#they've done it to their drivers forever it's just not talked about because there weren't necessarily expectations before Daniel came up

[eirianerisdar]

Look I'm going to go on a bit of a rant here

VCARB have ALWAYS been like this. Back when they were Alpha Tauri they pulled this shit all the time. Previously they used to hide behind "our drivers need more experience" when it was Yuki and Nyck but even back when it was Yuki and Pierre they'd leave one driver out to die or pit early but wrongly like they did to Daniel here.

When Daniel came into the fold and started actually improving the car they then had the excuse of saying "our drivers could be doing better, Yuki is more experienced now too"

But they've hardly ever had a race where both drivers got a good strategy. They just like to social media veil by celebrating the one driver that they managed to guess a good strategy for and go "aw shucks you'll do better next time" to the other one.

[scenetocause]

any guesses as to how max and lando both wound up sick. just curious.

[cn: cheating]

"You haven't sucked me off for ages," Lando pouts. Max nearly chokes on his mouthful of avocado toast.

"Mate." His ears are turning pink, he can't look at Pietra. "What the fuck."

"Well it's true, you haven't." Lando says it primly, goes back to demolishing some poached eggs with gay - literally - abandon. Like he hasn't just derailed Max's life for the fiftieth and possibly worst time this week.

He's going to have to do it at some point so he glances round at Pietra, who at least doesn't look completely disgusted with him, just like she's contemplating ways to kill Lando. Which he's fully onboard with, actually. It could be a new date concept, if Lando's going to insist on coming along.

"No, I haven't," is all he can muster as a response.

-

The thing is. The thing is that Max knows he's being a little bit of a hypocrite on a whole bunch of levels. Because he used to come on all Lando and Luisa's dates and fill in all the ways Lando's a rubbish boyfriend by being a better one and she didn't seem to mind that Lando just doesn't count sleeping with Max as anything, so they'd carried on doing it. Max is also pretty good at being Lando's boyfriend, in terms of getting him to act normally.

But Max should've known it wasn't going to work the other way around. He'd been so careful to keep them separated, at first. Partly out of fear Pietra would realise he's very much not an F1 driver and realise she could do better but much more out of knowing this wasn't going to go down well with either of them. It's a hard sell "hey can my best friend, who's chronically weird, hang out with us all the time and also sometimes he has to spoon me for emotional support."

He's tried to find things in it for Pietra but she could go to Monaco anyway and have a more normal time. She's not that keen on coming to grand prix, although he thinks she would if it was his racing and let's not take that train of thought too far to the depression station.

And Lando can't act normal about him and Max doesn't want him to. Was maybe trying to provoke this by getting a girlfriend in the first place - which isn't fair, that's not why he's dating her, it's just that something makes him want Lando's attention as much as Lando wants to give it to him and if they could ever just make that work they'd probably be a lot more normal.

The problem, really, is that Lando feels much more like forever than his girlfriend does. Which is pretty cursed, especially when he's openly sabotaging Max in the middle of brunch.

-

She doesn't bring it up with him, probably because there's nothing to talk about. Max had caved under about one minute of scrutiny from her about the nature of his relationship to Lando and then promised they weren't like that anymore and then slept with Lando the second he touched down in Nice.

Which is bad. He knows it's bad. He objectively knows this is bad boyfriend stuff and he doesn't want to be that, he wants to make things work and be in love and get married and have kids. Be normal - except that he can't.

It's like the stupid mess in his brain. He could just not have whatever makes him demotivated and mopey for days on end and it'd be better. Simpler, at least. Make more sense for the way his life's supposed to be going but instead he's had Lando fussing over him for a week because Max accidentally said some depressed stuff even though he'd been pretending that wasn't really going on anymore and now Lando's trying to add every possible enrichment to his enclosure.

Which is how they've ended up in Max's bedroom, Lando's hair freshly clipped and stream done, with Lando trying to get his cock in Max's mouth.

"Will you," he bats Lando's hand away from his hair, "just stay still and let me do this?"

"I'm trying to help." Lando sounds way too aggrieved for a man about to get a blow job. "It's been so long maybe you've forgotten how to - ah"

Max hums, knowing how good that feels when someone's got their mouth round your dick and then relaxes his throat, leans into it. Feels himself drooling on Lando's dick at the same time as Lando settles back into the mattress, sighs out how much he's enjoying it.

"Ah, that's so good - you're so good."

It's embarrassing how easily taken apart Max is by the praise.

Lando's fingers thread through his hair and he doesn't fight it, this time. "I missed you, baby," Max groans at the nickname, dick twitching. "I missed this, missed us."

It's a good job there's a dick halfway down Max's throat so he can't say anything stupid like 'me too, buddy.'

Lando's leaking already, messy in Max's mouth when he swipes his tongue over the head, lapping at it. He always gets so needy for it, whimpering and whining and pushing his hips up in desperate little circles - it's like the opposite of the way he fucks Max, all deliberateness. Like this he's just a helpless kitten, biting his own fist to try and stifle the noises he's making.

Max pulls off for a second, strokes Lando's hip, when he's getting really desperate. "It's ok," he says, trying to guide Lando, get him to turn the overwhelming sensation into a conclusion and Lando just whimpers again, biting his lip.

He comes into Max's mouth a minute later, back arching and Max lies down, head on Lando's tummy, to kiss his heaving abs afterwards. Lando pulls him up after a minute, holds him and Max's erection isn't so urgent he can't enjoy it for awhile.

When Lando returns the favour, chaotically sucking Max's balls while he's jacking him off, it doesn't take long either for Max to come or for the guilt to sink in. He can't come up with an excuse for why he can't stop doing this, only the inevitability that he won't.

-

They both claim their sore throats are from golfing or the rain or hayfever or something. Lando smuggles Max back to Monte Carlo two days later and fucks him in every room.

[ohifonlyx33]

what kills me is how on one hand Mal supposedly "ignored her until she got her powers" and yet on the other hand "Mal hated her powers"

but those are both such a stretch from the actual truth.

Did Mal Notice her before her powers???

Mal was always in Alina's corner since they were kids. Starting in the very first Before when Mal told Alina he didn't think she was ugly when the adults said she was.

As young adults, he was still by her side, but Alina feared she was losing him... and there's some good reason for that. They were starting to distance themselves from each other just a bit because they were at an impasse. Stay besties forever but move on and find romantic partners or face their deep inner feelings. And that would be too risky. You can't tell me that Mal and Alina didn't spend their entire lives slowly falling in love with each other and trying to hide it or stop it or convince themselves they'd have to move on eventually because the other person wasn't interested or because they "weren't supposed to" like each other. IT's actually CANON that they've both done this. Alina when she was jealous of Ruby or Zoya or anyone that gave Mal any attention. Mal by feeling guilty when he had romantic thoughts about Alina.

I looked down, brushing petals off of the desk. “Did you ever notice me at Keramzin?” He was silent for a long moment, and when I glanced at him, he was looking up at the glass ceiling. He’d gone red as a beet. “Mal?” He cleared his throat, crossed his arms. “As a matter of fact, I did. I had some very … distracting thoughts about you.” “You did?” I sputtered. “And I felt guilty for every one of them. You were supposed to be my best friend, not…” He shrugged and turned even redder. “Idiot.” “That fact is well established and adds nothing to the plot.”

It didn't help that Mal had good looks and friends that liked to tease him... You don't think army boys pestered Mal about his relationship with Alina and he didn't know what to say? But just imagine those quotes if they'd been written from Mal's POV.

“So what are you doing here?” When we’d first started our military service a year ago, Mal had visited me almost every night. But he hadn’t come by in months.

Mal's POV -> I used to visit Alina's tent almost every night. Some of the boys would laugh and joke that we were inseparable. At first I didn't care, let them think that. But I started to worry that maybe Alina noticed it too. Sometimes the others made accusations about our relationship. What if that annoyed her? What if other people talked to Alina about me? I decided it was probably better not to give people the wrong idea. Alina was just a friend. That's all she could be to me.

Or that Alina felt ugly and insecure (MOOD) and pretended not to look at Mal romantically so that she wouldn't be rejected. Or that her tried to play off her jealousy by acting unbothered.

“You weren’t sleeping. You were lying awake worrying.” “Wrong. I was planning how to sneak into the Grisha pavilion and snag myself a cute Corporalnik.” Mal laughed.

Mal's POV -> I laughed, but part of me felt a twinge of jealousy at the idea. I pushed it aside. Why should it matter if she does find a Corporalnik, I chided myself.

Like, they keep trying to pretend they are JUST FRIENDS.

BUT DON'T TELL ME MAL DIDN'T HAVE A FEW MOMENTS OF PANIC... LIKE WHEN THE DARKLING'S CARRIAGE NEARLY RAN HER OVER

[...] I looked up at Mal, my heart racing from the close call. “Thanks,” I whispered. Mal suddenly seemed to realize that he had his arms around me. He let go and hastily stepped back. I brushed the dust from my coat, hoping he wouldn’t notice the flush on my cheeks.

Mal's POV -> My heart had nearly leapt out of my chest from the encounter. Taking a moment to compose myself, I silently cursed the driver and thanked the Saints. Suddenly I realized she was still in my arms. I was clinging to her a little too long. I hoped my face didn't show the flush I felt as I dropped my hands from her waist.

And even when they were supposedly "growing apart" and Mal "wasn't showing her attention" UM NO, Mal was still paying her attention, reassuring her, making time for her, affirming that she's important to him, even if neither of them fully understand it.

He shrugged. “I don’t know. You looked so miserable at dinner.” I was surprised he’d noticed. “Just thinking about the crossing,” I said carefully. It wasn’t exactly a lie. I was terrified of entering the Fold, and Mal definitely didn’t need to know that Alexei and I had been talking about him. “But I’m touched by your concern.” “Hey,” he said with a grin, “I worry.” “If you’re lucky, a volcra will have me for breakfast tomorrow and then you won’t have to fret anymore.” “You know I’d be lost without you.” “You’ve never been lost in your life,” I scoffed. I was the mapmaker, but Mal could find true north blindfolded and standing on his head. He bumped his shoulder against mine. “You know what I mean.” “Sure,” I said. But I didn’t. Not really.

“Alina, come on. We’ll be fine.” “You can’t know that.” “Look at me.” I willed myself to raise my eyes to his. “I know you’re scared. I am, too. But we’re going to do this, and we’re going to be fine. We always are. Okay?” He smiled, and my heart gave a very loud thud in my chest. “Just you and me,” Mal said. “Really?” “It’s always just you and me, Alina.” For a moment, it seemed like it was true. The world was this step, this circle of lamplight, the two of us suspended in the dark.

My friends, this is called Repressed Pining. Something I'm very familiar with.

He's the boy who missed her like crazy when she wasn't there. He's also the boy who always wanted to turn to her first whenever he saw beautiful things.

"It caught me completely by surprise. I’d catch myself walking around to find you, not for any reason, just out of habit, because I’d seen something that I wanted to tell you about or because I wanted to hear your voice. And then I’d realize that you weren’t there anymore, and every time, every single time, it was like having the wind knocked out of me."

The boy hid his true feelings, even from himself. Alina was clearly more aware of her feelings, ever since the incident with the blue cup, but she never said anything. But it was all there. They were just STUCK under the surface.

Her powers became the catalyst for change. That's IT. That's when Mal was like. Actually YES. You know what, I am definitely in love with Alina for real. It's not just platonic love or some silly momentary crush. This is real and I have to find her and make sure she's okay. The world is empty without her. I'm an idiot.

On the second charge, DID MAL HATE HER POWERS?

Well hmmm, he didn't have any problem helping Alina find the stag because she said she needed it to fight the Darkling. In fact he convinced her to do it, even when she was scared it would get him killed.

“And what if the Darkling finds us first?” I asked. “You can’t spend the rest of your life running, Alina. You said the stag could make you powerful. Powerful enough to fight him?” “Maybe.” “Then we have to do it.” “If he catches us, he’ll kill you.” “I know.” “All Saints, Mal. Why did you come after me? What were you thinking?” He sighed and scrubbed a hand over his short hair. “I didn’t think. We were halfway back to Tsibeya when we got orders to turn back around and hunt you. So that’s what I did. The hard part was leading the others away from you, especially after you basically announced yourself in Ryevost.” “And now you’re a deserter.” “Yes.” “Because of me.” “Yes.” My throat ached with unshed tears, but I managed to keep my voice from shaking. “I didn’t mean for any of this to happen.” “I’m not afraid to die, Alina,” he said in that cold, steady voice that seemed so alien to me. “But I’d like to give us a fighting chance. We have to go after the stag.” I thought about what he said for a long while. At last, I whispered, “Okay.”

And then there's the way he looks at her when they leave the tunnels

And so many stars—a glittering, tangled mass that seemed close enough to touch. I let their light fall over me like a balm, grateful for the air in my lungs, the night all around me. “Alina,” Mal said softly. I opened my eyes. The Grisha were staring. “What?” He took my hands and held them out in front of me, as if we were about to start a dance. “You’re glowing.” “Oh,” I breathed. My skin was silver, cocooned in starlight. I hadn’t even realized I was summoning. “Oops.” He ran a finger down my forearm where the sleeve had ridden up, watching the play of light over my skin, a smile curling his lips. Abruptly, he stepped back. He dropped my hands as if they were hot.

He saw her glowing and touched her arm and smiled. He either dropped her arm because he felt the amplifier's call, or because he caught himself having too many feelings. Even Zoya noticed how Mal reacted when he saw her glowing.

When Zoya drew level with me, she said, “You know, Starkov, I’m beginning to think you turned your hair white on purpose.” I flicked a speck of starlight from my wrist, watching it fade. “Yes, Zoya, courting death is an integral part of my beauty regimen.” She shrugged and cast a glance at Mal. “Well, it’s a little obvious for my taste, but I’d say the whole moon maiden look is working.”

And then there's that time Alina used the Cut to kill a man to save Mal and they talk about it and he tries to assure her she's not going to become evil, but that she's becoming a strong leader and that his was only ever scared of losing her. Mind you, he's telling her this, as he's already chosen to mark himself with a sign of allegiance to her. After he's already stepped aside. After he's already decided he can play no other role in Alina's life because she's too important.

He stood there, and I could almost see him wrestling with whether or not to sit down beside me. In the end, he stayed where he was. “You saved my life today,” he said. I shrugged. “And you saved mine. It’s kind of what we do.” “I know it isn’t easy, making your first kill.” “I’ve been responsible for a lot of deaths. This shouldn’t be any different.” “But it is.” [...] I hesitated. I couldn’t look at him when I whispered, “It felt good.” He didn’t say anything, so I plunged on. “It doesn’t matter why I’m using the Cut, what I’m doing with the power. It always feels good.” I was afraid to look at him, afraid of the disgust I’d see on his face or, worse, the fear. But when I forced myself to glance up, Mal’s expression was thoughtful. “You could have struck down the Apparat and all his Priestguards, but you didn’t.” “I wanted to.” “But you didn’t. You’ve had plenty of opportunities to be brutal, to be cruel. You’ve never taken them.” “Not yet. The firebird—” He shook his head. “The firebird won’t change who you are. You’ll still be the girl who took a beating for me when I was the one who broke Ana Kuya’s ormolu clock.” I groaned, pointing an accusatory finger at him. “And you let me.” He laughed. “Of course I did. That woman is terrifying.” Then his expression sobered. “You’ll still be the girl who was willing to sacrifice her life to save us at the Little Palace, the same girl I just saw back a servant over a king.” “She’s not a servant. She’s—” “A friend. I know.” [...] “There’s something wrong with this country. No land. No life. Just a uniform and a gun. That’s how I used to think too.” He had. He’d been willing to walk away from Ravka without a second glance. “What changed?” “You. I saw it that night in the chapel. If I hadn’t been so scared, I could have seen it before.” I thought of the militiaman’s body falling in pieces. “Maybe you were right to be scared of me.” “I wasn’t afraid of you, Alina. I was afraid of losing you. The girl you were becoming didn’t need me anymore, but she’s who you were always meant to be.” “Power hungry? Ruthless?” “Strong.” He looked away. “Luminous. And maybe a little ruthless too. That’s what it takes to rule. Ravka is broken, Alina. I think it always has been. The girl I saw in the chapel could change that.”

He also bet on Alina. He bet more than anyone that she could do BEYOND what she was asked. That she was MORE powerful than anyone believed. He challenged her. And he was RIGHT.

“Thirty says she can hit the one behind it.” I whirled. Mal was leaning against the archway, his arms crossed. “That peak is over five miles away,” I protested. “More like six,” he said breezily, a challenge in his eyes. It was as if we were back at Keramzin, and he was daring me to steal a bag of sweet almonds or luring me out onto Trivka’s pond before the ice had set. I can’t, I’d say. Of course you can, he’d reply, gliding away from me on borrowed skates, the toes stuffed with paper, never turning his back, making sure I would follow.

“She did it! She did it!” I glanced over my shoulder. Mal gave me the barest nod, then started rounding everyone up and back into the Spinning Wheel. I saw him point to one of the rogues and mouth, “Pay up.”

Anyway, it's a trilogy and I'm sure there are MORE instances of Mal supporting Alina and believing in her. Like the time he helped her kill the sea whale. Or the time he helped her stick a dagger through his ribs.

But I think I've made my point.

"Mal didn't care about Alina until she discovered her powers."

Excuse me? It wasn't Mal-tried-to-protect-alina-from-men-who-wanted-to-use-her-for-her-powers-Oretsev who said "you're nothing now" when Alina lost her powers.