Chapter Text
If Max was smarter, he wouldn’t have been at the concert. Hell, he wouldn’t have been in the States at all. He would have just flown straight to Canada for the Canadian GP, like he originally planned.
It was Marc’s idea to go to a concert in the United States.
And not just any concert. A Coldplay concert.
When Max had asked why they should go there of all places, the older man had just laughed mischievously.
“It’s the last place the world will think we will be.” Marc had hummed over the phone, “And a perfect escape for the both of us!”
Max was much less enthusiastic about the idea. But after the tremendous amount of stress the 2025 season had put him through, he was more than willing to go along with Marc’s idea.
He needed to spend time with someone outside of Formula 1.
Especially after the disaster that was the Spanish GP.
Admittedly, hitting George had not been the smartest move. But after the stress of the previous nine races, something snapped in him when GP had told him to give George the position back.
Now he had barely finished in the points and his dreams of 5 consecutive driver championships were crushed.
Max knew that theoretically, he was still in contention until the end of the season. But logically, he knew that the title was going to either Lando or Oscar.
And he was fine with it. Really.
That’s why he hid himself in his hotel room as soon as he possibly could. And why he called a certain MotoGP driver as soon as he finished his shower.
Max wasn’t sure when Marc had stopped becoming a casual acquaintance in his life and became an actual friend.
It all started in the aftermath of the 2021 season. A week after the infamous Abu Dhabi showdown, Marc had reached out to Max through his Instagram DMs, offering a listening ear if he wanted to talk.
Max had been surprised at first. He had met Marc before, as Marc had visited the Red Bull Garage during a Spanish GP once. But, they had barely spoken during his visit, since Max was busy preparing for the race.
Max knew the older driver did have time to message him, as Marc was still recovering from his 2020 crash.
However, Max initially didn’t understand why Marc had chosen to message him.
Shouldn’t Marc be focusing on recovering, rather than spending his limited free time texting a driver from a completely different sport? One that he barely knew?
Then, it hit him.
Everyone knew about Marc’s dramatic fallout with one of the most legendary drivers in MotoGP history, Valentino Rossi. It was still talked about, even years later
And, Max had just dethroned Lewis Hamilton in one of the most controversial races in Formula 1’s history. He doubted Lewis would ever treat him the same after this season.
Maybe that was why Marc reached out to him. He understood what Max was going through and wanted to help him through it all.
And wouldn’t it be good to have someone to talk to, Max thought to himself. Someone who understood the stress and pain that came with going up against one of the most respected people in their career field?
So, Max had texted Marc back.
And that’s when their friendship began.
Marc was a surprisingly helpful companion throughout the 2021 break. While their situations weren’t quite the same, since Marc had been Valentino’s partner during their 2015 battle, and his ex during 2018, Marc still gave him some tips on how to handle the situation.
“You should be careful with handshakes. Make sure that Lewis is okay with it before attempting it in public.” Marc had joked once.
Max had actually laughed a bit at that.
Their texting continued into the 2022 season. Max found that now he had more in common with Marc than ever, since he was now battling Charles Leclerc for the championship title.
Charles. The man he had secretly been in love with for years now.
Max couldn’t remember a time when the Monegasque didn’t occupy his mind. From the moment they started racing together, all Max could think of, for better or for worse, was Charles.
Sure, they had their issues in 2019, and a bit of a tussle with the championship battle in 2022. But Max’s feelings never changed.
Max knew it was stupid. He doubted that Charles would ever look at him as more than a childhood rival, with all the models and celebrities he partied with on a daily basis.
He was even teammates with Lewis now. Max had no doubt that the two were frequently swapping stories about his annoying antics on the race track.
It was only a matter of time before Charles grew to like Lewis more than Max.
And Max couldn’t even blame him for it.
While Max could go toe to toe with Lewis on the race track, he couldn’t compare with his charisma off the track. Everyone, even Max himself sometimes, was drawn to him.
After all, Nico Rosberg was still waxing poetry about Lewis and it had been nearly a decade since he was Lewis’ teammate.
Even on the off chance that Charles was at least bisexual and into Max, their jobs made a potential relationship between them incredibly hard.
Overall, a relationship with Charles was a foolish thing to hope for and Max knew it.
Marc understood him though. He knew what it was like to fight against someone you were in love with, someone you wanted to scream at, but also kiss senseless.
It was a relief for Max to have Marc to talk to, to know that he wasn’t alone in this.
Their friendship grew as the months progressed. Marc even began opening up to Max, complaining about his injury and awkward relationship with Valentino.
Marc explained over time that he had a very unsteady relationship with Valentino. The events of Sepang still hung heavy over their heads, yet they were still… something. No official titles, both able to see whoever they wished.
But Marc still spammed Max’s phone whenever he saw a post of Valentino with some attractive figure online. And then Marc would complain weeks later about Valentino harassing him about a selfie with Andrea Dovizioso.
Max just gave Marc a shoulder to lean on during those moments. He wasn’t sure he could say anything that could change Marc’s mind about the relationship. But, he still tried to give Marc some comfort.
And he knew that the Spaniard appreciated the attempt.
Still, their friendship made their infrequent media events together more fun. Their kart race in 2022 was still one of his favorite media events.
Though he was surprised that no one commented on their dual interview in December 2024.
Max and Marc had spent nearly an hour talking about their careers and mutual respect for each other. It seemed like perfect bait for the media to latch onto.
And yet, the interview barely got any attention.
Perhaps that was why Marc thought it was a good idea to go to a concert together.
“It’s perfect!” Marc had pointed out over the phone, “Neither of us are supposed to be in the States.”
Max had hummed as he laid down on his hotel bed. “I’m supposed to be in Canada.”
“Not until the Thursday before. And the concert is on Tuesday. You could fly in early!” Marc suggested.
“May I remind you that people still track my plane.” Max reminded him.
Marc had been silent as he considered this.
“Well, you could fly to Toronto early and I can meet you there. We can then use my plane to fly into Denver and I’ll fly you back after.” Marc finally suggested.
Max had let out a long sigh. “All of this for a concert.”
“No, for us to hang out!” Max can practically hear Marc pouting, “Come on, we haven’t seen each other since our interview in December!”
Max should have said no. He should have suggested they meet up somewhere more reasonable, like Monaco. It wouldn’t be out of the norm for either of them to be there.
But, Max had to admit that there was something thrilling about a secret meeting in such a public area. And it would be easy to get a quick flight from Denver to Montreal for the race.
“Fine then. Let’s do it.” Max said.
And that’s how Max found himself leaning on a railing, beer in hand as Marc explained the “kiss cam” at the concert.
“It could be fun if we get on it!” Marc cheers, already two drinks in and working on a third.
Max rolls his eyes as he takes another sip of his beer. “A kiss cam? Fun? Don’t we have enough cameras in our faces? And aren’t we trying to avoid people finding out we are here?”
Marc pouts. “I think it’s funny! And they move so fast, I doubt anyone would recognize us in time to record us. Besides, no one takes them seriously. We don’t even have to kiss if you don’t want to!”
“What would we do if we do get on the cam then, if we aren’t kissing?" Max asks.
Marc shrugs. “I don’t know. We could make it up when it comes along.”
“We could try and say you’re my older brother.” Max snorts.
It was Marc’s turn to roll his eyes. “We don’t look alike in the slightest. Besides, the more weird the interaction, the longer they will show us. Then people will recognize us.”
Max makes a face at the thought. “Well, if we do get caught, then we will go viral online. Maybe Rossi will give you a call too.” Max teases Marc.
Marc waves a hand dismissively. “Like he would care. He would probably just make some comment on a podcast about how I am not taking my job seriously.”
Even in his slightly tipsy state, Max can see the flicker of sadness in Marc’s eyes.
So instead of continuing that train of thought, he takes another sip of his beer.
“What do you want to do then? A passionate kiss? Or like a peck on the cheek.” Max jokes, trying to lighten the mood.
To his relief, it works, as Marc smiles a bit.
“Well, we have to put on a show for the people, yes? It should be a dramatic show of affection.” Marc said.
Max wrinkles his nose. “You remind me of Lando sometimes.
“Norris?” Marc questions.
When Max nods, Marc chuckles.
“I see. Well I am no stranger to wearing the color orange.” Marc said.
“Is this your way of telling me you’re a Lando fan?” Max asks.
Marc lets out another laugh. “Don’t get jealous on me now. I’ll stick to you, don’t worry.”
He playfully ruffles Max’s hair, but the Dutchman quickly ducks away before he ruins his hair too much.
Thankfully, at that moment, the lights begin to dim, so Marc and Max turn their attention to the stage.
Max has to admit that it was a pretty enjoyable concert. The music was pretty good and the performance actually kept him entertained.
Marc made it pretty fun too, as he started screaming along with the crowd to some of the songs. Max can’t help but laugh at the sound of Marc’s off key singing.
Yeah, Marc should stick to his day job.
Everything was going great, until the infamous kiss cam started.
Marc and Max weren’t really paying attention when the kiss cam came on. They were too busy talking to each other about the upcoming race.
“I am not looking forward to the pre-race interviews.” Max groans.
Marc pats his shoulder. “Well, it will be intense. But I’m sure your penalty will be forgotten soon enough.”
“Sure it will. And maybe there isn’t a curse on the second seat for my team.” Max grumbles.
Marc raises an eyebrow. “Do you actually believe that?”
Max shrugs. “I mean, wouldn’t surprise me at this point.”
Marc opens his mouth to respond, but something seems to catch his eye.He turns back to the stage and suddenly tenses.
“Max,” Marc said quietly. “We are on the kiss cam.”
Max whips his head around. Sure enough, he was met with the sight of his wide eyed face, alongside Marc’s similarly shocked one, on the jumbo screen.
“Oh man, what do we have here? First date guys?” One of the band members, Chris Martin, teases.
Marc is the first one to respond. After a quick glance at Max’s face, Marc quickly starts shaking his head. Marc then makes a slicing motion across his neck to try and drive the point across more.
Max should have felt relieved. It was nice to see that Marc did truly take his feelings into account.
But instead, he couldn’t help but feel a bit guilty.
Marc had been looking forward to coming to the concert. He had been really excited about the idea of the kiss cam, but now he was frantically trying to get them off the screen, just so Max could be comfortable.
And it wasn’t like Max was against kissing Marc. Sure, he was in love with Charles, but that didn’t mean Max didn’t have eyes.
Marc was quite handsome. Max had to admit that. And they were both pretty much single, so it wasn’t like they were cheating on anyone.
Besides, it wasn’t like they weren’t going to go viral now. Max knew that now it was only a matter of time before the paparazzi and fans found out that Max and Marc had gone to a concert together.
What was the harm in indulging Marc then?
It would be an interesting topic to talk about during the press conference at least.
So, Max quickly grabs Marc by the collar. The Spanish rider jumps a bit and gives him a confused look. He opens his mouth to speak, but Max presses his mouth to his in a bruising kiss before Marc can speak.
Marc didn’t respond for a second, but soon enough, he catches on, moving his hand up to cup Max’s face. Max takes it as a signal to go further, so he carefully dips his fellow world champion.
If Marc wanted to give the world a show, he’d give it everything he had.
The crowd roars its approval around them, cheering obnoxiously to their moment.
Chris Martin laughs at them. “Damn! First date going well then huh boys?!”
Max is tempted to flip them off, but he figures that was going a little far. Instead, he just pulls Marc closer. Marc responds by deepening the kiss, even slipping in a bit of tongue.
Fuck, Max thinks to himself, Marc is a great kisser.
No wonder Rossi couldn’t stay away from him.
Eventually though, the need for air returns. Max pulls away and straightens up both him and Marc. A glance at the screen assures him that the kiss cam was now off of them, as there was another couple on the screen.
Marc was unusually quiet after the kiss. For a minute he just stares at Max, a dazed expression on his face.
Max just smiles back innocently. “You said give them a show. So I did.”
Marc continues to stare.
Then, he throws his head back and just laughs .
“I knew I liked you for a reason!” Marc exclaims, reaching over and slinging an arm around Max’s shoulders.
Max chuckles and lets himself drop his head against Marc’s.
Somewhere inside, Max knows that he has just opened up a giant can of worms. But right now, Max just couldn’t bring himself to care.
———————————————
The next morning brings Max a headache and the sound of two cell phones going off nonstop.
Max lets out a groan and squints at the electronic device resting on the hotel side table. He can already see that his phone screen was filled with notifications.
Nearby, he hears Marc let out a small groan from his own bed. Max can make out some mumbled Spanish, probably some curse words, as the other shifts in his bed.
Max reaches over and grabs his phone from the nightstand. He slowly ran through the notifications, squinting a bit as bright light of the screen hits his eyes
A few of the texts stand out to him.
| Christian: Max what is that video?! You need to call me ASAP!!
| Lando: Dude I can’t believe you did that. Also, is Coldplay good? I wanted to take Oscar to a concert??
| GP: Well, someone had a fun night. I’m glad you took some time to relax after the race. 👍
| George: Did you seriously come out after hitting me during the last race?!
| Daniel: Ehhhy Max!! Congrats on the new beau 👀
| Toto: Mercedes is very LGBT+ friendly, just ask George and Kimi.
| Alex: Hey man, congrats from one HAB to another!
Max sighs as he puts down his phone. He didn’t even want to think about how crazy Twitter was at the moment.
He knew that he should be panicking. After all, the entire world had just seen him make out with Marc at a Coldplay concert.
However, Max wasn’t panicking. In fact, he just felt eerily calm.
He knew this was coming. There was no way that his kiss with Marc had gone unnoticed.
There was no stopping the storm now. All that was left was damage control.
Though, he couldn’t help but feel a bit relieved to see how well most of the grid was reacting to the incident.
Max sits up in bed and looks over at Marc.
Marc was now up as well. The MotoGP champion was sitting up in bed and leaning against the headboard, looking at his phone with a small smirk.
As if sensing his look, Marc glances up from his phone and waves a bit. “Morning. Saw the news yet?”
“Well, I saw the texts on my phone,” Max said wryly, “I can practically hear Christian panicking already.”
Marc chuckles. “You aren’t the only one. I already got the texts from Ducati.”
Marc seems as calm as Max felt. Somehow, it made Max breathe a bit easier.
“You’re not upset either?” Max asks.
Marc sighs. “At this point, I’ve been through so much controversy, it doesn’t really faze me anymore. What about you? How do you feel?”
Max rolls over a bit in his bed, so he was closer to Marc.
“I feel like I should be panicking but I’m not. A part of me knew this was coming, I guess. So now I just want to get all the media frenzy over with.” Max admits.
Marc moved over enough to ruffle Max’s hair.
“Perhaps that is a good thing. It’s better to keep our minds clear. We make more mistakes when we are emotional.” Marc points out.
Max considers this. “I guess you have a point.”
“I do have some moments of wisdom, despite what Valentino says.” Marc chuckles, moving his hand away, “Now, what did Christian say?”
Max shrugs. “Call him ASAP. You?”
Marc grins. “Same message from David. With a few more curse words but I think it’s because I didn’t give him any warning. He will calm down once I talk to him.”
Max snorts and moves his arm so he could lean on it. “So what was the post that ‘exposed’ us?”
Marc checks his phone. “Ah, it was the kiss cam, of course. And a fan got some very good shots of us cuddling afterwards.”
Max raises an eyebrow. “Cuddling?”
“See for yourself.” Marc tosses him his phone, nearly hitting Max in the face. Max barely catches it in time. Max can’t help but grumbles a bit at this as he looks at the screen.
Sure enough, there was a viral post containing a video of the kiss cam footage. Max can’t help but raise an eyebrow as he sees how low he dipped Marc.
Internally, he wonders how he had managed to do that while tipsy. Which led to him to wonder if he could possibly replicate the dip with Charles one day.
Max shakes the thought from his mind.
Said post was also accompanied with some pretty well shot photographs of him and Marc cozied up to each other. With Marc’s arm around his shoulder, Max’s head against Marc’s, and their soft smiles, they did indeed look like a very happy couple.
Max snorts. “Mate, if I didn’t know how obsessed you are with Rossi, I would ask you if you had a thing for me.”
Marc rolls his eyes and snatches his phone back.
“I could say the same about you, except with Leclerc.” He shot back.
Max holds up his hands in surrender. “I’m just saying.”
Marc lets out a dramatic sigh before leaning back against his headboard. “Who’s texted you?”
Max checks his phone. “Christain, Lando, GP, George, Daniel, Toto, Alex, along with what looks like a hundred other people.”
“Any from your family?” Marc asks curiously, “I think Alex sent me ten alone.”
Max shrugs. “Mum doesn’t usually check social media and my sister will probably wait for the storm to blow over before calling me. But my dad….”
Max trails off, barely holding back a wince at the thought of his father.
He had no doubt that his father would react the worst to the news. His father hated anything that could impact his racing career.
A sudden “fling” with another Motorsport star? Max could already hear his father screaming.
Marc’s eyes harden a bit. But, Max already knew what he was thinking.
Marc didn’t hide his distaste for Jos Verstappen. From the beginning, he looked down on the former driver, due to his behavior towards Max. And usually, whenever Jos came up, Marc wouldn’t hold back.
But thankfully, Marc doesn’t voice his disdain for Max’s father. Instead, he reaches out and places a reassuring hand on Max’s shoulder.
“You know, my father wouldn’t mind adopting you.” Marc said, “You could be the third Marquez brother!”
Max manages a small laugh despite himself.
“Max Emilian Marquez? Really?” Max chuckles.
Marc nods. “Well, it sounds good! And he said he likes you. Said you’re a good kid with your head on your shoulders.”
Max can’t help but smile a bit at Marc’s words.
He didn’t usually seek out praise, but he did appreciate it.
Especially when he was about to get a lengthy lecture from his father about “PR control.”
Like his father wasn’t a walking PR disaster himself.
“Well, tell him thanks. I appreciate it.” Max said, “Maybe he can adopt me once all of this blows over.”
Marc nods. “Right. And we should probably contact our respective team’s PR staff soon, so we can figure out how to respond. Though….”
Marc winks at Max. “I must say, I enjoy being linked to a handsome man like yourself. Makes me feel young again.”
Max responds by throwing a pillow at him, which hits Marc square in the face.
“Stick to the old man Marquez.” He teases.
Marc lets out a small yelp in response before immediately throwing a pillow back at him. “Well, you should finally confess to your Monegasque!”
Max ducks and snorts. “Yeah yeah.”
Speaking of Charles though….
Max picks up his phone again and flicks through his messages. Oddly enough, Charles hadn’t texted him all morning.
Maybe Charles just wanted to call Max when he had a spare moment. They did have a race coming up in a few days, so Charles could be busy with race preparation.
And yet, Max can’t help but feel a bit upset.
Not even a congratulations message…
“Is everything alright?”
Max looks up and spots Marc looking at him in concern.
Leave it up to Marc to clock his pining.
“Yeah uh… Has Rossi messaged you?” Max asks him.
Marc blinks and checked his phone. “Ah, no. But I doubt he will. He has Le Mans this weekend, so he probably isn’t on social media.”
Marc seems quite relaxed as he said this. There was no anxiety, no hurt.
Just acceptance.
Max knew that this came from years of dealing with Valentino though. Marc had dealt with Valentino’s wavering attention for so long, he could handle Valentino ignoring him.
A part of Max can’t help but be envious of his control. He spent hours pouring over the smallest hint of affection from Charles. Charles could smile at him and that would be the only thing Max could think about for the next two hours following it.
But another part of him just felt bad for Marc.
Marc, in Max’s opinion, deserved better than whatever relationship Valentino was giving him. Marc was a talented driver, a handsome man, and a genuinely nice person. And Max couldn’t help but admire his fortitude when it came to dealing with everything life threw at him.
No matter what happened to him, no matter how cruel the world got, or what bad luck he faced, Marc still got back onto his feet.
He deserved a good relationship, in Max’s opinion, with someone who truly loved him.
And yet, Marc was stubbornly clinging to Valentino Rossi.
It wasn’t like Marc didn’t have options either. Max had seen the photos Marc took with Dovi. In every photo, Dovi looked at Marc like he hung the moon and stars.
Max really couldn’t blame Marc’s brother for trying to get Marc to date Dovi.
But, Max knew that those attempts were in vain. Marc wouldn’t leave Valentino, no matter what anyone said.
Max sighs and opens his mouth to say something, but another ping on his phone draws his attention.
Max isn’t sure why, but for some reason, he actually takes a look at the message on the screen.
This time, the notification was from Instagram. There was a DM waiting for him there with the words:
| 46.VR.09 : I see you’re the newest addition to the bunch.
Max frowns at this. He knew he should just ignore the DM, as it was probably just some troll trying to annoy him. The username basically screamed Rossi fan, so it was probably one of the Italian’s rabid fans going after Marc’s new fling.
But, for some reason, Max finds himself opening his phone and typing out a response.
| Max: And who is this?
The reply comes within a minute.
| 46.VR.09: You know full well who I am.
Max stares at the phone and then slowly looks back at Marc.
No way. There was no way.
“Marc, you are sure Rossi hasn’t messaged you?” Max asks carefully.
Marc, who was oblivious to Max’s panic as he was now scrolling on his own phone, just gives him a brief nod.
“Yes. I would have seen the message.” Marc responds.
Max feels like he’s been dunked into a vat of ice water. He doesn’t say anything to Marc though.
Instead, he turns back to his phone.
| Max: Prove it.
This time, the reply comes a bit slower. And instead of words, there is just a single attachment.
| 46.VR.09: <Attachment.001>
Max opens the attachment.
Sure enough, it’s a selfie of Valentino Rossi, casually having a cup of coffee in his motorhome. The older driver looks relaxed as he leans back in his chair, his coffee cup pressed to his lips as he takes a sip of his drink.
Max can’t help but raise an eyebrow. He quickly reverse searches the image, but no results come up.
So it was real.
Valentino Rossi was messaging him on a burner account.
But why? He hadn’t talked to Marc at all.
Max finds himself silently fuming at this.
So Valentino could message Max, but he couldn’t bother sending a message to Marc himself?!
What the hell was this guy up to?
| Max: Funny how you are texting me and not him.
| Valentino: Oh, has he been complaining about that? Were you that bad last night?
Max’s eye twitches at that. Clearly Valentino was trying to rile him up.
And it was working.
Max turns back to Marc. “Marc. Can I take a photo of you to send to someone?”
Marc finally looks up from his phone, clearly surprised and a bit suspicious.
“What? Why would you do that?” Marc asks.
Max waves his phone. “Guess who messaged me.”
Marc looks between Max and his phone for a second. His eyes widen slightly.
“Valentino?!” Marc chokes out.
Max nods. “He asked if I was bad in bed, since he thought you were asking for him.”
Marc clenches his jaw. Multiple emotions crossed his face, before one finally took control.
Anger.
“Take as many as you want.” Marc snaps. “Let’s make him suffer.”
Max can’t help but grin at that.
Sometimes, he really loved Marc.
“Pose for me then.” Max said.
Marc does so. After putting his phone aside, Marc rests his head on his pillow, draping the sheet just right to show his bare chest and a bit of his legs. He then closes his eyes as well, pretending to be asleep.
Max carefully adjusts the photo, making it seem like Marc was right next to him in bed. Once he was satisfied, he opens up the chat with Valentino.
| Max: Does this look like a man who seems bothered?
| Max: <Attachment.002>
It takes a few minutes for Valentino to reply.
| Valentino: He’s asleep. Clearly he’s just bored by your lackluster performance.
Max doesn’t bother responding. Instead, he groans and collapses against the bed.
“Why do you like this man again? I’m starting to agree with your brother about Dovi.” Max complains.
“Can I see the phone?” Marc asks curiously.
“Yeah. See what bullshit he’s sending me.” Max tosses the phone over to Marc.
Marc catches it and reads over the chat.
After a minute, Marc snorts. “He’s upset.”
Max turns so he can stare at Marc. “Why would you say that? He’s acting so nonchalant and bitchy.”
“Yes, but.” Marc lazily tosses the phone back, “He is responding. So he cares. If he didn’t care, he would leave you on read.”
Max raises an eyebrow as he catches the phone. “That’s what you took from that conversation.”
“Si.” Marc waves a hand. “That’s Valentino for you. Shows his emotions in rather interesting ways sometimes. Never straight forward though, that would be too easy for him.”
Max makes a face as he puts his phone aside. “I guess. Still shitty of him.”
“I’m aware. I have no doubt that he will have words for me when he finds out that you and I aren’t actually together.” Marc sighs.
Max bites his lip.
There’s an idea in his head. A chaotic, idiotic idea that would cause pandemonium for not just Marc and him, but for those around them as well. Especially their teams.
“.. What if he doesn’t?” Max said quietly.
Marc blinks at him. “What?”
Max sits up on his bed. The idea seemed more and more crazy the longer he thought about it.
But, that didn’t stop Max from saying it out loud.
“What if we pretend to date each other?” He suggests.
Marc was stunned into silence for a minute.
“Wait. Wait wait.” Marc’s eyes are wide as he stares at Max. “What exactly are you suggesting?”
Max takes a deep breath.
Well, there was no going back now. Might as well go full steam ahead.
“We play up our ‘relationship’ to the public. We can tell our families and maybe our teams that it’s fake, but as far as the public knows? It’s real.” Max explains.
“But why do you want to do that?” Marc asks, clearly confused. “You know that this will cause the media and our fans to go into a frenzy.”
“Yeah, I know. But…” Max trails off.
“But…?” Marc presses, “Why do you want to do this Max?”
Max runs a hand through his hair.
Why did he want to do this? That was a wonderful question. Max himself didn’t quite know why he wanted to do it.
But, as he thinks about it, all of Max’s thoughts circle back to one thing.
Valentino Rossi’s infuriating behavior towards Marc.
The dismissive tone to his messages. The way he didn’t bother to talk with Marc directly, but chose to antagonize Max.
“Rossi really pisses me off. I hate how he treats you. How he acts when it comes to you. Why not give him a taste of his own medicine, show him what he’s missing out on?” Max explains.
Marc was quiet for a moment. For a second, Max wonders if he had finally gone too far.
“You know, Alex might be disappointed if we do this.” Marc finally said.
Max raises an eyebrow. “Your brother? Why?”
To Max’s surprise,Marc winks at him.
“Because he might actually want me to date you now.” Marc jokes.
Max can’t help but snort. “Well, maybe we can give him hope for a couple of weeks that you aren’t obsessed with Rossi anymore.”
Marc hums a bit.
“I’ll suppose we can. Though, are you sure about this? What about Charles?” Marc asks.
Max’s heart clenches at the question.
“I… I think my shot with Charles has passed.” Max admits . “I doubt he will care.”
It hurt Max to admit it. And Marc’s pitying look does little to help.
“I see...” Marc contemplates the idea. “But, if we do this, I will have to come up with a story to tell Pecco.”
Max blinks. “Oh right, he’s your teammate right?”
“Right. And Valentino’s academy driver.” Marc reminds him.
Max frowns. “Shit I forgot about that.”
Marc waves off his concern. “It’s alright, I’ll think of something.”
Max’s lips twitch. That wasn’t a no…
“So you want to do this?” Max asks hopefully.
Marc shrugs and shoots him a mischievous grin.. “Taking the piss out of the media and Valentino? Count me in.”
Max can’t help but grin back. Already, the gears in his mind were turning.
For once, he was actually looking forward to the pre-race interviews.
“Glad to hear. Now, do you think you can make it to the Canadian GP?”