Hi guys!!
I'm so sorry I've been inactive but my motivation just didn't really help.. I've been through some drama with my friends again (it's very less than before so don't worry!! But yeaa it surely affected me) but yeaa I'm gonna try to be a bit more consistent from now on.
I'm so sorry that I've left for so long, and now I've found my little motivation back so yeaa I just wanted to write chaotic Charles on a "date" with Pear Pear again. Just got the idea and thought.. eh, why not? This chapter takes place after the Styrian GP (first Austrian GP)
Hope you enjoy the mess I wrote! And again, I'm very sorry for the long wait❤️
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Tuesday evening
Charles shot his head up when he heard a knock on his door. "Yea! Hang on a second!" He shouted, maybe a bit too excited but he couldn't help himself. He's going on a date with Pierre again, so could you really blame him? I mean, Charles likes to call it a date, but was it really? They both kinda just agreed to have a dinner together, as simple as that.
As best friends do.
Oh but it ment so much more to Charles. The young Monegasque was completely freaking out, asking even Max for advice about what he should wear. Yes you read that right. Max Verstappen. That's how bad this situation is to Charles and his vulnerable brain. Yes, they've been on multiple 'dates' already, but Charles couldn't help it. He was one big mess.
He looked himself in the mirror and took a deep breath. In through the nose, out through the mouth. Okay, now calm down Charles. You'll do amazing. His friend's advice lingered through his head when some of his friends and himself were all on the bed, helping Charles through his feels that night.
"Just be yourself, Charles!" Seb had said to him. "Compliment him and laugh at his jokes" Carlos adviced. "Yea! And make some jokes too!" Lando added to his boyfriend. "Not the dad jokes Seb makes though.." George gave Seb an apologetic smile after the sentence rolled from his lips. "Hey!" Seb had shouted all offended. Some advices were actually really helpful, until Daniel existed.
"You should slap his ass when you walk next to him!"
"Daniel-"
"Or maybe a little squeeze? I bet Pierre would like that-"
"Daniel!!"
Yeah okay, Daniel's advice wasn't really helpful, that's for sure. He might be able to use the rest though, he just gotta keep them in mind. He looked in the mirror again, running a hand through his dark mane before he walked up to the door. He reached for the door handle and only just then realized how much his hand was shaking. He took another deep breath, closing his eyes before he opened his hotelroom door.
"Hey Charles!" Pierre greeted with a sweet smile, giving his a cute, unnecessary wave. "Bonjour calamars" Charles said with a ugrin, pushing himself through the doorway and flicking off the light in his room before he closed the door. "Ready to go?" Pierre asked to make sure. Charles gave him a small nod with a smile, before the two headed down the hallway.
"I'm putting 50 on the line if the two of them get dating before... Hungary" Daniel whispered, leaning his head through the doorway. Max shook his head. "Nah, I'm putting 50 euros on the middle of summer break so like halfway August" Max whispered back. Seb shook his head at the both of them. "Tsk, I know them. I'm saying around the Italian GP" Seb said, passing the two on the hallway and joining the bet.
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They were siting in Charles' Ferrari, Pierre slumped back into the leather seats as Charles tried to keep his eyes on the road. When they were on a more quiet road, Charles leaned back slightly and finally got the chance to take a good look at the handsome man behind him. Compliment him. "You look good today!" Charles said with a smile.
He swore he could see maybe a little brush creep up on Pierre's cheeks from the corner of his eye, but he wasn't sure. He will keep up his hope though. "O-oh, thanks! You too" Pierre stuttered, bringing a confident grin on the other's face. "Where would you like to eat? Any specific in mind?" Charles asked. Pierre shrugged softly and laid is hands on his lap to rest them.
"I saw a small restaurant on the way back to the hotel. Took a bit of a trip around because I needed to get my mind off" Pierre explained softly. Charles felt awful after he and Pierre collided on lap 1. He never intended to drive into him and he held a gutted feeling for the rest of the race, until he could finally speak to Pierre and told him how sorry he was. Luckily, Pierre easily forgave the Monegasque, to Charles' great relieve.
That's also why they were heading out for dinner now. Charles wanted to apologize with a dinner, and after three times of shaking his head, Pierre finally gave in. "Still sorry" Charles smiled sheepishly, making Pierre laugh. "Charles, I already said it's fine, it happens and it's part of motorsport unfortunately" Pierre reassured, laying a hand on top of Charles'.
⚠️🚨Panic, panic, panic🚨⚠️
"Y-yea, I know! B-but still" Charles said with a nervous laugh, which raised a confused look on Pierre's face. His hand is still there.. okay, calm down Charles. "It's okay, no need to get all nervous about it. It's long forgotten" Pierre said with a fond laugh. It's not like that Pierre, god. "I know.. heh" Charles decided to keep his eyes on the road and just focus on driving. Quite a difficult task for him when his crush is holding his hand all clueless.
It's just what friends do, unfortunately, and he accepted the faith that his best friend only saw him like that. Best friends, nothing less, nothing more. They can share every little thing, except Charles' biggest secret. Yeah, he just has to knock himself out of this situation and accept it. There's no other way to handle it. Pierre had typed in the directions while Charles zoned out, chuckling softly at his behavior.
"Ah, look who we have there" Pierre said, pulling Charles out of his thoughts. Charles looked up, a bit confused until a smile broke out on his face. Carlos and Lando were walking down the narrow streets of the little village. Well, Carlos was walking, while Lando was clinging like a monkey on Carlos' back, head on his shoulder as he seemed to sleep. "Why is Lando always sleeping?" Charles asked aloud, making Pierre shrug and laugh.
The ex-teammates had the whole day planned full with activities, like playing golf, cycling, eating, playing chess, and even more stuff Charles couldn't remember. They finally had a day for themself, and it was absolutely adorable how both of them were so excited for the next day to start last night. Charles honked, making Lando wake up from his slumber and Carlos laugh and wave when he saw the familiar Ferrari pass them.
Lando flipped the middle finger which Charles and Pierre both saw in the mirrors, making them laugh hard. After several minutes, they arrived at their destination. The restaurant was settled just right outside the small village, cozy looking with the dark wood and the old windows. "You're right, it does look very cute" Charles said as they stepped out of the car.
They headed inside, and because of the warm temperatures, it wasn't much warmer indoors. It was actually a bit cooler, but neither complained about that. A man walked up to them, a sweet smile on his face. "Good evening! Did you two make a reservation?" Pierre eyed Charles quickly, who shook his head. "No, we didn't" Charles replied with a smile.
"That's okay, can I have your name?" The man asked, taking a paper from his chest pocket and took the pen that was clinging on his shirt. "Charles Leclerc" it went silent for a few seconds, until the man let out a high pitched noise. Charles and Pierre both jumped back in surprise, blinking at the man as he basically beamed of happiness. "Now I finally see it!
Oh and Pierre Gasly too, this must be our lucky day! I already thought you two seemed familiar but I couldn't figure it out" the man continued to rant, shaking their hands with a firm grip and an over-excited smile. "Please, you two need to have the best seat in the restaurant!" He ranted as he motioned for the two to follow him, completely forgetting to write down their names. The two drivers looked at each other again, but decided to quickly follow the man.
"Here, have a seat! Have a seat!" The man walked up to the table and shove the chairs slightly away from the table so the two could sit down. "I'll be back soon with the menus" the man said, beaming of happiness as he hopped off the the back of the restaurant. Charles looked up at Pierre, who did the same, before they burst out in a fit of giggles and laughter, tears threatening to spill.
The man came back, the smile far from gone, maybe even wider than before as he held the menus high up in the air. Oh, how lucky they are that they're the only customers here. Charles didn't really want to deal with fans when he was off racing. Especially when he was on a date. Oh, Charles wouldn't want to imagine the scenes if the media found out the two were having a dinner together.
Well, they would assume it was as friends, obviously. Everyone knows Pierre and Charles have been friends since they were little kids chasing the same dream, but did they really know what was happening behind closed doors? He had to remind himself, again, that they weren't dating. There was nothing for the media to find out if nothing is happening between them. The thought makes Charles sigh.
"Charles? Hellooo~ earth to Charles?" Pierre waved in front of his eyes, making him pull away from his thoughts yet again. A worried frown made its way on Pierre's face as he handed the menu. "Is everything alright? You've been dozing off so many times. What's on your mind?" Oh Pierre.. if only you knew.. "Nothing to worry about, trust me" Charles muttered, as Pierre kept his unconvinced look.
"Charles, you know you can tell me anything" this was way harder than he expected. Pierre had no clue about the feelings Charles had towards him, and the weight on Charles' shoulders was only getting heavier by this. Why was he doing this again? The thought of this being the perfect opportunity screamed harder in his head then ever. But Pierre would never feel the same way.
If Pierre was a good friend, he would keep being his best friend. Yes, it will probably be a little awkward at first, but then they can move on and forget it. After all, Charles would finally be lost from the heavy weight on his shoulders and chest and the headaches would get less. He will probably get multiple breakdowns and all that stuff, but if it means he'll keep his friendship with Pierre, he'd deal with it.
"I- Pierre, it's difficult" Pierre narrowed his eyes at the answer as Charles seemed to sink deeper in the chair. "But don't you remember the promise we made when we were kids?" They fell silent for a good few seconds. Of course Charles remembers, how could he forget? They've been friends for so long, but Charles remembers it like yesterday, when the two were sitting next to each other next to the kart track.
Charles' first session sucked, and he didn't feel the need to talk about anyone. He spun multiple times because the kart just slid away in every corner. It didn't help that it rained just 5 minutes before they started. He sat on a small bench with a perfect view on the track, pulling his knees up to his chest and leaning his chin on them. He might have sat there for 10 minutes, until someone sat besides him.
"Charles, are you okay?" Pierre asked, a gentle tone laced in his voice along with concern. "Don't wanna talk about it" Charles sulked. Pierre sighed and wrapped an arm around him, scooting closer. "You know you can tell me anything" Pierre told him on a much more quiet voice. "I don't know Pierre.." the young Monegasque trailed off, looking down at the concrete ground.
"Hey, let's make a promise" Pierre suddenly perked up, looking Charles directly in the eyes. "We're best friends, right?" Charles nodded quickly and frequently. "Forever and always!" Charles added, making Pierre beam. "We make a pinky promise, that we always tell each other everything, no secrets from each other, okay?" "Pinky promise" they linked their pinkies and smiled at each other.
"I do, calamars, but it's different now.. I can't really-" "Charles, we pinky promised! I wanna help you because you seem so sad and stressed lately and I don't want you to feel like that" and that's how the Ferrari driver knew that Pierre would never like him. Pierre is telling him that they should never keep secrets for each other. If that's the case, then he is sure that Pierre doesn't like him. Else, he would have told him, right?
"I know we promised but this is different.." Pierre almost looked hurt by that. He didn't know when they started, but tears streamed down his face. He shook his head when he saw Pierre open his mouth to say something, as he stood up. "I'm going to the toilet real quick" Charles said with a shaking voice, avoiding eye contact as he walks to the toilet stalls.
He quickly clicked on Seb's contact, pulling the phone up to his ear. "Hey Charles!" His lip quivered as he didn't know how to start. "I- I screwed up Seb, I'm an idiot" he heard some shuffling from the other side of the call, assuming Seb got up from his bed. "Calm down first Charles, please try to breathe and calm down. Shhh" Seb said on a calm down, and Charles tried to follow the advice.
"Now tell me, what happened sweetheart?" Sebastian asked after Charles had calmed down, and he was struggling to not start crying again right then and there. Charles rambled and ranted about what happened, telling his the whole story and freaking out yet again. "I just wanna go home Seb" he whined as he broke down in sobs again. This whole situation was really
hitting him hard.
"I don't think that's a good idea. Pierre will think it's his fault, while it's neither of yours. Just go back and apologize for what happened and move on" Charles sighed. He knows Seb is right, but he's scared to break down as soon as he sees Pierre's face again, not even mentioning about how confused Pierre probably is right now. "But what if he asks again? What am I ment to say? Hello, I'm in love with you?" Charles said on a mocking tone.
"Basically" Charles rolled his eyes and groaned. "You're not helpful" Seb snorted softly. "That's on how you use my advice" Charles took another deep breath and gathered the confidence to walk back. "I'm gonna go back" "Okay, good luck Charles, I know you can do it and just remember; when it gets too much, take a deep breath and close your eyes for a second" Charles was so lucky to have a friend like Seb.
"Hey, sorry for what just happened. I shouldn't have freaked out like that but I guess I'm just really tired" Charles said with a soft chuckle when he sat down. "No, it's not your fault" Pierre said with a comforting smile. "I shouldn't have pressed for an answer" Pierre continued on a more quiet tone, but a smile still playing on his lips. The two fell silent for a second again, until Pierre spoke up again.
"The man came back to ask if we already decided what we wanted to eat. I was still a bit shaky but I ordered schnitzel and tomato soup for both of us because I thought you'd like that" Pierre said, sounding a bit insecure about the order and if Charles wanted to eat it anyways. Charles smiled and nodded his head. "That's alright, thank you! I love schnitzel and tomato soup" Pierre seemed to sigh in relieve.
"Thank god I remembered it correctly" Pierre huffed out, making Charles laugh. "Such a good memory" Charles said with a grin, kicking Pierre's leg jokingly as Pierre started to laugh as well. And just like that, the two seemed to have put behind whatever happened a few minutes ago. They were back with their teasing jokes, happy, crazy stories and discussing the upcoming race.
"I heard there might be rain this Sunday" Pierre said, leaning back into his chair. Charles shrugged at that. "I mean, that's what they say each weekend, no?" Pierre laughed, just like Charles. "You're not wrong" "Exactly!" They were still laughing when the man walked up to them with two bowls of soup. "Two bowls tomato soup!" The man announced all excited, his smile not disappeared yet.
"Thank you" Pierre and Charles said in sync, their heads turning to each other and smiling like the stupid idiots they are. When the man walked away, they bursted out in laughter again. After they were (finally) done laughing, they finished their soups, both of them accidentally burning their tongues and not too long after, their main course arrived. And both of them had enjoyed that meal aswell.
"Do you want to have a dessert or are you full?" Charles asked, leaning his elbows on the table to lean slightly forward. Pierre shrugged softly. "What do you want?" Charles shrugged too. He felt kinda full himself, but as he always said; "there's always room for a dessert!" Pierre laughed softly and sticked up his hand for the waiter to get their orders, and it was the same, still enthusiastic, man.
"I'll take.." Charles hummed softly, "I'll take an Apple Strudel with Vanilla ice cream" He ordered with a friendly smile towards the man. "Coming right up! What can I make you happy with?" "The same as him, please" Pierre said, automatically smiling when he saw the contagious smile of either the man or Charles, the Monegasque couldn't really know. "So easy.." Charles teased.
Pierre rolled his eyes when the man walked away and gave Charles a light slap on the arm. "Oh shut up" Charles giggled softly, as Pierre smirked softly. Soon their desserts arrived and they ate in a comfortable silence. Charles managed to sneak some glances at the beautiful man in front of him, melting like the vanilla ice cream in front of him. Pierre eventually noticed this, and started to giggle unknowingly to Charles.
"What's so funny?" Charles asked, raising an eyebrow. Pierre shook his head and held his mouth closed to prevent another giggle to escape. "Nothing" he said with the smallest, most high-pitched voice ever. "Oh c'mon, what's the matter?" Charles begged, secretly hoping it wasn't about him zoning out again. I mean, do you really blame him? Charles can honestly watch -in a respectful way, most of the times- Pierre the whole day.
Pierre shook his head again while his cheek filled with air as he held back the hard laughter. Charles raised an eyebrow and his lips curled in a smirk. He scooped up a bit of whipped cream from his plate with his finger and placed it right at the tip of Pierre's nose, who gasped in surprise and stared at Charles with wide eyes. Yep- can you guess how this ended?
Their table was covered by spots of whipped cream, and their faces didn't have it any better either. It was all in Pierre's hair and right on the tip of his nose, while Charles had got the direct hit on his forehead and cheeks. Both of them were laughing hysterically now (like they haven't been doing for almost the whole night).
"Ther- there's something in your hair" Charles said as he tried to catch his breath. "Wait, there's something on your cheek" Pierre said, slowly leaning over the table. "I know" Charles laughed again, tears of laughter tending to come back. "No- no, seriously!" Pierre said, placing a finger under Charles chin to bring him closer to his own face. Charles looked utterly confused as the two fell silent.
Charles' world seemed to stop when those soft and tender lips lightly touched his cheek. Everything seemed to go so slow but fast at the same time. Hell, it wasn't even the first time they kissed each others cheek. They did it very often, actually, wether to thank the other, congratulate them or comfort them. But this time felt so different to Charles. Maybe it was the whole situation they were currently in, with the emotions from before.
But it feels so weird- in a good way! It feels intimate, tender and almost more ment in a way Charles couldn't quite explain. A terrible blush crossed the Monegasque's cheeks, maybe bright as red as his Ferrari. His mind was always a bit of a mess, but now it's just one big hurricane of chaos. Everything was exploding in his head and his system got a terrible power cut.
It felt like ages until Pierre finally pulled away, even if it may have been only 5 seconds minimum in real life. This seemed to get Charles back to life though, as his eyes immediately found their way to Pierre's. He was still so close, maybe only a couple of centimeters separating them. Charles didn't even dare to breathe, while his lips were hanging open in half disbelieve.
They didn't say anything. The silence was heavy, but not uncomfortable. It was like the silence was ment to be, while their eyes were still locked. What was gonna happen? Charles didn't know, and he was completely freaking out about it. Pierre suddenly broke the eye contact, but Charles still followed his gaze. His eyes were falling right on his lips, before they went back to his eyes.
Was this really about to happen? Were they finally gonna kiss? Like, kiss-kiss, lips on lips, a proper kiss? Charles almost felt the need to say something, but he didn't want to at the same time. He wants to stay this close, even closer if possible, to Pierre, but wanted to end this moment and connect their lips too. They spoke with their eyes as they both leaned closer at the same time.
He was so close, they were so close, their lips were so close, just one bit of space between them and then they-
"Can I get the bill for the two of y- oh!" The two jump apart in shock, both their chairs creaking on the floor as they fall back. Pierre immediately looks down at his lap, his face bright red as the waiter, the same man as all night, watched them. Charles tried to avoid eye contact at first, but soon realized Pierre wasn't gonna say anything, so Charles raised his head and gave the man a polite smile.
"Y-yes please" Charles said on the most quiet voice he hasn't heard in a while. The man, firstly having a surprised look on his face, had now the most amused look on his face Charles has ever seen. You know that look your mum gives when you say you'll hang out with your crush. That almost proud, cheeky grin. Yes, that one. The man gave him a small nod before he disappeared in the back of the restaurant.
"Sorry for what just happened" Pierre suddenly said, panic audible in his voice as Charles' eyes widen. "I-I don't know what came over me and I'm sorry if I made you feel uncomfortable in any way" Pierre suddenly rambled on, so quickly that Charles could barely follow it all. "Hey! Hey! It's okay! Pierre it's okay, nothing bad happened. Calm down" Charles said on a soft tone.
"It's all fine, okay? Just breathe" Charles said calmly, smiling softly as he took Pierre's hand in his. How the turns tabled.. soon, the Frenchman had calmed down and both of them silently agreed to never talk about this again. Charles wish they would, but he could never force Pierre. Pierre was the one to seem the most uncomfortable by what just happened, at it stung in Charles' chest and heart.
Charles paid for their dinner, even when Pierre said they could just have splitted. After bickering, Pierre finally gave in and let Charles pay, even if it really didn't matter to Charles. He still wanted to apologize for freaking out earlier and for what had just happened between the two. He was the one to start the whipped cream fight after all, so he took the blame for all the consequences.
They had cleaned themself up in the restroom and made sure to look presentable, even if they had no clue where to go. The tension between them faded rather quickly, as they hopped in the Ferrari and would decide in the car where their destination would be. Well- not before they took a picture with the friendly man, so seemed to be a big fan of Pierre, Charles, both, or them together.
They sang along to the radio, as the sun disappeared behind the Austrian mountains. They just drove, of into the distance on the lonely, quiet roads. It felt peaceful, and even if Charles' brain hasn't fully recovered yet from the breakdown his system had, he felt a lot more calm and relaxed. Everything was alright. Everything was good. Everything was going to be amazing.
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Loud and fast knocks on Seb's door is what waked Lewis and Seb up. They were just taking a little nap together after they had gone on a run later in the afternoon and they had showered. Seb's day had been busy over all, so he was really looking forward to a nap. Unfortunately, someone had to interrupt their little moment together. Lewis groaned softly as Seb climbed out of the Brit's embrace.
"Charl-" "Seb! You won't believe what happened" the young driver had panic written on his forehead, and Seb knew he nor Lewis were able to sleep anytime soon. "Tell me everything" Seb said with a soft smile.
They sat there till midnight, and believe it or not, Charles had multiple, heavy mood swings in that short amount of time.
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✨Words: 4653✨
Hey guys!! So, the chapter turned out longer than I expected.. and I had a very busy schedule + a cold which is why it took so long for this chapter to be out. I hope you still liked it though, even if it was very chaotic, oopsie! Sorry it was so bad ;-;
Now, the Austrian GP chapter will hopefully be out in time, but it depends on how much time I have left. I've realized that, even if I'm off school, I'm still very busy with multiple things. For example, work, football (but the season ended yesterday so now I might have more time) and just having fun with my friends and family.. I hope you can understand!❤️
And finally, I wanna wish you all a very happy race weekend! Who's gonna be on pole tomorrow? And who will win the race? Is it gonna rain???👀
Love you all and again, sorry for the wait!
Xx M🧡
Finished at 11:55PM... GG!! Sorry for the errors, I'll check them tomorrow. Miss sleepyhead needs her sleep🙃