#like he was having such a good race despite ferrari doing their best to fuck it up there for a second

[or-did-i-dont-didnt-send-it]

i have no one to talk to irl about this race right now (everyone in the house has gone to sleep it’s 3am here) so im sorry in advance for dumping this on here but this is a warning for the tag vent(that i will definitely be deleting soon) because i love u all and care about your dash experience so if you don’t want to witness a disjointed minor breakdown look away lmao

[anyalovesu]

𝓗ome race winner

 Ferrari f1driver!jake x fem!writer!reader

—wherein your f1 driver boyfriend accidentally exposes your private relationship after he wins his first home grand prix. (or… jake is so whipped he forgot that he wasn’t supposed to reveal to everyone and their mom that you were more than friends)

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

genre : fluff ( slightly suggestive ending lmao )

pairings : jake x fem!reader

wc : 4.7k+ words

cw :

☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ oc is mentioned ( yunhee )

☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ non-idol!au ; ferrari f1 driver!jake , writer!reader

☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ jake is smitted as fuck and his friends can't say anything about it

☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ riki and the reader are siblings!

☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ ( ft. beomgyu from txt ; keeho from p1h ; heeseung and riki from en- )

☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ featured idols are mentioned to have wags who are fem or fem-bodied

☾₊‧⁺˖⋆ not proofread ( yet )

song : the alchemy - taylor swift ( the tortured poets department , 2024 )

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

You sit quietly in your hotel bed typing away on your laptop, trying to make as much progress in your book as you could before the weekend becomes too hectic for you and Jake as he prepares to drive for his home race. Jake has been constantly getting podium wins, scoring just enough points for him to be a good competitor for the WDC this season. While Jake generally does keep an optimistic aura around him whenever he does or does not win, you knew that not being to bag this race for his team would greatly disappoint him, considering that if does win his home race, he would have enough points to surpass the Choi Beomgyu, who is currently at the top spot of the driver’s championship.

You frequently went to Jake’s races, you usually came with some of your common friends from your highschool, which then successfully hid from the media the fact that you two have been dating for the past 4 years, before he even debuted in Formula 1. It wasn’t like you guys were keeping it a secret, if you weren’t such an introvert with crippling anxiety, you would’ve gone on your own and everyone would’ve figured it out right off the bat that you and Jake were together. However, with the frequent presence of yours and Jake’s best friends, Sunoo and Jay, and sometimes your own brother, Riki, whom Jake has been close with ever since, everyone just assumed you were his best friend as well.

Honestly, some fans have speculated it already that some were just in denial of the fact that Jake was in a relationship that’s why they chose to just assume that you guys were just best friends—after all, despite the popularity that Jake has been gaining since his F1 debut 2 years ago, no one ever confirmed that you were together. Even your friends have done a great job keeping hush about it as for both your and Jake’s request in order to preserve the peace that your relationship had from being away from the media’s knowledge. After all, romance is not dead if you keep it just yours, right?

“Bubs, what time do you think you’ll be done writing?” Jake hums, walking over to you, Layla following him behind, who seemed to be still relentlessly excited since being home the past 2 days. She’s dealt with the jetlag better than you ever will because that woman slept through the entire day and woke up the next morning feeling more energetic than ever after the excruciating 16-hour private flight you had to get into with his teammate, Heeseung, and his partner along with some members of their media team. “The other guys have been wanting to hit the beach before media day tomorrow, do you want to come?”

“Just a few more lines and I’ll be good for the day I think,” you reply to him as he sits on the empty side of the bed next to you and glances at the screen in front of you. “What do you think about it?”

“I think your brain is beautiful and everything it writes is written with pink glitter gel pen,” he chuckles, before turning to give you a kiss. “You have such a beautiful mind, bubba.”

In perspective, no one actually expected that you and Jake would be dating. If it weren’t for that fortunate/unfortunate day that your boarding school’s publication assigned your last project with them to be an interview with Jake just when Jake got promoted to Formula 2, you two wouldn’t have met. You still have very mixed feelings about that day because you have always been shy and messaging a rising Formula 2 star for an interview was definitely beyond your limits of comfort—you can bet your bottom dollar that you had a panic attack before that interview because you’ve always been used to the behind-the-scenes productions of your publications. Let’s just say Jake never left you alone after that. 

He’s always been so enamored by the way you think and how gentle words come out of your mouth whenever you speak. He often wondered how much time it took whoever god out there that made you to delicately craft how your mind worked, how your intentions would come to be and how you would act upon it. Jake couldn’t fathom how beautiful you were on the inside and your pretty face was only the cherry on top of all of it. He was certain that even if he was interviewed with his eyes closed, he still would’ve fallen in love with you.

Smitten idiot, Heeseung would always call him.

“I’ve been stuck on this for days now,” you rolled your eyes at him, playfully pushing his face away before huffing in frustration. Your first book did so well two years ago, it came along the same time Jake was promoted to Formula 1, which then gave you both insurmountable pride and joy that you both were doing so well in your careers. “At this rate, I wouldn’t be able to finish this on my target date.”

“Then aim for the next target date,” he chuckled. “Baby. You always say, if I don’t win WDC this year, maybe it’s still too early or maybe the next one will be it. If you don’t finish this on the deadline, maybe your deadline is too early or maybe the next target date will be your actual deadline.”

“How dare you quote me against myself,” you pouted at him, moving your laptop from your lap to the bedside table before climbing up to his lap to look at him. “I taught you better than that.”

“Hmm,” he hummed, grinning so widely as he admired the way your eyes twinkled in the warm Melbourne sun shining through the glass doors of your huge hotel room. “You look so beautiful, bubs.”

“So are you,” you chuckled at him before planting a soft kiss on his lips, to which he gladly returned. You moved away before the kiss got too heated, you were well aware that your little brother, who had only started his Formula 3 journey this season, was staying in the room next door. You would very much like to not traumatize him just before his race as well.

“We should bring Riki along,” you tell him, as you hopped off his lap, moving towards the cabinet where you had already unpacked both of your clothes. “That kid needs to get off Roblox when he’s not training or racing.”

“He’s gonna have to remind you that you’re not your mom when he hears that.” he joked. 

“Yeah, I’m the one feeding and keeping him alive when he’s all over the world driving in funny circles, am I not?” you retort.

“That kid fears you more than his own mother,” Jake shrugged. Riki is driving for the same team that he had driven for during his Formula 2 and 3 days, the fact that he's also driving under the development programme of the current team that he is really did made the two bond like no other. It was a given fact that from the moment you had brought Jake home to meet your family, your little brother had found the older brother that he never had in him. The kid looked up to him since then.

“As he should,” you said as you rummage through the clothes to find a good swimsuit to wear for the beach trip. “Is this good or is it too revealing?”

“If it makes you feel nice, just wear it. Riki and I can fight.” He smiled standing up from the bed and walking over to you to press yet another kiss on your face. Seemed like he really couldn't keep himself away from you for that long.

Frankly, Jake absolutely despised the fact that you were always so anxious of what people thought of you. Were you dressed appropriately? Were you saying the right things? Were you being a good person? You’ve always been the type to do whatever pleases the people around you which led to the decision that it was best to keep your relationship private for the sake of letting you have your peace with the people’s eyes being diverted away from you. Most importantly, just as you try as you might to give him less things to worry about before a race, he tries just as much to give you less things to stress about that might hinder your progress in writing your book.

“I love you, have I told you that already?” you smile at him fondly, taking it to heart the effort he makes to make sure you are comfortable despite your aversion to being in the public eye. 

“Not enough if you have to ask,” he teased. Of course, you’ve already told him that and him the same to you. You’ve always been great with words, Jake figured that while his actions mattered just as much, you dearly appreciate feelings being put into words. So despite not being the very best in words, after being with you for long enough, he made sure that he also knew how to word out his love. It may not have been as good as how you do it, but he tries. 

You chuckle at him, walking over to pepper his face with kisses, mumbling i love you’s over and over after each kiss. 

“Noona! Ikeu! They’re asking if you guys want to come to the beach with us!” Riki blares, while simultaneously banging on the door. “You better not be doing the deed in there because I will vomit and stay inside and play Roblox instead.”

You rolled your eyes, stepping out of Jake’s way as he walked over to open the door for Riki. 

“Why do you even have that damn iPad, Riki?” You raised a brow at your little brother, hands on your hips as you eye the iPad that he was holding. “You’re literally going to the beach!”

“For pictures!”

“You have a phone, Riki!” you both went back and forth about the iPad while Jake stayed out of the conversation by preparing Layla for the trip, making sure she was leashed and ready to go after you change your clothes. After all, he knows better than to stay out of the sibling argument out of fear of also being on the receiving end of your nagging.

“Okay fine I’ll leave it here!” Riki huffed, placing the iPad on the coffee table in your hotel room before moving over to lie down on the sofa with Layla.

The yacht was most definitely fancy. Most of the people in there were just the same people in the grid and their partners, some of Riki’s friends from Formula 2, that you were acquainted with over the few times that you went to Jake’s races. It was usually their partners that you spoke with but every now and then you were on the receiving end of the teases that were only supposed to be directed to Jake. It’s only shits and giggles, you’ve grown comfortable over that since most of them were actually fun people to be with when they’re not driving and trying to push the other driver off the track.

You were helping the other wags take their sunset pictures when Jake approached you, offering your usual pink gin.

“Need something, bubba?” You asked as you felt him clinging on to you, arms snaking around your waist and chin resting on your shoulder as he tried to seem interested in how you took the other driver’s partner’s pictures. 

“Nothing, just missed you a bit. You’ve been with the girls for too long.”

“Jesus Christ, Jaeyun, no one is going to steal Y/N away from you!” Heeseung’s partner rolled their eyes at him, trying to push him away.

“No actually, I will steal Y/N out of spite if you don’t leave us alone,” Beomgyu’s partner jokes before pulling you away from him. “We haven’t seen her in a while, I think you should leave the wags alone here.”

“I will push your boyfriend off the track if you do that,” Jake playfully argues with her before moving over to kiss the side of your head and going back to the other drivers and leaving you to do your own thing.

“Your partners have successfully stolen my girlfriend,” Jake shrugged as he sat next to Heeseung who seemed to be having a great time playing hands with Layla.

“Because you were hogging her the entire time, Jaeyun,” he laughed at him. “The girls have been dying to get her to join them since she had to stay back for uni and you’re hogging their friend all to yourself.”

“Yeah, man. I haven’t congratulated Y/N on graduating recently!” Beomgyu cheered from the bar where he stood waiting for his drink to be made. “Y/N is cool for doing that with a book in-progress.”

“She is,” he hums softly. Watching you interact with the other wags really makes his heart swell in joy. 

You've always had a small social circle. For someone who worked with a publication before and just recently graduated from your film program, you sure did hate being around unfamiliar people. It always took you longer than the other to warm up to new people and consider them your friends. You just never were type for small talk. Whenever you spoke, you always said words that were meaningful and left a lasting memory on everyone who heard it. He remembers you telling him one time that you wished you had more friends because the only friends you ever considered were him, Sunoo and Jake's best friend Jay. Now, seeing you be so close with the entire grid’s wags really makes him proud of how far you’ve come from being too afraid to speak to them to her being immensely missed for not being present after she had to stay back for school.

“You are so whipped, it’s disgustingly cute, man,” Beomgyu shrugged at him, playfully hitting the back of his head. Jake doesn’t mind being teased for being whipped. He is. There’s nothing to deny about that—besides, it’s you. What’s to not be smitten about you? Even the guys’ partners agree with his sentiments.

“I won’t be surprised you become so whipped you accidentally tell everyone and their mom that you two are dating,” Keeho laughed at him. 

“It’s not like we’re keeping it a secret though. We just let everyone assume what they want. We never exclusively said we were just friends though?” Jake explained to him. “Plus the media is harsh as fuck. I really don’t want her going through whatever bullshit they told your partners when they were introduced.”

“Yunhee had to turn off her comments once because of how bad the hate got,” Heeseung sighed, recalling the faint memory of his partner getting blasted with hate comments when they started going out. Looking back at it, he really wished he approached the unavoidable media portion of their relationship the same way as Jake did.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

Anyone in the paddock was shocked to see you with just Yunhee when the weekend came along. Which then resulted in social media having  literal outbreak with the rising suspicions that the Ferrari superstar was in fact out of the market and very much taken by you. There were mixed reactions, as Yunhee told you. You had your social media, but you rarely opened them to check. It didn't help that your work accounts were held by your manager and your socials were private. So Yunhee's input were the only words you could rely on in terms of what the people thought of you.

It made you anxious, to be honest, but after Jake finished a P3, a P2 and a P4 in three free practices, you couldn’t help but divert your attention to that, out of worry that your boyfriend might beat himself for not getting P1 just yet.  It was his home race, you knew getting those finishes might set him back a little so you preferred to just shake it off you instead of giving Jake another thing to think about than winning.

P2. He's starting from P2. Oh God. You were more nervous than ever for both Ferrari drivers as they sat one in front of the other, cars revving as they waited for the lights to go off

“He can do this,” Yunhee assured you, which to be honest was a little bit weird because her boyfriend was still technically competing with yours. Nonetheless, you appreciate her attempts to help you calm down. Only a fool would deny that you were more nervous than the driver with the way you refused to take your usual morning coffee or any heavy food in general—Yunhee would normally tease you if she didn't have a clear understanding how important this is to you as much as it is to Jake.

Your eyes never left the screen as you both sat in the garage, hands clasped tightly together, barely noticing how clammy each other's hands were. 

The last few laps were rolling more and more intensely as it passed by. Both Ferrari drivers were leading the race with Heeseung holding pole position is a millisecond of a gap from your boyfriend. I hated that you were going to beat yourself up for hoping Heeseung falters ever for a split second during one of the turns just so Jake could pass, especially when his girlfriend, whom you are very close with is rooting for him as well.

“And there goes Jake Sim finally overtaking his teammate Heeseung Lee, taking pole position in this home grand prix! Will he hold this position in the last 4 laps? Will Jake Sim win his home grand prix and take the lead in the driver's championships?”

“Keep your pace, Jake,” his engineer reminds him on his radio. “Heeseung is right behind you blocking Beomgyu.”

“I'm giving him a tow next race, please tell him that,” he happily chuckles as his grip on his steering wheel tightens, locking up as he and his teammate trails the last lap.

“Holy shit! Y/N? Is Y/N watching? I'm winning my home race!” He yells over his radio happily, euphoria consuming his body as he laughs freely. “Is my bubba watching?”

“Yes, Jake. Y/N is watching,” his engineer chuckles to him.

You could not believe it. Jake is finally winning his home race. After three years of finishing 2nd in Australia, he’s finally surpassed Heeseung and Beomgyu in his home race. Your Jake won.

Your face was wet with tears, thank the gods up above for waterproof makeup because she’d be doomed if not for it. Yunhee was dragging her down to the pitlane, just in front of the parc ferme to wait for Jake to cross the checkered flag. 

“Lee successfully blocks off Choi from overtaking, defending his and his teammates' position! Jake Sim! Jake Sim pushes for the very last time towards the end of the Australian Grand Prix and there he goes with one of the most brilliant drives of the 2024 Formula 1 season! 6th grand prix win of his career since he started racing for Ferrari when he was only 20 years old! At 22, Sim finally takes his first home race!”

 “Mon bebe, Jake won!” Yunhee happily claps hugging you tight as you bawl your eyes out once you see Jake cross the line and approach parc ferme. You were speechless to say the least. For the first time in your life, you were rendered unable to describe how you were feeling. Jake’s human dictionary—finally out of words to describe things out of pure happiness that was overflowing from her body. 

Jake wasn’t any better than you were. He just won his home race, right before his family and most especially the love of his life—and all he can think of is how he’s going to get out of his car and helmet as soon as he can so he can finally hold you and celebrate his most important win yet. 

He pulled himself up the car and stood on it, basking in the glory of his win as the crowd cheered for him. He was over the moon as he stepped down, scanning the crowd properly to see a glimpse of where you might be as soon as his helmet and gloves were off.

And there you were, with tears in your eyes as Yunhee and his mom tried their best to comfort your crying figure. And before he could rethink his impending decision, his eyes tunnel vision to you among the sea of men clad in red as he runs up to you, pouncing as he holds your face and pressing the most passion-filled kiss he’s ever given you. And you kiss back, drawing in all the excitement, pride and love that were shared from the very beginning as he holds every single dream he’s ever had since he was a kid, driving in go karts in Brisbane. He’s finally here, a thousand miles from where he used to be 8 years old driving in his first karting competition, now holding the love of his life, in his first home race win, in front of all of his family and the people who supported him from the moment he flew to the UK to race for F4. 

“Oh bubba,” you cried, kissing his forehead over and over. “You did so well. You are so loved. I am so proud of you.”

On the side, Yunhee did not know whether she was to be scared of the media now that you’re doing this in front of everyone and their mom after you’ve sworn you would keep your relationship private—but she chooses to bask in happiness as well as Heeseung approaches her to give her a soft kiss as well. 

The team celebrates just as well as soon as he moves over to the side. They all pat his back, chanting as he jumps over them to hug them all at the same time. 

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

You could not help but feel the tears running down once again as you watched him take his trophy up on the podium. Yunhee still held you very tightly as his mom tried to videotape the entire program on her phone. While it still hasn’t sunk in to you that Jake had just exposed your relationship to the media proudly, and you are completely doing nothing about it, you couldn’t help but not care at the moment. You were sure your PR Manager was going to blast you as soon as you get back in your hotel but fuck it, it couldn’t be more important than Jake getting sprayed with champagne and him getting his revenge on Beomgyu for spraying the champagne right into his eyes. It was appalling at best and disgusting at worst that they’re wasting expensive champagne making them all sticky and gross, but you did not have it in you to show your dislike for the decades old way of celebration. 

Jake’s eyes scan the crowd once again after he gulped down some of the champagne, looking for a glimpse of you. And there you were, in all of your glory, smiling at him, tears staining your eyes once again. He couldn’t help but give you a little wave, which you returned, even blowing him a kiss as you looked up to where he stood from the podium.

His mom managed to give you a hug after the awarding ceremony, returning to the hospitality to wait and watch for the post-race press conference. Sure enough, as soon as Jake sat on the couch, still buzzing from excitement from what just happened, it was the first thing that was asked, making Heeseung and Beomgyu cackle on both his sides.

“Have you guys been aware of this all along?” the interviewer asked, curiously.

Heeseung nodded. “Since F2. It’s unbelievable.”

“Since F2?!” Everyone in the press room seemed to have turned their heads to Jake in shock after finding out how long he had been hiding it from the media.

“She’s very shy and introverted. We also enjoy our privacy very much, so that’s been under wraps for four years already. I sort of blacked out earlier and just forgot that I wasn’t supposed to expose it like that, but yeah. I owe that win to her as much as I owe it to Ferrari. She’s always been supportive. I know you’ve seen her in the past races before and it’s the first time that she didn’t go with a friend from home, so this was an experience for her as much as it is for me.” Everyone could not help but stare in awe with how gentle and fond Jake spoke about you. And it wasn’t like it was something that you’ve never witnessed before, his language could be crude whenever he was around his mates and other friends—but rarely with you. He once said, it made him feel like he was staining your good integrity as a writer for him to speak so crudely whenever you are around.

“You are also now in the lead for the Driver’s Championship. What does that feel like, Mr. Jake Sim?”

“Great, actually. I’ve been a menace to both my family and Y/N about how important this race is to me because it is both my home race and the race that will push me closer to my goal. So I’m glad Y/N has been able to endure my yapping while she’s writing her book because my family called me out about it.” He chuckled. “I am actually still buzzing. I can’t believe that just happened. Very big thanks to Heeseung for helping me get there and to my engineers whom I had to argue with let me finish the race without boxing for the second time. That’s some big trust in me and I’m glad I was able to see it through?”

“Do you think you still would’ve won that without Heeseung defending your win?”

“Hey man,” Heeseung leered from Jake’s side. “I defended that win because I also did not want to be behind Beomgyu. Jake still would’ve won with that quarter of a second gap.”

“My tires are dead at that point,” Beomgyu snorted. “I was going to crash if I pushed harder to surpass Jake.”

You can’t help but smile at both drivers, proudly defending their friend’s win despite being questioned of its integrity. You take a mental note to send them gifts before you leave to go home in a few days. 

“I drove pretty well. The commentators agree that it is one of the most brilliant drives I’ve ever done in my career. So, yeah. The team has done great with that 1-2 for Ferrari.” Jake smiles at the reporter politely. 

Soon enough every media duty was over and he was finally back in the arms of the love of his life. 

“I’m so fucking proud of you,” you hum against his neck, as you squeezed hs tighter. “You did so fucking well, bubba.”

“I’m sorry I got too happy on the radio, bubs. And for kissing you in front of everyone,” he pouted, pulling you away to see the expression on your face but it did not change. Your face was just as happy as it had been before you went up to hug him.

“It’s fine,” you smiled at him, pressing a soft kiss on his lips. “At least they know now who’s the one to beat next to get to you.”

“You know my heart is always reserved for you, Y/N. There’s no chance of beating you in something only you know how to do.”

“You cheesy motherfucker.” You laughed at him, trying to hide the blush on your face before Yunhee notices it and teases you about it. “But I’m letting that slide. You won today after all.”

“Care to celebrate with me then? Before the party?” The smug look on his face says it all and he already knows that you could never say no to that. After all, he did look absolutely hot winning his home race with a decent gap from his opponents. 

“I thought you’d never ask, Mr. Sim.”

—end.

˚₊‧꒰ა ☆ ໒꒱ ‧₊˚

masterlist

a/n : hi hello i've been listening to the alchemy for more than i should and it's race week again ! it took me a good while to write this bc i personally feel like i don't write fluff well as i haven't been with anyone for years now ( lol ) and i'm not sure if that's how in love people do it sooooo there's that . your notes and feedback are so appreciatedddd !

tnx for making it this far <33

xo, anya ୨୧

[f1amour]

Hiya!! Can I pretty please request a blurb that’s both angsty and a lil fluffy?

🍮 Lewis Hamilton - “I’m scared of losing you”

❝ i’m scared of losing you ❞ — lewis hamilton

pairing | lewis hamilton x reader

content warnings | angst, comfort, age gap mentioned (not specified)

★ navigation | main masterlist

─────────────────────────

“lewis is ready for this season to end” “lewis wants a fresh start and it’ll be with ferrari” “seems like hamilton just wants a a fresh start with life in general…does that include his girlfriend?”

the tweets did not stop rolling in and you couldn’t help but get lost in them. you couldn’t help but believe the words many were saying. maybe lewis was over this season, done with mercedes, and maybe he was over you too. he noticed the distance you had put up after the brazil gp. there was a two week break and you had spent it at home trying to relax but that was not possible with your constant checking in on twitter to see what people are saying about you.

you weren’t one to be on your phone so much at least when you had free time with lewis you guys tried your best to be in the moment. so when he came home from taking roscoe on a walk only to find you in the same spot you were in before he left almost two hours ago was concerning. it was concerning enough when you didn’t join them on the walk which you usually do, telling lewis you wanted to stay back and start on dinner. dinner was nowhere to be seen as you say on the barstool in the kitchen phone on in your hands with tears in your eyes.

lewis quickly lets roscoe off his leash and walks to you, “baby, what’s going?” his finger lifts your chin up to look him in the eyes but the tears in your eyes just make him frown. “please talk to me. i’m worried about you.” his soft voice fills your ears as you let him wrap his arms around you giving you a hug you didn’t know you needed until now.

your body shakes shading his as you let all your tears and frustrations out until you finally calm down his hands rub your back as you take deep breaths, “i…i’m scared, lewis. i’m scared of losing you,” you tell him what you’d been feeling for weeks now. lewis was not expecting those words to come out of your mouth. in fact, he felt that he was losing you due to this distance you’d been putting up.

his hands cup your face and gives you a smile that makes you believe your thoughts of losing him were just your imagination, “oh honey, now why would you think that? i can’t imagine my life without you. who told you something?” he asks, knowing damn well you’d never just start having these thoughts for no reason.

you look down at the countertop as you hand him your phone which had your twitter feed full of negativity, “lewis looks over this team and ready for a fresh start either ferrari he probably feels the same in his love life as well, lewis wants to focus on his 8th world championship not shopping for wedding rings for his young girlfriend who brings bad luck—,” lewis stops after the last tweet and looks over at you, your hands covering your face trying to avoid his gaze.

“look at me. plenty of people feel the opposite of these tweets. you got sucked into a thread that is all people who don’t actually support me. my fans, my true fans adore you. maybe even more than me. you’re only a few years younger than me and that isn’t an issue with me, love. i love you. you’ve brought the good luck for me. you bring faith every single race week especially this year where it’s been fucking hell most of the time. i can’t imaging my life without you, ever.” his words soothe your mind despite still feeling a bit anxious from those tweets you realize maybe listening to complete strangers rather than the love of your life wasn’t the best idea. however, lewis always validated your feelings and why you may have gotten lost in the dark side of the media where people aren’t always so accepting of your relationship.

“i’m sorry, lew. shouldn’t have listened to them i just…i don’t know how you deal with everything and still keep your head up. i’m exhausted,” you confess, you were never one to be on social media and read comments unless they were from friends or family. seeing how the last few races have been brutal for lewis you wanted to defend your boyfriend but ended up on the wrong side. “baby, you were with me for 2021. you are probably the only reason i didn’t quit and why i still haven’t. you’ve got faith in me, i hold that very dear to my heart. i’m with you till the end.” his last words make you cry some more but happy tears now as he chuckles at your smile, “there’s my girl. now, let’s take a break from the phone and cook some dinner together.”

he helps you off the stool and you grab his hand turning him back, “i love you too.” you pull him into a kiss and all lewis could think about is the engagement ring hiding under roscoe’s bed ready to make an appearance once the season is over.

[dilemmaontwolegs]

Not A Verstappen: Lights Out {6}

Pairing: Charles Leclerc x fem!driver!reader x Lando Norris Summary: The aftermath of Lando's outburst is a messy one with more consequences than they thought there would be. Warnings: 18+ only, nsfw, fluff, angst, vomit WC: 2.1k F1 Masterlist NAV: Sibling Rivalry One || Two || Three NAV: Gridlocked One || Two || Three || Four || Five || Six || Seven || Eight || Nine NAV: A New World One || Two || Three || Four || Five || Six || Seven || Eight || Nine || Ten NAV: Lights Out One || Two || Three || Four || Five || Six || 6.5

Charles’ cheeks hurt from the smile that split his face and his chest heaved with elation as he screamed into his helmet. He had risked everything to overtake Checo in the last corner of the last lap and his team had been against the move, but he showed them why he was Ferrari’s golden boy. 

Pulling up into the space beside Max’s car, Charles leapt out of the cockpit and rushed over to his team searching for you and Lando. He had been told you were both back from the hospital but he couldn’t find you as he scanned the area. “Xavi! Where are they?” Charles asked over the noise. It was almost deafening how loud the cries of congratulations were.

“They’re fine, just go get weighed - the car is waiting,” he said with a nod to the Rolls-Royce that would take him, Max and Checo to the post-race interviews at the Bellagio. 

Max had already been weighed and dumped his helmet on his stand, replacing it for his water bottle. His face was redder than usual and he squeezed the bottle, gulping down the heavy electrolytes with a look that set Charles on edge. 

“Go,” Xavi urged when Charles failed to move. 

His excitement and happiness was still at the forefront of his mind but in the back of it he wondered what had happened. He assumed it was regarding Lando’s injuries, that seemed the most obvious thing, but since he had been released from the hospital it can’t have been too bad. 

“Stay calm,” Max said as they saddled up beside each other in the back of the car. 

That was not what Charles wanted to hear. “What the fuck is going on?” 

Checo looked out of the window and kept to himself as he waved to the crowd. 

Max was never one to cower from pressure and he held Charles' eyes as he broke the news GP had given him a few laps before the race ended. “Everyone knows that Y/N is pregnant, and that’s why she lost her seat.”

Shock, fear, anger. All of those passed across Charles' face before he looked away and swallowed. “Is she safe?”

“She’s in the McLaren garage, she’s safe.”

Charles’ heart slowly began to recover but the pulsing of its beat in his head still thumped. “How?” he choked, as he broke away from the bright lights of the city and faced the man he considered his brother-in-law. “How did they find out?”

Max winced, though he knew this was where the conversation would head before it even started. The car was pulling into the front of the hotel and he knew that he was running out of time. There was no way that any interviewer would be able to resist asking Charles about the news, despite his titillating overtake on the last turn. 

“It wasn’t his fault,” Max started and immediately Charles' stomach dropped. “Lando was on strong painkillers and didn’t know what he was doing.”

Charles was glad the car came to a stop and he didn’t wait for the valet to open the door before he was out. The air seemed too thin to fill his lungs as he worried about your safety, it was always his biggest concern. 

A hand grabbed his shoulder, snapping him back to the present and Max gave it a squeeze. “Come on, mate. It was an accident. Pull yourself together and let’s get back to them, okay?”

He nodded numbly, pushing back his emotions because like on the track they would do no good going to the interviews. He had been trained for this, for the press, and he would try his best to stay calm. Max could see Charles struggle, his knuckles turning white around the microphone that he clenched from the moment he was offered congratulations. Though he wasn’t comfortable, Charles’ smile was genuine when he said how excited he was to be a father and start a family. 

“Please respect our wishes for privacy over the winter break,” he handed the microphone back, ending the line of questioning for him and Checo graciously stepped in to take the attention. Charles felt like a caged animal as he stalked off from the balcony and found an assistant with an iPad. “Do you have the video?”

She didn’t need to ask what video he meant as she found the clip on every news agency’s website. Charles felt sick seeing Lando on the gurney, an IV in his hand and his eyes vacant. Pain pinched Lando’s forehead and his head lolled to the side drunkenly as he spoke to you, the words imperceptible before he spotted the camera. 

“I’m going to be a father!” Lando screamed joyfully before sinking back into the pillow. Your shock was clear and he didn’t need to hear your voice to know what you were saying when you shook your head. 

Charles sighed and handed the iPad back, raking a hand down his face. He was angry but it didn’t feel fair to be angry at Lando. Charles had crashed enough times to know how strong the painkillers were. Now more than ever he was happy there was only one race left, one more public outing before he could sequester you away for the winter. He needed this winter to hurry up so he could breathe easier in the remote regions of northern France. 

“You good?” Max asked as he clapped him on the shoulder after the water fountain finished its special something or rather. He couldn’t say he paid any attention to it, it was far from his mind when he stood before it.

“Fine,” Charles muttered quietly. “Can we go now?”

Back in the garage you watched the post race interviews and rubbed Lando’s shoulders. Jon had almost called for an ambulance when clarity returned to your boyfriend and he realised what he had done. Thankfully someone from the team had cleaned up the mess he made when he vomited from all the worry. Jon thought he had a concussion, but it was just guilt. 

“You’re going to make yourself sick again, babe. He’s not going to kill you.”

Lando looked up from the seat he slouched in, his bottom lip pressed out with the occasional quiver. “What if he hates me? Oh fuck, he’s going to break up with me, I know it.”

“No one is breaking up, ever,” you growled as you cradled his face and forced him to look at you. “I’m not letting this little one grow up without her fathers.”

“You’re angry too.”

“Yes, I’m angry, Lando, but I’m not going to break up with you because of it, neither will Charles. You were as high as a kite and the cameras shouldn’t have been anywhere near the medical centre.” 

A commotion in the crowds drew your attention away and you nodded your head to the stage that had been erected on the grid while the post race interviews took place. “They’re back,” you said as you stood up. “Come on.”

“My ribs hurt,” Lando complained as he refused to move from his seat, holding his hand up to show his hospital wristbands as proof. 

“Lando…” you could see he was being stubborn so you huffed and went with guilt tripping him instead. “Well I’m going to watch the podium…in that big crowd…where everyone is pushing and elbowing…while I’m carrying your child…”

“Fuck, fine,” he growled as he stood up, curling an arm around you protectively like you knew he would. “But we are staying with the mechanics.”

“This seems like overkill,” you muttered as extra security guards arrived to walk you and Lando four garages down to Ferrari. 

“I’m not taking any chances,” Lando said with another guilt ridden glance. “It’s my fault anyway.”

You took his hand and stepped into the protective forcefield that was over half a dozen black-suited guards. It wasn’t the first time having a security team, it was quite common with Red Bull and the hate they received, but it was different this time. The protection wasn’t for you and from the amount of people waiting outside the McLaren garage you were grateful for the extra arms. Like a well oiled machine the men fell into formation, creating an arrowhead that speared through the crowd, carving a path for you and Lando to follow. 

“Breathe before you pass out,” you warned Lando when you reached the archway that opened into Charles’ garage. He started to freeze but you tugged his hand and pulled him inside.

“I’m trying, but I think I’m going to be sick again.”

He did look a little pale as you spotted Xavi, who tapped Charles’ shoulder. Charles turned and you watched as the worry and fear faded from his green eyes, before worry returned. 

“Mon cher,” he murmured as he stepped closer. Lando clutched his stomach at the sound and folded in half, hurling the blueberry pancakes he had nibbled on all over the floor and Charles’ shoes. “Mon Dieu!”

The acrid smell of bile made your stomach turn but you were grateful you never had the morning sickness most women complained about. Still looking pale, Charles caught Lando as he swayed and you grabbed the closest chair to put him in. 

“He’s been making himself sick with worry,” you explained in a rush. “Just tell him you’re not going to dump him so he can stop imagining it.”

“What?” Charles’ eyes widened as he looked at Lando, his blue eyes watery and downcast at the mess he had made, again. “I’m not going to dump you, mon cher. How could you ever think that?”

“Because he is more dramatic than the two of us combined,” you offered with a smile that softened the words. “But we love him for it.”

Charles brushed away the tears on Lando’s cheeks and went to kiss him before thinking better of it. “We are a family, we will adapt - you already got more security I see.”

“You’re not angry?”

“Oh I am,” he admitted, Lando’s eyes snapping up at the lilt in his tone. Dipping his head to Lando’s ear, you chuckled as you saw a smirk grow as they whispered a promise. “And your ass is going to feel it for days.”

Round Twenty Three - Abu Dhabi 

The apartment in Monaco was quiet without Lando and Charles. From the penthouse the noise of the street barely carried to its height and the only sound came from the TV. Martin Brundle was making his way down the grid, trying to interview any personality he could name over the raucousness of the crowds and engines.

You longed to be with them, standing above the pitlane watching the chaos unfold. Unfortunately, because of Lando’s untimely announcement, the UAE had cancelled your visa. They could turn a blind eye to your unconventional relationship when it was behind closed doors but with the public knowledge of a baby, and both men taking fathership status, they could no longer accept it. The options were to stay at home or go and risk deportation, or even being arrested for adultery. 

Neither seemed like fun. 

You placed a hand on the small bump that continued to swell more each night. Lando said she was the size of a bell pepper this week. That seemed to create more questions for you than a fruit should, especially since the bell peppers you had seen were the same size as an avocado but the bump was certainly bigger. 

“Just you and me, jellybean,” you murmured as the grid began to empty so the formation lap could begin. “Guess I should get used to this.”

Doctor Turner had advised against flying anywhere once you reached 8 months, but that would be right after Australia. You would definitely miss the Grand Prixs in Japan and China before she was born and then Miami and Imola after. All going to plan, your jellybean would make her first public appearance at Charles homerace. 

As you had found out in Vegas, the best laid plans meant nothing in reality and only time would reveal what would eventuate. For now, you were going to focus on watching the last race of the season and get ready to enjoy a peaceful winter with your family.

You cosied into the couch, bundled in the pillows as if they were the two bodies you had missed for days, and turned the volume up as the formation lap ended.

Lights out and away we go.

Click here for the next chapter.

[landograndprix]

everybody talks ✾ m.v

summary – in which max's teammate & girlfriend isn't as loved as she should be.

a/n – requests are open, also don't know what this is but felt max was the perfect guy for this 😭 had to channel my fuck red bull & fuck max persona for this, warning a lot of sour men in here 😂

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y/nusername

Barcelona, Spain

liked by maxverstappen1, landonorris and 218,761 others

y/nusername barcelona'23 ☀

tagged: maxverstappen1

view all 376 comments

victoriaverstappen have fun you two ❤️

y/nusername ❤️❤️

y/nnmax99 my favorite couple 🥰

jamesxvier I was today years old when I found out these two are dating

charloss1655 have been dating for a while now actually Don't blame you though, they don't post a lot about it.

verstappenmaxie ...because of the shit they both get for it, I would keep my relationship private too

mercgirl how much does red bull pay you to be his girlfriend? 🤡

y/nusername a wdc, don't tell him though.

landonorris can i get the same when I go out with Max?

y/nusername I'll ask..hang on

hannahhh having my fingers crossed for a good weekend for both of you!

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redbullracing

Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya

liked by yourbestfrienduser, victoriaverstappen and 115,762 others

redbullracing another phenomenal race for our favorite paddock princess, p1! 🏆

#F1 #RedBullRacing #BarcelonaGP

view all 426 comments

zhoueey let's goooo women for the win 🏆🏆🏆

maxverstappen1 the best there is!

redbullracing she sure is 👏

cal092 🤮 🤮

sarahh1 @/cal092 you're a grown man, are you not embarrassed.. 🤮

timothytim sad we didn't get a 1-2 for redbull but we'll keep fighting!

teamy/n that's our girl 🥰

y/nusername just me and my lil' illegal car 🥰

maxmaxverstap in your little illegal rocketship 😭

chilisainz not a red bull fan but would die for this woman :')

frank1971 disgusting, women don't belong in f1.

y/nusername sorry you feel this way frank, however your opinion doesn't make me want to switch carreers. Hope you sleep well tonight, i certainly will. 😊

landoscar 💀 💀

bott-ass lmao that's some queen shit

tifosi200 I hate redbull. 🤮

yourbestfrienduser you're aware you're on the redbull page? You follow them, you stalking them despite it all?

1990m your ferrari ain't doing so good stfu

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y/nusername posted on their story

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y/nusername

Zandvoort, The Netherlands

liked by maxverstappen1, yourbestfrienduser and 198,002 others

y/nusername zandvoort'23 🇳🇱

tagged: maxverstappen1

view all 291 comments

yourbestfrienduser okay..where was my invite?

supermax33 hoping for a great weekend for both of you!

norrlan loving all this max content you've been putting out, love you two together 🥰

zaza29 heard you were sick, please tell me you're well enough to be on the grid this weekend 🥺

char_lec let's hope not lol let others have a chance..hope she'll be sick for a couple of weeks

zaza29 wtf? hoping people stay sick? 🥴

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y/nusername

CM.com Circuit Zandvoort

liked by redbullracing, yourbestfrienduser and 236,542 others

y/nusername p2 this weekend wasn't something I was expecting this weekend since I wasn't feeling 100%. A big shout out to my doctor for fixing me up the best he could and a big shout out to the team for guiding me through the struggles that I experienced today!

tagged: redbullracing, maxverstappen1

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maddieb sis struggled to breathe over the radio, looked like a hot mess when she got out of that car, looked like she was about to empty her stomach and was visible shaking and still managed to get p2..and y'all still want to tell me she ain't got no skill 💀

maxverstappen1 proud of you ❤️

y/nusername ❤️❤️

carlitosainz stop making me like you dude omg 😭

redbullracing beast mode was on! 👏

lucie2000 I'm not a fan of max but the way he waited for y/n to drive into the pits with a big fat smile on his face was adorable

norrisoscar enemies to lovers always hit different 😂

lucie2000 true true 😂

danielricciardo you might be good at this.

y/nusername yeah, you think I can make a carreer out of this?

danielricciardo with a bit of training? Absolutely.

Tiffie2 pregnant maybe, does look like you gained some weight?

charlus16 wtf is this question, what's wrong with people?

y/nusername it's called bloating tiff, something that happens to a female body when they're ovulating. I thought a woman your age would've known this by now.

bott-ass and I oooop– 💀

supermaxmax @/maxverstappen1 if you don't marry her, I will 😭

yourbestfrienduser another 1-2 with your man 🥰

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y/nusername posted on their story

☆☆☆☆☆

y/nusername

liked by danielricciardo, maxverstappen1 and 278,761 others

y/nusername december'19 – december'23, four years of us. Hoping I can be your pain in the ass for for many more years and may I be able to stop myself from driving you off the track when you once again 'forget' to do the dishes. love you lot, hou van jou ♥︎

tagged: maxverstappen1

view all 401 comments

maxverstappen1 love you lots and hou van jou ❤️

maxiel333 congrats you guys 🥰

dannyricric the cutest couple for sure

danielricciardo ❤️

lunaferrari 4 years already?! 🤯 happy 4 years!

norrizz4 happy 4 years you guys 💞💞

posiexo power couple for real

bennyd14 man bagged his 3rd wdc, drives for the best team AND bagged the prettiest woman of them all. He won for life.

yourbestfrienduser and now get married..

charlie16cl honestly, what's this man waiting for? 😂

bott-ass @/maxverstappen1 you better before I do

[theloveoffootball10]

sᴛɪᴄᴋᴡɪᴛᴜ - ᴛ ᴡ ᴇ ɴ ᴛ ʏ

m a s t e r l i s t

ᴛ ᴡ ᴇ ɴ ᴛ ʏ

Arriving in Italy I can't wait to get to the track, I don't want to be presumptuous so I've booked my own hotel room or rather Chelsea has sorted me a room with the team but I'm desperate to see Lando. The way we left things last weekend was so perfect, I want to carry that into this weekend as well.

Thanks to a flight delay I arrive at the paddock just after the start of qualifying so it's pretty quiet with the media already getting the photos they need earlier today. No matter how today goes Lando and I have already decided we're going out for some proper Italian food tonight and I can't wait to eat my body weight in pasta.

"Lucía you made it! Lando said you were delayed!" Alex shouts from across the paddock as she's making her way to the Ferrari garage.

"I was but I was always going to make it before the end of qualifying no matter what" I can deal with missing practice however I couldn't forgive myself if I missed qualifying.

"We should go for a couple of drinks tomorrow after the race either just us or with Charles and Lando!" Since we met in Miami Alex and I have text a lot and I really like her. Out of all of the girls in the paddock she's the one I've clicked with the most.

"Yes we should! I'll text you to arrange somewhere" saying a quick goodbye to Alex I make my way to the McLaren garage. When I spoke to my dad about coming to Monza he was insistent that I watched a weekend from Lando's garage and Lando being who he is, didn't argue. Grabbing a headset I stand next to Max "how's it going?"

"Ah Lucía you made it! Nice to see you. He's doing good there's 8 minutes of Q1 left but he should be safe”

"Look I know we got off on the wrong foot and I don't think I ever apologised but I'm going to swallow my pride and tell you I'm sorry for how I acted in the middle of the paddock Max" after speaking to Liv I realise things between her and Max could potentially be quite serious and I want to support my best friend the way she has me.

"You don't need to apologise. I can't lie I had my doubts about you but naturally Lando didn't want to know and I was also wrong about you. I want to set the record straight though, after I met Liv I completely ended things with Becca, we haven’t spoken since then" Max explains, his side of the story matching exactly what Liv told me.

"I believe you Max. All I ask is that you don't hurt her. She's been hurt before and it nearly broken her, she's the closest I have to a sister and I don't want to see her that hurt again" I'm not unreasonable I just want Liv to be happy and treated how she should be treated

"Likewise" I watch as Max turns to one of the mechanics in the garage whispering to him despite the noise from the track outside. Turning my attention back to the screen I watch as Lando sails through Q1.

"Lando, the garage have asked me to let you know Lucía has arrived in the last few minutes" I hear Will saying over the radio.

"Hi baby" I can hear the smile on Lando's face as he replies to Will's message. Turning to Max I give him a look.

"Don't give me that look your boyfriend is pretty fucking insistent when he wants to be"

"Thanks Max" I can't take the smile off my face now Lando knows I've made it.

Watching as the clock ticks down to the end of Q3 I let out a breath I didn't know I was holding as no one is quicker than Lando. For a second week in a row he's starting the race from pole position. I'm so happy for him I turn to hug Max both of us beaming with pride.

"That's how it's done boys! Go on, find him I know he'll be looking for you" Max ushers me to find Lando but I know I have to wait until after his interview. Standing at the front of the garage I keep out of the mechanics way while I wait for Lando. As he makes his way down the pit lane I can tell he's spotted me by the way helmet and everything ends up on the floor, I also notice Alesha the F1 TV host trying to stop him but he's got tunnel vision right now.

"Pole position baby!" I smile wrapping my arms around Lando's neck as his arms hold my waist tight "I can't wait to see you turn pole position into P1 Lando!" I can't help but kiss Lando my hands on his cheeks holding him. This is what weekends are about for me.

"I want to do it for you. My good luck charm" as Lando lowers his racing suite I can't help but run my fingers over the muscles in his back. "Come with me while I get my pole ring fit. I want you there" agreeing with Lando I follow him to the office where the jeweller is waiting to size the ring that will be specially fit for Lando.

As Lando tries on different mock ups of the ring he'll be getting I bite my lip. I already think he has thick fingers but seeing a ring on his index finger makes it look thicker.

"What do you think baby? Index or middle finger?" Lando asks me as the jeweller stands up leaving us alone for a second.

"Which ever one you prefer but" leaning down so only Lando can hear me I whisper "either way I'd like you to finger me when you're wearing it"

"Fuck baby you can't talk to me like that when we're here" Lando looks at me alarmed and I know what he's thinking.

"I'm just saying" standing up straight as the jeweller comes back I act completely normal. He doesn't need to know what thoughts are running through my mind.

The next day I'm stood in the garage as we prepare for the race to start. I've already been to see my dad to wish him luck but it's a strange feeling not watching from his garage. I guess from now on my time is going to be split between both garages.

As we hear Crofty's famous "it's lights out and away we go" I hold my breath hoping Lando can keep his lead, everyone is making a big deal of him not finishing a lap leading when he starts from pole and I know it's bothering him.

I let out an audible gasp as Piastri goes around the outside of Lando causing him to break to avoid a collision, he wasn't expecting that move from his team mate. Muttering fuck under my breath so only Max and I can hear I'm going to be nervous for the rest of the race now.

"He'll be fuming at that move"

"Max it was his only option. If he didn't break they'd have crashed and both been out of the race" I can't believe that has happened. With every radio message from Lando or lack of, I can feel his annoyance building. By the end of the race he just isn't answering Will at all.

Despite being P3 and securing another podium Lando's face tells a totally different story. He's barely speaking to anyone and the way he's throwing everything around tells me he's in a vile mood. If this is how he is now I dread to think what he must have been like after Austria. As we watch the footage of the cool down room Lando is sat with his head in his hands biting his nails.

"Just to warn you Lucía he's going to be in a rotten mood probably for the rest of the day now" Max tells me as we leave for the podium.

"I gathered that. Just how bad do you think it'll be?" I ask having never seen Lando in a bad mood yet.

"He's going to be angry at himself, the team, Oscar and probably you for no reason. The best advice I can give you is to not take anything he says personally" great. Max is really selling an angry Lando to me right now. As Lando makes his way to the podium I can see the rage radiating from him, he doesn't want to be there right now. When he's handed the trophy the grimace on his face does nothing to hide his mood. There's no champagne pop and he's completely avoiding Oscar like the plague. The first opportunity he gets he's walking away from the podium.

"I'm going to try and catch him before he goes into interviews" I tell Max before weaving my way through the crowd who are all celebrating Charles and Ferrari's home win. As I walk through the McLaren motor home I spot Lando throwing his podium cap onto a table and about to run up the stairs to his drivers room "Lando wait there"

"What?" Lando turns to look at me but keeps walking.

"I'm sorry that didn't go how you want it to" following Lando I put my hand on the door stopping him from closing it in my face "don't push me away"

"Lucía I don't know what the fuck you want me to say"

"Babe you don't have to say anything just let me be here for you" I say pulling Lando into a cuddle which he thankfully reciprocates. The mood he's in I half expected him to push me away, I think I might have been less surprised if he did.

"Today has been a disaster" what I've noticed about Lando is that when something gets him down he catastrophises. Running my fingers through Lando's hair I make him look at me.

"I know it wasn't what you expected from today but remember you put up a brilliant fight and still came away with a podium and points. I'm proud of you regardless and you need to be proud of yourself"

"You have no idea what I should be feeling" before I can respond we're interrupted by a knock on the door which Lando opens to see his PR manager Sophie waiting for him.

"You need to be in the media pen in the next 5 minutes. Sorry to interrupt you both" Sophie says with a guilty look on her face.

"It's fine Soph we're done here for now anyway" Lando says walking past me and Sophie. I'm dumbfounded. I know he's upset but this behaviour is insane.

"Sorry Lucía I didn't mean to ruin whatever was going on"

"Don't worry about it Sophie. Apparently we were done anyway" I say with a shrug as we make our way back into the paddock, me looking to find Max and Sophie to follow Lando. I stop in my tracks as I spot Lando with Alesha laughing and joking. My blood boils and it takes everything for me to hold back saying exactly what I think. He's completely cold with me but jokes on with her, regardless of his mood this man is rubbing me the wrong way.

"Lando move we have places to be" Sophie practically shouts putting an end to Lando and Alesha's conversation, somehow I think she sensed my annoyance at the scene in front of us.

The next few hours don't get any better. Lando is still in a foul mood and barely says a word in the car back to his hotel. I want to be nice about this but I'm struggling.

"Talk to me babe" I say walking into Lando's hotel room with him. He's pretty much left the track as soon as his debrief is done and I know it's going to be a long night until my flight home.

"I don't want to talk to you or anyone about today" Lando says with an attitude I've never heard so harsh from him as he throws his phone and hoodie on the bed.

"Whoa I know you're annoyed but what did I do?" I completely understand Lando's frustration but it's unacceptable for him to take it out on me.

"You're just so fucking involved it's pissing me off. You think you know everything when you know Jack shit. You're pissing me off Lucía"

"Are you serious right now? I know the team have fucked up today but that's not on me!" I can already tell his is going to end in a major row. It has been brewing since the end of the race. Lando is angry and the way he's behaving towards me is making me angry.

"No but you're the one who hasn't stopped being annoying since"

"Fuck me I'm trying to be supportive and this is the thank you I get. Lando if you don't want me here just fucking say and I'll get an earlier flight! You can text that slut Alesha I'm sure she'll comfort you without being annoying" I can't help but raise my voice, it's what I do when I get angry it's part of who I am. I always take things too far and I never learn. I know I shouldn't have brought up Alesha but she's got under my skin, she's flirted with Lando all weekend especially today and he's done very little to stop her.

Not saying anything Lando pulls his polo top over his head and that action alone shows me how angry he is as he walks into the bathroom slamming the door. Is he serious right now? Hearing the shower I wait it out to see what mood Lando comes back in hoping he'll calm down.

"What are you still doing here? I thought you said you're going home early so I can't invite Alesha over" hearing the tone in Lando's voice I'm so done with him.

"Do you know what I'm fucking going. You're acting like an absolute cunt and I'm not here to be spoken to like a piece of shit. I’m not a doormat Lando, you’re not going to walk all over me and get away with it. I'll see you when I see you dickhead" picking my bag up off the bed I storm out of Lando's hotel room slamming the door behind me. I don't expect him to come after me, we're both far too angry for that. I don't cry either, I'm far too angry for that. Rather than involve everyone and make things worse I do the only thing that makes sense and I grab an Uber to the airport. I might have four hours to wait until my flight takes off but going home is the best thing for me right now.

[dozyisdead]

I think your take on the whole Carlos to Williams situation is very interesting in many different ways, but your comment on Alex's role in Williams is just too interesting not to talk about!

I love how you mentioned that we really don't know how "good" of a driver Alex actually is. In F1 it's common to compare teammates rather than drivers for obvious reasons, so we see Alex as inherently a great driver! We see him constantly doing better than his teammate's and "outperforming" the Williams car---- and this brings out a whole butt load of questions.

Is the car that bad, and Alex a good driver? Or is the car okay and Logans just a bad driver?

We have seen Logan on pace with Alex in these past few races, and it really makes you wonder these questions! Like you said, Alex has consistently has these updates way earlier than Logan even starting from last year! Is Alex really that great of a driver? Or is Logan also great, just not able to prove himself in that make shift car?

Carlos to me, has already proven himself to be a great driver. We know what he's capable of in a not so great car, and he's solid. I think once we see Carlos and Alex driving together we'll finally see the extent of Alex's ability, and to me it's very exciting!

In my opinion, Alex is the number 1 driver in Williams, but he's definitely not the golden child! I think this is very important, and to compare it to Charles/Ferrari is different. I think Ferrari is almost ingrained in Charles? That's his dream team, and he was in their junior academy. To me, George seemed more "golden boy" esque before he left to Mercedes. The Carlos to Williams and Lewis to Ferrari are very reminiscent of each other though, with both having experienced number 1 drivers now finally being challenged for that spot! I think it's also interesting how both TP's seem to want that new guy to take over that role (Fred open about his feelings towards Lewis, and whatever the fuck James has with Carlos.)

OK YAY SOMEONE TO TALK WITH THIS ABOUT!!

I completely agree in the fact that Alex is less of a golden boy! I just wasn't quite sure how to word it, but I see the comparison to George more! I also am so happy that someone else notices the way that Alex has been pitted against two extremes almost his entire career, and that really skews his true results! I also totally am excited to see how he compares to Carlos, even in a Williams car! Because, the car, as long as it is generally the same, it really is a test of skill. The Williams is a notoriously difficult car to drive, I believe we've heard older/retired drivers say this (I want to say Nico or Jensen), so if their cars are equal, we're going to see a true test of skill between Carlos and Alex.

That being said, if Carlos can't do much and we see that the car was truly the issue, I wonder how that is going to impact the way people look at Logan's career in F1! I mean, no matter what he will be know as one of the best drivers in the world simply because he made it to F1. There is nothing anyone can do to take that away from him. He was the first American in F1 to score points in 30 years, he made it to the so called "pinnacle of motorsports" despite a rough start and was in for 2 seasons. That is much longer than what can be said about some other drivers.

Also, I am very intrigued to see how the Lewis to Ferrari move goes as well, and I agree with your point about Ferrari and Charles. My main concern with all of this is going to be the impact that moves like this will have on the drivers if the teams continue to handle them incorrectly. I didn't mention this in my original post, but I was horrified to see how Williams handled the announcement! I mean, one would think it's common courtesy to thank your leaving driver for their service and their work BEFORE posting about the new onw. Not to mention, the way that the team posts so much about it? Far from classy, rather ignorant and poor form really.

Anyway, thank you for your comment! I really appreciated it!

[twopoppies]

Hiii Gina, now louis is in his F1 era, makes me want to read fics about it haha. Do you have any F1 fics recs?? Thank u xx

I’m sure there are are a few in the fandom, but the only one I’ve read and liked is this one:

The Finish Line Is A Good Place For Us To Start by LoadedGunn (E, 122)

Louis Tomlinson, one-time Formula 1 World Champion, is looking forward to the 2013 season. He’s got Zayn in his garage and Liam in his ear, he’s got Cowell Racing backing him despite former indiscretions, he’s got experience and the best race car out there. Not to mention he’s the only racer they have, after Oliver dropped out late last year.

It hasn’t occurred to him that Oliver would have to be replaced by February. That is, until he finds himself at a party celebrating Harry Styles leaving Ferrari for Cowell. Harry hotshot Styles, who broke a record last year and is probably looking to make a big splash. Harry Styles, who is talented and somewhat intimidating. Harry Styles, who left Ferrari for reasons unknown and seems kind of lonely and harmless in person. Lonely, harmless, hot as fuck. Whatever.

The first thing Louis does is take him under his wing. From there it’s nine months of slow-burning romance, the past catching up to them, turning into the human puppy pile that is OT5 and a lot of feelings until, of course, reaching the finish line.

[formula1fanfiction]

Charles Leclerc / OMC (Tifosi)

Title: Party like you're on pole

Pairing: Charles Leclerc / OMC

Characters: Charles Leclerc

Prompt: After the Monza race Leclerc was disappointed because he couldnt get a podium. He went to bar to forget what happened. He met handsome tifosi and that guy help charles to fresh himself. Bottom Leclerc

"One, shot the strongest thing you have." Charles screams at the bar tender over the loud music blaring in the nightclub. A night out Italy probably wasn't his best idea, Ferrari fans have been throwing themselves at him all evening, wanting a piece of him, to celebrate with him.

Charles on the other hand feels he has nothing to celebrate, p4 isn't the worst place to finish but his teammate was on the podium, despite some good battles with Carlos, p4 was the best he could do. P4 in Ferrari's home race just isn't good enough.

So drowning sorrows in the jam packed night club it is, he's already had one too many shots, his head is already starting to feel a little fuzzy.

"Hi handsome." Charles follows the voice to a handsome man fully dressed in Ferrari. Charles should just walk away, but apparently drunk Charles Leclerc thinks it's a good idea to follow strangers to the quietest corner of the bar.

"Charles, I can't believe it. You are my favourite driver." Charles really looks at the guy, his heart starts to race, fuck he's beautiful. Charles realises he never gave the guy a response. "So what's your name?"

"Fabio." He holds out his hand for Charles to shake, he does. "Nice to meet you."

Fabio keeps pressing drinks into Charles' hands, they chat about everything and anything other than Formula one. Fabio keeps talking, but Charles had stopped listening long ago. He just finds himself falling for this man. Don't be stupid Charles, you can't love a guy you just met.

"Charles?" Fabio's clearly asked another question, Charles never heard. He's tall, much taller than Charles, dark hair flopping over his dark brown eyes. He looks like he has a nice body, Charles thinks he would like to find out. He lets the angel and devil argue on his shoulder.

"Do you want to come back to my hotel?"

Of course Fabio agreed, Charles feels even drunker now he's in the fresh air. They take the back entrance into the hotel to avoid any reporters or fans who might see him. Charles breathes a sigh of relief when finally reaching the safety of his hotel room.

"Now, we're in private. Can I kiss you?" Fabio closes the distance and places his hand on Charles' neck, goose bumps erupt over his skin, he just nods the words seem to be stuck in his throat.   

Their lips bump together, their lips lazily moving against each others. Fabio thrusts his fingers into Charles' hair and pushes his tongue into his mouth. Charles can't keep up, he lets Fabio dominate his mouth. Fabio pushes Charles back onto the bed.

The kiss ends all too soon, Charles wants to kiss him again, he's so beautiful. "Are you going to let me fuck you Leclerc?" Charles lets his legs fall open. "Do you think I would have invited you here, if I didn't want you to fuck me?" They break apart to tear off their clothes.

"You are so beautiful Charles." Fabio kisses him again, the same roughness as before. It feels so good, Charles is losing his mind. "Lube?" Fabio pants into his mouth. Charles blindly reaches over to the night stand, sending his phone flying onto the floor and presses the bottle into Fabio's hand.

"I'm going to make you feel so good Charles." He barely has time to process the words before he feels his hips being pulled up and Fabio's tongue presses against his entrance.

Fabio hums against Charles' ass sending the vibrations up his entire body, he hesitates for a moment, waiting for Charles to tell him to stop, when he doesn't he licks a testing stripe against Charles' hole. He's gentle at first, little flicks over his tongue, easing Charles into it. "Fuck." Charles cries out, when the whole of Fabio's tongue breaches him and begins to fuck him with it, it feels warm and wet. Charles' cock lays leaking against his stomach.

"Never been rimmed before baby?" Charles shakes his head, Pierre would definitely tell him to fuck off he asked.

Fabio pours the lube onto his fingers and presses two fingers inside of Charles easily, his tongue having already done the hard work, he thrusts with his fingers, rewarding Charles with a quick rub over his prostate before eventually adding a second then a third finger.

"Are you ready for me?" Charles can only nod, he's a complete mess, sweaty and withering into the bed sheets like some little whore. His cock is angry red and making a puddle of cum on his stomach.

 Fabio grips Charles' hips tightly and sinks inside, Charles stretches beautifully around him. He sinks in slowly about half way, the slams home with one swift thrust. Charles cries out in pleasure, arching his hips up off the bed.

He gives Charles a whole three seconds to adjust before pulling the whole way out, only to ram back inside of him again, before settling into a rough pace. Charles groans and grips a handful bed sheets as Fabio pounds into him roughly, it feels amazing and it's exactly what he needs right now. "You're so tight Charles."  

"I want to make you feel amazing, worship you like the amazing man you are." Fabio, changes the angle slightly and blistering hot pleasure over takes Charles' senses, Fabio does it to him again and again making sure he hits his prostate with every single thrust. Charles takes note at his own leaking cock and goes to touch himself.

"No,  Charles. I want to make you feel good." Fabio thrusts into Charles a little bit harder, so his balls are slapping against Charles' ass but he still makes no attempt to touch Charles' poor cock. Waves and waves of red hot pleasure are filling Charles to the brim but it's just not quite enough and it's sending Charles insane.  

Fabio takes pity on him before he has the chance to beg and starts to jerk him off to the same pace as his thrusts. Charles lets loud pleasured filled moans fill up the bedroom. He hopes Carlos next door just thinks he's with Pierre.

Charles orgasm hits him like a freight train, he screams over and over as he splatters his load over Fabio's hand. He spasms and clenches down tightly around Fabio, quickly pulling the orgasm from the other man and he soon feels the red hot release inside of him.

"Thank you, I needed that." Charles says as Fabio pulls out of him, leaving the trickle of cum running down his thighs.

"Anytime, just hit me up." Fabio presses his number into Charles' phone which he collects from the floor.

Charles thinks he will.   

[butterflyintochains]

Forced To Choose

Max promised Juliette that he'd never make her choose between himself and her brother when they finally got together in Spain in 2020. But, in 2021 at Imola, Charles royally fucks up. Forcing his only sister's hand on the matter.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Imola, 2021 - Charles' POV

Fourth, fourth place, not too bad. Twelve points for both himself and for Ferrari, with Carlos not far behind in fifth. Mattia seems pleased despite not winning the race, and the garage is happy. He wishes he could have gotten past Lando, but it's early days yet, there's still so many races left. The press circus is over for another weekend, and the drivers have retreated to hospitality for some dinner. The only absence being Max, who should be riding high from his victory, and Charles' sister. Juliette barely eats anything during races due to nerves, at best she'll have a baguette and salad midway through a race, but she ought to be starving by now. ''Pierre, have you seen Julia yet?'' Charles asks his best friend.

Pierre furrows his brows from the Alpha Tauri table. ''No, I saw her talking to Max's engineer about fifteen minutes ago, then she vanished.''

Charles nods, and says, that's all he needs. ''Cool, thanks, Pierre.'' He goes to look for his sister, and wrangle in Max as well. Some stupid part of him wonders if they might be in the same place, and he doesn't know whether to laugh or be horrified at that idea. They've always been friendly, but they couldn't possibly be that friendly, right? He decides to follow the track in reverse, there's not really any other options before him. He passes through Rivazza, hearing far off voices as he comes around the corner. He finds Juliette at Variente Alta, talking animatedly with Max. He extracts something from his jeans, a tiny drawstring bag, Juliette opens it, extracting a key. She excitedly nods, and leaps into his arms. And, to Charles' horror, Max kisses her. Max. Max Verstappen. Kissing his one and only sister. ''Un-fucking-believable.'' He says.

Juliette happily says, face glowing with joy. ''Oh, hi Charles! Have we missed anything?''

Charles says, voice stilted and filled with venom, mostly at Max. ''No, you've not. But, it looks as if I have.''

Max says, blue eyes filled with anxiety, a hand protectively on Julia's back, which only makes Charles angrier. ''Charles, we can explain...'' Charles cuts him off. ''Oh, you're going to, Verstappen. Why are you kissing my sister?''

Juliette says, clearly barely reining in her own anxiety. ''We're dating, Charlie, it's what we do.''

Charles snaps, reeling at his childhood rival and younger sister. ''Oh, you're dating now, are you? My biggest rival is dating my little sister. Julia, papillon, why? Wasn't Joseph good enough for you? Why dump him for Max?''

Juliette has always been full of her own fire, more of it than any of the boys in fact, Seb always liked her for that. ''Because, Charles, I've loved Max since I was sixteen, that's why.''

Charles scoffs, but turns to Max. ''Well? Explain yourself, what's this thing between you and my sister? Are you using her for Ferrari secrets or something?''

Max laughs, full on cackling like a hyena. ''No, God, no, we're doing just fine at Red Bull, thanks. I've been in love with Julia longer than you've been in F1, Charles, we've been together since last summer.'' Charles can't quite believe what he's hearing. They've been together for almost a year, and they're in love, but why now? ''What was this whole thing, then?''

Juliette softly and happily delivers the coup de grace to him, showing off the shiny metal key. ''Max asked me to move in with him. And, I said 'yes'.''

Charles asks one final question. ''Who else knows bout this?'' Max informs him, counting on his fingers. ''Checo, Daniel, Lando, and Alex.''

Charles fumes, not quite believing all this to be real. ''Well, Julia, don't come crying to me when this inevitably goes south.'' He knows he's fucked up when Juliette scowls at him, looking eerily like their maman. ''Why can you never be happy for me, Charlie?'' With that, they walk off hand in hand. Leaving Charles alone on the track, wondering why, of all girls, Max had to pick his sister. And why, of all guys, Juliette would pick his childhood rival. Surely this is just a fling, right? Nothing will come of this, right?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monaco, April 2021 - Juliette's POV

Juliette is running around the apartment like a mad woman trying to get her stuff sorted out from Stefanie's and Laura's. The break between Imola and Portugal was meant to be relaxing, but this is the complete opposite of that. She thinks bitterly of Imola now, insanely proud of Max for winning the second race of the season, but she's not talking to Charles until he grows up. She's never seen her brother so angry before, or heard him be so dismissive. If he only knew what Joseph did to her, what that evil son of a bitch demanded of her, how much pain that gave her. Yet, somehow, Joseph is a better option for her than Max? She packs her smaller things first, the things she can do without until Max's house is set up for her. Her phone rings, it's Carlos. ''Hola, Chili, que pasa?'' She cheerfully answers.

Carlos says to her. ''Charles wanted me to tell you to call him, hermanita.''

Juliette cocks an eyebrow, of course Charles asked his teammate to be their go-between. ''I'll speak to him once he grows the fuck up, and stops being rude about the man I love, and not a minute before.'' She hangs up, and slumps onto her bed, the photo of the family after Charles' first F2 win staring her right in the face. ''Julia, are you okay?'' Laura asks, sitting beside her.

Juliette realizes she's been crying, and hastily dries her eyes with her sleeve. ''Yeah, Laura, I'm fine.'' She isn't, far from it actually, Max promised her she'd never have to choose. But, of all people, her brother made no such promises. ''No, no you're not.'' Laura says, rubbing her shoulders. Juliette lets herself fall apart. ''No, I'm not.'' She curls up in her friend's arms, sobbing her soul out, how has the happiest time in her life turned into this?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Portugal, 2021 - Juliette's POV

Free practice in Portugal goes smoothly, Juliette sitting in her favourite Red Bull hoodie watching Max from the team's garage. They've not spoken about that evening in Imola since, and neither are speaking to Charles either. Juliette adjusts her wrist brace, and keeps on sketching a dress for Zandvoort, she wants to wear orange for Max's first ever home race, so the design will have to look perfect. Her mask hiding how miserable she is. GP swings by after talking with Hugh. ''He's gonna love that, Julia.'' He assures her.

Juliette sniffles, and says. ''I hope so, GP.''

GP asks her, sitting on a chair near hers, he always makes sure to keep an eye on her ever since Interlagos in 2016. ''Julia, as someone who cares about you, are you alright?''Juliette puts her sketching stuff away, and sighs. ''I don't know, it's just... I'd never be so hostile to any girls my brothers date. So, why is it okay for Charles to be that way about Max?''

GP simply says. ''It isn't, and you and Max have every right to be angry at him.''

Juliette says, accepting some water from Max. ''It's like he expects me to become a nun or something.'' Max leans over to kiss her forehead. ''Unless it's Joseph the asshole, then you're good.'' Juliette spitefully says. ''I'd rather die than be with him again, amour.'' Checo and Hugh look scandalised. ''Dios mio, hermanita!'' Checo exclaims. Juliette drinks her water, and says. ''What? It's true.''

Race day comes, and Juliette is seated in her usual spot in the Red Bull garage, with a perfect view of the screens. Max removes his cap, and zips his suit up, he kisses her on the lips. ''I love you, make sure you eat something, okay?''

Juliette nods, and assures him. ''I love you too, I will, promise. Go on, light that track up.''

The race gets going, and is a battle of attrition between Red Bull and Mercedes. Only Lando being able to keep up with the two top teams in his far inferior McLaren. Juliette grabs some pasta for lunch with some lemonade. Lewis takes the win, Max comes second, Valtteri comes third at the race's end. Charles comes sixth. Alex shoots Juliette a look, as if waiting for her to say something, she doesn't, just shrugs.

After the ceremony, Max and Julia head back to Max's motorhome, they grab their stuff, and get going back to the hotel. Looking forward to returning to their happy place tomorrow.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Spain, 2021 - Max's POV

Max loves this place, always has and always will. He owes Barcelona so much in his life, his first win, the woman he loves, their relationship. All of it because of one city. Max parks his car outside the paddock, and loops around the car to open his girlfriend's door for her. Juliette puts her mask on, and takes his hand. If Charles is going to be pissed at them, they're gonna give him something to be pissed about. Max is in his usual team uniform, and - breaking from tradition - so is Juliette. They scan their passes, and proudly enter the paddock together. ''Good to see where your loyalties lie, Julia.'' Alex says, he's always been one of Juliette's closest friends on the grid.

Juliette adjusts her shades, and says. ''Well, it was about time I made my decision, wasn't it?'' Max has no idea where this petty streak came from, but he is not complaining. ''Not one speck of Ferrari red?'' Carlos asks.

Max says, slinging his arm around his girlfriend's waist. ''Julia said something about how different styles have their seasons, didn't you?'' Juliette nods, flashing a cheeky look. ''Yeah, I did. Ferrari had its day with Seb and Kimi. Red Bull is coming back, I can feel it.'' They stride off to the Red Bull garage together, say hello to everyone, and go to see Fernando in the Alpine garage. ''Has Red Bull replaced Checo?'' He asks.

Max laughs, hooking his sunglasses into his shirt. ''No, thank God. Julia is just wearing my colours now.''

Juliette adds, removing her own sunglasses. ''Max promised me I'd never need to choose, but I've chosen Red Bull. Let the Tifosi have their fun, they've not done anything since Kimi, right?'' Max knows logically that half of this is an anger reaction, but she's never been sexier to him. Kimi pipes up from Alfa Romeo. ''She's a smart one, Max.''

Max chirps. ''Don't I know it?''

Raceday comes, Juliette is eating lunch as the race begins, Max vows to himself to do this for them both, they fell in love here, so he'll win here. He gets off to an early lead on both the Mercedes drivers, and bears down for the entire 66 lap stretch to come second for her, fastest lap included. Even better? Charles has to settle for fourth. Just like back in 2016, his girlfriend is the first person he locks eyes with. Just like in 2016, she is the only person he can look at.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monaco, 2021 - Juliette's POV

The last of her stuff is packed up, and Max's house is finally ready for her to move in! Juliette stands in her empty bedroom, only her bed and furniture remain of her things. She should be sad, she's lived with Stefanie and Laura for just over a year now, but she's moving in with the love of her life, so all things are balanced. The city is preparing for the upcoming Grand Prix, which she prays will be a Red Bull win. She picks her bag up, and replaces her old key with the new one. Then, she leaves for Max's. The day is devoted to unpacking, Max takes her hand, and says. ''Come with me, schatje.'' He leads her to what used to be his guest room, but it's now outfitted for her to create. Her art and design stuff is all perfectly set up. ''Max...''

Max kisses her temple, and says. ''My sim set up is in my office, so, this is yours now. I even splashed out on this for you.'' He leads her to an incredibly fancy art set from an Italian brand. ''Max, you didn't have to do this for me, you know.''

Max says, hands locking at the small of her back. ''This is our home, Julia, our home to share and build our life in. So, do you like it?'' Juliette nods, tearing up. ''I love it, and I love you.''

Max brings her in for a kiss. ''I love you too.''

She's moved in fully by the time race weekend comes. Practice day goes ahead as normal, and Juliette sits in the Red Bull garage again for qualifying. Yuki and Fernando go out in Q1, Daniel is eliminated in Q2. Despite shunting his car, Charles gets pole at home. Juliette would love to be happy for her brother, but it's hard when he can't be happy for her. Oh well, at least Max got P2.

Charles can't race on the sunday, so Max is designated polesitter. He storms through the race, holding Valtteri Bottas in his dust until Bottas retires on lap 30. Juliette watches intently while eating lunch. Max leads the entire way, pitting on lap 34, driving like he's world champion already. She cannot believe she lives with this man. Finally, after a brief dry spell, Max brings it home in first. Carlos and Lando joining him on the podium. After the ceremony is over, and press is finally done, the couple return home. The trophy sitting on their coffee table. ''A nice housewarming gift, huh?'' Max remarks.

Juliette says, utterly exhausted from the long day. ''Yeah, I'd say so.''

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

France, 2021 - Juliette's POV

Raceday in France has come at last, Max is due to start on pole today. Juliette quickly gets ready for the day, slipping into a dark blue pencil dress, black wedges, and her trusty leather jacket. She's 22 years old today! Max comes in from talking to Checo, and kisses her as she's putting her earrings in. ''Happy birthday, schatje.''

Juliette says. ''Thank you very much, amour.''

They head down to the paddock together, where GP escorts them into the garage. Which is where Max and Checo vanish. Juliette looks to Hannah. ''Hannah, where did my boyfriend just go?'' Hannah just laughs. ''Just you wait.''

The two drivers surface with a cake, some gifts in a bag, and a beautiful bouquet of carnations. Singing happy birthday as they come in. Max kisses her. ''Happy birthday, my love.''

Juliette has to hold the emotions back. ''Oh, wow. Thank you so much, both of you.'' The cake is decorated with flowers and butterflies in purple and blue icing. Juliette goes to put it in Max's motorhome for later. Then, the race begins. Her maman drops by from the Ferrari garage as well. Pascale Leclerc has always admired her daughter's ability to convey her feelings with her clothes. Long gone is the Ferrari red, even the neutral purple is gone. Replaced by the black and blue of Red Bull, she's picked her side, she's made her choice, she's a Red Bull. ''Happy birthday, my darling girl.''

Juliette beams, and says. ''Thank you, maman.''

Her maman looks around the garage. ''This is all so different, are you sure you prefer it here to down the paddock with us?'' Juliette nods, accepting the second gift bag from her maman. ''I'm sure, maman. I've waited so long to be with Max, I'm not wasting it in another garage.''

Max brings it home to win the race with the fastest lap, 26 much needed points. After the ceremony, the team have cake together in the garage. Juliette unwraps her gifts. A gorgeous new sketchbook from Checo. A set of bracelets from Max. A necklace from Lorenzo. Some new perfume from Charles. Earrings from her maman, and a really cute pinky ring from Arthur. ''Thank you both for the gifts, I love them so much.''

Checo smiles, the kind big brother to them both. ''You're very welcome, hermanita.''

Max kisses her cheek. ''Only the best for my favourite person.''

They get back to the hotel, trophy and birthday gifts in hands, and crash into bed the long day finally catching up to them.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Britain, 2021 - Juliette's POV

With a double header in Austria, the grid were kind of stuck in Spielberg for the time being, Juliette joining them in England for the British Grand Prix, having stayed home to work on her latest project and get some real work done. Juliette decides to head down to the track alone, letting Max rest after his wins in both Austrian races, which have taken a lot out of him. A soon as they're able to get home, she needs to start working on her dress for Zandvoort. She finds somewhere quiet to sit and think. This whole thing with Charles is starting to catch up to her, she hasn't spoken to him in weeks. Initially this felt good to her, holding him accountable for how he treated her and Max, but now it just feels horrible. She also can't shake the feeling that something is going to go very wrong this weekend. Two demons equally sitting in her head, and all she wants is to get rid of them.

Max wins the sprint, and qualifies on pole for the actual race. Three vital points already picked up for the championships. Then, the race comes. The air feels different today, it's hot as hell, but there's this odd tension in the air. Max gets ready to go, Juliette eats some lunch, praying it'll stay down. ''I love you, I'll see you soon.'' Max says.

Juliette nods, nervous for him for the first time in ages. ''I love you too.''

He's rolled into parc ferme, and the race gets going. Max gets off to a really good start, and things seem to be going okay. Then, the pack goes through Brooklands and Luffield, and onto the straight from Woodcote. Then, Silverstone falls silent as Lewis sends Max hurtling into the wall at Copse. Juliette swallows a scream, but the tears are already beginning.

Has she lost him? Has she lost the only man she's ever loved?

It feels like it takes ages for Max to surface from the car, the medical crew is on him already, taking him to the medical center. So, Juliette follows them, arriving as he does. He's examined, she stands in the corner in tears. While the doctors call an ambulance, Juliette sits by him, holding his hand in hers. ''Julia, love, look at me.''

Juliette looks down into his ocean blue eyes. ''Max.'' Her voice is pained and small. ''I'm okay.'' He assures her.

They go to the hospital for further scans, all good. But, they stay for a few hours. Where they watch Lewis win the race. ''You fucking brat, Hamilton.'' Juliette can't stop seeing the crash in her head, she puts her head in her hands, sobbing. ''I could have lost you, Max.''

Max assures her as his parents come in. ''I'm right here, Julia, and I'm never going anywhere.''

They run into Charles and Sebastian once they're released back to the paddock. Sebastian talks to Max for a bit, and leaves. Leaving only the three younger ones there. Charles takes a look at Max, all shaken up from the crash, and his sister, looking utterly traumatised. ''Juliette, Max, I am so sorry for how I've been treating you both. I've been an ass, anyone with eyes can see you two love each other. Julia, I am so proud that you've finally found someone you truly love. And, Max, if it was going to be anyone, I'm glad she chose you.''

Max says, voice breathless still. ''Thank you, Charles, and I'll never hurt Julia, I've loved her since I was eighteen.''

Juliette sniffles, in desperate need of those three precious weeks of summer. ''I've missed you, Charlie.''

Charles laughs, and kisses her forehead. ''I've missed you too, papillon.''

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Monaco, Summer Break, 2021

Juliette is finally finished the dress, a soft shade of amber with some tinges of sunset orange. A deep-v neck with flutter sleeves, an empire waist, and a flowing skirt. Below the bust is a sunset velvet band with a handmade tulip sewn to the center. It's simple, but she hopes Max likes it on raceday. She's liked being home and back at work, it's so much better than the temporary jobs in the race cities she's been doing on race weeks. She sits back on her heels, and pops her back. ''That is lovely, schatje.'' Max says.

Juliette smiles. ''Thank you, amour. Just have some final touches, and it's ready for Zandvoort.''

Max says, looking so excited to see her in it already. ''Can't wait for the race already, if only for that dress.''

Juliette jokes, taking his hand to help her stand up. ''Just call me Queen of The Orange Army.'' Max helps her up from the floor, having no idea how she can work on the floor like that for so long. ''I already do, love.''

The dress done except for some tiny details, they go and grab some lunch together. Julia is glad to be on good terms with Charles again, but there's till so much she has to tell him about before they've properly made up. But, he's in Corisca with the boys, and that's okay with her.

[lestappenforever]

Wait a minute, I just realised I didn’t do anything post Spa related to the race, so (better be late than never) here’s (kinda) my Spa analysis one month later 😂 (also l, it won’t be super detailed, I’m just going off memory)

First up, Mercedes. The team as a whole could be split in two. One for the masterclass they pulled, with George only pitting once and his tyre deg (kudos to the mechanics for the set up which decreased his deg) and Lewis for the perfect strategy they executed perfectly during the race. Being able to pull a 1-2 with the likes of Charles, Oscar, Lando and Max behind is impressive tbh. But Mercedes, as a whole team, needs to be assessed. Simply because no Formula One team, and especially one from the top 5, should have a car disqualified twice in less than a year. They need to work on that, because this cost them a jump in constructors points with the 1-2 and tbh, it could cost the drivers faith in their team, because very tiny errors that are fatal to the rules and laws put for a clear and fair competition between drivers.

Ferrari played it good. Finally getting the set up right, especially during quali in the rain and the masterclass pulled by Charles to get p2 in quali and start on pole. Yet again the car is just not 100% during the race, the fact that Lewis at the beginning of the race and oscar were able to pull away from Charles is just not something that should be occurring a lot and should not be overlooked tbh. Carlos was okay, but for him, the competition was not on the top spots, so his was a bit less harsh than Charles’

McLaren were meh tbh. Very underwhelming in a track that, like every other track, they should excel in. First, Strategy was not the best and so far during the season, their strategy was a pain point for them (not that I’m complaining personally) and Lando’s starts need to be improved drastically because all he’s done since the beginning of the season in presumably one of his best seasons thus far in Formula One, is lose places or stay as by the end of lap 1. Oscar was pretty good tbh, but not that amazing, because again, that McLaren is currently the best car on the grid.

Finally Red Bull. Checo was underwhelming to say the least. He had a magnificent qualifying the day before, snagging p2 before Charles just got it from him, starting on the front row which has not happened in a while, but he was supposed to be helping his team mate who started p11. His start was so bad, being unable to overtake Charles at the start, and then continuing to loose places till the end of the race, he’s lucky the team decided not to have a mid season driver swap, but I have a feeling his contract (despite renewed) could be terminated soon after the season ends and he’s replaced. As for Max, in a car that isn’t the fastest, a track that is known to be easy for overtaking but as Oscar said, clean air is such a huge factor, beging stuck in a drs train in dirty air, finishing 4th and ahead of Lando while starting p11 in a car that’s not great, I wouldn’t just call this damage limitation, I’d call it he’s the best fucking driver on that damn grid. Not everyone would be able to keep the fastest car on the grid with a really talented driver in it in a track with easier overtaking behind for a lot of laps, and finishing 4th from 11th is something beyond amazing, he made up a shit ton of places, and was able to snag important points.

So yeah, that’s me on a month-old race, hopefully Zandvooft is good (especially for Max who this not just his home for this weekend, but also his 200th gp venue) and we finally hear the Dutch National Anthem twice on Sunday, because I genuinely miss it

Just going to leave this in all its glory, even if it is about a race that took place a month ago.

[silentreigns]

Actually while we're on this topic, can we mention Daniel and his fans' reactions about him punting Yuki off track — oop I meant "overtaking Yuki" — in Mexico last year? Because that was some hardcore microaggressions against Yuki and nobody ever recognizes it.

Daniel had similar incidents with Magnussen (twice last year) and Sainz. Both got apologies from him immediately after the race, he took accountability for all of those incidents in the media after the race.

He punts Yuki's car off the track trying to overtake him. He doesn't apologize. Claims he does nothing wrong, despite the FIA giving him a penalty for this exact incident. Essentially argues that Yuki was to blame because he was on faster tires so Yuki should have just let him through (embarrassing argument from a literal race car driver to begin with, he's on a better tire strategy and still can't overtake a slower car?). So, Yuki, the only person of an underrepresented race and ethnicity that Daniel has an incident with in 2022, is also the only driver he refuses to apologize to or take accountability for ruining their race. The ONLY one.

Then we get to his fans' reactions. He's voted Driver of the Day for essentially doing nothing but being put on an optimal strategy (new softs while quite literally everyone in front of him was on used hards), and nearly fucks that up almost as soon as his team initiates it by crashing into Yuki. Immediately, there's tons of memes and jokes about how "it was worth sacrificing Yuki for Daniel to get his confidence back." Much like what's happening now, NOBODY recognizes Yuki or what a race he was having up until Daniel fucked it up; instead, Daniel is hailed a hero for essentially doing nothing but being unable to safely overtake a car on an inferior tire strategy.

Personally, I'm really looking forward to Daniel getting some karma and Yuki getting the last laugh here. That race and Daniel and his fans' behavior left a sour taste in my mouth, and I know there's quite a few other Yuki fans who took notice of their behavior then too. (There were also quite a few racist attacks from Dan fans after Daniel blamed Yuki and played victim as per usual in the media too, so buckle up, we're in for a LONG rest of the season).

The Mexican gp 2022 was one of the few races last year that I remember clearly. But I remember it for all of the wrong reasons, because the actual race was boring as hell. RedBull and Mercedes were so far ahead of Ferrari, but Ferrari was so ahead of the midfield that there weren't that many overtakes. ~50 laps had gone by and nobody had DNF'ed yet. That was until Daniel collided with Yuki and got a 10 second penalty. And then Daniel overtook Esteban and everyone was cheering for him like he was on the podium or something like that. Just look at the interactions of the tweet I linked 🤥

Looking back at it, it was very fucked up that people were essentially cheering this nonsense on. I am like 90% sure I was happy for Daniel at the time too, and I wish I could have told my past self that taking a driver out and proceeding to do a "cool" overtake aren't things to celebrate. Barely anyone acknowledged Yuki not being able to finish the race, and he was like close to the points (he was like p11 and had a better weekend than Pierre but all that goes away when someone takes you out through no fault of your own).

Doesn't help that in the next race at Brazil he took out Kevin for a careless mistake in the first lap, after Kevin just had one of the best race weekends of his career by taking pole for the first time. The Brazil incident was very anticlimactic and shows that he wasn't in good form, racing wise. I don't remember how people reacted to his Brazil DNF, but I can assure you they were more sympathetic towards Daniel than to Yuki.

[wejustvibing]

Hello there I'm relative new to the F1 been watching since 2020 my brother got me into it. He promised me Lewis supremacy FIA Mafia for only him 😭 He lied. I have never cared for sport and 2021 destroyed me, i will never recover that horrible night. Anyway twitter is full of merceds has betrayed Lewis and listened to G, etc. So I want you opinion on this, my brother thinks it's impossible for them to throw lewis away this soon, but it happend to Seb at Ferrari so it will happend, for me it seems impossible but since last year something feels terrible wrong and maybe is just Totto who betrayed him, after all he his prodigy gets the best outcome of "beating" Lewis, but I still think Mercedes would want to keep using Lewis a little longer to praise G. I have seen your asks and at the moment you seem like a neutral person who is calm and can have a more informed opinion about this, do you think toto has wrong Lewis this year listening to the new guy who has never won anything before or is just fandom going nuts over a long time coming hate towards G.

For me,now it's that it just took time for people to see him for what he is. For me the moment he went to hit Valterri went he was "trying" to prove himself to Totto that's for me is who he is. (Another dirty driver as Max) Lewis is older now and clever and I believe that even if G turns worst that Nico, Lewis will handle things destroying him in a way that he didn't do NR because that shit was in another level because after all it was the betray of his childhood friend, Lewis seems so chill about G is like he is not even there to begging with.

I don't want to believe Mercedes actually did this wrong to his fucking best guy but Totto is not giving me any good vibes these days.

I hope this is not rude or anything. I just want to know your opinion.

hey! putting the whole thing under the cut because i don't want to be negative or whatever this answer is going to make me sound like. might regret answering but oh what the hell. so yeah, 2021 has changed a lot of things and nothing's the same ever since for me too and i get you.

anyway i have to say the vibes are off and i'm not liking it at all. lewis himself has said they didn't listen to him although we don't know exactly which suggestion. also i don't know if they listened to george over lewis. amid everything toto's waffled in the last few days, one thing that matches with everything that's happening is, there's a fundamental issue that lewis isn't happy with. it could be the same issue he asked to get fixed and they ignored. toto also said it will take time to fix it but a) we don't know how long and b) he didn't necessarily say they're going to fix it?

lewis on the other hand sounded hopeful and despite the shit he's trapped in, he's waiting for a major update they might get after the first 3 races are done, so i'm hoping things might start looking up for him. i'm going to hold onto that and remain calm. because the only fight he can have is with that damn car till then sadly.

and about them pushing him out, it's a real possibility with all the teams so i don't see why this team would be any different. (i'm saying this knowing full well his loyalty, determination to stay and all the long term plans he has for diversity, sustainability, etc. btw) not saying it will happen but if it does, i won't be shocked is all i'm saying.

i've avoided adding to the clusterfuck and doom & gloom fully thus far but i have a feeling something monumental is afoot behind the scenes. he's either making the big shuffle for the preparation of a round two per se or he is leaving or a secret third thing (we'll die a slow and painful death watching him continue to struggle).

but whatever it is that happens, i'm here for him.

maybe this isn't what you expected but this is how i'm feeling the past few days. hope i'm not being rude traumadumping on u

[racingliners]

F1 Re-Watch 2013: Race 12 - Italy

si ragazzi etc etc etc

Seb's third win in Italy! But That year was also McLaren's 50th anniversary race... spoiler alert it did not go well.

I don't really remember much from this one, though I think Alonso was on the podium as well? Anyway let's jump in!

Once again going to be that person and say how I still miss the old F1 intro :(

The new one is fun and all but can you say 'nnnnneow' at the end? no you can't

Anyway, Monza v v pretty

aaaaand starting grid: SEB POLE!!!,

HULKENBERG P3??????

What the fuck is a polar bear doing in Arlington, Texas?!

(I legit had to pause to process that, wtf)

ahem, moving on: Alonso P5, Dan P7, Jenson P9, Jev P10, Lewis P12 (ouch :()

Truly that was the most whiplash I've had during a starting grid overview. Yikes.

There is something hilarious about a Ferrari powered Sauber out qualifying both Ferraris at Monza though

[Formation Lap]: ooh Lewis starting on hards, makes sense considering his starting spot (also set to be the best race tyre according to Bono on team radio).

The mediums are the other dry tyres for this race

ayyy there's some of the McLaren guys in their vintage style team uniforms (dare I say this maybe be the origin of the dress up race curse, bc I'm pretty sure both Jenson and Perez finish outside the points despite starting in the top 10).

Oh! The thermal image camera! I remember that!

svsvhfdh a Maurizio Arrivabene sighting in the Ferrari garage, two whole years before he became TP.

[Start/Lap 1]: many, many things happening in the braking zone for turn 1...

Seb had a good start though!!!

Top 10 is Seb, Massa, Webber, Fernando, Hulkenberg, Rosberg, Dan, Perez, Jev and Raikkonen

cut to Di Resta missing a front wing and out the race already

[Lap 2]: Mild violence on that first lap ngl

and there's a yellow flag somewhere

aaaaand it's gone

something about Seb driving off into the distance while war crimes happen behind him

[Lap 3]: Lewis is up to P10!!!

Not Alonso and Webber going through a chicane side by side, fellas...

[Lap 4]: Jenson down to P11 :(

oh he had an awful start that's why

[Lap 5]: Seb watch: he has a 2.6 second lead over Massa

[Lap 6]: Top 5 now Seb, Massa, Fernando, Webber and Hulkenberg

Rosberg I need you to be the superior Nico rn and get past him

...and Lewis has team radio problems (Bono can't hear him)

And Rosberg is already being asked to cool his car it is not a good day for Mercedes

[Lap 8]: A Seb fastest lap and Fernando overtaking Massa for P2 happening at the exact same time

oop Jev and Lewis are squabbling

Jenson takes advantage and takes P10!

cut to a mildly concerned Jock Clear on the pit wall

[Lap 9]: "We're monitoring right front at all times, we know it's not good" Rocky you can't just say things like that

I mean Seb is 4.5 seconds ahead of Fernando, but still

[Lap 10]: But Seb sets another fastest lap regardless, howling

[Lap 11]: Ah Lewis has caught up to the back of Jenson, maybe the hard tyres are starting to work

Cut to Seb, now 5.5 seconds ahead of Alonso

and PHEW the front right Rocky was speaking about was the tyre, not the brake

[Lap 12]: ...Lewis has a slow front right puncture

His not good quite bad Italian GP, I have no idea if his radio is still broken

oh Andrea Stella spoke to Fernando in Italian, that's fun

[Lap 13]: Lewis hasn't pitted. 🙃

Bono once again asking Lewis to pit, and the mechanics are in the pit lane.

Apparently someone from Merc was very aggressively waving Lewis' pit board so he could see it.

Why am I getting mildly anxious over a race I watched live a decade ago?! 😭

[Lap 14]: Lewis finally pits, and someone held up a sign for him while he was stationary. He's on the mediums and in 19th

His not good very bad Italian GP

[Lap 15]: At least Seb is having a good race 🥲

It's wild bc I was so unbothered about Lewis in 2013 and now I'm in distress

JEV NO

He's stopped on track 😭

Engine may have gone poof :(

[Lap 16]: I refer back to my earlier comment about Seb driving into the distance while atrocities occur to everyone else

Wild how a lot has gone on... while there hasn't been much actual racing

[Lap 17]: Seb now 6.5 seconds ahead of Fernando

Not a shot of Jev while his car smokes in the background 😭😭😭

oh Dan had already been announced as Seb's team mate for 2014 at this point, I could swear that was between this race and Singapore, oh well

[Lap 18]: Brundle: Speaking about how Fernando wants to get Adrian Newey on his team to be able to win WDCs sooner rather than later. Merc, about to dominate the next 7 seasons: 👀

[Lap 19]: Speaking of Merc, Rosberg how tf are you still in P6????Did you not listen when I told you to be the superior Nico???? smh

[Lap 21]: Meanwhile the frontrunners are all still to pit, which for them to do a one stop at Monza in 2013 is really quite impressive

Webber continues to chase down Massa

[Lap 22]: and Jenson pits for a set of hards, so that'll be him till the end on paper

oooh a lesser spotted for 2013 Lewis fastest lap!!

[Lap 24]: And Seb also pits for hards, he's the first of the frontrunners to do so

oh and in comes Webber too! Not quite a double stack considering their gap on track but still impressive

another Lewis fastest lap

[Lap 25]: Fernando and Andrea are continuing to chat over the radio in Italian, Crofty is twisting himself into knots trying to translate

and another Lewis fastest lap, it's like a 2014 season preview

He's in 10th though, and chasing Bottas down for 9th

[Lap 26]: So currently top 5 is: Alonso*, Rosberg*, Seb, Gutierrez* and Webber. (* = still to stop)

Lewis is up into P9!!

Hmm, Fernando has a 17.9 gap over Seb, which isn't quite big enough for a pit window

[Lap 27]: Meanwhile Rosberg pits, so Seb's now up to 2nd

This race really has been eventful and uneventful at the same time, it's wild

[Lap 28]: And Alonso finally pits while Rocky tells Seb off for going too fast

Seb re-takes the lead

Top 5 after the first/only stops: Seb, Fernando, Webber, Massa and Raikkonen

[Lap 29]: Oh damn Lewis has caught up to the back of Rosberg

aaaand Lewis got past him for P7

[Lap 31]: Raikkonen makes his second stop, he made a very early first stop due to getting damage at the start

Another Lewis fastest lap, and he's battling Hulkenberg for P6, though he may be stopping again too

[Lap 32]: His mediums are 18 laps old, so maybe the logic is to burn through them putting himself as par up the road as possible to minimise the damage from his second stop?

And while I typed that Lewis did a SEXY move through the inside of Curva Grande, he's now in 5th

[Lap 33]: Meanwhile on Seb watch, he's 11 seconds ahead of Fernando

and the McLarens are in 9th and 10th (Jenson, then Perez)

[Lap 34]: 🚨20 laps to go klaxon!🚨

[Lap 36]: Rosberg has caught up to Hulkenberg

...and went off at the first chicane

(I refuse to have Hulkenberg win the Nico war)

[Lap 37]: Merc mechanics out in the pit lane, possibly for Lewis

...or not they've gone back in

and cut to the Merc pit wall

Was it the classic Merc fake pit stop or is Lewis' radio still fucked? We may never know

[Lap 38]: Bono telling Lewis to pit

... and he once again doesn't come in

Meanwhile Grosjean takes Perez for 10th

[Lap 39]: And in comes Lewis for his second stop and another set of mediums, he comes out in 14th

ouch

[Lap 40]: Oh Webber has caught up to the back of Alonso 👀

If they go side by side through a chicane again I might die

They're 12 second behind Seb, who is continuing to do Seb things

[Lap 41]: And cue Webber bad luck, he's having to short shift in the lower gears

[Lap 42]: Another Lewis fastest lap for F1 bingo

cut to some midfield fisticuffs

[Lap 43]: Lewis chasing down Gutierrez for 13th, who fun fact is a test driver for Mercedes now

[Lap 44]: Seb's being told to short shift as well but in different gears (2-3 for Webber, 5-6 for Seb). RBR I know it's been ten years but I am going to slap you.

Meanwhile, Lewis passes Gutierrez for 13th

A DANI PEDROSA SIGHTING?!?!?!?!?!?

I once again had to pause but for the good whiplash 🥰

*blows a kiss to the sky for Dani*

[Lap 45]: LEWIS GOES ROUND THE OUTSIDE OF CURVA GRANDE!!!!

yes it was for 12th but still, SEXY

[Lap 46]: Webber now being told that he *has* to shortshift in order to finish the race 😳

see, that's not good

[Lap 47]: And yet Webber is still able to keep pace with Alonso, DAMN

Lewis v Raikkonen you say? 👀🍿

[Lap 48]: oof they almost go side by side into the first chicane

The battle for 7th graphic showing seven cars within 4.5 seconds of each other... MADNESS

(I love it though)

[Lap 49]: 🚨5 Laps remaining klaxon!!!🚨

Seb's lead down to 9.8 seconds over Alonso

Lewis once again goes round the outside of Curva Grande and takes 11th off Raikkonen

something something hammertime something

(I say that, feeling quite certain that wasn't a thing until 2014/2015)

[Lap 50]: And Lewis gets past Perez like slicing through butter down the start-finish straight to take P10

[Lap 51]: a Rosberg fastest lap????

And Lewis overtakes Jenson for 9th

[Lap 52]: A Seb sighting!!!! He's still leading by about 8 seconds

Raikkonen takes Perez for P11

[Lap 53]: "We've got enough issues, just bring it home" Local man is passive aggressive with little shit colleague

also LAST LAP

Lewis locks up going into the second chicane and has to let Grosjean back through

meanwhile SEB WINS IN MONZA!!!!!!!

(yes, that's how far ahead he was)

I am a teary eyed Adrian Newey and he is me

Rest of the top 10 - P2: Alonso, P3: Webber, P4: Massa, P5: Hulkenberg, P6: Rosberg, P7: Ricciardo, P8: Grosjean, P9: Lewis, P10: Jenson (one solitary point for McLaren's 50th anniversary race 🥲)

ngl, that race was quite odd. Stuff happened but there wasn't that much racing until the last few laps but the race wasn't completely boring either???? So yeah, odd.

Buuut, next race - my most most beloved Singapore!!!

[dayslynthesix]

im kinda of obsessed with summer charles and if you put together summer charles + reputation era charles version thats what i think it would turn

an: as the usual this is merely fictional and does not represents any compromise with real life, in this one let's pretend that ferrari didn't fucked things up again and again, and its based on the 2022 season as well; im considering that charles won in monaco and in silverstone, and isabella won in canada, and in this ideal universe named my mind, the championship would be verstappen with 251 points and leclerc with 199

charles leclerc x ferrari!driver

prompt: isabella manzucci got the ferrari seat in the 2022 season, she got a feeling about that season and after keep an eye on charles leclerc she thought she could help him be a world champion that year, what neither of them were expecting was the media going around with rumors about the relationship you two had

Visions | Charles Leclerc imagine

Silverstone was always meaningful to Isabella, after Monza, her home race, it was her favourite race of the calendar. She had plenty victories around that track with karting and formula two. Now that she was sitting in a Ferrari car she wanted to keep the good memories around.

The 2022 season was pretty competitive, and when she accepted the seat in Ferrari she knew she would be the second driver, and when someone give her a job, she'll do her best, and her job was help the team make Charles Leclerc world champion.

After Charles won his home GP thanks to her, they became closer than they already were. She was able to defend her position and hold the red bull car behind her and prevent both of them to go after Charles. That's was why they chose her to the seat, they saw the way she defended positions back in formula two and how aggressive she could be doing that, and it was not like she couldn't win, she could and she did win, and despite the fact that her main goal was to be a world champion, it wasn't happening this year, so Isabella was there to be the guardian of Charles positions, it doesn't matter where he was, she was always behind, and when she was ahead he was doing the same thing for her.

Things weren't different during the British GP, she got the pole position because Charles commited a mistake, and after qualy she went straight to her racing engineer and no one could ever expect the words that came out of her mouth.

"If anything happens tomorrow and Charles is faster than me you need to let me know, the gap is pretty tight and if it wasn't for his mistake on the last curve he would start from pole."

"Ok, I'll let you know, and what you're gonna do?" your engineer was your engineer since the formula two days, he knew you better than asking

"We'll switch, I'm here to defend and he is the fastest driver, I don't want to beat him, I'm his teammate and teammates help each other's."

Isabella wasn't deliver the position to him, if there was any chance for her to win she would chase that, but that sunday was not her sunday, she won in Canada and she would win again, but it wasn't that day, and she was ok with that. Her engineer didn't have to say a word, she was seeing by her mirrors the pace Charles was, he was insane. When he got closer to her, she let him use the vacuum of her car and overtake, and that was how her fight with one of red bulls car started. She turned on the radio button:

"Which one is this one?"

"Perez." her engineer answered to her immediately

"My tires are good, are they good on data too?"

"Yes, they are."

"Where is Verstappen? I don't want any surprises."

"P7, Isabella, he is in P7." Matt answered you one more time before he said "You are free to push." the garage knew that "push" means "defend that position like your life depends on that" and that was exactly what she did.

She didn't let one minute of fresh air to the car behind her, her biggest driving skills were not being hard to overtake, it was that she feels joy everytime she had ti defend her position, and if by that she made a living hell for the drivers behind her, it was fine. The red bull tried to overtake her in some pretty dirty ways, but the spell always turned against to the warlock and the time he thought he would overtake her, by pushing her off the track, she take her car away and Hamilton overtook Perez because he lost the breaks for seconds, he was now in P3, and defend against the seven time world champion was a challenge she was up for it. Unfortunately for her, she didn't have to do much, the F1-75 was faster than the W-13, she just needed to keep the pace and manage her tires, which she did.

And once again it was a 1-2 to the Scuderia.

"Ok, Isabella, that is a P2, P2. Well done." your engineer said on the radio and before you could thank him your boss was speaking to you

"Isabella, lavoro da futura campionessa qui, complimenti, hai fatto benissimo, grande Isabella" Isabella, work of a future champion here, well done, you did amazing, grande Isabella

"Grazie Mattia, grazie! Ritmo fantastico oggi, bravi ragazzi." Thank you Mattia, pace was incredible today, well done guys "Yessss boy, super proud of us today, is celebration day." you said on the radio before leading your car to the 2 spot.

The narrators went wild with that.

"Charles Leclerc didn't take pole yesterday, but in fact he win today. Charles Leclerc is the winner of the 2022 British GP. Isabella Manzucci comes home to make a 1-2 to the Scuderia, today is celebration day in Maranello."

Isabella got out of your car and went straight to her team, Charles was already there, and before she could reach her people he interdicted her for a huge hug, you high fived each other before she could definitely jump in the arms of her engineers.

You got weighted and removed your helmet and balaclava, letting go the pair of braids you have, the green already fading between your not so blond hair anymore. The reporters were already there to the post race interview, but before you could reach them, you went to congratulate Lewis, amazing race he did today, champion material.

"The move you put out there with Perez... girl, that was insane, and congratulations on P2, you know you deserve more, but amazing race." Lewis said and hugged you too

"Beat him on his own game, he would have pushed me out if track if I didn't take my car away." you let go the second part because you knew you deserved more, but not this year.

The interviews were the same as the usual, until one of the reporters brought up you letting Charles overtake you without a fight.

"Yeah, you know, I'm not the one fighting for the championship, even though all the people says he is my number one rival I don't see that way, Charles was faster than me today, he was pushing his car more than I was, I wasn't put a fight for position knowing it would jeopardize not just my race, but his too, and at the end we got a 1-2, so I am super happy." the interview didn't last long after that.

When you joined formula one they were expecting a volatile woman, because that was all they think about woman in motorsport, they don't think you can play by their rules, they were expecting someone to cross answered interviews and would put up a show when things didn't go as planned. And that proved that they didn't watch your formula two championship, you won that one on merit, obviously, but you bended the circumstances to you, not the other way around.

"Are you and Charles on a secret relationship?" was the last question, you let go a loud laugh

"Yeah, sure, we're getting married tomorrow in Las Vegas. No guys, Charles and I we are friends and teammates, thats all." and with that you could finally go back to Ferrari hospitality. Charles was waiting for you in front of you small break room.

"You let me pass. Why?" something about Charles you started to like was the way he was direct to you

"You didn't got pole yesterday because of your mistake, if you had gotten that pole you would have won. You were faster than me. You are the one fighting for the championship. You deserved to win, I just did what I was hired to do: help you win, and I gladly did that."

"I don't want to win because you let me win, Isabella. I want to win in a clean way." he let go a heavy breath

"You were faster than me, Charles, if I have put a fight for the position I would have loose it. And could have ended pretty bad for us both, I'm not fighting with you, I'm fighting for you. I don't want to win because I want to prove people I can beat you, I know I can, we are driving equal cars. You and I... we got that talent, Ferrari wouldn't have picked us if we didn't. I'm fighting for you, for you to be champion. You win this year and nex year we can actually compete against each other." you answered honestly, there was no reason for you to lie to him and try to say you didn't let him pass

"Ok, but I am definitely not waiting until next year, you have the potential to win, use that, fight harder, Isabella, don't make it easy for me just because it is the safest way, let them see the incredible driver you are." Charles said back to you and gave you a temple kiss.

If there was a narrator voice on that moment, the narrator would be all over the butterflies flying in Charles chest, from day one that Isabella arrived in the factory to try the simulator he saw something about her. And during those last months he grew a feeling for her that outcome to be more than just admiration and friendship. Charles Leclerc fell firts, that was obvious, but Isabella was about to fell harder, and that couldn't happen, the media was already over their heads thinking about a relationship between drivers and the rumors about how she got that seat was all over the news.

Isabella changed her race suit to something more comfortable and skipped celebrations, leading straight to the person she trusted the most inside formula one, he, the man, the machine: Sebastian Vettel. Funny story, she became a testing driver for Ferrari in 2019, the hours she spent on simulator was side by side with the world champion, and despite the age difference, they built an amazing friendship. Every time she doubted about herself he was there to give her a comfort word, when she did the seat test he was there to show the new buttons to her, Seb was one of the most amazing person she knew and she was happy to call him a friend, and a father figure. The media joked about how Seb got two new kids, her and Mick, because he was indeed a father figure to both if them.

It wasn't hard to find him, he was inside the Aston Martin garage, talking with his team. One of them recognized her and waved at her, Seb turned to see the girl and made a 10 minutes with his hands, and she waited, when he left the garage the exactly 10 minutes latter he already knew something was wrong. So when they take their seats in some fast food restaurant the first thing he asked was:

"What is it, kid?"

"I'm thinking, about the season, and the championship, and everything... Lewis said to me that I deserve better, Charles came with a whole speech about me showing the world the amazing driver I am and bla bla bla. I know that, you know? I know I can win, but Im afraid." Isabella let it all go

"Afraid of what, Izzy Bizzy?" you loved the nickname, always take a smile away from you

"I know I can win, I won in Canada, but what if I can't win? If the team clear me to go for it, what if I push too hard, or lose control, or collide with other driver? What if all I am is a second driver?"

"Isabella..." Sebastian knew how hard you could be on yourself, everyone inside the garage knew that "you know what I am about to say, don't be too hard on yourself. You can win, I know you can, and how can you doubt about your potential, you helped your teammate to be champion in formula two and the next year you were champion, Ferrari choose you to be the testing driver you were barely 20, you got that seat because you are good. I know after the awful season last year they want to win, that's why they promoted you so earlier. And it is a lot, a lot if pressure, a lot of expectations, a lot of fear... and that's ok, i know you hate to fail, and that's why you are gladly on the average, but next year you gonna have to be bigger than the average, you gonna have to let it float the champion material, don't treat yourself so poorly."

"Yeah, you are right, you always are. But what if when the time comes I'll panic?"

"You got a formula one seat at Ferrari in your first year, you barely commited any mistake, you adjusted with the car, you don't panic, Izzy Bizzy, not after a bad race, not with the pressure, you will not panic." Seb always had a way to calm you down, it was like talk with your dad.

You spent the night talking and sharing the french fries, when you were back in the hotel Seb said one thing that glued on your mind.

"Don't let Charles settle, you need to put a challenge for him the way he put a challenge for you, you are the best duo on the grid, you're pushing each other and that's good, if you settle you lost the wanting thing, if Charles said to you to don't make it easier for him, don't."

"Thank you, ZebSeb, always a pleasure to talk to you and you wisdom." you hugged him and went to your room, next race would be here before you could see.

You hated Austria, the red bull ring and the orange fog always got you on a terrible mood, put that together with the fact your car exploded and you got what is like the worst race of the year so far. But Charles won, which it was great. He did the most beautiful race of his season so far, the overtakes he pulled out with Verstappen was chef kiss, and he was looking so happy on that podium, so glad with himself that even your DNF could make you unhappy.

After Charles got out of the podium you were walking around holding his trophy, you made all the interviews together and considering you were always glued with one out the trinity drivers which was Hamilton, Riccardo and Vettel, see you with your teammate wasn't big of a surprise.

Charles got a question about your DNF.

"Yeah, unfortunately for us, the race is a little bit more difficult than the usual, we have to push the car to the limit, but I'm happy Isabella is ok, next week it's gonna be better." he answered and tried to give you a wink, the reporter laughed and ask you the same thing

"Definitely, I wasn't expecting the car to explode with me, but those kinda of things happen. We are definitely facing the back of the grid in France but as long as the car performs well we're good." it was your turn to give Charles a wink, a true wink, the reporters around were pretty entertained with the wink competition.

"Isabella, one last question, why are you walking around with Charles trophy like it was a baby?"

"Oh, he didn't tell you? It's my birthday gift." you tried to give the best look you could and you lose it when you saw the panic look in Charles face

"Thats a lie. She stole the trophy from me and walked away, ans your birthday was ten days ago."

"I didn't steal it, you delivered to me, if I walked away or not it doesn't matter because you delivered the trophy in my hands!" both of you were close to being prohibited to do interviews together, they already separated you and Daniel because you couldn't focused on the questions and each 4 words that came out if your mouth you got 10 minutes laughing about something Daniel said and vice versa.

List of people Isabella was forbidden to do interviews with:

1) Daniel Riccardo

2) Danny Ric

3) DR3

The reporters loved the dynamic you had with Charles and those little arguments, thank God the interviews were already over and you decided to pull out a prank with Charles.

You got ready before him and once he went to talk to his engineers you entered silently on his room and put the trophy inside your bag and leave it. You got into your car and but the seatbelt on the trophy, taking a picture just for the record and waited.

A couple of hours later, Charles posted a storie saying he lost his trophy with a sad face on it. You spent half an hour laughing about it, because that could 100% happen to him. The next day you went for a ride in Monaco with his trophy on the car, you posted the picture with a "found this one last night, I loved it" and immediate Charles replied with "I KNEW IT!", the formula one page loved that and made a post about it, you pass trough Charles apartment and give it back his trophy, both of you chatted for a while, but you were coming home for the week, so you would see each other just during the French GP.

If the Austrian GP didn't went great for you, the French one started amazing for Charles, even though you could start from the back of the grid, during qualy you went until the Q3 to help Charles to get the pole. The start of the race was great, everything was going well, until Charles slipped and went to the barriers.

You and Charles were pretty similar in a couple of things, both of you deeply hate to commit mistakes, that got stuck in your head and it was difficult to let it go, specially mistakes that were committed by ourselves and alone.

"Is he ok?" you asked on radio

"Yes, already out of the car."

"Ok, thank you."

"Get ready to box if there is a safety car."

"Ok." you waited to see if it would be a real one or virtual, when the radio opened again it was a "Isabella, box, box"

You pulled a risky maneuver on Perez that got you a 5 seconds penalty, you pay that and went back to the podium fight, but unfortunately, you didn't got there, the box and the penalty came in the wrong time and you couldn't push enough to the podium. And after the pattern post race you went to find Perez to apologize to him, he was talking to Max and when you got closer both of them were static, you didn't interact with the red bull drivers often, but you mom taught you better than being proud.

"Hey, guys, congrats Max, great race. And I'm sorry, Checo, should have paid more attention on that." you gave him a yellow smile, but he said it was ok, things like that happen, you didn't spent much time close to them, you went to your media duties and after that you went to find Charles, it was time for an intervention: tequila, croissant, marvel movies and Pierre Gasly. You and Gasly weren't exactly friends, but you got along pretty well, and everytime Charles was sad, frustrated or angry with a race, both of you were there, smiles on face and tequila bottles. This time wasn't different, the three of you sit on the floor and watch the avengers on the screen of your computer the whole night, the boys always commit the mistake to sleep first, which gives you the most amazing arsenal of pictures of them. You finished the first part of ultimate and sleept as well, there was still one more race before summer break.

And again, Hungary couldn't went worse. You have an amazing respect towards George, but unfortunately the W-13 wouldn't offer much of a challenge, or was what you thought, the team made the strategy based on overtake on first curve, but Russell escaped you and Charles. The strategy went down the hole, they put the hards on Charles and mediums on Isabella, the car was good but not great, everything felt out of place.

By the end of the race you weren't even trying to overtake anyone, you were just there trying to understand what just happened.

"Isabella, thats a P5, P5." your engineer said to you

"Yeah, thank you."

You and Charles went to interview together and when you were asked about what happened you were pretty honest:

"Dude, once I talk with the team I'll let you know, but the car wasn't great today, we struggled a bit on free practice so it's natural to struggle a bit today too."

"And what are you doing during summer break?"

"Me and my friends were going to a boat trip." that got you happy

"Lauren and Catherine?" you nodded, everyone knows you were really close to Priya's sisters* "What about you, Charles?"

"There is room for another one on that boat trip?" he chuckled.

"Im gonna talk to the girls, do a plebiscite, a vote and I'll call you back." you joked.

You answered another rounds of questions and finally went to your room, packing up and taking a ride with Charles on his private jet.

"The girls and I agreed to have you on board with us, if you like to." you said to him and for the first time in that day he smiled

"Yeah, I would love to." lucky Charles, Samuel would be there too, the girls and I we have a YouTube channel and summer break work pretty well for the vlogs and Samuel was the camera man. You were already thinking about all the pranks you would put on Charles.

Your phone lighted with a tweet notification. Charles had tweeted something.

Charles Leclerc

Thank God it's summer break, couldn't stand see Isabella's wings on my mirrors every Sunday

You replied with

Isabella Manzucci

Alexa, play visions, by Maroon5

Those would be amazing summer break days. And the news were already looking forward to the narrative of "hidden relationship between the Ferrari drivers" the news "Ferrari drivers enjoy summer break together" would be all over the media, but you knew deep down that you need to support each other, especially after the last two races.

ps: lauren and catherine are the characters from this one, lets consider both of stories happen in the same universe

[angelasscribbles]

Winter Wonderland

Series: None, this is a one-shot and you can find those here.

Fandom: The Royal Romance

Pairing: Riley x Drake

Rating: PG, it's pretty fluffy

Warnings for this chapter: language

Word Count: 4,038

@choicesholidays prompt: Oh the weather outside is frightful

My other stuff: Master List.

The snow had come down in curtains last night. I opened the door this morning to a winter wonderland. I stood in the doorway and took in the frozen expanse of wilderness. Pristine, white, sparkling snow stretched out in every direction. The sun shone down brightly, reflecting off the stark whiteness. This was what it must be like to be frozen inside a snow globe.  

The crisp morning air bit my nose and cheeks, and the moisture in the atmosphere tickled my tongue. But what really struck me was the silence.

Never in my life had I experienced such complete stillness. It wasn’t just the lack of human sounds. There were no birds and no insects either. No sounds, no movements, not a creature was stirring.

It was as if life had just been suspended. I could be the last person, the last living thing left on the planet for all my senses could tell.

The surrounding trees were nothing more than snow castles. The entire world was made of ice. I was loathe to take a step outside and mar the perfectness of the vast, frozen tundra that stretched out in every direction, to spoil this illusion that only I existed inside this perfect, silent, frozen, white stillness.

I shivered, pulling the blanket I had wrapped around me closer. I turned to go back inside when a noise broke the silence. I turned back to stare down the road curiously.

The sound I heard was a car engine.

I waited for the car to round the bend at the top of the driveway, expecting Max.

This little Christmas getaway had been his idea.

Let’s rent a cabin in Lythikos, he said. It’ll be fun, he said.

Then he’d gotten stuck at Ramsford and sent me ahead without him.

Not that I could complain. Max had been a good friend. The best. He, along with Bert, had become brothers to me, my found family.

He’d brought me to Cordonia, footed the bill for the social season, and done everything in his power to help Liam and me along the way, then comforted me when it all fell apart on coronation night.

Max was the reason I’d stayed in this country after Liam and I fell apart.

Well, part of the reason anyway.

I pulled the blanket tighter around me, wondering how the hell he had gotten that little Ferrari Spider through all that snow.

But it wasn’t Max’s car I saw creeping down the driveway.

It was Drake’s.

Adrenaline dumped in my veins as my panic button was activated.

What the fuck was Drake doing in Lythikos? At the cabin Max had rented for the two of us to spend Christmas at?

I didn’t have time to think about it as I bolted back into the cabin and raced up the stairs. I flew up them two at a time, tripping halfway up.

I went down on my knee, hard. I gritted my teeth and tried to ignore the pain as l pulled myself up and half ran, half limped the rest of the way to the top.

I pulled my clothes on in record time, ran my hands through my hair to fluff and detangle the curls then threw on some basic mascara and lip gloss.

I was going to kill Max, and I mean murder him! Dead, he was going to die.

How the hell could he invite Drake without telling me? I would have brought better clothes! I would have been dressed in something cuter!

I heard the front door creak open and Drake’s voice call out, “Hello? Anyone here? Brooks?”

Shit, fuck, shit, fuck, goddamn fucking Max all to hell!

A stream of curses ran through my head as I plotted my best friend’s demise.

What I yelled down the stairs was, “I’ll be right there!”

I tried to walk down the stairs like a normal person despite the fact that my knee was, in fact, on fire. Third-degree carpet burn I was sure.

“Hey,” I tried for casual as I reached the bottom of the stairs, hoping my voice didn’t shake, “What are you doing here?”

What are you doing here? That’s amazing, genius, what a brilliant conversationalist I am.

I wanted to die of embarrassment.

“Uh…” he rubbed the back of his neck, something he did when he was nervous, or thinking deeply, I knew that because I noticed every damn thing about him.

“Max called me, he said he had rented a cabin and the generator was out and he couldn’t reach the landlord.”

My eyes flicked to the overhead light that was clearly on. Not to mention it was toasty warm inside the cabin, thanks to the perfectly functioning furnace.

“Oh, I, ah….” I fumbled over my words, having no clue what to say.

Excitement and fear pinged through me as I realized what Max had done.

“So…where is he?”

“He had to run into town,” I lied.

I don’t know why I lied other than covering for Max was second nature to me.

That and because I absolutely, positively could not tell him the truth. That Max was trying to play matchmaker.

“Oh. That’s…weird. Also weird that he didn’t mention you were here. He kind of made it sound like he was alone.”

I felt like a deer caught in the headlights, “Well, you know Max…”

That actually did the trick.

Drake’s face broke open in a Texas sized grin, “Yeah, you’re right!”

“Have you had coffee yet?” I asked, pointing toward the kitchen, “I can go make some.”

“Coffee would be great, thanks,” he said as he followed me to the kitchen, “Anyone else here, or just you two?”

“Just me and Max,” I answered as I pulled the coffee from the cabinet.

“Are you and he…I mean…is this like a romantic getaway?”

“What?” I fumbled the coffee canister, it slipped from my grasp and clattered to the counter.

Thankfully, I regained control of it before it could tip over and spill.

“Woah! You okay there, Brooks?” He reached out to steady the canister, brushing his fingers across mine in the process.

My heart leapt into my throat as I mumbled, “I’m fine, just clumsy.”

“I know.” He chuckled.

I rolled my eyes, but I laughed as I started the coffee brewing, “You should know, you seem to be the one catching me half the time when I trip and fall.”

“Yeah,” he said with a tone I couldn’t interpret, “I’ll always catch you.”

“Thanks…” My heart was pounding so hard I could hear it. I told myself to stop reading things into his words that weren’t there. “And no, Max and I are just friends. Well, he’s more like my brother, to be honest. This trip was his idea, it was supposed to cheer me up.”

“Oh, that’s good,” did he sound relieved? “I mean, that he was cheering you up! Not that it’s good that you need cheering up! Is everything okay? Are you still upset about Liam marrying Madeleine?”

“No,” I waved him off as I grabbed two cups and headed for the table, “It’s not that. Liam and I are good. I wish nothing but the best for him.”

In all honesty, I felt bad for him. He didn’t love Madeleine and he hadn’t wanted to marry her. But too much water had gone under the bridge for he and I to salvage anything romantic from the wreckage of our ill-fated courtship. We were friends now and both at peace with that.

“Then what is it? If you don’t mind my asking.”

“Nothing, really. Just…it’s my first holiday away from home and-oh!” My stupid knee twisted and I stumbled.

I would have gone down if not for Drake’s quick reflexes. As usual.

“Are you okay?” He asked, genuine concern in his voice as he helped me into a chair.

“I’m fine, just hurt my knee earlier.”

“Let me see,” he insisted, as he pushed my pantleg up and gently probed at my sore knee.

His fingers traced slowly around the edges of the wound and goddamn if I didn’t like the way his hands felt on my body.

He whistled softly, “That’s a good bruise you got there, Brooks, what’d you do?”

“I tripped going up the stairs.” There was no way in hell I was going to tell him why I was running up them in the first place.

“Well, I think you’ll survive, but be more careful, would you?”

“I’ll try,” I agreed, “but I think we both know I’ll probably fail.”

He laughed as he rolled the leg of my pants back down, “True. Here, you stay seated and I’ll take care of the coffee.”

He picked the cups up off the floor where I had dropped them when my knee gave out, placed them in the sink, and pulled two more out of the cabinet.

I watched him as he bustled around the kitchen pouring the coffee and getting the sugar and cream out and my fucking heart threatened to explode.

He was heart-stoppingly gorgeous, but it wasn’t just that. It was more than the rippling muscles, or the square cut of his jaw, although those things certainly didn’t hurt.

It was the shock of silky chestnut hair he was always pushing back, the softness I sometimes caught in his eyes when he looked at me.

It was the way he was always there for the people he cared about, the way he had a softer side that he only showed to certain people.

It was everything about him. I liked the way he walked, I liked the sound of his voice, I liked the way he smelled, I liked him!

But he didn’t know that.

Max did though. This was his way of trying to push us together.

I wasn’t really mad about Drake being there, but I was still going to murder Max for not at least giving me a heads-up.

He could have told me to pack something that didn’t make me look like a lumberjack. 

I made a point to brush some imaginary crumbs off the tabletop so I wasn’t just staring at him as he made his way back to the table and set a cup in front of me.

“Thanks,” I lowered my nose to the cup and inhaled. It smelled heavenly, “Could you pass me the sugar?”

“Already in there, Brooks.” He did that thing where his voice was somehow completely neutral. I’ve been trying to interpret that tone since day one.

“Oh, ah…thanks,” I took a tentative sip.

It was perfect.

He knows how I like my coffee?

“Is it okay? Does it need more of anything?”

“No,” I gave him a smile as I finally started to relax a little, “It’s just the way I like it!”

He took the seat opposite me, legs stretched all the way out as he toyed with his cup, “So do you have any idea what Max was talking about? The power seems to be working just fine.”

The only excuse I have for what happened next is that I panicked.

“Actually, the lights did flicker off several times last night.”

“They did?”             

“Yes,” I could not believe I just bald-face lied like that.

Yes, it was a lie, and no, I did not approve of Max’s methods but what was done was done.

Drake was here, with me, alone in a secluded cabin and I found myself suddenly desperate to keep him there.

“All right,” he shrugged as he brought the coffee to his lips and blew on it before taking a sip, “I’ll go outside and check it out.”

“Finish your coffee first,” I told him, “It’ll keep you warm!”

It’ll keep you warm? I wanted to fall through the floor. Why couldn’t I ever come up with something witty to say?

He snickered as he took another sip, “Don’t worry about me, Brooks, I can handle a little cold.”

I couldn’t think of a real reply to that so I prattled on about Max’s latest peacock acquisition until he leaned forward and down a little to peer out the kitchen window, “I better get out there and get this taken care of before it starts to snow again.”

“Okay,” I said as I stood up, “I’m coming with you!”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

“Why not?”

“Your knee…”

“Oh,” I protested, “it feels fine now! Besides, I know where the generator is.”

“You could just tell me….”

“And let you have all that gorgeous scenery to yourself? Not a chance, Walker!”

I felt suddenly warm as I remembered the night we watched the meteor shower at Olivia’s. I wondered if he remembered that night.

“Fine,” he grumbled, “But if I have to carry your ass back in here, I’m definitely going to say I told you so.”

I froze, in terror that he could somehow sense my sudden arousal at the mental image that provoked.

“You coming?” He gave me a puzzled look as he made his way back to the front of the cabin where he’d left his coat hanging.

“Right behind you!” I assured him with far more confidence than I felt.

We bundled up and trundled outside.

The cold was harsh and bitter against the bare skin of my face and I silently cursed myself for making us go outside. For no reason. None at all.

There was nothing wrong with the generator.

I was a liar now. Max had turned me into a liar.

“It’s right over here,” I pointed as I lead the way.

There was an ear-splitting cracking sound as a giant icicle broke off the tree above us. I looked up in time to see it falling toward me but not in time to move out of its way.

Turns out I didn’t have to.

“Riley, watch out!” Drake’s body crashed into mine, reminiscent of the homecoming ball, but without all the blood.

A sheet of solid ice slid off the trunk of the tree, sparkling and glistening as it crashed to the ground.

Drake’s body covered mine as we hit first snow, then dirt. He rolled us out of the way as the icicle shattered harmlessly next to us on the ground.

“Wow!” I breathed as I stared at the enormous ice sword right where I had just been standing, “I’ve never been stabbed by an icicle before!”

“Yeah, well, let’s not start now, okay?”

I turned my head to look up into his face, which was mere inches from my own, my body pinned under his. The expression in those copper and gold-flecked eyes took the breath right out of my body, “Oh!...uh…yeah, Okay…”

We stayed that way for a long second then he rolled off of me and offered me his hand, pulling me off the ground.

I stumbled into him and he caught me, “You okay?”

“Mm-hm,” I managed.

His hands brushed the snow off me as he made his way around me, checking for injuries.

I was thankful for the cold as it gave me a valid excuse for the red flush on my cheeks, “Hey, Brooks?”

“Yeah?”

A shit ass eating grin broke out across his face, “I told you so!”

“Oh, fuck you!” I swatted him across the chest, “That was an act of God! You can’t blame my clumsiness for that one!”

“Maybe not,” he became suddenly serious, “But I would feel about a thousand percent better if you went back inside. I won’t be able to focus on the generator if I’m worried about you. Go sit down and get off that knee. Please.”

The pleading look in his eyes turned my damn legs to jelly anyway, so sitting down was probably a good option.

“Fine. I’ll go make some hot chocolate to warm you up when you’re done.” I felt guilty that he was outside in the cold when there was no actual reason for him to be.

He shook his head with a chuckle, “What is it with you wanting to warm me up today?”

I ignored the heat that rose in my chest as I responded, “You’re out here in the cold doing me a favor, I don’t want you to get frostbite, okay?”

“Okay,” he laughed, “Whatever makes you happy, Brooks.”

I looked back over my shoulder and stuck my tongue out at him as I walked back to the cabin.

Because I’m twelve apparently.

He always threw me off balance and made me nervous. I acted like a love-struck middle schooler around him. It was annoying really.

I’m not sure exactly when it started. Sometime during Liam and Madeleine’s engagement tour.

After their wedding, I decided to stay in Cordonia. Max had begged me to, actually.

Like I said before, Liam and I are good. We’re better off as friends, but he’s busy running a country so we don’t hang out as much as we used to.

I’ve developed close friendships with Max, Bertrand, Savannah, Olivia, Hana, and even Leo when he’s around.

And of course, Drake. But somewhere along the way, it turned into more for me.

But I’m afraid to tell him, afraid to ruin the friendship which means everything to me.

So, instead, I just turn into an idiot when he’s around.

I opened the refrigerator in the brightly lit kitchen and started taking out ingredients for breakfast. Eggs, bacon, bread for toast, butter, and some orange juice.

I sat everything out on the counter and then put the milk on the stove to warm up.

The hot chocolate was ready and breakfast was cooking when Drake came back in.

“What’s all this?”

“I’m making you breakfast,” I told him with authority, “It’s the least I can do after you drove all the way to fucking Lythikos for me.”

“For Max, actually,” he corrected me as he took the mug of hot chocolate I thrust into his hands, “I didn’t know you were here, remember?”

“Right. Still.” I gestured to the table as I opened up the cabinets looking for plates.

“Here, let me get that,” he sat the mug down and reached above me for the dishes.

“Thanks.”

“Sure, what else can I do to help?”

We finished making the food together and it was weirdly peaceful and domestic.

I’d never thought of Drake Walker as domestic before but I couldn’t deny that he knew his way around a kitchen.

“Oh, my God! This is just what I needed!” I said when we finally sat to eat.

I was starving.

“Yeah, it’s good!”

I lowered my fork and gave him a look, “You sound surprised.”

“I didn’t know you could cook, is all.”

“I have lots of hidden talents, Drake. You don’t know everything about me.”

I had been joking but the serious look he gave me sent butterflies exploding through my stomach and chest. “I want to.”

“What?” I heard what he said but I wasn’t sure what he meant.

“I’d like to know more about you.” He repeated.

“What do you want to know?” I was pretty sure I’d tell him just about anything.

“I don’t know…what made you decide to stay in Cordonia after…you know, everything...”

I thought about it as I chewed my scrambled eggs. After I swallowed, I took a drink of orange juice before answering, “Max asked me to stay.”

“But you’re not interested in him romantically?”

It was the second time he’d asked me about my feelings for Max.

“No,” I shook my head emphatically, “Max is like my brother!”

“So, why did you stick around?” He asked again.

“You really don’t know?”

“No,” confusion spilled across his face, “Should I?”

“I…” my heart was hammering so hard in my chest that I was sure it was going to beat right out of there.

“What?”

“I….”

“Whatever it is, you can tell me. I hope you know that you can tell me anything.”

The look he gave me was so tender and so hopeful and so full of meaning that I spiraled into panic mode.

“I have a confession! Max lied about the generator just to get you up here!” I blurted out in an attempt to change the subject.

Genius, I’m a freaking genius.

“Yeah, I got that.”

“What? How?”

“There is nothing wrong with that generator and the lights haven’t flickered once since I’ve been here,” he said glancing around the room, then back to me, “Why would he do that?”

“I think he wanted to get you and me alone together. He never showed up last night, he said he was coming today but I’m beginning to think he’s not. I swear I didn’t know he called you! I would never condone lying like that! I’m so sorry! He means well but-“

“Brooks! Brooks! Riley! Stop, it’s okay!” He pulled his chair around the table to sit next to me. Placing a hand on my leg he said quietly, “I’m not mad about it.”

I lifted my face from my hands where I had hidden it, “You’re not?”

“No,” he laughed softly, “I’m always happy to spend time with you. I thought you knew that.”

“I mean, yeah, when we hang out with all our friends-“

“Nope.” He shook his head.

“What?”

“I love my sister and I like Hana. Even Max and Bert have their moments, but I don’t come along on all those karaoke nights or game nights for any of them.” His voice held a tone I’d never heard before. His voice sounded the way I felt inside.

“Really?” I think I stopped breathing for a moment.

“Really.” He took my hand in his, “Now why would Max think we needed to be alone together?”

“Because…because….” I drew in a deep breath and decided it was best to just spit it out quickly and get it over with. If I died of humiliation, then I died of humiliation. “He knows I like you. I mean, like you, like you. Like more than a friend I mean…”

I tried to look away as a hot flush crawled across my neck and up my face, but he cupped my jaw gently between his thumb and fingers and turned my gaze back to his face, “I was hoping you did.”

“You…were?”

“Yes,” an amazed laugh slipped out of him, “I’ve been hoping that from almost the first moment I laid eyes on you.”

“You…you’ve thought of me like that for that long?” My body flushed with a warmth that wasn’t from the hot chocolate.

I watched in astonishment as he blushed, “I mean, yes, I was interested in New York, but you came here for Liam. But then…Lythikos happened and I got to actually know you and the more I got to know you, the more I liked you. I just didn’t think you were interested in me!”

“You grew on me,” I joked as I felt pure joy surge through me.

“Thank God!” he laughed, “It’s a Christmas miracle!”

The moment was interrupted by the ding of a text message notification from my phone that I had left on the charger on the kitchen counter the night before.

“Sorry,” I said as I got up to retrieve it. Swiping it open I read the text, “It’s Max, he’s definitely not coming and he says the roads are impassable now.”

“Can we trust him on that?” Drake stood up and walked to the French doors on the other side of the room that opened onto a small terrace off the back of the cabin, “Oh, wow, he’s not lying, come look.”

“Whoa,” I gasped as I joined him, “That’s a lot of snow!”

It was coming down hard and fast like someone had shaken the snow globe vigorously. Sheets of it poured out of the darkened sky.

“Well, looks like we’re stuck here,” Drake affirmed.

“I’m okay with that,” I giggled.

“Me too,” He said as he turned and wrapped his arms around me, “because now I can do this.”

His lips brushed across mine, gently, his tongue curling slowly around mine as his grip on my body tightened.

I sighed as I leaned into it.

Maybe I wasn’t going to murder Max after all.