Work Text:
Carlos notices things that Cecil does.
One thing he notices is that Cecil sings embarrassingly loud and horrible to whatever is playing in the car. Is it Beyoncé? Is it The Beatles? Is it Nicki Minaj? You bet your ass Cecil will try to hit all of the incredibly high notes at the end of “Love on Top” or go as fast a Nicki Minaj does.
Carlos asks why he sings along to the music no matter what. The song, something fast by Katy Perry maybe, is up very loud, so Carlos leans to turn it down just a little.
Cecil keeps his eyes on the road, but he frowns a little.
“Why do you sing along to everything?”
“Should I stop it?” Cecil asks, suddenly panicking, taking the curve just a little fast and Carlos panics a little next.
“No, no, I like it,” Carlos says, reassuring him, laughing. “Just, why do you sing along to everything?”
“I like to sing,” Cecil answers. “It just makes me happy.” He shrugs. “I like talking, too, Carlos.”
“I know you do, Cecil.”
Cecil grins and looks at the other a moment. “It just adds something fun to having to drive? I hate driving if there is no music. Or if there’s not someone else with me.”
Carlos understands. Car rides with nothing to do or look at are the absolute worst. Cecil signals his right turn appropriately and slyly leans back to turn the music back up. The song has changed now. It sounds familiar to Carlos. He listens for a second, and when it gets to the chorus, Cecil belts out the words Carlos has been hearing on the radio stations for weeks. Carlos leans against the open window, feeling wind in his hair and, with a smile, watches Cecil.