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imthebadguyyy · 7 months

Text

Lay All Your Love On Me

pairing - charles leclerc x reader

fandom - f1

synopsis - a look back into your relationship pt i pt ii

a/n - inspired by my obsession with the mamma mia soundtrack, enjoy!

"i want to tell y/n that i love her"

while the statement had been easy enough to make, charles hadn't really figured out exactly how he planned to tell you, his best friend, his closest friend, his confidante, and the love of his life that, well, he was so head over heels for you the whole world seemed upside down.

he also hasn't anticipated the reaction he received from his family. his mother of course, was overjoyed that her son was finally telling her unofficial daughter that he loved her. but the person who was the most excited of all was of course, arthur.

when charles told carla and him that he was going to tell you he loved you, arthur let out the loudest whoop he had ever managed to vocally produce in his life.

"FINALLY MON FRERE!" he exclaimed, startling carla, who was just as excited. "mon dieu, calme toi" my god, calm down charles said, suppressing a laugh at his brother's antics.

"how can i calm down?!?! ive been waiting for this day since I was thirteen and realized I wanted y/n to officially be in our family and ever since you have been pining over her like a puppy I am allowed to be excited!!" he shouted, now doing a strange version of the rumba around the yacht.

all the commotion he was causing caught lorenzo's attention, who strolled out with a drink in his hand and charlotte by his side, who had been rudely awoken from her nap by arthur's over enthusiastic celebrations.

"arthur, pourquoi cries-tu?" arthur, why are you shouting? enzo asked, leaning against the railing. "yes arthur, some of us are trying to sleep" charlotte laughed, leaning against the railing as well.

"well, dear enzo, it seems that notre chere frere is finally confessing his undying love and affection for our favourite person" our darling brother arthur smiled widely.

"non, c'est vrai?" no, is this true? enzo asked, genuinely surprised.

"oui" charles smiled, blushing slightly at all the excitement. he hadn't expected the delightful swarm of butterflies fluttering from his heart to his tummy, plunging into the depths of his soul, as he thought of you and the possibility of finally confessing his love for you.

"well that's amazing! it's about time too" charlotte joked with a laugh. "i agree charles, it's been so long that you like her" enzo smiled, clapping his brother on the back.

"isn't this so exciting? now y/n can finally offically be the third sister in our trio!" carla exclaimed excitedly, already making a billion plans on how the three of you would bond. she already shared a very close bond with charlotte, and had always held a soft spot for you.

charlotte also was very fond of you, and pascale had once joked that charlotte was your big sister and you were carla's. she has secretly hoped to see all three of you as her daughter in law's one day, and finally, she thought her dream was one step closer to becoming a reality.

"so how are you going to tell her?" arthur asked, crossing his arms, deep in thought.

"i think i know exactly how, but i need your help in convincing her to join me. she's been distant... and i don't know if she'll want to see me at all" he admitted.

"of course she will, she loves you so much" enzo said, having picked up on your affection for his brother at an early age. enzo had also secretly hoped that you and charles would get together years ago, having seen the both of you joined at the hip since you were six.

but he would be lying if he said he didn't feel a hint of protectiveness towards you. after your father had passed, you had turned to enzo as a leading figure in your life, and he had stuck with you through thick and thin. as much as lorenzo loved his brother, he also knew his dating history wasn't the prettiest.

so it only seemed natural that once the excitement had died down in the slightest, he took charles aside for a talk.

"charles, i'm very happy that you've decided to take this decision, truly i am-" he started, but charles cut him off.

"je sais ce que tu es sur le point de dire, que je n'ai pas la meilleure histoire en matière de rencontres avec des femmes et que je ne suis pas vraiment un très bon petit ami. mais enzo, je te promets que je ne pourrais jamais lui faire de mal, jamais. je regrette sincèrement toutes les erreurs que j'ai commises, et je ne peux pas imaginer ma vie sans y/n à mes côtés, non seulement en tant qu'amie, mais en tant qu'amoureuse et partenaire pour la vie, si elle veut bien" i know what you're about to say, that I don't have the best history with dating women and that I am not exactly a very good boyfriend. But enzo, i promise that i could never ever hurt her. i truly regret all the mistakes I've made, and i can't imagine my life without y/n by my side, not just as a friend, but as my lover and partner for life, if she'll have me. I swear i try my hardest to be the best I can for her, always" charles said, emotion brimming deep in his eyes.

lorenzo took a second to respond, pondering over his brother's words thoughtfully.

"je te fais confiance. elle mérite le meilleur dans la vie, charles. elle a traversé des moments difficiles et a passé de nombreuses années à cacher ses sentiments pour toi. je l'aime profondément, et elle est tout aussi importante pour moi que tu l'es. j'ai besoin de savoir que tu ne lui feras pas de mal, car je refuse de la voir souffrir à nouveau, d'accord ? mais je sais que tu es un homme bien, le meilleur frère que je puisse avoir. alors, fonce. mais s'il te plaît, pour son bien, sois le charles que nous connaissons."

i trust you. she deserves the very best in life, charles. She has been through tough times, and has spent many years hiding her feelings from you. i love her greatly and she is just as important to me as you are. i need to know that you won't hurt her because i refuse to see her in pain again, okay? but i know you're a good man, and the best brother i could ask for. So go for it. But please, for her sake, be the charles we know"

charles nodded, understanding reaching out to pull his brother into a hug.

"je l'aime. et je ne te décevrai pas non plus." i love her. and i won't let you down either, charles murmured, and lorenzo clapped him on the back again. "i know. you deserve happiness, the both of you" he said, and with another quick hug, he left charles with his thoughts on the boat.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

unbeknownst to charles, you were still stuck in a state of misery, believing your best friend, who was incidentally the man you were hopelessly in love with, was never going to love you back.

the harsh reality of that thought had been best expressed in the studio, and you found yourself writing song after song about unrequited love, and about the pains of falling in love with your best friend.

jack antonoff relaxed in his chair, stretching after almost six hours straight of recording and producing your latest heartbreak melody. you were forever grateful for him, and his endless patience with your indecisiveness and emotions.

he had been so understanding about your emotional dilemmas, spending many a wine drunk evening listening to you ramble and helping you convert it into beautiful songs that had you in tears.

"i think we should definitely release this one" you mused, headphones on and listening to the song you had just finished recording.

"i think we should record all 142 songs we've made but yes, this one is...something special" he admitted.

"but is it too obvious? is it too vulnerable? am i leaving the door open to criticism and hate and negative reviews? it's nothing like what we usually make but it's.. it's something I need to share" you admitted, half to jack and half to yourself.

"look, you are at the height of your career and your music has been nothing short of phenomenal. of course people will comment, of course you're being vulnerable, but isn't that what we do? isn't that why we write music? isnt it because we need a healthy outlet for our emotions, so you can express yourself?" he asked sincerely, and you found yourself nodding.

"yes..." the hesitation was still there. vulnerability didn't exactly stem from the music, but rather, from the fear of what charles would think. surely he would connect the dots and realise it was about him? surely he would notice that his best friend was singing soft croonings about her undying love for him, and how badly she longed for him? surely so many years of friendship meant he had a passageway into her mind and heart? surely, right?

"my father once told me 'the fear of vulnerability is a fortress we build to shield our hearts from the unknown', you told jack, eyes looking beyond him to the view of the blue sea out the window, "and i think that's why i feel this... nervousness. ive spent almost a decade being in love with my best friend, and putting out a song like this? people will speculate. i don't want to ruin his life..." you trailed off, insecurity seeping into your tone.

"i understand. but you're not ruining his career. yes, people can speculate but you don't need to confirm or deny those speculations. the media can be cruel y/n. we know that. but we don't stop that from doing what we do best" he said, and you nodded.

"okay. next week" you said.

"thats soon" jack said, adding the finishing touches to the song.

"one day or day one" you said, standing up to make the call to your team.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

liked by charlesleclerc, billieeilish, lilymunihe, lewishamilton, charlotte2304, bellahadid and 2,706, 587 others

@yourinstagram - someone like you. out now.

tagged - @jackantonoff

user12 : oh my god oh my god oh my god oh my god

user 13 : MAAM YOU CANNOT KEEP DROPPING BEAUTIFUL SURPRISE SINGLES AND EXPECT US TO BE OKAY 😭😭

user 77 : her voice, the piano, the high notes, the production - jack and y/n are the most elite singer producer combo ever

user22 : idk why but i get the sense this song is about charles? i mean "i heard that you've settled down" i mean he isn't married but she's clearly insinuating a relationship that she wishes she had with someone she loves and is close with... and who is her best friend..it's charles leclerc... "old friend" seems so fitting

-user23 - you're delulu (i believe you)

-user16 - let THEM COOK

user23 : she looks STUNNING

user65 : why does she look like a GODDESS and an ANGEL

lilymunihe : crying in a walmart parking lot because you're voice is a wonder you are a wonder your skills are a wonder and i love everything about this and u

-@yourinstagram : 🥺 lily i love you. thank you for being such a wonderful friend. forever by your side.

kika.gomes : baby u are a wonder. your voice has me mesmerized. i love u so much. forever in awe of u and your wondrous talent 💗

-@yourinstagram : kika i love u so much 🥺💗 thank you for always supporting me. love u to the moon and back. please come and visit soon!!

-kika.gomes : on my way

-lilymunihe : wait me too omg lemme book a flight

-carmenmundt : alright me as well

-user40 : not all the wags being best friend with y/n 😭😭

carla.brocker : oh y/n this is so beautiful... i'm so proud to call you my friend 🥺 je t'aime 🫶🏼

-@yourinstagram : je t'aime carla 🩷

arthurleclerc - so proud of you, grande soeur, love the song 🩷

-@yourinstagram : love u thur.

charlesleclerc : magnifique, ma belle.

-@yourinstagram : merci charles 🥰

-user12 : usually she's.... much more enthusiastic about his comments

-user44 : babes if i wrote a song about my best friend and he was dense enough to not know and congratulate me id say merci too smh

-user30 : a charlesyn interaction after so long im so happy 😭

leclercpascale - tu es quelque chose de spécial, mon chéri. je t'aime toujours ❤️ you are something special my darling, love you always

-@yourinstagram - merci maman 🥺💗 tu es mon plus grand soutien, j'espère te voir bientôt you are my greatest supporter, i hope to see you soon

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

charles had been with joris and andrea when he had opened instagram to see your post.

"y/n's released a new song" he said, and joris quirked an eyebrow. "right now?" he asked, settling into charles' plush couch, flicking through to open apple music on the tv.

"yes, it's called someone like you. play it please" charles said, pulling a bowl of watermelon closer to the table.

the only sounds in the room were the munching of the watermelon and joris clicking the remote when charles picked up his phone, ready to send you a text after listening to your song.

the opening notes of the piano filled the room, bringing a soft smile to his face as a favourite memory creeped up into his thoughts.

you were sitting on the piano still, fingers playing random keys as you figured it out. at the age of 8, you had decided you wanted to be a singer and wanted to learn all the instruments you could. you were already playing guitar that you're dad was teaching you, but your fascination with the piano has always remained.

"charles i can't do this" you whined, throwing you head back, sighing at your best friend who was flipping through a safety guidebook for karting.

why not, you're smarter than i am" he said, earning a giggle from you. "you're smart too charlie" "alright alright, ive seen arthur play, let us try and figure it out"

hours later, herve and pascale returned home to find you and charles deeply engrossed in figuring out chords, trying to sing along to la vie on rose by edith piaf. the both of you had your tongues stuck out in concentration, working together to figure it out.

it brought a smile to their faces, knowing you'd always have each others support.

as charles registered the sound of your voice floating in, he closed his eyes, leaning back to enjoy the music, before he was whacked with a cushion.

"idiot, écoutes-tu correctement la chanson ?" idiot, are you listening to the song properly? joris asked, having caught on to the meaning before charles.

"yes, i am" charles said, rubbing his head in confusion.

"lei sta cantando di te." she's singing about you, andrea said, shaking his head at charles' slow reaction.

"qui?" charles asked, taken aback.

I heard that you're settled down

That you found a girl and you're married now

I heard that your dreams came true

Guess she gave you things, I didn't give to you....

Never mind, I'll find someone like you

I wish nothing but the best for you, too

"Don't forget me, " I beg

I remember you said

"Sometimes it lasts in love, but sometimes it hurts instead"

"she's clearly talking about you! cmon charles, we all know you've both been head over heels for each other since we were kids. and look, it's all there, she even says old friend! how much more proof do you want" joris asked, exasperated.

"but-but- what does she mean by nevermind? i was going to tell her.." charles trailed off.

"then tell her soon, charlito, before she tries to move on. you deserve to tell her your feelings because she likes you too" andrea said, the usually quiet man genuinely cared about you as well, and knew of charles deep love for you.

"you're right. ill call her over tonight" charles said, nervous springing to life in every part of his body.

the anticipation grew as he realized that their connection could shift that very evening taking on a new dimension.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

charles rushed to send you a text, at the same time he set about setting the yacht up. he had decided to sail the both of you to the cove you discovered as children, to enjoy a dinner of carbonara and red wine, which had been a favourite for the two of you. he made sure the yacht was stocked with bottles of wine and champagne, and even got the ferrari team chef to cook for the both of you.

he set about setting the table just right, with candles and roses and his finest crockery and cutlery. he set the flowers on the table and glanced over at the bouquet he had for you, along with the present he intended to give you later.

he had also taken the time to curate a spotify playlist for the both of you, that was already playing softly in the background.

he'd be lying if he said he wasn't nervous. in fact he hadn't felt this nervous since his first ever f1 race.

the nerves before telling someone you love them felt like a symphony of butterflies fluttering within his chest, a captivating mix of excitement and trepidation. his heart races, and every word he'd rehearsed a hundred times running laps in his mind.

he opened your chat to read the texts he had sent you, in an attempt to slow down his beating heart.

charlie ❤️ : cherie, je me demandais si tu voudrais me rejoindre ce soir sur le yacht pour dîner. j'avais envie de passer du temps avec toi. i was wondering if you'd join me on the yacht tonight for dinner? I've been wanting to spend time with you

you : tonight? id love to. is there anything happening?

charlie ❤️ : no, just wanted to spend some time with my dearest friend who i haven't seen in forever.

you : sorry, cherie, ive been busy :(

charlie ❤️ : thats alright amour, im just messing around. but is it okay if i ask, are you mad at me?

you : what, no?

charlie ❤️ : it's just...you've seemed a little distant and i can't point out why and i was just wondering if maybe i upset you?

you : oh not at all my sweet boy, ive just been preoccupied, thats all. we'll talk at dinner?

charlie ❤️ : of course cherie. see you then 🩷

you : see you 🩷

charles had blushed at the mention of "my sweet boy" and had also made up his mind to talk to you about whatever was bothering you. but he had a feeling he knew what it was about.

nevertheless, he paced back and forth as the sun began to set, casting the perfect golden hue on his boat. and just as the golden rays bathed monaco, you appeared like an angel, dress fluttering in the wind as you made your way to charles' yacht.

the sight of you took his breath away, hair billowing in the wind, your dress floating too, and the golden hues making you sparkle. you looked ethereal, like an angel descending from the heavens.

his angel.

as you reached closer to the yacht, charles walked up to you, offering you his hand to step in.

you took it with a smile trying not to blush at how handsome he looked. he was wearing a baby blue shirt with the sleeves rolled up, and black pants. his hair looked tousled from the wind, and his eyes seemed to shimmer with happiness at seeing you. you found yourself unable to suppress your smile, cheeks hurting from the wide smile on your face.

you had to admit, although you were trying to stay away to protect your feelings, you were happiest when you were with him.

"hello cherie. ive missed you" charles was the first to speak, pulling you into a hug.

you lingered in the warmth of his embrace, relishing the warmth of his body and the smell of his cologne. you hoped he wouldn't notice how you were so desperately trying to keep yourself together, to prevent yourself from melting into the man.

charles wasn't able to keep it together either. he buried his face in your hair, inhaling your perfume, which he recognised to be the ysl libre he had got you hooked into. he felt the most comforted and safe in your arms and your embrace, and so the both of you stayed like that for a moment longer, revelling the company of each other.

when you finally broke away, your heartbeats had increased and a giddy happiness has taken over the both of you, as charles led you to the table he had set for the two of you.

"oh wow... charles you didn't have to do all this! it isn't even my birthday" you laughed, taken aback at the sweet gesture.

"i just wanted to spoil my favourite girl a little" he said, throwing you a wink that had your cheeks heating up and your heart fluttering in your chest.

"well i won't say no to that" you giggled, and then laughed as he pulled your chairs for you.

"oh my what a gentleman. who would believe you once tipped me in class for trying to take your seat" you said, throwing him a smirk.

"hey i didn't trip you, your foot was just in the way" he chided, grinning at you.

"mmhm, for sure. what about the time you dumped red paint on my hair because you were upset i 'stole' thur from you? or the time you put gum in my hair? or the time you coloured over my poster of queen because you were tired of me singing bohemian rhapsody around the house?" you laughed back, watching him bury his face in his hands with a groan.

"cherie please don't remind me of what a terrible child i was" he whined pouring you a glass of wine.

"you were lovely. you just didn't use your brains at time" you smiled, and he rolled his eyes at you.

"you weren't an innocent angel either. what about the time you hid my remote control ferrari because I was giving it more attention than i was giving you?" he said and you squealed with laughter.

"i was a pretty needy friend, i admit" you giggled, and charles chuckled as well.

a comfortable silence settled over the two of you, broken only by charles serving you some carbonara.

the pair of you couldn't stop smiling at each other and you couldn't imagine how strange it would look to a stranger but you didn't care.

"ive missed you a lot" charles admitted after a beat of silence.

"ive missed you a lot as well" you sighed, twirling your pasta onto your fork.

"then why did you go radio silent for a while cherie?" he asked softly, and you noticed the flash of hurt in his eyes.

you sighed, looking beyond his green eyes to the sunset behind you. monaco always looked beautiful in the evening and at nightfall, and you took a moment's respite in the gorgeous colours, before turning back to face your best friend.

"i just needed to get away for a bit charles, focus on my music" you said, partially truthfully.

"but you focused on your music here too mom coeur" he said, unable to hide the sadness in his voice. "was it me? did I do something?" he whispered, not knowing how to tell you he realised what he had done.

"oh no, charles, no you didn't i- i just.. i needed some space and im sorry i didn't tell you I was going to LA" you said, heart breaking as you took his hands in your own.

"no i understand you needing space but I was just surprised you left in a rush, we haven't spoken in so long" charles said, running his thumb over your knuckles.

the anticipation grew, as the both of you looked deep into each other's eyes,silent apologies shared between the two of you.

it was a moment of vulnerability like no other, where the both of you prepared (unbeknownst to the other) to bare your deepest emotions, risking it all for the chance that the other might feel the same way. yet amidst the nervousness, there was a sense of hope, a glimmer of anticipation, because you both know that what you were about to say had the power to change your lives forever.

"i have to-"

"i need to-"

the both of you spoke at once, eliciting giggles from each other.

"you go first" you whispered, keeping your hands interlocked, not wanting to let go.

"okay" charles whispered back, before taking a deep breath.

"y/n, ma cherie, ive carried these feelings for you like a secret treasure, buried deep within the chambers of my heart. today, i have managed to find the courage to unearth them, to let them shine as brightly as the stars that have witnessed our shared moments. you've been the compass of my life, guiding me through storms and sunshine, and in the quiet spaces between our laughter and shared dreams, my affection for you has grown into something I can no longer contain.

it's not merely friendship that binds us, but a love that transcends boundaries. your smile brightens my darkest days, and your laughter is a melody that dances through my soul. your kindness and understanding have been the pillars of my strength, and your presence, a soothing balm to my every wound. with each passing day, my love for you has deepened, filling every corner of my being.

ive hesitated for so long, fearing that these words would jeopardize the beautiful connection we share. but, ma cherie, i cannot deny what my heart knows is true.

i love you.

not just as a friend, but with a love that defies definition, a love that cherishes your essence, your flaws, and your dreams. i want to be more than a friend. i want to be the one who holds your hand through life's journey, the one who shares your triumphs and cradles your sorrows.

i know this is a lot to take in, and i understand if it brings uncertainty or fear, because i have felt the weight of those emotions. but amour, i don't want keep this truth hidden. love is too precious to conceal. whether you choose to embrace it or not, know that my love for you is unwavering, and no matter what you feel, I'm telling you that ill always be there. I've known you since we were children, scraping our knees and colouring with each other, to teenagers with dreams we shared and hopes we talked about to adults who are still the best of friends.

it would be an honour if you reciprocated these feelings mon amour, and im sorry if this is too much. but i love you. and i had to let you know" charles concluded, drawing a deep breath at the end of his long confession.

you felt shock seeping through every bone in your body, but a warm shock that lit up your soul and made you feel like you were floating. tears rose to your eyes, glimmering and glistening, dripping softly down and charles moved to wipe them away softly.

"oh charles, you don't know how long I've waited to hear you say those words. ive loved you for as long as I can remember and I love you, i love you so much. ive always known that what I feel for you is more than just friendship.

the words you've spoken, the feelings you've unveiled, they've stirred the deepest corners of my soul. In the tapestry of our friendship, ive discovered a love that has blossomed silently, mirroring the beauty of the most delicate of flowers, unnoticed until it's in full bloom. it is not just my heart but my very essence that loves you and I'm so thrilled by your confession my love.

your smile, the warmth of your laughter, the strength of your kindness—these have been the foundation of my happiness for so long. and now, i can finally tell you that my heart has danced to the same tune all along. all those years of pining have finally come to fruition and im so glad you told me this. i had to go away because i couldn't bear to see you with someone else, and as selfish as it sounds, i needed an escape otherwise i would have gone raving mad.

i love you charles. id want nothing more than for us to have future together. i love you more than i can put into words" you confessed, tears streaming down your face as you regarded the man in front of you.

charles too, had tears in his eyes, and the utmost love and adoration in his eyes. never had he ever looked at you like that before, as if you were the sun moon and the stars.

"je t'aime cherie, je t'aime" he whispered, pulling your knuckles to his lips to press a kiss to them.

"je t'aime ma vie" you whispered back, basking in the warmth of the moment.

"papa would be so happy" charles admitted, pushing a stray strand of hair away from your face. "you know, he once told me that he and uncle theo also wished for us to get together. finally their wish came true" he smiled and you felt a new stream of tears run down your cheeks.

"papa told me too, when he was ill, that you and i belong together. mama tells me even today" you said, sniffling softly.

charles moved so he could help you out of your chair, leading you out to the deck.

he wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you in close as you let your head drop onto his shoulder.

"can I kiss you?" he whispered, hand reaching up to caress your cheek.

"please" you managed to breathe out, before feeling his soft lips press against yours, just as they had when you shared the salty kiss under the playground slide, but this time it was deeper, more meaningful and full of love.

his hands slipped to your hips, one pulling you in so close you were almost moulded into him, while the other gently caressed your cheek. you let your hand rest on his waist, and the other on his neck, softly pulling him closer.

he deepened the kiss, gently sliding his tongue into your mouth, earning a soft gasp from you as he traced delicate patterns on your back.

the kiss only grew more urgent and charles let his hands wander, frantic to feel you, years of longing piling up and finally spilling out.

when the lack of oxygen made your lungs burn, you finally broke apart panting, still cocooned into each other, chests heaving together.

"ive been wanting to do that for ages" charles panted, pressing soft kisses to your face and forehead, making you giggle when he kissed your nose.

"I've been wanting you to do that for ages too" you said, earning a laugh from him. you settled back down against his shoulder, feeling full of love and ready to burst with how happy you were.

"i love you y/n" he said, sincerity clear in his tone. "i love you too, charles" you whispered, pulling him back down for another kiss.

against the skyline of monaco, you let your eyes close, comforted by the man whose arms you were in, relishing the feeling of being so deeply in love with someone who loved you back with so much passion.

in that moment, love felt like the gentle whisper of two hearts, sharing their secrets beneath the starry canvas of the monaco sky.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

back at pascale's apartment, arthur bounced his foot impatiently, looking out to the window at the sea.

"do you think he's told her yet?" he asked lorenzo, who was patiently reading a book on the couch.

"i don't know arthur i haven't heard anything" he replied, chuckling at his brother's impatience. "why is it taking so long' arthur whined, looking at the clock.

carla rolled her eyes at him, "thur, let them be, they're going to be all romantic and emotional and I'm sure they'll tell you soon" she said just as patiently, earning a smile from pascale.

"I'm sure charles will tell us soon cherie" she told her youngest soon, patting him on the head.

charlotte laughed from the corner, "i don't know whose more excited, charles or arthur" and the room burst into laughter.

"we have all been waiting for this day for ages" lorenzo said, smiling around at everyone.

"your papa and i always knew this day would come, and so did theo and laura. we had hoped they would get together" pascale said softly, a gentle smile on her face.

the group took a moment to reminisce on all the pining they'd had to endure.

the silence in the room was broken by the sound of lorenzo's phone ringing and he picked it up when he saw charles contact.

"salut frère, l'as-tu fait ? lui as-tu dit ?" hello brother, did you do it? did you tell her lorenzo asked and arthur leapt over the couch to hear what charles said next.

"oui" charles smiled, and chuckled when the room descended into chaos.

arthur was whooping, charlotte and carla were offering congratulations and pascale was smiling so brightly, telling her son her congratulations as well. lorenzo laughed and congratulated his brother as well, before telling him they'd give the new couple some time before the entire family descended upon them.

he knew charles would appreciate some time and that y/n would too.

"okay let's go see them and-" arthur began before carla laughed and tutted him.

"amour, laissons-leur de l'espace aujourd'hui, d'accord? nous pouvons aller les féliciter demain." love, let's give the two of them some space today okay? we can go and congratulate them tomorrow

grumbling a little bit still super excited arthur accepted defeat and started bidding goodbye to the family.

one by one they all left, leaving pascale with a bright smile on her face.

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

liked by charlesleclerc, kika.gomes, gigihadid, taylorswift, lilymunihe, bellahadid, and 9,808,765 others

@yourinstgram - only about a decade and a half in the making but finally told the love of life that he's the love of my life. je t'aime ma vie ♥️

tagged - charlesleclerc

charlesleclerc - i love you, mon cherie, thank you for making me the happiest man alive.

-@yourinstagram - i love you too ma vie. forever yours ❤️

-charleslecerc - forever yours ❤️

user38 : HOLD THE FRONT DOOR WHAT THE FUCK

user87: THIS IS NOT A DRILL I REPEAT THIS IS NOT A DRILL CHARLESY/N NATION RISE

user33 : oh my god oh my god they're finally together im crying MOMMY AND DADDY

-user13: the duality 😭

kika.gomes : so happy for you two!! finally no more pining 🙄 double date soon? ❤️ love u bbg

-@yourintagram - thank you kika, i love u too babes and OMG YES double date

lilymunihe : baby you deserve the whole world and im so happy for u both. love to you always but you're still mine 😘

-@yourinstagram : ofc honey

-charlesleclerc : hey

-alexalbon : hey

-lilymunihe : babe no look away

-pierregasly : alexalbon they always do this bro

pierregasly : congrats you two!! have to celebrate soon!

-@yourinstagram : thank you pierre! bring kika and come over anytime ❤️

sabrinacarpenter - omg babes congratulations! so happy for you two!! 🩷🫶🏼

bellahadid : congratulations beautiful! wishing you happiness always 💜

lewishamilton : congratulations 🩷 knew everything would work out!!

-@yourinstagram : thank you for everything lewis, come and hang out with us soon!! bring roscoe please i miss my little buddy

-lewishamilton : roscoe misses you too

-roscoelovescoco : me loves you y/ns!

-@yourinstagram : 😭❤️ i love you too roscoe

joris.trouche : congratulations mon ami, best to you two always

-@yourinstagram : thank you joris 🩷

liked by leclercpascale, joris.trouche, pierregasly, arthurleclerc, scuderiaferrari, and 8,700,103 others

charlesleclerc : mon amour, i have loved you since i knew what the word meant. you are my everything. i love you.

tagged [email protected]

yourinstagram : je t'aime ♥️ id spend all my lives with you ♥️

user444: the way he looks at her 🥹

user903: lord i see what you have done for others...

user676 : BI PANIC BI PANIC BI PANIC

user38: so glad they're finally together I've been rooting for ages

user45: mama y papa mama y papa

carlossainz : congratulations cabron, you deserve this happiness ❤️

arthurleclerc: so happy to finally have her officially in the family, took you long enough 🙄

-user339 : you tell him arthur

joris.trouche : allez! love to the both of you always ❤️

leclercpascale : felicitations, restez heureux et rendez-vous toujours heureux ♥️

-charlesleclerc : merci maman ♥️

-yourinstagram : merci maman 🥺❤️

scuderiaferrari: ❤️❤️❤️

landonorris : thank God you finally asked her out i was going to do it for you

danielricciardo : glad to see you finally asked her out!!

charlotte2304 : shes amazing, don't hurt her or carla and i will have words with you

-carlabrocker : 💪🏻 🔪

-yourinstagram : 😂😂

ricciardoberetta : martas asking when are we double dating 😂

user344 : new hottest couple in the paddock alert!!

user23 : idk if i wanna be her or him or sandwiched in between

user45 : they ARE the moment!!

*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧*:･ﾟ✧

a/n - there's going to be one more part but i hope you liked it!!! much love 😘

likes comments reblogs and feedback are always appreciated!

TAGS

f1 - @theonly1outof-a-billion @ivegotparticulartaste

everything -@roslastyles420 @hopefulinlove @bluesongbird

something just like this - @chanshintien @eternalharry @janeholt3 @magicalcowboyarbiter @oneafterdark @leclerc13 @moon-enthusiast @crlsummer @superlegend216 @electrobutterfly @formula1mount @f1lov3r @livster @inkfablesandstories @ssararuffoni

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tippedbykreider · 1 year

Text

something just like this - epilogue 2 l c. parayko

Thank you to the ever wonderful @antoineroussel for arranging the Winter Fic Exchange 2023 <3

I was given the lovely @senditcolton as my giftee - Colt and Cassie are back and they're bringing the tinsel!

Big thanks to @laurenairay for giving it a read through for me as I'm severely out of practice. I would also like to apologise to any native Greek or Italian speakers, as I am neither and I'm having to rely on good old Google, which I appreciate doesn't quite capture the nuances of the native language. This has also been very loosely proofread so if you see any typos, you didn't :)

Warnings: alcohol mention, proposal

Word count: 5.3k

If you're new to Colton and Cassie, you can check out the first installment of this series here

Cassandra Constantinou had gone home to New York for Christmas for as long as she had lived away from the city. Every year she would pack herself a small bag and brave the hustle and bustle of St Louis Lambert International to make the short plane journey home to Brooklyn. Even after meeting the love of her life in the form of a 6 foot 6, Canadian, golden retriever of a man named Colton, Cassie would still head home for Christmas and be back in St Louis for New Year. Colton didn’t mind, of course, as his schedule had always been less than favourable and he would never begrudge Cassie the opportunity to be with her family; but he would’ve been lying if he said that he’d never thought about what it would be like to wake up beside her on Christmas morning - although he supposed it would be like any other morning, except with added tinsel.

This year, though, things were going to be a little different and Colton Parayko couldn’t have been happier about it.

It was pure luck, really, the way things came about. A fortuitous bounce with scheduling meant that the Blues would be playing at home between Christmas and New Year and Colton couldn’t help but take advantage of the opportunity in front of him.

It had started out as a completely innocent suggestion one late-October evening as the two of them shared a bath together. The wine had been flowing, as it so often did when he had some time off the next day, and conversation had steered towards the upcoming holiday season. Cassandra had already made sure her annual leave was in place to ensure she had the maximum amount of time with Colton, all that was left to do was break the news to her family that she would be spending Christmas in St Louis.

“You know, I’ve been thinking,” Colton murmured against Cassie’s shoulder.

“Sounds ominous,” she replied with a grin.

“Your parents could come here for Christmas.”

Cassie immediately shifted to look Colton in the face.

“Here? In St Louis?”

“I mean, that is where we live, yeah,” he teased.

“I thought you said you wanted a quiet Christmas?”

“I did”

“Inviting my parents to stay would be the complete opposite of a quiet Christmas,” Cassie countered. “You might even say that it would be a very, very loud Christmas.”

“You don’t think it would be fun?” he asked with a smile.

“I think it would make you reconsider our relationship.”

“Come on, Cass,” he reasoned. “It’s not like I’ve never met your parents before.”

“That was different,” Cassie contested. “We could escape to Manhattan and spend the day sightseeing when we were there in the summer. Besides, Christmas is a completely different beast. It’s like they go full Gremlin over the holidays. It’s complete insanity.”

“I think it’d be nice,” Colton shrugged. “They could bring your nonna.”

Cassie took a long, drawn out sip of her wine and Colton could almost see the cogs turning as Cassie relived every single Christmas she’d ever spent with her family. It’s not as if Colton was suggesting the entire Gamberini clan make the trip to Missouri, which would decrease the craziness factor by at least ten, but it would still be a far cry from the peaceful, relaxing Christmas she had been envisioning.

“Besides,” Colton added, pressing a soft kiss to Cassie’s shoulder blade. “Kind of wanna see what an Italian-Greek Christmas is like. I bet the food is amazing.”

Cassie shifted completely and turned to face Colton, setting her wine glass down on the side table and climbing into his lap.

“Your nutritionist will kill you,” she smirked, running her fingers through his shaggy hair.

“What he doesn’t know won’t hurt him.”

Colton’s eyes were sparkling in the low light of the room and he was wearing his signature easy grin that Cassandra loved so much. It was effortless, then, to give in to his request and she couldn’t help her own smile that formed on her lips as she thought of her parents and her nonna sitting at their dining table laden with food and wine. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction, though. Not yet, anyway.

“I’ll think about it,” she said as nonchalantly as she could manage.

“I’ll start looking for flights tomor-”

Colton’s words died on his tongue as Cassandra claimed his lips for her own and his thoughts were filled with nothing but how good it felt to have her body pressed into his.

There was only one other time that Colton had seen Cassandra completely morph into her mother and even then, it was something that he hadn’t realised had happened until he went to visit Giovanna and Hector during the summer. There was something about impending visitors that seemed to trigger Cassandra’s Gamberini genes and not a single cushion or candlestick could be out of place. The first time this had happened had been in early April, when Colton’s parents came into town and he’d come home from practice to find her half hanging out of the second floor window as she tried to clean the glass. The next day she had been up a ladder cleaning the ceiling light fixture in the entryway. Both of these things he’d seen Giovanna do during their summer visit and the resemblance between mother and daughter when it came to household cleanliness was startling, even down to the headscarves they would both wear, presumably to keep their dark hair out of their eyes as they worked.

When Colton arrived home with the groceries Cassie was in the middle of vacuuming. It had been three years since Cassie had come into Colton’s life like a complete force of nature and he still found himself being completely struck by just how beautiful she was, even during those everyday moments of mundane domesticity. He knew just how much of a cliche that was, of course, but as he watched her in a pair of leggings and one of his old university t-shirts that swamped her frame, with her chocolate hair piled high on top of her head and wrapped in one of those bright silken headscarves, he found that familiar feeling of warmth spreading through his chest like a shot of whisky on a cold day. She was singing to herself as she pushed the vacuum along the hardwood floor, Colton could tell by the movements of her mouth to the music the loud drone of the Dyson was competing with.

Cassandra felt Colton’s presence before she saw him, she always could. She didn’t care how insane it sounded but the house always seemed to feel different when he was around, like the walls themselves were alive and warm and breathing. She turned and caught him disappearing into the kitchen, his arms laden with grocery bags. She shut off the vacuum and followed him, turning down the stereo as she went.

“Hope it wasn’t too busy?” she asked as she began to put the groceries away.

Colton pressed a gentle kiss to her hair as he passed her on his way back out to the car.

“Nah, it was okay. I figured we’d go out and get the lamb for the Christmas dinner together though, if that’s okay? I had a look while I was out but honestly? I had no idea and it just… I don’t know, it’s important to your family and to your dad and I just wanna get it right.”

Cassandra’s whole expression softened at that, because even though this kind of thoughtfulness was something she’d come to expect from Colton, it always managed to knock her back a bit all the same. She took one of his large hands in both of hers as she looked up at him.

“Of course it’s okay, γλυκέ μου. We can go this afternoon if you like?”

“Is that not going to be too hectic for you with doing the airport run?”

“We should be fine, their flight doesn’t get in until 7:10.”

“Thank you,” Colton said sincerely, his eyes on Cassie’s.

“Hey, I should be thanking you,” she replied with a little shake of her head. “It means so much to me that this matters to you as much as it does and I really, really appreciate you and everything you’ve done today. I know it was a late one for you last night with travelling back from Winnipeg and all and you’ve been a huge help.”

“We’re a team,” Colton said matter of factly but with a gentle smile and a softness in his eyes as he surveyed Cassandra. “And you’ve completely blitzed this place. It looks beautiful, πουλάκι μου; the tree, the decorations, all of it.”

“I think I just need to set up the guest rooms and we’re about ready.”

“Leave the groceries to me then,” Colton pressed gently. “I’ll make sure everything gets put away.”

“You got everything on the list?”

“I did,” he assured her with a smile, holding up three fingers on his free hand. “Scout’s honour.”

His grin widened at the little laugh Cassie gave him as she let go of his hand.

“I’ve got it all under control here,” he continued. “Just let me know what you need me to finish off down here and I’ll make sure it’s done.”

“The floors need cleaning but I think that’s about it.”

“Mop the floors, got it,” Colton affirmed. “And once you’re done in the guest rooms I’m gonna run you a nice hot bath, yeah?”

Cassie smiled at that and she was certain that Colton Parayko may just be the most thoughtful man she’d ever met.

It was official: Cassandra and Colton’s fridge was fit to burst. How Colton had managed to squeeze everything in there, Cassandra would never know but she was sure that he must have been a world class Tetris champion in a previous life. The amount of food that was in their house was, frankly, obscene, even by Mediterranean standards and Cassie wasn’t sure there were enough hours in the day to actually cook it all. She made a mental note to ask Colton if any of the rookies were without a dinner on Christmas day, she’d be a meals on wheels service if it meant getting rid of it all.

Colton was cooking in the kitchen as Cassie tied the laces on her sneakers.

“It smells amazing, λατρεία μου,” she called out, pulling her coat on and wrapping a large scarf around her neck.

“That’s because it’s one of your recipes,” Colton laughed from the kitchen as he began seasoning the steak.

“I don’t cook steak as good as you though,” Cassie countered as she appeared in the doorway, a small grin playing on her lips. “You always season it perfectly.”

“But I season it exactly as you’ve written it down.”

“Must be all the love you put into it then,” she grinned, going up onto her tiptoes to press a kiss to his cheek.

“You heading out to the airport?” he asked as he set the meat to one side to rest.

“Mhm.”

Colton washed his hands before turning to Cassie and wrapping his arms around her, his eyes soft as he surveyed her. She looked tired, he noted, the kind of tiredness a lot of people get in the run up to the holidays, but the stress that had started to make a home in her features in the weeks before she finished work for Christmas had melted away and that was something, at least. He was determined, then, to make sure that he gave her a Christmas to remember for all of the right reasons.

“Drive safe, yeah?” he murmured softly, pressing a gentle kiss to the crown of her head.

“Always do,” she replied with a smile. “I’ll call you when we’re on our way back.”

With a chaste kiss to her lips, Colton let Cassie go, walking with her to her car and waiting on the driveway until he saw her car turn out of the street and disappear from view.

Cassie shifted her weight from foot to foot as she waited at arrivals at St Louis Lambert International. Mercifully, the flight in from LaGuardia was on time and providing that the wait for the bags wasn’t too long, she’d clocked that she could be at home with a glass of red wine in hand within an hour. She watched with a smile as families were reunited for the holidays with shared embraces and happy tears, and in some strange way it had almost made her homesick for New York City. It had been the first time that Cassie had been on this side of arrivals when seeing her parents (it had always been her doing the travelling, after all) and she couldn’t quite work out if it felt wrong because she was missing going back to New York for Christmas or because it was simply a new experience. ‘Wrong’ was probably the wrong word for it, she thought, because Christmas with Colton felt good and right and like a dream, but it still wasn’t quite thirty people shoehorned around a hodgepodge of dinner tables (of varying heights) and chairs, gesticulating wildly and shouting over one another to be heard. Although Cassandra supposed that nothing really could ever come close to that experience.

She cast her mind back to the Christmas of 2006, the year her Baba’s family came over from Greece to celebrate the holidays. Her Nonno was still alive then and she found herself completely awestruck at how he seemed to come to an unspoken understanding with her Pappou, despite the two men not speaking each others’ languages and them both having limited mastery of English. The two men would often sit at the dining table, drinking coffee and playing cards, while occasionally making ‘universal grandpa sounds’. It was also the closest Cassie had seen her mother come to a nervous breakdown, but that was also to be expected when both Cassie’s Nonna and Yiayia were trying to assert dominance in the kitchen. There’s nothing quite as terrifying as two Mediterranean women trying to cook different types of food for Christmas in a small kitchen in an apartment in Brooklyn. She distinctly remembered that Christmas being the loudest yet and how both her parents uttered the words “never again” as they waved off her Yiayia and Pappou at the airport. Her Greek grandparents hadn’t been back to America since and while Cassie knew that a large part of that was due to them getting older and their health not quite being what it was, she also suspected that it had a lot to do with America not being Greek enough and the fact that it snowed near enough every day they were there.

She wondered what Colton’s Christmasses were like back home in Canada and if they had any traditions and immediately thought about how they might be able to incorporate those into their cross-continent celebrations. Cassie knew there was turkey involved, though, owing to the fact there was one lounging in her fridge back home. It would be the first time either her or her parents would be having turkey for Christmas, the meat of choice usually being veal or lamb, and Cassie wondered how her Nonna would take it.

As if on cue, Cassie’s eyes found the little frame of her beloved Gioia Gamberini, with her parents close behind. Cassie called out to her Nonna, whose eyesight wasn’t quite what it once was, as she seemed to scan the many faces at arrivals. A lump formed in her throat at the sight of her Nonna’s face breaking into the biggest smile as she finally laid her eyes on her beloved granddaughter.

“Cassandra!” she beamed. “Vieni qui. Lascia che ti guardi.”

Cassandra enveloped her Nonna into a hug, stooping to match the old woman’s height and staying there as her grandmother took Cassandra’s face in her hands.

“Ancora bello,” she smiled. “Sei raggiante di felicità. Ti sta ancora trattando bene?”

“Sta cucinando in casa mentre parliamo,” Cassie replied with a grin.

“Bravo ragazzo.”

“Fammi entrare. Smettila di tenere Cassandra per te,” Giovanna interrupted as she opened her arms for Cassie. “There’s my baby.”

Cassandra found herself being bundled into her mother’s arms, kisses being placed all over her face while her Nonna continued to tell her how beautiful she is. Giovanna eventually pulled back to survey her daughter with keen eyes.

“Let me look at you, make sure he’s feeding you right.”

“Mama-”

“Good, good. Still a little on the thin side but we’ll work on that,” Giovanna nodded.

“Can I please hug my daughter now?” Hector asked, a hint of exasperation in his voice.

Cassandra ducked out of her mother’s embrace and stepped right into her father’s waiting arms.

“Cassandra, Λουλούδι μου.” He pressed a soft kiss to the crown of her head. “You look healthy, happy.” Hector’s eyes were shining as he looked at Cassie, “Was the drive here okay?”

“All painless,” Cassie assured him. “Traffic wasn’t too bad and Colt is cooking dinner as we speak so we’ll be able to eat when we get back and then we’ll give you the grand tour of the house.”

“Two house moves in as many years, Cassandra,” her mother replied as they waited for the luggage to come onto the carousel. “You must be crazy.”

“Thankfully I wasn’t in the old place long enough to accumulate clutter and Colton’s didn’t have much either. I don’t think we realised how little furniture we had until we moved into the new house. We definitely gave our bank accounts a hammering getting the new place furnished.”

“You should have said, Cassie,” he father scolded gently. “We could have given you some money towards furniture.”

“That’s really generous of you, Baba,” Cassie said, putting her arm around his shoulders. “But Colt and I had it covered.”

“We’re very proud of you, you know,” Hector replied. “All your hard work and now you’re seeing success. It makes my heart happy. All my life I hoped that you would have a wonderful life and that you would have all the things that I didn’t and now here you are.”

Cassandra swallowed the lump in her throat down and pressed a soft kiss to her father’s cheek.

“I couldn’t have done any of this without you and mom, you do know that, right?”

“Oh please,” Giovanna interjected. “You’ve worked damn hard for this, we just fed ya and clothed ya.”

“Well, I appreciate the feeding and clothing all the same,” Cassie laughed softly.

It took another 15 minutes for the bags to appear and further 15 to get everybody seated and settled in the car. Cassie had swapped her Mercedes coupe for a more practical SUV around 8 months prior and Hector quickly busied himself with testing out what all the different knobs and buttons did on the centre console. Cassie called Colton on the way home as promised and before long she was pulling the car into the driveway, the Christmas lights on their porch twinkling in welcome against the dark December night.

It was a little after 8am when Cassie stirred the next morning, head a little fuzzy from the bottle of red wine she’d had the night before. ‘Nonna’s doing,’ she thought to herself. ‘I never could say no to her’. She smiled as she thought back to dinner the night before; the little look of pride on Colton’s face as her father praised his steak, quickly replaced by one of boyish sheepishness when Nonna Gioia started to wax poetic about how handsome he was. Her mother had helped Colton clear the table and soon enough everyone had retired to the lounge to drink wine while Dean Martin played softly in the background just for Nonna.

Cassie cursed the empty bottle of Barolo in the kitchen as she dragged herself out of bed, the space where Colton slept already empty and cold.

‘He’s been up for a while, then,’ she thought.

She pulled on her robe as she exited the bedroom, the undeniable smell of eggs and bacon wafting up the stairs and along the hallway to greet her. She could hear her Nonna’s broken English, followed quickly by Colton’s rich laughter and she couldn’t stop the smile from tugging the corner of her lips upwards until it was a full grin.

“What mischief is going on in here, then?” she asked as she entered the kitchen.

“Nonna was telling me about how you used to run around her apartment naked, eating olives,” Colton grinned.

“I would like to clarify that I was three years old at the time,” Cassie countered, hiding her face as Colton laughed again.

“What’re you talking about? You still do that now.”

“Oh my god,” Cassie groaned. “Can you not?” She turned to her Nonna and pointed a finger at her, “Mi piace quest'uomo. Non spaventarlo.”

Nonna merely cackled and took another sip of her coffee, paying no heed to Cassandra in the slightest.

“Non c'è modo di spaventarlo,” Gioia shrugged. “Ti ama troppo.”

Gioia gave her granddaughter a knowing look before shuffling out of the kitchen to sit in the armchair in the orangery to watch the birds outside.

“She’s a riot,” Colton smiled as he continued preparing the eggs.

“She is,” Cassie agreed, pouring herself a coffee before refilling Colton’s mug. “No sign of my parents yet?”

“Your mom is reading her book in bed with her coffee and your dad went out for his morning walk. Think he wants to scope out the neighbourhood.”

“God, he’s so nosey,” Cassie huffed out a laugh. “You should have woke me up, I coulda helped with breakfast.”

“I tried,” Colton teased. “You were out cold, mouth open, snoring.”

“Liar.”

He simply laughed in response, cracking another egg into the pan as Cassie hopped up onto the counter beside him.

“I figured you could use the lie in.”

“That wine was like rocket fuel,” Cassie groused as she nursed her coffee mug. “Why aren’t you hungover anyway? You drank just as much as I did.”

“Faster metabolism, maybe?” he shrugged.

“Life is so unfair.”

“Go sit with your Nonna, I can handle it in here,” Colton said gently.

“You sure?”

“Positive,” he assured her. “Go catch up and talk about me in Italian.”

“Oh you’d love that, wouldn’t you?” Cassie teased as she hopped down from the counter.

Colton gently grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into his body, bending down to press a soft kiss to her lips. Cassie grabbed his tshirt gently with her free hand to deepen the kiss, giving him just enough before pulling away with a grin.

“Get outta here,” Colton laughed breathlessly, watching with a coy grin as Cassie sashayed out of the kitchen.

Once breakfast had been served and eaten, attention could turn to the most important order of business: the food. Christmas Eve had always been an important day for Cassandra and her family; it was the day where they would spend time together in the kitchen, making panettone and christopsomo, baklava and, of course, pasta. Colton was certain that he’d never seen so much food in all of his life and he knew that he was going to need to enlist the help of his teammates to eat it all. In fact, he reckoned that there was enough food prepared to do Christmas dinner three times over.

Giovanna had prepared a lasagne for dinner, which again was washed down with copious amounts of red wine and Colton watched with teary eyes as Cassie and her father sang traditional Greek carols in the living room once the dishes had been cleared away. It was easy then to get swept along in his thoughts about what he hoped his life would be like next year and the year after that and even in ten years’ time. One thing remained constant in these thoughts, though and that was the woman sat beside him, cheeks flushed from her red wine buzz and eyes sparkling even brighter than the lights on the tree. Colton wanted this with Cassandra for the rest of his life, he was sure of it and he couldn’t help but feel blessed that the most important people in her life, the people in that living room with them both, had accepted him into their family. It was big and bold and both the same and unlike his own in so many ways, but it was hers and it was perfect. She was perfect and as he pulled her into his side and pressed a kiss to her forehead, just as he’d done many times before, his mind wandered to the little box upstairs, hidden inside of a pair of socks in their dresser.

There was a certain stillness in the early morning that Colton had learned to appreciate over the years. Plenty of early rises during his hockey career meant that it didn’t have quite the same sting as it used to and he often used those moments of calm and quiet to prepare himself, both mentally and physically, for the day ahead. This morning was different though, he had nowhere to be and he almost cursed himself for waking up so early on Christmas day, like a child excited to see what Santa had brought. But then he paused and looked at Cassie’s sleeping form beside him in bed and he was thankful, thankful that he would get to spend those extra hours he would have been sleeping just appreciating what he had and the woman who looked so at peace. His eyes roamed the gentle contours of her body beneath the duvet until they settled on the chocolate locks that had half fallen into her face, her Mediterranean features set in a soft stillness that made his heart swell in his chest like a rising tide. She was beautiful to Colton, yes, but it was the kind of beauty that went beyond the surface. Cassandra Constantinou’s soul was beautiful too.

He slipped out of bed as quietly as he could muster and went to the dresser that stood opposite the end of the bed, opening his sock drawer and looking for the gaudy elf stockings socks that Cassie had bought him for Christmas two years prior. He rooted about at the bottom of the drawer until he pulled them out, unable to ignore the slight tremble in his hands as he did so. He unballed the socks, revealing a small velvet box, which he took before closing the drawer. He stood for a moment with it in his hands, so small within his large palm and yet weighted like a neutron star with promise, commitment and everlasting love. It hit him then, like a rogue wave and he found his eyes brimming with tears as he looked at Cassandra, still sound asleep in their bed. He wondered if she knew just how her gravity affected him, how she pulled him in so effortlessly and kept him there. He wondered if she knew just how much he loved and worshipped her, how proud she made him, and how much better his life was for her being in it. He hoped she knew all of that.

He took a deep, settling breath and walked towards Cassie’s side of the bed, kneeling beside it and using one of his hands to brush her hair out of her face while the other gripped the ring box tightly. His smile was soft as she stirred, her eyes finding his immediately as they opened.

“Merry Christmas, Cass,” he whispered, earning him a sleepy smile.

“Merry Christmas, Colt.”

Cassie smiled at the rhythmic feeling of Colton’s hand stroking her hair before furrowing her brow slightly.

“What time’s’it?” she asked.

“A little after 6,” Colton grinned as Cassie groaned.

“That’s so early,” she grumbled. “God you and your early riser bodyclock.”

“I promise it’s for a good reason,” he whispered.

“Yeah?” Cassie sat up in bed slightly. “And what’s that then?”

“Wanted to ask you something,” Colton replied, a nervous smile playing on his lips. Cassie only nodded and so Colton took a deep breath before speaking again. “Cass, you are literally the most amazing woman I’ve ever met. You’re smart, kind, generous, so damn funny, God, you make me laugh every single day. I’ve never met anyone with as much spark and passion as you and it’s there in literally everything you do. You’ve taught me so much and I’m just… so thankful for you and grateful to have you in my life.”

“Colton,” Cassie sniffled.

“And I love your family. I love how they’ve made me feel so welcome and like I’m a part of it.”

“You are, Colt,” Cassie replied softly, a rogue tear escaping her eye and rolling down her cheek. “They love you.”

“And I love you, more than anything and…” Colton took another breath, holding out the small box to Cassandra for her to open it. “I want this with you for the rest of my life.”

Cassandra wasn’t sure at what point she’d stopped breathing, but all the air was knocked out of her lungs as she opened up the box to reveal a beautiful trilogy ring that seemed to sparkle even with barely any light in the room, as if it was starlight incarnate.

“Cassandra Giulia Constantinou, would you make me the happiest guy in the world and be my wife?”

Cassandra could only manage a nod as the tears streamed down her face, happiness washing over her like a river breaking loose from a dam. Colton’s arms were around her next, warm and safe and familiar as he sniffled against her hair, his lips planting flowers against her to crown her head.

“I love you,” he murmured into the chocolate strands of her hair. “I love you.”

Cassie pulled back a shade to get her eyes on his, both pairs shining with matching tears of joy.

“I love you too,” she whispered softly.

He took her left hand and slid the ring onto her finger, his eyes never leaving the expression of pure happiness that was etched onto her features, before cupping the back of her head and pulling her in for a deep kiss. Cassie’s hand came up to cup his cheek, bringing him closer still as she poured herself into the kiss, their tongues dancing together in the way that only they knew how. They parted only when their lips were swollen and their chests heaving, Colton resting his forehead against Cassandra’s as he held her.

“How long have you been planning this?” Cassie asked softly after a few moments.

“A while,” Colton admitted. “Although deciding to do it today was only a recent decision. Your dad and I did a lot of talking when you weren’t around.”

“You asked my Baba?” Cassie sniffled, the tears back once more.

“I really like and respect your dad and it’s only right that I ask for his permission to marry his only child and daughter.”

“God, you have no idea how much that will have meant to him,” Cassie choked as she fought to keep her tears at bay. “And to me.”

Colton kissed her forehead softly before helping her to her feet and putting her robe on her.

“Come on,” he said softly. “There’s some people who want to celebrate with us.”

He led her out of the bedroom and down the hallway to the top of the stairs, her mother, father and Nonna waiting for them at the bottom with the champagne already poured and not a dry eye between them.

“I thought you chicken out,” Nonna teased Colton with a grin.

“Chicken out of marrying this one? Never.”

Cassie looked up at Colton, smile brighter than the ring on her finger that glittered like sunlight on fresh snow, and cupped his face, pulling him in for a chaste kiss and murmuring against his lips.

“This has been the best Christmas ever.”

#my writing #colton parayko fic #nhl fic #nhl writing #nhl fanfic #something just like this #something just like this universe #colt and cass #colton and cassandra #winter fic exchange 2023 #the winter fic exchange 2k23

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