Not A Verstappen || CL16 & LN4

Untitled Part 8

The door opening might as well have been a punch to your gut. You had seen Lando lose, you had seen him cry, but you had never seen him defeated.

"Lan," you whispered in the silence as you rose from the couch where you had been curled up in Charles' arms, "I'm sorry, I wasn't thinking, it was an accident."

The backpack hanging from his sagging shoulders slipped and thudded to the floor as he saw the suitcase waiting beside the door. "So this is how it is, go public and kick me out?"

"Lando, no." You closed the distance and crashed into his chest but his arms didn't return the embrace as you looked up to see the tears in his eyes.

"They're mine, mon cher," Charles said as he wrapped his arms around the both of you and kissed Lando's temple. Lando closed his eyes at the soft touch of Charles' lips and a tear squeezed free, squeezing your heart at the same time. "I thought you might want the night together after what happened."

Lando fisted his hand in Charles' shirt to stop him from stepping any further away and tugged him back. Their lips collided with desperate need and you melted at the sight of their tongues fighting for dominance until Lando won. Charles sank into his embrace and moaned when Lando combed his fingers through his hair before they parted breathless. "You're not leaving right now are you?"

Charles chuckled softly and shrugged. "I'm sure I can be convinced to stay for a little while."

You would usually try to go to bed early before a race but this wasn't a normal night. It was already late by the time Charles left for the empty room booked in his name down the hall, next to the empty one of Lando's, for appearances sake. There was still no chance of sleep yet, not while Lando lay awake and staring at the patterns on the ceiling.

He had been a little rougher as his emotions got the better of him, not enough to hurt you or Charles, but enough to know there was a discussion needed about the new situation. Since Charles left he had been quiet, retreating back into himself the longer he lay there.

"Babe, we need to talk."

His rising chest stopped as his eyes darted your way. "I hate those words. They are never followed by anything good."

"They're just words, not good or bad," you pointed out but he just looked away with a huff of air through his nostrils. "What do you think we should do?"

"About what?" He turned and propped himself up on his elbow as he traced a fingertip along your curves. "About how my boyfriend and my girlfriend get to have a normal relationship in public, go out on dates, hold hands, kiss? About how I have to play third wheel, a friend tagging along?" He flopped back down and slung an arm across his eyes. "I don't want to talk about it."

"There are other options. We could say we went on a date but it's nothing serious, no label, be more careful and let the heat die down. Not everyone who kisses has to be in a relationship."

"If you say you aren't dating him then the tabloids will call you a slut, that's how they work," he muttered.

"I don't care what they call me, they've called me a bitch for most of my career."

"But I care! I hate how you are treated by the male reporters, how everyone holds you to different standards."

"It wasn't all that long ago when you were one of those people too," you reminded him. "You treated me differently to your guy friends."

"Not because you were a girl," he groaned as he pinched your hip. "That was because I was in love with you."

You quirked an eyebrow up and poked him in the chest. "Was?"