#piarles <3

[quarter-lif3crisis]

F1 x AO3 tags

[teamnick]

F1 Testing, Day One, Wednesday 21st February 2024. Sakhir, Bahrain. Photo by DPPI Panoramic

[singsweetmelodies]

a little while ago, i got this ask asking me if i could make some sort of introduction to the pierre/charles ship and all its lore. and since they are, without question, my f1 rpf OTP, my answer was oh my god yes of course. it's taken me a little while to compile all that lore - because boy, is there a lot - but it's been one of the happiest research projects of my life, without question. and i think it's finally ready to go!! so, with no further ado...

ABOUT PIARLES: a (not-so-brief) introduction to f1 rpf's french friends to lovers ship

so the first thing you need to know about piarles is that they're childhood best friends. not that uncommon in a sport like f1, to be fair - most of the drivers grew up together, racing against each other in karting. but pierre and charles are a little different in that they aren't just karting acquaintances: the two of them (and their entire families) are genuinely good friends.

in fact, if you ask either pierre or charles about the other (and interviewers often do) one of the first things they'll probably say is "we've known each other for a long time," quickly followed by "we used to go on holiday together when we were kids." and they ALWAYS say this with the fondest expressions 🥰 even if you take shipping completely out of the equation, it's clear that these two have a very long-standing and very close friendship, with many fond memories which both of them seem to treasure very much.

in charles' own words:

"Pierre! We know each other since... a long, long time. We used to go on holidays together when we were children with our parents, and uh... we did quite a bit of mess together when we were children, but (laughs) very good memories. And the relationship never really changed throughout the years, even though we have taken different paths, because he was a bit older, so we weren't always in the same categories. But we would always call each other, text each other, go on holidays together... and yeah, I just have so many memories." (source - watch from timestamp 2:06)

pierre tells a very similar story:

"He's definitely one of my best friends. Charles is a very nice person and an incredible driver. We met when we were 9 years old and created a very strong bond. Our parents are very close, and we went on vacations from when we were 10, so we created lots of memories. We were teammates in karting when we were 12, and today we find ourselves in Formula 1. It's a pretty incredible story. But for me the most important part is to see the person he's become, and he hasn't changed since he was young." (source)

i think it's important to note that these aren't the only times pierre and charles have spoken about each other in glowing terms like this - no, it happens quite frequently. pretty much every time they're asked about each other, tbh. (i'm not going to add quotes from every single time here, though, because we would be here for the rest of the month if i tried. 😅) the point is, piarles are pretty damn close, and think very highly of each other.

but it's not just them that are close: like i mentioned in the first paragraphs of this post, their families are close, too. they really are childhood friends in that "your family is practically my second family" sense, which i think is something really special.

here, for example, is pierre's father jean-jacques talking about charles:

Charles is part of the family. We've known him since he was nine and when he started in karting with Pierre. (...) When the races were in England Charles was sleeping at our place, and when the races were in Italy, Pierre was sleeping at Charles's place. Then Pierre moved to F4. I don't think there have ever been a big rivalry between them even though their careers were similar. Charles is part of the family probably even more since Hervé passed away. Our door will always be open for him and he knows.” (source)

🥹

what's more, charles has also said numerous times that it's hard to maintain true friendships in f1 - but his bond with pierre is one of those rare exceptions:

It’s rare I think, it’s very rare to have a sincere friendship in F1, because there’s a lot of competition. So yes there’s friendship, but it’s not always entirely sincere - but with Pierre it really is, and it has always been. (source)

they're friends. they really are friends, not just friendly coworkers, like many of the other f1 drivers are. pierre and charles genuinely like and appreciate each other's company very much - which, even if you put shipping completely aside, is just such a wonderful thing, and always makes me smile so much.

one of my personal favourite moments was when pierre talked about charles on the beyond the grid podcast in 2023:

"That's why I really like these chats that I can have with Charles, because I know with Charles, discussing about both our lives, we won't judge each other... because we know what it's like and we just speak very openly about various things. And I know it's almost like a happy place or a comfortable place where you really feel you can open up. He'll understand, I'll understand him..." (source - listen from timestamp 32:01)

if that doesn't make your heart melt at least a little bit, then i don't know what to say to you.

... no, actually, i do. if this kind of sentimentality won't do it for you, how about a bit of silliness and humour?

that's right. like any good childhood friends, pierre and charles also have an embarrassing nickname for each other: "calamar," which is french for "squid." (we know that they call each other that courtesy of charles' insta).

what on earth is the origin of this nickname, you may be wondering? well, according to pierre...

"It goes back to a long time ago when we were kids, like... nine, ten years old. We would go on holidays together and spend more time. I don't know. It just came, like one day we decided to call each other calamar, which is not really such a beautiful nickname, but yeah it was just for fun. We were kids and we were laughing. And actually, we have many other nicknames because we were teammates also in karting and we spent a lot, a lot of time together. So, a lot of nicknames came alongside all this time. And this kind of stayed with us." (source)

as pierre said in this quote, "calamar" is not even the only nickname they have - pierre sometimes calls charles "charlito" and also "charlo," while charles calls pierre "mon petit."

and as if that's not enough, they're also that pair of boyfriends friends who always have to bring each other up in conversation. if there's ever an interview question along the lines of "which f1 driver would you...." then you can pretty much bet pierre will answer "charles," and charles will answer "pierre."

for example, here is pierre choosing charles as the one f1 driver he'd take for a drink. and here is charles naming pierre as his best friend in the paddock. oh, and here is pierre saying he'd choose charles as one driver to take with him to a desert island. there's more, but i think you get the idea 😆❤️

so yeah! that's a quick(ish) overview of the background/context of piarles - AKA the french (yes, i know charles is monégasque, but he SPEAKS french) friends/boyfriends on the grid.

(if you'd like to know more details about their friendship, especially about their pre-f1 years, then i recommend this post and its follow-up compiled by the incredible @vegasgrandprix. these posts really are a treasure trove for piarles history & lore!)

but now that i've painted a pretty clear picture of their friendship, let's move on to some more shippy moments, shall we? the "lovers" part of friends to lovers <3333

believe it or not, eveything up till now was just the background information about piarles. it's more than enough to build an OTP on already, i'd say - but wait, there's more!

the thing with pierre and charles is that along with being friends, they are also french (or....french-adjacent. close enough) which means that they have absolutely zero problem with being very openly affectionate with each other.

this has given us some very delicious shipping moments, which i will now try and give an overview of. (my fellow piarlies: if i've left out one of your favourite moments, please forgive me - they have so many moments with each other, and tumblr has a post character limit, so there was just no way for me to include everything, much as i wanted to. but i do think this is a good introduction!)

let's start with perhaps the most iconic piarles moment of them all: monza 2020, aka pierre gasly's first win in f1.

that was a crazy, wonderful day in so many ways - first of all, the race itself was insane. pierre started 10th on the grid, and with a lot of luck + a safety car that really worked out for him, ended up leading the race and defended from carlos sainz with DRS to get his maiden win. this was almost exactly a year after he'd been dropped from red bull, so the win was pretty much the biggest fuck-you to everyone @ RBR and comeback moment for pierre that was possible. it was also a dream come true (every f1 driver dreams about winning a race!) and you only need to look at any interview pierre did afterwards to see how much it meant to him.

what makes it even more insane, though, is that charles was right there to congratulate him and watch his podium. keep in mind that, in the same race, charles crashed out - both ferraris did, in monza of all places. i don't think anyone would've been surprised, or held it against him at all, if charles just kept his head down for the rest of that day.

but no. even though he wasn't medically cleared after the crash yet (!!) charles went to parc fermé anyway to congratulate pierre. remember that thing i said about them being french and very open with affection? well:

here are some pictures of the monza piarles congratulations hug. (am i the only one who thinks it looks like charles wants to kiss pierre in that second pic?! god....) here and here are some more angles of the hug to go insane over, if you like.

you can also watch it in video format here - and yes, charles really did pull pierre out of his hug with romain so that he could congratulate him himself. i know. (also, yes, pierre does pat charles' ass just before they go their separate ways. what can i say? french.)

as if that's not already insane enough, charles also stayed to watch pierre's podium despite not being medically cleared yet after his crash. (we have to thank netflix FOREVER for providing us with that specific behind-the-scenes shot 🙏 drive to survive - you did well that time, you really did.)

and afterwards, charles said:

It was just a dream for one of us to get into F1 one day. In the end we’re both in F1, we’ve both won a GP, both of us in Monza. (...) I was really happy that day, even if my race went wrong, his win made it a good day. (source)

your honour. who says that about another driver's win, especially on a day where you yourself had an awful race? if that's not love in a sport like f1, i don't know what is!

i really could talk about monza 2020 and how much it means for a very long time, but i will rein myself in to just one final comment: isn't it rather beautiful to think that pierre & charles' names will always be next to each other in the monza winners list? charles won there in 2019, and then pierre won there in 2020. talk about soulmatism ❤️💙

now, moving on to another absolutely iconic (and delightfully gay) piarles moment: baku 2021, aka that time pierre and charles had an awesome last-lap battle for the P3 podium spot.

it was very close racing, with them swapping positions several times down the straight - but they kept it clean. in fact, they kept it so clean that someone remarked it's like they know each other by heart. yup. totally a normal thing to say about two men racing.

equally normal was charles' comments after the race:

"The last lap was my favourite part of the race. It was crazy and had a lot of actions. With Pierre it was hot. I'm happy for him for his podium." (source)

and as if that's not enough, he also GRABBED pierre into a hug in parc fermé, and then held him incredibly close while congratulating him.

you can watch this hug in video format here and gif format here, if you want - and i really recommend doing so, because it's insane to see how charles quite literally crashes into pierre's personal space and yanks him into a hug. (here is a close-up of their helmets during said hug - and you can just say it with me. GAY.)

that's still not all, though: charles congratulated pierre twice after the race. once on the outlap (with a thumbs-up and a middle finger as pierre's car drove past his, LMAO) and then on social media as well (with a nickname and a kiss emoji).

he ALSO commented on pierre's instagram post about the race with another kiss emoji:

so, apparently, charles was thinking about kissing pierre quite a lot in baku 2021. 🤭 an iconic day all around!

and as it happens, 2021 brought us another iconic piarles moment - though this one is a whole less happy. i'm talking about styria 2021, aka that time pierre and charles had contact in a race, and pierre had to retire from that grand prix.

here is the official f1 news article about the incident - the long and the short of it is that charles misjudged on lap 1 and crashed into the side of pierre's car, ending pierre's race. naturally, pierre was furious and upset, especially because the alphatauri was actually a good car in 2021, and he'd stood to score really good points that sunday.

now, for most f1 girlies, an incident like this between childhood friends immediately brings up vivid brocedes flashbacks. and, to be honest, it wouldn't have been that much of a surprise if this had indeed soured pierre and charles' friendship - we saw exactly this happen with pierre and esteban, after all.

but no. charles went to see pierre post-race to clear the air between them, and although pierre was furious with him, he didn't let it ruin their friendship. in fact, when he was asked how the incident affected their friendship, pierre had the following to say:

"Yeah... I was really sad to end 15 years of friendship. He is no more my friend (laughs). No, no, it's... honestly, it was really painful, you know, you work so hard the whole weekend for Sunday to score points, and then after literally like 20 seconds, the whole race was over. So, quite a difficult one to swallow, but, you know, we know each other, with Charles, we have a lot of respect for each other. He came to see me after the race - I was still pretty pissed off with him, but, uh, we knew before last Sunday, nothing ever happened between us on the race-track, and we knew one day it would happen. Unfortunately I paid the price more than him, but yeah, it's racing, unfortunately. (...) It's painful, it's racing, it happens sometimes - I just told him to make sure it doesn't happen another time, and... we're fine." (source - watch from 17:01)

i think that styria 2021 is vital piarles lore not because it's a fun shippy moment, but rather because it shows the strength of their connection. an incident like this could easily have destroyed their friendship, but they didn't let it. they mean enough to each other that they let what happens on-track stay on-track and not affect their closeness off-track. and that, i think, is something truly special - they were tested in a way which has destroyed f1 friendships before, and yet they still came out stronger.

iconic indeed.

on a happier note again, now, there is also montreal 2022, which many piarles fans consider one of THE seminal piarles moments. the race itself was not so memorable for our boys this time, but what they did off-track is.

that is to say: pierre and charles went on a dinner date. then, they were spotted driving around the streets of montreal in a white ferrari. and THEN, as if that's not mind-blowing enough already... charles posted, to his public instagram story, a video of pierre wearing his charles-leclerc-16 branded ferrari hat.

these screenshots are peanut quality, i'm sorry, lmao... but all of montreal 2022 feels a bit like a fever dream in the best way, so i think the blurriness just captures the vibes, tbh.

we're not quite done with montreal 2022 yet, though - earlier on the same day, charles also had a very sweet hello with pierre's parents. you can just SEE how much pierre's parents love charles, and isn't that just the most heartwarming thing 😭❤️

now, one final thing about montreal 2022: pierre never posted his infamous photo dump after that race. that might not seem particularly important, but... this is the only race of 2022 for which pierre DIDN'T post a photo dump.

there are a thousand and one theories about why he didn't - maybe he just forgot, maybe he had a busy weekend, maybe he didn't have any photos he wanted to share. or, in a more shippy interpretation... maybe he does have photos, especially photos of charles, but he doesn't want to share them/wants to keep them all to himself. we don't know!

one lucky piarlie got to meet pierre in london in 2022 at an alphatauri event, and actually asked him about the montreal photo dump thing. here is what he said (courtesy of the lovely @they-call-it-traffic 💞)

the descriptions there... you can just picture pierre's expressions & smirks SO perfectly, right? he is insane. they are insane. #investigatemontreal !!

anyways. moving on one year again: 2023 brought us pierre and charles' basketball date:

as well as two tennis dates:

(i call them "dates" because pierre and charles spent a significant time together during them, hanging out & enjoying each other's company and looking at each other with major heart-eyes. obviously, irl, they aren't officially dates - in fact, both pierre and charles had their irl girlfriends along with them when they attended wimbledon. but who cares too much about irl -- this is a rpf post 😉)

i'm not going to spend too long explaining the lore behind these, because i'm already flirting with the tumblr post character limit 🙈 but basically, what happened is that on all 3 these occasions, pierre and charles chose to hang out together at events completely unrelated to f1, simply because they are friends and like each other's company. (that, to me, is always a measure of how much f1 drivers actually like each other - whether or not they choose to spend time with each other when they're not forced into proximity by f1. pierre and charles pass this test with flying colours.)

the basketball date is particularly insane, because that day was actually an event which charles, pierre and esteban attended. but you wouldn't know THAT from charles' post about it. charles fully cropped esteban out of his post - he really said "esteban who? i only spent time with my friend pierre 😌" and he said it with his whole chest.

ALSO, while we're on the subject of the basketball date and social media - pierre and charles co-posted a reel about it on instagram. yes. CO-POSTED. you know, like a couple co-posting about their date.

piarles basketball date, you will always be famous!!

(P.S. - a lot of piarles fans refer to this 2023 basketball date as "basketball date 2.0" - and this is because pierre and charles have actually done this before, in 2021. i really can't talk too much about that date - character limit, my beloathed - but let me just say that pierre draping his arm round the back of charles' chair is something that lives rent free in my mind. rent free.)

another thing that lives in my mind rent-free is charles being interviewed at their first tennis date, and calling pierre his best friend <3333 love is friendship set on fire, etc etc!

... so, okay, when i said i wasn't going to talk too much about the lore behind the tennis & basketball dates, i lied a little bit. but in my defence - they were insane for these, they really were!

anyways. now, let's skip back in time a little - because i would be very remiss if i didn't include pierre and charles' 2016 joint championship celebrations.

in the year 2016, pierre was the GP2 champion and charles the GP3 champion (GP2 and GP3 are the old names for F2 and F3). in a very pretty twist of fate, they both clinched their respective titles at the same circuit, in the final race of their respective series - and then, of course, they celebrated together.

here is an adorable gifset of them celebrating together after the final GP2 race. and here are some more pictures from the official Prema photoshoot for the GP2 & GP3 champions (yes, they did a joint photoshoot together. even Prema ships it, apparently!)

actually, while we're on the subject of celebrating together: pierre and charles almost always congratulate each other for their significant achievements in f1. see: charles making a point to congratulate pierre on his podium in baku, as i discussed earlier in this post, and again in zandvoort 2023. (both times with a kiss emoji, mind you). similarly, check out pierre seeking charles out in parc fermé to congratulate him for his bahrain 2022 season-opener pole, and then congratulating him for his win twice over on social media. (and these are just a few examples out of many!)

this is one of those things that sets them apart from many other f1 rpf pairings: they both seem genuinely happy when the other does well. and like. they are COMPETITORS - but they're good enough friends that they can still celebrate each other's achievements genuinely and happily. that is insane!!

yes, sure, it's good sportsmanship to congratulate other drivers for wins/podiums - but that is usually done with a handshake in person or a copy-paste "congrats to XYZ" in the post-race interview, or something like that. one rarely gets the sense that it comes from a place of genuine, deep happiness for the other driver being congratulated.

pierre and charles are just on a whole different level. they specifically seek each other out in parc fermé, hug each other with so much enthusiasm that it looks suspiciously gay, and also post about each other's achievements very fondly on social media.

again, this is something you might see a driver do for their teammate - for example, charles congratulating "carlos and the team" for a win in singapore - but almost never with a freaking KISS EMOJI. and a pet name. and so much genuine joy.

just... yeah. they care about each other so much, and are each other's biggest supporters ❤️

it's not just in good times that they're there for each other, either: 2019 was a truly difficult year for both pierre and charles (pierre especially) but they were still there for each other when it mattered.

the prime example of this is monza 2019, which was one race after pierre's demotion from red bull, and also one race after anthoine hubert's death. because the fia has no sense of basic kindness or decency, naturally they put pierre into a press conference that very weekend.

the video of that press conference is very hard to watch - every time pierre is asked a question, you can hear how much he is struggling to hold it together. honestly, the sole good thing from this presscon is that at least pierre had charles beside him.

here is a post i made where i discuss this in a bit more detail, but essentially: charles sat as close as possible to pierre for the entirety of that conference - close enough that their shoulders were practically touching - as a non-verbal gesture of support. you can see the difference in space between charles & pierre vs all the other drivers, and there's no way that was accidental. charles might not have been able to voice his support for pierre out loud right then, but it's there in every part of his body language.

another very meaningful moment is also from 2019, when pierre went up to charles pre-race in spa:

"I told Charles before the race, please win this race for Anthoine." (source)

and charles did. 💙

then later in 2019, when pierre got his first podium in brazil, guess who was right there to hug and congratulate him? that's right.

this was another case where charles' own race fell apart - he had a crash with his teammate, in fact - but he still made a point of going to hug pierre after his P2, and going on social media to tell pierre and also the whole world that pierre deserved that podium. that's what i call supporting your best friend.

now, at this point, you might be thinking... well, pierre and charles have it all. whether you're looking for happy moments or deep emotional moments or suspiciously gay moments to fuel your shipping fire, it's all there.

and you'd be right! they do have it all. though i will say this - one of the complaints i've heard whispered around this fandom is that piarles is a fun ship, but they don't have any content videos together like teammates do. so it's harder to ship them, because you don't get to see them actually interact with each other aside from like 5-second video clips...

to that i say: well. they might not have any teammate videos together, but oh boy. as of 2023, they do have something else: the squeezie video.

i could talk about the squeezie video for MONTHS, i really could - but let me try and keep it brief. so, squeezie is this french youtuber who has this "who's the impostor?" video series in which he gets a couple of celebrities to join him on the show, plus some people from a certain profession, and then they have to guess who actually does that profession and who's the impostor.

the day that pierre and charles were guests on the show, the professions were "firefighter," "midwife," "flight attendant" and "school counselor." this resulted in absolute chaos of the best kind - ah, man, i cannot even begin to describe to you what a glorious mess it was. that video had everything from charles & pierre cradling fake babies, to charles & pierre extremely dramatically accusing each other of lying, to pierre making dirty hand gestures while charles blushes profusely, to charles & pierre play-acting being naughty schoolkids (feat. charles saying he fell asleep in class and woke up from a nightmare screaming "box box" 😭)

here are some screenshots of some of my favourite moments:

the way they LOOK at each other... GOD.

anyways! you can watch the video here. my recommendation is to watch it with the original french sound track - there is an english dub available, but it sounds incredibly strange to hear american accents coming out of pierre & charles' mouths, off-sync with what they're actually saying. it's a MUCH better experience to watch in french, so you can hear what they actually said, and enjoy how they interact with each other. (english subtitles are available!) alternatively, you can find some translated highlights here, courtesy of the incredible @sedicii <3333

aside from all the still-can't-believe-they-actually-did-this-on-camera content, one of the things that makes me feel the most insane is that pierre and charles both chose to appear on this video. there was no contractual PR requirement saying they both had to participate in it, like with teammate challenges - no, they did it in their free time, because they wanted to.

i mean, sure, that video was definitely good for PR for both of them, but the point stands that they didn't have to do it, and they certainly didn't have to do it together. they CHOSE to - and what's more, they said at the end of the video that they'd do it again.

that's so central to pierre and charles, i think: they choose each other, time and time again. they freely choose to spend time with each other, because they genuinely like each other and enjoy each other's company. so much so that you will find them together at least once on almost every race weekend.

no, seriously. it's a very unusual race weekend if pierre and charles aren't spotted together at least one time. whether it's being glued to each other's sides on driver's parades, or chatting in the background of some or other interview, or just walking through the paddock together... they will find each other.

there are SO many instances where this happens that i would be here for over a month if i tried to list them all - and i'd still probably miss some. but here are some of my personal highlights!

pierre and charles finding each other pre-race in jeddah

pierre and charles chatting in the media pen in the background of one of alex's interviews

pierre and charles walking together in vegas (feat. fond smiles)

pierre and charles being baby gossip girls in 2018

more baby piarles in 2018

even more baby pierre and charles chatting in 2017

and just to round things off: most recently, pierre and charles walking together in jeddah 2024

and many, many more... including a whole bunch of moments we'll probably never know about.

that's another thing that makes me more than a little insane about these two: pierre has actually said, in so many words, that they'll never share everything about their friendship.

In the end we have the same life, we grew up together. We've done many things together, but you won't hear about all of it. (source)

all these moments that we see, that we go insane over... that's probably not even the half of what they've actually done together. and that makes me feel some type of way. if this is just the small pieces of their lives & interactions that they choose to share with the public, then just imagine what else there could be...

....buuuuut that'll start becoming a fanfic if i let myself carry on with that line of thinking too long. (can i just say one thing about that, though? the piarles fanfic community is absolutely INCREDIBLE. such talented writers, such wonderful people... just, chef's kiss all around!!) but, yeah! i think this post has gone on for more than long enough now, haha.

so, to conclude: pierre and charles really are the epitome of a friends to lovers ship: they get along famously, they genuinely seem to love each other's company and are always laughing together - and they can very often be found giving each other the heart-eyes/looking at each other like they're in love. if it's warmth, joy and friends to lovers feels that you're after, then look no further <3333

thank you so much for reading! and i do hope that after all this, you're at least a little bit in love with piarles, too ❤️

[feraltwinkseb]

November 26, 2023 - Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates Source: James Gasperotti/Ciancaphoto Studio/Getty Images

[miamierre]

i just think about you all the time.

[regulus-lantsov]

Once again Tedtalk

Why are wolfstar and Landoscar variant of each other ??

Like we have Oscar and Remus who are calm ( kinda ), that can swear ( remember cold as f*ck ), are tall, with strawberry fluffy hair, that are calm and the fucking parallel about how we says that Oscar is a sunshine and remus is literally the *moon*. They study hard and doesn't show their emotions. + they are bisexual

Then we have Sirius and Lando who are energetic, not straight at all ( Lando and Sirius are straight as how they sit ), following they're tall boyfriend everywhere, get attached very quickly, drama queens and very fashionable in a rock way

So yes. This two couples are veryyyyy similar and that's my ted talk.

++++ they're now my fancasts of each other ! I finally found someone who match them.

Clearly thinking about writing and hogwarts Landoscar + Piarles + Maxiel + Galex matched with teachers Simi and Brocedes.

[effervescentdragon]

hee hee. piarles + 15 🤭❤️

15. Con Artist and the person who saw through their grift.

'This is the last leg, focus, so all you need to do is-'

"Shut the fuck up," Charles hisses at Lando through his teeth. "I can't be seen talking to myself, and I can't focus with you talking into my - hello, Pierre," he says with a wide smile. He can feel sweat gathering on his forehead, but he refuses to acknowledge it in any way. He's trained himself out of those ticks a long time ago, and the harsh lights and his three-piece ridiculous suit are enough to justify the sweat.

"Hello, cher," Pierre says. He looks lovely, handsome and hot in his tuxedo under the casino lights, like a movie star from those old movies his maman likes to watch. "You look dashing," Pierre continues, and Charles hates the fact that his blush is real and not a ruse. He thanks all the gods no one on his team can see him, because he's sure they'd all know.

"Thank you, Pierre," Charles replies. "Do you want a drink?" He leans back on the bar and gives Pierre his honest, shy smile just as Lando says 'He's so fucking gone on you, it's hillarious'.

Charles is going to punch Lando as soon as the job is done. He sips his martini so as not to grit his teeth. Pierre steps closer to him and Charles can feel the heat of his body as he leans half over Charles to signal the bartender for a drink.

"Of course, Renard," Pierre says. "Do you want a refil?"

Charles does his best not to flinch as he shakes his head. Every time Pierre uses Charles' fake name, Charles wants to scream. It wasn't supposed to be like this. None of this was supposed to be like this.

"Suit yourself," Pierre says. His knuckles brush over Charles' hand and Charles supresses - everything. He's a professional. He can get through this without getting attached.

Liar, he thinks. You stupid, pathetic liar. Get yourself together. Pierre isn't the first pretty mark you've worked with.

He is the first and only one that seems to genuinely care, though, a traitorous thought escapes him. He squashes it with a big sip of his martini.

'I think Ricciardo is on his way,' Lando says. 'Seb will be with you in some ten minutes, and then-'

"My boss is on his way," Pierre says. He's close enough to touch Charles and with the way Charles is leaning against the bar, he's forced to look up at Pierre. "So the contract should be signed very soon."

"Good." Charles makes himself smile. "My boss is on his way too." He raises his glass. "I'll just be glad when it's over."

Pierre taps on his glass. "Hmm," he hums. "Yes, I suppose you will." He clinks his glass to Charles'. "You will be going as soon as we're done?"

Charles swallows around the lump in his throat. "Yes," he says. "I need to oversee the development of the compounds we are building and prepare everything for when Mr. Ricciardo comes for the tour."

Pierre hums again. "Yes, indeed." He looks at Charles, and Charles doesn't know how to interpret that look. It's intense, and it feels like Pierre is searching for something in Charles' face.

Except, you're not Charles, he thinks. You're Renard Deveraux, head architect for the seemingly sustainable water filtering factories in India. You're honest, and outgoing, and you're about to seal the deal that will cost Daniel Ricciardo millions and set you up for the next year so you won't have to work. Seb won't call you last minute because he needs a grifter, and you won't have to work with Lando, and you'll never see Pierre again.

Fuck, Charles thinks just as Sebastian walks up to them with Daniel, both of them laughing. "Gentlemen," Seb says in an exaggerated German accent that isn't that far away from his own accent that comes out when he's roo tired to keep up his accent-less English. "Everything alright here?" His eyes flash in Charles' direction but Charles ignores him. He's fine. Everything's fine.

"Of course, Mr. Schmidt," Pierre says. His hand touches Charles' as he moves a bit. He doesn't move it away. It doesn't even occur to Charles to move at all.

"Please, Pierre, call me Johann," Sebastian says with a wide smile. Charles smiles at Daniel, because he's not Charles who is disgusted with the blatant, dark desire he sees in Ricciardo's eyes. He's Renard, who has been flirting with Daniel since they met. Renard, who allowed Daniel into his personal space and hooked him just enough to make the fake deal that Sebastian came up with for the con a certain success.

Pierre inclines his head. "Of course."

Daniel laughs that uncomfortably loud laugh of his. "Alright, alright, we're all friends here, yes? Now let's go sign the deal and then we can party. Right, Renard?"

Charles smiles and hopes it looks seductive enough. "Of course, Mr. Ricciardo," he chuckles. "But business first."

"Just the way I like it," Sebastian adds, and follows Ricciardo towards his office.

Charles is about to follow them, when Pierre grabs him by the arm. Charles tries to keep his breathing steady as Pierre speaks.

"Renard, I-"

Charles can't - he just can't. He steps closer, all the way into Pierre's space, and leans in.

"It's okay," he murmurs, forces himself to smile. "I'll see you in South Africa in a month, okay?"

Pierre looks at every inch of Charles's face, and Charles is in a full three-piece suit but he's never felt as naked as he does now.

"Yes," Pierre finally speaks slowly, meaningful in some way that evades Charles. "You will."

***

They sign the contract. Daniel transfers the millions into an offshore account Lando had set up. They drink a toast, and as soon as it's possible, Charles and Seb excuse themselves and reaffirm the plans of meeting Ricciardo and Pierre in a month. When they finally say goodbye, Charles forces himself not to look back, deapite being able to feel two pairs of eyes on him the whole time, only one of which didn't make him want to either throw up or take a long shower.

They take a cab to the airport together. When Sebastian opens his mouth in front of the terminal as they're smoking a cigarette, Charles shakes his head. "Don't," he asks. "Just... don't." He inhales deeply, the smoke burning his throat and making him dizzy. "Please, Seb. Just... not now."

Seb doesn't try to speak again. His eyes, when they look at Charles, are uncharacteristically sad. He throws away his cigarette, hugs Charles close for a moment, and leaves without another word.

There is nothing left to say. Charles knows who Seb is thinking of; which mark he's thinking of. Charles was there when they conned... well, no matter. It's history, just like this con will be history.

Just like Pierre will become history. Not the man who listened to Charles talk about architecture like it's the most interesting thing in the world when Charles let his guard down and forgot to be Renard. Not the man who told Charles about his own passion for clothes, and the man who shared Charles' interest in old cars and fast cars. Not the man who looked at Charles like he saw him, saw Charles under all the layers his character demanded. Pierre will not be that man; he'll be just another mark in a list of people that Charles conned out of their money and left behind.

Charles smokes three more cigarettes before he goes inside and buys a one way ticket to Panama under the name Peter Freeman. He vowes to punch Alex the next time he sees him for that little dig, then boards the plane and gets just drunk enough to sleep most of the way to Panama.

***

Panama is beautiful, and warm, and colourful, and Charles hates it.

It's been three weeks of sun and sea and alcohol and beautiful people that wanted Charles. The only problem was that the sun burned Charles' skin, and the sea made him feel sad, and the alcohol didn't tase good, and Charles didn't want all those people.

He was pining, and he was annoyed, and he was bored, and he didn't know what to do or how to get over it.

He's sitting at the beach bar, deciding if another cocktail is worth it, when someone sits on the stool next to him.

"This seat taken?"

Charles turns so quickly, he's pretty sure he pulls a muscle in his neck.

"I - what are you doing here?" is all he can say, because he hasn't been this surprised since that job in Azerbaijan ended up with him and Sebastian having to improvise their way out of a drug kingpin's villa. Maybe not even then. Seb always makes risky plans.

"It took me a while to find you," Pierre says. His sunglasses are perched on his head, and his shirt is unbottoned just enough for Charles to see tha cross glinting in the middle of his chest.

Charles swallows. "How?"

Pierre's eyes twinkle. "You know, before I worked for Ricciardo, I had another employer. Nico Rosberg?" he says, and Charles' eyes widen. "Yes, I thought so." He chuckles. "Anyways, long story short is - I quit my job before Ricciardo realised he signed over fifty million for compounds that don't exist, I called Nico, and then I got out of Italy. The worst part was tracking down Schmidt - I mean, Vettel," he said, and Charles was finding it pretty hard to breathe. "Convincing him to talk to me was even harder, but in the end I managed to convince him to give me your location."

"Seb didn't know -" Charles starts to say, then bites his lip at Pierre's chuckle. "Well. You found me."

"I did."

They stare at each other for a moment, and Charles is pretty sure that it isn't the heat making him uncomfortable. He clears his throat.

"So. What now?" he asks, because he doesn't know what to think, or what to feel. Pierre is standing in front of him, after tracking him down to Panama, and he looks like sin and he doesn't look like he's mad at Charles.

Pierre slides off his chair and steps closer into Charles' space. "Now, well. Everything I have planned requires your explicit consent, actually."

The way his eyes roam over Charles' skin is enough to light a fire inside Charles unlike any he's ever felt. He clears his throat again, then remembers something.

"I - I think I will consent to anything you want," he says, cheeks burning under Pierre's gaze. "But I think you should know, well, you probably guessed, but my name isn't Renard."

Pierre makes a final step and Charles can't move. "Oh, I know. I guessed that a long time ago, and I know you probably want to know everything, how and why and all that, but for now," he raises his hand and trails a finger down Charles' arm, leaving goosebumps on Charles' skin, "I think I'd like to do something I've wanted to do ever since I met you." Pierre raises his gaze to look straight into his eyes. "Charles."

Charles doesn't wait a moment more; he can't. He pushes forward and kisses Pierre with everything he's got, and when Pierre's arms wind around his waist, holding him up, he allowsh himself to smile into the kiss and then deepen it, like he's wanted to ever since he first saw Pierre.

They'll figure it out. Pierre is capable, and Charles... Charles is a grifter. He can figure out anything, and right now, he needs to figure out how to make Pierre make that sound again.

[pierregaslays]

feeling extremely normal abt this

[albonoooo]

Hello!!! What’s the piarles guard dog fic you were referring to please? 🥵🥵😭😭😭 sounds like my cup of tea!! Thanks so much!!

thank you SO much for asking, i love this fic and i think about it all the time!!!

it's floatin' but i'm heavy by quietrumblings on ao3. while you're at it, you may as well read all of their other fics as well. everything by them i've read is top tier. i hope you enjoy it just as much as i did!!

[thebearchives]

pierre, come on now 😭😭😭

[formula1squids]

piarles + greed, please <33333

"You know how it's 'in sickness and in health'? Well, now I'm feeling sick and not very supported." Charles points an accusing finger at Pierre before he rolls over to lie on his other side. It's the wrong decision. Almost immediately his stomach churns with the movement and he groans, clutching at it.

He hears Pierre chuckle and pouts. If he wasn't feeling so poorly, Pierre would absolutely not be hearing the end of it. As it is, he curls up into a ball and desperately wishes for it all to subside, feeling sad and pathetic and in severe need of some tender loving.

"I'm pretty sure that refers to other illnesses aside from those caused by overeating," Pierre says. The bed dips as he crawls in behind Charles, coaxing Charles over into his arms. The hand he eases under Charles' shirt and splays over Charles' aching belly can't really take the pain away, medically speaking, but its warmth is comforting nonetheless.

"Your mother made so much food today! I couldn't not help to eat some." Pierre doesn't get it. And Charles doesn't quite know how to explain it either without sounding silly, the way a part of him will always feel the need to impress, the fear of disappointing always lingering overhead like the most annoying dark cloud.

"Yes, and I promise she will love you regardless even if there are leftovers." Pierre kisses his shoulder. Okay, maybe he does get it. They both lie in silence, just enjoying each other's company. It's very comfortable for Charles, surrounded by Pierre's warmth and scent, and he's all but drifted off when Pierre shifts behind him.

"Technically," Pierre says, tone casual, "We didn't do 'in sickness and in health'."

"Hmm?" Charles mumbles, feeling a little disoriented, mind already more than halfway into shutdown mode.

"We didn't have a wedding, remember?" Pierre says, as if Charles hadn't been the one who proposed doing away with the ceremony and eloping instead, hadn't been there as they exchanged rings on the beach and giggled into each other's mouths and shared the familiar taste of celebratory champagne. Their mothers' combined rage that they had returned to had been one for the books.

Charles blinks, willing himself to wake up and understand what Pierre is saying. His stomach is feeling better by now, enough for him to turn around and face Pierre.

"Do you want one?" Charles asks. Pierre's growing smile is bright even in the dim room. He reaches out and strokes Charles' cheek.

"Yeah, I do," Pierre says. "I want us to get dressed in suits and walk down the aisle in front of all of our family and friends."

What else could Charles even say to that? Eloping had been Charles' idea but nobody says they can only do one. He thinks about how handsome Pierre would look poured into a suit, the strength of his shoulders emphasised.

"I guess we're having a wedding." He leans in and seals the deal with a kiss.

[singsweetmelodies]

i'm no editor, really, but i thought it would be fun to try something new here! so... piarles + take me to church for day 3 of @1016week (blasphemy)

[river-ocean]

Piarles + 21 ❤

hi anon <3 this got out of hand but i need to stop pretending my piarles ficlets won't get out of hand. so.

enjoy this uni/roommates AU for piarles + love confessions :)

Every year, the English department held their annual Valentine’s Day carnation sale. And every year, Charles and Pierre’s dorm filled with carnations with anonymous messages. Most of them were addressed to Charles, but Pierre was more than satisfied with the amount of flowers he received - especially since Charles always seemed overwhelmed by his mountain.

“I do not understand what the point of sending it anonymously is. How am I supposed to know who is in love with me if they don’t even sign it?” Charles asked each year, exasperation and bewilderment clear on his face. Pierre would be lying if he said that he didn’t find it adorable.

Pierre would also be lying if he said that he hadn’t been sending Charles a carnation each year, adding one more to the massive bouquet his roommate amassed.

It had started as a joke their first year. Pierre stopped by the table on his way to class, typed out a line from a poem he enjoyed, and went about his day. 

“I look at you and I would rather look at you than all the portraits in the world”

He thought it would be funny for his roommate to receive a carnation from an anonymous suitor. Pierre would pretend to help him figure out who it was, and then eventually he’d admit to sending it as a joke. 

He didn’t know that his roommate would receive so many that it was pointless to try to hunt down the sender.

He also didn’t expect that somewhere along the way, he’d start to actually develop a crush on his roommate.

Their second year, he sent another carnation, with another line from the same poem. 

“the fact that you move so beautifully more or less takes care of Futurism”

Charles wasn’t much of a poetry reader. Pierre figured he wouldn’t catch on.

Their third year, he sent another carnation, another line from the poem. 

“what good does all the research of the Impressionists do them when they never got the right person to stand near the tree when the sun sank”

Pierre watched as his roommate read each of the carnation messages. Charles’ expression remained neutral as he read through them, and Pierre felt a slight pang of disappointment.

Their fourth and final year, Pierre decided that he needed to be brave. He was going to sign the message this year. 

Their plans weren’t solidified for post graduation yet, and this could be his final chance to tell Charles how he felt. Four years of living together had given him plenty of opportunities to be honest with Charles, but he had never been brave enough to take that leap.

He typed out one last line from the poem, and below it, 

“it seems they were all cheated of some marvelous experience which is not going to go wasted on me which is why I’m telling you about it

I love you

-Pierre”

The carnations and messages were always delivered on Valentine’s Day.

Pierre saw the two stacks of flowers sitting outside his dorm room when he got back from class, which meant that Charles wasn’t back yet. They had an agreement not to read any of their messages until they were both home, celebrating the holiday with their carnations and the candy that Charles’ mom sent them every year.

Pierre placed the flowers on the table, pleased that the piles were pretty equal this year. 

Charles arrived home shortly after and rolled his eyes with a laugh when he saw the piles of flowers. Pierre suddenly felt nervous — the weight of his confession feeling real now that his message was on the table amongst the rest.

Pierre grew even more nervous as Charles expression remained neutral as it did every year. Had he seen Pierre’s message and ignored it? Had his flower not been delivered?

They were each down to one flower, one last anonymous message. Pierre pulled the tag off his carnation and read the message.

“Would you like to have a Coke with me?

I love you

-Charles”

He looked across the table, making silent eye contact with his roommate.

Charles was smiling, his eyes shimmering. He grabbed his backpack off the floor, unzipped the small pocket at the front, and pulled out three slips of paper. He slid them across the table to Pierre.

Pierre looked down at the papers. They had obviously been handled a lot — creased with folds and slightly tattered at the edges, like Charles had been carrying these slips with him for a while.

He picked up one of the slips and saw the message he had sent Charles a year ago. He picked up each of the other slips, and found that they were his messages from the first and second year. He looked back at Charles with wide eyes.

“I looked up the poem and I saw you had one of Frank O’Hara’s books on your bookshelf. I wasn’t sure if it was you, but I…figured it was worth a shot anyway,” Charles said softly, tentatively. “But now,” he added, sliding the final slip of paper over to Pierre with a smile.

————————————

Five years later, the officiant read Having a Coke with You by Frank O’Hara during their wedding ceremony.

[miamierre]

Model and Designer for piarles 😘🙏

20. model and designer

Pierre can't sleep.

It's becoming a habit, which is not boding well for his stomach lining considering how much more coffee he's been drinking because of that fact. Pierre just...can't sleep. There's not much he can really attribute it to, except for maybe the fact that he's a few months out from the big debut of his whole new fashion line--the latest Louis offshoot he'd been fortunate enough to helm. This is years of his life at stake: all that school and groundwork, all the bleeding and pricking and crying he'd done to find himself here, surrounded by fabric swatches laid out haphazardly at the desk kitty-cornered in his bedroom. There are stacks of photos and torn-up magazines out on his kitchen counter. His whole apartment is now a perfect parallel to his workplace: covered in ideas, wall-to-wall.

Hm. Maybe that's why he's becoming an insomniac.

Instead of paying the thought any more attention, though, Pierre slips out of bed and pads over to his desk chair, grabs the nearest sketchbook of his and flips to a blank page. It's not quite dawn, but there's more light than there was a few hours ago--enough to see what he'd left behind.

Charles is out cold. Completely asleep, drool and all. He looks innocent in ways that no photographer would ever be able to capture: forehead smoothed out with sleep, body curled in on itself slightly in the absence of someone next to him. Pierre gazes at him, sketchbook heavy in his hands, and feels the guilt in his stomach like a knife. He'd only invited his lead model over tonight for a review of their plans for the first walk-through with the clothes. (They have to move right, after all: Pierre needs to see his work from all angles in motion before he can be comfortable putting it on stage, even for a dress rehearsal.)

He hadn't planned for two bottles of wine. He certainly hadn't planned for Charles in his lap, warm and pliant and so, so easy as Pierre had given him direction: take this off and open your mouth and hands and knees. The memory of it makes Pierre's throat tight. So good for me, he'd mumbled after, mouth pressing just under Charles' ear, and the yes sir he'd gotten back had thrown him right out of his own mind.

He grips the sketchbook tighter. There's no way this can ever happen again, he knows--once is a mistake and he'll keep it that way.

From the bed, Charles snores lightly. It's a soft sound: sweet, almost. Pierre's chest is so tight he swears he must've forgotten how to breathe.

"Oh, Charlie," he whispers to the quiet of the room, "what have I done?" Nothing good, he's certain. Pencil in hand, Pierre tries to redirect his thoughts to the work laid out on the desk behind him--dresses with angular cuts, wide-arm sleeves, the jagged lines of a belt that's been nagging at the back of his mind since he'd axed the last round of the designs from his main book.

What he ends up with is this: Charles, in charcoal, curled up in his expensive sheets. The most damning evidence of his lapse in judgment, and he can't even bring himself to rip the sketch to shreds because it feels like a waste--a waste of beauty, even if it's a beauty he can't have.

[effervescentdragon]

piarles + dreams

inspired by me having to take latin tho i thought i wouldn't have to, @mssr-monagato reminding me how easy it used to be to write them with a comment, me being in a weird mood bcs im studying, and @duquesademiel and @hourcat having bdays i wished to write them sth for but brain did not cooperate. love you all, this one is for you <3

Charles finds him in a dream.

There is always too much to do during the day and Charles gets to his bed eagerly, limbs tired and muscles hurting. Being an artist's apprentice mostly means moving huge slabs of marble and being an artist's muse means holding still in awkward positions for too long a time. The land under his sandals is hot with the remnants of the day's heat and it burns.

He gets to his house and kisses his mother gently before he goes to wash himself down. Some days, when wants to make something too complicated and he does not look too tired, she calls up to him to help with dinner. Lorenzo comes home next from his job in the Senate with scrolls, distracted by calculations and politics both. Arthur arrives last, out all day training with other boys who will be soldiers for the Empire. They all sit down to eat, wine and laughter flowing equally easily, and Charles feels happy enough he wishes he were closer to attaining his mastery in art so he could immortalise the scene of his brothers and his mother joyful and content. These days never seem to last long enough, Charles knows it, and he pushes the storm clouds away from his mind and tries to focus on the moment he's in.

The moment he falls into his bed, Charles dreams of the man.

He does not remember all the dreams. The Gods send him these visions for a reason that he is not privy to, nor will he be for a long time. The Empire is grand and Charles is insignificant in it, much in the way the Empire is insignificant in the eyes of the gods. What stays with him is the sense of yearning so deep he wakes with pain in his chest, his heart leaking sorrow and desire he knows not how to name. He pours it into his art, marble bleeding like his soul is, shattered and jagged as he chases the visage of the man he almost knows, almost recognises, in vain.

In his dreams, the man smiles. The smile is almost wolfish some nights, when the man's blue eyes narrow and his fangs look to be elongated as he presses them softly against Charles' skin, Charles' lifeblood pumping violently in his throat. Some nights, the smile is more vulpine, when the man's lips press against the centre of Charles' chest, like he wants to drink the life from the very centre of Charles' person. What never changes is the way Charles trembles every time, lips parted and heart galloping like the horses do down the streets of their town on the newly set roads.

All roads lead to Rome, the man tells him. Charles knows not what it means, and he never remembers to ask. The man distracts him with the touch of his lips and with the way his hands press down onto Charles' hips.

Who are you, Charles asks him sometimes, when he remembers to. The man usually smiles. I am who you need, he says some nights. I am who you want, he says the other night. Sometimes, he says nothing, only kisses Charles until he forgets to remember what he asked.

What is your name, the man asks him sometimes. Charles, he says, when he remembers. I do not know, he says when he forgets. Does it matter?, he asks in return.

Not many things matter, the man says. His voice carries the same lilt of the Gauls that Charles himself has and has never gotten rid of. What does, Charles asks, curious. The man's eyes shine in the dream landscape that Charles can never focus on, for the man is like the sun to him. Winning, I think, the man says. Winning matters.

Can you win, Charles feels the need to ask every time. Can you win?

The man covers Charles' hand with his. He pulls Charles' hand up, twists his fingers gently until he can play with them. I do not know, he muses, but he does not look worried. I think I may do anything so long as you are here.

Who are you? Charles asks. What is your name, and why are you here?

I am not here, the man always says, and neither are you, cher. The rest of his words get blown away by the wind that rises suddenly every time. Charles never remembers the man's name. The man's lips, though; they taste like honey against Charles'.

He wakes up with the fading taste of honey on his lips and an unavoidable weight on his chest and no memory of his dreams. He rubs his eyes as he goes through his morning absolutions.

Soon he is to accompany his master to Rome for the exhibition. He must finish the sculpture he is working on until then, to take with him on his journey and oresent it at the sculptor's assembly. His master said it was lovely, and where did he get the inspiration for the face, for it was so detailed, it must be someone Charles knows?

"I saw him in my dreams," Charles always replies, laughing, and his master shakes his head in fond exaspeartion. His heart always beats too fast when he says it, like it does when he lies.

He goes back to the sculpture of a man's face. He needs to fix the man's smile, but he knows not how, yet. Charles finally named the sculpture Man, Take 10 just last week, to his master's great amusement, when his master said it must have a name. They all just call it Take 10, for Charles had tried and failed nine times already.

What Charles does not know is that it will be done before they start off for Rome in a month, and Charles will pack it carefully so it does not break. It will be even more lovely than it already is, and it will bring Charles closer to his destiny.

What Charles will tell no one is that in his head, he calls the man Pierre.

[espithewarlock]

Happy @1016week! Day 3 - Blasphemy!

This is Part 2 of my 4-part series, Part 4 was released yesterday!

╰(*°▽°*)╯

Organized religion was really more of a habit these days than anything else. There was something comforting about the idea of an omnipresent devine entity and a serene afterlife, but belief was a separate thing entirely.

Pierre believed in what he could see, hear, feel, experience with his own senses. He worshiped exclusively at the altar of Charles Leclerc.

He was aware, of course, of the warnings against worshiping false idols, but he also figured he would be given a pass for this one.

Charles was perfection. There was really no point in pretending otherwise.

His existence brought light into Pierre’s world and he would happily spend his days in devout worship as a congregation of one.

There was so much that Pierre loved about Charles. Laughter was a known constant when they were together, free and wonderful. His compassion, kindness, and selflessness off-track was admirable. His dedication and ruthlessness on-track even more so.

All of those things, though, were intangible. Pierre liked to feel when he worshiped.

He ran his finger lightly over Charles’ brow, just over eyelids that were closed in sleep. Pierre didn’t need those eyes to be open to admire them. The color was permanently burned into his brain. A brilliant green that filled his dreams.

There was a slight flicker as Pierre traced his finger across cheekbones and the spaces where dimples were currently invisible. Those were incredibly lovely and it was one of Pierre’s favorite things to make them appear in an unexpected bout of joy.

Charles’ mouth was incredible. Pierre was always enraptured with every word that spilled out of it. The plush, pink lips fit perfectly with his own and were absolutely flawless when wrapped around his fingers or his cock.

In fact, it was one of Pierre’s favorite fantasies to indulge in on a busy day. Just the idea of walking through the media pen, shoving his thumb into Charles’ mouth without preamble, and watching his eyes darken with lust in front of everyone was enough to send shivers down his spine.

(Of course, Pierre was just as likely to drop to his knees and worship Charles with his mouth in full view of everyone. The particulars didn’t matter in this fantasy.)

Pierre felt a strong exhalation as he ran his finger across Charles’ bottom lip and felt his face curl into a smile. His eyes began to sleepily flutter open as he came to wakefulness.

“What are you doing?” Charles asked, voice low, husky, and thick with sleep.

“Admiring how beautiful you are,” Pierre said softly, once again running his finger across Charles’ forehead, cheekbones, and down to his chin.

A little sigh, exasperated and fond, slipped out of Charles’ mouth. “Pierre…” he started to protest but was cut off.

“You are beautiful,” Pierre interjected, “and I’m going to show you exactly how beautiful I think you are.”

Another little sigh escaped from Charles, but he did not argue. Instead, he gave a tiny nod and let his eyes flutter closed as he surrendered himself to Pierre.

It was so easy to worship at the temple that was Charles Leclerc.

Pierre shifted so that he could brush the faintest of kisses across Charles’ mouth. As much as he loved spending time there, he did not linger long. He started kissing along Charles’ jawline, feeling him tilt his head up to grant Pierre better access.

The trail of kisses continued down Charles’ strong neck. They both had to work hard to maintain the muscles that were required to safely operate their cars, and Pierre loved Charles’ neck.

He longed to mark it up, to claim Charles with bruises and bites for the world to see, but Pierre held himself back. No visible marks was their tacit agreement.

Still, Pierre let his teeth scrape lightly against the soft skin. It was a promise that someday they would share that they belonged to each other. For now, Pierre contented himself with featherlight kisses across the entire expanse.

He continued his journey down the right side of Charles’ body. His neck gave way to the broad lines of his shoulder that Pierre loved to see shaking with laughter. The way he hunched his shoulders when laughing, as if he was embarrassed by the sound, was incredibly endearing.

After Charles’ shoulder, Pierre decided to continue down his arm. He worked his way over the bicep, kissing every bit of the muscle he could reach.

When they went to the gym together, Pierre loved to take a quick respite to watch Charles lift weights. His arms were so strong and the sight of them flexing while he concentrated always made Pierre want to feel those arms wrapped around him instead.

He planted a quick kiss to the crook of Charles’ elbow, then lifted his arm for better access to the top of his forearm. He reached the wrist and kissed the bones there. It was currently bare, but Pierre was very familiar with the multitude of bracelets and watches that were frequently found decorating him.

Pierre took Charles’ hand in his own hand and kissed the back of it, right in the center, as if he was a lucky knight kneeling before his prince. Well, Charles was his prince, and Pierre made sure to kiss every single knuckle in reverence before flipping his hand over.

More kisses were planted on the pads of Charles’ fingers and Pierre took the opportunity to rub them across his own lips. He adored Charles’ fingers in every situation. Holding a microphone, his water bottle, his steering wheel in the paddock. Curled around a hot mug of tea in their kitchen.

Shoved inside of his mouth. Tugging at his hair. Giving long and languid or quick and frantic strokes to his cock.

Anything involving Charles’ fingers was enough to make Pierre’s pulse quicken. He made sure to lavish the inside of every joint before he started back up Charles’ arm.

Pierre could feel Charles’ pulse as he kissed the inside of his wrist. It was strong but not frantic as he willingly accepted the attention Pierre was giving to his body. He smiled as he licked and kissed his way up Charles’ arm to arrive back at his chest.

Once he got there, he purposefully dragged his tongue in a straight line to Charles’ nipple. Pierre got his first gasp as he circled it with his tongue, then clamped his mouth over it to give it a strong suck.

Charles arched his back at the sensation while Pierre continued his ministrations. He teased it with his teeth, then brought his lips around it to add pressure while he pulled. Charles’ breath started to escape in short, quick pants while Pierre lavished the area with his mouth.

Eventually, he released the bud to continue peppering kisses across the flat plane of Charles’ stomach. He spent a minute kissing along Charles’ hipbones, again using his teeth to scrape along the outside.

The hips were one of the few places on Charles’ body that Pierre was allowed to leave marks. Those usually came in the form of bruises when Pierre grasped them too tightly, but he was also known to pinch them on occasion or brush his fingers across them even while they were in public.

He ignored the area between Charles’ hips for a moment while he continued down the outside of Charles’ leg. The powerful thighs were lax under his mouth and hands, but Pierre knew exactly how strong they were when wrapped around his body. He loved the feeling of Charles using his legs to pull them close and hold them together.

More kisses were planted in a line over Charles’ knee and on his calf until Pierre reached his ankle. He gave the outside bone one soft kiss before shifting so that he was between Charles’ legs.

Pierre wrapped his hand around Charles’ ankle and used the leverage to lift his leg, pushing until Charles’ thigh was flush with his chest. He took a moment to admire the view, the entire expanse of Charles' nude body, as he kept pushing Charles’ leg sideways until he was spread completely open for Pierre.

Charles was so pliant as he went with the motions and looked incredible. The sight of him, bare and exposed, slightly flushed and semi-hard, was more than enough to make Pierre’s blood boil.

He was so beautiful like this. A sight for Pierre’s eyes that nobody else would ever get to witness.

A privilege and an honor for his most devoted follower.

Just because he could, Pierre pulled and pushed Charles’ leg in another circle. He watched as an amused smile curled across Charles’ face as he once again laid himself open for Pierre.

“So beautiful,” Pierre murmured while he kissed the inside of Charles’ ankle. He slowly lowered the leg back down to the bed as he kissed along Charles’ calf until he returned to the thigh.

The inside of Charles’ thighs were a blank canvas, and Pierre was an artist. This was a place where he was truly able to mark up and he started painting.

Soft kisses covered the entire surface to start. Then, Pierre rubbed his beard until there was a healthy flushed tint to the skin. After that, he sank his teeth in. Hard.

Charles actually cried out at the first bite. It was in surprise, not in pain, and Pierre could feel Charles’ thigh trembling as he held it in place.

More bites followed that first one, scattered around and mixed with kisses as he sucked and marked up the skin. Charles squirmed as he tried to hold himself still.

This was the one place where Pierre could claim and mark Charles’ body as his own. It had been far too long since he had last indulged. He mentally promised to never again be so remiss in his worship.

Once he was satisfied with the markings, the blood pooling and bruising underneath the skin, Pierre leaned in close right between Charles’ legs. He flicked his tongue briefly against Charles’ hole and received a hitched gasp in response.

Pierre loved Charles’ hole. Adored it whenever he got the chance. He would happily spend hours languishing attention there with his mouth, his hands, or his cock.

But that was not his goal. At least, not his current goal at that very moment.

He repeated the attention he gave to Charles’ right thigh on his left thigh, knowing that the marks would last for days. Both of them would be able to see it when they were like this, bare with each other, and Pierre knew that Charles would be feeling it constantly.

The thought was thrilling and Pierre hoped that Charles would be willing to reciprocate soon. (He knew that he would, of course, but not today. Today was about Charles.)

Pierre mirrored his actions onto Charles’ left leg until he was biting once again at his hip. When he got there, he could see that Charles was fully turned on, hard and leaking, but he ignored his cock. He needed to save the best for last, after all.

He continued across the strong, flat abs and felt Charles suck in a breath as his beard brushed the sensitive skin. Pierre kept up the trail of light kisses until he returned to Charles’ chest.

His nipple was waiting for him, pebbled and prominent against his chest, and Pierre did not need an invitation. He attached his mouth to the nub and sucked, not relenting as Charles pushed his chest up to try and ease the pressure.

A smirk crossed his face as Pierre kept working the nipple with his teeth and lips, causing Charles to cry out incoherently with the sensations.

Pierre knew that they must be overwhelming from the way Charles was shaking, but he did nothing to try and stop Pierre. It was incredible that Pierre was allowed to play with Charles’ body in such a way. He was completely devoted to bringing Charles pleasure.

Eventually, he relented and Pierre trailed kisses along the inside of Charles’ arm. He stopped at the hand once again, pressing the pads of Charles’ fingers to his mouth before flipping it over to kiss every single knuckle with reverence.

The last knuckle on Charles’ fourth finger, his ring finger, got some extra attention. Someday soon, Pierre was going to put a ring there. He had one waiting in the back of one of his drawers and had a plan for how he was going to propose.

It wasn’t going to be today, but that didn’t mean that Pierre couldn’t tease. He ran his tongue completely around the base of the finger, forming a temporary ring out of his saliva.

Charles would know what he was hinting at. He knew that Pierre wanted to be the one to propose to him and this would tell him that day was coming soon.

As soon as he was done lavishing attention to Charles’ hand, Pierre slowly worked his way back up his arm, fighting the impulse to rush impatiently.

He eventually made it back to Charles’ shoulder and tucked his face into the crook of his neck. As much as he, again, wanted to mark the skin there, Pierre refrained and held himself to teasing instead of bruising sucks.

The trail of kisses continued across Charles’ jaw until Pierre finally reattached their lips together.

Unlike the first kiss of the day, barely more than a light brush of their lips, this one was deep. Pierre devoured Charles’ mouth and moved so he was completely covering his body.

He felt Charles’ hardness against his hip and broke their mouths apart so he could whisper directly into his ear.

“What do you want, mon amour,” Pierre said, voice low and suggestive, “my hands? My mouth? My hole? It’s all yours. Everything I am belongs to you.”

Pierre could feel Charles trembling beneath him but there was no immediate response from the other man. “Or maybe you want something else,” he continued, “do you want my tongue in your hole? My fingers? My cock? Do you want me to split you open until you see stars?”

The moan that Charles gave sounded so delicious that Pierre had to try and swallow it. Their lips glided together while Pierre circled his hips, showing Charles exactly what was available to him.

“Anything,” Charles gasped between breaths, “I want anything you’ll give me. Just…please Pierre, I–”

Pierre cut him off with a swift kiss that left him panting. Charles’ request was simple since there was no part of Pierre that would deny him anything.

He grinned as he slowly worked his way back down the center of Charles’ body. It was so easy to worship at the altar of Charles Leclerc.