#BUT WHY IS HE SKIPPING RACES HE DIDN'T EVEN MAKE PODIUM IN THIS ONE???

[backmarkerr]

seb cropped out nico bc i reblogged nimi

[il-miele-che-scrive]

Sebastian vettle being a totalbsf to love to lovers type of situation with the reader who's a driver for another team

This took me shorter time than expected and I enjoyed writing it so much. In my head it takes places around the time where Sebastian was driving for Red bull, the fic is about 2k words long

The deafening roar of the crowd echoed in the air as Y/n crossed the finish line, her heart pounding in her ears. She couldn't believe it, she won. It was not only her first win, but also she managed to do it in her rookie year. When she stepped out of the car, her team rushed towards her, their faces expressing happiness and pride.

That was the moment Y/n had dreamed of ever since she stepped a foot on the track for the first time. Hell, it was something she had dreamt of ever since she was a little kid. People told her she would never make it that far. Well, these people could go to hell now. Y/n was so proud of herself, that day she proved something.

Sebastian watched Y/n's team celebrate her victory. Even if she was on a rival team, she was still a friend of his. That was something nobody knew. It was their mutual decision to keep the friendship to themselves, just in case someone decided to accuse Y/n of making a career in motorsport thanks to her friendship with Sebastian. She deserved that win, she fought hard for it. In the past Y/n had to make choices, had to sacrifice a few things, a few friendships, one relationship with a guy who, according to Sebastian, didn't deserve her. But it all led her to where she was now - the first place on the podium. And Sebastian has been with her through all of this, they sticked together, quietly supporting each other, carefully staying out of cameras' sight. Of course people would accuse them of dating if they ever discovered their friendship.

He was so proud of her. He couldn't take eyes off her. Once she took her helmet off and Sebastian could see her face lit up with pure joy, she looked even more beautiful than ever. Their eyes met across the busy pitlane. Gosh, she was gorgeous. Maybe it was the way she smiled at him, but Sebastian felt his face turn red. Was she always that beautiful?

Just minutes later Y/n found herself running towards Sebastian. They didn't have much time right before the podium ceremony and between interviews.

"I did it, I did it!" Y/n exclaimed, almost causing her friend to fall over when she crashed her body into his, closing him in a tight hug. "Seb, I won the race!"

"That's great, Y/n. I'm so proud!" He managed to say despite being quite shocked. What happened to keeping the friendship a secret?

Not going to lie, it didn't feel real. It certainly made Sebastian's heart skip a bit. Of course, he didn't let his confusion ruin Y/n's mood. He reciprocated the embrace, putting one of his hands on Y/n's back and the other on the back of her head. Damn it, her hair was so soft, even after spending so much time in that car with her hair trapped under the helmet, it didn't lose the softness.

What the hell was he even thinking about? Why was he thinking about it? And again - what happened to their agreement? They were probably already caught by some camera and Y/n didn't seem to care even a tiny bit.

"Y/n..."

"Yes, Seb?"

"We... weren't supposed to display our friendship."

Y/n slightly pulled back out of the hug. Her smile was a little smaller now, after Sebastian pointed that out.

"I just..." She tried to explain, her voice soft with uncertainity. "Do you think it matters now?"

"Well, you started that. You didn't want people to know about our friendship for the sake of your career and I agreed. Because I... care about you."

Y/n's breath got stuck in her throat, she stayed silent for a longer moment. He cared about her. Of course he did, they were friends, he cared about her the same way she cared about him. That's what friends do. They care about each other. But... the tone of his voice. There was something in the way he said these words. Almost as if they had a secret meaning.

"I know. I never doubted that." She said eventually, ignoring her thoughts. "Thank you for being here for me. Sorry you didn't make it to the podium today."

"That's okay," Sebastian smiled, "now go, they're waiting for you. We can talk about the privacy of our friendship later."

Y/n nodded and headed towards the podium. She smiled, waving at people. Somehow, Sebastian's words hung in her mind. He cared about her. His words carried an emotional depth. Y/n knew there was a second meaning, but she had to yet figure out what it was.

The cameras did catch them that day. The whole world saw Y/n running towards Sebastian. Hugging him. And him hugging her back. But that was alright. They decided that from now on their friendship wasn't going to be a secret anymore. They kept supporting each other through ups and downs, to victories and defeats, and it was way easier when people were aware of their friendship.

Friendship. Whoever was close to them could easily tell that word didn't describe the bond between them well. It evolved into something more than that. It was subtle at first, hidden in fleeting glances or lingering touches that sparked a warmth in their hearts. It were the little things. The way Sebastian's gaze lingered a second too long, the way Y/n's heart raced whenever he was near. That spoke volumes. As days turned into weeks and weeks into months, the truth began to reveal itself.

Y/n and Sebastian were falling for each other, slowly and inevitably, without even realizing it themselves. The love grew between them slowly all along, but the both of them brushed off any evidence the other one could feel something more. Maybe they unconsciously sabotaged what could happen if they confessed their feelings. So many things could go wrong. Their conversations were filled with banter and jokes, trying to mask the tension. It was as if they were dancing on the edge of a cliff. One wrong move and everything goes down, including them.

At some point, it became frustrating. It wasn't even like tiptoeing around their emotions. It was like walking on eggshells. Their friendship became suddenly so fragile. They were heading towards something they were trying to avoid so desperately.

Sebastian decided to put an end to this. He had enough, he didn't want to continue tiptoeing around their feelings, pretending that everything was normal when it clearly wasn't. They needed to have a conversation about this.

It was evening. Another race weekend had passed and on the next day they were heading out of the hotel. Just as Y/n changed to pajamas, ready to sleep, she heard knocking on her door.

She sighed to herself, nor expecting any guests. Being the nice person she is, she decided to see who might have had a need to see her. She didn't necessarily expect to see her best friend.

"Sebastian? It's a bit late."

"I know," he walked inside the room, not waiting for an invitation, "but I'm sick of it. I can't keep going like that."

"What are you talking about?"

The girl knew what he meant, but she tried to avoid the topic like she had been avoiding it for the past few months.

"You know what I'm talking about," Sebastian ran his hands through his hair, "we can't keep pretending. We need to talk about us, Y/n."

Y/n felt her heart speed up. It was about to start pounding as fast and hard as it did the day she won her first race a few months ago.

"Seb, no." She refused, knowing that this conversation had been a long time coming, but that didn't make it any easier to face.

She knew him. She knew Sebastian was the kind of person who always had to get what they wanted. And now he wanted to talk. He wanted to have a serious conversation with her and he was going to have it.

But despite her reluctance, Y/n knew that she couldn't keep avoiding the inevitable. They needed to address the tension between them, to lay everything out on the table and finally confront their feelings.

"Alright, Sebastian," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. "Let's talk."

Sebastian took a deep breath. He had never been one to shy away from speaking his mind, to assertively pursue what he wanted. So why did he feel so vulnerable in this moment?

"Okay, fuck it." He said that rather ti himself. "Y/n, I think I am in love with you."

The words hung heavy in the air, filling the hotel room with tension. With desire. The silence was deadly.

Y/n felt the same, of course she did. She didn't know how or when it happened, but she was in love with her best friend. She had no idea why no words left her mouth that time. It felt as if something was stuck in her throat, nit allowing Y/n to make a sound.

It was just so overwhelming for her to have Sebastian admit his feelings just like that. He laid his feelings in front of her and now the choice was hers, the next move depended on her.

She wanted to tell Sebastian that she felt the same, that she had been longing for this moment as much as he had.

"I..." Y/n paused, god knows what for, "Seb, we can't. We can't be together. You're my best friend."

Her heart ached at the weight of the words she spoke. For a moment she wished she hadn't said that. But she did and she couldn't take that back.

"The healthiest relationships start with friendships. Y/n, I am in love with you and don't even try to tell me you don't feel the same." His eyes bore into her. He wasn't the man to give up easily and he certainly wasn't going to give up on a chance with the woman he loved. And he knew she loved him too, even if she was scared to admit it. But he needed her to say it.

It was obvious. He felt it. In the way she spoke, in the way her behavior changed around him. The both of them felt something more than friendship and it was evident.

As Y/n met his gaze, she realized that he was right. Even if she was running away from that thought, even if she was hiding this from herself, he was right. She was in love with him.

In that moment, Y/n knew that she couldn't deny the truth any longer. She was in love with Sebastian, just as he was in love with her. And no matter how hard they tried to resist it, their hearts were bound together, beating in the same rhythm.

"I don't know what to say." She admitted.

"The truth." He said softly. "Or don't say anything. That's okay too." His voice was filled with some kind of warmth, so familiar to Y/n.

"I don't wanna lose you, Seb."

"You won't. Our friendship is the foundation, we'll never lose that. I'll make sure of that. You mean everything to me." His gaze never left her. He appreciated how vulnerable she was being right now.

Y/n knew in that moment that she could trust him with her heart, that he would always be there for her no matter what.

"You mean everything to me too. I... I love you too." As she spoke these words, it felt like a huge weight had been lifted off her chest. A sense of peace washed over her body.

Y/n closed her eyes, feeling the tears approaching the surface, and she felt her best friend closing her in an embrace. Surrounded by the warmth of Sebastian's such close presence, Y/n knew that their love was stronger than any fear or uncertainty.

Together, they would defeat any storm that came their way, bound together by a love that was undeniable and strong. And now they weren't going to hide it. Not anymore. They were proud of their feelings and they were going to let everyone know, celebrating victories together with romantic gestures on the podium, everybody was going to know Y/n and Sebastian were together. The whole world could be against them, but it didn't matter as long as they had each other.

[charliespringverse]

about 50% of my f1twt timeline is INSUFFERABLE today bc an unfortunate side effect of loving oscar is that so many of my mutuals love lando as well and i simply do not 🙏🏻

anyway racing ranty ramblespam under the cut bc i'm not about to force my Soft Gay YA Fiction mutuals to scroll past twelve paragraphs of bitter rage about motorsport lol

anyway FUCK lando throwins !!!!!!!!!

like i'm the first to admit that the primary fault lies with mclaren itself and not with either of the drivers bc once again the pit strategy was incomprehensible . fork found in kitchen .

but Way too many lando/481 stannies are just categorically refusing to admit that lando's absolutely stinking attitude didn't help anything . boohoo your team fucked up nobody's surprised Follow The Team Orders . oscar prioritises the team at every opportunity even when it doesn't suit him . he followed team orders at His Home Race despite the fact it would've made him the first ever aussie on the podium at australia . he abided by the orders for the overall benefit of the team because he's not a fucking arsehole

i keep seeing ppl post lando's radio messages acting like only one side of the conversation was at fault when?? every fucking one of those messages highlights him as a petulant fucking child who can't stand to not get his way . nobody has ever fucking told that man that he's anything but the best (he isn't) and it fuckin shows . ppl are straight up calling it manipulation/emotional abuse and i just???? yeah i can see why it's annoying that they were badgering him to resolve a problem They Caused but at the same time . if he'd just Done As Instructed when the first message came over it wouldn't have had to come down to them needling him and ascribing morality to his decision and referencing his role in the team?? it became "do the right thing, remember you need the team, remember you need oscar" because he was BEING SELF CENTRED

and i'm not being funny . if he'd given the place up As Planned with ~20 laps to go, and he genuinely was quicker/better than osc, they could've made that argument . if oscar went ahead and it led to lewis closing in on them both, they could've swapped back . if they'd extended the lead with no issues, maybe they could've raced ! had a fun little last lap battle ! which would've given either one of them the chance of the win in a way that ppl wouldn't have called unfair/gifted/whatever . the only person that Actually Benefitted from him extending that gap until two laps before the end was Himself

and idk . maybe i'm a conspiracy theorist . but his long-awaited first win was met with gifted win accusations (cough because it was a safety car win cough) and it's Certainly Interesting that he singlehandedly made sure that oscar's was as well lmao

anyway . it's not just the radio & on-track behaviour . it's chucking his P2 hat across the cooldown room floor . and making sly snappy retorts to lewis' compliment . and bringing back the champagne pop ppl have been missing before osc (his teammate, "friend", and FIRST TIME GP WINNER) got to pop his . and skipping over osc to go straight to spraying lewis Instead Of His First Time GP Winner Teammate And "Friend". and his body language in the press conference . making sure to point out in post-race press that it was Oh So Tough For Him To Give That Place (that wasn't his) Back, But He Just Had To Do The Right Thing, Just Had To Remember How Important The Team Is ❤️ after ignoring his engineer saying the exact same thing to him repeatedly . and the longstanding precedent for shit like this . egging on fans chanting his name during another driver's national anthem . the face like thunder after silverstone . his whining on the radio during qatar last year .

i just find him to be such an utterly insufferable human being whenever he's given even the slightest indication that he's not the centre of the universe for 5 minutes . he's perfectly charming when the sun's shining up his arse but he can't stand to be anything less than everybody's top priority

anyway . the points today put osc within 5 points of p4 and 13 points of p3 . they put lando within 76 points of p1 . with this specific 1-2, oscar could theoretically jump two places (or fairly easily jump one) in the standings before the summer break, meanwhile even if he'd won today lando would still need three wins & multiple max dnf's to even Try and take p1 any time soon . which, considering he's allergic to race wins (0.85% start -> win ratio vs osc's now 2.85%) seems fairly fuckin unlikely lol

like yeah today was a fuckin MESS from mclaren's side and i absolutely refuse to grant them any grace here bc any fucker with half a brain and a single speck of racing knowledge could've told them that pitting in that order was idiotic . but at the same time their god awful strategy could've and Should've been cushioned by their drivers' responses & attitudes . and One of the mctwinks is a reasonable, level headed team player who is capable of putting the team above himself without acting as a doormat . One of the mctwinks has a championship mentality beyond "wahhh i deserve it because i want it" .

and with that, i will be shutting the fuck up 🙏🏻 because it is nearly 6am and i have to be out of the house in less than 5 hours .

big up oscar jack piastri, first gp winner born in the 21st century, hungaroring T1 demon, polite cat, future wdc 🫶🏻🫶🏻 i can't wait to watch him win more races in future that WON'T be tainted by the actions of his inept team & shitheel teammate 😌

[livetogether--diealone]

[Hei pspspsps anon do you remember that chalex fic you asked me about and instead i gave you some other chalex stuff, well i actually got that one fic i was working on right here, okay like i've had this for a while but I wanted to post it here with a little art i thought anout doing but never got around to do it, maybe someday, but mh here it goes nothing. And let's go all the way back to Silverstone22 my behated race]

- made you laugh

He left the circuit as soon as possible, did his media part, team debrief and then bolted, no reason to wait around. He asked Andrea to drive to the hotel, it was a very quiet drive, he let his trainer chat just about anything but the race, discussing that was no use. Not that there was much to discuss about, another sure podium thrown into the garbage, for him . He should have been happy, the team got the podium Mattia wanted, who managed to make that clear enough, a win even, and he was left with 4th place, they were going home with 37 points. More than redbull, that should have cheered him up, he could still do it, they could still make it. Yet he wasn’t happy, wasn’t much about Carlos winning, that he could stomach, but the how oh the how he was left dealing with the rest of the pack on such used tyres against Lewis, against Checo, alone after having to deal and argue on the radio for the whole race for a shot to such an easy 1-2, it just-

Charles needed to get out of his head, or he would go mad. He didn’t dwell on lost opportunities, mistakes, errors. And he really couldn’t beat himself up for this one race, so he had to let go, because he knew in some way this was starting to become a pattern. So he started going through his phone: various texts from his brothers, friends, a missed call from mom; got it the phone was a no go. For a moment he toyed with the idea of changing his flight to tonight but no luck there either. At least listening to Andrea arguing in italian with english drivers was entertaining, making being stuck in traffic with no escape from his mind bearable. Eventually they got to the hotel when the sun was about to set.

Going up the step to the lobby Andrea handed him his card “You’re gonna be okay Charles?”

“Pretty banged up, I just need some rest, fly’s pretty early anyway” he mumbled, fumbling with all the stuff he was trying to carry, some gift from fans, signed caps to hand out while driving away from the paddock, shit he left in such a hurry bargaining his Ferrari for an unmarked car that he didn’t stop for fans on the way out. He was really miserable then; Charles slipped his hotel keys in his back pocket and exchanged goodnight with Andrea.

“Charles! Hei! Oh Charlie, finally”

He turned around with already with Alex’s name on his lips, he could have never mistaken that voice and the way Alex said his name, always like he had found what he was looking for at last, always like he could finally breath again. And that was actually what Alex looked like in that moment, a little dishevelled, out of breath. Did he run here from the circuit? Charles closed the steps between them immediately. “Alex... what? Why are you here? Are you okay?”. He shouldn’t be here, he had crashed, rather crushed between two cars, he needed rest.

“Perfectly alright, well maybe I collected a speed ticket, and I might have done a rally to get here, but I needed to check in on you” Alex was crouching down, hands on his knees, but his eyes were bright as ever.

Charles’ heart skipped a beat, here he was again marvelling at Alex’s kindness, he had to take a step back or he might have leaped right to him. He curled his hands in a fist, damn it, for a second time that day he was too deep in his thoughts and anger that he blindly forgot about the rest, about his friend, someone he loved cared for so much, who got injured and he didn't even think about him. Charles wanted this championship, he never wanted something this badly, and if he was really honest with himself, he was letting it take control a little too much when it came to the failures, more than he thought it was needed.

He opened his mouth to speak but nothing came. “Alex, I-” Charles looked at the other with so much guilt on his part, maybe he was that stupid. What he was gonna say anyway? That he was sorry? That he felt his dream slipping away? That he never hated more his team than right now? That he felt so lost and alone that maybe this was the last straw that made him crawl so far back in himself than he couldn’t perceive anything else? Christ Alex was had a scary crash, but he came here for him , and he wasn’t, didn’t want to be so broken that he couldn’t care. “I’m an idiot, Alexander. I am a total idiot and not a good friend, at all”.

And Alex did understand. Silently he reached out to touch Charles’ arm, searching for a confirmation in his eyes, once it was a go, he pulled Charles in an embrace. “Your bruised ego right now feels more important to me. Fuck Seb, I am not a Ferrari fan”. And Charles felt so small in that moment.

He grabbed Alex by his shoulders, and let go as Alex winced. “No, I think we’re both stupid. Alex please tell me you didn’t run away from the medical centre for this”.

“Nah, I got cleared, don’t worry too much silly” and he puffed up just for show. “But as I was saying, I’m here to make you feel better” Alex’s eyes shifted from soft to cheeky and Charles’ brain freezed, he swallowed loudly. “Come I’ve got something in mind”

Charles had no idea of what was coming for him when he got hauled in the back seat of a car driven by Alex’s trainer Patrick, who also looked like was oblivious to this whole situation. The journey stopped at Alex’s family home, where he was greeted by an array of animals as well as people. And it was loud, so different from his own; while both came from rather bigger families Charles’ home was quieter. But he didn’t mind this, it felt nice having all his senses attacked so any race memory could be finally locked away, for now, hopefully for good. Alex waddled through the sea of everyone wanting his attention and careful to step over a very large unbothered cat “That’s Horsey, this is his kingdom”, he dragged Charles by his wrist that quickly became his hand upstairs, shoved him in room while shouting at the little heads that popped from the railings “Cousin Charles and I are tired, keep it quiet would you?”.

“Sorry for the mess” Alex was leaning against the door he just closed, he was now almost whispering and when Charles looked at him more confused than ever he directed his eyes to the rest of the room and Charles understood was all the fuss was about, four little dirty-ice coloured kittens were sleeping on a bed, all piled up and curled on eachothers. He took a step towards them looking back at Alex and mouthing they are so cute, he gently sat on the bed, one of the kittens noticed him and wobbling on the cover he tumbled next to Charles’ extended hand. And in less than half a second he was being swarmed by all of them.

Alex watched the scene quite amused, he could not make up Charles’ giggles from the kitties’ now very loud meowing. The other felt his gaze on him, it was not as weary as it was during the car ride, when Alex could not stop looking back at him, just to make sure he didn’t open the cardoor and let himself fall, reason number one he heard the distinctive lock sound. And to tell the honest truth, he was so so glad Alex came to take him away from a very long night of drowning himself into the old habit of self-inflicted flagellation. Charles went deep into his mind again and was startled when Alex spoke, his voice now very close, “I always knew you were part cat, you fit right in” and he got another giggle out of Charles - something he never once failed to do – and then more of a whisper “Where did you go again Charlie?”

Charles turned around to look at the other, they were now both laying on the bed, from opposite site. He took a deep breath but didn’t speak yet. He fully laid on his back, mindlessly petting the kittens still. He felt Alex doing the same, the weight of his body making Charles shift towards him. “I feel very alone” he breathed at last, voice cracking. He added “In the team, Alex” because he knew a friendly reprimand was coming when Alex turned to face him and propped his head on his bent arm. “Because they left me alone today, and Mattia... He, I don’t know made me feel guilty I complained about the missed stop?” he paused once more. The anger was still too fresh, still burned brightly, piled up with all these opportunities to win, to score more points, gifted to other people, other drivers, other teams. It wasn’t so unbearable to make him lose faith in his team, that meant losing faith in driving all together, but mistrust in some areas was starting to build up, and it was so painful, because Charles would still do everything for his team, being in Ferrari was the only thing he knew and he didn’t want it any other way. It was more of curse. And very tiring. That, he felt this wave of fatigue suddenly over him. “I lost it, I know I did” he whispered, not even sure if loud enough to be heard, unconsciously out of fear of it being true. He brought his hands to cover his face, emotions running high and overwhelming.

Alex reached out, gently, he touched his forearms, and then he peeled his hands from his face; if Charles had managed to hold back the tears until then he now didn’t feel that strong. “Mathematically it’s not done yet. Oh, don’t give me that look, I can count” and he made Charles laugh. Again.

“Have you seen my team Alex?”

“Unbelievably red? Prone to mistake a pie for a tyre? Yeah, I think I did, once or twice”

“Oh yes, yes, we are that stupid” he sniffled back. And went back to the little cats, a couple of them had started to lick his face. He took one and placed it on his chest, scooting more next to Alex, heads aligned, he could almost rest on his shoulder if he wanted, if he could master such courage.

The conversation fell into a peaceful lull, Charles’ mind was starting to drift away from what had happened, from the buried deep fear of his misplaced trust in his team. The last few hours were coming finally into focus, Alex was coming into focus, where he’d always been, there for him. There to take him away from the lows in his racing career from karting times till now, years later. There to make him laugh like no other could, folded in half tears pooling at the corners his eyes. The only one bothered to follow Charles’ made-up golf rules, calling him from Thailand when the kids from the orphanage dyed Alex’s hair red like your car Charlie, running to hug him right after Charles’ final race in f2 even if you literally crashed into me when I was about to win and my racing career may be ending today, I’m gonna miss racing with you so much, holding up an umbrella for him in Imola because he forgot one and following him around the paddock, showing up late at night at his apartment with a terribly cooked pasta al pesto after his Monaco GP.

And Alex will have kept showing up.

Under the podium in Austria, grabbing him in parc ferme helmet still on screaming how proud he was.

Two days after the French gp, basically kidnapping Charles for the whole day just to get him out of the house.

The same week sitting on the tarmac in Hungary, planning for a last-minute summer road-trip.

At Monza on the phone after Charles’ second place “I have to go to the podium, Alex, no turn the tv off you need rest, you had a respiratory failure”.

In Singapore cheering him between the Ferrari mechanics, after Alex’s retirement.

At Suzuka in an hotel room, huddle together in the dark when Charles’ nightmares got too real.

In Abu Dhabi, at the very end walking out of the paddock together.

And he decided he might live in this moment forever, just the two of them, pressed together, a little awkward with Alex half hanging out of the bed with his long legs, taking horribly pictures of him, Charles needing to put his own legs on the headboard to avoid falling on the floor; but it worked.

Alex had never bothered to turn on the lights, so he hissed when one of his sisters opened the door to check-up on the two drivers. He gestured to go get lost, “he’s sleeping” he hushed, taking a quick look at Charles, now a welcoming weight on his shoulder. “And he drools too” Alex added, voice suddenly softer.

“Tu sbavi” the reply came in only what Alex could identify as Italian, he scoffed at it, Charles shuffled closer. “Thank you, Alexander” his voice was still thick with sleep, his lips caressing the skin between Alex’s shoulder and neck. “I think...”

Alex held his breath, his mind going a little numb.

“I think that I love you very much Alex” he mumbled in the end, nestling himself in the crook of Alex’s neck.

He couldn’t resist kissing Charles’ mole on his jawline. “I think I love you too Charlie”

[alianoralacanta]

Part 2/3 (the parameters in which the statement had to work)

Going into the post-race of Canada 2024, Charles' options were effectively limited thus: - talking to the press is obligatory unless injured (so skipping was not an option) - he knew that silence or near-silence would be interpreted as uncontrolled fury and mental weakness, so that wasn't an option - Charles was too angry for pretending to be otherwise an option. He's declined an autocue in a moment earlier this year when he was less angry, so following the Ferrari "party line" come what may was not an option either. - Charles might not have seen the visible damage to his front wing, but he would have felt it. Pretending he didn't was not an option. (He also didn't have any plausible proximate alternate causes to cite for potentially causing the issue). - He knew he'd had his race impaired by Carlos' driving (whether Ferrari could tease that out of the data or not - the noise of a race does not lend itself to teasing out the 0.015 seconds a lap time loss, or significant contribution to one of the 10 "moments" cited by Fred needed to account for losing P4 given the loss of 1 second during the collision), so saying there hadn't been any effect wasn't an option - Carlos' tactics had backfired on Carlos, so he couldn't defend Carlos' driving by saying Carlos gained from it - They also, as far as Charles could ascertain, lost Ferrari a podium* without any gain elsewhere, so it couldn't be justified as a team-promoting decision. * - I'm not sure if a podium was lost. I am certain P4, at least, was lost to Carlos' behaviour. Which again precluded justification on team-protecting grounds. - Carlos had visibly not responded well to whatever it was Charles said in parc fermé, so trying a China-style "we had a difference of opinion and smoothed it over" was not going to work. - Ferrari had told both drivers to manage their tyres pre-race, for the very reasons Carlos revealed during its course, so putting it down to hard racing (even hard racing gone wrong) wasn't available as an option. As you can see, Charles was rather short of options on how to defend Carlos - and quite a bit of reason to not even try. Which makes it surprising and impressive that he did. Charles suggested that Carlos might have done what he did to try and achieve something spectacular or impressive (depending which interview you follow - Charles often rewords things a number of times in interviews across the same session, possibly in an effort not to be bored repeating himself). This, at least, suggests Carlos is a driver who cares about the crowds (especially his home crowd) being happy, and hopefully boosting his driving career that way. This turns the "cardinal sin that would have been a complete time-waster even if it had been done cleanly" into "interesting idea, bad execution". Bonus: all the statistics in the world cannot disprove the hypothesis, because spectacular and impressive feats don't rely on statistics, but heart. To illustrate how difficult Carlos' behaviour was to defend, Carlos' own attempt involved him saying Charles was over-managing his tyres. Despite the "over-management" turning out to be the correct amount of management to enable optimal tyre strategy for the Ferrari's race. Carlos even suggested tyre management as Charles was doing it could have been a mistake, despite being told about this very thing needing to be done pre-race by Ferrari. Carlos managed to present himself as oblivious, bad at multiple aspects of race execution and unable to accept certain forms of assistance when offered. You can probably see why I prefer Charles' version of events - it's kinder to Carlos. And remember that Charles pulled this off despite being absolutely livid! A number of Sainz's fans appear to have expected Charles to lie. Staying silent and pretending nothing is wrong is apparently a mark of respect for these people. There are two problems with this theory, one easy to explain and the other more complicated.

Hi! So I am a newer fan and I know you've been a Charles fan for so long, was it really unusual for him to be this outspoken about Ferrari and his true feelings after the races? Because the way some people responded to his statement you would think he flipped the middle finger to Sainz and his entire family.

I also know he has this reputation to be more PR-oriented than Sainz. I think it was China where Charles said he and Carlos had talked and everything was fine in response to a journalist, and Carlos had said the complete opposite, that they hadn't talked at all.

Judging from my activity panel, a few other people have had similar questions…

Charles sometimes gets outspoken out of anger after races. It's not common, but also within character for him. For people who've followed Charles long enough, he tends to "leak" the emotions he's feeling no matter how hard he tries to hide them, to the point where even I, who in most circumstances is pretty bad at interpreting body language, can reliably do so. Usually he keeps an impressive amount of verbal control while still making it obvious what he feels. Sometimes, though, this does not happen. Before Spain 2024, the target of the outspokenness was always one of two people: himself, and whoever his team boss happened to be at the time. The outbursts against himself became notorious, especially Baku 2019 and Turkey 2020. If you hear about journalists talking about Charles being self-deprecating or looking to improve his own performance before looking to others, that reputation got founded on him being vocally harsh towards his own mistakes on the radio and in subsequent interviews on several occasions. To the point where a lot of Charles' fans outright fear the "Leclerc radio" message appearing following a mistake. He's got better at keeping things in proportion now, but knowing how harsh he can be helps with understanding what happens when others raise his ire. There are two occasions where he had significant outbursts like this towards a boss: Singapore 2019 and Silverstone 2022. On the first of these, Charles thought he'd got a third win in a row in the bag. However, Sebastian Vettel made an early stop in order to protect his ability to fight for a podium spot (something Charles wasn't offered since Ferrari had no especial reason to believe his win was under threat in that direction) - and it was so effective Sebastian ended up leading, and winning, the race. it soon emerged that Charles did not have a valid complaint to make, but he was so angry that he complained anyway. (Charles ended up apologising later that week, after his error was explained to him). This, I think, is what some of Carlos' fans think Charles was doing on Sunday but wasn't. They think Charles complained without cause, took the shine off what was otherwise a special occasion for them (Carlos' last Ferrari race in Spain until further notice) - and thus they think Charles owes them an apology. However, Charles has always been careful to leave a certain amount of ambiguity in his post-race verbal conduct towards team-mates, even when he's upset with them. He's sometimes had to assert boundaries with Carlos in the past when Carlos has overstepped a boundary, and sometimes queried something Sebastian did, but always with an eye to keeping channels of communication open. A "we'll talk about this" or "I need to see the data" can change a blunt criticism into a perspective that could potentially require other perspectives to understand the full truth. The latter tends to be more palatable to observers and thus PR people, even if both allow Charles' true opinions to be voiced.

[watchoutforthefanfics]

Teen Romance Logicality // Part 10

Taglist: @loveyatothemoonandback @datoneidiot @doepuffsss @katie-the-noble-fangirl @awkwardcat @sanders-sides-love-astronomy @lallyphant @procrastinatingnerd @i-need-you-buddy

Parts One, Two, Three, Four, Five, Six, Seven, Eight, and Nine.

Ahhh I can't believe this is it!!

(Other than a few planned things. *cough* Prinxiety and maybe future stuff *cough*)

Enjoy my teen boys one last time...maybe. (This is the end of this series but not this universe.)

Thank you for reading this series!!

~ ~ ~

Logan couldn't believe it, today was his last day as a highschooler. This was the last time he'd roam those halls with his best friend, last time he'd prove his History teacher wrong, last time he'd sneak a call to Patton in the bathrooms...

Logan was hardly ready, as he stared at his suit laid completely in the center of his perfectly-made bed, and remembered every single thing that he could.

Maybe it was so he wouldn't have to face it, or maybe it was so he didn't forget it on his journey of life.

So he didn't forget all that had brought him here, Logan's eyes steadied on the pride flag stretched just above his bed and felt apart of him just... sigh.

There was a point in his life that he was afraid of that, afraid of who he was and how it would affect his life. Yet, he sat here; his identity flaunted and more in love than he could ever even imagine.

His heart skipped a beat, as his eyes fogged up without a beat of hesitation.

He used to be so afraid of feelings of so much vulnerability and heartbreak, that he tore his heart away from anything it had latched onto. Except, one.

Except Patton.

Logan's heart swelled, as he smiled a wide broad smile, just thinking about him. About everything Patton had been there for, helped him with, and just how much he had learned from him.

Logan didn't even know how much he didn't know until he met Patton, and began to love him on a level he never even knew he was capable of.

Sure, they were teenagers but Logan felt like he had known him for three decades, and couldn't imagine living without him.

To be fair though, Patton hadn't been the only one to shape him.

His eyes shifted to a Pride picture sat just by his bedside, with Roman in a rainbow crown and himself with a flag draped across the back of his shoulders.

Roman had done so much for him, and although he was incredibly annoying, he was heaven-sent.

Roman had been there for an stubborn, arrogant boy when he was at his worst, and helped him accept himself despite never wanting to.

He, oddly, owed his life to Roman. And hoped whoever he ended up with would be worth such an egotistical but loyal prince, otherwise, Logan would destroy them.

Logan didn't wipe away the tears when they sunk down his cheeks, as he picked up the picture frames just by his bed: one of a familiar boy with a bunny and one of Roman giving him a "makeover" when they were younger.

He could feel the tears well up in his eyes, quietly and considerately, and for one of the first times Logan felt in his life, they deserved to fall.

Everything was about to change, Logan found his eyes falling on the robe and cap hanging up on his closet wall, and he couldn't stop it.

With a sigh, he stood and tried to focus, as well as wiped away his blood-red eyes. Remembering distantly Roman's advice with a small smile, "You're a god, teach; all you've gotta learn is how to care for yourself."

A chuckle and his door was opening, his Mom was grinning with teary eyes that Logan had expected, but hadn't had the guts to imagine.

He now knew why.

Her hair was neat --contrary to her usually messy, tossed look--, and her eyes were gleaming with a sense of sadness and... pride.

Logan swallowed that sob that wished to echo out of his mouth, because she was proud of him and that's truly all he had ever wanted.

"I-" his Mom began with a guilty tone, but her eyes stayed locked on her son.

"Mom-" Logan spoke, words tumbling, "-you don't have t-"

His Mom shook her head, a smile that gleamed under the swift glance of teary eyes, "Oh, but I want too."

"Logan," she shook her head, running a gentle hand down her face, "-I know, I know I don't say it enough. But I love you, and I'm so, so proud of you. For everything, okay? You should know that, I should've told you that mor-"

"Mom-" Logan hummed, wrapping her in a hug that filled a hole in his heart, "-it's okay. You said it now, and that's all that matters. I know."

His Mom wrapped her smaller frame around him, she was gentle but he knew this had meant the world to her. He could tell in the way her grip tightened on him for a split second, like she was holding him as tight as she could, just in case she couldn't again.

"You," she spoke into the air behind him, "You should be whatever you want, Logan. You always should have that choice. I... I never meant to take it from you."

Logan spoke, for what felt like the 10th time that day, "Mom-"

"No," his Mom smiled, pulling back and holding his hands in a quiet moment, "-no, you- You should go with Patton. He makes you happy, I can tell. You deserve to be happy, Logan Alexander."

Logan was quiet, unable to say what exactly he had felt in that moment. It was a complicated slosh of feelings that he didn't exactly know how to... communicate, and found that the silence spoke a lot more than he could say outloud.

"You have to promise me that you'll be happy."

"I-" Logan choked back a sob, tears rolling quietly down his cheeks, "I promise Mom, Patton makes me really happy. He couldn't hurt anything that was relatively harmless."

His Mom smirked, pinching his cheek, "Oh, Logan. I'm so proud of who you've become, Patton is one lucky, lucky boy."

Logan sniffled, "Thank you, I- I don't know what to say."

"Hmm, maybe. This is just a thought-" his Mom rambled with a teasing tone, "-'Mom, I'll invite you to the wedding?'"

Logan rolled his eyes, wiping off his clouded glasses, "You had to ruin it, Mom? Really?"

She smiled, "Anything to get you to stop crying, Logan. Now, looks like you've got a suit to put on, no?"

He grinned, his heart lifted and so full that Logan was honestly surprised he wasn't levitating at how much he felt like it.

This day truly couldn't get any better.

◇◇◇

Logan's knee was bouncing, he sat just behind a girl named... Stephanie? He thought so anyway, she was confident and incredibly nice.

He would... never see her again.

He'd never seen a lot of people again, that was apart of this moment. His hands were clammy with a stack of index cards practically being squeezed to death in his right hand; of course, he was valedictorian.

Who else would be?

So, he had a speech prepped and ready to launch when he was called upon. He was scared, but a good kind of scared (he cursed himself for a vocabulary change), and he couldn't not say he wasn't practically dancing on his toes at the fact that he would Patton would physically be in his presence soon.

He didn't need to think about that right now, he had to focus-

"-our valedictorian, Logan Reilly!"

Logan's eyes went wide, just for a second as he swallowed down the fear and stood with as straight as his posture would allow.

He cleared his throat, his cards set just onto the podium in front of him; as he quietly wrung out his hands an effective way to calm his stuttering nerves.

"I'd like- I'd like to say that this will be easy-" Logan spoke, careful and pristine with every ounce of confidence in his tone, "-but I'm sure, we all know it won't be. And you all know, I don't like liars-"

A falsehood echoed somewhere in the crowd, a memory of something that had defined him in this school. It was... nice.

"So," Logan chuckled, "-I think we can all agree that it's hard, it is difficult to say goodbye to this. To these walls and these teachers that we are so ever familiar with."

"Even if it wasn't pleasant," Logan added, "-it's hard to deal with change. To label this chapter of our stories with 'The End', and to comprehend the next steps in our lives. Because afterall, we're just human."

"Today, however-" Logan transitioned, "-I don't propose an end to you, nor do I propose a clichéd entirely new beginning. I say just keep going, this is just a new layer of your life. Things will change, of course, it is inevitable. But it will only truly affect you, if you allow it do so."

Logan paused, beginning steadily, "This is your life, and whether you want to be a doctor, lawyer, or a professional heartbreaker --it is of no importance--, because you control it. You live how you want to. What would I recommend?"

"Well," Logan tapped his chin, "-take those who you love-"

His eyes searched for his Mom within the crowd, finding her bright smile in a sea of faces; she sat just beside a familiar fa-

Logan froze, squinting for a second, as his heart halted in his chest; warm curls, round glasses and the shiniest blue eyes he had ever seen.

Holy-

For a second, Logan forgot how to breath and where he was because the love of his life was in the crowd-

He cleared his throat, trying to regain himself and cage his ever bursting heart in his ribcage, plus restrain himself from running from the stage at that exact second.

He wasn't even graduated yet, that was too improbab-

"T-Take," Logan began again, "-Take those who you love and choose your journey, choose where you wish to go. It's truly your decision whether or not this is an ending, or just another step up the staircase of life. Thank you for the memories, I'm glad I graduated with you all."

There was a roaring applause that Logan felt a surge of pride for, but all he could think about was the fact that he had actually seen Patton with his actual two eyes.

He was real, he was here.

He was breathing the same air as him; he was so close to him, closer than he's ever been. Logan could touch him, potentially.

With a racing heart, Logan made his way back to his seat with a bouncing leg but this time for a different reason, that Logan believed was immensely better.

Getting his diploma felt unreal, he was lined up meticulously and he had seen this through a metaphorical lens, he could've sworn that it wasn't real.

That he was enraptured in a fantasy world, but he had to remind himself he wasn't Roman. Everything was real, he was... graduating.

"With the highest honors, Logan Reilly."

Accepting his diploma with a brief handshake and bright smile, Logan swore he couldn't feel more unreal.

This was a new page in a book he was... excited to read.

◇◇◇

The rest of the graduation ceremony was quick, all Logan could think about was who was up in the stands. Who he had loved but never even seen with his true bare eyes.

But, he controlled himself. He stayed on the bottom floor because that was what his Mom had planned earlier, and Logan wasn't one to break plans. So he sat there, practically bouncing as his eyes flashed to the bleachers and back to the crowd, anything to tip him off would make him start sprinting at this point.

"Hey-" Roman spoke, causing Logan to jump and almost fall over himself, "-Nerd Alert, you look a little, dare I say it, distracted? Everything... alright?"

Logan paused, looking at his best friend, "Yes, yes. Roman, I'm perfectly fine. It seems there is an extra visitor, that I have come unprep-"

Roman burst, "Patton's here! HOLY SH-"

"Woah, Roman-" Logan laughed lightly, "-we are still on school grounds."

"True, true," Roman hummed, he was visibly bouncing, up and down and up and down.

Logan was practically frantic, as he rambled, "I'm actually remarkably nervous, which is quite unusual. I just, I want him to like me, you know?"

"Oh Logan," Roman stood on his tippy toes to see over heads, "-Patton loves you, nothing is ever going to change that."

Logan glanced at Roman, his gaze sweeping slowly back to the crowd, "I know, it's an odd fee-"

Logan's words halted on his lips, his eyes locking with a head of such fluffy curls and the brightest pair of eyes he'd ever seen.

And suddenly he was broken, his eyes locking on him like he couldn't move, like he barely even registered that there he was: Patton was right there.

Logan could scream.

Patton wasn't looking at him though, he was leading his purple-haired friend --who he assumed was Virgil-- through the hectic crowd, with a caring and gentle touch.

Logan truly didn't know how to react, should he start running? Should he call out to him? Make noise? What was the proper way to make him see m-

Virgil's dark brown eyes widened as they landed on him, a grin bashfully making it onto his lips and Logan could see him sputter to Patton. He could see the struggle of trying to explain it, until the surprisingly tall anxious boy just groaned and pointed behind him.

Logan lost it, when Patton slowly turned around and for the first time, Patton's light blue wonders of eyes locked onto his. His heart skipping in his chest, before Logan could even blink Patton had dropped Virgil's wrist with a quick thump, and began running through the crowd to him.

Logan's heart was racing in his ears, as he grinned as bright as a beam of light, and made his way to him through the crowds too.

Step, keep moving, he had to keep reminding himself, ignoring the feeling that was quite vividly tearing his stomach out. He just had to focus on Patton's curls, curls that Logan could feel with his fingertips-

And then, the two found a clear pathway, a section open for just the two of them like a runway for a plane. Before Logan could move an inch though, Patton was already sprinting toward him.

And he was oddly fast, very very fast.

So Logan found himself waiting, until Patton crashed directly into his arms and Logan caught him and spun him around to disperse the force. (Totally not for dramatic effect.)

He was touching Patton, Patton was literally right in front of him and he could feel him breath and his chest move with his laugh.

Logan pulled him close to his chest with a single movement, as Patton dug his head into his neck and wrapped his legs just around Logan's torso.

It felt so right, as he breathed in his distant scent of strawberries, felt his curls against his face.

God, he was real.

He was so real, and warm and lovely. How was this happening? Was it all a dream? It had to be a dream right? It has to b-

Patton pulled back, interrupting his thoughts, and Logan was so close he could see the lightest bit of freckles scattered along his cheeks. He was remarkably beautiful.

Just until Logan noticed that he was crying, tears were slowly making their way down his cheeks and Logan immediately panicked.

He put him down, crouching slightly to match his height, and it was then he realized he could touch him, there was no screen.

Logan's thumbs were quick, wiping away the flood pouring from his eyes, with a concerned tone, "Love, what's wrong? Is everything alright? Are you okay? Did you get hu-"

Patton sniffled, which was possibly the cutest thing Logan had ever seen, "I'm just-"

Logan held onto the edge of his words, ready to fight literally anyone in a moment's notice; which was unusual behavior but his boyfriend had been way cuter in person than over the phone which is so incredibly impossible, but-

"I'm just-" Patton spoke, a gleam in his eye and the warmest smile that sent "butterflies" straight to Logan's stomach, "I'm just really happy."

Logan faltered, a sloppy smile slipping it's way onto his lips without hesitation, "Oh, Patton. I love you so much, I'm not sure I can handle it."

Patton's face brightened so much, Logan wouldn't mind saying those words for the rest of his life; his smile was entirely too infectious and Logan could hardly breathe from the love that bloomed deep in his chest.

Oh god, he loved him. He loved him so much he could scream it off the rooftops --which was highly dangerous and improbable--, he'd yell it across the world if he had too.

Patton grinned, placing a hand on Logan's face with just the lightest hesitation, "I... I love you too. I just... I can't believe you're here, with me. You're real. You're... you're Logan."

Logan leaned into his hand, absorbing the warmth flowing through his skin without a shred of rejection or even thought at this point. He was running on adrenaline, adrenaline and love.

Patton was quiet, just for a second and Logan could feel his whole world freeze with him.

"I..." Patton hummed, inching closer to Logan with every step, "May I kis-"

Logan surged forward, because god he had been waiting to do that for so long. He had imagined it many a times before, what it felt like to kiss Patton and he hadn't imagined anything less than absolute bliss.

And he was so, so right.

It was slow and warm and sweet, filled with years of wanting to do so, but never doing so. Logan couldn't imagine anything more perfect, as he pulled Patton to him by the waist and wished on every star in the sky that this was real, and that Patton would stay here, with him, forever.

When they pulled away, it was for a breath and not much else. Just until, Patton's eyes began to sparkle and Logan didn't think he could ever see anything more beautiful.

"I..." Logan didn't know what to say, he was speechless at this beautiful boy in front of him.

Patton shook his head, placing a finger on his lips with a cheesy smile, "My turn to talk, Lo-Lo."

Logan rolled his eyes, with a shine of admiration in his eyes and love in his heart.

"You are-" Patton spoke inbetween kisses scatter among Logan's face and he was melting, "-amazing," kiss to the cheek, "-smart," kiss to the other cheek, "-handsome," kiss to the forehead, "-my entire world, and-" kiss to the nose.

Patton grabbed his tie and pulled him down, looking straight at his lips, "-I'm never going to let you go again."

Logan squeaked, and Patton met their lips again, confident and happy and Logan couldn't ask for anything better.

fin~