we can watch a horror movie instead?" Isack teased, the 'h' getting lost in his accent. "No, I'm good." Liam quickly responded, they were both well aware of how easy he gets scared, which never fails to amuse him. It's a subject he'll never let go, Liam would be getting teased about it until the day they die.
Isack grabbed one of the blankets, leaning onto Liam and draping it over the both of them. Liam wanted to complain, but the image of the light drained from his eyes earlier only made him pull Isack closer, smiling lightly to himself. Neither of them talked much, basking in comfortable silence and simply enjoying each other's presence. It had been a while since they were able to spend time like this, just the two of them, with no media, responsiblities, stress, to distract them from the moment. Just the two of them, in perfect peace. It might not last forever, but it was enough for now.