Charlos || Charles Leclerc x Carlos Sainz Jr.

Great Britain

(Ewwwwwww)

Carlos had won the race. It was the first win of his career and he couldn't stop smiling. He felt like he was on cloud nine, the victory so sweet that it made him forget all his troubles, just for a moment. When the champagne stopped pouring and the crowd's cheers got further and further away, however, it all came back to him. Charles was standing in the corner looking forlorn, displeased with his fourth place after some questionable strategy choices by the team. Charles put on a smile and walked up to congratulate him. Carlos wanted nothing more than to pull the other man into a hug, but their exchange was short and curt. Carlos smiled weakly as Charles walked away. Something akin to loneliness tugged at his heart.

But before he could disappear from the team and sulk alone, Lando appeared, a huge smile plastered to his face. He pulled Carlos into a half-hug and leaned in to whisper in his ear, "I'm proud of you." It was shockingly sincere considering Lando's usual joking tone, but after a beat he added, "babe," just to remain on brand. They pulled apart and smiled at each other, Lando's grin reflecting a genuine happiness for the other's victory. Carlos's heart felt a little lighter.

Lando was about to walk away when Carlos spoke, "Wait, do you want to hang out later?"

Lando turned back, a smile still plastered to his face. "Yeah, of course!"

From outside, Charles watched this exchange. He was at war with himself over it. He knew that he shouldn't have been ignoring Carlos, and he shouldn't have asked out Charlotte without Carlos's knowledge. He knew that it was only natural for Carlos to be seeking out other support when Charles was distant. He knew all these things but that didn't stop jealousy from blooming in his chest.

Suddenly Daniel Ricciardo appeared at his side, following his gaze to where Carlos and Lando were having their giggly conversation. He leaned in, his voice low as he asked Charles, "do you think they're back together?"

Charles' head snapped to face Daniel. His expression must have given away his shock because the next thing Daniel said was, "Oh? You didn't know?"

"They were together??" He hissed back.

Daniel looked startled by his surprise. "Yeah, Lando told me they used to hook up. I assumed you knew."

Charles had no response, but his face gave his whirling emotions away. The image of Carlos with Lando made him nauseous. Daniel suddenly looked very uncomfortable with the energy he had created in the studio and quickly said, "You didn't hear this from me," before half walking, half running away.

🏎 🏎 🏎

Charles lay on his hotel bed, scrolling endlessly on his phone. It was nice to relax alone after such a stressful race, but he couldn't stop thinking about Carlos, probably out partying surrounded by models and influencers. Probably out partying with Lando. The thought made him sick.

They had been together, and Carlos didn't tell him. It made him start questioning everything about their relationship. He couldn't help but feel a little used. He hated to think that he was just Carlos's type, that he went after all of his teammates. What they had felt so real, could he really have been that blind?

Before he could start spiraling further, his phone rang. The caller id showed that it was his mom. He answered it, needing to talk to someone about his feelings.

"Hey sweetie," his mom started, "I'm so sorry about the race, how are you doing?"

Charles chose to dive right into it and went with unprecedented honesty. "I'm over it, but apparently Carlos was boinking Lando and I had to find out from Daniel of all people."