Charles Leclerc, Sky Sports announcer and Ollie Bearman's uncle, enters the world of F1 and maybe even Max Verstappen's heart...yes, it's a slow burn...

Charles, after being a student in Hogwarts for 4 years, there is always someone that he couldn't quite shake off his mind. From the very day he stepped into the big castle of Hogwarts, he had caught the attention of a certain senior of his named Max. (Updates may take some time cus my exams are near. Sorryz guys)

⚠️ Mature Completed Story 18+ ✓ | This fic is set in 2030 Max Verstappen never expected to spend retirement surrounded by glitter glue, pancake disasters, and a five-year-old who thinks "overtaking" applies to bedtime. But here he is, an eight-time world champion turned grumpy dad haunting the karting tracks of his youth, wearing a hoodie of nostalgia and a frown that says please don't ask for an autograph. He's not here for closure. He's here because his daughter likes speed and because standing on the trackside hurts a little less than staying home alone with his regrets. Charles Leclerc didn't dream of coaching kindergarteners with oversized helmets and sugar highs. But a crash stole his career, and this karting track the fumes, the flags, the occasional crying parent is all he's got left. He smiles like it doesn't ache and teaches like he doesn't miss the rush. It's not the future he imagined, but it's something. They weren't best friends. Rivals? Sure. Occasional podium eye contact? Absolutely. But nothing ever happened, at least, not when it mattered. Now they're thirty-three, washed in nostalgia and worn down by everything unsaid. But when Max's hoodie ends up on Charles, when Lilly calls him her "other dad," when burnt toast becomes breakfast and stolen glances linger too long, maybe it's not about racing anymore. Maybe it's about healing. About family. About bad coffee and slow mornings and one last shot at something they never let themselves want. Maybe love doesn't roar at 200mph. Maybe, this time, it tiptoes in through the kitchen door. ~~~ I grew up on F1 but don't expect realism. Expect mess. Bad decisions. Vibes over plot. I have no idea how this happened. One second, I'm vibing. Next, I'm writing a Max/Charles fic with sad dad energy, karting trauma, and chaotic Carlando lurking in the background like gremlins.

They were six when they first met in a Monaco park just two little boys who built an entire world together with nothing but laughter, secret shoulder taps, and promises whispered in broken English and Dutch. Max fell first, it was hard but quiet like the world made sense only when Charles was beside him. Then life tore them apart. Divorce. Abuse. Disownment. A boarding school punishment that brought Max back to Monaco... but not back to Charles. Years later, they're academic rivals in the same elite halls and Max topping the boards, Charles burning with questions he never got to ask. One fake photo, one drunken night, one ghosted year, and everything shatters again. Until second year at Sorbonne University. One classroom. One shoulder tap. One desperate kiss in front of the entire lecture hall. Max fell first but Charles? He just fell harder and now they have to rebuild what was lost through jealous projects, family shadows that refuse to stay buried, late-night confessions, and touches that say everything words never could. From childhood bubbles to Paris dorms, and from rivals to roommates and maybe to fiancés... This is the story of two guys who were always meant to find each other again even if it hurt like hell along the way.

Max and Charles have always hated each other and aren't afraid to show it publicly. In one particular argument something felt off but they couldn't figure it out. When they got stuck sharing a hotel room and no way to change it, the two started realizing the unforgivable. Denying any feelings they continued on as normal but what happens when dominance falls for innocence and jealousy becomes a tool for attention. Only later on do they realize that coming to peace with "what is" sets up a beautiful "what will be".

The Drive to survive set was always crowded and noisy, but this year Charles just couldn't stand it. After Max Verstappen, his nemesis, had won the championship last year, he had been counting the days to his next "Drive to survive" interview because he knew It was going to be the most awkward ten minute piece about Max. What he didn't know is that they would have been filming both their interviews at once, on the same set, and have them right in front of one another. This, Charles didn't expect.

During the 2024 season, Max and Charles found one another in ways they had never expected. Charles hasn't yet regained Max's trust after last year's revelations, and with team dynamics changing for better and for worst in both Ferrari and Red Bull, Charles and Max have to decide if their love is still worth fighting for. Sequel to "If clarity's in death, then why won't this die?" You're able to read this one without having read the original story, though there will be referenced to throughout this fanfic. Updated after every race/break/big event during the 2025 F1 season, follows the season canonically.

Charles and Max, fierce rivals for years, share a drunken night that blurs the line between them. Days later, Charles suggests a reckless arrangement, and Max agrees, driven by his growing, unrequited love. Their secret is further complicated by the fact they both have girlfriends, entangling them in a web of guilt and forbidden emotions. P.S. I also post this on Ao3 under the same username!

What happens after the cars are crashed? TW // Trauma, Depression, Panic Attacks, Drugs, Addiction, Death