Work Text:
April
Seb was woken up by a small prodding on his chest, and he opened his eyes slightly to see a familiar shadow standing over him.
“Max… what time is it?” He muttered, rubbing his eyes.
He heard his son giggle. “The clock says zero, four, five, seven.”
Seb sat up in surprise. 04:57am? This was the third time this week Max had woken him up at some ridiculous time. “What do you want, Maxie?”
“Breakfast!” Max replied far too loudly for Seb's liking.
He shushed Max. “Please, for your sake, do not wake your Isä up. It is far too early for breakfast, Maxie.”
Max groaned in annoyance. “Why?”
“Wha… because it's five o'clock in the morning!” Seb hissed. “Go back to bed for an hour.”
His shadowed figure of a son shook his head. “I can't sleep, I am awake now.”
“Okay…” Seb sighed in defeat. “Let's get ready for school early.”
Max laughed, and Seb had to shush him again. “I don't go to school today, Papa. It's Sunday, silly!”
Seb paused for a second after he'd stood up, somehow his son had made him forget what a weekend was.
“Oh boy.”
“Five o'clock in the morning he woke me up.” Seb groaned as he poured out 2 coffees. “He can't keep doing this!”
Kimi sighed, having now also woken up. “Maybe he is bored.”
Seb considered this. “Bored of what?”
He didn't receive an immediate reply, and when he looked up at Kimi, he had a strange expression on his face.
“Kimi…” Seb couldn't help but smile. “What is it?”
Kimi just shrugged. “Maybe he is lonely.”
The silence was deafening. Seb's eyebrows flew up so high they may as well have shot off of his face.
“Lonely?” Seb questioned. “But he has us?”
“Of course.” Kimi replied calmly, and it naturally calmed Seb down too. “He sees all his friends at school every day, but when he is at home he has no friends to play with in that way.”
The idea Kimi was hinting at finally settled in Seb's mind, and he met his husband's eyes in shock.
“You think… he needs a sibling?”
Kimi shrugged again. “It doesn't sound terrible.”
And he was right, it didn't. Ever since Max had become a part of their lives, it felt as if the final piece of Seb's heart was put in place. This last year and a half had been perfect, and the thought of adding another small, chaotic person to the house?
It didn't sound too terrible at all.
Seb took Kimi's hand gently. “Is this something you want?”
The feeling of Kimi squeezing his hand back told Seb everything he needed to know, and he smiled nervously. Having one child was a big task that the two of them took on not too long ago, but having two children was an even bigger task, and an even bigger challenge.
But with Kimi by his side? With Max bringing joy to every single one of his days? They could do anything.
“So… we're really doing this?” Seb asked.
Kimi looked up at the ceiling, where he could hear Max walking around in the room above. “I think so, but we need to ask someone else.”
Seb grinned at him. “The most important person of all.”
Just before Seb was about to knock on Max’s bedroom door, he suddenly felt nervous and paused; what if Max didn't want a sibling? What if Max was upset at them for even asking? What if Max felt they were saying he wasn't enough?
“You okay?” Kimi asked quietly, noticing Seb's hesitation.
Seb nodded and grabbed his hand, using them both to knock gently on Max’s door.
“Come in!” Max shouted excitedly, putting his toy cars down as his parents came into the room. “Uh oh, am I in trouble?”
Seb couldn't help but laugh, a small piece of tension loosening inside him. “You aren't in trouble, no. There's just something we want to ask you.”
Max's face shifted to intrigue as he sat down on the edge of his bed. “What is it? What is it?”
His curiosity prompted Seb to lower himself down next to Max on the bed and put an arm around him to pull him into a hug. “Well, let's make some space for your Isä to sit down first.”
Kimi gave Seb a look as Max moved up towards Seb. “I don't want to break the bed.” Kimi replied, sending Max into a fit of giggles.
Seb rolled his eyes. “Alright, fine. Me and Max will just sit on the super comfortable bed while you stand and be boring.”
Max was still laughing, and Seb smirked up at his husband who did not look as impressed.
Kimi sighed in defeat before pushing himself off the wall. “Fine.”
“Don't sit on us!” Seb held Max dramatically, who squealed as Kimi sat down on the other side of him, trying not to laugh.
“Have I done something?” Max asked once he had calmed himself down.
“You haven't, no… but me and your Isä have been thinking about something important.” Seb explained. “We wanted to ask you about it first.”
Max nodded firmly. “Are you having a baby?”
Kimi snorted trying to hold back his laughter, but Seb just smiled and shook his head. “Not quite, but close enough.”
He looked at Kimi, wondering if he wanted to be the one to ask Max. Surprisingly, he nodded.
“Max, would you ever want to have a brother or sister?” He asked, looking down at his son with careful eyes.
Seb waited anxiously as the question set in and Max thought about it. He glanced at Kimi nervously, but his husband just subtly smiled at him.
“Um…” Max hummed to himself, looking at the floor.
“There's no pressure, Maxie.” Seb added. “This is completely up to you.”
Max grinned up at him with big, beady eyes. “I would love it if I had a brother!”
Kimi and Seb looked at each other proudly. “So, how would you feel if you actually did have a brother?”
“Really?” Max's face lit up. “I get to be a big brother?”
There were tears threatening to fall in Seb's eyes, and he grabbed Kimi's hand again. This family meant the world to him, and it was only going to get bigger. He knew as his family grew, the love he had for them would grow with it.
He sighed shakily. “Do you want to be a big brother, Maxie?”
Max giggled excitedly, throwing himself at Seb who fell backwards onto the bed, holding Max tightly in his arms.
“I can't wait, papa! I'm going to be the best big brother ever, I promise!” He beamed.
Seb laughed as Max launched off of him and into Kimi, who managed to keep himself upright while holding onto him.
“When can I have a brother? Tomorrow?” Max asked eagerly.
Kimi laughed softly as he began tickling Max, who squealed again and hid behind Seb. “You are getting ahead of yourself.”
“What you Isä is trying to say,” Seb added, receiving a knowing look from Kimi. “is that we will look into it as soon as possible. And this time, you get to come with us.”
Max grinned at him. “Awesome!”
Kimi didn't look too impressed, but there was a small smirk curling at the edge of his lips. This was your idea, Seb mouthed to him, and Kimi rolled his eyes.
“Now, here's the real important question.” Seb smirked. “Who wants pizza for dinner?”
“Me, me, me, me, me!” Max jumped off of the bed in delight and ran out of the room, rambling to himself about all the topping he wanted on his pizza.
Kimi stood up with a sigh, helping Seb up too before they both followed Max out of the room.
“I want one hundred million siblings!” Max announced as he ran down the stairs.
Seb laughed. “I think one is enough!”
“More than enough.” Kimi added under his breath, and Seb smacked him playfully.
~♡~
Kimi was woken by the sound of music playing far too loudly from the bathroom next door, and some quite frankly awful singing that could only be coming from one person.
He recognised the song a tiny bit from Seb's… unique taste in music. It's called ‘pop’, love, I guess you're too old for that, he had joked to him once.
“Sebastian…” He tried to call out, but his tired voice failed him, and it just sounded like a helpless cry. “Turn that down.”
As if on cue, a dancing Seb came into view in the doorway, grinning at Kimi. “Morning, love! What did you say?” He asked with that irresistible smile.
Kimi shut his eyes and pulled the bedsheet over his head. “Doesn't matter.”
Seb smirked. “Cheer up love, it's a big day today and we need to be ready! Come dance with me!”
“I woke up thirty seconds ago.” Kimi argued. “Let me rest first.”
Seb groaned in annoyance. “Fine, I'll get Max to dance with me. Maxie! Would you care to dance?”
Kimi listened to the giggles of his husband and son coming from the room next door, and sighed as he forced himself out of bed. After almost being taken out by a spinning Max as he left their bedroom, Kimi looked at Seb with a smirk.
“You are trying to kill me now.” He muttered as he walked past Seb, who grabbed him and pulled him into a kiss before he could escape.
“Ew!” Max covered his eyes with his hands. “No kissing!”
Seb just laughed. “Sorry, Maxie. I have to wake your Isä up somehow.”
“That works.” Kimi replied. “Now can we turn the music down?”
“No!” Seb sped into the bathroom to protect his phone where the music was playing from. “You leave my music alone.”
“You're lucky I love you.” Kimi shook his head in defeat.
Max put himself in the space between their legs quickly. “No more kissing! We need to go as soon as possible!”
“We will Maxie, don't worry.” Seb smiled down at him and ruffled his hair.
“If you aren't ready in ten minutes, I am going without you.” Max declared as he ran into his bedroom to get changed.
Kimi raised an eyebrow at Seb. “Does he plan on walking to the adoption centre?”
“I'd like to see him try.” Seb replied quietly. “But he has a point, hurry up and get ready.”
“So impatient.” Kimi sighed.
“You love it.” Seb replied smugly as he headed into their bedroom without waiting for a reply.
Today was the day that they were going to look around an adoption centre for the first time since bringing Max home. Neither Seb or Kimi expected to be going back there, but neither of them were complaining. Besides, it would be nice to see Daniel again.
Seb was slightly nervous though, he was still unsure how Max would react to the other children, as excited as he was. And what if Seb himself couldn't handle it?
He thought about the journey he and Kimi went on together to adopt Max, and how it had changed his life for the better; he could do that again, and he had nothing to worry about.
Like most of their car journeys, it was anything but quiet. Plenty of bad singing and games of ‘I spy’ kept them - mainly Seb and Max - busy until they arrived at the adoption centre.
“Are we going to see Daniel too?” Max asked excitedly as Kimi helped him out of the car.
Seb nodded with a smile. “We are! He is very excited to see you again.”
Both him and Kimi had been slightly nervous that bringing Max to the same adoption centre he called home a few years ago wouldn't go well, but he proved them wrong by asking if they would visit Daniel first a few days ago.
“Do you think Daniel still remembers me?” Max asked, looking up at his parents and holding out his hands.
Kimi took his small hand and they started walking. “He could never forget you.”
Seb took hold of Max's other hand and the three of them made their way through the main doors where a familiar figure greeted them.
“Here they are!” Daniel clapped his hands eagerly. “My favourite family, the Räikkönen-Vettels!”
Max wasted no time launching himself into Daniel's arms, who embraced him tightly for a moment. Seb watched them with a smile; it was clear that Daniel missed Max through the monthly e-mails they exchanged.
When Max finally let go, Daniel stood up again. “I didn't think I'd see you guys again, but here we are! Looking to expand your family, I see?”
“Yes.” Seb nodded. “Someone wants to be a big brother.”
Max giggled, knowing he was the one they were talking about. “I am going to be the best big brother of all time.”
Daniel smiled, that infectious grin even forcing a small smile out of Kimi. “Well then, let's not waste any more time. There are plenty of children looking for a new home, and I'm sure they would all love to have an older brother.”
They all made their way down the familiar corridor, and Seb felt a hand hold onto his own. When he glanced over at Kimi, he wasn't looking back at him, but Seb knew what he was thinking regardless.
He laced his fingers between Kimi's and squeezed, saying nothing and everything at the same time.
“I haven't even told Nico and Lewis we're doing this.” Seb whispered to him.
Kimi laughed quietly. “If Lewis has a heart attack when you break the news to them, I'm reporting you for murder.”
Seb nudged his shoulder with a smirk, relieved that some of the nerves had been shaken off. Even though they'd been here before, there was still a small bit of anxiety for both him and Kimi.
“Just a warning,” Daniel's voice pulled them out of their own world. “some of these kids can be a bit… crazy.”
Seb shrugged. “Nothing we aren't used to.”
“Hey, I am not crazy!” Max argued.
Daniel laughed at him. “You little liar!”
They entered a large room where a group of children were all playing together; one was running around, another sitting down and playing with toys. There was one young boy reading by himself in the corner, and Seb made a mental note to give him some space at first.
“These are the destructive creatures.” Daniel explained.
One of the children stopped running to look up at Daniel. “I am not destructive!” He yelled at the top of his lungs.
“Kimi, you broke a toy car yesterday.” Daniel replied with a sigh.
From next to him, Seb felt Kimi look around in confusion. “You better not have.” Seb whispered to him with a smirk.
“Oh!” Daniel realised what the problem was. “We have two Kimis! As if one wasn't enough.”
Seb laughed at that, and looked down to see Max was no longer standing with them, instead he had joined another child on the floor and was playing with them.
“Little Kimi! Come over here!” Daniel called to the boy, who came running over again. His curly, brown hair almost fell into his eyes, but he swiped it out of the way with his hand.
He frowned up at Daniel. “I am not little Kimi! I am the biggest Kimi!”
“Not anymore.” Daniel crouched down slightly. “This is also Kimi.” He pointed to the man standing next to Seb, who smiled awkwardly.
‘Little Kimi’, Seb had already decided that nickname was sticking in his head, looked up at Kimi with big eyes, his mouth slightly open.
“Woah…” He whispered. “You are Kimi also?”
Kimi nodded. “I am.”
“This is hurting my brain.” Seb admitted. “There are too many Kimis!”
Little Kimi laughed at him. “No! There are not enough Kimis!”
“The Kimis are going to take over!” Seb replied dramatically, clutching his heart and sending the boy into more laughter.
Daniel smiled at them. “Alright baby Kimi,” He began, not earning the approval of the young boy, “I have someone I want you to meet, an old friend of mine, I should say.”
As Daniel steered little Kimi towards Max and the other boy he was playing with, Seb's attention turned to the quiet boy in the corner. He hesitated, unsure if the boy wanted to be approached.
“Go talk to him.” Kimi nudged him with encouragement. “I will stay with Daniel.”
Seb nodded at Kimi and squeezed his hand once more before letting go to walk over to the boy on his own. As Seb approached, the boy looked up from the book he was reading. He seemed confused, yet intrigued.
“Hey…” Seb greeted him softly. “What's your name?”
The boy smiled slightly. “Isack.”
Seb couldn't help but smile back. “Isack… cool name.”
“Thank you.” The boy replied, his English laced with a thick French accent. “Look at this.”
He held out the book he was reading to Seb, who took a long look at it. “Is that your book?
Isack nodded and turned the page. “It is my favourite book. Look.”
He pointed at one of the pages, and Seb braved sitting down next to the boy, who smiled at him as he did so. It filled Seb's heart with love, and as he looked over at his husband who currently had a plastic crown on his head and was being ordered to ‘look like a princess’ by little Kimi, he smiled fondly.
Surely the first visit wasn't the last again.
Some time passed, and Isack was slowly gaining confidence around Seb as he read his book out loud. He even asked Seb to help him with some of the words he was struggling to pronounce.
“Sebastian, help me.” He heard Kimi call out to him, and he looked up with a frown.
“You okay?” Seb asked, smiling at the chaos.
Kimi shook his head. “I've been kidnapped.”
Seb had to hold back his laughter, and the other boys around him were laughing too. He could see Daniel sneakily take a photograph of Kimi with the crown on, and Seb reminded himself to ask for that later. It was definitely going on the fridge.
“The princess has been taken?” He asked, making the other kids laugh. “Isack, will you give me a minute? My princess has been kidnapped and I need to save him.”
Isack was giggling too. “I will help you.”
Seb smiled proudly watching Isack come out of his shell. “You will?”
“Yes, I am the bestest soldier ever!” He announced as he stood up.
Seb walked over to the group of boys who were still giggling at Kimi being called a ‘princess’. “Where is the princess? Give her back!”
“Never!” The other boy - who Seb had learned was called Ollie - shouted, holding his small arms out to block Seb.
Max was also doing his best to stop Seb from coming closer. “The princess is ours!”
He just laughed. “Fine, I guess I will have to call an old friend of mine to help. Isack, do you know who the tickle monster is?”
Simply saying the words tickle monster evoked panic in both Ollie and little Kimi, as well as Max, who all began running away from Isack when he started to chase them. With the boys all running around, Seb held a hand out to his husband on the floor. “Don't worry my princess, your knight in shining armour is here.”
“My hero.” Kimi replied sarcastically, but took Seb's hand and stood up again anyway.
Daniel walked over to them. “If you guys want to step outside for a minute, it's their lunch time now. I'm sure Max will want to join them, but there's no pressure for the prince and princess to join our banquet.”
“Thank you, Sir Daniel.” Seb replied with a bow before he and Kimi left the room to the sound of excited squeals when Daniel announced it was lunch time.
The quiet of the corridor felt cold in comparison to the warmth of the playing room, and Seb shivered ever so slightly.
He knew that there were other adoption centres they were planning on visiting, but there was something about the three boys he'd just met that felt… perfect. He imagined everything that happened in that room happening in their home, every day, and Seb looked at Kimi.
“So… what are you thinking so far?” Seb asked him.
Kimi raised an eyebrow. “I have been kidnapped and almost killed by a fire-breathing Ollie dragon. Pretty good.”
Seb laughed as they began to walk along the corridor, stopping by a window that looked into the room where they were all eating lunch.
“Look at them all.” Seb thought out loud, and something inside him changed as he watched them laughing and eating together. “Kimi… I'm not saying this should be definite, but could you imagine that in our home?”
Kimi was looking into the room too, but turned to Seb in surprise when he spoke. “You mean all four of them?”
Seb shrugged. “Yeah. I know we only agreed on one, but-”
“Sebastian, we can't have them all.” Kimi cut in. “How would we even manage that?”
Seb looked down at the carpet. “I mean… Max has already told us he wants to share his room, and we have the spare bedroom that the other two could go in.”
He didn't get a reply from Kimi, who had turned back to face the window.
“We have the facilities, and we have the time and money to prepare,” Seb tried. “and look how happy Maxie is.”
The sound of their laughter echoed through the walls, going straight to Seb's heart. He just wondered if it did the same to Kimi.
“I know.” Kimi sighed. “But four children, Sebastian, that is big. Two children is a big enough change as it is, but four is completely different. And think about the cat, would she be happy with this?”
Seb nodded in understanding. “So you're not up for it?”
Again, Kimi didn't reply, and the silence of the corridor suddenly felt uncomfortable.
“I love them already. All of them.” Seb continued. “We can't separate them from each other, love. Our options here are to leave them all… or adopt them all.”
He looked at Kimi, who glanced back at him from the corner of his eye.
“Can I think about it?” He asked after a while.
Seb put a hand on his shoulder and rested his head on Kimi's arm. “Of course. This is our family, remember? We both decide what's best.”
Kimi pressed a small kiss into Seb's hair, and the two of them watched in comfortable silence as Daniel dropped a sandwich on the floor, making the children laugh. The only thing Seb could focus on was how his Max, his boy, looked so happy.
Seb held onto Kimi a little bit tighter, silently hoping that whatever Kimi decided meant their lunches at home would look like this too.
~♡~
Max had fallen asleep long ago, and the quiet of the evening made a change from the chaotic day they'd had. Seb was looking at his own reflection in the bathroom mirror, thinking about everything he'd seen; he thought about the three bundles of joy he had met today:
Little Kimi - he would have to find a way around the name problem - whose smile didn't drop once when they were there. He never seemed to run out of energy, and even gave Seb, Kimi and Max a hug before they left.
Ollie, who was one of the most imaginative people Seb had ever met, despite being so young. He was always making the others laugh, and his kindness was something Seb admired.
And Isack, who was so shy at first, but by the end of the day was laughing and running around with everyone else. He was smart, adorable, and his confidence was ever growing.
Seb just couldn't stop thinking about them, couldn't stop imagining them as his own, growing up in the very house he was standing in now. To him, the decision was made already, but it all came down to what Kimi thought.
As much as Seb wanted this, if Kimi wasn't ready, then he would respect that.
He splashed his face with water for the third time before turning the light off and quietly heading into their bedroom. Kimi was already in their bed, seemingly asleep, so Seb slipped under the covers as gently as possible so as to not disturb him.
He ran his hand down Kimi's arm softly before settling down and closing his eyes. Seb was tired, and he found himself drifting off fairly quickly.
“Sebastian?”
He sat up quickly and looked at Kimi, who was now staring at the ceiling mindlessly. “What is it?”
Kimi turned his head to look up at Seb, his eyes glistening in the moonlight that was peaking through the curtains. “Do you really think we could manage it?”
Seb frowned at him. “Manage what?”
There was a pause.
“Four of them.”
He froze, staring back down at Kimi in surprise. Seb didn't expect him to bring the idea up so soon, and definitely not at almost midnight.
“I do.” Seb whispered. “I don't think it will be easy, but I believe we could manage anything together.”
Kimi sat up slowly, resting against the backboard of their bed. “You and Max, you both looked so… happy today. You both looked like you had made up your mind, but it sounded like too much for me.”
“Kimi, we do everything together.” Seb replied, resting a hand on Kimi's arm. “We are a family, you don't have to do anything alone, and you don't have to do anything you aren't ready for.”
Seb had known Kimi long enough now, and he knew his husband would always prioritise others over himself, especially Max and Seb. It was one of the many wonderful things about him, but sometimes his selflessness was too much, and it ended in him doing things he didn't want to do.
He could tell Kimi a million times that he didn't have to do anything he didn't want to, but if he knew Seb was passionate about something, he would set his own opinion aside in a heartbeat.
“If this isn't what you want, that's okay.” Seb told him. “We keep looking.”
Kimi looked down at Seb's hand on his arm, and listened to the small sound of Max's snoring as it travelled through the house. “What if it is?”
The circles Seb was drawing with his finger stopped abruptly, and he diverted his attention fully to Kimi. “What?”
“What if it is what I want?” Kimi asked. “It's scary to think about, but… we can do it.”
Echoes of the high-pitched laughter from earlier in the day played in Seb's mind, and he took Kimi's hand.
“You really want this?” He asked hesitantly.
Kimi nodded. “I do. You do, and Max definitely does.”
Seb laughed quietly. “I think it sounds perfect. And if it gets tough, we always have each other.”
“Always.”
Despite the dark, Seb pushed himself forwards and kissed Kimi softly. It wasn't a long or rough kiss, it was a promise that no matter what happened now, they would be in it together.
Them, Max, and the rest of their family to come.
“Papa? Isä?” A small but familiar voice caught their attention, and Max was standing in the doorway of their bedroom with a blanket dragging behind him.
Seb held a hand out to him. “What is it, Maxie?”
Max used all his strength to pull himself up onto their bed, throwing his blanket around himself. “Can I sleep in here tonight?”
Without saying anything or waiting for Seb to reply, Kimi lifted the bedsheet up, allowing Max to crawl under it and settle between him and Seb.
“Papa?” Max's sleepy voice filled the room as he rested his head against the pillows.
“Yes, Maxie?”
His small eyes looked up at Seb curiously. “Are Kimi and Ollie and Isack my brothers yet?”
Seb met Kimi's eyes in the dark, and they both smiled at each other. They knew the answer - they didn't know when, or even how just yet, but they definitely knew the answer.
“Yes, Maxie. I think they are.”
~♡~
September
“Well, I can't say I'm surprised.” Daniel shrugged. “When you came back here those months ago and met those kids for the first time, I could tell by the look in your eyes that you'd made the decision.”
Seb nodded in agreement. “As soon as I left that day, I knew.”
Not too far away, Kimi was once again taking on the role of carrying everyone's bags. Now that all the papers had been signed and the legal procedures had been completed, he and Seb were officially fathers of 4.
The thought still shocked Seb slightly; 4 children was a lot. Then again, sometimes Max felt like 4 kids at once.
“I think those kiddos are going to have an amazing life.” Daniel turned to Seb. “You won't stop the e-mails, will you?”
“Of course not.” Seb reassured him. “You know, you can come and visit us whenever you like.”
Their attention was directed to the sound of laughter, and Seb couldn't help but join in when he saw what must have been 10 backpacks dangling off of his husband.
“I am not carrying you as well.” He said to Ollie, who carried on giggling. “Sebastian, please.”
Seb took a step closer and lifted Ollie up without hesitation. “Since someone clearly doesn't want to carry you, I suppose I will.”
Kimi stared at him, mightily unimpressed, and then at Daniel who offered him a sympathetic smile.
“Right then, who wants to-” Seb began, but he couldn't even finish his sentence before everyone began squealing excitedly.
“Let's go home, let's go home!” Isack shouted, but not before running to Daniel and giving him one last hug.
Daniel laughed as both little Kimi and Ollie - who Seb released - bundled into him. Even Max joined the group hug, and Seb and Kimi looked at each other proudly.
“Go on, get out of here.” Daniel told them. “Someone tells me you guys have brand new bedrooms waiting for you.”
The 4 of them wasted no time running eagerly towards the car, the sound of Max shouting “No one sit in my seat!” getting quieter as they went.
Seb laughed at them. “I should unlock the car before they rip the doors off. Thank you again Daniel, for everything.”
“My pleasure, Seb. Maybe I'll see you guys again.” Daniel raised an eyebrow.
Kimi cleared his throat. “I doubt it. I can't carry any more bags.”
As Seb and Daniel shamelessly laughed in Kimi's face, Seb snapped a quick photo of Kimi and gave Daniel a quick hug before jogging off towards the car.
“I told you before, this is the life you have signed up for.” Daniel told him. “A bag carrier that just so happens to be married to Seb.”
“I know my place.” Kimi replied with a smirk.
They watched from afar as Seb helped each of them into the car, a new car in fact, since their old one wasn't big enough to fit them all in anymore.
Daniel sniffled next to Kimi, who looked at him with a frown. “Sorry, this part always gets me. God, I'm going to miss them.”
“They will miss you too.” Kimi replied honestly, and it prompted Daniel to pull him into a hug that was not returned.
“It's just so cute!” He cried into Kimi's shoulder.
Kimi managed to peel himself away from Daniel's grip and patted him on the shoulder in comfort. “I know.”
Daniel wiped his eyes with his sleeves dramatically. “Look after them for me, all five of them.”
“Will do.” Kimi nodded, trying not to laugh. “See you soon, Daniel.”
“See you soon, guys!” Daniel yelled loud enough to catch Seb's attention, who waved from the car as Kimi made his way up to him.
After putting all of the bags into the car, Kimi and Seb got in the front themselves, the loud chatter from their sons behind hitting them immediately.
“Here we go.” Seb whispered to him, placing a hand on Kimi's knee.
Kimi nodded at him. “Here we go.”
“Papa! Isä!” Max called from his usual seat behind the driver. “Hurry up! I want to show Ollie and Kimi and Isack around the house!”
Seb looked at them all with intrigue. “You want to do the official house tour, Maxie?”
“Yes, yes!” Max replied excitedly.
Kimi glanced at Seb, who nodded in approval. “Sounds like a plan. You give the tour, and we can sort out dinner.”
“Broccoli for dinner tonight.” Kimi added. “First day home special.”
Ollie pretended to throw up while Isack and little Kimi shouted in protest. Max began rambling about having pizza, like he always did, and Seb laughed as he recalled Max's first day home.
“Right then, let's get going, love.” Seb turned his attention back to Kimi, who started the car and began the journey home.
The journey felt more alive than any car journey had felt before, and it filled Seb with more joy than he could imagine. He always pictured this day, and so far it had been everything he'd imagined and more.
He looked over at Kimi, who was smiling himself, and Seb smirked with pride. This was what he had wanted, this was the dream. Him, his Kimi, and his children; his Maxie stepping up and becoming the best sibling already.
A sigh escaped him, and he wasn't sure if it was relief, joy, or exhaustion, or maybe a mix of the 3.
Regardless, it was perfect.
~♡~
“So you like it?” Seb asked hopefully.
Max gaped at him. “Like it?! I love it! Thank you so so so so so so so so much!”
Memories from Max's first day home flooded back as Seb listened to Isack, Ollie and little Kimi explore their new bedrooms: Max was now sharing with Isack, and Ollie and little Kimi had taken the old spare bedroom.
“Woah, my bed looks like a racing car!” Isack whispered to Max.
Max hummed proudly. “So does mine! I thought you would want a blue one too.”
Isack smiled at him. “I love blue, it is my favourite colour.” He replied before scrambling onto the bed and jumping up and down on the mattress.
“Do you want to see Ollie and Kimi's room?” Max asked him, and Isack nodded before they both ran through the hallway and into the opposite bedroom.
Seb sighed again, leaning his head on Kimi's shoulder. “I think they like the bedrooms.”
“Well, you found everything.” Kimi replied. “They have you to thank.”
“You built it all, I just sat around looking pretty.” Seb argued.
Kimi shrugged humbly. “I guess.”
They listened in again to the chaos that was happening in the other bedroom, a mix of laughter, squeals and excited yelps.
“Max! Max! Ollie is trying to tickle me!” Isack yelled, and not long after he ran out of the room and into Kimi's arms.
He looked at Isack with a small smile. “Who is trying to tickle you?”
“Ollie, it's Ollie!” Isack huffed out, his breath short from running so much.
“Hm.” Kimi nodded, a determined look in his eyes. “Do they need a visit from the tickle monster?”
Isack giggled evilly as Kimi entered the bedroom, and not long later Seb laughed as overexcited screams began spilling from the room
“Isä, no!” Max yelled through giggles, while the unmistakable sound of pillows being used as weapons caught Seb's attention.
He entered the room with a smirk. “Did someone say pillow fight?”
Ollie and little Kimi immediately formed a truce as they turned on Seb, but thanks to Max, he had become quite the expert in pillow fights. Not that it was too difficult to beat a pair of five year olds in a pillow fight as a grown man, but come on, let him have this one.
After a long and chaotic battle, the fight ended with little Kimi laughing tiredly while laying on the floor, Kimi and Isack fast asleep on one of the new beds, and Seb quietly reading a story to Max and Ollie, one boy under each arm.
“Can we have one more story?” Max asked with his puppy eyes.
Seb looked away from him. “I think that's enough for today. I need to get Isack and your Isä into the correct beds.”
“Please!” Ollie begged. “Just one more, the shortest book on the shelf.”
They both looked up at Seb, a pleading look in their eyes. Normally, Seb wouldn't give in to this, but tonight he just couldn't help it.
“Okay, one more story, and then you brush your teeth and get straight into bed.” He replied.
Max and Ollie celebrated in whispers as they tiptoed over to the bookshelf to pick another book.
“Kimi?” Seb nudged the small boy laying on the floor, still trying to think of some kind of nickname so he stopped getting his son and husband mixed up.
He sat up slowly, blinking to keep himself awake. “Hm?”
Seb laughed softly. “Do you want to hear one more story, or do you want to go to sleep?”
The mention of the word ‘story’ seemed to wake him up, and little Kimi stood up and joined Seb on the small bed, followed by Ollie and Max, who definitely didn't choose the smallest book on the shelf. Fortunately, it didn't take long for Seb to read the story, and he sent the 3 of them into the bathroom to brush their teeth.
As gently as possible, he lifted Isack up from where he was currently sleeping tucked into Kimi's side and carried him into his own room. He placed him in his own bed and tucked him under the bedsheet.
“Sleep well, Isack.” Seb whispered. “Papa loves you.”
Isack wriggled slightly and scrunched his face up. “Papa?”
Seb froze for a second. Papa. His mind cast back to his first night with Max, who said the same thing on the other side of the room not 2 years ago. “Yes, sweetheart?”
Isack hummed tiredly, losing the fight to keep his eyes open. “I love you too.”
Seb's heart fluttered slightly, and he stayed by the side of the bed for a minute until he could hear steady breathing coming from Isack.
“Papa?” Max appeared in the doorway suddenly, and Seb turned to him. “Are you crying?”
Seb didn't even register the tears running down his cheeks until Max pointed them out, and he wiped them away quickly. “No, Maxie. Just tired.”
Max nodded as he climbed into his own bed. “So am I. Today has been the best day ever!”
“I'm so glad.” Seb replied quietly, running a hand through Max's hair. “If you're happy, then I'm happy.”
Max smiled, his cheeks still flushed from the playing earlier. “Night night, papa.”
“Goodnight, Maxie.”
As he pulled the door of the bedroom shut slightly, Seb headed into the other room, expecting to find Ollie and little Kimi waiting for Kimi to wake up and get off the bed, but what Seb actually saw melted his heart even more.
Kimi was still asleep on one bed, and Ollie and little Kimi were huddled up together on the other.
“Boys?” Seb whispered, and they looked up at him and giggled.
Ollie pointed at the other bed. “I think Isä wants that bed more.”
Seb had to resist laughing too loudly as he crouched down next to the bed they were currently sharing. “I can move the beast sleeping in your bed.” Seb told them, making them laugh again. “You don't have to squeeze into one.”
Little Kimi shook his head. “I don't mind.”
Seb looked at them, slightly surprised. “You're sure?”
Ollie nodded. “Yes. Unless he snores, then he has to go to the other bed.”
“I do not snore!” Little Kimi argued.
“You do!”
Seb shushed them softly. “Now now boys, quiet down. We don't want to wake up your Isä or your brothers.”
The thought of them already knowing Kimi as their Isä made Seb smile, and he pulled the bedsheet over both the boys.
“Sleep well, you two.” He whispered to them.
Ollie hummed as he got comfortable under the blankets, and Kimi blinked up at him. “Goodnight, Papa.”
It didn't take long for them both to fall asleep, and Seb waited for a while before attempting to wake his husband.
“Kimi, love…” Seb gently prodded his shoulder until he began to stir, scrunching his eyes closed in annoyance. It was scarily similar to how Isack had done so a few minutes before.
“What…” Kimi mumbled.
Seb shushed him. “I would prefer it if you slept in our bed and not one of the boys’ new bed.”
Kimi forced himself to sit up and rubbed his face tiredly. “What time is it? It feels late.”
Seb checked the time on the dinosaur clock hanging on the wall and chuckled. “Seven o'clock.”
Kimi exhaled. “Shit.”
“Don't swear in the kid's room!” Seb hissed, pulling Kimi up to his feet and ushering him into the bathroom so he could prepare to sleep too; an early night sounded like something they both needed.
When Kimi eventually joined Seb in bed, he pulled his husband close and slung an arm around him.
“How do you feel?” He whispered to Kimi, closing his eyes.
The reply wasn't instant, but Seb didn't mind the quiet while he waited. It was a safe, comforting and relaxing kind of quiet.
“I feel… good.”
Seb countered help but laugh. “That's it? Good?”
Kimi shrugged. “What? You asked.”
“I expected more.” Seb replied. “I mean for me, this has been one of the best days of my life, so thank you for that. You are truly the best husband and father I could ask for.”
He felt Kimi shift in his arms, propping himself up on one elbow.
“You want a better answer?” He asked, and Seb didn't have to look to know there was a small smile on his face.
He nodded tiredly. “I do.”
Kimi hummed as he thought about it for a moment. “I think we have the best family in the world, and I am lucky to have married someone as perfect as you who has given me this life. I love you, Sebastian.”
Seb could feel the tears falling again, and Kimi's hand didn't hesitate to wipe them away gently. All the emotions from today were finally let out all at once.
It couldn't have gone much better; everyone seemed happy, and that was all Seb wanted for his family. His perfect family.
“I love you too, Kimi. So, so much.”
~♡~
October
@sebvettel5
Daniel,
I won't sit here and lie to you, this past month has been the most chaotic 4 weeks of my life. That isn't a bad thing, but jeez, you could've warned me that one bath time would end in me and Kimi cleaning bubbles out of the bathroom for 45 minutes!
Seriously though, these boys are truly the light of my life, and Max has never seemed happier (apart from when him and Ollie argue over the toy cars🤭) As promised, here are some of my favourite photos from this past month, because if I sent you all of them, it would take up most of your storage
*View 11 photos*
- Max reading a story to Ollie, Isack and little Kimi
- A selfie taken by Seb of everyone at a restaurant, there are crayons all over the table
- Kimi sleeping on the sofa, and Isack sleeping on top of him
- Max and little Kimi laughing together while playing a game
- Ollie smiling at the camera, his face covered in paint
- Seb and Max showing Ollie, Isack and little Kimi around the park
- Max, Ollie, little Kimi and Isack all lined up on the sofa watching a film, each with a small bowl of popcorn
- A photo from Max's birthday party, Ollie and little Kimi are dancing, Isack is eating a slice of chocolate cake, and Max is beaming at the camera
- Lewis holding little Kimi on his shoulders
- George and Max mid argument over a game
- A photo of all of them together, Isack copying Kimi's expressionless face and making the others laugh
Thank you once again for everything you have done for my family, we truly wouldn't be where we are today without your help.
Sebastian (and Kimi, who wanted credit because a few of the photographs were taken by him🙄)
@nico6rosbergg
Hey Daniel!
I have some friends who have been thinking about adoption recently, but aren't really sure where to start. Can I pass your details over to them so you can meet at some point and help them out?
Nico x
@danielricciardo
Nico!
That would be wonderful, I would love to help! Send them my e-mail addess and I can sort something out😁
If it's not too much trouble, could you send me a phone number or e-mail for these people so I know in advance?
Many thanks, Dan
⬇️
@nico6rosbergg
No worries. Just warning you now, they are quite the characters😉
@fernandoalo14***
@aussiegr1t***
Nico x