GENTLE VIOLENCE - Lestappen

7. Camera shutter

Heavy CW for this chapter: Crying, Homophobia, Internalized homophobia. Jos. Jos Verstappen needs a CW tbh.

Qualifying 25 November 2023

Charles Leclerc

They're both aggressive on the track. Nothing is being held back, this is the very last qualifying of the season and Charles has never been angrier in his life. He doesn't even want to get in front of Max, nor does he have winning on his mind- he just wants to get on and off this track after whatever qualifying he can have.

What Max had told him earlier that night prior was playing on his mind, the way that the Dutch driver had cried and shook in his arms as if the world was ending. It wasn't- but with Jos Verstappen around putting ideas and words into his poor Max's brain? It might as well be ending.

Charles finishes P2 with Max ahead of him in P1. How he managed such a good qualifying and how he managed the press without falling apart, Charles isn't sure but he's proud. He himself is uninterested if a little cold to the media and spacy with his answers. He just wants out of here and back to the hotel so that he can be with Max again and make sure that he doesn't beat the shit out of Jos Verstappen and end his career here and now.

He also wants to make sure that the other is okay, but he doubts that the driver is very happy with the thought of that right now. But Charles would be damned if he spent the night alone again after a day and night like they'd had.

It didn't seem like the world was out to give them any breaks right now.

+++

25th November 11:26 pm, the night before qualifying.

They lay in bed together after Max had made his way to Charles hotel room and all that he can do is rub circles onto Max's back as he cries. Charles doesn't know anything, well he knows that Max's dad is involved- but he doesn't need to ask right away. That isn't the priority right now. He just moves to hug Max closer to his own chest where they lay on their sides facing each other- Charles comes to tug the covers over them a little higher and he takes a small sigh.

"Did he hurt you?" Charles soon tries, deciding that if Max wasn't going to speak- he could instead and maybe try and figure something out that way? But the Dutch driver shakes his head, letting out a small sniffle and Charles smiles as he realizes that his questions are distracting Max enough to stop him from crying so hard.

"Was he mean?" Charles tries again, using simple words and questions and this time he gets a nod from Max- so at least they're getting somewhere. "Is... what he said, the reason why you didn't want to hug before dinner? Did he say something that made you scared to come to me?"

Max sniffles again and Charles watches as the Dutch driver comes to lift his red, wet and sad gaze his way. It breaks his heart but this time Charles stays quiet and he just gives a soft reassuring smile and it seems to do the trick, Max speaking up just softly.

"Someone talked, Charles." He whispers and Charles just frowns, talked about what? It couldn't possibly be them. He hadn't talked to anyone about what he was doing with Max and not to mention how they were just friends- as much as Charles wanted them to be more. They weren't.

"Talked about what, Max? About you? Me?" Charles says carefully and he feels a hand over Max's forehead as the dutchman once again speaks up.

"You met me... and we started this, whatever it is... at a very strange time in my life, Charles." Worry builds in his chest as he listens to Max speak. If Charles didn't know better and knew that they were only friends, this was starting to sound like a break up and not a good one at that. Max wasn't happy and neither was he.