Chapter Text
Max had always liked fire.
It was gentle and warm while also being destructive and unforgiving. It showed that something so delicate was somehow so relentless simultaneously. Max liked the adrenaline of being able to control something so uncontrollable. Granted, this control was obtained only in a very controlled environment but the adrenaline received was unmatched.
Having run away from home at a young age, Max wasn't able to control or choose how or when to do things for a long time. Now, after years of struggling day by day, Max took the absolute pleasure of at least partially controlling something that was not capable of being controlled.
Exhaling, feeling the air leave his lungs, the softness of his performance attire, the slight chill in the air, the familiar heat from the fire.
He opened his eyes. He could see the venue was filled tonight, faces from all over the world coming just to see him.
He smiled at the familiarity of the whispers, some in anticipation others in anxiety.
Fire had been his friend for a long time.
So now he does what he did best, He dances with his oldest friend.
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Logan had always loved the ocean.
He loved how the moon could change the tides of the ocean. How the moon jellies would dance under the water during the summer months, The way light would dance with the ocean.
As a child, he had spent countless hours by the ocean during the night. Sometimes, just watching the waves, other times joining in on the dance between the moon and the sea.
It was only natural for him to find a way to continue dancing with the ocean to some extent at least.
He breathed in the smell of the Italian sea, heard the waves in the distance, and Felt the drying paint across his chest in swirling patterns. The goosebumps on his body from the slight ocean breeze.
He breathed out. The light coming from the moon shone down on him casting a shadow on the water below. The excited murmurs of the crowd just bearly reached his ears. He was the last act of the night, The so-called son of Artemis was to dance under the moonlight.
With the full moon behind him, he tightened his grip on the aerial straps and let himself fall, joining the dance between the moonlight and water once again.
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Fire was something Charles feared.
It was something every Formula One driver feared. He had been taught that fire meant something was wrong, it would make the smallest of mistakes the biggest danger in a blink of an eye.It was uncontrollable once it started it couldn't be stopped. That was what made it so scary.
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It had been a long day,yet here he was about to watch the “greatest performance of his life”.If the invitation he had received earlier during the week was to be believed.
Having been invited to a “one of a kind” show during the Monza weekend along with other drivers he didn't really have a choice on whether to go or not.So here he was sitting near the front of the venue watching act after act, some leaving him intrigued and others leaving him confused.When the lights go from blue to red and he hears hushed murmurs from all around he knows it’s something that's been anticipated, however what he does not expect was for fire to light the edge of the stage.
Cheers deafen him as the booming voice from the announcer comes from all around, “And now Folks the moment most of you have been waiting for give a very warm welcome… to The Dutch Dragon!!!”
Charles' eyes widened at the sight of the man surrounded by the fire. He was tall, dressed in dark colors with what looked like scales seemingly in random spots. Icy blue eyes contrasting the reds and oranges of the unforgiving flames.
Charles had been taught fire was dangerous, that fire should never be taken lightly. The command he had over the fire as he danced made it seem like it was nothing to be afraid of.
He made it seem beautiful.
It made it seem safe.
And that was all the more terrifying.
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Oscar hadn’t always disliked the ocean.
Growing up in Australia he was constantly near the ocean.He spent countless days on the beach with his family, some spent swimming others just lounging in the sand. That all changed when he moved to Europe for karting. Now the ocean just reminded him of the homesickness he had. Sure being a Formula One driver meant traveling to different countries every week, each country having beaches but it never felt like it had back then.
He didn’t hate the ocean, he missed the feeling associated with it.
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Oscar wasn’t one for going out, among the many personalities of the drivers he was one of the most reserved ones. If he was invited to an event it was mostly because of his teammate. Looking at the envelope for him, he recalled Charles also getting one along with George.
It was strange but once there it was revealed to be a circus of some kind. It was unexpected, to say the least, but it was Monza during one of the most touristic weeks of the year.
As the sun went down, He found the acts getting more anticipation from the crowd. The two aerial performers whose routine gave a glimpse of a domestic life they had together. Then the enchanting fire dance which he is sure left Charles impressed based on the current look of his face.
He watched as fog slowly filled the stage and the sound of water reached his ears. Vines descended from the roof. Only Then under the full moon, did the final act begin.
Oscar’s breath hitched at the sight in front of him. Suspended above the water was a man dressed in white. The swirling patterns painted across his chest practically glowing under the moonlight.
He was ethereal.