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The bright red letters on the screen above stare down at Liam blaringly, laughing in his face. Flight delayed.
Not to sound like a rich billionaire snob, but he had forgotten about this common thing with commercial flights. Constant delays. Especially for international flights. It's silly to forget that, Liam realises, considering how often delays actually happen. Yet, it has been a long time since he has actually flown on a commercial flight. Flying from country to country, race to race, within the comfort of a private jet had gotten much too comfortable that Liam never really thought too much about the fact that they were private flights. The difference is obvious now that he stands in a public airport for once - though, it is quite empty this late at night.
Why is he taking a commercial flight for the first time in forever again?
Oh, right, because of the boy who sits beside him, leg bouncing in anticipation as he also reads the screen above them, the letters that seal their fate for the next couple hours.
Arvid Lindblad.
Liam would have never guessed he would get a teammate like Arvid. The first time he heard the news of his contract with VCARB, Liam was slightly unsure. Sure, he had met the boy before. But Arvid was quite young, barely eighteen at the time it was confirmed, and Liam had heard whispers about it even before then.
He felt bittersweet that Isack was promoted to Red Bull's main, bigger team. Sad that he had to go, after they had built a nice partnership and friendship in the small time they had together. Glad to see his friend improve and get to experience being in a "Top 4" team, allowing him to really hone in on his driving. Yet, also, upset because that was also once him, albeit briefly, the taste of being greater than he thought he was still lingering on his tongue, while also simultaneously being a taste he can hardly remember.
Despite the sting, he tried to stay positive. Perhaps this could be a good learning experience. Perform well in a midfield car, experience having the youngest driver and one of the only teenagers on the grid as a teammate, try not to go insane throughout the year. Couldn't be too hard, right?
Today's Liam finds that Liam from earlier in the year was being rather dramatic. If anything, having Arvid as a teammate made the first half of this year even smoother to get through. It was unexpected, how quickly they were able to become as close as they were.
Arvid was slightly quiet at first - not exactly shy, maybe more nervous or intimidated, which Liam found funny because he couldn't really say what was so scary about himself. But he understood why, Arvid was a teenager entering the highest level of his sport for the first time. Liam decided he would be as friendly as possible to his new teammate. He wasn't usually one to seek out friends within Formula 1 as he prioritised his work, yet, something about Arvid... he felt as if he should.
In hindsight, it was a good decision. Arvid became comfortable almost immediately. As days passed, his bright smile became more and more visible, until it became the thing that would always greet Liam whenever the two crossed paths. Eventually, Liam also learned that Arvid was a very clingy person. His hands were always moving, touching - an arm around Liam's shoulder, a hand on Liam's waist, fingers drumming Liam's thigh. It was very unlike his past teammate, who was occasionally touchy but really only occasionally, the two usually just shaking hands and sometimes hugging. Arvid just loved making contact, and Liam realised he actually didn't mind it all that much. It came quite natural to them both, that even Liam became wired to touching Arvid constantly too.
Even now, as Arvid's leg bounces anxiously, Liam places down a gentle hand, calming the movement. It slows, then comes to a stop, and Arvid turns his head to Liam and smiles softly, cheeks flushed slightly.
As he whips his head back to the screen, new words flash. Two hour delay - estimated time of departure: 23:30.
"Well, that's just lovely," Arvid exclaims, his accent thickening underneath his annoyance, "I swear, my flights always get delayed. I must bring bad luck around or something."
Liam chuckles, "Mate, don't be silly. Don't commercial flights always get delayed or something? I think it's just bad luck in general, nothing to do with you."
Arvid looks at Liam with an expression Liam can't quite place, "Look at you, trying so hard to defend me!" he shoves Liam with his shoulder playfully, "Reminds me of the race today."
"Ugh, don't even remind me, bro... driving the car today was rough," Liam huffs, "and you literally almost pushed me off track! You're lucky I have good instincts."
Arvid giggles, "More like you just know how I drive and defend. I am sorry for almost crashing into you, though. I don't remember if I apologised yet or not," he sighs, drumming his fingers on his knees, "I really would tear myself apart if I were ever the reason you couldn't finish a race."
"Jeez, where did this come from?" Liam frowns, moving his hand from Arvid's thigh to the top of his closest hand and squeezing, "I'm not mad, seriously. It's racing, and incidents are bound to happen. You did well to avoid me. And even if you did crash into me, I know you wouldn't mean it. Don't beat yourself up over it."
"You're sure?" Arvid questions, with a tone that makes him seem like he's about to start pouting. Liam has to stop himself from imagining the sight.
"I'm sure. Why are you so worried?"
Arvid shrugs, "I don't know, I feel bad! And I feel even worse that my car got the upgrades this week before your car did, just because I qualified higher than you in Silverstone."
Liam furrows his eyebrows. Well, he certainly didn't expect that. It was pretty strange, that the team gambled with the new upgrades and chose to upgrade the car that qualified higher in Silverstone first for the next race in Spa. Arvid did qualify higher, his P9 to Liam's P10, so he got the upgrades for this weekend. Liam would get the upgrades in Budapest later, and he definitely hated it - it had been very obvious that Arvid's car benefitted from the upgrade considering Liam couldn't even finish in the points during the Spa race. But he didn't hold that against Arvid, never would he ever blame Arvid for VCARB's weird strategies.
"That's not your fault, Arvid," Liam tells him sincerely, leaning down to meet his eyes better, "Seriously. You should be proud that you qualified well at your first home race as an F1 driver. And as for the upgrade bullshit, that's the team being all stupid like always. Trust me, I know how stupid the team strategies can get."
"So, you aren't mad at me, like, at all?" Arvid asks one more time, just for good measure.
Liam can't help but chuckle, "No, Arvid, I'm not mad at you! How many times do I have to say it for you to believe me?"
A thought crosses his mind, and for a second, he hesitates to act on it. But then, Liam thinks fuck it, if I don't do this now, Arvid might just stay convinced that I hate him for some reason.
"Here, stand up," Liam lets go of Arvid's hand to adjust his carry-on bag strap over his shoulder, before standing from the bench they're sitting on. Arvid is certainly confused, but he follows what Liam says, standing up and facing Liam. Liam is only a couple centimetres taller, which doesn't mean much, but right now, Arvid seems particularly smaller than usual.
He gives Liam a funny look, "Why are you making me stand suddenly?"
"Shut up. Here," Liam holds out his arms reluctantly, embarrassed that he is actually doing this, "Thinking about it now, this was a fucking stupid idea, but—"
Liam is abruptly cut off by arms circling around him, the warmth of a body against his own. The way Arvid embraces him is like he is trying to blanket himself into Liam, head resting snugly on the area where his collarbone and shoulder meet. His curls tickle Liam's throat, and instinctively, Liam rests his chin on top of Arvid's head. It's nothing all that new - the two hug very often, though it is usually Arvid initiating the contact. But hugging in such a public space, as if it's just the two of them, feels much different to hugging after a double-points finish in a race, or in front of multiple cameras while social media filming. This feels much more... intimate. Liam isn't sure he likes how his heart stutters when he thinks about it, and he hopes Arvid doesn't feel it either.
Instead, he mumbles, "Do you still think I'm mad at you now?"
Liam feels the boy in his arms vibrate with laughs, his throat bobbing up and down against his shoulder, "Hmm... I dunno... you might need to hug me for a little bit longer."
Liam dips his nose in Arvid's hair, "So clingy, as always."
More seconds pass, and Liam's eyes are closed as he takes in the moment. It feels so, so nice. He could get used to this. He does start to feel flustered though, mostly from how much he is enjoying this, but also because he forgot that they are literally in public, embracing each other like... like a couple, or something. Liam's cheeks suddenly heat up, and he jerks himself upright, startling Arvid, who shoots his head up like a scared kitten. Now, Liam feels guilty for interrupting.
"Sorry, sorry, I just thought..." Liam trails off, unable to think of an actual reason for reacting so quickly.
Arvid just smiles, unwrapping his arms from Liam and taking a step back (much to Liam's internal dismay), "No, no, it's okay. Got a bit carried away there," he mutters that second part a bit quieter, "We should probably find something to do for two hours while we wait."
Liam nods in agreement, "Yeah... what even is there to do here? It seems like it's pretty empty since it's late now."
"Hm... well, I remember seeing a bar somewhere when we were coming in. I still feel like I should make it up to you for everything," Arvid's grin grows wider, "So, drinks on me, okay?"
"Hey, no, I couldn't agree to that, mate!"
Arvid scoffs, "You don't have a choice, mate. Take this as a... 'thank you', or something, from me. For being such a good teammate, and friend, so far this season," Liam tries not to latch onto the fact that Arvid considers him his friend, and that he felt the need to emphasise it too, "Please let me do this for you, at least."
Liam glares at Arvid, though without any real malice, before sighing, "Fine, fine. But next time, I'll treat you. You can't object that. It's my responsibility as your older, more experienced teammate."
"Ooh, next time?" Arvid smirks, "We haven't even had our first date yet, Lawson. We're moving a bit fast, aren't we?" he teases.
Liam can feel himself blush heavily, cheeks glowing deep red, and he brings a fist to Arvid's shoulder to hit him gently. Arvid just laughs loudly and grabs his bag, slinging it over his shoulders before leading the way to the bar. Liam still stands, needing a second or two to process. Oh. Okay. So, Arvid just shamelessly flirted with him, and his stupid ass could only punch his shoulder weakly in response. Right. Real smooth, Liam.
He takes a deep breath, exhaling strongly, before catching up to his teammate. He already knows: this is going to be an interesting, terrifying, chaotic two hours of waiting.
The bar is mostly unoccupied, save for the one bartender facing away from the entrance, wiping down the bench. The atmosphere inside is warm, and there is a slight hum that can be heard alongside the faint commotion of the television, playing a football match - the final of the FIFA World Cup.
Liam had sort of been keeping up with it, as much as he could considering how busy he got during this period of the season. New Zealand had done pretty poorly, coming dead last in their group, and since Round of 32 began he had pretty much switched off the football in his mind. He heard bits and pieces of it through Arvid, though, as England had miraculously made it very far - to the semi-finals - and although they lost to Argentina, they would go on to beat France in the third-place playoffs, earning themselves a bronze medal. Arvid had been extremely happy about it, so Liam felt happy too.
He remembers every time England would have a match, every time Arvid would message him during the game, commentating what was happening, even if the times didn't quite match up well with their own timezone. In those cases, Liam would wake up to a message spam wall from Arvid. Not that he minded, as he spent his mornings reading through each text and chuckling, imagining each one being read out in that annoyingly, yet adorably endearing accent that he has.
The final is Spain vs. Argentina - not really a match Liam has much interest in, but he is curious to see who wins. It would be funny to see how the Spaniards of the grid, Carlos and Fernando, and the one Argentine of the grid, Franco, interact with each other next weekend, after the results of the final.
Arvid takes a seat on a bar stool, and Liam sits next to him. He risks a glance in his direction, but Arvid's attention is fully taken by the game, wincing as Argentina just misses a goal.
"Who do you want to win?" Liam asks him, turning his head towards the screen.
Arvid huffs, leaning an elbow on the counter, "For my sanity, not Argentina. I still don't forgive them for that semi-final. Or for the last World Cup."
Liam laughs at how serious Arvid's expression is, to which the latter frowns, "Hey, why are you laughing at me?"
"No, no!" Liam shakes his head, waving his hands in front of himself, "I'm not laughing at you, it's just... you're just so serious."
Arvid runs a hand through his curls, Liam's eyes following the motion, "Laughing at my stress? How mean."
Before Liam can make a silly remark back, the bartender clears her throat, "Hello, welcome to the greatest bar in Brussels Airport!" she exclaims, in a very obviously Belgian accent, "What do these two very pretty boys want to drink?"
Arvid flushes slightly, scratching the nape of his neck, "I'll, uh, let the prettier one order first," he gestures weakly towards Liam, who has to stop himself from falling backwards off his chair.
Oh. He just called you pretty, Liam. Arvid fucking Lindblad just called you pretty. Right.
"U-um," Liam stumbles, unable to form proper words, "well, uh, I'll get an espresso martini, I think. I mean, yeah, I will."
Wow, that was very gracious and not a disaster at all, Liam curses himself in his head.
The bartender seems to notice his struggle and giggles at him, "Alright, one espresso martini for you. And you, sir?" she turns to Arvid.
"A strawberry daiquiri for me, thanks," Arvid smiles widely.
"And a strawberry daiquiri," she repeats, before grinning, slightly impishly, "Won't be a long wait, you two. I will be right back," then she disappears into the back.
Well, that just happened.
Liam looks at Arvid, who smiles at him shyly, cheeks tinted light pink. He looks adorable, the way he is trying to contain his smile but also hide how flustered he is at the same time. Liam has to force himself to rip his eyes away. He tries to focus on the football instead, but it's pretty hard to because, well, Arvid is just so addicting to look at. The football is not nearly as tempting to watch.
There's a silence between the two that's not exactly comfortable, but it's not awkward either. Liam wants to talk but words catch in his throat, and he becomes scared that he might say something completely wrong or weird and absolutely fumble.
Eventually, the bartender returns with the two drinks and a twinkle in her eyes. She sets them down on the counter in front of the two.
"A strawberry daiquiri for you," she smiles at Arvid, "and an espresso martini for 'the prettier one', she winks at Liam, who almost chokes on his own saliva. He takes a sip of his drink to hide his face.
Arvid just giggles sweetly - because, of course he does - and tells the bartender, "Thank you so much! I'm paying for both of us, so you can bring the tab to me whenever you're ready."
The bartender nods, "Of course!" she points a finger towards Liam's direction, "You've scored yourself quite the gentleman," she grins, "you're both very lucky to have each other. Enjoy your time together."
With that, she disappears into the back of the bar. When Liam glances outside, it looks even more empty than before - it's nearing 10pm and all the other stores are starting to close. Most of the lights would turn off soon, and Liam and Arvid would be left in a quite secluded airport with over an hour to kill until their flight.
The football has reached half-time, but even if it were still playing, Arvid doesn't seem very interested in the game anymore. He has completely turned to face Liam, sipping on his drink calmly, contrasting heavily with the sensation within Liam's heart and stomach. Liam stares shamelessly, watching how his eyelashes flutter as he takes a sip, glancing down to peer at his daiquiri as he drinks. He looks up and meets eyes with Liam, who cannot suppress a gentle smile. Arvid furrows his eyebrows.
"Mm? Why are you staring at me?"
Liam chuckles to himself, taking another sip of his own drink, "Your tongue is red."
Arvid frowns, then tries to stick out his tongue to see the bright red colour. The sight makes Liam laugh more - he looks incredibly silly, poking his tongue around, and Liam just adores him. So, so much.
"Mate, you are so childish."
"Excuse me, I'm still eighteen, you know," Arvid protests, punching Liam's bicep lightly, "I'm allowed to be childish."
Liam scoffs, "I didn't say it's a bad thing. I, uh, think it's... really cute."
Arvid pauses for a second, looking at Liam as if trying to find a loophole in what he had just said. Liam feels as if he's being laid bare, as if Arvid can hear all his thoughts and emotions aloud, and he swallows but doesn't break the contact. His heartbeat is loud in his ears, so loud he worries Arvid can hear it too.
Liam thinks about why he's here again, in this airport, waiting to take a commercial flight with his teammate, his best friend, either or both - the line has blurred a lot since the beginning of the season. He could have taken a private flight like he always does. He had it booked and ready for Sunday night. But, Arvid approached him with a sheepish smile, and fiddled with his hands as he proposed that the two take a commercial flight together. Since it's cheap, Arvid told him he could pay for it all - the ticket, the extra luggage weight if he needed it. The way he was asking, it seemed to Liam that he was trying his hardest to get him to agree with the idea. And, well, how could Liam say no to Arvid, with his eyes sparkling desperately and his bottom lip jutting out eagerly? Honestly, even if Arvid had said nothing, Liam would agree with anything he suggested.
Thinking about it now, that's a very dangerous thing to admit. Liam might be completely screwed.
After the race, they had collected all their things and took the same car to the airport. It was just the two of them - nobody else in the team joining them on the flight. They have been by each other's side all night, for maybe four hours in total. Sitting beside each other during the drive to the airport, knees brushing whenever the car would take a turn. Checking in together, giggling at each other when going through security, holding their breaths before seeing if their luggage meets the weight requirement or not. Sitting by the gate together, watching the same screen, waiting for the time they can finally board the plane. Seeing that screen flash red at the same time, learning that their flight is delayed several hours, but making the most of their time together where they can.
Liam is starting to think he would like to do this more often. Spend time together - outside of racing, outside of filming for PR - maybe take more flights with each other, even if they are commercial flights and even if they do get delayed. It would all be worth it with the boy sitting across from him.
This boy, who just won't stop staring into Liam's eyes with his own beautiful ones. Liam tries to yell at himself to look away, but he's stuck in a trance that he would much rather like to stay within. It's so silent, the lasting lingering chatter from outside entirely gone now. Like they're the only people in the airport, or in the world. Liam's gaze move downwards, to Arvid's nose bridge, to the curve of his cupid's bow, his lips, down to his throat. He watches as it bobs up and down as Arvid swallows.
A sudden urge runs through Liam's body. He wants to lean in and claim all of Arvid for himself. His forehead, his cheeks, his lips, his chin, his neck, his collarbone... everything. It's a strange feeling of greed and want, but also dedication and passion, and it feels oddly similar to the adrenaline that flows in his veins when he races. Except, somehow, even more natural, like his being has always known that Arvid is his other half, even before they knew each other.
Liam coughs abruptly and the trance is broken. Both of the boys look in every direction that isn't each other, searching for something to distract themselves. Liam reaches for his glass to take a sip before he realises that he has finished his drink already - since when? - and he sets his glass back down on the counter with a soft clink. Arvid's fingers tap nearby in an irregular rhythm, one that Liam recognises. He's nervous. Liam wants to place his hand on his like he always does, but this time, he doesn't know if he should. He opens his mouth to say something, anything, to break this weird silence, but Arvid beats him to it.
"Um... am I... reading this wrong?"
His voice is small, unsure, as if he can't tell whether he is allowed to be asking this. It's so unlike the way he usually speaks, that Liam unconsciously frowns. He sounds so terrified, even more so than the first time they met after becoming teammates. But he understands. Liam is scared too, afraid of what could happen and what this could do to their relationship and their careers. Liam already feels as if his future is stagnant - he's already been promoted to a big team and then they booted him out again as quickly as he started. But Arvid... he's only just a rookie. He has his whole career in front of him. And yet, he's willing to put that all on the line for Liam? What did Liam even do for this?
Despite the fear and uncertainty, Liam wants to put on a brave face for Arvid. He wants to assure the boy across from him that he doesn't need to worry when they're together.
There's an itch in Liam's hand, and he almost reaches forward, when he sees the bartender emerge from behind with the tab.
"Hey, you two, sorry to interrupt," she apologises, placing the tab in front of Arvid, "I have to close the bar now, so I'm gonna have to kick you both out."
The bartender must notice the weird tension between the two, because she visibly winces. Arvid just sighs silently and pays, then starts to stand up and leave. His strawberry daiquiri is left half finished on the counter. Liam is frozen - he doesn't know what to do. He looks at the bartender, who raises her eyebrows at him.
"Well, you're the only one who can fix... whatever this is," she tells him carefully, "Trust me, it isn't easy. Love is never easy. But, if you really care about him, it shouldn't matter," she smiles gently.
The words take a second or two to process. Love...
Is that what this is? Is Liam... in love with Arvid? Is that why he always wants to be by his side, always wants to know what he's thinking about? He wants to be an important part of his life, as important as Arvid is to him. He wants to be the person Arvid looks for first in a crowd, that he turns to when he's feeling low, because he knows Liam will be the one to cheer him up. Above everything, Liam just wants to belong to Arvid.
Fuck. So, he is in love with Arvid.
Liam mumbles a quick 'thank you' before stumbling out of his seat and running after Arvid. He is exhausted from today's race, and his legs will probably be so sore during the flight later, but he really couldn't fucking care less anymore. The boy he loves is walking away from him, convinced that the feelings aren't mutual, when they most definitely are. Now, it's up to Liam to salvage them.
"Arvid! Arvid, wait!"
Liam is out of breath when he catches up to the younger, and he grabs his arm desperately to make sure he doesn't keep walking. Arvid stops, obviously not expecting the contact, and spins around with wide eyes. Liam's heart breaks - he looks so devastated, an emotion he has never seen casted so vividly on his face. They are standing in some random dimly-lit corridor where there is nobody but them. The very few lights in the area light up Arvid's face, reflect in his eyes, and Liam realises that Arvid is tearing up.
Liam lets go of Arvid's arm to try wipe his eyes, but Arvid immediately steps back. Liam furrows his eyebrows in frustration.
"Arvid, please—"
"I-I know, I know, I'm sorry," Arvid splutters, turning his face away, unable to look Liam in the eyes, "you don't have to say anything. I know I just made things weird and fucked everything up, like always," his lip begins to quiver, "w-we can just, you know, forget this ever happened."
Liam shakes his head, "Arvid, you need to listen to me."
But Arvid just exhales, caught up in the moment, and the tears in his eyes finally fall, "The last thing I wanna do is ruin things between us, I-I care about you a lot and I don't want anything to change. I'm so fucking sorry, Liam, please, just l-let it go—"
For once, Liam acts on his urges. He should've done this a long time ago.
He grabs Arvid by both sides of his jaw and pulls him in, their lips crashing together suddenly but not harshly. Liam feels Arvid melt underneath his hold, but he doesn't quite kiss back yet. The feeling of kissing Arvid, something Liam has wanted for a long, long time, is unexplainable in the best way. He can taste the strawberry on Arvid's tongue, but also a mix of some vanilla lip balm he's noticed Arvid has used before along with the salt of his tears catching on his lips. Eventually, Arvid does kiss Liam back, and the sensation becomes somehow even better than it already was. Liam chases Arvid's lips, kissing deeper, and Arvid just lets him enter. Liam feels a hand find its place on his chest.
They kiss for a few seconds longer, before Liam pulls back, needing to breathe. Holy shit. He did not just do that.
He takes his hands off Arvid, "Oh, o-oh my god, I'm sorry, I just... I had to! Arvid, mate, you just wouldn't shut up!"
Liam watches as Arvid blinks a couple times, breaking himself out of whatever trance he was in during their kiss. He seems even more confused and overwhelmed than before.
"Wait, w-wait, I..." he places the hand that is not on Liam's chest on his forehead, "I'm so— I'm lost. Y-you... did you just kiss me?"
Liam can't help but laugh endearingly, "Yes, I did. And you certainly kissed me back, too."
Arvid swallows, shaking his head a couple times, as if in disbelief. He starts to cry again, and Liam instinctively reaches out this time, cupping his face gently and wiping the tears before they fall.
"Arvid, don't cry," Liam whispers, putting their foreheads together, "It's okay. I'm here, you're here, and we're together. It's just us here. We'll be alright."
"Man, I'm so dramatic," Arvid chuckles self-depreciatingly, sniffling quietly, "I-I don't know why I'm crying. I just, I was just so convinced I messed something up, and I was so scared you would hate me, which is the last thing I would ever want, and—"
Liam wraps his arms around Arvid and pulls him in, his chin on top of his head like always. He feels his shirt become wet from tears, as Arvid sobs into his shoulder. Liam rubs circles on his back and places light pecks within his curls. For a moment, they settle in each other's arms. Then Arvid begins to pull away, so Liam lets go and allows the boy to stand upright. Arvid wipes his eyes with the back of his hands, before smiling softly.
"I guess this is my fault for overthinking," he jokes, and Liam frowns, pinching his cheek lightly.
"Stop blaming yourself," he scolds, then lets his cheek go and runs a hand in Arvid's hair, the curls tickling his fingertips.
Arvid unconsciously leans into the touch, closing his eyes. Liam's hand finds the back of his neck as he mumbles, "So, what happens now?"
"Um... well, I didn't really plan on this," Arvid blushes, glancing away all flustered.
Liam just adores everything about this boy. He leans closer, grinning, "We can work it out. No rush, okay? We have all the time in the world."
Arvid looks at him. He finally grins back widely, that smile that Liam loves so much, and nods, "Okay. I trust you."
Liam places a small kiss on his lips, "I'm glad. I... I really love you, you know? I just had to say it."
Arvid's eyes widen, before he replies, "I love you too," and giggles, cheeks blooming bright red. Liam is sure he's blushing even more wildly right now.
He leans in again and kisses Arvid more passionately, keeping one hand on the back of his neck while the other finds his waist and squeezes. Arvid makes an addicting noise and kisses back, hands gripping onto Liam's biceps. When Liam pulls away, he finally does what he's been wanting to do since the bar. He suddenly aims upwards and places a kiss on his forehead, on both of the curves of his cheeks, on the underside of his jaw, and down to his neck, nipping and licking. He lingers on Arvid's neck for a while, to which the younger whines.
"Liam, stop, we're in an airport. This is a public space," Arvid tells him, to which Liam pulls away in a huff.
"Shut up, do you know how long I've been waiting to kiss your neck?" he groans, peering around the corridor, "There's no one else in here, we'll be fine. I'll be gentle, and I won't leave a mark or anything right now, I promise."
Arvid sighs, but can't complain any longer, "Okay, fine. You better behave yourself, though."
This isn't the first time Arvid has spoken to him with a stern tone, but this time... it's different. Liam's brain automatically wants to listen, as much as he doesn't want to contain himself when he can finally have Arvid all to himself. He has to tell himself, it's okay, he's all yours from now on. Just be patient.
He places more soft kisses around Arvid's throat, and then he travels down to his collarbone and plants a few kisses there too. Then, Liam gives Arvid's lips one more long, sweet kiss before finally pulling away, only maintaining the hand on his waist.
"See," Liam shrugs, "I behaved."
Arvid laughs, caressing Liam's cheek and placing a kiss on his nose, "Yeah, yeah, you did. What, do you want me to call you 'good boy' like Admin does?"
Liam scrunches his face in disgust, "Yeah, nah, I'd rather you not do that."
Arvid throws his head back as he giggles, "I'm glad. I love you, but that's way too cringey for me.
Liam can't help but smile as he leans in and pecks Arvid quickly on the lips, "I hope you know I'm not gonna be able to resist kissing you all the time now that I know that I can."
"Can't be too mad at that," Arvid beams, the fangs of his teeth catching the little light in the corridor, making them glow white.
Liam takes his hand off Arvid's waist and intertwines it with one of Arvid's hands, fingers locking together like puzzle pieces like fit perfectly. He brushes Arvid's knuckles with his lips, as Arvid only blushes harder.
"Then, it would be my absolute honour to ask you to be my boyfriend," Liam proposes solemnly, squeezing Arvid's hand tighter.
Arvid seems like he's going to tear up again, as he whispers, "And it would be my honour to say yes, I would love to be your boyfriend. As long as you'll be mine, too."
"Of course, silly. Come here."
Liam brings Arvid into his arms, the younger boy instantly melting into Liam's embrace. He feels Arvid press his cheek into his shoulder, and he finds the gesture extremely endearing. He caresses Arvid's back gently, a warmth radiating from him that Liam wishes he could just live in forever. It's now when he realises that, just maybe, that could really happen.
"I love you," he hears Arvid mumble into his chest, close to his heart.
"I love you too," Liam utters. And in the still, dark hallway of this airport, he knows in the end, they'll be alright.
Somehow, the next hour couldn't have gone any quicker. It feels like Liam only blinks, and suddenly it's time to board their flight.
Although he wishes for more one-on-one time with Arvid, he also knows that this definitely won't be the last time they would spend alone time together now that they've finally expressed their feelings for each other. Arvid is very clearly more giddy now, a big contrast from the crying mess that he was earlier - and of course, Liam is glad that he's feeling better. As the two board the plane, which is much less packed than expected, Arvid is gripping Liam's wrist tightly, basically skipping his way through the tunnel to the plane's entrance door. Why Arvid's in such a rush, Liam couldn't say, but he just lets himself get dragged, loud chuckles escaping his lips.
"Jeez, Arvid, slow down!" Liam exclaims, through a fit of giggles, "The plane isn't gonna leave just yet."
"No, we should be the first ones on the plane!" Arvid argues, Liam finding his massively competitive nature quite funny. Liam's quite competitive too, but over things that are actually a competition, while Arvid, adorably, just loves to make everything a game.
Arvid does slow down once they approach the entrance, likely embarrassed because of the flight attendants watching him. Liam laughs at him, ruffling his free hand in his curls, as Arvid glares at him. It doesn't take long for them to find their seats. Arvid offers to put Liam's carry on bag in the overhead compartment, which Liam appreciates immensely. Since Arvid had bought the tickets, and knowing his preferences, Liam expects Arvid to take the window seat. But Arvid just stands, and they stare at each other for a second before Arvid gestures towards the seats.
"Are you gonna sit down, or...?"
Liam frowns at him, "Don't you want the window seat?"
Arvid shrugs, "I mean, I like the window seat, but I want you to have it."
"Why?" Liam furrows his eyebrows, "You always want the window seat. You never wanna give it up."
"Aw," Arvid smiles sweetly, "you pay attention to my habits?"
Liam scoffs, face going slightly red, "Well, yeah, of course I do."
Arvid giggles quietly, before grabbing Liam's wrist and pulling him into the row of seats, then pushing on his shoulders to sit him down in the window seat. Liam just lets himself get manhandled, knowing that no matter how much he protests, Arvid isn't going to give up easily. Liam watches as Arvid sits in the seat beside him, satisfied grin forming on his lips.
Liam sighs, but can only smile lightly at the boy, "Well, thank you, Arvid. Next time, you can have the window seat, okay?"
"Okay," Arvid grins back widely. He glances around for a couple seconds, and Liam watches him with a curious expression before Arvid quickly leans forward and plants a kiss on Liam's cheek. He laughs, and Liam just shakes his head. God, he loves this boy so much.
Then, Arvid points to the window, "Can you open it?"
"It's so dark outside, there isn't much to see," Liam says as he does so anyway, the lights on the runway illuminating through the glass.
"When we're in the clouds, I wanna see the stars," Arvid explains as his eyes remain fixed outside.
"Nah, mate, you're probably gonna sleep the whole flight."
Arvid shoves his shoulder with a gentle hand, "Hey, no, trust me, I'll wake up in the middle of the flight. You know me."
And the funny thing is, Liam does know Arvid. He doesn't sleep well on flights, especially overnight ones - he'll probably get a couple hours of sleep in before his body decides to wake up again and once he's awake, he isn't good at going back to sleep. Liam can just... remember these facts about Arvid so easily, like a mathematician knows their times tables, or a racing driver knows a track's racing line. He wonders whether it's the same for Arvid too. Does Arvid memorise random, insignificant facts about Liam, even ones that Liam himself has never noticed?
Liam pulls out his phone and his airpods and places them both on his lap, "If you wake up before me during the flight, and you get really bored, you can listen to music on my phone," he looks away for a second or two as he adds, "My phone password is, um, your birthday."
Silence stretches on for a few seconds, and Liam can feel Arvid's stare burning onto the side of his face. He finally looks back at him. Arvid has his lips pressed together in concentration.
Soon, he says, "I didn't even know you knew my birthday," before giggling to himself.
Liam is rightfully offended, "What— what do you mean?" he pinches Arvid's cheek playfully, "I know basically every random thing about you, surely you'd think I know your birthday!"
Arvid tries to avoid Liam's hand, but to no avail as Liam successfully grips his cheek, "Well, okay, when you put it like that..."
"Mate. You are so lucky you're cute," Liam lets go of Arvid's cheek, pokes it a couple times, and then puts his hand on Arvid's thigh.
Arvid's face flushes, "Watch out, Lawson, I might start to like you way too much."
Liam sticks a tongue out, "Oh, so now you don't love me anymore?"
"Mate, stop ragebaiting me," Arvid shoves Liam's shoulder a second time, "Usually, you're the easy one to ragebait."
"I just know how to push your buttons, Lindblad," Liam smirks, "Much like how I know your birthday too."
"Bro, the joke's over, let it go!"
They laugh loudly together, not really caring about anyone else in the plane but each other. Liam, so badly, wants to lean over and kiss Arvid again, but now the seat to Arvid's right is occupied, and he doesn't want to risk anything that major.
At some point, Arvid picks up Liam's phone, "Take a selfie of us," he urges.
"Jeez, so needy," Liam complains, but opens the camera app anyway and holds the phone up to get the two of them in frame.
Liam watches Arvid through the phone, at the beautiful smile Arvid always has as he leans into the shot. He has to suppress a cheesy grin of adoration, settling for a simple upturn of the lips instead. He takes a few selfies before bringing the phone back down to swipe through the photos, thoroughly inspecting each one. He chooses one he thinks Arvid looks particularly cute in, goes onto Instagram and posts the selfie with a simple caption, shouting out the airline.
Arvid watches him and nods, "Gotta commemorate the special day."
"No one's gonna know it's a 'special' day," Liam chuckles as he locks his phone, "To the fans, it'll just be, like, a normal selfie with the two of us."
Arvid licks his lips, "Well, yeah. The fans will go crazy, anyway. They like seeing us together."
Liam snorts, "Yeah, true. I don't understand why."
"I guess they can see something that we weren't able to figure out until an hour ago," Arvid jokes. Liam laughs, but then falls silent, squeezing his thigh softly.
"I'm glad we figured it out," he mutters, lowering himself until he's leaning against Arvid's shoulder.
Arvid leans on Liam's head, turning to press a kiss between his eyebrows, "Me too."
This time, Arvid holds up his phone and takes a selfie - this one much more intimate and candid than the first. Neither of them are smiling widely, Liam's eyes are half closed as he is dozing off, and Arvid is looking at him lovingly. This one isn't for Instagram, or for anyone else to see, except for the two of them. Arvid pulls his phone closer, taking some closer shots of a sleepy Liam. Now, these photos are certainly for Arvid, and Arvid only.
He glances at Liam again and sees that he has basically fallen asleep. Arvid smiles at the sight, before shifting slightly to make their position more comfortable for both of them, and placing a hand on top of Liam's hand, which is on his thigh. He traces shapes on the rough skin of the top of Liam's hand, lulling him into a proper sleep. It's been a long night for both of them, that's for sure. With his free hand, he quickly goes onto Instagram, reposts Liam's story to his own story and adds a short hashtag (#stayhumble) before pressing post. Then, he locks his phone and places it between his legs as he leans against Liam again.
It doesn't take him long to fall asleep too. Although he knows he'll wake up in only an hour or so, he also knows that the boy next to him already has everything catered for him. Above all, he knows Liam will always be there when Arvid needs his boyfriend the most.
(When Arvid wakes an hour later, the plane is dark and quiet. He glances at the window and sees a light sprinkle of stars across the black sky.
He can hear the light, regular breaths from the boy beside him - Liam is definitely still asleep, though their likely movement while asleep had shifted them so now they are no longer leaning on each other. Carefully, to not wake him up, Arvid reaches for Liam's phone and airpods that are still somehow balancing on Liam's thighs. He places one airpod in the ear away from Liam, hearing the 'beep' that indicates that they are connected.
When he turns on Liam's phone, his wallpaper is a painfully adorable photo of him and his niece, hugging tightly with the biggest grins on their faces. Arvid has to take a couple of seconds to study the photo before swiping up to type in the password. My birthday, huh... Despite being told earlier, he's still surprised when he types in the digits of his birthday and the phone successfully unlocks. Arvid can't help but wonder how long Liam has been harbouring feelings for him. Is it as long as Arvid has been crushing on him?
(He doubts it - he's been admiring Liam way before he was even being considered for F1.)
Arvid and Liam's music tastes aren't completely different, but they aren't quite the same either. Even so, Arvid likes the music Liam frequently plays, so he decides to go into Liam's Spotify account and plays what he assumes is his main chill music playlist. He doesn't recognise whatever song plays first, but it feels so unmistakeably Liam that Arvid can't resist a tiny smile. He places the airpods case and Liam's phone carefully onto his lap. Glancing at Liam, who is sleeping quite peacefully, he quickly leans towards him and kisses his nose before laying back against his seat and closing his eyes.
He won't fall back asleep anytime soon, but knowing that he will be the first face Liam sees when the sun starts to rise fills Arvid with a fuzzy feeling he can't describe. He thinks he's starting to understand what love feels like.)
arvi 🩷
im not taking it easy on you on track btw
gonna smoke you this weekend! lots of luv though 🫶
Alright bring it on Lindblad.
You're gonna be on your knees begging when I'm done with you
arvi 🩷
lmao
someone's horny!
don't worry we have some spare time after media on thursday 😸
i won't let my lovely boyfriend go all hungry
you won't have to be gentle this time
Shut up
Don't leave me waiting too long on Thursday
I miss you already
arvi 🩷
miss you too liam
i'll be right at your door as soon as i'm done with media
now get some rest okay?
i'll call you in the morning
Okay okayyy
Good night Arvid I love you
Talk to you in the morning ❤️
arvi 🩷
sleep well li
i love you even more ❤️