The season ended under the glittering lights of Abu Dhabi, and with it came the usual fanfare—podiums, celebrations, and journalists asking the same twenty questions rephrased a hundred different ways. But for Max and Charles, the end of the season felt less like a conclusion and more like the start of something new.
They’d survived the races, the paddock whispers, and even Christian Horner’s overly enthusiastic “Couple of the Year” jokes. Now, standing in their shared apartment, surrounded by half-packed suitcases and a mess of leftover snacks, they were finally able to breathe.
“Alright,” Max said, flopping onto the couch dramatically. “We made it through a whole season without breaking up, killing each other, or accidentally letting Yuki take our relationship public on social media.”
“True,” Charles said, joining him on the couch. “Although I’m still not over how Yuki tried to play matchmaker after he found out.”
Max groaned, covering his face with a cushion. “‘Double date with me and Pierre,’” he mimicked in a high-pitched voice. “No thanks. I’m still traumatized by that karaoke night.”
Charles laughed, tugging the cushion away. “You weren’t that bad.”
“I sang Despacito in Dutch, Charles.”
“And it was… memorable.”
They both dissolved into laughter, the kind that left them breathless and wiping tears from their eyes.
As the laughter faded, Max glanced at the coffee table, where a framed photo from the FIA Awards Gala sat. It was a candid shot of the two of them, Charles laughing at something Max had whispered, their faces lit up with the kind of joy you don’t fake.
“Hey,” Max said softly, nudging Charles with his shoulder. “We did okay, didn’t we?”
Charles followed his gaze, a warm smile spreading across his face. “Yeah. More than okay.”
Max hesitated for a moment, then added, “I didn’t think… I don’t know. I didn’t think I’d ever have this. Someone who gets it, who gets me—and doesn’t run away screaming.”
Charles smirked. “Well, I did think about it when you burned that omelet few months before.”
Max rolled his eyes. “One time. It happened one time.”
“And it set off the fire alarm,” Charles reminded him, his grin widening.
Max groaned but couldn’t help smiling. “Fine. But you’re stuck with me now, fire alarms and all.”
Charles pretended to consider this. “Hmm. Stuck with the reigning world champion who also happens to be annoyingly good-looking? I suppose I can manage.”
Max leaned back, smirking. “You forgot ‘amazing boyfriend.’”
“Debatable,” Charles teased, ducking as Max reached over to swat him.
Their playful banter was interrupted by the buzz of Charles’s phone. He glanced at the screen and groaned. “It’s Lando.”
Max raised an eyebrow. “What does he want?”
Charles opened the message, reading aloud. “‘Are you guys coming to my end-of-season party? Everyone’s asking about you two. Mostly George, because he’s still mad you didn’t invite him to your ‘big reveal moment.’’”
Max snorted. “George would want an invitation engraved in gold, wouldn’t he?”
Charles grinned. “What should I tell him?”
“Tell him we’re busy doing something more important,” Max said, pulling Charles closer with a sly smile.
“Like what?” Charles asked, laughing as Max dramatically stretched out, pulling Charles halfway onto his lap.
“Like figuring out who’s cooking dinner tonight,” Max said. “And by ‘cooking,’ I mean ‘ordering takeout.’”
Charles sighed, pretending to think it over. “Fine. But only if we order from the Italian place.”
“Done,” Max said, grinning.
As they sat there, tangled up on the couch in a mess of limbs and laughter, it struck Charles how far they’d come. The ups and downs, the awkward beginnings, the misunderstandings and the triumphs—it had all led to this: the kind of easy, imperfect happiness that felt more real than anything else.
“Hey, Max,” Charles said, his voice soft.
“Yeah?”
Charles leaned in, pressing a quick kiss to Max’s cheek. “Thanks for being you. Fire alarms and all.”
Max smiled, his eyes warm. “Right back at you, drama queen.”
And just like that, under the soft glow of the apartment lights, they ended the season—not with grand declarations or perfect plans, but with laughter, takeout, and the kind of love that felt like home.
For two chaotic drivers who’d spent most of their lives chasing perfection on the track, this messy, beautiful life together felt like the greatest victory of all.
They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, until Max broke it with a sly grin. “You know, if we show up at Lando’s party, we can pretend we broke up just to mess with him. He’d probably freak out and try to ‘fix’ us.”
Charles burst out laughing. “That’s terrible. I love it. Let’s do it.”
They spent the next fifteen minutes crafting a fake “breakup announcement” text to send Lando, complete with dramatic emojis and a fake fight over the last slice of pizza. By the time they hit send, they were doubled over with laughter.
“Should we feel bad?” Charles asked, wiping a tear from his eye.
“Nah,” Max replied, grinning. “Lando deserves it for that time he hid my helmet before qualifying.”
As they settled back into the couch, Charles rested his head on Max’s shoulder, a contented smile on his face. Their world wasn’t perfect—far from it. But it was theirs, filled with chaos, laughter, and a love that felt unshakable.
And in the end, that was all they needed.
Ahhhhh this is basically the last chapter but I actually wrote another (where lando tries to fix their "break up") so if you want I'll upload it :)
Ilysm thank you for reading
Au revoir
YOU ARE READING
𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴~ Lestappen
Fanficwhen all the past trauma finds a way out when a person comes into his life, someone very 𝑠𝑝𝑒𝑐𝑖𝑎𝑙. First story<3 Also English is not my first language so mistakes can happen!
