Wrong number

23) not always rainbows and unicorns

Max looked mean, angry. His Max was long gone. "I- I'm sorry I snapped I had a really shitty weekend." Charles tried to apologise to him, "No! Hell no! I'm not forgetting all this." Charles' face went from pained and hurt to angry. "So you can forget what Jos did all these years but not this little argument because I had a shitty race?!" Max was even more shocked. "How dare you bring every single fucking time my childhood and my father in my face?! How dare you bring back all of my past in my face when you're not happy or when you don't have anything to say and when you don't have what you want?! Im the only one that can talk bout it freely. I'm the only one that can talk bout this. Only I can say that he thought I would be a bus driver or an even a cashier, that I was shit and wouldn't have anything in my life?! I maybe had it rough, he was maybe pressuring me but at least I'm successful. Look who's the one that's three times world champion! You had a great father and a great childhood and you only have a few race wins!" Max almost exploded at him, he was fuming.

Charles made a few steps and pushed him. It wasn't his fault if Ferrari always fucked up everything. He didn't decide on the numerous shit strategies that made him lose a lot of wins like Bahrain 2019 or the shit box they gave him that made him lose the 2022 world championship. Max was about to retaliate when Charles pushed him again. "Hey it's not my fault if your team is good and never fucks up or give you shit strategies or a shit box! I kept having gear box issues or the car wouldn't turn or go fast enough!" Max looked incredulously it wasn't his fault after all. "Well nobody obliged you to resign for another multi year contract." Charles simply sighted, tired. The worst was that Max had a point.

Now that Charles had stopped moving, Max took the opportunity to push him and hit him on the arm. "What the fuck mate!?" Charles almost yelled at him. Charles hit him back on the arm and his torso. "Oh so you wanna fucking do this now!?" Charles asked Max rather not calmly when he got hit once again. They almost started fighting when they remembered they were in public.

All you could hear was heavy breathing as the two boys looked at each other. They both had their fists clenched, ready to hit. "So what are you going to do, huh?" Max asked Charles, he wanted to see where all of this was going and if it would end up well. "You can't talk about my career like that. Not my father's death. I won't talk bout yours if you don't talk bout mine." Charles breathed out. "You started. And don't tell me you had a bad race!" Max added as he knew Charles was about to justify himself.

Charles just looked at him as he listened the venom Max kept spitting on him. He had a tear rolling on his cheek. He looked directly in the Dutchman's eyes. The latter waited for the tear to go down as he looked at it. Before it fell from Charles' chin, he wiped it with his hand. The older boy made a few steps behind as he observed his Charles and the result of their fight.

"You're a pathetic excuse of a person to think like that." Max said softly, in the same voice he used to comfort him before Baku when Charles had his panic attack. Charles' eyes widened as  he took what Max had just said and the comforting voice he had. He had to defend himself, how could Max be so kind to him and cuddle him in front of a movie and be so mean now.

"I thought you loved me! I thought we had something!" Charles yelled at Max in the worst pain he felt since years, probably since 2019. "Yeah HAD! And I still love you. But you went too far Charles." Max yelled back, pained. He hadn't called him Charles since weeks. And what did he mean, they had something? Didn't they still have that? Charles had a few tears stuck in his eyes and simply left. He took the location car and drove as fast as possible without getting arrested.

Max backed off, making a few steps as Charles was leaving. What had he done? Or more what happened? He was still in pain but he knew it would wear off to only be anger. Max just sat there on the ground and started to try and breathe normally. He put his face in his hands, still not really understanding what had happened. He didn't know what to do now, he was so confused.

Max slowly but surely walked up to his car and sat in the driver's seat. He sighed heavily, put his head in his hands and didn't move for a few minutes. He started the car and drove away, he drove in silence and rather slowly unlike Charles.

He parked in the hotel's car park and walked in through a door for celebrities as he didn't want to be seen, not in this state. He took the lift and walked to his room. He could finally relax. He immediately changed into some pyjamas and saw the jumper he stole from Charles after the night he had spent there after the Lego. He considered wearing it for the night, it wasn't Ferrari or red or even Charles Leclerc merch so he could wear it. It was blue so it was even better, it looked more like red bull then Ferrari which was a good thing, He put it on, just this night that one night only. He would put it on the floor in the corner of his room back home, probably in his wardrobe. He didn't even know if Charles was aware he had stolen it.

He got into bed and turned on the tv, it fell on some interviews and race highlights from the day. He watched a bit to see how Charles did and he had indeed a shitty race. He scrolled up to another channel and it fell to a movie. Coincidentally it was a stupid love movie and it was the scene with the cliché of the two main characters arguing and then kissing cause they realised they were idiots and that they loved each other. 'Maybe I should've have done that, wait no I hate him now' Max thought after seeing the characters kiss after their fight. It was ridiculous, really. Both the movie and the mess the two boys were. Why did he have to love another driver? Why Charles particularly? After all their big rivalry and their history in karting, it was stupid of him. To fall in love with him.

After Charles drove way too fast on the road, he arrived at his hotel. Luckily it wasn't the same as Max. He walked in discreetly and went to his room. He finally got into his hotel room and he looked in the mirror. He looked awful. He had dark circles from his horrible weekend and you could see a few tears dried on his cheeks. He looked like he'd seen a ghost.
He changed into pyjamas and crashed on his bed. He thought about what happened and couldn't even describe what happened. It was so crazy and unusual. They would have fought like that months ago. And even there he wasn't sure if it would have been this violent. Now that he was calmed down both from the race and the fight, he was confused. About how and why he fought like that and why did Max continue the fight. But he didn't care anymore. He hated him now. Max probably hated him even more. Why did he have to love another driver? Why Max particularly? After all their big rivalry and their history in karting, it was stupid of him. To fall in love with him.

Sorry guys