🪩 || Bee's Masterlist

Kelly Severide Masterlist

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Second Chances (Complete Series)

Start Over

You Lost Your Chance

A Friendly Competition (Sister!Reader)

I Can't Sleep *

Make A Wish

Now Or Never

Burnt Muffins

Sleeping On The Couch

She's Not You

Don't Call Me "Hun"

I Know You Loved Me

DEATH OF A BACHELOR ; F1 DILFS

the grid's most handsome and eligible bachelors— now taken? exactly this is that. i don't have time to think of a good punchline so it'll have to wait.

started: 03/01/24 ended: 03/23/24

amfg 8.6k words total. smau + written. contains angst, fluff, implied smut(?), crack(?), drama, controversy, and conspiracies. reader is faceless. can be read in any order. enjoy reading (⁠ ⁠ꈍ⁠ᴗ⁠ꈍ⁠)

ADORE YOU ; KR7

. . . your relationship with kimi was always civil, not too close like friends, but not too far apart like strangers. somehow you got stuck in a situation leaving both of you confronting your feelings for each other.

HAVEN'T MET YOU YET ; JB22

. . . slowing down as the high life of the party, jenson turns a new leaf and thinks optimistically about his plans in the future concerning his love life.

MISERY ; MW2

. . . fuck sebastian vettel and fuck his goddamn race engineer who he can't help but think about all the time. he's bitter, jealous and in misery.

GREEDY ; SV5

. . . at the height of his career all vettel wants is to win. with four world championships on his back, his ego- out of the world, surely that's enough for a room in your life.

VOODOO DOLL ; LH44

. . . hamilton is a penchant for opposing teammates, and after the previous one he somehow got stuck with another, but after years of dominance new emotions develop between the two.

NEW PERSPECTIVE ; FA14

. . . twenty years into his career, alonso faced a lot of changes. but it was all because of you, that he looked forward to at the end of everything.

amfg yay! to my first series ever finished... here's to more series and writing. i hope you enjoyed reading these as much as i wrote them 🫶

F1 MASTERLIST

motorsports masterlist.

MAX VERSTAPPEN

the great war (ft. lando norris) (smau)

blowing smoke (smau)

friends (smau)

yes, and? (smau)

risk (smau)

fresh out the slammer

imgonnagetyouback part 2

the prophecy

CHARLES LECLERC

the girl is mine (ft. alexandra saint mleux) (smau)

bye (ft. alexandra saint mleux) (smau)

eternal sunshine (smau)

CARLOS SAINZ

is it over now? (smau)

supernatural (smau)

so it goes... (smau)

LANDO NORRIS

the great war (ft. max verstappen) (smau)

when you walk away (smau)

so high school (smau)

barcelona (smau)

crush (smau)

OSCAR PIASTRI

we used to have more part 2 part 3 part 4 (smau series)

don’t wanna break up again (smau)

imperfect for you (smau)

obsessed (smau)

the secret of us (smau)

mclaren admin (smau)

guilty as sin?

ALEX ALBON

so american (smau)

DANIEL RICCIARDO

peace (smau)

FRANCO COLAPINTO

don’t smile (smau)

Never was I happy in the body that I had throughout the years. As people especially family kept telling me “you’ve got fat” or “you’ve got thin” and it’s a large blow to one’s self confidence. Here I am questioning and challenging myself to diet and exercise. The biggest debate in my head was “ Am I doing this for myself or for the approval of everybody?”

DEAR READER | C.L 16 (TWO)

Pairing: Charles Leclerc X Female OC

Warnings: Physical injury (that’s it, i think)

NOTES: I’m on fire for updating so quickly !!!

If you want to be included on the tag list, please let me know!

PREVIOUS PART/S: ONE

THE BRIGHTNESS OF HER phone burned her irises. Without regard, she swiped her thumb up the screen to read more of the incessant article Charles had shown her. Her forehead creased at the words written but the smirk pulling on her lips said otherwise. Ridicule from the public was nothing new to her. She had been experiencing it since she was caught driving one of Susie’s cars by a tourist in Monaco.

To Natalia’s outmost dismay, the photo spread like a virus. Next thing she knew, countless of rumors were surrounding the internet. It was indeed a difficult time for a collage student like her. Locking herself in her dorm room was not an exaggeration considering the whispers and looks she’d receive when she would walk down the hall.

For a solid 2 weeks, people saw her as, and she recalls this with a nauseating feeling; Toto Wolff’s side piece.

Ultimately it died down after she had given in to Toto’s demands to let him put out a statement. Since then, the issue had been resolved, much to her delight.

“Are you planning to cook your eyes?”

She waved her hand, signaling for him to keep his eyes on the road. The pitch black atmosphere with nothing but the headlights guiding their way reminded Natalia of a horror game. As if lanky creature were to appear in from of their vehicle and cause a deathly accident. Without the light of her device, her heart would probably be thumping loudly in her chest.

“Scramble them, actually . . .” She replied.

The driver ignored her sarcasm, opting to put on music.

“You can go to sleep, you know.” Charles looked at her, rolling his eyes as he saw the concentration on her face. “I knew I shouldn’t have shown you that. . .”

Natalia shook her head, a hand cupping her mouth as her shoulder rumble with mirth. “It’s just— It surprises me, how in the world is it possible to sound so idiotic each time?” Her voice was a bit isolated from the barrier of her hand, glancing at Charles. “They never miss, to be honest. . .”

He hummed, tucking his lips in behind his lips, amusement also lifting up his energy.

“I mean, look at this, apparently you’re asking for Toto’s blessing to ask for my hand in marriage!” She fell into a series of hysterics, losing her chain of self control. Saying it out loud was far more ludicrous than she had thought.

Charles also seem to think the same as he allowed himself to laugh with her, mouth splitting into a wide grin. He had expected a reaction from the people. Natalia and him shared the burden of being constantly linked to the every opposite gendered person they interact with regardless of the settings and the other people present.

Natalia’s laughter about the article imminently faded, leaving the soft roars of the engine and the cold whispers of the air conditioning to fill the silence.

After a moment, Charles stole a glance at Natalia, eyes immediately returning forward as he found that he was already looking at him.

Natalia blocked the unattractive snort threatening to turn into laughter at Charles’ quick head turn. She could’ve sworn he had a whiplash.

“What?”

She raised her brows at his bothered tone, choosing to lean more into his side. “I’m just looking at you. What’s wrong with that?”

Charles’ fingers that gripped wheel tightened as her taunting tone filled his ears. “I didn’t say anything was wrong with it—”

“It sounded like you have a problem with it, though.” Natalia interjected, easing her temple on the headrest.

Besides her taunting attitude, the fact that she refused to quit staring at him brought a flaming annoyance to his mind.

Charles heaved a sigh, tapping his fingers on the leather cover of his wheel. His focused returned fully on the road, trying to block out the intense mahogany orbs that were intently seeking for his demise.

“Do you wanna play a game?”

No, Charles wanted earplugs. Or better yet, a gigantic headset that had the volume of a million megaphones.

But of course, a fight was not on his list of tonight. He bobbed his head, sending her the inquiry, “What are we playing?”

“20 questions, truth or dare . . .” Natalia pursed her lips in thought, shifting her gaze to the roof of the car as if she’d find more written there. “I was going to say I spy, but there’s nothing to see. So— you pick,”

Charles mulled over the usual car games before picking the one he think he’d get the most out of.

“20 question, then.” He glared at Natalia as she snorted at his answer.

“Typical,”

“You made me choose—”

“Yeah— yeah, alright. Calm down, damn.” Natalia wheeled her eyes, pleating her arms together. “You go first, since you picked.”

“Alright,” Charles clicked his tongue, drumming his fingers on the shift stick. “Did you have a pet growing up?”

Natalia casted a sidelong glance at him, mouth parting a few times before she finally realized he was serious. “That’s so lame!” She laughed, whacking him in the shoulder.

The Monegasque’s head tilted in puzzlement to which Natalia replied, “Ask more personal questions. If I was gonna ask you what your favorite color was, I wouldn’t even bother.”

Charles face sagged at her statement, mocking her by making faces. “Okay—” He narrowed his eyes as he racked his brain for a satisfying question. After a moment, he finally found one.

“Do you plan on going back to the Philippines after you graduate?”

All the active expressions fell from her face at the question, a stiffening dread constricting her word as she tried to form a coherent response.

“I haven’t thought about it—” The coiling vice in her tongue gripped at her vocabulary. “Most likely. . . If my passport is uh. . . yeah, then I think. . .” She clamped her mouth shut, noticing her excessive babbling.

“A yes or no would’ve been fine,” Charles murmured.

Natalia scoffed, running her fingers through her hair, hoping to banish the tremors forming in her nerves. “It’s something I only think about when I’m drunk,”

Charles nodded, not expecting that but her tone was enough indication not to pry any further.

In spite of knowing Natalia for almost a year now, Charles had had realized how little they knew about each other. Not to say that he was actually keen on getting to know her. However as circumstances have shifted rapidly in the last few hours, they might have to expand their knowledge about one another.

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Crickets. Much like the ones cartoons put over the background to serve as a comedic effect to characters who had heard something that the other seem to find hilarious.

In real life, however, the crickets were not funny in any way as Natalia’s jaw nearly banged on the floor, contradictory to Fred Vasseur’s ever-delighted face. If only she had the bone to tell that sweet-looking man that she’d rather eat the concrete than—

“Excuse me,” She said, palms starting to sweat as she peered at Fred. “I thought this was for journalism. . . training? No?”

“Oh, yes! Certainly, but Toto told us you were also interested in social media management,” He looked at her expectantly.

Despite his unwavering smile, the gentle touch on Natalia’s arm scorched in overpowering puzzlement. Every single word had been silenced except the ones; Toto and social media management.

“Well yes, but— not Charles’. . .”

She cowered away as Fred raised a question brow at her direction but slowly modified into a comforting grin. “Not to worry, there would be someone guiding you through it,”

Fred landed soft taps on Natalia’s shoulder, which she thought were supposed to be a symbol of reassurance. It proved to have done little, as the electrifying anxiety continued excruciating hike at her sanity.

Disregarding the supposed heat of the sun raying on her skin, the circulation of the chilly axis running down her body seemed to overthrow the rising temperature of the Italian summer.

“With the break ending soon and the start of the Belgian race, we thought it would be wise to have a ‘Gen Z’ handle Charles social media image. . .”

Natalia whirled around at the presences of the new voice.

A dark haired man, sporting an outgrown buzz cut sauntered behind her. He had a blue stripped dress shirt neatly tucked into his black slacks. His shoes shone despite looking like he had been running around for most of the day.

“Hello,” He lengthened his arm towards Natalia, who received his hand in a friendly shake. “I’m Nicolas Todt, Charles’ Manager. Nice to meet you, Ms. Valle,”

Natalia screwed her face up mentally at the formal address of her name. “It’s nice to meet you too. Natalia’s fine,” she thinned her lips as he merely nodded at her.

Just perfect, she thought, as she mustered a small smile.

════ ⋆★⋆ ════ ════ ⋆★⋆ ════

According to Nicolas, due to the increasing number of young fans, it was best to market Charles’ presence to fit their crowd. Given that Natalia’s part of the tech-savy generation, she had ample knowledge of the newest trends and sensations.

While that was true, Natalia could not believe the enjoyment she was getting from this job. With just a week in, she had gotten to witness Charles take an obscene amount of pictures while she aided with the angles and poses that might interest his fans.

What’s not very enjoyable though, was directing a bunch of rowdy boys for a photo op on a yacht. Their voices subdued the authority in Natalia’s instructions, ultimately forcing her to stand on a stool to capture their attention.

Annoyance painted her face, putting her hands together near her mouth to create a louder echo.

“HEY!”

Effectively, their boisterous behavior came to a halt, heads collectively whirling around to where she was. Natalia glowered at them, pinching her eyebrows with her fingers.

“Did you even hear what I said?” Eyes narrowed, she glared at them.

Whipping their heads around as if they’d find the answer stuck on teh each others foreheads was enough for Natalia.

Charles sat back, watching as pure frustration consumed Natalia whole. He raised a hand to beckon his friends.

“Alright, that’s enough guys. Let’s take the picture. . .” He met Natalia’s pointed gaze as the lot of them obeyed his command to approach him. “Sorry, can you repeat that?”

As if I have a choice, her leering glare didn’t desolate, but her features softened at the quiet surroundings.

She took a deep breath, gesturing at the pontoon boat seat for them to take a seat. Once half of them were all aligned in a row, the other half stood behind the yacht seat. She tilted her head, shaking it in disapproval.

“You— and you—” She motioned at the two tallest men sat on the coach. “Please switch with them.” The men called out looked behind them to see who she was pointing at.

A satisfied grin drew on her lips as the men shuffled their places, gaining the perfect proportions Natalia had envisioned.

“Right, then!” Her voice blarred through the quiet atmosphere of Monaco, receiving amused glances from Charles and his friends at her change of mood. “You look like 1D’s frat boy era,”

The comment visibly went over their heads, gawking at her with confusion. Unwavering, Natalia simply waved them off, keeping the reference to herself.

It took her awhile to digest that American pop culture doesn’t transcend here in this country as much as it did in the Philippines. When she first came here, she was a bit sad that none of her four other college roommates were fans of Taylor Swift. Granted, not everyone has to be one. However, after scouting through the campus, the amount Swifties were barely a fourth of the school.

That being said, their unfamiliarity with her vocabulary was no longer a surprise. Also, they were men.

She watched as Antoine Truchet, Charles’ photographer, paced around the yacht, a camera clutched on his hand, searching for the best lighting. Her eyes then slid to the occupants of the sofa, automatically angling her head to get a better view of Charles. He sat at the center, thighs spread with a smug smirk toying at his lips.

Natalia felt a tug at her chest as a mirthful laugh escaped his lips at how Antoine was struggling at his now awkward position. The loud splash of the waves beside their boat was astronomically awakening, as though the cold grip of the waves had slapped her in the face.

She willed her unbelievably awful thoughts into something more appropriate, finding comfort at the part of her brain which appreciated the beauty of Monaco— not the Monegasque—

She gritted her teeth, wanting to combust into a tiny million particles. Biting her lips, she suppressed a scream as the urge to pull her hair out flooded her thoughts.

She was working, for god’s sake. Ogling at a sun-kissed, unruly haired man with a conventionally white shirt unbuttoned halfway was extremely unprofessional.

The camera loves that man’s face, that’s for sure.

There was nothing attractive by the way the last rays of the sun caressed his skin. Nothing special at the immaculate glow it created that made him look like a heaven-sent blessing— not even when he stares at her like that— he’s staring at her.

Panic engulfs her lungs, causing her shifting feet to slip on the matted steps of her stool. Her heart felt like it fell with her body, a clamorous bang resounding through the air the impact.

A agonized groan emitted from Natalia’s mouth as she landed on her arm. She heard a series of movements, coming closer to her. Soon, the brilliant view of the sky was replaces by different faces, worry sketched out in their features as she clutched her injured arm with her hand.

“Joris, appelle un médecin,” The calm voice amongst the chattering crowd tickled her ears, heart pounding at the same hands that slid themselves beneath her waist. She was carefully turned to the left, similar to a figurine that could shatter with one wrong move.

What was médecin, again? Medicine? Or is medic?

This was one of the times Natalia hates not being fluent in his native language. Withering in excruciating pain and having to rummage through her awful French lingo wasn’t a pleasant combination.

His eyes appeared in her vision, one flooding with an unexplainable expression. It was the first time she’d seen them this close. Resembling the calm of the ocean, gracefully soaring up to the skies, as if he took the ravishing sight of spring on claimed it as his own. His green eyes swam with a remarkable dose of electrifying energy, it’s almost appalling how much enchantment it held.

At her trace, his lips moved without sound until his calloused finger were introduced to the searing heat of her face. His digits gripped her cheeks, squeezing the supple skin to get her attention.

Charles released as sigh of relief as her unfocused eyes returned to normal. “It’s alright, just breath yes?” He whispered, getting ready to move her. “I’m going to put you on the coach, okay?”

The subtle nod was all he needed before he proceeded to lend strength to the arm under her, supporting her weight as he lifted her body onto the cushions of the seat.

Soft distressed ‘sorry’s’ escape his mouth as Natalia whimpered, shutting her eyes tightly at the sudden pressure on her side.

Another person took over Charles’ place on her side, who she believed to be the medical assistant they had summoned.

Maybe if it weren’t for the adrenaline coursing in her veins and the soothing touch of a certain someone, she would’ve been screaming from the pain.

As black spots started popping into her vision, the embarrassment what happened plagued her mind.

════ ⋆★⋆ ════ ════ ⋆★⋆ ════

In the yacht’s cabin, Natalia sat comfortably on a king sized bed, head leaning against the small window of the yacht with her legs crossed. She watched as the small waves did their repetitive dance, lulling the boat into a cadence sway.

Susie had called her as soon as she heard the news, scrambling to get as much details about her condition in a panicked state. Natalia instantly felt terrible for causing such trouble, quickly brushing away the apprehension in Susie’s mind and substituting it with consolation.

She seemed to calm down when Charles took the phone, explaining to her. “Yes, Ms. Wolff. There is no problem—” From his back towards Natalia, he twisted his head to catch her gaze from where she was sat. The brunette girl fidgeted with the sleeve of her sweater, careful not to agitate the muscles in her arm.

Charles wasn’t at all religious by any means, but he found himself thanking Natalia’s angels for not allowing her to break a bone in her body. Thankfully, all she got was a minor sprain which would be cured by pain medication and bed rest.

“Yes, Ma’am. Will do,” He nodded at Susie’s list of requests, striding to his jittery company. He dipped his head, a an arm anchoring his weight as he placed himself beside her. His thumb brushing against Natalia’s cheek. Without thinking, he stroked his finger on the skin, lightly pressing, feeling a rushing comfort at the touch.

Natalia, however, was gawking at him, beginning to rack her brain as to what the hell was happening. But he couldn’t comprehend anything as she drowned beneath his intense gaze and the intoxicating contact of his narcotic hands.

She overlooked the fact that he had ended the call, until his face was inches from her own, breath fanning on her flushed skin. Blood rushed rapidly onto her veins at their ridiculously close proximity. She noticed that at this distance, his eyes looked more like a blown out galactic dream.

They were near enough that if one of them were to lean forward—

The creak of the door awkened them from the hypnotic depths of their minds, scrambling away from each other darting to the opposite sides of the room.

“How’s it—”

Jorris stopped, looking at Charles who had a hand on his neck, scratching an area that appeared to itch a lot. He moved his observance to Natalia. She was facing away from Charles, eyes raking down at the furniture at the right side of the room, seeming to find it rather interesting.

“Are you okay?” His accented voice, dropped the question.

The occupants of the cabin then, looked at him, like a pair of deers caught in headlights. They both blinked back at him, offering no helpful response.

He raised his hands in defeat, turning back to walk out. “Fine, no one wants to talk to Jorris . . .” He muttered, after exiting the realm of the gaping fishes.

When he left, Natalia and Charles kept glacing at each other before Natalia had the strength to let a word out.

“You should probably. . .” She imitated a shooing motion over the door.

Charles nodded, understanding her order. “If— If you need anything— I’ll be—” He used his thumb as a pointer, indicating the spot where he’ll be staying, stumbling upon his word.

“Go, Charles—” Natalia sighed, running a hand through her face to hide the betraying expression that threatened to expose her disturbing feelings.

“I am going. . .” He hastily zapped out of the room but not before turning back, only to be greeted by Natalia’s deadly stare. He took that as the last warning, slamming the door shut in the process.

At the wake of the silence, Natalia whacked her head on the wall, which was unfortunately covered with a cushioned headboard that protected her skull from shattering into a million pieces.

Reaching for the pillow in front of her, she drew it near her chin, digging her face on top of the soft surface before screaming her lungs out.

Her fingers clutched the covering of the pillow, shoving her face deeper, hoping it would drown out the noise that spilled out of her mouth as agitation devoured her entire being.

Outside her door, stood a figure with his arms crossed, slightly leaning on the door. A knowing smile weaved his lips at the entertaining series of events before walking away to join Charles and their mates.

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Tags: @charizznorizz @itsjustkhaos

Rule Breaker - Pt 3

max Verstappen x single mom!reader

{masterlist}{prev} {next}

warnings: cursing, jos is an even bigger asshole, barely proofread, logan's there, glazed-over mentioning of childhood trauma Summary: Max has it all...right? Besides, he's too busy collecting trophies and completing side quests for anything else. Until... You moved across a whole ass ocean to start over, uprooting you and your son's lives to become social media admin for cars that drive in circles. word count: 7937 (i got so carried away holy shit) auth.note: listen, eagle boy swayed me with his pretty eyes and soft voice... also this was a great excuse for me to rewatch Mulan for the millionth time. spotify: i made a playlist

"Team meeting in ten," GP commented.

Max nodded, eyes following y/n through the window as she paced in the small courtyard, talking on her phone. He hadn't seen or spoken to her since they'd finished the Q and A the day before. Surprisingly, he'd actually enjoyed it. He told himself it was because she'd made sure to gather thought provoking questions, not because some of his answers had made her laugh and her laugh made him feel relaxed. GP turned to look out the window and Max quickly looked down at his plate, even though he'd just taken the last bite of his breakfast. When the engineer turned back, Max could feel his amused expression.

"Looks like it might rain," GP said casually.

Nodding again, Max washed down the last of his food with his coffee. "More chances for fuck ups."

"It's not a crime."

He finally looked up. "What?"

GP nodded towards the window.

"If rain was a crime, would they put god in prison?" Max asked, keeping his face blank when his friend snorted and rolled his eyes.

"You're not a robot, Max."

From the corner of his eye he could see her approaching Christian, who was coming from the garage. "I never said I was."

"Then stop acting like one. You're still young, I guess you're attractive, and you're at the top of your career."

"Thank you for that endorsement," Max said drily. Horner had stepped aside with y/n, whose hands were moving as she spoke to him. "I'll be sure and put it in my Tinder profile."

GP's eyebrows lifted. "You have one?"

"Fuck no." He pushed his chair back. "I don't have time."

"Max," his friend sighed.

"I'll see you at the meeting." He took care of his dishes, making sure to thank the staff working the dining area before leaving the motorhome, telling himself it was so he could get some fresh air and clear his head for the meeting. His legs carried him around the corner to where y/n and Christian were still talking, and he boldly approached.

"…speak to him." Christian shot a look at Max.

"If he was joking I wouldn't think twice about it.," y/n said, frowning. "But I don't see how it could have been. He was extremely rude, implied I wasn't worth hiring based on my looks, and…"

Max kept his mouth shut, knowing she needed to do the speaking. Giving her a faint nod when she looked at him, he felt a glimmer of pride when she straightened her shoulders.

"I didn't spend four years in college – sorry, university – and work three jobs at once to be demeaned. I know I have the skills and drive to do my job, but if this team continues to foster that sort of toxic environment you'll have to look for a new social media admin," she said firmly.

He tried to but couldn't keep the smile from forming.

Christian looked slightly impressed, giving her a reassuring nod. "I understand. He's not employed by us, he's only here by our good graces."

"I know he's the father of the your top driver, and I spoke with him before coming to you," she said, as though Max wasn't standing right there.

Christian pressed his lips together and Max knew he was trying to hide his smile. "Of course. We'll deal with it, I promise."

"Thank you." She relaxed, sighing softly. "I'm not trying to cause trouble, Mr. Horner."

"It's Jos fucking Verstappen, he's the trouble," Christian muttered. "Don't worry, alright? If anyone ever gives you a problem, reach out to me."

She nodded. "Thanks again. Oh!" She turned to Max, smiling hopefully. "I already asked Checo and he said yes to doing it this week. Would you be up to 24 hours with you at Monaco? Not the full 24 hours since I don't want to watch you sleep, but I just stick with you for the rest of the day and show fans a behind the scenes look at what a practice or quali day for you looks like."

"Why?" he asked, still stuck on the thought of her watching him sleep.

"Well! Casual fans don't realize how much work goes into being you. The training and diet and analyzing and teamwork. All the stuff you do even before practice and quali, like walking the track."

"For the whole day."

"Yeah, except for sleeping. I mean, that would probably really ramp up views, but—"

"I'm not that interesting though," he said. Why would anyone want to spend a practice or quali day with him?

"Oh don't start with the modesty. You're an elite athlete. I'm not asking you to invite me into your bedroom and let me show your bed to the world, just a small peek at what you're like. We can highlight your sim racing, explain how it's helped you learn the tracks so well. Talk about your suit, why the fireproof is so important." She tipped her head. "Maybe a shot of your suitcase to prove you do have clothes other than Red Bull gear? If you do, because I'm beginning to think you only have one pair of jeans and a Red Bull shirt."

He laughed at that, shaking his head. "I guess I can do it. We'll see how Checo's goes."

"Perfect. Speaking of, I'm doing that tomorrow so I gotta start posting to hype it up—"

"Meeting in two minutes," Christian told them.

Max looked at him, chagrined to admit he'd forgotten the man was there. "On the way," he promised, rubbing the back of his neck when Christian shot him a knowing look and headed off. Turning back to y/n, he cleared his throat. "I'm not showing my suitcase to the world."

"Is it that embarrassing?" she asked, clicking her tongue in sympathy. "Do you have Red Bull boxers too?"

"No, I—" he cut off, remembering the company's joke birthday gift to him the year before. "Okay, I do, but they're not in my suitcase."

"At least let me throw a team logo pillow on the bed—"

"Absolutely not."

She fell into step next to him, an extra bounce in her walk. "Are you saying there's already one there?"

He shouldn't say it. It would probably be inappropriate. He told himself that repeatedly, even as he drew a breath and opened his mouth. "Why the interest in my bed?"

"I told you, I love sleep. Oh." She frowned. "It'll be a hotel bed anyway."

Opening the motorhome door for her, he glanced up at the cloudy sky as the aroma of flowers he couldn't identify washed over him. "No?"

"Are you saying you get an Airbnb?" she asked in confusion. "Do they even have that in Monaco—"

"You didn't know? I thought you asked Google everything," he teased.

Her brow furrowed deeply. "Didn't know what?"

"I live in Monaco. So no, it wouldn't be a hotel room."

The confusion melted away, her eyes widening a little. "Oh. Wow."

"Wow?" he echoed, heading to the stairs.

"You're rich rich."

"Don't say that," he requested, making a face. She made wealth sound dirty.

"In my defense I didn't think to look up everyone's salary when I got hired. I mean I knew you were rich, but—"

"Stop saying it—"

"Sorry." She smiled sweetly, which told him she wasn't sorry at all. "Have a good meeting, Max. Oh, wait!"

He stopped at the top of the stairs, huffing when she lifted her phone and snapped a photo of him. "Why do you need a picture of me right now?"

"To show the world that even Max Verstappen, three time world champion, record breaker and maker, is sometimes late for a meeting."

Dragging a hand over his face, he sighed. "You're in a strange mood today."

"I'm getting comfortable. It's what I do. Lull everyone into thinking I'm sweet and quiet, then once I know I can relax I let my true self out."

"I'm scared to ask what your true self is," he admitted, ignoring his phone when it began to buzz with a phone call.

"Chaos," she told him, snapping another photo. "And I'm so putting a team logo pillow on your bed next week."

"No," he warned her as she turned to go back down the stairs. "No pillow."

"Go to your meeting or I'll post on Twitter than you have Red Bull boxers!"

"You wouldn't."

"Try me, rich boy."

And, damn everything, he laughed. She spun at the bottom of the stairs, giving him a smile that was pure sunshine. Not about to tempt fate, he held up his hands in surrender and went to the conference room for the meeting, still smiling as he slid into his seat next to Checo. When the meeting was over he hung back, his smile long gone as he waited for whatever Christian had to say.

"Two things," Christian started, leaning back in his seat with a sigh.

Max rolled his water bottle between his hands and stayed silent.

"Your dad."

He nodded. "I'll talk to him—"

"He's on probation now. If he so much as looks at anyone the wrong way, he'll be banned from the garage and the paddock." Christian steepled his hands. "It would probably be best if I did it now, but…"

"I'll talk to him," Max said again, already dreading that conversation. "Sometimes he speaks before he thinks, and unfortunately y/n was on the receiving end."

"Are you defending him?"

"No. I'm saying…" What was he saying? He didn't even know himself, so how could he explain it to Christian?

"You're saying what he would expect you to say. Max." Christian leaned forward. "I know he's your father. But – what did y/n say? He creates a toxic environment."

Max was on his feet and pacing before he realized he was moving. "What do you want me to do? Cut him out of my life completely? He's my dad. He made me who I am." Slinging his cap onto the table, he ran a hand through his hair. "He gave up on a marriage so I could achieve my dreams. I know people call it abuse and yeah if I could change the past I would, or at least some parts, but… Would I be me if he didn't do what he did?"

Christian sighed and Max hung his head. The bitterness between team principal and his father had been around as long as he could remember. And he understood, he did. Most days even he didn't like Jos that much.

"What he said to y/n was unacceptable. I know that. When she told me, I…" He paused, unsure whether he wanted to admit what his first thoughts had been. Starting to pace again, he stopped at the window and looked outside, noting that the earlier clouds had rolled away. "I was ready to tell you to ban him."

Christian nodded. "You sure you want to talk to him? Because I'll do it. I don't have a problem telling him to go fuck himself."

"I should do it," Max said with a sigh.

There was silence from Christian, and Max finally snatched up his hat and sat back down. "I'll do it, Max."

He would never admit to the rush of relief at those words. "What was the other thing?"

"Y/n."

He set his jaw. "What about her?"

"She's off limits."

Max blinked. "How do you mean?"

"I've seen the way you look at her."

He pinched his eyebrows together. He wasn't aware he'd been looking at her in any particular way. He just…looked at her. It was true that she did make him smile a little bit more than he usually did, but that had to be due to her self-professed chaos—

"It's in her contract. Yours too, I'm sure."

"I'm – Nothing's happened." Yes, she'd slept in his private room and yes, his sheets had smelled of her and given him dreams he shouldn't have been dreaming. But nothing else had happened.

Soft hands, plush hips, bright eyes, lush mouth—

"Keep it that way. We can't afford another PR disaster."

Max snorted, unsure how anything he did – not that he would do anything – with y/n could come close to the disaster Christian had caused. "I'm not texting her, so."

"Cheeky bastard," Christian muttered. "Go get prepped for practice."

Grabbing his water bottle from the floor, Max left. Off limits. What the hell did that even mean? He couldn't be friendly with her? He couldn't keep his promise to watch a movie with Kevin?

Fuck Christian anyway, he wasn't one to talk about someone being off limits, he decided. He went down for another coffee, inconspicuously looking around for y/n. Not seeing her, he turned his attention to the upcoming practice, trying his best to push his worries about his father to the back of his mind.

When he approached the garage he saw her, and he frowned slightly when he saw Logan talking to her. Did they know each other? They obviously did, judging by the way she laughed at something he said. Sourness filled his mouth and he gulped down his water, grunting when a hand suddenly clapped his shoulder.

"Mate, you coming out tonight?" Lando asked with a grin.

"Not a good idea to go out before quali, mate," Max said automatically.

"I'm not gonna get drunk. A few of us are just going out to eat. You in?"

"I think I'll skip it. But we'll go out Sunday?"

Lando's grin widened and Max chuckled, knowing he was remembering what little he could of the celebration in Miami. Lando loved to party after a race. "Absolutely. Good practice, yeah?"

Max grinned, bumping fists with him before they parted. The American was still talking to y/n. Didn't he need to get ready? Go fluff his hair or something? Walking up to them, he nodded at Logan. "Have a good practice alright, mate?"

"Oh, yeah, better get to the garage." Logan turned and flashed a smile at y/n. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Sure. Be safe," she said.

She was smiling a little too hard, in his opinion. And then she was—

Hugging? Him?

Max felt like he might vomit.

"Later, Max," Logan said as he jogged off.

"What did he want?" Max asked.

She looked up from checking something on her camera. "Hm? Oh, nothing, just chatting. He's nice."

"Yeah, a complete sweetheart," he said with a roll of his eyes. Then, shoving the sourness away, he cleared his throat. "I've got the sim racing tomorrow after quali, then the race is Sunday."

Y/n blinked, then nodded slowly. "Yes?"

"I promised Kevin we'd watch the movie?" he reminded her.

"Oh, yeah. Don't worry about it, I know you're too busy. He hasn't even mentioned it again, I'm sure he's already forgotten." She turned slightly and knelt to take pictures of his car in the garage.

"But I promised."

"Max, it's really not that big a deal."

It was. To her it might not be. If she couldn't do something with her son when she had promised she could, she was able to do it another time. He couldn't just show up to her flat to watch a movie. And Kevin had been so excited… He tried not to remember all the promises that had been made to him as a child, promises he had learned at an early age would never be kept. "Y/n…"

She looked up at him, drawing a breath to, he was sure, tell him again that it was fine. But she paused, studying his face, and he heard her sigh as she lowered the camera. "This is really important to you, isn't it?"

"And to Kevin," he pointed out.

"He did talk about it a lot last night before he went to sleep. Made sure the hotel tv had Disney plus and asked if Ellie would buy some popcorn…" She sighed, smiling. "Did you want to do it next week before Monaco?"

"I was thinking today? After the practice and debrief. If you're not too busy," he added, unintentionally looking towards the Williams garage.

"No, I don't have any plans. Just editing and posting, and I can do that while you two watch a movie. I've got plans for dinner, but there's plenty of time."

"Plans?" he asked, trying his best to sound casual.

"Yeah! Logan offered to take me out to see a little of the town. He's offered to be my tour guide."

At night. Now he knew he would vomit. "How delightful," he managed.

"Yeah, he's sweet. Don't worry, I won't give away any secrets."

The sourness returned, doubled, and he recognized it now as jealousy. Which was beyond ridiculous, because she wasn't his to be jealous over. Seeing that she was about to stand he immediately offered his hand, easily steadying her as she rose to her feet.

"Thanks."

He wondered what sort of cream she used on her hands. They were so soft. "Y/n—"

"Max!"

Y/n's smile faded and she practically snatched her hand away. "I'll message you the hotel info," she said, turning on her heel and sweeping into the garage.

"I need to talk to you," his father demanded.

Looking into the garage, he saw that he had a full thirty minutes before practice began. No way out of this conversation. Nodding, he followed his father to a relatively secluded spot, keeping his head down.

*-*

"His father is such an asshole, honestly. We were talking outside the garage and he marched up like he owns the—" Y/n glanced to make sure Kevin still had his headphones on and wasn't listening in. Seeing that he did and wasn't, she turned back to Ellie. "—fucking place and barked at him all 'I need to talk to you' like the guy isn't about to go out on the track."

Ellie made a face. "What a prick. What did he have to say to him that was so important?"

Y/n shrugged, bending to gather the dirty pair of socks off the floor. "No idea. He dragged him off and I could see them but couldn't hear anything. I felt so bad for Max."

"I would have too. And he didn't say anything when he got back to the garage?" Ellie smoothed the bedding while y/n stuffed the dirty laundry into a sack.

"Not to me." Sighing, y/n dropped the sack inside the bathroom and then got down on her hands and knees to make sure nothing embarrassing was lying around. "He looked like a kid getting yelled at, Ellie. I had no idea his dad was that much of an—"

She saw Kevin moving and stopped, getting to her feet while he set his tablet and headphones on the table. "Gotta pee, mama," he said, sliding out of the chair.

"Did you finish your game?" she asked while Ellie looked around to make sure the hotel room was presentable.

"Yeah, it's easy," Kevin said.

"Are you gonna tell him?" Ellie whispered.

"No… What if he can't make it? I don't want to get his hopes up." Y/n pushed the chair in at the table and checked the tablet, seeing that Kevin had indeed finished the alphabet game she'd downloaded that morning for him.

"If he doesn't come, maybe we can—" Ellie laughed when there was a knock at the door. "Never mind."

"It might not be him," y/n muttered, even though she knew it had to be. He'd been so insistent, and she'd been able to tell that it was possibly more important to him than it would be to Kevin.

"I'll make sure the lil rugrat washes his hand," Ellie murmured, slipping into the bathroom.

Y/n rubbed her hands on her thighs and went to open the door, giving the hotel room one last glance before doing so. And, just as she'd known, Max was in the hallway. "Hey," she greeted softly, eyes widening a little when she saw he was wearing a pair of sweats and a hoodie. "Holy shit, you're allowed to wear non-Red Bull clothes?"

He snorted, letting out a laugh when she just stared at him. "Very funny."

"No, no, I'm serious. Isn't that in your contract or something?" Stepping back, she finally gave him a grin. "C'mon in."

"I don't know if he's allowed, but I brought some sweets." Max held up the grocery bag hanging from one finger.

"Yeah, he's allowed. No allergies or anything," she assured him, closing the door once he'd stepped inside. "He's washing his—"

"Mister Max!"

Y/n nearly teared up. Her son sounded so excited, and she had a moment of panic for letting him befriend Max. He was too busy to drop by regularly, and after Monaco Kevin would be staying home with Ellie, so—

"There's my little mate!"

Fuck's sake, even Max sounded excited. As though a movie with a three year old was the height of his day. Looking on as he swung Kevin up and spun him in a circle, she took the bag and emptied the packets onto the table while Ellie greeted Max and brought out the popcorn from where she'd hidden it from Kevin. Max and Kevin talked nonstop to one another, Max telling him about practice after Kevin gave him a detailed report on what he'd done all day. The boy grabbed his tablet and showed him the games he'd played, showing off his alphabet skills.

"You're good with letters, yeah? Maybe you'd be good learning a new language?" Max suggested.

"Do you know a new language?" Kevin asked.

"He's really good with him," Ellie whispered to y/n.

"Shh," she hissed. Because she already knew. And she didn't need it pointed out to her. Besides, she was listening to Max tell Kevin about the languages he spoke, then to him rattle off a few sentences in each one, much to Kevin's amazement.

"Can you teach me?" he asked hopefully.

"When I can, kleine maat." Max ruffled Kevin's hair. "That means little mate."

"You're my big mate," Kevin decided.

"Grote maat," Max said, repeating it slowly a couple times before Kevin said it properly. "There you go. You'll be speaking Dutch like a pro in no time."

"You want a drink, Max?" Y/n offered. "We don't have Red Bull, sorry—"

"Water's fine. Thanks."

"Can I have water too, mama?"

Nodding, y/n fixed their drinks while Kevin turned on the TV and opened Disney+, rolling her eyes when he told Max the password so he could put it in for him. She saw that Ellie was putting on her shoes and raised her eyebrows. "Where are you going?"

"Oh, I don't want to intrude on big mate, little mate bonding time," Ellie said with a small smile. Peeling Kevin from Max long enough to give him a quick hug, she grabbed her wallet and phone. "And I've seen Mulan about six hundred times, so I'm just gonna go for a walk. Take pictures. Get a coffee and a pastry."

"Have fun," y/n said.

"Mhmm, you too," Ellie said with a smirk as she left.

She rolled her eyes and handed Max his drink then Kevin his cup. Motioning for Max to have a seat on the small sofa, she couldn't help but smile when Kevin immediately climbed to sit next to him, and had the feeling that before the movie was over her son would be cuddled close to his big mate.

"Join us?" Max asked while Kevin looked for the movie.

"Work," she reminded him, transferring the sweets and popcorn to the coffee table and getting her laptop. "I'll watch from here."

"It doesn't look very comfortable."

"It shouldn't. It's work."

He looked ready to argue, but instead took a sip of his water and grabbed a bag of candy. Tossing it onto the table, he gave a small shrug when she looked at him. "You said you like strawberry milk."

Y/n looked from him to the bag several times. He remembered that? She'd mentioned it during the Q and A, when the question had been other than red bull what's your favorite drink? Staring at the bag, she felt a sudden rush of warmth. No one had bought her candy in so long… "Thank you," she murmured.

"You're welcome," he said softly.

She almost told him he didn't have to, but she knew that he already knew that. He'd done it because… She didn't know. Maybe to apologize for his father's behavior. Maybe to show he listened. Maybe, just maybe, because he'd seen it in the shop, remembered her liking strawberry milk, and had bought it because that was something he did, buy a little something for no other reason than you said you liked it.

She tried to focus on work, but the movie kept getting her attention. Finally she gave up, scheduling the posts she'd edited and closing her laptop. Grabbing a bottle of water, she joined them on the sofa as Mushu revealed himself to Mulan. As she'd expected, Kevin had already crawled into Max's lap, sharing his bag of popcorn with the man as they both focused on the movie.

"Mama," Kevin whispered, reaching for her.

She scooted closer, sighing as he turned so he could lean against her arm. Max shifted, and she tried to act nonchalant when he draped his arm behind her on the back of the sofa. Smoothing her son's hair, she pretended not to notice when the arm slid to her shoulders. He probably hadn't even noticed, she told herself, aware that his eyes were locked on the TV screen, paying attention to the movie. When Kevin's favorite part began he sat up, quickly sliding to the floor to sing along and she fully expected Max to pull away from her.

But he didn't, and she pulled her knees up, unable to focus on anything except the weight of his arm around her. It was solid but not uncomfortable, a very real reminder that she hadn't been in this position in a very long time.

"He's so mean," Kevin mumbled as Shun-Yu appeared on the screen. Y/n waited for him to hurry over to climb into her lap but he chose Max instead, and she bit back a sigh when the man gently soothed him, hugging him close.

"It's okay, kleine maat. The good guys will beat him, yeah?" he murmured, pausing the movie.

Kevin nodded against Max's shoulder. "Yeah but he's bad."

"A lot of people are," Max said softly. "But if we focus on that we don't see the good. Do you think about your happy days more or your bad days?"

"Happy days," Kevin said.

"Because they make you happy, yeah? If you think about bad days you'll always be having them. It's like that with people. Focus on the good and do what you can to keep the bad from happening. Bad happens, but the good will always be there."

"Okay."

"You ready to finish the movie?" Max asked gently.

Kevin nodded.

Max finally looked at y/n, glancing down when he saw the way she was staring at him. "I didn't—"

"No, you're good," she promised in a whisper, picking up the remote to resume the movie then hugging her knees. If she didn't occupy her arms, she would throw them around him. Usually she had to explain those things to Kevin. Ellie helped, of course, but Kevin always came to her for more explanation after a life lesson. But Max… He'd explained it so eloquently and gently that he'd understood. And she didn't know why, but, god help her…

It was the sexiest thing she'd ever witnessed.

His arm stayed around her shoulders through the rest of the movie. When Mulan was cast out, she got a little emotional as she always did, even after over six hundred views, and she felt his arm tighten around her, hesitating a tiny bit before letting her head lean against him. All she could smell now was him, the gentle but memorable sandalwood and amber scent that she remembered well from the day before.

"Gotta pee," Kevin announced a little bit later, clambering down and running to the bathroom. Max took the remote to pause the movie.

Y/n began to pull away, lifting her head when he squeezed her arm.

"You're fine," he whispered.

His face was so close. Seeing a tiny piece of popcorn on his chin, she reached up to brush it away, freezing at the sound of his sharp inhale. "Sorry, you got a little…"

When the hell had his eyes become so blue? Just a day ago they'd been a normal blue. Now they reminded her of the antique blue willow china her great grandmother had treasured. Her gaze slipped to his mouth and quickly moved back to his eyes and she heard him inhale again.

"Max?"

"Y/n, I…" His eyes flicked down and she unconsciously licked her lips.

She knew she shouldn't but she suddenly, desperately, wanted to know what it was like to kiss him. She hadn't thought about kissing anyone in what felt like a lifetime, but now she needed it. Lifting her chin slightly, she dropped her hand to his chest. "Max—"

"Y/n, you… I—"

"Okay!"

She snatched herself away from Max as though she'd been burned, going so far as to jump to her feet while Kevin rushed back to the sofa. "Go ahead and hit play, I'll be back in just a minute," she promised, nearly tripping over nothing in her haste to get as far away from Max as possible. "Hit play, it's fine, I've seen it a million times."

Once in the bathroom she closed the door and leaned against it, covering her face with both hands. What the hell was wrong with her? Just because she hadn't been kissed since— She dropped her hands, wrinkling her nose in thought. Kevin was three years and two months, and… At any rate, it had been so long she'd assumed she was never going to be kissed again. She hadn't even thought about it in ages, because she'd been so focused on work and raising her son and trying to survive. Now, all of a sudden, she was craving one so bad she'd practically begged him.

He'd been about to tell her he couldn't. She was sure of that. Which only made it even more embarrassing. How could he even want to? She'd seen the girlfriends of other drivers on the grid, there was no way he'd be even remotely interested in her. She wasn't a model or tennis star or whatever their occupations were.

Not to mention she couldn't. It would be wrong on so many levels. What kind of impression would her behavior leave on her son? Not to mention the troubles it would cause at work? And it was in her contract that any sort of fraternization with other members of the team were forbidden. She'd known that but she had read the full contract on the flight to Italy. If she and Max did anything it would eventually come out and she'd be jobless again, this time in a foreign country.

Checking her phone when she felt it buzz in her pocket, she sighed while reading Logan's text.

We're still on right?

She wanted to say no. The best thing for her to do would be to suffer through the rest of the movie, say goodbye to Max, have an early dinner, put Kevin to bed, then take the world's coldest shower. But she was already typing out her reply.

Of course! Looking forward to it.

And she was, she thought, seeing the delivered change to read then the three little dots that he was typing a message. Logan was fun. Nice. Completely uninterested in her romantically, she thought with a sigh.

Great. Be there at 8 to pick you up. Give Kev a high 5 for me?

Will do.

Pushing away from the door, she turned on the water to wash her hands and jumped slightly when there was a gentle knock.

"Y/n?"

"I'm almost done," she called.

She heard his sigh. "Can I come in?"

No. "Yeah, sure."

He opened the door and stepped in, and she swallowed when he closed the door behind him. "I…"

"Max, don't," she groaned, washing her hands and grabbing the towel. "You don't have to tell me you wouldn't have… Even if I wanted you to. I know."

"Wouldn't have what?" he asked.

God, could the moment get any more embarrassing? "I – You – Jesus, never mind."

"Kiss you?" he murmured.

Why did the way he said it sound like so much more than a kiss? "It's fine. Go back and finish the movie."

"Y/n, I can't."

"You have to leave?" she asked.

"What – no, not the movie," he said. Cupping a hand over his mouth, he breathed deeply and dropped his hand after a few seconds, looking pained. "I can't kiss you."

"Oh." Oh. "Do you have a girlfriend or—"

"If I had a girlfriend I wouldn't be in this tiny toilet with you."

And she believed him. He didn't seem the type to put himself in a situation that could be misinterpreted if he had a partner. "Right. Of course. Then…"

"It's…" He sighed.

"Are you gay? Because I won't tell any—"

"I'm not gay," he cut in gently. "It's… I'm not allowed to kiss you."

She blinked, suddenly understanding. And she wondered if he'd read the contract, too. "Right. Neither am I."

"Christian talked to you too?"

"No? Why would he?"

"He told me you're off limits." Max shook his head. "Said I look at you or something."

"Oh." He did? And just how did Max look at her? "I see."

"And it's in our contracts. Yours and mine, I mean. So… I can't."

She nodded. "Of course. Understood. No more explanation necessary, Max."

"I wouldn't want you to lose your job," he said softly.

She continued to nod. "Got it. Thanks."

He tipped his head, then reached to take the towel from her and she realized she was still drying her hands. "I'll still be Kevin's friend."

Still nodding, she picked up her hand cream and squeezed a dollop into her palm. "Thanks. He likes you."

"I like him too." He hesitated, watching her carefully. "You okay?"

"Peachy keen," she promised, rubbing the cream into her hands. "Just getting ready for my dinner."

His lips settled into a fine line. "Your date."

The way he said it irritated her. As though she was in the wrong for making plans with a new friend. "It's not a date, but yes."

"I'm sure you'll have a wonderful time," he said with absolutely no emotion.

"Well, he's not contractually obligated to be nice to me, so… I know I will," she said, forcing as much sweetness into her voice as possible.

"I'm not nice because of a contract," he snapped.

"Right, sorry, my mistake. He won't not kiss me because of a piece of paper," she corrected.

Max's eyes flashed, a muscle in his jaw twitching. "I thought it wasn't a date?" he asked carefully.

Good, at least he had some emotion. "Oh, so I'm only allowed to kiss him if we're on a date?"

"I didn't say—" He cut off, pressing his lips tight together and exhaling slowly. "You said it wasn't a date."

"Why do you care either way?"

"Is it a date or not?" he ground out.

"It's not." She took her hair down from the ponytail as he sighed with something like relief. "But it could be in the future."

"What, so you'll kiss him because I won't kiss you?"

"If I kiss him, it'll be because both of us want it," she said. She knew she was being silly, maybe even a little stupid. But he was acting as though he were doing her a favor. As though he were somehow honorable, a gentleman even, because he refused to do what she now knew they both wanted.

"Y/n, I can't—"

"A word I'm sure you're not used to saying about yourself," she muttered under her breath.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked, an edge in his voice.

"I didn't know that 'can't' was in your vocabulary is all." Looking at her phone to check the time, she cleared her throat. "Now, if you don't mind, I have to change."

He hesitated while she opened her makeup bag. "Do you want to kiss him?"

"Why do you care?"

He visibly bristled. "I don't want you to get hurt."

"Does he have a reputation for hurting women?" She picked up her hairbrush, and had brushed out her hair completely before he finally answered.

"No." It sounded like it hurt him to say it. "He's nice."

"Then you don't have to worry."

"Where are you going?"

"Oh, no." She laughed humorlessly. "You don't get to ask that. Now please, I have to change."

He stared at her, looking annoyed and irritated, his jaw still twitching. Then, with a huff, he turned to open the door. And froze when he saw the dress hanging from the hook. "Is… That's what you're wearing?"

"Oh my god, Max, you're starting to sound like a jealous boyfriend."

"I'm not jealous," he snorted.

"And you're not my boyfriend," she snapped.

She waited for him to turn around and restart their argument. Altercation. Whatever it was. Instead, he muttered something under his breath and snatched the door open. Went out, closing it. And sounded perfectly normal when he apologized to Kevin and resumed the movie.

Y/n was still annoyed even after changing and doing her makeup. She fussed over her hair, unsure whether she wanted to wear it up or down, finally leaving it down. She was fully aware that she was putting more work into her appearance than she would have if Max hadn't said what he had, and still knew she was being silly and stupid. Hadn't she just told herself nothing could happen between them?

Yes, but maybe if he hadn't acted as though he were doing an immense favor she wouldn't be so upset. I wouldn't want you to lose your job. Indicating that if he kissed her and they were found out, his job was secure.

"Sanctimonious prick," she muttered while she spritzed perfume on her wrists and rubbed them together. As she exited the bathroom the outer door of the room opened and Ellie came in, her jaw dropping when she saw her.

"Holy shit babes, you look amazing!"

She smiled, doing a turn for her friend. "You think so?"

"His jaw is gonna be on the floor the whole time. Holy shit, milf alert." Ellie whistled softly, waving her hand as though overcome with heat.

Y/n giggled. "Thanks."

The movie was ending and Kevin oohed and aahed over her dress, telling her over and over how pretty she was. Max stared at her, his jaw set, but said nothing, looking away and starting to clear up the remains of the snacks.

"Isn't she pretty, grote maat?" Kevin asked.

And even though her back was to him, she felt his gaze. Glancing over her shoulder at him while she fastened her necklace, she watched his shoulders rise and fall with a sigh. "Very pretty, kleine maat."

"You're supposed to tell her," Kevin whispered. "Always tell a lady she's beautiful. Right, aunt Ellie?"

"That's right, buddy," Ellie said proudly. She gave y/n an odd look, silently asking what had happened, narrowing her eyes when y/n merely shrugged.

"Because women are pretty all the time," Kevin went on and y/n smiled. At least she was doing something right…

After fastening her earrings she turned from the dresser, breath catching in her throat when she found Max staring at her. Vaguely aware of Ellie telling Kevin to wash his hands so they could eat the dinner she'd brought, she squatted, getting her heels from her suitcase, along with her shawl.

"Je bent mooi," Max said.

She met his gaze as she rose to her feet. "What's that mean?"

"You're beautiful," he whispered.

"Thank you." And though she knew it was catty, she couldn't help the words that slipped out of her mouth. "Do you think Logan will like it?"

His jaw twitched. "He'd be stupid not to."

"That doesn't answer my question," she practically cooed, slipping on her heels.

He made a sound of disgust in his throat. "He's annoying and dumb sometimes, but he's not stupid. So, yes, I think he'll like it."

"Look at you, hyping me up." She wasn't stupid either, she could hear and feel the jealousy. Good, she thought, getting her small handbag and transferring her few necessities to it.

"Is he picking you up?" Max asked. "Or are you meeting him somewhere?"

"Are you gonna stick around and question his intentions?" she scoffed. "Because if so, I'm meeting him."

"I just—"

"Do you want some pasta, Mister Max?" Kevin asked as he came out of the bathroom with Ellie.

"Ah, maybe next time," Max said after clearing his throat. "You eat some for me, hm?"

She wanted to be mad that he was so good with her son. Proclaim they could only ever be coworkers, then turn around and continue to be her son's favorite person. It wasn't fair. But she didn't want him to be mean to Kevin. So she smiled, fixing her shawl while Max told Kevin he would see him at quali tomorrow, wishing she could stay mad at him but that was impossible, especially when he lifted her son up and gave him a tight hug, telling him he'd enjoyed the movie.

"Can we watch another one day?" Kevin asked hopefully and y/n drew in a breath, prepared to say they couldn't ask Max that, he was too busy.

"Of course we can. You pick the movie and we'll watch it next week?"

He gave Kevin another hug then gently encouraged him to eat his dinner, smiling and saying goodnight to Ellie. Then he turned to her, and she felt an unexpected heat ripple through her as his eyes slowly looked her up and down.

"Thanks for coming," she murmured, walking him to the door.

"I enjoyed it." He rubbed the back of his neck. "For the most part."

"Kevin had a great time."

"Yes. And that's all that matters."

Ouch. "Goodnight, Max."

"Enjoy your dinner with Logan."

"I will."

He rocked back on his heels, exhaling harshly. "I'm…" He cleared his throat. "Goodnight, y/n."

She closed the door and bit back a whine. Stupid, stupid, stupid—

"Talk tonight when you get back?" Ellie asked gently, watching her while she fixed Kevin's plate.

"It's nothing," she insisted, double checking that she had everything in her handbag. Phone, ID and passport, room key, lipstick, mirror. "Just being stupid."

"You're not stupid, mama," Kevin said anxiously.

"I know, thank you. Sorry. Just feeling stupid."

"But you look so pretty," he told her.

She smiled, sighing as she crossed the room to kiss his cheek. "You're the best son in the world, you know that?"

He giggled, rubbing the lipstick from his cheek. "And you're the best mama."

"Only because you're the best son," she insisted.

"Do you like Mister Logan?" he asked suddenly, scrunching his face when she fastened the bib around his neck.

"He's nice. But he's just a friend."

"But." Kevin's lips poked out in thought. "He's taking you on a date."

"Dinner. You know how you miss Cotton?" She took a napkin and cleaned the smudge of lipstick from his cheek when he nodded. "He misses America sometimes. It's kind of like when you pet the cats on your walks."

"Ohh…" Kevin nodded with all the understanding a three year old could muster. "So he's gonna pet you?"

She blinked, instinctively reaching to swat Ellie's arm when her friend choked back a giggle. "Not exactly," she groaned. "We're just gonna talk."

Ellie was still giggling ten minutes later when Logan knocked on the door. "Sorry, sorry," she gasped when y/n shot her a glare. "I'll behave."

"That'll be the day," y/n muttered under her breath as she went to open the door. "Hey," she greeted warmly, smiling up at him.

He was dressed in slacks, a button down, and a jacket. His smile faded a little as he stared at her, and she saw his throat move as he swallowed. "Whoa. You look great."

"Thanks. You do too."

She let him in so Kevin could say hi, ducking into the bathroom to fix her lipstick and remind herself that it was just dinner. Logan was just a friend, or at least would hopefully be a friend. Saying goodnight to her son, she felt her shawl slipping, ignoring Ellie's knowing look when Logan immediately reached to catch it, his hands gentle as he draped it over her shoulders. Just dinner. Just dinner with just a friend.

But when they walked down the street to the restaurant, which was just around the corner, and his hand brushed hers she told herself it was alright. And when he slipped his hand protectively over hers she didn't pull away. In the restaurant when Lando and a few others called out to him she hung back, blushing when Logan gently tugged her along to greet his friends.

"Didn't know you had a date tonight, mate," Oscar commented, nodding to her in greeting.

She could have corrected him. Could have announced to everyone that it wasn't a date. But Logan's bashful chuckle warmed her and she smiled. "We American's have to stick together," she said, enjoying Logan's laugh.

"You know, England is an ally," Lando said with a smirk.

"Still haven't forgiven you for taxation without representation," she sighed.

"That wasn't me," Lando defended while the others laughed.

"Your ancestors though," Oscar told him.

"They were doing what they thought was right? How am I at fault now?"

"You opened your mouth," Carlos said with a laugh.

"C'mon, babe, our table's ready," Logan murmured, hand slipping to the small of her back.

"Enjoy your date!" Oscar called after them.

"I hope you trip over your independence!" Lando yelped when Oscar elbowed him.

Laughing, y/n let Logan guide her to the other side of the dining room, where they were thankfully shielded from the table of drivers. He held the chair for her and she thanked him while the waiter handed them the menus.

"I'm sorry about that. Oscar and Lando… I should have told them it wasn't a date," Logan said once they were alone.

"It's fine," she assured him. "I mean, technically, it is a date."

"I guess so. I just don't want you thinking I'm making it out to more than it is."

"What is it?" she asked.

"Two friends, hopefully. Spending time together." He looked up from his menu. "Probably should have taken you somewhere more casual, huh? This place makes it look like I'm trying to impress you."

She hadn't thought of it like that. "…Are you trying to impress me?"

"Do you want me to?"

Their eyes met and she slowly inhaled, thinking over what the best answer would be.

So you'll kiss him because I won't kiss you?

Do you want to kiss him?

She exhaled, sending thoughts of Max as far away as possible. "I think I do."

He looked relieved and oh, so handsome in this light. "Then I might be trying to impress you a little."

"You're doing amazing so far."

taglist

@spookystitchery | @halleest | @lyannesworld | @llando4norris | @kravitzwhore | @younxii | @silentreader128 | @samantha-chicago | @mrsbrxkkxr | @cmleitora |

SERIES

Max Verstappen

Rule Breaker: Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5

Lando Norrris

Hopeless (1) > Luxury (2) > Poison (3) > untitled (4)

Logan Sargeant

American Idiot

Social Media AUs

Until You (Leclerc/Piastri) One | Two | Three