#Youngest rookie to stand on the podium

[princelancey]

Countdown to 150 | race 8/150 ¦ 2017 Azerbaijan GP

[maretinelli]

BORTOLETO-HAMILTON

Lewis Hamilton X Bortoleto!fem!reader

Summary: With her younger brother and husband racing together in Formula 1, Y/n's nerves are doubled when they're both on the track.

Words: 8K+

Warnings: Mentions of many Brazilian things, Lewis in the Ferrari, cigarettes, drinks, partying and Brazilian music, maybe some swearing and suggestive lines between Y/n and Lewis.

Author: English is not my first language, so apologies if there are any spelling or typing errors. Well, I'm addicted to Lewis and as a Brazilian I'm loving watching Bortoleto. I had to put these two together.🇧🇷❤️ I will mention Brazilian songs, but I will put them at the end of the story!!

MASTERLIST

Y/n Bortoleto didn't remember exactly when her life ended up TOTALLY on the grid, tracks, races and podiums. Being a sports agent, older sister of the most promising rookie in the category Gabriel Bortoleto and wife of Lewis Hamilton, she definitely had no escape. Y/n's world was taken over by Formula 1. She was in the eye of the storm.

Y/n and Lewis met years ago at a charity gala for young motorsport talent. Lewis was already a multiple champion and charismatic spokesperson for the sport, while Yin was just starting his career at the athlete agency. The conversation between the two began simply, about strategy, sponsorships and, inevitably, Ayrton Senna. "If you don't have Senna as a role model, then you're in the wrong sport" he joked that night.

The conversation turned into laughter and, at the end of the night, an exchanged business card and the promise of a coffee that, eventually, never happened.

At least not right away.

A year later, chance brought them together again. Y/n was hired to take on a project at the agency as a representative for a renowned athlete. When she opened the folder, there he was: Lewis Hamilton. "So, are we finally going to have that coffee?" he teased, and the rest was history. Now married for a few years, they formed one of the most iconic couples in the world of Formula 1: a brilliant sports agent and the greatest driver of his generation.

During this time, Gabriel Bortoleto, the woman's younger brother, was making his mark on the go-karts and Formula 3...2 tracks. When Gabriel was still a child, the eldest would take him to the go-kart tracks, racing to get the best seats in the stands and cheering him on every lap. She could see his talent manifest itself from the first moment he put his hands on the steering wheel.

She was always with the boy, acting as his manager, sister, best friend and representative at the time, when they both grew together in their respective careers.

Inspired by his idol Ayrton Senna and his brother-in-law Lewis Hamilton, the 20-year-old Brazilian finally reached F1.

Y/n couldn't be more fulfilled with her two boys and her career.

Lewis and Gabriel.

Hamilton had known the youngest Bortoleto since the boy was 12 years old. When he and Y/n started dating. They had an incredible connection, a friendship that went from family Sundays to the GPs they had raced together. Lewis always. teaching and learning from the youngest.

And in the first GP of the season that Lewis got on the podium, he couldn't help but raise the Brazilian flag high, next to his home country. The Brazilian flag was a tribute to his wife and brother-in-law who was new to the category.

This weekend would be the first GP in Interlagos that Gabriel Bortoleto would participate in Formula 1. Fans, family and friends could not be more excited. With the euphoria of being able to see a Brazilian on the podium, after years without seeing Brazil in Formula 1.

Lewis and his wife had gotten off the plane a few minutes earlier. With their disguises, no one seemed to recognize the couple as they walked to the parking lot so they could pick up their rental car.

Hamilton adjusted his cap as he whispered something in his wife's ear. She laughed as she had Roscoe tied to the leash she was leading.

"Hey, is anyone here faking it or is too tired to walk!" She said, and Hamilton looks at the dog next to her.

"Pretending, definitely," Lewis replied, chuckling softly. "He knows if he makes a fuss, I'll carry him in my arms."

"That's your problem, love," Y/n scoffed. "You're the one who spoiled him like that."

Lewis paused for a second, feigning indignation.

"Are you suggesting that I'm the problem? Because honestly, Roscoe is the perfect son."

"Perfect son who snores and drools on your shirt," she replied, smiling.

Lewis chuckles, pulling her closer to his side.

Walking to the parking lot, to be able to pick up the car they had rented to spend the days in Brazil, they saw a journalist outside, who probably knew what time the couple would arrive in the country.

But the good thing is that he was alone. There was no one else in the parking lot other than people who probably didn't know the couple.

The young journalist approaches. "Hello, Lewis Hamilton and Y/n Bortoleto Hamilton? Do you have a minute?" He asks, a little shyly.

Y/n and Lewis looked at each other smiling. The young journalist was probably still in college and was nervous.

"Yes. Ourselves," Lewis says, as he stops to give the young man his attention.

"Sure, no problem"

"I promise not to be too intrusive. Just a few questions," he says, and points his phone's microphone in front of the couple. "How do you feel about this weekend's GP?"

Lewis smiles. "Honestly. I feel confident, Brazil has always been a country that I feel at home in. So, I'm definitely in a good place. It's like racing in England." Hamilton smiles.

Meanwhile, Y/n watched Roscoe lay on the parking lot floor.

"What about you, Y/n? How do you feel about seeing your little brother running around the house?"

"It's exciting in a way I can't even describe." Y/n smiled, taking off her sunglasses. "Seeing Gabriel race in Brazil, in Interlagos, where he grew up watching Senna and Lewis... It's surreal. He's worked his whole life for this moment, and I couldn't be more proud. Not only as a sister, but as a former agent and number one fan."

"And you, Hamilton? How do you feel about your wife's brother being on your tail in every race? Is there a rivalry between the two of you?"

"Definitely not! I've known Gab since I started dating Y/n. I can say that I've seen the younger one grow, as a person and professionally," he smiles. "So no, there's no rivalry or anything like that when we're at the races. It's like when he stands on the podium, the victory is for both of us. I've seen how hard he's worked to get here. And I know he feels the same way about me." Lewis smiles politely, while his hand is clasped in his wife's.

"Okay. Now one last question. You might be tired from the flight." The young journalist says, and turns a page of his small notebook. "Y/n! There are some rumors going around the internet. And we want to know, when are the mini Hamilton-Bortoleto coming?" He asks smiling.

Y'n laughs, lowering her head and Lewis squeezes her hand, smiling too.

"I think next week. Our little cat Poppe is pregnant at home. There should be at least 7 mini Poppe Hamilton-Bortoletos!" She jokes, not really wanting to talk about babies in front of the cameras.

Lewis laughs at his wife's comment and the journalist smiles sympathetically.

"Okay. We'll never get that answer, until there's finally a baby here"

"Sure thing" Hamilton says smiling.

"Thank you very much for the interview. And good luck racing.

Lewis and Yin thank the young man and say goodbye, heading to the car that the woman managed to rent before arriving in Brazil.

"I found him to be friendly and respectful with questions," Lewis praises the young man.

"Yes. Sweet boy," she said, as she tried to get Roscoe to walk. "Come on son, the car is right there!!"

Roscoe let out a short bark, turned sideways, and collapsed to the ground as if all his energy had gone.

"All this drama, Roscoe?" Lewis asked, laughing, as he bent down and picked the dog up in his arms.

Y/n puts her hands on her hips, indignant at the upbringing Lewis was giving her four-legged son.

"Hey, that way you don't let him be independent!!" Y/n jokes, walking a little behind Lewis, who had Roscoe in his arms. "And when he's a baby?"

"I'll be the same. I'll carry it in my arms until I'm 20," Lewis says, unlocking the car with the key.

"You're impossible," Y/n chuckles, walking to the passenger door as Lewis clips Roscoe's leash to the backseat.

Lewis chuckled, settling into the driver's seat. "And that's why you love me."

The drive to the condominium where Y/n's parents lived was peaceful. Lewis drove with one hand on the steering wheel and the other resting on his wife's leg. Roscoe, more energetic after his nap at the airport, watched out the window, attentive to the new smells and movements of Brazil.

"What do you think about stopping by the bakery near your parents' house?" Lewis asked, quickly looking away at Y/n.

She smiled, remembering the fresh cheese bread her mother always praised from that place. "I was waiting for you to suggest that. You're already more Brazilian than most Brazilians."

As soon as they arrived at the condominium entrance, the doorman allowed the couple to pass, where Lewis drove to the end, where the Bortoleto house was. A large house to fit the whole family, with a deck that gave a view of the lake behind the house.

The front gate was the same as always, painted dark gray with slight signs of age. The garden was impeccable, with colorful flowers. Certainly Clara's idea, Y/n and Gabriel's mother. Y/n felt her heart warm that house had always been the perfect refuge, no matter how many years had passed.

When they parked in front of the house, Y/n and Lewis could see that they were already waiting for the couple, with a warm smile on their faces. Hamilton turned off the car and took Roscoe out of the back seat. While Y/n ran out to hug her parents.

She was 30 years old, but with her parents there, in front of her waiting for her to get home, it was as if she were back when she was 15.

"They're finally here!!" Y/n's mother, Clara, says, with her daughter in her arms, "I missed you guys so much!

"Sorry I'm late," Lewis said, setting Roscoe down. "Roscoe decided to be dramatic at the airport.

"Worse than a spoiled child" Y/n says, hugging her father.

Lewis walks up the front steps to greet his in-laws. Meanwhile, Roscoe runs excitedly across the front lawn.

"I think he was saving it for the barbecue later." Lewis hugs Y/n's mother.

They laugh.

Y/n's father, Mr. Lincoln, approached with that calm air of a patriarch. "Lewis! Welcome back, son," he said, giving his son-in-law a firm handshake and a pat on the shoulder.

"Thank you, Mr. Lincoln. You can be sure I missed it here!"

Y/n's father smiles: "Great! Gab and I prepared a great picanha for the barbecue."

"Lew and I brought cheese bread from the bakery nearby. For afternoon coffee, Y/n runs to the car and grabs the things they bought and gives them to her mother.

"Then we'll have cheese bread for the whole weekend," Clara says. "Your father came by earlier to buy some for Lewis."

Y/n coos looking at her father.

"Look how cute you are! Spoiling your son-in-law more than me and Gab" Y/n nudges her father's shoulder and he rolls his eyes.

Lewis smiles.

"Let's go inside! We were there on the deck before you arrived" Clara opens the large front door of the house.

Y/n calls Roscoe to come inside, but he was so excited running around the house without a leash that he didn't even hear his owners calling.

"ROSCOE!! COME ON MAN!" Lewis yells, nothing from him came. He just ran.

"This dog has more energy than Lewis in GP" Y/n comments and smiles.

Lewis laughs amusedly

"That's because he doesn't even need training. Roscoe just needs love and cookies." Clara says, making her son-in-law smile.

After much struggle, Roscoe comes to Lewis and enters the house. Exploring everything inside.

As they walked to the porch, Y/n looked at Lewis and for a moment felt a surge of gratitude. It felt good to be back, surrounded by family, with the man she had chosen by her side. Everything felt exactly as it should be.

"So, how was the trip? Was the flight very crowded?" Y/n's mother asked as she walked through the room,

Lewis was watching Roscoe walk around the house, while he had one hand holding his wife's shoulder.

"It went well, we had no turbulence. Lewis slept the whole flight"

"Hey!!" He turns his head towards her and smiles. "You don't have to expose me like that."

They laugh.

Once settled on the deck, Clara brought a tray with coffee, juices and some snacks. Roscoe was sitting on the porch rug, watching the birds flying through the trees around him.

"Roscoe already jumps on one!" Lewis speaks, referring to the birds.

Y/n laughs and sits down on a chair, petting the dog.

"Where's Gab-?"

Before he could finish, his brother's voice echoed down the stairs of the house, followed by the hurried sound of his footsteps. He appeared in the doorway, an amused smile on his face.

"Finally! I thought you guys had given up on coming,"

They turn and see Gabriel standing at the large door that led to the deck. Y/n smiles and stands up to hug him.

"Give up on beating you in the GP on Sunday? No way!!" Lewis greeted his brother-in-law with a brief hug and a touch of complicity. "How are you?"

"Keep dreaming, Hamilton. I'm going to leave you behind here in Brazil." Gabriel laughs. "I'm fine!"

Lewis responds in Portuguese: "Vou deixar você para trása!"

Y/n lets out a loud laugh, before correcting her husband's Portuguese, "Dear, it's: Para trás ,"

"Hey, poor thing. Don't laugh," Clara says, and Yin laughs more.

When Hamilton started dating the Brazilian woman, he made a big effort to learn to speak Portuguese, so that it would be easier to live with her family. She thought it was the cutest thing. And to this day, he took a few classes before coming to Brazil. And he is making progress, his communication is much better.

Y/n's parents also made an effort to learn English. To welcome Lewis.

Gabriel approaches his sister: "I missed you, old lady" he hugs his sister.

She slaps him on the shoulder. "Hey!!" Y/n can't help but laugh. "Okay, I'm in my 30s, but let's tone it down."

Gab laughs.

Lewis watched the interaction, laughing along. "You're brave to call her that."

Gabriel shrugged, blinking. "It's the only advantage of being the youngest. I'm untouchable."

The family smiles.

"Roscoe, hi champ!" Gabriel calls the dog and he gets up excitedly heading towards the man.

Gabriel gives him a caress and soon Roscoe leaves. "I'm going to pick up Isabella at her parents' house. Does anyone want to come with me?"

Y/n stands up: "Me!! I miss Isabella!" She says smiling as she touches her sister-in-law's name.

Before leaving with his brother, Y/n approached Lewis and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. "Behave yourself, okay? Don't eat all the cheese bread without me."

Lewis held her hand, smiling. "I promise not to end it all. Enjoy and send a kiss to Isabella."

"Okay. Come on, old lady." Gabriel puts an arm around his sister's shoulder and Yin pats his shoulder again.

"Shut up!"

The family laughs.

Lewis stayed at home, talking to his in-laws and taking the opportunity to rest from the trip. Tomorrow he would start training and it would be tough.

Lincoln, Y/n and Gabriel's father, stood up, saying he was going to start the barbecue. Lewis stayed with Dona Clara on the deck talking.

"So Lewis... When are the grandchildren coming?" She says, nudging her son-in-law's tattooed arm.

Lewis lowers his head shyly and laughs.

"We're, um, trying..." He stops and rethinks what he said. "Wait, let me try again..." He makes Clara laugh. "That's not quite it." He looks at Clara, more nervous now. "We're preparing, I guess. And, that's the right word."

"Preparing?"

"Yeah. Yin's started weekly appointments with her gynecologist and is trying to be healthier before she actually decides it's time to have a baby," he says, watching Roscoe run off. "She's also trying to quit smoking. You know how she is when she's nervous. She takes it all out on nicotine." Clara nods, knowing about the daughter she has. "We're taking it slow so that everything will go smoothly when we finally get pregnant." He smiles and Clara gives him a beautiful mother-in-law smile.

"You're right." She smiles and rests her hand on her son-in-law's arm. "You're a great husband. And I know you'll be a great father too. Both of you." She smiles.

"I hope I live up to it," he smiles at the compliment.

"Yes, it is." Clara gets up to get another cup of coffee. "I just hope it doesn't take too long. I want to see this house full of children during the holidays."

Lewis laughs.

"We promise!" He smiles.

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••

Next day - Friday, Interlagos.

The day dawned cloudy, the overcast sky reflecting the typical weather in São Paulo at that time of year. Lewis left early for the paddock, as usual, leaving Y/n to rest a little longer in the apartment. It was a busy morning at the circuit, with fans crowded outside and teams racing against time to adjust the cars before free practice.

Y/n arrived about two hours after Lewis. As she walked around, dressed in comfortable clothes, she politely greeted fans who called her name and took a photo with some who asked.

She stopped to take a selfie with a young fan who held a sign that read: 'Bortoleto-Hamilton is our champion!'

Y/n smiled genuinely and said, "Thank you, you made my day!"

The sounds of engines warming up echoed through the paddock corridors, mixed with the excited voices of fans and the constant clicking of photographers' cameras.

As they approached the garages, journalists behind the iron fences began to bombard her with questions about her brother, her husband and her career. Photographers took pictures of every move Bortoleto-Hamilton made.

With so many asking questions, she stopped in front of a young journalist, who was holding a microphone with the logo of a local sports channel.

"How do you balance your career with traveling to keep up with Lewis?"

"I think because I'm his sports agent, the balance between our careers and travel is flexible. What really causes a headache is deciding which sponsorship to choose for Lewis," she replies smiling.

"Do you often give your opinions on strategies or do you prefer to just be supportive as a wife? Does he usually listen to you?"

Y/n smiles: "I even joke with him sometimes about strategy, but honestly, I prefer to leave that to the engineers. He's the one who understands the subject, so I just support him from outside the track. But I think he even listens when I give an opinion!"

Upon hearing the answer, the journalist smiled, nodding, while in the background the clicks of the cameras seemed to have increased, Y/n knew that any word from her was a full plate for the headlines.

"Good morning. It's great to see you here in the Paddock. But what the fans want to know... is... Are you team Bortoleto or Hamilton this weekend?" He asks amusedly, and Y/n can't help but laugh.

"Now you've got me," she smiles. "But since I'm both a Bortoleto and a Hamilton, I have to say I'm torn. I want them both to do great.

"Who knows, maybe a double podium? Then no one will complain!" She laughs. "A podium is always our goal!"

With a farewell wave, Y/n continued through the paddock, her firm steps taking her towards the Ferrari garage, where she knew that Lewis was already fully focused on training.

As she got closer to the Ferrari garage, she could already hear the loud engine noises and engineers talking loudly. Yin politely greeted those she passed along the way.

"Hey Charles!" She greets Lewis's teammate.

"Hey, Y/n! Here to watch the boss?" he teased, winking slightly before heading to the driver's room.

She laughed in agreement, "Always, isn't it?"

As soon as Lewis saw her, his face lit up. He walked towards her with a warm smile, gently pulling her in for a kiss.

"It's finally here"

"I was late because I was dealing with reporters," she said, laughing. "They always ask me who I'm rooting for. Can you believe it? After all this time."

Lewis chuckles, his hands on her waist.

"I've also been asked a lot about Gabriel. You're becoming a secondary subject," she jokes, poking her husband's chest, covered by his red uniform.

"I'll take second place. But only if it's for him," Lewis joked. "He deserves it. I remember when I raced at home for the first time in Formula 1. It's an inexplicable feeling."

She nodded, crossing her arms and walking slowly with Lewis into the garage. "Did you sleep well? You look like you woke up thinking about the car."

Lewis smirks. "I slept very well and you know why."

She rolls her eyes smiling, we make her cheeks swell.

"But yeah, I slept well. And yeah, I've been thinking about the car a bit. But overall it's been fine," he says, grabbing his helmet.

Before she could respond, Lewis's engineer approached with a clipboard in hand. "Sorry to interrupt, but we need you to test the car now, before we adjust anything else."

"Sure," Lewis replied, exchanging a knowing look with Y/n.

"Go on, honey!! I'll be watching you," she says, leaving a kiss on his cheek and another on his helmet.

Lewis returned the kiss with a quick peck before getting into the car. Soon, the roar of the engine echoed through the garage as he pulled out onto the track.

Y/n took the headphones given to her by one of the engineers and sat down next to the monitors, watching each lap on the TV. Her eyes followed each curve, attentive to Lewis's precision as he communicated details about the car over the radio.

Hamilton must have been on lap five, while Y/n was looking at the monitors, until she saw Gabriel drive the Sauber car past the Ferrari garage. This caught the woman's attention.

With one last look at the monitor, she excused herself from the Ferrari engineers and handed over her headphones to go after her brother.

She walked a few garages until she reached her brother's garage. Gabriel got out of the car and took off his helmet when he saw his sister standing at the door, with a smile on her face and her arms crossed.

"Hey, sis!" He pulls the balaclava off his face. "Come to spy on the competition?" Gabriel jokes, as he hands the helmet to one of his mechanics and walks over to his sister, pulling her into a loving brotherly hug.

"I am the eyes that see everything" she smiles, leaving the hug, and Gabriel asks her to go further into the garage.

She excused herself and smiled politely. They knew that the woman was Bortoleto's sister. They knew her from other races and genetics did not deny it.

"How was training?" She asks, as she leans against a wall and crosses her arms, watching her brother take a big swig of water from his bottle.

"It was good. The car is better than last time. Just a few tweaks to the aerodynamics." He replies, closing the bottle.

Y/n smiles in agreement. "So? How does it feel to race on the Interlagos track for the first time, with the stands full of Brazilians?" She smiles more.

Gabriel's shy smile widened even more, and Y/n saw, for an instant, the 5-year-old boy, with a helmet bigger than his head, dreaming of racing a go-kart.

"It feels amazing," he said, finally sitting down on a nearby stool. "I'm not going to lie, it made a lump in my throat. I remembered all the years of dedication and effort. It was like... I don't know, it all made sense. And it's only Friday! I know Sunday will be even better more intense." He paused for a moment, looking down at his feet, before adding, "But that comforts me too. I'm home."

Y/n smiles from ear to ear.

"I'm so proud of you, little one." She lightly pushes the brunette's shoulder. "I know all the years were worth it."

"Of course, I had my sister by my side the whole time," he smiles, thanking her. "I know that without your support I would have nothing. Our parents were there. But you are an extra boost to our family. We would be nothing without you. Both me, mom and dad. And especially Lewis!" He says softly, making Y/n gather a few tears in her eyes.

She turned her face quickly, wiping away a stubborn tear. "Oh, stop. You're going to make me cry in the middle of the paddock."

Gabriel smiles, before teasing his older sister. "Sentimental old lady."

Y/n rolls her eyes laughing.

Gabriel thinks for a moment about a more relaxed subject, because if he kept talking, his sister wouldn't stop crying anymore, and he definitely doesn't know what to do when someone starts crying. And he knows what a sister he has.

"And Lewis? Are you already thinking about how to not let Sauber pass?" He jokes.

Y/n laughed. "He said he'll accept second place, but only for you and only here in Brazil!"

Gabriel laughed

"It's okay. I respect my brother-in-law."

"Well, just don't be too respectful," she teased. "I still want you on the podium, got it?"

Y/n and Gabriel were still laughing when a movement in front of the garage caught their attention. She turned her head and saw Lewis approaching the garage, with his jumpsuit half open and headphones around his neck.

After so many years, he still took her breath away.

"Lewis. Come in!" Gabriel says, as if the garage were his home and Lewis a regular visitor.

Y/n laughs, his Brazilian accent sounding good.

Lewis laughed, stopping to greet a few of the mechanics politely as he approached. The atmosphere already seemed more relaxed with his arrival.

Y/n automatically smiled when she saw her husband. The way he carried himself, with that natural confidence and usual charm, made her heart warm every time.

"Well, apparently, the boss is here passing information to her rival, right?" Lewis joked, casting an amused glance at Yin and then at Gabriel. "Or is she taking information for me, youngest?"

Y/n rolls her eyes laughing.

She loved the friendship they had as brother-in-law and fellow athlete.

"I'm neutral, okay?" Yin threw up her hands, laughing. "Family is family. There's no spying here."

"That's what you want me to believe," Lewis retorted, feigning suspicion and nudging his wife's shoulder.

Gabriel just laughed, shaking his head. "You know she's impartial, Lewis. But if you want, you can try to bribe me with some tips on the Ferrari car."

"No way," Lewis replied, pointing at him with a smirk.

Y/n laughs at the exchange of provocations between the brothers-in-law.

"Are morning trainings over?"

"Yes!" They both answer together.

"I was thinking. We could have lunch together before we come back here in the afternoon again!" Y/n says, uncrossing her arms and looking at her brother and husband, "Like family!"

"Sure, let's go!" Lewis looks at his brother-in-law.

"I'll go, only if you're paying." He points to his older sister.

"Of course. It's the role of older brothers." She rolls her eyes and they both laugh.

Leaving the garage, the woman waits for her brother and husband to change, so they can leave the Paddock and go to lunch.

"You know, I was just thinking..." Gabriel arrives after Lewis, and sees his brother-in-law hugging his older sister sideways.

"I'm scared when the sentence starts like that Y/n laughs, as they start walking away from the garages.

"Where are my nephews?" Gabriel asks and Lewis laughs.

"Huh, I don't know. You don't have any nephews." Y/n teases.

"That's right!! Where are they?" Gab says, and looks at his brother-in-law. "Lewis, please. Do your part!" He provokes the older man.

Y/n lowers her head and laughs.

"I'm trying. She's the one who's complicated," Lewis pretended to whisper to his brother-in-law, and they laughed. "You know what your sister is like..."

"HEYY!" She complains. "I'm here!! And in the middle of the two she says smiling.

The two men just laugh.

Finally leaving the garages, they arrive at the beginning of the Paddock, where it is full of fans, journalists and photographers.

When they saw the trio, they started asking questions and taking pictures. There were flashes coming from every possible direction. And it was also impossible not to hear the euphoric screams of the fans coming from the stands nearby.

"Let's stop at the headlines" Lewis comments and the Bortoleto brothers laugh.

"Ferrari driver is seen leaving hand in hand with Bortoleto's sister, Sauber driver. Who was with them." Yin creates a headline and they laugh. "And I bet some won't even know we're married" she looks at Lewis.

Lewis smiles.

"Or else...Ferrari couple decides to adopt Sauber driver as a son, since they won't budge to have one of their own." Gabriel provokes the couple again, about them not having children yet.

"Aaaah shut up" Y/n says between laughs.

Lewis and Gabriel exchange a laugh.

As they headed out of the paddock, Y/n couldn't help but smile. As intense and chaotic as the world of Formula 1 was, moments like this, alongside the people I loved, were the ones that really mattered.

•••••••••••••••••••••••

Race day Sunday, Interlagos.

The day in São Paulo dawned hot and cloudy, typical of the city, but the energy at the Interlagos Race Track was electrifying.

Gabriel and Lewis arrived much earlier than they usually arrived at the racetracks.

Perhaps because it was the rookie's first time on the Brazilian track.

Y/n only heard Lewis whisper something like 'I'm going to the racetrack early, and I'll stop by your parents' to pick up Gab'. The woman just gave a thumbs up with her finger, and turned to the other side of the bed.

Lewis laughed and left their city apartment.

Now, Y/N walked through the paddock alongside her parents, greeting the fans who approached. Even though she was nervous, she maintained the polite and charismatic posture that won everyone over, while taking some photos with fans.

Y/n was always nervous for races, this increased even more when Gabriel arrived in Formula 1. But today, today the nervousness was coming out of Y/n's eyes, ears and mouth.

"Good luck to Lewis today! And Gabriel too!" said a fan, as soon as she took a picture with Y/n.

Y/N smiled, even with her heart racing, returning the girl's cell phone with trembling hands: "Thank you!"

Y/n's parents, who were further away, saw their daughter's nervousness and exchanged a worried look.

Y/n walks back to where her parents were waiting for her, her comfortable sneakers making a noise on the asphalt.

"Daughter, calm down. You've been to so many races. Today is no different."

Y/n tries to smile and hooks her arm through her father's arm.

"I know. But today is Gab's first day running in Brazil. And you know how it is with Lewis. How I feel when he runs

The parents exchanged a friendly smile.

"The way you are, it looks like you're the one who's going to run today." Lincoln says, making Yin smile.

Walking a little further, they arrived at the beginning where all the garages were. Y/n looked around, trying to locate her husband or brother.

"Here old lady!" She heard her brother's unmistakable voice. Y/n turned around and saw Lewis and Gabriel walking side by side, already dressed in their uniforms.

Y'n laughs before answering. "Hey, look at my boys over there," she says, and Lewis walks over and pulls her in for a kiss. Soon, her brother hugs his sister, followed by their parents. "How are you?"

"We're fine. A little nervous, but that's normal," Lewis says.

"Unlike your wife, who was shaking with nervousness until now," Bortoleto's father says.

"Good!!"

Lewis turns to his wife, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear. "Hey, don't be like that. You run so many races and you never get this nervous. Relax!" He kisses the top of her head.

"Difficult. But I'll try!!" Y/n smiles.

Gabriel approaches the couple, touching his sister's shoulder: "We were going for a walk around the track. Do you want to come with us?"

Y/n smiles, "Of course!"

"Your father and I will be in the VIP area, up there. See you later," Clara says, kissing her children's heads and squeezing her son-in-law's shoulder.

Lewis smiles

The trio headed towards the track, walking around the circuit while talking. The view of the race track was breathtaking, with the stands already packed with excited fans.

Y/n was saying something about her and her husband's life in Italy now, when Gabriel started to look at her.

"Why are you still wearing a coat?" he asks. "We've been walking for about 10 minutes in this hot sun and you didn't even think to take it off."

"True!! I'm sweating here in my uniform and I can't take it off and you're in your coat" Lewis says.

"No, I'm fine like this!" She says, but in fact, she has a surprise under her coat.

"You're sick!" Gabriel says, before they move on to the subject.

As they approached the stands, fans began to notice the presence of Lewis and Gabriel. A small commotion broke out, with shouts and people asking for photos and autographs.

Gabriel was the first to stop and wave to the fans, followed by Lewis, who seemed to be used to the affection of the fans. While the two took pictures and signed shirts, Y/n stood further away, watching the scene with a proud smile.

"Y/N, Y/N!!" A fan screamed, Y/n walked over to where Lewis and Gabriel were. Leaning on her husband's shoulder so she could hear the woman over the crowd's screams. "We want to know, which team are you rooting for in today's GP. Due to the circumstances of us being in Brazil" The fan says and points to the woman's jacket. A light denim jacket.

Usually, she arrived in a Ferrari to cheer on her husband. But the Brazilian GP deserved something surprising.

Y/n laughs at the question.

"Everyone asks that, and I say it's for Lewis and Gabriel. No team, I have my own private drivers," she says, making some laugh. Especially Hamilton and the youngest.

As she took off her coat, Y/n felt her heart race. She had been planning this moment for months, thinking about how to honor the two most important men in her life.

The screams echoed like thunder, and some fans began jumping in excitement while others frantically took photos.

The woman was wearing a Brazilian T-shirt. From the front, it looked plain, but when she turned around, her brother’s and husband’s car numbers were glued on with little stones. Next to each number was embroidered the coat of arms of each country.

Lewis and Gabriel found themselves together when the screams started and Yin was too quiet. When they saw it, their eyes widened and a wide smile fell on both of their lips.

They definitely had no idea of the woman's surprise.

"You're kidding!" Gab says in disbelief and still laughing. He does a 360 on his sister and smiles. "You did this to us?"

"Obviously!!" She says and laughs.

Lewis was still standing in place, with the få pen in one hand and a Ferrari t-shirt in the other.

Lewis held her hand for a moment, intertwining their fingers. "You amaze me every day, you know that?" he said softly, but the sparkle in his eyes spoke louder than any words.

"The Brazilian GP deserved a surprise. Because of our entire history!"

"You know what would look better?" Gab says. Lewis and Y/n looking at the boy.

The newbie borrows a pen from a fan and approaches his sister.

"Our autographs!" She says and Yin lets out a laugh.

Lewis smiles at his brother-in-law's idea and does the same, lending the pen and signing the front of his wife's shirt and returning it with the autographed Ferrari shirt for the fan.

"This should be in a museum!" Hamilton says, looking intently into his wife's eyes.

She smiles shyly.

With a quick movement, Gabriel picks up his sister and puts her on his shoulder. She screams in fright, trying to balance herself, while Lewis stands behind his brother-in-law in case she falls.

"LET ME GO, YOU'RE NO GOOD!" She says between laughs, making everyone smile at the Bortoleto brothers' amusement.

The youngest obeys his older sister and puts her on the floor again. She smiles and pats him on the shoulder.

As soon as they returned to the Paddock, everyone couldn't take their eyes off the Brazilian's shirt. This would result in many, many media posts throughout the week.

Hours passed, and the race was about to start. Lewis was inside the garage getting ready when he realized that Yin was not there. He thought she might be in her brother's garage with her family. But Dona Clara stopped by the Ferrari garage asking about her daughter too. So, she was definitely not with her brother.

Lewis asks permission from the garage staff and especially from his engineer, who was talking to him, to go after his wife.

He went out the back door of the garage, and called for his wife. Nothing.

In a place away from the garages and the eyes of fans and the media, Y/n was sitting on a wall with a cup of black coffee in her hands and a lit cigarette in her fingers, while inhaling the nicotine.

"Y/n?" Hearing her husband's voice, the Brazilian woman hides the cigarette behind her back and smiles.

Lewis spots her and walks towards the woman. "I thought I lost you," he says laughing, and then sees smoke coming from behind the woman. "Hey, what's that behind you?"

Y/n smiles without showing her teeth.

"Nothing! Just...just my cup of coffee," she says, lifting the cup and placing her other hand behind her back.

Lewis rolls his eyes, laughing a little. "No, behind you. There's smoke coming out." He crosses his arms, a little serious now. "Are you smoking?"

Defeated, Yin lets out a sigh and pulls the cigarette forward again. Halfway through already. "Yes..."

"What did we agree on, honey?" Hamilton says softly now, taking the cigarette from her hands and stubbing it out on the floor with his foot. "No cigarettes. For your health and for our future baby!"

'Our future baby.'

Those words warmed her in a way she hadn’t expected. No matter how nervous she was, she knew she had to be better, not just for herself, but for the family she and Lewis were about to build.

"I know. But the Brazilian GP is getting on my nerves." She looks at the floor. "I know the fans are really looking forward to Gabriel.

"It's okay. You have concerns about Gab because it's his debut in his home country. But don't worry, Gab knows what he's doing on the track." Lewis pulls the woman into a hug.

She felt the familiar warmth of Lewis's embrace and realized that even in the most tense situations, he had the power to make the world seem less scary.

"Now let's go! I need my extra energy in the pits so I can race." Hamilton places a peck on the woman's lips.

Y/n responds and gets up, going hand in hand with Lewis to the Ferrari garage.

The race was about to begin. It would definitely be time.

Leaving the hiding place that Y/n had found for herself, Lewis and his wife walked through the back of the garages, passing by the Sauber garage. She saw her younger brother, Gabriel looked and made a victory sign and pointed to his heart, as if to say: For you, sis. Yin felt her eyes water, but quickly wiped the corner of her eye, sending a kiss in the air to her youngest.

Arriving at the Ferrari garage, Lewis began preparing to enter the track. Putting on his helmet and about to get into the car, he turned to his wife.

"God bless you, my love," she kisses her husband's helmet. "I'll be here cheering you on." Lewis returns with a tight hug and gets into the car. Giving a kiss in the air.

She smiles and watches her husband come out of the garage, putting on his headphones and taking a deep breath, trying to ignore the butterflies in his stomach. She hears Lewis's voice on the radio, steady and confident, as he makes the final adjustments to the radio.

Remembering that Lewis had taken pole position and Gab was in 10th, his heart began to beat in time with the engines.

The engines roared as the cars lined up on the grid. The red lights began to go out one by one, and in the blink of an eye, they were in motion. The race had begun, and tension filled every fiber of his body.

The first few laps were intense. Lewis quickly moved up to P2, and Gabriel surprised everyone, climbing to P6 in just a few laps.

Y/n couldn't deny it, the race was tense. Two drivers had crashed right at the beginning. Her heart raced, just thinking about this happening to her husband or brother. But the dark thoughts disappeared when she received a message from her mother, who was in the Sauber pit.

"Gab's engineer says everything is going well, he'll be in the pits to change the tyres shortly. How's Lewis?"

Y/n smiles and answers her mother, saying that there were some problems with Lew's car, but that they would soon fix it.

On lap 65, Lewis took the lead after a perfect pit stop, but when he heard his voice on the radio, his heart sank.

"The car is slow on the straights. I need more power! The frustration in Lewis's voice was evident. Y/n pressed the headphones against her ears, trying not to show her nervousness.

"Lewis, try to stay calm. Bortoleto is 18 seconds behind you. There's still a chance you could take first place!"

Lewis quickly responds over the radio, leaving Y/n with her heart in her mouth.

With one lap to go, Lewis was still leading, but Gabriel was right on his tail.

"Hey Lewis, your brother-in-law is on your tail. 5 seconds difference" Hamilton's engineer says, and they can hear the driver's laughter over the radio.

Lewis knew he had a chance of losing first place, Bortoleto was right there, but he couldn't be frustrated to see his brother-in-law win in Brazil.

"Tell Y/n that I won't go easy on her brother," he says amusedly over the radio and Y/n, who had headphones on, listened and laughed.

All playful eyes turned to her in the garage.

Each corner was contested with millimeter precision. In the penultimate sector, Gabriel saw the opportunity and made a bold maneuver, overtaking Lewis on the inside. The crowd went wild.

Tears were already streaming down the woman's eyes. The checkered flag began to wave. Gab came in first, with Lewis right behind him in second and Charles in third.

A heavy sigh left Y/n's lungs, she took off her headphones and placed her hands on her knees, bending down and letting out a sob.

"Two podiums in the family. You'll need a cup too, Y/n." One of the Ferrari engineers jokes, looking at Hamilton's wife.

"A sedative right now is more than enough," she says, smiling and sniffling with tears.

Looking at the monitor, she saw Lewis and Gabriel's car approaching the garages. She left the phone on the table and ran out,

She looked around, trying to understand where they were coming from, until Lewis's car appeared at considerable speed. He got out and hugged his wife tightly.

"I'm so proud of you, darling!" She says, kissing his helmet again.

Lewis takes off his helmet and balaclava, pulling his wife into a passionate kiss. "It was an incredible race. I gave it my all, but to see Gab win here was something special. I think the Brazilian GP will always be in his family."

Y'n smiles, touching her husband's face: "You were perfect. You will always be my champion." She pulls him in for another kiss.

"Now, go celebrate with your brother. We can continue our celebration in the apartment's bedroom later." He says in her ear, making her shiver.

She smiles and leaves Lewis with the team grinning crookedly.

Arriving at the Sauber garage, he sees his brother hugging his parents and the team. Someone touches Gabriel's shoulder, saying that you were there. The youngest turns and sees his sister crying with a wide smile on her face.

"First place, huh, little guy!" She approaches her brother and hugs him.

"I'm still numb. It's strange to hear so many people shouting my name," he says muffledly, as he's hugging his younger sister.

Y/n laughed in response, pulling out of the hug. Gab kept his hands on her shoulders. "So, I saw your fingers crossed in the Ferrari garage. You said you were going to root for both of them!!!"

The Brazilian rolls her eyes laughing. "I was hoping neither of them would crash, that's what!" she says, and then sees Júlia approaching. "Go over there with your girlfriend before you get on the podium!" She pushes her brother and sees them hugging.

Clara approaches her daughter, smiling. "Hey, are you okay? Your heart must be racing seeing your husband and brother on the podium."

Y/n laughs and hugs her mother from the side. "Now that I'm able to breathe

Minutes later, everyone in Interlagos heard the Brazilian anthem playing, while Gabriel was on the podium in first place. Y/n was down there, with a smile on her face and tears almost falling again. Lewis saw her and smiled at her. A smile that overflowed with love.

Shy Y/n sends a kiss in the air and Lewis pretends to catch it, making them both laugh at their own joke.

When it was time to pop the champagne bottles, Gabriel, with a mischievous smile on his face, quickly approached Lewis and, without hesitation, began to throw all the liquid in the direction of his brother-in-law. The champagne splashed all over Lewis's red uniform, and he was initially startled, feeling the cold liquid seep through his overalls.

"Oh, is that how it is?" He smiles back, his eyes shining with amusement, and in one swift movement, he grabs the bottle of champagne and pops it, splashing the liquid all over Gabriel.

Gabriel, now completely soaked in champagne, lets out a loud laugh. Making Y/n smile down below, as she watched the two fight like children.

"Today I'm going home dry," Charles says smiling. Lewis and Gabriel exchange a knowing look and, in a synchronized movement, throw the rest of the champagne from the bottle at Charles.

"NO!! I didn't want to get into this family champagne fight" he jokes cringing.

Lewis and Gabriel laughed, before leaving the podium to give some interviews.

During the interviews, Lewis smiles proudly as he praises Gabriel's performance, and Gabriel returns the compliment, saying that one of his greatest inspirations on the track has always been his brother-in-law. The connection between the two is clear, and the Brazilian public, euphoric, recognizes the friendship and respect between them.

Hamilton, who was now in the Ferrari garage with his wife, was talking about how proud he was of his brother-in-law, until he started hearing loud music approaching the Paddock.

Y/n lowers her head laughing, already knowing who it is.

The two leave the garage and go to the Paddock, seeing Gabriel with a speaker bigger than him with loud music, his girlfriend laughing behind, shaking her head.

"ARE YOU GOING TO LOSE YOUR EARDRUMS LIKE THIS?" Y/n speaks loudly, watching her brother.

Gabriel, with an irreverent smile, makes a gesture indicating that he doesn't care about the volume. The music stops, and then a new Brazilian song starts playing. Y/n's eyes widen, and can't help but start dancing, approaching her brother enthusiastically.

Julia approached Lewis smiling. "It's our burden for dating Brazilians" she laughed, making her brother-in-law smile and watch his wife celebrate with her brother.

"I wouldn't trade it for anything!" He smiles lovingly, seeing his wife.

Julia crosses her arms, smiling too. "Neither do I..." The two share a moment of understanding, before turning back to the joyful chaos in front of them.

Y/n continues dancing, caught up in the music and the joy of the moment. Gabriel joins her, and little by little, Lewis and Júlia join in the dance, everyone joining in a spontaneous celebration. Brazilian music, with its vibrant rhythm, unites everyone, and for a few moments, there are no rivalries, just family and happiness.

At that moment, Lewis smiled. He couldn't choose another family to be a part of this madness. And he was already very excited to expand the Hamilton-Bortoleto family with Y/n by his side.

Author: As a Brazilian, I'm addicted to this song. And then, I imagined Y/n and Gabriel dancing to this one in the Paddock hahaha.

[boxboxblog]

Ex-Driver Profiles: Sergio Perez

Updated December 2024

Name: Sergio Michel "Checo" Pérez Mendoza

Age: 34

Nationality: Mexican

Years in F1: 14 (2011-2012 Alfa Romeo Sauber, 2013 Mclaren, 2014-2020 Force India/Racing Point, 2021-2024 Red Bull)

Number: 11

WDCs: N/A

Driving Style: Perez is most well know for his patient and defensive driving style. He regularly is able to hold off stronger and faster cars behind him for extended periods of teams, meaning he holds position well and also is an asset while defending his teammate. Perez is also known to have great tire management skills, often patiently waiting until his rivals tires wear out before going on the attack with his better-maintained ones. He is also excellent in complex weather conditions, including full wet and wet-dry. A downside of Perez's style is that he struggles with consistency and setting a qualifying pace. He often is outpaced and out qualified by his teammates, especially his current one.

History:

Born not to a legacy racing family but involved in racing nonetheless, Perez began his karting career in 1996 when he was six years old. In his first year of competition he achieved four victories in the junior category and was 2nd in the standings as a rookie karter. In 1997, he participated in the Karting Youth Class, where he was the youngest driver in the category, and had a positive year, finishing 4th in the championship. The next year, in 1998, he would become the youngest driver to win the championship in that same category.

(Perez in karting)

In 1999, he raced in the 80cc Shifter category, finishing 3rd in the championship. He actually was too young to race in this category, but obtained special permission to do so and was the youngest driver to achieve a win in the category. In 2000 he would go on to do much of the same, regularly being the youngest in the categories he race din. He would soon draw the attention of various sponsors and national racing organizations. The next few years of his career would yield similar positive results, though he did not win any titles.

In 2005 Perez moved from Mexico to Europe in order to compete in the German Formula BMW ADC Series. His first year in this series would not yield super positive results, but he would improve in the 2006 season, improving to 6th in the standings. In 2007 he would switch into Formula 3 for the first time. He competed in the National Class and would win his first title that year. In 2008 he would compete again, but only get 4th in the standings.

(Perez racing in Formula BMW)

Pérez joined GP2 in 2008 for the GP2 Asia Series 2008-2009. He was the first Mexican driver to compete at this level of motorsport since Giovanni Aloi took part in International Formula 3000 in 1990. He would show significantly positive results in this series, bringing home multiple podium finishes and sprint race wins. 2009 he would switch to the main 2009 GP2 Series. Pérez finished 12th in the standings, with a best result of second coming at Valencia. His 2010 run in GP2 would be a lot better, ending the season 2nd in the standings.

(Perez after a win in GP2)

Late 2010 it was announced by F1 team Alfa Romeo Sauber that Perez would be joining their team for the 2011 season. Through this, Perez became the 5th Mexican to compete in F1. During the time of the announcement, he also became a Ferrari Academy Driver. Perez had a relatively average rookie season with Sauber, finishing in points positions a few times. He would finish that year 16th in the standings after. bad crash knocked him out of three races. 2012 was a better year for Perez, as he achieved his first podium in Malaysia, and two more during the season. He finished the year in 10th, above his teammate.

(Perez on first podium)

In 2013 Lewis Hamilton vacated the Mclaren seat and Perez was announced as his replacement, ending his relationship with the Ferrari Driver's Academy. He would have a middling year withe Mclaren, his highest finish being 4th. He would also have friction with teammate and WDC Jenson Button, who described his driving style as 'overlyaggressive'. Perhaps this is why later Perez evolved into a cautious and patient driver.

(Perez, right, with Mclaren teammate Jenson Button)

In 2014 Perez would join Force India, and solidify himself as a midfield driver. For a majority of his career with the team he would be a steady driver, most often outpacing his teammates. He achieved a few podiums with them, but also had moments of disaster, famously suffering several crashes throughout his time. He outlasted the Force India name, and was retained when the team became Racing Point in 2019. He would achieve his first win with Racing Point at the 2020 Bahrain GP, an energetic race that allowed him to show his skill. All in all, his time with midfield teams yielded good results for him, often outperforming his teammates and pulling the car to higher positions than it should be. That year it was announced that he would be joining Red Bull for the 2021 season, replacing Alex Albon.

(Perez after first win)

His time with Red Bull would be a mix of bad and good. During this time, he would regularly achieve podiums and a few wins. In 2021 he would finish 4th in the standings. While this was deemed a positive result, his teammate finished first and it put some scrutiny on Perez. 2022 saw Perez finish 3rd in the standings, behind his teammate in 1st and Ferrari's Charles Leclerc. That would also be the year he achieved his maiden pole position, at the Jeddah GP. 2023 was his best year in F1, being one of few drivers to win a race that year other than Max Verstappen. He would finish 2nd in the standings behind Verstappen, and help Red Bull win another WCC. He would also help Red Bull win their first ever 1-2 in the championship.

(Perez with teammate Verstappen, 2021)

2024 was a very bad year for Perez, having multiple DNF's, crashes, and no points finishes. This was especially pronounced because his teammate Max Verstappen won the drivers championship that year, while he only finished in 8th, the biggest teammate gap since the 90s. This led to Perez losing his seat for the 2025 season, being replaced by Liam Lawson.

(Perez on the podium at the 2024 Austria GP)

Major Races:

2012 Malaysian GP - Perez's highest finish of his career then, and his first pole position. He displayed excellent tire management, completing a long stint and maintaining a competitive pace.

2014 Bahrain GP - His first podium with Force India. Perez displayed his famous defensive driving, holding off much faster cars for the entire race.

2020 Bahrain GP - Perez's first win in his last year with Racing Point. He had the greatest comebacks in his career, after being spun to the back of the grid. It was a remarkable race as he battled his way to 1st, and is the race that won him His Red Bull seat.

2021 Baku GP - His first win with Red Bull. Baku would become a track that he is known for competing well around. He held off Lewis Hamilton (who was fighting his teammate for the championship) the whole race. Many attribute his win in Baku as a major part of Verstappen's first WDC.

2022 Monaco GP- Monaco is famously a tricky circuit, and he raced extremely strategically, outmaneuvering both Ferrari's to win. It was also yet another race where Perez showed his skill in wet-dry conditions.

Cheers,

-B

[42bakery]

this is a random question but what's going on between fermin and pedro acosta??? this is my first year really following moto2 and they used to be best friends but they hate each other now or smt?? i really don't know 😭 thank you in advance, also i love you blog ♡♡

Hi there anon 👋👋👋👋

I'm glad you like my blog, it makes me very happy 🥹😍

It's actually not that random. I had been thinking about it for a long time, and actually there isn't a lot of info about it. I can only make guesses, but yours could be as good as mine because those idiots don't talk about what happened. Pedro refuses to say Fermín's name and he only referrers to him as 'the other rider' or 'him' when he's asked. But then again he went to Dani's 2000s circa rivalry classes. So the less he says a name, the more he considers you his rival. And Fermín does say his name, he actually was team Pedro last year and in Catalunya when Pedro and Alonso made contact he refused to say it was Pedro's fault (neither he blame Alonso, he just stand there and watch Alonso throw Pedro under the bus). Fermín also said Pedro is his rival and one that is an important rival for him.

We know that they aren't in a terrible situation because they hugged each other and talked during the podiums the shared last year. Fermín even tried to share Ramírez champagne bottle with Pedro in one of the podiums before Marcos took it away. Or even this year in Portugal they had a brief moment. And even Pedro's dad went to congratulate Fermín. So definitely there isn't bad blood there.

Now my guess is this. They have been racing against each other for so long, moving on the same categories more or less at the same time that they moved from friends to rivals. That paired with Fermín being younger and moving categories early than Pedro might have pissed Acosta.

Fermín was supposed to debuted in Moto3 in 2020, but the team where he was going to race withdrew leaving him without options. Pedro didn't do it until 2021. That year Pedro won the championship on his rookie season. That same year, Fermín made his debuted in MotoE that kind of helps skip Moto3 and give an opportunity to go to Moto2. Fermín also was doing the European Moto2 championship, where he won all races except the last 2 where he was 2nd and then made his Moto2 debuted in Moto2 replacing Yari Montella. So basically Fermín is younger and is 'making' the debuts a year earlier than Pedro. paired that they are from the same region (50-70 minutes away one from the other more or less) you have the perfect combination. Media has pushed them to be the new Pedrosa-Lorenzo.

So basically it's two kids that have know each other for their whole life in teams that have a beef with each other and forced to be rivals. (I think I saw this film before, anyone is with me?). Whatever Pedro does, Fermín is there to compete with him in being the youngest to do X thing (like a win, a pole, etc), but also outshine him. When people is supposed to talk about what Pedro has done, somehow Fermín does something equally crazy for us to speak about it.

But again anon, this is my guess. Maybe they both have a thing for the same girl and one of them got the date they wanted. Or maybe they tried (or did) date the other's sister and didn't end well. As I said, they don't talk about it. I just get a small summary from Fermín's side and that definitely is biased. He also didn't get into lot of details.

[sargeantposting]

ARTICLE: Meet America's Next F1 Hope, Logan Sargeant (Autoweek, 2020)

source: matt weaver, autoweek.com published: february 1st, 2020 series: f3, 2020

He doesn’t view himself as anything more than a racer trying to win races and championships, but Logan Sargeant inherently represents more than himself, as he is also the current best chance the United States has to return an American full time to the Formula 1 grid.

For American racing enthusiasts, the Sargeant name might sound familiar, as the 19-year-old is the younger brother of former NASCAR prospect Dalton Sargeant, who spent several seasons in the ARCA and Truck Series system.

Meanwhile, the youngest racing Sargeant has done nothing but win since moving to Switzerland as a 12-year-old to chase a career at the highest level of international motorsports. Sargeant won the Karting Federation Junior championship in 2015, becoming the first American to win an FIA karting championship since 1978, when Lake Speed earned the honors.

He has victories in the F4 British Championship and Formula Renault.

Sargeant suffered his first significant career setback in 2019, finishing 19th in the FIA Formula 3 European Championship with Carlin, with just one podium, albeit in the nonpoints prestigious Macau Grand Prix.

There were valid reasons for the adversity, of course, as 2019 was the first season with a new chassis and rules package that allowed for adjustable downforce during practice but one fixed amount during a race.

With three first-year Formula 3 drivers on its roster, Carlin struggled to develop the chassis, and each of them finished outside of the top 15 in the standings.

It was uncharacteristic of Sargeant, who had adapted to everything he had driven up to that point, which makes 2020 all the more interesting as it comes with a return tour of Formula 3, albeit with a change to the championship-winning Prema Racing Team organization.

If Sargeant simply repeats what the three Prema drivers accomplished last year, sweeping the championship’s podium, an American will likely be one step below the highest level of international motorsports in 2021 for the first time since Alexander Rossi made five Formula 1 starts with Marussia.

Get to know Sargeant—an avid fisherman who enjoys returning to his Boca Raton, Florida, home as much as he is able—in this Autoweek exclusive below.

Autoweek: Let's start on the performance side—what went wrong in 2019?

Logan Sargeant: In hindsight, Carlin has had a lot of success over the years, but we really struggled with the new car. We had three rookies on the same team, inexperienced drivers who couldn't lead us in the right direction. A tenth or two makes such a difference. I understand the situation. I'm not saying I wasn't responsible to a degree either. I wasn't satisfied with myself. I have an obligation to help develop the car as much as possible, and we just couldn't figure it out for most of the year.

AW: Do you view last year as a setback or are you still on schedule?

LS: To be perfectly honest with you, I actually feel like we're still ahead of schedule. I just turned 19. We did really well in Formula Renault and made the jump to Formula 3 and now I'm in a really good spot to be with the team (Prema) that won the championship last year.

AW: What's it like to be an American in the F1 ladder system?

LS: I moved to Switzerland when I was 12 and went to a school for Americans so I got used to everything from an early age. Then I moved to London. When you move at such an early age, it's shocking how different everything is, but it's easier to adjust to, as well. I try to go home at least twice a year for a couple of weeks, so that helps. As for the racing side, there is so much quality racing back home between NASCAR, IndyCar and IMSA, and that's the only reason there aren't more of us trying. There is a really good racing culture in the States, so that's the only reason we don't see it more often.

AW: I understand you have a dog back home—how tough is it to have to leave a beloved pet when you return to London? The same thing with friends and family?

LS: It's really tough, especially when you're really attached to a pet, like a dog or cat. She used to live with us in Switzerland, but we had to take her back home because she was getting older. It's the same with your friends, right? I have friends in Europe, but they're all my racing friends. They're really nice to have, but you miss your friends you have back home. It's part of the sacrifice you make to do this.

AW: On that note, you've been in Europe now for almost a decade—does it feel like home when you come back from Florida?

LS: Oh, no. Florida is home. I really enjoy it in London. I came early so I've adjusted, but you only have one home.

AW: Do you allow yourself to entertain racing in the States or do you commit everything to what you're doing now?

LS: I'm fully committed to Formula 1, but I wouldn't have a problem if I ended up with the opportunity to race in IndyCar someday. That would be really exciting. I really enjoy sports car racing, too. It would be really cool to hop into a LMP2 or something one day. I want to race and I'll race anything.

AW: How much American racing are you able to keep up with?

LS: I watch as much racing as I can, period. It's tougher to watch certain races here because of the time difference, but I watch nothing but racing. That's the sport I'm in so I'm studying everything.

AW: Is this a championship-or-bust season for you?

LS: I'd say, to be honest, that I'm aiming for the championship. The goal is to win races and compete for the championship. Last year was tough because I'm so used to being at the front of the team. I'm aware of what Prema did last year. That's what I hope to accomplish, too.

[f1]

Coyne signs Indy Lights runner-up Sting Ray Robb after losing Sato | IndyCar

Indy Lights runner-up Sting Ray Robb will step up to IndyCar this year, driving for Dale Coyne Racing with Rick Ware Racing. The 21-year-old American brings IndyCar’s 2023 rookie roster up to four drivers, and he is one of three who will do the full calendar of ovals, road and street courses. Robb replaces two-times Indianapolis 500 winner Takuma Sato, who is joining Chip Ganassi Racing this year to contest a part-time campaign only including the oval races. Robb graduates to IndyCar after two seasons in Indy Lights where he won once and claimed two pole positions in 34 races. He finished second in the 2022 standings courtesy of finishing on the podium in more than half of the races. “This is an opportunity – a dream – that has been long in the making,” said Robb. “I’m honoured to join forces with Dale Coyne, Rick Ware and the whole organization. I am excited and grateful to be on the IndyCar grid for 2023. We had a great first test together in early January [at Sebring] and I was very impressed with the efficiency of the DCR with RWR team and how well we worked together on our first day. “Dale Coyne Racing has a historically distinguished programme that has seen success with many drivers and most recently, with young, talented drivers. I’m looking forward to continuing in that trend and expecting some strong results as we enter my rookie season.” The majority of his car racing experience came in Indy Pro 2000, the step below Indy Lights on IndyCar’s support bill. He made 61 starts across four years there and won the 2020 title with seven race victories and five pole positions. He made his IndyCar test debut at Mid-Ohio last July with Andretti Autosport, the team he was racing for in Indy Lights at the time, then started this year by testing at Sebring with Coyne. Robb completes the youngest line-up on the IndyCar grid as his team-mate is David Malukas, who is also 21 and made the podium in his rookie campaign in the series last year. Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free IndyCar Browse all IndyCar articles via RaceFans - Independent Motorsport Coverage https://www.racefans.net/

[gingerxarmy]

Falling In Love  MV&LN

a/n - this is an midnight thing of me trying to cope with stuff. hope you enjoy! hah

Reader x Max Verstappen & Lando Norris 

Inspired by; Hopeless romantics - James TW

Words: 1800+ 

You having falling out of love with one, but, falling in love with an other. 

Some People say the art of love is one of the most beautiful things in the world. The process of pinning after one person, to grow with them and if you're lucky, have them with you until your days are count. But all beautiful things have a dark behind. The moon, which is one of the most beautiful and calm things we have on this planet, has a dark side. No-one can know what's on it for sure. 

Love has actions and words. Your significant other can give you flowers, but they can also give you bruises. You can have sweet nonsense whispering in your ear when you are watching a movie, or they can tell you lies you so desperately want to hear. 

But the most painful thing about love is when one of the two people is falling out of it. What are you supposed to do when the exciting feelings are fading away, when you no longer can have them staying with you. When whatever you do or say are no longer enough. The heartache is one thing everyone experiences in the name of love. Even if you are living a loving life, the death you vow will make sure you are apart. 

But when you are the one who can’t stand to be with him anymore. All you wanted to do was wish for a moment to make sure you could get into an argument and get him to hate you, just so this wouldn’t hurt as much as it did. He had been perfect. Everything he had done was for your preference, so you could be happy. But in the end, your feelings faded. It hurt, it really did, but when one goes - another comes along. It’s always a shift. The worst part was that they were friends, best friends even. 

You’ll never forget about the time you meet him and how inlove you were from the first eye contact. You had met Max one evening in Monaco when you were on a vacation with three of your girl friends. You had been walking on the streets of Monte Carlo in search of a Café. After almost thirty minutes walking in circles you decided on Scala Green Café, neither of you had heard about it before, but it was calm and in need of something to drink thanks to the heat outside you took a table and ordered a drink each. 

You had lovely conversations about the city you are vacationing in and as usual, for four single ladies, it turned quickly to the cute guys you’ve seen on your walk earlier. You had all agreed on one particular man you had seen not too far from the café who had taken home the price of the most handsome one. With his broad muscle building and determined steps it had made it quite hard to not look at him. His face and hair was hidden under the cap he had been wearing, which was a shame, you all agreed on. 

You had a nice conversation on planning the remainder of your trip when the doorbell for the Café called. Three muscular men in t-shirts and shorts made their way to the cashier. Probably asking for a table. Your conversation died down when the waiter led them to a table in your direction. Looking after them when they passed, not really caring if they were aware that you and your friends were staring or not, and trying not to droll. 

“What is it with handsome men in this city?” One of your friends asked. Your group started to giggle but you soon interrupted when the doorbell called once more and the man with the cap stepped in through the door, looking around before seeing the three men who just walked next to you. The difference with this man was that he could feel you staring and your eyes meet for a short moment. But long enough for you to start to blush, hiding from his gaze you took a sip from your drink. 

“You made eye contact with him. Didn’t you?” Your friend to the right of you said and gave your shoulder a squeeze. You nod your head and turn around trying to find the guy who just walked past. But to your luck/misfortune he was already looking at you, and for a second time in less than ten minutes you had made eye contact and he had made you blush. 

That café wisit had ended with a tissue with a phone number and a name, Max. You could never have thought that two moments of eye contact and a tissue could give you two amazing years of love. Max Verstappen had taught you about Formula One and everything about the sport that you now loved with a passion. When race weekends didn’t clash with your job you would be with him for support and for yourself and the adrenaline rush from watching the race from the teambuilding. 

 Your relationship was amazing, you had your fights like every couple had. But when the new rookie trio came along in 2019 and you found yourself hanging with when Max went out with the youngest one of them three. Lando Norris had become a big part of your life when he and Max started to play games and stream together in their spare time. And when you got invited to chat with the two when they were playing games, things started to escalate. 

It wasn’t something big, Max knew you two were close friends, but when normal conversations started to become more flirty and when you started to find yourself  thinking about Lando more often and not only in a platonic friendship way you started to think about your relationship with Max. 

And here you are, trapped between two wonderful men with a mind drawn between them two. Would you just block Lando and try to find your happiness with Max and try to fall in love again? Or would you talk to Lando about what you feel for him and tell Max how you’re no longer in love with him. Whatever you come up with you couldn’t get rid of the feeling of disappointing one or not both of them. 

That evening Max felt something was up with you. You, who always talked about your day, were now sitting quiet and not eating your food. Of Course he would get worried, you knew it. 

“What’s wrong, love,” he asked. Love, it hurt. 

“I think we need to talk.” You pushed away the food. “You know I love you, right?”

“Yes, of course. I’ll always love you. What’s this about?” He reached forward for your hand but you couldn’t bring yourself to let him take it. Instead you put your hands in your lap and let your gaze rest on them. Fiddling with your fingers. 

“I will always love you Max. But I don’t think I’m in love with you anymore. I’m so sorry, you haven’t been anything but lovely and kind to me. But I think our time is up.” A single tear escaped your eye when you lifted your gaze and met Max’s eyes. 

“I had already guessed it, even though I didn’t want to believe it. I’ve seen the way you two look at each other. And he would be really lucky to have you.” This time you let him take your hand. Releaf wash over you and you give him a broken smile. “And I’ve been texting this girl, and before you think anything, no. It was always friendly but now when I know for sure that you like Lando I may give her and I a try.” 

“I think you should,” you give Max’s hand a squeeze before letting his hand go, giving yourself one more moment before letting him go. 

“You and Lando need to invite me to your wedding later on, alright?” You two start to laugh at this. The eaze going conversation coming back between the two of you. 

A couple of weeks later you followed Max to Monaco GP, where everything started between the two of you, your journey could have an ending there years later. He had invited the girl he had been talking to as well, or, you had invited the girl he had been talking to because you were dying to know how had his heart now when you no longer had it. She was kind and you two shared a couple of laughs during the grand prix weekend. Max was in safe hands. 

“Okay, so, Lando’s waiting!” Max said later that evening. Max, Carlos and Lando had shared the podium today and you couldn’t be more proud of the three of them. 

“Isn’t it meant for you to be out celebrating your first podium and win in Monaco?” You say before giving him a hug. Even though you no longer are a couple you are great friends. The platonic love is still there. 

“Yes, and you are coming with. And so is Kelly. Come on!” Max dragged you off to a car where the others were waiting. And Max, being the matchmaker he is, made you sit next to Lando on the short way to the Bar someone of the drivers had shoosed. Probably Daniel if you could say it yourself. 

“You and Max broke up?” Lando dared to ask later when the group of people had gotten a couple of shots. 

“Yeah, our time together ran out. It was mutual so no hard feelings or anything. And I’m really happy about it. I really thought we were going to end on bad terms. And now I’m rambling!” You put a hand over your mouth to stop yourself from talking. But all Lando could do was laugh. Oh, God, that laugh. 

“So if you two are no longer a couple I can do this without having to risk my head.” Lando leans in and you two share a kiss. Your hand finds its way over to his curls and his hands make it way down your back, making you move closer to him. 

“If I was you I would still be careful of your head,” you say as you make eye contact with Max. 

“If you're breaking her heart, Mate. I’m breaking you!” Max screams over the loud music in the club and makes the others look in your direction. “Oh, and don’t forget about that wedding invitation you promised me!” 

You couldn’t help but laugh, happy that you got the man your heart wanted and still have your best friend by your side. You lean in and steal a kiss from Lando once more before leaning into him, laying your head on his shoulder and start to speak with the people you are out celebrating for the night. 

[mahixa]

So I somehow only just realized that Lando is, despite being in his third year of F1, still almost the youngest driver on the grid (apart from Yuki). I don’t know why that’s come as a surprise to me, but I think I thought of this year and last years class of rookies as younger than him, and I guess it goes to show how talented he is to have made it to F1 that young and already be doing so well (but I’m very new to F1 so maybe this is not uncommon?)

I also have to keep reminding myself that Max is still *very young* even though it feels like he’s been in F1 for so long compared to other people his age (the day I found out that Alex Albon is a full 1.5 years OLDER than Max…..I was shook lol)

well, so I really liked this question and checked some numbers, and: Max is going to be 24 years old in a few days, and I just remembered that both Lewis and Sebastian were 23 when they won their first Championship, which really is impressive. Max and Lance are the youngest drivers to ever stand on the podium (both were 18), with Max being currently the youngest winner of a grand prix - at the age of 18. Sebastian, Charles, Max and Fernando are the youngest pole sitters (all four of them achieved that while being 21). Lando is still very high and next to these names. I think it's nice to remember these achievements too, while still remembering about the chaos that might help certain drivers achieve that + some cars being faster than the others, but I guess consistency is key and this should impress us. Lando is very consistent at impressing everyone while driving in NOT one of the two fastest cars (Merc and Red Bull) on the grid and that speaks volumes. Go Lando!

[4-25-am]

Expectations and predictions for the 2021 season of Formula 1

Intro

As of writing, we are five days to seeing the cars out on track in Bahrain. Many changes happened from where we left off in Abu Dhabi, specifically driver changes, team changes and my overall expectations for the year.

Driver changes

Many changes in the driver pairings for this year. Daniel Ricciardo to McLaren, Carlos Sainz Jr to Ferrari, Sebastian Vettel to Aston Martin, and Sergio 'Checo' Perez to Red Bull are the key driver swaps. We also say farewell to Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen as they venture to Indycar and IMSA respectively. Alex Albon has been demoted to the position of reserve driver for Red Bull while Daniil Kvyat moves to Alpine, as a test driver.

Plenty of new faces as well as one new but very familiar face. The rookies of the 2021 season are Yuki Tsunoda in Alpha Tauri, Mick Schumacher and Nikita Mazepin in Haas and two-time world champion, Fernando Alonso in Alpine.

Having Alonso back in F1 was never quite a huge surprise since everyone expected him to return sooner or later. Personally, I'm glad that he's back in the cockpit and excited to see his performance this year with Alpine.

Now back to the actual rookies, Schumacher, Tsunoda and Mazepin finished in the top five of the 2020 Formula 2 standings in first, third and fifth respectively.

Schumacher and Mazepin in Haas came as quite a surprise. At the end of 2020, Haas was in terrible shape so having two rookies with minimal experience in an F1 car brings many questions : Is this what Haas really needs? Can the two rookies bring out the best in the 2021 car? Will the fresh slate be what Haas needs to get back on their feet?

Enough about Haas, let's talk about the drivers themselves. Mick Schumacher, 2020 F2 champion, member of the Ferrari Driver Academy and son of seven time world champion, Michael Schumacher. He is a talented driver and it's not just because of his last name. Speedy starts and smart, tactical braking are some key attributes of Schumacher's driving style. He is a very capable driver and fought hard against Vice Champion and fellow academy driver, Callum Ilott. The world definitely has its eyes on him.

Nikita Mazepin, fifth in the championship and hailing from Russia. His performance in 2020 was quite a surprising one since his team, Hitech GP, was a brand new team in F2 and he had a pretty underwhelming 2019 season. Mazepin has a very aggressive driving style and questionable on track movement. It doesn't get any better off track because he has plenty of controversies following him. (Topics surrounding him are pretty sensitive so I will not cover them here because I aim to speak about his driving ability without prejudice and bias.) Expectations both on track and off track are high for him.

Yuki Tsunoda, member of Honda Formula Dream Project and Red Bull Junior Team, winner of the 2020 Anthoine Hubert award (Rookie of the Year), and youngest driver on the 2021 grid hails from Japan. A lot of expectations on him in the Alpha Tauri car as he replaces long time Red Bull academy driver Daniil Kvyat. With a new RB junior driver making the step up to F1, there are many doubts as to which driver is capable of matching number one Red Bull driver, Max Verstappen. Many have come and failed but Tsunoda seems to have good prospects of being the one seeing how he is able to quickly adapt to new cars. Very excited to see his performance this year.

Team changes

Two teams have had major rebranding as mentioned earlier. Racing Point will now be known as Aston Martin Cognizant while Renault is now Alpine. Some key changes that come with the name change is colour. Aston Martin will race with British racing green colour and Alpine will pride themselves with the colours of the French flag. These two have had quite the battles in the last few years for the "Best of the Rest" position in the constructors championship. Very excited to see them go head to head on track especially since they will both have one relatively young driver (Lance Stroll vs Esteban Ocon) and extremely experienced world champions (Sebastian Vettel vs Fernando Alonso).

Expectations

Now, the moment you've been waiting for.... My predictions for the constructor championships~ (no driver standings because honestly it can be pretty unpredictable)

Team Standings

Mercedes

Red Bull

McLaren

Aston Martin

Alpine

Alpha Tauri

Ferrari

Williams

Alfa Romeo

Haas

I believe that a completely fresh driver lineup at Haas will do them some good but the car has already been built so there's not much other than to build data and learn from there. Hopeful for them in 2022, not so much for 2021....

The reason why Alfa Romeo is below Williams is simply because I am unsure of the reliability and strength of the Ferrari-powered engines. An engine can really make or break the car and since. Ferrari has been going down, I think they might lose out to the Mercedes-powered Williams.

Williams have been improving pretty rapidly and I trust in their upward growth and potentially see points this year! There have been a bunch of Q2 appearances for George Russell and Nicholas Latifi has finished P11 a few times, I really think 2021 will be the oasis in the desert for them.

Ferrari is just not doing too well in my opinion. I love Ferrari and have supported them since I first started watching F1 but whatever is going on with the car has been really sad. Not sure how good of a chassis they can come up with since they wanted to try something new this year which is very bold of them. With Leclerc and Sainz, they are both really good drivers and have. their merits but they tend to make poorly planned moves and pretty bad luck. So yeah, P7 for them.

Alpha Tauri with Gasly and Tsunoda is a superb combination. The Alpha Tauri car is also very competitive and with the right circumstances even won a race! They have potential to fight for that P3 in the constructors but not too sure about the Honda engine as compared to the Mercedes engines and Alpine.

Now this is where the competition gets tight. Honestly, this could be anyone's game but I decided to put them as McLaren, Aston Martin, and Alpine respectively. McLaren has made leaps and bounds in terms of progress. Since 2019, they've gotten 3 podiums and that was with a Renault engine. Now. imagine how many more they can get with a Mercedes engine. That's where the 2021 McLaren car comes in, along with the experience of Daniel Ricciardo. Aston Martin will follow closely behind but I think they might have a slow start to the season and then pull in big points towards the end. Lastly, Alpine in P6. I think they're great but the team has a very strange power play since they don't actually have a team principal. They are also the only one with a Renault engine so they might lose out a bit more than the others.

Obviously, the top two are Mercedes and Red Bull respectively. I don't think I need to clarify further. Even though Mercedes have shown some struggle during Winter Testing, I think they will have everything settled by the first race in Bahrain. Red Bull might be much closer in competition to Mercedes than previous years if Verstappen doesn't have a bad luck streak of getting knocked out by other people and Perez is able to withstand the pressure of being Red Bull's second driver and is able to hone the car to his strengths as he is quite a consistent driver.

[be-ready-when-i-say-go]

Study Sessions

Calum’s always wanted to go back to school and it’s the first midterm that makes him realize just how long it’s been since he’s been in a class. Thankfully, Noa’s nice, albeit a little too organized, and more than happy to help. 

Who asked for a 21 page long fic about Calum, Valentine’s Day, smut, and poetry? Bc I got one hot off the presses. 

There is 18+ content in this fic. Please, no one under the age of 18 interacting or reading. Thank you!

You can support me on ko-fi. I’m saving up for graduate school.

____________________________________

Noa really wants to kick herself. She always left her pencil pouch in the front zipper of her backpack. Everything had a system; everything had a place with Noa. The placement of the full-length mirror in the corner of the dorm room, the cleaning supplies, the rotation of who cleaned what, making sure her books were always in the same spot, and always, always putting the pencil pouch in the front zipper of her backpack was important to Noa. She was sure it drove her roommate up the wall in their dorm room. But Brooklyn, Noa’s roommate, could be just as anal retentive about the trash and boxes from their addictive online shopping, and keeping the room free other people past 11 pm. Their crazies matched. So things worked out well. 

Maybe Noa was panicking a little too much about a pencil pouch. That didn’t really matter though. Her system was out of whack and she would have to backtrack to the science building on the other side of campus before making a loop and going to the library after class. Her printer refused to print properly and while it was annoying having to go to the library at the end of the day to type up and print out her notes to study later, it made catching group dinner with her friends easier on Thursday’s because she didn’t leave the west side of campus to go to her dorm. This did, however, mean that when Noa was going to get a lot more steps in today. Not bad, but not ideal. 

This also means that she’s going to have to use a laptop. She hated using her laptop because it meant she’d have to rewrite her notes so there were no gaps in her notebook. Noa could see that it was a very contrived system--at the end of the day, all she needed were the notes. That’s it. But it mattered to the deep recesses of her mind. It had to flow from handwritten notes to her laptop, no matter how she had to backtrack 

“Here, I have an extra.” 

Noa blinks at the hushed voice. A black pen slides in next to her open notebook. The hand is tan and tattooed. She knows those initials anywhere. Calum. She smiles and looks up to him, even if the shadows cover his face thanks to the bucket hat. It’s a staple she’s noticed over the course of the semester. “Thanks. Promise I won’t steal it,” Noa grins. 

Calum exhales his laughter. “I’d be a little upset but they are really good pens to write with. So I’d understand.”

“I’m a woman of my word, though. So you won’t have to chase me down.” Noa dates the top right corner of her blank page and then pulls out her book. She hates the book. She wasn’t able to get a copy to rent and had to kick out 50 bucks for the anthology for class, one she never really use again either. 

Calum gives a hum in response, his own pen twirling around his fingers. The professor, a man in his late sixties at the youngest, with thinning white hair and thick circular glasses walks in through the doors. There’s still five minutes before class starts and the chatter amongst students quiets just a little but doesn’t stop. Calum looks to her notebook, the way she’s written the poet’s name at the top of the page, her handwriting is tight together with a lot of width for each letter. It’s pretty with a little mess to it.  

He’s noticed that she normally uses purple ink for her notes and part of him feels bad for not having a purple pen for her. “Sorry it’s not a purple pen,” Calum states turning to face her. 

How the hell did Calum notice that? Sure she had a color for every class she took each semester. But surely no one else would’ve noticed that. It had only been three weeks of the semester. No one could’ve known that besides her group of friends and her roommate. “No, no, it’s okay. I forgot my pencil pouch in my last class so you really saved me from having to use my laptop.”

“Don’t like it?”

Noa shakes her head, feeling some of her Senegalese twists falling from the bun she put it up into on her walk across campus. Though this part of campus was walkable the heat of summer was dry and it took no prisoners some days. “I remember everything better if I write it down in my own words instead of just typing everything down the professor says. It’s like I’m not learning anything.”

He gives another nod. Though Calum studied for his high school diploma on some late nights, on tour buses, hell even in the studio, he liked sitting in class. He liked processing things and attempting to get the right words together to understand the core of things. He liked the sense of normalcy. It was nice to be learning not just from a textbook but from everyone else in the room. Sure this is just a poetry class, and sure he hadn’t really known what to expect with a title like “Modern Poetry from 1920” but he was straddled in and was surely going to see until the very end. 

Before Calum can respond, the professor clears their throat. He fishes his book out of his bag too and flips to the poems that he read the night before. “Hope everyone’s having a great day,” the professor starts. Even from the fifth row of the tiny room, Calum notices the shakes in the older man’s hands. The room is full of three to four gray rectangular tables pushed together to create rows. They sit two at each table comfortably. Each row sits about forty students comfortably. 

“A quick reminder, your first midterm is next week. All the poets we’ve discussed including today’s poet is going to be material that I will pull questions from. I’ll be providing the excerpts if a question calls for it. I’m saving about ten minutes at the end of class for us to discuss it more in-depth.” 

With a quick dab to the corners of his mouth, he finds a volunteer to read the first poem up for discussion. Once the first reading is concluded, the professor looks around for another person to read. Noa lifts her gaze and she locks eyes with the professor. A fucking rookie mistake. Something she knew better of in her eighteen years of being in school. But here she is making it. They smile at her and point at her. “Miss Noa, right? Why don’t you read for us?”

With a nervous habit of biting her pens, Noa puts Calum’s pen down and picks at her nails underneath the table. She nods and lets her eyes drift down to the page. “When over the flowery, sharp pasture’s/ edge, unseen, the salt ocean/lifts its form.” Her voice is a little shaky and though William Carlos Williams's poem is short, she becomes more confident by the end. 

Calum watches her reading more than he listens. In the three weeks classes have started, she’s never read. Neither has he. But it’s already a little awkward to walk around campus, being in a classroom isn’t too bad but it’s a confined space. He knows people are looking. He knows that they know who he is. He does what he can do just blend in and even hide. He likes listening to her reading. Her insights in class have always kind of blown Calum away too, now that he thinks about it. 

As discussion opens up, Calum finds himself taking fewer notes than usual and waiting for Noa to speak again. She doesn’t say much about the first poem but the second about the death of a cat she cuts in to make reference to Robert Frost’s poem. “I know there’s a literal connection of fire and ice in each poem but there’s death in both pieces too. Frost and Williams’ are on opposite ends of the same spectrum in a way. Williams is talking about fleas that couldn’t escape death and Frost mentions that nature is powerful that if it doesn’t take you with the sweeping fire then it will swallow you up with water. Williams's titled his piece, ‘Complete Destruction,’ and he details the destruction of a pet, of maybe even memories. While Frost is more metaphorical with some religious undertones too about the destruction of society and earth.”

Calum grins a little, watching the way she shrugs at the end of her thought. As much as if she weren’t so sure of herself. When she glances over to him, he nods at her, writing down a condensed version of her thought. The class goes on and the professor ends early like they stated. There are a few questions about the style of the midterm but not too many about the content. So the professor pulls up a small canvas bag. “Before you leave, feel free to grab a piece of candy. I know it’s Valentine’s Day and you guys may or may not still have classes after this. So I hope it helps your day just a little. I have chocolate and non-chocolate options.”

He upturns the bag gently, shaking the wrapped candies onto the table next to the podium. Laptops are shut, people get up to venture to the candy. Noa slides the black pen across the gray table to Calum. “Thanks.”

“No problem.”

Without much thinking, in the shuffle of packing up belongings, Noa lets what she intends to be just a thought fall over her lips. “I haven’t had a Valentine’s in so long, candy from a professor feels special,” she jokes. 

Calum laughs a little, pocketing the pens and stands. “What’s your poison?”

Noa looks up at him, the cut of his jaw and the soft smile on his lips, puffing out his cheeks. “I’m a dark chocolate fan. But anything chocolate is fine.”

He nods and shuffles, backpack thrown up over one shoulder. Calum gets to the table and picks up what he estimates to be the two biggest Hershey's kisses on the table. He picks up one for himself too. Noa finally gets her backpack zipped and she slides out from between the tables. Calum drops the kisses into her hands when she pauses at the door to the classroom. “Happy Valentine’s Day.”

Her heart shouldn’t flutter like it does when Calum smiles at her. She pulls the twists down and slips the silk tie around her wrist. “I’m sure you’ve got someone to get too. But thanks, though.”

Calum pushes open the door to the English building and holds it open for her. “See that’s where you might be a little wrong on your analysis.”

Noa scuffs, attempting to bite back the smile. The kiss doesn’t last long before she’s biting into the candy. She shakes her head. The joke is cheesy but she’ll be damned if she doesn’t like it. “I won’t be won over by academic pickup lines.”

They pause at the end of the pathway that leads up to the building. Students are carrying on around them, to and fro they scuttle across the asphalt and brick. “Do you have another class after this?” Calum asks. 

“No, it’s my last one of the day.”

“Since we’re both lonely on Valentine’s Day, do you mind if we study together? For the midterm? It would really seal our fates.”

Noa nods. Who is she to say no to Calum Hood? She could say no of course and it’s as the breeze kicks up another heavy and slightly stale pocket of hot air that she’s reminded of her misplaced pencil pouch. “Shit, I have to go to the science building. I left my pencil pouch there. I have no clue if there’s another class in there and like I need that.”

“I-I can walk with you. If you’d like. I don’t get to see much of the campus.” Calum keeps his schedule to Monday, Wednesday, Friday. He’s here from about eleven to four most days and then he heads back home. Hanging around campus would only serve to get Calum caught but he knows it might be awkward to offer his place to study. 

“Are you sure? It’s kind of far and I’m not a slow walker.”

Readjusting his hold on his strap, Calum nods. “Lead the way.”

Noa ties her hair back. “Less scenic route to get there. More scenic route on the way back.” When she steps, it’s more like a run. Noa cuts straight across, over the grass and dodging the bushes. Calum wasn’t sure what he was expecting but her power walking like his mother when they go to the grocery store wasn’t it. He keeps up though, regrettably passing by the dogs playing fetch without cooing at them. 

They cut behind buildings. A less-traveled path Calum can tell but it’s well known amongst though that have to use it to get to and from classes. He watches the others power walking past him and he’s glad he was able to keep most of his classes in buildings close together. Though parking was terrible and required him parking sometimes a block away, it was better than this walk, especially on the short time they had between classes. 

His thighs start to burn just a little when they reach the towering brick building. It looks almost like every other building on campus, minus the sign hammered into the ground--it’s the only thing that denotes its uniqueness. Noa takes the front stairs two at a time. “Holy shit, how do you do this every other day and still live?” he huffs once they enter. The lights are bright against the sterile white tiles and marble. Another marker, he notes, the older buildings on campus have dimmer light, less white. This has a more modern feel to it. 

“I don’t. I die about three minutes into the walk.”

He’s laughter leaves him in bursts, as he attempts to get his breathing back. Thankfully she stays on the first floor. Any more stairs and Calum’s sure he would’ve just opted to wait at the doors for her. The room she stops at does have some students piling in but she doesn’t stop for too long. When Noa ducks her head inside, she notices her pencil pouch sitting on a folding chair at the back of the lecture hall. Not where she left it. But she’s glad she doesn’t have to go sifting through some three hundred seats in the classroom. 

She’s quick to grab it. She can feel the eyes of the other students looking at her. Because she doesn’t raise a ruckus, the stares don’t last long and she closes the door quietly behind her. “You all good?” Calum asks. 

She holds the black pouch with roses up and grins. “All good. I just hope I didn’t kill you with that trek.”

He watches her slip into the front pocket. “I mean, I died about two minutes into it. But I’m okay now.”

Noa sucks on her teeth, a tsk falling over her lips. “Gotta keep at it. You’ll be a pro at it in no time. Is the library cool? Doubling seal our fates?”

“I wouldn’t have it any other way.”

The walk back is less intense. They take the asphalt paths and go the long way around in front of buildings. They stop for a moment to just watch the dogs running on the green. They loop back around to the English building and continue on down past it. “So are you getting a degree or auditing classes?” Noa asks. 

“Auditing. I thought about going back full time but it works better for me to just audit them. The whole getting grading thing still kind of gets to me.” Calum likes to fulfill his curiosity. He just didn’t want the fear of failing to hinder him. And while he had loaded his schedule at nine credits, which was only three classes, it was more than enough. He was tempted to drop one of his classes and though Calum wasn’t super fond of the intro to psychology class, he wanted to tough it out. Prove to himself that he didn’t have to avoid the obstacle but could instead tackle it head-on.

Noa gives a hum. “Gives you time to still work on music?”

“Yeah.” He isn’t shocked that she knows. He is glad though that she doesn’t treat him differently. That she hasn’t made a huge deal of his fame. He wishes he could cloak that, at least here at school. “What about you? What are you studying?”

“I was Community Health Sciences. I switched to Public Affairs last year. So I have another semester tacked.”

The trek to the library feels somehow too short and too long at the same time. Calum’s sure it’s his thighs still angry at the stairs to get inside the science building. He learns she has an older brother and that’s she the first one in her family to go to college. She worries about the extra semester and the finances but her parents have encouraged her to keep going. Noa finds out that Calum has a dog and if he had to pick something to study it would probably be in English. He could see himself in Religious Studies. Calum’s not sure though and he’s glad he doesn’t have to be sure. He can just take whatever for the moment. 

Inside the library, Noa goes to make a beeline for the open computers and then stops. “We can book a study room? I’m not sure if you just want to be, like out in the open?”

Calum looks around. It’s nearing about 5 in the evening. No one is really in the library. Most people have plans. There’s no reason to sit inside the library on Valentine’s Day when one can drink in sorrows or be out celebrating. “Whichever you prefer.”

“Let’s just get a room. I doubt anyone’s going to be hanging out here on a day like this. But I doubt you’ll be back here at all. So why not go for the full experience? The only thing you're missing is final’s week and hunkering down in a study room where you pull an all-nighter and show up to your class in your pj’s and with your pillow in your backpack.”

He doesn’t want to believe that actually happens. But she says it so matter of factly. “You’re kidding right?”

“I am speaking from experience.” She walks one of the open computers and pulls out her laptop. She logs into both of them and then pulls up the scheduling system for the various study rooms located throughout the library. “We can only technically schedule in thirty-minute blocks for up to two hours. But there’s a trick around that.”

Calum logs in as he’s instructed to do on her laptop and they agree on a room. She books it, for every hour and when the blocks show up gray for Calum on his refresh, he goes in and books it for every half hour so that they have the room from 5 to 8. “So the library has pretty strict rules about noise. Generally, the higher the level you are the quieter you have to be. The second floor is as far as I go. You can talk inside the study rooms but nothing super chatty unlike the ground floor,” Noa explains on their ascent. “I have my notes from the other classes printed out. And I was going to type up the notes from today before working on a study guide. How does that sound?”

“Anything sounds good right about now because I literally have no clue how I’m supposed to study for this at all.”

Noa grins, cracking open the door to their room. It’s tucked towards the back of the floor, in a corner. It’s behind the bathrooms and not too far from the stairs so it’s not hard to navigate to and from for bathroom or snacks located in the vending machines on the first floor. “Trust me that’s my entire college experience. You kind of figure out what works best for you as you go along.”

The room isn’t big by any means. The white table sits in the middle of it with two trash cans near the door and a whiteboard that holds the left behind lettering of study sessions past is the complete setup, not including the four chairs pushed into the conference length table. Noa drops her bag into a chair and finds her pencil pouch, she pulls out a couple dry erase markers and an eraser in a plastic bag. 

“Do you want to write down the different poets we’ve studied on the board? Start there at the very least.” 

Calum, putting his bag down in the free chair, nods. It’s when he glances down at his phone just to check the time that he worries for a moment that he should get home to Duke but after shooting a quick text to his roommate he confirms that someone is there to take him out and feed him. Noa opens up her laptop, notebook and pulls the textbook out too from the depths of her backpack. 

Calum’s handwriting is mostly uppercase and narrow. But it’s mostly neat. The markers thankfully don’t squeak on the board. He draws columns for each poet, thinking that will at least help contain the guaranteed mess of ideas during this window. He even goes a step further and creates squares for each poem, scribbling down the titles into corners 

The room’s not even that hot, while Calum browsing through his notes. Noa’s been typing for a while since he finished setting up the drawing board. But suddenly from the walk around his jacket is too warm. He knew he shouldn’t have worn it but out of some sort of habit, out of routine, Calum snagged the extra layer and now he was regretting it. It’s like his body finally caught up and he slips out of it. 

“I thought we were studying, not getting a show,” Noa teases. The thought slips through her lips with a grin. She’ll admit that she does find Calum attractive. Most times he didn’t really flaunt his body or even his status in class and that made him even more attractive. But she didn’t think she’d ever have a shot. She didn’t really think she had one now all things considered but he was the one that asked her for help. But he had started it and she was just going to see if it would continue. 

Calum feels the heat immediately flooding his cheeks. “It’s just warm, is all.” 

“Kidding, sorry.” Her gaze flicks up from her screen. Her fingers are still going, the taps echoing amongst the silence of their room. 

Calum recognizes that gaze, the smirk that tells him she is joking, but she is also not joking if he’s willing to take that step. Calum goes back to his laptop, he’s on nothing right now just staring at a blank google doc. But he makes the initiative to break the tension and ask her what her school email was. “We can just use a Google doc to make things easier.”

As she rattles it off, Calum adds her. Maybe Noa completely misread this. Maybe he really only wanted to help to study. It definitely was a hit to her pride. She almost felt like a deflated balloon as she typed down the last bullet point in her notes. “I’m going to print these out. I’ll be right back.”

Calum nods, watching her leave with her laptop in hand. His brows knit together. She sounded hurt and Calum feels like he could absolutely kick himself. Of course, he found Noa attractive. He would’ve made a move and even though he wasn’t technically getting a grade for this midterm he wanted to at least feel confident going into. God, he was an idiot. Even after all the partying, and all the girls before, Calum still finds a way to fuck something up--even innocent flirty. 

Standing at the printer, Noa exhales. Just a hit to her pride, a hard hit too. But she wouldn’t chicken out. That’s for sure. She’d march back up there and she’d see this study session through. She could do that much. Maybe she could convince the girl to her left to switch seats come Monday. That way at the very least she wouldn’t feel awful going to class. She couldn’t drop the class now--not without a Withdraw showing up on her record. Professors weren’t too keen on adding students this late into the semester. Withdrawing, would thankfully, not hurt her graduation credit hours.

She almost wants to laugh. Just because some guy rejected her does not mean she had to drop a class. All she had to do was keep a level head about all of this. Even though asking to switch seats would be blasphemous, she still enjoyed the class. It was one of the few classes she could take each semester that were just for fun. She would not give that up just because Calum turned her down. As the last of the pages spits out from the printer, she grabs her stack. All she has to do is go over the notes. They don’t even have to stay in the room until 8. 

The stairwell is stuffy as she ascends back to the second floor. She’s always hated them in the summer, the way the air clung to the sweat and humidity of the temperatures outside. Noa wasn’t sure who designed it but it was only ever the library stairs that felt so awful in the summer and even the early fall. She can see Calum with his head in his hands from the glass walls that separate open library from the study room. For half a second, she wonders if something is wrong--like with his dog. If that were the case, he could’ve just left. 

“You alright?” she asks opening the door. 

Calum, not even hearing the door, pops his head up. His heart thunders in his chest. He was wallowing in his own misery a little too deeply. “Yeah-yeah, I’m good.”

With a nod, Noa pulls at the silk tie around her twist and stares up at the quadrants on the whiteboard. “So the best place to start studying is just as the beginning of the coursework. Lame I know. But professors usually start there for a reason.”

There goes his window. Gone all within two minutes to print notes. He nods and flips to the starting poet. “So we have Frost,” Calum starts, the blue dry erase marker semi firmly gripped between his fingers. 

“Start with basics. The year he was born, maybe what his life was like, his most famous works.” 

Calum spins his chair to face the whiteboard, attempting to recall some of the biography from memory. It’s when the lulls hit that Noa steps in. He hears the table creak but he doesn’t turn. He can almost feel her leaning into it. He can see just how the tops of her exposed thighs, not dared to be hidden by her denim shorts, would squeeze and smush against the end of the table. The weather is still warm. It’s still perfect weather for shorts and skirts. 

He turns his attention back to the task at hand though, listening to Noa speak behind him. “I’ve had this professor before. He’s a kind of lenient grader. But he wants to make sure you can back your shit up with context from the poem. You can’t say someone’s trying to talk about rainbows in their poem when they’re clearly allusions to chickens.”

Calum snorts at her point but nods. “Understood. Now this is going to sound dumb--”

Noa’s quick to cut him off. “No such thing as dumb questions.”

Calum turns, seeing her leaning on her hands on the table. One knee is resting on the chair she once sat. Her gaze is stuck on the whiteboard. For a brief second, Calum lets his gaze fall. The jade green of her top nestled against her dark skin and the way her breasts are almost threatening to spill over the flimsy material almost makes Calum forget his question. She was not wearing that before. She wore a white shirt, tied in the front. There was something green underneath it--he knows that. He clears his throat. “I assume you don’t mean illusions like magic tricks and I’m a little confused.”

Noa finally brings her gaze back down, pushing back upright realizing the position she’s in. “Allusions, they’re like indirect references. So you’re talking about a thing without actually stating what it is.” She picks up a different colored marker and writes the word down in the corner of the whiteboard not holding any information. 

Calum watches the way her undershirt rises a little as she stretches up to write but flicks his gaze to the floor. “Think he’ll ask about those on the midterm?”

“He could,” she says and then leans against the table again. Calum stands. She’s too close and he’s at a bad angle to keep his focus on the material at hand. 

Facing the spread of her notes, their laptops, and textbooks, Calum looks out over the sea without really seeing any of the details. He wants to make a move that shows he’s interested without it being too subtle or too brazen. Resting his weight onto his palms, he shakes the thought from his head. It’s probably too late now. “So, like, for example, a question could be what are allusions in whatever poem of his choice?”

“Yeah, but he’ll probably ask something more like compare and contrast.” Calum nods. He definitely feels a bit better about going into this exam than he did before. But he still feels like an idiot with Noa. 

Noa turns her head just a little. Not a lot. Just enough to see the bucket hat still on his head and the way his face is almost entirely hidden. She knows though. She knows the cut of his jaw and the way his lips are a little chapped but mostly plump. As she stares at him, she does feel the urge to apologize. At least just to let him know that she didn’t mean to cross any lines and that she hopes there are no hard feelings. She can feel her heart thumping in her throat as she gently rests a hand on his shoulder. 

“Sorry about earlier,” she whispers. His head never raises and she drops her touch before going back to the whiteboard. “That was a poor taste joke.”

Calum’s breath hitches. It catches right on his inhale and he nearly chokes on it. “You don’t have to apologize.” His voice is soft, so much so that she barely catches it before turning to grab her phone to take a picture of their notes on the board. 

“What?” She’s not believing her own ears. “I didn’t want to make you uncomfortable. I thought--I was sure I had crossed a line.”

“No, it didn’t make me uncomfortable.” His gaze is soft when it lands on her. Her brows are pulled together and he has to stop his hand from raising to smooth them over with his thumb. He feels the twitch, the pull to take her hand and he lets himself to that. Just gently brushing his fingers over her hand pressed into the table next to his. 

“But-what?” She could’ve sworn the way he diverted the topic was a sign that she was pressing her luck. 

“Really, I didn’t mind. I don’t mind.”

Noa shakes her head, the twist slipping over her shoulder a little. “I know I’m not a math major but this isn’t adding up.”

Calum really can’t tear his gaze away from her lips. They glisten a little, dark brown and a hint of pink from the saliva on her tongue as she licks them. It’s really lame, he thinks, that he’s this hesitant to make a move on her. But she hasn’t pulled away from him just yet so that must mean something. Maybe he could show her what he meant. “Is-Is it okay if I kiss you?”

Fuck. Oh fuck. Noa nods, she’s sure her eyes are blown wide. She’s not sure however that she’s breathing properly until the whisper of “Yes” falls from her lips. They inch closer together. Like stuttering traffic that stops and starts and soon there’s no more space to be hesitant. Their lips brush, slightly parted too. He can smell the chocolate she had earlier and it’s so sweet in his nose. Before the first kiss truly ends Calum reaches for her waist, turning her into him. He leans into the table, his back facing the door, and she leans into him. 

Her arms loop around his neck, nails trailing at the edge of his t-shirt and his neck. It sends a shiver down his spine when her nails scratch at his skin. Calum encases her waist with his arms, pulling her into him. Her kiss tastes like the Hershey kiss and her skin is so soft beneath his fingers. When he breathes in, his nostrils are lined with the smell of coconut. An intoxicating scent if he’s going to associate it with her at all. 

The sounds of their kisses, lips meeting and pulling apart before meeting again echo slightly around the room. She reaches up, pulling away from his lips just a little. Calum stretches out for her though, capturing her bottom lip between his teeth. She laughs, mostly from her chest before she gives in and recaptures his lips. 

His cologne isn’t too strong. It’s got a hint of musky to it with some more floral overtones and Noa thinks she has to figure out the exact scent because she would love to just bathe in it. She doesn’t stop her previous movements though and pulls the hat up. Calum ducks his face into her shoulder and chest. 

She didn’t expect a buzz cut but it looks good and she runs her hands over the back of his head. “Can’t kiss you if your face is buried in my shoulder.”

“But I can kiss you,” he counters, gently capturing the juncture of her neck and shoulder between his lips. The touch is so feather-light, almost as if her skin were made of glass. But it makes her hot and her heart strums steadily in her chest. It’s almost sad how the softest touch is turning her own. She’s glad for the moment Calum can’t see what effect this is having on her. It’s shameful how wet her underwear is. 

Noa lets her head go as Calum kisses across her throat too, his tongue trails after the places his lips have touched first. Her hair brushes over Calum’s fingers, as they start to travel down to her ass, cupping her over the denim shorts. They hardly do much to stop the imagination from running wild. His fingertips run across her skin, digging into the crevice between the line of her ass and the tops of her thighs. 

A moan escapes her. Noa doesn’t even feel the shame anymore. Not as her hand reaches between their bodies and trails up his chest. She cups his throat and pushes him up. His grin is lazy on his face, eyes heavy with lust. “So I see you really didn’t mind.”

“Not at all.” The vibrations of his voice tickle her palm but she doesn’t drop the hold and Calum doesn’t duck away from it. Would Noa let herself go? She could attempt to bring Calum back to her dorm though she’s not sure if Brooklyn is in the room. If so, that’s definitely an awkward shuffle to text Brooklyn and then walk all the way back to her room. 

She drops her hand from his throat, before running it up under his shirt. He tenses for a moment at her touch but grins. Noa decides not to think too much about where things go and where they wind up at the moment. Instead, she kisses at his neck, running her tongue over his adam’s apple. Calum has to bite his lip just a little to keep the groan from escaping him so loudly. He knows she knows just what she’s doing as her nail scratch at his lower abdomen right along the band of his boxer briefs.

“I have another question,” Calum asks, a soft sigh escaping his lips when she kisses up to his ear. 

“Which is?”

“I can only assume we’re not studying poetry anymore. But I just want to make sure it’s okay if I study your anatomy?”

Noa snorts, her laughter shaking her shoulders as she presses her face into Calum’s chest. “I told you I wouldn’t be won over by academic pick up lines but I’ll be damned if you don’t keep trying.”

“They seemed to work,” Calum takes the sides of her face into his hands. There’s still a grin on her face when she lets him pull her upwards a little. “Is that a yes though in all seriousness?”

“That’s a yes,” she sighs, enjoying the slight roughness at the tips of his fingers as he brushes them over her cheeks. 

“How likely are we to get caught in here?”

“If we don’t make too much noise, pretty low. I mean, who else is coming to the library on Valentine’s Day?”

Calum presses her in close before pushing up with his hips and spinning them around. He clears away a spot before hoisting her to the table. “I must admit, I like the sounds of those odds.”

Calum stands between her legs. She spies a set of chains around his neck and pulls them out, gently holding the gold and silver chains in her palms. She’s not sure what they mean, the symbols on the black enamel or the gold plate but they look good hanging around his chest. “Sentimental?”

Calum runs his fingers over the strip of skin just under the edge of her green tank top and the top of her shorts. “Yeah.”

The subject is dropped rather quickly and she kisses the underside of his jaw. Her fingers find the hem of Calum’s t-shirt. He pulls the black tee up without much thought and she lets her hands wander of the expanse of his chest. She lingers at his tattoos. She doesn’t question those either. Just admires them and the way the black ink stands out on his golden skin. There’s a moment, in the back of her mind, that she’s acutely aware of how much darker she is compared to him. It's a thing she’s always been aware of for sure, it’s a general fact about herself that is generally inescapable. But she’s not sure why it matters now. 

Calum can see her mind wandering and he tips her chin. “You can always say no. It’s okay.” He doesn’t want her to feel pressured. It won’t hurt him at all if she backs out of this. He’d rather her protect herself than worry about him. 

“It’s just--a thing, a small thing. Nothing to do about this.”

“You sure?” 

Noa nods, flicking her twists over her shoulder. Calum raises an eyebrow at her, a silent question. “I’m very sure,” she says, tugging at the band of his pants. 

There’s a soft chuckle he gives and nods, satisfied with her answer. “I was going to break out another taboo pickup line.”

Noa gets a grip around his neck and brings him down. Her kiss is soft and slow before she pulls back just a little. Their lips brush as she speaks. “As much as I hate those, they are effective. So I hate that fact a little more.”

Calum dares to bring his hands down, under the shorts and underwear. What he finds makes him groan into her lips. She’s dripping onto his fingers. “Very effective,” he whispers, teasing her heat with his fingers as he collects just a little taste of her onto his fingers. She watches through slightly hooded eyes as Calum licks his fingers. “God,” he huffs. 

He goes back to get yank the shorts and panties. She pushes herself up to assist and Calum wastes no time slipping down to his knees. Noa reclines back, hands pressing down into the table and the edge of a notebook. Calum takes a generous lick from her. She’s sweet on his tongue and all he wants is to drown in the arousal she drips. 

Noa shudders at the first touch and she’s glad she’s facing the whiteboard and not the window because the look on her face, of pleasure and also desperation is a sight for sore eyes. It’s been a long time since she’s been with anyone. Her breakup sophomore year kind of scorned her. She’s had the offers at parties or even out at bars, but never took them. Right now, the way she’s responding to Calum should be embarrassing but it’s the last thought on her mind. 

All Noa wants and can think about is how Calum’s tongue flicks against her clit, the way his lips wrap around it to give it a gentle suck before planting a kiss. “Shit,” she heaves, trying to keep from being too loud. It’s not lost on her that too much noise will get them caught. But god is her rock shaking at the feeling of Calum’s tongue working at her. It’s going to be the end of her, she thinks, staring up at the ceiling attempting to keep her breathing under control. 

Calum feels her thighs starting to shake and he throws them over his shoulder. She falls deeper into her recline. Every lewd slurp echoes. The first finger into her is all too easy to get inside and he works the second one in while teasing her clit with his tongue. It’s a moment, with a breathy instruction of “Back and up,” before he’s brushing over her g-spot. Her vision spots for a moment and she presses her lips together to swallow down her own moan. 

“Fuck,” she whines when Calum sucks at her clit. The knot in her stomach grows, she can feel the heat radiating from the top of her head to her toes. She’s going to make a mess. She can feel it bubbling in her lower stomach but she can’t find the words to warn him as she works to keep her cries in her chest. 

It’s evident though when she finds the edge and falls over it. Her legs close in around Calum’s head. He works her through the orgasm, gentle licks. Calum kisses over her inner thighs before pulling his fingers from her. She’s spent above him, panting. But she stops him-- a hand tight around his wrist and brings his fingers to her mouth. 

“You wouldn’t?”

Noa says nothing before licking her own arousal from his fingers. Calum shouldn’t be so turned on by her tasting herself but he swears he could nearly come from just the way she hums around his digits. It makes him wonder for a moment what else she can do with that tongue. She grins when she releases his fingers from her mouth with a lewd pop. “I would.” 

Calum stays on his knees, watching carefully as she slips off the table and back into her underwear and shorts. She taps at the chair. “Take a seat.”

He pushes up and into the chair. “You really could’ve just left those off.”

Noa bites her lip at the thought. “Even though I’m young, I’m not dumb. I never re-upped on condoms in my backpack and unless you have some. I think you’ll be pleased with my compromise.”

Calum mimes zipping his lips shut and tossing away the key. He nearly forgot about that and that’s not a risk he wants to take either. No matter much the idea seems tempting he knows that the potential consequences are not worth it. Noa doesn’t waste any time, to tie her hair back or get Calum’s pants and underwear down either. She’s not really sure what she expected but he’s more than he lets on and her mouth drools at the thought. 

She kisses his tip, the tip leaking just a little. Calum sighs, dropping his head back on his neck. He doesn’t really want her to tease him like this. But it does feel good. How gentle she’s being. The way she’s slow to coat him with her saliva. He exhales harshly when he slips into her mouth and when she doesn’t stop but continues on Calum groans. “Fucking hell.” It’s as if she could just swallow him whole and her mouth is so warm too. 

Noa hums a little at the taste and weight of him. She looks at through her lashes and keeps her eyes nice and big, playing innocent at the way Calum huffs above her. He blinks his eyes just enough to see her batting her lashes and he’s so tempted again to pull out of her mouth and just fuck her right here. He’s sure her pussy is just as good as her mouth, if not better. Another moan is crawling up his chest and Calum inhales to keep it from falling over his lips. She pulls back from him, swirling her tongue just around the top. Her fist pumps at him. Calum knows he won’t last. His head is starting to float and he’s reaching out for anything and everything to keep ground. 

He finds Noa instead, the very thing lifting his consciousness from his body. But it’s all he has to attempt to ground him. Calum lets one choked moan fall over his lips. “God,” he heaves like he’s been underwater for too long and is getting the first gulps of air again. His eyes screw up as she takes him back down and bobs her head along his length. The sounds of her slurping up her excess saliva are a little loud but he prays that they don’t echo too much before he cums. 

That’s all he wants. Just release. That bliss of orgasm. His toes are curling and he’s holding a little tighter to Noa he knows. But he can’t help it. His hips raise up from the seat, bucking into her and she has to readjust her angle to keep him down. But Calum’s so fucking close. He can feel it. His thighs are tensing and he’s nearly in tears with how badly he desires to cum. She’s toying with him, speeding up to build up that pressure--that need, but slowing down just enough to keep it far enough away. 

“Oh, please, please,” he begs. There is definitely a prickle of tears. Noa knows she’s playing with fire but she pulls back one last time, watching the way his jaw tense and he hisses, the air sucked in between his teeth. “I wasn’t-I wasn't this mean to you.”

Noa winks at him. Calum knows he’s going to have to do something to wipe that smirk off her face somehow. “Wanted to see how much you could take.” She says nothing else and finally takes him back into her mouth, hand and mouth pumping at him. He goes barreling towards his orgasm. He halfway expects her to pull away again when he finds his hips bucking again but she doesn’t. Calum holds her head tight and pours down the back of her throat. 

Noa brings him over the edge and she’s gentle, slightly suckling to get down every drop. When she finally brings her head away, she does leave a small kiss. The air is thick and Calum exhales, attempting to bring his vision back into focus. He nearly has to make sure that it’s actually his soul that comes back to him. Noa hands him a tissue and then excuses herself for just a moment to the restroom. 

When she returns, the table is clearned for the most part. Her books are neatly stacked and her laptop is sitting on top of the sleeve. The dry erase markers and erasers sit at the top of her pile too. Calum is dressed again, leaning against the table with the bucket hat back on his head. He watches her open the door with a tiny smile. The whiteboard’s been erased too. “Did you get a picture of the--” Calum nods before she finishes the full question. 

She’s not sure if she should move from the spot at the door but Calum’s gaze is intense so she waits. “I’m not going to bite unless you ask for it,” he grins. “How far away do you stay from here?”

“I live on campus actually. It’s like a fifteen minute walk to the other side.”

“I’m parked not too far from the English building. How about a ride and a round two?”

“For studying poetry or anatomy?” There’s no hiding her grin as she asks the question. 

Calum’s impressed at the wit. “I would say, after what I’ve seen and tasted today, I would call it poetry.”

She has to cast her gaze down. Because if not, she’s going to explode at delivery of the compliment. “Just don’t make any joke about tasting desire twice or I might nickname you Frost and I don’t think you’d appreciate that.”

Calum laughs and reaches out a hand. She takes it, stepping into him. She gazes up, the shadow of the bucket hat making the moment seem more private. “I think that’s a risk I’m willing to take.”

“Of course you are.”

The ride over is nerve wrecking. But the gentle pressure of Calum’s hand on her thigh keeps her just enough on the string that it doesn’t matter. Brooklyn agrees to give her the room until 10. It’s a little after six currently. Plenty of time but still. It’s not fun being sexiled. Noa makes a mental note to grab a few snacks on her next grocery run as a thank you to Brooklyn. The AC blasting in Calum’s car is Noa’s saving grace. The slight chill is welcomed to the warmth still radiating from her body.

She directs him to turn right at the next intersection. “It’s pretty out here,” Calum notes. The buildings follow the same brick patterns as most other buildings on the campus. But there are some trees that stand tall and it feels a little cozy. Noa hums and she directs him down to a parking lot. It’s not that far down from her actual dorm. The walk feels longer though for Noa, feeling Calum right behind her.  Calum follows with quick glances the way her ass shakes a little with her gait. The shorts are definitely higher than they were before and he’s sure that was done purposefully. 

Noa fishes out her keys and swipes into the building before directing Calum up the flight of stairs on the side. Their shoes echo as they ascend. Her room is the first one once they step outside from the stairwell. “I apologize now if it’s a mess,” Noa says with her key in the door. She’s praying that Brooklyn’s side isn’t a disaster.

 Thankfully at the first crack, the room is cool and clean. She carries past one bed to the second pushed against the wall near the window. Calum notes the white and black comforter and the posters decorating her wall. There are string lights and after a moment they twinkle off the white plaster of the walls. 

“Putting on the full works, huh?” Calum drops his hat and bag next to her desk. They shed shoes. Her bed is raised so she pulls out a step stool. 

“Something like that.” 

Calum cups her jaw. “I’m flattered.” Their kisses are still heated but less desperate. Both of them are aware of what’s happening and what’s going to happen. Calum pulls at the knot of her white shirt and pushes it off her shoulders. Maybe it was a little insane. Maybe it was the fact that Calum was a little tired of being lonely on Valentine’s Day even though he hated the whole institution of the holiday.

Whatever it was that brought him here to peeling Noa out of her shirt and revealing her breasts to him didn’t really matter. Because he was okay with it. He cups one of her breasts, teasing the bud with his fingers and he kisses along her neck. He feels her heart races with his tongue. “Love it don’t you?” 

Noa hums, pulling around his shoulders. “Maybe.” 

He laughs into her skin. She climbs up onto the bed first and Calum sheds his shirt before climbing up behind her. On the corner of her desk near the bed, he spies the box of condoms. Multiple boxes actually. He reaches over her to one of them. He’s going to drag this out just to have her begging like she did with him. “This is quite the collection.”

Noa knows part of this is payback but she reaches up running her hands over his sides to get him to come back to her. Calum resists the temptation to look down and kiss her again. If she does all his resolve will break. He studies another box and she lifts her head from her pillow finding one of his nipples and sucking it into her mouth. Two can play this game. And Noa knows that while she’s aching for me, she might have a better chance of riding this game out than Calum. 

Calum drops his head for a moment, letting the electricity of her touch travel up his body. One hand creeps up to his crotch, putting just enough pressure onto his growing erection. He’s so fucking screwed. Noa kisses across his chest, soft ones that barely make contact with his skin. “I’m going to be giving a pop quiz about the varieties I have. So study up,” she jokes before pulling her hand away. 

His laughter is soft above her. “I won’t be won over by academic pickup lines.”

“You were being stubborn and I had to try something.”

“You teased me. Don’t dish out what you can’t handle.”

“I can handle plenty,” she retorts pushing at his shoulder. 

Calum straddles her lower legs, popping the button on her shorts yet again. “Is that so?” The question is punctuated by him pulling her shorts and panties off. His fingers waste no time to part her and circle her entrance. Her back sinks into the mattress and her hips rise. Calum catches the small hard exhale of all her air leaving her lungs. 

Calum hovers over her, one arm keeping his weight steady while he teases her. His lips brush over her jaw. “What was that?” His question is answered by a moan that falls over Noa’s throat. He kisses down her throat, sucking just a hair too hard at the thin skin. It doesn’t leave a bruise but when Calum pulls way, there’s a red spot for sure on her skin. 

Noa lets herself be consumed by the way his stubble scratches over her skin. Calum kisses down the valley of her breasts. His teeth graze over her nipples. Maybe he’s better at the game than she thought he was. She liked to think she was tough, but Noa knows deep down the softest touch can turn her into putty. She doesn’t find it within herself to care when he flicks her nipple with the tip of her tongue. 

Calum drinks in every sound. She sounds so good beneath him at the mercy of his whims. Though he knows he’s going to give in soon. Soon his own tough act will dissolve and all he’s want is her to be thoroughly fucked. Calum carries down her body, kissing over her stomach before finding her heat again. All it takes is one lick, bottom to the top and Noa shakes, her thighs quiver and Calum knows he has her. 

Her hands find his neck though. She pulls him up before pushing up and Calum falls into the mattress. She works his pants down and kisses over his thighs as she goes. Her teeth are sharp when she takes a bite, nothing too hard, but it’s enough. It’s enough for Calum to know she’s serious. He’s serious too. His arm hooks around her neck once the pants are fully disrobed. “Come here,” he murmurs and she settles on his lower torso. 

Noa could lose herself in Calum’s kisses and never want to find a map out. Calum traces at her skin with the tips of his fingers as if trying to etch the roadmap of her into his memory. Noa reaches behind and strokes Calum’s length, almost too leisurely, like she knows she can just take her time with him. He lets her too. What else does he have to lose? What else does Calum have to do on such a bullshit holiday than just having some fun?

He does enjoy that this isn’t rushed. He’s also glad he’s not tipsy and neither is she. There’s something about alcohol and sex that never quite worked for Calum, though he’ll admit to some days waking with hickeys and blaming the vodka almost immediately. He likes the intimacy that they share, as crazy as it sounds. Like the way Noa looks at him after they break away from a kiss. She doesn’t look crazed or greedy, her eyes cradle him almost. She traces over his tattoos. 

The questions linger on her lips. Like what does ‘Choose Life’ really mean to Calum? Who was Mali? To whom did those initials belong too? But Noa knew those were questions she couldn’t ask. And she kind of liked the mystery of it. She liked knowing Calum but not getting the full picture. She had the frame. She has the beautiful man in front of her but she didn’t have his mind. She saw bits of it in class for sure. When he finally decided to speak. But that was a piece that would always linger behind the curtain. 

It was still a game for sure. Calum giving away what he wanted to give of himself but keeping everything else. Noa knew better than to think she could win that game. She knew better than to assume she could even be a player. It seemed cliche to think that maybe just maybe she could be the one to change that. That had to be loneliness talking though. It always crept in on days like this. At least for the moment, she was having her own fun. 

Her own fun--that’s all she needs to focus on right now. Noa reaches across Calum’s body to her desk and he uses the moment to bring the nipple and even part of her tit into his mouth, to tease her for just a moment longer. She barely keeps her grip on the box of condoms at the shiver running through her body. “Fuck,” she breathes. 

Calum hums at the praise and pinches her right nipple between his fingers. “You know,” he starts, tracing the swell of her breast with his fingers. “You do this thing when you’re thinking, where you bit the inside of your lip and you kind of zone out.”

Why is Calum so fucking observant? Why did he have to go and say that? He was really digging her grave. He might as well go and build the casket for her too. “I’m not backing out of this.”

“I was just saying,” he hums. 

“When you’re thinking you tend to play with whatever is in your hands,” Noa returns and then glances down her nipple, the way his fingers roll it and pinch. A moan builds in her chest--she can feel it. Calum immediately pulls his hand away. “I never said I didn’t like it.”

The grin that takes over his face is shy. Noa kisses his nose before tearing a condom from it’s foiled package. “How about a ride?” she grins. 

Calum has to laugh at the smirk and corny joke. But he agrees. “I hope I’m tall enough for it.”

“More than tall enough,” she laughs, rolling the condom done him. It’s the first sink, the stretch that makes Noa’s eyes nearly roll back into her head. Calum finds her hips, exhaling hard too at the squeeze and warmth of her. 

“Fuck,” they both exhale. Her pace is slow to start but Calum brushes everything inside of her, even parts that she didn’t even know could be brushed. It’s a little painful but the adjustment happens and all Noa’s concerned with is watching Calum fall apart beneath her. His fingers curl into the fat and muscle of her hips and thighs. 

The sounds of skin slapping against skin echo about the room and Noa releases the hiss, the only thing she can do at the feeling of Calum buried so deep inside of her. It’s true bliss when her pace picks up and Calum watches her tits bounce in time. “Fuck, just like that,” he encourages. 

It’s not easy work Noa will admit but it’s rewarding to hear how strained Calum’s voice is. How much he’s tittering closer and closer to the edge. Calum brings his fingers to her clit and her yelp, part surprise, part an exhalation of arousal, he hums. “That what you needed? Just a little attention for a greedy clit?”

Noa sighs, holding herself upon his chest. “But you like it, don’t you? You’re coming to cum for me and my greedy clit, aren’t you?”

He is. Not right now, but soon. It’s creeping up on him and god, will it be sweet. He brings her head down to kiss her, to swallow down every filthy sound she makes and save it for later in his chest. Calum plants his feet into the mattress and meets her bounces with his own thrust. “Oh, shit,” she whines, her voice straining at the added sensation. Time starts to lose its grip. They are just feeling bodies. 

It’s soon her face down into the mattress though, curling the sheets into her fist as Calum drives into her. “God, please,” she groans, feeling the twinge of her orgasm knotting at her lower stomach. 

Calum brings her up, her back into his chest with a hand tucked around her throat. It’s not tight and soon it drops to her nipples again. “Tell me what you need.”

“Just you,” she exhales. “Just you, Calum.”

His fingers dance over her sex. She clenches once, a sign of the impending orgasm that will be crashing over it. Calum kisses along her shoulders and across her back, the twists in the way don’t even matter. Not when he can feel her occasional spasms. He’s not going to last much longer. But he wants to get her there first. With a little more pressure at her clit, Noa grabs Calum's thigh. Another whine falls over her throat and she again lacks the warning. 

She cums with a heavy grunt scratching over her throat. Calum bites down onto her shoulder. His orgasm follows soon after thanks to her spasms. After they clean up, she falls into her sheets and Calum lays for just a minute. Just to catch his breath and he traces over the still red marks of his teeth. “Is it too much if I offer to buy pizza?” Noa asks, curled up into his chest. “Does seal the fate on Valentine’s Day as well when you’re single?”

Calum laughs. “It’s definitely sealed the fate on many of them for me in the past. But I should probably get home. Be an adult, even if I don’t want to be.”

Noa nods. It’s a little awkward when Calum has to crawl over her to climb down off the bed but all she does is giggle before kissing his cheek. Calum finds his shirt and she tosses him his underwear from the sheets. “I should write a personal note to Calvin Klein for that underwear. Your ass is ten out ten in those.

Calum shakes his head, his laughter loud. “And out of them?”

“Seven out of ten.”

“I should be offended.”

Noa shrugs, holding the sheets to her chest. “Alas, you don’t seem to be though.”

With the bucket hat situated back over his head, Calum shrugs. “Guess I’m not if it’s coming from you. I’ll talk to you later, yeah?”

She nods. “Sure.” Calum’s hand doesn’t quite reach the door before she calls out her next question. “You remember how to get out of here right?”

“Something tells me it’s like the same way I came in? But I’m not too sure.”

“Smartass,” she grumbles. 

Calum chews on his lip for a moment to hide the smile. He was worried him leaving would be awkward. But he finds himself not wanting to go really. He thinks he could split a pizza with her. What would be the worst that would happen? But he doesn’t want to push any more boundaries or piss off her roommate.“Bye, Noa.”

“Bye, Calum.”

***********

Now Noa is definitely worried after not seeing Calum on Monday that he freaked out about their hookup. She didn’t have his number and emailing him was out of the question. Emailing wasn’t the format to have the ‘what-happened-and-why-are-you-avoiding-me’ conversation. Everything seemed fine when Calum left. He even sent a thank you email when she sent him the notes she typed up from their study session. He had included the blowing a kiss emoji. That had to mean something. It had to. Even Brooklyn said it meant something. Sure Brooklyn was no expert. But who sends that kind of emoji unless they mean something behind it?

Though when Monday rolled around, Calum wasn’t to be seen. Today was Wednesday, the day of their midterm. Noa books it from her class in the science building but because of some rain, there is a mud spot and she slips. She doesn’t fall, thankfully catching herself on the edge of the brick wall but she knows the feeling of her pants splitting literally anywhere. 

Her shirt is most definitely not long enough to cover it and she can’t be late for the exam. So she carries on, wishing she had grabbed an extra layer to help save her from the embarrassment. First Calum ghosts her and now her pants rip. Today’s really not her day. Not that she needed it to be her day, but she would’ve liked it. 

Taking a quick moment to assess the damage, Noa feels behind. The hole is mostly towards her inner thighs but it does gape a little to the back and she’s mortified that half her ass is hanging out. She hopes this is the icing on her cake. She’d really rather not have too much else to her shit cake. This was more than enough shit for any one particular day. 

Just a few minutes before class starts, she opens the door to the classroom. The professor stands at the podium, exam in hand. Her eyes scan the room briefly and there’s Calum. His head down and she’s sure that he had to have heard the door opening but he doesn’t look up. There’s nowhere else to sit either, except for her spot right next to him. And she’s not going to cause a scene on midterm day either. 

She’s careful as she sits, to avoid further splitting, and slips off her backpack. She keeps her back turned and fishes out a pen, black ink this time. Just as she faces forward, a Hershey’s kiss and peppermint are placed in front of her. Calum grins, pulling the wireless headphones from his ears. “My mum used to give me peppermints before a test. She said it was supposed to help. I don’t know the exact science.”

Maybe Calum didn’t hate her? It definitely is a shock for him to be talking so casually. She’s happy though. She’d rather not have to shun Calum. She liked his stupid ass jokes and maybe, just maybe, she was letting herself get a little too close. That was a disaster she’d deal with later though. “Were you sick on Monday or something?” Something was going around and if Calum had caught it, she did worry that she would too, 

He shakes his head. “A gig ran late Sunday. I just emailed my professors that I wouldn’t be able to come in on Monday. I realized I needed the notes from Monday but I didn’t want it to seem like I was just using you. So I’m sorry about you not hearing from me after I said I would.”

Noa reaches into her backpack and pulls out a small bag of peppermints. There was just a misunderstanding. She can handle that. “My mom used to say the same thing.” She situates the bag between them. “In case you need another one during the exam. Also, I can give you my number.”  She finds a scrap piece of paper and writes it down. Calum saves it fast and sends her a text too so she has his number. 

As the professor starts to hand out the exam, only a list of four questions of which they’ll pick two to respond too, Calum feels the slight jitters coming back. Noa notices and slides her piece of chocolate over to him. They lock gazes for a brief moment and smile, both reminded of the last time chocolate was involved. 

The questions aren’t too hard. The practice ones Noa came up with fall right in line with what she said the professor would ask. She finishes first between the two of them and leaves the bag of peppermints. Calum notices her awkward shuffle and the hole in her jeans. He can’t use his phone to tell her to wait up but he’s almost done himself. So he scribbles down the last few sentences for his question and quickly gathers his things. 

From the pocket of his backpack, he feels his phone vibrate. He hands over his exam and slips out of the front door. Noa’s not in sight so he digs out his phone, stepping out into the bright sunlight. She’s not even halfway down the path, stopped by someone else as they chat for a moment. He thinks it’s her roommate, she looks familiar and the two laugh before going their separate ways. 

“Noa,” Calum calls out to her and she turns. These stairs aren’t as steep and he’s quick to get down them. Calum reaches into his backpack, revealing a sweatshirt and hands over her bag peppermints. “You can use this until you get back to get new pants.”

“I have a meeting with my advisor and then a club meeting. I was just going to tell them I’ll be a few minutes late to our meeting.”

“No, no, keep it. It’s okay. I don’t want you to be late.”

“I won’t be able to get it back to you until Friday.”

“I could come to pick it up too before then?”

Noa knows that look, the glint in his eyes as she ties the sweatshirt around her waist. “My last class tomorrow ends at 2.”

“I’ll pick you up from class. Just text me the building. We can study. I heard it’s Valentine’s Day. 

“That’s about a week late.”

“I was always bad at math,” Calum jokes. “You think I should sign up for one next semester?” Noa laughs as she steps backward from Calum. Of course, he would make another joke. They get her every time too. “Is that a yes though?”

“That is a yes. To Thursday and to you needing a math class.”

“Ouch.” He holds a hand to his chest, faking pain.

She twirls before throwing a wave over her shoulder. “Bye, Calum.”

“Bye, Noa.” He wipes out his phone, watching her walk down the bricked over paths. Next time you don’t have to split your pants to get my attention. 

She stops and spins around, fingers flying over the keys. I can and will take this hoodie hostage. 

“That’s my favorite hoodie,” he shouts at her. 

“Not my problem, sweetheart.”

“It absolutely is your problem.”

“My problem is that I’m going to be late.” 

___________

Tagging: @irwinkitten @5-secondsofcolor @pinkbubbles-and-bigtroubles @glitterlukey 

[boxboxblog]

Driver Profiles: Fernando Alonso

Updated December 2024

Name: Fernando Alonso Díaz

Age: 43

Nationality: Spanish

Years in F1: 20 (Renault 2003-2006, Mclaren 2007, Renault 2008-2009, Ferrari 2010-2014, Mclaren 2015-2019, Alpine 2021-2022, Aston Martin 2023-Present)

Number: 14

WDCs: 2005, 2006

Driving Style: Alonso is an extremely accomplished racer, and seen as one of the best in modern F1. He is most famous for his raw aggression behind the wheel, which allows him to put pressure on competitors and psych them out. He has been a part of some incredible wheel-to-wheel battles, and is almost never the one who blinks first. He also has immense intelligence behind the wheel, and races in some of the most strategic ways. Beyond that, his race-starts are a key part of his fame and he consistently makes up several positions in the first lap. A negative thing I have to say about Alonso's racing style is that due to his aggressive driving style he tends to wear out tires very fast. He also also his aggression to cloud his judgement sometimes when frustrated with the car.

History:

Alonso was born to a relatively middle class family, however his father did compete in amateur kart racing. He got his first kart when he was 3 years old, and would compete for the first time when he was 5 years old. When he was 7, Alonso won his first kart race in Pola de Laviana. He won the 1988 and 1989 children's Junior Championship of the Asturias and Galicia, and progressed to the Cadet class in 1990. It was during these years he would attract attention from sponsors who would fund his career from then on.

(Young Alonso in his karting days)

Alonso won the 1990 Asturias and the Basque Country Cadet Championship and finished second in the 1991 Spanish Cadet National Championship. He then won three successive Spanish Junior National Championships from 1993 to 1995. This would allow him to move on to national championships, and went on to place highly in these competitions. In 1997, he took the Italian and Spanish International A championships and was second in the European Championship with nine wins, the Masters Karting Paris Bercy and the Spanish Karting Championship. Alonso would later describe his karting years as the best of his life.

(Alonso in 1997)

In 1999, at age 17, Alonso would make his debut in car racing in the 1999 Euro Open by Nissan, and win the title. For 2000, he progressed to the higher-tier International Formula 3000 Championship and finished in 4th. His performances at this level would gain him attention from F1 team Renault. In 2002 he served as their test driver and it was announced later in the year that he was chosen for their 2003 lineup. Alonso had an outstanding rookie season and achieved his first win that year, along with pole position, and four podiums. He would finish 6th in the standings, and extend his contract with Renault. 2004 was another great year for Alonso, achieving even more podiums but no race wins. He finished 4th in the standings after consistent results.

(Alonso winning Euro Open title in 1999)

2005 was the year Alonso won his first WDC, in a battle against Mclaren's Kimi Räikkönen. It was a fantastic year for Alonso, getting seven victories, six pole positions and fourteen podium finishes. He became the youngest driver to win a WDC up to that point. The next year he would win his 2nd WDC, with his primary competition being 7x WDC Michael Schumacher at Ferrari. He had a dominant year, and finished no lower than 2nd throughout the season.

(Alonso after winning first F1 WDC)

In 2007 Alonso switched over to Mclaren, a move that would only last for a year before returning to Renault. It was a positive year at Mclaren, but he was outpaced by Räikkönen (now at Ferrari) and his teammate Lewis Hamilton. Him and Hamilton had a notoriously risky relationship. One incident occurred when Hamilton ignored team orders and disadvantaged his teammate during a qualifying. Alonso responded by delaying Hamilton in the pit lane. This tension, plus the famous espionage scandal, led Alonso to terminate his contract with Mclaren. He returned to Renault for the 2008 season after being contractually forbidden from signing with one of Mclaren's main competitors for that year. He finished his first season with Mclaren in 3rd.

(Alonso with Mclaren teammate Lewis Hamilton)

He had a more difficult year with Renault in 2008. Lack of car performance in the early part of the season meant that he was way back in the points by the time the car was up to fighting form. In the last few races, he scored an immense amount of points and was able to jump up to 5th in the standings. This was also the year yet another scandal occurred in F1 around Alonso, "crashgate". His next year with Renault was notoriously bad, and he finished middle in the standings in 2009. This lack of performance from the team led Alonso to sign with Ferrari for the 2010 season.

(Alonso in a Renault)

His first year with Ferrari was a successful one, fighting for the title with Red Bull's Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel. During the last race, when he had the championship lead, he unfortunately finished 7th and lost the WDC to Vettel. His next few years with Ferrari would be mixed. While he achieved positive results, fighting for the title some years, there were also negative ones (no race wins in 2014). While he had extended his contract with Ferrari to 2016, his relationship with them had soured and he broke contract to return to Mclaren for the 2015 season. His years at Mclaren were murky at best, as they had fallen to midfield level. However, Alonso would stay with them until the 2019 season, when he announced his retirement from F1.

(Alonso after winning a race with Ferrari 2013)

Alonso returned to F1 in 2021 driving for Alpine (renamed Renault). His two years there would yield more murky results, only achieving one podium through the entire time. Alpine expected to retain Alonso for the 2023 season (they had not even looked for another driver), but were surprised to find out that Alonso had signed a contract with Aston Martin (renamed Force India/Racing Point). This signified yet another exit from a team on bad terms for Alonso.

(Alonso in the Alpine in 2022)

Driving for Aston Martin in 2023, Alonso would start finishing higher up in the points than he had in years. While he was no where close to a championship fight, consistent results in a midfield car showed he still had the skill to compete. He would achieve 6 podiums that year, and finished 4th in the standings, his highest finish since 2013. He remained with Aston Martin for the 2024 season, and had a relatively middling season finishing 9th. He signed a contract extension with them to 2026, which he has openly stated will most likely be his last contract.

(Alonso after placing on podium in 2023)

Throughout all of this, Alonso competed in other racing series. In 1999, Alonso debuted in the Endurance Racing Series, and finished 3rd at the 24hrs of Barcelona. He drove the 24hrs of Daytona in 2018 and also 2019 (which he would win). He would also drove the 24hrs of Le Mans during that time too, and won. IndyCar was another series he competed in a handful of times, although he never placed particularly high. On top of that, he drove for a Rally series in 2020 while he was retired, with his highest finish being 2nd.

(Alonso with his team after winning 24hrs of Le Mans)

Major Races:

2003 Hungarian GP - His first victory in F1, he dominated after starting in pole position. Staying ahead of the legendary Michael Schumacher, he showed that he was a future star.

2005 San Marino GP - One of Alonso's most memorable wins, he used impeccable defense to hold off Schumacher yet again and securing the win. He showed intense mental strength and skill in high-pressure situations

2005 Brazilian GP - The race where Alonso won his first title, and he became the driver to break Ferrari and Schumacher's dominance. He also brought Renault their first title.

2006 Japanese GP - A highly important race to his 2006 title, this victory meant he took the lead from Schumacher and allowed him to feel comfortable in the rest of the races.

2010 Korean GP - A messy, wet race allowed Alonso to show off his calmness under pressure and skills in such conditions. He managed the race incredibly well, and it was a vital win for his 2010 title fight

2012 Valencia GP - Starting from 11th on the grid, Alonso fought his way up the field to victory, winning in front of his home crowd. This win was especially impressive due to the uncompetitive nature of the Ferrari that year.

2012 Malaysian GP - Another testament to his skill under difficult conditions, he delivered one of his best wet race performances and earned a rather unexpected victory in an underperforming car.

2023 Jeddah GP - His 100th podium in F1, Alonso displayed his long history in F1 and the skill it takes to reach that level of podiums.

Alright, that's all for Alonso. Up next in Nico Hulkenberg.

Cheers,

-B

[castroneves]

so i’m new to indycar but my brother just got us both tickets for pocono so what’s the tldr on the sport? who’s your favorites? also who’s the shitty drivers personality/beliefs wise to stay away from?

i know you said tl;dr but i literally can’t be brief in this context so i’m just gonna give you a short little profile of each driver (just the ones you’ll see racing at pocono) in order of the current championship standings (also i’ve realized i have a hard time explaining indycar to people who don’t already know formula one because i make a lot of comparisons so if you don’t watch formula one just ignore those parts i’m sorry):

1. josef newgarden: basically the personification of a golden retriever puppy. super high energy, gets along with everyone, and a super talented and FAIR driver (see: the newgarden move). he won the championship in 2017 and is currently leading this year’s championship by 16 points

2. alexander rossi: confirmed trump supporter, comes off as an arrogant asshole in interviews, but everyone loves him because of his talent. it’s so hard to hate him because he’s literally that good (here’s an example, and another example), i honestly think he could make max verstappen weep if they were on the same terms

3. simon pagenaud: quickly becoming my all time favorite driver (i love almost everyone on the grid but as i’ve now met simon twice i think he’s my top fave). he won the indy 500 this year and the championship in 2016. he’s very quirky and goofy, kind of like an older version of josef. team penske truly needs will power’s chilled out & relaxed persona to dilute the feral energy from josef & simon lmfao (here is a video that really captures his essence) 

4. scott dixon: the most successful driver on the current grid and one of the most successful in history. i don’t know much about him personally but he seems like a father figure to whoever his teammate is (felix this year) and he has a really cute family too

5. will power: the old, relaxed energy to mellow out team penske. he had a streak of success in the early 2010′s and kind of had a reputation as an arrogant asshole around that time but i think he’s gotten a lot better since then. he won the indy 500 for the first time last year, and the championship in 2014

6. ryan hunter-reay: nicknamed “captain america”, another dad figure on the grid, has a pretty decorated career. don’t know much else about him but he’s very highly respected on the grid, josef newgarden once said he is “just too polite” 

7. takuma sato: very sweet and level-headed, 42 years old and still going strong, has a really comforting presence on the grid. in races he’s generally in the midfield but is capable of surprises, like winning in alabama this year and very shockingly winning the 500 in 2017

8. graham rahal: son of indycar legend bobby rahal. he’s very honest, straightforward, WILL tell you the truth even if it hurts and i respect him for that. has a bit of a temper but always races fair and expects the best out of everyone. he also does a lot of fundraising and charity work for veterans which is coolio (i jokingly refer to him as my brother because his dad and my dad look VERY similar, it’s uncanny)

9. felix rosenqvist: rookie fresh off the boat from formula E. also don’t know much about him but he’s been very exciting to watch so far this year and just got his first podium this weekend at mid-ohio which was very well deserved (he did once say the n-word on instagram, many years ago, and he’s swedish so i don’t expect him to know the history, but... it happened)

10. james hinchcliffe: literally everyone’s fave, not one single person hates him. he’s the beaming ray of sunshine on the grid and gets along with everyone, very similar to josef. if josef is a golden retriever, james is a cuddly little labrador (here is a video of them together from a LONG time ago but nothing has changed)

11. sebastien bourdais: another old boy but a true legend. he won 4 consecutive championships in champ car (indycar’s predecessor... kind of... it’s a long story) and continues kicking ass today. he was in a really scary crash during qualifying at the indy 500 a few years ago and made an impressive comeback. 

12. spencer pigot: i honestly truly do not know anything about him, i didn’t even know he was a full time driver until right now, he just kinda fades into the background...

13. santino ferrucci: another confirmed trump supporter, was kicked out of formula 2 for deliberately making contact with his teammate, using his phone while driving his car, allegedly making racist remarks towards his teammate, etc. (you can read about it here). some people will say he’s had a really successful rookie season but honestly he just got lucky a few times and isn’t that good overall. he comes from money which explains a lot lmfao

14. colton herta: the BABY of the grid. he won his second ever indycar race at COTA this year, becoming the youngest race winner in indy history at 18 years old, one week before his 19th birthday. aside from his mega talent on track, he’s a respectable guy off track and is very mature for his age. if you watch F1 i’d compare him to a slightly more laid-back version of lando norris

15. marcus ericsson: if you’re coming from F1 then you already know him pretty well. he didn’t have much success in F1 but has found his niche in indycar, already scoring a podium in his rookie season. he’s chill and quiet but overall a nice young man

16. marco andretti: a third generation andretti, honestly has no real purpose on the grid aside from being the descendant of two racing icons (his grandfather is mario andretti, his dad is michael andretti), but uhhhh he’s been racing for about 15 years and only has two wins, so... take that as you will. you’ll almost always find him at the back of the grid these days

17. zach veach: by far the tiniest driver on the grid. i stood very close to him this weekend and he was shorter than me (i’m 5′1″) and i wouldn’t be surprised if he hasn’t broken 100 pounds. i don’t know much about him other than his very inspiring backstory (read here), and he has a strong religious background as well.

18. tony kanaan: a fucking FIXTURE on the indy grid. another old man but a legend. he has been racing in indycar for 17 years and did champ car for 5 years, so essentially he’s been at the top class of american single seaters for almost as long as i’ve been alive. he has one championship win (2004) and one indy 500 win (2013)

(skipped ed jones, not racing at pocono)

20. matheus leist: the first driver i ever met in person. he’s really nice and chill, but honestly not much to write home about on track. he’s solid and fairly consistent, but i wouldn’t bet money on him

(skipped jack harvey, max chilton, patricio o’ward: not racing at pocono) 

24. ed carpenter: nicknamed “the oval master” because... he’s really good on oval circuits. he races the ovals for his own team. that’s all i know tbh 

(skipped conor daly, sage karam, james davison, helio castroneves: not racing at pocono) 

29. charlie kimball: don’t know much about him other than that he’s diabetic, and there was a pretty interesting article about how he manages his blood sugar during races (read here). he also has a bit of reputation for being rude/dismissive to fans but i can’t confirm that, i’ve never met him

so that’s it for your grid. you can take that information however you want, they’re just my opinions, someone else might have the complete opposite. also i should add, i really don’t wanna scare you if this is your first race, but pocono is one of two races on the indy calendar that makes me so viscerally nervous i almost can’t watch it (the other is texas motor speedway). again, i don’t want to freak you out, but just so you’re prepared, you will probably see quite a bit of crashing during the race. the AMR/holmatro safety team is one of, if not THE best in all of motorsports, here’s a little (slightly dated) video you can watch about how they do what they do in the event of crashes (warning tho: there is graphic crash footage in that video). despite what some people may say (i’m looking at you, felipe massa), indycar is the hallmark of motorsport safety and most other series have followed them in terms of safety technology innovations over the last 20 years (e.g., indycar has been using safety cars since the 70s, mandated a pit speed limit in 1991, CART mandated HANS for all tracks in 2001, indycar has used safer barrier since 2002, etc.) so if you do see crashing, take a deep breath and remind yourself that they have the world’s best crew taking care of them instantly. if you have any other questions don’t hesitate to ask, & i know you’ll have tons of fun at the race hehe :^)

[artistic-writer]

Sparking the Pavement :: Prologue

Beta’d by the awesome @hollyethecurious

Sparking the Pavement - When a motorcycle is leaned enough to drag the pegs, floor boards, exhaust or other metal parts on the road resulting in a shower of sparks.

Racing was like nothing else in the entire world. The rush of the wind as it hit the protective leathers, pushing the supple material into the limbs hidden inside, trying with all its might to dislodge a rider that would never let go. The rumble of the engine between thighs that gripped at the machine so tightly, muscles had formed on top of muscles there, powerful legs almost touching the ground on every corner, riders only braking momentarily before thrashing it out of the bend under the throaty roar of the bike.

They didn’t control the superbike. It controlled them.

Killian Jones had been racing his entire life. When he was barely old enough to speak, his father had sat him on top of his dirt bike and that was it. He was hooked. No child felt fear, and Killian was no exception, having fallen off everything you could have ever imagined. But each time he would get up and dust himself off. He took the pain, the scrapes, and the broken bones, to fulfill a family legacy that he was the most proud of.

The Jones family were winners. They had been winning motorcycle races in England since before he had even been born. His grandfather was a winner. His father was a winner. His brother was a winner. Killian began racing in the low classes, smaller engines that were easy for him to handle at his young age, but they were never a challenge. Soon he joined the Superbike Championship, following in his older brother’s footsteps and moving his entire life to the United States to better his career. But Killian was a pro, already, and he soon migrated to the next class of power, Moto2, the youngest rider to ever do so.

A few successful seasons in Moto2 saw Killian beating riders of a much higher calibre, including Liam Jones. Nearly five years older than Killian, his brother Liam had been the World Champion in Moto2 for seven years running, and when Killian won his first race, beating his older brother to the finish line by fractions of a second, the journalists couldn’t wait to get into the after race press room. The brothers were good about it, teasing each other at press conferences until they became a strange celebrity attraction at every event. Brothers had raced side by side before, but no younger sibling had ever been more successful, and the press lapped it up.

That year saw Killian taking the title from his brother, a feat no one had managed for nearly a decade, and he was almost immediately head hunted by Repsol Honda. They were a big team, with a much higher spending capacity than Killian’s previous teams were used to, and they were also MotoGP. MotoGP was the top of the tree, the highest point any rider could ever hope to reach in a professional racing career, and somewhere Liam had been trying to get to his entire life. He wasn’t hurt, or angry when Killian had told him he was moving to MotoGP, instead he was the proudest he could ever remember being of his little brother.

Killian’s first few seasons saw him finishing well. In his first year of MotoGP, Killian finished fifth overall, a good win for the team who had taken such a gamble on a rookie. But Honda’s vision and the potential they saw in him was not in vain, and that same year, Killian won the Rookie of the Year award. It gave him a massive boost, and spurred on by words of encouragement from Liam, Killian managed fourth in his second year.

However, the good times were not to last.

In 2005, Liam and Killian were dealt a blow. Their father, Brennan Jones, the man who had taught them both to ride and had given everything he had to make sure his boys were given every opportunity they could have to succeed, died. It was quick, a random car accident where Brennan had suffered a massive heart attack at the wheel and crashed into the side of a bridge. Both of the brothers were distraught, the funeral coming and going quicker than either had ever expected, but it made them more determined than ever to finish their seasons and make their father proud.

The same year, Liam finished his season out on top, adding a new World Championship title to his repertoire. The Superbike Championships were becoming tough competition, newer, younger riders coming in every year and pushing him to the limits of his capabilities. It had been a tough year, Liam barely able to grieve his father whilst having to answer question after question about Brennan’s accident in post race press rooms, so after the last race of his season, Liam announced a sabbatical. He was going to take a year to find himself again, spend some time with his wife Elsa and their daughter Hayden-Rose, and return to racing for the 2006/7 season.

Killian also finished the 2005 season out on the podium, finishing the last race of the season at the Californian circuit, Leguna Seca, in first place. It was an emotional win, tears from both brothers hidden behind the spray of celebratory champagne. Killian finished the season overall in third, his highest ever championship standing and just two places behind the season champion, Neal Cassidy. Cassidy had dominated MotoGP, winning consecutive seasons for the last two years, and Liam was sure that he had seen a tiny bead of nervous sweat from his brow when Killian had come so close to taking his title that year.

The 2006 season was a little slow and Killian got off to a poor start. During the second race of the season, during an overtaking maneuver, he had touched wheels with Cassidy and was sent flying over the handlebars of his bike. Luckily, thanks to his high grade protective gear and the fact he was thrown clear of the bike, Killian escaped the crash with just a broken hand. It wasn’t serious, and race medics cleared him for further races, but Cassidy wasn’t as lucky. After the race, fuelled by rage and adrenaline, Cassidy had been given a black eye and a broken nose by Liam Jones, accusing him of dirty race tactics and dangerous racing.

It didn’t matter though, because later that year, during one of the closest battles for the championship title the world of motorcycle racing had ever seen, Killian Jones came back from a fifty one point deficit, to beat current title holder Neal Cassidy in the very last race of the season. It was close. Too close to call. Jones had beat Cassidy to the finish line with just 0.002 seconds between them, taking the title, huge prize pot, and Neal’s pride all in one fell swoop.

Killian Jones was World Champion, and now, thanks to a very public tantrum by Cassidy, everyone knew his name.

Being the youngest ever World MotoGP Champion was everything Killian could have ever imagined. Money, fast bikes, fast cars and even faster women took over his life. He was famous, and for far more than simply being the younger brother of Liam Jones, and now the spotlight was firmly on him. Everything he did was in the limelight, sponsors were smothering him, everyone desperately trying to get a chance to pay him to wear their logos.

Cassidy was not amused. Everything Killian now had, had been taken from him in the blink of an eye. The media played into their rivalry and in a way, they both used it to their advantage off the track, but on the track they were more serious. Killian was a racer, a true gentleman, but Neal was exactly as Liam had feared; a rat. He took every opportunity he had to exact legal and yet dangerous moves during a race to try and run Killian onto the gravel, but Killian was two steps ahead of him, taking another title, much to Cassidy’s distaste.

Liam had returned to the racing circuit as promised the following year. During his time off, and seeing the possible potential from an all Jones racing team, Liam had been approached by Honda’s MotoGP division. They had asked him to be Killian’s new racing partner, the team seeing that the brothers were more than just two World Champions. They were unstoppable. With both brothers under their wing, Honda won the constructors championship in 2007 as well as claiming a one/two victory for both their riders.

Liam’s come back to racing had earned him a podium place finish in nearly every race, losing only to his younger brother. Racing Killian was fun, and it brought back memories of why he had loved racing in the first place. There was no malice, only two brothers competing at a sport they both loved more than anything else. At the end of the 2007 season, Liam stood on the second step, proud to have lost to Killian, who took pride of place at the top, another World Champion title under his belt at just twenty seven years old.

Neal Cassidy had finished third, but at over fifteen points behind Liam, he hadn’t even come close to the brothers success.

It was a whirlwind, everything happening so fast that when Killian got a call from Elsa one sunny afternoon at practice, he was more than unprepared from her words.

“It’s Liam.”

Killian’s heart had plummeted, the dread in him stomach rising to his throat and constricting his airway, his own anxiety strangling him where he stood on the blazing hot tarmac. He was thankful for the sunglasses he wore because they shielded the tears that had welled in his eyes, but they couldn’t hide the flush of heat that crept over his cheeks so they matched the colour of his team shirt. His words had the entire paddock looking in his direction, the strain in his screeching voice making every mechanic down their tools and listen, their own hearts in their mouths.

A near miss. That’s what the doctors had called it, but both Killian and Elsa had come far closer to losing what they loved most than they had ever wanted. Liam had been in a crash, on his day off no less, the car coming out of nowhere and him, unable to stop, flying over the hood and sliding into a concrete pillar. Luckily he was in his leathers and not travelling very fast, but his motorcycle was ruined, written off in the impact. The doctor’s had said Liam was only alive because of his race training on how to fall in a crash.

Coming so close to losing his brother was eye opening for Killian. He never wanted to hear Elsa cry like that again, or listen to the quake in her voice as she had told his eight year old niece that her father was never going to race again. Killian thought he detected a hint of relief in her voice, finally able to have her husband safe and in one piece, something he knew Elsa had worried about since Liam had moved to MotoGP. Moto2 was safe, it made sure he was home each night, even if they did live in a trailer for most of the year. MotoGP was more power, more accidents and more deaths each year than any other tier of the racing world.

Elsa worried for her husband constantly, and Killian had only ever wanted that. Not that he had anyone to wait for him. He wasn’t even dating. He had no time, very little to himself between racing, travelling and practice, sponsorship deals and photoshoots, but nearly losing Liam awoke something in him that even he couldn’t deny. It was time to stop sleeping around with pit girls, overzealous fans, and anyone else who wanted a piece of who he was. None of those encounters were real and Killian knew that if he had never been famous, they wouldn’t have even looked twice in his direction.

Liam had married his childhood sweetheart and Elsa had stuck with him through all of the good times and the bad. That was what Killian wanted. Someone to worry about him as much as Elsa did about Liam, someone to care, but also someone who knew his world, and respected his need to race. He needed to be on a bike. He was happy being last, even to Neal Cassidy, but Killian would never be happy without the sound of an engine in his ears and grease under his fingernails.

Liam retired just into the 2008 season, his professional racing career coming to an end because of the injuries he had sustained in his crash. He would get on a bike again, but he would never be cleared to race, and he was okay with that. At thirty two years old, he felt like he had missed enough of his daughter’s life, missing the little things that made his life worth living. Liam had missed Hayden-Rose’s first steps, her first words, and her first day of school. He wouldn’t miss a single moment more.

Barely two races into the season, with sixteen left in fifteen different countries, Killian was without a teammate. His team had been good to him, and he trusted their judgement, especially when they announced a new kid on the block as his new race partner. Will Scarlet was his name, another young up and comer from England that the team hoped would follow in Killian’s footsteps now that he had filled Liam’s.

Will Scarlet was a little cheeky, sometimes cocky, but he was willing to learn from a rider more experienced than him, and that was all Killian could ask for. Will’s arrogance worked to his advantage, in practice and during races. Unlike so many before him, Scarlet let go of everything he had ever learned climbing the race ladder, knowing the MotoGP was something else. It was where riders were made, where champions were born, but he also knew that if they didn’t listen, it was where riders died.

There was barely any sort of age gap between them, so Killian and Will really hit it off as friends. They had more in common than they realised at first, bonding over England and often getting lost in jokes only they would understand from their homeland. Will also met Liam, who since his retirement had been bitten by the bike bug once more, but having promised Elsa to never race again, had taken a job as the team’s mechanic. He knew more about the bikes than anyone, and his experience as a rider gave him a unique insight into how the bikes could be tweaked for maximum performance. Soon, the Jones-Scarlet team were unstoppable, and at the end of the 2008 race season, Killian stole yet another title from Neal Cassidy.

And again in 2009. 2010 saw him joined on the podium by Will, both riders finishing out their seasons in first and second place respectively. They were the ultimate riding duo, other teams trying to poach them at least twice a week, but Killian and Will were loyal to Honda, the team that had made them and giving them so many opportunities.

Things were good. But every good thing has to come to an end eventually.

[sbknews]

Toprak Razgatlioglu is the new WorldSBK Champion

The Turkish rider claimed the 2021 WorldSBK Championship in Indonesia, denying Jonathan Rea a seventh consecutive title. After a hard-fought 2021 season, Toprak Razgatlioglu (Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK) was crowned the 2021 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Champion at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit. Toprak Razgatlioglu is the first rider to dethrone six-time WorldSBK Champion Jonathan Rea (Kawasaki Racing Team WorldSBK), also becoming the first ever Turkish WorldSBK Champion. Razgatlioglu claimed the lead of the standings after an eventful Donington Park weekend, although his lead didn't last long when a Rea hat-trick at Assen vaulted him back to the top. The lead kept changing hands, with Razgatlioglu back on top after Navarra – albeit by virtue of full-race wins as he and Rea were level on points going to Magny-Cours – before two changes throughout the Catalunya Round: Rea taking the lead after Race 1 in Barcelona before the newly-crowned Champion claimed it back after Race 2. A dramatic Portuguese Round provided more twists and turns with Razgatlioglu holding the lead by 24 points heading into the penultimate round of the season at the Circuito San Juan Villicum venue, whilst the Turkish rider arrived at the season finale with a 30-point advantage over Rea. Second place at the end of Sunday's Race 1 in the season-ending Indonesian Round, Razgatlioglu claimed the 2021 WorldSBK title. At 25 years, 1 month and 5 days, Razgatlioglu becomes the third-youngest Champion of the category, behind James Toseland (23 years 11 months and 28 days, 2004) and Troy Corser (24 years 11 months, 1996). He started his motorcycle career competing in the IDM Yamaha R6 Cup and in the Turkish Road Race 600cc Championship in 2011 and 2012. He then moved to the Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup for 2013 and 2014. He took one win in the class in 2014 during the Sachsenring event, showcasing his potential from very early on. Later in the year, he made his European Superstock 600 Championship debut at Magny-Cours as a wildcard, winning his first ever race. It was clear that a future star was emerging right before us. In 2015, he joined the WorldSBK paddock racing in the Superstock 600 class full-time, claiming the title in his first season in the category. He then moved to Superstock 1000 for the 2016 and 2017 seasons, finishing second in the standings in his second season and taking wins. In 2018, he made the move to the premier class with Kawasaki Puccetti Racing, shocking everyone when he took two podiums – a first by beating Jonathan Rea in the last lap of Race 2 at Donington Park and a second at the all-new San Juan venue – and was the rookie of the year. 2019 was a significant year in many ways for Razgatlioglu; he emerged as a true contender and after eight podiums, he took a first win in a last lap fight with Rea at Magny-Cours, doubling up in the Tissot Superpole Race. Ending the year fifth overall with 13 podiums and the Best Independent Riders’ award, Toprak switched from Kawasaki to join the ranks of Yamaha and the Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK outfit. In 2020, he finished his first season with Yamaha in fourth place, taking a stunning win in his first ever race for the team at Phillip Island, before two more followed during the final round of the year at Estoril. In 2021, he achieved 13 wins, 29 podiums and 3 pole positions. With a 25-point advantage over his closest competitor Jonathan Rea, Toprak Razgatlioglu becomes the 2021 WorldSBK Champion, the 18th one in Championship history, coincidentally crowned in the 18th final round title decider. The newly-crowned Champion will remain with Yamaha until 2023 and both will aim to continue challenging many records. Their target will be set on making it two in a row for Razgatlioglu.

Toprak Razgatlioglu, Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK: "First, I want to say thank you to my family and to Kenan Sofuoglu because we are a big family. Also, thanks to my team, they did an incredible job this year. Sometimes we crashed, sometimes we had good races and finally we are here. I’m really happy. It’s a special day for me today because this Championship is for my dad. It has always been my dream. He’s not here anymore, he passed away, but I feel he is watching. I’m really happy. It’s an incredible day for me and we are World Champion. Thanks to everyone!"

Key moments of 2021 13 wins | 29 podiums | 3 pole positions First Turkish WorldSBK Champion First Yamaha rider with 29 podium places in a season First Yamaha rider with nine consecutive podiums Rider info Place of birth: Alanya, TUR Age: 25 Team: Pata Yamaha with Brixx WorldSBK Bike: Yamaha YZF R1 Crew chief: Phil Marron 2020: WorldSBK – P4 Rider statistics 1st round: Phillip Island ‘18 Race starts: 119 Wins: 18 Podium places: 53 Pole positions: 4 Fastest laps: 13 Titles: 1 World Championship career: 2011 - 2012: IDM Yamaha R6 Cup | Turkish Road Race 600cc Championship 2013 – 2014: Red Bull MotoGP Rookies Cup 2015: Superstock 600 European Championship 2016 – 2017: Superstock 1000 European Championship 2018 – 2021: MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship

For more info checkout our dedicated World Superbike News page World Superbike News Or visit the official World Superbike website WorldSBK.com Read the full article

[freenewstoday]

New Post has been published on https://freenews.today/2021/04/01/tsunoda-best-f1-rookie-in-years-says-brawn/

Tsunoda best F1 rookie in years, says Brawn

Formula One’s motorsport managing director Ross Brawn has hailed Yuki Tsunoda as the best rookie in years after the Japanese scored points on his debut in Bahrain last Sunday.

The former Ferrari technical director who also ran the Honda, Brawn and Mercedes teams, said he had been impressed by the 20-year-old AlphaTauri driver’s “brilliant spells” in the season-opener.

“He is the best rookie F1 has had for years, having been fairly stunning in whatever series he has competed in,” said the Briton in a column for the F1.com.

“His promotion by Red Bull looks like a brilliant move. We can all remember the glorious days of full grandstands at Suzuka and the passion of the Japanese fans.

“I think we are going to have that again, which is incredibly exciting.”

Yuki Tsunoda finished ninth on his Formula One debut. Peter Fox/Getty Images

Formula One has three rookies this season, one of them last year’s Formula Two winner Mick Schumacher — the son of seven-times world champion and Ferrari great Michael — and the other his Haas team mate Nikita Mazepin.

Schumacher finished 16th, lapped and last on track on Sunday while Russian Mazepin spun off at the third corner — the shortest F1 debut since 2002.

Canadian Nicholas Latifi was the sole rookie last year, failing to score a point with Williams, but the sport had a strong injection of talent in 2019 when Britons George Russell and Lando Norris moved up from F2.

Russell shone last year when he replaced seven-times champion Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes for a race in Bahrain after his compatriot contracted COVID-19.

Norris, fourth on Sunday for McLaren, became the youngest Briton to stand on the F1 podium when he took third in Austria last year.

Tsunoda, who was ninth in Bahrain, was the first Japanese to score points in nearly a decade and the 65th driver to do so on his debut.

His result was the best result by a Japanese since Kamui Kobayashi finished sixth for Toyota in Abu Dhabi in 2009. Kobayashi also finished ninth on his debut that year but points were only awarded to the top eight at the time.

Japan has never had a Formula One race winner, let alone a champion, but Red Bull motorsport consultant Helmut Marko told racefans.net that Tsunoda was the best chance yet.

The last previous rookie to score points in his first race was Belgian Stoffel Vandoorne with McLaren in 2016.

Source

[diarynz]

Rugby World Cup 2019: Michael Cheika's massive gamble as Wallabies name 31-man squad

New Post has been published on https://diary.nz/rugby-world-cup-2019-michael-cheikas-massive-gamble-as-wallabies-name-31-man-squad/

Rugby World Cup 2019: Michael Cheika's massive gamble as Wallabies name 31-man squad

If Michael Cheika was hoping to put the embarrassment of the Wallabies’ most recent drubbing at the hands of the All Blacks behind him, he was out of luck at the announcement of the 31-man squad for the Rugby World Cup in Japan.

The Wallabies head coach has taken a massive gamble in selecting his team for the marquee event next month by including only two recognised halfbacks and naming unproven teenager Jordan Petaia at an event in Sydney.

The 19-year-old fullback is set to become the youngest Australian to feature at the World Cup and has been selected despite playing less than 100 minutes of Super Rugby in 2019 due to injury.

Michael Hooper will captain the squad featuring no fewer than 18 World Cup rookies, with David Pocock and Adam Ashley-Cooper, on the cusp of a record fourth appearance at the tournament, two of the most experienced players.

Wallabies players walk down a stairway as their names are called out in Sydney on Friday. Photo / News Corp Limited Australia

Three hookers – Tolu Latu, Folau Fainga’a and Jordan Uelese – have been included but there was no room on the plane for Brumbies No 9 Joe Powell or giant lock Will Skelton.

“We’ve become a really tight group and it was a very difficult process in picking only 31 players, but I know each player selected will travel to Japan with the full support of those teammates who won’t board the flight,” Cheika said.

“We have worked really hard at building each week and each game so far this season and play a brand of rugby that Australia would be proud of and get every player contributing towards the outcome.

“It’s also important that we select a squad that will handle the tournament play and our draw in particular at the Rugby World Cup, as well as maintain a strong competition for places in the team.”

Cheika, widely regarded as one of the most paranoid coaches around, might have even more reason to think someone in the game is out to get him…

According to AAP, eagle-eyed TV presenters noticed the numbers 3, 6, and 0 – in that order – on two different occasions during the team naming.

This comes less than a week after the All Blacks avenged their unexpected defeat in Perth with an emphatic 36-0 victory at Eden Park – in the process retaining the Bledisloe Cup for a 16th straight year.

In one picture posted to social media, Cheika can be seen standing behind a podium in a Qantas hangar while reading out the 31 names for next month’s tournament. – with microphones 3, 6, and 0 visible in front of him.

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika was reminded of the recent All Blacks humiliation during his Rugby World Cup team naming in Sydney on Friday. Photo / News Corp Limited Australia

As if that wasn’t strange enough, the numbers (and the exact order) were repeated on the side of the stairway the players walked down as their names were called out.

The Wallabies’ World Cup squad: Backs: Kurtley Beale, Dane Haylett-Petty, Reece Hodge, Marika Koroibete, Jordan Petaia, Adam Ashley-Cooper, TevitaKuridrani, James O’Connor, Samu Kerevi, Matt Toomua, Christian Lealiifano, Bernard Foley, Nic White, Will Genia. Forwards: Isi Naisarani, Jack Dempsey, Michael Hooper (capt), David Pocock, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, Rory Arnold, Izack Rodda, Adam Coleman, Rob Simmons, Allan Alaalatoa, Taniela Tupou, Sekope Kepu, Scott Sio, James Slipper, Tolu Latu, Folau Fainga’a, Jordan Uelese.

Source link