Charlos || Charles Leclerc x Carlos Sainz Jr.

Abu Dhabi

The season's end was bittersweet. Charles managed second in the championship, but it was still second. Charles and Carlos's relationship had grown over the past year, but now he had to say goodbye to a former teammate.

At Sebastian Vettel's retirement dinner, Carlos and Charles walked in together, earning knowing grins from Lando, Max, and Pierre. The food was good and the company was even better. Everyone said their piece about appreciating Sebastian, and Charles would be lying if he said it wasn't moving.

Walking back to Carlos's room, Charles got very quiet thinking about everything that was said. Carlos looked up from his phone, somehow walking and posting the group photo on Instagram. He walked into Charles's side, nudging him forcefully.

"What's up," he asked, voice soft.

"Just thinking."

Carlos just hummed in response, brushing their hands together. At this motion, Charles had the strange urge to cry. He didn't, instead brushing their hands again and turning towards a lit ice cream shop.

"Want to get ice cream?" Charles asked, grinning.

Carlos returned the look conspiratorially. "I could eat."

Stepping into the shop, the scent of freshly baked waffle cones washed over them. The two people behind the counter wore matching pinstripe aprons, the menu was written in chalk, and the flavors all sounded delicious and in some instances very unique.

They stared at the menu for a bit while a small group of teenagers ordered ahead of them. Stepping up to the counter at last, the cashier greeted them with a warm smile.

"I'll have a single scoop of cinnamon roll," Charles ordered first.

"And I'll have a single scoop of bubblegum," Carlos added.

Their ice cream was promptly scooped out of metal tins. The cups they were handed definitely had more than a single scoop, but neither of them complained.

Walking back to the hotel, ice cream in hand, Charles teased Carlos about his flavor of choice while Carlos paid him no mind. He meticulously separated every small piece of bubble gum and set it to the side as he ate.

Charles ignored this until he was scraping the bottom of his cup, throwing the paper container into the nearest trash can. "Aren't you done?" he asked, leaning in to peer at the bubblegum pieces stacked at the bottom of Carlos's cup.

"Almost," Carlos replied, shoveling all the bubble gum pieces into his mouth at once.

"What the fuck?"

Through the chuck of bubblegum he was chewing, Carlos answered, "The pieces are too small individually so you have to save them until the end to get a satisfying piece of gum."

"Nah I'd say they're average."

"Maybe even above average."

"Huge."

"Some might even say too much."

🏎 🏎 🏎

While Charles was met with huge cheers in the garage, Carlos's entrance was much less verbose. Although he wasn't covered in champagne or enraptured in a huge group hug, he was happy with his fourth in the race and fifth in the championship. He was also happy to see Charles met with such excitement. After all the year had thrown at him, he deserved it.

He said his thanks, accepted congratulations from his team, and found a quiet corner to sit in. He figured there was already a huge party planned for the night to celebrate Charles's second place in the championship and he knew he should appreciate a moment to himself while he could.

He caught Charles's eye before leaving and was met with a nod and a smile. He smiled back, hoping the flash of teeth would convey how proud he was.

With a fresh cup of coffee in hand, he found an empty room and sat down, placing his phone on the table next to him. He had planned to not check it until at least tomorrow, not ready to deal with social or traditional media, but a certain chime caught his attention.

He had designated ringtones for all his family members to designate urgent messages from others. This sound in particular he hadn't heard for months. His mother.

His heartbeat quickened as his mind raced with possibilities. Downing the rest of his coffee and slamming the paper cup down, he shook out his limbs in an effort to release pent up anxiety. He rarely got this nervous over messages, but this one in particular felt like it had the power to destroy him.

Taking a deep breath, he picked up his phone and swiped up.

Estoy tan orgullosa de ti. I'm so proud of you.

*** 

Saucy accompaniment to be posted later this week if that's your thing. 

Abie and ReyRey??? This is the last race of season??? Why isn't this marked as complete?

Three words: Late Christmas Special.