Silver Lining, Scarlet Shadows | lestappen - InkAndEchoes - Wattpad

Story cover for Silver Lining, Scarlet Shadows | lestappen by ReallyJustDeadInside

Silver Lining, Scarlet Shadows | lestappen

ReallyJustDeadInside

Reads 11,878
Votes 434
Parts 32
Time 2h 16m

Reads 11,878
Votes 434
Parts 32
Time 2h 16m

ReallyJustDeadInside

Mature

Max Verstappen was built to win. But under the steel nerves and ruthless consistency lies a boy forged by fire, silence, and fear. 
Charles Leclerc shines in scarlet - on posters, podiums, and screens - but no one sees the bruises beneath the brilliance.
Their story begins in silence and secrecy, threaded with tension on and off the grid. But when Charles crashes and everything stops, Max is forced to reckon with what he's been too afraid to name.
A slow-burning journey of healing, secrecy, and love - in the paddock, on the track, and in the hidden corners of their hearts.
This is not a fairytale. But maybe, just maybe, it can still end in gold.

crossposted on ao3 as ReadNowSleepLaterAll Rights Reserved

Table of contents

32 parts

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Blurring Inchident | Lestappen Psychology-Sport AU ✓ by theealonegirl

⚠️ Mature Completed Story 18+ ✓ Max Verstappen has it all on paper. A four-time World Champion, fame, speed... but inside, he's unraveling. Sleep-deprived, stressed, and terrified of disappointing his father, Max is at his breaking point. His best friend Daniel insists he see a psychologist, so Max secretly books an appointment. Only to run into Charles Leclerc, his childhood karting rival, and Monaco's top sports psychologist. Old memories resurface, walls come down, and boundaries blur. Max has never needed someone like him before, and Charles has never forgotten the boy who once raced by his side. But falling in love with a client isn't supposed to happen... is it? Fast laps, therapy sessions, childhood grudges, and forbidden love collide in this story about healing, trust, and the risk of letting someone in. A short lestappen AU with a blending of psychology, racing, and romance.

UNKNOWN [Lestappen] by oscpastry81

**LESTAPPEN HIGHSCHOOL AU** Charles has a lot on his mind. With the constant bullying, issues at home, and the death of his father, he finds it hard to cope, constantly losing grip on reality. Only a few things help him find solace in life, his father's grave, and the boy he's feared of loving, Max Verstappen. Too scared to speak in person, Charles finds a way around it. To text him anonymously.

Until the Track Runs Out / Charles Leclerc by pucksandpower

Lena Schumacher walked away from Formula 1 the day her father did. Not when he retired. But the day the world lost Michael Schumacher to a ski accident that left his body alive but his spirit gone. Now ten years later, she's done everything to avoid the world that stole her father: She doesn't follow the races. She didn't watch her brother drive. She's cut off every connection to the paddock ... until she meets Charles Leclerc. She doesn't know who he is. He doesn't know who she is. And for a moment, they exist as two strangers, bound not by fame or family, but by the same kind of grief they've both tried to outrun. But secrets don't stay buried long - especially in Formula 1. When Lena learns the man she's falling for races for the very sport that reminds her of everything she's lost, it feels like betrayal. When Charles finds out her last name, everything shifts. Because her father isn't just anyone. He's the reason Charles fell in love with racing. As feelings deepen and the truth unravels, they're left with a question that could destroy everything: Can love survive when the very thing that broke you is the thing keeping you apart?

CRAWLING BACK TO YOU - Charles Leclerc [ff] by hiddenwritingcorner

"You're dead to me, Charles," she gasped. "You promised, Mar!" he yelled after her. She came to a halt. Without a second glance, she replied, "And I've kept mine for way too long." -------- Margot has loved Charles since they were kids hitting the karting tracks and dreaming of futures bigger than their small heads could fathom. But when Charles became a driver in Formula 1, soaring through the ranks while people whispered his name in awe, the boy who once held her hand and promised forever disappeared into a world of speed, fame, and shallow affections-leaving Margot and her heart behind. To him, she is a memory of the past he can remember or discard at will. To her, he's the ache she can't forget and the betrayal she can't forgive. But when a single drunk dial and an everlasting heartbreak bring their lives crashing back together, Margot must decide whether the boy she loved still lives inside the man who broke her, and if her love is worth rebuilding from the shards he left behind. ❗content warning: strong language, mature scenes, death, panic attacks [FINISHED] ⚠️ This is a work of fiction! I do not hold any rights regarding Formula One, Charles Leclerc as a real-existing person or any of the other real-existing people. The events of the book are fully made-up. However, I do hold rights over the plot and fictional characters especially of Margot Pelletier and do NOT allow any reuse of the idea or my own characters! 🗣️ [ENG] 📌 [Charles Leclerc × OC best friend] © All rights reserved - hiddenwritingcorner, 2024 written by: Terry

||its not your fault||Lestappen|| by CS55CL16

Charles Leclerc x Max Verstappen Charles finds it hard to believe that everything isn't his fault, every time some one crashed near him, he believed his rivalry between him and Max was his fault, every fail he felt as if he wasnt good enough, never going to make it and he fell into a deep pit, what will happen in between him and max? includes [Slowburn] ED SH Depression MxM Gay Suicide slow updates rape (i know its cringe but its what i was looking for to read ig so i made it for the people who wanted to read stuff like this🙏😭)

Sunshine | A lestappen story by ThatDamf1Fan

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?

still, i want you. | charlos & russtappen by FOURLN4

George Russell never wanted to get involved with Max Verstappen. It began with something small-a handkerchief pressed into his hand, a look that lingered too long. "Nuh-uh. I don't take back something I've already given away. So..." his gaze dropped briefly to the cloth before flicking back up to George's eyes. "You keep it." Max was relentless, always appearing where George least expected him, always asking questions George refused to answer. Every time George tried to push him away, Max only stepped closer, until George panicked and told the lie that changed everything. "I already belong to someone." Max's smile faded that day. George carried the weight of it in his chest, torn between the truth he couldn't say and the feelings he couldn't kill. Meanwhile, Carlos Sainz had his own storm brewing. His new rival, Charles Leclerc, wasn't just another name on campus-he was fire. Their first meeting ended in fists and insults, and from that moment, they were inseparable enemies. Every hallway became a battlefield, every shared space an arena for their sharp tongues and sharper glares. Yet beneath the anger was something neither wanted to admit-something that burned hotter than hate. "I hate you!" "Well. I hate you more, captain." Carlos told himself he despised Charles. Charles told himself he only wanted to win. But when their fights dragged them too close-pressed against lockers, words falling into silence-they both realized it wasn't victory they craved, but each other. Two stories unfolding in the same place. George, hiding his heart behind lies, while Max refuses to let him go. Carlos, drowning in rivalry, while Charles tears his world apart piece by piece. And somewhere between the fights, the lies, the jealousy, and the stolen moments, four boys find themselves caught in the kind of chaos that feels a lot like love. "I've tried hating you, forgetting you, replacing you-but still, I want you."

Royal Speed | Leclerc & Verstappen by writingforyoo

I never imagined that love could feel so forbidden and yet so right. As Crown Prince of Monaco, Charles led a life full of duty and tradition. But when he meets Max, he suddenly goes off the rails and questions everything he ever knew about love and royal expectations. Can he dare to follow his heart, even if it means breaking the rules? In the fast-paced world of Formula 1, Max has always focused on racing and avoided the limelight of fame and media. But when he meets Charles, everything changes. Known for his confidence and rule-breaking attitude, he is fascinated by the prince's calm demeanor. Suddenly he is curious about a world beyond the racetrack.

P1 in Your Heart | Lestappen Post F1 Romance | Max Verstappen X Charles Leclerc by theealonegirl

⚠️ 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.

Royal Hearts | A Lestappen Story by ThatDamf1Fan

!ROYAL AU! When Victoria Verstappen, the princess of the Netherlands is promised off to Lorenzo Leclerc, crown prince of Monaco, her brother - the Crown Prince Max Verstappen - is forced to consort with an old enemy, Charles Leclerc while trying to figure a way to save his sister from a loveless life. Will Max be able to stop the marriage before it is too late? TW : Abuse, mentions of grief, eating disorder, scars, Jos Verstappen, internalised homophobia (kinda?), pain, dead parents society, stress, anxiety, heartache, homophobia

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Slide 1 of 10

Blurring Inchident | Lestappen Psychology-Sport AU ✓ cover

UNKNOWN [Lestappen] cover

Until the Track Runs Out / Charles Leclerc cover

CRAWLING BACK TO YOU - Charles Leclerc [ff] cover

||its not your fault||Lestappen|| cover

Sunshine | A lestappen story cover

still, i want you. | charlos & russtappen cover

Royal Speed | Leclerc & Verstappen cover

P1 in Your Heart | Lestappen Post F1 Romance | Max Verstappen X Charles Leclerc cover

Royal Hearts | A Lestappen Story cover

Blurring Inchident | Lestappen Psychology-Sport AU ✓

⚠️ Mature Completed Story 18+ ✓ Max Verstappen has it all on paper. A four-time World Champion, fame, speed... but inside, he's unraveling. Sleep-deprived, stressed, and terrified of disappointing his father, Max is at his breaking point. His best friend Daniel insists he see a psychologist, so Max secretly books an appointment. Only to run into Charles Leclerc, his childhood karting rival, and Monaco's top sports psychologist. Old memories resurface, walls come down, and boundaries blur. Max has never needed someone like him before, and Charles has never forgotten the boy who once raced by his side. But falling in love with a client isn't supposed to happen... is it? Fast laps, therapy sessions, childhood grudges, and forbidden love collide in this story about healing, trust, and the risk of letting someone in. A short lestappen AU with a blending of psychology, racing, and romance.