An Archive of Our Own, a project of the
Organization for Transformative Works
32.5k, lestappen, movie star charles au, set in 2022.
Max is a race car driver. Charles is a movie star. They really shouldn't work, but they do.
charles just won an academy award for best leading actor. max just won a formula 1 world championship. meet-ugly to PR damage control to friends to lovers to PR damage control. charles is tifosi. max is trying to beat seb.
“Hi everyone. It’s Charles Leclerc.”
Max picks his cue cards up, and starts to recite, as stiffly as possible, “You might be wondering why we are here together.” Max’s eyes scan over the rest of the text. It’s all complete bullshit. He puts the cards down on the table. “Yeah. So marketing put us up to this after all the things Charles said in Australia. Damage control.”
Charles makes a noise, high-pitched and offended. “You are never letting that go, are you?”
Max’s face splits with a grin, ignoring the glares from the marketing team behind the cameras. “Nope.”
“I would not have said any of that if you weren’t so rude to me in the first place,” Charles argues, and Max just rolls his eyes. “You are actually quite nice.”
“You see that?” Max asks the camera, pointing over at Charles with his thumb. “He is a very good actor. He is pretending like he does not hate my guts.”
“Oh yes. It takes so much effort,” Charles drawls. “I should have won my Oscar for this!”
“I will miss you,” Max confesses quietly, not unafraid, but Charles has offered and shown so much of his heart to him that Max feels— Feels like— It might be okay. This might be okay to have.
Charles tucks his head into the crook of Max’s shoulder, kissing feather-light at his throat. “I’ll miss you too,” he replies. “But I will make sure that I don’t miss any of your races.”
“Yeah.” Charles pulls back so that Max can see him in all his beauty. A slow, bright smile spreads across his face. “Every Sunday, while you’re in the car,” he says, placing a hand over Max’s heart, “I want you to know that I am watching, and that I am cheering on Seb.”
Max splutters and shoves at his face. Charles giggles happily, dodging his hands.
“Dick,” he says, but he can’t stop smiling.
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