Chapter Text
It's been a week since Abu Dhabi, a week since P3, the champagne shower on the podium, the end of the season celebration, most importantly however it has now also been a week since he got to taste Max for the first time. And god fucking damnit, he needs more. More Max, always. Unfortunately life doesn’t seem to want to be so giving as to allow him more of the happiness he felt that night. Non, happiness isn’t a strong enough word to describe how he felt; elated, euphoric, on cloud fucking nine, complete, indescribely so, full of overwhelming glee and love might be closer, but honestly theres no one definitive way of explaning it. The feeling of finally falling into the arms of the man you have loved for so long and feeling that love returned just as passionately, if not more so than you ever expected.
Which is why when Charles woke the morning after, to an empty space on the bed next to him, to say he was hurt would be an understatement, but surprised? If he's honest with himself: no. He loves Max, which also means he knows him, knows how he can struggle with emotions, become overwhelmed when he feels too much, it's one of the many things about Max he holds dear, but right now, he's pissed.
The memory of Max etched on his skin in blooming bruises from fingers and teeth, purple and blue glowing on tanned skin. Lips still swollen and sore from how Max devoured them, aches only explained by how Max took him apart, like he was made to be worshipped. The whispered declarations of love, devotion burned into his skin like a brand.
Yet he found himself alone that morning. He tried calling, straight to voicemail. Figures. Max is probably already on the plane back to HQ. He sends a message instead.
To: Mon Amour
Why did you leave?
It’s simple but to the point. It goes undelivered, further suggesting he's already in the air. The other option is he's blocked Charles, which no matter how badly Max may want to avoid him right now – avoid the emotion conflicting between his heart and his mind – that is something Charles believes he'd never do, surely? Before he has a chance to spiral, Charles pulls himself from the sheets that still smell of Max, of their night together, and starts getting himself ready to leave and head back home to Monaco.
By the time Charles walks through his front door the message sits delivered but unread. Not blocked, but definitely ignored. “Mon dieu!” He throws his hands up in frustration. He wants to find Max and shake some sense into him. It's been years, years, there's no denying what Charles has assumed for a long time now: that Max feels the same. He witnessed and felt that love, ingrained it in his skin, buried it deep in his heart, he knows its real.
Unfortunately for Charles, he has fallen in love with Max Verstappen. On the track he may be a genius, a force to be reckoned with, ‘the flying dutchman’, a four time world champion even, but off the track he's just Max, a dork with a heart of gold who will help anyone in need if he can. Yet when it comes to helping himself with his own feelings, his emotions, he doesn’t know how. Instead he just shoves them down and ignores them until he can't anymore.
Charles is done being ignored.
_______________
The rest of winter break comes with radio silence from Max. Charles didn’t expect any less, however he has been using this time to plan his next move (and maybe stalk Max online. He was checking that he's doing okay, just that. Nothing else).
He spent days deliberating over what would be the best way to get Max back where he wants him. Drafted many plans, came up with elaborate ideas but in the end he went with what he knows can’t fail; himself.
The plan is simple really: show Max what he's missing.
1.
The new season hasn’t even begun yet, but Charles can start his plan now, make sure Max is at least thinking about him ready for when they all walk onto the paddock for the first time this year. It's only two weeks until the start of the season now so his timing couldn’t be better to remind Max who he left in that hotel bed a few months back.
It’s a photoshoot for a clothing brand, and while usually that would be a generally relaxed, more elegant sort of thing, this particular shoot is for their loungewear & underwear selection and Charles knows that means he will at least be shirtless. That plus some smouldering bedroom eyes gives him plenty to work with.
The shoot doesn’t take long, Charles being a natural in front of the camera. His boyish beauty and those devastating adorable dimples captivating everyone on set. Charles gets to pick which photos he’d like to use for his post in regards to the brand, and if he picks the sluttiest ones that's between him and the photographer.
He gets the permission to post the photos he has a few days later and he doesn’t waste a second in uploading them to his instagram where he knows they’ll get seen by the one man he actually wants to see them. He grins to himself as he hits ‘publish’.
@charlesleclerc
Thank you for having me and allowing me to wear such wonderful designs!
(3 photos attached)
-
Charles laying on the sofa, one arm dangling over the arm rest and one leg on the floor while the other is on the other arm rest. He's wearing red checkered lounge pants and nothing else, the waistband sitting just below his hips showing off his abs. He’s got a lopsided smile, showing off one dimple and his eyes are slightly hooded.
-
This time Charles is sitting on the edge of the bed, in the same lounge pants, with his arms stretched above his head, head tilted back so you can see the expanse of his neck whilst arching his back slightly.
-
Charles is still in the bedroom, this time however he's wearing only boxers and a robe that is fully open. He's got one hand leaning against the wall, with one leg crossed at the ankles making the robe hang open more showing the curve of his hips. He's smirking, eyes deep like an abyss drawing you in.
Charles knows he looks good in those photos, knows how teasing they are, however there's one more he still wants to share. This one was just for him (Max) but he couldn’t pass up the opportunity while he had a set and a professional photographer on hand. He’ll post this on his private though, as he knows without a shadow of a doubt Max will see it being one of the handful of followers he has there.
@leclarification
Pour mon amour
(1 photo attached)
-
Charles is laying back on the bed, resting on both elbows so he can look up and stare directly into the camera, eyes hooded and desire written all over his face.. One leg pulled up so its bent and dropping slightly outwards, the sheets artfully folded so they cover just where the boxers are, and absolutely nothing else.
Charles doesn’t expect to see any reaction from Max, but when the liked notification pops up on his screen a smile breaks out on his face with a squeal of glee. When he goes to view the post the like is already gone but it's too late. Charles has seen it, and not only that but Max fumbled so much when he saw the picture he liked it and then deleted it almost instantly. Charles’ smile gets so big his eyes smile too. He's so tempted to message Max, to let him know he knows, he resists though. Oh he's going to have so much fun when he walks on the paddock in just over a week.
❀❀❀❀
Max is in between test drives when the banner pops up with the notification that says Charles has posted on instagram. He should have turned off these notifs, but he's weak, and it's only for his private account, which he almost never uses so it's fine. Totally something a friend would do. This is what he tells himself as he's clicking on the notification before it even has time to disappear from the top of his screen.
The noise Max makes once the post loads can only be compared to a growl. It starts deep in his chest, uncontrollable and uncontainable. “FUCK!” he shouts, hand sliding down his face, completely unbothered by the looks the team is giving him. He starts mumbling under his breath, “The fuck Charles?!” Max can’t take his eyes off the screen.
The photo throws him right back to the hotel, to after Abu Dhabi, Charles laid out on the sheets all perfect temptation just for him. It was the best night of his life. He's lost track of how many years he's been in love with Charles, but he's pretty sure he has spent more years of his life in love with Charles than years he hasn’t. While that night meant everything to Max, he knows to Charles it was just that, one night. It's why Max left in the morning before Charles had woken up. He couldn’t face hearing the words that would confirm it. This way he still had that night and he left on his own terms.
Max double taps the screen to wake it up and in doing so likes the post. He swears under his breath, unliking it almost instantly. In doing so he notices the caption: ‘pour mon amour’. Max doesn’t speak french but he knows enough to understand what it says: ‘for my love’. A rage starts to bubble in his chest, molten hot. Charles is seeing someone. His Charles. Max almost smashes the screen on his phone from how hard he's gripping it in anger. He grabs his helmet and storms back onto the track, his turn be damned, he needs to be in the car, needs to have control over something before he loses control of feelings he’s had locked away for so long.