Unbroken Hopes|| Charles Leclerc X Max Verstappen(Lestappen)Wildest Dreams Book2 Unwanted invitations

Trigger warnings at the end of the chapter! ⚠️

“What is it?” Max asked his boyfriend as he sees him looking conflicted towards his phone, frowning slightly.
“Oh.. oh it’s nothing cheri” he tries to wave him off.
Max in return stops folding Charles clothes in to the suitcase and comes to lay next to him on the hospital bed. “Charlie?” He just says raising his eyebrow at him. “I know you, what is going on?”
Charles sighes and turns to smile at his boyfriend. “Yes, and sometimes that is very annoying” he says before pecking the dutchman’s lips. “But it’s nothing, it’s stupid really” he finishes.
“Charles just tell me” he smiles at him though he also looks at him pointedly as he rests his hand on the monegasque’s cheek.
“It’s the invite for the FIA prize giving gala” he sighed again showing the invitation to his boyfriend.
“Oh yeah…” Max says. Not having thought about anything related to racing for the last couple of days in the hospital.

“Well this will sure be a look for the red carpet” Charles jokes as he points towards his face. The cut in his lip and the purple-yellowisch bruise fading at his right eye socket. Max grimaces before kissing his boyfriend again. “Hey you are always beautiful okay” he says what makes Charles smile. “Thank you Maxy”
“But maybe we just should not go? I think we can get off the hook because of this?” Max says and Charles face drops.
“Why?” He ask.
“Because you are hurt? And still in the hospital now?” He says looking serious a look in his eyes that the monegasque can’t quite decipher before cracking a smile and the strange look is gone “And it’s a boring gala believe me” as Charles rolls his eyes at him.
“Well first of all, I hope that I’m released from the hospital by then and that I’m allowed to travel again in two weeks” he says and then turns further towards his boyfriend “and I was kind of looking forward to going together” grabbing the Dutchman’s hand. “The top two of the world” he then smiled again kissing their intertwined fingers.
“Okay” Max says slightly sighing.
“Okay?” Charles asks
“Yes okay Charles” Max smiles slightly. “But only if the doctor says you are allowed to go and it’s safe for us to go!”
“Obviously!” Charles smiles happily.
“Okay” Max finishes kissing his boyfriends nose before returning back to folding the clothes he started on.

One day later the couple learns that Charles is allowed to go home the next day. To finally spend time together in their new and own home. Charles has to come back a week later for check ups and then the doctor will decide if he is allowed to travel or not.

That evening Max is already packing some stuff the monegasque will probably not need anymore during his stay in the hospital , while Charles is walking through the room as he has to ease in putting pressure on his wounded leg. While doing so there is a knock on the door. Max opens the door were two police officers are waiting, the two same officers that came to take their statements the day after the beating.
“We’ve got them under arrest” they get told and the couple let a mutual sigh off relieve. Their statements added with those of other club go-ers and security footage made it fairly easy to find out who the assailants where. This releases the tension of their shoulders a bit. But by now the word had also spread towards the outside world about what had happened. They find out just as the agents left and both of their phones start ringing.

Headlines cover social media and all the news pages.
“Charles Leclerc target in beating”
“Formula one’s first gay couple targets in hate crime”
“Footage of Leclerc’s beating leaked”

“Fuck!” Charles says as he rolled his eyes groaning. “I guess it was a furtile hope keeping this out of the media” he says shaking his head “well otherwise my face was probably a dead give away” he jokes trying to light the mood. “It’s good our teams already prepared a statement” What else can he do, it’s not like he can change the situation anyway.
As his boyfriend is still turned from him holding his phone he calls out for him. “Max?” He notices now how his shoulders are tense. “Maxy?”
And Max turns revealing his face full of tears. His bright blue eyes blurred by the saline on his cheeks. Charles’s eyes widen in realisation “Oh Max” Charles says as he stumbles his way.
“Hey, what’s going on?” He says resting his hands on either side of his cheek and Max just sniff’s circling his hands around Charles’s waist, clinging on without applying to much pressure. Charles cradles the blonde mop of hair. “Hey it’s okay , tout va bien, wij zijn oké” he breathes in English, French and finally Dutch and lets his boyfriend’s breath’s even out against his chest.

As his breathing becomes more steady Charles pulls back just the slightest bit, his thumb chasing away the tears on his boyfriend’s cheek as he looks Max in the eyes who instantly starts sobbing again. “Shhh” Charles just answers as the pulls the dutchman against his chest again.
Eventually Max answers all stammering and sniffling . “I-I almost l-lost y-you – and for w-what?… be-cause we are in -L-love?” He croaks. “B-because I love y-you?” He tries to look at his boyfriend but within seconds his visions blurry again his breathing speeding up and getting shallow. “I-I can’t-I can’t lose you Char-Charles, I c-can’t do th-th” but Charles doesn’t let him finish as he senses the panic in his boyfriend’s eyes. He guides his boyfriend’s hand towards his own chest. While with the other he is still holding his cheek, making Max look at him. “Max, I’m here!, I’m not going anywhere, I’m fine, just breathe for me Max, breathe with me” he says and Max tries to follow his lead. Eventually it works but the dutchman looks absolutely exhausted. “How about you let that packing be and come lay her with me?” He ask with a soft smile and Max’s just nods nuzzeling impossibly close to the mongasque’s side while said man traces little patterns on his back, being asleep in minutes.

So when the nurse comes for her rounds Charles signales her to please be quite and thankfully she nodds, letting them be for now. The other nights she had sent the dutchman home. But looking at them she had probably known they both needed this. Max definitely needed this, finally sleeping for the first time in days. He would only notice when he wakes up in his boyfriend’s arms the next morning.
“Oh shit” he mumbles as he notices he is still with Charles on the hospital bed.
“Mhhh stay still” Charles just mumbles. “I can’t Charlie, I have to get going for nurse Becky get’s here and kicks me out” he whispers quietly as he tries to wiggle out of his boyfriends grip. Charles opens his eyes, just staring at him as he quirks a smile.
“What?” Max asks
“Have you seen what time it is Cherie?”
“No, that’s what I’m just tell-” he starts as he checks the time one his watch. He looks up to his boyfriend smiling sheepishly.
“She let you stay, I guess she saw that we both needed it” Charles finishes his boyfriend’s thoughts.
“Oh” Max just smiles back.
“You know what that also means?” Max asks now smiling again.
Charles thinks but isn’t sure so he just shrugs. Max kisses him. “Today it’s finally time to get you home”

————————-

After breakfast and the last meet up with his doctor, Charles busy’s him self with singing his discharge papers as Max’s asks the nurse for about the thousands time about how he should provide the after care of Charles’s healing wounds. Once again running over the pain medication and all the phone numbers if anything would change. Charles just shakes his head laughing quietly to himself. Max to the outside world may have a though exterior but he is the sweetest from within. Making sure that everything is taken care of. Charles adores this protective side off his boyfriend. Him willing to build bridges with his bare hands for the people that he loves.

After Charles finally hands over the paperwork to the nurse one last time, Max gathers the suitcase that was still standing next to the bed. Charles glances around the room for one last time before they start to leave. Max stops him, putting a cap on his head and handing him his ray-ban sunglasses. “Let’s not give them the satisfaction of pictures” he says kissing his cheek. And Charles laughes a loud an throaty one. “So you give me your boobs cap?” And Max just rolls his eyes at him but laughing just as loud. “How many times do I need to tell you it’s a good cap” they are both smiling and like that they head out the door.

When they get down they can already quite some people crowding outside. “Fuck!” Max already murmurs under his breathe. “Lorenzo is waiting outside right?” Charles asks taking a breath as Max nods. “Yes I’ll text him to park his car as close at possible” and only minutes later they can see the car driving out front.
“Now or never?” Charles asks.
“Yes, let’s go” Max says as he places a protective hand on his boyfriends lower back who is making his way outside on his crutches. As the sliding doors open Max tries to shield him as best as he could with his own body as several people are calling for them. Luckily there aren’t any professional cameras as far as he can see. Thank god for the laws on paparazzi in Monaco once again.

He opens the door of the car for his boyfriend and helps him in before retrieving his crutches and putting it in the back aftertogether with the suitcase before taking place in the car next to Charles, taking his hand as he settles down. As they pass the barrier of the parking lot a group of people is standing outside. As they pass them Lorenzo points the couple to the signs the people are holding.
“Stay strong Charles and Max”
“Get well soon Charles!”
and all other signs like that. Obviously they can’t stop in the middle of the road but Charles is quick to snap a picture before Lorenzo’s turns on the main road.

———

Max had just let Lorenzo out the door after they stationed Charles on the couch surrounded by pillows and blankets and everything else he might need. It takes Max quite a while to return as he made a beeline for the kitchen after he returned inside.

He himself is looking at his phone while he waits. He was just watching the pictures he took earlier of the fans that stood outside of the hospital. Smiling and contemplating to post it in his story to show his gratitude and show any signs of life as their teams hadn’t put out any further statements about their well-being yet. As he hears noice from the hallway he sees as Max enters the room again and his phone is fast forgotten as he smiled at the sight in front of him.
Max is holding a tray with a small piece of cake with a little candle. Two champagne glasses filled and a rose to top it off.
“What is this?” Charles smiles as Max comes to sit next to him, resting the tray on his lap and smiling back at him.
“I wanted to celebrate our first night together in our house. Maybe it’s not as the way we plannend it before. And the champagne is Apple juice because you can’t have alcohol with those medications” he sighes. “But it is of course our first night in our home together so I did this”
Charles smiles leaning in “it’s perfect, I love it, thank you”. He smiles as he takes one of the glasses that Max hand him as they toast their drinks looking deeply into each other’s eyes and end up in a gentle kiss.
“I love you Max Verstappen”
“Charles Leclerc, I love you too”

⚠️
-mentioning of a beating
-mentioning of a panic attack, but nothing to graphic