𝑳𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 - 𝐂𝐋𝟏𝟔
Charles Leclerc x childhood best friend reader Word Count: 1284 Summary: Charles has known you since you were kids, which means he’s spent years watching you steal his food, make him laugh, and somehow remain his favourite person, Somewhere along the way, though, his feelings for his best friend changed. Genre: Romance, Friends to Lovers, Childhood Friends, Fluff, Slow Burn, Best Friends to Lovers
𝑴𝒂𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒍𝒊𝒔𝒕
The first thing Charles noticed was that you still stole his food, all these years later, and not in a subtle way, either.
His plate had three fries left.
He glanced at his phone after a text notification.
Then there were two while you were suddenly chewing very innocently.
He narrowed his eyes. “You just took that, I saw you.” You gasped. "I have no idea what you're talking about."
"You absolutely do."
"I think you're imagining things."
He looked at you, then at the plate, then back at you, while you were very obviously trying not to smile.
He sighed. “You've been doing this since we were eight.” And that’s what finally broke you.
A laugh escaped your lips as you leaned back in the chair. “Maybe next time, stop leaving your food unattended.”
“It was attended to.”
"You were looking at your phone."
"That doesn't count."
"It does in my world."
He just shook his head.
Some things never changed, which was probably why being around you felt so easy.
Because no matter how much time had passed, or how busy life had become, even how many races, hotels, flights, interviews or months apart there were, the second he was back in Monaco with you, it felt like nothing had changed at all.
It made him feel sixteen again, like the times you two would sit on the harbour wall, sharing chips and arguing about absolutely nothing.
The only problem was that things were changing, for him at least.
Because somewhere between childhood and now, he had made the catastrophic mistake of falling in love with his best friend.
It was something which happened gradually, which somehow made it feel worse.
He couldn't pinpoint a particular moment.
There was no dramatic realisation or sudden light bulb moment.
Just a hundred tiny things.
Like the way you always remember everyone's birthdays, or how you still send him pictures of every dog you see, or the way you squeezed his hand when you got excited and the way your face lit up whenever you laughed.
It was all stupidly adorable to him, and he spent the best part of a year pretending that wasn't a problem.
A strategy that had worked terribly, mind you.
“You know, you're staring at her, all love struck again.” he nearly dropped his drink as Arthur slid into the seat beside him, looking entirely too amused.
“I wasn't.”
“You were.”
“I wasn't.”
Arthur nodded thoughtfully. “Interesting.”
He immediately knew he was about to suffer. “What?”
“Nothing.”
“Arthur.”
His brother smiled, the exact smile he hated, the one that meant he knew something, and he wasn’t sure he was going to like the answer. “You know everyone can tell, right?”
He choked on his drink. “What!”
Arthur looked delighted. “Oh wow.”
“No.”
“You are down bad horrendously.”
He wanted to throw himself directly into the ocean.
The situation had become significantly worse a week later, because you had decided to come to a race weekend.
Which should have been fine.
It should have been.
It usually was.
Except apparently seeing you in the paddock made him forget how to function.
Every time he'd look up, there you’d be, talking to his team, laughing with his family, walking through the paddock as you belonged.
Just simply exhausting, at one point he spent nearly five minutes listening to you tell a story before he realised he had no clue what you had actually said, only that you had looked happy while saying it, which felt concerning.
“Charles?”
“Hm?”
“Are you listening?”
He blinked as you looked at him expectantly. “Uh, no.”
You immediately burst out laughing. “Charles!” you playfully slapped his arm.
“I'm sorry.”
“You weren't listening to a single word I said.”
“I was trying.”
“You literally admitted you weren't.”
He laughed. “I don't know what you want from me.”
You shook your head, smiling, and once again he was completely doomed.
The photo happened entirely by accident.
He blamed the photographer, and the photographer probably blamed his love struck face.
Either way, it was unfortunate.
The two of you had been sitting together outside the hospitality area, the day starting to die down, the evening sun spreading across the paddock.
You had convinced him to look through all the photos on your phone.
“This one's my favourite."
He leaned closer. “Oh my god, absolutely not.”
You laughed at the photo, which was of twelve year old Charles after falling into the harbour, completely soaked and looking deeply offended. “You cried.”
“I did not.”
“You absolutely did.”
“I was emotional.”
You nearly dropped your phone from laughing so hard, and he couldn’t help but smile because the sound of your laugh had always been one of his favourite sounds.
A camera clicked somewhere nearby while neither of you noticed.
The internet noticed, though, immediately.
And unfortunately, he found out because Lorenzo sent him the photo with fourteen laughing emojis.
The picture wasn’t even that bad, objectively.
It was just the two of you sitting close, heads tilted towards one another, both smiling, looking completely wrapped up in your own world.
The caption, though.
Just two people looking at each other like the rest of the world had disappeared.
He stared at his phone, shutting his eyes for a moment, then stared some more before throwing it onto the bed.
Absolutely not.
By the next morning, everyone had developed opinions on it.
His brothers, his friends, your family and friends.
Even his mother
Which felt particularly unfair.
“You know,” Pascale said casually over breakfast. “I always hoped you two would end up together.”
He nearly choked on his coffee. “What!”
Across the table, Arthur started laughing while Lorenzo smiled into his coffee.
While he considered moving countries.
That evening, the two of you found yourselves alone.
The paddock had mostly emptied, and the noise faded into the background, and for once, nobody was looking at either of you.
At least he hoped that was the case.
You were sitting on a low wall, shoulder brushing his, comfortable and familiar, the way it always had been, and for a moment neither of you spoke.
Then you looked at him. “My phone is still exploding.”
He groaned, “Mine too.”
You laughed softly before a comfortable silence followed, the kind where nothing needed filling.
Then you spoke again. “Can I tell you something?”
He looked over. “Always.”
Your smile softened slightly. “I don’t actually hate the picture.”
His stomach dropped. “Oh.”
You looked down at your hands, then back to him. “It kinda made me realise something.”
He suddenly felt very aware of his racing heartbeat “What?”
For the first time all evening, you looked nervous.
Which was strange because you never got nervous around him before.
“I think somewhere along the way...” You laughed quietly. “I stopped seeing you as just my best friend.”
His eyes got wide as he forgot how breathing worked.
You looked horrified immediately. “Okay, wow, that sounded terrifying out loud.”
“No.”
“No?”
“No.”
You stared at him as he stared back.
Then laughed.
A nervous, disbelieving laugh.
“Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to say that?”
Your eyes widened. “Charles!”
“What?”
“I’m being serious.”
“So am I.” He smiled.
You looked at him for a moment, then shook your head, smiling. “You’re an idiot.”
“Yeah.”
You nudged your shoulder against his, the same way you had hundreds of times before, only now it felt different.
Not unfamiliar.
Just…
New.
And somehow better.
A comfortable silence settled between you again, except this time, he reached for your hand.
Author’s note: so I accidentally neglected my f1 fics for a little bit but I’m BACK
