Corrode - [Charles Leclerc]

Natale Con La Famiglia - [Christmas Special]

       Christmas in Paris, it was everything she ever wanted. It was a thing on Joanne's bucket list, and when she told Charles about it, he didn't hesitate a second to book an apartment in the French capital city, and to make sure his jet would fly them there. They left as soon as the Christmas break of the schools started, and now they were spending a couple of days in this beautiful residence with a balcony that offered a view right upon the stunning Eiffel Tower. Christmas morning arrived, and Joanne woke up before Charles did. She looked over at her side to see him turned towards her, his eyes still closed. His hair laid messy atop his head, one of his arms over the sheets and his fingers slightly curled into the material. Joanne smiled at the sight before she swung her legs over the edge of the bed, she shivered against the cool morning air, goosebumps rising upon her limbs, but she couldn't resist having a look at the view the balcony offered.

Joanne opened the glass door, stepping onto the balcony. The sun was shining, but it was a cold winter morning in Paris for sure, the surface covered with a gentle layer of frost the night had caused. The freezing breeze pierced through the thin material of Charles' blouse she had worn to bed, but a warm pair of hands soon gripped her waist and pulled her back into a firm chest. "You'll catch a cold like this, mon coeur," Charles'  voice slightly muffled when he nuzzled his head into her neck. "I was just enjoying the view," Joanne replied with a laugh. "Me too," he grinned, a teasing tone to his voice. They both got back inside, closing the door to the balcony firmly. She turned around in Charles' arms, feeling the heat of his body seeping through her skin. "We have presents to unpack," she mumbled, her fingers brushing over his cheekbone. "We do," Charles sighed, nevertheless a boyish sparkle in his eyes as he undid one of the buttons from the shirt she was wearing. "But the kids are still asleep," he whispered.

Joanne pushed his chest, making him fall back down on the bed. She crawled on top of him, her hands cupping his face to kiss him. "Charles Leclerc, you have to behave for once," Joanne spoke, and he smiled at her, taking her hands in his to press kisses to her knuckles. "But you're irresistible," Charles replied, kissing her lips again. Joanne chuckled and got off of him, reaching for the fluffy robe, which she draped over herself. She pushed her feet into some slippers and made her way to the living room. There was a large Christmas tree, beautifully decorated, in the corner of the room. Charles had put the presents under it when the kids had fallen asleep last night. They had agreed on just selecting a couple of presents for Jules, Liam and Teresa. Charles spoiled her more than enough throughout the year, and Joanne wouldn't know what to gift him either. Joanne turned the heating on a little more, and she got into the kitchen of the apartment. Quietly, she pulled five mugs from the cabinet and got the chocolate bars they bought yesterday.

She melted them slowly and added some milk to make their own chocolate milk, the sweet scent filling the kitchen. Mick had a couple of days off to celebrate Christmas with his family, so Marcus came along with them, and she asked him to go to the bakery and come back with freshly baked bread and some pastries. Pierre was at home in Monte Carlo, replacing Charles while they were away. Charles made the table meanwhile, and it didn't take long before Marcus returned with their basket of groceries. Joanne invited him to sit down at the table with them, but Marcus politely declined. He didn't want to interrupt their family moment. The kids were woken up by the sounds coming from the kitchen, and within a couple of minutes, they were gathered around the Christmas tree. The breakfast wasn't so interesting for them, which made Joanne chuckle. Teresa was five years old by now, Jules and Liam nearly fourteen, and they were growing up so ridiculously fast.

"Your names are on the gifts, let's pick one each, shall we?" Charles asked, gathering Teresa's dark hair and brushing it over her shoulders while she was seated on his lap on the floor. "Alright, I can't wait," Liam chirped, reaching for a box under the tree, but it was for his brother. He handed it to Jules while searching for one for himself. Teresa gladly pulled one of her presents towards herself, seated on the floor while undoing the wrapping paper. The boys got new games for their PlayStation, and Teresa got bright pink, glittery hair scrunchies, which made her smile widely. "Can you put it in my hair, daddy?" she pushed the scrunchy in Charles' hand, which caused him to laugh. Joanne felt her heart swelling in her chest at the sight, and she watched as Charles braided her hair, which Joanne had taught him. He twisted the scrunchy around the end, and the little girl was happier than ever. They opened some more presents, and then decided to get to the breakfast table.

Liam and Jules were impatient to get started with their new games, and Teresa had opened her new package of drawing pencils and the coloring book, contently seated at the table once it was cleared. Joanne didn't bother to get dressed yet, and she looked out of the windows of their apartment as Paris came to life on this Christmas morning. Charles' hand slid down her spine, resting on her lower back, and he pulled her closer. "I have a present for you," Charles spoke up. Joanne scoffed. "But I didn't want anything, you buy me too many presents," she added, causing him to laugh. "I just knew you'd love it," Charles continued, and he pulled his other hand from the pocket of his sweats. A pair of keys were handed to her. He gnawed at his bottom lip to see if she'd figure it out, her eyebrows furrowed together. "You didn't," she started then, widening his grin. "You bought this apartment?" she asked in disbelief. "I saw how much you loved it when we arrived, and you haven't really stopped looking at the view. I wanted to buy it for us, we can have a getaway in Paris whenever we want. You can take Francesca here when you want a girls weekend," he summed up.

Joanne shook her head with a soft laugh, her arms curling around his neck. "You have to get used to me doing these things for you by now, darling," Charles chuckled. "I will never get used to it, because you keep surprising me in the best way possible," she smiled. Charles kissed her tenderly, his thumb brushing back and forth over her cheek with a smile as well.

"Merry Christmas, my love."

A/N: I know I have to let this story go, but I just couldn't not write a Christmas special. I think this will really be the last chapter of the story, but who knows what I'll come up with next year. Happy holidays to everyone, and all the best for 2022!