Shoutout to my editors Sierra and Theodore :p Just a millisecond to win the World Drivers Champion for some drivers, a millisecond from pain, a millisecond from a new feeling that blooms under that mistletoe. It all comes down to the driver's decisions and what happens if one were to be mentally challenged. Please read at your own will, because I lost my mind writing this.

What happens when Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc get into a drunken fight for the whole world to see?

When an unexpected change turns the F1 paddock upside down, the drivers and team principals find themselves responsible for someone who needs more care than any of them imagined. As old bonds shift and new ones form, a gentle, emotional journey begins - one filled with warmth, healing, and the chance to create something completely new.

Max Verstappen is in his second year of formula one, no victory to speak of yet, not even a podium, the paddock is full of smiling faces and the sun is bright yet Max's life lacks sunshine. Max's sunshine hasn't shone in a while, actually, his green eyes rarely light up anymore, but Max wants to be the one to bring him in from the darkness. Charles doesn't know how to cope with his grief, eighteen and away from home in a country that doesn't speak his language pursuing the one thing that he's ever known, so close to his dream yet so far from achieving it and being held back by financial restraints. Will he ever be able to shine again?

(I don't know what this AU is called but they aren't F1 drivers in it) Charles hates his downstairs neighbour - he's an arrogant, stuck up, mannerless, hot - no, not hot - person and Charles hates him. What he hates the most? How Max's penpal never writes his address properly - does the man not correct him?

Max Verstappen never planned to become the paddock's unofficial mother-hen, emotional support provider, therapist, and crisis intervention unit... yet somehow, every lost, chaotic, emotionally deprived rookie keeps landing specifically in his garage. Everyone jokes about the "Red Bull Nest," but the truth is: the rookies don't just show up. They stay. And Max-who claims he doesn't like people-keeps taking them in anyway. Kimi Antonelli becomes the first.

Max Verstappen is faced with the difficult decision of whether to 'come out' publicly. To make matters worse he has to navigate his relationships with his rivals Lewis Hamilton and Charles Leclerc but could one of them be much more to him than just a rival driver.

"You are so goddamn stupid, can't you fucking see?" "... you're right, I am in love with him. I am in love with Charles fucking Leclerc." ____________________________ based on 'Golden' by Harry Styles !! story cover made by me !! I hope you will enjoy the story!!🫶🏼

They had faced it all, fighting their way trough the ranks of motorsport's and championship's . The media and conspiracy's. The backslash and the criticisms, though they had always come out stronger. But what will happen to them if they are faced with their toughest battle Yet. When the single most important person in their lives ends up in the hospital. Will they get through it together Or will this tear them apart? Attention: trigger warnings apply! -major character sickness -hospitals and treatment -angst

⚠️ Mature Story 18+ | This fic is set in 2030 | Updates every Monday at 12 AM GST (8 PM UTC, Sundays) 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.