Chapter Text
Charles decided he needed a break. The whole season had been hard but he couldn’t complain much since the new SF75 was way better than the model the year before r. But it was hard although, all the fights against his childhood enemy/friend, all that unwanted attention, everyone was looking at him, like he was the answer, as if he was the solution for everything. His task was to bring back the glory to Ferrari, but did anyone ever thought about what he wants? His Team, the other drivers, the spectators, even his family, no one really cared, everyone thought it would be easy for him since je just sat in the car and had to drive, but it was so much more. So much more pressure.
It was simply to much. He felt like he would break every second that passed because of the weight on his shoulders that pressed him down. With every sun rise a new exhausting day began and with the sunset it wouldn’t end, the more pressure they made, the harder was the day, the longer was the work and the more difficult was it to breath. So he kept the smile on his face as if there was nothing wrong, no pressure, no press, just him, but the problem was, he was never ever alone.
Then there came the summer break and it was so good, Charles hopped that he would get more space and could relax a bit.
He was with his family nearly all the day and enjoyed they’re company. He couldn’t complain about anything, everything felt right. He spent most of his time in Monaco on his small boat or, if the circumstances allowed it, he met some friends from the grid or his other old friends, who he hadn’t seen in a while. One time he did even spend an evening with Max Verstappen in a pub. Unbelievable. But it was pretty nice, to be honest.
Unfortunately, a few other people couldn’t stand still and had to take a photo of the two how they did dance with one another, what the two ether didn’t care about or didn’t notice in there drunken condition.
However, only one day later they were on the first page of a few newspapers with, for example, the Heading line “Rivals or lovers - Max and Charles are dating?!”
After the summer break, that was sadly over faster than expected, Charles had to face the press, since he didn’t really like that they are talking about them and was kind of embarrassed about the pictures, which were made in that night, and told them he only met his good friend Max in that pub and there was nothing going on between the two of them.
Max had also made a statement on his own, unfortunately, since he was in a bad mood that day what made everything even worse. He acted like they had just found out his biggest secret, what made the press even more curious and shared their opinion about Max and Charles with the whole world.
“Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc - what are they hiding?”
“True Love? - Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc are still dating”
“Top couple of the month - Verstappen and Leclerc in love?”
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“Oh my goodness, I can’t believe it” Charles face bumped himself after he had red a few of the Headlines. He couldn’t believe that the people were that stupid. Of course, Max and he had been spending more time together since they shared an airplane (it was way easier to fly together to a race and back as they live both in Monaco) but that gave no one the right to say such stupid things.
“Calm down. It’s only an article” Max replied looking bored out of the window. They were flying to the next race which was a new track near Santiago in South America and really exiting as it was something new.
Charles didn’t exactly know why the FIA decided that it was a good idea to race there. When he was younger, Santiago was said to be the city of monsters and mythic. It was exciting but also scary to think about the stories Lorenzo kept telling him and Arthur.
“Don’t tell me that you are not worried about what that means for me… for us” Charles said that with a low voice and looked at his friend with big puppy eyes.
“Of course I worry about it but I don’t think that it is that bad.” Max refused to watch into Charles eyes and the monegasque saw how red the cheeks of the other one became and smiled.
He took out his phone and opened the twitch quarter chat:
Sharls: Guys
Sharls: Guys
Sharls: GUYS!!!
Milkboy: what’s up Charles?
Sharls: I am actually on my way to Santiago
Albono: and what? You are bored?
Albono: I have to hurry up or I’m running late for my meeting
Sharls:
Sharles: I’m in a airplane with Max
G-Man: you share the same airplane since only god knows when
Milkboy: what does it matter
Albono: I never thought it was a problem
Sharls: they were this Magazines about me and Max…
Sharles: and I asked him if he isn’t worried about them
Sharles: he replied that the whole situation isn’t that bad
Sharles: his cheeks got red while he SAID THAT!!!
Albono: CHARLES! come down
Milkboy:
Milkboy: don’t know what to say
Sharls: YOU SEE!
G-Man: his weird acting could mean everything or nothing
G-Man: don’t worry
Sharls: but I worry
Sharls: I HAVE PANIC GUYS!!!
Milkboy: why are you even panicking
Milkboy: wait a sec
Milkboy: no way
Milkboy: you
Sharls: STOP
Sharls: OR I WILL HUNT YOU TILL YOUR END
Albono: what is happening
G-Man: don’t know
Milkboy: @Sharls likes Maximus
Sharls left the chat
Albono:
G-Man:
Milkboy:
Milkboy: I will add him
Milkboy added Sharls to the chat
Sharls: I hate u
G-Man: so
G-Man: you have a crush on Max
Albono: and Max has obviously a crush on u
Milkboy: why
Sharls: let the older ones talk Lando and go playing
Milkboy: *puts the phone away and goes playing*
Sharles: good boy
Albono: why don’t you ask him out
Sharls:
Sharls: no
Sharls: I can’t do that
G-Man: of course you can
Milkboy: he is nervous
Sharls: *annoyed of the kid coming back all the time*
Milkboy: that sucks
Milkboy: ask him out and I will buy the dinner for you two
Sharles:
Sharls: but
Sharls: Urg
Sharls: fine
Milkboy: :)
Sharls: :)