𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴~ Lestappen

The Great Reveal

Few months later

It was a sunny Thursday morning in the paddock, and the atmosphere buzzed with the usual pre-race energy. Teams rushed to prepare their cars, journalists prowled for scoops, and drivers engaged in their ritual of playful banter and last-minute smack talk.

Max and Charles had been keeping their relationship under wraps for months now, and while the secrecy added a certain thrill, they both knew it was time. After all, how long could they keep sneaking longing looks and brushing hands in the drivers' lounge without someone catching on?

Charles, for one, was ready. Max, however, was less certain.

"I'm telling you, they're going to make a huge deal out of this," Max muttered as they walked toward the media pen. He was nervously tugging at his Red Bull cap like it owed him money.

"Relax, Max. They'll probably just tease us a little and move on," Charles said, exuding his usual breezy confidence. "We'll tell them, smile, and then Lando will make some dumb joke. Easy."

"Yeah, easy for you," Max grumbled. "You don't have a team principal who treats everything like a strategy meeting. Christian's going to want a press release, a photo shoot, and maybe even a celebratory cake."

Charles snorted. "I'd like to see the cake. Can we make it in the shape of a heart? Or a car? Or a heart-shaped car?"

Max glared at him. "Not helping."

As they approached the drivers' lounge, Charles gave Max a playful nudge. "Come on. If we can survive Monza turn one, we can survive this."

Max shot him a skeptical look but didn't argue.

Inside, the drivers were lounging around like high school students before class. Lando and George were comparing shoes, Fernando was reading a book that looked suspiciously like it belonged in a library from the 1800s, and Lewis was sipping a smoothie, looking impossibly serene.

"Here we go," Charles whispered, leaning closer to Max.

"Okay," Max muttered. "But if this goes horribly wrong, I'm blaming you."

Charles stepped forward, clearing his throat dramatically. "Guys, can we have your attention for a minute?"

All eyes turned to them.

"This is going to be good," Lando said, already grinning like an excited puppy.

"Are you retiring?" Fernando asked, barely looking up from his book.

"Absolutely not," Max snapped.

"Did you finally fight each other in the paddock?" George chimed in. "Because I've got money riding on Charles."

"Hey!" Max protested.

Charles held up his hands to quiet them. "No, nothing like that. Max and I just... we have something to share."

The room went silent, the kind of silence that feels almost suspicious.

"We're together," Charles said, his voice steady and matter-of-fact.

There was a beat of stunned silence, and then chaos.

"Wait, together together?" Lando asked, blinking like he'd just been told Santa wasn't real.

"As in dating?" George added, his eyes wide.

"Is this a prank?" Yuki asked from the corner, squinting at them suspiciously.

"It's not a prank," Max said, crossing his arms. "We're dating. Like, a couple. Boyfriends. Whatever you want to call it."

Lando let out a dramatic gasp, clutching his chest. "This is the biggest plot twist in F1 since Seb shaved his beard!"

Charles chuckled. "Thanks, Lando. Glad we could spice things up for you."

Lewis smiled warmly. "Good for you guys. Honestly, it's nice to see people being open about this kind of thing."

"Yeah," George said, still looking a little shocked but genuinely happy. "Congrats, you two."

Fernando finally looked up from his book, his expression unreadable. "So... does this mean you'll stop crashing into each other?"

Max groaned. "It's not like we do it on purpose, Fernando."

Fernando smirked. "Sure. But if I see any suspicious moves on track, I'll know why."

The room erupted in laughter, and even Max couldn't help but crack a small smile.

"Wait, wait," Lando said, raising a hand. "Who made the first move? I need details. Was it romantic? Awkward? Did someone trip and fall into the other's arms?"

Max groaned again, his face turning bright red. "We're not answering that."

"Charles tripped, didn't he?" George guessed, grinning.

Charles rolled his eyes. "No one tripped. It was normal. Sweet. And none of your business."

Lando pouted. "You're no fun."

As the teasing continued, Max glanced at Charles, a small, relieved smile tugging at his lips. The worst was over, and to his surprise, it hadn't been that bad. In fact, it felt kind of... good.

Later, as they left the lounge, Max nudged Charles with his shoulder. "Well, that wasn't a disaster."

"Told you," Charles replied smugly.

"But if Christian does ask for a cake, you're explaining it," Max said, his voice full of mock seriousness.

Charles grinned, slipping his hand into Max's as they walked away. "Deal. But only if it's heart-shaped."

This story is almost near its end guys :(
I'll miss updating this book </3