Chapter Text
Sakhir, Bahrain, March 3rd, 2023
Oscar was pretty laid back for a toddler. Standing somewhat emotionless at the height of his three years on earth so far. He rarely cried and seemed in a constant state of calmness, but right now his eyes were burning with tears threatening to spill out at any moment. The speakers were loud, actually, everything was loud. There were so many grown-ups shouting or running past the little corner where he was tucked in in fear.
He was undeniably lost, the bright red suit of his dad nowhere in sight.
To be fair, it was him who had slipped away quietly, having seen a little cat close to the McLaren motorhome when they were going through the paddock. His dad was talking animatedly with his trainer and had released his hand for half a second, leaving little Oscar to take his chances with the feline creature lurking outside the bright orange garage.
Now lost and alone, he couldn't help but think about what his dad had told him before bringing him to the race.
“Baby, Oscar, today is gonna be very important, okay? I need you to stay really close to me. There's gonna be lots of people and they might not pay attention to where they are going. so, we've got to be extra careful. Understood amoruccio?”
He had nodded at his father, knowing how much he wanted to see him race for real, but right now his dream of seeing a real F1 race was slowly starting to turn to a nightmare. He knew that somewhere in this big loud and shiny space his dad was probably freaking out. He would be firing French, Italian and English all at the same time probably gesticulating his arms wildly around as if that would make Oscar appear next to him miraculously. Somehow this knowledge gave him a bit of hope.
He would be found.
Preferably before his father cried or had a panic attack.
Sensing tears slowly rolling down on his cheeks, he sniffed a bit and tried to stop them. Someone would find him. He just had to believe it.
---
Charles was a proper mess.
He had barely let go of Oscar while talking to Andrea and when he went to take back the little hand in his own his child had disappeared. He knew that he should have ditched the stylish creamy coloured clothes he had put on Oscar this morning. Fuck, he should have opted for the bright red and obnoxious Ferrari merch that Fred had gifted him when he found out Charles had a son.
To be honest, he knew why he didn't dress Oscar like that, the outfit was actually horrendous, making his baby look like a tomato more than anything. But right now, he was cursing himself for his carelessness. Oscar had to be so scared and only thinking about his child frightened somewhere had Charles dangerously close to the start of a panic attack.
Him and Andrea were running everywhere, screaming his name at the top of their lungs hoping the little boy would come out from where he was probably hiding. Charles was as white as a sheet when he passed the red bull motorhome, all the engineers watching him curiously as he screamed Oscar's name for what felt like the 1000th time these past 5 minutes.
Between all of them stood Max, mouth agape, staring as his rival had seemingly become mad. A million questions were currently running in his mind. First of all, who the fuck was Oscar? Why was Charles so agitated? Did Ferrari finally break his sanity? Why was Andrea screaming as well? And again, who the fuck was this Oscar guy, why wasnt he responding?
Sensing that the team around him would go nowhere now that they had entertainment, too focused on seeing Charles Leclerc finally losing his mind and not on the free practice session that was about to start in a few hours, Max took it upon himself to try and get rid of the Ferrari driver that was now making a fool of himself searching the dude named Oscar in between tires.
“You know if you need to hear our strategies that bad you don't have to be an absolute clown in front of the whole paddock Charles”, Max teased with a slightly condescending tone.
Well, that wasn’t really how he wanted to approach things, but leave it to his mouth to once again have absolutely no filter. However, that seemed to break Charles out of his trance, now looking at Max with a fury that was usually reserved for track incidents. The Monegasque quickly averted his eyes returning to his search, now focusing on the rows of medium tires after the softs didn’t seem to bring him any answer.
“Max va te faire foutre! I don’t fucking have time for your bullshit right now! OSCAR!”
“Ok, fuck you …” Max said, slightly offended even though he knew he probably deserved it. “And who is this Oscar dude? He doesn't seem to like you very much if he's so desperate to stay hidden.”
And well, that definitely wasn’t the thing to say, Max could see that. Charles' neck snapped up so fast that it was surprising he didn’t injure himself in the process. His eyes were wild, and Max had to swallow in fear. If stares could kill, well let’s just say that he had a great life. But what was actually happening? He never saw Charles so distraught, not even after Austria in 2019 and God knows what a shit show it was.
A finger was then hardly pressed to his chest, venom in the Monegasque’s words that followed. “Max for the last putain de fois, I don't have time for this! Oscar is my son so now, get the fuck out of my way.”
The thing was, no one outside of Ferrari knew about Oscar's existence. Well, no one except Pierre. Still, this wasn't really ideal in terms of announcement, especially to Max whose eyes widened comically and with evidently more questions than before. But to Charles' surprise, he pulled himself together rather quickly and began barking instructions.
“Andrea go see around the Ferrari garage, Brad search around here for a child named Oscar, Charles you go to Aston Martin, I'll search around the McLaren garage,” he then turned towards his team. “I need 6 others to go search around Alpha Tauri, Alpine, Haas, Alfa Romeo, Mercedes and Williams. If some others want to go search the rest of the paddock it would be appreciated.”
And then just like that, everyone scrambled to their task. The red bull mechanics leaving in groups to search for the little boy. Charles was speechless. His feet stuck on the ground and eyes fixed on Max. Was it what it was like being world champion? Did everyone automatically listen to what you were saying? But then he remembered Oscar. Fuck! He had to find him and quick. His daydreaming about Max’s aura would have to be pushed back. He quickly scurried towards the foresty green exterior of the Aston Martin garage, looking once again like he had lost his mind.
Maybe he had, to be fair. After 4 years at Ferrari, you could barely be considered sane, especially given the fuckups he had faced.
Meanwhile, Max was lightly jogging towards the orange mass that was the McLaren garage, his heart was racing but his eyes were sharp, taking every little detail in consideration and trying to find a child in the midst of all these people.
He had no idea what this little boy looked like and maybe he should have asked instead of running head on and ordering everyone around. Well maybe he wasn't the brightest, but the thought of a child scared shitless frankly made him spring into action quicker than his reflexes in those exercises Brad liked to make him do to keep him sharp. Victoria, his sister, had once lost her eldest and from what Max heard it was the scariest experience of her life. He was almost there when he heard it. Soft hiccups and sniffles muffled by the alleyway between McLaren and the paddock's washrooms. Spotting a small mop of light brown hair crouched in a ball near the corner of the garage, Max crossed his fingers and hoped that this kid wasn't a celebrity’s or a member’s of the garage next to him.
Softer than anything he had ever said in his life so as to not scare the child more than he probably already was, he whispered: “Oscar... darling, is that you?”
Oscar flinched. He didn't know Max. Well, he did, he saw him on tv and his dad mentioned him often when he spoke about his career, but still stranger = danger.
“Oscar, your dad, Charles, he’s really worried and I would like to bring him back to him before he loses his mind. Do you think we can do it buddy? Can you let me help you both?” Max asked softly.
Slowly, Oscar nodded, finally looking at Max properly. His crying had not totally stopped yet but as Max scooped him up, the Dutchman didn't seem to mind the tears and snot Oscar left on his fireproofs when he buried his head in the neck of the driver currently holding him.
They traveled in relative silence, only the remnants of the sobs could be heard softly against Max’s neck and, of course, the bustle of the paddock was still loud around them. Everyone was looking, probably wondering what the second time world champion was doing with a toddler in arms that they all had never seen before. Oscar, sensing the eyes on them, furrowed further in Max arms making him smaller than already was.
Max's breath hitched a little as the toddler curled in his arms, Oscar must have been truly terrified. Max knew the feeling, his track record with his dad more than enough to imagine the hopelessness of the three-year-old lost in the sea of personnel and strangers. Finally, he spotted Charles, his red race suit contrasting wildly against the green of Aston Martin making him ten times more noticeable, adding that to his frantic arm movements as he seemed to try to explain to a visibly concerned Fernando and Lance what his kid looked like.
Max slowly turned to Oscar so as to not scare him further and bounced him lightly to let him know that he had something to show him.
“Oscar, liefje, look, your dad is here. We are almost here buddy”, he said reassuringly.
As the little one turned his head, Max could see the moment he recognised his dad, his brown eyes turning misty with tears of relief as he whined and made grabby hands in the air, maybe thinking that it would make them get there quicker. The desperation of the child made Max pick up the pace to get him there as fast as he could without dropping him.
“CHARLES!” he screamed, garnering the attention of everyone nearby and making fat tears roll on Oscar's cheeks.
And almost as if the scene was now in slow motion, Charles turned towards them; a surprised look quickly morphing relief as he looked at his baby safe in Max’s arms. They were pretty close now, but Charles decided that barreling into them was quicker than waiting the few seconds that separated them. Doing so, Max was now the sole pillar of equilibrium in what could be considered a group hug and well, he was struggling to keep them all perpendicular to the asphalt of the paddock. Charles was leaner than him for sure, but he was still an athlete, thank you very much. Max could see how Oscar and Charles were now both in tears and could feel the tightening of Charles arms around him as if he was scared to lose his kid again.
In the back of his mind, Max registered how nice it felt to be hugged so hard, even if he knew that Charles probably didn’t mean to include him in what now felt like a very father/son intimate moment. Still, after being sure he wouldn’t drop any of them, he relaxed slightly, enjoying the closeness and the warmth of affection he was now basked in involuntarily. It didn’t last long however as the Ferrari driver quickly detached himself looking frantically at every inch of skin Oscar was showing to see if he was hurt.
“Oscar baby, ho avuto tanta paura, qu’est-ce qui s’est passé mon amour? Are you hurt anywhere? Where were you? I thought I lost you cuore mio”, Charles asked agitatedly.
And wow, while Oscar didn’t look any different than before, that whirlwind of language sure felt like a slap in Max’s face. How could a child that barely knew how to speak English understand all of that? He knew he had to calm Charles down because Oscar was still in shock and seemed in no way capable of answering the never-ending questions that Charles was now firing at great speed and in every language he seemed to remember at the moment.
“Charles, slow down. Oscar is fine, but he’s scared shitless (Max could never really control his tongue even around kids, sue him). I found him hidden near the McLaren garage crying. He hasn’t said a word since then.” Max explained “Do you want to take him, or should I keep him till I’m sure you won’t drop him?”
It was meant to be a light joke to diffuse the tension, but, well, seeing Charles' horrified expression, Max bit his tongue, maybe he should have kept that in his head. Well too late anyway! The Monegasque pulled himself together quickly after that though.
“Max, Oscar, I’m so sorry. Thank you so much Max, I’m infinitely grateful, truly.”
“It’s nothing Charles.” Max said while handing Oscar to his dad, “I know how scared you must have both been. I’m just glad we found him safe and sound.”
In reality, all of this must have taken 20 minutes at most, but for Oscar it felt like he would never see his dad ever again. And so, being in the safety of his arms once again, the usually quiet and indifferent toddler started to bawl his little heart out, which made both of the drivers jump at the sudden noises.
“Hey scricciolo, mon amour, you’re here now. You’re safe. You were very brave, I’m sorry, I’ve got you now. Everything is okay baby. You’re safe, I promise.”
But even with Charles gently cuddling him and shushing him, Oscar seemed inconsolable. In all honesty, he was exhausted, the situation having drained every last bit of energy from the toddler. He wasn’t sure he even knew where he was.
Without thinking, he tried to reach for Max, his little brain supplied that he would be safe if Max was near as well as Charles. After all, Max had found him and brought him back, why wouldn’t he want him nearby? While he couldn’t see the surprise on his dad's face, and the one probably being mirrored on Max’s, he could feel how his father’s breath hitched under all his sobs.
Careful to not disturb the child more than he already was. Max slowly stroked his hair, admittedly a bit awkwardly. Listen he wasn’t really used to familial affection alright; he was trying his best.
“Schat, it’s okay now.” Max tried to reassure. “See, you’re safe baby.”
The scene was quite a sight, two supposed rivals, a child between them holding tight on Charles while one of his hands wrangled Max’s fireproof shirt bringing him closer. The two adults seemed anything but at ease being so close to each other, but still, they were willing to endure it for Oscar’s sake. Almost everyone around them was watching now and Charles knew that there had to be cameras capturing the strange instance.
God, Silvia and Mia were about to rip him a new one.
Looking up from Oscar’s still shaking form to look at Max, he could see that the red bull driver was conflicted. His eyes transcribed the thousand emotions he probably felt at this moment, longing, fear, fondness… They were all mixed up in the deep blue of his irises and what a beautiful mess that was. He evidently didn’t know the next step to take as Oscar still refused to let him go but calmed significantly, now only slowly sniffing and rubbing his face on Charles. The Ferrari race suit had to be disgusting and it made Max cringe slightly just imagining it.
“Well, this is awkward, I’m so sorry Max. Oscar is quite headstrong when he wants to,” Charles apologized.
“Er... don't worry, it’s alright.”
The silence that followed was not the most pleasant, but both drivers were at a loss as to what they had to do now. When suddenly, it hit Max.
Everyone was still searching for Oscar.
Fuck they had to let them know he was safe and found.
“I should probably call Brad to let him know that we found him and let the rest of the team know too,” Max blurted.
Charles seemed to realize the urgency as well. He had been so focused on Oscar he forgot everything else.
“Oh my god Andrea! I have to tell him as well. Santo cielo, he must still be freaking out.”
“Do you have your phone?”
“No, I left it with Mia. You?”
“Same, I left it in my driver’s room. Fuck!”
“Max! Watch your mouth please,” Charles chastised and then vaguely gestured to Oscar. “I’m trying to limit the profanities around him, don’t go messing up years of hard work.”
With a small apology, Max turned his attention to the little mass in Charles’ arms trying to see if he could do some damage control after what he said. To his surprise, Oscar’s breath had evened out, his eyes were closed and his tears now slowly drying on the round cheeks of the toddler. He knew that Oscar must have been exhausted but he didn’t expect him to fall asleep just like that. Man, children were so strange sometimes.
“Well, I don’t think it’s gonna be much of a problem. Your kid is sleeping like a log.”
Charles was also looking at Oscar now. His shoulders sagged in relief as fondness overwhelmed him. Oscar was safe, he was with him, everything was fine. Soft snores could be heard and slowly as to not wake up the child Max tried to detangle the little hand from his race suit. He was visibly holding his breath, as if that would change something, his face slowly turning Ferrari red. It was quite funny in Charles' opinion. He had never seen Max so gentle and careful. Usually the epitome of brute force, the other driver was now morphing in a tomato by the second. Charles didn’t help whatsoever, way too engrossed in the scene happening before his eyes.
Finally, Max was free of Oscar’s death grip quickly looking at Charles with way too much pride considering the task he had accomplished.
They both chuckled, the situation was now more ridiculous than ever, but they didn’t care. The storm of emotions took a toll on Charles, however, and before he could even realize he was yawning like he hadn’t slept in three days. Max chuckled some more, before coming to snake an arm around Charles shoulders and manhandling him a bit. Pushing the other slightly, they both started walking towards their respective garages. Thankfully the red bull and Ferrari were near one another thus calming the protective part of Max’s brain screaming at him to make sure that Charles and Oscar were safely escorted back to the garage. He was already whipped for the toddler, Oscar somehow reminding him of a younger version of himself.
He knew Charles, knew that Oscar was safe, loved and well taken care of by his father. The reaction of the other driver when he realized his child was missing enough of a confirmation to know, but the fear he saw in Oscar’s eye felt familiar. The fear of being lost, being alone. Pictures of a gas station, flashes of his dad's red face and tight expression, a family being torn apart because of an obsession flashing behind his eyelids whenever he closed his eyes for a few seconds too long.
Focus, he had to focus!
Charles thanked him again and slowly waved, careful not to wake Oscar, as they reached the Ferrari garage. Max waved back absently, still too distracted by his unpleasant memories, and began walking back to the red bull garage. Hopefully his head would clear before he reached it.