Work Text:
2015
Valentino sat in his hospital bed, with the small boy in his arms. Just a few hours ago, he didn't even know that he was pregnant. He came into the ER because of pain in his stomach that got worse and worse.
He really didn't know if he should laugh or cry. Maybe this was a sign of the universe to make up for everything he ruined. Or maybe this is a punishment for anything he had done wrong in his life.
However there was one thing he knew, he would never tell anyone about his child, not even the father of his little child.
2025, the week of the Italian Grand Prix
Valentino had hoped that the media would never discover his son. He had kept the young child away from the world of Motorsport, away from cameras, he kept him in Tavullia.
But one stupid accident ruined everything. One stupid picture on Instagram ruined everything that Valentino had built for his son. He had fired the social media admin for his recklessness and stupidity. The worst part was, when a certain someone put one and one together and discovered that he had a son. Valentino knew that it would only be a matter of time until Marc Marquez would stand in front of his door. Sadly the day came sooner, rather than later.
“I want a paternity test,” Marc said, arms crossed over his chest. “No, absolutely not,” Valentino argued, he knew that the test would be positive, Marc also knew that the test would be positive. “Why? Are you scared that I'll take him away from you?” Marc laughed, but it wasn't in the fun way, it was more cruel.
Yes, Valentino was scared of that, in fact it was his biggest fear. “You don't even know his name!” The Italian tried to be as calm as possible, because he knew that Kimi was just inside the house, watching TV. If he would talk too loudly, Kimi would hear them and that was the last thing Valentino wanted.
“I would know his name, if you wouldn't have kept him a secret from me. I’m his father, I have a right to know that I've a son.” Marc’s voice tripped with venom.
“You don't even know if he is really yours. For all that matters, I just could have fucked a random person from the streets.” How it hurt to speak like this. Not because of Marc, Valentino couldn't care less about him. It hurts to speak like this, because of Kimi. Valentino never wants Kimi to feel unwanted and less than he is.
“As if the great Valentino Rossi would do that.” Marc laughed again and Valentino really wanted to punch him. “We can do this the easy way, a paternity test, then visitations rights and no one needs to know. But if you want to make it hard, we could always go through the court, then the whole world can watch and see you burn.”
“You only want those visitation rights, so that you can make my life miserable.” Valentino replied, sounding angrier and angrier with every word.
“Not everything is about you, believe it or not.” Marc countered. “Do we have a deal or not?” He then asked. “Fine, whatever. As long as Kimi stays away from the media.” The Italian agreed, defeated. “Great, I’ll send you a message about the date of the test and all.” Marc said now, with this insanely big and stupid smile on his face.
And then the Spaniard left, he returned to his car and drove away. Valentino broke down right next to his front door, crying with fear and frustration.
“If you discover that you have a ten year old child, what would you do?” Marc asked his brother, who was sitting on his couch, in their shared motorhome. “What? Are you okay? Did you hit your head?” Alex asked, perplexed, looking up from his phone.
“I may have discovered that I’ve a son.” He laughed, breaking down on the couch next to his younger brother. Now Alex shoots up, “You have a what now?”
Marc looked up to his younger brother, who was standing right next to where he collapsed on the couch. “I got a son.” Alex looked around the motorhome, “Is this a prank? Where are the cameras?”
Marc gave him a tired smile, “It's not a prank, I really got a kid. A ten year old child, with Valentino Rossi.” Alex sat down next to him, getting pale, “Oh shit.”
Indeed, oh shit.
The following week after the Grand Prix in Assen, Marc had made an appointment with a pediatrician and a lab to do the paternity test. Valentino still hasn't told Kimi about anything. He just told his son that he had a normal health checkup. It was easier this way, fewer questions.
Kimi also didn't need to know that they had made the doctor since a lot of NDA’s first.
Marc and Valentino had agreed that Valentino would go to the Doctor alone, with Kimi. When the test came back, they would finally meet up. Honestly, Valentino would love it, if a miracle would happen and the test came back negative. Sadly though, in his mind he already knew that it would be positive.
After the appointment, it took another week of waiting for the results. It was by far the longest and stressful week in his entire life.
When Valentino opened the email from the lab, he wasn't surprised at all. Of course the test came back positive. To add to the misery, it didn't take Marc Marquez even 5 minutes to call him. “I want to meet him as soon as possible. We can meet up before the race in Germany.”
Valentino wanted to throw up, heading those words. He wanted to hide Kimi away even more. God, he still hasn't told him about his father. “Don’t you want to talk about visitation right first?” Valentino asked the younger man over the phone. Internally he hoped that those talks would delay the looming doom. “We can talk about those, when we meet up.” Marc replied, his voice as cold as ice.
“Whatever, you can come here and we can meet up here. Just stay somewhere else, I don't want you in Tavullia overnight.” Valentino told the Spaniard.
“No, we’ll not meet in Tavullia. I want us to meet somewhere neutral. We can meet in Germany, you can bring him to the race.” Marc basically ordered the older one around.
Valentino wanted to yell at Marc over the phone, then hang up and punch him the next time he saw him at a race. How the fuck did the dare to talk to him like this? Wanting to meet a child he has never even seen in real Life before. Marc only knows Kimi from that one picture that the stupid social media admin had posted. Speaking of that guy, Valentino really wanted to fire him all over again.
Wasn't Marc concerned that Kimi hates him? Kimi was raised solely by Valentino and the people around him. Let's be honest, they didn't talk nicely about Marc at all. Didn't it occur to Marc that Kimi probably has the same opinions as him? Valentino is pretty sure that he once saw Uccio and Kimi throw darts, at a picture of Marc in the other man's office. Weirdly enough, the picture was still there and it looked like Uccio was throwing darts at it.
“Germany? Are you fucking serious? Just get your ass over here!” Valentino hissed. “No, you'll come with him to Germany, you’ll go to the race anyway, just bring him with you.”
A lot of people always said that Valentino had no self control, but in his humble opinion, he had a lot of it. Because if he wouldn't have self control, he would now scream, cry and then insult at Marc. Probably calling him a fucking mongoose, the devil, a bastard and a disgrace for the human race. Not that he doesn't call the Spaniard some names in his head.
“Fine!” Valentino growled and hung up, throwing his phone away. Maybe he should set up a playdate with Uccio again, so Kimi can learn how to hate Marc. Like really, really hate the Spaniard, just like Uccio does.
“Are we really going to see the race? I don't have to watch from the TV?” Kimi wouldn't stop bouncing around. He always had too much energy, but now it was a new high.
“Yes, we’ll watch the race at the track. Maybe if you ask Marco nicely, he’ll let you sit on his bike.”
Kimi had a favorite MotoGP Rider, and it was clearly Marco Bezzecchi. Honestly, Valentino felt hurt but at least it was someone from the Academy. Kimi was wearing an Aprilia Shirt with the Number 72 on it, while also wearing a The Doctor hat. He only put on the The Doctor hat, because Valentino had kind of forced him. He hid his son's Marco Bezzecchi hat and had argued that, when they were outside earlier today, it was too sunny to not wear one. The both of them were now back in their Hotel, but Kimi still hasn't taken off his father's hat. It made Valentino a little proud, even if the Bez shirt irritated him.
He was supposed to be his son's favorite. Kimi was supposed to wear his merch, not the merch of someone else. The 10 year old should wear his shirt.
“You really think so Papa?” Kimi asked his father excitedly. Valentino nodded, “Yes, he’ll definitely.”
Marco loves how much Kimi liked him, he would never turn the kid down. Also Valentino would torture him at the Ranch, if he dared. Maybe make him clean up the entire ranch for a month.
Valentino heard the threaded knock on the hotel room door, as Kimi was running around their Hotel Suite. This was it. This was the moment Kimi and Marc would meet each other for the very first time and the child wouldn't be his alone anymore.
The Italian got up from where he was sitting and went to open the door. As expected, there was Marc, with an ice cold expression standing in front of him. Silently Valentino let him in.
Kimi stopped running around, as soon as he saw that there was someone else in the hotel suite. He stood still and looked at the intruder, then he looked at his father. Kimi wasn't stupid, he knew who that man was, he also knew that his father and that man aren't friends and pretty much hate each other. So of course he was a little confused why Marc Marquez was here now.
“You remember what we talked about, how you’re going to meet someone on our little trip. This is Marqu-, I mean Marc,” Valentino corrected himself as soon as he noticed the slip up.
Kimi nodded and moved closer to Valentino, obviously not trusting the person he heard so many bad things about. “Marc is here because- uhhh because he is your other father.”
Marc gave his son a small smile, for Valentino it looked terrifying.
How does one react to this information? Especially if your other parent has never been in the picture before? And to add to that, apparently your other parent is the man your father hates the most. Poor little Kimi had no clue on how to react or what to say.
He remained quiet for a moment, before he turned to Valentino. “But you hate him Papa.”
Marc inhaled sharply, Valentino’s face was blank. Kimi wasn't lying, the two adults knew that it was true. There was no sugar coating it. “There was a time where I didn't hate him.” Valentino laughed nervously.
There was a time where he thought Marc would be his future. It was long over. There was no going back to that time, that was also something the two adults knew. It would never be like back then, too many words, too much hatred.
Kimi nodded and turned back to the Spaniard, “So you race?” Marc wanted to cry, he felt like he was close to tears. “Yeah, I do.”
Kimi hummed and nodded again. “That's cool. Papa says I’m only allowed to race at the Ranch. But I want to race on different tracks too.”
Valentino didn't want his son to race anywhere else. At the Ranch there weren't that many eyes watching him. Also the people there all knew about Kimi.
“We could race together, if you would want to?” Marc asked, sounding hopeful and Valentino hated it. “No. He’ll not race with you. You’re too dangerous.” Valentino hissed. “I think he can decide for himself.” Marc looked up to Valentino. “No, he is ten years old. He can't decide and I will not allow him to race with you.”
“I don't want to go racing with you. I saw races on the TV and Zio Uccio told me about how you race.” Kimi interrupted his parents, before they could start a fist fight. Valentino smiled at his son, “That's right.”
Marc just huffed and looked back at his son, “You shouldn't trust that guy.” Kimi just shrugged, “Uccio is cool, he plays darts with me. He also gives me candy and lets me play games on his phone sometimes.”
Valentino was never happier that his son defended his best friend like that. What also made him happy was how Marc's face went from pain, to sadness, to hurt, to even more pain. He definitely needs to tell Uccio about this later. Kimi will definitely get a cake from him for that.
“And, how did the meet up go?” Alex asked nervously, sitting on the edge of his chair in their motorhome. Marc let himself fall into the chair right next to him and sighed. “Could have been worse. He defended the iPad stand, said that he was cool and all that stuff. But he didn't hate me.”
Alex inhaled sharply, “Well seemed like that not all hope is lost.” For Alex it sounded like a success that the boy didn't outright hate Marc. Defending the assistant of the Italian Devil was low, but to be fair, he only ever had contact to him. They would need to tell him their side of the story, the truth. Maybe it would all be okay in the end.