racing in the street. charles leclerc.
“ it’s a dream that has surpassed many others in both of your lives. to win the monaco grand prix - it had evaded him for many years. this year felt different. ”
charles leclerc x reader
word count: 2.5k
warnings: mentions of alcohol, suggestive themes.
this is a love letter to his win - years and years in the making. ❤️🔥
The first time you had known Charles would win in Monaco one day was when you were both seven, in the back of his dad’s car on the way to a friend’s party.
You had passed Mirabeau, and Charles had pointed out the red and white on the ground as you whizzed past.
“One day if I get to-“
“When,” his father had corrected from the front, and Charles had rolled his eyes playfully.
“-when I get to Formula 1, this is going to be very cool to pass by,”
You had nodded briefly - a seven year old’s attention span could only focus on something abstract for so long - and you had paused. “You can win it, right Cha?”
He had shrugged modestly. It was terribly annoying how modest he had been, even back then.
“You can. You win everything you want to win.” You were certain of this, even so many years ago.
Hervé had laughed loudly and you had blushed crimson.
Charles had smiled then, looking out the window, eyes shining with the hope of it all. The look in his eyes had startled you, one of wisdom only an adult could have.
One day in 2017 Lorenzo called you and Charles had staggered out of the hotel bathroom, face white. He had sat there next to you on the bed.
“I lied.”
“What?”
“I told him a few weeks ago I got to F1. So he would be happy knowing I achieved our dream. And I haven’t.”
Tears burned in your eyes.
He had fallen into your embrace, sobs shaking his whole body.
Standing on the top step in Baku three days later, you had stood there below him, crying, his mother on the phone.
You were eating sushi you’d ordered in at his place a few months later, and he’d had a sneakily happy look on his face the whole day.
“What’s up with you?” You’d said with a mouth full of california roll.
“Sauber is giving me a seat for next year.”
You’d broken a glass jumping up and soy sauce had stained both of your shirts as you screamed.
That first Monaco race day in 2018 had been a magical affair, up until the sixth-last lap, when his brakes had failed, spinning him into Brendan Hartley as they approached the Nouvelle Chicane.
You had winced in the garage, and he’d been dejected when he approached you a few hours afterward.
You’d thought of that day passing Mirabeau when you saw him. “Was it as cool as you thought doing it in F1?” You’d said quietly.
Tears had shone in his eyes. “I got to race it. Dad knew I could race it in F1.”
You had nearly choked months later when he’d told you over a glass of wine dipping your toes in the sea that he’d been called by Ferrari.
Shivers had run through you as you thought of Jules, and of Hervé. All they all had ever wanted.
“You know, your dad would have not been prouder. He would have dragged you to Rampoldi to celebrate.”
“Shall we go?” He had asked, and you’d both made the trip back to Monte-Carlo and when you phoned the restaurant in the back of the Uber, they’d said it was full with a little bit of regret.
But when they’d heard Charles was going to be there - oh, they’d all loved him from the beginning - they’d gotten a table for you both near closing time, when everyone was dispersing.
You’d both laughed and cried over the plates of his dad’s favourite ravioli.
Monaco had felt different in 2019, more eyes on him.
He’d started P15. Then on lap 16 - the irony - his puncture due to contact had called him back to the garage.
Pure grief had decorated his face as he got out of the car, shaking his head. Finding you after the Grand Prix, you saw the light dimming from his eyes and gave him the biggest hug you could.
That night you’d both cycled back to his place and sat all night in his kitchen, the dim light doing little to hide his sadness.
2021 was even worse; he’d had no chance to even start, and this time he was angry.
You hadn’t even seen him and had gone to bed when he called up at 2am, drunk, asking for a lift home.
You had gone in your pajama shorts and glasses, and he had sat in the back seat and asked why he always had worser luck here than anywhere else.
You didn’t really have an answer. “I just know one day it’s going to work out for you,” you said softly.
2022 had been spent in his friend’s apartment, watching from their balcony with a cocktail in hand, watching his girlfriend smile on the television.
You’d watched on as disaster had struck, Ferrari making an awful call, sacrificing his P1 for a measly P4.
You’d seen him two days later, out for breakfast, and he had just sighed. “Fucking stupid,” he’d murmured. “I think we have to accept I might never get this.”
That belief of your seven year old self was still strong, cemented in your soul when you shook your head.
In 2023, he’d just been annoyed at sixth place once he came back from the stewards. You’d left the paddock and he’d just gone home, bidding you a good night. As you walked to your apartment, you’d thought of all the nights as teenagers racing on bicycles in the streets.
Monaco would love him back as much as he did it one day. You knew it - deep down, he knew it too.
Well, Saturday in Monaco this year had felt different. He’d oozed confidence all weekend. And you felt different about him.
After he’d broken up with his girlfriend, all you’d been thinking about was him. He had been making unnecessary trips to see you, inviting you to more races than usual.
It had culminated a few months ago in Miami, where things were just different; he had come on the podium, and you had kissed his cheek when you saw him an hour later. You swore he almost moved his face to meet your lips.
You’d both spent the night partying with Lando, the drinks making you both different, dancing sensually, eyes dark. He had kissed your neck, and you’d both realised what the hell you were doing, moving back.
The next time you saw him you both pretended it had never happened.
You hadn’t seen him again until last Sunday, at your place. He’d come for your birthday dinner, handing you a present and flowers with two kisses to your cheeks. You’d blushed amongst all your friends, champagne flowing.
On Wednesday night after a long day of press, he’d come over again. “I have a feeling about the race this year.” You nodded, silently inviting him to expand.
“It feels different. Like I can definitely do it.”
You smiled. “I know you can do it. And you’ve been really strong this year.”
“I was cycling last month through Mirabeau and I really remembered one day when we were walking around there or driving when we were young and you told me you knew I could win.”
“It was when we were driving with your dad.” He’d let out a little sigh.
“I can do it this year for him. And me and Jules and you.”
You’d gotten emotional all of sudden. “I know you can do it, Cha. I’ve always known.”
He hugged you, his body soft and warm against yours in the dark room. You’d wanted nothing more than to kiss him.
Well, he’d got on pole on Saturday, reinforcing his determination and confidence. You’d seen how calm and collected he looked and it had been noticed by nearly everyone. You’d given him a fist bump and he’d grabbed you, hugging you, the smell of his sweat a testament to how badly he wanted it.
You’d gone home after a dinner with the Leclercs (minus him, he had sponsorship engagements to fulfill) and there was the quiet knowledge amongst all of them that this was the year.
Your mom had phoned on Sunday morning, and you spoke about your lives, then about Charles. “I hope he knows how loved he is by all of us. And I know Hervé and Jules are watching on today with the utmost pride.”
You nodded. “I think he does know, mama.”
You had picked out a red dress, short and flowing to accommodate the welcome heat. As you did your makeup, you thought of all the years that had come before, previous versions of yourself that had wanted him so badly to win.
The entire race you’d had stubborn tears in your eyes, blurring your vision. The last two laps you could barely look, too emotional at the thought of even seeing this happen.
Joris had gently guided you up to look again in the room and you just knew Charles was crying too on that last lap. The thought of the little boy in the car staring out at these streets made you wonder how he must be feeling.
All these years of this dream.
He had crossed the finish line and you had erupted into tears, turning into Lorenzo’s chest to take a breath. Later, you’d seen the camera footage of your teary eyes and the glimmer of hope in them as you looked back.
Then everyone had run down to the podium and you were in the second row, all of his team in the front. You saw him jump in slow motion into the air from his car and saw the joy in his steps.
He had jumped into the roar, and didn’t manage to see you but you could tell he was looking. Then he’d done the post race interview and him talking about his dad made you burst out crying again.
Someone had found you and dragged you to the front of the barrier underneath the podium. You must have looked awful. As he walked to the cool down room he cast a look back and your eyes caught his for a fraction of a second before he disappeared.
You had used the five minutes to take big deep breaths, multiple hands grasping you.
Then he’d walked out onto the podium and you saw how Prince Albert had gripped him like a son, tears in his own eyes. And Charles had held up his flag, full of hopes and dreams.
And then you all sang the anthems and then he was given the trophy and you were taking videos and photos as if in a dream.
He’d not seen you again, scanning, but gave up when the attentions of everyone else were cast on him.
You hadn’t caught sight of him again until you were hanging around in the paddock, wondering. Your phone rang and your heart skipped a beat.
“Hello?”
He was breathless and you couldn’t hear him, really, over the sound of the wind.
“Wh-“
“I’m cycling home…”
You had snorted. “Alone?”
“Yeah.”
You had paused.
“I wanted to just think of all the years and moments I raced and rode these streets and prayed I would win here one day. It felt right.”
You had laughed. “I’m proud of you.”
“Yeah, yeah… meet me at home? Then we go out?”
“Sounds like a plan.”
He ended the call. You saw videos of him on TikTok later on the bike on speakerphone and he had grinned as the people drove past him.
You had stopped at your place first, freshening up, and grabbed a bag and a power bank and downed a shot of vodka (to ease the nerves). Putting on heels with the red dress this time, you ordered an Uber to his place. You had used your key to get in and music was blaring when you opened the door. He was shirtless, trying to find an appropriate one.
“Hi,” you smiled.
He had forgotten what he was doing to basically run over and hug you, the force of it nearly knocking you over.
You were in tears again when he pulled away. “Love you,” you whispered, and he smiled. “I’m so proud. I keep thinking of little you.”
“I could never be here without you throughout the years. Never. You have picked me up and glued me back together so many times.”
You let out a small sound of emotion.
“I thought so much of all of you the last laps. I couldn’t see I was so emotional.” He laughed.
“And just all the times you told me you just knew I could do it. And my dad. And Jules. And my mom and brothers. Oh, I want to cry even now!”
You laughed as he ran back to his room to get a shirt.
“But-” he called from the room- “now we have to party like crazy!”
The next morning, you woke up at Arthur’s apartment with a pounding headache and a few missed calls and texts.
Charles 🕺 4:37
Let me know if you got back okay?
Charles 🕺 5:13
I think I’m going home now
Charles 🕺 10:52
I’m going to come pick you up I think Arthur won’t wake until 3pm
You checked the time. 11:04. Getting up from the couch and groaning, you went to the bathroom and pulled your hair into a ponytail, trying to wipe the makeup and finding a disposable toothbrush in his drawer to brush your teeth and the stale smell of tequila away.
You heard his car horn outside and you pulled on your heels that had been thrown on the ground a few meters from the couch. Leaving and letting the door close quietly you walked down the stairs, wincing at every loud noise your high heels made.
He was in his car and thank God there was no one around because you looked crazy. “Hiii,” you said, and he handed you a pair of sunglasses you thought you lost (but clearly just left in his car).
“How’s the race winner doing?” You said, and slid into the seat.
“Incredible,” he said dramatically and his voice was raspy, nearly gone. You laughed and then grasped your head.
Coming out of your bedroom with your hair wrapped in a towel and a crop top and sweatpants, he was making coffee for you both. Finding leftover pasta from Saturday night that Pascale had sent you home with, you heated it up and offered him some. He shook his head.
When you turned around from the microwave with the pasta in hand, he kissed you.
Your eyes widened. He set down the pasta, not breaking the kiss, and hoisted you onto the kitchen counter. You let him open you up, your body leaning into his. Your arms wrapped around his neck and his hand rested underneath your shirt.
“You make me feel so lucky,” he whispered.
Your mouth fell open slightly. “Well, you deserve all of it.”
He did. He did.
omg i just started crying over this stupid fic for the third time. i feel like this encompasses all i feel for him. i hope you feel it. ❤️🔥
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Across Every Universe - Part 2
Well, I didn't expect this work to get this long. It was only supposed to be short but then I worked on it all day and for multiple hours on end?? I guess I just enjoy this concept so much! These are basically the stories I wanted to put in last time, but they needed their own chapter to truly shine.
I know people asked for Arthur and reader romance, but To Do Is To Dare has always been a racing fic first and romance second. I tried to add in all the people I could without going crazy with the plot line or it would have gotten out of hand (or more than it already is). There is a lot of Max and Charles (my two favorite boys on the grid).
If anyone has anything against Lestappen - there's the door :)
Please enjoy :)
Earth 33891
“Please stand for his Majesty King Max Emilian Verstappen, King of the Netherlands and Prince of Orange.”
Max always hated these announcements. Like, why did they have to always say his middle name and all the titles that came with it? He put on a gentle smile and waved to the crowds around him. Thankfully, his dressers had decided to forgo the kingly robes and opted for a nice suit with his pins. Definitely fitting for the Dutch Grand Prix.
This would be his ninth to attend since taking the throne at 18-years-old after his father passed away. The kind always enjoyed seeing the Orange Army at the home race.
After greeting everyone, he was led to the special box. Apparently, more than one royal had decided to attend as well. Max’s shoulders loosened when his eyes landed on a familiar figure.
“Charles!”
Charles Marc Herve Perceval Leclerc, The Sovereign Prince of the Principality of Monaco. Max was always glad that his mother only chose one middle name for him instead of three.
The prince’s green eyes widened at the sight of the Dutchman. He waved off whoever he was speaking to and all but glided across the room. The two forwent the formalities and brought each other into a hug.
Max leaned back a bit to look the Monegasque in the eye.
“What are you doing here? Monaco not enough for you?”
There was a playful glint in his eyes as Charles rolled his. The brunet gestured to a plush couch in the corner, one that Max was excited to sit in.
Charles began to speak, a small smile on his face, “Well as you know, my brother is currently dating one of the drivers on the grid. And it is her home race so Arthur wanted to come watch.”
Max nodded, understanding perfectly. He knew exactly who Charles was talking about.
Y/n L/n, the only female driver, who currently was working on her fourth World Champion.
“And where is your brother now?”
“He’s in the garage,” Charles rolled his eyes. He had wanted to go, but an ambassador had insisted that he needed to talk to the prince.
“Why don’t we head there. I always want to say hello to my race winner.”
Now, Max and Y/n had a very loving sibling relationship. The king had watched her grow up karting and made sure to sponsor her and support her through her career. Without his support, the girl would not have been able to continue. Yet, when you put the royal Dutch crest on your Formula 3 car, someone has to know that it means something.
This would be her 4th season in Red Bull, having been 19 when she joined in 2019. She was only 20 when she won her first World Championship, breaking the record for the youngest ever to dominate the sport.
Now she was 24 and is on a path to win her fourth in only five races if she keeps up the winning streak. Max was only older by 3 years, yet he watched over her like a very protective older brother.
He and Charles had made their way down to the pitlane, much to their advisors’ chagrin. They passed by the Mercedes garage to say hello to King Lewis Hamilton III and then George Russell, Duke of Sussex. The two Brits had been friends or well, colleagues, with the other two reigning monarchs for quite some time. They were currently backing Kimi Antonelli and Mick Schumacher, the current driver line up for Mercedes.
Right next to the silver garage stood a very orange and bright one. Max was excited to see Lando Norris, Duke of York also in attendance. He was very close with the two Aussie drivers, Oscar Piastri and Daniel Ricciardo.
Down the line was Williams, who was attending to a very eager Logan Sargeant, the President of the United States’ kid. Max was fond of the blond and often said hello to him whenever he got the chance in diplomatic settings.
But finally, they were able to reach the big navy garage. Max could definitely pick up Arthur’s almost French accent everywhere. But, his ears were tuned to the sound of your Dutch accent that was similar to his.
“Geitje!” he called out, finding your blond hair against the navy racing suit.
You looked over your shoulder, pausing the conversation with your boyfriend. You rolled your eyes when you saw Max in his kingly splendor. You took a few steps toward the fellow Dutch and gave him a hug.
“I told you to quit calling me that. I’m not a kid anymore, or was never a goat for that matter.”
Charles took this moment to catch up with his brother.
Max looked down at you fondly. “You’ll always be that small kid whose suit was two sizes too big on her.”
You honestly wanted to cry, but you kept the tears in. There was a race that you needed to win.
“Are you going to give me my trophy this year?”
“Don’t I every year?”
You looked up in mock thought. “Well, there was that one year that you had appendicitis and your mom gave me my trophy.”
Max lightly nudged you. “That was one year, let it go.”
You grumbled. “Well I hope that someone won’t break my trophy this year.”
Your teammate, Ollie Bearman, popped his head up from where he was looking at his tyres.
“It was one year Y/n! One year!”
You giggled at the disgruntled yells from the British Driver. Ollie had been one of your favorite teammates.
Your first year, you were paired with the golden boy himself, Sebastian Vettel, before he retired with one last championship. And then your first year as world champion, you were paired with Oscar Piastri before he left for McLaren. Ollie had been your teammate for the past two years, but you had a feeling that he’d stick around for more than a year.
You got the heads up that the race would be starting soon. You turned back to Max.
“Are you staying here or do you have to go?”
Max had a mischievous glint in his eyes and was about to reply before being interrupted.
“Actually, their royal highnesses need to return to the royal box.”
Max fought the urge to roll his eyes. You only laughed and pushed him in the direction of the exit.
“Go, I’ll see you at the top.”
“Blijf veilig, alsjeblieft,” Max softly pleaded.
He really hated that you put your life on the line every weekend for the job that you loved. He remembers the first time you had a terrifying crash when you were unconscious until they got you to the hospital. He was told that you probably wouldn’t wake up. However, you defied the odds and were back in the seat for the next race.
You responded, just as gentle, “Voor jou, mijn koning, altijd.”
When Max left, he turned around one last time and witnessed you giving Arthur a quick kiss before he put your helmet on. It was something that the two of you had been doing since you started dating almost two years ago.
The Dutch king was back to walking with Charles to the box.
“So, when is he proposing.”
He hadn’t expected an answer, but was surprised when he got one.
Charles gave Max a look. “They’re actually going to a restaurant, and he plans to propose tonight.”
Max’s eyes widened at the confession. But, he got over it quickly before gently smiling. You deserved happiness, and you found that in his closest friend’s brother.
“So will she have to stop racing for royal duties?” the blond questioned.
Charles shook his head. “Non. Arthur will step down.”
Max clapped him on the back. “Guess you and Alexandra need to start with some heirs huh?”
Charles squinted up at him. “Says the man who currently needs to propose as well.”
The prince got the last laugh as he left Max stuttering for a comeback.
You won the race like Max knew you would. The king watched as you held your head up high as the Dutch National Anthem played loudly through the crowds. He saw the crowds of orange, the only ones rivaling the red Tifosi at Monza.
The crowds were shouting, “De Langverwachte! Onze kleine leeuw!”
The Long Awaited.
Their Little Lion.
Max had always wished for a champion from his home country. Something to ode back to the sport he loved as a kid. His wish came true in the form of you. People talked as the king publicly backed the only female driver on the grid. But he knew that you were something special. He was there as you took the championship from Vettel in the last lap of the 2020 season fair and square. Obviously he was thankful that there was no safety car to ruin your race of any kind. You had coped brilliantly against your older teammate and your talent truly showed.
Max was given the signal to head out with the hand painted trophy. He was honestly kind of scared to drop it. But he made it across the stage and handed it out to you.
You proudly took the trophy from Max after you bowed in respect. He may have been your friend, but he was your king first.
The ceramic trophy was held high once it was safely in your hands. Jokingly you hugged it tight as you gently stepped down off the podium. Ollie gawked at your childishness before spraying you with the champagne.
With trophy set down a nice ways away, you took your own bottle. Except, instead of spraying Ollie, you pointed it at Max, whose jaw was on the floor as you came after him with the liquid.
If you were having fun now, you wouldn’t expect what was coming later that night.
And you said yes.
Earth 12399
“Zusje!”
Your eyes widened at the familiar squeaky and young voice. You turned your whole body away from your race engineer to only be taken down in the knees. Once you were on the floor, you laps was immediately filled with a small body that had bleach blond hair and bright blue eyes.
“Maxy, Ik heb je gemist Kleintje!”
“Uh Y/n, is everything good?” Charles’s voice sounded from above. You stared back at your teammate in the red overalls. You grabbed under the child’s arms and hoisted him up along with yourself.
“Yep! Charles meet Max. Max meet Charlie.”
Max’s small eyes widened before he tucked himself in your neck. Your hand came up and rubbed his back as you cooed. You turned back to Charles.
“He’s a bit shy in front of his favorite driver.”
You poked Max’s side and his giggles filled the room. The small one turned his head and peered at the Monegasque whose eyes were wide, looking at the child in his teammate’s arms.
“Didn’t know you had a kid.”
Your jaw dropped at his statement.
“He’s not my kid, idiot. He’s my brother,” you hissed, lightly bouncing Max up and down as you swayed side to side.
“Oooohhhh.”
You rolled your eyes. “Yeah oh. I’m younger than you.”
“One night stand?”
“Charles!”
The brunet laughed loudly, making Max giggle a bit with him. You looked down into his blue eyes.
“Oh so you think that’s funny hm? I’m getting bullied.”
Max only giggled more before pointing at Charles.
“Rari?”
You lovingly stared at him in your arms. “Yep, Rari.” You saw how Charles was staring at Max. “You want to hold him?”
Charles dropped everything (only his water bottle) and reached out to take Max. Once he was in Charles’s arms, Max immediately rested his head on his shoulder and gripped the red suit. You smiled fondly at the two.
“He’s so small,” Charles whispered after seeing the kid’s eyes close in slumber.
You ruffled the spiky blond hair. “Yeah, he’s only 3 though. Full of wonder.”
“Y/n!”
Ah, there was your mother. You looked over and saw Sophie walking with your other sister Victoria. Thankfully, your dad was nowhere to be found. After you found out what he had done to Max, you put in a restraining order against him immediately.
It was a hard discussion with your mom when you told her that she needed to divorce him. Tears were shed and hearts were broken. But, you never wanted to see another bruise on your younger brother again.
It was fine if he did that to you. But to Max?
Jos wouldn’t stand a chance against your anger. He had shaped you to be like him.
A racer. A winner. The best.
But being the best wasn’t supposed to be the most important anymore. And if he wanted you to be like him, then he’ll get his own anger thrown back into his face. You remembered how your fist met his eye after you found Max alone with him one night. An ugly purple thing covered Max’s tiny wrist and there was a scratch on his face.
You had just returned home from a triple header and wanted to surprise your family. Only, you came home to Max’s screams of terror and Jos Verstappen yelling. You didn’t think, you just did. Sophie and Victoria returned home to multiple police cars and an ambulance in front of the house. When they finally were told what happened, they found you covering Max’s body with your arms as you spoke to one of the paramedics. A blanket was draped around your shoulders and a bruise was forming on your face as well.
After that, you moved your entire family to Monaco with you. Your house was plenty bit and you only shared it with Charles whenever he came over to play FIFA. But now, whenever he wanted to play, you insisted on going to his house.
It might have been to protect your family. Or it might have had to do with a certain handsome brother that Charles had.
Definitely the first one.
Hence why Charles had never met Max beforehand. But that also didn’t stop the little gremlin from choosing Charles as his favorite driver and not his sister.
It’s not like you were bitter or anything.
You walked toward your family and gave the two women a hug.
“I’m glad that you could come today!” you told them, truly happy at their arrival. It wasn’t like it was a big race. You had already won the championship last week, which sadly they weren’t able to make it. But Max was still up past his bedtime when you got home after. The kid sleepily muttered that he was glad you won, even though you had beaten Charles. Yet, you reminded him that Charles had won the year before and it was sissy’s turn.
Sophie looked at Max in Charles’s arms. “He’s so comfortable. I honestly thought he’d be scared of men after what happened.”
Victoria nodded in agreement.
You crossed your arms. “I think that Max knows that dad wasn’t a good man. And well, he still loves Lando though.”
“Is that Max?”
Speaking of.
Max’s head jerked up from Charles’s shoulder at the familiar voice. His little head swerved in the direction of the papaya clad driver.
“Lanno!”
Max started to squirm in the captive arms. Charles quickly set him down, not wanting him to fall. Max immediately ran to the Briton, who picked him up with ease. At the sight of the two, Charles pouted.
You knocked him with your shoulder. “Don’t’ worry, you’re still his favorite. He bought Max a toy McLaren for his birthday and Max demanded that I paint it red and add a 16 on the side.”
Charles seemed to gleam with pride at the confession.
“Don’t tell Lando though. He’d be devastated.”
What Lando didn’t know wouldn’t hurt him.
“Hey little man. You ready to watch the race?”
Max’s head bobbed quickly.
“Are you going to watch Lanno win?”
At that, Max shook his head making Lando’s eyes widened.
“Little Verstappen I am hurt.” Lando clutched his hand to his heart in mock hurt. Max only stared at him while the McLaren driver put on a bit of a show.
Charles piped up from beside you. “Max, is Charlie going to win?”
Max, once again, shook his head. Now that made you confused, because Max always cheered for Charles. You cocked your head as you looked at your brother.
“Then who Maxy?”
The boy shyly pointed at you before muttering, “Zusje gaat jullie allemaal verslaan.”
Not that made you laugh out loud, causing even more confusion to the two male drivers. You covered your mouth as you continued to laugh. Sophie and Victoria laughing as well.
You smirked at your rival and teammate.
“He said I’m going to kick your asses.”
Max gasped as he heard your words.
“Bad words!”
Max pouted as he was put down by Lando. His little legs ran to you and his arms stretched out wanting you to pick him up. You squatted and scooped him up. Your arms tightened around him as he tried his best to hug you.
“Sorry for the bad words kid.”
“’S ok,” he slurred, getting even more tired. It was definitely his nap time. And it was time to get in your car. You handed him back to Sophie, who gave you a kiss on your head as you stooped. You gave a quick hug to Victoria before going back to kiss Max’s head.
“I’ll win for you ok?”
Obviously, he couldn’t hear you, but you would say it anyway. You turned away from your family to get ready.
“Going soft on me L/n?” Lando quipped, making his way out of your garage.
You discreetly flipped him off, to which he laughed at as he left. It took about 30 minutes to get in the car and get everything ready. You swerved your head, making sure the helmet was tight. Your eyes flitted about the garage and caught sight of your family again. Max was now wide awake and waving at you.
Your gloved hand reached out and displayed your fingers wide. The little boy reached over in his mom’s arms and clapped your hand with his small one. You were given the signal that it was time and drove off once Sophie was out of the way.
Her and Max watched as you rounded the corner in your red Ferrari, out of sight.
Sophie leaned down and kissed her youngest’s head.
“Mijn baby, zal zus winnen?”
Max’s small voice was just loud enough for her to hear.
“Ja mama, sij is kampioen.”
Earth 9596
(btw - I made the max pic because no one has good edits of him in a ferrari suit)
“Scuderia Ferrari Signs Y/n L/n for the 2024 Season”
“Ferrari Mistake? The Formula 1 Team Signs the Youngest Driver to Date”
“Ferrari Becomes the First Formula 1 Team to Sign Female Driver”
“Former F1 Champion Lorenzo Alessandrino Backs Goddaughter as Her Race Engineer”
“How Will Verstappen React to His Younger Teammate on the Track?”
You hadn’t known what to expect when you arrived at the paddock first thing on Saturday morning. You had convinced Lorenzo to bring you early so you could at least avoid some of the crowds, if not all. However, it seemed like everyone else liked that plan as well, and the paddock was full.
You hung back near Enzo as the two of you walked side by side. Your hands gripped your backpack straps hard, turning your knuckles almost stark white. Thankfully, your sunglasses kept your wide and scared eyes from the public. It wasn’t that you were scared of people. It’s what you thought that they thought about you that made you nervous.
Just 17 and baby faced.
Something that wasn’t heard of in 2024. Yet, with older drivers retiring back and forth, the FIA had to make new changes to deal with the need of rookie drivers. Hence why Lorenzo pushed to have Ferrari sign you as early as possible. You basically went from karting, to Formula 2 and didn’t even start your second season.
It came as a shock when Lewis Hamilton finally retired after only one year at Ferrari. You had thought that he’d want to get one more championship to make it to 9. But, life throws curveballs and it was headed straight to you.
Now you had to face your new teammate, a champion himself, Max Verstappen. You let out a sigh of relief when you noticed that he was talking to Charles Leclerc and Fernando Alonso. The two black Mercedes polos stood out in contrast to Max’s red one. You took a quick glance at the two drivers and realized that they were already watching you.
Your cheeks heated up as you quickened your steps to get to the garage faster. Once you were in the safety of the garage, you let out a deep sigh.
Lorenzo looked at you with a sad smile. He knew you were going to be overwhelmed for the entire day. He took his backpack off and reached down in, fingers feeling for your headphones. He took them out and handed them to you.
You immediately put them on, connected them to your phone, turned on the music, and got to work on your racing journal. You wanted to go over your notes before the race. While you were distracted, Enzo took a little walk, trying to find some coffee.
He ended up walking past the group of three drivers and smiled at Charles. The Italian knew of him growing up and was excited to see him in a team that gave him a good championship winning car.
He nodded his head toward your new teammate. “Max.”
Max’s eyes lightened at the familiar face. “Enzo!”
The two bro-hugged before parting, letting Enzo greet the two Merc drivers. When he was done, Max had a teasing attitude.
“Can’t convince you to stay as my engineer? Don’t get me wrong, I love GP, but you knew me better.”
Enzo smiled and shook his head. “No can do. Gotta take care of my kid.”
Fernando entered the conversation. “Where is she? We saw her walking but then she disappeared.”
The older man scratched his head. “Yeah, she tends to do that. She’s a bit nervous.”
Charles scoffed. “I’ll say. They shouldn’t have said anything until Wednesday. Sky Sports announced it way too early.”
The Monegasque had something similar happen to him when he first joined Mercedes. It had all been planned that he would take Valtteri Bottas’s seat mid-season. Yet, Sky Sports announced it before Mercedes had a chance to even say that Bottas had wanted to retire early due to an illness. The media had made Charles into a seat-stealing villain his first season.
The engineer nodded sadly. “I think she’s also nervous about the team.”
Max looked at him with a shocked expression. “The team?”
Enzo waved his hands. “She has full confidence. Y/n’s a bit nervous about trying to be on your level Max.”
Well, that didn’t settle well with the Dutchman. Great, he was excited to have such a young teammate: someone who he could get along with and help them grow in the sport. But now, you were afraid of him?
“She’s not scared of you Max, just nervous.”
Oh. He said that out loud.
Max glanced back at the garage. “Can I go talk to her.”
Enzo nodded before handing him a pen. “I forgot to give this to her, she’ll be looking for it. You don’t mind giving it to her right?”
“Not at all,” he responded, thankful for something that could break the ice between the two of you.
Max grasped the pen and made his way to the overly bright red garage. He really wished Ferrari would take a page out of Mercedes’s book and make everything black. But no, they had to show off the corsa rosso red.
You were too busy writing some notes down, with the wrong pen, to notice Max’s shoes now in your line of sight. The Dutchman lightly nudged your own shoe, which had your head jerking up to look at him.
Your eyes widened and your hands reached to pull your headphones off.
Max only smiled down at you. He thought that you looked like a scared mouse. He wondered if you were quiet like one as well.
“Mind if I sit?” he asked.
You could only shake your head no and scoot over as Max sat down on the concrete near you. The two of you sat in silence as you continued to scribble. Max suddenly remembered the pen in his hand.
“Here. Enzo wanted me to give this to you.”
Your fingers lightly touched his as you grabbed it from him.
To Max, you also reminded him of his sister at this age. Shy, meek, quiet. But he had seen your videos and your impressiveness on the track. Your overtakes were nothing to be overlooked. He heard you sigh as the pen now nicely glided over the pages.
The Dutchman let his eyes wander over the pages. He noticed that you were even taking notes on him as well.
You didn’t look at him, but you spoke, “If you break a bit later on turn 4, you can cut off another tenth.”
Your voice gave Max whiplash as he wasn’t expecting you to talk to him without being prompted. His mind ran as he tried to remember turn 4. When he did the calculations he was surprised to find that you were correct.
“How did you..”
“I watched your onboards from last season. You’re very, what’s the word,” you gave him a smirk, “predictable.”
Max’s jaw dropped, which caused you to laugh a bit. Max, although shocked, was glad that you were coming out of your shell a bit.
He leaned over to whisper, “Are you overwhelmed with the red as much as I am.”
You smiled as you whispered back, “It is positively draining. Why can’t they do black like Mercedes?”
Max threw his hands up. “That’s what I’ve been saying.”
You pretended to think. “What if we gang up on them. They can’t resist both drivers.”
Max put on a weird accent, making his voice higher. “It’s either change the garage and everything to black or we walk.”
That made you snort which caused Max to wheeze.
Enzo was just on his way back with two coffees (both for him) when he heard the sound of you laughs mixed with Max’s. He smiled fondly at the two drivers. He took a sip before putting on his bright red headphones that he needed for qualifying. He coughed a bit, but it was soon over. Nothing like the sickness that he barely beat back in 2019. He was thankful that he got to continue to watch you grow.
Max asked, “How far do you think you’ll get in qualifying?”
You thought for a moment. “Uh, I hope to make it to Q2 if possible.”
The Dutchman lifted his hand to ruffle your hair. Your hands swatted at him as you pouted.
“I think you can get farther.”
You only shrugged. “We’ll see.”
The car was definitely your safe space. You felt as though you could finally breathe easier.
“Radio check please.”
“Loud and clear Enzo.”
“Ok, let’s get this bread.”
You shook your head as you sat in the car. “Please never say that again.”
Much to your and the team’s delight, you made it past Q1 and Q2. And you ended Q3 in the second row in P3. Max had just missed pole by mere hundredths. Charles Leclerc always had scarily good one lappers in the third session.
Max gave you a giant hug at the end of the session, very glad at your positioning.
As he had his arms around you, he thought to himself.
“Yeah. You were going to be great.”
Earth 331649
The big letters stood out to Max as his eyes began to water.
“Not Applicable for Adoption at this Time” was all the top said. He hadn’t bothered to read the rest. He knew what it was going to say. It’s what every letter said for the past few months.
They weren’t approved.
They traveled too much.
There weren’t any in their preferred age group that were adoptable right now.
They wouldn’t be able to take care of a baby.
They were…Max didn’t even want to mention the word.
He glanced at the gold band that adorned his ring finger on his left hand. The sight made his eyes water more. The paper was quickly crumpled and thrown to the side. The Dutchman leaned forward and put his hands over his face and just sobbed.
They had been trying for so long. The conversation had started two years ago as they lied in bed one night. They were nearing the ends of their careers, but they hadn’t wanted to wait until they were retired. They were sure in their marriage enough to where they both could handle a baby in their lives.
A mini them running around, playing with Jimmy and Sassy. The thought was too much to bear right now though.
The door clicked but Max hadn’t heard, he just continued to sob.
“Amore, I’m back from the shop. They had the pastries that you really liked. Amore?”
Max started sobbing harder. Before he heard knew it, strong arms wrapped around his shoulders. He heard a big sigh as a head rested against his back.
“Another one?”
Max didn’t even reply, but his sobs had subsided into quiet sniffles. Charles glanced over at the crumpled paper that had been tossed to the side. He’s told Max time and time again to wait until he gets home to read them, but the older was always a bit too excited or anxious to wait. He bit his tough, not wanting to say anything that could upset the Dutchman even more.
“It will be all right.”
“Will it?” Max bit back, full of sadness and anger. But, it wasn’t anger at Charles. He was angry at the world.
“It will,” Charles hummed. However, the Monegasque was also getting run down by all the rejection letters. He didn’t know how much more he could take. But, he wanted to be strong for Max. For himself. For their hopeful future child.
“Every time Charlie. Every time, it’s always a different excuse.”
“Our time will come.”
“But what if it doesn’t? We aren’t getting any younger Charles.”
The Monegasque harshly inhaled. He stopped rubbing Max’s back. Although, he really didn’t know when he started.
He went to say something, yet his phone rang loudly, breaking the silence of the room. Charles muttered something about wanting to hang up, but his breath hitched at the sight of the name at the top of his phone. His thumb had never pressed the answer button.
He quickly put the call on speaker.
“Bonjour?”
“Ah, Mr. Verstappen?”
“This is he.”
“Is your husband here with you?”
Max perked up at the question. His eyes were bloodshot, but he was now paying attention. He scooted even closer to Charles, face almost in the phone.
Charles chuckled at Max’s closeness.
“Oui, he is here.”
“Ok, so we just got a call from the Princess Grace Hospital. We think you want to come here for this.”
Max gulped before whispering. “It is what we think it is?”
Charles held his breath as he and Max waited for the answer.
“Why don’t you come find out.”
The two of them could hear the playfulness as the their adoption agent hung up the phone. They looked into each other’s eyes before they dashed around, getting their shoes on. Max almost tripped as he hopped on one foot, his shoe getting caught on his finger. Charles chuckled as he bent to tie his own shoe.
Max was halfway out the door, still waiting.
“Come on Charlie.”
“Mon amore, are you forgetting something?”
Max patted his pockets and realized he forgot the key that were now dangling on Charles’s finger.
“Oh.”
Charles rolled his eyes as he walked toward the door, grabbing Max’s waste as he walked. The Dutchman quickly followed him to the Monegasque’s Ferrari Purosangue. He bought the SUV when he and Max put in their first adoption profile.
Max huffed as he noticed that Charles was going below the speed limit.
“Baby, can you maybe, hurry up?”
Charles only hummed as a reply. He did step on the gas a bit, but the Monaco speeds were slow as it. It wasn’t their fault that they drove ridiculously fast cars and his husband was currently high strung.
Charles put his hand on Max’s thigh and started to rub small circles, which in the long run did help Max calm down a bit.
The Dutchman had calmed down some by the time they parked in front. Charles started to get out of the car, but Max’s hand grabbed his arm before he got far. Charles recognized the look of fear on his husband’s face. His pointer finger found the golden band on Max’s finger and started to rub it.
“What if- What if- What if it happens again.”
Charles’s eyes drooped a bit at the sadness in Max’s voice.
“But what if it doesn’t?”
A glimmer of hope came back to Max’s eyes as he places a chaste kiss on Charles’s lips.
“Let’s go.”
With an unbuckle of his seatbelt, Max was out the door. Charles had to catch up to Max’s larger steps. His hand soon found Max’s as they walked in. He squeezed three times, and got three in return.
Charles look the lead as they approached the front desk. The lady at the computer had a nice attitude as she gave them a smile when she looked up from her screen.
“May I help you gentlemen?”
“Ah, yes, my husband and I got a call from our adoption agent, Mitch Walker.”
The lady’s eyebrows raised as she started to type on her computer once again. Max bounced in his place, willing the lady to type faster.
“Ah, floor three, room 89.”
“Thank you,” Charles stated, already watching Max walk toward the elevator. He chuckled as he slowly followed, knowing the elevator would arrive when he got there. Inside the contraption, Max read the list of floors.
His finger traced them until he got to the third floor.
“Charlie.”
Charles looked where his finger had landed.
Delivery floor.
Before Charles could react, the elevator doors opened. They both bolted into the hallway.
86.
87.
88.
89.
They both paused in front.
“Ready?”
“Ready.”
Charles grabbed the nob and slowly twisted. The room was a bit dim and Mitch was standing in the middle of the room. She turned at the sound of the door and a smile made a way on her face.
“Hi guys,” she whispered. She stepped closer and pulled a curtain that cut the room in half.
“Hi,” Charles replied, also whispering.
Mitch put her hands together. “So, we have a little someone who was given up today. If everything goes well, you two might be going home with a baby today.”
Tears welled up in Max’s eyes at her words. He choked down a sob and bit his knuckle.
“I just need you two to wash your hands and then you can meet her.”
Charles whispered, “Her?”
Mitch only nodded.
This time, Charles was the one to let out a small sob. They gingerly walked over to the sink, hands bumping into each other as they rinsed under the water. Once dry, Mitch dragged the curtain back over.
In the middle of the smaller section near a couch, lied a bassinet. With bated breath, Charles and Max peered over. Tears now welling in both their eyes. Max’s finger gently moved towards the baby’s face.
He lightly grazed the soft cheek, causing the baby to squirm. Max had never jerked his hand away from something faster. Charles let out a small and quiet laugh. The baby’s hand was open, inviting Charles to put his finger in the tiny palm.
The baby suddenly curled her fingers around the one finger, eyes suddenly opening. The Dutchman wanted to cry once again. Her green eyes peered up at him. Max’s eyes caught a tuft of hair and he gently pulled back the tiny hat. Blond hair appeared in a small bit. He gently pulled the hat back into place.
His blond hair.
Charles’s green eyes.
Charles turned to Mitch.
“Can I hold her.”
A single nod had Charles scooping the baby in his arms, and he placed her on his chest. His body leaned back just a bit to accommodate her. Max immediately took his phone out and took a picture. He was definitely going to use that as his lock screen picture from now on.
Max watched as Charles sat on the small couch in the corner. Max followed suit and sat next to him.
The baby was looking right at him.
“Hello little one,” he whispered, finding the courage to graze her face once again. A small smile appeared on the girl’s face, but it was short lived. But, Max had seen it and he was happy that it was directed at him.
“-ax, Amore.”
His eyes shot up to Charles’s face.
“Yes?”
The brunet rolled his eyes. “I asked: Do you want to hold her?”
Max could only nod. Charles gently handed her over to his husband and watched as his big hands cradled the baby. One hand was gently placed on her bum and the other on her head. He cooed at the man and baby, seeing tears stream down his face.
Mitch quietly approached the couple. “So, it seems like everything is going well. I can almost read your minds and I got your application approved. It’ll take a while for everything to come in but you are good to take her home.”
Charles stood and gave her a giant hug: big enough for the both of them. She patted Charles’s back before grinning widely again.
“You know, she doesn’t have a name yet.”
Max’s head whipped from the baby to the woman.
“We get to name her?” he questioned, heart filling with so much love. There were so many names that he and Charles had picked out. The first name would be something special, something not used before. The middle names would be in honor of loved ones past and present. And then, the baby would take both last names.
Mitch came over with a certificate and pen in hand.
“Do you two know or do you need a moment?”
Max nodded at Charles and then looked back down at the beautiful green eyes that stared up with him.
Charles did the honors.
“Her name is Y/n Julia Sophie Pascale Antoinette Leclerc-Verstappen.”
Little Y/n. Oh how the world wasn’t ready. But it would welcome her with open arms.
Earth 959589
“Shit!” you yelled, tumbling out of bed. You were late, oh you were so late. Max was going to kill you and you could say goodbye to your seat.
Before the season even started.
You tripped as you pulled on a shoe, face planting back into the bed. Your phone was currently blowing up with notifications as it rested on the side table. You hastily pulled on your Red Bull polo and grabbed your jeans. Your foot got stuck since you put your shoes on first.
Great move Y/n, great move.
You finally got a hand on your phone and answered the call.
“Where are you? Max is close to having an aneurism,” your race engineer hissed through the phone.
“I know Charles, but my alarm never went off!”
Your head was pressing your phone to your shoulder as you talked and walked toward the elevator.
“Just please get here ASAP,” he sighed. You could see the man rubbing his eyebrows, even if you couldn’t see him.
“I’m getting in the car now.”
“You better be thankful. I’ll see you here.”
When you arrived to the paddock, you went directly to the interviews, which you were late for as well. You winced as you walked in front of everyone and sat down, face ablaze in red.
Lando poked your side. At least he went with the polo so you two could be matching some. He leaned over when a question was directed to Arthur.
“Max is going to kill you.” He smirked as he leaned away. Your microphone accidentally picked up the smack to his shoulder. Some eyes landed on you as you tried to duck away.
Arthur looked over at you. “Nice of you to join us champ.”
You shrugged. “My alarm didn’t go off.”
“Sure.”
Your jaw dropped. “Excuse you?”
Before you could get any farther, a journalist asked a question directed toward you.
“Y/n, if I may, how is this season a bit different than last?”
Your eyes looked up as you thought of a good answer. “Uh, well, there was a lot of change within Red Bull this past winter break. My old teammate went to being my team principal. And then he somehow convinced Charles to join as well and be my race engineer.”
A scoff came from Arthur that cause you to lean to look at him.
“Are you all right Leclerc?”
The Monegasque rolled his eyes.
“I would like to have my brother back please.”
“Well, too bad I got him first. And then back to my question. Lando became my teammate and he’s giving me a run for my money.”
Lando smirked at that statement.
“Ah yes, the cheeky little bugger he is. But, I’m really on track for my second championship. Maybe next year I’ll let Lando get one.”
The journalist thanked you for your good answer.
Fortunately the press conference ended after that. Yet, it was unfortunate for you since you could feel Max’s glare from miles away. You stopped, causing Arthur to bump into your back.
“Any chance I can come hide in your driver’s room?”
Arthur shook his head yes, giving you some hope.
“No.”
You visibly deflated as you watched him walk toward the bright red garage.
A sigh left your lips as you stalked toward the garage. Charles gave you a sympathetic look as you walked past. His hand rubbed your shoulder until he gently pushed you toward Max. You winced under the Dutchman’s glare.
“My office Y/n.”
You could only follow him into the office. You took the first seat you passed in front of the large desk. Max rubbed his eyebrows and sighed. But, you panicked.
“I’m so sorry Max. I swore I turned on my alarms last night, but I was up late going over data again because I can’t let the team down again like last race. I know that I can make up the speed. And then my phone was on silent and then I tripped on my shoe and the car got stuck in traffic. I swear I went straight to the conference. I won’t be late again I promise, just please don’t take away my seat.”
Max watched in horror as you lost your composure right in front of him. This monologue only told him that you were truly scared that he’d kick you off the team because of a little DNF last race. His heart dropped as he saw tears stream down your face as you visibly shook.
He stood up quickly and rounded the desk. His hands dropped on your shoulders.
“Kid, kid. Listen to me. You’re not going to lose your seat. I was just worried when you didn’t show up and when you didn’t answer mine or Charles’s calls.”
“Oh.”
Max wanted to laugh. “Yes, oh. Do you remember all the times I used to show up late? The times that Charles showed up late as well?”
You let out a chuckle as you remembered both Ferrari drivers would show up a bit late. No one ever seemed to mind. You let out a sigh of relief.
Max stood up and walked toward the door. “Now, let’s go out there and what do we do?”
“Kick names and take ass!”
Max rolled his eyes. “Sure kid. Sure.”
Earth 1218 - Present Earth
You gasped as you sat up in your bed.
“Kid?” Max questioned, head popping up from the couch. Vegas had been super early again and you and Max didn’t want to go back to the hotel when you had FP2 soon. So, the two of you just curled up in his driver’s room. His voice was groggy as he had just gotten up from an interrupted nap as well.
You clutched your head and groaned.
“I had such weird dreams.”
“Oh. Tell me?” Max’s head was already back down on his pillow.
“You were a king, and then you were my younger brother?”
Max snorted but let you continue. He knew that you wouldn’t remember in the morning anyway.
“And then you were my teammate at Ferrari and Charles drove for Mercedes, Enzo was there. Oh, and then you and Charles were married.”
“Kid you have been watching too many Lestappen edits on Twitter and TikTok.”
You only grumbled.
“I do not. Finally you were my team principal.”
“Strange. Go back to sleep.”
Max never got an answer back, because you were already zonked. He chucked and turned back over, phone clenched in his hand as he watched the edit of Charles’s 2022 sunset lap into his 2023 pre-storm qualification. However, he didn’t know that his volume was so loud.
“He was sunshine, I was midnight rain…And I could see it all in my mind…”
“I KNEW IT! YOU WATCH THEM TOO!”
“GO TO SLEEP!”
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