Same but... different (Lestappen and Carlando)

Bonus 4: ¿Hablas español?

Disclaimer! I promise Lando's Spanish mistakes are on purpose since he's learning (at least most of them lol), and if Carlos' Spanish has some too, then sorry it's been a while ahah

Also sorry if it's your native language, because I know how endearment terms can feel awful in one's own language lol (hope it's not too cringe), lo siento ;)

As always, there's the text in the language and then the translation in between parentheses.

Enjoy!

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POV: Lando

Since I'm dating Carlos, I've wanted to practice communicating better. And we've gone a long way, both of us knowing how to speak to the other effectively by now. But lately I've been craving more proximity, and especially to communicate in his own language. Because it's unfair he had to learn English, and I barely know how to say my name in Spanish, right?

That's why I'm currently sitting in my driver's room, laptop open and balanced on my legs. I'm buzzing with anxiety, I don't really like video calls, it makes me nervous for some reason. But it was necessary, because as much as I tried learning on my own, with apps, having a real teacher is definitely better.

I insisted in keeping it secret, because I really want to make that a surprise for Carlos. Plus, I'm sure he would tease me beyond infinity if he heard me, speaking nonsense with a questionable accent. Well, I also do that in English, but anyway.

— Hola Lando! Ready for your first lesson? You told me you wanted to learn the basics, is that it?

The woman is nice, resembling my mom a little. Maybe they're just around the same age, actually, I don't know. I try to think of an answer in Spanish, giving up immediately as my mind goes blank.

— Yes, that's it yeah. My voice is a bit shaky, and I try to hide my nervousness.

— Ok, let's start with what you already know, even if it's just a few words, and then I can help you develop your vocabulary, and form simple sentences. ¿Vale?

I nod and we begin the lesson, as I feel extremely focused for once. I never really enjoyed school, mainly getting distracted when tasks took too long, but here I have the best of motivations: my boyfriend.

After a few minutes of stuttering and trying to find my voice in Spanish, I finally manage to say a full sentence, only struggling with the "r" pronunciation.

— ¡Muy bien! (Very good!) You're quick in learning, I see, the teacher, Monica, says.

A wave of pride washes over me, as I smile at the screen. I check the time, noticing I only have 20 min left before having to go warm up. The life of a Formula One driver is busy, for sure.

We continue to practice, and by the time the session finishes I've understood most of what she said, and can say a few sentences. Of course, it's very basic stuff, but we all got to start somewhere, right? And actually, it helps that Carlos likes to speak Spanish to me, although I usually have to guess what it means since he won't translate.

— Muchas gracias Monica, (Thanks you very much Monica), is all I can say, not quite confident to improvise yet.

Weeks go by, filled with as many lessons as I can, thrown here and there whenever I have free time. This has also affected how much time I spend on video games, and I had to explain the reason to my best friend. And naturally, Max made fun of me for it. Although, I've noticed him getting closer to a Portuguese friend of ours. If they do eventually end up together, he'll have to learn the language too, for sure. There'll be plenty of occasions to tease him, I just have to wait now!