#so thank you for this sweet dipping-toes-into-the-water opportunity <33

[hourcat]

about that Sleepy Charles fic: DO IT

sigh

the thing is! it wouldn't even be a long fic.

because really, charles is just...tired. it's been a long day - he's had so much fun w/pierre out at the nba house, laughing til he'd gone breathless like he'd run a marathon, not exactly sore from the basketball but a little strained because he doesn't use those specific muscles very often. and then the game later that night, which he'd wanted to go to but realized not that long after that he's not quite awake enough to actively care about the bulls or the pistons, just that pierre's leg is still warm pressed entirely against his own. esteban is laughing beside him at something - maybe a text he'd gotten from lance? charles really isn't paying him any mind, if only because, again, he's tired.

so by the time the game ends, and pierre and esteban say their goodbyes, charles is just. shot. "pear," he mumbles, "can we call a taxi?" arm hooked in pierre's. they're standing under a shadowy alcove outside the venue, so charles can press his cheek into pierre's shoulder and nuzzle tiredly without fear of being too seen.

and pierre laughs softly. "sure, mon amour." presses a kiss to charles' forehead, nuzzles back a little. charles makes a soft little noise at the contact, tucks closer. pierre turns to wrap his free arm around charles in an embrace, so that he's got his back to the road and charles is just...watching for their ride as he's snuggling closer to pierre. he's so warm. the jacket he's wearing is a little rough on the skin but charles still presses into it anyway, somehow comfortingly pierre - maybe the smell.

the car comes a little bit later. pierre gently herds charles into the back, then climbs in next to him and gives the driver the hotel address, mumbling some promise about not telling anyone who they are, and charles laughs softly when the driver answers that he doesn't even know who they are, how would he tell anyone. pierre is satisfied enough with that answer. they head off and pierre leans back, and as soon as he's reclined to the contours of the seat charles is on him. well. on him in that he's nestled in his side again, using the middle seat and seatbelt that he normally complains about so he can properly hook his leg over pierre's, press his face into the crook of his neck with only a little bit of interference.

"did you have fun, mon cheri," pierre murmurs softly, resting a hand on his knee gently - not to rile him up, but just to hold him a little more.

charles hums softly, scooting closer. he huffs an initial response that makes pierre chuckle from the sensation. "i did," he answers after a long beat. "it was nice to see este." a lie, kind of, he really didn't pay much attention to their friend at all, but he wasn't exactly unwelcome. there's not much charles can do with pierre when they're in front of all those cameras like that. "i can't wait for bed."

the sentiment makes pierre chuckle again. "you're not usually like this when you're excited for bed, calamar," he teases, and charles blushes but doesn't extract himself from pierre's side. "you really must be tired." he chuckles again when charles pouts, feeling it more than seeing it, charles imagines.

"i am," he insists softly. then, because it's pierre and he can't help but push buttons: "carry me upstairs?" a joke, in a way, but also - charles wouldn't mind that. carried off to bed the way they do sometimes, more awake and more frisky but with a similar end result.

pierre's amusement continues. "what are you," he murmurs in charles' ear, "my baby?" the teasing makes the blush on charles' face darken. he nods, despite it. "we will see, charlo. you gave me quite a run on defense this afternoon, eh? don't know if i have the strength to bring you all the way back."

charles giggles at the thought. this taxi ride could last all night, he thinks faintly, and he wouldn't mind at all.