Chapter Text
Wiping the snow from his brow, Kimi keeps doing what he’s been doing for over an hour now; hauling firewood from the shed to his home.
Midwinter in Lapland is always cold, but the forecast had warned of several snowstorms and daytime temperatures dropping to twenty below. At night it would be worse. Earlier that day, Kimi made sure his pantry was stocked in case he ended up snowed in again. It had happened before, and he’d rather avoid a repeat of the time he survived on melted snow water and three crackers a day. In his defense, that storm had taken everyone by surprise, and by the time he realized how bad it was, he was already buried in and cut off from the world.
Kimi is making one last trip with the firewood when he suddenly hears his dog barking. Aino, a husky he adopted from the shelter about three years ago, rarely barks without reason. After his ex-wife left, Kimi hadn’t expected, or wanted to admit, how lonely he felt. A new relationship was the last thing on his mind, and since his ex had also taken their dog, he had decided to get his own.
It turned out to be one of the better decisions he’s ever made. Aino is loyal and steady, always listening, always by his side, giving him the companionship Kimi hadn’t realized he needed so badly.
Aino rarely barks like this though. Sure, he barks now and then, he’s a dog, but this sharp, urgent noise is nothing Kimi has ever heard from him. He scans the tree line, heart ticking a little faster, until the husky bursts through the falling snow, racing straight toward him.
“Hey, hey, calm down,” Kimi soothes him, scratching the dog behind his ear. The movement usually settles Aino, but Kimi notices that the dog is still restless and whining. “What’s up, huh?”
Aino darts a few meters away, then circles back, repeating the motion again and again while barking insistently. And then it finally clicks; he’s trying to show Kimi something. Maybe he found something in trouble, it wouldn’t be the first time. Aino once led him to an injured wild deer.
With a small shrug and a growing sense of unease, Kimi follows Aino into the trees.
The cold bites into his cheeks and usually Kimi barely feels it anymore after having lived in Lapland for quite a while now. But even he has to admit the freezing cold feels like needles prickling into his face. The snow and wind has already started to pick up too and Kimi can feel his - admittedly pathetically grown - goatee and hair literally starting to freeze, ice crystals forming on it with every step he takes. The snow crunches under his boots, the sound loud even as the wind is now whistling in his ears.
Just as he starts to wonder how much longer it takes for him and Aino to get where they are apparently needed to be, his dog disappears in a pile of snow buried in between two trees. Aino barks again to get Kimi’s attention, but at first glance Kimi has no idea what he’s looking at. He stares at the blinding white of the snow and then suddenly he spots two feet in black and white running shoes sticking out of the snow. Followed by two bare?! legs.
It takes a second to process what he’s seeing, but at Aino’s urgent barking, Kimi finally springs into action. He quickly starts to dig into the snow, trying to crawl his way to the - what Kimi assumes - man’s face. Aino starts to dig too, his paws going through the snow a lot easier. After only a couple of seconds, Kimi sees a mop of curly hair, the face soon visible too. He breathes a sigh of relief when he sees the guy’s chest is still moving.
“Hey,” Kimi says loudly, lightly slapping the man’s cheeks. “Wake up!”
When there’s no response at first, Kimi inspects every aspect of the guy’s face and then, to his worry, he sees blood on the side of his face, near by his temple. Kimi figures the guy fell onto a snow covered rock. He tries to figure out what to do now. It has started to snow harder and Kimi knows it’s only a matter of time before it gets harder to get back home. A complete examination of the guy is out of the question, so Kimi takes the risk and picks up the man from the ground. He sort of expected him to be heavier, but this guy barely weights anything.
And while he isn’t that heavy, it is still a struggle to get home. The snow makes it harder, the cold wind almost unbearable. But Kimi pushes through, his arms hooking under the guy’s limp knees and armpits, holding him as close as possible to hopefully transfer some body warmth. Aino is leading the way home, which Kimi is glad for, because he can barely see a thing through the amount of snow falling around them at a rapid speed.
It’s a relief when they finally reach the little home tucked behind the heavily snow-covered trees. It’s really more of a wooden cabin, small but plenty big for Kimi and his dog. Aino pushes the door open on his own and once again Kimi is grateful he taught him that trick. He’s lazy by nature, and there’s nothing more irritating than having to set everything down just to open the door, only to pick it all up again afterward.
He carries the stranger inside and then gently lays him down on the couch. His priority now is getting this guy warm as soon as possible, so he grabs Aino’s favorite blanket from the couch and wraps the stranger into it. Then he hurries to the nearest closet and gets more, before checking if the guy’s still breathing - which thank fuck he is - and then piling them on top of him.
After he’s made sure the stranger is warmly covered in blankets and he has cleaned and bandaged the wound on his head, Kimi sort of freezes. What is he supposed to do now? There’s no way the roads are passable with the amount of snow that has already fallen, so he can’t call an ambulance. But what if the guy had been in the snow for ages and didn’t have enough oxygen while being buried under the snow? He could very well have brain damage. Kimi is no doctor, but he has heard of enough situations to know that could be a serious possibility.
He checks the stranger’s pulse again and he can feel his heart beating steadily. To Kimi’s relief, it’s more powerful than before. At least that’s a positive.
Kimi looks at him and if he didn’t know any better, he’d think the guy was just sleeping peacefully. He seems familiar, like Kimi knows him or at least has seen him before, but he can’t quite put his finger on it. He certainly doesn’t remember knowing someone with long blonde curls and a beard that a caveman would be jealous of.
He studies the stranger some more, before realizing that trying to call a doctor would be a good idea no matter what. Maybe they couldn’t come, but they could definitely instruct Kimi on what to do now. He tries several emergency numbers but just as Kimi has feared, the signal is completely gone.
There’s no point in dwelling when there’s nothing he can do to change the situation though, so Kimi decides to go on instinct. And his instinct is telling him to make sure the stranger keeps warm, comfortable and hydrated.
So that’s what he does the first couple of hours; constantly checking on pulse and body temperature and adding more wood to the already existing fire to make sure it keeps going. And when Kimi gives him a teaspoon of water, the stranger’s swallow reflex immediately kicks in, which is very encouraging, Kimi thinks.
But as the hours tick by awfully slow and the longer it takes for the stranger to wake up, the less encouraging it gets. Shouldn’t he have woken up by now?
Why is it taking so long?
❄️
The night is horrible and endless.
Kimi has made a bed for himself on the other couch with a pile of blankets. He tries to sleep for a bit, but he keeps tossing and turning, his ears picking up every sound detectable. He’s pretty used to all the sounds his house produces. It’s mostly made of wood and it’s not unusual to hear creaks at any given time of the day. Kimi doesn’t even hear those sounds anymore. He does hear every sound the guy makes though, alternating between deep heavy breathing to very quiet intakes of oxygen, making Kimi worry if he’s even breathing at all. So he keeps checking if the guy is still alive before he settles down again, closing his eyes tightly and hoping for sleep to claim him.
It doesn’t happen. And it also doesn’t help that Aino is a bit restless as well, whining softly whenever Kimi gets up to check on the stranger. He keeps following Kimi and sticking his wet nose into the guy’s face as he sniffs. Sometimes Aino licks at the beard-covered cheeks, which thankfully have started to flush now that he’s in a warm environment. It’s almost like the dog is willing the man to wake up and Kimi can’t help but to chuckle a bit.
“Yeah, I want him to wake up too, buddy,” he says softly as he scratches Aino behind his ear. “He needs to sleep though. And so do we. Come on.”
Aino follows him back to the couch, settling at Kimi’s feet as soon as he lays down. Feeling his dog’s presence by his side, Kimi finally falls asleep for a few hours.
❄️
He startles awake when Aino licks his face.
“Aino, no,” Kimi complains groggily, gently pushing his dog away. Aino only licks him awake when he’s hungry though and Kimi did sort of forget to feed him last night. He was too busy fussing over the stranger to even think about feeding not only his dog, but also himself.
Forcing his eyes open, Kimi is met with a sad and very hungry looking dog and he laughs despite himself.
“Yeah, okay, I’m coming,” he mutters as he gets up, still rubbing the sleep from his eyes. He glances at the other couch and sees the stranger still sleeping peacefully. At some point during the night he must have shifted, his face is pressed deeper into the pillow now, and one hand hangs limply over the edge, as if it slipped free while he slept. He looks almost serene, a kind of calm Kimi might be jealous of if the circumstances weren’t so strange.
Carefully, Kimi lifts the guy’s hand, placing it back onto the couch and gets a hum in reply.
His eyes fly to the stranger’s face, but nothing has changed there, it’s still as unmoving as before. But the fact that he can move body parts and react to touch by uttering a sound is making Kimi feel hopeful.
After he’s fed Aino and himself, Kimi goes to check on the stranger again, giving him teaspoons of water. When he’s done, it’s almost like the man is smiling a little bit, the side of his lips pulling up slightly as if he’s thanking Kimi. It’s probably wishful thinking, but the thought makes Kimi chuckle at himself. He truly is desperate for any kind of sign that this guy will be alright.
He looks outside; it’s still snowing and Kimi notices there’s at least one and a half meter of snow. It’s already almost reaching the window, so getting help here really is out of the question, unless they send helicopters but Kimi doubts it since it’s storming as well.
Not for the first time, Kimi wonders who this guy is. Certainly he has loved ones who are missing him right now. They must be worried sick. The thought makes a surge of deep sympathy and sadness go through him, along with frustration about the fact that there’s no possible way to let the outside world know that this guy is here, maybe not well, but at least safe with Kimi.
There’s nothing much to do inside the house and while lazing around sounds great, Kimi soon discovers he can’t find the calm within himself to do so. Every time he dozes off, he wakes up with a start, reminded of the guy on his couch and then he’ll feel guilty for sleeping when he should have cared for him. The situation remains unchanged though, much to Kimi’s chagrin.
He decides to do something useful. Even though there’s enough wood to last them for a while, maybe he should go look for things to burn in the fireplace in case he ever runs out. Cleaning out the cabinets is something he’s been putting off for a while now because he doesn’t like wasting time on tidying. But now is as good a time as any to do so.
He starts with the dresser in the living room that’s full of old bills, letters and other stuff that have been rotting away for years. Things he really doesn’t need to keep. He sighs deeply as he starts with the first pile of papers, going through them methodically and ends up throwing it all out. It goes the same with the second, third and fourth pile. Kimi is not even really paying attention to what he’s throwing out, knowing it’s all old and insignificant anyway. It’s when he reaches a pile of old magazines that he stops as he studies them a little bit, leafing through them briefly before he ultimately ends up throwing them on the ever growing heap of discarded paper.
He’s about to throw the last magazine out, but before he does he decides to open it first. He doesn’t know why he’s compelled to do it, just that the urge to do so is very strong. His eyes stop on a picture of Mika Häkkinen and Kimi smiles. A Finnish hero and definitely one of the few men Kimi idolized. He’s ready to throw the magazine on top of the others when suddenly his eyes catch on the man next to Mika.
One that has a familiar face.
Round cheeks, a wickedly confident grin on an otherwise boyish, very handsome face. There’s stubble grazing the man’s cheeks and his eyes are smiling into the camera, blazing blue and crinkled at the corners. One hand is holding up a finger while the other is holding up a trophy and Kimi has to laugh at the boldness oozing from the picture.
The magazine is ten years old, and a lot has changed since then but if Kimi is not mistaken, the man next to Mika is currently asleep on his couch.
And his name is Sebastian Vettel.
Suddenly Kimi feels kind of silly for not making the connection earlier on. He knew Sebastian had a familiar face and of course that’s because Kimi has been watching him race from time to time. He remembers there was a time when Seb was practically unbeatable. plastered across every podium until half the world complained about seeing him win again. Kimi didn’t really have an opinion on that; even though it wasn’t his favorite team winning - which was definitely Ferrari - he could appreciate Sebastian’s outstanding talent for racing.
He glances from the magazine to the man sleeping softly under one of his blankets. God, how did he not recognize him before?
He figures it’s probably because he hasn’t really kept an eye on Formula 1 in a while. And Sebastian’s appearance has changed a bit too. He looks older, softer, the long curls spilling across Kimi’s pillow don’t match the cropped hair in the photograph.
Still. What the hell is Sebastian doing here though? What brought him all the way to Finland to end up buried under the snow? Thank god Aino had found him there, god knows what would have happened to Sebastian if he hadn’t.
Kimi shakes his head, not wanting to think about that. Carefully, he closes the magazine and instead of throwing it out, he tucks it back into the cabinet.
❄️
Throughout the rest of the day, Kimi keeps checking on Sebastian, tending to him in small ways. There’s no dramatic change, but Seb still reacts to touch; a slight twitch of his fingers, a faint wrinkle of his nose whenever Aino sneaks another lick across his cheek. It’s not much, but it’s enough to keep Kimi’s worry from tipping into panic.
A glance at his watch tells him it’s been nearly twenty-four hours since he found the man half-buried in the snow. Mud and dried blood still cling to Seb’s hair, and his clothes are still filthy. The clothes will have to wait for later, but he can definitely do something about the hair.
He gathers a bowl of warm water, a bottle of shampoo, a towel, and a washcloth, setting them on the table beside the couch. He removes the old bandage gently, then slips a clean towel beneath Seb’s head to keep the pillow dry. Kimi starts with gently wetting all the hair he can reach by sprinkling water onto the curly locks. Then he puts a bit of shampoo on his fingertips and softly massages it into Seb’s scalp.
He’s so concentrated on his task that at first he doesn’t notice the quiet but pleased little rumblings coming from Seb’s chest. While Kimi’s fingers are deeply woven into Sebastian’s hair, he shifts his gaze to the man’s face; there’s a relaxed almost smile on Sebastian’s lips as his throat releases little purrs of contentment. The sight and sounds make Kimi smile reluctantly but definitely amused. He figures it’s a good sign that Sebastian can still experience enjoyment, even in his sleep.
As Kimi keeps washing Seb’s hair, he catches himself doing everything he can to make sure Sebastian keeps making those sounds. Sebastian’s hair has been clean for a while already, but Kimi can’t bear to stop now, not when Seb seems to enjoy it so much. So he keeps going, grinning as Sebastian just about melts into the couch and pillow.
Eventually, his fingers start to cramp a little so with regret he stops. Sebastian’s lips purse a little in displeasure and Kimi doesn’t know why exactly, but somehow he wants to put the content smile back onto that face. Could it be that he’s just a little starstruck now that he knows that there’s a Formula 1 champion on his couch? He shakes his head; that can’t be it. Kimi isn’t one to be impressed so easily.
As he dries Seb’s hair with a towel, making the man sigh in satisfaction again, Kimi realizes it’s really nothing like that. It’s the feeling of taking care of someone else. In the past few years he’s only looked after Aino and while he did that with a lot of love, it’s nice to finally do it for another human. Especially one that really needs to be taken care of. Kimi is making a difference here and that feels good.
He just hopes that it’s enough.
After he’s done with the hair, Kimi wraps a clean bandage around his head and then he suddenly remembers the dirty clothes that Seb still has on underneath all the blankets. They need to be changed into something warmer, so he gets the most comfortable pair of sweatpants and sweater he can find in his closet.
He still can’t quite believe this guy went out in only a shirt and shorts in the freezing cold. At least it will be easier to peel off his body. It’s proving to be a hard task though. Sebastian is basically just dead weight and he grunts in chagrin every time Kimi moves one of his limbs this way or that.
Sebastian is hairier and thinner than he expected, the skinny chest revealed after Kimi finally managed to get the t-shirt off. The same can’t be said for his legs though. They look strong and meaty and they feel so soft underneath Kimi’s hands...
Trying not to let his eyes and mind wander too much, Kimi focuses on his task at hand and that’s getting this poor guy dressed warm as quickly as possible.
Once he’s finally done, he wraps Sebastian up in blankets again and then heads to the kitchen to cook something simple for them both. If it was just for himself, he would have opened a can of factory made soup, but he reckons soup made of fresh veggies is a lot better and healthier for his unconscious patient. Kimi chuckles to himself, barely recognizing himself anymore as he collects the last of his tomatoes, onions, cauliflower and leek from his pantry.
As he’s cutting the vegetables, his mind drifts off to when he was changing Seb’s clothes. He really didn’t mean to, but his eyes had kept lingering over the slim, yet soft body. Sebastian might not be really muscled anymore - Kimi figures he must have lost most of them once he retired from racing - but he still looks pretty fit. It’s obvious to Kimi that Sebastian takes good care of his own body.
The fact that he voluntarily runs is proof enough of that. Kimi would never.
He thinks of Seb’s face and the way his nose wrinkled every time Kimi had to move one of his limbs; he thinks of Seb’s one funny looking ear and how Kimi thinks it looks quite cute on him; he thinks about Seb’s parted puffy lips falling open as he breathed deeply in his sleep.
Kimi shakes his head, slicing through a tomato a little too forcefully.
He doesn’t want to think about it too much, but the truth is unavoidable.
Sebastian is distracting. And annoyingly attractive.
“Auch!”
So distracting that the thought of him makes Kimi cut his finger as he slices the tomatoes in halves. He curses loudly and Aino immediately comes looking for him, jumping up to make sure Kimi is ok. It’s nothing a bandage can’t fix though. He scratches Aino behind his ears with his uninjured hand, shushing him as he gives the dog a treat.
He sighs. He knows it’s ridiculous because he doesn’t even know this man other than the few times he’s seen him race on tv, but he definitely feels a bit soft for him and he’s willing to do anything to make Sebastian as comfortable as possible.
Once the soup is finished, Kimi lets it cool first before he checks on Seb.
He doesn’t expect Sebastian to have miraculously woken up, but it’s still a disappointment to see the man still unconscious when he comes back into the living room. Studying Sebastian’s sleeping face, Kimi suddenly feels tired too and he yawns big and loud, smiling as he sees the eyebrows of the other man furrow at the sound.
A nap is definitely in order, so Kimi makes himself comfortable on his own couch, snuggling into a fluffy pillow. He closes his eyes and in a matter of seconds he’s fallen into a deep sleep.
❄️
A few hours later, Kimi wakes up and stretches himself, keeping his eyes closed for just a few more seconds. He groans in satisfaction as his limbs and back crack audibly.
He’s still in that twilight zone after a good, long nap, so he doesn’t immediately register the cough coming from the other couch at first. It’s only when he’s languidly yawning again, slowly prying his eyes open to look at the ceiling, that he hears someone scraping their throat, obviously trying to get his attention.
In a flash, Kimi sits up straight, his eyes immediately looking for the figure on the couch and finding wide, blue eyes staring back at him.
Sebastian is sitting up, cross-legged and with the blankets still all around him. His hair is a wild mess and Kimi can’t help but notice the other man has a terrified look in his eyes. Kimi also spots Aino sitting in his pillowy dog basket next to Seb’s couch. The dog is at full attention and watching them closely.
The two men stare at each other in silence for a few moments, before Kimi tries to break the ice by saying something.
“Uh, hi.” It’s not much but Kimi is so stunned by Sebastian suddenly being awake that it’s all he can bring out.
“Who are you?” Seb says, his voice cracked and hoarse from not having used it in a while. “What am I doing here?”
Sebastian sounds scared and it tugs at Kimi’s heartstrings. He can only imagine how unsettling this must be for him, waking up in a foreign environment with a complete stranger.
“I’m Kimi. My dog Aino found you buried under the snow and we took you here.” Kimi says as he gestures with his head at Aino.
Blinking slowly at him, Sebastian still seems a little out of it. The man glances at the dog and then back at Kimi.
“He found me under the snow?”
“Yeah,” Kimi replies, shifting where he sits, feeling uneasy. He’s not really good at conversations, especially not when it’s to bring bad news. As always, Aino senses Kimi is uncomfortable and gets up, getting between his legs and laying his head to rest on Kimi’s lap, looking up at him with concerned eyes. Kimi scratches his head, soothing the dog’s worries as he relaxes.
“When did this happen?”
“Yesterday morning.”
Furrowing his brows, Sebastian glances at his watch. “That’s almost 36 hours ago.”
“Your head was bleeding when we found you,” Kimi tells him. “You must have hit it on a rock or something when you fell.”
One of Sebastian’s hands reaches up to feel at his head, his fingers stroking over the bandage there.
“You took care of me?” Sebastian asks in wonder, appreciation clear in his voice as he looks straight at Kimi.
It makes him blush a little and he feels himself smiling shyly for a second. He doesn’t really know what to say, so he settles on just confirming the question. “Yeah.”
“Thank you, Kimi,” Sebastian says with warmth in his voice before he tenses up again, his eyes getting misty. “Why am I here, though? Where’s my dad?”
“I’m afraid we are stuck here because of a snow storm,” Kimi says, cringing in sympathy as Seb’s face falls.
“So my dad doesn’t know where I am?” Sebastian asks in a small voice.
He so badly wishes he could tell Sebastian something different, but with a solemn look in his face, Kimi shakes his head, mumbling, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault,” Sebastian says softly, his fingers fumbling with the edge of a blanket, looking very much like he’s about to cry. “How long before this is over?”
“A few days, at the most. Hopefully sooner.”
Sighing deeply, Sebastian lets himself fall back into the couch. “So, we’re stuck here together.”
“I’m afraid so.”
“I’m Sebastian— Seb.” He looks like he wants to say something else but he’s rudely interrupted by his own loudly growling stomach. The noise seems to embarrass him because he looks at Kimi sheepishly.
It perks Kimi up though, immediately getting up to go to the kitchen.
“Where are you going?” Seb asks after him, sounding confused.
“I have made soup for us.”
When Kimi almost reaches the kitchen, he hears a ruffling noise and Aino whining. He looks over his shoulder and sees that Sebastian is trying to follow him while Aino is walking restlessly in front of him, like he’s trying to stop Seb from doing it. Of course, after being out of it for so long, the man is unstable and his knees buckle, threatening to make him fall flat on his face. In a flash, Kimi is there with an arm around Sebastian’s waist to steady him.
“Careful,” Kimi scolds him, sounding awfully worried to own ears. He guides Sebastian to sit back down on the couch. “Stay here, I’m going to get you soup. Aino, you watch him, ok?” Aino’s ears perk up when he hears his own name and then he whines softly, settling next to Sebastian on the couch. As if he understood exactly what Kimi was telling him to do.
When Seb stubbornly makes a move to stand up again, Kimi gives him a pointed look, one that makes it very clear that he needs to stay and sit down right where he is. It’s a staring battle for a few seconds, but eventually Sebastian sighs and nods tiredly, giving up easily. The dog next to him nudges his side and that finally makes Seb smile again, petting Aino and murmuring softly to him.
Kimi leaves for the kitchen with a smile on his face. He can always count on Aino to be on his side.
❄️
It’s no surprise to Kimi that Sebastian gobbles up his soup in record time. He has no illusions that it’s because of his fantastic cooking skills, but rather the fact that Sebastian must have been starving. He even asks for a second serving, which Kimi is more than happy to provide him with.
There’s a comfortable silence between them and Kimi is glad he’s not being forced to speak the whole time. If there’s one thing he’s not good at, it’s small talk. Or talking in general really. But he must admit he’s still curious about Sebastian’s backstory here. What compelled him to go take a run in the freezing cold in shorts and just a flimsy thin shirt?
Taking a deep breath and scraping his throat, Kimi tries to get rid of his usual hoarseness. It doesn’t really help though as he cringes when he hears his own croaky voice penetrate the room as he starts to talk.
“So uh… why were you running? In this weather, I mean.”
There must have been something in his voice, something like judgement or disbelief, because Sebastian pulls a face at the question. He also looks surprised, probably not expecting Kimi to start a conversation. Sebastian doesn’t answer right away, rubbing at his beard as he thinks of an answer.
“I like to challenge myself,” he ends up saying. When Kimi looks at him blankly, the man chuckles lightly. “I know, you probably think I’m crazy. I have been told that I can be a little unhinged.”
Kimi cracks a smile at that. He believes that 100%.
Sebastian smiles back, encouraged to keep talking by Kimi’s response.
“I’ve come here with my dad to camp.” Sebastian’s voice breaks a little and he swallows heavily before he continues. “We drove all the way from Germany to this amazing place. It’s so humbling to go back to nature. And I like exploring on my own, so I combined it with taking a little run. It was supposed to just be a couple of miles. But I guess I lost track a little…”
Kimi wonders if he had lost his mind as well when he decided to go out in these ridiculous clothes, but he doesn’t say it out loud. He doesn’t have to though, his face obviously says it all.
Sebastian snorts. “Like I said, I like to challenge myself. Not my brightest idea this time though.”
“You think?” Kimi says with a straight face at first, but cracks a smile when Sebastian sighs and nods his head in defeat.
“My dad even warned me before I left. He’s not letting me hear the end of it when this is all over.”
Kimi would hope so. He doesn’t really know Sebastian, but he can already tell that he must be a handful for the people around him. Stubborn as hell.
Sebastian is proving his thoughts to be true by standing up on his own again, pulling a face when Kimi squints his eyes at him.
“I just really need to go use the bathroom, Kimi. My bladder is about to burst.”
Wincing in sympathy, Kimi nods and gets up to help him, who is still a little wobbly on his feet. He shakes his legs out and it turns out that he can walk pretty well on his own. Kimi insists on helping him though, wrapping an arm around his waist to steady him. Sebastian rolls his eyes, but allows it and together they make it to the bathroom. Kimi almost goes inside with him, but that is where Sebastian apparently draws a line, laughing, “I can do this, Kimi, I promise. If not, I’ll yell for help, ok?”
Almost embarrassed by his own overbearing, Kimi smiles shyly. “Yeah ok, I’ll wait here.”
Seb smiles back, throwing him a wink before he closes the door.
Kimi closes his eyes and leans his body against the wall next to the bathroom door. He sighs deeply, trying to calm his racing heart. There is literally no need for his body to react the way it does to a freaking wink. Granted, it had been a very long time since he’d been with anyone, but this is getting truly pathetic.
Before he can overthink it, the door opens again, revealing a very relieved looking Sebastian.
“Let’s get you back to the couch,” Kimi says quickly, really wanting to forget about his confusing thoughts. Sebastian nods and Kimi is about to reach for his waist again when he says,
“Only if you let me try and walk on my own.”
Kimi tries the staring again, it had worked earlier, but this time Sebastian stands his ground. Kimi gives in, mumbling “stubborn fool” under his bread. It only makes him grin widely though, taking his first shaky step towards the living room. As he goes, he gets more and more confident though and he easily makes it to his couch on his own.
“See? I knew I could do it.” He beams proudly at Kimi once they both sit down on their couches. Kimi shakes his head fondly. Stubborn but cute as hell. But he’s also very happy that Sebastian is already improving so much in such a short time. He’s almost back to functioning normally and that gives hope for the future.
There’s a long silence again that stretches for ages, but it doesn’t feel awkward at all. The stillness around them seems to be calming to Sebastian, easing the initial panic of not being able to go find his dad. After some time though, Kimi feels his eyes go droopy and before he knows it, sleep pulls him in.
❄️
It’s the next morning when Kimi finally wakes up again. He had barely slept when Sebastian was still unconscious, constantly aware he had to take care of the man and check up on him. But now that Sebastian had woken up, Kimi’s body had finally given in and slept around the clock.
It hadn’t been a good idea to sleep on the couch though… he can feel his back protesting when he tries to get up. He grunts and groans, still half asleep with his eyes closed. He feels like they’re still glued together, maybe even a bit swollen from all the deep sleep he’d been getting. When he tries to pry them open, the world is still a little blurry, until they finally focus. His gaze lands on the other couch where Sebastian is sitting cross-legged, an amused smile dancing on his lips.
Kimi is immediately wide awake and very aware of how old he is getting when he tries to get up from the couch. He struggles and it only amuses Sebastian more, now actually chuckling out loud.
“Shut up,” Kimi grumbles, but he can’t help but smile at his own pathetic struggle as well. Maybe he should run more often too, get as fit as the other man seems to be.
In a flash, Sebastian is by his side, sticking out his hand for Kimi to grab onto. Kimi takes it and lets Seb haul him up to stand. “Thank you,” he mumbles, letting go of Sebastian’s hand as soon as he feels steady enough. It seems like his own hand is tingling from the contact, but no… he really needs his brain to stop supplying such silly thoughts.
“Gotta piss,” he says instead. He’s not lying, he really needs to go. But he also needs to be alone for a second. He’s not used to sharing his space with anyone anymore and while Sebastian is lovely and the most perfect guest so far, it’s also suffocating him a bit, being confronted with someone first thing in the morning. Plus having confusing feelings for them doesn’t make things easier, especially for someone as private as Kimi.
But Sebastian seems to be blissfully unaware of Kimi’s internal battle. “Ok, I’m gonna find us something to eat in your kitchen,” he answers easily in reply.
When Kimi gets back after a few minutes, he sees Sebastian rummaging around in the kitchen, a pan with scrambled eggs cooking on the stove. He is looking for something in the cabinets.
“What are you looking for?”
“Anything that resembles spices or herbs. Do you even have any, Kimi? Or are you really the bland guy you seem to be?”
Kimi feels himself starting to blush. Seb hit the nail right on the head with that one.
Seb seems to pick up on it, smiling when he softens the blow a little. “I don’t mean you’re boring. You just seem like a guy that is easily satisfied in life. You don’t need extra spices to make it better. Nothing wrong with that.”
Kimi blushes even harder, feeling very exposed and seen by Sebastian. It’s stupid though, this is about damn spices, Kimi shouldn’t feel so vulnerable over that.
Seb is right though. Kimi is essentially just a basic guy with very basic needs. He doesn’t need the fancy stuff.
“Yeah, well…” Kimi mutters as he scratches his neck, just to have something to do with his hand. “I’m not used to having someone cook for me.”
Seb’s eyes soften, really looking at Kimi now, staring into his eyes. Just as Kimi begins to feel uncomfortable again, Seb averts them and starts to work on the eggs in the pan again, tossing them around.
“It’s been some time since I cooked for someone too,” Seb says softly, like he’s sharing a secret. “I mean, sometimes I cook for my parents when they visit me, but it’s different.”
Nodding, Kimi thinks he knows exactly what Seb means. “I’m not really a great cook though,” he admits, chuckling. “It’s a miracle I could make something that resembled a soup yesterday.”
Sebastian laughs at that, taking the pan from the stove and placing the eggs on a plate. He adds the salt that he found in one of the cabinets and some mayo from the fridge. Then he rummages around in the cabinets again and finds a package of crackers. Triumphantly he shows it to Kimi.
“These are perfect to go with the eggs!”
A minute later they’re sitting at the kitchen table and eating, both ravenous. Seb is still chewing when he says, “I liked your soup very much by the way.”
Kimi almost chokes on his bite, throwing a disbelieving raise of eyebrow to Seb. The guy must be just humoring him. Seb swallows whatever is left in his mouth and looks very earnest. “No, I mean it. It was very filling and had just enough taste to make me feel human again.”
Kimi huffs, dismissive, but he feels the corners of his mouth turn up into a smile anyway. Seb probably would have eaten anything Kimi would have given him yesterday. He had been starving. But he appreciates Seb’s compliment anyway.
“Have you lived here for long?” Seb asks, still gobbling up his breakfast with a lot of enthusiasm.
“A couple of years.”
Seb seems to sense there more to the story. “What brought you here, so far from the living world?”
Kimi hesitates, staring at his eggs for a minute before he swallows. Is he really about to open up to a stranger? Well, Seb doesn’t really feel that much like a stranger anymore. He shrugs, wanting to come across casual as he answers the question.
“I got divorced about five years ago. It got a little ugly.”
Seb winces but Kimi grins. “No need to feel sorry for me. I’m glad I got rid of her. But she wanted all my money and I didn’t have the will and strength to want to fight for it. So I just gave everything I had to her and started a new life here. The cabin was cheap at the time. It was supposed to be temporary but Aino and I are pretty happy here now. I don’t need anything bigger.“
“Don’t you get lonely?” Seb asks quietly, like it’s a sensitive question. And it is. To Kimi, it is. Because as much as he doesn’t like to admit it, he does get lonely. And having Sebastian here right now is only making him realize it more.
“Sometimes,” he settles on admitting. “But I also like the quietness. There’s no stress here, just easy life. And I like that. Very much.”
Aino comes shuffling into the kitchen, sniffing and smelling food. Kimi smiles at him, scratching behind his ear. “Besides, I’ve got Aino. Impossible to really feel lonely with him around.”
The dog truly is a godsend. Kimi wouldn’t know what to do without him. He’s the best compagnon in life a man could ask for. Always sensing what Kimi needs before Kimi even knows it himself.
“He’s a good dog,” Seb comments, watching the scene with a soft smile.
Kimi looks up at him and nods. “He certainly is.”
“And he saved me…” Seb seems to only fully realize that fact now, looking at Aino with amazement in his eyes. “Remind me to buy him a treat when we ever get out of here.”
Chuckling, Kimi watches how Aino’s ears perk up at the word ‘treat’. The dog knows exactly what it means and he’s looking at Seb with expectation now, waiting for said treat.
“What?” Seb asks, confused as he looks at the hopeful look on Aino’s face. Kimi laughs and explains.
“Aino knows certain words. The t-word for example. He is waiting for you to give it to him now.”
Looking apologetic, Seb ruffles Aino’s fur. “Sorry buddy, I don’t have anything for you. Maybe your dad does?”
Kimi doesn’t usually refer to himself as Aino’s dad, but coming from Seb it sounds super fitting and adorable. He decides to not comment on it and instead gets up to look in the pantry. He finds Aino’s favorite treat and gives it to Seb, who pulls a face as he takes it.
“What’s this?”
“Rabbit ears. Aino loves them.”
Seb looks thoroughly disgusted but Aino is wagging his tail excitedly, but still managing to sit and wait patiently for Seb to give it to him.
“I can tell. Well, there you go, good boy.” Seb finally gives the treat to Aino who immediately takes it and disappears back into the living room. Kimi knows he’ll munch on the ears endlessly in his basket, content, tail wagging and happy. It’s what he deserves.
“Do you work, Kimi?” Seb suddenly asks.
Kimi nods. “I’m a mechanic.”
Seb’s eyes light up. “Really?”
“Yep. At a garage not too far from here. Even though this is a remote area, the people from around here still need their cars and trucks fixed. There’s always some work to do.”
“That’s so cool,” Seb says, almost with a dreamlike look on his face. “So you know a lot about cars?”
“I guess so,” Kimi answers, trying to appear modest. “Machinery in general has always been an interest of mine.”
“Me too,” Seb says smiling. Kimi hesitates to ask Seb about his job. He already kind of knows but isn’t sure he should reveal that he knows. It could make things awkward.
But wouldn’t it be more awkward if Seb found out later that Kimi already knew? Maybe he should just casually mention it?
“I’m sure you do,” Kimi starts. “With you being in Formula 1 and all.”
Sebastian looks surprised for a second, maybe even disappointed, but he quickly schools his face into a more neutral one.
“So you recognized me?”
“Well, not at first. I mean, the last time I watched F1 was about ten years ago and you don’t exactly look like that anymore,” Kimi says deadpan, but it’s clear he’s teasing Sebastian
“Hey!”
“Tell me I’m wrong though. You look nothing like you did ten years ago.” Though you’re still just as cute, but that part obviously goes unsaid.
“Yeah ok,” Seb relents, giggling a little, his nose scrunching up adorably. “Maybe it’s for the best that I retired after last season then. Ferrari really made me age more and more by the minute.”
Seb’s comment surprises Kimi, who didn’t even know he retired. That’s how much he keeps up with Formula 1 nowadays… His surprise must show on his face, because Seb continues, “You didn’t know I stopped racing?”
“Like I said, the last time I watched was years ago.”
Seb smiles, somehow looking super pleased at the answer. Kimi doesn’t know why but he’s not going to question it either.
“You should come to a race with me some time. I mean, I can get you garage access if you want to.”
“You would?” Kimi asks, surprised. His initial reaction is saying no, because he doesn’t really like people in general and there would be a lot of them on a day like that, but he quickly catches himself feeling excited by the thought of seeing these powerful cars up close.
“It’s the least I can do, Kimi,” Seb answers, looking almost like he’s pleading with Kimi to say yes, “you and Aino literally saved my life.“
“Well, if you really mean it, I’d like to take you up on that offer.”
Seb grins from ear to ear. “Of course I mean it. As soon as we’re freed from the storm, I’m going to set the plan in motion.”
The grin is contagious because Kimi feels his own lips quirk into a smile as well. He can’t believe he said yes to this, it’s so not like him. But apparently Sebastian brings this side out of him, willing Kimi to open up and do things he usually wouldn’t.
It’s actually kind of nice.
Kimi could certainly get used to having Seb around.