THUNDERSTRUCK

THUNDERSTRUCK

Pairing: Jake Seresin x Reader AU, Hangman x Reader AU

Part 2

The evening sun shone through the windshield as you drove through the near empty streets of Arlington. It was odd to have such peace on the road but it was something you took time to cherish. You ran your hands lazily through Jake’s long hair and smiled to yourself. The song that was stuck in your head was now being hummed softly.

“You sound lovely my dear.” Jake complimented you with his southern drawl coming across loud and clear. He laid his head in your hand as you stroked his cheek. He turned his cheek slightly allowing his lips to touch the soft skin of your palm. “Just lovely.” He mumbled.

You were satisfied with the feeling of his skin on yours as he drove closer to the banquet which would be hosted at the practice facility complex called The Star. Butterflies began to grow inside you as you got out of the car.

“Who are you excited to see most?” He wondered already knowing the answer. You rolled your eyes and cracked a smile. Jake knew who your best friend from the team was and it happened to be his QB. They bumped heads all the time when football was at stake other wise they were entirely docile in each other’s company.

“Rooster, now why would you ask such a thing?” You chuckled as his warm hand surrounded your small one.

“Just checking to see if you still had a crush on my quarterback.” He joked pulling your closer to him. The sun was still warm seeming as Texas didn’t get cold anytime soon but there was the slightest change in the air that chilled the bones of a Southern woman easily.

Jake held the door as you crossed allowing your thigh high stiletto boots click and clack on the floor. You turned suddenly with a look of terror on your face.

“What? What is it?!” He wondered grabbing you by the forearms.

“Did you remember to feed the dog, Ghost needs dinner too.” You asked watching relief flow through his body. He relaxed his shoulders slowly and then a smile broke out on his face.

“Don’t scare me like that! Of course I did.” He chuckled running his hand over his beard. “You gave me a heart attack.”

You raised an eyebrow. “You should have a stronger heart than that linebacker.” You poked fun walking ahead of him listening to him groan behind you. The sound made your core ache but you had to push it to the side for your face was now visible to the team and the owners.

“Y/N!” You heard the familiar tones of Rooster calling you from where he stood dressed to his best.

“Roo!” You called back running into his arms. He picked you up off the ground. You were placed on your feet again and looking over your shoulder to make sure you weren’t getting a look from your director, Penny, who happened to be the coach’s wife.

You had already broken rule number one by dating a player. You broke rule number two by being friends with the team this closely. You broke rule number three by getting drunk at team events like this one. But you were a damn good dancer with a long history within the Cowboys organization and you kept it classy. Rooster reached down and pecked your cheek quickly.

“Looks like someone's shrunk an inch since last time I saw you." he teased causing you to pout.

You were short there was no way around it and being around all these large guys always made it stand out even more. You often restored to trying to act tougher and taller than you really were. You looked to your right to see Payback approaching.

"Reubey Tuesday!" You exclaimed and practically leapt into his arms. “How are you?!" You wondered loudly.

“I’ve been good pretty girl, looks like you've been getting into the alcohol supply" he teased at your level of volume.

“I may have pregamed." You admitted sheepishly. You took in his appearance and smiled.

“Reube you look so handsome all shaved up" you complimented as your rubbed your hand over his cheek.

“Where’s The Hangman?" Payback wondered to grabbing your attention back to him.

Which come to think of it was a very good question, you definitely did not want that guy to be coming after you. After a quick scan you spotted him and nodded your head in the direction of the coach, they were deep in conversation.

“At least now I’ve got you two to save me from having to make small talk.” You smiled wide and wrapped your arms around their waists the best you could.

“That you do little lady" Rooster laughed noticing how you were leaning side to side even with their support.

I’m glad" you sighed happily. Rooster swallowed hard trying to make his heart stop racing. He looked up and then forced the words out of his mouth, "well well well if it isn’t my linebacker."

“You guys corrupting her again?" he teased as he walked up to the threesome.

“Oh of course we are" Reuben joked as he clapped Jake on the back.

"Are you guys sitting with us?" he asked and Rooster nodded his head confirming he was. He knew he couldn’t resist the chance to be next to you.

You sat in between Jake and Bradley as the ceremony began. Jake had his hand gently resting in your thigh rubbing last circles into your skin. The motion was calming to say the least. It was almost hypnotizing.

Quickly you shot Jake a warning look as his hand made its way farther up your thigh. The lights were dimmed, no one would know. Well no one except Rooster who you could feel next to you. His eyes were tracking your every move even in the dark. Something about that excited you. Maybe it was added blanket of security that washed over you. However it was quickly interrupted by the loud applause of the crowd that shook you from your inner monologue.

You took down another two glasses of champagne to hide your growing nerves. And to dull the fact that every touch Hangman gave made your body react in ways you couldn’t relieve here in the middle of a banquet hall. Jake kept you close, practically attached to his hip as you walked to the car in the parking lot.

“You look simply radiant tonight.” He complimented you moving your hair out of your face.

“You’re only saying that because you won an award and feel like chatting.” You teased challenging him instantly. You knew he wanted to get lucky and was buttering you up so you were gonna play the long game.

“I’m awfully tired honey, let’s go home.” You feigned a large yawn and he groaned in disappointment. Nonetheless he opened your door for you letting you inside. He warned it to you liking now that night air carried a chill to it and began to drive off.

You kept your hand on his lap and glanced over at him. He was absentmindedly rubbing his thumb over his beard holding his chin in place while he drove. He was focussed ahead. You pushed your body carefully into the bucket seat in the middle and rested your head on his shoulder. He sighed contently.

“I missed you, you were too far away.” He whined as he placed a large hand on your warming skin. “Jesus baby you’re freezing.” He hissed.

“Why don’t you warm me up then Cowboy?” You mused against his sharply cut jawline.

The truck jerked in the lane, veering to the side a little.

“You trying to make me crash?” He exclaimed looking at you like you were a madwoman. You simply smiled and giggled before placing nibbles on his neck.

“Maybe.” You quipped smartly.

Jake harshly shook the wheel turning into a fairly empty parking lot. You pounced on his lap as soon as the truck was set to park. Quickly you fumbled with his belt trying to unlock it from itself. He was working on the zipper to your dress. Lips were taking and giving sloppy kisses in the heat of the moment. The desperation hung thick in the air. Within a few seconds Jake was tapping your shoulder in urgency.

“Baby.” He said trying to get your attention.

“What?” You answers kissing him again.

“Baby! Stop!” He pushed you off his quickly and got himself readjusted. For a moment you were running red with rage until you saw what he did.

“Just act cool.” He said making you roll your eyes. That was the most cliche thing he could’ve thought of.

He rolled down the window and flashed a smile.

“Evening officer.” Jake greeted softly.

The officer shined his light into the vehicle causing you to wince under the harsh light. You knew what he was seeing. Jake with his pants unbuckled and his manhood trying to escape. You with touched hair and bite marks that were going to show by morning. The look of guilt all over your faces. The officer let his face change as soon as he took in the driver.

“Why I’ll be! Jake Seresin?! The Hangman! No one is gonna believe this! Can I grab a quick autograph? I’m sorry for troubling you.” He wondered giddy as he could be.

“Sure I don’t see why not! You got something to write on?” He wondered with a laugh in his throat.

The officer fumbled around for a moment looking for something before he took out his ticket book. He handed it over sheepishly.

“Who should I make this out to?” Jake asked uncapping the pen he was given.

“To uh- to Larry if you’d please.” He nearly giggled. You watched Hangman sign the paper.

“Howdy ma’am.” The officer awkwardly waved to fill the silence. You gave an awkward wave back.

“There she is!” Hangman stated handing it back over.

“Thank you so very much sir! You guys have y’all selves a nice evening!” He exclaimed before departing.

Jake sighed in relief before looking back towards you. It was silent as you both took in the moment. Simultaneously you both burst out in wild laughter.

“Let’s go home.” You decided with a grin.

“Let’s go home.” He agreed.

Tags:

@cherrycola27 @shanimallina87 @blessupblessup @rosiahills22 @luckyladycreator2 @gspenc @smoothdogsgirl

Just Friends

Daniel Ricciardo x Reader

Summary: Daniel and Y/n insist they are just friends.

Warnings: Language, fluff, drinking.

Word Count: 2867 words

Authors note: Again, sorry if this isn’t the best piece of writing but we only move forward 😊 Hope you guys like it, can’t wait to hear what you think 😊 Also, don't just the pictures, they were done too quickly with the writing on them :D

_____

“I didn’t know Daniel was dating someone new?” Charles kept glancing over towards you two.

Despite Daniel being incredibly private about his love life with the public, to the other drivers he would show whoever he was dating off constantly, so why hadn’t he done the same with you?

“Not his girlfriend” Lando shrugged, confused by the situation but knowing that if Daniel wanted to say something, there was no one on earth who could stop him from doing so.

“So, what I’m hearing is she’s single” Pierre had learnt his lesson talking to woman he shouldn’t be, avoiding looking at you too much, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t noticed how gorgeous you were, suddenly fully indulging in taking you in.

“She might be single, but I have never seen Daniel so protective over anyone in my entire life, so I wouldn’t even bother trying” Lando tried to warn Pierre, knowing that there was a 50/50 chance of him actually listening to him.

“But they aren’t dating?” Pierre was pushing his luck, he knew he was, but he wouldn’t really be a good f1 driver if he didn’t now would he?

“How they fuck are they not dating?” Charles refused to believe a word Lando was saying, the way you to were looking at each other, there was no way you weren’t.

Lando just shrugged, “every single time I mention it he says they’re just friends and just kind of leaves it there so I didn’t press the issue, but she is his wallpaper and nonsense too, but I don’t know man, who knows what’s going on with Daniel” he wish he had a better explanation and he really didn’t believe Daniel for a second when he said that you two were nothing more than just friends but every time he asked Daniel was so adamant that he just decided to drop it instead.

“He’s got to be lying” Pierre nodded in agreement along with Charles, there was no way you were that affectionate with just your friend, at least, none of his ‘just friends’ were ever that affectionate with him.

“Max might know more, but trust me when I say this, she is definitely off limits” Lando shot Pierre a warning look again, daring him to attempt anything, Pierre heading the warning this time with a nod of the head, not entirely understanding the situation, but knowing enough about protective Daniel to know that this was not territory he should venture into.

_____

“So, no Y/n today?” Scott asked as he sat next to Daniel on the balcony, overlooking the Monacan ocean.

“Nah, she’s got some work function, but she should be here in the next hour or so” Daniel triple checked his watch doing the mental calculation on what time you should be arriving, despite you never explicitly saying you would be coming over, you were his best friend, so it was generally a given.

“Cool, cool, yeah, you guys make plans for this evening then?” he knew he wasn’t exactly being sneaky asking, but in his defence he was trying to not get caught prying.

“Nope, but she normally-“

“Normally pops in whenever, yeah, I know” Scott finished his sentence for him, having heard the same thing a million times before.

“I feel like you have something to say” Daniel knew exactly what he wanted to say, it was the same thing everyone wanted to say, but no matter how many times they ask, the answer was never going to change.

“Nope” Scott popped the P, face indicating otherwise.

“Great” Don’t give in Daniel, it’s exactly what they all want, you know what you two are and that’s -  

“Like, you’re sure you two are just friends right?” Scott broke his train of thought, diving right into the same question he hadn’t been able to escape from for weeks, “because like, even your mom thinks there’s something more happening here”

“When did you speak to my mom?” thank you Scott for giving him an out of this conversation.

“We chat” Scott shrugged far too nonchalantly for Daniels liking given that he had just found out one of his best friends was casually talking to his mother like they were mates, “don’t change the topic”

“You’re relentless” Daniel couldn’t do this again.

“You’re keeping shit from your best friend” in truth, Scott was nervous Daniel was going to get hurt, and Daniel keeping secrets, this wasn’t like him, so something was definitely off about the entire situation.

“Thought you were my mom’s best friend” Daniel shot back, using every tactic he could to get out of this conversation.

“Don’t be a smartass mate” Why did they both have to be so stubborn?

The silence a battlefield between the two men, neither willing to give up their position. Luckily for Daniel, you, the ever godsend, rang his doorbell.

“Thank fuck” Daniel hoped Scott heard, wanting him to know how badly he didn’t want to have this same conversation.

Again.

“Ah, speak of the devil” Scoot explained as you joined them on the balcony, you feign offence.

“Come now Scott, we all know I am significantly better looking” you joked around, greeting him with a kiss to the head, always affectionate with those you love, “but now I am curious, what were you saying about me then?” you pressed him, knowing it took absolutely zero effort to get Scott to crack.

“Oh, you know, this and that, talking about you and Daniels precarious relationship” he lifted his eyebrows, questioning you, hoping for the answer he had tried to get out of Daniel.

“Oh god, again? Seriously Scott? Are you truly no better than everyone else?” You could not handle this line of questioning again, it being the only thing you were see all over social media every race weekend these days when it came to the F1 wags.

“Is he bugging you about this too?” Daniel handed you a glass of wine and took his original position on the chair next to Scott, hand wrapping around your thigh as you leaned on his shoulder addressing them both now.

“Neither of you have given an answer though” Check and mate, he was convinced you had to give it up now.

“We’re just friends” you both answered the now well practiced line.

“Fine. Why did she get wine and I didn’t?” None of this was convincing Scott otherwise of you two being just friends.

“You know where the kitchen is”  Daniel jerked his head towards the interior, refusing to get up, “bring the bottle out with you please” Both you and Daniel shot him a look of thanks.

“You both suck” Scoot grumbled his was inside and poured himself a drink before making his way back outside, only two find you two significantly closer, engaged in conversation, completely sure that neither of you even knew he was back.

Fine. You two can attempt to keep this secret, but Scott was going to get you two to admit your feelings for each other one way or another. It suddenly dawning on him that you two might not even genuinely realise how you felt.

With that he grabbed his phone and snapped a picture of the two of you. Time for him and all the fans to get to work making you two see how you really felt about each other.

“Just friends my ass” he said far too loudly in the hopes you’d hear before taking his seat and opening Instagram.

Liked by Pierre Gasly and 16803 others.

ScottJames: My favourite two just friends <3

McLaren: 👀

CharlesLeclerc: @LandoNorris how?!

______

Lando had been searching for Daniel everywhere, boredom taking over at the McLaren garage as both their cars were being fine tuned for the race weekend, eventually making his way to Daniel drivers’ room.

He knew Daniel was with you, when was Daniel not with you, but you were always great company for the young driver too, him beginning to love it when you came with to races, always siding with him when he would pick on Daniel.

What did concern him though was the fact that realistically you two had to be in his drivers’ room, but it was dead quiet in there, and that made him very nervous.

Please don’t now be the moment you both realise your love for each other, and he walks in on either a very emotional moment for you both or the kind of moment that would require hm never looking Daniel in the eye again.

He tentatively opened the door and, hoping you’d both stop whatever you were doing so he wouldn’t be scarred.

Instead, he was met with breathes in sync.

There you and Daniel lay, fast asleep in each other’s arms.

Surely neither of you actually believed you were just friends? Friends aren’t as comfortable as you two are with each other. No, what you and Daniel had was something significantly deeper, like, fuck, something deep. He was an F1 driver, not a poet.

Maybe Scott had the right idea of how to go about this entire thing, and with that he quietly snapped a picture of you both before creeping back out the room and putting it on his Instagram.

Liked by ScottJames and 2859306 others.

LandoNorris: Two just friends napping.

PierreGasly: Do they even know?

CharlesLeclerc: HOW!!

MercedesAMG: The love story F1 deserves <3

______

“Could you two please concentrate? Daniel actually has to train you know that right?” Michael adored you two, lord knows he did, but the way you two were constant distractions for each other was beginning to be a challenge for him today.

“Sorry mate, will be there in a second, just showing y/n this thing quick” Daniel didn’t even bother looking up at him, fully engrossed on your reaction to the video and that alone.

This situation needed to be dealt with. How were you two so oblivious to each other’s feelings?

Michael snapped a picture and sent it to Scott.

M; You have the same problem when they are together?

S: CAN THEY PLEASE JUST ADMIT IT!

M: Do they even know?

S: Doubt it, but that’s why I keep putting it on Instagram, maybe everyone else can convince them.

M: You know that’s kind of cruel right?

S: Just put the fucking picture up.

M: It’s a little private though no?

S: Pussy.

S: If they won’t listen to us, maybe they will listen to THE ENTIRE WORLD!!!

S: Daniels mom says put it up.

M: You text Daniels mom?

S: We chat.

Fuck, if Daniels mom said he should, then who was he to argue.

Liked by LewisHamilton and 56893 others.

MichaelItaliano: Two just friends getting ready for race weekend.

Mclaren: Daniels clearly dedicated to something.

LandoNorris: At least one of us will be ready for race day.

YukiTsunoda: @PierreGasly Goals <3

_____

“See you brought Y/n as your date tonight” Max slid next to Daniel at the bar as he got you both drinks.

“Not you too Max” Daniel couldn’t handle this right now, not when he had this many drinks in him.

“Can you blame me mate?” Maybe it was time someone had an actual straightforward conversation with him about this and if it had to be Max, then so be it.

“Can we not just be friends? Why is everyone so obsessed with us being more?” Daniel was going to need t get one or two extra shots tonight clearly.

“Look me in the eye and tell me you believe the bullshit you two keep spewing that you’re just friends” drunk Daniel was his best bet at having this conversation, so it was now or never.

“I gotta get her drink to her” Daniel opted to avoid the conversation entirely, the bartender handing him his out, not wanting to leave you alone for too long, considering how he had noticed Pierre staring at you this evening.

Before he could leave Max grabbed his arm, forcing Daniel to look at him, “just so we’re clear, you couldn’t say it nor look me in the eye” and with hat Max let him go and turned to the bar, dropping the conversation after that to enjoy his night.

Liked by DanielRiccairdo and 64935 others

MaxVerstappen: Love third wheeling two just friends.

Y/nInsta: Please, more like me third wheeling you two all night <3

PierreGasly: You looked beautiful Y/n 😊

CharlesLeclerc: @PierreGasly you are stupid.

_____

Liked by Y/nInsta and 877348 others.

Mclaren: Just friends congratulating and supporting other just friends <3

MercedesAMG: Goals <3

YukiTsunoda: @PierreGasly why don’t you congratulate me like this?

LandoNorris: @CharlesLeclerc This is just getting ridiculous.

------

“So, you excited for your two just friends to leave so you can spend the rest of your vacation in a small little romantic Italian town with your real just friend?” Scott nudged Daniel as he joined him and Michael down at the beach while you got ready for dinner.

“I actually hate you both” Daniel shoved Scott into the water laughing all the while.

“It would be the perfect place” Michael thought out loud.

“For what?” Daniel was truly at a loss for what Michael was talking about.

“To admit it” Michael was blunt with his word choice, he knows he was, but it was time.

“Really man, this Daniel, the Daniel with her is the happiest Daniel we’ve ever seen, it’s just you two who don’t realise how you guys feel” this was the most serious Scott had ever been about the entire situation and it was weirding everyone out, including himself.

“Guys, no, listen we’re-“

“Just friends” Michael and Scott finished in unison, the same monotone voice coming from both of them.

“Forget we said anything” Michael could only do so much and if Daniel wasn’t listening then what could he do.

“Speak for yourself, you don’t forget a single thing I’ve said to you, remember this shit constantly, I need it to haunt you” Scott was sure this started out as a joke, but by the end of that sentence he was probably a bit too serious.

“Let’s go, y/n should be ready” Daniel began making his way back to you, truly not caring if either of them actually followed at this pointed.

“You would be the leading authority on all things y/n” and next thing Scott was sprinting in the direction of the Chalets before Daniel could catch him.

Liked by Daniel Ricciardo and 45 others.

MichaelItaliano: Two just friends just exploring.

Redbull: Romeo oh Romeo

MercedesAMG: I’m just a friend, standing in front of just a friend, asking him to love her.

LandoNorris: *Kiss*

_____

Liked by Y/nInsta and 24 others.

ScottJames: The totally normal way just friends look at each other.

MaxVerstappen: @DanielRicciardo why do you never look at me like that?

RedBull: @Ferrari why do you never look at me like that?

PierreGasly: @CharlesLeclerc why do you never look at me like that?

______

It had been your first full day alone and you and Daniel had just woken up from a nap after spending the entire day on the beach.

“Wine?” you asked, beginning to make you way to the kitchen.

“When do we ever say no to wine?” Daniel surprised you even had to ask.

“I’ll be back now” and with that you had left the room.

Normally Daniel was hyperaware of your every move, but now, he was distracted. Was everyone right? Well, he knew they were right about him, but could you possibly feel the same? Only drawing himself back to reality when he felt you card your fingers through his hair.

“Come back to me hun” you lightly whispered out as you continued walking out to the balcony.

Daniel grabbed his phone, taking a picture of you, one of the thousands already in his phone of you, but this one of specific importance.

This one signified the moment before the change. The image he could go back to again and again in case you didn’t feel the same. The potential last time things were good between the two of you.

Or the moment just before everything changed for the better.

 Daniel hesitantly sat down next to you; the air around you both different this time. It was time. Daniel had more hope now than he had ever had since meeting you. Daniel had to take the chance.

He took in the moment before one second longer before -

“We were never just friends, at least, you weren’t ever just a friend to me”

The air was thick, it was too silent.

“I never was to you was I?”  

“Never”

He always felt that hearing that from you would give him butterflies and fireworks and all the other things that the movies tell you that you should have but instead, what Daniel got was the overwhelming sense of calm, of peace, of the confirmation that this is exactly what his life was meant to be.

“Be mine then.”

“Forever”.

Liked by Y/nInsta and 583962 others.

DanielRicciard: “Just Friends”

ScottJames: FINALLY!!!! You’re mom is gonna be so happy <3

Mclaren: The ending the people deserve <3

CharlesLeclerc: @LandoNorris I fucking told you!!!!

MaxVerstappen: About Goddamn time.  

The Curveball

summary - Bradley Bradshaw had a plan: become UC Berkeley’s best pitcher, make it to the major leagues, figure everything else out later. And, as his senior year draws closer and closer, that plan is becoming less of a plan and more of a reality. That is until Payback introduces him to his new girlfriend’s best friend. Bradley’s never been used to being on the receiving end of a curveball.

warnings - no angst not even a little (okay maybe a little, but that’s it 😤), fluff, smut, college au, baseball au, language, chapter specific

this series is 18+, minors please do not interact

last update - 12/2/22

take me out to the ball game universe

a whole new ball game

out of left field teaser

heavy hitter

bottom of the ninth inning

the big leagues

blurbs

-

taglist | asks | playlist

to live a lifetime with you | CL16

PAIRING: charles leclerc x reader

REQUESTED: [] yes [X] no

WORD COUNT: 7.8k

SYNOPSIS: after twenty-six years together, it only made sense that charles would want to live out the rest of his life with you by his side.

WARNINGS: mentions of death (jules + charles' father), mattia being a decent human being at the end (sorry its for plot only), probably so many sentences that make no sense, time skips galore, me writing about love without having ever experienced it, french translations

as always, don't be a ghost reader!

to say that you and charles where childhood sweethearts would be an understatement, really.

you and charles had known each other since the two of you were born basically, with your parents moving in next door to the leclercs not long after your birth. charles had only just started standing on his own two feet at seven months, while your own six-month-old self had discovered the art of scooting your bum around to get from one place to another. 

at the time, lorenzo was absolutely obsessed with all things relating to his baby brother, and when he saw the new neighbours walk into the empty house with a small baby girl nibbling on a cookie, he was ecstatic, running up to his mom and telling her that they could set up play dates for charles and you. honestly, if it wasn’t for lorenzo’s insistence, you were sure that you and charles would not have been where you were today.

it helped that your parents and charles’ parents became fast friends. growing up, your families did everything together. vacations, celebrations, holidays, anything and everything you could think of. the two of you grew up sharing everything, from toys to food, and everything in between. the only thing you hadn’t shared with one another was the fact that charles had a brother, and you did not.

when arthur was born, you had cried to your parents every day and night about wanting a baby sister. as a soon-to-be three-year-old, you had no idea that your parents were unable to have more children, receiving nothing but sad smiles when you continuously asked for another sibling.

nonetheless, you had quickly taken to arthur leclerc. and much like lorenzo had felt for charles, you and charles felt for arthur. instead of playing with charles, you were now focused on the new baby in pascale’s arms and how tiny he was. looking back, pascale would always reminisce how you and charles were horrible for her heart when arthur was a baby, always handing the small boy even smaller toys. arthur himself would always bring up the times the two of you tried to “kill” him as a baby, always finding it funny how you and charles defended yourselves.

you’d learned quite early on that charles was a strange kid. and rude, if your four-year-old self were to add. the two of you would always play together, and while you two shared all your toys with one another, charles drew the line at your barbies. 

on his fourth birthday, pascale and hervé had bought charles a remote control car, and he had instantly rushed off to go play with it, pulling you along. he had run over your barbie doll that day, after having fought with you about how it was his birthday and he didn’t want to play with girly dolls. a few days later, charles had ‘accidentally’ ripped ken’s head off of his body, leaving you in a mess of distressed sobs and tears. 

lorenzo could still remember the way you had knocked and entered his room, fat tears rolling down your chubby cheeks as you presented the headless figurine to him and jules who had been hanging out with the eldest leclerc. you had begged either of them to fix it, and while jules took the doll from your hands, lorenzo went off to find his younger brother and scold him for ruining your toys. instead of in his room, lorenzo found charles leaning over arthur’s crib, explaining to the youngest how cars were much cooler than your barbies. arthur, of course, had no idea what his brother had been telling him, too focused on figuring out how he could eat the plastic car in his hand.

since then, however, charles had been a lot more willing to play with your dolls, and soon enough, the driver’s seat in his remote control car was filled with your new ken doll that the leclercs had bought for your own birthday. charles would drive his car up to your small dollhouse, and then the passenger seat would get filled as well, with your favourite barbie doll sitting next to ken as they drove off to charles’ racetrack set up. 

life was always filled with compromises and balance for charles and yourself, and as you two got older, your friendship became stronger and less of the cat and mouse relationship you had when you were four. when you two started school, you were lucky enough to be put in the same class, and at every parent-teacher conference, your teacher always said the same thing to your parents; vos enfants parlent toujours entre eux, jamais aux autres. your children are always talking to each other, never to others.

the two of you became attached at the hip, so one can imagine the turmoil you felt when charles decided to take up racing like jules, and left you all alone at your shared desk while he karted along the tracks of france. you were even more upset when charles came back talking about a french boy named pierre. you had decided then, with both jules and pierre taking charles away from you, that you hated french people. 

during the time that charles began karting, your parents were often asked to house either lorenzo or arthur, sometimes even both, while pascale and hervé took the middle child to his races. you’d grown especially close to arthur and lorenzo during those times, and your parents had countless pictures of you and the youngest leclerc playing dress-up before bedtime.

when you met pierre, you had given him the cold shoulder, much like you had been giving jules whenever he came to visit. you were especially angry when pierre had been invited to join your vacations, but you couldn’t help but feel bad when charles looked at both of you with a sad look on his face. he wanted both of his friends to be friends too.

more years passed, and the resentment you had towards both frenchmen faded as you realized just how happy racing made charles. and when arthur started joining his brother some days, you never gave yourself the chance to feel upset, already begging your parents to let you miss a day of school so you could watch both brothers race on the same track.

you were twelve when you decided that you wanted to be involved in charles’ racing life. having grown up with hervé leclerc telling you and his kids stories about his own racing days, and having seen the leclercs and the gasly boy race on many tracks, it felt almost inevitable that you would follow a route in a similar field as them.

you had been sitting in your science class when you had your epiphany. you had listened in on jules and lorenzo talking about racing and the physics behind racing the night before, and when your teacher mentioned the word physics during the lesson, you realized that maybe, instead of racing yourself, you could join charles behind the scenes.

as charles made his way up the ranks in racing, you put your head down and studied hard to get the highest grades in your class. long gone were the days when your teachers would complain to your parents about you and charles talking so much, instead, they now focused on how you excelled in science. 

the leclercs had been just as happy for your accomplishments as they had been for their own family members. if anything, lorenzo couldn’t help but feel protective over you, going as far as to sit charles down and help him realize just how much of your life you were changing to fit in with his lifestyle. 

after that talk, thirteen-year-old charles spent hours in your room asking you if you were sure that engineering was what you wanted to do, and that he didn’t want to ruin your dreams just because of his own. you had giggled at his ever so slightly puberty-ridden voice, explaining just how sure you were that your future was going to be in engineering. 

when puberty hit the two of you, your relationship dynamic changed ever so slightly. no more sleepovers in the same room, or talking about everything that happened to one another. suddenly, you’d find yourself laying in your bed, a science textbook laying next to you haphazardly as you wondered if the shock you felt from charles’ fingers brushing against your arm was static electricity or if you were experiencing the same feelings as the girls in the books you read did. charles himself, wasn’t fairing all too well, blushing from time-to-time when pierre would call you his girl friend–yes, with the space. 

but alas, the two of you were oblivious to the growing and changing feelings between you two, brushing it off as just friends being friends. your parents had all exchanged glances when they caught you two sharing shy smiles, and lorenzo and jules couldn’t help but feel excited for the younger boy. arthur had gone as far as asking charles why his cheeks were red after you had left to go to the bathroom. the youngest leclerc had been pushed off the sofa and could be seen with teary eyes and a bruised elbow in the pictures from that barbecue night.

you were sixteen when you realized you harboured feelings for your best friend. you watched from the sidelines as charles transitioned to single-seaters, won races and made podiums with fortec. your realization had hit you while you watched him land his first podium, hugging pascale in absolute elation. the mother of the boy would later go on to tell you she could see the look on your face that day, and how she knew instantly that you knew you were in love.

you never reacted on your feelings, not wanting to ruin your relationship with charles. to him, you two were just best friends, and you would rather be his friend than lose him altogether. after all, losing him didn’t just mean living life without charles by your side. 

losing charles meant losing all the leclercs; pascale, hervé, lorenzo, and arthur. losing him meant losing pierre. losing jules, the dumb frenchman who was smart enough to figure out how you felt for the leclerc boy. the one that always pushed your buttons yet was there to help you out just like he had done all those years ago with your broken ken doll. and yet, even without telling charles how you truly felt, you ended up losing jules anyway. 

that day, you’d been at the leclerc household like always, watching the japan grand prix with the whole family. as tradition, you and charles had been wearing the team shirts that jules had given everyone at the start of the season. your eyes had been stuck to the screen as you watched jules’ crash, heart instantly plummetting to the bottom of your stomach as everyone let out gasps.

that same night, you had begged lorenzo to let you go with him when he left to go see jules’, but he had given you a sad smile and told you that he’d call you as soon as he was with jules so that you could talk to him as soon as he was able to. neither of your parents said anything when you followed charles into his room at night, holding his body tightly as you prayed that jules would be alright. no one said anything the next morning when they noticed the dark patches on your shoulder, or how your shirt had been crinkled as if someone had been holding onto it all night.

on july 17, you had decided that you would forever keep your feelings to yourself. losing jules was like losing your older brother, and you were sure that you would never be able to handle his loss along with the loss of charles. as you stood in your black dress, you had cried silently, apologizing to jules for going against his wishes and hiding your feelings once more. your heart ached when charles cried beside you, reaching a hand out to hold his. 

charles and yourself never went back to normal, for normal included lorenzo and jules picking at the two of you while your cheeks flushed red, or sending an unsuspecting arthur to spy on you two to see what you guys were doing. instead, the two of you had found a new normal, one that involved sharing sleepless nights reminiscing in your memories with jules, falling asleep in each other’s arms. 

days turned into weeks, which turned into months and years, and your feelings for your next door neighbour continued to grow. charles, however, remained entirely oblivious, both to your feelings and his own. he had been making big moves in the racing world, winning the title in gp3, and moving onto his first season in f2. you’d celebrated his entry into the f1 world as a haas developmental driver, and in turn, he celebrated the completion of your first year of university.

things were finally starting to look up, and then hervé fell ill. you watched from the back of the hospital room as his eyes lost a little bit of life every day. you watched as charles would hide his tears and smile at his dad, hoping to see him back in good health.

for your entire summer break, you’d find yourself staying at the leclerc household for multiple hours a day, sleeping over most of the nights. charles distanced himself from you, focusing on his racing, recounting his races with hervé for hours until a nurse would come in and tell him he’d have to leave. you couldn’t find it within yourself to be upset with him, knowing that right now, he didn’t need you, he needed his dad.

during this time, you had gotten exceptionally close to arthur, finding him sitting in his dark room crying silently as he thought about his dad. you would lay with him at night, letting the youngest wrap his arms around you while he shared how scared he was. you wished you could take his pain away, but you knew you couldn’t, instead opting to wipe away his tears and kissing his forehead.

you watched charles waste away, wishing you could reach out to him every time you saw him. he had lost his smile, the shine in his eyes dimming with every hour he spent watching his father whither away. by the end of the second week, you had decided you couldn’t simply watch him from afar, letting yourself into his room one night when you heard loud sniffles.

he didn’t move when you rested your hand against his back, and he didn’t resist when you pulled him into your side. at the feeling of your arms around him, his sniffles turned into broken cries and he sobbed against your clavicle. you stayed quiet, letting the boy blubber out words about how he tried so hard to stay strong but that he couldn’t anymore. you didn’t tell him it would be okay, you knew it wouldn’t. hervé was getting sicker and you feared that you would all experience loss once more.

when he had calmed down, the two of you laid down in his bed, charles’ head resting against your chest. his fingers fiddled with the bottom of your shirt, touching the skin of your back every so often. 

“je lui ai dit que j'avais signé avec ferrari,” his voice was quiet, barely louder than a whisper. i told him i signed with ferrari,

your hand found its way to his head, twirling the strands with your fingers, “comment a-t-il réagi?” how did he react?

charles’ voice broke, “il était si heureux pour moi,” his arms tightened around you, “mais je lui ai menti.” he was so happy for me, but i lied to him.

“maman est contrariée, elle a dit que je n'aurais pas dû mentir,” he sniffled, “mais je lui ai dit que j'avais signé pour 2019. je ne voulais pas mentir alors je me suis donné du temps. je veux que cela se produise.” mom is upset, said i shouldn’t have lied, but i told him i signed for 2019. i didn’t want to lie so i gave myself time. i want to make it happen.

“tu as le temps, char,” you used your hand to pull his head back, “tu as deux ans pour en faire une réalité.” you’ve got time, char, you’ve got two years to make it a reality.

his eyes glistened with tears, “mais c’est ferrari.” but it’s ferrari.

“je suis un fils horrible,” he looked away, “je lui ai menti.” i’m a horrible son, i lied to him

“tu n'es pas un fils horrible, charles,” you moved to hold his face in your hands, “tu ne l'es pas.” you are not a horrible son, charles. you’re not.

“je ne veux pas qu'il s'inquiète,” his tears slipped under your palms, “je veux qu'il parte en sachant que je peux subvenir aux besoins de notre famille.” i just don’t want him to worry. want him to leave knowing i can support our family.

your heart broke for him, “charles.”

“je veux juste qu'il soit fier de moi.” i just want to make him proud.

you leaned forward and placed gentle kisses against his closed eyelids, “il est et sera toujours fier de toi.” he has and will always be proud of you. 

a week later, you stood a few feet away from charles, tears spilling from your eyes as you wore another black dress. hervé had passed away with his family by his side, telling his boys to look after their mother. your own parents stood silently beside you, tears slipping down their own faces as well. 

after the service, you sat with the leclerc boys on the porch outside. charles’ arm pressed against yours, while arthur sat between your legs, head in your hands where you combed through his hair. lorenzo sat near the front door, keeping an eye out for his mother who sat on the couch, resting against your own mother. not a word was shared, all of you mourning in silence. 

your relationship with charles turned delicate, walking on eggshells whenever you wanted to talk to him. charles was stuck in his head, he had a job to do. you had pushed and pushed to tell him to not race in baku until he exploded, yelling at you for not understanding.

“je n'ai pas le temps de ne pas courir, y/n!” his hands were tugging at his hair, “je lui ai promis que j'avais une place chez ferrari mais je ne l'ai pas. je ne peux pas me permettre de ne pas courir, je dois aller chez ferrari.” i don't have the time to not race, y/n! i promised him i had a spot in ferrari but i don't. i can't afford to not race, i need to get to ferrari. 

and so you watched him race his heart out in baku, joining the leclerc family on their trip to azerbaijan. you watched as his sadness and despair poured into his racing. he was fast, enough speed to win the race he had dedicated to his father. his eyes had met yours while he stood at the podium and he felt himself look at you differently for the first time, his father’s words ringing in his head as he watched you smile at him with teary eyes.

it had been a couple days after charles had told hervé about his signing with ferrari when hervé asked charles to sit down and talk with him. his voice was weak and his hand shook as he reached out to grab his son’s hand.

he had smiled, “mon garçon, maintenant que tu as signé avec ferrari, pourquoi ne pas enfin te poser?” my boy, now that you've signed with ferrari, why don't you finally settle down?

“se poser?” charles had been confused, “papa, je n'ai même pas encore 20 ans.” settle down? dad, i’m not even 20 yet.

“l'amour n'a pas d'âge requis,” hervé’s laugh turned into a cough. love has no required age.

“je ne suis même pas amoureux, qu'est-ce que tu dis?” charles helped his father drink water. i'm not even in love, what are you saying?

hervé leaned back, giving his son a fond look, “mon garçon, tu es amoureux de ta meilleure amie depuis que tu l'as laissée jouer avec tes voitures télécommandées.” my boy, you have been in love with your best friend ever since you let her play with your remote control cars.

charles had since waved off his dad’s words, blaming them on his sickness. he had got it all wrong, you were his friend. nothing more, nothing less. 

yet as he stood there, looking at you for the first time since you had fought about this very race, he realized that there was something about you that made him feel like no one else could. is this what love is, papa?, he had asked as he held the trophy over his head.

less than a month later, you found yourself sitting in your room, smiling down at your phone. charles had sent you a picture of himself, dressed in ferrari red, ready to participate in the mid-season testing. charles was almost there, another step closer to his dreams. 

another month passed and now, you were preparing for your move to university dorms, third year looming around the corner. charles asked if you would like to go to mala beach with him. you’d agreed and the two of you sat in front of the bright turquoise sea, a comforting silence between you two.

“j'ai été signé,” charles had broken the silence. i got signed.

you whipped your head to him, “to ferrari?!”

charles let out a small laugh, shaking his head before looking back at you, “sauber, i’ll be starting with them in the new season.”

“c'est incroyable, char,” you gave him a wide smile, “you’re finally in f1.” that’s amazing.

charles returned your smile with one a bit smaller, “just hope i can make it to ferrari next season.”

“you will, i believe you can do it,” you leaned over and nudged me, “save me a spot in the pit wall, yeah? i’ll be waiting on your call for the 2020 season.”

charles had laughed, “of course, i will. lorenzo would have my head if i didn’t.”

“lorenzo is a smart man.”

the conversation died and you two focused back on the view in front of you. charles was nervous. he had invited you to the beach to do more than just tell you about his career. he wanted to confess to you. 

the last few months had been painful— hard— but you made it better with just a single look. after the race in baku, charles realized that he had loved you for a lot longer than he had let on. he loved you when you wore his shirt to school, running late after a sleepover. he loved you when he walked in on you and jules talking about the physics of racing. he loved you when he watched you help arthur with his math homework. he loved you when you had held him close and kissed his puffy eyes, and every single time you told him you were proud of him.

he loved you since the moment he realized what love was, even if he thought it was platonic at the time.

a finger pressed against the middle of his eyebrows, “vous réfléchissez très fort, perceval.” you’re thinking quite hard.

charles’ brows unfurrowed, but a pout graced his lips at the sound of his middle name. ever since you learned of his full name, you had taken to calling him by a different name for certain situations. perceval was for when you were teasing him. he had complained many times that he hated it when you called him that, but he would be lying if he said he didn’t find it endearing all at the same time. he reached up to grab your hand and pulled it between both his hands, turning so that the two of you were sat across one another rather than beside.

he let out a small sigh, eyes focused on your hand in his, “je veux te dire quelque chose.” i want to tell you something.

you, noticing his nerves, didn’t say anything, only nodding. 

you squeezed his hand and he continued, “je veux te dire quelque chose, mais j'ai peur.” i want to tell you something, but i’m scared.

your grip tightened slightly, “pourquoi as-tu peur?” why are you scared?

“j'ai peur de te perdre après avoir dit ce que j'ai à dire.” i'm scared i'll lose you after i say what i have to say.

you felt your heart race at his words, hands growing clammy. for years, you had repeated those same words to yourself, vowing yourself to silence regarding the topic. did he finally feel the same?

you willed yourself to stay calm, “you could never lose me, charles. jamais.” ever.

he gave you a nervous smile, eyes meeting yours for the first time since the new conversation rose. you gave him a soft smile, encouraging him to go on. you needed to hear him say the words first.

“quelques jours après avoir dit à papa que j'avais signé, il m'a dit qu'il était temps pour moi d'avouer mes sentiments,” charles looked away from you, “à l'époque, je n'avais aucune idée de ce dont il parlait.” a couple days after i told dad about me signing, he told me that it was time for me to come clean about my feelings…at the time i had no idea what he was talking about.

“il m'a dit que j'étais amoureuse,” he told me i was in love. charles spoke and your heart went wild. was this really happening? 

“et quand j'ai demandé avec qui, il a dit que c'était toi.” and when i asked with who, he said it was you.

you blinked at him. charles’ eyes darted back to your face, his hands squeezing yours.

“et depuis, j'ai réalisé qu'il avait raison,” he gave you a soft smile, “c'est toi. ca a toujours été toi.” and since then, i realized he was right. it's you. it's always been you.

you felt like the small waves lapping at the sand in front of you suddenly turned large and splashed down on you. you felt like your world had just gotten a thousand times brighter. a weight you never even realized you were carrying, lifted off your chest. you felt like you were breathing right for the first time. 

“y/n l/n, i love you. looking back, i have loved you from the moment you filled my memories,” his eyes searched yours, “tu as été la seule constante dans ma vie, et ce que j'ai ressenti pour toi a toujours été le même.” you've been the one constant in my life, and the way i've felt for you has always been the same. 

“je sais maintenant que c'est de l'amour, et j'ai vraiment besoin que tu le saches avant que nous passions au prochain chapitre de nos vies.” i know now it's love, and i really need you to know that before we move on to the next chapter of our lives. 

it was as if his words had been kissing you, leaving you breathless the moment he pulled away and stopped talking. charles had just told you he loved you. charles marc hervé perceval leclerc had just confessed to you.

a beat passed and he lightly tugged on your hand, the hopeful look in his eyes dimming slightly. you realized you had not responded.

“you love me?” after nearly five years of hiding your feelings from him, charles had just told you that he had felt the same. you couldn’t believe it.

he nodded slightly, “i do. je t’aime beaucoup.” i love you a lot.

you let the words sink in. he loved you. he loves you.

charles opened his mouth, “it’s okay if you don–”

“i love you, too,” you had let out a breathless laugh, “mon dieu, charles, je t'aime depuis que nous avons seize ans, quand tu as eu ton premier podium avec fortec.” my god, i have loved you since we were sixteen, when you got your first podium with fortec.

“fortec?” his eyes were wide as he realized how long it had been, “je suis un tel connard. tu as caché tes sentiments pendant si longtemps.” i am such an asshole. you've been hiding your feelings for so long.

his eyes looked watery with love, his forehead coming to rest against yours, “je suis désolé qu'il m'ait fallu si longtemps pour réaliser mes sentiments pour toi.” i'm sorry it took me so long to realize my feelings for you.

you smiled at him softly, your own eyes tearing up just as much as his, “mieux vaut tard que jamais.” better late than never.

to say your relationship with charles changed drastically after the confession would be a lie. the two of you spent the rest of your day at the beach wrapped up in each other’s arms, and charles had kissed your forehead before he drove the two of you home. the entire night you felt like you couldn’t sleep, and instead you spent your entire night texting charles with your curtains pulled shut, not wanting charles to see how wide you smiled with every text.

and although you two had confessed, you had neglected to discuss what would happen next.

charles had texted you at half past midnight the night before you left for university, asking for you to come outside. when you came out to your porch, he stood there with a smile on his face and an offer to go to the park you two used to play at as kids.

you were on the swings when he had asked you, sitting side by side and swinging back and forth slowly. you had been focused on the movement of your feet, trying to swing just slightly higher than charles.

“tu dirais oui si je te demandais d'être ma petite amie?” would you say yes if i asked you to be my girlfriend?

whenever charles reminisced this moment, he would say that the look you gave him when you registered his question had been the cutest doe-eyed look ever. your eyes were wide and your eyebrows had raised slightly. your lips were parted in the smallest of round shapes, and you blinked before responding.

“je pense que oui,” you slowed your swinging slightly, eyes bright with excitement, “veux-tu l'essayer?” i think i would. do you want to try it?

charles had given you a cheeky smile, slipping out of his swing and resting on one knee in front of you. he had gotten down wrong with his right knee kissing the ground, but you said nothing as your lips quirked into a smile.

“y/n l/n,” he reached for your hands and you let him grab them, “me ferais-tu l'honneur d'être ma charmante petite amie?” would you do the honour of being my lovely girlfriend?

you pretended to think about it, the hum turning into a giggle at the way charles’ face dropped in annoyance, “j’aimerais.” i would love to.

and much to the annoyance of charles’ nosy brothers, you two hadn’t kissed to set the new relationship in stone, instead wrapping each other into a tight hug, one where your feet left the ground, before charles placed a gentle kiss to your temple. 

the two of you had been dating for four months before you finally had your first kiss. charles had asked you out on a date on christmas eve, and had been rather disappointed when it began raining halfway through. it was cheesy, you knew it, charles knew it, and anyone and everyone who watched you tug charles out from under the canopy and into the rain knew it too, but neither of you seemed to care. 

charles’ cheeks and nose were slightly rosy from the mixture of cold raindrops and wind, and you were sure you weren’t fairing much better. your hands had wrapped around his neck as his found home against your hips. 

“i’ve dreamt of kissing under the rain ever since i watched ‘a cinderella story’,” you had laughed, throwing your head back into the rain.

charles had pulled you closer, “well, ma princesse, i’m here to make your dreams a reality.” 

sharing a kiss under the rain was cold, obviously— you couldn’t help the shiver that travelled up your spine when charles’ cold lips pressed themselves against your own— but at the same time, it was so warm. you felt like someone had lit a candle inside of you, warming you up from the inside out. when you pulled away, the two of you couldn’t help but let out soft laughs, hearts racing faster than any car charles had ever drove. 

the two of you had spent the rest of the year laying under warm blankets, with a cacophony of coughs and sneezes being your main form of communication.

your third year in university was split halfway between studying or taking exams, and watching charles’ races or crying to him over facetime because engineering was already so hard. as much as you had wished to be there attending charles’ every race in f1, you were nearing the end of your second semester and were swamped with finals. 

your first f1 race had been the 2018 monaco grand prix, and you’d spent the better part of your evening with your arms wrapped around him as he promised you that the next races would be better. the season had been rough for charles, but you had celebrated every good result, no matter how small.

it was your second holiday season as charles’ girlfriend when both of your worlds changed entirely. a couple days before christmas, charles had asked for you and your parents to join his family for dinner. when you had all settled around the dining table, charles stood up with a wide smile on his face.

“j'ai signé avec ferrari.” i signed with ferrari.

to this day, that dinner had been one of your favourite memories. the amount of smiles and tears shared, and the sheer pride that filled your chest when you looked at charles was something you had never been able to forget. 

that night, you and charles found yourselves sharing a bed, hands intertwined between the two of you. his eyes were glossy as he looked at you. 

a tear slipped out of his eyes when he closed them, “i didn’t lie.”

your free hand moved to wipe the tear away. your mind rushed back to the night you two had shared a week before hervé’s passing. 

you leaned forward and kissed his closed eyelids much like you had done the previous year, “no you didn’t. you’ve done well, mon amour. i know he’s so proud of you.”

on christmas morning, lorenzo had surprised you with a letter from the ferrari engineering academy, offering you an intern position to gain trackside experience for your final semester of your engineering degree. you had cried and thanked him profusely, while he laughed at your blubbering figure. later that night, arthur and charles had fought over who you’d be a race engineer for, with the youngest pointing out that he would soon join the ferrari driver academy himself.

and so 2019 began, with charles driving for ferrari, while you gained experience working with the ferrari engineering academy. by the end of your final semester, you had been offered to continue your internship with the academy which you had accepted immediately.

2019 was also the year that your relationship became public, a series of events causing fans to go crazy. pictures of charles in a suit had gone viral after some of your classmates caught sight of him at your graduation, and while you weren’t in the pictures, fans were quick to theorize that his girlfriend was one of the students who was graduating. 

speculations and theories about who you were had only just started when you made yourself known to the general f1 public, joining charles at french grand prix. it hadn’t been the plan, but after watching charles finish the race in p3 behind the mercedes, you couldn’t hold yourself back from wrapping your arms around your boyfriend and sharing a sweet kiss, unbeknownst to the cameras plastered everything to the big screens. 

for the rest of the season, you made appearances on random race weekends, work being a lot more lenient than your university deadlines had ever been. fans had joked that you were his good luck charm, with charles ending up on a podium in every race you went to.

the belgian grand prix was a race weekend you could never forget, for more reasons than one. you were there to see anthoine’s crash, hand clasped with charles as you watched the scene pan out. you felt like you were eighteen again, sitting next to charles as you watched jules on the tv. 

you had met anthoine quite a few times as you grew up for he, pierre, and charles had always been a tight-knit group. the frenchman had always been kind to you, and you found it hard to believe that he would no longer be cracking jokes with you about something pierre and charles had done while you were away.

both pierre and yourself had cried watching charles receive his award and dedicate his first win to anthoine. you wondered if he and jules were watching charles from above, smiling proudly for his accomplishment.

t was a home race that charles had won next, and the amount of people you had come across at work asking you to pass on a congratulations to charles was insane. you couldn’t complain though, you were proud charles was finally getting the recognition and love he deserved.

it was in italy where you celebrated your second anniversary, also. charles had gifted you a pretty necklace with his racing number on it, something you had worn ever since. 

in late 2019, you had been given an opportunity to join prema racing as an engineer which you had happily accepted. as you all sat around the dinner table for christmas, you shared the exciting news. arthur had been ecstatic, explaining how he would be driving for prema racing starting 2020.

“stop pouting, charles,” arthur had rolled his eyes, catching sight of his brooding older brother, “je t'avais dit qu'elle serait mon ingénieur de course.” i told you she would be my race engineer.

charles gaped at his younger brother, “woah, woah, woah. qui a dit qu'elle était votre ingénieur de course?” who said anything about her being your racing engineer?

“cela doit arriver,” arthur had smirked, dodging the hand that charles has attempted to slap his head with. it’s bound to happen.

and so, you debuted as a racing engineer during a pandemic, something you had never imagined yourself saying. much like how you hadn’t imagined saying that you would be the racing engineer for one arthur leclerc. 

much to charles’ chagrin, you remained arthur’s racing engineer for as long as he stayed in prema racing, which had been a total of three years. when it was revealed that arthur had signed with alfa romeo racing for the 2023 season, you had received multiple offers from other f1 teams to join as an engineer for their drivers. 

charles himself had jumped at the opportunity, conducting a meeting with mattia to consider switching xavier out for you, presenting him with all of yours and arthur’s stats from the previous years. when word got out about you possibly becoming charles’ race engineer, ferrari fans from across the globe demanded that mattia offer you the job. at the end of the 2022 season, scuderia ferrari had released a statement that stated how you would be replacing xavier padros as charles leclerc’s race engineer for his future ferrari seasons.

it was christmas yet again, the sixth one since you had started dating charles, and said boyfriend couldn’t help but taunt his younger brother.

“je t'avais dit qu'elle serait à moi après tout.” told you she would be mine after all.

arthur waved him off, “oui, oui. elle était mon ingénieur en premier. et pendant trois ans, laissez-moi le dire.” yeah, yeah. she was my engineer first. and for three years, let me just put that out there.

you rolled your eyes, smacking the back of charles’ head before reaching over and tugging on arthur’s ear, “depuis quand suis-je un objet que vous pouvez posséder et faire circuler?” since when was i an object you guys could just own and pass around?

both brothers winced and avoided your eyes, mumbling a quick sorry before stuffing their mouths with food. pascale had laughed, always entertained when her boys got scolded by you.

the start of your first season with ferrari had gone amazingly, with both charles and the season’s car performing exceptionally well. charles had managed to secure a large gap in the points for the driver’s championship, leading the championship with two wins worth of points.

and that leads us to now, the final race of the 2023 season. the fight for the title had yet to be over, with charles and max flipping positions every few races. at the moment, max had been leading the wdc with only five more points than charles, said ferrari driver currently leading the race with the dutch driver hot on his tail.

“alright, char, we’ve got two more laps, you can do it. push, push.”

the sound of your voice had never failed to bring a smile on charles face, no matter how stressed he was when you spoke over the radio, “how’s it looking?”

“you’re quicker than max in all sectors but the last,” you read off your observations, “ideally, you’d want that last sector to be the quickest so that there’s no chance of him overtaking you. can you go any faster?”

you could hear the smile in his voice as he pushed his car to go faster, “of course, i can, cherié.”

you tsked, “no flirting on the job, leclerc. one lap remaining.”

the radio stayed silent for the next minute, charles focused on staying ahead of max who continued to put pressure on the monégasque from behind. you could see the red ferrari at the final turn, unable to keep the smile from growing as max’s tires locked up, increasing the gap between him and charles.

the mechanics began cheering loudly, rushing to the pit wall to cheer for your boyfriend who crossed the finish line first.

you had laughed loudy, “and that’s a checkered flag, mon amour! you are the 2023 world champion!”

charles exclaimed loudly over the radio, car slowing down for a cooldown lap. he let out a few whoops before settling down to give a quick message to the team, “excellent job, guys. wow, congratulations everyone. thank you for all of the hard work this season. today marks not only my first driver’s championship, but also our first constructor’s championship win since 2008.”

he continued to thank a few more people before letting out another ecstatic laugh. from across the pitwall, you could see arthur’s red and white car cross the finish line in fifth place. 

“amour?” charles’ voice called out to you, “you there?”

“of course, champ. what’s up?” you gave mattia a confused look as he smiled at you. 

“tu dirais oui si je te demandais d'être ma femme?” would you say yes if i asked you to be my wife?

your breath hitched in your throat. you felt like you were thrown back into 2017, twenty years old sitting on a swing while charles sat in the one next to you.

“je pense que oui,” you repeated, eyes beady with unshed tears, “veux-tu l'essayer?” i think i would. do you want to try it?

charles had rushed to you the second he parked his car, pulling you close to plant a kiss against your lips before he was whisked away rather quickly to complete his post-race duties.

in front of the cameras, charles expressed his absolute elation regarding winning the grand prix, as well as coming first in both championships. the interviewer congratulated the monégasque on getting most votes for driver of the day as well, before moving on to the question he knew everyone wanted an answer for.

“so, we all picked up on that last radio message there. can we expect to receive any happy news in the near future?”

charles had smiled and shrugged, “i guess you’ll just have to wait and see.”

for the final podium of the season, as his race engineer and team principal, you and mattia would be joining charles. even after 26 years of being around him, your heart still raced when you saw charles join you two on the podium.

with the awards distributed, you had waited to get drenched with champagne, looking around confused when no one popped a bottle. charles got off his step, making his way towards you.

unlike his cheeky smile six years ago, the smile on his face today was tender. the crowd beneath the podium screamed loudly as he kneeled on his left knee. he did it right this time, you couldn’t help but smile.

just like he had done six years ago, he uttered your name, “y/n l/n,” instead of grabbing your hands this time, he held his hand out to mattia, who handed him a ring box. 

charles opened the box and presented it to you, “me ferais-tu l'honneur d'être ma charmante femme?” would you do the honour of being my lovely wife?

and just like you had done six years ago, you pretended to contemplate, your smile peeking through as charles rolled his eyes at you playfully. you stuck your left hand out, wiggling your fingers, “j’aimerais.” i would love to.

the champagne bottles popped the second charles slipped the ring on your finger. you didn’t even care as the sweet champagne sprayed against your face and body, too wrapped up in the loving gaze of your fiancé. 

and then, just like you had done for the first time under the rain six years ago, the two of you locked lips under the showers of champagne. 

[REQUESTS OPEN]

happy birthday to @upsidedownwithsteve​!! this is a day late but we are gonna avoid that. enjoy some good ol’ danny ric smoot :) and we are gonna just pretend these are characters in drive to survive rather than real people💀ANYWAYS ENJOY!!

[6.7k] or, in which you and daniel have always hated each other. but maybe that’s just an excuse to avoid how you really feel about each other. (smut)

.

Daniel Ricciardo knew he was hot shit. 

He was young. He was successful. He was loving life and his life just so happened to be his dream. 

F1 Driver for Red Bull Racing. 

Daniel Ricciardo was one of those faces that everybody knew at the paddock. He was fun and playful and had a smile so wide, it was infectious. He was sunshine personified, the human embodiment of positivity and truly it was hard to not get along with the Aussie. 

Except when it came to you. 

And it drove Daniel mad. 

Keep reading

the one where…

summary - After running away from your wedding you find yourself in a coffee shop trying to find an old face from your past, turns out you ran into two and found yourself with three more friends to get you through the years.

warnings - Friends AU, swearing, allusions to sex, drinking, fluff, angst, slowburn and language

pairings - Jake Seresin x Simpson!OC/Reader, Natasha Trace x Bradley Bradshaw, Callie Basset x Neil Vikander (eventually) and Javy Machado x Self love

a/n - I really like to pile my plate high? Anyway I made Natasha and Jake step-siblings in this because why not. I’m going to combine a lot of episodes (so I don’t have to write over 240 chapters). This is gonna be a long series so expect slow updates. I’m going to do all ten seasons so buckle your seatbelts and keep your hands, arms, feet and legs inside the vehicle at all time, because this is going to be a bumpy ride.

Is this just another Jake fic. Yes. Am I ashamed of the chokehold he has on me? Fuck no.

taglist form

episode one teaser

season one:

- the one where natasha gets a roommate

- the one with the blackout

- the one with the candy hearts

- the one with all the poker

- the one with the evil orthodontist

- the one with the birth

- the one where florence finds out

season two:

- the one with jake’s new girlfriend

- the one with five steaks and an eggplant

- the one where jake finds out

- the one with the prom video

- the one where jake and florence … you know

- the one with reggie and chelsea’s wedding

season three:

- the one where no one’s ready

- the one with the flashback

- the one where florence quits

- the one where jake and florence take a break

- the one with a chick and a duck

- the one with the beach

season four:

- the one with the jellyfish

- the one with the embryos

- the one with all the rugby

- the one with all the wedding dresses

- the one with the invitation

- the one with jake’s wedding

season five:

-

-

-

-

-

-

season six:

-

-

-

-

-

-

season seven:

-

-

-

-

-

-

season eight:

-

-

-

-

-

-

season nine:

-

-

-

-

-

-

season ten:

-

-

-

-

-

-