MV3 🦁 CL16 Formula 1 & NH🎶

He saw all this while driving past the big screen on the cooldown lap, he saw the moment relief flooded through Charles—

He saw the moment those emerald eyes darkened to forest green. He saw the moment Charles's breathing sped up.

He saw the moment Charles's mouth opened and he spoke on live camera for the first time: "My Max won. And he did it beautifully."

Our big, tough lion turns into a giggly, blushy mess underneath his balaclava and helmet. The second he pulls up at parc ferme Max is ripping off his gloves and helmet, feet carrying him over to his team because he needs to congratulate his crew before he can throw himself into the arms of his gorgeous boyfriend—

His very gorgeous boyfriend who's standing to the side, smile no longer on his handsome face, and looking downright murderous. Large, rough hands on his boyfriend's rounded hips.

Arms embracing that soft, lovely waist.

Pats on Max's round, perfect bottom.

On his thick, muscular thighs.

Max gets hoisted over the shoulders of several mechanics as they chant his name and cheer on their team leader.

Charles is ferociously proud of his boyfriend, of being able to stand here and watch his Max (his world champion) in action.

But beneath the seemingly nonchalant exterior, Charles Leclerc is a possessive, selfish, needy bastard whose thin veneer of calm completely snaps the second someone brushes their hand against the swell of Max's firm, full chest.

Charles more or less shoves his way to the front of the barrier, expression dark and a little dangerous, and without another word he moves to stand behind the mechanic who's holding Max up on his shoulders.

The personal trainer-turned-boyfriend simply leans in and presses a long, lingering kiss to Max's lower back, causing the blond to seize up and gasp.

He immediately glances down. Charles watches as he swerves and twists before finally glancing back.

Their eyes lock—sapphire and emerald.

And Charles holds out an arm. "Fall into me, chéri. I'll catch you."

Trust, implicit and raw, flashes across his boyfriend's face.

Without even questioning the command, Max leans back and lets himself fall.

The Red Bull team shriek when they see Max toppling from his mechanic's shoulders. Film crews rush over to capture the salacious moment.

Someone tries to catch Max but the Red Bull driver positions himself so that he's directly atop of Charles—

And as he falls backwards, he feels warm, strong familiar arms wrap around his torso. He feels warm lips press a soft kiss to the nape of his neck. He feels his entire body being pulled against Charles's as his boyfriend cradles him, allowing Max to lean his entire body weight against the Monegasque.

That's how the cameras capture them: Charles, holding Max from behind as the race winner tilts his head back and hides his face in the crook of Charles's neck.

"There we go," Charles murmurs, "mon bel homme...in my arms at last."

Max grins, face pressed against his boyfriend's throat. "Jealous, Charlie?"

He doesn't even bother denying it. "Incredibly. You only belong in my arms. And no one else's." He pauses for a moment. "Maybe I've been too generous."

"Huh?"

In very vague terms Max understands the concern. Some alphas really do live up to the strong headed aggressive stereotype and so asserting their dominance over the rest of the team can become more important than anything else. In reality though, neither Dani or Jules seemed the type to cause issues. Plus they were friends. Really good friends if they were to both be believed. Max still remembers how keen Dani was to bring Jules onboard with him. And in turn Jules had nothing but praise for Dani. So as far as Max was concerned there was no need to worry.

Except now Max is starting to think that maybe he was wrong. Maybe he should have listened a little more closely to all the horror stories of alphas getting into physical altercations in garages or alphas trying to one up other alphas because there is definitely something odd going on between Jules and Dani. 

Max sits at the back of the garage and peers down the corridor to where he can just about see the two alphas. Jules currently has his grip fixed to the back of Dani’s neck. From where Max is sat It looks vaguely threatening, like he’s looking for some sort of submission from the other alpha. At the very least he appears to be invading Dani’s personal space. 

Max tries not to jump to conclusions because he’s only ever had positive interactions with Jules so this seems so out of character. But the closer he approaches the worse the scene in front of him looks. Jules’ thumb is pressed right to Dani’s scent gland and Max has no idea how to approach this but his instincts tell him he should do something. He’s just about to leap into action when Dani takes matters into his own hands and firmly bats Jules away.

“Hey,” Dani smiles as he notices Max approaching. The alpha’s hand flies up to his own neck as he briefly rubs against the skin there but its of no use, the red marks left behind by Jules’ grip are still obvious. Marking another alpha is almost always considered an act of aggression, and yet Dani is all smiles. Which is a relief, but strange. 

-

If the incident in the corridor were just a one off then maybe Max could let it go but a couple of months later, when Max finally gets the opportunity to come along to another race, he sees Dani and Jules squaring up. Or at least that is what it looks like when Max spies the two alphas in the corner of the room together. Unfortunately by the time Max has politely but swiftly finished his conversation with one of the mechanics both Dani and Jules have disappeared. And by the time they return its almost time to head out to the track. So again Max finds himself deciding it best not to say anything. 

He can’t just let it go on indefinitely though. This is his team and he can’t let tensions boil over. Unfortunately by the time Saturday rolls around it seems like tensions are teetering on a precipice. There is a commotion in Jules’ drivers room, enough to draw the attention of a handful of people, and when Max knocks on the door he finds a trail of destruction in the room - a broken lamp, chairs knocked over, a table leg snapped in half.  They are both apologetic and sheepishly promise to pay for the damage but its not the financial implications Max is worried about, there’s clearly been some sort of altercation - especially if both alpha’s amped up scents are anything to go by. 

Max decides he needs to do something quickly. Before his team falls apart.

-

It’s Dani’s room that Max finds himself at on the Sunday evening. Even when he is knocking at the door he is not entirely sure what he is going to say. This is a sensitive subject and Max doesn’t quite know whether him being an omega is going to help or hinder discussions. Max hasn’t achieved all his success by being quiet or backing out of difficult moments though. He’s always approached things head on but with sensitivity and that is exactly what he plans to do now to shut down whatever power struggle Dani and Jules have going on. 

Dani looks shocked when he opens the door and is quickly scrambling around trying to throw on a t-shirt and shorts. 

“Sorry I just needed to talk to you about something,” Max mumbles apologetically. Now doesn’t seem to be a great time. Max is already starting to think they should have had this talk somewhere more formal, especially when Dani starts hurriedly scooping up the clothes that are scattered all around the room, “Its about you and Jules.” 

The way Dani’s whole body tenses does not go amiss. Neither does the panicked expression that flashes across the alpha’s face. And perhaps Max really was right, perhaps there is something going on that needs addressing. 

“What about us?” Dani perches awkwardly on the edge of the bed. He looks a lot more flustered than he did a few seconds ago, the red on his cheeks is creeping right up to the tips of his ears. 

“I saw the way he grabbed your neck the other day,” Max says and it’s a slightly more abrupt introduction to the conversation than he had envisioned. 

Dani’s eyes widen. 

“There are other things too, whenever the two of you think you are alone it is - ” Max’s mouth twists awkwardly as he tries to find a polite way to accuse the two alphas of being a little too alpha-like,  “i just need to know if this is going to be a problem”

“I - ” Dani opens his mouth but nothing more comes out. He looks like a naughty school kid who has just been dragged into the headmaster’s office and is desperately trying to come up with a believable excuse for his behaviour.  

“I know how it is sometimes with alphas,” Max continues, “Maybe there is a pressure to be the most dominant. I get that no alpha wants to be the subservient one” 

Dani starts to choke on nothing but air. When he finally catches his breath again he has turned bright red, Max can’t quite work out if its from the momentary lack of oxygen or embarrassment. 

“It’s not like that,” Dani’s forehead furrows, “The neck grab it was not… I am not…”

“I don’t want it to go any further,” Max says firmly, “It has to stop now.” 

Dani’s expression flickers from anger to hurt. Max has never seen him like this before. He looks betrayed in some way.

“I know it can be difficult,” Max sighs, “They told me not to hire two alphas. Too much fighting. It is of course understandable but I don’t want it to escalate. I want a team of equals and -“

“Wait, what do you think is going on?” Dani’s head cocks to the side as he gives Max a curious look. 

“Everyone warned me about how alphas will.. you know..” Max mumbles, “end up in a power struggle with each other and ..” 

Dani huffs out a small laugh that he quickly tries to bite back. It’s not the reaction Max was expecting but its better than the alpha getting angry. Max is just about to launch into the reasons why its so important for Dani and Jules to get along but is startled by the hotel room door swinging open. 

“What’s going on?” Jules is kicking the door back behind him as his gaze flitters between Max and Dani. 

“I don’t want to say I told you so,” Dani gives Jules a wry smile, “but he saw you grabbing my neck.” 

“Oh,” is all the response Jules gives as he sets a take out bag down on the side. 

“So…yeah, Max wants to know what is going on, ” Dani shrugs at Jules, “It is up to you whether…” 

Dani’s words trail off and the rest of the conversation between the two alphas appears to be taking place through eye contact alone. Max tries to follow along but he’s got no idea what is happening and is just about to ask what the fuck is going on when Dani hops up from the bed and closes the gap to Jules and - 

The instant Dani’s lips are against Jules’ Max realises he has been completely misreading the situation. 

“There’s something going on,” Dani laughs against Jules’ mouth as he goes in for a another quick kiss, “But its not what you think.” 

“What? When did ..? How?” Max mumbles a few half questions as he watches the two alphas smiling giddily at each other. 

“Four years,” Jules hugs Dani closer to his side, “We just … people get funny about it so .. we were going to tell you. Eventually. I promise. Its not like we thought you wouldn’t understand.  It is just… this is not a going to be a problem?”

“No!! God no, no!” Max is quick to reassure. He’s not naive, alphas dating other alphas is not so common but its not like Max hasn’t heard of it happening before, its really not a problem,  “I’m glad that that is what it is. I though you were fighting for dominance or - ” 

“Sometimes we do that,” Jules gives Dani a filthy look and whilst the other alpha rolls his eyes he can’t hide the smirk on this face. 

And they look so - 

In love. 

Max can’t believe he missed it but it’s all suddenly making so much sense. The territorial neck grip. The bodies pressed together in darkened corners when they thought nobody could see. The scent changes and tension. Max would feel relieved if it wasn’t for the fact he’s full up on embarrassment right now. He should have known better than to listen to other people. 

“You can stay for food if you want.” Jules shrugs, “I got enough for at least three. We are always really hungry after we -”

Jules gets cut off by a playful but swift elbow to the side. Max doesn’t need to hear the end of it though, the creased bed sheets and overwhelming scent of alpha is all so apparent now. 

“I’ve already eaten,” Max makes his excuses as he inches himself towards the door. Except he doesn’t want them to think he is being funny about this whole thing so adds a quick, “We should meet for breakfast,” before saying his goodbyes and leaving the two alphas alone.