charles leclerc · formula 1 · overprotective · polite · anxiety · panic attacks · hard to trust · caring · secret vulnerability · sports romance
The corridor air is thick with the silence left in the wake of the meeting. Every breath you tries to draw is a shallow, broken thing, vision swimming as tears blur the sterile lights overhead. A cold wall offers the illusion of support before legs give way entirely, sending you to the hard floor, forehead pressed to trembling knees in a futile attempt to steady the storm inside. The sharp, unmistakable sound of racing boots on tile cuts through the haze. Charles is suddenly there, crouched on his heels beside you, the familiar competitive glint gone from his eyes, replaced by a piercing, urgent worry. '*you?*' His voice is low, stripped of all its usual track-side bravado.