#following team orders

[andydrysdalerogers]

To The Limit ~ Eight

F1 Racer Johnny Storm x OFC Maya Levinson

Summary: He's been away from the sport for 2 years. He has 24 races to prove he belongs here. There are two things that could derail this: his family and her.

She's the one thing he is willing to push to the limit for.

This a sequel to my original story, "Following Team Orders" If you want to get caught up in my Formula One world, you can find it HERE

The tag list is open!

Future Warnings: references to a partner's death, cheating (but not by the MCs,) alcohol consumption, SMUT!, angst, racing incidents, language, grief, etc.

Moon Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Car divider and Banners by me!

Previous Chapter: Seven

Story Master List // Main Master List

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Carlos 

I have made it to the top.  

Ferrari. 

It is the ultimate team to drive for.  And now I have the honor of racing in red.  

I have a beautiful girlfriend. She is smart and driven. Connected.  

I should be basking in the glow.  

Instead, I’m glowering.  

Standing in the shadows, I see my girl and the new Mercedes driver, Johnny Storm, looking at her tablet, laughing.  

I took his place when he was let go. They brought me up from Formula Two when Nick Fowler took over the team a few years ago. They told me he was good, but not great.  Always a bridesmaid and never a bride or so the Americans say.  It was fine by me.  I was a two time Formula Two series champion. I’ve laid a handful of fastest laps in Formula One cars before my full time ride.  

And yet, this little white boy is making moves on my woman. I watch as they talk over a tablet, making plans for PR, joking, her beautiful face radiant like the sun. We’ve been together for almost two years. I haven’t seen her smile like that in a long time.  

We had been talking about moving forward, taking the next steps in our relationship. Having Maya meant that other opportunities could arise.  Yes, Ferrari is the top name in the sport but not the top team.  Those titles firmly belong to Mclaren, Mercedes and Red Bull.  I did not have an in at Red Bull. Steve Rogers is firmly their number one along with James Barnes. And Mclaren had my best friend, Lando Norris.  I didn’t want his spot or to complicate anything.  

This left Mercedes.  Hence Maya. Is it calculating to date the principal’s sister? Probably. But you have to be ruthless to get ahead in the most competitive sport in the world.  My phone alerted me to my own PR duties and with one more look at my woman and that asshole, I walked away.  

As I changed into a fresh polo, my phone buzzed with an incoming message.  

M: I miss you  C: I miss you too  M: when can we meet up?   C: not tonight querida. I have a dinner I must attend.   M: fine. I could stop by around midnight 

I think on this. Yes, I could pull that off.  

C: si I will be alone tonight. Will you wear the red?  M: oui  

I lick my lips at the idea of seeing my girl. 

Well, one of them 

I sit with Maya at a café for an early breakfast. I was lucky when Monique lefts around three AM. Maya was at my door by six am, but I had managed to have housekeeping change the sheets before she arrived. 

“Querida, why are you so close to Storm?” I sip my coffee as I wait for her answer.  

“He just needs more help with everything. You must understand.” 

I grunted in reply. “Just seems like you one getting closer than co-workers more like I.” 

“Like what? He is a friend, sort of.” Maya took a sip, and I watched as her brain formulated a response. “He’s been out of the scene for a while, he has his son to think about. It’s a lot for one person. His poor wife died in childbirth, so he just needs a friend on the team.” 

“Then have Russell become his friend.” 

“George is young and still doesn’t know about the baby.” She gave me a glare. “What is this really about Carlos?” 

Now I took some time to think. “I think he wants what’s mine, amor.” I took her hand. “He wants you. And you are making it very easy for him. Remember who you belong to, Querida.”  

“You don't own me, Carlos. We,” she points to both of us, “are partners.” She moves to get out of her seat, but I grabbed her arm. She squeeks.“Carlos, you’re...” 

“Sit, Maya,” I growled out. She sit with wide eyes. “You maybe my partner but I did claim you as mine. Do not interact with Storm like that again. Work with him, talk to him about work but if you embarrass me, it will not end well for you. Me entendes?’ (You understand?) She nods with a shine in her eyes. I let go of her arm and kiss her elbow, then her hand. My voice turns tender. I caress her face. “Te amo, princessa.” 

We walk back to the hotel, hand in hand. She didn’t question me because she knows her place.  

Johnny 

I’m slipping on my gloves when I get a message from Susie 

Susie: if I have to hear your kid call out Dada one more time I might lose it  Johnny: That’s my boy  Susie: We’re watching preshow to practice and your picture keeps coming up 

Makes my heart swell to know that Mattie recognizes me. I’m finishing up, handing over my phone and wedding ring to my assistant. I keep Mollie’s rings on around my neck, which I kiss before tucking them under my fireproofs. “What’s got you smiling like that?” I turn to see Maya walking towards me.  

“Mattie being just the cutest baby in the world.  Takes after me.” I smirk as I grab my balaclava. I look over Maya, trying to ignore the stirring that I feel in my belly.  She looks gorgeous in her white Mercedes button down and her hair in a braid to the side. But I notice some darkening skin on elbow. “What happened there?” 

She flushes and rolls the sleeve down. “Nothing. I bumped into the doorway while texting on my phone.”  

I frown. The marks look like someone fingers. “Maya...” 

“It’s nothing Storm. Good luck in practice.” She walks away from me fast and I watch her go.  Something doesn’t smell right but unless Maya tells the truth, I need to keep this to myself.  I pull the balaclava on and then my helmet.  I’m in the car, adjusting and being strapped in.  I have to focus on this practice.  I need something to go right. Japan is not a joke of a track and losing focus could cost me big.  

Getting onto the track is smooth sailing. I weave when I can to get some heat into my tires.  Tires in Formula One are tricky. You want to have them warm so the rubber will begin to stick to the track, giving traction and speed.  But if they get warmed up too much, they start to bubble up and peel, leaving rubber on the track and lose grip. It is a science and F1 engineers are some of the brightest minds in the sport.  

I hear the crackle of the radio and Olivia’s voice comes over. “You have good temp Torch. Ready to do this.”  

“Copy Liv. Ready to rock and roll.”  

“George is starting a fast lap up ahead. Thirty seconds to the line.“ 

“Copy.”  

I see the flag indicating the last corner and I gun it, getting to speed to start my flying lap. I can feel the hum of the car and I sink into the driving headspace.  

Until I feel an unusual vibration. “Livie, I’m feeling the car pull.” 

“Copy Johnny. Everything is looking ok.” 

“Are you sure because...” that’s when the car pulls violently towards the grass. “Fuck!” I try to correct the move, but I just slide towards the opposite wall. I’m going 200 kilometers an hour and I know that this is about to suck. I try to brace but there is nothing stopping me from going 27 Gs into the wall.  

And the world goes dark.  

I can hear the silence around me.  And then Olivia’s frantic voice. “Johnny? Torch, can you hear me? Are you ok?” 

It takes a moment for me to orient myself and press the radio button. “Yeah, I’m ok.”  I am not ok. My head feels disconnected from my body, but I just feel sore, nothing broken.  

“Medical car is on its way,” I hear Olivia say before I disconnect myself and start to exit the car. I see a track official, and he calls out, asking if I’m ok.  I give him a thumbs up and continue to extract myself.  Finally, someone else helps me out of the car and I stand before leaning forward with my hands on my knees. The next thing I think is Mattie. Fuck, I hope he wasn’t watching.  He may not understand what is happening but I don’t want them to say my name and scare him.  

“Johnny,” I see the event medical doctor in front of me. “Talk to me.”  

“My ribs hurt and I think I hit my head,” I tell him.  

“Ok, keep your helmet on and walk with me to the medical car.”  We slowly trek to the car as I see the skid marks on the track and gravel.  I look back and see that I hit the wall sideways, hard and fast. The medical car is only deployed during an accident where trauma is obvious or if a car hits at more that 18 Gs of force.  

The car takes us immediately to the medical center where I strip and get x-rays. I just pray that I’m not too hurt. I’m sitting in the exam room, holding my ribs a little. Ari comes in. “Johnny.” 

“Hey boss.” I smile with a grimace.  

“Has the doctor seen you?” 

“Not yet.” I moved and groaned. “Nothing feels broken; I’m just sore.”  

“More than sore, Mr., Storm.”  Doc came in. “I don’t see signs of a concussion or broken ribs but they are strained.”  

“Just tell me I can drive Doc,” I said, trying not to plead but you could still hear it.  

The doctor sighs. “Medically, you should be ok. Personally, I think you should sit. But the call is up to you.”  

“Thank you, Doc,” Ari says with a handshake. He turned to me. “What do you think?” 

“I think I want to race.” I set my jaw as Ari studied me.  

“Ok, we are working to repair the car. The data is showing that the battery died and cause the steering column to freeze up.”  

“I know that, Johnny. No one is saying you are.” Ari crossed his arms. “Are you sure you’re ok?” 

“I’m good boss. I’m just frustrated with the car. I can’t keep driving like this. I’m nervous that the car will just blow upon me. You want to know why? I’m scared my son is going to lose another parent and it’s pissing me off that it’s my team that might cause it!” I’m losing my patience and I know it’s not Ari’s fault but he’s right in front of me.  

“I get it, Johnny. You’re a father and I get it. When Maya became my responsibility, it was so hard to concentrate on racing when she still needed me. I will talk with the team and with the factory. We will solve this. For now, let’s get the car right and sit out this practice. I want to give the engineers plenty of time to fix the car. Head to the hotel and spend time with your boy.”  

I blow out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “What about the press?” 

“I’ll have Maya take care of it.” Ari put his hand one my shoulder. “We’ll fix this.”  

I nod and get up gently. “I’m sorry for losing my cool.”  

“Would have been concerned if you hadn’t. Say hi to Susie and Mattie.” He walked out as I collected my helmet and gloves. One of the crew has a golf cart to take me back to my driver room. Quick change and out to the car. Luckily I avoided the press and made it to my hotel suite.  

“Dada!” Mattie sees me as soon as I walk through the door and I see a fat tear roll down his face. I take two steps and lift my boy in my arms. He buries his tiny face into my neck and I hug him tightly, fighting my own tears.  

“It’s ok Slugger. I’m ok and I’m here.” I rub his back to smooth him. I look up to see Susie with shiny eyes. “I’m so sorry Susie.”  

She comes over and we have a group hug. “You scared us, Johnny. When Ari called and said you were ok, I couldn’t believe it until we heard your radio.” 

“Did he see?” 

“Yeah and when they said your name and showed your picture he pointed and asked about you. Then he heard doctor and he started to cry. Cried himself to sleep for a while.”  

“I’m so sorry buddy.” I kiss his head, but his little fists are tight on my shirt. “I’m done for the day Sue. If you want to take some time…” 

“I’m gonna go do some shopping.” She gets me. Twin power and all that. “Reed asked for some food from Japan.”  

“Thanks Susie.” She kissed Mattie’s head and then my cheek. After she left, I laid down with my boy on my chest. My rib screamed but I wouldn’t move for anything. I felt his breathing slow and then his little snores. I must have fallen asleep as well, but I jerked when I heard a knock at the door. Mattie moved to rub at his eyes and I cursed under my breath. I got up carefully, keeping Mattie in my arms. I opened the door to see Maya. “Maya? Everything ok?” 

“I should be asking you that. Can I come in?” I opened the door wider, and she walked past me as Mattie lifted his head to see who was here. “Hi Mattie.”  

“Dada,” he points to me. Maya smiles. “Yep, that’s your daddy.” Mattie smiles and hides.  

My son has no shame. “Always flirting with a pretty girl.”  I wink at Maya. “You think Luna is pretty, Slugger?” 

“La la.” Mattie points to Maya. “La la.”  

“That’s right Slugger! That’s Luna.” I kiss his head. Then I turn to Maya. “What’s up?” 

“Just wanted to check on you. Told the press you are resting and will be at FP3 tomorrow.” Maya sighed. “I also thought we could hang and get to know each other.”  

“What about Sainz?” 

She shrugged. “He’s at a sponsor event. We don’t usually go to team events together when there are sponsor reps.”  

“Ah. Well, we’re about to have some Mac and cheese and a Bluey marathon. Want in?” 

Maya eyes me curiously. “What’s Bluey?” 

“What’s Bluey?! Oh Luna, time to start your Bluey education, right Slugger?” 

“Boo,” Mattie replies, nodding and then pointing to the TV.  

“Alright. Bluey it is.” Maya smiles and we get setup in front of the tv.. 

Mattie is fascinated with Bluey, holding his own Bluey and babbling with the show. “Kids really watch this?” Maya asks as she pops in another cookie. 

“Yep, and adults. Sometimes the innuendos fly over the kids, but they are hilarious.” I take a sip of my drink and look down. The bruises on her arm are a deeper purple than before. I put my arm around her. “You know I’m here for you Luna. You know you can always come to me. For anything.”  

She quiet for a long time, keeping her eyes on the screen. I let my fingers stroke her arm, watching her from the corner of my eye. I see a silent tear slide down her face and my heart breaks for her. She leans her head on my shoulder and I let her cry. 

Maya 

I’m nervous. Practice went well for Johnny and qualifying went gangbusters. He finished in 7th position. We are now midway through the race and Johnny has moved up to fifth. I’m listening to the radio and Liv comes on. “Johnny, Sainz is ahead 1.6 with 12 laps remaining.”  

“Copy. Tires are good.”  

“Copy.”  

Ari makes a note and looks at the telemetry. I lean over to him. “Do you think he can do it?” 

“It’s possible.” Ari frowns. “Carlos is good but I think Johnny has the drive. He’s hungry.”  

After our evening together, I had been avoiding him and Carlos. I couldn’t tell Johnny about what happened because I still wasn’t sure did happen. Carlos had never laid hands on me before but he scared me enough that I wasn’t sure what to do. When Johnny held me, I finally found peace if only for a few hours.  

“Johnny, we have a virtual safety car,” Olivia radioed. “Please slow down.” 

What happened? 

“Barnes took a spin and clipped the wall. He’s ok and the car is in position to be moved behind the wall.” Olivia stopped for a second. “Ok, safety car has been deployed.”  

“What’s that going to do with the strategy?” 

“Standby.” Olivia talks with Ari and the head engineer. “Ok Torch,” smiling as she says the name. “Barnes going out pushes you to fourth. Safety car will be in two laps leaving us with five to go. Order is Rogers, Leclerc, Sainz and you. You have speed over Norris behind you so let’s see if you can get Sainz at the start.”  

“Copy.”  

The safety car goes in and the race goes green but the Ferrari cars are fast. They get the jump on Rogers and Charles moves into first. Now Steve is fighting for his place back and fending off Carlos. Carlos has pulled ahead of Johnny by a bigger gap and the race ends with Johnny in fourth.  

“Great job Torch! That P4!” 

“Thank you, guys! Great job! You were amazing giving me this car.”  

He pulls in and climbs out to be weighed and comes into the garage with cheers. George follows him in, having finished in sixth and congratulates him on his drive. He finally has a moment to himself when I approach. “Fantastic job Johnny.”  

He smiles his beautiful smile and I swallow at the feeling of tightness in my chest. He’s so handsome when he smiles. When he’s angry. When he holds his little boy. “Thanks Luna.”  

“Mega job, really.” I give him a hug and reach up to kiss his cheek. Except he moves and he kisses my lips. We jump apart and I start to apologize. “Johnny, I’m so…” but I don’t finish.  

Because Johnny cups my cheek and stares into my eyes. Then he raises his other hand and kisses me again with so much passion that I lose myself in the kiss.  

A kiss that should not be happening but that I never want to end.  

NEXT

Taglist:

@patzammit

@texmexdarling

@slutforchrisjamalevans

@firephotogrl74

@tinkerbelle67

@before-we-get-started

@bunnyforhim

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@sunnyhummingbee

@whiskeytangofoxtrot555

@peaceinourtime82

@saucy-sassy-sparkly

@kmc1989

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@lokislady82

@raven-blue3000

[s0fter-sin]

something happening on a mission, something personal that has soap spiralling; panic and rage making him reckless, thoughtless, and ghost has to draw the line

“you’re compromised johnny; you know what that means?”

“you’re not pulling me out,” soap immediately snarls. he turns on him and ghost barely recognises him; venomous fear turning his eyes to unyielding ice. "you're not sidelining me; i need to be in this-!"

but ghost has never been afraid of venom; spat or dripped straight from bared fangs.

he snakes out a hand grip the back of his neck, jerking him in a rough shake. "if you can't think, you can't be a soldier," he growls and he flinches like he's been struck.

his lips quiver as they twist in a sneer and he wrenches, trying to free himself of his hold.

ghost doesn't let him.

"it means you give your body to me because your head ain't fucking attached to it anymore."

soap stills, body trembling beneath his hand as he sucks in shaking breaths.

he tightens his grip, pulling him closer and digs his forehead hard into his. “it means you give yourself to me so i can have the weapon that you are and use you the way you're meant to be used."

the ice in soap's eyes fractures.

ghost’s voice drops to a whisper, spoken only to johnny, not this facade of vengeance and pain, and wills it to reach him through the glaciers.

“so i can keep you safe ‘til it’s done and i can bring you back.”

[aaanyaajpg]

HE IS PISSED, AS HE SHOULD RIGHTFULLY BE!

And the amount of “Ferrari fired the wrong driver,” glazing is insane

[flyingfish-in-a-boat]

just watched a video about oscar potentially challenging norris in the near future and what that would mean for mclaren, and they mentioned how mark, as oscars manager would likely be very protective of him when it comes to team orders and I genuinely can't wait for mclaren team orders to favor norris in some way and mark to absolutely flip out

what i imagine (pray for):

[lewishamiltonstuff]

Day 12 of sharing photos from my f1 cursed/reaction photos folder.

[mangotelevision]

au where at the end of season one before the big battle, katelyn is the one that burnt meteli down. katelyns last act as a member of the jury was the destruction of meteli- the last order she fulfilled to the letter under zane romeave was to burn meteli to the ground and katelyn always followed orders, shes a dog of ok'hasis to the end

she won't say, she won't admit it, but everyone knows. who else on the jury could do such a complete job, who else could leave nothing but ashes? They don't blame her, she was following orders, but cadenza does.

Katedenza angst 🗣️🗣️🗣️

cadenza blames her and yet she loves her, it's what intrigued her about katelyn in the beginning. she needed to know what was going through this woman's head, she needed to know who could burn someone's home to the ground. the traitor. she thought she'd find a soldier, someone proud of their strength- instead she found regret, a deep thing that she loathes more than anything.

to cadenza, the destruction of her home was a casualty of katelyn's cowardice, of her inability to find a solution other than violence

[thingsmethinks]

Just had to see a comment on IG that compared S*inz to Nico Rosberg "They wanted a Bottas but got a Rosberg instead" and I need a cigarette

[hyacinthsdiamonds]

"You didn't care when Daniel took the fastest lap point-"

1, that was Daniel's last race, most likely his last ever in f1. RB's tp has gone on record about the team wanting to give Daniel something if it was the end, something to carry with him. That's why they pitted him so that he could go for it. He had nothing to lose. There's a lot about Daniel's exit that was shitty, the fastest lap is probably the only exception. Also, @ anybody who thinks Max knew/was the deciding factor re: Daniel's fate, yeah he might've had an incline due to how the media talked about Daniel that weekend because literally everyone was talking about it, but if red bull have been refusing to listen to him about the car, why would they suddenly listen to him if he said the driver lineup of RB should change? Like even re: the main red bull lineup, Max vocally supports keeping Checo as his teammate, which seemingly hasn't stopped either horner or marko from approaching other drivers.

2, the biggest one and the most infuriating thing. The FIA delayed the VSC to allow the swap to happen. The deliberately flounced safety procedures directly endangered Nico Hulkenberg and the other drivers still running in the race. These safety procedures exist for a reason. They got lucky no one was harmed. Never take that for granted. That's the biggest fucking difference between these two situations.

[weaponproficiencies]

haley/haley warriors how are we feeling

[youchangedmedestiel]

Dean leaving instruction manuals for Cas in the bunker

Dean knows Cas is good at following orders, because Cas told him how he easily managed to build Jack’s crib when Kelly was about to give birth. Dean saw how satisfied and useful he seemed when he told him this story.

So now, in the bunker, Dean lets instruction manuals near every objects that needs it. It started with the coffee machine, because Cas likes making coffee for them in the morning. And that just makes Dean smile early in the day to know that Cas felt useful and enjoyed doing that for them. At first, Sam complained about having manuals spread everywhere, but he has to admit he kind of likes having his coffee ready when he gets up or comes back from a run, so he just stopped.

He complained because it’s not only for the coffee machine now. The instruction manual for the TV rests constantly on the furniture where it is settled in the Dean Cave, in case they are out on a hunt and Cas wants to watch some Netflix. In the library, Dean wrote down multiple instructions for Cas when he uses Dean’s computer for different purposes. And now it covers at least half of a table. There is one on how to research for a case, another to track security footage in case they disappear and also one on how not to watch Dean’s porn. This ended up useful for Jack too, even for Dean once when he was still drunk from the previous night and Cas wasn’t there to make coffee.

[andydrysdalerogers]

To The Limit ~ A "Following Team Orders" Sequel

Characters: Johnny Storm x OFC Maya Levinson

Synopsis:

Twenty Four Races 

One Season 

His last chance. 

Johnny Storm has had a good career in Formula One.  The only thing he doesn’t have is a championship.  And it looks like he may never have one. Especially when the perfect storm of events changes his life and Formula One is pushed aside for two years.  

Until a miracle offer comes through.  

Now he has one season to prove himself to be a champion. His focus should be driving the best he can, even with his personal life in the shadows. And especially not on the hottie on  his crew.  She is beautiful, smart, and completely taken.  

He should also remember, she’s the team principal’s sister. But he didn’t earn his nickname, Torch, without burning rubber and pushing to the limit.  

One season,  

Twenty Four Races 

Can he win it all? 

Warning: references to a partner's death, cheating (but not by the MCs, alcohol consumption, SMUT!, angst, racing incidents, language, grief, etc.

Banner by me!

Dividers by @firefly-graphics

Prologue // Chapter 1 // Chapter 2 // Chapter 3 // Chapter 4 // Chapter 5 // Chapter 6 // Chapter 7 // Chapter 8 // Chapter 9// Chapter 10 // Chapter 11 // Chapter 12

I'm tagging my normal taglist but if you would like to be removed, please let me know.

Taglist:

@patzammit

@texmexdarling

@slutforchrisjamalevans

@firephotogrl74

@tinkerbelle67

@before-we-get-started

@bunnyforhim

@alexakeyloveloki

@sunnyhummingbee

@whiskeytangofoxtrot555

@peaceinourtime82

@saucy-sassy-sparkly

@kmc1989

@kandis-mom

@lokislady82

@raven-blue3000

[charles-leclerc-official]

So the best strategy for Ferrari going into tomorrow is to have Charles focus on keeping close to Max(within 2 seconds 3 max) and having Carlos defend against Checo.

We'll have to see if they do this and how well Carlos can defend against a Red Bull.

We saw in the sprint that Charles can stay within that gap to Max, so it really will come down to Charles being able to pull that off, and Carlos doing his part to keep him from having to worry about Checo behind.

[sidesteppostinghours]

pulps law is that whenever i get insane enough about something, i will inevitably attempt to make a persona 5 au, regardless of whether or not i am successful at it.

[papayafiles]

sometimes it feels like max exists in a different universe from the rest of us because wdym you think oscar is driving slowly on purpose to help his teammate. did you just watch the same race we did. it must be nice existing in a team with such a clear 1-2 dynamic when you’re fighting for the wdc where your teammate Will actually compromise their own race in any way possible to help you but unfortunately this isn’t checo perez in a red bull it’s oscar piastri in a mclaren

[hotandcoldest]

the ferrari subplot in las vegas is so confusing to me, like… why would charles expect carlos to help him get second in the standings, what does carlos gain from that? does it really matter being second in the standings?

[janesurlife]

Why do they always bring team orders like only charles get them? they both follow orders, it's their job. I think they learnt the term "team order" and haven't shut up ever since