Hi! Nice to see ya all again!
Before you read this chapter, I want to ask something. I've got quite an important thing and I need you to answer the question I left at the end of the chapter.. it would be great if you can read that too!!
Okay, I'm done now, have fun reading and enjoy the chaos <3
.•.•.•.•.
Seb sighed as he saw the millions of luggage standing in the hallway, right at his feet. They were never able to fit this all in the cars. Oh, and Seb was already prepared for what was coming when he realized Charles hasn't brought his luggage down to the hallway yet. Charles was.. how could Seb put it nicely.. sometimes a bit extra, when it came to packing stuff. Seb doesn't really know how to explain it, but it's surely something.
He would bring five sets of clothing for each weather style, and then the extra things like brushes, shampoo, his little teddy, a mirror (yes you read that right), and sometimes, he'd even snuck along things that he never uses at home, let alone use on vacation. Because yes, that's right, they were heading on vacation. A well-deserved holiday now the summer break has officially started. Some time to relax, after a pretty tense time.
The house almost got too small after the Lewis-Max incident at Silverstone. Picking sides and such, yelling and ignoring. Yep, that's all what came along with it. The Hungarian GP didn't make it any better, to say the least. Mixed emotions caused a lot of fights and bickering which was horrible for the neutral person. Seb was fairly disappointed about his lost podium to fuel, but it is what it is.
He moved on quickly and started to try and get rid of some tensions in the house. Lewis and Max were still able to get along most of the time, but it wasn't all nice and sunshine like it was before. You would say, now Mazespin is out of the house, there wouldn't be a problem anymore. The universe didn't seem to like the "no drama" act and made sure to give two absolute crazy races. Just to make it interesting.
Seb just hopes that this trip to the Belgium Ardennes could make the tension a little less, and create some peace among the drivers again. It is really what they all needed right now and all well deserved. Seb had noticed that the pressure on some drivers really caused some bad, almost ill like feelings. The summer break will hopefully go smoothly and without too much trouble, for maximum relaxation. But you can never be 100% sure about that when you live in this household.
Seb got pulled out of his thoughts when he heard someone get down the stairs with audibly a lot of struggles. He first guessed it was Charles coming down with his loaded suitcases and bags, but when he looked up, he saw it wasn't Charles. Lando was huffing as he was trying to get the three suitcases down the stairs. Seb watched him with a pained look, biting down his lip as Lando was puffing out in frustration.
Lando wouldn't be Lando if he didn't fall over. So that's exactly what he did. He misjudged one of the steps and yelped, his bright orange bucket hat flying off his head while the suitcases he was ment to carry fell down the stairs, with Lando falling behind them and landing right on top of the pile of luggage. He let out a loud, pained groan, while Seb rushed towards the Brit with wide eyes. Footsteps could be heard from the stairs too, Carlos rushing down.
"Oh god, Lando! Are you okay?" Seb asked quickly, helping Lando sit up as the Brit groaned. "Yep, all.. good" Lando told him, holding in his breath. He gave Seb a small smile, before Carlos sat on his knees next to Lando and ran a hand through Lando's curls. "You sure? That was a pretty high fall cariño" Carlos asked worriedly, making Lando nod and finally release his breath. "Don't worry, it's all good"
Carlos was already so careful and protective over Lando, always making sure his boyfriend wasn't in any pain and if there was, trying to get rid of it as quick as he can. But ever since the poisioning stuff with Mazespin, Carlos was even more worried over him. He would always have an eye out for him, making sure that Lando was fine and doing good, at every hour of the day.
"I'm sorry, I should've helped you" Carlos said, giving a quick peck on the forehead before standing up and pulling Lando with him. Seb stood up as well and smiled at the couple. "It's honestly fine, Carlos" Lando mumbled, giving a soft little kiss on the Spaniard's cheek before turning to Seb. "Can we help with carrying stuff to the car?" Seb glanced around with a little huff, slowly nodding his head.
"I have no idea what the others are doing, but I sure as hell can't do this alone" Carlos and Lando laughed, before they headed to the luggage and helped Seb carry everything to the cars. "Sweet hell, why do we have so many luggage" Lando said, puffing out a bit as he leaned against Seb's matt black Aston Martin. "Prepare for Charles' luggage. I swear, why is he always the last one with the most suitcases!" Seb said with a laugh, making Lando giggle.
Charles had, as expected, the most luggage of all the drivers, but they somehow made it fit in the cars. They all said goodbye to Enrico, Aimee and the pups (that had actually grown quite well after a few weeks time!) at the dog hotel. A difficult time for Lando, as Carlos had to drag him out of the place after Lando had been in there for 10 minutes. After that, they were all good and ready to go. On their well earned vacation!
><><><><
After a very, very long ride, they finally arrived on the camping, settled in the mountains of Belgium. It was actually very close to the track Spa-Francorchamps, where they would race at in a few weeks time. The first car that arrived was the Honda of Max, with Daniel in the passenger seat next to him and George, Alex and Yuki in the back. Daniel had stayed up to help Max find the way through the thousands of small paths in the forest and mountains.
The complete opposite of the three in the back. Yuki basically passed out the first minute they pulled off their driveway, and Alex and George melted. Alex atleast hit the one hour spot, but soon after he did so, he dozed off. Yuki was leaning against Alex, with Alex's head in the crook of George's neck. It didn't take long after that before Daniel and Max couldn't hear any sounds other than soft snores from the back.
"You wake them up, I'm going to the front desk of the camping to ask where we're staying" Max whispered, shutting off the car and pulling out the keys. " 'kay captain" Daniel whispered back, making Max roll his eyes with a grin before stepping out of the car. Once Max shut the door behind him, Daniel's grin got twice as wide as his hand reached for the volume button of the radio. And just like that, he turned the volume to full volume, shaking the three in the back awake.
Yuki jumped up, eyes shooting wide as his arms fly up, hands swatting against Alex's face, who groaned in pain. George yelled out, before giving Daniel a deadly glare. Daniel, who laughed so unbelievably hard, didn't even notice the angry look and the complains from the back, even singing along to the horrible music after a second. Yuki had enough of it, stepping out of the car and walking up to the front desk to get Max.
"Daniel turn the music down you idiot!" George yelled as his last attempt, before leaning over the seat and shutting off the radio completely. As a silence fell over them, George sat back with a heavy sigh, until Daniel bursted out in laughter again. "It's not funny Dan!" George whined, only making Daniel laugh harder. "Yeah! I think my ears are bleeding" Alex continued on his boyfriend.
Daniel's laughter finally died down when Yuki walked back to the car, with Max walking next to him. "Daniel!" Max announced with an angry glare. Daniel shallowed back his laugh, giving Max a sheepish smile when the Dutchman entered the car. He laid the papers, the keys of their lodge and a map on Daniel's lap and glared up at him. "I literally heard you from there! Don't you know how embarrassing that was for me and especially for you!" Max exclaimed.
Daniel snorted, leaning back in his seat. "I don't care" Max gave him the 'are you serious?' Look, sighing deeply. "Well I do!" Max really tried to act angry, but there was no use in doing so when he laughed along with Daniel after a second. George and Alex shook their heads in disappointment, while Yuki smiled at the situation in amusement. This surely was gonna be an interesting first vacation.
><><><><
"Okay, whoever thought putting Lando, Charles, Mick, Callum and Lance in one car together, is actually stupid" Lewis muttered, looking down at his watch to check the time. "I thought they were following us! They've been following us for most of the ride, right?" Carlos said, asking for confirmation by the other Spaniard, Fernando. He nodded, a worried look on his face as well. "What's so bad about them all in one car?" Yuki asked, not sure what's so bad about it.
"Oh Yuki," Max started, laying a hand on Yuki's shoulder. "They are the most chaotic of all of us. Them in one car is.. just pure chaos" Max continued, biting down on his lip. "But-" "Dios Lando! Where are you all? We're so worried! No- No Lando you needed to follow- no- no I'm not angry, calm down cariño, it's all good! Just follow the si- Lando baby, listen to me for a second" Carlos' voice interupted the conversation between Yuki and Max.
"Sí! Sí that's where you need to be! Exactly amor, just follow the signs, we'll be at the front of the park" Lewis shook his head. He didn't even want to know the chaos going on in that car right now. It's already special if they didn't crash in their way. It has nothing to do with their driving style, obviously! Just all the yelling and losing the directions- Lewis would never be able to live through the pain.
"Well," Carlos put his phone back in his pocket and ran a hand through his hair in a frustrating, stressed way. "They're not that far away now. From what I could hear on the background, it wasn't going very well" Carlos said as he bit down on his lip. "At least they will arrive here unharmed" Fernando said with a shrug. "I wouldn't say that too quick. They aren't here yet" Seb said, exactly knowing how well Charles and Lando match together.
Charles and Lando are the most chaotic duo you could ever imagine. Charles is very cool in his race car, knows how to judge a situation very well and knows how to deal with any problems. That's in a race car. In any other situation, Charles is just a mess. He freaks out about the smallest things, and stresses when something isn't going like it should go. The complete opposite of how he acts in a formula 1 car, weirdly enough. And with Lando by his side, oh boy..
Lando can either act like he doesn't know anything, or really doesn't know anything. He's very easily panicked too, which is a great thing to have when you sit next to a person like Charles, right? It doesn't help that Lando is extremely clumsy, as you've seen from what happened on the stairs this morning. The combination between Charles and Lando is just the description of pure chaos, and everyone knew that. Luckily, some drivers like Carlos, Seb and Pierre (okay maybe not Pierre-) know how to keep them calm.
So they waited, and waited, and waited some more.. "I thought you said they were just a few streets away?" Pierre asked quietly to Carlos, who sighed deeply and nodded his head. "That's the whole problem. They were on the right road. And there is only one road!" Carlos exclaimed, clearly worried about his boyfriend and the others in the car aswell. That's why it was a big relieve to see Lando's Mercedes appear in the turn exit.
"They're here!" Pierre exclaimed, excitedly waving his arm up in the air. Charles beamed and waved back, while Lando gave a few honks before stopping the car when he parked the car next to the others. Lance came rolling out of the car first, taking a fresh breath of air before a half-relieved, half- satisfied smile played on his lips. They finally arrived, after the most horrible drive of his lifetime. He will not get in that car again on their way back after the vacation.
"Welcome, how was your ride?" Daniel asked with a knowing smirk to Mick and Callum. He leaned with one arm on Max's shoulder, the other hand holding up a bag of crisps. Max eyed Daniel in annoyance, before his gaze fell on the bag of crisps, and back to his eyes. "What? It's summer break!" Daniel defended himself with a mouth full. Max shook his head and grasped for the bag himself, making Daniel laugh.
Mick smiled softly at the two, before holding his head with a hand. "It was exhausting. I don't wanna share a car with them ever again" Mick mumbled, making Callum laugh. "Oh come on Micky, it wasn't that bad" The Brit said, while Mick cocked up an eyebrow. "Not that bad? I think I'm deaf at how much Lando and Charles screamed" Mick complained, making the other three laugh.
><>< Arriving at the lodge ><><
"Holy.." George's mouth flew open, voice barely above a whisper. "Guacamole.." Daniel finished, amazed by the biggest vacation house he'd ever seen in his entire life. Just- they already imagined much, but whoever booked their vacation, had some really good taste. This 'lodge', or better said mansion, might be even bigger than their own house. Okay, maybe not, but definitely bigger than the one that was halfway burned to the ground because the firefighters turned up way too late.
>>this is the kind of vibe I'm going at, ya know :]
"This is insane!" Lando screamed, unable to hide his enthusiasm as he jumped up and down on his toes, the horrible drive already long forgotten. "I expected it way smaller" Seb mumbled with big, wide eyes. "Oh Seb, we have the money, we deserve some holiday. This is great. We'd make it great anyways" Lewis said, wrapping an arm around his boyfriend and pulling him closer. "And with 'we' you're referring to.." Seb said with a grin, leaning into the touch.
"Us two of course!" Seb giggles at the response he'd gotten. They watched how Sergio and Max rushed to the door, making a competition about it like always. Seb knew very well he has the keys, as Max handed them to him back at the parking lots. Max seemed to realize that fact soon enough too, coming to a stop while Sergio continued to sprint his way to the front door. Max ran back to Seb, sticking out his hand with a puppy smile.
The German rolled his eyes jokingly, before handing the keys to Max, who quietly thanked Seb and ran back to the house. "I won" Max stated, a proud grin playing on his lips as he held the keys in front of Sergio's face. "Yea yea, just open the door now" Sergio muttered light heartedly. Max did like he was told, as he pushed the keys in the lock and opened the door.
The drivers strolled in and all looked in amazement at how beautiful this house is from not only the outside, but also the inside. The first room you'd enter is the living room. High ceiling, big windows with the sight on the forest and small river. The wood floor and walls give an extremely warm and cozy look, with the orange-yellowish light complimenting that feeling. Three big couches like they had back at their house, with three big bean bags at the side.
The dining room was connected at the living room by two large folding doors. A big, long table like they had one at home, else they wouldn't all be able to eat at the same time. The kitchen has the same, cozy vibes as the living room. A nice wooden forest theme, with warm lights and a beautiful contrast between the wood and the black metal colour of the counter. And again, the big, tall windows brought the sunshine in to make it all even prettier.
Of course, Max had already sprinted upstairs to claim the best room, even if all the rooms were pretty much the same. The rest of the guys were still pretty much looking through the rooms downstairs or carrying all their luggage inside, but stopped in tracks when they heard Max screaming at the top of his lungs. Daniel, being the good 'best friend' he was, immediately dropped his suitcase and ran upstairs.
Tw: spiders!
Max was standing on top of the bed, pointing at the corner of the room with absolutely horror in his eyes. "What's going on?" Someone called behind the Aussie, as some drivers headed upstairs too. "T-there's a massive spider!" Daniel rolled his eyes and walked to the place Max pointed at. "Oh Max, I'm sure it isn't that bad. I'm pretty used to things as an Australian, ya- oh my god!!" Daniel yelled out, immediately crawling up the bed aswell and holding onto Max.
"That spider is bigger than Lando's head!" Daniel shouted, making Lando turn around and gasp offended. "Hey!" He pouted, making Daniel chuckle softly, before his full focus went back to the spider. Let's say, in comparison to Daniel's hand, it's twice as big. Daniel had seen these kinds of spiders only a few times when he was a kid, back in Australia. "How did this little boy end up here?" Daniel asked his thought aloud.
"Little boy!?" Max exclaimed in confusion, but Seb was quick to ask an actual question. "What do you mean 'how did it end up here?'" Daniel looked a bit closer, and shrugged. "I think it's the giant huntsman spider. I think they're not very common here in Europe.. but I guess I'm wrong" Seb bit down on his lip, keeping a fair distance, opposite from Daniel who slowly creeped closer to the spider to get a better look.
"Uhm.. and how are we gonna remove that thing?" Max said, after he coughed awkwardly and sat down on the bed. "Do we- should we call the police?" Charles asked, hiding behind Seb's shoulder now and glancing over it. "Nahh!" Daniel said, the fear from before completely faded as he walked up to the spider with full confidence. "I know how to handle this!" Max stared at Daniel in disbelieve, trying to stop him.
"Dan that thing is venomous! Maybe it's better if we hand this to some professional" Max exclaimed, but it all didn't seem convincing enough to stop Daniel. "I am the professional" "your ego is way too high for this!" Lando said with a cheeky grin, making Daniel snort and stick out his tongue to his teammate. He didn't waste any more time and gently guided the spider on his hand, while the rest sucked in their breaths in fear for the worst.
Everyone got out of the way rather quickly, so Daniel could walk downstairs. The spider was really just vibing and enjoying his little trip, as it seems. Daniel gently kicked the door open with his feet and placed it a few meters away from their residence. Daniel smiled as he saw the spider crawl away from him, deep in the forest, before returning to the house, where everyone was staring at him like he was crazy. Nothing lied about that though.
"Are you out of your mind?!" Max immediately exclaimed when he stepped through the door, walking up to him and checking Daniel's hands for any damage. "Maybe" Max rolled his eyes and put them in his own. "Don't do that again, idiot" Max said sternly, clasping their hands together. "Can't promise anything, hubby" Daniel replied with a grin, placing a soft kiss on Max's forehead to make him turn incredibly red.
Max gasped in embarrassment, especially now they were surrounded by the rest of the drivers. Max huffed, staring down at the floor before he basically ran upstairs, to avoid the teasing and playful comments. Daniel looked at him, before sighing when he shut the door behind him. "Did I do something wrong?" Daniel asked, staring down at his own shoes. To his slight surprise, Lando walked up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder.
"No Daniel! You did very good! Max just isn't the best in handling with his emotions, and you know that too" Lando said with a little smile. Daniel gave a smile in return, before nodding lightly. "I know. It's just really difficult to keep up with him" He sighed as Lando ran a hand over his back. "I think, from what I could see, he liked the kiss very much" Charles added with a little smile.
"You think so?" Daniel asked, an unsure look on his face as his shoulder drop a bit. "Mate, he's in love with you!" George exclaimed, a happy smile to cheer Daniel up. "Just ask him on a date already" Carlos added, making Charles snort. "Says the one who took a whole year to ask Lando out" Lando turned as red as the Ferrari while Carlos rolled his eyes and mocked Charles. He could just prevent himself to make a teasing comment about Charles and Pierre. Just.
Daniel really appreciated the guys for cheering him up a little, because it definitely worked. A smile formed on his lips when he saw the bickering back and forth. He's been considering it for a while, getting officially together with Max. They've been on dates before though, and they sometimes already act like a normal couple, but he couldn't help but feel unsure. Especially after Max's reaction by the kiss on his head.
He should talk to Max. That's for sure. He won't have to talk to him about his feelings and ideas, his wishes. Not yet. He just had to know if Max was okay, and if he should believe Charles' words that he liked it. "I'm gonna talk to him, I guess" Daniel said, and the rest noticed the change in behavior. "Are you gonna ask him out!?" Yuki asked with wide, enthusiastic eyes. Daniel blushed, a red tint hinting his tanned cheeks.
"No! Oh no, I just- no! I'm just gonna talk with him. N-not ask him out or anything" Daniel explained, scratching the back of his head with a sheepish smile. The rest of the guys groaned, whined and complained about the answer they received, making Daniel chuckle and apologize under his breath. "Go get 'em tiger" Pierre said, giving Daniel a wink when he walked towards the stairs. Daniel cursed softly and shook his head.
"Ya'll are very helpful" He said sarcastically, making the other drivers laugh. Daniel rolled his eyes, before making big steps on the stairs and the sound slowly died down. He gulped lightly. This vacation really started off on a high, huh? Maybe he's just over reacting? Max wouldn't get mad over such a thing, right? He has very short temper though. Nah, Max won't get mad at him for kissing him. It wasn't even on the lips! Oh- what would that feel like? No wait, Max maybe doesn't even want that.
Yep, he's probably overreacting.
He took a deep breath again, before knocking on Max's door. Okay, calm down now Daniel. Nothing can happen. He's not angry. He won't be angry. It was literally just a peck on the forehead. Nothing wrong with giving a smooch on the head, right? Right? "Oh, Daniel come i-" "I'm so sorry Max! I shouldn't have embarrassed you so much in front of the others and you're probably really mad at me- and I understand! Completely! I'm just really stupid but it feels so natural and-"
"Woah woah, Daniel, breath!" Max stops the rant and lays both hands on Daniel's shoulders. "Calm down, I'm not angry! Just breathe.." he said on a soothing tone, ans Daniel nodded with ragged breath to confirm he was okay. "O-okay, I'm good." Daniel was almost stunned by himself at how the words just flew out of his mouth. Without Max, he would still be going. "Look I- I walked away because I was as red as a tomato!"
"I didn't want to become shy in front of the others" Max said with a little smile and small chuckle. Daniel perked up. "So I can still give you head smooches?" He asked on a happy tone, making Max giggle and nod softly. A light blush painted his cheeks again, when Daniel planted tons of little kisses on his face, apart from the place Max wanted it best. His lips felt so smooth and soft against his skin, but he wanted to feel those lips on his own.
"You okay, Maxy?" Daniel asked, noticing how Max zoned off. He gently cupped his face with his hands, his thumb stroking Max's cheek. The Dutchman's cheeks turned a little darker shade red, blinking up at Daniel, right at his lips, immediately catching back on his previous thoughts, and looking back in his eyes. "U-uh- y-yea! Sorry.. z-zoned off" Daniel frowned a bit by the answer, pulling his hand to Max's forehead to check his temperature.
"Daniel, I'm completely fine!" Max assured, taking Daniel's hands and placing them in his own firmly, on his lap. "Trust me" Max said on a softer tone, and now it was his turn to place a little kiss, right at the tip of the Aussie's nose that made both of them end up in a giggling mess. Daniel huffed and wrapped his arms around Max, making him yelp when he fell backwards with Max on top of him, until they continued to laugh like young, bubbly teenagers.
><><><><
"3, 2, 1.. Ready or not, here I come!" Seb yelled through the house, a little grin forming on his lips when he heard soft giggles come from underneath the dining table in the room next to the kitchen. He could exactly make out Charles' giggles, and he could say with 90% certainty Pierre was with him under the table. Even though he would like to tag them, his heart told him he should let the two boys. You can already guess why.
So, he acted like he didn't hear Pierre and Charles, or saw their legs under the chairs and moved on to the living room, where he could already spot some drivers by one look. The stack of pillows on the couch wasn't obvious at all, no. He walked towards the couch and pulled one of the cushions away, revealing a smiling Mick. "Heeey Seb" the older had to laugh at the way Mick stretched his words, a sheepish smile on his face as he sat up.
"Aw man, am I the first one?" Mick asked with a little whine, making Seb laugh again, harder. "Yes, unfortunately, but you can help me find the others?" Seb asked with a little smile, pulling out his hand to help Mick get up from the couch. "Sure, I know Callum is hiding-" "Mick don't you dare tell!" A silence followed, until Callum spoke up again with a little 'oops'. Seb and Mick started to laugh, as Callum slowly appeared from behind the long curtains.
"You're such an idiot" Callum said with a font smile. Using those nick names is definitely Callum's love language, Seb thought with a look of adoration at the 'friends'. "You're one to call me an idiot, Callum idiot" Mick shot back with a confident grin, as Callum slowly stepped closer with a shake of the head. "Woah, never heard that one before" Mick chuckled softly. "You're both idiots. Now help this old man with hide and seek, lovebirds"
Callum smirked down at Mick, who flushed shyly. They continued to search for people, and it was fair to say that hide and seek wasn't their best quality. Seb tagged them off one by one, finding some underneath the counter, behind the television. Lando was really convinced that he won by hiding behind the other curtain, while the rest was hiding in their bedrooms they claimed before, underneath the blankets or under the bed.
And while everyone was either seeking, hiding or having fun in general, there was one person that hadn't been able to enjoy his vacation at all yet. Okay, maybe Max was probably exaggerating it. The food was delicious, and they've been playing somewhat childish but very fun games all night, but this man always found a way to ruin his happiness. He just wasn't allowed to have fun, was he?
A letter was lying in his closet. He's had quite some experience with receiving letter by this unknown man that's been bugging them for a while. Some part of him didn't want to open the letter. How did it end up in his closet, while they only got here a few hours ago? It's scary, it gives him chills all over his body. This man was stalking them, the man knows where they are.
It's creepy. It feels like he's being watched every hour of the day. It makes him feel uneasy and uncomfortable, which isn't that crazy at all. And now he's sat in the closet, a hand covering his mouth as tears well up in his eyes. Why did this happen to him? Why did this have to happen to them? What did they do, what did he do to deserve this? Max knows he asks it to himself every time, but it stays a mystery he wants to solve.
You thought it was over?
It was simple and short, but oh did those five words hurt. It stung in his chest the way he wasn't able to take a proper breath of fresh air. The little space in the closet didn't make it any better, but he was panicked in a way he couldn't think. He was slowly getting into a panic attack, and even if he tried to push it down, he couldn't. His breath got more irregular with the thought of lack of oxygen. His whole body hurt.
With all the energy in his body, he slammed on the doors, trying to grasp for some sort of handle to open it, but it was useless. What closet would have handles on the inside? He felt hopeless, but he knew it wasn't. They are playing hide and seek. They would look for him, right? What if they forgot him? No, they wouldn't. Max slammed on the door again, a soft croak of help flying out of his mouth with pain.
"Máááx, you've won!" Charles screamed in the hallway upstairs, but no sound came. He had actually prepared himself for a victory cry by the Dutchman, knowing how competitive he was. "Max?" Charles asked, confused about the lack of enthusiasm and sound. "Guys I don't know-" loud bangs on what sounded like wood came from Max's room, shutting up Charles who immediately rushed to the other's room.
"Max are you in here?" Charles asked, and immediately soft knocks were coming from the closet. "Oh my lord Max!" Charles hurried over to the closet, stumbling over his own feet and with struggle opening the door. Max fell limply into Charles' eyes, who's eyes shot wide as he caught Max in his arms. He saw how much the other was struggling to breath, so he pulled Max back lightly to make him breath better.
"Calm down, Max, it's alright.. it's alright. I've got you" Charles said, running a hand through Max's hair as he held him gently but firm, in a protective manner. Max didn't know what to do. He shouldn't lie again, should he? He knows the after effects of it, the consequences. It's not smart to lie. He doesn't want to lie. But before he makes a decision, Charles talks.
"You're out of there Max, you're not locked in anymore, calm down" Max's breath hitched. Charles doesn't know. Charles thinks he turned in this mess because he was locked in there. Footsteps could be heard in the faint distance, before the door bursted open and both Max and Charles look up at Daniel who bursted through the door.
"What happened Maxy?" Daniel asked, worry laced in his voice as he approached Max and Charles, with the rest of the guys following quickly. Max opened his mouth, but only a weak croak came out of his throat. "He was locked in the closet" Charles said on a soft, gentle tone, brushing a bit of Max's hair out of the way. Max closed his eyes at the touch, taking a deep shaky breath
Daniel crouched down and placed a kiss on top of his slightly wetted hair, smiling down at Max. "Well, guess you're out of the closet now" Daniel joked, making the other drivers laugh. The joke was ment to get rid of some of the tensions in the room. Their day had already been weird enough. The only problem was that Max couldn't laugh. Not even a smile formed on his lips.
He's exhausted and stressed out.
The next day
Max didn't feel any better in the morning. He went to bed earlier than the rest yesterday night, but the same, annoying nightmare followed him again. Hunting him down till he'd give in, till he'd cry it out to the others. Daniel knows about his nightmares, Lando knows, and now also Charles knows. After yesterday's happenings, Charles was all too worried for Max, so when the Red Bull driver woke up screaming in the middle of the night, his room-neighbor was quick by his side.
After telling Charles about the nightmare that replayed every night, and he wasn't able to get rid of it, the Monegasque looked at him with sad, compassionate eyes. "I'm sorry this happens to you Max. Is this why you always look quite tired off race weekends?" Max nodded slowlh, because he was completely right. When they are at the race track, racing is the only thing that's on his mind. His dad thought him so.
"Can I do something for you? Get you a glass of warm milk? Cup of tea? Or do you want me to stay here?" Charles asked on a rushed but quiet tone to not wake the others in their beautiful perfect vacation lodge. "Oh, should I get Daniel? You usually get to Daniel when you have nightmares, right? Maybe I can-" "Charles, shh" Charles only then realizes he's been rambling, as his cheeks turn bright red.
"Sorry, I'm just worried about you. You look very pale" Charles said in a softer, slower way, eyes caring. "It's been a long day, also for you. You don't have to worry about me" Max said with a little smile, propping himself up with his arms. "I still do, especially after what happened today" Max laughed lightly, laying a hand on Charles' shoulder. A tugging feeling told him to speak to Charles about the letter, he really wanted to-
-but he couldn't.
"What can I do to make you sleep better?" Max shrugged slightly, eyes wandering off to his duvet. "I've dealt with this before Charles, I can handle myself" Charles looked unsure about the words that escaped Max's mouth. "Let me help you this time then" Charles said determined. Max sighed deeply, before a smile formed on his lips. "If you go to bed and sleep, without any worries about me, I'll be able to sleep as well"
So, with some struggling of convincing Charles that he was 'ok', the Monegasque left his room, and Max felt more alone than he wants to. He stared up at the ceiling, keeping his eyes open. He wanted to sleep, to rest. The bags under his eyes were already bad enough. He wanted to keep the promise he made to Charles. But he didn't want to go back to the dark, cold world of his nightmares. He was running for them, making him exhausted.
He eventually fell asleep, way too late for his nightmares to catch his brain. He had a heavy weight on his chest and shoulders when he woke up that morning. He only just realized that he not only broke Charles' promise, but also that one they made a few weeks ago. Whenever something importants happens around the mystery man, you share it with the rest. Even how stupid it may sound. It only made him feel worse.
He needed to talk to someone, to all of them. He had to, he promised. He needed to show the letter and tell them what really happened. How will Charles react? He basically lied to him, didn't he? Max felt his throat squeeze shut. Charles is a very sensitive person, Max realized over the course of their growing friendship. He doesn't want to hurt Charles in any way. He doesn't want to hurt anyone for that matter!
He checked the clock and realized that it's already quite late. It seems like the time had just hit 11:30 in the morning. He sits up lightly, his shoulders dropping when he's met with the sight of.. himself. Whoever decided to place a mirror right in front of the bed and make it the first thing you see in the morning, is the most stupid person on earth. Max almost wanted to cry as he saw the dark circles under his eyes, his messy and greasy hair.
He looks awful, and that's an understatement. He needed to fix himself. And by that, he had to fix the whole situation. He stood up, feeling a bit light-headed and dizzy as he did so too quickly, before walking up to the closet and opening it. The letter was still there, the top ripped open with the paper still slightly sticking out of it. He shivered and sighed deeply, before stepping out of the room.
"Good morning Ma-ohh.." Seb was the first one to greet him when he entered the kitchen, his smile immediately dropping when he saw the exhausted, worn out look on Max's face. The rest turned around, worried eyes immediately scanning him. "You didn't sleep very well, did you?" Yuki dared to ask slightly, but Max wasn't even angry. He was sad because Yuki was very well right. "Not really" Max whispered with a small chuckle.
He looked up, first being met with Daniel's worried eyes. 'Nightmare?' Daniel mouthed, and the only thing Max could do was shrug. The eyes on him and the heavy silence made the Dutchman feel kinda uncomfortable. Very uncomfortable, actually. His eyes trailed off to Charles, who had an unreadable expression on his face. He looked disappointed in a way he wasn't disappointed at Max.
"What's in your hand?" Lando asked on a soft, careful tone. Max took a deep breath, mentally preparing himself before he threw the letter at the table. 'Max' read the front, as Daniel was the one fo take it in his hand. "It can't be.." Daniel whispered, ment to himself. "Yesterday, when we were playing hide and seek," Max started with a shaky voice. "I hid in the closet. I found the letter. J-just read it"
Daniel felt his heart sting at the words. Eyes shooting up to Max. "I don't- I don't know what to do!" Max squealed, tears welling up in his eyes. Daniel immediately rushed to him, pulling him in a tight hug. "I'm so proud of you" he muttered in his ear, making Max pull back shocked and confused as he wipes away the on-going tears. "H-how can you be proud?! We're here for barely a day a-and I already ruined the whole vacation. Why do I always have to ruin everything!"
Daniel squeezed him closer to make Max stop, as Sebastian spoke up. "Can I remind you Max, that none of this is your fault. What could you have possibly done differently to not get a letter from that horrible man?" Max blinked at Seb, unable to answer, which was the best answer to the German. "Exactly Max, there's nothing you could've done, so it's not your fault!" Seb said as he laid a hand on Max's shoulder.
And then, Charles spoke up with a sweet tone "We'll keep you safe Max" he smiled at that, wiping away a tear. "Thanks. We-we'll protect each other. All of us" Max tried to keep a steady tone, leaning into Daniel's hug again before he sat down at the table, taking a deep, shaky inhale before he took the letter. "So.. are we sure now that Mazespin is the intruder? The words 'you thought it was over?' Sound pretty obvious to me" he said as he glanced around the table with glassy eyes.
"It seems like he's got to do something with it. Especially with that letter. But it could also be a distraction.." Lewis said thoughtfully. "What do you mean? How would he know about the fight with Mazespin" Carlos asked. "Well, the man has been stalking us for a year now. It wouldn't surprise me if he knew about it and wrote the letter like Mazespin is the mystery man" Everyone was thinking deeply.
"Well, that's something we just can't know yet. For that sake, Mazespin and the intruder could work together" Seb said. "That would make sense with the notes under Max's bed. Mazespin could have brought them in" Charles said, looking down at his hand palms as a silence followed. "Charles, you absolute genius!" Daniel exclaimed, a smile of relieve forming on his lips. "Dan, it could just be Mazespin on his own. We can't confirm anything" Lewis said slowly, sad to disappoint.
"No! No Lewis because there is no way that's possible!" Daniel said, standing up and actually feeling like the happiest man alive. "Why-.. why isn't that possible?" Max asked, confused like everyone else except Daniel. "Okay, okay, we can't confirm anything yet, and we still don't know who mystery man is, but there is no possible way it can be Mazespin on his own!" Daniel almost screamed out of happiness.
"When was the first encounter with the intruder, huh? Lando, you can remember it very well" Daniel said, pointing his index finger at Lando, who jumped up at the sudden attention. "U-uh.. Last November..?" Lando asked with slight confusion, in contrast to Seb, who gasped in realization. "And when did you get the address of the house, Mick?" Daniel asked, the smile on his lips growing wider.
"In.. in February!" The German said, understanding where Daniel was going with this piece of information. "We can't confirm my theory with 100%, but it's unlikely that Mazespin is the intruder. It could be that he helps him, as why he was acting very weird around us!" The new found information and theory wasn't that great, in all honesty, but this also seemed like a step closer in their investigation. And with 'their', he refers to all of the drivers. Together.
"Look Max, this is what happens if you share the stuff you know. Only that way we'll be able to solve this. Together"
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Heellooooo!!!
(Important question under the '====')
I'm so, so damn sorry about the delay. I was first stuck in the worst writer's block I've ever been in. I just had no motivation and inspiration at all.. it's really horrible, you know how it feels when you've been in one 😣 Thanks to Babb1ee for helping me out a lot and giving me the motivation I was looking for🧡
Then, when I finally got back into the grooves, we (my family and I) went on a very unexpected vacation. And when I say unexpected, I say unexpected. We decided on Sunday that we had time to go, and booked the vacation on that same Sunday to leave the next day. Got back home today and I've been writing through the vacation whenever I could, because I felt really bad for leaving ya'll for so long..
I'm very glad I managed to get it done tonight though, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter and the new idea I came up with! :] I know this chapter has been a bit messy and filled with angst again, but I promise to get some fluff on your way!! <3
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Now, I have a very important question.. and I don't know if there's enough people that want to anticipate in this so maybe I just throw this idea in the bin when ya'll don't want this idea or have a better idea (because you can always tell!! :3) I'm very, VERY close to hitting 100K views on the other f1 house book!! And to celebrate, I wanted to do something special!
I was thinking about some sort of Q&A, where you can ask the characters of the book anything. Just wanna remind everyone that this is purely fictional and the characters of my book are different to who they are in real life. I don't know them in real life, so this is purely for the fictional characters I created in my books! But yeaa, would you guys like to participate in this kinda thing? I don't wanna set up a whole thing and then end up with barely 5 questions so yeaa just wanna make sure, ya know?
Let me know what you think, or if you have a better idea! <3
Alright, I'm gonna sleep now ahahah!
Love you all! And sorry for the wait :c
Xx M🧡