#the christmas collection 2023

[lovelytsunoda]

vermont // daniel ricciardo

summary: the ski trip sounded all well and good in theory. except for the fact that she would rather be in the chalet than on the slopes. so when she gets stuck on a ski lift and starts to hyperventilate, danny is the one to calm her down.

pairing: daniel ricciardo x female!reader

warnings: anxiety attack, fear of heights/vertigo, best wingwoman chloe, delusional and oblivious scotty, use of ‘pretty girl’, it feels kind of rushed and I don’t know how I feel about the ending-

she should have told chloe to come on the trip without her. she should have admitted she’s never been skiing before. but when she tried, scotty convinced her to come along anyways, because as far as the aussie was concerned “anybody can learn, it’s easy!”.

and yet, here she was, staring at the ski suit laid out on her double bed, rethinking every life choice she’d ever made leading up to this point.

her hands rubbed the fabric of her maroon turtleneck, teasing her bottom lip between her teeth.

god, this was such and awful idea.

there was a knock on her door, chloe’s voice carrying through. “y/n! are you ready yet? we’re heading down to the slopes!”

“coming out in just a second!” she called, hastily pulling the jacket over her clothes.

____

it was a nice enough day outside: the sun was bright, and the air warmer than expected for vermont in early december, a thick dusting of snow on the slopes as she tromped ungracefully over to the ski rental, where scotty and chloe were waiting with lance and his girlfriend marilou.

"there she is!" scotty shouts. "ready to put your skis on?"

"hang on, don't we have to wait for someone? we're missing a few people." she said nervously, trying desperately to put off the inevitable, even though she had promised chloe that she would at least try to get out of her shell this weekend

marilou nodded. "just daniel. knowing him, he's slept in and forgotten the plan, or he got distracted on his way out."

ah, yes. daniel ricciardo.

the man who made her heart skip three beats, the one person in their small, small friend group who always somehow managed to calm her down, remind her that the world wasn't so bad or scary and that everything would be okay in the end.

“well, we can’t start without the life of the party!” she said it too quickly, no doubt her nerves were showing.

there were so many winter activities they could have picked. so why skiing? why the one thing she’d sworn she’d never ever ever do?

“don’t need to wait guys!” when the sound of daniel ricciardos aussie drawl carried across the wind, she squeezed her eyes shut, resisting the urge to scream an expletive. “I’m right here, sorry I’m late!”

chloe shot her a sympathetic glance as the boys fist bumped each other and the crew turned in the direction of the ski lift.

“you’ll do fine!” the canadian encouraged, looping her arm around her best friend. “skiing is easy, it’s all downhill!”

y/n narrows her eyes. “it’s the not knowing how to balance or steer and accidentally crashing into things I’m better off not crashing into.”

chloe laughed, shaking her head as she patted y/n's shoulder. "don't think like that! just come and enjoy the outdoors with us!"

but despite it all, despite the friendly energy of the trip, the good vibes all around, she couldn't help but feel like she was intruding on a couple's trip: chloe and scotty, lance and marilou. daniel and . . . wait, he came alone too, didn't he?

but she didn't have time to think about it before she was strapped in to a pair of ski's, scotty's hands at her back to push her down the training hill.

it only took like....twenty tries before she figured it out, her skis sailing through the snow like butter as she finally managed to stay upright for the third run in a row. she was really getting the hang of it, she thought, pride swelling in her chest.

"nice job, y/n!" daniel shouted, having just come down one of the hills next to her smaller, beginner hill. "you're a natural!"

at the sound of praise dripping from daniel's lips, she felt her face go pink, and she was certain that it wasn't just from the cold, and that there was something more to it.

"oh, well, i've been practicing a lot. i feel kind of bad, actually, for monopolizing all of scotty's time. keeping him away from his wife and all that." she coughed to clear her throat, one gloved hand smoothing her hair back under the pom-pom toque she was wearing on top of her head.

daniel laughed. a big, hearty laugh that sent butterflies afloat in her chest, the kind of infectious laughter that could bring a smile to anybody's face.

"why don't you come up to the other hill with me, and we try you on something a little bigger?"

she turned her head in the direction daniel was gesturing, and she felt her stomach drop to the floor. "no way, not a chance. that's too high, my dude. what if is break my neck?"

scotty skidded to a stop in front of her, moving to look at the mountain. “no, no, that’s a good starter mountain is you want to move up to something bigger! go for it!”

while daniel cheered, y/n groaned, cursing inwardly.

beside her, lance laughed “you’ll have to move up to a bigger hill eventually, y/n. it’s okay to be scared.”

“I’m not scared!” okay, maybe she was. just a little bit.

the group headed towards the ski lifts, filing in in sets of two, each pair heading for a different level hill. scotty and chloe headed for one of the most advanced, marilou and lance heading for a hill that was somewhere in the middle.

and that meant that is she wanted company on her hill, she would be stuck with daniel.

“after you, milady.” daniel chuckled, gesturing to the ski carriage, allowing her to slide in first, the aussie settling next to her.

the bar snapped down, the lift beginning on its way to take the skiers up the mountain. from this high up, the view across the slopes was actually quite nice: evergreens dusted in snow, ant-sized people in bright coats making their way down mountains.

until she stopped looking eye level, and found her eyes drifting downwards, stomach slammed instantly with vertigo.

yep, she was never doing that again.

“you okay?” daniel asked, concerned when he watched her scrunch her face up, eyes screwed shut.

“yep, yep. just trying not to look down.” she was gripping the chest bar so tightly that she was certain her knuckles were white underneath her gloves.

daniel frowned, reaching for her hand. “it’s okay to be scared of heights. is this why you didn’t want to come up the mountain?”

“maybe. that, and the fear of making a fool out of myself.” She was tight lipped as she answered, still keeping her eyes closed.

but now, she only felt like her heart would beat out if her chest because of the hand on top of hers, not the fall to the ground.

“we’re almost at the top, and then your skis will be on solid ground again.”

she slowly opened her eyes. “thank you.”

over the hum of the lift, she heard a groaning, and then a snap. the ski lift stuttered to a stop, and she couldn’t stop the terrified shriek that left her parted lips, one gloved hand reaching to squeeze the life out of daniels arm.

“hey, hey!” daniel shouted, trying to be heard over other panicked skiers. “look at me, look at me. can you do that?”

her chest was getting tight, body frozen with fear. she couldn’t open her eyes, limbs made of lead as she clung to the man next to her in the lift

“I-I don’t think I can, danny.”

“yeah you can. just focus on me, not the way the carriage is moving, and not what’s below you.” his voice was soothing, grounding. enough that she was able to turn her head slightly and open her eyes to face him.

“see, that wasn’t so hard, was it, pretty girl?”

“no.” her voice was stil shaky as she stared into daniels eyes, feeling suddenly like he could see every part of her. every secret, every long held and unspoken truth.

and she liked it.

“just keep your breathing steady, and we will be out of here before you know it.” his voice started level and calm, his breath curling up into mist in the air.

“promise me?”

daniel leaned in, his soft lips warm against her forehead. the simple action, not quite a kiss but not that innocent either, set her skin ablaze in pink again, warmth spreading through her frozen appendages, from the tip of her nose to the ends of her fingertips.

“I promise.” daniel assured her, his gloved thumb rubbing reassuring circles on her skin.

she wasn’t sure how long they had been sitting like that when the lift whirred to life again, the carriage shakily confusing it’s ascent up the hill. realizing that the lift was moving again, she pulled away from danny, averting her eyes, looking anywhere except the man who had just held her so tenderly.

she shook her head, pulling her ski goggles back down over her eyes. “sorry, I don’t know where that came from.”

“don’t apologize, pretty girl.” daniel said softly. “you were scared. and I liked knowing that I could make you feel better. I care about you, y/n. as more than a friend.”

she paused, pulling her goggles back up. “you do?”

daniel beamed. “of course I do, and I’d love to get to know you better.”

“buy me a hot chocolate if I make it down the hill one piece?” she suggested, gently placing a hand on his forearm.

the lift reached the top of the hill, the bar raising and allowing the pair to slide off the metal chair, Danny’s hand in hers as he took the lead, guiding her towards the slope.

“and if I make it to the bottom first, you have to kiss me.” danny wagered, a mischevious look in his eyes as he flicked his goggles down.

y/n laughed, inching towards the slope like bambi on ice, all shaky legs and flailing limbs. “i think I ’ll take you up on that, ricciardo!”

TAGS:

@magnummagnussen @libraryofloveletters @thatsdemko @lorarri @userlando @silverstonesainz @cartierre @love4lando @sidcrosbyspuck @silversainz

[lovelytsunoda]

god knows I’ve tried // yuki tsunoda

summary: stranded at her publishers office after the battery in her car dies, there’s only one person she wants to call for a jumpstart.

pairing: yuki tsunoda x lawson!reader

warnings: self-deprecating humor, y/n is very self critical, yuki is her night in shining armour, total lack of christmas spirit, anxiety.

author's note: this resonates so personally with me and i feel so fricking attached to this story and all the people in it. please treat it kindly :)

so go on judge me by my cover, and no I’ll never have another. baby I’ve been bad, but god knows I’ve tried to be good

it's too early for damn christmas lights, she huffed to herself as she left the office, juggling the volkswagen keys that dangled from her fingertips with the large cardboard box between her arms, staring at the lights and tinsel hung up on the light poles. cursing to herself and trying not to drop anything, she fumbled for the unlock button, ready to ditch the box in her trunk.

her volkswagen golf stood solitary and alone in the parking lot, no other cars for miles. if liam was here, he'd be asking where her pepper spray was, god forbid anything happen to his baby sister.

there was only a year between them, but sometimes she swore that liam acted as if there were five.

the cold dug into her skin as she hobbled through the parking lot, trying to keep her head on a swivel as she once again asked herself why she had parked so far away from any other car. she fumbled with the trunk button (which was unresponsive a lot more than it actually opened the trunk), unceremoniously dumping the box so hard that the small red car started to shake.

she slammed the trunk shut, frowning as she ran a fingertip over the small spot of rust that had begun to form where the silver letters proclaimed to the world what kind of car she drove met the painted trunk door.

she opened the car door, slipping into the driver's seat and staring at the overhead door lights, which had not illuminated as they were intended to when the door opens.

"motherfucker." she mumbled. "i'm gonna have to replace the latch, aren't i?" this was not new. she'd had multiple issues with the car, buying it from a dealership that advertised mostly on facebook.

never again, the next car she buys will be certified pre-owned from a volkswagen dealer, not a used car lot.

the latch would need replacing eventually: it had already locked up the door and prevented her from opening her car, even after smashing the unlock button on her keys five times. she rolled her eyes, closing the door and sliding the key into the ignition.

the key turned, but the car didn't start. growing increasingly panicked, she turned the key a few more times, the same ministrations that normally started up the ten year old car.

"fuck!" she howled, slamming her hands down on the steering wheel as the engine refused to turn over again. she reached for the headlight button, feeling her stomach drop to the floor when there was no response from the headlights.

the engine battery was dead.

she was stranded, alone, in a dark parking lot at night.

it didn't get more fucked than that.

she reached for her phone, the screen providing the only light source as she fumbled for the lock button, and making sure her finger hovered steadily over the panic alarm on her keys. just in case.

who was she going to call, she wondered, scrolling through her contacts. definitely not liam, she couldn't trouble him like that. remind him that she'd always need protecting. she could call her best friend, but the likelihood that margot would know what to do was slim. besides, she was probably out with her boyfriend if she wasn't at work.

her finger hovered over a name, and she debated long and hard if it was worth it, if she was really desperate enough to ask him for help. would he come? would he consider it strange that his best friend's baby sister was calling in the middle of the night because she was dumb enough to drain her car battery?

right now, it didn't look like she really had a choice. unless she wanted to call a tow truck and be out a couple hundred bucks.

"hello?"

"yuki, it's y/n. i need your help."

when the headlights of yuki's honda civic type r lit up the parking lot, she could have cried from relief. the dead battery also meant no heat, and she was chilled to the bone, teeth chattering together as she clutched her phone in one hand and her keys in the other.

"thank god you're here!" she blurted, scrambling out of the car as yuki pulled into the parking space on her passenger side. "i didn't know who else to call!"

ah, yes. yuki tusnoda. backlit by his headlights, he looked like a guardian angel. he'd been close with the lawsons since he came to england, being practically adopted when he moved in with liam at milton keynes, like some fucked up version of a college roommate scheme.

not to mention that he was funny, hot as hell, and she never knew if his cheerful, gentle ribbing meant he looked at her as more than a friend. every time he gifted her a casserole dish of something he had cooked, or invited her out when he and liam went somewhere, she couldn't help but think that maybe he liked her the way that she liked him.

in a way that was anything but just friendly.

"didn't you just get something fixed on your car?" yuki frowned popping his car hood open and digging around in his glove box for the jumper cables.

"i changed a headlight last week. the last major thing was the driveshaft, i couldn't fix that myself, had to take it in." she frowned, lifting up the hood of her own car, using her phone light to find the battery cover. "the car is a piece of shit, but at least it's reliable. and the driveshaft was covered by the dealership since it should have been on the safety certification and wasn't."

yuki frowned, untangling the cables before he dropped them to the pavement, peeling off his puffer jacket. "your lips are blue. take my jacket. i doubt liam would like it if let his little sister get hypothermia"

"pneumonia."

"same difference."

"not really." she laughed, pulling yuki's jacket over her own thin flannel trench coat. she hated wearing a thick winter coat when she drove, relying almost entirely on her car's heated seats to keep warm without suffocating.

"if i get sick because i sacrificed my jacket for you, i should hope that you'd be the one to take care of me. you know, since it was your own fault." yuki chuckled, hooking up the cables as y/n tried to keep warm

"fuck you. i could have stayed in the car."

"the car doesn't have heat either."

oh. yeah. she forgot about that one.

"well, i could have stayed in your fancy ass sports car." it didn't matter how she phrased it, she was just trying to butter him up. on a normal day, she made fun of him for driving a honda civic, calling it a 'mom-mobile'.

with the jumper cables fully connected, they both settled into the honda to wait it out. usually, the rule of thumb was fifteen minutes, but she wasn;t sure that she could stand to be in a car with yuki for that long without doing something reckless.

she slipped out of his jacket, moving to pass it to him before he gestured vaguely to the backseat. the heated seats were on, but she could still see the puffs of air leaving her body as she breathed heavily.

"thanks for coming. i didn't know who to call."

yuki turned to look at her, turning down the volume on the radio. it was a shame, too. she was quite enjoying 'teenage dirtbag'. "why didn't you call liam?"

"pride, i think. he's always been the favourite, the one that stuck with it, the one that made something of himself. i don't need to admit to him that i need help, that i don't know things. because i do, it just sometimes takes me a little longer to get it, or i give up too quickly."

yuki frowned. "liam worries about you, you know. he doesn't like seeing you upset. and he's always been proud of you, so have your parents."

she shivered, pulling her sleeves over her hands. "it's just always been more upfront with liam. they keep telling me that i give up on things too quickly. you know, i realized the other day that i don't really have any hobbies any more. outside of paint nights with the girls, i don't paint anymore. i don't do any sports. reading is really all i do any more."

"that doesn't define your worth, you know. you've got other things going on right now that are taking up your time." yuki encouraged, fiddling with the heating dial. "hey, speaking of which, what are you doing here so late at night?"

she groaned, tilting her head back. "god, this is embarrassing." she hid her head in her hands before turning back to yuki. "promise not to laugh too hard?"

"why would i laugh at you?"

"i was picking up advance copies of my first book." she turned and looked out the window, at the empty parking lot illuminated solely by yuki's headlights. "i've spent the better part of the last two years working on it, and i'm scared i'm going to fail at it like i failed at everything else."

she felt a warm hand overtop of hers. "that's incredible. that's such a major accomplishment, y/n. why are you doubting yourself? you've made it this far."

she smiled, turning to face him. "yeah, but how many people want to read about a detective in small-town new zealand who lives in a haunted house?"

yuki raised an eyebrow. "you already have my interest."

and what great author could resist going on and on about their latest endeavor?

"okay, so it's about this detective in new zealand, she's just moved to this small town as part of a so-called promotion, but really she was desperate and only took the job because she wanted out of the city, a nice change of scenery and whatever. but after she moves in, she finds out the house is haunted and the ghosts actually end up helping her solve her first big case."

she left out the part about how there were three ghosts: one was a dead rockstar, one was a nineteen-thirties midwife and the other was a dead nun. the witty banter between the group of them was a joy to write.

"she also has a crush on this guy who lives across the street. he's an autobody mechanic, with a collection of classic cars."

who totally wasn't inspired by yuki and his gorgeous brown eyes or luscious black hair. well, her one argument was that book guy was about a foot taller than yuki was.

"hell yeah, i'd read that." yuki laughed. "or i'd watch the movie, depending on how long the book was."

y/n laughed, and it felt good. it felt like it had bene forever since she laughed. "it's a cozy mystery series, so it's supposed to make you laugh, be predictable. i took notes from agatha christie, the best of the best. i just hope that the general consumer market also sees it that way."

"i'm sure you'll do fine. as long as it's not like, five hundred pages long, i can't see why anybody wouldn't want to read it."

catching y/n's eye, yuki snickered. "it's not that long, is it?"

"no, it's just under three hundred. they made me cut the sex scenes out."

she watched yuki's eyes go wide, before she burst out laughing as well.

"i'm kidding!" she giggled. "i'm kidding, there aren't any sex scenes in cozy mysteries."

despite how warm the car was, a shiver went down yukis spine at the thought that the innocent, angelic young woman sitting next him, separated only only by the center console, had written numerous sex scenes.

“would you read it? now that you know how many pages it has?”

“yes.” yuki insisted. “of course I would. Liam’s shown me some of your novellas. you are such a good writer. a real talent.”

she yawned, leaning back against the leather seat with a yawn and a shake of her head. “if this book crashes and burns, I’ll remind you you said that. hey, would you be willing to give me a starred review to print on the back cover?”

yuki hummed for a minute, looking up at the sunroof and then back at the girl sitting next to him. “hmm, great mystery, lovely author, not enough sex and could use more descriptions of food.” he joked, playfully gripping her shoulder.

“yeah, yeah. you think you’re so funny.” she laughed, pushing his arm off her shoulder. “but I’m glad that you’re here. you make much better company than my brother does.”

yukis hand dropped to her thigh, thumb gently rubbing along her jeans. “always. any time you need me, you know I’m a phone call away.”

yeah, bust she wished he was closer than even that. and if she kept staring into his dark ocean eyes, she feared she’d do something she’d regret. something impulsive and reckless and foolish but god damn would it have felt fucking good.

“y/n, you good? you’re kind of staring into space there.” yuki frowned, waving a nimble hand in front of her face, trying to capture her attention.

she chuckled. “not space, just the dashboard lights.”

“isn’t that a meat loaf song?”

she laughed, the sound coming from so deep in her chest as she turned to look at yuki. really, it shouldn’t have been that funny. all she knew was that she really, really wanted to kiss him.

she didn’t wait, lunging across the center console, hands shaking nervously as she rested them on either side of his face, pressing her chapped lips to his.

she had to hold herself back from moaning as yuki kissed her back, his warm hand caressing her sides under her open trench coat.

his touch was soft, safe, and comforting. but it was also electric, and left her wanting more when he finally pulled away for air.

“your car is probably charged”. he said nervously, blushing pink as he wiped away the saliva from his mouth. “I’d hate to kiss and run, but you probably want to get home.”

she rested her forehead against his, laughing softly as he rubbed his thumb over her wrist. “at least take me out to dinner before you kiss me and leave me hanging.”

“it’s a little late for dinner, but how does a late night caramel sundae sound?” he suggested weakly, shrugging his shoulders. mcdonalds was hardly first date material, but he knew he didn’t want this night to end, didn’t want to risk losing this magical moment.

“you drive and I’ll follow?”

“sounds good.” yuki grinned, kissing her again. “but just let me kiss you for a few more minutes to make sure that battery is well and truly charged.”

TAGS:

@magnummagnussen @libraryofloveletters @lorarri @cartierre @sidcrosbyspuck @userlando @httpiastri @love4lando @oconso @thatsdemko @monzabee

[lovelytsunoda]

the christmas collection 2023!

i hope everyone enjoyed the cozy collection this year! i had a lot of fun coming up with ideas and writing the fics out, as well as participating in kinktober for a few days. it was also nice to write for some underrated drivers that i adore, including those who are in indycar.

i plan to bring all of that energy right over to my new winter collection, with stories based in holiday cheer going from november and right up until new years.

PROPER FICS

santa stole my girlfriend // callum ilott

his childhood best friend is back home for the holidays. they've always been close, and so many people have assumed they were a couple. but they're not. they were only ever just friends. so why does callum hate her new boyfriend so much?

sleigh ride // lance stroll

lance doesn't celebrate christmas, it's just not his thing. also, he's jewish, so there's that. but his girlfriend loves christmas, and he wants to find a way to make it special. (read: proposal)

the great christmas light fight - george russell

there's something about the male ego. y/n russell definitely did not expect her happy newlywed christmas to turn into a christmas light war between her husband and their neighbour. turns out, the neighbour's wife isn't too happy about this arrangement either. (loosely inspired by matthew broderick and danny devito's 'deck the halls')

silent night - alex albon

alex has a fun festive surprise in store for the whole family. that is, if he doesn’t wake the kids in the process. he’s a man on a mission: cookies to eat, milk to drink, stockings to stuff and snowy footprints to leave on the family room floor.

vermont // daniel ricciardo

You hate heights, but your friend convinced you to go skiing for the first time and now the ski lift is broken and you’re kind of freaking out, so it’s my job to comfort you

god knows i’ve tried // yuki tsunoda

"and if i get sick because i sacrificed my jacket for you, i'd hope you take care of me." (lawson!reader, jacket-sharing and mutual pining!, reader writes cozy mystery novels)

naughty list - oscar piastri

. “Let’s be naughty together and save Santa the trip.”

INSTAGRAM AUS

castle on the hill // lando norris

it’s beginning to look a lot like christmas // oscar piastri

merry and bride // charles leclerc

my sloppy new years kiss // liam lawson (piastri!reader!)

TAGS:

@magnummagnussen @libraryofloveletters @httpiastri @sidcrosbyspuck @thatsdemko @lorarri @cartierre @love4lando @silverstonesainz @twinkodium