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Thirty-five degrees in the shade. The sun hung over the track like a bleached white disk, its rays seeming to press down rather than warm, pinning the air to the asphalt. The humidity was so intense that even breathing became a chore; every breath felt less like air and more like hot syrup laced with the smell of gasoline and sweat. And they weren't wearing their leathers, only their team uniforms. The thin fabric soaked through within seconds, clinging to their bodies like a second skin and outlining every curve of their muscles.
Toprak sat in the back of a Tuk-Tuk, feeling sweat trickle down his spine. His T-shirt stuck to his back, stretched taut across his shoulders. He ran a hand through his short, damp hair and adjusted his team cap.
He smiled as he looked around the starting grid. Tuk-Tuk racing - now that was fun. Jack was already behind the wheel, eagerly turning it and pressing the gas pedal, the engine making a shrill sound that mingled with the roar of the stands.
But Toprak's attention wasn't on Jack.
It drifted to the Tuk-Tuk parked two rows over.
Fabio Quartararo sat in the passenger seat, one hand wrapped around the metal grab handle. wipping the sweat from his forehead, only for fresh beads to gather there a moment later. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed, his chest rising and falling with heavy breaths. Damp strands of hair clung to his temples beneath his cap, and his sunlit skin gleamed with sweat.
Toprak caught himself breathing faster. The reason was not the blazing sun, but warmth spread through his chest like warm honey.
Tilting his head back, he took a long drink from his water bottle. As he lowered it, he caught Fabio looking directly at him. Toprak gave him a brief nod, bit back a mischievous grin, and winked. Fabio looked away almost instantly.
Satisfaction bloomed in Toprak's chest. He liked knowing he could draw that kind of reaction from him, even in this suffocating heat, when everyone else seemed barely capable of thinking.
"Ready, acrobat?" Jack shouted, starting the engine.
"Always," Toprak replied, a challenge in his voice. "Show them how it's done."
The starting signal rang out, and the stands roared. Toprak leaned out to rock the car - just because it wasn't a motorcycle didn't mean they couldn't do a wheelie and amuse the crowd. Toprak, of all people, always knew how to put on a show. Tuk-Tuks took off, and chaos ensued. Toprak stood up on the seat, holding Jack's shoulder with one hand, balancing with incredible ease, as if he'd lived on a tightrope his whole life.
At the next chicane, Toprak leaned back, arms outstretched like wings, and laughed, throwing his head back. Jack swore, laughing right along with him as he yanked the steering wheel. And at that moment, Toprak's cap flew off. He didn't even try to catch it. It might have been a fun race, but they still intended to win.
Instead, he glanced toward Fabio just as their Tuk-Tuk tipped sharply onto two wheels through the corner. Fabio had leaned out of his seat as well. A second later, his cap was gone too. Toprak laughed happily. Fabio was looking at Toprak, at his wet hair, at his smile, as if he didn’t notice.
The race lasted only two laps. And when they finished, Toprak jumped down onto the asphalt. He looked around for Fabio, only to find Maverick striding toward him, dramatically holding two caps like trophies.
"Thank you, thank you." Toprak reached him first, taking his own cap, but he didn't move away. Instead, he waited as Fabio approached. The moment Fabio stopped a couple of steps away, Maverick flashed them both a sly grin and dropped Fabio's cap straight into Toprak's hands.
"Sort it out yourselves," Vinales said with a smirk.
Fabio and Toprak remained standing face to face. People bustled around them, someone shouted, a television camera rolled past. But for Toprak, all of it faded into a dull blur, as though the world had been covered with a cotton blanket.
A bead of sweat slipped down Fabio's neck, traced the line of his collarbone, and disappeared beneath the collar of his T-shirt. His lips were tense, his breathing uneven.
Toprak held out the cap, but Fabio, without looking at it, stepped closer. He raised his hand, not to the cap, but to Toprak's face. Hot, damp fingertips brushed across his skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake. The touch was light, almost weightless, but it sent an electric shock through him. Toprak's eyes darkened, the smile faded, replaced by a focused, almost predatory attention. He hadn't expected it, but he wanted it. He wanted Fabio to touch him.
"Hot?" he asked, his voice low and rough, nothing like his usual carefree tone.
Fabio didn't pull his hand away. His thumb brushed slowly over Toprak's cheekbone. Toprak instinctively leaned into the touch, his breath catching as warmth rushed to his face. His skin burned beneath Fabio's fingertips, and his heartbeat pounded somewhere in his throat.
"Too hot," Fabio murmured.
Toprak closed his hand around Fabio's wrist. His skin was hot and damp, slippery with sweat, yet Toprak's grip remained firm. Without a word, he led Fabio away from the crowd. Fabio's pulse fluttered beneath his fingers: fast, uneven, like a bird trapped inside a cage. But Fabio didn't try to pull away.
Toprak felt Fabio's hand sweating even more in his, but he didn't want to let it go. On the contrary, he squeezed his fingers tighter, and Fabio, without a word, squeezed back.
Toprak pushed open the door of his motorhome, and they stepped inside. It was dark, the windows were closed. An overworked air conditioner hummed loudly overhead, struggling to keep up with the relentless heat. It was barely any cooler than outside. Without even the slightest breeze, the air felt thick and heavy.
Toprak let go of Fabio's hand and ran his hand through Fabio's wet hair, combing it back.
"It's no better here," he said, almost as though he'd brought Fabio inside to escape the heat. Toprak's face seemed carved from bronze: damp and shiny, with defined cheekbones and dark eyes that glowed. A faint smile tugged at his lips. "But at least no one's watching."
The pulse in Fabio's neck fluttered visibly. Moisture caught the light on his lips, and the slightest tremor passed through his fingertips as he eased himself away from the door and stepped closer.
Toprak closed the remaining distance between them. Close enough to feel the heat radiating from Fabio's body through the air.
He raised a hand and rested it lightly against Fabio's neck, his fingertips tracing the line of his jaw, gathering tiny beads of sweat along the way. Fabio's eyes fluttered shut for a heartbeat, and Toprak saw his lips part slightly.
"You're all wet," Toprak said, his voice almost a whisper. "Like me."
Fabio opened his eyes. A few damp strands of hair lay on his forehead, his eyelashes darkened with sweat, his lips parted in ragged breaths. Toprak couldn't resist. He leaned in, brushing his lips lightly against the damp skin of Fabio's chin, tasting the salty taste.
Fabio shivered. His hands came up to cradle Toprak's face, gently lifting it until their eyes met. The distance between them shrank to a millimeter. Toprak heard Fabio's rapid, ragged breathing and felt his own pulse pound through every inch of his body.
He felt Fabio's muscles tense under his fingers, and how he seemed to forget to breathe when Toprak touched him. Fabio tilted his head slightly, allowing his palm to cup his face, and exhaled so hotly that Toprak felt the air on his lips.
Fabio didn't respond with words. He stepped even closer, pressing their chests to each other, and Toprak felt the wet fabric stick together, creating another layer of heat between them. He lowered his hand to Toprak's waist, his fingers feeling the damp skin beneath the hem of the T-shirt, and ran it up his ribs. The touch was confident, firm, and Toprak exhaled through his teeth, feeling his body respond to every movement.
Their foreheads touched. Fabio's damp locks of hair brushed against Toprak's cheek. They stood there, breathing the same air, and Toprak saw only Fabio's eyes: dark, wide, burning with a hunger that had nothing to do with the Buriram sun. They held the same thirst, the same tension he felt within himself.
He leaned slowly, giving Fabio time to pull away, but Fabio didn't. His eyes closed, and his grip tightened around Toprak's waist.
The outside world disappeared. There was only Fabio's taste, the warmth of his body pressed against his, and the way his breath hitched when Toprak's teeth caught gently on his lower lip. Toprak pulled back just long enough to look at Fabio, to see his dazed expression, the way his lips glistened, wet and swollen.
A soft laugh escaped him. Fabio caught Toprak by the collar, tugging him close again, and their lips met once more: this time slower, deeper, with the promise of what was yet to come.
Behind them, the overworked air conditioner hummed its useless tune. Their caps lay forgotten.