I Think I'm Addicted- - Tumblr Posts

Hehe, playdate of Nyxon's and Cai's, the first face-to-face conversation of Max and Lewis and a "small" New Year's Eve special (5k words), coming!

Since the shop had opened, many hours have passed and Max's currently ringing up the last customer, an elderly woman from an obviously higher class with the nicest attitude and understanding towards Max and Nyxon.

"Is this all for today, Miss Notlimah?" the Dutch packs her flowers and hands over the little bag with the plants and looks over to the entrance of the shop where Nyxon and Bear are hiding; big ferns and monsteras concealing them from unsuspecting customers, or that's what Max wants them to think, as he can clearly see them hiding.

"Yes, that would be all for today, Max. And a very merry Christmas to you two" Miss Notlimah smiles and walks to the door to exit the shop when she felt a gentle tuck on her pants. Looking down, she sees a fidgeting Nyxon and a very confused Bear looking at her.

"Granny, will Santa come and visit mommy, Bear, Jimmy, Sassy and me? We were really good this whole year but the snow still hasn't arrived. Does Santa not like us?" The child starts to get teary-eyed, alarming both adults and the small pup beside him.

"Oh? Why wouldn't Santa visit you and your small family? From what I know about you, you were the best baby your mommy could think of, am I wrong? And I'm sure Santa only forgot to send the snow elves because he was so busy preparing the presents of every child in the world."

"Or maybe his machine broke again like we watched on TV and he has to repair it first before sending us the snow?" Max walks up to his son and kneels down, embracing him and gently stroking down his back, knowing how much Nyxon loves snow during winter.

"Promise?" Nyxon mumbles into Max's shirt, clutching the fabric tightly in his little hands and hiding his face in the comforting scent of his mommy's.

"I promise Santa will send the elves to bring the snow and hasn't forgotten about us, I promise."

With that, Miss Notlimah leaves the shop quietly for the two Verstappen's to calm down a little bit before deciding it's time to finally meet Cai and his father at the park.

"Baby, can you please get Bear's leash while I'm getting our clothes?"

Nyxon looks up to Max, small dark blue eyes seeking out the light blue eyes of his mother and with a big smile and the words "I'm a big boy, so please rely on me, momma!" Nyxon runs off to get Bear's leash, leaving Max alone with their clothes.

»Should I ask Sebastian about his presents again? I don't want him to spend hundreds again for Nyxon.«

"Mommy, we need help," a whining Nyxon stands behind Max, leash tangled up around his small body and Bear panting softly.

After helping Nyxon with the leash and getting dressed, the three Verstappens walk out of the shop with Max locking the door and taking Nyxon's free hand to warm it up and a small backpack filled with vegan lunch on Max's back.

The walk to the park is filled with laughter on the part of Nyxon's, caused by a happily jumping Bear on his leash and Max's soft tickles on Nyxon's sides.

Since the incident, Max tries his best to provide Nyxon with the happiest life without a father and grandfather, always getting criticized by strangers when Nyxon refers to him as "mommy" or "momma".

They don't know how much Max struggles under their harsh glares directed at him, how much he fought for his name not to be associated with his father's anymore and how proud he is of his baby to show them all a big smile, despite the mean, and with mean Max means gory and cruel, comments they dropped onto him because of his scars. "Mommy isn't at fault!" he'd always defend Max, showing off his scars like trophies and claiming he fought a bad guy to save his mommy, which he sort of did.

Arriving at the park, Max spots their usual bench being occupied by another man with his son, at least he thinks it's a father and a son, and Max squints to see if the child is Cai, which he is.

"Do you want to greet Cai?" he looks to Nyxon who's standing with Bear next to him, slightly shivering and Max had to bite his lips to prevent himself from smiling.

His son can be cute sometimes, excited to meet his friend but scared by meeting the father. He often lived through the moments of parents pulling back their children because of Nyxon's scars, hurting and scaring the poor boy in the end.

"Mama, mag ik daar echt heen? Wat als hij me niet mag en Cai verbiedt me te zien? Ik vind Cai echt leuk..." Nyxon starts to whimper in Dutch, knowing well how hard it is to understand for english speaking people.

(Translation: "Mommy, can I really go there? What if he doesn't like me and forbids Cai to see me? I really like Cai...")

"Natuurlijk mag je schat. Ik weet zeker dat hij je al leuk vindt als Cai zo blij en opgewonden is om weer met je te spelen," Max combs his hand through Nyxon's neatly made hair and smiles, knowing that his efforts go to waste as soon as Nyxon and Cai start to play, run and to tumble.

(Translation: "Of course, you can baby. I'm sure he already likes you when Cai is so happy and excited to play with you again.")

Now happy, Nyxon starts to run to Cai, Bear following him and before one of their parents could react, both boys and dogs start to sprint away, hiding away in a small group of bigger bushes and leaving behind their parents.

Seeing the man standing up, Max walks up to him and stops dead in his tracks afterwards. The man is stunning!

If Max had to describe him, he would probably be too mesmerised by the rich brown skin, warm brown eyes and beautiful braided hair. "Are you Nyxon's father, Mister Verstappen?"

»Oh god, he also has a nice voice.«

»Man, this man really looks good. No wonder why Cai wanted us to talk to each other.«

"Yes, I'm Mister Verstappen, but please call me Max, since our children are playing with each other right now."

A hand is presented to Lewis and with an innocent smile, the Brit takes the hand and kisses it in an old-fashioned way, causing a soft blush to decorate Max's cheeks and a shy smile to appear.

"It's my pleasure to meet you, Mister Max Verstappen. Please call me Lewis then."

"Lewis Hamilton?" Max tries to pronounce, only to have a slight lisp on the s, causing Lewis to chuckle fondly.

"Yes, Lewis Hamilton-"

"I'm sorry to interrupt you, but I think I heard your name before."

Panic surges through Lewis, had he just blown his disguise? Is Max going to be disappointed or disgusted by him having a child?

"You're normally busy."

Flabbergasted, Lewis looks at Max, unable to say something to the Dutchman who just said the words others use as an insult while talking about him and Cai.

"What do you mean with that?" the Brit sighs and already readies himself to be insulted.

"What I mean? Well-"

"Mommy!" Nyxon runs up to them and grabs Max's hand, tears gathered in his eyes and lip slightly trembling. "Cai viel en huilt en bloedt!"

(Translation: "Cai fell and cried and bleeds!")

Without wasting time, Max grabs Lewis' hand and runs after Nyxon, who runs pretty fast for his young age while Lewis doesn't understand what's wrong, except that his son's name was mentioned and that Nyxon seems shocked about that.

Arriving at the spot Nyxon and Cai played at, Lewis pales. Cai sits on the ground and fat tears fall down his cheeks with his left pant leg open and blood oozing out.

"How did that happen?" Max calmly asks Cai and kneels next to him, his backpack put on the ground and opened.

"W-we played and I wanted to c-climb," Cai sniffles and snuggles up to Lewis who started to gently stroke his back.

"Let me guess, you climbed pretty high and couldn't get down?" Max smiles and gets out a small bottle of water and some tissues while eyeing the bloody part carefully.

A nod follows from Cai and with hiccups interrupting him, he tries to explain the incident again.

"I wanted to have the big leaf up there but we couldn't get it," he points at a higher hanging leaf and both adults had to smile, knowing how much these simple things fascinate children.

"You could have asked us to help you, you know? Now we have you bleeding and your papa surely worries now," Max explains and gently taps the wetted tissue on the blood, trying to get rid of the blood and dirt and to see the real damage.

"Daddy can't worry! Not his fault!"

Lewis couldn't believe his eyes and ears, a stranger (or at least a stranger to him) talks with his son and Cai even reacts in the most protective way towards Lewis. Had he ever witnessed such things?

And while they talked and calmed down Cai, Nyxon rummaged through the backpack, pulling out a small package of bandaids and even a first-aid kit, giving it to Max and smiling at Cai who looked terrified.

"Cai, look!" the toddler distracts Cai with the different designs on the band-aid while the adults cleaned the wound and look at it, trying to figure out if it's really bad or not.

"Mister Max, can I have this bandy, please?" they get interrupted by Cai showing a bandaid with small dinosaurs and dragons on it, causing both parents to cooe.

"Of course Cai, but you have to promise to hold still while I put on your bandy, okay?"

"I promise!" Cai beams and giggles when his papa kissed his face and Max could apply the bandaid without complications.

--

"That wasn't an expected outcome of the playdate," Max laughs while eating one of the vegan cookies Nyxon and he baked while holding Nyxon on his lap, who also eats a cookie he not-so-secretly shares with Bear.

"Can we somehow repay you?" both Verstappens hear Lewis ask and look at him in shock. "It's not your fault, Lewis. It's the nature of children to play and to get hurt sometimes. And before you say something like "Cai normally doesn't cry when he gets hurt", let me say it - Cai probably cried not only because it hurt due to the dirt, but also because of the shock. He fell down some height and hurt himself in the process, which is totally normal for children his age. The only thing a parent can do after something like this is a small talk and cuddles."

A small smile appears on Lewis' lips and they talk a little bit longer, Nyxon and Cai also talk amongst themselves and the dogs running around, until the sun slowly sets and both young boys start to cry softly.

"I don't want to go!" Cai cried and hugged and also crying Nyxon, who looks at Max like he'd hurt him if they go now.

"Can we celebrate Christmas together, please?" Nyxon looks at Lewis, eyes extra big to coax him into allowing them to celebrate together.

"I'm sorry Nyxon, but Cai and I are already celebrating Christmas with our family," he apologises and thinks about it for some time.

"But if your papa agrees to it, we can celebrate New Year's Eve together?"

"You don' have to ask me," Max agrees with a laugh, loving the cheers of his son and Cai and also feeling good with the fond expression Lewis now has.

Maybe their sons are angels, sent to bring them together despite the shit they went through.

--

December 31st, New Year's Eve's almost there and Lewis feels nervous. After the day at the park, Max and he had texted a lot, talking about the plans for New Year's Eve and how they should dress.

When Max asked if it's okay for him when Max comes in a dress, his heart pounded hard. He heard about some men loving to wear dresses and always wanted to see Nico in a dress back then, but the German never liked the idea of him in "feminine" clothes.

So when max asked, Lewis almost immediately said yes and added a small "only if you really want to and feel comfortable, of course! I don't want to pressure you in some way". Gosh, he feels like a teen again.

"Daddy, why are you looking at the mirror again?" Cai comes into his bedroom, dressed in a smaller version of Lewis' outfit, with the only difference that his suit doesn't have the lace on the leg.

His small space buns have loose strands hanging out of them and his smile is brighter than Lewis has ever seen it be.

"I'm just nervous, do you think I look good?" he turns around and looks into Cai's eyes, hoping to get some sort of reaction from him.

"Why do you want to look good?" Cai grins and runs out with a laugh, enjoying teasing his father with his obvious crush on Max.

"You little cheeky monkey you!" he laughs and chases after his son, only stopping when he hears the doorbell ringing, causing him to stop dead in his tracks and to call Cai before walking to the door, opening it to feel like his heart just exploded.

At the door stand Max and Nyxon, both in dresses and with similar hairstyles and gosh, Lewis really is a lucky man, isn't he?

"I hope we aren't too late or too early," Max greets him and with the blush of the cold weather, he looks fantastic, giving Lewis all the more reasons as to why he fell for-

»Wait, what, I fell for him?! Since when-«

"Nyxon!" Cai runs up to Nyxon and hugs him, causing them both to land on the floor with happy faces. "I wanna show you what Santa got me! Daddy, can we go up to my room, please?"

"Of course, you can, just make sure you're down here when we call for dinner, okay?" With that, both boys run upstairs, leaving alone their parents, who just stare at each other, unable to move away from the door.

"You look good, handsome," Max smiles and brings Lewis out of his hazy mind, causing a bright blush to appear on his cheeks because of the nickname he missed at first.

"And you look stunning if I'm allowed to say so," he retorts, happy to be the cause of the next blush on Max's face, who now steps inside the house, unable to suppress a soft shudder when the warmth finally envelopes him.

"Is it okay if I walk around in high heels?"

"I'm not someone to deny you. What would you like to drink?" Lewis guides him through the first floor, noting how Max prefers to look at the pictures of him and Cai over beautiful landscapes and another warm feeling bubbles up inside of him.

"Depends on the choices I have, what do you have for me to possible pick?"

With that, they walk inside the small but rich storeroom of Lewis', discussing possible combinations of wines and the dishes.

"Cai, look! They seem to like each other!" Nyxon whispers to the younger boy while watching the adults talking from the staircase.

They had snuck out of Cai's room when they heard Max laughing at a flustered Lewis and sat down ever since, wanting to know if their parents get along.

"Do you think we'll be brothers?" Cai yawned and looked at the projected time on the small part of the wall over the staircase. He might not be able to read the clock, yet, but he knows that it's still some time until New Year's Eve.

"I hope so. Your dad looks like a good story reader if I have to be honest." "And your mom seems to give really good hugs!"

They laugh and cuddle up, tired from playing in Cai's room for hours now (actually, it's been an hour and a half in reality, but don't tell them) and falling asleep afterwards, only to be woken up by Max.

"Good evening the two of you," he grins and picks them up gently, before walking down the stairs and into the kitchen where Lewis still stands in front of the oven, pulling a slight face.

"What's wrong?" Max puts down the two boys and walks up to Lewis, only to have a spoon in front of him. "I don't know, but the taste isn't the right one," the Brit sighs and lets him taste.

After a while, Max beams and laughs lightheartedly. "You forgot the salt."

Both laugh and their sons have to grin, giving the other a silent high five and sitting down at the table, unable to hide their happiness.

"Where are we seeing the fireworks this year, daddy?" Cai looks at Nyxon and feels baffled when the other seemed confused about what they're talking about, even Max looks confused.

"You're not lighting the fireworks?" the Dutchman had to ask, unable to understand the situation.

Only when Lewis smiled lightly and turned around to face him to explain it does it make sense.

"Cai's mother and I used to light it up together, but at Cai's first New Year's Eve, a small firework flew into our collection and lit up everything, causing Cai to cry for the rest of the night. And even now, he sometimes cries when it's lit up too close to him or too loud."

The Verstappens nod in understanding; they had heard about things like that to happen.

Not liking the atmosphere, Nyxon pouts and asks: "where are we watching then?"

Everyone could practically see how the tension in Lewis' shoulders vanish and with a grateful smile, he turns around. "Well, I thought about on the rooftop of my company building, since my company organised a fireworks show this year."

"Is Uncle Val coming too?!" Cai shouts happily, having talked about Valtteri with Nyxon a lot of times now.

"I think so, and I also think that he'll bring other uncles with him too."

"What uncles?"

"Maybe Uncle Lando, Uncle Seb and Mick, Uncle Kimi and more."

"Yay! Nyxon, have you heard!?" the younger boy envelopes Nyxon in a discussion about which uncle is the best, giving their parents time alone again.

"I almost forgot that we share some friends," Max took some tableware and placed it on the table, focusing on Lewis all the while.

"Mn, it's actually nice to see them again after years, to see how much has changed."

"You haven't changed much after what Valtteri had said," Max walks back to Lewis, looking at the steady movement of Lewis' hand.

"And from what I have heard, you changed the most. From a school delinquent to a loving mother."

"Delinquent? Since when was I labelled as such?" Max laughed and had to use Lewis to stand tall and not to fall from laughing.

"Since you took drugs, drank alcohol on an hourly base and even broke into some stores?"

"Oh, you mean my rebellion against my father!" he cries out laughing, now putting almost all of his weight on Lewis who's even more confused by now.

"I only did these things to be disowned by that unlikeable man and it worked, well, it almost worked if he hadn't cleared my name multiple times."

"You don't have to talk more about it if you don't want to, you know?" Lewis looks back at the boys who have moved to the attached living room to wait until the dinner really is ready.

"Nah, I wanna come clean and leave behind the past in 2021. I'm sure you know the Verstappen Industries, as it used to be your biggest rival, right?"

"Yeah, they were even bigger than I was and now, they're like dead, why?"

"Well, my father runs that company and wanted to pass it on to me, but I refused. Why should I want that stupid thing when I was pregnant back then?"

Lewis chokes, not seeing that coming. "Excuse me, what?! You're a son of Jos'!?"

His question's rewarded with laughter from Max, who apparently didn't care about Lewis' poor eardrums. "Yes, I'm one child of that bastard."

"How did you hide that fact all these years?"

"Well, it wasn't that hard, you know? All I had to do was to be the complete opposite of him, which I already was, but with a little bit more aggression sprinkled into my actions, and boom, no one thought of me as a Verstappen anymore. Anyways, he wanted me to inherit the whole company but due to my unexpected pregnancy with my ex, I couldn't take over and told him no, my sister could have done that and it would have been better for the company, but no, this old froock didn't believe me and tried to force me into that business, which also led Nyxon to have the scars on his face and the sperm donor of mine to land in jail for some time."

"So that was the reason for Jos to be jailed? Child abuse?"

"Just abuse, are you crazy?! He tried to kill my baby on his third birthday and even had the audacity to tell the judge that without him, I would have become big in this business. But now we're free from him. He isn't allowed anywhere near us and is even forbidden to get into contact with us, which is the best thing that could have happened to Nyxon."

»Huh, so Jos isn't the good guy he claimed to be? Could be useful.«

They talked a little longer until the dinner was ready for real. Nyxon and Cai didn't have to be called as they were already coming and together, they ate until all were full and satisfied, giving Lewis and Max the perfect opportunity to bring their boys to bed.

"Will you be here when we wake up again?" Nyxon asks Lewis while Max holds his baby's hand, trying to keep his eyes open and hair tidy but failing.

"Of course, Nyxon. Now sleep, please," Lewis pats his head gently, feeling fond of the boy who also holds Cai's hand close to him.

"Can you please protect my baby in your sleep? He needs a big brother."

"Cai will never be alone when I'm here," Nyxon yawns and falls asleep, body turning to Cai and both snuggling up and snoring softly.

The picture of them in a small cuddled-up ball with Cai's biggest stuffed animals on their backs and blankets shaped around them like a nest is just too cute, Lewis had to take a picture to-

A small flash scares him and surprised, he turns around, only to see a grinning Max holding up his phone. "Gotcha," he winks and walks out silently, although he still wears the high heels.

»How often does he wear these to walk this silently?!«

Now that both of their sons are asleep, both of them start to clean up the kitchen before sitting down on the big couch of Lewis', turning on the TV and starting some random show but let us be honest, they only want some sort of noise in the background while they talk.

"Say," Lewis begins and looks around them, catching Max's attention, "how do you feel about men wearing make-up?"

"It's normal in my perspective. Even celebrities use light make-up to cover up some things to look perfect, why do you ask?"

"Well, I have noticed that Nyxon looked hesitant during our first encounter and from what I have witnessed afterwards, he seems to be insecure about his scars, right?"

A sigh comes as an answer and Lewis looks at Max, seeing the younger man having a hanging head and closed eyes before a nod comes.

"People always comment on that."

"What would be if we decorate them with a little bit of fireworks-themed make-up to let him know that these scars don't define beauty?"

"You really have a way with words, but yeah, that could work for him, but what about Cai? Won't he feel excluded?"

Lewis goes quiet, trying to find a way to include his son; he knows Cai hates make-up like the worst disease.

"I don't know how. He hates make-up since he's been a child, so I'm not too sure about make-up, but he loves stuffed animals, so what can we do about it?"

They sit there, thinking. Roscoe walks up to them, Bear following him and they both sit by their owners' feet. Lewis almost forgot about the younger dog, although he's a giant for his age.

"Does he have some New Year's Eve themed stuffed animal?"

"Not that I know, but we have paper." "Paper? Oh, to make a small New Year's Eve hat!"

Together, they laugh and start to craft hats for the stuffed animals and for themselves, spending almost two hours crafting and throwing confetti at each other.

At one point, they even started to play fight for a paper streamer until they were tangled up in them, causing both to fall onto the ground.

Laughing hardly, they look into each other's eyes, feeling disconnected from the world around them.

"Weet je, je bent eigenlijk mijn type. Helder van geest, puur van hart en gewoon de perfecte vader," Max whispers and Lewis swore the other just put him under a spell with the soft voice of his, the beautiful blue eyes and just every centimeter of his body.

"I have no clue what you said, but I suppose it's something good, seeing as you're blushing," Lewis tries his luck and is rewarded with a deepening blush from Max.

Just when they thought it would be just them, a small vibration rips them apart - only an hour until the new year begins.

"Can you wake up the boys?" Lewis entangles them and stands up, reading himself to drive to his company, which isn't that far away.

"Sure, just be ready for an awesome year," Max winks and runs up, amazing Lewis in the process and waking up the boys from their nap.

"Mommy, is it already time?" Nyxon wakes up first, rubbing his eyes and looking at Max like destroyed an entire dream of his, which he actually did.

"Baby, we need to drive to Lewis' company to watch the fireworks, remember?"

"FIREWORKS!" Cai wakes up now and shoots up, bolting through the door and leaving behind baffled Verstappens, who follow him.

--

The drive to Lewis' company was filled with laughter from the boys, occasional giggles from Max and fond smiles from Lewis.

Nyxon's scars are decorated by delicately drawn fireworks from Max and Lewis, s funny looking heart by Cai and two paw prints on either cheek by Roscoe and Bear, while Cai has a paper crown with the words "DADDY'S NEW YEAR'S KING CAI" on it and his dragon plushie with a long paper scarf with "HAPPY NEW YEAR, YOU FROOKERS" written by Max on it.

And Max and Lewis? Well, they have "DADDY" and "MOMMY" on their foreheads, knowing that some people might get confused if Nyxon and Cai refer to them in public.

Arriving at the company, the four of them hurry to the elevators, knowing fully well that time's running away and only fifteen minutes are left for them to arrive before 2022 starts.

Arriving at the top, both parents pick up their sons and walk to the other people, easily finding Valtteri and their shared friends, who all gasp at seeing Max and Lewis together.

"Am I seeing things clearly or am I already too drunk?" a young man with curly brown hair chokes on his champagne, throwing Max a knowing glance which the other replies with a bright grin.

"I don't think we have much to say, so let's celebrate New Year's Eve like it's our last!"

Cheers erupt from everyone, especially from Cai and Nyxon who celebrate their parents getting along and maybe a possible relationship between them.

Ten minutes until 2022 and a nicely dressed woman walks around with small packages, handing one to Cai but getting rejected.

"Thank you Auntie Maribelle, but I'm a big boy now," the younger had claimed with fake confidence and Nyxon just had to ask Max.

"Mama, wat zit er in deze pakjes die de vrouw net heeft gekocht?" Nyxon whispers to Max while looking at Cai, who's eye are casted downwards.

(Translation: "Mama, what's in these packages the woman just bought?")

"Dit zijn oordopjes die je gebruikt als je luide dingen als vuurwerk wilt dempen," Max answers also in whisper.

(Translation: "These are earplugs that you use when you want to mute loud things like fireworks.")

"Waarom heeft Cai ze dan afgewezen?" "Misschien omdat je ze niet gebruikt? Misschien wil hij je laten zien dat hij net zo dapper is als jij?"

(Translation: "Then why did Cai turn them down?" "Maybe because you don't use them? Maybe he wants to show you that he's just as brave as you?")

"Maar als hij bang is, hoeft hij niet te doen alsof. Ik zal wat voor ons halen." "Ik ben trots op mijn volwassen baby."

(Translation: "But if he's scared, he doesn't have to pretend. I'll get us some." "I'm proud of my grown baby.")

With that, Nyxon walks away and gets Cai and himself earplugs, creating a fond smile to appear on Max's lips when two arms encircle his waist and a chin is placed on his shoulder.

"Wanna count down together?" Lewis' whispered voice sounds like music to Max's ears and with a nod, they start to count down, giving Max enough time.

"10...9...8..."

»You can do it, Max!«

"7...6...5..."

»You have done that multiple times now, so why should you care now?«

"4...3..2..."

»That's what Nyxon and you wanted for so long, so why do you hesitate?!«

"1...HAPPY NEW YEAR!"

A shaky breath flees from Max's lips and before Lewis could say anything, the lips Max's cover his while cheers echo in the background.

"Gelukkig nieuwjaar, Britse idioot," he smiles once they break the kiss and with a loud boom, the fireworks begin, giving both of them and their sons a beautiful glow in the new year of 2022, marking the beginning of a new chapter.

(Edit: 5,100 words for this one. My brain hurts, but I think it was worth it. Once again Happy New Year everyone and I love you!❤❤)