A/N: The Spanish GP has been the best Grand Prix I've ever been to, and this has been my 15th one! I feel so grateful to have been able to do this and to witness this with my dad, to whom I owe so much. Being there gave me a few extra insights for this chapter, and I can't wait to read your reactions to this special chapter!
Carlos believes he's a great teammate. Maybe that's not always the case on track during a race or during interviews, but he is a good teammate and an even better friend. The thing is, if Carlos wants to continue being a good friend to his current teammate, that might involve some scheming. And if there's one thing he's good at, it's coming up with something audacious.
Ever since the Spaniard left Montréal, he's been thinking of a way to knock some sense into his lovely idiot of a teammate. However, it's his girlfriend who comes up with the idea while on their private flight toward Barcelona.
"It's obvious Charles has stuff he has to resolve, babe. He's not ready to open up himself, so I would just let him be. You can't fix it for them. It'll only make things worse if you're involved. They might even stop talking if all of you keep interfering."
Okay, maybe Rebecca doesn't exactly tell him that he has to make things a lot worse before they can get better, but that's what he takes away from it. So the moment Max texts him that he's landed and is on his way to the hotel Ferrari and Red Bull share this weekend, Carlos gets to work.
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"You need to bully him."
"I have to do what?" Max's expression can rival the surprised Pikachu meme, and Carlos has to bite his lower lip to refrain from laughing. "I'm not bullying Charles, Carlos! Last time I did, we ended up on a very painful flight home without any words being said for hours. And he even unfollowed me!"
"Do you trust me, or not?" Carlos swears he can see the wheels in Max's head turn as he mulls over the question.
"You were my first teammate and the first one to hug me after I won my first championship. Of course I do."
"Then trust me and do what I say. Bully Charles."
"To his face? What will I even say?" Max is rubbing the spot behind his ear again. Carlos slaps his hand away. "Hey!"
"Stop doing that. It gives you away!" Carlos hisses, painfully aware they're in a lobby Charles could walk into at any given moment.
"Gives what away?" Max asks with a frown. Carlos has no idea how the Dutchman could be so oblivious about pretty much everything non-racing-related.
"That you're nervous. You do it every time Charles is near. You do it with Daniel, too. Stop it!"
"I do not. I just have an itch."
"Yeah, from rubbing it all the times you're nervous."
"I'm never nervous!"
"You do it during interviews."
"Because my head itches!"
"Than go to the doctor to check for lice, because no way in hell should it itch that much, Cabron!"
Max doesn't have a comeback. Instead, he just sighs, resting his hands on his hips. "Fine. It's me coping."
"Well, stop coping. There's no need for it," Carlos reassures him, reaching out to squeeze the blond's shoulder. "Back to my fantastic plan."
Max rolls his eyes, but he does take a step closer toward the Spaniard. "All ears, mate."
"You've got to bully him on TV."
YOU ARE READING
If Clarity's in Death, Then Why Won't This Die?
Romance"Max doesn't know what to say. His eyes draw over every inch of Charles's face. His green eyes with brown specks, the sweat dripping down his face, his lips curled in a small smile... "If only you saw yourself the way all of us do. The way I do." Ma...
