Unbroken Hopes|| Charles Leclerc X Max Verstappen(Lestappen)Wildest Dreams Book2 I’m here

Max wiggled himself out of the bed as quiet as possible as his boyfriend had fallen back a sleep again after the nurse had given him his pain medication. Max couldn’t sleep though and he still had to notify the family that Charles had woken up. As he was in the hallway he called Pascale, who told him she would be there as soon as possible. Max asked her to please be safe before they hang up.

Max decided against putting something in the group chat with their friends and instead opted to call Joris. But he sighed as he didn’t answer.
Banging his head at the wall behind him closing his eyes for a second. He probably shouldn’t have done that as the moment he closed his eyes the visions of last night came back. The love of his life laying motionless on the ground, his face full of fresh cuts and dried blood. Bruises already forming on his face. He didn’t see the beating but his own imagination painted the visions easily.

He already feels the bile rising in his throat. Honestly in that moment he has never been more scared. Not even when they were crashed out on their holiday, cause though being trapped in the car, Charles was still talking to him. He didn’t even feel that scared as when he lost his sight and might never race again. He knew that the worst thing that could happen to him, was losing Charles. It would mean his world would fall apart, cause the monegasque was his whole world.

He tried to take a deep breath keeping his emotions at bay. In through his nose, out through his mouth. In through his nose, out through his mouth… he thought he was doing pretty well until he felt a presence kneeling beside him and a warm palm was resting on his right shoulder. As he opens his eyes he was met with Joris’s worried face. He only noticed now his own cheeks were hot and wet, the presence of their friend made a sob escapes his lips and Joris pulled him close. It took a while until his sobs went quieter. “Are you okay mate?” Joris whispered and Max just nodded his head against his shoulder. “Sorry” he says as he pulls back to wipe the tears from his eyes.

“NON, NON. NON!?” (No, no , no) they hear hysterical French from down the hallway and they meet gazes with Charles’s family with panic and utter grief in their eyes. It takes a second before it clicks in Max’s head what all of this looks like. Him crying uncontrollably on the floor of a hospital in the arms of Charles’s best friend. Within seconds he is from te floor fleeing towards Pascale. “He is okay, he is okay! He is just sleeping now!” She is staring at him still in disbelief. “il va bien Pascale!” He says in his best French to convey his words. “Il va bien!” he says again as he envelopes her and Arthur and Lorenzo join in for the hug as well.
“Dieu merci, Dieu merci de ne pas m’avoir pris mon bébé aussi” (thank god, thank god for not taking my baby from me too) Pascale breathed amid all of it.

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Charles was turning in his sheets, or at least he tried but the stinging feeling in his side made it hard to do. His eyes still closed he tried to reach out for his boyfriend. But the space next to him he was reaching out for came up empty. He softly blinked opens his eyes, his left eye socket still sore with the smallest movement. He didn’t see Max though. He tried to sit up straight as he scanned the room. He saw his mom scrolling on her phone, she hadn’t yet noticed her son had woken up.

“Maman” he spoke up with a raspy voice. Her eyes lit up before glossing over “Mon bébé” she just smiled sadly as she stood up and came to sit on his bedside. Taking his hands in to her own.
“Where is Max?” Charles can’t help but ask first. “I send him home to get a shower and some fresh clothes for you both” she says to him.
“How are you feeling?” She asks him the. carefully as she glides her hand over her sons face, brushing out some of the hair that got stuck on his face. “Obviously bruised, but I’m okay” he smiles at her trying to reassure his mom that he is in fact okay. “Oh honey…” she just says and he in return squeezed her hands. “Really mom, I’m okay”

She sighes and let go of his hand as the other still rest on his cheek, stroking her finger lightly over the stubble that’s decorating his chin, while with her free hand she combs through her own hair. “I just don’t understand… Monaco should be one of the safest countries in the world when it comes to crime… why did this happen?… why did this had to happen to you?” She says in to the room as her tears a welling up again.
“Because people are stupid and narrow minded mom, but i promise I’m okay” he tries again squeezing his moms hand.
“I know honey, I just want you to be careful” she says smiling sadly at him rubbing his cheek once more.
“What do you mean?” He asks her a bit puzzled.
“I….I just…” she sighes standing up running her hands across her face.
Charles feels in his gut what she’s trying to say. And the rational part of him understands his mother can’t lose him too, but the implications angers him.
“What is it mom?” He needs to hear her say it, if that is really what she thinks or that his mind is playing with him again.
His mother sighes again. He know when her son is persistent like this the best way to go about it is through. “Just don’t give them a reason to be angry about” she says with regret. Like she hates the words that come out of her mouth.
And that’s it something snaps in Charles.

“I won’t apologise for who I am mom! And who I love! We were in the closet for long enough! We did nothing to anger them, if I can’t even hug him in public we better stayed in the closet for fuck sake!” He feels his face going flush and tears burning behind is eyes. “You used to always tell me it was totally alright and I should be who I want to be!” He starts sobbing now.
His mother tries to inch closer. “I know baby!” She cries to. “And I still want that! And think that. But Mon bébé… bu-but after your father…I can’t loose you too!”

“But in order for that to happen I have to go back in the closet!?” He knows saying this is not fair. Not to himself nor his mom. But right now he’s hurting, physically and emotional. He is just mad about what happen, or even more about why it happend.
And his mother’s comments, though she meant well was just the last push for him to bend and break. He won’t ever apologise again cause he is proud of who he is and who they are. He loves Max Verstappen, f1’s two time world champion and he is fucking proud of that! He and they came a long why accepting themselves and everything that comes with it in their situation. They did nothing wrong and if he defended himself against his assailants he is damn right for it.

“Non, bébé, of course not, I’m sorry but I was just so scared that I would loose you tonight…” she sighes, Charles notices she looks exhausted. He feels bad but at the same time in needs to think about what he now needs dealing with the demons spiralling in his head. He crosses his arms in front of him. “Can you please?…. I want to be alone” he sighed keeping the tears in his eyes by keeping his eyes closed.
“But Cheri…” she sounds resigned.
“Please mom?” He looks at her pleading letting the pend up tears roll over his cheek. “Please mom… cause I’m angry about what happend… just please… I just don’t want to let my anger out on you”
Pascale opens her mouth to say something before deciding against it.
“Okay” she breathes rubbing his upper leg. “I love you Mon petit bébé” she says before she walks to the door. “Maman” Charles calls after her and she turns around. “I love you to” he is still mad but he will always love her. He doesn’t want to part with bad words between them.

Just as Pascale leaves his hospital room Max enters with a questioning look on his face as Pascale shakes her head at him.
Charles still sitting with his arms crossed, his blanket pulled up high on his chest as he stares down to the floor on his right blinking furiously.
“Charlie, babe are you okay?” Max asks him worriedly. For the first time since they entered the hospital his boyfriend looks broken. “Charlie?” He asks again as he doesn’t get a reply.
Charles looks up now and shakes his head as a sobs escapes him and he holds out his arms to the dutchman. “Can you please hold me?” And Max in seconds, is on the hospital bed enveloping his boyfriend close. “Ofcourse Charlie, I won’t let you go!” He says kissing the dark mop of hair of his boyfriend. “Shhh, it’s okay, it’s okay… I’m here”