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After driving for around 2 hours, the Button-Vettel family finally arrived at the dog centre. After many months of consideration, Seb and Jenson agreed to get the boys a dog.
Today, their sons all had a mixed range of emotions, with Charles and Carlos excited, whilst Max and Lando more hesitant. But nevertheless Seb and Jenson really believed that a dog would fit their chaotic family very well.
"Alright family, let's do this!" Called out Jenson as they all piled out of the car.
Holding Lando's hand, he walked ahead with Charles running about, too excited to walk normally. Behind them walked Seb with Carlos and Max on either side of him, chatting enthusiastically about the types of dogs they could have.
They entered a lovely glass building, with tall trees on both sides of the door, and were quickly greeted by a young woman.
"Hello!" cried the receptionist, her strong, Liverpool accent welcoming the family into the building.
A chorus of hellos returned her excitement.
"How are you all doing?" she asked, her energy vibrating the entire room, "excited to get a dog!"
"Yeah!!" cried out Charles, already bouncing and moving from one leg to the other.
"Wow there's so many of you!" she exclaimed beaming up to look at Sebastian and Jenson.
"Yes, this is Carlos," said Seb pointing at the tall boy beside him, as he sheepishly smiled at her, "he's our eldest, then it's Max," placing a hand on his shoulder, "and then our two youngest, Charles" who waved enthusiastically, "and Lando." who poked his head behind Jenson's long legs, glancing timidly up at the blonde woman.
She showered them all with a wonderful smile, "Lovely to meet all of you! Well I hope you find yourself a pal here with us, why don't you make your way down the hall, where my colleagues will meet you!"
They all thanked her, and made their way to a room filled with dog pictures, and bright green sofas.
Soon two staff members entered and introduced themselves as Sue and Helen, and once the family introduced themselves again, they got straight to business.
"So what exactly are you looking for in a dog?" Helen asked, glancing between Seb and Jenson.
"It's something the boys have wanted for quite a while," Seb spoke first, from which Jenson joked, "and we finally gave up..."
They all shared a laugh, before Sue directed the question to the kids.
Carlos started first, "I really want a dog to exercise with, to go on runs, it would be a better replacement compared to my Dads..." "That's only because we're getting older, Carlos, just because you are entering the prime stage of your life..." muttered Jenson sarcastically.
Chuckling, Sue looked towards Max for his answer, in which he replied, "I really want a friend, someone I can cuddle and play with."
They both nodded, noting his answer down.
"I want a dog, so it can eat my homework!" declared Charles.
Max and Carlos both burst out laughing, whilst the adults shook their heads fondly. "Are you sure there's no other reason Charlie?" asked Sebastian.
"Well obviously I want to play with him, but the homework thing is the main priority!"
He seemed so serious, that they couldn't help but write down that piece of information.
"And Lando?"
Lando looked up from where he was playing with his zipper, unaware that they would want him to say something. Glancing nervously at his Dads, he whispered almost inaudibly, "I want a friend,".
His parents smiled somewhat sadly at his answer.
Realising they needed a chat of their own, Jenson quickly suggested, "Hey boys, why don't you go play for a bit, whilst your Papa and I chat here with Helen and Sue?"
Sensing the reason, Carlos picked Lando up and cajoled the other two aside.
"We figured it would be easier to talk with just you two on the specifics," Helen said, "what do you want to come out from getting a dog?"
Jenson began, "We both think overall it would be great for the boys to have a dog, they're an energetic bunch and a dog would be a great output for that. A sense of responsibility as well, at least for Charles and Max."
"But to be perfectly honest," continued Seb, "we're worried about our youngest, Lando. He's a very quiet and closed off child. I think a dog would really help him to open up and be more confident with people."
"We spend a lot of time with Charles and Max with their karting. Carlos is older and has more independence and friends, but I think we're scared that Lando is lonely. Having a dog could simply just give him a friend. If he feels he can't talk to us, then with a dog he could."
Helen and Sue nodded understandably.
"So would you say, a quiet dog or an energetic one? What size are we looking at? A lot of these factors can affect how a small child like Lando, especially if he's shy, will respond to a dog."
They both nodded, and began listing things they thought could work.
By the end of their conversation, both Helen and Sue had an idea of what the family was looking for.
"Alright then, we'll go have a look and we'll be back when we find a dog that we think is suitable, hang tight!"
"Thank you!" "Cheers, see you in a bit." They both replied.
For a moment it was just the two of them. Seb glanced up at Jenson, tucking his hand into the other's.
"I hope we find one that will love us, will love him." Jenson smiled reassuringly, "We will, and Lando will be just fine."
"I love you, liebling." "I love you too, sweetheart."
Sharing a small kiss, they smiled at each other, before calling the boys back.
"So now we just wait?" asked Max.
"Yes, won't be long now!" reassured Sebastian, bringing him into a sideways hug.
The boys sat scattered around the two parents, constantly glancing at the door the staff entered from.
Around 15 minutes later, Helen and Sue returned. They sat down, smiled at the family and began introducing their find.
"So we think we found a dog that could really fit in with your family," said Sue, "his name is Bagel and he's a Beagle crossed with a Labrador." The children all gasped in excitement, with Charles bouncing up and down. The staff smiled warmly at the boy's excited behaviour. "He is two years old, but he's been with us since he was very young, so Dads he is trained, but that would still mean he can grow up with the boys."
"Does he like cuddles?" Interrupted Charles, too excited to hold back. "Charlie!" Seb scolded quietly, which made the boy sit back down sheepishly.
"Haha, yes he's very cuddly, but is also energetic and loves to exercise," both comments aimed at the older boys as well. "He's not too big too, so he'll be a perfect size for everyone."
"Do you hear that Lando?" Asked Jenson as he brushed the boy's curls back, "are you excited to meet Bagel?"
The six year old looked up to his dad, before nodding shyly and hiding in Seb's arms, as if embarrassed to say he was excited.
The staff smiled softly at him, before announcing that they could now head to the hut to meet Bagel.
Together the family of six exited the building and followed the signs to the hut.
Around them was a beautiful path, filled with greenery and trees. It was a windy but sunny day, and the whole family felt a newfound energy at the prospect of meeting a new member of their family.
"Do you really think he'll like us?" Asked Max.
"I'm sure he will!" Replied Sebastian, putting an arm across his son's shoulder, "he might be shy at first but I'm sure we'll all get along very well!"
"Are you excited boys?" Jenson called out.
A chorus of confirmations of all kinds were sounded.
"I'm excited to take him on walks and it'll be so fun to run with him!"
"Yes, now you won't have to drag one of us to run with you, eh Carlos?" Muttered Jenson jokingly.
"He'll be all our best friends, and and he'll want to play with me and do everything with me, and we can take him on trips and-"
"Breathe Charlie," laughed Seb, "I'm sure he'll be able to do all that and much more!"
Full of energy, he grabbed Max's hand and together they sprinted down the path.
Laughing at their antics, Seb looked down at his youngest son, holding his hand and being very quiet.
Ruffling his hair gently, he asked, "Everything okay, Lan?"
The boy silently nodded.
"You know that everything will be alright, yes schatz?"
Still no verbal response from him.
With a glance from Jenson, Seb slowed down so that they had a bit more space from the rest of the family.
Pausing slightly, he crouched down to face Lando and brought the small child into his arms.
He heard a small sigh, and felt Lando relax a bit more.
"There is no need to be worried, liebling. I promise it'll be very fun."
"But what if he doesn't like me?" Whispered Lando into his shoulder.
"How could he not schatz?" Exclaimed Seb, "you're so fun to be around! Who wouldn't want to be your friend! And you'll get to go on walks and play football and jump into puddles together!"
He moved Lando a bit backwards so he could look at him properly.
"And if it maybe doesn't work out, then it doesn't and that's alright baby."
Lando looked at him with such worry. It sometimes shook him how emotionally intelligent his little boy was. "But let's not get ahead of ourselves, yeah sweetheart?"
A small smile crept up, and Lando rushed to hug his Papa again.
"My darling," murmured Sebastian, kissing him all over his face, and earning a few ticklish giggles.
"C'mon," he groaned, picking his son up and settling him on his hip, "your dad and siblings are probably wondering where we are."
He felt Lando lay his head on his shoulder, and felt a surge of love. God he loved his kids.
The six of them sat in the hut, all feeling different levels of nervousness and definitely showing it in different ways.
"I hope he likes us..." mumbled Max.
"Of course he will!" reassured Jenson, "he's going to love everyone!"
"But that being said," started Seb, "when he enters, let him settle a bit, don't jump immediately, we don't want to scare him."
"Why are you looking at me?!?" exclaimed Charles dramatically.
Sebastian just raised his eyebrow in response.
"Fine..." he muttered.
"Don't worry Papa, we'll all respect him and give him distance, and let him come to us, right guys?" said Carlos, ever the eldest brother.
Max nodded faithfully, taking the whole experience very seriously, whilst Charles groaned and nodded, too excited to consider that he might scare the little dog. He couldn't wait to show all of his friends pictures of his dog, and then everyone would want to come and see Bagel. Already Pierre and Yuki were constantly on his back for more information about the dog they were getting.
But before they could say anything more, a young woman appeared at the door and opened it, revealing the much awaited Beagle. She introduced herself as Kathy and let Bagel off the lead.
He was beautiful and so adorable. His coat was full of autumn browns and oranges mixed with a soft white chest and floppy dark brown ears that shook funnily every time he ran.
After sniffing a few times around and glancing back at the door, he approached the eager but silent family.
Charles and Max sat on the grass, with their hands vibrating in excitement, Sebastian and Carlos on either side of them, ready at any moment to intervene should the boys scare the dog. On the bench behind them was Jenson and on his lap sat Lando. The little boy burrowed his face into Jenson's neck, slowly lifting his wide eyes to stare at the fluff ball. Jenson caressed his back gently, knowing that his youngest was a bit nervous.
As he was always the first to start anything, Charles stood up and ran to get a bird toy from the basket given to them.
"Bagel!" He cried out, waving the toy to gain the dog's attention. With one look, the puppy ran towards Charles, adamant to get that toy. Immediately it seemed that they had bonded, and almost looked as if they had been buddies for years.
Together they all laughed at the adorable sight, Charlie already running about and calling Bagel to him.
In an attempt to get the bird, Bagel jumped and accidentally licked Charlie's face in the process, sending the nine year old to the ground, laughing and hugging the dog with so much love.
Soon enough Carlos and Max joined, running around with Bagel, throwing him treats and very quickly making the puppy like them all.
As Seb approached the dog, Bagel jumped into his arms, with such ferocity and passion that it pushed him to the floor. Everyone laughed so hard, because it almost looked like Seb was wrestling with the dog.
A small giggle was heard from Jenson's arms. The curly haired child was hiding in his father's arms, watching the dog's exchange with great focus. It was a funny sight seeing his Papa sprawled on the floor with a dog licking his face.
But to go and play with him was another story altogether.
The dog seemed nice... But Lando was a bit scared, and preferred to stay safe.
Sensing his youngest hesitation, Jenson whispered,"Do you want to say hi, Lan?".
The little boy looked up, worry very visible on his tiny face, and in response just turned his head back to Jenson's shoulder.
With a glance at Seb, he sighed quietly, frowning despite the happy state of his oldest sons.
The other three boys seemed to sense their dad's hesitation. Deep down they all agreed that if Lando wasn't comfortable then they wouldn't get him. It had to be all or nothing. But that didn't mean that they wouldn't try to help.
"Bagel!" Cried Carlos, drawing the dog to him. "There we go," he ruffled and pet the dog's head,
"you can be calm can't you?"
As if he read Carlos' mind, the dog layed down and snuggled close to him.
With one hand still petting Bagel's head, he reached out to Lando, nodding encouragingly at the young boy to join him.
The youngest's eyes widened even further, before looking at the dog. He could see that he was calm, but what if he suddenly jumped when Lando reached him? He whined, shaking his head, his curls bouncing away.
But as he turned, he caught sight of his Papa's face. He had such a wide smile and shining eyes, nodding very subtly to him.
With an encouragement from his dad, "you can do it sweetheart," and a kiss on the forehead, he slowly got down from the bench and made his way to Carlos.
With a slightly shaky hand, Lando waved his hand through the dog's lovely fur.
The three eldest brothers held their breath, and watched closely as slowly but surely Lando sat down beside the animal.
Sensing he was calmer, Bagel lifted his head up and snuggled it on the child's small thigh, his wet nose erupting a giggle from the boy.
The rest of the family all smiled widely. So glad that their baby was happy with Bagel.
"Lano?" Asked Charles, "do you want to play with Bagel?" Looking up at his older brother, he nodded fervently, getting up slightly unsteadily but quickly attracting the attention of Bagel.
Together the two younger boys ran around the small hut, with Bagel sprinting in between them, head turning energetically from side to side.
Soon enough Max and Carlos joined, sending squeals and barks of joy. Max ran around and kept playfully pushing Charles towards Bagel, who in turn gave him lots of licks on the face, and Carlos lifted up Lando, who squealed and laughed, as he was swung around, with Bagel jumping up and down too.
Whilst all that happened, the two parents sat embracing each other, barely holding back their tears, as they watched their sons burst with happiness.
For awhile they were both scared that Lando wouldn't get along with Bagel, but as always their boys surprised and delighted them in the best possible ways.
It was clear that Bagel would fit into their big but loving family.