When Daniel had heard the noises and stepped into this room, he hadn't expected this even in his wildest dreams. The room had fallen silent since he entered, everyone looking frozen and shocked and everyone was in a stand still, probably like him assessing how best to approach this situation.
It almost looked like a scene from a TV-show, and he almost expected to hear background laughter, or a camera crew saying that they played a trick on him.
But nothing of the sort happened. Daniel felt a twitch in his eye when he saw the tensed muscles of the three men in front of him, and coming to a decision, he purposely relaxed his body, and gestured to them aloofly.
"Is this some kind of sexual thing?" Daniel asked, and he felt a bit of relief when that elected a reaction with both Lewis and Charles started to deny it vehemently.
"What, of course not," "how could you think that, seriously,"
Both drivers were frowning and putting their attention on Daniel, and that's when Max took advantage of their lack attention on it, quickly pulling away from Charles' grip and slipping past Lewis in one smooth movement.
All three caregivers followed the movement and to Daniels surprise, he saw Max slide on his knees next to a trash can, wincing slightly when he landed. Then he quickly put his hand in there, and made a triumphant noise when he grabbed something out there.
"Hey, don't do that," Lewis said softly, turning around, wanting to grab the thing Max was holding. Max was too quick though, holding his hands out of reach and climbing to his feet again, "come on, don't be like that,"
"Mine," Max said, and dodged past Lewis, but Charles was already making his way for him and in a panicked look, Max decided to run towa rds Daniel, who was still looking flabbergasted at the situation, and didn't even try to dodge his former teammate.
The half naked Max quickly hid behind Daniel, his arms wrapping tightly along Daniel's waste, and his head pressed in between Daniel's shoulder blades. It was almost as if he expected to be able to hide like that.
Daniel looked down at the hands wrapped around his stomach, finally able to see what Max had taken and wondering why the other two were so opposed against the fact that Max had a paci in his hands.
"Okay, stop for a second," Daniel said when the two caregivers were coming his directions, "I need some explanation here. Why is Max in a diaper, and why does he have a paci? And why can't he have it?" Daniel asked completely confused.
His mind was already going through some possibilities, considering them but not able to accept some of them, even if they explained a lot about the current situation. After all, he had been in the same team as Max for years, so he would have noticed if the other man was a little right? Besides, even if he hadn't noticed it, if Max really was a little, he would have sought comfort with Daniel when they were teammates, like Lando did now he was with McLaren. It was only natural.
For a moment, the room fell silent again, and the only thing that happened where Max's arms squeezing around him a little tighter. The diapered driver didn't say anything, so Daniel looked at the other two in the room who were still standing in front of him. The more he stared at them, the more awkward they looked, not even able to look him in the eye.
"Well?" Daniel asked again, feeling a bit impatient.
"You see, the thing is," Charles started to say, and he could just see the man trying to make up some kind of excuse, making him consider that this just might be a sexual thing after all. He guessed that they were a bit embarrassed about being found out like this, but Daniel guessed if they got turned out by this, it's their own affair. Secretly Daniel really didn't want to belief the other explanation of why Max was in a diaper, not wanting to acknowledge the fact that the man had never felt comfortable enough with him to be in headspace.
Of course, the relief he felt was suddenly smashed when Lewis spoke, looking resigned.
"He's a little," Lewis stated, gesturing to Max, who was still hidden behind Daniel.
"Max is a little?" Daniel repeated, feeling the betrayal suddenly grip him. Max was a little, and his rivals knew, but not him, his former teammate. Daniel swallowed the feeling, burying it for the moment, "and why are you guys here? Are you his caregivers, or just sitting?"
"Neither" Lewis said reluctantly, "look I just found out he was a little the day before yesterday, and it was on accident. From what I understand he has no caregiver,"
"What, no caregiver?" Daniel asked, slightly shocked, and somehow slightly appeased that Lewis only had found out on accident.
"No, I don't think he has," Charles said, "he didn't seem to think anyone should be helping him. It was just yesterday evening when I found out. He hadn't come down for dinner,"
Daniel nodded, remembering that Charles had asked about Max the day before. Somehow the fact that no one knew about the little made him feel slightly less bad, even though he felt selfish to think those thoughts.
"Maxie doesn't need anyone," the voice behind him came, slightly muffled because he was still pressed into Daniel's shirt, then the head poked out, looking at Lewis with a slight glare, "meanie,"
"Meanie?" Lewis sputtered out, "I was just trying to help. The paci is broken Max, if the plastic breaks off it can get stuck in your throat, that's dangerous,"
Daniel looked down at the arms around his waist, and then took the paci from Max, who immediately protested, and finally let go of Daniel in an attempt to grab the item back. Daniel just turned out of reach, looking at the big tear in it.
"No, Lewis is right, this is dangerous," he said when Max made another lunge for it.
"But it's mine," Maxie said, tears gathering in his eyes, "give back,"
"Don't you have any other?" Daniel asked, and Maxie shook his head, still crying and making grabby hands for the item.
"He doesn't have a lot of stuff," Charles muttered, looking at the crying little, who was still just wearing a diaper, even though it wasn't that warm.
"You know, I think this is Lando's," Daniel said.
"He didn't want it anymore," Max said, sounding slightly desperate "give back,"
"Did he give you a broken paci?" Daniel asked in surprise, not ever having expected Lando to hand something like this to Max.
"He didn't want it anymore," Max repeated again, clearly evasive, making Daniel quite sure that the other little didn't know it was gone.
"Lando said his old one had a hole in it," Daniel said, "and that he had thrown it away. Did you take it from the garbage?"
"Mine," Max said again, the tears now seeping out of his eyes, "please?"
Daniel looked at Max in surprise, not wanting the little to cry over this, and not really understanding the whole situation. The little shivered and held out his hand, making Daniel feel bad for keeping the item from him, but it was true that it couldn't be used anymore, not like that.
"You know what, I'll make you sure you get a new one, if you go with Charles or Lewis to get dressed, okay?" Daniel asked, looking at Max, who blinked at him with wet eyes. The little hesitated for a few moments, looking at the paci and then at Daniel.
"Promise?" he said, and Daniel smiled, holding up his pinky.
"I swear," he said, glad when Max took the step forward and folded his pinky in Daniel's and they shook on it.
"Come on," Charles said, holding his hand out for Max. The little looked again at Daniel, who smiled warmly at him and nodded, and then Max looked at Charles, shyly taking the hand and letting the Ferrari driver take him to the bedroom.
"You're going to buy one?" Lewis asked looking at Daniel, but the man just shook his head.
"No, I know a quicker way, mate," he said, taking his cell and quickly texting Lando, asking him to bring a reserve paci to Max's his room. He got an okay back and a certain amount of emoji's, which he felt too old to completely decipher. But at least he knew that Lando would come with the paci soon.
Charles was glad that Daniel had gotten Max calm again, and the little followed him into the bedroom without too much complaining. His hand had been rather cold, and Charles would be a lot happier if he knew he was warmly dressed.
"Can do it myself," Maxie said with a pout when Charles had taken his shirt and was holding it ready to pull over Max's head.
"You can?" Charles asked doubtfully, not thinking that Max was anywhere old enough to be responsible for dressing himself, but the little nodded fervently. The Ferrari driver handed him the shirt, not wanting to fight Max on this, and the big smile he received from Max made it feel alright.
Maxie grabbed it with his two hands, glad for the chance to proof to the other man that he was indeed a big boy, and more than capable to take care of himself.
He grasped the shirt and pulled it over his head, suddenly getting stuck halfway in pulling it over his head. With a frown he took it off again, and tried again, making a noise when it didn't work again, trying to get his hand through the right hole.
"Here, let me help just a little," Charles said, taking the shirt and twisting and tugging it a little so that it was able to go past Max's head, making the little look at him with flushed cheeks.
"Can do it, really," Maxie said, looking slightly upset.
"I know you can do it on your own most of the time," Charles said, grabbing a pair of joggings from the suitcase and holding it open for Max to get in, "but sometimes it can be a little bit complicated, and then we need just a little bit of help,"
"But dad says I have to do it myself," Maxie said, frowning when he looked down at Charles who was still crouched with the pants in his hands, looking up a the little and waiting until he lifted his foot.
"Yeah, but your dad doesn't know everything," Charles said, trying to keep the anger in check, but Max still looked taken aback.
"Dad wants the best for me," he stated, and Charles gave a sigh, realising that he couldn't change Max's his mind about his dad right now.
"He wants you to achieve really well," Charles conceded, and Max nodded, this time lifting his foot to get in the pants, slightly placated.
"Dad just tries to help me," Max said, once the pants was pulled up over the diaper, "I just have to try hard enough,"
"I think you try very hard already," Charles said, but Max shook his head.
"No, need to be better," he stated, "dad got mad at Maxie because I was stupid,"
"Well, then you have to take better care of yourself so you can try harder, and to take better care of yourself, you can let other people help," Charles said, trying to throw it in a different direction. It was clear that the little adored his father a bit too much.
"Let other people help?" Max stated, looking at Charles doubtfully, "but dad says I have to do it on my own,"
"Your dad is a base, right?" Charles asked and Max nodded hesitantly, "well, perhaps he doesn't know all there is too littles and caregivers,"
"I guess," Max said, still not looking sure.
"Well, me, Daniel and Lewis are caregivers, so why don't you let us interfere just a little, okay?" Charles asked, and Max still held back.
"Just a little? When I'm small?" Max asked, and Charles nodded with a smile, finally feeling as if they were getting somewhere.
"Yes, just a little bit. That way, you'll do better when you aren't small," Charles said, and he saw Max perk up at that information.
"That sounds great," Maxie admitted.
"Let's go check out if Daniel already has a new paci," Charles said, letting Max take his hand and going to the living area.
Lando had been having a perfectly normal morning until he had received the rather cryptic and strange message from Daniel, asking him to bring a reserve paci to another hotel room.
Of course, since it was Daniel, Lando easily agreed, and send a few emoji's asking for details, but after waiting a few minutes he didn't get a response. Slightly annoyed and grumbling a bit to himself about caregivers, he went to his suitcase to take his last reserve paci, already planning in playing the pity card on Daniel to get the man to buy him half a dozen new ones.
It was a weird request though, and Lando wondered if Daniel had found a little somewhere on his own that was in an unexpected headspace or something weird like that. Fuelled by his curiosity he hurried to the right floor and quickly was standing in front of the roomnumber Daniel had given him.
Lando eagerly knocked on the door, wanting the mystery to be solved sooner rather then later, and was happy it only took a few seconds before the door opened, revealing Daniel and more surprising Lewis Hamilton as well.
"Daniel, what's going on?" Lando asked, entering the room and feeling surprised at the weird situation. Lando was quite sure that Lewis was a caregiver, and currently without a little.
"Do you have the paci?" Daniel asked, not answering Lando's question.
"Yeah, I do," Lando said, taking it out of his pocket, just when the door of the bathroom open and Charles came out, followed by Max.
Daniel quickly grabbed the paci out of Lando's hands before the little could protest, and stepped over to Max with a big smile on his face.
"Here you go, a new paci like promised," Daniel said, and Max looked at it in wonder, holding it delicately.
"For me?" Max asked, looking at the item in wonder.
Lando couldn't help the surprise on his face when he just realised that Maxie was a little, just like him. Then a smile blossomed on his face when he realized that there was finally another driver little on the grid.