Lestappen Oneshots

comfort is wherever you are | part 1

To say he was exhausted was an understatement. Max was feeling like his body was floating from how tired he felt. That was already day three of no sleep whatsoever and the Dutchman was starting to question his sanity. Sometimes he dozed off imagining himself asleep, only to find out his eyes were actually closed, ready to surrender to what his whole body craved. And it was sleep.

Walking around the paddock seemed like a marathon and Max was sure he should be getting casted for The Walking Dead at this state. Hopefully he would be getting a better character than the one they created for Drive to Survive. This time he wasn't sure how he could survive a whole day of media duties without falling to his feet dead asleep. Maybe the thing with toothpicks really did work like in cartoons, he could test that.

He was approached by Brad as soon as he stepped into he paddock with him carrying a Red Bull can, as per usual, to give it to Max. This time, he was craving it so much he snapped it from his coach's hands as he murmured a soft sorry and gulped the whole liquid in one go.

"Wow, Max, calm down." Brad scolded half-entertained, half-concerned "We don't need you to advertise for Red Bull at the moment." They walked side by side through the street, one of the Red Bull employee's hands resting on Max's shoulder for encouragement.

"I know. I just really needed that. M'fucking exhausted, man."

"You're sure you can keep up with the media today?" He gazed at him, concern flashing through his eyes.

"Yeah, no big deal." Max lied; he wasn't even sure he would be forming coherent sentences in a few minutes.

Brad looked at him as if to search any sign of a lie. He seemed to think for a second before resisting the urge to say something and just sighed deeply. "The press conference with all the drivers will be happening in a few minutes. They decided to make it in a couch for you all to be more comfortable."

"They are making it really hard for me not to fall asleep then." Max stated, a light giggle leaving his pale lips.

When he got to the press room, there were a lot of staff already walking around doing their jobs. Mick and Seb were present as well. Max didn't know who else would be joining but he hoped it was someone he could talk to since he was positive the two other drivers would just be in their own bubble talking, leaving him 'alone' with his thoughts about comfy bedsheets, a soft pillow, sleep...

Max already looked bored in this environment when his sleep schedule was alright, now it would pass on as he was having the worst fucking time of his life. He could only hope it wouldn't look like he was being rude for not really paying attention but there was little he could do about it.

The Dutchman approached the other men, casually greeting them in the process. They stopped their on-going conversation to make a bit of small talk with him before resuming their argument about a new species of fish they found out had been discovered recently. Max wasn't offended at all; the topic could only make him even more keen to take a good nap.

His mind drifted off after that, but not actually thinking coherently. In his daydream, there was a big room which was completely dark. He was laying on a king-sized bed, snugged against soft silk sheets and a slim figure that smelled like summer. Only a shadow of the person was visible, the outline of a well-defined jaw and swollen red lips. Little soft mutters of compliments and words of affirmation filled a room where two people found comfort in each other. Max was so relaxed, he felt like floating in a cloud of happiness and love. He was being so cheesy, which only confirmed how worn-out he was.

When the Dutchman got back to reality, his head was pressed against something very cosy. He figured he had probably fallen asleep against the sofa's cushions but there was a soft smell in the air, one type of perfume he knew too well. He was laying against Charles. With that thought in mind, Max snuggled a lit bit more against his boyfriend's chest. There was an arm resting behind his back that could be hidden from public view, but he knew what the gesture meant: I'm here for you.

Maybe he was going a bit overboard, maybe it was risky to be this close to Charles while there were cameras everywhere. After all, their relationship was a secret and they intended to keep it like that. However, Max could blame it all on the sleep deprivation and the fact him and Charles were truly good friends who did normal stuff like cuddling. If he was honest, he couldn't care less about the media's opinion. He was a mess today and really needed his boyfriend, so they had to take the situation as it was.

Charles started to massage the back of Max's scalp with tentative hands as a small smile adorned his face. His eyelids were starting to get heavier by the second and the world around him seemed to be deafened. This was almost better than actually sleeping on his bed.

When the Monégasque thought nobody was looking, he quickly bent down to kiss his boyfriend's eyelids carefully, reaching for both sides of his face to hold him. The gesture was only acknowledged by the other two drivers in the room, but they made no comments on that and just smiled at the sweet scene.

Unfortunately, Max still had to take part in the conference and Charles got the heart-breaking job of having to wake the man up. He began with drawing some small soothing circles against the naked skin which was showing from the position he had been laying. Then he whispered to his ear: "It's time to wake up, baby. We still have that interview, remember?" All he got was a grunted no and a cute pout adorning his boyfriend's lips.

He tried again, this time passing his thumb through the smooth skin of Max's cheek. "Come on, Maxy. You can sleep later. At my apartment this time."

The blue ocean eyes finally opened, staring at him with some tears hanging on the edges from exhaustion. Charles' heart tightened. He hated seeing his lover like that.

"I wish I could just be held by you forever." The Dutchman admitted in a tiny whisper. And Charles' eyes just screamed back at him: Me too.