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Carlos had just finished a workout in their Monaco apartment when Lando called him.
Towel around his neck, water bottle in his hands, endorphins rushing through his system, an easy grin adorned his face as he wiped his hands before answering.
“Hola, amor. How was your day?”
Carlos wasn’t due back in Maranello for another two days but Lando had spent today at the MTC for some media commitments. He was no doubt calling to pass the time as he made his way to the airport to come back home.
“Carlos-” Lando’s voice was too quiet, all flat tone and cracked, followed by a breath that sounded caught in his throat.
It made ice crawl down his spine.
“I’m here, cariño, talk to me. Are you hurt? What’s happened?” His body moved on autopilot, putting Lando on speaker as he made his way out of the home gym to the bedroom. He needed a shower before he dressed but listening to his fiancé was his priority for the moment.
He could hear Lando sniffling, could imagine him raking his free hand through his hair, his foot tapping against the floor like he did when he was anxious and upset. It didn’t sound like he was moving anywhere, be it walking or in a vehicle. There was faint music in the background, making Carlos think he was already in the airport waiting for his flight.
“Caleb’s gone. He’s dead.”
Mierda.
Carlos found his legs buckling, and he eased himself down to sit on the floor, his body sagging against the foot of the bed. Taking Lando off speaker and putting him back against his ear, he took a minute to listen to his fiancé’s shallow breaths and sniffles on the other end of the line, a tumult of emotions and memories flashing through his mind.
Caleb was one of Lando’s mechanics. One of his trusted team that had been there since his rookie year. Carlos knew him, not as well as Lando but he was always up for partying with them after a race.
He had a wife and kids.
“I’m so sorry, Lando. I-”
“-I’ve got the next few days off. We all have. Zak and Andrea said that he –” There was a noise that sounded like a choked cough. “-Fuck, Carlos. They said he took his own life. I kind of tuned everything out after that and they sent us all home. My flight’s taking off in the next five minutes.”
He was already on the plane home. Carlos was surprised he was even coming back to Monaco rather than staying at his parent’s house or even Max’s.
“Are you on your own?”
Lando cleared his throat. “Yeah. I was coming home anyway and I didn’t want to talk to anyone else. Sorry I didn’t call you earlier, I knew that if I called you I’d tell you the truth and I didn’t- I didn’t want it to be real. God, he's got a wife and kids.”
His voice was barely a whisper by the end and Carlos’ heart shattered all over the carpeted floor of the bedroom. Lando had already dealt with a family loss this year, and he knew this one would hit just as hard. Lando’s team was his family too and he loved them dearly.
“I’ll meet you at the airport,” he promised, taking a breath and dragging himself up off the floor. “Okay? I’m coming for you.” What he'd give to be with Lando right now.
“Thanks. Te amo, querido.”
“I love you so much, mi vida. I’ll see you soon.”
“Yep.”
The call ended and Carlos was already stripping out of his workout gear ready for the quickest rinse of his life before getting dressed and heading out to the garage.
But not before grabbing one of Lando’s comfiest hoodies.
Lando wasn’t crying when he met him in arrivals. It didn’t stop Carlos from warmly embracing him, pressing a soft kiss to his head and immediately leading them back to the car.
His relief was palpable when he laid eyes on the hoodie in the passenger seat, chucking his rucksack into the back and all but collapsing into the leather, stripping off his jacket and letting it join his bag as he snuggled into the thick fabric.
Lando didn’t sleep on the drive home, but he didn’t speak either. Carlos simply let the radio play, their fingers entwined between them, a silent tether and comfort.
“Do you want a shower? Something to eat?” Carlos asked once they were back in their apartment.
Lando had simply let his bag and jacket drop to the floor in the entryway as he kicked his trainers off. There was a faraway look in his eyes as Carlos watched him wander, shaking his head like an afterthought. As he switched rooms, Carlos followed him so as not to lose sight of him, heart sinking further when he realised he was heading for the bedroom.
He watched from the doorway as his fiancé buried himself beneath the covers, still in his hoodie and jeans.
It was only once Carlos joined him, with safe and familiar arms surrounding him, allowing Lando to bury his face into his neck, that he finally broke.
Carlos held him all night.