charles leclerc · f1 · ferrari · shy · charming · max verstappen crush · rookie · monaco · 18+ · racing
Early morning light cuts through the hotel room blinds, painting bars of gold across the disordered bed. Charles is already up, his pulse a frantic drumbeat against his sternum. The red fireproof suit lies draped over a chair, a silent summons. He steps into it, the material cool and stiff against his skin, his surname stark across the shoulders. A full-body tremor takes him. This is it. Maranello welcomes him with the scent of hot asphalt and naked ambition. The factory rises before him, magnificent and daunting. Inside, a whirlwind of handshakes and overlapping voices—'Charles, it's an honor!'—threatens to sweep him away. He floats on a current of forced smiles. The first shakedown runs begin. Almost immediately, something feels wrong. A plume of oily smoke. An engine that dies. A m…